Wednesday, December 10, 2014

A Bride for the Season by Jennifer Delamere

Image linked from Goodreads
James Simpson is enjoying a light flirtation with Emily Cardington. At least, it's light on his part. For her part... well, she follows him to a seedy bar, bribes his mistress to take her shawl, and then forces herself into a compromising situation with James. Not lucky for James and even more unlucky for her near-spinster sister Lucinda who followed her there that a gossip columnist catches it all.
Emily's father is not amused. But - he promises to increase her dowry if James can find a husband for Lucinda before the he marries Emily. James isn't an idiot. He knows that Emily is not the kind of wife that he wanted, that she's too young. And he's realistic enough to know that they're going to need money to live. But, of course, in true romance fashion, he discovers that Lucinda is maybe more his type...
I wish that this had been labeled as inspirational (Christian Romance) in NetGalley. I don't have anything against the genre but it's not one of my favorites. The book was also a bit... slow. If you like the genre, prefer a book that's fairly clean (no sex/dirty talk) and don't mind a slower-paced book, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, I think there are others out there.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

The Duke in my Bed by Amelia Grey

Image linked from Goodreads
Bray Drakestone is not a happy duke. His best friend has just died in a carriage accident. But before he died, Prim made Bray promise not only to take his dog, but also wants Bray to marry his oldest sister.
Two years later, all of London is agog to learn that Miss Prim is in town. Does that mean that she and Bray are finally going to marry? Bets are being laid everywhere.
Well, a lot of people are going to be disappointed, because Louisa (MIss Primm)has NO interest in being married to the man who helped hasten her brother to his death.
This was a good story that really brought the characters of Louisa and Bray to life. I wish there had been more talking about their pasts and where each was coming from, but overall, this was one of my favorite Grey books.
Followed by The Earl Claims a Bride.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Christmas at Carriage Hill by Carla Neggers

Image linked from Goodreads
Designer Alexandra Rankin Hunt is going to Knights Bridge, Massachusetts to bring Olivia Frost her wedding gown. The fact that she gets to simultaneously avoid Ian Mabry is just a bonus. The handsome RAF pilot was nothing more than a fling, no matter what her heart says.
Except... Ian is in Knights Bridge when she gets there. And he seems
pretty serious about making sure that her heart wins out over her head...
A lovely addition to the Swift River Valley series.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Turkey Trot

Okay, it was running one mile and walking one mile. But it counts. I live in a great little town where over 50 people showed up for a fun run, bringing around 30 dogs. My own dog, close to 12-year-old, not only ran the whole time, she was more than a little disgruntled when we started walking. On the one hand, I'm grateful for a healthy older dog. On the other, I wouldn't mind if she slowed down just a little bit.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Yours for Christmas by Susan Mallery

Yours for Christmas (Fool's Gold, #15.5)Bailey's story, Bailey's story, we get to read Bailey's story. And Kenny Scott's. But,whatever. I have loved Bailey ever since we learned about this single mother with a charming daughter. I don't know what about her appealed except the awkwardness. And I just loved the crush that she and Kenny both had. And his back story as to why he wouldn't date women with kids was... interesting, but not unrealistic. Of course, Mayor Marsha has a lot to do with the connection, but it's a great read watching how these two come together to find true love.
Even those readers who, like me, are somewhat annoyed with the shoehorning of characters that happens in every Fool's Gold novel will like this book because it doesn't happen!

Followed by Fool's Gold #16 Hold Me

Friday, November 21, 2014

Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan

Image linked from Goodreads
Wow. I almost gave this book three stars because of the sheer unreadability on my Nook. I don't know if it will be better on other ereaders but... oofta.
What happens if a teenage super hero doesn't particularly want to... hero anymore? That's explored in this comic book. There's some sense of the X-men in this book -- heroes are out in the open, the government programs trying to control them, the rampant fear and hatred of the normal folks. It's a wonderfully deep look at the ethics and morality of those who are stronger than the regular population.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The Other Harlow Girl by Lynn Messina

Image linked from Goodreads
Le sigh. This was a good book (after the first quarter) but still not as good as my first Messina, The Harlow Hoyden. 
In this book, our heroine is the twin of the first book in the series. Lavinia, Vinnie, Harlow has always been considered the "good" twin, though a pallid copy of her sister. She is a gifted horticulturalist but it still comes as a surprise  when her name is put in for the British Horticultural Society.
The Marquess of Huntley (BFF of The Hoyden's husband) isn't sure why he put Vinnie's name in for the society. Women are not forbidden to join, but they aren't really encouraged either. Though the first meeting between Huntley and Vinnie isn't particularly auspicious (she soaks him with a hose), as the two are thrown together more and more often, they begin to find the ways in which they are compatible.
The first part of the story was both scattered and drag-gy. We got the same event from both character's point of view. Which, when done well (Mary Balogh), can be a wonderful way to get a glimpse of deeper character. In this case, I just wondered why we were getting almost a complete re-hash of the events. There was nothing added. Luckily, it straightened out and I started enjoying the story more. While the ending also had me a bit underwhelmed, I overall enjoyed this book.