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 Very Thought of You by Iris Morland

Megan, the town baker, and officer Caleb Thornton, had a very complicated relationship. Caleb, then a rookie on the force, had to arrest Megan for underage drinking ten years ago. Since then, they seem to hate each other with a vengeance, despite their apparently attraction. But they are both harboring deep wounds. Caleb's family hushed up something in his adolescent past that lead to him becoming a cop, and Megan never wanted to be her alcoholic mother. When Megan's bakery was robbed, Caleb was assigned to patrol the area and the town of New Haven where a dangerous prowler lurked. And this time, bound by danger, their passions can no longer be denied... but their secrets may yet tear them apart.

The push-pull works, right up to the confrontation with the prowler, and for a psychotic prowler he's a bit too stereotypical.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic Suspense

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Desire Me Dearly (Heron's Landing) by Iris Morland

Kat moved back to Heron's Landing Missouri to take care of her ailing grandma with dementia and taught computer classes in the local school. She came to care about a girl named Emma and Gavin, Emma's gruff father. It was clear Emma has an anxiety disorder, something Kat also suffered from, but Gavin refused to talk about it. In the meanwhile, Kat was fending off advances from another teacher, while receiving horrible misogynistic comments about a computer game she published online. When a dead goose with head chopped off was found in front of her door, things got really personal indeed, and she went to Gavin for help... // Gavin blamed himself for his wife's mental illness, and daughter Emma's condition (Emma found mommy lying on the bathroom floor, overdosed on sleeping pills) many years ago. There is no way he deserves someone like Kat, but they'll work together to protect Emma. The threats against Kat made his blood boil, and he offered his home as sanctuary, but whoever's threatening Kat is not done... and they may become collateral damage...

While the dance between the two characters was done quite nicely, the external threat was totally trope, and indeed, as soon as he was mentioned I knew he's the perp. The ending was trope as well. It was WAY too Hollywood (bad guy arrested, the hero was shot in the big fight, faints after making sure heroine's safe, wakes up in the hospital).

Category: Contemporary / Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: Couple met over child's anxiety disorder, but who's stalking the woman?

Overall Rating: 3/5

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

GRR Reviews Seduce Me Sweetly (Heron's Landing) by Iris Morland

Seduce Me Sweetly is an "I love you but I hate your job" story. Despite the title, it's pretty angst-y throughout.

Joy left Chicago behind and just wanted to be a journalist in the small town of Heron's Landing, Missouri. Joy met local vineyard owner Adam and found herself attracted to him, and it'd be great to do an article on the vineyard, which can use the publicity. Adam lost his wife in a tragic accident, and when paparazzi stormed the place (because his wife had been a rich celebrity) Adam saw all reporters as the enemy. Adam knew Joy brought forth feelings he thought he would never feel again, but when Joy refused to stop writing about the vineyard, he can't possibly have her in his life. When trouble arrived in town, Adam will have to confront his own demons... or lose Joy forever.

Both seem to be unreasonably stubborn, and all that was needed to change their mind... was a bit of epiphany that they've both been unreasonably stubborn. Argh!

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Vineyard owner who hates reporters may have to make an exception, but not when she refused to stop writing about his vineyard

Tropes: reporter, vineyard, opposites attract, different worlds, scars

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Reviews Tempt Me Tenderly (Heron's Landing) by Iris Morland

Tempt Me Tenderly is supposed to be a romantic suspense but the suspense never was really there. It's just a vague threat, without the guy doing anything about it. He's basically sitting there waiting for someone to ruin him. It's really hard to read sometimes. The guy's way too passive.

Grace Danvers is an artist and a painter living in the town of Hero's Landing. She had a crush on the executive chef, Jaime Martinez, who works for her brother at the vineyard River's Bend, and she had it bad for five years. Jaime knew Grace is off limits, but one night, one kiss in the moonlight, and he can't deny he wanted her as much as she wanted him. But when Jaime was implicated in embezzling from the vineyard, can their love survive the challenge, or will he be forced to leave it all behind?

The framing of Jaime was done really heavy-handedly, and it was pretty obvious who did it as soon as it was mentioned. Watching Jaime just sitting there (figuratively) and getting hit was really boring, and that sort of threat to the romance between him and Grace honestly was really stupid. Grace was the only one fighting, makes you wonder WHY would she fall for such a loser, or how he got to exec chef with such low survival instincts.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman with unrequited love on chef had to save him from embezzling charges, will he stay for her, or run away?

Tropes: chef, different worlds, unrequited love, hot for boss ('s sibling), conspiracy

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Reviews The Nearness of You (Love Everlasting) by Iris Morland

The Nearness of You is a standard "damaged woman who deemed herself unworthy found a partner who cherished her" romance, with a few added wrinkles that are quite good. However, the book, in trying to set up additional volumes, left too many threads dangling. Some facts don't fit, and psych profile of some characters seem contradictory.

To recap, Sara Flannigan left her nasty ex after a nasty divorce. Her mind is on re-establishing herself in her hometown and provide for her son, who had a cancer scare. She did not count on attraction toward the oncologist, Dr. Harrison Thornton, a local royalty. He is a handsome, rich, and wonderful guy, but his family would never approve of Sara, who's just from the wrong side of the tracks. But Harrison is quite fond of Sara, who's beautiful, a devoted mother, with intelligence and drive. With Sara determined to deem herself unworthy, it is up to Harrison to prove that Sara is the one he wanted for life.

First nitpick... Why would a small town have a nationally renowned pediatric oncologist like Harrison Thornton? Or perhaps, why would an oncologist be in general practice pediatrics back home? Second. Harrison's mom is a true snob, that Sara was a total bad fit for her son. Later it was revealed that the mom was in the same predicament when the senior Thronton married her. So she wasn't snobbish before, but the life of rich and famous turned her into a snob? That doesn't make sense. And third, Harrison's just a bit too nice, though I guess his problems are with his own snobbish family who keeps foiling his plans for happiness. Still, it's decent.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman falls for her young son's oncologist; deemed herself unworthy of his love; he wanted her anyway

Tropes: doctor / patient, scars, single parent, different worlds

Overall Rating:  3/5