Category: Contemporary Romance

Review: My Stepbrother the Groom by Lexi Maxxwell

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

Title: My Stepbrother the Groom
Series:
Author: Lexi Maxxwell
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: March 23, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

He’d be perfect if he wasn’t getting married … and if he wasn’t about to become her stepbrother.

Romantic humor has never been so deliciously tempting.

It’s been a rough day for Ella Roberts.

First, her social-climbing mother Valerie dragged her to yet another wedding — something that always reminds Ella that real life offers few happily-ever-afters.

Second, Valerie’s goal isn’t to have fun at the event, but to schmooze clients for the family wedding business that Ella’s hated forever.

And third (after too much wine, and being mocked by her black sheep sister for “letting Mom bind you with her bitch chains”), Ella gets a text from her latest disposable boyfriend, Chase:NOT WORKING OUT. SORRY. I HAVE YOUR GYM SHOES.

But things are finally looking up. The handsome, charming, successful man Ella meets at the bar fills her with flutters and makes everything better. Gazing into Nathan Hayes’s kind blue eyes, Ella can almost believe that love at first sight is true after all.

It’s too bad that in just two months, Ella’s mother will be marrying Nathan’s father … in a double wedding with Nathan and his fiancée Natasha.

She should run from her feelings for Nathan. She should back away and find a new mediocre man to amuse her. But Ella’s been unlucky in love too many times to ignore what she feels … and so for Ella, “taboo” turns to “game on” instead.

Read on for my thoughts on My Stepbrother the Groom. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Billionaire Wins The Game by Melody Anne

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

Title: The Billionaire Wins The Game
Series: Billionaire Bachelors
Author: Melody Anne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: May 28, 2012
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Owned, Kindle Edition
Cover Description:

Joseph Anderson has decided it’s time for his three successful sons to find brides. Joseph wants grandchildren to fill his mansion, and he wants them immediately. His eldest son, Lucas, is successful in all areas of his life, except love, and Joseph begins matchmaking. He finds Amy Harper and deems her the perfect daughter-in-law. He just needs to get her and Lucas to both realize they’re made for each other.

Lucas Anderson is wealthy, sexy, and stubborn. He has no desire to have any woman enter his life, causing chaos, or using his family’s name. Many women have tried, and he’s been successful in finding out who they are beneath their false smiles.

Amy Harper was raised in tragic circumstances and doesn’t like pampered, rich men who have been handed everything with a silver spoon. She spent years finishing her education and then received a job with the Anderson Corporation. She instantly doesn’t like her incredibly sexy boss, who is arrogant and thinks every woman should fall at his feet.

When Amy becomes pregnant after one reckless night of passion, she’s scared he’ll take the baby and run. Lucas is demanding, and used to getting his way, but Amy has just the right amount of spark to ignite his fuse, and challenges him each step of the way.

Lucas’s father, Joseph, and his brothers Alex and Mark, offer laughter, love, and support. With the love of Lucas’s family, who aren’t only rich and successful, but also kind and giving, Amy starts to realize that being wealthy doesn’t make or break a man, and starts to picture the happily ever after she never believed in for herself.

Read on for my thoughts on The Billionaire Wins The Game. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Killing Casanova by Kary Rader

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

Title: Killing Casanova
Series: DataMatch #4
Author: Kary Rader
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: June 30, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

When Violet Murphy’s boss begs her to convince his dying mother that they’re getting married, the pretty wallflower finds that being trapped in a pretend relationship with a sexy playboy leaves her with two choices: kill the handsome Casanova…or fall in love with him.

A MODERN-DAY ROGUE
A smooth-talking negotiator, Jared Cassidy does multimillion-dollar deals for breakfast…and any number of women in between. What he can’t handle? His mother. And in a moment of insanity he told her he’s finally found a bride.

AND AN OLD-FASHIONED WALLFLOWER
More than anyone, romance-novel addict Violet Murphy knows where her rakish boss has been. That’s why she’s steered clear. But now, having accepted a proposal that’s only moderately less indecent than usual, she has two choices: Spend two steamy and lavishly paid weeks as the pretend fiancée of a playboy no woman has truly ever understood, or use the time in Palm Beach to kill the image and reveal the man. In doing the latter, she’ll find paradise, passion, and the promise of a future she’s only ever imagined.

Read on for my thoughts on Killing Casanova. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Bride Who Wouldn’t by Carol Marinelli

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

Title: The Bride Who Wouldn’t
Series: The Honeymoon #1
Author: Carol Marinelli
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: June 16, 2015
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

A romantic honeymoon in Paris, with a sexy billionaire Russian groom….

There are only two problems. It’s a marriage of convenience. And, the virgin bride is frigid.

Kate Edwards has never embraced her sensuality, is terrified of intimacy, and the wedding night is a disaster. Instead of calling the whole thing off, Isaak Zaretsky listens to her and challenges her using his unashamedly sensual nature and superb bedroom skills. But can Kate really give herself without love?

Read on for my thoughts on The Bride Who Wouldn’t. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Born To Be Bad by Carol Marinelli

Posted July 18, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Born To Be Bad
Series: International Bad Boys #3
Author: Carol Marinelli
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 1, 2014
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Innocent Milly Harper knows that it would be foolish at best to get involved with billionaire bad boy, Roman Zaretsky. He’s a guest at the hotel where she works, so she knows his reputation only too well.

One night, when all the other guests have left, Milly finds herself dancing with the Devil himself. His touch, his kiss, even his words seduce.

Being in his arms is pure passion and delight, but she’d never anticipated the shame of being paid.

Read on for my thoughts on Born To Be Bad. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee

Posted July 18, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Wed by Wednesday
Series: The Weekday Brides #1
Author: Catherine Bybee
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 5, 2011
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Blake Harrison:
Rich, titled, and charming…and in need of a wife by Wednesday. Blake turns to Sam Elliot, who isn’t the businessman he expected. Instead, Blake is faced with Samantha Elliot, beautiful and feisty with a voice men call 1-900 numbers to hear.

Samantha Elliot:
Owner of matchmaking firm Alliance and not on the marital menu…that is, until Blake offers her ten million dollars for a one-year contract. And there’s nothing indecent about this proposal. The money will really help with her family’s medical bills. All Samantha will need to do is keep her attraction to her new husband to herself and avoid his bed.

But Blake’s toe-curling kisses and sexy charm prove too difficult for Sam to resist. It was a marriage contract that planned for everything…except falling in love.

Read on for my thoughts on Wed by Wednesday. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Snow Prints by May Willians

Posted July 17, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Snow Prints
Series: Michigan Moonlight #2
Author: May Williams
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 13, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

With a successful career, and his dream house under construction, the only thing missing from Adrien Peterson’s life is love. Since high school, Adrien’s heart has belonged to the irresistible Gracie Sinclair. If only he could make the her see it…

Single mother Gracie’s worked hard for everything she’s got. Between her son, her nursing job, and violin playing, she’s built a life that, if not a dream, is something she can be proud of. She’s had enough lovers and family walk out on her to know not to want more. But then Adrien moves next door while his house is being built, bringing with him a tempting charm she remembers all too well.

Adrien is determined to break down the walls around Gracie’s heart. When she reluctantly agrees to a six-week trial relationship, he has one shot to show her just what a dream love can be.

Read on for my thoughts on Snow Prints. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Terms of Surrender by Sheila Seabrook

Posted July 16, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 3 Comments

Title: Terms of Surrender
Series: Rocky Mountain Romance #2
Author: Sheila Seabrook
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 2, 2013
Publisher:
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

A woman in need…
ER nurse Harley Jane Davis has dedicated her life to helping others. Now she’s the one in trouble, and the only person she can rely on is Gage Toryn—the man she’s secretly been in love with for years.

A man on the edge…
Gage would do anything for Harley, except give in to the hungry passion that sparks between them. He’s hiding a terrible secret, one guaranteed to destroy any chance at a relationship. And even though Harley haunts his dreams and makes him want to be a better man, he knows she could never love him if she learned about his ugly past.

Family, future, forever…
When a situation with Gage’s brother endangers Harley and his nieces, Gage offers them refuge in his home—and the battered pieces of his heart. But can he overcome his fear of commitment and open up about the past? Or will his secret destroy his last chance to have a relationship—and a real family—with the only woman he’s ever loved?

Read on for my thoughts on Terms of Surrender. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Barefoot in White by Roxanne St. Claire

Posted July 16, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Barefoot in White
Series: Barefoot Bay Brides #1
Author: Roxanne St. Claire
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: May 2014
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Owned
From the Cover:

Destination wedding consultant Willow Ambrose has fought a battle with the scale for much of her life, but she has finally won the war. By putting her past behind her and cutting off all contact with anyone who knew her before and, of course, controlling everything she can, Willow has carved out a new body and a new life. But when she comes face to face with someone who left an indelible mark on her heart years before, all that threatens to crumble.

Navy SEAL Nick Hershey is on medical leave, doing a friend a favor as a stand in “man of honor” at a beach wedding. He might not be that interested in the nuptials, but the wedding planner catches his eye the minute they meet. When he realizes Willow is really a girl he knew in college—and a girl he unintentionally hurt to the core—he knows he has some making up to do.

Willow has learned how to beat every temptation…but Nick’s sweet-as-candy kisses just might be the one thing she can’t resist. But the closer they get, the more the past threatens to tear them apart. Can they finally let go of a painful past in order to find a forever future?

Read on for my thoughts on Barefoot in White. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Outlaw’s Bride by Nicole Snow

Posted July 16, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Outlaw’s Bride
Series: Grizzlies MC Romance #3
Author: Nicole Snow
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Published: June 29, 2015
Publisher: Ice Lips Press
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

SALLY

He’s going to kill me when he finds out. I should’ve left Roman behind after our unforgettable fling two summers ago. I wasn’t supposed to end up having his kid, always looking over my shoulder for the last man in the world meant to be a father.

But danger has a funny way of betraying a woman’s best kept secrets, and reigniting old flames that should’ve died on a hot summer night.

Now, he’s hellbent on claiming me in all the explosive ways that make my heart stop and my head spin. I’m losing it, or maybe just my panties. Every single pair.

An arranged marriage with the Grizzlies MC’s biggest badass? I shouldn’t want this so bad…

ROMAN

Forgive and forget? F*ck no.

I tried like hell to push her away, spent every waking minute on whores and booze. Then I found out what she’d hidden, and I lost my damned mind.

Sally’s lies stole more years off my life than prison did. She owes me big. I’m taking her for payment, and I don’t care what she’s got to say about wearing my brand.

No chick makes a fool outta me. And I’m not fooling when I tell her I’ll get my perfect wife, even if we’re faking it all the way to the altar.

Give me a week. I’ll conquer her spitfire tongue and remind her what it’s like to ache desire. I’m not stopping ’til her lips are on mine, making her squirm the way she used to, begging me for more…

The Outlaw Love books are stand alone romance novels featuring unique lovers and happy endings. No cliffhangers! This is Roman and Sally’s story in the Grizzlies MC series. This novel is for 18+ readers, mature content ahead.

Read on for my thoughts on Outlaw’s Bride. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: His Love by Jennifer Gracen

Posted July 15, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: His Love
Series: Summer in New York #3
Author: Jennifer Gracen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Toni Westmore doesn’t do relationships. She has a demanding boss at her high end Soho art gallery job and an even more difficult and critical mother – who needs the mess of a relationship?

Enter Irish Doctor Gavin McKinnon, her friend’s brother, also known as the perfect summer fling: tall, muscled, smart, funny, definitely ready for a good time and stamped with an expiration date. He’ll go back to Ireland and his family medical practice in a few weeks and she’ll return to her real world and plan her next career move.

Gavin’s in town not only to visit his sister, but to try and heal his broken heart. He gets a little help when Toni, his sister’s friend and roommate, enters the picture. Inexplicably drawn to her, Gavin tries to remind himself to look but not touch, but Toni is hard to resist… and when she offers him a no strings fling, how could he say no?

But as Gavin’s departure date looms, Toni realizes that her sexy summer fling is anything but. And she was sure she could kiss Gavin goodbye with no regrets…

Will she attempt to break their no strings rule? Or will Gavin leave Long Island without looking back?

Read on for my thoughts on His Love. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Angels’ Share by Jennifer Bramseth

Posted July 15, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Angels’ Share
Series: Bourbon Springs #3
Author: Jennifer Bramseth
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 14, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

After the deaths of her parents and husband, high school history teacher Lila McNee inherits her family’s land and retreats to her childhood home in search of safety and solitude in Bourbon Springs, Kentucky. Yet instead of the peace she needs to heal, she discovers her neighbor to the north, Bo Davenport, the owner-distiller of Old Garnet Distillery, desperately wants a big chunk of her land along the property line which has been subject to dispute for years. Bo wants land to expand the distillery, one of his father’s last wishes, and sees the property as rightfully belonging to Old Garnet. But the land is Lila’s refuge against a world that has only brought her heartbreak, and is the home to her beloved and historic springs–the very spot from which Bourbon Springs derived its name over two centuries earlier.

After months of fruitless negotiations, Bo sues Lila. And she sues him back. Drawn together by conflict born of love of the same place, the two find themselves falling for each other. But if they can’t find a solution to the land dispute and figure out a way to share that which is most dear to them, they not only risk losing the lawsuit, they also risk losing their chance at love.

Read on for my thoughts on Angels’ Share. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Maggie’s Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Posted July 15, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 2 Comments

Title: Maggie’s Turn
Series:
Author: Deanna Lynn Sletten
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction
Published: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Maggie has always put her family’s needs in front of her own, until one day—without forethought—she drives away, leaving behind her indifferent husband and two sulking teenagers.

As she begins a quest of self-exploration, she meets new people, enjoys new adventures, and rediscovers long-neglected passions. For the first time in years, Maggie contemplates what she wants from life and soon realizes that her deteriorating marriage can no longer continue as it is. Can she and Andrew repair their broken relationship, or is their marriage over?

Left to his own devices, Andrew is forced to take over the household responsibilities and bridge the growing divide between himself and his children. Slowly, he begins to understand what drove Maggie away—and how he can’t bear to live without her. But is it too late? Will Andrew lose Maggie forever?

Read on for my thoughts on Maggie’s Turn. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Hittin’ It by Amie Stuart

Posted July 15, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Hittin’ It
Series: Marked for Love #2
Author: Amie Stuart
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 14, 2015 (original with 2 stories 2009)
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

As a professional hit man, Will Collier has more secrets than most. But on a sweltering Texas night, the lives he’s taken rank second place to the love he’d like to be making with a sensual Bohemian beauty.

Sabrina Walker is intimately familiar with the havoc Cupid can wreak. She’s determined that love will never seduce her again, until she meets Will Collier and discovers that some secrets are better when shared.

Warning: This book contains a spunky, plus-sized heroine, a sassy Beagle named Scamp, and a sexually frustrated hitman who can’t figure out what women want…Then again, what man can?

Read on for my thoughts on Hittin’ It. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Heart and Sole by Miranda Liasson

Posted July 14, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Heart and Sole
Series:
Author: Miranda Liasson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Indulgence
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Getting even.
One step at a time…

Maddie Kingston just walked away from everything in order to take over her family’s struggling shoe business. And she’s in some serious trouble. The majority of the company’s shares have been bought out by none other than Maddie’s ex-boyfriend, self-made billionaire Nick Holter. Now Maddie needs his help…even if it means buying Nick from a charity bachelor auction.

After the Kingstons destroyed his grandfather’s career, Nick vowed to take over their company. He’s inches from victory when he finds himself bought and paid for…by his sexy ex-girlfriend who’s hell-bent on saving her family’s company. Between their families’ feud and their own unfinished business, tempers – and emotions – run hot. Too hot.

Because kissing with the enemy is a guaranteed shoe-in for trouble.

Read on for my thoughts on Heart and Sole. No true spoilers, promise.