Review: A Royal World Apart (Call of Duty #1) by Maisey Yates

When duty wars with desire, which one wins? 

With her life mapped out since birth, Princess Evangelina Drakos-known for her dramatic flair-hopes the minor scandal she plans to create will deter potential suitors.

Hired for Eva's security, unemotional bodyguard Makhail Nabatov never makes a mistake, but the impulsive princess pushes his resolve to the limits. It's not long, however, before the beautiful and imprisoned Eva entices him to leave his bonds of duty and honor behind.

While their chemistry reaches fever pitch, Makhail knows he knows he must deny his desire-for Eva is promised to another man.

Goodreads | Author | Amazon

Source: Purchased

Review: I’m such an impulse buyer when people are in a tweeting frenzy about a book. I end up downloading 20 books in one day then forgetting what the heck they were and why I bought them in the first place.

That was the case with this book, A Royal World Apart. I was in one of my OMG I have so many books but I don’t know what to read manic moments and saw this on my Kindle. Why did I download THAT book?The cover looks kind of cheesy…heads to Goodreads. Spoiled princess falls for cold, virgin, bodyguard hero. Oh yeah! It was the virgin thing lol But now it sounds dumb…I should just delete it. But it’s a novella – I can finish that baby in a few hours. I’m in the mood for cheesy!

Well shame on me for being so judgy because this was really goooood! Super romantic, sexy and emotional.

Eva is a spoiled princess who has no say in her own life. Her father believes in arranged marriages that benefit the country, not love. So she acts out publicly in an effort to scare off potential suitors.

Mak is Eva’s self appointed billionaire bodyguard (ok – so I rolled my eyes a little on that one). He’s cold and very rude to Eva, calling her out on her spoiled brat behavior. He believes in honor and duty. He doesn’t believe in love…for really heartbreaking reasons.

Of course, as they spend more time together Mak sees that she’s more than just a princess, a prop to be handed out to the highest bidder, and Eva finds out that he isn’t as cold and unfeeling as he seems.
For a novella, both characters were surprisingly well developed, both with explaining their pasts and how much they grew as individuals in the present. I loved how their relationship allowed both of them to change their perspectives on life – even though they were coming at from totally different points of view.

This had the feel of a old school romance novel. It’s all the kind of longing and romance that you get swept away in. The emotional depth and intensity of the couple help overcome the clichés that might have taken this from romantic to silly. 

Review: Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen

Darby Quinn has a bone to pick with Cinderella. Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She's sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she's happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she's culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.

Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?

Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp. ~ Goodreads | Author | Amazon

Source: E-arc provided by Entangled Publishing for my honest review

Review:
I wanted to read this book the second I saw the cover and title. It just screams fun and Madsen delivered.

Darby grew up dreaming of meeting her Prince Charming just like the princesses from all the fairy tales we’ve been spoon fed since childhood. But in a hilarious series of case studies Darby exposes the reality of love & eventual heartbreak, complete with lessons learned, one fairy tale at a time.

Cynical is an understatement when it comes to Darby but I loved her. She has good reason to be sour on love and she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever After, yet she’s not a bitch. Cautious x’s 1000 but not mean or callous which made all the difference to me. She’s still supportive of her best friend who is getting married despite her personal feelings on the subject and excellent at her job. She’s flawed but also has a nice independent streak that I admired. (& yeah - I'm pretty cynical too so I *may* have related to her quite a bit. lol)

Jake. *sigh* I love a good guy and he’s the best. He’s strong, confident and incredibly patient with Darby, letting her go at her own pace. 

Darby and Jake had sizzling chemistry but also a blossoming friendship. Those are the kind of romances that leave me convinced of the HEA.

Final thoughts: Super cute, quick read. I wish there were more books out there like this that mixed life lessons with humor and romance. Not everything has to be over the top angst and that made Cinderella Screwed Me Over a joy to read.

review: seven day fiancé (love and games #2) by Rachel Harris

One bad boy. One good girl. One unforgettable week.

 Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning him at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little fiancé game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse. ~ Goodreads | Amazon

Source: e-ARC provided by Entangled Bliss for my honest review

Review:

We first met Angelle and Cane, and saw the sparks fly, in Love and Games #1 – Taste the Heat. Although you don’t need to read that book first I’m glad I did.

We got a chance to see Cane as a devoted uncle and brother and Angelle as a hardworking firefighter. That’s missing in most of Seven Day Fiancé in favor of romance, family dynamics and exploring the differences in the Cajun culture. There’s nothing wrong with that approach but I’m glad I didn’t miss out on the other side of these wonderful characters. I think I would have thought less of Angelle and Cane at first without knowing them the way I did already. Angelle is very insecure when it comes to disappointing her family and Cane, although very sexy, seemed the typical relationship avoiding hot guy at first. They are both so much more though.

The Entangled Bliss line has fade to black sex scenes but Harris writes the steamiest romance I’ve read from this line. It doesn’t need to be any more graphic. It’s hot enough! I know what they’re doing! lol
The other thing Harris does so well is explore NOLA and Louisiana in a way that makes me feel fully immersed and like I’m hanging out with good friends. I went to NOLA once and I have to admit that it wasn’t a great visit. I was not impressed but this book made me want to give the place another shot. The sense of love, food and culture just drips off the page.

Final thoughts: I did enjoy Taste the Heat a bit more than Seven Day Fiance’, but Cane and Angelle heat up the pages and turn the overused “fake fiancé” trope into a moving ode to family and commitment. This is a really fun, romantic series. 

Author: website | twitter | Goodreads

Mini Reviews: Sexy times! Someone to Love, Losing It, Lumberjack in Love, Fix You

I sort of….kind of….went on a Kindle sale book bender. Please people! STOP tweeting those freebie, .99 - $2.99 deals!!! You're killing me!!

Any-hoo - the ones I end up caving on are of the sexy variety. I like to read these types of books between the heavier fantasy, dystopian fare. They're quick reads and leave me happy. I thought I would do a few quick reviews to share my thoughts but not get bogged down dissecting books I'm reading for fun.

FYI: All of these books are steamy and relatively explicit in nature….


Someone to Love by Addison Moore

What happens when two people who don’t believe in love, happen to fall madly into the most beautiful relationship they could ever imagine? A train wreck.
When twenty-year-old Kendall Jordan transfers clear across country to Garrison University, the last thing she’s looking for is a one-night stand. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what, gorgeous, Cruise Elton offers.  ~ Goodreads

The preface almost had me running for the hills. Kendall is a 20 year old virgin who is OBSESSED with sex. And she wants only the best erotic sex…seeing sex in hibiscus flowers, peaches, fig trees, cats in heat….then the "hero" was ordering on her knees. The prose was so over the top I almost stopped right then and there but I know people who loved this book so I carried on.

I'm glad I did because what a sweet story! Nothing like what I was expecting. What seems like a game of cat & mouse between an asshole and his innocent protégé is really a story about opening your heart enough to take a chance on love. Great characters & story! The dialogue is at times a little cheesy but always sincere.


Losing It by Cora Carmack

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier. ~ Goodreads

This book had me laughing so hard. Bliss is hysterical as she tries to summon up the courage to lose her virginity to the the smart, funny British guy she just met at the local bar.

“Sex.
I was going to have sex.
With a boy.
A hot boy
A hot BRITISH boy.
Or maybe I was going to throw up.
What if I threw up on the hot British boy?
What if I threw up on the hot British boy DURING SEX?”

The plot gets a little overwrought near the end but even so Losing It is a super cute story with very likable characters and is laugh out loud funny.


Lumberjack in Love by Penny Watson (novella)

City slicker Ami Jordan was just dumped by her back-stabbing boyfriend, has no job prospects, and can't find a decent cup of coffee in the entire state of Vermont. The last thing she needs is a sexy, bearded lumberjack complicating her life. Even if he’s smart, talented, and has the hottest ass she’s ever seen. ~ Goodreads

So cute and lots of fun. I love fish out of water stories and it was hilarious watching Ami try to adapt to (& eventually love) country life.

I’m not really a fan of hairy, bearded men but Marcus is a keeper. Sexy as hell, smart and kind to Ami.

This would be a great book to read when it’s all cold and snowy outside.


Fix You (Second Chances #1) by Mari Carr

What if love can’t heal all wounds?

Second Chances, Book 1

After too many years of secretly loving her best friend, Zoey realizes she’s been shortchanging herself. It’s time to take action. This New Year’s Eve heralds the year she’s going to tell Rob the truth. Even if he is on the road, reaching for musical stardom with his band.

Her plan is derailed when she discovers a lump in her breast—and it’s not “nothing to worry about”. How can she ask Rob to take a chance on love when her future is so uncertain? ~ Goodreads

While still a sexy read, Fix You is the most serious of the group. What an incredible friends to lovers story. Told in alternating POV’s with flashbacks to Zoey and Rob’s over 20 year friendship, you really get a sense of the love and respect they have for each other.

Their relationship status changes quickly after Zoey’s cancer diagnoses and I wish we got to explore how that might be weird at first. I mean you walk around almost naked around each other for years (they are roommates) without being attracted and then WHAM you can’t keep your hands off each other. It was completely believable within the context of the story – but I would have liked to read more about it.

Rob….oh Rob. He’s amazing! And even though this is mainly a love story I think Carr did a good job with the her depiction of cancer treatments and the effect on friends and family.
This seems to be a new series and I can’t wait to read the books for the other girls. They aren’t your cookie cutter protagonists. There is an over 40 woman, a divorcee, an overweight woman…in other words – real women!

I hate to even ask this but what great Kindle deals have you found over the holidays? Anything I should be buying?

Review: Can’t Buy Me Love by Molly O’Keefe

In Molly O’Keefe’s captivating new contemporary romance, a woman with a past and a man without a future struggle to find a place where they belong.

A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Tara Jean Sweet knows that opportunity will never knock; she’ll have to seize it. Elderly Texas rancher Lyle Baker has a dying request: He will give Tara Jean a stake in his leather business in exchange for a little family subterfuge. All Tara Jean has to do is play the part of a gold-digging fiancée to lure Lyle’s estranged children home. The mission is soon accomplished.

Now Lyle’s gone—and his ridiculously handsome son, Luc, an ice hockey superstar sidelined by injuries, is the new owner of Crooked Creek ranch. He’s also Tara Jean’s boss. But being so close to sinfully sweet Tara Jean does crazy things to Luc’s priorities, like make him want to pry her deepest secrets from those irresistible lips. But when Tara Jean’s past demands a dirty showdown, will Luc stay and fight? ~ Goodreads

Review:
This book was an almost DNF (did not finish) for me but then it surprised me with a strong second half.
I don't think I've ever met a group of so many unlikable characters right out of the gate like this.

Tara Jean Sweet is pretending to be a gold digging fiancé to an elderly rancher (Lyle) to help anger his children enough to bring them yelling and screaming back to the ranch before he dies. In return, Lyle will give her controlling shares of the ranch leather making business. (or so she believes)

It works. Lyle's son, soon to be washed up ice hockey star, Luc is persuaded by his sister Tori to go back to the ranch that Luc has avoided his whole adult life because of his father's abuse and neglect when they were children. Tori needs the money after her husband left her and her son penniless, social pariahs. She will not let some two-bit blond bimbo steal what's rightfully hers.

Aside from Luc, I pretty much hated all these people. Luc knows they're all crazy and/or mean/selfish and wants to avoid the whole thing.

Tara and Lyle actually had a sweet friendship and were helping each other. Tara was very protective of Lyle when Luc and Tori came back to town very much angry at their father.

But my problem with this is - Lyle is a bastard. Not just a "my dad didn't say he loved me when I was a baby" bastard but an abusive bastard. Even though he tried to reconcile with Luc he was still cruel to Tori. And for me, it can't erase how he abused Luc since he never really acknowledged or apologized. Just because Lyle was kind to Tara (& even that's questionable a little later on in the story) I can't defend Lyle's character in any way as Tara did because he was "nice to her". I felt this aspect was a little washed over in favor of the romance.

Tori is one of the most selfish and childish people I've read about. She even resorts to using her son in a bid to grab her father's money. I will concede that she's been hurt and that her character evolves over the book. Probably more than any of the others. The next book in the series is about Tori so it would be interesting to see how she is redeemed.

Another thing was that Tara has a demon in her head (her mom) always "speaking" to her, encouraging her to design slutty leather clothing. O_O ??? That just bordered on weird. Tara Jean has made some really bad choices in her past but I felt over all she was trying to make a clean start. It took a while for me to warm up to her character though.

I just found it difficult to hang in there when I'm not connecting to anyone on the page.

So Karen…..why did you continue reading this? Well it was an Amazon Vine book that I had to review. I won't review anything I haven't read in it's entirety so I persevered. Then a strange thing happened. Once the father died and Tara & Luc connected, I fell in love with them. They are a great team. Luc saw Tara's fear and vulnerabilities and stood by her no matter what. Tara helped Luc through a difficult phase in his life; helping him come to terms with his age and the next phase of his life after hockey stardom.

As I said, even Tori's character became more rounded out thanks to Tara. I enjoyed how the women found a way to bond and help each other move forward in their lives. The story ended up being a truly inspirational story about love and overcoming adversity.

Rating: I have to say the first half barely rates a 1 star for me but the strong second half gets a 3.5.
Author: Website | Twitter
Source: Amazon Vine program for my honest review
Buy the book! Can't Buy Me Love