Book Reviews

HONEYSUCKLE SEASON by Mary Ellen Taylor

8/4/2020

I devoured this book. Mary Ellen Taylor has a magnificent talent for weaving the secrets of the past into the present.

This was such a wonderful story of five women, their friendships, their familiar ties, their strengths, weakness, and their love. I enjoyed each and every character equally. When I was in Libby’s point of view, I was lost in her life, yet I couldn’t wait to get back to Sadie. The same for when I was reading Sadie’s chapters, and wanting to know what was going on with Olivia, and so on.

My heart broke for each of these women over the blows that life as dealt them. Sadie and Olivia have such a wonderful, unexpected friendship. While their story clutched at my heartstrings, I couldn’t help cheering on their resolve to succeed and their devotion to each other. Libby’s story is equally touching with the trials and tribulations she’s suffered. I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was going to be okay. And it was fun watching her come back “to life” as sweet sparks flew between her and Colton. While Margaret and Elaine are more secondary characters, by the end of the book, I felt like they were old friends.

Overall, this was a fabulous tale of how women can and do endure, how we are not the weaker sex, and most importantly, that love, whether it is the romantic kind or more often that of friends, can and does win in the end.

I highly recommend any book by Mary Ellen Taylor.

RomeAntically Challenged by Marina Adair

7/30/2020

5 Stars Straight Up Fun

I’ve been a fan of Marina Adair for years. She writes cute, fun, sexy romances, but this newest book, RomeAntically Challenged was something more. Something better.

While it was in no doubt a romance, it was also about family, friends, loss, and discovery.

I loved the friendship between the “3 dads” (bio, step and uncle). The razzing, the not putting up with each other’s excuses and the total love and support they had for “their” daughter. They were fiercely protective. Totally at a loss of dealing with a teen. But most importantly, they loved her unconditionally.

Annie’s journey was a bit heart-breaking at times to read. All you have to do is read the author’s letter to understand how close to home this was for her. I would think her being stuck between two worlds, not quite feeling like she fit in with either, might resonate with many people out there, especially those adopted or even raised in blended families. I loved watching her discover more of her culture. I also loved that while she’s had some rotten luck in romantic love and she’s feeling caught in-between, she’s still a strong woman. She’s smart, funny, kind and just the kind of woman to rock Emmitt’s world.

Emmitt has his own issues to deal with (his two co-parents, his daughter, his dad, his job, and his own insecurities). It’s a lot to tackle in a novel, but I thought the author did a great job of balancing all that baggage the characters were lugging around with the romance, which was fun and sexy. The banter and texting between Ahn (Annie) and Emmitt was spot-on funny to smoking hot.

This was definitely a feel good, funny, warm, breath of fresh air and I’m really looking forward to Gray and Levi’s stories.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks

7/25/2020

I fell in love with this world while reading Eight Simple Rules of Dating a Dragon. I meant to go back and read the first two, but time got away from me and here we are at book five. Clearly, I will be going back and reading the others. Normally, I never read a series out of order. It worked for books 3 and 5, but I recommend reading them in order as there is an overarching storyline.

One of the characters I absolutely fell for when I picked up this series was Brody, so it’s no wonder I didn’t want to wait to read his story. But surprisingly, it wasn’t Brody who shined the brightest in this story…it was Maeve. She’s the baby of the five sisters and treated as such. At times, she comes across as very young…well, she is. But she grew in maturity, strength and confidence throughout this story. She absolutely deserved not only her happily ever after, but the role she has found herself in not just by marrying Brody (relax, it’s PNR…everyone gets a HEA), but by birthright.

As for Brody and Maeve’s love story, it’s sweet and simple, with a few bumps in the road. After all, he is a dog twenty-two hours of the day. But these two don’t let that get in their way…much. Actually, this story was so much more about their pasts. Both have a few shocks in store for them and it’s the way that they handled it that made me love them all the move. Overall, they were great characters with lots of spunk.

There’s also a bonus romance plot line in the book, that of Colonel Nevis Harden, Brody’s best friend. I’ll just say that the author gave him the perfect woman to keep him on his toes. I almost liked their romance even more. Almost.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea was a wonderful wrap up of the Embraced series and I recommend this to paranormal romance fans.

Just Another Silly Long Song, by Rich Amooi

7/12/2020

I picked up my first Rich Amooi book and honestly, I’m not sure why it took me so long. I’ve heard nothing but praise for this author and it was all true.

JASLS was cute, funny, a little silly at times, but made me smile from start to finish. The banter between these two was fantastic. I loved the progression of their dislike for each other to learning there was more beneath the surface, to their friendship and falling in love. The grand gesture was adorable and so perfect for the heroine, and for the hero - Dr. Tough Love - to prove himself.

The angst was low (which was nice, as there’s too much of that in the world right now and I really needed an escape), and the “dark moment” was believable. (Spoiler…I know it was something a simple conversation could fix..but that happens in real life more than we think.) Overall, I give this book two thumbs up and definitely 5 stars for the hours of pure enjoyment it brought.

BITTERSWEET by Sarina Bowen

6/6/2020

I’m always a little hesitant when contemporary romance books are written in first person, but wow, Sarina Bowen did an outstanding job of pulling me in and keeping me engaged with the characters. While the story does start off a little slow, letting us get a good insight into both Griff and Audrey, once it hit the quarter mark, it took off. The “Shower Scene” was smoking hot. I’d put it on par with Roxanne St. Claire’s “Shed Scene” and that’s saying something.

Audrey and Griff were cute as a couple. Definitely a case of opposite attracts, but I loved how Audrey brought out his softer side. And Griff, while a little on the grumpy side (she even calls him Grumpy Griff), when it came to Audrey and his family, he was everything you’d want a romance hero to be. I found the story to be sweet, sexy, and charming. The secondary characters, everyone from Zara, the bartender, to the hired hands, to Griff’s extensive family made this story come to life.

I will give one trigger warning: the scene with the pig…Let’s just say he’s going to be dinner, and I might never eat ham again. I had to skip a few pages there.

Otherwise, it was a great story and I’m really looking forward to reading more by Sarina Bowen.

HARD TARGET by JB Turner

6/1/2020

A page turning thriller!

This is my first book by JB Turner and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. It was fast-paced, with a hard-as-nails protagonist that has common sense, a strong moral compass, and loyalty. The story was filled with twist and turns, some you’d expect and others that will surprise you.

I found the characters interesting and likable, and the plot engaging. Definitely will be checking out more of JB Turner’s work.

IMMORTAL ANGEL by Lynsay Sands

5/28/2020

A slow build to a steamy romance.

While Immortal Angel is book #31 in the series, it can be read as a standalone as it really just focuses on the one couple.

Did I love this book? Sadly, no. However, with that said it was a well-plotted, well-written book. My problem was the cover, the prologue, and the description made it sound like a more action-packed story. What action there was — outside of the prologue— was over in the blink of an eye. This was pure romance, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I just felt a little misled.

As to the romance, Ildaria and Joshua (GG) were wonderful together. There was laughter and adorableness (come on…who doesn’t love a big guy who is a total sucker for a small dog!), and some very sexy love scenes. Both main characters were well rounded with complex backstories. Both were strong willed, honorable and troubled by events from their past, which made for great conflict.

The book also had fun secondary characters like Marguerite, Sophia, Joshua’s mom (loved her), the very, blunt Lucian and let’s not forgot the bundle of fur— H.D..

If you’re looking for a paranormal that focuses on the romance and the issues between human and vampire as a couple, this is the perfect book for you.

MERGER OF THE HEART, by Melia Alexander

5/12/2020

AS GREEK AS IT GETS, by Sue Roberts

5/8/2020

A cute, lighthearted read.

I love discovering new to me authors, especially when the writing can transport me to a new local. This is the first Sue Roberts book for me and I enjoyed watching the main character, Alice grow throughout the story as she went on holiday with her best friends, future sister-in-law, and then faced her true feelings about her life, her goals and the relationships she had with her family and fiancé.

Alice is a very likable character, that is easy going but has a hidden adventurous streak that I could relate to. The supporting cast did a great job of showing all the different sides to her and helping her along on her journey of becoming the person she was meant to be.

The author had a light touch when it came to description, however it was enough to make this reader want to book a trip to Crete and soak up that Grecian sun, while surrounded by pristine white beaches and hot Greek men. As for classifying this as a “fun, feel-good romantic comedy,” that’s a bit of a stretch. It is fun. It is feel-good in the end, but the story isn’t really focused on the romance so much as Alice’s feelings about her out-of-control wedding planning fiancé, her unsupportive mother, and not being happy with her career. I would classify this more as a light women’s fiction with a romantic element. Maybe even a little on the “chick lit” side.

Overall, an enjoyable read especially if you are looking for something that is light, a bit fluffy, and has more of a storyline than just your average romance, and still has a happily ever after.

HIDE AND SEEK, by Mary Burton

4/20/2020

I don't think it's actually possible for Mary Burton to write a book that I don't love.

Hide and Seek was no exception.

I loved the fast pace plot, that held just the right amount of twists and turns that keep me up reading well past my bedtime. Great characters (main and secondary), great setting, dialogue and narrative.

And now, I'm ready to binge read nothing but Mary Burton (this happens every time when I read this author).

Highly recommend.