Twins On the Way (The Kavanagh’s of Silver Glen series #4)

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher with the knowledge that I would provide an unbiased and honest review/feedback on the work.

Book: Twins On the Way (The Kavanagh’s of Silver Glen series #4)

Author: Janice Maynard

Published Date: April 7, 2015

Rating: M (for Mature)

Bookshelves: Vegas, virgin, Italian, twins, misunderstanding, workaholic, North Carolina

Begun: April 5, 2015

Finished: April 6, 2015

Media Type: Kindle

Setting: Las Vegas, Nevada; Silver Glen, North Carolina

Characters: Cassidy Corelli, Gavin Kavanagh

Synopsis: Cassidy Corelli is caught up in a back alley in an argument when a white knight walks by and “saves” her from her attacker, never mind that it was just her brother she was fighting with. Gavin Kavanagh thinks he’s just saved a working girl or another streetwise inhabitant of Las Vegas. Little does he know that in his hotel room is the workaholic daughter of a local casino owner. Cassidy has spent her entire life trying to show her father that she’s smart enough and dedicated enough to run his very prosperous enterprise instead of her brother who her father seems to favor. She just wants one night off. Maybe in the arms of this stranger? It is Las Vegas after all.

On the tail end of a conference where he was the lead speaker, Gavin hasn’t had the time to enjoy Vegas the way he wanted to. Until, Cass comes into his life. She takes him around the city and shows him the sights that the natives know. Captivated, he asks her to return to his hotel room with him and she agrees. He’s never known a woman to turn him on the way that Cass does … until he realizes she’s a virgin.

Two months later, Cassidy tracks Gavin down at his home in Silver Glen, North Carolina. She’s been disowned by her strict Italian father and she’s destitute and homeless. Oh and did she mention … she’s pregnant. And Gavin is the father. He’s been burned in the past and falsely accused of crimes of a sexual manner. Can he trust Cass? Could the baby really be his?

Review: I really liked this book. The characters were lively and lovable. This was no a cookie cutter “virgin-deflowering-pregnancy” Harlequin either. The characters were fully formed and very 3D, which is not like most of the novels out there where it’s clear that the characters were plugged into a formula they know works and it goes from there. I thought that the Kavanagh family was likable enough that I am going to look for the other three books in this series.

In my opinion, this book gets:

A Millionaire for Cinderella (In Love With the Boss #1)

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher with the knowledge that I would provide an unbiased and honest review/feedback on the work.

Book: A Millionaire for Cinderella (In Love With the Boss series #1)

Author: Barbara Wallace

Published Date: June 2, 2015

Rating: M (for Mature)

Bookshelves: Boston, old money, former stripper, housekeeper, lawyer/attorney, secrets, raising a sibling,

Begun: March 19, 2015

Finished: March 20, 2015

Media Type: Kindle

Setting: Boston, Massachusetts (Back Bay – think old money brownstones)

Characters: Stuart Duchenko, Patience Rush, Ana Duchenko, Piper Rush, Nigel (the cat)

Synopsis: Patience is beside herself. This morning, she found her employer, old-oil-moneyed Ana Duchenko, unconscious and in a heap at the bottom of a flight of stairs. As her housekeeper, Patience knows that Nigel the cat must have tripped up the elderly woman but that doesn't make her feel any better as she has to accompany the woman to the hospital. Patience loves Ana, who gave her a second chance at making a reputable life for herself in Boston. Her salary makes it possible for her to put her younger sister, Piper, through a prestigious culinary school in Paris. And Patience will never have to go back to … well, she’s got a good job now. If only Ana will be alright.

Straight from the airport, in rushes a whirlwind of dark hair and … presence. Asking for the old woman, Patience knows this must be her well-lauded grand-nephew, Stuart Duchenko. She thought he’d be … a Stuart; he was an attorney after all. This strikingly handsome man is not who she pictured. He’s suspicious of her and she’s got herself a little bit of an attitude to boot. Can these two come together to help out Ana? And each other?

Review: I loved that the setting was Boston as I am a Bostonian. Wallace must know the area because I almost could envision the places she was describing down to street corners etc. The characters were well written and dynamic. You cared about them and the problems they were having. I’m enthralled enough with the writing and the characters that I plan to purchase the second book in this series (Beauty and Her Billionaire Boss) which is Piper’s story. 

I really liked that (even though the plot bounced back and forth between Stuart and Patience) that Patience was more represented in the dialogue/point of view. And Stuart, while having all the hallmarks thereof, wasn't the typical uber-alpha male. He listened to Patience, took her word for things, and didn't boss her around. He was the perfect combination of domineering and … well, patient.

In my opinion, this book gets:

The SEAL’s Miracle Baby

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher with the knowledge that I would provide an unbiased and honest review/feedback on the work.

Book: The SEAL’s Miracle Baby

Author: Laurie Marie Altom

Published Date: June 2, 2015

Rating: M (for Mature)

Bookshelves: extreme weather, tornado, found baby, infertility, SEALs, Oklahoma, cowboy

Begun: March 17, 2015

Finished: March 19, 2015

Media Type: Kindle

Setting: Oklahoma

Characters: Jessie Long, Grady Matthews

Synopsis: Grady Matthews is on leave from the Navy. As a SEAL, he’s seen some things in his life but never the kind of devastation that he’s seeing in his hometown. After a catastrophic tornado ripped through the town, Grady comes home to find his family displaced and living with old friends, The Longs. Only problem? Their daughter, Jessie. The girl who stole his heart as a teenager and then stomped it to pieces. She was the reason he took off for the Navy.

Jessie can’t believe that Grady is back. And living in her house while helping to clean the town. Trapped in her elementary school for a few hours before being rescued, Jessie returns to her parents’ house when she discovers that her apartment, too, has been destroyed. Being so close to Grady is hard but it’s about to be harder.

Mayor Long is also a foster mother and has agreed to take in a baby that was found in a field after the tornado. Helping to clean and rebuild her town, Mayor Long passes “Angel” (the baby – as named by Grady) to Jessie and Grady to watch while she is working hard. But watching the baby causes emotions to resurface and the truth behind Jessie’s breakup with Grady is revealed.

Review: Altom did a fantastic job of creating characters that you really become vested in. Neither one of them is whiney or shallow and you want to care about both of them and see their problems resolve. Not all Harlequin novels are as deep as this one and I’m glad I came across it. It is both well plotted out and well written. Emotions swell with the characters and plot line. I found myself almost crying a few times (and I’m not a crier!). The ending was just perfect.

I definitely will be looking for more by this author whom I had never heard of before reading this book.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Triple The Fun (Kings of California series)

This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher with the knowledge that I would provide an unbiased and honest review/feedback on the work.

Book: Triple the Fun (Kings of California series - Book #16)

Author: Maureen Child

Publish Date: May 5, 2015

Rating: M (for Mature)

Bookshelves: California, multiple babies, dead parents, hidden baby/ies, alpha male

Begun: April 6, 2015

Finished: April 7, 2015

Media Type: Kindle

Setting: California

Characters: Connor King, Dina Cortez, Colton King, Sadie King, Sage King, Sam King, Jackie Francis (deceased), Elena Cortez (deceased)

Synopsis: Upon the death of her older sister, Elena, and her wife, Jackie, Dina Cortez became the proud auntie/mama of a set of triplets (Sadie (girl), Sam (boy), and Sage (boy)). She was under the impression that the triplets father was out of the picture because he wanted to be. After all, the couple had gotten pregnant via fertilization so they must have struck a bargain with Jackie’s best friend, Connor, when he donated the sperm right?

Wrong. Connor King had no idea that he was a father. And he doesn't discover this until Dina sues him for child support for the triplets. Connor hadn't spoken to Jackie in quiet a long time. The couple had asked him for a sperm donation but had told him after the first implantation that it hadn't worked. Then they disappeared. He can’t understand how they could have lied to him but now that he know about his babies, he will be a part of their lives. And if that means Dina will be a part of his … so be it.

Review: The plot of this novel was over used and not thought out well. It seems to be the send in a series of books about two twin brothers. The first brother (in the first book (Double The Trouble) - it has to be assumed) finds out that he has fathered twins with an estranged wife. Lo and behold, in the second book, the other twin has sired triplets that he doesn't know about.

I couldn't get into this book. I couldn't care any less for the female and male leads. It was terrible! It’s trite and boring and the characters were so flat and boring. I had no real emotions for them. I liked the cover art and I was really hoping to like the plot etc.

In my opinion, this book gets:

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)

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

Quick Review: Two Little Miracles

Two Little Miracles by Caroline Anderson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Two Little Miracles by Caroline Anderson is a typical Harlequin Romance. The husband is overbearing and all he wants to do is work (granted in Caroline Anderson's book Max does work with his wife, Julia (she's his PA) but still all he does is work). We are kind of thrown into the story when Julia is insisting that Max stop being the work-a-holic he apparently is and start being a husband. She wants to relax more and not worry about which port of call they will be jetting away to so that this or that business deal won't fall through.

Then the books skips ahead ... a most a year. Julia has moved out to the country while Max stayed in London (England). ANNNNDDDD ... she's had twins ... Max's babies. Max hires a PI to find Julia (he's convinced she is dead and is griefstricken over it) and the PI hands him a picture of Ava and Libby with Julia (the girls look JUST like him at that age so he knows they are his).

He attempts to reconcile with Julia but she knows he'll just be back to his old ways ... blah-ditty-blah-da-blah. It's the same story over and over again ... misunderstandings here ... she says the wrong thing and regrets it ... they make up ... they have sex ... he does something wrong. She kicks him out.

Ultimately there is a happy ending but I think I am getting sick of reading this story line over and over again!

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Quick Review: His Mistletoe Bride

His Mistletoe Bride by Cara Colter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Again ... another one of Cara Colter's that was just so so. Maybe I should lay off the romance novels for a while because I am bored, bored, bored silly with these lately.

Granted, I had a few moments of misty eye-ness (yes that's a word. As I tell my students: "I'm an English teacher. If I say it's a word, it's a word. Even if I just made it up!"

Brody and Lila both have had heart ache in the past. Brody lost his brother and, the one tie he still has to his brother, his dog Boo is dying of cancer. Lila was scared by an incident which happened in Miami and forced her to take off for Snow Mountain Washington. There, she opens Miss L. Toe's Christmas Shop and begins writing a book on how to have the perfect Christmas.

But Snow Mountain is canceling Christmas this year, or at least the Christmas festivities and Lila is bound and determined that the spirit of the season WILL live on. And in the process, she gets arrest for protesting ... by Brody.

It gets better. But not by much. Three stars ... solid three stars.

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Quick Review: Rescued in a Wedding Dress

Rescued in a Wedding Dress by Cara Colter

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I usually like Cara Colter but this one ... this was not so good. I found myself skipping paragraphs (and, hell, whole pages) to find something that was interesting.

Not up to Colter's usual standards. I give this book 1.5 stars!

Plot: Molly has been hurt in the past by Chuck, her ex-fiancé, who stole all her money and left her to hang out on the beaches of Costa Rica. Houston is a battle won man who grew up in the slums of New York about the make the same mistakes as his bank robbing father, until a judge stepped in and took him into her life. Now, he's a prominent businessman who has shown up at Molly's workplace, Second Chances in New York City, and he's cutting the budget on all of Molly's causes. Molly has two weeks to show him the heart of Second Chances before he cuts it all. And as she does, she starts to uncover Houston's heart.

Like I said, Colter's good but this book just wasn't ... great. No umph. No sass. No real recommendations to read this book.

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Quick Review: The Greek's Bridal Bargain

The Greek's Bridal Bargain by Melanie Milburne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A man from Bryony's past has popped into her life again, after 10 years. Kane was the bastard son of the Greek housekeeper who intrigued and confused Bryony, even as a teenager.

Ten years later, he's back and has informed her that he will be marrying her in a week or her parents will be headed to jail. He's going to get her dad out of his enormous debts and take possession of his bride.

Bryony thinks Kane ruthless and cold hearted as she believes him to be exacting his revenge for being kicked off the family estate ten years ago. But looks can be deceiving and Kane has ulterior motives.

Great read (as always) from Melanie Milburne. Quick read that kept me interested from the start!

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Quick Review: In Her Boss's Special Care

In Her Boss's Special Care (Medical Romance) by Melanie Milburne

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not a huge fan of medical romances but I like this author ... so I thought I would give it a try ... yeah ... still don't like the medical romances!

Allegra (yeah like the allergy drug!)'s new boss is Joel Addison who doesn't like her work with touch (and other sensory therapy) in coma patients.

Joel's got hidden issues of his own (what romance novel hunk doesn't?) but he's seriously attracted to Allegra.

The pair have just received two new patients in their trauma unit. A mother and her son (seven y.o.) with drugs in their system who had driven off an embankment into a body of water. It's suspicious in the least.

Joel and Allegra work both against and with each other to help their patients as they slowly fall for each other.

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The Playboy Sheikh's Virgin Stable-Girl (The Royal House of Karedes, #2)

The Playboy Sheikh's Virgin Stable-Girl by Sharon Kendrick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

World renowned as a playboy, a womanizer, and a bed hoper, Prince Kaliq Al'Faris of Calistan has everything. He's got women. He's not the king but he can reap all the benefits of being in the royal line. He's got his beautiful home. He's got his horses and his polo. He's got everything.

Until the day that he rides into a small village across the desert from his royal home. There he gambles with a local who owns one of the finest horses in all the world.

Raised from a foal, Eleni loves her horses and the horse the prince has just won in a game of poker the most. When he comes to the stables to claim his prize, Eleni insists that the horse will turn into an ill-tempered brute if he leaves her side, thus convincing Kaliq that Eleni too must be brought to the palace.

But soon, her lithe body and gorgeous "true Calistan" eyes of pure jade green turn Kaliq's fancy and he quicky becomes obsessed with the beauty of the young girl. After bedding her the first time, he makes sure she knows that this isn't love ...

but Eleni is already gone. She can't help it. She can see beneath the prince's harsh exterior. And what's a girl in love to do.

Sharon Kendrick's The Playboy Sheikh's Virgin Stable-Girl has a truly tacky name. But that can't be helped. It's an ok book. I don't find much fault in it. I can't. It enhances the story line of the diamonds and keeps things moving. A good beach book.

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Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress (Royal House of Karades series #1)

Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress by Sandra Marton


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sandra Marton's beginning to the Royal House of Karades series is a alright one. Not perfect but alright.

Sandra Marton does a great job of setting up the history of the two feuding royal houses which live on neighboring islands in the Mediterranean and were both once ruled under one royal monarch. Then, because of a fight between the children of the dying monarch in the mid-1900s, the Royal House was split and the Royal jewels with them.

Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress is the story of jewelry maker Maria Santos (who I swear was the name of a character on All My Children in the mid-90s) who comes to Aristo to design and make the centerpiece item that will be presented to the queen on her 60th birthday.

After presenting her ideas to the crown, she walks around the city and meets the most beguiling stranger she's ever met. After a world wind wine and dine, she and the man hook up. But he overhears her speaking with her assistant, Joaquim, back in NYC, and he misunderstands some of her words and intension, thinking that she knew him to be a prince of Aristo and that she was bedding him to get a leg up in the competition.

Not so. But the crown passes her over for another designer ...

Until the queen changes her mind and wants Maria back and sends Prince Alexandros to collect her. In collecting her, he demands her presence in Aristos and in his bed. Angry beyond belief, Maria goes because her career demands it.

But slowly, she's falling for the arrogant and bushy oaf. And then, she realizes that she's pregnant. How will the Royal family and Prince Alexandros react to this news?

Like I said. It's a good first book. But I hope the rest of the series is better.

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Her Royal Wedding Wish

Her Royal Wedding Wish by Cara Colter


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Princess Shoshauna (I only know how to pronounce this because this is Jerry Seinfeld's wife's name) is getting married today.

Jake Ronan hates weddings. But as the best of the best in his military special ops team, Ronan is scheduled to look after the Princess during her ceremony in the fictitious country of B'Ranasha.

Problem is ... the Princess really doesn't want to get married. She wants to cut her hair, wear shorts and cook all by herself. Pampered all her life, Shoshauna just wants to be like every other twenty-one year old (which ironically, every twenty-one year old is looking to be someone's princess, right?).

When a gunman storms the wedding and fires a few shots, Ronan leaps into action (literally) and takes off with the Princess to a secluded island where she will be safe until they find out who the person or people are behind the plot.

This is a tale of awakening and discovery. Shoshauna discovers what it's like to be normal. She cuts her hair, gets a bikini and a sunburn and, the one thing she's always dreamed of, a friend.

Ronan is in hell. Shoshauna is trying her hardest to be his friend and all he can think of doing is pulling the raven haired beauty down into the sands of the tropical island getaway and kissing her senseless. But she has be kept safe at all costs ... even if that's at the cost of Ronan's heart.

Great read. Very quick and well written even for a Harlequin Romance. I am a fan of Cara Colter so the fact that I really liked this book didn't come as that big of a surprise!

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Nutcracker Prince

Nutcracker Prince by Rebecca Winters


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Oh Rebecca Winters. *sigh* you lost me as a fan a couple of books before. Her novels are so formulaic that I tend to pick them up, read the back and go "oh, this is just like (insert the name of any of her books here). I doubt that I will find myself returning to read anything new of hers in the future unless my library is seriously lacking in new reading material!

Meg was just a seventeen year old girl the first time she went to Russia and was hauled into KGB custody because she gave a Russian national a pair of her sunglasses not knowing that it was considered a crime. That's where she met Konstantine, a KGB agent who took personal interest in the girl.

It wasn't until she returned to Russia six years later as a twenty-three year old that she saw him again. Meg lost her heart to the dark haired stranger. But it wasn't until she returned stateside that she realized she was carrying his child.

Now a single mother, Meg is flummoxed when Kon pops back into her and her daughter's life stating that he is going to marry Meg and start a good old fashioned American family with dogs and a white picket fence.

Meg hardly believes that Kon, the man who rose so fast in the rankings of the KGB, would have defected from his beloved motherland of Russia and turned traitor against the government. Even when her Senator calls Meg personally to insure her of Kon's genuine "American-ness," she still fells that he's only here to take their daughter and flee back to Russia.

Rebecca Winters doesn't do a very good job of instilling any emotion into her writing. The characters are very flat and come off as condescending at points. When Kon finally gets Meg to marry him for their daughter's sake, he still remains emotionally distant even when Meg takes the time to try to get him to open up to her. And then he runs away ... three weeks pass and he just appears back at the house (Meg has been beside herself all this time with longing and love for the man that she could hardly stand until he took off) with his long lost mother who doesn't speak a word of English but instantly loves her granddaughter.

Really, Rebecca Winters, you need to take some time to build the emotion, build the characters, hell ... build the plot. Until then ... I'm giving up on you.

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Three Little Miracles

Tiga Mukjizat Kecil by Rebecca Winters


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A good read. I finished it during a snow day so it took me maybe 2 ... 2 and 1/2 hours tops to read it. Yes, it's in English, and no I haven't learned a new language just to read trashy romance novels.

This is pure romance. No sex. It's good but got annoyingly sappy at parts.

Tracey wakes up in a rehabilitation hospital with no recollection of why she is there. Turns out, she's been in an accident and has sustained head injuries. All this comes back to her when she hears her "husband"'s voice. But ... wait .. husband?

Oh yeah. Julien. The love of her life since she was 8. Why is he still her husband. She very vividly remembers filing divorce papers ... if it weren't for the babies she wouldn't ... wait ... babies?

Try triplets.

Like I said it gets sappy and slow. I would only recommend this book if you like romances, you need something to read on a slow day or if you are going to the beach for a while.

other than that ... don't bother.

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Book: The Billionaire Boss's Secretary Bride

The Billionaire Boss's Secretary Bride by Helen Brooks

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I picked this up as something to read when all my holds at the library hadn't come in yet. I've never actually read a Harlequin book before.

And to tell you the truth now I know why.

The plot was long and drawn out to the point of annoyance. In any other format someone would have taken the two main characters and either hit them before being so stupid or shoved them in a locked broom closet together and thrown a box of rubbers at them with the message to "just get it on already."

Not a big fan.

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