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 He Said Never by Ruth Cardello

 Riley had been seeing her lost sibling's family behind her mother's back. She understood her mother's fear... The Corisis were ULTRA-rich, and Dominic's father almost put her mom in a wheelchair for life (and she still suffers today). Gavin was just trying to get some coffee when Riley got in his way. Riley was beautiful and full of sass, and there is an instant connection, but neither is ready to make a move... she's still sour from being stood up, and he's in an odd place... His father forced him out of the family company, and won't let him back in until he settles down with the right woman, probably because his father attended two funerals, and realized the family was the only thing that mattered, after raising his son alone. Yet the two would meet again, after finding out they are actually neighbors...

There is a couple of rom-com worthy moments where you will ROFL (Riley needs a little moral support to tell mommy that she'd been seeing the Corisis and the Romanos, and took Gavin along, but mommy inferred a completely different situation... ), and kudos to Ruch Cardello to write a very UNconventional "weird will" story where the MFC and MMC did not get into bed until 80% point, despite the insta-lust sort of situation.

The book also added details or introduced several future story leads, like Cal, who'll be the hero of book 3, and I have a feeling Jared will be the hero of book 4. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Matt by M S Parker

Matt had to get out of town after falling for the woman his brother Keith introduced him to, only for her to fall for his brother instead. As a Boston Banker, he's definitely out of place in the plains of South Dakota, when his car broke down. // Gabrielle just buried her father and has problems with one of her ranchhands Carl, and her foreman needs to retire soon. While patrolling her grounds she found Matt unconscious of heatstroke and rescued him. There's a connection between them, and he offered to help out since he needed to get away from it all anyway...

I really don't feel much for this, as Matt's ranch qualifications seem to be pretty minimal and a bit convoluted. And Carl never seemed to be much of a threat.  2.5/5

GRR Reviews Traded by Tess Thompson

Kara is a nurse in WITSEC after doing the right thing. She left everything behind, hoping for a fresh start. Brody is the SuperBowl winning QB coming home to rest and needed a nurse for his mom and his housekeeper / 2nd mom. So he hired her, and they slowly fell for each other. But he had a "no woman" rule after a bad breakup and she's full of secrets and refused ANY spotlight... Can this relationship ever work? 

The serendipity is strong in this, and the solution felt very "Gift of the Magi" -ish. But somehow I don't really think they click as a couple, as Brody just feels... schizophrenic... He's both not suspecting enough... AND too paranoid. At least there are no TSTL moments. 3/5

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 Taken Home by Ruth Cardello

NOTE: Book 3 of Lone Star Burn series

Chelle lives in a small town in Texas, and may be the last virgin in town... she tried to save herself for "the one", but there aren't many choices in a small town. She just attended another wedding where another bachelor is off the market when she met Mason, an out-of-town politician, and so sexy, she may just give him a condom so he can do her, as long as he's single... // Mason used to be a child actor until the death of his mother estranged him from his father, and he fell into a dark place... but he got into rehab and managed to end his trip of self-destruction. He became a California senator but kept everyone at arm's length. There were plenty of women, but almost all are gone by morning. He slept with the wrong woman, who doesn't understand "no". He needs a fiancee, a fake one will do. Then he went to Texas to attend a friend's wedding and met Chelle... // Chelle and Mason have chemistry, but Mason is a player and doesn't know any other way, while Chelle's a virgin... who knows what she wants, but doesn't want any lies. When Chelle got rid of the woman who stalked Mason all the way to Texas, he was grateful... Then got a slap in the face for not telling her the truth to start. Now Mason is confused about his feelings for Chelle...

The meetcute is good, as the "fake fiancee" thing is kinda on kinda off. She wants to get it on, but on HER terms, not his. And she wants the truth, not lies, and he was a player, and never had to lie. The only problem I have is "why this woman"? And this is sort of explained later, how Mason has a broken family and relied on friends, but maybe he yearned for a big family again, and she has such a big family and a small town full of friends. Still, his infatuation was left a bit unexplained and presented as if it's the unexplained "she's the one". The rest of the developments have interesting points, but also some cliches (like Ruby Rose, the female best friend). Though the double grand gesture, both from him and from her was satisfying. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Tycoon Takedown by Ruth Cardello

Melanie, a single mother, just had her son asked where is his father. So she gathered up the courage to travel from a Texas ranch to New York City to find him. Yes, it was only one night. Yes, that's his son. But this emotional journey won't be easy... // Charles, a New York millionaire on top of the investment game, rarely gets asked for a favor by his sister Sarah in Texas. So when Sarah asked him to keep an eye on her best friend Melanie while she's in New York, he can't say no. When Melanie was purse-snatched while on the phone with Charles, he went alpha male protective... only to find Melanie had the situation well in hand... having taken down the armed mugger by herself, and gained the viral moniker "Takedown Cowgirl". Now Charles is totally smitten with Melanie, and Melanie loved the domineering Charles in bed. but Melanie's life and son are in Texas, while Charles lives in New York. Can this relationship ever work? 

Nice, very nice. There is some light bondage in the sex scenes, but it's light sensual bondage. But the more important thing is there is a definitely character arc to both MMC and FMC. Charles started out as the quintessential domineering alpha male who don't want kids or single mothers, and ended up as not only a good father, but also chose to mentor a young man out of a life on the streets. Melanie started out as a woman on a trip of redemption (Must find father of my son) and ended with a father for her child (just not the one she was first looking for) and ended up gaining a family and a lover who did not try to change her (not that she'll put up with it). 5/5

GRR Reviews To Hold a Rancher's Hand by Kadi James

Rafe is back from the Middle East, ready to settle back into civilian life. He took up the mantle of volunteer firefighter to protect his community and be the head of one of the guardian ranches of Coyote Valley. When a fire swept through the valley, and tore through Gail's community, Rafe and crew managed to stop the blaze, but cannot save Gail's place. Rafe offered Gail a place to stay, and it was accepted. But Gail wondered if this can be long-term, as there was a reason she prefers to live alone... 

Really not feeling much for this.  Nothing really memorable comes to mind. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire Bargain by Lila Monroe

 Aussie billionaire Grant Devlin is an impulsive man who jets off with supermodels and, blows 500K in Monte Carlo casinos, exercises shirtless in his office, and basically lives life to the excess, leaving Lacey, the PR girl, to clean up his mess in his wake. As a result, Lacey understands the charm of Grant Devlin, and how he's utterly undependable. When Grant is forced to present a calmer, more refined image and settle down to soothe the investors, he chose Lacey as his future wife...

Not really feeling much about this one, as Grant is alternately reckless and dreamy, and Lacey is alternately charmed and sometimes broken from the spell. A bit of "meh" here. 2.5/5

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 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

GRR Reviews Where the Stars Meet the Sea by Heidi Kimball

Juliet and her little brother Harry were taken in by her titled aunt after the death of her father, a Scottish sea captain, and her mother, a titled lady who eloped for love. Juliet knew she would receive her inheritance on her 21st birthday, and she will have no nobility title. Until then her disapproving aunt controlled everything, including sending Harry off to a strict boarding school in London. Forced to accompany the family to visit Shaldron Castle, Juliet only wanted to keep to herself, as she does not know how to react to her cousin (her aunt's son) who professed to love her. A chance encounter with a boorish stranger with a walking stick caused her to lose her temper and control of her tongue. She was shocked to find out this is none other than Duke of Halstead, her host. She was shocked again when the duke seems to express an interest in her, even as he was supposed to marrying another titled lady. It was clear the Duke cares not for the expectations upon him, not even by his own mother and grandmother, esp. after an injury that crippled him for life, and caused him to withdraw from everything, esp. love. Neither expected this friendship to grow, but it did. Yet, her evil aunt has an ultimatum for her that will destroy her dreams.. 

Okay, the plotting and the angst is quite good, as the setup and push-pull was done really well. However, the ultimatum and the resolution really makes no sense. While the darkest hour was well done, the way from there to the grand resolution seems to have taken a few too many turns and as a result, the momentum was lost.  4/5

SPOILER

AHEAD

YOU'VE

BEEN

WARNED

Basically, the evil aunt threatened to take Harry from the boarding school (where he's hazed by the blue bloods because he's just a commoner) and drop him off at the dock so he can be shipped off as a cabin boy (the way to work your way up to maybe captain one day), if Juliet won't marry her son. Juliet was forced to accept, but a month later, decided she can't live with her decision, and will protect her brother some other way than kowtowing to her evil aunt. So she rescinded the acceptance. Then her evil aunt produced a letter from the school's headmaster, stating that her brother had run off from school leaving a note stating that he's going to join a ship, which was what he wanted anyway, as he can't take another day of the horrible school. Juliet then left her aunt's house and made her way to London trying to find her brother by prowling the docks alone...

This makes absolutely no sense. The aunt's LEVERAGE over Juliet was hinged on Harry staying in school. If Harry had escaped, there is no leverage. Showing her the letter was out of pure spite, and it was also revealed that her aunt really just wanted her inheritance, which aunt will control as her assets will belong to her new husband, which is aunt's son. For money, the aunt is willing to bind two people in marriage that do not love each other, basically ruining two lives, yet there was little background on WHY she would make such decision. That's a very "flat" villain. Coupled with lack of leverage, and the glee she produced the letter to force some anger/sadness out of Juliet, feels VERY very flat and ruined a great setup for the angst-y romance. 

GRR Reviews From This Moment On by Debra Clopton

Cali, disillusioned by her failed marriage, returned to Windswept Bay to run her family boutique resort, vowing to never love again. But when the famous mural painter Grant arrived to paint murals for her resort, she found herself wondering if her vows may have been premature... // Grant survived a plane crash that killed his best friend and his pilot. He hadn't thought about painting for a long time, but a promise is a promise, even if it's just a promise to his neighbor. Meeting Cali was a breath of fresh air, and for the first time in months, he felt alive... // As both circled each other, each must bare his and her own emotional wounds... can they trust the love they feel? 

Nice, but Grant also felt a bit TOO nice. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Mixtape by Brittainy Cherry

Emery is a single mom by choice, keeping a secret even from her own daughter, and she's barely making things meet. Struggling to hold onto a bartender job, she cannot afford to have any disruptions, or she may be unable to keep a roof over their heads... esp. a disruption caused by a teenage idol like megastar Oliver // Oliver felt adrift with no direction since the loss of his twin brother and bandmate. He self-medicates with alcohol and let himself be used by a woman he used to love. When he caused an incident at Emery's bar, causing her to lose her job, he seems to have found his purpose in life: to make both of their lives better. He hired her as his personal chef, and she became his confidant. But his evil ex is not ready to let him go, and Emery found that the secret she kept was returned with betrayal... Can they heal each other? 

While good, it's not like extraordinarily good. While I like the secret twist, and the "bad family" angle, and still have it making sense at the end, was pretty good plotting, having MMC go with FMC to home to discover the secrets feels just... off. The paparazzi angle lede was buried very nicely. 

4/5

GRR Reviews Always Will by Claire Kingsley

Selene is doing great professionally, but not so well personally, as she keeps finding and dating losers... But she's kinda addicted to "bad boys" who leave her frustrated. When a man from her past is the new owner of the company, she's at a quandary what to do next... // Ronan plays to win, after a personal tragedy changed his view on life. He was shocked to find the woman who haunted his dreams is now one of his employees. He must have her... but can he keep her?

Eh... I'm not too sure about this one. Ronan just doesn't feel that sympathetic at the beginning. It wasn't until we learned about WHY he's that way that he became a bit more likable. I'm going to borrow a term from screenwriting... The main character seems to be lacking a "save the cat" moment, to prove he's not beyond redemption. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews The Author by Lexy Timms

Annie has a boss who blamed her for his mistakes, berates her in front of clients, and is generally an ass. But she needs to put food on the table, so she puts up with it during the day, and go with friends to relax at night... like to bars. // Lincoln is a bartender at night, which gives him for his other job... romance author. But he just writes stuff to put food on the table, not really believing in love himself after a betrayal. // The two met, and it seems they are the perfect fit, but Annie is too busy for relationships... but that's only because of her terrible boss... Can Lincoln help her see that?

Good, but not that great. 4/5

GRR Reviews Her Country Christmas Date by Ranee S Clark

Dru is a famous country rock star and rich, and the paparazzi portrayed him as a playboy. So he went to a quaint little country inn for Christmas, somewhere no one will expect him (but will probably recognize him anyway). And meeting Amber across the hall is very nice... // Amber knew of Dru's reputation and is wary of his attention. But Dru managed to convince Amber to accept a dozen dates, and it'll go only as far as she wanted. After all, she's only around for ten more days...

Good "holiday fling" short, under 100 pages. 4/5

GRR Reviews Ready to Fall by Daisy Prescott

John is a genuine lumberjack. He wears jeans and plaid. He's big, has rugged good looks, and a dog named Babe. It seems his new neighbor, Diane, has her own secrets and scars, but so does he. She's a city girl just taking a break in the country getting over her own problems, such as an ex-husband intending to draw out the process. He's a country boy living in the countryside and his girlfriend is not really going to divorce her cheating husband after all. Why does being tour guide for Diane feel so right?

Told from John's POV, there seems to be quite a few randy un-PC thoughts and plenty of f-bombs that may turn off some readers. It is rather... charming, as we are in John's head, but then, a guy's head is not clean. So this isn't sweet or clean. I like the characters and their interactions. 4/5

GRR Reviews Dear Santa: The Party by Mona Ingram

Paige just finished catering a high-profile Christmas party for a high-tech company and was just checking the final details when a guy from the cleaning crew walked in. Already exhausted, she accepted invitation to relax a little. He's handsome, and a good listener. She didn't know that's actually the company CEO, late to his own party, and wanted to know Paige a lot better...

NOTE: This is a 80-page short, and it is indeed sweet and hopeful. 4/5