Review: Love & Oreos by Elizabeth Bemis

Posted July 11, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Love and OreosTitle:  Love & Oreos
Series:  The Mendoza Sisters (A Sudden Falls Romance)
Author:  Elizabeth Bemis
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  March 10, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  Owned, Kindle edition
Cover Description:

Katherine Mendoza is curvy PR exec whose passion for Oreos is tempered only by her workaholic lifestyle. But when an invitation to her high school reunion lands on her doorstep the same day she takes on the obscenely attractive owner of a chain of fitness centers as a client, she decides it’s a sign from the gods. Who better to get her backside into shape than the guy whose backside she’s about to save?

Fitness-master Quinn Mitchell is more than happy to help Katherine slim down, but keeping his hands off her curves is proving to be the bigger challenge. Unfortunately, he’s got oversized problems of his own: his fitness centers are coming under fire from a reporter with a vendetta, he’s behind schedule and losing backers, and his business partner insists that being seen with anyone who’s not model-thin is bad for business.

In an epic clash of wits, wagers–and Oreos–Katherine and Quinn put everything on the line to succeed… but can they win it all without losing their hearts?

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

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Review: Fairytale Beginnings by Holly Martin

Posted July 10, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Fairytale BeginningsTitle:  Fairytale Beginnings
Series:
Author:  Holly Martin
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 10, 2015
Publisher:  Bookouture
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  Owned, Kindle edition
Cover Description:

Love is an open door…except when it keeps slamming in your face.

Hopeless romantic Milly Rose has had her fair share of heartbreak. Obsessed with all things Disney, she refuses to give up on finding her Prince Charming – he’s out there somewhere, isn’t he?

When Milly is given a job to investigate the origins of an historical building in the village of Clovers Rest, she’s not sure what to expect. What she discovers takes her breath away – a beautiful real life Cinderella castle, complete with turrets, a magnificent drawbridge AND a very handsome owner…Cameron Heartstone.

As Milly and Cameron begin to unearth the secrets of Clover Castle, they can’t ignore the intense chemistry building between them. But they’ve both been hurt badly before. Can they take a big leap of faith and find their own happily-ever-after?

Read on for my thoughts on Fairytale Beginnings.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: The Rest Of My Life by Sheryl Browne

Posted July 10, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 2 Comments

The Rest of My LifeTitle:  The Rest Of My Life
Series:
Author:  Sheryl Browne
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 10, 2015
Publisher:  Choc Lit
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

You can’t run away from commitment forever …

Adam Hamilton-Shaw has more reason than most to avoid commitment. Living on a houseboat in the Severn Valley, his dream is to sail into the sunset – preferably with a woman waiting in every port. But lately, his life looks more like a road to destruction than an idyllic boat ride…

Would-be screenplay writer Sienna Meadows realises that everything about Adam spells trouble – but she can’t ignore the feeling that there is more to him than just his bad reputation. Nor can she ignore the intense physical attraction that exists between them.

And it just so happens that Adam sees Sienna as the kind of woman he could commit to. But can he change his damaging behaviour – or is the road to destruction a one-way street?

Read on for my thoughts on The Rest Of My Life.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: Dance Until Dawn by Berni Stevens

Posted July 9, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 3 Comments

Dance Until DawnTitle:  Dance Until Dawn
Series:
Author:  Berni Stevens
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Published:  April 15, 2014
Publisher:  Choc Lit
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  Owned, Kindle edition
Cover Description:

Do you Believe in Love After Life?

At twenty-five, West-End dancer Ellie Wakefield should be having the time of her life. The only problem is, ever since waking up in a leaky cellar belonging to three-hundred-year-old vampire Will Austen, she’s been very much dead. And to make matters worse, she’s since found that an aversion to blood and a fear of the dark aren’t very helpful—especially when you’re a fledgling vamp.

William James Austen has fallen hard. He’s spent the last year loving Ellie from afar, and now he’s finally able to be truthful about who and what he is. As the most powerful and revered vampire in London, he’s used to getting what he wants.  But this time, Will might just have bitten off more than he can chew.

Read on for my thoughts on Dance Until Dawn.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley

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

Ride SteadyTitle:  Ride Steady
Series:  Chaos #3
Author:  Kristen Ashley
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  June 30, 2015
Publisher:  Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
My Rating:  5+ stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

The ride of her life . . .
Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy—until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa’s pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . .
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he’s the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa’s acting, it’s clear she’s falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker’s secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa—or ride away forever.

Read on for my thoughts on Ride Steady.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: His Kiss by Jolyse Barnett

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

His KissTitle:  His Kiss
Series:  Summer in New York #2
Author:  Jolyse Barnett
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 7, 2015
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

After a motorcycle accident and subsequent alcohol abuse, Jeremy Engel has managed to claw his way back from the dark depths of personal hell. He’s now a successful comic book author and working on his second book, and when the woman he met while on a rare getaway—the one he hasn’t been able to forget—opens a shop in his neck of the woods, he thinks he’s even learned to trust and hope again.

Elizabeth Desmond may have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but she’s determined to make a success of her shop in the Adirondack tourist town of Lake Placid. And just when she thinks it can’t get any better, the mysterious stranger she kissed on a moonlit resort beach walks back into her life.

But when Jeremy’s old demons return, it’s up to Elizabeth to show him they’re not so different after all.

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

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Review: Evie Undercover by Liz harris

Posted July 7, 2015 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 2 Comments

Evie Under CoverTitle:  Evie Undercover
Series:
Author:  Liz Harris
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 7, 2015  (Original Pub Date Sept. 2012)
Publisher:  Choc Lit
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

When libel lawyer, Tom Hadleigh acquires a perfect holiday home – a 14th century house that needs restoring, there’s a slight problem. The house is located in the beautiful Umbria countryside and Tom can’t speak a word of Italian.

Enter Evie Shaw, masquerading as an agency temp but in reality the newest reporter for gossip magazine Pure Dirt. Unbeknown to Tom, Italian speaking Evie has been sent by her manipulative editor to write an exposé on him. And the stakes are high – Evie’s job rests on her success.

But the path for the investigative journalist is seldom smooth, and it certainly never is when the subject in hand is drop-dead gorgeous.

Read on for my thoughts on Evie Undercover.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: Twice in a Lifetime by Dorothy Garlock

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

Twice in a LifetimeTitle:  Twice in a Lifetime
Series:
Author:  Dorothy Garlock
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 7, 2015
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Sunset, Missouri, 1954. As hope flourishes in postwar America, a young widow dares to dream of a second chance at a forever love…

Clara Sinclair has learned to live one lonely day at a time. It was the only way she managed to survive her husband’s death in World War II and raise their young son alone. But now she’s at a loss as to how to handle the defiant teenager he has become, even as she struggles to keep her family financially afloat. She’s fresh out of ways to turn her luck around-until a daring stranger’s unexpected kindness sparks hope she hasn’t felt in a long time . . .

Drake McCoy lives for risk, speed, and putting his incredible drag racing skills to the test. One night in this quiet rural town is all he needs to win a big score and be on his way . . . until he meets Clara. Drawn in by her quiet strength and her beauty, Drake is tempted to become someone he never imagined-a family man.

But a vicious and unseen enemy is closing in fast, throwing Drake and Clara’s fragile future into a dangerous tailspin. Can their love survive?

Read on for my thoughts on Twice in a Lifetime.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: Vampires of Manhattan by Melissa de la Cruz

Posted July 7, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Vampires of ManhattanTitle:  Vampires of Manhattan
Series:  The New Blue Bloods Coven #1
Author:  Melissa de la Cruz
Genre:  Paranormal
Published:  September 9, 2014 (Paperback) July 7, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

The Vampires of Manhattan is “hipster horror”–the memorable characters from her Blue Bloods series are older and cooler than before, trying to build “Millennial” lives in the bustle of Manhattan while battling forces of evil and, of course, each other.

Hero of this sexy, paranormal action tale is Oliver Hazard-Perry, former human conduit, and Manhattan’s only human-turned-vampire, now the head of the Blue Bloods Coven. When his all-too-human lover is found murdered on the eve of the coven’s annual Four Hundred Ball–a celebration meant to usher in a new era in vampire society, and to mark the re-unification of the Coven after decades of unrest and decay–Oliver is devastated.

Now, not only is he trying to create a new world order for the immortal elite, he’s the prime suspect and is stalked by the newly installed head of the vampire secret police. Because according to the new rules, vampires who take human life can now be executed. Burned.

How can an immortal sentenced to die fight back? He has to find the killer–and the answers lie deep in vampire lore.

Read on for my thoughts on Vampires of Manhattan.  No true spoilers, promise.

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Review: Final Protocol by J. C. Daniels

Posted July 7, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Final ProtocolTitle:  Final Protocol
Series:
Author:  J. C. Daniels
Genre:  Erotica, Sci-Fi (dark erotica)
Published:  July 7, 2015
Publisher:  Samhain Publishing
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Tip #1: Don’t get on her bad side. Tip #2: There’s no good side.

Her name is Silence. If she was ever known by any other name, she doesn’t remember.

She is a killer. If she was ever anything else, she doesn’t remember.

She has an owner. If she was ever free…well, that she does remember. She was free and then somebody gave her to a madman to pay a debt that wasn’t hers. She’s his toy, his pet…and his trained killer. She kills at his whim or she dies.

She has a target. Her so-called owner…the man who makes her life a living hell. If she could kill anybody in the universe, it would be him. But he holds her life in his hands.

And she has a wish—to find a man she barely remembers. A man she knows she once loved. The man who betrayed her and stole away her freedom.

With one final target between her and the tantalizing promise of freedom, she moves in for the kill. There’s one problem. There’s something strangely familiar about her mark. Something that echoes in the void where love used to live.

Warning: One woman with a mission, one evil bastard who lies as often as he breathes, and a man who will stop at nothing to find what he lost. Be warned…some questionable consent lies within. Not recommended for anyone under 18.

Read on for my thoughts on Final Protocol.  No true spoilers, promise.

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