Author: Marsha

Montana Rogue by Debra Salonen

Posted October 8, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Montana Rogue
Series: Big Sky Mavericks #6
Author: Debra Salonen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 8, 2015
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Roommates with benefits. A temporary arrangement between two people with time on their hands. Who could possibly get hurt?

“Get your Zip On” – That’s Tucker Montgomery‘s slogan for the new zip line he’s building near Marietta, Montana. But before Tucker can get the first pole in the ground, he suffers an injury that could cost him everything, until help arrives in a surprising–but gorgeous–package: Amanda Heller. They’ll share her grandmother’s guest house while he supervises the old Victorian’s restoration… all with the added benefit of exploring a sizzling mutual attraction.

Amanda Heller knows her exile to Montana is her family’s excuse to spare them the embarrassing fallout from her very public breakup with her ex-boss’s son that left her jobless and living in her parent’s Manhattan home. But then Amanda strikes a bargain with injured, sexy businessman Tucker Montgomery, who needs a place to stay while recovering. A hot summer fling seems just the thing for Amanda and Tucker, something to enjoy for a month or two tops. Most certainly not long enough to fall in love.

Read on for my thoughts on Montana Rogue. No true spoilers, promise.

Four Weddings and a White Christmas by Jenny Oliver

Posted October 8, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Four Weddings and a White Christmas
Series: Cherry Pie Island #5
Author: Jenny Oliver
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: October 8, 2015
Publisher: Carina UK
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

It’s Christmas! And this year Cherry Pie Island is covered with confetti as well as snow – as the island gets set to celebrate four weddings, as well as the most picturesque Christmas in memory. Nowhere does a deliciously warm and wonderfully festive Christmas as Cherry Pie Island!

Welcome back to Cherry Pie Island…the most delicious place to spend Christmas!

Hannah’s holidays are normally spent nibbling chocolate coins with her daughter and arguing with her sister about whether they’re too old for stockings on Christmas morning. But this year, she’s been offered the dressmaker’s job of a lifetime: creating a one-of-a-kind a dress for her school friend Annie’s Christmas wedding on the picture-perfect Cherry Pie Island.

Many mince pies and one hot-pink organza dress later, Hannah is set to snuggle back into her old routine…until she discovers that there are three more weddings this winter – and not a dress in sight!

Four very different themes, four demanding brides and four parties spent avoiding chef Harry Fontaine, whose cynicism is as much a wedding day guarantee as confetti and cake. Hannah has her work cut out for her! Yet, with a sprinkling of snowflakes and Christmas magic, it could be that this is the year when miracles really do happen…if Hannah will let them.

Read on for my thoughts on Four Weddings and a White Christmas. No true spoilers, promise.

A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford

Posted October 7, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 2 Comments

Title: A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas
Series: Smokin’ Hot Cowboys #1
Author: Kim Redford
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Warm up this Christmas with a sexy cowboy firefighter who knows how to ignite flames as well as put them out…

Trey Duval is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He’s also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities.

City girl Misty Reynolds comes to Wildcat Bluff just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his “Christmas angel.” Unfortunately, Misty’s past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmastime.

As the two are thrown together again and again, Trey finds himself wanting Misty more and more, and Misty feels stronger and braver when Trey is around. Though their trust grows slowly, their passion for each other is burning hot…

Read on for my thoughts on A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas. No true spoilers, promise.

Dark Within by Candice Gilmer

Posted October 7, 2015 by Marsha in Series / 0 Comments

Title: Dark Within
Series: Mythical Knights #1
Author: Candice Gilmer
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

There was a time Marissa van Dyke loved Halloween. Then tragedy struck. Now the sight of a jack-o-lantern only reminds her of what she’s lost. In fact, she’d prefer to just hibernate.
But recently her nightmares are becoming too intense to ignore. Dreams filled with horror-movie creatures that come closer to killing her every time. Where these vampires and werewolves are coming from, she doesn’t know. She only knows they’re relentless.
Neil Drigan has no interest in finding a mate. Bind himself to one woman? No thank you. Permanent is for the wolf pack Alpha–his brother. Yet lately he persistently dreams about running, in full wolf form, to save a beautiful woman who smells of flowers–and death.

At first the woman’s identity is a mystery, until he realizes the dreams are a residual imprint of something that really happened. Not only is the woman temptation wrapped in real flesh and blood, she’s still in danger. And the one thing he never thought he wanted.

Read on for my thoughts on Dark Within. No true spoilers, promise.

Brightest Shadow by Candice Gilmer

Posted October 7, 2015 by Marsha in Series / 0 Comments

Title: Brightest Shadows
Series: Mystical Knights #0.5 prequel
Author: Candice Gilmer
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: September 15, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Owned, Kindle Edition
Cover Description:

Losing a father is always hard, losing a father who’s a pillar of the community is harder.

Losing a father who’s the alpha of your werewolf pack is harder still, yet that’s exactly where David Drigan finds himself–lost and rudderless after the death of his father. Nonetheless, the final transformation to turn David into the leader has yet to come to him, leaving him and his family wondering, will he ever be strong enough to lead his pack?

Trying to step into his place in society, David meets Kelsey. Blonde. Curvy. Attitude. And a little dark.

There’s just something about her that makes David’s beastly desires surface unlike ever before. The need to take her and protect her, if only from herself, overwhelms him. Not that Kelsey would let him. She doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. Never has. An absentee family taught her one thing–take care of yourself, because no one’s going to do it for you. But this David guy? There’s just something different about him. At first, she thought it was because his family actually likes each other–a foreign concept for sure.

One night at her favorite decrepit amusement park, she learns there’s a lot more to David than she ever expected. There’s a lot hidden in the shadows. Can they find the light, lost in the dark?

Read on for my thoughts on Brightest Shadow. No true spoilers, promise.

All Is Calm, All Is Bright by Colleen Coble

Posted October 7, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: All Is Calm & All Is Bright
Series:
Author: Colleen Coble
Genre: Christmas Romance
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Thomas Nelson – Fiction
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

ALL IS CALM

Brendan Waddell needs a place to recuperate. Lauren Everman needs a place to hide. It’s going to be an unexpectedly romantic Christmas at Bluebird Ranch.

Brendan Waddell has always considered Bluebird Ranch a little piece of heaven: an idyllic ranch that pairs abused children with abused horses, run by one of his old Marine buddies. Now, recovering from an on-the-job injury, Brendan thinks the ranch is the perfect place to spend Christmas healing up.

When Lauren Everman was a seventeen-year-old foster kid, Bluebird Ranch was the safest place she knew. Now it’s the perfect hideout for a woman on the run. As the witness to a murder, Lauren needs somewhere to lie low, and her skill with horses means she’ll be able to lend a hand with the troubled kids at Bluebird—without answering too many questions.

Lauren’s rich hair, high cheekbones, and dark eyes immediately get Brendan’s attention—but so does her secretive behavior. This Special Ops Intel man knows a woman on the run when he sees one, and he’s not about to let her put Bluebird Ranch at risk.

But as Brendan and Lauren get to know each other, their suspicions evaporate and romance starts to sizzle. But this would-be couple has more to worry about than each other—there’s a killer on the loose who wants Lauren kept quiet.

ALL IS BRIGHT

A romantic, Christmas wedding at her seaside hotel gives Delilah a chance to shine with her unique gifts. But will her light be snuffed out before the bride and groom say “I do”?

As manager of the Tidewater Inn, Delilah Carter has been planning a spectacular Christmas wedding for her friends at the grand hotel overlooking the ocean. While picking up still more twinkly lights and some last-minute groceries for the reception dinner, a huge truck runs her off the freezing, wet roads into the dark night. Her car stops just short of an enormous tree and the truck speeds off into the night. Delilah escapes with her life and has almost convinced herself the whole thing was an accident, but then she begins to receive threatening phone calls. With the wedding just hours away, she’s distracted and anxious. Then Sheriff Tom Bourne stops by the inn and volunteers to help.

Tom has always had a soft spot for Delilah, and he’s determined to protect her. But he is pulled away by a bizarre Christmas stunt that has the neighborhood reeling, and Delilah is attacked again.

Will Delilah have to cancel the Christmas wedding at Tidewater Inn? And will Tom’s protection be enough to save Delilah from the shadowy figure looming in the background?

Read on for my thoughts on All Is Calm & All Is Bright. No true spoilers, promise.

A Silver Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear

Posted October 7, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: A Silver Wolf Christmas
Series: Heart of the Wolf #17
Author: Terry Spear
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

C.J. Silver is eager to help the new she-wolves in town renovate the old hotel in time for the holidays, especially if it means spending time under the mistletoe with the alluring Laurel MacTire.

The bustle in the long abandoned hotel attracts the attention of human ghosthunters out to prove the place haunted, but the bigger problem is keeping them from discovering the werewolves in Silver Town. CJ and Laurel have to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Working together is a surprisingly hot holiday treat for two attractive and clever wolf shifters.

Read on for my thoughts on A Silver Wolf Christmas. No true spoilers, promise.

Home For Christmas by Lily Everett

Posted October 6, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Home For Christmas
Series: Sanctuary Island #4
Author: Lily Everett
Genre: Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Magazine columnist Libby Leeds has made a name for herself sharing heartwarming stories from her perfect life on Sanctuary Island. There’s just one minor detail she’s left out: she hasn’t set foot on the island since her childhood. Orphaned and heartbroken, she departed years ago and never looked back-except in her fictional columns. Now a wounded war hero is returning to Sanctuary Island, and Libby’s editor insists she cover the story by taking the long road back…

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Army Ranger Owen Shepard is a tall, handsome single father, and now a media sensation. He wants to reconnect with his daughter, Caitlin, and make up for lost time by giving her a Christmas to remember. When “America’s Favorite Homemaker” Libby Leeds offers her help, he jumps at the chance. But the sweet, reclusive writer is more intriguing, and more tempting, than Owen could have imagined. Soon, Owen and Caitlin are spending their holiday with Libby, decorating trees, making gingerbread houses, and warming up by the fire. It’s the closest Libby has come to love and family since she was a child-but until she and Owen admit what is in their hearts, the home they are creating together will be only in their dreams.

Read on for my thoughts on Home for Christmas. No true spoilers, promise.

Good Earl Gone Bad By Manda Collins

Posted October 6, 2015 by Marsha in Series / 0 Comments

Title: Good Earl Gone Bad
Series: Lords of Anarchy #2
Author: Manda Collins
Genre: Regency Romance
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

TEMPTING FATE

Marriage? To a gambler? You must be joking! Yet Lady Hermione Upperton has never backed down from a challenge. When her spendthrift father offers her at the gaming tables, she is given a difficult choice—wed the Earl of Mainwaring, an infamous gamester with no respect for her skills with the reins, or face charges for the murder of a member of the infamous Lords of Anarchy. Either way she’ll have to clear her name. Can she count on her husband’s help the way she has begun to count on his kisses?

RISKING ROMANCE

All Jasper Fawley, the Earl of Mainwaring, wanted was a night of cards. But by the end of the evening he’s walked away with a fortune—and a bride who’s suspected of murder. Jasper knows Hermione is passionate about her unorthodox membership in the Lords of Anarchy, but he’s certain she would never kill to keep it. Can he protect his headstrong wife from prosecution and a ruthless killer without endangering both their hearts in the process?

Read on for my thoughts on Good Earl Gone Bad. No true spoilers, promise.

The Christmas Cottage & Ever After by Samantha Chase

Posted October 6, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: The Christmas Cottage & Ever After
Series: The Christmas Cottage #1 & #2
Author: Samantha Chase
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: combined reissue October 6, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

An exciting reissue of both books in the beloved Christmas Cottage series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Samantha Chase, just in time for the holidays .

Legend has it that any couple who spends the night in the Christmas Cottage shall have love everlasting…

THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE
Lacey Quinn does not believe in happily-ever-after or the legend of the Christmas Cottage. But her best friend does, and she’s the one getting married. It’s Lacey’s job to make sure everything at the cottage is perfect for the newlyweds. Instead, she finds herself snowed in with the best man, and she begins to wonder if fairy tales really can come true.

EVER AFTER
Ava Callahan wants desperately to believe in love everlasting. But when Brian McCabe walks back into her life and upsets her carefully organized world, her commitment to perfection makes it hard to accept the love that’s right in front of her. Will it take a night in the Christmas Cottage for Ava and Brian to find their happy ending?

Read on for my thoughts on the reissue of The Christmas Cottage & Ever After. No true spoilers, promise.

The Promise of Provence by Patricia Sands

Posted October 6, 2015 by Marsha in Women's Fiction / 0 Comments

Title: The Promise of Provence
Series: Love in Provence #1
Author: Patricia Sands
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Published: October 6, 2015 (first pub. March 2013)
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

On the evening of her twenty-second wedding anniversary, Katherine Price can’t wait to celebrate. But instead of receiving an anniversary card from her husband, she finds a note asking for a divorce.

Fifty-five and suddenly alone, Katherine begins the daunting task of starting over. She has her friends, her aging mother, and her career to occupy her, but the future seems to hold little promise—until, after a winter of heartbreak, Katherine is persuaded to try a home exchange holiday in the South of France.

In Provence, bright fields of flowers bloom below medieval hilltop villages with winding cobblestone streets. Charmed by the picturesque countryside, the breathtaking Côte d’Azur, and the enchantment-filled boulevards of Paris, Katherine feels life opening up once again. Lavender perfumes the air, and chance encounters hint at romance and passion. But memories of heartbreak and betrayal linger—and her former life waits for her back home. Can she find the courage to begin again?

Read on for my thoughts on The Promise of Provence. No true spoilers, promise.