GRR Reviews The Billionaire's Alternate Marriage by Tami Dearen

Rylie had been crushing on Jarrett, even though Jarrett dated her twin sister Carlie. But Carlie dumped Jarrett for a singing career in Nashville. Years later, Carlie is hiding out from a scandal and living with Rylie... when Rylie found that Jarrett has moved in next door, and is now a billionaire. But Jarrett wants to adopt Gabe and despite his riches, he can't seem to get adoption approved... unless he got married. The logical choice would be Carlie, who can use a boost for her career, being associated with a billionaire. But when timing did not work out, Jarrett ended up marrying Rylie instead, as a marriage of convenience. It's just to adopt Gabe, they said to themselves... Each was convinced that the other wanted someone else... Can they ever admit their real feelings?

Good setup and no logic holes or plot holes I can see, just a lot of inconvenient timing (like Carlie fell sick just before the marriage timing) but if rom-coms can do it, so can regular romances. 4/5

GRR Reviews Trade It All by Ruth Cardello

Lance Barrington has always had a thing for Willa, his sister's best friend, but he broke her heart years ago when he left for college, after taking her V-card, and she hadn't spoken to him in years. So he can't believe ten years later, Willa, pretending to be her twin sister, is the leader of a flash mob congratulating him on his latest project. Now he really wanted to date her, but she's not willing to have her heart broken again... But what exactly did she thought he did that caused the rift between them? And because Willa is practically a little sister, is Lance's attempt to woo Willa okay with his own family?

Ah, the lack of communications, such a trope in romances, with some complex issues, secrets, and circumstances limiting the communications. Family is good, and the lack of communication is almost understandable. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Stealing the Bride by Nadia Lee

Court (short for "Harcourt") is a billionaire who tries to stay away from all the family drama. One night at his brother's nightclub, he met the woman of his dreams... She won't give her name, so he called her Skittles (like the candy), and she called him Whiskey. It was a great night... Next morning, he found no woman, just 50 bucks on the nightstand. WTF?!  He somehow tracked her down, and interrupted her wedding... Except it wasn't her wedding... But her twin sister's wedding. Yikes. And her name is Pascal. She's fiercely independent, but she can't get a promotion at her father's firm as a financial analyst. Cort wanted to help her, but wasn't sure how without "interfering"... Was it betrayal? And who can she turn to?

The momentum was very uneven. It's as if this was two books stitched together. The first part, about a one-night-stand leading to a wedding interruption, was a great story in itself. The rest of the book, while intriguing, just somehow never quite measured up, and Pascal's father needs some serious karmic payback for stringing her along for YEARS. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews It Had To Be Fate by Tamra Baumann

Casey just wants to raise her sons in peace at Andersonville, Colorado, a secret haven for celebrities. She already had her heart crushed by her ex, who charmed her but eventually turned controlling, then left when Casey won't take it anymore. But she's also the hotel manager who's always somehow not good enough for her father. So when her father decided to book a seemingly out-of-control rock star Zane Steele a place in the hotel without consulting her, then extended his stay into 3 months, instead of 2 weeks, her head's about to explode. Then her ex came back, threatening to sue for full custody of the kids... because having the kids near celebrities is bad influence on them. That is, until Casey met Zane... who's NOTHING like the media portrayals...  But Zane has a secret... The guy in the news busting up a club and getting arrested? That's actually his twin brother, not him. But he promised his mother to always protect his brother. But his own brother using his identity to do hellraising at his expense? Where does he draw the line? And he understands that Casey has to protect her family rather than trust him. But can he convince her to take a chance on him?

Wow, twin-switcha-roo scenarios seriously got a twist here, and the world-building in Andersonville takes another step forward here. The plotting is VERY nice, as the secrecy and more works against our MMC and MFC. And the solution was actually quite innovative, and made a great grand gesture. 5/5

GRR Reviews The Wrong Kind of Love by Lexi Ryan

Nicole found out she was betrayed on her wedding day... Her twin sister Veronica is having an affair with her fiancee... and is pregnant. In a fit of anger and desperation, she accidentally grabbed her twin's purse and ran off... and went way north, and met a stranger in Jackson Harbor that did make her have hope in men again... But in order to make a living, Nicole had to take the job that Veronica meant to take, by pretending to be Veronica... be a nanny for a six-year-old girl... and that's when she found out her boss, Doctor Ethan Jackson, was that stranger in the bar. And he has secrets of his own, in addition of being a workaholic and almost always on-call. As Nicole became fond of Jackson and his daughter, her assumed role started to unravel. Can she come clean before Jackson found out for himself? Or will that be the end?

Interesting twist on the "twin switch-a-roo" trope, and the reasoning for all characters are actually plausible given their state of mind and background. There are a couple other subplots, like best friend Teagan in town, Jackson's mother's secret, and so on.  4.5/5

GRR Reviews Betraying the Billionaire by Victoria Davies

Julian wanted to take his company to the next level, and marrying one of the Abbot sisters will gain him access to the European market and the prestige of their name. So he proposed a marriage of convenience. What he got... was not what he was expecting. // Holly was always second best to her twin sister Lillian. But when their father told Lillian that she had to marry Julian to save the family business ("think of all those jobs and retirement plans"), Lillian disappeared. No matter, said father. Holly will pretend to be Lillian while the family locates her. But Julian wasn't what Holly (pretending to be Lillian) expected, and Holly fell for the man... as the wrong twin. When the deception was revealed, who will come out whole?

Normally twin-switch-a-roos end up being comedic. This one was drama all the way, lots of reluctant love, disguise, and conflicted loyalties. I was just surprised at the unredeemable douchiness of the father, who, even in the epilogue, remains unredeemed... but not destroyed. Missing that bit of karma. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Mending the Billionaire Movie Star by Bree Livingston

Penelope has a twin sister Paige who keeps embroiling her in trouble by impersonating her. It was embarrassing before... But this time, she really had gone too far... Paige signed Penelope up for a reality dating show called Celebrity Proposal, where she'll try to win the affection of billionaire movie star Angus Maclachlan. But if she reveals the deception, Paige would get in trouble. So Penelope reluctantly went to the audition... But she can't fall for anyone, having her heart broken before.// Angus is a leading man but his previous liaison with his agent Clara turned bitter, except his contact with her was apparently iron-clad and he has two more years to go. In despair, his bad behavior had tanked his image and career, and this dating show was supposed to revive that. It was supposed to be an act, but after meeting Penelope, Angus found that it wasn't an act after all. But Clara, being a vindictive ***** is ready to ruin everything... But Penelope has a plan to save Angus from Clara...

I want to like this, as it did deliver a knockout ending, but in a way, it's also quite implausible. Angus, being rich even out of Hollywood, should have hired a lawyer to look through the supposed iron-clad contract with his money, and didn't leave it up to Penelope later. The grand reveal at the end felt way too much as a deus ex machina... through a lot of hand-waving. And what's wrong with a hiatus for two years, just to spite Clara? Why wasn't that in the cards? Should have done that long ago. For a rich guy, he's pretty much a weakling, easily bent. And Clara? Just "pure evil" with zero dimension. 3/5

GRR Reviews Her Dream Date Boss by Cami Checketts

Mae had been working for Slade for a while, by remote, usually via video chat. Mae had fallen for Slade a long time ago. When Slade is flying to her and wanted to have dinner, she accepted eagerly. But she went a little overboard... and totally transformed herself... so much so, he didn't recognize her. Then she suddenly gets the idea to "test" him by claiming she's Josie, and see how will Slade react to Josie... and will he still be "loyal" to Mae...  // Slade wanted to have dinner with Mae, but can't find her at the restaurant. Finding Josie there was a stroke of luck, but he's really attracted to Mae... Decisions, decisions...

Basically a "wrong twin" scenario with the same person as "both twins". I find Mae's reasoning to be a bit... suspect. Her insecurities are so deep that she allowed a waiter to manipulate her into messing with Slade's affections. And how can Slade not recognize her up close, despite a total transformation?  4/5

GRR Reviews Hiding a Secret on Seattle's Billionaire Bachelor by Christene Houston

Milla and Willow are identical twins, but with opposite personalities. Milla is an outgoing actress, Willow is an introvert nurse. Willow was happy when Milla landed a spot on Seattle's Billionaire Bachelor dating reality show. But when a serious case of pinkeye sidelined Milla, Milla insisted that Willow must go in her place. It'd only be a week, perhaps less if she got sent home early. Falling for a billionaire is not a part of the plan, even one as handsome as Sawyer... // Sawyer is a kind and good-hearted man, just unlucky in love, where every women he met seems to care more about his checkbook than him. A dating show sounds like hell, but his sister insisted it would be fun. Meeting Milla (ahem!) was surprisingly good, esp. when they have met before, when she caught his runaway dog Bandit while she's out jogging. But when a surprise twist wrenched that connection away from him, what will he do?

Ah, the twin-switch-a-roo trope. It's a trope, but used pretty effectiveness. I guess I don't understand is how did the news leak? 4/5

GRR Reviews Diamonds and Dirt Roads by Erin Nicholas

Attorney Evan Stone has his toughest case yet. He is in charge of executing billionaire Rudy Carmichael's weird will regarding Rudy's triplet daughters: the workaholic CEO Ava, the party girl Cori, and nerdy scientist Brynn. The will stipulates that for the three daughters to get their inheritance (the entire Carmichael enterprises), they have to put their career on hold, to move to Bliss, Kansas and run daddy's pie shop for a year, WITHOUT using company money. There are additional stipulations for Cori: she can't date for six months (and learn to have a REAL relationship), while Ava is supposed to date someone in town (and learn to stop being a workaholic). Evan offered himself to be Ava's date, but it's clear they have no chemistry together. However, when Cori decided to swap places with Ava (in secret), sparks flew. Moreover, Evan knew they are in trouble...

This book is a part of a three book series detailing how each daughter found their love in Bliss, and Erin's style of small-town romance with plenty of romcoms is intact. I don't think I like the "weird will" trope, but this is at least innovative when it's combined with triplet switcheroo. However, the idea that they can just take a year off their respective lives is a little ridiculous. On the other hand, this managed to almost double-up on the twin-switcheroo, as Evan *knew* whom Cori was pretending to be Ava and he was playing along. It is a pretend romance within a pretend romance. Once you get past the ridiculousness of the weird will, it's quite delightful.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Triplet Switch-aroo combined with weird-will AND small town, definitely a fresh plot

Overall Rating: 5/5

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

GRR Reviews Brides of Beckham: The First Four Books by Kirsten Osbourne

Brides of Beckham: First Four Books collection is a nice collection of mail order bride stories that did not break any new ground, but instead, relied on good characters and decent twists on the tropes with proper polish to deliver enjoyable stories.

Mail Order Mayhem -- when Maude was told by her family she must marry a repulsive man, she chose to become a mail order bride and went out west to be wife of an Iowa farmer instead. She fell for the strong handsome farmer, but does he feel the same? When her "fiancee" came calling, will she ever escape?

Mail Order Mama -- Emily's mother is marrying again, and the daughter won't be able to stay. With nowhere to go, Emily chose to marry herself out West, and married Benjamin, who has two children he's trying to raise alone. But Emily didn't know the two kids are hellions who had run off all nannies prior to her, or any prospects... But Emily will whip these two kids into shape... without violence... except she can't forget how Benjamin tricked her...

Mail Order Madness -- Susan can't live with her younger siblings anymore (there's like 11 of them and they are all hellions) so she joined mail-order bride agency and married herself out West to Texas to someone who didn't want kids. Except upon arrival... it wasn't her groom... but his brother... Her groom had died via a stray bullet two weeks prior, while she's on her way. But the brother offered to take his place and marry her... Except he has four kids. And they are NOT nice either. Can this ever work?

Mail Order Mix-up -- Ellen and Malinda had never been apart. When their papa died and the bank is repossessing the farm, they had nowhere to go. It happens that the two brothers in the same town out West in Colorado are both looking for mail order brides... Ellen wanted the sheriff, and Malinda wanted the banker. They arrived in the Colorado town and each immediately fell for one of the brothers... Only to find they each fell for the wrong one! But is the wrong one really the right one for them?

Each of these are definitely 4/5, with good polish in the plot and all the decisions make sense within context of the story, with some genuine agony in the decision-making. All in all, enjoyed it quite a bit.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot: N/A, collection, see above for summaries

Tropes: mail order bride, triangle, evil ex, single parent, family pressure, sibling problem, wrong twin/brother

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Bedding The Bachelors Boxed Set (Books by Virna DePaul

Bedding the Bachelors Collection is a good collection of three romances that got the right amount of tension. I just feel the FMC could have been a bit stronger...

Bedding the Wrong Brother -- Melina had unrequited love on Rhys Dalton, not Max, his twin. Max is a ladies' man, and Melina wanted Max to teach her good sex. Max called in his twin brother Rhys... who made love to Melina pretending to be Max... except now both are horrified... yet it was everything they wanted... right?

Bedding the Bad Boy -- Max is "bad boy" in the family, and Grace Sinclair is a Max's sister's best friend. Grace had never experienced the big O, and she wanted Max's help. She did not expect to be involved in a triangle (at least, that's what the paparazzi said) between Max and his actress friend... who's a blonde bombshell... Or Max has more layers than one ever suspected...

Bedding the Billionaire -- Lucy Conrad left her rich but judgemental family behind. Even dating rich people, like Jamie Whitcomb, is barely tolerable. They had a good few weeks, but drifted apart. Then Lucy's sister and her husband were both killed in an auto accident, leaving baby niece to Lucy's care as per the will... but her family claimed she cannot be a fit mother due to her "lifestyle". To win the custody battle, Lucy has to become Jamie's fiancee (it was his idea). But when scandal struck, will Lucy confront the problem with Jamie's help... or cut and run?

While each of the FMCs have proper character arcs, I somehow just feel that they seem to start from really low self-esteem. Still, they are above average reads.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: N/A -- 3 novel collection, see blurbs above

Tropes: collection, wrong twin, triangle, sibling triangle, fake engagement, sudden baby, family pressure

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Once A Gunslinger by Diana Bold

Once A Gunslinger by Diana Bold is historical Western Romance that's got plenty of angst, enough for the MMC to seek death, but too cowardly to do it himself...

Tristan Kane fought for the South during the Civil War, defying his family, and he actually managed to kill his own twin brother... after the battle... by accident. He was so haunted, he left the woman he loved behind and roamed the west as a gunslinger, hoping someone will kill him one day. Ten years later, he saw Savannah McKenzie again, now with a son. Tristan knew she married his now dead brother after he left, but there was something he needed to know... And perhaps, there may be a reason for him to continue living...

Without spoiling the story, this is basically a "twin switcha-roo" trope, albeit, as melodrama instead of comedy. Like the story quite a bit.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot: Gunslinger hoping for death saw the woman he left behind; will she give him a reason to live again despite his guilt?

Tropes: wrong twin, scars, PTSD, secrete baby, return, reunion

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Hidden Hollywood (Happy Endings Book by Kylie Gilmore

Hidden Hollywood is a contemporary romance (with a healthy dose of comedy) featuring multiple levels of deception (none of it mean).

Superstar Claire Jordan found kindred souls with the fan club of the book she's adapting for a movie. When she confessed that she wanted to date a normal guy, and she really can't stand her co-star who she had to date for publicity, the book club came up with a candidate... Josh Campbell, local bar owner, all around good-guy if a bit too charming for his own ego. All Claire needs to do is go in a disguise... and a fake name. Billionaire tech CEO Jake Campbell is weary of gold-diggers. When his twin brother Josh asked him to step in (and pretend to be him for a blind date) so Josh can date someone else (Josh's nemesis, but Josh is pretending to be his brother Jake!!!), Jake couldn't say no, and "Jenny" was everything Jake wanted and they shared a night of passion. It was supposed to be NSA, but Jake needed to see her... except she has no digital footprint anywhere...

As you can probably guess from here, both of them discovered that they were lying to each other... and didn't take long for them to discover their real identities... But how much longer can they keep up the pretense... or do they actually want to? Is there a future between a superstar and a billionaire CEO? Add the parallel romance (Josh and his nemesis turned into lovers) and it's LOL times indeed. If you want a good dose of rom-com including the "twin switcha-roo" as a plot device, you should read this book. It is quite funny AND yet satisfying.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Hollywood actress went on anon blind date in disguise with a local bar owner, who sent his rich twin brother in his place...

Tropes: disguise, wrong twin, fling to a thing

Overall Rating:  5/5