Limecello’s review of The Moretti Heir by Katherine Garbera
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 10 Mar 09

I got this book because it was part of the Man of the Month series, and also because it’s by Katherine Garbera. Admittedly, there were other motivating factors, as Marco Moretti’s  description is “Italian millionaire.” I’m a sucker for these books, and I’m definitely glad I read this one. Ms. Garbera writes romances that are very enjoyable, and offer the entire package in a category length.

Virginia Festa was so normal… but not. She’s normal, in that she’s a regular woman. Virginia leads a nondescript life, and aside from attracting the attention (and more) of Marco, there’s nothing special about her. Although there is the fact that her grandmother was a strega. And… I thought she was kind of insane. Magic sperm to end a curse? Are you kidding me? (Well, a baby, actually, but I didn’t consider that to be much better.) Thankfully, I didn’t think about it too hard. And… while the story revolves around this key aspect, it also doesn’t focus on it. I can’t explain it, but although I hate that premise and part of the plot, I loved the rest of the book.

Marco Moretti is a darling. He’s sweet, human, caring, extremely athletic and talented, and falls for Virginia quickly. I liked that Marco wasn’t entirely sure of Virginia, but did want to have a relationship with her and see what happened from there. He did have some terms and overbearing moments, but I found them easily forgivable, considering what Virginia was after. Nevertheless, the Moretti brothers also believe in the curse… so in a way they were all normal in their craziness. Or, non craziness to them.

I think it’s clear I was less than enthralled by the, dare I say minor paranormal aspect of this story? I suppose it works to draw Virginia and Marco together. But… having a baby, but not falling in love, to end a curse so Virginia and Marco could each fall in love – with someone else? It sounds complicated, and it is complicated. Nevertheless, trying to get pregnant does throw Virginia and Marco together, and a relationship develops.

I liked that Virginia wasn’t able to walk away from Marco as easily as she wanted. Also, the Marco demanded rights to his child – his responsibility and sense of duty says a lot about him. Virginia’s actions while a bit off the wall and seemingly desperate, also make sense. She believes in the curse, has seen it’s effects, and is determined to not live out her life alone. I found that admirable.

The Moretti Heir also impressed me because there were so many things about it I was predisposed to dislike. The strange baby plot. The fact that Marco is a race car driver. The fact that the story is based on deception. I don’t know much about racing, but it’s definitely not my thing. However, I think it did make a difference that Marco is a Formula One race car driver. The international circuit makes it more cosmopolitan, and I liked the change in setting throughout the book. Where they were allowed Marco and Virginia to act differently, and that really helped develop both their personalities, and relationship. It’s clear that both had already formed strong emotional ties to the other.

I liked Virginia and Marco very much, as well as the secondary characters. Each had his or her own part to play, and developed the plot of The Moretti Heir rather than distracted the reader from it. I’ve already re-read this story, and plan to do so again. I definitely recommend this book to Ms. Garbera’s fans, or those who like the Silhouette Desire line.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Mr. March: Marco Moretti, Italian millionaire.

His Curse: Love or money, never both.

His Conquest: Defeat a generations-old legacy with one seduction.

His competitor’s daughter had come to him with the ultimate request: impregnate her and their families would be free of the curse that plagued them. The chemistry between Marco and Virginia Festa was electric, and the solution seemed simple. Yet begetting the Moretti heir created the most impossible of situations. They’d each fallen in love with the opposition.

MAN OF THE MONTH: Determined to end Moretti’s Legacy, only he knows to what lengths he will go!

Read an excerpt here.

Holly’s review of Taming the Texas Tycoon by Katherine Garbera (author’s site very out of date)
Contemporary Romance released by Silhouette Desire 14 Jul 09

I liked this story on a superficial level. If I start examining the motives or actions of the main characters I have major issues. As a fluff story – something quick to pass the time – it was good, but there were a lot of flaws. 

My main gripe is the heroine’s complete lack of identity away from the hero. Also, the fact that the hero was engaged to someone else for the entire length of the novel really turned me off, even though the circumstances were explained well enough.

Although I liked Lance, I didn’t see why Kate loved him. He was sweet enough to her, but he seemed pretty conceited and wrapped up in himself. He didn’t even notice her until she got a complete makeover. That has worked for stories in the past, but I didn’t buy it in the case. Mostly because he considered her a best friend and one of his family. I’d think he’d take more notice of her than as his assistant if that was really the case.

As for Kate, well, I liked her on a superficial level. But like I mentioned above, if I look at her too closely I just get annoyed. It seemed in the beginning that she had a backbone, but as the story progressed I began to wonder. She really seemed like a dishrag once her initial burst of steam dissipated. Not only that, but we knew nothing about her as a person. Her entire identity was wrapped up in her feelings for Lance.

It was obvious that something was going on between Lance’s fiance and his brother. despite my feelings for this one, I’d be interested in reading that story.

Grade: C

Summary:

For Texas Cattleman’s Club member Lance Brody, marriage is about gaining the right connections. But one plain-Jane personal assistant is about to change his mind…

For years Kate Thornton had dreamed of becoming Mrs. Lance Brody. Then her boss became engaged strictly for business and Kate had had enough. Giving her two weeks’ notice should have released her, but Lance’s eyes had finally been opened. Kate couldn’t be allowed to walk away from the business, or him. And if it meant taking her to bed to keep her…well, that was one job he would gladly do himself!

Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of Taming the Texas Tycoon by Katherine Garbera
Contemporary romance published by Silhouette Desire on 14 July 2009

Katherine Garbera is a harlequin author I always keep an eye out for. I really enjoy her Silhouette Desire books, and Taming the Texas Tycoon was no exception. It also has one of my favorite romance tropes. The boss-secretary romance. It’s my guilty pleasure, and I love it in fiction, although I think it’s so smarmy and implausible in real life. But that’s why I can indulge in the books I read, right? I found the personalities of the characters very real, and really enjoyed the storyline. Taming the Texas Tycoon is also the first Brody brother book – the second is The Oilman’s Baby Bargain. Not only that, but this book heralds the beginning of another set of Texas Cattleman’s Club books. Yay for Southern gentlemen!

Kate Thornton is a great person. She’s smart, talented, loyal, and… in love. Kate is rather normal, but that makes her a good romance heroine, in my mind. She doesn’t have a ridiculous past, although she isn’t as close to her family as she might like. Nevertheless, Kate is very rational, and the beginning of the book also is the true beginning of Kate’s transformation and own life. I liked that Kate was willing to make herself the main focus, and that she valued herself enough to not let Lance take [total] advantage of her. Most importantly, Kate realizes that she has to make and adopt changes for herself.

Lance Brody isn’t the type of hero I’d normally like – but he’s so clueless that it’s rather endearing. I think it helps that Kate ends up being a strong enough match for him, and also that Lance does sink pretty low – and grovels nicely. Lance is a really stand up guy – generally on the straight and narrow, but emotionally confused. He gets engaged to a senator’s daughter purely for business reasons, but comes home and realizes that he’s in love with someone else. (Hey, I never said he wasn’t emotionally stunted.) Everything is pretty black and white to Lance, and I think that helps excuse his actions – though in his mind, there’s nothing that needs to be excused. And that seems smarmy – but in actuality, it’s because Lance feels that he’s already severed all ties with Lexi. (The senator’s daughter and short term fiancee.)

This book had a number of tropes I really like, and dislike at the same time. I’m a huge sucker as I said for the secretary-boss romances. However, I am totally against two-timing, and in a way, Lance is sleeping with Kate while still engaged to Lexi. Kate doesn’t know it – and in his mind Lance knows he won’t marry Lexi – he just hasn’t formally taken care of it yet. I know it seems a bit too pat, and unrealistic, but the way it’s written, and based on the personalities of the characters, it works. (Hopefully you’re still with me.)

All the secondary characters are great, and I really liked the focus on Kate and Lance’s relationship. It helped that they had a history. Granted, the heroine pining after the hero, the whole unrequited love thing isn’t my favorite either. It’s hard to respect a woman who is wasting her life on someone or something that will never work… but understandable at the same time. That, and, well – it’s a romance. So obviously it will work out in the end. It doesn’t hurt that Ms. Garbera is a fantastic writer, and her Silhouette Desire books are almost always a guaranteed good read.

If you like your stories with Texas flair, a friend to lovers story, Silhouette Desire books, or Ms. Garbera’s stories, then this is the book for you.

Grade: B-

For Texas Cattleman’s Club member Lance Brody, marriage is about gaining the right connections. But one plain-Jane personal assistant is about to change his mind…

For years Kate Thornton had dreamed of becoming Mrs. Lance Brody. Then her boss became engaged strictly for business and Kate had had enough. Giving her two weeks’ notice should have released her, but Lance’s eyes had finally been opened. Kate couldn’t be allowed to walk away from the business, or him. And if it meant taking her to bed to keep her…well, that was one job he would gladly do himself!

Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of Tycoon for Auction by Katherine Garbera
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire on 1 Apr 03

I always like a story that features an auction, especially when the heroine bids on the hero and wins, as is the case with Tycoon for Auction. My reading this was rather serendipitous. I like auction books (curious, but there it is), and I like books by Katherine Garbera. Win, win. So, I got this from bookmooch. But more importantly, this is the sequel to The Tycoon’s Lady, which I apparently read before I started reviewing here. Huh.  Nevertheless, this was a very sweet story that had that old school “Harlequin” feel to it.

Corrine Martin is an interesting heroine. She’s quiet, understated, and I feel that her original career seems to fit her personality best. She started out as a personal assistant, but worked her way up. When her boss was promoted, he took her with him. Not that Corrine doesn’t deserve that on her own merits. However, I found her to be a little bland. She’s intense and focused on her job, but has made her career her entire life. I simply felt that I didn’t really have a grasp of who Corrine was as a person outside of work.

Rand Pearson, however, was a much more interesting hero. I wish that his story could have been longer. I think there’s a lot of material for an author to work with in Rand’s story. He’s convinced he’s not meant to have a normal life. He’s punished himself for countless years because his twin died in an accident, and is a recovered alcoholic. I liked that Rand, although an incredibly successful businessman, was a real person who dealt with real problems. Rand is a playboy and someone who is a lot of fun to be around, but he’s got a darker side that he keeps to himself.

I found that Rand and Corrine  worked well together, and they were surprisingly similar, both having more depth than one might initially suppose. I also liked that both had baggage that they were willing to work through. It was nice their interaction was so realistic. Painful, yet real. I appreciated the fact that it wasn’t all easy going for them, and that their bumps in the road weren’t the cause of pat remarks or overused plot devices. It was nice to see that Rand still had to work through his issues, but that Corrine was there to support him.

I also really liked that Ms. Garbera included the scenes with Rand’s family, and that there was a sort of closure to that issue. I felt that it really gave both Rand and Corrine more dimension, but also allowed them to more forward as a couple. I really believed that they were going to work as a couple, and that they had a strong relationship. Unfortunately outside of that, I didn’t think anything about Tycoon for Auction was very memorable. The title also seems slightly misleading.

Overall I enjoyed this story. I liked that there were familiar characters that had a role, but a minor one. (Yes, I do miss how the “old school” series were written. I wish authors would go back to this.) Tycoon for Auction also had a nice focus on the relationship and romance between the hero and heroine. I like it, but wasn’t amazed or blown away. It’s a nice read for a sunny afternoon, when you want a short but sweet romance don’t want anything too heavy or distracting.

Grade: C

Summary:
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To-die-for executive Rand Pearson’s time on the auction block was well spent, according to high bidder Corrine Martin. She needed an escort for company functions — no strings attached. This emotionally scarred woman had no time for men — even extremely wealthy and gorgeous ones — and never expected desire to waylay her best-laid plans. But then she felt Rand’s lips on hers, his fervent hands on her body. Suddenly business took a back seat to fiery seduction.
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To Rand, Corrine was the only bright spot in a life darkened by a terrible secret. She’d agreed to an affair, but he wanted so much more. Could he persuade her to promote her “temp” to a permanent, lifelong position?
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

This just in…

Texans aren’t about to be left out of sharing the love of romance. The third annual Buns & Roses Tea for Literacy will be held Sunday, October 12, 2008, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas.

~ Sherrilyn Kenyon will be the keynote speaker and Candace Havens will host as emcee.

~ There will be raffles and door prizes aplenty, as well as a booksigning with more than thirty authors, including Adele Ashworth, Sandy Blair, Judy Christenberry, Jo Davis, Geralyn Dawson, Katherine Garbera, Lorraine Heath, Sophie Jordan, Karen Kelley, Julia London, and Pamela Morsi, just to name a few.

~ There are tickets still available. You can reserve a table for nine with your author of choice for $360. Individual tickets are $35.  You can even buy your tickets online.

~There’s even a Premium Package for hard core Kenyon fans.  Check it out here.

~ The tea is hosted by the Richardson Adult Literacy Center and the Richardson Public Library and sponsored by FreshFiction. All proceeds go to Richardson literacy programs.

Consider yourself flashed.