Sunday, July 1, 2018

It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday book review

This is book #2 of the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series and it's a perfect romantic comedy.  After reading the first book, I was ready to see who the next couple would be.  The settings are fun because weddings can be crazy and the author can do a lot of things with the characters that you can't do in an everyday contemporary romance novel.  In this book Jane is getting married to Cameron.  Jane is all about a low-key wedding because the last wedding they all planned was anything but low key.  However, when the bachelor and bachelorette party turns into a competition, it is anything but low key.  In fact, the running joke is that the bride is trying to be "low-key".  Jane's best friend, Wendy Liu is in charge of planning the party.  She is competing against Jane's brother, Noah Denning. 

They are both high powered attorneys.  Noah practices law in New York and Jane practices law in Toronto.  They used to be close and they grew up together, with Noah always protecting Jane and Wendy.  However, when Noah stood Wendy up at prom, he shattered her heart and she has never really gotten over that hurt.  From that point on, Wendy has made it her mission to see Noah as little as possible.  That becomes a bit difficult during the wedding festivities.  The reader can clearly see that the arguing and witty comebacks between Wendy and Noah are filled with sexual tension.  Wendy is all about one night stands, but Noah is more of a serial monogamist. Noah also has a thing against sleeping with his sister's best friend. Wedding shenanigans force the two together and they have to deal with the new direction their relationship is going.  A funny, steamy, sexy wedding romance is a perfect pick for this summer's wedding season!

Burn by Dawn Altieri book review

Looking for a firefighter romance?  You just may have found your next read!  This book is part romance, part suspense and part mystery.  A perfect combination for your next summer book.

Chloe moved across the country for a man who promised her a relationship and a job that would be perfect for her.  She took the risk and moved, but quickly found out that her boss is a total cheater, but a good investor.  Chloe thought she could make it work if she kept working for her ex.  She had proven herself time and time again in making shrewd business decisions for a company that was trying to revitalize run down parts of the city.  However, the day that Chloe was supposedly alone in one of the properties, the place caught on fire and prompted a arson investigation.

Ryan is a firefighter who is trying to work his way up to become an arson investigator.  His current boss believes in him and he is pretty good at assisting in some of the current arson investigations.  He just cannot believe that Chloe could be the arsonist, even when there are possible clues that point to her involvement.  Of course, they both know that they should not be getting close to one another.  To Ryan, Chloe could be a possible arsonist and Chloe could think that Ryan is trying to get close to her to investigate the arson.  Both of which would not be good starting points for a relationship.  As the mystery unravels, the sparks fly between Chloe and Ryan.  I had not read anything from this author before, but I am glad I did.  It was a fun and engaging read.  I wanted to finish it to figure out who set the fires!  It's worth your time if you are looking for a romantic suspense book.


Make Me Crave by Katee Robert

Make Me Crave is totally a sexy, summer romance read!  Perfect to take with you on vacation.  This is part of Harlequin's Dare line and it is probably my favorite line!  If you are looking for hot, "daring", edgy  sex scenes, you should pick up this book.

As soon as I read the name Roman Bassani, I knew I had met him somewhere before.  I quickly realized that this is book two and that Roman was introduced in Make Me Want.  Roman is a cutthroat, ruthless business investor.  He has made a name for himself acquiring businesses and will stop at almost nothing to get things to go his way.  When Allie doesn't even want to meet with him, he needs to figure out a way to talk to her.  Allie won't meet with Roman when he shows up at her gym and she keeps hanging up on him when he tries to call.  Allie does know that the shelter she runs is sucking up all the profits from the gym and her personal account.  But she will do whatever it takes to keep the women safe and employed.  Thus, she can never sell her gym. 

Becca convinces Allie that she needs to take a vacation and picks a ultra secluded vacation resort so that all their worries can just melt away.  It has literally been years since Allie has relaxed and tried to let go of the stress that goes with her business.  What she is not expecting is for Roman to show up on this island.  If the man can ruin a vacation, he might just have done that to Allie.  However, there is a bit of a mix up and it is also possible that Roman is not as ruthless as he appears.  As the mysteries of their stories unravel, so does their passion for each other.  You will want to read this book if you want to find out if love can overcome a business transaction ;)

The Risk of Rogues by Sabrina Jeffries

This author is one of my favorite authors and it's like a surprise to me when I read a novella and didn't realize it was supposed to be a novella..  I was all settled in to read for the evening, when I found that I finished the book way faster than I expected.  That is my own fault for not reading the description.

This is book 5.5 in The Sinful Suitors.  This is the story of Anne and Hartley.  They fell in love in when they were really young and their families did not approve of their marriage plan.  Hartley got shipped off to the military and when he came back, Anne was no longer there.  However, as Anne later pointed out, he did not try very hard to locate her. This novella is sort of a second chance for the two star crossed lovers.  Anne wasn't really interested at first because she felt so betrayed...but then she did want a chance at a happy marriage.  The novella is fun and passionate.  If you are looking for a Victorian HEA, this is a good choice.

Stand & Deliver by Rhenna Morgan book review

I LOVE the Men Of Haven!!!  It's so hard to wait for these books to come out.  This book is the story of Beckett Tate and Gia Sinclair.  Readers are familiar with Beckett and he's done his fair share of making fun of his brothers who have settled down.  We've also met Gia before when Knox hired her for some security jobs.  Readers will finally get to know Beckett and his story.  Beckett is tough, possessive and totally alpha.  He doesn't really seem like he is the settling down kind of man.  He is all about justice and being fair, which Gia has learned when she secretly watches him.  Gia is tough and never lets her security colleagues see what she is really like.  She has had to work twice as hard as anyone else to get to where she is at.  She has also been fighting against her parents disapproval with her choice of career.  Gia let a little too much information slip one night after a few too many tequila shots. Now that Beckett knows where he stands with Gia, he will work to win her over.

Gia has gotten a really big job, but she has to call in some of the Men of Haven for reinforcements.  She thought she could handle things and she has handled big jobs in the past, but someone is trying to sabotage her and it is getting dangerous.  Beckett shows her nothing but professionalism when working.  He trusts Gia, but Gia has to learn how to trust Beckett.  They both have some issues, but that's what makes the story interesting ;)  In the bedroom, the sex is off the charts.  I would expect no less from the author.  She does this couple justice with some mind blowing sex scenes. *fans self*  If you have read the other books in this series, then you have to continue with this book.  It could be a stand alone book, but it sure is a lot more fun to meet the other Men.  Totally recommend this for a weekend pleasure read.

Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis book review

Soooo....I was super excited to get a signed ARC of this book!  It's not often you get to say "hi" to one of your favorite contemporary romance writers.  Thanks for being at ALA!

This particular book is part of the Heartbreaker Bay series.  I've been buying each book in the series on the day they are released (well, actually, I pre-order them...so I have them on the day they are released.)  Yes, they are that good.  This one did not disappoint!  It's like visiting old friends in Cow Hollow because by the 6th book you feel like you know the characters really well.  This book focuses on Lucas and Molly.  Lucas works for Archer (who we got to know in Accidentally on Purpose) and Molly is Joe's (About that Kiss) younger sister. Lucas has a thing about not falling for Molly for two reasons: he works with her AND her brother is part of his team.  Molly doesn't really date because of her injuries and because of her back story, has a hard time trusting people.  However, the reader knows that because of their sizzling attraction for each other, something is bound to happen ;)

Lucas is hot and has to be in good shape because of his job (too bad the book is not illustrated) so of course, he turns heads. He's been assigned to look after Molly by Archer and Joe.  He doesn't really want to lie to her, but he also wants her safe.  What alpha male can resist protecting the woman he's attracted to?  Molly wants a bit more out of life than just being a receptionist and knows she can learn how to be a good investigator.  She does not have a military background or a college education, so the odds are stacked against her.  She is ready to prove to Archer and the team that she can do it.  She is going to take on what appears to be an easy case, but she has a feeling that there is something more nefarious going on.  This book will be out September 25, 2018 so put it on your list for a good holiday romance.  You would be able to put it down until you finish.