Category: Contemporary Romance

Wrapped In You by Kate Perry

Posted December 26, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Wrapped In You
Series: Laurel Heights #10.5
Author: Kate Perry
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: November 17, 2014
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Owned, Kindle Edition
Cover Description:

Trudy Hawke’s mission: to go on vacation and have fun.

A prison sentence, more like it. She doesn’t take vacations, and she especially doesn’t go anywhere during the holidays. But her boss insists it’s the price she needs to pay to become a full partner in his new private investigation firm. She’ll do anything to become partner–even subject herself to love, peace, and Christmas music.

Trudy figures it’s no big deal: she’ll hole up in a hotel in Laurel Heights, drink gin, and watch action movies until she can return to London. Only her tyrant boss gives her a holiday list of to-do items, for which she must email picture proof of completion.

It’s impossible… Until she meets Mason, who proposes a deal: he’ll help her with the list if she’s his date to his office holiday events, to show his edgy tech employees that he’s more than a nerd from Iowa.

From the moment she agrees, Trudy gets more than she bargained for, but she refuses to be corrupted by the magic of the season–or love.

Read on for my thoughts on Wrapped In You. No true spoilers, promise.

Jessica’s Christmas Kiss by Alison May

Posted December 24, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Jessica’s Christmas Kiss
Series: Christmas Kisses #3
Author: Alison May
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: December 12, 2015
Publisher: Choc Lit
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Real Christmas miracles only ever happen in the movies – don’t they?

When Jessica was fifteen, she shared the perfect kiss with a mystery boy at a Christmas party. It might have only lasted a moment, and the boy might have disappeared shortly afterwards but, to Jessica, it was just a little bit magic.

Fourteen years later, and Jessica is faced with a less than magical Christmas after uncovering her husband’s secret affair. And, whilst she wouldn’t admit it, she sometimes finds herself thinking about that perfect Christmas kiss, back when her life still seemed full of hope and possibility.

But she never would have guessed that the boy she kissed in the kitchen all those years ago might still think about her too …

Read on for my thoughts on Jessica’s Christmas Kiss. No true spoilers promise.

A Soldier’s Love by Tammy Godfrey

Posted December 24, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: A Soldier’s Love
Series: A Soldier For All Seasons #2
Author: Tammy Godfrey
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance
Published: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Booktrope / Entice
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Melody and Jason are stationed in Fort Jackson, counting down the days both until their wedding and the birth of their baby. Neither one can even begin to imagine the chaos that’s in store for them when their families arrive to celebrate with them.

Looking to cause trouble, Melody’s older sister soon reveals a devastating family secret that threatens to rip everything apart. Life for this new couple is about to be anything but easy. If Melody and Jason are ever going to make it down the aisle during the season of love, they’re going to need to forget the past in order to look to the future and their life together.

Read on for my thoughts on A Soldier’s Love. No true spoilers, promise.

Wild Cowboy Ways by Carolyn Brown

Posted December 22, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Wild Cowboy Ways
Series: Lucky Penny Ranch #1
Author: Carolyn Brown
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 22, 2015
Publisher: Forever
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Allie Logan isn’t the type to land a hot hunk of cowboy. Truth is, she’s given up on dating since shedding her no-good ex. But the new owner of the most ramshackle ranch in Texas might just change her mind about that. He’s six-foot-plus of tall, dark, and charming—the kind of guy who could make a girl throw caution to the wind . . . or the kind of guy who could break her heart.

Blake Dawson hopes he can make Lucky Penny Ranch finally live up to its name, but the property needs a ton of work. Allie and her carpentry skills are his best shot at getting things in order. Besides the fact that her brown eyes and dangerous curves have him roped and tied. Now Blake only needs to convince her that a wild cowboy can be tamed by love—and she’s just the one to do it.

Read on for my thoughts on Wild Cowboy Ways. No true spoilers, promise.

A Chance of a Lifetime by Marilyn Pappano

Posted December 22, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: A Chance of a Lifetime
Series: Tallgrass #5
Author: Marilyn Pappano
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 22, 2015
Publisher: Forever
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it…

To Benita Ford, Tallgrass, Oklahoma, will always be home. It’s where her beloved grandmother raised her and where she rode bikes with her two best friends—the man who became her husband and Calvin. And Tallgrass is where she stayed, even after her husband died while serving his country. Now Calvin is home from that same war, and the sensitive, mischievous boy she once knew is today a man scarred by wounds no one else can see. Falling in love with him is something Bennie never imagined.

Tallgrass still haunts Captain Calvin Sweet. Yet it’s where he must go to see Bennie—the one woman he always loved but could never have. Calvin regrets so much about what happened years ago. Still he can’t deny being with Bennie makes his future feel bright, like anything is possible. But the demons of his past won’t be quieted that easily. As old hurts linger, threatening to pull them apart, Calvin and Bennie must take the ultimate risk for the love of a lifetime.

Read on for my thoughts on A Chance of a Lifetime. No true spoilers, promise.

In The Company of Wolves by Paige Tyler

Posted December 21, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: In The Company of Wolves
Series: SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #3
Author: Paige Tyler
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

He opened his mouth to order her to drop the MP5 she had aimed at him, but nothing would come out. It was like she’d robbed him of the ability to speak. Shooting her wasn’t an option, though. And the idea of arresting her didn’t make him feel any better.

There’s a new gang of criminals in town who are organized and ruthless in the extreme. When Eric Becker, along with the rest of the Dallas SWAT team, ends up in the middle of a shootout, he immediately senses werewolves-a lot of them. Turns out, the new bad guys are a pack of wolf shifters.

In a spray of gunfire, Becker comes face-to-face with the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen. Becker does the logical thing. He hides her and leaves the scene with the rest of his team.

Jayna Winston has no idea why that SWAT guy helped her, but she’s glad he did. Ever since she and her pack mates got mixed up with those Eastern European mobsters, everything had pretty much fallen apart.

So what’s a street-savvy thief like Jayna going to do with a hot alpha-male wolf who’s a police officer?

Read on for my thoughts on In The Company of Wolves. No true spoilers, promise.

Operation White Christmas by Nicki Edwards

Posted December 21, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Operation White Christmas
Series: Escape To The Country #2.5
Author: Nicki Edwards
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: December 17, 2015
Publisher: Momentum Books / Moonlight
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Hollie Douglas has dreamed of a White Christmas ever since she was a child, but her dream implodes when her fiancé breaks her heart two months before their big day. Convinced by her best friend to go ahead with her planned honeymoon anyway, Hollie doesn’t expect to find herself stuck in a snowstorm in rural Canada two days before Christmas.

Jim Bell has been dreading another Christmas without his wife. When one of his orphaned animals goes missing in the middle of a snowstorm, he didn’t expect he’d be rescuing a stranded Australian tourist as well. He quickly realizes Hollie is carrying as much emotional baggage as him, and when she accepts his offer to seek shelter at his farm, he wonders if he’s doing the right thing.

As Jim helps Hollie fulfill her White Christmas dreams, the winter wonderland and spirit of Christmas work their healing magic on both of them.

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

Emma and Her Daughter by Linda Mitchelmore

Posted December 21, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Emma and Her Daughter
Series: Emma Le Goff #3
Author: Linda Mitchelmore
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: January 9, 2016
Publisher: Choc Lit
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Can ‘second love’ be true love?

It’s 1927 and Emma has returned to England from Canada with her teenage daughter, Fleur. After the tragedies of the past, Emma is ready to start again in Devon, the place she used to call home – despite the bittersweet memories it brings back.

But memories are not the only thing that she has to contend with. There’s also the secret she’s been keeping from her daughter; the secret that’s revealed when an unwelcome visitor comes back and threatens to turn their lives upside down.

Throughout it all Matthew Caunter is rarely far from Emma’s thoughts and, as it happens, much closer than she thinks. Could he be the key to her finally finding happiness, or will Emma discover the hard way that some people are just destined for heartache?

Read on for my thoughts on Emma and Her Daughter. No true spoilers, promise.

Her Sworn Enemy by Theresa Meyers

Posted December 20, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Her Sworn Enemy
Series: Men of the Zodiac #12
Author: Theresa Meyers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 7, 2015
Publisher: Entangled / Indulgence
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Money doesn’t matter when what you want is revenge.

Self-made millionaire and family black sheep Tucker McCormack has one goal—payback. He’s planning a hostile takeover of the McCormack empire, but his latest roadblock is too beautiful to resist…and she’s his brother’s ex.

Headstrong antiquities expert Belladonna Dupre has put every asset she has on the line to recover her family’s fortunes from a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico, but she needs a dive salvage operator to make it happen. Enter Tucker McCormack. He’s smart, good with his hands, and sexy as hell in a dive suit, but he demands joint credit for the discovery as a condition to work with her.

Bella won’t be bullied into giving up what’s rightly hers. Tuck won’t take no for an answer. It’s a battle on the high seas, where sparks fly, attraction smolders, and anything can happen.

Read on for my thoughts on Her Sworn Enemy. No true spoilers, promise.

A SEAL Forever by Anne Elizabeth

Posted December 20, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: A SEAL Forever
Series: West Coast Navy SEALs #3
Author: Anne Elizabeth
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance
Published: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Special Operator Declan Swifton was a dedicated U.S. Navy SEAL, a known player, and daredevil who loved pushing the limits. But on his last mission, an IED leaves him injured and angry as hell—and it changes everything.

When a loud crash disturbs his neighbor, Maura Maxwell, she assumes the sailor next door is up to his usual bad behavior. But the man she finds covered in glass is far from the cocky ladies’ man she’d grown to tolerate. Lying before her is a man fighting to rediscover his place in the world—and he can’t do it alone.

Read on for my thoughts on A SEAL Forever. No true spoilers, promise.

The Christmas Catch by Ginny Baird

Posted December 20, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: The Christmas Catch
Series: Holiday Brides #1
Author: Ginny Baird
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: January 1, 2012
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Purchased, Owned Kindle Edition
Cover Description:

Since the death of her military husband two years ago, single mom Christine White has struggled to get by. By throwing herself into her work as a Chicago copywriter, she’s managed to keep food on the table but has gradually lost sight of what really matters, like building a bond with her four-year-old son. When Christine’s best friend insists she spend Christmas in Vermont so she can get her life in order, Christine initially resists. Little does she know she’s in for a memorable holiday that will reignite her faith and reawaken her heart.

Bachelor professor John Steadman has given up on finding the right one. Spending time with his friends while keeping up with his job seems satisfying enough. Then one day close to Christmas, a beautiful woman from Chicago nearly runs him off the road during a snowstorm. What’s more, she’s got a kid in her car. It’s only natural that John and his trusty golden retriever want to help drag them out of a ditch and steer them toward their destination. What John doesn’t expect is that soon he’ll be hoping Christine and her son will be staying in Vermont – for more than just a little while.

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

Controlled Burn by Shannon Stacey

Posted December 19, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Controlled Burn
Series: Boston Fire #2
Author: Shannon Stacey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Carina Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Rick Gullotti lives the good life. He fights fires, dates beautiful women—though none long enough so they cast wistful glances at jewelry stores—and has great friends. And thanks to helping out the elderly couple who own his building, his rent is low. But when concerns about their health lead him to contact their only son, his life starts getting away from him.

Jessica Broussard has no interest in leaving sunny San Diego or her cushy corner office for Boston, but her father—who happens to be her boss—dispatches her to deal with the grandparents she’s never met. She’s unprepared for the frigid winter, loving relatives who aren’t the monsters she’s been led to believe, and the hot, scruffy firefighter who lives upstairs.

At first, Jessica is determined to get back to her comfortable life as quickly as possible. All she has to do is talk her grandparents into selling their monstrosity of a house and moving to a retirement community. But she underestimates Rick’s dedication—and his considerable charm. Nobody’s taking advantage of his friends on his watch, even if that makes the tempting southern California girl with the long legs his adversary. Unfortunately for them both, the only thing more urgent than the matter at hand is their sizzling chemistry, and it’s quickly becoming too strong to resist.

Read on for my thoughts on Controlled Burn. No true spoilers, promise.

The Christmas Bucket List by Ella Fairlie

Posted December 19, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance / 2 Comments

Title: The Christmas Bucket List
Series:
Author: Ella Fairlie
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: November 30, 2014
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 Snowy Stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

It’s Christmas time in London: there’s snow in the air, Regent Street is bustling, and the Trafalgar Square tree’s all a-glitter. Isobel Gray is dreaming of a perfect movie-style Christmas for her first Noël away from home, and with a hot man and a bucket list of festive fun ready to be ticked off, she thinks she has it all wrapped up.

But when her boss-slash-boyfriend goes AWOL just days before the holiday, she finds herself a little Lost, Actually instead. Will she end up home alone, or is there a Christmas miracle waiting under the mistletoe?

Read on for my thoughts on The Christmas Bucket List. No true spoilers, promise.

A Soldier’s Wish by Tammy Godfrey

Posted December 18, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 2 Comments

Title: A Soldier’s Wish
Series: A Soldier For All Seasons #1
Author: Tammy Godfrey
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance
Published: December 1, 2014
Publisher: Booktrope / Entice
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Sergeant Melody Finnegan has never felt good enough—not for her family, not for her career, and especially not for First Sergeant Jason Stewart. But she was there for him once, on a night when he had no one, and she’s never forgotten the way he made her feel.

Jason has hated the holidays ever since his ex-wife took their four-year-old daughter and left on Christmas day. But while he may not believe in the holiday spirit, he does believe in his men. And this year they could use something to cheer them up more than ever before. When Jason is called on to play Santa at his unit’s Christmas party, he has no choice but to accept, especially because this could be exactly what he’s been wishing for… a second chance with Melody.

Read on for my thoughts on A Soldier’s Wish. No true spoilers, promise.

Home For Christmas by Lizzie Shane

Posted December 17, 2015 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Home for Christmas
Series: Reality Romance
Author: Lizzie Shane
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: November 3, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

All she wants this Christmas is to get home and put this disastrous year behind her, but when Samantha Whitney boards her flight to Chicago she finds the man in the seat next to hers is none other than Jase MacGregor, her first love who shattered her heart last Christmas Eve.

All he wants this Christmas is a second chance with the love of his life, but if Sam’s frosty reception is anything to go by, it’s going to take more than a few hours at thirty thousand feet for Jase to win back her heart.

When a blizzard cancels their connecting flight, it looks like neither of them is going to get their Christmas wish, but with the help of a little holiday magic Sam and Jase may be able to find their way back home. But only if they do it together.

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