with a review of The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie, narrated by Alison Larkin.
A bit of a mixed bag for me – see my full thoughts here.
Category: B reviews (Page 53 of 74)
Why I read it: I bought this book as soon as it came out but have only now got to it.What it’s about: (from Goodreads) A dangerous infatuation with a rough and ready man…Erin Coffey has been a nurse for years, but nothing’s prepared her for the physical and emotional demands of her new position. Needing to move closer to her dysfunctional family, she takes a dangerous job at Larkhaven Psychiatric Hospital, where she quickly learns that she needs protection—and she meets the strong, over-confident coworker who’s more than willing to provide it.Kelly Robak is the type of guy that Erin has sworn she’d never get involved with. She’s seen firsthand, via her mess of a sister, what chaos guys like him can bring into a woman’s life. But she finds herself drawn to him anyway, even when he shows up at her door, not eager to take no for an answer.
What Erin finds even more shocking than Kelly’s indecent proposal is how much she enjoys submitting to his every command. But he can’t play the tough guy indefinitely. If they want to have more than just an affair, both will have to open up and reveal what they truly need.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): My reading mojo has been missing the past week or so. I can’t really explain what happened. I tried about 6 or 7 books and only got 10-20 pages in before switching to something else because I wasn’t feeling it. In the end, I picked up this one. I enjoyed the book but I feel, in a case very much of “it’s not you, it’s me”, I may have enjoyed it more had I been on a reading high at the time rather than in somewhat of a slump. I found myself entirely engaged when reading but not inspired to pick the book up after having had to put it down for some reason (dinner, bed, etc.). Last week, books in general weren’t doing it for me I’m afraid. So: all the caveats – if you read it at the right time, you will probably enjoy it even more than I did. Moving on. Continue reading
Why I read it: I was browsing through my reader and this one jumped out and said “read me”. I picked it up in a Harlequin sale a while back.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Nicholas Cooper must produce a wife for his business deal, and Hallie Bennett is beautiful and intelligent enough to pull it off. She needs the money, and Nicholas has determined some strict rules for their week together. Rule No. 1: Displays of affection in public onlyKeeping their hands on each other in public turns out to be surprisingly easy. It’s keeping them “off” in private that’s the problem. Hallie is falling for Nicholas, but will Nicholas make his contract wife his real-life bride?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): This was so much fun! It’s short, only 120 pages or so but the author manages to create a believable, amusing and sexy romance, not only in a short word count but in a short space of time also – the whole book takes place in just over a week.
Hallie and Nick meet when Nick’s mother is searching for shoes in a shop Hallie is working in and the witty banter and consensual double entendres begin between the two protagonists, egged on by Clea (Nick’s mother), who is outrageous but huge fun.
‘No, they met at a birthday party. Clea was in the cake. I try not to think about it.’
Nick is heading to Hong Kong the following week to cement a business deal which has been months in the making. His potential business partners is widower John Tey, who has a nineteen year old daughter, Jasmine. Last time Nick was in Hong Kong Jasmine put the moves on him and to let her down gently, he told her he was married. Now he feels like he has to keep up the pretense of risk the deal and the feelings of both John and his daughter, neither of which he wants to do. He also doesn’t want to set up unrealistic expectations, as he’s not in the market for a serious relationship, let alone marriage, so paying someone to pretend seems like the best solution. After Clea quite outrageously (also shamelessly matchmaking) suggests Nick hire Hallie for the job, things quickly progress to offer and acceptance.
with an audiobook review of Fallen by Celeste Bradley, narrated by Susan Ericksen.
See what I thought here.
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Angela Peterson was always the quiet, shy kid growing up in Harper Falls, crushing on the high school quarterback and honing her football strategy skills. Now grown up and coaching the high school team, she’s shocked when that same sexy quarterback returns to Harper Falls asks her back to his hotel room. And then tries to steal her job.
Injured NFL quarterback Cade Reynolds is in Harper Falls to take over as interim head coach, and he never thought the tall, blond bombshell he propositioned would offer up any resistance. Not to a repeat of the amazingly wild night they shared and certainly not to his coaching position.But the Harper Falls High Eagles are Angie’s team, and even the hometown hero won’t take that away from her, no matter how hot he is. As the two engage in a battle of wits and wills, this is one game neither is prepared to lose.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I liked Angie very much in this book. She is a strong woman in a non tradiational role, kicking ass and taking names. She is the math teacher so popular there’s a line to sign up for Calculus (this is unimaginable to me) and not just because she’s good looking – but because she’s such a good teacher. She’s also the Head Assistant Coach of the high school football team and she designs all the plays for the team. Her vision and imagination when it comes to the team’s playbook is one of the main reasons the team is headed to the championship. She has the respect and affection of the players. She loves her job and wants to keep doing it.
Why I read it: I’d heard mostly good things about this self published new adult novel, so I bought it when it was 99c at Amazon. I thought it was a pretty low risk investment. It was subequently picked up by HarperCollins.What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Some things are worth waiting for…Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.Some things are worth experiencing…
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
And some things are worth fighting for…
Warning: I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that this book contains a (not very graphic) description of sexual assault. It’s not by the hero, but those for whom rape is a hot button may want to avoid it.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): For the hero-centric reader, there is a lot to enjoy in how very nearly perfect Cameron is. Even his flaws arise out of being protective and caring. He falls for Avery almost from the beginning, is very patient with her without ever being doormat. He’s gorgeous, popular, and not an asshole, so: win.
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Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
