Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review – Dashing Through the Snow

19 Friday Dec 2014

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cover58219-mediumAs if plucked from the screen of a Hallmark movie, this short and light holiday novelette will warm your heart and put you in the Christmas spirit… And now with 10 bonus awesome Murphy’s Bakery recipes inside!

Wynn Murphy has been in love with Zane Anders since the day she laid eyes on him. But just when she begins to hope their casual relationship might turn into something more, a misunderstanding pushes her away.

At first sight, charming and handsome, ad executive, Zane Anders has been secretly infatuated with bake shop cutie, Wynn Murphy. This Christmas, he’s determined to tell her.

Join Wynn and Zane in this delightful holiday novelette as Zane goes dashing through the snow in an effort to capture Wynn’s heart.

**This is a clean romance and a short read at around 45 pages**

Dashing Through the Snow definitely could have been straight out of the Hallmark Channel – it’s super sweet and totally satisfying, just like Wynn’s desserts.  If you are looking for a quick (and clean) read this holiday season, this is definitely it.  

My only (very minor) complaint is that I think we could have gotten a little more about why Wynn felt inferior, which is one of the main roadblocks to them getting together, but as I said it is a minor one.  And with about 50 pages to tell the story, Rion did a fantastic job giving me that warm and squishy feeling I look for from a romance.  Her characters are very well developed and the story flows smoothly, especially given the size of the book.  I’ve read stories with 4 times the pages that didn’t feel as well put together.  I really hope that we get more from this little world because I totally want to see what trouble Wynn’s friend Gemma gets into when she finally falls in love!

So, take a little break from your shopping and wrapping and baking and pick up your own copy of Dashing Through the Snow.  You’ll find yourself rooting for these two thru their almost moments and near misses.  And as a totally cool bonus, you even get a handful of yummy recipes after Wynn and Zane finally get their act together. 

Book Review – Love in a Snow Storm

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

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cover57767-mediumBook #2 in the new Pine Harbour series from NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Zoe York.

Never fall in love with your best friend’s little sister…

Contractor and army reservist Jake Foster fell in love with Dani Minelli when she was a colt-legged high school senior. He knew he was too old to even look at her, let alone touch.

Dani’s been trying to get his attention since returning to Pine Harbour a grown woman—and failing miserably at every turn.

This winter, everything is going to change. And when the snow stops falling, Jake and Dani won’t be able to hide from their attraction any longer.

(Yes, once again I joined a series after it started but luckily for me it didn’t matter 🙂  There was some mention to previous actions and I think we pick up basically where the first book left off, but enough information is provided that you can easily keep up.)

York does a fantastic job here with her characters.  Both are well developed and their confusion & hesitation is reasonable considering their history – they do a fantastic job addressing timing issues and romantic histories and what could happen when others find out how they feel.  They are such a great couple, with feelings based on a lot of years together.  I love how comfortable they are together and how their relationship develops so smoothly out of that.  

My only complaint is that Jake’s history in the military (and his last deployment) is glossed over.  There is talk about how it changed him but we don’t get the details and I think that might be a path that was missed.  Not having read the first book I’m not sure if this came up before but it seemed like a loose thread here.  With a lot of their friends and family in the same unit though it could come up again later so I guess I’ll just have to keep reading to find out 🙂

Sexy and sweet and funny, York packs a lot into Love in a Snow Storm – beautifully capturing small town life and the hardships that can come from falling in love in a little community.  She also gives us a great set of supporting characters, who not only add extra depth to the story but also wonderfully set up possible of future stories.    

Book Review – In Your Dreams

11 Thursday Dec 2014

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cover49857-mediumEveryone loves Jack Holland, but Emmaline Neal needs him. Her ex-fiancé is getting married in Malibu and, obviously, she can’t go to the wedding alone. In Manningsport, New York, tall, blond and gorgeous Jack Holland is practically a cottage industry when it comes to rescuing desperate women. He knows the drill, Em figures, so he won’t get the wrong idea.

What Jack needs is an excuse to leave town. Ever since rescuing four teenagers from a car wreck, he’s been hailed as a hero and the attention is making him itchy, especially since his too-pretty ex-wife is back, angling for a reunion. He’s always liked Emmaline. She needs a weekend date? No problem.

So when they wind up in bed together, Em chalks it up to red wine and chocolate cake, just one impulsive night not to be repeated. But Jack’s pushing for more, and if she lets down her guard, either she’ll get her heart crushed again, or discover that Jack’s worth more than just dreaming about.

I’ve skipped one or two of the Blue Heron novels but the ones I read I loved (looks like I only reviewed The Best Man).  And In Your Dreams was just as good – I found myself halfway thru it before I realized it.  It’s a fun read but also an addictive one so be prepared to spend a little alone time reading. 

This is the second Ugly Duckling story I’ve read lately – where the heroine isn’t like the girls the hero normally dates and isn’t a traditionally pretty girl – and both did a fantastic job.  Em is in a more masculine professional and isn’t the most feminine of people.  She doesn’t try that hard and enjoys playing hockey & being a cop … she can’t wait to taser someone 🙂  She’s also put up a few walls, not that she’ll admit it, after her last (and first) relationship ended badly.  But she’s also smart, funny and she’s got a big heart under her more point blank exterior. 

Jack is the guy you can count on to do the right thing.  But after a tragedy has given him some attention he doesn’t necessarily want – and a big case of PTSD that he’s not prepared to handle – having Em thrust into his life is definitely the distraction he needs.  But how can Em keep from falling in love with someone so perfect?  (Heck, I’m half in love with him!)  Especially knowing he isn’t interested in anything long term with someone like her.   

If you’ve never read one of Higgins books, you are definitely missing out.  You can start here but you’ll be asking Santa to bring you everything on her backlist.  Full of emotion and heart and just enough heat to keep things exciting, her books never fail to put a smile on my face and leave me with a happy heart. 

Book Review – Christmas with the Billionaire

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

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We took a look at this book already here and I’m SO happy to tell you what I think about it 🙂

Christmas with the Billionaire (2014)This sizzling, feel-good holiday novella introduces USA Today bestselling author Susan Stephens’ all-new Black-Heart series.

Fabulously wealthy entrepreneur Jason Kent hates Christmas.

What Jason wants, Jason gets—which means solitude over the holidays to give him chance plot his next mega-value business deal.

Content in his luxurious penthouse apartment Jason is not prepared for the arrival of the whirlwind of change and challenge that is Ms Kate Black.

Enter Kate—no-nonsense sheep farmer’s daughter from the North of England.

House-sitting for a member of the British aristocracy over the holidays, Kate refuses to sit back and do nothing when she learns that people in her block are going to be on their own over Christmas. Aided by the scruffy little yappy dog she has also taken on, Kate makes it her mission to bring everyone in her snooty building together.

Working flat out to throw the party of the year, Kate meets an unexpected obstacle in the form of a man who turns her sturdy bones to jelly. With her no nonsense attitude to sex, Kate soon finds that she is a lot more deeply involved than she had intended to become with a man whose appetite for life might match her own, but who travels on a very different track.

Christmas with the Billionaire is a quick read, fun and sweet, and full of holiday cheer.  Novella in length it is a good set up to the new world that Stephens in creating.  Mostly we spend time with just Jason and Kate but it does give a glimpse at possible future characters. 

Watching Jason and Kate create sparks off each other is oh-so-entertaining.  Seeming very different on the outside, as we get to know them we see that not only do they complement each other well but they also have much more in common than it seems.  Both are hard-working, caring and dedicated.  Jason feels a need to hide his heart whereas Kate shows things a whole lot more.  As they fall for each other they take readers along for a very enjoyable ride.    My only complaint might be that we weren’t given enough of Jason’s history, so that his falling for Kate would be a little more magical.  BUT I must say that I did so very much love the falling for part. 

Christmas with the Billionaire is a sugar-coated, full-of-sprinkles treat. 

Book Review – Lady Catherine’s Secret

08 Monday Dec 2014

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Fans of historical romances will want to check this one out.  It has a strong heroine and sexy hero, great secondary characters and a tantalizing plot – an absolutely fantastic read.  Make sure you read the excerpt and my review!

*****

Lady Catherine's Secret CoverLady Catherine’s Secret

Secrets and Seduction, #2

by Sheridan Jeane

Publication Date: December 1, 2014

Genres: Historical Romance

Blurb:

London, 1853

Despite Lady Catherine’s love of fencing, she needs to stop pretending to be a boy and fraternizing with men…but not until after the fencing tournament! Her mother plans to marry her off by the end of the season, so this will be her last chance to enjoy her freedom. When she impulsively puts her reputation at risk to save the life of a dashing competitor, all seems lost when he sees through her disguise, but he vows never to reveal her secret. Thank goodness for gentlemanly honor!

Daniel, Marquess of Huntley, wants to overcome the rumors of his father’s madness so that he can be embraced by London society. His plan is to marry the most proper woman who will have him, and then raise stable, respectable children. He certainly isn’t interested in some hoyden with a penchant for masquerading as a boy and flaunting society’s rules. In fact, he’d prefer to keep his distance.

When an obsessed suitor discovers Catherine’s secret and threatens blackmail, the only path out of social ruin is marriage. But what kind of protection does matrimony provide when a vengeful suitor is plotting the ultimate revenge?

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1qX5pSr

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Cnqs70

*****

Excerpt:

Daniel downed the glass of Glenfarclas in one swallow. “My plan isn’t progressing at all,” he said.

“Yes, of course. Your ridiculous plan.”

Daniel shifted under his friend’s amused gaze. “I’m having trouble finding a highly respected woman who is willing to align herself with someone as—as unusual as I am. I believe ‘colorful’ is the most polite word I’ve heard used to describe me. Although I’ve also heard the words ‘bourgeois’ and ‘unbalanced’ bandied about.”

“Stop it.” Wentworth scowled at him. “With your title, you outrank everyone except a duke and the members of the royal family. Nobody would dare snub you.”

“Perhaps not openly, but once they factor in my shipping business, my lack of polish, my mother’s low birth, and the rumors of my father’s madness, I’m beyond redemption in the eyes of most members of London society.” He downed the contents of his glass in a single swallow, savoring the burn that turned into a spreading warmth. “The thing that provides me with the most satisfaction is the very thing these people find the most damning. My shipping business.”

“Why do you care what they think?” Wentworth said as he gestured angrily toward Daniel. “Why place so much emphasis on propriety? After all, your primary goal in this is to find a woman who can provide you with an heir, isn’t it? Why complicate the issue by insisting that she and her family also be paragons of propriety? Don’t you see your own hypocrisy?”

Daniel thumped his glass down on the sideboard and pulled the stopper from the decanter, sloshing another inch of liquid into his tumbler. “I know I’m not a saint, but I refuse to put my children through the same hell I endured.” He turned and glared at his friend. “You, better than anyone, know how much I suffered at Eton. You were there with me. How can you ask me why?”

Daniel clenched the glass as he remembered those first few months at Eton. The loneliness and abuse he’d endured had nearly broken him. He’d begun to believe everyone’s taunts. They were right about him. He was no good. Especially after the horrible things he’d done. They were unforgivable. How could he ever redeem himself?

The dogs of melancholy had nipped at his heels as they tried to chase him to ground. His depression must have been only a faint echo of what his father experienced on a daily basis, and it explained why the man had escaped into a bottle, eventually descending into madness. What if Daniel was destined for the same path? What if his regrets drove him mad as well?

*****

Review:

This is the second book in Jeane’s Secrets and Seduction series but as far as I can tell the two books are not closely linked.  And while the first one was a whodunit, this one deals more with the secrets people keep and the impact they have.  There is a villain but we know who he is about halfway thru, just when his part starts to come into play, so the rest is about what he’s going to do and how it is going to affect our happy couple.

I guess what I’m getting at is if you are starting here, that’s fine because it stands on its own very well.  But if you are a returning reader and looking for the same intrigue element from the first one you might not find what you are looking for here.  That being said, if you are looking for a well-written, well-paced and involved historical romance then this is definitely the book for you.

We are given our two main characters right away but they spend quite a bit of time going their own way.  Of course we know they are going to get together and live happily ever after but they have other plans … silly of them, eh?  I really like Catherine and Daniel.  Both have parts of their pasts that they want to overcome and readers can easily understand how they ended up where they are, doing what they are doing.  In a society controlled so much by impressions, the two of them are motivated by avoiding scandal at all costs.  They just don’t recognize that in each other they may find acceptance.

With matchmaking mamas, societal scandals, and a couple who needs each other to truly be free, Lady Catherine’s Secret is the perfect choice for lovers of historical romances.

*****

Sheridan JeaneAuthor Info:

Sheridan Jeane writes exciting and emotion-packed historical romances set in the Victorian Era that confront issues of trust and conformity.

With the advent of the industrial age, life was changing. Many people tried to hold on to the old ways of life while others embraced the new opportunities open to them.

Join Sheridan as she explores the clash between the old and the new.

Sheridan has always loved books, history, and stories about amazing people who blaze new trails.

Despite naming their daughter Sheridan because they thought it might someday look great on the cover of a book, Sheridan’s parents urged her in a more practical direction for college. Sheridan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in English.

Website:  http://sheridan-jeane.strikingly.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SheridanJeane

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/SheridanJeane

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/8120594.Sheridan_Jeane

Media Contact:  IndieSage PR – www.indiesage.com

*****

Giveaway:

Lady Catherine's Secret Giveaway Graphic

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a354273/

*****

Tour Schedule:

December 8– Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author– Excerpt

December 8– Coffee Talk Writers– Excerpt

December 8– SBM Book Obsession– Excerpt

December 8– Coffee Books & Art– Excerpt

December 8– LibriAmoriMiei– Review

December 8– Romantic Reads and Such– Review / Excerpt / Author Interview or Guest Post

December 8– Imagine a World– Review / Excerpt

December 8– Deliciously Wicked Books– Review

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December 9– JassyBooks– Excerpt

December 9– Vera is Reading– Excerpt

December 9– LBM Book Blog– Review / Excerpt

December 9– ReneaMason– Author Interview or Guest Post

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December 10– Red Moon– Excerpt

December 10– Queen of the Night Reviews– Excerpt

December 10– Biraz Tuz Biraz ?eker– Excerpt

December 10– WiLoveBooks– Review / Excerpt

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December 11– Breezy Book Blog– Review / Excerpt

December 11– Crystal’s Many Reviewers– Review

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December 12– Renee Entress’s Blog– Review / Excerpt

December 12– Warrior Woman Winmill– Review

December 12– Girlygirlbookreviews– Review / Excerpt

December 12– Sweet N Sassy Book A Holics– Review / Excerpt

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Book Review – Yours for Christmas

05 Friday Dec 2014

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cover55240-mediumStep out of the winter chill and into the warmth of Fool’s Gold, California, the charming small-town setting for a new holiday novella from New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallory.

Famous former NFL stars don’t date single working moms like Bailey Voss. She’ll allow herself to daydream about Kenny Scott’s muscles and killer smile, but wanting more would lead to post-holiday regret. Then Kenny volunteers to run a toy drive with Bailey, and she learns that he’s not just hothe’s also generous, funny, nice. The whole package tantalizingly out of reach.

The ache of past loss reminds Kenny why he needs to avoid getting too close to anyone. Especially to a gorgeous redhead and her adorable little girl. Mess it up, and he’d lose them both. Yet Kenny can only resist Bailey for so long. And as festive spirit spreads throughout the town, he’s all wrapped up in Bailey’s sweet, sexy kisses and determined to make this the first of many Christmases together.

Y’all I just LOVE Susan Mallery’s books (which you can see here and here and here and over a half dozen other reviews I’ve done) and Yours for Christmas doesn’t let me down.  The characters are so real that I feel like I actually know them, that I could call them up to meet me for coffee.  Every high and low was like my own and I gave a little hooray at the end.

Both Baily and Kenny’s feelings are totally understandable, the doubts and fears so real.  Their story has been coming along for the last couple of books, so we’ve had those little hints along the way, and I was so excited to finally read it.  Their relationship built so naturally and fluidly, it was sweet and fun and a little bit heartbreaking at times (for both of them).  And the ending has to be one of my favorites.  I won’t spoil anything but I gave Baily a little atta girl cheer.

I don’t know what more to say when it comes to Mallery’s work that I haven’t said before – fantastic characters, engrossing stories, real emotions, humorous moments, all mixed with times of angst.

For years I haven’t even hesitated when I saw her name on the cover of a book – she’s a master at the heartfelt, contemporary romance.  And it just makes it all the better when it is a Christmas story!

Book Review – Falling For Max

30 Sunday Nov 2014

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9780373002290_p0_v2_s260x420Max Crawford has reached the point in life where he’s starting to think about settling down. Unfortunately, he’s always been a little awkward when it comes to social interactions, and working from home doesn’t help. He spends so much time alone, painting beautiful, historically accurate model trains that half of Whitford has begun to joke that he may be a serial killer. Not exactly prime husband material.

Tori Burns has found happiness in Maine, thanks in large part to her shifts at the Trailside Diner. She likes the work, and she loves the local gossip. When shy, geeky Max Crawford becomes a regular, she’s intrigued. When she finds out he’s in the market for a wife, she’s fascinated…and determined to help.

Molding Max into every woman’s dream turns out to be much easier than expected. But has Tori’s plan worked a little too well? As she turns his comfortable life all sorts of upside down, she’ll have to find a way to show just how she’s fallen for him…the real him.

I’ll be honest – I am all over the place when it comes to this series.  I have not read all of them (but most, I think) and I even reviewed a couple – All He Ever Dreamed and All He Ever Desired.  The ones I have read definitely weren’t in order, but so far that hasn’t bothered me at all.  If this is your first, third, or ninth, I don’t think it matters.  What does matter is that they are wonderfully well written, with detailed characters and a great plot.

I remember Max from earlier stories.  I remember that he kept to himself and there was a HUGE mystery over what he did in the basement, but I don’t remember him being that much of an “odd duck”.  Maybe that is one of those things I missed in my skipping around in my reading.  I must say, though, that I do love him.  He’s always been a little different and he’s learned to adapt, but now he’s reached a stage where he is thinking of settling down and getting married.  It definitely will take the right woman to understand him and his intricacies, but I think that is true for any relationship.  Or at least for one to work.

Tori, on the other hand, isn’t interested in long-term.  And with her parents history it is understandable.  I think my favorite part of the story is that someone tries to get her help for her issues.  That it isn’t a case of her finding the right guy, falling in love, and forgetting ALL about her hang-ups.

Falling for Max is a super cute story about two people who meet, become friends, and find themselves falling in love.  Like real life, there are problems and stress and hurt feelings but also fun and love and sex and love and a bunch of other good things too.  That’s one of my favorite parts of this series – it’s real and true.

Book Review – His Road Home

29 Saturday Nov 2014

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cover51533-mediumSpecial Forces medic Rey Cruz needs to find a fiancée, fast, or he’ll end up in a marriage orchestrated by an Afghan warlord. Finding a picture online of a girl he barely knew back home, he fakes an engagement photo, thinking no one else will see it. But when Rey loses both legs and the ability to speak while rescuing a local boy, the image goes viral.

Seattle marine biologist Grace Kim is shocked to find out she’s engaged. When she’s offered a plane ticket to visit her “fiancé,” she takes it, looking for the answer to one question: Why did he lie? Touched by Rey’s funny texts and the determination she sees in him, Grace offers her friendship—a big step for someone who prefers whales to most company.

And when Rey is finally sent home, Grace agrees to help him drive his classic car cross-country over Thanksgiving—a once-in-a-lifetime road trip that leads to what feels like real love. In front of his friends and family, she plays the caring fiancée, but what place will Grace have in Rey’s new life once he’s ready to be on his own again?

I didn’t read First to Burn, which I understand precedes this one in the same world but from what I’m getting online they are completely different books.  First to Burn is a paranormal military romance but His Road Home doesn’t have any of the paranormal elements to it.  Rey is in the first one, as being part of that hero’s unit in Afghanistan, but his story is totally a contemporary tale … a humorous, touching, sweet and sexy contemporary tale.

Rey and Grace meet under quite implausible circumstances but Richland totally makes it work for her.  And their first interactions are rough but so appealing that I couldn’t stop turning the pages.  And then once they get past that and move into the falling in love stage (long distance, at that), it just gets sweeter.  I do wish that we’d seen more of those interactions because they are super cute and funny, which sets up their attraction and affection for each other wonderfully.

Since I haven’t read the first book, my only understanding of pre-injury Rey comes from the little bits at the beginning of this story, but I must say I absolutely LOVE post-injury Rey.  He’s dealing with a lot (this is also something I wish we’d seen more of in the months between his injury and when he gets released) but he does it with a lot of style.  He’s got a wonderful sense of humor and a great self-confidence, even without legs, and his good graces just shine through.  Although most of the focus is on him so we don’t get as much about Grace, they make an absolutely adorable pair … and a very sexy one so be prepared for a little steam on that road trip home.

Able to stand on its own, His Road Home is a total page-turner about two strangers falling in love.  It’s believable, touching, hot and addictive.  Richland has a wonderful writing style that makes it easy to get lost in her characters and lose large chunks of time.

Book Review – Bite Me I’m Yours

27 Thursday Nov 2014

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cover50387-mediumSarah’s known monsters…and John isn’t one.

Sarah’s life isn’t going well. She’s divorced from an abusive jerk, been drugged, stuffed in her trunk and nearly kidnapped. Between that and a harsh winter, it’s almost more than a girl can take. She’s rightly distrusting of any man’s affection, so an ice-skating date with John – who doesn’t seem to feel the cold – isn’t exactly on her bucket list. Yet something about him captures her attention.

John is determined to live as an ordinary mortal. He’s moved into the city, bought a sports bar and works there as the bartender. As a new vampire, he’s never considered dating, until he meets Sarah. Prudence dictates he stay away from her, but everything about her calls to him…right down to her cute animal socks.

Sure, finding out John is a vampire is scary, but Sarah’s learned not all monsters have fangs. Besides, someone else isn’t too happy about their budding relationship. Sarah will have to survive before getting her chance at love.

This is my first book in McKitrick’s Bitten By Love series – I haven’t read My Sunny Vampire – but I actually didn’t realize this was part of a series until I was well into it … and even then it didn’t really make a difference.  I think that maybe I would have understood some of John’s world a little better but then again maybe not.  I got along just fine with what I got here (although now, I’m going to have to add the first book to my TBR file) and I felt like I was given everything I needed to keep up.

Bite Me I’m Yours is another one of those that is more of a contemporary romance with paranormal themes than it is a paranormal romance.  At its heart it is more about the romance between John and Sarah than it is about the fact that John is a vampire – although John’s issues do stem from the fact that this will be his first romantic relationship since he was turned.  Not the easiest of things to tell a potential girlfriend.

But Sarah’s issues are very normal … at least until John’s secret is revealed.  She’s come out of an abusive relationship and it’s left a serious amount of scars.  It will take a patient man to get her to relax and learn to be herself again.  Luckily John’s got a good heart and a lot of time on his hands.  Add in that Sarah’s ex isn’t ready to let her go – and a serial killer to keep things interesting – and readers will be le[t on their toes.

McKitrick does a fantastic job of mixing all of the elements (vampire, abusive past and serial killer) without short-changing anything.  With good flow and interesting characters, Bite Me I’m Yours is good for those in the mood for a little fang with their kisses.

Book Review – Relentless Liberation

23 Sunday Nov 2014

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cover51608-mediumBeing stalked from town to town by an unstable ex-boyfriend means demure bookworm Mina Roper is used to keeping a low profile. But after a coworker brings her to an underground boxing competition, shy Mina falls deeply in lust with gorgeous fighter Tyler Serano. The problem? She’s convinced he’s hopelessly out of her league.

Tyler knows his matches are brutally violent, so why does this sweet, subdued beauty keep showing up to watch them week after week? Despite his overwhelming fear of commitment, Tyler’s innocent curiosity evolves into a hot, all-consuming attraction.

Just when it looks like happily ever after might be possible, Mina’s past catches up to her and she’s forced to make a tough choice. Follow her usual escape strategy—or risk it all for a new kind of life with Tyler.

Inside Scoop: Mina’s past includes a nonconsensual sexual encounter and brief violence, which could be triggering for some readers.

Relentless Liberation is one of two books I’ve read recently where there is the apparent division in the attractiveness of the couple – where one is thought to be out of the league of the other – and both were handled very well.  The men are strong and caring, able to see something attractive in their women, and with the patience to make sure that she starts to see the beauty that he does.

I really like both Tyler and Mina and together they make a really good couple.  There is so much more than meets the eye to Tyler – he’s not just a brute – and his smarts and savvy woo Mina just as much as his hard body and moves in the ring (and in bed).

Mira may seem quiet and bookish but with Tyler she’s willing to let her hair down a little.  Although seemingly different at first, they have a lot in common and complement well, bringing out the best in each other.  Both are also facing demons but together they are able to defeat their pasts and move forward to a healthy relationship.

Fine gives her readers a sweet and sexy story about two people who get to know each other, fall in love and believe in themselves & each other enough to be able to take on their pasts and win.  At about 150 pages, it isn’t a short book but it is well written and reads very smoothly so I moved quickly to the HEA … with a smile on my face and a little cheer for Mira and Tyler.