The synopsis made me think of Nikita in the Elizabethan era.
Intriguing, right?
Wrong.
The first chapter was a battle scene, but you couldn't teDNF @ 12%
The synopsis made me think of Nikita in the Elizabethan era.
Intriguing, right?
Wrong.
The first chapter was a battle scene, but you couldn't tell. It was all about the heroine, her rage, her need for vengeance and her utter hopelessness as a "soldier". Instead of putting the reader in the thick of things, where you can feel the cold nipping at your skin, where you can smell the blood and sweat of your fellow soldiers, the author spent the best part of the battle inside the heroine's head. And let me tell you, it was a very boring place.
The boredom proceeded with the next few chapters where absolutely nothing happened (no torture, no boiling oil, nothing), but for the heroine to notice just how attractive and gentle her captor was. Foreshadowing much?
So I went and read the last few chapters, to see if it was worth it...It wasn't. The last few chapters were as boring as the first few. The characters were rather bland, the pacing was plodding, and as original as the synopsis sounded, the story was nothing but.
Merged review:
DNF @ 12%
The synopsis made me think of Nikita in the Elizabethan era.
Intriguing, right?
Wrong.
The first chapter was a battle scene, but you couldn't tell. It was all about the heroine, her rage, her need for vengeance and her utter hopelessness as a "soldier". Instead of putting the reader in the thick of things, where you can feel the cold nipping at your skin, where you can smell the blood and sweat of your fellow soldiers, the author spent the best part of the battle inside the heroine's head. And let me tell you, it was a very boring place.
The boredom proceeded with the next few chapters where absolutely nothing happened (no torture, no boiling oil, nothing), but for the heroine to notice just how attractive and gentle her captor was. Foreshadowing much?
So I went and read the last few chapters, to see if it was worth it...It wasn't. The last few chapters were as boring as the first few. The characters were rather bland, the pacing was plodding, and as original as the synopsis sounded, the story was nothing but....more
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
This one was even worse than .
The heroine was a cold, emotionally-stinted bitch, but ***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
This one was even worse than .
The heroine was a cold, emotionally-stinted bitch, but without the requisite explanation as to why she was that way. I guess Ms Monroe wanted her to come across as eccentric, but the girl was just a cold, emotionally-stinted bitch. Especially once she turned her eye onto the hero as a replacement for the corpse she's been trying to resurrect for the past six months.
The hero was flat and one-dimensional, the "romance" completely nonexistent...The entire story was an utter disappointment.
Merged review:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
This one was even worse than .
The heroine was a cold, emotionally-stinted bitch, but without the requisite explanation as to why she was that way. I guess Ms Monroe wanted her to come across as eccentric, but the girl was just a cold, emotionally-stinted bitch. Especially once she turned her eye onto the hero as a replacement for the corpse she's been trying to resurrect for the past six months.
The hero was flat and one-dimensional, the "romance" completely nonexistent...The entire story was an utter disappointment....more
Twenty years ago, the small town of Safe Harbor had been torn in half by an explosion in the gold mine, that killed twelve miners, including Muirinn OTwenty years ago, the small town of Safe Harbor had been torn in half by an explosion in the gold mine, that killed twelve miners, including Muirinn O'Donell's father. Her mother followed him quickly, completely devastating Muirinn that fled her hometown eleven years ago, carrying her lover's child, never turning back. She couldn't, the father of her son, the son she'd given up for a private adoption, had sworn he would hate her forever.
Now, Muirinn is finally back, seven months pregnant, determined to begin anew with her grandfather's inheritance. The grandfather that recently died, fallen to his death in one of the old mine shafts. Muirinn knows there's something hinky about her grandfather's death, something that might lead to uncovering what truly happened twenty years ago.
But by snooping around, digging up old secrets, she's put her and her baby's life at stake. And the only person she trusts and can keep her safe is Jett, her first and only love, the lover that had sworn to hate her forever, the man who, despite refusing to follow her to LA eleven years ago, traveled to Las Vegas a few months after her departure, got married and had a son...A family that should've been hers.
The prologue was chilling and promising a helluva book. But after the first chapter I hated it. Irrational, I know, especially because it had nothing to do with the overall plot, but because of the fact the hero was married (not to the heroine) and had a son with that wife. Wait! How the heck can they get together if he's married? Will the wife be the villain? Will she die horribly in a car crash? Will she end up in a mental institution? And how the heck could he have a son with another woman, when the heroine never stopped loving him, searching for him in every guy she's met and dated?! Unforgivable!
Boy was I wrong! And I loved this book even more because I was so wrong with my first impression in that first chapter.
Anyway, this little gem is an almost picture perfect romantic suspense story. It has a great, solid plot, good pacing, wonderful characters (flawed just perfectly to make it real), great setting (I fell in love with Alaska), a huge secret spanning twenty years, and so many layers of secrets, half-truths, and blatant lies it was riveting.
It were those secrets that really made the story alive. The town has kept a secret of mass murder for twenty years, the heroine kept a secret (their child) from the hero, the hero kept not one but two secrets from the heroine with the help of her now-deceased grandfather. Trust was put to the test in this book, beliefs deeply rocked, families torn apart, all in the name of the truth and closure.
The romance blended perfectly with the suspense, the angst between the characters palpable, adding that extra touch of realism to the drama between the hero and heroine, twining nicely with little tidbits about the conspiracy sprinkled here and there throughout the story. Ms. White took all these elements, mixed them up, blended them together wonderfully into an amazing, deep, and layered story. A 5-star keeper!
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Twenty years ago, the small town of Safe Harbor had been torn in half by an explosion in the gold mine, that killed twelve miners, including Muirinn O'Donell's father. Her mother followed him quickly, completely devastating Muirinn that fled her hometown eleven years ago, carrying her lover's child, never turning back. She couldn't, the father of her son, the son she'd given up for a private adoption, had sworn he would hate her forever.
Now, Muirinn is finally back, seven months pregnant, determined to begin anew with her grandfather's inheritance. The grandfather that recently died, fallen to his death in one of the old mine shafts. Muirinn knows there's something hinky about her grandfather's death, something that might lead to uncovering what truly happened twenty years ago.
But by snooping around, digging up old secrets, she's put her and her baby's life at stake. And the only person she trusts and can keep her safe is Jett, her first and only love, the lover that had sworn to hate her forever, the man who, despite refusing to follow her to LA eleven years ago, traveled to Las Vegas a few months after her departure, got married and had a son...A family that should've been hers.
The prologue was chilling and promising a helluva book. But after the first chapter I hated it. Irrational, I know, especially because it had nothing to do with the overall plot, but because of the fact the hero was married (not to the heroine) and had a son with that wife. Wait! How the heck can they get together if he's married? Will the wife be the villain? Will she die horribly in a car crash? Will she end up in a mental institution? And how the heck could he have a son with another woman, when the heroine never stopped loving him, searching for him in every guy she's met and dated?! Unforgivable!
Boy was I wrong! And I loved this book even more because I was so wrong with my first impression in that first chapter.
Anyway, this little gem is an almost picture perfect romantic suspense story. It has a great, solid plot, good pacing, wonderful characters (flawed just perfectly to make it real), great setting (I fell in love with Alaska), a huge secret spanning twenty years, and so many layers of secrets, half-truths, and blatant lies it was riveting.
It were those secrets that really made the story alive. The town has kept a secret of mass murder for twenty years, the heroine kept a secret (their child) from the hero, the hero kept not one but two secrets from the heroine with the help of her now-deceased grandfather. Trust was put to the test in this book, beliefs deeply rocked, families torn apart, all in the name of the truth and closure.
The romance blended perfectly with the suspense, the angst between the characters palpable, adding that extra touch of realism to the drama between the hero and heroine, twining nicely with little tidbits about the conspiracy sprinkled here and there throughout the story. Ms. White took all these elements, mixed them up, blended them together wonderfully into an amazing, deep, and layered story. A 5-star keeper!...more
***ARC provided by author/publisher through BookSprout***
A quasi-retelling of Alice in Wonderland with a heroine from Earth ending up in a parallel re***ARC provided by author/publisher through BookSprout***
A quasi-retelling of Alice in Wonderland with a heroine from Earth ending up in a parallel reality/universe/world very similar to our own except they have magic and our fairy-tales are their history...
Anyway, I've been a fan of for a long time, but this one read like it was written by someone else. It was plodding and dull, the story failed to pull me in, the characters were bland, their insta-lust unrealistic (at least it could've been a result of a spell or something) and the fact they spent most of the story lusting after each other and bumping uglies even in the middle of danger was off-putting and certainly didn't help with the tempo of the story...Which, whatever scrape there was of it, seemed created for the sole purpose of having the characters lust for one another an-d bump uglies.
It was PWP, only with a better wrapping.
Disappointing.
Merged review:
***ARC provided by author/publisher through BookSprout***
A quasi-retelling of Alice in Wonderland with a heroine from Earth ending up in a parallel reality/universe/world very similar to our own except they have magic and our fairy-tales are their history...
Anyway, I've been a fan of for a long time, but this one read like it was written by someone else. It was plodding and dull, the story failed to pull me in, the characters were bland, their insta-lust unrealistic (at least it could've been a result of a spell or something) and the fact they spent most of the story lusting after each other and bumping uglies even in the middle of danger was off-putting and certainly didn't help with the tempo of the story...Which, whatever scrape there was of it, seemed created for the sole purpose of having the characters lust for one another an-d bump uglies.
I don't get what the title has to do with anything, but this was a remarkably good read. Though it started rather slow, as soon as the heroine was wheI don't get what the title has to do with anything, but this was a remarkably good read. Though it started rather slow, as soon as the heroine was where she was supposed to be, the pace sped up and the suspense didn't let until the last chapter.
The twists and turns were endless, the secrets aplenty, the suspects just kept piling up...And that's what makes a good suspense read in my book, The edge-of-the-seat tension, the constant wondering just who might have done what, who was covering for whom and why, who was innocent, who was guilty, who was something in between.
It made me completely forget about the romance, and I count myself lucky in that department, because it was lukewarm at best with no real chemistry between the hero and heroine.
But the suspense plot more than compensated for that, making me a happy reader. 3 ½ stars
Merged review:
I don't get what the title has to do with anything, but this was a remarkably good read. Though it started rather slow, as soon as the heroine was where she was supposed to be, the pace sped up and the suspense didn't let until the last chapter.
The twists and turns were endless, the secrets aplenty, the suspects just kept piling up...And that's what makes a good suspense read in my book, The edge-of-the-seat tension, the constant wondering just who might have done what, who was covering for whom and why, who was innocent, who was guilty, who was something in between.
It made me completely forget about the romance, and I count myself lucky in that department, because it was lukewarm at best with no real chemistry between the hero and heroine.
But the suspense plot more than compensated for that, making me a happy reader. 3 ½ stars...more
I can't believe I'm writing this, but...This "book" would've worked better as a short story.
What glimpses of plot I got from between all the female leI can't believe I'm writing this, but...This "book" would've worked better as a short story.
What glimpses of plot I got from between all the female lead's sexual fantasies and the sex scenes between the aforementioned female lead and her masculine counterpart, the premise was good, the plot was tight and well-written, the characters were nicely developped and well-rounded...There was just too much sex, cloaking everything in a cloud of steamy pheromones.
In short, a pretty decent story crammed into an over-sexed package.
Merged review:
I can't believe I'm writing this, but...This "book" would've worked better as a short story.
What glimpses of plot I got from between all the female lead's sexual fantasies and the sex scenes between the aforementioned female lead and her masculine counterpart, the premise was good, the plot was tight and well-written, the characters were nicely developped and well-rounded...There was just too much sex, cloaking everything in a cloud of steamy pheromones.
In short, a pretty decent story crammed into an over-sexed package....more
Annabelle's dead brother haunts her dreams, pleading with her to help him, and the only way she knows how, is to go to where Alan died and try to findAnnabelle's dead brother haunts her dreams, pleading with her to help him, and the only way she knows how, is to go to where Alan died and try to find his killer...
The mystery was intriguing, the slightly paranormal angle satisfying without descending into the bizarre, the suspense intense...It would've made for a pretty awesome suspense/thriller if it weren't for:
1. the premise itself—the heroine goes to the town where her brother was murdered determined to find his killer; she's not law enforcement, she's not a detective, she's just a widow posing as an accountant
2. and the idiotic heroine—read above and add the fact every single decision she makes when she's there proves just what a naïve idiot she really is (you can't say you love someone while lying to them and believing them a murderer; you can't take the word of the only woman the hero dislikes as judge of his character while having proof of his amiability in his interactions with pretty much everybody else in town).
The fact it was written in the first person POV of the heroine didn't help matters at all, merely compounding her bad traits.
Merged review:
Annabelle's dead brother haunts her dreams, pleading with her to help him, and the only way she knows how, is to go to where Alan died and try to find his killer...
The mystery was intriguing, the slightly paranormal angle satisfying without descending into the bizarre, the suspense intense...It would've made for a pretty awesome suspense/thriller if it weren't for:
1. the premise itself—the heroine goes to the town where her brother was murdered determined to find his killer; she's not law enforcement, she's not a detective, she's just a widow posing as an accountant
2. and the idiotic heroine—read above and add the fact every single decision she makes when she's there proves just what a naïve idiot she really is (you can't say you love someone while lying to them and believing them a murderer; you can't take the word of the only woman the hero dislikes as judge of his character while having proof of his amiability in his interactions with pretty much everybody else in town).
The fact it was written in the first person POV of the heroine didn't help matters at all, merely compounding her bad traits....more
Scarlett, having lived through betrayal, and by family to boot, has no intention of leaving anything to Fate. She's cWhat the hell just happened???!!!
Scarlett, having lived through betrayal, and by family to boot, has no intention of leaving anything to Fate. She's capable of making her own decisions. She's capable of choosing a man for herself, she doesn't need any red threads. And she has no intention of succumbing to a possible red thread crossing her path. No!
That's what Shadow of the Feral Breed hears when he meets his mate. No! But, being quite used to rejection and keeping his feelings hidden, he doesn't show how much her rejection hurts. If the woman doesn't want him, he's not about to force her. He's more than willing to leave town, and leave her be...But what if she doesn't want to let him be? What if Fate is stronger than anything else?
This series is getting better and better. And the stories are getting better and better as well. Stories, characters, conflict, reactions, interactions...And now we have suspense joining the fray. For reals. Yay!
I loved Shadow, yes, I know, I love (most) wolfies in this series, I can't help it. Where can I get one? He was such a gentleman, so kind, polite, and with impeccable manners, that completely belayed the beasts (yes, plural!) that moved underneath his skin. I like it when protective wolves come out to play, but that last shift...Ooh, boy, tingles all the way. But as much as I loved Shadow, despite his top-secret crap (he can keep secrets) and his martyr complex (he's been dealt one bad hand too many in his life), I really disliked Scarlett at the beginning. The way she acted toward him, toward anybody that might want to come close, actually, the way she pushed people away...I felt she went to far in her bitchiness. She wasn't distrusting and jittery, she was downright mean at times, and it quickly started to jar with the story. Whenever she was in a scene, the natural flow of the story stopped. But once she snapped out of her funk, it was all smooth sailing.
In the character, their interactions and romance department that is. Everything else wasn't as smooth. And I loved the hell out of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about story elements, flow, voice, or pacing. That was great all around. I'm talking about the bumps the story brought along, the bigger picture slowly, but surely forming, yet still eluding. The suspense came out to play and it brought the big guns. That solitary scene from came out to haunt Beast (and this reader), providing a short reprieve, but that lucky retrieval was just the calm before a storm. The entire story, the whole series before this one, was one hell of calm before a storm. Until chapter twenty rolled along (aptly subtitled and so it begins...) when all hell broke loose, along with a fiery tornado...And then abruptly ended, prompting the exclamation that is written at the beginning of this review.
I was all goose-bumpy and ready to fight when it all ended. Thank the Goddess I have the next book on my Kindle and I don't have to wait to read it. Binge-reading is sometimes a blessing.
As I was saying...Now we're talking. Great characters, lovely romance, engaging story, wonderful pacing, a whole lot of foreshadowing, intriguing suspense and mystery, and one hell of a fightus-interruptus at the end. I can't wait to see what happens next. God, I'm goose-bumpy all over again.
Merged review:
What the hell just happened???!!!
Scarlett, having lived through betrayal, and by family to boot, has no intention of leaving anything to Fate. She's capable of making her own decisions. She's capable of choosing a man for herself, she doesn't need any red threads. And she has no intention of succumbing to a possible red thread crossing her path. No!
That's what Shadow of the Feral Breed hears when he meets his mate. No! But, being quite used to rejection and keeping his feelings hidden, he doesn't show how much her rejection hurts. If the woman doesn't want him, he's not about to force her. He's more than willing to leave town, and leave her be...But what if she doesn't want to let him be? What if Fate is stronger than anything else?
This series is getting better and better. And the stories are getting better and better as well. Stories, characters, conflict, reactions, interactions...And now we have suspense joining the fray. For reals. Yay!
I loved Shadow, yes, I know, I love (most) wolfies in this series, I can't help it. Where can I get one? He was such a gentleman, so kind, polite, and with impeccable manners, that completely belayed the beasts (yes, plural!) that moved underneath his skin. I like it when protective wolves come out to play, but that last shift...Ooh, boy, tingles all the way. But as much as I loved Shadow, despite his top-secret crap (he can keep secrets) and his martyr complex (he's been dealt one bad hand too many in his life), I really disliked Scarlett at the beginning. The way she acted toward him, toward anybody that might want to come close, actually, the way she pushed people away...I felt she went to far in her bitchiness. She wasn't distrusting and jittery, she was downright mean at times, and it quickly started to jar with the story. Whenever she was in a scene, the natural flow of the story stopped. But once she snapped out of her funk, it was all smooth sailing.
In the character, their interactions and romance department that is. Everything else wasn't as smooth. And I loved the hell out of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about story elements, flow, voice, or pacing. That was great all around. I'm talking about the bumps the story brought along, the bigger picture slowly, but surely forming, yet still eluding. The suspense came out to play and it brought the big guns. That solitary scene from came out to haunt Beast (and this reader), providing a short reprieve, but that lucky retrieval was just the calm before a storm. The entire story, the whole series before this one, was one hell of calm before a storm. Until chapter twenty rolled along (aptly subtitled and so it begins...) when all hell broke loose, along with a fiery tornado...And then abruptly ended, prompting the exclamation that is written at the beginning of this review.
I was all goose-bumpy and ready to fight when it all ended. Thank the Goddess I have the next book on my Kindle and I don't have to wait to read it. Binge-reading is sometimes a blessing.
As I was saying...Now we're talking. Great characters, lovely romance, engaging story, wonderful pacing, a whole lot of foreshadowing, intriguing suspense and mystery, and one hell of a fightus-interruptus at the end. I can't wait to see what happens next. God, I'm goose-bumpy all over again....more
Lantry Corbett, (once) ruthless divorce lawyer, is more than a little surprised when his brother Shane, Whitehorse deputy sheriff, calls about a new iLantry Corbett, (once) ruthless divorce lawyer, is more than a little surprised when his brother Shane, Whitehorse deputy sheriff, calls about a new inmate in a Whitehorse cell. Dede Chamberlain, ex-wife of one of his clients, has escaped a mental institution (again!) and claimed Lantry is in grave danger.
As he goes to investigate, the woman - who is nothing like he'd imagined a gold-digging, crazy ex-wife might be, kidnaps him at gunpoint and drives him into a blizzard.
All the while claiming she isn't safe in the loony bin, that there are two men after her and now they're after Lantry as well, because her ex-husband (who turns up dead and she's suspected of snuffing him after she's escaped from the aforementioned loony bin) has entrusted something into Lantry's safekeeping.
The only problem is, Lantry has absolutely no idea what she's talking about, but he still believes her. Although she's mentally unstable...Or that's what her ex-husband - his client - had told him.
There was just too much stuff going on in this book for me to really get into the whole reading experience. There was the supposedly crazy woman that seemed uncannily sane despite her ramblings about two killers trailing her, there was the once ruthless divorce lawyer who (rumors claimed) eat his young that couldn't explain his attraction to the crazy woman and despite his good intentions of turning her in, just couldn't bring himself to do it. There were two other escapees from the nuthouse, a schizophrenic sidekick that seemed to be there just because of an author's whim, and a totally crazy (thanks to her even crazier grandmother who'd locked her into the coal bin when she was little) woman with a grudge against her mother (never totally explained) that wanted to ruin her mother's marriage by all means possible. Again, her motive was never explained, but there was the ghost of her dead grandmother talking to her, so I guess that makes it okay. And of course, you have two killers gunning for both Dede and Lantry - again with no apparent reason, but for a miniature boat...But that boat had a secret compartment containing...
As I said, the story was crammed with two different plots, a myriad of bland characters doing God knows what for God knows what reasons, the h/h didn't click (at least from where I was standing), and the pace was so slow that any slower and it would've been going backward. I don't know why the author thought the snow covered Montana landscape with its constant blizzard threats would make it all better, because it didn't. I guess it should've augmented the suspenseful atmosphere, but it just made me wish for summer and the book to be over.
Merged review:
Lantry Corbett, (once) ruthless divorce lawyer, is more than a little surprised when his brother Shane, Whitehorse deputy sheriff, calls about a new inmate in a Whitehorse cell. Dede Chamberlain, ex-wife of one of his clients, has escaped a mental institution (again!) and claimed Lantry is in grave danger.
As he goes to investigate, the woman - who is nothing like he'd imagined a gold-digging, crazy ex-wife might be, kidnaps him at gunpoint and drives him into a blizzard.
All the while claiming she isn't safe in the loony bin, that there are two men after her and now they're after Lantry as well, because her ex-husband (who turns up dead and she's suspected of snuffing him after she's escaped from the aforementioned loony bin) has entrusted something into Lantry's safekeeping.
The only problem is, Lantry has absolutely no idea what she's talking about, but he still believes her. Although she's mentally unstable...Or that's what her ex-husband - his client - had told him.
There was just too much stuff going on in this book for me to really get into the whole reading experience. There was the supposedly crazy woman that seemed uncannily sane despite her ramblings about two killers trailing her, there was the once ruthless divorce lawyer who (rumors claimed) eat his young that couldn't explain his attraction to the crazy woman and despite his good intentions of turning her in, just couldn't bring himself to do it. There were two other escapees from the nuthouse, a schizophrenic sidekick that seemed to be there just because of an author's whim, and a totally crazy (thanks to her even crazier grandmother who'd locked her into the coal bin when she was little) woman with a grudge against her mother (never totally explained) that wanted to ruin her mother's marriage by all means possible. Again, her motive was never explained, but there was the ghost of her dead grandmother talking to her, so I guess that makes it okay. And of course, you have two killers gunning for both Dede and Lantry - again with no apparent reason, but for a miniature boat...But that boat had a secret compartment containing...
As I said, the story was crammed with two different plots, a myriad of bland characters doing God knows what for God knows what reasons, the h/h didn't click (at least from where I was standing), and the pace was so slow that any slower and it would've been going backward. I don't know why the author thought the snow covered Montana landscape with its constant blizzard threats would make it all better, because it didn't. I guess it should've augmented the suspenseful atmosphere, but it just made me wish for summer and the book to be over....more
Anthony Dempsey is a man at the end of his rope. Trying to keep a secret from his brother, trying to prevent the Harwood name from being associated wiAnthony Dempsey is a man at the end of his rope. Trying to keep a secret from his brother, trying to prevent the Harwood name from being associated with another scandal, and dealing with a blackmailer, all the while keeping Sarah Roxbury, the woman who makes his heart sing, at arm's length in order to protect her, is taxing.
But his brother is stubborn, his sister in law is determined and filled with pregnancy hormones, and Sarah Roxbury is too beautiful, too tempting, and too damn irresistible to keep away. Is it any wonder Anthony cannot keep his secret any longer?
Well, I . If this were the first book in the series, I wouldn't read any further. Disappointing, to say the least.
With an insipid hero (I never would've thought he could be even remotely related to ) and his idiotic reasoning for not revealing the "secret" at least to his brother sooner, a vapid heroine (so far away from her lively character), who kept spouting headache-inducing flowery prose whenever they were in close proximity to each other, a suspense (if one could call it that) plot as weak as a newborn, and a resolution to the "suspense" plot even weaker, I must say Ms Clee dropped the ball with his one.
If it wasn't for Mr Thorpe and Mrs Chambers, who even in their first brief interaction on the page had more chemistry and more spark than the two leads (I can't wait to read their story, A Simple Case of Seduction), this story would've been a disaster. Granted, I never really took to liking Anthony Dempsey very much (even in his book I found him bland, ordinary, and unexciting), but I never would've imagined his story would be so utterly boring and dull.
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Anthony Dempsey is a man at the end of his rope. Trying to keep a secret from his brother, trying to prevent the Harwood name from being associated with another scandal, and dealing with a blackmailer, all the while keeping Sarah Roxbury, the woman who makes his heart sing, at arm's length in order to protect her, is taxing.
But his brother is stubborn, his sister in law is determined and filled with pregnancy hormones, and Sarah Roxbury is too beautiful, too tempting, and too damn irresistible to keep away. Is it any wonder Anthony cannot keep his secret any longer?
Well, I . If this were the first book in the series, I wouldn't read any further. Disappointing, to say the least.
With an insipid hero (I never would've thought he could be even remotely related to ) and his idiotic reasoning for not revealing the "secret" at least to his brother sooner, a vapid heroine (so far away from her lively character), who kept spouting headache-inducing flowery prose whenever they were in close proximity to each other, a suspense (if one could call it that) plot as weak as a newborn, and a resolution to the "suspense" plot even weaker, I must say Ms Clee dropped the ball with his one.
If it wasn't for Mr Thorpe and Mrs Chambers, who even in their first brief interaction on the page had more chemistry and more spark than the two leads (I can't wait to read their story, A Simple Case of Seduction), this story would've been a disaster. Granted, I never really took to liking Anthony Dempsey very much (even in his book I found him bland, ordinary, and unexciting), but I never would've imagined his story would be so utterly boring and dull....more
I was quite disappointed with this story. It could’ve been a short, cute little romp, but the whole heroine issue-thing...I don’t know. She had all thI was quite disappointed with this story. It could’ve been a short, cute little romp, but the whole heroine issue-thing...I don’t know. She had all those walls, wanting always to be in control, hiding her emotions, hiding her fling with the yummy guy from her friends...Without reason. There was no explanation as to why she was the way she was...And her behavior, without such explanation, became immediately annoying and tedious, dragging the story along.
What a pity.
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I was quite disappointed with this story. It could’ve been a short, cute little romp, but the whole heroine issue-thing...I don’t know. She had all those walls, wanting always to be in control, hiding her emotions, hiding her fling with the yummy guy from her friends...Without reason. There was no explanation as to why she was the way she was...And her behavior, without such explanation, became immediately annoying and tedious, dragging the story along.
It was a good romantic suspense specimen with the requisite brooding, I-don't-deserve-happiness hero,***ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley***
It was a good romantic suspense specimen with the requisite brooding, I-don't-deserve-happiness hero, a spunky heroine (that actually acted like someone untrained is supposed to in circumstances she was thrown in and didn't turn into a warrior princess like rom-suspense heroines often do), a psychotic killer, and the right kind of atmosphere. Unfortunately it was too predictable for my taste, hence the rating.
... (external link)
Merged review:
***ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley***
It was a good romantic suspense specimen with the requisite brooding, I-don't-deserve-happiness hero, a spunky heroine (that actually acted like someone untrained is supposed to in circumstances she was thrown in and didn't turn into a warrior princess like rom-suspense heroines often do), a psychotic killer, and the right kind of atmosphere. Unfortunately it was too predictable for my taste, hence the rating.
This book was first published in 1984 and it certainly shows. Not because of the subject matter, but the voice and narrative style sound dated even foThis book was first published in 1984 and it certainly shows. Not because of the subject matter, but the voice and narrative style sound dated even for a Silhouette.
The suspense was good with the mystery of just who in Jessica's closer circle was the baddie, while the identity of the main villain, the one pulling the strings, didn't even matter that much in the end.
But once you move away from the mystery, there's not much else there. The heroine seemed like a flake, the hero was an ass, their "romance" was rather forced and rushed, and their passion was a tad too rough to make the romance believable. In the end they were more like strangers talking about being in love.
The pacing was slow, the voice rather weird...It didn't "sound" like a book at all.
Merged review:
This book was first published in 1984 and it certainly shows. Not because of the subject matter, but the voice and narrative style sound dated even for a Silhouette.
The suspense was good with the mystery of just who in Jessica's closer circle was the baddie, while the identity of the main villain, the one pulling the strings, didn't even matter that much in the end.
But once you move away from the mystery, there's not much else there. The heroine seemed like a flake, the hero was an ass, their "romance" was rather forced and rushed, and their passion was a tad too rough to make the romance believable. In the end they were more like strangers talking about being in love.
The pacing was slow, the voice rather weird...It didn't "sound" like a book at all....more
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
Three years ago, she got married to help her younger sister return home after a scandal. Now, her si***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
Three years ago, she got married to help her younger sister return home after a scandal. Now, her sister is still in the same convent she's been when Jemma had married, and Jemma's husband is killed in front of a notorious brothel.
She knows it wasn't a common mugging, but murder. She also knows who did it, she just needs help in proving it. And the only one she can turn to is the man she left behind after marrying his best friend.
This one had huge potential. Unfortunately, it didn't use it.
The characters were once again rather one-dimensional and flat, there was a jarring imbalance in "power" between the hero and heroine, and I felt absolutely not chemistry between them. Which made the supposed conflict even harder to swallow, since it all stemmed from a single kiss between two friends. For friends is what these two actually were. There was no tension, no chemistry, no passion...Just two people who were supposedly comfortable with each other, and that single drunken kiss three years ago.
Then there was the suspense. It would've definitely worked better if the mystery of the killer was kept longer and the two had to discover his identity along with the proof needed to put him away. The fact we all knew who the killer was from the start, diminished the intensity and interest of the plot itself, also slowing the pace (which was already slow to begin with) even more.
Merged review:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
Three years ago, she got married to help her younger sister return home after a scandal. Now, her sister is still in the same convent she's been when Jemma had married, and Jemma's husband is killed in front of a notorious brothel.
She knows it wasn't a common mugging, but murder. She also knows who did it, she just needs help in proving it. And the only one she can turn to is the man she left behind after marrying his best friend.
This one had huge potential. Unfortunately, it didn't use it.
The characters were once again rather one-dimensional and flat, there was a jarring imbalance in "power" between the hero and heroine, and I felt absolutely not chemistry between them. Which made the supposed conflict even harder to swallow, since it all stemmed from a single kiss between two friends. For friends is what these two actually were. There was no tension, no chemistry, no passion...Just two people who were supposedly comfortable with each other, and that single drunken kiss three years ago.
Then there was the suspense. It would've definitely worked better if the mystery of the killer was kept longer and the two had to discover his identity along with the proof needed to put him away. The fact we all knew who the killer was from the start, diminished the intensity and interest of the plot itself, also slowing the pace (which was already slow to begin with) even more....more
Lolly is one heck of a baker, she's also an elf. And everybody knows elves and reindeer don't mix. They might mingle, but they don't mate. No matter hLolly is one heck of a baker, she's also an elf. And everybody knows elves and reindeer don't mix. They might mingle, but they don't mate. No matter how much she falls for Prancer and vice versa.
Awwwwww. This little story was too adorable for words. Sweet, cute, sexy, romantic and so utterly jolly. I fell in love with Lolly, the baker elf and I fell for Prancer, one of the two original Santa's sleigh-pullers. They were so cute and adorable together I wouldn't have minded a longer story.
There was no conflict, really, simply a need for a slight readjustment in thinking and behavior, Santa was a hoot, I loved the "cuss" words and the whole North Pole, Alaska made me want to visit (even though I know it's an imaginary place).
This is definitely my favorite story in the (so far). I had a smile on my face as I read it and you just can't beat that.
Merged review:
Lolly is one heck of a baker, she's also an elf. And everybody knows elves and reindeer don't mix. They might mingle, but they don't mate. No matter how much she falls for Prancer and vice versa.
Awwwwww. This little story was too adorable for words. Sweet, cute, sexy, romantic and so utterly jolly. I fell in love with Lolly, the baker elf and I fell for Prancer, one of the two original Santa's sleigh-pullers. They were so cute and adorable together I wouldn't have minded a longer story.
There was no conflict, really, simply a need for a slight readjustment in thinking and behavior, Santa was a hoot, I loved the "cuss" words and the whole North Pole, Alaska made me want to visit (even though I know it's an imaginary place).
This is definitely my favorite story in the (so far). I had a smile on my face as I read it and you just can't beat that....more
Grace Grainger has spent the last four years of her life between the Four Seasons hotel in D.C. and Afghanistan. Now, on her fourth deployment as an eGrace Grainger has spent the last four years of her life between the Four Seasons hotel in D.C. and Afghanistan. Now, on her fourth deployment as an embedded reporter with the American troops, she’s come to know danger up close as their convoy is attacked, she doesn’t make it to the rescue helicopter, and is suddenly huddled in a cave in the middle of nowhere with Air Force Master Sergeant Josh Travers...The man she spent the last three years thinking and dreaming about.
It’s always a good feeling when an impulse buy pays off. And this one payed off magnificently. Yes, it was short, but it packed quite a punch with wonderful, well-developed characters, a perfect-for-the-big-screen (or book, in this case) romance, just the right amount of drama, tension and danger, and some scorching hot sex (both in a cave and a hut in a remote Afghan village).
As said, both Grace and Josh were great characters, realistic, multi-dimensional, and very nicely layered, and their interactions together spanned the emotional spectrum from hot to cold, from happy to sad and everything in between, but with that unmistakable layer of bitter-sweet underneath it all. I wished for them to actually talk things through, her telling him the truth about her writing and true purpose for being in Afghanistan for him to finally get over his animosity toward her as a reporter, and I was disappointed it didn’t actually happened, and the author chose the “easier� fix of him reading one of her articles. And I kept hoping for a HEA, and I must admit, although this is a romance novel, Ms Curtis had me doubting things for a moment toward the end...The end that could’ve been cheesy, but strangely wasn’t. It was a rather “easy� ending, but with such a feel-good vibe, it brought a smile to my face.
This story was just up my alley. Nicely structured, well-paced, with great characters, and a romance that truly shone through. Loved it.
Merged review:
Grace Grainger has spent the last four years of her life between the Four Seasons hotel in D.C. and Afghanistan. Now, on her fourth deployment as an embedded reporter with the American troops, she’s come to know danger up close as their convoy is attacked, she doesn’t make it to the rescue helicopter, and is suddenly huddled in a cave in the middle of nowhere with Air Force Master Sergeant Josh Travers...The man she spent the last three years thinking and dreaming about.
It’s always a good feeling when an impulse buy pays off. And this one payed off magnificently. Yes, it was short, but it packed quite a punch with wonderful, well-developed characters, a perfect-for-the-big-screen (or book, in this case) romance, just the right amount of drama, tension and danger, and some scorching hot sex (both in a cave and a hut in a remote Afghan village).
As said, both Grace and Josh were great characters, realistic, multi-dimensional, and very nicely layered, and their interactions together spanned the emotional spectrum from hot to cold, from happy to sad and everything in between, but with that unmistakable layer of bitter-sweet underneath it all. I wished for them to actually talk things through, her telling him the truth about her writing and true purpose for being in Afghanistan for him to finally get over his animosity toward her as a reporter, and I was disappointed it didn’t actually happened, and the author chose the “easier� fix of him reading one of her articles. And I kept hoping for a HEA, and I must admit, although this is a romance novel, Ms Curtis had me doubting things for a moment toward the end...The end that could’ve been cheesy, but strangely wasn’t. It was a rather “easy� ending, but with such a feel-good vibe, it brought a smile to my face.
This story was just up my alley. Nicely structured, well-paced, with great characters, and a romance that truly shone through. Loved it....more
Earth is the new addition to the Intergalactic Dating Agency's list. The planet it apparently filled with single women waiting for that special guy, tEarth is the new addition to the Intergalactic Dating Agency's list. The planet it apparently filled with single women waiting for that special guy, that Mr Right. Women who apparently aren't that picky about Mr Right not being human. So the powers that be at the IGDA are starting to accept applications of aliens of male sex from around the universe to be matched with human women.
Cutlass or whatever the hell his true (long) name is, is the first, and he's matched with Chloe who managed to beat "the rush", since female applications have also started pouring in. They have two weeks to make it work, and then it's mate or bust.
I simply adored this story. Adored it to bits. The MCs were wonderful, and funny (especially with the whole culture and language barrier thingy), Cutlass was just perfect (oh, my), Chloe and her inner monologues quirky as heck, the story was super cute, and super hot (oh, my), and the length spot on.
Loved it and looking forward to more.
Merged review:
Earth is the new addition to the Intergalactic Dating Agency's list. The planet it apparently filled with single women waiting for that special guy, that Mr Right. Women who apparently aren't that picky about Mr Right not being human. So the powers that be at the IGDA are starting to accept applications of aliens of male sex from around the universe to be matched with human women.
Cutlass or whatever the hell his true (long) name is, is the first, and he's matched with Chloe who managed to beat "the rush", since female applications have also started pouring in. They have two weeks to make it work, and then it's mate or bust.
I simply adored this story. Adored it to bits. The MCs were wonderful, and funny (especially with the whole culture and language barrier thingy), Cutlass was just perfect (oh, my), Chloe and her inner monologues quirky as heck, the story was super cute, and super hot (oh, my), and the length spot on.
For some reason, I just didn't want to read this one. Sure, it was free and all, but something was te***ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley***
For some reason, I just didn't want to read this one. Sure, it was free and all, but something was telling me not to read it. But since the file on my eReader was about to expire, I decided to go for it. And I discovered the reason I didn't want to read it in the first place. My gut was telling me not to. And my gut is never wrong.
After just a few digital pages, I simply didn't care. I didn't care about the heroine, I didn't care about the hero, I didn't care about their issues (they both had those), and I didn't care what happened.
I skimmed through most of it, hoping against hope the ending would inspire me to read it again, truly read it. And after the ending...I still didn't care.
Merged review:
***ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley***
For some reason, I just didn't want to read this one. Sure, it was free and all, but something was telling me not to read it. But since the file on my eReader was about to expire, I decided to go for it. And I discovered the reason I didn't want to read it in the first place. My gut was telling me not to. And my gut is never wrong.
After just a few digital pages, I simply didn't care. I didn't care about the heroine, I didn't care about the hero, I didn't care about their issues (they both had those), and I didn't care what happened.
I skimmed through most of it, hoping against hope the ending would inspire me to read it again, truly read it. And after the ending...I still didn't care....more
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
DNF @ 17%
I just couldn't go further. Nothing grabbed my attention. The heroine came across as a spoi***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
DNF @ 17%
I just couldn't go further. Nothing grabbed my attention. The heroine came across as a spoiled, pampered brat (stilettos in the Australian bush, really?), the hero came across as an incompetent inn owner...
I have better ways to spend my time.
Merged review:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
DNF @ 17%
I just couldn't go further. Nothing grabbed my attention. The heroine came across as a spoiled, pampered brat (stilettos in the Australian bush, really?), the hero came across as an incompetent inn owner...
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