Review: Happy New Year, Baby Fortune! by Leanne Banks

Genre:
Romance

Format:
E-Galley

Publisher:
Harlequin Special Edition

Release Date:
January 2014

Review: Finding Colin Firth by Mia March

Genre:
Fiction

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Gallery Books

Release Date:
July 2013

Review: Christmas in Tahoe by Elisabeth Barrett

Genre:
Romance

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Elisabeth Barrett

Release Date:
November 2013

Driftwood Cottage by Sherryl Woods

Driftwood Cottage by Sherryl Woods

Genre:
Romance

Format:
Ebook

Publisher:
Mira

Release Date:
March 29, 2011

Divorce attorney Connor O’Brien doesn’t believe in marriage. Everyday he defends couples going through bitter divorces. Not to mention that his own parents broke up and only recently reunited. They are happy now, but he only remembers the bad times.

Connor has a nice life with Heather Donovan and their son, but she wants more. Heathers wants to make their relationship a legal one. She wants marriage, something Connor can never agree to. He’s happy just the way they are – living together in Baltimore. However, it’s not enough for Heather. She packs up their son and leaves town.

Heather decides to make her new home in Chesapeake Shores near Connor’s family. She opens her own quilt shop and is content, until Connor follows her there. He’s shocked that she insists upon nothing less than marriage, but he has no intentions of letting the woman he loves out of his life.

When disaster strikes, they both take a long look at the life they’ve built and begin to question everything they ever believed.

First, I just have to say I’ve been a fan of Sherryl Woods for years and she never fails to disappoint. She didn’t fail with this one either. This is a fast-paced series with characters who have realistic everyday problems. Readers will truly care about the O’Briens, as well as their friends and family.

This is the fifth book in the series. Although I have the previous four books, I haven’t read them yet. I didn’t need to in order to enjoy this one, but I’m really anxious to read them. I miss Chesapeake Shores already. I want to visit this quaint little town again.



For reading challenge:

Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund

Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Hachette Books
Release Date: August 2010

Young couples are being brutally murdered all over Europe. It appears the killings are at the hands of a young couple traveling through Europe. NYPD detective Jack Karon is hot on their trail, but he has a personal stake in this. His daughter and her fiancé were murdered by this serial killing couple and he wants justice, but whether or not he can handle this case objectively remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Swedish reporter Dessie Larsson receives a postcard from the killers and now she finds herself in the middle of the whole investigation. She fears what this could do to her career, but mostly she fears the strong attraction she has for Jack. She desperately tries to put aside her feelings for the sake of stopping these vicious murderers.

As everyone knows, I love James Patterson’s writing. This book was a good one, too. Not my favorite, but still a well thought out storyline. The killers are known to the reader right from the beginning, but this story is not that simple and there were still many twists and turns along the way.

I would have liked to see the characters of Dessie and Jack more developed though. Their romance seemed to lack for something. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I would have liked to read more about them. The killers were truly evil and I was just hoping for a satisfying ending.

Although many of Patterson’s books are a part of a series, this is a standalone book and only took me two days to read – that’s amazing for me.

I give this one a four cat rating.




For reading challenge:

James Patterson Reading Challenge

Drop Dead Divas by Virginia Brown

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Chick Lit
Format: EBook
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Release Date: September 2010-10-31

The Dixie Divas of Holly Springs, Mississippi are back and they discover another dead body. It’s been several months since one of their own Divas’, Bitty, was accused of murdering her ex-husband. Now, another murder has taken place and this time it’s the fiancé of the woman who broke up Bitty’s marriage. Bitty couldn’t be more happier to see the “other” woman, Naomi Spencer, be the prime suspect this time. The tables turn when Naomi is found dead and, once again, Bitty is blamed for the murder.

When Trinket Truevine first moved to Mississippi she never thought she’d be tossed into the middle of murder investigations. Her plan was simple – leave behind her ex-husband and take care of her aging parents, but plans are never simple when you enter the world of the Dixie Divas. Not only is Bitty her cousin, but she’s her very best friend. There is no way she can sit back and watch her friend get thrown in jail for a crime she didn’t commit.

Bitty, Trinket, and the rest of the Divas go on a crazy search for the killer, but when they find themselves as the killer’s target, they wonder what is really happening. As Bitty finds herself facing financial ruin, Trinket is determined to clear her of all suspicion.

This is a fun, light-hearted cozy mystery. It’s a bit of a cross between cozy mystery and chick lit. The characters are all hysterical and even Bitty’s dog, Chen Ling is a riot. This is LOL entertainment. The Dixie Divas’ antics can brighten up the darkest of days. I really enjoyed this fast-paced mystery.

Just as a side note, this is the second book in this series. I haven’t read the first, but I was able to quickly get acclimated to the characters and the storyline. I do wish I had read the first book just to get more background on the main character, Trinket Truevine, but it didn’t do anything to ruin the story for me.




For Reading Challenges:

Chick Lit

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

Genre: Fiction
Format: EBook

Tom Wingo is the son of a dysfunctional family from the South Carolina low country. His father is abusive and his mother lays the guilt heavily over her three children. Things aren’t looking good for Tom as he loses his school coaching job and his wife informs him she is in love with another man. Life takes another horrible turn as his mother arrives and tells him his beloved twin sister, Savannah, has been institutionalized in New York City for attempting suicide.

Tom rushes to his sister’s side, but her psychiatrist, Susan Lowenstein, refuses to allow Tom to see Savannah. Dr. Lowenstein fears his presence will make Savannah retreat even further into despair. So Tom gives the doctor a full history behind the Wingo family in the hopes that it will explain what lies behind Savannah’s mental illness.

It doesn’t take long for Tom and Susan to grow close and fall in love, but Tom is still attached to his wife and daughters. It’s not an easy bond to break.

I loved the first half of this book. The characters were well-developed and they were all people I could either love or hate. They all came to life quite vividly. I found myself wondering what happened to make the Wingo family what they became. My one problem with the book is that I thought it was too long. I prefer more dialogue and less description in my books. This was the opposite. I felt as if the book could have been a couple of hundred pages shorter and work beautifully. Still, this was a good read and I’d be interested in reading more by this author.

Midnight Kiss by Robyn Carr, Jean Brashear and Victoria Dahl

Genre: Romance
Format: EBook
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: November 2010

It’s New Year’s Eve…a time for new beginnings and romance as three couples search for love and happiness, never expecting to welcome in the new year like this.

Midnight Confessions by Robyn Carr

It’s back to Virgin River as Jack’s Bar is having a New Year’s Eve party. Sunny is still reeling after her fiancé left her standing at the altar. After planning a huge, fancy wedding she was left to face her guests as she tells them the wedding is off for good. Escaping her humiliation, she visits her aunt and uncle in Virgin River. The last thing she needs is a man in her life, but when she meets Drew sparks immediately fly before the clock strikes 12.

Midnight Surrender by Jean Brashear

Attorney Jordan Parrish loves to her hair down when she’s not working and spends her time with many different men. She’s not the settling down type and just wants to have fun. Will Masterson is looking for a woman to have a family with and spend the rest of his life with. These two opposites somehow manage to find each other and can’t fight their attraction, even though they know a relationship could never work.

Midnight Assignment by Victoria Dahl

Elise Watson and Noah James are busy this holiday season as they are involved in a messy bank takeover. Then, after a very hot sexy kiss, they vow to stay away from each other but it’s a romantic time of year and their emotions are flying.

My review…

I enjoyed this quick read. I love holiday books and this one was fun. The characters were all well developed, especially when you realize how show each story is. Still, I felt as if readers could really get to know these delightful characters and cheer for them to get their midnight kiss.

I haven’t really been reading many romances lately, but this was well worth it. It would even make a nice stocking stuffer! Three great authors in one delicious book? What else can a romance reader ask for?

Margarita Nights by Phyllis Smallman

Genre: Cozy mystery
Format: EBook

The first book in the Sherri Travis mystery series is off to an explosive start when Jimmy Travis is blown up on his boat. The police are convinced this was no accident and their number one suspect is his estranged wife, Sherri. It is well known that Jimmy cheated on her and now the police are sure she finally got her revenge by murdering him.

Sherri’s life is far from perfect but she is content bartending at a local bar and not missing Jimmy in her life at all but nobody seems to believe her. Now, faced with a possible murder charge, Sherri decides to do a bit of detective work on her own. It doesn’t take long for her to discover that there is more to Jimmy’s death than she ever thought possible. She has a tough job ahead of her since the police aren’t paying any attention to what she says and seem more determined than ever to cart her off to jail for life.

Phyllis Smallman is off to a great start with this series. The characters are quirky and the heroine is tough and very likeable. The storytelling is fast-paced and the mystery kept readers guessing until the end.

The next three books in the series have such fun names – “Sex in a Sidecar”, “A Brewski for the Old Man”, and “Champagne for Buzzards”. Too funny. I’m looking forward to reading them. I love discovering “new-to-me” authors.