GRR Reviews Their Secret Bargain by Kay Lyons

Nick is the black sheep of the Tulane family full of doctors and lawyers, but he is a shrewd businessman running a fitness center and a bar. When his son Matt has problems in school, he needed to hire a tutor for the summer fast... // Jenn had been put down all her life by her family and her (now ex-) husband for being a full-figured woman, but she loved to teach. // The two made a bargain: she'll tutor Matt, and he'll train her to lose the pounds... For two months, up to her trip to Paradise Island. He, a gorgeous 6-pack hunk, can't possibly want a chubby girl, and she can't possibly fall for a high school dropout... right?

Eh, conflicting feelings for this one. Jenn's fine, but Nick... has mercurial moods. He had NEVER disclosed to his family (he's in his late 20's or early 30's?) that he's functionally illiterate, and grew apart from his family because he feels ashamed. So when Jenn insists that he show up at a family wedding, he decides to dare her to go with him. Eh? And it's not the first book I've read with the plot of MFC finds MMC with a learning disability, cured him and fixed his family problems. Still, the little details are not too bad. 3/5

GRR Reviews Matt by M S Parker

Matt had to get out of town after falling for the woman his brother Keith introduced him to, only for her to fall for his brother instead. As a Boston Banker, he's definitely out of place in the plains of South Dakota, when his car broke down. // Gabrielle just buried her father and has problems with one of her ranchhands Carl, and her foreman needs to retire soon. While patrolling her grounds she found Matt unconscious of heatstroke and rescued him. There's a connection between them, and he offered to help out since he needed to get away from it all anyway...

I really don't feel much for this, as Matt's ranch qualifications seem to be pretty minimal and a bit convoluted. And Carl never seemed to be much of a threat.  2.5/5

GRR Reviews Traded by Tess Thompson

Kara is a nurse in WITSEC after doing the right thing. She left everything behind, hoping for a fresh start. Brody is the SuperBowl winning QB coming home to rest and needed a nurse for his mom and his housekeeper / 2nd mom. So he hired her, and they slowly fell for each other. But he had a "no woman" rule after a bad breakup and she's full of secrets and refused ANY spotlight... Can this relationship ever work? 

The serendipity is strong in this, and the solution felt very "Gift of the Magi" -ish. But somehow I don't really think they click as a couple, as Brody just feels... schizophrenic... He's both not suspecting enough... AND too paranoid. At least there are no TSTL moments. 3/5

GRR Reviews Going Down Hard by Carly Phillips

Cassie wanted to save her family company left by her grandpa, and she worked hard and is the chief editor of a subsidiary magazine. Getting an interview with Derek, founder of Blink and new tech billionaire, would be the scoop of a lifetime. But Derek was her gardener's son... Make that, former gardener, and Derek does not grant interviews, ever. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try... // Derek knew Cassie as someone who went along with mean girls that humiliated him. When her father accused his mother of stealing jewelry and kicked them out with no references and no insurance, it lead to his father's death. He was sure of that. Yet here is Cassie needing something from him, and there is a connection. He was shocked to learn that she and her mother (supposed owner of the missing jewelry) never knew they were fired and blacklisted. When Cassie found that her father had given the job of CEO to her brother, who never spent a day working, and also kicked her out of her place to make way for her brother, she has no one to turn to except Derek...

While there is proper karma for the bad guy, it was all tell and no show. Which is quite unsatisfying. The character arcs also feel shallow. Cassie was hardworking but totally naive and powerless against others, other than minor passive-aggressive defiant gestures. Derek was the angry young man who wanted revenge, and actually softened up a little. The problem is Cassie's father, who really shows no sign of competence whatsoever, until after the bit where Cassie talked to her mom, and her mom promised to give her father an earful. There's really NO SIGN that he would change, then he did. It doesn't FEEL right. 3/5

GRR Reviews To Hold a Rancher's Hand by Kadi James

Rafe is back from the Middle East, ready to settle back into civilian life. He took up the mantle of volunteer firefighter to protect his community and be the head of one of the guardian ranches of Coyote Valley. When a fire swept through the valley, and tore through Gail's community, Rafe and crew managed to stop the blaze, but cannot save Gail's place. Rafe offered Gail a place to stay, and it was accepted. But Gail wondered if this can be long-term, as there was a reason she prefers to live alone... 

Really not feeling much for this.  Nothing really memorable comes to mind. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire Bargain by Lila Monroe

 Aussie billionaire Grant Devlin is an impulsive man who jets off with supermodels and, blows 500K in Monte Carlo casinos, exercises shirtless in his office, and basically lives life to the excess, leaving Lacey, the PR girl, to clean up his mess in his wake. As a result, Lacey understands the charm of Grant Devlin, and how he's utterly undependable. When Grant is forced to present a calmer, more refined image and settle down to soothe the investors, he chose Lacey as his future wife...

Not really feeling much about this one, as Grant is alternately reckless and dreamy, and Lacey is alternately charmed and sometimes broken from the spell. A bit of "meh" here. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Wild For You by Kendall Ryan

 Grant, the Seattle pro hockey team captain, is a loner who grew up in foster care. When a teammate Kress intimidated Ana at a team dinner, he instinctively stepped in to de-escalate the situation. When Ana, a few days later, requested assistance after another anger episode with Kress, Grant took her in. When a video surfaced of Kress abusing Ana in public, it is clear she can never go back. But is Grant crossing a line, taking in a girl that used to belong to his soon-to-be-ex teammate? Or had he already fallen for her? And when they had one night of passion, only to find weeks later she's pregnant, just who is the daddy? Or does that even matter? 

I... really don't feel much for this one. Grant is the quintessential good guy that ends up being a bit of a milquetoast. And Ana... not sure what to think of her. Yes, she's nice, didn't deserve the treatment at the hands of Kress, and finding a good guy like Grant is great. On the other hand, she's also flipping back and forth, about "doesn't want to look like she's sleeping her way up the ranks" and "I have to prove to myself I can live stand on my own" / "leeching off Grant". And Kress? For a villain he's a really pathetic one. Really not one of author's best works. 

2.5/5 rounded up to 3/5

GRR Reviews Aloha Hideaway Inn by Elana Johnson

 Stacey runs Aloha Hideaway Inn, a charming B&B in Getaway Bay, Hawaii. She has an excellent garden and she's sure she's doing fine. But when a mega-resort Sweet Breeze opened not far away, she had to check out the competition... and that's how she met Fisher DuPont. // Fisher DuPont worked hard to build his resort, and he's perfectly willing to go undercover boss, to make sure every guest is getting the tip-top service. And that's how he met Stacey. // Fisher and Stacey should be competitors, but they remained friends. But when both were gun-shy about relationships due to prior betrayal, is there any hope of love between them, with a tropical storm bearing down on the island? 

Not bad as a build-up, but some personal issues for Stacey felt like it came out of nowhere. It also tried to setup the characters for book 2, and thus reads a bit... unsatisfying. 3/5

GRR Reviews Borrowing Kisses by Kat Bellemore

 Zoe, the special assistant to the mayor of the small town of Amor, knew her town will never be the same after the nearby space sport opened for space tourism. But when the real estate developer Stephen arrived, with the blessing of the mayor, to buy out a few businesses so the town can grow, she chose to sabotage Stephen to drive him out, to "save" her town...  // Stephen is a workaholic raised by a workaholic after the loss of his mother. He knew a promotion is promised if he can get the town to buy in, and he's NOT trying to mess up the town. But with "help" like Zoe thwarting his every move, his overall mission may be in jeopardy... // Stephen and Zoe are total opposites... He's a disciplined deal-maker. She's a free-spirit friend-maker. Yet there is an intense attraction there that neither can deny. But will they be fighting too much to give love a chance? 

Okay, the back and forth is actually pretty good, and the changing of mind makes sense. However, it's certain that the "spaceport" bit was written without a technical consultant. There is just NO WAY that even a civilian spaceport would let just random gawkers go up and TOUCH the ship... or let a pilot offer "inside tours" after a landing.  This is not a 747. Not that you can touch the skin of a 747 from the ground anyway. Maybe the engine cowling. But this is supposed to be a spaceship? Spaceplane? Whatever... 3/5

GRR Reviews What New Beginnings are Made of by Debra Clopton

What New Beginnings are Made Of by Debra Clopton is the beginning of a new series, that was meant to be a series that should be read in order, like a "serial", instead of stand-alone novels. I find the teasing aspect a bit off-putting, and some of the parts not really making sense. 

Alice lost her husband to an accident. At 55, and very rich, and all her kids off doing their own stuff, she decided to indulge herself for once: buy Star Gazer Inn at the beach of Corpus Christi, Texas, and bring it back to life. It is where she met the father of her children. But her children wonder if she may have bitten off more than she can chew... // Lisa, Alice's best friend, and a trained chef, was simply traveling the world, trying to fill her time after her bitter divorce. She agreed to join Alice to open up the inn, but she has her own secrets... // Nina lives next door to the inn and kept an ultra-low profile... But the new inn, and the new owners, are so nice. And esp. owner's oldest son, Jackson, so handsome and protective, and interested in knowing her... 

The book introduced Alice, Lisa, Nina, and Jackson, with a lot of plotlines left unresolved, as technically the inn is still yet to open at the end of book 1. Also, I find the reason for Nina hiding out to be quite... unreasonable. That villain of that type is usually not the type to risk exposure for some unknown vendetta. It just felt... wrong. Add that to the open-endedness, which makes me feel as if I am going to be teased over and over like watching a soap opera. 3/5

GRR Reviews Melody's Christmas by ID Johnson

Melody lost her father two Christmas's ago, and had lost all interest in music and holiday spirit. She only came back to help her mother keep the family antique business afloat... and she needs to work fast, as the business may be foreclosed on if she dawdled. Meeting the new handyman in town, Reid, was a surprise, and so was meeting his adorable five-year-old. Did she put her life on hold for grief? // Reid had to leave town after his wife left, leaving him to raise his son alone. He moved to the small town for a fresh start, and it's clear that his son is smitten with Melody. But is his heart ready to try again? Can he get her back into the Christmas spirit? 

Clear but not too overly Christian themes, not too heavily handed, good use of kid's cuteness. But nothing truly extraordinary either. 

3/5

GRR Reviews Plain Jayne by Laura Drewry

Nick and Jayne grew up together, and had been best friends for twenty-five years. But Nick married someone else, and Jayne moved away. She came back to attend his wife's funeral four years ago, but he had to ask her to leave when Nick's mother became VERY distraught and angry at her presence. But Jayne is now back to clean up her grandma's estate, a bookstore that closed up seemingly for no reason. She plans to reopen the store and make a life for herself in town... But that plan got derailed when she saw Nick again, who's dating Lisa now...

I don't feel the chemistry between the two. Friendship, sure. Denial of love, sure. But chemistry? Didn't feel any. Nick pretty much denied he's in love with Jayne right up to the very end. And his family's hostility toward Jayne was never quite explained. Grandma's estate and will was basically manipulation from beyond the grave, and it FELT like manipulation, and it was only then did we get Jayne's true backstory, about why grandma was so "cruel" to her. The story elements just didn't really come together for me. 3/5

GRR Reviews Ruthless Kiss by Amelia Wilde

Jasper is a ruthless developer buying up property all over town to be refurbished and earn massive profits. Until Isabella bulled her way past his secretary with anger and sass... // Isabella's clothing line is about to go international. She learned that her mother (and indeed, all the tenants) are being evicted. So she went straight to the source of the problem: Jasper. // Isabella found Jasper attractive, and to help her mother, she'd do anything. And when Jasper suggested she be his plaything for a month, in exchange for her mother staying put, she surprised both by saying yes. Their chemistry is off the charts, and they are VERY compatible in bed (which came later). They both planned to use sex to get what they wanted... but what do they REALLY want?

I am not sure what to think about this one. Sex is pretty good, if a bit repetitive (I can only read about a nipple pinch so many times). But the escalation doesn't really work, nor did the darkest hour. Isabella's mom first wanted to save her unit, then she escalated by wanting her daughter to save the WHOLE BUILDING (i.e. all of her friends). Darkest hour was really weird. Basically, Jasper's father, normally leaving Jasper a free reign, suddenly decided to interfere... first by insinuating that Isabella is a golddigger (she's a multi-millionaire!) then by selling the building out from under Jasper (to Isabella)  And because of the sale, Jasper came to believe that Isabella was playing him. For what? Great sex? Logically this makes not a lick of sense. 3/5

GRR Reviews A Christmas Wish by Leeanna Morgan

Megan abandoned her career and is raising her 5-year old niece Nora after an accident took her sister's life. Her cake business is starting to take off... Then her world was turned upside down... FBI Special Agent William needs to take them to safety because terrorists are targeting them due to a brother Megan never knew she had... all the way to Montana. Willaim himself lost a daughter and the tragedy shattered his family. Being this close to Megan and her niece reminded him of what he once had... With Christmas approaching, could it be time to love again?

Unfortunately, the threats in this book are upside down. The most exciting bits are in the front, at least the suspense parts. And the suspense is only used as an excuse to shackle the two characters together. This is NOT romantic suspense. The feelings are okay, but the terrorists are a letdown.  I had hoped the author had learned how to write romantic suspense properly as the series starter works quite well. But this... is not good. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Someone to Watch over Me by Iris Morland

Seth is back home from Middle East, but he had lost his best friend there, and he felt lost without a direction in life. He met his neighbor Rose, and was intrigued by the headstrong beauty, but when she greeted her at night with a gun, it's clear she needed help, and refused to admit it. // Rose fled Seattle and her evil ex Johnny, but it's clear he's not done with her. She had made a bargain with the devil (Johnny) to save her brother and he's out to collect. She almost had enough money to pay Johnny off, and Seth's help is appreciated, but she'll do things her own way, esp. when she's still ashamed for what Johnny took from her...

On one hand, I want to like the main characters. Rose is reasonably conflicted, and Seth is reasonably wounded. On the other hand, Rose is so f***ing naive, I was basically screaming "No you idiot!". She apparently never considered the angle... Maybe her brother's being framed for drugs was orchestrated by Johnny just so he can get his hands on her. That's frustrating to read, and what's the point of getting a gun if she's not willing to use it when it matters? (She never actually got to use it)  3/5

GRR Reviews Second Chance at Christmas Inn by Anne-Marie Meyer

Holly just inherited her grandmother's Christmas Inn, but she's more like the Scrooge. She needs the money to invest in a restaurant, so she's going to sell it, fast. When she found the will stated that she must stay at the inn through Christmas, she gritted her teeth and will make do. She didn't count on Stephen, or his adorable nephew... // Stephen had worked and live at the inn, with help of his sister and nephew, as the manager. He needs to keep a roof over his family, and Holly's insistence to sell the place will destroy his plans.  Can Stephen change Holly's mind before it's too late?

The story setup has been done before many times, and I honestly didn't feel very different with this particular approach. 3/5

GRR Reviews Stay With Me by Kristen Proby

Amelia, beauty vlogger, is getting a divorce, but her ex is determined to hurt her by contesting everything, even AFTER the judge had already granted the divorce. So she went to live with a cousin, who found her a cabin to housesit, so no one can find her. Not that she wanted to meet ANY men (except delivery guys)  Until she met her neighbor Wyatt.. // Wyatt was intrigued by his new neighbor, always receiving stuff, and sometimes high profile visitors. So when Amelia came knocking on his door, needing some help, he's happy to oblige. But he has an evil ex too...

Not really feeling too much beyond the "hot neighbor" tropes. 3/5

GRR Reviews Beautiful Storm by Mandi Blake

Tori, a nurse, married a doctor. It should be a perfect life... Both are great in their fields, and they have a great loft in Chicago... until he told her he had fallen for someone else and wanted an "easy divorce"... and even gave her the deed to a cabin in the Deep South... She'll just head south to sell the darn thing. // Marcus runs the auto-repair shop and tries to keep his siblings out of trouble since their mom is completely toxic and unable to be a parent. So what's a city girl like Tori doing in town? How did she get the deed to the grand cabin? Who is she really?

I'm really not feeling much about this one. Neighbors, sure. Small town, sure, but the two characters never really felt like having much chemistry to me. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews her Guardian Boss Fake Fiance by Sarah Gay

Samantha moved across the country to start a new job around Christmas break and met Teddy, her new boss, at the airport. He invited her to dinner, where she found his ex Tisha was stalking him, so she pretended to be his fiancee and he agreed. But when their car leaving dinner had a collision, Samatha was paralyzed... and Teddy married her to make sure she got better. Almost two years later, Samantha has recovered from that day, and Teddy is often there, but he has a job running a travel empire. Teddy told her that she'll let her go at 2 years. And she told herself it's best for him too. Why can't they admit their real feelings for each other?

Not really feeling the Christmas magic for this one. Circumstances are contrived, and why does Teddy feel so "responsible" for her injury that he married her while she's still loopy from the pain meds? 3/5

GRR Reviews A Chocolate-Box Christmas by Josie Riviera

Maise, the latest food critic for Bloomingfield Daily Dispatch, was sent to attend a Christmas chocolate cookie contest as one of the celebrity judges. Unfortunately, Maise is having a hard time purging memories of... well, tossing up her chocolate cookies after bad sushi. She wasn't expecting gorgeous Ben, co-owner of one of the chocolate shops, and last stop on her tasting. Ben handles the business side... not the chocolate side. And when he was hesitant answering some questions, her reporter's sense got a tingle... She smells a story (in addition to the chocolate) and he smells... her...

I'm not sensing much beyond pretty much a boy meets girl story, and this is a VERY short 50 page thing. 3/5