Billionaires in Love

Billionaires in Love is a reprinting of two Carly Phillips books Midnight Angel and The Playboy's Second Chance (formerly titled Kismet). I really enjoyed both stories and they were quick reads. Both stories could have been turned into full length novels and drawn out the hurt character forgiving the one who returned wanting forgiveness, but they weren't rushed either.

In Midnight Angel Dylan was sexy in strong, but was also able to admit that he screwed up ten years ago. Holly is determined to resist Dylan, but at the same time she needs closure. I was able to see why Dylan left Holly behind, but he definitely did it in a way that hurt her.

The Playboys Second Chance had somewhat of the opposite problem in that the female lead, Lissa, was the one who messed up and ended the relationship. She got pregnant at 18 by another guy while on a break from her high school sweetheart Travis. They end up working things out, then Travis freaks out about possibly becoming a father to Lissa's daughter and screws things up again.

I'd read Kismet previously and it was nice to revisit the story and rediscover why I enjoyed it. This is my first time reading Midnight Angel and it made me want to read the rest of the stories in the Love Unexpected series. This gets 4.5 stars from me, along with a recommendation for all Carly Phillips fans and any romance readers looking for a new author.

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Kiss Me, Cowboy

Kiss Me, Cowboy is the third book in the Montana Born Rodeo series. I really liked the concept of this story, but I don't feel that it was delivered as well as it could have been. Charlie has been in love with Zach since she kissed him, but Zach has a rule about never dating his coworkers. His rule was born out of a good reason, but the situations are very different. Charlie has a decision to make because she was offered a seasonal job at a horse ranch in Colorado. Both characters were a bit whiny and constantly flip flopped their positions. One minute Charlie wants to go to Colorado to get away from her feelings for Zach, and the next he's the reason for her to stay and try to convince him they could be a couple. Zach keeps telling himself and Charlie that they can never be together, but then keeps finding excuses to kiss her. This story rates a 3 stars from me. It was okay, but nothing spectacular.

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Cherish Me, Cowboy

Cherish Me, Cowboy is the story of Payton Hollis and Cordell Morgan. Payton is a head strong female who runs a ranch on her own. She lost both of her parents and since then doesn't accept help from anyone. Cordell comes to Marietta, Montana to lease some land and let his friend's cows get healthy again before sending them back to Texas. He and Payton end up becoming roommates when Henry, the owner of the land Cordell is leasing, asks Cordell to rent a room from Payton. Once they become roommates, they get to know each other and it gets to a point where they feel that their day isn't complete unless they see each other. Payton knows she can't fall for Cordell because she doesn't have time for anyone or anything but her ranch. He knows he can't fall for her because he's only in town for one reason, and it's not the one she knows. He also isn't staying so he doesn't want to get involved and risk hurting Peyton. This is a sweet story and another good addition to the series. The one complaint I have is this book didn't have any sex scenes. There was a comment about them undressing and then it was the next morning. I don't mind sweet romances, but I like a little bit of sex in them. Overall it was a good book and rates 3.5 stars. I'll probably reread it as part of the series, but not necessarily as a stand-alone.

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What A Bride Wants

I've been reading books set in Marietta, Montana a lot lately, and besides the town, they have one more thing in common. I am absolutely loving them. Like the rest of the books in the Great Wedding Giveaway series, this book was funny and a quick read. Ella was a strong character who would have run off the wrong man with her strong personality. Cameron Sawyer (Sawyer to most of Marietta), is strong enough to handle her. Ella and Sawyer meet because Ella's dad pissed her off and caused her to do something rash. Neither one was really looking for anything serious, but Sawyer was the one who had strong reasons not to fall for anyone. Eventually his reasons are revealed and Ella proves that she is strong enough to stand by him. The writing was strong and once I started reading, I didn't want to put this book down. One of these days maybe I'll read the books in order instead of jumping all over the place, but going out of order doesn't take away from any of the stories.  It gets a strong 4 1/2 star rating from me and goes into the read again pile.

The Make Believe Wedding

This was a book that I liked the sound of and an author I've never read before, but I will definitely be reading again. I absolutely loved Heath & Andie. In some ways this is your typical girl pines for guy, makes guy notice her, and they fall for each other, but this story is also unique. Andie isn't your typical female, she's a kick ass electrician and Heath is her boss/brother's best friend. Andie gets drunk at the Valentine's ball & enters herself and Heath in the Great Wedding Giveaway unintentionally. When she is informed, at work, that she and Heath are finalists she is mortified. Heath, being a good guy rolls with it and things escalate from there. I found myself laughing out loud at times, and cringing with embarrassment at others. This book hooked me in and kept me until the last page. I didn't put it down until I was done. It's a wonderful book and one I recommend to all romance readers. I'm giving it 4.5 stars.

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Tease Me, Cowboy

Tease Me, Cowboy is a story about a second chance at love. Selah Davis was with her friends and she ended up confiding to them that her biggest regret was not sleeping with her high school boyfriend Levi Monroe. They end up talking her into propositioning him for one night. Well, that one night doesn't go as planned. Levi loved Selah and when the opportunity to get a little payback for all the times she left him high and dry in high school presents itself he takes it. I really enjoyed this story by Rachael Johns. It was a great addition to the series and a quick read. The one thing I don't like about novellas is how short they are. This story, like most other novellas, could have been expanded into a full length novel. Luckily for the reader, the length of this story doesn't make it feel rushed. It also brings back characters from other books in the series, but not in a way that those who haven't read the other books would suffer. It is a sweet story and one I recommend to all romance readers. I'd give it 4 stars and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

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Sweet as Honey

I really wanted to like this book because I thought the premise was great. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I felt like this story was about 16 year olds who were playing at being grownups. Both Dex and Honey were really insecure and I felt like they were having the same issues repeatedly. It grew tiring and it took me a week to get through the book because I just didn't want to continue reading it. I tend to like Alpha males, and Dex definitely wasn't one. He had been hurt in the past, but instead of working through it, it stuck with him and brought him down for most of the story. There was also a subplot of Honey having to sit on a jury with a case similar to the abuse she had suffered. I think the author was trying to add depth to the story, but I felt the subplot took away from the story instead of adding to it. One thing I did like was how the author set up the next book at the end of this one. Overall, the characters were too weak for my liking and I felt the story drug on too long. I'd give this book 2.5 stars.

How the Scoundrel Seduces

How the Scoundrel Seduces was a great historical romance. This was the first book I read by Sabrina Jeffries and I can't wait to read more. Zoe was a strong woman who knows how to get her way when it really matters. She hires Tristan to find out if something she found out is true. Tristan and his business partners owe Zoe a favor because she kept a secret for them (I assume this took place in another book, but it was referenced in this one a few times). The tricky part about Zoe hiring them is she doesn't want anyone to know, not even her family, that she's trying to find out the truth behind this secret. Tristan and Zoe fight a fair amount, but it feels more like foreplay and banter more than anything else. Tristan is a black sheep and has secrets of his own. He uses Zoe's case to further his own agenda while working on her case, but it turns out they are intertwined. As the story progresses I like the characters more and am rooting for them to be together. This was a great historical romance with a bit of a mystery thrown in. It gets a 5 star rating along with a recommendation to anyone who likes historical romance.

Whipped

Whipped by Sabrina York was a short, hot read. Dane is at his best friend's bachelor party in Vegas and can tell that everything is going to change once his friend gets married. What he doesn't know is that his life will change too. Dane leaves the bachelor party early and runs into what he thinks is the hooker his friends hired for the party. In reality it is the bachelor's baby sister. Dane ends up hooking up with her (Tina), but can't seem to get her out of his head. He was shocked to discover who it was the next day, bu couldn't seem to stay away from her. Tina has been in love with Dane since she was in high school, so when he mistakes her for a hooker and wants to spend the night with her she says yes. The sex scenes in this book were hot and Dane's reactions to certain situations were amusing. It was a hot, and funny, quick read. It gets 4 stars along with a wish it was longer because I enjoyed it so much.

Close to Her Heart

Close to Her Heart by C.J. Carmichael wasn't one of my favorite books. The premise is good, girl gets knocked up by her emotionally unavailable boyfriend, boyfriend doesn't want baby, relationship ends, and girl ends up falling for her best friend. Unfortunately the follow through on this book wasn't as good as it should have been. Both Dani and Eliot were too beta for my tastes and Dani couldn't make a decision to save her life. Dani was presented with a possibility that her baby would be born with Down syndrome, but instead of making any decisions regarding testing she buries her head in the sand and ignores the possibility. She also doesn't tell anyone about that possibility.  I found her lack of decision making annoying and she wavered too much on any decision. Eliot was no better. He wanted to be there for her as a friend and suddenly realized he was in love with her. Their relationship felt forced and I didn't feel it develop at all. Eliot is a divorce lawyer and there was a small subplot with a pair of his clients that actually interested me more than this story. I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get invested in the story or the characters. This book falls at about a 2.5 stars from me. I'm not going to write this author off because I see potential there, but not with this book.