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 The Secret One by Ruth Cardello

NOTE: Same series as "The Broken One" and "The Wild One"

McKenna was raised by her single father ex-race car driver to be independent and excel in a world dominated by men. And after a talk with "Chris" in a bar, she decided to dedicate her life to make her father's dream happen. And she did... by building her own raceway and an auto business like no other. When she met this down-to-earth guy with a broken (rare) car on the side of the road, she can't help but feel there's a prior connection... Turns out, he is Christof... aka Chris that inspired her to go after her dreams. She's even more surprised to learn he's Christof Romano, a billionaire... She's surprised again, when he invited her to Italy... to help him broker peace between an ultra-rich man looking for answers and a protective family hiding a secret...  

The story is between Christof and McKenna. I like the way the author handled the different personalities of the different sons, as each brother (Sebastian, Mauricio, and now Christof) really do have personalities, and they josh each other in a loving way. Females in this author's books are independent with their own careers and priorities, and her man will have to fit into her life, instead of her being molded into his. Christof was the diplomat of the family, and his job is difficult because this time, he's up against someone whose fortune and power are orders of magnitude above his own. I just wish McKenna had more of a role during the negotiations that applies her talent in some way.  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 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 Ten Dates with the Billionaire by Amberlee Day

Athena makes no apologies about being a geek, and despite having made billions as head of a major software company, she's just as socially awkward and unpretentious as she was, willing to look for some adventure... if someone will just show her the way. Then she met Fisher, a glassblower artist, on a team-building exercise. She dressed normally, and Fisher did not recognize her. They hit it right off, and Fisher is just the adventurer she needed... hiking, snorkeling, mountain climbing, and more. When a workmate "dared" Fisher into taking a woman out on ten dates, Fisher chose Athena, and Athena, needing a plus-one for her high school reunion, chose Fisher. It was perfect... Until he learned she's ultra-rich... But is that really a problem?

Gender-flipped version of typical "undercover billionaire", pretty well-done. 4/5

GRR Reviews Liam's Invented I-Do by Liz Isaacson

Callie was almost too stubborn to call for help. She tried to run her family ranch, but she's late on every payment that she has only days to prevent a foreclosure. The ONLY way out is to accept help from Liam, the neighboring and VERY RICH rancher that always wanted to help her (but her pride was too much). Not this time... She accepted the tech wiz's proposal of marriage... and swallowed her pride. But can she ever accept his love?

You have to start with book 1, as the series is about seven brothers finding seven brides... one book at a time. I have a little problem with self-destructive pride, and Callie really doesn't make sense that way. Maybe she felt she had to be the mother and do-it-all, but numbers don't balance themselves. The book was basically Callie eating humble pie and still trying to sass. And the book meandered a bit trying to resolve some bits from previous books while trying to set up the next one. 3/5

GRR Reviews Call Me Sugar by Dez Burke and Sage Nyx

Sugar is an illusionist working in Vegas with his own show, staff, and more. Despite the tons of beautiful people around him, Jade, a brunette geekette caught his attention. She doesn't respond well to the normal wooing, and she's clearly hiding something, but what? //  Jade knew she's a geekette. She can conduct statistical analysis in her head, and that gave her an edge in slots and cards and more. She needs to make some money for her family's medical bills, and being interrupted by a blonde god wasn't in her plans. // Soon Jade was recruited by some shady folks to help with THEIR plans, and Sugar has to scramble to protect Jade from his boss, who actually has Mafia ties...

Doesn't quite feel right, plot went in too many directions, not enough of emotional bits about love. Feels more like an adventure. 3/5

GRR Reviews Lucky Suit by Lauren Blakely

Kristen is a nerd and proud of it. Her dates are so boring and bland, she will not accept grandma's attempt to set her up anymore. She'll try a dating app instead. Her grandma told her about Cameron, the guy who was always looking for a Ferrari, but sounds like a fun guy, but she's had enough. But when grandma told Kristen to chat with her online poker buddy "LuckySuit" online while she fixes up a car for a friend, Kristen can't refuse. And Kristen had a surprisingly good time with him, and he even figured out that it wasn't grandma chatting. But she also found a match online, that goes by "DeepThinker" that also caught her interest. Who should she pursue?

Ah, there's a twist or two there that was actually quite good. Not going to spoil the fun, but it's light-hearted rom-com. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Signature Sweethearts Boxset Books 1-3 by Kelsie Rae

Note; 3 book collection

Liv: Liv's humble yet perfect life ended when her husband died in a car accident, leaving her alone and pregnant. She was so close to making it. Her husband's family never really liked her, but they eloped and went their own way. Now she has nowhere to turn to...  Except Luke, childhood friend, until she fell for the other boy and married him... Will the reunion be sweet... or salty? Will he still love her? What about the baby?

Good second chance romance with the complication of "left-over baby". 4/5

Breezy: Her name is Bree, but she's always known as Breezy, sort of a joke about her no-nonsense personality. Oh, and she's Luke's sister (see book 1: Liv) Breezy has an HR degree, but she's waitressing in a sports bar. She met Derrick when she spilled nachos on him. She later got a job at Derrick's company as the new HR assistant and wanted Derrick, now her boss, but Derrick's been hurt before and used the no-fraternization policy to refuse to date her... Until Jude decided to help them out by pretending to date Breezy...

The "spilled food" meet-cute had been done gazillion times. But the subsequent dialog may be a classic. Breezy's forthrightness is a delightful change from the meek female who can't speak their mind (it's never the right time). 4.5/5

Jude: Jude used to be an online gaming champ and when the company decided to sponsor a gaming team, he was assigned as the assistant coach for his name recognition and talent. He found himself drawn to Q (real name: Quincy), the only female player on the team, extremely quiet away from the keyboard. Turns out her father is having dementia and her gaming is the only thing keeping a roof over their heads. Jude wanted to help her, but he's much older, and even he can see that she doesn't trust easily, either in or out of the game. Can he teach her that men can be trusted, both for himself and the game, with the championship coming up soon?

Good use of the gaming world as a backdrop, with the championship sort of a parallel to their love life. 5/5

Overall, 4.5/5

GRR Reviews The Guy on the Right by Kate Stewart

Theodore (Not "Teddy", and not "Theo", just) Houseman, former band geek, now marching band rock star, just found his forever girl on campus. And her name is Laney. Unfortunately, so did his roommate, football royalty, and campus superstar Troy. But this time, the #underdog will win, unless of course, Theodore forfeits. And why would he do that?

The story surprises me sometimes, that that doesn't happen often. There's a lot of sass and humor in this college, and I wish I went to a college like that. OTOH, I guess I didn't quite get why Houseman would blow up like how he did that caused the darkest hour. Though the grand gesture was perfect. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Alpha's Temptation by Renee Rose and Lee Savino

Jackson is the head of SeCure, a top-tier data security company. While he enjoys being rich, he really prefers coding to management. He also has a secret: he's a werewolf, a lone wolf that answers to no pack. His only two regrets in life so far were one, to not catch "Catgirl", the only hacker that got through his defenses years ago, and two, to not take a mate, which increases his chances of going berserk. When he was caught in an elevator malfunction with the new hire Kylie, she somehow drew him like no one ever could. But a normal human would never survive mating with a werewolf... // Kylie had always been fascinated by Jackson... and Kylie has a secret... She was "Catgirl" the hacker that got through Jackson's encryption when she was fifteen. Having a headhunter offering her a position at SeCure was her dream come true. Meeting and working with Jackson? Priceless. She didn't know she was put there by evil forces, ready to bring down Jackson using her as the trojan horse. She had to fight her desire for Jackson and being a pawn in someone else's game... and in turn, learn a lot more about herself than she'd ever suspected...

Better than I first expected. My usual yardstick for shifter romance is the Alicia Montgomery's True Mates series. And this one is... close. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Secret Son by Joan Kilby

Alex is taking a few weeks off after making partner in a Seattle marketing firm. But a birthday card from his estranged father brought back some memories... and he detoured to Sweetheart, Montana in search of his past, and a family, for after his mother's passing, he no longer had a family. // Emma is the plain Jane of the family of sisters and a scientist. She had seen rich playboys like Alex... They go for her younger blonde and prettier sisters, not her. Emma didn't count on Alex's connection to her hometown... // Alex went "undercover" and joined the cherry picking crew to learn about his father's "real" family. When he learned that his father kept him a secret, and intended to keep doing so, he can't stay. But will he stay for Emma?

Nice angsty past, where circumstances just happen to break families. Family drama is great. The love here, however, is a bit more nebulous. Somehow I just didn't quite feel the love between the two MCs. 4/5

GRR Reviews Hiding with the Billionaire by Donna K Weaver

Ahri's husband told her that she needs to leave their home and hide, then left with his own stuff, even leaving his toothbrush behind. When she noticed people who seem to be following her, and her place was broken into, she called her brother, the only other relative for help. And her brother called his partner/boss Rafe as his own project is at a crucial phase. // Rafe rose from poor childhood and emotionally abusive father to billionaire CEO, with his best friends as fellow owners. When one of them asked for a favor, he can't say no. Plus, he was rather fond of Ahri, but he wouldn't woo someone else's wife. Rafe gave Ahri a job under an assumed name, and showed her that his family can be hers... if she wanted. But when the body of Ahri's husband was found, it's clear that whoever killed him is still out there, and still looking for her...

Nice plotting, with all the proper gaming terminologies right. Ahri didn't feel very Asian or Korean, but that could simply be because she was born in the US and received mainly American education. Even the final fight was done properly when two geeks ALMOST committed a TSTL moment. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Hers to Kiss by Eliza Ellis

"Keke" has graduated college, and before going to the dance audition to start her new life, she's home to help her best friend's failing campground... which is when sorta noticed a new gorgeous hunk... Only to realize this is "Petey", her best friend's little brother, now all grown up. And Keke had promised with her best friend to never date siblings... // Petey is 19, and he's about to launch his own career against his father's objections (Why are you playing videogames again!? You should be studying to get into Cornell!) In the meanwhile, he's spending time with beautiful Keke, but she's determined to keep him at arm's length, and only as "best friend's little brother". But both families have secrets, and when all are revealed, nobody will be the same...

Sweet with a heavy dose of family drama. It has some good moments, and all motivations are logical. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Plumb Crazy About You by Pamela Gibson

Cassie is determined to strike out on her own, and her plan was to buy the civil engineering firm "Plumb Crazy" where she works, because her boss wants to retire soon. She had always been the neglected one, with her supermodel sister taking the spotlight, and she refused to be a failure. When a new engineer, Nick, came to town Cassie was suspicious. Her fears were confirmed when this engineer had already been around the world and his father ran one of the biggest engineering firm on the West Coast. The ONLY reason he'd be here was... He wants the company. So why was he so nice to her? And... even kissed her?

Nice, very nice. for a novella (under 70 pages), this packed a LOT of plot, reluctant push-pull, hidden agenda, angst, it's got EVERYTHING. It's even got an ending that makes sense, by channeling O'Henry's "Gift of the Magi". 5/5

GRR Reviews Vested Interest by Bethany Jadin

WARNING: Teaser volume, cliffhanger ending

Emma was a research graduate with some breakthrough software with part-time jobs to get by. She was previously betrayed by her boyfriend who took her code and sold it for a life in luxury, leaving her behind. But now, she's being pursued by the five partners of Pentabyte, a software giant, and each of the 5 execs is sinfully hot, in very different ways. And they share very well...

Other than a lot of push-pull, nothing really happened in this volume, except a VERY steamy make-out session. And as I did warn, it ended with almost no action. If you enjoy the tease, this would be great. If you dislike the tease, this book is ONLY teases, and that'd be quite frustrating.

2/5 (due to -1 cliffhanger penalty)

GRR Reviews Mommy Loves the IT Guy by Joanne Dannon

Abby was helping out a friend in need when she adopted Skylah, a 10-year-old girl who was severely neglected. It was definitely the best thing that ever happened to her. But when her best friend asked for her help, she had to fly from Australia back to the US to help, with her daughter, of course. Meeting Noah was a surprise, as he's her best friend's brother. He's now a cybersecurity consultant (or "computer guy" as Skylah puts it) and very orderly, and wanted to rekindle his friendship with Abby. But Skylah, fearful of abandonment, is surly and rude toward anyone who threatens her relationship with Abby, esp. Noah. And Abby's life is back in Australia... Will Noah get a chance to prove to them both that family is where you want it to be?

Warm, sweet, though using the kid as a straightman is typical. And other than "computer guy", there wasn't much use for the guy's expertise. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Mr. Write by Chelsea Hale

Liz had to dump her "Mr. Perfect" only 4 days before their wedding. The pain was too raw, causing her to swear off virtually all men. She's happy to fill her life with her NFL player brother's charity, her job, and her graduate studies. But when his brother's biographer Tyler came to town for interviews, Liz is intrigued, after spilling root beer all over him. And Tyler is definitely into Liz, a lot. And the attention was reciprocated. But when it seems Tyler may skip his obligations toward Liz for his own book tour, will Liz's choice for Mr. Right / Write prove to be another monumental mistake?

Why is it that the darkest hour almost ALWAYS comes down to "worst-case assumptions, fragile ego"?  Good polish, great meet-cute, good build-up, but trope darkest hour. I have trouble imagining Liz suddenly feeling so inadequate she'd make that worst case assumption despite months of bliss. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Executive's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit

Caleb and his partners have built a billion-dollar enterprise in the past decade. But he had never forgotten Kira back in a Denver high school, the pianist that he admired... from two rows back. Back then, he's the invisible geek with the greasy hair and acne. But now, he's gorgeous, rich, and if he wanted to be, irresistible. In the very evening when he and his team returned to Dever, Colorado, he found Kira, as one of the waitresses there... // Kira had to quit school after an auto accident crippled her father and now, her mother had gotten dementia. She's barely scraping by, helping her parents with the medical bills. She did not remember Caleb, but when a handsome and rich guy pays attention to you, you can't ignore it... And Caleb wanted to help Kira... and have a relationship with her, if possible. But Caleb has a secret that can destroy EVERYTHING...

Ah, the geek gone gorgeous, sorta genderbent ugly duckling, and rich as sin. There's gotta be a downside, and it's that secret he'd been hiding. Let's just say it's NOT QUITE as bad as you'd expect it to be, even though it was very selfish of him, even though it's also kinda sweet if you look at it a different way.  I guess the problem is Caleb is almost a bit TOO good and ideal. And Kira a little TOO selfless.  4.5/5

GRR Reviews My Virtual Prince Charming by Maggie Dallen

Suzie is having a bad senior year in high school. Someone decided to humiliate her with an unflattering photo at the first school day, and hottie jock Luke seems to be out to annoy her every day. Her only escape was online in an Indie MMORPG and her best bud there is also her ideal man. But when Luke quit basketball and joined her computer science club and was made her programming partner for the contest, things may get awkward... VERY awkward. // Luke has a secret. He loved his online gaming buddy, ever since he discovered the buddy's female. He's even more surprised one day when he realized his online crush was none other than Abby, his neighbor and fellow student. He had to know her better, but she rebuffed him at every turn. So he had to join her computer club and get closer to her... But will sharing that secret destroy that relationship?

Awww, this one is more YA, and all the terminology sounds authentic. It's basically secret identity love triangle. 4.5/5