Review: A Life Less Extraordinary

A Life Less Extraordinary by Mary Frame
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Part 2.

Charlotte and her little sister Paige are living in Castle Cove, house and shop sitting while their new owner Ruby is on a yoga retreat. The daughters of con artists Charlotte and Paige are running away and trying to go straight. Unfortunately, almost from their first day Charlotte told a little white lie and now the whole town thinks she is Ruby and she's psychic!

In book one we were introduced to practically the only under 50s in the whole town. Tabby and Troy,
who are twins: Tabby runs the local hardware store and Troy is a cop. Eleanor the librarian, Ben the barman and Jared the Deputy Sheriff. Charlotte/Ruby uses her psychic 'powers' to help the local police solve crimes, in reality she owes her success to a few mini-cams she planted in public places and a good memory.

In this latest installment a new criminal is targeting Castle Cove, breaking into homes and playing practical jokes like hiding kitchen utensils in the freezer or tying jumper sleeves together. Alongside the secret prankster is something more sinister, cryptic gifts and notes from Charlotte and Paige's parents - have they been caught already?

As the love lives of the under 50s become more complicated Charlotte is torn between the life she wants and hiding from her parents.

Loved this, loving this series, can't wait for the final installment.

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Review: Anything But Extraordinary

Anything But Extraordinary by Mary Frame
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlotte and her sister Paige are running from their con-artist parents. When they find a rent-free place in Castle Cove looking after a new-age shop for Ruby Simpson while she goes on a retreat with the Dalai Llama.

Desperately trying to go straight Charlotte soon finds herself embroiled in small town life and impersonating Ruby as the local psychic. When Charlotte's vague prediction comes true she is suddenly consultant to the local police and investigating a mugging.

This was just lovely. Ex-con trying to go straight, small town, cute cop - what's not to love.

Only downside? This is really not a standalone.

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Review: Once Kissed

Once Kissed by Cecy Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, hate the cover!

I've read two of the other books in the O'Brien series - Declan's story with Melissa and Seamus' story with Allie - and wanted to read about the other family members, so this is where it all began with Curran.

Curran is currently only administrative leave after his partner was shot in the line of duty. His older brother Declan, the District Attorney, is putting together a case against one of the biggest crime families in Philly and needs someone he trusts to provide police protection to the intern who is assisting him with the case - who better than his little brother?

Contessa Newart comes from a family with lots of money, she's desperate to get away from her controlling father and is working hard to get her degree whilst taking an unpaid internship in the hopes of landing a prestigious job in law when she graduates. Imagine her horror when her boss introduces her to his younger brother and police protection - none other than the loud brash frat boy she had a freaky one-night stand with at college - awks!

For his part Curran thinks this is a ridiculous assignment, cooked up by his chief because no-one on the force trusts him after he got his partner shot. Imagine his surprise when the mousy, nerdy girl from college that gave him the best night of his life is his new assignment.

Together Curran and Tessa are both sweet and hot. I loved them, I loved the slow build, I loved meetings the rest of the O'Briens for the first time, I loved seeing the infamous moment when Declan hit on Melissa for a bet, I loved the hot steamy sex.

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Review: The Rancher's Secret Son

The Rancher's Secret Son by Barbara Dunlop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Oddly the second secret baby/ second chance romance I have read in two days, albeit the previous novel was an historical.

I first came across Barbara Dunlop when reading the American Extreme Bull Riders series so when I saw her name on NetGalley I requested the book, even though I am a bit ambivalent about cowboy romances - the Extreme Bull Riders made me change my mind.

Eli Merrick is the older brother of Maddie, heroine of Chase. The Merrick siblings have reluctantly realised they can't afford to save their family farm/ home and so they are packing up and moving to a much cheaper farm in Marietta, Montana. When Eli and his brothers arrive at the old family home to finish packing, 24 hours than they had originally planned, Eli is astonished to see a young teenage boy helping with the packing, a boy who bears a striking resemblance to him and his brothers. When it is revealed that the boy, Tristen, is the son of Piper Beauregard, Eli's brother Lucas' childhood girlfriend Eli realises that old secrets have come back to haunt him.

Eli had always had a crush on Piper, even before she started dating Lucas, so when he saw her walking home crying he stopped to help her, one thing led to another and they spent a passionate night together. But never in a million years did he expect to have a teenage son. Incensed by Piper keeping their son a secret from him Eli decides to take Tristen with him to Montana.

While Eli tries to connect with his son he fights his ongoing attraction to Piper, especially since there seem to be unresolved feelings between Piper and Lucas but as family dramas engulf them can he and Piper admit their true feelings - even to themselves?

I really liked the story, I'm a sucker for a big family home/ business. I liked Piper and Tristen and I liked the other members of the family. The person I liked least (not hated, just had reservations) was Eli. Eli was a big alpha male and he was too fond of laying down the law and ho boy did he hold onto a grudge.

Nevertheless, Eli endeared himself to me in the end. I am definitely looking out for the next book in the series? Which brother is next? Wyatt? Lucas? Or the youngest, Kane?

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

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Review: Lord of Temptation

Lord of Temptation by Erica Ridley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Lord Hawkridge is penniless, desperately trying to rectifying the profligate spending of his predecessors. He is building a dock and needs capital to fund the latest stage whilst trying to pay off some of the estate's creditors. When he goes to his illegitimate older brother's home for dinner he is astonished to run into Faith Digby, the commoner he fell in love with over a decade ago. When Faith and Hawk fell in love he didn't realise the extent of the marquessate's financial difficulties, he was about to propose marriage when his guardian made the situation clear - marry an heiress or live in abject poverty. Since then Hawk has been searching for an heiress to marry without finding anyone who compares to Faith. When he sees her again he knows he is as much in love with her as ever before.

Faith was devastated when Hawk made love to her and then sent her a letter the following day breaking off their relationship. Now over a decade later she can't believe she still has feelings for the man who broke her heart.

Hawk is torn, he is still in no position to marry or start a family, much as that is his dream, but his love for Faith is strong. When he finds out Faith is an heiress are all his problems solved? Or does this just make things more complicated?

Can two former lovers turn a marriage of convenience into a love match?

Hawkridge is quite selfish to begin with, all his thoughts are of the marquessate, his mother and the docks. He has no time or compassion for anyone else. When he discovers Faith is an heiress he thinks more about her dowry than anything else. I truly disliked him and was just waiting for his comeuppance (I may have cheered). When he blackmails Faith into marrying him with no care for the woman he (allegedly) loves I was incensed. So it is a tribute to Erica Ridley that by the end of the book I was a little bit in love with Hawk myself.

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 Furthest Station

The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Peter Grant is set to investigate a series of ghostly encounters on the Metropolitan Line (a London underground line) in which commuters are assaulted but lose all memory of the incident moments later. Along with his good friend Sargeant Jaget Kumar, his magic detecting dog and his cousin Abigail Peter's investigations lead him a merry dance through London's underground and uncover a very mundane crime.

Proof, were it needed that Ben Aaronovitch can write a novella just as well as a novel. Full of the same humour, mystery and engaging characters.

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Review: One Summer in Italy

One Summer in Italy by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half (it's all my own fault) stars.

Sofia Bianchi has led a sheltered life. Her mother died when Sofia was very young and ever since then it has just been Sofia and her father, Aldo. Aldo got sick when Sofia was just fifteen and she was his primary carer from then until his death. Now, aged 30, she is heeding her father's advice to live a little, and where better to start than her father's home town of Monteliberta in Italy? But Sofia finds that her dreams of romance and independence whilst waitressing in the natural beauty of Umbria are subordinated by family secrets and feuds, mercurial bosses, charming guests and young waitresses who need mothering after discovering their own family secrets.

The teenage waitress Amy was a typical 19 year old girl, whining and sulking and crying when things don't go her way. She has run away from home after discovering that the man she called Dad her entire life was no such thing! Despite her sheltered life, Sofia had a lot of wisdom to impart to Amy (although selfishly I did wish she would just tell Amy to grow up and stop being such a teenage drama queen - no sympathy me). When Amy gets into an altercation with another waiter Sofia jumps in to defend her, assisted by a handsome man on a motorbike who turns out to be a guest at the hotel where Amy and Sofia wait tables.

If you enjoy romances set in exotic locations, such as Italy, I am sure you will adore this book, the glorious landscapes, the foreign languages, the holiday atmosphere, the exotic food and drink. It's just not my cup of tea. It's not just this book, it's generally all romances set abroad - not sure why.

I liked it, but I didn't love it, but I think that is because of the setting and not the plot.

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 Hanging Tree

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Peter Grant moves back to London for the latest installment of the cracktastic supernatural detective series.

Peter is awoken by Tyburn calling in a favour: there has been an accidental drugs overdose in London's most expensive residential block of apartments and her daughter is involved. Tyburn is calling in the favour Peter owes her. Peter's latest investigation teams him with the fabulous Guleed as they try to uncover who bought the drugs that killed the girl. As always all roads lead to the faceless man, but has he made a mistake this time?

I gobbled this book down. It featured all of my favourite characters AND it was set back in London. I loved, as always, the police humour "Do you know who I am?" still makes me snort with laughter.

Just bought two more books for the flight home tonight!

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Review: Foxglove Summer

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two young girls go missing in North Herefordshire. Our hero, Peter Grant is sent to ensure that some magical practitioner using 'unethical magical practices' isn't involved.

After the cataclysmic events at the end of the last book Nightingale can't leave London and so our Peter is flying as the sole representative of The Folly. Magic in the country is very different from the city and Peter is very much out of his element, although he is clearly maturing as a magical detective.

I really enjoyed this sortie into the English countryside., although I do miss the London setting. I found the plot easier to follow and I enjoyed the hot, hazy Summer feel to the novel.

This series just goes from strength to strength and I'm loving it.

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Review: Coming Unraveled

Coming Unraveled by Renee Harless
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 4%.

This has to be a new first, to give up on a book after just 4%! I have no idea whether the plot is going to be good or bad, I liked the premise - two enemies get married in Vegas (who doesn't love that plot) - but the writing made it impossible for me to continue without doing physical harm to myself and others.

Firstly the book is written in the present tense "Evelyn is X, Evelyn is Y" ad nauseum. I've read YA, present tense and first person POV are an irritant but not a deal breaker. Secondly the sentence construction is convoluted and twists and turns so much that sometimes the meaning is totally lost

She learned to stay out of people's business if she didn't want hers dug into.

The author uses "in lieu of" in the wrong context when she means 'as a result of'. And there's slut shaming when the 'heroine' talks about how

Tiffany, the town trollop, had hung all over Brooks at the baby shower...

There are names and relationships thrown around with no context, presumably as a recap on the previous books in this series (there have been four? Really?) but frankly for a new reader it is just unintelligible.

This appears to be self-published, in my opinion the author needs to get a professional editor and work on sentence construction - there could be an amazing story here but the writing prevented me from reading further.

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


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Review: Melt for You

Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What would you do if a beardy, tattooed, muscular, rugby-playing Scottish man moved into the apartment opposite you playing rap music REALLY loudly? Well if you are Joellen Bixby you march right over there and give him a piece of your mind, that's what. No matter that he's half naked and wearing a kilt. Or that he has a lot of friends in similar stages of undress (apparently playing strip poker).

Cameron MacGregor may just be the most famous sportsman on the planet but when he starts hitting the headlines for his lifestyle rather than his skills on the rugby pitch his manager suggests he leaves Scotland for a few months. Now this delectable, pocket-dynamite girl from across the hallway is up in his face and calling him names - it could be love!

Joellen is a junior editor at a publishing house and has been in love with her married CEO, Michael Maddox for a decade. Her boss Portia hates her and her fellow cubicle inmates barely speak to her. When Portia dumps a book on her desk, wanting revisions by Monday morning Joellen is too cowed to say no, but she's not going to take any nonsense from that man mountain across the hallway, even if she has been dreaming about half-naked Scottish warriors for days.

In return for keeping the volume down, Joellen agrees to cook Cameron a shepherd's pie, which turns into a week of home-cooked meals. Soon, the two of them are wise-cracking back and forth and Cam is giving Joellen advice on how to catch her boss' attention when he suddenly announces he's getting divorced.

J.T Geissinger is one of my new favourite authors, she manages to convey so much without spelling it out in mind-numbing detail, she's funny, her characters are endearing, her writing is clever and her plots are enjoyable romps. Cameron manages to be both wonderfully sweet and ridiculously egotistical, maybe it's because he's always got a smile on his face that he can pull it off. I guess the abs of steel don't hurt either. Or his apparent allergy to clothing on the top half of his body.

Anyway, a sparkling romance, 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: The Start of Something Good

The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read any books by Jennifer Probst before but I knew her name and so when I saw this ARC available on NetGalley I requested it.

So, Ethan Bishop is a former special forces soldier/Hollywood bodyguard who has returned home to the family B&B and horse sanctuary after a disastrous op to metaphorically lick his wounds.

Mia Thrush is an up and coming New York PR agent. Her latest and biggest client Jonathan Lake is running for mayor but he has a teeny weeny problem. His 19 year old daughter Chloe has been caught cheating at college and confessed to damaging her professor's car in retaliation, the judge in the case was unswayed by her father's upcoming position (and current position as DA) and sentenced her to community service at a local horse farm. Chloe's father wants a responsible adult to spend the summer with Chloe and ensure she doesn't get into any more trouble - and he's chosen Mia against all her objections. Mia hates the country, hates nature, hates horses, hates this assignment. Oh, and she's not very maternal either.

Ethan and Mia clash immediately. She thinks he's a member of staff and he thinks she's a hoity-toity city snob. But slowly they grow to like one another over the summer.

Good things. The slow burn of romance over the summer. The periods where days go by between interactions.

Bad things. Some of the writing just made me want to laugh (or cry). Take this gem

His dick wept against the barrier of his jeans, and it took all his military training not to come right there like an inexperienced teen.

Really? They teach that in the military? Also Jennifer Probst strikes me as an author who likes to throw the kitchen sink at a project. Hence Ethan is ex-special forces, ex-bodyguard AND a horse-whisperer. There are a group of OAPs staying at the B&B who are clearly there to add humour (like in a Shakespeare play) and a group of surly teens who are so clearly up to no good they could wear signs round their necks and it couldn't be more obvious. Partway through it started to feel like the book of a Hallmark afternoon film.

Pet peeves. Ethan did that whole "look at me, open your eyes" thing which I really HATE - what if she likes to have her eyes closed, huh? Also, he seemed to think that he deserved a "reward" which involved yanking her hair, pulling her backwards (by her hair) and behaving so that "a flicker of fear rose up". I know this seems to be the 'in thing' in novels at the moment but it just sounds abusive to me. Even the words used "shoved to the edge of climax", "ruthlessly", "slam of his hips", "she fought wildly for climax" sound like non-consensual sex.

Overall, I found most of the characters to be almost caricatures: the widowed politician who doesn't have time for his rebellious daughter; the city woman who learns to love the country; the traumatised soldier, the nosy locals, the interfering old people.

I liked it but I 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: Devil in Spring

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lady Pandora Ravenel and Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent. So the previous series of The Wallflowers crosses with the Ravenels as the son of Sebastian and Evie from Devil in Winter meets one of the twins.

Pandora Ravenel is the odd twin, the one who has invented a board game and never wants to get married. However, a series of unfortunate events lead her to appear to have been compromised by one of the most notorious rakes in town. Forced to offer for Pandora's hand, Gabriel is shocked when she declares she has no intention of marrying EVER!

This was okay. I thought this would be a marriage of convenience turned to love but it wasn't. Probably my biggest bugbear with the book was that Pandora had very valid reasons why she didn't want to get married and yet in the end I didn't see that both she and Gabriel compromised at all, all the giving seemed to be on her side. He didn't seem to appreciate her point of view and reneged on promises he had made.

The book also felt a bit disjointed, as though the romance wasn't sufficient and so halfway through a second plot strand was added. The trouble is, the second strand was quite a big plot and yet by only introducing it halfway through the book it seemed a little rushed. It also reminded me a little of the ending of A Counterfeit Heart.

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Review: INK: A Love Story on 7th and Main

INK: A Love Story on 7th and Main by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Emmie Elliott has come to her grandmother's home town of Metlin, California to sell her grandmother's bookstore. But at the eleventh hour she decides, for unfathomable reasons, not to return to her job (in a bookstore) in San Francisco but to update and re-open her grandmother's store. Since she's been away Metlin has started to become cool - apparently cool enough to hold at least three tattoo shops - with lots of hipster type shops opening up and an influx of hip, sexy people to run them. Although Emmie is all button-down shorts and granny cardigans, her pseudo brother is a tattoo artist called Spider (because of the spider tattoo over his head) so she has a less-than-conservative outlook on life. However, the bookshop is barely breaking even (after taking account of the rents receivable from the other stores in the building which is now owned by Emmie) and the retail space is too large for the footfall. Emmie is looking for a complementary shop to share her space which doesn't compete with her or any of her friends.

Miles Oxford, known as Ox to everyone except his mother, lives and works with his girlfriend Ginger at her tattoo parlour Bombshell. Their relationship is highly volatile and they provide entertainment to most of Main Street with their passionate arguments and make-up sessions. Until one day Ginger goes too far and they split for good with Ox's possessions thrown across the street for good measure! Emmie originally just offers Ox some boxes for his possessions but the two of them realise that he is looking for a shop to start his own tattoo business and she is looking for a tenant to sub-let part of her shop - this could be an unconventional match made in heaven.

The one thing they both agree? They have to keep things professional and under no circumstances should they get involved romantically.


I loved the premise of this novel, a bookshop owner invites a tattoo artist to share her over-large shop, especially the ink v ink reference. And I enjoyed the book, I just didn't love it. I think it was fun but I didn't really feel I got under the skin of either Emmie or Ox and I had read too many books in a similar vein. Even the angst was a bit low key and off-stage. I felt that this was maybe a spinoff from a previous series, although I can't immediately see which of Elizabeth Hunter's other series it could be, and I also felt the other characters were being set up for their own novels which distracted me from the romance between Ox and Emmie.

Having said that, Ox was so sweet and selfless and sexy... he could be my new book boyfriend.

This is the sort of small town we all want to live in. Full of smart, sexy, talented people running creative businesses with funny friends - it's like the Gilmore Girls but on the West Coast.

Maybe it's because I was really looking forward to this book that I found it slightly less than I had been anticipating.

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Review: Save Me: An O'Brien Family Novel

Save Me: An O'Brien Family Novel by Cecy Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is a love-it or hate-it book. I veered between three and a half and four stars but in the end I decided on four stars.

Seamus O'Brien is (I think) the third oldest of the seven O'Brien siblings. This is the fifth book in the series and I have only read one previously, Feel Me which features Seamus' older brother Declan, the DA.

Seamus is a big contrast to Declan. He's loud, opinionated, attracted to crazy women and has a VERY high opinion of himself. His little sister Wren is getting married and she (and his mother) are badgering him about bringing a 'nice' date to the wedding. One who isn't already married, or on parole, or will set the church on fire, literally. When cornered Seamus can't stop talking and so he makes up a fake girlfriend, someone 'nice'.

Forced to assist in Wren's wedding plans by choosing various pastries for one of the events he is queueing at a local bakery when he runs into Allie Mendes. Although he doesn't recognise or remember Allie they grew up together, she taught his younger siblings at Sunday School, they went to the same school etc. Allie too has a wedding-related problem. Her sister Valentina is getting married, to Allie's high school sweetheart, the man Allie thought she was going to marry. So Seamus and Allie agree to help each other out. Seamus will help make Allie look and feel more attractive and in return Allie will be Seamus' date to three weddings due to take place.

Seamus was a problem character for me. At first he was just a bit blunt, a 'say it as I see it' kind of guy. Then around the halfway mark he and his family became that obnoxious group of loud mouthed people who make offensive comments - you know the ones that you ALWAYS get sat next to in a family restaurant. None of them seemed to have filters and all of them felt it was appropriate to say whatever the hell they wanted. Maybe that's what people are like in Philly? Anyway I started to get that Elle Casey feel about the book but I persevered. And what do you know? Under that uber-confident exterior is a man who thinks all he deserves are skanks and crazies, that nice women only want one or two 'dates' before they leave him for a real man with prospects, like a doctor or a lawyer.

Despite my mid-book misgivings about Seamus I really enjoyed this book, I liked the way that Seamus and Allie fell in love quietly and almost unnoticed. I liked the way their fake relationship went on, not a two week insta-lurve thing but weeks of texts and calls and dinner with Seamus' family and wedding rehearsals and dress shopping - yeah they were dating and they didn't even realise!

I think Cecy Robson may have a tendency to draw her characters a little too broad - you know the baddies have no redeeming qualities and everyone is a Character with a big C - but this was still a charming and thoughtful romance where I really felt they way that Allie and Seamus got to know each other slowly, supported each other and most of all made each other laugh.

I am definitely going to go back and find the first three books to see how Seamus' other siblings found love.

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

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Review: Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not by J.M. Madden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Chad Lowell is a partner in Lost And Found, a security company staffed by veterans. Chad himself has lost a leg and has facial scarring and one arm which has been badly damaged. He is engaged to Lora O'Neil, a former client whose abusive ex-husband tried to steal their daughter Mercy from her. This is all set out in Embattled Home.

Lora's ex-husband is dead and she has taken over the running of his (very wealthy) family's investment business on behalf of Mercy. Between trying to make back the money her ex-husband embezzled, learn about the investment business AND finish her degree Lora is so busy she has kind of overlooked Chad and Mercy.

Now I'll be honest here, Chad came across as a little bit of a whiner. By my count Lora has three 'jobs' plus looking after her fiance and child. Chad has one job, plus looking after his fiancee and her child. Yet he seems to think he is helping Lora out by picking Mercy up from school when one of her business calls runs over. Similarly, he throws a bit of a strop when her phone rings while they are talking - its not like she interrupted him to make a business call, they called her! Anyway, although Chad loves Lora dearly he is feeling a bit unloved and worries that Lora is putting business above family.

But before Chad and Lora can sit down and talk about things Chad gets a call that his father has had a heart attack.

This book is clearly a segue novella between the Lost And Found series and a new series based on Chad's family who are cattle farmers from Texas. I liked the set-up, it seems pretty obvious who each of the brothers and sisters are going to end up in subsequent books - although I might be completely off-base.

Anyway, an interesting peek behind the scenes at what happens after the HEA and an intriguing preview of a new series about cowboys - yee ha!

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Review: Hot and Badgered

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me introduce you to three half sisters, born of Freddy MacKilligan, a promiscuous criminal honey badger and three different women.

Charlie, the eldest, is half wolf-half honey badger. Her mother raised all three girls and Charlie has spent her entire life keeping her younger siblings out of trouble. Max, the second daughter is all honey badger and borderline psychotic. Stevie the youngest is half tiger-half honey badger, a musical and scientific genius she is also neurotic and likes nothing better than checking herself into very expensive mental hospitals and treating them like spas.

The book opens with Charlie getting a phone call early one morning telling her to get out of her Italian hotel room, before she knows it armed men are breaking into her room and her only escape (naked) is into the room of another hotel guest. Berg Dunn is a bear shifter, acting as security for Cooper Jean-Louis Parker, the jackal shifter and prodigal musician and bored out of his mind until a naked woman burst into their hotel suite, covered in blood from gunshot wounds, and followed by men in black military tactical wear. How great an opening is that?

Charlie knows that something like this can only mean one of two things - or both. Either her dead-beat Dad has done something monumentally stupid (again) or someone is after her genius sister (again). As it happens, it's both.

This has a slightly different feel to Shelly Laurenston's other books, and that's no bad thing. It's still funny, there are still tons of shifters, lots of my favourite characters from previous books make an appearance, there's brawling, there's baking, there's a BBQ, there's a wedding, there's rocket launchers and roller derby. Maybe the humour is gentler? Maybe the characters are gentler? Berg is just one giant softie (despite being part of a private security firm) and Shen? Cutie!

Anyway, what I think I am trying to say is that this is different to the Magnus Pack series, just as that is different to the Pride series, just as that is different to the Call of Crows series. Shelly Laurenston is exploring a different pack and I am dying to see what happens with Max and Stevie.

A great start to a new series.

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

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Review: Marrying Winterborne

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

This book follows on from events in the first book. Rhys Winterbourne is a self-made man, the son of a grocer he is now one of the richest men in England and owns the department store Winterbourne's.

Lady Helen Ravenel is the delicate, shelter eldest Daughter of the Ravenel family, sister in law to Kathleen (Kathleen was briefly married to Helen's brother Theo until he died three days after they got married) who fell in love with Devon Ravenel (a distant cousin) when he inherited the estate after Theo's death. In the first book Rhys is badly injured and Lady Helen assists with looking after him. When Rhys is a little too forward and kisses Helen passionately she gets afraid and runs away. Kathleen is a little over-protective and confronts Rhys - hard words are spoken.

At the start of this book Rhys is nursing a broken heart until Helen comes to visit him to explain she was shy and she very much wants to marry him. Everything is going swimmingly until Helen uncovers a sordid truth about her past which puts her future with Rhys in jeopardy.

This was pleasant enough if a little predictable. I found Helen to be too weak of a character and I couldn't get over the thought that Rhys considered her to be a delicate bauble to decorate his life.

Intrigued at who is the subject of the next book.


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Review: Burn Bright

Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whilst Bran is away in Mercy Thompson world Charles and his mate Anna are in charge of the Aspen Creek pack. When a strange call comes in from one of the Wildlings, wolves so broken they can no longer function even in a strong pack like Bran's, Anna and Charles uncover a sinister plot to kill or capture the Wildlings. It then becomes a race against time to save the Wildlings and uncover the traitor who has been selling the pack's secrets to persons unknown.

This has all the characters we know and love/ hate. Charles and Anna, Leah, Asil, Tag, even Bran. We also meet a small group of badly damaged wolves, men who are in constant battle with their wolves, where one of the pair is insane, or worse. Many of the Wildlings are very old and hold deep dark secrets which 'someone' will stop at nothing to uncover.

I liked this, it had all the brilliant characters and great writing that I have come to expect from Patricia Briggs, and yet I didn't love it. It didn't blow me away with joy the same way as Anne Bishop's Lake Silence did, maybe it was because I had trouble understanding why the baddies used such a hammer to crack a nut?

Nevertheless, Patricia Briggs is an awesome writer, her plots and storytelling are outstanding and she has created two wonderful characters in Charles and Anna.

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Review: Lake Silence

Lake Silence by Anne Bishop
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely superb, no questions five glorious stars!

This spin off of the previous series (although still called The Others) centres on The Jumble, a small, slightly down-at-heel holiday home with 12 small chalets located just outside the village of Sproing, near Lake Silence. The owner, Vicki DeVine is a short, stubby woman (she isn't curvaceous, just solid) who received the Jumble in her divorce settlement. She has invested much of the remaining cash settlement in things like septic tanks and flushing toilets for the chalets.

Vicki only discovers that her single paying guest, a young girl called Aggie, is Crowgard when she discovers her trying to heat up an eyeball ready to eat! This leads her to discover the body of a murdered man on the edge of her land. What follows is part taut thriller, part urban fantasy and all good.

I can't even write a review because I just loved all of it. It was perfect. Loved all the characters (except the baddies - boo, hiss), loved The Others, loved Sproing. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Also, because this is not set in the Courtyard it can also be read as a stand-alone, provided of course that the reader is ready to be immersed in a world which might on the surface feel like our own, but is in reality very different.

Go, go, go!

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Review: Cracked Kingdom

Cracked Kingdom by Erin Watt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This just didn't work for me, more meh than dislike.

The last book ended on a cliffhanger with Easton Royal's girlfriend Hartley getting into a car accident with the Royal twins (Sebastian and Sawyer) and their girlfriend Lauren. As this book opens Seb is in a coma and Hartley collapses in the hospital waiting room.

I don't propose to bore you with the plot details. If you've read any of the preceding books you'll know that this is a series centring on a family of five boys with an absentee father and a dead mother who have more money than God and no self-control. There's illegal bare knuckles fight clubs, underage drinking, drugs, fast cars, loose women, lots of swearing and more bling than Liberace. But of course each of the Royal boys is just a poor lost soul who blames himself for something (usually the death of their mother) and needs the love of a good woman who won't stand any of his nonsense (and probably from a much poorer family).

I didn't like Easton at the end of the first book, for the first half of this book he was just an immature self-centred ass who drank too much, in the second half he became a model boyfriend (of course).

Hartley on the other hand ... (view spoiler)[After her amnesia she believes everything that people tell her about herself (she doubts what they say about others) including the 'fact' that she is a slut who has slept with half the school. (hide spoiler)]Her attitude just didn't ring true.

I'm still going to devour the next book because they are completely cracktastic nonsense - like Dynasty or Sunset Beach for the 2010s!

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Review: A Duke Like No Other

A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

General Mark Grimaldi is the grandson of a Duke, but his mother was disowned for marrying an Italian Catholic and so he has always had a dislike of the aristocracy. He married Nicole Huntington 10 years ago, thinking she was an aristocrat who loved him as the poor soldier he was then. Unfortunately three months into the marriage he discovered that she already knew of his aristocratic family, added to which she was secretly spying for the Bow Street Runners behind his back. Words were spoken in anger and Nicole fled to France where she has been a spy ever since. Now Mark is hoping for promotion to Home Secretary but his boss wants to appoint a family man, so Mark has travelled to France to see if he can persuade Nicole to return to England until he gets his promotion.

I found this book a bit misleading, the blurb led me to believe this was an couple, estranged as a result of a misunderstanding, reconnecting to enable the husband to get a prestigious promotion and falling in love. Whilst it was, it was not the main plot, which revolved around solving a murder. So this was kind of a murder sandwich ie romance-murder-romance. And to be honest, both felt a little halfhearted, there wasn't enough romance AND there wasn't enough detective work. I also noted a few word choices that seemed out of place in an historical novel, talking about "giving a toss" about someone and "fancying" someone seem too modern.

I thought that Mark's excuse for getting upset with Nicole seemed flimsy and for a supposedly clever man he was remarkably stupid about his family and his wife. Nicole on the other hand seemed to default to running away at the slightest excuse.

Overall, it was a pleasant enough read but it didn't wow me.

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

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Review: Curran POV Collection

Curran POV Collection by Gordon Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What can I say? Think of the most iconic scenes involving Kate and Curran from the Kate Daniels world, now read Curran's view on what happened.

If you haven't read the books in this series these vignettes won't really have the same impact. If you've read the series then you've probably read these novellas individually anyway. But it's good to have them all in one place.

See what Curran really thought when Kate called "Here kitty, kitty", see what Curran was thinking that night when the two of them were on separate dates in Fernando's I could go on, but if you're a die-hard fan you'll just want to devour these novellas.

Can't wait until the next book.



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Review: Snow Angel

Snow Angel by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

For a book written in 1991 it hasn't dated (snort, it's an historical novel).

The widowed Lady Rosamund Hunter is being driven to her brother's estate in anticipation of her grandfather's 70th birthday celebrations, by her much older brother Dennis, Viscount March when they have one of their rip-roaring arguments and Rosamund jumps out of the carriage determined to walk down the road (and haven't we all had one of those arguments in the car?). Unfortunately the weather is bad and it has started to snow, Rosamund is cold, wet and feeling sorry for herself when she is rescued by Justin Halliday, Earl of Wetherby on his way to spend a week in a hunting lodge. Unbeknownst to Rosamund, her brother's carriage lost a wheel and he was stranded in a ditch unable to rescue her.

Justin had intended to spend the week with his mistress in a last hurrah before they said goodbye in anticipation of his impending nuptials to a friend of the family some 12 years his junior. Instead, she is lying in bed with a head cold and Justin travelled to Northamptonshire alone with a trunk of brand new, never worn, women's clothes strapped to the back of his carriage. Gradually, over a few days snowed in together Justin and Rosamund become friends and have a torrid love affair. Both view it as a moment of madness, an escape from life. Both also slightly fudge their identities (mainly by calling themselves plain Mr and Mrs).

One month later, Justin arrives at the home of his fiancee-to-be's parents only to discover that Rosamund is the girl's aunt (Dennis' only daughter). What unfolds is a pleasant country house romance in which everyone is in love with the wrong person - it's almost Shakespearean!

Whilst I enjoyed this it didn't move me to laughter or tears, I didn't really feel deep emotions about Rosamund or Justin and I didn't feel that either character's motivations were really explored. Why exactly would Justin agree to marry a young girl just to please his family? He seemed to have a strong moral code yet had no issue marrying a woman he barely knew. Rosamund had been married to a much older man, her reasons appeared quite unusual and worth exploring but they were just swept aside - maybe it was a device to make the heroine almost virginal?

Anyway, having said all that, I have started and discarded several books recently and this was the only one that caught my attention.

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Review: Maybe This Time

Maybe This Time by Nicole McLaughlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jen MacKenzie is your typical girl from the wrong side of the tracks, living in a bad apartment, no full-time job, drowning in debt, tattoos, no college education. She was poor but happy teaching theatre in a local community college until the funding ran out, now she's juggling two part-time jobs and struggling to make ends meet.

TJ Laughlin was the Andrew McCarthy to Jen's Molly Ringwold in this variant in Pretty in Pink (or Cinderella, if you are old school). The son of wealthy parents he was one of the popular kids at school, handsome, glossy, well-dressed and gleaming smile.

Years later TJ is a joint owner of the The Stag, a boutique distillery that has become Kansas City’s go-to wedding venue. Jen has been part-time tending bar on a Saturday night and acting receptionist while the regular woman is on maternity leave, she's not thrilled to be working for someone who looks like he smells something bad every time she walks into a room but a job's a job, right?

TJ has lusted after Jen from afar ever since school, he even watched every single one of her Am-Dram productions. But his snobby friends and family deterred him from ever approaching her. Now, years later, working with the woman of his dreams is sweet torture.

I liked this but I didn't love it. My ARC had lots of grammatical errors (which I am sure were corrected before it was published). It was so blindingly obvious from the get-go that TJ liked Jen that her obliviousness appeared deliberately obtuse. Yet she continued to delude herself that TJ hated her, TJ looked down on her yadda yadda. Denial ,denial, denial. TJ was just as bad, he didn't get the courage to speak up until another man looked likely to sweep in and steal Jen.

Overall, it felt like Nicole McLaughlin was trying too hard to be even-handed, Jen had family issues, TJ had family issues, Jen had a secret, TJ had a secret etc etc.

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

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