A Mistake, A Prince and a Pregnancy by Maisey Yates

Romance that falls a little flat

2 Stars

A mistake at an IVF clinic means that resolute singleton, Alison Whitman, now finds herself having a child with a man she knows nothing about. When she turns up to tell him about it, she finds that he’s Maximo Rossi, Prince of Turan and she’s now carrying his royal heir,

Whisked off to Turan and finding herself engaged to Maximo, Alison is determined to keep her distance. But she can’t hide from the burn of desire whenever she’s near Max and soon she finds herself with a royal problem – love.

Maximo was the perfect hero for the Modern line – sexy and strong while also arrogant and headstrong. Alison was a little bit more of a puzzle as she was by turns indpendent then shy and needy - I didn’t really understand her but I did want to like her. The pair had chemistry but it wasn’t anything special that made you sigh.

The storyline was a little far-fetched and relied on a lot of coincidences. But it’s much more interesting to read a fantasy romance than read about real life so that’s fine for me.

Unrelated to the actual content of the book, I did quite like the new cover designs for the Modern line. They’re not as cheesy as they used to be which is always a good thing!

I’m only going to give this book 2 stars as it didn’t really capture my attention from beginning to end. The writing is good and all the elements are there for a Modern M&B but it just lacked sparkle. Not one to pass up if it’s on your book shelf but also not one that I would go out of my way to recommend.

The Ex Factor by Nancy Warren

Readable but ultimately disappointing romance

3 Stars

Wedding planner extraordinaire, Karen Petersham, can take on any challenge when it comes to planning dream weddings. What she can’t deal with is the unexpected arrival of the devastatingly hot, and infernally annoying Dexter Crane – her ex husband.

Karen is determined not to fall for Dex again – especially with how badly things ended the first time round. But she can’t help but find herself in his arms and bed once again but this time he seems unwilling to let her go.

I feel quite bad about only giving this 3 stars as I love a romance where a couple have a second chance at love so this story was right up my street. When I first started reading I absolutely loved it. Karen and Dexter had such chemistry and I really enjoyed their bickering and banter.

Things were progressing nicely when suddenly the secondary love story kicked in and Dexter and Karen were suddenly gone for chapter after chapter. Then came a rather pointless bit about Chelsea and David from Warren’s previous book, My Fake Fiancee (although this book follows that one, each can easily be read as a stand alone). When we finally got back to Karen and Dexter they had lost their spark and the ending was concluded so quickly that the author seemed to have forgotten that the pair still had issues to work out. Of course it was a happy ending but I didn’t feel that the pair were truly over all the problems that were between them.

It could have been such a good book but it just lost its sparkle with the secondary romance. Disappointing but still a readable book and fine for a lazy afternoon. 3 stars.

One Winter's Night by Lori Borill

4 Enjoyable Christmas treats

4 stars

I love a good festive romance and this one has four short stories that you can manage to fit in no matter how busy you are. All four stories take place at the Christmas party for Stryker & Associates and involve a little bit of Christmas magic.

Here Comes Santa Claus

Monica Newell is an uptight workaholic so nobody would guess that she indulged in a hot one night stand on a recent business trip. But what will she do when the sexy cowboy of her recent encounter turns up at the office Christmas party and offers her a repeat performance?

This was an okay story but seemed a little far fetched and lacking in romance. Both Monica and Kit were fine enough characters but not people I felt particularly drawn to or much cared for which put a bit of a dampener on the story for me.

Sleigh Ride

Nick Castle and Allie Madison have been rivals for most of the time they have known each other. But when someone points out that Allie could be Nick’s soulmate, he’s determined to see what he’s been missing.

I love a story where a couple have an antagonistic relationship that turns into something more. Nick and Allie are both sharp, delightful characters making this my favourite story of the bunch.

You’re All I Want for Christmas

Anna Cole is down on her luck and facing the prospect of returning home to Idaho so crashing a Christmas party sounds like her last chance at some fun. So she is surprised when she finds herself hooked up with none other than John Stryker Jr, heir to the company whose party she has crashed. But will it change her fortune?

I didn’t much care for this story if I’m honest. It was all a bit bland and neither John nor Anna were particularly sympathetic characters. It was okay but nothing special.

Merry Christmas, Baby

Jeannie Carmichael does her job and gets little praise for her efforts. So when she gets a secret admirer, she feels like her luck might change and she might get a man for Christmas. But will it be the man she’s always dreamed of?

This was a cute story about not realising what’s right in front of your nose and what you do when you realise what’s really there. Troy and Jeannie were both lovely characters and this was a sweet and enjoyable story.

If you’re looking for a little Christmas romance then these four stories are perfect little treats to read on a cold night. I loved the addition of ‘Santa Claus’ and overall it was a book that I enjoyed and would recommend for those that like Christmas and Blaze romances. 4 stars.