Good but not as good as Salt Bride, but another beautiful cover.
The evil succubus has escaped her imprisonment and her brother, the H in this book, isGood but not as good as Salt Bride, but another beautiful cover.
The evil succubus has escaped her imprisonment and her brother, the H in this book, is ready to contain her and make amends for mistakes he made when he went off the rails.
The H is a little beta but fairly complex and likable, and tries to outmaneuver his brilliant but insane sister. The evil sister is once again an evil mastermind with minions this time, but the dynamic between planning to catch her and the actual fait accompli is just not well executed. If you have what amounts to a serial killer who is willing to murder children is there ever going to come a time when you don’t have an eye on her? There are some other glaring plotholes that are hard to overcome, the big one is why didn’t they just clobber her over the head the minute they saw her.
The biggest issue for me is the heroine, Salt’s little sister. I despised her. I think Lucinda Brant was trying to create a wild and natural free spirit but she came across as a fickle witch. VERY fickle and very annoying. To paraphrase Boogenhagen, “Be happy the hero is happy.” Added minus is there is a distinct lack of passion between these long-pining lovers. The hero has more passion for preparing his Russian tea that is a substitute for alcohol than he has in the heroine’s charms.
I don’t know whether Brant rushed this but the end result felt a little undeveloped and incomplete.
Merged review:
Good but not as good as Salt Bride, but another beautiful cover.
The evil succubus has escaped her imprisonment and her brother, the H in this book, is ready to contain her and make amends for mistakes he made when he went off the rails.
The H is a little beta but fairly complex and likable, and tries to outmaneuver his brilliant but insane sister. The evil sister is once again an evil mastermind with minions this time, but the dynamic between planning to catch her and the actual fait accompli is just not well executed. If you have what amounts to a serial killer who is willing to murder children is there ever going to come a time when you don’t have an eye on her? There are some other glaring plotholes that are hard to overcome, the big one is why didn’t they just clobber her over the head the minute they saw her.
The biggest issue for me is the heroine, Salt’s little sister. I despised her. I think Lucinda Brant was trying to create a wild and natural free spirit but she came across as a fickle witch. VERY fickle and very annoying. To paraphrase Boogenhagen, “Be happy the hero is happy.” Added minus is there is a distinct lack of passion between these long-pining lovers. The hero has more passion for preparing his Russian tea that is a substitute for alcohol than he has in the heroine’s charms.
I don’t know whether Brant rushed this but the end result felt a little undeveloped and incomplete....more
Thank goodness, this broke my long string of mediocre loser romances. Mostly my fault as they stem from FB recs.
Yes, we have a very grumpy hero[image]
Thank goodness, this broke my long string of mediocre loser romances. Mostly my fault as they stem from FB recs.
Yes, we have a very grumpy hero, he's a cross between Roy Kent and Dean. [image] [image]
The heroine is a slightly scatty princess that breaks her mold and after running away from her wedding ends up in a MOC to the H so he can keep custody of his niece. H is bitter because he thought she used him to slum it a few years back only to get back with a slimy fiancee.
Bad parenting as in really bad parenting from her family, and I would have loved one last confrontation with her absolutely horrible dad. (view spoiler)[He slaps the heroine pretty viciously when she refuses to come back. (hide spoiler)]
It's grumpy hero vs Scatty Mary Sunshine, but it really worked for me! And the plot moppet was very cute and very well done. Instead of having a 16 month old reciting the Gettysburg Address, the author realistically presented a one word toddler tyrant.
H is emotionally stunted, and when the H isn't tossing Harley Fatboy's and depriving people of their teeth, the dancing little DaisyNice place filler.
H is emotionally stunted, and when the H isn't tossing Harley Fatboy's and depriving people of their teeth, the dancing little Daisy heroine simply jetes and pirouettes over bad guys. Well, it is fiction after all.
Story has been crushing on Nickel forever, and he, of course, has been pushing her away with the bog standard means of faking a relationship with a skanky ho, being mean, and telling her how no good he is. Man has NO social skills and not much game.
This says it all. I love that line.
But thinkin’ about how he kissed me at first—like a raccoon gettin’ in a trash can—I can kind of see it. He’s not exactly smooth.
Okay, this was the second in the Flynn series, and I thought surely he would be the worst as David the H, eye roll, does nothing right.
He gets a promoOkay, this was the second in the Flynn series, and I thought surely he would be the worst as David the H, eye roll, does nothing right.
He gets a promotion to VP pretty much because the heroine spoon feeds him research. yes, he can schmooze and he's a man, but she does the dirty work. When he gets the promotion he takes ALL the credit. That was bad enough, but he lets the higher ups get him a PA worthy of his status aka skinny and stacked while the h is relegated to the secretary pool. Secretary pool...so retro.
Heroine quits and retreats to her highrise in the sky she's made off her investments. The H wants her...for her research and insults her repeatedly on how she can afford it.
He seduces her then calls her fat and doesn't understand just what he's doing wrong.
Sadly, she forgives him time and time again, and eventually like many of Miller's heroine gets attacked.
Nooooooooo! At 71% I was literally thinking how awesome, perhaps too awesome, the H was being and now, now...he's going to be stupid with a capital S.Nooooooooo! At 71% I was literally thinking how awesome, perhaps too awesome, the H was being and now, now...he's going to be stupid with a capital S. (view spoiler)[
“She and I are in different places in our lives. I just don’t want her ever looking back and thinking that I was her crutch, that she wouldn’t have found the strength to do all this on her own, because she damn well would have. It’s time for me to step back, let her find the rest of herself without me involved.”
“If I let it go for now, maybe in a few years this could come back around,” he whispered.(hide spoiler)]
Yep, he's an idiot. Another man making the big, bad grownup decisions for the little lady. Has Janie Crouch been talking to Diana Palmer?
Final:
Hero and heroine are very sweet and low angst. Heroine puts her foot down that self-sacrificing are not called for. Most of the angst comes from outside sources.
Trigger warning: Heroine is abused by her captors. No rape, but physical abuse....more
My first Betty Neels, and yikes, more psychological thriller than romance. Penny, the amnesiac parient/OW, gives off Fatal Attraction vibes. (view spoMy first Betty Neels, and yikes, more psychological thriller than romance. Penny, the amnesiac parient/OW, gives off Fatal Attraction vibes. (view spoiler)[Attempting to drown H's dog and two cats seals the resemblance. (hide spoiler)]
[image]
Sadly the Alexandra the heroine is a smart, sensible and sympathetic nurse and while she has her suspicions about Penny, can't make the leap to out Penny's deception and out and out evilness. Even the episode at the canal, see spoiler, is brushed over by almost everyone.
HEA eventually; the H and h are very well suited, but until little Penny is in the pokey for the homicide she will no doubt do, keep looking over your shoulder Taro and Alexandra! ...more
This was surprisingly good. A rare FB rec gone good.
I'm not one for shifter romances, but this was fun and well done. I'm going back in time and readiThis was surprisingly good. A rare FB rec gone good.
I'm not one for shifter romances, but this was fun and well done. I'm going back in time and reading Teague's Breeder as well, and I get the feeling there are more than a few plot coincidences: male rejects his mate, another steps in for HEA.
This book started with the same ole slut shaming and a sad little heroine, and my heart sank a little. Again? The h's mate has rejected her, who knows why, for Puta Perro. Why do the slutty girls alway call the nice ones ho's? Anyhoo, Puta Perro is the H's mate but has rejected him and he's sad. So sad he's going to make PP jealous by dating the human genius that happens to be PP's new boyfriend's mate. Jokes on PP as the H falls for the human genius. Ironically, the book's character development of the H and h as well as the heroine's humor and personality improved over the course of the book, and by the end I was laughing, in a good way, at their antics. H is besotted with his new catch and makes no bones about it. It was refreshing to read a romance where the two characters are actually likable and like each other.
More points for a well developed and imaginative Puerto Rican myth that explains why this human can be a wolf's mate and a Luna....more
Lick has crossed my TBR list many, many times, and I've put it off because my usual reaction to rock n'roll romances is euwwww due to all the cheatingLick has crossed my TBR list many, many times, and I've put it off because my usual reaction to rock n'roll romances is euwwww due to all the cheating. Here we have a surprising STD free zone.
Married in Vegas, it's the groom that's put out the h has no memory of the Elvis sponsored marital union.
Heroine is near virgin; H has women baggage stemming from a bad mommy and bad girlfriend. The H and his drummer BF are surprisingly sweet. On to Mal's story....more
MC guy falls head over boots for curvy heroine. A minor mess up, MINOR, engages her spine and she gives him a very cold shoulder. Very sweet MC-lite.
MC guy falls head over boots for curvy heroine. A minor mess up, MINOR, engages her spine and she gives him a very cold shoulder. MC guy has to grovel like mad.
His twin is up next in what sounds like a major mess up.
I enjoyed this despite the most ridiculous misunderstanding/miscommunication ever in the digital age and between teenagers who are almost literally tiI enjoyed this despite the most ridiculous misunderstanding/miscommunication ever in the digital age and between teenagers who are almost literally tied to their devices.
Young love torn apart by a mean and very controlling father, a very controlling ex-fiance, and a secret baby are the gist of it all. What stood out in the writing is I felt like the author was verbalizing and working through how to get out from under the thumb of a controlling and dominating narcissist in terms of the heroine and her romance.
Merged review:
I enjoyed this despite the most ridiculous misunderstanding/miscommunication ever in the digital age and between teenagers who are almost literally tied to their devices.
Young love torn apart by a mean and very controlling father, a very controlling ex-fiance, and a secret baby are the gist of it all. What stood out in the writing is I felt like the author was verbalizing and working through how to get out from under the thumb of a controlling and dominating narcissist in terms of the heroine and her romance....more
Frothy little tale with little to no tension or angst. The most I have for you is the hero is an endearingly gawky H, too big for his clothes, and in Frothy little tale with little to no tension or angst. The most I have for you is the hero is an endearingly gawky H, too big for his clothes, and in love with the heroine. Definite young Henry Cavill vibes.
This was very sweet, silly and a little stupid, but enjoyable nonetheless. Sylvia McDaniel doesn’t let common sense or adult reasoning interfere in heThis was very sweet, silly and a little stupid, but enjoyable nonetheless. Sylvia McDaniel doesn’t let common sense or adult reasoning interfere in her romance or the story which was part of the charm. Her OTT storytelling is more in the line of a little girl with an eye to writing best rose-colored romance ever rather than a KU author wringing angst and feels by creating adulterous soulmates, stillborn babies and betrayal.
The evil OW is perfectly awful and amusingly stymied by the heroine’s retaliation at almost every event. The H is infatuated from his first glimpse of the nude heroine, nude except for a few Eve-inspired branches, and stands up to the second villain in the story: his mother. His mother is completely and totally awful and needs much, more of a comeuppance. This is a series so there is hope!
There was an underlying message if women struggling against society’s constraints that worked, not too heavy handed hence the Bad Girls of the West.
I really liked the heroine at times. She likes pink. I like pink. She wants revenge on a boyfriend that wants to change her and doesn’t think she’s evI really liked the heroine at times. She likes pink. I like pink. She wants revenge on a boyfriend that wants to change her and doesn’t think she’s even GF material. I wanted revenge on an old boyfriend but for slightly different reasons. She’s blonde; I’m …well, used to be blonde.
She has some pretty cute ways to get back at the old BF of four years: glitter in his car AC, mass pizza orders at work, and because she was a doormat of fairly epic proportions can mess with his tailor and food orders among other things. And then there is her quest for epic comeuppance, all of which I was on board with.
Except, I didn’t like how she wanted to use his sex-on-wheels, nicest fictional guy in the universe EVER boss to get back at him.
She goes from [image] To [image]
So our sweet abused and slightly stupid heroine essentially turns into a vengeful Greek tycoon and our sex-on-wheels H is now the chick.
I’m an equal opportunity reader and like for my heroes and heroines to be basically good guys. Using someone as a tool for revenge on someone else ranks low especially when it results in a publicly humiliating experience and a mere, “Oops, sorry,” gets you out of it.
Hero deserved a much better heroine. Plus, fine they have sex, but even the sexy times got a little old and OTT. It’s too bad as I was totally there for her revenge plot until she knowingly decided to use the H like a Kleenex and never stopped. Her dithering guilt trip only made it worse....more
Hysterical and as much a slice of small town life where generations of friends and family are there to breathe down your neck and tattle to your motheHysterical and as much a slice of small town life where generations of friends and family are there to breathe down your neck and tattle to your mother as a depiction of the South, South with a capital S.
Gayden Metcalfe’s writing is smart, painfully and hysterically snarky, and on the nose for the social niceties about the one dark ceremony everyone experiences. I remember being dismayed when my mom died and her contemporaries showed up with deli platters. Didn’t they know they were supposed to bring casseroles made with one form of Campbell’s cream of fill in the blank soup?
This book provides the proper funeral etiquette, sincere or not, as well as some standard and non-standard funeral recipes.
Kind of a nostalgia read for me reminding me of some of my grandmothers and mom's idiosyncrasies and hissy fits about living in their small town (Anthony, Texas): the ongoing feud over my grandmother's best friend making a disturbing play for my grandmother's maid. Territorial issues abounded that somehow neglected the fact that said house cleaner had a mind of her own. The crushed plastic glass of '72 that was never resolved.
Then there was the epic Eggnog Orgy of 1947. My dad, an ex WWII Marine, and his less than beloved FIL, spiked the egg nog with so much rum and brandy that one guest had to crawl home and a lot of Methodists were very disgruntled as they fell for the the alcohol evaporates.
The author has written two other books, one on the perfect wedding and one being the perfect mother.
Forget the non-fiction stuff and write us some fun fiction please!...more
This is less true love than older man gets lucky with doting and adoring nanny that will make an excellent second wife and even better long term nannyThis is less true love than older man gets lucky with doting and adoring nanny that will make an excellent second wife and even better long term nanny. Poo....more
I wanted to give the series another chance since my review of Easy was a teensy harsh, although I feel deservedly so. Some of my GF friends liked thisI wanted to give the series another chance since my review of Easy was a teensy harsh, although I feel deservedly so. Some of my GF friends liked this one, so here we go.
It's hard to believe this is the same author and same series. Shooter isn't exactly Prince Charming, but other than asking the heroine some tough questions he doesn't debase her and cast aspersions on her character or sexuality. Well, not too much.
The heroine undergoes a personality transplant from quiet victim to a perkier, Southern gourmet that all the guys love. She skips over being a precious little Princess that other women just don't get thank goodness, and the banter is fun with the H and his posse of alpha males. Not sure how it all changed, but I'm not going to question an author making a character more interesting.
More humor than I expected as he succumbs to her charms totally against his will from buying her a deaf cat to allowing her into his circle of friends as a pal way before they sex it up.
There is an evil OW, and, wow, what a mouth on her. She's so bad one of his alpha male friends gets disgusted. [image]
Turns out her backstory is intense and she takes the Royal Family approach (cough, cough) Never explain. Never complain....more
Even though we have some different taste in some books, I love Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden' reviews because she is so passionate about the books she lEven though we have some different taste in some books, I love Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden' reviews because she is so passionate about the books she loves. Her review on this is pretty short, but I've read enough Garwood to believe Val's review....more
Kind of old school romantic insta love, really INSTA LOVE, between a charming and smart h and her not very charming but doting Scottish H. Bare hairy Kind of old school romantic insta love, really INSTA LOVE, between a charming and smart h and her not very charming but doting Scottish H. Bare hairy knees can be a good thing. Poor H, he doesn't know he dotes on her but can't help himself.
What can else can I say that others haven't? Banter, the h continuously getting one over on the H in a loving but funny way, and a nice suspense plot tossed in make this 4 stars.
As Ivy H said, the fate of poor Gilly was horrible and points off for that....more
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