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| 1943963010
| 9781943963010
| B01620Y4O4
| 4.21
| 955
| Oct 09, 2015
| Oct 09, 2015
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really liked it
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3.5 stars. The Montana Born Rodeo series bows out for another year with a highly enjoyable second chance romance featuring a good guy who often gets t
3.5 stars. The Montana Born Rodeo series bows out for another year with a highly enjoyable second chance romance featuring a good guy who often gets taken advantage of, a feisty woman with impulsive self-destruct tendencies and some super-cute twins. I thought I wasn’t going to like Finn when I read how he came to father those twins, and yet, somehow he was the one I felt most sorry for. He’s a decent guy who made one mistake and who stood up to take the fall. He’s not foolish or malicious and everything he’s done for the last six years has been for his kids. He gave up his dreams and the woman he loved for them, but he’s not bitter about any of it. He loves his kids and wants what’s best for them – how could I not warm to him? It also helped that Kate has a habit of wrecking anything good that comes her way. Whenever it seems like Finn is getting too close, she drives him away – which is how the twin accident happened. To be honest I found Kate quite frustrating and I never understood where her self-destruct button came from. I sort of understood how she came to be so independent and secretive when it came to her family – something to do with the death of her mother and not wanting to upset anyone – but it’s all pretty vague, making Kate seem foolish and perhaps a bit of an emotional coward. Which is a shame, because irritations with some of her actions and motives aside, I really enjoyed this one. It’s always nice to be back in Marietta, especially at rodeo time, and I really liked Kate’s family. Those twins are adorable too and I loved any scenes between them and Kate and them and Finn. It’s easy to see why Kate would want to help, regardless of the hurt between her and Finn, even if their method is a little suspect. Overall this is a fine way to farewell the rodeo for another year. There’s a sweet romance, some lovely family moments and a couple of characters that I couldn’t help liking – even if I found them occasionally baffling. If you’re looking for a relaxing cowboy read, then you can’t go far wrong with this, especially if you enjoy second chance romances. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. The Montana Born Rodeo series bows out for another year with a highly enjoyable second chance romance featuring a good guy who often gets taken advantage of, a feisty woman with impulsive self-destruct tendencies and some super-cute twins. I thought I wasn’t going to like Finn when I read how he came to father those twins, and yet, somehow he was the one I felt most sorry for. He’s a decent guy who made one mistake and who stood up to take the fall. He’s not foolish or malicious and everything he’s done for the last six years has been for his kids. He gave up his dreams and the woman he loved for them, but he’s not bitter about any of it. He loves his kids and wants what’s best for them – how could I not warm to him? It also helped that Kate has a habit of wrecking anything good that comes her way. Whenever it seems like Finn is getting too close, she drives him away – which is how the twin accident happened. To be honest I found Kate quite frustrating and I never understood where her self-destruct button came from. I sort of understood how she came to be so independent and secretive when it came to her family – something to do with the death of her mother and not wanting to upset anyone – but it’s all pretty vague, making Kate seem foolish and perhaps a bit of an emotional coward. Which is a shame, because irritations with some of her actions and motives aside, I really enjoyed this one. It’s always nice to be back in Marietta, especially at rodeo time, and I really liked Kate’s family. Those twins are adorable too and I loved any scenes between them and Kate and them and Finn. It’s easy to see why Kate would want to help, regardless of the hurt between her and Finn, even if their method is a little suspect. Overall this is a fine way to farewell the rodeo for another year. There’s a sweet romance, some lovely family moments and a couple of characters that I couldn’t help liking – even if I found them occasionally baffling. If you’re looking for a relaxing cowboy read, then you can’t go far wrong with this, especially if you enjoy second chance romances. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Oct 14, 2015
not set
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Oct 14, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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ebook
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| 1945879041
| 9781945879043
| B01KN95Y0S
| 4.23
| 526
| Sep 29, 2016
| Sep 29, 2016
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liked it
|
As the Copper Mountain Rodeo bids farewell for another year, along comes a tale of a fun fling taking an unexpected turn for the serious, between an e
As the Copper Mountain Rodeo bids farewell for another year, along comes a tale of a fun fling taking an unexpected turn for the serious, between an eligible local doctor and a younger barrel-racer. The thing is, I’m not really sure why they weren’t happy to get more serious in the first place. Honey has her reasons for staying away from Marietta most of the time, but although Sean starts out not wanting anything more, his reasons are only ever flimsy at best. Plus the age thing… which wasn’t really a thing. I thought it might crop up occasionally, but to be honest there’s nothing about Sean that suggests he’s sixteen (I think, it’s never actually confirmed how many years are between them) years older. He certainly doesn’t act it, considering he must be almost forty. Honey’s reasons were far more valid, with her troubles with her father. I could also see why it made her defensive. But like Sean, she’s not really a fling person, so it seemed only natural when the two of them grew closer. Likewise, any conflict between them felt forced and not very convincing. Especially when there was a ready-made issue with the age difference – but not even her brothers mention it. Then there was the horse thing. I cannot believe that Halo was “fixed” so easily, or that Honey was so clueless about how to take care of her horse after the accident. Everything else regarding horses and Sean was just… I don’t know. Did it have a point? It felt like an attempt to make him more interesting, but didn’t quite work for me. Overall this was okay. The characters are likeable and the romance works well enough. It was a quick and easy read, but the conflict never really worked for me. (Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley) Merged review: As the Copper Mountain Rodeo bids farewell for another year, along comes a tale of a fun fling taking an unexpected turn for the serious, between an eligible local doctor and a younger barrel-racer. The thing is, I’m not really sure why they weren’t happy to get more serious in the first place. Honey has her reasons for staying away from Marietta most of the time, but although Sean starts out not wanting anything more, his reasons are only ever flimsy at best. Plus the age thing… which wasn’t really a thing. I thought it might crop up occasionally, but to be honest there’s nothing about Sean that suggests he’s sixteen (I think, it’s never actually confirmed how many years are between them) years older. He certainly doesn’t act it, considering he must be almost forty. Honey’s reasons were far more valid, with her troubles with her father. I could also see why it made her defensive. But like Sean, she’s not really a fling person, so it seemed only natural when the two of them grew closer. Likewise, any conflict between them felt forced and not very convincing. Especially when there was a ready-made issue with the age difference – but not even her brothers mention it. Then there was the horse thing. I cannot believe that Halo was “fixed” so easily, or that Honey was so clueless about how to take care of her horse after the accident. Everything else regarding horses and Sean was just… I don’t know. Did it have a point? It felt like an attempt to make him more interesting, but didn’t quite work for me. Overall this was okay. The characters are likeable and the romance works well enough. It was a quick and easy read, but the conflict never really worked for me. (Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Oct 14, 2016
not set
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Oct 14, 2016
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 161650711X
| 9781616507114
| B00ONTR908
| 3.78
| 155
| Jun 23, 2015
| Jun 23, 2015
|
liked it
|
There are some really good points to this book – mostly Queen Elizabeth, who is awesome – and there are some lovely moments with the romance. It’s a s
There are some really good points to this book – mostly Queen Elizabeth, who is awesome – and there are some lovely moments with the romance. It’s a second chance tale that goes along pretty much as expected and is enjoyable in many ways. However, much though I tried to like them both – and I really did – I struggled with Gunnar and Eboni at times. Gunnar was confusing to me. He’s a champion MMA fighter who left town to train, stayed away for seven years, yet drops everything the moment his mother falls ill. Yes, he loves his mother, I get that – so why hasn’t he been home to see her once in all those years? Also, for a professional sportsman he’s really lax on any form of exercise. Then there are his manners. Nice as it is that he was raised to respect women, he’s also been raised to view them as delicate flowers who can’t open their own doors or hear bad words, and to be honest his cosseting behaviour is over-the-top smothering at times. If Eboni had taken issue with it, I wouldn’t have blamed her. But she doesn’t. Nope, instead Eboni has many other things to take issue with. In fact she’s pretty childish when it comes to ignoring Gunnar’s good points, undermining him at the salon and constantly thinking the worst of him. Yes, he left, but she didn’t exactly try to stop him. In fact the pair of them created the mess of their break up and I don’t feel it was properly addressed here. She never says why she stayed, he never says why he left, they both just cling to their resentment until they suddenly decide it doesn’t matter anymore. Which is another problem I have with this book. Major decisions are made, yet no thought process is actually shown. I’d have loved to have read what Gunnar’s thoughts really were about his career, or why he had to leave his home town or how it felt being back, but nope. (It would also have been nice to have known what the deal was with his younger brother.) Eboni is a bit better on this, but not by much. Mostly we get to read about her not wanting to be attracted to Gunner, while being attracted to Gunner. (I also developed a – probably irrational – hatred over the nickname Gunnie.) So it’s not perfect. I don’t feel like I got to know either of the main characters as deeply as I would have liked, and their motivations and thoughts were sometimes missing, but away from them things are good. I loved the other workers at the salon – even temperamental Shay, who was at least funny amidst the snark – I liked what little we got to see of Gunnar’s middle brother too, and as already mentioned Queen Elizabeth is a great character. There are also some wonderful scenes – the little girl in the salon, the scene between Gunnar and Eboni in the bathroom – and underneath all the history and stubbornness the romance is sweet. It might not have enthralled me as much as I’d hoped, but it was still an enjoyable read. I’d be interested to read more about brother Gideon too. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: There are some really good points to this book – mostly Queen Elizabeth, who is awesome – and there are some lovely moments with the romance. It’s a second chance tale that goes along pretty much as expected and is enjoyable in many ways. However, much though I tried to like them both – and I really did – I struggled with Gunnar and Eboni at times. Gunnar was confusing to me. He’s a champion MMA fighter who left town to train, stayed away for seven years, yet drops everything the moment his mother falls ill. Yes, he loves his mother, I get that – so why hasn’t he been home to see her once in all those years? Also, for a professional sportsman he’s really lax on any form of exercise. Then there are his manners. Nice as it is that he was raised to respect women, he’s also been raised to view them as delicate flowers who can’t open their own doors or hear bad words, and to be honest his cosseting behaviour is over-the-top smothering at times. If Eboni had taken issue with it, I wouldn’t have blamed her. But she doesn’t. Nope, instead Eboni has many other things to take issue with. In fact she’s pretty childish when it comes to ignoring Gunnar’s good points, undermining him at the salon and constantly thinking the worst of him. Yes, he left, but she didn’t exactly try to stop him. In fact the pair of them created the mess of their break up and I don’t feel it was properly addressed here. She never says why she stayed, he never says why he left, they both just cling to their resentment until they suddenly decide it doesn’t matter anymore. Which is another problem I have with this book. Major decisions are made, yet no thought process is actually shown. I’d have loved to have read what Gunnar’s thoughts really were about his career, or why he had to leave his home town or how it felt being back, but nope. (It would also have been nice to have known what the deal was with his younger brother.) Eboni is a bit better on this, but not by much. Mostly we get to read about her not wanting to be attracted to Gunner, while being attracted to Gunner. (I also developed a – probably irrational – hatred over the nickname Gunnie.) So it’s not perfect. I don’t feel like I got to know either of the main characters as deeply as I would have liked, and their motivations and thoughts were sometimes missing, but away from them things are good. I loved the other workers at the salon – even temperamental Shay, who was at least funny amidst the snark – I liked what little we got to see of Gunnar’s middle brother too, and as already mentioned Queen Elizabeth is a great character. There are also some wonderful scenes – the little girl in the salon, the scene between Gunnar and Eboni in the bathroom – and underneath all the history and stubbornness the romance is sweet. It might not have enthralled me as much as I’d hoped, but it was still an enjoyable read. I’d be interested to read more about brother Gideon too. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jun 17, 2015
not set
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Jun 18, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 1516101863
| 9781516101863
| B07287Q925
| 3.65
| 127
| Feb 27, 2018
| Feb 27, 2018
|
liked it
|
3.5 stars. This was a sweet, slow-build romance with likeable characters and some cute dogs in an easy, undemanding read. I really enjoyed the search a 3.5 stars. This was a sweet, slow-build romance with likeable characters and some cute dogs in an easy, undemanding read. I really enjoyed the search and rescue stuff, especially at the beginning, but it definitely tails off towards the end, which was a shame. I liked Lito. He is out and proud, if a little touchy about being so because of his past. He’s definitely not the sort to hide who he is, which makes him extra sensitive to his surroundings in small town Alabama. He has to put up with casual homophobia and racism on a regular basis, and it understandably gets under his skin, compounding any issues he already had and making him feel even more isolated in his new town. But not when he’s with Dave and the S+R team, because there he’s just one of them. It’s completely not what he’s used to, but I liked how he settled in. Dave is the opposite of Lito. He’s not in the closet, but neither is he right out there, because he doesn’t need to be. He spent years as a soldier under don’t-ask-don’t-tell, so he’s used to not exactly hiding who he is, but not making any statements about it either. And since he goes elsewhere for his hook-ups, it’s not an issue for him. At the same time, he doesn’t fuss or freak out when Lito comes along, he just accepts what they have and enjoys it. Which is all well and good, and I really liked these two together, but after the steady build up between them, more communication would have been good. They just sort of slide into a relationship without really realising it, and likewise, when things go wrong, it’s more because they don’t talk than because there’s a deeper issue. It made both their romance and the fall out (and make up) feel kind of lacklustre. It’s easy until it isn’t, then it’s fine again. Cute enough, but not particularly good at stirring the emotions. I still enjoyed it, but I would have preferred more search and rescue stuff, better communication between them and, I don’t know, a deeper emotional connection maybe. I don’t need full on angst, but a little something more than this would have been appreciated. I’m also annoyed that Lito never told Dave about Spot’s name. I haven’t read the first book, so maybe it came up there, but still, I want to know. Overall, though, this is cute. It’s easy and undemanding and I liked the characters enough to want to see what this author comes up with next. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. This was a sweet, slow-build romance with likeable characters and some cute dogs in an easy, undemanding read. I really enjoyed the search and rescue stuff, especially at the beginning, but it definitely tails off towards the end, which was a shame. I liked Lito. He is out and proud, if a little touchy about being so because of his past. He’s definitely not the sort to hide who he is, which makes him extra sensitive to his surroundings in small town Alabama. He has to put up with casual homophobia and racism on a regular basis, and it understandably gets under his skin, compounding any issues he already had and making him feel even more isolated in his new town. But not when he’s with Dave and the S+R team, because there he’s just one of them. It’s completely not what he’s used to, but I liked how he settled in. Dave is the opposite of Lito. He’s not in the closet, but neither is he right out there, because he doesn’t need to be. He spent years as a soldier under don’t-ask-don’t-tell, so he’s used to not exactly hiding who he is, but not making any statements about it either. And since he goes elsewhere for his hook-ups, it’s not an issue for him. At the same time, he doesn’t fuss or freak out when Lito comes along, he just accepts what they have and enjoys it. Which is all well and good, and I really liked these two together, but after the steady build up between them, more communication would have been good. They just sort of slide into a relationship without really realising it, and likewise, when things go wrong, it’s more because they don’t talk than because there’s a deeper issue. It made both their romance and the fall out (and make up) feel kind of lacklustre. It’s easy until it isn’t, then it’s fine again. Cute enough, but not particularly good at stirring the emotions. I still enjoyed it, but I would have preferred more search and rescue stuff, better communication between them and, I don’t know, a deeper emotional connection maybe. I don’t need full on angst, but a little something more than this would have been appreciated. I’m also annoyed that Lito never told Dave about Spot’s name. I haven’t read the first book, so maybe it came up there, but still, I want to know. Overall, though, this is cute. It’s easy and undemanding and I liked the characters enough to want to see what this author comes up with next. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Feb 24, 2018
not set
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Feb 25, 2018
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1942240406
| 9781942240402
| B00T4ZG2PO
| 3.91
| 736
| Feb 27, 2015
| Feb 27, 2015
|
really liked it
|
3.5 stars. This is another sweet, easy read from Marietta, using the setting of the bachelor auction to head in another romantic direction. Ryan and R
3.5 stars. This is another sweet, easy read from Marietta, using the setting of the bachelor auction to head in another romantic direction. Ryan and Rachel are two people who have both been badly hurt by their last serious relationship, with Ryan having the added defensiveness about the care of his sick grandmother. They’re both nice people, living as best they can, trying to avoid romance – until Ryan gets guilted into appearing in the auction and Rachel’s friends buy a date with him for her. Their relationship itself seems to leap out of nowhere at first, then turns into a friends-with-benefits type of thing, with the whole town knowing what’s going on and doing their best to talk the pair of them into love with each other. It’s all pretty sweet and straightforward, and of course something was going to happen to ruin things. And then there were the cakes. Wow! I’m not really a cake girl, but the descriptions of the various pastries and confectioneries Ryan comes up with, especially during his apology, were mouth-watering. It’s pure food porn, with plenty of Bake Off goodness. It’s cute, feel-good and very easy to read. You might want to have a snack to hand though, because it will probably make you peckish. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. This is another sweet, easy read from Marietta, using the setting of the bachelor auction to head in another romantic direction. Ryan and Rachel are two people who have both been badly hurt by their last serious relationship, with Ryan having the added defensiveness about the care of his sick grandmother. They’re both nice people, living as best they can, trying to avoid romance – until Ryan gets guilted into appearing in the auction and Rachel’s friends buy a date with him for her. Their relationship itself seems to leap out of nowhere at first, then turns into a friends-with-benefits type of thing, with the whole town knowing what’s going on and doing their best to talk the pair of them into love with each other. It’s all pretty sweet and straightforward, and of course something was going to happen to ruin things. And then there were the cakes. Wow! I’m not really a cake girl, but the descriptions of the various pastries and confectioneries Ryan comes up with, especially during his apology, were mouth-watering. It’s pure food porn, with plenty of Bake Off goodness. It’s cute, feel-good and very easy to read. You might want to have a snack to hand though, because it will probably make you peckish. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Feb 24, 2015
not set
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Feb 24, 2015
not set
|
Sep 28, 2024
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1633758591
| 9781633758599
| B01NAKX79U
| 3.86
| 758
| Jan 09, 2017
| Jan 09, 2017
|
really liked it
|
This is an adorable, quick read about two hard working lawyers and a catalogue of clumsy dating disasters. There’s a bit of friends to lovers, a touch
This is an adorable, quick read about two hard working lawyers and a catalogue of clumsy dating disasters. There’s a bit of friends to lovers, a touch of long-distance crushing, an exceedingly grumpy cat and plenty of fun, all packed into this short novella. I really enjoyed it. Eric is lovely. He’s an overachieving workaholic, but he’s not arrogant about it. He’s too busy making sure his life is stable for that, and he definitely doesn’t have any time for fun. His long term crush on Jane is adorable, as are his attempts to not-really set her up with his friends. I loved their Friday night debriefs and the way they went from strangers to friends to more without even seeming to notice. I liked Jane too, even if she is a bit of a mess. Not because of her clumsiness, but because of how hard she works at a job she hates in order to fit in with a family that she doesn’t feel she will ever fit in with anyway. Her accident-prone dating life is fun, as is her grouchy cat Gandalf, all of which make up for her occasional moments of blindness. For a smart woman, she can be rather dim sometimes. So in all I really enjoyed it. It’s quick and fun with a nice bit of romance and heat. I look forward to seeing where this series heads next. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) Merged review: This is an adorable, quick read about two hard working lawyers and a catalogue of clumsy dating disasters. There’s a bit of friends to lovers, a touch of long-distance crushing, an exceedingly grumpy cat and plenty of fun, all packed into this short novella. I really enjoyed it. Eric is lovely. He’s an overachieving workaholic, but he’s not arrogant about it. He’s too busy making sure his life is stable for that, and he definitely doesn’t have any time for fun. His long term crush on Jane is adorable, as are his attempts to not-really set her up with his friends. I loved their Friday night debriefs and the way they went from strangers to friends to more without even seeming to notice. I liked Jane too, even if she is a bit of a mess. Not because of her clumsiness, but because of how hard she works at a job she hates in order to fit in with a family that she doesn’t feel she will ever fit in with anyway. Her accident-prone dating life is fun, as is her grouchy cat Gandalf, all of which make up for her occasional moments of blindness. For a smart woman, she can be rather dim sometimes. So in all I really enjoyed it. It’s quick and fun with a nice bit of romance and heat. I look forward to seeing where this series heads next. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jan 07, 2017
not set
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Jan 07, 2017
not set
|
Sep 28, 2024
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 1942240813
| 9781942240815
| B01069GA08
| 4.11
| 360
| Jun 29, 2015
| Jun 29, 2015
|
really liked it
|
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this latest multi-author series from Tule Publishing. Not only was it great fun to read about four fairy tales updated into mo
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this latest multi-author series from Tule Publishing. Not only was it great fun to read about four fairy tales updated into modern New York, the tale of four close friends finding not just love but each other again, and often themselves as well, has also been a delight to read. This fourth and final installment is no exception as Cinderella has an absolute ball with a beer baron. Faith has always been the steady one of the group, the one from a big, close family who gave up her dreams to run the family bar and take care of her father. She’s loyal and loving, but has also fallen into a bit of rut, letting life pass her by as she took care of her many responsibilities. Now it’s her turn to cut loose – and luckily for her, a sexy Australian businessman turns up on her doorstep at exactly the right moment. I like Faith; I wanted her to enjoy herself. She’s been too serious for too long and it really was time someone showed her brothers just how much they were taking her for granted. It was also great to see the other three heroines coming back to weave their own particular brand of Fairy Godmother magic to see that Faith got out and had fun. Oh, and what fun Raf is. I liked him – he’s successful and sexy and refreshingly angst-free. I particularly liked that he respected Faith’s responsibilities and didn’t demand extra time for him, but was willing to pitch in and spend time with her. Their dates are pretty sweet too. Not that he’s all nice and adorable, because mostly he’s smoking hot and the chemistry between the two of them is scorching. Brace yourselves for the reappearance of a certain tie, that’s all I’m saying. Hot and sexy, with plenty of sensual playfulness, this was a great read and a perfect end to the series. I really enjoyed seeing Faith get everything she deserved and Raf turned out to be a thoroughly worthy hero. I am a little sad to be leaving Sully’s behind, though. Which leaves me wondering about the last of Faith’s unattached brothers, those musical twins. It sure would be nice to know more about them some time… (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this latest multi-author series from Tule Publishing. Not only was it great fun to read about four fairy tales updated into modern New York, the tale of four close friends finding not just love but each other again, and often themselves as well, has also been a delight to read. This fourth and final installment is no exception as Cinderella has an absolute ball with a beer baron. Faith has always been the steady one of the group, the one from a big, close family who gave up her dreams to run the family bar and take care of her father. She’s loyal and loving, but has also fallen into a bit of rut, letting life pass her by as she took care of her many responsibilities. Now it’s her turn to cut loose – and luckily for her, a sexy Australian businessman turns up on her doorstep at exactly the right moment. I like Faith; I wanted her to enjoy herself. She’s been too serious for too long and it really was time someone showed her brothers just how much they were taking her for granted. It was also great to see the other three heroines coming back to weave their own particular brand of Fairy Godmother magic to see that Faith got out and had fun. Oh, and what fun Raf is. I liked him – he’s successful and sexy and refreshingly angst-free. I particularly liked that he respected Faith’s responsibilities and didn’t demand extra time for him, but was willing to pitch in and spend time with her. Their dates are pretty sweet too. Not that he’s all nice and adorable, because mostly he’s smoking hot and the chemistry between the two of them is scorching. Brace yourselves for the reappearance of a certain tie, that’s all I’m saying. Hot and sexy, with plenty of sensual playfulness, this was a great read and a perfect end to the series. I really enjoyed seeing Faith get everything she deserved and Raf turned out to be a thoroughly worthy hero. I am a little sad to be leaving Sully’s behind, though. Which leaves me wondering about the last of Faith’s unattached brothers, those musical twins. It sure would be nice to know more about them some time… (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jun 24, 2015
not set
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Jun 24, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1942356277
| 9781942356271
| B00YQ91FUK
| 3.68
| 292
| Jul 28, 2015
| Jul 28, 2015
|
really liked it
|
3.5 stars. This is a cute, easy second chance tale that would make a perfect beach read. Darcy grew up with an alcoholic, absent mother and dreamed of
3.5 stars. This is a cute, easy second chance tale that would make a perfect beach read. Darcy grew up with an alcoholic, absent mother and dreamed of moving to Fortune’s Island and creating a new life for herself. Which she did. The summer she arrived she also fell in love with Kincaid, but things didn’t turn out so well and she’s spent the last seven years working in the Love Shack, building up a family of friends and working hard to provide a good life for her daughter. I like Darcy, she’s focused and determined, but also knows how to have fun. She’s a great mother and a good friend and definitely knows the value of what she has. True, there were times when I just wanted her to tell Kincaid (about Emma and other things), but mostly I just enjoyed reading about her. As for Kincaid, he’s okay, pretty easy-going for a lawyer and an excellent brother to his little sister. I was a bit surprised by his lack of anger when it came to Emma, until I realised that he’s actually a bit of a spineless coward – which was when I started liking him a lot less. The way he stands up for and supports his sister is a marked contrast to the way he treats Darcy when the real trouble hits. He just accepts whatever someone tells him without stopping to ask questions or seek answers – and that did annoy me. However, it also provided an extra bit of tension to an otherwise sweet and pain-free romance. The best thing about this book, though, was the island and more specifically the Love Shack (and if you don’t find yourself humming that song at least once while reading this book, that can only be because you don’t know it – which would be a big shame). I loved the sense of community in the place and the family Darcy had built for herself, especially her bosses and Nona, the woman who looks after little Emma. It’s a great, supportive place with plenty of charm and definitely made me want to go back and read more. Offering up a sweet romance and a satisfying start to this series, I can’t wait for the next one! (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. This is a cute, easy second chance tale that would make a perfect beach read. Darcy grew up with an alcoholic, absent mother and dreamed of moving to Fortune’s Island and creating a new life for herself. Which she did. The summer she arrived she also fell in love with Kincaid, but things didn’t turn out so well and she’s spent the last seven years working in the Love Shack, building up a family of friends and working hard to provide a good life for her daughter. I like Darcy, she’s focused and determined, but also knows how to have fun. She’s a great mother and a good friend and definitely knows the value of what she has. True, there were times when I just wanted her to tell Kincaid (about Emma and other things), but mostly I just enjoyed reading about her. As for Kincaid, he’s okay, pretty easy-going for a lawyer and an excellent brother to his little sister. I was a bit surprised by his lack of anger when it came to Emma, until I realised that he’s actually a bit of a spineless coward – which was when I started liking him a lot less. The way he stands up for and supports his sister is a marked contrast to the way he treats Darcy when the real trouble hits. He just accepts whatever someone tells him without stopping to ask questions or seek answers – and that did annoy me. However, it also provided an extra bit of tension to an otherwise sweet and pain-free romance. The best thing about this book, though, was the island and more specifically the Love Shack (and if you don’t find yourself humming that song at least once while reading this book, that can only be because you don’t know it – which would be a big shame). I loved the sense of community in the place and the family Darcy had built for herself, especially her bosses and Nona, the woman who looks after little Emma. It’s a great, supportive place with plenty of charm and definitely made me want to go back and read more. Offering up a sweet romance and a satisfying start to this series, I can’t wait for the next one! (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jul 20, 2015
not set
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Jul 20, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1948342405
| 9781948342407
| B0798X7M28
| 4.22
| 769
| Mar 15, 2018
| Mar 18, 2018
|
did not like it
|
This book bumped along at first as an okay if uninspiring read. Amanda seemed nice enough, and Tyler was a bit of a jerk in his lack of listening abil
This book bumped along at first as an okay if uninspiring read. Amanda seemed nice enough, and Tyler was a bit of a jerk in his lack of listening ability, though he clearly cared for his grandmother. They got together, with little to no effort needed, and the road seemed clear to HEAland. So far so normal. Except things began dragging themselves out a lot. They’re together and things are going well. Amanda loves Marietta, she has a growing business and family nearby; Grandmother Bette has all her friends and a full life in the town; and Tyler hates where he lives and doesn’t even have a job there anymore. There really shouldn’t have been any conflict about him moving to Marietta, because he’s clearly moving somewhere and wants to be close to his grandmother (and his old business), so the answer is obvious. But no, there must be non-existent drama. Which was, quite frankly, irritating. But wait, there’s more! Because it turns out Amanda has some real issues about her childhood poverty and the way the town treated her and how she can never get away from that stigma (just move!) and woe, woe, woe, is she, because there’s also a family secret that really has nothing to do with her but suddenly the whole thing explodes because It’s All About Amanda! No one feels pain like she does. No one feels shame like she does. All these people telling lies, being awful. It’s so unfair! She must punish everyone – including Tyler, who really is not at fault. I wanted to drown her in Miracle Lake. So… this book didn’t work for me, because of the unnecessary drama about whether or not Tyler would move to Marietta, followed by Amanda’s unnecessary drama which could have been quite easily solved by her moving away from Marietta, and all the stuff that really had nothing to do with her but that she made all about her because Reasons! Nope. Sorry, but nope. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) Merged review: This book bumped along at first as an okay if uninspiring read. Amanda seemed nice enough, and Tyler was a bit of a jerk in his lack of listening ability, though he clearly cared for his grandmother. They got together, with little to no effort needed, and the road seemed clear to HEAland. So far so normal. Except things began dragging themselves out a lot. They’re together and things are going well. Amanda loves Marietta, she has a growing business and family nearby; Grandmother Bette has all her friends and a full life in the town; and Tyler hates where he lives and doesn’t even have a job there anymore. There really shouldn’t have been any conflict about him moving to Marietta, because he’s clearly moving somewhere and wants to be close to his grandmother (and his old business), so the answer is obvious. But no, there must be non-existent drama. Which was, quite frankly, irritating. But wait, there’s more! Because it turns out Amanda has some real issues about her childhood poverty and the way the town treated her and how she can never get away from that stigma (just move!) and woe, woe, woe, is she, because there’s also a family secret that really has nothing to do with her but suddenly the whole thing explodes because It’s All About Amanda! No one feels pain like she does. No one feels shame like she does. All these people telling lies, being awful. It’s so unfair! She must punish everyone – including Tyler, who really is not at fault. I wanted to drown her in Miracle Lake. So… this book didn’t work for me, because of the unnecessary drama about whether or not Tyler would move to Marietta, followed by Amanda’s unnecessary drama which could have been quite easily solved by her moving away from Marietta, and all the stuff that really had nothing to do with her but that she made all about her because Reasons! Nope. Sorry, but nope. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Mar 12, 2018
not set
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Mar 13, 2018
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1943963614
| 9781943963614
| B017OFYRPC
| 4.19
| 188
| Nov 13, 2015
| Nov 13, 2015
|
really liked it
|
This is my first taste of the Jackson Brothers series, and I have to admit that at first I wasn’t convinced. Not because of Cutter, even if he is boss
This is my first taste of the Jackson Brothers series, and I have to admit that at first I wasn’t convinced. Not because of Cutter, even if he is bossy and arrogant, but because of Mia. In the first chapter she goes out of her way to be irritating and annoying, and there was a moment when I very nearly put this book down. Thankfully, I didn’t, because despite Mia’s wind-up ways, I really enjoyed this book. It’s full of fast, funny dialogue, some great sibling interactions and then there’s the whole issue with Cutter and his brothers having their whole world turned upside down by the arrival of Nash – a fourth brother, who’s also older. I think this was what made me fall for Cutter, because he’s always been the older brother until now, when not only does he have to face the fact that there’s another brother out there, but one who is older than him, yet that doesn’t stop him from accepting Nash. In fact, the way he goes about dragging Nash into the family – and getting other members of the family to fall in line – is totally unsubtle, quite a bit bossy and pretty brash, but it shows how much he cares, and I loved that. Mia is confident and strong-minded and rejects authority automatically, so on the surface she’s the complete opposite of what Cutter should want – and likewise, she shouldn’t want anything to do with him. Yet, somehow, they match perfectly. Once she stops acting like a child – or at least reveals why she’s acting that way – I liked her, and I loved how the pair of them interacted, both when they were trying to resist the attraction and afterwards. Fast and fun with a nice touch of heat and plenty of family drama, I really enjoyed my first taste of the Jackson men, and it definitely won’t be my last. Luckily there are two previous novels to keep me busy while waiting for Nash’s book. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: This is my first taste of the Jackson Brothers series, and I have to admit that at first I wasn’t convinced. Not because of Cutter, even if he is bossy and arrogant, but because of Mia. In the first chapter she goes out of her way to be irritating and annoying, and there was a moment when I very nearly put this book down. Thankfully, I didn’t, because despite Mia’s wind-up ways, I really enjoyed this book. It’s full of fast, funny dialogue, some great sibling interactions and then there’s the whole issue with Cutter and his brothers having their whole world turned upside down by the arrival of Nash – a fourth brother, who’s also older. I think this was what made me fall for Cutter, because he’s always been the older brother until now, when not only does he have to face the fact that there’s another brother out there, but one who is older than him, yet that doesn’t stop him from accepting Nash. In fact, the way he goes about dragging Nash into the family – and getting other members of the family to fall in line – is totally unsubtle, quite a bit bossy and pretty brash, but it shows how much he cares, and I loved that. Mia is confident and strong-minded and rejects authority automatically, so on the surface she’s the complete opposite of what Cutter should want – and likewise, she shouldn’t want anything to do with him. Yet, somehow, they match perfectly. Once she stops acting like a child – or at least reveals why she’s acting that way – I liked her, and I loved how the pair of them interacted, both when they were trying to resist the attraction and afterwards. Fast and fun with a nice touch of heat and plenty of family drama, I really enjoyed my first taste of the Jackson men, and it definitely won’t be my last. Luckily there are two previous novels to keep me busy while waiting for Nash’s book. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Dec 14, 2015
not set
|
Dec 14, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 194587922X
| 9781945879227
| B01M3S6EQL
| 4.15
| 738
| Nov 15, 2016
| Nov 15, 2016
|
liked it
|
3.5 stars. I’m in two minds about this book, because while I enjoyed catching up with the Wilder family again, I liked the romance and I really liked L 3.5 stars. I’m in two minds about this book, because while I enjoyed catching up with the Wilder family again, I liked the romance and I really liked Laird, I spent most of the book wondering why I should care about Tucker – and why anyone else should either. The thing with Tucker is that she’s selfish. She’s lived her entire life however she chooses and for most of the book she simply does not understand why this might be a problem. The things she’s done to her twin Tanner in the past are brushed off and glossed over, because she’s back now, so all is forgiven. Nope. Tucker’s reasons for returning are selfish, so are her reasons for hanging around. There is not one moment in this book where she genuinely puts herself out for anyone else. Even when she’s doing something good, it’s still because she gets more out of it than the other person. She’s not awful or bitter or spiteful, but she is selfish and she owed Tanner a million and one apologies, which never arise because Tucker doesn’t see that she ever really did anything wrong. All those stolen boyfriends, the lack of visits when Tanner was in hospital, the lack of help in the years since, nope, not important, because Tucker is here to save the day! Urgh. Laird is better. He’s quieter, more thoughtful. He has also lived a life mostly to please himself, and yet, somehow he’s more self-aware than Tucker. Probably because life has smacked him around more thoroughly of late. Admittedly, there’s a lot of Laird’s history that never gets explored. I wanted to know more about his filming days and why they ended – because there’s obviously a story there. It might also have been nice to have known pretty much anything about him that hadn’t happened in the last year. Still, I did love how he treated Tucker – even if it slightly baffled me about how he continued to think she was good and kind and sweet and thoughtful when she does tell him at least some of her faults. He does bring out the best in her, which makes their romance sweet. And hot. There’s a lot of longing between these two as Tucker tries to live up to her Miracle Lake promise, plus a few steamy kisses. However, that ending… come on! After all that build up, you’ve gotta be kidding me. I was also left scratching my head about how long it takes for certain puzzle pieces to fall into place. Laird should have guessed sooner, and I would have expected others to be more suspicious too, given how this series has turned out thus far. Practically everyone they meet comments on it. It’s the whole reason why Laird is even in Marietta. Throw that in with the ending and my overall feelings towards Tucker and I’m on the fence with this one. I liked the romance, I always love spending Christmas in Marietta, and it was great to catch up with Tanner and Luke and see what’s happening with the ranch. However, your own mileage may vary, depending on how much patience you have with a selfish heroine. On balance, I enjoyed this one more than I didn’t, and I’ll still be looking out for more – especially if it features Kane. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. I’m in two minds about this book, because while I enjoyed catching up with the Wilder family again, I liked the romance and I really liked Laird, I spent most of the book wondering why I should care about Tucker – and why anyone else should either. The thing with Tucker is that she’s selfish. She’s lived her entire life however she chooses and for most of the book she simply does not understand why this might be a problem. The things she’s done to her twin Tanner in the past are brushed off and glossed over, because she’s back now, so all is forgiven. Nope. Tucker’s reasons for returning are selfish, so are her reasons for hanging around. There is not one moment in this book where she genuinely puts herself out for anyone else. Even when she’s doing something good, it’s still because she gets more out of it than the other person. She’s not awful or bitter or spiteful, but she is selfish and she owed Tanner a million and one apologies, which never arise because Tucker doesn’t see that she ever really did anything wrong. All those stolen boyfriends, the lack of visits when Tanner was in hospital, the lack of help in the years since, nope, not important, because Tucker is here to save the day! Urgh. Laird is better. He’s quieter, more thoughtful. He has also lived a life mostly to please himself, and yet, somehow he’s more self-aware than Tucker. Probably because life has smacked him around more thoroughly of late. Admittedly, there’s a lot of Laird’s history that never gets explored. I wanted to know more about his filming days and why they ended – because there’s obviously a story there. It might also have been nice to have known pretty much anything about him that hadn’t happened in the last year. Still, I did love how he treated Tucker – even if it slightly baffled me about how he continued to think she was good and kind and sweet and thoughtful when she does tell him at least some of her faults. He does bring out the best in her, which makes their romance sweet. And hot. There’s a lot of longing between these two as Tucker tries to live up to her Miracle Lake promise, plus a few steamy kisses. However, that ending… come on! After all that build up, you’ve gotta be kidding me. I was also left scratching my head about how long it takes for certain puzzle pieces to fall into place. Laird should have guessed sooner, and I would have expected others to be more suspicious too, given how this series has turned out thus far. Practically everyone they meet comments on it. It’s the whole reason why Laird is even in Marietta. Throw that in with the ending and my overall feelings towards Tucker and I’m on the fence with this one. I liked the romance, I always love spending Christmas in Marietta, and it was great to catch up with Tanner and Luke and see what’s happening with the ranch. However, your own mileage may vary, depending on how much patience you have with a selfish heroine. On balance, I enjoyed this one more than I didn’t, and I’ll still be looking out for more – especially if it features Kane. (ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Nov 10, 2016
not set
|
Nov 11, 2016
not set
|
Sep 27, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1942240589
| 9781942240587
| B00VU0M8JA
| 3.67
| 761
| Apr 07, 2015
| Apr 09, 2015
|
really liked it
|
This was a lovely, easy romantic read that has a lot less to do with royalty than finding out where you belong and who with. Dee is a bright, zesty wo
This was a lovely, easy romantic read that has a lot less to do with royalty than finding out where you belong and who with. Dee is a bright, zesty woman who isn’t afraid to tell things as she sees them, but the people she loves have a habit of leaving her. Including Jed, her first love and the man she’s never forgotten – mostly because he vanished from her life at sixteen and she’s spent the last ten years wondering if he was all right. Now he’s back, but before her hormones can rejoice too much he has questions to ask – and a possible father to find. If you read The Playboy as part of Tule’s Hot Aussie Heroes series, then you’ll recognise Dee as the heroine’s best friend, who pushed and encouraged her into reaching her HEA. The pair from that book get the briefest cameo here, which I thought was nice, though if you haven’t read the other book you won’t be confused. Mostly because the focus of this book is firmly on Dee and Jed, their shared history, the long years between them and the attraction that simply hasn’t died. Yeah, there’s also something about a royal father, a mountain principality on the border between Belgium and France, and perhaps a little bit of unnecessary angst about certain people living in certain places. I also wish Jed’s comic was real, because it sounded great. Another great escape from both this author and Tule. If you’re looking for a quick, easy romantic read, then you should give this a try. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: This was a lovely, easy romantic read that has a lot less to do with royalty than finding out where you belong and who with. Dee is a bright, zesty woman who isn’t afraid to tell things as she sees them, but the people she loves have a habit of leaving her. Including Jed, her first love and the man she’s never forgotten – mostly because he vanished from her life at sixteen and she’s spent the last ten years wondering if he was all right. Now he’s back, but before her hormones can rejoice too much he has questions to ask – and a possible father to find. If you read The Playboy as part of Tule’s Hot Aussie Heroes series, then you’ll recognise Dee as the heroine’s best friend, who pushed and encouraged her into reaching her HEA. The pair from that book get the briefest cameo here, which I thought was nice, though if you haven’t read the other book you won’t be confused. Mostly because the focus of this book is firmly on Dee and Jed, their shared history, the long years between them and the attraction that simply hasn’t died. Yeah, there’s also something about a royal father, a mountain principality on the border between Belgium and France, and perhaps a little bit of unnecessary angst about certain people living in certain places. I also wish Jed’s comic was real, because it sounded great. Another great escape from both this author and Tule. If you’re looking for a quick, easy romantic read, then you should give this a try. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Apr 10, 2015
not set
|
Apr 10, 2015
not set
|
Sep 27, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1633754774
| 9781633754775
| B015CLBD7K
| 3.74
| 987
| Nov 30, 2015
| Nov 30, 2015
|
did not like it
|
**spoiler alert** This book sadly did not work for me. I’m new to this series, so that might have had something to do with it, but right from the star
**spoiler alert** This book sadly did not work for me. I’m new to this series, so that might have had something to do with it, but right from the start I disliked Sarah. She’s extremely bossy and snobbish, which isn’t entirely unusual for a duke’s daughter, but it meant I didn’t like her much. The whole idea of her needing to be in London to do interviews and sign her books in 1817 struck me as completely ridiculous. Not even Byron did any of that. Also, the constant twittering about her being a romance author… I don’t think that was the term of the time. A novelist, perhaps. Then there’s the journey, where anything that can go wrong does go wrong. It got a bit much after a while. I think it was about the time the maid fell sick that my attention wandered off and never really came back. It takes far too long for the accidental marriage to occur and by then I didn’t care much about Braedan keeping it a secret. Ah, yes, Braedan. I wanted to like him, but he was rather dull. A genius in both literature and mathematics, who somehow ended up as a Classical archeologist (for some reason that struck me as odd, I’d have expected science, especially in Edinburgh), he’s also a bruising rider and a crack shot. A fine physical specimen, in fact, which is rather remarkable for a man who’s also a professor at twenty-eight. There were times when I wondered if all these accomplishments were intended to replace his personality, because there really isn’t much development of character here. As for the romance – nope, sorry, not buying it. I can’t see what the two of them have in common, apart from the attraction, which Sarah spends most of the book fighting off. She doesn’t want to get married, she doesn’t want children, so she sleeps with him and risks a child even before she knows that they are married, and then gets on her high horse when her brother-in-law insists. Since she was Miss Propriety when she and Braedan first met, why is she surprised? Even without the accidental marriage, there are plenty who would call her ruined. Then she makes assumptions about how Braedan will react to her special secret authorial powers – but she never actually talks to him about it, she just assumes and pushes him away. Not that Braedan gets off lightly here, because nope. He knew Sarah went to Scotland to visit her sister, and since he’s staying on a neighbouring estate, why doesn’t he stay with her? It’s not like he’s even spending the time with his family, since he seems to avoid them completely. When she has a head wound, does he play the doting husband not wanting to move her for fear of a relapse? Nope, he waits for her to fall asleep then moves her because he’s the husband and she must obey! And what the hell was that road trip about anyway? And why is Sarah in Scotland for so many months? As for the Rome debacle, he just expects her to follow because that’s what wives do. Nice. What a prince he turned out to be. So, I didn’t like the heroine, I found the hero boring, until he turned patronising and overbearing, the road trip was a farce of calamitous proportions, and the romance was lacking any chemistry. I don’t think the two of them would even have made good friends, let alone survived a marriage. Basically, I didn’t like it. There were several times when I almost gave up, but I persevered in the hopes it would improve. It didn’t. I’m sadly disappointed. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: This book sadly did not work for me. I’m new to this series, so that might have had something to do with it, but right from the start I disliked Sarah. She’s extremely bossy and snobbish, which isn’t entirely unusual for a duke’s daughter, but it meant I didn’t like her much. The whole idea of her needing to be in London to do interviews and sign her books in 1817 struck me as completely ridiculous. Not even Byron did any of that. Also, the constant twittering about her being a romance author… I don’t think that was the term of the time. A novelist, perhaps. Then there’s the journey, where anything that can go wrong does go wrong. It got a bit much after a while. I think it was about the time the maid fell sick that my attention wandered off and never really came back. It takes far too long for the accidental marriage to occur and by then I didn’t care much about Braedan keeping it a secret. Ah, yes, Braedan. I wanted to like him, but he was rather dull. A genius in both literature and mathematics, who somehow ended up as a Classical archeologist (for some reason that struck me as odd, I’d have expected science, especially in Edinburgh), he’s also a bruising rider and a crack shot. A fine physical specimen, in fact, which is rather remarkable for a man who’s also a professor at twenty-eight. There were times when I wondered if all these accomplishments were intended to replace his personality, because there really isn’t much development of character here. As for the romance – nope, sorry, not buying it. I can’t see what the two of them have in common, apart from the attraction, which Sarah spends most of the book fighting off. She doesn’t want to get married, she doesn’t want children, so she sleeps with him and risks a child even before she knows that they are married, and then gets on her high horse when her brother-in-law insists. Since she was Miss Propriety when she and Braedan first met, why is she surprised? Even without the accidental marriage, there are plenty who would call her ruined. Then she makes assumptions about how Braedan will react to her special secret authorial powers – but she never actually talks to him about it, she just assumes and pushes him away. Not that Braedan gets off lightly here, because nope. He knew Sarah went to Scotland to visit her sister, and since he’s staying on a neighbouring estate, why doesn’t he stay with her? It’s not like he’s even spending the time with his family, since he seems to avoid them completely. When she has a head wound, does he play the doting husband not wanting to move her for fear of a relapse? Nope, he waits for her to fall asleep then moves her because he’s the husband and she must obey! And what the hell was that road trip about anyway? And why is Sarah in Scotland for so many months? As for the Rome debacle, he just expects her to follow because that’s what wives do. Nice. What a prince he turned out to be. So, I didn’t like the heroine, I found the hero boring, until he turned patronising and overbearing, the road trip was a farce of calamitous proportions, and the romance was lacking any chemistry. I don’t think the two of them would even have made good friends, let alone survived a marriage. Basically, I didn’t like it. There were several times when I almost gave up, but I persevered in the hopes it would improve. It didn’t. I’m sadly disappointed. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Nov 24, 2015
not set
|
Nov 24, 2015
not set
|
Sep 27, 2024
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 1942240953
| 9781942240952
| B0118CKB7A
| 4.21
| 712
| Jul 07, 2015
| Jul 14, 2015
|
liked it
|
This is a nice book in which nice people eat nice food, do nice things together and generally have a nice time. There really isn’t much more to say ab
This is a nice book in which nice people eat nice food, do nice things together and generally have a nice time. There really isn’t much more to say about it than that. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just… nice. Gavin is a real sweetheart, an Irish doctor who’s decided to spend a month on Long Island with his little sister, getting some sun and a bit of sand on his holidays. He’s a good guy who had a bad break-up, but isn’t brooding about it. He’s just getting on a best he can, waiting for his bruised heart to heal. Toni is likewise a nice woman, with a job she hates and a mother who constantly puts pressure on her. She’s a housemate of Gavin’s sister, so they end up sharing a house for a month. Which might have been a problem since they’re attracted to each other from the moment they meet, though each are reluctant to make the first move. That lasts a week, then it’s all love all the time, with occasional outings for food. There is a lot of food in this book. If there’s a scene between Gavin and Toni that isn’t set in bed, then there’s usually food around somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, food is important for survival and all, but why is there so much food? Maybe it’s to take away from the lack of tension in this book, and also perhaps (for me at least) the lack of chemistry between Toni and Gavin. I just didn’t feel anything between them, they’re nice – that’s it. As for the lack of tension… well, it’s obvious early on how things will turn out, since Gavin is sweet and supportive and Toni hates everything about her life except her friends. The lack of conflict made everything so easy and – dare I say it – a tiny bit boring. There is a cranking up of emotions towards the end, but it felt forced and too contrived for me. Especially when the rewards were so obvious. In all it’s nice. Nice people, nice food, nice holiday, nice relationship, nice end. It didn’t really hold my attention, but there’s plenty here for people to enjoy if they want something straight forward and simple and utterly lacking in drama – which, let’s be honest, is definitely needed at times. I can see other people absolutely loving this book, but it was a little too pleasant and easy for me. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: This is a nice book in which nice people eat nice food, do nice things together and generally have a nice time. There really isn’t much more to say about it than that. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just… nice. Gavin is a real sweetheart, an Irish doctor who’s decided to spend a month on Long Island with his little sister, getting some sun and a bit of sand on his holidays. He’s a good guy who had a bad break-up, but isn’t brooding about it. He’s just getting on a best he can, waiting for his bruised heart to heal. Toni is likewise a nice woman, with a job she hates and a mother who constantly puts pressure on her. She’s a housemate of Gavin’s sister, so they end up sharing a house for a month. Which might have been a problem since they’re attracted to each other from the moment they meet, though each are reluctant to make the first move. That lasts a week, then it’s all love all the time, with occasional outings for food. There is a lot of food in this book. If there’s a scene between Gavin and Toni that isn’t set in bed, then there’s usually food around somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, food is important for survival and all, but why is there so much food? Maybe it’s to take away from the lack of tension in this book, and also perhaps (for me at least) the lack of chemistry between Toni and Gavin. I just didn’t feel anything between them, they’re nice – that’s it. As for the lack of tension… well, it’s obvious early on how things will turn out, since Gavin is sweet and supportive and Toni hates everything about her life except her friends. The lack of conflict made everything so easy and – dare I say it – a tiny bit boring. There is a cranking up of emotions towards the end, but it felt forced and too contrived for me. Especially when the rewards were so obvious. In all it’s nice. Nice people, nice food, nice holiday, nice relationship, nice end. It didn’t really hold my attention, but there’s plenty here for people to enjoy if they want something straight forward and simple and utterly lacking in drama – which, let’s be honest, is definitely needed at times. I can see other people absolutely loving this book, but it was a little too pleasant and easy for me. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jul 10, 2015
not set
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Jul 11, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1925239462
| 9781925239461
| B07HHPRLRT
| 4.10
| 200
| Nov 08, 2018
| Nov 08, 2018
|
really liked it
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3.5 stars. This is a sweet, if slightly unusual Regency romance with a slow-burn relationship that deepens from a lifelong friendship into something a 3.5 stars. This is a sweet, if slightly unusual Regency romance with a slow-burn relationship that deepens from a lifelong friendship into something a little different. I enjoyed it, but there is an age gap and the history between Gideon and Jessica will not appeal to everyone. He’s in his mid-thirties, she’s an eighteen-year-old debutante, which is a pretty big gap but not unusual for the time. More unusual is the fact that Gideon has known her since she was a few days old. He’s been there throughout her life, her biggest supporter, closest confidant and most indulgent friend. Despite all this neither one ever expresses any kind of sibling feeling towards the other. Yet somehow, and I’m not quite sure how, the way the story is told never felt weird. At least to me. Others may feel differently, so YMMV. But there’s definitely no sense of predatory feelings or grooming from Gideon. Jessica is the one in control of their relationship and what boundaries they decide to push. I liked it. I liked Jess and her general commonsense and the way she pursued Gideon for all the right reasons (even if her habit of calling him Giddy was excruciatingly childish and kind of uncomfortable given everything else). I liked how sweet and generous Gideon was, even if his father issues and bachelorhood were a little cliché. I also felt those same things were removed incredibly swiftly and without any fanfare simply because the chapters were ticking along and an ending had to happen at some point. I also feel like things heated up a bit too swiftly between him and Jess for exactly the same reason, especially considering the slow burn up until that point. One moment he’s barely able to bring himself to kiss her, then, boom, off to bed. Their chemistry really isn’t given any time to develop, despite the book being slow enough to have allowed for it. Which is a shame, because uneven pacing aside, this is sweet and steady and all kinds of adorable in many ways. Gideon and Jess are really cute together, and I enjoyed the slow build towards the change in their relationship. It’s not perfect, but I found it undemanding and enjoyable, and I’ll definitely be looking out for the next one. (ARC provided by the author via NetGalley.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. This is a sweet, if slightly unusual Regency romance with a slow-burn relationship that deepens from a lifelong friendship into something a little different. I enjoyed it, but there is an age gap and the history between Gideon and Jessica will not appeal to everyone. He’s in his mid-thirties, she’s an eighteen-year-old debutante, which is a pretty big gap but not unusual for the time. More unusual is the fact that Gideon has known her since she was a few days old. He’s been there throughout her life, her biggest supporter, closest confidant and most indulgent friend. Despite all this neither one ever expresses any kind of sibling feeling towards the other. Yet somehow, and I’m not quite sure how, the way the story is told never felt weird. At least to me. Others may feel differently, so YMMV. But there’s definitely no sense of predatory feelings or grooming from Gideon. Jessica is the one in control of their relationship and what boundaries they decide to push. I liked it. I liked Jess and her general commonsense and the way she pursued Gideon for all the right reasons (even if her habit of calling him Giddy was excruciatingly childish and kind of uncomfortable given everything else). I liked how sweet and generous Gideon was, even if his father issues and bachelorhood were a little cliché. I also felt those same things were removed incredibly swiftly and without any fanfare simply because the chapters were ticking along and an ending had to happen at some point. I also feel like things heated up a bit too swiftly between him and Jess for exactly the same reason, especially considering the slow burn up until that point. One moment he’s barely able to bring himself to kiss her, then, boom, off to bed. Their chemistry really isn’t given any time to develop, despite the book being slow enough to have allowed for it. Which is a shame, because uneven pacing aside, this is sweet and steady and all kinds of adorable in many ways. Gideon and Jess are really cute together, and I enjoyed the slow build towards the change in their relationship. It’s not perfect, but I found it undemanding and enjoyable, and I’ll definitely be looking out for the next one. (ARC provided by the author via NetGalley.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Nov 07, 2018
not set
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Nov 08, 2018
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1943963207
| 9781943963201
| B015QJTEF6
| 3.76
| 441
| Oct 02, 2015
| Oct 02, 2015
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really liked it
|
3.5 stars. Oh, Jess! How I felt for her throughout this book. Those McArthur’s are quite the bunch, and this book definitely asked more questions conc
3.5 stars. Oh, Jess! How I felt for her throughout this book. Those McArthur’s are quite the bunch, and this book definitely asked more questions concerning them than it answered. But more on that later. After a miserable childhood spent with an abusive father and bouncing in and out of foster homes, Jess has always wanted a place to belong. Once she’d thought she’d found that in Cole, but they were young and Cole had troubles of his own. When he left without a word, Jess tried to make a place for herself within his family, and has been content with that ever since. But now troubles within that same family have sent her out to track Cole down and beg him to return – regardless of her pride. Because that’s the sort of person Jess is, selfless and willing to do almost anything for those she loves. Her need to belong is so strong that she feels like she constantly has to prove herself to ensure that she’s worthy. Although perhaps she wouldn’t feel like that had she chosen a different family to latch onto. To say the McArthur’s are cold would be an understatement. They’re also selfish and self-absorbed, and even though Cole is the opposite of his father in many ways, he does share some of his less loveable traits. It’s easy to see why Cole isn’t fond of his family – they’re all brainy doctors and cold hard facts, while all he ever wanted was to ride the rodeo, while believing in instincts and fate and soul mates. Yet despite that more sensitive side, when it comes to Jess he’s still as guilty of taking from her as everyone else. The difference is that he does give something back – understanding, support, love. He’s also stubborn and prone to believing he knows best without even asking for Jess’ opinion, so it’s unsurprising that he and his father can’t compromise. But although the family drama in this story is ostensibly more about Cole, Jess’ own emotional tale was more important for me. How she begins to open her eyes to the real family and see the truth about her place within it, as well as how others start to see her differently too. This might only be a short read, but I really loved seeing Jess transform from the quiet yes-girl into a confident woman not afraid of airing her opinions. Especially to a family in desperate need of telling off. Oh, those McArthurs. Cold and unlikeable, and yet they’re an interesting bunch. I definitely got the feeling that there’s plenty of unfinished business hanging around the lot of them, not least Cole’s brother’s marriage. I hope they’ll be showing up in Marietta again soon. So if you're looking for a short read with a stubborn cowboy, family dramas and a thoroughly likeable heroine coming into her own, then you should give this a try. I can't wait to see what this year's rodeo has to offer next. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. Oh, Jess! How I felt for her throughout this book. Those McArthur’s are quite the bunch, and this book definitely asked more questions concerning them than it answered. But more on that later. After a miserable childhood spent with an abusive father and bouncing in and out of foster homes, Jess has always wanted a place to belong. Once she’d thought she’d found that in Cole, but they were young and Cole had troubles of his own. When he left without a word, Jess tried to make a place for herself within his family, and has been content with that ever since. But now troubles within that same family have sent her out to track Cole down and beg him to return – regardless of her pride. Because that’s the sort of person Jess is, selfless and willing to do almost anything for those she loves. Her need to belong is so strong that she feels like she constantly has to prove herself to ensure that she’s worthy. Although perhaps she wouldn’t feel like that had she chosen a different family to latch onto. To say the McArthur’s are cold would be an understatement. They’re also selfish and self-absorbed, and even though Cole is the opposite of his father in many ways, he does share some of his less loveable traits. It’s easy to see why Cole isn’t fond of his family – they’re all brainy doctors and cold hard facts, while all he ever wanted was to ride the rodeo, while believing in instincts and fate and soul mates. Yet despite that more sensitive side, when it comes to Jess he’s still as guilty of taking from her as everyone else. The difference is that he does give something back – understanding, support, love. He’s also stubborn and prone to believing he knows best without even asking for Jess’ opinion, so it’s unsurprising that he and his father can’t compromise. But although the family drama in this story is ostensibly more about Cole, Jess’ own emotional tale was more important for me. How she begins to open her eyes to the real family and see the truth about her place within it, as well as how others start to see her differently too. This might only be a short read, but I really loved seeing Jess transform from the quiet yes-girl into a confident woman not afraid of airing her opinions. Especially to a family in desperate need of telling off. Oh, those McArthurs. Cold and unlikeable, and yet they’re an interesting bunch. I definitely got the feeling that there’s plenty of unfinished business hanging around the lot of them, not least Cole’s brother’s marriage. I hope they’ll be showing up in Marietta again soon. So if you're looking for a short read with a stubborn cowboy, family dramas and a thoroughly likeable heroine coming into her own, then you should give this a try. I can't wait to see what this year's rodeo has to offer next. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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not set
not set
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Sep 30, 2015
not set
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Sep 26, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1939713374
| 9781939713377
| B00YOGN8G4
| 3.87
| 1,309
| Aug 29, 2015
| Sep 01, 2015
|
really liked it
|
3.5 stars. I love the Dukes of War series, because it’s so easy to read, and this latest installment is no exception. A lost twin rising from the dead
3.5 stars. I love the Dukes of War series, because it’s so easy to read, and this latest installment is no exception. A lost twin rising from the dead, a heavily pregnant woman about to marry another man, a crashed wedding, a vanished wife, a sudden birth, emotional turmoil caused by baby brain and no sleep… all with a nice historical setting. What’s not to love? Okay, so if I’m honest, much though I enjoyed this book, I devoured it in a couple of hours. It’s really short, which meant a lot of things felt glossed over or ignored. Such as why Sarah really ran away. If she’s worried about starting her marriage in the right way, perhaps she shouldn’t have bolted? Also, the reunions between the old friends and the various guilty consciences swirling around were all dispatched very quickly. There’s a whole lot of forbearance and understanding when really I expected a little more anger. Then there’s all the monetary issues that Sarah has. I really liked how that was incorporated into the story, since Edmund is well-born but not titled, yet that also fell swiftly by the wayside. Also, it might have been nice to have known a bit more about Edmund’s recovery. With wounds such as his, the idea that he essentially walked home from Waterloo is pretty staggering. Add in babies (and wasn’t that a miraculously trouble free birth!) and marital issues to do with self-consciousness on Sarah’s side and a wish never to hurt his wife again on Edmund’s and there was definitely a lot more going on in this novel than is allowed to flourish. Especially when you add PTSD on top. Which is a shame, because what is actually in this book is lovely. I adored the baby bath scene and I especially loved the conversation where Edmund and Sarah scare the life out of Bartholomew with their parenting horror stories. I also enjoyed the distance between the two of them, the misunderstandings and of course the way it was resolved. Their marriage has a very difficult beginning, but I enjoyed seeing how they slowly built something out of it all. However, I would have liked to have actually seen Edmund and the duke really sort things out and I’m slightly concerned about Sarah’s brother’s lifestyle. But those are small things compared to everything else I’ve already mentioned above, and really, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this. I just wish it had been given time to properly explore all the issues it raised. So, if you’re a fan of this series you probably don’t need me to tell you to read this. It is a highly enjoyable tale, if a little emptier than I would like (but I have a good imagination, I can fill in the gaps). If you’re new, this is probably not the best place to start, since Edmund’s return means so many different things to different people. However, I definitely recommend the series overall if you’re looking for something light and engaging with a Regency twist and a lovely touch of romance. This one is probably a little more realistic than sweet, but I liked it anyway. Can’t wait to see where the series heads next. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: 3.5 stars. I love the Dukes of War series, because it’s so easy to read, and this latest installment is no exception. A lost twin rising from the dead, a heavily pregnant woman about to marry another man, a crashed wedding, a vanished wife, a sudden birth, emotional turmoil caused by baby brain and no sleep… all with a nice historical setting. What’s not to love? Okay, so if I’m honest, much though I enjoyed this book, I devoured it in a couple of hours. It’s really short, which meant a lot of things felt glossed over or ignored. Such as why Sarah really ran away. If she’s worried about starting her marriage in the right way, perhaps she shouldn’t have bolted? Also, the reunions between the old friends and the various guilty consciences swirling around were all dispatched very quickly. There’s a whole lot of forbearance and understanding when really I expected a little more anger. Then there’s all the monetary issues that Sarah has. I really liked how that was incorporated into the story, since Edmund is well-born but not titled, yet that also fell swiftly by the wayside. Also, it might have been nice to have known a bit more about Edmund’s recovery. With wounds such as his, the idea that he essentially walked home from Waterloo is pretty staggering. Add in babies (and wasn’t that a miraculously trouble free birth!) and marital issues to do with self-consciousness on Sarah’s side and a wish never to hurt his wife again on Edmund’s and there was definitely a lot more going on in this novel than is allowed to flourish. Especially when you add PTSD on top. Which is a shame, because what is actually in this book is lovely. I adored the baby bath scene and I especially loved the conversation where Edmund and Sarah scare the life out of Bartholomew with their parenting horror stories. I also enjoyed the distance between the two of them, the misunderstandings and of course the way it was resolved. Their marriage has a very difficult beginning, but I enjoyed seeing how they slowly built something out of it all. However, I would have liked to have actually seen Edmund and the duke really sort things out and I’m slightly concerned about Sarah’s brother’s lifestyle. But those are small things compared to everything else I’ve already mentioned above, and really, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this. I just wish it had been given time to properly explore all the issues it raised. So, if you’re a fan of this series you probably don’t need me to tell you to read this. It is a highly enjoyable tale, if a little emptier than I would like (but I have a good imagination, I can fill in the gaps). If you’re new, this is probably not the best place to start, since Edmund’s return means so many different things to different people. However, I definitely recommend the series overall if you’re looking for something light and engaging with a Regency twist and a lovely touch of romance. This one is probably a little more realistic than sweet, but I liked it anyway. Can’t wait to see where the series heads next. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Aug 24, 2015
not set
|
Aug 25, 2015
not set
|
Sep 26, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1942240511
| 9781942240518
| B00VQJHHRI
| 3.72
| 2,216
| Apr 05, 2015
| Apr 07, 2015
|
really liked it
|
This was a fun, really easy read that probably could have done with being a lot longer. Annamae is too nice and normal to be much of a reality TV star
This was a fun, really easy read that probably could have done with being a lot longer. Annamae is too nice and normal to be much of a reality TV star, and I’d have liked to have seen a little bit more of her life in Atlanta before she makes a run for it. Likewise, I’d have loved to have seen more of her spending time on Wynn’s farm, making herself at home and bringing things to life. I did, however, like seeing her take control of her life, from rescuing the cute little Bagel to getting to know her grandmother and wriggling her way onto Wynn’s fortified farm. She’s nice and likeable and fun to read about. It didn’t hurt that she had great chemistry with Wynn either. He’s rugged and secretive, and yeah, it probably would have been nice to know more about him beyond his last undercover mission, not to mention see a bit more of what happens after this book ends, but he’s handsome and protective and is a great partner for Annamae. Because this is so short, some of the plot strands feel unfinished, glossed over or unrealistic, whether it’s Annamae learning more about her real father from her grandmother, dealing with the ex-fiancé, or Wynn’s dark past, yet somehow this didn’t bother me. If it had been longer, I think it could have been equally as good if not better, but as it stands it’s fun, light and easy to read with a hint of glamour, a touch of danger and some really cute cats. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: This was a fun, really easy read that probably could have done with being a lot longer. Annamae is too nice and normal to be much of a reality TV star, and I’d have liked to have seen a little bit more of her life in Atlanta before she makes a run for it. Likewise, I’d have loved to have seen more of her spending time on Wynn’s farm, making herself at home and bringing things to life. I did, however, like seeing her take control of her life, from rescuing the cute little Bagel to getting to know her grandmother and wriggling her way onto Wynn’s fortified farm. She’s nice and likeable and fun to read about. It didn’t hurt that she had great chemistry with Wynn either. He’s rugged and secretive, and yeah, it probably would have been nice to know more about him beyond his last undercover mission, not to mention see a bit more of what happens after this book ends, but he’s handsome and protective and is a great partner for Annamae. Because this is so short, some of the plot strands feel unfinished, glossed over or unrealistic, whether it’s Annamae learning more about her real father from her grandmother, dealing with the ex-fiancé, or Wynn’s dark past, yet somehow this didn’t bother me. If it had been longer, I think it could have been equally as good if not better, but as it stands it’s fun, light and easy to read with a hint of glamour, a touch of danger and some really cute cats. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
|
Apr 05, 2015
not set
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Apr 06, 2015
not set
|
Sep 26, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1925539407
| 9781925539400
| B078N7BQCJ
| 4.28
| 419
| Dec 26, 2017
| Dec 26, 2017
|
it was ok
|
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Anna Hackett and the Phoenix Adventures series in particular. I love their mix of space romp action, strange and intr
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Anna Hackett and the Phoenix Adventures series in particular. I love their mix of space romp action, strange and intriguing archeology and sexy romance. So I couldn’t wait to get back amongst them again in this newest adventure. However, while the usual hallmarks were there – weird new world to explore, alien beasties to fight and archeology to be uncovered, somehow this one didn’t work for me. Most of this is thanks to Rynan and the romance. Elana’s been in love with him for years, and he’s been fighting his attraction to her just as long. They work together, he trusts her, but he has issues so he prefers her as a friend. Except Elana isn’t willing to put up with that anymore and decides to leave. Rynan gets huffy, because how could she leave him? But thanks to a conversation with a near-stranger this man, who barely trusts anyone, suddenly changes his mind about pursuing Elana. It was too sudden and unlikely and left the whole romance feeling pretty shallow to me. Which is a shame, but there’s plenty of snowy action to keep everything else interesting. Even if the archeology stuff was rather far-fetched – particularly the sword. How old is that sword? How can it possibly be that well preserved? However, I could have coped with all of that and probably found it easy and enjoyable, except for certain twists right at the end. (view spoiler)[Thanks to childhood issues, neither Elana nor Rynan want to have children. They talk about this is a nice rational manner and I applauded them both for being so mature. I even thought that it was a great and refreshing departure from the romance genre’s obsession with genetic offspring being the only way to truly reach a HEA. There are alternatives, some by choice, some through necessity, so it was great to have two characters reach this decision and be happy with it. Then came the entirely unnecessary deadly disease that struck Elana down for about ten minutes before rescue came from the convenient arrival of a character who, while potentially useful in such a situation, had no real need to be there – not to mention must have arrived super quickly from places far distant. I found this all pretty annoying because it didn’t need to be there. Rynan didn’t need the old romantic fall-back of his beloved nearly dying for him to realise the strength of his feelings. They’d been through enough already for that. It added nothing to the plot. Until the epilogue, where the two characters who had independently decided that children weren’t for them, turned out to be pregnant and ecstatic about it. Why? Why did it have to end that way? They were happy as they were, they didn’t need a magic fix. They didn’t want a magic fix. Neither of them secretly longed for children. They would have been perfectly happy without them. Why did they have to be “fixed” to see the error of their ways and brought into conventional line with all the other chocolate-box HEAs of the genre? It was all so damned unnecessary and really pissed me off. Don’t spoil a mature decision with superfluous magic fixes. There are plenty of people out there who don’t want children for very good reasons. This doesn’t mean that they will never be happy. There are also plenty of people out there who cannot have children for many painful reasons. There will be no magic fix for them, but they can still find happiness. This ending was a slap in the face to all those who want or need an unconventional happy ending, and there was no good reason for it. (hide spoiler)] All of which left me feeling disappointed. I love this series and I’ve really loved some of this author’s work, but not this one. Most of it is an okay space romp, but the romance was too shallow and the archeology adventure didn’t grab my attention as much as it usually would. I’d probably have given it three stars, but that over-the-top ending destroyed any enjoyment I might otherwise have had. I really hope this isn’t the last of the Phoenix Adventures because I’d hate for it to all end like this. (ARC provided by the author.) Merged review: It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Anna Hackett and the Phoenix Adventures series in particular. I love their mix of space romp action, strange and intriguing archeology and sexy romance. So I couldn’t wait to get back amongst them again in this newest adventure. However, while the usual hallmarks were there – weird new world to explore, alien beasties to fight and archeology to be uncovered, somehow this one didn’t work for me. Most of this is thanks to Rynan and the romance. Elana’s been in love with him for years, and he’s been fighting his attraction to her just as long. They work together, he trusts her, but he has issues so he prefers her as a friend. Except Elana isn’t willing to put up with that anymore and decides to leave. Rynan gets huffy, because how could she leave him? But thanks to a conversation with a near-stranger this man, who barely trusts anyone, suddenly changes his mind about pursuing Elana. It was too sudden and unlikely and left the whole romance feeling pretty shallow to me. Which is a shame, but there’s plenty of snowy action to keep everything else interesting. Even if the archeology stuff was rather far-fetched – particularly the sword. How old is that sword? How can it possibly be that well preserved? However, I could have coped with all of that and probably found it easy and enjoyable, except for certain twists right at the end. (view spoiler)[Thanks to childhood issues, neither Elana nor Rynan want to have children. They talk about this is a nice rational manner and I applauded them both for being so mature. I even thought that it was a great and refreshing departure from the romance genre’s obsession with genetic offspring being the only way to truly reach a HEA. There are alternatives, some by choice, some through necessity, so it was great to have two characters reach this decision and be happy with it. Then came the entirely unnecessary deadly disease that struck Elana down for about ten minutes before rescue came from the convenient arrival of a character who, while potentially useful in such a situation, had no real need to be there – not to mention must have arrived super quickly from places far distant. I found this all pretty annoying because it didn’t need to be there. Rynan didn’t need the old romantic fall-back of his beloved nearly dying for him to realise the strength of his feelings. They’d been through enough already for that. It added nothing to the plot. Until the epilogue, where the two characters who had independently decided that children weren’t for them, turned out to be pregnant and ecstatic about it. Why? Why did it have to end that way? They were happy as they were, they didn’t need a magic fix. They didn’t want a magic fix. Neither of them secretly longed for children. They would have been perfectly happy without them. Why did they have to be “fixed” to see the error of their ways and brought into conventional line with all the other chocolate-box HEAs of the genre? It was all so damned unnecessary and really pissed me off. Don’t spoil a mature decision with superfluous magic fixes. There are plenty of people out there who don’t want children for very good reasons. This doesn’t mean that they will never be happy. There are also plenty of people out there who cannot have children for many painful reasons. There will be no magic fix for them, but they can still find happiness. This ending was a slap in the face to all those who want or need an unconventional happy ending, and there was no good reason for it. (hide spoiler)] All of which left me feeling disappointed. I love this series and I’ve really loved some of this author’s work, but not this one. Most of it is an okay space romp, but the romance was too shallow and the archeology adventure didn’t grab my attention as much as it usually would. I’d probably have given it three stars, but that over-the-top ending destroyed any enjoyment I might otherwise have had. I really hope this isn’t the last of the Phoenix Adventures because I’d hate for it to all end like this. (ARC provided by the author.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Dec 30, 2017
not set
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Dec 30, 2017
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Sep 26, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1936622041
| 9781936622047
| B00F4E1TY8
| 3.98
| 60
| Sep 11, 2013
| Sep 11, 2013
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really liked it
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I love the Steampunk world Elizabeth Watasin created for her Dark Victorian series, so I jumped at the chance to read another tale from the same setti
I love the Steampunk world Elizabeth Watasin created for her Dark Victorian series, so I jumped at the chance to read another tale from the same setting. This time Elle Black is the heroine – a thoroughly unconventional woman not only married to another woman, but in possession of strange paranormal gifts. When she receives a letter asking for her help solving a mystery of disappearing hotel guests, Elle can hardly refuse, especially once she sees the Sundark. What a place! A hotel that rotates and moves throughout the day to align itself with the heavens for the best possible psychic uses. The imagination in that place is amazing, and at the heart of it all is a chilling mystery for our sleuthing heroine to uncover, complete with a range of intriguing characters, ghosts and gristly discoveries. I loved Elle. She’s surprisingly straight-forward and pragmatic given her experiences and abilities. There’s nothing mystical about her, she’s thoroughly down to earth as she tries to uncover the reason why guests are vanishing. Unlike two of her fellow residents at the Sundark – the clairvoyant Eden Brunch and her spiritualist friend Fidela Sweetwater. I’ll admit I wasn’t always entirely sure what they were talking about as they explored the house, but they provided a marvellous contrast to Elle. There’s also a ghost-chaser, Austin Washington, and a thoroughly unmystical tin salesman, Neville Lunt. Alongside them is Josefina Dufish who has the unenviable task of running the hotel for her boss, Mr Hardwick, who spends almost all his time tinkering with the mechanical workings of the house, and the Willys, the only full time staff remaining at the Sundark. The story itself is creepy and compelling, full of ghostly presences, strange lights and mysterious rooms, in the best whodunnit style – or rather what’sdoingit. It’s beautifully written with rich descriptions and wonderful characters. There is a slight sense, however, of coming into an ongoing story with Elle’s preoccupation with a recent sighting of her dead husband. For me that whole plot strand felt a little bit off compared to the rest. I would also have liked to have seen more of Faedra, Elle’s wife. She does show up at the end, but doesn’t do much making her appearance a little superfluous, especially as she’s clearly capable of helping out. In all, though, this is a fascinating, beautifully told story combing alchemy, spiritualism, ghost hunting, mysterious mechanisms, plain old murder and ancient worldly powers better left alone. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more from this Dark Victorian world. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Merged review: I love the Steampunk world Elizabeth Watasin created for her Dark Victorian series, so I jumped at the chance to read another tale from the same setting. This time Elle Black is the heroine – a thoroughly unconventional woman not only married to another woman, but in possession of strange paranormal gifts. When she receives a letter asking for her help solving a mystery of disappearing hotel guests, Elle can hardly refuse, especially once she sees the Sundark. What a place! A hotel that rotates and moves throughout the day to align itself with the heavens for the best possible psychic uses. The imagination in that place is amazing, and at the heart of it all is a chilling mystery for our sleuthing heroine to uncover, complete with a range of intriguing characters, ghosts and gristly discoveries. I loved Elle. She’s surprisingly straight-forward and pragmatic given her experiences and abilities. There’s nothing mystical about her, she’s thoroughly down to earth as she tries to uncover the reason why guests are vanishing. Unlike two of her fellow residents at the Sundark – the clairvoyant Eden Brunch and her spiritualist friend Fidela Sweetwater. I’ll admit I wasn’t always entirely sure what they were talking about as they explored the house, but they provided a marvellous contrast to Elle. There’s also a ghost-chaser, Austin Washington, and a thoroughly unmystical tin salesman, Neville Lunt. Alongside them is Josefina Dufish who has the unenviable task of running the hotel for her boss, Mr Hardwick, who spends almost all his time tinkering with the mechanical workings of the house, and the Willys, the only full time staff remaining at the Sundark. The story itself is creepy and compelling, full of ghostly presences, strange lights and mysterious rooms, in the best whodunnit style – or rather what’sdoingit. It’s beautifully written with rich descriptions and wonderful characters. There is a slight sense, however, of coming into an ongoing story with Elle’s preoccupation with a recent sighting of her dead husband. For me that whole plot strand felt a little bit off compared to the rest. I would also have liked to have seen more of Faedra, Elle’s wife. She does show up at the end, but doesn’t do much making her appearance a little superfluous, especially as she’s clearly capable of helping out. In all, though, this is a fascinating, beautifully told story combing alchemy, spiritualism, ghost hunting, mysterious mechanisms, plain old murder and ancient worldly powers better left alone. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more from this Dark Victorian world. (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jan 15, 2015
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Sep 24, 2024
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| 4.21
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really liked it
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Oct 14, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 4.23
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liked it
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Oct 14, 2016
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 3.78
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liked it
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Jun 18, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 3.65
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liked it
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Feb 25, 2018
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 3.91
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really liked it
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Feb 24, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 3.86
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really liked it
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Jan 07, 2017
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 4.11
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really liked it
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Jun 24, 2015
not set
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Sep 28, 2024
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| 3.68
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really liked it
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Jul 20, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 4.22
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did not like it
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Mar 13, 2018
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 4.19
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really liked it
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Dec 14, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 4.15
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liked it
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Nov 11, 2016
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 3.67
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really liked it
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Apr 10, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 3.74
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did not like it
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Nov 24, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 4.21
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liked it
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Jul 11, 2015
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 4.10
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really liked it
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Nov 08, 2018
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 3.76
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really liked it
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Sep 30, 2015
not set
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Sep 26, 2024
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| 3.87
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really liked it
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Aug 25, 2015
not set
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Sep 26, 2024
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| 3.72
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really liked it
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Apr 06, 2015
not set
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Sep 26, 2024
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| 4.28
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it was ok
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Dec 30, 2017
not set
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Sep 26, 2024
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| 3.98
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really liked it
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Jan 15, 2015
not set
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Sep 24, 2024
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