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| B00OYBCRT8
| 3.84
| 56
| Apr 01, 2015
| Apr 01, 2015
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it was ok
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His pulse raced. Trace had been hoping she'd let him feel the baby again. He hadn't dared touch her since the night he'd wanted to go on kissing her s
His pulse raced. Trace had been hoping she'd let him feel the baby again. He hadn't dared touch her since the night he'd wanted to go on kissing her senseless. That seemed like a century ago. After she'd left his arms to go to bed, he'd forced himself to put his desire for her in cold storage. pg. 201 Perfectly mediocre book by Rebecca Winters. There's nothing objectionable in it, but neither is it interesting. Trace is a former Air Force pilot who comes back to his Montana ranch. Living on his ranch is Cassie, a pregnant widow. This book is a bit unique in that even though Trace comes back to Montana, he's left a beautiful, spoiled, socialite fiancée behind in Italy. They are engaged and still saying 'I love you' and kissing until about page 132. Now. There's no PHYSICAL cheating here in the book, but people who care about this stuff should know. Trace is having romantic/sexual feelings for a woman who is not his fiancée. If this bothers you, avoid this book. Cheating - sexual, physical, romantic, emotional - doesn't always bother me in fiction and I have a higher tolerance to it than most romance readers IMO depending on the circumstances, situation, characters etc. Winters deserves credit for not making Trace's Italian fiancée a bad person. She may be a pampered socialite, but she loves Trace and they apparently have a lot of good sexual chemistry. She's not evil. Likewise, Cassie's dead husband is not bad, either. Cassie loved him, he was a good man. Kudos to Winters for not falling into the 'every romantic partner but you was a piece of shit,' which is common in romance and lazy, IMO. There's also a (relatively minor) plot about Cassie's psychotic, evil brother Ned. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There is an off-page sex scene at the very end of the book. So I have no idea. TL;DR Mild book in which a hero who is described as 'depressed' but doesn't act depressed at all and has no symptoms for depression returns home to Montana and falls in love with a pregnant widow with a psycho brother. This sounds a lot more exciting than the book actually is. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance STEM Heroine - Her degree is in Wildlife Conservation; but in this book she is working as a housekeeper. Non-Virgin Heroine Cheating - Non-physical cheating Widow Heroine Pregnant Heroine He's a Rancher, She's a Housekeeper Takes Place in Montana, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Trace m 28 Sam m Ellen f Logan m Cassie f 27 Clive m Liz f Connor m Avery f Jarod m Zane m Buttercup – horse Masala – horse Nicoletta f nn Nicci Prince – horse Reva f Ned m Sadie f Kip – dog Owen m Ralph m Tyson m Benito m Mandy f Cole m Ryan m Charlo m Grant m Paul m Lindsey f Lulu – wolf Annie – wolf Giselle – fox Polly – horse Sunflower – horse Daniel m Silas m Pete m Eileen f Tim m Russ m Millie f Mac m Marsha f Bud m Lamont m 47 Mildred f Rose f Bianca f Dex – dog Dusty – dog Grace f (hide spoiler)] Merged review: His pulse raced. Trace had been hoping she'd let him feel the baby again. He hadn't dared touch her since the night he'd wanted to go on kissing her senseless. That seemed like a century ago. After she'd left his arms to go to bed, he'd forced himself to put his desire for her in cold storage. pg. 201 Perfectly mediocre book by Rebecca Winters. There's nothing objectionable in it, but neither is it interesting. Trace is a former Air Force pilot who comes back to his Montana ranch. Living on his ranch is Cassie, a pregnant widow. This book is a bit unique in that even though Trace comes back to Montana, he's left a beautiful, spoiled, socialite fiancée behind in Italy. They are engaged and still saying 'I love you' and kissing until about page 132. Now. There's no PHYSICAL cheating here in the book, but people who care about this stuff should know. Trace is having romantic/sexual feelings for a woman who is not his fiancée. If this bothers you, avoid this book. Cheating - sexual, physical, romantic, emotional - doesn't always bother me in fiction and I have a higher tolerance to it than most romance readers IMO depending on the circumstances, situation, characters etc. Winters deserves credit for not making Trace's Italian fiancée a bad person. She may be a pampered socialite, but she loves Trace and they apparently have a lot of good sexual chemistry. She's not evil. Likewise, Cassie's dead husband is not bad, either. Cassie loved him, he was a good man. Kudos to Winters for not falling into the 'every romantic partner but you was a piece of shit,' which is common in romance and lazy, IMO. There's also a (relatively minor) plot about Cassie's psychotic, evil brother Ned. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There is an off-page sex scene at the very end of the book. So I have no idea. TL;DR Mild book in which a hero who is described as 'depressed' but doesn't act depressed at all and has no symptoms for depression returns home to Montana and falls in love with a pregnant widow with a psycho brother. This sounds a lot more exciting than the book actually is. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance STEM Heroine - Her degree is in Wildlife Conservation; but in this book she is working as a housekeeper. Non-Virgin Heroine Cheating - Non-physical cheating Widow Heroine Pregnant Heroine He's a Rancher, She's a Housekeeper Takes Place in Montana, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Trace m 28 Sam m Ellen f Logan m Cassie f 27 Clive m Liz f Connor m Avery f Jarod m Zane m Buttercup – horse Masala – horse Nicoletta f nn Nicci Prince – horse Reva f Ned m Sadie f Kip – dog Owen m Ralph m Tyson m Benito m Mandy f Cole m Ryan m Charlo m Grant m Paul m Lindsey f Lulu – wolf Annie – wolf Giselle – fox Polly – horse Sunflower – horse Daniel m Silas m Pete m Eileen f Tim m Russ m Millie f Mac m Marsha f Bud m Lamont m 47 Mildred f Rose f Bianca f Dex – dog Dusty – dog Grace f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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May 04, 2020
not set
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May 11, 2020
not set
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Nov 18, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| B01GJ0S5M4
| 4.24
| 81,752
| Jun 20, 2016
| Jun 20, 2016
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did not like it
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"My future," Joe said, "is Ox." Ah, god, that made me ache. "Is that so?" Mom asked. "How do you figure?" "He's really nice," Joe said seriously. "And sm "My future," Joe said, "is Ox." Ah, god, that made me ache. "Is that so?" Mom asked. "How do you figure?" "He's really nice," Joe said seriously. "And smells good. And he makes me happy. And I want to do nothing more than put my mouth on him." 28% Ok, this is not going to be a positive review. I understand this is a beloved book. Many, many people love this book. I picked it up expecting it to be good. I pick up every book with an open mind and hopeful expectations. I was not prepared. This is mainly suffering from being a y/n fanfiction-y type story. If you are unfamiliar, this is a fiction that used to exist... Still exists?... in which the reader inserts their name (y/n your name) into the story and therefore can use the story to fantasize about something happening to them. Always revolving around romance/sex. Very popular with pre-teens and early teens. It's not... this is not a fan-fiction OF SOMETHING (although Klune does lampshade Twilight A LOT in this book) but rather a self-insertion fantasy about m/m werewolf romance/sex. Is TJ Klune a talented author? I've only read this book by him. I hear he is very successful now. I mean, in the mainstream. If you are talking about my opinion after I read this book, then it's complicated. His weaknesses are tending to go on and on and on, leaving the reader bored. I was bored. The book was on my Kindle but was 485 "pages." And you could tell. A lot of authors, especially indie authors of romance, favor long books. (See also: Laurann Dohner.) This can be fun when you are feeling it, but tedious when you are bored by the material. I was bored by the material. His other weaknesses include melodramatic writing. Everything is SO dramatic. Everything is SO... written by a teenager. Not that Klune is writing at a teenage level, he is not. But his material is written with teenage levels of drama and teenage ideas of "what is cool." I think the book was supposed to be quite serious. Other reviews talk about how much the characters "suffer." But I was laughing hard through the entire book. Need an example? Feast on this: "You're SEVENTEEN - " He was snarling now, and I knew if I looked up at him, his wolf would be fighting through. "So? You think I don't know what I'm doing? You think that because I'm ONLY SEVENTEEN I don't know what I'm talking about? I haven't been a kid for a very long time, Ox. That was taken away from me the first time he made me scream into the phone so my mom could hear it as he broke my fingers. I haven't been a kid since he RIPPED it from me and made me into something else. I know what this is. I know what I'm doing. Yes, I'm SEVENTEEN years old, but I knew the day I met you that I would do ANYTHING for you. I would do ANYTHING to make you happy because no one has ever smelled like you did. It was candy canes and pinecones. It was epic and awesome. And it was HOME. You smelled like my HOME, Ox. I'd forgotten what that was like, okay? I'd forgotten that because HE took it away from me and I couldn't find it again until I found you. So don't you sit there and say I'm ONLY seventeen. My father gave Mom his wolf when HE was seventeen. It's not a matter of AGE, Ox. It's when you know." My voice was hoarse when I said, "But I'm not - " "Shut up!" he cried. "You know what? No. You don't get to decide what you're worth because you obviously don't know. You don't get to decide that anymore because you have no fucking idea that you're worth EVERYTHING. What do you think this is? A joke? A decision I made just for the hell of it? It's not. It's not destiny, Ox. You're not BOUND by this. Not yet. There's a choice. There is ALWAYS a choice. My wolf chose you. I chose you. And if you don't choose me, then that's YOUR choice and I will walk out of here knowing you got to choose your own path. But I swear to god, if you choose me, I will make sure that you know the weight of your worth every day for the rest of our lives because that's what this is. I am going to be a fucking ALPHA one day, and there is no one I'd rather have by my side than you. It's you, Ox. For me, it's always been you." 29% The whole book is like that. If you think that excerpt is cringe-y, avoid this book. If you think this is THE PEAK OF ROMANCE, then boy howdy, do I have a book for you!!! I would compare this book to Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight. Not because it's BDSMy, it's not, and not because it's written for teenagers, it's not YA. But the writing style is similar. AGE GAP, FATED-TO-BE-MATED I just want you to know that Joe pledges himself to Ox when he is ten years old. I found this to be creepy. NOTHING SEXUAL happens between them until Joe is 17 and Ox is 23, and they don't actually have intercourse until Joe is 20 and Ox is 26, but still. The idea of a child picking/knowing his future "mate," and his whole family (his parents and all his brothers) knowing that Ox and Joe are going to fuck from the time when Joe is 10 was skeeving me out. It skeeved me out. I don't like fated-to-be-mated anyway, even if the characters meet as adults. I like to see two people falling in love, not two people "destined" to be together. But there's an extra ick factor when it starts so young. Fated-to-be-mated is very popular in paranormal romance, werewolf or otherwise. People get kidnapped and tortured, kidnapped and tortured. It was concerning the first time, but by the third time I was like, "Just get on with it!" The MC also has daddy issues which seem immense. His dad said some shitty stuff to him and left when he was 12, and this is discussed over and over and over x30,000. I get it, your father was not a good guy. But considering you then discovered a perfect, superpowered "found family" complete with a built in perfect "mate," I don't really buy all the whining. The problem with Klune's writing style that it's hard for me to take it seriously. Even though Klune is often times trying very hard to be serious. It's just so cringe-y. GREYSCALE It's hard for me to describe but I was picturing this book in my head as a black-and-white feature. It's very greyscale. It's a greyscale book. It presents itself in black, white, and grey. Not sure if this is due to the setting (which I think is Pacific NW), but it definitely is due to the way Klune writes. This isn't a complaint - I think writing in a way that makes your readers picture a world in which color doesn't exist... well, color exists, but the readers can't see it... is quite interesting and skillful. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There is explicit, described on-page m/m sex in this book. If you LOVE that, this is a good fit for you (although the characters take quite a long time to get there). M/m sex doesn't do anything for me personally, so I can't really rate it. The MC (Ox) is NOT gay. He's NOT gay, he is bisexual, and it was great to see bisexual representation. I am seeing more and more bisexual representation in books nowadays, they were much slower to get it than just lesbians, gay men, and trangender individuals. So I think that's nice. I have been noticing an uptick lately. "Fucking retard," Clint sneered at me the second day of school. Because that was his thing. I ignored him, as I always did, shoving books into my locker. It was easier. Apparently not for Carter, though. He grabbed Clint by the back of the head and threw him against the row of lockers, pressing his face against the cold metal. "You talk like that to him again and I'll rip your fucking heart out," he hissed. "Tell everyone that Ox is under Bennett protection and if anyone so much as LOOKS at him funny, I'll break their arms. Don't fuck with Ox." 9% "But I would be a Beta." "Yes. One of mine. Eventually, one of Joe's." "Why aren't Carter or Kelly going to be the next Alpha?" He said, "They weren't born to be. Joe was. He will be an Alpha." I didn't want to offend him, but I couldn't stop the words. "I would have something you wouldn't. If I turned." "Oh? And what would that be?" I touched the tree again. "I would remember what it was like to be human." 18% This sounds EXACTLY like what a nine-year-old would come up with to choke up readers. I can see them reading it aloud to their parents and choking up at what they've written while reading it. "I want your blood on my tongue. I want to break you open and crawl inside of you. I am a monster because of the things I could do to you that you wouldn't be able to stop me from doing." 32% This is what Joe says to Ox. To illustrate how... fucked-up he is, I guess? Or something? "Ox. Ox. You can't argue with me. Not on this. I am a BEAST. I was made to be this way by the might and folly of men and I stopped denying what I am a long time ago. I will take what is rightfully mine and all will be well." 37% This is how the villain talks. *rolls eyes* I said, "Your first mistake was underestimating me. My pack. I may be human, but I run with wolves." 59% This is how Ox "intimidates" the villains by showing he is so badass! LOL LOL LOL I almost died laughing at this part. I mean, come on. Tl;dr Read if you like: - Fated to be mated. - Explicit m/m sex scenes - Melodramatic writing - Books with a greyscale feel - Found Family Avoid if you struggle with: - A ten-year-old choosing his mate. Everyone knows about it (except the mate). It's creepy and weird, even if you wave your hands and say, "Werewolves!" - Lame ideas of "being badass" and "being cool" and "OMG I'm broken from the suffering in my past!!!!" - Melodramatic writing that will have you in tears... of laughter. - Fated-to-be-Mated - Special Chosen One MC NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Ox Oxnard m Curtis m Gordo m Jeremy m Clint m Jenny f Maggie f Mark m Rico m Tanner m Chris m Joseph Joe m Carter m Kelly m Elizabeth f Thomas m Jessie f Cassie f Felicia f Abel m Henry m Tyler m Dex m Eric m Nick m Marie f Osmond m Frankie m Richard m Robbie m Michelle f Beatrice f David m Megan f Adam m Gerald m William m Judith f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 03, 2023
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Oct 15, 2023
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Oct 03, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1944565558
| 9781944565558
| B09Z8L23NL
| 4.35
| 22,594
| Jun 16, 2022
| Jun 16, 2022
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did not like it
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My voice is weak when I offer, "I was a willing participant." "It doesn't matter," he thunders back, his eyes haunted. "This was inappropriate. I shoul My voice is weak when I offer, "I was a willing participant." "It doesn't matter," he thunders back, his eyes haunted. "This was inappropriate. I should have known better." The chastising tone of his words pierce through any shred of dignity I had left. I feel dirty and ashamed as he looks at me like I'm the worst mistake of his life. Is hooking up with me really such an appalling concept to him? I realize he can get girls ten times hotter than me, but to act like I'm some kind of disgusting mistake is a degradation I can't stomach. "You need to go," I state through clenched teeth, willing my voice not to shake from the rejection blanketing over top of me. Max turns around, looking guilty, which only makes this situation ten times worse. "Cassandra, I'm so sorry." 27% So, I will no longer be buying Daws's books. Not because I'm angry or upset or anything, but I've read two of her books and it's always the same case (for me). The story is going fine. The characters are fine. I'm enjoying myself for the most part. Then the sex scenes hit. It's just going to be a difference of opinion with me and Daws - we just don't find the same things sexy. I do not find her sex scenes sexy. As soon as the hero starts getting into it with the heroine, I'm turned off by him and usually angry with him. They always seem like okay guys until the sex starts. Max is parenting his 11-year-old daughter, Everly. He needs a nanny since he works a lot. My eleven going on twenty-year-old looks up at my with her lethal robin-blue eyes that make me doubt my manhood every single day. 1% I'm kind of baffled by this sentence, honestly. Anyway. Cassandra wears tie-dye and fakes a British accent and asks to go by the name "Cozy." Her resume is sparse and everything about her drives the rather uptight and business-y Max up a wall. She calls Max "Big Daddy" in her job interview with him. His (correct, IMO) reaction is a kind of "WTF is going on here?" but the kid loves "Cozy." So she's hired. He's a millionaire, she's his nanny. He's uptight, she's "fun." He's 34, she's 26. Blah blah blah trope city. If you are looking for a nanny/rich man romance, you can do better than this IMO. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Not my thing. The reason I am not reading any more Amy Daws. We are going to have to agree to disagree about what makes a good sex scene. TL;DR Not my thing, but it's not like there's no substance to Daws's novels. She's not my cup of tea, but might work out perfectly for someone else. I've read romances that were total trash (I define this by zero effort, paint-by-numbers, author not even trying), this isn't trash (by my definition) because Daws obviously puts work into it, but I can't with the sexual dynamics here. Like her calling him "Zaddy" all the time and him getting hard when she calls him "boss" and him ordering her to cum and etc. YMMV There's NO POINT in me reading a romance book if I can't stomach the sex. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 24, 2023
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Sep 24, 2023
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Sep 24, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1944565132
| 9781944565138
| B07BM7CSQV
| 4.07
| 28,687
| Mar 20, 2018
| Mar 20, 2018
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did not like it
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"But you're hooking up with a guy who still doesn't know your real name. How do you think that's going to end, Kate?" 58% Dean's got a point. So this bo "But you're hooking up with a guy who still doesn't know your real name. How do you think that's going to end, Kate?" 58% Dean's got a point. So this book was OK. It wasn't terrible - there's a lot of bad, unreadable romance/erotica out there - but it wasn't good. I was kind of enjoying it a little, but once the MCs starting having sex it was a big NO from me. So the book and I didn't work out. Kate Smith is a writer of erotica she self-publishes on Kindle. (This book is a huge author insertion, one of my pet peeves.) She needs to find a place where her creativity flows, and that turns out to be in the Customer Care Center at her local tire place. She goes there every day for hours and hours, downing coffee and eating cookies. She meets a mechanic who works there, a man who is "super-hot" and "super-masculine." His name is Miles. She lies to him and tells him her pen name, Mercedes. And when she finally brings him home, she doesn't tell him she still lives with her asshole ex, she tells him she has a gay male roommate. So. My MAIN ISSUES: 1.) Author self-insertion. I don't enjoy it, even the greats do it - Stephen King has certainly done it. I find it lazy and common. 2.) I found Kate to be self-involved. I mean, she was sweet, if a bit dim. Everything is about how masculine Miles is. Everything he does is manly, every single part of him is manly, this is discussed ad nauseum. And she's obsessed with his chiseled body, which she goes on and on about constantly. I don't know, she just seemed a bit shallow. Lying, copping all the free stuff at this tire place - this was played as cute and if this was the only thing I would totally be able to dismiss it as quirky and cute, this wasn't an issue until compounded with other things - doesn't come clean to Miles even after they are fucking. Even after Day One when they just meet as friends. There are 9,000 opportunities to come clean with him and she never takes them. Of course, she's eventually forced to tell the truth in a huge drama showdown that forces her hand and is ugly. 3.) Miles has a lot of red flags. Mainly jealousy. "You are a walking, fucking tease, you know that?" pg. 17% This is what he says to her the first time they go out to a meal together. *Buzzer noise* Nope. Big red flag. I wouldn't allow this man to talk to me like this much less allow him to see me again. Tells her he's a jealous guy. Always talking about how jealous and possessive he is. Refers to her at one point as "his property." *Buzzer noise* NOPE. Just get out now. Really, really bad sign. It's 2018. This isn't 'hot' - especially since they are not roleplaying or anything - he's serious. And it's a SERIOUS red flag. The first time they have sex, she sees the size of his penis and is kind of nervous about taking it. Fine, whatever, this is pretty standard for modern romance/erotica. But when she worries about it hurting, he Miles teases his covered tip against my slit. "But what if I like it to hurt a little?" In one fast push, he slams into me so fast I can't catch my breath for a moment. 44% I was horrified. Ugh. Horrified. But I guess Daws is having me believe she likes this shit. There's a LOT of scenes in this book where I was looking on in horror, only to have the heroine wax poetic about how manly the hero is when he does some red-flag shit. Like when he exhibits a temper and SHE THINKS IT'S HOT. Oh man. Guys with a temper ARE NOT HOT, they are fucking dangerous. "But I have to say there's something seriously hot about seeing you in a mood... I hope that works to our advantage later." 72% I just wanted to shake her and tell her to run for the majority of the book. Now, at the end, Daws kind of brings up some interesting points when (view spoiler)[Miles finds Kate at a bar with her ex and he punches her ex in the face for calling Kate a c-word. (hide spoiler)] Then he says, "I've never punched another guy in my life, and I just fucking broke that dick's nose." 83% That's interesting. That's interesting. I definitely thought he would have had some punching in his resume since he goes on and on all the time about being jealous and possessive and I know he had a fucked-up ex-girlfriend who would wind him up. If Daws had explored this a little more... kind of explored something like "all bark, no bite" or kind of laid it on with his confused emotions and how he struggles with this uber-masculine image he's supposed to present all the time... that would be interesting. BUT NO, don't get excited. She doesn't explore this avenue at all. And then when Kate confronts him at the end of the book, kind of talking about all his talk made her a bit nervous, "You were going on and on about being jealous." His lips form a thin line, a look of disappointment clouding his features. "I shouldn't have scared you with all that. I put way too much pressure on you with talk of my past. I'm a protective guy, Kate, but I hope you know I trust you." 93%. ...That's not really shown at all in the book. Daws doesn't really showcase this about him. He really seemed kind of unhinged. Now, she's like, "Oh, well, he's not really that bad! Blah blah blah." Kind of trying to roll it back. Didn't really show that in the actual text, where he was pretty much spelling out, ABUSER. 5.) I don't like it when a group of girlfriends refer to each other as slut, bitch, and whore. It makes me sad. It's not funny to me. 6.) Kate faints. FAINTS. I mean... come on. 7.) Here's something I liked: The hero quit smoking three months ago. I rarely see that addressed. That was something new and interesting to me in a romance. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Ugh, not my thing. TL;DR Trying to be cute. Might have succeeded if she had pulled back on some of the more alarming stuff. But as it stands, the heroine comes off as sweet, but self-involved, dim, and shallow. The hero comes off as someone who has some warning flags as to being a potential abuser. Shown as "hot." To me, no. I was telling Kate to run away. Daws either could have pulled back on the shallowness of the woman or the psychoness of the man, OR she could have done some more deep dive, psychological exploring of them. Either one. The first would have produced a 'cute' book. The second would have produced an 'interesting, thought-provoking romance.' But of course, neither happened. As a result, I didn't really like either MC. The writing isn't atrocious, and this isn't one of those Kindle books with tons of grammatical errors. If it sounds like your jam, go for it. But it wasn't for me. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Kate f Mercedes Lee Betty f Misty – dog Miles m 6'4” Lynsey f Dryston m her ex Dean m Hannah f Sam m Jocelyn f Joce Megan f Meg Jeremiah m Mitchell m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 06, 2023
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Jul 07, 2023
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Jul 06, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1542034434
| 9781542034432
| B09SYTCHNX
| 3.84
| 1,238
| unknown
| Nov 01, 2022
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liked it
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To the world, Patricio Galán might be cocky, confident, and commanding. To her, the real Patricio was all that and so much more: compassionate, though
To the world, Patricio Galán might be cocky, confident, and commanding. To her, the real Patricio was all that and so much more: compassionate, thoughtful, wickedly funny, and most important, supportive of her. But he was still a mariachi. And while the more time she spent with Patricio, the more she longed - ay, to the marrow of her bones, how she longed - to cast aside her long-head conviction to not relive her birth mother's mistakes, she was too afraid he might... what if she wound up... No, she couldn't do it. 84% Sequel to West Side Love Story. This is about Mariana's younger sister, Catalina. Based on the last book, I thought she would be paired with Marco. But instead this is her love story with Patricio. Cat is a mariachi and part of the group that (view spoiler)[won the mariachi competition last book - Mariachi Las Nubes. (hide spoiler)] She's a singer and a songwriter and the judge of the competition offers her a sweet deal working with him, performing with him, and songwriting with him. This could make her career! He's Patricio Galán, a Latino superstar who went from mariachi music to pop. He's famous, handsome, a great singer etc. etc. Unfortunately, Cat has daddy-issues. Her birth father abandoned her and her younger sister Blanca, and they ended up in foster care - of course, eventually being adopted by the Capuletas as discussed in the first book. Cat has a huge amount of anger towards her father, and the patriarchy (it's hard to make it as a female mariachi). When she's 8 and Blanca is 6, she makes a vow never to date a mariachi and forces her younger sister to also make this vow. However, recently her sister has started a clandestine relationship with a mariachi named Luciano. Catalina is away from Blanca and unable to "Blanca, talk to me," she pleaded. "I can't just drive over to your place to tickle and cajole you out of this funk." "It's not a funk. I'm mad at you." "Why? I'm not the one breaking our promise." "A promise we made when we were kids," Blanca complained. "Por Dios, I was six years old! And you were only eight!" "But still wise enough to know what was for our own good." 64% Patricio has daddy issues of his own. His father is a hugely well-known mariachi known as El Rey (and Patricio, of course, is known as El Príncipe). His father loves the spotlight and has trained his son from a young age to never outshine him. Patricio has been tamping down his talent for years to please his controlling father. ... I was surprised I ended up liking this book more than West Side Love Story. Honestly, Angelo (the hero from the first book) is more my kind of guy. But I found the story in this one more compelling. Catalina and Patricio struggling to come to terms with their troublesome fathers. Catalina trying hard to resist falling for Patricio because doing so would break her rules. It was a better plot than Book One. As usual for Oliveras, Patricio is a hero who is really good with consent and he is respectful. I like the way men in Oliveras's books act. And - also as per usual in Oliveras's books - the thing is loaded with similes. Just brace yourself for tons and tons of similes. This doesn't bother me, I find it a bit amusing, but it could really annoy some people. Even though there is a lot of Spanglish in here, it's ALL explained, very easy to follow even if you are not a Spanish-speaker. Don't let that scare you if you don't know Spanish. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Off-page - although he does finger her on-page! Exciting! More than the last book gave us. - and it doesn't happen until 91%. 91%!!!!!! So you'd better be really freaking patient. Don't read it for the sex, is what I'm saying. TL;DR More interesting than the first book. Read it if you want a Latino romance novel that is light and sweet. Read it if you like heroes who are respectful and care about consent. These books are nothing earth-shattering but they are cute and sweet and a fun time if you like romance with a mexicano bent and a focus on the world of mariachi. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Catalina f George m Patricio m Alberto m Vincente m Blanca f Arturo m Berta f Claudia f 16 Nina f Sabrina f Violeta f Mariana f Teresita f 13 Fabiola f Luciano m Jorge m Magdalena f Magda Carlito m Gustavo m Tonio m Gordo m Carmen f Freddie m Pedro m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 22, 2023
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Jun 24, 2023
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Jun 22, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 4.15
| 2,600
| Feb 14, 2020
| Feb 24, 2020
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did not like it
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SHORT REVIEW "Were you truly not listening to anything I said in there?" "Honestly? No. I was imagining the two of us fucking." Warmth spread to my cheek SHORT REVIEW "Were you truly not listening to anything I said in there?" "Honestly? No. I was imagining the two of us fucking." Warmth spread to my cheeks, and my pulse thumped, despite myself. A torpedo shot between my legs. 9% A torpedo shot between her legs!?!?!? Also, he met her about half an hour ago. Just skip this. Avoid it. Definitely don't pay money for it. ... LONG(ER) REVIEW: Listen, the book is horrible. The hero's headspace is disgusting. I should have DNFed at 8% when he calls a woman he doesn't even know a "slut." He meets the heroine when she reads his dead father's will. He's fucking her an hour later. Why? Well, the heroine has absolutely no will. She just blindly obeys. Not only Rock (the hero) but any male. She has no personality. She has no will. She has no character. She's like a meat puppet. I have NO idea how she became an attorney, or keeps a job as one. This isn't even a BDSM, sex-thing like: oh, submissive or whatever. It's not like that. It's like shitty writing. It's not a sex thing, it's just a shitty writing thing. Also, even creepier and more disgusting than her instant cave-in to anything Rock (or whomever she's dating) suggests is her copy-catting him. She likes her steak medium. He tells her rare is better. He orders her a rare steak. She tries it. Suddenly, it's the only thing she orders when she goes out to eat. It's bizarre. He drinks bourbon. He makes her try it. Suddenly, she orders bourbon (even mimicking his exact drink order to the word) every single time she goes out now. She's an instant bourbon-drinker. It's all she'll touch. Again, this isn't some BDSM, submit-to-me shit. It's just a complete lack of a personality or will on the heroine's part. And some kind of messaging that he is teaching her the RIGHT things to like and teaching her the RIGHT tastes to have. Basically he wants to date himself. A version of himself that has a vagina and breasts. That's it. Full stop. All his 'fantasies' about her that are non-sexual (and those are rare) are of her riding on his motorcycle, moving to Montana where he lives, eating beef stew, going hunting with him, skinning animals etc. etc. etc. Does she have any interest in doing any of those things? Probably not, but she will after he tells her to. ??? It never even occurs to him that she might not have an interest in these things, and he doesn't bother to fucking ask, either. There's some bizarre side-plot about his father getting murdered and both he and Lacey getting framed for it. There's also child-rape in the form of incest in here, and male-on-male rape. So, if that bothers you, might want to skip this one. The book ends on a cliffhanger. If that bothers you, skip it. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Atrocious. The guy doesn't believe in foreplay, 90% of the sex scenes are him just jamming his cock into her with no warm-up. Literally the author uses the word 'jamming.' Kissing is 'smashing his mouth on hers.' Honestly it all sounds pretty painful and uncomfortable and definitely not sexy. She's insistent this is the best sex she's ever had, I feel incredibly sorry for her. She's VERY impressed he didn't rape her while she was black-out drunk. He'd taken care of me last night, and he could have easily taken advantage of me. No. A man like Rock Wolfe wouldn't do that. He was no gentleman, but he wasn't a criminal. And not because he had any kind of high moral ground. He just wanted a woman to be completely aware of everything he was doing to her. 49% Just because he didn't rape her, doesn't mean he has MORALS, okay? Morals are for dweebs. No, he just doesn't rape women because then he can't hear them moan in pleasure while he jams his cock into them. ?!?!?!!?!?!? He also wants a medal for this. I ought to get a medal for this. But strangely, as beautiful and enticing as she was, I still had no desire to take advantage of her. Odd. 44% So odd he doesn't want to rape an unconscious woman. Something must be wrong with him! It must be... LOVE! Also, he wants a medal for it. Seriously, are standards for men THIS LOW? All a man has to do is refrain from raping someone and he's the catch of the century?!!?! So, so sad. So terribly sad. I think you can do better, Lacey. She just believes him when he says he's clean (even though this guy is a walking hard-on and I imagine he's had sex with hundreds of women, or at least the author wants us to believe that) and allows him to fuck her without a condom. She's so fucking stupid. You know the drill, they are declaring their undying love to each other and getting engaged after ten days. TEN DAYS. He still has NO FUCKING CLUE about a single interest of hers. Not like he cares. Not like she has any. But still. It's fucking insulting. TL;DR Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. The only surprises in this book is Hardt's unfortunate inclusion of stuff like child-rape/incest and male-on-male rape. And the part where Lacey - out of nowhere - propositions her masseuse. Baffling. Absolutely baffling. Usually that would never happen in a 'romance.' She doesn't go through with it after deciding her masseuse is 'boring.' But she was seriously considering it. She even bares her breasts to him. It's so strange. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 07, 2023
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Feb 08, 2023
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Feb 07, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 9798783411731
| 3.88
| 70,908
| Dec 2021
| May 2022
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did not like it
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"This ain't going anywhere. Okay? We'll do the segment, get you nice and irresistible to men, and then release you into the wild like a baby bird. We
"This ain't going anywhere. Okay? We'll do the segment, get you nice and irresistible to men, and then release you into the wild like a baby bird. We ain't gonna end up dating." I raise an eyebrow. "You do know that I'm not secretly in love with you, right?" 9% This book is ridiculous. It's about a woman who decides to date her three hot neighbors (roommates who live together) as 'practice' because she feels like she's 'undateable.' I have mixed feelings about it. It has both good and bad points. THE GOOD 1.) This isn't badly put together. In case you were wondering if this was one of those badly edited, poorly written junk erotica you find on Kindle Unlimited (which I don't have, by the way) - it isn't. The book is edited. It makes sense. I didn't find spelling errors nor grammar errors. It's a full book, with build-up, a plot (not necessarily a good one, but still), characters, and a lot more to it than just sex scenes. 2.) The men in here are kind to Layla. They respect her. They are not pushy. They are not gross 'alphas' who are always throwing their weight around. They don't do any of that gross 'I own you, obey me' shit. That's good, because I HATE that kind of stuff. Especially in an alleged romance. 3.) Layla is not a doormat (as an adult). She's certainly a victim (more on that later), but she doesn't take any shit from the guys. One of the best and most surprising things about this novel was her just serving back everything the guys dished out with lots of sass. She doesn't let people push her around, her instinct when being teased or bullied is to strike back and not take shit. THE BAD: 1.) The plot is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I expect a little bit of ridiculousness in romance and erotica. Fine. But this is BONKERS. Layla claims she's never dated anyone (view spoiler)[that turns out to be a LIE, she dated a guy for a week in high school (hide spoiler)]. The book opens with her being on a date with a guy, and he excuses himself to go to the bathroom and CLIMBS OUT THE WINDOW to escape the date. I'm sure this is supposed to be funny. However, Layla is - get this - a lingerie designer, and she models her own stuff. She's super-pretty, very traditionally attractive, and a FUCKING lingerie model, for Pete's sake. This book is trying to get me to believe men are running from her? Because she's quirky? Because she talks about wanting to have kids?!?! I don't know what you think about men, but more than a few men would put up with a lot of shit to date a lingerie model. And I don't consider a mild comment on a date about wanting kids to be 'a lot of shit.' Newsflash: Men want to get married. A lot of them want children. This idea that men HATE marriage and NEVER want children and HATE having families and a wife is SO WEIRD to me. Men definitely do get married. They have children. And it's BY CHOICE, a lot of the time. Every time authors act like men are inhuman beings from another world who are allergic to societal norms I am just baffled. THEN, it gets worse. She tells the heroes she hates kissing. And one man observes that she brings home one-night-stands. But she doesn't kiss them. That would be too intimate. Well, does she enjoy the sex? NO. She hates sex. She finds it unpleasant. And she's never had an orgasm. *my head is hurting* THEN WHY, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, IS SHE PICKING UP MEN AT BARS AND HAVING ONE NIGHT STANDS WITH THEM?!?!!?!?!? It just made no fucking sense to me. No fucking sense. This is beyond 'quirky,' this is disturbed behavior. She needs to see a professional about this. I think the author should have made her a 'virgin.' Just make her a 'virgin.' I don't know why she avoided this... Virgins are out of fashion in romance? She thought it was unbelievable that the MC is a 30-year-old virgin? Trust me, that's more believable than this convoluted shit. It literally did not make any sense. I was not buying it for one second. And I think any man hearing her say all this stuff would have alarm bells going off in his head, because this is pretty whacko. 2.) I found Layla's 'tragic backstory' to be contrived. Just very fake and contrived. I felt bad for her, it was impossible not to by the end of the book, but her victimhood was so contrived. On the part of the author, it just wasn't convincing. 3.) Everyone in this book is SO FUCKING STUPID. If stupid characters annoy you, please avoid this. I doubt there were 10 brain cells amongst the 4 of them. They were SO DUMB. It was very aggravating. For example, Zack and Luke's (view spoiler)[bright idea (s) to put vaginal beads inside Layla before Amy's wedding. This is a TERRIBLE IDEA. One, it's a formal wedding, no one seems into humiliation, I don't get the point. And it's a BIG DEAL for Luke, his ex-wife is getting remarried. He's in shambles emotionally. Probably not in the best place to be thinking about sex. It's written as pretty horrible for Layla, I felt so bad for her suffering through the wedding being 'super turned-on' by having vaginal beads inside her. Zack is fucked-up because it's the anniversary of his dead girlfriend's death, and the whole thing is just SUCH A BAD IDEA. They came to the wedding as a foursome, I assume they want to make a good impression, and this decision just leads to, for example, Zack and Luke nearly finger-fucking Layla while the bride is reading her vows. (hide spoiler)] There was nothing hot about this and it was such a dumb decision on those three's part and led to such bad results (predictably). And it could all be avoided. Same with the horrible decision to (view spoiler)[go to Layla's high school reunion as a foursome, even though Luke is a former teacher of hers at that high school. (hide spoiler)] WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?!?!!? Totally baffling. Just NO BRAIN FUNCTION going on with any of these characters. Sad. 4.) Layla is one of those people who is OBSESSED with what happened to her in high school. Sure, it was bad. Sure, she was bullied. It was ten years ago. She can't put it behind her. I'm not saying this callously, like, "Oh, just forget your trauma, babe." But she has a successful career, even though she has a really fucked-up attitude toward sex (view spoiler)[based on what happened at HS (hide spoiler)], she is 'fixing it' by being in a relationship with three really hot guys. I don't understand why high school DOMINATES every single aspect of her life, and she bases every single decision on what happened in high school. Didn't she have any college experiences? Positive ones? Those ten years after high school that she lived didn't dim the past at all? Didn't offer her new perspectives and personal growth? I do not get people, in fiction or real life, who are so hung up on HS (whether worshiping and romanticizing their time there or fixating on how awful it was) years and years and years after graduation. And considering her HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE associations with HS, why was she so hellbent determined to go to her HS reunion?! Wouldn't that be the LAST place she'd ever want to go?!!?!? Makes no sense, like everything else in this novel. 5.) Paper cut-out villains who might as well be rubbing their hands together and cackling in evil glee. 6.) I hate when men say, 'Good girl' to women. She's not a fucking Golden Retriever. She's almost 30, FFS. Please don't praise women like this, it's so demeaning and condescending. They say this to her all the time in this book, like she's an obedient little puppy. Not as a kink thing! Just as if this is normal. Ugh. Disgusting. 7.) The book ends with (view spoiler)[Polyandry. (hide spoiler)] I'm pretty sure this is still illegal. No explanation is given. Just WTF? Makes no sense. 8.) Conflicts in this book make no sense. For instance, all this outcry and bullying of Layla because (view spoiler)[people think she's 'cheating' because pictures appear online of her kissing all three men (individually). It's PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE that she is dating all three of them. They have a fucking podcast about it. (hide spoiler)] This book gives me a headache. Trying to think about this book in any logical way is a mistake. It's too stupid. 9.) I'm not crazy about Layla nor am I particularly into any of the three men. I didn't find any of them to be particularly likeable. 10.) The idea of her dating her English teacher from sophomore year squicks me out, and also makes NO SENSE considering her backstory. However, the 'scandal' of a 30-year-old woman dating a 40-year-old man was a non-issue for me, I don't see the problem with that part at all. The teacher/student thing is gross IMO, though. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? This isn't to my taste. I went in with an open mind, but most of the sex acts in here just sound uncomfortable and unpleasant for the female MC. I didn't find it sexy. The only sexually interesting part was the double-kissing, and that was only in one scene. Mostly, I felt like they were just torturing the poor woman. I'm sure this wasn't Gold's intent. But the 90% of the sex in here just sounded godawful to me, like it wouldn't be enjoyable at all. Like I felt sorry for Layla for having to endure it. >.< Not the vibe Gold was going for. Not shaming anyone who loves this! I have read books where women take on multiple partners and it's a lot sexier than this. This was just making me cringe, but it could really be your thing, who knows, YMMV. TL;DR You could do a lot worse for a free Kindle novel. It's a fully-put together and edited novel. The problem is everything else: plot, characters you adore, great-sounding sex. All this was absent. And in my opinion, if I thought the plot was unbelievably stupid AND there wasn't even any good sex to hold it together, what's the point? There isn't a point. Reading it is pointless. Even if you are into stories where women have multiple partners... I think you can do better than this. All the men ARE kind, though. If you are into this sexually and you are looking for a story about it with kind men, you might really enjoy this. You might be able to ignore the frustratingly stupid plot. IDK. I guess if you don't have to pay for it, you can always give it a try. If they are asking for money, though, no way. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Layla f almost 29 Mike m Zack m 30 Josh m Joshua Luke m 40 Anna f Amy f Rob m Beth f Monica f Paul m Charlotte f Rosie f Anita f Abby f Dany f Zilly f Emily f (Zack's dead fianceé) Saffy f Ellen f Hattie f George m Vivian f Donny m Eveline f Emma f Beth f Cyrus m Sebastian m Jack m Eli m Daisy f Karen f Hamish m Briar f Gavin m Jimmy f Lavender f Katie f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 30, 2022
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Jan 07, 2023
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Dec 30, 2022
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Paperback
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| 0593440943
| 9780593440940
| 0593440943
| 3.79
| 3,196
| Nov 15, 2022
| Nov 15, 2022
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it was amazing
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"They can't be paying you much here." She looked into his eyes, all fake earnest, with the condescension that seemed to be the natural birthright of d
"They can't be paying you much here." She looked into his eyes, all fake earnest, with the condescension that seemed to be the natural birthright of do-gooders. "But there are people out here who see your struggle." She touched his sleeve again. When had he given her permission to touch him? His cheeks burned. A blush is a perfectly reasonable reaction to anger. "Oh, they give you such nice uniforms," she continued and rubbed his forearm again. "I just want you to know we're fighting for the rights of everyone in this community: Black, Latino, Asian, whatever." She held out her hand like a job interview candidate - all enthusiasm and fake bravado. "I'm Liza. You may already know my voice." She cleared her throat. "The only DJ who gives a jam?" When he didn't respond, she faltered slightly. "And are you FULL-TIME event staff? What do you do?" This was his chance once again to set her straight. He let it pass. "You mean besides co-conspiring with back-alley activists?" Dorsey quipped and was pleased to see her eyes sparkle. He rarely made jokes that landed. "What do YOU think I do?" he asked. Why am I trying to prolong the conversation? "Um... audition as the villain in telenovelas?" Liza retorted. Dorsey let out a genuine laugh at that, surprised by someone for the first time in... he didn't know how long. pg. 28 Amazing, smart, funny Pride and Prejudice retelling. This book brought me so much joy. I could NOT read it fast enough. I could not turn the pages fast enough. I yearned for it when I was doing something like working. I love when a book can do this, become an all-consuming addiction for a little while. Payne didn't stop surprising me with how she was re-writing this tale. Could happiness really be found in the arms of a man? Her body screamed, Yes. God, she was just like her mother but with a master's degree. pg. 267 You don't HAVE to know the story of Pride and Prejudice to enjoy this, but it helps immensely. If you know Austen's work, this is going to hit so many more joy-buttons in your mind. Elizabeth Bennett is Liza Bennett, a DJ who has been evicted and had to move back in with her mother, Bev, her granny (Mr. Bennett in the original), her older sister Janae, her younger sister LeDeya and her younger brother Maurice. She's filled with the passion of social justice and making the world a better place. When she and her family are invited to an event put on Netherfield Court (Dorsey's plan to gentrify her neighborhood), she comes for blood - she's going to sneak in the event with signs and stage a protest. When she sees the young CEO of Pemberley outside the event, she mistakes him for a Latino busboy out on a smoke break. Sparks fly (both the flirty kind and the angry kind) and chaos ensues. ... "Liza, you can never take the simple way. That's always been your problem." Liza rolled her eyes. This old fight. "Not everything is about a cheat code, Chicho." "Why can't it be? If I had your face and body, I'd leverage it to get the hell out of my mom's house, but you want to fight a revolution that's only gonna get you more broke." pg. 108 You can say "Oh, of course this book was great. Payne's just cribbing off of Austen." But NO. There are about ten thousand re-writings of Pride and Prejudice, and a lot of them are trash. Payne puts in the work here. The story is clever, funny, smart. It's very gripping (even though if you know Pride and Prejudice you know the basic outline of what is going to occur). It's seeing Payne's interpretations of a 1813 plot in a 2022 book. It's seeing how having a Black Elizabeth and a Filipino Darcy influences the plot. It's seeing how 1800s shenanigans are going to be revitalized in the era of social media, cell phones, and SJWs. "Are you soft in the head or something?" she shrieked. "What are you talking about?" "A man just offered you a home, a six-figure job, some social standing, and you throw bell hooks at him?" Bev read the spine of another book. "He poured out his heart to you, and you threw Zora Neale Hurston at his penis? This man can fix every. Single. Thing. Wrong with you in a snap of his fingers. Just who do you think you are? Drop-dead gorgeous like Janae? Funny and lively like my Deya? Or, hell, a man like Maurice?" "I don't think I'm any of those, Ma." "You're damn right you're not, so act like it. If you don't know a meal ticket when you see one, I've never taught you anything." pg. 224 Both Liza and Dorsey are low-key jerks. I mean, they both do questionable and sometimes mildly repugnant things. I think that's the point, and I think that's Austen's point - they are flawed. It's overcoming their flaws and forgiving the flaws in each other that leads to such a satisfying conclusion. Dorsey wasn't turning out to be the petty tyrant she needed him to be. He was no man of the people by any means. But he was soft and careful with her, and no matter how hard she tried to deny it, his cerebral attention, his intellectual earnestness - turned out it was her brand. pg. 221 It's also full of, of course, Austen-style drama (you know how she does it) so it's very gripping. I was riveted even though I've read Pride and Prejudice multiple times and one could argue there's no way I'd be surprised by the plot. He wanted to rent documentaries and catalog his thoughts and cross-reference them with hers. He knew that was an incredibly nerdy fantasy, but he really was dying to know how SHE would speak about issues he didn't even know about. No doubt Liza had an opinion on them all and a riotous way of conveying it. pg. 167 Another super-fun thing about the book is Dorsey and Liza's hot-and-cold relationship. They go from fighting to flirting to fighting to flirting to fighting and it just WORKS. It's very convincing. Dorsey's CEO position, his effortless wealth, his Tesla, his driver, his casualness with money vs. Liza's outrage, her drive, her pursuit of social justice, her outspoken opinions, her loud, glowing, energized personality. Dorsey is cool and has social anxiety. He feels ostracized in a lot of ways despite his position. With him as a Filipino and her as a Black woman they both experience racism and microaggressions in the book (sometimes even from each other, which is so crazy, I'm so glad Payne wasn't afraid to go there). It's a well-built, complex relationship that Payne crafts and it works. Despite their numerous flaws, you will be rooting for them every step of the way. "I think we could try to - I just don't think I'm your enemy." His sentences crashed into each other like bumper cars. But he meant it. The only things he consistently felt for her were curiosity, annoyance, and a hearty dose of lust. "We want the exact opposite things. The only think we CAN be is enemies. You said yourself that no one can ever screw up around you. And all I DO is screw up." pg. 122 It's also miraculous how Payne crafts and reimagines the side characters. Charlotte becomes Chicho, the girl next door who is eager to find a 'cheat code' out of her awful life, even if Liza disapproves. The rational and loving Mr. Bennett becomes Granny, with her own past and secrets. Mary is Maurice, the annoyingly 'woke' and sometimes misogynistic Bennett brother. Flighty and shallow Lydia becomes flighty and shallow LeDeya, wannabe social media influencer. I love when authors don't skimp on the side characters. They are so fleshed-out, developed, have great backstories and are clever conceits. "I told her I wouldn't be back again and to have a nice life." "Wow, I can't believe I used to date men." pg. 293 TL;DR A clever and fun Pride and Prejudice retelling. Payne definitely put a lot of work in, and it shows. It's gripping, immensely readable, and both dramatic and funny in equal parts. Far from half-assing yet another Pride and Prejudice reworking, Payne makes her characters nuanced and interesting - down to even the side characters. I thought it was great. I couldn't put it down. I was cheering and cringing and laughing and worrying at each part. Even though I already knew the plot. She had, in fact, liked him BETTER when she thought he was the waitstaff and invited herself dancing with him. You're not even a real Latino. She had hurled it like the worst insult. Dorsey laughed again. But his smile faltered at the memory of turning her down. He had been too hasty. He had been wrapped up in his anxiety and his need for everything to go perfectly and had only seen her as an irritant, a fly in the ointment. But now that the event was over, he faced the realization that he had publicly turned down the most provocative woman he'd ever encountered. pg. 50 I would highly recommend it. And I would eagerly pick up another book by Ms. Payne. "What on earth is going on here?" Jennifer, who had, of course, followed Dorsey down the hall, had her fists balled at her sides. Liza heard Dorsey groan. This had all the trappings of bad werewolf porn. - Heaving bosom of the damsel in distress - Man inexplicably sweating in a cool office - Ripped-open shirt - Ripped bra pg. 76 NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Liza f Leeza, Alizé (Elizabeth Bennett) 26 Keisha f Deya f (Bennett Sister) LyDeya (Lydia Bennett) 16 Beverly f (Mrs. Bennett) Bev Janae f (Jane Bennett) Maurice (Bennett Brother) (Mary?) Reece Granny is Mr. Bennett Dorsey m (Darcy) 30 6'2” Dorsey Fitzgerald Gigi f (Georgiana) Gheche Alexi – Dorsey's older brother Slovenian Rebecca f Dorsey's ex David m (Bingley) 27 Davey Robert m Tim m Lucia f Chicho (Charlotte) Fredo m Alfredo Jennifer f Sharon f Joseph m Isaiah m Marley f William m Patricia f (Dorsey's mom) Pamela f Martin m Trevor m (Janae's ex) Jean f Kenyon m Colin m (Mr. Collins) Javier m (Chicho's father) Christopher m Derek m Tom m Katani f Nora f Marcus m Cindy f Anne f Betty f Raymond m Roberto m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 12, 2022
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Dec 18, 2022
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Dec 12, 2022
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Paperback
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| 0063040298
| 9780063040298
| 0063040298
| 3.37
| 2,152
| Jun 01, 2021
| Jun 01, 2021
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it was ok
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It didn't help that she liked Derek. She liked him. A lot. She groaned. Liking didn't mean anything. She liked a lot of things - five-hundred-thread-co It didn't help that she liked Derek. She liked him. A lot. She groaned. Liking didn't mean anything. She liked a lot of things - five-hundred-thread-count sheets, designer handbags - but she couldn't afford any of it. Falling for him wasn't prudent. 48% The main problem with this book is that is a boring romance. Maya is a bridal-gown designer with sickle-cell anemia. She comes back home from NYC to Charleston in order to care for her father, who broke his hip. While staying in Charleston, she is hired by a small local store run by Derek, our hero. ... THE BAD: The romance is boring. Williams is a mediocre writer at best. The book suffers from a style of writing in which the author just hammers out narrative sentence after narrative sentence. Here's an example: The following Sunday morning, Derek arrived at the hardware store fifteen minutes before it opened. Maya's sedan wasn't in the parking lot yet. The thought of her arrival made him jittery. Or perhaps it was the three cups of black coffee that he'd downed getting ready for this day. He hoped this remodel and trunk show would help him bring in enough profit to catch up on the late mortgage payments. He had a little more than a month to pay the bank, which refused to work out an alternative payment arrangement. Derek already started marketing and advertising for the trunk show in anticipation of the event. Hopefully, this plan would work. Derek turned off his ignition and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He decided against bringing Jamila today. No need for more drama. She went to New Life with Ginger this morning. Maybe one day, he'd make Sunday morning services a norm again. 28% Really, you could open the book anywhere and it would going much like this. The romance is also a failure. It's so sedate. There is no excitement. There is no tension. There is not even the faintest whiff of sexual attraction. It's very chaste. It's also conflict-free, pretty much. Another problem is Derek and his daughter Jamila. For one thing, I'm not in favor of kowtowing to 12-year-olds, even though her mother did die tragically three years ago. The 12-year-old practically runs her dad, who used to be in the Navy. He treats her like porcelain, never tells her 'no,' and her opinion is more important than both his opinion and that of Maya. Jamila acts like a brat (not surprising since she gets her way 24/7). She forces her dad to promise he will never date Maya nor any woman when she notices a tiny blush of attraction between the two of them. AND HE DOES IT. I am against this. I also think his view of his 'little girl' is toxic. He is one of those fathers who teaches his daughter that all men and boys are evil. "You told me that all boys are evil. Doesn't that include you?" He'd told her that. It was his fatherly duty to tell her to stay away from crushes and romantic interests - but he didn't expect Jamila to turn his advice against him. "I'm your father." 54% I think this is supposed to be cute. I think this type of fathering is damaging. Here are his thoughts later in the book: Derek exhaled. One day, Jamila would grow up and perhaps - when she was forty or fifty or sixty years old - she'd get married. 91% I'm not for this nor do I think it's funny. Jamila also treats Maya like shit for a good portion of the book and both Derek and Maya bend over backwards to please her and mollify her. I'm not amused. THE GOOD: But everything about this book is not bad. There are some good aspects. One, Preslaysa Williams is Black and Filipina. She writes Black and Filipina heroines, what she calls Blasian, and this is interesting. I don't read a lot of books with mixed Black and Filipina MCs. If you are craving some Filipina MC goodness, she does deliver that here, complete with pancit and Filipina stitching/patterns/dressmaking. Two, an MC romance heroine who struggles with sickle-cell anemia. Williams is very upfront with what this entails and I feel like she doesn't sugarcoat it - or what entering a relationship could mean for both her and Derek. It's rare for me to read about an MC with sickle-cell, much less a romance heroine. Three, the book's strong point is the plot that revolves around Maya's worklife. She works for a huge, famous white bridal designer who is a casual racist and who disparages Maya's designs whenever they step out of very typical, very white (in both senses), very mainstream lanes. Maya is deeply insecure and has low self-esteem, and in a lot of ways she bases her worth on being a designer for this prestigious bridalwear company. During the book, her horrible boss refuses to pay her when she is down in Charleston caring for her ailing father, so Maya takes some side work for Derek. Of course, she flowers. It's nice seeing her self-confidence get very slowly ramped up, and it's nice to see her finally stand up for herself. Williams does this is in a very slow and realistic way. Change doesn't happen overnight. I liked Maya's slow journey to stepping out from Laura's shadow. Even though her character could be seen as weak which will annoy some people (Why doesn't she just stand up for herself!?!?), I thought it was pretty accurate. Four, even though the romance has no heat at all, Derek is a kind, gentle, and supportive boyfriend. I did like his unwavering kindness to Maya, even if they had no chemistry whatsoever. ... HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. :( TL;DR Mediocre writing, a bland and uninteresting romance. The only reason for reading this is if you are interested in a Black Filipina main character or are looking for a romance featuring someone with sickle-cell. It's worrisome in a romance where I find the plot about the heroine's workplace journey more interesting than the actual love story. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: #OwnVoices Romance Black Romance Contemporary Romance Military Romance - Derek was in the Navy. Multicultural/Interracial Romance - Derek is Black, Maya is half-Black, half-Filipina I have no idea whether the MC is a virgin or not, I would guess 'yes' since she is pretty religious. Hero definitely is not, he has a child and he is a widower. Widower Hero Takes Place in: NYC, and Charleston SC - United States of America Hero is a Bridal Dress Shop Owner, Heroine is a Bridal Gown Designer. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Maya f Ginger f Laura f Ashley f Kelly f Derek m Marlon m Grace f Jamila f 12 Marjorie f Carl m Rex m – her ex fiancé 3 years together, jilted bride Ursula f 65 Louise f horrible woman, engaged to Rex now Cat f Vivian f Heather f Kendra f Karen f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 05, 2022
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Dec 09, 2022
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Dec 05, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1542031230
| 9781542031233
| 1542031230
| 3.76
| 3,445
| Jun 01, 2022
| Jun 01, 2022
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liked it
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That drive to do or be what others expected. Sacrificing self for what was supposed to be the greater good. It didn't come without a price. Between he
That drive to do or be what others expected. Sacrificing self for what was supposed to be the greater good. It didn't come without a price. Between her family and her job, Mariana seemed to take care of everyone else. But who looked after her? 32% A perfectly serviceable romance novel. Mariana Capuleta is 29. She was adopted by her mom and dad, meaning she has many, many younger sisters and her mom and dad are still fostering more girls. Everyone plays an instrument and she is part of the family's (all-women) Mariachi Las Nubes. She is an ER nurse, and she is the rock the family leans on. Angelo is also a rock. When his parents are killed by a drunk driver he takes responsibility for raising his (then-four-year-old) little sister. He gets help from his uncle and ends up working for him. Now his little sister is fourteen. When Mariana agrees to go out dancing for New Year's Eve with her impulsive and hot-blooded sister Catalina, she only does it to keep an eye on her. Drunken parties aren't really her thing. Some guy takes in interest in her and gets pushy and Angelo steps in. They share an unexpected New Year kiss. Then they go their separate ways. It's not until Angelo crashes a quinceañera that Mariana is performing at with Las Nubes when he realizes what she is: a Capuleta. His uncle and the rest of the Monteros have been raised in a blood feud with Arturo Capuleta. Both families are taught to hate each other after, in their youth, Hugo and Arturo fought over a woman. Arturo won and married the woman - Mariana's mother. Ever since then the two families have been locked in a bitter rivalry, mainly expressed in battling mariachi - Las Nubes on the Capuleta side and Los Reyes on the Montero side. But this is undercut with more sinister things like the threat of Capuleta Community Center being shut down by aggressive debt collectors. Can Angelo and Mariana make it work, even though their love is forbidden? Can they keep it a secret from their respective families, and what happens with the truth comes out? She gasped, the revelation of her handsome stranger's identity shocking her system like a jolt from a pair of defibrillator paddles. This had to be a joke. 16% ... Obviously playing on Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. But definitely not as serious, this is a lighthearted take on the concept. There are mariachi battles. There are secret dates. There is a lot of Spanglish. Please don't shy away from this if you are not a Spanish-speaker, I assure you that anyone can read this book, the Spanish is very simple and Oliveras takes care to translate everything in context. The book also deals with crushing family expectations. Because Angelo and Mariana are the rocks of their family, the pressures on them emotionally and psychologically can weigh heavily. Part of the reason they bond is over this shared burden. The 'fight' or conflict of the book (almost every romance novel has one) was in my opinion kind of strained. It was a reach. I didn't feel like it was as serious as the book made it out to be. The author is very fond of similes. If you don't like similes, I'd avoid this book. Dread dripped over Angelo like butter melting on a toasted pan dulce right after the sweet bread had been pulled from the toaster oven. 13% There is A LOT of writing like this in the book. Angelo gets props for being such an understanding, patient, respectful man. It's admirable how he never gets pissy with Mariana and he is always respectful. I think she was used to men being pushier. It's a relief for her when Angelo isn't like that at all. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? It's off-page. There are a few on-page described make-out sessions, but any sexy stuff is fade-to-black. So don't read this for sexual titillation. I like described sex, so this was disappointing to me, but if you like your sex off-page, you might be thrilled. I was beginning to really worry the MCs wouldn't have sex, but luckily they finally do. TL;DR Read this if you want a Latino romance. Pretty much every character in this book is Latino. Read if you like romance mixed with strong family dynamics - family is important and plays a huge role here. Read if you like heroes and heroines who are strong rocks for their families, even if sometimes they struggle with the emotional stress of having to perform this role. Read if you like forbidden romance (although it's very light here. This book isn't serious nor heartwrenching). If the idea of two people from battling families and battling mariachi falling in love makes you smile, this might be fore you. Look at the cover! Look at them embracing. Think it's cute? You might like this. "They need me to be strong." "You always are. I respect that. I also don't mind being the one you lean on. So, if you need anything. ANYTHING. Hell, even a Whataburger delivery if that would perk you up. I'm your guy. Always." 83% NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Mariana Capuleta f 29 ER Nurse Oldest in family 5'6” or 5'7” Cat f – her younger sister Catalina Blanca – her younger sister Arturo m Berta f Nina f youngest and most recently fostered six months ago 14 Felicia f Hugo – m Papa's rival and leader of Los Reyes Emmitt m Violeta f Sabrina f Patricio m Angelo m 29 Marco m 30 Brenda f His little sister Rosalina f Tonio m Wanda f Teresa 13 f Teresita José Alfredo m Claudia f 16 Suzy f Alberto m Fabiola f Ana f David m Huck dog Pedro m George m Raul m Frankie m Benji m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 17, 2023
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Jun 21, 2023
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Sep 14, 2022
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Paperback
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| 0373792522
| 9780373792528
| 0373792522
| 3.33
| 46
| Apr 01, 2005
| Mar 28, 2006
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really liked it
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"You knocked into her on purpose." "That would be rude." "Did you rob her?" He only stared, enjoying the sight of her lovely face in anger. Her eyes flas "You knocked into her on purpose." "That would be rude." "Did you rob her?" He only stared, enjoying the sight of her lovely face in anger. Her eyes flashed. Her mouth compressed into a line that he suspected only kisses would soften again. "You did, didn't you?" she demanded. "Tell me, Joshua. We're in this together now." "I might have to rethink this then. You sound awfully naggy for a woman I've only made love to once." Her eyes widened. "Naggy?" "Naggy." He shifted a bit to reveal the woman's identity papers, which he'd shoved into his back pocket. "Did you happen to bring along another alias?" She scowled, which he took to mean no. "Trust me," he said. "Trust you? You just robbed that woman." 58% Romance novel about an MI6 agent meeting and falling in love with an American criminal. Very Hollywood-type book, lots of 'sexy' and 'glamorous' spycraft. Lots of buildering. Lots of hiding and making out while hiding. Secret passageways, stolen jewels, etc. etc. Even though Joshua is a criminal, he's not 'very bad' because of course a true 'bad' person would be a lousy romance hero. He's more 'dashing' and 'gentleman thief.' Lindy is, of course, a daring spy working for the British government. Both have aliases, secret motives, are 'playing' each other while being wildly attracted to each other, etc. etc. etc. It's not a bad book. Neither is it one that's going to make you sit up and pay attention. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? It's good. This is Harlequin Blaze. You should expect good sex from Harlequin Blaze. It's not stunning, I wasn't stunned and determined to read and re-read it, but it was good. Detailed and sounded enjoyable and fun. Although I was laughing at a scene where he attempted to finger her. She was wearing pantyhose. Oh gosh! Remember when women wore pantyhose, it was hilarious. Well, when it came to sex it was hilarious. I don't think the author intended it to be hilarious, but I was laughing at this old-fashioned obstacle to sex he had found. LOL Also throwing me for a loop was London's fondness for calling both penii and vulvae 'crotch.' It was quite jarring to read stuff like "Her words were enough to make his crotch throb hard..." which had me laughing. Just doesn't quite give me the impression I think I was supposed to get from this. TL;DR Fun spy caper, totally not in any way reflective of real spying. More of a Hollywood-type thing. Easy to see this with George Clooney or Brad Pitt or someone cast in the main role during the early 2000s. Some British star would undoubtedly play the sexy, cool British spy who can't resist the hunky American thief. Just a cute, lighthearted book about a relationship between an English spy and a dashing American thief. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Non-Virgin Heroine He's a Criminal; She's MI6 Takes Place in NYC/London/Vienna/Venice/San Remo/Monte Carlo/Marseille/Paris. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Egmath m Batu f Lindy f 120lb Melinda Joshua Benedict aka Stuart Temple m 38 6'2” Tom Henri m Lily f Carolyn f Jeffrey m Jean m Malcolm m 50 Blythe f Larry m Alexandra f Erica f Randall m Hope f Nanon f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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1
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Dec 23, 2020
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Jan 05, 2021
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Dec 23, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755937
| 9780373755936
| 0373755937
| 4.08
| 51
| Nov 01, 2015
| Nov 03, 2015
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really liked it
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She paid attention to everything Alonso said, because she cared about him. pg. 134 There's a subgenre of romance called 'medical romance' or 'doctor ro She paid attention to everything Alonso said, because she cared about him. pg. 134 There's a subgenre of romance called 'medical romance' or 'doctor romance' and there's a subgenre of romance called 'surprise baby' and in my opinion there should be a sub-sub-genre of romance called 'I'm a medical professional yet I have unprotected sex and then act surprised when I/she gets pregnant.' Surprisingly, this isn't rare in romances. You'd think medical professionals would have good enough sense to wrap it up, but apparently not. ANYWAY, this book starts out with Hannah almost running Alonso over. He's on walkabout through New Mexico. He's a trauma surgeon in the ER and he served as an Army doctor in Afghanistan. He's depressed, full of doom and gloom due to his life experiences. He thinks there is not much good in the world, that people are evil, that his saving lives amounts to nothing, etc. etc. Growing up poor and then serving in the Army and then working in the ER has given him a negative outlook on life. Hannah is twenty-six and the legal guardian of her sixteen-year-old brother. Her brother is a little shit who is getting involved in crime, talks back to her, refuses to do chores on the ranch, etc. etc. (view spoiler)[Worse than that he does crime against his own sister, against FAMILY, and causes trouble and pain deliberately on his own FAMILY, which where I come from is even more shameful than engaging in criminal activity in the first place. (hide spoiler)] Add this to the growing pile of romance novels in which a child (under the age of eighteen) is a little shit - even doing criminal activities - and no adults enforce punishment or discipline and everything is just brushed aside as if this weren't a serious, serious problem. I can sort of understand it in this novel - she's his older sister, it's harder to enforce discipline on a sibling than on your offspring, but still. It's really, really rare that I read a HAR in which any good parenting occurs. Luke, the little shit, offers Alonso a ride. Hannah is more leery. Alonso thought Hannah should be suspicious of him. Not only didn't she know much about him, but he carried a handgun in his duffel bag. pg. 19 When they get back to the ranch, Luke refuses to do his chores and Alonso volunteers for hard labor. He's a hard worker and Hannah doesn't have a ranch hand. She invites him to spend the night in the barn. She brings him water while he works shirtless and etc. (common in Thomas novels). They end up having sex. Condomless sex. Alonso steps seamlessly into her life filling not only her need for a male in her bed and by her side, but also filling her need for manual labor around the ranch. I was hoping he'd fill a third role - actually parenting Luke and curbing him, but no such luck. Oh, well, two out of three ain't bad. I liked Alonso. I liked his willingness to step up and work the ranch, not only crawl into Hannah's bed. I liked how he dances with her. I liked how he acted when Hannah's scumbag ex-fiancé showed up. He is great at showing he's with Hannah and great at confronting the guy. He's not afraid to mix it up, and I like how Thomas shows him getting into it with the ex, even getting physical with him without making it seem like Alonso has an anger problem or is too aggressive. He's just the right amount of aggressive IMO. Alonso also struggles a bit with PTSD, but it isn't focused on in the book much. The crux of the novel is Hannah's pregnancy. Alonso does not want to be a father. (He should have fucking thought of that before having condomless sex, the fucking moron.) Since he sees the world as an evil, violent, painful place, he is morally opposed to bringing a child into the world. He keeps hoping Hannah will decide to have an abortion, but this is a HAR. No one is getting abortions in HARs. To her credit, Hannah is wonderful to this guy. Much kinder to him than most would be. She doesn't nag him, shame him, guilt him, try to get him to stay. She says, "Go, I'll raise the child myself," and she truly means it. I feel really sorry for Hannah because everything always falls on her shoulders. Her mother left her as a child, her father died in a drunken accident, she had to raise her kid brother. Her kid brother is an ungrateful little shit who (view spoiler)[does criminal damage to the ranch (hide spoiler)], doesn't pull his weight, and doesn't obey her. She's carrying the whole financial and work burden of the ranch by herself, plus worrying constantly about her little brother's criminal tendencies. When Alonso shows up, it seems like maybe she's finally caught a break. Here's a man who is not only interested in her sexually, but is interested in her as a person and steps in to act like a boyfriend, offering emotional support. He also does free labor on the ranch, hard labor, and so he's lifting her burden in more than one way. But then he impregnates her, and it's like she's being punished all over again. He's staunchly against being a father, he's leaving her to go back to Albuquerque, and while he's willing to send her a check once a month, the whole burden of actual day-to-day parenting is going to fall on her shoulders. In addition to the ranch, the poverty, AND her shitty brother. To her credit, she remains strong and deals with all this exceptionally calmly and well. She's resolute in keeping the baby. She never gets angry at Alonso or begs him to stay or tries to talk him into being a father to his baby. It's admirable, but very sad. Alonso also has to wrestle with his choice, which is pretty realistic and seems hard for him. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Even though these two fuck like rabbits, seriously going at it at every single opportunity, none of it is on-page, none of it is described. I can only assume he's good in bed due to the fact that she keeps allowing him to fuck her, but in reality who knows? Romance heroines can be crazy and accepting of things I'd never accept in a million years, so who knows what is really going on in her bedroom. TL;DR Not a bad book. Thomas's strength is the reality of her writing. She writes about people with problems and she doesn't sugarcoat things. It's what I like about her books. The people seem real, and their problems seem real. It's not fake like a lot of romance novels where everything is sugary and easy and fluffy. I liked both the hero and the heroine. NOTE: Similar plot to Doc Hollywood. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Military Romance - He served as an Army doctor Multicultural/Interracial Romance - He's latino; She's white. Non-Virgin Heroine Pregnant Heroine Doctor Romance - He's a Trauma Surgeon in the ER He's a former Army Doctor, a Trauma Surgeon in the ER, and temporary Ranch Hand; She's a Rancher. Takes Place in: New Mexico, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Luke m 16 5'10” Hannah f 26 Connor m Ruth f Stan m Roger m Joe m Melissa f Ben m Seth m Alonso m 6' Lea f Maria f Cruz m Victor m Vic Juan m Riley m Sara f Carla f Betsy f Rico m Sandy f Kenny m T.J. M Matt m Buster horse Dani f Joey m Mona f Benson m Ricky m Mel m Harriet f Joseph m Elsa f Marlene f Edward m José m Michael m Tony m Midnight Express – horse Sweet Pete m Lickety-Split – horse Todd m Nelson m Rambo – dog Bertha – truck Gertrude f Gertie 81 Bob m Billy m Earl m Avalanche – horse Maryellen f Caroline f Gladys f Kevin m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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1
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Dec 18, 2020
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Dec 19, 2020
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Dec 18, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0373755929
| 9780373755929
| 0373755929
| 3.89
| 37
| Nov 01, 2015
| Nov 03, 2015
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it was ok
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"I promise not to bite," he said, tracking her every step. Bite? Her throat suddenly felt dry as she imagined his teeth tugging playfully on her neck o "I promise not to bite," he said, tracking her every step. Bite? Her throat suddenly felt dry as she imagined his teeth tugging playfully on her neck or on the inside of her arm. pg. 79 Reese has come back to Mustang Valley six months ago after a twelve-year absence. The book opens with her trying to drag her gelding out of a sinkhole. Gabriel jumps off his horse and gives her a hand. When they succeed, "Thank you," she said, clinging to him, her face buried in his coat. He stared at the top of her head, momentarily stunned. He'd touched Reese just one other time in their entire lives. They'd been in high school, at their senior prom. He'd cradled her while she cried and begged him not to tell anyone she was pregnant. pg. 15 He is a man of his word. He never tells anyone that Reese is pregnant. Her own father doesn't know, she took 'a year off' before college to go to her cousin's, have the baby, which her older cousin is raising as her own. Reese is a bit of an anomaly in American Romance, she 'went after' a friend (college-aged to her high-school age) who was engaged. The baby is a result of that. The father wants nothing to do with it. I suppose a reader could be angry with Reese, or see her as a bad person, but hey - it was 12 years ago and I'm not into judging people for the things they did when they were seventeen. The fact that Blake (the engaged man who fucked her) gets away with all of this scot-free pisses me off, though. She is giving her cousin money on the regular to raise her child and she also stays in contact with the child. Meanwhile, Blake married his fiancée, never has to deal with the results of his infidelity - his wife doesn't even have a clue. ANYWAY. Gabe's father has just died from cancer and Reese is struggling with her father's worsening Parkinson's, which he is trying to keep a secret. Gabe's father and Reese's father were 'rival ranchers' of sorts, so it's muddied between them whether it's 'ok' to be sexually interested in each other. Gabe is also a bastard - that is, an illegitimate son. Because his father's will is being read, his father's two legitimate sons (Josh and Cole) are coming into town. They are full-white, Gabriel is half-white, half-latino because his father cheated on his wife with Gabriel's mother, Raquel. So Gabriel has grown up being called a bastard by the other children and hearing his mom called some choice words as well. His father's wife scooped up the kids and moved to Northern California and poisoned Josh and Cole against Raquel and Gabe, so they haven't known each other as adults MY TWO MAIN PROBLEMS WITH THE BOOK NUMBER ONE: Gabe's temper. Listen, I'm not attracted to men who have a temper. Actually, I try to avoid any person with a temper if I can help it, but especially when you are going to be romantically and sexually involved with a person it's important that they can control their temper. Gabriel does not have a good grip on his temper. He's not a BAD person. He kept Reese's secret for twelve years, no matter how frustrated he gets with her in this book he never betrays that trust. He's not going to hit her or be verbally abusive. But. He's immature. He snaps when things aren't going his way. Not only does he lose his temper, but he engages in childish behavior when angry (like refusing to let Reese charge her dead phone), he acts petty. I find this unattractive. Having a temper already makes me think you are weak and unattractive, being petty and petulant while angry just makes my already low opinion go lower. I admire people who are calm, level-headed, patient. I see it as strong. Whether you naturally have a laid-back, unflappable personality (hot) or do have a bit of a temper but know how to tamp it down, I see you as strong and attractive. Gabe doesn't have this kind of self-control and apparently doesn't have much of an interest in learning it, either. Not sure if this is supposed to be seen as 'macho' or 'alpha' but to me it's a turn-off. NUMBER TWO: Business mess, legal mess. I do not like romance novels focused on legal problems and business problems. They are both boring and make me anxious. I do not see legal problems as a great basis for a romance to start. Gabe's father dies and splits the ranch between the three brothers. He knows this is going to cause major problems. He appoints Reese as trustee. It's horrible. It makes the dynamic between Gabe and Reese both artificial (they can't be themselves with each other because she's basically got a stranglehold on the ranch, which he resents her for) and adds unnecessary tension. I didn't like how it made Gabe resentful and angry with Reese all the time (like I said, temper) and I didn't like how it made Reese in charge of a ranch that wasn't hers and all the brothers had to go to her to ask for permission to do anything. The act of putting her in this position already makes her seem cold and imperious even if she's not. So. Not a very romantic set up in which I'm ready for two people to fall in love with each other. It's the same reason I try to avoid lawyer-romances. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. TL;DR At the beginning, you might think this has a potential to be a great romance. He helps her drag her horse out of the ditch. We learn that he honored her wishes and kept her pregnancy a secret for twelve years. But as soon as she walks into his dad's office and says she's trustee of the ranch, everything goes downhill. The legal mess, her having to be in working capacity with him all the time, and then his temper - which he does not handle well - being pricked by her work position all the time just makes me cringe while reading this. It doesn't seem very romantic at all to me. I'm kind of surprised they ended up together, actually. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Multicultural/Interracial Romance - She's white, He's half-white half-latino Non-Virgin Heroine Secret Baby - I guess Reese has a secret baby. But it's not HIS secret baby. And the baby is 11? And being raised by her older cousin - Reese certainly isn't going for custody. He's a Rancher; She's Assistant Manager of Southern Arizona Bank. Takes Place in Arizona, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Gabriel m Gabe 30 August m Theo m Bonita – horse Reese f Cara f General – horse Blake m Enrico m Hector m Raquel f Leena f Josh m Cole m Violet f Walt m Celia f 11 Megan f Louise f Mickey m Leroy m Wynonna f Joey m Prince – mustang Caitlin f Ethan m Lorenzo m Buck m Ray m Alanna f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 16, 2020
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Dec 17, 2020
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Dec 16, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0373755910
| 9780373755912
| 0373755910
| 4.18
| 94
| Nov 01, 2015
| Nov 03, 2015
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liked it
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The soft look in his eyes hardened, and he sat back, taking her by the arms. "Look at me," he said firmly, and she obeyed. "Don't mistake me here. I k
The soft look in his eyes hardened, and he sat back, taking her by the arms. "Look at me," he said firmly, and she obeyed. "Don't mistake me here. I know you want to move slow, and when you say slow down, I slow down. That has nothing - absolutely nothing - to do with what I want." pg. 110 Oof. *Carmen fans herself* The first 75% of this book had me being very hopeful. But I didn't get too excited, and sure enough, the book let me down. Madison is a single mother to twin boys, aged 1 year and 1 month. Her husband is dead. Another woman in town is pregnant with her husband's baby. She is working part-time only and struggling to make ends meet. Although she loves her boys and feels blessed to have them, life is not very easy or happy for her right now. Her husband's mistress is due to give birth any day now. Christmas is around the corner. In steps Cole. I was ready for it. I was ready for a man to step up and start making her life better. This is a popular romance genre, even one some authors specialize in. Woman-has-a-shitty-life-and-man-steps-in-to-take-care-of-her-and-make-her-life-better. Very popular. A sub-genre of this is and-by-the-way,-that-man-is-a-billionaire, but you know me. Ew, billionaires. Gross. Cole isn't a billionaire, he's just a good down-home man with a reputation for being calm and stable and kind. He sees Maddy struggling, juggling her babies and her part-time job. He offers to help. She is offended and turns him down. He then makes himself her secret Santa (doing stuff like putting winter tires on her car (SO HOT! Not sarcasm. Men who maintain cars for their women turn me on - I'll take this over jewelry ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.), buying her a Christmas tree, sending her kids some toys, and sending her little treats like chocolates and tea and pastries. At the same time, he offers her cash to work for him and his younger brother as a temporary part-time housekeeper while his parents are out of town. (He lives on his parents ranch with his brother. They are ranchers.) It's great because it gives her extra cash and she can bring her children to work and so doesn't have to pay for child care, which she can't afford anyway. She starts warming up to him and he asks her out on a date. So, I was wondering where Alward was going with this. Was she going to make Cole a mensch? Was he going to take her to bed and put it down for her so good that she couldn't remember her own name? Sadly, the answer to both these questions is "no" in case you were wondering. The thing about being a mensch is you can't just half-ass it. You have to be a mensch for the WHOLE book. You can't just fizzle out in the middle and say, "To hell with it, being a mensch is too difficult." Then I will not give you credit for being a mensch, you are just a schlub who couldn't cut it. That's the case with Cole. He was doing incredibly well - although not perfectly - but then at about 75% he gets impatient with our heroine and that's when all the ideas of him being a mensch went out the door. They have only been dating about three weeks. WHY can't he be more patient with her? Let her lead. Let her set the pace. He CLAIMS, earlier in the book, that that is just what he's going to do. But he can't keep his word. He starts rushing her and putting demands on her and she predictably balks and gets upset. I was angry with him. Slow and steady wins the race, bub. I thought you could handle it. There are other problems I had with the book. Not huge ones, but ones that need to mentioned. ONE: Hiring her as a housekeeper. This came off as a bit skeevy to me. Offering to pay the woman you are attracted to cash to keep house for you seems a bit opportunistic and controlling. Not to mention he's doing it out of pity, basically. This could work if a.) they didn't know each other. He hires a housekeeper, she shows up, he sees her plight and is also attracted to her (I would actually really enjoy a plot like this if done right) and/or b.) Alward admits it's a bit skeevy and leans into the skeeviness. I would much rather an author lean into the skeeviness than try to pretend what's going on isn't skeevy. TWO: Basically, Cole has a hero complex. There's a difference between BEING a hero and having a hero complex, and unfortunately Cole falls into category #2. He likes 'rescuing women.' It makes him feel special and important. This is a warning sign. I want him to love and be attracted to Madison for who she is - not because she's a pitiful character who is going through a hard time right now. And I felt that the second reason WAS the reason he was interested in her. Not good. Could have still worked out if Alward had played it right - she didn't. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Sigh. I was hoping everything would work out. I was hoping Cole would end up being a mensch and I was also hoping he'd fuck Madison's brains out with great skill, but too bad for me. Neither of those things happened. There's one off-page sex scene at the very end of the book. But of course, by then, I was disappointed in our hero anyway. So. TL;DR It was ALMOST THERE. So close. I thought Alward was actually going to make it to the end. But no. The hero flaked out on me. After he flaked out on me, I had to admit the red flags in the book. And I wasn't even treated to a decent sex scene. I'm not upset Cole and Madison end up together. It's fine. But neither am I overjoyed. If you are going to do the Woman-has-a-shitty-life-and-man-steps-in-to-take-care-of-her-and-make-her-life-better trope, I want to hear angels singing when the hero and heroine get together at the end. I want to feel like she got justice. That she got a wonderful man, the man she deserved, a man who is going to take care of her and her children for the rest of his life and also deliver many, many orgasms. Cole was not that man. He's a man. He's fine. But he's not the mensch I was hoping for, the mensch I felt would take care of Madison the way I wanted. Still three stars. Not a bad book at all. Just not as good as I was hoping for. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widow Heroine He's a Rancher; She's a Part-Time Librarian. Takes Place in Montana, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Madison f Maddy 31 Gavin m Pauline f Liam m 1 year 1 month old Lucas m 1 year 1 month old Luke Cole m 6' 33 Lacey f Quinn m Laura f Ellen f Tanner m 25 Roni f Stephanie f Mike m Shirley f Gilda f Ron m Duke m Amber f Rylan m Kailey f Eloise f Darcy f Nathan m Bobby m Dillon m Gary m Gertrude f John m Sam m Brittany f Will m Jimmy m Spence m Rowan f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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Dec 16, 2020
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Dec 16, 2020
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Dec 16, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0373755902
| 9780373755905
| 0373755902
| 4.02
| 58
| Nov 01, 2015
| Nov 03, 2015
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really liked it
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"On you, that perfectionist streak is kind of cute." Just as on him... She really needed to get back to cooking. "I think the chocolate is cool enough." "On you, that perfectionist streak is kind of cute." Just as on him... She really needed to get back to cooking. "I think the chocolate is cool enough." Together, they worked to slowly add the chocolate to the mixing bowl. When it was fully incorporated, they added the dry ingredients to the wet. He stood next to her, watching. "Nice." This WAS nice, she thought wistfully. Making Christmas cookies together. "Now for the sticky part," she cautioned. "Sounds... interesting." He flashed a wicked smile. She flushed - as he meant her to. "Pay attention, Lieutenant," she said sternly. "Yes, ma'am." He gave her a salute. Her pulse racing, she showed him how to take a teaspoonful in the center of his palm and roll it into a ball. And from there, dip it in confectioner's sugar and place it on the baking sheet. He studied his handiwork. "That's it?" "That's it one hundred and forty-three more times." His lips quirked ruefully. "And how did you talk me into this?" She wiped a smudge of confectioner's sugar from his jaw. "You volunteered." "Which is what usually gets me into trouble," he growled. They worked together for several more minutes until they had a dozen cookies on a sheet, ready to put in the oven. Poppy paused to wash her hands. "Trace?" He joined her at the sink and washed his palms, too. "Hmm?" She lounged against the counter, pivoting to face him. "Do you regret saying yes to me... about getting married?" Hands braced on her hips, he brought her against him. "What do you think?" Think or hope? Poppy swallowed around the sudden dryness in her throat. "That you're as excited about starting a family as I am." He bent his head and kissed her, showing her just how much. pg. 117 This is one of those romances where you just say, "What's the problem here?" There was no real conflict or problem, despite the heroine trying her hardest to create one. The basic premise of the book is flawed. Poppy and Trace have been having sex (tons of sex) regularly for 16 years. They might have been each others' firsts, it's never mentioned. They are loyal to each other, neither has slept with another person in sixteen years. But it isn't just hook-ups. They consider each other their 'best friend' and talk to each other every single day, or as often as is possible for Trace when he's stationed in the Middle East. THEY ARE A COUPLE. I don't care if they refer to each other as 'best friend' or refuse to call each other 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' or whatever, whether they have a signed legal contract saying they are husband and wife or not.... THEY ARE A COUPLE. If you are intimate with a person for SIXTEEN YEARS, neither of you ever have sexual contact with anyone else, you talk all the time about everything and see each other at every single opportunity... Guess what? You are boyfriend/girlfriend even if you don't LABEL it boyfriend/girlfriend. The book opens with Trace agreeing to MARRY Poppy because she needs to be married in order to adopt twins that a teenage mother is giving up. He has no qualms about this. Actually, he agreed to raise children with her years and years ago. Willing to marry her? Openly, easily planning to raise children with her for years? Trying to conceive with her for years? Fathering her children, and as an actual loving father, not a sperm donor? The man is HER BOYFRIEND. So the constant handwringing by the heroine about 'Does he love me?' and 'He just sees me as a friend.' was RIDICULOUS. Of course he loves you, I don't care whether he said the l-word or not. He fucking agreed to marry you and raise your children!!!! He's been sexually loyal to you for SIXTEEN YEARS! He's obviously CRAZY about you? Hello? Also, Trace is a mensch. Yes, we have a bona fide mensch here, and you know I don't use the m-word on romance heroes unless I really and truly mean it. A hero really has to work hard and prove himself to me in order to get that designation from me. He's calm, he's patient. He's very caring about Poppy, her needs, and her wellbeing. He's always looking out for her. He does what she asks of him without complaint. He doesn't let her neuroticism bother him. He's great at reading her moods and providing her with whatever she might need in the moment, whether it's a cuppa or a hug. He has a sense of humor. He doesn't get sore when she tells him she won't have sex with him (she REFUSES to have sex with him on their wedding night, for reasons beyond MY understanding). He good-naturedly sleeps in an armchair. Gillen Thacker makes him a strong man, a 'manly man' as she is wont to do, she's always been a little old-fashioned in the gender role department, but with this mensch-level it didn't even bother me. He also has a sense of humor, which I appreciate. Sense of humor is SO important in a man. I really liked him, you guys. I liked the heroine, too. I was a little baffled by her insecurity... but she was a good person and I thought her and Trace were a good match. I'm glad they ended up together. I was annoyed that Gillen Thacker made (view spoiler)[Poppy become pregnant with twins. She ends up backing out on adopting the seventeen-year-old's twins at the last minute. I always see this as a cop-out on the author's part. Especially when they make it seem as if the heroine is infertile and then she magically gets pregnant. UGH. (hide spoiler)] There's also a kind of... consumerist/gender thing to the book that kind of grated on me. I was talking earlier about Trace's mild macho tendencies (they are very mild), but this also comes out in other aspects. For instance, when Poppy throws a party for Trace's Air Force buddies, the wives at the party basically corner her and demand she follow Trace around wherever he was stationed, which was not the couple's plan. When she tells them she's not going to do that, they tell her to her face she's a bad military wife and that Trace deserves better. I thought that was a.) none of their fucking business and b.) very rude to do to someone in her own house at a party she threw for these couples. o.O WTF. Another gender-role disaster comes when Trace goes to pick up his wedding ring and his heavily pressured by the saleswoman to buy a 'push present' for Poppy. I'm going to offend some people: I find this idea revolting. The very term 'push present' makes me gag a little. The idea that a man 'pays' a woman for going through labor by giving her jewelry is repulsive to me. There's an even more disgusting term called 'slice surprise' which is jewelry given to women for getting a C-section. That term actually makes me vomit a little, it's so gross. ANYWAY, if you love the idea, fine. I find it skeevy. Also, I want to point out that Poppy is not 'pushing' anything, she's ADOPTING, so this saleswoman is just trying to trick the poor sap into spending more money. So yeah, the general trade-off with Gillen Thacker is that you get amazing heroes who usually are quite skilled in bed, but you have to also deal with 'Texas gentleman,' '*grunt* I am a man!' stuff and 'little lady' stuff etc. Which brings me to the sex. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? I'm going to be honest, I expect more from Gillen Thacker than I do from other American Romance authors. I hold her to higher standards. This is because she is one of the FEW, FEW authors from this line who I know is capable of writing good sex AND she is not afraid to write described sex AND she is not afraid to have the hero and heroine have many, many sex scenes instead of the one measly vague one we usually get in this line. Are you saying Trace is bad in bed? No, I'm not saying Trace is bad in bed. He could use a bit of an upgrade, though. Some fine-tuning, but that involves Poppy speaking up and obviously Poppy is not going to speak up. I'm sure Trace would be open to doing anything she might ask of him, he doesn't seem to have any kind of chip on his shoulder when it comes to sex. Men are generally eager to please you, don't hesitate to give them direction or ask for more foreplay. Usually they are more than happy to comply. Of the three on-page sex scenes in this book, only one of them was really something I was interested in, and I was disappointed that Gillen Thacker made it so vague and muddied. The other two are fine, I guess, but they just involve PinV sex. So I wasn't too delighted. They have TONS of sex in this book, but most of it is off-page. We get a generous three on-page sex scenes in this novel. I'm nitpicking, you guys. Trace is a wonderful guy and seems competent in bed, I'm lucky Gillen Thacker is in the writing business so that I didn't have to suffer through another American Romance book with disappointing sex. Please take my mild complaining with a grain of salt. I want every romance book to be sexually exciting, so that's what I'm always looking for and hoping for. ALSO, this is yet another American Romance where the hero teasingly calls the heroine 'ma'am' but doesn't carry this over to bed. I loved the everyday scenes between the two of them where she teasingly calls him 'Lieutenant' and he teasingly calls her 'ma'am' and implies he'll take orders from her. How ADORABLE and fun would this be in bed? So adorable and fun! Why not take the obvious step and create a fun bedroom scene where this kind of dynamic takes place? I'm sure readers would really enjoy it, I know I would. :p But this NEVER happens in this line. So frustrating because it would be SO easy and natural. TL;DR And there you have it, folks. I'm not sure this book would appeal to you. On one hand, it's a fun, kind book where the hero and heroine are great people, meant to be together, and it's full of love and Christmas and etc. On the other hand, if you want an actual CONFLICT or PLOT or something, this is going to seem completely pointless. Pointless fluff. So, depending on what you like in romance, this could be pleasing to you or not. I would have appreciated an actual problem for the MCs to deal with, but if Gillen Thacker had made the sex more exquisite I would have granted it five stars. Without hesitation. Unfortunately, while the sex was good, it could have been better in my opinion. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Military Romance - He's a lieutenant in the Air Force Non-Virgin Heroine Marriage of Convenience Infertile Heroine (view spoiler)[Not really! Surprise! Trace gets her pregnant with twins. What a cop-out. Pisses me off. (hide spoiler)] (view spoiler)[Pregnant Heroine (hide spoiler)] He's an Air Force Pilot. She's an Interior Decorator. Takes Place in Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Poppy Elizabeth f 5'7” 35 Trace m 35 6'4” Anne Marie f 17 Jackson m Lacey f Callie f Maggie f Lily f Gannon m Rose f Clint m Violet f Gavin m Liz f Bitsy f Calvin m 6'2” Donald m Mitzy f Will m Ava f Beau m Paige f Tamara f Bobby m Meg f Louann f Jack m Hallie f Fran f Cara f Linda f Dawn f Paul m Jack m Randy m Tucker m Ella f Emma f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 15, 2020
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Dec 15, 2020
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Dec 15, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| B00U6VVEX0
| 4.35
| 34
| Oct 01, 2015
| Oct 01, 2015
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liked it
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(view spoiler)[ "Give it to Dirk." Nola squeezed past him. "Because I quit." "What?" Pete followed her out of the office. "Nola, come on. I know he was (view spoiler)[ "Give it to Dirk." Nola squeezed past him. "Because I quit." "What?" Pete followed her out of the office. "Nola, come on. I know he was your boyfriend and all, but you can't mix love and war. The news is war." Nola spun on Pete, stopping inches from his face. "Don't you dare talk to me about war. I've been there. While you were sitting here in your cushy air-conditioned office, I was trying to escape enemy shellfire. You don't know anything." pg. 193 (hide spoiler)] This book started out pretty bland. But you need to give it time. On page 154 things started to catch fire and then after that things started exploding. It's a slow-burn drama. Not a slow-burn romance, but a slow-burn drama. Chase is a rodeo rider but he also runs a rodeo school with his brother on a ranch. Nola is a reporter who has been reporting on Chase for two years. They have always been attracted to each other, but never made a move because each thinks he/she is not good enough for the other person. They don't make a good first impression - Chase seems immature and pouty, Nola seems like a conniving, manipulative reporter. However, as the book goes on and you get to know each of them better, your perceptions of them change. Nola served in the Army for seven years. This is different. I don't think I've ever read a romance novel where the woman is military and the man isn't. Even though Nola is only in her mid-twenties, she seems older, due to her military service and her Tragic Past. I liked her, especially her chutzpah. She stands up to Chase. I love heroines who are strong enough to stand up to the hero (emotionally). Nola is not a whiner, she's someone who fights back and I admire that. She did some tough and brave (emotionally) things in this book. Chase's introduction scene makes him seem immature and bratty. But he turns into an affectionate man. I thought he was stunningly affectionate with Nola and she really needed affection, so it was sweet to see her soak it all up and it was nice to see a man who was openly affectionate. And this wasn't a sexual thing. I mean hugging her, putting his arm around her, bringing her roses, saying 'I'm sorry,' etc. Nola has a Tragic Past in which (view spoiler)[she was drunk and driving and went through the windshield of her car. The woman she hit lost a leg. Nola lost her pregnancy (she was at three months) and her uterus. Let's look at this stunning scene. It's the second time Chase and Nola have sex. And the first time they've had sex in the light. Chase is shocked to see Nola's scars across her chest and abdomen. They have sex. Then he asks her about the scars. She tells him what happened. It's brave. He gets rigid and quiet after she tells him all this. Here we go: "I'm just trying to process it all. I wish you had told me sooner." "It's not something you blurt out in the middle of a conversation." Nola stood and pulled on her clothes, desperate to feel covered again. "I had no idea where this relationship was going or... It doesn't matter. It's obvious now. I can talk until I'm blue in the face and it won't change the way you feel." "That's not fair. You don't know how I feel. I don't even know how I feel." Chase's tone softened as he tugged on his clothes. "I respect how personal this is for you, and I totally understand why you didn't tell me right away. Honey, I do. But why didn't you at least say you didn't want kids? You could have left out the details. You heard me going on this afternoon about how I want children. I want a house full of them, and you're telling me it's not possible with you. I'm trying to make sense of that. I wish you'd given me some idea so I could have made an informed decision before this went too far." As soon as the words were out of Chase's mouth, he wished he could take them back. "You think we went too far?" Nola spun on him. "You stand there all high and mighty, giving me a load of crap, telling me you'll never hurt me. Here's a newsflash for you - you can't hurt me. No one can, ever again. Hurt is living with what I did. I ended my baby's life! I lost any chance of conceiving. Don't you get it? I don't deserve to be a mother. A woman lost her leg because of me. And do you know what she did? She asked the court for leniency on my behalf." Nola squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "You once thanked me for my service in the Army, but the only reason I was there was because I had a brilliant attorney.... I deserved jail. I didn't even deserve the plastic surgery I had on my face, which is why I chose not to have any more. I killed my child. I maimed another human being. That's hurt. YOU can't hurt me." pg. 169 Chase wants biological children. And he doesn't soften on this until literally LITERALLY the last page of the novel. This is a stark contrast to the book I read previously in which the hero accepts that the heroine is sterile with very little drama, telling her that he loves her and that her sterility doesn't matter. Not so here. Chase is absolutely convinced for the last 59 pages of the book that they cannot be together because he's hellbent on having 'natural' children. (hide spoiler)] I felt terrible for Nola and admired the way she soldiered on after this. No pun intended. She makes some tough choices in this book and I admired how emotionally brave and persistent she was. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? UGH. First he says he's going to take his time with her and enjoy it, then he's like, “Fuck it” and just has sex with her fast and with no foreplay. WHY does this always happen?!?!!? What is WRONG with romance authors?!!?! And he offers to go down on her and she says no. UGH. SO FRUSTRATING. When am I going to find a romance author who writes about GOOD FUCKING?!!?!?!? Probably not in the American Romance line of Harlequin. Fuck. Two sex scenes and they are a total waste of time, believe me. He doesn't slow down or get any better in bed the second time they fuck. TL;DR I thought this book was going to be bland. Even on page 87 I was like, "This book is just so ho-hum." But things eventually heat up, drama wise, and it ends up being quite the little drama. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed that the heroine was military, that she had such a backbone, that she exhibited a lot of bravery in this novel. I liked the drama. However, the sex is severely lacking and you may be annoyed with Chase's pigheadedness. I definitely wouldn't recommend this to everyone. It's not for everyone. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Military Romance - and this time the HEROINE is in the Army!!!! Millionaire/Billionaire Romance - Chase is rich. Not sure if he's a millionaire, but he's loaded. Non-Virgin Heroine (view spoiler)[Infertile Heroine (hide spoiler)] He's a Rodeo Rider and Rancher. She's in the Army (inactive duty during this book), and she's a Reporter. Takes Place in Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Chase m 30 Nola f 25 George m Shane m Jesse m Miranda f Jackson m Slade m Ever f Hunter m Kyle m Kay f Pete m Kylie f 27 Betty f Barney – dog, black standard poodle Dirk m Tess f Cole m Lexi f Pete m Joe m Ella f Nicolino m London m Jean f Dan m Scott m Bocephus – horse Evelyn f Aaron m Vicki f Randi Lynn f Jon m Juanita f Kenny m Nate m Clay m Tommy m August m Abby f Bridgett f Adam m Flash – cat Jennifer f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 14, 2020
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Dec 14, 2020
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Dec 14, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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| 0373755880
| 9780373755882
| 0373755880
| 4.02
| 40
| Oct 01, 2015
| Oct 06, 2015
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really liked it
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"I'm telling you because I love you. I want you to have the truth about me." "Dylan - " Her heart thundered in her chest. "You can't fall in love in fo "I'm telling you because I love you. I want you to have the truth about me." "Dylan - " Her heart thundered in her chest. "You can't fall in love in four days." pg. 183 I actually enjoyed this novel, more than the first book: A Wife in Wyoming. Jess comes out to interview sculptor and rancher Dylan Marshall. Ha ha, like Marshal Dillon, get it? LOL Very cute, Ms. Kent. ANYWAY, he left the fast-paced ritzy art scene two years ago and no one knows why. He's still sculpting, though, and a gallery wants to show his work and has hired this journalist to write a piece about him. Dylan wants to hide the secret reason he abandoned the art scene. Jess wants a salacious and evocative story. She is living on the ranch for four days. The ranch - which is a working ranch - also holds a program for juvenile delinquents over the summer. So there is a cast of seven surly teenagers to contend with, as well. They make for a lot of side-plots. THE HIGHLIGHTS: - Dylan is a good guy. Calm. Hard-working. I liked him. - Jess also has a good head on her shoulders. She doesn't do drama. She doesn't get worked up about stuff. She's level. Even her big reveal of (view spoiler)[the fact that she's sterile due to a hysterectomy she got at age 25 (hide spoiler)] is just presented and dealt with matter-of-factly, with no hand-wringing or agitation. - The book is rather calm and low-key. I've rarely seen a romance novel with such little drama between the MCs. They handle everything remarkably well. Even when (view spoiler)[Jess leaves back for NYC (hide spoiler)], it's pretty low-key and chill. Even though Dylan was (view spoiler)[hoping she'd stay, he's not doing anything rash or stupid nor is he filled with rage or hurt. Here's an excerpt: ...the first he'd heard from her since the summer. He'd thought about calling, emailing, even writing a letter... but he didn't intend to stalk her. They'd had a summer affair, and now it was over. If he was still in love, that was just too bad for him. pg. 224 (hide spoiler)] This was super-refreshing. - There's also a side plot about his three brothers learning to appreciate his sculpting as 'real work' and him (at the very end) asserting himself enough to get space and time to work on his sculpting, which up until then had been treated as a 'hobby' by his brothers. - Oh, and Jess is 35 and Dylan is 27. They don't have drama about that, either. Yay! HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Vague. Undescribed. And therefore disappointing. :( TL;DR Surprisingly low-drama romance with level-headed MCs. (Except for maybe the fact that they 'fall in love' so quickly, but that's something I usually forgive in romance novels unless it's quite egregious.) If you like a low-drama romance book about ranching, cowboys, cattle drives, art, and reforming juvenile delinquents... this will be for you. Don't read it if you need drama in your romance. Don't read it if you want exciting, described sex. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine (view spoiler)[Infertile Heroine (hide spoiler)] He's a Sculptor and a Rancher; She's a Journalist. Takes Place in: Wyoming, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Dylan m 27 Jess f 35 Wyatt m Honey – golden retreiver Ford m Garrett m Patricia f Thomas m Marcos m Lena f Caroline f Mark m Susannah f Amber f Lizzie f Becky f Justino m Nate m Henry m Cash – horse age 20 Leo – horse Jemima f Constance f Amabel f Olivia f Noelle f Trini f Kip m Gretchen f Marla f Bobbie Jean f Terri f Caitlin f Merle f Kate f Cindi f Dan m Sophia f Nugget – horse Allie – horse Major – pony Wade m Jimmy m Roberto m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 13, 2020
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Dec 14, 2020
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Dec 13, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0263251799
| 9780263251791
| 0263251799
| 4.13
| 104
| Oct 01, 2015
| Oct 02, 2015
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really liked it
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Was there anything he could say to her? Any way to convince her that their love was worth the trouble? pg. 163 An emotional, gut-wrenching book. If you Was there anything he could say to her? Any way to convince her that their love was worth the trouble? pg. 163 An emotional, gut-wrenching book. If you like some drama and anxiety in your romance, this is the ticket. Sasha Summers is a good author - the book is well-written, the characters have sexual tension, and there's the requisite heart-bruising to make things exquisitely painful. Josie comes back into town. There she runs into her old boyfriend, Hunter. She's under the impression that Hunter is still married to the woman he cheated on her with - Amy. But he's not, they are divorced and Hunter is acting as a single dad to his son with Amy, the 10-year-old Eli. Hunter is highly interested in getting back together with Josie, and sparks fly, but Eli hates Josie. I mean, HATES HER. This puts a real damper on things. The evil, manipulative, conniving and even criminal Amy also shows up, pouring gasoline on the fire and making everything worse. My only real problem with the book is (view spoiler)[Eli. He's a little shit, IMO. Not liking Josie, fine. Hating her, not as fine, something that has to be dealt with. Acting snotty and horrible to her, bad - but salvageable. But when he lies to his dad about Josie, telling his dad that Josie 'kidnapped' him and also drove drunk with him, I was DONE. There is nothing Hunter could do or say to make me stay in a relationship at that point. I don't care if he licked vulva like a god (and there's no evidence of that, by the way) or walked on water, or was her One True Love or whatever the fuck - I'm not going to marry a guy who a.) has a son who hates me so much and has so little morals that he would trick and manipulate adults into doing something and then blatantly lie about an adult committing crimes in order to punish her and push her out of his life. That's worse than problematic, ok. That's seriously fucked-up. and b.) has a completely psycho, deranged ex-wife who is not above committing crimes, throwing public screaming fits, lying, manipulating, conniving, scheming, and other horrible things. (hide spoiler)] When you marry someone, you are also marrying their family. (view spoiler)[And in this case, his ex-wife and child are HUGE red flags for me. (hide spoiler)] I want to end a romance book being happy for the heroine, thinking that she ended up with the person she loved, and will go on to enjoy a happy life filled with love and joy. Instead, my stomach was twisted up in knots thinking about her having to (view spoiler)[parent this child and deal with her husband's HORRIFIC ex-wife for the rest of her life. Even though Eli eventually confesses and 'wants to apologize' to Josie... I mean... that's not enough for me. Maybe I'm a cold woman, but NO. There's no man alive I would marry in these circumstances. I wanted to tell her to run away, and run away fast. (hide spoiler)] That being said, it was a good book. Fast-paced, well-written and enjoyable - especially if you enjoy dramatic books that fuck with your emotions. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Disappointing. The sexual tension between these two was off-the-charts. I couldn't wait for them to go to bed together. I was expecting Hunter to lay it down for her. Unfortunately, Summers does the old, common, very frequent author trope of the hero saying or thinking I-was-planning-on-being-great-in-bed,-but-I'm-just-going-to-quickly-fuck-her-because-I-am-too-impatient. SUPER common in romances. VERY annoying. I wonder if authors put this in here JUST to make short sex scenes they don't have to put any thought or effort in. This is the literal quote: With a growl, every last bit of resistance left him. He'd wanted to be gentle, to love her tenderly, to take time to savor every inch of her. Maybe next time. pg. 134 This always makes me gnash my teeth in rage! SUCH a cop-out. I thought you were better than this, Hunter. TL;DR Very enjoyable book, especially if you like drama in your romance. Summers is no slouch as an author. I actually want to read more of her books, which is a huge compliment. Can't get a five-star from me not only due to letting me down in the sex-department, but (view spoiler)[making me worried and afraid for the heroine when she says yes to Hunter's proposal at the end of the book. IMO dealing with his son and his ex-wife would not be worth it. (hide spoiler)] ROMANCE CATEGORIES Animal Lovers' Romance Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Second-Chance Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Cheating - There is no on-page cheating in this book, but Hunter IS a cheater who slept with Amy while being in a relationship with the heroine. If you are very bothered by that, avoid this book. He's a Veterinarian; She's a Children's Book Author and Illustrator Takes Place in Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Hunter m Josie f 29 Joselyn Marie Sprinkles – dog Winnie f Carl m Eli m 10 Amy f Fisher m Dara f Annabeth f Bob – steer Mars – dog Archer m Ryder m Tommy m Renata f Greg m Cody m Lola f Teddy m Tripod – cat Jason m Larry – emu Hanna f Nate m Tut – pharaoh hound Janette f George m Tyler m James m Theodore m Teddy Henry m Marco m Rogan m Gabriel m Carol f Wes m Frank m Jester - dog Clarence m Mario m Lance m Ray m Floppy – rabbit Jack – rabbit Kelsey f Maximus – dog Jarvis m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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Nov 23, 2020
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Dec 09, 2020
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Nov 23, 2020
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| unknown
| 3.67
| 21
| 2005
| 2005
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it was ok
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Short Christmas romance story that involves a man 'taking care of' his friend's widow. Whether you find that creepy or not is your choice, I found it
Short Christmas romance story that involves a man 'taking care of' his friend's widow. Whether you find that creepy or not is your choice, I found it a little creepy. His dead buddy talked a lot and But because of Wes's ever-flapping mouth, whether he'd wanted to or not, Chance knew everything about Rachel from her favorite songs to what turned her on. Which I personally find disgusting. Is this story catering to a specific kink? Usually Harlequin avoids that. They don't 'date' until 18 months after her husband's death, if that makes you feel any better. Another creepy aspect is that (view spoiler)[a letter surfaces in which her dead husband encourages her to get romantically involved with his buddy. (hide spoiler)] Doesn't that seem a bit suspect to you? Would someone really put something like that in a 'in case I'm dead' letter? (view spoiler)[Passing your wife along to your buddy as if she's inheritable property? (hide spoiler)] What is this, the Old Testament? Anyway, based on your personal ideas of 'romantic' vs. 'creepy' you will either enjoy this story as 'cute' or think it's weird. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widow Heroine Police Romance - He's a deputy U.S. marshal He's a Deputy U.S. Marshal; She Did Some Bookkeeping and Took A Business Course at Night School Takes Place in: Denver, Colorado and Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Rachel f Chance m 6'3” Wes m 5'11” Sarah f 19 Wesley m 10-month-old Jenny f Helen f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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1
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Nov 22, 2020
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Nov 22, 2020
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Nov 22, 2020
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ebook
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| 0373755864
| 9780373755868
| 0373755864
| 3.97
| 31
| Oct 01, 2015
| Oct 06, 2015
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really liked it
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His friend didn't understand. Beautiful or not. Animal lover or not. Smart or not. Colt wasn't the relationship type. Never had been, never would be.
His friend didn't understand. Beautiful or not. Animal lover or not. Smart or not. Colt wasn't the relationship type. Never had been, never would be. His past was just too... messy. Military. Crazy dad. It all left a mark. Things never worked out, and that was okay. He didn't need anybody or anything. Just his horses. pg. 15 Romantic book, I enjoyed it. Colton was an Army Ranger but now he is a horse trainer. He's grumpy, laconic and stoic. Natalie was a horse-jumping champion. She was brilliant, but a terrible horse-accident ended her career. She still wants to be involved in horse-riding somehow, so she asks Colton to help her learn to ride in a different style. She has crippling terror and also balance/inner-ear problems, so this might not be possible. (view spoiler)[Also, her huge secret is that her doctors ordered her never to ride again, another fall could mean death. (hide spoiler)] She is as expressive and open as Colt is blank and closed-off. Not only has the military scarred Colton inside and out, but his abusive father also fucked him up badly. He thinks of himself as damaged goods, and plans never to be in a relationship. OK, so for one thing Britton is a pretty competent writer. She's better than most HAR (Harlequin American Romance) novelists. She's especially good at capturing people's feelings and their emotional turmoil. Another place Britton really shines (and I've said this in other reviews) is the way she writes about horses. If you want to read cowboy/western romances that are horse-heavy, she's a great choice for you. Her horses are realistic and leap off the page. This book wasn't funny, but in other books she often has funny scenes with horses that will make you laugh. Horses are not just props in her books, she actually knows what she is talking about. Whether you like this book will depend on if you like this plot. Grumpy, black-clad hero learns to open his heart to love. That type of plot. Not that Natalie is without her issues. She's also scarred and struggling and, in a way, disabled because of her traumatic brain injury. (view spoiler)[Although Britton is fond of 'curing' her heroes and heroines of the 'disabilities' she gives them. I wish she would resist, but it seems she can't help herself. (hide spoiler)] Colt can act cold and often ghosts the heroine - sometimes going months without contacting her. This is not good behavior and may piss off some readers, but Britton is trying to illustrate his mental anguish. I'm not a fan of how he handles it, but that's the direction she goes with it. Natalie is remarkably patient and forgiving IMO. Another thing I want to bring up is that (view spoiler)[Natalie kisses her platonic guy friend on the mouth in front of Colton to make him jealous. Not sure if this will be a dealbreaker for some people, or shunt this book into the 'cheating' category. Although, to be fair, Colton hasn't contacted Natalie in months and the guy she kisses is in a romantic relationship with another woman. (hide spoiler)] There's a child with cancer in this book. If you don't want to read about a child with cancer and all that entails, please do yourself a favor and skip this novel. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There's no sex in this book. It's a huge drawback. I wish the MCs had sex. It's not like Britton to write a sexless romance. There is a scene where they drink beer and then make-out and then Colton fingers her to climax (although it's not detailed and I admit I was a bit confused when I first read this scene). But the couple never has PinV sex. This fingering occurrence is the only sexual activity that happens in this book. Sadly. That's taking points off of this rating, IMO. Sex is an important part of any romance novel and a book cannot achieve a five-star rating with me without some sex scenes, and they'd better be impressive sex scenes. TL;DR Actually a good romance novel. Britton is a good writer. You feel true emotions for the MCs. I was rooting for them to get together. She is good at stirring up emotions. She excels at writing horses - giving her novels an authentic Cowboy/Western feel. However, this book does have flaws. The lack of sex is a big one. Colton also comes off as a jerk sometimes, not because he says cruel things or treats the heroine roughly, but because he ghosts her, sometimes for months at a time. The book could also be filed under 'cheating' (see my spoiler tag in the above review for more details) although I guess that could be debated. I would recommend it, even with these caveats, although please see my shelf 'five-star-romance' for actual five-star romance novels that knock it out of the park. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Animal Lovers' Romance - horses and dogs Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Military Romance - he used to be an Army Ranger Non-Virgin Heroine Rape/Abuse Survivor - Colton had an abusive father Disabled Heroine He's a Horse Trainer; She's a Horse Trainer. Takes Place in California, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Natalie f 5'8” Colton m 30 Jillian f Wes m Teddy – horse Zach m Mariah f Playboy – horse Lola – truck Laney f Kate f Samantha f Sam Roger – horse Claire f Adam m 5 Marcus m Chance m Buddy – horse Hank m Abigail f Zero – dog Samson – dog Juno – dog Rand m Randy Jason m Christine f Laura f Antwar – horse (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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Nov 22, 2020
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Nov 22, 2020
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Nov 22, 2020
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Paperback
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my rating |
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| 3.84
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it was ok
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May 11, 2020
not set
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Nov 18, 2023
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| 4.24
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did not like it
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Oct 15, 2023
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Oct 03, 2023
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| 4.35
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did not like it
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Sep 24, 2023
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Sep 24, 2023
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| 4.07
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did not like it
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Jul 07, 2023
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Jul 06, 2023
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| 3.84
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liked it
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Jun 24, 2023
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Jun 22, 2023
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| 4.15
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did not like it
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Feb 08, 2023
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Feb 07, 2023
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| 3.88
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did not like it
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Jan 07, 2023
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Dec 30, 2022
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| 3.79
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it was amazing
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Dec 18, 2022
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Dec 12, 2022
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| 3.37
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it was ok
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Dec 09, 2022
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Dec 05, 2022
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| 3.76
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liked it
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Jun 21, 2023
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Sep 14, 2022
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| 3.33
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really liked it
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Jan 05, 2021
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Dec 23, 2020
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| 4.08
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really liked it
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Dec 19, 2020
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Dec 18, 2020
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| 3.89
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it was ok
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Dec 17, 2020
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Dec 16, 2020
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| 4.18
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liked it
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Dec 16, 2020
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Dec 16, 2020
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| 4.02
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really liked it
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Dec 15, 2020
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Dec 15, 2020
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| 4.35
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liked it
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Dec 14, 2020
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Dec 14, 2020
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| 4.02
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really liked it
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Dec 14, 2020
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Dec 13, 2020
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| 4.13
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really liked it
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Dec 09, 2020
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Nov 23, 2020
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| 3.67
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it was ok
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Nov 22, 2020
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Nov 22, 2020
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| 3.97
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really liked it
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Nov 22, 2020
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Nov 22, 2020
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