Delicious Do-Over by Debbi Rawlins

Average Spring Break Romance
3 stars

The week before she’s set to change her conservative, boring life and take a risk on a new business venture, practical accountant, Lindsay Shaw is talked into taking a second spring break in Hawaii for a bit of fun.

Six years ago Rick knew that Lindsay knew how to have fun. They’d had the most amazing night of his life yet she’d taken off the next day without a word. Now she’s back and he’s determined to make up for lost time.

This is the second book in the Spring Break mini-series after Second Time Lucky.The books are interconnected but easily stand alone.

As soon as I picked up this book I was interested and my interest didn’t wane right up to the last page. Having said that, there really isn’t any conflict in the story and nothing really stopping the pair from being together.

Both characters were sympathetic although didn’t really have any magical spark either individually or as a couple. I understand that Lindsay was a shy type but even I got annoyed with her meek behaviour at times and she didn’t really grow as a character in the space of the book. Rick was also an okay character but his “uncharacteristic” outbursts were never really explained and he did seem to be a bit uncommitted. But the most annoying thing was that he, who had known a girl for 8 hours and proceeded to get a tattoo of her name on his arm, was panicking that Lindsay was getting in too fast and too deep. Bizarre!

Overall, this was a fairly enjoyable romance that wasn’t spectacular but still passed the time. The writing was good, the descriptions of Hawaii made it come alive and if you’ve got a couple of hours to spare then it will certainly do the trick.

Second Time Lucky by Debbi Rawlins

Readable but ultimately forgettable romance

3 stars

Hot shot lawyer, Mia Butterfield, has decided to pack in her high flying career to open her own business. But before she settles down to the hard work and lack of money, she and her friends are going to have one final spring break in gorgeous Hawaii.

Mia’s boss, David Pearson, is determined to get Mia back so he can land a lucrative account. So he follows her to Hawaii – quite a departure for a workaholic like him. But is he really going to win Mia back for the firm, or for himself?

I liked the premise of this story and it was executed fairly well. However…the story wasn’t thrilling and really lacked any real sparkle or magic.

I liked both David and Mia but their relationship was a little bit strange. It felt as though the author couldn’t quite decide what the power dynamic between the couple was supposed to be. This made David especially seem at times quite weak and at other times a real alpha male – it was quite odd. There was the usual heat for a Blaze romance but nothing that gave me goosebumps.

And the twist – you could have seen it coming a mile away but when it actually arrived it was a little pointless and unbelievable.

Overall this was a good enough book to read on a rainy afternoon. It wasn’t overly exciting and it, if I’m honest, was a little forgettable but not wholly bad. I suspect that Mia’s two friends Shelby and Lindsay will have their own stories soon making this the first in a trilogy of stories.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Disappointing summer anthology

2 Stars

THE GUY DIET by Thea Devine

Food columnist Lo Cavallera has decided that it’s time to give up men. Unfortunately newspaper editor Jed Costigan has plans to change her mind.

Written in first person and also third person, this is a terribly written, pretentious and cringe-worthy story with a shallow, distasteful heroine and a lackluster hero. It wasn’t hot – just juvenile and crude. Embarrassingly bad.

LIGHT MY FIRE by Debbi Rawlins

Marketing guru Jordan Samms has been ordered to take a break from her hectic life. She decides to take a wilderness vacation where hunky tour guide Zach Wilde might just take her mind off her work.

A pretty stereotypical story of high flying city girl stuck in the wilderness. While being fairly well written – unfortunately the heroine was sarcastic, spoiled and deserved a good slap of reality. The hero could do so much better which isn’t ideal in a romance.

NO RESERVATIONS by Samantha Hunter

Edie Stevens is shocked when she gets to her holiday cottage by the ocean only to find it occupied by gorgeous Joel Roberts because of a mix-up with the dates. They plan to steer clear of each other but they didn’t count on their sizzling chemistry.

It isn’t the most interesting story I have ever read but this was still a sweet, enjoyable tale with likeable characters and a good, solid romance. Easily the best story of the bunch.

This is supposed to be an anthology of stories that are hot and perfect for summertime reading. Unfortunately, the first two stories are mind-numbingly bad and despite the sweet warmth of Samantha Hunter’s tale, it just isn’t good enough to make this book one I would recommend. There are much better anthologies out there that I think would be a more satisfying read. 2 stars.

What She Really Wants for Christmas by Debbi Rawlins

Sexy and enjoyable Blaze romance

4 stars

Liza Skinner’s life is a complete disaster. Thanks to a horrifically bad ex-boyfriend, she’s lost her friends, her job, her life and her share of millions of a huge lottery win. To top it all off – she’s being blackmailed.

Getting involved with someone is really not what she needs right now – even if the man she has in mind is hunky doctor, Evan Gann.

Soon she is able to forgot all about her problems as she learns Dr Evan is a whole lot naughtier than she expected him to be. But how will he react when he finds out all she’s been hiding?

This is the concluding book in the Million Dollar Secrets Blaze mini-series, which has seen various cast and crew of a talk show winning a huge lot of money on the lottery. Despite this, ‘What She Really Wants for Christmas’ still makes perfect sense if you haven’t read any other books in the series.

The book itself is a good, engrossing and enjoyable read with characters that you will learn to love. Evan is delicious as a not-so-stuffy doctor while Liza manages to win you over as you find out about her as the book continues. The pair have some sizzling sexual chemistry which makes for steamy reading in some places.

All in all this is a fun and sexy read from Blaze. Despite its title, it’s not a Christmas book or even really Christmas themed – but it’s still an enjoyable read to help you through the long, cold nights. 4 stars.

Hot Spot by Debbi Rawlins

Emotionally charged and sexy read

4 stars

Madison Tate is a struggling photographer who finally has a shot of the big time - a sexy photo shoot at the divine Hush Hotel with Jack Logan - one of the hottest reporters on the planet! If all goes to plan then Madison will score a lucrative magazine cover and she will finally make the big time.

Jack Logan is only doing this photo shoot because his arm was twisted and he has no problems letting Madison know it. But then she suggests they do a shot - shirts optional - and suddenly Jack realises that maybe the photo shoot in one of the sexiest hotels isn't such a bad thing after all.

Another in Blaze's Do Not Disturb series - this book focuses less on the hotel than some of the others despite the time the characters spend there. But that's not necessarily a bad thing as the romance is key to this story.

The story itself is more emotional then many other Blaze novels and both Jack and Madison have quite a lot of discussion and inner dialogue about their respective situations. Again, this is not a bad thing but it did make it seem somehow different than the other novels of the series - not so light.

Both Jack and Madison are very interesting, well-written characters. I liked that Madison was not classically beautiful but it neither affected or bothered her. Jack was a wonderful hero and did just enough brooding to make him irresistible to me! Together the pair worked well and the story was nicely sexy if maybe not scorching hot.

Each book in the Do Not Disturb series stands entirely on its own with only the hotel linking the stories however this still makes a very good addition to the series. If you're looking for a short, sexy, page-turning read with a good pinch of happily ever after then you should give this book a try. Enjoyable.