There Goes the Groom

Book: There Goes the Groom

Author: Rita Herron

Rating: M (for Mature – general romance novel material)

Bookshelves: 2012, Atlanta (GA), con-artist, detective, fiction, jail, police, Rita Herron, romance, twins

Begun: December 25, 2012

Finished: December 26, 2012

Media Type: eReader (Kindle read on Nexus 7)

Setting: Atlanta, Georgia

Characters: Marci Turner, Paul Pendergrass, Cade Muller

Synopsis: Marci Turner wasn't always the “bright” twin but she’s the pretty one. More like … the sexy one. And she knows it. Why not use that attribute to her personal gain? When wealthy businessman, Paul Pendergrass, sets his sights on her and asks her to be his wife, of course, any girl with half a brain is going to jump on board. She's finally getting her life together and celebrating with the biggest, Cinderella-style wedding of the century.

So, why are bullets ringing out at her wedding? When shots are fired and police attempt to arrest Paul before he hightails it out of the church, Marci is bewildered … and then arrested.

The sexy jilted bride is now in rugged and sinfully sexy Cade Muller’s custody. There is NO way that her fiancé could be guilty of running the scams he’s run and taken advantage of all the people he’s stolen from (especially defenseless and trusting elderly like his dear grandma). Sitting in jail, Cade watches as Marci tried to help all the others in the cells around her. Could this blonde bombshell be innocent?  

Review: Another fantastic read by Herron. While I did prefer the first book in this duo about the “good sister,” reading about the bad sister was just as entertaining. Herron did a great job of writing a male character for Marci who was just as hardheaded and just and strong as her. Great read. I can’t wait to get my hands on other books by Herron.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Here Comes the Bride

Book: Here Comes the Bride

Author: Rita Herron

Rating: M (for Mature – general romance novel material)

Bookshelves: 2012, Atlanta (Georgia), fake fiancée/girlfriend, family, fiction, lies, Rita Herron, romance, twins, twin switch, Virginia,

Begun: December 28, 2012

Finished: December 29, 2012

Media Type: eReader (Kindle read on Nexus 7)

Setting: Atlanta (Georgia) and Virginia

Characters: Austin McDane, Kimberly Turner

Synopsis: Kimberly Turner is straight laced and practical. Always one to help out her flighty twin when she’s in a pinch, Kimberly steps in when her sister needs her help escorting a client. Austin needs a girlfriend or, better yet, a fiancée to quiet down his pushy family who thinks he should be married already. Kimberly poses as both her twin sister AND Austin’s fiancée when they travel from Atlanta to Virginia and back. How hard can it be? I mean her sister isn’t a sleazy escort. She’s just company. But Austin is kind, gentle …. AND so, so sexy. Can she keep it just business?

Review: This was a breath of fresh air. I loved this story and I fell in love with the characters who seemed more like friends you would want to have than characters in a book. Well written and a fantastic read. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series about the “bad” twin!

In my opinion, this book gets:

The Gift (The Original Sinners series #0.5)

Book: The Gift (Previously issued under the name: Seven Day Loan) (The Original Sinners series #0.5)

Author: Tiffany Reisz

Rating: X (Explicit sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2012, Dom, erotica, fiction, sharing lovers, SMBD, Sub, Tiffany Reisz

Begun: December 24, 2012

Finished: December 24, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read as PDF file on Sony Vaio laptop)

Setting: New England

Characters: Eleanor, The Master, Daniel

Synopsis: While he goes on vacation, The Master is sharing his Sub with an old friend, Daniel. Daniel lost his wife (who was his Sub) five years ago and hasn’t had an easy time since then. Celebate since her death, Daniel is starved for affection. Can he find it with Sub Eleanor?

Review: This was a strange read. I definitely could tell that this was a part of a larger series. I just couldn’t tell where it was from (was a 0.5? or a 4.5? I couldn’t tell). Strong writing and characterization but weak on the details that would have made this novella a strong stand alone. Short and sweet … I might consider reading other books in this series but I don’t think I would go looking for these books unless I had nothing else to read.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Just ok read

Wild About You (Love at Stake series #13)

Book: Wild About You (Love At Stake series #13)

Author: Kerrelyn Sparks

Rating: M (Mature Audience – nothing out of the norm for a romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, Alaska, bear, fiction, Love At Stake series, Kerrelyn Sparks, New York (upstate), old wives tales, paranormal romance, romance, shapeshifter, werewolf

Begun: December 4, 2012

Finished: December 6, 2012

Media Type: paperback book

Setting: coastal Alaska, upstate New York

Characters: Howard Barr, Elsa Bjornberg, Roman Draganesti, Shanna Whelan/Shanna Draganesti

Synopsis: Howard Barr is a former football playing hulk of a hunk who secretly lusts after the Amazonian Nordic beauty, Elsa Bjornberg. Blonde and beautiful, Elsa works for a DIY home-wrecking/remodeling TV show that has taken the job of revamping (pun COMPLETELY intended!!) Shanna and Roman Draganesti’s cabin near the Dragon’s Nest School. Shanna and Roman (as vampires) can’t oversee the remodel of their cabin during the day … but Howard (head of security at the school) can. Howard is FLOORED when he sees Elsa, in person, for the first time. For the first time in … ever … Elsa feels like a feminine woman around a man. Howard is a huge, six-foot-six beast of a beautiful man with gorgeous eyes and hands that makes Elsa want to forget the stories her family passed down from the old country about the berserkers who would eventually kill her. Howard’s biggest problem? He’s a bear-shifter … and one of the berserkers that Elsa’s family has warned her about. Can Elsa give in to her feeling for Howard? Can Howard save the beauty he’s come to love … even if it’s from himself?

Review: I love, love, love, love, love Kerrelyn Sparks and all of her books in the Love at Stake series. This was a great book that finally tackled Howard’s story. I’ve been waiting for Howard’s tale since I started reading this series a couple years ago. The only problem I saw in this book, I actually remember more compassion and emotion coming from Howard in some other books that only mentioned him as a side character. Sparks is a fantastic writer but I feel like Howard needed a little more attention and to be a little more rounded. I just think Howard was almost a little too flat. But Elsa was perfectly rounded. I can’t wait to hear more about them as the series continues on.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Perfect … just perfect.

Hannah's Choice

Book: Hannah’s Choice

Author: Selena Kitt

Rating: X (for mature audiences – explicit sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2012, doctor’s exam, erotica, fiction, job interview, short story

Begun: October 12, 2012

Finished: October 12, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on iBooks on iPhone 4)

Setting: doctor’s office – location undisclosed

Characters: Hannah McLean, Dr. Ralph Schultz

Synopsis: Hannah was given information about a new position opening at an undisclosed location by a headhunter. She was told the receptionist position would be paying $250,000 a year. And part of the interview included a doctor’s exam … a sexual exam …

Review: This short story was hot, hot, hot. Very well written and very explicit. I wanted to know more about the rich businessman that Hannah was interviewing for. It was kind of weird too at the end. She just walks out and decides not to finish the job interview/take the job. Why wouldn't Selena Kitt take the story to the next level and go through the story and flush it out. I’d love to know more about Hannah and the business man who had all these requirements for his receptionist.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Would read again

A Scandal, A Secret, A Baby/Marriage Scandal: Showbiz Baby!

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher.

Book: A Scandal, A Secret, A Baby/Marriage Scandal: Showbiz Baby!

Author: Sharon Kendrick

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, alpha male, baby, England, fiction, Italy, Singapore, surprise pregnancy

Begun: December 26, 2012

Finished: December 27, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Kindle app on Nexus 7)

Setting: England, Italy, Singapore

Characters: Justina Perry, Dante D’Arezzo

Synopsis: Justina Perry was on top of the world five years ago: a member of a hot all-girl British pop band and dating the delectable Dante D’Arezzo. Now, she’s just another celebrant at the wedding of her friend and former band mate. It should have been an easy night of celebration but then she was confronted by Dante who she hadn’t seen since they broke up. Dante knows Justina looks better than ever and Justina can’t forget the love and lust she felt with her man. Eight months after the night of passion, Dante sees Justina on the news … looking decidedly pregnant. Is the baby his?

Review: Great quick read. There were actually two books in one for this novel. Both of them were great. Well written and very detailed characterizations. I love romance novels where I can read and actually feel heart sick for the heroine or the hero. Justina is definitely the bane of an alpha male’s existence but at the same time, the reader can see the softer side of her that is hidden (obviously) from Dante. Great read. I would definitely recommend it to others and will go in search of other Kendrick novels.

In my opinion, this book gets:

4 out of 5 stars (good book that I'd pick up again and recommend to friends)

Wild for the Sheriff (The Sisters of Bell River Ranch series #1)

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher.

Book: Wild for the Sheriff (The Sisters of Bell River Ranch series #1)

Author: Kathleen O’Brien

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, bad girl/nice boy, child abuse history, Colorado, fiction, police romance, 

Begun: December 27, 2012

Finished: December 28, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Kindle app on Nexus 7)

Setting: Bell River Ranch in Colorado

Characters: Rowena Wright, Bree Wright, Penny Wright, Johnny Wright, Moira Wright, Alec Garwood, Dallas Garwood, Bonnie, Mitch Garwood

Synopsis: Fifteen years after she left, Rowena Wright has returned to Bell River Ranch. Her family home is steeped in history and not the best kind. At a young age, Rowena came home to find her mother’s mangled body at the bottom of the staircase and her father being hauled off by the police. This on the heels on being caught with Bell River’s saint incarnate and prodigal son, Dallas Garwood, in the back of his pickup. Can Bell River handle the return of wild child Rowena? Can Sheriff Dallas?

Review: I’ve never read a book by Kathleen O’Brien but I can definitely say that I’ll pick up more by her in the future. The history and the backstory was very well crafted and the characters seemed three dimensional, almost like someone that you might know from down the street. I liked the infusing of Alec who gave humor and great counterpoint to the serious Dallas. Mitch, Dallas’s older brother, is like a grown up Alec. Mitch and Bonnie’s relationship (and Bonnie’s mysterious backstory) was very intriguing and I can’t wait to read more about her (and Mitch) in future books. I hope O’Brien doesn’t let me down.

In my opinion, this book gets:

4 out of 5 stars (good book that I'd pick up again and recommend to friends)

Dealing Her Final Card

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher.

Book: Dealing Her Final Card

Author: Jennie Lucas

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, gambling, Hawaii, romance, Russia

Begun: December 22, 2012

Finished: December 23, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Kindle app on Nexus 7)

Setting: Hawaii, Alaska, Russia

Characters: Bree Dalton, Josie Dalton, Vladimir Xendzov, Kasimir Xendzov,

Synopsis: Bree Dalton is thrown back into the life that she tried to escape. One mistake by her younger sister, Josie, and Bree finds herself gambling with a group of men to get her sister’s $100,000 back (a $100k that the sisters don’t have to begin with!). What the men gambling don’t know is that Bree’s father was a con man of the highest caliber and he taught his eldest daughter everything he knew about pulling a con, playing cards and calling bluffs. The problem? One of the men at the table knows Bree from way, way back. Prince Vladimir Xendzov was Bree’s first love and first lover. When she loses to him in a final winner takes everything game, she wonders what is going to happen to her now that Vladimir all but owned her. And what will happen to her heart now that she is his again?

Review: This was the first time I've read anything by Jennie Lucas and I think (no I know) that I wouldn't hesitate to grab another book by her. She’s a fantastic author who weaved great detail into this novel. I could really feel the depth of Bree’s love for Vladimir and her devotion to her sister (and even to the memory of her father). The ending was perfectly paced and well written. Lucas does an excellent job of setting the stage for Josie’s book (which I can’t wait to read!).

In my opinion, this book gets:

4 out of 5 stars (nearly perfect)

Baby Out of the Blue

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher.

Book: Baby Out of the Blue

Author: Rebecca Winters

Rating:  M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, baby, death, Greece, Harlequin, infertility, romance

Begun: December 21, 2012

Finished: December 22, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Kindle app on Nexus 7)

Setting: Greece

Characters: Fran Myers, Kellie Petralia, Leandros Petralia, Nik Angelis

Synopsis: Fran and her closest friend Kellie are traveling through Greece when a freak thunderstorm, complete with tornados, hits their region and they are forced to take refuge in a roadside hotel instead of traveling through to their destination (a hotel owned by Kellie’s Greek husband Leandros Petralia). The next morning as word travels through the breakfasting guest about the tornados, Fran finds a baby just lying in the shrubs next to the patio. She’s rushed to hospital and it’s discovered that she is the only surviving member of the Angelis family who were staying at the hotel that Fran and Kelly were supposed to have travelled to … twelve miles up the road. Swept up in the tornados, Demi was put down at the feet of a woman who needed some love and affection but will she be able to help the baby out when her very handsome uncle, Nik Angelis, comes to bring her home from the hospital?

Review: The plot beats you over the head with the knowledge that Fran didn’t have a child with her ex-husband and Kellie is allergic to Leandros’ sperm (which is literally spelled out for you in vivid detail – too much information – simply telling the reader that she had an allergy would have been enough but Winters goes into detail about the rash etc – TMI!!). Its like: I get it. These women are not exactly happy in their current relationship situations BUT they are so passive about it. I hope that Kellie’s book gives the woman some backbone because I came to despise her as the book went on! She gives a new meaning to the word “weak!” I think that Fran was pretty indesive and easily swayed too. One minute she doesn’t want to stay on as Demi’s nanny (or whatever) and the next she doesn’t want to leave. The girl needs a brain and needs to learn how to use it! And, truthfully, I’m usually not a fan of Rebecca Winters but this novel wasn’t half bad (much better than other novels by her that I’ve read).

In my opinion, this book gets:

2 out of 5 stars

The Professional/The Player (Men Out Of Uniform #13 & #1)

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher and NetGalley.com

Two books were combined into one double book The Professional: The Professional/The Player.

Book: The Professional (Men Out Of Uniform series #13)

Author: Rhonda Nelson

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, Georgia, military, romance, USA,

Begun: December 12, 2012

Finished: December 15, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on the Kindle app on a Nexus 7)

Setting: Georgia, USA

Characters: Jeb Anderson and Sophie O’Brien

Synopsis: Someone is stealing valuables at a very pricey and very exclusive old age community. This place is the place to retire to and someone is running around exploiting the elderly and taking valuable jewelry out of locked safes. Jeb Anderson is a retired Army Ranger whose twin brother, Judd, is also in the service and is currently stationed overseas but is on leave. Jeb has taken the job of finding out who is stealing the valuables and his first suspect is Sophie O’Brien, a vivacious and pretty massage therapist who owns her own farm and makes soaps that are sold at the retirement community. But, Sophie’s not his thief and there are dark secrets hidden in her closet. Can the two come together to find the jewel thief in a retirement community where the residents act like it’s spring break all year long?

Review: This was a very cute, quick, and well written read. I loved the backstory on both main characters and how Rhonda Nelson really pulled you in to the plot from the very beginning. Sophie’s back story kind of came to an abrupt ending which I think might have been a little more dramatic is it had been drawn out and played with a little more, but, overall, it was a good book.

  

Book: The Player (Men Out of Uniform series #1)

Author: Rhonda Nelson

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, Maine, military, romance, USA,

Begun: December 12, 2012

Finished: December 15, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on the Kindle app on a Nexus 7)

Setting: Maine, USA

Characters:  Jamie Flanagan, Audrey Kincaid

Synopsis: Jamie Flanagan owed Colonel Garrett a favor. How else would he have ended up at a “distressing” camp in Maine called Unwind? No on his own, that’s for damn sure. This tough as nails ex-US Army Ranger would rather be back on the battlefields than painting pictures and talking about his feeling. And the only thing he’s feel right now is hot for the girl he’s supposed to be guarding, Audrey Kincaid, owner and proprietress of Unwind … and Colonel Garrett’s granddaughter. A raven haired beauty, Audrey left the world of financial analysis after having a heart attack at age 26. Now she’s stuck with an emotional vampire of a boyfriend who is asking her to marry him (with the ultimatum that he will dump her if she says “no”) and a hot, hot, hot colleague of her grandfather that is having trouble getting over the death of a battle buddy. What’s a girl to do?

Review: This was another well written, great, quick read. I was kind of hoping to get Judd Anderson’s (Jeb Anderson’s twin from The Professional (the first part of this book)) story but Jamie’s story was very good also. After reading these two stories, I do plan to go out and get the rest of the books in this series.

 In my opinion, this book gets: