I disliked this book. Let me revise that: I liked the heroine but found the hero, the story and the writing objectionable. The story starts with our hero – let’s call him Douche Canoe – cut off from funds by his asshole older brother and about to leave society to become a Bow Street runner. He is scheming to get his fiancé, Jane, to jilt him because he assumes that she will not be able … Continue reading If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries →
(TW: pregnancy loss/premature birth) His Lost-and-Found Bride was my first foray into the world of the Harlequin Romance line. I’m fairly picky about my categories, as I’ve been disappointed in the past by the Presents line. I tend to like Blaze though, so was hoping for the best. This was certainly different from Blaze – sexy times happen behind the curtain, if you will – but I very much enjoyed it. Getting enough story into a … Continue reading His Lost-and-Found Bride by Scarlet Wilson →
The issue with Sweetest Scoundrel is that while it is well-written and has generally likeable characters who behave honorably, it was colossally boring. Eve Dinwoody is a quiet person with an unattractive face who enjoys being alone. She is prim and proper and she paints miniatures. Her half brother asks her to oversee an investment he’s made, so she ends up crossing paths with Asa Makepeace, the roguish proprietor of Harte’s Folly – a pleasure … Continue reading Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt →
I know that Fool Me Twice is an A read for me, but there isn’t any one overwhelming reason. I read it for the second time for this review, remembering that I’d enjoyed it the first time, but not recalling a whole lot of detail. I expect that I’ll read it again someday, and that is definitely a factor in my A grade. Duran doesn’t seem to cover any startling new ground in this historical, … Continue reading Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran →
[NB: Trigger warning for rape and assault. – SW] This is a sweet spin on the small town romance, the eighth book in a so far nine book series. The book is a prequel about the founding of the town of Harmony. I have not read any of the previous books in the series, but had no trouble following the action and understanding the characters in the context of the book. I assume that there … Continue reading A Place Called Harmony by Jodi Thomas →
The Saint is in the middle of Reisz’s series, Original Sinners, and is billed as the prequel. I haven’t read the books before this one, so I read this as a newbie to the series, and as an amateur to the themes in the book. As an introduction to her world, it was frustrating at times to only get the surface of the story or miss the nuances of a picture. But it was doable, although … Continue reading The Saint by Tiffany Reisz →
Goodreads has this book rated at a 3.82 of 5 stars and Amazon had it at 4.5 of 5 stars. Hmmm…maybe I have read too many Erotic Romance novels but this just didn’t flick my switch so I think those ratings are a bit high. I would go with 3.5 of 5 stars. So what is wrong with this book? Nothing except it seems a bit mild to be classified as an Erotic novel. The … Continue reading Call Me Saffron by Talia Surova →
This emotionally compelling m/m romance is the story of Rock and Carter. Rock is gay, an ex-soldier who’s lived with the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy his whole life, starting from childhood with his military father. He’s finally ready to come out (at least privately if not publicly), and has picked Carter to be the man with whom he wants to share that experience. Carter is a male escort that Rock has seen at the … Continue reading Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher →
This is my favorite of Burrowes’ books that I’ve read, not least because it doesn’t rely on my knowing twenty other family members and all their personality quirks. I’m a casual fan and have read only some of them and in a fairly scattershot order. I get confused and overwhelmed with the dozens of characters who pop up and put their oar in. I liked the mirroring of Jacaranda’s and Worth’s pasts – both are … Continue reading Worth: Lord of Reckoning by Grace Burrowes →
Purely Professional was pretty fantastic. I’m going to have problems, again, being critical. Now, I would classify this as somewhere between erotica and erotic romance. The sex is integral to the relationship, but it is a relationship and there is an HEA of sorts at the end. So, Bridget writes for Sultry magazine, “sex-positive magazine for sex-positive women,” and they want edgier content, so Bridget’s new boss is kind of threatening about it and in … Continue reading Purely Professional by Elia Winters →
When the list of RITA-nominated books came out, I signed up to review Where the Horses Run, well, because “horses.” I am a horsewoman and have sought out horse stories since I started reading. When I first looked the book up, I thought it was a contemporary Western from its cover. I could handle that. I’ve read and enjoyed a number of cowboy contemporaries lately since finding the genre. I don’t remember many millionaires or … Continue reading Where the Horses Run by Kaki Warner →
