Monthly Archives:: November 2014

When James Simpsons is caught in a situation that was supposed to be innocent but looked a bit too compromising, he is suddenly forced to marry the lady in question. Unfortunately her father refuses to release her dowry unless James agrees and is able to find a husband for the father’s eldest daughter who was also caught within the scandal as an innocent bystander who was trying to save her sister’s reputation from ruin.

Lucinda Cardington is shy and awkward and doesn’t really want to get married. It was never on her mind, let alone her heart. She doesn’t do well at parties or large gatherings, enjoys photography, and does not have the social skills to attract a husband. I loved Lucinda, I thought she was very endearing and felt very real. In a way, she reminded me a little of me, so it was nice to be able to relate to a character.

I enjoyed the plot a lot. It has been a while since I read something like this and thinking back, I do not remember reading something like this in particular. James and Lucinda get close, while James realizes there is treasure hidden behind the sociably awkward, “plain“ girl, he finds himself falling head over heels for Lucinda. Too bad he is already engaged to her bubbly, beautiful, but childish sister Emily. So while James struggles to find the perfect match for Lucinda, he cannot help the growing attraction between them. I liked that the attraction did not happen right away, but sort of built through the book. It made it much more enjoyable and believe. I found myself rooting for the match, even if the ending was a bit predictable.

What I wasn’t really fond off…
Emily. I really disliked her until the end. I did not think she was a good sister and everything she did was to help herself and not Lucinda. She was childish and annoying, and it took me to the end of the book to really warm up to her.

The pacing was a bit slow, but I didn’t mind it too much, it did let me savor some moments. There had been parts that felt a little dry, but the rest of it made it up for it.

This isn’t really something I was bothered with, just caught by surprise really… The book has several religious undertones. I had to go back and look at the genre, and since I never read anything by Delamere before it caught me by surprise. Again, this really didn’t bother me, but I just did not think it was Christian Historical Romance, so it caught me by surprise.

Overall, I really liked the plot. It was different from what I read recently, so it was refreshing, romantics, and fun.

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Summary from Goodreads

Murder strikes again close to home as holiday season draws near at Pennyfoot. It’s bad enough that Cecily Sinclair Baxter has to deal with loosing one of her housemaids as she is leaving to get married, but the new additions and guests at Pennyfoot leave her plenty to be curious about. When the first dead body turns up a little too close to the country club, there is talks once again that Pennyfoot might be cursed. The last thing Cecily wants is for this to be revealed to everyone else with Christmas around the corner.

I picked this one up hoping to get my Christmas reading fix. I know, I know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I am already craving all those warm holiday stories. I have to say, this did not deliver as much as I wanted it to. Christmas, or holiday season was mentioned in passing. There was a lot going on in this book, not only with murder, but with guests and the downstairs staff, and upstairs. I felt the story branched out a couple of times and although it was easy to follow, everything just out of no where fell together in the last few chapters of the book. Things that I wouldn’t have found related, just suddenly where related.

The murder I felt also took kind of a back seat in this one as well. Most of the focus seemed to be on Pansy, Lilly and the new girl Alice. Although Cecily was investigating the murder, she only appeared ever so often and sometimes left me in question how she entered the conclusion about what’s going on, cause it left me scratching my head with the lack of investigating going on.

I did like the book, the characters were interesting, the writing was very nice. Kingsbury can tell a story well. I was a bit disappointed about how the murder and the wedding where also mentioned in passing in the end, but it was still a pleasant read!

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Sweet
Cowboy Christmas Sweet,
Texas # 3.5

By:
Candis Terry  

Releasing
November 25^th,
2014

Avon
Impulse 

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my! Christmas in Texas has never been
sweeter.

Years
ago, Chase Morgan traded in his dusty cowboy boots for the shimmering
lights of New York City and a fast track up the corporate ladder. But
when his shiny life is turned on end just in time for Christmas,
Chase knows he needs to reevaluate even if that means going home to
Texas to endure his least favorite holiday.

When Mr. Tall,
Dark, and Smoking Hot walks through her door at the Magic Box Guest
Ranch, Faith Walker sees just another handsome, rich exec looking to
play cowboy for a week-at her expense. She’s sure the grumpy, but
sexy as hell Scrooge will put a crimp in her holly jolly plans. Until
a sizzling kiss has her seeing him in a new light.

Chase is
haunted by secrets, and even though it goes entirely against her
“hands off the guests” rule Faith is tempted to help him leave
the past behind. As the magic of the season swirls around them, she
is determined to succeed because now she is certain one sweet, cowboy
Christmas will never be enough

After leaving his old life behind in Texas due to his father’s passing for the lights of New York City, the last thing Chase Morgan expected was a near death experience due to his fast track corporate job. Now he finds himself in Sweet, Texas during Christmas season trying to reevaluate his direction in life and get the rest that his doctor insists on.

As Chase ends up on Magic Box Guest Ranch, he finds his way into the pretty owner’s life. Faith Walker loves the holiday season and finds joy in decorating her ranch for Christmas, holding charity events, and giving gifts to children.When Chase finds his way onto her ranch, Faith finds him a little too hard to resist. Not when Chase is proving everything she thought of him wrong. The Sweet, Texas weather isn’t the only thing that ends up warming up.

Another quick Christmas novella read. I really like these. I enjoyed the first book in this series, and have not been able to read the rest but I do like Terry’s writing. There is just something so warm and endearing about her books and her characters. The storyline was sweet, simple, and I found myself enjoying every minute of it. Faith was just a character full of heart and it was hard not to like her. Chase was just as great. The chemistry between seemed perfect for this short story, and Terry had managed to pack quiet a lot into this short read. Sweet Cowboy Christmas was a nice little novella that satisfied my craving for some Christmas fun.

Author
Info

Candis
Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of Southern
California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She’s
experienced life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood
recording studio to chasing down wayward steers. Only one thing has
remained the same: her passion for writing stories about
relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the
security one finds in their own happily ever after.

Author
Links: Website
| Facebook |
Twitter | Goodreads

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(Bks 1-3) and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card)

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Summary from Goodreads

After finding out that the women in her family inherit powers that were wrested from the trolls of ancient Sweden, Allyson Peterson did not expect the amount of responsibility or troubles they can cause. Suddenly the saying, ‘be careful of what you wish for’ holds a whole new meaning. Especially after accidentally sending her parents off to the jungle to fight anacondas, cursing the cheer-leading team and turning her own little brother mute. Now her Swedish grandmother is involved in fixing her mess and preparing her for the Troll Trials, if she could survive them first.

Not at all what I expected, but it was a pleasant surprise anyway. This story felt quiet a bit juvenile to me. I was actually surprised by the main characters age of 16, since I felt she acted way younger. With the theme and the characters actions and the elements, this story probably would have done a lot better if it was for the way younger audience. Allyson’s actions baffled me sometimes, but it was nice to see a bit of character growth in this book, especially for a stand-alone. The thing that seemed to have confused me the most was the odd love interest. I didn’t really feel it. It was kind of awkward and I have to admit I did not expected it to turn out the way it did in the end, it almost felt kind of forced, especially since the one big scene between Allyson and her love interest was odd, short lived, and looked like it might actually head in a completely different direction.

The plot line was cute. I thought the author had a great imagination, but once again - I felt it could have done better if it was for younger audience. Somethings did leave me feeling a bit confused. Like… Why was there a death penalty if Allyson refused to take the Vow? That was really never explained. Second, the trials felt a little silly to me. I did not understand how on earth they would benefit her in the real world. Her magic suddenly went from being simple wishes to something much more, it felt unexpected and unprepared. Third, I just could not wrap around my head why on earth Allyson’s archenemy Lisa hated her so much and had caused her so much trouble. I felt that it should have been addressed a bit more in the story.

Overall, I liked the magic. The concept was cute and original. The story was fun and It did draw me in. Aside from a few things that left me confused and unsure of, this was a pleasant read.

Tempting
Mr. Weatherstone

Wallflower
Weddings Book #0.5

By:
Vivienne Lorret

On
Sale Nov 25^th,
2014

Avon
Romance

Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Penelope Rutledge has been in love with her long time neighbor and friend for a very long time. She wishes he would break free from his routine and sameness and give in to the passion she had been longing for. She wants something different in her life and is very tired of the fact that Ethan Weatherstone does not seem to return her feelings. Unable to marry anyone else when everyone else pales in comparison, Penelope wants to leave town and set out on her own adventure. Unless Ethan has a say in it first…

Such a cute quick story. This was a great way for me to experiment with an author that is new to me. I stepped into this book gingerly testing the waters and boy was I happy with the results. Lorret’s writing was interesting. I really liked following Penelope and Ethan as the two best friends stumbled their way through dealing with these feelings they have for each other. For Ethan, he doesn’t want to lose Penelope, scared that his actions would only chase her away and why would he want that if he liked having her this close? Even if it means sacrificing his feelings. For Penelope, she wants nothing more than for Ethan to love her back and give her something different in her life.

Best friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so I was so excited about this short story and I did not come out of it disappointed. Short, but somehow it worked. Lorret did a great job in telling Penelope’s and Ethan’s story in this short novel.

Author
Info

I fell
in love with fairy tales and the romance behind happily ever after at
a very young age. Like a lot of you, I tweaked the fables bit by bit
in my imagination until they suited me perfectly. By the time I was
eleven, a teacher encouraged me to start writing.

Throughout
the years that followed, my teachers remained my most fervent
supporters, giving me the tools I needed to continue my journey
as a writer.

My
husband and I have two teenage boys, who are heroes in their own
right. For now, we live in a small Midwestern town near Lake
Michigan…until a time in the future when a new adventure calls us
to other shores.

I am
currently working on my next novel, but I always enjoy hearing
from my readers. Feel free to email me at vivienne@vivlorret.net

Author
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Summary from Goodreads

There are books out there that sometimes I have a hard time
expressing what I want to say in my reviews. This one happens to be one
of them. The writing was beautiful, the story was captivating and the
characters were full of heart and marvelous.What the Lady Wants starts
out with a bang when the author drops us in the middle of the hardest
times in Chicago, during the night of the Great Fire, and it takes off
and a full roller-coaster from there.

The story is told
from a young lady’s prospective by the name of Delia, who comes from a
family with lots of money. Having all that money did not stop Delia from
living quiet the difficult life. Marrying at a young age to a man named
Arthur, who also came from money and having the unfortunate luck of
finding herself completely in love with another married man. From
falling into nasty society gossip, losing a lot of her friends and still
able to pick herself up and move on from the hurtful snide remarks and
being shut the door on by people who she thought were her friends.

The
story follows three very unlikely friends. Marshall is a great
character, who seemed to have been a great man. He had a failing
marriage and has went through a lot of pains when it came to growing his
store. The first time he lost his store in the Great Fire he rebuilt it
from the ashes shortly after. I loved seeing how his story progressed
over the ages, how Marshall wanted to move with the times and deliver
something exquisite and different. The man has made history with
everything that he went through. Just when things seemed like they were
going smoothly something else knocking him down and he got back up
again, stronger, better, bigger.

I watched the rise and
fall of labor unions in the day and workers wanting money. The dark
times that came as a result. I watched Delia struggle with being in love
with Marshall, the affair, and whose wife refused to grant him the
divorce they both wanted her to. I liked that the author threw in such a
big curve ball with Delia’s husband and his sexuality. Arthur came from
money, and he was Delia’s best friend but their marriage was solely
based on friendship. He was a tortured soul in a way. He didn’t amount
to anything that his father wanted him to, and he was kind of lazy.
Lot’s of times we watched Delia compare him to Marsh, wishing he had
half the motivation Marsh did - who also had money, but that did not
stop him from changing the face of the dry goods store.

I
had to go and look this up, which store exactly it was that he had
build. Turns out it is one we all know these days as Macy’s. After it’s
been sold off to another company and renamed.

A truly
great and wonderful story. I adored the writing and found myself
savoring every moment. With realistic characters, it was hard not to get
pulled in!

Can’t
Wait Hunted
Series Prequel

By:
Jennifer Ryan

Releasing
November 11^th,
2014

Avon
Romance

Amazon
| Barnes
| iTunes

Mature Content Advisory, must be 18+ for some adult situations.

Author
Info

Jennifer
Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The
Hunted Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense
and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally
resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, family,
friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to
find.

Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with
her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book,
she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the
state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she
finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the
garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live
only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Author
Links: Website
| Facebook
| Twitter
| Goodreads

Giveaway
(Digital Set of The Hunted Series, Books 1 – 4)

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Summary from Goodreads

United States destroyed by nuclear war, causing a small group of
survivors to fall into conflict over which family should govern this new
nation in their darkest hour. After Westfalls loss to
Lattimer’s over presidency there are lots
of bad blood between the two families. The peace between the two groups
of people who took sides is now maintained by marrying the daughters or
sons of the losing side to the daughters or son of the winners.

It’s Ivy’s
turn. After the president’s son request
to marry her and not her sister Callie, Ivy is now thrown under the bus
at only 16 years old to marry the presidents 18-year-old son Bishop
Lattimer. She is now expected to be a good wife and bear him children as
soon as possible. Yet the boy who seemed to have come from this cruel
family is nothing like she had at all imagined. Bishop is kind, patient
and seems to really understand Ivy. I even found myself falling in love
with him. I loved the way he treated Ivy and that he came out completely
opposite of what she thought he would be. I liked the understanding
between them and how he opened Ivy’s eyes
out to the truth about his character. Their relationship
wasn’t perfect but I did find it cute and
realistic.

This book was so much fun. I found myself hesitant at first but as the
story went on I found that I absolutely enjoyed it. I liked the setting
and how not everything is really black and white, that there is a lot
more to what Ivy has been informed by her family and I liked learning that with her. I thought the idea for the book was well done. The city is surrounded
by a fence and no one knows what’s on
the other side of it and are too scared to venture beyond it, so they
use the fence as a punishment for the no good doers.

I have to admit, for some reason maybe
it’s just me but the book reminded me a
bit of the Delirium series. Not as far as love being a disease, because
it wasn’t here, but there are other small
similarities as far as the world and how
it’s created and the isolation and not
knowing the beyond. I swear, if book 2 has a love triangle in it, I will
totally scream.

Other than that, the writing was great. The author really knew how to
tell a story and it showed through the emotions it invoked in me. As Ivy
started to learn a little more and got two sides of the story, I found
myself frustrated and angry with her family. I was even more disgusted
at the end. I won’t go into it, but
seriously how can a father do that to his own flesh and blood. It was…
disturbing to say the least.

I cannot wait for book two, even if the possible date is November 2015 a year from now!

Summary from Goodreads