Like most things in my life, my reading journey proceeds in a convoluted and undirected fashion. The reading cut ends up being about 75% romance, 25% everything else.
Almost all of the books will have been supplied by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Showing posts with label appealing characteristic-setting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appealing characteristic-setting. Show all posts
In earlier Nugget books, Raylene Rosser was decidedly the villain. And in this book, she's the heroine. It's a long slog to get her there but Stacy Finn manages to do it well. Raylene is back in town for her brother's wedding and literally no one is happy. And she really deserves it. Not only was she kind of a bitch, she was an alcoholic, and almost helped to put an innocent man in jail for murder.
Gabe Moretti is in town because he helped open up a security business with Raylene's half-brother, Logan. And when Logan asks Gabe to keep an eye on Raylene, Gabe takes that very seriously. Even though he's very attracted to Raylene, he tries to keep his distance. Though he will help her search for the gold that her ancestor supposedly buried.
There are definitely some rough spots in this story but it was, overall, lovely.
Three stars
This book came out December 11
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley
Felicity MacGregor really enjoys her life. She's an event planner and, while there's not a ton of work for her in Knights Bridge, there's more than enough work in the surrounding areas. Enough that she's gotten herself out of the mountain of debt she was in three years ago plus be able to buy a house. She does have a slight hitch in her stride when she hears that Gabriel Flanagan is going to be back in town to help out with a business bootcamp that she's putting on. Gabe, the man that was her best friend for ears until he bluntly told her that she wasn't living her best life.
Gabe's not sorry he did it. He feels like he did what was best for Felicity and he feels hurt by the way she lashed out when she left after crashing on his couch for a week. So he decides that he's going to sleep on her couch, and maybe even deepen their relationship.
This wasn't one of Neggers' better stories. I never really got that Felicity and Gabe should be more than friends. They lashed out at each other, acted like children, then somehow, we're supposed to believe they're in love. And, just to create some more angst, there's a potential female stalker after Gabe. Just, ew. It wasn't horrible though, just waiting for the next one and hoping it will be better.
Two and a half stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows Red Clover Inn
In a previous Nugget book, we met Emily and Clay McCreedy. She's a famous cookbook author while he's a rancher. They've created a blended family with his two sons but Emily can't ever forget her daughter. Especially now that there are calls claiming that somebody has her. After seven years, can it possibly be true? And what does that mean? Not only for Emily but for her ex-husband and his new wife. A nice addition to the Nugget series. I like that everything wasn't solved neatly and some ties were left undone. This is definitely not a story for people who haven't read the rest of the series. Three and a half stars This book comes out October 10
Becca
and Grace have always been a team. Grace is the beauty while Becca is the
brains. And even though Grace is the elder, Becca has been protecting her since
high school. And that’s what Becca plans on doing during the latest contest at
a resort in the Caribbean. The prize is a date with a billionaire eligible
bachelor, Calum Price.
But
it’s not Grace who gets a seat next to Cal on the flight to the Caribbean, it’s
Becca. And it’s the plain, brainy, slightly mouthy sister who captures the
man’s attention. Sure, Grace is nice enough, but she’s not the one who arouses
his… curiosity.
I
should have figured, this being a part of the “Blaze” series, that this book
would have some sex scenes that were less than vanilla. They’re not my favorite
but I think regular readers will enjoy the book as a whole.
I was intrigued by the premise of this book. You've got a Southern matchmaker, Macy Frost, meeting a Northerner who just wants to have fun, Deacon Banks. Macy takes her matchmaking role very seriously. How could she not? She comes from a family of matchmakers who may or may not be descended from Cupid himself.
Deacon Banks is a confident tech entrepreneur (isn't that nice and vague?) who just wants to make his aunt happy this Christmas season by appearing to be searching for his true love. As long as the women know what the score is, why would it be a problem? Except that Macy seems to want him to concentrate on true love and Deacon's wondering why he can't be matched to the matchmaker.
I thought I knew Kramer's name and at the end of story, I finally remembered why. I have tried at least a couple of her books before but there is something about her writing that I just do not connect to. Not her fault or mine, it's just not a good match. I really liked the idea of this book and I think her regular readers will be more than satisfied.
Walker Wilder has retreated to Marietta, Montana, home of the cousins she's never met, to lick her wounds. Her boyfriend was schtupping an intern and her high-powered job fell apart so she felt lucky to get a job trying to boost the visitation to the historic Montana Graff Hotel. And, when she's spooked by a moving chair in the hotel's attic, she thinks she has the perfect hook.
Calum Quest is visiting his old friend Logan Wilder in Montana when he gets the message that there might be a haunted hotel in the area. He's not super stoked about it because he really would rather not be a ghost chaser any more. But Walker's hot and she has an interesting story. So, what the heck, he'll at least check it out.
The timing of this story was very odd. I couldn't figure out if the search for decorations, the chair, and Calum's arrival were all on one day? Her first day at work?
I also wish that we had gotten to see a little more of the characters' development. Their changes of heart were incredibly sudden. Calum's deep and understanding but then he gets pissed that Walker, who he's known for less than a week?, doesn't share one of her deepest secrets, but then he's okay.
It's a nice story but I wish there had been more.
Oh. This book started off so well. Holly White is back in her hometown, not because she wants to be there, but because she was dumped by her fiance two weeks before the wedding. Unlike other series, Holly is happy to be home. She loves Mistletoe, Maine, loves the quirky people who live there, and loves being in a place that embraces Christmas so much. Rather than being resentful that she's forced to return home, it's nice to have a character who is happy to go back to a place that loves her.
Well, except for Margaret Fenwick, the president of the Mistletoe Historical Society. The woman is clearly unhappy and is pretty much trying to drag the rest of the town down to her level of misery. It's just too bad that she's murdered on Holly's family's farm right after a fight with Holly's father.
It's too bad the ending was a) just a little out there and b) so darn cheesy. I'll try the next book in the series but this may not be a series for me.
The beginning of this book started off so well. A feisty heroine set in amongst the dons of Prince's College, Cambridge -- catnip. And a good portion of the book is highly enjoyable. Ms. Austen-Leigh describes her characters and the setting very well. But then she introduces more characters. A lot of characters. And Prudence Pinsent turns out to be not as feisty as introduced (part of the times, I guess). The mystery was not at all fairly clued so if that is part of what you like in a mystery, this will not be the book for you. It was generally an okay book but not as good as the usual ones reproduced by the British Crime Classics.
I had read a few Jaine Austen books but ended up giving up on the series. There are a lot of cozy series I really enjoyed and this one didn't really hook me. I liked the premise for this one though. Jaine becoming a writer for a TV show based on The Bachelor. Not far-fetched since shows seem to have been chasing that dream ever since the show started.
Jaine is on more of a "Bachelor in Paradise" show where the women are competing to marry a prince, er, a man who is 87th in line for the throne. She's replacing the last writer who gives her a cryptic warning about the show. Well, not so cryptic. Basically, Jane lands and is told that the job sucks and she better be prepared for the worst. Well, having packed up herself and her cat, Jaine is ready to dig in. Even if it means dealing with three bitch contestants. And a room on the third floor where there is no air conditioning. In a tropical climate. And the food is unused airline meals. Dessert is from a vending machine. Oh, and one of the contestants just got murdered. While dealing with all of that, Jaine has to also fight off the king of the island who wants to make her his twelfth wife (his first wife is none to happy about that).
This was a fun and fluffy story. Jaine is still just slightly annoying to me and the whole subplot of the island king seemed superfluous. For readers who enjoy the series, I think this will be a book they enjoy.
Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 27
I was quite excited about this book and maybe set my expectations a little bit too high. It is the story of India Prendergast who is trying to find her cousin, Helen. A cousin that was involved with the Lady Travelers group. A group that hasn't been able tell India exactly where Helen is supposed to be. She has decided to infiltrate the group in order to find out exactly what has happened. What she finds instead is Derek Saunders, a man trying to help his aunt, one of the three ladies running the travel agency. He is determined to make sure that the ladies are kept safe, even from their own shenanigans.
For being a book about travel, the first half or so of this book takes awhile to get moving. India is not very likable for a good portion of the book which is hard in a heroine. And while we do get some growth from her, Derek doesn't get to do much growing at all.
Up front, in the subtitle in fact, we're told that this is a Kowalski Reunion novel and are thus forewarned that there will be a LOT of catch up with the Kowalski family. Normally this really bugs me in a story because that means that the main story will suffer. However, Ms. Stacey manages to make the "main story" about a new Kowalski employee and a local boy-returned-home feel like a fully formed novella in amongst a rather extended epilogue for almost every other of the nine previous Kowalski books. As long as you go in expecting that this will not be a fully developed story, you won't be disappointed. Laney Caswell just got out of a marriage where she was deeply unhappy because she sublimated her own needs for those of her husband. Now, she's spending the summer at the Kowalski camp trying to figure out who she is without a man. She definitely is not interested in getting involved with anyone. When she sees Ben Rivers and electricity strikes but Laney wants to make sure that she finds herself before she gets involved with anyone else.
Ben Rivers is thirty-eight and ready to settle down. His work as a paramedic has been hard and so he played hard too. Now that he's moved home, he's realizing exactly how much he's missed. He is incredibly attracted to Laney but is willing to step back in order to give her room to make her own decisions.
And that's why this book is so good. Both Ben and Laney have adult conversations about what they want and each respects the other. I wish we had gotten some more background on both and the myriad updates about the Kowalskis and their friends got confusing, even to someone who read all the stories, but it was overall a very nice story for regular Kowalski readers.
Three and a half stars
This book comes out February 28
Jed's parents have been doing strange things like dropping him off in the middle of Yellowstone and expecting him home in eleven hours since he was a kid. So when he wakes up one morning and all that's left is a note telling him to crawl through a tunnel with a backpack full of batteries and water bottles and an unusual watch to wait for his grandfather. Finally, he realizes what they've been doing all those years.
But the tunnel leads to an unusual new world. One where batteries are currency and the sky rains junk. It's a new world and Jed is fighting just to survive.
A really nice build up and great world building. Too bad the ending was sooooo flat.
Glory Greenleaf comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Her family is poor and her brother has been arrested for running meth. Arrested by Eli Barlow no less, Jonah's childhood best friend. Well, all three of them used to run around together. This occurred pretty much right after Glory (Glory Hallelujah, no less) and Eli had one explosive night together. Of course, now that's all over.
Their paths cross again when Eli is called to the bar Glory is working at because there is a very serious poker game in which Glory seems to be the prize. She mostly rescues herself but then Eli also steps in.
Franco Francone, apparently self-absorbed movie star, is back in this book. This time, he too is hitting on Glory. He, of course, means nothing by it, not wanting a real relationship but we do get to see a bit more of the man. Hints at depth were in the first book and we see more here.
We also hear about Glory's talent (singing and songwriting) and her struggles to go further with it.
This was an okay story. It was nice to see Eli and Glory work their way back to each other but I never quite bought them as a pair.
So, on my Goodreads review, I rounded up my review of this ARC from three and a half stars to four because it just generally gave me good feels. I was a bit disappointed that I could tell you how the whole story would play out after the first 1/4 of the book
that Luke would hire Eva back, that his wife was actually cheating on him, that Eva would get upset that Luke didn't love her EVEN THOUGH HE TOLD HER <i>A LOT</i> that he couldn't love her, that she would be upset that he created a killer based on her, that they would eventually make up at Tiffany's, probably on Christmas Day (though I didn't rule out Christmas Eve)
I just kept thinking "Oh, wouldn't it be nice if [this romance convention] were turned on its head and the characters didn't just do what all romance characters do?" And yet, as I mentioned, this was still a fast, fun, and fluffy read for me that generally made me smile at the end. Even with the not-so-subtle introduction, reintroduction, and further mention of the Bark Ranger twins and their hot-to-trot brother Daniel.
Eva Jordan works for Urban Genie, a company that can make your life easier. She's blue because it's the holidays and this is the second year that her grandmother won't be around (I think it's the second year? She says her grandmother died "last year in the fall" which should indicate a second round of holidays). However, Eva begins this book by deciding to change her attitude, starting with the decorations that she's going to put up in the home of a famous author while he's away working on his book.
Luke Blade hates the holidays for a good reason. His wife died during a storm three years ago. The woman that he had loved (sort of off-and-on) since kindergarten. Theirs was a love story to stand the test of time. At least according to his biography. But this year he's hit writer's block and hard. So when a short, cute, and stacked blonde (this comes up an awful lot) sneaks into his apartment, he is not amused. But then he finds out that his grandmother sent her and then she starts to spark his creativity. He decides to hire her as his muse (and personal chef) so that he can finish his book on schedule.
Generally, books where one of the characters (usually the hero) says they can't love and then their partner (generally a heroine) gets all upset because "he won't love me" (which he's been telling you the whole book, why wouldn't you believe him?) engender a real sense of rage within me (see Book #2 of the Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts) but at least this one got cleared up pretty fast. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the book, I can't explain why this book gave me such good feels when I have so many issues but it did and I can recommend it to others who have enjoyed the "From Manhattan with Love" series and regular contemporary romance readers.
I rarely read books set in Montana because I live here and I hate it when authors get it wrong. This book didn't get it wrong because there wasn't much mentioned about the area at all, which was ironically disappointing. It sounded like the author was trying to set up a fictional town right in my area and it would have been nice to get a deeper sense of place, a description of the mountains, the wilderness. Instead, it was just a bunch of names, some that were real and that weren't. Bummer. Also disappointing was the disconnectedness of the story. It seemed more like a series of vignettes somewhat sewn together. There was just SO MUCH going on that it was hard to really get a handle on what it was that really brought Tucker and Laird together.
Tucker is back in Marietta to try and patch up her relationship with her twin sister Tanner. See, Tucker's been sort of the wild child, wandering the states being a rodeo star and trying to make it in Hollywood. She also "knew" Tanner's fiance. Like, in the biblical sense. And she even tried to get him back after the two were involved. So now she's back and trying to heal old wounds. Needing all the help she can get, she stops off at Miracle Lake. While she's there, she meets Laird who is in town trying to figure out what happened to his fraternal twin. See, Laird was adopted from a teenage girl who had two babies but he didn't know until recently and he's not even sure his twin survived. The reader can figure it out pretty darn fast and it's sort of annoying how long it's drawn out. In fact, I wish that had been shortened to make more room for the story between Tanner and Laird. It was just a bit superficial. Wish we had seen more of what made them want to be together other than explosive chemistry.
Aquilla Knox has carefully crafted a persona over the past five seasons that will make her unappealing to suitors. In fact, she wouldn't even be here this year except that Lady Satterfield offered to sponsor her. And now she's accidentally locked herself out of a party and it's the Duke of Deception, actually the Earl of Sutton who comes to her rescue. Edward "Ned" Bishop is known around town for breaking hearts. He leads debutantes on, testing them without their knowledge, but never actually proposes. He's just about to decide whether to propose to a girl when he meets Aquilla. The real Aquilla, not her persona. He is intrigued. Not especially because his family has the DRAMA and he thinks she might be up for it.
I did not like the overly secretive nature of this book. Aquilla had secrets from Ned, she had secrets from her friends and from the readers. Ned had a ton of secrets as well. And with so much going on, the story seemed somewhat fragmented. Especially since there's a former suitor of Aquilla's and a disappointed father that are also upping the dramatic factors of this story. And, quite frankly, the ending is wrapped up just a little too fast and way to quickly.
The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole I only just discovered the Immortals After Dark series and when I had a chance to read the first book in the series from NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. This is the story of how Myst, a Valkyrie, ended up hooked with a formerly human vampire (Forbearer), Nikolai.
The two meet when Nikolai and a group of other rebel vampires take the castle of one of Demestriu's (the King of the Vampires) right-hands. Myst is a prisoner in the castle. And Nikolai's true mate. But it will take some time for them both to figure it out.
Really uncomfortable with all the stuff about her having to do what he said. Just felt... ooky. Not sexy at all.
Two and a half stars
Forsaken by Night by Larissa Ione
Well. This had some uncomfortable stereotypical undertones. And was confusing as all heck since I hadn't read any of the other books in this series.
Lobo is a vampire who is able to take on the appearance of others. He was kicked out of the vampire clan he had been a part of since he was a boy and would have probably died if not for Tehya, the wolf that he saved. The wolf that is now in trouble. So he risks his life to save hers. And when she is taken, she wakes up in another form, her vampire form.
Two stars
Dark Swan by Gena Showalter
Lilica is one of three girls bred to be superbeing. Her two sisters have been dubbed Little Divine and Little Delirium while Lilica is known as Little Wicked. They have been held in a lab and studied. But Lilica knows that they will escape some day.
Dallas Guitierrez hunts rogue alients. Or maybe it's rogue alien diseases. And now he's starting to have visions. Visions of a woman who ends up being the one held in his friend's house. One who can lead him to the Queen of the Schon (a disease that may end up taking over Earth). And with an immediate connection, the imprisoned woman is his mate. And the Queen that Dallas wants to kill... her sister.
An interesting (and sad) story. Very interested in reading both Jade and Trinity's (Lilica's triplets) stories.
Three and a half stars
Two and a half all together
This book came out September 20
By Firelight
Grant Monroe is enjoying being by himself in his mountain cabin when, during a heavy snow storm, there's a sudden thunk at the door. And then Madison Tierney stumbles in. She was hiking the Appalachian Trail, got ditched by her two friends, then got lost, and only barely made it to Grant's cabin. Now the two are trapped together in a cabin.
This story has my least favorite trope of "we don't need condoms I'm on birth control" and was also just a bit too insta-lurv-twee for my tastes.
Two and a half stars
Hot Arctic Nights
Hallie lost her mother in January and he job the Monday after Thanksgiving. She's not really in a holiday frame of mind so she agrees to fly up to Alaska and fill in for her friend's parents for two weeks at their B&B. She doesn't expect to find semi-permanent guest, Daniel.
When they meet, Hallie is about to fall over exhausted from travel and Daniel is dressed as Santa. She takes him to the school and learns that he works for the navy as civilian law enforcement.
Hallie then discovers that she has a family of fifteen that she's going to be expected to host, including cooking for them. Of course, as this is a holiday story, she is immediately enveloped into their warm bosom. Or something. Daniel helps her as often as he can and, as the two grow closer, Hallie starts to reclaim some of her holiday spirit. And she also starts to realize that maybe, as people kept telling her in the beginning of the book, Alaska is a place that she can fall in love with. Especially if she has a special someone to share it with.
Good use of condoms in this story.
Three stars
I requested this book from NetGalley thinking it might be rather like a Susan Elia MacNeal book. Unfortunately, it was rather more of a trudge (a combination of clunky writing and bad editing as well as a plot moppet whose charms I couldn't quite see). It may have helped to have read the first book (I did not). There was some recapping but I felt like there was some character exposition that I missed. I did like the character portraits (especially that of Magda Goebells, pointing out the drawbacks of the Nazi system) and the historical aspects, but parts of the plot stretched the suspension of disbelief rather to the stretching point.
Clara Vine is a famous actress who is trying desperately to hide the fact that she hates the current regime, especially since her father is a Nazi sympathizer. He is also English (she is only half German) which is why Clara is invited to the Goebells house to help entertain the Mitford sisters. See, originally they were supposed to tour a nearby bride school but a girl has been murdered and the school has been put on lock down. Then another girl is murdered and Clara is hot on the trail, all while starring in films, being part of the Nazi publicity machine, and being a spy for England.
So, you know how annoying a plot moppet is? Well, this plot moppet had a lisp (lithp?) and he talks a lot. A LOT. I usually give ARCs a little more leeway otherwise this would have been a fast DNF for me.
Which I'm glad I did finish because this was mostly a pretty decent book. Yes, it was outlandish and there was way more sex than romance, but I generally liked the hero and heroine. The height differential seemed a little extreme but considering I know some similar couples, I've seen it work.
Jenny is a single mom with three kids and an ex who is pretty worthless (of course). Her sister (who has her own book) asks her to come do some computer work for the Bourbon Street Boys. While she's there, Jenny meets Dev and then gets to spend some extra time with him courtesy of the loud thump that sends them running (well, Jenny gets dragged, more or less) to the panic room. They're only there for a bit but it gives her a chance to spend some extra time with the super-tall, shaved head man. She starts working for the Bourbon Street Boys and spreading her wings.
This book reminded me of a Julie Ann Walker book but she does NOT usually throw in lisping, annoying plot moppets.
In earlier Nugget books, Raylene Rosser was decidedly the villain. And in this book, she's the heroine. It's a long slog to get her there but Stacy Finn manages to do it well. Raylene is back in town for her brother's wedding and literally no one is happy. And she really deserves it. Not only was she kind of a bitch, she was an alcoholic, and almost helped to put an innocent man in jail for murder.
