The Personal Touch by Lori Borill

Fairly bland romance
2 stars

Multi-millionaire business owner and self-proclaimed playboy, Clint Hilton, is fed up of his love life being interrupted by his widowed mother who has moved in with him and will not leave. So he hires dating counsellor, Margot Roth, to provide tips on finding a man for his mother.

As soon as Margot and Clint meet the sparks are immediate. Rather than tell his mother the truth, Clint and Margot pretend to date in order for Margot to be able to find out who will be the perfect guy. But how long will they be able to keep up the pretence, especially when at least one of them is playing for keeps.


Although it’s a tried and tested plot, I still quite like a story where a couple pretend to be together only to find out neither are actually pretending. While this book didn’t follow any formula, I feel that perhaps in order to avoid any clichés, no storyline was truly developed – it was all a bit bitty!

Clint was a likeable enough character as a ladies’ man although I didn’t really believe he was as suave or hot as he was supposed to be. On the other hand Margot wasn’t likeable at all. She was whiney, annoying and deluded – especially when it came to dating in which she was supposed to be an expert. While there was enough heat in the novel, it was all a little bland as the pair didn’t have much chemistry.

Overall, this isn’t the worst book that I’ve read and if you have it on your shelf then it’s still worth a go. However, it was a little bland and certainly not what I was looking for when I picked up a Blaze romance. 2 stars.

One Winter's Night by Lori Borill

4 Enjoyable Christmas treats

4 stars

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

Here Comes Santa Claus

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

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

Sleigh Ride

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

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

You’re All I Want for Christmas

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

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

Merry Christmas, Baby

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

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

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

Manhunting

Enjoyable Valentine’s anthology

5 stars

This is the annual Blaze anthology for Valentine’s Day with three connecting stories of three friends who are determined not to spend another Valentine’s Day alone.

THE CHASE by Betina Krahn

Samantha Drexel has always loved Nick Stack’s music but when the pair finally meet, the sparks that are flying are more from anger than anything else. But those sparks soon turn into sparks of lust but will their one night together turn into forever?

This was a fun story with likeable characters that had great chemistry and a lot of spark.

THE TAKEDOWN by Joanne Rock

Tori Halsey has been in love with her brother’s best friend for most of her life. Now she’s all grown up, she decides that it’s about time she finds out whether they’ve got the kind of chemistry that can last a lifetime.

I do like a story where the couple have known each other forever and especially enjoyed this one as both Tori and Luke realised perhaps they didn’t know everything about each other. Good chemistry and a well-written story.

THE SATISFACTION by Lori Borrill

Sweet Kitty Colburn is determined not to be the only one without a date on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, the man she’s picked out is a little, well, boring. So, before she commits to a staid and dull existence, she plans to have some wild times with sexy chef, Josh Beeker.

This was my favourite story of the three as Josh discovers another side to his sweet and shy neighbour. I liked the development of the relationship and it was nicely sexy too.

It’s unusual for me to enjoy all the stories in an anthology but I really enjoyed all three of these. The Valentine’s content is limited so the stories can be enjoyed all year and if you’re looking for some light, fun and romantic stories to take your mind off things for a while then I would recommend this book to you. 5 stars.

Private Confessions by Lori Borill

Pretty standard romance

3 stars

Experience has taught sexy ad-exec and agency boss, Logan Moore, to be careful when it come to affairs of the heart. That’s why his spicy online romance with Scorpio63 is perfect. He gets steamy, anonymous encounters and takes his mind off the secret urge he gets for Trisha every day in the office.

For Trisha, virtual sex with Pisces47 is so sinfully good that it leaves her hungrier for the good, old-fashioned kind with Logan Moore, her unattainable boss. But a chance remark from him makes him wonder whether there’s much difference between fantasy and reality.

This is the debut novel by Lori Borrill and while it’s interesting and pleasant, it is a little standard and by the book.

There’s the main romance between Logan and Trisha which is fine but a little lacking in emotion and sparkle. Neither character felt particularly well drawn out and while I liked them, they were, all in all, forgettable.

Then there was the obligatory secondary romance which bored the socks off me. Trisha’s best friend and Logan’s best friend battling with their fledging relationship and finding out they’re going to be parents was not exciting at all and not something I wanted to read about.

Overall, if you have this book or see it in the library then it’s worth a read but it’s really nothing special and not one I would take pains to recommend. 3 stars.

Putting it to the Test by Lori Borill

Hot Office Romance From Blaze
4 stars

Sweet and bubbly website designer, Carly Abrams, is fed up being overlooked for promotion. When the office staff are asked to complete a survey to find out which man and woman are most suited for a big job, Carly does the only thing she can think of and cheats - sex questions not withstanding!

But now she is paired with designer extraordinaire Matt Jacobs - the most irritating and infuriating (not to mention gorgeous and delectable) man Carly has ever laid eyes on - to work together on a top project. If anyone finds out she matched her answers to his then she's in big trouble!

Despite the lies - it seems that Matt and Carly couldn't be more suited - sexually at least. But the pair are combustible, in and out of the bedroom and when they have to fight for the same promotion - the survey results are really put to the test.


I really liked the idea of this story and the goings on within the office that spring from a naughty survey!

Carly was a fun character that you could identify with although perhaps not as in depth as the character of Matt - a typically arrogant, alpha bad boy. Together the pair were delicious and their chemistry scorched the pages. Although there was talk of kinky sex - most of it in the book was fairly vanilla, but still very hot and exciting.

I thought the story ticked along wonderfully and really captured me until about 3/4 of the way through when things slowed down and it just didn't sparkle as much as the first part. Having said that, it was still interesting, engaging and well-written with the required happy ending.

If you like stories about office romances that are hot, sexy and fun - you really can't go wrong with this book. Recommended and worth 4 stars.