This year’s RITA® Reader Challenge is officially underway and I want to thank everyone so far for participating! We’ve had some great reviews! However, we also understand that life happens, and so we have some books still needing to be reviewed and are passed their deadline. On the sign-up sheet, if you see a book with a gray-shaded square, that means we’re still waiting on the book to be reviewed and you’re welcome to take that … Continue reading RITA Reader Challenge Updates & Notes! →
It’s that time of year again! The RITA® Reader Challenge. We did something new last year with including a sign-up sheet, and we’re keeping that same format with just a few minor changes. You can also see the official announcement for RITA finalists here! Basics: There are 9 different reading deadlines, spanning every ten days. We started with books that are a little shorter to give those who wish to read longer titles more time to … Continue reading Announcing the 2016 RITA Reader Challenge! →
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 →
I decided to review Douglas: Lord of Heartache because my hubby’s name is Doug and I thought calling him Douglas: Lord of Heartache would be hilarious. He was not as entertained as I was. However! This book is more than just a goofy term of endearment. It is FANTASTIC. I had to stop taking notes because I was highlighting every other page and squeeing over it and the book was taking forever to read. In … Continue reading Douglas: Lord of Heartache by Grace Burrowes →
