GRR Reviews Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic by C M Nascosta

 NOTE: Available on Kindle Unlimited as of review time Sep 1, 2022

MBBC is a non-human/human romance, specifically, wolf-shifter / human romance from a slightly unexpected angle: fertility clinic. It is quite sweet, almost cloyingly so. 

Lowell Hemming, the only Hemming boy (of wolfshifter family) who left town in several generations, is forced back to town when a human pandemic shut down the world, ruining his career as a photojournalist. Living in his hometown as "one of those Hemmings boys" (6 in total) made his every action under scrutiny, and he literally has no one to f- as he had NO attachment to his hometown, having been away for far too long. Then a brochure offered him a potential way out... a fertility clinic alternative... // Moriah knew she may face difficulty conceiving from her non-human husband, but she never anticipated the problem lead to their divorce. Now with her own business thriving, she's free to get the one thing she wanted: a child. And Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic offers a very different solution... Be introduced to a wolf-shifter, get a shot to align the cycle and trigger a heat, and breed with a handsome werewolf before the full moon. It's cheaper than interspecies IVF, much more pleasant, and cheaper than adoption. 

But neither Lowell nor Moriah counted on catching feelings...

As I said, the story is cloyingly sweet... Lowell is the perfect gentleman, only slightly rougher in wolf-form. But there's just a HINT of ickyness as Moriah was under the hormones in the subsequent months where she really fell for Lowell.  One also questions how did Lowell account for lust vs. love, as he literally suffered months of blue balls before meeting Moriah. At least they had a good first meeting where she wasn't in heat and he just has blue balls (though they... well, went to a hotel to test their compatibility). 

The verbiage during the breeding sounds a bit porn-y, and we spent way too much time in Lowell's head, compared to be in Moriah's head. Seems Lowell painted himself into a corner of his own choosing, and his parents knew he had to "escape" in his own way, he just made escape literal instead of the way his brothers (including his twin brother) did in other ways. 

4/5 (rounded up from 3.5/5)

 

GRR Reviews The Barrington Billionaires Books 1-4 Collection by Ruth Cardello

The bundle is of 4 full-length novels and a novella. I may have previously reviewed some of the novels or novellas, but this rating is for the collection. 

The novella was previously reviewed in the anthology of the same name. 

As different members of the younger generation fall in love or met their match, they each have to deal with love and life in their own ways, but always with the support of their large and rich family, but not even love can buy happiness...

Consistent 4/5, worth reading at least. 

GRR Reviews The Marine's Baby, Maybe by Rogenna Brewer

Caitlin just wanted to have her late Marine husband's baby, but a mix-up at the sperm bank means her baby's father is actually her husband's half-brother. "Lucky" Luke had never been lucky in love or family, so the sperm sample he stored was out of formality. But now that he has a child, he can't leave his unborn child or the mother of the child behind...

Quite a bit of angst, obligation, and love comes much, much later. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews A Mother For Christmas by Jackie Weger

Single dad Decker and his 8-year-old daughter need to renovate a Victorian in 30 days (by Christmas) or he'll lose the house, but his decorator just ran off on a honeymoon. That left Annalise, the decorator's assistant, shouldering the workload. Annalise is always sad but seems competent in her job, and bonded with his daughter quickly. There may be a spark between the couple... THEN he learned the cause of her sadness... and why they bonded so quickly... 

The twist was practically advertised, but the author did the best to distract us with red herrings. It's a Christmas story, so some incredulity is expected. Not bad, but not one of the author's best efforts. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Her Cowboy King by Madeline Ash

Mark and his two brothers, Kris and Tom, are just cowboys on a ranch in America when they received news that the Kingdom of Kiraly needs them... as Mark, i.e. Marcus, is now the next in line for the throne. But what does three cowboys know about being royalty? // Princess Ava has her own plans to escape with her secret, apart from her parent's "strategic marriage" plans for her, preferably with the new King Marcus of Kiraly. She has plans to make the new King hate her, but Marcus turns out to be a kind man, and she found herself falling for him. Now she has to choose between escaping and loving the king...

Not bad, even though Ava turned out to be a bit wishy-washy, but it all made sense, due to the amount of pressure she had been under. Not too much cowboy-ing in the Alps. 4/5

GRR Reviews Million Dollar Date by Susan Hatler

Abigail is on her way to meet her blind date (via her home) when she was stopped by a very handsome cop for speeding. And he's not giving her a break at all. Not even when she explained she's already sad that her favorite dog rescue is closing due to the rescue's landlord needing to sell. She's doubly shocked that she found her blind date is none other than the cop that pulled her over... That's going badly. Then she realized he may be the key to save the dog rescue, as he will be recommending the next charity to fund for the city... So a second date will be necessary... // Cooper is a by-the-books cop, but he used to be a bad boy rulebreaker until a tragedy gave him an epiphany. Now he plays by the rules, even though he had a kind heart. Abigail has the right attitude, but Cooper has to make decisions based on how much good can the city's donations do. And Abigail is definitely interesting. If she wants another date, he'll gladly oblige... 

The ending felt like deus ex machina to me, and I really don't understand how he got the payout, when it should have gone to the other guy's family? I can understand he got half or something. The push-pull is fine, but some of the tactics from Abigail were a bit... unorthodox. It's rom-com, sure. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Taking Charge by Ruth Cardello

NOTE: Book 4 of Lone Star Burn series 

Lucy and her brother left the family ranch to pursue their own dreams. They came back when their parents can't keep up with the ranch, but now both are gone, and her brother ran off, can't deal with the pressure anymore, as they can't balance the books. Lucy reluctantly accepted the bailout from Ted, who claimed to love her, in exchange of getting engaged. But she doesn't love Ted... So she had to break it off and save the ranch her own way... even if she had to secretly sell high-tech sex toys through online blogs. And Ted doesn't like this at all... Then David came to her rescue... Much to her chagrin... // David knows who he wants in his life: Lucy, but a cowboy doesn't go after someone else's woman. When Lucy broke it off with Ted, David wrote 250K check right there when Ted looked like he may do something. Lucy knows that David means her no harm, but she can't allow someone else to own her life... But Ted making trouble means keeping David, and her own ranchhand, Wyatt, around. The attraction between David and Lucy is undeniable, but she doesn't want to owe anyone or tolerate lies, and he will protect her any way he can, even if he had to lie to her... And Ted may be about to do something stupid... 

David is the warm and fuzzy alpha, and he knew Lucy liked him but something's holding her back, so he's willing to wait her out. My problem is with Ted, the antagonist, who just behaves like an a-hole, despite the build-up that made him sound like an evil messiah, only for Ted to dispel that image and behave like an a-hole again. And the resolution to that... well, felt like a deus ex machina, even though it really wasn't, as there was a mention earlier to that. Can't really say more without spoiling the plot. The generally weak antagonist here left me a bit wanting. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Secret One by Ruth Cardello

NOTE: Same series as "The Broken One" and "The Wild One"

McKenna was raised by her single father ex-race car driver to be independent and excel in a world dominated by men. And after a talk with "Chris" in a bar, she decided to dedicate her life to make her father's dream happen. And she did... by building her own raceway and an auto business like no other. When she met this down-to-earth guy with a broken (rare) car on the side of the road, she can't help but feel there's a prior connection... Turns out, he is Christof... aka Chris that inspired her to go after her dreams. She's even more surprised to learn he's Christof Romano, a billionaire... She's surprised again, when he invited her to Italy... to help him broker peace between an ultra-rich man looking for answers and a protective family hiding a secret...  

The story is between Christof and McKenna. I like the way the author handled the different personalities of the different sons, as each brother (Sebastian, Mauricio, and now Christof) really do have personalities, and they josh each other in a loving way. Females in this author's books are independent with their own careers and priorities, and her man will have to fit into her life, instead of her being molded into his. Christof was the diplomat of the family, and his job is difficult because this time, he's up against someone whose fortune and power are orders of magnitude above his own. I just wish McKenna had more of a role during the negotiations that applies her talent in some way.  4/5

GRR Reviews The Wild One by Ruth Cardello

NOTE: Same series as "The Broken One" reviewed earlier

Mauricio Romano is between jobs, trying to figure out his direction in life. His family is rich (he's technically a billionaire), but he's not spoiled... just... cocky. And visiting his buddy Felix in Paris was just the time to lose some steam. But losing his heart to an American visitor? Never. Right? // Wren Heath was visiting Paris at the invitation of her friend Cecil. Meeting Mauricio, the avowed bachelor and player, wasn't quite in her plans, but having a weeklong fling with a gorgeous guy in the city of love sounds wonderful... Especially if what happened in Paris, stay in Paris. Right? 

This one leaves me a little conflicted. I can see Wren's thoughts, as she kept saying this is "just a fling", and even though she'd LIKE it to be permanent, she was prejudiced by Cecil's opinion of Mauricio, that he's good at building a fantasy, and she's viewing all his moves as "building a fantasy for her" even when he's sincere. What I have a little problem seeing is how Mauricio turned from an avowed bachelor to a one-woman man. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Inn at Willa Bay by Nicole Ellis

Zoe thought as the assistant event planner for a wedding resort in Willa Bay, she would inherit the event planner position when the existing one retired. Instead, her boss handed the position to his son-in-law who had never worked in the industry. Then she learned that her landlord Celia not only needed a hospital stay, she's also in danger of losing the entire place, a former inn, and leaving Zoe with no home. // Her best friend Meg had left a prestigious sous chef job to come home to her mother being treated for cancer, and work in a kitchen with no chance of advancement. When a friend's old rival returned to town, threatening her routine for the kitchen, her timetable for departure may be moved up...  // Her other best friend Cassie did not expect to be a single mother after marrying the love of her life, only to divorce him 10 years later to raise an autistic child alone. She was barely getting by, until an old rival returned to town... and about to destroy her side gig as a cake baker/decorator. // Shawn had just restored a house and flipped it for profit when he got a phone call from across the country from a mystery woman. Who is Celia? Why did Celia have him as an emergency contact? And who is this Zoe that called her? His curiosity will lead him to Willa Bay... // These people are about to meet and change each other's lives... 

As a series starter, this is actually well plotted so everything ties together. It does sound a bit scattered at the beginning, as if all the separate threads don't quite fit together, but they do. My main problem is the final solution, which I will not spoil, is a bit deus ex machina. And also the solution doesn't mean everybody gets HEA. We do have a couple more books, after all. The characters all are reasonable. I feel the connection between Shawn and Zoe was a bit rushed. The rivalry and the unreasonableness of "bad boss" and how the various characters just kowtowed instead of engaging in some malicious compliance just feel... unsatisfying. Also, this being a series, there's no karma in this particular book, which may leave some readers miffed. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Romance Reset by Kay Lyons

 Amelia is 38, single, and wants a family. She wants it so much, she had an appointment at a sperm bank. So her bestie mounted an intervention... By hiring a matchmaker for her. Her bestie insists that Amelia needs a romance reset before embarking on single parenthood. And guess what fate had in store for Amelia? A blind date reunion with her first love Lincoln... // Lincoln is a widower and empty nester now that his twins are off to college. But online dating is not for him. Hiring a matchmaker seems to be a great idea. When his first date in 20 years turned out to be his first love... // It all seems to be a match made in heaven, but is Lincoln ready to be a dad again? 

Pretty good. The serendipity is heavy, and the odd deadline (for the sperm bank) feels a bit overdramatic but works within the context. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews If You Love Me by Ciara Knight

 Drew has a job: get the town to sign off on the revitalization plan for his boss. He was definitely not ready to be ensnared in small-town politics involving crazy elders and a mayor playing him like a chess piece. And he definitely was not ready for Carissa, the town's best baker... // Carissa is a small town girl but the pain from losing who she thought was her forever man to who she thought was one of her best friends still lingers. Except that "friend" is back in town and was determined to show up everyone else. // Drew wanted to know Carissa better, but Drew also wanted to advance his career. Are those two goals compatible? Or will Carissa feel betrayed after learning that Drew may not stay? 

As a series starter, the setup was pretty good as it introduced all of the cast while giving them different personalities, yet made Carissa the main character, and set up an "antagonist" as well. There is some sparks flying, so it's not too bad. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Show Stopper by BJ Harvey

 Renee loves selling houses, but hates firefighters, after having been burned by one. While showing a house, she had a little accident, and ended up sprawled on top of Marco, who's as charming as they come. That is, until she mistook the female with him (actually his sister) to be his fling, even as he found Renee to be just his type, a brunette goddess... Now, just how can Marco demonstrate to Renee that she's the show stopper he wanted, even though he's a firefighter?

A bit of a rom-com and good back and forth, as each layer of Marco is revealed, doing a good push-pull. One step forward, two steps back... Good banter, great cast of family members. 4/5

GRR Reviews Three Things I'd Never Do by Remi Carrington

 Eve is forced to move back home with her kitten when her house needed some renovations. Getting trapped naked in the bathtub when a tree fell on her parent's house, and being rescued by a handsome firefighter was not a part of her plans. Neither was being set up on a blind date with the same firefighter. But Adam (yes, you can chuckle) is perfect except for one thing: he has two large dogs, and she's... promised to not date guys with dogs. So... can she survive dogsitting for a few days? Or will this be the final straw? 

Ah, rom-coms, a bit over-the-top, but that's the way it's meant to be. The problem is I'm really just not feeling the chemistry between the two. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Bleacke's Geek by Lesli Richardson

 Dewi Bleacke is a prime alpha wolf (one of the very few female prime alphas) and head enforcer of the Targhee Pack in Florida. While on the hunt for a dirtbag who literally sold his daughter for drugs, she came across her one true mate... in the form of a vegetarian geek professor by the name of Dr. Heathcliff McKenzie Ethelbert. "Inviting" him into the restroom for a quick romp may not be the best way to a guy's heart, nor was gunning down the scumbag then "inviting" "Ken" to come along (quietly). But a girl's gonna do what must be done, including meeting her "family"... partner "Beck", and surrogate father "Badger" (both shifters) who had to adapt to living with a "grazer". But someone is watching from the shadows... a killer that killed Dewi's parents and almost killed her and was never caught. Will "Ken" rise above the low expectations, and be a worthy mate to Dewi? 

 For a series starter, the reversal of roles (generally, the shifter is H and the human is h, this has the reverse) is a great way to keep things interesting. And while the onion peel was done properly it just feels a bit too quick, and the bad guy's obsession and motivation a bit suspect.  Still, it's a fun story. 

4/5

GRR Reviews He Said Always by Ruth Cardello

Gian Romano knew he was adopted, but that's just having two families. Being related to a Corisi means a life of luxury that he still has problems coming to grips with. Having competitions with a genius niece that he's more like a big brother than an uncle is a little weird since he's a genius as well. But when he made a wager with his niece to find even more lost siblings, he never imagined it would take him to the front door of Teagan... // Teagan is a genius working on something that cannot be turned over to the government or private enterprise (it's that important), so she runs a T-shirt print shop as a cover while trying to pay her bestie Riley a salary. So when Gian came to her door and was almost instantly smitten, she found herself flustered having never felt this way about a man. But when he needed a moment with Riley, just why does he need that? When Gian told her the full story (Riley and her twin brother are another set of lost siblings) and agreed revelations should come slowly, Teagan can really fall for this man, but can she ever reveal her own secrets? 

Started out promising, but end up really disappointing. While there is certainly some tension in all the secret-keeping, that phase didn't last very long except for Teagan. With all the mention of building a lab for Gian and Gian didn't want it, you'd think the lab would go to Teagan eventually, but in the end, Gian and Teagan ended up working on their secrets well away from the public eye. That bit of lede ended up going nowhere. One also wonders HOW did Teagan managed to set up not one, but TWO boltholes with security systems that rival nuclear bunkers without anyone else knowing... and can't help out her bestie's mother (whom she considered mom as well) with her medical expenses until Gian came along. :-/  Who built those bunkers and how much did they cost? They didn't appear out of thin air... 

3.5/5

GRR Reviews The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson

 Phronsie, betrayed by love, is moving back to her hometown for a break. Meeting her best male friend Judd (since kindergarten!) again was great... Then he had a crazy idea... They are best friends, already knew everything about each other. Since passion inevitably fizzles, but friendship stays... Maybe they should get married. And she said yes... Because it made so much sense. But as the preparations get underway, and as the wedding date gets ever closer, Phronsie started having doubts... Just what does it mean to be in love?

An interesting flip of the trope... Usually, you have the reverse... The heart wants the other, but the head says "are you SURE!?"  This one has the head say "makes perfect sense" and the heart goes "but what are you missing?!?"  4/5

GRR Reviews Country Gold by Heatherly Bell

Luke and Lexi used to be inseparable... they were members of the Wilder Sisters country music act... Then one sister made a mistake, and the band fell from grace. Luke was offered his own chance of being a country superstar... and the sisters... semi-retired to run the Wilder B&B in Whistle Cove, near Monterey Bay, California, that was owned by their grandma. Lexi told herself that she is tired of being always on the road, and this is for the best, but does she miss Luke and the performing life? // Luke never wanted to trade fame and fortune for the woman he loved. Now that his national tour is done, he's heading back to Whistle Cove and... do what? Rekindle his love for Lexi? Convince her to come out of hiding and come back to Nashville with him? Or just to prove that he never wanted to leave her? 

Excellent push-pull, and setting up opposites. Lexi started as a performer and fell into an innkeeper. Luke started off as a nobody and rose to country stardom. But there had a history together, being totally in love, until circumstances forced them apart. Now he wants to make amends... and "reclaim" his woman... if she will have him. I am a little dismayed by climax, which was a cliche "misunderstanding and I am not going to let you explain" that felt out of place.  4/5

GRR Reviews The Lost Art of Reverie by Rae Walsh

Katie was betrayed twice by people she trusted, which gave her PTSD and nervous breakdown. When she got a notice that she has inherited grandma's Victorian in the town of Aveline, where she had great time as a kid, it seems to be the perfect escape. And her recovery lead her to dream about opening a new town cafe, putting her culinary dreams into reality... But she wasn't counting on meeting Sam again... // Sam was burned in a relationship twice by the same woman... and has vowed to stay out of entanglements. But meeting Katie again may change his mind, esp. when he's helping her build her new town cafe at the house... // As Sam and Katie fell for one another, a betrayal from an unexpected direction will put that relationship to the ultimate test... 

The book managed to not be preachy yet religious. There was basically ONE Bible quote, and it was used very smartly. However, the beginning was extremely slow, as we are treated to a series of flashbacks outlining how good Katie's life was when young, then the two betrayals (with very little detail, more of a teaser / aftermath)  They didn't catch my attention. I had to finish those, then I got to the chapter of her arriving in town and getting to know the town again. THEN things started to pick up. While those early chapters did manage to "show", not just tell her mental state after two betrayals, they are not exactly good starter hooks. 

3.5/5 rounded up to 4/5

GRR Reviews Change of Hart by ME Carter

Change of Hart, the debut novel by ME Carter, is the first book out of a series of 7. The sports references are right on, but the plot is predictable, and the woman seems to be (unintentionally) playing "hard to get". 

Jason Hart is the best pro defensive lineman in the NFL, and he's playing for the winning Dallas Cowboys. At a publicity event in a school, he met a little boy who lost his father, and he felt a connection, having lost his own father when young. So he invited the boy and his mother to an event... and met Addison, the recent widow. Now he's hopelessly smitten, even though he was an avowed bachelor just before this... 

Sports romance authors can choose to create fictional teams or use the names of real ones. and this one chose to use real team names with fictitious players. Both works and the references are quite accurate here. My main problem is I saw the plot twists coming from a while away, even though the author tried to present it onion-peel style. Such as why was Addison so resistant to any romantic attempt from Jason initially, then having a misunderstanding due to a nosy reporter (and I guessed at the truth long before it was revealed). No surprises there AT ALL. The push-pull is not bad but still not extraordinary. 4/5