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 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

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: 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

New Releases for Dec 10, 2013

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This is a great week for new releases. I’m grabbing quite a few of them myself.

18528454A Beautiful Wedding: A Novella (Beautiful Disaster) I am so excited for this one!!!!!! Since I’m obsessed with Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster, I am totally grabbing this one. In fact, I’m probably reading it right now, as you read this. And I’m sure it’s awesome. 🙂

17987085True: 11 (New Species) I must admit, I love love love this series!!! And it’s not just for the covers, although, those are pretty to look at. 🙂

17446757Avoiding Temptation
This actually released early last night. Super excited!!! It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for this book to come out! We left off at a bit of a crossroads, after the last one, and I’m dying to know what Lexi does now. Again, this will be read today as well. I hope nothing major happens in the world. I’m going to be busy.

18210033Elect (Eagle Elite)
I read this book, and WOW!!! What a ride this was! My review will be on Friday, but I will say that my emotions were in Heaven over this one. This books was made for me. 🙂

17797381Innocence: A Novel This book has it all, mystery, suspense, and love. Sounds like a fantastic book!! I know a few of the muses will be sitting and chatting about this one. 🙂

18105102Reviving Izabel (In the Company of Killers)
I totally forgot this one was out!! This is the second book in the In the Company of Killers series. I read Killing Sarai and was shocked at how much I liked it. Not my usual read, but I’m happy to be able to snag the second book. I really wanna know what’s going to happen with Victor and Sarai/Izabel. 🙂Killing Sarai (In the Company of Killers)is on sale for only 99 cents, til Dec 15. So I’d grab it now, if I were you. 🙂

Well I hope you found one or two, or possibly five books that caught your eye.

Happy New Release Day!!!!

~Melpomene

Review: Kentucky Christmas by Sarah Title

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20131206-230315.jpg New Release!

Kentucky Christmas is an upbeat, festive, romantic novella with pretty cool characters. Billie works in her dad’s vet office, and Andrew is a traveling salesman selling… yes, vet supplies. Only he’s a horrible salesperson. And he’s completely smitten with Billie. She returns the sentiments, and boom, romance ensues.

What I love about Kentucky Christmas is Billie’s insouciance and Andrew’s seriousness. Billie is up for anything, likes to party a little bit, and amps up Christmas with more kitsch than you can shake a leg at. Andrew appreciates Billie’s fun-loving attitude, just as she appreciates his way with electronics, his Clark Kent glasses and the way his trousers fit. 🙂

This isn’t a serious book. Sometimes you need a pick-me-up, and Kentucky Christmas did that for me, with tinsel.

-Calliope

Buy it now Kentucky Christmas

Review and Blog Tour: Gabriel’s Redemption, by Sylvain Reynard

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“Of all the gifts God gave me…the greatest one is you.”

Let me start out by saying that I was perfectly happy with the way Gabriel’s Rapture ended. If there wasn’t a third book, I would be content. Even Sylvain Reynard was content with the ending of Rapture. That being said, I’m even happier he changed his mind and gave us a bit of closure and a bit of their futures.

Professor Gabriel Emerson left his job to follow his wife, Julianne, to Harvard for her graduate program. He is happy, just to be with her. But when he brings up having children, Julianne’s world crashes around her. She wants to make him happy, but also feels selfish for wanting to finish school first. She knows that for him to want children, is a big step. But she seems a bit childish in this situation. I know having children is scary, but knowing that Gabriel would need a vasectomy reversal soon, since it’s been 10 years, I can’t understand why she would want to wait. She made me a bit irritated.

While Gabriel has a need for a family, he realizes he knows nothing of his own family history, except what he dreams about. And even then, he’s not really sure if it’s real or not. So in order to make his dreams come true, he needs to do a bit of digging into his past. And his past is nothing he wants to be near, too many ghosts.

He also has a hard time accepting the fact that God has forgiven him for his reckless past and he can move on. He doesn’t feel he is worthy of happiness. Julianne has to show and teach him that he is worthy of everything. And no matter what struggles they go through, they will always be together.

“For you, my love, I would endeavor to pluck the stars from the sky, only to shower them at your feet.”

The love between Gabriel and Julianne is so great, I’m surprised my kindle didn’t start smoking. Some of the scenes were downright HOT! I feel even harder for the professor. He knew how to show love and he showed it a lot. 😉 I loved the little snarky narrator, that added to the scenes. For instance, Desk sex can be very, very good, but it’s important to remove the staplers first. 🙂

We also get a glimpse of Julianne’s friend, Paul, and his quest to move on from Julianne. My heart kinda broke for him. He loved Julianne and every time he saw her or though about her, a little piece of his heart broke off.

We also run into and old enemy who decides to continue with the trouble she caused before. I so wanted to beat her! She was making me so mad. I kept hoping she’d get put in her place.

I absolutely adored both of their families. Their struggles to keep moving forward with their lives, was heart breaking. The loneliness of some were eased, while others still struggle. But the love they all share, will get them through anything.

It’s bittersweet to read this book. But all good things come to an end, right? But these will always remain of of my favorite series.

Enter the a Rafflecopter giveaway
to win a pair of Christian Louboutins(Gabriel’s favorite) or 1 of 15 signed sets of the trilogy. Me personally, I want the books. I’d fall on my face in those shoes. I’m a chucks kinda girl. 😉

~Melpomene

Buy it now Gabriel’s Redemption (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy)

Review: Before We Fall, by Courtney Cole

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“Before we fall, we fly.”

WOW!! I need to collect the pieces of my heart before I can even type another word…

This is the first book I’ve read by Courtney Cole. But this will definitely not be the last. This was such an emotional book. Not in my usual cry my eyes out, but in a raw and dark emotional type. It made me all twisted inside.

Dominic Kinkaide’s been closed up and in a very dark place, for the past six years. He’s been hiding it from the world. Only his close family knows something happened, by they don’t know what. But whatever happened, it’s left him dark and seriously twisted. Seriously twisted and very broken. He was basically just a shell of the man he once was. He doesn’t let anyone get close to him and he doesn’t like people. He thinks everyone will let him down, so he won’t take any chances.

Jacey is a strong willed, no holds barred kinda girl. But she is also a bit broken inside. You don’t really realize what she’s been through til about half way through. You just know she’s looking for something to fill a void in her life, but hasn’t quite found it yet. So she’s just wandering around. When she first meets Dom, she is drawn to him and knows there is more than what he lets people see. She is determined to save him from everything that hurts him, even if it’s himself. She believes he’s a good man, no matter what he thinks.

After an unfortunate incident, they must work together, and their personal issues start to come to the surface and they’re forced to deal with them. Dom and his hot and cold behavior and Jacey’s need to fix things, bring out emotions that they both wish would be kept closed up.

There where so many emotionally charged scenes in this book. I was all over the place. Dom’s brokenness completely destroyed me.

“Fix me, Jacey…If you can.”

Watching him slowly come to the realization that there may be another person who loves him for him, was so powerful. Dom felt he was so unworthy of any type of love. He even told Jacey not to love him. But of course, she didn’t listen.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“You exist.”

I was teary eyed for the last 15% of the book. But when I read that Epilogue, it was all over. My poor spouse thought something was wrong with me. I am so glad I read this. I know there is more I want to say, but it would give too much away.

~Melpomene

Forever
Buy it now Before We Fall: The Beautifully Broken Series: Book 3