Category Archives: Uncategorized

Love Like the Movies (by Victoria Van Tiem)

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Contemporary Romance

Kenzi has everything she could ever wish for. A good job working for an advertising agency and the perfect fiancé. Even if she’s constantly runner-up in her family’s affections to her oh so perfect sister-in-law, things look pretty good.

Then her ex-boyfriend, Shane walks into the advertising agency and she quickly discovers, the agency is having financial problems, her job is on the line, and they desperately need Shane’s business. She is ordered to do everything she can to secure the account, but she wasn’t expecting to be re-enacting scenes from her favorite romantic comedies.

Love Like the Movies is great fun. It really does read like one of those great romantic comedies of the 1980s and ’90s. It’s a book that will leave you with a silly smile on your face and feeling good for days.

I should note that some might shy away from this book because it’s about a love triangle. I know that’s a trigger issue for many readers of romance. It’s a trigger issue for me as well, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say I had no problems with this book at all.  That aspect doesn’t really play into the story all that much and lovers of cute, quirky romances will love this book.

Screen Shot 2014-02-15 at 8.51.33 pmYellow / Orange / Red –– What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

Many thanks to Pocket Star and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

True to the Highlander (by Barbara Longley)

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Historical Romance

On walking into a fortune teller’s tent at a renaissance festival in New York, Alethia is set a task –– to save the life of an unknown person. Then she passes out and when she wakes, finds herself in Scotland in the 15th century.

When Malcolm MacKintosh finds Alethia lying on the road unconscious he decides to take her to his clan home and to offer her protection. But Alethia, with her 21st century views and determination to fulfil her mission isn’t all that impressed with his efforts.

As old rivalries boil over into violence, Malcolm must learn to trust Alethia who holds the future of the MacKintosh clan in her hands, and as they find a measure of love, the threat of Alethia being snatched back to the 21st century looms over them.

True to the Highlander is rollicking good fun. There is time travel, a little magic, evil villains, heroes wearing kilts, and even a little bit of that old Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It’s not too serious, just a fun story, well told.

Many thanks to Montlake Romance and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC

Screen Shot 2014-02-16 at 4.32.33 pmYellow / Orange / Red –– What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

A Hero to Come Home To (by Marilyn Pappano)

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Contemporary Romance

Two years after her husband was killed in Afghanistan, Carly continues to grieve the loss and is unable to move on. Her one respite is the Tuesday night Margarita Club, a group of women who like her have lost their husbands and look to each other for support.

Dane lost his leg after a roadside bomb detonated under the vehicle he was in. Now his life is one of rehabilitation and learning to function on a prosthetic limb. But even more debilitating than the physical trauma is the emotional trauma and he struggles with his feelings of inadequacy.

When he first meets Carly he hides his amputation from her, but as their relationship deepens he knows he needs to come clean. But as he comes to depend on her and the emotional support she gives him more and more, it becomes harder and harder to come clean.

A Hero to Come Home To has it’s feet firmly planted in the contemporary romance genre, and as a contemporary romance it’s one of the better ones I’ve read. But the thing that really sets this book apart…the thing that takes it from a solid 4 Stars to 5 Stars, is how the author has dealt with grief, PTSD and survivor’s guilt.  I’ve read a few books that have broached the topic, most of them come across as well researched but somehow don’t quite get it right. Marilyn Pappano gets it…more than just about any other author I’ve read.

Screen Shot 2014-02-15 at 8.51.33 pmYellow / Orange / Red – What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

The Chance (by Robyn Carr)

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Contemporary Romance

After being shot in the line of duty, FBI Special Agent Laine Carrington moves to Thunder Point to recuperate and make some life decisions.

Eric Gentry is another newcomer to the Oregon coast. When the local gas station and auto repair shop went up for sale he saw an opportunity to move to Thunder Point and be closer to his teenage daughter.

On the surface they are very different, he’s an ex-con and she’s an FBI agent, but they fit together and over time his things take up more and more wardrobe space until they are living together. But he is committed to Thunder Point and the daughter he has only just reconnected with, while Laine’s home and career are on the East coast.

Fans of the author’s Virgin River series are in for a real treat with this book. The Chance, much more than the previous three books is a showcase of what Robyn Carr does best. A strong central story with brief detours into the stories of other characters. It’s really what contemporary romance should be. Nothing too tricky, just a simple story about two people finding love and family.

Many thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Yellow / Orange / Red – What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

That Touch of Magic (by Lucy March)

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Paranormal (Romance?)

After losing her job as the town librarian and with bills to pay, Stacey begins selling potions to help make ends meet. But with no formal education in the ways of magic it’s trial and error from the get-go. When her potions start to produce unintended comic side-effects she needs to find out what she’s doing wrong and quickly.

Then Leo her former lover, the one she never got over shows up in town and wants a second chance. With her magic going haywire and Leo refusing to leave town she can’t seem to catch a break. And if that’s not enough, she finds herself caught in a sinister magical web which could very well cost her her life.

That Touch of Magic is amazing. It’s been two years since A little Night Magic hit the shelves and it’s obvious that Lucy March has kept herself busy. I don’t often read books that are this polished. This book is good fun but there is a hard edge to it that some may find confronting. Not me, I loved it!

Yellow / Orange / Red – What it means.  https://floatingleaves.net/yellow-orange-red-what-it-means/

Saving Justice (by Tasman Gibb)

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Contemporary Romance

After a dog fighting ring is smashed, Justice, a traumatised dog is taken to Dog Haven Sanctuary to be rehabilitated. Marlo who is in charge of the sanctuary has suffered just as much trauma in her life as Justice. Suffering from PTSD after a sexual assault she prefers the company of dogs to people.

After his wife was killed in a revenge attack aimed at him, Adam took a leave of absence from the police force in New Zealand and accepted a job for an animal welfare organisation. In the U.S. to observe the law enforcement response to dog fighting, he meets Marlo and immediately recognises the signs of PTSD.

Together they slowly bring Justice back from his almost withdrawn state and as they are working with Justice, Adam also starts to help Marlo deal with her traumas. But with anti-Pit Bull groups agitating to have Justice declared dangerous and destroyed, the dog-fighting criminals out on bail and a spy within the sanctuary, tensions are boiling over, and before long Adam will need to return to New Zealand leaving Marlo once again on her own.

Saving Justice was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I loved the Dog Haven Sanctuary…the rehabilitation of Justice, even the idea that there were anti-Pit Bull groups trying to steal Justice and have him euthanised. But what could have been a great story was lost in the telling.

I don’t really know why Adam was a New Zealander except for the fact that the author originally came from New Zealand. It added an extra layer of complexity to a story which was already quite dense. Adam is supposedly a tough as nails cop, but for most of the book he came across as a one of those hippie / counsellor…’how does that make you feel’ types.

Most of my friends loved this, giving it four and five stars. I think I’ll be on my own in rating it three stars.

 

Once in a Lifetime (by Jill Shalvis)

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Contemporary Romance

It’s difficult to get past a bad reputation, and in the small town of Lucky Harbor, Aubrey has the worst reputation. Wanting to put her past behind her, she creates a list of all the people she has wronged and then sets about apologising and asking for forgiveness. But not everyone in the town is willing to forgive and forget.

Returning to Lucky Harbor after years of traveling from one war zone to the next, Ben is at loose ends. Unsure about what to do with his life he accepts a job helping Aubrey renovate an old book store. As he watches Aubrey deal with her past they grow closer and eventually fall in love. But Ben is the last name on her list, and she knows that when he finds out what she did he will walk away.

 
Jill Shalvis is something of a comfort read for me. Her books aren’t particularly challenging, there really aren’t all that many surprises but to be honest that’s why I enjoy them as much as I do. She knows what her readers wants and she delivers.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC

Carousel Sun (by Sharon Lee)

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Fantasy (I think)

Kate Archer is the Guardian of Archer’s Beach, Maine and the areas around. She is able to communicate with the land, and where necessary can use magic to restore land that has long been neglected to life and vitality. 

Since returning to Archers Beach after a time away, the town’s fortunes are on the rise and with the tourist season upon them, town folk are for the first time in many years have hope for the future. But Joe Nemeier, a drug dealer who has set up shop in the town has sworn to destroy her and her family and he has enlisted the help of a fire elemental in his mission.  

Carousel Sun is quite an interesting book. It’s one of those rare books which doesn’t bring to mind any other book…totally unique. That said, I struggled with this book.  There is a lot going on in this book and the central story really didn’t kick in until I was half way through, and even then it didn’t really feel like the main game.  

The language of this book was difficult.  It is set in Maine and most of the dialogue is in that very unique New England brogue. Added to that, rather than using terms for her beings that I have encountered before (e.g. fae, witch, sprite), terms which work as a type of shorthand and can deliver all the information a reader needs without any explanation, she has done her own thing. So we have Tremway (something like fae I think) and the Land (who apart from being the earth appears to have the personality of a large shaggy dog).

Overall, despite feeling confused for a good portion of the book, it was oddly satisfying. That said, I would probably encourage those who might be interested to read book one first. I think a lot of the difficulty I had with this book would be fixed if I had read the first book.  

Many thanks to Baen Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Against the Dark (by Carolyn Crane)

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Romantic Suspense

When her Aunt Aggie is kidnapped and held for ransom, Angel Ramirez, a master safe-cracker is forced out of retirement to do one last heist.  The job; to steal a fortunes worth of diamonds from Walter Borgola, a sadistic and perverted mobster.

After Angel does the impossible –– cracks the un-crackable safe, Cole tracks her down and makes her an offer she can’t refuse. Either she returns to Borgola’s mansion, posing as his girlfriend and breaks into a second safe, or he will hand her over to Borgola.

Angel and Cole embark on a mission in which the cost of failure is hundreds of innocent lives, and being caught will result in their death at the hands of a sadist.

Against the Dark is amazing. I read the second book in the series a couple of weeks ago, and was so impressed that the minute I finished, I paid my money and bought this one. I’ve heard a few people say they thought book two was a much better book, but honestly I can’t see it. With books as good as these, it’s hard to draw a distinction, it would be like saying an Aston Martin is better than a Maserati.  Against the Dark had the same disturbing under-current you see in many of Karen Rose’s books, and I think fans of Karen Rose will love this series. But I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone, with the one caveat that there are some steamy sex scenes. Honestly, if you don’t want to see me go all fanboy on you, you probably shouldn’t ask me for a book recommendation any time soon.

Impatiently waiting for book three.

Black Arts (by Faith Hunter)

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Urban Fantasy

Background

 Jane Yellowrock is the last Cherokee Skinwalker. Using bones and teeth as her template she is able to transform into any animal, but on top of this ability, many hundreds of years earlier she took the soul of a mountain lion into her in a life and death battle.  That mountain lion is named Beast and she lends to Jane the skills of a predator, a powerful sense of smell and super agility, not to mention some not altogether welcome advice on mating.

Jane works as a vampire hunter and the acting enforcer for Leo Pellissier, the vampire master of the city of New Orleans. 

Black Arts

Jane’s oldest and dearest friend, Molly Trueblood has disappeared, and she was on her way to see Jane when it happened.  When Evan, an air-witch and Molly’s husband shows up with their two children he brings with him a tornado and a whole truckload of worry.

Jane quickly learns that his worries are well founded, it looks like Molly has been taken by a vampire. And with the strange scent of witch and vampire showing up, she is worried that Molly is being used to power blood magic…and blood magic always demands a life.

Black Arts is book seven in the Jane Yellowrock series and in some ways I think it’s the best yet. Certainly the best since book one, Skinwalker.  Some of my favorite characters, characters who have been absent for the last couple of books have returned and things which have been bubbling away in the series are finally resolved, for both good and bad.

This book really feels like a fresh start and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for proving me with this ARC.