Day Leclaire

After Jack Mason’s sister and brother-in-law die in a plane crash Jack is determined to get custody of their daughter (his 5-year-old niece Arabella). When his lawyer friend suggests Jack find a nanny and marry her to keep Child and Family Services away (who want to take Arabella from him) Jack knows this is something he must do. When lovely Annalise Stefano shows up for an interview, he finds the perfect lady who will fill these qualifications. What he doesn’t know is that Annalise is keeping a big secret of her own.

This was a very sweet romance. I enjoyed the storyline about Arabella and how she blossomed with the love and caring she got from Jack and Annalise. I liked the large dog (Madam) they adopted for her. Annalise was an outspoken and efficient heroine. Jack was a pretty decent and caring hero and really went out of his way to help his niece.

A thoroughly enjoyable read by Day Leclaire with a great ending.… (more)

A Very Private Merger
4 Stars

Jack Sinclair's plans for revenge against his father's legitimate children, the Kincaids, are set back when he learns that Nikki Thomas, the woman he has grown closer to over the past few months, works for the Kincaid Group as a corporate investigator. Jack's problems are compounded when he becomes the prime suspect in his father's murder. Can Jack put his pride aside to ask Nikki and his half-siblings for help in clearing his name?

This is the conclusion to the multi-author series. While each of the books focuses on one of the Kincaid siblings, they also contain short snippets detailing the progression of Jack and Nikki's romance. As this book begins well into their relationship, it is necessary to read these short chapters to understand both their characters and the ongoing story arc revolving around the murder of Reginald Kincaid.

While some of the twists in the book have been obvious from the start, i.e., the identities of both the secret shareholder as well as Reginald's killer, the development of the romance and the resolution of the mystery are satisfying.

Jack and Nikki's chemistry has been evident from the beginning of the series, and each of the short snippets only contributes to their appeal both as individuals and as a couple. It takes a skilled writer to provide the wealth of detail and characterization that Day LeClaire does in these sections. LeClaire builds on and enhances these in this concluding book. I am particularly grateful that she avoids the pitfalls of the keeping secrets and miscommunication tropes as both Nikki and particularly Jack behave like adults rather than whinny children.

Another highlight, aside from the wonderful romance, is Jack's interactions with his half-siblings as he finally allows himself to open up to the possibility of a relationship with them and to become a member of the family his has always longed-for.

Overall, this has been an entertaining series although books #2, #4 and #6 are the best.… (more)

This was 2 novels in one. Both of them by some pretty competent authors. These were not however, their best work. They each in my opinion deserved 2 stars - they were okay.

The Bachelor's Bed by Jill Shalvis
The hero, Colin, askes the heroine, Lani, to pretend to be engaged to him to get his mom to stop trying to fix him up so he can work on an invention without distractions. She keeps forgetting it's pretend. Worst part is she lets him know it. I was embarrassed for her for most of the book. Writing competent but not great. Characterizations pretty light. On the whole, not as amusing as some of her later books. If you're a fan you might read it but otherwise pretty forgettable.

Accidental Wife by Day Leclaire
The heroine has created problems for herself by lieing about being married in order to keep her boss from pestering her. So she goes to a Cinderella Ball to find a guy to marry. She ends up with the boss's brother who of course is trying to keep the other two apart, not knowing that she doesn't want the boss. Okay so even though this is a romance novel, what the devil is she doing marrying a total stranger and going back to his hotel with him? He could be a wife beater or an axe murder. The story was just too unbelievable. The writing was okay but not up to DL's standard. Of course the story was written 14 years ago. Again if you're a fan of the author not a total waste but otherwise not so great.… (more)