Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews of romance books with a fair look at positives and negatives of each book.

Review: Shifter Made

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Review: Shifter MadeShifter Made (Shifters Unbound, #0.5) by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Shifters Unbound #0.5
Published by JA / AG Publishing on April 1, 2011
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 38
Goodreads
three-half-stars

I’d give this a 3.5 rating. It is a good prelude to Jennifer Ashley’s Shifter series. However, I don’t know that I would have continued to read the rest of the books if I had discovered this short story first. It gives some background on the Shifters, but the story is very abbreviated and not particularly compelling on its own. In short, I would recommend this to fans of the series to fill in some details, but I wouldn’t start a new reader here.

three-half-stars

Review: The Highwayman

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Review: The HighwaymanThe Highwayman (Victorian Rebels, #1) by Kerrigan Byrne
Series: Victorian Rebels #1
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on September 1st 2015
Genres: Historical
Pages: 384
Goodreads
four-half-stars

The Story of Love and Secrets

“Her husband. A thief, a highwayman, a criminal. A coldhearted killer.”

FINAL DECISION: I loved this book because of the timeless nature of the love between the hero and heroine. It feels like they were always fated to find one another.

THE STORY: Farah Leigh Mackenzie is an innocent widow who is working as a clerk in Scotland Yard. As a child she loved a boy with whom she was in a orphanage. She was devastated when he died in prison. Now seventeen years later, she meets Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben Mar who is a criminal mastermind who worked his way into being one of the wealthiest and influential men in England. Dorian offers Farah the opportunity to avenge her lost love (with whom Dorian was in prison) and deal with a secret that Farah herself has. All she has to do is marry him.

OPINION: This story is built on a sad story of Farah’s lost love. When she meets Dorian, she begins to find that this scarred and hardened man is more complex than she imagined. His friendship with her childhood loves convinces her to trust him and ultimately to marry him. Dorian has emerged from his childhood and young adulthood, scarred both on the outside but also on the inside. His life has compelled him to do bad things, but he is vulnerable to the sweet innocent Farah.

I thought the setup for this book was wonderful. The angst, the drama, the conflict was so good. The weakness of the story is that too many extremely painful parts of Farah and Dorian’s lives are too quickly resolved. What saved the book for me was that the two acknowledged that there will be days of darkness to come.

This book also has interesting secondary characters, some of whom will be the subject of later books.

WORTH MENTIONING: I am a fan of historical books that don’t take place in society ballrooms.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE HIGHWAYMAN is the first book in the Victorian Rebel series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

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four-half-stars

Review: Hearts in Darkness

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Hearts in Darkness
Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sexy Little Novella with an Awesome Premise

“Before tonight, he would’ve put money against the idea of being able to fall for someone after only knowing them for one day. Good thing he’d never placed that bet.”

FINAL DECISION: This book has a great premise and the writing of the characters fulfills that premise in really good ways. The characters are allowed to fall in love with someone apart from looks and pretenses. Very enjoyable.

THE STORY: Two strangers meet in a pitch black elevator. MaKenna James is an accountant. She rushes into the elevator and her only impression of the man who is already occupying it is that he is a good Samaritan because he holds the elevator doors for her. Caden Grayson with his piercings, tats, and visible scar uses those attributes both to deal with his past and to keep others away from him. He is terrified of dark and confined spaces. His impression of the woman who joins him in the elevator is her red hair.

OPINION: I loved how this book is about overcoming visual prejudices that keep people apart. Makenna and Caden make incredible progress toward one another while in the elevator. All barriers fall between them. The book is sexy and sweet and I loved how the book doesn’t take their relationship too far in the elevator but rather focuses on the mental and emotional relationship first. The darkness allows these characters to open up in unique ways. I look forward to reading the sequel to see how they are able to expand their relationship.

WORTH MENTIONING: The premise of falling in love in the dark is so compelling in this book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HEARTS IN DARKNESS is the first book of the series of the same name. There is a sequel novella about the same couple.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

Review: Outlander

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Review: OutlanderOutlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander #1
Published by Dell Publishing Company on July 26th 2005
Genres: Historical, Time Travel
Pages: 896
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Epic Scale Romance

“For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”

THE STORY: Claire Randall and her husband Frank have been separated by war for years. They are having a second honeymoon when Claire finds herself transported back in time two hundred years. There, she meets Jamie Fraser, a young Scotsman. Although Claire wants to return to her time and her husband, she keeps finding herself in dangerous situations. To save her life, she ends up having to marry Jamie. As Claire begins to know and have feelings for Jamie, she is torn between the two men she loves.

OPINION: OUTLANDER is an epic romance. It is larger than real life and has a grand and sweeping landscape. Jamie is adorable and I really liked the story of how Claire eventually decides to stay with Jamie. I thought that her confusion in being torn between two men as well written. My one complaint was that after Jamie and Claire get married, I found that the plot of the story got more and more complicated and I got bored in places. I really just wanted to get to the parts with Claire and Jamie. I thought the character of Jamie was especially well written and although the book is told from Claire’s point of view, at times I felt that I understood Jamie better than Claire.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is a graphic novel called THE EXILE which tells the story from Jamie’s point of view. It was an interesting companion after reading this book.

FINAL DECISION: I liked this book although I did get tired of it somewhere after the wedding. I persevered and ultimately really did like the book. This is a book where I liked the main characters more than I was interested in the plot.

CONNECTED BOOKS: OUTLANDER is the first book of the Outlander series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

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four-half-stars

Review: A Summer to Remember

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Review: A Summer to RememberA Summer to Remember (Bedwyn Saga, #.6) by Mary Balogh
Series: Bedwyn Saga #0.6
on July 30, 2002
Genres: Historical
Pages: 320
Goodreads
five-stars

QUIET, BEAUTIFUL STORY

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER is the story of Lauren Edgeworth, the abandoned almost bride from ONE NIGHT FOR LOVE. Her disappointment of having been abandoned on her wedding day and a lifetime of feeling rejected by so many has left Lauren trapped in her ladylike mask. Kit Butler, Viscount Ravensburg, is a reckless rake whose smiling, laughing nature hides man who has scars of his own. The two end up in a pretend engagement that ends up healing so much that is hurt inside each of them.

This is a beautiful, deeply emotional book. Balogh really allows the reader to quietly and slowly understand the depths of these two characters and see the slow movements that they make in learning about one another, falling in love and healing one another. I love the quiet beauty of this book. It fits Lauren’s personality which is not cold but rather gentle and loving. The plot of the book is not particularly original or exciting. Rather, Balogh focuses expertly on the beautiful relationship that develops between Lauren and Kit.

I highly recommend this book which is better than the first in the series.

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five-stars

Review: One Night for Love

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Review: One Night for LoveOne Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequels #1) by Mary Balogh
Series: Bedwyn Saga #0.5
Published by Dell on August 1999
Genres: Historical
Pages: 375
Goodreads
four-stars

Heartbreaking Story of Two People from Different Worlds

ONE NIGHT FOR LOVE is the story of Neville Wyatt, Earl of Kilbourne. Neville is marrying his cousin when a ragged woman enters the back of the church and declares herself his wife. Lily Doyle is the daughter of a commoner. Lily and Neville met when Neville was in the army. They married and the next day both are shot. Neville believes Lily dead and goes on with his life. He never tells any one about his marriage, returns to England and a year and a half later plans to marry the woman that he was expected to his whole life. Lily has returned after being held prisoner. She is illiterate, uneducated and far from being a lady. The gulf between the two seems impossible to cross. The two love one another, however, and this book is the story of how they learn to live together.

I really liked this story. The book is slow at times because it is a lush, romantic exploration of the feelings of the two. It is the story of how love alone is not enough. Lily and Neville need to deal with guilt and pain. Lily also has to change so that she can learn to live in Neville’s world. Those changes.are about discovering one’s.potential. By the time, this book ends the reunion and happy ending between the two is satisfying.

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four-stars

Review: Long Lost

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Long Lost
Long Lost by Linda Castillo
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A Short Novella Better for Romance Than Mystery

FINAL DECISION: This was a nice little novella. There was a mystery, but it was a simple one without much drama or thrill. For me, the best part was the relationship between Kate and John and their inability to relax.

THE STORY: Kate Burkholder, a police chief and her lover John Tomasetti are taking a well deserved vacation at a bed and breakfast when a 20 year old mystery of a missing woman tempts them away from their relaxation into investigating what happened.

OPINION: Part of my favorite parts of this series is the interactions between Kate and John. Their dark pasts have made their relationship a rocky one. Here, Kate and John have a chance to relax, but their relationship remains tricky for them so they slide into an investigation rather than dealing with their relationship. For me, that was more interesting than the mystery here.

WORTH MENTIONING: This novella is very short. In my Kindle version, 25% was a preview for another book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: LONG LOST is book 4.5 in the Kate Burkholder series. It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

Review: Gone Missing

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Gone Missing
Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scary Heart Pounding Thriller Set in Amish Country

FINAL DECISION: This is one scary book with a ultimate reveal being quite surprising. Having Kate and John be able to spend more time together in a different location helps develop their relationship and shows a different side to Kate.

THE STORY: Something is happening to Amish teens, there have been some mysterious disappearances in Ohio. Kate, with her experience of having been Amish and also being police chief of a town with a significant Amish population is asked to consult on the cases. She will be working with her friend and lover John Tomasetti at his request. When one of the disappearances becomes a murder investigation, Kate fears for a missing teen in her own town.

OPINION: This was a thrilling book. Puzzling and then frightening with a mystery with many layers so that the ultimate solution was not predictable, this book was one that kept me switching between suspects until the end. I really liked that Kate is out of her element here. It allows her to have a different role that doesn’t get bogged down in the practicalities of her normal police work. It also allows her to have a different experience working with John. I am a big fan of the relationship between these two damaged people and I like to see how they are making halting moves towards one another.

The climax of this story was really scary and even though I knew that things would turn out okay (there are more books in the series after all), I still felt the danger that Kate was in.

WORTH MENTIONING: The personal relationship between Kate and John takes a new turn in this book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: GONE MISSING is the fourth book in the Kate Burkholder series. The book is a mystery crime thriller and can read as a standalone. It does, however, contain a continuing personal story about Kate’s reaction to her job and also her relationship with John Tomasetti that continues through the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

Review: Faking It

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Review: Faking ItFaking It (Dempseys, #2) by Jennifer Crusie
Series: Dempseys #2
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on July 11th 2004
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 448
Goodreads
four-stars

Absolutely Loved It

FAKING IT is the sequel to WELCOME TO TEMPTATION. FAKING IT tells the story of Matilda Goodnight, who comes from a family of forgers, and Davy Dempsey who comes from a family of con artists. These kindred spirits are perfect for one another. The novel is like a screwball comedy with flamboyant characters, a twisty plot and a happy ending. There are multiple romances in this book and it was nice seeing all the pieces come together in the end. I liked the main romance in this book better than WELCOME TO TEMPTATION and I couldn’t put the book down.

While you have some background if you have read WELCOME TO TEMPTATION, reading that book is not necessary to FAKING IT.

I recommend it.

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four-stars

Review: Welcome to Temptation

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Review: Welcome to TemptationWelcome to Temptation (Dempseys, #1) by Jennifer Crusie
Series: Dempseys #1
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on July 11th 2004
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 416
Goodreads
four-stars

Funny and Witty

WELCOME TO TEMPATION is the story of Sophie Dempsey, the oldest daughter of a con artist family and Phineas Tucker, the mayor of the small town of Temptation. This book is funny and witty. The relationship between Sophie and Phin is sexy. They are a funny couple and all the characters in the story are vivid and interesting. I enjoyed the book, but I thought it was more plot heavy than I prefer my romance books. I would recommend the book, however, because it was interesting and definitely worth my time.

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four-stars