Held Against You by Season Vining

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held against you by season vining

 

Accused of a horrible crime and on the run, Kat has been rejected by everyone she loves. She’s a fugitive from her past, flitting from town to town with nothing but the clothes on her back. Until she meets a man who literally stops her in her tracks.

This notorious bounty hunter, with his stunning good looks and powerful instincts, never fails to capture his prey. But there’s something about his newest mark that gets under his skin–and it’s not just the naked innocence he sees in her eyes. Behind his ice cold demeanor, he has his own secrets… and now his lively, vulnerable captive is about to crack him wide open.

As they drive across the country together, neither of them can deny the spark of attraction between them. Will their journey force these two passionate opposites together…or will their dangerous secrets be too much to bear?

MY REVIEW

Held Against You by Season Vining held my interest for the first half of the story. There was suspense, mystery, chemistry, romance and lots of cat and mouse chasing.  I liked the characters enough together that I thought they had a good chance of a sizzling romance.  Kat was spunky and she was a good fit for the bounty hunter.  They both had attitudes and could bicker back and forth with each other yet sweet talk the next. What I didn’t like however, was the way the relationship and romance progressed after about half way through the book.

The details and the reason why Kat is on the run wasn’t what you would expect.  Not that it would be a deal breaker in disliking the story, the out come with the bounty hunter is what flopped for me.  Would a bounty hunter really do that? Would he just change everything in such a quick few days? To me, it wasn’t sitting well with me as a reader because it was an easy way out for a ‘happily ever after’. There are still unanswered questions for me because it wasn’t really resolved. It was assumed it was a HEA, but there was no real closure or punishment for the crime.

I really think the story needs some fine tuning for the last half of the story.  Too many loop holes can ruin any story, but unbelievable outcomes can also bring characters to an end just as fast.

“Would you hurry up? I’m exhausted,” he growls.
“Aww. Poor widdle kidnapper is tiwerd.”
“I’m not a kidnapper. I’m a fugitive recovery agent.”
“You say po-tay-toe.”

MY RATING

[sc:rate2 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

America’s Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas

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americas most wanted recipes

 

The average American family eats out three or more times per week, which translates into hundreds of dollars spent on food each month. In these hard economic times, families simply can’t afford to keep paying these high prices. And Ron Douglas has spent the past five years of his life ensuring that we won’t have to. With the help of a test kitchen and more than 45,000 tasters, he uncovered the carefully guarded recipes of the most popular meals at restaurants across the country. With his easy-to-follow steps, families can now enjoy the meals they love most at a price they can actually afford.

MY REVIEW

I am on a small kick of finding cookbooks to stock in my kitchen that I can rely on when needing that perfect recipe.  I am in no way a great cook. Most of the time, my kids look at anything I cook and wonder if they will survive the night if they eat it.  So on the quest to not only learn how to cook properly, I am also looking for recipes that recreate some of the favorites we eat when we go out to dinner.  Not a simple task.

There were a few good looking recipes in this book that held promise. The T.G.I. Fridays Honey Mustard Dressing and the IHOP Buttermilk Pancakes looked fairly easy and tasted pretty close to the secret recipes of the famous restaurants. There aren’t that many recipes though in this book that I would be searching for.  I also noticed that though I am familiar with most of the establishments mentioned in this book, it is favored to certain areas and not everyone would know the restaurants.

While I enjoyed browsing through the recipes, I will have to pass on keeping this one on my kitchen cookbook shelf.  It is not one I would use often enough to  practice with or to even reference in the future for meals.

MY RATING

[sc:rate2 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

#Review: Christmas Magic in Heatherdale by Abigail Gordon

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Christmas Magic in HeatherdaleA Christmas to remember!
The cosy market town of Heatherdale is a refuge for pediatrician Melissa Redmond. Alone and penniless, her only hope is a once elegant Victorian house to restore and sell…much to the interest of her new neighbor – and new boss – consultant pediatrician Ryan Ferguson!

Single dad Ryan is unsettled by his attraction to the vulnerable Melissa – his young daughters and his work are all he has time for. But as the falling snow and fairy lights turn Heatherdale into a place of magic and wonder, Ryan realizes that all he wants for Christmas is Melissa – in his arms!

I picked this book up at the library on a whim.  I wasn’t looking for anything in particular this trip, so I decided to browse through the Harlequin Medical Romance books.  Christmas Magic in Heatherdale caught my attention with the summary.  I was looking forward to coming home and reading a heartfelt romance with a single dad of two and one single lady of trouble.

As I started reading the story though, I quickly found that the writing was over the top. Not so much in unbelievable plot lines, but in the way the author had written the dialogue and such.  I felt like I was reading a English Lit Class book for the advance students! Overuse of big and stuffy words that weren’t necessary which includes many paragraph fillers of big words that could have been omitted.  This made it really hard for me to enjoy the story or the characters.  Sometimes less is more for a reader.

MY RATING

[sc:rate2 ]
GOODREADS / AMAZON

 

Quickie Reviews For You (1)

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To try an catch up on some reviews, I decided to do a list of books I have finished over the holidays and at work lately. They are ones I haven’t had a chance to write full reviews on, but should still give you an idea of what I rated them and an overall expression for each one.

1. THE IMMORTAL WHO LOVED ME by Lynsay Sands

The Immortal Who Loved Me
(2 Stars)  

I love Lynsay Sands and her vampire romance books, but this one just felt as a filler book with no real chemistry between the two main characters. It felt forced, rushed and bland. It didn’t have the creative spark that she has had in the past books of the series.

BUY FROM AMAZON

2. LONDON FALLING (THE RULEFORDS) by Emma Carr

London Falling

(2 Stars)

Wasn’t a huge fan of the writing in this one. The plot was okay but poorly executed for me with little appeal. It did have some aspects that lured it to the 2 star rating but it never made it past that.

BUY FROM AMAZON

3. HANSEL#1: An Erotic Fairy Tale by Ella James

Hamsel
(1 Star)

Creepy and skeevy in my opinion. I was not as thrilled with this one as other readers have been. I just couldn’t get past some of the things that happened. I honestly had to force myself to finish this book and then have to deal with the ending we were given.

BUY FROM AMAZON

4. KALEIDOSCOPE by Kristen Ashley

Kaleidoscope
(3 Stars)

Love this author but her writing voice grated on my nerves slightly in this book.  I think I am just over the speech –and sometimes lack of speech– that this author is famous for. I might reread this one in the future though to see if it is just my reading preference at the moment.

BUY FROM AMAZON

5. IN KELLY’S CORNER by Roxie Rivera

In Kelly's Corner
(4 STARS)

Absolutely loved this book.  While it did have a little bit of story hiccups along the way, I truly enjoyed the journey and entertainment of this book. Another author I am adding to my auto-buy list.

BUY FROM AMAZON

#Review: Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) by Roxie Rivera

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ivan

 

Desperate to find her sister, Erin goes to the only man in Houston who can help her–Ivan Markovic. The intimidating, tattooed Russian operates one of the most elite mixed-martial arts training centers in the world but it’s his shadowy past and reputed connections with Houston’s underworld that interest her most.

To find her sister, she’ll need the help of her big, scary Russian protector—but asking for help from a man like Ivan carries a steep price, one that might just include her heart.

What was the reason I started this one? Oh yes — it was a free read.  I am not a huge lover of novella length.  Short stories never can cut it in the romance department for me because it is always instant love. I want build up. I want to learn about the history of the characters. I am not a fan of being complete strangers in chapter one and falling madly in love by chapter two. Yet I found myself clicking on the download button and reading it.

Ivan held great potential.  The first few lines of the book even lured me in and hooked me right away. It could have been great. Then we have the instant love and weak story unfold. The ending didn’t even end on the right foot for this reader.  It was over, but it wasn’t. There was more to the story that was needing to be told, but part of the story was somewhat settled.  It left me on the so-so fence of my feelings for this short book.  The secondary characters seem interesting enough for me to possibly read another in the series, but probably only if they are free reads again.

“Be careful what you ask for, Erin,” Ivan warned. “I’m not the kind of man to walk away from something I want.” His thumb caressed the side of my neck. “One taste of you and I won’t be able to let you go.” –Ivan

[sc:rate2 ]

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