I chose this book to review because I read a couple of Madeline Ash’s books earlier this year, as preparation for meeting her at a ‘Romance Author Speed Dating’ session. Fortunately, I genuinely liked her books (note for those who plan to read books by unknown authors in order to avoid social awkwardness in such situations: this can actually lead to bonus extra awkwardness if you don’t like the books – beware!). So I was … Continue reading Breaking Good by Madeline Ash →
I don’t know how to start this review other than to say that “Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole is really, really good and you should go and buy it immediately. “Let Us Dream” is the story of Bertha, a black suffragette who owns a club in Harlem in 1917, and Amir, an immigrant from Bengal with socialist leanings and a hell of a way in the kitchen. If you’re sick of upper and upper-middle … Continue reading “Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole →
Marietta “Etta” Hawkins is the twenty-one year-old daughter of a ranch owner in 1892 in Texas. She runs the household and takes care of all the woman-slash-house stuff. Her father is extremely protective and warns all his ranch hands not to even think about “making advances” or they’ll be fired. He has fired several men. Daniel Barrett is the ranch foreman who has been breeding and training mules on the side and is in the … Continue reading “The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer →
There are so many things right about Pansies, and I loved the author’s For Real so much, that it feels like a betrayal that I did not love Pansies with the same deep and abiding love that I felt for For Real. Although I loved the writing, as I wrote this review I kept seeing more problems with the story and the grade plummeted as a result. The story focuses on Alfie, a man’s man, … Continue reading Pansies by Alexis Hall →
Tall, dark, and damaged are three good adjectives used to describe Sarah Andre’s hero, Devon Ashby. Or Devon Wickham, depending on which villain you choose to support in this fast moving family-based romantic intrigue. Other adjectives that might serve: drop-dead gorgeous, resilient, ruthless, and afraid. Because Devon is afraid to expose his heart to more pain. At the age of nine, he had to cope with a distant and forbidding father, but his day-to-day existence … Continue reading Tall, Dark and Damaged by Sarah Andre →
I will admit that my first reaction to the book summary was, “Cutting Edge in Rio!” which…might have been jumping to some erroneous conclusions. This is a tricky one for me to review, because while “Wild in Rio” is a miss for me, the writing quality is good and I can see it being a hit for a lot of people. In the prologue set two years before the events of the novella, Padraig comes across … Continue reading “Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams →
While sports romance isn’t my preferred subgenre, I jumped at the chance to read “Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams. A romance set at the Olympics? I adore the Olympics! An aside: have you ever had a deep realization that arrived about 20 years later than it should have? Here’s one of mine. Growing up, the only sports I eagerly watched on television were tennis and the Olympics, and I still love them both. … Continue reading “Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams →
I picked this book to review because I’ve seen my share of kidnapped brides in historicals, where the premise can be more or less convincing and usually involves feuding families, Scotland and/or fake highwaymen. These are all fun things, but they are a little harder to squeeze convincingly into a contemporary novel set in America. I wanted to know what excuse Ms Dunlop was going to come up with for this kidnapping, and whether she … Continue reading His Stolen Bride by Barbara Dunlop →
There’s a lot of tugging at heartstrings in Michelle Major’s Christmas on Crimson Mountain. I hadn’t read anything by Major before, let alone any other books in this series, and I found it enjoyable and readable as a standalone. There were a handful of previous protagonists who drifted in to dutifully display their successfully-paired-off status, but I didn’t find it flagrantly obtrusive or detracting from the central romance. Which is good, because April and Connor … Continue reading Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major →
RITA time is the best time of the year. It’s like Oscar season, except better because instead of pretending like I’m going to sit through a black and white silent film, I get introduced to new awesome books. “The Husband Maneuver” is not really one of those awesome books, but nevertheless, I would never have picked it out by myself, and for that I am grateful. The plot is fairly straightforward: Marietta Hawkins has been … Continue reading “The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer →
“A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.” I jumped into this book with enthusiasm because I am a HUGE Lord of the Rings fan and when one of my coworkers went on a LOTR tour of New Zealand last year I thought it sounded amazing. My enthusiasm was dampened rather quickly, though, after the first chapter … Continue reading Close to You by Kara Isaac →
