I did enjoy this, but I fear I will forget it quickly. I LOVED the aspect of Two-Time, Texas, being called that because there are two feuding jewelers/clockmakers who set their clocks differently. That the feud doesn’t just cause trouble inside the town, but causes the trains to not run on time, makes it more crucial that the feud be solved. No spoilers, but “What Time Is It?” used to be a bigger headache than … Continue reading Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley →
Texas: Yeehaw! I put on my cowboy boots, poured a nice margarita (rocks, of course), and played me some Lyle Lovett. I was all set for my RITA Reader Challenge: historical romance in a small Texas town so quirky it has TWO TIME ZONES! I settled in for a good read, but a third of the way in, I was mystified. The hero was described as distinguished looking, and tall, and distinguishably tall, but why … Continue reading Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley →
One of the fun things about the RITA challenge is reading books from subgenres that I don’t normally dabble in. This is partly making a virtue of necessity – I live in Australia, and the historicals and YA books tend to be gone before I wake up and see the list. But I always secretly hope to find a book that I will love that I would never have picked up otherwise. This year, One … Continue reading One Minute to Midnight by Nico Rosso →
Katie Stone is back in Fairfield, the small Georgia town in which she grew up, after four years away to help her parents deal with her mother’s recent MS diagnosis. The problem is that Katie doesn’t want to be back home because she’s filled with all sorts of self-loathing and guilt over the wreckage she left behind when she hightailed it out of town in the middle of the night after doing the very horrible, … Continue reading My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray →
When the RITA finalists were announced, I found I’d already read and reviewed three of the four finalists for my favourite genre, Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements. And three worthy finalists they are. I will admit to a natural bias in favour of Close to You by Kara Isaac, because she’s a fellow Kiwi and the novel is set in New Zealand. Close to You also finaled in Best First Novel, so I’m not … Continue reading Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher →
Searching For Disaster had a premise that I was excited for, but then everything spiraled into a disappointing into a pile of WTF and alphahole nonsense. I will put a disclaimer here – Searching For Disaster is the seventh and final part of the “Searching For” series so I’m sure there’s things I’m missing. That said, I’m not exactly tempted to go back and catch myself up. Our Hero and Heroine are Officer Liam Devine, … Continue reading Searching for Disaster by Jennifer Probst →
Two years ago one of my favorite podcasts, NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, dedicated an entire episode to romance novels. The host, Linda Holmes, was joined by two other NPR reporters and Smart Bitches’ own Sarah Wendell. The episode was 45 minutes of discussion of the romance genre and its many sub genres. I always enjoy the show, but what really impressed me in this installment was the uproariously good time the panel was having. … Continue reading Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare →
I decided to review Two Doctors and a Baby because I thought it sounded like a light, slightly silly book to enjoy on my family’s vacation to Mexico last week. What I got was something cute and more bland than crazy, but still enjoyable read. The plot follows an obstetrician named Avery Wallace who rings in the New Year by getting it on with the local hospital hottie, Justin Garrett. They’ve of course had feelings … Continue reading Two Doctors and a Baby by Brenda Harlen →
Obstetrician Avery Wallace and ER doctor Justin Garrett have always had a mutual attraction. But she doesn’t want to date another doctor, and definitely not one with his reputation for sleeping around. However, when a moment of passion after a stressful shift leaves them with unexpected consequences, she has a lot of decisions to make. The first thing I do when setting out to write a review of a book is to look back at … Continue reading Two Doctors and a Baby by Brenda Harlen →
Sabrina Jeffries is a flower-crown-wearing romance QUEEN! I shiteth you not, fangirls; when I say this book has all of the things, I do mean all of the things! Friends to lovers, bickering lifelong acquaintances, lessons in love, alpha heroine/beta hero, wagered love bets, opposites attract, an unrequited smitten hero, a marriage of convenience, and a dastardly stalker! That’s right. I said dastardly! The trope gods have bestowed blessings on blessings with this OTP. Our … Continue reading The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries →
The Study of Seduction is set in the spring of 1830 and begins with the hero, Edwin Barlow, the Earl of Blakeborough, being asked to watch over Lady Clarissa Lindsey, who is related to his best (and very nearly only) friend, as the Season unfolds. The book is the second in a series but stands well on its own. Clarissa is being pursued by a French nobleman and diplomat who is accosting her in increasingly … Continue reading The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries →
