When the Duke Found Love

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Book Review, Isabella Bradford, When the Duke Found Love

When the Duke Found Love, the last in Isabella Bradford’s Wylder Sister trilogy, brings readers the story of Lady Diana, the youngest sister. Her head is easily turned by a handsome man and she’s on the path to ruin if she continues as she has, so her family decides to marry her to a respectable gentleman. They arrange for her to wed Lord Crump, but unfortunately she finds him boring and uninteresting. Nothing like the handsome and charming stranger she met in the park. The Duke of Sheffield is called back from France after an indiscretion with a married lady angers both their kings. To help redeem his reputation, he’s ordered to marry an upstanding lady from a good family. But his chance meeting in the park with Lady Diana will force them to choose between duty and love.

I haven’t read the other books in the series so I’m not sure if that would change my opinion, but I didn’t like Lady Diana. She does know how to have fun and she doesn’t care much about proprieties, which I found charming, but not so much the way she reacts to situations. The majority of her problems are caused by the fact that she’s impulsive and acts before she thinks. Sure, that’s supposed to be her appeal for Sheffield, but not so much for me. And it didn’t seem like there were any consequences to her choices.

Sheffield was the best part of the book for me. He’s an unrepentant rake (most historical romance heroes are, only to be redeemed by love), but he takes his responsibilities seriously. He meets with his man of affairs as soon as he returns from France and he makes sure that his properties and staff are taken care of when he’s away. It’s just in his private life that he is a little more lax. He’s only in his mid-20s which, for a man, is still young and he is expected to be carefree. He’s charming, fun, and loves his family, including his ugly but adorable dog.

I like the idea of the plot – two people on the edge of ruin who are set to marry other people but fall in love – but I just couldn’t go for Lady Diana. Sheffield’s appeal, though, kept me reading until the end. When the Duke Found Love is well-written and has a fantastic hero, so if you like historical romances give it a shot. You might like Lady Diana more than I did.

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Seducing the Secret Heiress

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Jennifer St George, Seducing the Secret Heiress

When heiress Charlotte Wentworth finds out that her fiance is unfaithful, she decides to call off the wedding. A conversation with her father reveals that the man was only marrying her as part of a business deal anyway, and that her parents don’t have an issue with that or his cheating. So she decides to take off on her own, incognito, to evaluate her future. When she saves Gabe Grenville’s young niece from drowning in Italy, only to have everything she owned stolen, they invite her to spend the week with them. She soon finds out that things are even worse. Her fiance has emptied her bank accounts and frozen her credit cards. Without funds or a plan, she accepts Gabe’s invitation to come back with them to London. A Reality TV Producer, Gabe creates a new show idea with Charlie’s help and pushes her to try out. But she’s still keeping her identity a secret, and the truth could ruin everything.

The standard plot sequence of lying, revelation and forgiveness has been used forever (especially in romances) and can get very stale. Most of the time, you feel like the author is stretching to keep the storyline going but Seducing the Secret Heiress flows nicely. Usually I don’t like romance stories that center around one person deceiving another, but it is handled well here. Charlie’s reasons are understandable and it is easy for readers to see why she makes the choices she does. Once the lying starts things quickly get out of hand, but I never felt like the choice to continue lying was forced. The characters are interesting, their decisions are realistic, and I was involved in their lives from start to finish.

In Seducing the Secret Heiress, Jennifer St George gives a fresh voice to an old plot device and makes it work.

The Escape Diaries

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Book Review, Juliet Rosetti, The Escape Diaries

In The Escape Diaries, Mazie Maguire has spent the last three years in prison for her husband’s murder – a crime she didn’t commit. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by a tornado, Mazie escapes. At first she spends all her energy just eluding the law, but soon she realizes this could be her chance to throw herself into the mystery of who actually killed her husband and framed her for his murder.

Mazie is a treat, perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. Like Plum, she’s quirky, funny, and charming, with moments of brilliance and many of supreme luck. She finds herself in one absurd situation after another, quickly pulling you into her wild adventure. The mystery of what happened to her husband is engrossing and vastly entertaining, with Rosetti doing a fantastic job of balancing the line between outlandish and unbelievable.

The supporting cast, though in the book only in limited bursts, is great too. Her mother-in-law ferociously blames Mazie for her son’s death and is a hoot and a half as she tries to take Mazie out. She’s crazy as can be and the mastermind behind some of the best moments in the book. Mazie also has the support of people she meets as she works out everything that happened leading to her husband’s death. Since this is the first in a series, I hope to see more of everyone in future books.

The mystery itself is just weird enough to be entertaining, but well-thought out and complete. It’s a more light-hearted suspense but with the depth and detail needed to keep readers engrossed. Since it is the start of a series, there are a few threads left hanging, an opening into the next installment, but Rosetti wraps up the main plotlines well.

For off-the-wall fun, with a zany mystery thrown in, pick up The Escape Diaries. You’ll quickly find yourself holding your own “Go, Mazie, Go” sign.

Asking for Trouble

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Asking for Trouble, Book Review, Mary Kay McComas

In Asking for Trouble, Sidney Wiesman goes on a dating game show where she chooses from three possible candidates. Of her choices, Tom is the only remotely interesting guy, actually he’s almost perfect, and the sparks fly when they first meet for their date. But everything quickly becomes a nightmare after that – if it could go wrong, it did go wrong. Now the two are back on the show to tell the world about their date. Is the special something between the two of them enough to overcome the obstacles they face?

Like McComas’s previous books, By The Book and Ms. Miller and the Midas Man, Asking for Trouble crams a lot of heart and emotion into just a handful of pages. Sidney is sweet and real. Her issues are complicated and unusual, adding a quirky charm to the book. Tom is generous, funny and caring, more than capable of handling anything that is thrown at him. And he’ll need all the patience and understanding that he can get to overcome the hilariously disastrous beginning to his relationship with Sidney. They admit that things aren’t easy but the best things never are.

As always, McComas is a master at packing the most heart possible into a little package. Asking for Trouble is a delightful mix of heart-ache and comedy. Making readers laugh and cringe along with Sidney and Tom … and crossing their fingers for a happy ever after.

How to Misbehave

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Book Review, Camelot series, How to Misbehave, Ruthie Knox

Ruthie Knox kicks off her new Camelot series with a smoking hot and oh-so-tempting novella. Amber Clark has a crush on one of the construction guys doing work at the Community Center where she is the Program Director. She sees him off and on throughout the week, looking buff, sexy and in charge. And since she closes the center, on the days he works she waits to walks him out, only getting a good night in return. Until the day they are forced to take shelter in the basement due to a tornado warning. Does she dare to do something about her attraction? Tony Mazzara knows that Amber isn’t the woman for him. She might as well wear a sign saying she’s innocent and good. He’s very aware of the feelings she has for him, and they are mutual, but he won’t do anything about them. But once they are forced to spend time together, will he be able to resist?

Knox’s Camelot series tells the stories of three siblings – Amber, Caleb and Katie – and although How to Misbehave is the first to be published, it was the last to be written. Along Came Trouble, which is Caleb’s story and due out in March, was actually first but as both Tony and Amber are in the story, it was important to tell their tale first. And I’m so very happy she did. They are both fun, funny and sweet. The pages practically catch fire with their passion but it is their more tender moments that make them irresistible.

Amber is tired of being seen as only the good girl and she’s hoping Tony will help her misbehave. Having her let loose with Tony is both steamy and delightful. Tony had a horrible thing happen in his past and it has left some scars. He doesn’t trust himself and he finds it hard to give in to his feelings for Amber. Tony’s troubled brother, Patrick, also makes an appearance and I really hope we get some more stories about the Mazzara brothers and sisters.

How to Misbehave is the perfect choice for a cold winter night … it’s sexy enough to toast your toes but romantic enough to warm your heart.

Crazy Thing Called Love

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Book Review, Crazy Thing Called Love, Molly O'Keefe

Molly O’Keefe’s latest is bursting with heat and heart, a tantalizing romance about old love and second chances. Little more than children, Billy Wilkins and Maddy Baumgarten got married thinking that with love nothing else mattered. Unfortunately life proved them wrong. Fourteen years later, after changing her name and her image, Maddy now hosts Dallas’s most popular morning TV show as Madelyn Cornish. No one knows about her past and she wants to keep it that way. But now her show’s producers have decided to do a segment about a make-over of NHL’s reigning bad-boy of hockey, none other than her ex Billy. Billy knows this is his perfect, and probably only, chance to get close to Maddy again. His life has been one big fight and she was the only bright spot in it. Can he show her that they have changed? That they deserve another shot?

Crazy Thing Called Love actually started with All I Want For Christmas Is You, O’Keefe’s novella in the Naughty & Nice anthology. Thought it isn’t necessary that readers read the novella first, I think that it definitely gives a lot more background into Billy’s history. In the book, you are given an idea of how bad his childhood was, the things that happened to him, but you get so much more with the novella. O’Keefe describes how messed up his family is, how needy and twisted his addict sisters are, how different Maddy’s life is, and how much he truly relies on her.

Billy definitely needed a growing up period and it took a long time for him to do that. But the good parts of Billy are there, they just need a little help being the biggest part of him. Knowing what kind of history he has, though, it is truly heartbreaking to see the man he became, especially knowing there was potential for more. Maddy is understandably resistant to have anything to do with Billy. She was devastated by how their relationship played out, but I truly enjoyed how both of them grew in the book and the fact that love didn’t cure everything. Both of them were at a point where change could take root, they just needed a little push in the right direction.

O’Keefe does a fantastic job creating completely messed-up, but likable characters. People that you root for and fall in love with, and just want to hug when things are bad, which is most of the time. You’ll cheer for them at the end, with tears in your eyes.

No Foolin’

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Book Review, Lisa Scott, No Foolin'

Kate Riley is heading inside a local Italian restaurant to apply for a summer job waitressing when she’s stopped by an extremely good-looking, and stressed, man asking for a ride. Her small-town roots kick in and she agrees, only to find out the man is Hollywood bad boy, Teague “T-Rex” Reynolds. He’s in Willowdale, North Carolina, for reasons he doesn’t want known and has press hot on his tail. In desperation he asks Kate to pretend to be his girlfriend so the truth doesn’t come out … but what will they do when the pretense starts to seem very real?

Like Stand-In Star by Rachael Johns, No Foolin’ is an entertaining look at what happens when a Hollywood hot shot and an every-day woman get together. Teague, like Johns’s hero Nate, has commitment issues. He was given up for adoption as a toddler and feels unlovable. Time spent with Kate shows him what he could have, as long as he is strong enough to reach for it. Kate also has relationship issues, stemming from watching her step-father cheat on her mother and having an old boyfriend get another woman pregnant while they were on a break. She can’t stand lies but her relationship with Teague is based on them, plus his paparazzi-filled, image-is-everything life just generates more. Both Teague and Kate are engaging and easy to relate to, with heart-warming depth. They have the typical romance problem of misunderstandings and communication mix-ups, but Scott’s compelling prose delivers it with emotion and style.

No Foolin’ is an amusing mix of small-town charm and big star flash – a rich delicacy of humor, heart and sexy fun.

Stand-In Star

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Book Review, Rachael Johns, Stand-In Star

Stand-In Star finds Aussie anthropologist Holly McCartney in Hollywood to represent her recently deceased, and estranged, sister for her Best Supporting Star nomination at the Academy Awards. Holly is out of her element and overwhelmed by paparazzi at the airport when she’s rescued by Nate Devlin, her sister’s oh-so-gorgeous friend. Though Nate obviously has negative feelings for her, that doesn’t diminish his appeal. Nate is only helping Holly because that is what her sister would have wanted, even though Holly’s rebuffs hurt her terribly. But the more time he spends with Holly, the harder he finds it to resist her. Will their pasts keep them from getting their happy ending?

This is an absolutely wonderful story about two people who have to overcome their preconceptions. Nate doesn’t like Holly for all the hurt she caused her sister but the more time they spend together the more he realizes that he may have misjudged her. Adding to that, he had a difficult childhood and feels that he doesn’t have what it takes to be in a relationship. I do wish that more time had been spent on Nate coming to terms with his issues, but otherwise I enjoyed the way he handles his growing feelings for Holly.

Holly was hurt by her sister and is dealing with that, as well as her guilt and grief from the fact that they will never be able to change things now that her sister has died. Her interactions with (and attraction to) Nate, someone who obviously is on her sister’s side, only makes things worse. I found Holly to be an interesting character, with her issues related to her famous, beautiful sister. Her bookishness and the self-doubt she felt growing up in comparison make a good foil to her sister’s LA lifestyle.

Both Nate and Holly learn some hard truths about themselves, each other and Holly’s sister, causing them to reevaluate some long-held beliefs. Stand-In Star is a delightful, fast read that provides depth and heart in the shallow world of Hollywood.

New Ruthie Knox Series

There will be reviews coming soon, but in anticipation of the new Ruthie Knox series please see below ….  I’ve already read the novella How To Misbehave and it’s stellar – so looking forward to the rest.

What woman can resist a hot man in a hard hat? Beloved author Ruthie Knox kicks off her new Camelot series with this deliciously sexy original novella, in which a good girl learns how to misbehave . . . with all her heart.

How To Misbehave – Description and Excerpt on Ruthie’s Website | Preorder from Amazon | Preorder from Barnes & Noble | Preorder from iTunes | Add to Goodreads

Ruthie Knox’s Camelot series continues in this sizzling eBook original novel, featuring two headstrong souls who bump heads—and bodies—as temptation and lust bring nothing but delicious trouble.

Along Came Trouble – Description and Excerpt on Ruthie’s Website | Preorder from Amazon | Preorder from Barnes & Noble | Preorder from iTunes | Add to Goodreads

 

In the latest eBook original novel in Ruthie Knox’s scorching-hot Camelot series, a no-strings fling looks an awful lot like falling in love—or flirting with disaster.

Flirting with Disaster – On Ruthie’s Website | Preorder from Amazon | Preorder from Barnes & Noble | Add to Goodreads

Defying the Odds

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Battered Hearts Series, Book Review, Defying the Odds, Kele Moon

In Defying The Odds, Melody Dylan has moved to the small town of Garnet to start over.  She’s divorced her abusive husband, gotten a restraining order against him, and come somewhere new.  Taking a job as a waitress in the local diner, she gives a slice of pie to a man eating alone on Thanksgiving, changing her life forever.  Clay Powers grew up in Garnet and is now one of the most famous UFC fighters in the world, but he still feels as much of an outsider as ever.  Until he gets a little gift of kindness from the new girl in town.

This is marked as erotica, although it really isn’t all that different than some of the more steamy mainstream romance novels out there.  I don’t know what causes a book to be labeled one or the other – maybe it depends on frequency of the sex scenes or the words that are used.  Yes, the sex is hot (but that’s not a bad thing) and graphic, but it is also tender and emotional.  These two are as mismatched a couple as you can get – a woman who was beaten and a man who fights for a living – and everyone likes to point it out.  But they are also so much more.  Their relationship is sweet and they have so much heart, I loved them both immediately.

Clay grew up as a foster kid and his only real family is his two best friends, Jules and Wyatt.  He’s big, gruff and misunderstood, a little lonely.  Melody has had it rough but she hasn’t totally lost her innocence and good nature.  She sees so much more in Clay than most people do and she’s attracted to his big heart immediately.  They have their issues, mostly stemming from her ex-husband, but the resolution is so very touching.

If you don’t mind a little sizzle in your story (alright, a lot of sizzle), run out and get Defying The Odds, then kick back and enjoy the ride.  But be warned, this is the first in Moon’s Battered Hearts series, so get ready to head back out to get the second in the series, Star Crossed.