by Nicole
| Title: | Some Like it Sinful |
| Author: | Robbie Terman |
| Publisher | Engangled: Edge |
| Publication Date: | November 25, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | Their attraction is sinfully delicious…
A struggling business and one act of vandalism may have brought them together, but bakery owner Chloe Nelson and professional hockey player Griffin Lange get along like chocolate and pickles. Chloe needs the famous (and famously unattached) Griffin to attract people to her pastries, and Griffin needs the curvaceous and fiery Chloe to keep him out of trouble. A fake relationship to keep the media interested seems like the perfect plan.
But when temptation throws them into bed together, a new plan arises. Why not make the fake real? Griffin’s winning every home game, and Chloe’s business has never been better. Both know it’s only physical—and only temporary. But can they drop their defenses for love, even if it means getting a little bit sinful? |
| My rating: | *** |
I found this book’s premise highly improbable, but it was the laughably thin sabotage plot that had me rolling my eyes here. This was like “Kimmy Gibbler on Full House”-level intrigue, and I was embarrassed at how long it took for these otherwise functional adults to catch on. Griffin gets slammed into baseboards and knocked around for a living, so I don’t mind that he wasn’t putting two and two together and coming up with four, but what was Chloe’s excuse for not figuring out what was happening here? It annoys me when otherwise sharp characters are dumbed down in an unbelievable way in the name of plot advancement. I wish that this book had just stuck to the romance, non romantic interpersonal relationships, and sports angles, and not tried to shoehorn in an ill-fitting “mystery.”
Aside from those gripes, I did like how Chloe and Griffin grew closer to one another and also blossomed as individuals. I felt that they both changed in believable ways as a result of being with each other. Although it wasn’t perfect, this book is a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours. Fans of Susan Mallery and others who enjoy contemporary romance novels should give this title a try.
2013 3 Star Books Contemporary Netgalley Romance
by Nicole
| Title: | Nerd Girl |
| Author: | Sue Lee |
| Publisher | Sue Lee |
| Publication Date: | December 2, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | Everyone knows that office romances can be risky, but how much are you willing to sacrifice for love?
Julia Hayes is beautiful, successful, sometimes nerdy, and perpetually single. She lives in Seattle and just landed her dream job at one of the most iconic technology companies in the world.
When Julia embarks on a new career opportunity, a serendipitous event literally throws her in the path of Ryan McGraw, the hot and charming VP. As the attraction grows between them, it's not long before Julia realizes that things are more complicated than they appear.
Nerd Girl is a heartwarming love story about a woman at the crossroads between true love and her career. It's about deciding what’s most important in life and taking chances to get it. But most of all, it's about not letting your mind prevent you from following your heart. |
| My rating: | **** |
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, but I would have bought it anyway. I really liked with Julia, who, at the start of this novel, is a somewhat reserved woman getting over her ex’s betrayal. I felt like Ms. Lee really captured what it is like to be a bit removed even in the midst of one’s romances, and showed how Julia’s relationship with Ryan led to changes in the way that Julia thought about everything. I like that she wasn’t a pushover, even when it came Ryan, with whom she was madly in love. I finished this book in one evening, and have gone back to look at specific passages several times in the days since. If you like sexy contemporary romances that feature smart and mature characters who nevertheless are still figuring things out, this may be the book for you.
Also, the thinly veiled Microsoft stuff never got old for me, and made me think of Douglas Coupland’s Microserfs, which may have made me light this book even better than I already did.
2013 4 Star Books Book Reviews Contemporary Story Cartel
by Nicole
| Title: | A Second Blessing (Life in Blessing Tales) |
| Author: | Anne Keller |
| Publisher | Amazon Digital Services |
| Publication Date: | October 31, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | 38-year old Abbey Carr was living her dream life – married to a successful chef, mother to two great kids, and living in a nice house in the Los Angeles suburb of Hollywood. But all of that changed the day she discovered the love letter from her best friend in her husband's pants pockets.
Now, ten months and one divorce later, Abbey finds herself living the crazy life of a single mom in Long Beach, California, raising two tweenies by herself while trying to keep a roof over their head working as a freelance PR specialist.
As her first Christmas alone approaches, she can't help but wonder what she will do with herself. The kids would be away at her ex-husband's family reunion in Florida and most of her freelance public relations clients were closing down for the holidays. It looked as though it was just going to be her and her mom all alone around a lonely, little Christmas tree.
Unbeknownst to her, fate had other plans…
A last minute business trip sends her a thousand miles away to the idyllic mountain community of Blessing, Colorado where she just might find her SECOND BLESSING. |
| My rating: | *** |
I received this book for free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.
Abbey was a great protagonist. She was realistic and easy to identify with. I felt bad that so many people in her life were giving her static about dating/sex so soon after her divorce, but her relationship with Bill felt natural and unforced (even with the helpful pushes they received from others). Bill was a likeable hero, and the two of them together made a lot of sense. Being privy to his internal dialog was helpful. Abbey’s ex made a satisfying villain, although he, like many of the other secondary characters in this novel, seemed to be underdeveloped and propped up by stereotypes. Wendy was 100% a caricature of the remorseless home-wrecking shrew, and it was impossible for me to understand why Abbey would have been friendly with such a vile person.
The story felt a bit underdeveloped and the ending rushed, but I would have given it a higher rating if it had been better edited. I went into this book thinking like a reader, and not an editor, but was pulled out of what was happening by the grammatical errors, poor word choices, and typos that I encountered. This is not a complex story, but it is an enjoyable read, and I wish that more care had been taken in its presentation. As this book one in a series, I can understand why certain aspects of what happened in Blessing weren’t given more attention, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
2013 3 Star Books Book Reviews Contemporary Romance Story Cartel
by Nicole
| Title: | Sneaking Candy |
| Author: | Lisa Burstein |
| Publisher | Entangled Publishing, LLC |
| Publication Date: | December 9, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | All I ever wanted was to make a name for myself as Candice Salinas, creative writing grad student at the University of Miami. Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.
Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps? |
| My rating: | **** |
I enjoyed this book; having never been overly steeped in an academic lifestyle (my courses of study never required as much from me as Candice’s did from her) initially, I wasn’t quite sure what the fuss was about, or why Professor Dylan was such a jerk. Over the course of the novel, as I learned more about Candice, I felt like I understood why she struggled the way she did with how to reconcile her erotic and serious writing, and why she was so messed up over her attraction to James. At the end of the book I did have a few questions (how did Candy get so many fans in just one month? how is she on people’s favorite author lists on the strength of only one book? what constituted the fraud that required her to give back part of her stipend? how could the whole situation with Professor Dylan have been resolved so quickly? who pissed in her parents’ cornflakes??), but I generally enjoyed the ride. The secondary characters in this novel were a bit underdeveloped and weren’t as well-realized as Candice and James. I found Amanda to be a especially annoying and unforgivably reckless with Candice’s life. James felt a little too good to be true. It’s good that he was able to stick with Candice long enough for her to determine what she wanted but, even though it wasn’t her intention to hurt him or play with his feelings, she jerked him around a lot in this story and I don’t think that anybody could have blamed him for deciding that he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her.
I like this New Adult book on its own merits, and also because of the refreshing lack of horrific backstory on the part of either main character (distant, disappointing parents and a crappy ex barely rate when compared to some of the truly awful things other NA characters have experienced).
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
2013 4 Star Books Book Reviews Erotic Romance Netgalley New Adult Romance
by Nicole
| Title: | Hush, Little Baby |
| Author: | Suzanne Redfearn |
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
| Publication Date: | October 8, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description |
"If I stay, he will kill me. If I leave, he'll destroy Addie and Drew." Jillian Kane appears to have it all - a successful career, a gorgeous home, a loving husband, and two wonderful children. The reality behind closed doors is something else entirely. For nine years, she has hid the bruises and the truth of her abusive marriage in order to protect Addie and Drew, knowing, if she left, Gordon would destroy her-destroy them. When, in an act of desperation, she flees, her worst nightmare is realized, and she finds herself on the run with her two young children, no money, and no plan. With Gordon in hot pursuit, there is only one inescapable certainty: No matter where she goes, he will find her. Kill her. And take her children. A riveting page-turner, HUSH LITTLE BABY exposes the shame and terror of domestic violence as well as the disturbing role manipulation and sabotage can play in the high-stakes game of child custody. Suspenseful and unforgettably moving, it's a novel about the unbreakable bonds of family and the astounding, terrifying devotion of a mother's love. |
| My rating: | ***.5 |
I appreciated this book, which is different than other books that I’ve read which have featured domestic violence. For one thing, Jill is not a loner who has been discouraged from having a job, or maintaining her relationships with family and friends; she’s a highly-skilled architect who feels more confident and comfortable in her professional role than with her children. Her husband is not a mouth-breathing alcoholic who is distrusted by all who know her; Gordon is a respected police officer who is well-liked by colleagues and generally regarded as the more natural parent to his children with Jill. So right off, the power dynamics of this story felt fresh to me and kept me engaged. There were a lot of soapy elements to this novel (multiple kidnappings, illness-induced memory-loss, life-threatening illness, etc.), but they never felt cheap. I’m buying this book for my library’s collection and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy suspenseful fiction.
2013 3.5 Star Books Book Reviews Netgalley
