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A WEDDING FOR CHRISTMAS by Lori Wilde

November 13, 2016

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A Twilight, Texas Novel

Although there are several Twilight, Texas novels, this is really the sequel to last year’s I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. That story was a takeoff on the film, The Holiday, where Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet trade homes over the Christmas holiday. In the book, Kate and Gabi trade homes, and Gabi falls in love with Kate’s brother.

This book starts off with Kate’s adventure in Los Angeles while staying at Gabi’s home. She goes to a club where she runs into her first high school crush, Ryder Southerland. He is security at the club and tackles her, mistaking her for a stalker. They end up spending the night together having mind blowing sex, but Kate slips out in the morning and heads home.

The story then picks up a year later. Gabi and Joe’s wedding is taking place on Christmas Eve and Kate is the maid of honor. Ryder is the best man and it is his first time back in Twilight in over a decade. He comes home a few weeks early after he finds out the stepmother who hated him has died. His father is in the hospital and Kate is hired to clear out the house before he comes home. There were major hoarding issues going on there.

Kate and Ryder meet up and the sparks fly, but Kate is afraid of a relationship because of Ryder’s commitment issues. Ryder has feelings for Kate, but is afraid to take the next step. Meanwhile the housecleaning goes on, as do the pre-wedding parties and Ryder and Kate are constantly thrown together.

They end up back in bed again but Kate is treating him like an embarrassment. Eventually Gabi and Joe point out that everyone knows what’s going on and they come out of hiding. A pregnancy scare moves things forward but there is no easy path to the happy ending.

Another fun, sexy read in Twilight, Texas.

11/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A WEDDING FOR CHRISTMAS by Lori Wilde. Avon (October 25, 2016). ISBN 978-0062311450. 384p.

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MY FAIR PRINCESS by Vanessa Kelly

October 27, 2016

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The Improper Princesses, Book 1

I am quite proud of myself, I actually am reading the first book of a series first. A rare treat. Although, oddly, it did feel a bit like there may have been stories that came before. So maybe this series was spun off from another series? Ah, the mysteries of historical romances – eventually I will figure it out, I suppose.

This is a terrific romance between a very proper Duke and a complete “hoyden”. Gillian is the by blow (bastard) of royalty and has grown up a completely wild child in Sicily. When her beloved stepfather is killed, she tracks down and kills his murderers, a most unusual trait in a princess, I can assure you. But in doing so, Gillian has made herself the target of bandits wishing to avenge their compadres deaths.

Gillian, her mother and grandmother flee to England, where the Perfect Penroy, Duke of Leverton, agrees to sponsor Gillian into society, in hopes she will find a husband. But at her first ball, she punches out a man who insults her, fueling the gossip to a new extreme. Then when the Duke’s ex-fiancee ups the gossip ante with vicious lies, he takes the women to his country home until things die down a bit with the ton.

On the way, they are robbed and Gillian is distraught that the necklace from her stepfather has been taken. Bandits are working on Leverton land and the Gillian and the Duke cannot agree on how to handle it.

Eventually Gillian realizes that she is in love with the Duke, but is despondent that he could ever love someone like her. The Duke is a little slower to realize it but they do get their happy ending – but not until lots of danger, trading secrets about their pasts and some lovemaking occur.

This is an enjoyable read – quick, lusty and fun. I’m looking forward to Three Weeks with a Princess, Book 2 in the series, but have to wait until next year for it.

10/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

MY FAIR PRINCESS by Vanessa Kelly. Zebra (August 30, 2016). ISBN: 978-1420141092. 352p.

Kindle ($.99!)

1 Comment | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance | Tagged: Historical | Permalink
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THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE by Jill Shavis

October 8, 2016

Heartbreaker Bay Series, Book 2

Willa Davis and Keane Winters have some history together; he stood her up for a high school dance, and worse yet, he doesn’t even remember it. So when he pops in to her pet shop with a cat in a pink bedazzled carrier, he has to beg her to cat sit for the day. She reluctantly agrees, the cat is too cute to turn away, but gives Keane the cold shoulder. Which is really hard to do, he’s even cuter than he was in high school.

Both of them have had rough childhoods for different reasons, and both have Christmas issues. Keane deals by ignoring it, and Willa goes Christmas crazy – except for a definite Santa aversion.

Keane can’t understand why the really cute girl with the killer smile and the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen is so cold to him. He works hard to get her to thaw, and eventually the heat is turned way up.

This was a quick read and fun way to enjoy the holiday season.

10/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE by Jill Shavis. Avon (September 27, 2016). ISBN: 978-0062448040. 384p.

Kindle

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TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber

October 4, 2016

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Debbie Macomber is the Queen of the Christmas novel, and they are often followed up as Hallmark movies. That said, some years are better than others and I’m happy to report that this year is a winner.

Julia Padden is a morning person. A bright, cheerful, bubbly morning person, just the type that her grouchy neighbor Cain can’t stand. They leave for work at the same time and her perkiness is just driving him mad. One morning she catches him stealing her newspaper and she loses it altogether.

Complaining to her best friend Cammie brings a little relief, then Cammie has a brainstorm – instead of just wanting to kill him, she suggests, why don’t you kill him with kindness? And blog about it.

Julia is in the running for her dream job and to get it, she needs to create a blog and amass as many followers as possible. Meanwhile, she’s working her tail off at Macy’s – there’s nothing like retail during the Christmas holidays. Since Christmas is a mere twelve days away, Julia goes for it. She starts writing her blog, nicknaming her neighbor “Ebenezer,” bending over backwards to be kind to him, and writing about their rocky relationship.

Her blog picks up steam every day, and it doesn’t take too long for her campaign to have an effect. A surprising effect – in no more than a week, Julia and Cain have forged a romantic, although Macomber-chaste, relationship. But no good romance goes unscathed, and there is plenty of angst before the requisite happy ending.

This quick read was a great kickoff to the holiday season, full of charm and all the sweetness you could want for Christmas. I loved it – hear that, Hallmark?

10/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (October 4, 2016). ISBN 978-0553391732. 288p.

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ONCE UPON A WINE by Beth Kendrick

October 3, 2016

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Food & wine – any contemporary romance set in these worlds immediately grabs my interest. This one is set in a vineyard with a twist, it’s in Delaware.

Cammie has always wanted to own her own bar. After graduate school, she feels ready and falls in love with a chef who wants his own restaurant. They join forces, Cammie invests her entire inheritance, then the chef dumps her and moves to another restaurant.

Broke and almost homeless, Cammie jumps at the chance to help out the aunt that raised her. Aunt Ginger has invested her retirement into the Delaware winery in Black Dog Bay, the beach town they summered in most of their lives. Her cousin Kat is there too, and the women are as close as sisters. But none of them has any wine making experience, so this could be a disaster.

Turns out Kat is on the run from her marriage. A former superstar skateboarder, an injury forced her into retirement and Kat can’t deal with her life at the moment. Her husband is as supportive as can be, even showing up with a beautiful dog for her, but she needs to work stuff out on her own.

Cammie has some history in Back Dog Bay; her first love owns a farm there. She left him for grad school in California but the attraction is definitely still there. The women work together to turn Aunt Ginger’s folly into something worthwhile, that dog becomes an internet sensation, and love, well, love wins out.

Strong women are always a plus, and these girls are all fighters, which I admire. This was a sweet, fun read, and I really enjoyed it.

10/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

ONCE UPON A WINE by Beth Kendrick. NAL (July 26, 2016) ISBN: 978-0451474193. 336p.

Kindle

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DUKE OF SIN by Elizabeth Hoyt

October 2, 2016

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A Maiden Lane Novel, Book 10

I’ve been enjoying this series so when I saw this book on Booklist’s “Top 10 Romance: 2016,” I realized I missed one. Luckily, I found it on the shelf in my library and took it home.

This series is set in the early 1800’s and is pretty dark. A common thread throughout the series (at least the ones I’ve read) is this group called the Lords of Chaos, titled men who have identifying dolphin tattoos and participate in savage orgies. These orgies feature young children of both sexes, ferocious dogs chasing said children, and murder is not uncommon. In fact, killing is part of the initiation.

Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, has inherited the leadership of the Lords of Chaos, but he hasn’t had his initiation yet, he’s too busy blackmailing several of his peers. Bridget Crumb is the daughter of Lady Cair and an unnamed footman, and her mother had sent her to a foster family who raised her to be a housekeeper. Lady Cair is one of the Duke’s blackmail victims, so Mrs. Crumb gains employment in his home in hopes of finding the incriminating evidence and protecting her mother.

This is an action packed romance, a bit darker than I usually care for in this type of genre. The Duke has had a truly appalling childhood, and one can’t help but wonder if the damage done is permanent. Luckily, he becomes enamored of Bridget, and she has a strong sense of right and wrong which she tries to teach him. Eventually they fall in love but not until there has been a duel, a kidnapping, a murder attempt, hot sex and more.

The first chapter of the next book in the series, The Duke of Pleasure, is included in the paperback and if that is any indication of what is to follow, it should be as action packed as this one – and something to look forward to.

10/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DUKE OF SIN by Elizabeth Hoyt. Grand Central Publishing (May 31, 2016). ISBN: 978-1455539093. 368p.

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THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL by Jennifer McQuiston

September 26, 2016

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Seduction Diaries, Book 3

This has become one of my favorite series. The heroines are all smart, nerdy girls who don’t particularly want to get married and have no use for society, and this one is no different.

Mary Channing’s sister was the heroine of the first book in the series, but these do not need to be read in order, they all stand alone just fine.

Mary is a bookworm, a girl after my own heart. Losing her brother and father to violence has made her into a bit of a recluse, staying in her room or her garden and reading, and refusing a “season” in London. But when her sister’s husband has to leave on business for a while, Mary agrees to stay with Clare during the last trimester of her confinement. Don’t you just love that word? In this case it’s apropos, it’s a difficult pregnancy and the doctor is expecting the baby to come early.

Her first morning there, Mary goes out early to check out the garden, only to be shocked to find a man urinating on the rose bushes. That man is Geoffrey Westmore, future Viscount, neighbor, and our scoundrel.

Clare forces Mary to attend a fundraising event at her doctor’s hospital, and Mary reluctantly agrees as Charles Dickens will be there. But she is overwhelmed by the crowd and seeks refuge in the hospital library. Westmore sees her leave and follows, sure she looks familiar, but he can’t place her. He ends up compromising her and ruining her reputation, but while they are in the library, they overhear an assassination plot, which Mary is much more concerned about.

I love that Mary is extremely knowledgeable about so many different things, all from her reading. She is also a real romantic, basing all understanding of men and women and relationships on novels. She eventually finds out that life is not quite the same as it appears in books, but nonetheless gets her happy ending.

I loved it.

9/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL by Jennifer McQuiston. Avon (September 27, 2016). ISBN 978-0062335142. 400p.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance | Tagged: Historical | Permalink
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SWEET TOMORROWS by Debbie Macomber

September 22, 2016

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A Rose Harbor Novel, Book 5

I’ve read several of Macomber’s books by now and I’m still confused about the relationship between her different series. Sweet Tomorrows is the conclusion to the Rose Harbor series, which is set in the same town as the Cedar Cove series and possibly the Blossom Street series? There are some characters that overlap or maybe I’m just confusing it all with her Hallmark TV series, “Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove.”

No matter, they are all the same in style, tone, writing, and characters, as they should be – it’s what her readers expect, and Macomber doesn’t disappoint.

The owner of the Rose Harbor Inn, Jo Marie, is suffering as the man she loves, Mark, declared his love then took off to finish a secret mission in Iraq. Jo Marie was widowed when her husband was killed while in the service, and she is bound and determined not to repeat that. Before he left, Mark told her to get on with her life and she does, meeting a very nice man who quickly falls in love with her. And then Mark returns, seriously wounded and hanging at death’s door.

Emily is a young lady who has suffered two broken engagements. She’s basically run away to Cedar Cove, and arranges to board on a week to week basis at the inn until she finds a house to buy. She stumbles across a house under renovation a few blocks from the inn, but Nick, the owner, at first ignores her then chases her off his property. Nick has some severe psychological issues and he and Emily seem to be able to help one another, but she has serious trust issues.

The book alternates chapters between Jo Marie, Mark, Emily and Nick, so we learn about each of them in their own voices. These are very likeable characters, although Nick’s voice sounded a bit too high school at times for a grown man.

I’m always surprised that these characters are as young as they are, they read much older to me, which probably harkens to their behavior, especially the complete lack of sex between consenting twenty-thirty something year olds. Despite that minor annoyance, I enjoyed this book and it was a quick read. Sometimes it’s just pleasurable to read about really nice people, as Macomber’s characters tend to be. Sweet Tomorrows is another charmer from the Debbie Macomber collection.

9/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

SWEET TOMORROWS by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books; 2nd edition (August 2, 2016). ISBN 978-8900720341. 352p.

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THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER by Jenny Colgan

September 20, 2016

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Nina Redmond is a woman after my own heart – she lives and breathes books. She is a librarian in Birmingham, England, which is undergoing severe budget issues. The library is taken over by a private company and Nina finds herself out of a job.

Her dream has been to have her own little bookshop, but she doesn’t really have the means to do that. Then she gets an idea to buy an old van and turn it into a mobile bookbus.

The van is in a small town in the Highlands of Scotland, and she gets her stock from libraries that are closing, and travels all around the area, as there is a complete dearth of libraries or bookstores. Soon Nina finds herself in business in the small farming community. But not as easily as it sounds – her first time out driving the van she stalls out on the railroad tracks and just freezes. Luckily, the driver is able to stop the train and she quickly becomes attracted to Malek, a Lithuanian working the train.

Nina needs a place to live and the small town has few options, but one is a converted barn on a beautiful farm. Her landlord/farmer is in the middle of a divorce and a bit cranky, so Nina just ignores him. But before long, she is no longer able to do that.

This is one of those quirky, charming books that I could not put down. I loved Nina and the Scottish setting; the men in kilts were an added bonus. If you love books and romance, this is the book for you. It certainly was for me.

9/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER by Jenny Colgan. William Morrow Paperbacks (September 20, 2016). ISBN 978-0062467256. 368p.

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RECIPE FOR LOVE by Katie Fforde

September 18, 2016

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I am a fool for any contemporary romance set in the food world. This one revolves around a British cooking competition; think Great British Bake Off/Baking Show with more than just baking.

Zoe is thrilled to find she qualifies for the competition, one of only 10 to make it. She arrives on location a bit early to find that she will be staying in a cowshed on a farm. The farmers, Fen and her husband Rupert, are expecting their first child and Zoe immediately helps out.

That helping gene almost costs her the competition as she helps out with several events that cut into her competing time. But that’s not the worst of it.

Zoe’s roommate is the model perfect Cher, who admits to not even liking cooking but is looking for fame and fortune. I was put in mind of Paris Hilton (but I don’t know if she can cook.) Cher is ruthless and ambitious and plays the game to win, including blackmail if necessary.

Zoe falls for one of the judges, always a no no. But she can’t help herself, and neither can he. On more than one occasion I really wanted to yell at Zoe to wake up, but I don’t think she would have heard me.

This story was right up my alley and I really enjoyed it. If you like your romance to be extra delicious, this is the book for you.

NOTE: This book was originally published in 2012 but is just coming out as an ebook.

9/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

RECIPE FOR LOVE by Katie Fforde. Bookouture (September 14, 2016) ASIN: B01KX9KDFE. 300p.

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