Review: King of Wall Street

King of Wall Street by Louise Bay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

I recently read The British Knight and enjoyed it so much I thought I would read some of Louise Bay's other books in what appears to be a series.

Harper Jayne is the illegitimate daughter of Charles Jayne, the wealthy founder and senior partner of JD Stanley. She and her father have barely interacted over the years, he was absent more often than he was present and she has cut off all contact with him since she was at college. His form of love is to throw money at an issue, including his daughter. Harper is also angry that he offered employment to her three half brothers after they graduated college, but not her. Harper works for Max King, the so-called King of Wall Street, as a junior researcher. This was her dream job, one she worked really hard to get, but her boss' attitude makes her hate him.

Max King has become successful by keeping his personal and professional lives separate. During the week he is the King of Wall Street, living in a penthouse apartment in Manhattan, driven, professional and having hook-ups with random women. At the weekends he is devoted to his fourteen year old daughter Amanda and their home in Connecticut where his parents, his sisters and Amandas mother (and her husband) also live. His newest researcher, Harper Jayne threatens that neat distinction and he does everything in his power to avoid her as much as possible.

I felt that this book suffered from character drift (I Just made that up), you know, when a character starts off one way and then by the end of the book they have changed dramatically but not through personal growth and development but just because the plot requires them to react in certain ways? For example, when Amanda's mother and her husband move to Europe Max is portrayed as very much a weekend father who doesn't really have much involvement in the real bringing up of his daughter, baffled by her moods and unable to cope with her teenage demands. But by the end of the book Max is being portrayed as a Superdad, totally devoted to his daughter and fully engaged in everything to do with Amanda, heck it's one of the things Harper loves about him!

And here I go, boring old fart again, gawd there was too much sex. I'm not sure how Harper and Max fell in love between their antagonistic work relationship and the non-stop shag-fest they didn't really talk, or if they did it was all off-stage. All the reader sees is one sex scene after another.

Don't even get me started on Harper's BFF Grace, her 'insights' into Harper and her relationship with her father just felt wrong, as indeed did the showdown between Harper and her father.(view spoiler)[Apparently Charles' excuse for being a bad father, throwing money at Harper and not offering her a job was that he knew he'd been a bad father and didn't want to make things worse. Even asking Max to take Harper off the JD Stanley pitch came from a good place and not at all because he was putting her down. I call bullshit. (hide spoiler)]

I will continue reading Louise Bay's books in this loose series to see which of these books is more representative of her writing, the plots are good, if somewhat predictable.

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Review: The Billionaire's Unexpected Baby

The Billionaire's Unexpected Baby by Kira Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Leah Andrews is your typical good girl, she had one uncharacteristic one-night stand before starting her job as a teacher in a Catholic High School and got pregnant.

Brooks Larson is a billionaire, partner of Cole Harrington from the first book in this series 69 Million Things I Hate About You, a consumate playboy he also has massive self-esteem issues, although I'm not sure I ever understood why he felt he was so unloveable and why he didn't deserve a wife and family.

Leah is briefly helping out her friend Kiersten, Cole's wife, with her baby and meets Brooks on a massive yacht floating around the Greek islands which Brook has hired to celebrate the christening of Cole and Kiersten's baby. Leah and Brook share an instant attraction but it goes no further than a steamy kiss, and then he walks away.

A few weeks later, Leah is moving into her rooms in the swanky school when she runs into Brooks again, the Mother Superior overhears that Leah is pregnant and is about to sack her for breaking the morality clause in her contract until Brooks says they are about to get married. So, they enter a marriage of convenience, Brooks helps Leah keep her job and Leah lends Brooks some gravitas in his work. But when the baby's father finally gets in touch it turns out to be an old enemy of Brooks.

This had a slow start and while I enjoyed the book I didn't really understand what led Brooks to feel he was so unworthy, why he thought he was such a bad choice as a husband, why he couldn't ever commit to a long-term relationship. Maybe I missed it.

This is a very focussed book, we don't see Brooks at work, we don't see Leah at work, all the action is centred around them, their feelings, talking about their feelings with their friends etc and it felt a little light-weight as a result.

I requested this book on the strength of the previous book, that had far more laugh-out-loud humour, I wouldn't really classify this book as humorous and I didn't like it as much as a result.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Deadly Summer

Deadly Summer by Denise Grover Swank
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a delicious comedic, romantic mystery.

I have read several of Denise Grover Swank's YA/NA novels and contemporary romances but have shied away from her mysteries until now but the premise lured me in - and how glad I am.

Poor Summer Butler. Famous for being a child star of a popular TV show in which she played a child detective she is now unable to get other acting roles (because she's been typecast) or a normal job (because she has that residual fame). Her mother was always hungry for money and fame, she pushed Summer into bad career choices (and child pageant shows) then ran off with all of Summer's money. Now, 10 years after the show finished, Summer is practically bankrupt and desperately looking for ways to raise money, not to save her Malibu home but to make a balloon payment on a mortgage on the family farm which she countersigned when her grandfather was still alive. A family farm that she has been banished from by her MeeMaw.

After a disastrous pitch to a TV producer which culminated in Summer punching an aggressive 'fan' in the face, Summer thinks her only option is a nude coverspread for a tacky magazine, until her agent calls and tells her the producer liked one of her random pitch ideas. Summer in tongue-in-cheek desperation suggested that she could do a reality TV show loosely based on her famous character by solving real-life mysteries as a PI. Of course, being reality TV, Summer is being set up. The show is based in her home town of Sweet Briar, Alabama, her assistant is her cousin Dixie and as soon as she arrives in town she is literally flung head first into her childhood sweetheart Luke Montgomery who is now the Chief of Police.

The woman producing the TV show is determined to make Summer look ridiculous, manufacturing mysteries such as who impregnated a pet dog, a workers compensation investigation, a missing man investigation for one of the town's drunks, and a cheating spouse investigation - all of which have been carefully primed in advance. But as Summer tries her hardest to make the show a success in order to save the farm, she realises that the missing man investigation may not be the scripted non-event that her producer expects.

This book is chock-full of family drama, second-chance romance, comedy, mystery, stalkers, and redemption.

I loved this book from start to finish. Literally. The book opens with Summer sitting in an upscale Vietnamese and Portuguese fusion restaurant called Magnum - I could picture it perfectly. Summer is such an endearing character and her family is quirky and lovable, even grumpy MeeMaw.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Silent Threat

Silent Threat by Dana Marton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

This started really well, Cole Makani Hunter is a former SEAL, partially deaf and with his right arm non-functioning, he has been sent undercover to a new age rehab centre for vets to discover who (staff or patient) is transmitting military secrets to someone in the Yemen.

Annie Murray is an ecotherapist working part-time at the Hope Hill rehab centre in Broslin Pennsylvania. Her treatment consists of helping vets get back in touch with nature through barefoot walks in the woods and drawing analogies between the men with their issues and nature. Whilst at first Annie was a bit new-age hippy dippy for my taste, and Cole wasn't wrong when he called her a tree-hugger, she grew on me. Brought up by a single mother, ostracised and criticised by her maternal grandfather - who she nevertheless continues to care for - and with unresolved issues with her cousin Kelly, Annie tries to make life better for everyone around her and runs an animal sanctuary in her yard.

Annie and Cole have a LOT of back story, it made me wonder whether they had featured in previous books by Dana Marton in different series. Either way, it was good that both had histories and experiences which moulded their lives but didn't overrun them - in other words it wasn't all angst-angst-angst like a YA/NA novel.

Annie has a stalker. I liked the suspense of not knowing who the stalker was and guessing at each character, I also liked the way in which the two stories: Cole's traitor and Annie's stalker wove together. I liked the development of the romantic relationship and the way in which Annie's therapy methods helped Cole deal with his issues whilst not being a miracle cure-all. I even liked the extended epilogue. My only gripe was that the climax felt a bit rushed, I even reread it this morning to see whether I had been mistaken when I read it last night but I remain slightly disappointed that the ending felt rushed rather than the steady build up of tension that usually happens with a romantic suspense.

Overall, I like Dana Marton's novels, she writes interesting characters who aren't all traditionally beautiful and perfect, Cole's initial description of Annie is WAY less than flattering. Also, its funny which is unusual in romantic suspense. Cole and Annie have some really nice banter going on between them, I especially liked when Annie was able to laugh at herself.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The British Knight

The British Knight by Louise Bay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd read some good reviews of this book/ series and wasn't disappointed. First, Louisa Bay is English so she writes about London with authority and accurately. Second, her characters are intelligent, articulate and normal! This may have been the first book I have read by Louisa Bay but it won't be the last.

Violet King is an American waitress. Three years ago she and her boyfriend were creating their own start-up company when he informed her that the business was in his name and he was sleeping with her roommate. Since then she has refused to commit to anything: men, jobs, careers.

Her friend Darcy persuades her to come to England for three months to try something different, she gets her an interview at a Barrister's Chambers in Lincoln's Inn (a specialist type of English lawyer based in a specific, very picturesque area of London that looks very Dickensian).

On her way to the interview Violet encounters a handsome man on her London Underground train, only to find that the man, Alexander Knightley, is her new boss.

Alex Knightley is an anti-social workaholic, desperate to match his late father's success in business. Violet's job is to get Alex to bill his outstanding clients, file/shred/archive all the papers in his office and generally do whatever she can to assist him. The only problem is, Alex doesn't want any help.

What makes this different from all the other billionaire boss romances is that whilst Violet and Alex fight their attraction, and fail, they are also developing a relationship of trust. (view spoiler)[Until Alex does something small that breaks that fragile trust. And he has to look deep inside and do some serious grovelling to make things right. (hide spoiler)]

Seriously, I didn't realise how annoying it was to read books set in the UK written by someone with only a sketchy knowledge of the place.

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Review: Christmas Past: A Chronicles of St Mary's Short Story

Christmas Past: A Chronicles of St Mary's Short Story by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Max takes Matthew back to early Victorian England to help the two little boys who were chimney sweeps alongside him.

Oh Jodi, you pulled on my heartstrings with this novella. I can't say more without spoiling the story, just let me say that it was a lovely story and reflected what we all hope Christmas will be like.

Sigh, when is the next one?

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Review: Can't Let Her Go

Can't Let Her Go by Sandy James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maybe I'm being harsh but two and a half stars.

I love the premise, current country star recording a charity album meets the son of two country legends who most definitely DOESN'T want to visit the past.

Unfortunately this book (for me) flagged badly in the middle and I had the overwhelming feeling that this book was all about the telling not the showing. After their sassy meeting the book just seemed as though it was treading water, like the sex scenes it was ultimately disappointing with very little action.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley n return for an honest review.

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Review: Strange Magic

Strange Magic by James A. Hunter
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish.

Attempted to read several times, a year later and not more than one chapter read I'm giving up.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Wolf Hunt

Wolf Hunt by Paige Tyler
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish.

Oh dear, match alpha male shifters with military special ops and a New Orleans accent and we just overloaded on testosterone. I really tried with this but it was the accent which made me throw in the towel.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Hope at Christmas

Hope at Christmas by Nancy Naigle
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish.

Too saccharine sweet for my tastes, requested by mistake.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Dog Walker's Diary

The Dog Walker's Diary by Kathryn Donahue
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish.

First few chapters were weird and not what I was expecting.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Phantom Pearl

Phantom Pearl by Monica McCabe
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish. Couldn't get into it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: True Hero

True Hero by Susan Owensby
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish, felt cliched, too much angst.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Hooked on Trouble

Hooked on Trouble by Kelly Siskind
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish, didn't like the characters.

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Review: The Single Girl's Calendar

The Single Girl's Calendar by Erin Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Esme comes home from work early on the eve of her seventh anniversary (of dating) with her boyfriend Andrew. She has decided that tonight is the night that he is going to propose so she sets the scene with candles, a romantic dinner of his favourite foods a daring negligee and brand new sheets on the bed. Unfortunately, whilst making the bed with the new sheets she finds a very distinctive earring WHICH DOES NOT BELONG TO HER.

Her friend buys her the single girl's calendar, which is a bit like an advent calendar - 31 days of miniature chocolates and a task behind each door. Day 1 is get a new haircut, day 2 is step out of your comfort zone etc. Soon Esme is sharing a house with four of her brother's friends (Dam, Asa, Jonah and Russ) and doing things she's never dreamed of before. But the housemates share more than just a bathroom, soon there are secrets and Esme is left trying to unravel just what is going on.

This is a difficult review to write. I liked the story, but I didn't really like the characters. Andrew was a caricature, Esme's brother Kane was unpleasant, Esme herself was a bit pathetic and needed a backbone, Jonah was a narcissist, Russ was just nothing, Dam was a stereotype Asian characters with no real role, and Asa was a sanctimonious prig with a facial tattoo.

Trying not to be spoilery, I just didn't 'get' the joke about Crystal, nor did I ever understand who she had visited in the flat. I saw no reason why any of the guys would ever like Esme, she was a bit of a drip who spent most of the book crying as far as I could see and she was like a broken record with Asa: no matter what he did or said she just kept assuming he was a deadbeat loser who liked heavy metal because he had a facial tattoo.

The ending just didn't really fit the plot, I just didn't understand why anyone did what they did, it seemed like a ridiculous plot device inserted 'just because'.

Final gripe, the tenses and POV slipped EVERYWHERE.

Would it be too cheeky to ask the trainee broom handler for her hair clippings in a doggie bag? Instead, she watched as they are swept into the corner...

...she had a quick drink with Carys and considered the possibility of matchmaking. What more could I ask for?

I found it very distracting.

I did consider giving this book less stars but overall it was a quick, enjoyable read, if the author sorted out the jarring grammatical points and gave the characters some likeable features it would easily rate another couple of stars for me. Bonus points for being set in Birmingham although the references were few and far between, not a Brummie accent in sight.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Nikan Rebuilt

Nikan Rebuilt by Scarlett Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scarlett Cole, every time you do this to me!

For those who've not read the previous books in this series, Preload is a metal band formed by guys who grew up in a Canadian children's home. Because it's Scarlett Cole each of the guys has had a dreadful childhood, abuse of all kinds, witnesses to terrible acts etc and Nikan is no exception.

The child of a mixed marriage between a First Nation man and a white woman he has always felt alienated and troubled by his heritage. His mother was brutally murdered, and Nikan badly wounded, by a jealous neighbour who couldn't bear the thought of her with another man. Nikan is in love with Jenny, another child from the foster home/ childcare system, who he met when they were young teenagers but he threw it all away when he slept with another woman on the band's first tour.

Eight years later Jenny has returned to Toronto to act as temporary manager of the children's home that Nikan and his fellow band members last lived in while the current manager recovers from breaking her leg. She too has had a deeply traumatic childhood and has never forgotten Nikan.

At first I had my doubts about this book, Nikan was soooo needy and so insistent that Jenny had to move on and forgive him for his infidelity, I just wanted to shake him and shout that it's not so simple. But as always Scarlett Cole draws me in and as Nik starts to understand how his past has influenced his present and how there are parallels between his relationship with the band and Jenny's relationship with him he became a more sympathetic character in my eyes.

As the book drew to its explosive conclusion in true Scarlett fashion I was on the edge of my seat as the tension mounted. Once again, Scarlett packs more plot, more angst, more life into just 260 pages than some authors can manage with twice that much. I loved it!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Christmas Promise

The Christmas Promise by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ava is a struggling milliner living with her friend Izzy in Camden Town. Her uber-successful parents have retired and run a quaint bookshop in France. Her lack of money has made Ava very careful about accepting anything, even from friends, because she can't reciprocate. Izzy and their other friend Tod invite her to their work's Christmas drinks party at a local pub where she meets their boss Sam. Sam owns a PR and marketing agency called Jermyn's which looks after a number of sports stars and other celebrities.

Sam asks Ava to make a hat for his mother who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and the two of them grow closer. But Ava's ex-boyfriend is not happy at being dumped and tries to blackmail her. Just as her professional life is looking up, could her personal life jeopardise everything?

Set in London (with a short trip to Middledip) at first I found it hard to get into a Sue Moorcroft book set in the city but soon I was totally engrossed in the Sam and Ava romance, enjoying the brushes with minor celebs and worrying about Sam's mum.

A great Christmas story

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Review: Should've Been You

Should've Been You by Nicole McLaughlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

annah and Becca Walters have lived practically next door to Jase Beckford their entire lives. His father was abusive and ever since their father brought him beaten to their house when he was 14 years old he has been a part of the family. Hannah and Becca are fraternal twins. Due to a misunderstanding about that night Becca and Jase have always felt that the other disliked them whilst being half in love with each other (not sure even I understood that sentence!) whilst Hannah and Jase have been best friends, but never lovers, in a slightly dysfunctional way.

When Jase walks into the Walters' kitchen one morning and sees Becca, half-dressed, leaning into the fridge all his old lustful thoughts come to the fore, but Becca is in a long-term relationship and is expecting an engagement ring for Christmas. Instead, it is Hannah who gets engaged to her musician on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Can Jase and Becca uncover the misunderstandings from the past? Is their chemistry the start of a relationship or are they destined to be a one-night stand? What about Becca's boyfriend?

I enjoyed this. Although it can definitely be read as a stand-alone (as I did) I did feel that I was missing some backstory. It was short, only 144 pages, and I felt it could have done with being longer to fully develop the story.

I am also intrigued to read Hannah's story - gonna look out for it next.

I received a free copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Game On

Game On by Nicola Marsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Angelica Bryant wants to play for the newly formed Australian Women's Aussie Rules Football league, until then she is working as a bartender in her father's bar and looking for a career in sports management.

Jaxon Flint is a hugely successful agent for numerous sports stars. He is sitting Angie's father's bar one night listening to a series of men trying cheesy pick up lines on her, one thing leads to another and the two of them have a one-night stand. Neither of them knows that their lives are already connected and are about to become even more entangled. But can Angie build a career in sports management when she's banging the boss? And can Jaxon watch a woman he loves play a dangerous sport?

I was enjoying this book, but it was so short (66 pages according to my Kindle) that nothing really got a chance to develop properly. Angie had issues with her father who had been a successful soccer star and had put down Aussie Rules all her life. Jaxon's sister had died in a freak ice-hockey accident. All this was brought up and then quickly dismissed. Even the ending was really abrupt. I think it needed to be a lot longer so that the characters and the plot could unfold and develop more naturally.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: His Best Mistake

His Best Mistake by Lucy King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Stella Grant discovers on New Year's Eve that her boyfriend Ben of the last few months is actually Brad and engaged to another woman. Devastated and feeling bad about being the other woman she runs off to her cottage in Scotland to lick her wounds and express her feelings through her painting.

Jack Maclean is the brother of Brad's fiancee, Cora. His sister is devastated and a valuable family heirloom has gone missing. Jack and Cora assume that Stella has deliberately seduced Brad and stolen the heirloom. Incensed, Jack hires a private detective to track Stella down and he hares up to Scotland to confront the scarlet woman, not realising that she is just as much a victim as Cora.

An isolated cottage, an unmade road, angry accusations, all lead to heightened passions. Ashamed of their one night stand Stella and Jack part company, until an unexpected consequence of their night together occurs. But what kind of relationship could ever develop between a man and the woman who ruined his sister's life?

This was an enjoyable read. It's a familiar plot but the English/ Scottish setting and the likeable characters made this feel fresh. Although Jack and Stella have issues from their pasts, they deal with them maturely and they are big enough people to recognise when they made a mistake.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Little Village Christmas

The Little Village Christmas by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Sue Moorcroft's novels, she manages to write realistic books about down-to-earth people with real life problems, big and small, set in rural England. It's not idealised and yet it does make me yearn for a career that would allow me to live in a small village.

This book goes back to Middledip. Alexia Kennedy is an interior decorator (not as ordinary as a painter and decorator but not as fancy as an interior designer). She is one the brink of leaving Middledip to work with one of her college contemporaries, Elton, who really is a fancy-pants interior designer making the most of a portfolio of investment properties for a female entrepreneur. In the interim, she is volunteering to renovate a local pub and make it into a community cafe with a flamboyant local resident Gabe.

At the volunteer party to strip the pub of all quality fittings and clear out the clutter prior to the refit Alexia meets Gabe's nephew Ben Hardaker. Ben recently moved to the village and is a bit of a recluse, he works for the local landowner managing the woodlands (cutting hedges, trees etc). After an evening serving BBQ sausages to the volunteers, Alexia and Ben end up spending a torrid night together.

However, the euphoria of the night before is lost the next morning when the village discovers that all the period architecture they so painstakingly salvaged has been stolen, along with the antique tiles from the roof and the £30,000 the village had raised to pay for renovations. Suddenly Alexia's dreams come tumbling down around her ears. She feels responsible for the theft, she loses her chance of the glamorous job in London with Elton, her flatmate moves out and she is scrambling for work. Undeterred Alexia decides to continue the restoration, but this time on an extraordinarily tight budget.

Ben has moved to live near his uncle after being betrayed by his brother and ex-wife. The exact details unfold through the course of the book and aren't what you might imagine, but Ben has run away to lick his wounds in peace. After the colossal mistake of a one-night stand with Alexia he retreats into the friend zone, but as Gabe, Ben and Alexia work together he becomes ever closer to Alexia.

This was such a feel-good read - talk about, it takes a village! It's got kittens, an injured owl, reality TV, conmen, cheating, family fights, the local pub, a stubborn pony, imperfect people and a whole lot of love.

A few years ago I binge-read every Sue Moorcroft novel I could lay my hands on and this one was just as good.

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Review: Man Hands

Man Hands by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brynn is a teacher, after divorcing her husband she is suddenly 'let go' by her boss (and ex-father-in-law), forced to survive on her food blog "Brynn's Dips and Balls" and cookery books. She has two almost polar opposite friends - Ash is a blonde, cut-throat estate agent, Sadie is a hippy married mother of two. Their so-called advice consists of recommending that Brynn steer away from her usual type of weedy, intellectual, vegetarian man and instead go for someone manly, rough and butch.

At a party thrown by Ash's mortal enemy Braht, Brynn sees her ex draped all over a younger, slimmer version of Brynn, her 'friends' advise her to run up to the nearest man who makes eye contact and kiss him. I mean really, is that ever good advice?

Tom is a reality TV star who specialises in renovating homes. When a curvy woman launches herself at him while he is tending the garden he is astonished but game for anything. Brynn and Tom have a passionate encounter in the boat shed but unbeknownst to them someone filmed them. A few days later the sex tape is all over the internet and as damage control Tom's agent suggests they legitimise their one-night stand by pretending to be a couple and getting fake-engaged.

Whilst plenty of others have raved about the humour in this book I honestly found it a bit juvenile - I mean how many times can you laugh at the word 'balls'? Brynn is described as curvy, sturdy and overweight (although of course that doesn't stop her wearing underwear made entirely of ribbons) and given the level of humour I picture her as a bit like the comedian Rebel Wilson.

Overall, I liked the story, I loved Tom and I liked Brynn when she wasn't sniggering like a little schoolkid but this didn't have the subtlety of Sarina's other works for me and the humour was too extravagant, too forced, too silly.

Still one of my favourite authors.

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Review: Follow You Down

Follow You Down by LAZEEMA HAQ
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 28%

I can always tell that I am going to DNF when the number of paragraphs I highlight increases exponentially as I read, with my highlighting becoming increasing jerky and irritable. Alas, so it was with this book. I picked it up and put it down several times but in the end I found the characters too irritating for words and I have absolutely no idea if there was supposed to be a plot.

Vesper Malik is a part-time waitress, Tristan Winthrop is a poor little rich kid. When they meet its instalust on his part. Although the characters are supposed to be mid to late twenties they read as much young. Vesper worries that Tristan will be mean to her gay friend? Really?

Vesper has secrets and doesn't want to reveal them. Tristan has family issues. Blah, blah, blah.

Then, after blowing hot and cold and not being in touch for a month Tristan arrives at Vesper's home after midnight, drunk and demanding she listen to him. He comes into her apartment uninvited, physically restrains her and refuses to let her go - at that point I tapped out. Why doesn't anyone see this behaviour is just wrong?

I liked the cover but the contents left me cold, too YA, too many "issues" thrown in, I felt like the author was trying too hard to show her liberal tendencies and it read more like ticking off a YA shopping list: silly name? Check. Rick kid with family issues? Check. Down on her luck waitress with secrets in her past? Check. Gay black friend? Check. Best friend from foster care/ children's home with (probably) a bad ending? Check.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Amid the Winter Snow

Amid the Winter Snow by Grace Draven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not generally a fan of anthologies, but when my favourite authors get together? Bring it.

In The Darkest Midnight by Grace Draven - three and a half stars
Set in the world of Eidolon and the Wraith Kings this is the charming story of Jahna Ulfrida, the daughter of a nobleman, born with a large port wine stain on one side of her face and her brother's teacher, Radimar Velus. Told against the back drop of several annual Deyalda festivities this is a slow blossoming romance told with sumptuous prose and fabulous world-building. Easy to read as a stand-alone if you have never read any of Grace Draven's books before.

The Chosen by Thea Harrison - three and a half stars
Set in The Elder Races but not on earth. Braugne and Guerlan are at war, threatening the neutrality of the island of Camaeline Abbey. The Chosen of the goddess Camael has to choose which side to align with, her visions tell her that one way will spell disaster for her people - but which?

The infamous Wolf of Braugne has brought his army practically to the doors of the abbey, can the Chosen use her psychic gifts to read his aura and determine if he is friend or foe?

This was a charming novella about a warlord and a strong priestess, each with their own kingdoms to rule, who find love in a time of war. TBH, I would have liked this to be a full-length novel to explore how the characters got to where they are and expand the story a bit. Easy to read as a stand-alone if you have never read any of Thea Harrison's books before.

The Storm by Elizabeth Hunter - three stars
Set in the world of the Irin Chronicles. i haven't read this series and I did feel that I missed something not having read the series. From what I gathered there are two groups of half-angel children on earth. One group, the Irin, have magical gifts and are scholars and artists. The other, the Grigori, are encouraged by their sires to take human lives (I think). Renata was the daughter of scholars and intellectuals, when The rending occurred she saw the aftermath of her parents, her mate and everyone she knew being murdered by the Grigori. Later she meets a much younger Irin, Max and they share a brief relationship. But Renata knows that she is broken ,having lost her one true love she can never allow Max to settle for something lesser.

I started off not liking this novella and by the end I rather enjoyed it.

The Snows of Windroven by Jeffe Kennedy - four stars
Set in the world of The Twelve Kingdoms this a novella about the widowed Queen Ami of Avonligh who is travelling to her late husband's castle Windroven with her twin children to celebrate the feast of mid-Winter along with her unofficial consort Ash, a scarred ex-convict and half-shifter.

Although I have read some of Jeffe's more recent books I haven't read The Twelve Kingdoms series and didn't have a clue about the characters. No matter, the brief paragraph "About the Book" at the start told me all I need to know.

Ash and Ami are in love but he knows she can never marry him and he can't imagine any future King allowing his affair with Ami to continue. As the entourage travel to Windroven the pair decide to part, until a vicious attack by undead creatures forces events to take a different turn.

This novella just left me wanting more, more Windroven, more Ash, more Ami, more of Ami's adorable twins. More, more, more.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Besting the Billionaire

Besting the Billionaire by Alison Aimes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cracktastic Russian billionaire and bimbo wife of head of family business.

Lily Bennett's elderly husband has died and made her the CEO of his family business in his will but the vultures are circling, including her two step-sons, her husband had been ill for a long time and allowed the business to falter. Can Lily exert control over the Board and rescue the business before their business rivals snap them up?

Russian billionaire Alexander 'Alexi' Kazankov will do anything to acquire Lily Bennett's business, fair or foul, in order to right a terrible wrong done to the closest thing he ever had to a mother growing up, Lena. He thinks it will be a cinch to offer his rival's widow a whole load of money to sell him the business, if she won't sell at first he will persuade the rest of the Board to back him in a hostile take-over.

Lily might look like a blonde bimbo but she is anything but, her marriage was one in name only but she had great respect for the man who rescued her from a life of abuse and kept her safe. She fully intends to honour the terms of her husband's will and rebuild the company. No sexy, bossy Russian billionaire is going to stand in her way.

Now this is how to write a category romance that just leaps of the page. Yes, Alexi was the stereotypical Russian billionaire, ruthless and domineering. But his dominance was offset by his humour and Lily's intelligence. I loved the way they tried to one-up one another in persuading the rest of the Board to back their bid for power, all the time barely restraining themselves from ripping each others' clothes off! But as the competition hots up someone is attacking Lily - who is it? And when push comes to shove will Alexi choose Lily or Lena?

I loved this, it was funny, smokin' hot, had a bit of suspense and kept me reading waaay into the small hours of the night.

I will definitely look for other books by Alison Aimes, after all she has a wonderful first name!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Baby Bargain

The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 22%.

This book is only about four years old but it reads as if it was written decades ago. Maybe it's because it's past 1 am on a school night and I'm tired and grouchy but puhleease!

Adam Waters and Megan Young had two one night stands a few years apart. Each time he walked away without a word and doormat that she was Megan just let him. The second time she was pregnant. Now he's back in town after leaving the Marines unexpectedly and Megan doesn't know whether to tell him he has a son - duh, YES.

Adam is so full of himself I'm surprised he can fit through a normal sized doorway. It's all about him, all the time. The guilt he bears about his platoon, his brother, his parents, the self-loathing, him wanting to hook up with Megan and then leave town AGAIN yadda yadda. I truly wanted to throat punch him.

And doormat Megan, she just takes it all and happily enters into a relationship with Adam, because that's not going to get the least bit awkward when he finds out they have a child, right?

There was a glimmer of hope when Adam asked to just be friends and took sex off the table. Apparently that just meant they wouldn't have sex ON the table because they had barely finished dinner before he was backtracking and weaselling out of it in a Bill Clinton fashion by deciding making her feel good didn't count as sex.

I'm a sucker for a secret baby second chance romance but I didn't like Adam and couldn't bear to read any further.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Only You

Only You by Addison Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth book in the series about three boys, brought up as brothers, by a single woman desperate to help save them from their bad childhoods. Now they are all grown up and pretty successful in their own rights, although the ties to the past run deep.

Fender Blackstone was brought up by a violent, criminal, drunken father until Mama Lou rescued him. Now he owns his own garage and does all right for himself but the pain (both physical and mental) of his childhood still haunts him.

Harlow Reynolds is a Manhattan socialite and owner of an art gallery. She and Fender met in the last book when it emerged that Mama Lou had had an affair with a married man, Harlow's father, and his widow was determined to extract revenge all these decades later by trying to smear Mama Lou's campaign to run in the local elections.

Harlow and Fender have a wild opposites-attract chemistry but both acknowledge that they couldn't have a relationship, their lives are too different and their family history is a huge obstacle.

Earlier today I wrote a review of a book which also had a rough, gruff mechanic brought up by a single mom. I had to DNF that book because I disliked the direction the characters were being taken. Oh, how different this book was. Although Fender did blow hot and cold with Harlow, constantly trying to break up with her for her own good, she's too good for him, they are from different worlds, yadda yadda, he is also deeply thoughtful and caring. Fender actually sounded like a thirty-something year old man and not a sixteen year old stuck inside a man's body.

The blurb says this is a book about love and what it means to be a family and I think it really is. We see the love of a mother for her child, whether biological or not, the love for children for their parents, the love of siblings and of family. It is also about moving on and letting the past stay in the past. About allowing yourself to reach out and grasp what you really want.

I have enjoyed the books I have read in this series, still haven't actually managed to read the first book featuring Nick and Emma, each of them is different rather than a rinse and repeat set of characters.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Collision Course

Collision Course by Marie Harte
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 31%.

I had my doubts when I requested this book but I thought I would give it a try.

Josephine "Joey" Reeves is a florist and a single mom, having got pregnant when still at school. She was abandoned by the baby's father and had to give up her dreams of being a doctor to raise her son who is now nine years old. Her parents have always disapproved of her and her 'lifestyle choices' and nothing she has done in the past nine years has proven otherwise. Although she is attracted to the big, tattooed mechanic who works nearby she knows she needs to stay away from the bad boys.

Lou Cortez is a big brash mechanic and also does custom car paint designs on the side. He has had a thing for Joey for months but she hasn't given him the time of day. Little does he know she has a nine year old son. When he looks at Joey he sees a petite, shy woman who blushes every time she looks at him, she's different to the more brash women he normally dates. His mother has had five children by three different men and as a consequence he has jaded views about love and commitment.

By means of manipulative, passive-aggressive, semi-stalking Lou gets Joey to go for coffee with him and then out for dinner.

I'm now going to sound like a complete prude, but having spent nearly seven chapters reading about how Lou was going to go slow and be gentle with Joey so as not to scare her to read their first sex scene was a bit of a shock. Lou appears to be a caricature: the gruff, tattooed alpha male who protects his mother, grandmother and numerous sisters yet insists on referring to men being pussy-whipped and being forced to do chick things. He talks dirty to Joey and bosses her around, because of course she likes it rough in bed. There seemed to be a cast of thousands of mechanics, which Marie Harte seemed to be setting up for their own books.

31% through the book and I don't think we've seen Joey with her son for more than a few seconds - this isn't really a book about a single mom.

I just had an overwhelming feeling of meh at yet another book with interchangeable characters, having sex at every opportunity at the expense of a plot, moist folds, his constantly tightening trousers, constant swearing and derogatory references to women (but it's okay because he's the only man in a family full of women!).

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to review the book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: After We Fall

After We Fall by Melanie Harlow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, wasn't I lucky to get this as a Kindle freebie, especially since it's back to full price!

PR society girl Margot Lewiston is advised by her mother to leave town after creating a scene (involving throwing multiple scones at her ex-boyfriend). She takes a job out in the country to create a marketing strategy for a family run organic farm, Valentini Brothers.

Jack Valentini is the middle brother, a former soldier, a widower and suffering from PTSD he is the brother truly committed to continuing their father's legacy, he just can't afford to buy out his brothers. The farm is under pressure from competitors but he doesn't see any need for change, he especially doesn't need Marketing Barbie batting her big blue eyes at him or tossing her silky blonde hair - no Sir!

Margot might be more big city girl than country girl but she's smart and funny and good at her job. Soon the sparks are flying between her and Jack, but it could never work, could it?

I liked this, Margot and Jack were sweet and funny, just the sheer number of scone jokes alone deserves a star all for itself, and the sex was smokin' hot! And who doesn't love organic food?

No idea why I bought this, but very glad I did.

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Review: Tempting Danger

Tempting Danger by Katie Reus
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although this can be read as a stand-alone novella it is clearly a follow on from a previous novel.

Alena Brennan is a model, her younger sister is psychic and is engaged to be married to a former CIA agent. Alena's parents were CIA operatives who were murdered and she swore vengeance on their killers. In order to get closer to the final killer she cultivated a relationship with his son Andre Makarov, a Las Vegas casino magnate, but found herself falling for him. When she tried to kill his father in front of him, and failed, Andre realised he had been fooled. As you can tell, there is a LOT of backstory!

Four months later, Andre's father has died and Alena is pregnant with Andre's baby. She needs to tell Andre, but what will his reaction be?

This was a pleasant enough novella, pretty PG for Katie Reus, but probably of more interest to people who read the preceding novel and wanted to know what happened to Alena and Andre.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Places in the Darkness

Places in the Darkness by Christopher Brookmyre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set some time in the future on a space-station called Ciudad de Cielo or more colloquially CdC, which spearheads humanity's scientific efforts to colonise distant planets. Unfortunately the lofty scientific ideals are underpinned by a seedy underbelly where menial workers drown their sorrows, and supplement their incomes through prostitution, gambling and illegal fight clubs. The centre of this den of iniquity is Nikki 'The Fixx" Freeman, a former cop on Earth who runs a small-time protection racket alongside her offiicial role on the station.

Alice Blake is the baby-faced new broom from earth who has been tasked to take over from the current head of CdC, a straight arrow she is horrified by the constant rule-breaking and casual lawlessness that she sees everywhere, even allowing children to float free in the shuttle ship and illegally growing mint for cocktails.

When a body is found gruesomely murdered by two technicians it is the first official murder on CdC, Alice is tasked with investigating the murder and she asks Nikki to be assigned to assist, hoping to get he fast track to the level of corruption by working (undercover) with someone who has been described as the most corrupt police officer on CdC! Nikki is having enough problems with a potential war abut to erupt between two groups of bootleggers, she doesn't need to babysit some richie rich kid from earth who has pulled some strings to see CdC.

Written in the present tense (which frankly, made me a little tense), this story was bot confusing and gripping as it switched between different points of view. It reminded me of that Arnold Schwarzenegger classic Total Recall with the wealthy elite pontificating on corruption whilst not paying their employees enough to live on.

I'll confess I did put this book down a few times at the start, I was just totally confused by the characters and who was who, and what was what. But I'm glad I persevered, this had practically everything I could ever want in a sci-fi book set on a space-station. There's seedy bars, bootlegging, corrupt cops, mysterious assassins, high tech equipment that allows users to record anything and everything they see, lots of bodies piling up, memory loss ... it's got it all.

I've only every read one of Chris Brookmyre's books before, this is a substantial departure and, aside from the use of the present tense, I really enjoyed it. The plot kept me guessing right to the end.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Home For Christmas

Home For Christmas by Tracey Alvarez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is most definitely a holiday novella, we see all our old favourite families, the newly engaged, the newly wed, the just pregnant and the new parents. If you haven't read at least some of the preceding novels in this series you won't have a clue what is going on - this is definitely an ensemble piece rather than a stand-alone about one character.

Christmas Eve dawns on Oban and the weather (bearing in mind this is Summer in New Zealand) is bad so that Carly and Kip (Christmas with You) can't get away for their Christmas ski-ing in the USA and Bree and Harley (Drawing Me In) can't get away to their beach holiday with Bree's sister. Then the freezer at the pub breaks down and can't be fixed. Oh, and Mrs Betsy Taylor seems to have a mystery admirer who leaves thoughtful gifts on her doorstep.

So what we have is a small town New Zealand community Christmas, complete with hangi, in which Christmas presents are given and received and secrets revealed. For followers of this series it is just 133 pages of sheer joy.

I requested a free ARC copy of this book and I’m writing an honest review of it. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

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Review: Dirty Scoundrel

Dirty Scoundrel by Jessica Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disir has a great shelf entitled "indifferent shrugs" and I couldn't agree with her more.

I love the idea of a group of roughneck brothers who become oil billionaires and then each meets the woman of their dreams. I enjoyed the first book so I was looking forward to this one.

Clay Price lost the love of his life on the night he was going to ask her father for her hand in marriage. He might have been dirt poor but he was in live. Instead, he got dumped by proxy and, somehow, seven years later, he has never found anyone to replace her AT ALL, despite now being a billionaire.

Natalie Weston had it all seven years ago, the daughter of a fading movie star she was in love with Clay Price and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, until her father told her that Clay didn't want her to go to University and basically wanted her barefoot and pregnant in his trailer. As it happens she never got to go to University because that night her father had a heart attack and her life imploded. Now, seven years later she is broke, looking after her ailing father and trying to make ends meet by running a museum in their home dedicated to her father and his movie memorabilia. She hasn't had a chance to find anyone to replace Clay.

When Clay and Natalie meet again Clay decides he will be ruthless, he will offer Natalie, who has clearly fallen on hard times, a terrible bargain. He will solve all her financial woes if she will be his 'personal assistant' for as long as he wants. And he wants to lose his virginity to the girl he loved all those years ago.

Clay was kind of sweet (also, he comes across as maybe half a sandwich short of a picnic) but he also had a crude way of speaking, which I guess tells the reader he's roughneck! I found the constant use of the C word kind of offensive.

Natalie is a bit of a doormat, her father is manipulative and she lets him get away with it, she has self-esteem issues and jumps at the chance to be with the only man she's ever loved.

Basically, it's a comedy of errors in which Clay and Natalie are too nice to realise that they are in love, Cay throws money at every issue and Natalie worries about her weight.

It was sweet but I didn't love it.

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Review: Van

Van by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 20%.

I hate to abandon a book so early on but I had to for my mental health. In my defence I started reading this THREE times and each time a put it down in irritation.

Van Turner shares a home with his Carolina Cold Fury team mate Lucas, he's got a tortured past blah, blah, blah which I read about so long ago I can't remember. Whatever it is means he can never get close to anyone yadda, yadda, yadda. Lucas' sister Simone lands on their doorstep unannounced and insists on sleeping on their sofa - because her brothers are hockey players and couldn't afford a hotel room, right? She's a bit of a loser, dropped out of college and is making a 'living' as a waitress in a bar which makes the Hooters' waitresses' uniforms look like nun's habits (although I'll have to take that on faith as I have no idea what the waitresses wear at Hooters).

Simone thinks being aggressive and having a filthy mouth will wear Van down into sleeping with her, under her brother's roof because that's the kind of classy gal she is. Van of course is all deny, deny, deny and avoidance. Every so often she breaks down his resistance, they share a hot kiss and grope then he is disgusted with himself and walks away (usually to masturbate in his room).

You've probably guessed it already but I found Van to be a whiny cry baby and Simone to be (frankly) a sex pest. I have real trouble when female characters behave in a way that we would find objectionable if a man did the same. You just can't have different standards and she was harassing Van, okay he fancied her too but she was pushy and wouldn't take no for an answer. How many times do we women say "No, means no" and then allow female characters to ignore a very loud, clear "NO"? Sorry, I had a lot of spleen to vent for not very much reading.

When Van decides to spend his downtime in Simone's bar drowning his sorrows and is simultaneously (i) indignant on behalf of Simone's brothers that she is working there, (ii) turned on by barely there bikini top and micro shorts, and (iii) angry that other en are ogling her - so he takes her into the car park where he decides to dry hump her against a wall I decided to bail.

I have read quite a few Sawyer Bennett books before, I've even read one of the other books in the Cold Fury series and really enjoyed it so I'll chalk this up to experience. You can't love them all.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Review: Deacon

Deacon by Kit Rocha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Awesome.

So, this is the second series set in a future dystopia after the world was rocked by The Flare. Much like The Hunger Games one sector had all the technology and power and the other satellite sectors scraped an existence. The previous series focused on Dallas O'Kane's sector four - a sector built on bootleg booze characterised by hedonism and sexual liberation.

This series is focused on sector one, led by Gideon Rios. Sector one is a contrast to Dallas' sector four, sector one is deeply religious, believing that Gideon is a prophet, a Messiah, one step away from God. Gideon and his brothers and sisters lead sector one but the sector is protected by an elite group of holy warriors on motor bikes called Gideon's Riders who have sacrificed their immortal souls in order to protect sector one and the Rios family.

Ana is the daughter of one of the Riders, she has fought tooth and nail against the condemnation of society, friends, family and other Riders to become the first female Rider, she can't afford to allow people to doubt her place by falling for another Rider, certainly not their enigmatic, aloof leader Deacon.

For over 20 years Deacon has led the Riders, what only Gideon knows is that before he came to sector one, Deacon was a member of a mercenary group of assassins known as the Suicide Kings. But his past life is about to come rushing back to haunt him when the Suicide Kings leave a calling card for him.

Kit Rocha has a real knack for creating a totally believable, yet alien, dystopian society in which polyandry is the norm, the people are devoutly religious and a holy MC gang of elite warriors protect the populace. Deacon is a brilliant tortured hero, atoning for his past sins and holding himself apart from the other Riders. Ana is amazing as the woman trying to prove herself to everyone, herself perhaps most of all, and the Suicide Kings are a suitably evil group of baddies.

I loved every part of this book, the hot sex, the fight scenes, the vignettes of everyday life in sector one, Gideon's trials and tribulations of being worshipped, the politics of noble life - just everything.

I can not wait for Ivan's book.

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Review: Springtime at the Cider Kitchen

Springtime at the Cider Kitchen by Fay Keenan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Caroline Hemingway has a one-night stand with her sister-in-law Anna's new brother-in-law Johnathan Carter at Anna's wedding to Matthew. Unfortunately the next day he offers her a job managing the new restaurant which the family is building to showcase their cider and local produce. I have to say I was a little confused by that because Caroline's experience was in organising events, not running a restaurant.

Caroline's reasons for leaving her old job are very mysterious and involve a man - the reader is left to speculate what happened. As the restaurant opens Johnathan and Caroline dance around each other - but he has commitment issues and she thinks it would be tacky to be having an affair with the boss.

I liked this book but I didn't love it. It is clearly a sequel to Anna and Matthew's story, which I have not read, whilst it could be read as a stand-alone easily, there was a lot of typing up loose ends for Anna and Matthew in this book. I think the characters didn't really jump out of the page at me and I couldn't really see why Caroline and Johnathan thought they were in love with each other, they didn't seem to even know each other very well. Maybe if I had read the first book I would have got more of an insight into their characters.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.



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Review: The Heartbreak Cure

The Heartbreak Cure by Amanda Ashby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Cat Turner got punked by one of the popular boys at school and she is dreading going back. What with the YOuTube video and the complaints to the school she knows she is going to be a laughing stock. Even worse, she knows that the editor of the school paper won't let her write for the paper - afriad she'll use the paper to slander her ex. Until she hits on a cunning plan. Why not ask her taciturn bad boy friend Alex Locke to be her pretend boyfriend in return for her help with writing his college applications.

Poor Alex has had a tough life, his parents were junkies and his mother and baby sisters died in a car accident when he was only 13 years old. He went to live with his grandmother but she has had to move in a old people's home so at 16 years old he is working two jobs and living in a tiny, dingy apartment above a garage. Alex has been in love with the girl next door for years but he knows that Cat is destined for great things whereas he is a loser with secrets, secrets which would make Cat hate him if she ever found out.

This is typical Entangled Teen Crush - high school kids, some drama, lots of homework and school spirit. Cat is a lively, bubbly girl who likes to write fantasies based on real life. Alex, on the other hand, made some mistakes and can never forgive himself. But as they fake date, Cat and Alex get closer and discover that they have a lot in common.

This is the first Amanda Ashby novel I have read and I enjoy her lighthearted writing style.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Billionaire's Forever Family

The Billionaire's Forever Family by Cate Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Billionaire Will Connelly discovers he is the father of a 13 year old daughter when her aunt, Cassie Frost approaches him. Cassie's sister Penny was a free-spirit and never told anyone who was the father of her daughter Emily but Cassie pieces it together from old photos and approaches a complete stranger.

But instead of responding in person Mr Connelly sends a trio of hard-faced lawyers to meet Cassie.

Will Connelly is beyond mad that his daughter was kept a secret and he doesn't appreciate being lied to by her aunt, but underneath it all they are both reasonable people who only want what's best for Emily. So a truce develops, Will spends much of his time in Lyonstown, upstate New York getting to know his daughter, but he can't seem to stop himself from trying to 'fix' everything: from Cassie's job to her home.

Cassie has given up pretty much everything in order to help her sister look after Emily before her death and since. Her dreams of being a vet, of training horses have all been sacrificed and she runs a tiny diner. All she has left is the love for her niece and her pride which that arrogant billionaire seems determined to trash.

I enjoyed this, although Cassie had a few self-esteem issues (and who wouldn't when confronted by a gorgeous billionaire) she could also take criticism and accept when she was wrong. Similarly, Will might keep riding roughshod over Cassie but he does it with the best of intentions and is truly sorry when the error of his ways is pointed out to him (again).

Also, huge plus for me, this didn't quite go where I thought it was going which was a nice surprise. Romance is so predictable at its most basic level that a few surprises along the way are good.

Now, since Will has a number of single male friends I predict that this will become a series, will it be Trevor?

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poor Mary Whitsun, she grows up in a school for orphans and becomes a nanny to Lord and Lady Caire. Then one day she is minding her own business, browsing a in book store, when a member of the nobility starts calling her sweetheart and mocking her for being in a book store.

It turns out that the noble in question, Henry Collins, Viscount Blackwell has mistaken Mary for Lady Johanna Albright, his fiancee. But here the plot thickens, Lady Joanna had an older sister who was kidnapped and never found, it was this older sister that should have been engaged to Viscount Blackwell.

The Albrights believe Mary to be their long-lost sister/ daughter and quickly bring her under their wings. Her days go from the nursery to learning to dance and being fitted for more dresses than she has ever owned. All the while, the dashing, charming Viscount Blackwell is beside her murmuring that they will soon be wed.

But just when things are looking good for Mary she is the victim of a series of attempts on her life - or is it on Henry's life? And then the unthinkable occurs, another girl appears claiming that SHE is the lost Albright daughter.

Oh, how shallow am I? I complain that all historicals are about lord this and lady that, then when the story is about Mary Whitsun I'm a bit meh, she's a servant. Also, I felt it was vaguely wrong for a member of the nobility to have sex with Mary, especially when it appears that she is not the lost Albright daughter. Not being a virgin would be catastrophic for a young working class woman, especially if she became pregnant, much more than for a woman of rank. It made me uncomfortable.

Anyhoo, a pleasant enough historical romance for Mary Whitsun, full of lost heirs and childhood betrothals.

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Review: One More Promise

One More Promise by Samantha Chase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paige Walters works for her family PR firm in Los Angeles with her father and sister. She has always felt like an Ugly Duckling, or maybe Cinderella compared to her tall, svelte, glamorous sister and always falls short in the eyes of their father, even though her sister Ariel never actually does any work and dumps it all on Paige. Although with clients and other people Paige is forthright and firm, with her father and sister she is just a doormat and she never gets the courage to call them on their bad behaviour.

Paige feels passionately about a charity called Literacy Now and she has come up with a campaign involving famous authors, which she hopes will encourage reluctant readers at school to get more involved with books.

As usual, Ariel is asked to do one simple thing and, not only doesn't do what she was asked, but decides to go off on a tangent. Instead of contacting famous authors, Ariel decides that what the campaign needs are just famous people full stop and has invited rock stars and actors instead.

Dylan Anders has just spent three months in rehab after crashing his car whilst under the influence. He is the bass player with Shaughnessy, a famous rock band, and desperate to turn his life around. He is required to perform several months' Community Service following the accident and thinks that the literacy now campaign could be something he could get behind, particularly because he had difficulty reading as a child too.

Paige really has no idea who Dylan is, which he finds refreshing, initially put off by his tattoos and image she comes to find that the man underneath is nothing like the media image. Dylan likes Paige, he knows she is too good for him, she should date a lawyer or someone like that, but while the band is on hiatus he thinks the campaign will keep him out of trouble. he's never had a relationship last more than a few months anyway and Paige just isn't that sort of girl.

Paige is sick of her sister taking all the glory while she does all the hard work, she's sick of her father falling for Ariel's attention-grabbing tactics, she's sick of Ariel undermining her and criticising her clothing choices, but most of all she's sick of everyone thinking she's Miss Goody Two Shoes. if she wants to have a short-lived affair with a tatted rocker, why shouldn't she?

This was just a joy from start to finish. I haven't read any of the other books in the series but I don't think its necessary to be able to enjoy this one. If you like bad boys trying to turn over a new leaf and clever, funny women with a sweet tooth then this is definitely a great romance for you. I also got the distinct impression that this was a 'fade to black' kind of romance, I'm not going to go back and double check every sexy moment, but that was my overall opinion.

I thought I recognised some lines from famous (to me) films in there somewhere too!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.


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Review: The Lunar Cats

The Lunar Cats by Lynne Truss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have no words to describe this book.

Imagine, if you can, a world in which a mild-mannered English librarian gets tangled up with Evil Talking Cats, not once but twice!

Our 'hero' Alec Charlesworth is contacted by a mysterious Greek client who asks him to research whether there were cats on His Majesty's Ship Endeavour which sailed around the world with Captain Cook. His investigations lead him to a sinister Evil Talking Kitten and her minions, a secret society of long-lived scientific cats and a strange bout of mouthey-mouthey-itis (you have to read it).

Told through a combination of meeting minutes, first person narrative by Alec, dairy entries and newspaper articles, watch as Alec and his tattered crew of comrades attempt to defeat the Evil Talking Kitten's plots.

I liked this, it had the odd humour of Terry Pratchett or Tom Sharpe but with a slightly more literary bent. I just didn't love it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: An Ex For Christmas: Love Unexpectedly 5

An Ex For Christmas: Love Unexpectedly 5 by Lauren Layne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A classic holiday romance style which fell flat for me.

Kelly Byrne is the sort of superstitious woman who reads her horoscope, consults a Magic 8 ball before every decision and believes in fortune tellers. When a mysterious woman tells her that she's already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas - so she starts a campaign to contact all of her ex-boyfriends.

Kelly lives and works in New York but also has a place in upstate New York where she spends weekends, her best friend since they were children, Mark Blakely is a local chef and has the house next door, in fact they share custody of a dog.

What is blatantly clear to everyone except Kelly is that Mark is in love with Kelly and has been for years. This is my first and major problem with the book. I didn't like Kelly. I found her to be irritating, self-absorbed, selfish and (frankly) stupid for not realising how Mark felt. My dislike of the heroine coloured my feelings towards the entire book.

Then towards the end, when Kelly and Mark make their feelings known, Mark did something which was almost a carbon copy of what (I think) Logan did in To Love and to Cherish, after waiting patiently for years, never telling Kelly how he felt, waiting for her to get on the same page, he can not literally wait 24 hours for her to confirm what her feelings are. No matter that he's had years to think about how he feels and to know that she is the one for him, no matter that he has NEVER said a word to her about his feelings, she has to be all-in or he walks away. Grrrh.

So, I am officially over Christmas stories and its only 14 November! They are too sweet, too cutesy, too predictable. I'm off to read something brutal and gory.

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Review: Once Upon a Time Travel

Once Upon a Time Travel by Sariah Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Totally coincidentally, this is the second book by Sariah Wilson I have read this month.

Emma Damon a young American college graduate, is snooping around Hartley Hall, an English stately home, where she is working temporarily, after hours when she finds a hidden room which contains an old-fashioned dress and a scrap of paper with some strange writing on it. She tries on the dress and reads the words aloud during a thunderstorm and wakes up to find herself in 1816.

The Earl of Hartley has arranged for a young American called Emily Blythe to travel from Boston to marry his younger brother James. In a classic case of mistaken identity he and his servants assume that Emma is Emily. As Emma gradually adjusts to living in Georgian London she finds herself strangely attracted to Hartley, although he seems determined to never marry after the death of his first love.

I love a good time travel book but I have to say I found this a little disappointing. First, Emma was supposed to be a history major but she didn't even seem to have the slightest idea about the era. Second, whilst I could understand that initially she would think it was a dream and have trouble adjusting her language and comments accordingly, I would have expected her to learn to mimic the speech of Hartley and the other people she met quite quickly but throughout the book her language remained modern and she constantly referenced modern icons like Daffy Duck and baseball and seemed surprised that Hartley didn't understand the cultural references.

There were also some plot aspects that didn't go anywhere - maybe there is an intention for a sequel - such as what exactly is the cat?

On the other hand, I thought Hartley's character was very well done, very Darcy-esque.

Overall, maybe (again) this might appeal more to a teen reader rather than a woman of my mature years.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Have Yourself A Crazy Little Christmas

Have Yourself A Crazy Little Christmas by Megan Crane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't read any of the Greys of Montana series before (although I have read Cody, when it was billed as being part of the Extreme Bull Riders of America series) but I didn't find this a barrier to enjoying this book.

Devyn Voss' flightly man-crazy mother has decided to celebrate Christmas and her 50th birthday with a difference this year. Instead of the extended Grey family descending upon Devyn's grandparents they are all coming to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a week of festivities. Oh, and she has also invited all of her numerous ex-boyfriends!

Devyns' sister was supposed to be helping (by which we mean doing everything) their mother organise the festivities but, as usual, she has ducked out at the last minute citing pressure from her super secret job in Washington (note to self, musty read THAT book). Devyn is the dependable daughter, the one who clears up her mother's messes and sorts out the practicalities of sleigh rides and clearing up after parties.

Arriving at the airport Devyn is greeted by Vaughn Taylor, her almost step-brother when she was 17/18 years old. His father lived with her mother for two years before they broke up. As teenagers Vaughn and Devyn were always needling each other, although both were also attracted to the other. Now Vaughn has grown up and is looking mighty fine!

Vaughn is a successful songwriter in Nashville but he has come to this ridiculous gathering to stop his father making the same mistake he made a decade ago, falling for the disaster magnet that is Melody Voss. He has no intention of tangling with Devyn but her complete lack of knowledge about his job and success piques his attention, her piercing blue eyes and jet black hair also grab his attention.

Is Devyn and Vaughn's secret affair just for the holidays or could it be the real thing?

I love Megan Crane's dystopian novels and I enjoyed her bull-riding foray but this is my first straight-out romance. As usual she brings her own twist to a holiday romance, full of insights into the characters' psyches and quirky characters.

Thoroughly enjoyable holiday novella.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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