By Surprise

By Surprise
by Alyssa Turner
Rating: 4 of 5 stars


My Review:
I found this book in a roundabout sort of way and decided to give it a try. It ended up being quite different than I expected. Not bad but definitely different than my norm. This story involves a gay male couple who might be interested in including a woman in their lives. One of the hero's childhood friends comes back into his life and they end up all three attracted to each other. It was a sweet book - everyone definitely cared about each other and all had issues to work through about whether or not to act on their attraction. I don't know that I'd specifically read another book like this, but the book was well done and people who enjoy this sort of story would definitely enjoy this book.

One Good Man

One Good Man
by Nona Raines
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Andie doesn't believe she's been dumped even though her fiance "needs some space", but she's definitely attracted to her father's new neighbor. She's a librarian and has always played it safe but after a phone call to her fiance confirms that he's moved on, she decides to let her bad girl out and seduce the neighbor.

After one hot encounter, neither is sure where to take things but they work out their misunderstandings and have a really great weekend together. But after the weekend is over, they have some difficult patches to get through before earning their HEA.

I would have loved to see this book be a bit longer and develop some of the interactions with other characters more. In the end, we don't know what happens with Andie's dad, there was this mention of a sex manual that they were going to "work their way through" but then no addition mention of the book, Matthew's brother was mostly a jerk through the whole book but at the very end had one redeeming moment (which made me feel so-so about reading the brother's book). I also found some of the sex scenes to be a bit more like watching a porn movie than romantic in nature. Not a bad thing, but just different than most of the other romance/erotica books I read.

I liked this book but I'm not sure if I'll read the next one in the series.

Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?

Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?
by Rhonda Janzen
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Review:
I had such high hopes for this book. When I saw that Ms. Janzen was writing another book, I put it onto my wish list as soon as it was listed on Amazon. I really enjoyed Mennonite In A Little Black Dress. Even for the high Kindle book price, I decided to splurge on this book. I didn't realize when I bought it that it was Ms. Janzen's journey back to religion.

I started reading and from the first bit I got the impression the book was about her journey through cancer. There were lots of tangents, but as you get further through the book the story about cancer sort-of drops out and it's only about religion. Specifically, her experience meeting and marrying a Pentecostal and her conversion too.

It felt like there were so many loose ends in the book. I liked her writing style and stories but at the end of each story, she'd switch over to talk about something else and I was left wondering if there was a conclusion.

I don't know that I'd say the book was actually preachy, but there was a lot of Bible talk. It felt like lots of time was taken explaining the point of things like tithing or spiritual gifts but the language used was for someone who already agrees with the underlying narrative that God's Authority is right because it's God.

I was disturbed by how easily Ms. Janzen was able to push aside issues (that she says she feels very strongly about) such as lack of female leadership in churches. I also felt let down about her monologue on the joys of a "Christian Marriage". It really felt like she was saying marriages fall apart because the people in them are not Christian enough to "seek God in their marriage" - like it's just random chance if non-Christian people have a good marriage because the only truly great ones are Christian marriages.

Overall, I was left feeling rather down after reading this book. From her perspective, I'm sure this is a happy story but from my perspective it was a story of an independent woman who got a cancer diagnosis then turned into a woman who set aside everything she believed in to throw herself into her boyfriend/husband's church and all the beliefs it entailed.

Let me be clear that I'm not saying this impression is what her life is now, it's just what I was left feeling after reading this book. I'll keep an eye on this author because I do like her writing style and I enjoy her stories. I'll probably even read Mennonite In A Little Black Dress again sometime. But I don't think I'll pick up this book again.

Two Perfect

Two Perfect
by Samantha Hunter
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This is a very short story. I think it took me an hour or two to read.

Eva got dumped in an awful way by her last boyfriend and he passed around all kinds of nasty details about the breakup to people she works with. Soon after she bought a quilt and started having erotic dreams, all starring the same guy.

She realizes that it's not healthy how much she wants to live in her head with her fantasy man so she goes out with her friends and brings home a pseudo-coworker (I think they work in the same building and work collaborate on certain projects but not working for the same company). Their fling includes her feeling her fantasy man at the same time and her fantasy man helps her overcome her inhibitions that she inherited from her ex-boyfriend.

It was a sweet story, I would have enjoyed reading it as a full length novel in order to get to know everyone better. It definitely pushed some boundaries but it wasn't all that explicit. I'm going to have to look up more novels by Samantha Hunter in the future.

Brazen

Brazen
by Carly Phillips
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I tend to like Carly Phillips for a nice escape book so when I saw this one at the library book sale I had to pick it up. It was originally published in 1999.

I found the premise a little disturbing: Samantha is going to marry a wealthy older man to pay off her father's debts but first she's going to have a fling. Reading the back cover, I got the impression that she was a virgin and wanted to lose her virginity to her choice of partner before marrying this other guy, but the book does imply that she's had other sexual experience.

Mac is actually the owner of a large resort but he's helping out a friend by running a bar for a few days. Mac doesn't tell Samantha who he is because lots of women from the resort see him and want to cheat on their husbands with him. I guess I understood where both characters were coming from but intellectually I had a really hard time knowing that Samantha was doing exactly what Mac was afraid of.

I liked the characters as people but it was still rather shady of both of them. It ended nicely, they got their Happily Ever After and there was even some nice anger about how each had used the other. It was a nice conclusion but I don't think it'll be one I read a second time.

Rescue My Heart

Rescue My Heart
by Jill Shalvis
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I had to run out to Target on release day to get this book. Jill Shalvis is pretty much on my auto-buy list but I tend to buy her books at Target because her publisher is one of the few that does not discount books on Kindle. This is book three in the Animal Magnetism series.

This is the story of Adam and Holly. We get some snapshots of them throughout the first two books. Lots of details about Adam (because the other books are his brothers') but not too much detail on Holly besides the fact that Adam and Holly don't get along.

I enjoyed the characters in this book and it felt emotionally fulfilling, but it felt really short and I ended the book not feeling like I knew Holly very much. It felt like the only thing we see about her is her interaction with Adam. We hear what kind of work she does but we never see doing work or interacting with anyone in a work setting. It didn't feel like she had any friends or any interests besides Adam. Even the animals, which tended to be stars in the other books, were only on the sidelines of Holly's life. In the first two books, we see how much she dislikes that she has to care for two puppies and in this book the only time she has them near her is when it helps her get closer to Adam.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book and had some nice laugh out loud moments and some very touching moments too but I wish I got to see more of Holly and get to know her better.

Then He Kissed Me

Then He Kissed Me
by Christie Ridgway
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This is book two in the Baci Sisters trilogy. I read book one first and then book three. There was just something about this book (reading the back cover) that didn't grab my interest initially. I knew I would read it sometime because I like Christie Ridgway books and I knew I'd have to complete the series but it took me a while to get around to it.

Stevie Baci is the middle child, a tomboy and doesn't feel like she fits in with her sisters. She's a closet romantic and doesn't let people in because she doesn't want to be hurt. I really felt for Stevie.

This was a pretty emotional story. It didn't really have any external conflict. I was expecting something external like a kidnapping or something to jolt everyone, but there wasn't anything like that. Everything fell neatly into place at the end - judgmental parents apologized, hero and heroine got over their fear, secondary characters worked out their issues too. For how emotional some of the issues were in this book, the ending felt rather tidy and quick but it was an enjoyable book and I'm glad I read it.

The Cowboy And The Lady

The Cowboy and the Lady
by Diane Palmer
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This book was originally published in 1982. I just picked up a reprint at the used bookstore. I like almost all of Diane Palmer's Harlequin-length novels and this one was no different. Sometimes you just need a good 80's soap opera and Diane Palmer is perfect for that. All of anger and passion ping-ponging back and forth throughout the book. I love it.

A lot of Diane Palmer heroes are very hard, but Jace Whitehall was actually a nice guy and a lot of his dialogue was very sweet.

The virgin/whore dichotomy is alive and well in this novel - a tribute to the novel's age and the author's writing style. Any girl that flirts or shows interest means that she's loose and not worthy of respect, but as soon as the hero finds out that she's still "pure" he's so sorry for treating her that way and now he can loose his own passion in a marriage minded way. I can't read these books all the time because this issue is rather annoying to me, but when I feel like ignoring that and watching an 80's soap opera, this is the author I choose.

This wasn't one of my favorite Diana Palmer books but it was a nice couple hours spent reading.

Seven Sexy Sins

Seven Sexy Sins
by Serenity Woods
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I've read a few short stories by Serenity Woods. They didn't grip me all that much but I saw some good reviews/recommendations for this book so I decided to give it a try. It took a while for me to connect with the characters. It just seemed like they were trying to be hilarious even at serious moments and it didn't work for me. I'm glad I kept going though. This book got much better and by the end I was really rooting for Faith and Rusty. They ended up being nice solid characters that I enjoyed spending time with.

Introvert Power

Introvert Power
by Laurie Helgoe, PhD
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I forget why I found this book but I'm really glad I read it. I went through it a lot slower than I normally read, but I had so much to highlight and think about. Introverts naturally like to reflect and I think that's what the author encourages most in this book.

No matter what type of introvert you are or how introverted you are, you will benefit from stepping back and following your gut. If you don't want to go to the party, say "I don't feel like going", if there are things you've been wanting in your life, stop and think about them and let them emerge. If you give yourself the space you've been needing, you will ordinarily feel better about yourself.

I will have to refer back to this book often because the author has so many good quotes. I should probably make sticky notes and hang them around my house so I remember to keep these things in mind. I don't think I identified with everything in the book. I think I'm a bit more moderate. But if something didn't fit me I was often able to say "oh, that's probably why <this person> does that".

I would recommend this book for anyone who's trying to find a place to fit in or who doesn't know why they haven't found their spot yet. This book says "that's ok, it'll come eventually" but more importantly "doing something you don't like for the sake of fitting in, doesn't help you be true to yourself". Probably something most of us could use to be reminded of.

A Lady By Midnight

A Lady by Midnight
by Tessa Dare
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
I've looked forward to this book for a while. From the first Spindle Cove book, you know something is coming between Kate and Corporal Thorne, but you just don't know what. I was hooked on this book from the very first page and had trouble putting it down. Sadly, I had to stop for things like dinner but I still finished it in one day.

Kate can't remember life before the boarding school where she was dropped off at the age of five. She really wants to know about her family and has some idea that someone loved her once.

Corporal Thorne and Kate rub each other wrong and have generally avoided each other for a year. Being in the right place at the right time, they get thrown together for a little while and at the same time, family gets thrown into Kate's lap. While they try to figure out the family front, Corporal Thorne insists on watching out for Kate and things progress from there. Unknown to Kate, Corporal Thorne has a connection to her past and doesn't want her putting the pieces together.

I would never have guessed the twists in this story. The emotional connection is intense and at times heart-breaking. At other times I laughed out loud. There aren't many authors who could have me crying for how vulnerable the characters are and on the same page have me hysterically laughing. I will probably read this book again soon just to read the line "You took a melon for me" over and over again. :]

Too Hot To Sleep

Too Hot to Sleep
by Stephanie Bond
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Review:
I love the premise of this book. Georgia calls the wrong number and ends up having phone sex with a stranger instead of her boyfriend. She doesn't know that she programmed her speed dial incorrectly, so she keeps calling the same number and the caller never clues her in.

Ken is a police officer and after the first call he meets Georgia by chance and really wants to know her more but doesn't know how to tell her about the phone calls.

This book is interesting enough that I've read it twice now. I like the interactions between Ken and Georgia although at some point it does get uncomfortable that Ken doesn't fess up and Georgia never looks into why her boyfriend doesn't sound right.

But the thing that really bothers me is right at the end of the book. Georgia's father had affairs while she was growing up and she thinks she's inherited his overly high, rampant sex drive. She doesn't want to commit to someone she feels passionate towards because if she lets that passion out it'll spill out everywhere and she'll start having sex with anyone she can. But when she finally mentions her father's affairs to her mother, her mother tells her "I never liked sex so it was inevitable that your father stray".

The light bulb goes off for Georgia then and now everything is ok because it wasn't her father's fault. That completely rubs me the wrong way. She even goes so far as to rationalize that her mom broke her vows first by not being interested enough in sex. Maybe that was an acceptable answer when this book was written but it just doesn't cut it for me. Mom was hurt, Dad didn't intend to do it but just couldn't help it, so that makes it ok. It just leaves me with a bad taste after reading the book. I like the writing and I like the story, but I just can't get over that.

All I Ever Wanted

All I Ever Wanted
by Kristin Higgins
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
I just finished my second read of this book. I love Kristin Higgins books for when I need to process/express emotions. I always cry at some part in each of her books. I laugh a bunch too.

Callie seems so confident and I loved reading all of her snappy comebacks. It felt like she never let anyone hurt her and yet she's let her school girl crush manipulate her for years. She sees it's time to move on but she has some laugh-out-loud bad dates.

On my first read, I had a really hard time with Ian. This book is written first-person from Callie's perspective and I felt Ian was rather harsh and mean sometimes. On this second read I see a bit better how he's growing too and I liked him more.

I think I cried through about the last third of this book. Parts of it are very sad, but underneath all that sadness is hope. Hope as you see Callie find the strength to grow up, to let go and to see her own power.

Forever And A Day

Forever and a Day
by Jill Shalvis
Rating: 5 of 5 stars


My Review:
I met Josh and Grace in Lucky In Love and At Last. I really liked both characters and anxiously waited for this book to be released. I had to go down to Target on release day and wait around while they searched for it.


I wish I could have read the whole thing in one sitting. I had to read it over three days instead. Jill Shalvis writes such likable characters. They have a nice heart and they're trying to do the right thing.


Josh and Grace had a nice emotional connection and they each had to figure out how to live their own lives instead of the lives their parents picked out although I would have liked to see how Grace's parents reacted to her growth.


This book was perfect for a Girl's Night In but be warned that it could be a really late night. Definitely a keeper. I'm sure I'll read the whole series multiple times. Can't wait for Jill's next book.

The Alphabet vs. The Goddess

The Alphabet vs. The Goddess
by Leonard Shlain
Rating: 5 of 5 stars


My Review:
I found this book somewhat by accident. Clicking around on Amazon, looking for a book and found this as a recommendation. It looked so interesting, but I waited a while to read it. It's a very dense book and took a long time for me to read.


Normally I finish a book within 2-3 days. This book took me three weeks. It was packed with so much information, you just can't read it to quickly. In fact, I should have read it even slower in order to stop and look up some of the uncommon words he uses.


Anyway, this book takes you throughout human history to look at when the written alphabet came to each culture and what changes happened religiously and socially during that time. Dr. Shlain makes some pretty intriguing connections about how the creation of the written alphabet in a culture tends to be near the same time that male deities are exalted and female deities are pushed aside. He includes other "right brain" functions like art as something that gets disdained as a culture focuses more on the power of the written word.


Dr. Shlain jumped around years quite often during a given time period so I had some trouble connecting if something happened before or after (there were quite a few times that he mentions a year, then mentions something happening 10 years later, then something else 20 years earlier).


I love the "what ifs" and this book was very engrossing. Dr. Shlain wrote this book in 1998, so you have to extrapolate some of the technology that's progressed since then, but the end of this book is very hopeful. Maybe we are on the upswing of finding a good balance between male and female, logic and instinct, art and history.

About Last Night

About Last Night
by Ruthie Knox
Rating: 4 of 5 stars


My Review:
I found Ruthie Knox just as her book Ride With Me was released. I liked that book so I kept an eye out for her next book. The description for About Last Night didn't interest me all that much but I decided to give it a try. I think I finished it in two sittings. Both of the characters were very likable and I was rooting for them through the whole book.


I did feel a bit distant from Cath's mistakes. It just didn't seem possible that she could have so many huge issues to work through but still be so grounded. I liked her too much and it came as a huge shock that her "mistakes" were around two years old. I would have expected 5-10 years ago because she just seemed to be working so hard and on such a good path.


The chemistry between Nev and Cath was really well done. Some of the time you just wanted to shout at them that they're both just being silly, but maybe that made them more real. This book is a lighthearted romance that read very quickly but kept me thinking for a while about how we deal with life.