GRR Reviews What New Beginnings are Made of by Debra Clopton

What New Beginnings are Made Of by Debra Clopton is the beginning of a new series, that was meant to be a series that should be read in order, like a "serial", instead of stand-alone novels. I find the teasing aspect a bit off-putting, and some of the parts not really making sense. 

Alice lost her husband to an accident. At 55, and very rich, and all her kids off doing their own stuff, she decided to indulge herself for once: buy Star Gazer Inn at the beach of Corpus Christi, Texas, and bring it back to life. It is where she met the father of her children. But her children wonder if she may have bitten off more than she can chew... // Lisa, Alice's best friend, and a trained chef, was simply traveling the world, trying to fill her time after her bitter divorce. She agreed to join Alice to open up the inn, but she has her own secrets... // Nina lives next door to the inn and kept an ultra-low profile... But the new inn, and the new owners, are so nice. And esp. owner's oldest son, Jackson, so handsome and protective, and interested in knowing her... 

The book introduced Alice, Lisa, Nina, and Jackson, with a lot of plotlines left unresolved, as technically the inn is still yet to open at the end of book 1. Also, I find the reason for Nina hiding out to be quite... unreasonable. That villain of that type is usually not the type to risk exposure for some unknown vendetta. It just felt... wrong. Add that to the open-endedness, which makes me feel as if I am going to be teased over and over like watching a soap opera. 3/5

GRR Reviews All I Want for Christmas Eve by Olivia Noble

Eve lives alone at the edge of civilization... Okay, Alaska. Then Adam fell from the sky on Santa's Sleigh. No, not a joke. That's the name of his plane, really. So she rescued him, and they got snowed in, of course. He cracks a lot of Adam and Eve jokes. And he's handsome. And she's lonely and willing...   And it's almost Christmas. How can it go wrong?

At under 150 pages, it's steamy Holiday romance. Good setup, if a bit corny from the beginning. Though the gradual revelation was used very nicely. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Right Here With You by Susan Coventry

Stephanie left Michigan for a mountain cabin in Tennessee, hoping to finish her novel. Her neighbor Logan, is trying to write a nature guide to heal from his past tragedy. Neither would quite come clean about their respective pasts, even though both knew they are attracted to one another, and Logan is there to share his expertise and to protect her. But Logan is also keeping Steph away from his tragedy he'd rather not confront... Yet for him to get past that tragedy, he will have to allow her to get closer...

The guy's a bit hard to empathize with, as his solution is to run away from his feelings, ALWAYS. The struggles though, are pretty good. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Exiled Patriot by Jennifer Youngblood

Jayden, reporter, was assigned to interview some eccentric billionaire Lillian Yates about a hidden treasure she's hidden away for someone near her town of Remember near Christmas. But when her quest resulted in her falling into a freezing river, she was rescued by Cannon, a mountain man, and that is clearly not his real name. And then she's snowed in with him. Just who is Cannon, and what tragedy has he witnessed? And while Jayden's curiosity was piqued, she found the truth.... Can she break the story... and betray the man she came to love?

A bit deeper than the usual, the setup seems to be some "meddling", albeit good-natured. The betrayal, however, was trope as heck. 4/5

GRR Reviews Fierce Sam by Natalie Ann

Surgeon Sam Fierce chose early on to close his heart to serious entanglements, knowing that he will fail at times, through no fault of his own, and it is better to not get too attached. So he acts carefree and charming, and women flock to him. // Dani lost her little sister and she still felt guilty a decade later, even though it was a car accident. She went through a wild rebellious phase, but she's done with that now. // When Dani met Sam (through his mother's scheming), there is an attraction, but he won't get close to anyone, and she still feels guilty... can they work past their wounds, and toward each other?

I don't get the part about closing oneself off yet still be compassionate. That sort of cognitive dissonance manifests itself in mental stress, and being a surgeon is stressful enough. It just feels like a VERY amateur psychological profile that doesn't make sense. Survivor's guilt, I do get. The rest of plotting and the back-and-forth is pretty good. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews her Billionaire Pirate of the Cove by Stephanie Fowers

Audrey does not want to pretend to be her friend Clara to take a job pampering dogs of an ultra-rich and eccentric aunt in the Cove. But when she found an intruder in her house and the entire place tossed, she barely escaped. It seems her brother Michael may have made enemies, and suddenly hiding out in the Cove, surrounded by security, seems to be a brilliant idea... // Ryker is hiding at his brother's place in the Cove after testifying in court that put his conspirators behind bars. He knew he kept questionable company, but that should all be behind him, except for his CIA handler that is still hovering.  When matchmakers tried to pair him up with "Clara" (actually Audrey), he's interested, but when enemies found them in the Cove, and mix in rogue agents, turncoats, mercenaries, terrorists, business rival, lost princess, secret origins, and spycraft, it seems both will be on an adventure of a lifetime... if they survive it.

I know it's supposed to be a spy thriller of sorts, but it feels at times like a comedy, with people prone to more slapstick than seriousness. Add in some Hollywood stunts like "throw her off the boat, only to have her met by scuba divers with oxygen masks underwater". That's not something a normal person would know what to do, is it? There are certainly good twists and turns, and I guess that sort of forced proximity and adrenaline rush can be good for bonding, but it just doesn't feel that romantic. Not to mention that ocean water near Seattle is not that warm to be scuba-dived. 3.5/5

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 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 The Mountain Man's Secret Valentine by Dizzy Hooper

Gage chose a solitary "mountain man" living because he has PTSD from the war, and having his fiancee screwed him over while he's away. So why is he so attracted to the flower delivery girl that just dropped off valentine flowers? When a freak blizzard stranded her on the hill with him, it's taking all his control to be a gentleman... Until she revealed he's her fantasy guy... a rough tough guy who won't treat her like a china doll...

The plot's over the top, but then, most "mountain man" stories are. This is no exception, nothing really new. She's a sheltered ingenue who needs a "real man". He hadn't tasted a woman in years... blah blah blah. Cliche after cliche. 3/5

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 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 Change in Tide by Freya Barker

Mia was hiding out in the wilderness. living in a small cottage on a lake. Her only neighbor was a gorgeous hunk... who also bonked a Barbie doll on the dock in full view. Next day, he takes in a pregnant woman. The guy turns out to be Jared, ex-hockey enforcer forced out by career-ending injury... and the pregnant woman was actually his sister, and Mia ended up delivering her baby, when her midwife training came into use. Jared likes Mia, who's a strange mix of fear and panic attack mixed with total professionalism. It was clear she was traumatized by something, and he'll be there to support her. But is that love? If he gets a new career as a coach, what happens to this relationship?

Good descriptions, and good relationship that's a bit unusual. 4/5

GRR Reviews Guarding the Broken by Kirsty Moseley

NOTE: This is part 1 of the novel. The full novel is more than 600 pages long, so this does end on a cliffhanger.

Anna is the daughter of a senator running for president. But she's broken three years ago, when her boyfriend was murdered and she was raped and held prisoner by sadistic kingpin Carter for months until her accidental rescue during a police raid. But Carter has somehow gotten a new trial when somehow some evidence in his conviction had been "tampered with". // Anna had run off every "near guard" and the senator took the unusual action of entrusting her safety to an untried (but best in class) SWAT agent, Ashton, young enough to pose as her boyfriend, and handsome enough to be believed, yet lethal and protective. // Anna didn't want to be cold and unemotional, but it was the only way she survived her months of imprisonment and abuse. Ashton made her feel something, but she's still not over losing her childhood sweetheart. Can she learn to trust again?

The background of Ashton really makes no sense. SWAT members don't go to separate schools but are regular police that underwent additional training. And police academy graduates don't get to go into SWAT school immediately. Nor are they assigned jobs across the country, as there is no "national school" or even "state academy" for police or SWAT.  The rest of novel basically is Anna slowly succumbs to Ashton's charms and protectiveness, as he was able to read her like a book without touching her... Until exactly when she needed it. Nothing really exciting happens until book 2.  3/5

GRR Reviews Flight of Hope by HJ Bellus

Marlee lost her love. She fell in love with Bentley back in high school. They were homecoming king and queen. He joined the military and served several tours, but he survived and got back albeit with PTSD, and they finally got pregnant. Then it fell apart in an instant... A car accident left her scarred, babyless, and a widow. She ran away, living in an Airstream (RV) and subsisting on mainly vodka and PB&J sandwiches...  hiding in the outskirts of a small town. And that's where she met Caleb, and his far more famous brother, Jed, a single father with his own hidden wounds...

WARNING: there is no "happy" ending. You'll shed tears, lots of tears, and the intro feels really, really long, as there are significant time jumps. The book opens on Marlee running away, then jumps back to her high school days and how she wanted Bentley back then. We slowly progress through her life with Bentley, including marriage, his deployment, back to "present", then continue through her arrival in town, meeting Caleb the store owner, and Jed (and his son). Love the book, but it somehow just feels way too long already, as if it's two books joined together.  4.5/5

GRR Reviews Breaking His Code by Patricia D Eddy

West, ex-SEAL, is still haunted by his final mission where the rest of his team was killed. He survived, and runs a gym back in the US, but he's getting pushed out by fancy CrossFit and slogan-driven gyms. His only solace was online gaming with friends, such as Camila "Cam". // Cam has her own nightmares. Exiled by her own family, she chose one of the most dangerous branches in the military for redemption: Explosive Ordnance Disposal, aka bomb squad. And she came back with a cane and scars. // Cam and West get along fine online. But when West tries to take the relationship offline, Cam bolted. In the meanwhile, Cam found herself overwhelmed at her job, when her boss (and her former CO) accepted an accelerated timeline to roll out a new security system for the hotel... And her code suffered mysterious bugs. Is her growing attraction to West a distraction? Or a source of strength?

Okay, the tech sounded "fine", except to a techie. It's 90% accurate. I'm surprised a company that deals with high-end security didn't employ version control on their source code. Should be obvious that someone slipped in unauthorized code if they have a version control system in place.  And the twist was nice. Though his problem and her problem didn't really intersect. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire's Black Book by Amy Deluca

Reporter Bonnie just got a prime assignment from her editor: go interview billionaire author Jack Bestia, whose multi-book fantasy saga has a TV series adaptation, and people are eagerly waiting for his 7th book in the series. Unfortunately, Bonnie gets super nervous in front of her idols, and Jack is one of her idols. And when Bonnie's super-nervous, she gets verbal diarrhea and her hands started waving all over the place... And Bonnie's previous encounter with Jack resulted in... uh... let's not talk about that. // Jack has already missed multiple deadlines, and hates any invasion of his privacy, esp. by a reporter. And he actually had barely a few pages written, a TINY fraction of what he SHOULD have written. This is due to someone leaking his novel outline... and all signs pointed to his ex-girlfriend, not that he'll ever let her in again. Jack decided to be gnarly and drive Bonnie away... but when Bonnie accidentally saw his "new" outline, he had to keep her isolated while he write the book... that means keeping her with him...

Eh... that barely works. And authors don't become billionaires, at least not from a single series. And he hits it big with his 2nd book ever? That's outright FANTASY. George R R Martin is now 71, and he had been writing for like almost 50 years, and he's only now pulling in millions in advances and royalties. He's certainly not a billionaire. And Jack is not behaving logically. He gets nasty, feels sorry, apologizes, then "keep her isolated" for a month, and suddenly, he can write 1000+ pages in a month? Dang, that's some writing speed. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Hidden Michael by Victoria Pinder

Sophie testified against her boss and now bad guys are after her and her family. She managed to pack some bags and escaped with her sisters on their way to her cousin's island. But when the rowboat captain died of a heart attack while rowing them, they have to save themselves, fast. And they found land... that belonged to Michael Hanniel, a self-made billionaire who changed his name and plotting his revenge (Count of Monte Cristo style) against those who betrayed him and killed his family... And he and Sophie have the same enemies. Michael knew Sophie is strong and capable, and he will protect her family, and he wanted her. But nothing can change his revenge, years in the making... Not even Sophie...

It's clear this is basically inspired by Count of Monte Cristo, as Michael's birth name was Dante, clearly named after Edmond Dantes, the main character of Dumas' work. But Sophie just comes across as TSTL. She has no usable skills, yet she decided to interfere in Michael's revenge plans in the name of "helping him", only to be captured. DUH!!!!!!!  And the ending is way too convenient. Not one of author's best works. 3/5

GRR Reviews Turbulent Desires by Melody Anne

ER Nurse Lindsey has a severe case of PTSD after two madmen attacked her emergency room, killed one of the doctors and a nurse, and almost killed her. A year later, she can go through the motions of life and job, but she's withdrawn, even as her friend, a sexy flyboy by the name of Maverick (no, it's NOT a callsign) tries to help her recover.  // Maverick flies F/A-18 for the US Air Force, and he and Lindsey had a one-night stand at his brother's wedding. But she's withdrawn after the attack. Mav is determined to rescue her from herself, and then he will walk away, because he had sworn to never fall in love, not even for the stupid inheritance (long story). But he will stay the course for her...

Good polish, and his time off (stupid move and broke his arm, thus gets to stay home for a little while) was explained, sort of. But he just doesn't sound military at all. And there doesn't seem to be much of a "conflict"?  May be the weakest in the series. 3/5

GRR Reviews Artfully Yours by Isabel North

Alex fell for Elle eighteen years ago, back in high school. He was just a transfer student, but months with Elle at a locker just across from his in the hall is enough. He kissed her, and she kissed him back. It got so heated, someone emptied a fire extinguisher on them. But Elle eventually left town to become a nurse to get away from her dysfunctional family. And Alex eventually found himself as a "bad boy metal artist". But Elle is back when her sister broke her leg, lost her job, and is getting evicted from her home because of her ex-husband's debts. Alex had lost his mojo months ago, and finding Elle was like rediscovering his muse, and suddenly, he's creative again. But how can a guy who's a master with hot torch and hard metal know how to date a soft and sensuous woman he'd want to keep forever?

Some good parts, some comedic parts, some sweet parts, but Alex's lack of speech upon seeing Elle was kinda cringe-worthy (in a oooohhh, this is gonna be... interesting! way) But it is also funny. It is an interesting way to do "reunion". 4/5 

GRR Reviews Hollywood Heir by Ruth Cardello

Eric Westerly is broken. He has finally got himself out of rehab. But the more successful his superhero movie "Water Bear Man" became, the more of a fraud he felt he was. His family is a total mess. He just wanted to be left alone. To disguise himself, he put on a hideous scar (theatrical makeup) and took on a totally unpolished appearance and goes by "Wayne Easton" in a corner of London. Now nobody looked at him closely. Until a plant whisperer came along... // Sage chose an oddball career "plant psychologist" to be free of her overbearing rich family. She also wanted to help random people find happiness. And this scarred but handsome man in the cafe can sure use some happiness. And Sage is irresistible, even by a broken man like "Wayne". But will she run the other way, when she learned who he REALLY is? And what about him, when he learned who she is?

Interesting. I knew Eric's story had to come up right after the previous book, the Royal Heir, which involved Eric being a supporting character and inciting factor. And this is an interesting twist on "disguises" and secrets. In a way, this is an "ingenue meets recluse" story, albeit, VERY nicely polished. 4.5/5