Tag Archives: contemporary romance

Review ~ Cowboy Christmas Blues – Maisey Yates

Get your copy HERE!!!

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

Get your copy HERE!!!

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

Get your copy HERE!!!

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!

Emerald Creek Just #99cents!!!

Guess what’s just $0.99 TODAY? That’s right, you can read all about Dre, Erick, Shayna and the crew for less than a buck, a euro….a whatever.

The weather is cooling down so why not warm up with a sweet and sexy second chance summer love story? 

💚💫💚💫💚💫#EmeraldCreekSummer💚💫💚💫💚💫

My name is Andrea Larson but everyone calls me Dre.
After college I was supposed to return to my hometown of Emerald Creek and set up an online travel business with my high school sweetheart.
Then he knocked up someone else and those plans went to sh*t.
I moved on, sold my website for a ton of money and moved to California.
My life, my business is a success by any measure of the word.
Then I got the call. My best friend needed me.
In Emerald Creek.
I haven’t seen Erick in a decade, maybe more.
Now we’re in the same town where we fell in love and avoiding him isn’t possible.

My name is Erick but everyone knows me by my restaurant name, Maverick
Divorce and a single dad, I don’t date much.
My life is my baby girl and Maverick’s.
And then Dre comes back to town.
Summer in Emerald Creek would be the perfect chance to make her love me again.

If I can get her to talk to me.

Check Me Out!!

Facebook
Twitter
Newsletter
Facebook Group 

Review ~ This Changes Everything – Gretchen Galway

Get your copy HERE!!!

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!

Review ~ Sweetly, Deeply, Absolutely – Kira Archer

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Hello, Mr. Right…for Now.

With a month off from culinary school, Jenny Boyd has some serious party plans. Especially when the hottest guy in the club literally lands in her lap. He’s 6’2” of cocky, sexy, man-candy, and just as commitment-phobic as she is.

She’s definitely off limits…

Graphic designer Jared Crew is shocked when his best friend’s sister-in-law doesn’t remember him right away. Luckily, she is more than willing to let him jog her memory, no complications required.

It’s all fun and games…until the condom breaks.

Yes, I liked this story. I love Kira Archer and more often than not, her books offer me a really good time for a few hours and Sweet, Deeply, Absolutely was no different.

Mostly.

It took me some time to warm up to Jenny. I mean, I love a hard partying chef in training as much as the next girl but…it seemed a little over the top especially considering we got to see NONE of that in the book. It was as though they were talking about someone different altogether. But other than that Jenny seemed like a cool and capable chick that I wouldn’t mind knocking back a few with. Again, mostly.

The buildup, watching Jenny and Jared dance around one another and fight the attraction was entertaining. Normally this is part of the story that turns me off because—hello, adults use their words—but here it worked well. Although I wondered if they both loved casual and she wouldn’t be around long, why not have a fun and sweaty fling? Then they came together and holy smokes! These two are hot as hell and burn up the pages even when all they do is kiss.

And when the sh*t hits the fan, I love that these two seemingly immature people are able to only mildly freak out and deal with life as it happens. Instead of going from the bedroom to a walk down the aisle, they actually got to know one another which made the read more realistic and a lot more enjoyable. A broken condom is no sane person’s ideal method of achieving a happy ending, and I loved that Jenny and Jared became friends first because hey, just in case.

Sweetly, Deeply, Absolutely was a fun read and I have no actual complaints about the story because I adored it. The only thing that really got to me wasn’t a ‘writing’ issue but another Jenny issue. She kept claiming that Jared was too immature and that he wasn’t ready for responsibility because of how he chose to live his life. From his job to his living arrangements, nothing was ever good enough. FOR A CHICK ON SUMMER BREAK!!! I just felt like she was the pot calling the kettle black when he had his life perfectly situated for his current circumstance. It got really annoying and there were some points where I just wished he would tell her off and remind her of her own sh*t.

This is an older read, about a year old, but it was sitting in my Kindle just waiting to be read which means I must now go back and see if books 1 & 2 are hiding from me!

Review ~ Royal Pain – Tracy Wolff

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Being rich opens a lot of doors. When you’re rich and royal, those doors lead to a new bedroom every night. I should know. The tabloids call me His Royal Hotness, Prince Kian of Wildemar. Women across the world see me as a naughty fairy tale, an image I’m happy to indulge. As the spare to the heir, I’m the prince with none of the power . . . and all of the perks.

Then my twin brother is kidnapped, and suddenly I’m the one who could be king. The crown chasers start circling—and yet it’s a luscious waitress who catches my eye. With a smart mouth and the curves to back it up, Savannah Breslin is as brazen as I’d expect an American commoner to be.

But Savvy’s not interested in playing Cinderella. As sexy as she is, she’s no stranger to heartbreak. Besides, a nice guy wouldn’t drag her into all the drama that comes along with royalty. Lucky I’m not a nice guy. And, as it turns out, I might not even be her first prince…

So I should tell you all right now that I have a hit or miss relationship with royal romances. Other than Marquita Valentine’s Royal series, I find that royal-centric romance novels are a little too over the top for my tastes so I was a little hesitant when I came across Royal Pain.

One of the things I had to get over when reading this story is the first person POV which honestly, made it very difficult to like Kian who is supposed to be our hero. I don’t have a problem with Kian being a playboy or just a hard partying spare heir, none of that bothers me. Hell, I believe he’s earned that kind of lifestyle with the kind of restrictions placed upon royals. But hearing his inner most thoughts made it very difficult to sympathize with him, to give a damn about him.

At the start of the story I honestly liked Garrett more and was hoping he would come back and take Kian’s place. But I digress…

The story itself was…okay. I didn’t feel any real pull to Kian or Savannah and I didn’t really care about them. I finished the story more because I just wanted to know how it all turned out. Let’s just say there were some mysteries within this story beyond Garrett’s disappearance that added a few layers to the story, but overall I just felt meh about this story.

It is well written and the story is developed but I think Royal Pain would have been more compelling written in third person.

Top 5 Small Town Romance Series

As you know I really love a small town romance. There’s something about the quirky cast of characters, the charming local businesses and the uniqueness that comes with it that I crave. And sure it may (or may not) have inspired my own small town series, Mustang Prairie.

But I am squarely on the small town romance train and today I’m going to convince you why you should to. It isn’t just the homegrown hotties who protect the town as Sheriff or fight fires and gets beloved pets from very high spots, or the sassy small town girls who love them. Okay maybe it’s some of that. It’s also the opportunity it provides the author and the reader, to get lost in a fictional town and all the goings on of the people who live there.

If you haven’t read a small town romance or you haven’t found the town to capture your imagination and steal your heart, by the time this post is finished you will.

1 Fools Gold ~ Susan Mallery

This was the very first small town romance series that sucked me right in. I found one of the stories for free a few years ago and I systematically read all the ones that had already been published until I was all caught up. It was great and it was terrible, waiting for the next one to be released. Continue reading Top 5 Small Town Romance Series

Best Of My Love ~ PRE-ORDER ALERT!!

Finally. That’s the word that springs to mind since I handed everything off to Amazon and waited for my congratulatory email. Best Of My Love has taken some time to finish because life conspired against me, but now that it’s done I’m happy and excited, and ready for the world to see it.

Dre and Erick were a fun couple to write, plus falling in love with a whole new small town filled with small town people and of course, small town festivals!

No familiar with Best Of My Love? Check out the description below! Pre-order your copy today and wake up on Release Day, 21-Sept., to the folks of Emerald Creek.

DRE never returned to Emerald Creek after the man she thought she’d marry broke her heart. But a late night phone call from half way around the world brings her right back to her hometown. And face to face with the man she never thought she’d seen again. Summer in Emerald Creek was everything she remembered—endless festivals, picnics in the park and time with her best friend and her favorite little tykes—and Dre is finding it hard to resist the pull of the chemistry she and Erick still have. Continue reading Best Of My Love ~ PRE-ORDER ALERT!!

COMING SOON!!! ~ Best Of My Love

My name is Andrea Larson but everyone calls me Dre.

After college I was supposed to return to my hometown of Emerald Creek and set up an online travel business with my high school sweetheart.

Then he knocked up someone else and those plans went to sh*t.

I moved on, sold my website for a ton of money and moved to California.

My life, my business is a success by any measure of the word.

Then I got the call. My best friend needed me.

In Emerald Creek.

I haven’t seen Erick in a decade, maybe more.

Now we’re in the same town where we fell in love and avoiding him isn’t possible.

 

My name is Erick but everyone knows me by my restaurant name, Maverick

Divorce and a single dad, I don’t date much.

My life is my baby girl and Maverick’s.

And then Dre comes back to town.

Summer in Emerald Creek would be the perfect chance to make her love me again.

If I can get her to talk to me.

COMING SOON!

Get more info on release date @ www.facebook.com/MustangPrairieBooks