I think everybody who reads romance has one or twelve tropes that are not their cup of tea. For some it could be the unrequited love plot or the friends to lovers one. I only have two: spies and love triangles. Guess what? No James Bonds in this book. So, I was quite determined to start reading it. For me, love triangles have only two outcomes: a polyamory situation or some character gets hurt. The former is … Continue reading Tell Me How This Ends by Victoria De La O →
So basically, this is your typical vows-never-to-love-again widower father meets ex-rodeo princess turned ex-famous movie star turned wheelchair-using recluse story. Unnecessarily complicated backstory aside, I had surprisingly high hopes for this book. I mean, how often do you actually find a book on Amazon with a 4.9 out of 5 rating–much less a series romance? Unfortunately, due to its lackluster plot and problematic main characters, the book didn’t even meet my relatively low expectations, much … Continue reading Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton →
Cute but frustrating. Aubrey (Bree) Dunbar and Daniel (Danny) MacGregor were childhood sweethearts. With their parents living across the street from each other, it’s the idyllic hometown romance. After graduating high school they head off to college together, with Danny on a baseball scholarship. At the end of their Freshman year Danny flunks out and loses his scholarship. Danny’s way to solve the “what happens now?” problem is to enlist in the Army; unfortunately he … Continue reading Once and For All by Cheryl Etchison →
I don’t normally read too much contemporary romance. I waded into the waters a few years ago and through blind luck managed to routinely pick novels featuring an overabundance of angst. And while I can certainly appreciate authors tackling modern issues, I was walking away from these novels more depressed then when I started. But when I read the summary of Off the Hook I was pretty confident this book wouldn’t fall into that category, … Continue reading Off the Hook by Laura Drewry →
Taking place in a Highland setting a few years after the Rough Wooing, this is the middle story in a trilogy about young women possessed of mystical stone fragments and attendant powers. Innes Munro inherited one of these stones from her mother, and can, by the power of touch, though only with her hands, read the current thoughts and past of others. Innes accompanies her sister Ailein to the northern Highlands to attend Ailein’s wedding … Continue reading Taming the Highlander by May McGoldrick →
When I first read the synopsis for Taming The Highlander by May McGoldrick I was very excited because it had so much of the catnip I enjoy in a romance novel, including a learned heroine, mystical stones and a tortured hero. Seeing it was an award nominee only whetted my appetite all the more. Once I started reading however, it became harder and harder to push through it. So many more intriguing books came my … Continue reading Taming the Highlander by May McGoldrick →
A plucky heroine that can shoot a rat from a bazillion yards away and a duke who disappeared from society at age ten. What is not to love about this book? I’m embarrassed to admit that this is my first book by Kelly Bowen. I pride myself on knowing what historical romance authors are out there, and somehow, until now, Ms. Bowen slipped by me. A Duke to Remember is a great reminder that Amazon reviews … Continue reading A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen →
I love historical romance but I’m growing a little tired of the traditional Regency stories where an innocent-but-plucky heroine can be found waltzing indecently close to a ready-to-be-reformed rake. So I was happy to see that A Duke To Remember doesn’t start in a ballroom but in Bedlam where we meet our heroine, Elise DeVries. Elise is a part-time actress, part-time private investigator/problem solver/tracker, and has been hired to rescue the Duchess of Ashland who … Continue reading A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen →
My name is LauraL. I recently read my first f/f romance. When I made my selections for the RITA Reader Challenge, I decided to do what my employer calls a “stretch assignment.” This means working on a project or in a job that stretches your expertise a bit beyond your comfort zone. When I finished reading Far From Home, I told my husband of thirty plus years, “A good romance is a good romance.” Far … Continue reading Far from Home by Lorelie Brown →
NB: Trigger warnings for the below description racism and threat of rape. Well, I picked this book to review because I was late to the sign-up sheet and it was the only book left. Which wasn’t maybe the best sign, but you never know with these things, and part of my idea with this challenge was to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. The Depth of Beauty is not the book … Continue reading The Depth of Beauty by A.B. Michaels →
As the book opens, we’re introduced to Zach Talbot, a veterinarian who lives in Whispering Pines, a small town in New Mexico, and Mallory Keyes, formerly an actress and now a paraplegic woman hiding from everything and everyone. Zach is a widower, he has two boys that are 3 and 8, and while he’s kind of lonely and overwhelmed, he’s doing okay. Mallory bought a house in Whispering Pines in order to hide out from the paparazzi, … Continue reading Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton →
