Tag: contemporary (Page 111 of 122)

Unraveled by Jen Frederick

February 6, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the author.

ETA April 2015: At the time I accepted/read the book and wrote the review, I didn’t know Jen Frederick was also Jane Litte from Dear Author. No Jen Frederick books have been reviewed by me, anywhere, since I became aware of this and, given my existing relationship with Jane, I will not be reviewing any more of her books. I will continue to update my personal Goodreads account with all the books I read as per usual but, consistent with my review policy, there won’t be further formal reviews of Jen Frederick’s work.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian? He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his life aren’t making the decision any easier. His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his mind. He believes relationships get ruined when a Marine goes on deployment. So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or leave love behind and give his all to the Marines.

Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is full of regrets—that she didn’t move with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that she hasn’t taken many chances in life. Now, she’s met Gray and taking a risk on this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same tragic fate as her husband?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Gray Phillips was introduced briefly in Unspoken and represents somewhat of a departure in the series about the guys who live in the house in Woodlands. Because, of course, Gray doesn’t live there – but he does come to visit for the 45 days of leave he has in the summer. His congressman dad pulled some strings for him to get that length of time off in a row and he has a decision to make – re-enlist in the Marines or separate and do… something else. Gray was badly burned in a previous relationship – his then-girlfriend cheated on him during his second deployment in Afghanistan, with the local Marine Recruiting Officer no less and then she was diagnosed with syphilis. So, he’s not trusting and paranoid about sexual health and safety. he has a few “friends with benefits” but they’re not really actually friends. As he describes in the book, he is basically a human dildo for the girls and while he clearly respects them, he doesn’t actually have any real feelings for them either.

I’m Over at Dear Author…

February 5, 2014 / Kaetrin

with a review of Be with Me by J. Lynn. There was a lot to like about this one for me. (Although I’m really not used to seeing a beanie referred to as a toboggan. I thought he was wearing a gravity powererd-snow vehicle on his head for a little while there. LOL)

January Round Up

February 3, 2014 / Kaetrin

on Paper/eBook

**This review first appeared in the January ARRA members newsletter.**

Bonjour Cherie by Robin Thomas – C+ Beth Jenkins is a 21 year old under-achiever still living at home with her parents, working at the local IGA store. She’s smart, but she’s not as smart as her older sister and, knowing she can never win, she gave up competing. She has one burning ambition. To go to France.

She has very little money and no immediate prospects of fulfilling her dream, but still. She’s taking Introduction to French lessons at the local TAFE, run by gorgeous Frenchman Andre LeBlanc. Andre is urbane, pretty to look at and even better, he’s French. Unfortunately, it seems he doesn’t share her attraction. She hasn’t given up – she knows they’ll be just perfect for each other if only he’d notice her.

When hunky Zach Mills joins the class, sparks fly. He’s flirty and charming but he’s also built like a mechanic and he’s a local so she associates him with a small town life – a life she doesn’t want (even though she’s not actually doing much about it herself).

Zach comes to her rescue in little ways but she continually rebuffs him – he’s not what she wants – she wants Paris and Andre.

The book is very light-hearted and it’s not difficult to see what the barrier to Beth’s romantic dreams is when it comes to Andre and that there’s much more to Zach than first impressions. I couldn’t help feeling that Beth ended up being a little too ‘material girl’ when it came to Zach – he wasn’t acceptable boyfriend material as she assumed him to be – it was only later when, to paraphrase Pride & Prejudice, she saw Pemberley (metaphorically speaking) she realised that maybe she’d made a mistake.

I was pleased that by the end of the story Beth had decided to start living her life and reaching for her dreams rather than waiting for them to come to her and of course, there is a happy ending. There is a very Australian vibe to the novella and it was a fun evening’s read.

BUY IT:
AMAZON KOBO

Coming Soon

Live by Mary Ann Rivers

January 31, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) If there’s an upside to unemployment, Destiny Burnside may have found it. Job searching at her local library in Lakefield, Ohio, gives her plenty of time to ogle the hottest man she has ever laid eyes on: the sexy wood-carver who’s restoring the building. But as the rejection letters pile up, Destiny finds an unexpected shoulder to cry on. With his rich Welsh accent, Hefin Thomas stirs Destiny so completely that, even though he’s leaving soon, she lets herself believe the memory of his scorching kisses will be enough.

Hefin can’t help but notice the slender, confident woman with ginger hair who returns each day, so hopeful and determined. So when the tears start to fall, his silence—penance for a failed marriage—finally cracks. Once he’s touched her, what Hefin wants is to take her back to Wales and hold her forever. But Destiny’s roots run too deep. What they both need is each other—to learn how to live and love again.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Immediately before I opened this book, I’d read Unraveled by Jen Frederick and Reaper’s Legacy by Joanna Wylde. They don’t have much in common with each other or with Live, beyond the fact that they are all contemporary romances. There is something in the writing style of the former two books which I would describe as “easy, effortless and engaging”. They were both the sort of books I could read very quickly – not that they didn’t have serious moments or didn’t pack an emotional punch – they did, but the style was something I find easy to tap into.

Rivers’ style is something else again. There’s a denseness to it. It is heavily descriptive and long on metaphor. There is an effort required to read it. It’s not the sort of writing one can easily skim. Sometimes the sentences don’t make sense unless you kind of roll them around on your tongue a bit. It takes me longer to read a book like this. I have to concentrate more and if I get distracted I lose the rhythm of the language. There is a reward for effort. Uncovered in some of the beautiful language are some word pictures which are just right – a book like Unraveled has it’s own joys but so does a book like Live.