Category / Outstanding Read

Rating of 5 stars!

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Hero: Dr. Linc Blaise
Heroine:  Daisy Flattery
Date of Publication: January 26, 2010
Started On: February 23, 2010
Finished On: February 24, 2010

Jennifer Crusie is an author famous for writing romances with loads of humor put into the mix that you can’t help but laugh aloud or smile throughout the novel. I think this is the 3rd book that I tried from this author and the story was a wonderful mix of humor, married life, passion and the quirks of living in a small town where every single person knows the other.

Daisy and Linc couldn’t be any more different from one another even if they tried. Where Daisy is an artist struggling to make ends meet whilst trying to get her career as an artist on track, Linc is a university professor specialized in historical studies. Though they both live in the same housing complex, Daisy has always considered Linc to be a bit stuffy and of course the time he kicked Liz her cat has totally painted Linc to be the bad guy in Daisy’s eye. Linc considers Daisy to be a bit of a nut case who wears clothes in bright and mismatched colors that hurts one’s eyes to look at her.

Daisy hits a rough patch when her savings all but dry up leaving her destitute. And Linc covets a position in a small town college as a professor so that he can devote more time to write his second book. However, Linc realizes that without a wife on his arm he wouldn’t land this job that he so desires and so strikes up a bargain with the weirdly homely looking Daisy to pose as his fiance for a day so that he could convince the college to offer him the job.

Linc never thought that he would end up utterly fascinated with Daisy’s vibrant and colorful nature. Although Linc and Daisy do go their separate ways once their Cinderella deal is up, Linc is forced to come back and make the offer of marriage to Daisy, though Linc refuses to acknowledge the fact that he yearns for Daisy in a way that he never thought possible.

Daisy tries so hard to mold herself to be the perfect, respectable college professor wife and in turn nearly loses what essentially makes her who she is. Though these two agree to keep their relationship on a platonic level till the 10 month period of their marriage is over, it doesn’t make the heat that flares between the two any easier to ignore.

This story is wonderful in the way Daisy and Linc both grew in their marriage without the physical hocus pocus that clouds everything from the beginning. Linc learns to loosen up, to appreciate Daisy for what and who she is and in turn Daisy learns that she is worthy of being loved and wanted for who she is.

The side characters in the novel and all the antics and hilarity of Daisy being landed with three mothers to look after her gives the  book the edge of humor which makes this book an unforgettable romance. Loved the book from the beginning.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell by Samantha James

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: McBride Family, Book 1
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Hero: Simon Blackwell
Heroine:  Annabel McBride
Date of Publication: April 1, 2007
Started On: February 22, 2010
Finished On: February 23, 2010

This has got to be one of the best historical romances that I have ever had the pleasure to read. I read this book sometime back and this title has always remained somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind as a book that should be re-read from time to time. So after the previous historical romance I read and reviewed, I had this itch to find this book once again and give it a a go. And this story enthralled me the second time round as well, maybe more than the first time round.

Simon Blackwell is the epitome of tortured heroes. Though he is not cynical and deliberately cruel as certain heroes tend to be, Simon is a man who hides his passionate nature behind a wall of anguish that one can never even begin to describe or comprehend. Losing his wife and two kids five years back in a tragic accident, Simon has blamed himself for their deaths and berated at the fates for snatching away the most important people in his life.

By chance on one of his rare trips to London, he meets Annie. Annie dislikes Simon for the rudeness that he showed her on their first meeting but finds herself inexplicably drawn to this enigmatic man whom all members of her family seem to like on their first encounter. The smoldering attraction between these two finally takes a turn when during their first kiss, Annie’s family discovers them with the tip off from an old nemesis of Annie’s. Forced to wed never knowing about Simon’s painful past, Annie has her work cut out for her in thawing the ice cold lock around Simon’s heart.

Simon fights the immense attraction and the intense feelings that Annie arouses in him every step of the way. Being as stubborn as Simon, Annie at last manages to crumble his defenses and make Simon embrace the smoldering hot passion that flares between the two. I have to tell you, this book has got one of the hottest and greatest love scenes ever!

Finally at the end, love triumphs over tragedy and heartache and Simon finds the courage in him to let go, to love and be loved in return. Lovely story highly recommended for historical romance lovers. Will surely end up re-reading this book in the future. Yes, it is THAT good!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth

Format: E-bookmydarlingcaroline
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Earl of Weymerth Brent Ravenscroft
Heroine:  Caroline Grayson
Date of Publication: October 1, 1998
Started On: February 21, 2010
Finished On: February 22, 2010

It’s been quite sometime since I enjoyed a historical romance as this one. Adele Ashworth is definitely one author I would keep an eye on from now onwards. This romance is so heartwarming that I just can’t help but smile deep within after finishing the story of Brent and Caroline.

Brent returns from serving for England as a secret service agent and fighting the war against Napoloean Bonaparte to find his cousin to whom he had handed over his estate and finances whilst he was gone had sold his most priced possessions. A man who has a way with breeding horses, Brent finds that its Caroline’s father who had purchased his most priced collection of horses.

Willing to strike a bargain to buy them back into his possession, Brent finds Caroline’s father wants to strike a deal to marry off his 3rd daughter Caroline, whom society has already labeled  to be a spinster with no good prospective offers for her hand in sight, which is fine with Caroline since her life and passion is devoted to being a botanist and breeding different varieties of roses.

Caroline an extra ordinarily gifted woman, wants nothing to do with men but to be left alone to pursue her dreams and her one passion in life. Wanting to go off to America to pursue her study of Botany, but never finding the right way to approach her father regarding the matter, Caroline finds in her marriage a way out, an annulment from a husband who made his intentions of not wanting a wife in the first place quite clear.

However, both Brent and Caroline never factored into their little plans that they would both become irresistibly drawn to one another and eventually fall in love with such spellbinding sweetness that as the reader I couldn’t help but be enchanted.

Brent is the type of hero that you come across rarely. With a bitter childhood, and a lonely past, he is handsome and utterly drool worthy in his pursuits in seducing his rather reluctant wife to stay by his side.

An old enemy from Brent’s past who wants to ruin everything that means something to him, a deaf child Brent fathered and the tidbits from both Brent and Caroline’s pasts are intrinsically woven together together to create a tale that you can’t really put down once you have started. Wonderful love story!

Highly recommended!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Dangerous Passion by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Dangerous Book 3
Sensuality: 4
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Hero: Viktor “Drake” Drakovich
Heroine:  Grace Larsen
Date of Publication: July 21, 2009
Started On: February 6, 2009
Finished On: February 13, 2009

It’s been a while since I posted a review here. Mind you, I haven’t given up on reading but every spare minute I have these days, I end up watching The Mentalist which has got me pretty hooked. Anyhow I managed to finish this book after a week of starting it, and I blame it all on Simon Baker for keeping me so engrossed on watching him solve homicides!

So back to the review, like most of Lisa Marie Rice’s books, this book too has an intense alpha hero with a real dangerous edge to him. Growing up in parts of Russia on the streets, Drake is someone who has learnt to kill with his bare hands at a very early age, just to survive and move onto the next day. Now richer than he has ever hoped to be, and more powerful than anyone can imagine, with his fair share of enemies in all the wrong places, Drake is a weapons and arms dealer.

Though Drake has everything and more in his power he feels restless until he sees these beautiful paintings on one of his rides through the city of Manhattan. There in that little gallery, Drake sees Grace and his world is forever changed. Drake knows too well that he cannot impose on any woman the life he has chosen for himself. His enemies if ever were to find a weakness in him, Drake knows they would exploit it till he is on his knees a broken man in every way. But this doesn’t stop him from going to see Grace once a month in her gallery unknown to her.

But things take a drastic turn when his enemies discover his fascination with Grace and tries to kidnap her to use as leverage against Drake. Drake and Grace narrowly escape with their lives though the killer(s) are intent on finishing what they have started.

Drake doesn’t know the name to give the emotions that Grace rouses in him. Drake wrongfully thinks that tumbling into bed and keeping Grace there would definitely cure him of what ails him whenever he is in her vicinity. However as these two are confined to be in the same place for security purposes, the wall of steel around Drake’s heart starts to crumble bit by bit. And finally after a second fatalistic attack these two are forced to run for their lives and completely disappear from the face of the earth as the relentless killer pursues on his mission to eradicate Drake once and for all.

Scorching hot passion with a hero who knows what he is doing makes this book a page scorcher. If men in the real world have even a figment of what heroes in these books have, we women would be a pretty happy bunch over on the side of reality.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 5
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Kevin Tucker
Heroine:  Molly Somerville
Date of Publication: March 17, 2009
Started On: January 30, 2010
Finished On: January 31, 2010

First of all, I just have got to say, what a great read! This book has everything that makes a great romance. Susan Elizabeth’s charm never fails to evoke all the right emotions from the reader.

I haven’t really been reading the Chicago Stars series in order, a fact which I am thinking of remedying by starting from Book 1 of the series, the story of Molly’s sister which I am really interested in reading after seeing quick sneaks into her life with Dan Calebo.

Molly and Kevin’s story is a fascinating one, not just the story of how they find one another and quickly fall in love, but rather a journey these two take in finding the love they could both have with one another if given half the chance. At first glance, Molly and Kevin couldn’t be further apart from one another if they tried. A children’s books author, her characters you find are closely linked with Kevin’s escapades over the years, Molly has had a huge crush on Kevin as long as she can remember. Not that football jock Kevin even knows she exists. With the continuous string of the doll faced women with no brains of their own that parade through his life, Kevin seems to be at the top of his game playing for the football team managed by Molly’s sister Phoebe.

Though Molly doesn’t seem to realize it, she has got this streak of restlessness inside of her which lands her in trouble from time to time. This is what ends her up in Kevin’s bed, seducing him in his sleep and an outraged Kevin who gets rightfully pissed off about being  taken advantage of. Kevin makes Molly promise to him that if there ever were consequences of their coming together she would let him know, which of course Molly doesn’t when she finds herself pregnant.

Molly’s well meaning family, Phoebe and Dan are both shocked when they find out Molly is pregnant and jump to all the wrong conclusions about who took advantage of whom when they find out that Kevin is the father. Kevin slams back into Molly’s life and makes her marry him, though Kevin can barely be civil to the woman who has turned everything in his life upside down.

In the end, mere hours after getting married, tragedy strikes which quickly spins Molly’s world out of control. Once again, its Kevin who shakes her out of depression, takes her off on a trip to Wind Lake, and finds herself running the quaint bed and breakfast that Kevin inherits from his aunt which Kevin wants nothing to do with. Here Kevin faces his demons from his childhood face on, with Molly finally finding peace within herself in this beautiful place.

Tentatively, Kevin and Molly find in one another friendship, and finally red hot desire for one another, that makes Kevin sweat profusely at the idea of getting all his emotions involved in finally inevitably falling for Molly.

This is truly great story with a lovable cast of side characters and of course who wouldn’t love Molly’s fictional characters Daphne and Bunny with their witty and adorable insights into the beginnings of each chapter of the book. Highly recommended for those who love a good romance with a witty cast of characters that could make you smile, make your heart ache just a little and finally end you up with a bunch of happy tears at the truly deserving happy ending!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Home for the Holidays by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Single Father, # 27
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Joe Lawson
Heroine:  Hannah Napier
Date of Publication: November 1, 2009
Started On: January 21, 2010
Finished On: January 21, 2010

I don’t know how she does it, but Sarah Mayberry is one author who never disappoints. In this Harlequin Super Romance, Sarah Mayberry explores the story of a single father Joe with his two children Ben and Ruby and the second chance at love this family is given, with a few surprises thrown in at the end.

Joe’s wife Beth dies in a car accident. It has been two years since then and Joe moves their family to Melbourne to start over afresh. On his first night at their new place, Joe encounters his neighbor Hannah which leaves both of them with mistakenly bad impressions of one another.

Joe, still in love with his dead wife, who hasn’t even thought about a woman in ages and Hannah who was jilted by her fiance for her sister who has the dream of travelling all over Australia and fears giving away her heart to another when she is still reeling from the shock of the immense betrayal she faced, never thought for a moment that they both might find in each other what they have been missing.

However, with a family to consider, things do not go as smoothly as one might think. Although Ruby is delighted with the idea of Hannah and Joe dating, Ben doesn’t warm up to the idea and goes out of his way to make Hannah’s time together with the family a miserable one.

Sarah Mayberry has created such heartwarming characters in each of the lead roles in this novel. I absolutely fell in love with Joe’s daughter Ruby, she is such a delight teaching Hannah the highs and lows of the current fashions when she is just 8 years old.

In the end, working through a lot of hurdles fate throws their way, this family triumphs in all the ways that matter. A good read, recommended for those who love a good romance with a dose of family life and second chances thrown into the mix.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Complicated by Zannie Adams

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Sensuality: 4.5
Hero: Greg Stone
Heroine:  Victoria Ray
Date of Publication:  September 7, 2007
Started On: January 17, 2010
Finished On: January 18, 2010

Sigh!! Aah, nothing compares to that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you have managed to grab hold of a great book and read it in one sitting. This  a new author for me and I found this book of hers recommended on a discussion forum on Amazon where one reader has requested for books where the hero is considerably older than the heroine, which is the case in this book.

Victoria is a librarian in her early 30’s and Greg is a businessman in his early 40’s whose brother was elected as the governor during the course of the novel, the campaign for his election through which Victoria and Greg first meet. They agree to a purely sexual affair, both of them not looking for the complications that go along with having a real relationship with someone.

After a very satisfying three month period of their affair, Greg’s daughter Carrie confronts Victoria at her workplace labeling her as the slut her father was infatuated with. Faced with a complication that Victoria never had an inkling of, and after a brutal confrontation takes place between father and daughter, Victoria decides to end things with Greg and try to move on, which is easier said than done.

The passion between Greg and Victoria is scorching hot and the story itself an engaging one which I recommend to all those who love stories of the Romantica genre. This is one author who has landed a very special place on my ‘to-look-out-for-authors’ list.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: All Jacked Up by Lorelei James

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Rough Riders, Book 8
Publisher: Samhain
Hero: Jack Donohue
Heroine: Keely McKay
Date of Publication: November 3, 2009
Started On: January 5, 2010
Finished On: January 7, 2010

This is the first book ever that I tried out of this author. This book is one sure red hot read that the author pulls off quite nicely. I think this is the last book released of the rough riders series and features the lone girl in the McKay family. Keely who wants to earn her own place in their close knit society rather than been remembered as a hell raiser when she was younger.

Jack, best friend of one of Keely’s brother, had always seemed to rub her the wrong way. Whenever Jack and Keely are in the same room, they manage to insult one another to no end. One hot kiss that Jack and Keely shared at one of her brother’s weddings didn’t seem to make things any better.

Now two years later, Keely needs Jack’s help in finalizing her efforts to start her own rehabilitative clinic and Jack needs Keely to act as his fiancé to pull off a business deal which Jack wants so badly, bad enough to want to pretend to be engaged to Keely and take on being part of the McKay clan.

Although their passion could singe away the bedsheets, out of the bedroom they tend to be as divided as ever. And both of them do not realize that with each moment they spend together inevitably leads them to fall in love with another, a love which they both need to realize is way more important than anything else in their lives.

A very hot read guaranteed to sizzle up your insides ladies!

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Texas! Chase by Sandra Brown

Format: E-booktexaschase
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Texas!, Book 2
Publisher: Bantam
Hero: Chase Tyler
Heroine: Marcie Jones
Date of Publication: August 1, 1991
Started On: December 26, 2009
Finished On: December 27, 2009

This book is Sandra Brown at her best.

The Texas! series features the Tyler family. The first book focuses on Lucky, the second book being this one and third book is the story of their younger sister Sage Tyler. All three books provide unforgettable romance with searing passion. I read this book quite sometime back and remembered it to be my favorite. I always tend to love a romance which has a previous history linking the hero and heroine in some manner whether it be romantic or otherwise.

Marcie Jones nicknamed Goosey for being nerdy during the years of high school which she shared with Chase and had a major crush on him, is now a successful real estate agent having amassed quite a fortune with her work. She meets Tanya, Chase’s beloved wife, when they seek to buy a house for themselves before their baby comes along. On the way back from viewing the house Marcie was sure would make a lovely home for Tanya and Chase, a senseless accident kills the pregnant Tanya and leaves Marcie with serious but not life threatening injuries. Chase’s world is shattered when in a day’s time he loses his beloved wife and their child who had not even had the chance to breathe into this world.

Two years later, Marcie encounters Chase at a rodeo where he nearly gets himself killed on the arena. Marcie stays with him during his brief time at the hospital and finally brings Chase back home since the accident. Whilst Chase has been away immersing himself in alcohol and whoring, their family business Tyler Drilling had gone under and things look really bad for them until Marcie proposes that Chase marry her in order for her to help bail out their business. The idea seems ridiculous to Chase at first but soon he makes up his mind to go along with the marriage even though Chase’s family doesn’t feel too comfortable about the decision.

Marcie has her work cut out for her in a marriage where she has to fight with Chase every step of the way to gain his trust, affection and love. Chase determined not to betray the memory of his loving wife doesn’t want to acknowledge the intense feelings that Marcie is able to invoke in him and this ultimate battle of wills proves to be a scorching read. Loved every minute of the sexual tension between the two characters hot enough to scorch the memory chips of my laptop.

Loved every bit of the novel. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a good dose of romance packed with a brooding hero who I guarantee you would make your hearts go aflutter.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Cal Bonner
Heroine: Dr. Jane Darlington
Date of Publication:February 1, 1997
Started On: December 22, 2009
Finished On: December 25, 2009

Dr. Jane Darlington may be a brilliant physics scientist but she doesn’t really have a clue about what life is all about. Growing up alone with a father, who didn’t know what to do with such a brilliant child with no love lost between father and daughter, all Dr. Jane yearns for is a child of her own, whom she would protect with every fiber of her being, so that mockery & isolation from fellow peers is not the only thing her child would know in life. The only problem for Dr. Jane is finding a suitable candidate to father her child, someone who is dumb enough to compensate for her brilliance so that their child would not be labelled a ‘freak’. By a twist of fate, Dr. Jane meets with Jodie, one of the groupies that were forever after the Chicago Stars, who had been assigned the task of finding a high class prostitute as a birthday present for Cal Bonner.

Someone whose career in football is about to end, Cal Bonner doesn’t do commitment well. Afraid of acknowledging the fact that his high profile career is about to end, Cal doesn’t want or need anyone tying him down. Jodie finds the suitable candidate to pose as Cal’s birthday present from the team members when she meets Dr. Jane and quite by chance finds Dr. Jane fascinated with Cal Bonner thinking him to be a dumb jock, a highly suitable candidate to father her child.

Thus begins the highly entertaining story of how Cal finds himself with a woman who is able to give as good as she gets, someone who has an uncanny understanding of himself, and someone who could really get under his skin if he ain’t careful about it. Finding out that Dr. Jane tricked him into getting herself pregnant with his child, when he wasn’t ready at all for such a thing, pushes Cal over the edge and demands Dr. Jane to marry him and vows he would destroy Jane for tricking him and cheating him out of what he wants in life.

Throw in the highly unusual members of Cal’s family and you have got on your hands one hell of an enjoyable romance. I loved every bit of Cal’s and Jane’s encounters filled with moments of laughter, uncertainty, scorching passion and unbeatable romance with a great happy ending at the end. Highly recommended!

Purchase Links: BooksOnBoard | Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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