Review: Big City Christmas Wish by Wynter S. K.

Big City Christmas Wish: A Sweet Holiday Romance by Wynter S.K.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The perfect Christmas book. Very sweet - at times, maybe a little too sweet for my tastes, but I'm a bit of a Grinch, so don't let that deter you. If you want something sweet, and completely saturated in the holiday spirit - family, snow, New York City, decorations, the spirit of giving, reconciliation, romance and a touch of Santa's magic - this is really the ideal holiday romance novel.

I enjoyed this, it's written in such a way that I didn't ever want to put it down once I started reading it. And while a few of the situations are a bit unbelievable and a little over the top, for a Christmas novel, it works fine. I'm willing to suspend my belief a bit to indulge the magic of the season. Great characters, nice, hopeful story line.

Would definitely recommend this to anyone searching for a sweet, holiday romance. Really good book.


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Review: Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

A new book by Susanna Kearsley is always cause for happiness. I enjoy pretty much everything of hers I've read, and I've read quite a few. (Counting this one, I've read seven of her books, if you want the exact number.) I enjoy the historical aspects of her stories, and especially the paranormal bits she sometimes throws in there, and she writes some really beautiful love stories.

I ended up really liking this book, but I struggled with it in the beginning. There are two story lines, one in the past and one in the present. I usually like that format, but this time, the chapter changes from past to present made it too easy to put the book down between chapters, and sometimes I wouldn't pick it back up for days. For the first half or more of this book, I felt like nothing was happening. There's so much history explained. And again, rich, detailed history is something I tend to like in books. But for some reason, I didn't find it very interesting. The presentation felt more like I was reading passages out of a textbook, and much of it was information I already knew, so I did not find it enjoyable. I felt like I was being forced to sit through a lecture I'd heard before when really I was wanting some action, adventure and romance. Also, there are so many characters in this book - both in the past and present story lines - and we learn so many details about them, details that are not very significant to the main story. I had to keep stopping to remember if that person was the cousin or the friend or the neighbor or another soldier.

I admit that part of the problem could be me. I'm stressed at work, I'm upset by the current political situation, and often feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes reading helps, but sometimes, my mind is too distracted to focus on books.

Eventually, I found myself with several hours of time in which I couldn't do much of anything except read. That's when I finally got through what I considered the very long introduction in the book. I noticed I was right at 70% percent when I started to warm to the characters. That's when the romance in the past and the present finally moves forward. We know from the beginning who likes who and what direction they're going, but they don't make much attempt to get there until that 70% point. At that point, I really started to enjoy the story, both the past and present story.

Even though it took me a few weeks to get to that point, I am really glad I stuck with the book because I absolutely loved the last 30% of the book. Kearsley creates the best male love interests. The men she writes about are nice and respectful and noble and I love them so much. Even years after reading some of her books, I can, without having to think about it, tell you some of my favorite lines from her heroes in past books. Nice guys, in books, much like in real life, sometimes seem entirely too rare. In this book, in the present day story line, we have Sam, who is carefully making his way into Charley's life, becoming a friend at work, as well as helping her out around the house she's just moved into - replacing a broken door, showing up after a storm to clean up the area. In the past we have the French soldier, a man of honor, prepared to admire Lydia from afar because he fears he can never provide her with what she needs. I won't go into too much detail, because it's better if you read it for yourself. Kearsley has a gift for writing some sizzling romance, without the characters ever doing much more than holding hands or sharing an unexpected kiss.

Also, there's a ghost story, and I love good ghost stories. I wish this had been more of a ghost story, and less of a history lesson, but I did enjoy the ghost aspect quite a bit.

Frustrating that I find it easy to talk about the parts of the book that bothered me, but I'm afraid to describe what I really liked about the book without giving too much of a it away.

I ended up really liking this book, but it took me a while to get to that point. I definitely recommend this book to Kearsley fans and fans of historical fiction, with a bit of romance.

I received a copy of this via Netgalley.

Finished reading on April 15, 2018.

Review: Still Me by Jojo Moyes

This book is so good. As expected, parts of it made me laugh, made me furious, and made me cry.

I love Lou, so glad to return to her world and find out how she's doing, but part of this story infuriated me. I found myself thinking, all this time and she's learned nothing, she still lets people walk all over her, won't fight for what matters to her. This wasn't the life Will wanted for her, always putting other people's lives before her own. She's too nice, like pathetically self-destructively nice at one point. There were several times when bad things happened to her with regard to her relationship and her job and she just let them, did nothing to protect herself. I can't relate to that level of niceness, but, in the end, maybe her being nice is why things work out for her. Takes a very well written story and characters to make me feel so strongly about a book.

Things do eventually work out for her with regard to her relationship and her job.

In this story, Lou has taken a job in New York City, working as a personal assistant for a very wealthy man's new wife. (The wife reminded me of a rather well-known rich wife, and that bothered me because this was the last place where I wanted to be thinking about those people, but anyway. I imagine the description would apply to a lot of wealthy New York wives.) The couple is pretty awful and it upset me to see Lou in this position.

Also, Lou is still trying to maintain her relationship with "Ambulance Sam" and as you can imagine, that proves somewhat difficult. But this is Lou, and she makes things fun and interesting and sweet.

Overall, I loved the book. I imagine this is the last we'll hear of Lou, but I would gladly read more about it, because she really is a wonderful character.

I received a copy of this via Netgalley.

Review: Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For me, this was easily the most anticipated book in a long while. Was so excited to get invited to read an advance copy. And even more happy to say it completely lives up the hype.

This book is wonderful. I read Practical Magic years ago, before the movie came out. I might have read it in anticipation of the movie. (As readers know, the movie is a bit different from the book, but the spirit is the same and I love them both.) That book turned me into a huge Alice Hoffman fan. I love the books in which she so skillfully weaves magic into every day life. Rules of Magic is one of her best at doing this.

The story begins with Franny, Jet and their brother, Vincent. (Not really a spoiler, but Franny and Jet will eventually be the aunts in Practical Magic.) Their mother, an Owens, tries to keep her children away from magic, hence the rules. But her efforts are in vain.

This is the story of how the Owens children discover magic, and the effect it has on their lives, for better or worse. This story is about family and secrets and uncomfortable truths. It's filled with romance and heartbreak - as is the lot of an Owens witch.

Reviews of books I love are the most difficult to write. It's tough to say much more than, I really loved this book. I can't think of anything wrong with it or anything that bothered me or I felt should be changed. The story is beautiful and of course, magical. I also really enjoyed the New York setting during the 60s.

I found it so interesting to learn about the lives of the aunts, before they became the aunts. They had dreams and plans and lovers and they wanted more out of life than to simply be, the aunts. But the Owens curse is a powerful one.

After I read this, I listened to the audio book of Practical Magic, and as much as I love that book, I believe I like Rules of Magic more.

I am so glad that Hoffman chose to return to this world. I hope she continues to do so.

I read this book in July and have every intention of reading it again, closer to Halloween because what better time to read about magic and witches?

If you like Practical Magic, if you like stories about magic or witches, if you like stories about women and families and struggling to be yourself while in opposition with a past over which you have no control, I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.


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Review: The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

I read this books months ago, I decided to hold off on writing a review until closer to publication date and then waited too long. Now I feel compelled to finish the review because I'm seeing this book everywhere. I didn't enjoy this book much at all. I found the love story to be weak and the story line to be very predictable. I was describing the book to someone else, and they kept guessing what happened, and they were right each time.

Sometimes I read a love story, and I find myself thinking I may be missing out in life because it all sounds so wonderful, even if things do end badly. (My favorite love stories are those that end badly - Wuthering Heights, Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, English Patient, you get the idea.) But other times, I read a story in which the primary love story is so unsettling, it gives me a brand new appreciation for my single status. This book falls into the latter category.

I was looking for something romantic and tragic, and hoped this would be it. But for one, while I understood that the events in the story were pretty dreary, I never felt a strong emotional connection to the characters or their situation. The love, which seemed like more of an infatuation, seemed very one-sided.

The main character, the person telling the story, was such a weak character. Throughout the entire story, she continued to allow things to happen to her, never taking control of the situation. She meets Gabe in class, and it's a very intense situation. They share a moment on a day they'll never forget, and she thinks she's met the love of her life. Next time she speaks to him, she learns he's returned to his ex-girlfriend. They eventually do get together, but Gabe leaves her to pursue his career. For the next few years, they're in and out of each other's lives, but their whole history together seems to be about him turning to her when he's alone and can't find anyone better.

This character marries someone she doesn't love because she feels like she's expected to marry him, she has children because it's expected. I was so bothered by the situations in which she became pregnant. Despite being secure financially and loving her job (which her husband wants her to quit), she has a fairly awful life. So of course she continues to think the relationship that ended shortly after her college days is the ideal situation. To me, it didn't seem like a great love affair, but rather a desperate need to escape.

A lot of people seem to like this book. I'm not one of them.

I also don't like the way it's being marketed as "the next Me Before You." Seeing this, you know there must be some sort of tragedy. But other than that, there isn't anything similar.

I received a review copy via NetGalley. 

Review: Midnight in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

The books in Sarah Morgan's O'Neal Brothers Trilogy are some of my favorite romance novels. I loved those books so much, I recommend them to all my friends and have bought copies to give people as gifts. So I was looking forward to another trilogy from her. But I didn't like this book anywhere near as much as I liked those books.

The first part of the book is so slow. Took me forever to get through the first 30 or 40 percent of the book. Nothing was happening. Readers are told over and over again that Paige is in love with Jake and every time Jake sees Paige, he wants to take her to a dark corner and strip her naked. But I never got the impression that he felt anything near what she felt for him. If anything, he just felt sorry for her and protective of her. At one point in her life, she'd been sick and vulnerable and that had left an impression on him. The attraction between the two never felt genuine. The romance felt weak and forced.

I also didn't like all the other characters - the friends all seemed like caricatures - the super successful, organized one, the romantic one and the bitter one. It felt like such an obvious set up for the other books in the series. We're told multiple times that Paige's brother is concerned about one of her friends who has relationship issues because of her mother. Same story line as this book - big brother type feels protective of his little sister's friend. Not a fan of those story lines.

The story is okay, I didn't by any means hate the book, but I never felt any strong connection to the characters and it didn't have much of an emotional impact on me.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Meternity by Meghann Foye

I thought this was going to be some silly, funny book, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it - this being some prime vacation reading time at the moment - but I really liked the description and thought a light humorous read might be beneficial. This book turned out to be much deeper and meaningful than I expected. This book has be doing a lot of thinking about life and choices and things women have to go through in the workplace.

The main character was so real. As someone who has chosen to not have children, I could relate to her very well. Granted, I've never even considered faking a pregnancy, but I admit to feeling some jealousy - or rather a lot of jealousy - over people taking maternity leave. Yes, I know, I'm so selfish and horrible, I'll say it before anyone else does, no need to point it out. Babies are so important. I kind of think a few months to work on my writing or painting or traveling through Europe is also important, but I can't exactly ask for a few months off to do that, knowing that when I'm done I'll have a job waiting for me. And as a person with no children, I'm so very tired and smiling and saying, "sure, no problem", every time I have to take over someone else's responsibilities because they can't do it due to child related reasons. So, you see, this book resonated with me because the character in this story is having to deal with all of that. This book examines the idea that women are considered insignificant, unless they have a husband and/or a child.

In the beginning of the story, Liz Buckley, who works at a parenting magazine in New York City, is attending yet another work-related baby shower. She's stressed at work, overwhelmed with responsibilities and upset because she realizes she's going to miss her trip to Paris. Her emotional stress manifests physically, and around this time, a co-worker notices a pregnancy app on her phone. They assume her illness is related to pregnancy, "Not you, too?" they ask, and she doesn't deny it. In that moment, she thinks, maybe it is her turn.

 Her not so very well thought out plan is to use maternity leave to find some travel related free lance writing work and then quit her job. But her plan doesn't work out quite as neatly as she hopes. For the next six months, she's wearing fake bumps to work, while also finding that her new "condition" has people treating her different. People are being nicer, there's talk of a potential raise and title change - what she's been wanting for years, and being constantly overlooked. She can take off mornings for doctors appointments and spend the day working from home. And she begins re-evaluating decisions made in her social life. She's surrounded by people in search of "potential husbands" and she knows a lot of people who are settling for anyone who fits the description - not holding out for the perfect man. At age 31, she's trying to figure out what she really wants in life. She feels guilty for wanting something more than just a husband and a baby, because that seems to be enough for other people. Wouldn't life be easier if that was all she wanted, instead of wanting to travel the world and write important stories?

This is a story about self discovery. While faking her pregnancy, Liz does begin to create a new life - not in the form of a baby, but rather for herself. She's forced to examine her life and her choices and desires. What I really liked about the book is that there aren't any clear solutions. The perfect man doesn't show up. The perfect job doesn't magically materialize. She doesn't suddenly have an epiphany and decide that the answer to her problems is to actually get pregnant and settle down with a nice guy. Instead, Liz finally accepts that she needs to be honest and she needs to follow her dreams and she has to start taking chances.

Maybe I'm taking the story a little too seriously, but for me, this story really struck a chord. I'm about nine years old than Liz, but recently have been dealing with so many of these same thoughts with regard to career and life decisions.

I enjoyed this book, and will readily recommend it to any of my child-free friends. I think it might offend some moms though, especially those who are so caught up in the "mom culture" that this book describes at length. But then again, I don't know how moms think. Might be nice and a little enlightening for them to see things from a different perspective.

Also, very much enjoyed the New York City setting. Right out of college, I went to New York City, hoping to work in magazines. After a bit of temp work, I left, returned to Texas to work for newspapers, thinking I'd save up some money and then return to New York City. Almost twenty years later, still in Texas, completely out of the journalism business, but I visit New York City often. One of my favorite cities, and I thought this book captured the New York City lifestyle very well. 

Great book. Enjoyable read. But now I'm googling things like "travel writing workshops."

Expected publication date: April 26, 2016

I received a copy via NetGalley.

Review: Definitely Naughty by Jo Leigh

I loved this book.

The blurb that accompanies book makes is sound like some stupid story all about hipsters obsessed with social media with textspeak and hashtags. That's why I'd avoided this book. But fyi, this is not the case at all. In fact, there's even a mention of the characters not paying much attention to social media, being oblivious to memes. There's maybe one mention of the characters texting each other. So not sure what all that in the blurb is about other than a desperate attempt to attract a younger, "hipper" sort of reader. And if that's the sort of person they attracted - they probably disappointed a lot of people. No hashtags at all in this story.

Great story. Love the New York City setting.
Loved the characters so much. Aubrey is on deadline, trying to put together a *window display for a lingerie story on Broadway in New York City.  It has to be great, her career depends on it. She's overwhelmingly stressed out, steps outside and a "hot guy" trading card lands in her hand. It has been part of some sort of dating club in which friends submit photos and info of guys they trust. Aubrey is certain this is fate, a gift from the gods, sending her a muse. So she calls up the guy and arranges a date.

Liam is a police detective, someone who takes his job very seriously. At first, he thinks this is a joke - his cousin Mary had submitted his info for the card, but then promised to destroy it. Then he thinks maybe Aubrey is a little insane. But he's also very intrigued by her and very attracted to her. So he goes along with her plan.

After some crazy hot sex at his place, he can't stop thinking about her. The two begin spending more and more time together, as Aubrey continues to stress about the window display. What was supposed to be a few nights of fun, inspirational sex, begins to turn into something much more than either of them expected. This freaks Aubrey out. In her opinion, she's just a window dresser who didn't even get her college degree. She has a tendency to run when things get serious (hence the lack of a degree.) She's terrified by her feelings for Liam. He's dedicated to his work, with big plans for advancing his career and Aubrey doesn't think she fits in with those plans.

This couple is so great and so sweet and so real. I liked that Aubrey was so bold and willing to go after what she wanted, and yet was real enough to fall apart when she wasn't sure she could handle having what she wanted. And Liam, if only there were guys in the real world who were like this. Attractive, sexy, committed, feminist, completely okay with being with a strong woman and okay with letting his date - who did ask him out on the date, so completely fair - pay for the drinks and meal, not an insecure ass who constantly needs to prove his masculinity. He wants to help her anytime he notices she's upset, but also knows when to step back.

If you want a sexy, fun, holiday read, also with a nice story about a couple having to come to terms with some very real, somewhat scary feelings, I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

* This was my one negative issue with the story - why would a store put together a window display to be revealed the day before Christmas Eve? Most windows go up around Thanksgiving. By Christmas Eve, they're getting ready for the after Christmas clearance.

Review: Beware of Me by Cynthia Eden

I liked this book a lot. This is the fourth book in Cynthia Eden's Dark Obsession series and it was as entertaining as the other books in the series. As expected from this series, lots of action and danger, plenty of surprise twists in the story that keep you guessing and a very steamy romance.

Ethan Barclay has had a fairly significant role in all the books in this series. He's something of a crime boss - maybe - sort of a shadowy character, involved with a lot of bad people. But there's always been something about him - in each book we got to see a little more of him, always realizing he wasn't quite as bad as he seems.

I was so glad that he got a story of his own in Beware of Me. Ethan's the first to point out that he's a bad guy. But this bad guy would do anything for the woman he loves, the woman he feels he owes his life to. Carly was just a teenager when she saved Ethan's life. Afterwards, he thought the best thing he could do for her was keep her far away from him. But in Carly's eyes, he abandoned her when she needed him the most. Now, years later, he wants back in her life and knowing what he's become, she wants nothing to do with him.

Someone is after Carly though, and it's connected to what happened in their past, and Ethan isn't going to let Carly get hurt.

I like that Eden's heroines are always tough and independent. Even when her life is in danger, Carly's determined to not depend entirely on Ethan. She's not stupid, she figures out fairly quickly that she does need his help, but that doesn't mean she's going to let him control her. No matter what, she needs to be in control of her own life. And I loved how Ethan was so careful with Carly, taking into account what she'd been through in the past and making sure she never felt threatened by him, even if it meant having to exhibit some serious willpower. That's my favorite kind of hero - the guy who has all the potential to be bad but he refuses to give into his dark tendencies because that's how much he cares about the woman he's with.  That describes a lot of the guys Eden writes about and that's why I really love reading her books.

The story is very fast paced, which I usually like because I do tend to read these while traveling and like to finish the book before the plane lands - but maybe because I read this one at home, I found myself kind of wishing there was more to the story. That's not a complaint about the story, I just really liked these characters and didn't want their story to end so quickly.

This book is considered a stand alone, but I highly recommend you read the entire series, especially for this book because the other books add so much to who Ethan is. Also the books are good and worth reading.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Billionaire's Intern - Part 1 by Maisey Yates

First, I should admit I did not understand what I was reading. Yes, I saw that it was "part 1" but I assumed that meant it was the first book in a trilogy. When I opened it on my kindle, I saw it was very short, but thought it was a novella, in the same vein as the Cosmo Hot Reads.

I generally avoid anything with "Billionaire" in the title. I think that has become so overused, and such a weak word to describe someone. He has money. Okay? Not saying I don't like stories about wealthy men, but if the most important thing about him is his money, kind of boring. (I spent my twenties in the Dallas-area, knew a lot of guys with a lot of money and most of them were total jackasses who thought money was all they needed. So anyway.)

But I generally love Maisey Yates' books - her Presents books were some of the first romances I read when I returned to reading romances, and remain some of my favorites. So when I saw this on NetGalley, of course I wanted to read it. And once I began reading it, I was so happy to see Austin from Avenge Me in the beginning of the story. (I absolute loved that book!)

But this part 1 is just like 50 pages of the story. If I'd known it was simply part of a story, I wouldn't have bothered reading it - I would have waited until I could get the entire story. I don't really understand this format. I went to amazon to try to figure out what is going on. According to their listings, this will be released in parts - 50-60 pages each - every two days. First part free (June 7), second part 99 cents (June 9), next one 2.50 (June 11) and then I think, four dollars for the fourth part (June 14). Or you could get entire story for six dollars (June 17). This concept doesn't make sense to me at all. The entire story is less than 200 pages (if the amazon listing is correct) so why split it up? Maybe there is something involved that I simply don't understand or am not aware of. Like it's a special promotion of some sort. But I don't like it, and I was incredibly disappointed when I realized last night that I didn't have an entire story.

The biggest problem though is there is nothing in the first part that makes me feel the need to keep reading it. I know that Allison likes Skittles - bought by her brother - and Logan Black doesn't wear shoes and he doesn't like being around people. That isn't enough to make me want to hurry up and purchase part two.

I'll probably read the entire book when it's available, but I really don't like the serial concept at all. I like reading a book all at once. And after reading the first part, I'm not in any way anxiously awaiting the rest of the story.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Wild Holiday Nights: Holiday Rush\ Playing Games \ All Night Long

I love reading these anthologies over the holidays, and finishing a story a night. Overall this was a fairly enjoyable collection.

The first story, Holiday Rush by Samantha Hunter, is about a woman who runs a bakery in New York City. Her brother's friend from Texas stops by to check on her when her family is worried after her store is broken into. During their time together, they revisit an attraction they had for each other thirteen years earlier. I liked this story, but in the beginning, I was annoyed about how indignant the guy was about respecting his partner (Calla's brother). She's 30 years old and I found it insulting that he would think her brother had some control over who she slept with. They got over that fairly quickly though.

My favorite story was the second one, Playing Games by Meg Maquire. These two people run into each other at the counter for a rental car after their flights are cancelled. They'd known each other in high school - she'd dated his best friend. And they'd each secretly harbored a crush for the other. I loved the way this story played out as they made the long road trip home. Then when the roads get too difficult to drive, they have to pull over to a motel and of course, there's only one room left.  Things get very hot and steamy in that hotel room.  This story was really great - exactly what I want in a quick, sexy holiday story.

I didn't like the third story, All Night Long, by Debbi Rawlins, all that much.  A woman gets sent on a trip a few days before Christmas to get some papers signed. In the process she finds herself drawn to the man who is supposed to sign the papers. I found this story to be a little bit sleazy, the paralegal hooking up with the rich business guy. Might have worked for a full length story if there had been time to develop their relationship, but not in this short format. I sort of skimmed over this one because I didn't like it very much.

Overall though, worth the read for the first two stories, especially the second one.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Christmas with a Billionaire: Billionaire under the Mistletoe\Snowed in with Her Boss\A Diamond for Christmas

Holiday romances are my indulgence during this time of the year.  I read as many as possible beginning around Thanksgiving.  This was my first of the season.

The common theme in these stories is a billionaire.  I usually avoid stories in which a character's main identifier is that he's a billionaire.  That just seems so boring and overdone.  That isn't to say I don't read my fair share of stories about rich men (I love Harlequin Presents) but I don't like for the most important thing about the person to be how much money he has.  I'm more interested in powerful and successful rather than simply, rich.  But this collection included a story by Maisey Yates, so I was anxious to read it.

But darn these romance novelists for giving false hope and allowing us to imagine that the handsome man in the suit at the airport might for a moment have a passing interest in the weird girl with purple hair, wearing a leather jacket and Doctor Who tshirt.

That's the thing about the billionaire stories, the gorgeous, successful, rich man is drawn to the awkward, quirky, creative girl who is short and a little chunky with crazy hair, not the statuesque blondes he's spent most of his life dating.  That's why weird girls, like me, enjoy these stories.  But my goodness, they are so very far from reality.

Anyway, the first story is Billionaire Under the Mistletoe by Carole Mortimer.  I didn't like this story all that much.  The writing bothered me with exclamation points at the end of almost every other paragraph.  The exclamation points weren't part of dialogue either, but rather describing the characters thoughts or impressions.  That seems more fitting for text messages, not a book. That should have been edited out of there.  Also, I didn't pick up on any strong chemistry between the characters.  I never felt any sort of connection to them.  Their attraction just happened without any real explanation.  I found it very difficult to believe a guy would be so attracted to the woman he hired to decorate and cook for the holidays, and after hardly knowing her at all, want her to join in with his family celebrations.  I didn't hate the story, but didn't love it.

However, I did love the second story, which is Maisey Yates' Snowed in with Her Boss.  Loved the couple in this book.  Even in a story this short, I felt like the characters were well-developed, and from the beginning, they had great chemistry.  The two had a history together, Amelia has worked as Luc's Personal Assistant for years.  He's used to her quirks, and tolerates things like her constant singing because she's an invaluable employee.  When they go to Colorado together to check out a property he's considering purchasing, they're mistaken as a couple.  Luc decides to go along with it, hoping to get a better deal on the property.  But a snowstorm hits and the two find themselves spending a lot more time together than expected.  The time trapped together, pretending to be what they aren't, results in them exploring the attraction they've had for each other and tried to deny for too long.  Very good story.  (Maybe because I'd just watched Homeland, I immediately pictured Raza Jaffrey as Luc when his "mocha" skin was mentioned.  Later it is mentioned that he's part African, so I realized my image was wrong, but it was already set at that point.  Also, this story would work well as a Hallmark holiday movie, granted some elements might not be appropriate for Hallmark, but they could figure it out.  It would be adorable.)

I also very much enjoyed the third story in this anthology, A Diamond for Christmas by Joss Wood.  Riley has been in love with her best friend's big brother, James for most of her life.  They have a history of three one night stands, with several years between each of them.  After the latest though, Riley's had enough.  She currently works for the family designing windows at their store in New York City.  She's planning to leave as soon as the Christmas windows are revealed.  But James isn't ready to let her go just yet.  I loved the history between these characters, and learning how they've drifted in and out of each other's lives over the years. Very nice story.  There seemed to be so much going on in this story, besides just the love story.  I'm curious as to whether there are or will be more books about this family.

Overall, I liked this anthology quite a bit.  The last two stories were great, perfect way to begin my holiday reading for the year.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Getting Off by Abby Green

This story is okay for a quick, cute, sexy read.

I almost quit reading after just a few pages though because I was bothered by the description of the couple's initial attraction to each other. I find it ridiculous when people first see each other and have some absurd physical reaction. Sweating, loss of breath, immediate sexual arousal so intense they have to leave the room. Really? That's a bit much. And her "vibrating clitoris" was mentioned three times in four pages (do editors not work on these stories?) - and this is all caused just from sitting at the bar stool next to this guy. Oh, and I did I mention this character has never had an orgasm before in her life, but she's that turned on by simply looking at a guy sitting next to her.

I thought the writing got a little better after that initial meeting. As I said, it turned out to be a cute story. New girl in the city meets a guy in a bar, takes him back to her place and has sex, but no orgasm. Evening ends awkwardly with each of them hoping to never see each other again. Then new girl walks into a bar looking for a job and guess who owns the place? And of course, they end up together again, and this time, guy is on a mission, as you might imagine. Had some very sexy scenes.

One other thing that bothered me though was the mention of Liam having some dark sexual history. For such a short story, it seemed unnecessary to introduce that storyline. He's a 29 year old attractive guy, working at a bar in New York City, he doesn't need to have a mean girlfriend in his past to provide him with a reason to have commitment issues.

As I said, story was okay, for a quick read.

Review: Breaking All Her Rules by Maisey Yates

This is a Cosmo Red Hot Reads and it is indeed red hot.

I enjoyed this novella quite a bit.  It's a short story about a woman who has spent her whole life focused on her work, trying so hard to please her family and be the "good daughter."  Then one day she shares a cab with a handsome cowboy, who looks very out of place in New York City, and accidentally picks up his phone instead of hers.

She tracks her phone back to his hotel and shows up to retrieve it, and standing there, looking at this cowboy with his shirt off, standing in his hotel room, she decides she's tired of always being the good girl.

I've said this many times in my reviews, but Maisey Yates is one of my favorite romance writers.  She creates the best characters.  Sometimes though, I think I like her characters because I always feel like I can relate to them on some level - not in the successful finance person sort of way, but rather the nice girl, focused on her work, too busy or uninterested in a "real" relationship, either avoiding relationships or settling for some that doesn't involve much effort.  And then someone walks into their lives and changes everything about the way they've always viewed relationships.  I like that idea, that someone might someday appear who makes taking a chance seem worthwhile.  Okay, I might get a little too caught up in these stories sometimes.

But I sincerely believe that the idea of meeting a man in a cab who makes a woman want to toss aside all her years of trying to follow all the rules is probably a woman's biggest fantasy.  The idea that it could be that simple, that one day he could just be there - this is why we read romance novels.  We know it will never happen, but isn't it nice to dream?

Very enjoyable quick, sexy read.  

Review: Expose Me by Kate Hewitt

The Fifth Avenue trilogy were some of my favorite books from this summer, but Expose Me, the last book, was probably the one I liked the least.  Keep in mind though, I really, really loved the first two books.

I never felt the same kind of chemistry between the characters - Alex and Chelsea - that existed in the other books in this trilogy.  I didn't like them as much.  I felt like they tried too hard to be mean to each other, too hard to avoid getting involved.  To some extent that's expected, but it went too far.  To the point where I was thinking, why even bother?  Also because the character is named Chelsea in this book, and she's the host of a TV show, I kept imagining Chelsea Handler in this role.

It's been a few months since I read the book, and don't remember the details all that well.  I still enjoyed the book and am probably being too harsh in comparing it to the other two books in the trilogy.

But the important part of this book was bringing down Jason Treffen, the man responsible for the death of one of Alex's friends.  This book provides the conclusion of what has been building up over the first two books.  To some extent, the romance is secondary to these two characters completing this task.  Alex has to convince Chelsea to assist in bringing down this man who has destroyed so many lives.  This is a big part of the story, because Chelsea doesn't want to do anything that might harm her career - at the same time, she realizes this could be the kind of story that might make her career.

This is such a great trilogy, I highly recommend it - all three of the books provide some great reading entertainment.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Read: May 4, 2014

Review: Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews

This book is soooo good!  I usually hate reviews that are nothing but gushing about a story - this is amazing, so hot, et cetera.  But that's how I feel about this book.  Maybe I just haven't been reading the right books because it is rare that I enjoy a book this much.

I put off writing this review because I figured I'd post it closer to release date, and also because I wanted to come up with something other than, "OMG, this book is great."  (See first paragraph, that's what I wrote right after finishing the book.)  But now, months later, book has been out for a while, I've read about twenty other books since this one and I never got around to writing my review.

Anyway, I loved this book. This is the second book in the Fifth Avenue trilogy.   I might have even loved it more than the first book, Avenge Me, which I thought was pretty darn great.  This book continues with the characters doing their part to exact revenge on Jason Treffen for the death of their friend ten years earlier.  I loved everything about this book - the characters were interesting, strong, independent heroine (that's a must for me) with a secret past, and the former football player consumed with his own guilt about past incidents.  They had scorching hot chemistry, and I very much enjoyed seeing their romance develop throughout the book.

I highly recommend these books.  Great story, hot romance, likable
characters, doesn't get much better than this.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Read April 13, 2014.

Review: Dating Cary Grant by Emelle Gamble

This is a very light-hearted story, and I know that's what some people enjoy.  I tend to read things that are a little grittier, I need more angst, more intensity. This book just wasn't the sort of thing I usually read.

I did enjoy the New York City setting and all of the movie references.

I had been looking forward to reading this book because I'm a big Cary Grant fan.  Based on the title and description of the book, I thought the character was going to have an affair with the ghost of Cary Grant or a Cary Grant look-a-like or something like that.  I was sort of hoping for that.

Instead this was more about a woman, Tracy, trying to save her marriage, or maybe escape her marriage.  Escape is how I viewed it in the beginning.  She had a job in New York City, and wanted to be near her job, while her husband was working as a small town mayor in Connecticut.  For someone like me, New York City seems like the obvious choice.  If you have the opportunity to live there, who wouldn't?  Maybe that's just me.

I suppose I hoped this was a story about a woman finding herself and figuring out what she really wanted out of life..  Okay, it sort of is, but what she found and what she realized she wanted wasn't what I would have wanted, so I guess that bothered me.  I wanted her to find what she wanted in the arms of a handsome, Cary Grant-like stranger.

In general, I don't like stories in which women are made to feel guilty because they want to pursue their careers.  I know I'm supposed to understand that she realized love was more important - but I didn't feel like I ever knew enough about her marriage or her husband to accept that.

I felt like there was a lot going on in this story - we have Tracy trying to figure out what she wants and the issues with her job, then there are these strange characters that keep popping up, then it's sort of a romance.  I think I would have enjoyed the book more if there had been a stronger focus on one of those elements - either make it more of a ghost story or more of a romance.  Overall, I didn't have any strong feelings either way about the book.  I didn't love it, didn't hate it.  It wasn't at all what I expected though, so that might have been what threw me off.

I'm sure this book would work just fine for someone who did want a sweet, nice romance that takes place in New York City, with a few appearance from some rather well-known ghosts.

Review: Avenge Me by Maisey Yates

I loved this book.  I really loved this book.  I'm probably going to end up buying a few copies of this book to give to friends who I think will also love this book. 


And before I go on, let me just get this out of the way, because every book out there seems to get compared to 50 Shades of Grey, and I'm sure that will happen with this one as well.  It's almost as if the author knew that would happen, and just to show you she knew, she threw in a few lines - such as the comment that they were too many shades of messed up to be together, and then there's a mention of the sky being a shade of grey. 


There is the element of domination and submission and such but that's where any comparison ends because I believe that even on her worst day, Maisey Yates can outwrite EL James, and she doesn't need the framework of a teenage vampire love story to do so.  Anyway, that said, I usually stay away from books that involve domination.  If I see that in the description or notice that people on GoodReads have tagged a book BDSM, I usually don't even bother to read it.  I found myself cringing for a moment in this book and thinking, no, don't go there.  But I kept reading and I'm glad I did.  This was the first time I've read about these situations and heard it explained in such a way that it made sense to me.  As I said, I don't read a lot of stories labeled BDSM, so maybe there are lots of great examples, but anyway.  Point being, as someone usually a little icked out about this, I wasn't icked out by this - icked, really putting that Master's Degree to work here, aren't I?

Now to the point of my review.  This book is so good.  This is the sort of book, I want all my friends to read, so we can discuss it later.  Intense storyline - dark, gritty, tragic; strong characters dealing with loads of internal angst, including a decade of guilt, as well as some messed up external circumstances with which these characters are having to cope - family problems, work issues, difficult friends - it's all there.  And, of course, it's got the usual elements of a Harlequin Presents - money, power and sex - and in this case, maybe more so than the usual Presents, abuse of all three.  Before I got my hands on this book, I kept reading about how this book was different from the usual Presents -  and it is, mostly in that it's longer, and there's more of a storyline, or rather a more involved storyline.  Usually the books focus on a couple and their relationship.  There is a couple and there is the focus on their relationship, but there's also a lot more happening.  These two people are a mission to destroy a man that ruined the life of someone who was very important to them.  That part of the story continues in the other two books in this trilogy.

I loved the characters in this book.  Strong female character, that's always a necessity for me to enjoy a romance.  Katy's determined and she's not at all intimidated by a guy with a lot of money, and she's very much in control of her life.  But before she can truly begin to live her life, she's got to avenge the death of her sister.  Austin is another big reason to love this book.   Austin wants the same thing as Katy, her sister having been one of his best friends.  For ten years, he's lived with the guilt of not having done more to help her.  But despite wanting to focus on avenging the death of Katy's sister - he also wants Katy, in a way that he feels he shouldn't.  The chemistry between these two is great and the sex, so hot.  I enjoyed reading about the way the two grew to care about each other.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a steamy, sexy read with a great storyline.

Review: Perfect 10 by Erin McCarthy

Thus far, I've really enjoyed the Cosmo Hot Reads novellas I've read.  They're perfect for something quick and sexy.  I'm in the midst of reading a rather large non-fiction book, so thought I'd take a little break and read this before going to bed last night.

And I didn't like it very much.

The characters seem very, very young.  I know that may be the audience they're aiming for with these books - maybe - but it isn't something that has bothered me in the past.  Maybe it isn't so much that they're young, but so very immature.  I didn't like any of the characters in this book, didn't care about what happened to them, they were not people I'd want to know in real life.  Even when I was that age, I stayed clear of people that immature.  Also, the sex wasn't even all that hot - sometimes that can redeem an otherwise not so great story - but, no.  Too many pop culture reference - "What did the fox say?"  Really?  Kids, maybe you don't need to be having sex yet.  And the whole Williamsburg, hipster setting bothered me - those are the people I try to avoid, so why would I want to read about them?  A lot about this story felt like it was trying too hard to be hip and trendy.  

Also, I'm beginning to realize that I don't like the friends to lovers storylines.  I don't know that I've read all that many, but this one is clearly that.  When I think about the idea of good friends becoming lovers it bothers me, because it seems like such an obvious betrayal of friendship.  Lying to someone you care about doesn't seem like a great way to begin a relationship.  I know that I would be really upset if I found out a guy who I thought was a friend was really wanting to be more than a friend - would feel like he had ulterior motives.  Overall, just really didn't like this story.

Review: Ballerina by Edward Stewart

I always feel a little guilty writing a bad review of a book, but I didn't like this book very much.  The characters who get the most attention are all bad people, Anna's constant lying and manipulation and the way the director of one of the ballet companies worked to destroy the most talented dancers.  These people are evil.  Anna ruined her life, her husband's life and she'd doing everything she can to destroy her daughter as well.  The director - his name I can't remember right off - was such a gross person, cruel to the dancers, wanting them to fail so he could have his way.

It seemed as if only bad things happened to any of these people.  They get hurt, lied to, beat up.  Nothing good ever happened.  I began to feel depressed reading about all the bad things the characters in this book did or went through.  I kept waiting for the revenge or the comeback, the hope and inspiration that should result from all this ugliness, and it never really happened. 

I never felt any sort of emotional connection to these people.  It was like I was observing what happened from a distance, without every really knowing how anyone felt or what they wanted.

This book was originally published in 1979, and I think the reissue should have included dates or some sort of explanation to explain the time period in which the story is taking place.  Otherwise the story feels very dated.  Someone who bought this ebook, thinking it was new might be very confused. 

I recently read a really great book about ballerinas in New York City - Cranes Dance - and reading this so soon afterwards might have affected my opinion of the book.  While Cranes Dance explored the emotional world of dancing and the intensity and devotion required, Ballerina presented dancing as cold and filled with horrible experiences. 

I'm glad I read the book, because I'm trying to gather as much information on ballet as I can because of one of my own projects, but I can't say I actually enjoyed the experience of reading this book. 

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.