Book Review – A Dog Called Valentine

18 Monday Mar 2019

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A Dog Called Valentine, Book Review, Roxanne Snopek

A Dog Called Valentine

by Roxanne Snopek

No good deed goes unpunished.

When an unwanted Valentine’s Day present is dumped at the shelter, volunteer Lily decides to foster the poor dog herself. A little attention is all he needs to blossom into a loving pet, ready for his forever home. Plus, helping a poor, rejected animal will distract her from her own problems. Win, win. Right? Wrong. Valentine needs more than a makeover if he’s going to be adopted. He destroys her home, hates to be groomed and when he behaves better for a perfect stranger than he does her, Lily swallows her pride and begs the good looking but quiet stranger for help

After losing his canine partner in a horrific moment that upended his future, sexy and stoic Shane turns to books, walks in the park and remodeling his grandmother’s home. No more intense K9 officer career, no more dogs, no more risks. But it’s hard to ignore the misunderstood mutt at the park and his well-intentioned, but clueless, handler. Shane reluctantly agrees to give her a few tips and tricks, but that’s all. He won’t care. He won’t get invested. And once Valentine finds his new home, his life can go back to normal.

But Shane doesn’t bargain on a new normal in town and, suddenly, Valentine’s Day will never be the same.

A Dog Called Valentine isn’t a very deep story but it sure was fun, with a dog that is just about the best thing ever. He stole my heart before I was even a fifth of the way in! Shane also had a few heart-tugging moments and I definitely understand his hesitancy in getting too involved with anyone (whether they have 4 legs or 2) but Lily’s enthusiasm and need to make sure that Valentine gets a happy home is pretty compelling.

I think there was a lot more opportunity to delve into some of the family dynamics and the romance between Lily and Shane. Readers will get a satisfying and enjoyable read but I think there is so much material there between Shane’s issues and Lily’s family drama. Occasionally the timeline got a little wonky too but I can easily forgive that.

With an adorable matchmaking dog (and grandma) and a sweet ending (predictable but cute), Snopek delivers a lovely little story that is perfect for a pretty day sitting in the shade … or a cool day under a cozy blanket 🙂

(Overall a solid 3.5 Stars)

Book Review – The Millionaire Daddy Project

13 Wednesday May 2015

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Book Review, Men of the Zodiac series, Roxanne Snopek, The Millionaire Daddy Project

The Millionaire Daddy Project

Men of the Zodiac series

by Roxanne Snopek

(Entangled Indulgence)

Sign: Leo

He takes control…and gives all kinds of pleasure

In the space of about a second, successful restaurateur Dane Bergman has gone from millionaire playboy to daddy. Now he’s the sole guardian of a very adorable and willful five-year-old child, and he’s counting on his executive assistant, Pamela Atwater, to save his ass. Even if it means bringing her along on a month-long ocean-side retreat…

Pamela Atwater prides herself on being the perfect assistant. Whatever Dane wants or needs, she’s there – pretending to ignore Dane’s golden charm and drop-dead gorgeousness. On vacation, however, Pamela sees a side of Dane she never imagined. And it’s a side that tempts her to cross the line between professional and personal. But is one month enough time to prove to Dane that his perfect assistant might just be his perfect match?

I love, love, LOVE Roxanne Snopek’s books. The characters are always so interesting and full of life, while the plot just keep me glued to the pages.

Dane is one of those hottie billionaires that are so popular in romances – he’s smooth, gorgeous, wealthy, and knows how to play just as hard as he works. He’s also anti-commitment … then the ultimate commitment, a little girl, lands on his doorstep and shakes up his world. Luckily he has his oh-so-efficient assistance to help, but the more time they spend together, the more attracted to her he becomes.

Pam knows exactly the kind of man her boss is – short term affairs with gorgeous women. But she also knows how smart and sexy he is. Forced together thanks to a haunted little girl, she’s finding him super-hard to resist. She’s just about the only person in the world who will force him to be the dad that he can be. But can she live with (or without) the man she makes him into …

Dani is just too adorable and the interactions between the three of them as they learn how to navigate new waters is just too darn sweet, heartbreaking and funny all rolled into one addictive ball. They are totally believable and touching as they slowly become a family unit. And just because some might find the secretary/boss fantasy a little clichéd doesn’t mean that in the hands of a great author like Snopek the dynamic can’t be just about perfect.

Book Review – Cinderella’s Cowboy

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

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Book Review, Cinderella's Cowboy, Roxanne Snopek, This Old House series

Cinderella’s Cowboy

This Old House series

by Roxanne Snopek

Chad Anders doesn’t know why mousy Cynthia Henley trips all over her tongue when she’s around him. Nor does he understand his undeniable attraction to this good girl. Wild and sexy is his type, like the dream-girl he caught a glimpse of years earlier he’s never forgotten.

Cynthia’s superpower is invisibility, especially with men. It’s better for everyone that way. Besides, she’s got a cat. She’s okay. But when playboy-rancher Chad hires her, she’s got a chance to shine. Professionally, at least. Until she learns of his fascination with a mysterious dream-girl, who was actually nothing more than a shy teenager on an ill-advised dare all those years ago. Cynthia knows she’s no man’s dream-girl and never will be.

But there’s magic at the ball. Princesses glow in the starlight, princes appear out of nowhere, and, sometimes, they look a lot like cowboys…

Let me start with the fact that I haven’t read the rest of this series (surprise, surprise) and I think that it somewhat impacted how much I understood about what was going on. There were some definite undertones in the relationships as well as some incidents from the previous books that come into play.

Now, having said that, I have to admit that I REALLY liked this story. Cynthia and Chad are fantastic. She’s got that right amount of grit and snark to keep me coming back. She’s been in the shadow of her step sisters for a long time – long enough that she’s forgotten what it might be like to shine. Having the attention of a sexy cowboy may just be what she needs …

And she helps bring the real Chad out. He’s at a point where he is starting to evaluate his life choices when Cynthia falls into his lap. She’s the perfect foil to what he’s used to – caring, hardworking, smart, and sexy but a little unsure of herself. She intrigues him, capturing his attention at a time when he needs something real in his romantic life.

Cinderella’s Cowboy is a short read, but very satisfying, with plenty of humor and snark, heat and sparks, and small town heart. I won’t even get into the Cinderella with a Western twang part of it – but I will say it is a fun take on the classic story.

If you’ve read the rest of the This Old House series I’m sure you are going to be a happy camper. If you haven’t, you can start here but since I know what fantastic books Ms. Snopek writes I recommend starting at the beginning – you won’t regret it and I think that you’ll enjoy this one all the more.

(This story is part of the This Old House series, but can be read as a stand-alone. However, it is advisable to read the previous books in the series to get the most enjoyment from this story.)

Spotlight – Resisting the Rancher

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest

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Resisting the Rancher, Roxanne Snopek, Three River Ranch

Happy Friday y’all! Today is a fantastic day to take a look at the yummy, sexy cowboy in Roxanne Snopek’s Resisting the Rancher. It’s the newest in her “Three River Ranch” series and I actually did a review of book 3, His Reluctant Rancher, which I found to be fantastic.

And I know that Roxanne actually has a couple of different contests going on so once you check out the below (and enter this one giving away a gift card and copies of the books in the series), make sure you head over to her site and enter her contest to win a $15 Amazon gift card … http://bit.ly/P6dbOd

*****

Resisting the Rancher

Series: Three River Ranch #4

Author: Roxanne Snopek

Release Date: 4/14/14

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Country veterinarian Celia Gamble is in trouble. A misunderstanding from her past is rearing its ugly head and the only person she can turn to is Jonah Clarke—her family’s lawyer and, as it turns out, her brother Zach’s best friend and her childhood crush. She always wanted Jonah to see her as a bona fide woman, but as a woman who’s being wrongfully blackmailed for seducing a married man? Not on her life.

Jonah is happy to help little CeeCee Gamble, if only she’d come clean about why she’s being blackmailed. But with Zach’s wedding on the horizon and Zach’s fashionista fiancée Desiree giving CeeCee a makeover, the little duckling Jonah remembers is turning into a definite swan. And the unwritten law on sisters is clear—hands off. Jonah must resist Celia or lose the only true family he’s ever known.

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17925997-resisting-the-rancher?from_search=true

Amazon buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Resisting-Rancher-Three-River-Entangled-ebook/dp/B00J6U7M88/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397605705&sr=8-1&keywords=resisting+the+rancher

Barnes and Noble buy link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/resisting-the-rancher-roxanne-snopek/1118956757?ean=9781622661688

*****

Author Info:

Roxanne Snopek has been writing professionally for more than two decades and her work has appeared in publications varying from The Vancouver Sun and Reader’s Digest to newsletters for Duke, Cornell and Tufts Universities. She’s done corporate copywriting on topics ranging from pet food for Iams/Eukanuba, to employee profiles for VersaCold to air-conditioner maintenance for Home Depot. (That’s right. Air conditioner maintenance.)

But she’s also had a bunch of other stuff published, including one mystery novel, a couple of literary short stories and a non-fiction series. One summer, she wrote video game dialogue and narrative for Silicon Sisters Interactive, a project that combined her two favourite genres – mystery and romance – with the world of casual gaming.

In 2012 she sold her first romance novel to Entangled Publishing. THREE RIVER RANCH made the Barnes & Noble Top Ten list, The Amazon Top 100 list and is now the foundation of a multi-book series. Recently, the first three books sold to France.

Website: http://www.roxannesnopek.ca/

Blog: http://www.roxannesnopek.ca/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoxanneSnopek

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/RoxanneSnopek

Newsletter: http://roxannesnopek.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=d22dda67e438e47752dfd9d58&id=b111721cd7

*****

Giveaway:

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a set of signed print copies of the 3RR books (1, 2, 3, 3.5)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1cb554305/

*****

Check out all of the stops on the tour by clicking the banner below!

His Reluctant Rancher

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Book Review, His Reluctant Rancher, Roxanne Snopek, Three River Ranch

In His Reluctant Rancher, Desiree Burke has come to Twinridge to escape trouble at work and help the Gamble family. They’re recovering from a tragedy – a horrible car accident that killed one son, left his father paralyzed, and gave a load of survivor’s guilt to everyone. Zach Gamble is doing everything he can to shoulder the burden of keeping his family and their ranch going. Bringing physical therapist Des in to help his father is a last ditch effort to save their home, but as the two work together around the ranch, their attraction may be more than they can handle.

This is part of Roxanne Snopek’s Three River Ranch series and there is some overflow from a previous story. Des and Zach have met a couple of times before and flirted but nothing ever came of it. Des is big city and Zach is all rancher. I got the basics of their previous interactions as the story progresses so I don’t think it is necessary to have read anything else before giving this one a chance.

I really liked both Des and Zach. Des has some commitment issues left over from growing up in foster care. She learned early on to not open herself up and get attached, since everything was temporary. She’s sassy and fun, and it was a treat to watch her fall for Zach. Zach has his own issues. He was adopted and always felt a little on the outside. Now, having been the driver when the natural born son died, but making it out without a physical scratch, he’s got some serious emotions scars. It was heartbreaking to have him come to grips not only with the accident but also where he stands in the family. There is a conversation with his father toward the end of the story that brought me to tears.

I think my only complaint is that not enough time was spent on the rehabilitation of Joe, the whole reason why Des is at the ranch. She’s there as a hail mary to get him back on his feet but we see very little of the actual therapy. There are a couple of sweet interactions between the two but I would really have liked to see much more. The time, though, is spent on developing her relationship with Zach and I have to say that was very satisfying. They make a very good match and I really enjoyed seeing the two of them interact.

His Reluctant Rancher is a fantastic story about healing, falling in love, and finding your footing again.