romance

Review: Once Upon a Winter’s Heart by Melody Carlson

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20140107-143208.jpg New Release!

Emma’s Poppi died, and with him all romance and true love – or so Emma thought. When she left Seattle to go home and take care of Nona, Emma was jaded as. Watching her parents’ marriage crumble and her sister Anne’s neglect of her marriage, Emma was set to start the new year in mourning.

Then Emma began helping at Poppi’s bookstore, spending time with her young nephew Tristan, and having fun with friends – especially Lane, Poppi’s protégé. She remembered Poppi’s wisdom and open heart, and tried to do what would make him proud – and make herself happy. Lane joined her on the journey.

Emma and Lane had a roundabout way of realizing that romance and true love was alive and well. Once they did, it warmed my heart. This was a well-written novella with nice, drama-free main characters, and a family feel. I especially liked Nona’s cooking lessons and the spontaneous singing of That’s Amore!

-Calliope

Buy it now Once Upon A Winter’s Heart

Review: The January Wish by Juliet Madison

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20140102-152247.jpg The January Wish is women’s fiction, family drama, and romance all rolled into one — and set in Australia. I loved the plot: Sylvia reunites with the daughter she gave up for adoption 18 years ago. And I enjoyed the subplots: Sylvia breaks up with one guy and falls in love with another; Sylvia’s daughter experiences young love; small-town citizens support each other personally and in business.

I didn’t like the characters, though. I thought they were a little wishy washy, a little boring, a little unrealistic in their behavior. For example, we hear repeatedly (too many times, really) about Sylvia’s reserved and organized life – from her wardrobe to her car to her office – and then she lets loose dancing on the bar at a bachelorette party (hen night). That just doesn’t make sense to me. That kind if thing happens more than a few times. Later in the book, two conservative characters decide to play strip Scrabble. It just didn’t seem natural based on what the author told us about this couple… So why add it?

The unnatural dialogue hurt my ability to enjoy the book as well.

“Yes, she mentioned how she quite enjoys her acupuncture sessions now… But how anyone could enjoy having tiny needles stuck into their skin is beyond me!” Sylvia managed a friendly laugh.

Even if someone were to say those exact words, I imagine them said under the breath or out of the side of the mouth, not exclaimed and followed by laughter (and this is spoken by the reserved, boring gal).

The characters and dialogue just weren’t up to par and really hindered any enjoyment of the plot. The writing was so verbose and descriptive at times, I was distracted from the plot. (Um, recurring mentions of Mr. Benson — why? How did this relate to the story?) I started skipping paragraphs just to find something related to the plot or subplots.

All in all, I didn’t like the writing, characters or dialogue. Unfortunately, they took away too much from a beautifully thought-out plot.

— Calliope

Buy it now The January Wish

Review: The Girl in the Yellow Vest by Loretta Hill

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20140103-110631.jpg Two great falling-in-love stories, a child custody case, and coal shipping on Australia’s eastern coast fill this novel with fun and adventure.

The characters of Will and Emily were well-developed, as were the secondary characters of Charlotte and Mark. Though their romances were the driving force of the plot, Loretta Hill impressed me with meaningful storylines about Charlotte’s sister Zara, Emily’s breakup with Trent, Mark’s grief, and the raucous nature of 200 men working on the coast away from their families.

Apart from the engineering and shipping explanations (they took up a lot of pages and I skipped over some), I was hooked on this novel and didn’t want to stop reading it. I finally put it down at 80% only because it was 1:30 a.m.! I was too tired to fully enjoy what I knew would be an excellent ending.

I finished the book just now with a full heart, as the characters came to heal their hearts with the love and support of friends and family — and a wild turkey. 🙂

–Calliope

Buy it now The Girl in the Yellow Vest

Preview: Hope Flames, by Jaci Burton

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15808325 This book doesn’t come out til Tuesday, but I was so excited, I just had to tell you about it. I was lucky enough to win a copy of Hope Flames ARC and must admit that I’ve never read a book by Jaci. I’ve heard of her, and many of my friends have told me to read her, but I just haven’t. But that all changes now. Because if all her books are like this one, I will be a very happy camper.

Emma Burnett is beginning her life again, after coming out of a disastrous relationship. She decides to go to college and become a vet. She moves back home and buys a local vet clinic and is determined to live her life without a man to muddle it up again. She wants her independence and doesn’t want anyone to make decisions for her.

Luke McCormack is the super hot, super single, cop who is happy in his life. He has no need for relationships, after his disastrous divorce.

They first meet each other when Boomer, Luke’s police dog, needs medical attention, after injuring himself on a police chase. There is instant chemistry between Luke and Emma, but Emma is quite skittish, so Luke decides to be friends with her only.

I totally fell in love with Luke after seeing him care for his dog. I mean, who can pass up a hot guy and a cute dog??

Seeing them try to remain friends only, was quite amusing. It seems that even Luke’s brother, Logan, and Emma’s parents saw what was happening before they did.

There was a good amount of romance and a bit of suspense sprinkled in. I was quite happy with this and I can’t wait til the next one comes out. I want to hear about Logan. I just know something good is going to happen for him.

~Melpomene

Release date Jan 7
Pre order it now Hope Flames (A Hope Novel)

Review: The Holiday Survival Guide by Jane O’Reilly

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20131228-082612.jpg New Release!

This sexy novella tells the story of London tabloid writer Erica and the survival trip she signed up for in the dead of winter. Her survival guide is Nathan, whose wife she publicly, and in low tabloid style, busted for cheating.

The story was equal parts scary snow survival and steamy sex. Erica and Nathan had great chemistry and creativity. The well-written sex scenes were integrated perfectly into the plot, the dialogue was smart and natural, the characters were likable and well-developed.

I totally enjoyed this winter romp, which came with a bit of commitment and a happy ending. I’d read it again, and I recommend it even to readers who don’t usually read novellas. This is one of very few that uses its 60 pages so wonderfully!

A note to American readers: This HOLIDAY refers to vacation, not Christmas!

-Calliope

Released January 1, 2014.
Buy it now The Holiday Survival Guide

Review: Catch of the Day (Destiny Romance) by Carla Caruso

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20131229-230706.jpg Winnie was sent from Sydney aaaallllll across the country to a small Australian coastal town in the matter of a couple of days. Her chic flat, her sophisticated nightlife, and her fabulous job at a fashion magazine were replaced by temp housing in a fishing village and a startup beach magazine with 2 employees. Winnie was not a happy girl.

…Until she met Alex, buff fisherman and talented photographer. They kissed, then thought better of it. They hooked up, then thought better of it. Each time the relationship changed, it went up a little higher and down a little further. It didn’t help that Alex was hiding secrets from his past, and Winnie lacked self-esteem.

Once Winnie formed some solid friendships and work relationships, she was ready to have a real relationship with Alex– but only if he would be honest and reliable. Once Alex dealt with his family secrets and put them out in the open, he was ready to welcome Winnie into his arms.

Cute story, maybe a little drawn out in some places. Reading Alex and Winnie’s texts was fun. Winnie’s desperate neediness was annoying, but it didn’t last long. I loved the beach setting, the Australian idioms, and the magazine life! Worth the $2 for fun, “destination” chick lit.

–Calliope

Buy it now Catch of the Day

Review: Love a Little Sideways by Shannon Stacey

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20131227-135257.jpg Seems to be a theme of strong, anti-commitment female protagonists and marriage-minded heroes these days. It’s a nice break from the traditional, and it makes for fun girls’ nights and sweet men pining for their women.

Drew and Liz were family friends back in the day, mostly because Drew was best friends with Liz’s brother Mitch. And they hooked up at Mitch’s wedding 8 months ago, which is being held as Top Secret, lest Mitch beat the pulp out of Drew. Then Liz went back to her life in New Mexico.

When Liz returns to her childhood home in Maine, she and Drew have to face the music – and each other. They have plenty of chemistry but no common goals for the future. A family camping trip forces them to make decisions about their relationship.

I liked the family atmosphere in Love a Little Sideways. On the camping trip, there were ATV rides, swimming pool games of doom, family meals, campfires, wild children, and new babies with their mamas. It reminded me of the family reunions I’ve been to in the summer, where the mothers make sure the kids are safe and the fathers make sure the kids have fun… and are worn out for bedtime! I had a ball with the Kowalskis, and totally understood how grateful Liz was to be back with her family.

Liz and Drew had obvious chemistry, and they cared for each other. I enjoyed watching them navigate their relationship, trying to find a place that fit each of their goals. The journey of this romance was super fun. The ending was romantic, but a little bit silly in light of Liz’s stance on marriage and babies throughout the story. All in all, Love a Little Sideways is a cleverly-written, upbeat romance with a lot of family fun.

Just a little aside: I have a thing for cops, so it was fun to read Drew as a young-ish police chief hero. But please note, no police officer would lie down to watch fireworks while in uniform, much less with his gun belt on! That scene made me giggle, trying to picture my favorite cop doing the same. 🙂

–Calliope

Buy it now Love a Little Sideways

Review: Under Different Stars (Kricket#1), by Amy Bartol

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“You cannot thrive under the wrong stars, Kricket.”

I have loved Amy Bartol, since I first read her Premonition series. So when I found out she was writing another series, I was excited to read it. When I saw the cover, I knew it was going to be different. And I was correct. I will admit that for the first 25% I was confused with all the names and titles of things. Since this takes place on another planet, everything is different. I highlighted a ton and kept going back for reviewing. 🙂 Eventually I forgot about the names and just followed the story.

17 yr old Kricket has always wanted a home and family. After growing up in the foster care system, she decides to break out of it and find her own way. She’s been doing that for two years and she just wants to get to her 18th birthday, so she can quite looking over she shoulder.

Trey Allairis is a soldier, sent from her planet, along with his friends, Wayra and Jax, to bring her back. She doesn’t want to go, but she doesn’t have a choice. And as they make their way to her real home, he realizes that she is more than just a mission. He also discovers that she isn’t a timid little flower and can stand up for herself against big strong soldiers. Slowly she wraps them around her little finger.

Kricket learns that she has powers, with the potential for many more, and that makes her a hot commodity. She just wants to go back to Earth, but there is no escaping. She must learn how to conform to her current situation, while holding herself together. When all the five houses of Ethar start vying for her, she must make some difficult decisions and rely on Trey to help her.

Kyon knows about Kricket, and her potential powers, and wants her for himself. And he will do anything to get her. No matter what Kricket does to dissuade him, he will not back down. Either he will have her, or no one will.

Slowly, but surely Trey realizes his feelings for her and decides he would do anything to protect her, even if it means to let her go to an enemy. As long as she’s alive, he can move on.

“If I touch her, she’ll have my soul”

I can’t wait til the next book comes out. I know I have long to wait, but it’ll be worth it. I must know what happens!! Will Kricket be able to be with Trey, without fear?? What happened to Kyon?? I MUST KNOW!!!

~Melpomene

Buy it now Under Different Stars (The Kricket Series)

Review: Three Broken Promises by Monica Murphy

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17969384 From start to finish I was disappointed with this book. I expected more from what I’ve heard about this author and this series but for me it was a let down. Looking at reviews on Goodreads all I see are GIF’s – which by the way are the most annoying thing to me ever in a review, but I digress. These GIFs are filled with excitement and glee, which makes me feel like I’m missing something. So I reread. Which left me more disappointed.

Jen’s brother died in Iraq and her life kind of fell apart. She ended up doing things she’s not proud of and doesn’t really want to face those things again Her brothers’ best friend Colin came to the rescue and she’s been working in his restaurant and living in his house ever since. And falling in love with him more and more. Jen is overwhelmed with feeling like owes everything to Colin and just feels like it’s time to be on her own.

The bare bones of a plot is there but it is not well fleshed out. Actions and reactions of both Colin and Jen didn’t really seem to make sense to me. From the beginning they were pretty much admitting their feelings to each other but then not without much explanation for why they weren’t acting on them. Which drove me crazy and not in a good way.

But my main problem with the book was the writing. It felt kind of amateurish to me, very much a quick read that will not last or stick with me at all. There isn’t anything wrong with that kind of book but I like more meat to a plot, more meaning to an overall book. My light hearted romances that I love and read a ton of still have depth and passion to them, which I felt this was lacking.

2 Stars.

~Clio

Review: Last Chance Knit & Stitch by Hope Ramsay

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20131218-221825.jpg Molly and Simon were acquainted as children, when Molly was a tomboy and Simon played football for Molly’s dad. Twenty-five years later, Molly is still a tomboy, fixing cars and avoiding domesticity. Simon is a famous artist, dropping back into town for his father’s funeral, besieged by bad memories and childhood trauma. Though they seem an unlikely couple in their own eyes and those all over Last Chance, fate steps in and shows Simon and Molly that sometimes love is enough to overcome the past.

This book is #6 in a series, but it’s the first I’ve read of the Last Chance books. I enjoyed the South Carolina setting, the descriptions of the southern heat, and Miriam the soothsayer. And because I totally dig accents, I was pretty happy hearing Simon talk with all his I-reckons and Yes-sirs, not to mention his fishing down at the river. I thought the Purly Girls widows knitting group was fun — and a little sad, too. Good writing made that juxtaposition possible.

From a yankee’s perspective, I thought the southern charm was believable and integrated well. There were no grits or biscuits mentioned, but there were camellias, bourbon, gardening, “well-shoot”s, and a guy named Bubba!

The subplots were a nice diversion from the usual — a Spanish guy from the west coast falls in love with this small Carolina town and breaks up with his boyfriend to move there; a newly widowed woman has had dementia for years and her son needs to help; businesses changing hands mean job insecurity for many in town; new puppies and new babies give new mommies a run for their money; two May-December romances work out to happily-ever-afters.

The best part of the Molly and Simon story was their ability to stay true to themselves while shedding their fears and insecurities. By loving each other, Molly and Simon became better, brighter, and happier. I was uplifted.

–Calliope

Buy it now Last Chance Knit & Stitch