Dangerous Surrender

In Dangerous Surrender (The Serafina: Sin City #4) by Katie Reus, when Taylor’s boss and the father figure in her life is murdered right before her eyes, she barely escapes with just a bullet grazing her. She runs to to Vegas, to Vadim, the one friend who she completely trusts to help her. But Vadim isn’t there…not knowing what else to do or where else to go, Taylor breaks into his house anyway, for temporary refuge. Read More

5/5 stars

Beauty and the Billionaire

In Beauty and The Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #2) by Jessica Clare, from the moment Hunter sees Gretchen he is enchanted by her and wants to know her better. Scarred inside and out, billionaire Hunter doesn’t think any woman would want to be with him, but he has hope that Gretchen might be different. Living a very solitary existence, rarely leaving his home, Hunter comes up with a plan to meet Gretchen and spend some time with her. Read More

5/5 stars!

Dead Man's Carve

In Dead Man's Carve (A Tickled to Death Mystery #1) by Kym Roberts, Rilee is a wood carver with her own shop in Tickle Creek, Oregon. Rilee lost her fiancee over two years ago, and has never moved on. She remains loyal to him and emotionally cut off from almost everyone else. When one of her clients is found dead - by Rilee, she is determined to find the bride and groom carvings he commissioned from her, one of which disappeared with his death. For various reasons, the wood carvings are very symbolic to Rilee.

At the same time, Rilee finds herself with a stray Boxer calling her home his home, and a mysterious, former military stranger "Stone" taking up way too much of her thoughts. Stone has his own reasons for being in Tickle Creek, and as Rilee's search for the carvings and the truth behind Ryan's death intensifies, his reasons for being there are revealed. But the deeper Rilee and Stone dig into the past and current events swirling around Tickle Creek, the more questions arise. Will they find the answers even as danger gets closer? Will Riley finally start letting go of the past to find her future?

Dead Man's Carve is fast paced, and Kym writes with good flow in a story that will keep you guessing. The mystery twists and turns, and Kym kept me intrigued. I really liked Stone and Rilee. They both have tragedy in their pasts, and they both struggle in their own ways with their present because of it. They are strong, and I like how Stone draws Rilee out and makes her start to feel again. Their relationship was just as intriguing to read about as the mystery in Dead Man's Carve, and they both grow a lot as they get to know each other.

I like that Kym writes humor into this mystery, I felt that it really helped bring the characters to life. There a lot of secondary characters, some more visible than the rest, but they all add a lot of dimension to a small town cozy mystery.

I'd recommend Dead Man's Carve to anyone looking for an entertaining mystery with relationships and character growth woven in effortlessly.

4/5 stars

A Taste of Chardonnay

In A Taste of Chardonnay (The Napa Wine Heiresses) by Heather Heyford, Chardonnay “Char” wants to be known for much more than her father’s scandals and wealth. Char has her own ambitions and believes in giving back to the community and the people. Looking to get her own charity off the ground, she has entered an elite competition where the winner will get money for their charity. A lot of money that Char desperately wants for hers. Read More

3.5/5 stars

Close To Her Heart

In Close To Her Heart (Carrigans of Circle C #3) by C.J. Carmichael, Dani has always been the responsible one.   After being the caretaker for her sisters after her mother died, and not being close to her father, she moved from Marietta, Montana to Seattle.  She is happy with her life there.  Working in the psychology department of the University of Washington keeps her busy, she has a couple of close friends, and a lover.  Unfortunately her lover Adrian is also her department head...and that is part of his excuse to keep their relationship a secret.  

When Dani ends up pregnant, she expects a lot more from Adrian than what she gets.  She is still hopeful though and wants way more from him than he is willing to give...even if part of her is hurt by his reaction.  For numerous reasons, Dani chooses to tell very few about her pregnancy.  Her two best friends and her niece, but no one else in her family.  As Dani's pregnancy progresses, she finds help and support from her friend Eliot.  As the distance between Dani and Adrian increases, she finds herself inexplicably attracted to Eliot.  At this time in her life though, Dani does not feel the attraction can be real...or lasting.  Eliot has always been secretly attracted to Dani, and he pregnancy is no deterrent.  Caring and supportive, Eliot can't stand to see how Dani is being treated by the father of her child.

Brave but scared, Dani will not ask for help, but that won't stop Eliot, who wants to take a chance with Dani and her baby.  As Dani's life as she knows it is about to change, will she take the chance on who has been in front of her the whole time?

Close To Her Heart has a dynamic plot, filled with conflict, hope, and relationships.  Dani was a bit hard to understand at times.  She is supposed to be so smart, but she lets herself be treated very poorly and I just could not figure out why.  We never really found out what was so great about Adrian that she wanted to be with him so badly.  She wants to be very independent and do everything on her own, but sometimes asking for help is a character strength...and I hoped that Dani could get there.  I felt sorry for her actually, putting up with Adrian and being kept a secret.  Dani goes through much more than this in Close To Her Heart though, and she does the best she can to cope with what comes her way.  In many ways Dani is a brave heroine, I just could not understand some of her actions.  Eliot is a caring, good friend who wants more with Dani.  Even if she's not ready for more, he is there for her.  He is patient and could be a strong shoulder for her to lean on if she let herself.  

I would consider Adrian more of a secondary character in Close To Her Heart, even with his involvement with Dani we don't see a lot of him or know a lot about him to make him remotely likable.  Another good friend is a strong secondary character, and she has issues of her own!  Dani's family is really on the periphery even though she's supposed to be close to her sisters.  C.J. brings them in more towards the end of Close To Her Heart, and I liked how this was done.

Close To Her Heart is emotional, with a lot going on, and C. J. writes an really good story even if I wasn't enthralled with Dani.  The plot line is very intriguing, waiting to see how things would work as Dani struggles to cope with everything going on.  Intense at times with good flow and easy to read, I'd recommend Close To Her Heart to women's fiction readers who like a touch of romance.

4/5 stars

Please Me, Cowboy

In Please Me, Cowboy by Megan Crane, Gracelyn has worked hard to be far from the dead end prairie town she grew up in. Now living in the big city and working for billionaire Jonah Flint's company, she's where she thinks she wants to be. Suddenly though, a work assignment with her boss threatens to bring her back much closer than she ever planned to be to any small town in Montana.

Jonah needs a fake girlfriend. He is heading to visit his twin Jasper in Marietta, Montana and a girlfriend is just what he needs to help him with his cause. He's not just going to see Jasper, he's going to convince him he's making a huge mistake by settling in Marietta and marrying a school teacher. They both worked hard to prove themselves and be successful, and Jonah isn't about to let Jasper throw it all away. For Jonah it's all about the money - there is no room for emotion.

Gracelyn has managed to ignore her attraction to Jonah...but being in such close proximity to each other soon proves the attraction is mutual, and the chemistry is hot. It might only be a two week 'assignment', but could it turn into more? Being in Marietta brings both of their fears simmering to the surface, and they both have very different ways of dealing with things. As Gracelyn starts to seep through the cracks in Jonah's heart can he let her all the way in? Or will the realities, challenges, and feelings stirred up drive them farther apart than ever?

Please Me, Cowboy has two very strong main characters who in most ways seem very different, but underneath all the money and walls they're not. Gracelyn and Jonah both had childhoods that were not easy and have left scars. They have both worked hard to get where they are today. Jonah is very bitter, edgy, single minded and purposeful. That's who he's trained himself to be. Jonah was difficult to warm up to and he is very different from his brother Jasper. Gracelyn has also worked hard to be where she is. She also remembers where she came from and how people made her feel. Her actions on this assignment though all in the name of work also made her difficult to connect to. She knows in her heart and her mind it's not right, but she keeps it up anyway. I couldn't wait to see how Megan played this whole plot out and she didn't disappoint me. Megan magnetically drew me into their lives even if I didn't necessarily like them to begin with. Megan's descriptions of the characters are great and the dialogue flows. There is strong character development and growth that moves along well with the plot.

Jasper is a strong secondary character and I really liked the interactions between him and Jonah, and seeing such big differences in characters who were raised the exact same way. It was really interesting and the conflict and turmoil between them was easy to feel. The whole plot revolves around Jonah thinking he can control Jasper's life, and even the growth of their relationship in Please Me, Cowboy is powerful.

I loved being back in small town Marietta, especially since I have read Jasper's story (Tempt Me, Cowboy). Please Me, Cowboy can easily be read as a stand alone though. I do really hope to see Gracelyn and Jonah in future books to catch up with how they are doing.

Please Me, Cowboy is a fast paced, well written romance that will entertain you and intrigue you. I'd recommend Please Me, Cowboy to any romance reader looking for a quick read with some strong characters.

4/5 stars

Sing Me Back Home

In Sing Me Back Home by Eve Gaddy, Jack is a physician in Montana who is raising his teenager daughter alone after the death of his wife.  He's had no serious relationships since her death, nor is he actively seeking one.

Maya Parrish is Jack's former high school sweet heart who broke his teenage heart way back then.  Once a model, now running her own business, divorced, and also with a teenage daughter, when she inherits her great aunt's house in Marietta, she decides it will be the perfect place for her and her daughter.  She hasn't been looking for another relationship either, but when she runs into Jack after all these years, the attraction between them is immediate and strong.  Neither Jack or Maya have spent years pining for the other, but now that they have met up again, it is impossible to leave old feelings behind, even as the new ones are even more powerful.

Things move fairly quickly between them, sometimes it's like the years never passed.  Maya knows she wants to be with Jack, she loves him.  But is Jack ready to risk his heart again?

Sing Me Back Home is a second chance romance with characters that are believable.  I loved the maturity of Maya and Jack, their dialogue, and their passion.  I also liked the little twist Eve gives us with the hero being the reluctant one.  Jack is dealing with a lot of guilt and mixed emotions as he and Maya's relationship becomes more serious, and this made him real.  I also liked that the two of them hadn't spent years pining for each other, but had moved on and lived their lives.  This makes the sparks when they come together again unexpected and hot!

I really liked both of their daughter's characters also, and how they were woven into the plot so well.

It was another great visit to Marietta, Montana in the first novella in a new series (Montana Born Homecoming).  Sing Me Back Home is the perfect length for the story being told, and the flow is smooth.

I'd recommend Sing Me Back Home to any romance reader looking for a fast, emotional read.

4/5 stars