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 Plain Jayne by Laura Drewry

Nick and Jayne grew up together, and had been best friends for twenty-five years. But Nick married someone else, and Jayne moved away. She came back to attend his wife's funeral four years ago, but he had to ask her to leave when Nick's mother became VERY distraught and angry at her presence. But Jayne is now back to clean up her grandma's estate, a bookstore that closed up seemingly for no reason. She plans to reopen the store and make a life for herself in town... But that plan got derailed when she saw Nick again, who's dating Lisa now...

I don't feel the chemistry between the two. Friendship, sure. Denial of love, sure. But chemistry? Didn't feel any. Nick pretty much denied he's in love with Jayne right up to the very end. And his family's hostility toward Jayne was never quite explained. Grandma's estate and will was basically manipulation from beyond the grave, and it FELT like manipulation, and it was only then did we get Jayne's true backstory, about why grandma was so "cruel" to her. The story elements just didn't really come together for me. 3/5

GRR Security Risk by Megan Matthews

Tabitha left her old life behind to start over in Pelican Bay, by borrowing a bit of her abusive ex-boyfriend's cash, not that she plan to spend it all. She inherited a house from her aunt in the town, and meeting her hunky but gruff neighbor, Ridge, was... nice, as are her other neighbors. But why is her ex Mario chasing her down by sending in his scary lieutenant? Where are the diamonds they keep insisting she took with her? Will she live through it?

Uh, hate to say this, but this book smells like amateur writing. Tabitha fell for the first handsome guy she saw despite surviving years of abuse. She couldn't recognize a mafia front despite lived years next to it (and happen to have couple hundred thousand lying around in CASH) and basically has too many TSTL moments to count. Oh, and Ridge? Total caricature of a security guy. 2/5

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 The Cowboy's Imperfect Plan by Hayley Wescott

Tyler used to be a rodeo champ, but he got married, had a kid, then the marriage turned sour, he went off the deep end, became a drunkard, and lost custody. But he is a foreman for a rancher who regarded him as the son he never had. And he's been years sober. When the rancher had a stroke, he found out about the will giving him the ranch... with a caveat... // Adaline just found out that her mother had lied to her all her life... Her father was not dead, and in fact, left her a ranch... with a caveat... She has to marry Tyler for a year. Adaline was a recovering addict herself, but less than a year sober. Would a marriage help or hurt Tyler's custody battle, when Adaline kept her struggles secret?

Baby custody battle and marriage of convenience is nothing new. But having it in the same novel with weird will, sudden family, and hidden past? That's at least an interesting combination. 4/5

GRR Reviews Mostly Dangerous by Kimberley Montpetit

Sofia and her sisters were far away with their own dreams, when they were summoned back to their historical Ambrose Estate in Texas... for reading of her grandma's will, even though she's alive and kicking... It seems Sofia will be the only one getting the estate... which also destroyed her dreams of starting a veterinary clinic, as running the estate is a full-time job. When one of the on-site oil wells flared, Sofia hired the best, Gavin, who was fighting oil well fires in the Middle East with his team. Each assumed the other the worst, each was pleasantly surprised when they finally met. But Sofia knew of her family's curse... No Ambrose men survived, and many who dared to love an Ambrose woman had befallen the same fate. But will the discovery of her great-grandmother's journal help her break the curse, or break her heart when she knew she cannot have Gavin, when he almost died?

Nice handling of the curse, but the journal reading going back more than a century sort of breaks the narrative momentum when there's a need for info dump. Call it 4/5

GRR Reviews Healing Hearts by Samantha Thomas

Alex is going to the one place she'd rather avoid: the ski resort she inherited from her estranged father... and where she lost her brother and left behind her first crush. So it's inevitable that she must run into that same crush... Bhodi, former winter Olympian, and best friend of her brother. But Bhodi just wanted to run his pub quietly, still scarred from the death of his best friend. When Bhodi got the news that Alex may want to sell the resort to a ruthless developer, he had to stop her. But this Alex was very very different from the young teenager he knew, and she had never forgiven him for the death of her brother and his best friend. Now he must show her the truth that he and she have both avoided for so long...

Good mix of tropes. with a good variation of "best friend's little sister" and something that haunted them both. The "evil developer" was a bit too flat, IMHO, and should have done better research before trying to make a deal. The rest of reluctance romance was pretty good. 4/5

GRR Reviews Cowboys Don't Marry Their Best Friend by Jessie Gussman

Ames and Palmer are best platonic friends. She was an ex-winter Olympian. He's just a rancher in North Dakota. Yet they grew up together in Sweet Water ND, and had always played together, and knew each other extremely well, just not... that way. But Palmer's family farm is barely hanging on, not enough to pay the mounting medical bills. And Ames is just vacationing, as she has interviewed for sportscaster positions in Los Angeles. When Palmer got a chance to receive 1 billion dollars from an eccentric billionaire with a couple conditions, including "getting married" and "stay in North Dakota forever", Ames wants to set him up with her female friends. Palmer already has one candidate in mind... But can he justify asking her to give up her own dreams?

Very nice... VERY nice. Channels a bit of "indecent proposal", a bit of "gift of the Magi", and a great twist at the end (let's just say, the story doesn't quite go where you expect it to). 5/5

GRR Reviews An Unlikely Setup by Margaret Watson

Maddie did not want to go to Otter Tail, her hometown. She was humiliated way back when, but she has no job, and her house flipping venture hit a cash crunch, and her friend needs to pay it back ASAP. Her only way out was to sell the property she inherited in Otter Tail, and that means going back... and deal with her past, such as the guy who broke her heart... Quinn. // Quinn is running the pub in Otter Tail, which happens to be one of the properties that Maddie needs to sell fast. But she can't take any lowball offers, and the people who can afford to pay don't want the best for the town. Quinn has to convince Maddie to sell cheap to save the town, but the only card he can play is himself... Unless they can unite and come up with a mutually satisfactory solution...

Reunion, angst, and save a small town... Seen this setup before, and this one really doesn't break too much of the mold, nor really has anything seriously outstanding. 3/5

GRR Reviews No Cowboys No Angels by Petie McCarty

Kellen and her entire family left Riverside, West Virginia for a better life, and they eventually succeeded. After her mother died, Kellen found that the old farm was never sold. Determined to sell the place quickly, as it reminded her too much of her past, she encountered the town folks, including one handsome cowboy Luke, who's also her neighbor... and does NOT want her to sell. However, his high-handedness just brushed her wrong. Unfortunately, the town also attracted a mafia operation trying to illegally dump toxic waste next to Kellen's property, and she's already been shot at twice, hoping to scare her off. But her mother did send her a guardian angel... But it can't be Luke...

Eh... there are some bits that are quite good. The conspiracy rolled up nicely. But the guardian angel(s) didn't feel integral to the plot. And Jack just doesn't work for me, as he's just horrible on people, which is kinda hard if he's that good in his... other job. (Hint: he wasn't always a cowboy.) 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Accidental Knight by Nicole Snow

Bella was shocked to find that her grandpa, upon his death, had left the entire family fortune, including the ranch and the oil company, to her, not to her parents. She was even more shocked when grandpa's companion / bodyguard Drake had tricked her into signing a marriage certificate, thus binding them for life. She can't trust anyone, esp. not her parents, and not even Drake, her shadow everywhere. For the vultures are already circling. A rival, Jupiter Oil wants to buy, and her parents are eager to sell. But she's not contemplating any offers until she figures out what's going on... // Drake knew he's there for a reason... to bring down the evil Jupiter Oil, for the owner covered for his suspected serial killer son for too long. This predator preys upon native American women on reservations, usually near one of the Jupiter job sites, and Drake lost someone VERY close to him. He agreed to be a part of the final gambit to bring down Jupiter, and to protect Bella with his life, if necessary. Tricking her into marriage is a part of her grandpa's plan, really, but he can't tell her that. But the evil men have a plan too...

Wow, that's a lot of twists and turns, and the parents turn out to be NOT total douchebags, which is quite an accomplishment. One thing I don't like was the TSTL moment, which was a romance trope. As it's always that TSTL moment that causes the darkest hour. Still, this book overwhelmed that flaw with brilliant plotting and characterization. 5/5

GRR Reviews Second Chance Ranch by Virginia Hodgson

Charlie had to run her family ranch after her father passed away, and she needs help. When Lance applied, he seems to be a good fit. But turns out he's an orphan with a juvie record and on probation, and if he doesn't find honest work soon, he may go back to the slammer. But he can never find a job if he confessed to everything upfront... But Charlie has her own secrets... and it may tear them apart...

For a short piece (under 100 pages) there's a LOT of emotions packed in there, mostly of angst though. And one of those is "fragile ego / run away" trope. One quibble... the cover photo is that of a generic office hunk, when it should be a "ranch hand" or someone rougher, more blue collar. 4/5

GRR Reviews Matchmaking for Beginners: A Novel by Maddie Dawson

Marnie wanted an ordinary life... she already has a fiancee, now she just needs to get him to the altar and go for the HEA, then kids, suburban house, minivan... Until Marnie meets aunt Blix, her fiancee's eccentric matchmaking great aunt... who's dying... and Blix told her EVERYTHING will change... and they did. Marnie's marriage lasted only 2 weeks. Her depression led to a breakdown that got her fired from her teaching job.  Now she's back home, divorced, and living in her teenager room. She got back with one of her old boyfriends, and it was good... But she's not aware that life has other plans for her... or her own gift of spotting the right matches for other people. She was shocked when she got the news that Blix has died... and left her the Brooklyn Brownstone... and all the neighbors and tenants living there, for her to match. And it is there, perhaps, she'll recognize the greatest truth of all...

Awww, touching, but not too angst-y, sweet, but not sacchrine. Blix is unusual, but not to the point of totally weird or fall into stereotype of "wild oldster" (often found in romcoms, i.e. "grandma buys a Harley") and Marnie was both loving AND broken at the same time... a lot like Patrick. 5/5

GRR Reviews Lawfully Devoted by Jenna Brandt

Zach is a K-9 cop who's also trained in search and rescue. He's totally not serious with the ladies, just into having a good time. Erica enjoys having her faith and serving at church. She has a satisfying career, but no Christian man to share it with. Zach and Erica are total opposites, but Erica's best friend Lindsay is married to Aiden, who's Zach's partner at the police department. And Zach had hit on Erica many times, and Erica had turned him down just as many times. Until Erica suddenly inherited 2 billion dollars and more from a father she never knew in Europe... and she's getting threats on her life at the same time. The only way to unravel the mystery is to go to Europe, and Zach volunteered himself to be her bodyguard, even as he finally rediscovered his faith. But will faith be enough to carry them through their crisis, as they discovered that her father had obviously been involved with the mob?

Uh, was this written for a YA audience or something? The plot is infantile. EVERYBODY in Europe just speaks English. Nobody bothered talking to Interpol or Europol, or even police in Amsterdam. Just fly back to US and let FBI deal with it with an European mob/gang. Nobody in Europe found the hidden key when a stranger discovered in within minutes.  Heck, even the gangster spoke with a "Dutch accent". How would she even know it's a Dutch accent if she's never been out of the country? Why does she even has a passport? And how did they get "all the gang" in the US? And the way Zach was able to protect Erica in the final show down? Hilariously good, real Rambo like. Sorry, but this gets a downvote. It's totally unrealistic.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic suspense

Overall Rating: 2/5

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

GRR Reviews Don't Fall for the Prince Next Door by Palmer King

Jude is the crown prince of Belden, living incognito in America to attend university and majoring in international studies. He does not believe in a life of privilege, but he has vowed to serve his country after his sister chose to live as a commoner. He met Becca, his feisty neighbor, and fellow student (though majoring in fashion design) first in a cafe, then at his door. The reception was quite hostile as he was quite abrupt in the cafe, and later he had turned up his music that she had come to complain about the noise level. Later, when Becca needs help for a class in his major, he is glad to know his neighbor better and make peace. And sparks flew. But Jude and Becca can't be more different. Becca is solidly lower-middle class, and Jude is royalty with a life of privilege. Then Becca was invited to visit Belden because her distant aunt had passed away... Just as Jude went home for vacation... and they bumped to each other in Belden... and his secret identity was exposed...

A better than average brush-with-royalty romance, this one has spark and bits of brilliance, as she's NOT some damsel in distress waiting for rescue. However, why is a fashion designer taking a class on international studies? That is only nagging plausibility question.  There's a twist at the end, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

Category: Contemporary / Royalty

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Review No Time for Love by Raine English

Kingsley is a member of "No Brides Club"... where six friends agreed to put themselves first, not to let love ruin their careers. As one of the best real estate brokers in Manhattan, she has no time to dawdle. When her favorite aunt died and left her an animal sanctuary in the middle of nowhere, along with a manager that prefers it that way, Kingsley had to see for herself... But what does a city slicker do with an animal sanctuary in the countryside, even though Dylan is swoon-worthy ruggedly handsome? // Dylan does not want to be an accountant, but a wildlife biologist. Finding this animal sanctuary work is just his luck. He can roll in the dirt with the old bear, the wolves he raised as cubs, and the whole menagerie of animals. But when the owner died of a heart attack and left the sanctuary to her city-slicker niece, it left him with unsavory choices: run back to his parents... or convince the city slicker that country life is better...

Nice, very nice. Good layering of conflict and guilt, and see-sawing back and forth on which stuff have to take priority. Kingsley was SLOWLY swayed to take it easy, while Dylan had hidden depths that had to be revealed. The grand gesture was instantly recognizable. I just have a question... Who paid for the renovations on the Victorian?

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 5/5

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GRR Reviews If Wishes Were Horses by Caitlyn Lynch

Brianna just found that she inherited half of a famous Irish racehorse stud in Ireland from a great-uncle she never heard of, but the lawyers convinced her it's very real instead. The problem is... She's in Australia. But with a pretty lame job (graphics artist) she's all for taking a vacation... and see a different country. Turns out the co-owner is the handsome Irishman Declan... who cannot afford to buy her out. She went in disguise as appraiser's intern/assistant, both quickly saw through the disguise... but she liked the Irishman and the possible new life to offer, yet Declan never needed a partner and did not want one... Will there be compromise and love?

The setup was pretty ingenious to get two unlikely people to form a couple. She helped revamped the website and drummed up more business, he started to see having her around is not all bad for him... There was a twist near the end but it's pretty good.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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

GRR Reviews The Darling Songbirds by Rachael Herron

Adele Darling is back in Darling Bay, the town her great-grandpa founded. She left many years ago, and she lived in Nashville... Until she learned her uncle had died left her the bar, the cafe, and the "hotel". Already a bit down on her luck as a songwriter, she decided to see what may be there. Except only the bar is open, and the only upside to the place is the handsome guitar-playing bartender Nate... who always believed he would be the next owner. Adele and her two sisters were once known as the Darling Songbirds, a top country girl band, and she knew talent when she saw one. She should just sell the bar to Nate and be done with it, but where would she call home? And how would she get to know Nate? Can Nate encourage her to sell? Wouldn't that just make her leave town? Yet without the bar, what would Nate do?

There were a LOT of emotions to unpack. The three sisters had not spoken much to each other for YEARS, due to some big dark blow-up that drove them apart. Adele had to deal with the way she was brought up, for she's the oldest. Being a country music family, there wasn't really any home... except for Darling Bay. Adele basically had to figure out how she can reunite her family... AND put Darling Bay on the map again... by putting in money to fix the place up... Lots of relationships to unpack.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 5/5

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