GRR Reviews Don't Break My Heart by Laurie Kellogg

Justin Rivera is left to raise his goddaughter Haley when both of her parents are gone, leaving her an orphan. But he's busy taking care of the company now that his main business partner (and Haley's father) is gone. When his brother's family was invited to a ski resort as a part of destination wedding AND Christmas, Justin can't leave Haley to sulk at home. Justin never expected to run into Trisha, the only woman he loved but disappeared 16 years ago... // Trisha Mason left 16 years ago when she got pregnant, and she's tired to living under her strict father's roof. She eventually lost the baby, and there really hadn't been anyone since Justin. Seeing him after all these years was a reunion... a bittersweet kind, but he can't commit to anything while raising Haley, and she... can't tell him that she's pregnant... from a sperm donor. She didn't want to wait anymore to have her family. Trisha and Haley bonded, but Justin seems as anti-marriage as ever. What will it take to get these two star-crossed lovers together?

I saw the twist coming a mile away. I swear I knew the sperm donor was none other than Justin by 50% point, even before Justin mentioned it. And it was... an interesting twist. There was also a lot of posturing, pretending not to be affected, and so on. Add some obligations of being godmother and so on, and prior history, and you have a rich set of obligations and love that pushed the story from good to extraordinary.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Man left to raise his goddaughter reconnected with the love of his life who ran away 16 years later, but she's already pregnant!?

Overall Rating: 5/5

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

GRR Reviews The Parent Pact (Return to Redemption) by Laurie Kellogg

The Parent Pact is a well-disguised "maid to millionaire" novel that was a ton of fun to read and has nuances for you to appreciate the characters after you've finished reading.

Tyler Fitzpatrick has a lot of shameful secrets to keep. When he met Annie Barnes at his daughter's school, it was a perfect MIS-match... She was impoverished single mother raising a son, he was rich single parent raising a daughter. She was a high school dropout housecleaner whose BF ran away; he was a summa cum laude lawyer who had a beautiful wife who died in a car accident. Tyler conceded there is a gulf between them, but they can definitely help each other out... Tyler needed a housekeeper and babysitter... And Annie was the perfect candidate. They also agreed to a Parent Pact... to become role models for each other's child while they search for their one true love. Annie knew Tyler is good for her, but she didn't believe Tyler would stick around, and she wanted a loving husband, not just hot sex and mutual obligations. Can Tyler convince her that they really are good together?

Let's just say Tyler's life wasn't nearly as good as initial glance appeared, and there are some secrets about his family he may have to reveal to make Annie understand: they are both heavily wounded, just in very different ways, and trust does not come easy, but when life hands you a chance and happiness, don't let go just because you fear failure and heartbreak. This book is a LOT deeper than you first suspect... It's not *merely* an opposites-attract romance.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Two single parents from different worlds meet and form parent pact; can they be good together... permanently?

Tropes: different worlds, single parent, maid

Overall Rating:  5/5

GRR Reviews Kissing Jessie (Return to Redemption Boo by Laurie Kellogg

Kissing Jessie is another "sisters after the same man" romance from the author who manages to setup some interesting pairings and conflicts while adding liberal doses of humor.

Mike Danvers is a building contractor in limbo. He grew up with a crack mom who refused to give him up but cannot provide for him. He's also extremely mature, as he can pass for adult at 15, which led to some... "adult situations". He's almost thirty-eight now, successful, and wanting a family. His current girlfriend Tracy didn't really want kids, but Mike felt his time was running out... and proposed marriage anyway, hoping to change Tracy's mind. He didn't count on meeting Tracy's younger sister, Jessie... Jessie's 24, a culinary school graduate. Jessie wanted to turn her inherited Victorian into a B&B, but she was forever getting snide comments from her older sister Tracy, who's thinner and prettier... and always jealous. Jessie knew that she can't be coveting the hunky guy who's her sister's fiancee, but she needed his help to get the Victorian converted. When Tracy broke off the engagement upon the children issue, Mike wondered if he proposed to the wrong sister, even as Jessie dropped pounds and became sexually active... But Mike sees the 13 year age gap between them as an insurmountable issue, and refuse to commit his heart... when Tracy decided she's not over Mike, this sister love triangle can get REALLY messy...

This is not the first sister love triangle the author used, but I felt some of the issues didn't quite fold back to the main plot, such as the B-plot about Mike's secret baby. It's still a solid 4/5.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Contractor wonder if he proposed to the wrong sister when the fiancee broke up because she wanted no children

Tropes: sibling triangle, handy man, chef, secret baby, May / September, no good for you

Overall Rating: 4/5

GRR Reviews Baby, I'm Back! (Return to Redemption) by Laurie Kellogg

Baby, I'm Back! is a romantic dramatic comedy that managed to examine a deeper issue... How much of your everyday behavior was a facade to disguise your deepest fears? And when that cuts into your love life, will your relationship survive, and once broken, can it be reestablished?

Samantha Rivera divorced her ex Nicolas "Nick" for one reason: he won't try with her for another child. But his charming Latin honor demanded that he stay in her life, much to her chagrin, from the other side of the country. But Nick is going to spend a long summer with Sam to reconnect with his daughter, and Sam... because he missed his family, and he wanted his family back, even if he had to blackmail his way back into his ex-wife's home... and back into her heart.

I found the book quite delightful to read, if you get past the slightly rocky start. The two characters know they are not done with each other, yet neither can get past the reason they stayed apart, because neither fully realize why they did what they did, and both used coping techniques to HIDE those true feelings. But this is town of Redemption and things are going to get redeemed. In short, you will find out WHY Nick refused to make another child with Sam, and why Sam saw that refusal as a reason to walk away, despite Nick's otherwise full attention to her. And yes, there is a happy ending, in more sense than one.

If you are only looking for sex, then these characters will seem shallow and crude (there are jokes about the male body part getting a nick name) with Nick being almost the stereotypical alpha macho Latino male, and Sam was almost unreasonably hostile toward her ex, with the kid Dani caught in between. On the other hand, if you look past their surface but try to connect with their psyche and their fears, you'll find that this book rewards you to be patient, and their facade hides the hurt that they must resolve for true happiness.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Divorced mom found her ex trying to win back her love; can they get past the facade to resolve WHY did they split?

Tropes: reunion, return, family secrets,

Overall Rating:  5/5

GRR Review: Kissing Jessie by Laurie Kellogg

Kissing Jessie by Laurie Kellogg is another "sisters after the same man" romance from the author who manages to setup some interesting pairings and conflicts while adding liberal doses of humor.

Mike Danvers is a building contractor in limbo. He grew up with a crack mom who refused to give him up but cannot provide for him. He's also extremely mature, as he can pass for adult at 15, which led to some... "adult situations". He's almost thirty-eight now, successful, and wanting a family. His current girlfriend Tracy didn't really want kids, but Mike felt his time was running out... and proposed marriage anyway, hoping to change Tracy's mind. He didn't count on meeting Tracy's younger sister, Jessie... Jessie's 24, an culinary school graduate. Jessie wanted to turn her inherited Victorian into a B&B, but she was forever getting snide comments from her older sister Tracy, who's thinner and prettier... and always jealous. Jessie knew that she can't be coveting the hunky guy who's her sister's fiancee, but she needed his help to get the Victorian converted. When Tracy broke off the engagement upon the children issue, Mike wondered if he proposed to the wrong sister, even as Jessie dropped pounds and became sexually active... But Mike sees the 13 year age gap between them as an insurmountable issue, and refuse to commit his heart... when Tracy decided she's not over Mike, this sister love triangle can get REALLY messy...

This is not the first sister love triangle the author used, but this one is interesting as well, but I felt some of the issues didn't quite fold back to the main plot. THere's a separate topic about Mike's secret baby that didn't link back that well, IMHO. It's still a solid 4/5.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Man wonders if he proposed to the wrong sister when his girlfriend broke up with him because he wanted children; younger sister was much nicer, but he felt he's too old for her

Overall Rating: 4/5