GRR Reviews Whispers of Love by Melanie Shawn

Allison lost her big brother and left her to raise the twin nephews... if her best friend Kade didn't run off like a coward and was MIA for 18 months. Kade was also her big brother's best friend, and an MMA champ. Eighteen months later, Cade suddenly returned. Allison wasn't quite ready to let Cade into her life, much less her heart, but she needs a man around the house, and they always had a thing for each other... even if they can't act upon it...

Angst-y, as this is a "my (dead) best friend's little sister" with some layers on why he disappeared (SPOILER: he was on a bender for three months, then he woke up and went into rehab for a year, then spend 3 months getting himself back together before returning) and obviously by the end of the book, he managed to woo her enough to marry her. This one managed to combine many different tropes into a coherent story line. The story was really sad, but the mood improved a lot later.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews My Only - Alex & Jamie (Crossroads) by Melanie Shawn

Alex Sloan is an ex-SEAL turned firefighter. He works hard and plays harder, and there were plenty of women who appreciate his looks and charm. However, when he's injured on the job, high on meds, and saw nurse Jamie Miller, he said he loved her, asked for her hand in marriage, and passed out. It was just the drugs talking, right? // Jamie knew she could depend on no one in the world except herself. She has a son to remind her of that every day. She works both in the hospital and at the diner to make ends meet, and that leaves her no time for sexy distractions like Alex Sloan. When Jamie was assigned to guard/attend to Alex and to keep the "fan club" away, Jamie ends up falling for Alex's charm, even though she still resists. Moreover, Alex found himself, after that injury, to be a shallow person, and love Jamie's independence and resilience, and the kid too. Can he convince Jamie to give him a chance?

Nice dance between the two, Alex... didn't quite shift, as he's charming as ever, but his mindset did change quite a bit. You can say it's all about Jamie doing a bit of hard to get, but not on purpose. Good polish overall.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Firefighter rake falls for his nurse when he's injured on the job, but she's a single parent working two jobs, and too busy for love, but after a fling, they can't stop...

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Perfect Kiss by Melanie Shawn

Shelby barely escaped from her abuser and never talked about him to anyone, not even her closest relatives. She came back to Hope Falls for a fresh start, and even though she doesn't quite recognize herself in the mirror, she's determined to see where her one kiss with Levi, 18 months ago, can go. At that time, she thought Levi was a mere bartender, but Levi is actually the bar owner... Moreover, he's working on creating a bed-and-breakfast in the adjacent lot. When Levi saw Shelby again, he knew someone had hurt her, but he's not the prying kind. He offered her one of the rooms in bed and breakfast, and a job at the bar. When her abusive ex found her again... Levi will call in all his favors to ensure Shelby will never face that nightmare alone, ever again...

Not quite up to the author's standards. There were repeated mentions of drooling, which is a bit off-putting. Moreover, the resolution was all talk, no action. It's pretty obvious her stalker has connections, but other than some stalker photos taken by a PI there wasn't anything threatening. It's like the boogeyman, all roaring, no bite.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: Woman moved back home for a fresh start, but her stalker returned... can her new beau save her?

Overall Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Tempting Love - Haley & Eddie (Crossroads) by Melanie Shawn

Tempting Love didn't leave me with any feelings. it was totally milquetoast lukewarm.

Haley Sloan should have it all. Her lingerie business is booming, but her heart is elsewhere... on the single father across the street. Eddie Thomas stepped up when he became a father, then a single father. He left his wild days behind a woman is the furthest thing from his mind... Until Haley entered his life. Will he realize that perhaps letting her in is the only way to heal the wound in his heart and complete his family?

I didn't sigh, I didn't swoon, I didn't swear, I didn't feel anything after reading this book. This wasn't one of author's best.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Lingerie designer/seller has a crush on the single father across the street...

Overall Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Fire and Love (Hope Falls Book 13) by Melanie Shawn

Fire and Love used a pretty old plot device to set up the story but the author was able to put a proper polish on the story to make it enjoyable nonetheless.

Eli Bishop is a firefighter in his hometown. Many years ago he lost his girl that one night to his everlasting regret. He ended up in the military, finished his stint, and came back, and still pining for her... Until his girl came back to town. Mackenzie Sutton left her hometown behind, after having her heart thoroughly broken. She achieved her dream of being a documentary filmmaker, but she always wondered what happened when her man left her behind. When her latest project took her back to her hometown, it's inevitable Kenzie will run into Eli, and all the pain that came back. And this time, truth will be revealed, old wounds will bleed... and the two will finally learn what drove them apart... and whether they belong together after all.

Without spoiling the story, let's just say Eli's initial departure was not completely voluntary, despite the plans he and Mackenzie made together in solemn promise. But they have to understand their past to have a future. The characters are relatable, if a bit of a fragile ego, in that they somehow NEVER tried to contact each other, but that's also a trope in itself.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman is back in town, and this time, her old flame will be able to explain what really happened that night that broke her heart

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews All He Wants - Billy & Maxi (Crossroads) by Melanie Shawn

All He Wants is a "bodyguard romance" with some added complications and a pretty formulaic one at that. The richer background details almost made up for that, but using a too-stupid-to-live moment to conveniently lead to the climax was... too convenient.

Billy Marshall was a retired champion boxer now working as security and personal protection agent for Elite Security, and glad to have left the ring with his brain and body (mostly) intact. He could have almost any woman he wanted, but he felt lonely. When he was assigned to protect his old coach's daughter, Maxi, now working as a publicist, his memories of her as student hanging out at the gym came back, and what he learned about what the stalker did make his blood boil. Threatening notes, trashed apartment, a package of dead birds, nude photos of her showering spread in her building... And she's just a publicist! And while Maxi secretly had a crush on Billy forever, she can't ever partake in that fantasy, as she had to take charge of her life as her father's health is failing. But Billy will stick to her side as close protection is what he does... and she knew why she was being targeted... Except she's not telling anyone... Not even Billy...

As mentioned before, while the plot was competent for the most part, it's also formulaic, as it's just "bodyguard MMC protecting FMC from stalker threat" with a good twist near the end. Giving both boxing backgrounds is tolerable, and while I don't see how a boxer would turn into bodyguard, I can't say it's impossible. And the reason why the publicist was targeted seems slightly far-fetched to be a conspiracy. But I'm not spoiling much.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot:  Bodyguard assigned to guard his coach's daughter falls for her and had to solve the mystery before the conspiracy get them both

Tropes: woman in peril, protector

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Review Snow Angel (A Hope Falls Novel Book 5) by Melanie Shawn

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Snow Angel is supposed to be a romantic suspense, but while it setup most of the book how careful / paranoid the FMC was, the danger did not kick in until 90% point of the book, and it was wrapped up within a couple pages.

Lily was always on the run, moving every few months, looking over her shoulder, and she had been doing this for ten years. She just got a break as choreographer for a big superstar, and moving to this small town should keep her anonymous. She didn't count on having the local chief of police as her neighbor, who wanted to know more about her. She wanted to see where it goes, but what if she had to run again?

The MMC lives next door is the police chief AND has a dog that practically adopted the FMC was just icing on the cake. On the other hand, the characters are nice, the town was friendly. However, most of the book was about how this girl was paranoid in this friendly town and only at the very end was there any suspense. The mood basically was weird, with a too-stupid-to-live moment right at the end.  This sudden mood switch prevented this novel from being 4/5. It's as if the book has schizophrenia: 80-90% of the book was sweet, final bits was tense as heck.

Category: contemporary

Primary Plot: woman on the run settled in small town, romanced by local police chief; can he save her when he's needed?

Tropes: protector, woman in peril, stalker, law enforcement, small town

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Review: My First by Melanie Shawn

My First by Melanie Shawn featured some very confused characters who seem to be just being stupid, but the flirting scenes and the rest of romance somewhat compensated for it.

Katie Lawson left her hometown behind after her boyfriend Nick's funeral. She threw herself into her studies to be a lawyer and was about to make junior partner 10 years later when she was summoned back to town to her sister's wedding. But she can't face Jason Sloan, the boy who had teased her since... first grade, and something happened... The thought of seeing him again sends her into a panic attack. Jason has a reputation for being a ladies' man in town, but he's still single. As Katie's back in town, she recalled her life in town and wondered what would life have been with Jason? 

I find the character of Jason a bit TOO saintly, basically pining after Katie for TEN YEARS, but he can't leave. Whereas Katie left behind EVERYTHING (you'll have to read the book to see why) pretty much on a whim, and basically was oblivious to Jason (or pretending to be). There seem to be quite a few plot threads left dangling.  The initial pace was also a bit slow. This was not one of author's better works, IMHO.

Category:  Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman gone for ten years is back in town, and had to face the one boy she left behind

Overall Rating:  3/5