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.

This Is Why I Try To Make My Reviews Spoiler Free

Posted December 20, 2015 by Marsha in Discussion Post / 0 Comments

Hawn Leia Mature Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently you might have heard of a pretty big movie release – a little film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Yeah, pretty big deal for us Star Wars fans.

I was lucky enough to see it this past Thursday, December 17th thanks to my son staying online for about 4 hours to get tickets to the day before release viewings.

The Force Awakens is, in my opinion pretty amazing. The new adventures, the chance to catch up with old friends. It met my every hope and then some.

I will be the last person to talk publicly about the film. Yes, I absolutely loved it. Would recommend it to fans and new to the franchise movie goers who want to see what all the fuss has been about all these years.. But I won’t talk about it. For one main reason.

Why would I (or anyone) want to spoil this movie for those that haven’t seen it yet? I do not understand that concept. Especially when there are parts of this film that even Disney managed to keep under wraps right up until release. Why would I mess that experience up for anyone?

Yet there are already headlines and Twitter comments, Facebook posts, blog posts, television reports and media of every sort out there ready to spoil the experience for any person who happens to run into those comments. I have friends who have shut themselves off from social media in order to try to not hear tidbits about the film before they get to the theater themselves this weekend.

So what does Star Wars have to do with book reviews you ask… well, everything. I feel about books the same way I feel about people blasting the entire plot of a movie I haven’t seen yet. I don’t want to know. I want to experience it for myself – not have someone, a reviewer (be it movie or book reviewer) tell me the entire story in minute detail. That SPOILS IT FOR ME.

Come back in say… a year, and we can discuss plot twists until we’ve exhausted every tidbit of the movie or book. But right now – on launch day, on release day… let me experience it myself. Please.

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.

One Rogue At A Time by Jade Lee

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

Title: One Rogue AT A Time
Series: Rakes and Rogues #2
Author: Jade Lee
Genre: Regency Romance
Published: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

A brown-eyed bastard with nothing to lose

As the illegitimate son of a duke, Bramwell Wesley Hallowsby grew up tough, on the fringes of society, learning to hide his hurt and cynicism with charm and Town polish. He’s carved out a place for himself as a mercenary, serving as bodyguard and general strong arm for the peerage. Bram has nothing to lose… and he’s exactly what Maybelle “Bluebell” Ballenger needs.

Meets his match in a blue-eyed beauty with everything to hide

Maybelle needs a mentor to teach her to speak and act like a lady, so she can claim the place in society she was denied. As they team up to take on the ton, Bram knows she’s hiding something even from him. Despite the deception he sees behind those sparkling blue eyes, Bram wants to believe that Maybelle’s love is no lie. But it seems fate has served him up his just desserts in the likes of this determined damsel.

Read on for my thoughts on One Rogue At A Time. 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.