Monthly Archives: March 2013

Raid the Shelf: Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston

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Ten years after Blayne Thorpe first encountered Bo Novikov, she still can’t get the smooth-talking shifter out of her head. Now he’s shadowing her in New York-all seven-plus feet of him-determined to protect her from stalkers who want to use her in shifter dogfights. Even if he has to drag her off to an isolated Maine town where the only neighbors are other bears almost as crazy as he is…

Let sleeping dogs lie. Bo knows it’s good advice, but he can’t leave Blayne be. Blame it on her sweet sexiness — or his hunch that there’s more to this little wolfdog than meets the eye. Blayne has depths he hasn’t yet begun to fathom — much as he’d like to. She may insist Bo’s nothing but a pain in her delectable behind, but polar bears have patience in spades. Soon she’ll realize how good they can be together. And when she does, animal instinct tells him it’ll be worth the wait…

ARC Review: Loving the Marquess

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Loving the Marquess

Suzanna Medeiros
CreateSpace (per Amazon)
Publication Date: March 21, 2013 (per Amazon)
Description:

LovingShe is on the verge of losing everything…

To save her home and keep her two younger siblings safe, Louisa Evans must turn to the head of the family that ruined hers.

He needs an heir…

The Marquess of Overlea is starting to show signs of having inherited the same illness that killed his father and older brother. To prevent the marquisate from falling into the hands of an unscrupulous cousin, Overlea must secure an heir before that illness also claims him.

But he is determined not to be the father of that heir…

Overlea’s plan is simple—marry the practical, yet desperate, Miss Evans and hold Louisa to her promise to provide him with an heir. But he waits until after they are married to tell his wife that he intends to have another man father that heir. His careful plan becomes complicated by an almost desperate need to claim Louisa for himself and an outside threat that proves even more dangerous than his illness.

My Thoughts:

I’m really not sure where to begin with this book. I thought the romance was lovely, as one might expect from the talented Ms. Medeiros. The hero, Overlea, was a tragic figure. He was never supposed to be the Marquess, but his father and brother both died from a tragic illness, and he’s shouldered the burden of the marquessate as best he can, considering he had no training prior to their deaths. Louisa wasn’t wispy, a martyr (much) or a victim. She was smart and not about to let a bad situation get the best of her.

An improper suggestion by Overlea’s cousin brings these two together after Louisa saved Overlea’s life when he passed out on her door from a massive headache, a series of which plague him throughout the book. It’s hard to nail down any of the plot that surrounds those headaches without offering any spoilers, so I just won’t.

As you might expect, there was a villain (can’t have a good Regency romance without a villain), but in the end, I was surprised as to who the ultimate villain was. One of the lesser villains I nailed the first second they appeared on the page. Which is one of the reasons I had such an issue with the book. It was simply too obvious, at least to me. Maybe I just read the right kinds of books. The discovery that I was right as to who was involved (except for the final villain) and what was going on sort of lessened my enjoyment of this book.

However, don’t let that dissuade you from reading Loving the Marquess. Overlea and Louisa deserve the happiness they get. I’m quite curious to know what happens to Louisa’s brother (he runs off to join the Navy after Louisa’s wedding). More curious about him, actually, than the (I suspect) sequel-bait characters of Louisa’s sister Catherine and the Earl of Kerrich. Still, I look forward to the chance to read more in the Landing a Lord series from Ms. Medieros.

In the end, because of my unhappiness with the villain/that part of the plot, I can only give the book a 3/5 rating.

Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

–Review by Victoria

Heat Rating 3

Must Read Series: Spindle Cove by Tessa Dare

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Spindle Cove, nestled in a peaceful corner of Regency Era England, has long been known as “Spinster Cove,” due to its preponderance of unwed ladies of “delicate constitutions”–and that’s the fictional setting for a delightful historical romance series by Tessa Dare.

ARC Review: His Callahan Bride’s Baby by Tina Leonard

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His Callahan Bride’s Babycover23107-medium

Tina Leonard

Harlequin

Pub Date   Apr 2 2013

Description

“Marry Me, Taylor.”

Those aren’t the three little words Taylor Waters longs to hear from her crush, Falcon Chacon Callahan. The whole town knows the soldier-turned-rancher just needs a bride in order to inherit the coveted spread north of Rancho Diablo. Taylor wants more-even if Falcon is the hottest cowboy this side of the New Mexico border, which he proves one crazy, passionate night!

Family has always come first for Falcon, so when he finds out Taylor is pregnant with his baby, he declares a brand-new mission: to stand and fight for what’s his. It will take maneuvering through some dangerous situations-and that legendary Callahan charm-to make Diablo’s best girl fall in love with him. But to have his ranch at stake is one thing…what about his heart?

My Thoughts

His Callahan Bride’s Baby is the tenth in a long running series where the men need woman and babies to get their ranch and the woman need a man that’s more than just a vacant promise.

I’ve read the rest of the series and this book follows along the same lines as the rest. It’s cute, slightly unbelievable, and makes you tear up every once in a while.

Taylor might have wanted Falcon from the start, but she doesn’t want him on the terms he provides. Falcon puts his family first, but he doesn’t know quite how to handle it this time.

I liked the way these two interacted and the way they might have fought, but were fighting for what they wanted—something better than what they had.

If you’re a fan of cute romances, then His Callahan Bride’s Baby is for you.

I received an ARC of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

–Review by Nicole

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ARC Review: The Good Life by Susan Kietzman

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The Good Lifecover24695-medium

Susan Kietzman

Kensington Publishing Corp.

Pub Date Feb 26th, 2013

Description

Between workouts, charity events, and shopping, Ann Barons keeps her days as full as her walk-in closets. She shares an immaculate house with her CEO husband, Mike, and their two teenagers, Nate and Lauren. It’s a luxurious life, far from her homespun childhood on a farm in eastern Pennsylvania…which is why Ann is wary when her elderly parents ask to move in temporarily.

Ann prepares in the way she knows best—hiring decorators and employing a full-time nurse for her dementia-stricken father. But nothing can prepare her for the transformations ahead. Soon, her mother Eileen is popping in to prepare soups and roasts in Ann’s underused kitchen, while the usually surly Nate forms an alliance with his ailing grandfather. Lauren blossoms under Eileen’s guidance, and even workaholic Mike finds time to attend high-school football games. But it’s Ann who must make the biggest leap, and confront the choices and values that have kept her floating on life’s surface for so long.

Timely, poignant, and wise, The Good Life is a deeply satisfying and beautifully written story about the complex relationships between parents and children—and the gap that often lies between what we seek, and what will truly make us whole.

My Thoughts

The Good Life is a poignant, heart wrenching novel that tears at your heart strings and makes you wonder how anyone can come out of that. Unlike what I usually read, this is not a romance novel.

You will not like these characters for most of this book. Rather, you will cry and scream at them until they learn to change.  The grandparents broke my heart and I loved watching them fill in the wholes of this family that used money to get what they want and found they had nothing at all.

The son, Nate, was a typical rich boy who turned out to be more caring than I thought. I think the way he interacted with his grandfather once he got past the first impression was my favorite part. Lauren, the daughter, grew up before our eyes and learned which path she needed to be on to find herself—new, adorably amazing boyfriend at all. The father, Mike…well, he wasn’t there. I felt like just when I was ready to love him he did something that broke me down a bit. I think he’s finally on the right track, but as you’ll see, it took a lot.

Now Ann. Ann was something that I didn’t like. But I don’t think you were supposed to. She didn’t even like herself. The town didn’t like her. No one did. Not even her family. It took the entire book for her to break past what she thought she was and maybe see a glimpse of who she could be.

This was not a romance. I didn’t get my happy ending. Instead I watched people break down and maybe find the path to be better people.

I think I would have liked to see that happy ending, at least a glimpse of it.

I cried, screamed, and shook while reading this book, but it touched me and I’m glad I read it. Even if it was totally different than the others.

If you’re looking for a book that will tug at your defenses and make you think, then The Good Life is for you.

I received an ARC of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

–Review by Nicole

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