First Cari and now Jess- Valendran males are falling in love

Synopsis

This book is the sequel to Hunting Cari (Men of Valendra).

Amun felt a connection to Jess when he found out she existed. After a year of searching, Amun is still determined to find her so that she can be his mate.

Jess is a hybrid Valendra-human who was at the mercy of the Relians (evil enemy aliens) since she was a child. For many years, she suffered unspeakable physical and emotional abuse. During it all, she helped others to safety. She cannot understand what Amun would want with her since she is damaged.

Opinion:

In Hunting Cari, Jess played a major role in making sure that Cari survived her abduction and abuse. I got a glimpse of her personality and gift. Because of Amun’s reaction to Cari’s bracelet, I had a feeling that he would be her mate. Because of those points, I wanted to read her story and experience her happy ever after ending.

With any abuse survivor, there are feelings of doubt of their own self-worth. It was evident that Jess thought herself to be unworthy of Amun. Amun’s attempts to treat her delicately had the opposite effect since she thought he did not want her. Jess has to heal physically and emotionally in order to accept Amun’s love without question. I thought the author did a decent job delving into the issues that Jess faced because of her trauma. When something like that happens to a woman, it is necessary that her love interest be very understanding in helping her come to terms with what she is up against.

Although the story was mainly focused on Amum and Jess, there was so many other things going on.

1. Traitor in their midst
2. Finding the rest of the hybrid women and children scattered around the earth
3. Dealing with Relian threats
4. Budding romances between two other couples

Overall, Finding Jess (Men of Valendra) was a very endearing book to me. It was a sweet story, and by the end of the book, I was even more interested in the Valendran people and hoping for the rescue of more hybrids in coming books. The book could be read on its own, but I think to get the full effect, Hunting Cari should be read first. I am ready for the next book!!!!

Married by Monday

Mar10

Married by Monday (Weekday Brides Series) – Married by Monday ♥♥♥♥♥

This is the second book in the series from this author. The first book Married by Monday was the story of Blake and Sam. This story is about their friends Carter and Eliza. Carter is running for governor and is the best friend to Eliza’s best friend’s husband. Eliza has taken over more of the business responsibility since Sam got married.

In the 2 years their friends have been married, they have verbally sparred so much that Eliza thinks he hates her. So when he proposes marriage as part of damage control during his campaign, Eliza thinks he is out of his mind. But then her past catches up with her and his proposal is appealing in more ways than one.

This book gets my highest score because it was an awesome story. The plot was so original with many twists and more twists. There was an unexpected suspense element that left me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath for what was going to happen. I do not think it is even possible to tell too much of the story without giving anything way. Be assured, it all ends well. I got my happy-ever-after, and the author did it all without some outlandish or ridiculous ending. It seemed farfetched but still in the realm of possibility.

I liked Married by Monday (Weekday Brides Series) even more than Wife by Wednesday and I thought that was a pretty good book. I am stingy with my 5 heart ratings, however this book deserves it. I am hooked with this series and I do not even mind. It is not like I feel I have to read the next book in the series to further the story. I like this author’s writing style and want to keep in touch with her characters because they are so great.

In her shadow is a thriller

Mar5

In Her Shadow ♥♥♥

Synopsis
Claire Fiksen’s parents died on her birthday. She does not like celebrating her birthday because that was the day when she lost both of her parents. So when someone sends her a birthday cake in celebration, she knows someone is toying with her. She cannot understand why someone would intentionally be so cruel.

Meanwhile, the story jumps between Claire and another person who is being held captive.

Opinion:
For most of the book, I wondered how the two stories were going to come together.

What could Claire possibly have in common with this other person?

Additionally, there were parts of Claire’s story told from the point of view of the person who is intent on harming Claire. I was trying to figure out who this twisted person was as well.

With everything that is going on, Claire begins to question her own mental stability. She senses that looking for answers about the death of parents will help her to find peace of mind. The answers she finds will blow you away. With mysteries, I like to try to figure out who is the villain before the author reveals them. I could not guess what was going to happen before it happened. So I think what I am trying to say is that means August did a good job of creating a convincing end-of-my-seat thriller.

I do not usually read thrillers because I like happy endings. With thrillers and so much suspense, there is a chance that the author’s idea of a twist is that the ending will be a cliffhanger or some ironic situation that is frustrating. The ending for In Her Shadow was satisfying to me. When I finished the book, I was like

I was not prepared at all.

In Her Shadow is worth the read, especially if you like thrillers. The story seems disjointed at time because there are a lot of different elements at work. Keep patient and the ending will be worth the time spent.

Invitation is a short and sweet romance

Feb25

An Invitation to Pleasure (A Scandalous Regency Christmas) ♥♥♥

Synopsis:
In the prologue, Fergus does his best to convince Susanna that she should not marry Jason Mountjoy. He says the man is no good, without scruples, and is only after her money. Fergus is not successful and she Jason him anyway.

Three years later, Susanna is no longer the naïve miss with notions of romance. However, she is grateful to be a widow instead of suffering in a marriage to a man who was every bit the scum that Fergus described and more. From her life’s lesson, she does not want to get married again.

Fergus has invited her to his home now that he is the Laird of Kilmun to visit his home in the Highlands. He does not tell her, but he invited her for a purpose: make her his wife. He still harbored some guild for not being able to persuade her not to marry Jason. Plus he was in love with her. Fergus thought it would be easy, but quickly realized he had a challenge in trying to romance wary Susanna.

Opinion:
There was not a lot of character development. The story relies heavily on the fact that the characters have a past. The whole story is Fergus trying to convince Susanna to take a chance on him. Overall, An Invitation to Pleasure was a cute, short story. I put this in the category of a light reading when waiting at the doctor’s office or before going to bed. I would not describe it as “Scandalous” because it did not have too graphic love scenes.

Perfect fit romance

Feb20

Perfect Fit ♥♥♥

Synopsis:

Gabe was burned by a woman he thought he loved when she left him for her ex-boyfriend. Sage was burned by her father and fiancé on the same day. It was a double whammy. Hence the reason Gabe and Sage are perfect for each: they are both emotionally damaged goods

While Sage has condemned all men as being untrustworthy, Gabe is searching of a woman with no issues. Both are reluctant to begin a relationship. Of course, their attraction to each other is greater than their willpower.

Opinion:

This story was longer than most of the Brenda Jackson books that I have already read. I think it was the most different as well. Most notably, there were not that many steamy love scenes in this book. The focus was mainly on the external forces that created the emotional trust issues for each character.

It especially dealt with Sage’s lack of confidence that a man could be trustworthy. If she was going to fall in love, she was going to have to resolve a lot of issues. In her defense, if my fiancé betrayed my trust like hers did, I would feel like I had been kicked in the stomach. And while reeling from that, her father’s actions were equally debauched. I would be sick, disgusted, and done with men in general.

It seemed that Perfect Fit was the most realistic love story from Brenda Jackson in the sense that the fairy tale element was missing. Two very imperfect characters, with so many trust issues, did not want believe that the other person was sincere. But when they finally opened their hearts to each other, they could be happy ever after.

Over all, Perfect Fit was not the hottest romance, but most true to life.

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