The Return of Her Past

In The Return of Her Past by Lindsay Armstrong. Mia has always had a crush on Carlos. Her mother was his family’s housekeeper, her father their gardener.

It isn’t until Mia is 18 that Carlos finally notices her and how she’s no longer a little girl. When he comes home one night having injured his head and been nursed by Mia, they end up in each others arms. The kiss they share has Mia seeing stars and she falls asleep next to Carlos.
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All Out of Love

Lace suffered the ultimate high school humiliation when her letter to Cupid was published in the school newspaper! She had a huge crush on Pierce, popular football player, and her brother's best friend. At the time it was mortifying, but Lace has moved on from that incident!

She has been to university, has a PhD in Plant Biology, and is back in Cupid taking care of the gardens there while carrying on her research. Lace is also part of a group of women who answer letters left for Cupid. They believe in true love, but Lace knows that you don't always get what you want. She is happy, independent and smart even if she is still single, sowing some wild oates while away at university!

When Pierce returns to Cupid after a career threatening football injury and to deal with his father's mysterious illness, Lace is determined to stay far away from him. That part of her life is long past and she has moved on! She has no desire to stir that pot again, have everyone talking about her again, and risk her heart again! Even if Pierce is hotter than ever!

Pierce is stunned when he runs into grown up Lace. She is nothing like the women he usually sees, but there is something about her that pulls him in. She is smart, confident and all woman! Where Lace is determined not to stir anything up with Pierce (she is over him, right?), he is just as determined to see what he can stir up with Lace!

I loved reading the romance blossoming between Pierce and Lace as adults. It really feels like this is the right time for them, even with so many uncertainties like his career, his father's health, the little incident of someone stealing money from Cupid and Lace losing her job... Despite Lace's reluctance to put her heart on the line, Pierce just might be worth it. Will Cupid work his magic, do Lace and Pierce have a chance together?

Lace is a great woman. She is caring, honest, and down to earth. I love that she's not carrying around all her teenage angst that a lot of characters seem to do these days! She's moved on, holds no grudges, and has grown up great! Even with her uncertainty about a relationship with Pierce, she is there for him and genuinely cares when his father is ill.

Underneath his playboy ways, Pierce is all man! Football has always been his life, living up to his father's expectations just a part of it. With his career threatened and his life up in the air, he does not fall into self pity, but carries on. I love the maturity of both Pierce and Lace.

Lori gives us a great romance with All Out of Love. I love her style of writing, the humor, the relationship ups and downs, and yest the sexy scenes! Lori writes it all so well the story just flows off the pages effortlessly! All of the plant references were a great addition to the story, fitting in nicely. I love the small town feel of Cupid with all the eccentric characters! I can't wait for Lori's next book in this series!

I really enjoyed my visit back to Cupid, Texas in All Out of Love! I loved this installment in the Cupid, Texas series by Lori Wilde! Although it is part of a series and I've read them all to date, I honestly believe it can easily be read as a stand alone.
5/5 stars

The Firefly Cafe

Dylan is looking for escape and solitude when he comes to Sanctuary Island, hoping to spend time alone in his Grandparent's house. Imagine his surprise when he finds a woman and her son living there as caretakers, and she assumes he's the repair man she's been waiting for!

Dylan is used to people seeing him as a playboy, a rich kid wasting his life. So when Penny has no clue who he is, he decides to play the part of handyman. He's not sure why he does this, except that he is drawn to Penny in a way he isn't usually drawn to women...for she is unlike any woman he's known.

Penny is a divorced mother of a teenager getting her life on track. She has no tolerance for liars, does not believe in second chances. She also has a past of her own she's hiding, she struggles to understand her teenage son, and she is incredibly turned on and drawn to Dylan!

Things heat up quickly between Dylan and Penny. But secrets don't stay secrets for long, and when Dylan's comes out before he can tell Penny, will the sense of betrayal end any chance they have together?

I loved this introduction to Sanctuary Island and the Harrington brothers! Dylan and Penny are both mature adults trying to do the best they can. I can understand why Dylan doesn't tell Penny who he really is after she mistakes him for the handyman, then how hard it is for him to confess as time goes on! But relationships need to be honest, so I can also understand why Penny feels so angry when she does find out!

Will she be able to put her anger aside and listen to Dylan, to take a chance on him? Or will her past prevent her from doing this, and keep her hiding from life?

Lily has written a great entry to Sanctuary Island that I wasn't able to put down! Ok, at times I really didn't want to turn the page because I couldn't bear to see what happened when Penny found out about Dylan's deception! Sanctuary Island was easy to read, but at the same time went deep exploring the emotions of both Penny and Dylan. It was easy to be drawn into their life!

I can't wait for the next book to come out, I'll be devouring that one too!

5/5 stars

Falling for the Good Guy

I was so happy to read more of Abby's search for love in Falling for the Good Guy!


In Falling for the Bad Boy (book one) Abby and Connor had a month long fling. That was the time frame Connor set out from the start. Abby has been trying to get over him ever since! His brother Brian has been Abby's best friend forever! She saw him through his wife's illness and death, has been there since for him and his daughter, and the 3 of them hang out together all the time.


Now that Connor and Abby are no more, Brian is starting to see what has been in front of him all this time with Abby. His feelings towards her are changing, and he wants to be more than best friends. Abby has given herself a time frame she'll wait for Connor for, and Brian intends to be there for her when that time is past!


Abby feels sparks with Brian too, but she's not too sure she wants to risk their friendship to explore what ever more could be between them. She is also very aware of Brian's strong feelings for his deceased wife and does not want to be a stand in for her! Brian has his work cut out for him convincing Abby to give them a chance!


Violet gives us another great book with Falling for the Good Guy! She manages to draw you in quickly and effortlessly! Going from one brother to the next is not something I'm really into and was kind of wondering how this would play out, but Violet writes so well and in such a way that there is no 'ew' factor at all! Connor does not play a big part in Falling for the Good Guy, this really is Abby and Brian's story. Violet writes all of the scenes from the funny ones to the sexy ones flawlessly, working them so well into the story.


By now I think we've all picked who we want Abby to end up with if it is Connor or Brian, and I just can't wait for book 3 to come out! :) Will Connor stay in the background and give up Abby?


Falling for the Good Guy is a quick, entrancing read I'd highly recommend! 

Making it Last

Amber and Tony are in their tenth year of marriage. Tony works hard and works a lot to support their family, but Amber is starting to feel lonely and out of sorts. Now that their youngest is in school, she feels like she's rattling around their big house on her own, with no real identity other than mother and wife.

When they go to Jamaica for a wedding with their 3 sons, the vacation ends up being not at all what Amber envisioned. She is becoming more and more unhappy and isn't even sure her husband still sees her for the woman she is. She feels like she is losing her self.

Thanks to the intervention of her mother and aunt, Amber ends up getting a few more days in paradise. Tony does finally see he should be with her and joins her, but is it too late to save their marriage when neither of them really knows what's wrong? Can they reconnect and open up the lines of communication? Both of them still love the other, but there is a significant lack of communication when it comes to Amber and Tony. Amber has never talked to Tony about how she feels. Tony senses something is wrong, he just doesn't know what!

Ruthie gives us a very realistic story with Making it Last. She writes with feeling about not just a happily ever after, but what comes after the happily ever after. The dialogue is honest and moving. I could really feel for both Amber and Tony. I did feel frustrated with Amber because obviously something was wrong, she wasn't happy, but she hadn't talked to Tony at all about it, and a good marriage has to have open communication. I loved that Tony went after Amber, not knowing what was wrong, just hoping he could 'fix' it.

Making it Last is part of a series that I've read some of, but not all of. You can read it alone, but would be better read as part of the series.  This novella is a quick read.  I did sometimes find the writing a bit difficult to follow, but overall enjoyed the story.

Would recommend to those who have read the other books in this series and who are looking for some more follow up.

3/5 stars

The Last Kiss Goodbye

Dr. Charlotte Stone ("Charlie") studies serial killers. 

Charlie has had her real life run in's with serial killers too. As a young girl, she managed to escape the one who killed her friend's family. As an adult she's also managed to escape one. Now another one is after her..."The Gingerbread Man". Charlie is drawn into his escapades when a young lady escapes him and ends up on her doorstep. But this one seems to have Charlie in his sights and she is once again working with the FBI, hoping to find this one before he strikes again.

Tony is the FBI agent Charlie has been dating...but they'll have to put their budding romance on hold. Not only to focus on the case, but because Charlie also sees dead people. Michael is one dead person who Charlie can't decide whether she wants him to find the light and go to it, or stay around with her. He's a convicted serial killer who was part of her research when he died. But is he really? He's determined to hang around with Charlie, protecting her, invading her dreams. He definitely does not like the idea of Tony and Charlie being together.

Time is of the essence though and Charlie is determined to put her personal issues aside while she tries to help find a serial killer. But the more she sees Michael, the more he's there, the more she feels for him and starts to want him there. Her rational mind however, reminds her that it is Tony who is alive and physically real. It is still Michael that draws her though. Can Charlie do anything to keep Michael with her? Or will Charlie have to move on? Tony has no idea of Charlie's dilemma, and he might not be willing to wait too long.

In the meantime, there's a serial killer to stop too. Can he be stopped before he strikes again? Can he be stopped before reaching his final target?

Honestly, I love Michael! He is bad boy ghost who can't move on. He feels frustrated and wronged, but that won't stop him from looking out for and giving Charlie some real heat! I can't even say why I am so drawn to him and the whole concept, but I am! He just really pulls me in, my favorite character in The Last Kiss Goodbye.

Charlie just can't figure out what to do! I think she knows what she wants, but won't even admit it to herself...because that would make it more real. Crazy, but real! And then what? She is a very smart, independant woman who has overcome obstacles to get where she is today. 

Karen gives us a paranormal romantic suspense that will draw you in and make you hope against hope. I love this kind of paranormal romance because for me it is something that could actually happen...the 'what if' of death. She writes so flawlessly that you are drawn right in with the characters, and when Charlie sees Michael so do you! Karen concludes The Last Kiss Goodbye perfectly so that if there is no third book you feel the story is finished, but at the same time there is enough room to continue. 

Karen gives us another fantastic book with The Last Kiss Goodbye. I've been waiting forever for this second book! My only complaint would be the time between the books is too long, and it's been quite a while (or it seems like it anyway) since the first one came out. I really hope there is a third book in this series!
5/5 stars

Forgotten Sins

Forgotten Sins by Rebecca Zanetti; As an orphan living in foster care, Josie was alone in the world. When she met Shane she thought she’d finally found someone to be a family with. Marrying shortly after meeting him, Josie knew he hid a darker side, and there were things she didn’t know about him, but she felt like they belonged together. That all changed though the night Shane left…and never came back.Read More

I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series!!