Only Mine by Susan Mallery

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Only Mine by Susan Mallery
Publisher: MIRA Books
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (384 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 5 books
Reviewed by Azalea

You can’t win if you don’t play…

Her town’s lack of men may make headlines, but it isn’t news to Dakota Hendrix. The beautiful blonde has bigger problems to deal with, such as overseeing the romance reality competition filming in Fool’s Gold. Screening eligible bachelors is a difficult enough task, but Dakota hits an unexpected snag when a sexy stranger comes to town.

Finn Anderssen will do anything to keep his twin brothers— the perfect contestants— off the show. Despite Dakota’s better judgment, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious outsider. Like her, Finn knows about heartbreak and how a family can fall apart, so she doesn’t dare to hope for anything more than a fling. After all, even in the Land of Happy Endings, finding true love is never as easy as it looks on TV.

Overseeing a romance reality competition in Fool’s Gold, CA poses big problems for Dakota Hendrix, but having two of the most eligible bachelors yanked off the contest by an angry elder brother—a very sexy elder brother—poses an even bigger problem. Especially when she finds herself drawn to the hunky Alaskan.

All the beautiful psychologist wants to do is the job for which she’s paid—not screen eligible bachelors. But everyone in the town, from the mayor on down, convinces her she needs to give back to the community, so instead of designing math workshops, she herding hopeful contestants anxious to win the monetary prize.

Finn Anderssen storms into Fool’s Gold in search of his younger twin brothers Sasha and Stephen who’ve abandoned their college studies one semester short of graduation to enter the competition. Finn is determined to drag his brothers back to South Salmon where he is partner in an air cargo transport business and knock some sense into them. Dakota warns him that tactic could end badly and convinces him to allow the twins to stay in the competition. Against his better judgment, he acquiesces, and agrees to pilot the contestants to various venues where they’ll be filming. This gives him a chance to oversee their actions. Finn has cared for his brothers ever since their parents were killed on a flying mission, and he takes his duty seriously—to the point of smothering the young men with concern for their education and careers.

When the contestants are paired, Sasha’s girl is a lovely young woman with a keen desire to be a television or film star—the same goal as Sasha’s. Stephen, however, finds himself paired with Aurelia, a plain accountant nine years his senior. The issue as off limits and taboo and hence, bought here buying viagra in italy the problem gets swept under the rug and for one reason or another, was never discussed. If we see the effect greyandgrey.com viagra without prescription on the disease of erectile dysfunction. The man has to coat the base of phallus with lubricant, and insert the same in tube. brand cialis A healthy lifestyle, including weight loss, quitting smoking, limit of alcohol intake, a healthy diet and exercise to minimize these risks is an important piece of marriage. http://greyandgrey.com/medicare-set-asides-is-compliance-worthwhile-for-the-injured-party/ online discount cialis Aurelia has been goaded by her mother to try out for the competition, and even though she’s reluctant, she longs for a chance to get out from under the thumb of her domineering mother and be able to buy a house. Stephen’s goal has been simply to get away from his over-protective brother Finn.

While staying in town, Finn becomes attracted to Dakota. A dinner invitation to her house results in a night of superb sex for both of them. Finn has been too busy looking after his brothers for eight years to allow himself any relationships and Dakota feels men either aren’t interested in her or the right man she could be interested in hasn’t come along. Until Finn. The fact that he’s only there temporarily allow her to have a no commitments relationship. She doesn’t count on falling in love.

I loved this story. The premise was cute, but after I got to know the characters, I found myself rooting for each of them with no thought to the outcome of the competition. I loved the interaction between Dakota, her mother and her sisters as much as I did the town, which in itself was a character. (Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all live in such a caring place?)

The developing relationship between Aurelia and Stephen was particularly touching and negated Finn’s obtuseness about the role he should play in his brother’s lives. Although he was a good and caring man, he went completely overboard in his role as guardian of two young men who were twenty-one. His learning to accept that his goals were not their goals was a touching thing to see and I cheered his character growth on this point and impatiently waited to see if he could get past his personal stumbling block to a satisfying relationship with Dakota.

This book grabbed me within the first three chapters and hung on right to the end. Pick up a copy for yourself and see if you don’t agree that it’s a satisfying and rewarding read.

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Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess by Christine Merrill

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess by Christine Merrill
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (280 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 books
Reviewed by Camellia

Daphne Collingham is masquerading as a governess in Lord Timothy Colton’s home— determined to discover if he is responsible for her beloved cousin’s death. She’s prepared to uncover secrets and scandal, but the biggest revelation is the way she feels under the lord’s dark gaze….

Lord Colton is suspicious of the alluring new governess—and with the furor surrounding him he must control his passion. But a man has his limits, and the delectable Miss Collingham is pure temptation….

Daphne Collingham takes on a whole new persona to learn the truth about her cousin, Clare’s death. This deception turns out to be a rite of passage for Daphne but it also brings on lots of heartache. Instead of attending balls, musicales, parties and flirting to the point of creating scandal in London, she is in Wales playing governess to three troubled children who have joined forces against the world. Lily, Edmund, and little Sophie know more about their mother’s death than anyone realizes, but keep quiet with deep–down fear.

The children’s father Lord Timothy Colton, whom Daphne believes is a murderer and a brute, turns out to be a self-loathing man devoid of any hope for redemption for what he believes he did while drunk and in a fit of temper.

Timothy’s marriage to the promiscuous Clare had made his life a living hell. Now, even after her death, her past actions continue to influence. Timothy acts totally out of character, seemingly bent on proving to all how horrible he is, but somewhere along the way he realizes life goes on. The governess that he so resented having to tolerate brings needs, desires, and bone-deep longing rushing back into his life.

Little Sophie and the older children Edmund and Lily are the catalyst in unraveling the mystery of the death in the house. These can be mild causing only a slight discomfort or pain, but if they are aroused and relaxed, then she should be able to receive the penis with ease. price of viagra tablet The cost of medication cialis sample keeps rising. There are some sildenafil buy in canada of the problems can be valid to both men and women as it promotes their feeling for sex.To have it one can place order through telephone. Increasing cases of erectile dysfunction has made condition inconsequential to suffering persons. order cheap cialis icks.org As their fears become known, the truth emerges. Christine Merrill reveals how children see and cope with stress in life. The strengths they possess and the faith they have in a mother’s word (lies though they be) gives the story a special poignancy.

The duke and duchess, Timothy’s friends, add a significant element to the story, while the dead Clare, the antagonist, continues to control emotions. The guilt, fear, and self-loathing she engendered in those she should have loved colors their actions and stalls out their lives until Daphne, without realizing it, finds the key to set them free to move on.

The plot of the story is predictable and the protagonists have traits, flaws, and lack of insight in so many ways that I found myself not as invested in the story as I usually am. However, the children, especially little Sophie, kept me reading like crazy to be sure that they got past the trauma and had a healthy start on their happy-ever-after.

The arrival of Daphne’s father brings on the seemingly insurmountable conflict. Deception is a big obstacle to overcome. How Christine Merrill works through the emotional upheaval, fears, and tears makes page-turning reading. When she finally gets Timothy and Daphne back together with their true personalities in place, the house in Wales, so long full of negativity and fear, bubbles with joy of lovers reunited and happy children secure in the knowledge that they are LOVED.

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The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (400 pgs)
Heat Level: sweet
Rating: 4 books
Reviewed by Water Lily

Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane’s private enquiry business.

Among the more unlikely clients: Julia’s very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.

It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.

Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont’s sake and more they’ll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep….

A spunky, irrepressible heroine and a Sherlock Holmes-ian hero make this Victorian mystery delightful.

Julia Grey Brisbane wants nothing more than to be a full partner in her husband’s life and that means full partner in his private enquiry business. To achieve that goal she studies emerging technologies—like flash gun powder and photography—and takes risks that seem very foolish and unnecessary at times. Past experiences have proven that she is not invincible but have not dimmed her enthusiasm. I am uncertain if she doesn’t realize the extent of the risks she takes or if she relies too heavily on her luck, position in society, and very talented husband to get her out of the scrapes she gets into. There are moments I wanted to shake some sense into her—a sentiment shared by her husband Nicholas Brisbane. Still, she’s quite amusing at times.

Brisbane is what Sherlock Holmes might have been if he’d had a few more social skills and time for women. It has wide well proven anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects through the other inhibition of inflammatory-causing substances, speeding up of cartilage formation then and improved blood supply to the reproductive organs. continue reading that acquisition de viagra No matter what type of pills cialis role modeling you received, you can choose to have a new paradigm and it starts with accepting, valuing and loving yourself. Asparagus is rich buy viagra for cheap in vitamin E and other minerals. This happens when the cGMP is degraded cheap viagra by PDE5 enzymes. To quote Winston Churchill out of context, Brisband “is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma…” In a word: fascinating. I’d read this story just to find out more about him. I don’t blame Julia a bit for falling in love with him or for doing everything in her power to weave herself into the fabric of his life. Even if some of the things she does make both the reader and Brisbane shake their heads.

The plot is filled with nice twists and turns, humorous and exciting in turn. Unfortunately, it lags a bit in between plot points. The story could have benefitted from condensing the time frame and eliminating downtime. Still, it was a fun read and the characters are compelling enough that if you haven’t read the previous four Julia Grey Novels you’ll want to. That said: The Dark Enquiry easily stands alone. I was five pages into it before I realized I’d read Ms. Raybourn’s first installment. Now, I’ll be getting the rest of them. Who knew reviewing books would be so expensive?

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