Review: A Beastly Kind of Earl

A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thea Knight has been an outcast ever since two members of the nobility besmirched her reputation. Estranged from her parents, corresponding with her sister in secret, she plans to restore her reputation by publishing and distributing a thinly veiled account of her troubles amongst the ton. When her sister Helen needs help to elope with the eldest son of Viscount Ventnor, coincidentally the older brother of one of the men who ruined her reputation, Thea doesn't hesitate and willingly agrees to pretend to be her sister to allow them to travel to Gretna Green.

Rafe, the Earl of Luxborough, has been bribed by Viscount Ventor with the promise of rare orchids to keep Helen away from his precious son and heir. Badly scarred by an encounter with a jaguar, Rafe is experimenting with creating medicinal compounds from plants found in his travels overseas. At the same time he needs a significant influx of capital to further his schemes, which could be achieved by marriage as his mother has left him money in trust which can only be accessed when he has married. Rafe knows that Helen and Thea have conspired to swap places and he comes up with a cunning plan - enter into a marriage and get his inheritance then when his wife's real identity is exposed his marriage will be void. He thinks Thea is a scheming social-climbing outcast and has little concerns for her feelings.

Following a clever piece of blackmail by Rafe, Thea and Rafe wed, but at her friend Arabella Larke's request Rafe agrees that they will not consummate the marriage for one month, something that works out well for both of them. They soon repair to Rafe's country home Brinkley End where Thea soon discovers Rafe's secret laboratory and his mysterious servants.

The more I write the more twists and turns in the novel come to mind, so I will stop now. Suffice to say that this is a fun read, both Thea and Rafe and engaging characters there is tons of plotting and counterplotting, dastardly lords and a satisfying comeuppance for all those who did Thea wrong.

Mia Vincy is fast becoming a must-buy author for me, loved this latest historical romance.

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Review: Been There, Married That

Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie Grazer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 25%.

Agnes Murphy Nash is the perfect Hollywood wife, until her husband decides he's bored and wants a divorce - and he lets her know by locking out of their McMansion while she is out at a party, because he doesn't like conflict.

This was a frenetic disjointed stream of consciousness. Agnes wasn't really a sympathetic character and I really didn't understand what was happening as she careened from celebrity hairdresser to the stars to an interview with a gossip columnist to a gals night out without pause or any indication that the date and place had changed.

Even worse, I just didn't find this funny, maybe you have to be in Hollywood to get the in-jokes and understand the allusions. Anyway, I tried twice over six weeks and couldn't make it past a quarter of the way through the book.

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



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Review: Christmas in the City

Christmas in the City by L.J. Shen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a Kindle freebie which I only got for the Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen novella. As always a mixed bunch of romances some better than others.

Helena Hunting & L.J. Shen - Just The Tip
Three stars, Christmas romance in Paris spoilt only by the misconceptions about English swearing, the nature of B sides and mistaking a Marquis for a marquee.

Corinne Michaels & Melanie Harlow - Baby it’s Cold Outside
One star, DNF.

Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward - Kissmas in New York
Three and a half stars. A dare, a Christmas kiss with a stranger and a divorce.

Sierra Simone & Kennedy Ryan - The Christmas Crown
One star. Concerns Noelani, queen of Manaroa - automatic DNF.

Penny Reid & LH Cosway - Songbird
One star, DNF.

Elle Kennedy & Sarina Bowen - EPIC
Four stars, all the feels. Jamie and Wes are back.

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Review: To Tempt The Saint

To Tempt The Saint by Megan Bryce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honora Kempe makes a living getting engaged to middle-class men and then being so unpleasant that they are forced to break off the engagement, at which time she extorts money from them for breach of promise and loss of her ability to find another beau. She doesn't do this because she is evil but because she was cruelly taken advantage of by a married man who took her innocence and ruined her forever, now she is determined to get vengeance.

George St Clair lost his one true love to his twin brother and ever since he has been cynical about love and women. Then a chance meeting with an abrasive woman at a lecture on the future of steam changes everything. As he attends the series of weekly lectures the woman and her companions simultaneously irritate and intrigue him.

Both George and Honora are hiding their true identities, but when the truth emerges from the most unlikely source is the romance over?

I like Megan Bryce's characters. They feel real and like people I woul want to get to know. Too often in historical romances the hero is a bit opaque, his feelings and motivations too formulaic, not here. George and his feelings and his hesitance are all vividly brought to life. I was disappointed to discover I have already read the other books in this series as I was looking forward to more of these clever, engaging historical romances.

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Review: Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy by Caitlin Crews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Ty Everett is the second of the three Everett brothers, each tortured in some way by their upbringing. He left home when he was eighteen, gifted only with a black eye from his bitter father, to join the rodeo. A little over eighteen months ago he was trampled by a bull and the doctors thought he might never walk again but he pulled through although he still has a limp. He returned to the family ranch after his father's death and has agreed with his brothers to spend a year on the ranch before they decide what to do with their inheritance. What no-one knows is that Ty lost two years of his memories when he was stomped by the bull.

Hannah Monroe was a Rodeo Queen, she and Ty got married secretly but he freaked when she announced she was pregnant and told her he never wanted a child, or to see her again. Now she's come to Cold River Ranch to get a divorce. But when Ty does not recognise Hannah she has to decide whether to hope his memory comes back or turn her back on the only man she's ever loved.

I did enjoy this but having read all three brothers' books I did start to feel this was all a bit rinse and repeat. Each brother is torn up inside in fear that he is just like their drunken, violent, twisted father. Each woman in her own way is a bit of a doormat and (of course) a virgin for one reason or another until she meets the Everett brother of her dreams. In each case it's the woman who has to do all the running with the Everett brother either totally oblivious or fighting it hard.

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Review: Grown-Ups

Grown-Ups by Marian Keyes
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 24%.

The story is about the three Casey brothers, their wives and assorted children. The families spend a lot of time together (Easter etc) but there are tensions simmering under the surface, second marriages, truculent teenagers, step-siblings, fears of inadequacy, etc.

Johnnie and Jessie Casey own their own business but seem to be running into monetary difficulties which Jessie is resolutely ignoring while she pays for the entire family to spend the holidays together at a swanky hotel.

Cara is married to Johnnie's brother Ed. She's Jessie and Johnnie's accountant and desperately tried to rein in their spending. She's also crippled by her own lack of self-esteem and an unhealthy relationship with food.

The third brother is Liam, this is his second marriage and he won't allow his (younger) second wife Nell to interact with the children from his first marriage. Nell is unconventional and has drawn the attention of some of her teenager nephews.

Unfortunately I just couldn't seem to distinguish one family from the other or get their relationships straight - frankly writing this I am surprised there are only three couples because it felt like a lot more. I tried with this book I really did, I have loved Marian Keyes since I read the Walsh family series (before it was called the Walsh family) back in the late-1990s and I really enjoyed The Break when I received an ARC but I just couldn't get to grips with this at all.

So after my second or third attempt (and twenty-five chapters) I gave up.

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

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Review: Landing the Lawman

Landing the Lawman by Kadie Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Carter Hill is the only Hill daughter and a water rights consultant. Her biggest client is lawyer Logan Cortez who has dedicated his life to helping small farms protect their water supply.

What started out as a working relationship evolved over time into a friendship where Carter helped Logan to see there was more to life than work. But after Carter's relationship ends both she and Logan start to realise that there could be more to their relationship than just friendship, but it takes Carter's mother being injured for the two of them to cross that line.

I have enjoyed this series and I was looking forward to reading Carter's story. Whilst I enjoyed both the start and the ending I felt the middle of the book sagged a bit for me and it didn't hold my attention, hence it took me the best part of December to finish a book I would normally expect to read in just over a day. Autry's book Taming the Troublemaker remains my favourite of the series.

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

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Review: A True Cowboy Christmas

A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlin Crews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After burying his bitter and twisted father Gray Everett realises he needs to change his life to avoid following in his father's footsteps. And what better way to change than to find a suitable wife? After his first wife left him and their daughter because farming was boring Gray is looking for a woman who understands farming life, someone practical, someone salt-of-the-earth, a companion, a helpmate, romance doesn't enter into his thoughts. When his eye alights on his neighbour Abby Douglas he thinks his prayers have been answered.

Abby Douglas has been in love with Gray ever since she was a young girl. But no-one ever wants to be called salt-of-the-earth or be praised for practicality and being sensible, but ultimately the idea of marrying the man of her dreams, of building a family with him and being a mother to his daughter is too much to resist.

Friends to lovers trope meets marriage of convenience as Abby deals with Gray, his two younger brothers, his daughter and her own feelings of inferiority. For Cal, the marriage turns out better than he could have hoped ... until Abby lets slip that she has always loved him, then his sensible, no-nonsense, business transaction becomes all about feelings.

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Review: Carry Me Home

Carry Me Home by Rosalind James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Professor Zoe Santangelo is a new hire at the local college in Paradise, Idaho although her long-term ambition is research at one of the Ivy League colleges in her chosen field of Hydrogeology. A native Californian she hasn't yet learned how to deal with Idaho weather and spins out of control on black ice where she is rescued by a local 'farmer' called Cal.

Cal Jackson may be a farmer now but he was once an NFL football player and a household name. Professor Santangelo is small, curvy and all sorts of sassy, her complete ignorance of who Cal is or what he used to do is very refreshing, as is her suspicion and general attitude.

Paradise Idaho is also the home to a serial rapist who likes to stalk and terrorise young female students, Zoe and Cal get drawn into his orbit when one of Zoe's students becomes his next obsession.

Rosalind James is a writer who can write different genres quite effortlessly. I know her best for her New Zealand rugby romances but I have read some of her romantic suspense before. She writes gritty, scarey, violent thrillers with a side order of romance with strong, likeable heroines and equally likeable heroes.

In equal parts, sexy, frightening and swooney this was a great intro to a new series (for me).

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Review: Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart

Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart by Katey Lovell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Leanne and Richard planned to leave London and buy a cottage in Kent, it was rundown and in need of serious repairs but they could afford to buy it outright and restore it themselves. Then Richard died suddenly and Leanne is left with a dilapidated cottage, no DIY skills and very little money.

Drawn into the small world of a seaside village in winter Leanne begins to make new friends and learns new skills, could romance also be on the horizon?

This was a sweet, predictable romance featuring a sexy handyman, a cute dog, a cottage with rising damp and an awful lot of fish and chips.

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

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Review: Marriage on Madison Avenue

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in this series about three women who discover that they have all been sleeping with the same man: his wife, his mistress and his girlfriend. On the day of his funeral they meet for the first time and make a pact to support each other and prevent them from entering into another disastrous relationship.

This book features Audrey Tate, a social media influencer, and Clarke West. They have been BFFs since they were at school and nothing is ever going to change that. Heck Clarke frequently announces his engagement to Audrey to deflect over-eager girlfriends, or in this case to stop his pushy mother matchmaking him with his ex-girlfriend. At first this fake engagement is no different to the others, then Audrey's past catches up to her and she decides that prolonging the fake engagement could help her profile. Soon the fake engagement gathers a life of its own with an engagement party, cake-tasting and trying on wedding dresses. But the longer they fake it the more they realise this engagement feels more like the real thing than anything they've ever done.

This was cute and fun, I love the friends to lovers trope, and the fake engagement trope so mixing the two together with Manhattan and social media in a sexy cocktail is just so satisfying. Light, funny, frothy and sweet this was a perfect light-hearted 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: The Forgotten Sister: A gripping love story, a mysterious death, and the devastating secret that binds them

The Forgotten Sister: A gripping love story, a mysterious death, and the devastating secret that binds them by Nicola Cornick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lizzie Kingdom is a children's TV presenter, her best friend from school Dudley Lester is the lead singer in a rock band. When Dudley's wife Amelia dies in mysterious circumstances Dudley and Lizzie fall under suspicion. But there are parallels with events which happened in Tudor times where Amelia's ancestor Amy was married to Robert Dudley, first Earl of Leicester and lover of Queen Elizabeth.

Alternating between Lizzie's POV in the present day and Amy's POV in the 1500s we learn of how Amy Robsart married Robert Dudley but all too soon her husband's obsession with his childhood friend the Princess Elizabeth draws them into the often lethal politics after the death of Henry VIII. How Amy and her sister Anna sit on opposite sides of the religious division, Anna married to a papist supporter of Princess Mary and RObert Dudley's family supporting Lady Jane Grey and Princess Elizabeth.

In the present day Lizzie comes to realise that she has put her trust in the wrong people, things are not what they seem and it falls on her to uncover the truth about the Robsart family and a pattern that has repeated itself throughout history.

I guessed the truth behind Amelia's death quite early on,(view spoiler)[ frankly the book's title is a bit of a spoiler (hide spoiler)] but I really enjoyed the insights into the political machinations of Dudley and his family, the way in which a family could rise to power one minute and then be locked in the Tower of London the next.

Part history lesson, part mystery, part romance this was an engaging read that kept me on tenterhooks right to the end.

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

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Review: Holiday Ever After

Holiday Ever After by Amy Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A collection of 11 holiday-themed romances. As always it's a mixed bag some good, some great and some that really didn't rock my boat.

Full list:
Kimberly Kincaid – Baby, It's Cold Outside
Erika Kelly – Planes, Trains and Head Over Heels
J.H. Croix – That Snowy Night
Amy Andrews – Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Red Bikini Trouble
Lucy Score – The Mistletoe Kisser
Lili Valente – MILF on the Shelf
Erin Nicholas – Must Love Alligators
Natasha Madison – Tempt the Assistant
Willow Winters – All I Want is a Kiss
Kate Canterbary – Professional Development
Maria Luis – Kissing a Gentleman

My favourite was the Amy Andrews novella, my least favourites the Erin Nicholas and Maria Luis ones (but mainly because the Bayou and Cajuns are not my cup of tea).


This was a limited time availability Kindle freebie which has now disappeared from Amazon - go figure.

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Review: Nothing But Wild

Nothing But Wild by P. Dangelico
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dallas Van Zant is a poor little rich boy. Raised by a bipolar mother he might have all the money in the world but he learned young never to love anyone or anything, because they always leave you. A god of the water polo team he's feted by men and women, not committed to anything, drinking, sleeping and using his way through college until he joins his grandfather's beer behemoth or kills himself in one of his adrenaline-seeking stunts.

Dora might have unconventional parental units but otherwise her life is cookie-cutter perfect with ambitions to become a vet. Her only weakness is her pathetic crush on Dallas, a guy who doesn't even know she exists until one night she steps outside her comfort zone and kisses him.

If you like a YA/NA novel where the super hot stud helps the short curvy nerd tick off her To Do List for the year then you'll definitely enjoy this. Slower and more measured than the first book this is intelligent and takes place over more than just a couple of weeks. Some of Dora's friends (I mean you Zoe) are super-annoying but they aren't in many scenes so I can deal.

P Dangelico has set this at the same time as the first book so events in the first book also happen in this one. Not sure if she's intending to this with all the books in the series and whether it will be interesting or really irritating.

Anyway, considering I keep saying I'm like sooo totally over NA/YA I enjoyed this one. Guess a favourite author can make even me reconsider a tired genre with good writing and believable characters.

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



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Review: Nevermore

Nevermore by J.C. McKenzie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Raven is now the Corvid Queen, she doesn't have a clue what that means! Almost incapacitated by her her lust for the Lord of Shadows she is trying to hold down two jobs whilst also learning about her Otherness and how to be Queen of the Corvids.

Like a curate's egg, this was good in parts. There was a lot of lusting after Cole, quite a bit of explaining of the world-building and less emphasis on the arc. In this installment Raven is more involved in everyday PI investigations, even if they turn out to be linked to the struggle between the Others and the norms.

If I'm totally honest I wanted more plot, more supernatural, more detective work and less 'romance'.

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

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Review: Marked

Marked by Alex Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the first two books several years ago and never got into the third one. Then a long holiday and ennui with all my other books made me come back to this one.

Adam Ward was a high level telepath who was kicked out of the Guild for drug taking. Nowadays he freelances for the Atlanta PD working to pay off his debt to the Guild. Then his ex, Kara, calls him in distress. Her uncle has died, the Guild think it was suicide and they also think he was mad, even worse the madness seems to be spreading. Kara wants Adam to prove her uncle wasn't mad and that he didn't kill himself. Drawn against his will into Guild politics Adam is ostracised by the police and could end up losing everything. On the bright side, he has a date with Detective Cherabino.

I really enjoy this alternate reality where humans and telepaths are in an uneasy truce, tech is shunned and telepaths make their own rules.

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Review: They're Strictly Friends

They're Strictly Friends by Chloe Liese
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt misled by the blurb for this book (and the title) which made it seem as though the book would all be about the dance between an uptight Englishman and a fiery Frenchwoman as they flirted but never quite got together. Instead, Elodie and Lucas get together quite early on in the novel.

Lucas is about to take over his family business when he receives some bad news from his doctor, news which puts his career and his life plans in jeopardy. Irritatingly, we don't know exactly what this news is for quite a long time. Through mutual friends he has met and flirted with Elodie for some time, but with his diagnosis hanging over him he knows he can never act on the attraction.

When Elodie's career-driven mother gives her a draconian command to marry the son of a rival in order to consolidate a merger between their two businesses Elodie flees Paris to London for her best friend's wedding. When she breaks down in tears Lucas comforts her and offers her a place to stay in London while she gets back on her feet without the support of her parents' money.

Living together and working together Lucas and Elodie become even closer, but will Lucas' diagnosis break them apart forever?

As I say, I thought this book would be all about the unresolved romantic tension between Elodie and Lucas, instead it was all about Lucas suffering from his undisclosed medical condition and pushing Elodie away. Oh, and lots and lots of sex. And more sex. And pushing Elodie away, and refusing to tell anyone what the problem was, and more sex.

I wanted to DNF this book at about 14%, but I recently got a comment from someone who read one of my reviews which queried how I could possibly judge a book after only 16%, Although I stand by that decision I decided to press on with this book right to the bitter end, but having put the book down at about 90% and having to force myself to finish it I 've come to the conclusion that I know quite early on whether I want to read about the characters and whether I like the writing style. In this case, I thought early on that Lucas was a pretentious ass who nevertheless also spoke quite coarsely, and I didn't change my opinion.

I would definitely classify this as women's fiction (which rightly or wrongly I consider to be long-winded and a lot of talk about not very much).

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

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Review: On a Tuesday

On a Tuesday by Whitney G.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This cliche-ridden NA/YA angst fest had me grinding my teeth at the sheer drippiness of the heroine and the way that the hero is supposed to be a nice guy but his BFF is the biggest douche on the planet.

Grayson is pipped to be the number one draft pick for the NFL when he leaves college (and his douchey roommate is going to be second). He's the big man on campus, all the guys want to be him, or be his friend, and all the girls want to do him.

Charlotte is a nerd and a virgin to boot. Grayson sees her once and is immediately smitten. He fabricates the need for a tutor for his women's studies essays and sweet-talks the college into assigning Charlotte. They meet every Tuesday at a coffee shop and Grayson tries hard to persuade Charlotte to date him, but she thinks all jocks are untrustworthy and as the biggest jock on campus Grayson is the biggest jerk of all.

Seven years later Charlotte and Grayson meet up again at their school reunion, they haven't seen or spoken to each other since college. Grayson is now a star football player, voted MVP three times, but he never forgot his high school love and has spent the past seven years desperately searching for Charlotte. On the other hand Charlotte has spent the past seven years avoiding Grayson. Retold partly in the present day and partly in flashbacks we find out what happened to make Charlotte hate Grayson.

TBH Charlotte appeared to have atrophied as an eighteen year old, she showed no maturity and her bizarre way of avoiding Grayson whilst still being in love with him (and not showing up after agreeing to meet him) was more like a twelve year old than a twenty something. Similarly, Grayson was just so boring, so bland, so Disney hero (apart from the sex, which once Charlotte got over being a virgin was raunchy, and continuous) that he was greige, greige, greige.

If ever I needed a reminder that I am over NA/YA this was definitely it.

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Review: Risk It All

Risk It All by Katie Ruggle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cara Pax is a researcher not a bounty hunter, but with the sisters spread thin due to their mother stealing a priceless necklace and (probably) skipping bail they need all hands on deck. The trouble is Cara isn't particularly good and her first trace, Henry Kavenski, catches her breaking into his hotel room and Cara is pretty sure he didn't buy her flimsy excuses about looking for her boyfriend.

After striking out with Henry Cara decides to try a simpler capture, which turns about to be anything but, weirdly Kavenski turns up at the same time as Cara is scoping out the local dive bar, and then rescues her from an attempted murder.

Cara goes from scrape to scrape and Henry keeps rescuing her.

I really enjoyed the first book in this new series, it combined humour, mystery and romance in a way reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's early books in the Stephanie Plum series. However, I didn't get the same warm fuzzies about this book. For me it felt like most of the book was spent with Cara and Henry on the run, getting captured, escaping, on the run, rinse-and-repeat. There didn't seem to be any advancement of the arc about their mother and the missing necklace.

Here's hoping that the next book in the series goes back to more traditional bounty hunting.

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


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Review: Headliners

Headliners by Lucy Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

Professional rivals and personal enemies are forced to work together …

Nick Davenport had a successful primetime TV show, until he was secretly videoed badmouthing the head of the network behind the scenes. Sabrina Colton also had a successful primetime TV show which rivalled Nick's until revelations about her grandmother's plagiarism and her very public fight with her ex-boyfriend turned her from media sweetheart to Cruella da Ville. Now they each have one last chance, work together on the dismal Wake Me Up London breakfast TV show.

Sabrina hats Nick because he was the one who broke the news of her grandmother's plagiarism which tarred both her beloved sister Freddy's career and her burgeoning love life and her own career where Sabrina was accused of profiting from her family's lies.


Both consummate professionals Nick and Sabrina do their best for WMUL but there are a series of stupid mistakes: wrong cue cards; using vinegar instead of water in a cake etc which make them look like amateurs - could someone be sabotaging their show?

Lucy Parker at her best with two charming characters and oodles of laughs and fun. Chuck in a cute dog, lovable ex-wife, scarily clever kids and a countdown to Christmas and you have a sparkling romantic comedy. Loved it.

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

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