R is for Ravished #atozchallenge #ABCofRomance @AprilA2Z

Ravished ♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

Gideon has a bad reputation as a defiler of innocents, but Harriet always has thought he was the perfect gentleman.

“She had a way of making him feel heroic, noble, and proud.”

Harriet is a country girl who loves to explore the caves near her home. She has no intention of getting married so she does not care what the general perception of her is. She likes her freedom. However, she is very attracted to Gideon.

“If you had any sense, you would run from me as fast as possible.” – Gideon

Opinion

I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I like Harriet because she is no-nonsense and full of energy. This does mean that she gets into trouble because many of her harebrained schemes are better on paper than in action. It makes for interesting times. Most importantly though, she is fair in giving Gideon the benefit of the doubt instead of falling in line with believing the tawdry, unfounded gossip. She sounds like the type of person with whom I would like to have fun.

She was playing with fire when it came to getting physical with Gideon. While he tried to warn her, but “making love to Harriet had become as inevitable as the dawn.”

Her hesitation to commit after the deed was done was also humorous. Not because she did not love him, she was worried about getting tied down. In true gentlemen’s fashion, he was able to convince her that they needed to do the honorable thing and get married.

This is a romance all the way, but there is also a dash of mystery and suspense that are essential to the plot development. The villain of the story was unexpected the first time I read it. I thought it was going to be someone else. There are a few red herrings along the way.

As for the romance part of the plot, Harriet and Gideon have great chemistry. That is not all, they also have a lot of common interests. The fact that she “inflamed his passions” was an added bonus.

Should you buy? Of course! This is one of my favorites from Amanda Quick because I like Harriet as character. Gideon was the strong silent type of man who is trying to do the right thing even though he does not get any credit for it. Harriet is his champion. My kind of love story.

Book details from Goodreads
Mass Market Paperback, 385 pages
Published December 2005 by Bantam (first published July 1992)

Available on Amazon

Q is for Quiet #atozchallenge #ABCofRomance @AprilA2Z

Apr20

Quiet Passions (Cruise Romance Series Book 1) ♥

Synopsis
Claire was on a cruise by herself because her husband cancelled at the last minute.
Thane is a ship officer working on the cruise.
They are attracted to each other.

Opinion
Claire was not in a happy marriage. Her husband is a workaholic, putting work above everything else. She was tired of coming in second place. However, she only became disenchanted with her husband after she met Thane.

“She was a married woman but sometimes she yearned for the cat and mouse game of pursuit.” – Claire

When I realize that she was married, I almost stopped reading this book. I continued reading because of the A-to-Z challenge, but hesitatingly so, because I did not want to read that they got physical with each other.

In a nutshell: An unhappy married woman flirts with a very attractive man while on vacation. Both mourn the fact that they cannot pursue the relationship. Woman goes home to her workaholic husband questioning if she should leave him for her new love.

Should you read? I do not recommend. Besides the fact that she was married, there was nothing that happened that made me feel sorry for Claire. Her husband worked too much, yes. That is hardly worth leaving him especially if it had not been discussed prior to that. He needs to know that his marriage is in jeopardy instead of flirting with another man. Out of respect for the man she married, Claire should not have entertained any type of relationship with Thane.

Additional comments- I am happily married but I can understand if a person is not married to the right person, it might not be as pleasant. However, I think that each person in a marriage has to concentrate on what they bring to the table to make the marriage successful. In this case, I am not sure that Claire has adequately expressed her dissatisfaction with the current status of their marriage. I do not think that if she left her husband for Thane, she would be any happier once they got on with the business of living.

Book details from Goodreads
ebook, 58 pages
Published May 9th 2014 by Marie Michaels

Available on Amazon

P is for Private #atozchallenge #ABCofRomance @AprilA2Z

Apr18

Private Passions (Private Series Book 4) ♥♥♥

Synopsis

Former Green Beret Daniel (Deck) has been the bodyguard for A-list actress Jane for the last five years. After she receives some particularly bad news regarding her ex-husband, Deck’s effort to console her end with them both in bed.

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to dry hump you on the couch” – Deck

Before they have a chance to talk about what just happened, they are discovered and derogatory things are said.

Can an actress and her bodyguard have a love life together
or
are they doomed from the start?

Opinion

This book could have been over in two chapters if this had been me. After the first love scene, I would have been like, “Deck, you and me belong together. I have been crushing on you for years. Let’s do this!”

Jane had similar thoughts, but she did not verbalize them.

“Like everything else with Deck, the reality was infinitely better” – Jane

Instead of going with what would have been a good idea, she decided to listen to people who fill her head with nonsense like she is supposed to be better than a relationship with Deck.

While Deck is a strong, alpha male, he still had feelings. He does not take to kindly to Jane playing with his emotions and trying to keep their relationship in the closet.

Should you buy? While it was the typical bodyguard romance, it was still interesting enough to keep me entertained. I got a little annoyed with Jane, but at least she came to her senses early enough. Plus it is inexpensive.

Book Details from Goodreads
ebook
Published October 24th 2012
series Private #4

Available on Amazon

O is for Overtime #atozchallenge #ABCofRomance @AprilA2Z

Apr17

Overtime Love ♥♥♥
Book sold as part of Merry Sexy Christmas: Overtime Love\Ex-mas Reunion\A Holiday Affair (Harlequin Kimani Arabesque)

Synopsis

Drew thought he would own the semi-pro football team where he is general manager. The owner died and left it to his granddaughter Tasha.

Tasha does not know much about owning a football team and is cognizant of the fact that the current general manager thought he would own the team. She knows that they have to work with each other if the team is going be a success. At the same time, she is trying to figure out why her grandfather put her in this situation.

Opinion

The story line is not very original but it was entertaining.

Drew and Tasha have preconceived notions about each other. However, these prove to be false once they get more acquainted with each other. Since they acknowledge the intense attraction, they decide to mix business with pleasure with the caveat that they are leaving their hearts out of it.

He said, “He could make love to her for the rest of his life, but he remembers their agreement – no ties, no commitment.”

She said, “She wanted this incredible man in her life but knew she had to keep the desire unspoken.”

It is obvious to the reader that they have deep emotions for each other but it is a matter of who will crack first and profess undying love and devotion.

How long will it take to communicate? Thankfully, it did not take long since this is a novella.

Should you buy? This story was not that bad once I got past the miscommunication. Considering it is part of a compilation, the price per story is cheap.

Details from Goodreads – Novella bought as part of a compilation
Paperback, 288 pages
Published October 16th 2012 by Harlequin Kimani Arabesque
Buy the compilation on Amazon

N is for Nothing #atozchallenge #ABCofRomance @AprilA2Z

Apr16

Nothing But Trouble ♥♥

Synopsis

In this cowboy romance, Melanie wants to prove to her father that she can survive in a remote area while managing her type 1 diabetes so that he will fund her expedition to Africa. She offers Stoney money to take her on a trip in the mountains in Wyoming. She neglects to tell him that she has diabetes and needs very specific care.

Stoney needs the money that Melanie is offering to fix up his family ranch in Wyoming. His father was injured in a fire and currently is in a wheelchair. He does not want to help Melanie but sees no other viable option.

Opinion

I think that Melanie is a spoiled brat who has been sheltered her whole life. When given the chance to show that she is mature to take care of herself, she botches it seriously and almost loses her life. And somewhere in the midst of everything, Stoney falls in love with Melanie.

WHY?

Melanie did not seem lovable to me. The more the story progress, the more aggravated I was with Melanie. She withheld information so that she could manipulate the situation. She knew if she told Stoney the full truth, he would not have taken her on that remote trip.

Maybe I am being too hard on Melanie, but I think she needs to grow up before she can even think about having a relationship. As it is, I think Stoney is going to have to spoil her in order for her to be happy because she will only be satisfied when things are going her way.

Should you buy? If you like infuriating, bratty female characters and reading about the men that have to deal with them, THEN you will like this book. Otherwise, you will react like I did, “Meh”.

Book details from Goodreads
Kindle Edition, 193 pages
Published September 19th 2011 by Lisa Mondello (first published September 1999)
Available on Amazon