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| 0811227626
| 9780811227629
| 0811227626
| 3.43
| 11,856
| Oct 31, 2014
| Apr 24, 2018
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it was amazing
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With children like this having children of their own, it was no wonder the world was full of children. pg. 74 Great little book (138 pages), I've read With children like this having children of their own, it was no wonder the world was full of children. pg. 74 Great little book (138 pages), I've read it before and it is a book I really enjoy. Sometimes I find it difficult to review great books. I don't know what to say except "This is SO good!" and "You should read it." Yōko Tawada is a genius, frankly, and this book showcases that and her amazing writing style. It takes place in the future: children are born sickly, are unable to walk by age 15, are weak, frail, and need constant care. Adults are the strong ones, especially the elderly, who get older and older without falling sick or getting weak. People are living into their 100s (109, 115) with no disease or weakening. The new generation isn't so lucky. The elderly are spry - running, working hard, long days, and raising their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As a result of "the contamination," Japan has isolated itself, walled itself off from the outside world. So has almost every other country. It's 'for protection.' But not every Japanese person agrees with the government's isolationist policies. The book focuses on Yoshiro, who is raising up his great-grandson. It devastates him to see his weak and suffering great-grandson, but the boy is cheerful and never complains. He always tries to cheer up his great-grandpa, who is one of the people who remembers how things were in the before-times. It's clear that Yōko Tawada probably wrote this in a response to Fukushima Daiichi, but this is actually perfect reading for a pandemic. It fits in very nicely with what's going on now, in 2020. Yōko Tawada's genius is in a.) her amazing writing skillz. She puts words together beautifully and makes reading a joy. And in b.) her ideas and concepts about the future and where things might end up. She's not writing a satire, but she's brushing up against one: exhibiting ideas in the vein of George Orwell or William Gibson. We never truly know what the future might hold, and things we never foresee can one day become everyday mundane facts of life. Which this Covid-19 pandemic illustrates PERFECTLY and this chilling and tantalizing concept is captured in this novel. Yoshiro is living in a future he never could have imagined as a child or a teenager. "Years ago when I used to go to New York to sell my knives it didn't seem far at all - distance is odd that way." His voice dropped to a raspy whisper on "New York." There was a strange new law against saying the names of foreign cities out loud, and although no one had been prosecuted for breaking it yet, all the same people were very being careful. Nothing is more frightening than a law that has never been enforced. When the authorities want to throw someone in jail, all they have to do is suddenly arrest him for breaking a law that no one has bothered to obey yet. pg. 30 Yōko Tawada is smart. The book is smart. I recommend reading it. The only drawback here is that it is not a traditionally plotted book. This book does not have a real conclusion or a true plot. Instead, it showcases a few days in this incredible future. People who enjoy a traditional story arc are not going to be happy with this one. While it wasn't clear whether or not Yoshiro's generation would really have to live forever, for the time being they had definitely been robbed of death. Perhaps when their bodies had reached the end, even their fingers and toes worn down to nothing, their minds would hang on, refusing to shut down, writhing still inside immobile flesh. pg. 93 TL;DR I recommend this brilliant little book. Whether you stay for Yōko Tawada's beautiful writing or her thought-provoking ideas about the world around her and its possible future - there will be something for you to enjoy here. The only off-putting thing for some readers may be the book's lack of a traditional 'plot.' The book is worth reading and I encourage everyone to give Yōko Tawada's work a chance. You can get lost in this short, consuming, futuristic little novel. It's fascinating and you don't only have to rely on Yōko Tawada's ideas to keep you interested - she also writes skillfully. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Mumei m Yoshiro m Hildegard f Amana f Tomo m Marika f Tsuyukusa f Suiren f Nemoto f Yonatani m Yasukawamaru m Michiru f Karo f Yanagi m Tatsugoro m Yanagi m Kama f Yonatan m Yonatani f (hide spoiler)] ETA: UPDATE 01/06/21 "Years ago when I used to go to New York to sell my knives it didn't seem far at all - distance is odd that way." His voice dropped to a raspy whisper on "New York." There was a strange new law against saying the names of foreign cities out loud, and although no one had been prosecuted for breaking it yet, all the same people were very being careful. Nothing is more frightening than a law that has never been enforced. When the authorities want to throw someone in jail, all they have to do is suddenly arrest him for breaking a law that no one has bothered to obey yet. pg. 30 Duterte retroactively enforcing a law against Maria Ressa. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/bu... ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jul 08, 2020
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Jul 08, 2020
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Jul 08, 2020
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| B00PD8LTP4
| 3.52
| 189
| Nov 04, 2014
| Nov 07, 2014
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it was ok
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MISTLETOE COWBOY by Trish Milburn Takes Place in: Texas, Austin-Area AN UGLY SWEATER CHRISTMAS by Heather McGovern Derek didn't look ridiculous. He migh MISTLETOE COWBOY by Trish Milburn Takes Place in: Texas, Austin-Area AN UGLY SWEATER CHRISTMAS by Heather McGovern Derek didn't look ridiculous. He might be wearing a reindeer sweater with operational twinkle lights on the antlers, but he still worked it. He kisses her hand under the mistletoe. Not sure about this. CLOSE TO PERFECT by Suzanne Ferrell More hand-kissing. Strange. The other players at the table applauded them as they strolled toward the exit. And then everybody clapped. Yeah, no. Ridiculous. Takes Place in: Las Vegas, NV TO SANTA WITH LOVE by Lindsey Brookes Takes Place in: Colorado, U.S.A. A PERFECT PARTY by Anna Sugden Takes Place In: New Jersey, U.S.A. THE MIRACLE OF THE CHILD by Bridget Hodder This is a historical. Surprising. I like the fact that even though this is a historical, the heroine has a baby out of wedlock with a redhead knight scumbag, and the hero of the story marries her. I don't know where or when this is taking place. MISTLETOE MAGIC by D.B. Sieders The hero has autism. ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY by Natalie J. Damschroder FASHIONABLY LATE FOR CHRISTMAS by Tanya Michaels Takes Place in: South Texas A SEAL'S PROPOSAL by Tawny Weber Steamy, which is what I've come to expect (and appreciate) from Weber. The paper draped over her hand, Bryanna flicked open the velvet box. A sparkling diamond winked back at her. If he'd punched her in the gut, told her she had lousy taste in footwear or sucked in bed, she couldn't have been more shocked. "It's a ring," she said, her wide-eyed stare shifting from it to him and back again. WHITE CHRISTMAS PIZZA by Donna MacMeans Her dead aunt sends her a hot man (and two pizzas) for Christmas in a present from the grave. THE CHRISTMAS BEFORE HELL FROZE OVER by Sally Kilpatrick Biker romance. I'd found an exploration of of the male species dismal for the most part, but I had fond memories of John. In fact, John was the only guy I remembered fondly. If not for him, I would've sworn off man altogether. SNOWFLAKE by Monica McCabe This story is BSC. o.O AN UNEXPECTED GUEST by Beth Pattillo Another unexpected historical romance. Takes Place in: England NEW YEAR'S MAGIC by Jody Wallace BSC story involving a sorceress and her male-human-trapped-in-the-body-of-a-cat. o.O GIVING THANKS by Jeanette Grey A HOLIDAY MIRACLE by Michelle Monkou Takes Place in: Maryland's Eastern Shore Hero is disabled and has a prosthetic leg. A BLUESTONE CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by MJ Fredrick Takes Place in: Minnesota, U.S.A. Military Hero HAINTSGIVING by Maureen Hardegree Something about a teenage girl making out with a ghost. BSC. ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS by Janice Lynn THE SOLSTICE BALL by Nancy Northcott Some kind of thing about wizards. Or mages, I guess. And ghouls. Takes Place in: Georgia, U.S.A. ZOMBIE OF GOOD CHEER by Gretchen Stull Post-apocalyptic. Takes Place in: Tennessee, U.S.A. SNOW AND GHOSTS by Nicki Salcedo A CANDLE IN THE WINDOW by Dorien Kelly Takes Place in: County Kerry, Ireland IN WHICH MISS GARDELLA RECEIVES THREE GIFTS Takes Place in: London, England, 1819 Heroine is a vampire hunter. A MIRACLE FOR MOLLY By Trish Milburn Takes place in a post-pandemic world filled with vampires. I was shocked to find out Milburn writes vampire romances. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex in this book. TL;DR When they say 'micro fiction,' they really mean it. Each story is about three pages long. Therefore there's not much I can review here. Just a taste, I think, to get the contributors more exposure for their book series. But it's free. So the price is right. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ MISTLETOE COWBOY Cammie f Verona f Keri f Sir Charles – corgi Elissa f Jason m Louise f AN UGLY SWEATER CHRISTMAS Gabie f Sara f Derek m CLOSE TO PERFECT Libby f Deacon m nn Deke TO SANTA WITH LOVE Delaney f Rags – cat Caden m 31 A PERFECT PARTY Lizzie f Taylor "Mad Dog" m Jake "Bad Boy" m Jean-Baptiste m THE MIRACLE OF THE CHILD Roger m Barnabas m Alys f Olivier m MISTLETOE MAGIC Ellen f Paige f Jace m ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY Danny m Rina f Amber f Kale m FASHIONABLY LATE FOR CHRISTMAS by Tayna Michaels Jasmine f nn Jazz Crystal f Susan f Brody m A SEAL'S PROPOSAL Bryanna f Sam m Noah m WHITE CHRISTMAS PIZZA Betsy f Molly f Douglas m Matthew m THE CHRISTMAS BEFORE HELL FROZE OVER Ginger f Bill m Tiffany f Beulah f Mac m Pete m John m SNOWFLAKE Nora f Sophie f Kyle m Mason m AN UNEXPECTED GUEST Bertha f Lucy f Esmeralda nn Esmie f Gerald m NEW YEAR'S MAGIC Ana f Jimmy m Malcolm – cat / man GIVING THANKS Sara f Jamie m A HOLIDAY MIRACLE Chet m Lorna f Tina f A BLUESTONE CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING Nathan m Makayla f HAINTSGIVING Heather f Claire f Tina f Drew m Audrey f Karen f Jack m Xavier m ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS Jarrett m Leah f Katy f Jimmy m THE SOLSTICE BALL Roland m Broderick m Periwinkle f nn Peri Gigi f Stacy f ZOMBIE OF GOOD CHEER Jilly f Ben m Kate f SNOW AND GHOSTS Graham m Ava f Griffin m Noelle f Fenris m Joseph m A CANDLE IN THE WINDOW Kathleen f Brigid f Lorcan m Joe m Eileen f Seamus m Vi f Liam m Edna f Padraig m IN WHICH MISS GARDELLA RECEIVES THREE GIFTS Victoria f Melly f Sebastian m Max m A MIRACLE FOR MOLLY Molly f Jeremy m Hannah f Ryan m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 28, 2020
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Apr 28, 2020
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Apr 28, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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| 037375549X
| 9780373755493
| 037375549X
| 3.53
| 17
| Dec 01, 2014
| Dec 02, 2014
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did not like it
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"Some things can't be fixed." "There's always a way to make things right again." "Right according to whom?" "According to whatever it takes to change you "Some things can't be fixed." "There's always a way to make things right again." "Right according to whom?" "According to whatever it takes to change your mind about all of this. It's not only about the snow-sculpting contest, you're evicting your dad's guests only days before Christmas. Who does that?" "I do, when it benefits my family." More noises came from the attic, but this time Travis seemed to ignore it. "Throwing your dad's valued customers out in the snow and cancelling something fun that this town has been anticipating is somehow beneficial to you and your family? Enlighten me, 'cause I'm blind as to how that works." pg. 97 I think if you go into this book aware and expecting it to be a re-writing of A Christmas Carol, you will probably have a better experience than I did. As I read it, I was wondering why this book was so goofy and so dumb. This isn't a statement against Leo. I've liked books of hers in the past. This one, however, was a dud. Our heroine, Bella, is stupid and an asshole. She's such an asshole. She's rude, dismissive, cruel, worships money, leaves Travis to wake up alone in a cold bed after sex, she's cold - she records a phone conversation with her own father to make sure she can sell his inn and sue him if he changes his mind... I didn't like her. She's full-of-herself, thinks only of herself, and never takes anyone else's feelings into account. Travis is just dumb. He's not an asshole, but he's stupid. It could be cute, if you like dumb men who are generally amiable and mean well but can't think critically. I don't need a genius, but I'd prefer a man to be a little smarter than this, especially when pairing him with a meatgrinder like Bella. You could pair a dumb, well-intentioned guy with someone else and maybe I wouldn't have a problem with it - I've certainly enjoyed books with thick heroes in the past - but here it is grating. You are just screaming at this guy to wake up and grow a brain. The romance is, needless to say, not very inspiring. Who wants to read about an asshole getting her Happily Ever After? I didn't like her. I didn't want her to be happy. I thought she was a miserable, self-centered human being who should just keep chasing and worshiping money in Chicago. Why come here and hurt all these people? I don't even care that at the end she 'realizes the error of her ways' and tries to make amends (with money and buying people things). Too little, too late. On page 172 it finally dawns on her that maybe other people have feelings and opinions. WOW, people have feelings and opinions! She's 28! This is something she should have learned in kindergarten! She might be a narcissist. I would honestly not be surprised. She's extremely focused on herself and almost sees other people as side-characters in her life that she can just shuffle around on a chessboard. The book is also goofy. It's really goofy. I kept thinking "This is dumb," while I was reading it. It's not the writing that's dumb - this isn't a nightmare situation like Tina Leonard - but the actions of the characters on the page are just dumb. An old man gets his snow-globe collection stolen by a man dressed as Santa. Bella has crazy dreams about alternate dimensions (used instead of the ghosts from Christmas Carol). Travis and Bella are super hung-up on a 'relationship' they had when they both were twelve. TWELVE. It's insane. The book is insane. LEO-ISMS As serious as a bobcat up a tree. I'm still reeling 'round like a pup trying to find a soft spot to lie down in. Those two are thick as feathers in a pillow. It's about as perfect as red paint on a barn. You're jumping fences without the horse. Leo likes using little homey sayings. I find them funny! This book is no exception. :) HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? He fingers her to orgasm (I'm pretty sure, it's vague) and then they have PinV sex with a condom. Not described. Also, I'm not too interested in these jokers having sex. TL;DR It's hard to enjoy a romance novel where the heroine is an asshole. On top of that, the book is so goofy and dumb you can hardly take it seriously. By all means, give Leo a shot - just pick another book of hers. Not this one. Also, it's a Christmas EXPLOSION. If you don't enjoy Christmas dripping off of every page, skip this. It's quite schmaltzy. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Second Chance Romance - I guess. They were 12. Non-Virgin Heroine Millionaire/Billionaire Romance - I'm pretty sure she's a millionaire. He's a Rancher, although there's really no evidence of that, he spends the book chasing Bella around 24/7; She's an Executive Real Estate Mogul. Takes Place in: Idaho, The United States of America NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Bella f 28 Travis m Jaycee f Nick m Colt m Helen f Joey m Dodge m Maggie f Fred m Dusty m Dora f Milo m Amanda f Scout f Buddy m Loran f Gavin m Janet f Edith f Blake m Evan m Rio – horse Wildfire – horse Audrey f Phyllis f Harry m Lexi f Puddles – dog Jimmy m Georgie m Tater – horse (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 13, 2020
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Apr 13, 2020
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Apr 13, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755473
| 9780373755479
| 0373755473
| 4.20
| 96
| Dec 01, 2014
| Dec 02, 2014
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really liked it
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WARNING FOR READERS: BOOK CONTAINS CHEATING. AND THE DEATH OF A DOG. SEE "ROMANCE CATEGORIES" AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS REVIEW FOR MORE DETAILS. After she WARNING FOR READERS: BOOK CONTAINS CHEATING. AND THE DEATH OF A DOG. SEE "ROMANCE CATEGORIES" AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS REVIEW FOR MORE DETAILS. After she left Emma at school on Monday, she put on her sweats and grabbed her iPod. Gabe had started running every morning and she planned to join him. She really needed the exercise. Gabe walked out of his house and she met him in the front yard. He gave her a quick glance in the sweats. "What are you doing?" She jogged in place. "I'm running with you this morning." "I go fast and I don't stop for anything." "I go slow and stop for everything. My attention span is not that great." He lifted an eyebrow. "Mmm." "I'll hang with you until I drop." pg 156 This book was really cute. I was surprised how cute this book was, and how many adorable moments were in here. Lacey is a 28-year-old who gained guardianship of her 6-year-old half sister (Emma), after her father died. She lives next door to a dark-cloud recluse named Gabe. The man was tall, six foot or more. He wore jeans and a dark flannel shirt. He looked foreboding. A chill slid through her that had nothing to do with the temperature. His hair was long and his face unshaven, as if he didn't care, which Lacey knew he didn't. His jeans and shirt seemed to hang on his thin body. He probably ate very little, but he was still a very handsome man in a roguish sort of way. pg. 15 Gabe's son was killed in an ATV accident that he blames himself for. His wife divorced him. He's consumed by grief. He left his job and just hides out in this house, he barely eats. The only thing keeping him hanging on is his son's geriatric dog. Emma loves the dog and frequently disobeys Lacey and annoys Gabe by running onto his property to pet and snuggle it. After some arguing - for days and weeks - Lacey and Gabe slowing start becoming closer to each other. It's not even sexual or romantic at first. Lacey tries to get Gabe to eat more regularly, and soften up towards her younger sister. Gabe tries to isolate himself and convince everyone to leave him alone. Gabe doesn't even realize Lacey is attractive until page 89. The book could have been terrible. For one thing, there's a child prominently featured in it. Luckily, I found Emma to be pretty realistic and not too annoying. Oftentimes books - and I'm not talking just romance novels here - tell you a kid is a certain age but then makes them act wildly older or younger than the age they are supposed to be. It's also hard not to make children very annoying in novels aimed at adults. I should point out that children are also frequently used as props - and not characters in their own right. But Warren does a great job of avoiding these major issues. I was relieved. Then there's our surly hero. He's grieving for his dead son. This is difficult to navigate as an author. A lot of men who are romance heroes who are grieving end up being real assholes to the heroine, but we are supposed to forgive it because 'he's in pain.' Not so here. Gabe retains his angst but also starts - slowly, slowly - showing his sense of humor and his caring nature. Nor is Lacey too annoying or too pushy with Gabe. Oftentimes with grieving heroes, the heroine - who is supposed to 'push' the hero into 'choosing to live again,' - comes off as horrible, pushy, and without compassion. I feel like Warren walked the fine line between being JUST interested enough in Gabe moving on without being gross and inconsiderate about it. This is a delicate balance, and I appreciated Warren's finesse with this topic. There were a lot of really cute scenes. The leads had chemistry with each other. This is rare. Romance novels - surprisingly - are not always on point with convincing me that two people are falling in love. But these two sparked. Lacey has a more fun, playful, roll-with-the-punches nature. Even though some horrible things have happened in her life, she is - for the most part - a sunny optimist. Gabe is dark and brooding, and more pessimistic and pragmatic. But as they talk and talk, and get to know each other better, and start hanging out together - you realize they actually share the same sense of humor. Gabe plays the perfect (knowing) straight-man to Lacey's goofiness. It's adorable. There are a lot of cute parts in the book where Lacey gets to be enthusiastic or spazzy or silly about something and Gabe is there to say something deadpan or react stoically. It's a good dynamic. They just click. I can imagine this book getting someone in the Christmas spirit. It would be perfect to read about during Christmastime. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? This book isn't really about sex. Or sexual attraction. I mean, sure, the leads make out more than once and do end up having sex. But the book is more about love, healing, and caring for children. That may or may not be your jam. The characters are attracted to each other, and I believe it. But they're not lighting the pages on fire. The sex is also - as is typical in this line - vague and undescribed. I actually have no idea how good Gabe is in bed. Don't read this for the sex. You'll be disappointed. TL;DR A surprise win for me. Touching story. Not too schmaltzy, IMO. Leads had sparks, and I was actually cheering for them to live Happily Ever After. Good Christmas read, if you are into that sort of thing. Big on "Cute." Big on "Adorable." If you don't like those types of adjectives to describe your romance novel, skip this one. If you are in the mood for a feel-good, heart-warming, not-stupid love story, this is a good place to be. Not too sappy IMO. Just the right amount of sappy. Please ignore the awful cover they chose for this novel. Ugh. Just ignore it. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Cheating (view spoiler)[Gabe has not signed his divorce papers. Lacey has sex with him not knowing this fact. (hide spoiler)] Lawyer Romance He's an Attorney; She Doesn't Work for Most of the Book, but Owns a Flower Shop by the End. Takes Place in Texas, the United States of America, near Temple. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Lacey f 28 Emma f 6 Jack m Brad m 10 Jimmy m Sharon f Gabe m Pepper – dog Zack m Darin m Angie f Hardy m Peyton f Wyatt m Erin f Martha f Ruth f Joyce f Mervin m Kate f Bradley m Janine f Kate f Bailey f Dana f AnaMarie f J.W. M Jody f John m Denise f Sonya f Merry Christmas - dog (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 10, 2020
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Apr 11, 2020
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Apr 10, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755430
| 9780373755431
| 0373755430
| 4.11
| 99
| Jan 01, 2014
| Nov 04, 2014
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liked it
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"I was thinking the other day that I couldn't imagine you in jeans." "You've been thinking about me?" She wished she hadn't asked the impulsive questio "I was thinking the other day that I couldn't imagine you in jeans." "You've been thinking about me?" She wished she hadn't asked the impulsive question. What if it led to awkwardness on their long drive? But he held her gaze, not looking the least discomfited. "Yes, ma'am." pg. 54 This is more of a wrapping-up of the "Texas Rodeo Barons" series than it is a straightforward romance novel. So I can't recommend it wholeheartedly. Nicole is in her first trimester of pregnancy. She is pregnant by artificial insemination - quite common in American Romance. She works for Adele Black, the long-lost mother of the Barons. Daniel is a Baron through adoption. Through the whole Baron-family drama, they meet and take an interest in each other. Daniel is not interested in falling in love or having children. Nicole proposes having an affair. She promises she won't get hurt. "I'm a big girl, though. You don't have to worry that if anything happened between us, I'd get the wrong idea. I know we want different things in the long run." pg. 112 This is so cliched and ridiculous. I'm getting to the point where I am dreading this trope. What on Earth makes people who are unable to have emotionless flings suddenly start thinking they can have emotionless flings?!!!?? It's baffling. Daniel is fine. I think he is a good man. He's kind to Nicole. He's gentle and caring with her. He's solicitous about her having severe morning sickness the mornings after they have sex. There's a really cute scene where they exchange Christmas presents. It's actually sweet. Nicole is the one that pulls away, surprisingly. Even after Daniel (view spoiler)[declares his love for her (hide spoiler)] she still rejects him. This surprised me. Then the author was like, (view spoiler)["He shouldn't give up. Go after her more, declare love more etc." (hide spoiler)] But I felt kind of sorry for the man. I didn't feel like there was any good reason she should make him grovel and beg so much. I was a bit baffled. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Disappointing. I expected Daniel to be better in bed, tbh. Yet Nicole declares he's 'the best lover she's ever had.' So I guess it's fine for her. Disappointing to me, though. Don't expect hot sex in here. Not only is Daniel not the biggest on foreplay, but things are pretty vague, as per usual with this line. TL;DR Final book in the Texas Rodeo Barons series. Wraps it up. However, taken as a romance, I don't think this was a particularly strong entry. It wasn't bad. But I found myself wanting a bit more. Both Daniel and Nicole were good people. I didn't quite grasp Nicole's need to make Daniel 'prove himself,' but oh well. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Pregnant Heroine He's a former Rodeo star and a Horse Trainer, Ranch Hand etc.; She's Vice President of Operations at AB Windpower. Takes Place in Texas, the United States of America. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Nicole f Adele f Chris m Lizzie f Savannah f Carly f Jet m Jethro Brock m Daniel m Jacob m Alex m Cody m Anna f Peggy f Mariana f Delia f Bodie m Julieta f Natalie f Gina Marie f Sierra f Oscar m Genevieve f Luke m Leah f Jasmine f Grey – horse Rosie f Travis m Tammy f Kim f Tony Sugarhoof – horse Lucille f Chuck m Garrett m Arden f Hope f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 10, 2020
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Apr 10, 2020
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Apr 10, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755414
| 9780373755417
| 0373755414
| 4.13
| 30
| Jan 01, 2014
| Oct 07, 2014
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liked it
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Dani had always been an independent female - except when it came to men. She fell in love fast, and tried way too hard to please whoever she was with.
Dani had always been an independent female - except when it came to men. She fell in love fast, and tried way too hard to please whoever she was with. Nick didn't do love, period. What was the point of falling for a woman when love would ruin a man's life? Because sooner or later, the relationship was bound to end. Women were fickle and not to be trusted - Dani excepted. pg. 19 This is a pretty classic friends-to-lovers trope book. Dani and Nick have been best friends for sixteen years, ever since they were both fourteen years old. And I mean, very good friends. Close, tight, tell-each-other-everything, come-over-to-lend-support-during-hard-times type of friends. Then, they fall asleep watching a James Bond movie, and when they wake up, they start kissing. I find this difficult to believe. Sure, friends can turn into lovers, but sixteen years is a long time. A LONG TIME. They never fooled around before this? Looked at each other with lust? Decided to give dating a go? It's inconceivable. Now, I believe you can have platonic male friends. I have platonic male friends. But if you have male 'friends' that you end up fucking, the lust comes out WAY BEFORE sixteen years have passed, let me tell you. But okay. Let's pretend I accept this premise. Dani has low self-esteem. She thinks low of herself. Also, she tries to change herself to please men. I find this extremely sad. She tries to dress to please them, do whatever hobbies they like doing. I find this icky. And she only dates jerks, apparently. I mean, they talk about her ex-boyfriend, and the way he treats her... I can't believe anyone would put up with that shit. I'm not talking about abuse here, just assholery. ANYWAY. The kissing really spooks Nick and Dani, so they each decide to date other people. Nick dates a kind, smart, beautiful woman. Dani dates a guy who ends up to be a rapist. This is typical of the patriarchal culture we live in. I mean, as far as writing plots go. Dani couldn't end up - like Nick - with a perfectly nice partner, but one she wasn't sexually attracted to. No. He has to be a rapist! Why? Because a.) the idea that the hero has to be the only 'good man' available for the heroine, and b.) to give Nick a chance to swoop in and save her from being raped, therefore... boosting his worth as a man, or proving himself as a man, or making him seem like he's absolutely the best choice for her. Which, let me say, was not needed. Nick was perfectly fine as a hero. The author did not need to set up a save-Dani-from-being-raped scenario in order to make Nick attractive. He was already attractive. I was already on-board the Nick train. He's a good listener, a good person, knows Dani very well, listens to what she has to say, and likes/loves her for who she is. That's already enough for the readers to be cheering for him. So the attempted-rape-incident is nothing more than a clunky, unnecessary plot device. I can't stand when rape or attempted-rape is used as a plot device. It's gross. The book is your typical friends-to-lovers plot. "Oh, we can't sleep together, it'll ruin our friendship." "Oh, well, okay, we can sleep together, but I will NOT fall in love with you." We all know she will fall in love with him instantly... Just like any other book where idiots bravely declare that they can "just have sex" and not develop romantic feelings for each other. And they KNOW this. Dani falls in love quickly with every single man (piece of shit?) she dates. Nick is allergic to long-term relationships. This is going to end badly. But they barrel ahead. Sigh. Of course, everything ends up fine. This is Harlequin. And some people LIVE for this stuff. If you are weak for a friends-to-lovers novel, this actually isn't bad. I'm not usually on board with this trope. This trope in and of itself is not sexually or romantically appealing to me. I mean, I don't find friends-to-lovers off-putting, or hate it, but it's not something I ever seek out and it's QUITE rare for me to find a book based on this trope that is sexy and exciting. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? I like Nick. He genuinely loves Dani and cares about her and listens to her and wants to please her. I think these are good qualities to have in a sexual partner. He insists on having sex on an actual bed. Good. He goes down on her, after a lot of teasing. Very good. They use condoms! Yay! There is a cliched scene where he has her look at herself naked in a mirror and describes how beautiful she is in order to boost/fix her low self-esteem. I think this trope is played out. I don't think I can read this trope without rolling my eyes nowadays. The sex is not very described, so don't get excited. It's not graphic, unfortunately. TL;DR PROBLEMS - Rape used as a plot device, unnecessarily - Heroine with low self-esteem - Heroine who changes herself to please whatever man she's dating GOOD THINGS - Not a bad book if you are into the friends-to-lovers trope. - Both MCs are good people. - Has a positive message about pleasing yourself instead of trying to please others. - Writing is fine. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Friends to Lovers Non-Virgin Heroine He's a Rancher; She's a Co-Owner of a Diner. Takes Place In: Montana, U.S.A. BONUS MATERIALS DANI'S INSTANT COCOA MIX Makes approximately 12 servings (Note: for smaller batches, mix 2 tbsp each of sugar and cocoa per cup of powdered milk, then add a pinch or two of salt.) Ingredients: 3 cups of instant nonfat powdered milk 6 tbsp sugar 6 tbsp dry, unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp salt Combine and mix thoroughly. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. To Prepare Cocoa: Put 1/3 cup of cocoa mix in a 12-ounce mug. Stir in a little boiling water and mix until blended into a paste. Fill mug with boiling water. Stir or whip until blended. Add marshmallows if you like them. SOUNDTRACK: "Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner https://youtu.be/uFz61X2PQTw "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson https://youtu.be/uAHR7_VZdRw Cover model actually looks handsome and appealing. I have no idea why this is titled A Rancher's Redemption. How is he getting redeemed? Redeemed from what? IDK. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Dani f 5'6” Nick m Fluff – cat Sly m Jeter m Mandy f Jasmine f Ashley f Lana f Trudy f Seth m Jamie f Palmer m Clip m Jerome m Kenny m Jewel f Gumbo – dog Winston m George m Blake m Wally m Sylvie f Tim m Johanna f Christy f Becca f Janelle f Dave m Hank m Per m Don m Ted m Paul m Marcie f Charlie m Frank m Bill m Sadie f Colleen f Shelby f Mike m Melanie f Jackson m Carol f Benny – horse Denise f Naomi f Mike m Jeff m Carl m Gene m Serena f Marty m Pam f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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1
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Apr 08, 2020
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Apr 09, 2020
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Apr 08, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755406
| 9780373755400
| 0373755406
| 4.14
| 36
| Jan 01, 2014
| Oct 07, 2014
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it was ok
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Don't have an opening quote for this. Hank lost Kelly when she got pregnant by him and he was angry about it. Then he was relieved when she miscarried. Don't have an opening quote for this. Hank lost Kelly when she got pregnant by him and he was angry about it. Then he was relieved when she miscarried. She's never really forgiven him, but she got kicked out of her house by her grandfather when she turned eighteen. She didn't tell Hank she got kicked out of her house. He thought she left because she was so angry at him. And that's the main problem with this novel. These two are terrible at communicating with each other. In the past, now. They are both reluctant to share anything important happening in their lives with each other. They make a huge, life-altering decision, and then they just go on with life without telling the other person the Big News. It's strange. And it's definitely damaging their relationship and making it hard to trust one another. Hank married a horrible rich woman and had a daughter with her: Noelle, age 10. She acts like a brat for pretty much the whole book, so if you don't enjoy reading about bratty kids, skip this. He never really made an effort to be part of his daughter's life. I don't really feel like there is an excuse for this. It's not an appealing quality in a hero. Now, his ex-wife is going on a cruise and Noelle is coming to stay with him on his ranch for three months. He's hoping to reconnect with her and make up for not really being part of her life ever. That's basically the book. They are old lovers, reunited. But both of them make poor decisions about keeping important information a secret and not communicating with each other. They don't talk honestly with each other. They don't share things - very important things, life-altering things - with each other. Then they are pissed off at each other all the time because the other hid stuff. FOR NO REASON, by the way. There's no reason for hoarding these 'secrets.' It's annoying to the reader. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There's no sex of any kind in this book. TL;DR Two people who are overly secretive for no reason hurt each other emotionally. They definitely didn't learn any lessons from the past. They make the same mistakes now as they did when they were seventeen. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Second Chance Romance Non-Virgin Heroine He's a Rancher; She's an Executive at a Boot Company and a Rancher. Takes Place in Okeechobee, Florida, The United States of America NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Hank m Henry Star – horse Ty m Colt m Garrett m Emma f Randy m Royce m Noelle f Seth m Doris f Jimmy m Bree f Ranger – horse Chris m Tim m Sarah f Amy f Paul m Kelly f 5'10” Margie f Jim m Arlene f Mark m Belle – horse Marie f Josh m John m Mia f Shelly f Rusty – horse Lady – horse Randall m Sammy – dog Storm – horse Riley f Lester m Brad m Javier m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 06, 2020
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Apr 07, 2020
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Apr 06, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755392
| 9780373755394
| 0373755392
| 4.09
| 92
| Jan 01, 2014
| Oct 07, 2014
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really liked it
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"What now?" "You call the shots. We move fast or slow, whatever speed you're comfortable with." "Do we sleep together every night?" "Only if you want." H "What now?" "You call the shots. We move fast or slow, whatever speed you're comfortable with." "Do we sleep together every night?" "Only if you want." He desperately hoped she did. "Sounds an awful lot like playing house." "This isn't playing house for me. I've never been more serious." pg. 158 M E N S C H That's how you spell mensch, and that's what this man is. So good to be reading about a mensch hero again! Wow, so patient, so even-tempered, so stepping up and taking care of his responsibilities like a man. Yay! I really enjoyed this book. Jacob is stunned when a woman approaches him after a rodeo and tells him he is a father to a two-year-old little boy, Cody. Jacob had had sex with Mariana's sister in a ONS three years ago. She died of breast cancer. She never told Jacob about the baby. In fact, she deliberately had unprotected sex with him and lied to him and told him she was on birth control because she wanted to be a mother. Mariana has been named guardian. But - in what I have to say is very brave, selfless, good act - she hunts down Jacob and tells him he has a son. She wanted to keep the baby and raise him herself. And her mother is emphatically opposed to contacting Jacob. Since Mariana's father was a family-abandoner who cheated on his wife constantly, she and her sister and her mom did not have a good or high opinion of men. But Mariana thinks Jacob has a right to know about his son and deserves a chance to act as a true father. Jacob, being a mensch, takes all this in stride. He steps up to the plate. He wants to take care of his son both physically and financially. The problem is how little trust Mariana has in him. Mariana is overprotective of Cody. She hovers. She criticizes everything Jacob does. He honestly has the patient of a saint in this book. He deals patiently and calmly with her freaking out over every little thing. I guess Mariana isn't too experienced with children - which is odd given her bossiness and criticism of Jacob - but you can't freak out over every single thing and hover constantly. I mean, YOU CAN, but it's annoying and isn't going to do you or the child any good. Jacob treats her anxiety, hovering, and micromanaging with good nature and grace. She could drive anyone up a wall. I really admired and respected Jacob's lack of temper, general amiability and slow easiness. But then again, those are traits I find very attractive in men. Eventually these two work themselves out. In a ludicrous, only-in-a-romance-novel situation, he suggests she live in his house with Cody for a 'transition period' and she actually accepts. RIDICULOUS. But, oh, well. It works out for the plot. Mariana gets a chance to see that he's a loving, responsible man and maybe loosen up a notch or two. And he gets a chance to put the moves on her, although, to be honest, I found her quite anxiety-producing and didn't quite grasp his lust for her. McDavid's writing is strong. The plot is, for the most part, strong and interesting. There's a scene with a geriatric horse that was just cracking me up. I never knew this about myself, but after reading hundreds of American Romance novels, scenes where children interact with old, tired, sedate horses never fail to send me into gales of laughter - as long as the author writes about it with some humor. This isn't the first book that has tried this, and when done right I just can't stop laughing. And if you like dogs, Jacob owns an old Queensland Heeler that Cody just goes nuts for and the scenes between the two-year-old and the dog are so cute! Nice touch with the animals on McDavid's part. The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that sometimes scenes are left in a way that feels unfinished. Oftentimes a scene will end and it will just jump to the next day without explaining what went down or how things resolved. This is a very minor nitpick, and you could argue that it works and that it's McDavid's style. But I did notice it. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? I admire this man's iron control. They have some kissing sessions. Even though he wants to take it farther sometimes, he's very good at not doing so. Slow-moving. Able to meet her at her own pace. You know. A mensch. And he says stuff like this in bed: "I'm going to make love to you, Mariana." She laughed softly. It was like music. "I certainly hope so, or all my efforts at seduction were wasted." "Not wasted at all. But I need to tell you, this won't be just sex for me. I care about you. A lot." pg. 156 Aw, that's so cute! He's so cute! So earnest and goodhearted. It's adorable and I was melting. He also doesn't let her pressure him into straight PinV sex, as many heroes do. Instead, he insists on fingering her to climax before having PinV sex with her. I find this admirable and kind and sexy. Good job! The sex isn't described. It's vague. Don't go into this book thinking the sex will turn you on. It won't. But it is sweet and enjoyable, and I do think he did a good job in bed. I'm happy. And they use condoms! TL;DR Good writing and good plot. Not boring. Not stupid. Mensch hero, which is not something I see very often. Extra points for that. The heroine is high-strung but she's not a bad person. She has a good heart. She's annoying at times, but that's part of the plot. This would get five stars from me if there was some graphic sex in here. But there isn't. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Secret Baby Lawyer Romance He's a Rodeo-er and the Senior Safety Manager for Baron Energies' Largest Producing Oil Well; She's an Attorney Takes Place in: Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Jacob m 28 Daniel m Gumption – bull Brock m Jet m Jethro Jasmine f Lizzie f Natalie Adele f Mariana f 29 Leah f Cody m Carly f Savannah f Delia f Oscar m Luke m Zeus – horse Rosie f Peggy f Julieta f Helena f Paulo m Buster – dog Amigo – horse Lucille f Zeb m Saul m Alex m Christopher m Travis m Simone f Leeza f Darius m Lenny m Migo – Stick Pony Milt m Rocket Man – bull Keith m Ray m Trevor m Hannah f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 06, 2020
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Apr 06, 2020
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Apr 06, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0373755376
| 9780373755370
| 0373755376
| 3.89
| 38
| Sep 01, 2014
| Sep 02, 2014
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liked it
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Time to cowgirl up and do what was right no matter how much it hurt. pg. 210 A rather sedate story about a man who injures his hand so he loses his job Time to cowgirl up and do what was right no matter how much it hurt. pg. 210 A rather sedate story about a man who injures his hand so he loses his job with the Philharmonic. He goes back home to Colorado and starts playing country music with a local woman he used to date. When Jamie and Emma used to date, it wasn't too serious. It was just for a month or two and they didn't have sex. It was right before he left for college. Emma hasn't had good luck with men, all the men she's been with have been terrible. Including one who impregnated her when she was 19 and then abandoned her and the baby. She gave the baby up for adoption. Now she's determined not to get involved with anyone, she thinks dating and relationships only lead to future hell. So she resists Jamie pretty hard. Jamie is good-natured and patient. There's not much that stands out about this story. It's not particularly dramatic, interesting, emotional or sexy. But neither does it offend. It's pretty bland. The writing's fine, the overall story is fine, but the book lacks pizazz. The most interesting thing about this book is probably a.) that the two protagonists' GRANDFATHERS set them up and matchmake them, or b.) the fact that it's a rare Harlequin novel where the heroine DOES NOT reunite with her long-lost adopted son. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Surprisingly, Jamie and Emma never have PinV sex in this book. A reader could find that annoying. However, as Jamie points out, no birth control is 100% effective and given Emma's past she does not want to risk another pregnancy. Jamie fingers Emma to climax and Emma gives Jamie a blowjob. This is Harlequin American Romance, so these acts are not detailed. The book ends without them ever having PinV sex. I was not peeved by this. Probably an indication of how lukewarm my feelings were toward this book. TL;DR The book, although not badly written or poorly plotted, was mediocre. Kind of a lukewarm, sedate book without much going on one way or the other. Both MCs are musicians, so expect a good amount of music and music-talk in here. SOUNDTRACK FOR THE BOOK: "Drunk on You" by Luke Bryan https://youtu.be/5VkL5ETP58I "Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson https://youtu.be/yoPYQ-FmQB4 "Let's Make Love" by Faith Hill & Tim McGraw https://youtu.be/Fw1aDkr2Z5E "Jackson" by Johnny Cash and June Carter https://youtu.be/43qK1Lh2xH0 "Watermelon Crawl" by Tracy Byrd https://youtu.be/7jmtLlbo0BM "Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle https://youtu.be/xvaEJzoaYZk ROMANCE CATEGORIES Animal Lovers' Romance - Heroine works at an animal shelter Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance - Ehhhhh. No horses or rodeos or ranching. Only country-western music and plaid shirts and cowboy boots. Second Chance Romance Non-Virgin Heroine He's a Concert-Grade Violinist, Used to be in the Philharmonic, Now Fiddles, Singer, Bartender; She's a Singer, Songwriter, and Guitar Player, Leads a Band; Works as Volunteer Coordinator at the Animal Shelter. Takes Place in: Colorado, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ James m nn Jamie Connor m Mick m Emma f Emma Jean Molly f Dave m Phillip m Avery f Tucker m Clint m Gene m Kimberly f Carol f Monica f Luke m Brandon m Grayson m Cayden f Dana f Matt m Naomi f Lillian Rose f Janet f Carla f Stacy f Shay f Cathy f Doreen f Joshua m Cody m Henry m Kate f Wade m Rachel f Trixie – horse Baxter – dog Thor – dog Molly – dog Mumford – dog Arlene f Rocco – dog Shirley f Trooper – dog Callie f Mark m Andrew m Carmen f Harper f Sam m Martha f Mary f Malcolm m Brandon m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 04, 2020
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Apr 05, 2020
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Apr 04, 2020
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Paperback
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| 037375535X
| 9780373755356
| 037375535X
| 3.83
| 143
| Aug 01, 2014
| Sep 02, 2014
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it was ok
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"She's not my girlfriend." Luke drew back. "No?" "No." "Really? With her looks I thought for sure she'd be your type." "She has kids." "So?" pg. 87 Jethro h "She's not my girlfriend." Luke drew back. "No?" "No." "Really? With her looks I thought for sure she'd be your type." "She has kids." "So?" pg. 87 Jethro has no problem getting women to have sex with him. He is from a rich family and he's good-looking. He's also a disgusting sexist. He meets the heroine when he goes out to a site to meet an engineer and finds Jasmine. He thinks she's a stripper and tells her to take off her clothes. She's the engineer. One of the main problems of the book is I don't understand why either of them wants to be with each other. Jasmine has children - twin girls (age 5?) - and that is a hard 'no' from Jethro. He never involves himself with women who have children. I have no idea why he decides to do so now. And that's mainly my problem. What's so special about Jasmine? Why does he break his usual 'rule' for her? Why is he 'in love' with her? Why does he take on having a relationship with her when she has children - and one of them is sick, no less? It's unclear. Because she's pretty? Forgive me, but plenty of women are pretty. If you are going to sell me a love story, please make it about love. I wasn't buying it. And that goes double the other way. Why on Earth would she be interested in this asshole? Their meeting alone should have cured her of any delusions where Jethro was concerned. He's gross. He treats women grossly. Honestly, throughout the whole book, he's a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen. And everyone knows it, but he's the boss's son. You know, it could be a great romance story. The idea of a 'playboy' throwing over his skeevy ways for a woman he never thought he'd be interested in, one with 'baggage,' could be very interesting. Seeing a man change his worldview and give up his old life for a satisfying new one, choosing marriage and being a father to children who are not biologically his could be stunning. However, Britton doesn't put enough work in it to pull it off. Sure, I would believe Jethro wants to fuck the beautiful Jasmine. Harder for me to believe is that Jasmine would allow Jethro to take her to bed. But most importantly, I can't understand why the two characters feel LOVE for each other. LOVE is a lot more difficult to write believably than sex. The book also is sexist and plays into sexist stereotypes. The fight and break-up at the end (before the inevitable Happily Ever After) is ridiculous, and makes no sense. It was contrived. CAN YOU SAY ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THE BOOK, CARMEN? Yes. Jasmine is an adult. She faces any problems head-on. When she wonders something about Jethro, she just says it. When she has something on her mind she has to talk about with Jethro, she just says it. She's not afraid, she doesn't play games. She doesn't pussyfoot around. I find this refreshing and admirable in a heroine. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Britton isn't bad at writing sex. I enjoyed the fact that she wrote a long, detailed, pretty-clear-for-an-American-Romance sex scene. She celebrates neck-kissing, which I am on board with, but Jethro doesn't give her as much foreplay as I'd like. TL;DR The premise of a rich playboy falling in love with a woman who has two children, when said playboy considers children a burden, is intriguing and has potential. Unfortunately, I don't believe that potential is realized here. I couldn't really understand why these two were so enamored of each other. 'Because he/she's hot' is not a satisfactory answer in my opinion. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance STEM Heroine Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widow Heroine He works at Barron Energies and Rodeos; She is an Oilfield Engineer. Takes place in: Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Jet m (Jethro) J.C. F 24 Jasmine Caroline Lizzie f Elizabeth Brock m Savannah f Carly f Travis m Brooke f Gwen f James m Caroline f Oscar m Delia f Peggy f Julieta f Darren m Eric m Chris m Jacob m Alex m Anna f Maria f Luke m Daniel m Alyssa f Tuck – horse Jacob m Natalie Adele f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 30, 2020
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Apr 2020
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Mar 30, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755317
| 9780373755318
| 0373755317
| 3.99
| 97
| Jan 01, 2014
| Aug 01, 2014
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liked it
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They were warm and caring and trusting. And, oh, how she wished she could tell him the truth. But she didn't dare. If he knew what she had been keepin
They were warm and caring and trusting. And, oh, how she wished she could tell him the truth. But she didn't dare. If he knew what she had been keeping from him, he would never trust her. He would never even come this close to her again. pg. 131 An interesting book, if you've been reading this 'series.' This is number three. The romance novels are perfectly fine if you read them on their own, but I think there's a little added something if you read the series together. They are all written by different authors. Barbara White Daille isn't a bad author, although she does tend to leave things a bit unfinished. Some scenes are vague, and they 'end' in a way that is unclear. She's not very thorough or detail-oriented. That being said, this book had some good aspects to it. Carly comes back to the ranch she grew up on to care for her injured father. There she reunites with her ex, her ex from when she was a teenager. Luke is working as the ranch manager. Things are complicated. They broke up as teenagers for very stupid reasons. They got into a fight about basically nothing and then both of them were too proud and too dumb to apologize or talk later, even though (view spoiler)[Carly discovers she is pregnant by Luke after they have first-time sex (hide spoiler)]. I happen to think this is pretty important, and it is a huge secret hanging over their heads as they reconnect years later. (view spoiler)[Carly lost the baby in a miscarriage at four months, and Luke married a local woman and had a baby with her, but his wife died in a rodeo accident. So he is a single father now. (hide spoiler)] So. That might be a huge problem with the book. How can these two characters reconnect and 'fall in love all over again' if she has this humongous, painful secret she's keeping from him? And it's really tragic. I mean, think about (view spoiler)[being pregnant by a man you broke up with, and you can tell no one. You feel like you can't tell him about it - he's with another woman already - and you don't tell a single person in your family about it. It's horrifying. Even worse that she loses the baby, and has no one to support her through that, either. (hide spoiler)] So she has this huge, depressing secret about her past. It was honestly quite sad. And another sideplot - that really only matters if you are following the series - is the siblings' attempts to find their biological mother, who walked out on them when Carly was five. She has a lot of sad and confused thoughts about this. (view spoiler)[ Four years had gone by between the time their mom had given birth to Jet and then left them all. WHY had she walked out? Did she have lingering issues from her final pregnancy? Had she suffered from postpartum depression... the way Carly had? Had her mom dealt with that depression for years afterward... the way she had? How could she go down that road with Lizzie or Savannah? Neither of them had ever known she'd been pregnant. But with questions like those, they would wonder, suspect, might even ask her outright. They would want answers she didn't want to give. pg. 96 (hide spoiler)] HOW'S LUKE? Luke is a kind, patient, even-keeled man and a good father. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Too vague and mostly off-page. TL;DR A pretty good book on the emotional spectrum. What Carly went through was truly hard, and the drama of having a secret like that from Luke was crushing and well done. Not stupid. Luke was a kind, loving, patient guy. Good person. The sex was mostly absent and what you see isn't anything to get excited about. My biggest complaint about the book is White Daille's shady writing. She skips about in scenes, leaves scenes unfinished, sometimes has holes in scenes where you are wondering what happened. It's not easy to piece things together in your mind because she's dodgy like this. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Second Chance Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widower Hero He's a Ranch Manager; She works in the Peach Pit, but used to sell Western Wear: her degree is in Marketing. Takes Place in Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Carly f Savannah f Brock m Lizzie f Travis m Delia f Luke m Julieta f Kim f Anna f Rosie f 2 Jet m Jethro Horatio Sandra f Tammy f Jodi f Jacob m Twister – bull Pal – horse Gina f J.C. F Chris m Daredevil – horse Chestnut – horse Alex m Daniel m Genevieve f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 19, 2020
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Mar 21, 2020
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Mar 19, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755295
| 9780373755295
| 0373755295
| 3.71
| 58
| Jan 01, 2014
| Jul 01, 2014
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really liked it
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"I don't want you to get hurt." "I'm a big girl, Deacon. I make my own decisions. About who I want to be with and what I want to do with them." Should "I don't want you to get hurt." "I'm a big girl, Deacon. I make my own decisions. About who I want to be with and what I want to do with them." Should he be uncertain, she traced the line of his jaw with her fingertip. "There are no guarantees. If I wind up hurt, or you for that matter, it will simply be a consequence of what happens. Not because one of us set out to hurt the other." "I don't take this - us, what might be happening between us - lightly." "What IS happening between us," she corrected. "I care about you." "If you didn't, I wouldn't be sitting on your lap, trying my utmost to seduce you. Frankly, I'm surprised you're resisting. I happen to think I'm irresistible." pg. 168 This was a pretty meaty romance book for Harlequin. It was more of a mystery, really. A mystery-romance. I'm not complaining. Liberty comes from a pretty fucked-up family, and her biological father re-enters her life in a rather unorthodox way - with a lawyer. A man from Liberty's past named Deacon. Deacon is representing her dad legally, but also trying to get to the bottom of a mystery - who caused the bull-goring Deacon was blamed for when he was seventeen. He knows he's innocent. The plot is too complex to run down here, but that's the gist of it. FUCKED-UP FAMILIES Both Liberty and Deacon come from messed-up families. Liberty's parents fight tooth-and-nail. Her mother hid her father from her, telling her that her father was some passerby. Her sister is raising a child, refusing to tell anyone who is the child's father. Her older brother left to live with her father at age 14, and never came back. Her father is a heavy-handed bully (not physically) and manipulator, and her mother is a liar and a manipulator. Deacon was raised by two disinterested, selfish parents. He was never diagnosed with his learning disorder as a child, so he grew up thinking he was stupid and getting mocked for it by his peers. He ran away at seventeen after being falsely accused of being responsible for a bull-goring accident that left another boy disabled. He ended up in juvie. It's to McDavid's credit that all these flawed characters (the families of our protagonists) are not painted as two-dimensional villains. They are fleshed out, a mix of good and bad, and - although not admirable people - they are not heartless assholes with no morals, which are usually the type of 'bad guys' who populate romance novels. MYSTERY ASPECT This book is meatier than most Harlequin romance novels. It's really a blend of a mystery and a romance novel. Not only are the characters more fleshed-out than is typical, but Deacon's investigation into the true perpetrator of the bull-goring incident is a major part of the novel. You can like this or hate it. Personally, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, considering the low-quality of Harlequin's Romantic Suspense line and their Intrigue line. Also, usually romance authors who try to incorporate mystery into their books fail horribly. Thirdly, attorneys. I'm not attracted to attorneys (or doctors), and also books about lawyering (or doctoring) bore me. But this one managed to keep my interest. MENSCH I have to give Deacon credit. He's a mensch. Not only is he patient and even-tempered (two very hot qualities in a man), but he goes above and beyond. He's generous, kind, forgiving. And he acts this way even to people who don't 'deserve' his mensch-like treatment. It's quite impressive. Admirable. High marks to a hero who can pull off this kind of innate decency. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Eh. The problem here is that McDavid is too vague and I can't really tell how Deacon is performing in bed. So, I wasn't impressed, but I can't bash on him either. I don't have enough to go on. TL;DR Man comes back to his hometown to find out the truth about his past. Both hero and heroine have shitty families. Both hero and heroine are good people. Plot is complex, characters drawn three-dimensionally. You have to be prepared for a healthy dose of mystery with your romance and also some lawyering. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy / Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Lawyer Romance He is an Attorney and a (sometimes) Rodeo Rider; She runs a Rodeo Arena (with her family). Takes place in Arizona, U.S.A. near Theodore Roosevelt Lake NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Liberty f 24 Ryder m Cassidy f 35 Mercer m Deacon m Sunny f Ricky m Ernie m Tatum f Andrea f Benjamin nn Benjy m Dee Dee f Skittles – horse Walter m Carol f Henry m Kenny m Biggie Size – horse Calamity Jane – horse Tom m Cal m Huck – horse Confetti – horse Samson – dog Heavy Metal – bull Murry – m Joe m Anna Maria f Tank m Jessie m Vic m Hector m Woody m Bill m Arlene f Eduardo m Diablo – horse (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 16, 2020
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Mar 18, 2020
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Mar 16, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0373755287
| 9780373755288
| 0373755287
| 4.18
| 67
| Jul 01, 2014
| Jul 01, 2014
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it was ok
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I don't have an opening quote for this. Maggie (short for Magnolia, Callie's sister from Lone Star Christmas) is a runaway bride. She bolts at the alta I don't have an opening quote for this. Maggie (short for Magnolia, Callie's sister from Lone Star Christmas) is a runaway bride. She bolts at the altar and runs into the woods. Former army Hart runs after her. Then they don't see each other for a few years. Maggie stays on at the wedding resort, and works there for years, 'hiding from the world.' Hart returns because his parents are the ones who run the wedding business. He's carting an 18-month-old named Henry with him. MY WHOLE BEEF WITH THIS BOOK My whole beef with this book is that Hart is basically seducing / fucking Maggie in order to get free, 24/7 childcare for life. He thinks she's hot. He likes having sex with her. Why not marry her and gain sex on tap and also free 24/7 childcare forever? He's not even that subtle about this. I don't think this is romantic. He knows Maggie has a long history in childcare. She wants to step away from that. She's actually qualified to be a business analyst now (though she's put that on hold to work for the wedding business). She doesn't want to do childcare anymore. People assume that since you've done childcare for years (decades, sometimes) and you love children - that you will be DELIGHTED for the 'opportunity' to become a full-time nanny for their kid. It's not true. And he keeps using Henry to guilt her. Whenever she tries to pull away, he's like, "Well, don't you love Henry?" Honestly, what the fuck does loving Henry have to do with it? Maybe she wants a husband who values her as a person, did you ever think of that?!? When it seems like Maggie is not going to fall for his ploy, not going to agree to either marry him or have sex with him while living with him in another state, and take care of Henry full time as well.... he calls his parents. And asks them wouldn't they love to move house from Texas to California in order to take care of Henry full time? They politely decline, much to his confusion and frustration. I don't get this guy. Take care of your own fucking son? He's your son. Are you that incompetent that you can't raise him yourself? Hire a fucking nanny. (He does eventually hire a nanny, finally giving up on receiving free, 24/7 childcare from his wife/servant or relative/servants.) That's my main beef. Even Hart's (view spoiler)[marriage proposal to her (hide spoiler)] goes something along the lines of "Henry's missed you. Henry loves you. Don't you want to spend the rest of your life with him?" Instead of, I don't know, talking about how much he loves her or their future together as a couple, etc. WRITING Gillen Thacker loves adjectives and adverbs, to the point where it almost becomes humorous. Every noun and action is modified. THE FLIRTING The flirting is atrocious. I mean, I guess what passes as good and cute flirting is subjective, but I found this flirting very silly and laughable. Rolled my eyes a lot. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Well, first I was disappointed because their first sex scene together is SO vague it was like trying to piece together sanskrit. I was squinting my eyes and tilting the book from left to right trying to decipher what these two were doing in bed together. I think she humped his leg at one point. I'm not even joking. But I shouldn't have despaired. As the couple keeps on having sex - and they have sex a lot in this book. They have sex almost every night. Unlike some American Romances where it's one-and-done. - the sex scenes actually get to the point where Gillen Thacker describes everything and describes it well. I was pleased. I have to give him extra points for going down on her, and I have to give Gillen Thacker extra points for making sure to mention that Maggie has hair on her vulva. And I have to give Gillen Thacker points for her 3 1/2 page described sex scene. Good job! TL;DR My main problem with this book is the conceit that Hart is only 'romancing' Maggie because he wants free, 24/7 childcare. Sex on tap is a bonus. I just don't find this particularly romantic, even though historically men usually marry in order to have a live-in servant. But this isn't a historical, it's a contemporary taking place in 2014. I mean, he's not even that good at it. Even if you wanted to romance a woman for this purpose, you have to be more subtle about it. Also you should be more patient, less pushy, and say stuff like "I love you" and stress more your interactions / feelings as a COUPLE rather than shoving her into a mommy/nanny role all the time. Being a mommy or nanny is great, but it's not romantic and it's not going to make a woman fall in love with you. Be smarter, Hart. And of course they end up together, so I guess he wins. Fuck that shit. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Non-Virgin Heroine He Heads Up Security for a Hollywood Star, Former Army; She is a Business Analyst but now works for a Wedding Industry. Takes place in: Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Hart m 6'4” Magnolia – Maggie f 5'7” Gus m Callie f Jackson m Lacey f Alicia f Seth m Fiona f Frank m Brian m Monica f Henry 18 months m Lynette f Ben m Nancy f Pete m Marisol f K.C. F (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 09, 2020
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Mar 13, 2020
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Mar 09, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755279
| 9780373755271
| 0373755279
| 3.98
| 86
| Jan 01, 2014
| Jul 01, 2014
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liked it
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"I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner tonight?" "Sure, where and what time?" She obviously thought this was a business meeting he was propo "I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner tonight?" "Sure, where and what time?" She obviously thought this was a business meeting he was proposing. "This has nothing to do with the search for your mom." He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "I'm asking you out on a date." "Oh." He had to smile at the surprise in her voice. For someone as pretty, talented and as well-off as she was, it was endearing how being asked out on a date evidently hadn't even crossed her mind. Of course, he'd given her no reason to expect that was coming. "What do you say?" "I... I don't know." For a moment, he wondered if he was making a mistake. But then he shook off his doubt and plowed forward. "I have an idea. Say yes." She hesitated for a moment. "Okay." Smiling again, he said, "I'll pick you up at six." "Wouldn't it be easier for me to meet you somewhere?" "Maybe, but it's not a proper date unless the guy picks up the girl." pg. 110 This was a perfectly mediocre book. Nothing really stood out about it. Savannah runs into an old friend at a rodeo. Travis is a widower, used to be in the army but now works as a P.I. His wife was shot to death in a convenience store while he was in Afghanistan. Travis is hesitant to start a relationship because he is still mourning his wife's death. Savannah takes a tumble from her horse during the rodeo and in the course of recuperating from her bruising she discovers a lump in her breast. This part is interesting. I don't read a lot of romance novels that deal with breast cancer scares. The fear and anxiety Savannah is going through is real. The hesitation Travis has at getting involved with a woman who may be sick is also real. He doesn't want to grieve another dead lover. The drama in this book involving the couple is low. Most of the drama is external, which honestly is refreshing. Savannah's looming biopsy results and her search for her mother, who abandoned her and her siblings when she was little. Travis dealing with his grief for his dead wife and his anger at the man who shot her. Travis was a calm, steady presence in the book and I liked his rock-solid nature. It didn't make much sense to me that he (view spoiler)[panics and abandons her for a week (hide spoiler)] near the end of the book. It was cowardly and not fitting in with the character IMO. Although everything worked out fine. OBSESSION ON FAT, AND FOOD I also would like to point out that Milburn has not changed her fat-phobic ways. She's got some issues with food. In every single one of her books she harps on foods' fat content, calorie content, and making sure to have her characters comment on becoming fat, getting diabetes, etc. etc. etc. It's very annoying. It's also damaging. I don't like it. Even if you are someone who has anxiety about eating, food, calories, being fat, or etc. etc. in real life, I see romance novels as a form of escape from reality, and I don't need fat-phobia and calorie-obsession in my romance novels. I'm even going to go so far as to say if you are sensitive to this type of stuff - diabetes 'jokes,' endless commenting about how fattening each food is, etc. etc. - you might want to avoid Milburn as a romance author. If you are in remission from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, EDNOS or OSFED (eating disordered not otherwise specified, or other specified feeding or eating disorder) I would just like to warn you that her books are going to be full of triggers. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? I have to give Milburn props. Props to you, Milburn. She does not hide the sex in a dark room. She tells you what is going on. That is giving her points from me. I like that she writes reasonably long, reasonably detailed sex scenes. I mean, this isn't Blaze, but it's above my (admittedly low) sex expectations for this Harlequin line. That being said, I think Travis could be better in bed. I was just like, "Eh." YMMV. TL;DR If it weren't for Milburn's food issues, which really put a damper on my mood, I would say this is a pretty decent romance novel. The hero is a good man, steady. The heroine is a good person as well, and dealing with a lump in the breast and the accompanying activities and anxiety is an interesting addition to a romance novel IMO. I like how the heroine deals with her critical father. I like how Travis is always there for Savannah (with a notable exception that was put in for drama) and doesn't try to smother or control her at all, but is supportive and helpful. A pretty basic romance novel, but it manages to sidestep some of the lesser tropes of this genre. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widower Hero He's former army and now is a P.I.; She runs a bakery/store. Takes place in Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Savannah f Gina f Ben m Juan m Ingrid f Abby f Bluebell – horse Luke m Lizzie f Carly f Jet m Aaron m Brock m Rosie the Pivoter – horse Cannon m Chris m Liam m Travis m Hailey f Rita f Corinne f Tanya f Jonesy – m Julieta f Becky f Delia f Maria f Emory f Frank m Blossom f Dillon m David m Kurt m Alex m Sierra f Evan m Wendy f Amos m Daniel m Jacob m Susan f Amber f Josh m Shannon f Robbie m Phyllis f Matt m Irene f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 05, 2020
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Mar 06, 2020
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Mar 05, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755252
| 9780373755257
| 0373755252
| 3.96
| 45
| Jan 01, 2014
| Jun 03, 2014
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liked it
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"When are you two going out?" "He didn't ask me out," Lana said. "I never had a chance to find out his last name or anything else about him. He was onl "When are you two going out?" "He didn't ask me out," Lana said. "I never had a chance to find out his last name or anything else about him. He was only interested in kissing me." "Ooh. Did you let him?" "Of course not." But Lana had wanted to. Badly. "Are you crazy? If you don't want to kiss Sly Whatever-his-last-name-is, send him my way." "Ha, ha, ha. I didn't let him kiss me because he's only interested in one thing." "I thought you liked doing that one thing with him." Lana gritted her teeth. "You're not helping, Kate. I don't want a sex-only relationship." pg. 39 This book opens with Lana waking up after a ONS, very uncharacteristic of her. She went to bed with Sly after meeting him at a bar on a bad night for her - a night when she found out her ex-husband's new wife was expecting a baby. Lana is infertile, and it's why her ex-husband left her. She runs a daycare and plans on adopting a baby. She's actively going through the adoptive process now. Sly is weird. For one thing, he seems allergic to the 'r-word' (relationship) and even when he has a 'girlfriend' he doesn't allow her in his house and especially not his bedroom. Doesn't this seem strange to you? It seems strange to me. He's also a guy who thinks with his dick. It's a bad sign when your cock does your thinking for you. I was really hoping there was going to be more to him than that. Sly's issues also confuse Lana. For instance, he says stuff like "I want to get to know you." She's like, "That's called dating." and he's like, "Ha ha ha, don't use the r-word." Later in the book, he's like, "I want to spend time with you and also have sex with you on the regular and see you a lot." And she's like, "That's a relationship." And he's like, "No, it's not a relationship" and both her and I are like "???" So he keeps showing up, helping her, wanting to see her and yet still claiming he doesn't want a relationship. He's a fuckboy. Sometimes she calls him on his shit: "I'm not interested in getting serious or anything, but I would like to get to know you." "Oh, really? Then why didn't you ask me for my number, or at least act like you were interested in ME as a person? You never asked me a single question about myself." pg. 57 And sometimes she drools over him: He rolled up his sleeves to the middle of his forearms. Lana couldn't help noting his thick wrists and hands. The nails were short and clean, and his fingers and palms were calloused and scarred from ranch work. Strong, competent hands that could also be gentle and bring such pleasure... pg. 95 But either way she's confused by this fuckboy. Unfortunately, if you are a romance reader, you can see the "plot twist" in this book coming from a mile away: Infertile Lana who desperately wants a baby and is going through the adoption process (view spoiler)[gets impregnated by this fuckboy from an ONS. (hide spoiler)] While this is very typical in Romancelandia, it's annoying and IMO a copout. It would be much bettter IMO to write a book in which a commitmentphobic fuckboy has to deal with the fallout of falling in love with a woman he tried his best to use and discard, even having to take on the fact that she is actively adopting and he will have to be a father if he chooses to be in a (gasp) relationship with her. That's pretty good and difficult. Instead, however, the author cops out and (view spoiler)[makes supposedly 'infertile' Lana pregnant by her ONS with the fuckboi. (hide spoiler)] How sad. I have to give Roth props for having Sly come to grips with his fuckboy-ness while lecturing a much younger fuckboy about responsibility to his woman. One of Sly's 20-year-old ranchhands gets his girlfriend pregnant and plans on just leaving - not telling his girlfriend anything, just abandoning her and skipping town. Sly is aghast and advises the youngster not to be such a fuckboy. He explains that the ranchhand should be a man, stand up and take responsibility for his actions. In doing so, he realizes that HE is a fuckboy and that HE needs to stand up and take responsibility for HIS actions because he also got a woman (view spoiler)[pregnant (hide spoiler)] and he needs to deal with that circumstance like a grown man of 35. Which he is. Pretty old to be a fuckboy, right? After that, he goes to Lana and tells her that (view spoiler)[not only will be support the child monetarily but will be a part of its daily life. (hide spoiler)] However, is he cured of his fuckboyedness? I don't think so. Even up to page 182, he's literally saying to Lana, "I want to have sex with you regularly, I want to (view spoiler)[raise this child with you (hide spoiler)], but I don't want to have a relationship with you." And she's like, "That's what a relationship IS. Are you crazy?" I was expecting some sort of explanation for why this hero is SO WEIRD, beyond your standard one-sentence "A woman broke up with him in the past." I mean, women break up with men all the time, it doesn't lead them to being so strange that they ban anyone they are dating from their house/bedroom. ??? But I did not get a satisfying explanation of his behavior. IS THERE ANYTHING GOOD YOU CAN SAY ABOUT OUR HERO, CARMEN? Yes. - He does dishes. Voluntarily, and with no complaints. Seems amenable to doing household chores. Doesn't see household chores as 'women's work.' - Does labor. Is willing to do labor. - Doesn't get ruffled easily. Yes, he took the news of (view spoiler)[Lana being pregnant (hide spoiler)] badly, he was upset. He's not a mensch, he's a fuckboy, you understand. But generally he is pretty calm, hard to ruffle, has a steady nature with no temper. Doesn't get riled easily. Doesn't lose his temper. He's good at taking things in stride. - Stops immediately anytime Lana tells him to sexually. He may be a fuckboy, but he's not an asshole and certainly not a rapist. This is kind of damning the guy with faint praise, huh? I mean, besides the 'calm' part, these are pretty low standards to have for a man. "Isn't a rapist" - good standard, right? LOL HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? "We had sex." Kate gave her a funny look. "He disappointed you?" Lana shook her head. "Sly is the best lover I've ever had." pg. 197 Usually when a heroine says this I laugh her out of the room. Usually heroines don't know what they are talking about and simply accept any kind of fucking as stellar fucking. For some reason. Because they are inexperienced? Because the author can't be bothered to write good sex? Because men are shit in bed as a general rule? IDK. But Sly actually takes care of Lana in bed. I have to give it to him. You have to give a man credit where credit is due. He genuinely enjoys foreplay. He goes down on her. He cares that she orgasms and makes sure it happens. He didn't seem rushed or impatient in bed. She's lucky. You'd be surprised how many contemporaries I read about 'womanizers' and historicals I read about 'rakes' who, despite having vast sexual experience in bed, really are rotten at giving women any kind of pleasure, and, more importantly, don't seem to give a crap that women aren't enjoying themselves. I didn't find the sex scene in this book sexually stimulating, I don't think Roth writes in a titillating way. Also, Sly talks in bed and honestly I wish he wouldn't. I wish he would just shut up. But that being said, I'm happy Lana found someone who knows how to put it down for her. This would be a much worse book if she had a horrible ONS, and then was saddled with a callous sexual partner for life. At least I can rest happy that she's found a man who cares about pleasing her in bed. TL;DR Standard, typical, could-see-it-a-mile-away 'plot twist.' Standard romance-book fare. I think the story would have been much more interesting if Sly had to deal with his feelings for a woman he had a ONS with, a woman with different values than him (she wants children and he's allergic to even having a relationship with a woman), and trying to come to grips with his new future and his new values. But Roth takes the easy way out and relies on the old trope of (view spoiler)[a supposedly infertile woman becoming magically fertile when she meets the right man, (hide spoiler)] forcing Sly with a heavy hand into a situation that he doesn't want. To me, this is less about love than about a man who can only allow himself to be an asshole to a certain extent. It's more romantic if a man chooses to be with a woman, a ONS, who insists on adopting and having children when his whole schtick is not becoming involved with people. There's nothing more involving than raising a child. But (view spoiler)[forcing him into being a good man by making Lana get pregnant with Sly's biological child is cheating. (hide spoiler)] It's cheating. Because he will go up a few levels on the asshole-scale if he (view spoiler)[abandons his child. (hide spoiler)] It's lazy, and the author doesn't want to do as much work, so she copped out. Or Harlequin ordered the plot (might be more likely). Either way, it neuters what could have been a powerful book. I didn't hate the book, but there was nothing special about it. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine (view spoiler)[Pregnant Heroine (hide spoiler)] He's a Rancher, She's a Day-Care Owner. Takes Place in Montana, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Lana f 32 Kate f Brent m Julia f Sly m 35 Ace m Bean m Ollie m 20 Tim m Dave m Tiff f Bee – horse Dani f 28 Liz f Eric m Connor m Emma f Horace m Michele f Seth m Amy f Courtney f Jon m Sophie f Sheila f George m Cal m Paul m Big Mama f Jason m Naomi f Millie f Henry m Gus m Brittany f Jasmine f Jayden m Valerie f Nick m Jake m Fluff – cat Rayna f Troy m Janet f Bill m Pitch m Eddie m Bob m Johanna f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 2020
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Mar 02, 2020
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Mar 01, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0373755236
| 9780373755233
| 0373755236
| 3.93
| 161
| Jan 01, 2014
| Jun 03, 2014
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liked it
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"Would it be so bad? Being on a date with me?" The blush deepened. "Um... of course not. It's just that it would complicate things. Haven't we had this "Would it be so bad? Being on a date with me?" The blush deepened. "Um... of course not. It's just that it would complicate things. Haven't we had this conversation already?" She regained her composure and got out two glasses, but he noticed her hand shook slightly as she was pouring the milk. pg. 100 There's some cute things about this book. Chris and Lizzie had a one night stand eight weeks ago when they met in a bar after a rodeo. Chris wakes up to an empty bed and no sign of Lizzie except for a stray earring. I'll spare you my lecture about how rude and unnecessary it is to leave someone to wake up in a cold bed after having sex. I dislike it. You know it. The book opens with Lizzie taking a pregnancy test at work. She then promptly hunts down Chris to tell him he is going to be a father. "Look, do I need to be tested for an STD or something? Is that why you're here?" pg. 17 He takes the news that she's pregnant remarkably well. "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." She swallowed, a little bit afraid if she were honest. "You were a little upset yesterday when I first told you, but you've done very little freaking out since. You're taking this remarkably in stride. Why don't you blame me more? Why aren't you angry? I've told you something that changes your life forever. Something you didn't choose." pg. 66 Chris is an attractive hero, not because of his looks but due to his mensch-like qualities. He takes responsibility for his actions. He steps up to the plate and is willing to do what is needed. He doesn't try to weasel out of his responsibilities for his woman and his child. He doesn't even get angry or upset with Lizzie. He doesn't have to support her financially. She's rich. He's not poor, but she's a lot richer than he is. He tells her even though she doesn't NEED support, he's there for her for whatever she needs and he wants to raise the child with her and be a father to it and be prominent in its life. Calm, steady men are quite attractive. So are men who own their shit and stand up to take responsibility for it. So we are off to a good start with our hero. Chris's calm and steady nature is also a good foil for Lizzie's high-strung, nervous, type-A personality. She blushes all the time and frankly I thought she was adorable. She's a vice president and a big-deal executive in her company, but when it comes to Chris she is thrown for a loop and I found it cute. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? So, it's all off-page. Sadly. This is American Romance. There is an interesting scene that involves a makeout session, however. They are making out on the couch and she stops him when it looks like he's intent on having sex with her. "It's just... It's too fast." Her skin was flushed and her breathing heavy. "I can't... I'm not ready... I know it's sounds stupid considering...." He reluctantly obeys. But then things get interesting when she asks him if he can give her some slow kissing. He tries, for like five minutes, but then gives up because he can't, apparently, make out with his woman without it leading to sex. I'm frankly disappointed in him. I'm a big fan of kissing, and I'm a huge advocate of kissing sessions that don't end up in the bedroom. I think it would have been incredibly hot if Chris was strong enough to give Liz what she's asking for. I understand it might be difficult for him, but that's the whole point. He's a fucking romance hero. Remember in Perv how Robyn is being taken to the bedroom by Nate and she teasing says, "What, no foreplay?" and he just makes her regret saying that in the best and most exquisite way possible? Now, I understand not every man can be as good in bed as Nate is or have his level of skillz, but for gosh sake, if your woman sweetly asks you for some slow kissing, I expect you to deliver. It's not like I expect high heat levels from Harlequin, but this is such a missed opportunity it's ridiculous. All the sex is off-page, but I don't see why we should be deprived of a hot, slow-kissing scene. TL;DR - Hero is a man who steps up to the plate and accepts responsibility for his actions like an adult. Takes care of his woman and his unborn child without complaint. Strong enough to weather an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy. Me complaining about his lack of strength in being able to deliver slow kissing is nitpicking. In reality, Lizzie is pretty fucking lucky. Most unplanned pregnancies as a result of a ONS would not end up like this, to say the least. That's why it's a romance novel. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Pregnant Heroine He's an Engineer and a Bronc Rider; She's VP at Baron Industries. Takes Place in: Dallas TX and San Antonio TX. The United States of America. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Lizzie f Elizabeth Delia f Peggy f Jacob m Daniel m Julieta f Jet m Christopher m Mark m Savannah f Carly f Alex m Erica f Maria f Emory f Nicole f Anna f Jasmine f Adele f Brock m Jeb m Debra f Robert m Jeremiah m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 23, 2020
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Feb 26, 2020
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Feb 23, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0373755228
| 9780373755226
| 0373755228
| 4.02
| 98
| Jan 01, 2014
| Jun 03, 2014
|
really liked it
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Sitting in the dark of Colin's bedroom and holding his hand, she'd felt a crack inside her, felt herself opening to him in a way she hadn't experience
Sitting in the dark of Colin's bedroom and holding his hand, she'd felt a crack inside her, felt herself opening to him in a way she hadn't experienced for a very long time. In a way that - if she weren't careful - would hurt like hell when he walked out of their lives in a few weeks. pg. 94 This was a cute romance, and it wasn't stupid. I enjoyed it. Colin comes to Hannah's rescue when she is stranded at the side of the road. He pulls up on his Harley and changes the tire on her old beater. Turns out he was headed for her ranch, anyway. He drifts around being hired help in various outdoorsy ways. The surprise is that Colin and Hannah are actually perfect for each other. Both are orphans. Both have dead families - Hannah's husband was killed in Iraq, and Colin's wife and 2-year-old son were killed in a car accident. The difference is how these two approach life. Colin has become reclusive and bitter. He avoids his remaining family and friends. He isolates himself. Hannah made a vow when her son was born that she was going to be optimistic and take life head-on. She's always cheery, optimistic, full of vigor. Part of it is, of course, an act, but the fact that she still has a part of her husband in her son and the responsibility and honor of being a single parent is a big part of driving her forward. Hannah is insistent in fixing up the dilapidated ranch she inherited from her husband. Everyone thinks she is crazy. The place is falling apart. Colin is there to do some much-needed repairs. SO WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK? Low drama. No stupid fights. No crazy actions on either MC's part in order to advance the plot or cause 'exciting drama.' Both characters are stable, good people. It takes a while for Colin and Hannah to get to know each other and begin to have feelings for each other. That is appreciated. This is not Michaels' funniest book. but she still gets a little bit of her trademarked humor in there. He was reluctantly fascinated by her total about-face. It was as though she'd flipped a switch. One moment, she'd clearly been remembering something unpleasant, anger seeping into her tone, then, boom, she was back to beaming like a lottery winner. Maybe she was schizophrenic. pg. 22 ... Crisp bacon; eggs scrambled with cheese, peppers and sausage; a bowl of fruit salad; piping hot coffee; and a cake so moist it looked like a cover photo of some food magazine. His mind darted back to the Hansel and Gretel story and the witch who fattened up her prey. He slanted Hannah an assessing look. "You got any ulterior motives I should know about?" pg. 22 ... With that in mind, she conjured a friendly smile and held out the sandwich. "I brought you some food." He reached for it eagerly, but his eyes were weary. "What, just one course?" Maybe now wasn't the time to mention the six different dessert options inside if he was still hungry later. pg. 45 ... "Been here a week, and I've already driven you to day-drinking." Colin set his emptied glass on the island. "That can't be a good sign." pg. 101 Nothing was making me laugh out loud, but Michaels has a cute little sense of humor that she always includes in her romance novels. I always enjoy it. Everyone is so stable and level-headed in this book. There's a sleazy next-door neighbor who periodically shows up to be gross and hit on Hannah, and although Colin is a reassuring presence who is ready to stand up for Hannah at any time, we don't get any unnecessary violence or pissing contests. Colin is a little hyper about the safety of Hannah and her four-year-old son, but it never gets unreasonable and he never makes himself too obnoxious. But at the same time, Michaels makes clear he's fucked up in the head from his family's deaths. Same thing with his nightmares. She comes into his bedroom and helps him deal with them, but it doesn't become sexual and the two are actually very comforting for each other since they can relate to each other so much. Both of them loved their dead spouses, the book has nothing negative to say about their dead spouses, which I find refreshing. There's no need to make a dead spouse or an ex-spouse in a romance novel a demon or a problem or a bad memory. People can love more than one person romantically in their lifetime. I have much more respect for romance novels who take the high road and DON'T trash the spouse that a character used to have. Both of them loved their wife/husband, had good sex with their wife/husband, and had a loving wife/husband. That does NOT negate or diminish the love they develop for each other. Great choice on Michaels' part. Colin was fired from his last job for 'sexual misconduct,' but he didn't do anything wrong and the whole thing was a set-up. I was worried about what would happen when word inevitably got around to Hannah about the 'scandal.' But when the gossip does finally reach her, she dismisses it out of hand. It's a non-issue. Colin comes home and she's just like, "Someone told me some hateful gossip about you." and he's like, "You didn't believe it?" and she's like, "Nah." THE END. BAM Stunning avoidance of unnecessary drama on the part of Michaels. How tempting and easy would it have been for Michaels to milk this for some sort of cheap drama. But she doesn't. Good for her. There is also some cuteness to this book. Colin asks Hannah for a date. I like this. Even though he has been living on her ranch, he formally asks her out. To a fun fair. He takes the kid, too. They do romantic stuff like ride the Ferris wheel and he wins her and the kid a stuffed animal, ride rollercoasters, watch fireworks. It's adorable. The way Colin treats Hannah's birthday is also cute. He wakes up to find her sitting very depressed in front of a cupcake that her best friend dropped off at the house. Birthdays have been hard for her since her husband was killed. He determines that he is going to make a good birthday for her, so he takes her and the child bowling, they have tons of fun. Then he recruits the child to 'help' make dinner while she takes a bubble bath. They serve her fried chicken (not from scratch, take out) and homemade salad, and berries and whipped cream (the little boy got to work the whipped cream can). This is served with bake-and-serve bread from the grocery store and a bottle of white wine. It's so cute. So cute, so low-key, so relaxed. This is the romance I really like - not over-the-top gestures or anything. Many romance books go for huge things like massages, super-expensive dinners, grand gestures and honestly it's kind of a turn-off to me. I much prefer this down-home relaxed version. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? They don't kiss until 62% and don't have sex until 77%. This isn't a traditional slow-burn but it's about as slow-burn as you are going to get from a Harlequin American Romance. I like when I feel as if the MCs are actually getting to know each other and fall in love. I do not enjoy romance novels where two people see each other and then suddenly they are like, "I love you!" and I'm like, "You met him yesterday. Calm down." Neither of them were looking for love, and it was just serendipity that these two had so much in common. Even though both of them have a very different outlook on life, their shared experiences (being orphans, losing their family to early death) bring them together in an organic way. There's a scene in here where Colin has a nightmare and Hannah simply goes into his room and holds his hand. There's nothing sexual about it, and they haven't even kissed yet, but she understands his struggles in a way I think few people could. Colin is a good man. He's not sleazy, pushy, controlling or a show-off. I like his down-home, good-hearted actions. Because Michaels puts off kissing, you are anticipating it. Is this the scene they are going to kiss?!?!!? It makes things more exciting and sweet. One complaint I have is that at the beginning of the book, Michaels makes it sound as if Colin has been celibate for two years, since his wife died. HOWEVER. Later in the book, near the end, we find out this is not true. He has had 'meaningless' sex with women on occasion. This is kind of disappointing to me. NOT because I'm against fucking. But because OF COURSE Hannah has been celibate for the four years since her husband was killed. We still struggle with this blatant sexism, it's pretty disgusting. Of course Hannah can't be sexually active in the four years since her husband died - that would make her a 'bad woman.' Of course Colin HAS to fuck someone in the two years since his wife died, because 'he's a man' and 'men have needs' and NOT fucking anyone in two years would make him... less masculine. Of course all of this is COMPLETE BULLSHIT. I hate when authors do this. Either allow the heroine to also be a sexual person, or allow the hero to be so devastated by his wife's death that he doesn't fuck anyone for a while. THAT'S OKAY. He's competent in bed. He fingers her to climax before having PinV sex with her. The sex is not described enough or written about long enough for me to be happy, but I guess in American Romance I should be grateful for anything I get. They use condoms. Michaels also injects her trademark humor into the bedroom scenes, as Hannah is hilariously energized after sex. She gets so hyper after sex she leaves after the first time, gets dressed, and goes downstairs to bake. Colin is baffled. Then, when they have sex later (another thing I like about this book, sex is an ongoing thing, not a one-time thing), he teases her about it. A thin sliver of moonlight shone through the window, lighting where her fingers were laced with Colin's. They were both lying on their sides, with his arm around her. Hannah couldn't see his expression, but the teasing note in his voice made it easy to imagine. "I should probably let you go so you can alphabetize your spice rack or spackle holes in a guest-room wall," he said. Was he never going to let her live down that first night? pg. 180 LOL TL;DR Not a five-star, I'm unsure American Romance could ever produce a five-star, but a cute and satisfying book. Both MCs are good, kind people. They don't do anything stupid. There's no stupid drama, even though Michaels had plenty of opportunity to inject stupid drama in here. She resisted. Colin's down-home, low-key, practical approach to romance is appealing to me. So is the fact that he never shoots her down for her seemingly 'crazy' dream of turning her dilapidated ranch into a B&B. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widower Hero Widow Heroine He's a Large Animal Vet, Handyman, Carpenter, Ranch Hand, can do some Light Construction. He also draws (artistically). She's a former pastry chef turned rancher hopefully soon-to-be B&B owner. Takes place in Colorado, The United States of America. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Colin m Delia f Sean m Hannah f Evan m 4 Annette f Michael m Arden f Henry m 70 Kitty f Scarlett f Danny m died age 2 Todd m Garrett m Justin m Elisabeth f Gideon m Patricia f Natalie m Trainket – baby blanket Ellie f Mavis – horse Tilly – horse Apples – horse Viper – horse Ninja – donkey Hope f Kaylee f Darcy f Ringo – horse Richard m Peter m Don m Bert m Malcolm m Dwayne m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 10, 2020
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Feb 11, 2020
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Feb 10, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 037375521X
| 9780373755219
| 037375521X
| 4.41
| 148
| Jan 01, 2014
| May 06, 2014
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did not like it
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"Okay, so biscuits." Her fingers poised over the keyboard. "From all accounts, they're your specialty. Several former guests even mentioned them on th
"Okay, so biscuits." Her fingers poised over the keyboard. "From all accounts, they're your specialty. Several former guests even mentioned them on the website." She squeezed her eyes closed and swallowed. "I have to admit, that's something I've never quite mastered." Doris sipped from an every-present cup of coffee. "The secret to a good biscuit is a light touch. I mix up all the dry ingredients and keep them over there." She motioned toward a large ceramic bowl on the dry sink. "There's oil in the cupboard overhead. Add it and the milk at the same time. Don't stir any more than you have to. Pat out the dough. Don't roll it." Emma typed furiously, stopping only when Doris pushed her coffee aside and stood. "Or you can do what I've done the past ten years." She crossed to the big Sub-Zero and pulled open the lowest storage bin. "You can use these." She held up a popular brand of canned biscuits. Stunned, Emma sat back in her chair. "You're kidding, right?" Doris pointed to an age-lined face. "Do I look like I'm joking?" This is actually the funniest and best part of the book. Now you can skip reading it. You're welcome. Emma travels with her four-year-old daughter Bree to Florida in order to take a cooking job on a ranch. She is an accomplished chef. Her problem is that her father was a drill sergeant (literally) and yelled all the time, was verbally abusive and had a hot temper. Then she married a man who ended up being also a yeller with hot temper. Becoming a chef was probably a mistake, because chefs are abusive assholes who yell a lot and verbally abuse their staff. (RELATED MATERIAL: Life, on the Line by Grant Achatz). Emma figures that ranch life will be quieter, slower, and she will be able to be in charge of her own kitchen. All good things. Unfortunately she arrives at the ranch to find a funeral, the patriarch who hired her has died. Luckily she still has a job, due to the matriarch's interference, but the matriarch is leaving to stay with her daughter-in-law and Emma is left on the ranch with a hot-tempered man, our hero, named - not surprisingly - Colt. If you write a Western or Cowboy romance, the man has to be named either Dylan or Colt (Colton). It's a law. I was annoyed with the author for setting Emma up with a bad-tempered man. It's obvious she needs a calm, patient hero. Some people may find short-tempered men 'sexy' or 'masculine' but not me. I like calm, patient, even-tempered men best and they are the men that turn me on the most. Emma is flinching when people raise their voices. Why couldn't the author create a hero for her who was more suited to her needs? So let's go over some of Colt's traits, alright? COLT'S TRAITS - Hot-tempered. I don't like it, I don't think it's an attractive quality in a man, and I don't think it's what Emma needs in her life. Turn-off to me, and turn-off to Emma. - Great with children. I have to hand it to him. Man's a natural with kids. That's lucky. - Seemingly has no hangups about being with or pursuing a woman who has a child. Never sees Bree as a burden. Understands Emma and Bree are 'a package deal' and is on board with that. Never tries to shunt the child aside to get at the mother. Genuinely likes the child and genuinely is interested in being a father to her. Not just trying to get with Emma, be Emma's husband, and the child is tacked on. Really interested and caring and looking forward to being a true father to Bree. This is a great quality and a very important one. - He does take responsibility for things he could theoretically blame others for. This is an admirable trait. - He is protective (not in a gross way, in a literally life-saving way) and I have to say he never makes Emma or Bree feel bad about mistakes they might make because they are both new to the ranch and new to Florida. Even though he could berate them for being stupid and taking risks, instead he protects them and then comforts them. This is good. - Pigheaded, stubborn, stuck in his ways. Controlling not in the way that he wants to control Emma, but that he wants to control the ranch and micromanages the ranch down to the smallest detail, very annoying for everyone involved. Not open to change. Inflexible. Wants everything to stay exactly the way it's always been forever, which is quite frankly ridiculous and unreasonable. - She deliberately kept her voice soft and low. pg. 162 This is how she feels like she has to be when she talks to him about stuff. I'm not for it. You shouldn't have to walk on eggshells around your man. True, it's weird in this book because he is her man and also her boss (ick) but still. Anytime a romance book says you have to walk on eggshells around your romantic partner (male or female) I am against it. It shows a bad relationship. - Sees people who work for him as people who should never question him and obey him instantly. Is not interested in listening to his employees' concerns, opinions, ideas, or suggestions. This is not a hallmark of a good boss. So as you can see here, even though Colt was not personally appealing to ME, and in my opinion was a wrong match for Emma - he does have his good points. It's not all dire. However. On page 195 Colt does something very, very stupid and it literally ruins the whole book. The book jumps the shark on page 195 and it is not a redeemable action. I understand authors sometimes get desperate for conflict, but when they have a character do something horrible that they would never do just so the hero and heroine can get in a fight I get irate. (view spoiler)[He fires her (FIRES HER!) because he thinks she's 'too good for the ranch' and wants to give her an opportunity to shine in a big city, or something. Naturally, she's devastated. They've been kissing and spending time together for months and even though not technically engaged, have definitely discussed spending their lives together and living together on the ranch and raising Bree. Marriage is clearly on the close horizon. Then he fucking fires her, which is hateful, with no explanation, making her very betrayed and sad and confused. (hide spoiler)] The idea that Colt would do something like this is very stupid. I have to blame the author on this one, not the character. She just wanted conflict and chose to inject it into the story in the laziest and dumbest way possible. And there's no coming back from that! When (view spoiler)[Emma forgives him at the end and takes him back (hide spoiler)] I was like 'What the fuck.' Because you'd best believe forgiving someone for that shit would be very difficult and even if you did believe his incredibly stupid excuse you might be too worried about his low IQ to agree to marry him after this. o.O Ruined the whole book, not that it was a stellar, amazing, five-star book before this. But still. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? They never have sex. This is a sexless romance. The most they do is make-out. Usually this would make me upset (since I think romance novels should include sex) but honestly I am kind of relieved she didn't end up in bed with this moron. Makes breaking up with him easier. In my ending, when he goes after her (view spoiler)[after he's broken her heart and forced her to leave her new, happy home and work in a shitty high-pressure city job (hide spoiler)] she refuses to take him back and is relieved that she didn't sleep with him before she found out he was a fucking moron. Then she goes off to find a calm, even-tempered man who is not stupid. The end. Of course that's not how the novel really ends, but we can dream. TL;DR Sigh. This was never going to be a five-star book for me. Pigheaded men with a hot temper are not my idea of a good time. However, Duncan gave Colt some good traits. It wasn't a complete loss. Unfortunately, Duncan ruins the whole book with lazy, thoughtless writing on page 195 and IMO there is no coming back from this. Even if you were a person who thought hot-tempered pigheaded men were 'hot' or 'alpha,' this action should pretty much ruin the book for any reader. Too bad. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widow Heroine She's a Chef; He's a former Bull Rider turned Rancher. Takes place in: Okeechobee, Florida, the United States. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Emma f 5'3” 26 Bree f 4 Bree Elizabeth Jack m died four years ago Seth m Doris f Mrs. Wickles – doll Tim m Christopher m Colt m 32 Ty m Garrett m Arlene f Sarah f Jimmy m Hank m Randy m Royce m Tilly f Tom m Star – horse Stacy f Josh m Jim m Three – bull Ol' Hickory – bull Maize – dog Daisy – horse Spotty – cow Blackie – cow Red – cow Baby Girl – bull calf Mike m Dave m Chocolate – dog Paul m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 07, 2020
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Feb 08, 2020
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Feb 07, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755171
| 9780373755172
| 0373755171
| 3.21
| 24
| Apr 01, 2014
| Apr 01, 2014
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liked it
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No one has to know. pg. 131 This is not the typical enemies-to-lovers romance book readers have come to expect. Usually those books focus on two people No one has to know. pg. 131 This is not the typical enemies-to-lovers romance book readers have come to expect. Usually those books focus on two people who hate each other. Or there's some vendetta between them etc. This book is about two enemies who fall in love, and they are ideological enemies. Like a Republican falling in love with a Democrat. Or a born-again Christian falling in love with a doctor who performs abortions. In this instance, it is the pairing of a horse-advocate with a man who breeds racehorses. Now, the book calls Mariah an 'animal rights activist,' but she is NOT. She doesn't give a fuck about 'animals,' only horses. She loves horses and thinks racing horses is a form of abuse. She's also a veterinarian. This book, written in 2014, is strangely topical considering all the coverage about racehorses and racehorse abuse going on now, in 2019. So Mariah and Zach are enemies. She's been a thorn in the side of the rich, white, male group of racehorse breeders - staging protests, calling media attention, etc. Zach gets off on the wrong foot with me. Britton seems to like heroes who are sleazy upon meeting the heroine. I don't like it. She did the same thing in The Wrangler. She doesn't seem to be able to easily establish a man being sexually attracted to a woman (at first) without making it really gross. He thinks gross thoughts about Mariah, and starts off calling her names in his head. It's gross, doubly gross because he hates her yet wants to fuck her. Later, it gets worse. He 'discovers' she is attracted to him and this delights him. And spurs him to play sexually aggressive 'games' with her that I call 'flirting with rape.' He thinks cornering her is funny, touching her without permission is funny, it amuses him to sexually come-on to her in an uncomfortable and aggressive way. I think it's sick, and it's similar to the tactic Britton used in introducing the hero in The Wrangler. I have no idea why she thinks this is a good idea. Well, well, well. Little Miss Animal-Rights Activist was into him. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered... or scared. "Don't worry," he said softly, closing the distance between them and tipping her chin up. She gasped. He tried not to laugh. pg. 25 He only keeps this up for about 20% of the book. After that he stops being disgusting (while occasionally still being your garden-variety asshole) and you can almost pretend the first twenty-percent of the book didn't happen. Almost. Even though I liked him a lot better by the end of the book, he had this huge black-mark against him. And he also does stuff like allows his insecurity to transform him into a huge asshole; and I despise men who are insecure, so they hurt others. It's very weak and disgusting. Mariah comes to Zach's ranch to give his horses free vet care. She is trying to get him to see things her way, and she also wants to be allowed into a racehorse-breeders meeting. They bond over horses, both of them love horses, they just see them in different ways. One of Britton's huge strengths (she has two) is her writing of horses. Harlequin has an entire American Romance line dealing with cowboy/western romance mainly, and later a Western Romance line, which dealt with cowboy/western romance exclusively, and horses are in almost all of these books. However, a lot of the time the horses are window-dressing. In the book because it's about a cowboy, or a ranch, or a rodeo-rider, or whatever, but the horses are like the dresses in historicals. Pretty. Decoration. In Britton's novels, she really writes horses. I mean, don't get me wrong, this isn't Black Beauty, but she is great at giving horses personality, and scenes. Usually funny scenes. She really captures a horse and how funny horses can be and scenarios in which humans and horses interact in an amusing way. I always look forward to this in a Britton book. If you love cowboy/Western romances but wish there was a little bit more focus on horses, Britton is absolutely your go-to author. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? I know you are wondering, "Well, if describing horses and writing horses is Britton's first strength, and you said she had two, what is her second strength?" Well, I'm so glad you asked. It's the sex. You're not telling me this fucker is good in bed?!!?! I'm telling you this fucker is good in bed. I know you are shocked. It would be one thing if Zach remained consistently disgusting throughout the book. But he doesn't. He's only disgusting for about 20% of it, and it's baffling. It's as if Britton thinks this kind of behavior is sexy, or the only way to show a man is interested in a woman. It's not. It's gross. But after that he completely divests himself of this quality and, while he remains a mild asshole, stops being a person who thinks sexual assault is funny. Anyway, if you take last-80%-of-the-book-Zach as a more or less separate character, you might actually enjoy this book. If you can't do it - and I understand - then maybe skip this one. So, as I've ranted before, American Romance is not known for its great sex scenes. Either you get to the end only to find it's a sexless book - not common, but it happens - or the book includes off-page sex scenes, OR you get sex scenes (or one sex scene) but everything is so vague and poorly described you actually have little idea what is going on. Usually when the heroine exclaims about the hero being amazing in bed, you scoff. "Yeah, right." Britton's strength is that she a.) believes in writing descriptive sex. No frilly, vague writing here. She tells you exactly what is going on in bed and uses normal language to do it. b.) She believes in having characters have sex more than once in the book, and c.) the characters experience lust for each other. d.)She also writes decently-long sex scenes, none of this two-paragraph garbage. This may seem basic, but it's above and beyond what most American Romance authors do, believe me. This isn't Blaze, it's not as if I think Zach is turning Mariah's world upside down like Max did with Natalie in Seduce Me. But he's nothing to sneeze at. I was impressed. He's a bit bossy in bed, that may bother some readers, but Mariah didn't mind it and neither did I. I admire his dedication: he fingers her, he eats her out, he insists on giving her multiple orgasms, and he does an overall admirable job in bed. The bossiness is the only thing I'm giving a caveat for, and it's very mild, it's up to you to decide if it bothers you or not. It wasn't bothering me. It's not like he didn't deliver. THE CONCLUSION Unfortunately, I have to say I do not like how the book ended. I was hoping (view spoiler)[Mariah would triumph in some way. I didn't need her to do anything super-drastic, like "end horseracing for all time" or anything, but I hoped she could convince Zach that horseracing was dangerous and damaging to horses and that the majority of racehorse owners and breeders were unethical and cruel. Instead, Zach fed her some bullshit about how "a horse could injure himself anywhere! Horseracing is no different than any other activity involving a horse!" (which, personally, I disagree with, and if you read the newspaper you'd disagree with it as well). First, she was rejecting this. It was super-hard, because she loves Zach. But she was sticking to her guns. I was very proud of her. Then she just throws it all out the window and is going to end up married to(?) a racehorse breeder who is in this super corrupt and horse-damaging sport. It just seems like a defeat to me and I have to say I was very disappointed. (hide spoiler)] Which brings me to another point: Britton did a great job of making me feel like these two genuinely cared about each other. I felt like they were actually in love by the end of the book. I know what you're thinking: "Of course. This is a romance." But a lot of romances are sadly unconvincing and you don't truly believe the love the author is trying to sell you on. Britton actually sold me on it. I felt the sickness Mariah had in her stomach when she breaks up with Zach. I felt Zach feeling love against his will after being with Mariah for a while. It was convincing. TL;DR A different kind of "enemies-to-lovers" story. Instead of pitting two people against each other in hatred, Britton instead adapts a love story for ideological enemies. It's interesting. While I don't think the story resolved in the best way, that's just my personal opinion and preference. I liked the intellectual exercise. Zach is a mild asshole for most of the book, that may turn people off. But the real drawback, the real problem, is the first ~20% where he comes off as someone who is a hop, skip and a jump away from committing felony sexual assault. I don't know if you can keep reading the book and just pretend like the first 20% didn't happen. I could and did, but that's just me. Keep it in mind if you are planning on picking this up. The strengths of the book include Britton's horse-writing, Britton's sex-writing, and Britton's ability to make you believe these two actually are in love and see the strong feelings between them. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Animal Lovers' Romance Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Enemies to Lovers STEM Heroine Romance - She is a veterinarian Non-Virgin Heroine He Breeds and Owns Racehorses; She is a Veterinarian and a Horse-Advocate Setting: Southern California, USA NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Zach m Pat m Mariah f Black in a Dash aka Dasher – horse Terrence m Samantha f James m Belle – horse Baby – horse Paul m Summer – horse Dandy of a Dasher – aka Dandy – horse Art m Wesley m Edward m George m Glenda f Jillian f Natalie f José – m Brett m Pete m Kathy f Janice f Patty f Vicky f Erin f Hailey f Copper – horse Logan – horse Cash Only Special – horse Cami f Mary f Simon m Manny m Nero – horse Kate f Christine f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 28, 2019
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Oct 30, 2019
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Oct 28, 2019
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Paperback
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| 0373755163
| 9780373755165
| 0373755163
| 3.72
| 50
| Apr 01, 2014
| Apr 2014
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it was ok
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I don't really have an opening quote for this. SUMMARY Mackenzie (Mack) is raising his daughter, Zoey, alone after Zoey's mother died in childbirth. Thi I don't really have an opening quote for this. SUMMARY Mackenzie (Mack) is raising his daughter, Zoey, alone after Zoey's mother died in childbirth. Thirteen years ago, he was engaged to a different woman: Jill. Jill suddenly pops back into Mack's life after Zoey gets the brilliant idea to send her dad's pictures in to a magazine contest featuring a different bachelor each month. Zoey desperately wants a mother and wants to find her dad a wife. Jill is the photojournalist who is assigned to take the photos of Mack. Both she and Mack blame the other person for 'betraying' them and each think they are justified and the other person is the 'horrible one' to blame for their break-up. ... ANALYSIS We've got a number of tropes here. We have a 12-year-old girl trying to get her father married. I think this is strange. Sure, I've seen The Parent Trap, but I still think it is a strange idea. She also seems to think... I don't know, that any woman will do or that all women will have an interest in fashion and hair and makeup. Her dad lives with a woman - his elderly housekeeper Erma - but I guess she's "old" and "not cool" and only buys Zoey functional clothes. But women are not a monolith. It doesn't occur to her that 1.) there's no guarantee a woman sent to her father will fall in love with him, and 2.) It doesn't occur to her that just because someone is a woman in her 30s doesn't mean she's 'girly,' interested in fashion and shoes, and able to give Zoey the makeover she seemingly wants. It's ridiculous. Another trope we have going on is American Romances more 'traditional' values. It irks me when Jill thinks to herself, She could still clearly recall the night thirteen years ago when she'd driven from Lubbock to Turkey Creek Ranch to tell Mack about a scholarship she'd been offered to study for her master's in photojournalism in France. She'd hoped Mack would ask to move up their wedding date; she'd have gladly foregone Paris to be his wife. But she'd walked in on a touching scene with her fiancé consoling his sobbing former girlfriend. pg. 16 It's only because she believed (incorrectly) that Mack cheated on her and got Faith pregnant that she goes to Paris to get her education. And later, somehow, even though she's sent over here as a photographer to take pictures of Mack for a magazine article, she becomes his live-in housekeeper-cook. Which is RIDICULOUS, because a.) she hates him because she thinks he cheated on her when she was engaged, and b.) she can't cook for shit, and c.) I have a very hard time believing a photojournalist would get roped into becoming a full-time housekeeper/cook on a ranch for two weeks. o.O I just very seriously doubt it. And Mack is just like, "Cook dinner for me and all the men for when we get back from the trail" and she's like, "I can't cook" and he's like, "Oh, ha ha ha, see you later, bye" and then is genuinely surprised when her meatloaf is... technically edible but not tasty. She told you she couldn't cook, asshole. Do you just assume anyone with a vagina can cook?!?! Yes, you did, although I have to tell you that Mack's daughter Zoey is the LAZIEST farm-girl (well, ranch-girl) I've ever seen in my entire life. I know farm kids, and let me tell you, farm kids are expected to fucking WORK. Get up at dawn and do chores kind of WORK. This girl whines about collecting eggs, doesn't cook, can't clean, seemingly knows nothing about how to care for animals or the house. It's ludicrous, I've never seen a farm girl so spoiled. I guess Mack's elderly live-in housekeeper takes care of all the cleaning, all the cooking, and most of the smaller farm chores while he and his ranch-hands take care of the bigger jobs. So Zoey has a poor work ethic. And Mack seems totally fine with this, although he seems to expect any wife of his to work, and work hard. So ??? One of the biggest annoyances of this book is that the humongous elephant in the room is just never talked about. They don't discuss The Big Misunderstanding until 90%! 90%! And this is AFTER they have had sex and AFTER (view spoiler)[he's proposed to her and she's accepted. (hide spoiler)] This is unacceptable. If two people are going to start a relationship... or more accurately, re-start a relationship, I think clearing the air and discussing the (quite frankly very dramatic) past is VERY IMPORTANT. If you are too afraid to bring up this subject with your man/your woman, then this is NOT a good basis for a relationship. Communication is a very important part of a relationship, and being hesitant to discuss something that happened 13 years ago is a bad sign. I don't understand how we get this far into the book and into their relationship without anyone bringing it up! I get that it's awkward, but it's also pretty fucking important. I mean, they each think the other betrayed them and is a terrible person. You think you'd want to clear that up and maybe ask, "Why?" HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Bozo here is not impressing me in bed. He is uninterested in foreplay, and so I'm uninterested in him. As is typical with most heroes, of course he wasn't celibate after his wife dies. He has 'discreet' affairs with women 'who don't live in La Mesa' and 'understand he doesn't want a long-term relationship.' Books always say things like this, and I find it ludicrous. For instance, people easily can travel between towns. They're called 'cars.' Dating someone in another zip code is NOT a guarantee no one in your zip code will ever find out about her. People go to other towns to work, see movies, have dinner, go to plays... Secondly, where does he find women who are totally on board with this? Am I supposed to think there is a plethora of women who just are totally fine to having sex with no relationship, never get the wrong idea and push him for more, allow him to keep coming back and both of them (the women and Mack) never ever develop any feelings for each other?!?! This is a very complicated situation, and books always gloss over it like it's TOTALLY easy and normal. THE PROPOSAL (view spoiler)[ "If you're going to be a ranch wife, you'll have to get comfortable using a pickup for everything." Jill skidded to a stop at the edge of the patio. "Ranch wife?" she squeaked. pg. 195 This is how Bozo proposes to Jill, it's the morning after he's has sex with her for the first time since they've broken up. What the fuck, dumbass. Also, it's incredibly presumptuous of him to think that just because they slept together (and it wasn't great, in my opinion) that she's just going to give up her whole life and lucrative job in NYC to be a "ranch wife" to him in West Texas. This would really piss me off to be honest. (hide spoiler)] Then they FINALLY at 90% discuss their past and their problems and they get a huge fight (of course), a fight in which I think Jill is wrong and Mack is right. It's a fight involving Zoey, and Jill stomps back to NYC in a huff. Really mature. /s I'm angry at her because she seems just fine with putting Zoey's whole future and happiness on the line so casually. When they reunite and live happily ever after, I am not a happy camper. Should these two even be together? I think the author should have had the Big Discussion much earlier in the book, and taken it from there. I think putting it off until the very end was a mistake. It annoyed me that these people were comfortable making huge decisions (having sex, deciding to get married) WITHOUT discussing the HUGE, HUGE dramatic past that was hanging over their head in every scene. I don't know about you, but if I ran into an ex-fiancé who had - I believed - cheated on me and gotten another woman pregnant... you'd best believe I'd be asking him about that shit. You'd best believe I'd want some answers about that shit. She ran away 13 years ago, never confronted him about it - which, frankly, I don't understand either, but ok, some people are not comfortable with confrontation - but now that it's 13 years later I would definitely want to talk about it and want some fucking answers. I assume he would, too. Everyone's cooled down. It's all over now. Why not talk about it instead of letting this huge raincloud hang over your every interaction? Fox was probably going for dramatic effect, but I still think the book could have been dramatic and interesting without this (stupid) angle. TL; DR Sigh. Mack wasn't really an asshole, he was more of a boorish oaf who did not have the capacity to look at the world from anyone's perspective than his own. He wasn't curious, patient, or kind. He was the kind of man who thinks everything is going to fall into place for him, everyone is going to listen to his ideas and obey - not because he was a huge asshole, just because that's all life had ever shown him. He was unable to think stuff like, "My daughter is unhappy. I wonder why?" or "Jill left me abruptly with no discussion thirteen years ago. Why did she do that? I should ask her. She seems angry at me for some reason." Stuff like this never occurs to him because he only thinks about himself, his wants, his needs and his life. He's not an asshole (usually). If someone points out a problem to him, literally walks up to him and says, "Your daughter is not happy. She wants to start wearing something other than plaid to fit in better at school." He would be like, "OK, well, let's solve this problem." But it would never occur to him (no matter HOW his daughter is behaving) that something might be wrong or she may be unhappy. He's just completely clueless and also uninterested. Unless someone smacks him upside the head, he just barrels through life as he always has. I don't find this attractive. And Jill was presenting me with her own problems. Why the fuck didn't she talk to Mack about what happened thirteen years ago?!?!?!!? Why would she have such a stupid stance on things at the end of the book?!?!!? Good riddance. I wasn't crazy about her, either. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Second-Chance Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Secret Baby - Kind of Widower Hero He's a Rancher; She's a Photojournalist. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Zoey – f Brandy f Heather f Jay m Erma f Trudy f Delaney f Benny m 72 Mack m Mackenzie Jilly f Jill. JJ Tom m Faith – f Misty – horse Donna f Joaquin m Jody f Lacy f Dan m Amanda f Leitha f Sonja f Johnny m Trevor m Eldon m Jiggs – dog Rex m Jacob m Bonnie f Gina f Nick m Nickolas Splash – horse Bode m Arne m Ginger – horse Zorro – horse Raedean f Buddy m Freda f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 27, 2019
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Oct 27, 2019
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Oct 27, 2019
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Mass Market Paperback
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my rating |
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| 3.43
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it was amazing
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Jul 08, 2020
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Jul 08, 2020
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| 3.52
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it was ok
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Apr 28, 2020
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Apr 28, 2020
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| 3.53
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did not like it
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Apr 13, 2020
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Apr 13, 2020
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| 4.20
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really liked it
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Apr 11, 2020
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Apr 10, 2020
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| 4.11
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liked it
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Apr 10, 2020
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Apr 10, 2020
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| 4.13
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liked it
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Apr 09, 2020
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Apr 08, 2020
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| 4.14
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it was ok
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Apr 07, 2020
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Apr 06, 2020
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| 4.09
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really liked it
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Apr 06, 2020
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Apr 06, 2020
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| 3.89
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liked it
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Apr 05, 2020
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Apr 04, 2020
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| 3.83
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it was ok
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Apr 2020
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Mar 30, 2020
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| 3.99
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liked it
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Mar 21, 2020
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Mar 19, 2020
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| 3.71
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really liked it
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Mar 18, 2020
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Mar 16, 2020
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| 4.18
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it was ok
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Mar 13, 2020
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Mar 09, 2020
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| 3.98
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liked it
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Mar 06, 2020
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Mar 05, 2020
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| 3.96
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liked it
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Mar 02, 2020
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Mar 01, 2020
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| 3.93
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liked it
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Feb 26, 2020
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Feb 23, 2020
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| 4.02
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really liked it
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Feb 11, 2020
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Feb 10, 2020
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| 4.41
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did not like it
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Feb 08, 2020
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Feb 07, 2020
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| 3.21
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liked it
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Oct 30, 2019
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Oct 28, 2019
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| 3.72
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it was ok
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Oct 27, 2019
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Oct 27, 2019
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