Monday, December 29, 2014

If the Viscount Falls

If the Viscount Falls is the second book I've read by Sabrina Jeffries and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Dom was strong and somewhat set in his ways, but Jane was the perfect person to call him out when he needed to be. Both Dom and Jane had insecurities that made them seem real. The issues they faced were real for the times and while Jane disagreed with Dom forcing her to jilt him, Dom's heart was in the right place. I really enjoyed the chemistry and seeing how their love survived 12 years of being apart. I give this book 4 1/2 stars along with a strong recommendation to read.

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From New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries, the deliciously sexy fourth book in the “Duke’s Men” Regency romance series—the first of which was called “a totally engaging, adventurous love story” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick).

The heir presumptive to the Viscount Rathmoor, Dominick Manton once had his heart’s desire within reach—a bright future as a barrister and engagement to Jane Vernon, a wealthy baron’s daughter. Then a shattering betrayal by his vindictive brother George snatched away Dom’s inheritance and his hopes of offering Jane a secure future. Brokenhearted, and attempting to end their engagement without destroying Jane’s reputation, Dom staged a betrayal of his own to convince her that he’s not the husband-to-be that she thought.

Now George is gone and the viscountcy restored to Dom, since his brother’s widow, Nancy—Jane’s cousin and closest confidant—never bore an heir. But when Nancy goes missing, a panicked Jane calls on her former fiancĂ© to track down her cousin. Dom knows the mistakes of the past may be unforgiveable—but now, entangled together in mystery and danger, will they rekindle a passionate longing that was never lost to begin with?

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

My First, My Last

I had really high hopes for My First, My Last by Lacey Silks and unfortunately they weren't met. The story is of Mia and Adrian. They met when they were teenagers and fell in love and now, twenty years later, they have found each other again. I love second chance love stories, but this one was one I almost didn't finish. I almost stopped reading around 20% and by 30%  I had to tell myself to keep going. I am glad I finished it however. When it finally did get me hooked (around 65%), I wanted to see what would happen. When Mia and Adrian did finally connect sexually it was HOT. The ending had an emotional twist that had me tearing up while rooting for them. While this is one I'm glad I finished, I can only give it a 3 star rating because it took me so long to get invested in the story and the fact that I almost give up on it.

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

A Cowgirl's Christmas

I really wanted to like A Cowgirl's Christmas far more than I actually did. C.J. Carmichael had a great concept, but her story fell short. Callan Carrigan has been working the family ranch by her father's side for years, but when he dies he leaves it to his cousin's son Court McAllister. For most of the story Callan goes out of her way to avoid Court and is determined to turn down every nice gesture he makes. It was understandable because she felt betrayed by her father, but I couldn't really see how it resulted in her falling in love with Court. Court falling for Callan was a little more believable, but I also felt like their interactions weren't very strong or frequent in the story. Towards the end, it felt like the author hit her maximum page count and suddenly had to finish the story. To make it more believable I feel the story would have had to go on another 100 or so pages and the characters should have actually dated or at least had more than a couple of pleasant interactions. I can only give this story 2.5 stars and only recommend it to someone who wants a quick Christmas read.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

A Sweet Montana Christmas

A Sweet Montana Christmas by Roxanne Snopek is a story of a couple, Melinda & Austin Sweet, who are down on their luck. Austin's company went bankrupt and as a result he pulled away from Melinda because he felt like he couldn't provide for her. Melinda became the breadwinner in the family and worked nights as an OB nurse. The couple drifted apart and the reader comes in when Austin has moved to his family farm in Montana and Melinda is living with her mom. This story was good and I liked both Melinda & Austin and their love for each other is evident throughout the story, even as they're talking about a divorce. This is a good example of how lack of communication and pride can cause a couple to break up. It was nice that there was not one huge fight, like there are in many romance novels, because it wasn't one issue that got in the way of this couple. They worked through some of their communication issues slowly and put in the work required to make their marriage work. This story gets 4 stars and is an easy read.

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Seaside Sunsets Release Day Launch!

I was not given a review copy of Seaside Sunsets, but it sounds like a pretty good book to me. Below is the synopsis and a link to a giveaway. I hope you'll take the time to check out this author because I know I've enjoyed her books in the past and if you read this blog I'm betting you will too. 


Seaside Sunsets Synopsis:

Jessica Ayers has lived a sheltered life with little more than cello lessons and practices taking up her day. Now a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she escapes the prim and proper symphony to vacation in the Seaside community in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and determine if she is living life to the fullest or missing it altogether.

For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother—and falling in love is not in his plans.

From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sensual, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the blond beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down. In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away.



Melissa Foster Bio:

NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, romantic suspense, thrillers, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Some say her romance novels are lovingly erotic, she deems them simply loving and real. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success.

Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.




Buy Links:







Barnes and Noble - Pre-order will be changing after release date http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seaside-sunsets-melissa-foster/1120748246?ean=2940046404753




Links:






Monday, December 15, 2014

Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy

Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy is the story of Christina & Dare Cooper. They have been married, but on Christina's 30th birthday, 2 days before Christmas, she realizes that her marriage to Dare is over. She has no connection to her husband anymore and can't continue to live in her unhappy marriage, so she leaves him and heads home for Christmas. When Dare gets home from work, he realizes that Christina has left him and realizes that even though he's been pushing her away he doesn't really want her to go so he follows her to her parent's house. Dare uses the time at his in laws to show Christina that their marriage isn't over and she should come home. I enjoyed the premise of this story and the story itself for the most part. I did have a little trouble following the story at times because it would start in the present, then flash back to earlier, then come back to the present and I don't think the transitions were always clear. That's the only real problem I had with the story, so I'll give it 3.5 stars. It's a quick, light Christmas read and I'll probably read it again.

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Friday, December 12, 2014

The Kidnapped Christmas Bride

The Kidnapped Christmas Bride is Jane Porter's third book in the Taming of the Sheenans series. When I first read about Trey in the second book in the series, I was intrigued. Trey was in prison for manslaughter after a bar fight gone bad. McKenna is the mother of his son and the only woman he ever loved. When Trey gets released a year early, he comes home to find that McKenna is marrying someone else the next day. Trey goes to the church to make sure that he still gets to see their son TJ before McKenna gets married. Trey claims he was worried about custody and ends up "kidnapping" TJ and McKenna. McKenna was getting cold feet about her wedding, even if she couldn't admit it to herself until later in the story. This was a sweet story, but I don't feel like I got to know McKenna as well as I would have liked to. The big focus was on her being a mom and the fact that she gave up on Trey. Trey was the better developed character. He knew taking McKenna and TJ was wrong and felt sorry about doing it, but I also understood his desperation to have Christmas with his son for the first time in four years. I give The Kidnapped Christmas Bride 4 stars and look forward to the next book in this series.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

Ring in the Holidays

I can't express how much I enjoyed Ring in the Holidays by Katie Lane. This story was wonderfully messy in a way that captured reality to the point where I could see this happening to me or one of my friends. This story isn't completely linear, and that's what makes it so wonderful. Matthew and Ellie meet on New Years Eve in a Las Vegas club and end up hooking up. While that's not unusual for Vegas, what makes it unique is Ellie was a virgin who wrote a book on why abstinence is such a good thing for a relationship. I got hooked into this story from the first page and only put it down so I could eat dinner. It was read in hours because it was funny, captivating, and real. Between Ellie's book and family drama from both main characters, this book will keep you hooked until the end. This is the second story in the Hunk for the Holidays series, and now I need to go back and read the first book. I'd give this story a 5 star rating and I can't wait for more in this series.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

The Billionaire's Counterfeit Girlfriend/ Four Weeks Till Forever

This is the first book I've read by Nadia Lee, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I got an advanced copy of Four Weeks Till Forever, but the title was changed to The Billionaire's Counterfeit Girlfriend after. The title change was a good thing because it matched the premise of the book much better. Mark Pryce needs a date to his family's Fourth of July picnic because he doesn't want to be set up by his mom. Hilary Rosenberg, his best friend's administrative assistant, is the perfect choice. She knows all about his reputation as a playboy and won't get attached. Hilary doesn't believe in love. She came from a messed up family, where her father slept with her mom and her aunt and got them both pregnant at the same time. Hilary has worked hard to get herself away from the reputation of being a Rosenberg girl and the wild things that they are known for. Mark doesn't know about Hilary's past and she wants to keep it that way, but the past has a way of coming out. Neither Mark nor Hilary expect to want more than the month they had planned, but they both end up wanting more, even if Hilary doesn't believe Mark when he says he does. My favorite part of the story was how Mark went about proving to Hilary that he is serious about her and she's not one of his Quarterly Girls. The book was long enough to be satisfying, but not so long that it felt forced. I give this book a solid 4 stars and can't wait to read more from Nadia Lee.

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Thursday, December 4, 2014

Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle is the second book in Katie Rose's The Boys of Summer series. I read the first in the series, Bring on the Heat a while back and really enjoyed the book. The biggest complaint I had was that the story started off slow with too much description. This story doesn't have that problem. Too Hot to Handle is the story of playboy shortstop Jake Baldwin and PR rep Nikki Chase. Nikki is tasked with cleaning up the image of Jake's baseball team and the players don't like it. As a result, some of the players bet Jake that he can't get Nikki to fall in love with him. This is a storyline that has been done before and you'd think that it'd be a boring one. That is not the case with this story. Kate Rose doesn't focus on the bet, but it's always in the back of the reader's mind, knowing that it'll come out eventually. Both Nikki and Jake were strong and independent characters, and they fit together perfectly. This book gets a solid 5 stars from me and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Full Throttle

Full Throttle by Julie Ann Walker is the 7th book in her Black Knights Inc series. I've been following this series since the beginning, but one thing I absolutely love about these books are they are stand alone stories yet they also tie together. In this one, the President's daughter, Abby is kidnapped and Carlos "Steady" Soto is the one who rescues her. Abby and Steady have a history because they knew each other in college. Both were studying to be doctors, but neither ended up doing so. Abby is keeping a secret from Carlos at the request of her father and it has to do with the even that caused both Abby and Carlos to choose other careers besides medicine. This story had me hooked from the first page and I ended up staying up too late reading because I couldn't put it down. This book gets 5 stars and I can't wait for the next story in this series.

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