romance

Review: A New Hope by Robyn Carr

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  Chalk it up to summertime, or the mellowness of school break… or let’s just give credit where credit is due and applaud Robyn Carr for establishing the perfect atmosphere in her latest Thunder Point installment. 

Ginger moved to Thunder Point in the last book, and after friends help her settle in, she finds her place in A New Hope. Ginger grieves an old relationship, questions her judgement, and mourns a lost baby. And then she meets Matt, a guy so shattered by his own past that he numbs himself with women and parties. Totally not Ginger’s style. 

Until. 

Until they become friends. And confidantes. And rescuers of each other’s hearts. Carr did an amazing job of pacing the relationship, including family and friends, and making Matt’s regression realistic.  

I love how A New Hope made me feel: relaxed and uplifted, truly full of new hope. And although Carr employed some telling-instead-of-showing, her description of the Basques was fun and endearing. Oh how I wished I was drinking wine and dancing in the fields at harvest time. 

With books seven and eight, Carr has perfected the Thunder Point groove. If you liked the Virgin River series, now is the time to give Thunder Point a try. 

-calliope

Buy A NEW HOPE

Review &VIDEO: Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams

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I love reading books set in a familiar locale, so when I saw that Tiny Little Thing was set in the Boston area and Cape Cod, I knew I had to read it. I grew up in southeastern Massachusetts and spent many a summer day on the family beaches at the Cape. 

Tiny, a well-bred dancer who marries a well-bred politician, finds herself unfulfilled and held back. She wants to escape, but is conflicted about appearing callous or selfish to her in-laws who have ostensibly given her the keys to fame and fortune. 

A niggling thought just won’t let go, though. Her in-laws are hiding something. As Tiny uncovers family secrets, she also peels away her fear of the unknown. With the help of those who truly love her, Tiny takes a leap out of the family’s political circus and into her own big life. 

So I didn’t love that this was set in the ’60s – I can’t relate – I wasn’t even born yet! And I hated that Tiny was portrayed as such a “victim” who needed to be saved. But I appreciated the redeeming values of her husband, and the gentle respect of the Captain. 

My favorite thing about this family saga/romance is that Williams explored Tiny’s relationship with her sister Pepper. While restoring an old car, they restored their sisterhood. Williams even brought their mother in full-circle at the end. I like that she tied up loose ends. 

And even though Tiny wasn’t exactly the best example of a strong woman who knows her mind, she was a good woman, rescued over and over by a good man, and that’s my kind of happily ever after. 
-calliope

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Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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  Oh my. Let’s start at the end.  I go into every book anticipating a happily ever after. This book ends happy from some people’s perspectives, but it’s definitely not what I expected. 

You know what led me to believe it would be my kind of HEA? Love. That’s right, I’m a hopeless romantic when it comes to books, and I was enamored with Louisa’s love story. After a dozen years of holding back and reining in and SETTLING for the safe bet, Louisa led with her heart. 

Louisa got out there and lived and loved and made herself happy… by the side of a depressed, egotistical, narcissist who was just trying to get by with the appearance of dignity that he couldn’t feel. 

In some ways I think Me Before You comments on how some people come into our lives for only brief moments, but they touch us in such a way that our lives are forever changed. And some people – like Louisa’s longtime boyfriend – are with us for so long without affecting us at all. 

I loved the banter between Will and Louisa, the characterization of Will’s hopeless and hopeful mother, and Moyes’ skillful descriptions of time and place that made me believe I was there. 

I laughed out loud, certainly. I bawled my eyes out, as well. I hated the ending, but I’d read it again in a heartbeat. 

A little birdie told me a sequel is being released in September. 

                     *in the queue*
-calliope

Buy ME BEFORE YOU 

Review: Once Upon a Summertime by Melody Carlson

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Anna is a family girl who takes a job at a value hotel in order to be near her grandmother. Anna doesn’t expect to stay on her grandmother’s couch for two years, though. And she’s frustrated managing a hotel that isn’t in line with her hospitality philosophy. So she finally goes to New York on the referral of a friend and starts working at a chic boutique hotel… where her childhood crush is the manager. And he’s still handsome and charming and kind. And she kind of sort of can’t help falling back in love with him. 

Great plot, pretty good characters, and easy dialogue made Once Upon a Summertime a very nice read. The only thing I didn’t really like was the interaction between Anna and the other girls. The banter was contrived, and the snark was inconsistent. I couldn’t get a handle on Marley – and here Carlson missed an opportunity to let Anna show how strong she was by being an example to, or firmly standing up to, her friend. Besides that, the book is well-written and a joy to read. 

I always love the sweetness of Melody Carlson’s books. I like that she writes main characters who experience a transformation, or who grow due to a life-changing event. Anna goes from thinking about her ideas to acting on them – and in the process she becomes more true to herself. A person is always rewarded internally for living authentically, and in Once Upon a Summertime Anna is also rewarded by those she loves. 

 -calliope

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Review: The Consequence of Revenge by Rachel Van Dyken

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01 cons OH MY GOSH!!!!! MAX!!!!! I love Max. I mean, if you read Consequence #1, you met Max. He was the metrosexual best friend of Milo and would do anything for her. Even pretending to be her fiance, so she could get the man she loves. He went above and beyond the call of duty. However, after all he did, he was left alone, without a best friend anymore. And his friends were sick of his moping, so they decided to get him out of his funk.

However their way of helping is not his way. But really, who wouldn’t wanna be on a deserted island with 25 other single women?? Well…..Max. So he’s stuck on an island with the girl who turned him down, a goat, a gecko, and plenty of other women who make his insane personality almost seem normal.

This book was another hilarious installation in the Consequence series. I was cracking up. I loved how the other characters found their way to creep in the story and add to the madness.

I did feel bad for Max being surrounded by all these crazy people. However love manages to sneak in and we get to see the softer and sexier side to him. He was downright swoon worthy.

If you like romance books with plenty of laughter mixed in, and a dash or two of sexiness, then this is your book. Heck, this is your series!!

~Melpomene

Be sure to grab The Consequence of Loving Colton so you can see what happens to Max and understand why his friends did this to him. You won’t be disappointed.

Then grab The Consequence of Revenge

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Review: ’89 Walls by Katie Pierson

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25136810Confession: I wasn’t going to write a review for this book after I finished reading it. It was a good book, no major gripes, but it didn’t really compel me like most others I’ve reviewed. But the more time that passed, the more it grew on me. And I don’t mean that as a criticism in any way but instead a compliment to the author for writing such a book.

Take a step back, if you will, to 1989. If you’re around my age, that’s about the time I was graduating from high school. So it is with our characters, Seth and Quinn. But they’re on different paths in life. Quinn is from a well-to-do family and as such is on her way to college and great things in life. The same cannot be said for Seth. It’s just Seth and his mom. And his mom is very sick. So his path in life is most certainly going in a different direction from Quinn’s. Of course this means that they must fall for each other. Thus come the obstacles to their everlasting happiness.

There are many things going on with this book. I absolutely loved stepping back in time to my younger years. The cultural references were spot-on as was the description of the political atmosphere of the time. It’s now twenty-six years later and the book made me feel as if it were yesterday. The author also broaches many hot topics including abortion and political unrest.

A word of caution, however. Although it’s presented as a young adult book, there are some pretty descriptive sex scenes. Yes, it’s a teen romance at heart but still. Otherwise, read away and enjoy the trip back to the 80s!

~Thalia

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Review: Lake Como by Anita Hughes

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I loved this book so much! I just saw that NetGalley is offering another Anita Hughes novel, so be on the lookout in early August for a review of Rome in Love. ❤️

*original blog post November 2014*
Lake Como has been on my wish list for months. Yesterday I saw it was on sale for $1.40 so I scooped it up as any book lover would. It’s STILL ON SALE TODAY, and worth every penny & more!

Reading Lake Como was like sitting in the lap of luxury. You wouldn’t know Hallie was born with a silver spoon in her mouth unless you met her grandmother Constance, a well-connected part of San Francisco society. And you wouldn’t know Hallie was related to royalty unless you visited her half-siblings in Italy. She’s down-to-earth and still finding herself among families who have hidden the truth for years.

Anita Hughes introduces the reader to the worlds of cocktail dresses, gala balls, charity events and exclusive restaurants. We see that no matter what the wrappings are, people are still people underneath – with wants, needs, fears, and flaws. In Lake Como we meet Hallie’s potential love interests, her Italian family, and her loving American mother, Francesca. We see Hallie develop her professional life, connect with her half-sister Portia, and experience personal growth.

My heart broke for Hallie and Portia when they endured break-ups with men they thought they’d be with forever. And I almost cowered when the grandmothers barked their orders. But I smiled with contentment when Hughes brought me to the shores of Lake Como, with its dazzling reflections and dancing eddies.

Full of exotic romance, hyped up family dynamics, and luxurious settings, Lake Como is one of my favorite light reads of the year.

–Calliope

Buy it now Lake Como

Review: Huckleberry Harvest by Jennifer Beckstrand 

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This is book 5 in a series, but no need to read the books in order, nor start at the beginning. Grandparents Anna and Felty join forces yet again to make a love match between a beloved young relative and a Bonduel citizen. 

The story depicts young love at its sweetest, and mature love at its best. Beckstrand writes with humor, tenderness, and honesty. I love the characters and dialogue, and always, always the adventuresome comedy! 

I highly recommend the Huckleberry series for young and old alike, especially those enamored with Amish culture. 

-calliope

To read more detailed reviews of other books in the Huckleberry Hill series, CLICK HERE.

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Review: The Story of Us by Dani Atkins

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22831214This was my first experience with Dani Atkins and I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed this read it and found it a pleasure from start to finish.

Contrary to popular belief (I suppose even my own) I do enjoy a HEA story from time to time. However, they don’t always have to be predictable. I was a wee bit disappointed that this one was predictable in many ways. I knew from the moment on the roadside what the secret was. I don’t think it necessarily needed to be hinted about and toted though half the book. It could have been exposed far earlier than it was and worked though…

I have to say (and this is my one major complaint, and it still rubs me) **Spoiler**

I was very irritated by this bit:

Maybe I was just being naive, but it hadn’t occurred to me that after the night we’d just shared, Jack would still willing walk out of my life.

Uhhhh….hello!!!!! He had avoided getting serious with you though 85% of the book. He had told you that he had to leave. He had told you that he couldn’t get serious. That he didn’t believe in marriage. Yada Yada Yada….

And yet, you think because he slept with you ONLY after he asked you numerous times if you were sure and sent you away numerous times due to all those statements….well that he would magically turn into someone else? You thought you could change him? Is your vagina really that powerful? Seriously?

Okay….I DID tell you it irritated me….sorry for my little tantrum there…..but seriously women….you whine that men aren’t open and honest enough and talk about their expectations, when in reality you just want what you want and ignore what they do say…..psssfffttttt….

Okay…sorry….there I go again….

Never mind…..just go and read the book! Even though it’s a love triangle, it is handled well. I can’t object (much) with how the heroine handled the awkwardness that I often see in love triangles…

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC copy provided by Edelweiss and Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now The Story of Us by Dani Atkins

Review: GUS by Kim Holden

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01aaaa How do you go back to doing what you did before, when half of you is gone forever?

This book….This book is about so many things. This is about healing, moving on, forgiveness, love, just to name a few. This book will make you cry, and at the same time those tears will bring you healing. Your heart will be overflowing with so many emotions, the release will make you complete.

When I read Bright Side, I fell in love with Gus. I know the book wasn’t all about Gus, but I knew, I knew Gus was going to need someone very special after that. There is no way you can recover from that alone. But my heart was in no way prepared for what Gus would go through. His world was shattered. His heart was shattered. He was merely alive, but in no way living. It was going to take more than just him mom and band mates to bring him back.

On the outside, Gus is this hot rocker that likes to party all the time. He gets mixed up in all kinds of vices that are slowly tearing him apart, but he doesn’t care. His life is no longer bright, so he has lost the will to do anything anymore. Watching him self destruct was one the most painful things I’ve ever experienced. He was wrecked. There is nothing left, but a shell of a man in search of anything to fill him up.

Cue, Scout. Scout is hired on to be his keeper. Little does she know that in watching him, she is healing him. And in doing that, he is healing her as well. I loved Scout. I loved the fact that she wasn’t perfect. I loved the way that Gus brings her out of her shell. Her life was so far from ideal, that she wished for something better. I enjoyed watching her grow to realize that no matter how mismatched a family is, as long as their is love, that’s all that matters.

It cracked me up watching Gus try and figure her out. She had secrets that prevented her from living life to the fullest. But after a few rough patches, he found that making her smile was his new goal. That’s when the book became a little more funny. But don’t let that fool you. While this book had a nice dose of silliness and teasing, it had a hefty dose of reality. And sometimes reality sucks. It suck hard. But like I said before, this book will bring you healing. Just hold on tight, and perhaps grab a box of tissues before you start.

I was so thankful for a glimpse into the Bright Side characters. I needed to know that they were ok. I have to believe that even through something so devastating, with the right amount of time and love, healing can happen.

“Some people wear their scars on the outside. Others wear them on the inside.”

~Melpomene

Buy Gus

To fully understand where Gus is coming from, you must read Bright Side
You can thank me later.