Review: Governess Gone Rogue

Review: Governess Gone RogueGoverness Gone Rogue (Dear Lady Truelove, #3) by Laura Lee Guhrke
Series: Dear Lady Truelove #3
Published by Avon on January 29, 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 384
Goodreads
two-stars

FINAL DECISION: I was honestly bored by this book that unfortunately didn’t live up to the promise of the series. Readers who want the story of a woman who overcomes all sorts of historical prejudices and limitations placed on woman this story is good, but the romance was undeveloped and there was no chemistry. The hero had no real personality and was just a foil for the heroine.

THE STORY: Amanda Leighton is ruined and turned out from her life’s calling of being a teacher. When she overhears James St. Clair, Earl of Kenyon, fretting about needing a tutor for his ungovernable twin sons, Amanda knows that she is completely qualified for the job with except for one thing — a woman cannot be a tutor. Masquerading as a man, Amanda gets the tutor job but when her identity is revealed, there are suddenly a whole lot of complications between Jamie and Amanda.

OPINION: The romance in this book was lacking. The story is much more interested in Amanda’s situation than building a relationship between the characters. The story focuses on an examination of the social restrictions upon Amanda. Her journey to recover from being abandoned by her lover and having the deal with being a “ruined” woman. The unreasonable restrictions upon tutors being men and the denigration of women’s abilities. Also tossed in is Amanda being harassed by a former employer. The story is so consumed with advocating for Amanda and making her a perfect specimen of enlightened womanhood, that it doesn’t have time to actually develop any relationship between Amanda and Jamie. In fact, it almost seemed to me that we saw her spending more time with Jamie’s sons than him.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters and the romance felt so rushed in the last third of the book (also tossed in was Jamie being a neglectful father who tosses his career away for Amanda).

The hero felt like a wimp who had no personality at all except for his emotional neglect of his children and his pining for his dead wife.

This book has an interesting story to tell about Amanda — unfortunately it is more historical women’s fiction than romance.

WORTH MENTIONING: Despite being a part of the Lady Truelove series, the connection to the advice column is pretty slim.

CONNECTED BOOKS: GOVERNESS GONE ROGUE is the third book in the Dear Lady Truelove series. While there are appearances from characters from other books in the series, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

 

two-stars

Review: To Win Her Heart

Review: To Win Her HeartTo Win Her Heart by Brenda Novak
Published by Harlequin Books Genres: Contemporary
Goodreads
two-stars

FINAL DECISION: This story didn’t work for me because I really didn’t see any relationship between April and Gunner. Having both their relationship and the parents in the same short story was just too much ground to cover and not enough development for either.

THE STORY: April Ashton wants to help get her separated parents back together again. So she schemes to bring her mother to the company getaway, but part of that plan ends up being Gunner Stevens, a former race car driver who wants to buy her father’s business. But the scheme necessitates April and Gunner to pretend to be in a relationship.

OPINION: There was nothing horribly wrong with this story, it was just that the short nature of the novella combined with the two romances in the story overloaded the story and meant that I just didn’t get the development of the April and Gunner romance. The beginning of the story between them was really good, but once the time came for them to get emotionally close, I thought the story faltered. Things happened too quickly and without any real development between them. Gunner fell too fast and I just didn’t buy that part of the story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This story was originally published under the title WHAT A GIRL WANTS in the MOTHER, PLEASE! anthology.

CONNECTED BOOKS: This book is a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.

two-stars

Review: The Devilish Lord Will

Review: The Devilish Lord WillThe Devilish Lord Will (MacKenzies & McBrides, #10) by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Mackenzies and McBrides #10
Published by JA / AG Publishing on January 15, 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 315
Goodreads
five-stars

FINAL DECISION: I absolutely loved this book. I’m a sucker for a couple who have new chance at love. This book has a deep romance and a lot of action and adventure. Loved these characters and their story.

THE STORY: Josette Oswald needs help finding a legendary gold treasure and she knows there is no one more suited for such a hunt than Will Mackenzie. Josie and Will have worked together in the past in Will’s spying endeavors sometimes pretending to be husband and wife. But Josie has a daughter to raise and Will’s adventures were a danger to her family and her heart so she sent him away. Now she needs his help but she also has a secret that might destroy the long friendship the two former lovers share and Will’s willingness to help Josie on her quest.

OPINION: This book was my favorite of the 1700s Mackenzies. I loved the relationship between Will and Josie. Things weren’t right for them in the past for a multitude of reasons and I highly respected Josie for turning Will away in order to raise her daughter. Even though Will knows he is not one to settle down, he still is an honorable man who did everything he could to care for Josie and her daughter.

I loved just about everything in this book. Will cares deeply under his devil may care attitude. His immediate acceptance of Josie’s daughter and his love and caring for a child not his own is admirable. And I really liked that Josie’s daughter is not merely a plot device. She is a real character here and I’m glad that we get some resolution to her story as well.

The romance in this book is so different from the usual — we meet and in a week are madly in love and want to spend our lives together — story. There is a real sense that Will and Josie had something special a decade ago, but the time wasn’t right for them. Now the two have a new chance and are in a different phase of their lives. While both have to clear up things from their pasts, this book has a strong sense that the two can finally have a chance for the future together.

There are a lot of moving pieces in this story, but the focus is always on Will and Josie. This is a story of two people who have a decade to realize that what they have together is special and are finally willing to give in to love.

WORTH MENTIONING: For fans of the series, this book gives an update on everyone (from the 1700s).

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DEVILISH LORD WILL is the tenth book in the Mackenzies & McBrides series and the third book about the 1700s Mackenzies. This book can be read as a standalone although I recommend that readers consider reading the two prior 1700s books because they all are connected.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: On Thin Ice

Review: On Thin IceOn Thin Ice (Ice, #6) by Anne Stuart
Series: Ice #6
on September 15, 2011
Genres: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Good Adventure Romance

THE STORY: Elizabeth Pennington is an American aid worker in a small war torn South American country. When she is kidnapped by revolutionaries, she ends up meeting Finn MacGowan who is also a captive. Finn is a Committee operative who has been kept captive for three years and is ready to escape. He believe the Committee, a covert multinational anti-terrorist organization, has abandoned him and he intends on escaping and getting revenge. When escaping, he reluctantly ends up with Beth as a companion and they must avoid those who want to kill them and find out who is trying to use Finn to draw out the former head of the Committee.

OPINION: This book is a constant adventure. There are betrayals and murders and dangerous thugs. Beth and Finn have a contentious relationship and are always on the edge of love and hate. The entire book is intense including the romance. I especially like how this book wraps up loose ends from the prior Ice novels. I am a big fan of Stuart’s type of hero who is dangerous and sometimes especially dangerous to the heroine. Here, Finn is not as close to killing Beth as other of Stuart’s anti-heroes are with their heroines. That gives this book more of a typical adventure suspense romance. The characters are sharply drawn and well defined. Although filled with adventure, the story is always centered around the characters which is what I like best about these books.

WORTH MENTIONING: Stuart wrote this book to give closure to what happened to MacGowan after the events in ICE STORM even though her original publisher did not want any other Ice series books.

FINAL DECISION: I like this book. It is different from others in the series although Finn is just as dangerous as the other men in the Ice series. The action adventure was thrilling and as a result the romance was intense. I also really enjoyed the update on my favorites from the Ice series as well.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ON THIN ICE is the sixth book in the Ice Series. It can be read as a standalone although there are characters and background that comes from the prior books in the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

four-half-stars

Cover Reveal: At the Pleasure of the President

Cover Reveal: At the Pleasure of the President

One of my most anticipated books of the year…now has a cover.

At the Pleasure of the President

Perfect Gentlemen, Book 5

By Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Release Date: April 9, 2019

 

GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/SmokeandSinGR

DESCRIPTION:

The thrilling conclusion of the twisting, page-turning Perfect Gentlemen series…

Decades ago, ambitious Zack Hayes set his sights on the White House. He’s worked his whole life to become the leader of the free world—attending the right schools, marrying the perfect bride—all to aid his campaign. He didn’t realize someone behind the scenes has been pulling the strings to manipulate Zack and the country he loves into a dangerous position—one he will risk his life to wrench free from. The one thing he can’t risk is Elizabeth Matthews.

From the moment she met Zack Hayes, Liz felt the connection. Serving as his campaign manager and then his press secretary, she accepted that her love for him would remain unrequited. Still, she’d thought they were friends, so when he pushed her aside, she felt the stab in her heart. And when she realizes he’s done it to protect her, nothing will stop Liz from standing by his side—not even the men who would use her as a weapon against him.

As shocking secrets are revealed, Zack and Liz find succor and passion in each other’s arms. When the ultimate villain shows his face, Zack may have to choose between his country and the woman he loves…

 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon US: http://shayla.link/APP-KindleUS

Amazon UK: http://shayla.link/APP-KindleUK

Amazon CA: http://shayla.link/APP-KindleCA

Amazon AU: http://shayla.link/APP-KindleAU

Apple Books: http://shayla.link/APP-iBooks

Nook: http://shayla.link/APP-Nook

Kobo: http://shayla.link/APP-Kobo

GooglePlay: http://shayla.link/APP-GPlay

 

Add to GoodReads: http://shayla.link/APP-GR

More about The Perfect Gentlemen series: http://shayla.link/PGSeries

 

ABOUT SHAYLA BLACK:

 

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty novels. For nearly twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eight years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

 

NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/SBNewsletter

WEBSITE: https://www.shaylablack.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ShaylaBlackAuthor

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/shaylablack/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Shayla_Black

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/shaylablacksb/

GOOGLE+ : https://plus.google.com/112445370769351993284

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFM7RZF38CqBlr6YG3a4mRQ

 

ABOUT LEXI BLAKE:

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

NEWSLETTER: http://www.lexiblake.net/newsletter

WEBSITE: http://www.lexiblake.net

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/authorlexiblake

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lexi4714

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/authorlexiblake

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/lexiblake39

 

Review: When Lightning Strikes

Review: When Lightning StrikesWhen Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek, #1) by Brenda Novak
Series: Whiskey Creek #1
Published by Harlequin MIRA on August 28, 2012
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 448
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION: This book grew on me as it progressed. The star here is the growing relationship between Gail and Simon who talk to one another like adults. The book avoids so many of the expected relationship pitfalls that it constantly surprised me.

THE STORY: Gail DeMarco left Whiskey Creek to form her own public relations firm. But she managed to torpedo her own business when she dropped Hollywood superstar actor Simon O’Neal because he is self-destructing after his divorce. Simon’s revenge is using his star power to strip Gail of her clients. Desperate to save her business, Gail decides to sacrifice her pride and apologize to Simon. As part of the plan to help Simon regain custody of his son by improving his image, Simon needs a upright wife — and Gail fits the bill. A marriage of convenience quickly turns into something more as Simon tries to right his life and Gail finds herself caring too much for her difficult client.

OPINION: What I really loved about this book is that even with a bunch of crazy Hollywood tabloid stuff going on, the real center of this book is the time that Gail and Simon spend together talking and relating to one another.

When the book began, I worried that the book would be about the crazy drama and I didn’t like the idea of Simon much. But that is exactly the place the book wants the reader to be in the beginning. Gail begins to learn about Simon as the reader does. The time they spend together gave this book heart. I loved them as they bantered and revealed themselves emotionally to one another. And I especially loved that all the cliches of how they could be pulled apart melted under adult conversation and trust.

WORTH MENTIONING: I love the group of friends that are the basis of this series. The relationships between them add dimension to the characters in the story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES is the first book in the Whiskey Creek series (although there is a prequel that is not necessary to read).

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Untouchable

Review: UntouchableUntouchable (Cutler, Sutter & Salinas, #3) by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: ,
Published by Berkley on January 8, 2019
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Goodreads
three-stars

FINAL DECISION: A nice read, but not particularly memorable. I wanted something more between the main characters who seemed to have no obstacles in their relationship beyond external. The second half of the book was definitely better than the first half. I wanted to like this story more than I actually did. A good read, but I won’t be thinking about it as a re-read.

THE STORY: Jack Lancaster has turned his investigative talents to solving cold cases. Because of his past, he is especially intrigued by cases involving fire. But his unique methods for solving these cases have taken their toll on him — until he meets meditation expert Winter Meadows. The one cold case that especially haunts Jack is the one involving Quinton Zane — the con man who killed Jack and his brother’s mothers in a blazing fire when the boys were teenagers. Believed dead by law enforcement, Zane is alive and determined to eliminate the threat of Jack and his brothers — beginning with Jack.

OPINION: This book was okay, but ultimately I found nothing particularly memorable about the book or story. I’ve been reading Krentz books since the 1980s and some books I really, really love and some are just so-so. This ended up being a good read, but nothing particularly memorable. I did notice that the “woo-woo” stuff is creeping into her stories again. I am among her readers who were really disappointed when she abandoned her Arcane stories which I found unique and almost all of them are highly memorable.

Her more recent plain romantic suspense don’t have the same energy for me. This book has a hypnotism and a lucid dreaming angle that didn’t work as well for me as the Arcane books, but I did feel that it added something unique about the characters. The characters here pretty much didn’t have any obstacles other than external. That can work, but here it felt like they were already a couple before the book began in all the emotional ways that count. That left me feeling that there wasn’t really an emotional connection between the characters.

The second half of the book which switches to focus on the suspense as the action heats up felt much better and I felt the book ended on a high note. I did like that we got to see other characters from the series and some familiar places and people from Krentz’s overall world are mentioned as well which rewards fans.

This book just didn’t rise of the level of the best of Krentz’s work, so I felt disappointed even as the book itself was a good read.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book takes place in Eclipse Bay with a familiar secondary character for those who have followed Krentz’s work.

CONNECTED BOOKS: UNTOUCHABLE is the third book in the Culter, Sutter & Salinas series. While there are some appearances by overlapping characters, these books can be read as standalones.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

three-stars

Review: Fire and Ice

Review: Fire and IceFire and Ice (Ice, #5) by Anne Stuart
Series: Ice #5
Published by Harlequin MIRA Genres: Romantic Suspense
Goodreads
five-stars

My Absolute Favorite of the Series

“He’d taken one look at her and felt his world begin to crumble away.”

THE STORY: Reno is the grandson of a Japanese mobster. His cousin is an operative for the Committee, a covert operations group, which Reno has recently worked with as well. Jilly Lovitz is the sister of the wife of Reno’s cousin. When some deadly people come to kill Reno’s cousin, Reno has to rescue Jilly. Jilly and Reno had met before and neither has been able to forget the other. As Reno and Jilly run for their lives, international killers and dangers closer to home are revealed.

OPINION: I love this book. Full of adventure and excitement, it also has one of the sweetest romances between two prickly people who fight and argue and fall in love. It’s not sweet in the typical sense, but somehow Reno and Jilly are sweet and funny in a strange way. This book and its characters feels different. Punked out gothic outfits for disguises, the immersion in the Japanese pop culture. The book feels youthful and playful even while the storyline is deadly and dangerous. It is an interesting combination and definitely unique. It’s not a typical book or hero but it is fun, exciting and romantic.

WORTH MENTIONING: Reno is definitely not my usual type of hero: tattooed, bright red dyed hair and unearthly contact lenses. But by the end of the book, I adored him. Younger and less hardened than the other heroes in the Ice series, Reno is more irreverent and in a twisted way, sweeter than the others. At the same time he is a seriously deadly man as well.

FINAL DECISION: FIRE AND ICE is on my favorite’s list because Reno is a hero that I never expected to love. The fact that his and Jilly’s story is so exciting and fun and unexpected makes this a book that I love to reread.

CONNECTED BOOKS: FIRE AND ICE is the fifth book in the Ice Series. This book can be read as a standalone but is closely connected with ICE BLUE and would probably be best read after that book.

STAR RATING: I give FIRE AND ICE 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: Ice Storm

Review: Ice StormIce Storm (Ice, #4) by Anne Stuart
Series: Ice #4
Published by MIRA on November 1, 2007
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 347
Goodreads
five-stars

Great Adventure Romance With Intrigue and Unexpected Twists

“But she had killed him once. She wouldn’t hesitate to kill him again.”

THE STORY: Isobel Lambert is the head of the Committee, a group based in Britain which attempts to thwart terrorist groups. Isobel is known as a sleek, cold, dangerous professional. She is reaching the limit of her tolerance of this life, however, and the young, vulnerable girl she was keeps showing through. Seventeen years ago, that young girl killed the man she spent two weeks in France with. Unknown to her, he survived and became the terrorist Serafin who makes a deal with her bosses at the Comnmittee. She has to save him and thus discovers that he is man she loved and hated and thought she had killed.

OPINION: I am a big fan of Stuart’s anti-heroes who are always on the edge of being the villain. Here, Isobel and Killian are both anti-heroes of a sort. They are a danger to one another even as they rely upon one another to reach safety. Both are dark characters who have killed and live in a shadowy world. The moral line of what is right and wrong is complicated and blurry here. I especially liked the interweaving of the past and present stories such that secrets are revealed in the past which illuminate the present. Isobel and Killian are an interesting combination. The constant danger and lack of truth between them makes their story fascinating and complex. I also especially like the softening of Isobel without making her weak. She remains a professional and yet readers are allowed to see her deep caring for her comrades and eventually also for Killian. As a fan of the Ice series, I also really liked seeing past characters (I won’t spoil who) and this time we get an update on their lives which was satisfying.

WORTH MENTIONING: Reno!

FINAL DECISION: The story of two people who both lead deadly lives, I loved how the book is romantic and yet not at all sentimental. I loved the interactions between Isobel and Killian.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ICE STORM is the fourth book in the Ice series. It can be read as a standalone although I think because it deals with and includes characters from the entire series, it will be better appreciated when read after the other books of the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: Ice Blue

Review: Ice BlueIce Blue by Anne Stuart
Series: Ice #3
Published by Harlequin MIRA Genres: Romantic Suspense
Goodreads
five-stars

Thrilling, Dangerous Romantic Suspense

“He really didn’t know what he’d do Kiss her. Shoot her. She was making him crazy, and he couldn’t afford to let that happen.”

THE STORY: Summer Hawthorne, a museum curator, is kidnapped over a Japanese urn given to her by her beloved nanny. She ends up rescued by Takashi O’Brien, a man who might be more dangerous than those who kidnapped her. Taka is a man who has been given the order to kill Summer in order to keep the secrets that she holds: the location of temple ruins in Japan to be used by a cult to bring about mass destruction. Taka and Summer both have darkness within them and somehow they recognize one another even as the story tips between Summer’s certain death and Taka’s desire to rescue her.

OPINION: I absolutely love this book. Summer and Taka are one of my favorite couples in this series. There is a dearth of Asian heroes and I especially liked the interracial aspects of this story. The two of them have a dangerous edge throughout the story. Taka almost kills Summer multiple times and even though he knows he must, he continually finds reasons to stop. Summer is overwhelmed by the events happening to her and yet she demonstrates and incredible amount of strength. At times, there is so much tenderness between them even as they both fight against it. The action and adventure in this story is non-stop and even apart from the emotional story between these characters, it is a fun ride. Stuart has a different type of hero. Taka is deadly, not only to others but also the heroine. What I like best about this book is that there is also tenderness from Taka despite himself. This book also has some hot airplane sex and who can resist that?

WORTH MENTIONING: Adore, adore Taka’s cousin Reno who has his own book in FIRE AND ICE. Readers of this book might guess who the heroine is.

FINAL DECISION: This is my second favorite book of the series. Filled with action and the type of dark anti-hero that Stuart is known for, Taka believes himself immune from love, but he can’t resist Summer.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ICE BLUE is the third book in the Ice Series. It can be read as a standalone although there are overlapping characters that might remain mysterious if the reader is not familiar with the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

five-stars