Category / Fair Read

Rating of 2.5 Stars

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Demon Rumm by Sandra Brown

Format: Paperback
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Loveswept, #197
Publisher: Bantam
Sensuality: 3
Hero: Rylan North
Heroine: Kirsten Rumm
Date of Publication:  May 1, 1987
Started On: January 17, 2010
Finished On: January 17, 2010

This is the only book of romance genre that I have read to date that tells the story solely from the hero’s point of view. Though this proved to be a refreshing change, this story didn’t hold its usual Sandra Brown charm to it.

Rylan a hot shot movie star is the leading male star in the movie Demon Rumm. This movie is about the daring stunt pilot Charlie Rumm, nicknamed as Demon Rumm, who died during one of his stunts, whose death is shrouded in a cloud of  mystery as to whether he committed suicide or whether his death was an accident.

The story Demon Rumm was being authored by his widowed wife, Kirsten Rumm, who wants to exorcise all the ghosts of her marriage  to Charlie and start afresh away from the public eye and glory which she was continually subjected to during her marriage to Charlie.

Rylan, being the perfectionist he is, worms his way into staying at the Rumm’s residence to reenact the last few days of Charlie’s life, and to really get a feel of what family life was like for the handsome as the devil pilot who seemed to have everything in life.

Rylan finds himself intrigued with Kirsten and tries to woo her into  his life, although this proves to be easier said than done with all the hang ups and reservations that Kirsten seems to have about starting a new relationship and falling in love again.

An OK read, but a bit disappointing to those who love the usual style depicted in Sandra Brown’s novels.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | AbeBooks | Half.com

fairread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham

Format: E-book
Read with: MS Word
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Pregnant Brides, Book 2
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Sergei Antonovich
Heroine: Alissa
Date of Publication: November 2009
Started On: January 11, 2010
Finished On: January 11, 2010

Apart from the cringe worthy title, this story is okay for a light read. Packed with the essential ingredients of a Harlequin romance, Lynne Graham has spun a mildly interesting and yet the usually predictable type of story that the Harlequin line is famous for.

Russian billionaire Sergei Antonovich, complete with a football team under his name (which sort of reminds me of Chelsea’s owner) is the typical Harlequin romance hero, with billions to his name, complete with the adoring set of blonde bimbo’s who form an adoring circle around him with a hard childhood, rotten parents and a badly ended marriage which has left him with a cynical outlook of all women in general. However the one person that he holds dear to his heart is his grandma who turned his life around when both his parents died when Sergei was a sullen teenager looking for all sorts of trouble. Sergei’s grandmother, who refuses to bask in the countless wealth at her grandson’s fingertips yearns to see the day her grandson settles down and gives her a great grand child to dote on.

With a bitter first marriage that still leaves a bad taste in his mouth, Sergei decides to approach the task of  finding a wife who would bear him a child with the well intentioned plan of leaving the wife by gaining the sole custody of the child borne. One person who applies for the placement is Alissa’s twin Alexa. As typical in most Harlequin romances, Alexa is the ‘evil’ twin per se who takes advantage of Alissa, the sweet and angelic twin for whom the only thing missing is just a halo on her head. That being said, Alexa tricks Alissa into going ahead with the marriage, and Alissa finds herself of course captivated by the mesmerizing man Sergei is.

The desire and passion is scorching hot, and amidst the fragile relationship that forms between Sergei and Alissa, the actual story behind how Alissa got ‘tricked’ into this contractual marriage rears its ugly head and threatens to drive a wedge between both of them. However, as usual, Sergei finds himself unable to let her go until Alissa has appeased all the hunger he has for her, which in an anti-climatic ending turns out to be that Sergei falls in love with Alissa from the moment that he lays his eyes on her. So typical!

Anyhow, this was an okay read. Disappointed though that Lynne Graham doesn’t weave the magic she used to. With her previous short novels like Angel of Darkness that had the power to leave a gut wrenching ache in your heart and make you cry happy tears at the sappy endings, the novels that come out now tend to be total letdowns in terms of those stories.

Purchase Links: BooksOnBoard | Amazon | Barnes&Noble

fairread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Just a Taste by Bronwyn Jameson

Format: E-bookjust
Opens with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Silhouette
Series: Dynasties: The Ashtons, Book 4
Hero: Seth Benndict
Heroine: Jillian Ashton
Date of Publication: April 1, 2005
Started On: November 26, 2009
Finished On: November 28, 2009

This is the next book in line in The Ashtons series. The story of Jillian and Seth, and the background story of the deceptions of Spencer Ashton, and how his children from different mothers come together and find love and acceptance with one another, something Spencer Ashton has been too selfish and self-centered to provide for any of his children.

Jillian and Seth has been in-laws in the past, til Jillian’s husband Jason Benndict and Seth’s wife Karen, both died in a car crash, leaving Seth with his young daughter Rachel and the secret that he has kept from Jillian till now, the fact that Karen and Jason had been having an affair with one another when death came calling.

This whole series focuses on the wine making business that The Ashtons family is in and Jillian too involved in the wine tasting aspect of the business, hires Seth to remodel their wine tasting cellar, despite the misgivings she has on the intense feelings that Seth has always been able to arouse in her. Seth, wanting a  taste of Jillian ever since the day he met her as Jason’s wife, never acts on this impulse knowing that just a taste would never be enough to satisfy the hunger and craving he has to be with Jillian.

In the end, they get together, the secret is out, and yes Jillian finally meets the father who abandoned them as children, and finds out for herself, just how much of a cold and unfeeling person Spencer Ashton is. I believe that this story would have been much better if snippets from Seth’s and Jillian’s past had been included in the story, so that the simmering tension between the couple would have been a bit more believable. And I sometimes felt that some areas of the story was dragged on, when more exciting stuff could have been happening *winks*.

Anyhow, the story wasn’t half bad and a gal has always gotta love a happy ending!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

fairread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Society-Page Seduction by Maureen Child

Format: E-booksociert
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dynasties: The Ashtons, Book 3
Publisher: Silhouette
Hero: Simon Pearce
Heroine: Megan Ashton
Date of Publication: March 1, 2005
Started On: November 23, 2009
Finished On: November 26, 2009

After reading the last book that I reviewed, Condition of Marriage by Emilie Rose I found myself interested in knowing more about the Ashton family which according to the series tag line says “The Ashtons — A family built on lies…brought together by dark, passionate secrets.”

Condition of Marriage  being the first book of this series that I read was actually the 9th book in this 12 book series. The story of Simon Pearce and Megan Ashton is the 3rd book in the series, and this was the book in which all the ugly secrets of Spencer Ashton, the father whose cruelty, lies and deception which is the underlying theme of this series, all start to unravel.

Spencer is married to Megan’s mother which as I mentioned in my previous review, turns out not to be a valid marriage since Spencer never really divorced his first wife. All these secrets and more start to come out of the closet in Megan and Simon’s story.

All her life, all Megan had wanted was her father’s approval, though he never had a word of encouragement or praise for either of his children. Megan works as a wedding planner and this is how she meets Simon Pearce, whilst planning his wedding to a bride who jilts him on the day of their wedding. Simon who was marrying for practical purposes, no mushy emotions involved thank-you very much, quickly proposes that Megan goes through the marriage with him, for a period of one year in order for him to expand his business with those whom seem to think that an unmarried man is not one to be trusted in the business world.

Megan, having her own reasons, which includes the fact her father is readying to marry her off to the Senator’s son, so that he would gain more power over government channels when running his business, decides to marry him on the spur and thus begins Megan’s and Simon’s story. Although this story wasn’t as sweet and beautiful as Jared and Mercede’s story, there was enough depth to the characters and plot line to make this an interesting read.

I guess most probably I would end up reading the stories in The Ashton’s series with the most interesting plot lines. Right now I am dead set on reading Name Your Price By Barbara McCauley and Just a Taste by Brownyn Jameson. And who knows, I might just end up reading the whole 12 books in the series, to quench my curiosity on who was ballsy enough  to kill Spencer Ashton!

Purchase Links: Amazon 

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