Review of Kristan Higgins’s Somebody to Love

Title: Somebody to Love

Author: Kristan Higgins

Publisher: HQN Books

Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Rating: 4 out of 5

Kristan Higgins has long been a favorite author of mine. I love her contemporary romances, no doubt because they ALL have adorable dogs in them! Somebody to Love is no exception, and it has some howling good times. While Somebody to Love is a stand-alone novel, the heroine, Parker Welles, is the best friend in The Next Best Thing, and most of the action takes place in the small town of Gideon’s Cove, Maine, setting of Catch of the Day. I’m afraid Catch of the Day has the dubious distinction of having caused me to bawl my eyes out, because a certain pivotal character passes away, but I still re-read it regularly, thanks to my highlighting feature on the Kindle, which allows me to skip any crying parts. Just like Catch of the Day, I plan on re-reading Somebody to Love many times, because it’s another winner, with strong, likeable characters and a good dose of humor.

As the novel begins, Parker Welles’s father shows up at the family mansion and announces that he’s lost all his money on Wall Street (through insider trading, no less), including both Parker and her son Nicky’s trust funds. They’re broke, and single mother Parker has to find a way to find them a new home. In the wreckage, Parker discovers that a great aunt left her a house in Gideon’s Cove, which hopefully can be flipped and turn enough of a profit to bulk up her small savings while she finds work.

James Cahill is one of Harry Welles’s lawyers, but he’s not the yes-man Harry’s other lawyers have been. He offers to help Parker flip her dilapidated house in Maine, since he spent years as a teenager working construction, and Parker reluctantly agrees. Add in the presence of a rescue dog named Beauty and some hot summer lovin’ and you have the makings of a great romance.

Despite Parker’s trust fund baby roots, she’s a really appealing heroine. I love her sense of humor, especially with the Holy Rollers, characters in the children’s books she wrote. As a sarcastic joke, she pitched a story about young angels needing to earn their wings and travel around on roller skates, eating only angel food cake. Naturally the saccharine sweet mess was a huge success, and Parker finds herself “talking” to her now teenaged characters throughout the mess that is her life. Her humor makes her a likeable character, but it’s her reaction to learning that she’s lost everything that makes her so engaging. She manages to keep it together for the sake of her son and works hard to make the best of things without dwelling on her situation.

James is a fabulous hero, sexy and vulnerable. He has a troubled past that’s caused problems within his family, but ever since he met Parker he’s had a thing for her. Unfortunately his choice of profession and relationship with Parker’s father has made it hard for Parker to see what a great guy he is. My one complaint with James is that he had a bit of a martyr complex, but once you learn about his past that becomes more understandable.

Overall, Somebody to Love was a heartwarming romance with two very likeable characters. This is the second contemporary romance I’ve read recently that features a formerly rich girl with a greedy Madoff-like father, and I enjoyed both of them. (Serendipity by Carly Phillips is the other – also a winner) If you’re looking for a fun summer read, I definitely recommend Somebody to Love.

Review of Sandy James’s Rules of the Game

Title: Rules of the Game

Author: Sandy James

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: April 2, 2012

Rating: 3 out of 5

I requested this book off NetGalley, because the blurb made it sound like a fun, lighthearted contemporary romance, and it certainly began with a lot of promise. Unfortunately about a third of the way into the book the tone of the novel changed abruptly, leaving me a bit confused. Rules of the Game feels like 2 different books, and while I enjoyed the novel, I think the blurb is a little misleading, and the book needed to be a bit longer to develop fully some of the issues the heroine faces.

The book begins with romance author Maddie Sawyer living in New York City and having to return to Pottsville, Indiana, for her high school reunion. While her author persona, Kathryn West, is sexy and outlandish, Maddie is anything but that, so she decides to find a sexy biker and pay him to pose as her boyfriend for the reunion. She has almost immediate success when she meets hunky Scott Brady at a biker bar, and the two start dating. Both Scott and Maddie have their secrets, but they really hit it off. She agrees to pose as his girlfriend to get his friends and family off his back about dating, and he agrees to accompany her to Indiana for the reunion.

This lighthearted contemporary romance goes off the rails when Maddie and Scott arrive at the reunion, and suddenly Maddie’s orderly life is a disaster. An unexpected visitor to the reunion makes an announcement to the crowd that forces Maddie to face her unpleasant past, and the remainder of the book focuses on how Maddie deals with the changes this brings. Throughout Scott is very supportive and helpful with the changes in Maddie’s life, but when Maddie learns Scott’s real profession (which isn’t down-and-out biker, as she originally believed), it’s the last straw for Maddie. Can she salvage her relationship with Scott while dealing with the astonishing changes in her life?

Despite the abrupt change in tone of the novel, this was an enjoyable read. A LOT happens in only 76,000 words, and at times I felt overwhelmed with what was going on with poor Maddie. You definitely won’t be able to put the book down, because you’ll be frantically turning the pages to see what could possibly go wrong next. I also liked Scott and Maddie’s romance in the beginning of the novel. It definitely was a meet-cute, and both hero and heroine come across as, likeable characters with great chemistry.

While I enjoyed the book, there were some issues that bothered me. First, the unexpected visitor to the high school reunion completely changed the tenor of the book and created a new source of conflict. I thought the change was too abrupt, but I was intrigued by where the novel would go from there. I wish that the blurb were less misleading in how it described the book, but I also think that the first third of the book needed a bit of foreshadowing of future events. One plus is that the reader experiences how out of control Maddie feels at the changes in her life, and the pace of the novel helps with this. However, the conflict is resolved rather quickly at the end, and I felt that this section of the novel could have been developed a bit more. Maddie and Scott’s relationship problems are resolved too quickly.

My other issue has to do with Maddie’s reaction to Scott’s profession. She immediately rejects him for it, which just struck me as bizarre, given her reasonable and mature reactions to other events in the book. Events in her past are supposed to explain Maddie’s knee-jerk reaction and subsequent rejection of Scott, but it was too over the top for me.

Despite feeling like two different books, Rules of the Game was a lot of fun to read. I liked the hero and heroine, and the drama in the book raised some interesting questions. I’ll definitely check out future books by Ms. James and recommend it with a few reservations for lovers of contemporary romance.

Review of Joan Kilby's Gentlemen Prefer Nerds

Title: Gentlemen Prefer Nerds

Author: Joan Kilby

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: March 12, 2012

Rating: 3 out of 5

I’m a big fan of nerds, so when I saw the title to Joan Kilby’s book, I immediately snatched it up. Gentlemen Prefer Nerds features a mild, unassuming woman who becomes entangled in a jewelry heist, thanks to a sexy secret agent.  I’m more than a little nerdy myself, so I was rooting for the gemologist heroine, Maddie, to get her man while living the high life of the spy in Australia. While Gentlemen Prefer Nerds is a fun romp, the romance fell a bit flat, but the hijinks poor Maddie finds herself in make for more than a few laughs, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Maddie Maloney is a gemologist working for her aunt’s jewelry store while finishing her PhD. Her aunt is auctioning off the famous Rose Diamond, and Maddie is conducting research on the unusual pink diamond before the auction takes place. While Maddie’s at the store studying the gem, a man mysteriously approaches her and warns Maddie that a notorious jewel thief, the Chameleon, has plans to steal the Rose Diamond.

Maddie discounts the strange man’s warnings, and when the Rose Diamond is stolen right from under her nose, the police believe that she orchestrated the heist! Fabian Montgomery, snooty British Lord, is the man who warned Maddie, and he comes to her rescue, only to inform her that he expects her help in retrieving the gem. Maddie has to be transformed into a femme fatale and attract the attention of the Chameleon so they can recover the gem. Unfortunately, Maddie considers herself all too ordinary, is the world’s worst liar, and is fighting an attraction to Fabian. Can she step out of her ordinary life and return the Rose Diamond to its proper owner?

Maddie is an adorable heroine, clumsy and very much your girl-next-door. At times I really liked her, but other times she came across as so naïve as to be TSTL. She’s a highly intelligent woman seeking an advanced degree, yet some of her actions seem ridiculously dumb. Why on Earth would she allow her date to view the Rose Diamond while the store is closed? It just seems like asking for trouble! Granted, the date in question was posing as someone more trustworthy, but in this situation Maddie’s common sense seems to be lacking, and unfortunately that was the case throughout the book.

Despite her somewhat questionable actions, I found Maddie to be likeable, and I could easily see why Fabian (an unfortunate choice of name, IMO) would fall for her, but I couldn’t really understand the attraction on Maddie’s part for him. She’s charming and sweet natured; Fabian’s just good-looking and snooty. They don’t really have any moments where Fabian confides in her, and Fabian persists in hiding the truth about the Chameleon while insulting her appearance and attire. I just never really understood why she would feel anything more than lust for him.

That said, this was a fun book to read, and Maddie’s family was a hoot, while the Australian setting was a nice surprise. The action was non-stop and over the top, and watching poor Maddie try to fit into a world of high intrigue made for a lot of laughs. The romance might have been a little flat, but the ending hinted at the possibility of more Maddie and Fabian in the future, and I’m intrigued enough to check out the second book in the series.

Review of Jill Shalvis's Time Out

Title: Time Out

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Harlequin Blaze

Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: February 19, 2012

Rating: 4 out of 5

As I’ve mentioned before, if a book has Jill Shalvis’s name on it, it’s pretty much an auto-buy for me! Time Out is her latest category romance published by Harlequin Blaze, and it’s also a reunion romance of sorts, making this a win-win for me. Time Out is just under 200 pages, so it’s a short and sweet book that’s lots of fun.

Rainey Saunders is a community youth center coordinator in a town ravaged by wild fires. She’s scrambling to find coaches to help keep the town’s teens busy, but because so many houses were destroyed, many of the parents are struggling to make ends meet, making it difficult to scrounge up volunteers. When NHL coach and hometown boy made good Mark Diego shows up with several of his players to offer their services, it’s the perfect solution for Rainey and Mark. Two of Mark’s players got into a knock-down, drag out fight, and they’re assigned community service to help improve the league’s image, and since Mark’s brother runs the community center, it’s an easy way for Mark to spend time with his family while keeping an eye on his players.

Rainey’s had a thing for Mark for years, although she’s tried hard not to show it, since she managed to humiliate herself thoroughly when the two were teens. Assigning Mark to coach the teenage girls’s softball team seems like the perfect revenge and a great way to keep Mark busy and out of her hair. Mark has different ideas, though. He’s always been attracted to Rainey, and his summer at home seems like a great time to act on that attraction. He’s not into anything long term, though, and Rainey knows it. When the summer’s up and hockey seasons starts again, can these two find a way to be together?

What I love about Ms. Shalvis’s romances is that her characters always come across as real people. Rainey is the girl next door, and she’s a lot of fun, and, while Mark may be a superstar NHL coach, he’s still just the boy next door at heart. The sparks between the two of them are undeniable, even though both make desperate attempts to deny it. The secondary characters are hilarious, especially the two hockey players forced to perform community service in what they consider to be a Podunk town. However, it’s clear that they get as much out of their time there as the kids the players are coaching, which is nice.

My only criticism of the novel is that the ending is very, very abrupt. In fact, I kept trying to turn the page, thinking something was wrong with my Kindle, because I didn’t realize that was the end! It resolved both the romance between Rainey and Mark and a secondary plot line quickly and in a way that struck me as a bit too convenient. However, I suspect that the format and length of the category romance genre have much to do with this particular ending.

That said, this is definitely a keeper! The romance is sizzling, the characters are engaging, and the reading so easy that the pages just fly by. Time Out is a fun, quick escape that I highly recommend.

Review of Anthology Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Wow, I am so far behind on my reviews it’s not even funny! Here’s hoping that I can take some time off from doing my taxes and grading exams to write a few reviews this weekend!

Title: Kiss Me, I’m Irish

Authors: Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, Maureen Child

Publisher: Harlequin

Format: eBook and Mass Market Paperback

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Rating: 4 out of 5

Anything with Jill Shalvis’s name on it is going to be an auto-buy for me, so when I saw this anthology on NetGalley, naturally I requested it. I hadn’t read anything by either of the other authors, but of course I recognized their names, so I was really excited to check out this book. I’m happy to say I was not disappointed! The three novellas have been previously published separately, so if you’re a fan of these authors, check your bookshelf before purchasing the anthology. Even though these novellas were published as early as 2003, for the most part they manage to remain relevant, although there are a few parts of the Roxanne St. Claire novella that were fairly dated, even though it’s only 6 years old.

Roxanne St. Claire The Sins of His Past (originally published 2006)

This was a touching reunion romance between baseball star Seamus “Deuce” Monroe and Kendra Locke. Years before Deuce had hooked up with Kendra, his best friend’s younger sister, then never called her afterwards. Fast forward to the present, and Deuce has returned home after a car wreck and accident that’s forced the baseball team to invoke a contract clause and fire him. He’s planning on running the family-owned sports bar, Monroe’s, but when he arrives at the sports bar, Kendra has turned it into an internet café. Deuce’s father finds himself in the awkward position of having to decide if he’ll continue with the plans to turn Monroe’s into an internet café or if he should allow Deuce to turn it back into a successful sports bar. There’s also some mystery as to why Kendra, the smartest girl in high school, dropped out of Harvard.

This was a sweet romance, filled with lots of angst and difficult decisions. Unfortunately, the premise of the internet café really dates the story. With the popularity of smart phones today, the internet café and Kendra’s reasons for starting one are very dated. That said, the romance between the irresponsible Deuce and the go-getter Kendra sizzles, and you’ll root for both of them. 4 out of 5

Jill Shalvis Tangling with Ty (originally published in 2003)

I really enjoyed this story of child genius turned doctor Nicole Mann and the aloof architect Ty Patrick O’Grady. Because of Nicole’s high IQ, she graduated high school and college at obscenely early ages, making it difficult for this workaholic to relate to people. She’s currently living in an old apartment building, and the two other young women in the building have taken her under their wings. When the building’s owner hires Ty to look into fixing up the building, he and Nicole set off sparks, but the two loners struggle to find their way.

I liked the pairing of this couple, although you have to suspend disbelief a bit to accept that these two loners would actually find their way together. But my absolute favorite part of the novella is how Nicole deals with her boss, who’s trying (and failing) to sexually harass her. Really, that was the most satisfying part of the entire novella. 3.5 out 5

Maureen Child Whatever Reilly Wants (originally published in 2005)

Marine Connor Reilly is a triplet and quite the hottie! Unfortunately, he and his brothers made a bet with their older brother Liam, a priest, that they can’t remain celibate for 90 days. If they lose the bet, they have to shell out $10,000 and dress up in embarrassing costumes. One of the triplets has already bit the dust, and the novella begins just after his wedding. Mechanic Emma Jacobsen is a friend of Connor’s and is stunned when he tells her how much her friendship means to him, because he doesn’t think of her as a woman! Naturally this means war. Emma goes on the offensive, and Connor never sees it coming.

This was a cute story, and I really liked how Emma deals with the situation. She makes Connor take notice, but I love that she confronts Connor with who she really is, pointing out that he didn’t notice her as a woman until she changed. 4 out of 5

Review of Bella Andre's Can't Help Falling in Love

Title: Can’t Help Falling in Love (The Sullivans #3)

Author: Bella Andre

Publisher: Self-published via Smashwords

Format: eBook

Source: Received from Author

Publication Date: December 11, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

A few weeks ago, I was on Twitter and saw Bella Andre had tweeted about her new release, Can’t Help Falling in Love, so I retweeted her comment. Ms. Andre contacted me and asked if I was interested in a copy of the book for review. I hadn’t read any of her books before, but I’m always looking for new authors, so I was pleased to accept. I’m VERY glad I did, because Can’t Help Falling in Love is a fun, sexy contemporary romance, and, despite being the third in the series about the Sullivan family, it easily stands on its own. I went out and bought the second book for my Kindle after reading this one, and I can’t wait to catch up on the series.

Gabe Sullivan is a firefighter in San Francisco and one of 8 Sullivan siblings, all of whom seem to be incredibly gifted in some way. As the novel begins, he’s fighting a fire and learns that Megan Harris and her 7 year old daughter Summer are trapped in their apartment. He heroically rushes in to save them, all three barely escaping with their lives. Megan and Summer visit Gabe in the hospital to thank him, but he’s more than a little surly towards Megan, because he had a bad relationship with a woman he rescued a few years before.

Megan’s navy pilot husband passed away 5 years ago, so she’s not interested in dating any more adrenaline junkies, and Gabe’s made it clear that he wants nothing to do with her, but Summer has different plans. The chemistry between Megan and Gabe sets off sparks, but both are leery of any kind of commitment. Summer and the Sullivan clan have their work cut out for them if they’re going to get these two together!

This is a straightforward contemporary romance and very enjoyable. Megan and Gabe have great chemistry, and it’s fun to see them fighting the inevitable. The love scenes are sizzling, but it’s not all lust, all the time, which is a relief. The two spend time together and with Summer, so you can see the relationship develop over the course of the book, which is always a selling point for me. And while I read the book and jotted down some notes for this review nearly a month ago, the protagonists and supporting characters are still fresh in my mind.

I’m not usually a fan of children as secondary characters, because they can sometimes be just a bit too twee for my taste, but Summer was an important part of the story arc. Since Megan’s a single mom, it’s only natural that her daughter would figure in any decision to start a romantic relationship. I was a little surprised at how Summer (with some adult help) managed to manipulate Megan into a ski trip where they (surprise!) ran into Gabe. Frankly, my parents would have beat the stuffing out of me if I pulled that kind of stunt, but it worked in the context of the plot.

I really enjoyed this book, and I can easily understand Ms. Andre’s success at self-publishing. The book was well edited, polished, and very professional, not to mention well-written. I will definitely be reading more of her work!

Top Five Contemporary Romances of 2011

Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the doom and gloom of Urban Fantasy and cleanse your reading palate with something a little lighter, and contemporary romances are my favorite way to do just that. Here are five that I read this year that I find myself re-reading again and again.

Kristan Higgins Until There Was You

Who doesn’t like a bad boy and a reunion romance? This list has a couple of bad boy heroes, and Liam Murphy fits the bill perfectly. He builds motorcycles, wears lots of black leather, and sometimes doesn’t shave for days, giving him a swoon-worthy scruffy look. It’s no surprise that tiny Posey Osterhagen lost her heart to him when she was a teen, and now that he’s a widower and back in town with his teenage daughter, Posey tries to steer clear of him, to no avail. Liam will steal your heart when he sends his daughter off to prom, and Posey is a funny, eccentric heroine. The John Hughes ending makes the book all the more satisfying. Read my review here.

Susan Andersen Playing Dirty (Sisterhood Diaries #3)

This was the first book I read by Susan Andersen, and it’s a winner. You can pick it up without having to have read any of the prior books in the series, but they’re lots of fun as well, so I highly recommend you check out the entire series. This book focuses on Ava Spencer, a full-figured heroine who had a humiliating experience with documentary maker Cade Gallari back in high school. He slept with the free-spirited “fat girl” to win a bet and let everyone know about it. Ava manages to get her own then and now, and watching Cade lose it over the stunning Ava is so much fun.

Susan Mallery Only Mine (Fools Gold #4)

I think it’s a safe bet that you’ll love any of Ms. Mallery’s Fool’s Gold books, but I was long awaiting the beginning of the Hendrix triplets’ trilogy, and the first book featuring Dakota Hendrix is a winner. Ever since a grad student wrote about the man shortage in Fool’s Gold for her thesis, men and the media have been descending upon the town in droves. A reality tv show (think The Bachelor) has set up in town, and Dakota’s been asked to coordinate with the show to keep the craziness to a minimum. When Alaskan pilot Finn Anderssen shows up and demands that she prevent his 21 year old twin brothers from participating in the show, Dakota has to tell him that she has little control over the producers’ choices. Ms. Mallery’s books are always winners, and the romance between Finn and Dakota is sizzling and heartwarming.

Shannon Stacey Yours to Keep (Kowalski Family #3)

This ebook release was so popular that it’s coming out in 2012 in mass market paperback, which is great for those of you without ereaders. This book had me in stitches, because the Kowalski family is not above interfering in each others’ lives. Sean Kowalski has just returned from the Army and is not sure what he wants to do with his life. Little does he know that local Emma Shaw has been telling her grandmother that he’s her fiancé. When Sean returns to town just before Emma’s grandmother comes to visit, Emma’s in a panic and begs him to pose as her fiancé, with hilarious results. You can read this book on its own without any problems, but you’ll want to check out the others in the series as well. Read my review of Yours to Keep here.

Carly Phillips Serendipity (Serendipity #1)

Carly Phillips was another new-to-me author, and I picked up Serendipity at the bookstore after seeing several reviews of the book online. I wasn’t sure how likeable the heroine would be, since she’s a former rich girl whose father bilked thousands out of their money in a ponzi scheme, but Faith Harrington is delightful. She returns to her hometown of Serendipity after her husband divorces her because of the scandal surrounding her father. You’ll really enjoy watching her find her way in a town that’s not disposed to view her favorably. When she and former bad boy (yay for bad boys!) Ethan Barron meet up again, sparks fly. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, and if you want a small sample to tide you over until that book comes out, Ms. Phillips just released a novella, Kismet, set in the same town.

Review of Jill Shalvis's Head Over Heels

Title: Head Over Heels (Lucky Harbor #3)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Forever

Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook

Source: Purchased

Publication Date: November 22, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

Jill Shalvis’s contemporary romances are sweet, fun books with characters you’ll want to visit over and over again. The third book in her Lucky Harbor series, Head Over Heels, is no exception. I read the first in the series and loved it, but for some reason I didn’t read the second. I’m happy to report that I like Head Over Heels even more than I did Simply Irresistible. Despite a lack of strong conflict, this irrepressible romance was a delight, and I highly recommend it.

Chloe is the youngest of three sisters whose free-spirited mother has left them a Bed and Breakfast. Chloe was the only sister of the three raised by their mother, Phoebe, and exhibits much of her mother’s unbridled spirit and resistance to settling down. Despite her irreverent personality, Chloe has matured over the past year and she’s starting to see the attraction of remaining in Lucky Harbor and spending time with her sisters.

Straight-laced Sheriff Sawyer Thompson is the last person anyone would pair with the free-wheeling Chloe, but there’s no denying the attraction between the two. Despite numerous run-ins with Chloe and his own troubled youth, Sawyer and Chloe start an affair. But Sawyer’s involvement with a local DEA investigation and the interest in Chloe displayed by one of the men under investigation places the nascent affair under a strain. Sawyer needs to protect Chloe but wonders if he’ll be able to protect his heart at the same time.

I really enjoyed seeing how much Chloe has matured since the first book. She’s still light-hearted and carefree, but she’s less self-centered in her interactions with her sisters, Maddie and Tara. I also loved seeing how the relationship between the sisters has developed since the first book. Maddie and Tara are busy with their significant others, Jax and Ford (Sawyer’s best friends), and Chloe feels a bit left out but reacts in a mature way, which I wouldn’t have expected from her in the first book.

Chloe’s acute asthma plays a central role in the novel, particularly the romance with Sawyer, which I found really interesting. I think Ms. Shalvis handled this well, because her treatment of Chloe’s respiratory difficulties was matter-of-fact. I also thought it was clever how the asthma forced Chloe and Sawyer to be more thoughtful in their intimacy, since any physical exertion could cause a flair-up. Sawyer won major points with this reader in his sensitive treatment of Chloe’s nature and her condition.

My absolute favorite scene takes place when Chloe pushes her way into Sawyer’s house and “helps” him paint the living room. The scene is sexy and hilarious, especially when Jax and Ford discover the two the next morning, with strategically placed paint handprints. Very, very funny!

The majority of the conflict in this novel stems from Chloe and Sawyer’s diametrically opposed personalities, which made for a pleasurable, relaxed read, but there’s some tension surrounding his involvement with a DEA investigation. Unfortunately, this conflict felt a bit artificial to me, almost as though it were tacked on at the last minute, and I’m not convinced that it was entirely necessary.

I also felt that the resolution to the problems in Chloe and Sawyer’s relationship was a bit abrupt. The epilogue tied up all loose ends nicely, but I’m not sure that a Happy-Ever-After was necessary, when a Happy-For-Now would have sufficed and been more in keeping with Chloe’s character.

That said, this was a delightful read with personable characters that I highly recommend. I’ve enjoyed the few contemporary romances I’ve read by Ms. Shalvis, and I’m very much looking forward to reading more of them.

Review of Angela Campbell's Cry Wolf

Title: Cry Wolf

Author: Angela Campbell

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: October 31, 2011

Rating: 4 out 5

I meant to review this book yesterday, but the really long World Series game 6 got in the way. I am now EXHAUSTED after watching the game, so I hope this review is coherent. Cry Wolf is Angela Campbell’s debut novel, and it’s a cute, sweet contemporary romance with a little werewolf tossed in to mix things up. I was hoping that this was the beginning to a series, given the ending (more on that later), but after checking out her webpage, I think it’s a stand-alone novel. Either way, you’ll definitely enjoy this book out just in time for Halloween.

Andrea Lockheart is a reporter for the tabloid The Naked Truth, and her editor has sent her to investigate rumors of werewolf sightings in Woodbine, South Carolina. She certainly isn’t expecting to run into Sean Hunter, former senior editor of her university paper. He’s the Woodbine paper’s editor now, and Andrea isn’t thrilled that she has to work with him, since he said some cruel remarks to her when they parted ways in college. She’d always hoped that their next meeting would involve some sort of acknowledgement of her stellar career, rather than his discovering her hanging upside down from a makeshift “werewolf trap.”

Sean doesn’t immediately recognize Andi Lockheart from college. This new Andi is stunning and clearly not interested in his help, but he owes her an apology after being such a jerk in college. Sean’s move to Woodbine to be with his sister and her kids is a far cry from writing for the New York Times, but he’s definitely enjoying the slower pace of his new life, especially since it allows him to spend time helping Andrea with her investigation. When Andrea experiences her own werewolf sighting, she and Sean begin to take the rumors more seriously and the two find themselves spending more and more time together. Can the two find a future together searching for the truth about the local werewolf?

I really enjoyed the romance in this novel. The majority of the book focuses on the relationship between Sean and Andrea, rather than the werewolf of the title, and that’s part of its appeal.  Andrea is a compelling heroine with a difficult past. She’s a very talented and hardworking writer, despite writing about celebrities for a tabloid, and her shared past with Sean is an awkward one that threatens to undermine her hard won self-confidence when the two meet again. Sean is one sexy editor, and he manages to redeem himself from his being a total jerk in college. His focus on his family and concern for Andrea demonstrate that his changes are sincere.

The werewolf aspect of the novel was interesting as well. I like that Andrea starts out doubting the veracity of the claims and gradually begins to believe in the sightings as her investigation continues. I think making the romance the central focus of the novel was particularly effective, and the werewolf mystery starts to pick up about halfway into the book, which causes the pace to pick up.

Unfortunately, the werewolf mystery wasn’t completely resolved to my satisfaction, leaving us with a bit of a cliffhanger. I liked that the romance between Andrea and Sean was tied up nicely, but I wanted more explanation about the actual werewolf. Initially I assumed that this was the first book in a series, and we would learn more in subsequent books, but as I mentioned earlier, Ms. Campbell’s webpage indicates that this is a stand-alone novel, and her next book will be in a series set in a different world. Cry Wolf is only 87,000 words long, so there’s definitely room for more background about the werewolf, and the open ending definitely detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, however, this was a really sweet romance, and I very much enjoyed it. I liked Ms. Campbell’s insights into the world of journalism, and her experience writing in that world has translated well into fiction writing. I’ll definitely be looking for more of her work in the future!

Review of Victoria Dahl's Real Men Will

Title: Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery #3)
Author: Victoria Dahl
Publisher: HQN Books
Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: October 25, 2011
Rating: 4 out of 5



Real Men Will is the third book in Victoria Dahl’s Donovan Brothers Brewery series, and while you can read it on its own, I highly recommend that you read the first two books in the series before reading this one. After reading all three, I think Bad Boys Do, the second in the series and Jaime’s story, is my favorite, but Real Men Will is by far the sexiest! (fans self) Whoa, mama! You’ll definitely want to have a glass of ice water close by while reading this one.


Eric Donovan is the oldest of the three Donovan siblings, and he’s been managing the family brewery ever since their parents died in a car crash. During a business convention, he decides to shed his staid demeanor and has a one night stand with Beth Cantrell, manager of a high end erotic boutique, The White Orchid. But because of a misunderstanding when they met, she thinks he’s his younger brother Jaime, and since Jaime has a reputation as a womanizer, Eric allows her to believe he’s Jaime.


You can imagine Beth’s shock when she goes online and realizes that Eric is NOT Jaime, and when she confronts Eric, Jaime finds out, to the detriment of the brothers’ improving relationship. But circumstances bring Beth and Eric back together, and they decide to have a no-strings fling. Eric assumes at first that their chemistry is off the charts because of Beth’s job as manager of an erotic boutique, but he soon learns that appearances can be deceiving. Can the two find a way to trust each other when they’re both hiding secrets about their pasts?


I absolutely loved the chemistry between Eric and Beth! When I first picked up the book, I read about a chapter, then put it down, because I wasn’t immediately drawn into the story, but once Beth and Eric get together, everything gets a LOT steamier! You might assume that the book is full-o-the-smexy because of Beth’s job, but the truth is that she’s a lot less experienced than you would assume. I think one of the reasons Beth is such an appealing character is because she’s willing to try new experiences with Eric, recognizing that the reason she hasn’t before is a lack of chemistry with and trust for her partners.


I actually liked Beth’s character more than Eric’s in this book. She’s really engaging and personable, and frankly her scenes at the boutique show her to be a very open and accepting person, even as she acknowledges that a lot of what they sell at her store is not for her. The traumatic event in her past is really upsetting, and it’s easy to see why she has so many trust issues. She’s an intriguing mix of vulnerability and strength, and I really like that she recognizes her weaknesses and takes charge of her sexuality with Eric in a way she hasn’t before.


The continuing family drama at the brewery could be a selling point or a problem, depending on the reader. I find it extremely believable that the three siblings would fall into patterns of behavior that prevent them from improving their communication. There’s never any doubt that they love each other, but clearly the deaths of their parents established roles for each sibling that have continued into adulthood. Jaime and Eric in particular seem to punch each other’s buttons, and while I found this believable, it also really frustrated me. I’m not sure that a reader who hadn’t read the other books in the series would have this reaction, but I thought that after Jaime’s book, his relationship with Eric would improve, which was not the case. The constant tension between the siblings, while realistic, grew distracting, and I think detracted from my enjoyment of the book overall. Seriously, at times I just wanted to scream at them, “Haven’t you people ever heard of therapy?!!?!”


In spite of a few throw-my-book-at-the-wall moments thanks to all the family drama, I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I love Ms. Dahl’s voice in this trilogy, and I can’t wait to read more of her work. Definitely a keeper!

Review of Coleen Kwan's When Harriet Came Home

Title: When Harriet Came Home

Author: Coleen Kwan

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: October 24, 2011

Rating: 3 out of 5

One of the reasons I’m enjoying the eBooks published by Carina Press these days is that I get to read authors from other English-speaking countries. When Harriet Came Home author Coleen Kwan is from Australia, and every now and then a lovely phrase or reference will draw your attention to her small-town setting of Wilmot, Australia. It’s not that different than most small town contemporary romances I’ve read, but I like the variety. This book is short at only 50,000 words, but it’s a quick and engaging read.

Harriet Brown finds herself returning to her small town of Wilmot after a decade of self-exile when her father is injured in a car accident. Ten years ago she unwittingly caught the town’s mayor on film taking a bribe and meeting women for sordid affairs. He’s killed in a car accident shortly thereafter, and the town turns on the overweight, shy teen they consider responsible. The situation was all the more upsetting for Harriet because the teenager had a crush on the mayor’s son, Adam Blackstone. When years later she’s forced to return to Wilmot after her father’s accident, the first person she sees at the hospital is hunky carpenter Adam, and he is not pleased that she’s back in town.

But Harriet’s father wants the two to reconcile, and his accident provides the perfect excuse for his matchmaking. He was supposed to cater the town’s charity Harvest Ball that Adam’s organizing, but his injury has made that impossible, so he volunteers Harriet’s catering services. Harriet reluctantly agrees, because it’s obviously important to her father, but she’s not thrilled that she’ll have to spend more time with Adam. He’s not happy about it either, because the shy teen he remembers is now a beautiful, curvaceous woman who’s proving irresistible to the handyman. Sparks fly between the two, but will Adam’s love be enough to keep Harriet in Wilmot?

This is a cute small town romance with one sexy carpenter hero, complete with “mean girls” who never grew up after high school and a lot of nasty gossip. Ms. Kwan’s writing flows smoothly and the premise of the heroine returning home after making good in the big city is an appealing one. Plus, Adam is a really great hero material. He confesses to Harriet that he was really self-absorbed in his teens and that he enjoys working with his hands (nice!!). He’s clearly turned his life around, despite the painful events of ten years ago. And let’s face it, sexy carpenters who are good with their hands and have sexy Aussie accents are a win-win in the hero category!

So why didn’t I like it more? I actually remembered most of the details of the plot from when I read the novel well over a month ago, but I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt indifferent about it, so I re-read the book. As I said, the writing is good, and the pacing of the romance and the nature of the conflict were all good. And truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with the story; it just didn’t capture my interest.

I think part of why I feel “meh” towards this book is that Harriet is not as enjoyable a character as Adam. She begins strongly, since she’s lost weight, had eye surgery, and founded a successful catering company in Sydney in the last ten years, setting her up for a triumphant return to the town that cruelly rejected her in her teens. When Adam meets up with her again he’s surprised by how sassy she is compared to the awkward teenager he knew. But she’s not actually all that sassy. In fact, she’s a bit of a wimp and really insecure. She constantly questions herself and Adam’s motives towards her, allows her sister to use her for free babysitting services, and nearly has a breakdown during the Harvest Ball. That struck me as odd, given that she’s been catering for years and owned her own company for three. Harriet is a likeable character, but her insecurities left me wondering what Adam saw in her.

Despite the flaws, I liked Ms. Kwan’s writing, and on her website it mentions that she just sold her second novel, a steampunk romance, to Carina Press. Given the sexy hero and solid writing in When Harriet Came Home, I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with in the steampunk genre.

Early Review of Kristan Higgins' Until There Was You

Title: Until There Was You

Author: Kristan Higgins

Publisher: HQN Books

Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: October 25, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

This contemporary romance made me laugh and cry, and I absolutely loved it! I highlighted so many different sections of the book and have re-read them so often that if I were reading a physical book instead of my Kindle the pages would be falling out. Scrawny 5’2” Posey is charmer, and you’ll fall for hottie bad boy Liam. Who wouldn’t? He rides a motorcycle, wears black leather, and only shaves every few days. Reformed bad boys make for great romance heroes, and you’ll definitely swoon for this one!

Until There Was You is a reunion romance of sorts – Posey Osterhagen was madly in love with bad boy Liam Murphy when she was sixteen, but he barely noticed her. In fact, he was indirectly responsible for her disastrous prom experience, so when he moves back to Bellsford, New Hampshire, with his 15 year old daughter, Posey tries to play it cool around her former crush. Posey runs a successful architectural salvage company in town, and she tries to keep busy to avoid him, but her adopted parents’ attempts to play matchmaker with the good-looking widower and their niece Gretchen ensure that Liam and Posey are thrown together. But Liam’s not looking for romance, and some well-meaning family members seem determined to keep the two apart. Can the bad boy and the quirky runt from high school find a way to be together?

Kristan Higgins always manages to crack me up with her humor, and despite several teary moments, this book was no exception. The secondary characters will keep you rolling in the aisles, especially Posey’s adopted parents, who are large, boisterous owners of a German restaurant in town. Posey herself has a dry wit that provides some great one-liners, and Liam’s protective instincts towards his daughter Nicole make for some hilarious moments as well. When her prom date shows up and Liam threatens him, I was crying with laughter. And Ms. Higgins clearly has teenagers of her own, as Posey uses “Oh, Bieber” as an interjection, and Liam tells his daughter, “Whatevs.” Of course, in my experience, if your Mom’s using slang in a book, it’s probably not cool anymore, but it makes for a fun read.

There’s also plenty of angst to go around, as we witness several flashbacks to Posey’s disastrous prom experience and Liam reflects on his marriage with the town’s golden girl. The relationships between parents and children are a constant theme in the book, whether those children are adults or teens, and you’ll definitely find yourself tearing up at times.

The biggest problem with the book and the reason I only gave it a four when I clearly love it is the lackluster romance between Liam and Posey. It’s clear from the beginning that Posey has feelings for Liam, but Liam’s feelings for Posey are never quite as obvious. In fact, at times I felt that he spent more time thinking about his dead wife and their marriage than he did thinking about Posey. He clearly cares for her and the ending feels like a scene from a John Hughes movie (set at prom, no less!), but afterwards when I was thinking about the book, I had the distinct impression that his wife had been the love of his life and Posey was merely second best. This is a pretty serious failing in a romance novel, so I think it speaks volumes about the book that I loved it in spite of this.

If you’re looking for a fun contemporary romance with a little angst and lots of humor, I highly recommend this one. It’s definitely going on my keeper shelf, and I suspect I’ll be re-reading it for years to come.

Glomming on Contemporaries

Yesterday I mentioned that I’m a bit burned out on historical romances, which is a bummer, since historical romances were my first "wuv, twue wuv." So to break the slump, I’ve been reading lots of contemporaries, which is a bit unusual. In fact, for me contemporaries usually rank right above Romantic Suspense. In other words, they fit in the take-em-or-leave-em category. But a few have really drawn me in lately, so here are some mini-reviews of ones I’ve enjoyed lately. I have to warn you, though - these may lead to your stocking up on the authors’ backlists!

Rachel Gibson Not Another Bad Date (Writers #4) I’m a sucker for reunited lovers, and this book is a charmer! Fantasy Author Adele Harris jumps to her sister’s rescue when her seemingly perfect marriage falls apart and her sister finds herself hospitalized. Adele steps in to look after her tween niece, little realizing that her niece’s new friend is the daughter of the guy who got away in college, former pro football player Zach Zemaitis. He’s a single parent, since his snooty Junior League wife was t-boned by a garbage truck, and trust me, her accident is definitely an example of karma at work. He broke Adele’s heart in college when his former girlfriend (aforementioned Junior League member) announced she was pregnant. He’s not interested in forever, especially since he’s got a 13 year old daughter, but true love manages to save the day, despite the former wife’s intervention from beyond the grave. Really cute novel that has me catching up on Ms. Gibson’s backlist.

Susan Mallery Only His (Fool’s Gold #6) You really can’t go wrong with Ms. Mallery’s heartwarming contemporaries. This is the last installment in her latest Fool’s Gold trilogy (more to be released next year, yay!). Like Not Another Bad Date, this book features reunited lovers, in this case triplet Nevada Hendrix and Tucker Janack. Nevada wants to spread her wings and work for someone other than her brother, and when Janack Construction announces they’re building a casino, she decides to apply for an engineering job, believing that she’ll be interviewed by the senior Janack. She’s shocked to discover that Tucker Janack is running the show. They had a one night stand that resulted in his calling her his ex-girlfriend’s name, and Nevada was crushed. They manage to work everything out in the end, despite the former nutcase girlfriend showing up, and this delightful romance features no fewer than 3 couples. The romance between bartender Jo and Tucker’s friend Will is just as appealing as that of Nevada and Tucker, while the third couple consists of Nevada’s mother Denise and her long-ago boyfriend Max. The older couple manages to create some cringe worthy moments that are hilarious, while Tucker’s former girlfriend decides to donate a statue to the city that’s in questionable taste. Definitely a fun read that leaves you wanting more, and you will NEVER forget where Tucker proposes.

Carly Phillips Serendipity I was prepared to dislike the heroine of this book, because I was afraid she’d come off as a spoiled little princess, but she’s actually nothing like that. Faith Harrington’s husband divorces her when her father is sent to prison for a Madoff type ponzi scheme, and Faith returns to her small town to start her own decorating business. When she runs into the town’s bad boy, Ethan Barron, her new business gets a boost when he hires her to decorate her former family home. Even better, her love life picks up. Ethan’s got his own family issues, since his parents died when he was 18, and he abandoned his two younger brothers to the foster care system. He’s hoping to establish a relationship with them, which becomes all the more complicated when their fourteen year old half sister is dumped at Ethan’s doorstep. Despite all the complications, Faith and Ethan are likeable characters you’ll want to root for, and the fact that Ethan is a bad boy on a motorcycle proves irresistible.

Christina Dodd Revenge at Bella Terra (Scarlet Deception #2) I confess that I had my doubts about how Ms. Dodd was going to pull this novel off, but she has another winner with Revenge at Bella Terra. Eli Di Lucca is in dire financial straits and too proud to ask his family for help, setting the stage for a marriage of convenience. He agrees to marry Italian businessman Tamosso Conte’s daughter Chloe if Conte will pay off his debts. Since Chloe is completely unaware of the deal, I’m sure you can see why I had my doubts! Chloe is starting her second mystery novel and already suspects her estranged father of matchmaking, so Eli has his work cut out for him. But the two end up spending a lot of time together when a mummified body is discovered at a local water tower owned by Eli, and sparks start to fly. He manages to get the girl, but convincing Chloe to stay once she learns the truth is the hard part. Watching the strong, silent type fall for the creative Chloe is a real pleasure, and while the villain was a bit predictable, the mystery is no less enjoyable. It’s going to be hard to wait until the third book comes out in April!

Review of Victoria Dahl's Bad Boys Do

Title: Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery #2)

Author: Victoria Dahl

Publisher: HQN Books          

Formats: Mass Market Paperback & Ebook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

After a crazy week and a half of cleaning up after my dog and grading exams and homework, I’m finally ready to write a few more reviews, and I must say it is a huge relief. I decided to start with a sweetheart of a book, Victoria Dahl’s Bad Boys Do, which is the second book in her Donovan Brothers Brewery trilogy. I read the first book, Good Girls Don’t, when it came out, and Ms. Dahl’s writing was fun and engaging. Unfortunately the heroine Tessa was so immature and annoying I couldn’t stand her, but I liked Ms. Dahl’s style and the other characters so much I thought I’d give the second book a chance. I’m glad I did, because she writes complex and interesting characters, and the romance is sizzling! And since the hero, Jamie, is a natural charmer who occasionally dresses in a kilt, you know this one is going to be a winner! The only downside to the novel is that I seriously wanted to punch Jamie’s older brother Eric a few times. His book is coming out next month, so we can always hope that the heroine will whip him into shape, perhaps by removing the pole in his posterior and beating him over the head with it.

In Bad Boys Do, our sexy hero in a kilt, Jamie Donovan, runs the bar at the family owned brewery. He’s 29, and thanks to many years spent playing the field and goofing off, he has a reputation as a ladies’ man and has created some serious trust issues within his family. Olivia Bishop is a 35 year old instructor at the local college, and after divorcing her husband a year ago, she’s ready to try new things, including dating a younger man. They meet at the Brewery when Olivia joins friends there for what she believes will be a book club meeting, only to realize that the women are really there to ogle Jamie. When he shows up a few days later in her community class on Restaurant Development and Management, sparks fly. Jamie convinces Olivia to give him a try, and she offers to help him create a proposal to expand the brewery. But tensions mount within the family when Jamie tries to convince his older brother Eric that he’s not a screw-up and someone informs the college that Olivia’s dating a student.

The romance between Jamie and Olivia is the absolute best part of this novel. The two have great sexual tension, but they’re also interesting and intriguing people with problems you can relate to. Jamie has a natural charm and encourages Olivia to have fun, leading to lots of laughs. Seeing Olivia blossom is part of that fun and proves irresistible to Jamie. The age difference is an issue at times, but the way it’s resolved is really well-done, and absolutely pivotal to the development of the characters. I also like how it plays into Olivia’s problems with her ex-husband, since he’s an older professor dating much younger women.

As an academic and reader of romance, I enjoyed how the campus politics played into the conflict in the novel. Olivia’s ex-husband is a professor who cheated on her with graduate assistants, a big no-no, and, depending on the university, grounds for dismissal. Olivia’s relationship with Jamie, however, is acceptable, because the course she’s offering is not for credit – she’s not giving him a grade, and therefore there’s no conflict of interest. Jamie has a lot of fun with the naughty professor/student role play, which is very, very sexy. I loved Ms. Dahl’s treatment of the power dynamics with the various couples, especially since this does become an issue with Jamie and Olivia and in many ways reflects the conflict within the family. How Jamie and Olivia find ways to treat each others as equals is convincing and moving in how agonizing and ultimately rewarding it is.

The conflict between Eric and Jamie comes to a head at several points in the novel in painful and frustrating ways. Both Eric and Tessa discount Jamie, and you can really feel his frustration and helplessness at his perceived role of slacker in the family, despite his many hours of hard work. While at times difficult to read, in the end I found the family conflict to be one of the better parts of the book, because it is so realistic. I think we can all relate to how difficult it is to change how your family sees you, and a family-owned business must exacerbate the tension.

Overall this was a fun and sexy contemporary romance with a lot of humor and love, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Ms. Dahl’s work.

Review of Cate Lord's Lucky Girl

Title: Lucky Girl

Author: Cate Lord

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Format: Trade Paperback & eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: September 6, 2011

Rating: 2 out of 5

This contemporary romance is billed as a Bridget Jones-type chick lit book, and its description made it sound like a fun read. Unfortunately, Lucky Girl was painful to read. In fact, I almost didn’t finish it, because I found the heroine to be incredibly annoying. I’m glad that in the end I did finish the book, because the writing definitely improves halfway in, but that improvement was not enough to save the book.

The female protagonist of the novel is Jess Devlin, 29 years old and recovering from a nasty break-up. Her ex-fiancé Stan cheated on her, and she’s planning a vacation to England for her British cousin’s wedding in an attempt to move on for good. When she gets there, she runs into Nick Mandinello, local hunk and playboy, whom she met under embarrassing circumstances two years before. She’s still attracted to Nick but can’t believe he would be interested in a “chubby” yank. I put the “chubby” in parentheses, because judging from men’s reactions to her in the book, she’s actually got a great figure.

The problems with this novel are twofold. First, the author depends far too heavily upon telling the reader what's going on inside Jess's head in this first half of the novel, so much so that you might not make it to the second half. Jess spends so much time thinking about how unattractive she is and the unflattering way she and Nick met that my mind started to wander. Very little seems to happen in this first half, and there are several missed opportunities to interest us in Jess’s character and that of the supporting cast. Jess’s time at the wedding is spent wallowing in misery because she’s not getting married and thinking about how fat she is in the unattractive bridesmaid dress. Through Jess’s point of view we are told about events that happened in the past, when it would have been far more effective to have seen these events in flashback, mainly because it would have broken up the long descriptive passages with action and dialogue. The novel clearly improves with the second half when Jess begins to interact with her cousins and Nick. Instead of having to read interior monologues describing the situations Jess encounters, we actually see her acting and speaking with the others. This also improves the pacing of the novel, which is a plus.

All of this leads to the second problem with the book. Jess is supposed to be a slightly insecure career woman who lusts after hottie Nick, but she comes across as shallow, narcissistic, and whiny. Part of this has to do with the poor pacing and frequent interior monologues in the first part of the book. Jess does too much thinking and far too little acting in the first half. She becomes much more likeable in the second half, but her actions seem focused on giving makeovers to her cousins and hoping Nick will pay attention to her, instead of acting to ensure that he notices her. She’s a very passive character, and that, coupled with her constant whining, makes her hard to like.

In short, this novel was supposed to be a modern Bridget Jones’ Diaries, and it has many similarities, including a “big misunderstanding” at the end that parallels the other book. Unfortunately, the writing is not up to par and the female protagonist mediocre, so I can’t recommend this one.