In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins

In Your Dreams
by Kristan Higgins
Rating: 2 of 5 stars

My Review:
The one thing I can say for this book, is I never thought about not finishing it. I still like the author's writing style, and the book was *interesting* to read. I even had my almost-cry moment that I normally get with her books.

But...I had two major problems with the story...

First off, this series has been going on for quite a while. And each book adds more people, who show up in each subsequent book. By this point in time, I can't keep anyone straight. I'm pretty sure I know most of who married who, but then there are all these extra people that just randomly show up. There were so many first and last names that I basically have no idea what the point was. No one had a solid personality because there were just so many people.

On top of that, with so many people involved in the book, I felt it really took away from the main romance. I didn't feel like Emma and Jack even got to know each other, or like we saw any of their good points, because someone else was always butting in.

But the worst thing of all...I couldn't stand Jack. Oh, he's so nice. Oh, he's such a hero. Oh, everyone likes him. Yeah, until he didn't like something going on and he was all nasty to Emma. He was nice to every single person, always, except her. And a small “sorry” right before the end of the book did not cut it for me. With the way he acted, he needed major groveling and major grow-the-f-up and he didn't get any of that. He kept going on his regular life, and when it was convenient again, he decided he could handle having Emma in his life again... and Emma totally let that happen. She sounded all tough some of the time, but as soon as Jack wanted anything, she made a token protest and then just rolled over and gave him whatever he wanted.


I think that might be the end of the Blue Heron series for me. Sad because I still really like the writing, but without giving some of the characters a good kick in the ass, I won't be able to handle anymore.

CONTEST: Wild Holiday Nights

So here's a very cool contest for you all. I have in my possession five paper copies of the upcoming Harlequin Blaze, Wild Holiday Nights - with stories from Samantha Hunter, Meg Maguire, and Debbi Rawlins. Comment on my blog for a chance to win. If only five of you comment, you all get the book. Otherwise, I'll throw it into a random decider thingy.

Here's the blurb:

Satisfy your Christmas cravings with…  

HOLIDAY RUSH by Samantha Hunter Cake guru Calla Michaels is canceling Christmas to deal with fondant, batter and an attempted robbery. Then officer Gideon Stone shows up at her door. Calla thought her kitchen was hot enough before…  

PLAYING GAMES by Meg Maguire With her plane grounded on Christmas Eve, Carrie Baxter agrees to share a rental car with her secret high school crush. Sure, Daniel Barber is hotter than ever, but he's still just as prickly, too. It's gonna be one looong drive…and an unforgettably X-rated night!  

ALL NIGHT LONG by Debbi Rawlins Overworked paralegal Carly Watts needs Jack Carrington's signature, but he'll do whatever it takes to buy more time before selling his grandfather's company. Including having one very naughty night before Christmas! 

Now, that doesn't give you nearly enough information to say what these stories are really about, so I'll try to give you a little taste. Each story takes place right over Christmas. At least one character in each story wants to get home for Christmas, even if they can't. With the size of the stories (3-in-1 Blaze only gives you about 75 pages per story), they are very compact with no outside characters contributing to the romance. They have very little conflict and none of the characters take very long to ruminate about if love is important to them.

Oh, and being Blaze novels, they have a little bit of sexytimes, but they were actually a lot tamer than what I've been reading lately. None of the relationships quite made it to happily-ever-after, but all of them gave an indication that everything would work out.

Holiday Rush by Samantha Hunter was a friend-of-the-big-brother story. It was sweet and fun. There was a burglary and a "bad guy", but it was all packaged up all neat and tidy in a short amount of time. Once or twice, we heard that "oh, we couldn't break big brother's trust", but honestly, it's a short story. None of that stops them for long.

Playing Games by Meg Maguire was un-put-down-able and made me cry. The emotion was spot on, even though neither of the characters seem to like each other at the start. This one was a friend-of-the-ex story, but I loved seeing how they both had feelings for each other for so long. It was a little gritty, with a dirty hotel and a snowstorm and I felt it was very signature Meg Maguire.

All Night Long by Debbi Rawlins definitely amused me. There were a couple places I laughed out loud. The word choice and explanations were lots of fun. It's got a business owner/lawyer falling in love with a paralegal/almost lawyer. They had only met once before, so there was a bit more Insta-Lust in this one, but it also left the characters at the earliest stage of their relationship. I felt it was a good compromise for the length. We didn't find out much about HOW they would work things out, but I was happy with their attraction and their personalities.

So, once again, comment here to win. Eligibility ends on Friday, November 14th, 2014. If you win and send me your address quickly enough, I will mail the books out on November 15th so you'll have lots of time to enjoy, possibly even before they hit shelves.

 

All I Have by Nicole Helm

All I Have
by Nicole Helm
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was my very first Nicole Helm book and let me tell you, she can really write the socially awkward heroine. It was an excellent glance into growing out of embarrassment and finding a place of confidence. The heroine was strong and powerful, even as she had remnants of her self-conscious, frumpy self.

I loved both hero and heroine in this book. They were tough and vulnerable and had some real problems to work through. There were times they acted stubborn and childish, but never to a point where they got annoying. Occasionally I wanted to smack one or two of them, but only in a good book way, not in the frustrated-throw-the-book way.

Their parents were a different matter. I didn't feel like there was a solid resolution over the way the parents were treating the children. Not that one normally gets that resolution in real life, but in my fiction I like having a powerful confrontation where the parents accept that the kids have grown up. That didn't really happen here, but the main characters showed a good amount of emotional growth in the rest of their lives and moved on from trying to please their parents by the end of the book.

The story was sweet and touching and the banter was lots of fun. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

I received this book as a gift with no review obligations.

**This review is archived on my blog: The Theory of Lieto Fine

Waiting On You by Kristan Higgins

Waiting On You
by Kristan Higgins
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was pretty much what you can expect from a Kristan Higgins book: good people that aren't all good, bad people that are more complicated than evil, a sweet romance, lots of friends, and some tears from you. Oh and also, staying up late to finish it. This was not one of the gut-heaving sob books like a couple of her others, but there were still tears...mostly happy, sweet tears.

Colleen was loud, brash and exuberant: everyone likes her. She's got a reputation of knowing people, helping them, and just being in-tune with everyone. And for the most part, it's so seamless throughout the story. She's far from perfect, but she's enjoyable. She's in-your-face caring about people but it felt like she didn't put herself out there much.

Lucas was all quiet and broody. He kept to himself, felt like he was always on the outside, even though he's super hot and everyone likes him. Their relationship problems were a lot of miscommunication/avoidance but it never got over-the-top annoying. Every situation was something you'd look at and think it could happen to you too.

But...I was really frustrated with how Colleen's sexuality was portrayed. At first it seemed like shejust flirts with everyone, but then somewhere along the line, the story changed to she's basically the town slut. I felt like it went from she's good at being friendly and everyone knew the score to she'd slept with any man in her age bracket but everyone still liked her. I don't know. I can't totally pin down what made me uncomfortable about it. We give men in romance novels a lot more leeway on how prolific their conquest list can be, but I feel like it wasn't an unfair standard of purity that was bothering me. Or maybe it was. Maybe it was that Colleen kept saying how everyone knew the score, but whenever a little extra tension was needed, one of her old conquests would throw it out there to embarrass her. It seemed like there was no other reason for it and was this half measure of trying to be sex-positive but still missing the point.

So yes, everyone in the story was flawed. Kristan Higgins turned a couple stereotypes on their heads, which was an interesting dynamic. The tears in this one were sweet and only right at the end. Everyone was redeemed and human at the end of the story. The bad guys weren't as bad as you'd expect, the good guys weren't as perfect as they appeared. But happiness still worked out, even if it was a little bit of brush-the-problems-under-the-bed instead of dealing with things head-on.

Although I liked Colleen and Lucas overall, I hated the way her sexuality was portrayed and I don't think I'll read this one again. It touched me and was happy at the end, but the emotions were a little farther away and lighter than some of the other books. But I still stayed up late two nights in a row because I couldn't put the book down.


**This review is archived on my blog: The Theory of Lieto Fine

Backwoods by Jill Sorenson

Backwoods
by Jill Sorenson
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
When I started this book, I got snuggled in for a nice, calm romance. Maybe even two romances, if you count what's going on between the college kids. A little older-child-matchmaking-single-mom, some angst from the ex-husband, and some character growth and emotional issues to overcome. But then pieces started falling into place for this heroine and we get indications that things are going to get heavy and a bit creepy. I don't really read a lot of romantic suspense, but a book like this could make me a convert. It was well written with a solid plot. We get just enough idea of what's going on that the twists are not too shocking, but still on the creepy, not-sure-if-I-can-go-to-sleep-now scale. Each of the characters had their weak points and throughout the course of the story, they were able to overcome and prove their strength. The romance was sweet and angsty, but the bulk of the story was an adventure.

I was pulled into this story for the fast pace and compelling storyline. Things were happening and it felt like a good dramatic movie. The romantic emotions were there, but they didn't take over the story. They were a more muted background thread that wove through everything. The main characters were attracted to each other, but they derived comfort from each other when the danger amped up, instead of trying to squeeze in some sexytimes.

There were mentions of rapes, torture, and murder, so it could be disturbing to some. The situations were handled in a slightly farther-off way, so it wasn't a lot of overt, on-screen violence. But there were threats and kidnapping and lots of close calls. It was creepy enough to leave me slightly squicked and freaked out, but disengaged enough that I still wanted to keep reading and see what happened next.

I thought Jill Sorensen handled the emotional connections well and let each character grow in natural, compassionate ways. There were one or two instances where I cringed at phrases like <he reacted a certain way> “because he was a man”, but most of the time no one was pigeonholed and everyone was treated well by the other main characters.

I'm not sure that I'll read this one again, but I will definitely look for more book by Jill Sorenson. Her style was action-packed and engaging and when you're looking for a solid adventure with a happy ending, this book is a good choice.


*I received a complementary ARC of this book through netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Ripped by Sarah Morgan

Ripped
by Sarah Morgan
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was another so-so read for me. I enjoyed it, but it seemed really short. I felt like the heroine went from “I don't want a relationship” to “yep, all set for forever” in just a couple pages with one conversation and the hero was already set from the get-go. So far, that seems to be the nature of these Cosmo Red Hot Reads – not much conflict, really short, sex-positive, all ready for happily-ever-after.

Hayley seemed a little insecure, like she was still looking for a male to validate who she was. She stood taller because Niko saw value in her, because her worth was still smarting from her ex. I felt with the length, we didn't really get to see if she figured out her self-esteem apart from Niko. She has this confident, I'm-going-to-have-a-fling persona, but she's so vulnerable and bashful that we know it's not going to work at all.

Niko was strong and solid, like a broody, passionate billionaire should be. He was quiet and misunderstood, but confident enough to not care. I appreciated how open he was about wanting a relationship. It didn't feel like he needed to grow or anything, the two of them just needed to sort out what they wanted.

There were lots of characters in here standing behind Niko and Hayley and supporting them but it was hard to feel connected to them given the length of the story. It was a nice addition that they had a positive support system, but I felt like I didn't know much about anyone. We don't get a feel for jobs or personalities of any of the characters outside their connection and sexuality.

Right now, it seems like this line of stories hasn't piqued my interest. I've wanted to enjoy them, but I haven't been in the right mindset. I might try this one again sometime when I need a quick, sex-positive, happily-ever-after read and see if it gives me a happy feeling.

Misbehaving by Tiffany Reisz

Misbehaving
by Tiffany Reisz
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Review:
This book was just sort of meh for me. I liked the writing, but I felt like I was missing something. I've heard that this was based around Much Ado About Nothing, which I've never read, so maybe that's what it was. I think it was supposed to be funny or silly and I just didn't catch on to it.

The story seemed so short that it was hard to feel like anything really happened. The main characters were both modern, sexual, consenting adults, with no real issues. The story felt like just a bunch of sex that easily segued into together-forever.

They are rather adventurous in their bed-time antics and pretty much the whole book revolves around their sexuality. Beatriz, being a sex toy reviewer, is open, honest, and willing to try pretty much anything. Seemingly she keeps it all leaning toward the business of pleasure vs. emotional connection, until she reconnects with Ben and they realize they've loved each other forever.

I thought they were nice, levelheaded characters with a good grasp of emotional intelligence. They didn't take themselves too seriously and were open and caring toward each other and their friends. The whole book is less than 2 hours of reading, so when you need a sex-positive taste of fun without much conflict, this was a nice choice. I might read it again sometime and see if it piques my interest a bit more.

Calling His Bluff by Amy Jo Cousins

Calling His Bluff
by Amy Jo Cousins
Inside the HarlequinE Contemporary Romance Box Set, Volume 1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
So far I've only read one book in this bundle: Calling His Bluff by Amy Jo Cousins. I bought the rest today and I'll read them soon. I really enjoyed this book. It was full of feelings and that special ability to be yourself and at the same time be whoever you want. The writing was funny and real and I fell in love with both characters right away. I think my favorite line was “It's like two polar bears crapped a giant frozen poo and they built a city on it.” Maybe not the favorite line for everyone, but I thought it was perfect and original.

This is book three in the series of the Tyler siblings. Sarah is the down to earth, bookish sibling. She seems introverted, but not too shy. Smart and determined as well. I liked her a lot. She's sort of stuck in this role and only allows herself freedom from it when she goes to Vegas. She likes who she is, but enjoys the freedom to be someone else too.

It just so happens that her brother's best friend comes back into town, whom she's had a huge crush on, kisses her, and in trying to pull his foot out of his mouth later, invites her to Vegas. J.D. sees a side of her that he's never seen before while in Vegas and finds even more reason to love her, because he's somewhat harbored a thing for her too. Things get a little out of hand when he says they got married on the night Sarah was too drunk to remember.

J.D., well, he's sort of emotionally young since he carried on the marriage charade for as long as he did. I didn't doubt for a minute that he loved Sarah, but we really didn't spend much time in his head to understand why he'd keep up the act. I mean, I got the whole little-boy-lost thing, but I was a little so-so on how easily he could spend time with Sarah without telling her the truth. Everything else about him seemed so mature and emotionally in-tune that it was hard to reconcile his ability to keep from saying anything.

I think some of this came down to the timeline jumps. There were a couple times when stuff happens, door closes for the end of the scene, and when you start the next chapter it seems to be the next day, but then you find out it's days or weeks later. It didn't interrupt my enjoyment, but they were the moments my brain had to screech to a stop and re-process before I could move on. I had trouble believing that J.D. and Sarah could practically live together for weeks without him saying something or her looking up the records or anything like that. Maybe in the end they both just wanted to believe the fairy tale.

J.D. and Sarah were really good together and they gave me some good, happy feelings. Both characters were grown ups with their emotions (barring the whole marriage thing) and knew how to deal with their issues. They were loyal and dependable. And in a great way, each character could be responsible without having it held against them. There wasn't really much conflict in the book. It was more the process of them finding out they were meant to be together, not really a story of them overcoming obstacles.

Neither character has very prominent friends in the book, but I loved seeing the Tyler family again. They didn't appear all that much in this book, but I love how supportive they are and all the ways they don't take themselves too seriously. They have a good time together and it feels almost like the perfect family.

Of the three books in the series, I've enjoyed this one the most so far, which is saying a lot because I liked the others too. It's a great addition to the family and I can't wait to read Maxie's story. While the story was pretty steamy, it did leave a lot of details behind closed doors. The pace was pretty quick and I was emotionally invested in these two. I was left with a happy, satisfied feeling.


I received a complementary ARC of this novel from the author.

Hajar's Hidden Legacy

Hajar's Hidden Legacy
by Maisey Yates
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I think Maisey Yates will be my new go-to author when I need a Harlequin Presents fix. I hadn't read one of her books before. And I don't tend to read Harlequin Presents either. We all sort of know what to expect from one of them: rich hero, virgin heroine, probably some good soap opera passion too. This had all of that but it was really well done, in a crazy, awesome sort of way.

Zahir is a Sheik, so obviously rich and powerful, but he's been scarred by the terrorist attack that killed his brother and parents five years ago. He lives in a palace where the floors are made of jasper, jade and obsidian. All the surfaces are marble and gold. Even the walls are made of gold and onyx. I don't think there were any silk robes shot with gold, so you know he could still be richer in the future. But he's damaged inside and out and only the love of someone as strong-of-spirit as Katharine could wake up his cold, dead heart.

Unlike many of the Harlequin Presents I've read, Katharine was this totally strong, in your face, independent woman. She sees the ways people have used her and the way they intended to sell her body as a commodity and it sickens her. She grows, chooses how to live her life and owns her soul always. It was wonderful to see and worth giving more of these books a shot if they can hold on to the soup opera without making the heroine innocent and sub-human with no power of choice.

There was a lot of cliched moments and if you ever do the Romance Workouts from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, you'll get quite a workout from this book. But it was all fun and enjoyable without boxing the heroine into a supporting, her-love-and-body-are-the-only-important-things, role.

So, Maisey Yates is now on my list when I need passion and opulence with strong female agency.

Still So Hot

Still So Hot
by Serena Bell
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Dating coach, trying to move up in the world by taking on a celebrity client. News anchor, trying to clean up his image but feeling inadequate to portray the image of a stable, family man. Celebrity, who's not really interested in being “advised” or coached.

I go back and forth about celebrity-based books. I usually find them a little over the top and frustrating. I often end up feeling like “why did you put yourself in the spotlight if you didn't want people to look at you?”. This book turned out a lot better than that. While there were paparazzi and some celebrity sighting people, they only had a background role.

This story was really about Elise and Brett figuring things out, finally. They were best friends in college and for some time after, but had a passive-aggressive blow up when a kiss happened and having spoken to each other in two years. When Elise finds Brett on the same flight to St. Barts, and hooked up with her celebrity client, she goes ballistic. She's always seen Brett as going after anything in a skirt and she's almost insane with hatred that his current “24 hour girl” is her client. Although she is still physically attracted to him.

I thought the attraction was really well written. It sort-of flipped stereotypes on their heads that Elise is over-the-moon physically attracted to Brett still, but, while Brett does want Elise, he really misses their friendship most of all. Elise completely dropped him two years ago and he doesn't really get why, and she's not really emotionally intelligent enough yet to explain it.

Elise was a hard character to like. She felt very human, but rather too judgmental and pessimistic through the first 2/3s of the book. She's this really great dating coach and has an almost preternatural way of seeing chemistry, but that all goes out the window when she's around Brett. It took me a while to figure it out, but she was at her best when she wasn't very close to people. She could see attraction in a couple she met right off the street, but if she actually knew something about them, she was blinded by her cynical attitude. Luckily she does heal and make up for her judgmentalism by the end.

Brett didn't want to be deserving of Elise's judgment, but he truly felt that's the way he was. Although he couldn't help wanting to be with Elise and doing whatever he could to prove he's not trying to hurt her. He looked down on himself a lot, but he was a really likable guy. It was hard to see him as the hook-up sort of guy because he was just so nice. He's pretty much Elise's sidekick throughout the book and it was cute to see him following her around and being helpful while still being attracted to her. He also had some very touching and sweet lines.

Now, this is a Blaze novel, so it doesn't have quite a bit of sex. These two go at it like rabbits a lot. It's graphic but not raunchy. Both characters are comfortable and open with their sexuality. I'd put it about average explicitness for a Blaze.

If it hadn't been for the holidays, I would have stayed up and read this book in one sitting. I felt sad every time I had to put the book down. I really liked the writing style and felt connected to the characters (even the times when I got frustrated with Elise). If you're looking for a fun, sexy read with characters that have a history, this one is a good choice.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sleeping Arrangements

Sleeping Arrangements
by Amy Jo Cousins
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

My Review:
It's been such a long time since I read a paper book. I'm normally all about my kindle, but I made a special exception for this one. I read book two in the series and I had to see how Spencer and Addy got together too.

Addy's a civil engineer who inherits a house from her estranged great-aunt. Spencer is the lawyer in charge of the inheritance. These two have passionate, angry, lustful sparks flying from the first time they meet. The great-aunt's will says that Addy can't inherit unless she's married. Addy decides to find someone who will partner with her in a six month marriage and then walk away, no strings attached.

In addition to being the late-great-aunt's lawyer, Spencer just happens to be living in the house at the moment. And in a strong bout of Insta-Lust, Spencer decides that he doesn't like great-aunt's stipulation any more than Addy, so he can be the one to help her out with the marriage project. He's this stubborn, calm, efficient and composed guy, but I don't really think he was an alpha-male. He pretty much deferred to Addy on everything and gave her lots of time and agency to make decisions whenever she wanted. He never pressured her, but he knew what he wanted and was always working towards a goal, even if it was behind the scenes work.

I loved seeing Addy and Spencer with her family. They all felt so good together. They were close and happy and accepting. They all loved to banter back and forth, but it never got the point where someone was being cruel. It's the sort of family that anyone would want to live in. Even when things might have been hard growing up, or times of pain, they all stuck together and never lost their joy at being together.

Addy never tried to be someone she wasn't. I loved that her and Spencer never pushed the other into fulfilling some role that they weren't designed for. Addy's good at it, she loves it and it's a role that fits her perfectly. She never doubts herself in a “I really should just be a housewife” way and she never just rolls over and defers to Spencer because “he's the man”. Spencer is a lawyer, but in a quiet, get-things-done sort of way. He never sits at home with Addy trying to out-convince of what “should be”. He loves her for who she is and is completely accepting.

So yes, there was Insta-Lust to begin with. At the very beginning, Spencer seemed a little over-bearing, but they had a drawn out and believable time getting to know each other and never jumped into sex just because. This book enters the bedroom, but is not overly explicit.

At the end, I had some happy tears because Addy and Spencer were just so sweet together. This book is a Harlequin Desire, so it does tend to follow a given formula. But the book feels fresh and original. It doesn't rely on tired cliches to get where it's going and the ending was well worth it and satisfying. Sometime in the near future, we should have books for Addy's other siblings and I can't wait to read those as well.

The Perfect Match

The Perfect Match
by Kristan Higgins
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was a very compelling story. I found it hard to put down most of the time. I was surprised how many of the characters seemed creepy and dark, a little more intensely diabolical feeling than most of Kristin's other books. I kept thinking that someone was going to do something really nasty: find a dead body in a freezer, kidnapping or murder, rugs made out of human hair, or something equally creepy. It never came to that, most of the creepy just sort of disappears around the halfway point and only has vague references after that.

I had a lot of trouble figuring out Honor. She's very strong and professional, the heart of her family, puts pretty much everything she has into her family and is great at getting things done. But she lets her friends (and often her family) walk all over her. She gets things done, she can be really outspoken and control/manage everyone, but then sometimes she just completely sat back and curled into her shell. I got upset by how often she let her friends say whatever nastiness they wanted without answering back. I figured it could be because she has no real friends or doesn't want to have good friends because she's scared people will leave her if she truly cares about them. But the way she resolved things with her friends was very true to her character.

Tom, well, he was easy to picture because I saw so many pictures on facebook that he was crafted after Tom Hardy. Some things, like his drinking, seemed to not really amount to anything. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be an important plot point or not. I guess not because it was just sort of dropped after a couple mentions. Tom felt very complex and well rounded. Not very good at emotional conversations, but very caring in the way he acts. He was amusing for how serious and droll he could be, but so mysterious with his hidden depths of feeling.

So yes, this book still involved the requisite Kristin Higgins book crying. The characters just have so much relatable pain and sadness that you can't help crying sometimes. It's a bright and optimistic book. You don't feel weighed down by the content. But these characters have to walk through their valleys in order to get to their Happily Ever After. These two are totally ready to settle with whatever they can get. For Honor, because life is passing her by. She's the good, boring one. The one everyone is comfortable with but no one is willing to see her as special. For Tom, he doesn't think he needs anyone caring about him. He just wants to be able to care for his little circle of people without interference and if that means he needs a wife, well he might be able to manage that.

There were lots of familiar characters. We meet Goggy and Pops (the grandparents), Dad, Faith, Jack, Prudence and all the other assorted family members in The Best Man and they continue to be an integral part of this book as well. Besides the creepy factor with a lot of the secondary characters, I liked how rich this story was. Each character seemed to be complete and whole, even if we only see them for a few minutes.

I found all the wine references sort of funny. Since I don't drink wine, I have no idea if people really talk like this about their wine. I mean, these people are intense with the flavors. At one point there was a wine that “had a lovely nose of fresh-cut grass, grapefruit and a hint of limestone”. I'm pretty sure there was another one with a hint of leather. I sort-of roll my eyes at those things and think, that's probably one of the reasons I don't like wine.

I was glad that there wasn't some huge creepy thing going on because that's definitely not why I read Kristan Higgins books. But I was confused about why so many things seemed like they were supposed to be important but then dropped. Everything wrapped up very tidily at the end. EVERYONE had a happy ending, but felt a little rushed to me, like we barely get the chance to see Honor and Tom work things out before the book is simply over. It's a great book to curl up with and a great world to enter. Not my favorite Kristan Higgins, but a good addition to the Blue Heron series. I'll be looking forward to the next book.

Hot In Here

Hot In Here
by Lori Foster
Rating: 4 of 5 stars average

My Review:
For each of these stories, I really like the length of them. When you're looking for an emotionally fulfilling story with lots of happy twinges but you don't have hours and hours to get sucked into a full length novel, these are great. The sex scenes are somewhat graphic but they don't take up huge portions of the story. My one complaint with these stories is that they tended to make a lot of gender role assumptions: it's not just that “this” is what the heroine is like, it's that she acts (or looks) so feminine because of “this”. Same thing with the heroes, they do things because they're masculine not because that's just the heroes personality.

Uncovered
4.5 stars
I've read this story three-plus times now. I love the characters, the emotion and the plot. It's been on my keeper shelf for a while and I liked that I got to add it to my Kindle collection now. Whenever I need a nice, easy, shorter story, I pick this one. It's a great friends-to-lovers story and gives me lots of happy twinges when I read it. Clair is strong and smart and decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Harris likes his friendship with Clair and starts out pretty nervous to change that, but he doesn't deny his feelings as they get stronger. You can really believe in these two.

I like that, even though there are the gender stereotype issues for me, Clair is still obviously smart and capable. She goes after what she wants and doesn't let insecurities in her relationship with Harris stop her. She caved with some of the “girly” stuff, like when Harris gets protective and doesn't want her to run alone, first she starts to set him down but then mutters that she wouldn't do that anyway. It bugged me a little bit on this read, but the story is good enough to get through that and I know I'll read it again.

Tailspin
4 stars
Buck and Sadie were fun to read. It was my first time reading this story. There were some well-worn, old-school stereotypes for romance heroines in here. Sadie grew up sheltered, alone, and teased with a freshly deceased mother who was sick for a long time. Now she's a wide-eyed virginal heroine just waiting for someone like Buck to notice her. But she's so shy and reserved that she wouldn't dream that someone like Buck would be interested.

The two dogs really pull off this story though. You're able to see so much of the characters personalities through their interactions with the dogs. I enjoyed the book for the fun romp that it was. It had some nice romantic parts and was fulfilling in an old-school sort of way. It won't be my first choice in a re-read, but it'll definitely be read again sometime.

An Honorable Man
3.5 stars
This story was a bit more difficult for me. It felt more sad overall. Instead of happy twinges, I ended up holding back tears a couple times. Liv has been so love-deprived her whole life and Ham has plans to finally change that. But his plans involve making Liv confront her biggest fear: marrying a military man.

I can totally understand trying to compromise and take love where you can, but this just felt so sad to me. I left the story feeling like “you might as well take what you can get because it's better than nothing”. I mean, Liv has real reasons for not wanting to marry a military man and while Ham is trying to find ways to compromise he just ends up seeming rather controlling. He didn't come out and ask Liv about his ideas. He didn't try to brainstorm compromises with her. He just set some plans in motion and then assumes she'll be prepared to give up everything she's worked for because he decided to “compromise”. I just felt Liv was the only one truly being asked to give anything up and that was just sad. The end felt like jumping off a cliff, “whoa, it's over” and didn't really feel like the characters would enjoy long-term contentment.

Each of these stories involved the hero having a certain amount of time off work. Buck and Ham were both on vacation for the length of the story and I think Harris had some vacation time during part of the story too. I believed Harris and Clair's story a lot because they had a prior relationship. I wasn't too sure about the other two stories' long-term prospects because everything was outside normal with the whole vacation thing. Still, I enjoyed the stories for the romantic snapshot that they were, but don't read the last one unless you're ready for the tug on your heart-strings and possible tears. These stories, especially the first two, are fun rainy day stories when you just want to relax for a couple hours.

The Accidental Bride

The Accidental Bride
by Christina Skye
Rating: 2 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was somewhat different than I was expecting, but started out rather compelling just the same. I had a little trouble with all the different names and time line jumps that the books starts out with, but I got it straightened out in my head after not too long.

The sense of place in this book was really good. I liked the author's descriptions of the setting and felt most of the interactions between characters were authentic and compelling. I got into this book pretty easily and looked forward to each day when I had some time to read. I felt like the characters often monologued in unrealistic ways, but most of the time that was easy to overlook. I found out later that this is not the first book in the series so some of my confusion might be cleared up if I read these books in order.

Jilly is a restaurant owner and chef. Her one passion is cooking. But when she has some heart problems she's told to cut back. Her friends send her on vacation (but trick her by saying it's cooking classes) to help her relax. She gets involved in the town of Lost Creek and is almost indispensable to them, in the process of worming her way into Walker's heart.

Jilly had this almost preternatural ability to read people, but she can't read Walker. I think there was also some sense that she could share his dreams later. It was an odd combination of almost supernatural and not. I couldn't tell if the book was trying to go somewhere with that because it's never mentioned outside these strange occurrences (that seem to be important somehow). I was left adrift wondering why it felt so important but was just dropped.

Walker and his dog Winslow are great characters in the book. They have a great relationship together and the time that Walker and Jilly spend together is most special because Winslow is around. It made both of these characters more real to see them interacting with Winslow. I didn't feel like Walker grew in a believable way. He was very reserved and taciturn at the beginning of the book, even though Jilly has the magical ability to get him to open up. But by the end of the book, he was monologuing to the two women that he thinks might be Jilly's friends about his relationship with Jilly. I didn't find that believable at all, along with some of the preachy monologue from Jilly's friends themselves. People just don't talk like that and if they do, you really just want to slap them.

There was no sex in this book. Some heavy petting, but things didn't go further than that. I was rather surprised about that because of how long the book was. Not that you can't have a book without the sex, I know a lot of authors write those books really well, but I ended this book feeling like the hero and heroine didn't really spend all that much time together.

This book felt super long and I ended it feeling like nothing was actually solved. Jilly had some heart episodes, but they never gave her a definitive reason for them and she's made no connection about why she gets them each time. We know a couple things that Jilly decides to cut out of her life but we never find out what she'll actually keep doing. She has so many things that she's capable of (that never seem to impact her heart condition) and you read each thing that she gets involved in and go “oohh, that's going to be a part of what her life will look like”, but it never panned out into anything. Maybe it is one of those things that these issues don't resolve themselves until the whole series is over.

I ended up feeling rather disappointed with this book. Maybe over the entire series these issues get resolved more to my liking, but I don't think I can get over the disappointment to read the other books. I had to force myself to read the last 20-30 pages just because I couldn't leave the book that close to the end. But by that point I was pretty sure it couldn't work out in a believable way. So it doesn't get a completely bad grade because I did enjoy most of the reading. But I can't get away from how unsettled everything felt when I left that world.

At Your Service

At Your Service
by Amy Jo Cousins
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I started following Amy Jo Cousins on twitter and liked what she had to say. When I saw she's still writing, I had to look up her old books in preparation for her new works. I was only able to find one or two available on Kindle, so there might be others that are just harder to find in print. I don't read too many Harlequin Desire books lately, but I made an exception for this one. It was written in 2003, so somewhat old school.

I think the best part of this story was the writing itself. I love talk of starbursts and flowers and it's so rare I find those sorts of books nowadays. It wasn't one of those hugely emotional, passionate, soap opera books from the 80s and 90s. But it was whimsical and fun and real.

Grace's life is just so barren. She's this in-charge, go-to sort of person, but she has no one. When she runs away from the family business to sort stuff out in her head, she makes her physical life match her emotional landscape. Now, in addition to having no relationships, she also has no money, no home, no nothing. But in stripping away all the abundance that she has, she's able to start rebuilding her emotional life.

I did shake my head at her with all the running away and prevarication that she does. I mean, she has this whole internal monologue about how what she's doing is wrong, but she takes the entire book to get to the point of owning any of it. I could understand her need and all of the little-girl-needs-love reasons she stayed where she was. But she was just so strong and in-charge in the business sense, that it was extremely sad to see her not take care of the problems in the same way and just honestly go after what she wanted.

Tyler's got the ambition to get stuff done and that's led him to opening this business. But his biggest asset is his family. They're wonderful and caring and would do absolutely anything for him. He's stable in that way. He hasn't left room in his life for a romantic relationship, but he is so likable and picks up friends everywhere he goes. And then again, when love does come knocking for him, he doesn't take too much time second guessing himself. He's willing to give Grace the space she needs and he's not very pushy, but he knows where he wants to go, even with the secrets that Grace has.

The interactions between Grace and Tyler were so sweet. Especially when you could forget all of Grace's lies, they were just the perfect couple together. Fun banter and easy camaraderie. They both did what they were good at and let each other have space to grow. The romantic scenes were all rather PG in nature, about what you'd expect from a Harlequin Desire. The ending was touching and heartfelt, but I would have loved to see more of what Grace actually did to stand up and get her business and family affairs in order.

I'm excited to try and find the other books (because I think there's more for the other Tyler siblings). I also can't wait for the upcoming books by this author.

The Shy Bride

The Shy Bride
by Lucy Monroe
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I'm not usually a Harlequin Presents fan, but this one was free and it involved a pianist so I had to get it. Pianist novels are often on my auto-buy just because some people are able to draw the music and the emotions that go into it so well. This book didn't end up with too much musicality, but it was a nice book.

Cassandra is a pianist who refuses to perform because of all her social anxiety issues. She's real and hurting, but doesn't actually want to be someone different – she just wants to be able to be normal. Everyone in the past that has tried to help her with her issues always did it for the benefit of getting her to perform again. She doesn't actually want that life anymore, so she never truly thinks about changing. She's stuck in a rut, but she's very comfortable with who she is.

Enter Neo. Because it's a Harlequin Presents, he's obviously a billionaire tycoon. Money coming out of his ears, used to getting whatever he wants, overworks himself and doesn't believe he has the capacity to love. But somehow he comes to care about Cassandra. He's wonderstruck that they have become friends. This new idea of having a friend is awesome for him, but in his billionaire tycoon ways, he's going to make sure she gets everything he thinks she needs.

He tries to take control of everything. Luckily, he's actually a nice guy. I don't think I ever got the impression that he acted like a jerk to Cassandra. And even better, she doesn't let him push her around. She allows him to push her out of her rut, but she never gives up her freedom or her independent thoughts and opinions. These two worked well together and they had a good give and take relationship throughout the book.

There's the good friend that pushes Neo to accept what he's already known, but besides him, there's really no one in the story besides Cassandra and Neo. They were a complete pair though and I didn't feel like I missed out not having additional characters. There was a lot of passion and emotion in this book. Not quite on the level of screaming at each other, but you could tell they both felt very deeply and it was nice to see their romance blossom.

If I'm in the mood for a romance novel surrounded by music, this one won't be my first choice. But if I'm looking for a good Harlequin Presents, this one will be one of my first choices for a re-read.

A SEAL's Seduction

A SEAL's Seduction
by Tawny Weber
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I've been off my Harlequin Blaze kick for a while, so I wasn't too sure about this one. But at the time it was free, so I couldn't pass it up. Hot guy and a confident woman is a pretty potent combination.

Alexia is a very focused and driven person. She knows what she wants out of life and is not afraid to blaze her own trail. It took her a long time to get to this point and she shows a lot of strength of character to have accepted who she is. She's got issues with her parents trying to run her life, but she doesn't give in. Some of the time, she takes the avoidance tactic and feels guilty about not meeting everyone's expectations, but she's still her own person.

She also knows her own sexuality and isn't afraid of it. There was nothing duplicitous about her desires or her sexuality. She occasionally second guessed herself and often gave her motives a thorough investigation, but she was very honest and open about what she liked and what she wanted. Even her fears were well thought out and she was very truthful with herself about how she felt.

Blake is in the middle of his grief over losing his good friend. He can't figure out if he wants to be around anyone because he's just not sure how to deal with life now that his friend is gone. Blade was sweet and caring in a quiet sort of way. He didn't always have a lot of words, but he was able to handle his own emotions and Alexia's emotions in a straight up sort-of way. He was hot and caring – pretty much exactly what you'd ask out of a Blaze hero.

The story took place in two different time periods – separated by about eight months. Getting to know the characters' initial interaction was nice and then letting them stew and mull over their attraction was a good foundation for the remainder of the story. I was a little bothered by the “good-old-boys” sort of assumption that Blake definitely had some other sexual relationships in between these eight months.

I couldn't tell if I was supposed to feel like both characters pined for each other or not. On the one hand, they're still thinking about each other. On the other, life kept moving on either way. I felt like they had a certain amount of Insta-Lust to start out with, but they weren't really sure if they liked each other that much anyway so no harm, no foul if Blake's with other people in between.

The times Blake and Alexia were together were well written and sexy. Lots of heat, but not over-the-top. Seemingly two well-adjusted adults who were comfortable with their own sexuality.

While I really liked this book and read it within two days, I didn't feel completely drawn in to Blake and Alexia's emotional relationship. The bit of adventure was well written and all of it was fun and sexy, but they didn't have very strong emotional responses to their situations, excluding Alexia not wanting to date a military man. They weren't necessarily very open with each other, even though we get quite a bit of narrative openness. I was happy for them to end up together, but I didn't feel emotionally that they couldn't live without the other. Perhaps this is something I've forgotten about Blaze books in general – maybe they are more likely to be largely sexual and not very emotional significant.

I'm excited to read Cade's book next though. This author had a fun, sexy style and it'll be enjoyable to see her next pairing. The snippet we got at the end of this book looks promising.

Her Favorite Temptation

Her Favorite Temptation
by Sarah Mayberry
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I have loved almost all of Sarah Mayberry's Harlequin Blaze books. This one is a Harlequin SuperRomance. Less lustful and less explicit than a Harlequin Blaze and much more emotionally involved. I didn't dislike the book, but it wasn't as engaging to me as Sarah Mayberry's Blaze books.

Leah is a doctor. About to hit her thirtieth birthday and ready to finally take control of her life. In this case, change her career a bit from the path her parents expect her to take. Still a doctor, but a different speciality. It takes a lot of courage from Leah to tell her parents about the change. I admired her for meeting the hostility head on and yet still being vulnerable and hurt when she wasn't accepted. She was authentic in her reactions and I appreciated that she struggled with her problems, but still chose to take the difficult path.

Will is the musician with a brain tumor. He's living next door to Leah while waiting for surgery. I found it very complicated that he didn't tell Leah about his health issues, mostly because as a contrast to Leah wrestling with her problems so much and digging deep to find her courage, Will just sort of lets it go because he doesn't want Leah to treat him differently. I understood, and so did Leah, but it left me a bit conflicted.

When Will and Leah first have sex, and she doesn't know about his tumor, I screamed a bit inside and said “that is so cliched”. It fit the story just fine, but there was definitely an “aww no” inside me. Mostly feeling like, who would think now is the best time to have sex for the first time?!

The love story developed slowly and easily. I appreciated how Will and Leah became friends and were there for each other without having to Insta-Lust everything. Their motives were well understood the whole time and they were both sweet, caring characters. They each were capable of giving and receiving love and were genuinely nice. Will was capable of dealing with tears. Leah was able to deal with Will's pain and fear. I was relieved that these two acted like adults and weren't disparaging or angry at the other when issues came up.

While the book felt very weighty with all the issues Will and Leah have to deal with, I didn't feel like I was drowning in their sorrow. We get the general sense of their feelings, but we're not so overwhelmed that the happily-ever-after love story is swept away with pain. I was glad for that, in the sense that I wasn't crying every time something sad happened. But I did feel the peripheral weight of Will and Leah's issues.

This was a touching story with two characters that deal with their monstrous issues in a healthy, adult way. Not quite a tear jerker, but close. Don't read on the day you just need an escapist pick-me-up. Do read when you're looking for inspiration and courage to deal with your own life, or when you need to be reminded of the indomitability of the human spirit and ability to still find happily-ever-after in difficult situations.

Who's The Boss

Who's The Boss
by Jill Shalvis
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I needed a break from the current books, so I went old-school again. This book was written in 1999. It was a good example of old-school romance. A Harlequin Temptation, so the sex is pretty mild. The story had some signature Jill Shalvis plot points: nice, misunderstood characters who grow up and learn to communicate, good friends who act as wonderful sidekicks, not quite a much humor as some of her later works, but lots of crazy mishaps too.

Caitlyn is a petite, blonde bombshell and Joe is the computer programmer/CEO. Tall, handsome man, meets spoiled, little rich girl. Except in this case, Caitlyn's father died, leaving Caitlyn with nothing except a promised job at Joe's company. She's never had a job before and is sort of klutzy, but she works hard.

Joe sees Caitlyn as a spoiled, rich girl and it takes him a while to soften up and see that she's more than just a pretty face. He really just wants to be left alone to work on his projects. We don't find out too much about his work, but it's going to take the software world by storm.

I liked how the characters interacted. I liked that you could see Joe caring, even when he didn't want to. Caitlyn gave herself too little credit for a while, but grows a greater self-confidence and starts finding her place.

I had to roll my eyes a little bit with the way this book portrayed Caitlyn's intellect. When Joe and Caitlyn go out to dinner, Caitlyn calculates the tip in her head. And OMG, Joe is shocked. Caitlyn can add... in her head... real numbers. It was so sadly comical. I think it's a sad commentary on what society thought of women, especially rich ones, in the 90s. And something we still have to work through today. Yes, I'm a woman and I can add. I have high hopes for every woman and man, that they can add – even balance a bank statement – without breaking a sweat.

Bottom line, it's a good retro book for when you're looking for something fun. The ending was so satisfying that I was crying. Everyone was sweet and happy to be alive and had just the right touch of angst. But the view of women was troubling and thought provoking for me.

In Love With The Man

In Love with the Man 
by Marjorie Lewty
Rating: 1 of 5 stars

My Review:
Oh the things you can find at library book sales.  So many books that you're not really sure about, but for 25 to 50 cents, how can you go wrong...

This is the story about "the Man". "The Man" is important. "The Man" makes the decisions. "The Man" is smart and capable and will do what needs to be done. But wait. This is a romance novel from the 80's. There needs to be a female. We need to know all the feelings that she's having. But don't forget, this story is about "The Man".

Any time anything exciting might happen, the heroine is confined to the hotel room while "The Man" takes care of things. One time she's allowed to go and sit in the lobby, drinking tea, while business is taken care of. She's allowed to go because she broke down crying about how alone she felt being left behind.

This woman is really, really a doormat and she's supposedly smart because she got this job as an almost programmer, but we never see her do anything smart. "The Man" even tells her at one point to stop thinking (and not in a "don't over analyze" way, it definitely felt like "you're the woman, I'm the man, so I'll do the thinking for us").

There's a vengeful woman/ex who visits the heroine to imply that the hero is involved already, but one word from the hero and this heroine doesn't care. This book is really good at showing you, quit your job, don't care if the hero is two-timing you, don't ask for explanations, don't tell a man what you want. He's "The Man" and he'll give you what he deems you need and that's as good as it gets.