KA books can veer from one star to five stars for me, and this one landed very much at the top end. My first book from the Colorado Mountain series, wrKA books can veer from one star to five stars for me, and this one landed very much at the top end. My first book from the Colorado Mountain series, written some time ago (2011) and I loved it.
Our heroine, Nina, was an unusual KA woman- a mature, successful lawyer, educated and articulate, rather than a stammering, orphan/foster child or potty-mouthed from the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks girl. She also had a damned sight more backbone than many of her heroines, which I appreciated.
Secondly, while the hero Max was KA's usual rough-talking, "g" dropping (as in, incapable of sounding out the "g" on the end of any word finishing in "ing"), sexy beast, he had tons of charm and more complexity than I was expecting.
I adored the English connection, and with Nina having lived many years in London, we had her using lovely English vernacular, all of which is very familiar to Australians. It was like we had the best of both worlds.
The back story of both protagonists was interesting and moving at the same time- KA always has her MCs struggling with major issues and this story was no exception. I felt a strong emotional connection to them and was really pushing for their HEA.
I have found that the earlier KA books appeal more to me. Not because she wears her political and social heart on her sleeve these days (KA is clearly an environmentalist, although if she were serious about this, she would be taking a long, hard look at the damage industrialised farming and its enablers, the meat and dairy industries, do to the environment, and have her characters change their -very unhealthy- diets!) but because there is a warmth and earthiness about the older books that seem to have gone missing.
Definitely one of the better KA books I have read, and I will be going on to the next in series with high hopes. ...more
It is was a little difficult to like either of the protagonists in this book: Casey was portrayed as a shallow, spoilt shopaholic, and Jake was a closIt is was a little difficult to like either of the protagonists in this book: Casey was portrayed as a shallow, spoilt shopaholic, and Jake was a closed off, soldier-grunt persona.
Casey had a shoe obsession, and the only thing that seemed to give her joy in life was the latest pair of Louboutins or Jimmy Choos. I just don't get this thing with shoes. I am never gonna drop a thousand bucks on a pair of shoes- I reckon that money would go a long way in some village in Africa, just quietly. It isn't so much me being judgey as just not understanding the attraction. So my connection with the heroine remained tenuous for much of the book.
Jake was, frankly, a bit of a prick. His choices were poor and I absolutely hated his actions towards heroine near the end of the story. Unfortunately, he never got the arse-kicking he deserved. Which brings me to the issues I occasionally have with this author: her heroines are a bit too forgiving and tend to do the chasing. The excuse for this is that the hero is so emotionally shut down, he needs the warmth and love of his woman to thaw him. I think those girls need to have higher expectations of their men. Just sayin'.
Casey did go through a transformation, although it took a traumatic event for her to heed the wake-up call.
Finally, not being American makes it hard for me to identify with all the stars-and-stripes patriotism, and the idea of being an active soldier's wife, where he is on deployment in a dangerous foreign country for a year at a time, not being there when kids are born and while they are growing up, is my idea of hell. Given we are talking Afghanistan here, and knowing, now, how that all turned out, the waste of human life and the destruction of relationships and families back home seems a very high price to pay. Yes, the benefit of hindsight, I know. From my Aussie/European perspective, I just struggle with it all. I am sure many will disagree with me- apologies. I know we need soldiers, but boy, it is a hard gig. I won't read the next in this series, as the Rachel character was so obnoxious in this book, I really don't give a FF what happens to her. I will give the third book a shot. ...more
3.5 stars. The premise of a fake marriage is a problematic one- these sorts of marriages can only really happen in Romancelandia- but I am a bit of a s3.5 stars. The premise of a fake marriage is a problematic one- these sorts of marriages can only really happen in Romancelandia- but I am a bit of a sucker for them. Close proximity, sexual tension (provided they don't jump into bed in the first 20 pages) and the guaranteed HEA generally makes the angst worthwhile. KS managed to pull this off quite nicely. Her character development was on point, and many of the familiar personalities from her previous linked series deepened my appreciation of the emotional drama that took place in this book. Beckett and Greer could not have been more different. She is an all-in, passionate, impulsive woman who tends to do things because they seem like a good idea at the time, and doesn't seem able to anticipate consequences or potential fall-out.
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Beckett is the planner, the carefully-thinking-through-to-all-possible-outcomes kind of guy. She wore her emotions like a badge of honour, he was reserved and incredibly self-disciplined.
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When they embark on their fake marriage, which is relatively early on, each of them do it for love- Greer for her step-dad, who is terminally ill and would like to walk one of his girls down the aisle before he dies, and Beckett for his 6 year-old daughter, Olive, who he wishes to have with him full-time for the year Olive's mother will be in England with her new husband. Having a stable relationship with a potential mother figure in the house will hopefully convince the ex to leave Olive with him, rather than taking her to England with her. (Their interactions with Olive were lovely to read. She was a sweetie) What follows is an agonised dance around each other. Serious attraction, painful sexual tension and plenty of frustration- it's all there. I was like .... [image]
I admit I was a bit annoyed by each of the MCs at different times in the book. Beckett was SO serious and disciplined, I wondered whether he was too repressed to actually commit to a relationship with anyone. On the other hand, I admired his integrity, and his profound love for his daughter. Meanwhile, Greer was so gutsy and prepared to go out and get what she wanted, I felt she was giving way more to him than she got in return. She hung in there, banking on Beckett finally acknowledging the future she could see for them all. It took him far too bloody long, if you ask me, and the pain this inner conflict caused him was deserved- Greer was braver than he was, but then, I guess she didn't have a child to factor into the equation. What I liked without reservation was to see Beckett's relationship with his ex: not together longer than a few months after their unplanned baby is born, their relationship clearly never going to work, yet ALWAYS focusing on the child's best interests. No animosity, just love for their child. Such a rare thing to see and read- it was great! Not my fave book by this author- I really didn't enjoy The Bombshell Effect- as I prefer the male to do the pursuing- but I will always give anything written by this author a shot....more
Tessa Bailey is an author I generally enjoy. Some of her books are a miss for me, many are terrific. This book was definitely in the latter category. ITessa Bailey is an author I generally enjoy. Some of her books are a miss for me, many are terrific. This book was definitely in the latter category. If I were to sum this up, it is a sweet, yet dirty at times (this is Tessa Bailey, after all) modern love story, with a touch of comedy as the cherry on top. Our two protagonists, Beat and Melody, are the son and daughter, respectively, of two women who led a hard rock band 30 or so years ago. There was a very nasty break-up of the band and Melody and Beat, while knowing of each other, don’t actually meet for the first time until they are 16. Then they don’t meet again until….fast forward to today, where they are now thirty, and their story really begins.
Why modern? Because their story takes place under the lens of a camera and attached to a microphone- they have agreed to try and reunite their mothers for one last show and the process becomes a social media live-streamed production. (They both need the money that has been offered, but for different reasons). They are always miked up and followed by cameramen. They become an online sensation, mobbed wherever they go, all the while each of them struggling to overcome deep-seated personal issues and navigate the depth of feeling they are discovering they have for each other.
I wasn’t sure about the idea when I realised where this was going: I had to imagine what it must have been like for them growing up in the shadow of their rock legend mothers, and how this might have impacted them mentally and emotionally. Once I was able to connect to this, I was hooked.
Honestly, I wanted to slap Beat upside the head any number of times, and occasionally I would mutter out loud: that boy needs therapy. Stat! At first, I thought we were going down the kink road with his approach to sex. That I did not need, when I liked Melody so much. (#TeamMelody) I am not sure whether the author’s explanation for Beat’s sexual habits was valid from a psychological viewpoint, but I just went with it. And the sex scenes were very hot, just how Ms Bailey likes to write them. The dirty talk was definitely there! But really, Beat was pretty screwed up in the beginning.
I think what impressed me the most was how much Melody grew in the course of the book. She learned to value herself, so much so that when Beat mucked up AGAIN, she didn’t just cave at his first apology. She demanded what she felt she deserved: his trust. She made the point clearly to Beat that it wasn’t his job to look after her. It was their job to look after each other. (#Belody. Yes, really…) Beat took a while to finally see himself clearly, which did frustrate me. As that was probably the author’s intention, she was successful in achieving it!
Apart from a cracking good love story and clever incorporation of social media trends, I laughed out loud at some of the hilarious one-liners that Melody would blurt out, blithely ignorant of how funny she actually was. Definitely added to her cuteness factor, and confirmed her individuality and intelligence. She had a sweetness that was perfect.
Wreck the Halls is definitely a giant hit for me from Tessa Bailey. Sure, I had to suspend my disbelief at times, but we are reading a romance book. Disbelief suspension is generally required! The previous TB book I read was Unfortunately Yours, and I loved that one, too. The lady is on a roll.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book....more
Always on the search for good CR/NA authors, I tried this new-to-me writer. Sadly, I will not be reading any more books by her if this is representatiAlways on the search for good CR/NA authors, I tried this new-to-me writer. Sadly, I will not be reading any more books by her if this is representative of her style.
It is frankly weird when you have a sexually conservative female, often abused in some way in their younger years, so that they are gun-shy and remain relatively inexperienced, only to meet the alpha hottie that has them turning into a nympho after the token PTSD episode. Wow- can we bottle that medicine and sell it? Or is it his Magic Penis?
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Why do so many female authors take a tokenistic approach to an actual plot and character development,when they simply dump it all after 50 pages so they can get to what seems to be the real purpose of their book- smut, with endless descriptions of erotic encounters?
Look, nothing wrong with hot sex scenes- I love me some smexy times and I have books that I have read specifically for their (very) erotic content. But let’s not call it romance, please. Romance is about the relationship as well as about the sex, and I need both in my CR/NA. In this case, the MCs were pretty underdeveloped by almost 50 % and while I found them OK people, I didn’t really care enough about them, or really believe in their relationship by this stage, to continue the story. ...more
Yikes- Anderson, the guy, is a man-whore who has sex with a random in the room next door to the FMC Natalia, who works ion the same company, while on Yikes- Anderson, the guy, is a man-whore who has sex with a random in the room next door to the FMC Natalia, who works ion the same company, while on a business weekend away. He makes sure Natalia hears it, and she, charming girl, listens through the wall and gets off on it. Then he whores himself out the next day to save a business deal, blithely telling Natalia and her brother, his business partner, at breakfast the next morning that he slept with the other woman for this express purpose.
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Just wondering how we would see that if a woman had done the same thing. And if we struggled with that, why should we sanction this behaviour in a man? He was gross for 80% of the book. I nearly gave up, but hoped it would get better. Nope. Natalia became just as oversexed as he was, although I guess she didn’t sleep with anyone else after she had met him.
Finished it feeling a bit besmirched- it was tawdry smut, not sexy smut. No actual romance. If you are into that, cool.
Have you ever had the feeling that you are not sure why you grabbed a particular book on KU? It languishes on your shelf for months, and every time yoHave you ever had the feeling that you are not sure why you grabbed a particular book on KU? It languishes on your shelf for months, and every time you see the cover, you think: what was this about again? And: the title sounds a bit Mills and Boon- why did it get it again? Then you read it, and damn if it isn't actually really terrific!
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This is what happened here. I admit I am coming off some pretty superficial sports romance/NA books, so the bar might have been a tad low.
Firstly, I adore the fact that the FMC, Lina (Catalina) is Spanish and that part of the book takes place in a small town in Northern Spain. I also loved all the Spanish in the book- it was integrated so well, with clever ways of giving us the meaning of the sentences without just translating them, that I never felt it interrupted the flow. (I am bilingual and teach a foreign language, so perhaps that helped, too.) Part of my pleasure was also the fact that I had travelled to Spain only a few months before Covid hit, and loved my time there to bits.
Secondly, this new author did a wonderful job in providing depth of characterisation. Lina and Aaron were such appealing characters, with all the hang-ups and experiences that made them so interesting and explained so much about the way they navigated their relationship. They became real people to me, and that doesn't happen very often.
It was not a short book, yet I could not stop reading it. Their trials and Angst, the emotions they suppressed and the way they struggled for their HEA, all of this captured me. I was in love with Aaron myself, in the end, and I am notoriously hard on my heroes! The author got the balance just right, with an alpha, sexy, ex-footballer who was also sensitive and determined to win Lina over, even if it meant his pride took a hit again and again. His patience and consideration for her was impressive, and the way he supported her when she was with her large, noisy and intrusive family, or struggling with her ex, was very moving.
Indeed, Lina drove me a bit nuts at times, making him work so hard because she still couldn't get past what had happened to her many years before when she was in university in Spain. Once we were aware of what had gone down and why she ran to America, she suddenly made a lot more sense. It was really horrible. She was still bloody lucky that Aaron was not the type to give up. Many lesser men would have. As her father said, Lina certainly was a firecracker!
[image] This was a beautiful story, with so much humour, heartache and a very slow burn romance. Sexual tension through the roof is something I love in my romance. (Hence my dislike of ONS CR varieties- once the sex is done, the tension is gone). When it finally came to the sex, though, it was hot. Aaron was a master at gradual, very subtle, seduction. And then an absolute boss in bed.
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I sure kissed a lot of frogs, recently- but I think I finally found a prince. Congratulations to the author, Elena Armas. She nailed this- and I hope she writes more romance with this wonderful balance of passion, emotion and wit. And that's a big "yes, please" to the steamy Cavill-esque romance the author promised a friend in her Acknowledgements!...more
My first book from this series, and yes. I know, it's not #1, but it came up on Bookbub so I thought I would check it out.
An interesting story. I was My first book from this series, and yes. I know, it's not #1, but it came up on Bookbub so I thought I would check it out.
An interesting story. I was not too sure at first, with the cast of thousands (I think there are 13 siblings? Not sure how that was even possible, but I guess mum was just pregnant her whole adult life) and the grandmother from hell, who seemed too think it was ok to sexually harass any male under 65. Would it be so funny if an old grandpa was doing that to young women? I don't think so.
Leaving that aside, we have these two screwed up people who have been dealt a bad hand by life, and it is actually sweet how they come together and finally help each other to heal.
The MMC Tony was a bit hard to take at first, especially as the heroine Pepper kept saying how much she loved the way he smelled like a combination of things that included pizza sauce! Yes, he ran a pizza restaurant, but I don't know if that would be how I would want my man to smell all the time! I did like that he could be quite alpha at times, especially in bed, while still fragile and sensitive. Pepper was a perfectionist who struggled to accept that her own body was not so perfect (view spoiler)[ she suffered from PCO and had failed in her three attempts to get pregnant through IVF (hide spoiler)].
It took a while for both of them to get their heads out of their respective arses, but the epilogue was beautiful.
Don't know if I will read any of the previous books in the series- that wedding cake town in which they all lived called Bliss was a tad too much for me!...more
Another in this series of Misfit Brides, and the second one I have read. Tarra Blue was dumped at the altar, pregnant, when her in-laws discovered she Another in this series of Misfit Brides, and the second one I have read. Tarra Blue was dumped at the altar, pregnant, when her in-laws discovered she was still married to someone else, because the attorney at the time failed to file the divorce papers for her quickie Las Vegas wedding ten years before. She’s now 38 and ends to get stuff sorted before her baby is born.
Ben is a former high-powered M&A businessman, whose partner died of a heart attack at 38. This is the wake-up call that makes him finally aware he is very unhappy. He leaves his job and drifts, living with mum in Florida, until Tarra turns up wanting him to sign the new divorce papers.
This is when he remembers how much he loved those 3 days in Las Vegas. He is devastated to realise he was too scared to hold on to Tarra, when she was the one who could have saved him from the path to misery he took instead. A sweet novella, where I really liked the FMC, who had great strength of character. Ben was a bit lost, and as this is the second book I have read in this series where the MMC is kind of broken, I am wondering whether I will read any more of them. It would be nice to meet a man who was actually ok and could be completely there to help a broken woman get it together! ...more
Welcome to the story of Arden the doormat and Brody the arsehole- great combo for what looked like it could have been a let-down of a book. Enemies-toWelcome to the story of Arden the doormat and Brody the arsehole- great combo for what looked like it could have been a let-down of a book. Enemies-to-lovers romance doesn’t work if the only one doing the hating is the guy, and the girl just takes whatever crumbs she gets and forgives his arrogant shit every time.
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I was worried at the start. Hell, at her first meeting, she gets down on her knees and BEGS. WTAF? While accidentally becoming involved in restoring her grandparents’ house as part of a reno reality show, she is also bullied and harassed by his even bigger arsehole brothers whenever she has the misfortune to run into them. (What I got about them for most of this book is: The older one, Mason, is a controlling, vindictive bastard, the other, Chase, an immature man-whore idiot. Like ima gonna read THEIR stories.) Ultimately, the total lack of communication between the two MCs was ridiculous, and all could have been resolved in half an hour of honest discussion. Even when we find out why the brothers all hated her, it didn't excuse the awful way they behaved towards Arden. The oldest brother was particularly unpleasant.
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What authors need to realise is that female MCs without a backbone are boring and embarrassing. A stronger FMC who pushed back and stood up for herself more, instead of wallowing in misplaced guilt and sentimental attachment to a building.
It finished up better than I expected, but I still can't say I actually enjoyed reading this book....more
I only tried this author because she has written one of a two book series called the Dillon Sisters with Brynne Asher, who happens to be one of my favI only tried this author because she has written one of a two book series called the Dillon Sisters with Brynne Asher, who happens to be one of my favourite authors. I have read the Brynne Asher book of the pair (Deathly) and while it was not my favourite (I actively avoid Mafia “romance” because my own moral compass cannot get past the violent, exploitative and simply wrong business that underworld organizations pursue- impossible to romanticise these bottom feeders) it was ok for what it was. But Frost is definitely not an author I will continue to read, especially if this offering is representative of her style. There is a curious abruptness, even jerkiness, in the writing, an endless parade of gonnas and wannas, and a regular failure to pronounce the “g” in words ending in “ing”. The hero is a hothead who constantly loses his shit with the heroine. She is a snarky, smack-talking younger girl (14 years age difference) who acts much older than your average 20-year-old and, for someone supposedly raised in a wealthy, conservative household, exhibited a lack of class that her apparent “rebellious” nature could not adequately explain away. In fact, the characterisation was so clichéd that I never really cared about either of the MCs. The casual objectification of women, and the contemptuous references to them and their bodies that the male characters displayed were also out of step with what women are trying to achieve in this century. If there is only one “good” girl, (yep, she was even a virgin) and every other woman is a whore, we know where we are going, and it isn’t anywhere I want to go. Instead of the hero regretting his many casual sexual encounters as a poor reflection on his character, he views it as an opportunity to belittle the women he slept with. As in: My poor choice to stick my dick into THAT kind of skank. By that measure, these guys were just as skanky- hypocrisy much? There is a danger when authors try to draw some moral demarcation line to justify the inclusion of countless, uninspiringly descriptive sex scenes. I love a good sex scene- or three!- but don’t shove your double standard in my face while writing it. Or are only "nice" girls allowed to have sex without being labelled skanks? I have read some entertaining, well-written CR where the setting is a workshop, or where the MCs are mechanics, male and female. Unfortunately, this one did not do it for me at all.
BTW- for a lovely review of this book, my GR friend Al George totally nails it. I might need to add a bookshelf titled "Magic-Vagina".
My first book by this author- not sure why Amazon endlessly pushes her books at me when I am online! Nothing special: she's a free spirit and he's a riMy first book by this author- not sure why Amazon endlessly pushes her books at me when I am online! Nothing special: she's a free spirit and he's a rich businessman. Forgettable, I'm afraid....more
Ok, this one was really not my thing. I couldn't finish it, I was feeling a bit too uncomfortable.
A very conflicted girl from a conservative culturalOk, this one was really not my thing. I couldn't finish it, I was feeling a bit too uncomfortable.
A very conflicted girl from a conservative cultural background is guilted into not giving up her virginity and instead has a sexual relationship with a free-thinking artist, where absolutely anything goes (she gives head like a porn star) because she is very passionate and highly-sexed and needs to get off without actually letting a peen get into her vag.
The hero is a man-whore who has known her for years and suddenly decides she's the one for him when she turns up with a date. I didn't like him at all and she was way too submissive for me in her relationships, while being a tiger in bed who loves it really rough. Excuse me? WTAF? It was just the strangest dichotomy between apparent purity and lust. And how is there not one judgement made about the putative hero's promiscuity. He's a "womaniser". He "sleeps with many women". But what a great guy! The poor girl is constantly harangued by the other women to "not give up your cherry" and "stay away from him, he's bad for you". That's not being protective- that's harassment!
When the man-whore shags her hard, then gets up, dresses and tells her her got what he came for and leaves her, because he pissed off when he finds out about her previous sexual experience - hello hypocrisy- and she just accepts it all sadly, I was done. (He never apologises for the way he spoke to her, btw, and she never demands it).
The author's writing is fine, but this is my second book of hers, and I'm afraid it will be my last. I just don't think I understand the characters she writes about....more
First read of this author and I'm not sure she is for me.
The heroine was so damaged and had been so badly manipulated by another guy that she couldn'tFirst read of this author and I'm not sure she is for me.
The heroine was so damaged and had been so badly manipulated by another guy that she couldn't seem to assert herself or be positive about anything, to the point that she actively, constantly rejected all help. Basically, she was borderline suicidal, and it was pretty disturbing.
The hero was a good guy, and I loved the multi-cultural aspect of the book (I live in Melbourne and we are VERY multi-multi here) but I had this constant off feeling while reading it. it didn't really give me any joy, or any relief from the depressing narrative. There was also a dirty quality to some of the sexual encounters described, which is fine if it's sexy-dirty, but it was just degrading-dirty. Hadn't the poor girl had enough hell in her life?
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If you like these sorts of stories, then go for it....more
1.5 stars. This is a very popular author, and her writing is good. Her characterisation is not so much to my taste, unfortunately.
There were several th1.5 stars. This is a very popular author, and her writing is good. Her characterisation is not so much to my taste, unfortunately.
There were several things that pissed me off about this story, but the two biggest things were:
a. the hero- what a prevaricating, non-committing, spineless dude! Happy to bed her but his character was very weak. And the whole fiancee-leaving-him-at-the-altar schtick, and how the heroine was related to said fiancée, was just OFF.
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b. the weak heroine, who allowed herself to be used, IMO, and never made the arsehole hero work for it when he should have been grovelling for forgiveness.
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Don't get me started on the Christmas decorations scene- an excruciating exercise in bad taste. ...more
3.5 stars. This was a cute story from the Smartypants Romance library. I have read quite a few of these, and some I have really liked, others not so mu3.5 stars. This was a cute story from the Smartypants Romance library. I have read quite a few of these, and some I have really liked, others not so much, and still others I have not even wanted to read. So there is sure to be something for everyone! (Frankly, the whole beard thing does not grab me, but then, I don't like beards. I have read Penny Reid's Beard books- they aren't a patch on the Knitting in the City series, btw- and I visualise the heroes as clean-shaven to get past my instinctive dislike of the beards!)
[image] One reason I don't like beards: unhygienic!
The story was sweet, the Hero not an alpha type at all (though he did have a bloody beard), which was a change from my usual style. The Heroine's character, that of a somewhat clueless and spoilt girl, developed nicely as the story progressed and became very likeable.
What I enjoyed the most about this one was the fascinating setting- this thing called the Appalachian Trail. It sounds like an amazing walk/hike, perhaps an American version of the Spanish Camino Trail- without the pilgrimage aspect! I might try that one day, if we can ever fly out of Australia again!...more
This one, and book 2 in the series, are probably the last of this author's books I have enjoyed. Ewe have a problematic hero, and I was really worriedThis one, and book 2 in the series, are probably the last of this author's books I have enjoyed. Ewe have a problematic hero, and I was really worried it was going down the oxymoronic "mafia romance" road, (which kind of disgusts me, actually) but hang in there. It's worth it. No question this lady can write, she has just fallen into the trap of many romance authors who feel the need to spice up their stories with bdsm tropes at the expense of good characterisation. If you spend too much time getting the FMC to beg and crawl, you don't have enough time to add the depth I crave in my MCs. This was, however, a good read, with interesting people and a heroine who definitely had a backbone, even if the hero was borderline obsessive in his attachment and need to dominate. I had hoped, with the witty and emotionally satisfying Rules of Engagement that the author would revisit that style of writing, but I should have seen the red flags when she threw Perfect Strangers at us back in 2019. (And don't get me started with the internet porn inspired anal action. Just. No.) So this was classic JT, albeit with a darker edge. ...more
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