romance

Review: Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes

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20140427-162223.jpgI tend to stay away from books that are labeled “romance” as this one was in several other reviews. But, because the writer is the amazing JoJo Moyes, I had to add it to my list of books read. An older publication, this story centers mostly around Liza, along with daughter Hannah and aunt Kathleen as well as many other supporting characters. Living on the coast of Australia and running an inn as well as conducting whale watching tours, Liza lives a content life although there’s an air of tragedy around her. When a development company begins to make plans to build a modern, massive resort community in their little corner of paradise, Liza’s peace of mind is threatened. The love interest comes in the form of Mike, one of the major planners of the resort. Loads of drama follows along with several nice little twists that keep the story going. I’m not going to lie, this one wasn’t nearly as good as other books by Moyes that I’ve read. It doesn’t quite reach the level of Me Before You or The Girl You Left Behind. But it’s important to remember that this one has been on the shelves for many years. It’s not really fair to compare novels written so many years apart. Part of being an author is experiencing that growth that comes naturally over time. Being a huge fan of JoJo Moyes, I’m really glad I took the time to read this one.

~Thalia

Buy it Now: Silver Bay: A Novel

Review: When We Met by Susan Mallery

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20140419-100232.jpg What a tug of war! Taryn and Angel are both tough cookies… Taryn in the boardroom and Angel in the gym. And they’re each nursing heartbreaks, though of different natures. When they meet, they use each other for a challenge, a thrill, and a distraction from reality.

The novelty of a new romance is so exciting, and Mallery conveyed the roller coaster of emotions just perfectly. From the witty banter to the teasing looks to the mysterious notes, Mallery created a romance that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the one-liners, the fashion-designer name drops, and the description of the men Taryn works and plays with. (Go read for yourself; I can’t do it justice!)

Yes, this is another Fool’s Gold romance, but WHAT A ROMANCE! The uncertainty, the tension, the climax… Well, you get the idea. 🙂

–Calliope

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Review: Hope Ignites(Hope#2), by Jaci Burton

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01hope I remember when I read Hope Flames and met Logan. I knew he was going to have a good story to tell. And I was right!!

Logan is a rancher who just wants peace and to be left alone. When he decides to let a film crew invade his land, he thought he would just make some money and never see any of them. He wants nothing to do with glitz and glamour. He is a simple man, with simple needs and doesn’t want to be bothered with any Hollywood superstars. Especially not Desiree Jenkins. One the outside, she is a beautiful young star with the world in her hand, and movie roles pouring in. But what she really is a down to earth simple girl, who wants the quiet life.

When Des meets Logan, she is intrigued. She is fascinated with the simple ranch life, and with him. She basically lays it out on the table, as to her intentions for him. It was so funny to see him trip over himself, when he was around her.

I knew I was going to like Logan. Poor guy never knew what hit him, when he met Des. After growing up with a horrible mother, who complained about ranch life, and left when he was younger, he was fine living on his own. He never thought he’d find a ranch wife. And when he met Des, he figured she was the farthest thing, so there was no harm in having a bit of fun. Well, the heart wants what the heart wants, and it wanted her.

It was perfect seeing him fall and then realize that he was holding on to the past hurts and not looking at Des as a potential partner.

I am really enjoying this series! I loved seeing Luke and Emma make an appearance in the story. I can’t wait till we get Molly’s story next.

~Melpomene

Buy Hope Ignites (A Hope Novel)

Buy the first book, Hope Flames (A Hope Novel)

Review: A Fool’s Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery

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20140419-094524.jpg I’m late reviewing a bunch of Christmas-themed romances, and I have to say I’m enjoying myself.

The Christmas spirit manifests in many ways. For Evie and Dante, newcomers to Fool’s Gold, they just want to get through the holiday emotionally unscathed. They lean on each other through Dante’s bad memories and Evie’s Christmas dance recital responsibilities. And then they lean on each other for love.

This is a typical Fool’s Gold romance in that it’s focused on the hero and heroine, there’s a wonderful sense of community, and love seems to thrive at the seasonal festivals.

But Evie and Dante’s story is original and emotional. I keep reading Susan Mallery because she knows how to make each relationship unique and compelling.

As soon as I was done with this novel, I moved on to When We Met, to be released April 29. Thank you, Ms. Mallery for providing such an authentic glimpse of fictional romances. ❤

–Calliope

Buy A FOOL’S GOLD CHRISTMAS

Review: The Face in the Mirror, by Barbara Stewart

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01face I was super excited to receive this book! After reading, and LOVING, Barbara’s Rock & Roll trilogy, I was so curious to see what else she had up her sleeve.

Synopsis from Goodreads
Loss brings things home. You reflect on what you had, and what you’ve lost.
What if you met the love of your life… Again?
What if he never fell out of love with you?
And you realized that you were still in love with him.
Could you push the past aside…
And focus on the future?
Relive what was good…
And learn from the bad?
What if you found a secret…
That revealed that everything about your family was a lie…
Changed your thoughts on love and commitment…
And turned all that you believe in upside down…
What if a mirror reflected what you loved…
And what you lost?

I am a sucker for second chance romances, especially when they happen years later. They seem to have tons of emotion and feelings. I love to see how one character always feels that is was the right decision and they think they’re happy with it. And then the past sneaks up on them, and knocks them on their butts.

Mitchell and Renee met as teenagers. They fell in love and got married. But when life got hard, she left. But as soon as tragedy strikes her, he is right there. And soon they are right where they were before. Love has a way of sneaking up and never leaving, even if you think it did.

I love the dual points of view. I like to hear what the male is thinking, in these relationships. They’re the ones that actually get my emotions all crazy. And they’re sometimes the funniest. For example, when he buys her a bathing suit, I was cracking up! I’d just die.

“I realized that I haven’t really lived these past few years. I only existed.”

“You left me broken, Renie”

I like seeing the past stories as to how they fell in love. I loved seeing the side of her mother, that she never knew about. It was very eye opening. Some parts I was just as shocked as Renie was.

By the time I reached the end of this book, I was completely satisfied. Barbara knows how to write a romance that will bring you to tears, break your heart, and then put the pieces back together. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. Beautiful story.

~Melpomene

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Review: Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

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20140417-215356.jpg The edition I read was comprised of two separate stories: Call Me Mrs. Miracle, and The Christmas Basket.

What I love about Debbie Macomber’s books (similar to Deborah Smith and Melody Carleson novels) is the magic. I don’t mean wizardry or sorcery. I mean a spiritual, magical change of heart that the characters undergo. It fills my own heart and reminds me of the beauty of my fellow man.

These stories are Christmassy, and I enjoyed reading them as much now as I would have in December. In Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Holly meets Jake Finley, heir to the successful Finley’s department store. With a little help from Mrs. Miracle, Holly and Jake develop a friendship, Holly’s nephew gets a Christmas surprise, and old Mr. Finley gets the best Christmas present anyone could wish for: peace.

The Christmas Basket illustrates how a petty grudge between two families turns into an embarrassing feud, one that undermines the romance of two beautiful people. One loving person arranges for two disputing women to work on a project together: filling a Christmas basket for charity. Aggression, blame, and making a scene at the discount store ensue. I cried and laughed with these poor women, knowing that at times I too have been too proud to change my tune.

These are feel-good family stories with distinct romantic subplots. I liked them for their sweetness, their love, their faith in humanity. And for their magic.

-Calliope

Buy CALL ME MRS. MIRACLE

Review: Live by Mary Ann Rivers

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This book just sucked me in. I was speaking Hefin’s parts with my own version of a Welsh accent (think English, Scottish and Irish all rolled into one… spoken by an American… Scary, I know). I was conscious of my own bony hips when Hefin stared at Destiny’s. I smelled the library Destiny spent time in and the new wood panels Hefin carved. I was seriously in Lakefield, Ohio for a few days.

If you love a falling-in-love story, you’ve got to read Live. The emotions are written truthfully and deliberately, Destiny and Hefin wanting each other and then needing each other and then loving each other.

My favorite thing about Live is that the love is shown in actions, not just feelings. Destiny sacrifices her personal life to care for her sister. Hefin helps with Destiny’s twig project, even when he thinks he may have lost her. Betty pulls a fast one to make sure Destiny gets a chance at, well, her destiny.

Mary Ann Rivers gives the reader a substantial romance, replete with a lot of slow sex, agonizing decisions, and an intercontinental separation. The book is heart-wrenching at times. I cried so much you would’ve thought I was part of the book.

Live is also a story about a family and a neighborhood, with all the mistakes and ludicrousness and eye-rolling you’d expect. Betty and the limo provided some levity, and I laughed in between my tears.

Among the love story and the family dynamics was a big thought to ponder: a person needs to be loved enough by their family in order to feel worthy of love from a lover. I asked myself if I was, and then put myself in the shoes of the people I love. ❤️

The only niggling thought I had at the end was that I wished there was more of Destiny’s brother Paul. But I betchya his story will be in a future installment in this Burnside Series… and I can’t wait.

-Calliope

IT’S ONLY 99¢ for KINDLE!
Buy LIVE

Review: The Swiss Affair by Emylia Hall

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20140403-223359.jpg I have such a list of books to read and review that sometimes I gingerly open a book expecting – but hoping not – that it will be drudgery. And so it was with The Swiss Affair. I had prolonged it so many weeks that I created false bias in my mind: probably historical fiction, I know nothing about Switzerland, there better not be spousal cheating going on, etc, etc, etc.

I was in for the surprise of my life. The Swiss Affair is so many things, wrapped up in beautiful language, distinct and varying characters, and set upon wintery white Lausanne, Switzerland.

While reading, I felt like I WAS Hadley, young British innocent. I was brought back to my university days, with eyes wide and bright, seeing more in people than may have truly been there…. A time and place where anything was possible, adventure abounded, and I lived for luxuriating in every moment.

“There’s a phrase in French, you know … Il faut profiter. It means ‘make the most of it’ … But it’s more than that. It’s about… luxuriating in a moment.”

So there’s the coming of age bit.

Then, the affair. The forbidden romance. The love story. It’s not perfect, but I love it all the more because it isn’t. And really there are three affairs – Hadley’s, Hadley’s friend Kristina’s, and the love affair with Lausanne – all worthwhile, and all bittersweet.

And there’s a murder mystery woven in The Swiss Affair. Lucky for Hadley she befriends a former detective novelist who wants to help her solve it. It’s well done with a few twists and turns, but nothing you can’t guess if you put your mind to it.

There’s skiing. There’s cognac and whiskey and beer. Hugs. Friends. And lots of snow. Walks amongst snowflakes — alone or together or in a large party. Wonder. Awe. And sadness. Guilty, heart-wrenching, lonely sadness.

I don’t remember reading anything that comes close to the well-roundedness of The Swiss Affair. It’s romance, tragedy, mystery, drama, chick lit, new adult, adventure, and literary fiction all rolled into one. It’s dark and it’s bright. And it’s dark again. And even though I’d always tell you I prefer a happily ever after, I appreciate that this ending isn’t. This ending is teary for the reader but full of new beginnings for Hadley and Henri.

–Calliope

Buy THE SWISS AFFAIR

Review: If You Were Mine (The Sullivans #5) by Bella Andre

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20140326-230926.jpg Heather and Zach pulled me right in to their anti-love story. For two people who don’t believe in love, and certainly don’t believe in forever, these two sure fall hard and fast for each other.

No amount of denial can stop the chemistry Heather and Zach have, but at every turn they try to keep things superficial. They get together because the dogs miss each other. Or they need good sex. Or they want to help a good cause. It’s never because they’re in L.O.V.E. Nooooooooo. Not the L word. Even when they meet each other’s families, Zach and Heather pretend they’re just friends.

It’s this push and pull that makes If You Were Mine so enticing. Zach and Heather have eyes for only each other, but they still try to create distance whenever they can. I loved the tension, loved the longer than usual bedroom scenes (not any more graphic than expected, but drawn out and well-written), and loved when Heather and Zach were finally honest with each other.

If You Were Mine is my flavor of the week. Try it. Taste for yourself.

Yum.

-Calliope

Buy IF YOU WERE MINE

Review: Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre

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20140325-221756.jpg This 10th installment of The Sullivans is a look back into the history of Mary and Jack Sullivan, the parents of the Sullivans who star in the other books in the series.

Bella Andre takes us on a charming, sweet trip down memory lane. A box of Christmas ornaments is the catalyst for Mary to recall milestones in her life. Then she gets lost in thoughts of her romance with her husband so many years ago.

I breezed through this book, enjoying Mary’s strong will and gentle spirit, and Jack’s patience and persistence. Mary and Jack’s story is original and well-thought-out. There were chaste kisses, steamy scenes, arguments, giddiness, fun dates, a proposal, and all the trimmings of a good romance.

Now that I’ve read their history, I’m totally ready for the next present-day Sullivan romances! Soon I will review If You Were Mine (book 5, Zach Sullivan), published in 2012; and Always on My Mind (book 11, Lori Sullivan), to be published this April.

–Calliope

Buy KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE