Tag: contemporary (Page 95 of 122)

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

Room for More by Beth Ehemann

December 19, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this book after the first in the series was a DA Daily Deal.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Four years ago, my dreams were shattered in an instant.

Three months ago, I found something I haven’t had in years.

Hope.

That hope came in the form of a sexy, carefree hockey player named Brody Murphy. He swooped in and won me over with his big heart and the way he cared for me…and my girls. When they look at him, they see the father they’ve never had.

Now, my past and present are colliding and the outcome might just be too much for me to bear. Can I make the right decision when I’ve spent my whole life making the wrong ones?

Warning: Spoilers for book 1 follow.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Brody continues to be his (almost) perfect self, as he and Kacie navigate their new relationship.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I cocked my head to the side and looked at him skeptically. “Since when does staying home with kids all day interest you?”

He looked over at the girls, who were watching a movie in the living room, and shrugged. “Since them.”

Awwwww. See? Perfect.
Continue reading

Review at Dear Author

December 17, 2014 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Bad Behavior by KA Mitchell. Beach finally gets his book and oh my, what a book he gets. Warning: My squee levels were high with this one.

Room for You by Beth Ehemann

December 15, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This book was a DA Daily Deal a little while back – I bought the two full length books and the novella for $1.00 each.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Four years ago, my dreams were shattered in an instant.

I tried to pick up the pieces and glue them back together the best I knew how, but something was always missing.

A father for my two girls.

But then, Brody Murphy landed on my doorstep, literally. He was a carefree, playful hockey player who barged into my life and messed with my head. He left me more confused than I had ever been.

What if the one thing I thought I needed was the only thing holding me back?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): There is a fair amount of wish fulfilment in this book. Brody is almost the perfect man. He’s gorgeous, fit, kind, loves kids, sexy. He’s even rich. Every now and then he will do something not quite perfect (but never really egregious – the only thing which got up my nose a little bit was the Ferris Wheel thing – I get his motivation but I thought it was just a bit of a dick move all the same) to put readers off the scent but basically, he’s perfect.

“Holy shit,” Brody muttered from behind me where he stood frozen at the kitchen sink.
My heart rocketed into my throat and stuck there as I spun to face him. “Is that a good holy shit, or a bad holy shit?”
He didn’t respond with his mouth, but his eyes spoke volumes as they raked slowly all the way down my body and back up again. “It’s the best holy shit ever.”
Proudly, I looked down at myself and beamed up at him. “I cleaned up okay, huh? On a scale from one to ten-”
“Six hundred fifty-two.” He interrupted as he stalked over, gripped the back of my head and pressed his mouth to mine hard.

Good answer Brody. Continue reading

Review at Dear Author

December 5, 2014 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Transgression by Theo Fenraven. It’s one I bought recently after it was recommended to me in the comments at my Queer Romance Month post.

November Round Up

December 1, 2014 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey, narrated by Savannah Richards – B I read this novella in the Naughty and Nice anthology when it first came out (scroll down a bit to see the brief reviews). Sometimes when I can’t decide what to listen to next a novella length story is low risk – this one was only a couple hours long so the time investment was small. And, I had fond memories of the story. Chloe Burke is a web designer who lives in Boston but has come back to her small Maine hometown ot housesit for her parents in the weeks before Christmas. Electrical problems lead her to electrician and all round hotty, Scott Quinn. They went to school together but he looked a lot different then (he was a nerd). Sparks fly (heh) and they start a fling. The conflict is that Scott is embedded in his hometown and Chloe is going back to Boston. Given Chloe’s job, it has a relatively easy resolution once they are committed to seeing if the relationship holds to its early promise and it is perfect for a novella length story. It’s sweet, sexy and low angst and I liked it very much.

I hadn’t heard Savannah Richards narrate before. She had convincing deeper tones for Scott and generally a pleasant voice to listen to. However, there was one thing which bothered me and it’s very much a “it’s not you it’s me” thing – articulating it is hard because it is an aural thing. The best I can do is to say there is kind of a lowering of pitch and a kind of … trailing off at the end of many sentences. It bugged me a bit. I’m sure others won’t notice it at all and others who do, won’t mind it but it’s the sort of things that I hear straight off and, over time, it gets a bit like fingernails on a blackboard to me. Fortunately, it’s a short novella so I didn’t have time for annoyance to truly set in. Honestly, the rest of the narration was very good. I think I’m just fussy.

I’m sure I bought this as a stand alone – but my records don’t tell me if it was a special release. All I could find at Audible today was the entire anthology.

BUY IT:
AUDIBLE