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 Her Cowboy King by Madeline Ash

Mark and his two brothers, Kris and Tom, are just cowboys on a ranch in America when they received news that the Kingdom of Kiraly needs them... as Mark, i.e. Marcus, is now the next in line for the throne. But what does three cowboys know about being royalty? // Princess Ava has her own plans to escape with her secret, apart from her parent's "strategic marriage" plans for her, preferably with the new King Marcus of Kiraly. She has plans to make the new King hate her, but Marcus turns out to be a kind man, and she found herself falling for him. Now she has to choose between escaping and loving the king...

Not bad, even though Ava turned out to be a bit wishy-washy, but it all made sense, due to the amount of pressure she had been under. Not too much cowboy-ing in the Alps. 4/5

GRR Reviews Bleacke's Geek by Lesli Richardson

 Dewi Bleacke is a prime alpha wolf (one of the very few female prime alphas) and head enforcer of the Targhee Pack in Florida. While on the hunt for a dirtbag who literally sold his daughter for drugs, she came across her one true mate... in the form of a vegetarian geek professor by the name of Dr. Heathcliff McKenzie Ethelbert. "Inviting" him into the restroom for a quick romp may not be the best way to a guy's heart, nor was gunning down the scumbag then "inviting" "Ken" to come along (quietly). But a girl's gonna do what must be done, including meeting her "family"... partner "Beck", and surrogate father "Badger" (both shifters) who had to adapt to living with a "grazer". But someone is watching from the shadows... a killer that killed Dewi's parents and almost killed her and was never caught. Will "Ken" rise above the low expectations, and be a worthy mate to Dewi? 

 For a series starter, the reversal of roles (generally, the shifter is H and the human is h, this has the reverse) is a great way to keep things interesting. And while the onion peel was done properly it just feels a bit too quick, and the bad guy's obsession and motivation a bit suspect.  Still, it's a fun story. 

4/5

GRR Reviews Borrowing Kisses by Kat Bellemore

 Zoe, the special assistant to the mayor of the small town of Amor, knew her town will never be the same after the nearby space sport opened for space tourism. But when the real estate developer Stephen arrived, with the blessing of the mayor, to buy out a few businesses so the town can grow, she chose to sabotage Stephen to drive him out, to "save" her town...  // Stephen is a workaholic raised by a workaholic after the loss of his mother. He knew a promotion is promised if he can get the town to buy in, and he's NOT trying to mess up the town. But with "help" like Zoe thwarting his every move, his overall mission may be in jeopardy... // Stephen and Zoe are total opposites... He's a disciplined deal-maker. She's a free-spirit friend-maker. Yet there is an intense attraction there that neither can deny. But will they be fighting too much to give love a chance? 

Okay, the back and forth is actually pretty good, and the changing of mind makes sense. However, it's certain that the "spaceport" bit was written without a technical consultant. There is just NO WAY that even a civilian spaceport would let just random gawkers go up and TOUCH the ship... or let a pilot offer "inside tours" after a landing.  This is not a 747. Not that you can touch the skin of a 747 from the ground anyway. Maybe the engine cowling. But this is supposed to be a spaceship? Spaceplane? Whatever... 3/5

GRR Reviews Bride for Easton by Cassie Hayes

It is the early 1900's. Molly refused to have her life arranged by her parents any more. She wants a large family, not to become a nun. When all attempts to dissuade her parents failed, she sought the help of matchmaker Hazel, and became a mail-order bride... // Easton is the commander of the mounties... in Cougar Springs, Alberta. It's a small town and while the duty is not hazardous, it can use some female company... not that Easton really wanted any. But when his men are getting restless, he had to get his own bride... but when the spunky ex-nun showed up, his life is turned upside down...

Ah, one of those surprise marriage stories and a bit of opposite attract. Good, not great. 4/5

GRR Reviews Like a Winter Snow by Lindsay Harrel

Joy is a women's counselor who put her life on hold to care for her aging parents, one with Alzheimer's. She reluctantly went to England to help her best friend's wedding, and met Oliver, who may be her one true love... on the wrong side of the planet. She resisted love with all her might, because she must return to care for her parents... right?

Solution is expected, and this is NOT deus ex machina because the author managed to setup the solution early in the book, but buried it quite deeply. 4.5/5

GRR reviews Meet Me at Sunrise by Lucinda Whitney

Vanessa just learned that she has a grandpa she never knew about... in Europe, and he is VERY rich. Angry with her father for keeping secrets her entire life, and trying to get over a breakup, she left for Europe on a river cruise, escorted by none other than ship's captain, Matias Romano. She was not looking for love. // Matias is the captain of a ship with a jillion details to oversee, and has no time to babysit a "princess", but when his boss asked, he can only answer "yessir". But Vanessa turned out to be NOT a princess at all, but an EMT that helped a guest through a medical emergency. And when the ship started to suffer mysterious malfunctions, she may be the only one he can trust to get to the bottom of it all...

Good mystery and "wrong expectations", good mix of different characters. 4/5

GRR Reviews Meet Me In London by Jennifer Youngblood and Haley Hopkins

Audrey had been video chatting with William, a genuine Brit that she met online. They hit it off well, and she just told him that she'll be visiting London, and hope he can join her on a tour. However, her flight was unpleasant. A weird guy Aidan shared her cab and seems a bit obsessed with her... and fellow tour member Zane was rude and annoying... and... no William. As Zane slowly worked himself into her heart, and Audrey also felt uncomfortable, as if she's being watched, she started to wonder what did she really feel toward William... Then her stalker actually showed up...

*sigh* It seems the authors cranked this out without actually researching the Brits. Brits don't have a firearms fetish like us Yanks. In fact, the vast majority of London metro police (about 90%) is not armed, and even their criminals rarely use firearms. A Yank living in London, already under suspicion by police, should not have been able to get a firearm. The rest of the plotting is not too bad though. 3/5

GRR Reviews Christmas with a Mountain Man by Ellie Hall

Francesca "Frankie" Costa is a chef that just lost her restaurant due to a sneaky lease. Upon discovering that her family had a cabin up in the mountains she never knew, she decided to go there, to get away from everyone, to think. She didn't count on meeting a bear upon her arrival, or for the handsome mountain man neighbor to come to her rescue... Only to find he's a Hawkins, with whom the Costas had a long family feud... or is supposed to. // Rocky Hawkins is one of the Hawkins boys, with plenty of money, and intending to make his own way in life with a professional ice hockey career. But one night changed everything, and he left everything behind and retreated to the mountains. He didn't count on a beautiful woman moving in next door before Christmas, only to have her being a Costa... // It seems both need a little Christmas miracle...

While the title has Mountain man, this is not a trope mountain man novel, but rather, a novel about a fish out of water, breaking down a recluse's walls, something usually reserved for "nosy reporter meets and befriends town recluse" trope. I find her insistence to fix everything a bit... perplexing. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Reluctantly Matched by Shanna Delaney

Samantha finally reached Florence, a trip she had to take alone because her grandma (who raised her) finally passed away after suffering Alzheimer's. She dropped out of art school to care for grandma, and she has a job in a nursing home she can go back to... But her adventure was derailed several times... And she met the irritatingly handsome and hot-and-cold guy Edo on the plane... Who'd knew he's the son of her host at the charming Italian B&B? // Edo was summoned home to take over the family B&B, something he dreaded for years, having his heart broken before. The B&B was operating at a loss that was compensated by his mother's cooking classes. Now that his parents wanted to travel, he can't balance the books. So why is his mother pushing him to play tour guide to the pretty American, who's only here for 10 days? Yet this American is NOT like any tourist he knew...

Good Italian details, but at times feels more like a travelogue than exploring the conflicting emotions of Sam and Edo. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Alice's Arranged Marriage by Joyce Alec

It's about 1900... Alice doesn't fit in with the rich crowd on the US East Coast, despite her father's nouveau-riche status. She hated the parties and balls where people are just out to see her fail. And she was devastated when she found that she will be going overseas, as fiancee to a British Earl, who needs a large dowry to keep his own estate afloat. How can she ever hope to fit into the even MORE rigid British high echelons... or marry a total stranger, even if he's an Earl? // Charles, Earl of Allerton, had bailed his brother (with addiction to gambling) far too often that he's in danger of going under himself. To survive, he had to cut his brother off, and to marry a rich bride from the US. She is beautiful, but she has absolutely NO manners. But he has no choice but to marry her right after Christmas... only a few weeks away. Alice found a friend, even when Charles is indifferent, and his aunt downright cruel. But who is sending her merciless notes telling her to go back home? Will she stay?

It's okay, I guess. Alice was basically sobbing and sniveling at practically every other scene, which is sorta understandable (stranger in a strange land) for a period piece but it's also annoying after a while. Charles basically had to be lectured multiple times, and I still don't quite see where love comes in. 3/5

GRR Reviews Never Goodbye by Ruth Cardello

Ian is the secret fixer in the family. He has made connections and learned skills to remove any and all obstacles in his family's path. Having failed to locate their lost brother himself (see book 5 and book 6) made him believe he had failed his family and made him doubt everyone he came across... including Claire, his "new" brother's wife's best friend, and life coach. // Claire stepped away from her life coach job in Australia to accompany her best friends to the US and help them settle in. She did not expect to fall under the microscope of a paranoid Ian, now suspecting EVERYBODY. But Claire knew how to handle difficult people, and Ian may have met his match. But can Claire make Ian see that his relentless pursuit of the truth have made him forget his ultimate responsibility, i.e. his family?

Deeper than you first suspect, the initial coupling was basically angry-sex, where each line verbal sparring is flirting. But it's the subsequent developments, and the slow realization by Ian that his pursuit of the truth may actually end up hurting him and his family, that makes it good. I usually have a problem with the "run away to sort my feelings" trope. But here, it pivoted into a hurt/comfort trope, which served as a setup for the darkest hour. Now THAT is a good way to use the "run away to sort my feelings" trope. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Christmas in Echo Creek by Kacey Linden

Willow had to escape Seattle with almost nothing, in the middle of winter, and ended up in Echo Creek, and was rescued by the town, esp. the handsome deputy Cale. Having never experienced generosity without expectations of reciprocation, Willow was doubtful and distrusting, but with no car, she had to accept the help of shelter and job... while looking over her shoulder, worried that her evil drug-running brother would chase her down... But Cale, who figured her out, and understood who she's running from, is determined to help her feel safe enough to stay, and perhaps, even learn to trust and love... Even as her brother arrived in town...

While stranger stranded in town was helped/protected by cop had been done bajillion times the polish on this one is quite good, and the twist on the trope for the darkest hour was done very nicely, if a bit more comical than you'd expect. 4/5

GRR Reviews That Hollister Man by Margaret Desmond

Sage moved far from Boston, all the way to Hollister, Montana, to save her little brother, who was about to be recruited into a local gang. Her online friend had to go visit her daughter-in-law to welcome her grandchild into the world, and sold Sage the small restaurant and ranch. Sage did not expect to meet a rugged and handsome rancher... who's seriously miffed that the land he had eyed for years to complete his family ranch was sold to an "outsider". But as Sage and brother fits into the small town life, where she will be making pies, and her brother kept grumbling about returning to Boston when he turned 18, she started to figure out that perhaps that Hollister man (town was named after his great-granddad) may just be a lonely and slightly misunderstood guy...

Interesting slow-simmer romance between rancher and city girl, sort of opposite attract. Also a bit slow at times. Not too much threat. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Small Town Scandal by Kay Lyons

Darcy got pregnant by a loser, and she headed toward her mother (who's always chasing after a boyfriend) who promised to help. On the way there, her car slid off the road, and she was rescued by Garrett, hot attorney and hospital administrator, who has a steady girlfriend Rachel, who is creating her own art studio. With no hotel room available and snow storm not letting up, Garrett offered up his guest room. But his generosity was viewed as scandalous by the small town, esp. when the hospital owner wants his daughter Rachel (Garrett's girlfriend) married ASAP. What Garrett didn't know is his best friend and fellow lawyer Tobias, a guy from the "wrong side of the tracks", has the hots for Rachel, despite her father's hostility. But he can't betray his best friend... Or is that really betrayal, when it's clear (to Tobias) that Rachel and Garrett were never in love?

Wow, the self-denial is thick in this book. It seems the ONLY one who's honest about his/her own feelings is Tobias. He wants Rachel. Rachel thought she's in love with Garrett, even though she just wants independence from her overbearing "women should be married" father. Garrett thought he's in love with Rachel, but it's more friendship than love, not to mention his boss (and her father) keeps threatening him with his job or his brother's job (who's a surgeon in the hospital). Even Darcy wasn't sure what she wanted. She doesn't want to disrupt Garrett's life, but she's involved nonetheless. Add Garrett's sweet but hard grandma, and Darcy's mother flaking out, and you have the darkest hour where Garrett had to make a decision before Darcy tries to leave, despite late-term pregnancy.  If you can look past the ton of self-denial ("I'm not in love with...") the book is actually quite good. Though the evil dad's attitude was never explained nor karma applied. 4/5

GRR Reviews A Secretive Mail Order Widow for the Humorous Rancher by Elliee Atkinson

Nancy became a widow when her husband, heir to banking family, was killed in a bank robbery. Nancy was then forced out by her (former) in-laws. With no choice, she became a mail-order bride, and ended up in Low Valley as wife to Ben, who was happy to meet Nancy, and enchanted by her beauty, but he can also see she's hiding a secret... However, Bea, a maid on the ranch, claimed that Ben was his, and she'll do anything to get rid of her competition...

Decent love triangle, though why didn't they escalate this to the ranch owner is beyond me. 4/5

GRR Reviews Stay by AJ Alexander

Addison is the only daughter of a major hospital's owner. She's expected to be a doctor's wife and little else. When her fiancee, a hot new surgeon, f***ed a bimbo in their bed, and was not the least apologetic for it ("How else will I be chief of surgery?"), she left for her "bad influence" cousin's place in California, determined to hide for the summer and start her teaching job in the fall. She can't trust any men who like her... they probably want access to her family through her. She had an instant attraction for Cole... until she learned Cole is her cousin Violet's dog walker. // Cole is a man-whore... Being good with dogs, lots of dogs, makes the ladies swoon. He'd also been burned before. He once wanted a veterinary career, until he decided he doesn't want to be office-bound, so he started a dog-walking business that paid surprisingly well. And his fiancee, the one she grew up with, left him, blaming his "lack of ambition". Cole knew Addison is out of his league, but he wants her as her, not as a conduit toward something else.  But how does he convince her of that?

Not bad, but the father and the fiance are just pretty flat evil and didn't seem they got any karma at least by book's end. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Runaway Bride by Cynthia Swan

Alex had it all once. After the death of his parents, he was a billionaire, and he had no care in the world except partying which can't assuage his grief. He just let his uncle manage his finances. Then one day, he rescued a damsel in distress, stopped a killer... but was permanently disfigured when he was thrown through a glass window by the assailant. It was the same day when he found that his uncle stole all his money and left the country, leaving him with nothing. Only a secret deed and some leftover contingency cash left him a place to stay, a cottage in Magnolia Beach, where he, ashamed of being seen, became the town recluse... // Rose was about to marry the man of her dreams when it all turned into a nightmare... Her best friend in the restroom, holding up a positive pregnancy test, being consoled by her fiancee, who is the father. In a daze, she just drove and left the city behind, and when her car died in the small town of Magnolia Beach, it's a sign... right? And it seems the town recluse needs a live-in housekeeper... // The two struck up a friendship, and eventually bared their souls. But is it love? Can either feel any love after what happened to them?

Awwww, it's like a Hallmark movie. :) Main problem is the setup was a bit long. 4/5

GRR Reviews A Whyte Christmas by Michele Brouder

Kate may act like she's enjoying the Holidays, with flashing Christmas tree earrings and a lot of (fake) cheer, but she's secretly grieving over a lot of things. Her father had passed away, her engagement is toast, and her copywriter career is kaput, as she'd been let go and rehired as the receptionist. Then she found that her ex (the one who cheated) was hired as the creative lead (instead of promoting the existing senior creative)  When the ad company's biggest client decided to come and micromanage, what can you do but smile and say "yessir"? // Gavin Whyte knew why this (incompetent) firm was picked to run the drug company's ad campaign... The owner is a cousin of boss's wife or something like that. But with his own promotion on the line, he'll babysit the campaign himself. He was a little surprised when the boss offered up Kate as his companion, to "show him the sights". But let's just say Kate is a bit of a klutz, and Gavin, with his blue eyes and Irish accent, is a panty melter. But Gavin doesn't really have time to woo Kate, and he's leaving eventually, right?

Oooh, nice mix of tropes and full character arcs for both main characters. Add a set of quirky characters and some old tropes (like the tone-deaf but "inspirational" boss, much like the one in Dilbert) and minions ready to backstab each other, and it's a good Holiday tale. 5/5

GRR Reviews Where You Go by Claire Cain

Alex(andra) can't believe she ran into Luke, her first love, after ten years away. And it was clear they are not over. Luke had enlisted, then changed the deal so he can go through ROTC and become an officer. He's now mostly in a staff position stateside, but he goes where Uncle Sam sends him. And they will be an hour apart, when both he and she moved jobs. Alex can't deny their chemistry, but Alex also feels that being an "army girlfriend" will destroy any stability and roots she craved. Can this relationship ever work?

Nice, a proper military romance WITHOUT any suspense elements, nor involve special operations like SEALS and such, nor exotic setup. 4.5/5