If you're looking for a light, frothy romance, turn the other way because this was heavy and meaningful. Penny is adopted into a white famil3.7 stars
If you're looking for a light, frothy romance, turn the other way because this was heavy and meaningful. Penny is adopted into a white family, the McClains, in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960s, one of the most racist parts of America. She's been in love with the eldest son, Benny, for years. He sort of ignores her at the beginning of the book.
The conflict in this story stems from racism. It's crazy how racism (against blacks) destroyed two white people's lives. The conflict and the plot were great, the story was just so heavy that I knocked off a star. I rate based on enjoyment, but in terms of uniqueness and crafting a meaningful story, this book deserves 5 stars all the way.
Jimmy, Benny's brother, had special needs and was gay. I was fine with that, but a few other things seemed unnecessarily heavy. Like Penny's brother dying from a rare form of bone cancer when he was very young. How realistic was that? Was the author just trying to kill off the brother, so the usual angst of the brother not wanting his best friend to date his sister wouldn't be a problem? Paul replaced Marcus in my eyes. But what annoyed me was Benny's injury at the end of the book, ruining his dream of playing football professionally, and the grandfather being diagnosed with cancer after just having a stroke. Weren't there enough depressing things in the book already? I didn't need a romance novel to end with a funeral, which made me emotional.
My other criticisms were the first sexual things between Penny and Benny were told, not shown. I thought when they were shown the sex scenes were okay to good. I'm always curious to read sex scenes and romance written by a male author. My other complaint was (view spoiler)[ that I wish Penny's age when she had gotten pregnant was clarified. Did she get pregnant at 15? (hide spoiler)]
Anyway, those are my two cents. I do recommend this book, and I've already told my friends about it. My friend is coming over in a couple of minutes, and I'll probably get him to preorder this book lol. I just wish everything ended on a happier note.
This is my first book by Carolina Jax. I got it as a freebie. I don't think it was from the Stuff Your Kindle event, though. This book took me foreverThis is my first book by Carolina Jax. I got it as a freebie. I don't think it was from the Stuff Your Kindle event, though. This book took me forever to read! Not because I wasn't interested in the book, but because I had a lot going on I didn't have time to sit down and read more than a few pages at once until today. I started it on the plane from Mexico City I believe, but then I had to read some ARCs, so I put this book down for a couple of days. Reading it in bits also didn't help me with my confusion later on in my review (with the who's who with the side characters & flashback/time jumps). I was annoyed at how long it was taking me to read it. I put on my agenda to finish this book today, and I finished right before midnight.
I had this whole phase when I was seventeen where I only read the secret baby trope. ...more
The beginning of the book had so many errors I was lost and thought about DNF-ing (it was also late at night), but the first spicy scene pulled me in The beginning of the book had so many errors I was lost and thought about DNF-ing (it was also late at night), but the first spicy scene pulled me in and I changed my mind about putting the book down.
I know this is an ARC, and the book wasn't going to come out for months when it was first listed, so hopefully, it has spent more time with a proofreader.
Why I gave this book 4 stars was because I enjoyed it a lot as a result of the tropes and the sex scenes. Evanna and Theodore are cousins, though there's no blood relation. Because of that, they still have to sneak around from everyone. Theodore, or Teddy, has a breeding kink and just wants to knock her up.
I wish this had been clarified earlier: (I believe) Evanna is half-black. Her mom ran off with a black man (married him?) and got pregnant at 20. I wanted to know why the father wasn't in her life anymore. The family pretends Evanna's biological mom is her sister, and her grandparents raise her.
I love the secret baby trope, but I thought the excuse for this book was weak/lame. Evanna was upset with her family, but she still should have told Theo she was having his child, instead of disappearing for ten years.
Thanks to BookSirens and the author for the ARC!...more
I had to delete my old college Amazon account because of a Mercury retrograde snafu, so I tried to read this before my Amazon account closed. Now I onI had to delete my old college Amazon account because of a Mercury retrograde snafu, so I tried to read this before my Amazon account closed. Now I only have one Amazon account...
I didn't think of this while I was reading this, but now that it's over I'm wondering why they never used condoms or discussed birth control? He was a literal doctor, lol. What would have made more sense was if the condom had ripped or something, or in her stress, she forgot to take the birth control pill one day. I'm surprised no alpha/beta reader or editor picked up on that.
The accidental pregnancy and secret baby only came in at the end. It frustrated me when the heroine, Annie, wouldn't even let Duncan explain himself over the phone why he stood her up. (His adopted father had a heart attack.) That leads to a nine-month separation, where of course, she's pregnant with her baby. It was cute that he got to deliver their kid. How many dads can say that?
Blurb: Annie meets Duncan. He seems like the perfect catch till she realizes that he's her ex's half-brother and that he hid this from her. Not gonna lie, but if a guy was that into me he set up our whole meeting, I'd be like ...more
I need Ryder's book STAT. I hope we find out the killer's identity and not in the last book of this series lol.
Daniel and Sicily (I did not know that I need Ryder's book STAT. I hope we find out the killer's identity and not in the last book of this series lol.
Daniel and Sicily (I did not know that was a name for a girl) meet at a graduation party. Sicily is visiting from Ohio. They had a one-night stand and then Sicily flies back to Ohio, unbeknownst to her, pregnant with Daniel's daughter. Four years later, she gets a job offer in San Diego at *surprise* Daniel's company.
I was surprised at the audacity of Sicily to introduce his daughter to him without saying "oh, and btw, she's your daughter too". Even if she didn't want to tell him in the beginning because he seemed like an irresponsible, drunk playboy, she should have told him when he was more mature, the company owner. I guess it was okay for me that she didn't tell him earlier because he was in California, and she was in Ohio, and the only way he would have known was if Amber told him.
I obviously wasn't expecting the murder component; I was expecting a straightforward, simple contemporary romance, not a murder mystery lol, but I liked it because it made the book more exciting.
I found the first sex scene a little awkward, with the peeling off of all the clothes (getting his foot out of his jean holes), but I was also reading it late at night, so that didn't help with my reading comprehension.
This was my first book I got from Booksprout. I signed up for Booksprout because I wanted to review Evangeline Anderson's latest release, but I guess I was too late, and/or she had a limited number of people she wanted to review. To try it out, I picked up this one because I like secret baby books.
Other thoughts : I was impressed with how realistic the whole college party scene at the beginning of the book was. And, maybe this book is a sign that I will get back with my SP, who I'm pretty sure was named Daniel.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
I'm so happy to finally have read another 5-star book (this is my 3rd of 151 books this year). Wow! What a story! Thank you Irene for reading this, anI'm so happy to finally have read another 5-star book (this is my 3rd of 151 books this year). Wow! What a story! Thank you Irene for reading this, and then recommending it to Nenia, whose 5-star review made me want to read this book. I had never heard of it before.
This book takes place before, during, and after the War of 1812. It's set in first person narrated by Elise. I was surprised because every historical romance I've read (I think) has been set in third person. First person gives it that extra flair and better connection with the main character. There is also a thirteen-year age gap between the hero and the heroine.
I loved Elise, our heroine. In the beginning, I either wanted to be her best friend or act her in a movie. (Though as I read more of the book, I'm not sure I'd want to weep constantly several times or have all the horrible things done to me by men--pretend I was being raped, beaten, etc.) I loved how feisty, passionate, dramatic (main reason I'd want to play her~ she'd go from "I hate you! How could you do this to me!" to "Oh, Uncle Theo, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me.") she was, and even her fiery temper.
This book is the epitome of the trope "I hate you-I love you". Elise told Garth so many times how she detested him, when she really loved him all along.
These were my thoughts during the reading that I recorded in my Keep notes: I will never understand the arrangement of a marriage between a rapist and his victim. I understand that the family wants the rapist to marry the girl because he was the one to take her virginity, but it's not fair to force a marriage since then the rapist will just get to keep on raping the girl. This was also done in that book by Kathleen Woodiwiss (The Flame & the Flower)
Damn, the hero has no remorse for his actions (rape). Might have to take off a star for that
This is the classic tale of the woman pushing away the man because she is in love with him and desperately wants his love but he doesn't seem capable of love/can't give her the love she wants.
Garth says he's not jealous, but I'm pretty sure he is.
Damn, the author really is putting Elise through hell...I started to have to count on my hand how many men raped her: Josiah Fowler, the other sailors on the Charleston Belle (she was gang-raped), Arnold, Jake, the two brothers she was sold to, Starker, Hennessey (not to mention Garth twice, but notice I didn't put him on my original list.)
(view spoiler)[ "Jean Lafitte was in love with me. For some reason, this knowledge didn't make me as happy as it should have, and when I was alone I asked myself why. I knew the answer: I wasn't in love with him, not that way, and it was the sorrow of my life. Oh, I loved him dearly. He was my whole life, the center of my existence. I loved his intellect, his style of living; I loved his gentle ways; I loved his sensual body. But in spite of everything I felt for Jean Lafitte, I was still my own woman. I would never belong to him wholly, passionately, deliriously, instinctively, I had felt like that about only one man. Garth McClelland. He did not deserve it—Jean was worth a dozen Garth McClellands. But I would never love Jean or anyone else the way I had loved—and hated—Garth."
LOL, unlike most books, she actually sleeps with the other man.
"For a moment I hated Jean for letting me go, and then I realized that he had justly left the decision up to me. He and Garth would have fought until they were both dead, and I had intervened because—because I had really wanted to go with Garth."
"And you're still dreadfully hard on ladies' garments." "They still insist on wearing clothes," he said. "That's not my fault."
idk is this the author's internalized misogyny peeking through, or is it just Garth being a jerk: "you have forgotten how really dull women can be"
Their relationship is so toxic lol: "I fought him, even when I was longing to throw myself in his arms, because I knew he would lose interest in me when he felt sure of me. But now I was still the quarry and he was the hunter, and he would stalk me until he had captured and tamed me."
"That man came over you," Savannah grumbled. "And you was too proud and silly-minded to see that he was crazy in love with you. You think he would go to all that trouble to buy you a house and then hide it from you if he didn't love you? I never seen such a crazy woman before, never in my whole life!" ---God, I love Savannah!!
A revelation more shattering than any other had come to me when he held me in his arms in the rain. I loved him. I had always loved him, from the very first moment I saw him, and I would never love another. (hide spoiler)]
There's so much to say, I don't even know where to start. Garth was an asshole, but Natasha Peters also straddled the line by making him likeable. Garth is one of those heroes who will never confess to the heroine that he loves her. It took the last ten pages of a 600 book for him to confess that he had always loved her and had been such a fool. Elise frustrated me with her stubborness and refusal to tell Garth how she really felt, the terrible things that had happened to her, etc. She also took forever to say "I love you" to him too.
This book is definitely not safe; Elise is raped by multiple men, becomes the mistress of a pirate (Jean), marries another man (Jacques), and Garth was married to another woman when he first met Elise.
Short Overview: Garth was an American spy in France, pretending to be a wealthy marquis (who ironically, Elise meets at the end of the story), when he came across Elise bathing naked outside (I knew she was going to meet the hero then!) and rapes her. Then her brothers force him to marry her. When soldiers come looking for a spy, Garth flees with Elise. He leaves her to board a ship, but she follows him on that ship. Here a five-year adventure to America begins.
(view spoiler)[ The ship turns out to be a slave ship captained by the terrible Josiah Fowler. Finally, after Garth had been impressed by the British and Fowler began raping and beating Elise (that she miscarried Garth's child, was told she'd probably never be able to have another child), she's rescued by pirates. Becomes a mistress to the pirate Jean Lafitte. Garth comes and duels Jean for Elise, sets Elise up in a big house she doesn't know he bought for her. When Garth's wife sets Elise straight on how Garth bought her the house, Elise is mortified and impulsively accepts the offer of her most ardent admirer, Jacques. However, Jacques turns out to be gay, and his gay lover hates Elise and arranges with Garth's wife to sell her into slavery. Elise gets passed from one cruel master to the next, raped and beaten, till she finally kills her last owner, but not before he brands her as a runaway slave. She also incited a slave rebellion on his plantation when she killed him. Luckily, Joseph, a former slave on Fowler's ship, finds her. Garth also finds her and has her steal some battle plans from a British officer who found her and Joseph when Elise was very sick. Then, Garth, Joseph, and Elise sail around the coast back to New Orleans to deliver the plans/news. Joseph got killed by some crazy Native Americans when they docked onshore so he could gather some herbs to make a medicine for Garth (who had been wounded). It made me sad that Joseph had to die. Just when I thought they'd finally be together, Elise got charged for the killing of Jacques (his lover actually killed him) and it is highly probable that she's going to be found guilty. At this time, she's pregnant again with Garth's child. (Convenient she only got pregnant by Garth, though she had slept, or been raped, by many men.) Georgette, Garth's wife, agrees to testify against Arnold to free Elise if Elise promises to leave for France immediately and not have anything to do with Garth again. Elise agrees. Three years later, Garth comes to the same place on the Lesconflair estate where he met Elise (and raped her), discovers he has a child, and it is alluded to that they will get married. (Also, his wife was killed by Arnold 2 years earlier.)
Love how I just spoiled the whole story LOL. I did this for myself, so I'd know what happened if I wanted to remember. (hide spoiler)]
Unless I misunderstood, it was also implied that Elise slept with more men in New Orleans. Though this book was long and definitely frustrating at times (especially all the times they ignored & refused to talk to each other!), I loved it. The only time I was bored was when the pirates were telling their story to Elise. I was smiling while microwaving food just thinking about this book.
I'm sad it ended. I wanted an epilogue at the very least. I want to know things like long will they continue living in France?
This book was like a saga. It was so good I'll definitely have to check out some of Natasha Peters's other books. Hopefully, they're just as good as this one, and I can get more five-star reads....more
I discovered this book yesterday on my feed when one of my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ friends liked their friend's review of this. I'm kind of a sucker for accidental I discovered this book yesterday on my feed when one of my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ friends liked their friend's review of this. I'm kind of a sucker for accidental pregnancy romances that start with the heroine struggling as a poor waitress. I five-starred "A Husband's Regret" by Natasha Anders, which had this theme. (Though, sadly, when I reread it, it was more of a three-star read. IDK what happened.) To my surprise, I learned that this book was being offered free on Prime Reading! I had checked out Prime Reading before, but their selection was so small in comparison to Kindle Unlimited that I never thought any book I'd want to read would be on Prime. I was happy to be proven wrong.
Once in a while, it's nice to read a Harlequin novel. The plots are pretty simple, the heroes are older and filthy rich, and the heroines are virgins. I do wonder what the difference between Harlequin Presents and the other Harlequin lines is. There are a 1-3 bedroom scenes, but usually only the first is detailed. I wanted more steam than I got in this novel.
Though the plot isn't anything original for a Harlequin novel (virgin girl with low self-esteem meets a rich, handsome older executive, falls pregnant, cue separation, he has to try to win her back), this book had some interesting, original twists on it. Daisy's father was a convicted felon who Leonidas had thrown in jail after he tried to sell Leonidas a forgery of a Picasso painting. This Picasso painting was owned by Leo's parents. I was honestly surprised they owned it rather than a museum. The rest of Leo's backstory was interesting too. Daisy wanted to be an artist, went to art school and all, but it didn't work out for her. I was so glad that she was able to realize her dream by the end of the novel and become a successful artist. A HEA can be more than just ending with the right guy; it's also about having your dream career and life.
Leonidas is only a name I've ever read/heard in Harlequin novels where the hero is Greek. I've come to associate it with being a filthy rich Greek tycoon lol. Daisy was kind and had a sweet heart. (Her dog and baby were adorable as well.) However, what no one else seemed to recognize/talk about in the novel was that she had really low self-esteem. She was always thinking to herself that she didn't know what Leo saw in her, that she was rather plain, but he and others thought she was quite beautiful. Then, the other man, her father's artist friend, wanted to marry her when he found out that she was pregnant & alone. Daisy thought it was a kind offer, but I'm pretty sure he just wanted to get in her pants.
God, I'm so glad a hero was for once actually celibate during the separation. Too often, the hero will be sleeping with everything that moves whereas the heroine can't move on and is painfully celibate.
My slight problem with this book was that I didn't feel Leo or Daisy had anything in common, besides their love for art. What triggered this thought was that whenever the two left Daisy's, or rather Franck's, apartment or got into the car to go somewhere, they literally had nothing to say to each other.
Honestly, this book & seeing all the tags above makes me want to read another Harlequin book, but I really need to read my library books. I remember in the late fall of 2020, I binge-read one Harlequin book after novel. It was fun (and cheesy). Harlequins, like Diana Palmer, may be my comfort reads....more
I picked this book up after reading the preview in "Dr.'s Surprise Baby", another book by Annabelle Love.
The highlight of the book: I give her a smileI picked this book up after reading the preview in "Dr.'s Surprise Baby", another book by Annabelle Love.
The highlight of the book: I give her a smile of my own and then roll away from her so I can stretch. “At least I didn’t knock you up,� I say. “God knows how I managed to avoid having any kids up to this point, the way I fucked around in my heyday.�
I feel like my tags say a lot, so this review is going to be short. Also I'm weirdly tired on a Friday night, and I really haven't enjoyed this FridayI feel like my tags say a lot, so this review is going to be short. Also I'm weirdly tired on a Friday night, and I really haven't enjoyed this Friday night to its fullest potential.
I almost didn't read this book because the 530 pages really intimidated me, and I was never so interested in reading this couple anyway. I'm so glad I read this book, however, because I really enjoyed it. It was almost a 5 star read for me had the goodness not been interrupted by Paxtyn's & Landon's POV as they met and started their romance that will continue in the next 3 books (why do they need 3 books to tell their story? Also, Landon seems like such an asshole. I will read the books, but I'm not really excited to.)
What I loved most about this book was the secret baby. So Maddox & Gabby had met when Gabby was 13, but Maddox didn't know that Gabby was 4 years younger. Gabby's dad threatened Maddox with statuary rape charges. Then, when Gabby was 15, she got pregnant. Her dad forced her to give the baby up to a family that couldn't have children, though she cried and screamed to keep the children. I love the angst. It turned out that (view spoiler)[ the dad actually wasn't able to give up his grandson after all, and instead he had him raised in Greece with his parents (Gabby's grandparents) so Gabby could have a more normal childhood. (hide spoiler)]
I wrote in my Kindle notes on page 197, "If this book ends without them meeting their son, I'm going to be so disappointed & sad. Plz don't fail me, Charisse." I'm very happy to say they finally met their precious six-year-old son. ...more
When I was reading the middle, I was just thinking to myself how I wish this book had ended at page 70 or something because if nothing had gone wrong When I was reading the middle, I was just thinking to myself how I wish this book had ended at page 70 or something because if nothing had gone wrong for the sake of writing a plot, the characters would have gotten their HEA.
Anais (heroine) and Lindsay (hero) start the book already in love as they've been best friends since childhood. One of my least favorite things is when the hero and heroine start the book already in love because we don't get the story of why they fell in love since that already happened. I also didn't understand why Lindsay waited till he was thirty to tell his best friend his feelings when he had had those feelings since he was sixteen. Also, at 28, Anais would have been a designated spinster. I think the author should have made the two much younger in this book, like early twenties, and it would have been more believable.
I wanted more meaningful conversations between Anais and Lindsay. Lindsay's third POV was always so lustful/horny it was a bit too much. Sometimes it felt like he was fetishizing Anais and her body, her "rounded belly". He liked that she was bigger than other women.
The middle was slightly boring and there was so much push-and-pull I was just thinking to myself how a single conversation between the two with Anais saying how she forgives him/wants to be with him now could just end the book for good. I suspected Anais's secret (view spoiler)[ that the Middleton's baby was hers. I know the author wanted us to be happy for the Middleton couple that finally had the chance to have a child by taking Anais's child as theirs, but I hated this!!! I'm sure there were plenty of poor orphans they could have adopted off the street if they really wanted a child; they didn't need to take the offspring of two capable parents. And it shouldn't have been too late; Anais should have taken her baby back before the baptism! I was praying either she or Lindsay would yell that they were the girl's parents.
(hide spoiler)] Minus the plot point I disliked, the last section of the book was really good that I felt inclined to give 3 stars instead of 2.
This book was very well-written; it was just the plot was frustrating with the big misunderstandings and other things....more
I was looking for another Native American romance to read, and I looked at my list of ones I had read. I really liked "Apache Captive" by Betty BrooksI was looking for another Native American romance to read, and I looked at my list of ones I had read. I really liked "Apache Captive" by Betty Brooks, so I was down to read another one of her books.
Rebecca is out with Pete (I'm not really sure what Pete's relation to her was, but I think he worked on her brother's ranch) when they're pursued by Native Americans. The Indians scalp Pete and take Rebecca captive. Just when she's about to be raped by Black Bear, a handsome Native American comes riding in (our hero), Lone Wolf. Rebecca ruins her chances for Lone Wolf to bring her home, so Lone Wolf takes her to his village to become his wife.
There's a twist at the end, which is foreshadowed at the beginning by Lone Wolf's refusal to talk about his past and some other things. (view spoiler)[ Lone Wolf is biracial; his father was a white man who got a Native American woman pregnant but never married her. He was accepted with both peoples and fought for Native Americans in Congress. At the end of the book, they decide to bring their baby Forrest (the cutest baby!) to live with Lone Wolf's Native American people and raise Forrest as an Apache. (hide spoiler)]
This book had way more sex scenes than I was expecting, but I did not mind.
Note: Native American romances really don't need to be called "savage". I'm sure some of the Native Americans considered the whites "savage"; it's all a matter of perspective.
Thanks to Nenia for reading it with me! You can get a different perspective from her, since she had a totally different rating from me: ...more
This book reminded me of "Landry's Lady" by JoAnna Marie with a Southern gal (family owns slaves) meeting a Union soldier during the Civil War, fallinThis book reminded me of "Landry's Lady" by JoAnna Marie with a Southern gal (family owns slaves) meeting a Union soldier during the Civil War, falling for him, then bankrupt, she's forced to give her plantation up and she sails to California for a new life. These were all the similarities in common.
I've noticed how in JoAnna's earlier books there's sex, whereas the more recent ones are clean reads. I wonder if this happened to appeal to the audience who seems to pick up her works. Most people pick up a romance novel and expect some sex scenes. Well, some of the people reading her books are total prudes and complained about it in the reviews. I wonder if it was her personal choice to make the books clean, or if it was an appeal to her audience. I'm not sure why people expecting clean reads gravitate to her work, when I don't ever see complaints for clean reads for most romance books I read, which are decidedly unclean. Anyway, if she reads this, I hope she chooses to add more graphic content to her novels again.
It would probably make me feel really uncomfortable if my husband was around his former ex-mistress all the time (Helene). Both the other men and women in this story are not good, but Helene was definitely worse than Randy. (view spoiler)[ Also, I'm glad at least one of her family members, her father, didn't die during the war. (hide spoiler)]
The beginning of this book sort of felt like a modern bodice ripper because there's a seduction scene not far in. ...more
Omg, this book was so much better than the last book I read, "The Vampire Queen's Servant"!! Ironically, this has a fraction of the reviews.
When the Omg, this book was so much better than the last book I read, "The Vampire Queen's Servant"!! Ironically, this has a fraction of the reviews.
When the prologue is good, you know you're probably going to enjoy the rest of the book. The book starts off in the midst of the Civil War. Jeremiah, McKenzie's family's slave and her best friend, finds Yankee soldier Cash Landry wounded and unconscious near the McIntyre family plantation. McKenzie nurses Cash back to health. He leaves, and I was thinking to myself how is he and McKenzie going to see each other again? Neither of them expect to see each other again. This is where the author cleverly plans for both of them to be going via ship to San Francisco.
I liked the story (aka the plot) more than the actual romance between Cash and McKenzie. The ending threw me for a loop and I was shocked and mesmerized. I was right in how (view spoiler)[ Emmaline's father really wasn't Cash's father, but I was shocked to discover that really she was Cash's own daughter with his girlfriend Lynette. This book has the dead ex trope, lol, and a secret baby because Cash doesn't know that Emmaline is really his daughter. (hide spoiler)]
Also, Cash's stepmother was truly the Evil Stepmother who could give Snow White's stepmom a run for her money.
I loved the epilogue with all the children and all the HEA between multiple couples, who I suspected would end up together. (view spoiler)[ Cash's father and Aunt Maeve, McKenzie's aunt, marry. Jeremiah marries the maid who watched over Emmaline in San Francisco. (hide spoiler)]
This book was almost a clean read but not quite. In clean reads, there's no mention of sex, right? Anyway, it shouldn't offend anyone, but I wouldn't have anyone under 13 read it.
I'm looking forward to reading more from JoAnna Marie!...more
The book starts off with the hottest sex scene in a closet you'll probably ever read. There is a bit of a secret baby aspect to this book bec3-4 stars
The book starts off with the hottest sex scene in a closet you'll probably ever read. There is a bit of a secret baby aspect to this book because both the hero and heroine (Audrey, just put "parents"!) were strangers to each other, so the heroine couldn't find the hero to tell him that she is pregnant with his baby.
The fact that the hero is a billionaire was barely used in the story. I felt like the author just included it for the series & to make him sound more attractive that way.
Julia really suffered from foot in the mouth syndrome, meaning she would say everything even if it wasn't appropriate to say so, and that really endeared her to me. She was funny and spunky and really stole the show.
I told myself I wouldn't add anymore books to my tbr but... secret baby
**
As you can see, I only read this one because of secret baby anI told myself I wouldn't add anymore books to my tbr but... secret baby
**
As you can see, I only read this one because of secret baby and in HR too. I found this in the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ list for Secret Baby in Historical Romances.
The story starts off in Belgium. Lord Edward Wellington, a spy for the British army, is injured. Jane Wetherby is serving as a nurse, unbeknownst to her grandfather (both her parents are dead), and after she treats Edward, known as Ned, they share one night of passion. Seven years later, Ned visits the small village where Jane's been living and working as a practically unpaid surgeon/nurse/doctor (that's her passion). However, he's visiting the village to meet the lady his parents betrothed him to. She's the other woman, but Ned is hardly interested in her, so it's a pretty safe read if anyone's wondering. At one point, in my Kindle notes, I even wrote how the other woman was becoming quite the antagonist.
The story gets more complicated than that, with a murder and slight mystery but I won't give more away.
I'm not sure what that one-star review that the author was quoting was talking about because there weren't that many sex scenes & this story was definitely not "a story that felt like it was made just to write a LOT of sex scenes." Like at all!
I could have used more steam and detail in the sex scenes, to be honest.
Their daughter, Violet "Vi", was quite precious, but I found it annoying how each time her dog or cat got lured away as a setup to try to kidnap her. The last time it happened I could tell the author deliberately put the fact that Jane and Vi were playing fetch outside with the dog so that both could be kidnapped. It just felt too contrived and convenient.
I liked how Ned wanted to marry her and be in his daughter's life right away and didn't like how long Jane took to essentially say yes. Her reasons for not wanting to marry Ned were that they didn't love each other and she didn't want to be in a loveless marriage, have to sit back and watch him go to other ladies' beds, but most importantly she didn't want to give her "career" up. But seriously, she could be a doctor anywhere. Whatever the vale was named isn't the only place I'm sure that could use her. The romance could have been a little better, you know. Also, I found myself a little bored in the middle and could have dropped the book easily without being too upset about it, so that's why I'm giving this 3 stars.
My favorite part of the book was the author's wry humor that had me quirking my lips (smirking?)....more
This was my first Alexa Riley read. Alexa Riley is a duo of two best friends. I think I might have (unconsciously) stayed away from reading one of theThis was my first Alexa Riley read. Alexa Riley is a duo of two best friends. I think I might have (unconsciously) stayed away from reading one of their books because with names like "Branding the Virgin", there seemed to be only smut and no plot and the books seemed a little immature. I don't remember how I found this one, but I'm glad I did.
I was LOVING the beginning & the setup. I see what a reviewer meant by "Harlequin vibes". I only got that from the very beginning, her living in a penthouse married to a wealthy man LOL. I was hoping the book would continue to be just as good, you know I'm always hoping for a 5 star read if possible, and not that the rest of the book wasn't good--it was--but it could have been better. I didn't really like the flashback scenes of their wedding and others because I was more interested & concerned with the present and wanting to know what would happen next. Maybe with a different author and a longer book, this would have been a better read? Idk, because at the same time, I feel the book did not need more pages for the story, that a novella fit the plot well. (I'm not sure how many pages this had.)
Omg, I had a feeling that (view spoiler)[ Molly would regain her memory at Phillip's office so that was a bit predictable. When she thought she caught him cheating, I was confused at the next chapter when Phillip recounted just waking up from a late nap at work, and had to go back and reread the cheating scene. Then I realized that she never made eye contact with him, she was just so upset she left without realizing the truth, that he was actually asleep & unaware of what was going on. (hide spoiler)]
I also felt that Phillip's epilogue (view spoiler)[ Phillip threatening their daughter MJ (Molly Junior)'s soccer coach for being too friendly with his wife, to only find out that the soccer coach was gay and married (hide spoiler)] was cringey. Yeah, it was funny but more cringey and could have been taken out. We already got that Phillip was over the top possessive.
No offense to anyone named Molly, but I thought it was a bad, boring name for a heroine. At the epilogue, I was thinking to myself what is her personality even? And I couldn't tell you, except for that she's an artist, a little insecure, but not much else.
Do I plan on reading more Alexa Riley in the future? Yes, I do, especially if I want a short read.
Omg and so glad I was able to finish two books today~~hopefully I can get my quick reading mojo back since I'm into tving less & my grandma has left. (I spent almost a week on my last read, which was way too long!) !!...more
4.5 to 5 stars Damn, I can't believe I have another 5 star read so soon after my last one (Book 3 of this series). I liked Book 3 a little bit better I4.5 to 5 stars Damn, I can't believe I have another 5 star read so soon after my last one (Book 3 of this series). I liked Book 3 a little bit better I think. This one was a little bittersweet but it was profound and really made you think.
I didn't really like the beginning so much and it was 3 stars for me then. For the latter half of the book, so many of the characters keep on talking about how they're aging and going to die soon, which is not what I like to hear. It makes me think of how I'm young now and all I ever know is youth but I won't be young forever, and I wonder what that will be like...and how it sucks how you cannot travel back in time to revisit your past. Even now sometimes I wish I could be seven again just to see/experience what that was like, relive my memories.
There were more questions this book raised, such as who due you owe loyalty to, your past or your present, who do you belong to? Vix struggled with this because his wife really wanted to live in Judea, so once he was dismissed by Emperor Hadrian for blurting out that he had slept with Hadrian's wife Sabina multiple times, he finally agreed to go live in Judea. However, as his mother said, his wife was of God (the Jewish god) but he was of Rome. And Rome ended their marriage. Vix tried but he was not satisfied living in Judea and dreamt of the legions and fighting again, so when Hadrian gave him the 10th again and told him he to squash the rebellion in Judea--the one his wife fully supported, her own uncle being the leader--Vix readily agreed.
Then, omg Antonious (Vix's adopted son). I had said in my review for Book 3 that I had wanted to be him for some reason (don't ask). I loved him like everyone else did, Demetra's beautiful boy. I really liked the romance between him and Hadrian. I don't often read MM so this was nice. It was so cute and really sang to my hopeless romantic heart that Antonious was willing to overlook the bad in Hadrian and wouldn't believe anything bad about him, even if it was true (for instance that Hadrian threatened to rape Vix). I would have loved to have met Antonious and cradled his curly head in my lap. Also I'm curious as to what he looked like because he was one of the most beautiful humans. (view spoiler)[ So sad that he died at 24 and such a waste too. I did cry a little bit when Antonious and even Hadrian died. I had it spoiled for me that he was going to die under mysterious circumstances by someone else's review--and they didn't even put a Spoiler Alert! So I am doing whoever actually reads this the courtesy of inserting one here. At first, I was annoyed why no one, right after his body was found in the Nile River, questioned if he had been murdered or discussed how he and died. So I was so relieved when Sabina started to investigate Antonious's death to help Hadrian (not sure why the blurb said he went mad, because he didn't really--was just obssessed with making a legacy in temples and statues for Antonious so history would never forget his name). However, it seemed like the culprit was never going to be found until the very end of the novel. (hide spoiler)]
I also really liked Marcus and Annia together (shipped them from the very beginning!) and there was this one scene they had where they kept kissing when they were older that I found particularly romantic.
Other thoughts: (*Some spoilers*) 1.) I was waiting for a while to find out what happened to Sabina's baby that she had in secret-who was it and where they were! And then I was frustrated how it took FOREVER for her to tell Vix that they had a kid together, a la the secret baby, and then even tell their daughter that they were her real parents.
“Even when she was just a flutter inside me, I loved her,� Sabina said. “Because she is ours.� -ahh the enduring love between Sabina and Vix
2.) I'm glad we got more of the Sabina and Vix romance. Though he married Mirah, they were obviously not compatible in the end, and this book had me convinced that Sabina was the One for him. Mirah was also bitter and I ended up not liking her in the end. She also seemed a bit homophobic towards Antonious. (Antonious was bi, Hadrian was gay.)
3.) Glad we finally got to find out what happened in Hadrian's Hades--and it was a little disappointing at how normal it was. No bloody bits of people as rumors had said. Only a mirror and a chair, though I was confused why the author wrote Hadrian's ravaged face, and thought maybe the mirror was shattered so Hadrian would look monstrous in it, but it wasn't shattered.
4.) I'm annoyed at Vix for letting me believe that Sabina was dead! Yeah, all of Rome thought she had died too, along with the treasonous plotters trying to kill Hadrian, but Vix could have said oh Sabina was alive, but everyone believed she was dead. I gasped. I was shocked that the author would have killed off one of the main characters.
5.) It was sad how Vix had to kill off a lot of his friends, including Simon.
6.) Emperor Hadrian's CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT & self-development was AMAZING...chef's kiss. I went from hating the handsome dude to even crying for him when he died! His vision in my mind changed to0 from a handsome man to an old, ravaged, tired man.
7.) The climaxes of this series--the transition from one emperor to another mostly--are so spell binding. The whole book is great, but man, the climaxes are super exciting & suspenseful.
8.) I was so happy that Vix finally visited his parents. Sadly, by the end of this novel, they were probably dead, but Vix wouldn't have known that for sure. I wish he would have visited them one more time in the end.
Kate Quinn is such a good storyteller. That's what made this book so readable. I could barely put it down, and it's 2 am now and I've barely done my history reading and homework (spoiler alert: it was so boring & it's also on Ancient Rome!). Even if there's not much of a story, I need a sequel, Vix and Sabina's story under Titus!! I need a story where their lives conclude like I would be fine with them dying in the book from old age, I just need their story to be completed, and it didn't feel 100% completed here.
That being said, these two novels of hers really blew me away--after "Empress of Rome" which I barely liked but still found interesting, I'm surprised I even continued this far with the series and am now thinking of reading book 2!--that I want to check out her Borgia books, which as the Borgias were so scandalous, I'm sure it will be a great story too!
Honestly, this book has me wanting to read more historical fiction & even has me wanting to write my own--though I'm not sure what time period and it sounds even harder to write one than a romance, which I have been thinking of doing. I do see myself rereading this series one day. I already miss the characters & just want to bask in this book more if that makes any sense......more
Whenever I see a man has written romance, I need to read the book in question. This one was no exception. I must have found it under the sec*3.5 stars
Whenever I see a man has written romance, I need to read the book in question. This one was no exception. I must have found it under the secret baby list as I used to be so obsessed with that trope. I think I added this book in 2018 when I was super into that trope.
The only way to read this book is to buy a copy of it, so I bought one. I wasn't happy when it came in mass-market paperback format, but I was able to read it more easily than the last mass-market paperback I DNFed (yesterday). Unfortunately, the seller put a load of stickers on the back. I peeled them off, but it tore part of the synopsis and left the back with sticky residue.
Now on to the book: I loved the first 100 pages or so, especially the meet-cute.
Marina and Ward fall in love almost immediately, but it's okay as Ward's evil mother spews lies, separating the two for--wait for it--seven years!! (view spoiler)[ It took me a while to wrap my head around it, but I think the mother, Luisa, accused Marina of sleeping with Ramon after he supposedly refused to marry her, and when that didn't work, Marina desperately convinced Ward to marry her (hide spoiler)].
It took the two a while to work out the past and their feelings for each other. It took a while too for Ward to realize that his family had lied to him, at least partially.
Half the book dealt with a cholera outbreak, but that was interesting. A mountain lion attack was also interesting.
When Leigh Greenwood solely wrote that the two made love three times during their honeymoon, I thought the book would be clean, but it wasn't. There was at least one fingering scene, and Ward seemed to be a fan of licking her ear, lol....more
5 stars though the end kind of has me wanting to give it 4 stars...haha, I was just ready to be done w the book, just cuz I had wanted to finish it to5 stars though the end kind of has me wanting to give it 4 stars...haha, I was just ready to be done w the book, just cuz I had wanted to finish it tonight and I felt like everything was resolved... (view spoiler)[ though I did really like the baby scenes, especially the one in the pool, at the end. (hide spoiler)]
Now let me start from the beginning: So in Book 2, the book before this one, Remo was planning on getting revenge on the Outfit and destroying it by kidnapping Dante's niece (Dante is Capo of the Outfit) right before she was to be married. So the book starts off with them crashing the wedding and stealing the bride ...more
This book could have ended a little before page 200 if there had been no other woman drama. However, there would have been very little confl*3.5 stars
This book could have ended a little before page 200 if there had been no other woman drama. However, there would have been very little conflict & there wouldn't have been much of an actual story. The other woman, Valerie Stewart, manipulates the hero Trey into marrying her. She also manipulates the heroine Empress (yes, that is actually her name lol) into thinking Trey is seeing both of them simultaneously. Empress flees to France with her siblings to reclaim her brother's inheritance and (view spoiler)[ discovers she's pregnant on the voyage...ah a book always gets better for me with an accidental pregnancy lol. It wasn't out of the blue, either, because they were fucking nonstop without a condom. (hide spoiler)] Thus, the long separation ensues.
The separation didn't bug me so much because what was going on in each of their lives was still interesting. However, what did bug me is that when Trey finally chased her down in France, they acted so hostile to each other. Empress didn't even want to let Trey know that he had a son!! WTF girl. I didn't like how they kept arguing, and I just didn't see how they would finally be together. In the beginning, Trey seemed super chill & charming. Not so much in the second half ...more
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