Review: Not Quite Dating by Catherine Bybee

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

Title: Not Quite Dating
Series: Not Quite #1
Author: Catherine Bybee
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Montlake Romance
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Waitress and single mom Jessica “Jessie” Mann is practical to a fault. Even if she had time to date, which she doesn’t, she’d be determined to provide her son with a more secure upbringing than the one she had—and that would mean a husband with big bucks. When Jack Morrison—a sexy-as-sin, seemingly broke customer with a cowboy hat and a seductive grin—tries to flirt with her, she shoots him down. She doubts a carefree dreamer like Jack can provide the financial stability she needs. Yet with Christmas just weeks away, and Jessie not wanting to spend it alone, the charming Texan is proving hard to resist.

As the heir to the Morrison luxury hotel empire, Jack is used to being fawned over. But Jack needs someone who will fall in love with him—not his wealth. He’s set his sights on Jessie, though her hardened heart just might get in the way…To be sure, he conceals his true identity and offers to help Jessie find the rich husband she seeks. But Jack’s daring charade may rob him of the holiday wish he wants most of all.

Read on for my thoughts on Not Quite Dating. No true spoilers, promise.

Caught Up In The Past – Books That Is

Posted July 24, 2015 by Marsha in Discussion Post / 0 Comments

book pile The last week or so I’m finding myself picking up older novels to read. Not even necessarily for review (but I end up reviewing them anyway) – just I seem to be drawn to novels that I missed over the recent past. Some are authors that I’m catching up on their back lists. Others are series that I want to get caught up in so I can continue with the current stories and not be lost.

I have to admit that my Kindle Unlimited subscription is really getting a workout lately – and I suppose the more novels I borrow and read, the better the monthly deal is, cost wise.

I have several newer releases on my Kindle and the physical bookshelf that I should be reading and reviewing — I’m simply drawn backward in time at the moment. I’m sure it will even itself out soon, it always does. And I can’t complain because I’m reading some amazing stories.

Wondering if I’m alone out here in my trip back in novel time. Anyone else get caught up in reading the “should have read this years ago” syndrome too?

Review: The Billionaire Falls by Melody Anne

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

Title: The Billionaire Falls
Series: Billionaire Bachelors #3
Author: Melody Anne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 11, 2011
Publisher:
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Joseph Anderson has been successful in finding brides for his two eldest sons. In this book he finds the perfect bride for his youngest son Mark. Mark has a billion dollar ranch operation that takes many employees to run successfully. He loses his cook and leaves it to his father to find a new one. Little does Mark know that Joseph is far more interested in her marriage potential than her cooking skills. Luckily he finds a woman who can cook and will make the perfect bride for his son.

Emily Jackson is on the run from people who want to take her five year old son from her. She ends up in a small town in Washington and is excited to find an ad in the paper for a live in cook. When she starts work at the beautiful ranch, sparks fly with her new boss who is sexier than any cowboy has the right to be. She does not want to risk having an affair with her boss and losing her job so she will fight the attraction until passion overcomes them both.

Take the journey with Mark and his family as the youngest Anderson finds his bride.

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

Review: Flirting with Forever by Kim Boykin

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

Title: Flirting with Forever
Series: Island Bliss #1, Lowcountry Lovers #1
Author: Kim Boykin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 19, 2014
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Forty-year-old Tara Jordan’s first book, The Perfect Marriage in 30 Days, is at the top of the bestseller lists, and her publisher wants her on a book tour ASAP. Tara’s about to live her dream only there’s one problem. Her husband of 15 years has just walked out, leaving Tara on the brink of financial ruin with no choice but to promote a self-help book about marriage when hers is secretly in ruins.

Enter publicist Jake Randall, 30, who’s had it with hand holding newbie authors channeling their inner divas on their first book tours, until he meets Tara. Their instant attraction blossoms quickly into love. Tara thinks she has achieved her dreams and earned her license to thrive until her husband, Jim returns determined to win her back.

Read on for my thoughts on Flirting with Forever. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Birthday Deadline by Ella Cari

Posted July 23, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: The Birthday Deadline
Series: Billionaire Brides
Author: Ella Cari
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: June 11, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Sebastian Fox was a billionaire before he even hit his twentieth birthday thanks to his ingenuity and intelligence. Now 29, he has to find a bride or his entire business will come crashing down.

Before he walked into my struggling flower shop that day, I’d seen his face a million times already. His gorgeous green eyes lit up billboards, magazine covers, and TV interviews. The multi-billionaire had a proposition for me. He would help save my business, and in turn, I would help save his. All that Sebastian needed was my hand in marriage.

Married for convenience, how will we even begin to bring our lives together? My husband and I knew nothing of each other before our wedding day, and now, we will be together forever. Will he ever be more than just a man who kissed me at the altar?

Read on for my thoughts on The Birthday Deadline. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Vivian ~ The Three Mrs. Monroes by Bernadette Marie

Posted July 23, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Vivian~The Three Mrs. Monroes
Series: The Three Mrs. Monroes #3
Author: Bernadette Marie
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 9, 2014
Publisher: 5 Prince publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

From loss breeds new beginnings…

Vivian Monroe had been jaded. Her husband’s death only compounded the lies she’d only come to learn about.

Clayton North knows a thing or two about loss. He figured it was fate for him to meet Vivian Monroe. He’ll take on the challenge of helping her mend her heart.

Midst new friendships and new romance, Vivian must let go of her pain and face the woman who helped Adam Monroe weave his deceptive web.

Read on for my thoughts on Vivian~The Three Mrs. Monroes. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Penelope~The Three Mrs. Monroes by Bernadette Marie

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

Title: Penelope~The Three Mrs. Monroes
Series: The Three Mrs. Monroes #2
Author: Bernadette Marie
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: August 28, 2014
Publisher: 5 Prince Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

From loss breeds new life.

Penelope Monroe married on impulse and her heart had been broken by Adam Monroe’s lies. Pregnant she wonders how she will survive, alone, with her baby.

Brock Romero held Adam Monroe when he died in combat. Now released from the Army he makes it his priority to find Adam’s wife and share with her his last words.

On the verge of making the same mistake twice, Penelope must trust her heart—especially when new lies are uncovered.

Read on for my thoughts on Penelope~The Three Mrs. Monroes. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Amelia~The Three Mrs. Monroes by Bernadette Marie

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

Title: Amelia
Series: The Three Mrs. Monroes #1
Author: Bernadette Marie
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: August 1, 2014
Publisher: 5 Prince Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

From loss breeds new opportunity.

Amelia Monroe had felt the sharp pain from the loss of a soldier before-Adam Monroe’s death didn’t have that same effect.

Sam Jackson had one job-deliver Adam Monroe’s revised will. Even he couldn’t have anticipated that he’d be entangled in the web of lies his client had woven.

Doing what is right had been inbred in Amelia. She’d planned to say her goodbyes and start fresh. Staying in Adam’s small town with his other lies, that wasn’t part of her plan.

Read on for my thoughts on Amelia~The Three Mrs. Monroes. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Art of Sinning by Sabrina Jeffries

Posted July 21, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: The Art of Sinning
Series: Sinful Suitors #1
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: July 21, 2015
Publisher: Pocket Books
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

American artist Jeremy Keane refuses to return home and take over his father’s business. He’d much rather sample bevvies of beauties abroad, in search of a model for the provocative masterpiece he’s driven to paint. When he meets Lady Yvette Barlow at a London wedding, he realizes she’s perfect for his work—and determines to capture the young heiress’s defiant spirit and breathtaking sensuality on canvas.

No stranger to scandal, Yvette agrees to be Keane’s subject—in exchange for his help gaining entry to the city’s brothels he knows intimately, so she can track a missing woman and solve a family mystery. But when their practical partnership leads to lessons in the art of sinning, can they find a bold and lasting love?

Read on for my thoughts on The Art of Sinning. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Billionaire’s Dance by Melody Anne

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

Title: The Billionaire’s Dance
Series: Billionaire Bachelors #2
Author: Melody Anne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: Reissue July 2012
Publisher: Gossamer Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed, Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Joseph Anderson has decided it is time his three successful sons find brides. Joseph wants grandchildren to fill his huge mansion, and he wants them immediately. He was successful in his eldest son’s match, and in this book, his scheming brings Alex and Jessica together.

Alex is a confirmed bachelor who loves to travel all around the globe and romance as many women as possible. That is until he meets Jessica Sanders. One night with her and he is changing his views of bachelorhood and starting to think that married life is the new way for him. Jessica comes from a wealthy family, and has had one too many good looking men take advantage of her family’s money. When she meets confirmed bachelor and known playboy Alex Anderson, she is distrustful of his flirting, and tries to avoid him at all costs. That is until they end up trapped in an elevator, and her fear of the dark, tight space is greater than her fear of the man she is trapped with. Alex comforts her by making steamy love in the elevator, and when she runs away once they are free, he walks away wanting more.

One year later he finds out he is a father, and he makes sure Jessica has no other choice than to let him do the honorable thing. They have passion, romance, love and family to help guide them through the chaos.

Read on for my thoughts on The Billionaire’s Dance. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Picture Perfect by Kate Forster

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

Title: Picture Perfect
Series:
Author: Kate Forster
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 17, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Limited, Mira
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Movie stars aren’t always picture perfect, especially when it comes to secrets from their past…

Zoe Greene manages the careers of Hollywood’s biggest stars. She’ll do anything to help them – and herself – get ahead.

Actress Maggie Hall has been America’s sweetheart for nearly twenty years. And she’s about to learn that there are two things in life you just can’t fight: growing older and falling in love.

Dylan Mercer – young, beautiful and defiant – has run away from New York to try her luck in Hollywood. She’s not after fame and fortune, though. Dylan’s on a quest to find her birth mother.

All three women are swept up in the search for the actress who will score the role of a lifetime. But ambition and desire can bring out the worst in people. And in a town built on illusions, believing you can escape your past might just be the biggest deception of all.

Read on for my thoughts on Picture Perfect. No true spoilers, promise.

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.

Musing Mondays #6

Posted July 20, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 2 Comments

Musing Monday is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

My prompt for this week is: I bought the following book(s) in the past week…

For some reason Christmas in July was on my mind a lot last week. Thinking about the Christmas novels I’ve loved and read again every Christmas season – and deciding how I’m going to put together my Christmas reading and reviewing for this year. I have a small bookcase full of past Christmas seasonal stories. Yes, I tend to collect them and re-read favorites as time allows. How many of those older, beloved stories do I review or simply read for myself is one thought that keeps going through my mind.

Of course when books come to mind I head over to Amazon and on a lark looked for 1-Click “free” or Kindle Unlimited novels… holy candy canes, Batman there’s a ton of them. I picked out ten that sound promising. I really do need to come up with a plan now, ‘cos time will fly by and I’d like to get those reviews in “saved” mode at least. Because I know me – I’ll be on the lookout for new Christmas novels as soon as Halloween is past.

Hmmm… Halloween. Now where did I store those themed novels? *sheepish grin*

Are favorite Christmas / Seasonal stories part of your traditions?

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Are you able to read while in a vehicle (in motion)? Have you always been this way?

Yes. For over 15 years I worked in downtown Pittsburgh and lived in a suburb about half an hour out… and we all know that morning or evening rush hour adds on considerable time to that commute. So I’m an old pro at reading in motion. I don’t like sitting on the bus or trolley sideways, but even in that uncomfortable situation it never slowed down my reading. At that time my main time for reading was on the commute and lunch hours. The things we do to continue a good story. 🙂

Review: His Captive Mortal by Renee Rose

Posted July 19, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 2 Comments

Title: His Captive Mortal
Series:
Author: Renee Rose
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Erotica
Published: July 16, 2015
Publisher: Baronet Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

When a young special education teacher unwittingly attracts the attention of a strange man on her late night walk home, she winds up with a supernatural guest she can’t evict. For some reason, Charlie, the dominant immortal believes she is of fairy descent and has magical powers. He demands her complete submission and cooperation, refusing to free her until she promises to help him.

Charlie sees the power in Sasha and believes she has the ability to undo the curse placed on him by a jealous lover one hundred years before. He also loves toying with the feisty mortal, doling out humiliating punishments while arousing a lust in her that leaves them both hungry for satisfaction.

His habit of emotional detachment crumbles as he falls for Sasha, yet when he discovers she carries a secret that relates to his past, the betrayal nearly destroys him. He must decide whether he can ever trust a woman, or give into instinct and walk away from what might be his only chance at love and redemption.

Publishers Note: This book contains elements of BDSM including spanking, bondage and erotic sex scenes. 18+ reader, adult content.

Read on for my thoughts on His Captive Mortal. 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.