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Gifts of Honor by Stacy Gail and Rebecca Crowley

November 18, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Gifts of Honor releases on November 21.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) I’ll be home for Christmas…

A batch of special Christmas cookies helps a wounded ex-Ranger remember the love of his life. A surprise phone call reunites a woman with the soldier who once broke her heart. There’s no place like home for the holidays, and there’s no better way to spend them than with the one you love.

Starting from Scratch

Christmas is the perfect time to start from scratch

Lieutenant Sully Jax saved his unit during an IED attack, but he couldn’t save his marriage. He can’t even remember it. Recovered from his injuries, he’s come home to the family and friends he knows—and an ex-wife who’s a stranger to him.

Lucy Crabtree was heartbroken last Christmas when Sully announced his plan to go on one last tour of duty, and devastated when he asked for a divorce after he awoke in the hospital with no memory of her. She’s finally moving on from her hurt and from losing the man she loved more than anything, and her cookie-baking business is taking off just in time for the holidays. But now Sully’s back, and she can’t deny she still loves him. But how can she trust her heart to someone who breaks it every time she sees him?

Sully might not remember Lucy, but something inside won’t let her go. With every bite of her cookies, he finds a new love for Lucy, and he soon realizes he wants to rebuild his life with her by his side.

Hero’s Homecoming

Six months ago, being snowed in at Christmas with the amazing woman he met on R & R at Fort Riley would have been a dream come true, yet now, as a blizzard swirls outside Beth Tate’s house, Captain Chris Walker knows he shouldn’t be there. Blinded in combat and emotionally scarred, he never wanted Beth to know the man he’s become—but stranded by the storm, he had no one else to call.

Hurt and bewildered when Chris abruptly ended his faithful contact from Afghanistan, Beth tried to put him and their whirlwind romance out of her mind and prepared for a quiet holiday alone—until the phone rang. Now that he’s here, she’s more confused than ever, torn between love for the man she once knew and anger at the one who broke her heart.

A life with Beth was everything Chris wanted, but the wounds of battle are nothing compared to the agony of heartbreak. It will take more than mistletoe, but perhaps this holiday season Chris will find his way home.

What worked for me (and what didn’t):

Starting from Scratch by Stacy Gail

I do like second chance at love stories and I think they often work well in a novella, as I can more easily accept a HEA when the characters know each other already. Except… – well Lucy knows Sullivan but Sullivan can’t remember Lucy. After he woke up in hospital Stateside to a woman at his bedside he didn’t recognise and didn’t remember, Sullivan asked Lucy for a divorce, thinking to release her from a marriage of strangers. When the story begins, Sullivan has been released from hospital/rehabilitation and has returned home to Bitterthorn Texas, where Lucy works in a local bakery. Lucy has always and still loves Jax but she is crushed that he cannot remember her – in fact, it seems that she is the only one he doesn’t remember. The previous Christmas relations were very strained between them, as Sullivan had re-enlisted for another year without discussing it with his wife (which is a SHITTY thing to do). This Christmas, it’s even harder for Lucy because Sullivan is back home safe, but she’s lost the love of her life nonetheless. Even though Sullivan can’t remember Lucy, he is nevertheless drawn to her and he has an inexplicable craving for cookies.

I’m Over at Dear Author…

November 16, 2013 / Kaetrin

with another recommended read – Kinked by Thea Harrison. Hooray for heroines who don’t need “fixing” to get their HEA. *throws streamers*

I’m Over at AudioGals…

November 14, 2013 / Kaetrin

with an audiobook review of Rocky Mountain Heat by Vivian Arend, narrated by Tatiana Sokolov (aka Tanya Eby). A steamy novella where the sex even sounds good out loud!

Jagged by Kristen Ashley

November 13, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Also I have read and enjoyed, to one degree or another, the other books in this series.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) An old flame rekindled . . .

Zara Cinders always knew Ham Reece was the one, but he wasn’t interested in settling down. When she found someone who was, Ham walked out of her life. Three years later, Zara’s lost her business, her marriage, and she’s barely getting by in a tiny apartment on the wrong side of the tracks. As soon as Ham hears about Zara’s plight, he’s on her doorstep offering her a lifeline. Now, it will take every ounce of will power she possesses to resist all that he offers.

Ham was always a traveling man, never one to settle down in one town, with one woman, for more time than absolutely necessary. But Ham’s faced his own demons, and he’s learned a lot. About himself, and about the life he knows he’s meant to live. So when he hears that Zara’s having a rough time, he wants to be the one to help. In fact, he wants to do more than that for Zara. A lot more. But first, he must prove to Zara that he’s a changed man.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Those who follow me on Twitter, will know I’ve been under a bit of stress lately, with my stepdad coming toward the end of his life in fairly sad circumstances. Maybe that’s why I am a reverse-outlier here. Maybe I just needed some ridonkulous in my life. I haven’t read any Kristen Ashley books since I read Fire Inside (which I enjoyed – Hop!) and I was out of the habit of reading Kristen Ashley-ese. There is a somewhat unique syntax to her books. Her publication by Forever has cleansed it in some ways but there were still sentences which only made sense after I read them a few times and some which made no sense at all (how does colour radiate OUT to the pupil from the iris?) – and this included the time after the babel fish was returned to my ear. The traditionally published books are shorter and there is less of the female friendships which (to my surprise) I adore but Ashley still sounds and feels like Ashley so I’m glad the editing hand is fairly light.

Safeword by AJ Rose

November 11, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I read the first book, Power Exchange, a little while ago and really enjoyed it. I bought both books at the same time but wanted to wait before reading the sequel. After the somewhat disappointing experience of reading Aftermath, I picked up Safeword because I felt sure I could get the tension and the angst I had been looking for here. Also, I like books about established couples – after the HEA is a fascination to me.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Everywhere Detective Gavin DeGrassi looks he’s reminded of his attack by the Breath Play Killer. It’s in the house he lives in with his partner and Dom, Ben Haverson. It’s in the sympathetic yet pitying looks he receives from his fellow detectives when he returns to the force after a year-long hiatus. It’s in the suffocating coddling of his entire family, and the relentless reporter demanding an exclusive of his ordeal.

Most of all, it’s in his lack of submission to Ben, who isn’t convinced Gavin’s recovered enough to trust the power exchange between them.

The miraculous recovery of two teen boys from a twisted kidnapper gives him heart, and Gavin’s determined to prove he can handle anything despite increasing strain between him and Ben, painful nightmares, and panic when anyone touches him.

But his next case is too close for comfort: a friend and colleague found raped and murdered in a fate chillingly similar to what could have been his own, and this killer isn’t stopping with one cop. As the body count rises and taunting souvenirs are being hand-delivered to Gavin, he faces a frustrating lack of leads, a crushing need to prove himself, and a sinking suspicion the imprisoned kidnapper’s reach is further than originally thought. A miasma of uncertainty and fear threaten to suffocate him when he asks a question with which he’s overwhelmingly familiar: what happens when a victim is pushed too far?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Safeword had a bit of a slowish start for me. I found myself taking some time to settle into the BDSM theme whereas I don’t recall having that problem in the first book. It doesn’t really make sense and it’s not really fair, but I found myself being irritated by the capitalisation of Dom and feeling my feathers becoming ruffled by the power exchange aspects at the start of the story. Which is ridiculous because I knew what I was getting when I opened the book. And, while it appears I am not a “natural submissive” even remotely, I have had no problem enjoying books with these themes before. So, I can’t really put my finger on what was bothering me at first. I found myself thinking the beginning of the story was a little… clunky (?). Perhaps it was something in the writing – perhaps it was merely that I was feeling out of sorts. Perhaps it had something to do with that Ben seemed to be unaffected by the events of the first book and it was only Gavin that seemed to struggle (this doesn’t continue – it becomes clear that Ben has his own demons to tame and, that’s one of the things which increased my satisfaction.). But.

But, not too long after I was too engrossed in the story to think anything other than “what’s next?” and that which bothered me right at the start, snapped into it’s groove (or perhaps, I did) and the story flowed smoothly from there.