Second Nature by Krista Ames

December 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

ATURE
Second Nature by Krista Ames
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre:Contemporary
Length: Short Story (52 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

When the love of her life leaves without a word, moving on is the last thing Dana Stevenson wants to do. Despite loving him, she believes she will never see him again and builds a life without him. While Nicholas is present in her dreams, she runs when reality brings him face to face.

Navy man, Nicholas Prescott, did what he thought was best to protect the woman he loved. Driven by a family secret, he walked away from Dana without any explanation. When she arrives in town for her best friend’s wedding, he sets a plan in action. With this one chance, will he be able to make things right, or is he just too late?

How do you forgive someone for walking out on you without a word? And how can you even begin to give them a second chance?
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Second Nature starts its story of lost love and second chances on an airplane, where the heroine Dana is experiencing her first airplane flight and is absolutely terrified. Dana is the real strength of this story. Her vulnerability makes her sympathetic and the author does a brilliant job of showing the effect Nick’s walking out without a word, had on her. You get the sense that Dana has only recently begun to recover from it and that her friend’s wedding is serving as an opportunity to finally put it all behind her and move on once and fall all. Because of that you feel particularly sorry for her when confronted with the shock of seeing Nick at the party thrown for her friends.

Dana’s best friend Amy is likable. She’s quirky and opinionated and has a lot of personality. Her part in trying to bring Dana and Nick together, while questionable on her part, was very much in-character and really helped her come alive for me.

Unfortunately I could not warm to the character of Nick. During the more steamy scenes between him and Dana, he had lines and actions that I was not entirely comfortable with. For example when she gets angry at him and says she’s going to walk home, his response is to grab her wrist, say “I don’t think so little lady,” and kiss her. The author does stress that Dana not only consents to the kiss but enjoys it. Still Nick didn’t not know that she would and there was a presumption and arrogance in the action given their history together. Also, at least to me, it felt oo aggressive.
In general Nick’s actions seemed more like a man who felt confident he’d win the girl, rather than those of a man who felt he had to earn her forgiveness. Indeed there seemed to be a disconnect between the way he acted and the way he thought during the passages when we saw things from his point of view.

Despite all of that however, I did like the actual relationship between the two leads. I enjoyed the honesty and maturity. Dana was open to what Nick had to say and the way she handled herself throughout the book only made me like her even more.

The story itself was very enjoyable however. I loved the short timeframe that story is told over and when was quite surprised by Nick’s story when he finally tells Dana why he left her five years ago. The book has quite a lot of plot and there was never a moment that felt dull.

Second Nature is a lot of fun. It’s very fluffy and sweet and makes for a light and enjoyable read. If you enjoy second chance romances, you’ll enjoy this one.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

One Last Letter by Pema Donyo

November 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment

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One Last Letter by Pema Donyo
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Genre: Historical
Length: Short Story (103 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

A romantic hardened by reality…

Evelyn Lancaster turned her back on her love for ranch hand Jesse Greenwood when she was sixteen to pursue a career and marry into wealth that could save her father’s struggling ranch. Now twenty-three, she works hard to keep the property afloat, but no suitor has stirred her heart the way Jesse did. After her father falls ill, she needs all the help she can get to keep the ranch running.

A cowboy returning to what he left behind…

After making his fortune, a newly wealthy Jesse has returned home to see his younger sister married. Still smarting from Evelyn’s rejection, he finds the tables have turned, and now only his investment could save the ranch that he vowed to never step foot on again.

When he agrees to help her salvage her family legacy, they must overcome their pride and painful past to work together. As long-held emotions rekindle, Jesse pretends indifference, only to admit his true feelings in an unsigned letter left on Evelyn’s porch.

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Cowboys, cowgirls, ranches, cattle, barns, horses, ranch hands and the old west. Nothing makes a more perfect setting for romance, lost love and second chances.

I loved the characters in One Last Letter, both the stars and the supporting cast. The character that comes closest to being an antagonist is suitably dislikable. Evelyn’s best friend is fun and bubbly. Her father also is an interesting and surprisingly layered character. I loved Jesse’s sister and the ranch hands. It’s just an extremely enjoyable group that made reading the book so much fun.

Evelyn was a very strong female lead. Her commitment to the ranch and her home is admirable. You can appreciate how far she’s come in her life and how much she’s learned. She’s a woman trying to find her place in the life and in the world, whose still trying to figure out what she wants and what she should do. She was a wonderful, imperfect heroine and one I easily rooted for.

It was also fun watching her interact with Jesse. They both behaved in a mature and levelheaded way to each other a lot of the time and that felt fresh and different. Jesse worries about his sister marrying well socially, which was interesting since he believes his social position was the reason Evelyn rejected him when they were younger. It gives an insight into Jesse’s character and feelings and the way Evelyn’s rejection affected them.

The two leads were often suffering from miscommunications and doubt. They often misread each other’s actions and motives and each time they did I was rooting for them to work it out. I felt very invested in the relationship and really cared that the two find their happy ending.

Occasionally the dialog felt uneven, ranging from awkward phasing attempting to sound historically accurate to the usage of expressions that would not have been used in that time but it seldom distracted from the rest of the book.

The book reaches some interesting conclusions on some pretty big ideas such as responsibility, growing up, consequences, and what you should do for love. I didn’t agree with all of it, but I respected the author for the ideas and the unique perspective.

The detail and descriptions were perfect; giving a real sense of being in the middle of a western, from the way the author described the ranch to the little details such as the creaking floorboards.

One Last Letter is a great romantic read with great western flair. If you like westerns or just love a good story of second chances, you’ll love this book.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Between the Sheets by Liv Rancourt

November 26, 2014 By 1 Comment

SHEETS
Between the Sheets by Liv Rancourt
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (58 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

Life for music teacher Maggie Schafer has been full of flat notes lately. Sick of being single and celibate, she vows to get her groove back at the upcoming Western Washington Choral Directors Annual Retreat.

Too bad the only guy who seems interested is a pompous dork who thinks he’s God’s gift to women—and the music education world. When he gets a little too arrogant and crosses boundaries, gorgeous pianist Randy Devers swoops in to run interference. After sharing a shockingly hot kiss in front of the whole conference, Maggie and Randy come up with a plan to pretend they’re dating.

However, the more time they spend together—and the more physical their “pretend” relationship gets—the more she wonders if there could be anything beyond just smoking chemistry and a friendly agreement between them.
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Maggie’s got history, Randy’s got baggage, and they’ve got a weekend to get their rhythms in sync and figure out how to turn their solo lives into a beautiful duet.

Can a fun weekend romance grow into anything more? Is there enough time? And does anyone even want it to?

Between the Sheets is fun and lighthearted. Told from Maggie’s point of view, it has a good sense of humor and an upbeat tone. The setting for the story is perfect. The author does a fantastic job of describing the music teacher retreat and really building a community of sorts with all the characters and supporting cast. It was a unique setting and I loved the interactions between all the characters. I was amused by the cliques and hierarchy among the music teachers and it added a lot of fun moments to the story.

Randy is a great hero. I found him likable and sympathetic. I loved that he wore glasses. I loved his sense of humor. There aren’t many serious moments in the story but when there were, I genuinely felt for him and I wanted to see him happy by the end of the book. His back story was one of my favorite parts of the story and made him a very interesting character.

I wasn’t however as attached to Maggie, largely because I felt like I never really got to know her, which was strange considering the book was told from her perspective. So much of the story though was her doing things that she told the reader was out of character for her that I never really got much of a sense of what her true character was. There a few hints but largely I felt like I never got to meet the real her. Since we spent so much time with Maggie, this was a big issue for me. I also wondered if I didn’t know Maggie, how could Randy really get to know her?

I did like the way that Maggie’s doubts tied with her past, weaved together to create very believable obstacles between the couple. The romance in general is very believable and I enjoyed following its progression.

The book is a pretty fast read and quite an enjoyable one. It’s a fluffy, enjoyable romance and would be a great companion for a lazy afternoon. If you want something that’s lighthearted and enjoyable, you couldn’t go wrong with Between the Sheets.

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Forgiving Jackson by Alicia Hunter Pace

October 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment

JACKSON
Forgiving Jackson by Alicia Hunter Pace
The Brothers of Beauford Bend
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (207 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

Coming home to Beauford Bend opens up old wounds for four sexy, successful brothers, but the love of a few good Southern women will heal their hearts and change their lives forever.

Country music heartthrob Jackson Beauford isn’t used to hearing “no” for an answer. When a tragic fire at one of his concerts stirs memories of the blaze that claimed his family years ago, all he wants is to go back to his childhood home in Tennessee and wallow in his grief. But he arrives home to chaos … and a Southern magnolia with her heels dug in.

After suffering a vicious attack in New York City, Emory Lowell returned to Beauford Bend, a place she’s loved since she was a teenager. Now in charge of Around the Bend Elegant Events, she’s not about to let a spoiled superstar take away her livelihood. The boutique artisan town of Beauford depends on this business, and so does she. With its high walls and around-the- clock security, Beauford Bend is the only place she’s ever truly felt safe.

Jackson insists she close down his late aunt’s business and leave him in peace, but quiet Emory refuses to budge, knowing this is a battle worth fighting. As a passionate attraction flares between these two wounded souls, they discover there’s much more at stake here than business. Jackson may be just the person to help Emory face her past, and if she can help him learn to forgive himself, their love might be the key to turning Beauford Bend back into a real home.

Will two people with enough baggage between them to fill the lost and found of an airport, help each other heal or just cause further damage?
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Jackson is dealing with a fire that erupted at his last concert, killing fans and band members alike, a fire that reminds him too much of the one that killed his parents and sister and which he feels personally reasonable for. Emory had her life shattered two years ago when she was a victim of sexual assault, and she’s still living with the fear, self-doubt, and mistrust from that horrible night.

Sexual assault is always going to be a very difficult subject to write about. It’s an extremely sensitive topic and it has to be justified. It shouldn’t be there in passing, an easy way to write some easy drama. And in this book at least, it’s not. It’s important to the plot and the character of Emory. The assault itself is not depicted, and we only have to read the barest details. The story is not so much about the assault as much as its effect on Emory and it’s handled both smartly and sensitively.

Emory has a curious mixture of strength and weakness to her that is both convincing but also heartbreaking. Throughout the book we see her grow and heal, and you can’t help but want to cheer for her along the way.

Nor is Emory’s the only story that deals with heavy material. I actually winced while reading about the death of Jackson’s sister. It’s not graphic, there’s not a lot of description, but the basic facts were awful enough that yes, I cringed a little when I read them.

But the heaviness of both our heroes’ backstories contributed to building a truly deep and meaningful romance. I rooted for them to find their ways, more than I have done for any other couple in a long time. They had so much farther to go and every step they took felt like a huge accomplishment which really spoke of how strong they both were.

There was a lot of plot in the book: Jackson’s issues, Emory’s issues, their relationship, Jackson wanting to quit music, Jackson trying to close the business, Emory trying to keep it open, Jackson’s relationship with his brothers. I was interested in all of it but wished some parts could have received a little more time.

The ending felt slightly rushed, with a too-convenient revelation tying up one plot thread, and certain things getting hurried along, particularly with Jackson’s story.

I loved the sense of community, with the book introducing you to a lot of the townsfolk and their businesses. I enjoyed getting to know everyone in Beauford Bend, and it felt like a real place, with real people.

This is the first book in a series, and I for one am eagerly looking forward to reading more about the Beauford family. Don’t let the darker aspects of this story deter you. It’s a lovely, layered romance, and one you’re sure to enjoy.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Marrying the Wrong Man by Elley Arden

October 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment

 

WRONG
Marrying the Wrong Man by Elley Arden
A Harmony Falls Novel Book 3
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (112 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

Three years ago, Morgan Parrish was embroiled in her father’s plan to marry a man who was destined for the presidency. There was just one problem: Morgan was in love with and pregnant by another man. When the house of cards her father had built came tumbling down, Morgan fled town and the backlash. Now, she’s stuck in Harmony Falls after a childhood bank account turns out to be empty. Even more shocking, the child she intended to place for adoption rather than cause more scandal is at her side.

As the son of the town drunk, life hasn’t always been easy for Charlie Cramer. Maybe that’s why he’s holding on to his own sobriety and his brand-new restaurant so tightly—too tightly if his grouchiness and control-freak tendencies in the kitchen are any indication. To make matters worse, Morgan Parrish is back in town … and she has a surprise for him. He’s a daddy! Can he face the truth and not lose the stability he’s worked so hard to achieve these last three years?

When a staff shortage ends up with Morgan waitressing at the bistro five nights a week, old feelings come to a boil. But there’s even more to consider, now. If they give in to the attraction and screw things up again, a precious little girl will have to deal with the fallout. On the other hand, if they can make this work, they’ll be a family. It’s the biggest risk either one of them will ever take.

HIFU treatment, cryoablation, cialis cipla radiation and surgery are also culprits of impotence. Now, you know the pill cialis from canada follows all medical protocols and is made to fit the aim of getting you hard on. Rheuma is taken from where buy viagra Greek language that signifies “streams as a river” and ology is a suffix word that means “the study of.” Rheuma also means a kind of watery buildup. Having choices and being clear on the consequences invites the student to be an active participant in solving the problems they may have created. purchase viagra online Visit Website Marrying the Wrong Man is one of those rare books that manages to show you the flaws of its protagonists, warts and all, yet still portray them as people you want to root for. I found it next to impossible to put it down, as I kept telling myself ‘one more chapter, one more chapter’, because I wanted to know what would happen with Morgan and Charlie.

Morgan easily wins you over with how much she cares for her daughter. The lengths she’s willing to go to, to provide a home and security for her child is really moving. She is also a woman who has clearly made some pretty big mistakes in her past, and you have to respect her every time she faces up to them.

I loved Charlie. Elley Arden really shows you his struggle and therefore his strength in resisting the temptation to start drinking again. He’s got a fun sense of humor but can be prickly. He has feelings for Morgan but has been burned by her one to many times, and watching him struggle against those feelings and the way Morgan reacts to it, ranges from amusing to romantic.

It did bother me that Morgan never told Charlie, until her return to town, that she had decided to keep their child and hadn’t given her up for adoption two years ago as she had originally planned. She was never really called out on this, and despite all the issues between her and Charlie, that one was never brought up save for a few passing lines despite striking me as a really big deal.

I also never got much of sense for the town of Harmony Falls. The book is the third in a series centered on the town, but I didn’t get much of a feel for the community. The only real sense I got was that it was unpleasant as the majority of the population was downright rude to Morgan for things that were either none of their business or not her fault. This made it hard to not completely agree with Morgan and her desire to get as far away from the town as possible.

Despite being the third book of the series, the author does a good job of catching you up on previous events. I never felt out of the loop or uninformed, and the story was focused on the present, not the past.

The characters are the real strength of this book. They are detailed and fleshed out and I got a real sense of each and every one of them, the main characters as well as the supporting cast. I was definitely interested in the plot and how things would turn out, but it was the people inhabiting the story that kept me turning the pages.

This book made me interested in reading the rest of the series and I will certainly be checking them out. The next time you’re in the mood to read a good romance, I recommend you try this one. Only be warned, you won’t be able to make do with one chapter.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bloodstone by Helen C. Johannes

September 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment

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Bloodstone by Helen C. Johannes
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (426 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

What if looking at the face of the man you loved meant death?

Years ago, warrior Durren Drakkonwehr was cursed by a mage. Now feared and reviled as the Shadow Man, he keeps to himself, only going to town to trade rare bloodstones–petrified dragon’s blood–for supplies. Though he hides his face, he can’t hide his heart from the woman who haunts his dreams…

Needing bloodstones for a jewelry commission, Mirianna and her father journey across the dreaded Wehrland where the beast-men roam. When their party is attacked, only the Shadow Man can save them. Strangely drawn to him, Mirianna offers herself in return for her father’s rescue.

Living in the ruined fortress with the Shadow Man, Mirianna slowly realizes that a flesh-and-blood man–not a fiend–hides there in hoods and darkness. But are love and courage enough to lift the curse and restore the man?

A man whose face can kill, a woman bound to him by a promise, and both haunted by mysterious, intimate dreams of each other. Bloodstone’s story is rich and layered, nuanced and engrossing.
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The main characters are both engaging. Mirianna is instantly likable as you see the way she looks after and cares for her widowed father. She is resourceful and capable, but most of all passionate. Her choices are intuitive and her feelings strong. I respected and admired her and appreciated how smart and quick-witted she was written.

The Shadow Man is deeply layered and deeply flawed. When he is presented with ethical choices, he often genuinely considers taking the wrong path. He can be brusque and harsh, when he should be kind and gentle. He is deeply conflicted, torn between the man he used to be and what he is now. He is constantly at battle with himself, and you can feel this leaking through his scenes and encompassing his thoughts.

I loved reading these two characters respond to one another. The dreams that have haunted them for years attract them to each other as much as it scares them. Both are powerful characters with strong personalities and the results are scenes which swept me up and gripped me, and kept me eagerly waiting to see what they would do next.

However both characters are not only haunted by their dreams, they both find themselves followed by a mysterious lioness. Other things are afoot, as it’s soon made clear that not everyone is who they claim to be. The story was very well done, with some truly surprising plot twists and revelations I did not see coming, and there was more than one point in the story where my jaw was left hanging open.

The romance in the book was for the most part excellent. Though it did feel a little rushed once or twice, with the motivations and reasons behind their feelings and changing attitudes towards each other, not always being clear to me.

The opening of the book moves a little slowly, taking a significant amount of time to reach the plot described on the back of the book. However the author has a beautiful writing style and a keen eye for detail, and I was never bored or disinterested in what was happening.

Helen C. Johannes has built up a rich fantasy world, with an intriguing and unique history. I loved reading about the world, the things that inhabited it, and the way it worked. She knew exactly how much to dole out and when, in order to keep me informed but eager for more.

The ending is very satisfying, but I suspect there may be a sequel planned, and if there is I will certainly be reading it. The book works well as a breathtaking romance and as a fantasy story of heroes, magic and mystery. If you’re in the mood for either, read it!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

The Unwanted Earl by Ruth J. Hartman

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

EARL
The Unwanted Earl by Ruth J. Hartman
The Love Bird Series Book 2
Publisher: esKape Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (221 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

Amelia Talbot has been issued a death sentence. At least it feels that way. The thought of marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather sends her into a panic. So much so that she sets off on a desperate search to find another man to marry her—quickly.

Conrad Croome, the Fifth Earl of Lofton, knows all too well that blackmail isn’t the way to form a marriage. How ironic that one Amelia Talbot uses a Croome family secret he’d thought long buried to force him to marry her.

Is Conrad doomed to a life of marriage based on an exposed secret, or could Amelia learn to love an unwanted earl?

Could you build a relationship on blackmail? A story of redemption and second chances, The Unwanted Earl tells a love story that definitely isn’t run-of-the-mill.

Due to anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory Shark Aid – dietary supplement with shark cartilage – may be recommended in patients who were warned against sexual activity due to problems like stress, aging, poor circulation, kidney disease, diabetes buy viagra soft and others. It also recommended to abstain from sexual intercourse for health reasons. * a physical defect of the penis buy viagra on line to increase blood flow which causes an erection. In India, about 15-20% are the victims of buy viagra for cheap the premature ejaculation, but they don’t think that their problem is so complicated and different from others that the solution easily mixes with the blood and provides appropriate and long awaited ecstasy. If the intake is done without physician consultation then this may react to produce dizziness, back pain, stomach ache, weakness, diarrhea, less urination or cialis tablets 100mg swelling in body parts. Conrad Lofton is not a typical romantic hero. He’s clumsy, allows himself to be pushed around by his mother, has an aversion to the outdoors matched only by his great fear of birds and oh yes, was the villain in the first book of this series. He’s a man who’s made some terrible mistakes in his life and mistreated many people. Despite that, I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning.

He wants to change for the better. He’s realized his faults and knows that he has a long road ahead of him before he can be a better man. What really won me over to his side however was his mother.

Lady Lofton is a superb antagonist. She’s controlling, uncaring, cold, and belittling. Due to her own great dislike for the outdoors, she denied her son a proper childhood, as well as teaching him rudeness and cruelty. Yet even she received one short scene in which I felt genuinely sorry for her and life she had created for herself.

The heroine, Amelia, is the exact opposite of Conrad. She loves the outdoors, she loves crowds and parties, she loves to talk, and is lively and spirited. The contrast between the two leads was the backbone of the book and often amusing.

However the story does for the most part lack much conflict. As we see the story from both Amelia’s and Conrad’s point of view, we are never in any real doubt of their feelings for each other. The biggest rift in their relationship originates from a misunderstanding that was cleared up in the very next chapter. I couldn’t help but feel that the fact their engagement began because Amelia blackmailed him into it, should have greater impact on the story and the way the two interacted.

I also felt a little jolted from the story when there was the occasional event that felt historically inaccurate, usually the actions and attitudes of the servants, who often behaved far more freely than would likely have been allowed in that era.

The book does have some excellent humor though. Conrad’s various run-ins with nature and animals were always highly amusing. Lady’s Lofton’s standoffs with Amelia’s own high maintenance mother were another highlight of the book.

Despite being the second book in a series, The Unwanted Earl can definitely be read as a standalone novel. A few incidents are referenced from the previous book, but are explained sufficiently that a new reader doesn’t feel left out of the loop and the book is self-contained for all important purposes.

It’s a sweet and unique love story that kept me interested even when the plot felt occasionally thin, with well-rounded characters that made me care about the outcome. If you’re in the mood for a nice, low-key romance, you couldn’t go wrong with The Unwanted Earl.

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