Star Crossed Sweethearts / Secret Prince, Instant Daddy!

One great story, the other disappointing

3 Stars

Star-Crossed Sweethearts – Jackie Braun

Hot shot baseball star Angelo Casali is back in Italy to simultaneously recover from a serious injury and meet with his estranged father. The last thing he expects is to find Hollywood starlet, Atlanta Jackson, hiding out from the media and a future he never contemplated.

I have come across Jackie Braun before and really enjoyed the emotion and understated passion of her writing. This was no exception as the story of Angelo and Atlanta grabbed me from start to finish. Both characters were rich and had good depth. I was surprised to find myself really rooting for the pair and really liking them both individually and as a couple. With this being from the Cherish line we only get a few kisses rather than anything more descriptive and while that’s not what I usually like, it worked with this story and didn’t take away from the romance and sensuality of the story.

Overall, excellent writing and a sweet, enjoyable love story that I very much enjoyed. 5 stars.

Secret Prince, Instant Daddy! – Raye Morgan

David Dykstra has big plans to reclaim his rightful place as prince of the small country of Ambria and doesn’t have time for distractions. Unfortunately, Ayme Sommers’ arrival with her neice Cici makes things complicated. And even more so when she claims that the baby is his!

At first, I was really enjoying this book. It was fast paced and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, especially regarding the lost kingdom of Ambria. But after a while it got quite monotonous and we only ever heard about Ambria rather than about David and Ayme. Even then, there was zero spark between the couple and I felt no emotion or romance whatsoever. The baby might has well have been a sack of potatoes for all the point she played to the storyline and in the end the Ambrian storyline was left wide open which I’m assuming means that this is the first book in a series.

Interesting to begin with but seriously fizzling out in the end – a little disappointing. 2 stars.

It seems a shame to have to star this book so low as I very much enjoyed the first story. As it is, combined, I can only give the book 3 stars. Worth it for the first story alone.

Destination: Marriage

Two hits and a miss for this marriage themed anthology

4 stars

Trouble in Paradise – Jill Marie Landis

From the moment Carrie Evans arrived in Hawaii for her dream destination wedding things have started to go wrong. With the rain, a lost wedding dress and an awol caterer to mention but a few, Carrie is sure that the signs say that she really should be getting married at all. Her fiancé Kurt barely has 4 days to change her mind.

I was terribly disappointed in this top billed story. Kurt didn’t seem to care that the bride was flipping out and was only interested in getting Carrie into bed. And the games the pair played, rather than being amusing, made me think they shouldn’t have been getting married at all.

Biting the Apple – Jo Leigh

Aspiring journalist Trish Avalon has just won an all expenses paid wedding in New York. There’s just one problem – she’s not engaged. Determined to get to the Big Apple to start her new life, she convinces her high school sweetheart, and all round local boy Mark Reynolds to be her groom. But is it only for the week?

This was a great story about chasing your dreams and then realising that maybe they weren’t what you were really looking for. Sweet and romantic with great characters (and set in the decadent Hush hotel) – this was a fantastic short story.

A Venetian Affair – Jackie Braun

Dayle Alexander is planning her perfect wedding – so why isn’t she on top of the world? Her fiancé is stable and dependable – so unlike her unsettlingly hot business partner, Max Kinnick. When business takes the pair to Venice, Dayle begins to realise that her perfect wedding will only be if she can snag the perfect groom!

This was a stand out, adorable story. There was a good dose of emotion without being melodramatic and I just loved Dayle and Max as a couple. A great short romance – I’ll without doubt be searching out more of Jackie Braun’s books in the future.

With two out of the three stories really standing out – I would recommend this book if you’re looking for some fun, light and romantic short stories with a wedding flavour. Despite the first story – still worth 4 stars.