Review: It Must Be Christmas

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: It Must Be ChristmasIt Must Be Christmas: Three Holiday Stories by Jennifer Crusie, Donna Alward, Mandy Baxter
Series: , Billionaire's Club #4
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on October 4th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 384
Goodreads
four-stars

This is an anthology of three previously released novels/novellas all themed around Christmas.

HOT TOY by Jennifer Crusie

The story is cute and sweet. There is only the beginning of a romance since the story is so short, but it is a nice Christmas treat.  Trudy Maxwell, college librarian, is on the hunt for the hot Christmas toy for her nephew when she encounters Nolan Mitchell. Trudy had thought that Nolan was “the One” until after three dates, he didn’t call her again. Now Nolan wants another chance, but Trudy doesn’t want to risk herself again.  This is a cute and sweet Christmas romance with some twists. When the story started, I didn’t expect where the story would go, but it kept the plot interesting. The romance was cute and funny as Nolan followed Trudy around trying to convince her to give him another chance. The weakness was that the story was so short that there wasn’t much to the characters and the plot dominated.  Rating: 3.5 Stars

CHRISTMAS AT SEASHELL COTTAGE by Donna Alward

Dr. Charlie Yang gets some surprises for Christmas.  First, the man who she has been watching from afar ends up at the same church as her preparing for the Christmas season.  Charlie has been attracted to the ex-SEAL Dave Ricker but it is easier to imagine at a distance than risk her heart with a man who seems her opposite.  Second, Charlie and Dave find an infant left in the manger and Charlie finds herself unable to turn away from the little Christmas miracle.  The story had such promise. There were several stories that could have been explored: uptight doctor versus free thinking man, second families, the found baby.  Unfortunately, I don’t think that any of these stories were truly explored.  Instead, I kept waiting for something to happen in the book.  I don’t mind slow, thoughtful stories, but I want some payoff.  The first half of the book was Charlie saying this guy can’t be right for me; the second half was Dave saying, I don’t think want the same things.  I never really got any connection with these characters; I never truly felt that we explored the characters emotional foibles.  I just ended up with a “eh” feeling at the end.  Rating: 2 stars.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE BILLIONAIRE RANCHER by Mandy Baxter

Nate Christensen has an inheritance from a father he could barely stand.  He doesn’t want the inheritance or all that goes with it.  Chloe Benson comes to the memorial intending to ask for money for her charity. Instead, she ends up hooking up with Nate.  This is a sexy, sexy book.  I loved how the two first have an instantaneous attraction that moves to emotional connection and love.  For such a short length, this story has energy with characters that I really connected with.  I ended up just wanting to read more about these two. It is a tricky proposition to make sex so central to the beginning of a relationship and yet allow the characters to develop an emotional connection that feels deep and real.  Baxter walks that line very well.  I liked this book so much that I ended up buying to stories of Nate’s brothers as well.  Rating: 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Challenging Gabriel

Review: Challenging GabrielChallenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #2
Published by Smashwords Edition on September 23rd 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 151
Goodreads
three-half-stars

FINAL DECISION:  Nice story that was a good one time read.  I liked the characters and their story although the short format meant that it was a bit rushed.

THE STORY:  Eight years ago, Gabriel Knight fell for a young beauty Angel.  The two only had weeks together before he had to go to Afghanistan to save his brother.  By the time he had returned, Angel was gone.  Now she walks back into his life, married and with a seven year old son.  She desperately wants Gabriel’s help in locating and rescuing her son who is being held by her estranged husband.

OPINION:  This story was good.  There was nothing terrible original about the story, but I enjoyed the characters and their interactions.  For a short story, I thought that the character’s journey was handled well and I liked and was interested in them.  Yes, things were resolved too quickly and too easily, but this is a novella and that is almost always the case with such a short story.

I thought that the romance between Gabriel and Angel was good.  The two had chemistry and were able to handle the love lost, secrets revealed story with an interesting twist.  I liked these two.  When my biggest complaint is that I wish there story was longer, I give it a win.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This is a short novella.  It also sets up the next book in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  CHALLENGING GABRIEL is book 2 in the Knight Security series.  It can be read as a standalone as you don’t need to know anything about

STAR RATING:  I give this novella 3.5 stars.

three-half-stars

Review: A Change of Heart

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: A Change of HeartA Change of Heart by Sonali Dev
Series: Bollywood #3
Published by Kensington on September 27th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 352
Goodreads
five-stars

Superlative Journey About Loss, Recovery and Finding Love Again

“They found nothing that could be construed as evidence.  But they had found something else.  Something you found when you traveled impossibly difficult paths with someone.”

FINAL DECISION:  One of the most amazing books I have ever read, this is an intense story of death, survival and rebirth.  Beautiful, lyrical, painful, redeeming.  I couldn’t turn away from this book despite the raw emotion because the raw emotion went to the pure humanity in the book.  Loved the characters, loved the story, loved it!

THE STORY:  Dr. Nikhil Joshi is devastated after the murder of his wife.  He has abandoned everything that he loves and is living and working on a cruise ship drunk most of the time.  One day he meets a woman who claims to have received his wife’s heart in a transplant.  Even more incredible, Jess Koirala claims that Nic’s wife has been communicating to her wanting Nic to find those ultimately responsible for her death.  Nic’s wife, Jen, was investigating a ring of organ thieves when she was murdered to prevent exposure.  Jess has come to Nic because she needs him to discover the truth and set herself free.

OPINION:  This book ripped me open and left my insides exposed.  Going deep into the emotional life of these characters, that is exactly the type of book I love.

“It was a tearing up of all that he was and of putting it all together again.”

Nic is a man who had it all. He had a successful and fulfilling career he loved.  He had found the woman who was his match.  They had a baby on the way.  Then everything collapses on him when she was murdered.  Nic didn’t know how to go on living.  Two years later, he is still living in a type of stasis where he exists but does not truly live.

“Sweetness of hope and leftover pain.”

Jess is a survivor.  I don’t want to give the secrets of the book away as Jess’s true story is revealed slowly, but readers who are sensitive might take a look at the Acknowledgements at the beginning if they have concerns.  I loved that she has been through so much and survived and thus teaches and shows Nic how to move past his pain and grief.

I also loved that Nic gives Jess tenderness and caring that she has been missing for so long.  But one of the best parts of this book is how the pain these two experience is not swiftly resolved and carried away.  These two hurt one another, bring out one another’s pain and somehow find a way for them both to begin to live again.

“He couldn’t not lay down with her, couldn’t not tuck her against him, couldn’t not wrap his body around her and close his eyes against her hair.  And hold her and hold her.  Until she drifted away in his arms.  Fell out of her pain and into sleep.  It was then that he left himself drift away too.  His sleep wrapped around hers.  Their joint collapse into a nothingness so absolute the morning light had to be rebirth.”

This book is all about rebirth.  The pain, the shedding of the past, of learning to live with the impossible.  The darkness and pain in this book allows the morning that comes after to be beautiful.

This book just tore me open.  I loved it even as I sometimes felt I wanted to turn away from Nic and Jess’s pain.  But ultimately, that pain and sadness turned into something lovely and life affirming.  We can survive the worst of humanity.  There is always hope and joy and the possibility of love.

Many times I enjoy a dark, pain-filled book but want to turn to something else after having my heart ripped out.  Not this book.  This one I wanted to immediately read again.  It will certainly go on my keeper shelf.

WORTH MENTIONING:  I hope that we hear more about Rahul and Kimi.  I expect from the progression of this book, I expect to know much more about them.  I an already intrigued.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  A CHANGE OF HEART is a standalone although there are appearances from characters from other Dev books.  I consider the books as taking place in the same world rather than a series although I will mark it as the third book in the Bollywood series.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: The Edge of Dominance

Review: The Edge of DominanceThe Edge of Dominance (The Doms of Her Life, #4) by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, Isabella LaPearl
Series: The Doms of Her Life #4
Published by Amazon Digital Services on September 13th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica
Pages: 445
Goodreads

FINAL DECISION:  A worthy conclusion to the complicated romance between Raine, Macon and Liam, this book left me with a happy feeling for the three and a burning desire to hear more about their friends.

THE STORY:  In this final chapter of the romance between Raine, Macon and Liam, the three are dealing with the revelation of Raine’s pregnancy and also with Macon’s unresolved feelings after Raine’s abduction in book 3.  This book which has some humor with the arrival of Liam’s parents, mostly deals with a serious threat to the happiness of the three that comes from Macon’s past.

OPINION: This book is just a guilty pleasure crazy ride.  The story goes in directions that really cannot be anticipated from the prior books and I loved it!

The trio is really challenged in this book as external forces threaten their happiness.  Finally, we learn about Macen’s past and it is his past which threatens them.  I thought this was the most emotional that we have seen Macen and I truly felt that with his emotional breakthrough in this book, the trio is on the best footing ever.

This book has a bit of a suspense/crime mystery involved as Macen is in danger of spending most of his life in jail.  The question for the friendly characters is who is out to get him.  This threat to Macen and the accompanying loss of control forces Macen to examine his life and make deep emotional changes.  I loved his struggle in this book (he’s been my favorite in the series).  I also loved how he has to lean on Liam and Raine (whereas previously he has been the steady one for them).

I loved the new characters that we got to meet.  Liam’s parents come to visit and their arrival changes the dynamic of this book.  There are some surprising twists that some readers might have to adjust their thinking for.  I especially loved Liam’s dad.  There is one scene toward the end that might be the biggest hoot in the series!

This book really shows the three developing a true equal relationship.  Throughout the four books in this series, these characters and their relationship has changed and grown.  The relationship between three people is deeply complex and I have really enjoyed the journey these characters have taken.

Of course there is a lot of hot sex, but it is really the emotional connection between these characters that has sustained me through these books.

The series is nicely wrapped up and there is a sweet epilogue.

WORTH MENTIONING: Oh, we need so many sequels for all the friends of the trio!

CONNECTED BOOKS:  THE EDGE OF DOMINANCE is the fourth and final book in the Doms of Her Life series.  This is a serial about the romance between three characters.  The series should be read in order because it assumes knowledge about the prior books and the books build on one another.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4.5 stars.

Review: The Bold and the Dominant

Review: The Bold and the DominantThe Bold and the Dominant (The Doms of Her Life, #3) by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, Isabella LaPearl
Series: The Doms of Her Life #3
on February 10th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica
Pages: 366
Goodreads
four-half-stars

FINAL DECISION:  This book continues the saga of the trio trying to work out how their relationship will work.  There are a lot of external threat to their happiness in this one which was good, but not as emotional as book 2.

THE STORY:  After the events of book 2, things should be perfect between the trio.  Macen and Liam have agreed to share Raine in a menage relationship.  But just when things are going well, Liam’s ex-wife returns and is intent on causing trouble for Liam and his new relationship.  Danger in the form of Raine’s father also threatens the trio as they continue to try and work through all the pitfalls of developing a stable and loving relationship between them.

OPINION:  This book is about Liam and Raine’s ghosts.  Liam is still struggling with his jealousy in the relationship and with his ex-wife.  The best part of this series is that everyone is not immediately hunky-dory with the threesome.  To this point, Liam has struggled the most.  He clearly has issues with believing that he is not enough for Raine.  Much of this appears to stem from his ex-wife’s infidelity.  This book through its drama (and there is a lot of plot dramatics here), allows Liam to exorcise his demons and fully commit to the relationship.

Raine also must have a final confrontation with the demons of her past.  I liked how this was resolved and I especially liked that Raine, rather than either of the two men, is the active participant in resolving her past.

In this book, Macen is the rock.  (Can I confess that he is my favorite?)  He is the steady one throughout the book which allows the other two to return to the relationship through his determination and strength.

This is a complex story.  These characters are engaged in long journey to resolve their past and build a future together.

The ending of this book hints that Macen’s challenges are just beginning and I look forward to the conclusion of the trio’s story in the next book.

I like the secondary characters as well and hope that there are stories in the future featuring the sadist Beck and fellow dom Seth.  This book also has most external action than the other two books in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This book ends on a wow cliffhanger.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  THE BOLD AND THE DOMINANT is the third book in the Doms of Her Life series.  This is a serial that tells the story of the relationship between Raine, Macen and Liam.  This series should be read in order because the story builds on the prior books in the series.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4.5 stars.

four-half-stars

Review: The Year of the Crocodile

Review: The Year of the CrocodileThe Year of the Crocodile (Cyclone) by Courtney Milan
Series: Cyclone #2.5
on September 12th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 43
Goodreads
five-stars

“You want to do something risky? Invite my dad to join your family this weekend.”

FINAL DECISION: Simply fabulous.  I loved just about everything in this story.  I liked seeing Tina and Blake and I just adore Adam Reynolds!  He’s a difficult person to love but Milan makes it possible.  More please!

THE STORY:  Tina Chen and Blake Reynolds have been together for almost a year but their parents have not met.  This story is about that first meeting between Blake’s father and Tina’s parents.

OPINION:  Absolutely amazing!  Admittedly only for fans (it really requires reading TRADE ME first), this story manages to give an update on Tina and Blake, give some serious hints as to where Adam’s story is going (surprise! surprise!) and still be incredibly entertaining.

Milan has created an incredible character with Adam Reynolds who has a personality which just leaps from the pages.  He’s a jerk (AR would certainly use more colorful language!), is incredibly messed up, and loves his son.

This vignette manages to be funny, personable, informative and fascinating at the same time.  Don’t get me wrong: it’s the story of Adam meeting Tina’s parents but the story did not go in any fashion I expected.  It’s short and relies upon the reader knowing the characters already.  But for what it is, I loved it!

More Adam soon, please!

WORTH MENTIONING:

CONNECTED BOOKS:  This short story should only be read after TRADE ME.  The story assumes knowledge of the characters in that book.

STAR RATING:  I give this short story 5 stars.

five-stars

Review: The Young and the Submissive

Review: The Young and the SubmissiveThe Young and the Submissive (The Doms of Her Life, #2) by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, Isabella LaPearl
Series: The Doms of Her Life #2
Published by Dream Words on October 29th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica
Pages: 300
Goodreads
four-half-stars

“It might take both of you to reach her.”

FINAL DECISION:  In this book, the two men competing for Raine’s heart must put aside their differences to help her.  I enjoyed how these three characters are changing and growing (unevenly and painfully).  This book is only a part of Raine, Macen and Liam’s journey and should be approached as such.

THE STORY: This book continues the story of Raine, Macen and Liam.  As the prior book ended, the two men were engaged in a competition to win the woman they both love.  In this book, Liam realizes that he is not making progress with Raine’s submission.  As he learns more about her past, he recognizes that he alone will not be able to heal Raine.  When he and Macen put aside their differences to help Raine, Liam can’t help but fear that he might help Raine, but lose her.

OPINION:  I really enjoyed this book because the menage that is developing is messy and filled with jealousy, anger, trust issues, lust and love.  These three people are constantly confronted with having to adjust their expectations and desires.  The relationship between Raine, Macen, and Liam is difficult and evolving.  For me, I understand why such a complex relationship cannot be resolved in one book.  I don’t mind that the story of these three was divided into four books because I can see how the authors are developing this complex relationship.

In this book, the three main characters have to adjust their expectations.  The relationship changes from one of competition between the two men to them joining forces to help Raine.  This process is not easy for either of these dominant men and yet the book details how each struggles with Raine’s desires.

These characters are beginning to reveal themselves to one another.  Secrets and pain are shared and thus the beginnings of what might be a strong stable relationship is being developed.

This serial series asks for a commitment from the reader to follow the journey through multiple books, but I am looking forward to seeing what comes next for these three.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This book has a menage m/m/f and also numerous and explicit sex and BDSM.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  THE YOUNG AND THE SUBMISSIVE is the second book in the Doms of Her Life series.  This is a serial and the books should be read together and in order.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4.5 stars.

four-half-stars

Review: One Dom to Love

Review: One Dom to LoveOne Dom to Love (The Doms of Her Life, #1) by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, Isabella LaPearl
Series: The Doms of Her Life #1
Published by Dream Words on December 4th 2012
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica
Pages: 237
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION:  This book is a battle.  Two men competing for one woman.  I usually don’t like these types of stories, but this one worked because the emotions felt genuine.  Certainly not for everyone, but without a doubt, deeply emotional.  Readers should be aware that this is continuing series and the issues are not resolved here.

THE STORY:  Raine Kendall has loved Alpha Dom Macen Hammerman for years, but Macen has never treated Raine as anything but a child.  Determined to make him change his mind, Raine shows him that she is all woman.  Macen knows that he can never claim the naturally submissive and yet feisty Raine because she will destroy her.  When Macen breaks Raine’s heart again, she turns to Macen’s best friend and fellow Dom Liam O’Neill.  Liam wants Raine and treats her well, but Raine still loves Macen.  Macen isn’t ready to surrender Raine even as he fights claiming her.

OPINION:  This book introduces the conflict between the main characters.  This book is the beginning of a serial about Raine, Macen and Liam.  I knew this going in so I wasn’t disappointed that things were not resolved in this book.  This book is only the opening act.

Raine has loved Macen for years.  A woman used to being abandoned, she desperately wants to be loved.  While she has submissive tendencies, she is also mouthy and has her own wants and desires that she will not give up.  Her character is central to this story because both men are sniffing around her and also because the reader has to believe that she can have a relationship with both these men.

Macen is a haunted man.  He doesn’t want to bring Raine into his world and yet he refuses to let her go. We learn that his wife died and Macen believes it is because of his lifestyle.  He wants to save Raine by keeping his distance.  In this book, he is tormented by the possibility of losing Raine. His desperation made me sympathetic to him even when I would otherwise think he is jerk for the way he treats Raine.

Liam seems like the sweeter guy, but he can also be a jerk.  We don’t learn much about his in this book and his demons although he does reveal that he does not take infidelity well because of his own past.

I really liked that these characters have a tangled relationship.  Love, hate, desperation, lust.  I have read books before where the woman is involved with two men, but those books are usually ones where the men desire a menage.  These two guys are competing against one another and Raine is caught between.  That brings more angst and uncertainty to the book, but I enjoyed the conflict (which is not resolved).

WORTH MENTIONING:  Content warning for those who want a one woman one man romance.  Raine is involved with two different men in this book.  There is also public sex, BDSM and lots of sexual activity.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  ONE DOM TO LOVE is the first book in the Doms of Her Life series.  This is a continuing story about the menage rather than four separate stories.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Mister O

Review: Mister OMister O by Lauren Blakely
Series: Holiday/Hammer #2
Published by Lauren Blakely Books on May 2nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 306
Goodreads
four-stars

“I’m like a superhero of pleasure, a good-deed doer, the once-upon-a-shy-guy-now-a-stud, and my mission is to dispense as many climaxes to my lovers as possible.”

FINAL DECISION:  A funny contemporary romance, this is a friends to lovers story where these two just seem inevitable.  I loved the tone and humor of the story along with the confusion and uncertainty the hero experiences as he falls in love.

THE STORY:  This is the story of Nick Hammer, former shy geeky guy who now is a stud who writes dirty cartoons.  His childhood friend Harper Holiday decides that she needs a little help in the love department and Nick offers to help.  The only problem is that he really has a thing for Harper and she is the sister of his best friend.

OPINION:  Things have been simmering between Nick and Harper for a while.  Nick has overcome all his shy geekiness and is a now a master with women.  When he recognizes that his friend Harper is having trouble with the men that she is interested in, he agrees to help her “practice” so that she can feel confident.  What starts out as talking and sexy texting become kissing and then much more.  Nick has been fighting his attraction to Harper because they are friends and also because her brother (who is also Nick’s best friend) has threatened to shave and dye his hair if Nick touches Harper.

This story is really about two people liking and caring for one another and yet being afraid of losing their friendship by wanting more.  The book is funny and sweet and really sexy.

The book is told from Nick’s point of view so Harper’s feelings remain a secret until she tells Nick.  At the same time, Nick’s fears and anxieties are on display.  This is a different view than most romance novels and the difference in tone might not be every reader’s type of book.  I enjoyed the change of pace.

The book is light and amusing and the situations that the two get into are not ones that demand deep emotional angst.  Those looking for a funny contemporary will enjoy this one.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This book is told from the male point of view.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  This book is connected by characters but can be read as standalone.  The hero and heroine are, respectively, the best friend and sister of the hero of BIG ROCK.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Big Rock

Review: Big RockBig Rock by Lauren Blakely
Series: Holiday/Hammer #1
Published by EverAfter Platinum on January 6th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 250
Goodreads
four-stars

“I think it was one of those things where the one for you is just right under your nose, but we didn’t realize it for the longest time.”

FINAL DECISION:  Funny and sexy (in a seriously dirty way), I enjoyed the male POV. While the story seems like it is going to be raunchy and more sex than emotion, I actually found the story sweet.

THE STORY:  Spenser Holiday is a man who makes it his mission to please as many women as possible.  His womanizing ways, however, may be a liability when his father is attempting to sell his jewelry store business to a conservative family man.  Spenser decides to make himself more palatable by inventing an engagement to his longtime best friend and business partner, Charlotte.  As their pretend engagement progresses, the two find out that the sexual heat between them is explosive.  The only problem is how do friends stay friends once they become lovers.

OPINION:  This novella was the first thing I have read by Lauren Blakely and I will definitely be reading more.  Because the book is written from the point of view of Spenser, it has a different tone than a female POV.  At first, the hero is almost too cocky, too self-assured, but I found his progression through this story to be sweet.

I love a good friends to lovers story and this is a hot one. The two quickly move into a sexual relationship.  Sometimes a book with a lot of sex can become a clinical Tab A into Slot B exercise.  This book always emphasizes the emotional connection between these characters.  Spenser and Charlotte are funny and sexy and I liked them.  One thing I especially like about this story is that the male POV demonstrates how vulnerable and uncertain Spenser is because he doesn’t know Charlotte’s feeling.

This novella is definitely not for everyone.  I’ve been reading a number of male POV books recently along with erotica so the tone of this book was not unfamiliar to me.  Those who prefer knowing less about what men might actually be thinking might want to skip this one.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This novella is told completely from the male point of view.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  BIG ROCK is the first book in the loosely connected Holiday/Hammer series.

STAR RATING:  I give this novella 4 stars.

four-stars