I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Undecided by Julianna Keyes. Don’t let the cover fool you – there’s no love triangle here.
Tag: contemporary (Page 73 of 122)
Why I read it: I’m a fan of both the author and the narrator so I bought it.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Rick Gullotti lives the good life. He fights fires, dates beautiful women—though none long enough so they cast wistful glances at jewelry stores—and has great friends. And thanks to helping out the elderly couple who own his building, his rent is low. But when concerns about their health lead him to contact their only son, his life starts getting away from him.
Jessica Broussard has no interest in leaving sunny San Diego or her cushy corner office for Boston, but her father—who happens to be her boss—dispatches her to deal with the grandparents she’s never met. She’s unprepared for the frigid winter, loving relatives who aren’t the monsters she’s been led to believe, and the hot, scruffy firefighter who lives upstairs.
At first, Jessica is determined to get back to her comfortable life as quickly as possible. All she has to do is talk her grandparents into selling their monstrosity of a house and moving to a retirement community. But she underestimates Rick’s dedication—and his considerable charm. Nobody’s taking advantage of his friends on his watch, even if that makes the tempting southern California girl with the long legs his adversary. Unfortunately for them both, the only thing more urgent than the matter at hand is their sizzling chemistry, and it’s quickly becoming too strong to resist.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): Alas real firefighters don’t walk around in their turnout pants and no shirt. And, the firefighters I’ve actually seen in action, are mostly not as hot as the ones on book covers. They do exist though – I’ve seen the calendar. The firefighters in Shannon Stacey’s Boston Fire series however are the real deal. I enjoy their camaraderie and closeness and their sensible approach to a very dangerous job. Work health and safety is not seen as sexy but there is something awesome about a guy who does the right thing and doesn’t showboat. Rick Gullotti is a lieutenant in the Boston Fire Department. He’s not a grandstander after glory. A good day for him is when they put out the fire, save the people (and animals) and his team get home safe. It’s competence porn at its best.
Continue reading
I’m over at AudioGals with a review of All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan, narrated by Christian Fox. Sexy ex-felon falls for the temp prison nurse.
I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Major Misconduct by Kelly Jamieson, narrated by Kasha Kensington. I ended up enjoying this one a lot. Don’t be fooled – Lovey is not the flake she first appears to be.
I’m over at Dear Author with a review of A Wild Ride by Vivian Arend, book four in her Thompson & Sons series. Loved it.
Why I read it: I’d been eyeing this one for a while as the premise appealed. I snapped it up on special for 99c recently. (Then of course, it went on a promotion for free. Isn’t that always the way? 😀 I’m not complaining. It was worth my 99c for sure.)
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Desperate times call for desperate measures…
And desperate is the only way to describe Kayla Davis’s current situation. Out of work and almost out of money to cover her bills, Kayla finally caves to her roommate’s nagging and follows her to Arrangements, an online dating site that matches pretty young women with older men of a certain tax bracket.
Convinced this “make-rent-quick” scheme will surely fail – or saddle her with an 80 year old boyfriend – Kayla is shocked when Michael Bradbury, Internet billionaire and stone-cold salt and pepper fox, offers her a solution to all her financial troubles. It’s hard enough for Kayla to accept his generosity, but what’s a girl to do when the wealthiest man she’s ever met is a dream in and outside of the bedroom?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’ve never read a Sugar Baby/Sugar Daddy romance before. I’ve heard of the arrangements before and I admit I was curious about the concept. I think the author did a great job of making the arrangement palatable here; Kayla was uncomfortable with the idea of trading sex for money directly and wanted at least some emotional connection with the person she made any deal with – which didn’t quite fit with this:
Besides, neither of us were looking for Mr. Right or Mr. Forever. She was looking for Mr. 90 Days Max and I was looking for Mr. Hold Me Over Until I Find A Job.
but it was such a good line, I gave it a pass. 😀 Also, even when Kayla and Michael entered into their arrangement, didn’t just sit on her butt and be the kept woman. She still looked for a job, for example. She clearly didn’t want to be a sponge and Michael recognised that in her. In a weird way, it made the exchange of money kind of irrelevant. My impression was that Michael would have been in a relationship with Kayla regardless (and vice versa). That probably made more sense in my head. Continue reading










