GRR Reviews The Broken Trail (Sweet River Redemption) by Christa MacDonald
The Broken Trail is a good romantic mystery about discoveries, secrets, and lies, and working against the system.
Katherine Grant was burned out from her high-pressure jobs in the city (and a few secrets). She moved to the small town of Sweet River and took a position at the Sweet River Christian Academy as a consultant when the school suddenly had a spike of 6 dropouts. The school director is icily hostile (they're just delinquents, why should we waste money on them) and Katherine realized the director is trying to drive her away. The director had previously stuffed the school staff and vendors with all her family and relatives (including in-laws). The director even forced Katherine to take up a tiny cabin on the land of Captain MacAllister, the local cop by renting out the housing previously allocated to her. // Mac had enough of women with quick tempers. He had no time to deal with any drama, not when poachers and narcotics peddlers and smugglers are encroaching on his jurisdiction. However, he can sense Katherine's quick temper is a facade that hides some deep trauma, and her intelligence and strength earned his admiration. But when a near tragedy forced them to confront their feelings, and each other's secrets, will the secrets break them... or bring them together forever?
The revelations of the old wounds and secrets were handled quite nicely, and the biggest one was used effectively for the darkest hour. Nicely done.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Educational consultant, shunned by a hostile Christian school, fell for the gruff police Captain, but they have dark secrets...
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Teaching Tori (Tori and Tom Book 1) by Annie Rehmann
Teaching Tori tried to set up a teacher romance in a hostile school, but the environment really made no sense. And the setup was way too slow.
Tori Munro is a teacher that enjoyed her job... except her interaction with her principal. She had survived a bad marriage mainly by running away to teach in a small town, and she knew how to cope with a bully... by kowtowing. Tom was a visiting advisor to the school and loved her passion, but he only comes every few months. Tom was not happy with Tori's decision to stay quiet about principal's bullying behavior, but he will accept her decision. When teacher's union rep reported that a grievance was filed against the principal, Tori thought Tom had betrayed her and cut off all contact. Tom had no idea he's getting the cold shoulder and decided he had enough of Tori's craziness. When Tori realized it was a misunderstanding, she went back to Tom, but Tom did not want her back. Hoping to clear her head, Tori went hiking and was caught in a freak snowstorm. Will she survive? Will Tom come to realize he can't live without her? Why did the principal hate her anyway?
The darkest hour and the external danger forcing a change of heart (or at least a re-evaluation) is a trope. And the threat was almost unrelated to the main plot. The reason why the principal hate Tori came across is "just weird" (and I am NOT spoiling that). The idea that Tom only comes to school every few MONTHS and a romance can develop from that is also quite weird. All in all, I can only rate this average.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Teacher working under a hostile principal fell for an educational consultant. They broke under over misunderstanding...
Overall Rating: 3/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews The Cowboy and the Kid (Tanner Brothers) by Anne McAllister
The Cowboy and the Kid is a fun rom-com, with the kid doing the matchmaking. The additional polish, such as the proper and prim schoolteacher accepting a bullriding challenge to show up an ornery parent (read: bully) is a delight and took it into the 5-star category.
Eight-year-old Becky Jones is the daughter of Ex-champion bullrider Taggart Jones, and she's on a mission: find a wife for her dad. Her mom ran off way back when after she can't deal with country life, and Tag simply doesn't want to get married again, period. But Becky, with her best friend, has a candidate in mind: their beautiful blonde teacher, Felicity Albright. Felicity is bemused, and Tag is handsome. But Felicity fled the cities for a reason: she's a widow that fled the farm town of Iowa with her husband to the city... where a drunk driver killed him. She fled the city AND her hometown, and Tag made her feel... something. Tag was frustrated and scared of his feelings toward Felicity, but Becky is determined to bring the two together... even if she had to engineer a few situations to throw them together. Things got complicated when Felicity's teacher methods angered a conservative parent and Felicity agreed to a bullriding challenge to shut him up for good...
Slightly forced near the end, but nice plot wrap-around. Felicity will triumph under Tag's instruction, of course! That part of the plot felt slightly forced though, IMHO, but didn't distract from the fun.
Category: Contemporary / Western
Primary Plot: Daughter is determined to match her gruff champion cowboy dad and her pretty and exciting teacher, but will they accept?
Overall Rating: 5/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Sea of Seduction by Jennifer Jones
Sea of Seduction has a weird start, a former surfer champ single dad doing palm reading meets an herbalist who wants to bed this hot surfer single dad that's also a bet between her and her BFF. The story does get a bit better from there as both characters are a bit angst-driven despite the relaxed facade they put up.
Dominic Cortes was once the best surfer in the world until he punched a judge and was forced to leave the surfing world in infamy. He moved to the US and settled in San Diego with his 12-year old daughter, do tarot card fortune telling for a living. His only remaining goal was to surf the ultimate wave off Cortes Bank as a tribute to his father. That plan is in tatters when a young woman, Cordelia "Coco" Bennett, blew into his life. Coco just wanted a reading at first, but there's a connection between her and Dom that even Dom's daughter Lola noticed. Coco is an herbalist that specialized in anti-aging spa treatments, and she and her partners had a bet... that Coco can bed the hot Dom before their fifth appointment, even though Dom never puts out for anyone. But Coco had a trauma she can't talk about, and can't abide Dom surfing the Cortes Bank far from support... It is very dangerous, and Coco had fallen for Dom for real. But what happens when Dom found out about the bet?
The characters are deeper than you first suspect from the initial impression of tarot card reading and herbalist. You'd think this is some sort of hippie new age characters, but that's just the surface. Both characters have deep traumas that formed a part of their psyche and it was NEVER the right time to mention such, which inevitably leads to wrong impression being formed and deeper misunderstandings... The grand gesture was good as well. All in all an enjoyable novel.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Herbalist meets surfer single dad doing palm readings, spark fly, but both are deeply scarred on the inside...
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews The Blogger vs the Bad Boy by Kellie McAllen
The Blogger vs. the Bad Boy had been retitled with reissued with a new cover, and this iteration is a lot better, with a hint of paranormal but interesting limitations for a bunch of half-angels (or "Celestia Divisa") fall in love with regular humans.
Jake is wealthy, gorgeous, popular, and bad boy to the bone. When his latest prank got him sent to community service, he ended up at a senior home serving meals to grumpy or forgetful seniors. Then he met Charisse, a half-angel. // Charisse's motto is "kindness is the best beauty product of all", and her beauty blog already enjoys a big audience, but she can't stand "the biggest jerk on the planet". Jake found himself wanting the girl who won't have anything to do with him. And Charisse was definitely not impressed by him or his wealth. When a devastating secret was revealed about Jake, Charisse will have to decide whether to use her one miracle in life to save him... from himself.
Cute, sweet, and clean. This is a paranormal romance, but the linked nature of the universe has a good consistency to it, if you read the books in sequence. The paranormal-ness didn't figure into the story until much later.
Category: Contemporary / Paranormal
Primary Plot: Can a half-angel beauty blogger save a bad boy when he learned a devastating truth about himself?
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
Jake is wealthy, gorgeous, popular, and bad boy to the bone. When his latest prank got him sent to community service, he ended up at a senior home serving meals to grumpy or forgetful seniors. Then he met Charisse, a half-angel. // Charisse's motto is "kindness is the best beauty product of all", and her beauty blog already enjoys a big audience, but she can't stand "the biggest jerk on the planet". Jake found himself wanting the girl who won't have anything to do with him. And Charisse was definitely not impressed by him or his wealth. When a devastating secret was revealed about Jake, Charisse will have to decide whether to use her one miracle in life to save him... from himself.
Cute, sweet, and clean. This is a paranormal romance, but the linked nature of the universe has a good consistency to it, if you read the books in sequence. The paranormal-ness didn't figure into the story until much later.
Category: Contemporary / Paranormal
Primary Plot: Can a half-angel beauty blogger save a bad boy when he learned a devastating truth about himself?
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson
The Ugly Sister Strikes back is a high school romance with complications of family problems (in terms of stepsiblings). The drama is handled well.
Quirky and snarky Mattie Lowe is not having a good year. Her mother (divorced) seems to hate her and belittles her online. The school mean girl is out to get her... AND her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful girl in school AND dating Mattie's secret crush, the football captain Jake Kingston. After suffering one too many humiliations, Mattie rallied enough support and ran for class president... against Jake. Yes, Ella can keep Jake... and Mattie will rule the school. But the transformation comes with a price... What will she do if Jake wanted to date HER instead? Can she really be cruel to her step-sister? What will the class mean girl do in revenge? What will Mattie wear to the masquerade ball?
It's basically high school drama but done well. Don't want to spoil the ending, but the mean girl got put in her place. Obviously, it did take a little bit of deus ex machina to get there, and Jake came across as slightly dreamy, but I guess it's swoon-worthy for high school girls.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: When the quirky and snarky girl meets tough life in and out of high school, the girl campaigns for class president!
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Hard Irish Luck: A Southern Steam Novel by Jennifer Saints
Hard Irish Luck is one heck of a romantic suspense where a guy went in with a disguise, but ended up falling for the enemy, so to speak. The plot had been used before, but it's very nicely executed.
Jared Weldon, running Shamrock Construction with his brother, was sure that McKenna Construction was doing something underhanded to beat them in bids. Jared, not willing to losing his wild bachelor lifestyle, is determined to find something wrong with his enemy, and will even go undercover to do it. A chance encounter had him rescue a pretty girl in a bar. Only later did he realize the girl he rescued was no other than Roxanne "Rocky" McKenna, who took over after her father had a stroke. When he rescued her again the next day at her jobsite and was injured, he misrepresented himself as a security agent in his (other) brother's Security company... // Rocky McKenna had a bitter divorce three years ago and is determined to run the company as a tight ship, esp. when her father is now in the hospital, in a coma, barely clinging to life. But that kiss and rescue by Jared awoke something in her that cannot be denied. When Jared rescued her again, Rocky denied her life is in danger, but Jared was too sweet to pass up. They continue their liaison, and Jared wanted to confess, but one incident after another threatened to kill them both... And the hints point back to the turbulent past of the Irish Republic Army... and some deep family secrets that had been hidden for decades...
A lesser author would have simply put the motivation of the bad guys as "greed", but this one had a twist on that theme that added to old family secrets that had been hidden for decades. This is a great example of romantic suspense.
Category: Romantic Suspense
Primary Plot: Man in disguise wanting to destroy his competitor's firm fell for the other firm's leader, but someone's after them both...
Overall Rating: 5/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Choosing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 2) by Kris Jayne
Choosing You is about a not-quite triangle that pivots into romantic suspense, where you aren't sure who's the villain and who's the hero, who's the victim and who's the abuser. However, the MMC came off as really bland, and the two FMC's are the fascinating ones.
Taryn is about to marry Jeff and adopt his daughter Olivia in a few months. In order to cut all ties to his past, Jeff got his PI to find his ex-wife Shannon and serve her papers to sever all custody to Olivia. Shannon became a druggie and disappeared, and had not cared about her daughter at all in years, so it should be a slam dunk. But Shannon suddenly appeared at Olivia's birthday party, and claimed she's clean and why won't anyone give her a chance. Taryn was not about to take Shannon at her word, so when Jeff decided to give his ex the benefit of doubt and treat Shannon nicely, Taryn rehired the PI to follow Shannon. Soon it's clear Shannon is currently married to an ex-con with plans to squeeze money from Taryn and Jeff through any means possible. In fact, Shannon had ALREADY stolen stuff from Jeff just now... But is Shannon a willing dupe and accomplice, or an abused woman looking for a way out? This revelation caused a rift between Jeff and Taryn about trust... Because she investigated behind his back. Then Shannon's ex-con husband executes his own plan for a payday...
The twists and turns are quite good, all logically flowed from one to the other. My problem is Jeff, who's basically a gullible white knight that you wonder if Shannon is just scamming him, or is Shannon really trying to squirrel away some money so she can get away by herself. I find Shannon and Taryn far more interesting. All in all, a good romantic suspense that managed to add a twist to "on the rocks" romance.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Is her fiancee's ex trying to scam him? Woman is determined to find out... even when he refused to see the truth...
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews Delicate Ink (Montgomery Ink Book 1) by Carrie Ann Ryan
Delicate Ink is about a woman running away from her trauma, meeting a "bad boy" who's actually not that bad. In a way, the plot is trope, and there seem to be a few too many subplots flying about. This also has a bit to do with a bit of D/s relationship and a little kinky sex. It came off as a bit of mix bag.
Sierra Elder moved to Denver and opened her own fashion boutique. which was one of her immediate goals. Her other was to get a tattoo... a large one that can cover her horrific scars from that one thing she... doesn't want to talk about. It happens that her place was across the street from Montgomery Ink, a tattoo parlor operated by Austin Montgomery. But their first meeting was not a happy one... // Austin Montgomery is over thirty, and not married. being a guy who owns a tattoo parlor, inked sleeves, and scruffy beard didn't help him in the dating scene much. And his previous woman is getting too clingy (and the one before that was... ten years ago). When Sierra walked through the door, Austin was not a happy man, but there was something between them. For Austin was a dom in the BDSM scene and he recognized a sub when he saw one... But this sub had been hurt before... by who? But even as Austin drew Sierra out of her shell and learned about her own trauma, the Montgomery family is facing its own crisis, and Austin got his own surprise later. Will the couple share their burdens, or drive each other away, believing it's better to shoulder the burden alone?
Instead of coalescing into one giant problem, the problems faces by FMC and MMC separately were resolved separately. Which made the ending rather a bit of ho-hum. There were also several additional characters that seem to serve little more than distractions. All in all, this is a good... but flawed book.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a prim and proper woman with secrets and starting over fall for a tattoo parlor dom with inked sleeves and gruffy exterior?
Overall Rating: 3/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews YIELD - Emily & Damon (Fettered) by Lilia Moon
Yield managed to capture the excitement and sensual feel of kink while understanding the lifestyle, even though the premise, upon reflection, is trope as heck. It is, however, very well polished and enjoyable.
Emily is Seattle's best wedding planner with the superpower to handle all details and not leaving out a single one. When one of her clients wanted a wedding in a BDSM club, she didn't bat an eye, even though she never been in one. Her preparations lead her to Club Fettered, owned by Damon Black, the most "notorious" dom in Seattle. Damon knew Emily was way too innocent to play in his world, he hoped he can scare her away with a demonstration... 24 hours with him, as sorta BDSM for Dummies. But she didn't react the way he thought she would. Now he can't stay away...
This is about the sensual way to do BDSM, just light spanking and some toys. Though it's basically a fantasy... an experienced dom somehow found a noob that turned out to be an ideal sub after ONE encounter and gently groomed her. But it is quite titillating and enjoyable.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a wedding planner who had never done BDSM as a sub fall for the city's most notorious dom after just 24 hours?
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews The Texan Meets His Match (Lake Howling) by Wendy Vella
The Texan Meets His Match is a fun story though the pivot into romantic suspense seems to be way too low.
Annabelle Smith lives in Lake Howling, one of the small towns in Texas, and has her support network of friends, but with a mother who died young, and an alcoholic father, she ended up raising her baby brother by herself. When her baby brother fell to the dark side in Las Vegas, and fell into drug and gambling, she bailed him out twice and tried to get him to treatment. She just learned that her brother just cleaned out her bank account, money she saved up for a down payment on her own house, and maybe start a business someday. She's so angry, she refuses to take any calls from him, because he always somehow cajoles her into forgiving him. It was just then Ethan Gelderman came back to town. Ethan was the womanizer, the alpha whose little black book overflowing with girl's numbers. But the war had changed him. Ethan never wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, because his father had been grooming him since he's ten to take over the family business, and he resisted every way, including running off to join the military when he's 18. Now a self-made man with a fortune, he's back to attend a wedding. Seeing Annabelle brought feelings back, and Ethan will not resist a challenge. But Annabelle cannot let news of her misfortune spread among her circle of friends... She does not want any pity. When she found out her brother was in MUCH MUCH worse trouble than she ever suspected (the 25K he stole from her barely made a dent in what he owed to the mob) she had no choice but to accept Ethan's help...
The pivot into romantic suspense, IMHO, was way too abrupt, but actually plausible due to his army background. All in all, it's a good tale of admitting to faults so friends can help. The romance was actually nothing too special. It's about coming to terms with one's own limitations.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Self-made millionaire came back to town, had to romance a beauty whose brother is in serious trouble with the mob
Overall Rating: 4/5
NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.
GRR Reviews The Playboy Next Door by Christina Tetreault
The Playboy Next Door tried to setup reluctant lovers, but the ending was a pretty lame trope.
Catrina was stood up by her blind date when she was rescued by resident playboy Tony. Cat knew all about Tony's reputation, but she's lonely, and she invited him back to her apartment... Tony never tried any moves on Cat because she's his best bud's little sister... and his coach's daughter. Tony's sweetheart passed away, and he felt isn't not up to love someone deeply, that's why he kept things light and casual. Tony and Cat agreed to keep things light and secret, but secrets always get out, and Tony needs to decide whether to risk his heart again... or lose the woman that came to be much more than just friends.
The ending resorted to trope "I hurt you because I love you (therefore I must drive you away, because I think it's better for you)" which basically instantly turned to regret. ARGH! I **hate** that sort of darkest hour.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a jilted woman fall for the resident playboy who may be ready to turn over a new leaf?
Overall Rating: 3/5
NOTE: see "Labels" below for the tropes.
GRR Reviews Protecting The Billionaire (The Sherbrooks) by Christina Tetreault
Protecting the Billionaire is a fairly standard "bodyguard" romance. It's the author's ability to properly polish the characters and the relationships, combined with no logical plot holes that raised this book above average.
Allison Sherbrooke works for her brother's charitable foundation. Her family is rich beyond belief, and she's determined to help people. But she had been feeling uneasy as if someone had been stalking her. On the other hand, she did dance with a nice marine Captain Rocco "Rock" Raimono, and she liked him a lot. Rock knew Allison "Allie" is special, and his combat senses tell him that there really *is* a stalker on Allison. As the clues started to pile in, like a shot through the window, an anonymous gift delivered to her office, and unexplained open deadbolts in her home, it's clear the stalker is much much closer than anyone suspected...
Nice, no obvious plot holes or too-stupid-to-live moments in this "bodyguard" romance. It escalated well, and the final reveal was pretty good. Can't really say more without spoiling the story.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a marine captain protect an heiress from an unknown stalker who's someone VERY close to her?
Tropes: protector, woman in peril, different worlds, betrayal, stalker
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews EXPOSED: A second chance love story by Lyz Kelley
Exposed managed to create a bit more unusual older man / younger woman match up along with a bit of protector / woman in peril setup. However, the insufficient karma dealt to the evildoer or the low-level evil he did didn't make him much of a threat.
Gwen had run away all over life, and now she may have to again. When pipes burst in her thrift store, it not only ruined her stock, her landlord just terminated her lease. Then her evil blackmailing ex-fiancee tracked her down too. Until someone came to her rescue. Retired brigadier general Dale Bryant came home to repair his relationship with his daughter and came to know Gwen, who's a friend of his daughter. Gwen needs rescuing, and this marine is up to the job. But he's 14 years older, and a widower. He can save her, but can he love her?
There is a twist at the end which I will not spoil. But somehow, the evil ex-fiancee didn't quite get enough karma. I expected more evil from him and didn't get any either. Other than that the book managed to put a good spin on a slightly unusual matchup.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: A retired marine general can obviously save a woman from her evil blackmailing ex-fiancee. But can he also love her?
Tropes: protector, woman in peril, small town, evil ex, blackmail, widower, May/September
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews The Blacksmith's Mail Order Bride by Cindy Caldwell
The Blacksmith's Mail Order Bride has a good twist or two, but the evil-doer was obvious, and the solution didn't quite have enough action.
Olivia Blanchard had been helping her father do hog ranching for all her life. Her father had passed on, and all that's left was an old ranchhand and her. The only annoyance was a man who kept wanting her to sell out. With all the hogs are slaughtered and bacon is in the smokehouse, she's ready to sell the stock to the mercantile in town and get ready for the winter. She came back from town to find her smokehouse burned down, and the fire spread to her cabin. She lost nearly everything she owned. Only her few friends in town kept her going. Elsewhere in town, Joe Stanton, the town blacksmith, has been under increasing pressure to marry the vacuous girl his mother and aunt picked out for him. He can't leave, as blacksmithing was a business from his father. He was contemplating a mail-order bride when he heard about Olivia's misfortune. Why get a mail order bride when there's a perfect single woman here? So they get hitched. But Joe's mother was angry and determined to break up the marriage, while Joe's determined to solve Olivia's misfortune as he was sure it wasn't an accident, and indeed, there was NO BACON in the burned remains of the smokehouse...
The marriage was a bit forced, but the circumstances made sense and wasn't that different from other mail order bride stories. The guilty party was obvious, and how they were caught was mostly tell, not show. That's why this wasn't a 5/5.
Category: Historical Western
Primary Plot: Woman who just lost her cabin and her family business was forced to marry the blacksmith in town; but does he love her?
Tropes: woman in peril, protector, mail order bride, fish out of water, conspiracy
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Millie Marries a Marshal by Linda K. Hubalek
Millie Marries a Marshal is a definitely above average "mail order bride" historical Western with a proper darkest hour even though the couple just feels a bit too... contemporary, and what's with trying to SAVE the marshal? Hmmm?
Millie Donovan arrived in Clear Creek, Kansas hoping to settle down with her groom, Sam Larson. She was instead met by Marshal Adam Wilerson, with grave news: Sam was killed in an accident before she arrived. Now Millie is in a strange town with no money, and a 2-year old son. When Adam's own family scolded him for leaving a woman and a child alone and homeless, the decision was made for him by his ma: Millie and the kid will be living with Adam as his housekeeper for room and board. Adam soon realized Millie was running from something and admit he may have fallen for her himself. The town solidified around Millie, welcoming her and her wild child into their folds. When someone from Millie's past arrived in town, Millie is determined to protect the town... and her Marshal...
Without spoiling anything, there's the HEA ending after a good resolution. The town does seem a bit nosy, but then, it's a small and friendly town. And the 2-year old is cute and good comic relief when things got a bit depressing. And really, what's with a woman trying to save the Marshal? He's the law? But still, all in all a fun novel.
Category: Historical Western
Primary Plot: Woman arrived in town to find her groom's dead... and the marshal is forced by his family to put her and her son up temporarily
Tropes: single parent, mail order bride, law enforcement, family secrets, protector, woman in peril
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Marking Time (Treading Water) by Marie Force
Making Time is a love story about letting go, and while this probably may not make sense, let me go over the plot and you'll probably get it...
Clare Harrington woke up from a three-year coma against all odds after a horrible car collision. She should celebrate her lucky stars, but the world had left her behind. Her husband had fallen for a different woman, Andi, while she's out of the picture and gotten her pregnant with twins. Clare divorced him to let him start a new family, but it still hurt. Their oldest daughter Kate, with musical talent, went to Nashville, getting a year to explore her talent... and fell in love there with a much older man... a college buddy of her father, even as she had a brush with her destiny. Clare in the meanwhile left her home with too many memories behind, and moved to her brother's cabin in Vermont, and came to know a gruff carpenter there... who harbors his own pain... Will Clare find a new love? Will Kate meet her success? What will they have to let go for love and family?
Marie Force managed to wring out some genuine conflicting emotions about letting go, betrayal, trust, and more from the characters. Clare loved her husband by letting him go. They both have to let Kate go, and trust her to choose right when she chose an older man, even though it seems to be a betryal. But this story is about Clare letting go of her past and embracing her own future. While the plot lines seem disparate, Marie Force skillfully jumped among plotlines with skill rivals that of Tom Clancy's technothrillers. And what's even more important, I had NOT read book 1, and this book is still enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman woke from coma to find her husband fell for someone else and daughter spreading her wings; can she move on with her life?
Tropes: survivor, scars, May/ September, mountain man, small town, betrayal
Overall Rating: 5/5
GRR Reviews The House on the Beach (Pilgrim Cove) by Linda Barrett
The House on the Beach is about second chance at love and letting go of past pains. The darkest hour left me a bit flat though.
Laura McCloud lost her mom and her boyfriend, but she did win something: a fight against breast cancer, at least when her doctor said so. Her life and career were on hold, and she needed some time to regroup. She rented the Sea View House at Pilgrim Cove. It is calm, quiet, plenty of time to relax, and for her to find herself again. Then entered Matthew Parker. Matt has two young sons and lived with his father. Both lost their wives several years ago, and are comfortable living the bachelor life. But when Matt, the "not quite" plumber in town meets Laura, who needed some help with the old house, he realized it may be time to try again. But Matt lost his wife to ovarian cancer. Can he bear the revelation that Laura had cancer (also)?
The darkest hour seems both kinda "O RLY?" and "OMG". It takes him a couple days to get over the shock and go ask her back. That's a bit of "meh" for me. Otherwise, the slow dance between the couple is good.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Cancer survivor takes a break from life at a beach house, meets dad father who lost his wife to cancer... are they ready for love?
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Falling for Tender Heart (Tender Heart Texas) by Katie Lane
Falling for Tender Heart managed to be sweet while poking some good-natured fun at fans of romance novels.
Emery came to Bliss Texas in search of the fabled "final novel" in the Tender Heart series. The author died but left hints about the final book. However, the manuscript had never been found. After getting a clue, Emery, a book reviewer/editor decided to get her two other friends to visit Bliss and see what inspired the author to write about all the mail order brides that left readers enchanted, and see if there are still clues. Encountering a brooding cowboy who looked almost exactly like one of the heroes in Tender Heart series of novels was just a bonus. How can a girl not swoon when a fantasy came true? // Cole is tired of the ranch. He and his cousins have buried their hatchets despite family feud that tore the holdings into thirds, but he's thinking about selling out and leaving altogether. He owed her step-sister that much... He, after all, put her in that wheelchair, and she needs rehab. But Emery threw that plan into chaos. Cole hated these fortune-hunters... There is no final novel... The family had searched for it to no avail. And Emery, while tempting, is just using him for information. Right?
This was a very nice use of mail-order bride trope and context to set up the present day romance. I can see where the twist was going to be, but it was a nice twist nonetheless. Not like SUPER-nice, but good nonetheless.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Did someone really found the lost manuscript? A book reviewer and her friends will find out and fall for some cowboys too...
Tropes: small town, just visiting, romance writer (editor), family drama, familys ecrets, disguise,
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Down a Country Road by Inglath Cooper
Down a Country Road by Inglath Cooper is full of tropes, but combined in novel ways that added a lot of angst to the main character, as well as a few twists on familiar tropes, to create an interesting tale of love and loss.
Grier McAllister left her hometown of Timbell Creek, Virginia behind and never looked back. She went to New York City, and after a long struggle made it as an image consultant. When the TV studio wanted to cast some small town girls for a reality show "Date a Duke", they picked Grier, with the stipulation that they must be from Grier's hometown, and Grier can't pass up the opportunity, even if she had to go back and face some ghosts of her past, such as her mother, who had changed a lot... and her old boyfriend and his hot brother. But the hot brother comes with the baggage of a daughter and a divorced wife, and the daughter was one of the candidates (something daddy vehemently opposes, but mommy approves). As Grier helps choose the candidates and deals with ghosts of her past, she will come to realize that perhaps, this town wasn't just her past, but perhaps her present and future as well.
I find the idea that "girls must be from your hometown" rather forced plot point, as it doesn't logically make sense. I am not too sure about making Grier fall for the old flame's brother, rather than just fall for her old flame again. The chemistry wasn't quite there. But once the setup is complete, there were no dull moments. You get to see how the hot brother argue with his ex-wife (who's in town), the Duke's arrival, conflict with the daughter who is tired of the fighting between her parents, struggles with fame and publicity, and much more. Author was able to juggle all the bits into a coherent story. All in all, rather liked the story.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman who left her town years ago is now back to help do a reality dating show, and had to confront her past she thought she left behind
Tropes: small town, return, best friend's sibling, family secrets, single parent, family drama
Overall Rating: 5/5
EDITORIAL: Amazon's little review problem, and shameless self-promo
Amazon really does rank its reviews through their own algorithm, mostly on the number of upvotes.
About two weeks ago, I broke into the "top 1000" reviews barrier. I was like #983 or something for a week or so.
But I have a lot of books review backlog I haven't posted, so over the span of a week or so, I added about 30-40 reviews. I have another 100+ to go.
Then my "Top 1000 Reviewer" badge disappeared. To my dismay, I found out my reviewer ranking is now #1003. It was clear that my new reviews have "diluted" my ratio and caused my ranking to drop.
So if you are reading this, here's a little request:
Follow me on Amazon. My Amazon profile is here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHNELC2DTIYZA4JO37YPWB7QT6SQ
Check out some of my reviews. If you think you agree with my review(s), give me a "helpful" vote. Obviously, you'll need to be an existing Amazon member. Yes, I really do have 1700+ reviews on Amazon. I don't spam. Most of them are verified purchases, and most of those that are not verified purchases are books obtained via Prime Lending and such.
And I promise NOT to send you ANYTHING, not just spam, but ANYTHING. (I can't control what Amazon sends you)
So why follow me on Amazon? My book reviews actually are posted on Amazon FIRST. The blog posts come almost a month later. Yes, I have a lot of catching up to do.
That's it, really. Get alerted to my latest reviews.
One of these days I'll have to mirror my reviews on Goodreads, but that's weeks if not months in the future.
Anyway, back to book reviews...
About two weeks ago, I broke into the "top 1000" reviews barrier. I was like #983 or something for a week or so.
But I have a lot of books review backlog I haven't posted, so over the span of a week or so, I added about 30-40 reviews. I have another 100+ to go.
Then my "Top 1000 Reviewer" badge disappeared. To my dismay, I found out my reviewer ranking is now #1003. It was clear that my new reviews have "diluted" my ratio and caused my ranking to drop.
So if you are reading this, here's a little request:
Follow me on Amazon. My Amazon profile is here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHNELC2DTIYZA4JO37YPWB7QT6SQ
Check out some of my reviews. If you think you agree with my review(s), give me a "helpful" vote. Obviously, you'll need to be an existing Amazon member. Yes, I really do have 1700+ reviews on Amazon. I don't spam. Most of them are verified purchases, and most of those that are not verified purchases are books obtained via Prime Lending and such.
And I promise NOT to send you ANYTHING, not just spam, but ANYTHING. (I can't control what Amazon sends you)
So why follow me on Amazon? My book reviews actually are posted on Amazon FIRST. The blog posts come almost a month later. Yes, I have a lot of catching up to do.
That's it, really. Get alerted to my latest reviews.
One of these days I'll have to mirror my reviews on Goodreads, but that's weeks if not months in the future.
Anyway, back to book reviews...
GRR Reviews Forever Yours, Sweetheart (Sweetheart H by Roxanne Snopek
Forever Yours, Sweetheart is a modern take on a woman needing help from the town recluse, with mystery piled on top of it. It is very nicely polished.
Sweetheart MT's photographer has a problem... Carrie Logan's website got hacked, and her boudoir photos were leaked onto the net. She needs a cybersecurity fix fast. Enter Ethan Nash, the gorgeous guy with a bad reputation around town... He has big dogs and bigger attitude, but he's the only guy who can contain the scandal for her in time, for she's practically town royalty, and this will destroy her reputation and business for sure. Ethan consults cybersecurity for Fortune 1000 Corporations, not small town photographers, but Carrie's panic brought out his protective side when his dogs aren't scaring her to death. But a meeting or two showed Carrie that Ethan wasn't as gruff or reclusive, nor his dogs the menace the town seems to think. In fact, it seems to be the mayor and town gossip spreading rumors about him. Carrie knew Ethan was not charging her as much as he should, so she decided to embark on a PR campaign to improve his image at the town fair... Even as they figured out who was behind each of their problems...
Cute, and tech references are accurate. The characters are nicely drawn with no major flaws. The "mutual assist" was cute and brought the pair together nicely. All the problems dovetailed together into one satisfying ending. But the douchebags seem to be just douchebags because they can be.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman had to convince the cybersecurity expert to help fix her website to prevent leak of her boudoir photos, and she'll try to rehabilitate his image in town...
Tropes: photographer, security, protector, woman in peril, pets
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Barefoot in Lace (Barefoot Bay Brides) by Roxanne St. Claire
Barefoot in Lace started as one of those "no way these two people would meet in real-life" meetcutes, but managed to pivot into the character exploration very deftly as both characters are dealing with deep issues that are more than typical "jilted / betrayed".
Destination wedding planner Augusta "Gussie" McBain has a crisis... Her wedding photographer just quit a week before the wedding. When she ran into famous photographer TJ Demille, she had to ask him to help. But TJ does not do weddings... he's a high fashion photographer. Gussie was surprised when he said yes... If she will agree to one thing in turn: keep his niece entertained. // Tom "TJ" Demille prefers to be alone, after having his heart broken by circumstances beyond his control. When his sister died and left the care of her 12-year old daughter to Tom, he is lost. When Gussie came to ask him for help, and his niece took to Gussie like a duck to water, Tom agreed to the unthinkable: be a wedding photographer (and deal with bridezilla and her mother, among other things). As he gets to know Gussie, he found that Gussie's wigs conceal scars from an old injury. When he needed to take a job in France, he needed to take his niece with her, but she refused to go unless Gussie can come along too. And Gussie agreed. Tom and Gussie had fallen for each other, but he believed he hurt people around him, after losing his parents, then his sister. Gussie thought her own stupidity lead to her injury that drove her brother away and broke up her family. Can these two get past their own wounds, forgive themselves, and learn to love again?
The pivot after the initial story (be wedding photographer) to the subsequent story (lets all go to France) was nicely done, as Gussy gained confidence in her style and beauty, while additional serendipitous developments resolved yet another aspect of her life that she had regrets in (no spoiler!) All in all the extra polish and balanced plot (half about him and half about her) made for a very enjoyable reading
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman needing a photographer found a photographer needing some help with a niece he had to raise alone...
Tropes: resort, wedding planner, photographer, scars, single parent, family secrets
Overall Rating: 5/5
GRR Reviews The Sweetest Thing (Montana Riverbend by Lilian Darcy
The Sweetest Thing, in retrospect, feels more of a "pun" title, for the story revolves about Suzanne "Sugar" Morgan, Tully Morgan, and all the people around them. It was more of a family drama than a pure romance, but it sure jerked some tears out of me. But first, let me do a blurb...
Tully Morgan left Marietta, Montana 18 years ago, at the night of the prom, after learning a secret that destroyed her. She fled to California months early, leaving her date that night, Ren Fletcher, just standing there, and she never explained why. Now, Tully is back, to face the revelations that shattered her that night, to take care of her seriously ill mother, Suzanne "Sugar" Morgan. Tully had been raised to think of Sugar as her sister, only figuring out that night. Sugar has cancer, and before she passes, she has one last regret she needed to resolve, and she needed both Tully and Ren's help to do it. But Ren's got his own problems. Ren's marriage is crumbling. Ren often wondered what had happened that one night that lead him down to this loveless marriage, and what may have been. Now that Tully is back... and still single...
Without completely spoiling the story, let's just say Tully and Ren will have to cooperate to help Sugar redeem herself... by carrying out one last request, and as a result, they will force ALL the Morgan family secrets into the open, and perhaps then can they acknowledge their love for each other and stop dwelling on the time lost. I did like the twists in the story, about how Sugar and the family then chose to deal with the problem and how that affected subsequent generations, but it also disgusted me, as in "OMG how could they..." But somehow the revelations didn't tie back into the romance that much. Still, it's an interesting read.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman is back in town to help her mother fulfill one last wish, with the help of the one man she jilted at prom by fleeing...
Tropes: family secrets, reunion, return
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews The Sand Dollar (Oregon Coast) by Maggie Christensen
The Sand Dollar tried to set up a romance and some deep dark secrets about a woman's family history exposed, but the pieces of the puzzle didn't quite fit together, and the revelation could have been handled better.
Jenny was about to be downsized. She decided to leave Australia and visit her Godmother in Oregon, US to clear her head. But there, she found a family secret that turned her life upside down... As she struggled to put pieces of her life back together, she will need some help from her reclusive neighbor...
The storyline had been done before, and while the overall plot works, the puzzle pieces didn't fit together that well, and the neighbor almost seems superfluous, as the romance and life struggle didn't quite fit together. This is not a strictly a romance, but more of chicklit character study.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman found a deep dark family secret about herself and falls for the reclusive neighbor next door...
Tropes: family secrets, neighbor
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Finding Harmony: Cypress Corners Series by JoMarie DeGioia
Finding Harmony sets up a good "opposites attract" scenario but the ending was trope.
Harmony Brooks is a plant conservationist at Cypress Corners FL, and her latest job is to stop the construction on Institute property when endangered plants were found near the construction site. Rick Chapman is the on-site rep from Chapman Financial, the company financing the construction and nothing can delay this project or Rick will severely disappoint his father. Harmony and Rick faced off quickly, but both admire the other secretly. Rick admired Harmoney's free spirit and dedication to her cause, and Harmony like the Rick for his honesty and integrity. But Harmony had been fooled before. Her ex stole her parent's money and left them broke, and destroyed her trust of men. And Rick doesn't ever want to disappoint his father. So how much is each of them willing to give up to be together?
Thoroughly average romance even includes a standard trope near the end to add a little complication. At least it's not standard "jealousy"
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Business rep faces off against environmentalist; they are on opposite sides of the issue, how can they compromise for love?
Tropes: enemies to lovers, opposites attract, scars, betrayal, family pressure
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Declan (Blackthorne Brothers Book 1) by Amanda Torrey
Declan is the first book in the series, and has a lot of world-building to do. As a result, the characters were left a bit thin, and relied on the "enemies to lovers" trope. It also left a lot of the big mysteries hanging for the other books in the series.
Declan and his brothers are back on the farm where the family got its start. They each made a name for themselves, but they hadn't been back for eight years. News of their father's disappearance brought them all back... Only to encounter mystery upon mystery. Why were vegan activists protesting their organic dairy farm? Who was the intruder with a camera that stalked their barns? What do their stepmother and stepsister have to do with everything? What really happened to their father, as there are signs of foul play? As Declan deal with the camera stalker, who turned out to be Rylee, the protest leader, they can't help but feel some intense chemistry between the two, but with them on separate sides of dairy industry issue, is there any room for love?
This book, as the start of a series, has to leave a lot of big mysteries unsolved. Though I admire the way the "enemies to lovers" angle was handled. It actually does make some sort of sense. I do feel the characters, however, just falling for each other is a bit on the insta-lust trope.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Man back to run the family ranch falls for the vegan protest leader who stalked the barns looking for signs of animal abuse
Tropes: ranch, stalker, enemies to lovers, conspiracy, insta-lust
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Seduction on the Cards by Kris Pearson
Seduction On the Cards tried to set up a reporter vs. alpha male, but somehow I just didn't feel the connection between them.
Kerrigan "Kerri" Lush was assigned to interview an anti-gambling crusader at the last second when the regular reporter had to go to the hospital. Kerri was expecting an older grandpa in a suit. What she got instead was a handsome stud in motorcycle leathers: Alex Beaufort, who's also an incorrigible flirt. Kerri fell hard for the Frenchman and learned his past was bitter enough to make him the man he is today. Alex found Kerri to be tempting, but when he also found she carried a debt AND has a minor gambling addiction, and her happy facade hides some deeply buried sadness, is she someone to stay away from... or spend forever with?
Somehow I don't feel the connection between the two for this one. They are pretty much opposites attract, and the flirting is fine, but a connection between the two beyond the flirting... I just don't feel it.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a reporter with a minor gambling addiction fall for an anti-gambling crusader who's rich and handsome?
Tropes: opposites attract, reporter, scars, alpha guy
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Love Claimed (A Hidden Beauty) by Mary Crawford
Love Claimed is about love and acceptance, of a guy's attempt to win a gal's heart despite her reluctance toward his profession.
Jaxson Shepherd is an ortho doctor, and he's in love... He goes to work for coffee, and he's smitten with this one woman, on the same road, taking what's probably her son to school. When a teenager rammed her car by accident, he went into doctor mode and rescued her... But Donda Whitaker does not take kindly to doctors... Or being rescued. But Donda's son Gabriel reached out to Jaxson... His mom had been hurt before and is worth the risk for Jaxson. But Donda was sure that Jaxson will be running away once he knew her past... Can Jaxson convince her otherwise when he has his own problems, including a vengeful sister? Can they teach each other about trust?
I won't get too much into the names, other than the names are obviously African-American names, but the characters are surprisingly race-neutral. Once I got into the story, I completely forgot about the ethnicity of the characters. This is about how to let go of the past and embrace love.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a doctor convince a career single mother who hated doctors to give him a chance by helping her son?
Tropes: doctor, single parent, scars, family drama
Overall Rating: 5/5
GRR Reviews Twelve Days (The McRaes) by Teresa Hill
Twelve Days started off just with sad couple that can't even argue any more, but if you have the patience to wade through the complicated lives of a couple whose relationship is already "on the rocks", with the added complication of infertility, three foster children JUST before Christmas, AND a mystery of where's the mother of these kids, the story will grab you, and leave you with an ending that'll have you both smiling and in tears.
Rachel took in three kids 12 days before Christmas. The kids were found left at a motel and refused to give up their surname. Their mom promised to be back 2 days ago. Social worker (and Rachel's aunt) knew Rachel always wanted kids, but after losing their previous child and several failures in adoption, Rachel and her husband Sam may not be ready, but there is literally NOWHERE for the kids: an 11-year-old girl, a 4-year old boy, and a baby to go this close to Christmas, esp. if they can't be split up. Rachel's world was further rocked when she overheard that her husband Sam may be moving out. They had dreamed of a life together full of children, until that one night that changed everything. The failures in adoption had them drifted apart... and these... children will either break their marriage for good... or heal it. But these children are only there temporarily... Is it right to pray they can keep the children, even though their mother is out there? What happened to her?
Wow, this book has some emotional punch to it. And EVERYTHING flowed together properly. It's often difficult to get an "on the rocks" romance right, but this one managed it by layering the reasons and motivations, and the mistaken assumptions and secrets that each kept from the other for years, perhaps decades. I am not going to spoil the reasons for each to behave that way or the ending. Let's just say it'd be a VERY ambivalent ending, but not in the way you think. I mainly judge the book in the way it made me feel, and this one hit all of my buttons. Two thumbs up, way up.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: A couple whose marriage was already in trouble took in three temporary foster children when their mother disappeared...
Tropes: on the rocks, holiday, sudden family, family drama, grief
Overall Rating: 5/5
GRR Reviews Falling For You...Again (Falling in Love Bo by Kathy Coatney
Falling For You... Again is an "on the rocks" romance that relied way too much on flashbacks that destroyed the momentum of the story.
Clare and Ethan built a family and life in Paradise Falls, Idaho. Ethan is a school teacher, while Clare is an outdoors photographer. They had a great marriage despite their respective upbringings (she's actually filthy rich, but she didn't want the money even as her parents tried to steer her back to her 'destiny', while his father is an alcoholic and his mom is the enabler, leaving him to raise himself and become provider of the family). When a tragic boating accident took the life of their daughter and left him seriously wounded, nothing's the same ever again. Both grieved but in very different ways... and they drifted apart. She had to ask her parents for help to keep the family going while he recuperated, but they grew apart instead of closer. It's now two years later, and Clare had drawn up divorce papers, as it hurts more to stay than to leave. But when Clare was lost in the wilderness ahead of a snowstorm, Ethan will move heaven and earth to find her... Can they learn to love each other again?
There were way too many flashbacks that while they added information and context, they broke up the momentum quite badly. There were scenes about when they first met, when they fell in love, when they got a dog to follow her and guard her, etc. etc. I don't agree with the narrative voice. While the emotion was good, the style didn't quite work for me.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Death of their daughter caused the couple to break apart, but when she was lost in the wilderness, he'll find her somehow
Tropes: on the rocks, grief, search and rescue, family pressure, family drama
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Love at First Date by Susan Hatler
Love at First Date is a novella (150-pages) with definitely a light mood, as any angst was resolved with awkward laughs.
Ellen needed someone to be compatible with her. She does not want to emulate her mother who's always on a different man that's not compatible. She took a whole month to narrow her online dating prospects down to a list of just two. When her dog-sitting for a friend went very wrong, she met Henry at a local vet who saved the not-her-dog. Ellen knew she must know more about Henry, so she signed up for dog obedience school using the not-her-dog. Now Ellen is conflicted... should she date the ones she deemed compatible like her head dictates... or should she go for Henry like her heart dictates? And what happens when her disguise was exposed?
Ah, light-hearted rom-com that's short, sweet, and NOT insta-lust. If you need a "pick-me-up" that's not full of angst, Susan Hatler delivers. The characters are not very deep, but they don't have to be.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Should the young woman pick a potential lover based on compatibility... or on feelings instead?
Tropes: triangle, pets, boy meets girl
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews It Happened One Night by Christine S. Feldman
It Happened One Night is one of those "everything that can go wrong, did go wrong" kind of blind date romantic comedy.
Paisley is trying to get her business off the ground and is way too busy to date. Joe is too busy with his family auto repair shop to date any woman. The two should have never met, except for one mutual acquaintance old lady who won't take no for an answer. She didn't know they actually met before, where Paisley got thoroughly humiliated. The date started on the wrong note and went steadily downhill from there... through no fault of theirs... in an all-night adventure that involved muggers and high-speed dash to the ER... But not for the reasons you think.
For a rom-com, it's a lot of fun. But somehow it felt a little on the empty side. But it's short (just over 100 pages), so it's a pretty fast read.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: The couple should not be dating, and their date night turned into a total disaster, through no fault of their own...
Tropes: blind date, enemies to lovers, adventure
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Country Heaven (Dare River Book 1) by Ava Miles
Country Heaven is about a serendipitous meeting between a diner cook and a country music star, leading to a slow-simmer romance as they each discover the other's public persona is not all there is.
Country star Rye Crenshaw loves food, and he always goes to the smallest diners, as they are often hidden gems. When he found the chef to be the delectable Tory Simmons, he hired her on the spot to be his tour private chef, as it's honestly, the best food he'd ever tasted. The fact that he needs an image makeover after a PR disaster was, well, probably secondary. But Rye Crenshaw has a past that he shows nobody, not even his private chef... // Tory Simmons needed the money, and she's not the sort of girl that puts out or fall for a megastar. She sure does NOT appreciate being used for PR purposes. But the more time she spends with Rye, the more she realized Rye is just a public front... an invented persona. When a REAL family emergency summoned Rye back home, Tory volunteered to go with him to keep him grounded... and perhaps, they may have fallen for each other, even as they deal with their own crises...
The idea she can just walk away from the diner job was hard to believe, but the rest of the relationship slow simmer as they deal with their respective personal crises was nicely done.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a diner cook fall for a country megastar when he "rescued" her from her dreary job to be his personal cook? Is he using her?
Tropes: chef, different worlds, performer, forced proximity, hot for boss, family drama, scars, disguise, family secrets
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews At First Light (Mount Kiernon Book 1) by Suzanne Paschke
At First Light ended with a cliffhanger, and it's already almost 400 pages by itself. The intro was so long I wondered if it will ever get to the point. The end didn't help either.
Cheryl Prescott, after escaping her abusive husband and inheriting a fortune, assumed a new name and drove around the country in search of a place to settle down. After her car broke down in the small town of Mt. Kiernon, and decided this place is where she belonged. Cheryl, now known as Sarah, came to know the local mechanic Jamie. Feeling a connection with the town, she chose to settle there, bought a house, and opened a new cafe, and allowed Jamie to court her. But will love survive when her past threatened to undo all she achieved?
The wooing was slow, the connection unexplained, the townfolks pretty flat. Only the gentle push-pull is okay, but MERELY okay. Overall, it's just okay, And the cliffhanger, despite the novel already gone beyond 350 pages, dropped it below 3 stars.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman with secrets settled in a small town, and was courted by the mechanic, then her past came back to haunt her...
Tropes: different worlds, small town, disguise, family secrets, evil ex, cliffhanger
Overall Rating: 2/5
GRR Reviews The Marriage Trap (The Mackenzies Book by Diana Fraser
The Marriage Trap is a woman-in-peril / protector romantic suspense with a good amount of push-pull between the two characters. I find the weird-will trope a bit nonsensical, but overall it's a lot of fun.
Gemma Winter walked away from her life in London, her life under the strict control of her boyfriend Paul, who seems to have underworld connections. He gets insanely jealous of her even talking to any other men. She fled to the ends of the Earth... ALL the way to New Zealand, when her friend promised she can stay at a hut that she hadn't seen in a decade. She hopes to start anew. But just hours after landing, she was forcibly rescued by a hard cowboy Callum Mackenzie when a flash flood washed away her rental car and most of her belongings she managed to bring. And Gemma is allergic to controlling alpha types now... or is she?// Callum's wife died and since then he had not desired love, preferring solace on his land. He dreamed of reclaiming the land gambled away by his great-grandfather, but there's a weird will on it that prevent it from being sold. When the woman he just rescued mentioned that land and that she wanted to live on it, it immediately intrigued him, even as the storm forced them to stay together in the cottage, and they succumbed to their attraction. But the consequences of spending those passionate hours together will last a lifetime... to joy and sorrow... to relief and regret... as they both needed to face their worst fears in order to find what they truly want from life.
The psychopathic BF was written nicely, not the physically abusive kind, but enough to scare you into complying, that you're conditioned to obey when the tone turned sour. The complicated will and the tortuous path the two had to dance around each other for the rest of the book was interesting. And obviously, the psycho ex showed up for the end. I guess I don't really understand the weird will or the reconciliation. But I like the push-pull.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a woman who ran across the globe from her jealous BF find love in New Zealand with a handsome cowboy who saved her?
Tropes: woman in peril, protector, weird will, widower, forced proximity, triangle, scars, evil ex
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews The Gamble (Colorado Mountain) by Kristen Ashley
The Gamble is a romance about a woman finding herself in strange land and finding love there. It's way too long, and the plot doesn't quite escalate properly.
Nina Sheridan realized there is something wrong with her engagement. Her beau, Nial, appears to be completely oblivious to her, as he can't even remember how she takes her tea or coffee. To get some distance and perspective, she booked a small cabin in Colorado for two weeks, to be spent alone. She did not expect to find hunky man there at the cabin... or that he would turn her away... // Holden "Max" Maxwell is the silent and brooding man who is "wealthy", but can't tap into the wealth, because he owns some of the prettiest land in Colorado, and he can't sell any of it. Instead, he rents out his cabin from time to time, but apparently, his buddy Slim messed up. But Nina fell ill at his doorsteps, and Max cannot turn her away. Max spent some time to nurse her back to health, and it's sure there's some heat between the two. But Max has his own heartbreak and dirty laundry in the past he doesn't want to talk about... and even if Max can admit his love, can Nina give up her life in the UK?
At 660 pages, this book is WAY TOO LONG! And the book almost felt it should have ended in several places (remember the movie The Abyss? Kinda like that). While I did enjoy the characters, the pacing and some of the plot points needs to go on a serious diet and exercise regimen.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman from UK rented a cabin in Colorado to find herself, but it's already occupied by a recluse with his own dark past...
Tropes: fish out of water, triangle, sick/comfort, scars, protector
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Wrong then Right by Jodi Watters
Wrong then Right is deeper than one first suspect, even though the setup seems to be a bit weird and FMC was unwilling to compromise her principles to the point of suffering.
Hope Coleson is rich, but she left it all behind rather than submit to the controlling life that wealth demanded. Unfortunately, she's having a rather bad day. As wait staff at a hotel, she went to visit a guest in the off-hours, and had a very memorable night with a hot guy who doesn't talk... then was wrongfully terminated. Which lead to her being evicted from her dumpy apartment. Her savings account also mysterious vanished. She had no choice but to sleep in her car and take up waitressing a classy strip-joint. One morning, when she was parked near her favorite house she dreamed of buying one day on her own money, she was startled away by a knock on the window... It was that guy who bedded her! When he learned he sorta caused her losing her job, he offered up his guest-room... He had plenty of space, and she... needed a place to stay. Then he learned her surname... Same name as his boss. He just slept with his boss's step-sister. This is not going to end well, esp. when Beckett can't trust another woman after the previous one betrayed him. Not that he can allow the situation to continue...
While I admire the principles of the FMC in not taking ANY of the family money, it's also a bit masochistic. However, the multi-layered angst was quite good, as each has multiple reasons not to fall for each other.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a woman down on her luck but holding onto her principles fall for a guy who is not supposed to love her?
Tropes: fish out of water, resort, fling to a thing, protector, woman in peril, boss's relative
Overall Rating: 4/5
Hope Coleson is rich, but she left it all behind rather than submit to the controlling life that wealth demanded. Unfortunately, she's having a rather bad day. As wait staff at a hotel, she went to visit a guest in the off-hours, and had a very memorable night with a hot guy who doesn't talk... then was wrongfully terminated. Which lead to her being evicted from her dumpy apartment. Her savings account also mysterious vanished. She had no choice but to sleep in her car and take up waitressing a classy strip-joint. One morning, when she was parked near her favorite house she dreamed of buying one day on her own money, she was startled away by a knock on the window... It was that guy who bedded her! When he learned he sorta caused her losing her job, he offered up his guest-room... He had plenty of space, and she... needed a place to stay. Then he learned her surname... Same name as his boss. He just slept with his boss's step-sister. This is not going to end well, esp. when Beckett can't trust another woman after the previous one betrayed him. Not that he can allow the situation to continue...
While I admire the principles of the FMC in not taking ANY of the family money, it's also a bit masochistic. However, the multi-layered angst was quite good, as each has multiple reasons not to fall for each other.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Can a woman down on her luck but holding onto her principles fall for a guy who is not supposed to love her?
Tropes: fish out of water, resort, fling to a thing, protector, woman in peril, boss's relative
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Count The Roses by Jackie Weger
Count the Roses is a romance about two hurt people, both commitment-shy, meet. Add fish out of water and different worlds, and it's a well polished romance, but I honestly don't feel too much beyond the normal.
Jennifer Dewitt was betrayed and jilted by a man she thought loved her but turned out only to need her connections to her father to get a job. She was also tired of her mother trying to set up her life, forcing her to go into acting. She departed the East Coast for a brand new life in New Orleans, and worked her way up from ground level in a hotel, and got to catering manager, but she's still barely making do. That is, until she encountered Adrien Merrill. Adrien Merrill is Cajun Royalty... he still has a plantation, and he actually owns the hotel Jennifer works at. An encounter between Adrien and Jennifer at the hotel had Adrien intrigued, but Adrien was commitment shy after his previous wife hated plantation life ("boring") and actually had an abortion after their divorce, made him wary of "city girls" and "northerners". But Jennifer was nothing like that. But Jennifer's life experience had taught her to rely on no one, and Adrien's southern charm seems so... smothering. Yet they can't get over each other...
The southern charm was nice but didn't feel as southern as some of the other southern charm romances I've read. The characters just feel a bit flat compared to author's other efforts.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman determined to make her own way in the world falls for the cajun royalty and technically her boss
Tropes: hot for boss, betrayed, fish out of water, resort
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Southern Spice (Southern Desires Series by Jeannette Winters
Southern Spice tried to set up an opposites-attract story along with a conspiracy story, but the threat was teased, instead of real.
Derrick Nash lost his wife and child that one stormy night. He was in NY to wrap up a business deal, she's back on the farm in Honeywell, and her car was swept away when the dam broke. Derrick knew the dam was shoddily built, but when FEMA report absolved the builder, Derrick is determined to see justice done, and turned into a recluse, refusing to live on. When a tornado hit Honeywell, Casey Collin was sent by FEMA to help by explaining the FEMA programs available to help rebuild. A thunderstorm sent her car tumbling down a ravine, near Derrick Nash. Derrick had to rescue the damsel in distress, but he didn't know she's from FEMA, his nemesis. When Casey invited the town to the recluse's house, Derrick didn't know whether to kill her or kiss her. And Casey, struggling to understand the enigmatic Derrick, called in a favor to pulled the original FEMA report...
The story threads did not come together. The conspiracy was way overblown as if anyone looking into it may be assassinated or something, but nothing like that happened. Casey even called in her big brother who's apparently a mercenary with helo support inside the US. And the way bad guys got karma? All tell, no show. What a disappointment.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: A man who believed FEMA covered up death of his wife and child may be falling for the new FEMA liaison in town...
Tropes: opposites attract, different worlds, scars, widower, conspiracy, evil boss
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews No More Secrets by Lucy Score
No More Secrets is a pretty trope "reporter vs. recluse" story with a serious tone. However, I didn't feel much chemistry between the couple.
Carter made it back from Afghanistan mostly intact. He just wants to farm in his hometown to Blue Moon Bend, but he's forced to deal with a reporter Summer Lentz who's interviewing the town and specifically Carter about the farm and stuff. Carter doesn't want to be interviewed, but the farm can always use the publicity, and Summer is quite cute, not that Carter feels he can handle a romance. Summer is a city girl, but she'll try her darnest to fit in, and she asks a lot of questions, trying to draw out Carter, who's not really ready but responded nonetheless. But Summer has her own secrets...
The plot is trope, country vs. city, reporter (busybody) vs. recluse (stay-away). It's opposites attract, and it shifts to comparing wounds and secrets. I honestly don't feel anything special about this novel vs. other novels of similar plot. Thus the mediocre score.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: City reporter interviews the reclusive farmer and falls for him, but he's not ready, and she has her own problems...
Tropes: opposites attract, reporter, military, different worlds, farm/ranch, scars
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews This Time Forever (The Forever Series) by Mona Ingram
This Time Forever is a different worlds / hot for boss romance but it was very nicely... "disguised". But the ending was slightly underwhelming.
Lexie Swinton had toiled for five years at a premier Vancouver restaurant as the head chef under a manager that's cutting corners for profit. When the manager unilaterally cut the wine and cheese pairing without consulting her leaving the suppliers in a lurch, she quit in disgust and decided to take some time to find herself. She didn't get very far... she ran into a quaint little diner in a remote location on Vancouver Island and helped the harried waitress serve the work crew renovating the place. And she liked the place and attention so much she was contemplating staying on as head cook. Then she met the owner Jesse Cooper... someone she had fantasized about, for Jesse's also a pilot that landed near the docks on the amphibian plane. But Jesse is far more than just a pilot, besides owning the diner. Jesse is a kind-hearted guy that wanted to help the community, but he's also keeping a secret... He actually owns the airline AND owned the restaurant Lexie used to work at. And he liked Lexie a lot. But it never seems to be the right time to tell her... When she found out, will she decide to run... again?
Long Novella (about 130-140 pages), I like the characters a lot, though the complications near the end was a bit forced. What are the chances the MMC owns both the cafe AND that same restaurant? The end was basically FMC having self-inadequacy issues, something she didn't seem to have before. Still, a nicely polished tale.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Chef quit her job, and found a small cafe to run, and got to know the owner she liked, but he's keeping a secret...
Tropes: chef, hot for boss, disguise, different worlds, betrayal
Overall Rating: 4/5
Lexie Swinton had toiled for five years at a premier Vancouver restaurant as the head chef under a manager that's cutting corners for profit. When the manager unilaterally cut the wine and cheese pairing without consulting her leaving the suppliers in a lurch, she quit in disgust and decided to take some time to find herself. She didn't get very far... she ran into a quaint little diner in a remote location on Vancouver Island and helped the harried waitress serve the work crew renovating the place. And she liked the place and attention so much she was contemplating staying on as head cook. Then she met the owner Jesse Cooper... someone she had fantasized about, for Jesse's also a pilot that landed near the docks on the amphibian plane. But Jesse is far more than just a pilot, besides owning the diner. Jesse is a kind-hearted guy that wanted to help the community, but he's also keeping a secret... He actually owns the airline AND owned the restaurant Lexie used to work at. And he liked Lexie a lot. But it never seems to be the right time to tell her... When she found out, will she decide to run... again?
Long Novella (about 130-140 pages), I like the characters a lot, though the complications near the end was a bit forced. What are the chances the MMC owns both the cafe AND that same restaurant? The end was basically FMC having self-inadequacy issues, something she didn't seem to have before. Still, a nicely polished tale.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Chef quit her job, and found a small cafe to run, and got to know the owner she liked, but he's keeping a secret...
Tropes: chef, hot for boss, disguise, different worlds, betrayal
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Unraveling Molly by Tuesday Embers
Unraveling Molly is a hard novel to read sometimes, as there are scenes of severe bullying (including physical) and overall passive abuse. Once you get past that to understand why the FMC is taking all the abuse, then perhaps you can understand the moral of the story, and the man who loved her for who she is.
Molly was adopted, and mostly unloved. Molly Luco never made waves, and always cleaned up after others, even when family members turned abusive. She planned her escape, and she just needed to hang in there a little longer, until a man from her past came back into her life, and made her realize it is okay to want something for herself. But he's dangerous to her plans, even as he only wanted to protect her, from herself if need be...
In the first 1/3 of the book, Molly came across as a spineless doormat and one just can't understand why. Once you got to the point where she actually revealed her escape plan that things started to make sense. I've debated a long time whether I should give this a 3/5 or 4/5. In the end, I think the twist was enough for a 4/5 but consider this as really 3.5/5 rounded up.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman being bullied and badly treated at home (she's adopted) cannot let the only man she loved interfere with her plans...
Tropes: family pressure, alpha guy, protector, evil relatives, reunion
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Something Like This by Eileen Cruz Coleman
NOT AVAILABLE ON KINDLE, out of print
Something Like This is a contemporary "rich guy meets poor damaged girl" romance, with the drama mostly on the FMC's side. I find the pairing slightly forced and the guy a bit too nice.
Jadie Santiago had to bury her secrets to move on, and she did by landing a new job at a literary agency. She didn't expect to catch the attention of the handsome and rich Reece Carter, who can easily break her heart. When she encountered her absentee father living as a bum on the street not far from her work, her insecurities came back with a vengeance. Now she's doubting every decision she ever made, and she had to confess to Reece and risk everything, for a chance to gain her happily ever after.
While the MMC Reece has some abandonment issues, his issues are minimal against hers. It is this imbalance that made gave it the current rating and no more.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Damaged girl cannot allow herself to fall for her boss's nephew who's a writer; then she found her father as a bum nearby
Tropes: different worlds, hot for boss, scars, family secrets
Overall Rating: 3/5
Something Like This is a contemporary "rich guy meets poor damaged girl" romance, with the drama mostly on the FMC's side. I find the pairing slightly forced and the guy a bit too nice.
Jadie Santiago had to bury her secrets to move on, and she did by landing a new job at a literary agency. She didn't expect to catch the attention of the handsome and rich Reece Carter, who can easily break her heart. When she encountered her absentee father living as a bum on the street not far from her work, her insecurities came back with a vengeance. Now she's doubting every decision she ever made, and she had to confess to Reece and risk everything, for a chance to gain her happily ever after.
While the MMC Reece has some abandonment issues, his issues are minimal against hers. It is this imbalance that made gave it the current rating and no more.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Damaged girl cannot allow herself to fall for her boss's nephew who's a writer; then she found her father as a bum nearby
Tropes: different worlds, hot for boss, scars, family secrets
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Who I Am With You (My Kind Of Country) by M. Lynne Cunning
NO LONGER ON AMAZON
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27835622-who-i-am-with-you
Who I am With You is a contemporary romance that ended on a sad note, but with more volumes to go, the story wasn't quite resolved yet. It also featured some serendipity that can only be explained as... karma. And people fighting it.
Chad Kirkwood decided his life as country star Chad Ashford was such a lie, and his woman had run off with his producer Jay, he had to get away from it all. He drove into a small town, and a "farm hand wanted" ad was perfect for him. So he showed up at Katie Wicken's farm. Katie had to leave her job in the city to care for her ailing father, who finally passed on... just as her fiancee decided she'd changed too much and didn't want her anymore. Broken, she is single-handedly managing the farm, and help from Chad was just in time, but she cannot afford to let anyone into her heart, esp. any lies. Then Chad's past caught up with him...
Let's just say that Chad and Katie are linked in more ways than you'd expect, in a totally soap-opera worthy twist. As for what that is, read the book. IMHO, the ending doesn't really make that much sense, and the pace was generally quite... leisurely.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Country star Chad whose woman ran off with his producer picked a town to hide and work, and ended up on Katie's farm...
Tropes: disguise, performer, jilted, betrayed, small town, ranch/farm, cliffhanger
Overall Rating: 4/5
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27835622-who-i-am-with-you
Who I am With You is a contemporary romance that ended on a sad note, but with more volumes to go, the story wasn't quite resolved yet. It also featured some serendipity that can only be explained as... karma. And people fighting it.
Chad Kirkwood decided his life as country star Chad Ashford was such a lie, and his woman had run off with his producer Jay, he had to get away from it all. He drove into a small town, and a "farm hand wanted" ad was perfect for him. So he showed up at Katie Wicken's farm. Katie had to leave her job in the city to care for her ailing father, who finally passed on... just as her fiancee decided she'd changed too much and didn't want her anymore. Broken, she is single-handedly managing the farm, and help from Chad was just in time, but she cannot afford to let anyone into her heart, esp. any lies. Then Chad's past caught up with him...
Let's just say that Chad and Katie are linked in more ways than you'd expect, in a totally soap-opera worthy twist. As for what that is, read the book. IMHO, the ending doesn't really make that much sense, and the pace was generally quite... leisurely.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Country star Chad whose woman ran off with his producer picked a town to hide and work, and ended up on Katie's farm...
Tropes: disguise, performer, jilted, betrayed, small town, ranch/farm, cliffhanger
Overall Rating: 4/5
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