Help Wanted (Fantasy Heights series #1)

This book was free on Amazon.com here as of the publish date of this blog.

Book: Help Wanted (Fantasy Heights series #1)

Author: Meg Silver

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

Bookshelves: 2013, burlesque, erotica, Fantasy Heights series, fiction, left at the altar, Meg Silver, USA

Begun: January 2, 2013

Finished: January 2, 2013

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

Setting: undisclosed location (assumed USA)

Characters: Amanda, Stephanie Watson

Synopsis: Amanda is a woman looking to change her life. Looking for a new life has preoccupied Amanda’s life after her fiancé left her for her barely legal sister … at the altar. In a random little store, Amanda sees a postcard for a business looking for new employees, Fantasy Heights. After the owner of the store calls Stephanie Watson, the owner of Fantasy Heights, Amanda is sent up to the resort on the hill for an interview … a naked interview …

Review: A good, quick read which was very sassy and intriguing at points. I am interested in the character development of Amanda and the man she encounters in her first night of working at Fantasy Heights (and works with for a couple of weeks). The characters were not exactly flat but I think that if the story were longer that we (the readers) would get a better feel for the rounded-ness of each person instead what we do get which is interesting but not intriguing. I look forward to reading The New Girl, the second book in the Fantasy Heights series.

In my opinion, this book gets:

good book that I would recommend to other people

Connections

This book was free on Amazon.com here as of the publish date of this blog.

Book: Connections

Author: Selena Kitt

Rating: M (for mature audiences – sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2013, fiction, lies, Kindle, Michigan, mommy issues, romance, USA,

Begun: January 1, 2013

Finished: January 1, 2013

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

Setting: Michigan (USA)

Characters: Seth, Cathy

Synopsis: Cathy collects phone books and likes to randomly call phone numbers. This is her day to day life, calling strangers and listening to Bob Dylan with her fish. One day, she happens upon Seth, a college student who mistook Cathy for another Cathy he knew. They talk every day and develop a strange friendship.

Review: This was the strangest short story I’ve read in a long, long time. I couldn’t say that I liked Cathy. She was weird and very needy. She clearly had issues other than the mommy issues she expressed a couple of times. When she finally physically meets Seth (who we really don’t get to know all too well) whom she’s been talking to on the phone for a while, she jumps right into bed with him. That’s a classic response for a person with issues. I can’t say I liked this book or would recommend it to anyone else.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Not a good read and would not recommend it to someone else

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:

Five Days Grace (The McRae's series #4)

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

Book: Five Days Grace (The McRae’s series #4)

Author: Teresa Hill

Rating: M (mature reading audiences)

Bookshelves: 2012, Afghanistan, fiction, infidelity, Ohio, mistaken identity, romance, USA, war veteran, wounded warrior,

Begun: September 28, 2012

Finished: October 2, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Bluefire app on iPhone)

Setting: Ohio

Characters: Aidan Shaw, Grace McRae

Synopsis: Grace is escaping the memory of her husband. She was supposed to be headed to visit her in laws for the first time since her husband’s death months prior but she just couldn't bring herself to show up. And not because she was devastated over his death. She loved her husband, but the fool had been cheating on her with someone from the University at which he taught. Grace decided to high tail it to the McRae’s family cabin on a remote lake. But when she gets there, she has to deal with an intruder.

All wounded Naval Intelligence Officer Aidan Shaw wanted was a quiet place to convalesce after his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan and all his crew killed. Mentally and emotionally scared, Aidan is instructed by his commanding officer to lay low while he recuperates because there is also someone after him.

In walks Grace to the secluded cabin and scares the pant of Aidan who draws a weapon on her until he realizes that he is the little sister of the friend who loaned him the cabin. What will happen with these two strong personalities in the same cabin for a weekend?

Review: I was hoping for a miracle with this book. I really, really wanted to like it. But, unfortunately, the story line, plot, and characters all fell flat for me. Everything felt one dimensional and didn't even come close to pulling me in. I, even, put the book down for about a week and came back and read it because I knew I just had to finish it. But it was painful! Even one of the more exciting parts of the plot (the fact that Aidan is in hiding because there is someone after him) crumbled when Aidan’s commanding officer just says something like … oh, don’t worry. We figured out it was a kid. You can come back now.

I don’t know that I would recommend this book to anyone else to read.  

In my opinion, this book gets:

2 out of 5 stars.

The Stranger (Just One Night series #1)

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

Book: The Stranger (Just One Night series #1)

Author: Kyra Davis

Rating: X (explicit sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2012, ARC, California, cheating, erotica, fiction, Las Vegas, romance

Begun: December 18, 2012

Finished: December 18, 2012

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

Setting: Las Vegas, Nevada and California

Characters: Kasie Fitzgerald

Synopsis: Kasie is about to enter into a boring, bland, and vanilla marriage with a man who hasn’t even asked her to marry him yet. But, he’s discussed the feasibility of finding the perfect diamond for the perfect girlfriend who will, undoubtedly, make him the perfect wife, too. But the problem is Kasie has been dragged off to Vegas but her adventurous friend who wants her to go out and flirt with men and drink with a stranger. Until she starts playing the tables and a gorgeous hunk of a man invites her back up to his room. How can she say “no?” When she gets back to California, what will happen when she finds out her mystery man is a new client at her firm?

Review: I’m not a huge fan of “cheating” stories, even when the cheating is justified away. Kasie is so wishy washy. I completely forgot that her name was something as different as Kasie. Kasie’s should be exciting and vibrant but this Kasie was just as vanilla as her horrible sounding boyfriend. And she can never make up her mind. Sometimes I found myself flipping back in the pages because I felt like I missed something. Details that seemed like they would be important were glossed over and forgotten.

Davis’s writing was good but not extraordinary. And the novella just seemed to … end. There was really no good conclusion and instead of it seeming like a cliff hanger, it was more like a door slamming in your face.

I’m not sure if I would read a second book in this series if I didn’t get it for free or from the library.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Just ... ok.

Roman and Juliet (The Aerie Doms series #4)

Book: Roman and Juliet (The Aerie Doms series #4)

Author: Christina Thacher

Rating: X (explicit sex)

Bookshelves: 2012,Colorado, Denver, erotica, fiction, romance, USA

Begun: December 17, 2012

Finished: December 17, 2012

Media Type: eBook on Kindle app (read on Nexus 7) - FREE ON AMAZON AS OF DATE THIS BLOG WAS PUBLISHED

Setting: Denver, Colorado

Characters: Juliet Howard, Roman Grainger, Xavier Greer,

Synopsis: Juliet is a submissive whom most dominants won't touch because she looks very frail and fragile with white/silver blonde hair and huge doe eyes. Juliet likes it rough though and is saddened by the few men who given her a second look at The Aerie (a BDSM club in Denver, Colorado). Until, that is, the sexiest cowboy she's ever seen steps out of her fantasies and walks into the club. Can Roman and Juliet make a connection?

Review: This was a good novella. Took about an hour to read and was very enjoyable since it was the fourth book in a series. You don’t feel like you are missing anything not having read other books in this series. The characters were dynamic and well rounded. Thacher is a quality writer. My only complain is that of the “book,” only about ½ of the book was the novella and the other ½ were the first chapters of her other three books in the Aerie Doms series. Granted, this wasn't so bad since they were all pretty good reads and enticed me to look up the other books. I just felt tricked that I would be reading more than what I had in front of me.

In my opinion, this book gets:

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

A Wizard For Christmas (A Protector Series novella)

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

Book: A Wizard for Christmas (part of the Protector series)

Author: DorothyMcFalls

Rating: PG (slight violence - a creature attacks a woman and there a couple dead bodies but they aren't described in detail - just that they are dead)

Bookshelves: 2012, Chicago, fantasy, fiction, paranormal romance, romance, USA, wizard

Begun: December 6, 2012

Finished: December 7, 2012

Media Type: ebook (read on Kindle)

Setting: present day Chicago, Illinois (USA)

Characters: Holly, Hadrian

Synopsis: Holly was an orphan who grew up to be a loner. When her friends ask her about her Christmas plans, Holly lies and says that she’s going to her family’s home where all sorts of fun things happen (like a cousin who keeps the memory of her dead “uncle” Burl Ives alive by singing Christmas songs to the family). But a strange … stranger keeps popping up in her neighborhood. Hadrian is a Protector and knows that Holly is not what she thinks she is. She’s really a wizard, or, as they call themselves, a Protector. And Hadrian knows that to defeat the big baddie on the lose killing innocent mortal Chicagoans Holly will have to learn the truth and start to trust someone other than herself.

Review: I was not a huge fan of this novella. In the beginning of the novel, I found Holly to be a dynamic character and that her interactions with the mysterious Hadrian were intriguing. But, the author fell flat creating a completely three dimensional world with Hadrian and Holly at the center.  Very quickly, Holly became the kind of heroine that I despise: insular; never listening to anyone else (especially those with more experience that can help her); and one that runs away from problems (both real life and perceived problems). She spends more than 3/4^th of the books hating Hadrian and running from him and then in the last few pages (when the ultimate confrontation occurs), she totally flips her stance on the matter. Magic played a very, very small role in the novella and was discussed only as a cursory item (which is strange since the title is A Wizard for Christmas).

In my opinion, this book gets:

3 out of 5 stars (fair - could be better/could be worse)

Virgin River (Virgin River series #1)

Book: Virgin River (Virgin River series #1)

Author: Robyn Carr

Rating: M for mature (no explicit sexual scenes - well within the realm of romance literature)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, California, Virgin River Series, Robyn Carr, romance, alpha male, widow/widower, USA, Marines

Begun: August 31, 2012

Finished: September 4, 2012

Media Type: Book (library copy)

Setting: Virgin River, California (USA)

Characters: Melinda “Mel” Monroe, Jack Sheridan, John “Preacher” Middleton, Doc, Ricky, Cheryl Creighton

Review:  Virgin River is the first book in a long (we’re talking 20 books as of September 2012) series. As a reader of this series, you can tell you’re going to get to know the ENTIRE town … and that’s not a bad thing.

Melinda “Mel” Monroe is fleeing Los Angeles, months after the death of her husband, a former ER surgeon who was shot and killed in a robbery at a convenience store that he just happened to walk into. Mel is emotionally battered and devastated but after talking to Mrs. McCrea of Virgin River, California, she’s hoping that she can detox from all the adrenaline she has been mainlining as a physician’s assistant working in maternity in the same hospital as her husband.

Mel needs this change of locations and jobs but her older sister, Joey, thinks that the same town of a little over 600 is crazy. When Mel pulls into Virgin River and sees her “accommodations” for the next year, she baulks and decided that maybe living with Joey in Colorado for a while is a good idea.

The Virgin River in Zion National Park

Mel had been lured to Virgin River with the promise of a quaint cabin as lodging and a Doctor who desperately needed (and wanted her help). Problem is … the cabin is falling apart, the Doc doesn’t want any city girl following her around and Mel’s Cole Haan boots are already starting to scuff. Is there any way this fancy highlight having, Prada wearing, BMW driving girl could stay in Virgin River where the deer outnumber the population?

Mel doesn’t think so, at least until she stops into the only bar and grille in Virgin River and finds a bright spot, fantastic food served up by … well, one of the hottest men Mel has seen in years. Rugged and just a bit … older, former Marine Jack Sheridan came to Virgin River to start over and settle down to a life of peace and quiet. Then, this hot little number with bouncy blonde hair with a behind in a pair of jeans that should be illegal walks into his bar … oh boy. Jack doesn’t know who she is but he really wants her to stick around.

On her way out of town, Mel is suddenly needed. Someone has abandoned a baby on the front porch of Doc’s clinic. No way is Mel going to let a newborn baby stay with that crotchety old man. She’s just stay in Virgin River until Child Protective Services can be contacted … just till then …

Personal Review: This was a fantastic start to the Virgin River Series. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the vivid portrait that Robyn Carr drew of all her characters (and not just the “main” ones). You get a real sense that you know everyone with the depth and detail that she uses in her writing. I found myself looking at the summaries on the backs of the coming novels to see who else I get to meet and wondering about the other back stories that I’m getting woven in. (I really can’t wait to find out more about Ricky and how his life turns out.)

Overall, a fantastic read. I would recommend it to all romance readers that they give the Virgin River series a try!

Recommended by:  VictoriaMichaels

Recommend to:  Jennifer Crusie fans, Nora Roberts fans, romance genre fans

In my opinion, this book gets

4 out of 5 stars (almost perfect)

Second Sight Dating by Marianne Stephens

As of August 30, 2012, this book is currently free on Amazon.com (to be downloaded onto the free Kindle Cloud Reader which you can downloaded (for free) onto your laptop, desktop, or Kindle). Click here for the link. 

Book: Second Sight Dating

Author: Marianne Stephens

Rating: M for Mature Audiences (typical romance but "scenes" are not explicit)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, romance, psychic, USA, police, dating

Begun: August 29, 2012

Finished: August 30, 2012

Media Type: Kindle Book (on Kindle Cloud on laptop)

Setting: Never stated (assumed to be Wichita, Kansas as it is referenced twice)

Characters: Serena Xavier, Anthony Xavier, Gino Conti, Dan Reese/Carrington

Plot: Serena runs a psychic dating agency. She matches up men (whom she gets number readings from) with potential women (with whom she sees letters for). Dan Reese Carrington is a police officer who has been roped into posing as a potential client for Serena’s agency after the mayor’s daughter is solicited after a date.

The police now want to get to the bottom of it and Serena is their primary suspect. They think she is a kind of psychic madam.

Serena’s legit but the feels she’s having for her new client are less than professional. How can a man this handsome be dateless? How can a guy with this much chemistry blow off all his dates? How can Serena protect herself and her business from someone she knows she is falling for?

Personal Review: Serena seems to me to be a “weak” female character. I would have liked to see a little bit more backbone from her and a lot more character development from the author.

In both main characters’ cases, you get an inkling of their histories: Dan has an ex-wife who he kind of love but they divorced and Serena has an ex-boyfriend, named Alan, that is often referred to but only give one page in the entire book. Stephens could have garnered more sympathy for Serena and the position she lands in by the end of the novel by playing up both of the “failed” relationships. 

I could easily have put this book down and walked away from it (never to pick it up again). I would suggest the author go back and flush out the characters a little more, add some depth, and she might just have a decent novel on her hands.

In my opinion, this book gets 3 out of 5 stars.

Bloodsucking Fiend (A Love Story series #1) by Christopher Moore

Book: Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love Story series #1)

Author: Christopher Moore

Bookshelves: 2011, comedy, fiction, San Francisco, romance, vampires

Begun: August 8, 2011

Finished: August 10, 2011

Media Type: book on CD (copied onto iPod Touch) (library copy)

Setting: San Francisco, California, USA

Characters: Jody Stroud, C. Thomas Flood, The Emperor of San Francisco, Bummer (a dog), Lazarus (a dog) and the Animals (a group of Tommy’s coworkers at the Safeway)

Review: I picked up Bloodsucking Fiends after finishing Lamb (The Gospel According to Biff: Christ’s Childhood Pal), which was hilarious, incidentally. I do have a soft spot for vampires and paranormal romance in general. Throw in comedy … and I’m totally sold on it!!!

Poor Jody Stroud. Walking home for work, late one night in San Francisco, she is jumped by some random person who then decided to kill her. Low and behold, Jody wakes up the next day UNDER a dumpster with a blackened and burnt arm. Going back to her boyfriend’s apartment, she gets into a huge fight with him. She’s been missing for an entire day and the bf is pissed at her for that! After cracking his head with a plant pot, Jody starts to lick at the blood … and that’s when it hits her.

Jody’s a vampire.

Time for some help. After checking into a motel for the night … errr … day … Jody goes out to find a “minion” to help her during the day and rent her an apartment (since she broke up with her boyfriend and decided to move out). That’s when she runs into C. Thomas Flood, otherwise known as Tommy, an aspiring writer from Incontinence, Indiana who just came to San Francisco to get some life experience and brood a bit.

Tommy’s car gave out in the middle of the street just as he was pulling into San Francisco and now he’s living with 5 Chinese guys in a boarding house. Flowers show up every morning and Tommy has no idea who they are from but someone has taken a fancy to him.

After getting a job as the head stocker at the Safeway, Tommy meets his stocking crew known as the Animals. Half insane and mostly pharmaceutical-ed up or drunk, the Animals take an instant liking to Tommy (one of them even going so far as to help Tommy figure out who is leaving the flowers at the boarding house – the five Chinese men were smuggled over to the US in a Chinese steamer and found out that if you marry an American, you can stay in America legally. And then, they learned that in San Francisco, men got together with men. So their next logical thought was that Tommy should be their bride … all FIVE OF THEM!!!).

Needless to say, when Tommy first meets the gorgeous red-headed Jody, he falls in lust with her and decides right away that he will help her out. I mean who doesn’t love an older woman (that part kind of weirded me out a little. Jody is 26 and Tommy is 19 … yeah five years isn’t that big of a deal … but Tommy’s still technically a teenager – whatever).

It’s a great book that mixes humor, mythology, crime, and romance into one. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, You Suck.

Awards: none

Recommended by: Milli

Recommend to: anyone who likes vampires, comedy, romance, crime or San Francisco

Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet #4)

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Happy Ever After is Nora Roberts's fourth book in the Bride Quartet. It ties the remaining pieces of the quartet together (which also included Vision in White, Bed of Roses, and Savor the Moment).

Parker Brown, of the Connecticut Browns, has always known her place in life. She's the brains. She's the planner. She's the do-er. Many people would call her a robot. She knows she's just efficient.

Then in walks Malcolm Kavanaugh. Green eyes and black hair, Mal is laid back and enjoys to go with the flow, when he's not jumping off buildings in a single bound. The former stunt man owns his own auto shop now and is beginning to set down roots.

When the two personalities collide sparks fly (and a little bit of fur). But what happens when Parker let's her walls down and Mal into her heart? Can the practical learn to be emotional?

View all my reviews

The Three Fates

Book: The Three Fates

Author: Nora Roberts

Bookshelves: 2011, fiction, Ireland, Nora Roberts, NYC, Prague, romance, USA

Begun: March 16, 2011

Finished: March 22, 2011

Media Type: audiobook (downloaded from library online catalog and listened to on iPod Touch)

Setting: Ireland, New York City (USA), Prague (Budapest)

Characters: Malachi Sullican, Dr. Tia Marsh, Gideon Sullivan, Cleopatra “Cleo” Toliver, Rebecca “Becca” Sullivan, Jack Burdett, Anita Gay

Review: The Three Fates is another one of Nora Roberts triumphs. The plot revolves around three siblings (Irish siblings of course, as Ms. Roberts loves her some Ireland!) who are all descendants of a thief. Not just any thief. This thief stole a small silver statue off the Lusitania just as it was sinking (during WWI in 1918) off the coast of Ireland. The thief/grandfather was saved by Irish fisherman (as many of the survivors of the Lusitania were) and nursed back to health by a local family. Eventually, he fell in love with the daughter of the family, married her, and stayed in Ireland.

Now, Malachi, Gideon, and Rebecca Sullivan are determined to bring home the Three Fates (the name for the three sister statues - one was which was "stolen" by their grandfather). But they don't want the riches or to sell them, they are doing it for family honor.

Malachi is the first to set off in search of the Three Fates when he goes looking for Dr. Tia Marsh, an expert in Greek mythology. He believes that Dr. Marsh will be able to help him recover the fate that Malachi lost to a ruthless and unscrupulous antiques dealer named Anita Gay.

Following in his big brother's footsteps, Gideon heads off to Prague to run down another lead for the second fate where he comes across exotic dancer Cloe Toliver. Toliver's family was reputed to have the second fate and Gideon wants some information from the brash brunette who seems to have the street credit to back up her fire and ice attitude.

Sick of waiting at home in their coast town in Ireland, Rebecca (Becca) wants to travel the world like her brothers have been. Her chance comes when one of the ruthless Anita Gay's acquaintances comes to look for her. It turns out that Jack Burdett loves to collect antiques (even though he owns one of the most high tech security companies in the world) and that he hates being used by people (which is what Anita Gay was doing - milking him for any information he might have on Tia Marsh or the Three Fates). Well, wouldn't you know it? Burdett actually knows more than he thought he did about the Fates.

So from three unlikely sources comes the information to solve the puzzle on the Three Fates. Sprinkle love, humor, intrigue, action and the machinations of a true villain (read: Anita Gay), Roberts writes another great novel!

Recommended by: my friends, Erin and Tiffany V.

Recommend to: Nora Roberts Fans