Review: Speakeasy

Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I've run out of superlatives for this series. Let's just say three snaps in the shape of a Winner!

Alec Rossi is the older brother of Zara (Bountiful) and runs a bar in Vermont called the Gin Mill which specialises in craft beers - yep I wanna go there too. He has disliked the Shipley family ever since the father sacked his Dad and he never saw his father again. Then the eldest Shipley sibling, Griffin dumped his sister to start dating Audrey (Bittersweet) and he really has a hate on. Factor in that the Shipleys are akin to the Waltons (all apple pie and family dinners) whereas the Rossis are more trailer trash and tattoos and you have a bit of a feud.

One night he's tending bar when he recognises a woman locking lips with another woman in one of the booths as May Shipley's girlfriend. Conflicted about whether to tell May or let sleeping dogs lie matters are taken out of his hands when May walks into the bar and starts a fight. Her live-in girlfriend has started dating her ex behind May's back!

Poor May, the bi-sexual, alcoholic screw-up of the perfect Shipley family, she can just see her family's faces as they regard her with pity yet again when she drags her possessions back to the family farm. Living at home again! The only person who doesn't treat her like she's made of glass is Alec Rossi, the big ol' man-hoe. He makes her laugh with his corny jokes and seems to think that she's still a fun girl. When a favour turns into a raunchy one-night stand May thinks she may have found a way to get away from her family's helicopter caring and get in touch with her wild side again. But it's just friends with benefits right?

Oh Alec, how I love you. From your cool bar, glorious apartment, hot tub, corny jokes, family values and general hotness (shallow? like a puddle). I also loved May, so different rom her family, she struggled with guilt for being an alcoholic when she hadn't really had it tough compared to so many others.

Maybe all that sounds a bit angsty, but I promise it isn't. In fact, this is probably the least angsty of the series since Bittersweet. What made it a five star rating for me was that Sarina Bowen made me fall a little in love with these two as they make lewd puns. They demonstrate what love is really all about, feeling better just for being with someone, sharing laughs in and out of bed (or a truck or a hot tub) all set in the cutest, sexiest little town in Vermont.

When do we get Benito's book? I wann it!!

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Review: Speechless

Speechless by Paris Hansen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 6%.

The last thing Meghan Crosby expected was to come back from Las Vegas married, especially to him. The one person she’d been doing her best to avoid. Meghan knows firsthand how life can change in the blink of an eye so she never planned on getting married. Too bad drunk Meghan had other plans.

Oliver Brooks knows it’s going to be a struggle to convince his new wife to give their marriage a shot. His stubborn wife has stolen his heart and he has no idea how to get into hers. She’s letting something stand in the way of their future and keeps pushing him away. Good thing he’s not one to back down from a challenge.,/blockquote>

I think this was my mistake. I was expecting a surprise Vegas wedding followed by the groom trying to persuade the bride that they could make it work. Whereas what this seemed to be (from the admittedly small part I read) was two people desperately in love where the woman refused to get married. I just wasn't engaged with the characters or 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 Summer House of Happiness

The Summer House of Happiness by Daisy James
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 27%

Gabbie Andrews leaves Devon to pursue a career in perfume in France but when her boss asks her to step over the line she resigns and returns home to her fathers's garage and the appealing new mechanic Max who works there.

This just didn't grab my attention, over a quarter of the way in and nothing was pulling me in.

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

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Review: Her Cowboy Prince

Her Cowboy Prince by Trish Milburn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Melody Shaw was the head of an Atlanta pharmaceutical company until her step-mother and step-sister killed her father and tried to kill her in order to take control of the company. After testifying against her step-mother Melody has gone into witness protection, reported dead, working in housekeeping for a Montana resort. When one of the family who own the resort asks for Melody's views on potential new activities at the resort it sets in train a series of events which lead Melody to engineer a Christmas event and draw the attention of Justin McQueen, eldest son of the family that owns and runs the resort.

I didn't like this book, there was nothing wrong with the writing but everything of any interest happens off stage. All of the attempted/ actual murder and trial etc takes place before the novel starts. In at least 80% (I have a Kindle so I am being specific) of the book pretty much nothing happens. Melody has an idea for an event, based on watching every Hallmark Christmas movie ever made, Justin loves it, they like each other but are too nervous to do anything about it.

Literally at 85% the story actually hits a plot but it is all over by 89% of the book.

Overall this is a clean romance (definitely fade to black and only at the very end of the book). It is extremely slow burn and Melody is the sort of Disney princess that normal women love to hate. She's a former billionaire, loves children, old people and animals, doesn't drink, swear or do drugs and spends all her time worrying about others.

Justin is neither a cowboy nor a prince - I really don't get the title.

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 Raven Prince

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, I read Ursula's review of The Serpent Prince and was intrigued, but of course I can't read the third book in a trilogy - because - so I started here, and what a lovely romance it was.

Anna Wren is a childless widow living with her mother-in-law in a tiny cottage. Money is tight and she desperately needs a job.

Edward de Raaf, Earl of Swartingham is a gruff man, scarred from the smallpox which killed the rest of his family, he is a keen agrarian and writer. Unfortunately his bad temper, shouting and tendency to throw things when in a rage has left him without a secretary to transcribe his scrawl for his latest book. While Edward is away in London formally proposing to Sir Richard Gerard's daughter, his steward hires Anna in desperation. A week later Edward returns home to find a plain little woman dressed in brown sitting in his secretary's office. Intrigued by her lack of fear and spiky conversation and impressed by her neat work the Earl allows her stay on.

Slowly Edward and Anna develop a friendship, she shows an interest in his views on farming, she talks to him about gardening and his family. He seduces her with his swarthy looks and sexy voice, she seduces him with her intelligence, wit and erotic mouth that drew his from the first moment. Edward decides his obsession is merely because he hasn't had sex for a while, so he plans to get over his unseemly lust for a virtuous widow by going to a notorious brothel in London to relieve his urges. When Anna discovers his intentions she feels the double standards between men and women keenly. Why is it permissible for him, an unmarried man to slake his sexual urges but not for her? So she hatches a daring plan to travel to London and meet the Earl at the brothel in disguise.

This was a raunchy, sexy historical romance with two fabulous characters. I loved grumpy Edward and Anna was another strong, caring, sexy woman. I can't wait to read the other books in the series!

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Review: Picture Imperfect

Picture Imperfect by Mary Frame
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Damn, I wrote a long review and copied it (to be safe) but instead overwrote the whole thing with the letter C!

So this is another winner from Mary Frame featuring Gwen, the sister of Gemma from Practically Imperfect. Gwen was a model but is now trying to make a living as a photographer. She got a big break when one of her photos appeared in a huge advertisement in Times Square, but then a nasty gossip magazine article accused her of having a meltdown and behaving erratically so the good work dried up until a chance picture at a restaurant lands her some good publicity and a chance to help out at a magazine shoot for New York's 20 sexiest people.

Brent Crawford is the new tight end for the New York Sharks, he's young, rich, handsome and a nice person to boot. He and his older brother Marc turn up to the photoshoot and Brent is practically the only celebrity who appears to be genuinely pleasant. When Brent is falsely accused of assault his agent suggests he needs a wholesome girlfriend to refute the allegations, step forward Gwen.

So far, nothing different right? The trouble is Gwen doesn't find Brent half as appealing as his serious older brother. Hell-o love triangle.

This has all the hallmarks of a classic Mary Frame novel. It's quirky, clever, funny, it features strong female characters and endearing male characters. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Mary Frame is an auto-buy for me and has never disappointed.

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Review: Too Damn Nice

Too Damn Nice by Kathryn Freeman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sadly the title is also descriptive of my feelings about this book. DNF at 43%.

Nick Templeton was Lizzie Donavue's older brother's best friend. On the night of her 18th birthday she propositions him, unfortunately Nick was trying to pluck up the courage to ask her for a date. He rejects her, feeling that she has no feelings for him at all whereas, of course, she feels she has been firmly friend-zoned. Lizzie goes off to New York and becomes a famous model, then terrible stories are published about her and Nick rushes in to the rescue and takes her back to England.

There's a ridiculous amount of angst with these two - frankly I'd be worried about being related to either of them, the rellies don't fare well - but more problematic is that the book is so slow, frankly nothing has happened (bar the initial incident that gave rise to the stories) and the two of them are so wet they can't believe the other could have any romantic feelings for them. He's too staid and boring, an English accountant, for an international model. She's too superficial and stupid for such a grounded intellectual like him. Blah, blah, blah. When I was doing everything to avoid reading this book I knew I had to DNF.

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

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Review: Second-Chance Family

Second-Chance Family by Karina Bliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jack Galloway threw himself into his construction business after his marriage imploded and is content to avoid his family and former friends as much as possible until the death of his brother Anthony and sister-in-law Julia while on holiday forces him to face them all. Then in a shocking revelation Jack discovers that he and his ex-wife Roz have been named as guardians to his brother's three children Sam, Liam and Cassie. His sister-in-law's sister Fee was on holiday with Ant, Julia and the children and is determined to take the children back to England with her. Jack barely knows the children and has no interest in looking after them, even agreeing that Fee can take them, but Roz is determined to look after them rather than uproot them from their schools, their friends and their family home.

As Roz struggles to look after three grieving children she also tries to reach out to Jack and rekindle their love, but Jack is determined to protect his heart from being broken, no matter that Roz is the only woman he's ever loved.

This has got everything, cute kids, family feuds, second chance romance, billionaires, cats - you name it. I really enjoyed this slice of New Zealand family life, its realistic and funny and sad all at once.

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Review: Bring Him Home

Bring Him Home by Karina Bliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Continuing/ending the series following a group of New Zealand guys who were in the SAS. Five friends, but only three came home alive and each of them bear the emotional and physical scars of that final tour.

Nate hasn't been able to return to New Zealand since Luke's funeral. He can't face his friends, family, SAS team mates, especially Luke's widow and 13 year old son. he feels so guilty for not being able to save Luke and Lee and for Ross being so badly injured that he can't return to the front line. So he hides from his friends in Hollywood, being a bodyguard to a rock star.

It's been 18 months since Luke's death and his widow Claire needs to move on with her life. Their son Lewis has got into trouble at school, hanging around with the wrong boys, and she has decided to move him to a private school, set up a business chartering fishing trips on the old boat she part-owns with Nate, sell the house and move closer to the new school. The only problem is that her assets are in a trust and Nate is a co-trustee. She and her lawyer Jules have written to Luke several times but he ignores their letters so she comes to Hollywood to confront him.

At first Luke is convinced that Claire's decision to sell the house and her proposed new business are just knee-jerk reactions to Luke's death, he worries that she will be out of her depth and if the business fails she will have no capital and no home to fall back on. So despite his guilt and desire to stay far away from New Zealand he agrees to return for three days to review the plans and, if he agrees, co-sign the sale of the house. But returning home forces both Luke and Claire to face some truths about Luke's death, secrets and anger and guilt and resentment.

This is a re-release of an older Harlequin Romance and by and large the book stands the test of time/ the editing has brought it up to date. However, I did feel that its origins were most noticeable in the very light touch sex scenes (not quite fade to black but not far off) and also the way in which Luke's shocking secret was barely revealed, there was no great confession as such, in fact I struggled to remember him disclosing the first half of the secret at all. And then the book ended so abruptly. It was almost as though there was a maximum page count and whoops, I've hit it, that's the end. No epilogue. No wrapping up.

I really wanted Jules and Zander to meet because I thought the controlled lawyer and the self-absorbed hedonist would have been a match made in heaven - I will have to check whether they feature in any of Karina Bliss' other books.

Overall, I enjoyed this series. Although I have read books by quite a few New Zealand authors/ set in New Zealand, I still find the setting and the character refreshingly different from the more glossy American equivalents. I will start looking at Karina's other books.

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Review: Lock 'N' Load

Lock 'N' Load by Tee O'Fallon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Along similar lines to the great K9 Rescue Series by D.D. Ayres but unfortunately not in the same league.

Trista Gold is a mousy, computer analyst for the CIA, her speciality is a computer program that she designed which allows her to overhear conversations on the dark web and she has been tracking the movements and conversations of a Russian spy called Alexy Lukashin. She overhears an intriguing conversation in one chat room which talks about a mysterious 'someone' who is not what he seems, a reporter called Thomas George, and refers to a place called Iqaluit.

Sergeant Matt Connors and his dog Sheba are a K-9 unit in CIA security. Trista is afraid of dogs and seeing Sheba throws her off balance and she falls over in the security line in front of Matt. Later that evening Matt is just in time to stop Trista being dragged into the woods by a man. Taking no chances, the CIA revokes Trista's clearance and puts her on administrative leave until they can determine whether the attack had anything to do with her work or Lukashin. As Trista's life is in danger she and Matt work together to try to piece together the meaning of the conversation that she overheard and why Lukashin wants her dead.

I don't know whether I am exceptionally bad tempered recently or whether I am just in a string of books in which the characters have to tick every possible cliche but this was another one. Matt has issues dating back to his teenage years which mean he believes he can never be happy, or at least shouldn't be allowed to be happy. He must atone for the tragedy in his past and is building a centre for troubled teens where they will work alongside rescue dogs. Trista is a 30-ish virgin in frumpy clothes who suddenly becomes a goddess overnight after putting on a t-shirt and jeans. And of course as soon as she has sex she is suddenly a vixen in bed - yep, she's a sexual unicorn!

For a virgin, her inherent sense of just how to drive his body crazy with need was beyond amazing.

Trista's terror of dogs is miraculously cured by Matt in one afternoon, oh and he also buys her new clothes (after another attack on her means she can't leave the house) including a sexy green silk negligee - creepy or not? There's a 40 year old mystery to solve, a political situation to unravel (which of course both Matt and Trista instantly understand), psychotic Russians, incompetent FBI agents, kidnappings and multiple murders. And TBH, I still don't understand WHY Lukashin wanted Trista dead, he must have known that she had shared the transcript of the conversation with the CIA, after which killing her was pointless. This book could have done with less things going on.

However, despite the 'kitchen sink' approach to plotting, this was an enjoyable CIA/FBI mystery which kept me reading on a long-haul flight. It is clearly intended to be a series featuring Matt's incredibly good-looking group of friends with their K-9 companions, each of whom works for a different law enforcement group. I will definitely read more in the 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: Bone Driven

Bone Driven by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My ARC didn’t have a ‘previously on Foundling’ introduction and I really wish it had, because sooo much happened and I had forgotten so many of the plot twists.

Anyhoo, Luce Boudreau lives in Canton Town, Mississippi. She was found in the swamp 15 years ago as a child, with no recollection of how she got there or her name. In the first book – spoiler alert – she found out that she was actually Conquest, a Charon from another dimension, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse but her breaking through the dimension somehow affected her memory. After 15 years of living in Mississippi Luce feels human, albeit she struggles to allow others to touch her and she fails to recognise her own face in the mirror. She has an old rotary phone in her bedroom and once a year, on her birthday, a mysterious man called Ezra calls her.

At the end of the first book there is an epic showdown with her sister War, who has also broken through the dimension, in which Luce’s human father witnesses more than he should and has his mind wiped, her BFF Maggie is mortally wounded and Luce makes the decision to ask a skin walker to merge with Maggie to save her life, Luce finds she ‘owns’ a coterie of Charon with various shape-shifting abilities who all loathe Conquest for enslaving them and killing their friends/ family etc but are starting to like Luce a little bit. Luce also has a soft spot for one of her coterie, Cole, a dragon-like shape shifter, unfortunately Conquest has treated him as little more than a sex slave and he is conflicted as far as Luce is concerned. Oh, and a shadowy subset of the FBI, called the NSB, has recruited Luce to hunt Charon and sterilise them.

This book opens shortly after the last book ended, Luce has two weeks before she needs to leave the Canton Town PD and join the NSB, her father is still in a zombie-like state, her BFF has gone missing to bond with the Charon who now shares her body, her coterie are still conflicted and War is on the loose. All she can do is watch and wait for Famine and Death to make an appearance and try to either neutralise them or persuade them not to colonise/ enslave the Earth.

In her dual role as Charon hunter and police officer Luce is simultaneously investigating a series of horrific murder/ suicides by fire and a Charon who is killing and mummifying small household pets, whilst also looking after her father, rebuilding their home which was destroyed in the battle with War, and looking for Famine. Oh, and she needs to break the news to her old partner and get used to her new NSB partner, Adam Wu, who is also not what he seems.

This is a great book which solidifies the world building from the first book, Luce is still blundering about in the dark with regards to Conquest’s abilities which she cannot control/ use but she is starting to draw her own personal lines in the sand, her mantra, her code of ethics which sets her apart from most Charon. It’s clever, intriguing, confusing, grisly, scary, sexy and gross all at once and all the time. It was so good I want to go back and reread both books again just so I can spot the clever clues hidden in plain 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: Only With You

Only With You by Nicole McLaughlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two and a half stars.

We first met Hannah Walters as Becca's bitchy twin sister in Should've Been You who strung Jase along. In this book she's had a bit of a rewrite, he was just her BFF, the only one who supported her (Becca was the perfect twin and Hannah the screw-up) and would call her out on her BS. She was briefly engaged before realising he wasn't the one and has now decided to try to find herself rather than rely on a man to define her. She's also realised that she has never travelled, even to nearby cities and has become very insular.

Aiden King is a friend to the male leads in this series, all of whom are reserve National Guardsman. Once a month they each go on duty and it has become a ritual that the gang meet up the night before and Aiden cooks them all a meal. One night Aiden and Hannah end up talking alone, well Hannah talks and Aiden listens. Hannah doesn't realise that Aiden has had a crush on her for a long time that he has never acted upon while she was semi-dating Jase. After their chat they start texting each other and Hannah comes to his bar for dinner one night. They become closer as friends, but (as always) there is a secret that could come between them.

I enjoyed the previous book in this series but I have to say (regrettably) I didn't like this one. I found it overly melodramatic in phases, I got over one third of the way through the book without anything really happening, Aiden had practically the full house of angst (he only needed to have lost a limb to make it complete TBH), he was by turns condescending and a wimp and Hannah was a self-absorbed, selfish woman who thought something that a man would have been crucified for. (view spoiler)[Aiden is a virgin and won't have sex with her and won't explain why. She thinks that's a deal-breaker. Now on re-reading the passage it may be that his refusal to talk about it is the deal-breaker but it came across as her not being happy because he wouldn't have sex with her. (hide spoiler)] Aiden overcomes all of his problems basically by just deciding to, they fall in love for no apparent reason. The book was also short, 150 pages is more novella than novel, and I felt that a serious issue was trivialised and just swept under the carpet rather than being addressed with sensitivity.

Overall, I can sum up my feelings by saying I didn't like either character. In fact I made a note on my kindle that I wanted to throat-punch Hannah at one point!

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

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Review: Mum in the Middle

Mum in the Middle by Jane Wenham-Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tess has left the former marital home in London and bought a run-down house in a rural village where her BFF lives. Now her three children are adults in work or at university she is looking forwards to spending time with friends and not having the smell of take-away food permeating every room of the house.

What she finds is rather different to the idyll she imagined. First, a former TV star lives next door and is renovating a glorious old house in order to run it as a B&B. Second, her mother appears increasingly out-of-sorts and has had a 'turn' necessitating a visit to the hospital and various scans. Third, although they may have lives of her own her three children appear to believe that dropping in and staying for long weekends (or longer) along with their friends and dirty washing is okay. Fourth, there may be someone in the village with a grudge against DFLs (Down From London-ers) buying property and raising prices in the village. Add in dodgy plumbing and a suave architect Tess is beginning to think it's not all sheep and meadows in the country!

This was absolutely perfect beach reading. I laughed along with Tess at the cluelessness of her children and her ex-husband (who thinks its okay to come and stay when his second wife is 'having a turn' AKA had enough of him), sympathised at the dodgy drainage in the downstairs loo and loved the way everything got solved by a bottle of merlot (or chablis or frascati etc).

Recommended for women with teenagers, women who don't have kids, women with elderly parents or just women doing the best they can.

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

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Review: Sidecar Crush

Sidecar Crush by Claire Kingsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

And so this kooky series continues ...

This book features Jameson Bodine, the quiet brother who makes sculptures from scrap metal and takes place shortly after the events in the first book, although long before the epilogue to that book.

Leah Mae Larkin was Jameson's childhood friend, the two of them climbed trees, swam in the lake and were each other's best friend. Leah Mae was the only person who understood Jameson's crushing shyness and was the only one who could make him forget his nerves. Now, she's known as Leah Larkin and she's a successful model turned reality TV star, engaged to her agent, Kelvin. Kelvin and Leah return to Bootleg Springs to inform her father of their engagement but once home Leah finds herself questioning her career and life choices.

As the producers edit the footage of her TV show to make her look incompetent and as if she is having an affair with a married co-star Leah takes shelter in her home town and reconnects with her childhood friend. But as Leah's notoriety meets the Bodine family secret all the publicity rebounds on Bootleg Springs and Jameson's family.

This was a nice change of pace from the first book - don't worry, Scarlett still plays a big part in this book - Leah Mae and Jameson are a very different couple with very different issues, less humour and more true love.

Can't wait to see who gets the next book - will it be Cassidy and Bowie, will it be Gibson or Jonah? I can't help but look at each single female (or male) and wonder is it her/him? When is it published?

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Review: Whiskey Chaser

Whiskey Chaser by Lucy Score
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first heard of this from Ivy Deluca's review and bought it on her recommendation. At first I struggled to like this book - maybe the wrong day or the wrong time - but I restarted it and boy am I glad I did!

Scarlet Bodine is the youngest of four children, all her siblings being boys. They live in Bootleg Springs, West Virginia and life revolves around the diner, moonshine and small town gossip.

Devlin McCallister is a young aspiring politician and lawyer from Annapolis, come to stay at his grandmother's cottage and lick his wounds after discovering his career trajectory wasn't fast enough for his ambitious wife, she'd hitched her wagon to a brighter star and was calmly reviewing the pre-nup at their breakfast table. The last thing he needs is the rednecks next door throwing some hillbilly shindig and he's about to give them a piece of his mind!

Scarlet reminds me somewhat of Sookie Stackhouse mixed in with Melanie Smooter from the film Sweet Home Alabama, maybe it's just the southern girl thing but I think it's the sassiness and love of family as well. She runs her own business as a handyperson and rents out holiday properties as well. If anyone can lift Devlin out of his funk, she's the woman to do it. If she's not taking him kayaking, she's introducing him to the delights of pepperoni rolls, moonshine and baseball Bootleg Springs style - and don't lets forget about Bootleg Justice!!

This was a small town romance, a comedy, a strong resourceful, gainfully employed woman who wasn't afraid to say what she wanted, an opposites attract, small town v big city story and I enjoyed it so much I bought the second book immediately! Thanks for the recommendation Ivy.

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Review: Planet Dragos

Planet Dragos by Thea Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful end to the stories involving Dragos and Pia. Not recommended for those who haven't read at least one book in the series.

Dragos and Pia, along with most of the Sentinels, have descended in Vegas to celebrate Rune and Carling's wedding. Pia is heavily pregnant with their second child and this time the pregnancy is difficult, she's grouchy and Dragos keeps putting his foot in it.

When Pia sees an advertisement for a magician who looks remarkably like Dragos she is intrigued and Dragos' dismissive response only encourages her curiosity. But her investigation leads to a surprise meeting and a kidnapping that could threaten the lives of thousands of people.

My only complaint about this book was that it was a novella rather than a novel, because I think there was enough plot and action for it to have been two or three times as long. As befits the finale to a storyline (for want of a better description), we see lots of our favourite characters from previous books and a whole new beginning for Pia and Dragos (and of course Liam and Stinkpot).

Loved it.

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Review: Deep Cover

Deep Cover by Scarlett Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

Scarlett Cole's new series (can I call it 'new' if this is the third book?) has really hit its stride with this confident, gripping and engaging instalment.

Amy Murray is an FBI agent, newly transferred to the San Diego office after her superior made unwelcome sexual advances. The daughter and granddaughter of legendary Las Vegas high-rollers she is asked to take a key role in a new assignment involving the disappearance of several women over a long period of time which appear to be connected with a casino in San Diego. The plan is to insert Amy as a new blackjack dealer, mirror the circumstances of the other girls who have gone missing and hope whoever is responsible for the women disappearing takes the bait.

Cabe Moss is the third founder member of the Eagle Securities, and best friends since the age of 10 with the other two; Six and Mac. Two years ago his fiancee Jess was killed in action and he has been alone ever since. Eagle Securities are tracking a team of terrorists who tried to kill Six's fiancee Lou and steal a formula she developed. They also tried to silence Mac's girlfriend Delaney when she got too close to uncovering their drugs route. Now the team are trying to uncover the money laundering operation and have also identified the same casino as being involved. So there's an alphabet soup of CIA, FBI, San Diego PD and Eagle Securities with skin in the game.

If you've read Scarlett's other series you will know she likes to stretch the angst as tight as she can, but not so much in this series and this book has the least angst that I can recall of any of her books. It's simply a cracking good read, with a hero who wants to love again and a heroine who has mad skills and a cool head. They were a brilliant couple and I loved this book.

If you are looking for a beautiful heroine who is also clever and quick-witted, an alpha male ex-SEAL with a big heart and a loving family then you've come to the right place. Overall, suitably nail-biting, funny, sweet and sexy in turns. A winner!

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

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Review: I Don't Want To Talk About It

I Don't Want To Talk About It by Jane Lovering
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Winter Gregory is a new author who has had a small degree of success with her first book, a quirky guide to headstones in the UK, drawing on the inscriptions to make insightful comments on life and love and human nature. Now she is in Yorkshire, trying to repeat her success with researching and writing the sequel, and also trying to get over her last boyfriend (and editor) Daniel Bekener. Whenever thoughts of Dan and their break-up threaten to overwhelm Winter she talks to her twin, Daisy, who although she lives in Australia and is Winter's opposite in most things, is still her best friend and the one she turns to. In fact that was the cause of the break up with Dan, he felt she spent way too much time talking to Daisy and forced Winter to choose between them - hence burying herself in a tiny cottage in Yorkshire.

Despite her solitary nature and antisocial occupation, Winter soon finds herself befriended by an eight year old called Scarlett, her hobbyhorse Lightbulb, her uncle Alex and grandmother Margaret Hill, who is also Winter's landlady.

Although this is an old book I will spoiler this for those who want to read the book with no expectations/ pre-conceptions.(view spoiler)[ At first I was pleasantly surprised, Jane Lovering has a 'type' of hero - usually on the gangly side - and the descriptions of Alex with his stocky build and bulging biceps was a nice change of pace. Then Dan reappeared on the scene and boom! Love triangle. There is also very much a He Said/ She Said vibe to the book as we see Dan writing to his sister and fellow editor and discussing his relationship with Winter. Dan's take on the break-up is somewhat different to Winter's and the reader is left to try and reconcile the differences. Unfortunately, I guessed the reason for the discrepancy quite early on in the book and after that the constant misdirection and deliberate vagueness just became irritating. I'll be honest and say I wanted Winter to make a new life with the delectable Alex and the frankly adorable Scarlett whereas I really didn't care for Dan at all. (hide spoiler)] This book had all Jane Lovering's trademark humour and Scarlett was brilliantly written, a little girl coping with trauma and different from her peers. I loved her and her every action appeared natural and true the way a child thinks. My low rating reflects my disappointment with Winter's eventual love interest.

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Review: A Lot Like Home

A Lot Like Home by Kat Cantrell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Those dreaded words 'clean and wholesome romance'.

Five former Navy SEALs come to the small town of Superstition Springs in search of the woman, Serenity Force, who wrote to them, five complete strangers, during their deployment. They find a small, down-at-heel town that has seen better days, at war with itself over a planned new development which would require razing the town. Leading the redevelopment plans? Former resident Havana Nixon, their penpal's eldest niece. The leader of the SEALs, Caleb Hardy, is instantly attracted to the prickly redhead, pity she has a fiancé. But as the sparks fly will Serenity's predictions for Caleb and Havana come true?

I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt as the start of a new series, I didn't really understand Havana's angst or motivations, she seemed a bit emo TBH. Caleb was the stereotypical SEAL with a burden of gullt, a double burden as he holds himself responsible for a mission gone wrong AND the injuries his brother suffered.

Overall, I could have done with less of Havana's personal angst (which made no sense) and more plot. Although there is no cliffhanger there is definitely a feeling of this book being part one. Clearly each of the five SEALs will find love with a local woman and settle down in the town, how long it will take to rebuild the town is anyone's guess.

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

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Review: Scotland or Bust

Scotland or Bust by Kira Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Can't see how many pages, but feels like a novella.

Harrison Troy is flying home from New York to spend the Summer with his family, it wasn't entirely clear to me whether 'home' was Scotland or England, he wears a kilt (for Outlander purposes) but is repeatedly referred to as English - whether that is the author not understanding the nuances of being English, Scottish or British I don't know. His private plane is out of action, none of his friends can lend him a plane and the airline he has chosen to fly with doesn't have the modern first class pods so he is forced to sit next to a total stranger (first world problems encapsulated). His seat mate is Nicole (Nikki) Franklin, an unlucky-in-love accountant who has thrown up everything in order to realise her dreams of travelling Europe. The start of the book reminded me of Managed, Harrison is terrified of flying and Nikki takes his mind off take-off with a steamy kiss. When they land in Scotland/England Harrison discovers that his assistant has quit and so he offers Nikki eight weeks work at his family's castle.

What follows is a madcap/ slapstick caper in which Harrison's zany family frustrate his attempts to get the family travel business into the black by running Outlander-themed holidays. I'm not a fan of the zany and Harrison's grandmother in particular (talk of fornication outside wedlock and entering jousting competitions) was (in my opinion) unfunny and unnecessary, indeed most of Harrison's family appeared merely there for the zany and had no real interactions with Harrison or Nikki.

I did enjoy this but I have to say, as an Englishwoman, the idea that you could half the time taken to drive from the Scottish border (assume for the sake of argument, although I believe Outlander is set in the Highlands) to London Heathrow is frankly ludicrous. It's 313 miles from Gretna Green to London Heathrow which would take just under 5 hours via motorway, the idea that you could drive a minibus at 120 miles an hour constantly is simply ridiculous. Also, has no-one pointed out to Kira Archer that there are five terminals at Heathrow, some of them quite some distance apart?


Nevertheless, if you can overlook the geographic ambiguity, this was a pleasant, low angst romantic comedy - ideal beach reading.

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


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Review: Forged in Ember

Forged in Ember by Trish McCallan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is kind of a Marmite series, you either love it or hate it. On paper I should hate it, and yet its weirdness works for me.

The series follows a team of Navy SEALs (Team seven) who have got accidentally involved in a secret cartel's deadly agenda to rid the earth of 90% of its population - the cartel call themselves the NRO or New Ruling Order. Made up of a group of eight super-wealthy men and one woman the NRO have subverted high ranking individuals in the FBI and law-enforcement and have framed SEAL Team seven.

As I said in my review of book three, this series merges the paranormal (think woo-woo rather than vampires) with spec ops. If visions of future events, psychic healing and telepathy aren't your thing, walk away now. After the events of the last three books SEAL Team seven are holed up in Alaska, near Denali National Park in Shadow Mountain with an elite group of Native American warriors known as the Shadow Mountain warriors, the three girlfriends of the SEALs from the previous books and Amy Chastain and her two young sons who were injected with an isotrope which enables the NRO to track them anywhere (except Shadow Mountain). If you are still reading then this could be the series for you.

As this is ostensibly the last in the series I don't recommend starting with this book, even with the handy cast of characters and 'Sitrep' at the start of the book it took me a while to get back into the story.

In some ways this reminds me of a Robert Heinlein book (Lost Legacy, I think) in which humans with psychic abilities battle the evil group who want total world domination. There's genius scientists who create amazing machines, which are then subverted by the NRO for their own nefarious purposes. There's a grumpy SEAL Commander who has a secret longing for Amy Chastain, despite his typical (fictional) SEAL belief that he doesn't trust women, doesn't need a woman, and nothing can ever come of it. There's secret training facilities, experimental helicopters, superyachts and more psychic abilities than you can throw a stick at.

It was absolutely barking mad and I loved every second of 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: Second Time Around

Second Time Around by Nancy Herkness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Kyra Dixon and Will Chase were at college together and developed a friendship whilst Will dated Kyra's roommate. Will never knew that Kyra had the world's biggest crush until THAT one night.

Ten years later Kyra and Will run into each other. She dropped out of college and now works two jobs, barperson at an upmarket club and cook at a children's' centre (the one run by Emily from Second to None) and he is the co-founder of an extremely successful healthy fast-food chain. The spark is still there and the two of them fall right back into their literary quotes game but now the disparity between both their backgrounds and current status is even more pronounced. Will invites Kyra to his family's annual party as a shield against his ex who is likely to be there causing trouble and things move from friends to lovers. But is the gap between them too wide.

I like Nancy Herkness' novels and I jumped at the chance to read this when I saw this on NetGalley but I have to say whilst I enjoyed reading this (and read it in less than a day), I didn't love it. TBH there was a lot of ve-hic-u-lar sex (I feel it needs that spelt out pronunciation) and not a huge amount of plot. One way and another Kyra and Will are battling the legacies of their parents and still looking for what really makes them happy.

OMG I don't know if I'm getting old (or not getting any) but there was too much sex and not enough plot, the kids at the Centre are super cute (and the dogs) but I needed more.

Recommended if you like cute kids and dogs and ritchie rich boys and haught sex in boats and sportscars and limos and limos again.

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

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Review: Hubble Bubble

Hubble Bubble by Jane Lovering
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I've read this before but neither reviewed nor rated it!

I have to be honest I think this was a bit of a miss by Jane Lovering, usually I think she can do no wrong but this one didn't do it for me.

Holly Grey is a location scout for TV programmes, she also spends a lot of time caring for her elder brother who tends to talk to walls and get depressed if he is off his meds. Her BFF Megan is one of life's optimists and forces Holly to join a women's group to do magic and make their dreams come true.

Soon there are a leather-clad, long-haired investigative reporters (and their pregnant 20 year old daughters - well just the one daughter), ginger farmers, priapic Scotsmen, slobbering dogs, fke witches and lonely women to deal with.

Kai Rhys has spent his life adrift, not knowing who he really is, feeling abandoned and unworthy, he tends to take out his feelings of worthlessness out on the women he sees, using and abandoning them with impunity until he meets Holly. For some reason this red-haired woman 'sees' him in a way no other woman has ever tried to.

I'll be honest, I thought Kai was a whiner and needed to grow up. He tried to draw comparisons between himself and Holly, but frankly if you had an older brother who demonstrated that he couldn't look after himself, and parents who seemed incapable of recognising his issues, would't you step into the breach? I know I would rather mother my older brother than find out he had been found dead in a ditch after coming off his meds and walking alone on the moors until he froze to death.

In comparison to the other Jane Lovering books I have read this was also short of laugh out loud humour, the 'coven' didn't really go anywhere and I didn't feel invested in any of the characters.

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Review: The Lieutenants' Online Love (Mills & Boon True Love)

The Lieutenants' Online Love (Mills & Boon True Love) by Caro Carson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me say if it hadn't been for a Dear Author review which my iPad seems unable to link to nicely (here http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...), I would never have read this book which would have been a pity. The old (and new) cover together with the Mills and Boon imprint would have turned me off. What do they say about not judging a book by its cover?

At heart this is a reselling/reimagining of the film The Shop Around The Corner or the remake You've Got Mail. Thane Carter and Chloe Matthews have been corresponding using pseudonyms through an app for several months. She's BallerinaBaby and he's DifferentDrummer. I've the past few months the two of them have built up a wonderful friendship online based on shared taste in movies and humour. Little do they know that fate is going to bring them together as superior and subordinate MPs at Fort Hood. To add to the intrigue, hey actually meet face to face at a block BBQ and really hit it off before Thane realised that the gorgeous woman he's been talking to MUST be the new duty MP in his brigade and therefore strictly off limits.

Just like the films it reimagine, n the book Thane is the one with all the knowledge, but it brings him a lot of pain too. I'm. It ashamed to say I had tears rolling down my face for at least the last 20 minutes of the book as Thane tries to protect Chloe's reputation by lying to her.

I loved it.

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Review: SEAL Camp

SEAL Camp by Suzanne Brockmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars. I deducted half a star because it was too damn short!

Ashley DeWitt is a lawyer who specialises in helping women and children in need, often to get away from abusive partners. However, no matter how fierce in the courtroom she's a pussy when it comes to confrontation, preferring to avoid rather than challenge. For example, her slimy ex-fiancee Brad comes to her apartment and she hides behind a dumpster rather than tell him to get lost. That incident was the final straw, so she enrols herself in SEAL World, a week long course run by SEALs really for SEAL wannabees but hey, it might help her with her assertiveness, right?

First problem? Her controlling father has 'gifted' her little brother Clark and his college roommate Kenneth places on the same course, ostensibly as a birthday gift for Clark but really so that Clark can give him updates on Ashley. Second problem? Women don't really go on these courses (SEAL wannabees) and the SEALs had no idea that A. DeWitt was a female. Third problem? Two sexist pigs called Todd and Bull who are out to humiliate and belittle her at every turn. Fourth problem? One extremely sexy SEAL called Lieutenant Jim 'Spaceman' Slade who calls her the sexy au-pair when he first sees her.

Jim Slade is in a bad place. With two bum knees he knows his days in the Teams are numbered - he just hasn't figured out what could possibly take their place. One of the younger SEALs asks if he could sub in at short notice as an instructor at SEAL World and he agrees. Little does he realise that his most eager trainee will also be the one he can't keep his hands off.

It's been FIVE years since I least read one of Suzanne's Tall, Dark and Dangerous series (what can I say, I came to them late) and yet this one was just as sexy, just as emotional and just as fun as I remember them. Jim Slade is a typical SEAL, Teams through and through, with little thought about anything but the navy. The knowledge that his knees will force him to retire has hit him like a truck and he is wallowing in self-pity. Then he meets this gorgeous pixie, she's beautiful, smart, funny, everything a man could want in a woman. But what could she ever see in him right? Watch these two spark and spar and help each other out and fall in love with Jim Slade.

At a time when I have DNFd so many contemporary romances this was a breath of fresh air - all I needed was a SEAL with a sense of humour, who knew?

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Review: How I Wonder What You Are

How I Wonder What You Are by Jane Lovering
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

What do you do when you are exercising a wilful horse on the Yorkshire moors and find an unconscious naked man? Well if you're a single woman you drag him (in some cases literally) back to your cottage.

Molly Gilchrist is living in a cottage in the Yorkshire countryside, scratching a living writing for a magazine called 'Miles To Go' about walking and helping out her friend Caro(line) with exercising said wilful horse Stan. She had a glittering career in London but 18 months ago something happened to make her run away and hide, where no-one knows her. When she finds astro-physicist Dr Phinn Baxter lying on the moor she brings him back and the two of them begin a prickly, push-me- pull-me relationship. Phinn too is running away from a potential Nobel prize-winning career after his wife left him - only his running away takes the form of vodka. Then they discover that they have both seen a mysterious light formation in the skies, something that no-one else can see, and that binds them together.

I just loved this book. If you have read any of Jane Lovering's other York Romances then you won't be disappointed in this one. Phinn is a nerdy (but sexy) geek and totally a fav new book boyfriend. How I loved him and sympathised with his fears that he wasn't a real man because he wasn't all butch and macho. I loved Phinn's friend Link, although I am still on the fence about Caro - she was mean to Molly and I hold a grudge. And Molly herself? Wow, she truly went through some soul-searching and realised some less than pleasant things about herself. She was also treated really badly, REALLY badly.

Maybe that all sounds a bit angsty, a bit deep? Can I also say it is also REALLY funny, especially about being British in a crisis (hint: it involves Custard Creams).

Overall, it has made me wonder why I stopped buying Jane Lovering's books and has meant I now need to buy all her other books ASAP.

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Review: Threat of Danger

Threat of Danger by Dana Marton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

10 years ago Jess Taylor and Derek Daley were abducted in the Vermont woods and held for three days by their sadistic captor.

These days Jess is a successful stuntwoman in LA and Derek, former Navy SEAL, is a thriller writer. After Jess and Derek were accused of making the whole thing up and villified as attention-seekers Jess left Taylorville and didn't even come back for her father's funeral but now her mother has fallen over and broken her hip Jess can't stay away any longer from the small town that left her high and dry.

Jess returns to Taylor's Sugar, the maple sugar farm her parents and grandparents before them ran to find life pretty much the same, even, she is horrified to find out, Derek Daley living next door and not in New York or some other glamorous city. Returning to Taylorville and seeing Derek brings back all the old memories, but also a sneaking suspicion that their abductor didn't die 10 years ago.

I read the previous book in this new series, I enjoyed it but there was a little too much woo-woo for my tastes. Nevertheless the plot was engaging and I really liked the characters and the way that the heroine's therapy didn't 'Abracadabra' make the hero better, just gradually helped to ease the problems, to see the wood for the trees ( that would be a joke if you have read the first book). The woo-woo in this book is restricted to a group of locals who have a Sasquatch Society - basically they look for evidence of Sasquatch in the Vermont countryside.

I really liked this book despite not really reading much romantic suspense anymore - otherwise I'd never go for a walk in the woods anymore :). About halfway through this book I turned to my husband and précised the plot and said "I think the abductor is X or Y" - well I was wrong! So great misdirection, especially considering I read the entire book in less than one day so I didn't lose any threads.

Jess was, literally, a kick-ass heroine and thank the lord she stayed that way throughout the book. Derek was - can you have a Beta Alpha male? - he was wonderful, clever, handsome, successful, brave, yet caring and considerate. I'd say he was my new book boyfriend but I think Jess would kick my butt if I looked at him wrong. Ivy Delucaintroduced me to the idea of a BGF (book girlfriend) and if I thought Jess would hang out with someone who can't run more than 50 yards without fear of a heart attack, she'd definitely be my very first BGF!

Loved the way this series has gone, linked but wholly separate (I'm not gonna think on that long before I see the flaw in my logic). Can't wait for the next one.

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

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Review: Burning Up

Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Erin Jenkins escaped Portland, Oregon when she was eighteen and was loving her life as a teacher in California until being in her probationary period and budget cuts left her jobless in the Summer holidays. Now her mother has had surgery and needs Erin to run their peanut butter food truck while she's out of commission. Back in her childhood home, complete with squabbling siblings Erin feels like she's dying inside. Then a meeting at Barrry's Bakery with her brother's BFF Jake Bennett brings back memories of her schoolgirl crush.

Jake is no longer the bad boy he was at school, not with a twelve year old daughter to take care of as a single dad. These days his life is his job as a firefighter and being the best dad he knows how to be. When he runs into BFF Reece's little sister Erin he can't believe how cute she's become but he doesn't have time for a woman in his life, does he?

This is a bit like Shannon Stacey but with slapstick. This is the third book I've read by Jennifer Blackwood and I've got to say slapstick seems to be her thang. This time it consists of a hotel TV permanently stuck on acorn channel and a broken remote control. Eye roll. I didn't find it amusing.

Also, this was yet another book where the guy changed absolutely nothing and the girl turned out to be a loser, a child and incapable of knowing her own mind. Yawn.

I'd like to say I want to read Reece and Erin's friend Sloane's story but I'm afraid that Reece will turn out to be a saint and Sloane an immature girl afraid of something silly, oh and that there would be slapstick!

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 Unwanted Wife

The Unwanted Wife by Natasha Anders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two and a half stars.

Theresa is married to her insta-crush Alessandro De Lucci. Unfortunately, Sandro seems to hate her and all he wants is a son. Every time they make love he refuses to kiss her and once they are done all he says is "Give me a son, Theresa ...". Theresa has finally had enough and demands a divorce, which is when Sandro lets her know that their marriage was a business arrangement/ blackmail between her father and Sandro, and until she gives him a son there can be no divorce.

Despite his cruelty Theresa is spineless enough to still be in love with Sandro, his every touch turns her to quivering mush, but for her own mental well-being she demands a divorce. The two of them have an uneasy truce, living in the same house but sleeping in separate beds.

I'm sorry but how ludicrous is that plotline? And how spineless is Theresa so stay in a marriage, and have sec, with a man who hasn't kissed her in 18 months, in fact EVER. She hasn't met his friends or his family and he has been photographed escorting a series of beautiful women to dinners and other events.

Frankly I just wanted to give Theresa a good slap and shake Sandro. Apparently Theresa is a truth-diviner because she constantly told Sandro he was lying - I'd have left her to stew in her own self-righteousness! Sandro on the other hand seemed to do so many about turns that I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash, and he could have resolved all of their issues very simply by just USING HIS WORDS!

Overall, I found the heroine to be a whiney cry-baby and the hero to be unconvincing.

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Review: Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling: The Number One Bestseller

Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling: The Number One Bestseller by Emer McLysaght
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at an embarrassingly small percentage, less than 10%.

I don't know why I requested this book TBH. I was sort of intrigued, then thought better of it and didn't download the book, then my obsessive need to complete finish tasks made me download the book anyway.

This book is full on Irish dialogue right from the get go, I honestly had to read the opening sentence three times before I understood what it meant. I still don't actually know what 'being a gas' actually means - is it funny?

Aisling, of the title, is a 28 year old Irish woman with a long-term boyfriend (seven years) who seems to have no intention of proposing anytime soon, despite the fact that his team mates are inviting them to engagement parties and weddings at increasingly regular intervals. Aisling seems to be one of those curvaceous, middle-aged before her time Irish girls whose only dream is the house that their Daddy will build them once they get married. She also appears to be the annoying office busybody who leaves passive-aggressive notes for their co-workers about the fridge and the dishwasher. She can't bear the idea of a buffet breakfast going uneaten, even if it means going to breakfast two minutes after waking up.

I'll be honest, I hated every page that I read, I didn't like Aisling, I'm not keen on books which are full of brogue (it's one of the reasons I never read Scottish historical romances - hate all the och aye rubbish) and this just hit every one of my triggers.

I can't tell you about the plot because I didn't read enough to know what the plot was about -although I was already concerned about her father's appearance - my apologies.

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



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Review: Sunset Thunder

Sunset Thunder by Shannyn Leah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

I found this book by turns irritating and charming, hence the mixed rating.

Violet Caliendo is a wedding planner at her family's five star resort. However, today's couple are trying her patience because it's none other than her ex-husband Joel Benson and his fiancee Missy, who just happened to have been a maid at the Caliendo resort. Just to add to the general joy of the day, Joel's best man and best friend Ryder Caldex, renowned playboy, is joining the select gathering and Violet's large family are all hovering, desperate to see if she is okay.

When tension and frustration lead to hot sex in the hotel restroom with Ryder Violet is horrified and yet strangely attracted to the no-good, womanising, braggart. Soon afterwards Violet's two children are supposed to be spending a day sailing with Ryder and Joel, but Joel bails at the last minute. Violet and her children end up spending the day with Ryder who turns out to be a lot sweeter than Violet believed.

But as the romance grows the pressures from family, friends and ex-husbands causes Violet and Ryder to rethink their romance.

This is supposed to be the first in a series, I don't know whether there was a preceding series because there seemed to be a lot of references to other romances and dark deeds by Violet's late father which appear to have happened previously.

I liked Ryder and Violet and her children together, that was a charming romance. Violet's mother and siblings were frankly confusing and I have no idea why they behaved the way they did or why Izzy seemed to have an inability to behave like an adult. The entire family appeared to be totally dysfunctional with children going missing, the mother not curbing the father's excesses, etc.

However, I was surprised at the number of typos in a book which was released two or three years ago. Also, the way in which both Ryder and Violet behaved like teenagers (angst, angst, angst, leaping to conclusions, holding onto absurd beliefs etc) was tiresome. And then the ridiculous plot to explain all that happened between Violet and Joel just raised more questions than it answered for me.

Also, and this is a personal gripe, when an author offers me an ARC of their book I don't expect it to have been published in 2015 AND free on Amazon. An ARC is an Advanced Reader Copy not a two years after the event copy.

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Review: Ottercombe Bay: Part One - Where There's a Will

Ottercombe Bay: Part One - Where There's a Will by Bella Osborne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have already read parts 2, 3 and 4 of this serial but when I was offered the first part by the publisher my OCD need to read a series in its entirety kicked in and I just had to read it.

This is where it all begins. Daisy Wickens has returned to her home town of Ottercombe Bay in Devon, after years travelling Europe doing a series of low-paid jobs, following her uncle's death. She learns that her uncle has left her the old railway station and one-third of his savings - IF she stays in Ottercombe Bay for 12 months.

At first Daisy is disdainful of the small town and its quaint customs but as she reconnects with her old school friend Tamsyn and Jason, who is now the local policeman, and the infuriatingly opinionated Max as well as her aunt Coral and her spoilt pug Bugsy Malone she comes to see some of its charms. Then when she finds out exactly how much money she stands to inherit, Daisy thinks she might be able to stick around for a bit longer.

Each part of this four part story ends in a cliffhanger, it's lighthearted and the village fete scene made me laugh out loud.

An enjoyable short read.

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

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Review: A Place to Remember

A Place to Remember by Jenn J. McLeod
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 10% (it was 49 pages though).

I decided to make a concerted effort to get back into this book but within a page or two of picking it up again I was totally exasperated by the way the author felt the need to give me a botany lesson about Epiphytes and then I was subjected to teenage angst and phrases like "... but could Ava articulate any of it to his face when his expression was burning holes in her heart?" Overall I didn't like the writing and I found it difficult to get into the story which is a pity because I thought the blurb sounded intriguing.

Because the intro was so slow and I DNF'd the book so early I'm afraid I can't tell you much about 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: I Am Justice

I Am Justice by Diana Munoz Stewart
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 37%

I think I was misled by the cover into thinking this was Urban Fantasy.

Justice is an operative for a secret group called the League which avenges abused women. The League is unusual in that it is also a family, of adopted children who have all suffered some form of abuse. Justice saw her own sister Hope murdered in front of her eyes and is determined to avenge her murder.

Whilst chasing the brothers who murdered her sister, who are now trafficking women in Syria, Justice discovers that there is a spy in her small team, someone feeding information about the League to their mortal enemies so she goes on the latest mission alone and in secret, piggy-backing off a new charity being run by former special forces operatives.

Maybe I wasn't in the right mood but this just felt cliche-ridden. I'm fairly sure I know who the spy is, Justice seems fine with killing bad guys, until she kills one of the men who killed her sister, then she starts to feel remorse - WTF? She's a caricature and unlikable. Also, in two missions she has screwed up twice - not much of a super secret operative!

It's an easy read but I felt it was too predictable, I'd read something similar many times before and I had a sneaking suspicion that the ex-army guy would end up saving poor little Justice who would degenerate into a hapless girl. I could be wrong but it had that feel.

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 Best Man

The Best Man by Natasha Anders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Where to start? I love, love, loved The Wingman, I thought it was clever and funny and cute. Unfortunately I just thought that this was a hot mess.

Daff(odil) McGregor is the oldest of three girls (Daisy and (Dah)Lia being her younger siblings. Daisy is marrying Mason Carlisle (ex-Special Forces, ex-male model, millionaire etc) which forces Daff as her Maid of Honour to play nice with Mason's older brother Spencer who is also his best man.

Spencer had a crush on Daff all through school and used to send her notes and poems. She being a self-absorbed teenager mocked him mercilessly and was paranoid that her friends would think she liked him. Years later and Daff has a job she hates and is aimlessly drifting through life. Spencer and Mason had a difficult childhood with druggie/ alcoholic parents, Spencer practically brought Mason up single-handed and they were viewed as the town's ne'er-do-wells, bad boys and delinquents, when really all they were was hungry and cold. Now, Spencer parlayed a short career in professional rugby into a successful sports shop and is doing well.

Daisy and Mason got together as a result of Spencer asking Mason to be his wingman at Lia's abortive wedding, by drawing the frumpy Daisy away from Daff so that he could chat up Daff. When Daff found out she was furious and has held a massive grudge ever since.

Why didn't I like this book? First, I didn't like Daff and I couldn't understand what Spencer saw in her. She was unkind to him at school because he wore threadbare clothes and scuffed shoes and wrote her love notes. She holds a grudge for one small incident, an incident that led to her sister finding love, and she has some massive insecurities and low self-esteem. Spencer on the other hand is a paragon of virtue. He uses his wealth to help disadvantaged children, he brings Daff healthy lunches every day, he has a beautiful family home, he's a real homebody. There's just too much angst. Spencer's angst about his childhood, Daff's angst about her past relationships (don't even get me started on that!), the runaway girl that Spencer wants to help - it was all too much. Third, considering the girls had a loving family childhood with not traumas the three of them seem to have some massive issues. Also, the set up for the next book about Lia was too blatant and frankly the guy seemed like a douche.

It's a pity because I really liked the other books I have read by Natasha Anders but this one just didn't do it for me.

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