Review: Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell

I'm feeling some annoyance with this book because it took me so long to read.  The story moved so slowly, with hardly anything of significance happening in the first half of the book.  Also, the way it is written with one chapter happening in 1920 followed by a chapter in 1995 seemed to kill any sort of urgency to keep turning the page.

But at the same time, I have to acknowledge that the story is interesting and the book is well written.  The two story lines of two very different women provide a compelling story of the struggles of women then and now.  The expectations of family and society along with the conflicting desires of independence and love always make for a thoughtful mix.  Also, I loved the London setting and the time period - both time periods.  I liked reading about London after the war, and the shops and Bloomsbury and Soho areas.  Also, I found the 1995 setting to be of particular interest because I graduated from high school in 1994 and was out on my own for the first time in 1995, so I felt a connection with Betty in that way.

The story is about Arlette and her step-granddaughter, Betty.  After Arlette dies, she leaves everything a person named Clara Pickle, someone no one in her family has ever heard of, nor are they able to locate.  So Betty, who has spent the past few years caring for Arlette, decides she'll move to London and find Clara.  As Betty is making the transition to living in London and beginning her search, we are also told the story of Arlette moving to London as a young woman.  We see them both falling in love with the city, exercising their independence, getting their first jobs, making new friends and attracting the attention of men.  They're both young and beautiful and on their own in London for the first time their lives.  And here's something of a spoiler, but both of them gradually watch as their dreams fall apart.  This story is so sad.  I'm something of a fan of sad stories, but this may have been too sad, especially where Arlette was concerned.  Betty is still young, so there's still some hope for her.  But we already know how Arlette's life ended, and knowing the life she had before, the life her family knew nothing of, makes the rest of her life especially bleak.  I suppose this is why the book is called, "Before I Met You."

This is another book I would place on my imaginary shelf titled, "an abortion would have solved most of your problems."  So many women - and men - in this story have their lives destroyed by the result of unwanted or unplanned pregnancies - whether it be the result of rape, ignorance or carelessness.  From the woman who feels obligated to marry her rapist to the alcoholic mother with a houseful of young boys to the pop star with the failed marriage and three children under the age of three.  There's something so sad about children being viewed as dreaded responsibilities and punishment.  They're doing these children no favors bringing them into a world in which they aren't wanted and are in turn neglected or resented by angry, sad or unprepared parents..  In this way, maybe this book is a bit too painfully realistic.

Maybe I need more happiness in the books I read or if it's going to be sad, I want there to be some value in it.  As I said before, the book is well-written, it's given me quite a bit to think about.  But I don't know that I gained much from the reading experience.  Maybe it isn't so much happiness that I need as some sort of a strong emotional impact.  This was simply dreary.

This is the second book I've read by Lisa Jewell in the past few weeks, and yet again, I found myself disappointed with the attempt to create a "happy ending" in a case which was far, far from happy.  To be fair, this ending was not quite as bad as House We Grew Up In, which left me horrified, but still, so depressing.  While, yes, there was some resolution, it wasn't especially satisfying.  The choices made didn't seem to be choices that were great, but rather, not as bad as the alternative.

Not sure I'd recommend this book to anyone, though it might work well for a book club.  Again, like House We Grew Up In, there's quite a bit I'd like to discuss regarding this book.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Shadows Over Paradise by Isabel Wolff

I've been a big fan of Isabel Wolff ever since reading The Trials of Tiffany Trott many years ago. It was categorized as chick lit, but there was something deeper to the book, a stronger message of independence that wasn't quite as evident in a lot of the books that got labeled as chick lit at the time.

I've since read several other of her books and I've enjoyed seeing how her style and subject matter has changed over the years. I know that whatever the story, it will be well written and enjoyable.

I especially liked A Vintage Affair, which was similar to this book in that it had story lines in the past and present that reflected each other.

Shadows Over Paradise is the story of Jenni, a ghost writer who is meeting with Klara and writing her memoirs.  Klara is a Dutchwoman who spent much of World War II in an internment camp in Java under Japanese occupation.  Her experience is harrowing.

As Jenni learns more about Klara though, it becomes clear that Klara isn't the only one with ghosts in her past.  Both women have concealed tragic secrets for much of their lives, experiences that have adversely affected the choices they've made in life.

I liked this book a lot. It's very sad to the point of gut-wrenching at times, but at the same time a really beautiful story about survival and moving on in life. Also, I found it interesting to learn about this aspect of World War II because it isn't something I've read much about.

For a moment, I was very worried about some of Jenni's decisions near the end, but it all worked out in a way that I liked quite a bit when it was over.

Really good book, I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in World War II and stories about women surviving difficult times and making difficult choices.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Grave Vengeance by Lori Sjoberg

Grave Vengeance is the third book in Lori Sjoberg's Grave series about grim reapers.  I really like this series.  I'm a big fan of paranormal romances, and I like these books because they're so different. I'm sure there are other series about grim reapers, but none that I know of. I mostly read vampire/werewolf stuff - and I love that stuff - but also nice to read something different every once in a while.

And even better that the hero in this book was a former KGB agent and the heroine an American spy. The action takes place in current times, but as reapers, they've lived for a very long time and have a history together - from the time before they died.  They don't like each other, they were enemies in their former lives, but well, after spending some time together, forced to work together, things change.

I really like stories like this. Also, right around the time I read this book, I had just started watching Agent Carter, so I was feeling very immersed in the whole spy culture.  That's a good thing.

This is a fun story, lots of action and the characters have some great chemistry, as is always the case in Sjoberg's books.

Looking forward to the next book in this series.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

When I was in London this summer, I kept seeing big billboards for this book on the subway and the brief description of the book provided made me want to read it.

This is the story of a family that seemed perfect and normal.  Then tragedy struck and everyone handled it their own, self-destructive way.  The story is told in flashbacks, as the family gathers to death with a member's death and the settling of affairs.

I liked this book, but there were parts of it that may have hit a little too close to home for me, forcing me to face things about my own life that I have tried to ignore.  That might have hindered my full enjoyment of the book because parts of it felt almost painful to read.  One of the main characters in this book is a hoarder.  While I'm not a hoarder, I do need to get rid of some things in my house. There's a line about a bag of items set aside for Oxfam that had been there for years, and it reminded me that I have a bag of items for Goodwill in the guest room - and it's been there for a very long time. Things like that frightened me.  I'm an art teacher, so I save things for projects, cardboard and empty containers.  Reading this book made me want to start throwing everything away.  So maybe that's a good thing.

Clearly, the book evokes some strong emotions.  While the mother and her hoarding is the central part of the story, that isn't the only storyline.  We see the effects of the mother's mental illness on the rest of her family - her husband and three children.

It's a good book, but a very sad book. While there's an attempt at showing some sort of hope at the end, I didn't feel fully convinced, at least not where one particular character was concerned. I don't want to give away what happens, but I couldn't help but feel as if Beth's situation in the end was just as bad as ever. It's described as if she's finally recovered from her past issues, but she's only put herself in a situation that will most likely lead to many more years of twisted family issues.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Flirting with Disaster by Victoria Dahl

I've gotten behind on my book reviews, and I feel like I've done everyone a big disservice by waiting so long to write this review.  Especially with all this cold, snowy, icy weather most of us have been having.  Because this book, Flirting with Disaster by Victoria Dahl, is almost guaranteed to keep you warm.  Perfect for those cold days when you can't leave the house, and want to spend the day curled up with a good book.  You need this book.

I liked this book so very much.  Actually, I loved this book.  It's early in the year, so if I say one of the best books I've read all year, the compliment doesn't have the kind of weight it deserves so let me add that I feel certain when the year nears its end, I'll still be able to say it's one of the best books I've read this year.  Easily going on my list of favorite romance novels.  This book is so good.

The book immediately caught my interest in its description of the heroine.  Thirty something artist, Isabelle, living in a cabin on her own, with a decent distance between her and the next person.  She's happy with her life, content to be on her own.  And I thought yes, this is someone to which I can relate.  Someone who isn't pining away for a husband and babies.  Someone who is happy with her work and her solitude.  And she's an artist.  As an artist, I was impressed by how well Dahl captured the life and mind of an artist.  Sometimes I read books in which a character in an artist and I find myself thinking, painters don't really think like that, weirdo.  But this character resonated with me.

There are some great characters in this story, besides the main couple.  My favorite secondary character was probably Isabelle's neighbor who was always cooking for everyone.  I usually don't like small town contemporary romances, but I love this Jackson: Girls Night Out series and the people in these books.  I have read the other books in the series, Looking for Trouble and a novella, Fanning the Flames, and enjoyed them, but it isn't necessary to read them before this one.  This stands alone just fine.

Everything is going well in Isabelle's life, when Tom, a U.S. Marshall shows up at her door, claiming he's there to protect a judge whose life is in danger.  But Isabelle panics, certain he's figured out her secret.  She isn't who she claims to be.  She's in hiding because of crimes her father committed and she's afraid she's been caught.  Eventually she realizes Tom was telling the truth - the story about the judge is all over the news, but her behavior has now made him suspicious, and he's attracted to her and wants to know more about her - as you can guess, he does figure out her secret.  So there's a bit of crime drama/mystery to this story, along with a very steamy romance.

So steamy.  This book has some of the best sex scenes I've ever read.  Ever.  I'm trying to think of some educated, mature way to write about this and all I can come up with is, "This book is so hot!"  Because it is.  I mean, the story is great, the characters are interesting, and yes, the sex is so very hot.

I loved that the characters are intelligent and independent and they know what they want.  This is romance for grown-ups.  These are real people, living real lives, working on creating a real relationship.

I'd recommend this book to anyone.  Grab it before all the snow melts, and pretend like you've got your own little cabin in the snowy woods and enjoy!

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Gentleman in the Street by Alisha Rai

I wanted to read this book because several people who usually like the same books I like seemed to love it. But it really wasn't my type of book.  

I'm beginning to realize I'm something of a Goldilocks with my romance novels and what I find to be the perfect mix of steamy sex and romance. This seemed to be lacking in the romance department. After reading a few comments, I think maybe this was my fault in assuming it was a romance novel when, in fact, it's more erotica. Usually I'm okay with erotica though, but I felt this book was trying to provide a nice romance story, and it wasn't working for me. (Also, for an erotica book, took them a long time to finally get together, yes, they fooled around some but they did a lot more talking about it and wanting it than doing it.) I just didn't find this to be especially hot or sexy or at all romantic.  There's plenty of sex in it, but to me it was more shocking and not what I considered to be hot - which I'm fully willing to admit may mean that I'm kind of boring.

In over simplified terms, this is the story of a good guy who is struggling with his desires to be a bad boy and a very "bad" girl who deep down wants to be a good girl. Or something like that. Jacob is described as a hermit, he's an author who has no friends and has spent his life raising his three young step-siblings. Akira was an unloved child (she's in her 30s and still fixated on her parents and childhood) who acted out in need of attention, did drugs, got in lots of trouble, but is also brilliant - was accepted at all universities, but chose Harvard - and posed nude in her younger days, has big orgies at her house, and owns a string of successful clubs, thus making her a billionaire.   And secretly, she's in love with "boring" Jacob, but thinks she isn't good enough for him. This is supposed to be the main conflict of the story, but I honestly never understood what they saw in each other. We're told they want each other, but not really why.

Both characters were just so good and flawless, it made it difficult for me to feel anything for either of them. They're both successful in all areas of their lives, both confident and willing to experiment with no hesitation ever.  Maybe I would have like the story more if there had been some sort of struggle or reluctance to overcome in their experimentation.  But no, Jacob about six seconds to go from "boring" guy to a guy who would do and try anything.

Also, Akira's family reminded me too much of the Kardashians and I very, very strongly dislike anything associated with the Kardashians, so that might have turned me off from the book early on.

I like that Akira is strong, and confident and successful. The heroine as the billionaire is a nice change because I'm getting so tired of billionaire heroes. I think it was Jacob that I never warmed to, he simply didn't seem all that great or worth all that much angst. I wanted to know why she found him so appealing, was it because her current lifestyle wasn't that satisfying - we are certainly not led to believe that. She wants to make him a part of that. But why, when she already has so many other men? Clearly she didn't want his kind of life.

As I've said, just not for me, but a lot of people love this book. I'm just not one of them.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

I loved this book, absolutely loved this book. Am not usually a fan of small-town, family, contemporary romances, but this one was perfect. Every time I thought the story was going to go in a direction that I generally find annoying, it took a turn in such a way that I did not find annoying at all.

PR professional from London who now works in New York City decides to work over the holidays, thinking it will be the perfect escape. She hates Christmas, avoids family, and she's getting a secluded cabin in Vermont to work on her new account, a struggling resort. But then she finds herself having to confront all her fears of family and love and holidays.

Last year, I won a contest with a website called Bookish, which was supposed to be a Harlequin holiday romance package including several books, such as this one. But then the package arrived, containing nothing but a photo album with pictures of people I didn't know. Turns out the package busted in transit and the postal service guessed as to who got what. (Imagine the surprise of receiving a bunch of holiday romances. Lucky person.) I was approved for a NetGalley copy, but it never appeared on my kindle. I remember several people having this problem at the time. So I assumed I was not meant to have this book. Then over the summer, I remember updating the kindle, and a slew of holiday stories appeared, including this one. But I forgot about it.

This was a case of finding exactly the right book at the right time. From Thanksgiving until the end of the year, I bombard myself with holiday romances. I wasn't all that impressed with this year's selections. I'd started two books that didn't really hold my interest, so I was searching for something different..

Then I saw this book mentioned as being free from the Harlequin website, remembered how I'd wanted to read it the previous year, so I went to get a copy, only to realize I can't read ebooks bought from the Harlequin website on my kindle. Then I discovered it was already on my kindle. So I thought I'd give it a try, since I wasn't enjoying the other books I was trying to read.

I started it on Christmas Day when flying out to see the family and found myself wishing my flight was a bit longer.

As someone who doesn't find the holidays an especially wonderful time of the year, as someone who has issues with family, as someone who generally prefers to be alone when others are blathering about togetherness, I could relate so very well to this character. Isn't there some saying about every cynic being a romantic at heart? Because we want that fairy tale and we've been convinced by the world that it is never, ever going to happen, so quit hoping. But this story. It's magical.

Loved the characters and seeing their emotional growth enabled by the perspective of outsiders. The setting made me ache for a snowy, secluded cabin to spend the holidays (even without the romance, that'd be kind of awesome). But most of all, loved the super steamy romance. Such a wonderful story. And I cried through the last two chapters - and I pretty much have a heart of stone - so that was
impressive.

Highly recommend this book to anyone in search of a holiday romance that is both sexy and has a great story.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley. (I also purchased a copy from Harlequin.com when it was available for free as part of their holiday specials.)

Review: The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy

I liked this book quite a bit. I very much enjoyed the idea behind the story - running away to the French countryside to escape the holidays. Evie is dreading Christmas and her friends offer to let her stay at their place in France.  In the process of running away, Evie is able to finally come to terms with the grief that forced her to run away.  She also meets some wonderful people in the area and rekindles her love of cooking.

But I'm only giving this three stars instead of the four I'd normally give a book like this because I had a problem with the way the story ended. I don't want to give away too much, but I didn't think the husband was treated fairly. He suffered the same loss, and for some reason he's supposed to be punished because he didn't give up on life the way Evie did? If he did something horrible that was deserving of the way he was treated it wasn't mentioned.  It sounded as if even when they were separated he continued to credit Evie with his success as celebrity chef.  He didn't run off and abandon her.  If Evie really wanted to honor her dead child, shouldn't treating the child's father fairly be part of that? The more I think about this, the more I'm bothered by it.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and especially the setting and this is yet another book that has made me want to run away to France for the holidays.  I think a lot of people probably won't be as bothered as I was by the ending. There's still a nice, simple romance involved, but to me it seemed a bit generic and an easy solution when going another direction would have created a much deeper, stronger love 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 at Waratah Bay by Marion Lennox

I didn't like this book very much. I thought the characters were too perfect and a little boring. She's a super model and he's a rich rancher/tech success story.  I started this book thinking I would finish it in a night and it ended up taking me a week to read it because it never grabbed my interest. Very simple romance, no real conflict, a minor misunderstanding, but nothing dramatic.

And the extent of their physical contact was maybe a kiss. If a story isn't going to be interesting I tend to hope it makes up for that by being steamy, and this wasn't the case. This might be fine for someone who wants a simple, sweet, no conflict romance.  Not really the type of story I enjoy.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Little Christmas Kitchen by Jenny Oliver

One of my favorite holiday books last year was Jenny Oliver's Parisian Christmas Bake-off, so I was very excited to read this book.  This did not disappoint.  Another to add to my holiday favorites.

While I didn't like it quite as much as Parisian Bake-off, I still liked it a lot.

Ella has just learned her husband is cheating on her, so without giving much thought to her actions, she packs a bag and takes off to Greece to stay with her mother and sister - even though she's not been especially close to them since her parents' divorce when she was a teenager.

Her sister, Maddy, in the meantime, has dreams of going to London and singing in a club.  Ella offers her the use of her flat, since she won't be there.  So we have the two story lines - Ella, working at her mother's cafe in Greece while Maddy is wandering around London on her own for the first time in her life.

What I enjoy most about this story is the complex characters.  While the characters may at times perceive some of the others to be all good or bad, it's clear to the reader that isn't the case.  While Ella and Maddy are both adults, they've spent years harboring some child like anger toward their parents.  They had their reasons, but being in a new location allows both of them begin to see things from a different perspective. 

This book is all about finally accepting the past and yourself and your flaws as well as the flaws of the people you love.  That sounds kind of hokey, but it's actually really well written and the result is a fun story that has a very powerful underlying meaning to it.  

My only issue with the book (possible spoiler, if you're worried I might be giving something away, skip to the next paragraph) was the idea that Ella would prefer life in Greece to life in London.  I thought her life in London seemed pretty great.  I also have to admit to kind of hoping she would get back together with her husband - despite what he did, he seemed to still love her and she him.  I guess I just wasn't all that impressed with the romance in the story.  I think what I would have preferred to happen would be Ella saying maybe she needed a break from relationships for a while since she just got out of a marriage, and maybe taking some time to figure out who she was and what she wanted without a guy influencing her decisions.  

Overall though, I really liked this book.  While I was reading it, I noticed it was free on amazon for a few days and I tried to get everyone I know to download it.  And really, whatever the current price is, usually just two or three dollars, is completely worth it.  Very good holiday read.  Nice, fun story with a good message about family and self perception.  

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Jingle Spells: Naughty or Nice?\She's a Mean One\His First Noelle\Silver Belle

I loved this book. Such a cute and different take on Christmas. This anthology contains four stories about the Evergreens, the winter clan of witches who are in charge of Christmas. The stories focus on three brothers and their little sister and how they manage the Christmas industry from the town on Gingerbread in Colorado.

The stories contained in this anthology are written by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Rhonda Nelson, Kira Sinclair and Andrea Laurence.

I liked each of these fun, steamy romances. In the first story, Naughty or Nice?, Cole's college girlfriend hacks into their security system, forcing a reunion. He left her ten years earlier when he left college due to a family emergency and never returned. He felt that he could never tell her the truth about his family. But when he brings her back to Gingerbread to strengthen the security system she hacked into, he realizes he won't be able to leave her again.

In the next story, She's a Mean One, Ethan Evergreen, is the figurehead for the family business - which to most of the world is a successful ornament making company - but in reality is keeping the Christmas spirit strong. His biggest adversary has published a book trying to convince people that allowing children to believe in Christmas is a bad thing. It's up to Ethan to convince her there is value in Christmas magick. Along the way he also falls in love with this woman who he believed to be his enemy.

The third story, His First Noelle, is about Dash. His world is turned upside down when his ex-wife, Noelle, returns. A former CIA agent, she's back to take her father's place in security while he's ill. Noelle never felt like she belonged with the winter clan, her mother having been from the summer clan, and this caused a strain on her relationship with Dash. But they've both grown up some over the years they've been apart, and now they're willing to work through their communication issues.

The last story, Silver Belle, is about the sister of the family, Belle. For months she's had standing coffee date with Nick, a sexy construction worker (he does own his own business building Christmas-themed cottages.) He has no idea Belle is a witch, until she approaches him to fill the role of Santa (after Santa and Mrs. Claus disappear on a beach vacation a week before Christmas.) Belle is afraid Nick is giving up his whole life simply to be with her, and she doesn't feel she's ready or even wants to be the next Mrs. Claus. What she doesn't realize is the depth to which Nick has truly embraced Christmas magick.

While the stories aren't especially deep or profound, they're fun, and they're romantic and they're all about Christmas magick, and that's what makes these stories so enjoyable. I like that it's such a different and original depiction of how Christmas happens. 

Beginning around Thanksgiving, I try to read as many holiday themed stories as possible.  This is my second one of the year, and already I think I've found a favorite.  Hope we get more stories about this family in the future.

Highly recommend to anyone wanting a lighthearted paranormal twist to their holiday romance stories.

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: Moon Kissed by Michele Hauf

Moon Kissed was included with my copy of Forever Werewolf, but I wanted to give it its own review.  As I've probably said many times, I am not a huge werewolf fan.  I simply don't find them as sexy as vampires or as mysterious as witches.  But I've enjoyed the books I've read by Hauf thus far, so I figured this was a pretty safe bet.  

I did enjoy this book.  I liked the character quite a bit.  They're interesting, complex, funny, smart and sexy, something I've come to expect from Hauf's writing. This story begins with Bella running from vampires (though she doesn't realize they're vampires at first) right into the arms of Severo (who happens to be a werewolf.)  At first, he seems to be not much better than the vampires, but he is trying to keep her safe.  He's just a little hostile and aggressive in his methods.  For a while in this book, Severo walked a fine line between creep and hero.  But he got better as the real bad guys became clear.

Bella (who based on her description, I pictured as Clara from Doctor Who) is in danger because a close friend of hers has gotten involved with vampires.  Her friend's vampire lover is jealous of the friendship.  Severo has a long history with the vampire and will do anything to make sure Bella isn't hurt by this vampire.  This book has plenty of danger and action and hot sex.  

However, I have to admit that this book didn't do anything to change my general feelings toward werewolves.  I found the werewolf sex to be kind of icky.  I cringed reading some of those scenes. I found it very disturbing that Severo had no recollection of what he did while he was the werewolf.  It's almost like he isn't the werewolf but rather becomes possessed by this creature for three days out of every month.

I love the world that Hauf creates, with all the different creatures and their traits and histories.  I find myself wanting to read all of the books in her Beautiful Creatures world.  (I think there are almost 40 of them, so that's a lot of reading to do.)

This was included as the second story in Forever Werewolf, which I received via NetGalley.

Review: Forever Werewolf by Michele Hauf

I am not usually a fan of werewolf stories, as I tend to prefer vampires and witches, but I am a huge fan of Michele Hauf's writing, and I wanted something to go along with my Halloween mood, so Forever Werewolf seemed like a good choice.

For a werewolf story, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.  Trystan, part wolf, part vampire, is sent to Castle Wulfsiege to deliver a package for his father.  While there, an avalanche hits, and he throws himself into the rescue mission, which impresses those around him.  The avalanche results in his having to remain at the castle much longer than expected.  Trystan has always been a lone wolf, not part of a pack, and he finds himself enjoying being with a pack.  He's also falling hard for the Alexis, princess of the pack.

There's quite a bit happening in this story, with the pack leader suffering from a mysterious illness, and the rivalry between the princesses and Alexis' secret.  Trystan is thrown into the mess, and proves he can hold his own against angry and jealous wolves who feel threatened by his presence.  Plus Trystan has his own issues, ashamed as he is about his vampire blood.

I very much love the world Hauf has created.  There are so many characters with so much back story and connections.  Every time I read one of her Beautiful Creatures books, I find myself searching out other books that feature characters mentioned in the one I'm currently reading.  In this case, I want the story of Trystan's parents because I know those characters were also mentioned in The Company of Vampires books I read - and loved.

As is always the case with these books, there is a lot of action, plenty of danger and some steaming hot sex scenes in this.  Hauf is easily one of my favorite paranormal romance writers.

This copy of the book also included Moon Kissed.  I reviewed that book here:
 http://amh-reviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-moon-kissed-by-michele-hauf.html

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

I liked this book a lot. Very well written. I wasn't sure what to expect from it - I put off reading it because I thought it was another "new adult" romance. It isn't at all. It's actually a very thoughtful story about a woman dealing with what might be the end of her dance career, and figuring out what she wants and needs in life. More about forming important bonds with family and friends and not a romance story.

Penny ends up in a hospital bed and she's told that she jumped off the balcony in a suicide attempt.  She's certain she wouldn't do that, but at the same time, she isn't sure what happened.  As she recovers from her fall, and bits of her past are revealed it becomes clear to the reader and to Penny that she was in a very dark place before she fell and landed on the baker's car under her apartment.

She spent her whole life dancing, trying to fit into a world that had no place for someone with her body type.  Despite all her work, she's horrified by reviews which describe her as "huge" - her presence on the stage assumed to be a contrast to the smaller dancers.  Even worse than the reviews was being left behind by her lover who used her to create his show but didn't need her anymore when he was ready to go on tour.

The story isn't simply about her size and her struggles with her weight, or even her struggles within the dance world.  As she is forced to leave dance in order to recover physically, she also begins to repair her inner self.  She sees the damage she's caused herself as well as the emptiness in her life.  She forms a deep friendship with her roommate from the hospital, as well as the baker, on whose car she landed.  She starts to see the world from a different perspective.

The characters are so well written, this is the sort of book that when it was over, I felt an emptiness.  I missed them.  I wondered what they were doing now, because they felt so real I knew their existence wasn't gone simply because the book had ended.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a thoughtful story about a woman putting her life back together after thinking all of her dreams have fallen apart.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: To Defy a Sheikh by Maisey Yates

Maisey Yates' Harlequin Presents novels are some of my favorite romance novels.  Lots of romance and angst in extreme settings.

To Defy a Sheikh started a bit slow, but even so, for much of the book, I was thinking Ferran was one of my favorite heroes.  But that didn't last.

Things got a little too complicated toward the end.  He was switching emotions every five seconds, he wanted her to be happy, but he didn't want to her to want him, he wanted to be married, but he couldn't love her.  For me, it didn't make sense and didn't fit in with the character that we'd been reading about for the first 60-70% of the book.  Also, it was all so quick.  We had all this build up and development of their relationship and then it all fell apart.  I remember my kindle saying I only had ten minutes left in the book and thought, how in the world are they going to resolve all of this so quickly?

They did, but not in a way I found satisfying.  If anything, in the end, I didn't feel like their love was geniune at all.  For her it was simply the result of him being the first guy she'd ever been with and for him, it was more out of obligation than anything else.

I still enjoyed the book, but not quite as much as I usually enjoy these books.  Still provides all the necessary ingredients for a fun, quick, escape: a palace setting, tragic history, passionate characters.

If you're a fan of Yates' Sheikh books, then you'll probably enjoy this.  If you haven't read any of them yet, and want to try some, I'd suggest Heir to a Desert Legacy or Forged in the Desert Heat, those are some of my favorites.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Love Me Back by Merritt Tierce

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down.  I had plans to do some shopping and maybe go see a movie today, but I decided to use this sudden cold front as perfect excuse to not leave the house so I could keep reading. 

And yet, the story is so disturbing.  I've been reading a lot of romance novels lately - stories about good, tough women and men who may struggle with their feelings and have great sex and eventually live happily ever after.  This book is not that, this book is the exact opposite of that.  Maybe I was in need of some variety in my reading.  There are no lessons learned, no sign at all that there is some end to this woman's downward spiral.  If anything, I suspect my interest in the story is some sort of voyeuristic appeal.  It’s like watching a train wreck, a really well-written train wreck.  It’s gruesome and horrible, but you can’t look away.  Marie’s life and her behavior is so incredibly self destructive: drugs, sex, cutting.  And there isn't even the typical story of a bad childhood or abuse to explain it.  She chose all of this.  She had a supportive family, and a husband who loved her.  But she didn't want that.  She walked away from it and entered her own personal hell. 

While Marie clearly seems to love her daughter, she doesn’t love being a mother.  In fact, it was the realization that she didn’t want to be a mother that prompted her path of self-destruction.  She was a good girl who got pregnant shortly before graduating from high school.  Instead of going to college, she got married, had the baby, tried to live the life she was supposed to live and it didn't feel right.

This is one of those books I would place in a category I refer to as, "all their problems could have been avoided if only they'd had an abortion." (I seriously considered making this one of my goodreads shelves because for a while I felt like I was reading a lot of books about women who were in terrible situation that resulted from unplanned pregnancies.  Never do the characters mention abortion, that’s simply my opinion upon reading the stories.)  Let’s be honest, a lot of women’s problems are the result of having unwanted children – in fiction and reality.  I say this as someone who has always known that I didn’t want to have children.  My two attempts at having a pet had me on the verge of nervous breakdowns.  If a dog or a cat left me feeling like that, I can’t even imagine trying to care for a child.  Maybe that’s why this book was so appealing to me.  Because maybe it isn’t so difficult for me to imagine how life might fall apart when forced into a role that isn’t right, a role that the rest of the world claims is great and wonderful, but feels so wrong that a person will do anything, absolutely anything, to try and escape.

Another thing I really liked about this book was the setting.  The story takes place in Dallas, a Dallas that was familiar to me.  I recognized the streets, the restaurants, the people – and I don’t mean specific people, but rather the type of people.  This was the Dallas I knew in the late 90s, early 2000s, when I was in my twenties.  There was so much money in this city, so many men flaunting their money, new money trying to fit in with old money, and the women wanting so desperately for a connection to some of that money.  Maybe that still happens in Dallas, but a few years ago, I left my job in Dallas and became a school teacher in the suburbs, so reading this book was a bit nostalgic. These people weren't a part of my world, but I saw them, they were at the clubs, entering the VIP rooms, and at the Mavs games - not in the cheap seats.  I never set foot in any of the expensive eating establishments like where Marie works, but I was aware of those places (and now I’m really glad we never ate at any of those places because they don't seem all that special after reading about what happens behind the scenes).  My friends and I were more the Café Brazil than Dream Café sort.  

  

This book isn't for everyone and I suspect there are plenty of people who will hate it.  I enjoyed the book and yet part of me feels like I shouldn’t have.  It’s wrong to view someone’s disaster as entertainment, isn’t it?  But people enjoy horror stories, right?  And that’s considered acceptable.  If some sort of redeeming quality is necessary, view this as a cautionary tale.  This is what happens when a person loses control of life, tries to live a life others consider to be right and fails, and then has to self-medicate to try and forget that failure. 

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: Marked by the Vampire by Cynthia Eden

A Vampire's Christmas Carol was the first story I ever read by Cynthia Eden, and I loved it.  I'm also a big fan of her Mine series, so I was looking forward to reading another vampire book by Eden.  Marked by the Vampire is the second book in the Purgatory series.  (The first book, The Wolf Within is the first book, and I believe the ebook is free, at least it was when I got it.)

I enjoyed this book, as well as The Wolf Within, but not as much as I expected I would.  It's entertaining, plenty of action and romance.  Purgatory is a prison for paranormals - werewolves and vampires.  But there's something bad happening there.  Olivia is a doctor who goes into the prison to do some research - she wants to know what makes paranormals kill.  But things go very wrong and Olivia isn't safe.  Shane's a vampire who is working undercover.  Luckily, he's able to assist Olivia in escaping when the prisoners break free.  

There's a lot of action in this book, the characters are constantly on the run or fighting, but I didn't feel like there was much depth to the paranormals.  I guess I wanted to know more about Shane and his vampire past, or how being a vampire affected his life.  He just seemed like a normal guy who happened to also be a vampire.  Also, I didn't feel any strong emotional connection to the characters' romance.  Nonetheless, this is still a fun book.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: Mine to Have by Cynthia Eden

Not sure why I've taken so long to finish this review.  I know I started to write the review right after I finished the book, but it was a couple of weeks before the book was going to be released, so I thought, no rush.  Now weeks later... I blame work. Work always interferes with the fun stuff.

Mine to Have is the fifth book in Cynthia Eden's Mine series.  I like this series so much.  On Saturday morning, when I got the email saying I'd been approved for a review copy of this, I set aside any other plans I might have so I could do nothing but read this book.  And it was completely worth avoiding the rest of the world for a few hours.

This is supposed to be Saxon's last job, he's spent too much of his life working undercover, living pretend lives.  But he rescues Elizabeth and there's something about her.  I enjoyed the development of their relationship.  Elizabeth is a strong heroine.  She doesn't understand why people are after her.  She doesn't think she's done anything to cause a person to want to harm her.  As Saxon tries to keep her alive, they begin to unravel the mystery of why someone wants Elizabeth dead.

My only issue, and it was a very minor issue, is that I would have liked to have seen some more of the characters from the past books in the series.  On the other hand,
someone who hasn't read the other books in the series wouldn't have any problem at all starting with this book.  But you really should read the other books in the series, because they're really good.

This book delivered exactly what I've come to expect from the other books in this series.  Lots of action, danger, lots of twists and surprises, mystery and some very hot sex.  Makes for the perfect weekend escape when you can't actually escape for the weekend.

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.