Kat Ransom's Formula 1 racing foursome concludes with Fast and Wild, a very believable Older woman/younger man romance set in the verExciting and sexy
Kat Ransom's Formula 1 racing foursome concludes with Fast and Wild, a very believable Older woman/younger man romance set in the very unbelievable world of F1 racing. From Bahrain to Monaco, from England to Iceland, the revving engines, the roaring fans, the billion-spendig sponsors and the high-octane competition of auto racing at the top lends energy and a little edge to a high-angst, high-heat, hearts-at-stake love story. It twists when you think it'll turn, keeps you bolt upright and scanning those pages right up till the little checkered HEA at the end. I received an ARC of this book, and this is my voluntary review....more
A pro baseball player on a contending team, Jake Lawrence has it all. Looks, a body to die for, fame, money, a hot car and any woman hAgainst all odds
A pro baseball player on a contending team, Jake Lawrence has it all. Looks, a body to die for, fame, money, a hot car and any woman he wants. So, of course, his life is lacking that certain special spark... Kate's got nothin'. She's a week and a thousand miles away from her dream - a starring role on Broadway - when her mom the gambling addict get ahold of Kate's nest egg and leaves Kate flat broke, with a dead car, and an irate hotel manager chasing her down the road. That's when Jake and his sweet car, fat wallet, and good looks enter the picture. Jake's a good guy. Really. He rescues Kate, covers the bills, buys her lunch, and offers to take her new York, where he lives. Kate's as suspicious as a mouse confronted with an unexpected block of cheese. Hey, she'a had a rough life, and knows there's no such thing as a free lunch... But she's wrong. As they drive to NYC, Jake and Kate get closer, friendlier, and ... You know where this is going. But author Jean Joachim has a knack for infusing dead tropes with new life, and this lovely tale of rescue, romance and HEA has a few bumps on the road, a couple of snakes in the grass, and an unexpected curveball or two - not to mention sex and angst in spades - and that's what makes the whole trip worthwhile. Good storytelling, flawless editing - there's everything to like about Jake Lawrence, Third Base, and the promise of more romantic tales in The Bottom Of the Ninth series. Score! (And thanks to Ari of Candid Book Reviews for the ARC. This review is voluntary, independent, and uncompensated.)...more
I didn't like Pathways:The Series 1 -3, which is a series of three related novellas about therapists who faTherapists let their ovaries take the wheel
I didn't like Pathways:The Series 1 -3, which is a series of three related novellas about therapists who fall for their clients. The writing wasn't bad. The editing was flawless. The plot for each novella was similar in structure but varied nicely in the story details. I'm just sick and tired of reading so-called romances where the heroine is so overcome with hormones at the sight of a man that she abandons all sense and professional ethics, and risks her financial security, her professional standing just because he's attractive and interested in her. It disgusts me to see adult women portrayed as hormonally driven google-eyed fifteen year old twits. A REAL woman is not the victim of her hormones. A real woman does not abandon adult behavior and sound judgement for a man. This isn't romance, it's sick....more
Two wrongs don't make a right, much less a romance
I want to thank Hidden Gems for the ARC of Alton's Secret Baby, and this is my voluntary, independenTwo wrongs don't make a right, much less a romance
I want to thank Hidden Gems for the ARC of Alton's Secret Baby, and this is my voluntary, independent and uncompensated review. Alton's Secret Baby should have been a first class five star read. It's a perfect take on second chance romance, on recovering from grief and loss, and on uniting broken families. Alton Green, the athlete-hero who inadvertently sires the heroine Jessie's two babies, is the perfect romantic hero - wealthy, handsome, successful, yes - but also principled, good-hearted, supportive, responsible, and great in the sack. Of course Jessie falls in love with him, and that's where the stars fell from my eyes, and from this review. Jessie is grieving the death of her husband and single parenting a five year old sone, now dying of leukemia. Her desperation over the situation is what leads to the next baby - and without plot spoilers, let's just say things get unreal, far-fetched, and Jessie doesn't show in the best light. She displays little good sense and emotional maturity, she deliberately conniving and deceptive for most of the novel. I didn't like her, despite feeling bad for her, and I was appalled at her choices. Alton does not feel the same, they end up at HEA, yadda, yadda. I blame my lukewarm reaction to the book on my distaste for Jessie's behavior, but this is my review and my own opinion - She's a scheming twit, and it's a three-star sad story no matter how it ended....more
My thanks to Hidden Gems for the ARC of Daring Wes, and this is a voluntary and independent review. Jules BarnardAnother Cade brother succumbs to love
My thanks to Hidden Gems for the ARC of Daring Wes, and this is a voluntary and independent review. Jules Barnard's Lake Tahoe resort world is yet again the setting for a Cade brother's sexy romance. This time, it's Wes, the golf pro who runs the course and teaches at the brothers' resort. Wes dreamed of playing the professional tour all through his teens. When he met Kaylee in college, he thought his life was perfect. He had the girl and the sport he loved - until she dumped him. His golf game and his life fell apart, and haven't recovered since. Years later, Kaylee shows up in his pro shop looking for golf lessons! Her fiancé wants her to play golf on their honeymoon. Wes and Kaylee have so much unfinished business between them, and a little growing up to do too, before they can decide on future for themselves - and it isn't at all certain they'll be together. Barnard's warm and smooth narrative captures all the anger and angst, as Kaylee and Wes work through their troubles, helped by brothers and friends who know them and want the best for them, and it's a delightful story with the promised HEA Barnard does so well. My only issue was with Kaylee - who has to be the most emotionally clueless and self-involved heroine I've come to dislike. She's one of these people who isn't satisfied. unless she's miserable, and every time Wes gives her what she asks for, she sabotages the good feels and pushes him away. Other readers may not share my opinion, but there it is. 4 stars for a steamy sexy second chance romance....more
Matt Jackson, Catcher is Jean Joachim's second book in the Bottom of the Ninth series, and I'm reviewing an ARC. This is my voluntarSummer reading fun
Matt Jackson, Catcher is Jean Joachim's second book in the Bottom of the Ninth series, and I'm reviewing an ARC. This is my voluntary and independent opinion: fans of sexy-but-not-explicit sports romances have everything they could ask for in this novel. Matt is a professional baseball player, and a jerk to women. It's deliberate - he doesn't want entanglements and keeps women at arms length, until Dusty. Dusty is a pro women's softball player, so serious about the sport that she basically disowned her family due to their lack of support for her choices. She's a focused career girl all the way, until Matt. Watching these two relationship-avoding athletes negotiate the ins and outs of falling in love and working things out provides a lot of "moments" - "DUH!" moments. "Awww" moments. "No-oo-ooo" moments. "Ah" moments. "Oo-la-la" moments... Good story line with interesting supporting characters, and a great behind-the-scenes glimpse of the minor league baseball world. Grab this one and play ball!...more