GRR Reviews The Marine's Baby, Maybe by Rogenna Brewer

Caitlin just wanted to have her late Marine husband's baby, but a mix-up at the sperm bank means her baby's father is actually her husband's half-brother. "Lucky" Luke had never been lucky in love or family, so the sperm sample he stored was out of formality. But now that he has a child, he can't leave his unborn child or the mother of the child behind...

Quite a bit of angst, obligation, and love comes much, much later. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews At Last by Miranda P Charles

Gemma doesn't do casual but is looking for one true love. Greg doesn't do long-term, as he vowed to shape up and live up to his family legacy. It doesn't help that his two brothers have married and his family is VERY rich, so he has a LOT of women after him. The two remained friends... Until Gemma seems to have attracted the attention of a stalker who wanted to ruin her any way possible. Greg will protect her, but is that love? And when Gemma agreed to a fling, is she lying to herself?

Hmmm... Good but with flaws. Gemma's lying to herself that she can do a fling is believable. It's basically self-denial. Greg's self-denial, however, goes much much deeper. It's obvious he doesn't want anyone else to have Gemma, but he can't admit it to himself. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Love You, Truly by Susan L Tuttle

Blake has a Hollywood mother, but he is camera-shy and avoids the limelight... until his mother begged him to take on a reality dating show to boost her image. He never expected to fall in love... with someone who didn't even plan to be on the show... // Harlow is an aspiring photographer who's grieving after her BF dumped her for her best friend. She's trying to raise money for her disabled sister's nonprofit, and when her sister submitted her profile to be on the dating show, she can't say no. But she really didn't want to be there... So why does she feel a connection to Blake, who's determined to woo her, even though they are of different worlds?

Not the first book I've read on the same premise, it's also a bit wordy and the conflict not that well handled. Blake could have been less of a pushover. He's the star. Without him there is no show. Yet he lets the producer push him around. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Cowboys Never Marry Their Best Friend by Emmy Eugene

Jenna needed a do-over after her divorce, and she moved back home, and there she saw the Johnson brothers again, esp. Seth, whom she may have had a crush on, except Seth is best friend with her brother, so she was definitely off-limits for him... back then. // Seth runs the family ranch and his dog rescue program, which rehabilitate retired work dogs as well as take in strays and abandoned dogs, which kept him plenty busy. He wants resources to create "Edible neighborhood" program but never had the funding. Then one day his parents announced that every child is now a billionaire because his aunt just bought out his mother's portion of a business. Now he can fund ALL the projects he wanted... In his happy state... he kissed Jenna... Now their lives would never be the same...

I honestly didn't feel much love despite pairing them together. 3/5

GRR Reviews Her Loyal Protector by Cami Checketts

Kaytlyn left her home a decade ago, having had enough of her father's emotional abuse. She drifted and eventually met Jacob, who treated her like a second daughter next to his own daughter, Jennifer. And Jacob is worth billions. Kaytlyn is also fond of Cameron, Jacob's bodyguard. But when Jennifer got married, she slowly started to change. Not even Kaytlyn's being surrogate for Jennifer's baby can mitigate her simmering rage. And it turns out Kaytlyn wasn't just a surrogate... The baby is half hers (they used her egg without telling her) And Jacob is dying... Reluctantly, Jacob enacted his final plan... He will "marry" Kaytlyn, and claim the child as his heir, and NOT A SINGLE PENNY will go to Jennifer and her husband to fuel his narcissistic political ambitions. Jacob's confidant and bodyguard, Cameron (who already wanted to date Kaytlyn), will protect Kaytlyn. Kaytlyn must protect her child and her charitable foundation from Jennifer and her politician husband. and Jennifer, feeling deep rage for the "betrayal" by her father, vowed revenge...

The plot seems a bit too complicated, and half of the legal maneuvering, like forcing Cameron to stand aside, seems to be superfluous, esp. with Jennifer's public outburst during Jacob's funeral in front of hundreds. And the final fight seems to be way too convenient due to a TSTL moment. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Season of Romance by Alexa Verde

Andrey moved to the small town Rio Azules to care for his nephew Ilya, who is now an orphan. Ilya also has diabetes and Andrey doesn't know anything about that. When Ilya got hypoglycemia, Andrey panicked, but fortunately, his neighbor, Melinda, is a paramedic, and practically a godmother to Ilya, and knew exactly what to do. Melinda also has two secrets... She's diabetic too (and has an insulin pump just like Ilya) and she has a crush on her hunky neighbor. But Andrey will soon move back to Houston, where his family and business are, with Ilya.... So she can't get involved... but she has to, to help Ilya...

Okay, the reluctant romance angle came through fine. But the deus ex machina ending I didn't like at all. To put it plainly, one obstacle in their way just magically removed itself when a certain third-party had an epiphany. ARGH!!!!!  3/5

GRR Reviews Rebound by Aidy Award

Warning: HFN ending, sort of a cliffhanger, 3-book series

Angelina hates being a doormat, and finding her fiancee cheating, then being called chubby was the last straw, no matter what her parents say. The only one who seems to understand her is Grayson, her bodyguard. Yes, she has one. She really REALLY want to seduce him, after getting a hint that his tastes run toward the darker side... but for revenge sex? Angelina will get her freak on by finding two hot guys and getting some menage a troi... // Gray knew what Angel wanted, but what he wanted from her will break her, because he's already broken, and he won't be her rebound. But he'll protect her... He'll vet the men she invited into her bed, he'll control the action, and he'll save her from herself... and himself...

Very interesting take on the kink lifestyle. The mythical "gentle dom" and the slow introduction of an ingenue into the kink lifestyle certainly takes a couple interesting twists here. Gray doesn't participate except spectate, yet there's no denying he's the dom, yes, over the guys too. There's certainly some MFM action, and quite a bit of sex. The series continues in Rebellion and Reignite.  If you like the sex, this is 5/5, lots of "reluctant lover" stuff.

GRR Reviews Falling for You by Charlotte Blake

Grace may be powerful art director in Boston's largest advertising firm, but she's STILL reeling from death of her sister two years ago. Add a failed engagement and she's on a man-fast due to panic attacks and depression. Meeting handsome Luke at her Thanksgiving retreat with her parents was great, but she's not ready (but when will she ever be?)... // Luke had suffered losses in his life, and while women are drawn to him, he hadn't felt any attraction toward any... Until he noticed Grace's haunted eyes. He may be rejected, but he had to try...

Didn't feel much, other than a lot of self-inadequacy and a patient guy who wanted to help her. 3/5

GRR Reviews The Whole Story by Brooke St James

Story refused to ever fall in love again, after getting cheated on. Not even Max Blair, ex-baseball star, and now star sports agent, can tempt her. She will be his friend, and no more. But he wanted to know her... intimately. He wanted... the whole Story.

Yes, that's a bit of a pun, but what do you expect with a name like "Story"? Good polish, lots of reluctant romance, 4/5

GRR Reviews Cowboy's Secret Bride by Cora Seton

Carl is a millionaire living in Chance Creek renting a cottage from the Cooper clan, while searching for a ranch to buy to settle there permanently, because that's where Camila operates her Afghan-Mexican fusion restaurant with her Afghani partner, and she won't marry him if he won't settle in Chance Creek, and that means buy property here. Carl was drawn into the Cooper vs Turner feud when the Cooper matriarch, Virginia, promised Carl first dibs at the PERFECT ranch for him... If he will help Coopers clan do a major project to help them win the war between the clans... // Camila is renting a place from the Turner clan. And while she loves Carl, she can't love someone who's not living in Chance Creek permanently. And poor Carl has been searching for a ranch for THREE YEARS. Then Camila got a bit of shock from her mother... Camila needs to go back to Mexico to reclaim an ancestral mask, the symbol of her clan, for her papa from a side of family she only heard about, but never knew. And Carl just offered to go with her for the mission impossible... And on this trip. Camila will learn a lot more about herself, her family, her clan... and Carl than she ever expected to...

While I like this intro to the series, and the setup was quite good for subsequent shenanigans from other members of the Turners and Coopers, some of which are already in this novel, this novel also managed to go in too many different directions that got a bit... confusing. Carl ended up fighting multiple fires on multiple fronts (doing the project for the Coopers, going with Camila to Mexico, fixing the Mexican problem, solving his best friend Sven's problem, hiding his romance with Camila from the Coopers) that it was getting a bit messy. Similar thing with Camila: hiding her romance with Carl (who's an honorary Cooper) from the Turners, deal with her papa's misogyny (woman can't be head of his restaurant, even when his son doesn't really want to run one, and Camila does), with mama's demand to bring the mask back (which is mission impossible) and learn the REAL reason mask is where it is, and deal with her relatives in Mexico, some hostile, some enigmatic. While EVERYTHING was resolved at the end, it took a while for the various subplots to resolve itself. Even at only 260 pages, it just felt the book has "one subplot too many". On the other hand, the various little details about Mexican cooking, history of Chance Creek, and so on are good touches, and previous characters from her older Chance Creek series makes guest appearances. I like it well enough, I'll just call the extra sub-plot "minor" problem. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Beware the Rich Man by Laura Landon

NOTE: Regency Romance (Victorian England)

Blake Edison, textile importer, and one of the richest men in London, has no title, but he swore an oath to destroy Duke of Somerset. The heartless bastard, eager to protect his own reputation, allowed Blake's mother to suffer and die by deliberately refusing to help, and Blake ended up an orphan on the streets. But circumstances have changed. Blake had been buying up Duke's debt slowly, and he will destroy Duke's latest plan... To have his son (Blake's half-brother) marry Lady Willow Gilchrist for her dowry left by her grandmother, in exchange for two estates... // Lady Willow understood duty to family. She loves to design clothing, but that is scandalous in itself, so it's only in secret. She met Blake, and they share a common passion: textiles. The attraction is immediate, but neither can act on it. Lady Willow knew she was promised to the son of Duke of Somerset, in order to secure two estates to help her family's future, as the two younger brothers have no estates to support themselves. And Duke of Somerset is eager to get her dowry to fulfill his debts. Yet her heart already belongs to Blake... 

Ah, taboo and forbidden love, good setting, nice intrigue, and good amount of angst. Yet the story just feels... full of logical holes. Being one of the richest men, Blake had no guards or attendants. And why the Duke ordered an attack on him also made no sense. Duke doesn't know Blake was his "bastard son", yet instead of attempting to negotiate for his debt, he simply went ahead and ordered the attack on Blake for POSSIBLY interfering with Lady Willow's plan to marry his son. There was also Blake doing a totally virtuous thing... when he could have seduced Lady Willow just as the Duke feared. And Lady Willow TOTALLY did NOT react when she finally learned WHY. The end also felt a bit deus ex machina, when it was finally revealed that Duke actually doesn't own the estates in question. He sold them off long ago to fund his ill-fated investments. How can Lady Willow's family not insist on some verification before committing their daughter's dowry and future? Feels TSTL. 

4/5

GRR Reviews Royal Catch by Kylie Gilmore

Gabe, the crown prince of Villroy, knew his father's ill and he may be expected to take the throne soon. He understood he needs to take a wife. He didn't expect his parents to arrange for a Survivor meets The Bachelor challenge, with multiple princesses... Nor did he expect for one of the contestants to steal his heart so early... yet so unsuitable for him... // Anna is not a princess, but she's impersonating one. The real princess Polly is in jail for identity theft... because Polly wanted to hide from her family and used a dead person's name to buy a house for her VERY VERY distant cousin Anna (they share a common ancestor six generations ago). Polly can't hire a lawyer to sort out her mess without alerting her family as her money's tied up in the house. Cousin Anna, who really does look like Polly, hopes to get the inheritance money for Polly to sort out her mess, only to land in one of her own... it seems she was lured to the island with false promises, yet there may be a prize at the end. But Anna knew she's not a princess. As soon as she gets enough prizes, she'll go. She didn't expect she and Gabe fell for each other, but she will let Gabe go, even if she has to leave broken-hearted, so he can do his duty. But will he let her?

Well, it's... entertaining. Kylie Gilmore has a knack for setting up comedic yet serious situations in her previous novels, and this is no exception. While the overall plot's been done, this is a fine rendition of it. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews I'm With Cupid by Sarah Spade

Cole is a cupid (yes, no capital C). He was recruited by Eros to help mortals fall in love, yes, arrows and all that. And cupids are immune to the arrows (job security)  He was about to finish his quota for the year, just before the time window closes, when somehow, despite his invisibility shields, he was spotted peeping (just making sure the couple is together) by the female subject's feisty cousin Sheila. Which is then he found out he has ZERO powers. No wings, no arrow, no invisibility shield. Now a mere mortal, Cole's only hope was to convince Sheila that he needs help to go home to Philadelphia and report to his boss Eros... // Sheila has pepper spray in one hand and car keys in the other, and she's chasing down the peeping tom... When he stopped. His story is crazy... Cupid? Arrows? Magic powers lost? But somehow she believed him. Sheila is now on a quest from Salem to Philadelphia to get Cole back so he can get his cupid mojo back. Cole may not be able to fall in love... but Sheila found herself attracted to the wingless cupid...

Ahhhh...... cute! And you'll like the twist (i.e. the reason why Cole's magic vanished)  5/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire's Secret Heir by Emma St Clair

Beckett just got the ultimatum from his father... He has six months to produce an heir, or the company will pass to his brother. Having been betrayed by his previous fiancee, Beckett has no prospects nor did he plan to get any. Then came the news that he may have fathered a daughter... // Madi is raising Becka alone after death of her sister. But Madi needs child support from the father, whom a friendly lawyer said is none other than Beckett. // Beckett and Madi meet, as Beckett needs an heir, and Becka would do. Madi is not about to give up custody to a cold single businessman, and Beckett can't really let his heir be raised elsewhere... But is Madi a golddigger like her sister? Is Becka really Beckett's daughter? Or does that even matter?

Good twist, and actually quite sweet. The mixed feelings really come through. 5/5

GRR Reviews Kiss at Midsummer by Meg Easton

Elise lost her mother six years ago. She wanted to complete her mother's bucket list, and one of the items was to buy her childhood home back. She found a job at the Royal Palm Resort and worked her way up to activities director. She needs to cater to this special client, Merit, to get the bonus pay which would give her enough for the down payment. But there's a condition: Merit's business partner wanted him to date and have fun. But Elise also knew that Royal Palm has a "no fraternizing with guest" policy. Merit turns out to be a total workaholic who had to be forced into his vacation, and it took Elise some creative finagling to get him to forget work with activities such as parasailing and sand castle building (with kids). But an unplanned spa day (accidental couple) and a dance at the Midsummer Ball, and other activities as a couple, and Merit found himself falling for Elise, and vice versa, even though Merit was supposed to date other guests, not Elise... And Elise found her job in danger when she was caught with Merit...

The darkest hour was pretty much trope "sensitive ears, fragile ego", when Merit found out about the "side bet" bonus deal his business partner made with Elise, and concluded she's a golddigger and cut off all ties, and thus Elise may lose her job and her chance to buy back her old home. Resolution? A bit of meh. Still, the slow burn was pretty good. 4/5

GRR Reviews Never Enough by Roxie Noir

Gavin was a rock-n-roll god... and a total screwup. He managed to kick his heroin addiction, but his manager told him that he also needs to find a girlfriend... Or his record company will pull the deal. Desperate to not punch someone, he went outside to smoke... Then a woman wearing a suit (at a concert?!) looking for her lost textbook locked him out (by accident). And she has no idea who he is.  Then Gavin's FORMER bandmate Liam showed up drunk and coked up, and burned various things, including her textbook... That's how Gavin met Marisol. Gavin bought Marisol a replacement book (delivered by Amazon overnight) then had an insane plan... What if Gavin can convince Marisol to be his fake girlfriend? Marisol first refused as Gavin's reputation for being a wild guy is totally opposite of her, but circumstances forced her acceptance. It'll only be two months...

Good push-pull between Marisol and Gavin, with the added complications of being a recovering addict, and you know Liam will return and muck things up.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Her Flyboy Billionaire Boss by Holly Stevenson

Kate enjoys being a flight attendant, but with her father recently suffered a stroke, not even her salary is enough to cover his long-term care and rehab. When Kate was suddenly offered a position as a corporate flight attendant, at THREE TIMES her current salary, she can't refuse. But one look at her boss, the company CEO Lincoln Pierce, and her heart goes pitter-patter. Linc was desperate when his existing attendant is retiring to hug her grandbabies. Kate would be a perfect replacement until he realized he wanted her... but Kate, desperate to hold on to the job, decided a romp with the boss is a VERY bad way to advance her career. Is it stormy skies ahead for this couple?

Not bad, good push-pull, and plenty of reluctance in the romance, with a bit of hot-and-cold, but reasonable. Having the prince as a complication leading to grand gesture was a good twist but he's introduced very late. The grand gesture, however, is right on the mark.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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

GRR Reviews Let Me Please You by Alexandria House

Kat was surrounded by alpha brothers and divorced. The entire family are overachievers, and Kat was no exception. Being a taller woman, Kat found only one guy that matches her... Tommy, her brother's bodyguard, who's even taller. But for Tommy, Kat's his boss' little sister and definitely off-limits... Until she made her intentions VERY VERY clear...  She has needs, and they are both consenting adults...

Ah, a bodyguard romance that is NOT romantic suspense. That's unusual in itself. But also, the family is Black-American, and that means a very different romance culture and very different vocabulary. The book however, feels a little thin on the details. I guess this used to be a portion of a different book (McClain brothers Book 3), and should be enjoyed together.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews Her Homebound Billionaire by Gigi Marlowe

Alexandra "AJ" is a renowned architect and interior designer. Her friends set up an encounter for her and their friend Patrick, who's a reclusive billionaire that deals in cybersecurity. AJ was too busy for love, and fending off client advances is a part of the deal. Patrick, on the other hand, knew what humans do to each other, for he had to crawl the Dark Web often, and handle the devastation later. AJ's honest personality is attractive to Patrick despite his tendency to mistrust any strangers. But when Patrick thought he saw something, he chose to interpret it as betrayal...

Uh... the darkest hour is basically your standard "sensitive eyes" (i.e. I **saw** what you did // completely misinterpreted)  and that's really lame. And none of the tech expertise was USED in the book. The MMC was your just your regular generic hunk with a tendency to misinterpret things.  At least it's short. (100 pages).

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

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

GRR Reviews The Resilient One by Cami Checketts

Alyssa escaped from her rotten father who apparently sold access to her body to his sleazy friends, doing anything to make a buck. That cured her of desire for any men... Alyssa was always a photographer, and her escape to Maui should be perfect for her... Until Beckham Taylor arrived. The ex-NHL star was nice and protective, but Alyssa has secret guilt... Her photograph of his moment of grief with his family was twisted by tabloids into a family feud. Even as Alyssa fell for Beckham, who rescued her multiple times, her past misdeed was thrust into the light when a tabloid decided to make her and Beckham front cover news...

Ah, now that's some emotional turmoil, yet both are reasonable, not over the top. She's afraid of men who wanted to take advantage of her, and he's "too busy for love" after losing his parents. The extra complications, like Alyssa's father showing up, the tabloid after them again, works. My problem here is I didn't know Alyssa's bestie works for a tabloid?

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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