Risa was betrayed by her boyfriend, and was retreating to her sister's place in Diamond Creek, Alaska when she ran off the road avoiding a moose. She was rescued by hot cop Darren, who retreated from Seattle with his own tragedy. Both planned to keep to themselves, yet neither can deny the attraction and fate that brought them to each other. But she's his best friend's little sister, and he's so yummy in uniform. Would just a fling be enough... Or will they tumble into love?
Nothing really special here, but characterizations and polish is good. 4/5
Showing posts with label J H Croix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J H Croix. Show all posts
GRR Reviews Hold Me Close by J H Croix
Owen is the quintessential billionaire geek, after founding his renewable energy firm in Boston, then moved it to Alaska. He lost his parents in a carbon monoxide poisoning incident, and only a neighbor helped him stay sane, and inspired his line of research. Owen just doesn't know how to love... He was too busy to try. He just hired Ivy, who's both brilliant and beautiful, and already tied to Diamond Creek, Alaska: her brother lives nearby. Ivy had to abandon the academia when her engineering department head (an old guy who hadn't published a paper in a decade, just cruising along ) got a bit too hands-on, and not even a complaint to HR can stop the harassment. Moving back home, and finding a great job was great... She can't jeopardize that by having a fling with the hot boss... But soon, both gave in to their temptations, hoping that a taste will soon let their flames burn out, and they can get back to work. But when the department head threatened to ruin her professionally AND Owen's company too if she won't withdraw her harassment complaint, things look bleak for the couple...
Somehow, the threat just didn't feel... right, or urgent. But that's the problem of setting something in Alaska. And in the end, it's Owen's money and lawsuit that finally stopped the harassment for good, not that Ivy's running away (resigning) would do anything. Again, it's the "I must hurt you to save you" trope. Still, the polish is good. 4/5
Category: Contemporary
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Burn So Good by J H Croix
Caleb and Ella were once an item, until a tragedy tore them apart, and she pushed everyone away, and ran. Ten years later, she's back in town, running from something else, and he's now a hotshot firefighter. Can he get her back this time?
The threat this time was really nebulous: a cyber-stalker / co-worker who basically harassed her incessantly, heck, even came to Alaska to harass her some more. Apparently, cops in Oregon claimed he broke no laws and can't arrest him, but somehow, cops in Alaska can? WTF? This premise doesn't really make sense.
Category: Contemporary
Overall Rating: 3/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Love Untamed (Diamond Creek) by J H Croix
Susie is a romantic, but a traumatic experience a long time ago left her unable to trust men, but she will set up everybody else, just not herself. // Jared is an organized bachelor with definitely swoon-worthy, and having a relationship will mess that up. Susie and Jared drive each other crazy, and they are complete opposites, yet there's definitely a chemistry together. And one kiss leads to a lot more. But is that chemistry only in the bedroom when they are not talking? When circumstances forced them to confront their issues, will Susie learn how to trust again? Can Jared prove he's trustworthy?
A bit too long of a dance, IMHO, but this continuing series "Diamond Creek Alaska" is worth reading.
Category: Contemporary
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Stay With Me (Last Frontier Lodge) by J.H. Croix
Stay With Me is a pretty trope-ish romance about a young woman, forced to relocate, caught the eye of a guy who's too busy to fall in love, then had more responsibilities on top of him. However, the darkest hour was not dark, and the ending was merely tolerable.
Jessa just had her apartment burned down around her, and she barely saved a few meager belongings. With nowhere else to go, she headed toward Alaska to join her family. A minor fender bender led her to meet Eli, the manliest of man that made her heart go peeter-patter. Eli is way too busy to consider romance, yet he definitely noticed Jessa. Eli is busy running away from the bad influence of his abusive father and making money as a charter fishing boat captain. Things got complicated when Eli's younger brother somehow found his way to Alaska and Eli had to file for permanent custody of him, keeping him away from their father for good. But did Eli just overwhelm himself with all these responsibilities, even as Jessa is contemplating whether to stay in Alaska permanently, or move back to Seattle?
The insta-lust is there, but they resisted themselves for a while. The ending was okay, not one of author's best, as there doesn't seem to be much of a darkest hour.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a displaced woman newly arrived in Alaska convince a charter fishing boat captain to take a chance on her? Is she leaving?
Overall Rating: 3/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews When Love Comes (Diamond Creek, Alaska) by J.H. Croix
When Love Comes is about getting past loss into a possibility of love. The family secret was just some additional complications.
Hannah Gray returned to Diamond Creek Alaska after the death of her parents in a plane crash. Her sense of adventure was gone, and so was her expectation of love. When she met Luke Winters, she felt a sense of attraction, but she told herself, it will pass. Luke Winters, one of the 3 Winters brothers, makes his living in Alaska by doing the outdoorsy things, but having been burned by a bad ex, he only does casual flings. When Luke saw Hannah, he was intrigued by the young woman with haunted eyes, and similar loss, but he can't do relationships, "too busy", he told himself. When Hannah, cleaning out her parent's belonging, came across a huge secret about her family, she found Luke the only one to confide in. When Luke's family and ex intrude, it would be up to Luke and Hannah to fight for their happiness... together.
Interesting "wound and scars" about the family secret... which I won't spoil. But J H Croix was pretty good in doing the Alaska romance thing.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman's return to hometown was haunted by her loss and family revelation; can a hot wilderness guide save her heart?
Tropes: commitment-phobe, return, evil ex, family secrets,
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Christmas Nights (Diamond Creek, Alaska) by J.H. Croix
Christmas Nights is a pretty standard holiday romance between two wounded people trying to find love. Both characters are pretty standard, one's too busy, other's too disillusioned. The push-pull is fine though.
Janie Stevens was crossing Kachemak Bay in Alaska when her boat listed and she was thrown overboard. She was rescued by hot paramedic/firefighter/good guy Travis Wilkes. Janie has problems trusting men because she watched her mother being abused by a stepfather (who eventually landed in prison). She was also busy raising an adopted daughter alone. But she can't get Travis out of her head. Travis was also too busy for love. His job kept him busy, and his downtime he spends with the guys. But Janie rattled his resolve to stay aloof. With approaching Christmas, perhaps the Holiday spirit and willingness to share their families may bring them together, permanently.
Pretty cozy and fun read, nothing too spectacular, but it's a well-polished novel with properly defined characters.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a woman, raising an adopted daughter, be wooed by the hot firefighter/paramedic in scenic Alaska around the Holidays?
Tropes: single parent, paramedic, holiday
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Follow Love (Diamond Creek, Alaska) by J.H. Croix
Follow Love is a fling to a thing romance, but the FMC was mostly a doormat and almost did not deserve the MMC.
Tess Stanton had a rough year that soured her of love, so a vacation in Alaska with her family was the perfect thing for her to forget her trouble. She did not expect to find the hunky Nathan Winters, their fishing guide. Nathan was a true outdoorsman who found Tess' reserved nature irresistible. A fun fling quickly turned into much more. Tess's return to her home was bittersweet, as Nathan has to stay behind. It was made worse when her unscrupulous ex blackmailed her into his dastardly scheme. Then Nathan came to town, both to protect her from her ex and both to claim her. Will Tess follow her heart? Will the ex get his comeuppance? Will Nathan and Tess get their HEA?
The problem with Tess is she's a bit too reserved and was basically a doormat. Even her walking out on her engagement and dumping her ex was mostly pushed along by family and friends. And Nathan was alternately the hunky guide AND the suave persuader, as adept he was in the outdoors as he was in a ballroom. Nathan is just a bit too perfect. Even when he threw a punch it was to protect her honor. Basically, Tess's ONLY redeeming quality and self-will was to accept Nathan's advances, and even that was a bit of touch-and-go, as she kept thinking "it was just a fling, it was just a fling"... ARGH!!!!!!! That's just DOORMAT thinking! No wonder other readers call this character hard to empathize with.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Wounded Woman Goes on Family Vacation in Alaska and Met Hunky Guide... Then He Followed Her Back to Her Life...
Tropes: blackmail, fling to a thing, triangle, protector
Overall Rating: 4/5
Tess Stanton had a rough year that soured her of love, so a vacation in Alaska with her family was the perfect thing for her to forget her trouble. She did not expect to find the hunky Nathan Winters, their fishing guide. Nathan was a true outdoorsman who found Tess' reserved nature irresistible. A fun fling quickly turned into much more. Tess's return to her home was bittersweet, as Nathan has to stay behind. It was made worse when her unscrupulous ex blackmailed her into his dastardly scheme. Then Nathan came to town, both to protect her from her ex and both to claim her. Will Tess follow her heart? Will the ex get his comeuppance? Will Nathan and Tess get their HEA?
The problem with Tess is she's a bit too reserved and was basically a doormat. Even her walking out on her engagement and dumping her ex was mostly pushed along by family and friends. And Nathan was alternately the hunky guide AND the suave persuader, as adept he was in the outdoors as he was in a ballroom. Nathan is just a bit too perfect. Even when he threw a punch it was to protect her honor. Basically, Tess's ONLY redeeming quality and self-will was to accept Nathan's advances, and even that was a bit of touch-and-go, as she kept thinking "it was just a fling, it was just a fling"... ARGH!!!!!!! That's just DOORMAT thinking! No wonder other readers call this character hard to empathize with.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Wounded Woman Goes on Family Vacation in Alaska and Met Hunky Guide... Then He Followed Her Back to Her Life...
Tropes: blackmail, fling to a thing, triangle, protector
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Christmas on the Last Frontier by J H Croix
Christmas on the Last Frontier is an expertly executed romance with all the prerequisite elements: meet-cute, circumstances that force the FMC and MMC together and even managed to infuse a bit of danger and suspense without too much hand-waving. That, and the fact that the book managed to close on Christmas with HEA, made it a satisfying holiday read.
Gage Hamilton retired as Navy SEAL to go back to his hometown, Diamond Creek, Alaska, to resurrect a dream: reopen his childhood refuge, the Last Frontier Lodge, complete with cabin, restaurant, and ski lifts, that had been closed for a decade. There he ran into Marley Adams, another Diamond Creek girl coming home... forced there after she was shaken up by a home invasion robbery at her Seattle residence. Both were too busy to date before the came home, and both felt the sizzle, but neither quite knew how to proceed. When whatever had menaced Marley in Seattle followed her to Diamond Creek, can Gage and his friends help protect her? And will there be a kiss under the mistletoe after all?
The sexual tension was nicely written, and the idea that home robbery was a bit more than first suspected was fun, but the ending was too quick, IMHO, and relied on a bit more violence against woman to carry it off, but everything was competently done to warrant an
decent review.
Category: romantic suspense
Primary Plot: Ex-SEAL coming home to revive a resort ran into a girl fleeing from home invasion back in the city, then trouble followed her to Alaska...
Tropes: woman in peril, protector, SEAL, holiday, small town
Overall Rating: 4/5
Gage Hamilton retired as Navy SEAL to go back to his hometown, Diamond Creek, Alaska, to resurrect a dream: reopen his childhood refuge, the Last Frontier Lodge, complete with cabin, restaurant, and ski lifts, that had been closed for a decade. There he ran into Marley Adams, another Diamond Creek girl coming home... forced there after she was shaken up by a home invasion robbery at her Seattle residence. Both were too busy to date before the came home, and both felt the sizzle, but neither quite knew how to proceed. When whatever had menaced Marley in Seattle followed her to Diamond Creek, can Gage and his friends help protect her? And will there be a kiss under the mistletoe after all?
The sexual tension was nicely written, and the idea that home robbery was a bit more than first suspected was fun, but the ending was too quick, IMHO, and relied on a bit more violence against woman to carry it off, but everything was competently done to warrant an
decent review.
Category: romantic suspense
Primary Plot: Ex-SEAL coming home to revive a resort ran into a girl fleeing from home invasion back in the city, then trouble followed her to Alaska...
Tropes: woman in peril, protector, SEAL, holiday, small town
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Review: Love at Last by J H Croix
Love at Last is a sweet cozy romance between an attorney and a single mother / cook at the Last Frontier Lodge in Alaska. The two characters did not have too much trauma piled onto them, which makes their reluctance more natural, as they fight their attraction to each other more realistic.
The two characters fight their feelings for each other, even though they are almost immediately drawn to each other. The trope of "love at first sight" was used, so it's a bit Ehhh... But the rest of the tale was very competently told.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Burned out lawyer met single mom in an Alaskan lodge, but he doesn't do relationships and she won't do one-night-stands... but they really like each other...
Overall Rating: 4/5
Garrett is a Seattle attorney burned out by corporate soul-less work that he needed to escape to his brother's Alaskan lodge for a break. There, he ran into Delia, the lodge cook, and a single mother raising her kid back in town. Attraction is mutual, but Garrett did not do relationships... back in Seattle, and Delia had too much pride to admit she needed a man in her life, or to sleep around. With pressure to return to work, Garrett must figure out his heart before Delia decided it would be better to reject him to keep her heart from breaking.
The two characters fight their feelings for each other, even though they are almost immediately drawn to each other. The trope of "love at first sight" was used, so it's a bit Ehhh... But the rest of the tale was very competently told.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Burned out lawyer met single mom in an Alaskan lodge, but he doesn't do relationships and she won't do one-night-stands... but they really like each other...
Overall Rating: 4/5
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