Monthly Archives: January 2019

Review: The Return of Lady Jane

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I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Review: The Return of Lady JaneThe Return of Lady Jane (The Scandal Sheet, #1) by Jess Michaels
Series: The Scandal Sheet #1
Published by The Passionate Pen on January 8, 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 98
Goodreads
four-stars

 

FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed that the hero eventually had to prove himself to Jane in the end. Although the villain and his purpose was obvious from the start, the book shines in its development of the relationship between Jane and Colin.

THE STORY: Lady Jane Wharton was married and bitterly disappointed the same day. She married Colin after a long courtship, but after a passionate afternoon after their wedding ceremony, he banished her to the country. Now Jane has returned and despite Colin’s coldness, he cannot seem to keep away from her. Jane is determined to claim her husband and find out what is keeping them apart.

OPINION: I enjoyed this short read. I wasn’t sure I was going to like the hero since he is easily manipulated by the villain. It was obvious to me what was happening and I found the hero’s inability to see that annoying. Of course, this villain, like Iago in Othello is too easily manipulated by his inability to trust. At least, there is some explanation for his lack of trust. Colin and Jane are just beginning their relationship as the book begins (since their marriage was arranged rather than a love match).

Although the mystery of what drove Colin and Jane apart is quickly settled, that didn’t bother me at all because I was happy that this book is really about their reconciliation and not the plot of what happened in the past.

My favorite part of the book is when the truth comes out and these two have to find a way to save their marriage. That portion of the book which is just Colin and Jane is sweet and emotional. I loved the entire last section of the book.

This book is not as complex as others that Michaels has written primarily because of the length. However, the second part of this book which depends primarily on the emotional connection between the characters elevated this story for me.

I enjoyed this short read and look forward to more in this series.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book, and indeed each book in this series, is a novella. This book is about 100 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE RETURN OF LADY JANE is the first book in the Scandal Sheet series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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

 

four-stars

Review: Cold as Ice

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Review: Cold as IceCold As Ice (Ice, #2) by Anne Stuart
Series: Ice #2
Published by Harlequin MIRA on September 17, 2012
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 371
Goodreads
five-stars

Dark Romantic Thriller

“He’d been a gray ghost before, now he was a fallen angel. The man was a chameleon, capable of turning into anything he wanted, and he assured her those persona were lethal. And she believed him.”

THE STORY: Genevieve Spenser is a high powered attorney who believes she has given up her idealistic views. When she comes to get signatures on a document for an important client of the firm, she ends up in the middle of a kidnapping perpetrated by the assistant of her client. Peter Jensen at first appears bland and non-threatening, but Genevieve learns that Peter is extremely dangerous and deadly. Peter knows that the innocent Ms. Spenser is likely to be a casualty in the Committee’s attempt to prevent more damaging events. From the beginning, however, Peter is unwilling to sacrifice Genevieve even though he knows he will likely have no choice.

OPINION: I just love Stuart’s anti-heroes who are especially good in the Ice Series. This book is filled with action and adventure and reluctant romance. This is definitely not your sweet loving book. This book is raw and harsh and sometimes it is difficult to see how these characters can have a happy ending. Peter is a highly trained killer and he knows that there is no clear line between the good guys and the bad guys. Peter almost immediately doesn’t want to have Genevieve be a victim. He is known as the Iceman and she begins to melt him despite himself. Genevieve believes herself jaded and cold but doesn’t realize that she is an infant compared to the dangerous people she encounters here. A reader will not get an intense emotional connection between these characters. At times their relationship seems more hate than love, but somehow it works. Despite both their wishes, these characters fall in love and form a strong bond.

WORTH MENTIONING: Stuart has a particular style with her heroes who are killers and are always on the edge of being dangerous to the heroine.

FINAL DECISION: Love, love Stuart’s ruthless anti-heroes. This is a tremendous romantic thriller with action and adventure galore.

CONNECTED BOOKS: COLD AS ICE is the second book in the Ice series about the covert agency known as the Committee. While there is some overlap of characters, COLD AS ICE can be read independent of the first book in the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: Black Ice

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Review: Black IceBlack Ice (Ice, #1) by Anne Stuart
Series: Ice #1
Published by MIRA on April 26, 2005
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 377
Goodreads
five-stars

Fabulous: Action Packed Dark and Romantic Thriller

“What she needed was a little more sex and violence in her own life.”

“Be careful what you wish for…”

THE STORY: Chloe Underwood is an American in Paris. She is a rebel in her family of doctors. Chloe cooks and learns languages. She is working as a book translator when her roommate asks her to cover for her as a translator for a business meeting. Chloe ends up in a house full of international business people. There she meets Bastian Toussaint who she is immediately attracted to. Bastian, however, is a married womanizer and not matter what her attraction, Chloe is determined to avoid him. Bastian, however, has no intention of avoiding Chloe. Bastian is an agent with The Committee, an anti-terrorist organization. In Bastian’s world, there is little difference between the “good guys” and the “bad guys”. He wonders who Chloe is working for and intends to find out her secrets. Then he will decide whether or not he will have to kill her.

OPINION: BLACK ICE is a romantic thriller. There is serious danger for the main characters throughout the novel. Bastian is a dangerous man. He has a dark past and present and has no use for Chloe. The truth is, however, that he is unable to resist her even though she is not trying to capture him. Their romance is raw and dark and yet there is something incredibly attractive and sweet about how the light of Chloe seeps into Bastian and changes him. I love this book. It is one of those books that I read so quickly because it is action packed. The balance between the action and the romance is well done. The book is also hot as Chloe and Bastian burn up the pages together.

WORTH MENTIONING: I am a great fan of the type of deadly dark heroes that Stuart writes. Admittedly, such a hero who walks the edge of loving and killing the heroine is not for everyone.

FINAL DECISION: I adore this book. Bastian is the type of dark tortured hero that a woman might not want in real life, but who is fantastic to read about.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BLACK ICE is the first book in the Ice series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: When We Touch

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Review: When We TouchWhen We Touch (Whiskey Creek, #0.5) by Brenda Novak
Series: Whiskey Creek #0.5
Published by MIRA on August 1, 2012
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 102
Goodreads
three-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: An enjoyable novella. I really liked the connection between Olivia and Brandon although I was frustrated by the setup for the story. The execution of the story was well done despite the short length.

THE STORY: Olivia Arnold has returned to Whiskey Creek to plan and attend her sister’s wedding. Unfortunately, the wedding is to Olivia’s ex-boyfriend who ended up getting involved with and impregnating her sister which he wasn’t really her “ex”. Because she owns a wedding planning business, Olivia reluctantly gives in to her parent’s pleas to handle the wedding. While in Whiskey Creek, Olivia runs into her ex’s stepbrother, Brandon who offers her refuge from the family drama.

OPINION: This was an enjoyable novella. The setup is very dramatic and I was really angry at how poorly Olivia is treated by her family. Interestingly, Brandon is also second best in his blended family so the two have something in common. I did think that the dramatic situation with Olivia being forced to organize her sister’s wedding helped focus the story and thus made everything work better. By compressing and pumping up the drama, it allowed Olivia and Brandon’s relationship to work in the compressed time period.  Olivia and Brandon’s relationship was sweet and sexy and I was touched by how everything worked together.

WORTH MENTIONING: This novella introduces many of the characters who appear in the Whiskey Creek series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WHEN WE TOUCH is the prequel novella to the Whiskey Creek series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

 

three-half-stars

Review: Nightchaser

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I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Review: NightchaserNightchaser (Endeavor, #1) by Amanda Bouchet
Series: Endeavor #1
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on January 1, 2019
Genres: Futuristic
Pages: 416
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION: A good start to a new series. I liked that this is a sci-fi romance story. I especially liked that Tess is a very capable, strong and determined woman. Although there is a lot of setup in this book, the story was intriguing enough to keep me interested to the end.

THE STORY: Captain Tess Bailey and her motley space crew are on the run for their lives. With her ship damaged and needing repairs, they land on a planet where Tess meets Shade Ganavan. Shade and Tess have an immediate attraction but he also gets on Tess’s nerves. As to two spend time together, the secrets that each is keeping might get them killed.

OPINION: I enjoyed this book. I haven’t read a lot of sci-fi romance and this one has a Star Wars feel to it but with some dystopian Hunger Games thrown in. The reader arrives in the middle of the action and the first part of the book is exciting.

The center portion of the book is centered on the romance. Honestly, however, the characters felt younger than their ages. This book definitely had a young adult feel to it despite the ages of the characters. In fact, Tess felt too naive and innocent for her experience and that bothered me somewhat. For someone on the run who is hiding, she seems to tell a lot of people her secrets — except, of course, Shade.

The action picks up in the last third of the book and its like all the tension and mysteries are sprung for the reader. I enjoyed this portion the best because it felt like there were payoffs.

I did enjoy the mysteries and the secrets and that kept me wondering what was happening in the book. That was the highlight of this story combined with the chemistry between Shade and Tess. They have an interesting relationship that challenge their expectations and plans.

I didn’t feel that this book was a home run like the first book in the Kingmaker Chronicles series. This book felt more uneven and fans looking for sci-fi may be challenged by the entire center of the book that is about building Shade and Tess’s relationship.

I’m going to admit to be wary of this series. I loved the beginning of the Kingmaker Chronicles and was really disappointed by the final book in the trilogy. So I’m going to be careful about being excited about this series until I see how it turns out. I worry that the great promises of these stories will ultimately not be as good as the expectations.

WORTH MENTIONING: While this book doesn’t have a cliffhanger, it is clear that there is more to the overarching storyline to be continued in future books.

CONNECTED BOOKS: NIGHTCHASER is the first book in the Endeavor series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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

four-stars