Tag: contemporary (Page 115 of 122)

Ripped by Sarah Morgan

December 4, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was provided with a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) “Wardrobe malfunction” doesn’t begin to cover it.

With a rip louder than the “I dos,” Hayley’s hideous bile-yellow bridesmaid dress explodes. She’s always had enviable curves, but nearly naked wasn’t quite the look she’d been going for at her ex’s wedding.

She’s rushed from the altar under the best man’s designer tux jacket. Hayley’s expecting a blast of icy disapproval from sexy, sophisticated Niccolò Rossi—his usual reaction to anything she does. What she gets is a kiss that nearly melts what’s left of her polyester nightmare gown.

It’s impossible on a million levels. Exuberant engineer Hayley and buttoned-up lawyer Nico have never seen eye to eye—but skin to skin? Oh, mio… So when Nico shows up at her flat on Christmas Day to give her a fabulous gift—himself—Hayley’s delighted to do the unwrapping. But it’s just a holiday fling. By New Year’s Day, she’ll come back to her senses…unless Nico’s sensual skills tear away all her resolve.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Oh, this book was a lot of fun. We’re into the action straight away as Hayley (from whose 1st person point of view the story is told) is giving snarky internal commentary at the wedding of her ex-boyfriend and a former gal pal. She’s a bridesmaid for pride’s sake. If she had refused, it would have looked like she had a broken heart and was home moping and lonely. So, she stuffed herself into a hideous puke-yellow “condom” dress, too small for her and way too small for her breasts and ovaried up to the wedding. The best man is Nico Rossi, a man who is sex on legs but Hayley is convinced he doesn’t like her.

I’m Over at Dear Author…

December 3, 2013 / Kaetrin

with a review of Take Me On by Cherrie Lynn, the newest book in the Ross Siblings series. It’s out on December 17.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

November 27, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley but I’m also a fan of the series.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have always liked Isaiah since I first met him in Pushing the Limits. As much as I loved Dare You To, enjoyed Beth’s romance with Ryan and thought that the author was right; Beth and Isaiah should not be together, I was still a bit sad for Isaiah. I felt he got a bit of a raw deal. So, I was excited to read his story – where he finally gets his happy.

As expected, it was hard won and I had some nervous moments wondering how the author was going to achieve it (but she totally did) and in the process I met a wonderful heroine in Rachel, her yummy brothers (who I hope to see again in future books – especially West please) as well as more of Logan (may we have his book also? pretty please?) and had the opportunity to check in with Beth and Ryan and Noah and Echo. I felt all of the characters had an organic place in the book and as much as I was happy to see previous characters again, I’m also happy they were present because they had things to do relevant to the story being told.

Scenes of Peril by Jill Sorenson

November 25, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the author. This brand new novella is being packaged with a re-release Silhouette title from Suzanne Brockmann called Scenes of Passion. The anthology is called Passion and Peril and releases on November 26.

I don’t remember much of Scenes of Passion – I read the original category a few years ago which I picked up at my local UBS. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads so I gather from that I thought it was okay but nothing amazing.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The snowstorm forecast says it’s a big one, but wildlife photographer Paige Dawson is prepared. Until a terrible car accident brings a sexy stranger to her remote mountain cabin and the bad weather strands them together . . . for days. The heat between them is like nothing she’s ever known — incendiary, undeniable. And just as she begins to hope for something real with Colin Reid, after the snow melts, he remembers what caused his accident . . . and it may be too late for them both.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): While I thought the beginning of the story was a little overdone (too many exclamation marks), things really picked up in chapter two. Paige and Colin had a lot of things in common and their connection and attraction was obvious. I thought Colin in particular was pretty funny in the way he thought about things. Some of his musings regarding a naked Paige made me chuckle. The novella is only about 70 pages long, so there wasn’t a lot of time in which to draw the characters and make me care about them, but by the end of chapter two, I did. There’s not time for deep character exposition but the essential parts of them were on the page and it was clear that their connection was based on more than mutual lust.

I’m at Dear Author today…

November 23, 2013 / Kaetrin

with a review of The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed. Manwhore book alert!

Northern Star by Ethan Day

November 20, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Some of my Goodreads friends liked this one. It sounded more genre romance than my earlier foray into this author’s work, so I asked for a review copy from the publisher so I could try it too.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Deacon Miller never had it all—he never really believed he could. Growing up in a broken home with an alcoholic mother and a revolving door of truly pathetic father figures taught him to keep his expectations low. Now at twenty-seven, on the night before Christmas Eve, his life is turned upside down yet again; his boyfriend has dumped him, he just fled the holiday family reunion from hell, and now to top it all off, a blizzard has left him stranded in an airport hotel.

Steve Steele has spent the better part of his forty-four years living a lie, ignoring his attraction to other men in an attempt to fit into the mold of the man he thought he should be, instead of living life as the man he knew himself to be. Recently divorced after coming home from work one day and coming out to his wife, Steve has floundered over the past year, desperately attempting to wade through the guilt and find the courage to start again.

That’s when a chance meeting in a hotel bar brings two lonely men together… and what should’ve been a one night stand turns into something much more than either one ever expected.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. The premise grabbed me because I do like an angsty story and I liked that there was a reasonable-sized female cast in the story, only one of whom was a witch (Deacon’s mother). I felt that there was some attempt to explain Patty’s despicable attittude to Deacon – she had a back story and it was clear that she blamed Deacon for all of her woes (completely unfair of course, but there was some method to her madness, at least). The other female characters were either sympathetic (Ashley, Clarissa, Steve’s mother, without being perfect) or positive (Mrs. Garibaldi). The main part of the book was about Steve and Deacon which is what I want in a romance, so I’m fine with the secondary characters generally serving the story – but I liked things like that Ashley wanted to sneak out to a party after the prom and, generally, that Steve’s mother was supportive of Steve while not completely understanding him. To me, that showed that some thought went into the characterisations and I liked that they weren’t one note – even Patty had more substance to her.