Review: Smoke and Iron

Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

It has been six months since I read the first three books in this series and I have the memory of a goldfish, yet it took only minutes for me to remember the characters and the plot so far.

Don't try reading this book unless you've read the others because you won't understand the relationships between the characters or how they got where they are.

At the end of the third book Jess and the others had rescued themselves from the beseiged city of Philadelphia at enormous cost to life and property only to be betrayed by Jess' father Callum Brightwell. Morgan and Wolfe had been sent back to Alexandria and the Archivist. Khalila, Thomas, Santi, Glain and Dario are on board Red Ibrahim's boat, also bound for Alexandria and Jess has changed places with his brother Brendan. Our intrepid rebels have turned disaster into opportunity by deliberately allowing themselves to be placed in the heart of the enemy's stronghold in Alexandria in order to destroy it from within.

If that hasn't whetted your appetite for the series I don't know what will? Okay, what about mechanical automatons in the shape of lions and Egyptian gods? Creating magic from the written word? High Garda, Elite soldiers, thieves, book burners and smugglers?

In this book all the pieces come together. We see the plot advance through the eyes of most of our friends and the rebellion rises to a crescendo.

And then ... there's a book five. For the love of god, woman! I thought that was the end!

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Review: Because of Miss Bridgerton

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Billie Bridgerton should have been born a man. She loves nothing more than striding the land with her father's bailiff, improving crop yields and ensuring the estate runs smoothly. Her loving mother has resigned herself to the fact that Billie wears mens britches when out and about on the estate but insists on dresses for things like church, dinner and visiting neighbours.

The Bridgertons' nearest neighbours are the Rokesbys. Billie was best friends with Mary Rokesby before her marriage and the two of them were firm friends with Mary's brothers Andrew and Edward, only the stuffy older brother George and the youngest siblings didn't partake in their rough and tumble games. Which makes it all the more galling when Billie is stuck on a barn roof and the only person who can help her down is disapproving George, Lord Kennard.

George always felt his position as the heir set him apart from his siblings, he wasn't allowed to play with them and the Bridgerton girl, instead he was forced to accompany his father and learn about running the estate. Then as an adult he wasn't allowed to fight for King and country like his brothers, he had to stay at home and do nothing whilst his father continued to run the estate. He and Billie have been thorns in each others' sides for years, each quick to take offense at every imagined slight the other utters. But when he too gets stuck on the roof with Billie he starts to see a different side to the hoyden who rushes in where fools fear to tread.

I liked this and give it four stars and yet I was surprised when I got to 91% of the book on my Kindle and realised that there was not going to be a moment of conflict or misunderstanding. This felt very much like a set up for a new series (which of course it was) and although I loved Billie and George there wasn't any dramatic tension.

Recommended if you are looking for an enemies to lovers plot with no angst.

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Review: Play the Right Cards

Play the Right Cards by M.L. Buchman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Free from the author in the July 2018 Ides of Matt.

A sweet novella about two rival restaurants in Colombia, a cartel and a group of Delta Force operatives

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Review: Seaborn

Seaborn by Lena North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lottie (Charlie) flees an abusive ex-boyfriend and a co-worker helps her to escape to the Islands. to stay with her parents Pauline and Nicholas.

Joao is the Chief of Police on the Islands. He has seen most of his friends fall in love and settle down and he wants what they have. So even though he doesn't have any strong feelings for his girlfriend Mimi he is going to propose, until a call from his uncle Nick demanding his immediate presence interrupts him. When Joao meets Charlie he is immediately drawn to her, but also realises that based on her colouring she is originally from the islands - but who was her father?

Charlie can't believe she has escaped her violent ex, a cop, the son of a Senator and nephew to the President - he thinks he is untouchable. Everyone on the Islands is so nice, they all seem to be related to each other and now it seems as though she's one of them.

But the Islanders have a big secret, three of the original families have special abilities and Charlie seems as though she has inherited them too.

I always struggle to define these books and this one was no different, until I realised that it's really just a paranormal romance featuring shifters - it's just that the shifter element isn't front and centre like it normally is.

As long as you embrace the paranormal aspect this is a fantastic romance. Despite her harsh life Charlie is a wonderful character, principled, kind, helpful and full of fun. Joao takes his role seriously but he is blown away by this resilient woman who doesn't let anything get her down. Okay she argues with him constantly, challenges his authority and laughs at him - but somehow he loves it.

If the idea of a sexy Police Chief with dreadlocks and a paranormal ability on beautiful islands floats your boat then this is definitely the book for you. There's laughter, romance and a little suspense.

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

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Review: Egomaniac

Egomaniac by Vi Keeland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Vi Keeland's book covers and I've tried a few of her books but never really liked them. The guys are too A-hole-ish and/or the women are too flakey/ irritating. But other people love them so I keep trying (okay I'm as shallow as a puddle and I like the covers).

Emerie is a marriage psychologist and has just moved to New York, following her BFF, the guy she's been crushing on for years, and scored a fabulous office space on Park Avenue. Unfortunately she's been scammed and paid $10,000 in cash for someone else's offices.

When Drew Jagger gets back from his vacation in Hawaii he finds a woman working in his office, threatening him with her Krav Maga skills and the police. Anyhoo, push comes to shove and Drew allows Em to share his office in return for her fielding calls from clients while his PA is away for a few weeks.

Drew is a divorced divorce lawyer, he's jaded and cynical about marriage - it's an interesting dynamic that Em is helping to save marriages whilst in the next office Drew is helping to end them. There's an obvious physical attraction between them but they want different things from life. Drew is all about the one night stand and Em needs a connection.

This is, by turns, dirty, sexy, sweet, cute and funny. I lived the contrast between Drew and the guy Em thinks she is in love with.

Finally, I understand why people rave about Vi Keeland's books.

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Review: Under Control

Under Control by Shannon Stacey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Derek Gilman is a happily divorced father of two and a fireman. His life is all about the job and making the most of the time that he gets with his children.

Olivia McGovern has built a very successful business teaching others how to better manage her time. She writes books, she lectures and she helps people and companies one-to-one to improve productivity. Her entire life is mapped out and meticulously planned. When she gets stuck in an elevator with a sexy firefighter and has a panic attack he manages to talk her through her anxiety and massages her twisted ankle in a way that leaves her more than a little flustered.

Derek and Olivia make no plans to meet, they don't exchange numbers, but fate crosses their paths once again when Olivia gets involved with organising an event for a charity which is close to Derek's heart. But can physical attraction overcome the disparity in their lives and incomes?

Of all the books in the Boston Fire series that I've read I think this one had the least plot surrounding actual fire-fighting and the fire house.

Although I liked this book I didn't warm to Derek and Olivia in the same way as I did Gavin and Cait (Hot Response) or Jamie and Scott (Fully Ignited). Derek was too hung up on the differences in their wealth and homes and seemed to think that because Olivia didn't have children she resented helping out with his children. Olivia on the other hand is living with the fallout from her parents' acrimonious divorce which still requires her to listen to recriminations and dramatics, no wonder she loved to Boston to get away from it. Can she trust a divorced man with children? And how will the uncertainties of a firefighter's work patterns and children fit into her uber-planned life? Overall I felt that the book needed some outside tension rather than the one-note angst about the difference in their lifestyles - that felt too much like navel-gazing at times.

Is the next book going to explain what happened with Grant and Wren?

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

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Review: Through the Fire

Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series just keeps getting better. Although I have absolutely no desire to visit Monroe any time soon!!

After being in a reading slump for weeks this was a breath of fresh air and I raced through the book.

The book opens with a woman called Alex killing a woman called Elena and stealing her identity before setting the house on fire to cover up her crimes.

Kit is a K9 police officer. After reporting her former partner for dishonest behaviour she was ostracised and has decided to make a new start in the small town of Monroe. After the cataclysmic events of the last book Monroe looks like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, complete with burnt out police station. She is just getting acquainted with her new colleagues (Theo, Otto and Hugh from the three previous books in the series) when they are called to a house fire. Although the owners have left Monroe for the winter the firefighters find a charred body in the wreckage.

This is another great suspense from Katie Ruggle. The reader knows that Elena is not who she seems and a killer to boot but the rest of Monroe seems taken in by her scared and helpless act, except Kit. There's also a hunky, nerdy mountain ranger who creates gadgets in his spare time. Oh and lots and lots of beautiful clever dogs. What more could anyone want?

This appears to be the end of the series and what a satisfying end it turned out to be!

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

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Review: Exile of the Seas

Exile of the Seas by Jeffe Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

I haven't read the first book in this new series which may be the reason I didn't feel connected to this story. Okay, I have no looked up the first book and it was clearly all about Jenna and her husband - I would recommend reading that one first because I definitely felt that I was missing a lot of the story.

We first meet Princess Jenna of Dasnaria on board a ship, she has run away from her abusive husband and is fleeing her homeland. Having been brought up in a seraglio she has no concept of money, reading, writing or living in the real world. She doesn't even know how to open the portholes or light the lanterns until one of the other passengers shows her.

We travel with Jenna as she learns about life outside the backwards, misogynistic society of Dasnaria where women have no voice, no power and no rights. Outside Dasnaria women can be warriors, priestesses, they can buy things, they can walk around alone, they can walk with young men. They have freedom. But always in the back of her mind Jenna knows her husband will not stop searching for her. She changes her name and becomes a Priestess of Danu but still she waits for him to find her.

As always, Jeffe Kennedy's writing is seductive, it draws you into a fantasy world so completely you feel disorientated when you look up and find you are sitting at home instead of living in a foreign land. Nyambura reminded me of Sri Lanka, maybe it's because I saw elephants washing in the river there at the Pinnewella Elephant sanctuary and the way that Jeffe Kennedy describes their skin and the bristles which are so rough and such a shock just transported me back there.

Overall, I feel that not having read the first book in the series left me at a disadvantage because I was curious about Jenn's previous life, how she escaped her husband etc. Had I read that book I expect my rating would have been much higher.

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


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Review: Kings Rising

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The thrilling and deeply satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I deducted one star for being too short and not having a lovely long epilogue.

Damen's identity has been exposed to the Verestians, he and Laurent are determined to overthrow Kastor and the Regent and take back their own lands. But how will his people react to finding out that Damen has been Laurent's bed slave?

As always there are twists and turns, bluffs and double-bluffs, betrayals and counter-betrayals. But over all of that was the beautiful love story between Damen and Laurent. I can't say any of the revelations were a surprise - in all of literature are there any Regents who don't try to steal the throne? - but I adored the journey.

Off to buy all of the short stories now!

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Review: Prince's Gambit

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have no words!

At the end of the first book Prince Laurent's uncle, the Regent, has ordered him and a small group of his troops to the border to ostensibly fight the Akielons but, truly, to be killed in any number of ways on the journey.

As Laurent and Damen, the true King of Akielos who was deposed by his half-brother and sold as a bed-slave to the Veretians, travel there are plots and machinations and twists and turns that I just never saw coming.

If the first book was perhaps mistaken for some kind of m/m slave-porn this one surely puts the reader right. It's a delicate courting dance between two princes, one a slave to the other, one a straightforward soldier, the other a clever, manipulative politician. No-one is ever quite what they seem and I have seen friends turn to foes and back again so often I think I've got reader's whiplash.

It's epic yet taut, brutal yet sensual, simple yet also complex. I loved it and I am twitchy because I have a full day of work ahead of me before I can start the third book.

Oh, and what a cliffhanger! And does that mean ...?

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Review: Captive Prince

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd seen this series lauded everywhere and decided to read it without knowing much more than it was a fantasy novel.

I've since skim read some reviews, mainly the negative ones, and I can see where they are coming from that this is some kind of slavery erotica - but I disagree.

Damen is a warrior and the crown prince of Akielos who is usurped by his half brother and sent into slavery with a rival empire. The court of Vere is a different world to Akielos: manipulative, political, sensual, corrupt, dissolute. Labelled a rough, violent soldier Damen is chained and pressed into the service of prince Laurent, a beautiful, cold skilled politician with a hatred of all things Akielos.

Vere is a society with an abhorrence of illegitimacy, so much so that opposite sex relationships are purely for procreation, everyone routinely engages in same sex relationships for fun, for pleasure, for relaxation. Watching slaves rape each other in the ring is considered 'entertainment' by the nobility. This reminded me of the dissolution of the Roman and Egyptian empires with the painted slaves and emphasis on depravity and search for new entertainment. At first Damen's focus is on escape and resistance but slowly he comes to see a bigger picture. Embroiled in vicious politics that he barely understands, fearful of being discovered as the prince of Vere's greatest foe, concerned for the other Akielos slaves who have been thrown into this viper's pit without support, unable to tell friend from foe I totally identified with Damen. And I thought that the book totally brought out the fear and horror of rape, of being drugged to facilitate rape, of being at the whim of a mercurial master who has the power of life and death over you. What makes it more striking is that Damen is a soldier, a highly skilled fighter, the creme de la creme of Akielos society and yet he is powerless to resist. I thought the actual rape scene was cleverly written because I defy anyone to argue that Damen wasn't raped, even though his body was forced to react against his will.

What I liked about this novel was the way in which the fantasy was focused on the sexual behaviours of the people. The idea of slaves dedicated to pleasure, who were hand-picked, apprenticed and trained, viewed as highly skilled and highly prized artisans contrasted with a society that relieves its ennui with voyeurism, violence and rape.

So, I've used the R word a lot in this review and I 'm not going to lie - the actuality or the threat are present for much of the book. But it is also about politics and seizing a throne, about making friendships even in adversity and realising that freedom isn't always what it seems.

Overall? It was disturbing, enthralling, engaging, challenging and also, possibly, a tentative romance.

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Review: A Change Of View

A Change Of View by Freya Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great book in this series featuring more mature couples.

Lilith (Leelo) has just come out of a painful divorce which has alienated her grown up son and daughter. When she inherits an old inn from an uncle she decides to shake up her life and make a move to the country, she will use her money from the divorce to renovate the property and rent out the cabins. She's also made some physical changes to her appearance - blue hair and tattoos help her assert her independence from a domineering and demeaning ex-husband.

Riordan (Roar) owns a fishing lodge, he's Leelo's nearest neighbour and he can't believe when he sees this blue-haired tattooed townie clinging to the roof of the old inn in a storm. Furious at her stupidity he rushes in, berates her and gets a mouthful of abuse in return. Despite the antagonism Roar is enough of good neighbour/ all round nice guy that he actually turns up the next day to help Leelo fix her roof, then when other things go wrong he's always around to fix them.

This is somewhat different to the other books I have read by Freya Barker, the previous books have featured single/ divorced women in their 40s but always childless. I have to say, although I could read Freya Barker's novels all day every day, it was nice for her heroine to be a mother, especially of adult children.

If you've ever wanted to rebel one last time before it's too late, or at least before you decide to wear purple, if you've ever wondered if you were invisible after 40, if you've ever wanted to tell other people what you really think - then this is the heroine for you. I have the utmost admiration for Leelo's DIY skills as she rips up carpets and lugs lumber around. I loved Roar, this big gruff man with a heart of gold who loves his mum and his dog.

I am the world's least handy person and yet I soooo wanted to be Leelo.

Another brilliant novel by someone who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

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Review: Stay

Stay by Karina Bliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fabulous romance, even better it was free from the author!

Joe Fraser is a divorced dad, his ex-wife is about to remarry, he's swamped at work, his estranged father requires extensive (and expensive) rehab after a stroke and he feels like he's losing his daughter Kaitlin to his ex-wife's new boyfriend. He's not best pleased to be called at work by his daughter's school to find she's been fighting in the playground - and she was the instigator.

Philippa (Pip) Browne is a New Zealander working in the US for a year to get away from an ex who couldn't let go. She feels a lot of sympathy towards Kaitlin Browne who is clearly struggling with her parents' divorce and acting out the only way she can. Her father might be all kinds of handsome but he clearly doesn't understand his daughter and is driving an even bigger wedge between them. Pip just can't help interfering and cajoles Joe into being one of the parental escorts on a four day camping trip in order to get closer to his daughter. What follows is Joe and a team of four girls pitted themselves against Pip and a team of four boys to win the most competitions during the stay - despite Joe's girls' initial reluctance. But as rivalry falls into romance are there too many roadblocks in their way?

I loved this. The kids, the camping, Joe and Pip, Joe's estranged relationships with his family. As always the writing was engaging and I tore through the book in less than a day. Karina Bliss is definitely an autoclick writer for me.

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Review: Free Fall

Free Fall by Emmy Curtis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars. Four stars for the plot but I've deducted half a point for obtrusive sex and half a point for an abrupt ending.

I have read several books by Emmy Curtis but this is the first I have read in her Elite Ops series so I am unsure of whether there is any backstory to this in the receding books.

Casey Jacobs is a former Air Force pilot working in the private sector for a cutting edge tech firm, she was ecstatic when her firm, TechGen One (or TGO for short) agrees to sponsor this year's Red Flag training games in the desert, she thought she had won something great for her former colleagues in the military. But two pilots have gone missing and Casey suspects that the issues which caused them to crash were the same as bugs which had been reported in a new piece of TGO software - she is suspicious that somehow TGO has put its software onto military planes without permission but when she raises it with a colleague he warns her that previous TGO whistleblowers have conveniently 'committed suicide' and she shouldn't tell anyone about her suspicions. Torn between fear of what she may have unwittingly facilitated, fear for her own life and fear for the two lost pilots, she is persuaded to help some friends break the lockdown on Nellis Air Force Base to search for the missing pilots.

Casey was due to go on a 'date' with Colonel Duke Cameron, head of Nellis Air Force Base. They have a history in Germany and Afghanistan, a mutual admiration from afar type of thing but now she is a civilian contractor on his base there are no rules against fraternisation. The only problem is his heart/ libido is in conflict with his head/ gut which think Casey may be hiding something about the missing pilots. When Duke sees Casey busting out of the base when it is on lockdown he gives chase on his motorbike only to see her attacked by guys in face masks in a car park. Before he knows it the two of them are on the run, not quite trusting each other and plastered all over the news as suspects in the disappearance of two Air Force pilots.

This book is full of action right from the word go, the reader is thrust into the middle of the situation and in short succession there are thinly veiled death threats, a breakout from an Air Force base in lockdown, a fight and a getaway. Casey is afraid both for her life and the consequences of disclosing her suspicions thanks to a watertight NDA, she is also wary of getting Duke embroiled in whatever is going on. Duke is suspicious of Casey, has she sold out? Was she a honey trap? There's lots of tension and action - it's like a Bruce Willis film.

Then it was like a switch got flipped and it was time for the sex portion of the book. Never mind that the sex scenes were gratuitous and frankly odd, why would two people on the run, who have only just escaped from another group of guys out to kill them stop around the next corner and decide to have sex on the car bonnet? I get exhibitionism but they didn't even consider that the car headlights coming towards them might be the bad guys, just an extra frisson of excitement. Also, at one point I found myself worrying that certain things they did in the throes of passion could cause infection - I'm sure I read that somewhere - which kind of spoilt the moment. The plot ground to a halt while Casey and Duke played weird sex games. I mean who does that? You are running for your life, with a short timeframe before the US Government signs a multi-million dollar contract with TGO, so fo course you break off for shower sex at every opportunity, why wouldn't you?

Then the plot got back thick and fast, there were more fights, more chases, drones, planes, secret bases, investigative reporters and then boom, all over.

I really enjoyed the plot, far-fetched as it might be, it was fast-paced and exciting and plausible. The sex didn't really gel with the slow burn romance and diverted attention from the build up of tension and then the ending was too sudden. Overall, this felt like a slightly confused mash-up between military/ special ops romance, erotica and a category romance and needed more balancing of the different elements - I think if you can't categorise a book then its genre isn't clear enough.

Overall, I would like to read the previous books in the series to see how they fir together and the backstory between Casey and Duke. Despite my issues with this book I would definitely read more books in this 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: I Think I Love You

I Think I Love You by Lauren Layne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final novel in the Oxford/ Stiletto crossover series – what is the plural of series?

Brit Robbins and Hunter Cross have worked together for years and are platonic best friends. But when yet another guy dumps Brit giving her the ‘you’re a nice woman but there just aren’t the sparks’ line she’s had enough and wants to know why guys always see her as “good ol’ Brit”. After a few glasses of wine with her friends Brit decides that she must be giving off a friend vibe rather than a girlfriend vibe and who better to teach her how to be seductive with men than the King of dating, Hunter Cross?

Of course, when Hunter and Brit start talking seductive moves (and no batting your eyelashes is not seductive), they realise that beneath their platonic friendship could be something stronger.

I read a few reviews of this before I read the book (mainly because I had requested an ARC on NetGalley and was surprised I hadn’t received it/ read the book already) and got the impression that reviewers felt this was okay but not necessarily one of the best. I have to disagree. I love the friends to lover trope, especially the dating guru version and this did it for me in spades.

Hunter and Brit were best friends, the whole ‘you’ve got lettuce in your teeth’, sitting on the sofa in ratty sweats, hold my hair while I puke kind of friends. And they were work colleagues, Hunter was Brit’s boss. And yet the moment Hunter shows Brit how to say goodbye at the end of a date and they look into each other’s eyes? Bam! Suddenly there’s a whole load of tension that wasn’t there before.
Having said that, as befits the final book, most of the old characters make a come back in one way or another and I think I would guess that maybe Lincoln Mathis was Lauren Layne’s favourite character. Or maybe it’s just that his predilection for pink foamy drinks is such a unique characteristic that he is instantly memorable.

In summary, a glorious friends to lovers romance with just enough angst to create a plot but not angst, angst, angst, a farewell to our favourite characters from the previous books and certainly a must-buy for anyone who has read any of the previous books.


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Review: The Accidentals

The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another triumph by Sarina Bowen.

Rachel is having a really bad Summer. Her mom died of cancer, her aunt doesn’t want her and she’s living in a group home. Even worse? She is at Summer school to retake the exams she missed through her mom’s illness. And then, like a fairy-tale the father she never knew, music legend Freddy Ricks (real name Frederick Richards) turns up out of the blue apparently anxious after seventeen years to get to know his daughter.

Despite having been Freddy Ricks’ greatest fangirl growing up Rachel is reluctant to let Frederick know that not only does she know everything about him (at least what’s been published) but that she has seen him in concert and is also a singer. Soon she is whisked away from her old life in Miami and her best friend Haze, first to Freddy’s home in California and then to an exclusive prep school.

This is heart-warming and sweet, it doesn’t shirk some of the issues teenagers face like sex, alcohol and bereavement but it treats them in a realistic and sympathetic way. I’m not saying that Freddy’s parenting skills are necessarily a gold standard but I love his take on drugs “Rachel, you know drugs are for assholes, right?”.

I think if your idea of heaven is being the secret daughter of a rock star and going to boarding school where you try out for the Bellas a Capella singing group then you will love this. I know I did, it’s part Cinderella, part Harry Potter, part Pitch Perfect and all glorious.

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Review: A Change in Tide

A Change in Tide by Freya Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mia is severely agoraphobic, although I would say that her fear is of people rather than open spaces, she is happy pottering around in her garden or rowing on the lake but a trip into the local small town to visit the supermarket can induce panic attacks. Her only trips out of the house are for her weekly therapy sessions. Gradually over the years as her condition worsened Mia has lost everything, her career, her husband, her friends. Nos she is down to one friend. Mia lives alone with her dog Griffin on a lake in rural Canada. Her solitude is spoilt one day when she finds her new neighbour ‘entertaining’ a scantily clad woman in the lake and on his deck. Although she is annoyed by the noise of the powerboat and the woman’s shrieks, she is also strangely aroused when she sees them having sex on the deck – until her neighbour hears her moan!!!! To make matters worse, the next day she sees a heavily pregnant woman clearly moving into the house – what a sleaze.

Jared Kesla is a retired hockey player, he’s bought a home in rural Canada to look after his pregnant sister Jordy and get away from the booze and groupies lifestyle that he fell into after a punishing tackle retired him early. He is having one last fling before Jordy’s arrival when he hears his neighbour taking more of an interest than he feels comfortable with. He also berates himself for falling into the tabloid trap – he expects that his new neighbour won’t take long to sell pictures of him behaving badly to whatever sleazy tabloid she can.

But when Jordy goes into labour one day while she and Jackson are on the lake Mia feel compelled to put her previous professional experience as a midwife into action, rescuing the brother and sister and delivering the baby. From that experience a strange friendship develops between them. Mia has no idea who Jackson is, she doesn’t follow sports, and Jackson is intrigued by a woman who wears no make-up and spends most of her days wearing old baggy mens clothing.

I recently read the third book in this series and was sufficiently smitten that I immediately got the previous two books. Freya Barker seems to specialise in writing romances about 40-something year old women, sometimes with a disability, which really venture into a new area for me. The characters are likeable and sympathetic, they may have weathered adversity but it isn’t all angst, angst, angst and they are thoughtful.

Mia’s disability didn’t just disappear, she remains afraid of crowds of people throughout the book, but her relationship with Jackson and Jordy helps her to expand her world.

Loved it.

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Review: Giving Up the Boss

Giving Up the Boss by Victoria Davies
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 51%.

Lori Carlow is having a really bad day, she’s resigned from her role as Executive Assistant to Jackson Sinclair, a man with whom she is desperately in love, only to run him over in the car park. When Jackson turns out to have amnesia, on the brink of a hostile takeover of Sinclair Enterprises, his brother Marc begs Lori to stay on and help Jackson pretend that he is still running the business while he, the brother, tries to tie Marc goes to Australia to secure an alliance to keep the business in the family.

So, a ridiculous plot is hatched where Lori moves into Jackson’s palatial home and briefs him on everything he needs to know for any meetings. They use the excuse of his broken arm to divert suspicion. Of course, post-accident Jackson is a changed man, no longer the cold driven CEO that Lori knows, this man is compassionate and VERY interested in Lori, but with the guilt of having caused the amnesia and the little secret of her resignation between them how can Lori reciprocate, especially since any day Jackson could regain his memories.

I felt that this was just too slow and too repetitious and there was too much of Lori and Jackson having late night meetings in his kitchen. When they have to go to a black tie event and Jackson insists on her going as his date, despite her advice and the snide comments being made by one of his subordinates I just lost the will to carry on reading.

This wasn’t a bad book, the writing was good and I liked the premise, I just wanted it to be more about the two of them managing to fool the board and the shareholders rather than introspective angst. Overall, I just didn’t want to keep reading and every time I picked my Kindle up this wasn’t the book that I chose to 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: Cowboy, Cross My Heart

Cowboy, Cross My Heart by Donna Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Years ago Naomi Pierce was a champion barrel rider, until a drunk driver killed one of her best friends. Now she's a photographer living in Washington DC but she's come back to Texas to visit her mother and see her remaining best friend Whitney, who is now doing well on the Rodeo Queen pageant circuit. But all isn't well with Whitney, a strange man seems to be following her and when Naomi tries to take some pictures surreptitiously the man barges past and breaks her camera.

Brice Harper and his brother Caleb (the two teenagers from the first book all grown up) are champion cowboys. Brice is intrigued by the woman with the silvery laugh and the camera he sees at the rodeo. When her life appears to be in danger he feels compelled to help.

As Naomi and Brice try to uncover what Whitney is too scared to tell they are attacked and are in danger.

I liked this but I didn't love it. There was a good build up of suspense, which then dissipated with the obligatory 'let's stop to have sex right in the middle of an investigation interlude' and didn't really recover for me. The plot seemed a little far-fetched and was then resolved bish-bash-bosh in a matter of moments. Overall, I think this book doesn't quite know where it wants to sit in the romance genre: is it romantic suspense? Is it a cowboy romance? Is it about rodeo or a ranch? Is it a small-town cutesy romance? It didn't really commit and as a reader I felt confused.

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

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Review: Handle with Care

Handle with Care by Nina Croft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily Towson is the epitome of a good girl. First grade teacher, conservative dress, polite, well-mannered, thoughtful. But when her boyfriend Ryan proposes she recoils in horror, particularly when he compliments her on being so sensible. Emily grandmother Mimi might be close to 70 years old but she's young at heart and she sees the way that her buttoned up grand-daughter looks at Tanner O'Connor, the town's bad boy, and decides to engineer a fling. But when a school teacher and the bad boy have a one-night stand things don't go according to plan.

I really liked the start of this book: the ex-con, bad boy, tattooed, hog-riding Tanner and the tiny good girl teacher Emily have both admired from afar but each felt themselves unworthy of the other, until a temper tantrum and a bad attitude combust spectacularly. However, about a third of the way through I felt the plot ran out of steam and it became a bit 'rinse-and-repeat', Tanner gets angry because the town treats him like a pariah, Emily worries that Tanner is slumming with her, Tanner worries that Emily wants him to change, blah, blah, blah. The plot hinged on neither Tanner nor Emily ever telling the other how they felt, despite the initial over-sharing about they had each been fantasising about each other. Overall, I thought the book was overlong for 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: A Change Of Pace

A Change Of Pace by Freya Barker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

Newt Tobias is a former cop who took early retirement and moved away from the city to a small town for the sake of his teenage daughter Millie who was struggling after the death of her mother from cancer. Gradually as the book unfolds we understand the catalyst for this move.

Frederique Marchand, Freddy to everyone, works with troubled teenagers using her dog Boulder. She regularly visits the local high school and gets introduced to Millie as a new joiner. Almost immediately she can see there is 'something' the matter.

Freddy and Newt first meet when Freddy tries to stop a local all-round bad guy Billy Baldwin, step-son of the local law enforement, from man-handling a 14 year old girl into his truck. Newt bawls her out for being a 'half-witted vigilante feminist', jumping into a dangerous situation without thinking about the danger - it doesn't go well! But then, when Newt realises that Millie is still not dealing well he reaches out for some professional support to the school and they recommend Freddy. Together they need to work to help Millie, and if they fall in love at the same time? Even better.

The best bit? Freddy is 46 years old. Yep, that's right 46 years old. A mature heroine in a romance. Not a secondary character but the heroine!

I loved this book, I loved that two people, three if you count Millie, can overcome adversity and find true love. I loved that Newt was capable, a grown-up who takes his parental responsibilities seriously, a man who can cook and build decking. Freddy is the woman we all (well I do) want to be. Strong, successful, living in her own home with a menagerie of rescued animals, a life full of friends and family.

There was just enough gritty reality to leaven the romance, just enough suspense to offset the children and animals cutesiness, just enough angst to stop it from becoming sweet, just enough heat to remind us all that over 30 doesn't mean dead.

Loved it, and I've got the previous two books on my Kindle to read on the strength of how much I liked this one.

Randomly I mixed Freya Barker with Juliana Stone (author of the Barker triplets series), I have however read a previous book by Freya Barker and enjoyed that one too, that also had a mature heroine.

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

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Review: Holding On: A Colorado High Country Novel

Holding On: A Colorado High Country Novel by Pamela Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Harrison Conrad was the golden boy climber of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team, a mountain rescue team in Colorado. Then a tragedy claims the lives of his best friend and two young climbers in the Himalayas and he is wracked with survivor's guilt, spending over a year living in a Tibetan monastery until Megs, the founder of the Team comes to haul him back to Colorado.

Kenzie Morgan is a dog trainer, owns a pet shop and is the owner/ handler of a Search and Rescue dog. She has always had a thing for Conrad but knows her weakness is climbers, she doesn't share their obsession and they always leave her. But when Conrad comes back so lost and broken she can't help but want to fix him - and what could be better than a cute puppy? Conrad has always had a thing for Kenzie too, but both being part of the Team has necessitated him keeping a professional distance, now he's resigned is there anything stopping him?

I find this a difficult book to rate. First, way too much sex to plot in my opinion, I spent a long part of this book wondering if anything was going to happen, don't get me wrong it was well done and hawt but enough already. Second, puppies! That warrants at least five stars all by itself. Third, I did like the plot, when it finally arrived. It was tense and thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat. But I have to wonder if that area is cursed - it seems like every criminal from miles around gravitates there! Also, I felt a bit of deja vu - haven't we had this plot before?

But I liked Conrad and Kenzie. They had issues, they worked them out. They were fun and I would love to be their friend and sit back for a beer, or two, at Knockers the local watering hole chatting with them and petting their gorgeous dogs.

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

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Review: Maybe for You

Maybe for You by Nicole McLaughlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alexis Parker has never been lucky in love, her parents were killed in a car accident, she was brought up by her older brother Dean and his wife Amy as if she were their daughter, until the two of them separated over Dean's infertility, and then her fiancee Nate is killed only weeks before their wedding. After Nate's death she spends the final 12 months of her military career in Italy trying to make sense of her life.

Alex's brother Dean owns a whisky distillery with his two best friends TJ and Jake Cooper. Dean and TJ have recently found love but Jake is still a carefree bachelor. He is responsible for business development, promotions and marketing which usually takes the form of touring festivals and shows with an RV of promotional gifts and free whiskey. Unfortunately the distillery's instagram account and twitter feed are starting to appear more frat party than serious business.

Despite his playboy reputation when Jake comes across a crying Alex on the eve of her departure for Italy he can't help but comfort her. Over her 12 months abroad their friendship flourishes through sporadic texts - Alex feels safe telling Jake how she really feels about Nate's death and moving on.

After returning home Alex feels crushed by everyone's need to look after her and constantly check how she's doing. What better way to get away from the smothering than a two week road trip with Jake? But as their friendship segues into a friends with benefits arrangement are they really going to be able to walk away after two weeks?

I enjoyed this, I thought that there was sufficient angst and obstacles without being a ten handkerchief sob fest. Alex and Jake were both relatable and infuriating by turns - I understood the reasons why they came together, and why they pushed each other away, I even understood the reasons why each of them became angry on occasion.

Overall, despite the tragedy in Alex's past this was a life-affirming novel about second chances and the human capacity for 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: The Anniversary

The Anniversary by Roisin Meaney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lily's mother Kitty has died after a battle with dementia and Lily has decided to sell Land's End, the family home by the sea. On the verge of finalising her divorce from Charlie after 26 years of marriage and with a wedding to her new fiance Joe in the offing she decides to invite the whole family to Land's End one last time for the May Day bank holiday. Her daughter Poll and her boyfriend Aidan, her son Thomas, Joe, Charlie and Charlie's girlfriend Chloe. The weekend was never going to be easy, not when Chloe is only one year older than Poll, but the tensions are ratcheted up by a series of random acts of violence and shocking revelations.

How to rate this? First off, I have to confess I clearly didn't read the blurb properly and/or wasn't paying full attention to the start of the book because I was convinced this was set in the USA, clearly it is set in Ireland. Second, these intense multi-generational family novels aren't really my cup of tea.

Having said all of that, I enjoyed this. Watching family dynamics, the way that 30 year old adults revert to being children when surrounded by their parents and siblings. The way that a 59 year old man and his 27 year old girlfriend interact and who pulls the strings in the relationship. The way in which different people deal with grief. Unpicking the memories of childhood and the associations with a special place, good and bad.

However, I thought the epilogue was a bit rushed, 12 months later and everything has changed - maybe the long weekend was a catalyst for seismic changes for all concerned, but it felt like each of the characters underwent a significant change in their lives between the end of the book and the epilogue and I kind of felt that I had been cheated out of their emotional journey from the end of the holiday to the epilogue.

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

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Review: Summer at West Sands Guest House

Summer at West Sands Guest House by Maggie Conway
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the first book and was eager to read this when I saw it on NetGalley but I'm afraid it didn't have the same pull as the first book for me.

Molly Adams is getting divorced after her husband left her for another woman. She is left in the soulless new house in Glasgow they bought together, hates her job and feels a total failure. Her brother is moving to St Andrews for work with his family and while they look for a house they have rented the whole of West Sands Guest House, they invite Molly to stay for a few weeks.

Molly soon fits in with the quaint Scottish town, the beautiful golf links where she rekindles her love for the game, the cosy shops and the lovable characters, including the rather taciturn golf professional Tom Kennedy who always seems to see her at her worst.

This was a sweet and gentle romance - maybe too sweet and gentle for my tastes, I didn't really feel any tension and Molly and Tom didn't have enough personality to stand out as characters. Overall, if I hadn't read the first book I would probably have enjoyed this more.

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

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