Category / Toe Curler!!

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Against the Rules by Linda Howard

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Silhouette Intimate Moments #22
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: Mira
Hero: Rule Jackson
Heroine:  Cathryn Ashe
Date of Publication: October 1, 1983
Started On: February 2, 2010
Finished On: February 3, 2010

Linda Howard is absolutely one of the best romance writers out there. I stumbled upon her  books quite by chance and nearly devoured up all her work in a short period of time. Maybe this is the reason why that I forgot that I had once read this book, and it was only nearly at the end of the book that I realized that I had actually read this book during my initial Linda Howard crazed phase.

Linda Howard writes romances with strong alpha heroes that never fails to entice us women readers. They are strong, stubborn to a fault and oh yes when they do fall, they fall that much harder which makes us women wring our hands and go into a major sighing session. This book is no exception to this rule and it wouldn’t be a crime to say that Rule Jackson is one delicious hero.

Rule and Cathryn were neighbors when they were growing up. Back then Rule had been a happy boy, although intense in nature. However everything changed when Rule was enlisted to go fight in the Vietnam war. Upon his return, Rule had changed into someone entirely different. Gone was the happy carefree young man, instead a sullen, dangerously silent man remained. Getting into endless trouble over time and going on day long drinking binges finally took its toll and at Rule’s weakest moment, Cathryn’s father Ward took him in and gave him a second chance at living.

Given the vast age difference between Cathryn and Rule, it was to Rule that her father left the management of the ranch upon his sudden death. Cathryn has never felt comfortable at all around Rule and things finally come to their explosive conclusion when Cathryn loses her virginity to Rule in succumbing to the combustive passion they find in each other. Seventeen then, Cathryn scared out of her wits at what she has discovered flees to pursue her higher studies and then marries David.

Now twenty five years of age, Cathryn once again returns home a widow, and Rule stakes his claim on Cathryn from the moment she steps off the plane. Though Cathryn cannot deny her all consuming love for Rule, she cannot be sure whether Rule feels the same way about her. Of course it doesn’t help that Cathryn’s half sister Richy thinks she is in love with Rule as well and tries to poison the fragile bond  between Cathryn and Rule with malicious innuendo at every turn.

A good read, romance as it should be!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 2
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Bobby Tom Denton
Heroine:  Gracie Snow
Date of Publication: January 1, 1995
Started On: February 1, 2010
Finished On: February 1, 2010

Though this book wasn’t as satisfying as the last two of the Chicago Stars series that I read, Bobby Tom and Gracie’s is pretty charming in its own way. Gracie Snow, having grown up and worked with old people all 30 years of her life, has never experienced the deep gut wrenching passion that people always talk about. But things make a drastic turnabout when she is hired by the company that is shooting the first movie that ex-Chicago Star football player Bobby Tom has signed onto star in. A fatalistic knee injury which had cut his fantastic football career short, Bobby Tom is a man at odds who doesn’t know what to do with his life when all he has known is to play football and the live the life that goes along with being a football player.

From the moment Gracie sees Bobby Tom, its lust at first sight. Here was a man who could show her everything that she has been missing all her life, though Bobby Tom doesn’t show the slightest inclination that he found her even the least bit attractive, not surprising when he is always surrounded by beautifully made up blonde women with massive chests of which Gracie is the polar opposite. However, this doesn’t deter her from the job she has been handed, that is to drag Bobby Tom’s ass to the movie site so that they could start with the shoot.

However, things hardly go according to plan when Bobby Tom refuses to budge even an inch and leave with Gracie on the flight as planned. Gracie forces Bobby Tom to take her along on the road trip that Bobby would rather take to his hometown (where the movie is to be shot to revive the local economy), and finally they arrive after many detours 3 days later than her boss expected them to. Fired for incompetence Gracie is rehired upon Bobby’s insistence and an arrangement is struck with the producer so that Gracie wouldn’t ever find out that it is actually Bobby who is paying Gracie’s salary.

Before even half way through the novel, Gracie acknowledges that her feelings towards Bobby Tom has turned into love, which she vows Bobby Tom would receive and Gracie be the first person in his life to actually give something to him without expecting something in return.

However, things hardly go according to plan as matters of the heart have a way of their own and to worm its way into someone who has put up such a strong shield against all those women who seem to throw themselves at him, it proves to be a tough journey towards facing the inevitable truth in their feelings towards one another.

A nice little side story of Bobby’s mother and the town’s bad boy Way makes things a bit more enticing for the reader. All in all a pretty good read, recommended for those who love novels with a quirky sense of humor, passion and love.

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 1
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Dan Calebo
Heroine:  Phoebe Somerville
Date of Publication: October 13, 2009
Started On: January 31, 2010
Finished On: February 1, 2010

As I mentioned in my previous review, reading Molly and Kevin’s story made me want to start from the beginning of the Chicago Stars series. And to my surprise once I started reading the first book in this series, I realized that I had in fact read this book sometime back, but decided to go ahead with the read since a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips never fails to amuse, entertain and tug at your heartstrings.

Phoebe Somerville works hard at projecting the image of the perfect bimbo. With a voluptuous figure that people compare to Marilyn Monroe’s, the sexy simpering idiotic female is a role that Phoebe has perfected over the years since she ran away from her father. Posing for nude art pieces and hanging out with gay men had eventually made her father Bert Somerville, owner of the Chicago Stars football team remove Phoebe from his will. However, it seems Bert once again gets the last laugh from the grave when he wills the ownership of the Stars team to Phoebe till the end of the season thinking to teach his only failure in life a lesson she wouldn’t forget.

Dan Calebo, the head coach of Stars is everything Phoebe abhors in a man. Too masculine and aggressive for comfort, Phoebe finds herself unable to pull off the blonde bimbo facade that has saved her from becoming intimate with men for the past sixteen years. Likewise, Dan cannot stand the idea of someone as scatterbrained as Phoebe managing his football team.

From the moment these two opposites butt their heads together, the inevitable sparks fly. Though Dan has plans to find a nice homely woman and settle down with 2.5 kids, he never factored into the equation how he might start to feel for Phoebe once he gets to know the story of the woman behind all the glitter and makeup. Its inevitable that these two would crash headlong into love with each other, if they could just trust each other just a little and learn to look behind appearances that these two try real hard to keep up.

An enjoyable story of how two strong willed people from polar opposite backgrounds come together, this is a story true romantics would deeply relish, whose characters would stay with the reader for a long time afterwards.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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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: Too Much Temptation by Lori Foster

Format: E-Booktoomuchtemptation
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Brava Brothers, Book 1
Sensuality: 3.5
Publisher: Zebra Leads
Hero: Noah Harper
Heroine:  Grace Jenkins
Date of Publication: December 1, 2007
Started On: January 25, 2010
Finished On: January 25, 2010

I read this book a long time back and whilst browsing through a discussion forum on Amazon, I once again came across this title and had the itch to read it all over again. Lori Foster is an author who writes great stories with lots of humor injected into the romance which makes reading the book a more memorable one. And yes, the sensuality level of her novels are off the charts as well!

Noah is one of the bastard grand sons of Agatha, a woman who is as rich as she is aristocratic. With his father who had made no claims on any of his sons, Agatha searches Noah out when her son dies leaving her bereft and without a family to leave everything she has. Although Agatha puts her pride before everything else, she teaches Noah everything about doing business she knows. Noah has his life all mapped out and goes along with his grandmother’s plans of marrying Kara, his fiance of more than a year, whom he finds in bed with another man going at each other like crazy. Noah calls off the wedding but in consideration to Kara’s feelings and fears that her parents wouldn’t accept the person with whom she has fallen in love with, Noah takes the brunt of all accusations and criticism on putting a stop to a wedding that would have rocked the city.

Grace Jenkins, secretary of Noah’s grandmother for the past three years, who has loved Noah ever since she set her eyes on him, is outraged when she hears that all the blame has been placed at Noah’s feet. Knowing Noah, Grace knows that he wouldn’t have called off the wedding unless he had a very compelling reason to do so. Such trust and faith from someone whom Noah never even expected, Noah finds himself lured towards the gentle and loving nature behind the no nonsense facade Grace puts up. Its inevitable that Noah and Grace end up in bed with one another when Grace has been yearning for Noah ever since she met him.

With Agatha meddling all the way to get Noah and Kara back together, thinking she knows whats in the best interest of her grandson, and Grace fighting for Noah’s honor every step of the way, this story makes a highly entertaining read, one thats quite easy to read in one sitting. Recommended for those who love a feisty heroine who is not of the perfect dolled out variety usually found in romance novels, and a scorching hot hero who is guaranteed to make your toes curl.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Blaze, #380
Publisher: Harlequin
Sensuality: 3.5
Hero: Lucas Grant
Heroine:  Sophie Gallagher
Date of Publication: February 1, 2008
Started On: January 21, 2010
Finished On: January 23, 2010

Lucas Grant, famous movie star and notorious playboy needs to recuperate to recover from a torn ligament on his knee. One of his friends offers him their place up on the Blue Mountain and its just him and his personal chef Sophie Gallagher all alone for the next four weeks.

Sophie is the exact opposite of Lucas. Being dumped by her boyfriend of fourteen years which had propelled her to take the job in the first place, Sophie isn’t one who takes risks or rushes headlong into things without thinking them to death first. However things get interesting for Sophie when its lust at first sight for her with Lucas.

At first, Lucas thinks he might go stir crazy if he has to stay around the quiet place for four whole weeks. However, with Sophie around and the anticipation of working and wooing a woman into his bed for the very first time, Lucas rises up to the challenge to get more than what he bargained for.

Their relationship was supposed to be strictly about sex and nothing more. Until Sophie went ahead and confessed her love for Lucas which didn’t bode very well for Lucas as he was scared shit about love. A childhood tragedy which had landed up Lucas in the state ward care, and Lucas’s refusal to face his past demons eventually break these two apart until Lucas finds the strength to lay his past to rest and really and truly love and be loved by the only woman who means everything to him.

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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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Just Friends? By Allison Leigh

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Men of the Double-C Ranch, Book 7
Publisher: Silhouette
Sensuality: 3
Hero: Evan Taggart
Heroine:  Leandra Clay
Date of Publication: February 1, 2007
Started On: January 19, 2010
Finished On: January 21, 2010

I guess I have been reading a bit too much within the last few days and sort of just hit a phase where reading anything didn’t appeal to me that much. So for a change from my usual reading activities I watched a little bit of TV and caught up on watching those television series I always collect but rarely sit down and watch. So anyhow, this was a book I found on one of my usual forays into finding books where best friends find love with one another.

It wasn’t surprising to say the least that this book is the 7th in a series when I kind of had that intuition all along when details of the main characters’ huge family kept cropping up now and again. Though it is confusing to make sense of who comes from where with such a large family and as close knit as they are portrayed to be, this book can be read as a standalone.

So to continue on with the review, Evan Taggart is the only veterinarian in town and has been in love with his childhood friend Leandra ever since he can remember. However, on one of his college breaks he had brought along Jake his best friend and Jake and Leandra had fallen in love and tied the knot and left to live elsewhere. And now, Leandra divorced from Jake for a couple of years, is back in their hometown and filming Evan for a series that she is developing for the television station she works in. Evan although hates the intrusion into his life can’t help but want Leandra all over again although he tries to convince himself that his best friend’s ex-wife should be off limits for him.

To complicate matters further, Leandra is hurting from the loss of her child, whose death had led to Leandra closing herself off from all those who love her. Blaming herself for the death of her child, Leandra doesn’t handle being around kids very well. However, Evan looks after his autistic niece Hannah, with whom Leandra’s first instinct is to flee and never look back.

This story is more about family life, getting over one’s past and moving on than focusing on the romance aspect of the two characters. I have mixed feelings about this novel. There were times when I felt like giving Leandra a big good shake just to make her see what was right in front of her if she gives her life half the chance. Anyhow, the read wasn’t half bad I suppose.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | AbeBooks

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hold by Zannie Adams

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Sensuality: 3.5
Hero: Cain
Heroine:  Riana
Date of Publication:  November 2, 2007
Started On: January 18, 2010
Finished On: January 18, 2010

I usually don’t read romance of the futuristic genre or those of the fantasy genre. However this read was quite okay considering the fact I rarely foray into reading such genres.

The time period in which this story takes place is unknown. However it is a time in which all inhabited planets are ruled by a group called the Coalition, which I took to mean that maybe a group representing all planets had got together to maintain law and order amongst the galaxies.

The Hold is a prison that is maintained by this Coalition. Although the sentences passed out by the said Coalition is swift, it is hardly fair or rather harsh life imprisonment sentences are passed out, even to those who are undeserving of such a sentence at a time where capital punishment is forbidden. The Hold lies on a planet that is not habitable by humans and thus this prison is built deep within the poisonous waters of the seas that cover the planet Genus 6. Inside the Hold it is each prisoner for him or herself. Rather than cells that hold prisoners, all of them are clumped together in one area and the guards that overlook the prisoners never interfere with what goes on inside the holding mega cell.

Riana, an archaeologist who works at a university on Earth, commits unknowingly the crime of digging in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Hold, and it is the advice of one of the guards there that she scout out the strongest man at the prison and seek protection with him from the rest by giving herself unto him.

It is during Riana’s introductory ‘tour’ of the Hold that she sees Cain, a prisoner who keeps to himself and is the only one who has a cell in the mega cell that holds all the prisoners. Cain rescues Riana just in time from the other lecherous prisoners and in due turn, Riana gives herself completely to this fierce and rather intimidating prisoner who slowly manages to get into Riana’s heart.

Although I do not agree with all the concepts outlined in this novel, I can relate to giving yourself up if your survival depended on it. Like all novels written by Zannie Adams, this too is a well written novel, easy to read with a high dose of sensuality to it.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Renaissance by Zannie Adams

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Sensuality: 4
Hero: Kent Landon
Heroine:  Cali Ross
Date of Publication:  March 21, 2007
Started On: January 18, 2010
Finished On: January 18, 2010

Having read the book Complicated by the same author, my interest in her writing style was piqued enough for me to try out the rest of her books released in e-book format. This story is longer and more intense than Complicated, but I loved pretty much every minute of Kent and Cali’s story.

I have discovered that this author tends to write romances concerning heroes and heroines who are a bit older than the normal twosomes that you encounter in your romance novels. Likewise in this novel Cali is in her late 30’s and Kent in his early or mid 40’s.

Cali and Kent first meet during Cali’s teen years. Back then Cali had been as ambitious as anyone whose dream was to become a reporter. Living alone with her father since her mother deserted them, Cali had long since learnt to be independent and not to rely on anyone but herself to get things done. Her tendencies to write newspaper articles exposing local businesses and other such events lands her with a job at the local newspaper right after she finishes her high school. Kent, the son of Philip Landon, CEO of Landon Industries who starts hanging out with her best buddy Jason seems to evoke feelings of animosity from Cali at first. Judging Kent to be as slick as his father, about whom Cali was currently working on writing an expose on, Cali encounters Kent on her break-in into the Landon Enterprises to gather facts to back her article.

Rather than what Cali expected, Kent helps Cali on writing the article to expose the way his father handles business. Although Cali thinks that they both shared a lot more than just tidbits of information for the article, Kent blatantly ignores Cali after the article hits the press. Cali although hurt and bitter about being used so callously, goes away to earn her degree and stays away for 20 odd years, only coming back to meet her father twice a year or so.

However, things change when Cali realizes that she should be there for her father when he has to undergo surgery on both knees. Giving up her life in Chicago, Cali moves back home and takes up a job at a local newspaper. On her first night back, Cali encounters Kent again at a fund raising event and on the very first night both succumb to the attraction that had always been there between them. Where Kent has been aloof and laid back 20 years earlier, he was a completely closed book hiding behind an impeccable shield that doesn’t seem to crack even under the most unimaginable circumstances.

Cali tries to avoid getting into a purely sexual relationship with Kent, although her father seems to think that Kent is the one for her. And her best friend Alice who proves to be refreshing character in this novel, convinces Cali to at least give Kent a chance to prove that he could give Cali what she really wants out of a relationship.

The journey Kent and Cali take towards happiness is a slow and moving one that is sure to touch the reader’s heart. Its refreshing to read about two characters who just do not suddenly find themselves in love, but rather have to actually work and compromise to make their relationship work. Highly recommended for those who love a gritty love story with a high dose of sensuality thrown into the mix.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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