GRR Reviews No Broken Beast by Nicole Snow

Clarissa returned to her hometown Heart's Edge when her sister vanished from their candy store. She left the town years ago when the hotel burned down, killing her father. But she's keeping secrets... Because Leo stayed behind... and is her child's father. Leo had since become the monster around town known as "Nine". The town never knew that her father made a deal and turned the labyrinth below her family mansion into a secret lab to create monsters like Leo... and Leo risked everything to save her that night. But the evil isn't done with that place, and her sister is now paying the price. Clarissa will have to save her sister, with Leo's help... but Leo will meet his match... a fellow monster, with his own plans...

An interesting way to do a beauty-and-the-beast story albeit combined with a ton of other tropes... the sci-fi bent seems to be inspired by Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation, combined with secret baby and more. It's just that... this book doesn't quite know whether it wants to be a scifi story, a conspiracy story, or a romantic suspense story. It just felt a bit... off. 4/5

GRR Reveiws The Billionaire's White Lie by Amy Deluca

Art photographer Kristal had always lived in a mansion and indulged in her photography as a hobby since she has a trust fund that can easy support her frugal living. But her father passed away, and her step-mother abruptly informed her that the mansion is being repossessed, and someone stole her trust fund. She's off chasing another man to support her lifestyle, sayonara! Kristal is reduced to couch surf at her best friend's place (and babysit if available) and waitressing at a high-end restaurant, but she won't take handouts... // Hunter rose from humble beginnings to a tech billionaire and he never forgot Kristal, the rich but kind not spoiled girl from school When he suddenly found Kristal as his waitress, he was stunned. But his attempt to help her was rebuffed until he came up with a white lie: he needs a roommate at the rented mansion to help pitch a TV show with his six housemates, often jokingly called together, the seven dwarves, and Kristal can be their Snow White. Hunter will fund the TV show himself if he can just get Kristal close to him... even if this Snow White never finds her prince in him...

This is a modern retelling of a classic fairy tale, and the setup isn't too bad. The tension however, doesn't ratchet up quite right, as the darkest hour pretty much had to be her moving out to pursue her own career and place to live, probably far away. And the ending was a far-too-convenient overheard confession by the two people that betrayed Kristal. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Auld Lang Mine by Sarah Spade

Tristan was supposed to check up with his business partner, who just settled down with his woman on the opposite coast. But his attempt to join their Christmas party ended up with him crashing a Christmas masquerade ball... and with a little help, met the woman of his dreams, also wearing a half-mask. But she ran away from him... leaving only a tantalizing clue. He must find her... Then what? // Lindy was just helping her cousin catering the party, as she shouldn't spend Christmas alone. But having been dumped by boyfriend a few months back, flunked out of school due to BF drama, AND lost her job she held for years due to business closing, will get any girl down. She only planned to skim the periphery of the masquerade party. She didn't plan on meeting him, or kissing him under the mistletoe. But when the host announced that everyone will take off their mask at midnight, she ran from him. Because she always screw everything up... But maybe not this time...

Awwww... Cinderella-inspired story for sure. And VERY nice, no major flaws in the story. There is just a HINT of supernatural. Yes, you'll see it. And you'll notice all the OTHER characters making guest apperances in the subsequent novels. VERY nice, esp. for being under 100 pages. 5/5

GRR Reviews Her Beast of a Billionaire Boss by Lucy McConnell

Seattle has a beast, and his name is Adam Moreau. He's the most notorious lawyer in the city, and he crushes his opponents, like his nickname. He created a different legacy, what became known as the Billionaire Cove (by nickname only). When a loser in court threw acid on him, leaving him scarred, he became even morose and reclusive... and only a beauty like Bella can draw him out... // Bella is a law intern, and her father works for Adam Moreau as in-house counsel. When her father had a heart-attack, Bella had to take over the projects. Bella's boyfriend Christian had just abandoned her to woo his way into Wolf, Wolf and Wolf (the Wolf Brothers law firm). Bella thought herself unable to love, but soon, she fell for "the Beast", who she saw through to the core. When Christian found a chink in Beast's armor... a document that can utterly destroy the Beast and his entire legacy, will Bella be able to save him?

Obviously a takeoff from Beauty and the Beast, there are good moments, but there are also many TSTL moments (where Adam refuse to listen to his uncle and other people, which lead to him being blind-sided by the "chink in his armor". 4/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire Disguise by Kate Palmer

Ella returned to her family ranch for the summer, hoping to make it her final project in order to graduate, and thus, invoke the trust to make it hers permanently. She arrived only to find that her stepmother had leased the ranch to the Duke family. However, she's determined to do her project... By hiding on the ranch as the new groundskeeper. // Stone keeps his two identities separate... In public, he's the Duke heir, but when he needs his alone time, he's just Stone. And going to the ranch as the new operations manager is his Stone time. Meeting Ella asleep in the room was a surprise... And it's clear Ella is hiding something from him... // Ella cannot afford interference from ANYONE, including Stone, who cannot know she's the rightful heir to the ranch... For she just learned that her stepmother claimed to be the owner and leased it to Dukes with option to buy, withOUT mentioning that the title is actually in a trust.  But Duke can tell she's more than just the groundskeeper when she clearly knows much more about the ranch than merely a groundskeeper. But when the stepmom found out, and exposed her, is it all over for her dreams? Or will Stone recognize the threat and protect the one who needs it most?

While I like the way the fairy tale (for it's obviously a takeoff on Cinderella) was setup, the darkest hour feels really forced. Also, the ending attack is not chemically or physically possible. Valium CANNOT be used as contact sedative. While it *can* absorbed through the skin, a valium laced smoothie, soaking through the clothes, would not get enough on the victim to act as a sedative. And Ella is simply TOO naive and lacks self-preservation instincts, falling into TSTL category. I really wanted to give this a 4/5 but in the end, Ella's TSTL means this can't be more than 3/5.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic suspense

Overall Rating: 3/5

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

GRR Reviews Bella and the BIllionaire Beast by Julia Keanini

Bella survived her divorce when her dream husband fell to the influence of drugs and disappeared. She moved across the country with her son to investigate an opportunity, only to see it fall through. When a reclusive billionaire wanted to fund her dream of a fashion line, she had to see how it pans out... // West went to prison and is back out, having lost his family, his looks, and more. He's not through paying for his sins. He knew Bella is struggling, and he has plenty of money to make things right, but he also knew she would never take a penny from him... So he had to use a pseudonym... But it's clear Bella and West are not over each other. What will Bella do when she found the truth? Can the broken family be reunited?

Basically a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast", the plot was slightly forced at times. He was stalking his ex-family like Robocop sometimes does (in the TV series) and protect them in the shadows in the beginning, and his family somehow is still rich enough to fund whatever he wanted including a full household staff (technically they're his sister's staff). And Bella's son was able to accept the scarred and tattooed beast as his father with no fuss, no muss. Eh... Okay, I guess.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3/5

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

GRR Reviews Yours Royally by Krista Lakes

Your Royally was supposed to be a Cinderella Love story, but it was sticking a bit too close to formula, with evil step-mother, innocent FMC, and way too charming MMC.

Prince Marco needs some time off, going to spend some quiet time in America just as "Marco". Normally his assistant handles all that, but that assistant needs some time off too. So they hired an American girl... Sabrina, to be a short-stint personal assistant, just for a couple weeks. But secrecy is paramount... Not even Sabrina must know about Marco's real identity... but Sabrina, with her naivete and guileless demeanor, made Prince Marco wonder if they can be good together... but his father is sick and scheduled for surgery, and his step-mother is fooling around and everybody pretends to not notice... // Sabrina and her family are barely making do after her father had been laid off and medical bills stacked up. She can't afford to turn down or mess up this job in any way, even if she has no experience. She never expected to taste the high life, like a private jet and 5-star restaurants, or even Hawaii private island. And Marco is charming and handsome... but Marco's mood is fouled by developments at home... ones he can't talk about... And once they shared that secret... things will never be the same...

The evil step-mom was so arch-type it's a caricature. There was no EXPLANATION for why she acts that way other than she was spoiled rotten or some other psychopathy. And Marco was a bit TOO charming and Sabrina was a bit too Cinderella. Yes, these are modern fairy-tales, but please, show a little more creativity?

Category: Contemporary / Fairy tale

Primary Plot: Young woman had no idea her companion is a genuine prince... or the amount of problems he had to negotiate, but she can help...

Overall Rating: 3/5

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

GRR Reviews Cowboy Charming by Lacy Williams

Cowboy Charming is, as the subtitle says, a reverse Cinderella story. The ending, however, just left me very very sad.

Ethan gave up his college scholarship to raise his two stepbrothers after his father then his stepmother both passed. He had to stay on the family dairy farm and pick up odd jobs to support the family, but that left him little time to parent his two step-brothers, who are forever getting into worse trouble. While he's handsome, he always tired and haggard. When a real princess came to town, he could only admire from afar. She is way out of his league. So he's as surprised as anyone when she approached him... // Princess Mia is visiting the US to help with her sister's upcoming engagement ball, after escaping assassins and rescued by a Texas Cowboy. She thought she knew what love was... but despite having five boyfriends (one for each year after 18) she had definitely not found the one, and her last breakout, in a very public fashion, left her wanting the one cowboy who didn't kowtow to her. But Ethan can't go when he's tied to the place supporting his stepbrothers... and she can't stay...

The ending was extremely sad in a way. It does provide an HEA though, but still, it's sad as heck. I'm sure you can figure it out. It's not exactly a deus ex machina, but it was close. And that just left me... as I said, sad. I thought romance is supposed to have happy endings... It's a mix of happy and sad.

Category: Contemporary Western / Fairy Tale

Primary Plot: Princess visiting the US falls for the one cowboy who didn't kowtow to her, but he's tied to his ranch and his two stepbrothers

Overall Rating: 3/5

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

GRR Reviews YIELD - Emily & Damon (Fettered) by Lilia Moon

Yield managed to capture the excitement and sensual feel of kink while understanding the lifestyle, even though the premise, upon reflection, is trope as heck. It is, however, very well polished and enjoyable.

Emily is Seattle's best wedding planner with the superpower to handle all details and not leaving out a single one. When one of her clients wanted a wedding in a BDSM club, she didn't bat an eye, even though she never been in one. Her preparations lead her to Club Fettered, owned by Damon Black, the most "notorious" dom in Seattle. Damon knew Emily was way too innocent to play in his world, he hoped he can scare her away with a demonstration... 24 hours with him, as sorta BDSM for Dummies. But she didn't react the way he thought she would. Now he can't stay away...

This is about the sensual way to do BDSM, just light spanking and some toys. Though it's basically a fantasy... an experienced dom somehow found a noob that turned out to be an ideal sub after ONE encounter and gently groomed her. But it is quite titillating and enjoyable.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can a wedding planner who had never done BDSM as a sub fall for the city's most notorious dom after just 24 hours?

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Cinderella.Com: A Modern Day Cinderella by River Laurent

Cinderella.com is a contemporary romance that has an intriguing premise, but problems with some of the Montana and ranching details as well as a deus ex machina ending (that was a result of insufficient foreshadowing) made it impossible for me to award it more than 4/5

Cass is drowning in debt from a loan shark, in order pay her father's medical bills. She can't find any work, and soon she'll be out on the street because she hadn't had money to pay rent. When her friend signed her on for Cinderella.com and found her a job pays 30K for one month of work, she can't refuse. The job was to impersonate the famous hotel heiress Tamara Honeywell and live on a ranch in Montana and learn how to ride a horse. Tamara's daddy meant for that to be a punishment, but Tamara will sneak off somewhere and party for a month. Cass will have to get a spray tan, get lips done, and learn how to behave like a spoiled brat. But she's ready for that. What she was not ready for was the jaw-dropping gorgeous cowboy Clay... who can't stand pampered princesses like Tamara... Even as Cass fell for Clay, Cass can't stay... because this ain't her life...

The high concept was great, and an interesting twist on "hidden identity" trope. However, it seems the author didn't do proper research on the Montana ranching and several small details didn't quite conform to reality. Furthermore, without spoiling anything, let's just say the ending was not foreshadowed properly and when it was revealed, it felt like a deus ex machina rather than a genuine "twist" that makes the reader exclaim "OMG How did I miss that?" Instead, it's more like "Wait, where that came from?" which made it a trope.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Young woman, paid to impersonate an heiress banished to a ranch as punishment, fell for the cowboy shepherding her. The cowboy hates pampered princesses, but even he recognized this one may be the exception...

Tropes: disguise, ranch, different worlds, fish out of water, fairy tale

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews The Distance Between Stars by Nicole Conway

The Distance Between Stars is a contemporary romance between two very unlikely characters: a strong silent hero (whose head injury rendered him mute), and a girl who's allergic to the sun (and ended up as a prisoner in her mansion). While the setup was somewhat interesting, the FMC's background only half-made sense.

To recap, Joseph Clancey woke up from an IED attack in the Middle East, and found he had lost his ability to speak. He was discharged and found work as a handyman back in his hometown, living at home, with his brother and his wife, and little prospect of future. He found work as handyman at Filibrault Manor, which needed a lot of fixing up. Then one day, he found that someone had added a message to the notebook he used to communicate... Someone named Beverly. She was a virtual prisoner in the manor, but not of her choosing. She is deathly allergic to the sun, and since then she had been cut off from virtually all outside contact. Joe was the only new person she had seen in recent years. And they developed a relationship... and Joe was determined to liberate her from her prison... even if he can never see her again...

I find the reason for the FMC's imprisonment nebulous and sadistic. There was no reason to limit her freedom that way. It was even worse than a real prison. That's just truly evil, just "because". The rest of the book is fine.

Category: Contemporary / Fairy Tale

Primary Plot:  Strong silent hero meets girl kept prisoner by her ailment and circumstances; can he rescue her and love her by sending her away

Tropes: different worlds, handy man, kidnapping, protector, woman in peril, scars, evil parents

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Wanted: A Wife for the Sheikh (Desert Ki by Diana Fraser

Wanted: A Wife for the Shiekh is a mediocre fairy tale where a girl getting by as cleaning staff in a hotel gets hired by a sheikh to be his personal assistant and computer consultant, but also knew that they cannot love because he is in line for the throne and must marry a strategic partner rather than for love. The ending was achieved without any struggle.

Crown Prince Malek of Sumaira is an international lawyer, usually leaving his crown prince duties to his brother. However, his brother was somewhere in the Australian outback in a journey to find himself and when his father died, he must assume his duties to be crowned king and marry to create a queen to stabilize the country. When his team of assistants screwed up a presentation and the hotel cleaning staff, Sophie, managed to resolve the problem, he hired her on the spot as the royal IT consultant (which she's actually quite qualified for) for six months. However, Malek is fighting his mother, who did not want him to become king. Sophie was smitten with Malek, but she knew this romance can go nowhere, as he needed to marry politically and strategically, and there is no place for a British girl intending to travel the world. Malek is just as smitten with Sophie, so different from the local woman, and unsophisticated in palace politics, but he cannot hurt his kingdom, a post he did not want, yet no one else will take...

SPOILER ALERT

The ending sucked as neither resolved their problem. Someone else resolved the problem for them by finding Malek's brother in Australia and flew him back to be crowned King instead, leaving Malek to marry Sophie. NO STRUGGLE! The love angst was not resolved by the lovers! This is basically a deus ex machina! The author basically CHEATED to give the couple the happily ever after! Add this to a mostly "meh" romance, and you got a decidedly UNDERWHELMING one.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Arab prince hired a hotel maid to be his IT expert and fell for her, but he's destined to marry someone else for his kingdom...

Tropes: different worlds, royalty, family pressure, ugly duckling, fairy tale

Overall Rating:  2/5

GRR Reviews Buying His Virgin: A Billionaire Auction R by Lila Younger

Buying His Virgin is a fairy tale about a girl who sold herself to pay her parents' debts (to finance her education) and ended up in the hand of her crush, a billionaire, who treated her like a girlfriend, not a purchase.

Olivia wanted to be a journalist and had a crush on media mogul Silas Rutherford. She insisted on a small but expensive college for their journalism program against her parent's wishes. Then she found out her father had gotten into a car accident, then he had lost his job as an insurance salesman and had been taking two jobs (and her mom too) to make ends meet, and it's still not enough. They had been taking loans from a loan shark, and they owe... 500K. And the only way out, the loan shark suggested... was for her to auction herself off for a week with some... very... "ahem" exclusive folks. While she went to New York to finalize the deal (she put her parents into that situation, she's going to get them out of it) she actually met Silas Rutherford in a small cafe, seems to be a really nice guy, and the feeling's mutual. But when she went tongue-tied, she ran. Silas Rutherford was amazed to see Olivia, the girl he met in the cafe for that fleeting moment, on the auction, and she's a... virgin! So... he bid a million bucks for her... warned off all other bidders. Then he treated her like a girlfriend, wined and dined her, and they fell in love. And of course, he got her v-card, willingly. Yea.

What struggle? There is no struggle. Well, maybe a little about Olivia accepting Silas' intentions are pure and won't leave her, but really, it's a fairy tale, little more.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Girl auctioned herself off to pay family debt found herself in arms of the man of her dreams; can this last?

Tropes: auction, different worlds, fairy tale

Overall Rating: 2/5

GRR Reviews Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Stor by Krista Lakes

Yours completely is a retelling of the classic Cinderella story (complete with evil stepmother and a prince charming, albeit, not a royalty this time) set at a resort. It is quite charming to read though at times somewhat exasperating and disappointing in how close the author chose to stick to the classic tale, yet at other times made some brilliant twists on the classic theme.

Ella was named in the will to inherit the resort but only if her stepmother Dolores agrees. So Dolores was doing everything in her power, including making her work grueling hours with minimal pay and make everything her fault (including lack of maintenance) and dirty jobs (like scrubbing horses) to make sure Ella would never outshine her little stepsister Alison. But karma has a way when Jace Connors ran into the horse barn intending to hide from the crazy bachelorettes intending to "help" him out of his clothes. Ella mistook Jace for the groom (Jace is actually groom's older brother) and refused to kiss him despite obvious attraction between the two. Dolores got mad when Ella offered up her mother's wedding dress when the bride's wedding dress was destroyed in transit, which leads to Ella (instead of Alison) appointed as the bride liaison...

Dolores will get her comeuppance. The romance with Jace was filled with twisted events from the classic Cinderella tales, such as the big ballroom dance, and obviously have Alison, the step-sister, trying to seduce Jace. But this is NOT the classic tale, nor the original tale. Jace will doubt, and evil step-mother will ALMOST succeed in breaking them apart... but there will be HEA at the end. It was fun looking for the parallels and smile when the expectations are broken by twists upon a familiar theme.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Cinderella Story Recast as Contemporary Romance, Completely With Step-Mother, Step sister, and a Big Ballroom Dance

Tropes: fairy tale, evil parents, sibling problems, triangle, resort, different worlds

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Review Once Upon a Cowboy by Lacy Williams

Once Upon A Cowboy, a retelling of Snow White as Contemporary Western Romance is an interesting take on a classic tale,

Princess Alessandra, barely surviving an assassination attempt, disappeared by switching multiple flights and hiding in the back of a pickup truck, avoiding security cameras, and ended up in the middle of Hale Ranch in Oklahoma, and meeting Gideon Hale, ex-SEAL, now just a rancher with a bum knee. Gideon took in Allie temporarily and both learned that each uses the exterior to hide a more vulnerable interior. When enemies close in, Gideon must call upon his training to protect Allie.

The problem with this tale is there are just too many contrivances. For a royal house, the security was surprisingly lax, and the poisoning episode (hey, this is Snow White story after all) was just lame with NOBODY around. The ending was also kinda lame where Gideon pretty much just became a consultant for the entire palace security. Must be a pretty lame country where no local police or even state department diplomatic security bothered to show up.


Category: Western / Contemporary

Primary Plot: Princess escaped to middle of nowhere ranch in Oklahoma, rescued by ex-SEAL rancher, fell in love, now ex-SEAL must save the princess from bad guys

Tropes: fairy tale, different worlds, fish out of water, protector

Overall Rating: 3/5

GRR Review: A Dragonfly's Whisper by Jennifer Julie Miller

A Dragonfly's Whisper is a modern fairy tale and cozy romance by Jennifer Julie Miller. It is mainly about the reluctance to love, not hard heartbreaks.

Nora had lost the love of her life a long time ago. Now she just wanted to be the housekeeper of a cabin and go on, even though the handsome Roman had wanted her hand for years. Roman wanted Nora to choose a life with him, and this time, he had enlisted help of the various neighbors, leading up to a surprise wedding. But he cannot be sure Nora will not choose to run. But the Dragonflies are listening, and Nora will hear the whisper in her dreams... 

As in the first volume, Water Skippers, the insects here are agents of the supernatural, and it's about moving on from loss. There is much less of the fairy tale element than the first volume, but it is a charming tale.

Category: Contemporary / Paranormal

Primary Plot: Older woman still mourning her loss was wooed by older man who needed a little more help to make her see 2nd chance at love

Overall Rating:  3/5