Category Archives: Book Review

The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume

09 Friday Nov 2012

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I was intrigued when I saw this description for The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume: “With her love of sweaters, goofy hair, and awkward manners—not to mention her family curse—Treasure Blume knows love is not in her future. That is, until she matches wits with Dennis Cameron, a divorced chef with a six-year-old daughter. Full of mischief, mayhem, and laugh-out-loud humor, this is an unlikely love story you’ll want to read over and over again!”

And I agree with it 100%. I absolutely loved this story and didn’t want it to end. She’s awkward, not very stylish or put together, and a little clumsy, but she has a huge heart, a generous nature and a positive attitude. Her “gift” is that pretty much everyone between the ages of 13 and 65 hates her on sight. But she knows that those with a good heart get over that initial reaction once they get to know her, which means that the people she becomes close to are valuable to have in her life.

Dennis has his own problems with a terminally ill mother, a young daughter and a chef career that has taken a severe left turn into the school cafeteria. He works hard, making sacrifices and giving of himself for his family and those he cares about. Including Treasure once he gets over his initial dislike. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their relationship change and blossom.

And I can’t forget the supporting cast. Treasure’s grandmother is a hoot and a half, as are the other members of Ruby’s Red Hot Chili Steppers (an over-65 performance dance team). The rest of her family has their own moments and the school kids are such a treat.

The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume is amazingly sweet, funny, quirky and fun. It is a must read for anyone that wants their funny bone tickled and their heartstrings plucked.

His Larkville Cinderella

08 Thursday Nov 2012

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Megan Calhoun takes an internship as a costume designer in Hollywood. It’s a very different world from the one she knew in her small Texas hometown. She’s never felt like she fit in anywhere but she starts to see herself in a different light thanks to a budding friendship with hunky A-List actor Adam Noble. But, disillusioned with love, is Adam willing to risk more than just a friendship with Megan?

Megan is awkward, nervous and out of place in Hollywood but she never felt comfortable at home either. It was enjoyable to see her come into her own with the help of Adam and her other friends on set. Adam has issues with his mother’s continual search for love and doesn’t believe that it is worth the risk. He fights himself, and his better nature, through most of the book.

I enjoyed this story – I found both characters to be appealing and the plot was interesting – but I did feel like the resolution came on suddenly. I think that maybe a bit more time could have been spent on Adam dealing with his past, perhaps through a more in depth conversation with his mother. It was still a pleasure to read – a wonderful, romantic story about two people discovering themselves.

**This is a book in The Larkville Legacy series, and though other family members were mentioned in the book, this book can stand alone.**

Playing the Royal Game

07 Wednesday Nov 2012

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**Playing the Royal Game is the final story in the eight book The Santina Crown series and should be read after the rest of the series. All the other characters, and their activities, play a role in how this book progresses. I still enjoyed it without reading the others, but it was a little more difficult to keep up with all the details.**

Allegra Jackson and Prince Alessandro Santina have come to an agreement. She will pretend to be his fiance and, with her scandalous family, it won’t be long before his public demands that he break it off, leaving him some time to run his business before he has to give it up to go home and be an active member of the ruling family. After walking out of her job thanks to her creepy boss, Allegra needs to get her feet under her and decide what her future will be. It seems the perfect solution . . . until things get out of their control.

Alessandro is your typical Prince – smart, high-handed, arrogant and publicity-conscious. When he lets himself relax, though, he’s also caring, funny and sexy. It is this side, the side that Allegra first meets in London, that draws her to him. Allegra is the good one in her outrageous family – always doing the right thing and keeping herself out of trouble. She’s also normal, friendly and warm – too much so to easily become a member of the royal family.

This is a love story about what could be, hampered by expectations and being forced into a specific role. I enjoyed the conflict between letting Allegra be herself and grooming her to rule, between the man Alessandro is away from the palace and the person that will one day rule. However, I felt that there needed a bit more to the resolution moment. The ending was fulfilling but it seemed to come on too suddenly. Not having read the other stories I don’t know how much, if any, these two play in them but maybe with more background it would have seemed to flow better. It was still satisfying. And for those who read the other books in the series, there are short updates from the characters at the end that provide further tidbits on their lives.

Some Like It Wicked

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

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Pandora Maybury, Duchess of Wyndwood, finds herself the talk of the Ton when her husband is killed while fighting a duel, along with the other man involved. Scandal has it that the men were both her lovers and fighting over Pandora. Since she has come out of her year of mourning, she finds herself not accepted by most people, and propositioned by less than noble men. Saved one night from such a man by Rupert Stirling, Duke of Stratton (nicknamed Devil), Pandora isn’t sure that his intentions are that much better.

Rupert is your typical duke – arrogant, commanding, impatient, and assured. He steps in and takes over almost every situation. But he’s also kind, caring and generous to those he takes under his wing. Pandora also has a big heart, taking care of those around her, but she also has an underlying streak of daring. She doesn’t stand Rupert’s high-handedness for long, which makes for fiery interactions between the two. Together, they are entertaining, sweet and, of course, spicy.

Pandora is hiding a few secrets and there is a mystery around break-ins at her house that lends a touch of intrigue, but it is the developing relationship between the two that makes the book great. This is a fun historical romance with compelling characters and and engaging story.

**Some Like It Wicked is the second book in the Daring Duchesses series. The heroines of this series are three friends so the others make an appearance in this story, however I didn’t feel like it was necessary to read the first book to enjoy this one.**

Baby Under the Christmas Tree

05 Monday Nov 2012

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Elle Austin is the deputy PR director for a major league hockey team and one of her main duties is helping the players when they get into trouble. When their enforcer, Max “The Beast” Beasley, finds himself wanting permanent custody of his son, it is up to Elle to help him work through it. Spending so much time together, though, may prove too much for her as she’s spent the last year trying to limit her contact with Max and ignore her desire for him.

Baby Under the Christmas Tree is a nice treat for the holidays. Elle has hangups about sports stars, and Max in particular, but she’s tough, courageous, and smart. Qualities she’ll need in spades when dealing with Max. Max has issues with his self-worth, although most people wouldn’t know it from his hockey persona. He grew up in foster care and spent time on the streets, which causes him to feel separated from the life he now lives as a successful pro-athlete. He also has issues with commitment and emotional involvement due to his childhood. Suddenly finding himself with his son full-time creates a lot of changes in his life, most of them for the better.

This is your typical story-line of a commitment-phobic man meeting his match, but Teresa Carpenter does a great job with it. The characters are compelling and fun, their issues are interesting and believable, and their journey is sweet. Max is strong, giving and thoughtful. He hides a lot between his swagger, but that just makes getting to know him all the more enjoyable.

A Gift For All Seasons

01 Thursday Nov 2012

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In A Gift For All Seasons, Patrick Shaughnessy returned from military service in the Middle East with many scars, both physical and mental. He managed to push through medical procedures and therapy to get back on his feet for his family. When his wife decides that she cannot handle it any more, he concentrates all of his energy on his business and his daughter. A landscape job for April Ross’s Inn reminds him that there could be more to his life than what he’s currently living.

This is an amazingly sweet story. Patrick has had life deal him a serious blow but he’s persevered, although not thrived. He’s reserved, emotionally withdrawn, and has self-confidence problems. He tries so hard to make a normal life for himself and his daughter, but he’s afraid. He struggles every day and believes he can’t handle more than what he already has on his plate. April is a giver and has made a lot of sacrifices for her family and for her deceased husband. She is instantly drawn to Patrick, and his adorable daughter, and wants very much to make them happy again. Even though that isn’t something you can do for someone else, April makes a huge difference in their lives and their story is very heartwarming. This one will pull at your heartstrings as Templeton does a fantastic job giving readers a touching story with detailed characters dealing with life, love, doubt and faith.

**This is book 2 in Karen Templeton’s Summer Sisters series. You can pick up that this is part of a series based on the information dropped concerning April’s cousins, however it has little to no impact on this story.**

A Snowglobe Christmas

31 Wednesday Oct 2012

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A Snowglobe Christmas brings readers two sweet holiday stories about people learning to trust in God’s plan. Amy Caldwell is returning to Snowglobe, Montana to take over her mother’s store. She left five years ago when her fiancé, Rafe Westfield, chose the Marines over her. Now she’s back, but so is Rafe. Sara Kincaid has a bad history with men – her father left when Sara was twelve and her own husband left when she was 9 months pregnant. Time spent with widower Owen Larsen and his daughter Janey shows her what a good, solid man is like. The only problem is that he is moving in a couple of weeks. Can these couples open themselves up to God and see the path He has in mind for them?

In Yuletide Homecoming, Linda Goodnight creates two characters battling with their pasts. Amy’s father left her when she was a child and Rafe’s choosing his military career over her just emphasized her abandonment issues. She wants to protect herself from being hurt by Rafe again, but God has other ideas and throws the two together. Rafe thought he was doing the best for both of them when he joined the military but haunted by what he saw in war he has his own burdens and spending time with Amy again makes him question if he made the right decision before. Their struggles will touch your heart and their journey back to each other is a perfect complement to the holiday season.

Lissa Manley’s A Family’s Christmas Wish is also touching and emotion-packed. Sara and Owen have had their own troubles – Sara’s horrible luck with men and the death Owen’s wife have lead the two to believe they are better off on their own. However, a friendship that blossoms between their adorable daughters means the two spend a lot of time together and they realize that there may be more to life than what they have. Sara is sweet and sensitive; she’s a great mother and good friend. Owen is caring and giving. He tries very hard to be a good father, especially now that his daughter has lost her mother. Both are afraid of getting hurt and Manley does a wonderful job showing their deepening feelings, their conflict with themselves and their choices for the future.

Lean on Me

26 Friday Oct 2012

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Lean on Me is the second in HelenKay Dimon’s Holloway series. Cassidy Clarke has traveled the world to climb some of the tallest mountains but she now finds herself in her small West Virginia hometown, broke and without direction. Unfortunately the town isn’t very welcoming since she bad-mouthed them during an interview. Unexpectedly championed by one of the town’s much loved sons, former classmate Mitch Anders, Cassidy finds herself accepting an offer of a place to stay . . . with him.

This is a pretty short book, a quick read at just over 100 pages. Cassidy is at a crossroads, but she handles it with grace and courage. Mitch is flirty, charming and fun. His interactions with Cassidy and his friends are funny and entertaining. For the most part he’s confident, in a witty and audacious way that makes him fantastic, but he has his own issues and that was my only problem with the story. I don’t know if it was because it is so short, but I didn’t feel like his romantic hang-up with Cassidy was given enough detail. It seemed to come on too quickly at the end but the resolution was satisfying and touching, as was the majority of the book.

As with most romance series set in small towns, this one is eccentric and entertaining. The inhabitants have a gossip grapevine that defies description and makes for some humorous, exasperating and embarrassing situations. Being the second book in a series, those who have read It’s Not Christmas Without You will get another glimpse of the inhabitants of Holloway, West Virginia. But if you haven’t, that’s ok – I haven’t and did not feel it impacted my enjoyment of this one.

If you are looking for a quick, humorous read, pick up Lean on Me. It’s full of romance, quirkiness and fun.

The Three Musketeers: Surrender the Dark

25 Thursday Oct 2012

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Jarrett McCullough heads an independent consulting company that works with the government to deliver sensitive information into the most dangerous areas of the world. His latest case has gone drastically wrong and he finds himself wounded on the doorstep of the last person he wants to see. Two years ago Rae Gannon’s last job for Jarrett ended badly and she retreated to a remote mountain cabin. Finding her ex-boss on her doorstep brings back horrible memories of that time, as well as a new awareness of him as a man and the danger of the past she thought she’d left behind.

Surrender the Dark is an emotionally charged books about two people coming terms with the decisions they’ve made and the people they’ve become. The secret, life-and-death nature of their jobs have left Jarrett and Rae emotionally distant, suspicious and wary. Kauffman does an excellent job of providing details into their thoughts and feelings, creating believable characters with moving issues that readers will understand. Their growth throughout the story is well-developed and touching, mixed with intimate scenes that are hot enough to sizzle the page.

Jarrett’s case is an underlying theme, creating conflict between them, but the related action does not make an appearance until the last couple of chapters. You’ll be disappointed if you go into it expecting a lot of intrigue, but it is a story centered on the people, not the case, and in this it definitely delivers.

This is the first in Donna Kauffman’s The Three Musketeers series and one of Loveswept’s Classic Romances. Almost all of the story includes only the two so there isn’t really a secondary cast, although Jarrett’s friends (the other two musketeers) make an appearance toward the end and have their own follow-up books. Originally published in the mid-90s, the story holds up exceptionally well with only a minor instance with technology showing its age. The anchor is the personal side of Jarrett and Rae, an emotional journey that is not dictated by when the book was written.

Forever Werewolf

22 Monday Oct 2012

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In Forever Werewolf, Trystan Hawkes is an omega wolf, a lone wolf without a pack. His father is half-werewolf, half-vampire and his mother is full-blood vampire, which rules out acceptance from traditional werewolf packs. He comes to Castle Wulfsiege on an errand for his father’s company, delivering a package to the pack leader, and ends up staying to help dig them out after an avalanche. His immediate, and mutual, attraction to the leader’s daughter could cause them both issues as Alexis is hiding her own secret … as is another member of the pack.

This is a solid paranormal romance – Hauf does a good job of detailing the rules of her world to those who aren’t familiar with it, without overburdening those that are. As with any other-worldly book, readers have to come into it with an open mind, but nothing in the story stretches realism too far (well, for a world full of witches, vampires and werewolves). Tryst is a good solid alpha male, complete with his own issues and troubles, but he is smart, sensitive, and giving. He is willing to help strangers in a crisis and wants only to do what is best. Lexi has her own problems but she too is smart and wants what is best for her pack. The interactions between the two are hot and steamy, with a good dose of fun. There are plenty of scuffles and some pack intrigue that keep things interesting, even outside of Tryst & Lexi’s romance.

This is a 2 for 1 book and includes a second, bonus Michele Hauf story – Moon Kissed.