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.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
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.
Monday, September 3, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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