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During her teens, Deirdre Riordan Hall, author of PEARL, traveled throughout the United States and Europe, developing a love for stories and a desire to connect with worlds imagined or real on the page.

Harlequin TEEN and Seventeen Magazine have partnered up to launch a new imprint called Seventeen Fiction. The editors plan to work on a variety of projects such as novels,  lifestyle manuals, advice books, and nonfiction digital books.

According to the press release, the executives behind this imprint “will focus on multi-dimensional and empowered fictional female characters and explore topics and situations that authentically reflect the challenges and joys of being a teenager today, just as Seventeen does across all platforms.” Natashya Wilson, an executive editor at Harlequin TEEN, has already acquired the first manuscript: Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz.

The story “follows the daughter of immigrant parents who is living the American dream—until her world shatters when she learns she is ineligible to receive the National Scholarship Award because her family is in the country illegally and may be deported.” The release date has been scheduled for Fall 2016.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

This is going to be a rambling review.  The taboo aspects of this story didn’t bother me.   How everybody treated Jodie did. Her parents ignored her and shuttled her from one distant boarding school to the next, eager to rid themselves of her presence so they could selfishly pursue their lives without having a kid around. Stergios and his family treated her horribly, when all she wanted was some place to call home and someone to care for her. She was 15 years old when she first met them, and they couldn’t get rid of her fast enough, either! I’m just thinking what a crappy childhood that would have been, and what a strong person she must be to not be even more messed up than she was.  Jodie had zero positive role models while growing up.   ZERO.  The only reason her dad showed any interest in her at all was to ensure he received his massive child support checks from her mother.  How sad is that?

Jodie’s father is an admitted gold digger.  He married into the Antoniou family for their wealth.  Nobody seemed to have a problem with that.  Jodie, however, was a lonely, emotionally battered girl who acted out for attention.  Everybody had a problem with that.  Stergios’ mother treated her with contempt and distain, never welcoming the teenager into her home.  After an incident with her cousin, Jodie’s father banishes her from the family.  I would have considered that a stoke of good luck, but not Jodie.  She falls in and out of unwise relationships for the next few years, and then, after the sudden death of her mother, decides that she needs to make amends with her father.

Jodie’s determination to make her father love her drove me nuts and it really marred my enjoyment of the story.  Stergios wasn’t a teddy bear by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he came to realize that he was judging Jodie unfairly.  I found it kind of ironic that after taking advantage of her when she was 18, he continued to  hurl insults and judgment about her morality at her.  He also said some pretty hateful things to her during a huge argument at the midway point.  I really questioned what she saw in him, because whenever they were together, they brought out the worst in each other.  That did change later in the story, but Jodie was a lot more forgiving than I would have been.  And the kidnapping?  Just, no.  After what Stergios went through as a child, to even entertain this idea is inconceivable.  While Stergios’ behavior was driven by emotions, Jodie’s father never seemed to show any.  He was a spineless boy toy to the very end, and that infuriated me.

To say that Illicit Night with the Greek brought out lots of mixed emotions in me isn’t an exaggeration.  The supporting characters were vile and unlikable.  The hero was just barely tolerable for most of the story.  The step-sibling angle was kind of a moot point for me because Jodie was never a part of the Antoniou family, and Stergios treated her with contempt and distrust from the very first page.  This was mixed bag for me, one that did trigger several strong emotional responses, though the main response was rage at how everyone treated the heroine.  Because of how angry the Antoniou family made me, I found the backstory more compelling than the romance.  Do I believe in their HEA?  I think that Jodie and Stergios will remain blissfully happy – as long as they stay away from his unwelcoming, judgmental family. 

Grade:  C / C- because the supporting characters infuriated me so much!

Review copy provided by Author

The Greek’s unexpected parting gift…

Stergios Antoniou hasn’t seen his exiled, troublemaking stepsister, Jodie Little, since the night they finally gave in to their forbidden attraction. Learning she’s returned to Athens during a business deal too crucial to jeopardize, he holds her prisoner on his private island until it’s over. 

Jodie wants to rectify the past, but being so close to Stergios’s potent sensuality, she’s once again a slave to their destructive desire. One last illicit night should have put their affair behind them, but Jodie leaves the island with more than scorching-hot memories…

Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Publication Date: February 1
Romance sub-genre: contemporary romance
Book length: 192 pages
Goodreads link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25897411-illicit-night-with-the-greek
Order links:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Illicit-Night-Greek-One-Consequences-ebook/dp/B0111OWG5U/
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/illicit-night-with-the-greek-susanna-carr/1122252493?ean=9781488000621
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Susanna_Carr_Illicit_Night_with_the_Greek?id=YNkaCgAAQBAJ
iBooks:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/illicit-night-with-the-greek/id1016372376?mt=11
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/illicit-night-with-the-greek
Author links
Website: http://www.susannacarr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.SusannaCarr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusannaCarr
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22371
Bio:
Readers throughout the world find Susanna Carr’s award-winning contemporary romances a delightful escape that has often helped them through difficult times. Reviewers describe her award-winning stories as “fun”, “sexy” and “a must read”. When she isn’t writing or spending time with her family in the Pacific Northwest, Susanna enjoys reading romance and connecting with readers online.

 

Two Exciting Giveaways to Enter Below!

Excerpt

His dark eyes heated her with memories as he strode toward her. His long legs ate the ground in giant slices, his khakis and sports jacket declaring him in the middle of a work day. He stopped in front of her, his broad shoulders blocking the sun and casting his handsome face in shadows. But she didn’t have to see to know his jaw would be peppered with the stubble that seemed to grow in seconds after he shaved. Her fingers – her body – remembered the texture of that rasp well.

Her breath caught somewhere in her chest.

He folded his arms over his chest, just under the Hurricanes logo stitched on the front of his jacket. “Welcome to the States, Erika. No one mentioned your intention to visit. I thought you don’t like sports.”

“And yet, here I am.” And in need of privacy out of the bright Louisiana sun and the even brighter curious eyes of his team and staff. She needed space and courage to tell him why she’d made this unexpected journey across the Atlantic to this muggy bayou state. “This is not an official royal visit.”

“And you’re not in uniform.” His eyes glided over her wrap around dress.

“I’m out of the service now.” About to return to school to be a nurse, the career field she’d hoped to pursue in the military but they would not allow her such an in-the-field position, instead preferring to dress her up and trot her around as a figure-head translator. “I am here for a conference on homeopathic herbs and scents.” A part of her passion in the nursing field, and a totally made up excuse for being here today.

“Are you here to share specially scented deodorant to my players? Because they could certainly use it.” His mouth tipped with a smile.

“Are you interested in such a line?” Still jet-lagged from the transatlantic flight, she was ill-prepared to exchange pleasantries.

“Is that why you are here? For business?”

She could not just banter with him. She simply could not. “Please, can we go somewhere private to talk?”

He searched her eyes with for a long moment before gesturing over his shoulder. “I’m in the middle of a meeting with sponsors. How about supper?”

“I am not here for seduction,” she stated bluntly.

“Okay.” His eye brows shot upward. “I thought I asked you to join me for gumbo, not sex. But now that we’re talking about sex–”

“We are not.” She cut him short. “Finish your meeting if you must, but I need to speak with you as soon as possible. Privately. Unless you want your personal business and mine overheard by all of your team straining to listen.”

She definitely was not ready for them to hear she was pregnant with the heir to the Reynaud family dynasty.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please give a warm welcome to Susanna Carr!  She’s here to discuss a forbidden romance – the stepbrother hero! 

When my readers hear that the hero in Illicit Night with the Greek is the heroine’s stepbrother, the response is mixed. Some adore the story set-up while others avoiding books featuring the stepbrother hero.

Although I have read the occasional stepbrother hero over the years, it’s not a romance story I actively seek out. However, I’ve read more than a few in the past year just by chance because the stepbrother hero is becoming more popular these days in romance fiction. Some think it’s because the stepbrother is one of the last taboos. I’m not so sure. I think many writers prefer telling a story about a couple who already have an established relationship. Why not write about a hero who is part of the family? The conflict, risk factor and emotional angst are already built in!

It’s not unlike the brother’s best friend, another type of hero that has enjoyed a surge of popularity in romances for the past few years. The hero and heroine know each other for years. The brother’s best friend may have stood in as a big brother or saw the heroine as a little sister. And suddenly the relationship changes.

But there is one big difference between the two types of heroes. There’s no “like family” in this equation. They are family. The stepbrother is familiar and yet forbidden. This relationship changes everything and can rock the foundation of the family structure. There is also a risk of censure. It doesn’t matter if the couple is comprised of consenting adults and not related by blood—society still expects that their relationship remains platonic.

What do you think about the stepbrother hero? Do you seek out the stories or do you avoid them?

Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Publication Date: February 1
Romance sub-genre: contemporary romance
Book length: 192 pages
Goodreads link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25897411-illicit-night-with-the-greek

Order links:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Illicit-Night-Greek-One-Consequences-ebook/dp/B0111OWG5U/
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/illicit-night-with-the-greek-susanna-carr/1122252493?ean=9781488000621
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Susanna_Carr_Illicit_Night_with_the_Greek?id=YNkaCgAAQBAJ
iBooks:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/illicit-night-with-the-greek/id1016372376?mt=11
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/illicit-night-with-the-greek
Author links
Website: http://www.susannacarr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.SusannaCarr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusannaCarr
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22371

Bio:

Readers throughout the world find Susanna Carr’s award-winning contemporary romances a delightful escape that has often helped them through difficult times. Reviewers describe her award-winning stories as “fun”, “sexy” and “a must read”. When she isn’t writing or spending time with her family in the Pacific Northwest, Susanna enjoys reading romance and connecting with readers online.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I enjoyed the first book in this series, so I decided to read more.  Dancing in the Moonlight is about Jake Dalton, the doctor (and the least interesting brother for me, at first glance, at least), and Maggie Cruz, a wounded vet returning home after being injured in Afghanistan.  Maggie is angry and wounded, pushing away the help offered to her by her concerned family and caring neighbors.  She is independent and wants to do everything for herself, even when it’s physically painful and not the smartest path to follow.  She’s determined to do everything on her own, but pesky Jake keeps interfering and getting under foot and on her nerves.  Maggie’s rage and her fears for the future are emotionally examined as she struggles to help her mother run their ranch.

Maggie was angry before her tour of duty.  She has blamed the Dalton’s for her father’s death for years and has avoided and snubbed them at every opportunity.  When she’s wounded in Afghanistan, she’s hurting again.  She doesn’t believe her life can ever be normal now that she’s not, and she’s quit the job she loves to return home to the family ranch.  Still in pain after spending months in the hospital, she is reeling from the rejection of her fiancé, a hot-shot doctor, when he’s confronted with her injuries.  Afraid of facing that look of revulsion ever again, she’s accepted that she’s going to spend the rest of her life alone, with the only person she can count on – herself.

A flat tire just a short distance from her mom’s home has her struggling to change the tire, in the dark.  Jake sees her vehicle at the side of the road and is surprised to see Maggie.  He didn’t know that she was coming home.  Maggie’s reception to him is less than friendly, but Jake insists on changing the tire for her.  That’s when he notices that she’s trying to hide how much pain she’s in.  Jake is a doctor, too, and he takes his job seriously.  The only doctor for miles and miles, he takes pride in the skillful care he gives to his rural patients.  Maggie isn’t having any of his doctoring, though, and storms off home to surprise her mom with her arrival.  At loose ends, Maggie didn’t even call her mom to let her know that she was moving back home.

What I liked best about this book was Jake’s patience.  He is a saint when it comes to Maggie’s brush offs.  All he wants is to ensure that her pain is manageable, but she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him or his doctoring.  What Maggie doesn’t know is that Jake has loved her since he was a teen, and he’s not about to give up on her, or let her give up on herself.  She survived a bombing and saved other people’s lives, all at a terrible cost to herself.  While everyone in their small ranching community looks at her as a hero, Maggie sees herself as broken and damaged beyond repair.  Jake slowly helps her to heal emotionally, so she can see that she does have a bright future waiting for her, instead of the bleak one she had resigned herself to.

Doctors are not my favorite heroes, but I’ll make an exception for Jake.  He’s caring, kind, and a part-time cowboy.  He’s also one of the most patient romance heroes I’ve run across.  Maggie is nothing but a black cloud of rage (justifiably), and she’s letting it diminish her plans for herself.  She no longer thinks she’s capable of continuing her own medical career, which she found fulfilling and satisfying.  With Jake’s help, she accepts that while she will never be how she was before her injury, that doesn’t mean that she can’t be whole and happy again.

Grade:  B+

Review copy borrowed from my local library

LIEUTENANT MAGDALENA CRUZ HAD COME HOME…

But it wasn’t the way she’d envisioned her return. And though all she wanted was to be alone, infuriatingly handsome Dr. Jake Dalton—of the enemy Daltons—wouldn’t cooperate. And she needed him to, because the walls around her heart were dangerously close to crumbling every time he came near…

Jake had spent most of his life trying to get closer to Maggie, with little to show for it. But she was the woman he’d always wanted, and no injury in the world could change that. Now if only he could convince her that the woman who stood before him was beautiful, desirable, whole…and meant to be his…

Previously Published.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

This was an extremely challenging book for me.  I was drawn to the title because the heroine is a horse trainer, and I’ve had previous success with Sarah M Anderson’s books. Once I read “horse trainer” I didn’t read any further.  The plots of category romances can get pretty interchangeable. A prince here, a billionaire there, or a millionaire cowboy; sometimes it seems that the only thing that changes are the locations or the characters names.  Tempted by a Cowboy felt like a completely different read, and there were times I didn’t like it. 

I found Phillip a difficult man to like.  When he meets Jo, he’s three sheets to the wind, with a pair of bimbos plastered to his side.  She’s just arrived to the job that’s going to make or break her career.  Phillip just purchased a 7 million dollar stud that nobody can get near, let alone train.  With a reputation for “fixing” even the most foregone horses, Jo is counting on this job to give her a hefty deposit on some hand, as well as a killer reference.  When she meets Phillip, her sense of self-preservation goes into overdrive.  Phillip is everything that she has sworn off for the last ten years, and she’s afraid he’s going to drag her back down into the nightmare she only barely escaped.  Besides, she doesn’t save people, only horses.

Jo is a recovering alcoholic, and Phillip is denying that he has a drinking problem.  Jo gave up blackouts and anonymous hookups by turning her back on both men and liquor.   The thought of wallowing back into her addiction has her terrified, but when Phillip is sober, he’s sweet and irresistible.  It’s when he’s not that they have a problem.  Phillip, a second son, was largely ignored for his older brother, and then for his younger half-siblings.  He sought attention from a young age by acting out, and he’s never stopped.  To make matters worse, his family owns a brewery, and it’s his job to be entertaining at corporate events, ensuring that everyone is having a grand old time drinking the family’s beer.  Talk about a recipe for disaster.  Phillip won’t acknowledge that he has a problem, he shifts the blame for his mistakes on others, and his family isn’t there to support him.  Instead, they push all the wrong buttons to send him on another drinking binge.

I’ll be honest.  I don’t believe that Phillip was the right guy for Jo.  I don’t believe in their HEA.  I believe that they are happy for now, but geez, what’s going to happen when Phillip has another bump in his road?  He can’t stay on the ranch forever, and as he’s already learned, his plans for sobriety can shatter as easily as a dropped glass.

Still, this was an emotionally gripping read.  I couldn’t put it down.  Even when I thought Jo was making a mistake, I understood her reasons for it.  Phillip, I just couldn’t relate to at all.  He is easily the most unstable hero I’ve ever encountered, and it took a lot of work on my part to give him a break. 

Because this book was so unexpected, and it surprised me, as well as kept me glued to the pages, I highly recommend it.

Grade:  B / B+

Review copy borrowed from my local library

How can she resist the cowboy’s smile when it promises so much pleasure?

Phillip Beaumont likes his drinks strong and his women easy. So why is he flirting with his new horse trainer, Jo Spears, who challenges him at every turn? Phillip wants nothing but the chase…until the look in Jo’s haunted green eyes makes him yearn for more…

Sure, Jo’s boss is as jaded and stubborn as Sun, the multi-million-dollar stallion she was hired to train. But it isn’t long before she starts spending days and nights with the sexy cowboy. Maybe Sun isn’t the only male on the Beaumont ranch worth saving!

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

All of the sheikh stories I have been reading are starting to blend together. I think it’s time for a break, but there seem to be so many of them!  And I really did like the cover, so I jumped into The Desert Lord’s Bride with a great deal of anticipation.

Unfortunately, the plot was pretty forgettable.  I read this one night and I could barely remember any of the plot details the next morning! Shehab, the heir to the throne, is determined to con the newly discovered princess of a neighboring kingdom into marrying him.  That kind of makes her sound like a new species of flower or butterfly – unknown princess appears on the radar!  The whole marriage game is upended!  Which handsome prince can marry her and cement his place in the succession of his kingdom?  It wasn’t even as exciting as that.

Farah’s already turned down Shehab once, so he disguises himself and pretends to not be himself.  Farah is immediately drawn to him, then agrees to go out to dinner with him.  What she doesn’t realize when they hop on his private jet, is that they’ll actually be flying somewhere.  Uh, hello, what else would you do on a plane but fly it somewhere?  If I had been Farah, I would have put the brakes on when we pulled up in front of Shehab’s aircraft.  There would be no way I would get on a plane with a guy I had met an hour ago, but then again, I am to susceptible scary news stories about stranger danger, abductions, and murders.

To make things even more uncomfortable for me, Shehab whisks her away to his private island paradise, where they enjoy a multi-week vacation. I don’t have enough vacation days to miss that much time from work!  Apparently, princesses, whether they want to be royalty or not, don’t have to worry about mundane things like that. 

I thought Shehab was a bit creepy and stalkerish. He never seemed sincere in his pursuit of Farah, but then again, he wasn’t. He concealed his identity for almost the entire time and then ended up professing his undying love for her – I just didn’t buy it.  I liked the art, though, so the story wasn’t a total loss.

Grade:  C / C-

Review copy purchased from Amazon

“I promise to give you the best moment of your life,” whispers a beautiful, mysterious man after a passionate kiss. Those words make Farah throw all reason out the door. Career woman Farah is actually a desert princess, and had just found out that she is to be in an arranged marriage with a prince from a neighboring kingdom. Farah has always wanted to marry the man she falls in love with, and hoped that this man, who made her crazy, would be the one. Hot passion takes her over. Please, take me now! At that moment, the man’s eyes shine like a beast.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I checked out The Secret Princess on a lark.  I was pressed for time with review books, but I saw the cover while browsing the virtual shelves at the library and was hooked.  It’s very cute, and I like the art style.  So I clicked the Borrow button and sat down to read it right away.  The story is cute too, so I’m glad I had a case of ADD.

Lotty has always behaved as her grandmother wished, and never rebelled against her.  The princess of Montluce, she has a reputation and public image to uphold.  When a series of threats against the throne make her grandmother nervous about the succession, she arranges for Lotty to marry her cousin.  Even though Phillippe is her best friend, she just can’t see herself married to him.  Besides, he’s in love with her friend, Caro, and she doesn’t want to come between them.  Taking Phillippe’s advice, she runs away from home, determined to use this opportunity to kick up her heels and experience the freedom she’s been denied for so long.

She goes to Scotland because her mother loved the country.  Unfortunately, her wallet is stolen soon after she arrives.  Penniless, she’s desperate to get a job, and asks Corran McKenna to hire her, despite the locals warnings to stay far away from him.  The grumpy guy is quick to point out that she isn’t strong enough to help him work his land, and he has no use for a woman employee.  Undeterred and persistent, she pesters him to point that he offers her a position.  If she can get a cottage in desperate need of TLC cleaned up and painted by the end of the weekend, he’ll hire her.  Not one to turn down a challenge, Lotty proves that Corran has underestimated her, and he reluctantly offers her a job.

Once she starts working alongside Corran, Lotty feels guilty for lying to him about her true identity.  Corran knows that there’s something off about her, but he just thinks that she’s a spoiled rich kid who has run away from home over some petty argument with her family.  As the two get to know each other, Lotty learns that the villagers think Corran stole the land from his younger brother.  He doesn’t hesitate to tell her that there is no love lost between his step-mother and his half-brother, and that his father turned his back on him after leaving his mother.  Corran ended up with the land because his father knew that the upkeep would be a financial burden, and he didn’t want to pin that on his youngest son. Instead, in spite, he left the land to Corran, who loved it and wants to make improvements, but can’t because he can’t get a loan. 

I enjoyed The Secret Princess because of the pretty art, seamless translation, and engaging story.  Lotty really is a kind person, and she’s determined to make the villagers see that they are wrong where Corran is concerned.  Before she leaves, she wants to repay his kindness by setting the record straight with the people who have basically shunned Corran.  Despite their rocky start, Lotty has come to care for her gruff employer.  She also loves the land, and wants to see Corran’s dreams come true.  She knows that they have no future together, so she’s decided to live for the moment, for the first time in her life.

The pacing is spot on, and the HEA, though highly unbelievable in this age of heightened security, is satisfying.  I was completely sold on their joyous future together.

Grade:  B

Review copy borrowed from my local library

From Amazon:

Princess of Montluce, Lotty, is very introverted and has never been able to express herself. Her grandmother wants to arrange an engagement for her, and she ends up running away. She wants to see what she can do on her own, and possibly fall in love for the first time… However, she loses her wallet in some town since she’s not used to having one, and ends up working for a man named Corran as a maid. At first, she is angered by his rudeness, but she ends up smitten by the kindness behind his crude demeanor.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

Continuing my Harlequin marathon, I discovered that the library has Harlequin bundles in their collection.  BUNDLES! Of HARLEQUINS!  It’s like being a kid in a candy store after hours, with no supervision and nobody to tell you to STOP gorging yourself with all of that yummy candy!  This discovery is the equivalent of finding King Tut’s tomb, so forgive me as I gleefully consume as many Harlequins as I can. Every day I read until my EYES BLEED!

Getting back to the topic at hand:  I borrowed the March 2014 American Romance bundle because it was actually available for check out.  These bundles are very popular, and I am on wait lists for about 4 others.  I love the opportunity to read new to me authors, because when I pick single issue titles, I go by authors I have already read, or a brief perusal of the blurb.  I don’t even look at that with the bundles.  I just start at the beginning and work my way to the end.  I have yet to encounter a title I disliked so much that I didn’t want to finish it, and it’s been fun just reading for the sake reading. 

As it turns out, I have read Cathy Gillen Thacker a few times before.  Each title has been a solid read.  The Texas Wildcatter’s Baby featured a great hero, but I had some trouble with Ginger, the heroine.  She is fearful of being betrayed after an unhappy marriage, so she has become super independent.  When she learns that she’s pregnant after a night with her serial hook-up Rand, she’s momentarily panic-stricken.  She is bidding on the biggest oil drilling project of her career, and she only has one shot to get it right.  This is a make it or break it moment for her fledging business.  Now that she’s pregnant, she’s afraid of how it will impact her career.  The oil business is dominated by men, and after her husband’s company humored her ambitions to build a career for herself, she’s afraid of anything that will make her look weak before the competition.

With a plan in mind, she confronts Rand with the news.  Then she proposes a temporary marriage to him, just until the baby is born.  It will be better for her business if she’s married when the pregnancy is common knowledge.  She also wants Rand to be a part of their baby’s life.  They agree to a quickie wedding at the county courthouse, but things don’t go exactly as they had planned.  Instead, they show up at Rand’s family home, where his family has already learned about the marriage and throws them a surprise wedding party.  It’s also a chance to catch up with a few of Rand’s brothers, who have been featured in other books.

Once they’re married, it’s all about work for Ginger.  She has to nail down her proposal for the oil drilling project, and work comes first for Ginger.  She now has a little one to worry about.  Forget about Rand!  He’ll be fine one his own.  That’s what drove me bonkers about Ginger.  Rand is one of the most perfect romance heroes that I’ve come across, and Ginger is too busy maintaining her independence to figure that out.  He’s kind, protective, and helpful.  What woman wouldn’t give her eyeteeth for a guy who FOLDS laundry??  Or lets her sleep in and catch up on her rest?  The list of his positive qualities is endless, but Ginger turns a blind eye to all of them.

To stir up trouble with the couple, they also have to deal with Ginger’s clingy mother and her devious ex.  Through it all, Rand has her back, and eventually, even Ginger begins to appreciate his presence in her life.  She’s just too afraid of losing her independence to admit it to him, let alone herself, so the grade took a knock because I was so frustrated with her.  It’s not until 4 or 5 pages until the end that she gives in to her feelings and confesses her love, and that was cutting it far too close for me.  Otherwise, this was an enjoyable read.

Grade:  C+

Review copy borrowed from my local library

Love Isn’t Part of the Deal

Ginger Rollins can’t believe she gave in to temptation—again! It’s time for her and Rand McCabe to face the consequences. Never mind that the geological engineer and sexy environmental cowboy are on opposite sides when it comes to the Texas land they both love. Now that she’s pregnant, they have one option.

Rand isn’t used to being proposed to by a woman—especially one as gorgeous as Ginger—but he’s all for getting married. Too bad the independent wildcatter sees their union as a nonnegotiable deal. Doesn’t she know they share more than hot chemistry? How long can he keep his feelings—and their baby—a secret? Rand vowed to love and honor Ginger forever. And it’s a promise he intends to keep….

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

Milly isn’t having a good day.  Her refuge for the next two weeks has been yanked out from under her, and instead of working as a chalet girl for a rich couple and their kids, she’ll be heading back home to face her friends’ pitying glances.  After catching her fiancé doing the nasty with her best friend, she’s lost a lot of confidence in herself, as well as her dreams for the future.  The temporary position in France was going to get her out of London long enough for her loser ex, Robbie, and her former BFF to clear out of her place, and allow her to squeeze in a little ski time, too.   Convincing her boss to let her stay in the chalet overnight to get some sleep before heading back home, Milly meets Lucas, a guy she assumes is a ski instructor.

Lucas is really a handsome young billionaire, and he owns the chalet.  When his mother’s friends can’t keep their vacation plans due to a family illness, Lucas pulls some strings and gets them to pay for Milly’s time anyway.  He’s annoyed that they didn’t let her know about their change of plans, and he finds her amusing and refreshing.  Milly doesn’t know who he is, and she treats him like a person, not a bank account.  He thinks that he’ll decompress for a few days, go skiing with Milly, and amuse himself at the same time.  When the cat gets out of the bag, he has an irate Milly to deal with.  She’s angry that Lucas wasn’t upfront about his identity, and she feels like a fool for jumping to conclusions.  He offers to help her out financially, if she’ll go to Madrid and pretend to be his fiancée.   His mother is not well, and he wants to her to stop worrying about him finding himself a wife.

While I enjoyed the author’s writing style, as well as Milly’s down to earth personality, there was a distinct lack of chemistry between the protagonists.  This was another story featuring a hero who has convinced himself he can never fall in love, due to an unpleasant experience when he was nineteen.  He’s in his thirties now.  I would hope that he would get over the unpleasantness after more than ten years!

Even though this story didn’t work for me, I would like to read more by the author.  I liked her easy-going writing style and the heroine’s inner monologs.

Grade:  C+

Review copy borrowed from my local library

The Secret Billionaire

Billionaire Lucas Romero is many things—brooding, talented and a consummate womanizer. The one thing he’s not? The “ski instructor” beautiful, innocent Milly Mayfield thought she was giving herself to in a sumptuous, secluded French ski chalet! And now she’s livid!

Arrogant playboy Lucas is bewildered by Milly’s decidedly unusual reaction to the revelation of his substantial wealth—he’s never had complaints before! But even Milly cannot ignore the sexual chemistry between them. So when a family emergency means he needs a willing woman by his side, Milly suddenly finds herself whisked away to Spain…and engaged!

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I read His Defiant Desert Queen because it was included in the Harlequin Presents bundle that I borrowed from the library.  I randomly checked it out because it also included a Caitlin Crews title.  I didn’t read any of the descriptions prior to  gobbling them up, and I definitely had mixed success with this collection.  I had so many reservations about this title, my first by Jane Porter.  Though I ultimately enjoyed it, I had to resist the very strong urge to DNF it at the beginning.

Jemma Copeland is not having a good year.  Her father was busted for running the biggest Ponzi scam in history.  Instead of   paying his dues, he’s high-tailed it with some of his ill-gotten gains (he did get what he deserved), leaving his clueless family behind to deal with the scandal.  Jemma’s modeling career was destroyed, her fiancé dumped her, and her friends all turned their backs on her.  Now she’s struggling to make ends meet.  When she’s offered a modeling job in Saidia, she uses her sister’s passport to secure a visa after being denied entry into the country under her own name.  When Sheik Mikael  discovers her deception, he’s extremely displeased that Jemma  flaunted the laws of his country.  He also has a bone to pick with her family after his mother fell victim to her father’s schemes, leading to his mother’s death.

Mikael drags Jemma to his tribal village so the village elder can pass judgment on her.  Mikael is given two choices regarding her punishment.  Either she spends seven years as a “guest” in the village, or he marries her.  Even though he feels nothing but contempt for her, he loads her on a camel, ties her to the saddle, and rides off to his desert palace, all without her consent.  That right there almost caused me to stop reading the book.  In Mikael’s country, the sheiks have kidnapped their brides for generations, in order to cement tribes together through marriage.  I didn’t buy that, and had a hard time dealing with both his contempt for her and his treatment of her.

The story did get much better as it went along, despite my reservations with the premise. As Mikael and Jemma spend their “honeymoon” together in Mikael’s sumptuous home , they slowly get to know each other.  Mikael comes to understand that Jemma had no control over her father’s actions, and he slowly realizes that she’s nothing like he thought she’d be.  He also begins to put his own guilt over his mother’s death into perspective, and begins to forgive himself for how he acted after his parents divorced.  He has a lot of inner turmoil to overcome, and with Jemma’s help, he begins to work through them.

As far as Jemma went, I didn’t like her at first.  She is all about Me, Me, Me!  She agrees to go through with the farce of a honeymoon, knowing that in eight days she can just tell Mikael that she’s not happy and he’ll send her back home.  As the days go by, though, she starts to realize that she is happy, the happiest that she has ever been. She’s no longer lonely.   Mikael is a tender and passionate lover, and she genuinely enjoys his company.  Before she knows it, she’s fallen in love with him.  That turns out to be another point of contention, because Mikael has promised himself that he will never fall in love (this is such an overused trope in romance, and frankly, it is one that I am losing patience with).  This opens the door to more conflict, and Mikael’s final realization that he can’t bear to let Jemma go.

By the end of the story, I believed that Jemma was happy, and  that Mikael made her feel safe, protected, and cherished.  I also believed that Mikael forgave himself, allowing himself to find the love that had eluded him.

Grade:  B-

Review copy borrowed from my local library

I will not marry you. I will not!

When Sheikh Mikael catches notorious model Jemma Copeland flaunting Saidia’s laws—and her body—in his desert, he knows one thing: revenge against his family’s destruction is within his reach! To achieve it he makes Jemma an offer: imprisonment or marriage.

With her life shattered by the scandal that rocked her family, Jemma needed that modeling job. She didn’t know that she was breaking the law! But Mikael’s outrageous proposal pushes her beyond shock…to utter fury. If he expects her to be a meek, pliable bride, this arrogant sheikh has another think coming!

Taking the Heat (Jackson: Girls' Night Out) by Victoria Dahl. Harlequin. 2015. Reviewed from ARC.

The Plot: Veronica Chandler is "Dear Veronica" for the Jackson, Wyoming local paper, the voice of wisdom offering funny and on-target advice for young and old, on everything from family relationships to sex.

The thing is, she's hiding something -- she feels like a big fake. Yes, she has common sense, a sense of humor, the research skills and writing skills that make "Dear Veronica" such a success. What she doesn't have, well, is the real-life experience everyone thinks she has.

Everyone thinks that she's the local girl who went to New York City and came back full of wisdom and experience. What they don't know is that NYC was nothing like Veronica had dreamed it would be. What they don't know is she came home because she had no where else to go. What they don't know is she's never been in love. What they don't know is she's a 27 year old virgin.

Gabe MacKenzie is the hot new guy in town. He's the new librarian, and while he's originally from New York City he's not a big-city guy. He loves that his new job allows him plenty of time for rock-climbing and hiking. He doesn't love that it's only for a year: family obligations are pulling him back to New York. He's not looking for anything long term or anything serious. And then he meets Veronica.

The Good: This is the most recent book in Dahl's Girls' Night Out series, and it's the third in that series to feature a librarian. Since it's set in a small town (well, small when it's not tourist season) it makes sense that the library is an important place in the lives of the members of the small town.

Familiar characters from the other books make appearances, but this story is all Veronica's. There are many, many things I enjoy about Dahl's books and this one doesn't disappoint. The characters are interesting, real, and complex. Veronica isn't a virgin for reasons of religion, morality, or desire -- it's just that her timing has never been right. In high school and college she was concentrating on grades so that she could get a job in NYC; and then NYC let her down. She returned home to discover that what she wanted in life was what her home town had to offer.

And the sexytimes are terrific, as well as what leads up to it -- Veronica revealing her big secret to Gabe is one of my favorite scenes.

Gabe, as I said, is in Wyoming for a year; Veronica doesn't know that, and I like that the tension between the two of them was Gabe keeping this secret from her. And that his motivations for this were explored -- how his desire to be a "nice guy" by not bringing up a possible conflict was itself problematic. That "protecting" someone by not mentioning something was not protecting at all.

Also good were both Gabe's and Veronica's family situations. As I said, Gabe's family is the reason he has to return to NYC and his situation was believable and sympathetic with a good resolution. Veronica's father is a gruff, distant, and demanding man -- I need to go back and reread Flirting with Disaster (Jackson: Girls' Night Out Book 2)to remind myself of how others saw and interpreted these two. While at times I wanted to throw things at him, I found his actions, and his daughter's reactions, realistic.

Bottom line: It's Victoria Dahl. If you haven't read her books, start now, and honestly you can start anywhere with any title. The books may be interconnected but they are not dependent on each other. The only problem you'll have is the problem I face: the desire to read them all at once balanced against wanting there to always be a new-to-me Dahl book around when I need one.

What else? It's a Favorite Book of 2015, needless to say. And under "readalikes" I think this one may work for New Adult readers. While Victoria is older than most NA heroines, she is negotiating those things that NA is about: trying to establish her career, not sure what to do about career or life, trying to get independence, and love and sex. It's just, for reasons, those things happen a bit later for her; and, again for reasons, people looking at her think she has her act together when she hasn't. Or, rather, she thinks she doesn't have her act together.




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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Most Certainly Contains Spoilers

Review:

My Harlequin-o-rama continues with Blame it on the Rodeo.  I borrowed this because Lexi is a vet, and there’s a horse on the cover.  I had no expectations going into it, and truthfully, I didn’t even read the entire synopsis.  Sometimes that bites me in the rear, but this time I was pleasantly surprised, and I could not put this book down.  I loved it!

I had a great feeling about the story when it started with an equine embryo transfer.  That is how my Morgan, Elle, was bred.  She’s an embryo transfer, and was carried by a Saddlebred surrogate.  I have never encountered this in a story before, and I was really excited to see it here.  When I pick up a book featuring a veterinarian, I expect the protagonist to do veterinarian things.  I was so pleased with all of the medical procedures in Lexi’s daily activities; Coggins tests, West Nile vacations, helping to with a difficult delivery – these are things I hope to read about, so Amanda Renee gets a double thumbs up for Lexi’s profession feeling authentic.

As the story progressed, I started to get a little apprehensive. When Lexi was an eighteen year old college student, she and her high school sweetheart shared a romantic weekend together, and Lexi wound up pregnant.  Home for Thanksgiving, she intended to tell Shane that he’s going to be a father, only to learn that he’s about to marry another woman because he got her pregnant.  Heartbroken that he cheated on her, Lexi kept her pregnancy to herself, carried her baby to term, and then, knowing that she’s not ready for motherhood, placed him with an adoption agency.  Now, thirteen years later, her secret has come home to roost.  Lexi suspects that young Hunter, a student at Shane’s rodeo school, is the son she gave up all those years ago.

Lexi’s anguish is compelling and believable.  After hiring a private investigator to confirm her suspicions, she is conflicted.  Does she disrupt Hunter’s happy life and let him know that she’s his mother?  Does she throw a major wrench in Shane’s life and tell him what happened?  She kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone, including her own family, and now she’s afraid of what they will think of her.  I was completely sympathetic, and wondered what she was going to do to bring a measure of peace to herself.

Shane, on the other hand…I had issues with Shane.  The first major strike against him was his cheating.  Sure, he was young, but I expect a romance hero to be faithful.  He is urged by his parents to marry the buckle bunny he knocked up, only to learn a year later that the child is not his.  Oops! Oh, the irony!  His long-time friend is pregnant with his child, and he marries a woman pretending to be pregnant with his child. Ouch!   Maybe he should have demanded a paternity test right off the bat.  He is devastated when he loses the baby he’s come to love, and he’s spent every day since wondering what happened to him.  Is he happy with his father, another rodeo competitor? 

Shane’s other problem is Shane’s preoccupation with himself.  He lives for the rodeo.  He longs to win the world championship, both for his ego and to help get his rodeo school on the map.  He’s dated just about every single female in town in an effort to forget about Lexi, but he doesn’t own up to his irresponsibility and his own actions that caused him to lose her.  He still loves her, but he won’t tell her.  He drove me bonkers!  And when he learns the truth about Hunter?  Ugh!  He comes across as a self-righteous ass and puts all of the blame on Lexi, without accepting that, ultimately, he was the one who screwed up.  While I’m still not sure I believe that he will ever be the kind of man Lexi needs, he did change by the end so that I was hopeful that he had learned some valuable life lessons.

I finished Blame it on the Rodeo and immediately wanted to catch up on the other books in the Ramblewood, Texas series, so I’ll call this a successful outing.

Grade:  B / B+

Review copy borrowed from my local library

From Amazon:

A Secret The Size Of Texas

Veterinarian Lexi Lawson has her hands full–and not just when she’s delivering foals at the Langtry family’s ranch. Working there forces Lexi to confront Shane Langtry, the man who broke her heart. True, he seems different now–more generous, more grounded. But Lexi isn’t fooled: Shane lives for rodeo competition and nothing else. Besides, after what he did to her, there’s no way she’d take him back.

Long ago, when they were in love, Lexi hid a terrible secret from Shane–one she planned to keep forever. But when he learns the truth, she’s forced to choose between the past she left behind…and the future they might still find together.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I am having a love-hate relationship with Crews’ books.  I love the raw emotion of her writing, but gosh darn!  Her heroes can be such douche bags!  Since At the Count’s Bidding features the revenge trope, I was expecting Giancarlo to not be the nicest guy at first, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around how awful he could be.  It was hard for me to accept him as heroic or romantic, and I wondered what Paige saw in him.  I started to think that the only reason she was allowing him to treat her like that was because of all of that guilt she carried.  For what?  For something she did ten years ago, when she was just barely out of her teens.

At first I was upset with Paige for allowing Giancarlo to treat her like a doormat, but what else did she expect? Every adult in her life treated her terribly, especially her mother, so why would she expect her lover to take an active interest in her and find out why she did what she did?  Instead, he rejects her cold, disappears from her life for ten years, and then – poof!  He’s back.  That was completely Paige’s fault. How she thought working for his superstar mother could possibly be a good decision is beyond me.  But wait! I’ve gotten ahead of myself.

Ten years ago, Giancarlo fancied himself a director.  With his mother’s connections and his own personal wealth, playing out his fantasy of making movies was quickly a reality.  On the set, he saw Paige, and it was as if the earth stood still.  The two were drawn to each other like moths to flame, and soon were burning with passion.  Then Paige’s past caught up with her, she betrayed Giancarlo by selling pictures of them getting naughty to a tabloid, and Giancarlo thought the world had come to an end.  Now, don’t get me wrong, but most people craving privacy don’t get caught up in the movie biz, and most people in the movie biz would love a scandal like that to set their stars aflame.  There are several celebrities whose careers are built on little more than a sex tape here or there, so would he really get all bent out of shape about a couple of stills showing him in action?  He made the wrong career choice.

After they are reunited at his mother’s house after ten long and bitter years (for him), Giancarlo threatens to spill the beans on Paige’s past and get her fired.  Would his mother really allow her to stay employed after Paige betrayed him like that?  I was thinking that, yes, she probably would, because if his mother had thought of it first, she would have done the same thing!  She thrived on attention and the adulation of the press and her fans, so a little scandal would have gotten her what she craved without too much effort.  Heck, if she could have used their pictures again to get herself some press, she would have cheerfully done that, too! 

But Paige, terrified that she’ll lose her job and Violet’s friendship,  agrees to jump every time he snaps his fingers.  She’s to be there for him when ever he wants, where ever he wants, so he can finally achieve his revenge.  This, I did not like so much .  At first he starts to degrade and minimize her, until he realizes what a dick move that would be.  I had a hard time with his behavior in the beginning of the book, because after treating someone like that, it’s hard to come back from that and look noble and romantic.

I had so many issues with this book, when Giancarlo treated Paige horribly, and she acted like a doormat and accepted it.  When Giancarlo blamed Paige for getting pregnant because he THOUGHT she was on birth control, I thought, That’s it!  He can never recover in my mind from that!  What a jerk!  He didn’t even care enough to ASK  Paige about it, or better yet, take responsibility in his own hands and make sure that he didn’t get her pregnant.  A guy with that much money, who didn’t ever want to get trapped in marriage, would have not left something that important to chance!  Giancarlo was so selfish he didn’t even think that there might be more to what happened in the past than Paige wanting money. Ugh!

Even when I wanted to chuck my Kindle against the wall in utter frustration, I kept reading.  Why???  I know you are asking.  Because the strength of the writing kept me turning the pages. It is so emotional and melodramatic, and I really like Crews’ writing style.  I might not like what her characters do, but all of those words she uses to make them do it? Those I like!  She even made Giancarlo grovel before Paige took him back, and somehow let him redeem himself, even when I didn’t think that could ever be possible.  I have to keep reading her books to see if all of her heroes are douche bags.

Grade:  Story: C (Because of my reservations)

Hero: D for DOUCHBAG!

Writing: B+ for why else would I have finished this if I hated the hero that much???

Review copy obtained from my local library

“It’s the surrender. It’s all about the surrender.”

Paige Fielding has waited ten years for Giancarlo Alessi to walk back into her life. But the man she was once forced to betray isn’t interested in asking questions, or hearing apologies…

Shocked to discover Paige working as his mother’s PA, Giancarlo sees his thirst for vengeance reignite. So he lures her to Tuscany, where she will bow to his every pleasurable command.

But the lines between payback and passion quickly blur. And when Giancarlo discovers Paige is pregnant he must ask himself: Is it really revenge he so desperately craves—or her?

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I was more than annoyed when I learned that Scribd was drastically cutting back on their romance catalog.  I signed up for an annual subscription shortly after they acquired 15,000 backlist Harlequins.  Harlequins are my crack, so I’ve been dismayed that my favorite authors will no longer be available there, after they took my money and still haven’t emailed their customer base about their actions.  So, I decided to spend most of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday reading manga on the website.  I haven’t been a power user until this weekend.  I was more than content to know that that huge library of Harlequins was there, waiting for me when I had time for them.  Now, I am going to be a power reading, and get my money’s worth from the subscription.  I figure I have about 4 months of minimal reading to make up for. 

I had no real reason for picking Personal Relations to read.  The cover is kind of cute, and it was one of the first titles on the recommendation page, so what the heck.  I went for it.  This is a cute read!

When Brooke’s sister and Chase’s step-brother announce their engagement, the high school students don’t get the happy reaction they expected. Both Brooke and Chase are upset and want their wards to have a better future than getting married as teens. As they try to convince Courtney and Jeff that they have plenty of time to get married, and that college is more important, Brooke and Chase can’t fight their growing attraction.

This is a cute read, with very fast pacing. Both Brooke and Chase are desperate for their siblings to change their minds and wait, so that they don’t turn out to be unhappy like their parents. Chase’s parents weren’t compatible, and they both moved on after their divorce, leaving the brothers to fend for themselves. An unwise decision by Brooke costs Brooke’s parents their savings, and driven by her sense of guilt, she takes guardianship of Courtney when they leave for a job overseas. Hoping to be the voice of reason, the two adult implore the teens to stop and think before making the biggest mistake of their lives.

After a rough introduction, which starts with Chase trying to buy off her sister and ends with Brooke soundly slapping Chase on the cheek, the two adults agree to put aside their animosity for the sake of Courtney and Jeff.  They think that if they join forces, the kids won’t stand a chance against them.  They quickly realize that they underestimated how stubborn the teens can be, and are soon pulling out their hair in frustration.  Every argument and attempt to make them see the folly of their behavior is ignored or thrown back at them.

While the romance was just a little too much of a whirlwind, the story was humorous and fun. Brooke and Chase are sent on a merry chase after the teenagers, which leads to an unexpected visit to Vegas, as well as a surprise declaration from Chase. The art was clean and the style fit the story well.

Grade:  B

Review copy read at Scribd

Brook is shocked when one day her younger sister, Courtney, announces that she will be getting married to her boyfriend, Jeff. However, the two of them are still in high school. “As her older sister, I must put a stop to this reckless marriage!” When Brook consults with Jeff’s cool and handsome older stepbrother, Chase, he throws her a $10,000 check, saying bluntly that “I’d like to pretend none of this ever happened”! Shaking with anger that he has insulted her sister by saying she’s only after money, she ends up slapping him in a burst of outrage!

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I am a sucker for cowboys and veterinarians, so when I saw that The Heart of a Cowboy had both, I instantly borrowed it from my local library.  While parts of the story had me rolling my eyes, overall, I thought this was a good read.  Lots of soul searching from both protagonists, a dark secret that’s been entrusted to Natalie, and genuinely likable supporting characters had me finishing this off in less than an afternoon.

Natalie’s alcoholic father reveals the terrible secret he’s been hiding for twenty years, and a death bed promise has her driving from Kansas to the small town in Texas where her family used to live.  When she was a young girl, her parents uprooted the family, packing them into the family car and moving all the way to Kansas, all without an explanation.  When Natalie learns the reason for her family’s flight, she is sickened and ashamed.  Her father got behind the wheel when he was drunk and killed Natalie’s best friend’s mother.  Now it’s Natalie’s duty to let the Brody’s know what really happened that awful night, all those years ago.

Natalie is understandably struggling with her promise.  She doesn’t want to tell the Brody’s what happened, afraid of how it will alter their feelings for her.  With her father dead, there’s only her mother left to turn in for her crime of silence.  She’s also afraid that by bringing up the past, the Brody’s happiness will be destroyed.  Being a person of her word, though, she reluctantly heads back to Blue Falls to face the ugly past that her father left shattered behind him.

Garrett, now the only unwed Brody sibling, wonders why he hasn’t found a woman to settle down with.  All he wants is the love of a good woman, a family of his own, and the satisfaction of improving the cattle ranch that has been in the family for generations.  When Natalie comes back to town, he’s drawn to her beauty and kind nature.  He senses that she’s troubled and hiding something, but he can’t figure out what it might be.  When he finally learns the truth she’s been burdened with, he doesn’t think he can ever forgive her for lying by omission. 

I enjoyed The Heart of a Cowboy.  While I wondered at the work comp issues behind her injuries after helping out the small town vet (as well as who was going to foot the medical bills), and found her discharge from the hospital so soon after being trampled by a bull (I know, I know – NITPICKING, but after all my insurance issues and the medical crisis in my family, it made my eyebrows raise)questionable, but it did earn her a guest room at the Brody ranch, so she could feel even more emotional turmoil about the secret she just doesn’t have the courage to divulge. With a father more attached to the bottle than his children, and a stressed out, distracted mother, Natalie felt more at home with the Brodys than her own family, making her task even more difficult.  Mr. Brody is so kind to her that I could easily understand her reluctance to tell him the truth about his wife’s death.  Natalie’s father really was a coward, and I had a hard time accepting her loyalty to him. 

The romance is sweet and developed convincingly.  Even when Garrett’s anger and sense of betrayal at Natalie boils over, he’s easy to forgive because it is a shocking and heartbreaking revelation.  I enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to reading more books in the Blue Falls, Texas series.

Grade:  B / B-

Review copy obtained from my local library

WHAT IS SHE HIDING?

Of all the Brody boys, Garrett would have been voted most likely to settle down. But somehow, the right woman never came along. Until now. Veterinarian Natalie Todd left Blue Falls when she was a kid, but she seems to fit right in. Her old friends are there and she has a job with the local vet if she wants it. Every kiss tells Garrett she feels the same way he does. So what’s holding her back?

Natalie can’t say, and every kiss just makes it harder. She came back to fulfill her father’s dying wish, and found a happiness even greater than she remembered. The secret she carries will destroy everything, plain and simple. That’s why she can’t tell him. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I waited a long time on library hold for The Sheikh’s Princess Bride.  After reading The Sultan’s Harem Bride, I was interested to see what happened to Asim’s sister, Samira.  I was ultimately disappointed, though, because the book featured one of my least favorite tropes – the miracle baby.  There wasn’t one hint in the synopsis about it, or I probably wouldn’t have checked it out from the library.  This trope almost never works for me, so it was no surprise that it didn’t work here, either.

Samira longs for a family.  After her miscarriage, she is unable to conceive again, so she decides to ask her childhood friend, Tariq, to marry her.  He lost his wife and has young twin boys to raise, but juggling the duties of ruling Al- Sharath with raising his energetic sons is challenging.  While at first put off by Samira’s proposal, he agrees to her plan, without telling her that he doesn’t really agree with her only condition, and who could blame him?  What man would settle for a marriage in name only, without any of the benefits of matrimony?

Once Tariq makes it clear after their wedding that they will be a couple in all ways, Samira feels betrayed.  Tariq had given his word that there would be no sex, after all, and now she can’t trust him. He’s persistent and persuasive, however, and she soon gives in to her attraction to him.  They have agreed that neither will fall in love with other.  Both have had disastrous relationships in the past, and neither wants to suffer through that again.  Samira was publically cheated on by what she thought was the love of her life, and Tariq watched his wife wallow in sadness when he just couldn’t return her feelings for him.  Both Samira and Tariq swore that love would never bring them low again, and of course, neither can stick to their guns.

Samira quickly finds married life satisfying and fulfilling.  She now has two sons and an attentive husband.  When she discovers that, miraculously, she’s pregnant, she can’t understand Tariq’s sudden distance from her.  Tariq is still suffering from the guilt of not being able to save his late wife, who died in childbirth.  At first he’s angry at Samira, believing that she lied to him, and then he’s fearful that the same fate will befall her.  Samira is hurt now that Tariq is suddenly too busy to spend any time with her, and she wonders what she’s done wrong.

As previously stated, I dislike the miracle baby trope, so that earned a big groan of dismay from me.  The other problem for me was Tariq.  He constantly insists to himself that he is incapable of love because of his harsh upbringing, yet he dotes on his young sons.  He’s furious that Samira didn’t discuss the pregnancy with him first, too, which made me want to slap him on the side of the head and say, “Hello!!  Miracle baby, dude!  These things just aren’t PLANNED!”  It took him so long to realize that he did have deep feelings for Samira that I started getting impatient with him  When she decided to put some physical distance between them and go to Paris – that was when Tariq finally has his light bulb moment.  If I had been Samira, I’d have made him work a little harder for her forgiveness. 

If the miracle baby trope doesn’t bother you like it bugs me, you will probably enjoy The Sheikh’s Princess Bride better than I did.  Though it ultimately wasn’t my cup of tea, I did remain invested in the story.

Grade:  C-

Review copy obtained from my local library

Wanted: royal bride and mother

For Sheikh Tariq of Al-Sharath, one miserable marriage was enough. With a kingdom to rule, he has no time—or wish—to find a bride, but his children need a mother. 

Could Princess Samira of Jazeer be the answer? Samira has sampled passion, and it left a bad taste. With the knowledge she can’t have the children she’s always wanted, Samira steps into Tariq’s ready-made family. Her only condition? No sex!

Samira thought royal duties and her love for Tariq’s children would fill the hole in her heart, but a craving is building that only the sheikh’s touch can cure…

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

This is another .99 Harlequin manga that I nabbed from Amazon.  An Uncommon Abigail would have received a higher grade if it had been the complete story, but there are a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up.  I am assuming those will be tied up in The Prodigal Bride.  When I purchased this, I did not realize that it is not complete in one volume, and there is no mention of that fact in the manga itself. I had to use Google-fu and Amazon to track down the next volume.  (The Fortune Hunter is the first volume – it took me even longer to figure that out!  I only managed that because I finally located the original book the manga is adapted from.)

Amy, fearful that her younger brother has been kidnapped, disguises herself as a lady’s maid with the help of her friend Sara.  Together, they attend a house party, searching for clues as to Ned’s disappearance.  While snooping through Major Anthony’s rooms, Amy discovers a naked man!  Little does she know that she’s uncovered another mystery, but this one may cost her her reputation.

This is a cute, fast read with pretty art. The lavish details given to clothing and backgrounds made for a visually interesting read, and emotions are deftly revealed through facial expressions.  Amy is determined to save Marcus after he protects her from an unruly house guest, putting himself in danger of discovery.  Wanted for the merciless beating of a gentleman, Marcus is hiding until he can clear his name.  Now that Amy is on the case, he’s worried that she’ll be ruined or injured by his foe.  I was entertained right up until the point that it dawned on me that – NOPE! – I wasn’t going to find out what had happened to Anthony’s wife, (he’s been accused of murdering her), or to see William’s comeuppance. That was disappointing because I wasn’t expecting it, as the Harlequin manga are typically complete in one volume.

Grade:  B- / C+

Review purchased from Amazon

Amy, despite being of noble birth, is attending a grand party at the famous Lyndhurst Chase estate, not as a lady but as a maid. Her younger brother Ned was last spotted at Lyndhurst before his mysterious disappearance. And there are rumours that Major Anthony, the owner of the Lyndhurst estate, is responsible for the disappearance of his own wife not long ago. What kind of trouble has her brother gotten into? Under the disguise of a lady’s maid, she sets off to look for clues of Ned’s whereabouts. But during her search, she comes across a mysterious man in hiding. Who is he and could he have something to do with Ned’s disappearance? But the more Amy learns about this handsome stranger, the more perilous her world becomes. Especially after she falls in love with him.…

Contains Many Spoilers

Review:

I haven’t read anything by this author before, and honestly, I’m not sure what prompted me to borrow this particular title from the library.  I don’t usually read the plot summaries for Presents, so it wasn’t that.  The cover?  Nah, I don’t think it was that, either.  Sure, the dress is beautiful, spread out around the couple, but the rest of it is a confusing mess.  Are those rose petals? A carpet?  Pink lily pads?  It was probably the latest Harlequin release that was actually available for check-out, so check it out I did.

I have a love-hate relationship with Undone by the Sultan’s Touch.  I don’t even know what to rate this. On one hand, it is emotional and angsty, with a whirlwind romance in an exotic location and the promise of a fairy tale that ultimately goes unfulfilled. On the other hand, Khaled was a jerk, and I was waiting for the big grovel from him. It never came. Instead, Cleo just takes him back. He was right in thinking she was a mouse. The thought of spending the rest of my life with an emotionally disconnected guy like that is so NOT appealing. Both characters were emotionally stunted, and neither took ownership of their faults. It was always someone else’s fault they acted/reacted the way they did.

Cleo is running away from the embarrassment and heartbreak of catching her fiancé, Brian, doing the nasty with another woman, two weeks before their wedding.  When she angrily calls off the ceremony and vows to have nothing else to do with him, her family urges her to forgive him and just go with the flow.  Cleo digs in her heels, packs a bag, and heads off for parts unknown to find herself.  The whole time, she fumes and broods about the ex, even after meeting Khaled.  Which made me think that her initial interest in her handsome sheik was just her idea of revenge against Brian.  His presence in the story is like that of an abscessed tooth, ceaselessly irritating.  Cleo brings Brian up so often, it was obvious that she hadn’t forgiven him, hadn’t gotten over him, and wasn’t ready for a new relationship.  There could be no other reason for her to pick Khaled, because he’s not exactly a knight in shining armor, either.

Khaled’s motivation for his courtship and marriage to Cleo are purely selfish.  His country is in political turmoil, as well as financial distress.  He is courting foreign investment, and he believes that by marrying Cleo, he will make Jhurat more appealing to Westerners.  So he remakes Cleo into a fairy tale princess, with a new look, beautiful clothes, and a romance to be the envy of women the world over.  Only he’s just pretending, and Cleo, who is so out of her depth, doesn’t realize that all he wants is a wife, an heir, and no emotional entanglements.  His plan is to get her pregnant, send her to the family estate outside of the city, and rule his country without the interference of messy emotions. 

Cleo, caught up in the fantasy, ignores the warning signs that something is wrong.  She marries Khaled, and then doesn’t understand why, after their wonderful honeymoon, a week at Khaled’s private oasis, he suddenly doesn’t want to spend time with her.  He won’t even let her move into his suite.  Nope, she’s going to stay in her own room, and when he wants her, he’ll seek her out.  When she dares to go to him, to invade his space, he is appallingly cruel to her.  After that, I was expecting a great big grovel from Khaled into order for me to believe that he loved her and would try to put her, if not first on his list, at least second after Jhurat, because, you know, he’s the sultan and he is Jhurat.  Instead, we don’t really get to see his remorse, and Cleo decides that she is just as much to blame for their problems as he is.  Say? What??  UGH!  I disliked how meekly Cleo went back to Khaled, after finding the strength to leave him.  I didn’t find her revelation a measure of her new found maturity or a show of courage; instead, I found it the exact opposite.  I thought it a weakness, that she was blinded by sex,  and I never got the feeling that they had worked through their very different ideas of love, marriage, and companionship.  It was a very disappointing ending, and I am so unconvinced of their HEA that I am weeping bitter tears over the 3 hours it took me to finish reading this.

Despite my reservations, I want to read another book by this author.  I found the writing emotional and raw, and had a hard time putting Undone by the Sultan’s Touch down.  So, I guess you can say that I enjoyed the author’s writing style far better than I enjoyed this particular romance.

Grade:  ?? B-? C? D??  I have no idea what grade to give this one!

Review copy obtained from my local library

“Kiss me, if you are so daring!”

When Cleo Churchill’s travels land her in the path of Khaled bin Aziz, Sultan of Jhurat, she’s instantly transfixed by his warrior physique, commanding presence and intense eyes. But what would a sultan want with an ordinary girl like her?

Cleo is exactly what Khaled needs: a convenient, yet beautiful bride to unite his warring country. He’ll offer her diamonds and riches but nothing more.

Yet as their marriage plays out in the darkness of the night, the passions unearthed threaten to consume them both!

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I haven’t read a historical romance featuring Native American protagonists in a long time, so I snapped this up from the library.  When I was younger, I used to eat these up.  Ride the Wind, Nakoa’s Woman, Only Earth and Sky Last Forever – if it featured Native Americans, it ended up on my wish list.  There were so many of them published in the 80s and 90s, and then – nothing!  Regencies took over, I read more fantasy and comic books, and that was the end of that reading phase of my life.

I enjoyed Running Wolf, but I did have some problems with it, mainly due to the power disparity between Running Wolf and Snow Raven.  After she is captured in a raid, she is taken to Running Wolf’s village.  As his captive and a hated Crow, his Sioux clan does not treat her well.  She is beaten and stripped naked, and after Running Wolf gives her to his mother, Ebbing Water, she is ill-treated and only given food and a blanket because of Running Wolf’s intervention.  His mother hates Snow Raven because she is a Crow, and a Crow warrior killed her husband.  She is instantly suspicious of her son’s motives.  Why has he brought this captive to their village?  While he claims that he captured Snow Raven so she would have a servant to make her life easier after he moves into his own tepee, even Running Wolf knows that he’s not being honest with himself.

Snow Raven is fierce and independent, and when she’s taken captive, she thinks about taking her own life.  She doesn’t want to die, however, and she thinks that her father, Chief Six Elks, will eventually rescue her.  Then she realizes what an impossible task that will be for her people.  All of their horses were stolen by the Sioux, winter will soon settle over the Plains, and preparations need to be taken for the winter.  How will they even hunt without their horses?  This does pose an almost insurmountable challenge for her village, because they depend so heavily on the horse to help with hunting, protection, and moving the village as the weather changes.

Once she’s given to Ebbing Water,  she understands the position she’s in.  Snow Raven has to work for everything, and still she’s given only meager servings of food and nothing to clothe herself with.  She didn’t expect to be treated well, and her own people probably would have killed a captive Sioux, but she’s not willing to just give up.  After her mother died, Snow Raven began to pursue tasks typically undertaken by boys.  Though her father didn’t encourage her, she was taught to hunt, ride, and shoot a bow like a man.  These skills are put to good use, as she is able to trap small game, and because of Running Wolf, she is allowed to keep the hides. 

I liked Snow Raven, because she is tough and determined to survive.  She’s also capable and brave.  Running Wolf, on the other hand, I had a harder time with.  He is a war chief, and he believes that his duty to his people trumps everything else.  These feelings for this Crow captive?  They are fleeting and a test of his ability to be a future leader.  As a war chief, he’s not supposed to be selfish and keep things for himself.  Whenever he thinks of Snow Raven, he becomes jealous and possessive.  He only gives her to his mother because it would be unseemly for him to keep her for himself.  So, instead of just keeping her, and keeping her safe, he puts Snow Raven in so many needlessly dangerous situations.  His mother hates her because she is Crow, and she would be more than happy to cut her throat.  Many of his tribesmen are accusing Snow Raven of being a witch and casting a spell over him, and his erratic behavior towards her doesn’t help matters.  I thought he was the exact opposite of what he wanted to be: by pretending that Snow Raven didn’t mean anything to him, he came across as selfish and unfeeling to me.  While I’m sure he pacified some of his people, he alienated me, the reader, and I just wanted Snow Raven to steal a horse and run far, far away.

My opinion of him improved later in the book, but if I hadn’t liked Snow Raven so much, I don’t know if I would have enjoyed Running Wolf.  It’s grimmer and a little grittier than I was expecting, and I didn’t find it particularly romantic.  I did find it engrossing and hard to put down, but if you are looking for sunshine and rainbows, I don’t think you are going to find it here. 

Grade:  B

Review copy obtained from my local library

Rival tribes…

Running Wolf is a valiant Sioux warrior. During his first raid as war chief, he captures a surprising Crow enemy—a woman! This spirited fighter is unlike any he’s ever met. Her beauty and audacity are entrancing, but threaten his iron resolve…

…rival passions

Snow Raven must focus on freeing herself, not on the man who keeps her captive. But as she falls deeper under Running Wolf’s spell, she realizes he is her warrior—and she’ll risk everything for him!

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

Once a week or so, I search through the Harlequin manga for the .99 titles.  I purchased A Game of Chance because it was written by Linda Howard and it is part of the Mackenzie Family series. I was very disappointed with it; the adaptation from novel to comic did not work for me.  I felt that the story was way too complicated for the allotted pages, and I never got a sense of who the characters were. 

Chance Mackenzie is trying to track down evil terrorist Crispin Hauer, and after hacking into a government database, he located the birth certificate and adoption records for Hauer’s daughter, Sunny Miller.  He cooks up an elaborate plan to get her on his private plane and crash into a remote, inaccessible mountain range in an effort to get to know her and get her to give up the goods on her father.  He can’t fight the undeniable attraction he feels for her, and soon they are caught up in a steamy affair.  It soon becomes clear to Chance that Sunny doesn’t know anything about her birth father, and she’s spent her enter life running from him and his men.  Not one to fail at a mission, Chance decides to use Sunny as bait to bring down his target and put an end to Hauer’s terrorism.

That’s an awful lot of story to fit into 192 pages of a comic book.  The story didn’t flow well for me, and the romance was far too rushed and unconvincing.  Both protagonists’ casual disregard for using protection also grated on my last little nerve, especially after Chance boasted about the number of condoms he had.

Chance is the most unprofessional undercover agent ever, and getting the daughter of the international terrorist you are trying to catch pregnant isn’t really good form.  I had a problem with  his background story, too.  If he was a feral kid living on the streets until he was 14, he must have had one heck of an awesome tutor to get him all caught on the schooling he missed out on so he could join the Navy, become a SEAL, and learn his super-duper computer hacking skills.  I guess anyone can learn how to fly a plane, especially a SEAL, but crashing it into a mountain and not getting a dent on it, despite all of the rocks it scraped up during the crash landing – I just didn’t buy that. I wish I had his spy budget and could crash a plane in a remote area for a little downtime (I of course would make sure all of my Kindles were charged prior to takeoff.) And how convenient that Sunny carries an emergency kit complete with first aid kit, rations, water, blankets, and a….tent?  NOPE.  That just seems like an awful lot of stuff to drag around every day, even if your father is an evil terrorist trying to catch you, and was a wee bit too convenient.

I didn’t care for the art, either.  Character proportions are awkward and the artistic style is more minimalistic than I care for.  It’s functional, and that’s about it.  Glad I only paid .99 for this.

Grade:  D-

Review copy purchase from Amazon

Intelligence operative Chance Mackenzie has been looking for an elusive international terrorist, and finally comes across some information about the terrorist’s beloved daughter. Her name is Sunny. She is clearly in league with the terrorists. Chance fakes a “chance encounter,” gets Sunny on a private plane and crashes it in a canyon. It was all part of his plan to get her alone and trick her into revealing her father’s location. But her bright, sparkling eyes and golden hair are so pure and angelic… Chance is confused by these new, intense feelings brought about by a passionate kiss.

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

As you know, Harlequins are my crack.  It doesn’t matter which series, I love them all.  I can always count on them for a quick escape from reality, so when the author of Tycoon’s Delicious Debt asked if I would review it, I jumped.  I haven’t read Susanna Carr previously, so I was eager to give a new to me author a try.  I have read a few of the books in The Chatsfield continuity, which was another plus because once I start something, I try to finish it, (though I’m not always successful!).

Serena Dominguez is consumed by an all-encompassing rage that has directed every move she’s made since she was old enough to work. The Brocks destroyed her family, plunging them into poverty and despair.  She was forced to watch as her mother sold off one piece of jewelry after another to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.  Finally, the strain became too much for her parents and they divorced, another casualty of the Brock family.  Seething with an anger that can only be quenched after she has done to the Brocks what was done to her family, Serena finally has the means to bring about their ruin.

Cooper Brock took over the family business after his father, Aaron, retired.  Cooper is aware that his father didn’t play on a level playing field, and heck, he hasn’t either.  Pressured to be successful in every endeavor, Cooper cheated his way into his first major deal, giving himself a reputation that he hadn’t really earned.  When Serena appears with a tantalizing offer, he must reject it because the price is too high.  She sniped a land deal from him, and now she’s willing to sell it to him for hotel shares he owns.  He needs those shares, though, to keep the lid firmly sealed on his previous dirty deal.  Now that he has become successful in his own right, through legitimate negotiations, he isn’t proud of his past and he’ll do anything to keep it quiet.  When Serena threatens to reveal his father’s dirty laundry to the press, however, he realizes that he may be forced to sacrifice his own reputation to protect his father.

I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, so I plowed right through this book.  While I had a hard time sympathizing with Serena, I loved Cooper.  He astutely chastises her for wasting most of her adult life seeking her revenge, even after her parents had moved on with their lives.  When it’s revealed that her father wasn’t a completely innocent victim – well, that made her thirst for vengeance less warranted.  Serena picked and chose which transgressions deserved to be punished, conveniently ignoring that her father was just as shady as Cooper’s.  That and her insistence that it was her due to have the privileged upbringing that Cooper had just grated every time she brought it up. 

Both Cooper and Serena had empty lives, and they needed each other to realize what a hot mess they made of their potential.  Serena wasted all of her energy chasing something that didn’t really matter any more, and even with her goal in reach, she was still unhappy.  There was no joy or satisfaction in bringing about the ruin of another life.  Cooper spent his entire life trying to be perfect, to earn the love and respect of his parents, something that he never received.  All of his accomplishments meant nothing because he didn’t have anyone to share them with.  Cooper and Serena are able to finally let their guard down around each other, and discover a sense of peace and belonging.  Cooper felt especially grounded when he was with Serena, and he’s the first to realize how special their relationship is.  Serena fights him every step of the way because she can’t set aside her anger, and that was my greatest complaint with the story.  Serena just can’t let it go, even after Cooper proves himself to be a caring, honest man, and I found her constant distrust of him irritating.  I thought the resolution was a little too rushed, but overall, I enjoyed Tycoon’s Delicious Debt.

Grade:  B   Great read for the beach!

Review copy provided by the author

He has a debt to pay…

Cooper Brock knows Serena Dominguez can ruin him with a snap of her delectable fingers, but he won’t give in to her demands easily. Instead, he gives Serena his own ultimatum: to confront the smoldering attraction between them.

And she’s ready to collect!

Serena has spent her life planning the downfall of this man. But when she yields to his challenge, Serena is stripped bare by Cooper’s raw passion. As he holds her in his arms and whispers her name, Serena realizes she may have just fallen in love with her enemy…

Harlequin and HarperCollins Publishers will launch a new imprint called Harlequin Audio. The executives at this imprint will produce audio editions of books on the Harlequin list.

For the first year of operations, the team behind Harlequin Audio plans to release 200 titles. The inaugural roster of audiobooks will come out on June 30th.

Here’s more from the press release: “Harlequin Audio, in conjunction with HarperAudio, will work directly with digital audio distributors to provide full distribution to the retail and library markets. Furthermore, Harlequin Audio will distribute physical CD versions of all titles through relationships with Blackstone Audio and Midwest Tape.”

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I purchased His Favorite Cowgirl during an Harlequin sale, based solely on the cover.  There’s a cowboy.  And a cowgirl.  Sometimes that’s all the motivation I need to read a book!

Kelly Tompkins has to return home after her estranged grandfather has an accident.  His health isn’t good, and it’s been determined that he’ll need long term care in an effort to recover.  Kelly has a fast-paced job in Texas at a family owned boot maker, and she’s about to land the deal of a lifetime.  If she can close on it, she’ll guarantee her future with a promotion and a pay raise.  Unfortunately, her grandfather has neglected his ranch, allowing it to fall into disrepair.  The cattle are thin and scrawny, there are back taxes due, and if Kelly wants to provide the care her grandfather needs, she’ll have to get some repairs done and sell the land that’s been in her family for generations.

Hank Judd, her old high school flame, offers to help her fix up the place if she’ll give him the property listing.  Hank’s fallen on hard times with the recession, and he’s lost his real estate business.  After his father’s death, he moved back to the Circle P, where he grew up, to help his friend run his ranch.  His job as ranch foreman is temporary, and Hank plans to save up so he can move back to Tallahassee and start over again.  He’s got a lot to make up for; he was so busy chasing the good life that he neglected his young daughter, and now that he realizes life can be unexpectedly short, he wants to get to know her.  He’s been divorced since she was a baby, and now that she’s ten, she’s like a stranger to him.  Arranging for her to spend time with him on the ranch while his wife travels with her wealthy parents, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into.  His daughter is spoiled and overindulged, and he’s lacking the skills to deal with her without conflict.

Kelly takes pity on the girl, remembering how she felt when her mother dumped her with her grandfather.  Kelly is a woman who has been lacking expressions of love, and after a disastrous fight with Hank just before graduation, her grandfather threw her off the ranch.  Kelly’s family and the Circle P have been feuding for decades, and her grandfather saw her relationship with Hank a betrayal.  With no one to turn to, Kelly struck out on her own, working hard to make a career for herself.  She’s still hurt from being kicked out of her home, and for Hank letting her down when she needed love and help the most.  Seeing him again doesn’t bring back happy memories.  Instead, she remembers the bitterness of being let down by the man she loved with all her heart.

While I enjoyed His Favorite Cowgirl, some things did not work for me.  The major deal killer was how hypocritical I thought Kelly was.  She is infuriated when Hank never mentions that he no longer has his real estate business, while keeping details of her changed employment status to herself.  I completely understood how embarrassed Hank was over his changed circumstances, and how he wouldn’t want to share the details of his failed business with anyone.  Kelly is always quick to think the worst of him, and while some of her distrust was understandable, I thought she needed to cut him some slack.  Both of them needed to open up and communicate better, because both of them kept important details about their lives a secret, and that bothered me.

I did like how Hank and his daughter slowly came to love and respect each other, and how Kelly acted as an intermediary to allow that to happen.  I also enjoyed the daily ranching activities, and the barrel racing lessons.  I wonder if Pixie could learn to run a cloverleaf around barrels without giving herself a heart attack?  Those barrels terrify me whenever I see them in construction zones!

Grade:  C+ / B-

Review copy purchased from Harlequin.com

From Amazon:

You Can Go Home Again

A stint as ranch manager on the Circle P may be the perfect way for Hank Judd to reconnect with his ten-year-old daughter. And selling his former girlfriend’s family ranch will provide the cash he needs to restart his failed real-estate business. He just has to resist falling for the girl next door all over again.

Kelly Tompkins needs to sell her grandfather’s ranch quickly to pay for his medical expenses and get back to Texas before she loses her chance at a promotion. Hank is the last person she wants to see, but she can’t deny she needs his help. But spending time with the boy who let her down twelve years ago may unearth a heartache that has never truly healed….