Bring It On by Kira Sinclair

A fun and seductive Blaze romance
4 stars

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.

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?


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.

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.

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.

Borrowing a Bachelor by Karen Kendall

A truly terrible book
1 star

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.

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?

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Once Upon a Valentine by Various

A fun, fairy tale anthology
4 stars

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.

“All Tangled Up” - Stephanie Bond
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.

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.


“Sleeping with a Beauty” - Leslie Kelly
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.

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.


“Catch Me” - Michelle Rowen
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.

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.

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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.

Royally Romanced by Marie Donovan

Fairly bland royal romance
2 stars

Stressed out Prince Georgio Di Leone doesn’t have time for anything other than running his small country. But when his little sister announces she’s getting married he hops straight on a plane to New York City to check things out. What he finds is a Renata Pavoni, a wedding dress designer whose vintage style makes him forget all about his responsibilities to his sister and his country.

It’s definitely lust at first sight but can a brash New Yorker and a European prince find their way to a real happily ever after?


I’m not usually into the whole royalty thing but this book sounded interesting and I thought I would give it a go. Unfortunately, I found that it really wasn’t my cup of tea.

Renata wasn’t a bad character but I simply couldn’t relate to her or root for her in any way. She was too brash and was written to epitomise every New Yorker stereotype and cliché you’ve ever heard. Georgio was fine but nothing overly special or someone that I would particularly swoon over. The pair’s chemistry was only okay so it was surprising that the plentiful sex scenes were so scorchingly hot!

Having said that, at times this book read like random sex scenes with filler in between. Nothing exciting seemed to happen and it was hard to suspend belief that any of the things that did happen were likely. I’m sad to say that this was quite a forgettable romance. I won’t be picking up the next two books in the series (Royally Seduced and Royally Claimed) and I’m sorry to say that I just can’t recommend it. 2 stars.

It Happened One Christmas by Leslie Kelly

Underwhelming festive romance
3 stars

Six years ago, Ross Mitchell and Lucy Fleming shared a hot interlude over Christmas that neither would ever forget. But with her a struggling photography student and him a labourer with a hot bod and a tool belt, it wasn’t the right time for them.

Fast forward in time and the pair once again meet by chance but this time she’s a successful photographer and he’s head of a global corporation. They still don’t seem to be in the right place yet they still have chemistry and the sex is better than ever.

But are they destined just to be each other’s holiday fling or will they get the gift of love this Christmas?


I love Leslie Kelly and so was really looking forward to this book, especially as I love a good Christmas romance. Perhaps that’s partly the reason that I was quite underwhelmed with this book.

Don’t get me wrong, the writing was good (as always), the characters were both likeable and relatable and the plot wasn’t terrible. It’s just that the story seemed to lack any sparkle. The story is told both in the present day and in flashbacks to six years ago when Lucy and Ross first got together. I found this made the story a little slow going and I found myself continually wanting to get back to the modern day chapters so I could see how the pair were getting along now and not back then.

Lucy was also fairly peeved at Ross which led to a lot of the conflict for whether or not they would be able to make things work. However, when it got to the reason that the pair split up in the first place I couldn’t believe it. Sure, it was a legitimate reason for breaking up but certainly not for being mad at someone – I just didn’t get it.

Overall, a little lacklustre and good for a quick read on a cold night but nothing overly special I’m sorry to say. 3 stars.

Sexy Silent Nights by Cara Summers

Okay read but no real spark 
3 stars

Club owner Jonah Stone knew it was wrong but a one night, no strings fling with his best friend’s sexy employee, Cilla Michaels, was just too good an opportunity to pass up. He just wasn’t sure that one night would ever be enough. When Jonah starts receiving death threats he’s got the perfect excuse to see Cilla again – she is a bodyguard after all.

Hired to look after Jonah is not exactly a hardship but Cilla knows that she has to be professional and keep her hands to herself. Easier said than done when Jonah makes no secret of just how much he wants her. But they’ve a potential killer to catch and they can’t afford to get distracted. Even if they really, really want to.


I don’t really know how to begin when describing this book because it was a bit hit and miss for me. The premise was fine and I was looking forward to some Christmassy cheer in amongst all the cloak and dagger stuff that was going on. That was somewhat lacking which is always a little annoying when they try to sell these books as being at least a little festive.

Putting that aside, it was fairly obvious from early on that the romance between Jonah and Cilla was going to take a back seat to the “mystery”. That was a little disappointing in itself as I always expect Blaze books to be sexy and romantic but ultimately with heroines that you aspire to be like. As a result I didn’t feel the romance between the pair had much emotion or depth.

Add to that, both Cilla and Jonah annoyed me for different reasons. Jonah because he kept referring to Cilla and Priscilla (her full name) as if they were two people. And Cilla because she got so wrapped up in Jonah she was useless when attempts were made on his life. Fine for any other occupation except bodyguard!

The story itself also ebbed and flowed. At times I was a little bored and then it picked up and I really wanted to keep reading. It wasn’t truly terrible but not one I can really recommend. The writing was okay but all in all I can only give it 3 stars.

Merry Christmas, Baby! by Various

Uninspiring Christmas collection
3 stars

Harlequin Blaze always bring out an anthology near to Christmas and this year’s offering has stories from Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jennifer LaBrecque and Rhonda Nelson.


It’s Christmas, Cowboy! by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Lacey Evans expected to spend the holidays holed up in a remote cabin with her fiancé. As it turns out, it’s unexpected blast from the past ranch hand, Tucker Rankin, that’s keeping her warm by the fire this Christmas.

This was a nice tale that definitely felt the most festive of the three stories. Having said that, Lacey seemed slightly fickle in her affections and Tucker wasn’t exactly the ambitious or hard-working type that I would prefer to swoon over. Still a sweet enough tale.



Northern Fantasy by Jennifer LaBrecque
Stockbroker Jared Martin is in Good Riddance, Alaska for his best friend’s wedding when he meets tempting Theodora “Teddy” Monroe. Teddy dreams of life in the big city while all Jared wants is to find a quiet town to call his own. But neither can deny that they each want the other – but for how long?

This story forms part of LaBrecque’s Alaskan Heat series and while other characters appear it does stand alone just fine. I didn’t really get why you would write a series about a small town when all the characters hate it and want to leave. Couple that with the fact that neither Jared nor Teddy were particularly interesting and I didn’t much care for this story. The fact that all the heroines in these stories also appear to have unusual names that shorten into men’s names was the final irritation for me.



He’ll Be Home For Christmas by Rhonda Nelson
Soldier Silas Davenport has decided to come home to surprise his parents for Christmas. But it’s him that gets a surprise when rather than his parents he finds lovely Delphie Moreau at his house and she’s one gift he can’t wait to unwrap.

This was a pleasant enough story even if it was fairly forgettable. I liked Delphie and could empathise with her and Silas was likeable too. It was realistic which is fine but in a Christmas anthology I was looking for something a little more ‘happily ever after’ or even a little cheesy.


All in all this was an average anthology that didn’t really delight and just didn’t feel festive enough or put me in the Christmas mood. Not bad but really not great. 3 stars.

Riding the Storm by Joanne Rock

Likeable but fairly sedate romance
3 stars

Interior designer, Josie Passano, has left her wild, partying days behind her and now seeks a respectable life as an interior designer. But thanks to some travel sickness pills, she soon finds herself a stowaway on a client’s boat – and a seriously hot client to boot.

Businessman Keith Murphy is captivated by the sexy stranger he finds on board his boat. The red hot chemistry between the two cannot be denied and Keith will do whatever it takes to keep Josie on the boat, in his bed and in his life.


This is the second of a series of books about the Murphy Men of Cape Cod after Making a Splash. Despite it being part of a set, this book stands completely alone and the books will make sense even if not read in order.

All in all this was a likeable book with characters I enjoyed even if I didn’t overly identify with them. Josie and Keith had chemistry and their scenes together were nicely sexy.

My main problem was that for the majority of the story nothing really seemed to happen other than Josie and Keith being together on the boat and that made me a little less than enthusiastic in returning to the book when I put it down. It wasn’t terrible and the writing is good but it just didn’t capture or hold my attention to any degree. I liked the ending but even then, it was cut off without an epilogue which always annoys me.

If you’re reading the series then it’s not one you should necessarily skip but it’s not a book I would go out of my way to recommend.

In the Line of Fire by Jennifer LaBrecque

Simple yet enjoyable story
4 stars

When sweet and sexy Andi asks for his help in fleeing from her groom on her wedding day, army officer Colton Sawyer is on hand to help her escape. Unfortunately Andi is his best friend’s little sister and that, coupled with her recently ruined wedding means she’s off limits no matter how much he wants her. How much he’s always wanted her.

But that’s hard to remember now that they’re sharing a hotel room with each other and being in such close contact. No battle was ever as hard as keeping his hands off Andi and she’s ready to wage a war for his heart that he’s not sure if he would mind losing.


This was a fairly simple story of a couple who have always liked each other but have never found the right time to take it to the next level. Other than running away from the wedding nothing overly exciting happened with the plot but it was still an enjoyable story that I wanted to keep reading.

Despite running out on her wedding and subsequently running off with Colton, the story was written in a way that made you still root for them as a couple and you could really understand and believe in the ultimate love story. I also liked the fact that Andi didn’t shirk her responsibilities and dealt with the practical side of running away with nothing but a huge wedding gown!

Overall this was a sweet story to pass away a couple of hours and one that I would recommend if you like stories of strong, army men falling in love. 4 stars.