REVIEW: The Governess Club: Claire by Ellie Macdonald
Stevie‘s review of The Governess Club: Claire (The Governess Club, Book 1) by Ellie Macdonald
Historical Romance published by Avon Impulse 03 Sep 13
What is it with North American authors and the conferring of fictional Earldoms (courtesy or inherited from a distant relative) on second sons? That’s not how things work, and Debrett has lots of useful guides and FAQs online to explain the situation. Before I hit that sticking point, this story was jogging along rather cutely, if implausibly, with its tale of Claire, a governess trying to carve out a better situation in life for herself and her friends, and Jacob, an aristocrat in hiding (from creditors rather than anything more exiting) who is passing himself off as a tutor to young gentlemen.
REVIEW: Darkness Rises by Diane Duvall
Veena’s review of Darkness Rises (Immortal Guardians, Book 4) by Dianne Duvall
Paranormal Romance published by Zebra 01 Oct 13
I accidentally fell into my first book by this author and am now hooked for life. I devour each new book as it comes out and then find myself waiting for the next one with bated breath. As the story arc progresses, we get deeper into the world of the immortals, as well into the specific history of some of the guardians. What I enjoy is the relationship building with the characters and having it grow and deepen with each book. read more…
REVIEW: Roses in Moonlight by Lynn Kurland
Sandy M’s review of Roses in Moonlight (dePiaget/MacLeod Series, Book 25) by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance published by Jove 10 Apr 13
The backbone of Lynn Kurland’s romance is, of course, the time travel, the romance, her characters, and her writing style. She’s so very true to her style – you know exactly what you’re going to get when you open one of her books. I’ve found, however, with the last few books in this series, that her characters come out only lukewarm once in a while. But with that in mind, those characters still have a chivalry, loyalty, and honesty about them, no matter the era they originate from. Thus is the case with this story.
read more…
REVIEW: The Divorce Party by Jennifer Hayward
LynneC’s review of The Divorce Party by Jennifer Hayward
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents Sep 13
I wanted so much to like this book, but it ended up being a meh forgettable story with a lack of attention to detail that was at times irritating. The central couple are out of the Modern/Presents stock cupboard and never, for me, rose above the ordinary. But it is a polished read and it doesn’t do anything to infuriate or annoy me, so I made it to the end. On the whole, I think a lacklustre debut, but one that should ensure Ms. Hayward a future in category romance.
REVIEW: Crave by Monica Murphy
Veena’s review of Crave (Billionaire Bachelors Club, Book 2) by Monica Murphy
Erotic Romance published by Avon Impulse 13 Aug 13
Crave is the latest entry in the crush du jour of all things erotic and billionaire bachelors. Unfortunately, it’s not a craving I share, particularly after reading this book.
REVIEW: Ice Red by Jael Wye
Veena’s review of Ice Red (Once Upon a Red World, Book 1) by Jael Wye
Futuristic Romance published by Carina Press 30 Sep 13
So now I’ve seen it all. From its origins as a fairy tale for children to its various adaptions for the small and large screen aimed at a variety of demographics comes a very adult version of Snow White on Mars. The author uses her imagination and clever imagery to include the mirror and apple that are such an integral part of the story. I enjoyed the character of Victoria Ross as I visualize Julia Roberts playing her character in the movie Mirror Mirror; however, this book overall just does not do it for me.
read more…
REVIEW: To Wed a Wicked Highlander by Victoria Roberts
Sandy M’s review of To Wed a Wicked Highlander (Bad Boys of the Highlands, Book 3) by Victoria Roberts
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 3 Sep 13
With this third book in the Bad Boys of the Highlands series, I have to come to the conclusion that my “definition” of bad boys and that of the author just isn’t the same. Only one hero has actually been a bad boy – women, whiskey and song, so to speak – but that wasn’t even in his own book. He had been toned down by that time. These men are definitely to be feared by those of their time, but that’s leadership and protectiveness. Bad has nothing to do with it.
REVIEW: Clean Slate by Andrea Bramhall
Stevie‘s review of Clean Slate by Andrea Bramhall
Lesbian contemporary romance published by Bold Strokes 17 Sep 13
Amnesia is a common trope in fiction, and generally the focus is on the imbalance between the character who can’t remember and those around them whose memories are intact. If a mystery is involved, it usually revolves around whether everyone is being truthful about what happened during those missing days, hours, or weeks. But what if the amnesiac had a secret too – one with devastating consequences for those around her? Suddenly the game changes and everyone needs to know what happened in the weeks leading up to the accident that caused the amnesia, before that secret impinges on all their lives. In the case of Morgan Masters, she hasn’t just lost weeks of her memories, she’s lost twenty years, and the secret she was trying to protect everyone from might very well be related to a murder that Morgan witnessed as a student.
REVIEW: Demon’s Desire by Kendra Leigh Castle
Veena’s review of Demon’s Desire (Hearts of the Fallen, Book 2) by Kendra Leigh Castle
Paranormal Romance published by Entangled Covet 26 Aug 13
I personally am a sucker for dark, brooding heroes with a painful past who succeed against all odds, given the love of a caring woman who sees through the mask to the marshmallow inside. Add to that a fallen angel bound to a vampire off to battle Lucifer and his minions. With that combination, I had to read this book. read more…
REVIEW: Wrong Man, Right Kiss by Red Garnier
LynneC’s review of Wrong Man, Right Kiss by Red Garnier
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Desire 6 Aug 13
The premise of this story is an interesting one, verging on the “oh please” unbelievable, but I went along with it for the read. However, because of certain elements in the story, it isn’t a book I’d enjoy revisiting and it ended up more as a “must finish” rather than a “want to finish.”
