Tag: Contemporary Romance

ARC review: All he ever desired by Shannon Stacey

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The Particulars: Contemporary Romance, Carina Press, available as e-book ( print coming 2013)
The Source: ARC from Netgalley
The Grade: C+
The blurb:
A second shot at first love
After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he’s forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal–and learns the boy is Lauren’s son…
The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan’s door every day to work off his crime.
With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can’t deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chanceat true love?

The Review:
After reading All he ever needed, which was a disappointment to me, I hestitated before I requested this one on Netgalley. Since it was an Arc, I figured all I would lose if I didn’t like it was time. I am happy to say that I did like it.
Just like all the Kowalski novels, this book was a small town romance with down to earth characters. I loved how both the good sides and bad sides of living in a small town were included in the novel.
If this novel had a theme, it was second chances. Lauren and Ryan got a second chance at love. It was touching to follow their relationship. From the first awkward moment when they met each other again, to their HEA.
Nick got a second chance to make amends for his stupidity. I’ll confess that I liked how Lauren dealt with Nick. It was interesting to watch how Nick and Ryan interacted.
The biggest problem I had with this book was that it felt a bit too long. After page 150 it felt like the book was dragging just to reach a higher wordcount.

Cover Reveal: High Risk by Vivian Arend

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This cover was revealed earlier this month, and I love it since it tells me what this books is: An erotic romance novel featuring Adrenaline junkies. ( Yes, I am tired of 50 shades of grey covers, that could be on any kind of book.)

Review: Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

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The particulars:  Contemporary Romance, MacMillan, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Kobo
The Grade: A
The blurb:
Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington. She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal: her fiance Kevin has left her. His new lover is Lucy’s own sister. Lucy’s bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life. Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy’s parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to “romance” Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life–even after being broken–can be made into something new and beautifu
The Review:
I like Lisa Kleypas historicals, but I had never read her contemporaries. I kept hearing good things about this one, bu the price stopped me. When Macmillan discounted it to 2.99 earlier this summer I snapped it up.
And I am glad I did.
The setting for this sweet romance was San Juan Island outside Washington state. I liked the careful details that Ms Kleypas inserted in her description of the island. From the description of Friday Harbor, to the nature that is an important part of the story.
That said, what made the book for me was the relationship between Sam and Lucy. One thing that I loved were that nothing felt rushed.  The romance unfolded at a pace that felt right. They started out as friends and let it evolve, both of them clear that they made no committments. As their relationship unfolded, Ms Kleypas cleverly wov in the details why they were committment shy.   
I also liked how both Sam and Lucy dealt with the stinking aftermath of her breakup with Kevin.  It could have spoiled the book for me if they had dealt with it differently, but they didn’t.
 But what I also liked was the sense that both of them had something they were passionate about, and careers they loved, yet they didn’t let takeover their lives. 
That said, I wanted to strangle Alice and Kevin for their selfish behaviour, and the fact that they didn’t care if they hurt their family. Just.. Argh.
The magic element in this book felt unnecessary. It was hardly more than a quiant touch. That said, I applaud Ms Kleypas for having the courage to add it. I would love to read a true paranormal romance written by Lisa Kleypas in the future.

Review: Men of Bronze by Scott Oden:

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The Particulars:  Historical Fiction, Medallion Press, available as e-book and in print. 
The Source: Purchased at Omnilit
The Grade: A
  The blurb:
 It is 526 B.C. and the empire of the Pharaohs is dying, crushed by the weight of its own antiquity. Decay riddles its cities, infects its aristocracy, and weakens its armies. While across the expanse of Sinai, like jackals drawn to carrion, the forces of the King of Persia watch and wait. Leading the fight to preserve the soul of Egypt is Hasdrabal Barca, Pharaohs countless wounds, it is her spirit that heals and changes him. Once a fearsome demigod of war, Hasdrabal Barca becomes human again. A man now motivated as much by love as anger. Nevertheless honor and duty have bound Barca to the fate of Egypt. A final conflict remains, a reckoning set to unfold in the dusty hills east of Pelusium. There, over the dead of two nations, Hasdrabal Barca will face the same choice as the heroes of old: Death and eternal fame or obscurity and long life.

The Review: 
I bought this book in 2010, I think. I started reading it but abandoned it. I always intended to get back to it, one day. It took awhile, though. What spurred me was the fact that I decided to rebuy it in epub, to replace the pdf copy I bought in 2010. And I am glad I did. 
  One word can describe this book: Epic. At times, it felt almost like I was reading fantasy novel, with minium of magic.    This isn’t fantasy, but  Historical fiction.  This isn’t my favorite genre, since it often involves bloody, gorefilled battles.. ( I know, I have probably read the wrong books). But this book were different. Oh, there were battles in it.  What made me love this were the  vivid settings, and the human characters.   
The settings made me feel as if I were walking through Memphis, standing on the ship on the way to Gaza, feeling the wind tussling my hair.  My heart ached everytime Barca lost one of his friends. The ache tenfolded when I realised the source of The Beast.   At the start of the book  he was  almost a murdering machine. He live for battle.  Yet through the book, he change. He starts to feel compassion.  That change stems from Jauharah and her patience. 
Jauharah… I wept for her. For her loss, for the pain she had suffered, and for the choices she had to make. 
And Callianestes… I admired him for daring to what was right.  Heck, I admired all the characters for their honor and courage. 
The combination of the characters and the setting created a riveting tale, that I just couldn’t put down.  But, as I read it, I was reminded that history goes in circles, and that no civilisation last forever.
What I didn’t like.  I’ll admit it. I wish there was a happy ending, since is Hasdrabal Barca and Jauharah had earned it.  Yet, that would make it a romance, which this isn’t. 
Still, I’ll definitely read more by Scott Oden in the future.

Review: Maid for Love by Marie Force

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The Particulars: Contemporary Romance, indie, ebook.
The Source: Purchased at Smashwords
The Grade: C+
The blurb:
Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she’s knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Resort Hotel by Gansett’s “favorite son,” Mac McCarthy. He’s back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family resort and has no intention of staying long. When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son. He soon realizes his plans for a hit-and-run visit to the island are in serious jeopardy, and he just may be “maid” for love.
The Review:
This book had been on my TBR list ever since I bought it, but reading a guest blog by Marie Force spurred me into reading it. And I am glad I did.
Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. There were so many things that I liked about it. From the small town setting to the characters. I loved the nuance picture she painted of the life in the town. From the way Maggie has to scrape together money to get by, to the McCarthy’s lifestyle. I also liked the whispers and stares that arose when Mac stayed over with Maddie.
But what made the book for me was Mac and Maddie. Maddie for her scarred past and her stubborn independence. Mac for his determination to make Maddie’s life better in every way he can. The attraction between them were strong from the start. I also liked that they didn’t jump into bed immediately.
I also loved how Maddie’s past and Mac’s family caused obstacles between them, making the path rocky.
So what I didn’t like. I had two issues with this novel. First, I didn’t like the way that Mac tried to fix everything that had gone wrong for Maddie in the past. In the beginning it was touching, but after awhile it got annoying.
The more worrisome issue was the fact that I had trouble with feeling connections to some of the characters. I just didn’t care about them. Despite it’s short comings I am glad I bought it, and read it.  Since I did like the main characters, and I did like the setting.    
Will I buy the rest of the books? Probably, but I am not in a hurry.

Review: One More Summer by Liz Flaherty

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The Particulars: Contemporary Romance, Carina Press, ebook.

The Particulars: Contemporary Romance, available as e-book

The source: Purchased at Books on board
The Grade: A
The blurb:
Grace has taken care of her widowed father her entire adult life and the ornery old goat has finally died. She has no job, no skills and very little money, and has heard her father’s prediction that no decent man would ever want her so often she accepts it as fact.
But she does have a big old house on Lawyers Row in Peacock, Tennessee. She opens a rooming house and quickly gathers a motley crew of tenants: Promise, Grace’s best friend since kindergarten, who’s fighting cancer; Maxie, an aging soap opera actress who hasn’t lost her flair for the dramatic; Jonah, a sweet, gullible old man with a crush on Maxie.
And Dillon, Grace’s brother’s best friend, who stood her up on the night of her senior prom and has regretted it ever since. Dillon rents Grace’s guest house for the summer and hopes to make up for lost time and past hurts—but first, he’ll have to convince Grace that she’s worth loving.

The review:

This book… I am not sure how to describe it.  According to Carina Press, it is a contemporary romance. Which is true, there are romance, several in fact, but there are so much more in it.
There are the old hurts between Dillon and Gwen.  There are the on and off again relationship between Promise and Stephen. There are the mature love between Jonah and Maxie.   The relationships are shadowed by old hurts,  guilt, and secrets.

I’ll admit it. I went teary eyed  several times when I read this book.   
My heart went soft when Dillon and Gwen started to rebuild their relationship.  I wept when the secrets were revealed, all of them. But most of all, I cheered when Gwen started to regain her confidence, and believe that maybe, just maybe, her father had been wrong. 
I understood Dillon’s fury. I wanted to strangle her father too, for being a cruel insensitive bastard. Yet, during the book it was explained why he hated Gwen so much.

The novel takes place in a small town. The sense of community were a red thread through the book, both through happy and sad times.  I loved the story telling times, especially the Magpie stories.  Just.. aw.  Sometimes, the setting felt so real that I could feel the sweltering summer of Tennessee.  I  could almost see the Elliot House in front of me.

I cannot find anything to pick on when it comes to this book. Except for one thing. I regret that this book is published by Carina Press since it deserve to be read  a wide audience, no matter if they read e-books or not.  I am crossing my fingers that I’ll read a similar announcement for this book, as the one I read for Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski series.

Review: Because of You by Jessica Scott:

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The Particulars: Military Romance, Lovespell, ebook.
The Source: Purchased Kobo.
The Grade: A-
The Blurb:
Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.

Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire

The Review:
I bought this book because it got a lot of positive reviews, but it took awhile before I got around to read it. In fact, when I opened the book I almost deleted it.  ( More about that later in the review). 

I must say I am glad that I decided to read it. This  book is filled with strong characters, and important themes.  I loved Jen.  How she struggled with her self-esteem, to believe that someone like Shane really is interested in her.  Shane.. I’ll admit it. I loved him too. I loved how he really cared about his troop. 
In fact, I loved all the Characters. From  Laura who  have kept her family together, to Carponti who hide his  issues behind a lot of jokes.  No. Wait. I didn’t love all of the characters. I wanted to strangle Randall, and  I thought Captain Trent Davila was a jerk.
What made the book for me wasn’t just the book. No, it was the blunt, and sobering way Jessica Scott described Iraq. She clearly shows how everything can go wrong.From important parts being misplaced, to intel being wrong.  Together, it enchanced the danger they were surrounded by.   The there is the contrast, how the wives are battling fear and worry back in the US.
But, the most heartwrenching parts of the book were when they had returned home,  injured.   Shane’s struggle with adjusting to his new life with PT.   And yes, he acts like a jerk sometimes, but he realise it.   And apologize. 

So what I didn’t like.  The main issue I had was with the font size.  I am not sure if it was  my e-reader, or something in the style sheet but it showed up as large, and 1.5 spacing.  But I decided to ignore it, and read the book anyway. After I had finished the book , I fixed the fontsize.   

Theme: Small town USA

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Unlike the last theme that focused on  regency, this theme will be a mixed bag.  I plan to take you on a trip from Alaska to Lousiana, and in between.   You will meet scientists, a werewolf or two, sheriffs, vampires.  And cowboys, of course.  As you can see, the genres will be pretty diverse.  There will be some paranormals, some  urban fantasy, a little bit of contemporary romance, a couple of mysteries.  The only thing they will have in common is that they is set in a small town, somewhere in the US.  

I actually look forward too it!

Review: Exotic Indulgence

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Exotic IndulgenceExotic Indulgence by Vivian Arend

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The blurb:

There’s something magical about Bandicoot Cove. It’s where Kylie Sullivan’s dream of managing a luxury, five-star resort is about to come true. And it’s where people tend to fall in love. Kylie should know. She’s fallen hard—for three very different men. 

The Review:
Normally I don’t review short-stories, but I decided to make an exception.
This is exactly what the cover says a sizzling short story set in Australia. This is a co-authored story, and it shows a couple of times.  The cut between the scenes feels a bit abrupt, and I didn’t like the tone in some of the scenes.  Nothing gross, it was just a few word choices.   Also, thee relationship between Kylie and her men feels rushed, like they feel have to convince her that they have something more than sex before the resort opens. Still, it is sizzling, short read that it is a great lunch read.
And it is free. You can download it at all major e-bookstores.( Watch out with Booksonboard, though, they charge 0.99 for it)

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Review: The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair

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The Kitchen Witch (Accidental Witch Trilogy, #1)The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Buy at: Amazon, BN,Bookdepository, Kobo
The Kitchen Witch:

The Particulars: The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair, contemporary romance, e-book, Berkley.

The Review:

The Blurb:

When a single-dad TV executive hires Melody Seabright–a flaky rich girl and rumored witch–as his babysitter, she magically lands her own cooking show…and makes sparks fly.

My impressions:

Oh my. I had forgotten how much I loved this book. This is Annette Blair at her best a funny, fast paced Contemporary romance with a touch of paranormal. This book is good, but it isn’t without flaws. The plot isn’t anything new. And normally, I would have felt meh about it. This book is saved by Melody. Melody is what made this book so good. She is a hoot. She is strong enough to know what she want, and go for it. I am more torn about Logan. A part of me felt admiration over the fact that he raises Shane on his own. But some of his other actions annoyed me a lot.

( This is one time I wish that Goodreads offered the opportunity to give half stars)

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