Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Lori Wilde

Sexy Second Chance at Love Story

4 Stars

Wedding videographer Tish Gallagher is in dire straights. Her business is about to go bust and she’s down to her last few dollars in her bank account. So she makes a wish on the lucky wedding veil to get herself out of debt but instead sees the man she never stopped loving – her ex-husband, secret service agent Shane Tremont.

In a sudden reversal of fortune, Tish lands herself the biggest job of her life – videoing the wedding of the president’s daughter. The job is the answer to her prayers and the way to save her business and her bank balance. There’s just one problem – Shane is the groom. The magic is still there but with so much baggage, him promised to another and a few dark secrets, will they ever be able to find each other again?

This is the second book in Wilde’s Wedding Veil Wishes series after There Goes the Bride. The couple from that book do make a brief appearance but I would say that this book stands nicely alone as the only recurring storyline is that of the magic veil.

I adore second chance love stories and so I was looking forward to this book. It didn’t disappoint and the chemistry between Shane and Tish was emotional and gave that little hitch in your tummy during their scenes together.

The book was very much about Tish and Shane and how they overcame their issues and managed to work things out between them. There was some action but I did feel the book was lot about the emotion and the main character’s connection. I still really enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down, reading it in a very short time. It’s an excellent addition to the series or a fun stand alone book and definitely one I would recommend.

Indulge Me by Isabel Sharpe

Fast, indulgent romance

5 stars

After years of taking care of everyone else, Darcy Wolf is suddenly free to do what she wants. And what she wants is to ditch her good girl persona and indulge in some of her most decadent fantasies. Afterwards she plans to leave her home town and never come back.

Her first fantasy is to have a one night stand with a hot, willing man and her housepainter Tyler Houston seems like the perfect candidate. Their amazing chemistry takes Darcy and Tyler by surprise and suddenly Darcy isn’t sure whether she wants fantasy or reality.

This book is pretty much about Darcy and her desire to get out into the world and fulfil all her fantasies. She could easily have come across as annoyingly clueless but instead her determination to find out about herself after years of being tied down seems real and her worry understandable. Tyler was a wonderful hero – strong but with a caring, emotional side. The pair had great chemistry and they scorched the pages as they fulfilled Darcy’s fantasies together.

This is really a fun book. It’s sexy, funny, sweet and overall a really enjoyable read. 5 stars.

Two Hot by Cara Summers

A fun and engaging romance

4 Stars

Academic Zoë McNamara is able to analyse and figure out everything – except her no holds barred attraction to the mysterious and sexy Jed Calhoun. All she can think about is Jed, which is seriously affecting her work. So she decides the best plan of action is to sleep with him and get him out of her system once and for all.

But then she meets sexy, sophisticated Ethan Blair and she can’t help but want him too. But getting mixed up with two men in the space of days might not be the best thing for Zoë as she soon finds herself embroiled in a world she only imagined happened in James Bond films. Yet even that’s not as confusing as which of the two men she wants to be with so what will she do when she realises she can have both?!

If I’m honest, I didn’t think I would much like this novel as although I can suspend reality, I assumed it would be too far fetched to be enjoyable. I am glad to say that I was wrong about it and although it’s in no way realistic – that simply made the novel a fun and engaging romantic romp!

The story seems to follow on from a previous Cara Summers novel (The Favour) and although the main characters from that story appear, and at times it is assumed we know the back story of Jed and Zoë (which I assume featured in the first book in the series), this actually doesn’t detract from the story as a whole and I don’t see a need to have read the first book to enjoy and understand this one.

Obviously this is a romance story and despite the premise and the anticipation of having two men to choose from, apart from a steamy fantasy scene, the story is a lot more tame than they would have you believe. That’s not to say the love scenes were hot and plentiful as they were both!

I enjoyed the characters within the book and their chemistry worked well together. I did feel at the end that the mystery/suspense plot overtook the romance for a while but I still didn’t want to put the book down so that’s definitely a point in the books favour. There also appears to be another story set up in this book but I can’t seem to find Gage and Bailey’s story yet.

Overall this was fun, interesting and really kept me hooked. If you’re looking for a light, romantic romp with some hot sex and fun thrown in then I would recommend this book to you.

Before I Melt Away by Isabel Sharpe

A festive Christmas romance

4 Stars

It’s Christmas time and personal chef Annabel Brightman isn’t really in the festive mood. This is the busiest time for her fledgling business and she doesn’t have time for fun or Christmas cheer. But that’s until Quinn Garrett shows up on her doorstep one snowy night.

Quinn has never forgotten Annabel from school but now that they’re both grown up, Quinn is determined to add some fire to the cold, winter nights. The heat the pair generate is enough to thaw Annabel’s icy demeanour but is this just a steamy Christmas fling or could it possibly be the real thing?

This is a cute, fun and sexy Christmas romance that takes Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as its inspiration. It was subtle but was a nice quirk and gave the book a great festive edge.

At first I struggled to get into this book as the characters seemed quite one-dimensional and emotionless. However, as I continued to read I realised that the author was trying to take the reader on the same emotional ride as the characters and by the end I have to admit that the emotions were intense and really brought a lump to my throat!

The book was nicely hot, the couple had great chemistry and without being cheesy, it really captured the Christmas spirit. If you’re looking for a good read for a winter’s night then I would recommend this book to you. 4 stars.

How To Engage an Earl by Kathryn Caskie

Unexciting and basic romance

2 Stars

The last thing Laird Allen, Earl of MacLaren wants is a wife. So he’s quite surprised when he awakens in his bed chamber to find a beautiful blonde there with him, claiming to be his betrothed.

All Anne Royle wanted was to find the truth about her heritage – so she’s none too happy that she’s managed to snag herself the biggest rake of the ton. But as time, and the ruse, goes on, she finds herself wishing that their charade was real.

This is the second in a trilogy of books regarding the Royle sisters, purported to be the “secret” daughters of the Prince Regent. There were quite a lot of characters that weren’t introduced and situations that weren’t explained so I’m assuming it would be beneficial to have read the first book in the trilogy, How To Seduce a Duke, before reading this story. This story then leads on to the final book in the series, How To Propose To A Prince.

I’m sorry to say that this story just didn’t excite me or interest me at all. I read romance for the romance between the main characters and that seemed to take a back seat to solving the mystery of the triplets parentage in this particular book. There was one tepid, lacklustre love scene and little else to make me believe that Anne and Laird were really falling in love. The characters felt paper thin and could have been from any time period not to mention the fact that they weren’t particularly likeable.

I’m also really not a fan of creative names in romance novels and while it’s not the most idiotic name I’ve heard, ‘Laird’ as a first name for a supposedly Scottish Earl is still quite ridiculous. There’s also Constance Henceforth, a butler called Festidious and of course the actual ‘Royle’ sisters – which is about as subtle as a brick considering the trio are supposedly secret princesses.

The writing was fair but not very thrilling and I personally didn’t find any of the wit that was supposedly sparkling through the novel.

Perhaps if you’ve read the first book of the three then you will want to read this one however, apart from that it’s really not a book I can recommend. There are much better romance novels out there that combine some action/mystery with romance so I can unfortunately only give this story 2 stars.

The Wedding Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

Entertaining and engaging romance

4 Stars

Bluestocking Eliza Hammond has been in love with Kit Winter forever. Unfortunately, he only sees her as his sister in law’s mousy, shy, bookish friend. After 4 seasons without a sniff of an offer, it would appear that every other man thinks the same. But now Eliza has come into a fortune and is determined that this season will be her best yet – she just needs some help.

So she enlists the help of Kit to transform her into a stunning society belle that will be worthy of catching a great husband. But as their lessons continue, the sparks between Kit and Eliza begin to fly. Kit soon finds himself floored by his desire for Eliza, but will he realise his true feelings before he loses her to another man?

This is the third book in Warren’s ‘Trap Trilogy’ after The Husband Trap and The Wife Trap. The book features the couples from both previous stories but apart from this stands nicely on its own.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing was entertaining and engaging and the characters likeable. My main problem with the story was that there was a distinct lack of passion. It was a good read but lacked any great emotional depth so it was hard to develop a great feeling for Kit, Eliza or their emerging love story.

Another great annoyance was the huge number of Americanisms that popped up quite frequently in the book. This really pulled me out of the story and seriously grated after a while.

Despite all its faults, this is still a story that I would recommend. It may not be the deepest or most involved story but it’s still an entertaining and readable story. 4 stars.

Off Limits by Jordan Summers

Unrealistic but enjoyable romance

3 stars

ATF Special Agent Delaney Carter must go undercover if she wants to keep her job and land herself a big promotion. Unfortunately her undercover gig is as a flight attendant and she is scared to death of flying.

Luckily for Delaney, she has gorgeous Jack Gordon to keep her distracted in the air and on the ground. Too bad that he also happens to be an ex arms dealer and the very man she has been assigned to get close to. She’s sure that falling into bed wasn’t in her mission brief but Delaney just can’t help herself.

So long as you suspend reality, this is actually quite an enjoyable book to read on a lazy afternoon. Despite being an ex arms dealer, Jack is a great hero – sexy and masculine while still being caring and kind. Delaney was a harder character to get to know and although she was sweet but feisty, I found it much too hard to believe she had the experience (and guts) to be a federal agent.

This book would have got more stars from me except that I felt it took far too long to actually get into the story and for it to get going. Once it did, you could escape reality and just enjoy the fun, fairly sexy romance. 3 stars.