Review: Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris

I didn't like this book much at all. Unfortunately, I was right at the 50% mark when I realized how much I disliked this book - and I'd been reading for an hour or so in the airport, and that's really some of the only quality reading time I get, and I didn't want to waste it by completely abandoning the book. So I kept reading, hoping maybe something would happen to improve my feelings about the story, but, no, that didn't happen.

In this book, we have Grace, a former musician, currently an instrument maker, who is in a long term relationship with a married man in France. She lives near a Eurostar station in the UK, and visits him in Paris often - though he lives with his family in Strasbourg. One night, when they go out, something happens which attracts media attention - and David is upset because he's afraid his children will find out he's in this relationship. Then the wife is upset because everyone now knows her husband has a mistress, even though she's always known and was okay with the arrangement. The huge social media response and the extreme attempt to hide this seems a bit much, and was one of the issues I had with this story. 

Eventually, Grace learns something horrible about David and has a breakdown, and her two friends, a man in his 80s and a teenage girl help her come to terms with what happened. I realize this is supposed to be a story about her finding herself and learning to move on without this man in her life, while also coping with some horrible things in her past, but it didn't feel that way to me. She didn't have much choice. She was, for the most part, dumped. She had to face the reality that the life she thought she had wasn't ever going to happen. I didn't find the story especially empowering, but rather very sad.

I think what really set me off is that this story included items that I consider to be pet peeves of mine, and I know it's something that doesn't bother other people, so maybe take my intense dislike with a grain of salt.

I'm so tired of books in which the main story line is a seemingly intelligent woman deeply involved in a very, very bad relationship with a horrible man. (In this book, we spend about half the book being told he's a really great guy, everyone likes him, he's supportive of her interest and career, attentive and caring, and then all of a sudden we learn he's the worst.) But even more than that, I'm tired of stories in which these same women enter into long-term relationships because of an accidental/unplanned pregnancy. This is becoming a thing, or maybe I just keep selecting the wrong books. Several books I've read in the last few months involve a woman in a bad relationship or in most cases (not in this case) a marriage all because they got pregnant - didn't like the person all that much, or know him all that well, but hey, we have no other option because BABY and that's the most important thing in a woman's life, right? - cringe. Also, in almost all of the cases, the pregnancy ends in miscarriage, but the relationship continues, everyone so very sad and hopeless because there's no baby. In one of the books, the baby died after a year or so, and the woman remained in the marriage even though the pregnancy was the result of break-up sex, and eventually walked in on her husband having sex with his secretary. I long for stories about women who take some sort of control over their lives and realize that getting pregnant doesn't automatically mean having a baby or, even if they do want the baby, realizing marriage isn't necessary.

Spoilers - lots of them, so stop reading if you don't want to know what happens in this book - in this particular book, Grace meets a man, David at a party. His wife is at the party, but leaves early. David goes back to Grace's place, he tells her he's married, and she's perfectly okay with them still having sex, despite knowing this. Then a few weeks later, she realizes she's pregnant by this man she knew only a few hours, but immediately her whole world becomes all about having a baby. She informs David, he's not thrilled about this, as he has two children and a pregnant wife. But we're told he suddenly becomes a wonderful, caring boyfriend. After Grace has a miscarriage, she becomes obsessed with getting pregnant again, and when this doesn't happen, she goes through all kinds of tests, with David right beside her holding her hand - but failing to mention he's had a vasectomy. WTF? Did I mention, he's the worst?

And since I'm providing spoilers anyway, the end of the book, in which we see Grace overcoming some of her teenage traumas, we then learn the teenage friend is pregnant. Grace suddenly knows this because the girl looks fierce and confident, or something absurd like that. (She contrasted the girl whose diary she read with the girl she saw performing earlier and this change in her disposition led Grace to realize the girl what pregnant? Okay.) So yet again, we're celebrating an unplanned pregnancy. This girl has dropped out of school, has been having sex with her friend's boyfriend, and had a bit of a coke habit, but hooray, she's going to have a baby now! We couldn't have instead had her, oh, I don't know, get noticed as being a skilled musician and get accepted into a prestigious school or offered a job with a great symphony? No, babies, always babies.

All that being said, I know a lot of people love books that focus on women having babies, women discovering their true purpose by procreating. I'm sure this book will be wonderful for people like that.

I really, really wish I'd picked a different book to read while traveling over the Thanksgiving holidays.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Dracul by Dacre Stoker

Dracul by Dacre Stoker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm so glad this book exists. Such an interesting take on origins of Bram Stoker's novel. I love Dracula so much, and this book, while feeding my interest in the character, also makes me crave more. I plan to search for all the texts mentioned by the authors at the end of the book.

The book took a bit longer for me to read that I would have liked, but I feel that had more to do with so many things going on in the real world rather than anything wrong with the book. However, because of that, it was a slow start for me. But once I finally had a chance to sit down and read, I sort of flew through the last half of the book. Plenty of action and suspense, as well as history and a healthy dose of gore to keep this story moving.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Bram Stoker's Dracula. I checked this out from the public library, but I'll eventually be buying a copy because I feel I'll be re-reading often in the future, along with my frequent re-reads of Dracula.


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Review: Strangers in Budapest by Jessica Keener

I'm trying to catch up on reviews, especially on books I received from NetGalley. This is one of them, and I read this months ago, so am not clear on details.

I gave it three stars on goodreads though, so I must have liked it.

I wanted to read the book because I visited Budapest a few years ago, and I only spent a couple of days there, just enough to want to see more. Also, I like reading books set in cities I've visited before.

Definitely held my interest, once I started it, I didn't want to put it down. I remember that some of the characters were a bit annoying. The story is all told from the viewpoint of someone not directly involved in the action - except that she sort of puts herself in the middle of the action. There's quite a bit of family drama involved, and revenge, but you're never quite sure who is telling the truth. Interesting book with some frustrating characters.

I received a copy via NetGalley.

Review: The Italian Party by Christina Lynch

This is what I wrote immediately after finishing the book:

This is a really good book. I spent most of today in bed reading it because I'm sick, and I liked it enough that it took my mind off of how awful I was feeling.

Very well written, I never wanted to put the book down. And such great characters, these could have been characters that a person hated - with all their lies and secrets - but they are written in such a way that their behavior makes sense, at least in the moment. I really liked them and was a little sad when the book ended because I wanted more of them.

The Italian setting is wonderful, with quite a bit of information about the political situation during the 50s. I kept grabbing my ipad to look up names, only to realize that if I'd read another line or so, it would have been explained.

Overall, a great book, I highly recommend it.

Will try to write a more thorough review later, when I get over this sinus infection and can think more clearly. (Now that I'm done reading the book, I'm very aware of how bad I feel.)

I received a copy of this via Netgalley.

That was months ago and I never returned to write a more thorough review. I am so very behind on writing book reviews. I've been reading the books and rating them on goodreads, but not writing the reviews in a timely manner.

Anyway, I liked this book a lot. I think what I liked most about it was that it's very much a love story, but not a romantic love story. The people involved, they aren't in love with each other, but do, in fact, despite their strange circumstances, love each other. I think the author did a really wonderful job of showing how their relationship developed and how they grew to care so much about each other.

That's really all I have to add to my initial review. I think I had planned to expand more on the idea of a platonic love story or something like that. But really, just read the book. It's a good one.

Review: Daughters of the Night Sky by Aimie K. Runyan

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. Female pilots in the Red Army during WWII - that sort of satisfies everything I love in a book: strong women, Russian history, WWII setting.

For the most part, I loved this book. It drew me in immediately. The story is about a pilot, Katya, who was training to be a pilot before the war started. She then joins the Red Army and is part of group of women who became known by the Germans as "Night Witches" because they bombed German camps at night. I know nothing about piloting or navigating planes, but felt this story described the process well enough that I understood what was happening, without feeling overwhelmed with details.

One aspect of the book that I especially enjoyed was seeing how women were treated and how they handled finding themselves in what had previously been considered men's roles. Despite Stalin's support, they still had to deal with men not comfortable with seeing women being treated as equals. These were complex characters, with families and fears and ambitions, as well as insurmountable courage.

The action scenes are well written and exciting. Every time I picked this book up, I had a tough time putting it down. I was reading in the morning before work and during my lunch breaks, always dreading having to put the book away.

I read the entire last half in one sitting. And I continued to love the book, heartbreaking though parts of it were, up until near the end. As the story was progressing, the war was ending, and I was feeling hopeful for these characters, even after all the losses they'd suffered, and then something happened that upset me, that seemed unnecessary. I'm being vague because I don't want to spoil it for other readers - because even though I didn't like what happened, you all need to read this book.

Because this was based on true events, I thought at first that maybe the author had based this character on a real person so the author had no choice. But the author's note said the characters were fictional, and that she took liberties with the end, which was supposed to be a happy ending of sorts, but annoyed me. Sometimes, I think authors do things like this because they think it makes the story more serious or edgy. I don't know, maybe I just read too many books that have guaranteed happy endings. And as I said, this does have a happy ending, but not the one I had hoped for. The fact that I'm still so upset about this, two days after finishing the book, shows how well-developed these characters and this story was. I loved these characters and my heart is broken for them. I may as well admit, I cried through the last few chapters of this book, I felt that attached to this story. 

Anyway, I think this is a really great book. I highly recommend it if you are interested in stories set during WWII, and/or stories about interesting, strong women.

I received a copy of this via Netgalley. 

Review: Christmas in London by Anita Hughes

When I realized this was by the same author as Christmas in Paris, I probably should have stopped reading it. But I'm a sucker for a Christmas story set in London (or Paris for that matter).

As with Christmas in Paris, the setting is really nice. The author does a great job of describing the city. I've never been to London at Christmas, but it's one of my dreams and the author makes the setting sound magical. However, also like Christmas in Paris, the characters are, for the most part, not like able people and the relationships are not in any way desirable.

There are two relationships happening. One a brand new one, the other a couple reunited after many years apart. The women in the story were okay, but the men - why would anyone want to be with these men? The men are weak and whiny and have no respect for the women. It felt like in the end both women sort of thought, oh well, probably can't do much better, too busy with careers and all that, so may as well settle for these losers. I would have been much happier if both women had decided that the men weren't worth their trouble and decided to ditch them and continue to focus on their careers. I feel like their careers would be much more satisfying. As far as I could tell, there was absolutely nothing appealing about these men. I don't understand why any woman would want them.


As a romance, this didn't work for me, but I did enjoy the glimpse of London at Christmas.

I received a copy of this via Netgalley.

Review: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Took me a while to get into this story, but once I did, I found it interesting. But I didn't love it.

There were too many different story lines and points of views for me to ever feel any kind of a strong connection to the characters. These were women who had suffered during the war and endured horrible situations, and yet I didn't feel the full impact of what they'd been through. There were a few story lines that I wish had been more fully developed. I felt like there was a lot hinted at beneath the surface of their stories. I wanted to know more.

What I did like about the book though is that it focused on an aspect that I've not read much about - the women in Germany, after the war. Their husbands had died because they tried to stop Hitler. They're trying to rebuild their lives, with the men gone.

Overall, I liked this book, especially toward the end, but it didn't leave a strong impression on me.

I received a copy of this via Netgalley. 

Review: The Confectioner's Tale by Laura Madeleine

I wanted to read this because it was set in Paris and I think the cover is absolutely beautiful.

I like the style of the two time lines - a person in present time learning about a situation that happened in the past. In this case the main character uncovers a letter in her grandfather's things in which he's asking for forgiveness. She then begins to research what he could possibly have done. Her research includes finding a photo of a chocolate shop in Paris and searching for a painting of the same shop.

This summer, I read a a few books written in this same style - all set in Paris, all involving chocolate or art. This may have been my least favorite of those books.

I found the present day story line to be a bit over the top, she's trying to do this research and their is a rival historian trying to steal or sabotage her work. He's this villain, speaking ill of her grandfather in lectures and then stealing her notes in the library. Seemed a bit much.

And the past story line, again, I think it was supposed to be a dramatic love story, but it left me feeling cold. I didn't care all that much about the characters, I felt like the whole falling passionately in love part was sort of glossed over. All the build up seemed to be leading to something much more dramatic than the end result.
Felt a bit anti-climatic.

The book was okay, I didn't by any means hate it, but if I were going to recommend a book set in Paris, with a great love story and some history, I can think of several others I'd mention before this one.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: City of Darkness, City of Light by Marge Piercy

During a recent trip to Paris, I took a French Revolution walking tour. (Paris-walk.com - highly recommend them, great way to learn more about the city's history.) Before this tour, my knowledge of the French Revolution was fairly limited. Oh, I knew all about Marie Antoinette and the guillotine and I'd visited the Conciergerie and Versailles on previous visits and learned a bit then. But to me, I had this grand idea that it was simply about the people of France deciding they wanted to rule themselves, and so they got rid of the royalty and lived happily ever after, or something like that. All very noble and patriotic and Les Mis (and yes, I know Les Miserables is not actually about the French Revolution, but rather an event that happened later.) Anyway, during the tour, we learned a bit about Danton and Condorcet and Marat, saw the cafes places where they met and plotted their moves, as well as where Marat died and was put on display in a bathtub. I learned enough to make me want to know much more.

Lucky me, I was recently sent a copy of Marge Piercy's City of Darkness, City of Light. I'd hoped to read it before my trip to France, but I hadn't gotten around to it. I'd been back from Paris for a week, and missing the city, I was reading only books set in Paris. With Bastille Day approaching, this book seemed like the perfect choice.

This book took over my life. I couldn't stand to put it down. I read it in the morning while on the treadmill and at night before I went to sleep, I carried my kindle with me everywhere, fitting in a chapter or two every chance I had. If I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it. When I slept, I was dreaming about it. And though I've been trying to ignore the news lately, it's nearly impossible and I kept finding myself comparing and contrasting the current state of politics with what was happening in France after 1789.

This book focuses on several different characters who played important roles in the Revolution. They have different backgrounds, different interests and different reasons for being drawn to the fight. For some it's ideology and for others, survival and practicality. The author does an excellent job of presenting these figures as very real people, people who have friends and family and lovers. Yes, they want to overthrow the monarchy, but they also want to be able to go to a nice home at the end of the day, or meet up with friends for conversation and a few drinks in the evening, and spend some quality time with their loved ones. We see these characters' lives get caught up in the Revolution, affecting their home and work lives, forcing them to make decisions they never thought they'd have to make. They all entered into this with seemingly good intentions, but the Revolution took on a life of its own. Eventually these people who thought they were saving their country find themselves victims of their own creation.

The book is written in such a way that the events are felt at a very personal level. You hurt for these characters as their lives begin to fall apart, heroes become the hunted as political power changes hands and all the things for which they fought and believed ends up being the ruin of many of these people.

What I especially liked about this book was the focus on the women involved in the Revolution. The women, desperate to feed their families, provided much of the initial fuel behind the Revolution. But as the movement gained momentum, as often happens, the men took over and suggested the women stay home and take care of their families. For a while though, they had some power and they created some much needed change - expanding rights for women that they had been previously denied. But revolutions are messy and sacrifices are made, leaving many wondering if their efforts had been in vain.

I liked this book so much. When I finished it though, I felt a bit lost. I'd become so engrossed in it for the past few days and then... over. Done. And my kindle was saying I had a half hour left in the book - but it turned out to just be a list of characters. (Which would be very useful had I realized it was there, probably says so at the beginning, but I wasn't paying attention. Will keep that in mind when I re-read book, which I'm sure I will do eventually.) I'm tempted to seek out other books about these characters, but at the same time, I feel so close to this version of these people, I'm not sure if I'll like reading others authors interpretations of them.

I do feel as if I have a much better understanding of the French Revolution and I have a new respect for the women involved, whose roles are often overlooked in history. Gives me a new perspective on France then and today.

I highly recommend this book to those with an interest in the French Revolution.

I received this book via NetGalley.

Review: Billionaire without a Past by Carol Marinelli

I loved this book so much. Billionaire without a Past is the third book I've read by Carol Marinelli and she's becoming one of my favorite Presents authors. She writes the best heroes. This is part of her Irresistible Russian Tycoons series - and all the men in these books were in a foster home together in Russia. They had terrible lives but have managed to become extremely wealthy and successful as adults. What I really like about these men is that they're so good to the women in their lives. Yes, they're powerful and rich and may have some playboy tendencies, but they aren't jerks. I hate that trend in a lot of romances - the guy is a jerk and then he changes over night because he's in love. These guys aren't jerks, at all.

In this book, Nikolai is attending his friend's wedding when he meets Rachel - friend of the bride. For years everyone thought he was dead, and he was okay with that because he was having trouble coming to terms with some events that happened in his past. He and Rachel hook up for the night, and it's just supposed to be for a night but it leads to more.

What Nikolai quickly realizes is that he isn't the only one with secrets in his past. While both he and Rachel have tried to move on with their lives, working hard to make sure they are not defined by their abuse, they have also allowed that to prevent them from finding love in their lives. Nikolai seeing how this has affected someone else enables him to confront his own trauma, as he tries to help Rachel work through hers. I felt the author did an excellent and respectful job handling a very sensitive subject. I felt this book delved into issues much deeper than the typical Harlequin Presents novel and did a great job at doing so.

This book was sexy and passionate and the love story was beautiful. I liked this book so much.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley. 

Review: The Vampire's Protector by Michele Hauf

I loved The Vampire's Protector. It has all my favorite things in it - vampires, demons, musicians, Paris setting, complex characters battling personal demons (both figurative and literal) of their own and a very steamy love story. I love this world Michele Hauf has created and the characters that inhabit it.

I think the last time Summer Santiago made an appearance in a book I read, she was just a baby in her dad's arms, calling Stryke a puppy (Moonlight & Diamonds). Now though, she's all grown up and working for the Council. On this particular job she accidentally resurrects the musician, famed violinist, Nicolo Paganini. I don't want to give away what happens, but he was an actual person, known as the Devil's violinist, so that should give you a clue.

This book was the perfect way to spend the rainy Memorial Day weekend.

Highly recommend to any fans of paranormal romance.

I'll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable

I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Despite the title, the story doesn't actually take place in Paris. Most of it takes place in an English village.

There are two story lines, one in the present day, involving Laurel returning with her daughter, Annie, to a place where she spent time when she was younger. As Annie is trying to learn more about her mother's past, readers are also made aware of the events that happened thirty years earlier.

Annie meets a man in a pub who begins to tell her stories, providing her with the information she is seeking. I especially enjoyed the stories that took place in the past. And the the eccentric Duchess of Marlborough is an entertaining character. I like that the author does her research and includes these historical characters. Also having seen a Boldini exhibit last summer, I appreciate the art history. 

Sometimes I'm bothered by absurd coincidences, but that wasn't the case with this story. These seemed to make sense. 

Really good story. The past and present story lines worked well, kept the reading guessing for the most part as to the secretes waiting to be revealed.

My only issue was with the man Annie was planning to marry. He came across as a little too perfect and wonderful. Every time something would happen, Annie would email him for suggestions and then spout his advice as if he were some all-knowing being. For some reason, that really put me off.

Overall though, a really nice story, one I'd readily recommend.

Review: Castelli's Virgin Widow by Caitlin Crews

I liked this book lot. Caitlin Crews write some great romances.

This book involves the same family from Unwrapping the Castelli Secret - which involved step siblings having a secret relationship. In this story, the other brother falls for his dad's wife after his dad dies. The wife was one of his dad's many young brides. The situation is strange, and their father sounds like a complete creep. He married her to help her out, but they don't have sex (hence the title) so it's supposed to seem like she's not really a gold-digger. But if you marry someone for money? Anyway.

Luca strongly dislikes Kathryn - his step-mom. But because she was his dad's wife at the time of his death, she inherited a part of the family business and he's forced to work with her and be around her. Soon it becomes clear that the animosity is largely due to his attraction to her.

The chemistry between the two is intense. This book is so sexy, steamy and the story moves quickly. I finished the book in one sitting.

For a moment though, I sort of hated this story. I notice with a lot of Harlequin Presents that their is a very specific formula, which for the most part is fine. But sometimes the "black moment" or the moment when everything takes a turn for the worse and begins to fall apart feels too forced and obligatory. This story was one of those instances. This character who had previously been so kind and gentle upon discovering the woman he was with was a virgin the first time they had sex, morphs into a complete jerk, throwing out wild accusations upon receiving another bit of surprising news. It didn't seem to fit with his previous behavior at all. It simply felt like, "oh this is the part of the book where things have to go badly" so character must act in bizarre way to fit formula. That part of the story made me very angry.

He redeems himself fairly quickly though, so my hatred went away equally quickly. By the end of the book, I was pretty much loving this story again.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are few things better than a good Harlequin Presents to provide the perfect weekend escape when you're stuck at home. This did exactly that.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Captivating the Witch by Michele Hauf

I loved Captivating the Witch. Easily one of my favorites from this author - though I have quite a few favorites from her. According to my Goodreads stats, this is the nineteenth book I've ready by Michele Hauf and I'm going to guess that I've liked all of them, loved most of them. But as I said, this one stands out as a favorite.

What I liked most about the book are the two main characters.

Edamite Thrash is a demon who doesn't trust witches. He describes himself as an evil overlord, and others consider him to the be the leader of a demon mafia, but the truth is, he's taken on the responsibility of watching over the demons of Paris, and doing his best to keep the peace. Ed has made brief appearances in other books in the Beautiful Creatures world, as he's a half brother to Kir (Enchanting the Wolf) and Blyss (Moonlight and Diamonds). He had a rough upbringing and a difficult relationship with his parents. But clearly, despite being a demon and his sometimes questionable decisions - providing essentials for others - he's a very good guy.

Tamatha Bellerose is a witch who spends most of her time in the archives, surrounded by books. She'd like very much to study a demon and one day, late at night on her way home from work she literally runs into Edamite. It's an awkward encounter and after a strange mixture of a hostility and attraction, they go their separate ways.

Ed is trying to figure out why a coven of zombie witches are killing demons in Paris. He sends his minions (yes, he has minions) to bring him the most powerful witch in Paris, they return with Tamatha. The attraction between the two is still there, confusing to both of them, but undeniable. Also, they need each other for business purposes.

I really enjoyed their story, and seeing how they grew to like each other more and more and how their relationship went from something they intended to be fun and casual to something much deeper. These are two very serious, passionate people, with rough pasts that make falling in love difficult.

I also liked the setting - Paris - and all the magic and spell working in the story. When I go too long without reading a paranormal book, I am reminded of how much I love this kind of setting and world. Hauf creates some of the best paranormal atmospheres, I can easily visualize the magic swirling around the Paris streets she describes so well. Her characters live in a world filled with both light and dark magic, and a wide assortment of powerful creatures, in this case witches with a variety of skills and a demon who can transform into a unkindness of ravens.

Besides the very hot romance in the story, the investigation Ed is conducting provides an interesting story line which adds a few more complications to his and Tamatha's relationship.

Overall, really a great book. Highly recommend if you're a fan of paranormal romance.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Christmas in Da Conti's Bed by Sharon Kendrick

For the most part I enjoyed this book.

Niccolo Da Conti is furious about his sister's choice of a bridesmaid - Alannah, a former school friend who made a name for herself by posing nude for a magazine. He's afraid her association with his sister will look bad for his sister.

Overall, I found his behavior a little silly. Yes, he wants what is best for his sister, but causing a scene seems to be more embarrassing. The two agree to a truce until after the wedding. But then when he needs an interior designer, he remembers that is Alannah's current profession and gives her a call.

We also learn that ten years earlier, the two met at a party and kissed, before Niccolo realized Alannah was his sister's school friend. Now that attraction between the two seems to still exist and is growing at they spend time together working.

I had something of a problem with Alannah thinking so little of herself that she seemed to have no problem giving into Niccolo after all the things he's said about her. Of course, he changes his mind when she tells him why she posed nude and why she needed money. But that also bothered me, the way her reasons excused what she'd done, but if she'd done it simply for money, then that would have been wrong? He just wasn't a guy I liked very much.

Another thing that bothered me a lot was that right after, as in moments, after they have unprotected sex they discuss this as in, "Oh no, what if you're pregnant?" and the answer is, "I guess we wait and see." Are you serious? These are supposed to be fairly intelligent adults who run their own businesses. I get tired of women being portrayed as being so helpless and ignorant with regard to their reproductive decisions. The next few chapters of the book are underscored with the idea that they may as well spend time together and get to know each other because they might have a baby on the way. Story lines like this remind me that I am not the audience for which these stories are written.

Other than the things mentioned, I liked the story. Typical story of a man who thinks he isn't capable of loving anyone being proven wrong by the woman who loves him. I liked their Christmas in a cottage. I'm always a fan of a snowed in cottage for Christmas. Very steamy, sexy, fast-paced read.

I received a copy via NetGalley.

Review: Christmas with the Laird by Scarlet Wilson

I'm always in search of romantic books set in Scotland and this one worked well. This story even includes a haunted mansion.

Juliette is getting ready to leave work and looking forward to spending a pleasant Christmas alone. But before she can make it out the door, she's informed there's something of an emergency, and hey, since she doesn't have a family, no big deal if she gives up her holiday. She's the host for a show that features haunted houses. They need to quickly film an episode that will be ready by the beginning of the new year. Andrew says he knows of the perfect place, and convinces her to accompany him.

Soon Juliette learns this place Andrew mentioned is his family home in Scotland. A huge, largely abandoned home that he only visits when he has to make repairs. He doesn't even believe it's haunted, but he admits he doesn't think any of the places they film are haunted so they can just make something up.

During their time together though, the setting seems to enhance their attraction for each other. What could have been a very dull, working Christmas turns into much more.

I liked the setting, liked the characters and enjoyed reading about the way they handled their increasing attraction for each other.

A very nice, romantic holiday story.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: A Viennese Christmas by Lynn Craig

I didn't like this story very much at all.

I read it because years ago, I visited Vienna and thought it was a beautiful city. I'd hoped for more of Vienna in this book. I assume when the city's name is somehow included in the title that the location will play a prominent role in the story. But other than a brief mention of the Belvedere and some Christmas Markets - no detail at all - this story could have taken place anywhere. There aren't even any locals involved in the story. It's an American who meets another American and turns out they work in the same place. Not interesting.

I didn't like the style in which it was written, the characters lacked depth. There just wasn't much of a story. Woman has lived in Vienna for a year but has made no attempt to learn anything about city. Meets a guy while at a Christmas market - her first attempt to explore city - they date, fall in love by Christmas, the end. I especially disliked the ending. The guy decides to invite her parents to Vienna for Christmas for his proposal - even though the character has explained she has no real relationship with her parents. I thought that was creepy. In this day and age a woman should be able to make big decisions without her parents' approval - especially if they aren't even a significant part of her life.

Disappointing story. I wouldn't recommend it.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley. 

Review: A Yorkshire Christmas by Kate Hewitt

This is the kind of holiday novella I love.

After having her heart broken, Claire is trying to escape and spend Christmas alone in her godmother's cottage in Yorkshire. She doesn't want to deal with all the perfect families and her own failures. All she wants is to be alone. But that first night, her car gets stuck in the snow and she meets Noah, who lives on the farm next door. Unexpectedly, while accompanying Claire to the store to stock up on supplies for her stay, Noah gets a phone call informing him he's going to be keeping his daughter for the holidays - his eight year old daughter who has never even visited his house. His relationship with his daughter's mother is complicated, and his relationship with his daughter tends to consist of meeting up on Saturdays. But never long visits.

He's clearly panicking and Claire offers to help, since he did help her when she was stranded. This ends up being a wonderful Christmas for all involved. Two lonely people discover what they've been missing in their lives. A family, a home, love.

Very sweet, very romantic. I liked this a lot. It's a quick read, just a little over a hundred pages. Perfect story to accompany the holidays.

 I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Cold Feet at Christmas by Debbie Johnson

I really liked the way this book started. Leah is on the run on what was supposed to be her wedding day after she finds her soon-to-be husband shagging a bridesmaid. The wedding was supposed to be the perfect fairy tale, set at a Scottish castle. She takes off in the snow and her car breaks down. So, at risk of freezing to death, she begins to walk to the nearest building - all while still in her wedding dress.

The door is answered by a handsome American who Leah is certain must be a god. Rob is hiding out in Scotland to avoid his family during the Christmas holidays. He takes Leah in, where she promptly passes out from her walk through the cold. He warms her up and she recovers, and because of the weather, the two are trapped together for a while.

During this time, they give into their attraction to each other, both assuming it's just a holiday thing from which they will both soon walk away. But after Rob learns why Leah ran, he offers her a new beginning in Chicago. He's wealthy and can afford to help her out, but he's very clear about not wanting to continue having any sort of physical relationship with her, that part of their relationship is over.

Leah takes him up on the offer, but later has regrets. The fun Rob she spent Christmas with in Scotland is gone, replaced by a workaholic serious, angry man.

This is when I began to like the book a bit less. What started out as fun and cute, took on a much darker shade as the characters begin to deal with some nightmares from their past. And yet, the writing continued to provide this information in the same, light-hearted style which felt odd to me.  Though, at one point, Leah is described as always handing serious issues by making light of them and trying to remain humorous - and that's how this story was written.

Leah and Rob are still drawn to each other, but Rob is avoiding relationships - he has his reasons. Leah is heartbroken. They go back and forth for a while and then Leah moves out.

I'm not going to spoil what happens next. But it's the sort of thing that tends to put me off a book. One of my least favorite twists to a story. For a moment, I began to really regret the time I'd spent with this story. It's not necessarily something most people dislike, in fact, a lot of romance readers probably love this sort of storyline. I hated it for a while, but in the end, I hated it less and even sort of liked it. To be clear, the author handled a story line I usually hate in such a way that I still enjoyed the book.

Overall, it's a fun, light-hearted story, despite some serious issues with which the characters are dealing. A nice, happy ending most people will enjoy.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Christmas in Venice by Joanne Walsh

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Exactly what I want in a quick holiday romance. It's short, nice, descriptive setting, with just the right amount of emotion, romance and steam. I sometimes feel like Goldilocks in my quest for holiday romances - too sappy, not romantic enough, not enough or too much drama, too much or not enough sex,  But this one was just right.

Ashlynne's plane is routed to Venice during a snow storm near Christmas. She was on her way to London to spend the holiday with her family. Instead, she runs into her ex-husband, Lorenzo, who she hasn't seen in five years. He offers to let her stay with him, in the home they once shared, until the airport re-opens.

Their marriage ended bitterly, with Ashlynne heartbroken and grieving, convinced her husband was cheating on her. During their five years apart, the two have both matured some and learned more about themselves and what they did wrong during their time together. What they think at first is nothing more than lingering sexual chemistry eventually turns into emotional breakthroughs for each of them. Together they begin to realize that he hid his feelings while she clung to her anger causing their marriage to fall apart.

I enjoyed the way the characters finally learned to communicate with each other and forgive the misunderstandings of their past, all while strolling along the beautiful alleyways of Venice or riding along the canals.

Very nice story with a happy ending.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.