with a review of Striking Distance by Pamela Clare. See why I recommend it here.
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Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Adrian Blackstone built a million-dollar business with hard work and determination—and by remaining professional at all times. Denying his longtime attraction to his beautiful executive assistant hasn’t been easy but it’s necessary. She’s indispensable, and he can’t stand the thought of losing her if things didn’t work out.
For more than a year, Rachel Carter has been quietly dreaming of all the ways she’ll never seduce her sexy, buttoned-up boss. She’s worked too hard to get where she is to cross that line, no matter how badly she’d like to act on her fantasies. But then a wicked snowstorm leaves them stranded in a romantic winter wonderland…
What begins as a single kiss and a few bad Santa jokes turns into a weekend full of breathless passion and hopes for something more. But with Monday comes a return to their complicated reality—and Adrian must prove that promises made are promises kept, especially at Christmastime.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): This fairly short novella starts with the trademark easy style I’ve come to expect from Shannon Stacey’s contemporaries. The set up of a CEO and his executive assistant each having the hots for one another but afraid to do anything about because of the potential damage to their professional relationship (which each values very highly) was believable and I could see how eventually the sexual tension was going to have to be resolved somehow. Snowed in in a romantic resort seemed the perfect place. There was certainly a lot of chemistry as the steamy scenes demonstrated. But they also liked each other, and that was clear too.
on Paper/eBook
**NB This review first appeared in the ARRA members newsletter in October 2014**
In Another Life by EE Montgomery is a very short story but it covers a lot of ground. It’s a very stylised work, with glimpses of the main characters for short periods every eight years. It begins with Eli and Mike at 24, living together and just at the start of their careers. Because each of them is so busy, their relationship suffers and the story starts when Mike leaves and Eli is devastated. Fast forward eight years and they encounter one another again but Eli lets Mike believe he is with someone else. There is still attraction but also (especially from Eli) great pain. A further eight years pass and Mike finds Eli drinking heavily (in celebration over a friend’s good health news) and takes him home and looks after him (yes Kat, this is a vomit book). There is a strong connection between the characters but the story is so short it doesn’t have much chance to develop. We cover 24 years in about 20 pages. Eli and Mike have never stopped loving each other it seems, but there is a lot of hurt and baggage to be dealt with before they can have their HEA. For me, I think I would have appreciated the story more if I had been able to spend more time with the characters. As it was, I did feel their connection and Mike’s guilt for the decision he regrets and the pain it caused Eli. I enjoyed the secondary characters of Quinn and Jerry as well. The story was a quick read and in a very short time the author captured my interest. I wished it were longer.
Coming Soon
In November, I’ll have reviews of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry and Northern Star by Ethan Day and more.
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I enjoyed the first book in the series, Rush Me, so I was looking forward to what’s next.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Natalie Sullivan is on the verge of a breakthrough most archaeology grad students only dream of: discovering a lost city. Her research points to a farm in Ireland, but to excavate she needs permission from the new owner: the Michael O’Connor, popular NFL running back.
On TV Mike seems so charming and good-natured that Natalie figures getting his cooperation will be a breeze. So she’s not prepared to deal with the arrogant—and adamantly opposed—man she meets in person. Or the way one look from him sends shivers down her spine…
Determined to kick-start her career, Natalie travels across the Atlantic and finds herself sharing an inn with Mike, who has come to Ireland in search of his roots. She tells herself her interest is strictly professional, but the more she gets to know him, the harder it is to deny her personal attraction to the sexy sports star. And when Mike confides why he refuses to allow the dig, Natalie must decide if she can follow her heart without losing sight of her dreams.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoy this author’s voice. I like her wry humor and the easy style of the prose. I find it engaging and easy to read, even when sometimes aspects of the plot work less well for me. Here, I particularly enjoyed the romance between Natalie and Mike, as well as the descriptions of New York, Ireland and Paris. The setting, most particularly, Ireland, was so well drawn. Whereas some stories can really be set anywhere, here the sense of place was very strong. And different enough to provide a nice change to the usual US setting. Although it is a book about a running back for the fictional New York Leopards NFL team, there is almost no football in it (which wasn’t particularly a problem, but if you’re expecting a sports-themed book, you won’t get it here). Rather, it has an archeology theme – digging up the past in not only the physical but also the metaphysical sense.
with three (count, them THREE!) audiobook reviews today.
Skin Deep by Pamela Clare, narrated by Kaleo Griffith, Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti, narrated by Heather Smith/Ann Marie Lee and Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep, narrated by Lauren Fortgang. Click the titles to see what I thought.
Why I read it: I bought this one on release day – I even broke my rules about not spending over $8 for an ebook for this one. And then I was kind of scared to read it – even though I’d been told it was great and has a HEA, I still put off reading it. But then when I was looking for a book to read this week, this one called to me.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Reid Alexander, Hollywood’s hottest young actor, is completely distracted. And this time it isn’t his latest co-star or a major new film role that’s demanding his attention but something far more life-changing…
The hotly anticipated fourth book in the irresistible Between the Lines series.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I feel a little conflicted about this book. I lapped it up and slurped it down very quickly. I enjoyed the writing and I loved the characters. I cried and laughed and was moved in various ways by Brooke, Reid, River and Dori. But. But I wish it had been longer. I wish there had been more of all of it.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
