Monthly Archives: January 2016

Review: Slightly Married

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Review: Slightly MarriedSlightly Married (Bedwyn Saga, #1) by Mary Balogh
Series: Bedwyn Saga #1
Published by Dell Bantam Random House on April 1st 2003
Genres: Historical
Pages: 342
Goodreads
five-stars

Classic Marriage of Convenience Story

SLIGHTLY MARRIED is the first book in the Bedwyn series (although there are two prequel books ONE NIGHT FOR LOVE and A SUMMER TO REMEMBER). SLIGHTLY MARRIED is the story of Colonel Aiden Bedwyn, the second son in the Bedwyn family. When one of his soldier’s dies, Aiden makes a promise to care for the soldier’s sister. Eve Morris is in serious trouble with the death of her brother. She is about to be evicted from her home if she is not married in a week. Aiden offers Eve a marriage of convenience in order to satisfy his promise. Fate intervenes, however, and the two are constantly drawn back together.

I absolutely loved this book. Balogh has a wonderful way of allowing her characters to fall in love slowly. The emphasis in these stories is on the characters’ romantic journey. I love that part of her novels. I feel that at the end of the book, I understand these characters who are complex and multifaceted.

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five-stars

Review: The Unexpected Duchess

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Review: The Unexpected DuchessThe Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides, #1) by Valerie Bowman
Series: Playful Brides #1
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on April 29th 2014
Genres: Historical
Pages: 336
Goodreads
four-stars

Light and Fluffy Comedy of Errors Historical Romance

“A twig in her eye and a mouthful of foliage were the unfortunate by-products of having her head lodged in a hedgerow.”

FINAL DECISION: A light romance with numerous misunderstandings and confusions, THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS does it genre well. Readers looking for realism and serious story should look elsewhere, but those enjoying a sweet, fun romance with comedy and humor will enjoy this book.

THE STORY: Lady Lucy Upton is known to have a “rapier for a tongue”. She is determined to help her shy best friend Cassandra rebuff the courtship of Derek Hunt, Duke of Claringdon. Soon Lucy and Derek are deeply engaged in battling one another which ends up overshadowing the Duke’s courtship even as he is determined to marry Cassandra since he made a promise to do so. But what is Lucy to do when she realizes that she is falling for the Duke even as her best friend is now considering allowing the Duke to court her after all?

OPINION: A mapcap romance with humor and light drama, this book gives the readers a smile. There are many misunderstandings, mix-ups and mismatched couples along the way to the happy ending. The book itself refers to Much Ado About Nothing and like many of Shakespeare’s comedies there are farcical elements. There are also allusions to Cyrano in reverse where Lucy tells Cass what to say to discourage the Duke while she hides in a bush.

These light historicals are not my favorites, but I really enjoyed the characters who — despite their sometimes illogical behavior — are likeable and funny. By the end of the book, I really wanted to see how the romances between the other two couples in the book will turn out in future books in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book sets up the couples for the next couple of books in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS is the first book in the Playful Brides series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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four-stars

Review: It Had to Be You

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Review: It Had to Be YouIt Had to Be You (Chicago Stars, #1) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Series: Chicago Stars #1
Published by Avon on March 5th 2002
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 376
Goodreads
five-stars

Wonderful Charmer of a Book

IT HAD TO BE YOU is the first book in the Chicago Stars series. It is the story of Phoebe Somerville, who inherits the Chicago Stars football team from her father. Her father attempts to manipulate her from the grave by making the condition that Phoebe has to take over control of the team and have the team win the AFC Championship — an almost impossible task for the team. Phoebe’s father disagreed with her life choices, but Phoebe is running from a rape as a young woman and has constructed a shield of an aggressive sexual woman to hide her pain.

Dan Calebow is the coach of the Chicago Stars. After a divorce, Dan is looking for a sweet, motherly type to marry and have children. While Dan is attracted to Phoebe, he knows that this maneater is not for him. Of course, the two are soon striking sparks off of one another.

I absolutely loved this book. The story was funny at times but the pain that Phoebe feels was so visceral that I cringed at her reactions. I loved the relationship between Phoebe and Dan. The two are so well matched for one another. At times the storyline seems over the top and unrealistic, but it was so enjoyable that realism didn’t matter to me. I haven’t read many Phillips books so I don’t know how this book compares with others, but I enjoyed this book tremendously and will continue with the other books in the series.

I’d rate the book 5 stars.

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five-stars

Review: Mr. Perfect

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Review: Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect by Linda Howard
Published by Pocket Books on July 1st 2003
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 405
Goodreads
four-stars

More Suspense Than Romance

MR. PERFECT is the story of Jaine Bright who with the friends create an amusing list of the qualities that make up Mr. Perfect. The list becomes a sensation. Someone them begins threatening the women over the list. At the same time, Jaine meets her new neighbor, Sam Donovan. She and Sam strike sparks of of one another.

I liked this book. It is more suspense than romance. The mystery takes precedence. I enjoyed that story even though I figured or the villain before it was disclosed. Sam and Jaine are sweet together. I liked that Jaine is fierce and strong and that while Sam is an alpha hero he still respects Jaine’s courage and strength.

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four-stars

Review: Trade Me

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Review: Trade MeTrade Me (Cyclone Book 1) by Courtney Milan
Series: Cyclone #1
on January 19th 2015
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 281
Goodreads
four-stars

A Different Kind of Book From Courtney Milan

“Try trading lives with me.”

THE STORY: Tina Chen is a 20 year old college student struggling to finish college. She is also having to care for her family because her mother gives the little money they have to others. Blake Reynolds is 23 years old and a billionaire. He has been in public display since a child when he did commercials for his father’s technology company (think Apple clone). Blake has struggles of his own as he attempts to distance himself from his father’s shadow. When Tina and Blake end up in an argument during a class, Blake proposes that Tina and Blake trade lives. They end up finding out about themselves, their families, and each other. Romance ensues.

OPINION: TRADE ME, a contemporary new adult romance, is not a book I would have picked if it had been written by anyone other than Courtney Milan. Milan, however, has wowed me with her historical romances and I am always willing to give such authors the benefit of the doubt.

TRADE ME is told in two first person voices: Tina and Blake. This is a book where both characters are on a personal journey. I really enjoyed how the secrets in this book are slowly revealed for the reader and the characters themselves. Much of the book feels more like a self discovery book than a romance book, but there is no doubt that this is a romance book. There is a deep connection between Tina and Blake even as Tina wishes to push away from Blake for almost the entire book. Blake feels like the more vulnerable character here perhaps because part of Tina’s coping mechanism is to be the strong character in her family.

This book also addresses many serious issues, but is not an overly serious book itself. It confines its examination of social issues to discussions relevant to the characters which keeps the book from being didactic. I also like how the issues the characters face are not ones that conform to any stereotype. The story also doesn’t conform to the standard response to a trading places type of story: that everyone has it hard. This story doesn’t rely on that easy answer. The problems and the solutions to this story are complex and difficult and feel real.

My minor complaint with the story is that it feels unfinished because it is. There is more to Tina and Blake’s story and so this book feels like the characters have reached a good place, but that their difficulties are not behind them.

WORTH MENTIONING: I really appreciate the interracial romance and they are still rare enough to mention that TRADE ME is one of them.

FINAL DECISION: This book takes a little time for the reader to comprehend what is at issue because the depths of the characters are slow in being revealed. While the characters have a happy ending, they clearly have unfinished business (luckily Book 3 will return to Tina and Blake).

CONNECTED BOOKS: TRADE ME is the first book in the Cyclone series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Ravishing Ruby

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Ravishing Ruby
Ravishing Ruby by Lavinia Kent
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

My Favorite Bound and Determined Novel

“It would have been better if he had never returned from Manchester, having him here made her want things she should not, dream things she should not. And it made her careless.”

FINAL DECISION: Emotional, sexy, hot, RAVISHING RUBY is the story of a “fallen” woman who lives her own life without many regrets and the man she cannot forget. I love how these two fulfill a need in one another.

THE STORY: Ruby is Madame Rouge, a notorious brothel owner. Several months ago, she had an enounter with Captain Derek Price which was emotional and where she revealed her true self — Emma, bastard daughter of a duke and granddaughter of a merchant. The two spent one night together and then Derek left on the way to his marriage. Now he has returned to London with his soon to be fiancee in tow and finds himself unable to forget about Ruby or to stay away from her.

OPINION: This was my favorite of this series. Emotional with characters that I cared about, this book — while sexy and hot — was definitely more about the characters and their relationship than about the sex. In many ways, because the sex was so easy for these characters, they had to struggle with the other parts of their relationship.

I loved Ruby because she accepts who she is and is unrepentant about her sexual past. As she remarks to herself — Derek has had more lovers that she has. While society might judge her differently, she refuses to allow herself to be defined by others. What Ruby does struggle with is her love for others. She fears that she will have to submit to her grandfather’s vision of her future in order to keep them in her life.

In that way, Ruby and Derek’s struggle in this book is similar. They both want to gain the love and affection of their family and thus feel somewhat compelled to force themselves into a role they are not completely comfortable with. Neither likes to be controlled and for that reason they find a kindred spirit in the other and the freedom that their relationship provides.

These two spend a lot of time roleplaying with one another. It allows them to disclose different aspects of themselves that may be hard for them to easy show to another. The scenes are pretty sexy as well.

Because they are so well attuned to one another, the scene when it appears that they are doomed to be parted made me cry (even as I knew there would be a happy ending). Definitely my favorite of the series. In fact, the ending of this book makes me hope that we will learn more about Derek and Ruby in the future.

WORTH MENTIONING: Ruby is a brothel owner and has herself had varied sexual experiences. This book is not for the reader looking for the reluctant prostitute, virgin brothel owner or missish heroine.

CONNECTED BOOKS: RAVISHING RUBY is the third novel in the Bound and Determined series. It can be read as a standalone although I recommend that readers read the novella REVEALING RUBY which is about the same couple and takes place prior to this book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review: The Master

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Review: The MasterThe Master (The Game Maker, #2) by Kresley Cole
Series: The Game Maker #2
Published by Gallery Books on February 17th 2015
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 448
Goodreads
five-stars

Wow! A Hot Book With a Hot Russian

“Never, never, never trust another man.”

THE STORY: Catarina Marin is desperate. She has been on the run for years from her murderous husband. She needs to flee Miami and needs money to do it. She decides to agree to be a substitute escort for one night in order to make enough money to leave. Her client is Maksim Sevastyan. Maksim is a rich Russian politician and also Mafiya. Cat is nothing like the woman that Maksim ordered but she is appealing to him in ways he doesn’t expect. Their experience is more explosive than either expects and both are drawn to one another in ways that two solitary people never expected.

OPINION: I loved this book. It is hot and full of angst. Cat is a great heroine who takes control of her own life even while it is a mess. Maksim is sexy and filled with his painful past. Cat and Maksim are wonderful together as these two people who have no trust to give one anyone find something special together. This book works so well together. This book is definite erotica, but even though sex is an important and central part of this book, the relationship is never overshadowed by the graphic sexual depictions. This book worked much better as a whole than the first in the series. After finishing this book, the reader is left with the strong characters as the focus rather than the erotica. The book was filled with witty conversations and sweet emotions for two people who don’t expect it. This was a book that grabbed me from the beginning and I loved just about everything about it.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of THE PROFESSIONAL will get to attend the wedding of Aleks and Natalie.

FINAL DECISION: I loved this book and found Cat and Maksim to be a great match in every way. There was enough drama and angst and hot sex to keep the story interesting without overwhelming the romance.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE MASTER is the second book in The Game Maker series. It can be read as a standalone although characters from the first book make significant appearances here.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

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five-stars

Review: The Professional

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Review: The ProfessionalThe Professional (The Game Maker, #1) by Kresley Cole
Series: The Game Maker #1
Published by Simon & Schuster UK on May 6th 2014
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 400
Goodreads
four-stars

Conflicted About This One

THE STORY: Natalie Porter is a grad student in Nebraska when the search for her birth parents leads her to discover that she is the long lost daughter of a Russian Mafia leader. She discovers this when her father”s enforcer, Aleksandr Sevastyan drags her out of her ordinary life and forces her on a plane to Russia. Natalie and Sevastyan are immediately combustible together in every way. Sevastyan was sent to protect Natalie but becomes obsessed with her while fighting his attraction to her. The two are quickly engaged in a sexual BDSM relationship while Sevastyan fights the emotional connection.

OPINION: I am conflicted about this book. I wonder if the original format (being split into three ebooks) interfered somewhat with the development of the story. I loved portions of this book. The beginning was incredibly strong. I am a complete sucker for the emotionally damaged alpha hero, but the continued conflict between Natalie and Sevastyan just went on too long in a too repetitive manner for me to find this a great book. It was on the edge of that, but at about the two-thirds mark, I found myself saying “not again!” The couple would have a break through and then her hero would back away once again — over and over again. I think the story could have been pared back somewhat. At the same time, I did love the rough alpha hero who doesn’t completely reform at the end and I liked how the heroine demands to be treated as a woman with her own sexual desires and wants even when the hero wants to treat her as fragile.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is erotic romance with extensive and explicit sexual exploits including public sex so readers should be warned.

FINAL DECISION: Parts of this book I really loved and some of it was just okay for me. I ultimately recommend it because I think it is interesting.

CONNECTED BOOKS: This is the first book of the Game Maker series. The second book will feature the brother of the hero of this book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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four-stars

Review: Bad Wolf

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Review: Bad WolfBad Wolf (Shifters Unbound, #7.5) by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Shifters Unbound #7.5
Published by JA / AG Publishing on July 14th, 2015
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 223
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Great Novella with Sexy Shifter and Lots of Cameos

“It was hard to protect a woman who went charging ahead before Broderick could check that the way was safe.”

THE STORY: Broderick McNaughton is a wolf shifter who lives in the Austin Shiftertown. Readers of the Shifters Unbound series will know that the shifters are treated as second class citizens, forced to live in designated town with few rights. They are magical creatures having been created by their enemies the Fae to be entertainment and weapons of war.

Broderick knows something is wrong when he awakens in a strange place. He realizes that he has been abducted. The people who abducted him want information about the Shifters. Broderick escapes and returns to the Austin Shiftertown and his sort of girlfriend Joanne Greene. Joanne is human and her relationship with Broderick is complicated. The two are circling around one another at the same time that they are attracted to one another. Broderick’s abduction brings them closer together as they work together, use Joanne’s skills as a hacker, to discover who is threatening the Shifters.

The mystery includes a murdered Guardian, appearances by and updates about Austin Shiftertown residents and a real partnership between the main characters.

OPINION: I really liked this novella. The story is snappy and I was surprised at the resolution. It was a definite suspense/mystery story. With unexpected appearances and surprise resolutions, this book is a treat for fans of the series.

Ashley does a great job of keeping the overarching storyline of the series moving forward without allowing the plot to become too complicated.

Broderick is a fun hero. Sexy and brave, he doesn’t think much of himself at times because he is not part of the leadership of the Shiftertown. This story, however, shows that he has an important role and that he is important to those around him. He is a shifter who does his job. I especially liked that he is interested in what Joanne does because it is important to her and wants to know more about it only because of the importance in her life.

Joanne is a character that has grown. I liked that Ashley has redeemed this character who was a negative character when first introduced. There is much here about characters not being simply good or evil. Throughout the series, many characters who had negative appearances have their motivations explained, their opinions changed and become better people because of their life experiences. Joanne is smart and able to take care of herself but has learned a lot and has a more humble view of the world.

This is a bridge book which finishes up some loose storylines and allows the story to continue in future books. It is a good one.

WORTH MENTIONING: Readers of LIon Eyes will be happy to have some additional resolution regarding that story here. Also, I was especially pleased to see Tiger again. He happens to be one of my favorite characters and plays an important role in this story.

FINAL DECISION: I loved this novella. Broderick was a compelling hero who seemed kind and compassionate but with a hell raising side. The romance is not as strong here as with other of the books in the series, but the appearances by other characters makes up for it.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BAD WOLF is book number 7.5 in the Shifters Unbound series. A reader doesn’t have to follow the whole series to enjoy this book. This book is most closely connected with BEAR ATTRACTION and the novella LION EYES so readers might enjoy BAD WOLF more if those are read first.

STAR RATING: I give this novella 4.5 stars.

four-half-stars

Review: Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

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Review: Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed SetDark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set by Jennifer Ashley, Caris Roane, Erin Kellison, Felicity Heaton, Erin Quinn, Laurie London, Bonnie Vanak, Colleen Gleason
Series: , Iron Portal #4, Werewolves of Montana Mating Mini #4, Her Angel #8, Dragons of Bloodfire #1, Beyond #2.5, Gardella Vampire Hunters #7
on June 12th, 2015
Genres: Paranormal
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Great Collection of Paranormal Romances

This is a great collection of paranormal romances.

LION EYES by Jennifer Ashley: Bree is a shifters groupie who finds herself with a lion shifter in her truck. He is running from someone and demands that she drive. Seamus is being chased by the authorities who believe he has committed a murder. I really liked the romance between Bree and Seamus. He has an interesting story being part of the renegade uncollared shifters. I also really enjoyed the appearances by Shifter favorites. I thought that Seamus was sweet. This is Book 6.6 of the Shifters Unbound series. Rating: 4.25.

BLOOD FLAME by Caris Roane: Vampire Officer James Conner of the Crescent Border Patrol is a widower. Iris Meldeere is a witch who is a Tribunal Public Safety Officer. In a world where vampires kill witches and witches return the favor, James and Iris at best work reluctantly with one another and more likely have to fight the instinct to kill one another. Thrust into a situation where there are unnatural interactions between vampires and witches and someone seems willing to kill both, Iris and James find that they may have more in common than wanting to kill one another. This story was an interesting introduction to this world but not knowing about this world before, it felt too complicated and took a little away from the romance of the story trying to figure out the rules of the world. This is part of the Flame Series. Rating: 3.5 stars.

TEMPTED BY FIRE by Erin Kellison: Dragon Shifter Thane Ryce Ealdian is determined to avenge the death of his wife and son. When their bodies are discovered, a dispute between Thane and another family over possession of the remains leads to the intervention of Emerson Clark who is a mediator. Orphaned as a child, Emerson knows that she is a bloodkin dragon but doubts whether or not it is true. The story is sexy and intense and I found it an enjoyable read. This is part of the Dragons of Bloodfire series. Rating: 4 stars.

HER SINFUL ANGEL by Felicity Heaton: Lucifer, the king of Hell, is a fallen angel. One day a mortal woman, Nina, is left unconscious in his courtyard. Lucifer is not as evil as might be portrayed but rather has made some bad decisions in his life. Nina has been brought to him for a purpose and he intends to discover what that is. This book has great characters and I was sucked right into the story. Lucifer is a compelling character with an interesting back story. Immediately after finishing this story, I bought the rest of the series. There are mentions of other characters who have stories written about them. Their appearance made me interested in reading their stories, but I didn’t feel that I needed to know that background in order to appreciate this story. This is book 8 in the Her Angel Series. Rating: 4.5 stars.

THE RESURRECTION OF SAM SLOAN by Erin Quinn: Maggie Sloan was left by her husband when he abandoned her and his two children. A year later she is called to his hospital bedside when he is dying from a gunshot wound. Just at the moment of death, Reaper becomes trapped in Sam Sloan’s body when he wants to touch Maggie. When Maggie brings her husband home, she realizes that he is different from the man she knew. The family is threatened by something dark and sinister. This was an interesting story of resurrection and rebirth and also a suspenseful mystery. I liked the story but felt some distance from Reaper even as the story progressed. I did think the romance between these two worked. This is book 2.5 in the Beyond Series. Rating: 3.5 stars.

REBEL’S DESIRE by Laurie London: Toryn Flynn is an Iron Guild Warrior and Keely Weber runs a bookstore with her sister. Keely and her sister were kicked out by their father when it was discovered that they were Talents. When Keely’s sister is kidnapped in order to be sold into the sex trade. Toryn agrees to help Keely find her sister. This was an intriguing story that made me want to read more of the series. I thought the characters were well defined and interesting. This is book 4 of the Iron Portal series. Rating: 4 stars.

REDEMPTION by Bonnie Vanak: Robert Keynes is an Alpha wolf cursed after his Mage lover destroyed the land to which his pack is connected. He desperately needs to break the curse and believes that Aurora Seville, herself a Mage, is the one to do it. I found this story compelling. Both characters have secrets that are slowly revealed in the story. This story is book 4 of the Montana Mating Mini which is connected to the Werewolves of Montana series. Rating: 4.25 stars.

RAGING DAWN by Colleen Gleason: Max Dawson is a vampire hunter whose wife was killed by vampires. Savina Eleaisa has a plan to help kill the vampire that destroyed Max’s family — she intends to seduce the vampire. Very intriguing story with rich characters. Definitely wanted more. A Gardella Vampire Hunters novella. Rating: 4.25 stars.

four-half-stars