Synopsis

Kara is a single woman going to school for nursing. As the story begins, she is being evicted because her ex roommate failed to pay the rent. She has nowhere to go and she is extremely sick. Simon, her boss’s son, convinces her to go to his house where she can get well. There is some attraction between the two of them, but Kara is wary of the whole situation. She has learned in her life that you cannot depend on others.

Simon is a billionaire computer programmer that has made his wealth selling video games. He has had a crush on Kara for quite a while. When he sees her in distress, he is quick to help her. She is his obsession; nonetheless he does his best not to let her know how deep his feelings are.

Opinion

When I read the first book, I did not realize it was the first installment a set. I rated the first book 2 stars on Goodreads and thought no more about it. I was annoyed that the book file was not a complete story and I thought Simon was a creeper. A stalker that was preying on a girl with unfortunate circumstances.

When I bought the collection Beyond Desire, I did not connect the two stories until I was halfway through. As I was reading, I thought to myself that it sounded very familiar and that’s when I looked in my library and realized I had bought the story on its own. Since I now had the rest of the books, I decided that I might as well read the whole story to see if the entire collection improved the story line. I am so glad that I read the entire story. My feelings have changed for Simon.

I still agree that he was obsessive, but at least he was self-aware enough to try to control his inner feelings. Although he had an intensity warring within him, he tried to keep it reigned in so that she did not feel as though he was trying to control her.

“He cared more about Kara that he wanted to… And it scared the ever-loving crap out of him.”

Kara did not have a stress-free life before Simon, so it was easy for her to have trust issues. Despite it all, she recognized the sweetie beneath the gruff exterior. While they try to navigate their relationship, external forces motivate them to appreciate what opportunity that they have been given. Kara did not have a blind love for Simon. She put her foot down to make him deal with his inner demons.

I loved it when she said “I want you. And it has nothing to do with your money.”

That was so sweet!

To me, Kara and Simon’s story was a contemporary version of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. I enjoy stories where the layers of the strong, masculine, alpha-male are peeled back to reveal a big, teddy bear softy.

The whole story was decently paced with balanced with drama, tenderness, and comedy.

In the end, it can be summed up by this “she loved her primitive, protective, possessive male who had a heart of gold”.

My only criticism of this story is that the love scenes are very explicit and there is a lot of profanity. It can be a little kinky, but not for the reasons you would expect. Still not for those under 18 audiences though.

I love a story with heart

Sep10

The Heart of Devin MacKade (The MacKade Brothers) ♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

In the small town Antietam, Devin has loved Cassie for 12 years. When they were younger, he hesitated to make a move, not knowing that she would marry the first man who showed her interest in an effort to escape a miserable home life.

Fast forward to the present day: Cassie is now divorced with two children. Her family carries the emotional scars from the domestic abuse that was a daily occurrence. Her ex-husband is in prison and Cassie is trying to heal.

Still hopelessly in love, Devin is now sheriff and has a list of reasons/excuses to see Cassie every day. Cassie is ignorant to the depth of his feelings.

A friendly gesture ignites the passion between them but can their love last?

Opinion

Devin has everything going for him: looks and charm. In my mind, I think he is probably a hotter version of Andy Griffith. It was sweet that he had loved Cassie for so long. When he sees his chance to make a move, he tries but thinks that he might have unintentionally friendzoned himself. I understand that he does not want to make the same mistake he made years ago, but she is not the same person she was years ago either.

“Was he going to have to settle-always- for protecting, for watching over, for being the dependable friend, the favorite honorary uncle?”

Cassie likes Devin’s company but thinks that is all it could be in their relationship. There is the added embarrassment (in her mind) that he is the sheriff and knows more than anyone else about the mistreatment inflicted by her ex-husband. She has only known abuse when it comes to physical relations. When she experienced tenderness from Devin, she does not know what to think. He makes her feel things that she did not know were possible.

“Why did you kiss me like that?”

I loved this story because the characters were so lovable. I could empathize with Devin’s frustration and impatience when things did not go according to his plan. He knew he had to maintain that delicate balance to help her move forward with her life while she healed from the past hurt. Additionally, Devin had to be concerned about the emotional well-being of Cassie’s two children. They were dealing with the consequences of their father abusing their mother. As for Cassie, I admire her strength. She was emotionally abused by her mother and physically abused by her ex-husband, yet her spirit was not completely broken.

In the end, The Heart of Devin MacKade is not a love story between a man and woman. It is a love story between a man, a woman, and her two children.

Great story! Loved it. This is a classic romance to be expected from Nora Roberts.

FYI: While The Heart of Devin MacKade is available for $7.99 on Amazon, I saw The MacKade Brothers Bundle: The Return of Rafe MacKade\The Pride of Jared MacKade\The Heart of Devin MacKade\The Fall of Shane MacKade available for $9.99. What a steal!!!

Breaking the rules hoyden style

Aug30

The Harlow Hoyden: A Regency Romance♥ ♥ ♥

Synopsis

Emma is known as the Harlow hoyden because she flaunt society’s expectations of the core for young ladies. She prides herself in engaging in adventures that would not be becoming of a young lady.She enlists the help of Alex, Duke of Trent, to woo the affection of her engaged sister Lavinia.

“What good is a libertine if he won’t toy with your sister’s affections and then ruthlessly drop her?”

Alex is a bored Duke that humors Emma because she intrigues him. On one hand, he is a very proper person that tries to follow the rules of polite society. But on the other hand, there is something about Emma that keeps him coming to her rescue. He tries to justify his behavior by thinking that she needs someone to keep her out of trouble.

Opinion

When I read the synopsis, I thought that this would be like an Amanda Quick novel. When I finished the first chapter, the opening scenes emphasized my first impression. As I continued reading, the similarities between Emma and Amanda Quick’s character were there but not as profound.

I have mixed feelings towards Emma. She had spunk and energy that I like. However, her irrational behavior meant that she had a less than credible reputation. She would blow things out of proportion to such an extent that she came across as being high strung. There were many times that she would act before she knew the full story. In the situations where she had all the facts, she did not elaborate, filling people in with the information that would be useful for them to make a decision. Therefore, when there was a verified threat, no one believed her.

I wish I could have shaken her.

The only reason why Trent went along with her harebrained schemes is to be able to save her when things inevitably went wrong. It could all be summed up when he said, “I have a vested interest in keeping that beautiful body of yours safe”. Mmm hmmm. He did it all for the nookie.

At least by the end, she acknowledged to some extent her limitations because of society’s expectation of women.

Overall, while Emma was not one of my favorite characters of all time, her antics did make for an entertaining story. She found true love and her happy-ever-after ending. The Harlow Hoyden: A Regency Romance is a good read if you like Victorian and Regency style romances. Just be prepared for Emma’s antics to drive you a little batty.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Slow Burn: read it for the hunky assassin

Aug10

Slow Burn (Assassins Book 1) ♥ ♥

Synopsis

Leigh has a self-destructive lifestyle in which she is a promiscuous cocaine addict. This is her way of dealing with the fact that her father is a workaholic and does not pay attention to her.

Griffin is a former assassin who wants to protectively as pay brought to her deceased father. The people who killed Lee’s father are after her and Griffin promises to keep her safe.

Both Leigh and Griffin have been injected with an experimental top-secret serum that makes them almost invincible. The story focuses on their efforts to shut down the evil corruption so that they do not have to keep running for their lives.

Opinion

This would have been a one heart story if it was not for Griffin. Leigh was a total jerk of a person. I get that she had daddy issues. The inability to stop making bad decisions was frustrating. Was she trying to get herself killed or what? Assassins are after her to kill her and she is looking for lines of coke to blow. Ugh.

I finish the book, skimming over parts of it because I wanted to know how they took down the villainous company. I did have a soft spot for Griffin. He was so damaged emotionally from the abuse he suffered while in prison. It is rare that a book delves into the type of abuse that Griffin suffered. That is quite possibly one of the few good things that I have to say about this book.

Leigh was a self-absorbed, selfish, self-seeking person that did not appreciate someone like Griffin, even in his damaged state. She was petulant and immature for the majority of the book. If Griffin wasn’t as good as he was as a bodyguard, she would have been caught long before she was.

By the end of the book, Griffin was the only person I cared about. If his happiness meant being with Leigh, I was okay with that because I wanted him to be happy. However, Leigh was the type of character that I am not sure that she is dependable enough to take care of Griffin in the way that he needs. Even with the current ending, I am not sure it would be a happy ever after.

Overall, I am not sure how to word my recommendation for this book. On one hand, I think it is worth reading for Griffin’s story. On the other hand, Leigh was such an unlikable person. There you have it. If after reading this review you decide to read the book, you at least have been prepared for the aspects of Leigh’s personality that were less than stellar.

There was drug abuse, explicit language, and violence.

Revenge is best served from a hottie billionaire

Aug5

The Tycoon’s Revenge: Baby for the Billionaire ♥ ♥ ♥

Synopsis

Derek and Jasmine have history. They were once so in love as teenagers that they were going to run off together. They did not and years later they meet under very different circumstances. Both are very jaded individuals who feel as if the other person betrayed them. While the attraction between them is still is very palpable, both are trying very hard to safeguard their hearts. Once all the secrets are revealed, both of them have to make the decision about their future.

Opinion

This is my type of story. Derek is a billionaire who does not forget where he came from and his humble beginnings. Jasmine grew up in a less than loving environment, but she does not allow that to taint her outlook on life.

Not much to say about this but that it is the typical alpha-billionaire-male-reunites-with-his-first-love story, but it works. I liked everything about the story. I especially like the interaction between the two of them. I like how they handled seeing each other once again. Even though Derek was intent on exacting revenge for the way that he thought Jasmine mistreated him, he was sensible and enough to examine the facts and make a decision that was best for the both of them.

The ending was very sweet. Not sappy, but tender.

Overall, The Tycoon’s Revenge is the type of story that I like to see from Melody Anne. She wrote one book (Surrender (Volume 1)– a FSOG knockoff) that almost put me off of her books altogether , and then I read this one. I am a fan once again.