Tag Archive | netgalley review

Breaking Bailey’s Rules #bailey #netgalley @AuthorBJackson

I received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking Bailey’s Rules (The Westmorelands)

Synopsis

Bailey is the baby of the Denver Westmorelands. They are a close-knit family who discovered that they could be related to a family in Alaska.

Walker comes to visit the Denver Westmorelands as a favor to his best friend (the family that might be related to them). Bailey is sent to the airport to pick him up from the airport.

There are rules that Bailey lives by, but Walker might have her breaking all of them.

Opinion

First, I must say that I think Brenda Jackson is one of my favorite romance authors and that is not just because she writes African-American romance novels. Of all of her different series (she has SEVERAL), the Westmoreland series is the best. She had a plan when she developed this family because there are so many siblings and cousins and everyone gets their story. Just when you think the series is over, the family finds another branch of Westmorelands to keep it going. Seriously, if you have not read any of the Westmoreland series, there are enough books to fill a couple of months’ worth of weekends. It more of a saga than a series 😀

Okay now I got that out-of-the-way. Back to the story.

I like Bailey. She may be a little spoiled but that is because she is the youngest of a very tight family where the brothers try to seem chill but are overprotective.

Walker is doing his friend a favor and really likes the Denver Westmoreland guys. He sees the attraction to Bailey as unexpected. Plus his adherence to the “bro code” will not allow him to get physical with their little sister.

Good thing that Bailey knows what she wants and is going to do her best to get it.

Even after reading so many of Jackson’s books, you would think that I would not be surprised by her plot twists. But one of the things that Bailey did in Alaska really surprised me. It had me seeing her with a newfound respect. I went from ambivalent to “This chick is cool!” and “She needs a happy ending!”

While I decided early how much I liked Bailey, I could tell that Walker was being hardheaded. He has a lot of making up to do when he finally realizes that Bailey is the one for him. He does it in grand style. All I can say is that it is good to have friends in high places.

Overall, I loved this book because Bailey’s multi-faceted character added so much the story. If you like the Westmoreland series, this book should definitely be on your list. If you are new to Brenda Jackson, this is a great author and book to add to your list.

Book Details from Amazon

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Desire (November 1, 2015)

Publication Date: November 1, 2015

Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.

Bear meets Girl #netgalley #review

Sep5

I received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Bear Meets Girl (The Pride Series)

Synopsis

The New York shifter community is full of wolves, hyenas, lions, tigers, grizzly and polar bears. Lou Crushek (Crush) – polar bear shifter – and Marcella “Bare Knuckles” Malone (Cella) – she-tiger shifter – meet the morning after a party where they had more than their share of jelly shots. They end up having to work together to find who is hunting and killing shifters for sport.

Crush is an introverted cop who hates change.

Cella is a high skilled feline contract killer who has a passion for hockey. Drama seems to follow her wherever she goes. Adding to that, her nickname is “Bare Knuckles” because she has no problem with punching someone in the face, male or female, and usually knocks them out.

Opinion

When I saw this book, it immediately went on my TBR list. I have read werebear (bear shifter) books in the past and thoroughly enjoyed them because I like it when a woman pokes a surly bear. From the synopsis and the cover, it seemed that Crush was as surly as they come. I was excited. I like dour, grumpy heroes who come out of that shell for love. What I was not prepared for was how much I loved Cella’s personality.

Cella is crass, loud, and unapologetically outspoken. From that description alone, you would think that her character would be unlikable. I loved the fact that she was a skilled assassin who used her talents for the good of her people. Plus, she was not arrogant, but still very sure of her abilities on and off the ice.

In the beginning she antagonizes Crush by doing all sorts of outrageous things to get him to react. I knew sooner or later she was going to have to ease up if they were going to get together. Of course, once he agreed to be her “pretend boyfriend”, I knew that they were well on their way to romance town.

What to say about Crush? Let’s just say, “I’m crushing on Crush.”

He is a big hulking polar bear man, described as looking like a meth dealer/possible serial killer. He is as straight as an arrow cop who believes in using the proper channels to achieve justice. He is scary looking and hopes that will encourage people to leave him alone. But when he is thrust into a room with his hockey idols (coincidentally one is Cella’s dad ), we see what a hockey fan boy he is. It was endearing.

Crush knows that he is attracted to Cella.

Her scent made him want “to roll around until he was completely saturated with it.”

However, unlike other shifter books I have read, it is not a we-are-fated-to-be-mates type of scenario. They still have to decide if attraction is enough.

“Crush has no idea what to do with this woman.

He knew what he’d like to do with her…”

Bear Meets Girl was a winner and I am glad I discovered this author. This story has romance, humor, and a touch of suspense. The resolution of the main problem was not resolved to my satisfaction, but it was minor to me with regards to the story line. I was rooting for Cella to have her happy ending and I knew that Crush was the perfect guy for her. Plus, Crush needs a woman like Cella because she keeps him from taking himself too seriously and helps him deal with change in a more productive way. The supporting characters helped to paint a complete picture and, in the end, I wished they were real so I could hang out with them.

Funniest line in the whole book-

“Hey, I haven’t broken a guy’s leg for money- and hockey doesn’t count- since I was sixteen.” – Cella’s dad

On a Rogue Planet #netgalley #arc

Mar5

On a Rogue Planet (Phoenix Adventures Book 3) ♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

Malin is a salvage mechanic who has not had the best success in the romance department. Of course, previous lovers blamed her for whatever problems there were. This leads to her insecurities.

While on a business trip, she inadvertently is placed in the middle of a planetary coup. Xander is the security cyborg who needs to find an ancient artifact that will help him to restore order to his planet.

Along the way, Malin and Xander explore their chemistry for each other, even though it is questionable how vested in a relationship Xander could be since he is a cyborg.

Opinion

How did I feel about this book?

Why did I love this book so much? Mainly, I think it was because of the characters. Malin was a mechanic and she falls for a cyborg. The first story where the heroine could actually “fix” her guy.

I like that she was a strong female lead character. She had her sensitive moments, but she saves Xander quite a few times. Xander was as much of an alpha-male as a character can get, but even he had to admit he needed help.

“He told her he didn’t follow orders, but he followed hers just fine”

Secondly, the energy of this book was high packed from the first few pages. They are on the run from people who want them dead. To get the relic to save Xander’s people, they have travel all over the galaxy. It was so interesting, I was anxious to see how they would get out of each perilous situation.

Thirdly, the supporting characters (good and bad) added another layer to the story giving more depth. The reasons the villain had for wanting to destroy a race of people – totally twisted. That guy was insane.

While On a Rogue Planet (Phoenix Adventures Book 3)is a standalone book, it is the third book in the series. Now that I have been introduced, I need to find the first two books.

Should you buy On a Rogue Planet (Phoenix Adventures Book 3)? YES! This story is part “Indiana Jones”, part “Star Wars”, and part “MacGyver”.

There is plenty of action.

There is a cyborg who finds his humanity.

“Malin Phoenix brought out the best in him”

There is a woman who is no damsel in distress.

“You look pretty in bare feet and that ripped dress.”

It is a trifecta of a story. There is so much to the plot that appeals to me. If you like high energy sci-fiction, I think you will enjoy the action-packed romance as much as I did.

I received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Click this link to buy on Amazon On a Rogue Planet (Phoenix Adventures Book 3)

As a side note: As explained on IMDb, MacGyver was an agent for the Phoenix Foundation devoted to righting the wrongs of the world and thwarts the enemy with vast scientific knowledge. In “On a Rouge Planet”, Malin’s last name is Phoenix and she is just as talented as MacGyver with her mechanical knowledge.

Coincidence? I think not.

Hard to love a model #modelbehavior

Feb15

Model Behavior ♥♥♥

Synopsis

Ben and Olivia (Livvie) have been friends for a long time. He is a wealthy businessman. She is a model. Ben decides to drop the gauntlet and start the 24 hours he has to complete 7 tasks in order to sleep with Olivia.

While Livvie is content to friendzone Ben, he is determined to do what it takes to prove that he is in for the long haul. He wants a long-term romantic relationship.

Opinion

The book…two words: EMOTIONALLY CHARGED

From the synopsis, I was expecting Livvie to be an ice queen. In the beginning, I thought that I did not like her. She makes out a crazy list of things that Ben has to do before she will sleep with him. Who does that? And when he is having success with the aforementioned list, she tries to sabotage him?

Why Livvie? Why?

Ben tries to make his case:

“I’m reasonably attractive.
I like to think I can make you laugh even when you’d rather throw me out a window.” – Ben

Throughout the book, I thought he explained everything adequately and was sincere. I could not understand why Livvie would continue to be a jerk. Here was a guy that was trying to show her how much he cared.

“He’d spent the past five years of his life looking for ways into her life.”- Ben

“I hate men like you.” – Livvie

Not the response I was hoping to hear from Livvie. I kept reading because I really hoped there would be a HEA ending. However, once Livvie elaborates, I felt sorry for her and wondered how this all would end. She protected herself emotionally the best she could. Her modeling career left her so jaded that she was blinded as to what could be happiness.

Livvie thought she knew him, but she had a lot to learn about his complexities instead of pigeonholing him in the simple “rich guy” category.

Ben struck me as a true romantic. While he does not know the full extent of Livvie’s emotional damage, he truly believes his love for her can overcome any barrier. As sincere as he was, to really love Livvie, he has to understand the reasons behind her reluctance. As he developed in that way, my heart fell for him a little bit more.

My only critical comment was that the ending seemed sudden. After all the buildup, I wish there had been an epilogue. I ~~wanted~~ needed more page time for the happy couple.

Should you buy? Yes. This not your standard fluff Harlequin romance. For me, I enjoyed the way that my initial view of Livvie changed throughout the book as I got a fuller picture of who he was. It has some steamy parts but not a lot. Ben is trying to bridge the gap from friendship to lovers while Livvie avoids him at every turn. The author does a fantastic job of giving the render insight into the characters. I think that there is enough depth of character development but not in a melodramatic way. I think you will be entertained.

As a side point, there is some crude language, not excessive, but it is there.

I received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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.