Category: C reviews (Page 13 of 20)

In the Arms of the Heiress by Maggie Robinson

July 22, 2013 / Kaetrin

*NB This review first appeared in the July ARRA newsletter – so the format is slightly different and it’s also shorter than usual.*

There aren’t many historical romances around set in 1903 so when I got the chance at an early copy of this book (which is now out), I jumped at the chance. Louisa Stratton is the heiress of the title. Her parents died when she was a child and she was raised by her Aunt Grace – a cold woman whose motives are murky – even when Grace is being kind, she is more cruel than anything. After inheriting her fortune at age 25, Louisa escapes with her maid, Kathleen, to the continent, to get away from her awful family. After a “indiscretion” with a local landowner at age 17, Louisa’s activities have been much curtailed and she’s been a virtual prisoner at the family estate, Rosemont. A year after her “escape”, she discovers some oddities in her finances and receives reports that her aunt is very ill. Against her own desires, she decides she needs to go home for Christmas and check on things. There is a problem though. To stop Aunt Grace from fussing, Louisa has told her family she has met and married one Maximillian Norwich – a man whose perfection is only eclipsed by the fact that he doesn’t exist.

Mrs. Evensong, a rather mysterious woman who runs an employment agency and seems to have a knack for solving problems and matchmaking, locates Captain Charles Cooper, a man suffering from PTSD after serving in the Boer War in Africa, to play the part of Max for a month. In pretending to be married, Louisa and Charles find opportunities for indiscretions of their own and along the way, they fall in love.

Curve Ball by Charlotte Stein

July 16, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve had this on my TBR for some time – I can’t remember exactly when I picked it up (Goodreads tells me I got it for free so there must have been a promotion), but it came up in a Twitter discussion recently so I decided to open it up.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When Judy Myers is offered a relaxing vacation to get away from her latest heartbreak, she can’t say no. A cruise on her brother’s yacht sounds like heaven…until she realises her brother’s best friend has been invited along for the ride.Steven Stark is big, he’s loud, and he’s obviously not interested in the plump, plain little sister he used to tease unmercifully. In fact, he’s still quite happy to tease her – until she turns the tables on him. Now Steven can’t seem to keep his thoughts, or his hands, to himself. And worse, Judy’s not sure she can resist the attraction she’s kept buried for so many years.Being trapped on a boat isn’t the best place to be, when you’re suddenly thrown a hunky curveball.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I usually like Charlotte Stein’s authorial voice and this was no exception but there wasn’t enough of the hero to really satisfy me. Judy is a plus-sized girl – a self described “fat chick”. (On Twitter, the author described her as a size 18-20, but it is not specified in the book). She is on a small yacht in the Mediterranean with her brother and his wife and her brother’s best friend, Steven Stark. Judy has had a crush on Steven for the longest time but has never imagined anything could ever come of it. While Steven is described as a very big man, his description is all in terms of muscle rather than flab.

I’m Over at AudioGals…

June 28, 2013 / Kaetrin

with an audiobook review of Fallen by Celeste Bradley, narrated by Susan Ericksen.

See what I thought here.

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

June 14, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this New Adult book a little while back and finally decided to open it up and see what was inside.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This is a hard book to say much about because the plot hangs on one thing and it’s either going to work for you or it won’t. I think, overall, it was too melodramatic for me. I liked Trent and Kacey together but the big reveal cast a whole new light on what had gone before and it left me feeling a bit strange.

Breathe by Kirsten Ashley

June 12, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this one a while back and I decided to finish the series (so far) as a little reading treat.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) In order to protect a father he does not respect, in Lady Luck, we learned that good cop Chace Keaton went bad, sacrificing his career and his future. But when the local police department’s secrets are revealed and the wife he’s forced to marry is murdered, Chace finds himself the town of Carnal’s hero. Knowing how deep in the mud he was forced to sink, Chace feels he’ll never get clean. The quiet, content future he envisioned of the love a good woman with whom he could build a family was now beyond his reach. The only thing he can do is find his wife’s murderer.But he isn’t the only one looking.While searching for new leads, he runs into Faye Goodknight, the town’s quiet, shy, pretty librarian. Chace has long since had his eye on what could possibly be the town’s last remaining virgin but he has also long since given up hope he could make her his. Faye is pure and clean and Chace refuses to dirty her with his sordid past.Pure and clean Faye may be, but when the shy librarian is forced to go head to head with the man who she’s had a crush on since he hit her hometown, Chace finds Faye is full of surprises. And he doesn’t know what to do with her.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): To be honest it took me a little while to get into this one. I felt my reading mojo was missing initially and I was getting too distracted by Twitter. But, by about 1/3 in, I felt I had hit my straps and things were looking up. By the end, I had mixed feelings. I enjoyed the romance but the subplot involving the Elite was too opaque for me and the parts involving the children mixed with so much cheese as to render me lactose intolerant.

Defiance by Stephanie Tyler

June 8, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher. I like New Adult and I liked Motorcycle Man and Reaper’s Property. I liked Beyond Shame. So, this one, combining a motorcycle club, a post apocalyptic world and young adult protagonists looked promising.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Rebelling against her legacy as the MC’s princess, Tru Tennyson escaped the ruthless, male-dominated culture of the Defiance motorcycle club. Three years later, her newfound freedom is ripped away, thanks to a massive hybrid storm that killed millions. Now, in the post-Chaos world of semi-darkness and near-total anarchy where gangs rule, she discovers the dangerous world of Defiance may be the one thing that can keep her safe.Tru is at the MC’s mercy when she’s dragged back to her former home … and to the only man she’s ever pictured a future with. Caspar is the bastard son of the club’s leader, her safe haven when life got rough — and her onetime lover the night she left. When Tru refuses to trade sex for power and be claimed by a rival club leader, she also dares to announce she wants Caspar instead, throwing the MC into turmoil.Tru’s brazen revolt could start a gang war and destroy the club from within. Now both Tru and the MC must wait for Caspar’s response … and the inevitable fallout.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Unfortunately, for me, the book didn’t live up to its promise. I found the world building confusing and… not terribly believable and I think in the end, the author’s style just doesn’t work for me. She is a bestselling author so there are obviously plenty of people who like her style just fine but I wasn’t as engaged as I’d hoped I’d be.