Lily Danville grew up in Cedar Ridge, Colorado, and loved hiking the mountain trails or climbing the rock faces in the summer, or skiing the challenging slopes in the winter. She was happy there, until tragedy struck and she lost half her family over the course of a few weeks. She’s never forgiven herself and wasn’t ever planning on returning. Having lost her job in a fashionable salon in San Diego and pretty much been … Continue reading Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis →
I had trouble writing this review. I first read Second Chance Summer when it first came out (summer of 2015) and had vague memories of enjoying it, but I blow through so many books when I’m at the beach that the details don’t really stick with me. I signed up to review it because I already owned the book and had a sense that I’d enjoyed it, and would therefore enjoy reading it again. Alas, … Continue reading Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis →
This was part of a double Harlequin edition and part of their Nocturne sequence. At first I thought perhaps I was in a story slump since I had some initial issues getting into the story, but on the second re-read, I found it thrilling, fun and exciting. Lexi Haven is a world renowned photographer and seems to have it all together. She is in Marcari to help her best friend who is planning the wedding of … Continue reading Possessed by a Wolf by Sharon Ashwood →
T/W: past rape/sexual assault; slut-shaming The experience of reading this book was like dating a really hot guy. In the beginning all I saw was the potential. And the sex? Yes, please! I overlooked his flaws and knew it likely wouldn’t be long-term, but who cared because I was up late at night with his scorching hot kisses and nothing else mattered. A+! Some time went by – I had to sleep at some point … Continue reading Once Pure by Cecy Robson →
The stock blurb for this book is misleading in several ways, so here’s a more accurate version: Thirty-five year-old Siobhan “Sugar” Malloy, co-owner of Sugar and Spice Café and a part-time burlesque performer, is “treading emotional water,” reluctant to get involved with anyone due to some emotionally damaging events in her past—especially a handsome younger man who seems to have his life together. Responsible, hardworking, and dedicated to his career, Charlie is immediately attracted to … Continue reading Sugar by Seressia Glass →
Sugar is a novel about Siobhan Malloy, a 35 year old woman who co-owns a cafe/bakery with her best friend in a small town. And that’s where the cliches end. Siobhan is unique – she’s a recovering addict who has fought hard for the normalcy she has now. She also dances in a burlesque show as a hobby and likes to stand out with her retro sense of style. Charlie is a younger man, a … Continue reading Sugar by Seressia Glass →
Trigger warning: mentions of violence. Maxwell Derring, Earl of Dane hates the poor. They’re lazy, stupid, immoral, and “barely human.” He blames them for his father’s death—not because a poor person shot or stabbed his father, but because somebody robbed one of his father’s houses, and two weeks later he died of pneumonia. Now, you might be thinking, as I did, that that seems a very weak and specious chain of logic for deciding to … Continue reading Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen →
This was my first book by Elizabeth Hayley. I never heard from this author before but I chose this book mainly because the hero is a cook. As a former cook myself I like to read books about cooks – does anybody do that? Like lawyers or teachers or spies? You know, you want to see if they got it right. Only me? Well, so here I go. The story is about Tim and Quinn … Continue reading Just Say Yes by Elizabeth Hayley →
So military romances. Eh. Kinda burned out on them. All those super secret black ops teams that not even the government knows about? After a while they started making my skin crawl, because borderline criminal behavior and a license to kill with no over sight what-so-ever? NOT SEXY. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve read my fair share, or more, of these books, but reality kept nudging in and now? Nope nopenopenope. Set that quibble … Continue reading Target Engaged by M. L. Buchman →
I picked this book because it’s rare that I strike out with the first in a series and keep going with another installment. Once bitten, twice shy, you know? But while I didn’t enjoy the first book, I have enjoyed a couple of the author’s novellas, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for an experiment: giving series with a disappointing first book another shot. I am a firm believer in ditching books … Continue reading Facing Fire by HelenKay Dimon →
I was not familiar with the Fatal series or Marie Force going into this, but the description looked like it had a bunch of my personal catnip: ass-kicking lead woman, romantic thriller, political elements. (I love reading/watching totally off-the-rails versions of DC. Except House of Cards. Don’t get me started on how much I hate House of Cards.) Anyway, the book opens in medias res, as it were, and it’s immediately obvious that some serious … Continue reading Fatal Frenzy by Marie Force →
