Category Archives: book reviews

Review ~ Romancing the Bachelor – Diane Alberts

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ABOUT:

Eric Hamilton isn’t looking for love. Hell, he isn’t even looking for a girl. He has a five-year plan, and he’s one hundred percent focused on that. But then Shelby walks into his life, and suddenly, he can’t think about anything else. Unfortunately for him, she hates his guts, and wants nothing to do with him. But he’s a man who loves a challenge.

Shelby Jefferson can’t wait to get out of the city, and back to her country roots. She moved to Atlanta for a guy who promptly left her, and the last thing she wants is to fall for another man who might make her want to stay. But Eric is nothing if not persistent, and before long she’s inside his arms, in his bed, and falling for him. Hard. But when history repeats itself, she’s left having to choose between a man and herself…again.

The thing I liked best about Romancing the Bachelor was that these two people, so seemingly different, were so much alike. Not what they liked, but the baggage they carried. Eric is more than a bachelor, he’s a player. A love’em and leave’em kind of guy who makes sure everyone woman knows what to expect from him up front.

And it’s no secret.

So when he finally notices Shelby, who’s been a court reporter in the courts where he argues cases for years. What makes his attention even worse? They also live in the same building and in all those years he never once noticed her. Oh, but she noticed him all right. How could she not? Eric is hot, successful and did I mention hot? But, guess what? Yep, Shelby has baggage too and that baggage is taking her out of the city and back to a small town…somewhere.

But Eric is relentless and Shelby starts to think, why not. She’s leaving no matter what, so why not? Well there are about a billion reasons why not, but when a guy like Eric Hamilton wants in your bed…you let him in!

Romancing the Bachelor was a really good time. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the leads, the flirting and fun sexy banter. It felt real, like you want to feel during those first dates when you’re falling. Diane Alberts is an author I always give a shot to, and this book was no different. There was, of course, drama and misunderstanding but it wasn’t so over the top that it ruined the story.

Review ~ Possessed By A Vampire – Susan Griscom

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ABOUT:

They possess the power to make their dreams come true—but it won’t be easy.

Preston Knight—Elvis to his friends—loves being a vampire. The night he was turned was the first step to him becoming the kind of man he always hoped to be. Now, he’s a rock star. What could be better? But the one thing that would make his world complete is just out of reach. The woman he yearns for has some serious secrets, and despite him knowing that she wants him just as much as he wants her, she won’t let him in.

Lily Grey never asked to be a vampire. The choice was taken from her eons ago, and things never improved. Now, she finds herself peddling drugs on the streets of San Francisco and playing the part of doting wife to a possessive and sadistic vampire with delusions of grandeur. But family means everything to Lily, and she’s willing to sacrifice everything for it…even her one chance at happiness with the sexy-as-sin vampire who sets her heart ablaze.

When one night of passion opens the door for a century of secrets to be revealed, Lily and Preston must fight for not only what they believe in but also what they love.

Possessed By A Vampire is the story of two very different vampires. Preston, known as Elvis to his friends, has loved it from the moment he made the transition. But Lily never wanted, didn’t ask for it and resents the hell out of being a vampire. He is a live life by the seat of his pants musician and she is a slightly naïve, sweet and trapped by her maker into living a life she doesn’t want. When they meet, there is something powerful, visceral about their connection. Susan Griscom does a really good job of painting the picture of their connection. She highlights the instinctive protective nature that rises up in good time guy Elvis, when it comes to Lily. Too bad, Lily is deeply connected to another.

The attraction in Possessed By A Vampire is instantaneous and I felt totally okay with that. Especially because there was a long past to get through before we could even get a glimmer of hope for Elvis and Lily. Lily’s life hasn’t been a happy one since was turned into a vampire but the one bright spot is Elvis, but her heart is not free and that’s the major conflict in this story. They had to dig into the past to figure out how to beat the current threat so they could live many, many lives together. To flesh out the story, Susan Griscom has given us a cast of supporting characters to love and hate on this thrilling adventure to the end.

LIVE ~ The Coalson Family Cookbook of Memories!!!

The Coalson Family Cookbook of Memories: as told by Ginny Coalson (Tempered Steel Series 8)

 

Since the Coalson brothers first appeared on the publishing scene in 2014 in Whistlin’ Dixie, readers and fans have been asking about the wonderful food Mama Ginny Coalson served at their Sunday dinners. Well, never one to disappoint my fans (I hope), I made your wishes come true (and Ginny’s too, as she was working on a cookbook for a fundraising effort).

I gathered all the food talked about in the Tempered Steel Series, added some of my own plus friends, fans, and other authors, to make The Coalson Family CookBook of Memories a truly down-home cookbook. It’s filled with yummy comfort food, warm friendships, and even some short stories of the brothers growing up, told by Mama Ginny, herself. Oh, and like any good friend, I left out all the calories and guilt!

I hope you enjoy the cookbook and the memories from a woman everyone would be happy to call “Mama.”

~Maggie Adams

Release Date: November 14, 2017

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2zJoYgu

About the Author:

Maggie Adams is an Amazon Best Selling contemporary romance author. Her first book in the Tempered Steel Series, Whistlin’ Dixie, debuted in Amazon’s Top 100 for Women’s Fiction, humor, on November, 2014 and then again at #61 in 2016. Since then, she has consistently made the Amazon best seller 5-star list with Leather and Lace, Something’s Gotta Give, Love, Marriage & Mayhem, and Forged in Fire. She is also the recipient of the Dayreader Review’s Best New Series Award for 2015. Her series has launched the tiny town of Grafton, Illinois, into International recognition with sales in Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and the UK.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling (usually just to the grocery store), dancing (around the kitchen to avoid cooking) and relaxing with her family (aka taking a nap while watching a movie). She loves to chat, so feel free to look her up!

STALK MAGGIE ONLINE!!!

http://www.maggieadamsbooks.comwebsite

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Review ~ Up for Heir – Ruth Cardello

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ABOUT:

Spencer Westerly is his own man. He didn’t need his father’s money to build his wildly successful tech company—and he doesn’t want to deal with the fallout from old family secrets. But as much as Spencer wants to avoid Westerly drama, his grandmother—the family matriarch—is determined to pull him back into the fold. And she’s discovered the perfect lure: his college sweetheart, Hailey.

Although she broke his heart, Hailey is still the only woman he’s ever loved. Now that she’s back and looking as desirable as ever, Spencer is determined to get a second chance.

A lot has changed for Hailey Tiverton. The only thing that hasn’t? The inexplicable pull she feels toward Spencer. When they were younger, his work was his priority. Now, he’d better be willing to prove that, this time, love comes first…

I’ll let you know right up front that I am a pretty big Ruth Cardello fan. Also, I got a copy of this from NetGalley for a review!

From the beginning of Up for Heir, I was pretty sure that I would hate Delinda. She made it easy, by being so blatantly manipulative. The old woman has a pretty fractured family, but most of it isn’t her fault, and now that she’s older and lonely, she wants nothing more than to have them all back into the fold.

Too bad she never heard the old adage about catching more flies with honey.

Delinda wants Spencer back in his life and she sees his old college girlfriend as the quickest route to her goal. But I don’t think even Delinda counted on falling in love with Hailey or her niece Skye, which made it easier to like her. More importantly, I understood her and I LOVED the way Hailey managed to get through to her.

Now on to Spencer and Hailey.

Boy, oh boy did these two give me a headache! Hailey with all of her second guessing—though I understood her reasons—was like a bad roller coaster ride. And Spencer, yeah dude, we get it. Your mom is a big ol’ liar and gave you some issues. But you’re a grown man so suck it up and get over it.

You could tell right away that feelings still lingered between them, but they couldn’t get out of their own way long enough to make it happen! Honestly though, I liked Spencer and I wanted him to find forgiveness and reconnect with his family, but if I’m being honest I still didn’t think he deserved Hailey. The way he dropped the ball in college and the way he just jumped to conclusions, doesn’t sound like a guy in love…no matter what the photos say.

I enjoyed Up for Heir, a lot. Despite the fact that both main characters kind of worked my nerves, I had a good time reading this book and it only took me about a day to finish it.

Now I’m very curious about Brett’s story, so I’m going back and getting a copy of In the Heir!

Review ~ An Ex For Christmas – Lauren Layne

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ABOUT:

When a psychic tells spunky, superstitious Kelly Byrne that she’s already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas. Kelly immediately writes up an “Ex List” and starts contacting old boyfriends to figure out which one is the one. When her college sweetheart rolls into town, Kelly convinces herself that they’re meant to be. The trouble is, sparks are flying with someone she’s never given a chance: her best friend, Mark.

Mark Blakely has watched the guys on Kelly’s list break her heart, and he’s not looking forward to watching them do it all over again. Mark’s always been there for her, but the timing’s never worked out for their relationship to be something more. Now, just as Mark is ready to move on, the sexual tension between them is suddenly off the charts. With Christmas morning around the corner, he just hopes Kelly will wake up and realize that everything she wants has been right in front of her all along.

I really wanted to LOVE this story but it turns out that I only liked it. An Ex For Christmas is a good story but there were times that I wanted to strangle Kelly. Not that I have any problems people believing in or using magic 8 balls, horoscopes, tarot cards and any of that. But letting it rule your life? It grew a bit tiresome way before we got to Christmas Eve and Christmas.

This story was…odd. More than half the story is Kelly tracking down other guys with no mention of having feelings for or even an attraction to her best friend. At fifty percent I had to go back and read the synopsis because I thought maybe I’d misread it. But no, I hadn’t. Then finally something happened but by then I was really just ready to get to the HEA.

As a writer I understand drama and storytelling so I have to give Lauren Layne credit because my reaction to Kelly, at times, was visceral. I screamed “Oh. My. God.” At least ten times from sixty percent to the end. Don’t get me wrong, Mark was no angel either. I mean it was clear he had feelings for her, but not to her.

Did you hear me? Not. To. Her.

I loved parts of this story, the history of their friendship and how close they were, even sharing a dog. I just wished that two people who had such a great relationship, could have communicated a little better. I mean, seriously!

All that being said, Kelly and Mark were adorable together. It was clear they could be a great match if she’d let go of her complete reliance on the supernatural or mystical to guide her life. As someone who used to spend her high school years poring over every horoscope printing in the Sun Times and Tribune, I understand where she’s coming from. Except…I was in high school, not looking for The One.

An Ex For Christmas is good read, probably a great read if you don’t let Kelly annoy you too bad! That’s why I gave it almost 4 stars, let’s call it 3.75 stars.

Review ~ Cowboy Christmas Blues – Maisey Yates

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ABOUT:

When Cooper Mason left Gold Valley, Oregon behind him eight years ago, he told himself he wouldn’t be back. But when a Christmas promise sends him home to face his demons, he’ll find that not everything is as he remembers—especially family friend Annabelle Preston, who’s somehow morphed from childhood pest to full-grown, hot-blooded and oh-so-tempting woman.

Growing up, Annabelle had built a lot of dreams around the ruggedly gorgeous Cooper—dreams she’s long ago learned to put behind her. Until a chance encounter with Cooper leads to a night neither can forget, and all the old feelings come blazing back to life. Now, Annabelle has a week to prove there’s more between them than a no-strings holiday fling…and with a little Christmas luck, she just might convince Gold Valley’s favorite cowboy to come home for good.

We all know that I super biased towards author, Maisey Yates. Her Copper Ridge series is fantastic so you know when I found out she’d discovered more hot cowboys in Gold Valley, I was all over that. And she starts with a really good one!

This introductory novella was the perfect Christmas bite!

Annabelle has always had it bad for Cooper Mason. She followed him around as a kid because he was her hero. Her one true love. But Mason left Gold Valley and has hardly come back or looked back in years. Of course, he has his reasons—pretty damn good reasons—but this year he’s back to spend time with his family. And the town who won’t let his family forget their biggest tragedy.

One night at the only watering hole in town he spots her. A sexy little number he could lose himself in for the night…only after a super hot orgasm does he realize who she is.

DRAMA, y’all!

So that’s Cowboy Christmas Blues in a nutshell but that’s just what happens. This story is fun and a little bit sad, and filled with holiday hope. Annabelle is all grown up and she wants Cooper for herself. Or just while he’s in town. The point is she wants him and watching her try to navigate new feelings mixed with the old hero worship and his own warnings against developing feelings for him, was exciting. A casual, hot affair is just what she thinks she wants or needs, but come on, who can keep it casual when your childhood crush is tall, dark, handsome and just a little bit broken?

Certainly not me, and definitely not Annabelle either!

There were some great secondary characters that I look forward to getting to know better, but if the rest of the stories are anything like Cowboy Christmas Blues, then there are many more cowboys in my future!

Review ~ Worth The Wait – Jamie Beck

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ABOUT:

Thirteen years ago, Vivi LeBrun was sketching a rooster and eating Oreos when she first met—and fell for—her friend’s brother, David St. James. Since then, her love for David has only intensified thanks to years of friendship with his family, who rescued her from a lonely, tumultuous childhood. As she travels to Block Island to vacation with the St. James siblings, Vivi daydreams about reuniting with David, hoping he’ll finally see her as his soul mate.

After his mother’s death, David distanced himself from his siblings, determined to hide a devastating family secret. Now, he’s brought a new girlfriend along to his homecoming—one who’s pushing for a serious commitment. The last thing he needs on his growing list of problems is his budding attraction to Vivi.

With tensions running high, David’s behavior triggers a series of events that might cost him the love he’s always taken for granted and Vivi the only real family she’s ever known.

The tone of Worth The Wait was somewhat…unexpected. As a romance involving the best friend’s older brother, one would expect fluff and heat and some substance. But this doesn’t read like your typical romance even though all the elements are there; a big beach house on an island, an unexpected but well known guest, a new girlfriend and heaps of tension. But despite all that, the whole time I read this story I had a major case of the feels.

Vivi has loved David since about five seconds after she met him, and years later not much has changed. Except everything else has, including David. Watching Vivi contend with the new, uncertain nature of their relationship along with the addition of the girlfriend who followed him halfway around the world, was heartbreaking. She put on a brave face, even when her best friend did her best to make it know how she would feel about a relationship between her best friend and her brother.

I don’t know, I thought Cat was a very selfish person aside from the drama with her boyfriend. She was probably my least favorite character, which doesn’t exactly bode well for me and the next book in the series, though I have doubts the other siblings’ stories could possibly rival Worth The Wait.

I’ve probably made this story sound like a big downer, but it isn’t. At all. The tone is different and I think that’s a good thing. Love isn’t always just chocolates and flowers and hot sex. Sometimes the journey is dramatic and painful and hellish, but you go through it to get to the prize at the other end…or you don’t.

I loved Vivi, I thought she was strong as hell despite all the crap life had heaped on her, and I think David did not deserve her love. He eventually earned it, in my opinion, but I still have doubts on whether or not he deserved it because she was great and there were plenty of times—over the years—he took advantage of that fact without acknowledging that she loved him.

I think Jamie Beck did a fantastic job with this story. I always love her stories and sometimes I dislike the heroine, but I always have a good time. If you love best friend’s older brother love stories, this one is just for you.

Review ~ Those Sweet Words – Kait Nolan

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ABOUT:

Good old, reliable Pru. Of the four Reynolds sisters, Pru is the natural choice to take on custody of the girl their late mother had planned to adopt. At thirty, suddenly becoming the mom of a teenager means big changes, but Pru’s ready to do whatever it takes to adopt Ari. Before she settles down, though, she wants one thing for herself.

Enter Flynn Bohannon, the sinfully sexy Irish musician in town for her sister’s wedding. He’s led the kind of free, vagabond life Pru can hardly imagine. Definitely not the kind of guy she should be dating, but he’s the perfect guy for a crazy fun fling before her life changes.

When Pru proposes a brief, no strings affair, Flynn’s not about to say no. But when unexpected complications endanger the adoption, the two find themselves in a phony engagement.

Now they have to convince a sharp-eyed, skeptical social worker, a teen who’s too smart for her own good, three dubious sisters, and one protective brother-in-law that Flynn’s willing to give up the gypsy life and settle down. But in convincing everyone that this relationship is real, will they convince each other as well?

Of all the sisters at The Misfit Inn, Pru seemed like the most settled when she was introduced in When You Got A Good Thing. I expected an opposites attract type romance since Flynn was so different, and I prepared myself to dig in with excitement because let’s face it, Kait Nolan rarely lets readers down.

But damn, did Flynn have to be so tempting? So delicious with his Irish lilt and charming words? Oh, hell yeah he did! I mean, who else but a guy like that could bypass Pru’s natural inhibitions? Sure, she had a lot on her plate with a new inn, a new business and oh yeah, adopting a teenager, but she found time for Flynn and though I’m not quite as glad as Pru, I can’t deny how much I loved reading Those Sweet Words.

I did have an issue with the way Pru assumed that Flynn was unsettled and against commitment because of his lifestyle. It was a little annoying, I mean if he’d spent the entire book hemming and hawing because she had a teenager we’d all think he was an insensitive jerk. But she got over it and so did I with his help, because when a guy like that is waiting for you, wanting you, you get the hell on board PDQ.

One of my favorite things, in general, about Kait Nolan is the heroes she creates. They aren’t those bullying alphas that everyone loves, they are really great guys. Good, solid men. You can’t help falling in love with a guy like that, which is the backbone of her stories. Flynn just amped it up by about a million and I’m still contemplating putting him at the number 3 spot of perfect male partners right under my husband and Pacey Witter.

I don’t know how many ways to say I loved this story, more than I thought. I still think the first one was my favorite—so far—but this one was a really good time.

A damn good time, in fact.

In case you’re wondering, When You Got A Good Thing is now #free on Amazon!

Review ~ Pianos & Promises Book 1 – Jennifer Peel

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ABOUT:

Doesn’t everyone say you should marry your best friend?

Jaime Seger has two goals in life: marry her best friend, the man that owns her heart and soul, and buy her very own grand piano. But Christopher McKay, who has no idea Jaime’s been in love with him since she was eleven years old, never gets the memo and marries someone else.

When Christopher’s wife dies, Jamie finds herself helping him raise his young daughter. A year later, she is on the other end of a very unlikely proposal, promising everything she thought she ever wanted.

But can their friendship survive a marriage of convenience?

After reading book one in the Pianos & Promises series, I think I am becoming a serious fan of Jennifer Peel. It’s no surprise to readers of this blog that I have a very hard time reading books written in the first person. I very rarely make it past the first few chapters and as soon as I started to read this one, I groaned. Oh no, not another first person story!!! But a funny thing happened, I kept reading. And I liked it.

I more than liked it. I f*cking liked it.

Many of my first person objections hold, but Pianos & Promises of Jaime and Chris was so emotional, such a sharp pain to my heart at times that I actually cried. Jaime’s heartbreak was visceral and though this is just a novella, it certainly didn’t feel like it. Jennifer Peel did a fantastic job capturing and bottling that emotion for the page. The characters had layers, such depth as well as a rich history that went back decades.

The premise of this story is right up my alley because I love a friends to lovers trope, and this one tugged on all the heartstrings. It was refreshing to see, for once, the hero working hard to prove himself to the woman, rather than her doing some very creative justifying in order to take him back.

This isn’t a new story but it’s been sitting in my Kindle for quite some time and I finally just cracked it open. I’m glad I did…because it’s a three book bundle, baby!

Review ~ This Changes Everything – Gretchen Galway

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ABOUT:

There’s more than one way to ruin a beautiful friendship.

Tech entrepreneur Sly has a portfolio of lucrative San Francisco Bay Area start-ups, but while his financial options are unlimited, his romantic options are anything but. Bored with the same old, same old, he finds himself spending more and more time with Cleo, his former piano teacher and current pizza-eating, binge-TV-watching partner.

Already divorced at only twenty-nine, Cleo’s not looking for love. Certainly not with a gorgeous workaholic who usually dates high-powered, MBA-toting supermodels. Although, come to think of it, Sly hasn’t dated anyone in a long time. And Cleo isn’t the only one to notice he seems lonely…

An unexpected weekend trip to Las Vegas forces Cleo to confront her past while Sly slams into his own demons and realizes he’s his own worst enemy. What happens when they cross the line? And then move it, jump over it, trample it, zigzag across it, and forget where the line was in the first place?

What can I say about Sly and Cleo? I read the other books in this series, particularly Mark and Rose’s story, so I already had a bit of a crush on Sylly—though I prefer Sly…a lot—and I was eager for him to have his own story. Gretchen Galway did Sly proud, giving him a worthy heroine both in strength and in baggage.

What I truly loved about This Changes Everything is their genuine friendship. I loved that they just hung out, drinking beer and eating pizza instead of clubbing. The fact that they were great friends added a layer to this story that had me smiling most of the time. Some of those times were heartbreaking but they are few and far between.

There wasn’t much outside drama or angst and really, this kind of story doesn’t need it. Both Sly and Cleo had enough personal baggage, never mind fear of ruining an amazing friendship that provided more than enough drama. Watching them struggle with their emotions was funny at times, cringeworthy at others and really damn hot most of the time.

It was nice to see Mark and Rose and Bev and Liam, plus the tiniest little foot fetishist, Merry! And Trixie is back with her meddling, but Sly and Cleo do a bit of meddling of their own!

Bonus, This Changes Everything is two love stories in one!