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Review: The 12 Dares of Christmas

12/31/2016

The 12 Dares of Christmas
by Leigh W. Stuart

Synopsis

Lauren Hall has one wish for Christmas this year—raise money to build a new, no-kill animal shelter for the town of Sycamore Cove. And she is prepared to do anything to make it happen. Even dare a man she just met to perform a strip tease for the local knitting society.

Gabe Nicholson has one wish too—obtain the job of a lifetime to launch his career. Only his wishes get snowballed when his best friend's little sister hands him a pair of stripper pants and a bottle of eggnog-flavored body oil.

It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin it all. With Gabe's work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren's fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both. Unless it ignites a spark of Christmas magic.

Review

Yes, technically the Christmas season is over - but as long as my Christmas tree is up (usually until January 6), I'm counting it!

As any reader of the site should know by now, I am a sucker for a holiday romance. 12 Dares definitely had its moments where it was hot and steamy, and others when it was funny, but it still left a lot to be desired.

Lauren is a sweet heroine - working her butt off to help the local animal shelter (even though...well, I'll let you read that part). Gabe is lovely for helping her out, even though he wasn't sure what he was going to do in order to help her (bless him). And together they make a cute couple. Add in the problem that Gabe is Lauren's older brother's close friends - and you have your friction. But, even with all that, I still could not fully muster enough energy to care about these two characters. Not really. They left me feeling a bit bland about it.

To be honest, the insta-love is really getting to me. This may be why I'm taking a little break from the romance genre. Not for long, mind you, because I love it.

Back to the book - if you want a HEA (happily ever after) steamy romance surrounding Christmas, you'll like this.

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Review: Romancing the Duke

12/30/2016

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Romancing the Duke
by Tessa Dare

Synopsis

In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.

Review

I have not fully immersed myself in the historical/regency romance genre, frankly, because I'm a little afraid of it. Seriously - I think to myself, I'm reading about people that, if they had been real people, they would be dead by now. I also tricked myself into thinking I would come across words and customs that would totally confuse me. Why any of this actually keeps me from historical romance - I have no idea.

Romancing the Duke was absolutely the kind of historical/regency romance I wanted to ease into. It's so lovely, and the characters were well-rounded enough for my taste. Izzy is a the daughter of a famed author who also happens to star in her late father's famous book series. She's realistic, dreaming of romance while never expecting it to find her. Upon meeting Ransom, a duke, she realizes that he awakens some feelings in her she long thought forgotten. And Ransom, well, he's never met someone like Izzy before, and it doesn't take long for her weird ways to charm him.

I enjoyed the simpleness of Izzy, and the brusqueness of Ransom. Izzy is a good example of a smart, and strong willed character - and I believe it's exactly that which charms Ransom into feeling emotions that he didn't realize he could have.

If you're unsure if you'd like historical/regency novels, this is a great one to get you started!

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Book Blitz: The Art of Sage

12/29/2016

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The Art of Sage
Cruz Brothers Bk 2
by Melanie Munton

Synopsis

With death came new life.
She was my new life.
And I would never be able to let her go.

Social work was never an easy job but somebody had to do it. Fortunately for kind-hearted and tattooed Sage Tucker, she wanted to do it. Day in and day out she saw kids who reminded her of her past and she needed to do everything in her power to give them the help that she never received when she was young. The more kids she helped, the more layers she thought she could shed of her dark childhood. But nothing ever worked. She was haunted by her memories, consumed by her anger. She slowly felt herself slipping further down into a hole, one she didn’t know if she would ever escape from.

Art made sense to Mason Cruz. Keeping his hands busy was his therapy. Being able to do both at his auto body shop was his sanctuary. Despite everything he had to overcome in his life, he had finally made something of himself and was where he wanted to be professionally. With every car he painted and every motorcycle he restored, he could keep the demons inside his head at bay. He just wished he was as good at repairing his soul as he was at repairing vintage fenders.

Sage had never felt so exposed than when she was around the smooth and charming Mason. Talking to him made her feel like she was under a microscope, but maybe that was exactly what she needed. Nobody had ever wanted to understand her like he did. Nobody had ever cared enough to ask and she had never cared to share.

And now she knew why.

Because she knew that whenever Mason learned everything about her, heard all of her darkest secrets, he would never want to look at her again.

About the Author

Traveler. Reader. Beach-goer. St. Louis Cardinals fan. Pasta-obsessed. North Carolina resident. Sarcastic. Bit of a nerd.

Author of the Cruz Brothers, Possession and Politics, and Timid Souls series, Melanie loves all things romance, comedies and suspense in particular because it's boring to only stick to one sub-genre. From light-hearted comedies to sexy thrillers, she likes to mix it up, but loves her some strong alpha males and sassy heroines.
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Review: More Than Friends

12/12/2016

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More Than Friends
by Jody Holford

Synopisis

Owen Burnett planned on a quiet, easygoing Christmas, hanging out with his best friend and neighbor, Gabby Michaelson. So when his mom pressures him to come home for the holidays, he tells a little white lie...that he’s spending the holidays with his new girlfriend. But when his family shows up unexpectedly, Owen pulls the best friend card and asks Gabby to play his fake girlfriend.
Gabby’s been hopelessly in love with her best friend Owen for what feels like forever, but playing his "fake" girlfriend when the entire boisterous Burnett clan visits is easier said than done. The more she tries to deny the attraction between them, the more obvious their chemistry becomes. But even though she's not the only one feeling it, putting their friendship on the line is a risk she can’t take.

Review

I will tell you that one thing that usually makes me stray away from a book is if I learn it has a friends-to-lovers theme. I am more likely to want to read an enemies-to-lovers story. I don't know what that says about me. Let's move on.

This story is a friends-to-lovers, and its a Christmas story *sigh* It's everything youd expect: cheesy, sweet, and all things Christmassy. Gabby is in love with her neighbor/best friend, Owen, and then one day he asks her to be his pretend-girlfriend because his family is visiting - and well, maybe you can guess the rest.

Because it is a story that we can guess at and probably be right, I appreciated that the story went to the point right away. After that, there was always something happening, and because the author included dual POVs (yay!), we were able understand this couple a lot easier than other enigmatic "will-they-won't-they" stories. This was something I appreciated in a quick Christmas read.

Also - I loved the family in this book. Owen's family is warm and inviting, while also being realistic when shit goes down. That's all I'm gonna say.

This book took me a couple to a few hours to read - it was fast, and enjoyable for the season!

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Book Spotlight: Ethan's Heart

12/8/2016

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Ethan's Heart
by Vickie King

Synopsis

Sheriff Ethan Blackwood is obsessed with bringing his wife’s killers to justice. A simple errand at the Cooper's Creek Bank put her in the middle of a robbery-turned-bloodbath. Ethan vows to find the outlaws, but he needs a caretaker for his two small daughters.
After killing her stepfather, an abusive, heartless man who wagered her in a poker game, Annie Benton Holt is on the run—with a weak, newborn baby. Even though she killed the man in a struggle for her own life, when her stepbrothers find out she’s killed their father they’ll be out for blood. If the law doesn’t put a noose around her neck first.
When the baby’s health forces Annie to stop in Cooper's Creek, she is befriended by the town’s doctor. Broke, homeless, and with her baby’s health unstable, the doctor proposes a marriage-of-convenience between her and his widowed brother. Annie believes this mutual arrangement is the perfect solution.
But her perfect solution has a major flaw. The doctor’s brother—and Annie’s new husband—is the sheriff of Cooper’s Creek.

About the Author

Vickie King’s new book takes her writing back to her first love: historical Western. She’s happy to present ETHAN'S HEART, the book of her own heart and the first in her new Historical Western Series, The Blackwood Brothers. She is also author of the contemporary romance series, The Braddocks. Book One, Carly’s Rule, and Book Two, Dusty’s Fate, are available in paperback and ebook.
Vickie is from a small town in West Virginia. She transplanted to Florida in 1994, and while she loves living in the sunshine state, now and then she misses watching the seasons go through their changes. If she closes her eyes, she can still imagine herself standing on the deck of her family home, staring out over the hills and valleys that will always be a part of her.
Vickie is previously published in short fiction with both romance and mystery for Woman’s World Magazine. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and a local chapter, Ancient City Romance Authors (ACRA), where she is a past president.

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