Necessary Detour review

Nikki is a rock star (stage name Goldy) who is looking for some rest and relaxation after retiring from the business. She has a stalker threatening her life, but that does not deter her from isolating herself in her house on the lake in a remote location. Pete is living in her neighbor’s house. The circumstances surrounding why he is there with his wife and son are really suspicious. There is attraction between them that they want to explore.

My issues with this story:

(1) Nikki’s life is in danger, but she insists on doing things that jeopardize her life. She knows the paparazzi are following her to get a picture, but she goes out in public in ridiculous outfits that draw more attention than detract. Dumb! Then, she would get frustrated when the paparazzi found her. For most of the book, I did not like her and was waiting for the stalker to catch her because of her failing to take sensible precautions.

(2) Pete seems to be married. Ummm. Yea. Since he is trying to give the appearance that he is married, then he should not be flirting with his neighbor. **Spoiler alert: He is not married.** But in the time that I thought he was, I was thinking he was really scummy for his actions. I could not settle into the romance until it was firmly established that Pete was not married. I do not care if the person is unhappily married. I frown on characters starting a relationship if he/she has not ended their marriage. Call me old fashioned.

(3) The last third of the book took a convoluted turn that threw me for a loop. It was as if it did not fit with the rest of the book.

Once I got past those points, the story was all right with fairly likeable characters (Pete more than Nikki). Besides the fact that Pete was not married, there were plenty of other twists that helped the story along.

Overall, if you want a contemporary, light suspense romance, you might like this. Keep in mind what I mentioned previously about the characters and you will be able to focus on the story better than I did. You might even rate it higher.

You can buy Necessary Detour on Amazon by clicking any of the links in this post.

Fallen Angel – Mona Ingram

Sep20

Fallen Angel ♥♥♥

Laura, addicted to prescription drugs, is in rehab. After weeks of therapy, she gets a job at a local hotel and winery. Bradley is there helping as well. He has his own problems. Once a fighter pilot, he suffered the loss of his voice because of a trauma related to a friendly fire accident. The attraction between them is palpable. Since he lost his voice, Bradley communicates with Laura using his cell phone to type messages to her.

In a nutshell, Fallen Angel follows two previously broken individuals who pick up the pieces of their lives and find love. The ending was satisfactory but unexpected.

I have found that Mona Ingram’s style lacks a little something for me. After reading her books, I was not filled with feelings of disgust as though I wasted my time. But I was not gushing about how sweet the romance was either.

The lack of emotional reaction on my part made me try to figure out why. What I can determine is that Mona Ingram gives a lot of detail to paint a picture for her reader. She gives the facts. She spends a great deal of time creating the scene but less time on the emotions feelings, and points of view of her main characters. I liked the plot, I was not drawn into the characters as real people. Their personalities remained 2-dimensional for me.
This is not to discourage anyone from reading this book. I think that her writing style does not enthuse me as it might for someone else.

Four Weddings and a Fiasco – the series

Sep15

Four Weddings and a Fiasco Boxed Set (Books 1-3) ♥♥♥

This compilation of books focuses on the people who work at Rose Chalet, a wedding venue.

The Wedding Gift (Four Weddings and Fiasco Series, Book 1) (Four Weddings and a Fiasco): Julie and Andrew ♥♥♥

Julie used to have her own restaurant until critic Andrew called her food boring. Now she is working as a caterer for Rose Chalet. She was trying so hard to cook the food people wanted to eat, that she lost focus of enjoying the art of cooking. Andrew helped her find that and discover love too.

The Wedding Dance (Four Weddings and a Fiasco, Book 2): Phoebe and Patrick ♥♥♥

Phoebe is the florist for Rose Chalet and is willing to live without love because she saw the pain her mother would feel after a breakup. In a twist to the usual romance, Patrick wants a commitment and Phoebe has commitment phobia. While he is thinking long term relationship, she is thinking about having a one-night-stand.

The Wedding Song (Four Weddings and a Fiasco, Book 3): Tyce and Whitney ♥♥

Tyce was a sweet musician who needs love to spark his creativity. Five years ago, he fell for Whitney and has not been right ever since. Now that he has her again, he needs to convince her that they belong together.

My thoughts:

For Julie and Andrew, I can see them being kindred spirits since they were both passionate about cooking.
I do not know how Phoebe and Patrick’s relationship is going to work. They did not discuss any of the particulars. Like, where are they going to live? Their story ended seemingly on this note: We are in love and everything will work out. I am not too optimistic.
I think that Tyce and Whitney’s relationship will work out. He loved her for 5 years or I should say that he waited for her for 5 years. But part of me is thinking: What if he loved the idea of her and the reality is different from what he expected? If that happens, then their relationship will fail too.

Out of all the books, I liked The Wedding Gift (Julie and Andrew) the most and The Wedding Song ( Tyce and Whitney) the least. Julie was spunky and a good balance for Andrew. He saw her potential and pushed her until it was realized. However, I was annoyed with Whitney’s duty to her family as a way of denying herself what she wanted. Maybe I am selfish, but in my opinion, her family was sucking her dry with no regard for her feelings. She should have put her foot down long ago.

As you can tell, I obsess over story lines. I need for the author to create an air tight plot line with engaging characters so that I get the feeling the romance is long lasting and not a temporary.

Side note rant about this series: I wish the author would have used the epilogue to wrap up the story of the main characters instead of using it to plug the next book in the series. I think most people who read the series get to know the characters in supporting roles are interested in knowing their story too. Readers do not need an “intro” at the end of the main character’s book. For a series about a wedding venue, none of the characters actually got married yet.

There are more books to this series, but I have not yet decided if I am going to read them yet. Trust me when I say, if I do read them, you will read the review on this blog 🙂

Check it out yourself and buy Four Weddings and a Fiasco Boxed Set (Books 1-3) on Amazon

Gigolos get lonely too

Sep5

Darius: Lord of Pleasures (Lonely Lords) ♥♥♥

Darius is, for lack of a better term, a gigolo/male prostitute. As the impoverished second son, he cannot afford to have many morals, especially since the bills will not pay themselves. Vivian’s husband goes to Darius with a proposition: get his wife pregnant so there is an heir to carry on his life when he dies. Darius thought about turning down the offer, but the amount of money was too much to resist. Prepared not to like Vivian, he was in for a surprise. Suddenly his job as a stud got a lot more interesting.

Vivian’s marriage was one of convenience after her husband’s first wife died. He only married her as a protection for her. As her husband is old enough to be her grandfather, he is trying to look out for her the best way he knows how.

I was prepared not to like this book because the hero was a gigolo and his love interest was married. Prostitution as a story is not usually my preferred plot line. I kept an open mind, and actually, the story was not too bad. In time when heirs were required and there were no sperm banks, the women had to get impregnated the old fashioned way when their husbands were unable to perform the task.

Unlike other authors who have a formula so the reader knows what to expect, Grace Burrowes’ plots are so unpredictable that every book is like a different author’s work. In this book, she explores how the predicament affects each character. The reader has empathy for their seemingly impossible situation. I will not say how it ended, but I was satisfied with the turn of events.

I recommend reading Darius: Lord of Pleasures (Lonely Lords). It is long, so be prepared to spend the entire afternoon reading.

Redemption of Lord Rawlings

Aug25

The Redemption of Lord Rawlings (House of Renwick) – ♥♥♥

Philip – Lord Rawlings – is a duke in need of money. When his father died, there was a stipulation in the will that he had to marry before turning 30 in order to receive his inheritance. Abigail (Abby) is the younger sister of Emma from the book Seduction of Sebastian. You have to read that book to understand the animosity on the part of Abby towards her sister.

Emma and Sebastian are hosting Abby for her season. Abby has set her sights on Phillip, but he is trying to dissuade her of that notice. He does not think he is good enough for her.

At the same time, Emma and Sebastian are trying to help Phillip get married. They feel indebted to him because he helped them get together. Among the ton, Phillip is known as a rake and reprobate. Polite society refuses to associate with him. Since Sebastian is known as the “Angel Duke” beyond reproach, Emma hopes their association can help change his image so that he can marry.

Abby did seem to be immature in the way she tried to manipulate the situation, but she had good intentions. Phillip thought he had nothing to live for, but was trying to fight giving the ton any other reasons to vilify him. Sebastian and Emma proved to be great supporting characters and the kind friends that Philip needs to help him come around. Once he accepts the fact that he is in love, it is easier to embrace Abby’s love for him.

Overall, I gave The Redemption of Lord Rawlings (House of Renwick) – 3 hearts because for part of the book, I was annoyed with Abby’s underhanded attempts to control people. That being said, this book is an entertaining read. The story can stand on its own, but to get the full impact of story’s nuances, you need to read The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (House of Renwick) first. It is a great follow up to the The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (House of Renwick). I do not often read books in a series (I feel that takes commitment). The main characters of that book were supporting characters that further the story. It was not just that they were related, they were an integral part of the story.

There is another book in the series that tells the story of Nicholas and Sara. I have not decided if I am going to go back and read that story yet. But most likely I probably will in time.