Showing posts with label Donna Kauffman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donna Kauffman. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Catch Me if You Can by Donna Kauffman

Catch Me If You Can (Men of Rogue's Hollow #3)Tag Morgan is the oldest of four boys whose emotionally and physically abusive father has just died. He discovers that his father has been sending money to a woman in Scotland and it has something to do with the Morgan family history, the one his father tried to beat out of he and his brothers. But something about the letters the woman caring for the castle, Maura Sinclair, sent to his father draws Tag to Scotland. In a wild snowstorm, he meets a woman who takes his breath away but she leaves without him learning her name. He is shocked to find her again at the Sinclair castle; she is, of course, the woman who has so intrigued him.
The whole time I was reading this book, I was really trying not to judge Maura for stepping out of one man's bed into another. The ex was a complete scumbag anyway and she had just had a near death experience as well as dealing with the crushing responsibilities of being the laird of a clan that had little interest in staying put. And I think what kept confusing me the most was that this seemed so out of line with the Kauffman books that I had been reading recently.  Finally, I figured out that this was a reissue from 2003 and it explained So Much. If you have only read recent books by this author, please note that her style has changed a bit. Other than that, the relationship development is a bit thin (a lot of heat with some off-page talks but nothing that let us see why they would stay together) but it is a perfectly fun read.

Three stars
This book came out December 31st
ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Lavender & Mistletoe by Donna Kauffman

Lavender & Mistletoe by Donna KauffmanAvery Kent refers to herself as a Brain. It is her overall scope that allow her to figure out that there might be something more in the snow when she sees a set of tracks sliding across the road in a skid pattern. But she'll need more than that to rescue the pygmy goat she finds, she'll need a vet.
Ben Chandler is only in town to cover for the regular veterinarian who is traveling for a few months. He also has a big brain and is suitably impressed by Avery, even though she seems to be trying to steer him toward her friend, Cheyenne.
Eventually Avery and Ben end up pairing and finding that they really like each other. But what happens when Avery is tied to her place while Ben is a globe-trotting veterinarian?
This was a fine novella and regular Kauffman readers will enjoy. It was an easy romance but it's a novella so not a lot of development.

Three stars
This book comes out September 24th
ARC kindly provided by

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice -- Anthology

Sweet Magic by Donna Kauffman
Bellaluna's bakery is run by Abriana "Bree" Bellaluna O'Neill and her grandmother, Sofia. Their family has owned the shop for generations and every year at Halloween, Sofia makes special cookies that can help people find true love. Bree is ready to be the one making the cookies but she just can't get the recipe right but you have to be in love. Sofia thinks that Caleb, who is in town to run his uncle's restaurant business, might be the one. But Bree isn't sure... Caleb is a short timer. Can he really be her true love?

A typical Kauffman book. Regular readers will be satisfied.

Love Spells Disaster by Allyson Charles
Cassandra Hie wants to get married but she wants to find the "right" kind of guy. Someone like her boss, Steve.  But then Chip, a local handyman, eats the cookies meant for Steve. Suddenly, blue collar's not looking so bad... plus, he loves Halloween as much as she does.

There was so much time spent on Cassandra changing her mind that not as much was spent on their relationship building.

Sweet on you by Kate Angell
Lara's rent has just gone up and she's in danger of losing her job. Plus her boyfriend recently dumped her. But, Mayor Jack needs help. So he creates a job for Lara, who he is attracted to. And she rocks it.

An okay story but I don't love boss/employee romances, especially if someone has created a job for someone else.
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice

Monday, November 5, 2018

A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels; Kate Pearce; Donna Kauffman; Priscilla Oliveras

A Season to CelebrateChristmas Homecoming by Fern Michaels
Kevin Matthews is grateful to be back home in Texas after his time in the Air Force. He's trying to figure out his next move but his interest in the town's new surgeon, Kate Stafford, may make the decision easier.
This story was a little hard to follow in places  but I suspect that regular readers of the series would have no problem.

An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce
A nice story about an older couple. Bella is helping to plan her son's wedding and Billy is happy to help her get things done. And maybe they might find their own HEA.
I think having read other books in the series would have made this book more understandable but it was a very cute story.

Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by  Donna Kauffman
Chef Hudson Walker has just finished working a wedding when he sees Moira Brogan being harassed in a bar. He steps in to help even though she's got it handled. They then start to spend a little more time together even though she's a planner to the nth degree while he tends to be a little more free form.
I was so looking forward to this story and... I just didn't feel it. After reading about Moira in the previous book, I was hoping for a little more of her story. But I did appreciate the story of her previous romantic fling not turning into an HEA.

Holiday Homerun by Priscilla Oliveras
Julia Fernandez is sick of hearing about baseball. She just wants to pursue her dreams of a being an event planner in Chicago rather than taking over the family business in Puerto Rico. So why is she getting so distracted by the VIP for her event, former pro baseball player Ben Thomas.
This was a little too sweet for me but I think regular readers will enjoy.

Three stars
This book came out October 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Naughty But Nice by Donna Kauffman

Naughty but Nice by Donna KauffmanMelody doesn't want her small town to change. That's why she's so so against Griffin coming to town. He's a developer who wants to help the town grow and he's surprised that some people might be opposed to that process. However, Griffin is determined to win the cupcake baker over.
In this series, this wasn't my least favorite but it was not a great story. Very shallow and not enough time to see why the two fell in love.

Two stars
This comes out October 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Lock, Stock & Jingle Bells by Donna Kauffman

Lock, Stock & Jingle Bells by Donna KauffmanHolly hates the yuletide season more than ever since she inherited her mother’s Christmas novelty store, but her childhood pal Sean’s determined to warm her up - to Christmas and to him. When they uncover a diary concealing secrets involving both their families, this could be the Christmas that changes their lives forever...
Reprinted from a previous anthology, I remembered this story about halfway through. It is much better having read the first in the series and I'm wondering why the publisher didn't just release all three novellas in one book.

Three stars
This novella came out September 25
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Unleashed by Donna Kauffman

Unleashed by Donna KauffmanEmma Lafferty is trying to get her fledgling pet sitting business off the ground. Sitting for for Lionel Hamilton of THE Hamiltons is going to get her into some posh circles. The house is supposed to be completely deserted, not even any of the servants would be there but, out of the storm comes a man. Trevor Hamilton, Lionel's great-nephew to be exact. And he is immediately smitten. The two are trapped in a house, alone, and the power goes out. But why was Trevor there in the first place.
As a novella, the story is restricted by the number of pages. And, ufda, believing that Emma is going to uproot her life for a man she's known for less than 24 hours? Not exactly the movements of a sane person. But it's an okay story nonetheless. If you're a Kaufman fan, you'll enjoy this story.

Three stars
This book comes out September 25th
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap--Anthology

Image from Goodreads
Where There's Smoke by Donna Kauffman

Clara Parker is not at a good point in her life right now. She's just been dumped (while on speaker phone, in the local grocery store.) Her job as a dating advice columnist is, quite obviously, not going to be an option. Her boss's suggestion that she do a baking column isn't going well either (she set her kitchen on fire.) Luckily, her old buddy, Will Mason, was nearby. He's a hunky (like, in a calendar, causing riots in a bookstore type hunky) firefighter. He and Clara never quite hooked up, though both wanted to. Maybe now is their second chance...

An interesting story, best of the group in my opinion.

The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell

Abby is one of Clara's closest friends. She lived withher grandmother who has passed away. Lately, she's been amusing herself with an online business making erotic gingerbread cookies. During the local fundraiser, a stranger comes in, buys a box of her cookies, and then disappears. Well, at least until Abby finds his car off the road and takes him to her house. Lander Reynolds is grateful to Abby Denton for saving his life. And as they spend more time trapped in a snowstorm, they start to get to know each other, in a romantical type way.

An okay story. I liked Abby and Lander and this reminded me of Christmas shorts from the nineties but it was a little... slow.

Sugar And Spice by Kimberly Kincaid

Lily Callahan is a caterer who wants to expand her business. And winning the local bake-off is an easy way to do it. But she's up against Pete Mancuso (the guy who dumped Clara in the first story) who is a pastry chef who has dreams of his own. The sparks that fly between them in a partnership round make the ratings go through the roof. It's an attraction that the sponsors want to exploit and one that the two of them can't deny.

A bit to syrupy for me but an okay story.