tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32517874786260995452024-02-19T16:33:26.440+00:00Cozy Jo's Romance ReviewsJosie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-74477477027188187382012-04-26T21:17:00.000+01:002012-04-26T21:17:31.028+01:00For Services Rendered by Patricia Kay<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007N6K4LY/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B007N6K4LY"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B007N6K4LY&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B007N6K4LY" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007N6K4LY/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007N6K4LY"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B007N6K4LY&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007N6K4LY" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A likeable Mills & Boon romance</b><br />3 stars<br /><br />When Claire Kendrick is summoned to the boss’s office, she can’t think what anyone would want with her. All she wants is to do her job, get her paycheck and take care of her ailing mother.<br /><br />CEO, Nick Callahan, is handsome, smart and successful. When he asks Claire to write an article on him, Claire knows that there’s something else that he wants. But what she doesn’t realise is that Nick’s had her background checked and has chosen her for a very lucrative position - as his wife.<br /><br />--<br /><br />Although not billed as such, this book reads very much like a Modern Mills and Boon romance. It follows many of the traditional formulae - down on her luck female, strong, successful man and a relationship that starts off as one thing and turns into something more.<br /><br />I liked the premise of the story and both Claire and Nick were characters that I could root for. Claire was strong despite her situation and I did like that Nick didn’t walk all over her. Nick was strong, silent and arrogant but I still liked him as he wasn’t too alpha male. The pair didn’t have much depth but I could still enjoy them and their interactions.<br /><br />Despite having a publication date of 2012, this book was clearly written many years ago(1993 as I’ve just found out). For the most part this doesn’t matter although I was quite taken aback and amused by the reference to listening to cassette tapes in the car! <br /><br />As another reviewer mentioned, there are numerous mentions of fur coats in the book which I really didn’t like. Even though this book is a reprint, I would have thought the author would have removed these before publishing it in this day and age.<br /><br />Despite that, the writing was good and, at one point in particular, quite emotional. I had no problems finishing it although I would have liked to see an epilogue to find out what happened to Nick and Claire after their happily ever after.<br /><br />If you like the Mills & Boon Modern line or a quick romance then I think you would like this book. It’s quick, enjoyable and worth a look at such a low price. 3 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-69707196690865353892012-04-20T17:05:00.000+01:002012-04-20T17:05:19.640+01:00Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0758266340/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0758266340"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0758266340&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0758266340" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0758266340/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0758266340"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0758266340&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0758266340" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>Delicious cupcakes but not enough action</b><br />2 stars<br /><br />Leilani Trusdale left her high flying career as a pastry chef in New York to open a cute little cupcake shop in small town Georgia and she finally feels that she's where she belongs. If only she could put her sexy boss, fellow chef Baxter Dunne, out of her head for good.<br /><br />Baxter is now a hot shot TV chef with his own cookery show and legions of fans. Dubbed 'Chef Hot Cakes', Baxter wants to film his next show from Leilani's tiny kitchen but it's not for the reasons she thinks. With things hotting up in the kitchen and an island rife with gossip, convincing Leilani that she and Baxter belong together will take a lot more than cupcakes and frosting.<br /><br />--<br /><br />This is the first book in The Cupcake Club series which combines the two wonderful worlds of cupcakes and romance which are the two reasons I felt drawn to this book.<br /><br />I've not had much luck with romance books that have a backdrop of food or restaurants but this one does manage to work that well into the storyline. The descriptions of the cakes sounded amazing and I like the fact that you get a couple of recipes (with frostings) at the back of the book to try yourself.<br /><br />Apart from that, unfortunately I wasn't overly keen on the characters. I could identify with, and didn't dislike, Leilani but she didn't have enough sparkle to really make me root for her. Baxter wasn't my cup of tea for two reasons: 1) because he was 'British' which paved the way for embarrassing attempts at Brit speak and accents, although thankfully not so often as to make the book unreadable. The second reason is that right at the beginning it was mentioned that Baxter was younger than Leilani. Although it probably doesn't bother most people, and it was only by three years, I just don't like that dynamic and it made me disappointed from the start. It turned out to never be mentioned again which made me wonder why it was mentioned in the first place. There were some supporting characters but a little too many to really care for them and none that stood out except for crazy Alva.<br /><br />The plot also fell a little flat for me as I just didn't feel that much happened. If Leilani and Baxter weren't discussing one thing, they were talking about something else. Sometimes Leilani would discuss things with her father or her best friend and then sometimes other people would discuss other things that were happening. I'm all for conversation and banter between characters but not at the expense of moving the story forward or having something interesting happen.<br /><br />My last point - which didn't affect my rating of the book but still has to be mentioned - was the cover. The cupcakes on the front are to die for and I enjoyed staring at them and wishing I could eat them right up. On the back, however, is a photo of a couple and I swear that if they are a day over 18 I'll eat my hat. Perhaps that's just me getting older but they made me cringe.<br /><br />Anyway - I wasn't much of a fan of this book so sadly can't recommend it. It wasn't terrible, the writing was okay but it just didn't capture my attention despite the delicious cupcakes. 2 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-87200321885436369692012-04-15T15:03:00.000+01:002012-04-15T15:03:16.679+01:00Season for Temptation by Theresa Romain<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005CRY8LI/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005CRY8LI"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B005CRY8LI&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B005CRY8LI" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1420118951/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1420118951"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1420118951&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1420118951" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b><br />Sweet and unassuming romance</b><br />3 stars<br /><br />Julia Herington is thrilled when her stepsister, Louisa, becomes engaged to a rich and handsome viscount. James, Viscount Matheson is witty, unconventional and perfect husband material. Julia only wishes she could find a man exactly like him - especially now she can’t have James herself.<br /><br />James is torn. Louisa is all anyone would want in a wife - poised, elegant and intelligent. However, it’s headstrong, rash and quirky Julia that he can’t get out of his head. Engaged to one sister while in love with the other - what is a viscount to do?<br /><br /><br />From the start this book sets itself out as light and frothy. Julia is portrayed as a quirky and unconventional heroine while James is an honorable and likeable hero. Neither are offensive in any way but neither do they really stand out from the crowd. Their interactions are sweet but again not particularly memorable or overly romantic.<br /><br />The same is true of the story. It plods along quite nicely with nothing startling or offensive happening. I couldn’t understand the motivations of the characters for behaving as they did (especially Louisa) and couldn’t help but want things to be wrapped up a little quicker than they ultimately were. As it was, it took almost two thirds of the story before James and Julia even kissed and there wasn’t even any sexual tension to tide things over before it got to that point.<br /><br />There were an alarming amount of modern language and Americanisms throughout the whole story which is irritating in any period book and pulls you completely out of the story. I also spent an unusual amount of time trying to figure out how the main family were related. It didn’t matter to the story but I just couldn’t understand it all until it was explained about 20 pages from the end.<br /><br />All in all this was a sweet story that I read through quite happily. I’ll probably not remember about it in a couple of days as, unfortunately, inoffensive and unassuming also means forgettable. 3 stars which is probably quite generous and not really a story I would go out of my way to recommend.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-12905294941255735252012-04-07T18:48:00.001+01:002012-04-15T14:59:33.992+01:00About that Night by Julie James<table border="0">
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0425246957/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0425246957"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0425246957&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0425246957" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425246957/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0425246957"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0425246957&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425246957" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b><br />Exceptional and smart romance</b><br />5 stars<br /><br />The first night they met, Rylann Pierce tried to shrug off the attraction she felt for Kyle Rhodes. Yet after one incredible kiss it was hard to dismiss. After being stood up, she figured she would never see him again.<br /><br />Nine years later, Rylann is a top U.S. attorney and ready to get her life back in order after a bad break up. Then who should walk into her courtroom and back into her life but Kyle. The attraction’s still there but this time he’s an ex-con and her star witness in a murder trial. Rylann’s career has always come first but she’s coming to realise that her life might need to be shaken up a bit and Kyle’s just the man to do it!<br />
<br />
--<br /><br />I have been a huge fan of Julie James since reading her first book and this one just cements her as an exceptional contemporary writer and one of my all time favourites.<br /><br />Kyle first appeared in James’ previous book, A Lot Like Love, which featured his twin sister’s story. You don’t have to have read that book or any of the others to understand and like this book although if you have read it then Jordan and Nick (as well as some of the supporting cast and Cameron and Jack from Something About You) make brief appearances which is always fun.<br /><br />I’m always looking for a heroine that I can both like and root for and Rylann fits the bill. She’s sassy, fiesty, fun and sarcastic yet retains a vulnerability that makes her extremely likeable. She’s also smart and works hard which I like a lot. Kyle is a hard working, sexy and passionate man and one that I couldn’t help but fall for. He may be an ex-con but don’t let this put you off! Together the pair have such spark, chemistry and the banter was genius and had me laughing out loud on occasion.<br /><br />Once again this book is set in the world of lawyers, the FBI and everything that entails. The storyline is realistic yet never getting bogged down in detail and makes for a book that I just couldn’t put down. The storyline flows nicely and there’s always something new to keep your interest. This is the kind of book that makes you want to live the characters lives and I finished it feeling rejuvenated while also feeling very sad that I couldn’t keep reading.<br /><br />If you like smart romances with sparkle and wit then I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s a real page turner and one which I enjoyed immensely. A very well deserved 5 stars.<br /><br />Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-58397172516684017132012-04-07T18:12:00.001+01:002012-04-07T19:47:53.024+01:00Too Wicked to Wed by Cara Elliott<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0446584576/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0446584576"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0446584576&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0446584576" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446584576/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446584576"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0446584576&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0446584576" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br />
<b>Readable and pleasant romance</b><br />
3 stars<br />
<br />
Lady Alexa Hendrie has always felt out of place in the ton. She’s outspoken, independent and feels much more at home in the wilds of Yorkshire than in the glittering ballrooms of London society. But when she is forced to London by her reckless brother, she finds herself suddenly in the lair of the notorious Irish Wolfhound - Connor Linsley, Earl of Killingsworth.<br />
<br />
A rake of the worst order, most ladies are rightfully fearful of Connor. All, that is, except Lady Alexa. One sinful kiss leads to another and soon the pair are on an adventure full of intrigue, lies and lust. But will one extraordinary lady really be able to tame the Irish Wolfhound and bring her the greatest love she’s ever known?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
This story shot off at a quick pace with the action of Alexa and Connor’s first meeting happening almost instantly and their first kiss not much later than that. That then set the standard for the story as for a long while that was as much as the plot amounted to - meeting and kissing, meeting and kissing, with different settings thrown in each time.<br />
<br />
That aside, both Alexa and Connor were likeable enough characters although neither really stood out or really inspired me to care for them individually or as a couple. There were some secondary characters, Gryffin and Cameron - “The Hellhounds” whose books make up the second and third in The Lords of Midnight Trilogy - but they weren’t particularly inspiring either. I had assumed that the other couples mentioned in the book were from previous stories by Elliott but can find no mention of their stories anywhere. This confuses me as it felt like I was expected to know these stories and these characters while reading this book.<br />
<br />
Despite what I said earlier regarding the plot, I had absolutely no trouble finishing this book and did so quickly enough. The writing was fine, if a little pretentious and flowery for my tastes on rather too many occasions. There were also Americanisms and incorrect usage of British English which were annoying but luckily didn’t happen too often to actually spoil the book. I didn’t find the love scenes overly sexy or sensual - only a day later I can barely remember them which says something.<br />
<br />
Overall, this was a nice story but nothing more than that. It won’t be a story that I will remember but it’s not offensive and it’s worth a read if it’s on your shelf or in your Kindle. 3 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-69028138700912139682012-04-01T17:34:00.001+01:002012-04-01T21:02:04.275+01:00A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006OUGWK2/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006OUGWK2"><img border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B006OUGWK2&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B006OUGWK2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062068520/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062068520"><img border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0062068520&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0062068520" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="17" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>A fun and emotional romance</b><br />
5 stars<br />
<br />
Ten years ago, Michael Lawler, Marquess of Bourne, was left with nothing to his name except his title. Now a partner in London’s most notorious gaming hell, Michael is a cold and ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get his revenge - even marrying Lady Penelope Marbury - his childhood friend for her dowry.<br />
<br />
Penelope was put firmly on the shelf when she was jilted and left for fortune hunters. She is determined to find adventure, passion and love. Luckily for her, Penelope dreams of finding all these things with her new husband, even if he’s no longer the fun loving man she remembers.<br />
<br />
Bourne is determined to spare Penelope from the hard and unsavoury man he has become but he has no power to fight against the love that she will offer if he takes the greatest risk of all.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
Sarah MacLean has been an auto buy for me ever since I read the wonderful Nine Rules... This story doesn’t quite reach the same heights but I still loved it and definitely feel it’s deserving of 5 stars.<br />
<br />
Michael is my favourite kind of hero - tortured, full of angst and feels undeserving of, while really in need of, the love of a good woman. I also just adored Penelope. She appeared briefly in Eleven Scandals... but this book starts a new series (the Rules of Scoundrels Quartet) so there’s no need to have read any books to understand and enjoy this one. Penelope was feisty and fun while also being quite vulnerable and naive at times. She was someone that I really rooted for from beginning to end.<br />
<br />
The relationship between Michael and Penelope was filled with chemistry and passion. The letters that started off each chapter were a lovely addition and really built on the pair’s past relationship. It was also easy to see the pair growing and falling in love which was a treat to read and kept me turning the pages at all hours.<br />
<br />
I’m looking forward to the other stories in the series and would recommend this book to you if you like a fun and interesting romance with great characters and good storytelling. 5 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-47410209194440307672012-04-01T17:00:00.003+01:002012-04-01T17:00:56.324+01:00Marry Me, Maddie by Rita Herron<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006C7M4PO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006C7M4PO"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B006C7M4PO&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B006C7M4PO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006C7M4PO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006C7M4PO"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B006C7M4PO&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006C7M4PO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br />
<b>Tiresome, long winded romance</b><br />1 star<br /><br />Maddie has issued an ultimatum to her boyfriend live on TV but doesn’t get the answer that she expects. This throws this sassy Southern gal into a drive to make changes in her life including a new job and a new man.<br /><br />Chase has been in Maddie’s life since they were kids but he knows he’s not right for her despite how much he wants her. But Maddie’s set her sights on him and he’s beginning to forget why he ever wanted to resist.<br /><br />But now her ex is back on the scene and fighting for Maddie’s hand. With two sexy men vying for her - will Maddie get her happily ever after?<br /><br />--<br /><br />I was so excited to read this story as I adore the storyline where a woman falls in love with her brother’s best friend. It didn’t take me long to realise that my anticipation was misplaced.<br /><br />Maddie is a young and supposedly smart woman yet she is constantly bullied and undermined by her older brothers who apparently have her best interests at heart. They waited for her when she went on a night out, told her what she could and couldn’t do and decided that she shouldn’t have a career as she wasn’t smart enough. I don’t mind strong men but these guys were unbelievable.<br /><br />I quite liked, or at least didn’t actively dislike, Chase although he was a little bit weak when it came to his reasons for not being with Maddie. If he didn’t like her then that would have been fine but it was all just a bit pointless as conflict, to be honest.<br /><br />The book was the length of a regular novel at about 363 pages and I felt every single one of them. Each chapter seemed to be each character going over the same emotions, same problems and same dramas but in a different setting each time - I hate to say that I was genuinely bored. To add to that, we kept hearing about the unlikeable brothers and some ‘mystery’ regarding their parents. When it all came to a conclusion the result was farcical and far from funny which I’m assuming was the intention.<br /><br />The inclusion of secondary characters was obviously to set up their own, future stories. I for one will not be purchasing them and definitely can’t recommend this book, I’m sorry to say. 1 star.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-56934791252484480972012-04-01T16:24:00.001+01:002012-04-01T21:03:06.446+01:00Sweet Inspiration by Penny Watson<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003552TRE/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003552TRE"><img border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003552TRE&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003552TRE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<br />
</td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003552TRE/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003552TRE"><img border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003552TRE&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" class=" oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy oqrraueiogvqvtnhlacy" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003552TRE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="17" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Bland Christmas romance</b><br />
2 stars<br />
<br />
Nicholas Klaus is Santa’s oldest son and a sexy baker to boot. On a fact finding mission for new recipes, Nick runs into sweet cafe owner, Lucy Brewster and falls instantly in lust.<br />
<br />
The feeling is mutual but when an accident threatens Lucy’s life, Nicholas breaks all the rules to bring her to the North Pole. Lucy always yearned for adventure but being at the North Pole with Santa’s son, rambunctious elves and a fairytale world all around her is more than she bargained for. Will their growing feelings conquer all their insecurities and will Lucy have what it takes to become the next Mrs Claus?<br />
<br />
<br />
I liked the premise of this story - a romance filled with the magical fantasy of Christmas however it didn’t take long for the excitement to dissipate.<br />
<br />
My first let down was Nick. A big, sexy and strapping man is something I can get on board with but big bushy beards just don’t do it for me so that was a major let down. Further complications arose with his character. He was nice to Lucy but domineering, rude and overbearing to others. I just couldn’t take to a hero like that.<br />
<br />
Lucy, in all honesty, wasn’t much better. She was a simpering, cowardly and emotional female who refused to be mad at Nicholas even when he deserved it for his high handed behaviour. I like a female that I can identify with or aspire to be like - Lucy was neither of these things.<br />
<br />
But by far the biggest failing of this book was that it was a fairly bland read. It was about 165 pages long but everything was drawn out with lots of filler padding out between the big events. After Lucy arrived at the North Pole it just flatlined and I was beyond bored. It took me about 2 weeks to actually finish this book as, although not offensive, it just didn’t capture my attention.<br />
<br />
The writing wasn’t terrible, and I didn’t give up so I’m giving it 2 stars. Others seem to have enjoyed it but I just couldn’t recommend this book despite my love of Christmas romances. A disappointing 2 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-13163658215878624492012-03-22T22:42:00.002+00:002012-03-22T22:42:57.814+00:00Ex on the Beach by Lisa Scott<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GM2OJW/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005GM2OJW"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B005GM2OJW&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B005GM2OJW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GM2OJW/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005GM2OJW"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B005GM2OJW&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005GM2OJW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b><br />A likeable short story </b><br />
3 stars<br />
<br />
It’s been 1 year since Heather was dumped by her fiance just 2 weeks before their wedding. It’s taken her the whole year but she’s beginning to think that she might just be over him.<br />
<br />
But then, during a family reunion at the beach, who should she bump into but Nick, her ex. The spark is still there but even with the help of some meddling relatives, will the pair be able to get past old hurts and rekindle their love?<br />
<br />
<br />
This is a short story that’s just under 40 pages and was free at the time I downloaded it. Being so short, there’s not much character development and I think I would have liked the story much better if it had just been a little bit longer.<br />
<br />
Having said that, the writing is good and I read it easily from beginning to end in about 25 minutes. I could have loved both characters but they both made choices that I didn’t much like and their chemistry didn’t quite sizzle for me. <br />
<br />
Again due to the short nature of the book, the ending came quickly and felt rushed. Overall this was a nice little story that, having picked it up for free, was worth a read if you have it on your kindle.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-83782702107076029042012-03-22T22:05:00.000+00:002012-03-22T22:05:23.508+00:00Midnight Fantasies by Various<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0263836606/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0263836606"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0263836606&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0263836606" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373834640/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0373834640"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0373834640&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0373834640" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br /><b>Fairly sub-standard romance anthology</b><br />2 Stars<br /><br /><u>Mystery Lover - Vicki Lewis Thompson</u><br />When an unexpected storm hits, rancher Jonas takes shelter in a nearby cave. But he’s not alone and soon finds himself seduced by a mystery lady who refuses to tell him her identity. It’s the best sex of his life so it’s a shame he doesn’t know who it’s with - or does he?<br /><br />This story was okay but really nothing special. I couldn’t take to B.J. (or her eye-rolly name) as she was just too much of a wimp. Jonas, however, was much worse. He was very proud of his sleeping around and I just had no idea why anyone would want to be with him. Not the best basis for a romance, unfortunately.<br /><br /><u><br />After Hours - Stephanie Bond</u><br />Michael Pierce has always seen costume shop owner, Rebecca, as a quiet wallflower. But all that changes when he goes over after hours and sees her dressing up as a sexy vampire. Suddenly he wants to know her a whole lot better...<br /><br />I couldn’t really take to this story, either. Both Michael and Rebecca were just weeks out of very serious relationships and from the get go you could hardly expect either to be in a place to start looking for love again. I also didn’t particularly like the thought that Michael only started to like Rebecca once he’d realised she wasn’t mousy in the looks department.<br /><br /><br /><u>Show and Tell - Kimberly Raye</u><br />When bad boy Dallas Jericho finds a piece of paper left over from a lingerie party that details someone’s fantasy with him, he’s intrigued. But when he finds out he’s been starring in good girl Laney Merriweather’s dreams he just has to show her what she’s been missing.<br /><br />I liked this story of two people who were at odds with each other but secretly desired each other. It was cute and I especially like bad boy Dallas. As the story went on, however, Laney started to grate on me. She went on and on about keeping her reputation that in the end I wondered if Dallas (another daft name, in my opinion) didn’t deserve someone better.<br /><br /><br />Overall this wasn’t the best anthology that I have read. None of the stories grabbed my attention and I just couldn’t like a lot of the characters which is key in a romance. I’ll give the book 2 stars because I at least finished it but I didn’t like it and I really can’t recommend it, I’m afraid.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-50676972735608060822012-03-22T21:09:00.002+00:002012-03-22T21:09:33.198+00:00In the Mood by Ellen Fisher<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0036ZAHDG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0036ZAHDG"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0036ZAHDG&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B0036ZAHDG" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036ZAHDG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0036ZAHDG"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0036ZAHDG&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0036ZAHDG" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br /><br /><b>Bland and uninspiring short story</b><br />1 star<br /><br />Jude Patterson is a cute and shy romance novelist who’s more at home with his historical romances than the contemporaries he’s trying to write. And that includes his love scenes which tend to be on the flowery side.<br /><br />When a beautiful fan, Alyssa Stone, offers to help him write better love scenes, Jude jumps at the chance. But now he has to write a happy ending as well as make sure he gets one for himself.<br /><br />
<br />I liked the premise of this short story and, at the start with the introduction of Jude, I started to enjoy it. But then along came Alyssa and the story took a major nosedive. <br /><br />Alyssa was such an unlikeable character that I just couldn’t root for her in any way, shape or form. She wasn’t relatable and her attitude towards Jude was horrible. I wondered why Jude even liked her but the descriptions made it clear that it wasn’t for her winning personality. Even when the reasons behind her behaviour were revealed, I couldn’t drum up any sympathy for her as it seemed so far fetched and ridiculous.<br /><br />Together, Jude and Alyssa had little chemistry and the story plodded along without much happening of interest. By the end, while I did finish it, I was extremely bored and had little interest in the love story or how it ended up.<br /><br />Lots of people seemed to enjoy this story but I’m afraid it just wasn’t for me. At least it was free when I downloaded it but even then I really can’t recommend it.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-87991488885406503222012-03-11T16:42:00.002+00:002012-03-11T16:42:42.947+00:00Bring It On by Kira Sinclair<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007D5TY9S/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B007D5TY9S"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B007D5TY9S&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B007D5TY9S" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373796714/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0373796714"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0373796714&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0373796714" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A fun and seductive Blaze romance</b><br />4 stars<br /><br />With her wedding ruined, graphic designer Lena Fuller decides to escape the resulting chaos by taking off on her honeymoon with her best friend, filmmaker Colt Douglas.<br /><br />But when they arrive at the adult’s only resort they realise that Lena’s ex set up a week long photoshoot to help showcase the resort’s business. With each photoshoot becoming more and more steamy, the pair soon begin to wonder if faking it is all it’s cracked up to be? And after the week is over will they be able to forget?<br /><br /><br />This is the first in a new series by Sinclair called Island Nights that focus on the adult’s only resort in the Caribbean, Escape. After this one comes Take It Down and then Rub It In.<br /><br />I very much enjoyed this book with its lush scenes and steamy encounters. The characters are sympathetic and I liked both their interactions with each other as well as their chemistry. The sex scenes are nicely hot - perfect for a Blaze - and the whole storyline was fun and frivolous.<br /><br />This book was exactly what I would expect from a Blaze and I’m looking forward to reading the next two books in the series - the characters of which we meet briefly in this story. If you are looking for a little escapism in a hot and sultry setting and a quick and easy read then you can’t go wrong with this book.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-81588466404224670212012-03-11T15:31:00.000+00:002012-03-11T15:46:38.778+00:00Lady Sophie's Midnight Seduction by Dorothy McFalls<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003Y3BQ2G/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003Y3BQ2G"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003Y3BQ2G&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003Y3BQ2G" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Y3BQ2G/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003Y3BQ2G"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003Y3BQ2G&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003Y3BQ2G" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A quickie erotic encounter</b><br />
4 stars <br />
<br />
Lady Sophie is a self avowed spinster and happy with her lot in life. But ever since her father’s death she has had to deal with his heir - Lord Benton Black who is determined to make her his wife. <br />
<br />
Lord Benton-Black confuses and confounds Sophie but when he begins to haunt her dreams she realises she must confront him - and her true feelings.<br />
<br />
<br />
This was a short story that I counted at around 35 pages long so will only take you about 20 minutes from beginning to end.<br />
<br />
Despite its short length I decided I liked the main characters and their relationship with each other. This was an erotic story and while it was steamy - it really didn’t sizzle or heat up the pages overly much.<br />
<br />
Having said that, the writing was fun (any book that features the word ‘zounds!’ gets points from me!) and I liked the characters, their interactions and the conclusion.<br />
<br />
For a short, historical story that’s not too expensive, you can’t go wrong with this one. 4 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-78773424772851942242012-03-04T19:58:00.000+00:002012-03-04T19:58:33.399+00:00Once Upon A Winter’s Eve by Tessa Dare<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0061SNX1I/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0061SNX1I"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0061SNX1I&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B0061SNX1I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061SNX1I/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0061SNX1I"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0061SNX1I&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0061SNX1I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A fun and feisty Regency romp</b><br />5 stars<br /><br />Violet Winterbottom is getting over heartbreak at Spindle Cove - a retreat/refuge for women tucked away from the prying eyes of the Ton. She’s quiet, sweet and intelligent - hardly the type to have men falling at her feet.<br /><br />Until one night during the Spindle Cove Christmas ball when a dashing stranger does just that. He’s dirty, soaked, bleeding and speaking in a language only Violet understands. A sensible girl would stay well clear. But Violet’s not as delicate as she looks and has just one night to find out his secrets that might lead her to the love, and adventure, of a lifetime.<br /><br />--<br /><br />This novella is a short story that is part of Dare’s Spindle Cove series. This story follows A Night to Surrender and comes before A Week to be Wicked. I’ve not read either and found that this story was an intriguing insight into the series and didn’t need to be read in order to be understood.<br /><br />The characters in this story were great. Violet was a quiet girl but didn’t fall into the cliche of being shy with it. She was feisty, honest and bold - I really liked her. Equally, the hero was everything I like in a leading man - brooding, mysterious and willing to sacrifice anything for the woman he loves. The pair had great chemistry and I really liked them as a couple.<br /><br />This is an implausible, fun and feisty romp with characters I really enjoyed and an almost farcical, fast-paced storyline that was a delight from start to finish. It will only take you a little while to read, but the price is right and the story is a great way to spend an hour or so. If you’re a fan of Tessa Dare or just looking for a light and frothy tale to take your mind off things for a while then I would recommend this to you. 5 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-76843984135990668062012-03-04T17:49:00.001+00:002012-03-04T19:53:44.085+00:00Love Letters by Lori Brighton<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00520IDD4/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00520IDD4"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B00520IDD4&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00520IDD4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00520IDD4/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00520IDD4"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B00520IDD4&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00520IDD4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="17" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Two short Regency romances</b><br />
3 stars<br />
<br />
This book contains two short, unconnected stories where love letters play a part in bringing the hero and heroine together.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Art of Seduction<br />
All Clara Cameron wants to do is escape from the clutches of the horrible man her family are forcing her to wed. To do so she needs money which is how she finds herself agreeing to pose nude for artist, Brendan Evans - the man she once loved. Will Brendan recognise her and will their session lead to a happily ever after?<br />
<br />
I liked the premise of this story although I wasn’t completely in love with Brendan. I suppose he wasn’t supposed to be your usual hero but he didn’t really capture me to any great degree. I liked Clara and admired her for trying to get away from her situation in life. The pair had good chemistry although I didn’t feel much spark during the love scenes. I also thought that there was a gaping plot hole when it was discovered that Brendan’s sister had been writing letters to him about Clara. Overall still a likeable and readable story.<br />
<br />
<br />
Meant for Me<br />
Cynthia Shaw is the poor relation living on the charity of her wicked aunt and cousin. She’s also the person that’s been replying to Gabriel Baston’s letters pretending to be her cousin - and his fiance. When the pair meet there are misunderstandings and mistaken identities - will Gabriel find out who he truly loves before it’s too late?<br />
<br />
In this story the heroine was strong despite her difficult position in life and I liked her character and her spirit. Unfortunately the hero was a little bit of an idiot although I suppose I can’t blame him for being confused by all the machinations going on around him - I just wanted him to be a bit more aware! The story was cute but I have read a very similar story before which lessened my enjoyment somewhat.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
Overall these were a readable and likeable set of stories. There were a couple of glaring typographical errors which always irritate and annoy me but the writing was still good and the stories were finished quickly. I debated between 3 and 4 stars for these stories but, despite having enjoyed them, there just wasn’t enough spark for me to give them higher than 3 stars, I’m afraid. Having said that, this book is currently (at the time of writing) free from the Kindle store and you certainly can’t go wrong with that!Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-72568274758847468402012-03-04T16:05:00.001+00:002012-03-04T16:05:43.998+00:00The Headmaster's Confession by Laurel Bennett<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00546CFMG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00546CFMG"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B00546CFMG&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00546CFMG" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00546CFMG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00546CFMG"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B00546CFMG&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00546CFMG" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br /><br /><b>A short, fun and sexy story</b><br />4 stars<br /><br />The headmaster of an all girl’s school in Regency England is tested to his limits when the lovely, wayward Miss Winters breaks the rules and is sent to his office for her punishment.<br /><br /><br />This is a very short and sexy, erotic tale and the first that I have read by Laurel Bennett. It’s the same story as The Headmaster’s Fall but this time seen through the eyes of the headmaster rather than Miss Winters.<br /><br />At only 17 pages long the book is more of an encounter rather than a full story. Having said that, the writing was very good, the situations hot and I enjoyed it very much. The twist at the end is both welcome and handled well; it made me like the story much more.<br /><br />Overall, if you’re looking for a hot, 10 minute read then I would recommend this to you. 4 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-66201661750019768222012-02-12T16:50:00.005+00:002012-02-12T16:53:51.545+00:00Borrowing a Bachelor by Karen Kendall<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/026389729X/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=026389729X"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=026389729X&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=026389729X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/037379665X/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=037379665X"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=037379665X&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=037379665X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A truly terrible book</b><br />
1 star<br />
<br />
To tide her over between jobs, Nikki Fine takes a gig as an exotic dancer. Her first gig involves her popping out of a cake at a bachelor party but what she wasn’t employed to do was fall face-first into groomsman, Adam Burke.<br />
<br />
Adam doesn’t mind the gorgeous girl who falls into his arms and one satisfying encounter leads to another. But with Adam studying for exams and Nikki trying desperately to keep her day job - can they overcome the obstacles and find a way to discover the passion between them?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
I’m always happy to read a Blaze romance and wasn’t put off by the unusual premise or how the characters meet in the beginning. Unfortunately, after reading the book I feel that these are the only positive things I can say about it.<br />
<br />
Firstly - the characters. Adam was far too immature for my tastes right off the bat and not just because he was only 25. I prefer the male lead to be a strong, confident man but Adam was a juvenile, college boy. Nikki, however, just left me shaking my head in disgust. She too was young, immature and so whiney that I actually couldn’t stand her. The pair had no chemistry and the sex scenes were embarrassing to say the least. I want to read about men I want for my own and women that can inspire me.<br />
<br />
The plot was flimsy and ridiculous and just didn’t interest me at all, I’m afraid. The language used was unbelievably unsophisticated and I just couldn’t believe how the characters acted and interacted.<br />
<br />
Whenever I put this book down, which was often, I started thinking that perhaps I was being too harsh and that it couldn’t have been that bad. So I would pick it up to read again and find out that yes, it really was that bad.<br />
<br />
Some books are so bad they are funny. This book didn’t even reach those heights. I’m actually flabbergasted that this was a Blaze book and will be avoiding this author from now on. I’m still shaking my head that I wasted so much of my time reading this book and I can’t recommend it by any stretch of the imagination. 1 star.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-74099951498054459942012-02-06T17:08:00.000+00:002012-02-12T17:10:26.442+00:00Once Upon a Valentine by Various<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0373796676/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0373796676"><img border="0" class=" cmzmzagmcfsyspwawdpv" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0373796676&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" class=" cmzmzagmcfsyspwawdpv" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0373796676" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373796676/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0373796676"><img border="0" class=" cmzmzagmcfsyspwawdpv" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0373796676&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" class=" cmzmzagmcfsyspwawdpv" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0373796676" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="17" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" width="28" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>A fun, fairy tale anthology</b><br />
4 stars<br />
<br />
Every year around Valentine’s Day, Harlequin Blaze publish an anthology filled with themed stories. This year, they’ve gone for the fairytale theme where each story is based around a favourite childhood tale.<br />
<br />
“All Tangled Up” - Stephanie Bond<br />
Andrew is back in his small town after the death of his estranged father. He finds his father’s estate in turmoil but can gorgeous neighbour, Summer, with long flowing hair, lead him back to find a happily ever after.<br />
<br />
I swear I’ve read this story a hundred times before - man back in home town, estranged father, girl who loved him when younger etc etc etc. This really didn’t excite or interest me and apart from Summer’s hair I could see little resemblance to the fairy tale.<br />
<br />
<br />
“Sleeping with a Beauty” - Leslie Kelly<br />
Historian, Ashlynn is searching for Sleeping Beauty’s castle when she finds herself accosted by rogue adventurer, Raine. With one kiss Ashlynn realises that even though she hasn’t found her castle perhaps she has found her Prince Charming.<br />
<br />
In this cute and unique story we travel back to the fairytale land of Elatyria which featured in a few of Kelly’s previous short stories. Both Raine and Ashlynn are lovely characters and their love story is cute and satisfying.<br />
<br />
<br />
“Catch Me” - Michelle Rowen<br />
All Ginger wants for Valentine’s Day is for men to want her so that she can have her pick rather than being stood up on the most romantic night of the year. But when a magic cookie makes her dream come true she takes refuge in the arms of her best friend, Stephen, the one man she dreams of having a happily ever after with.<br />
<br />
I couldn’t remember much about the tale of the Gingerbread Man but when I read this story I definitely saw the clever similarities. I loved both Ginger and Stephen and their relationship was so sweet. I’ve never read Michelle Rowen before but I’ll look out for other Blaze books by her in the future. Good fun.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
I didn’t like the first story at all but the other two certainly made up for it. If you’re looking for light, sweet and romantic stories then even with the bad apple at the start I would still recommend this book to you. 4 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-22475854401834595922012-01-28T22:34:00.001+00:002012-01-28T22:34:33.665+00:00A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries<table border="0">
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006RMTAYW/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006RMTAYW"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B006RMTAYW&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B006RMTAYW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451642458/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1451642458"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1451642458&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1451642458" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>Last but not least </b><br />5 stars <br /><br />Celia Sharpe is the last unmarried Sharpe grandchild and has only 2 months to find a husband or her Gran plans to cut all of them off. Setting her sights on three eligible bachelors she plans to get a proposal, show that she can get married, cry off and still get the inheritance for her siblings. <br /><br />Bow Street Runner, Jackson Pinter, has been hired to investigate Celia’s three suitors. But with Celia bedevilling Jackson both day and night, the last thing he wants to do is help her find a husband. But with danger lurking and passions stirring it doesn’t take long to realise that’s because he wants her for himself. <br /><br />-- <br /><br />This is the final book in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series following The Truth About Lord Stoneville, A Hellion in her Bed, How to Woo a Reluctant Lady and To Wed A Wild Lord. It’s probably not essential that you read the books in order but I would strongly suggest that you do simply to get the back story and to get to know the characters. <br /><br />I’ve been looking forward to Celia and Pinter’s story since the first book as I do love a couple that start off with an antagonistic relationship that turns to love. The book didn’t disappoint and the pair still had that passion and spark with each other even once the relationship progressed. <br /><br />We really got to know Jackson and I felt both his desire for Celia and his anxiety over the barriers to their happily ever after. Celia, too, was a fine character that I liked and rooted for. She was impulsive, feisty but still had sense and intelligence. <br /><br />I liked the fact that the other characters from the previous books appeared although I would have liked a bit more interactions between the couples. Gran was also on fine form with her meddling although if I’m honest she really irritated me with her unwillingness to unbend when Celia was so obviously unhappy. <br /><br />As the last book in the series we finally find out the answer to the mystery of the parents’ death. This could easily have overwhelmed the romance but I’m happy to say that it sat alongside it nicely. I was slightly underwhelmed by the solving of the mystery but that’s probably just because it’s been built up over the course of five books. It couldn’t have gone any other way and I was still satisfied. <br /><br /> Despite the couple of niggles I’m still giving this book 5 stars as the writing is superb, the characters come to life and it’s a fantastic end to a series that I have really enjoyed. I’m glad to see that some of the secondary characters are to get their own stories so although the series ends, hopefully the characters that I’ve grown to love will appear again.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-6219594786657602612012-01-28T20:51:00.000+00:002012-01-28T20:51:18.428+00:00The Christmas Knight by Michele Sinclair<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003IYI78C/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003IYI78C"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003IYI78C&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003IYI78C" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1420108557/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1420108557"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1420108557&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1420108557" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A sweet and festive tale </b><br />4 stars <br /><br />Unprotected and alone, Bronwyn de Breton must protect her younger sisters and their home at Hunswick Castle. Things go from bad to worse when a war-hardened, scarred warrior arrives as the new lord of the castle with orders to take the youngest daughter as his bride. Bronwyn refuses to let a man as reputedly hard and wild as the new lord marry her sister so she steps up and pretends to be her sister. <br /><br />Ranulf de Gunnar, however, is not so easily fooled. He knows that this woman is not his intended but as they are forced to spend time together he cannot seem to resist this woman who teaches him passion, loyalty and love. <br /><br />-- <br /><br />I have never read Michele Sinclair before but I can’t resist a Christmas tale and this one seemed right up my street with a scarred man made whole by the love of a good woman. I’m glad to say that I wasn’t disappointed. <br /><br />Ranulf was, for me, the perfect kind of hero – brooding and angry but underneath so vulnerable; I just wanted to hug him! Bronwyn was also an exceptional character and was a spirited and likeable female that still felt right for the medieval time period. They worked fantastically together and I liked their chemistry and how together they were stronger – once they got over their insecurities, that is. <br /><br />The book mainly covered the relationship between Bronwyn and Ranulf although there was a little bit of intrigue and danger. Some might find this makes the book a little slow but I was gripped from start to finish. There were also lovely little snippets about Christmas and festivities in the medieval period which were a nice touch and really fascinating. There were a few too many modern Americanisms for my liking but I’ll admit that this is a personal peeve of mine in any historical book. <br /><br />I see that there are books planned for Bronwyn’s sisters and I very much look forward to reading them and hope that I enjoy them as much as I did this one. Overall, this was an entertaining book that I couldn’t wait to continue reading and one that I would very much recommend. A high 4 stars from me.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-25214845591735799362012-01-22T16:31:00.001+00:002012-01-22T16:31:46.651+00:00Virgin Unwrapped by Christine Merrill<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006353X1O/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006353X1O"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B006353X1O&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B006353X1O" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A fair, quick romance </b><br />3 stars <br /><br />Even the thought of Robert Breton sets Anne Clairemount’s heart racing and fills her with a scandalous heat. But he is the business partner of her fiancé and her family’s future happiness depends on her going through with the marriage even if her betrothed is cold and unfeeling. <br /><br />Then Robert gives her a heartfelt kiss under the mistletoe and Anne is thrown into turmoil. Should she go through with the wedding to please her parents or grab hold of what is sure to be the love of a lifetime? <br /><br /><br />
This short and sweet romance is the sequel to Christine Merrill’s A Regency Christmas Carol. I’ve never read the first book and this one still made perfect sense so I don’t suppose you need to read them in order.<br /><br />Having said that, it is obvious that Anne and Robert’s story had to fit around things that occurred in the other story – things that didn’t really make sense if you hadn’t read it beforehand. I also get the impression that these two characters, or at the very least Anne, weren’t painted in a flattering light in the first book which meant that some character traits were attempted to be explained away in this one. It made for some disjointed reading at times. <br /><br />I also wasn’t overly fond of Robert if I’m honest. He was a little bit harsh and unfeeling of Anne and even towards the very end he expected the worst of her. I also felt that he took advantage of Anne’s innocence which made the sex scenes a little flat for me. <br /><br />This was a short story that was a quick and ultimately satisfying read. I didn’t feel much emotional attachment to the characters but the story is worth a read at the price. 3 stars.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-43237647925581175742012-01-22T15:41:00.000+00:002012-01-22T15:41:19.852+00:00Storming the Castle by Eloisa James<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004KZOXKO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004KZOXKO"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004KZOXKO&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004KZOXKO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>A fun but short romantic story </b><br />4 stars <br /><br />From a young age Miss Phillipa Damson has known that she will marry Rodney Durfey no matter what she might prefer. So when she hears that there is an ill baby at a nearby castle she sees it as her chance to escape her lot in life and runs away to take a position as nursemaid. <br /><br />Jonas ‘Wick’ Berwick, the illegitimate brother of Prince Gabriel, serves as majordomo, overseeing the day to day running of Pomeroy Castle in Lancashire. His position in life – not quite a servant but not quite a gentleman – means that he has vowed never to marry. But when Philippa arrives at the castle he can’t help but wish for something different for his life. <br /><br /> <br />This short story is a sequel from James’ A Kiss at Midnight which is the first in the Fairy Tales series. The series is set in Fairytale time with a dusting of the Regency so they aren’t as strict when it comes to historical detail and accuracy. You probably want to have read A Kiss… before reading this one but I don’t suppose it’s 100% necessary. <br /><br />I’m really glad that Wick got his own story and from the start I thought Phillipa a great match for him. She’s that perfect blend of smart and strong but with a vulnerability in her that makes her likeable and relatable. Wick was also a good hero being proud and strong but truly in need of the love of a good woman. The pair had good chemistry and I was rooting for them throughout. <br /><br />I debated between giving this 3 or 4 stars but decided in the end to be generous. My reason for this indecision was that due to its short nature the declarations of love came a little too abruptly for me. The conflict was also surrounding whether Wick and Phillipa could be together due to their different statuses but when the book concluded this was apparently a forgotten problem. <br /><br /> Overall this is a fun, quick read with characters I’m glad got their happily ever after. It’s not the best I’ve ever read but it’s a good read to pass an hour or so.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-82742306308397104652012-01-22T14:07:00.001+00:002012-01-22T14:07:23.447+00:00Scrumptious by Amanda Usen<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006CU29RO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006CU29RO"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B006CU29RO&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B006CU29RO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402259824/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1402259824"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1402259824&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1402259824" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<b>Unlikeable heroine ruins story </b><br />
2 stars <br />
<br />
Joe Rafferty isn’t just an excellent chef but he’s gorgeous to boot. When he agrees to help out at his friend’s restaurant until she finds a full-time chef then he sees it as a great time to cook some food and make time with the lovely pastry chef, Marlene. <br />
<br />
Marlene likes the look of Joe but if he thinks he’s going to waltz into her best friend’s restaurant – the place she’s put her heart and soul into – and simply take over then he’s got another think coming. <br />
<br />
Soon their battle of wills turns into a battle of the heart but who will take home the sweetest prize of all? <br />
<br />
<br />
As someone who loves both romance novels and food – I’ve been keen to read stories that combine the two. Unfortunately I haven’t found any that do justice to my expectations and this book was no exception. <br />
<br />
My first, and main, complaint was about Marly. I just didn’t like her. She was over confident, happy (and proud) to sleep around, quite juvenile in her reactions and not someone I could either relate to or aspire to be like. I’m all for strong, confident women in stories but Marly’s casual attitude turned me off. <br />
<br />
Joe was a likeable character who was doing his best to make changes in his life although to be fair he wasn't particularly discerning either when it came to his relationships. His character was fairly well developed and I liked him but he certainly wasn't a hero that I would swoon over. Regardless, his relationship with Marly was, for me, clouded by the fact that I wanted him to find someone better! <br />
<br />
The story was okay but towards the end it all went a little bit ridiculous and I was a little confused as to why it had changed for no apparent reason. I also couldn’t really understand much of the tension or conflict in the book. Surely a conversation between best friends, Marly and Olivia (another unsympathetic character and owner of the restaurant) would have made much of the point of the book disappear. <br />
<br />
Overall this wasn’t my thing at all. The writing wasn’t terrible which is why I’ve given the book 2 stars rather than 1, but it was really hard to finish and I can’t recommend it, unfortunately.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-14268834786765232862012-01-22T12:03:00.000+00:002012-01-22T12:03:14.431+00:00The Accidental Mistress by Kate Harper<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005FCCDLM/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005FCCDLM"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B005FCCDLM&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B005FCCDLM" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FCCDLM/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FCCDLM"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B005FCCDLM&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005FCCDLM" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br />
<b>Bad, clichéd short story</b><br />1 star <br /><br />Devereux, Marquis of Roxburghe has his eyes set on the lovely Alice Gaskell. But he’s not ready to settle down so he plans to steal her away and make her his mistress instead. <br /><br />The lady’s cousin, Sophie Hartwell, is appalled at the plans and realises she must save Alice from making a huge mistake. So when Dev comes to take Alice away it’s really Sophie taking her place. <br /><br />Dev is furious once the ruse is revealed but realises that his plans needn’t change even if it’s the wrong girl he’s ended up with. But he doesn’t count on Sophie’s spirit and charm changing something inside him that makes him realise maybe he got the right girl after all. <br /><br /><br />I bought this at the same time as the disappointing His Wayward Ward by the same author. Had I not, I would definitely not have downloaded this one but I had so I felt I should at least give it a go. Unfortunately, I wish that I hadn’t bothered. <br /><br />Within the first few paragraphs I had taken a huge dislike to our ‘hero’, Devereux. I normally like a dissolute rake that is redeemed by the love of the heroine but in this case it was his character and morals that were flawed and not just his behaviour. At one point he choked Sophie and bruised her but, don’t worry, he was sorry – he has a temper and it would never happen again!! Shocking that such a leading man could be in a romance novel. <br /><br />Sophie was a fair enough character but she lacked any excitement or strength and you felt it was only lust that the two characters felt for each other. I also couldn’t forgive her for putting up with Dev’s behaviour towards her. <br /><br />The plot was staid and clichéd but nothing truly offensive. There was also nothing particularly sexy about the story despite it being billed as a risqué Regency romance. <br /><br /> Overall this isn’t worth buying and I can’t recommend it even if it was free. Sorry.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251787478626099545.post-14431942941003566652012-01-15T14:58:00.000+00:002012-01-15T14:58:03.629+00:00Too Hot To Touch by Louisa Edwards<table border="0">
<tr> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/031235648X/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romantrambli-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=031235648X"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=031235648X&MarketPlace=GB&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romantrambli-21&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=romantrambli-21&l=as2&o=2&a=031235648X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> <td>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031235648X/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=cozjosromrev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=031235648X"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=031235648X&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=cozjosromrev-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cozjosromrev-20&l=as2&o=1&a=031235648X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s1600/flag_uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="19" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yGst-VwUADZh1n_j0CtxXGq7-Er5ht4mZV-klH6zrPUgZxlzPxarntIPnimWeDwutuDCdp0QT3QXK_G9vqPeKlBZ-duYkAwgrsgN3OTBlrSGprx1vdxNYMcKL4Kw2RXYT-tPB34vwVUs/s200/flag_uk.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> <td align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s1600/us-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="17" width="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG996Xdz6mWCwo2vvmB6LPHPyUabsmNvy1um2iwZtg0z54vLvgJuPJ5VeftPU-OGKYfy5IL68FHylQFDsGpZodt-NWRyx-gMmhuht0m1VhTL1SU53SBjh0lFdppThltiPQ1Llcel9PcWG/s200/us-flag.jpg" /></a></div>
</td> </tr>
</table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Too Boring to Read </b><br />1 Star <br /><br />Max Lunden is a fantastically talented chef and a major hunk to boot. He’s never been able to settle down and prides himself on never staying in one place too long. But when problems at the family restaurant in New York call him home he realises things have definitely changed since he was there last.<br /><br />Juliet Cavanaugh loves the Lunden family and the restaurant she now calls home. There’s no way she’s going to let some other chef come in and take over – even if he is the gorgeous Max that she had a crush on as a young girl. Now the pair must work together to win a cooking competition and it’s not just the kitchen that will be heating up. <br /><br /> <br />I started reading this book and after three nights of reading before bed I realised I hadn’t moved past page 45. It really should tell you something when sleep sounds like more fun than continuing a book. To put it bluntly – I was bored. <br /><br />The characters were one dimensional, boring and yet still managed to irritate and annoy me. Well, to be fair, Juliet was so bland that I barely even remembered her from one page to the next. I know this is down to personal preference of what you like in a hero but I just couldn’t like Max either, I’m afraid. He was cocky, smarmy and far too self absorbed for my tastes. <br /><br />I’ve never really watched any of those American chef competitions like the one described in this book but if I had liked the other elements then I’m sure that wouldn’t have mattered one jot. I just couldn’t get into the competition and the passion and excitement was missing. The author just didn’t sell it to me, I’m afraid. <br /><br />I know I’ve been pretty harsh about this book but that’s simply because the writing style, story and characters just really weren’t to my taste. I will now put the other side of the argument forward and say that I have read of many, many people who not only liked but adored this book and all the things that I wasn’t keen on. I really do hope that you like it if you’ve bought it but unfortunately I just can’t bring myself to recommend it. Not my cup of tea. 1 star.Josie Buttonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08824618803393152830noreply@blogger.com0