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 Take me Again by Carly Phillips

Sebastian is one of the Knight brothers. He and Ashley were temporarily step-siblings, and may even have feelings for each other. But their one drunken make-out session was interrupted, and Ashley was soon sent to a boarding school in London, and they lost touch. A decade later, Ashley just learned that Parker, another Knight brother, just lost his wife from opiate overdose. Ashley had to return to the US as a part of the family... And leave her British suitor Jonathan behind, as Jon refused to accept that she's not ready for commitment. Ashley knew seeing Sebastian again will be difficult, but to help Parker deal with the problems caused by his wife's death means she'll be forced to work with Sebastian closely... He needs to help troubleshoot the problem and smooth over difficulties with the client, while she, a forensic accountant, can track down financial irregularities. And they discovered secrets long kept. But are they willing to admit their feelings for each other? Will she go back to London? Then Jonathan showed up...

Some parts, like background, misunderstandings, respective scars, and so on, are very good. But the annoyingly persistent Jonathan, the lame antagonist (and part of the very simple mystery) just feels... half-baked. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Faking It by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

Hailey is buying a property to take her matchmaking biz to the next level, and her real estate agent, Max Sterling, is a perfect gentleman, and a hunk. However, Hailey was wearing an engagement ring, so Max kept his distance, despite how lovely Hailey is. But when Hailey and Max ran into one of Hailey's client's mom, things got a bit weird... It seems Hailey had claimed her fiancee is none other than Max himself... and Max will gladly play along to save the "damsel in distress", as it is clear she's not really engaged... and he can use some help to fend off a young woman who's way too interested in him despite repeated attempts to distance himself. A very public engagement should be perfect for both of their needs... It'd only be fake... right? Until it wasn't... and everything changed...

Now this "fake engagement" makes great sense. I've seen the "matchmaker with no BF" and "wearing a ring to fend off suitors but falls for a guy" plot, but this is a good twist by combining many of those plot elements into one.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 5/5

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

GRR Reviews Lucky Charm by Carly Phillips

Derek Corwin knew his family was cursed... every Corwin man who married for love ended up broke and divorced (or worse). He thought he could outmaneuver the curse by breaking up with his true love at 18... and married a girl after getting her pregnant, without love. And for a while, it seems to have worked... He made a ton of money as an investment advisor... Until the economy ruined him and his wife divorced him. Now he lived back in his hometown, with a teenager daughter, and a lot of regret... Until the girl he thought he left behind, Gabrielle, came back into town, now a famous writer determined to prove that curses are just silly superstitions... But someone in town is determined to preserve the status quo, and Gabby may be in danger...

Not the first book I've read with the same high concept, this one turned it into a small-town conspiracy / mystery rather than rom-com. And it's pretty good. OTOH there seems to be a few too many characters, but this is a series starter, and other characters need to show up as support casts now so they become stars later. It felt a wee bit long, but the twist at the end was pretty good.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Fearless by Carly Phillips

Kane runs the garage in Rosewood Bay, beach town vacation spot. Lots of shallow women pass through, just looking for a good time fling. But Halley doesn't seem to be one of them... Halley is beautiful, wealthy... and lonely. She said she doesn't want any company, but Kane knew she's the woman for him... If he can only find a way to get through to her...

It's okay, I guess. There's a LOT of back and forth. But the rest is nothing special.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3/5

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

GRR Reviews Dare to Surrender (NY Dares Book 1) by Carly Phillips

Dare to Surrender is a contemporary romance set in New York where a woman finds having an alpha BF is not necessarily a bad thing, even though she ran into a bad alpha before and wasn't sure she can tell a good one from a bad one.

Isabelle Masters is done with her cheating domineering boyfriend. She left her condo and belongings and wardrobe, and simply drove off. She was surprised when she was stopped then arrested... for grand theft auto. It can only be her darn ex's doing to slow her down and give him time to talk her out of leaving. But then she was rescued by the man she never expected... Gabriel Dare, whom she was fond of, but then she's not the cheating type. Now that she's free, she's not quite ready to trust another man again... even one as delectable as Gabe. But Gabe can be patient...

Both characters are nicely rounded, not shallow cutouts (well, except for the evil ex) but I have problems with Isabelle's solution to her feelings toward Gabriel, which is why I cannot give this book 5/5. If you read it, you'll see what I mean.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman who left her domineering and cheating BF was rescued by a man she never expected, but is she repeating her mistakes?

Tropes: alpha guy, evil ex, scars

Overall Rating: 4/5 (rounded up)

GRR Reviews Dare to Touch (Dare to Love Book 3) by Carly Phillips

Dare to Touch is a contemporary romance between co-workers. The woman has a secret that made her doubt herself and kept pushing men away, but this man wore down her defenses. It is slightly trope in that a strong businesswoman has all these hidden insecurities about whether she deserves to be loved.

To recap, Dylan Rhodes is the travel director for the (fictional) Miami Thunder NFL team, and Olivia Dare is a member of the executive team he was very interested in. Olivia had a bad break when she was young and she felt she can never be good enough to be in a relationship and keep running away, but Dylan continue to show her how good they can be together, and eventually wore her down... after being stuck at an Arizona resort, together... Now Olivia has to decide whether Dylan is a man she can trust with her heart.

Other than the trope FMC, I can't find any faults with this book. The emotional push-pulls are great, and sex scenes are sweet and hot. All in all an enjoyable read.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot:  Woman found her resolved weakened by a persistent suitor despite the defenses she put up due to prior wounds

Tropes: scars, insecure, co-worker, forced proximity

Overall Rating: 4/5 (rounded up)

GRR Reviews Dare to Desire (Dare to Love Book 2) by Carly Phillips

Dare to Desire is yet another spin on the old trope about two people with old wounds learning to love again, but the author did manage to wrung out some fresh spins on the details. Unfortunately, the extra issues about a fight for the estate of the mother turned out to be mostly a page filler dud.

Alex Dare had a dysfunctional family... being the bastard child of a billionaire, but it took him a long time to learn that fact, and his early retirement from professional football as a star quarterback due to traumatic brain injury left him despondent, for football was all he knew. He could have any women he wanted, but he only wanted one, social worker Madison Evans, whom he drove away when he received news that he can no longer play. Madison can't date Alex with his wild lifestyle, for she had severe abandonment issues. Her mother left her with her father without a word, and one day her father left her at the mall, never to return. Despite Alex's changed ways, he had already broke her heart once. But now that he's retired and changed... Will she give him another chance? And how can he convince her of that, when she's struggling to keep control of her adopted mother's estate as per her wishes against her "brother", who needed the estate to bolster his own failing finances, instead of going to the public park project the way her mother would have wanted?

This parallel plot simply fizzled out as a part of "family drama" when it was simply chalked up to "greed" and crocodile tears. And she didn't even win, the will was simply invalidated and the executorship transferred to the biological son from the adopted daughter... despite a will written appointing her as the executor. The excuse was the mother "may not be of sound mind" despite it was early in her diagnosis of dementia, and the only explanation was "courts prefer biological children". That's so arbitrary and so tangential to the plot it felt like filler material just to make the FMC feel bad and fall for the MMC's charms.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Retired Quarterback tries to woo back the woman he loved but drove away when he was forced to retire due to injury

Tropes: Athlete, reunion, evil parents, evil siblings

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Reviews Dare to Love by Carly Phillips

Dare to Love is a contemporary romance with a pseudo-triangle as well a douchebag parent mucking up the romance. It does have insta-lust but otherwise the MMC and FMC push-pull is quite good.

Ian Dare is a billionaire with a broken family with half-brother, Alex, that he despised. When his half-brother walked in with Riley Taylor at a benefit dinner, Ian couldn't resist making a play for her, and their connection is instant, even though she wasn't into alpha guys. Riley grew up under an abusive father, made a break, and swore off all alpha males, but Ian was nothing like her father... or her friend Alex. Ian wanted a future with Riley, even to the point of hiring her for a job (which she was CERTAINLY qualified for) even as Riley found herself was drawn to this alpha but protective enigma called Ian... Riley desires a harmonious family and tried to reconcile Ian and Alex... then her father reentered the picture, threatening to blackmail her...

The pseudo-triangle was between Ian, Riley, and Alex, but it's merely a pseudo-triangle because Alex treats Riley like a sister (but Ian didn't know that). You'll figure out more about Alex and Riley's history as you read along. Plot isn't that new, but it is nicely polished.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Rich guy made a play for his half-brother's companion, and had to save her from her evil douchebag father

Tropes: sibling problem, evil parents, protector, woman in peril, blackmail

Overall Rating:  4/5