GRR Reviews Chasing Rainbows by Mona Ingram

Taylor left her supermodel career behind after being betrayed in the worst way. She hid on her father's remote ranch, hoping to get over the hurt and learn to live and trust again. Finding a message in a bottle was a surprise... it's from a man trying to move past the death of his wife, that even his daughter is urging him to try again. He sounds too good to be true, but how can she find out if she's not willing to try? And when her father interfered, how will they react?

Warm fuzzies all around, and signature Mona Ingram story. 4/5

GRR Reviews Dazed and Divorced by Carol Maloney Scott

Claire is (suddenly?) single, in her thirties, having married her high school sweetheart Ron, and never really dated ever. She's also mourning the loss of her fertility after one too many miscarriages. Except Ron won't sign the divorce papers. Almost twenty years after her last date, she's back out into the wild, finding frogs all over the place, and not a prince in sight. It seems her friends keep finding losers for her to blind date... So why is her ex Ron trying to get back into her good graces, after nearly destroying her during her time of grief? And is adopting a hyperactive wiener dog puppy, Dixie, a solution to her problems?

Definitely LOL at times, if also a bit teary-eyed, as this is more sitcom than romcom, with super uncomfortable situations. Like meeting Jed, Abel, and Cain at a church speed-dating event, each of whom wants to talk about the Bible or proper role of a wife. Then Christian came along and asked her to get the heck out of there... Only to try to seduce her into bed, with some VERY unholy words. Funny! 4.5/5 for the laughs, not too much romance here though.

GRR Reviews Two Last First Dates by Kate O'Keefe

Paige had enough of her e-mail marketing job under her toxic boss and her previous "last first date" (i.e. finding Mr. Right) crashed and burned. She needed to find herself and quit her job, fast. Fortunately, her best friends are there to help, even as she found a temporary job at the Cozy Cottage Cafe. She met Josh, the friendly coffee delivery guy, and he's nice, but not really... sparkly. Her friends decided to help her by helping her choose Mr. Right for her, while she concentrated on finding a different job, even as she met Marcus, man of her dreams. Just about perfect, hot, charming, good job, likes her... She wanted to date him. But did her friends pick Marcus as her last first date?

Good chick-lit rom-com moments where the heroine has to find herself AND her love at the same time. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews I Know Better by A P Watson

WARNING: Cliffhanger

Wren gave up on her love life and her city and moved to Chicago to start over, even selling her car to finance her move. As an ICU nurse, she makes enough, but not that much. When her two best friends asked her to go out on a blind date with Jackson, she couldn't refuse. But Jackson was nothing like Wren expected. Instead of sex, Jackson offered her friendship. Wren knew Jackson is out of her league, but they can't deny their attraction to each other on a mental level, as they slowly came together. But just as she thought they had a future, came the ultimate betrayal...

Oooh, this slow-burn relationship is exquisite. OTOH, I'm not sure I quite like the cliffhanger ending.

4/5 (includes -1 cliffhanger penalty)

NOTE: Story concludes in "You Deserve Better", review coming soon.

GRR Reviews Blind Date by Victoria Snow

Ellie moved to Florida and found a job as an elementary school teacher. She has a hot neighbor single dad, who's also ended up as her blind date. His name is Will, and they got into an NSA relationship. But her school has a no-dating-staff-and-parents policy. And while Will keeps saying "no love" because his daughter's mom ran away, Ellie may have fallen for Will, but Ellie doesn't want to lose her job...

This is sorta erotic romance, as the book got into sex almost immediately (with thoughts of masturbation). It's not bad, but it's not particularly good either.  3/5

GRR Reviews Her Billionaire Surgeon by Dobi Daniels

Dana, a surgical resident at Dexington Medical, is too busy for love. To satisfy her godmother, she went on one blind date. // Josh Roman, a fellow resident, wants out of his father's control. He wants to do sports medicine and start soccer clinics around the world, his father wants him to be an orthopedic doctor like himself. A surprise inheritance from his grandmother may give him the freedom, but it comes with a huge rope... He has to get engaged within 30 days. Desperate to get away from the bad blind date set up by his father, the department head. He was surprised to find Dana at the same restaurant. So he rescued her and claimed her as his potential fiancee. And she went along reluctantly. But as the fiction turns ever larger, Dana found her one lasting mystery and secret may have everything to do with the Roman family...

Nicely setup, if the intro's a bit too long. The subsequent push-pull and complications are right on the mark. Though I guessed the twist long before I saw it. It's pretty obvious which way the story would go.

Category: Contemporary / Medical

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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

GRR Reviews Cupid Comes to the Lonesome Buzzard Ranch by Hebby Roman

Lonesome Buzzard Ranch is getting some female company for Valentine's Day weekend, and the result is... unpredictable! They thought they'll get some dating site matches, but nobody ended up with the women they wanted... Mostly! On the men's side, we have Les, a widowed rancher thinking about giving up his B&B at the ranch; Jackson, who has horrible sense of timing; Jiggs, the foreman who's no gentleman; and Jayce, the former rodeo champ, stuck with the "lady" nobody wanted... // On the women's side, we have Harper, a social media guru contemplating what she wanted out of life; Lillian, who may have not been quite over her husband's death; Cheyenne, who thought coming to the B&B just takes time away from her work as a sculptor; and Eva... who wanted a family but may not be ready to accept the man who always wanted her....

Ah, good forced proximity along with comedic mismatch of epic proportions. With multiple couples, there never is a dull moment. If you need some light reading, this is great.

Category: Contemporary / Western / Comedy

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Elijah's Hope by S. Doyle

Shelby had to get away from the town that almost destroyed her, and a blind date that comes with an all expenses paid trip to middle-of-nowhere Alaska (okay, Hope's Point, Alaska) sounds perfect. Meeting the handsome oil-rig worker Elijah, and finding that he's sweet and caring is like a dream come true... But Shelby has some deep dark secrets... // Elijah and his three fellow oil riggers knew finding dates out in the wilderness of Alaska is impossible, so they took out a Facebook ad for basically all-expenses paid blind-dates. And Shelby was first viable candidate... She's gorgeous, funny, and studying to be a teacher... But why would she want to date him? What is she hiding?

Not too bad, the setup is quite good, and Shelby indeed has some deep dark secrets and her profile is a bit... fictional. But the problem, IMHO, was also a bit overblown.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Dear Mr. Heart On by Frankie Love

Imogen is an artist and didn't really want to date, but her mother signed her up with a matchmaker service, hoping to give her a boost. // Niel threw himself into his career after losing his love. He's looking for a wife, not a lover, for he never expects to find another like the one he lost. // Niel and Imogen met through the matchmaker, and it was like insta-love... their chemistry cannot be denied. But after the coupling, Imogen realized her mother put the exact opposite of her in the matchmaking profile... she does NOT want to settle down... and this... fling with Niel will have to remain just a fling...  But can they let go?

Okay, good emotional reactions, and chemistry is good for such a short story (under 100 pages)  I can even excuse the sleeping on first date thing. But "run away to sort my feelings" is one of the corny tropes I hate. 4/5

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Fake Dating Her Best Friend's Brother by Tia Souders

Callie lost her parents and was mostly brought up by her neighbor, the Kimballs. However, she coped with her loss with retail therapy, and she was hoping for a promotion to dig herself out of the hole. However, when the promotion at the financial firm is contingent on a credit check, and Callie's bills are becoming overdue, and all the credit cards are maxed out, Callie had to resort to some unconventional means, such as "Dial a Date". Dean Kimball, NBA point guard, had always had his eyes on Callie. Joining the NBA and endorsement deals made him rich. When Dean had to rescue Callie from a disastrous date, Dean decided to help more directly... "hire" Callie to be his "fake" girlfriend, and in exchange, he'll pay off her credit card debt. It's a good way to keep her close, and open her up to possibility of love... And she reluctantly agrees. But when she also got an offer to start over in California, far away from Dean, which plan will she choose?

A bit uneven. The part about escaping from the clutches of the saleswoman was really funny. But the rest, believing the worst, the psychic wound doesn't quite match the behavior and coping mechanism.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

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

GRR Reviews Blind Date with a Billionaire Professor by Evangeline Kelly

Abby tends to go for players, but when her friend set her up with college professor Colin, she's hooked... Even a handshake send a tingle up her arm... Until she realized Colin has absolutely ZERO polish... Either he can't think of anything to say... or he rambles on and not letting her get a word edge-wise. So she friend-zoned him... // Colin was devastated after being FZ'ed, but he knew he can't spend the rest of his life alone. He's just unsure about himself, as his father had multiple failed marriages... But for Abby... he'd try again... So he thought of an excuse... He'll help Abby shop for a new car... In exchange, Abby can teach him some social graces... in 3 meetings. They learned both are faithful Christians... and perhaps there is some sizzle between them... Colin needs to come out of his shell, and Abby... well, Abby ended up learning some things about her best friend Nate that she never suspected... Perhaps, Colin may prove to be the right choice after all...

The flip from friends to lovers, IMHO, could have gone a little smoother, but friend-zoned transition was handled pretty well, as well as some shade thrown at the pickup artist culture, and revealing Nate to be not quite the person she thought he was. Like it, but not extraordinarily so.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

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

GRR Reviews Blind Date With Her Cowboy Billionaire by Hanna Hart

Waverly's heart was broken for the 4th time when her husband wanted a divorce... and he took her business away from her too... It's all in the pre-nup. AND he's already engaged to marry someone else. She retreated to her friend's place and her friend set her up on a blind date... Who turned out to be her high school ex Corbin, the guy who first destroyed her. // Corbin retreated to his family home when he had to break up with his fiancee... after learning she's pregnant with someone else's child. He would love to date the ranch's wedding planner, but she's taken, yet she promised a date with her best friend... who turned out to be his high school love Waverly. // Corbin and Waverly were best friends and lovers in high school... until they broke apart when their dreams diverged. Their chemistry is undeniable, but their heartbreaks are unforgivable... Or are they?

Oh, you just *knew* that her douchebag ex will somehow come back to mess with her before it's all over. But here's something I don't get. Corbin was supposed to be a trust fund baby who had everything... Yet he can't even get into state college to stay with Waverly?  And he broke up with her over that? Okay, so he's impetuous, and he thought he's holding her back, so he'll break up with her as a favor to her? WTF? While I like the push-pull, part of the logic escapes me.

Category: Contemporary / Western

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews A Cherry on Top (Cupid's Cafe) by Ashley Lauren

A Cherry on top is about a matchmaker in a cafe in Berkeley California. The story is short and charming about getting over a cheating ex with a nice guy.

Katy Cupid had been putting people together for a while... she had these feelings that are almost never wrong. When Faith Mason stormed into her cafe, Katy knew Faith needed... a little faith in love. She had been burned badly by Logan, who was so perfect. When he turned out to be a smarmy bastard who just wanted her family connections, she felt thoroughly humiliated and activated the recluse mode. But her mother's decree that she bring a date for the July 4th family picnic barbeque sent her to Katy Cupid. And Katy knew just who to pair her with... Travis Waverly, a successful photographer, owes Katy a big favor when his caterer fell through. Being setup on a blind date is not his idea of fun, but he can't refuse. And he was surprised to find he found Faith's big and boisterous family a lot of fun to be around, having been alone most of his life. He wanted to date Faith, but after one encounter with Logan, Faith is despondent. Now Travis has to make the romance-worthy grand gesture to show that Faith can have... some faith in him.

Pardon the pun, but the short romance tales pack quite a bit of plot and is a lot of fun to read. The characters are easy to picture, and didn't even need to be particularly deep.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can a woman trust another man ever again when an evil ex broke her heart, when this one is just... so nice?

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Once Upon A Coffee (Meet Cute) by Kait Nolan

Once Upon a Coffee is a short story based on a meet-cute, basically a funny or cute way to meet. It's a short and fun story.

Avery Cahill had more than a few bad dates, that she finally found one guy online who's respectful. However, the guy did not put up a profile pix. They set up a meeting at a coffee house with a flower and a book. // Dillon Lange had to finish an MBA group project alone when his partner came down with appendicitis. He's under a serious time crunch, but his roommate is an X-box addict. he had to find a quiet place to work, and coffee house is perfect. He did not count on being interrupted by a beautiful stranger who sat down across from him, but she's too cute to turn away, even though it's obvious she's expecting someone else, not him. What happens when her real date showed up?

The story is fun to read, and short (only 40+ pages). Good.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Guys studies in a coffee house, and a girl sat down across from him, having mistaken him for her blind date...

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews It Happened One Night by Christine S. Feldman

It Happened One Night is one of those "everything that can go wrong, did go wrong" kind of blind date romantic comedy.

Paisley is trying to get her business off the ground and is way too busy to date. Joe is too busy with his family auto repair shop to date any woman. The two should have never met, except for one mutual acquaintance old lady who won't take no for an answer. She didn't know they actually met before, where Paisley got thoroughly humiliated. The date started on the wrong note and went steadily downhill from there... through no fault of theirs... in an all-night adventure that involved muggers and high-speed dash to the ER... But not for the reasons you think.

For a rom-com, it's a lot of fun. But somehow it felt a little on the empty side. But it's short (just over 100 pages), so it's a pretty fast read.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: The couple should not be dating, and their date night turned into a total disaster, through no fault of their own...

Tropes: blind date, enemies to lovers, adventure

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews A Christmas Surprise (Love in the Cascades) by Kimberly Rose Johnson

A Christmas Surprise delivers some warm and fuzzies for the Holiday Romance genre, but it really accomplished nothing beyond the ordinary.

Keira is a single parent raising her son after her husband spun out on an icy road and wrapped his truck around a tree. She never drove a car since. She concentrated her attention on her little chocolate shop and her son, who's now 4, relying on friends to deliver stuff to her store... and walking. She failed to connect with one blind date set up by her friends with the handsome veterinarian Pete Harding... due to him being called away for an emergency. They eventually met up, and they do like each other, but then he learned she's a single mother, and his flames cooled. He had his reasons. But when Keira's son wanted a dog for Christmas, who else better to turn to than a veterinarian? And Pete was indeed re-evaluating... was his objection to single mom's reasonable? Did he fall for Keira already?

The hang-ups each had about the other were a bit too direct and on-the-nose, instead of slow onion-peel like mysteries. Instead, we were thrown almost directly into "how can they work past all that" stage. The characters just came across as not that deep overall, which is a shame. If the stress and reasons were peeled back a bit slower it'd be a more satisfying book.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can a vet who don't date single moms make an exception for a mom candy shop owner who can't drive due to PTSD?

Tropes: Holiday, doctor/patient (veterinarian), pets, single parent, blind date,

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Reviews The Other Side of Someday by T.K. Leigh

The Other Side of Someday is a story about a woman trying to find love in various wrong places, but circled back to a friend she looked with a new light.

To recap, Baylee Morgan fled North Carolina after finally divorcing a man she didn't love for 10 years. She ended up in Santa Monica, California. As an heiress to a lumber fortune she can afford not to work, but she's not the partying type, and her failed marriage left her with enough self-doubt that she only dare to tip-toe into the dating pool. Her only male friend who's not gay was her neighbor Sebastian "Sebby" Powers, a TV producer, who also fled the East Coast, except his girlfriend Mercedes doesn't want to call it quits just yet. As Baylee dated more than a few wrong guys (one guy turned out to be a closet gay, another turned out to be her own gynecologist), she started to realize that perhaps Sebby was the one she really wanted... but can she be the third person in a triangle?

There are many novels that tried to pair up neighbors, and this one actually works, as he's not creepy, nor did he tried to get into her pants. It was a slow relationship that developed naturally that they became fond of each other, and wondered where they can go with it. And the triangle will resolve itself for the HEA, of course, by the end.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot:  Woman getting back into the dating pool trying to find love in several wrong places, came back to her neighbor...

Tropes: everyone but you, triangle, blind date, scars

Overall Rating: 4/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire's Secret Heart by Ivy Layne

The Billionaire's Secret Heart was basically the story of a remarkable one-night stand, and MMC's attempt to get FMC back for a more permanent arrangement.

Josephine was on the worst blind date ever until Holden swooped in and rescued her. It wasn't until much later that Jo realized this is Holden Winters, scion of the Winters clan, who dates socialites with his gorgeous looks and loads of money. There's no way that Holden could fall for a geek with curves, could he? Yet when Jo indulges herself with a quick fling, something she never did before, she panicked and ran immediately after without saying goodbye. But what Holden wanted was someone with curves... and intellect to challenge him. And Jo is not getting away...

The overall plot was pretty cookie-cutter though competently executed. Nothing really stood out though. It's not really a struggle if she can just change her mind, right?

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Geek with curves on a bad blind date was rescued by rich billionaire who wanted more than just a one-night stand

Tropes: blind date, date rescue, fling to a thing, geek/geekette, different worlds

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Reviews The Montana McKennas: Prequel by Maddie James

The Montana McKennas prequel is about James, and how he came to know Liz.

James is a widower trying to raise 2 kids, Parker and Callie, after his wife died of cancer. A blind date had him met Liz and her son Brody from her previous marriage (technically, she got pregnant first, by a cowboy, who married her, only to divorce her eight years later) and they were both interested. Then James got Liz pregnant... but Liz refused to marry him just "to make things right"... Can they successfully blend their families together? (Also sets up the four siblings: brother, sister, half-sister, and step-brother for their own romances later)

A short novella sets up the four kids on their own romance series, this is a quick and short but sweet read.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Widower meets Divorced Mom, and Got Her Pregnant... How to Blend Their 4 kid family?

Tropes: Single parent, blind date, accidental pregnancy

Overall Rating: 4/5 (rounded up from 3.5/5)

GRR Review Getting Wrapped Up by Erin Nicholas

Getting Wrapped Up is a collection of three novellas about Sapphire Falls and a very unlikely couple: Levi and Kate. They met by pure chance (and double oopsie), they stayed lovers by choice, and subsequent plans were... well... mutually misunderstood! It's meant to be light-hearted and sitcom-y with a lot of steam-y sex between this mismatched pair.

Levi is a playboy who decided to take it easy after rolling his car and take a year to finding love in Sapphire Falls and was set up to meet the mayor. Kate is a scientist who needs a country-boy romance with a Sapphire Falls local for her rebound from a bad breakup. When the two met in the bar by chance and ended up mistaking each other for their date, sparks fly! Yet in a way, the pair is about as perfect as it can be, and that's just the first novella! Their relationships were further tested in novella two and three! 

If you don't dig the humor then these books would come across as childish / immature. But that is this author's style. But if you dig a load of humor with your romance, then you will enjoy this collection.

Category: Contemporary / rom-com

Primary Plot: Couple met by mistake in small town, managed to have a romance anyway!

Overall Rating: 4/5