Red Hot and Blue series

Red Hot and Blue series ♥♥♥

Sometimes there is a series that is interesting enough that I read all the books.
Red Hot and Blue series by Cat Johnson is one of those.

Synopsis x 6

Book 1 Trey: Red, Hot & Blue (Red, Hot, & Blue) – Trey – Navy Seal – and Carly

Trey and Jack (Trey’s best friend) have a crush on local bar owner named Carly. Circumstances create a situation where Trey and Carly have to work undercover on an assignment and they end up falling for each other.

Book 2 Jack: Red, Hot, & Blue, Book 2 – Jack – Navy Seal on rebound since his crush fell for his best friend in book 1 – and Nicolina (aka Nicki)

Jack is back home in small town Pigeon Hollow nursing his emotional wounds and ends up falling for Nicki who is hiding from her mob ex-boyfriend.

Book 3 Jimmy: Red, Hot, & Blue– Jimmy – Jack’s brother and also Navy Seal – and Amelia (aka Lia)

While on an assignment, Jimmy ends up having a one night stand with Lia, the state governor’s daughter. Neither person knew who the other was. The night of passion was so memorable that when the met again, sparks were popping all over the place.

Book 3.5 BB Dalton: a Red Hot & Blue bonus read (Red, Hot, & Blue) – Billy Bob (BB) Dalton – Navy Seal – and Katherine (Katie) (novella that was for a time free on Amazon)

Chosen for a Special Ops recruiting poster, BB is reluctantly pulled into the marketing campaign. Katie was his handler. There is a lot of chemistry but Katie’s hang up is that BB is 10 plus years younger than her.

Book 4 Jared (Red, Hot, & Blue) – Jared – Jimmy and Jack’s brother – and Mandy

Since his two brothers are in the Special Forces, he is helping their mother hold down the ranch and maintain the family business. Mandy is a Reality TV producer who came to Pigeon Hollow to film life on Gordon Ranch. She did not expect to find love as well.

Book 5 Cole (Red, Hot, & Blue) – Cole – an ex-professional baseball player – and Lizzie

After an injury forces Cole into retirement from baseball, he returns home to Pigeon Hollow to find that he still loves his high school sweetheart. Lizzie loves him too but is sabotaging their relationship by keeping secrets.

Book 6 Bobby: Red, Hot & Blue (Red, Hot, & Blue) – Bobby – Lizzie’s brother, sheriff, and Jared’s friend – Christy – Mandy’s friend

Bobby falls for Christy who is the assistant producer of the reality show filming in Pigeon Hollow.

Whew! That’s a lot of synopsis going on there.

Opinion

Judging from the time it took me to read, each book (with the exception of the novella) is about 150 – 200 pages. Besides Cole & Lizzie’s story, all the others feature variations of the love-at-first-sight trope as the basis for romance.

I do not think that is realistic, but it can be entertaining. Other than what I said above in each synopsis, there is not a lot to say about these stories without giving away the whole books. Since the books are short novels, there is not a lot in the character development department.

I rated these books as a set because even though each story is full on its own, it helps to read in order. I actually read Cole & Lizzie’s story first. It was good but once I read the preceding books, it made some of the little details mean so much more. Knowing the secondary characters provided an extra dimension to whole story. Each story helps to create the bigger picture of the town Pigeon Hollow and the camaraderie of the special ops team members.

Most inventive storyline – Trey (it was so complex)

Favorite – Cole (he was a sweetheart)

Least favorite – Bobby (the story seemed rushed at the end)

Should you buy? Cat Johnson has proven to be a consistent author. Buy one or buy them all and you will not be disappointed if you are looking for an average, light romance. I would not say that the books in this series are on the level of Jane Eyre or The Notebook, but simply said, it is a group of individuals who are part of fun romance stories. Plus most are NAVY SEALS!

Caveat: Love scenes are all graphic

Arabian nights with a rake

Jan30

Arabian Nights with a Rake ♥ ♥

Synopsis

This story takes place in Algeria. A British diplomat’s daughter Susannah has been captured and is held in captivity by a sheik. She was summoned to dance for the sheik and his guests (including Alex).She hatches a plan in hopes to escape. Meanwhile, Alex is enthralled by her beauty and has to have her at any cost. Fortunately for him, the attraction is mutual.

Opinion

I do not know much about Britain’s history during this period, so I did not understand the conflict. Alex’s behavior did not seem to be very “Rake” like, so the title was a contradiction to me (I sometimes get hung up on semantics). Susannah was a tough woman that did what she felt she had to do in order to survive. Knowing that the sheik’s brother-in-law lusted after her, she had to make alliances in order to elude his advances.

The book was okay but I did not feel involved in the characters. The story was too short for much character development. I feel like the story assumed the reader knew more of the history of the time period. Plus, I chose this book based on the cover art and thought it was going to be a totally different book. I thought the sheikh was going to be the hero of the book and not the source of conflict.

Besides the physical attraction between Alex and Susannah, I do not know what else they had. Their love story was not anything special. Some might find it romantic where the lead main character saves the woman and rides off into the sunset. There has to be more to it than that for me. I roll my eyes if after a day or two, the main characters are declaring everlasting love.

If you fall in love that quickly, you will probably fall out of love just as quickly.

I know I sound picky, but I have my opinions.

Should you buy? As I have said before, if you are just looking for something to fill the time during a rainy day or a wait at a doctor’s office, this is a book that can satisfy that need. If you’re looking for more than that, you might need to find a different book.

Being a Marine is temptation enough

Jan25

I received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The Marine’s Temptation (The Adair Affairs) ♥♥♥

Synopsis

Carson is an ex-Marine who had to retire from his special forces team because of an injury. His father was recently murdered, so everyone assumes he will accept control for the family business. Carson has not decided what he wants to do yet.

Georgia’s stepmother Ruby was once married to Carson’s father. The marriage fell apart after their child (Carson’s half-brother) was kidnapped.

Georgia and Carson are trying to find out what happened to this child Carson never heard his father talk about. There is no doubt that Carson and Georgia are attracted to each other. Georgia is resistant because Carson’s family is so wealthy. Carson’s goal is to convince Georgia that money will not be a hindrance to their happiness.

Opinion

My absolute first thought: Can a cute rich guy take me on shopping trips and buy me lots of things?

Carson was the right mix of a down-to-earth, hunky, alpha male with a little wealth thrown in for good measure.

Truth be told, it took me a minute to figure out that Georgia and Carson were not blood relatives in any way. I first read Ruby was the mother and I totally skipped the crucial “step”. So then when I read that Carson was attracted to Georgia, I was like “Wait, wait.” I went back and re-read the first couple of pages to be clear who was who and how each person was related to the other. I would not have been able to enjoy the story if it was any icky-kissing-cousins type of thing. There are too many people in the world for people to date their cousins **getting off soapbox now**

Georgia is so anti-rich people. As far as she is concerned, they are the devil. Carson amused himself by pushing her buttons and buying her outrageously expensive gifts that she would be hard pressed to refuse. He was also trying to prove to her that wealth was not all bad.

Again I repeat, “Can a cute rich guy take me on shopping trips and buy me lots of things?”

I thought that Georgia was too traumatized by a situation that she did not experience. The way she reacted to her attraction with Carson, you would have thought that she has been the one spurned by a wealthy lover in the past. I wanted her to give the relationship a chance since it was obvious that she was attracted to him.

Because there seemed to me that was a great deal of build up with all their sexual tension; I found it surprising that little page time was dedicated to the actual love scene. They started and then they were done.

That is not to say that I wanted explicit detail of what they did to each other when they got physical. I am just saying it was unexpected. I also did not anticipate all the suspense. Between the drive-by shootings, car bombing, and other dangerous happenings, I wondered if they were going to survive long enough to declare their love. The author packed a lot of nail-biting situations in a relatively short time period.

All the story’s action kept Georgia off balanced just enough that she had a hard time remembering her reasons why she had decided not to like him. It was difficult for her to continue stonewalling him for being rich.

She wished he’d stop being a normal man, a normal sexy, hot man.

“Why should seeing him armed with a gun be so erotic?”

Should you buy? Sure. If you are looking for a sweet romance with suspense and humor, this is a great choice. I was pleasantly surprised how the story unfolded. It exceeded my expectations because I did not expect the plot to be as complex as it was. Plus, there was not a lot of cursing or explicit love scenes.

I liked this book and I am looking forward to reading the next installment of this series.

Fake to Forever sounds good to me

Jan20

From Fake to Forever (Newlywed Games) ♥♥♥

Synopsis

Two years ago, Meredith and Jason married in a Vegas wedding. They thought that they had destroyed all evidence and not filed the paperwork for it to be legal. So it was a surprise when Meredith shows up at Jason’s office asking for a divorce.

Jason’s mission in life is to become CEO of his family’s dysfunctional company. He sees the current situation as a way to leverage Meredith’s request with one of his own to achieve his goal. Moreover, Jason does not want to fall in love because he believes that love ruins everything.

Meredith does not want a man in her life because she has her own plans.

What is left? Steaming off-the-charts chemistry.

Trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?
She snorted, “Honey I don’t need alcohol for that.”

But is that enough for their relationship to go the distance?

Opinion

This is a book about a romance in the cutthroat industry of fashion.

It seemed at first that all Jason and Meredith had going in their relationship was the physical chemistry. It got to the point that I stopped counting the number of love scenes.

But do not misunderstand me. The story is more than one extended love scene.

Getting Jason to admit how he felt was the hard part. He has all his emotions bottled up so he can avoid rash decision-making like his father. His stubbornness almost got to the point where it was exasperating. He had poor Meredith on an emotional roller coaster ride, but I think he made up for it in the end.

Meredith concedes there is promise in their relationship, as in this sizzling description:

Begging for her fingers to slide through it [his hair] as she pulled him down for a scorching kiss

While Meredith is not trying to fight the attraction, she is still trying to prove to the world (but mostly herself) that she is more than a beauty queen pretty face. I understand that she feels people discount her opinions because of her looks. In the story, her character develops when she begins to own her worth, appreciating what she has to offer in the relationship. I love how vocal she became as well. Communication was not an issue for her.

Yes, there is a HEA. I am happy for that. Meredith was sweet and probably too forgiving (in my opinion) considering how Jason treated her most of the time. I am not mad at him though, because Meredith had some evolving to do before everything was said and done. All that she experienced brought her closer to that point.

Should you buy? Yes I think you should, especially if you like all things Harlequin. For me, the trying-to-undo-Vegas-wedding trope was well done and added elements using the characters’ personalities heightened the modicum of conflict. The story is moderately paced with enough energy and witty banter to keep the reader engaged. I really liked Jason and Meredith so much as people I was cheering for them.

I received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Save me from the Billionaire

Jan5

The Billionaire’s Salvation:: (The Billionaire’s Obsession ~ Max) ♥♥♥

Synopsis

Max is a billionaire whose wife Mia was missing in what appeared to be a drowning. Two years later, Mia reappears. However, because of a head injury, she has amnesia. Max is not leaving her side. He is ecstatic to have a second chance with his wife who was thought to be dead. Mia wants to remember what happened so that she can figure out what happened to her during the two-year disappearance.

Opinion

Ummm. The plot to this story was more convoluted than I usually have patience for. I gave this book a lot of leeway because I liked the first two books in the Billionaire’s Obsession series.

Before the disappearance, Max thought his love for Mia was too intense. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he reigned in his true emotions. That only made him seem more distant. The more “distant” he became, the more Mia tried to change to what she thought he wanted her to be so that he would stay. The more she changed, the more Max tried to stay away since he thought he was loving her too much. It was a vicious cycle.

Max- “I’ve always adored you, but I’m not sure we ever really knew each other.”

Yeah. What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Now that Max has her back in his life, he is determined to let her know how he really feels. Of course, there were the usual “You’re mine” and “You belong to me“declarations all throughout the book. He cannot be obsessed if he does not definitively make his claim. However, I cannot explain why his declarations were lacking something. I did not have the same warm fuzzy feeling as with Sam and Simon. I think the main reason is because, other than the fact that he was adopted, he had no real problems in his childhood. Why does he have issues? What did he have to overcome to find love?

Then book got sappy with all the times they said “I love you”.

It might be a big surprise to you, but I am not a romantic. If the couple realizes early in the book that they are in love, I need for them to have major conflict for the rest of the book to help them understand that their love is real without a doubt. In this case, they were so in love the whole book with no real conflict. Real conflict , in my opinion, is not easily resolved with communication.

The whole book could be chalked up to a major misunderstanding.

Side point #1: It seemed Max’s frequent use of profanity did not fit his personality. I thought it was unnecessary.

Side point #2: Mia got on my nerves. Considering she was a victim of domestic violence from a previous relationship, I tried to be understanding. But it got to a point where I thought she was being totally ridiculous.

Overall, I did not think The Billionaire’s Salvation was as good as the first two in the series. I will continue reading the series because I love, love Sam and Simon. I will probably read any book where they make an appearance. I must say that I am looking forward to Travis’ story because he seems to have what it takes to be another one of my dreamy book boyfriends.

Should you buy? Since this was my least favorite of the series so far, probably not. If you have Amazon Prime borrow it.