romance

Review: Huckleberry Summer by Jennifer Beckstrand

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20140612-125512-46512637.jpg Aahhh, young love! The tension, the fun, the sighing when you re-live a good date, the well-intentioned interference of the matchmaking grandparents…. Yeah.

Anna and Felty were successful in the match of their grandson Moses, and now they’ve moved on to shy Lily and brazen Aden. Beckstrand totally cracked me up with Lily blushing all the time, Aden the bad boy trying to be good, Felty and Anna bantering and giving sidelong glances. She writes likeable characters and strong dialogue. The story is meaty enough to sink into, but easy enough that I could read without working at it.

Aden and Lily’s love story was charming and believable. I liked how Aden kept persisting, even when Lily’s dad rejected him over and over again. The best part was when Lily used the strength of Aden’s love for her to stand up for herself. Brava, Lily!

I’ve fallen in love with these contemporary Amish young adults and their search for fun, friendship, and godly love. Bring on Book Three!

-Calliope

Read my review of book one, Huckleberry Hill.

buy HUCKLEBERRY SUMMER

Review: The Last Word by A. L. Michael

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20140527-195639-71799185.jpg
Tabitha was playing it safe, blogging from home in her pajamas, going out occasionally with her roommates, and avoiding romantic relationships… Until editor Harry Shulman offered her a job at the newspaper doing real journalism. Tabby did everything she could to avoid the opportunity, remembering the disaster that landed on her the last time she worked for a major news outlet.

The conversations in this book are snappy! Tabitha’s convos with her roommates and Harry are quick-witted, and so are the times she’s just talking to herself… Useful characteristic for a blogger, but a little annoying when your editor is trying to ask you out on a date. 🙂

And oh how I enjoyed Harry and Tabby’s dates. Her head on his shoulder. Flirting on car rides. Restaurant debacles. The beach. Holding hands. Staring with affection and sometimes confusion. Kissing. Sigh. I was totally brought back to being in my twenties and going on fun dates and bantering and falling in love.

Every facet of The Last Word was done well. The characters were developed appropriately for their roles (Tabby’s mom was hilarious!), and, for the most part, they were likeable. (Ex-boyfriend/ex-editor was hate-able in a wonderful way.) The plot drove forward at a respectable speed. Everyone’s relationships made sense. Natural dialogue and excellent writing made for easy reading. I’m impressed, especially knowing that Carina UK, an imprint of the publisher Harlequin, is only a year old! Well done, A.L. Michael and editors.

The only interruptions to the flow of this terrific read were the drinking and weed-smoking binges. They aren’t really my scene, but I see how it could make sense if you’re in your twenties, living in the city with roommates also in their twenties.

Honestly, I know it’s a good book when at the end I shut the kindle cover and sigh with contentment. The Last Word totally did it for me. Tabitha was a spitfire sweetheart, and Harry was so awesome I could read ten books about the man! (A.L. Michael, does Harry have a doppelgänger?)

–Calliope

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Review: Before We Kiss by Susan Mallery

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20140419-225500.jpg The latest Fool’s Gold romance has girl next door Dellina trying not to fall in love with strong, silent, private Sam. Their romance starts off slow, heats up, cools down, and ends with a public announcement no one expects. I loved it!

I also liked this book for the camaraderie of Taryn and the football guys she works with, and the consistent support the women provide to each other. There’s something to be said for knowing there’s always someone to rely on, just a block or two away.

Before We Kiss has a lot of, um, instructions for intimacy. Graphic ones. Ones that will make you uncomfortable, and not always in a bad way. 😉 Sometimes Sam’s mother tells someone something no one wants to hear, and other times her candid sex conversations are quite educational. Be prepared!

If you’re an animal lover, this is the Susan Mallery book for you. A major subplot involves Larissa and her compulsion to help animals. By the end of the book, at least two main characters become grateful pet owners. Meow. Woof. 🙂

This was yummy icing on the cake of a week’s worth of reading Susan Mallery. In a few months I’ll be reviewing more, as I have a permanent place in my heart for Fool’s Gold, its caring women, and its smokin’ hot…. I mean LOVING… men.

–Calliope

Buy BEFORE WE KISS

Review: Unmasking Juliet by Teri Wilson

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20140522-211508-76508850.jpg This Juliet faces off with Leo, not Romeo… but their respective families have been in a feud for decades, just like the Montagues and Capulets. Both families make chocolate, and Juliet and Leo find themselves competing against each other at several chocolate competitions. In between trying to best each other, they do a little talking, a little getting to know each other, and a little kissing. Wait until you see what their families think!

I loved these characters! Juliet is strong, sassy, and sweet. Leo is romantic, gentle, and persistent. They each have outspoken relatives that remind me of a big Italian Sunday dinner…. you know, the mom who can stop a train with her glare, the cousin who “by mistake” spills secrets over dessert, the uncle who isn’t quiiiiiite right. These people are heartwarming, charming, and funny.

Know what else is great about Unmasking Juliet? The chocolate. Truffles. Hot chocolate. Caramel chocolate with sea salt. Chocolate covered strawberries. Chocolate bars. More truffles.

This book starts with a masked ball and ends with a happily-ever-after. The middle is magical… and delicious.

–Calliope

buy UNMASKING JULIET

Review: The Marriage Pact by Linda Lael Miller

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20140518-214023-78023213.jpg Parts of this book were fun, and other parts were a little hokey, and still others were a little bit confusing. I’ll tell ya what’s what, and you can decide if it’s a book for you. (I totally believe everyone’s tastes are good for them, and some people’s mediocre is other people’s terrific. So read on.)

Hadleigh and Tripp grew up together, and despite her wedding that didn’t end in I-DO, and his wedding that ended in divorce, Hadleigh has always been a little bit in love with Tripp. Tripp’s persistence and Hadleigh’s reluctance create fun romantic tension that I loved! Tripp is a chivalrous, handsome cowboy and courts Miss Hadleigh with notions of settling down. The one little problem with the romance was that it jumped abruptly from Hadleigh not wanting to give in to her own feelings of love for Tripp, to all of a sudden being all-in, head over heels.

This book is the first in a series, each centering on one woman in a circle of three friends. They make a pact to support each other in their searches for husbands. This is the part I thought was a little hokey. Do people in their late 20s/early 30s do this? Make pacts with charm bracelets and promises? I’ve never heard of such a thing. It seemed very teenager-ish to me. And a little contrived. I think best friends would naturally be there for each other without a formal agreement!

I love Miller’s characters: well-thought-out, likable, distinct, and memorable. Tripp being a gentle, loving, caring, rich, gorgeous, perfect cowboy hero? I dig it. But I’m not a fan of the heroine changing her tune in a New York minute, nor her friends contriving a marriage pact.

–Calliope

buy THE MARRIAGE PACT

Review: Room for Love by Sophie Pembroke

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20140515-225338.jpg Well, I have never met a sweeter hero! Nate is the gardener, sure, but he’s also at innkeeper Carrie’s beck and call when her inheritance – The Avalon – endures some hilarious emergencies. He is just determined to do right by Carrie and her grandmother’s legacy, even if Carrie doesn’t appreciate him.

This guy figures out how to get exotic purple roses the day before a wedding! He takes care of the drunk and hungover stag party friends, the elderly friends of the inn, the gardens, and most importantly, Carrie. He doesn’t want anything in return, either. Well, he WANTS, he just doesn’t EXPECT. 🙂

Carrie is a workaholic, out trying to prove she can do anything, do it herself, and do it well. She can, of course…. but the handsome gardener decides to help. And that, my friends, is the start of something beautiful… Funny, crazy, nostalgic, and beautiful.

-Calliope
buy ROOM FOR LOVE

Review: Sweet Filthy Boy, by Christina Lauren

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“I want to love all of my life as much as I love this night.”

Can I be honest?? I never expected this book to be as amazing as it was. I expected romance and silliness, and a good story. But I never expected the angst and emotions and the sweetness. Be still my heart. I feel in love with this sweet filthy boy. Completely, head over heels in love.

I will also admit, that I never even read the blurb for this, until I just start this post. I went in, with no preconceived ideas or views. All I knew was this was by the same girls who wrote Beautiful Bastard series. I was shocked by this story. If the others are going to be this way, sign me up right now. Where are those pre-orders??

Mia just graduated from college and is going to business school, in the fall. But before she goes, she plans on having the best three weeks of her life. Then her new reality will set in and the life she never wanted, will be hers.

Ansel is truly the perfect sweet filthy French boy. He will melt your heart as well as your panties. Serious swooning happened, while reading this. Honest to goodness swooning. The man was so sweet I could picture his dimple in my mind. I wanted to reach in and just love all over him. He was just too…too sweet and sexy. When he speaks to her in French…be still my heart.

“He’s the one making me lose my breath, making me feel like there’s not enough room in my body for him and air at the same time, but nothing has ever felt so good.”

After an insane one night stand, she makes the life altering decision to follow him to France. She wants a summer of fun and playing before she has to live a life she never chose.

But as the weeks go by, all the playing lines are distorted and she questions what to do. It doesn’t help that Ansel is the perfect boy for her. It doesn’t help that he brings her out of her comfort zone. It definitely doesn’t help that actually solves some major issues for her, quite easily I might say.

On a side note, Mia has some issues that many people face and I was so happy to see it addressed in here. I have never heard of a story line mentioning this, and I mostly read love stories. But not all love stories are perfect. Not all thing match up. I could sense her frustration and I felt right along with her. I appreciate that aspect of the story.

Ansel was not only the most gorgeous Frenchman, had the most dirtiest mouth. One of the best parts of this story were his scribbled phrases, he would leave her each day. Cracked me up!! That dirty boy made me blush!!

I really enjoyed this story and I seriously can’t wait to read the next one. If it’s anything like this, I may have to buy these for my shelf.

~Melpomene

Buy Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons)

Review: Special Interests by Emma Barry

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20140506-000210.jpg Special Interests is smart and sassy. Millie the idealist meets Parker the jaded, and they form an uneven friendship on Capitol Hill.

Parker is practical, working 24/7 to pass a budget. Millie is principled, standing up for the underdog. They grow to depend on each other, and something more than a friendship develops.

I love the quick-witted conversations, the last-minute phone calls, the impetuous touches. Millie doesn’t take any crap from Parker, and he respects her for that. I also appreciate that even though they don’t agree 100% on the best budget package, they manage to plow through their differences and maintain a personal relationship.

My very favorite scene is when Parker takes Millie home for Sunday dinner. What a fiasco. An eye-opening, fireworks-filled, falling-in-love turning point. It reminded me of real life, when those you love defend a position you disagree with, but their commitment to their values is so attractive it makes you love them even more.

–Calliope

Last time I checked, this was only $3.03 for Kindle!
buy Special Interests

Review: Always on My Mind by Bella Andre

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20140424-153424.jpg Always on My Mind is such a fun read! Totally unrealistic, a bit far-fetched, and full of too-convenient resolutions… but so, so fun.

Lori is a dancer who was betrayed by her dancer boyfriend. Grayson is a widower avoiding his grief. The meet-cute is on Grayson’s farm with Lori in her sequined dance costume.

Their relationship starts off as lusty hate, moves through predictable mishaps, misunderstandings and forgiveness, and ends up a happily ever after. Reeeeealllllly straightforward, but the sparks between Lori and Grayson are so hot that you’re really not so concerned with the depth of the plot. Chemistry and sexual tension abound. Lori and Grayson love it and I did too. 😉

Although the story is devoid of subplots, Andre gives Lori’s Sullivan siblings plenty of appearance time. It’s always fun to remember which Sullivan just got married or had a baby or bought a home. Most of the story is really about Lori and Grayson, but the love of family is ever-present, and the Sullivans all come together at the end.

–Calliope

Buy ALWAYS ON MY MIND