Kathy Love: Getting What You Want

Getting What You Want
Series: Stepp Sisters, Book 1
Author: Kathy Love
Original Release: May 1, 2004
List Price: $5.99

Read: December 27-28, 2009
My Rating:


Author Homepage | Amazon.com

SUMMARY (from back cover)
In this delightful, heartwarming novel, Kathy Love introduces the Stepp sisters, three women whose lives are about to take a turn for the wild, the unpredictable, and the absolutely enchanting ... Meet Abby.

NOTE TO SELF:

Remind me to have my head examined.

What exactly possessed me to come home to Millbrook, Maine, where nothing changes but the weather? Oh, right. A six-month grant to do genetics research at Rand laboratories. What can I say --- I'm a smart girl. And smart girls get what they need and get out again. Smart girls don't dream, they settle. And smart girls do not get completely tongue-tied while holding a basket of fried clams when they bump into the most gorgeous man they haven't seen in fifteen years: Chase Jordan.

Remind me to have my hormones removed.

Chase Jordan. Town bad boy. Rebel with a cause to show up in my dreams unannounced. Oh boy, this is not good. Not smart. It's like high school all over again. But in a good way. A heart-thumping way. An I-have-no-idea-what's-going-to-happen way. A way that's making me feel like maybe settling for what I have isn't so smart ... but really going after what I want is the craziest thing I may ever do ...

Linda Francis Lee: Sinfully Sexy

MY REVIEW

Sinfully Sexy
Series: Sexy
Author: Linda Francis Lee
Original Release: September 27, 2004
List Price: $7.99

Read: December 21-21, 2009
My Rating:


Author Homepage | Amazon.com

SUMMARY (from back cover)

After a close encounter of the sexy kind, Chloe discovers her wild side

Plain-Jane Chloe Sinclair has never been bad ... until she stumbles - literally - into the arms of a gorgeous stranger. To make matters worse, her world is rocked completely off its axis the morning after when the sensual dreamboat turns out to be the man brought in to save the TV station where she works.

Sterling Prescott is hard-driven, sexy as hell, and determined to take over the struggling KTEX TV. But all bets are off when the shameless wildcat who disappeared on him last night walks back into his life - acting like a squeaky-clean librarian. Life gets truly complicated, however, when Sterling decides to win more than the station - and to show  her that being sexy isn't a sin.

MY REACTION
This is the second book that I have read by Linda Francis Lee and I'm very conflicted about what rating to give it - 3.5 stars (worth reading once, recommendable, check it out from the library) or 4 stars (will want to read it again, buy a copy of my own if I read a borrowed one). The other book was Looking for Lacey and it was really not a recommendable book, except for the side romance going on between the heroine's high school daughter and her classmate - that was literally the only thing that made the book worth reading.

"SEXY" SERIES
Sinfully Sexy is Book 2 in Lee's "Sexy" Trilogy - it's preceded by Kate's story in Suddenly Sexy and followed by Julia and Ben's story in Simply Sexy. The three heroines are all coworkers at KTEX TV and have been friends since childhood.

CONS
In Sinfully Sexy, there were a lot of things that were a mess:

• the story and the plot were not "tight"
• there were a lot of contrivances created solely for the author's character machinations
• the whole last-minute-dating-show-that-will-miraculously-save-the-station-and-oh-what-a-surprise-there-are-some-twists-that-make-certain-characters-have-to-be-contestants was ... yeah, not much appreciated by this reader
• the secondary kind-of-romance between Julia and Ben that sets us up for Book 3 in the trilogy was annoying, felt very forced, and definitely did not make me inclined to read their story
• Chloe's father was blah and the emotional scene and discussion at the end was far too corny and neatly-timed for me
• ... and I could go on.

PROS

*However*, Chloe was (for the most - if one ignores some random weird spots here and there) a good heroine and Sterling was (also for the most part - if one ignores his too sudden realization of love and quick turnaround) a good hero. There were some great scenes between them that were very amusing, very enjoyable, and *very* chemically-charged and Sterling sometimes does or says things that will have you sighing out loud. The interactions between him and his brother Ben were also nice additions.

NOTE

When I had first read the summary of this book, I thought that Chloe and Sterling basically have a one-night stand with one another and then are surprised to find out the next day that the stranger they slept with last night is someone they're going to have to work with. Although that's where things are heading, they *do not* sleep with each other at the beginning of the book and when they finally do it is absolutely perfect and at the right time in their relationship and in the book/story.

RATING DECISION

So basically it comes down to whether or not the good parts of the book outweigh the bad parts enough to warrant a 4-star rating instead of a 3.5-star one ... and after writing this review and being able to sum it all up for myself, I'm afraid to say that I'm going to have to go with 3.5 stars.

BOTTOM LINE

The pros of this book make it definitely worth checking out from the library (which is what I did), but I would hold off on buying it - I know some people have really liked this book, so it could be me, but IMO it just doesn't warrant a spot on my keeper and/or reread shelves.

J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts): Naked in Death

MY REVIEW

Naked in Death
Series: In Death, Book 1
Author: Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb
First Release: June 30, 1995
List Price: $7.99

Read: October 7-8, 2009
My Rating:


Author Homepage | J.D. Robb Page | Amazon.com

SUMMARY (from inside front page)
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In more than ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows that her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about - except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

MY OPINION
Naked in Death is absolutely fantastic - both a great romance and a wonderful murder mystery. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series and seeing the relationship between Eve and Roarke progress and continue to develop; they are both fantastic characters and complement one another very well. Definitely one of my favorite books by Nora Roberts so far, if not my favorite - it's hard to decide, because she does have some really great ones. Is automatically going on my "to-buy" list!

NEXT BOOK OF THE "IN DEATH" SERIES
Naked in Death is followed by Glory in Death, Book 2.

Rachel Gibson: Tangled Up In You

MY REVIEW

Tangled Up In You
Series: Writer Friends, Book 3
Author: Rachel Gibson
Release: July 31, 2007
List Price: $7.99

Read: October 5-7, 2009
My Rating:


Author Homepage | Book Page | Excerpt | Amazon.com

SUMMARY (from back cover)
Maddie is determined to uncover the untold story about the town's sordid past - her past. As a child, Maddie lost everything, and now she's back at the scene of the scandal - a local establishment that's always belonged to the Hennessys - determined to uncover the truth, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Especially not a black-haired, blue-eyed Hennessy.

Everyone in Truly knows that the Hennessy men are irresistible, and the current owner, Mick, is no exception. His late father was a skirt-chasing heartbreaker who ended up causing disaster for two families. So far, Mick's managed to keep the ladies in line, but when he claps eyes on Maddie, with her luscious curves and tempting lips, he can't resist getting tangled up with her.

But Maddie is keeping secrets, not the least of which is her true reason for being in town. And when Mick discovers what‘s really going on, there is going to be a whole lot of trouble in Truly.

SERIES: Writer Friends

1. Sex, Lies, and Online Dating - Lucy Rothschild and Quinn McIntyre, detective
   
2. I'm In No Mood for Love - Clare Wingate and Sebastian Vaughan, international journalist
   
3. Tangled Up In You - Madeline Jones and Mick Hennessy, ex-military and current bar owner
   
4. Not Another Bad Date - Adele Harris and Zach Zemaitis, high school football coach
   

Gibson's four-book series follows the happy-ever-after of four friends living in Boise, Idaho who are all writers. They each write in different genres: Lucy writes murder mysteries, Clare romance, Maddie true crime, and Adele science fiction.

MY OPINION
Tangled Up In You is a decent read; got it from the library and am glad I didn't buy it. Not a waste of time, but not a reread. Gibson has definitely written better (i.e. See Jane Score, Truly Madly Yours, and It Must Be Love)!!

Nora Roberts: Born in Ice

MY REVIEW

Born in Ice
Series: Born In Trilogy, Book 2
Author: Nora Roberts
Release: November 1, 1996
List Price: $7.99

Read: August 26-27, 2009
My Rating:


Author Homepage | Trilogy Page | Amazon.com

SUMMARY (from Amazon.com)
Brianna Concannon is a woman with a rare gift for creating a home, and she makes use of this talent by running a bed-and-breakfast in a picturesque corner of Ireland. Mystery writer Grayson Thane is an American who grew up in an orphanage and has spent his life alone.

A restless wanderer with a painful past, Grayson arrives at Blackthorn Cottage intent only on soaking up the Irish atmosphere and writing his next novel, but he finds far more than he bargained for. The beautiful, calm Brianna soothes his disquiet soul, and in her Grayson finds the home he hadn't realized he needed.

Brianna knows that by falling for him, she risks her heart, already bruised and scarred by a young love who left her at the altar. But the yearning to let the American melt the ice around her cold exterior is irresistible. Unless Grayson can let go of his past to forge a future with her, Brianna may have gambled her heart in vain.

SERIES: Born In Trilogy

1. Born in Fire (October 1, 1994)
2. Born in Ice (November 1, 1995)
3. Born in Shame (January 1, 1996)
   

The trilogy follows the Concannon sisters. The first book features Maggie, a glass-blowing artist of fiery temper, and Rogan Sweeney, a very successful and driven international gallery owner; opposites attract in this book. Then comes Brianna, Maggie's quietly reserved sister who finds contentment in running her inn and making strangers feel comfortable when they are far from home; her hero is Grayson Thane, a well-known mystery writer who has been a lone wanderer for most of his life and treasures the fact that he isn't tied down.

The trilogy ends with Shannon, their American half-sister, whose existence they have only learned of during the second book. She is the result of a brief affair between her mother and their father and has grown up in America, never having met the other side of her family. Shannon's hero is the wonderful and sexy Murphy Muldoon, who was featured in both of the trilogy's other books.

OPINION
Born in Ice has good reviews on Amazon.com (average customer rating of 4 stars), but it is the least preferred one of the trilogy. I myself liked it better than Born in Fire and give it a solid four stars. I love the quiet heroines and Brianna is definitely that; she's so reserved and cool at times that I would have liked to see her lose her temper in one big fiery blowout at least once in the book. Regardless of this, Brianna was an interesting heroine and despite my apprehensions from the first book, she was much more accessible than I thought she would be.

Gray was a wonderful hero and he and Brianna are perfect for each other. Their trip to New York was one of the highlights of the book;he's so sweet to her and her bafflement when he gives her gifts is very amusing. The love scene while they're in NYC was the hottest one in the book and one of the best. Gray is always so tender and loving when they make love (Brianna is a virgin, so at first she's somewhat frightened/confused by her feelings for and attraction to him) and this one rougher and hotter moment had me fanning myself a little, lol. Though of course nothing beats the scene in Rising Tides between Ethan and Grace against the tree - whew!! ;-)

The relationship between Brianna and Gray was always honest, forthright, and open, which was something I really appreciated. They are reserved with one another about their pasts, but when it comes to their relationship with each other, there were no misunderstandings, no lies, no secrets, etc. As always, Roberts has one of the characters realizing and admitting their love, while the other one refuses to admit the truth until the end - still, the end is wonderful, sweet, and just perfect for those two characters.

BOTTOM LINE
A great read that I would definitely recommend. The first book in the trilogy, Born in Fire, can be passed over, but it's worth checking out from the library if you want to read all three books of the trilogy. Now it's on to Born in Shame for me! I'll let you know what the verdict is :-)