31 Friday Aug 2012
Posted in Contest
Come join us for a Labor Day Hop – Free books and fun!
To enter, visit a Rafflecopter giveaway from 9/1 to 9/15. For more details and a link to all the participating sites, click on the box below.
You’ll want to visit as many sites as possible to increase your chances. Good Luck and happy reading!
26 Sunday Aug 2012
Posted in Book Review
In Sally Goldenbaum’s For Men Only, Ellie Livingston first met Pete Webster on what she dubbed the blind date from hell. Now Ellie is giving cooking classes to men and Pete is in her first class. Will spending so much time together change things?
This book was originally published in 1994 and shows its age just a little. Ellie’s big problem comes from her wanting to make a success of herself and having some issues with the attitude that women belong in the home, not in the work place. I was in college then, not trying to make my way in the job market, but I remember the time as being more open than this. I expected to find the book written in the 80s instead of the 90s based on this issue, but it has been almost 20 years so I may not be remembering things as they actually were.
Pete’s views are more understandable and stem from a childhood of neglect, plus a wife that left him and their kids for her career. I didn’t really see it as so much of a belief against women’s equality as I did one of a man that had certain expectations of what he wanted his family dynamic to be like. And it is one that is very understandable and accepatble based on his history. I don’t think it is explicity stated that he wants a wife to stay home and not have a job, but he does want someone that will be there for him and his kids when they need her.
Overall, the book is very enjoyable. The characters are well-developed and believable, just remember the time the book was written. Ellie and Pete have good chemistry and their interactions have just enough steam to heat things up. For Men Only is a touching and humorous read, with enough heart to keep readers going.
24 Friday Aug 2012
Posted in Sneak Peek
Elisabeth Barrett’s next release is just around the corner, BLAZE OF WINTER (on sale 9/10) – Winter heats up in this hot new Star Harbor romance as another sexy Grayson brother, a wickedly handsome writer, plots his happily ever after with a sweet stranger. Theo is a hero that beats all – you’ll love him! Here’s something special, a Sneak Peek FREE excerpt from Scribd.
Elisabeth’s book will be featured in our Labor Day Hop so check back on 9/1 for details!
There’s also a Sneak Peek of Emily March’s NIGHTINGALE WAY at Scribd. And click on the link on the right for information on a special Nightingale Way giveaway!
19 Sunday Aug 2012
Posted in Book Review
In Jeanne Martinet’s Etiquette for the End of the World, Tess Eliot’s world as she knows it has ended – she’s suddenly without a boyfriend or a job. Low on funds, she takes an offer to ghost-write a how-to manual for a survivalist group who believes the world as everyone knows it will end on December 21, 2012. Although she doesn’t start the project as a believer, doing research leads her to information that could prove that society may be in jeopardy after all.
The cover touts this as ”Bridget Jones for the New Millineum” and I see the similarities. Both are full of quirky characters and outrageous situations. And like Bridget, Tess starts her journey with a new relationship involving a man that seems too good to be true and who is definitely hiding something. The romance is secondary, though. The main plot of Etiquette for the End of the World involves a mystery over the feasability of one of the ways civilization may end and how WOOSH, the group that hired Tess, may be involved.
The funniest parts of the book are the snippets of Tess’s how-to manual that are scattered throughout – with titles like “How to Rob Someone with Style” and “Dating as if Your Life Depended on It (Which it Acutally Does)”. Although told with a large dose of snark and humorous from the perspective of a post-apocalyptic world, there is some great advice in them, especially “Twelve Rules to Live and Die By” found at the end of the book.
Etiquette for the End of the World is a humorous, light-hearted book that takes on the latest doomsday theory – the end of the Mayan calendar. Martinet does a good job of keeping the story moving quickly and making it playful without it getting ridiculous. If you are looking for a fun distraction, this is the book for you.
18 Saturday Aug 2012
Posted in Book Review
Two new reviews have been added to BookTrib:
http://juliejohnson.booktrib.com/reviews/within-reach/
http://juliejohnson.booktrib.com/reviews/deserving-of-his-diamonds/
16 Thursday Aug 2012
Posted in Contest
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Today’s the day so come join Romance at Random for another exciting hop with fantastic prizes! Enter here for your chance to win:
Don’t forget to visit each of the sites found here for more chances to win.
And keep an eye out because I will be posting a review of Hero of My Heart soon. It’s a sizzler with heart so you won’t want to miss it.
16 Thursday Aug 2012
Posted in Book Review
Tags
In Kevin’s Story, Kevin Ross is a deaf man who has built a successful cookie business. He is now looking for the perfect model to be the Kevin’s Kookies girl. Enter Suzy Keller. She easily convinces him that she’s the perfect woman for his national marketing campaign but can she convince him she’s the perfect woman for his heart?
This is another book that I wish I could give 3.5 stars. It was originally released in 1986 and it feels like it is 25 years old, but not in a bad way. There is just a kind of vibe about it that marks it as an older story – something in the way the words are put together but again this isn’t a bad thing, just something readers may notice. There is nothing overt about it that gives a time frame, although I did notice the lack of technology (like cell phones or laptops).
The only issue I had was with some of Suzy’s actions. She’s fun-loving, humorous and caring, very earnest and sometimes a little naive. However she can be pushy about her relationship with Kevin. Readers are given his side of the romance too, so you understand that he is conflicted about it, but Suzy refuses to take no for an answer and disregards Kevin’s wishes. She does it with flair but if she was a man there might be a call for a restraining order.
For his part, Kevin is immediately attracted to Suzy and finds it hard to fight that. He doesn’t believe that a deaf man who grew up in foster care (and worse) deserves someone like her and that he will only hold her back from having a fantastic future. Suzy overrides these concerns at every turn, believing that they are made for each other and can handle anything that life gives them. She is his biggest cheerleader, believing that he is an amazing man that has a lot to offer. I was touched by the way that Suzy champions Kevin at every turn, showing him that he is an asset in their relationship regardless of his deafness.
At it’s heart, Kevin’s Story is a very sweet tale about a woman showing a man how valuable he really is. I may have had a little trouble with the way she goes about it sometimes, but overall I enjoyed it and freely recommend it.
16 Thursday Aug 2012
Posted in Sneak Peek
I got some info on a couple of new books that might be of interest –
Karen Robard’s THE LAST VICTIM: on sale now
Buy at The Last Victim
PLUS,
Debbie Macomber’s THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR – on sale today
Buy at The Inn At Rose Harbor
07 Tuesday Aug 2012
Posted in Book Review
In Kayla Perrin’s Surrender My Heart, Natalie Hart has just been divorced by her cheating, NBA player husband. She wasn’t too surprised to find out that he’d cheated on her except that it was with her best friend. She’s decided to take a break from men … and to never again get involved with a professional athlete. NFL wide receiver Michael Jones wants to change her opinion that all athletes are players, both on and off the field.
This is the second story in Kimani Romance’s Harts in Love series, which has a central story line involving the three Hart sisters trying to find their mother. This story line is not resolved in this book so if you aren’t comfortable with unresolved issues you will need to plan to pick up the other stories in the series – Always In My Heart and Heart to Heart.
Surrender My Heart is your typical trust issue book – Natalie has been burned, not only by her ex-husband Vance, but also by her mother when she left her daughters behind. When she meets Michael for the first time, his flirtations only reinforce her belief that he is just like her ex. When the two are thrown together on a mutual charity project, Michael takes the opportunity to show her his sincerity. The path these two take can be predicted easily but the journey is still enjoyable. The characters are interesting and their interactions are fun. Michael is sweet, charming, and of course hot. Natalie is troubled, but it is understandable given her fresh romantic troubles. The two together are funny, touching, and steamy. Perrin does a good job of keeping the story moving and fresh.
Again, this is definitely not a stand-alone story – although Natalie and Michael’s portion is complete, the secondary story involving the girls’ mother is not. I would definitely recommend picking up all the stories.
05 Sunday Aug 2012
Posted in Book Review
Ann Christopher’s Case for Seduction kicks off Harlequin’s new series – The Hamiltons: Law of Love. One morning in a Starbucks, Jake Hamilton runs into the first woman who really throws him for a loop. He’s tired of his playboy lifestyle and he’d like to see where such an intense attraction might go. Unfortunately his past could prove to be his downfall. Charlotte Evans has worked in the typing pool at Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark for a couple of years. She’s met Jake in passing on a few occasions but it quickly becomes obvious that he doesn’t remember her. Now that he really sees her, will he be content to leave their relationship on a professional level? And if not, how will she feel to be one in a line of many?
This is a really sweet little story – the characters are appealing and the plot is believable. Jake is gorgeous, rich, intelligent and charming. He’s led an easy life, with everything that money can buy and women falling at his feet. He’s taken advantage of all that has been available to him, but he’s recently been dissatisfied with it. There isn’t really a big “poor, little, rich boy” moment but he is attracted to Charlotte’s life, to the warmth of it and her family.
Charlotte has a very full life. She’s going to law school, has a full-time job, a two year old son and a sick mother. What she doesn’t need is an unwise attraction to her boss. Unfortunately for her, Jake is used to getting his way. He’s drawn to her heart, her mind, and her strong character. She’s dedicated, hard-working, and loving, not to mention beautiful.
Case for Seduction brings readers a simple, straight-forward story of two people exploring their feelings for each other and deciding if they are willing to take a chance on it being something that will last. It’s a quick read, engaging, and the perfect book to throw in your bag take to the pool. I look forward to reading more about the Hamilton family.
Romantic Reads and Such 