Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Take Me by Bella Andre

Take Me (Take Me, #1)I heard about this book on one of my romance podcasts. It was supposed to be a book with a larger size heroine. And Lily Ellis is larger, a full size 16. Her best friend doesn't treat her any different but his twin brother, Travis Carson, has always been disdainful of her. Which is too bad because Lily has always been attracted to him. And she immediately recognizes that it is him in the audience, rather than her best friend, when she gets pulled into modeling some of her sister's clothes.
And it's modeling the well-fitting gorgeous clothes that finally make Travis notice Lily. So they have one wild night. But then he hires her to help decorate a house and they have to travel to Italy together. There, they really get to know the attraction that is burning between them.
The language in this one was a bit odd as though it wasn't edited very well. And I didn't love the way Lily was treated. I didn't feel it was as bad as some readers reviewed.

Three stars
Followed by Love Me
This book came out November 15, 2005
I had a hard copy that I passed on to someone else

Monday, December 30, 2019

Your Endless Love by Layla Hagen

Summer Bennett is the only one of her 9 siblings not married. She certainly doesn't expect to find her HEA with a Hollywood A-lister.
Alexander Westbrook has (according to the gossip rags) just gotten out of a relationship. Really, it ended months ago but he is under contract to not appear with another woman until the latest movie in their franchise series gets released. But he's getting hammered in the press and he doesn't want to pull Summer into that. Too bad they are meant to be.
An okay story but a bit on the surface.I didn't really see what would have them stick together other than Summer was "different" from "all the other women."

This book came out February 3, 2018
Follows Your One True Love
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Your One True Love by Layla Hagen

One of the last unmarried Bennett siblings, Daniel is the only main character in the series who doesn't even pretend to want to stay single. He knows that his family is trying to get him hooked up back up
with Caroline Dunne, his college sweetheart and he's all for it. He knows that they both made bad decisions that lead to them breaking up but that doesn't mean that they both aren't smarter, wiser, and in a better place to maybe make a relationship work.
Caroline isn't as sanguine. Yes, she's still attracted to Daniel but the last time they broke up, she didn't just lose him, she lost his whole family. And since her mother died last year, she wants those connections.
I do like that the obvious Big Misunderstandings aren't the ones that Hagen goes for but there are still always at least one last issue that we have to read through.

Follows Your Fierce Love
Followed by Your Endless Love
Book borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Going to be honest, I never would have looked at this book (because of the title) if one of my podcasts (I can't remember which one) hadn't recommended it. But it is really quite charming.
Dr. Sloan Copeland has twin girls and, when their nanny disappears without a word, she finds herself in a bind. One that Rafe Whitcomb can help fill. He loves being a nanny but after his last family moved to Australia, he thinks that the life might not actually be for him. But meeting Sloan and her girls has him rethinking.
Weatherspoon actually does a good job of the boss/employee dynamic and it helps that it's a one-to-one connection. But Rafe taking care of Sloan? Feeding her, filling her tank, helping with chores. Super hot.

Four stars
This book came out September 26th, 2018
Opinions are my own

Friday, December 27, 2019

The Hollow by Nora Roberts

The Hollow by Nora RobertsLayla Darnell isn't sure what she's doing in Hawkins Hollow. One day, she just felt the urge to leave her life at a boutique in New York City and travel to rural Pennsylvania to a town where she's having horrible nightmares, seeing horrible things, and falling for Fox O'Dell, one of the three men responsible for releasing an ancient evil that had been captured three hundred years ago but was let back into the world when three ten-year-old boys swore a blood oath.
Now Layla is working for Fox and working with him and the other two boys (now men) to put the evil away for good. She has also made friends with two other women and they all seem to be tied in with combating the Big Bad as well.
Good addition to the series. Not my favorite Nora paranormal series (hello, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40843-three-sisters-island">Three Sisters Island</a>) but an okay read.

Three and a half stars
Follows Blood Brothers
Followed by The Pagan Stone
This book came out May 6th, 2008
Opinions are my own

Thursday, December 26, 2019

A Husband for Santa by Doreen Heron

Researching the mythology of Christmas for his Ph.D., Symeon Golightly never expects to meet the son of Santa. Nor does he expect to fall in love. But when Turk, expecting his father to turn over the role this year and being disappointed, takes off to nurse his wounds and ends up in the hotel where Symeon is working.
I liked that the novella took place over the course of almost a year giving Symeon and Turk time to get to know each other. I didn't love that the story seemed half-told and that parts were very jerky to read.

Three stars
This book came out December 23rd
ARC kindly provided by NineStar Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh

Balogh take a slight detour from her Westcott series with this novella focusing on a second chance romance between a maiden aunt and a viscount. Shockingly, both are in their fifties but they still find love. And I think the reason this book works for me is that they had love but both realized that it may not have worked out in the past but they're ready to try again now. Will it really work out for them? Perhaps not but seeing how to adults might court and fall in love was worth the read.

Four stars
Followed by Someone to Romance
This novella came out November 5th, 2019
Opinions are my own