RECOMMENDED: One Reckless Summer is book 1 in Toni Blake's Destiny series, and is .99c right now. This is an adorable summer romance. I reviewed it and gave it a B-:
Even with occasional flat notes in the characterization, One Reckless Summer was not at all a reckless summer read. Reading it was easy but the subjects weren’t fluffy or meaningless. The plot didn’t demand emotional involvement capriciously, but it made my eyes sting more than once, and made me laugh several times out loud. It was, in a word, charming. Reading this book was like floating on the lake on an inner tube, not too hot, not too cold, just relaxing and right. Before summer comes to an end, treat yourself.
The series as a whole is uneven, but I really liked this book, especially the surprising level of spiciness. In the first chapter.
The perfect daughter. The perfect prom queen. The perfect wife. Jenny Tolliver's been the good girl all her life, and it's gotten her nowhere. Now that her marriage has been busted up by her cheating ex, she's decided it's time to regroup and rediscover herself. This summer she's headed back to her hometown of Destiny, Ohio, to the very lakeshore cottage where she grew up, to figure out what life holds in store for her next.
She never dreamed the answer would be Mick Brody, Destiny's #1 hellraiser.
He comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or in his case, the lake), and he's landed in hot water more times than he can count. He's exactly the kind of guy Jenny's always kept her distance from . . . but soon the good girl and the bad boy are caught in a raw heat that's out of control. Too bad Mick's got a secret that threatens to tear them apart and ruin Jenny's perfectly, passionately reckless summer .
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Call Me Irresistible is $2.99 on sale. The cover is also a certified Photoshop Disaster.
Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends. One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.
But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say “I don't,” Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom.
Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.
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Deliver Me was originally published by Dorchester in 2007, and has been re-released by the author. It's currently free (ETA) at Amazon (sorry) and $2.99 at other vendors.
Monica Gardner is starting over. The broken-hearted St. Louis native has nothing left at home any longer: her future is being an ER doctor at a New Orleans hospital. Her first day makes for a bumpy start as she continually runs into handsome but irascible Dr. Elijah Holmes—a man who could make her change her mind about finding true love.
For years, Dr. Eli Holmes has been living up to his own high expectations—and is burning himself out in the process. The only time this “Super Doc” ob-gyn slows down is to notice the beautiful eyes of a newcomer, Dr. Gardner. He’s pleased to know that she’s more than just a pretty face, she’s also an ace physician.
When they work together, sparks fly. But with both Monica and Eli trying to hard not to fall in love, they realize they can’t resist this affair of the heart.
Once again, we have a Deal Fail on B&N. “Deliver Me” is not free there. Good thing Calibre can turn kindle books into epubs…
I checked the BN website and on my Nook, but Deliver Me is prized 2.99.
Could be ‘cause I’m outside the US (usually I just can’t *buy* books. Free ebooks are ok), but it’s not free on either device (phone/Nook). It’s free in Amazin tho.
Bugger. I’m sorry, y’all.
I would be interested if Farrah Rochon has any comment about that cover. The book revolves around 2 black doctors which strikes me as unusual but I tend to read a lot of historicals where you don’t find many black protagonists *or* doctors so maybe not? If you look at the older cover for the print edition, the model (female) is very clearly black. From this cover, I, at least, had no idea that the hero was black and actually went back to the cover image to see if I had missed something when they started describing the hero. I’m wondering if it’s just a matter of using a stock photo and we are all quite aware that the art department doesn’t always get things spot on or if it was an intentional decision by the publisher to try to be more “mainstream.”
Love a medical romance. And nice to get it free on Kindle, thanks for directing me to it.
@Becky: I think the new version is self-published, but I’m trying to find that out for sure. I had to keep zooming in because I was a bit confused by the cover image, too.
I have loved many of SEP’s books, but that is a terrible one to start with if you haven’t read the others. Actually, even if you have, unless you really really enjoy it when romance novels are hijacked by previous series couples. I can’t deal with characters whose main claim to interest is who their parents are.
I’ll second what kkw said, and add that this is the title in which SEP allowed her penchant for humiliating her heroines to really get away from her.
The abuse heaped upon poor Meg by just about every other character is probably criminal, possibly triggering, and utterly cringe-inducing, all the more since the reader is obviously supposed to find it amusing and “character-building.”
Just wanted to agree with kkw and hapax said. I usually love SEP books but that one, ugh, I just couldn’t like it. If someone hasn’t read SEP before I would start with one of her standalone books, like First Lady, Breathing Room, or Kiss An Angel.