Tag: contemporary (Page 94 of 122)

The Bride by Abigail Barnette

January 14, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: One from my TBR. I was in the mood for something immersive and, after checking at the back to make sure it had a happy ending (it does) I dove in with a happy sigh.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) After a tumultuous year, Sophie Scaife’s relationship with her boyfriend and Dom, billionaire media mogul Neil Elwood, is hotter and happier than ever. His sizzling Dominant side pushes Sophie to new and challenging heights of submission and erotic exploration as she follows her Sir’s every whim. But with his daughter’s impending wedding and a milestone birthday turning Neil’s thoughts toward settling down, Sophie faces a much different future than she’d planned.

Caught in a conflict between her new wealth and her desire for independence, Sophie fears she’s becoming just another Fifth Avenue trophy wife. With her fashion journalism career over and her new effort as a writer uninspiring, Sophie has to work harder than ever to prove her intentions to Neil’s family and friends.

Sophie isn’t the only one struggling to adapt to her new lifestyle. When private jets and designer labels threaten her bond with Holli, Sophie finds herself walking a fine line between the world she now inhabits and the past—and people—she fears she’s left behind. After a shocking revelation divides her loyalties, Sophie is in danger of losing her best friend or fracturing the trust of the man she loves.

Warning: Series Spoilers follow

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I really love this series. There is something very comforting about reading a book about characters you already know (provided the ending is happy). The usual set up stuff is not really required because the reader already knows the characters. There’s a brief recap to help people catch up but it’s familiar territory right from the start.
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Five Dates by Amy Jo Cousins

January 12, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is a freebie written for the Goodreads MM Romance Group’s Love’s Landscapes event.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Helping his sister Lucy raise her kid has put Devin’s love life on hold. When he loses a bet to her and the penalty is to go out on five dates with men she’s chosen from Guys4Guys.com, he thinks that’s bad enough. Finding out she used a thirteen-year-old picture of him to score a date with a young guy who looks like a rock star? Epically bad.

Jay thought he wanted to fall for an older man. But his last boyfriend left him feeling humiliated and determined to stick to guys his own age. When he realizes he’s been conned into a date with exactly the kind of man he’s sworn to avoid, he’s ready to walk away on the spot. Only Devin’s swift apologies convince Jay to accept dinner to make up for the deception.

“The date doesn’t count for the bet unless you get a goodnight kiss.” After one not-a-date dinner with Jay, Devin isn’t worried about his sister’s rules. He just wishes he could convince Jay to go out with him for real. Jay wants no part of Devin, but Devin wants every part of Jay . . . so he asks Jay to help update his look for the rest of his dates. But once Jay’s made Devin over into the perfect date, will he be able to let him go?

Dear Author,

I lost a bet with my sister. I was so sure the Broncos would win. Now it is time for me to pay up. She has decided I need a man in my life. She submitted a profile for me at Guys4Guys.com and set up five dates. I haven’t been on five dates in the past five years. And if the thought of five first dates isn’t scary enough, check out the photo she put in my profile.

Yes, that hot, young, guy really is me… thirteen years ago! To be twenty-two again. I miss my thirty-two-inch waist and six-pack.

Photo Description:

A good-looking, young blond man leans back against exposed pipework. He is shirtless and his jeans look a little old-fashioned with their light wash. His arms are huge and he sports a six-pack, although he’s already looking the tiniest bit soft around the waistline. As if that six-pack might not quite be there in ten years…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I was so charmed by this novella. I’d have happily read a full length book about this couple. Devin is such a nice guy – he’s made sacrifices for his sister and nephew but he’s not at all resentful. He’s also not a doormat. He’s kind of shy and a little lonely but it takes losing a bet to his sister to get him out on some dates. The first one is with Jay – a younger guy who is pretty pissed off that he was the butt of a bet between the siblings and who thought he was meeting a guy 13 years younger. Jay has baggage – he was in an abusive relationship with an older guy and he’s sworn off dating them – even though that’s where his attractions lay.
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Rocky Mountain Angel by Vivian Arend, narrated by Tatiana Sokolov

January 9, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: When I listened to Rocky Mountain Rebel recently, I realised I had accidentally skipped this book. So I bought it and rectified the lack.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Allison Parker needs a convincing excuse to come home to Rocky Mountain House, a hopelessly romantic reason that won’t let her mother suspect the truth—that Allison has discovered Mom is keeping a terrible secret from the family.

Gabe Coleman is struggling with two of the roughest parts of ranching: dealing with his bull-headed mule of a father and making enough to pay the bills. When his old friend Allison offers to help him develop his ideas for organic ranching—in return for pretending to be her fiancé—it sounds like the perfect set-up.

Yet the deception leads them in an unexpected direction, where their shared daily hells are erased by nights of heavenly distraction. It’s not supposed to be real, but once the gates are opened, there’s no denying they’ve found in each other a little bit of paradise.

To break free of the past and face the future, though, will take more than temporary pleasures. It’ll take putting their hearts on the line.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoyed this one and I say this fondly: the set-up is ~~a little~~ fairly unbelievable. Allison’s mother is very ill but doesn’t want to tell the family. Someone has told Allison and she wants to come home but doesn’t want to let on that she knows. So, plan A is “pretend to be engaged to Gabe Coleman”. Not, “I got retrenched from my job so I thought I’d come home for a while” or something else a little more realistic. Because what we want is the two protagonists in close proximity so the business of falling in love can begin, I could overlook some of the logic problems here. Gabe, to his credit, does at least think about what the deception might mean for his relationships with his (very large) family. At base, there is a longstanding connection and attraction between the pair and the rest is just excuses. However, once the proximity begins, things progress a lot more believably. There was a definite chemistry between the pair and but for logistics (they lived in different towns, Allison wasn’t planning on coming back and Gabe is very tied to his land), they would have started dating a year before I think.
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December Round Up

January 3, 2015 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Room for Just a Little More by Beth Ehemann – B- At the end of the first two books, Kacie and Brody got engaged and this book takes us through to the wedding. I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be something for fans of the series and is, effectively, an extended epilogue so we get a glimpse of the HEA. Brody continues to be perfect and a wonderful father to the girls and earns many many brownie points and best fiance/husband ever points. Kacie is contacted by her biological father and he’s a real piece of work, let me tell you. It’s difficult for me to understand a character who just walks away from his own daughter like that but my own husband has one just like him so I know they happen in real life. In fiction, it’s tempting to call them out as being without nuance but I know from my husband’s POV, there is little nuance to be had and it is Kacie and Brody telling this story after all. They know what they see. And what they see sucks. I didn’t really approve of Brody going behind Kacie’s back but his heart was in the right place even if I disliked his methods. That said, I can see it working for Kacie and Brody in a way it wouldn’t work for Kaetrin. Brody does just enough not-quite-perfect stuff to retain his almost perfect status and feel somehow more believable because of it. He’s still pretty perfect though. I see on Goodreads that Viper is getting a book of his own so maybe we will see a bit of Brody and Kacie and the girls in that. It’s a 100 pages novella which was entertaining and enjoyable but it’s very much an epilogue rather than a must-read. I liked it for what it was and, to be honest, I don’t think it was trying to be anything else. Continue reading

Review at Dear Author

January 1, 2015 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Off Campus by Amy Jo Cousins. I liked it but wanted some of Reese’s POV.. Trigger Warning: off page sexual assault.

Kaetrin’s Favourites for 2014 (part the first)

December 22, 2014 / Kaetrin

I tweeted out my top 10 (or 12 depending on how you count them) books for the year on 17 December so those who follow me on Twitter will not be surprised by this list. Here’s the version with pretty pictures. It’s a list of books I liked. That’s it.

These are my favourite new releases for 2014. It’s not a best of because I’m sure there are many wonderful books on my TBR of Doom or which haven’t made it that far even. Besides, personal taste being what it is, what does “best” really mean anyway?

I’m not really ranking the top 10. They were all wonderful and memorable and enjoyable and I loved them. That said, perhaps the biggest surprise to me is that when I do a “favourite book of 2014. Go!” gut check, the 1st answer which pops into my head isn’t even a romance. (Do I need to turn in my romance card?) So, I guess, *if pushed* I’d say the number one read was:

The Martian by Andy Weir. It’s a cracker of a book. If a reader has any interest in sci-fi or space travel books at all, I highly recommend it. The science is sound and the writing is engaging and funny and the tension is dialled right up there all the way to the end of the book. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (heh) to read or understand it (trust me on this) and did I mention that it’s funny? Continue reading