Category: Adult Fiction

Taken with You by Shannon Stacey | Book Review + Giveaway

Posted April 3, 2014 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway / 4 Comments

Taken with You by Shannon Stacey | Book Review + Giveaway

Taken with You by Shannon Stacey | Book Review + GiveawayTaken With You by Shannon Stacey
Series: Kowalski Family #8
Published by Carina Press on March 25, 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Hailey Genest has seen most of her friends marry and have babies, and she's happy for them, but it was a lot easier before she hit forty. She's spent her entire life in Whitford, Maine, and if she hasn't found her Prince Charming by now, she has to accept she's probably not going to. When a new friend suggests they go on an adventure and embrace being single, Hailey agrees.

Surviving in the woods is game warden Matt Barnett's idea of a relaxing vacation. But when he meets two women in need of help, he leads them back to safety - a task that proves more fun than expected, thanks to a certain hot blonde. He can't resist pushing her buttons, even though she's made it clear that the rugged, outdoorsy type just isn't for her.

Hailey is glad to see the back of her tempting-tour-guide-slash-pain-in-the-ass. When he shows up in her life again, she's determined to avoid him, no matter how good he looks in his uniform. But that's easier said than done in Whitford, especially when he's renting the house right next door...

Welcome to my stop along the Taken with You blog tour, hosted by Xpresso Book Tours! I’m so excited to promote such a fun and romantic book today. :) This is my very first Kowalski Family book, and I am absolutely in love. I can’t wait to grab the other books in the series!

In this book, Hailey the librarian comes across Matt the game warden while being stranded in the woods. She is not at all outdoorsy, and is certainly not at her best when he finds them and shows them to their car. Matt is not at his best either, as he is covered in camping grime and hasn’t shaved. He’s not too fond of Hailey, but thinks she’s a little on the cute side. Imagine how surprised he is when he moves in to town and ends up hosting a meeting at her library. THEN he moves into the house next door to her! I loved all the coincidences, and how exasperated these two were because of each other.

Throughout the entire story, these two keep telling themselves that they are SO wrong for each other. But for some reason, Hailey keeps showing up at his house and Matt keeps looking in her living room window to watch her clean. And Matt’s dog LOVES Hailey. I love books with sweet pet sidekicks, and Matt’s dog is one of my favorites. The romance is a slow burn on again, off again kind of relationship, which I loved. I love that Hailey is a librarian, and in a small town! That’s my dream job! I loved reading about her work and the fun activities she hosted. I love Matt’s ruggedness. Like Hailey, I’m very girlie girl, but I could SO go outdoorsy if I had Matt with me. Phew! I love how these two become friends who really care for one another. Friendships turn romance are always so much fun to read.

All in all, I loved Taken with You! I can’t wait to read more about these Kowalski family members who kept popping up in the story. Had I been a long time reader of the series, I’m sure I would have loved seeing them again! BUT the book can stand alone as well. I did not feel like I was missing anything important, so don’t worry about picking the series up in the middle like I did. There’s not really any bad language, and very few sex scenes, which I appreciated. This book was more about feelings, which I love so much. Definitely give this series a try if you enjoy contemporary romance!

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What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long | Mini Book Review

Posted March 28, 2014 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long | Mini Book ReviewWhat I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long
Series: Pennyroyal Green #5
Also in this series: The Perils of Pleasure
Published by Avon on February 22, 2011
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 371
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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For years, he's been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he'll seduce Ian's innocent sister, Genevieve, the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he'll capture her heart . . . and then he'll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there anything she won't do for a duke?

This is an Epic Recs book review! My partner, Raquel, recommended What I Did for a Duke because she thought I could use some awesome historical romance in my life. Personally, I love the genre and was eager to read a book recommended by someone so well-read in the genre! I ended up really loving this book, and am excited to get my hands on more of the books in the series!

I think my favorite part of the entire book is the witty banter between Genevieve and Alex. They are hilarious, and I could not help smiling and/or cringing as I read what they said to each other. They also have this sexual tension that is so real and intriguing. There was no insta-anything, and the slow burn was so slow that I was going crazy wondering why these two wouldn’t just kiss each other already! When things finally did start to happen I was just so on board, and really believed there was something more between them than just a physical attraction.

Genevieve is not your typical historical romance heroine. She is smart and feisty and knows exactly who she is and what she deserves. She put Alex in his place a time or two, and I loved that! Alex is so swoony and dreamy, even though he is twice Genevieve’s age. I just loved him. There was a bit of a role reversal between him and Genevieve, which was a pleasant surprise. You don’t usually read about men who want to commit, but the woman is having a hard time wanting to.

The ending. HELLO. I have never read a better ending in my life.

 

You should probably read this!


One Sweet Christmas by Darlene Fredette | Mini Book Review

Posted December 23, 2013 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

One Sweet Christmas by Darlene Fredette | Mini Book ReviewOne Sweet Christmas by Darlene Fredette
Published by Escape Publishing on December 1, 2013
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas, Romance
Pages: 48
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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It’s going to take more than a few pieces of chocolate to fill this Scrooge’s heart with Christmas cheer. Luckily Candice Cane has a whole shop full...

Candice Cane is not proud of the way she acted after her last encounter with Jackson Frost. Sure revenge was fun, but it’s left Jackson standing, angry and looking for answers, on the welcome mat in her chocolate shop. Now he’s after some revenge of his own.

Jackson returned to his small hometown for one reason and one reason only...so he’s not sure how he’s ended up in a Santa suit in the middle of a chocolate shop, at the behest of its beautiful owner, instead of high-tailing it back to the city as fast as he can.

Jackson wants nothing to do with his small town past, but Candice shows him what he didn’t even know he’d been missing. Can a bit of Christmas magic heal old wounds and offer up a future neither saw coming?

With characters named Candice Cane and Jackson Frost, how can you not expect One Sweet Christmas to be super cheesy and eye-roll worthy? Haha. Yes, this book was filled with cheesiness, but luckily I’m in the mood for that during Christmastime!

One Sweet Christmas is filled with yummy Christmas treats! I loved reading about all the food Candi baked. And I loved her little chocolate shop. She holds parties and Santa visits for her customers! How cute and small town does that sound? She also works at this cute little inn. Really, the setting was so much fun and so picturesque.

Jackson and Candi have kind of a crazy past, and when he shows up at her shop with a TON of questions for her she shoves him in a Santa suit and lets the children loose. She is super mad and the frosty Jackson Frost, but he is too cute with those kids for her to resist. Jackson is not too happy to be back in his small home town, but he is so smitten with Candi that he sticks around and ends up learning a lot about himself. Of course, there’s romance and mending hearts.

This is the kind of story you read for the smiles and the simple messages, not the characters or the little details. Candi and Jackson are not very noteworthy, and this story has been done before in some way. But that doesn’t matter! All bets are off at Christmas, and if you’re looking for a spoonful of sugar and some Christmas cheer, then definitely give this cute little book a shot!


Some Kind of Wonderful by Beth Ciotta | Mini Book Review

Posted December 14, 2013 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 7 Comments

Some Kind of Wonderful by Beth Ciotta | Mini Book ReviewSome Kind of Wonderful by Beth Ciotta
Series: Cupcake Lovers #3.5
Published by St Martin's Press on October 22, 2013
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas, Romance
Pages: 83
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Growing up in Sugar Creek, Maya Templeton and Zachary Cole were best friends. After high school, each went out into the world in search of adventure. Maya moved to Florida to explore her passion for baking and pastry-making, eventually establishing her own business: Cupcakes & Dreamscapes. Zach joined the military and became a Marine Scout Sniper. Now, after years apart, they’re both going home for the holidays. They don’t seem to have much in common anymore. In fact, Zach seems to have the hots for Maya’s business partner. But when the two get stranded together during a blizzard, they are forced to reexamine their connection. Are Maya and Zach better off “just friends”—just as they were when they were young? Or could it be that true love was there all along?

I had high hopes for Some Kind of Wonderful. I always love stories where two childhood best friends come together and discover there’s a lot more than friendship hiding there. I just wish I had been given the opportunity to get to know these two characters better. Both of them fell flat for me. I never learned much about Zach’s time in the military and I did not hear much about Maya’s pastry shop. I felt like a lot of time was spent on the confusion they felt regarding their feelings for each other. Now, I realized partway through that this is book 3.5 in a series. It could be I would have known the characters better, at least Maya anyway.

The pacing was very fast. Conflicts got resolved too quickly, the romance happened too quickly, and things just seemed very unrealistic. I’ve come to expect this from novellas, but I guess I was hoping this one would be different. I do love when characters are forced together by some exterior force. In this case, a ghost blizzard snuck up on them and left them stranded in a secluded cabin. This gave them the opportunity to talk. Their conversations were not incredibly noteworthy, though. And I really did not like ghost aspect. It kind of cheapened and cheese-ified the story for me. Honestly, I would probably pass on this one if I could do things over. I’ve read better Christmas romances.


Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland | Mini Book Review

Posted December 8, 2013 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland | Mini Book ReviewMistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland
Published by Notting Hill Press on November 3, 2012
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas
Pages: 60
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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As Little Missington's first Christmas baby in fifty years and the daughter of 'Christmas When You Like It' party-planners, Holly West has been surrounded by the holiday spirit since birth. Trouble is, she's not exactly filled with festive cheer. In fact, Holly can't wait to ditch the tinsel and Santa suits for champagne and celebs, and become a party-planner to the stars.

When British film star Dean Layton hires her parents' company to throw his holiday bash in Manhattan, Holly jumps at the chance to help, confident she can handle a little Christmas in exchange for access to Dean's exclusive world.

But New York and Dean's over-the-top demands are more than Holly bargained for. Can Holly deck the halls and make it a party to be proud of, or will this Christmas be one she'll never forget . . . even if she wants to?

Holly works for her parents’ year-round Christmas event service. Naturally, she is pretty tired of the holiday. I would be too if I were immersed in it all year long! When she receives a call from the office of a British celebrity who has moved to New York City, she knows this is her big break. She wants to get out of the small family company and make it big on her own. She jumps at the chance to go to New York and plan a huge British Christmas party.

When she gets to New York, she begins to realize what celebrities are really like. She is being demanded to deliver extravagant things at the very last minute. She has to work with a very snooty assistant. She begins to lose sight of her family and what is really important. Enter, Alex. He is the bartender at the hotel and helps her plan the party in a strange city, and pretty much saves her butt. He also provides her with experiences that make her realize her current life is pretty good on its own.

Mistletoe in Manhattan is a very quick, sweet Christmas read. I felt like there were SO many details, that the book would have been stronger if it were longer. The romance was a very tiny part of the story, which was disappointing. I did like the underlying message and the dose of Christmas in New York City, though. Definitely read this one if you need a quick pick-me-up, and wish you were celebrating Christmas in NYC like I do!