SWEET SPOT by Susan Mallery

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SWEET SPOT
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: HQN Books (August 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373773145
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373773145
SYNOPSIS:
If only her life was more sinful than sweet…
“Responsibility” should be Nicole Keyes’s middle name.  After all, not many people would sacrifice their lives to run the family bakery and raise a younger sibling.  But with Nicole’s twin sister now blissfully married and her younger sis turning out more femme fatale than girl next door, superreliable Nicole is getting sick of putting everyone else’s needs first!
Enter Hawk.  The deliciously sexy former NFL player offers Nicole a taste of the freedom she craves.  Hawk may know the way, blindfolded, to her sweet spot, but Nicole’s not about to let him get close enough to break her heart.  Of course, she might not have a choice in the matter if Hawk’s past keeps getting in the way of their present…
MY THOUGHTS:
This is the second book in the Bakery sisters trilogy.  I loved the first book, and this one was even better.  In the first book, we got to see Nicole throughout the story, but in this book, Nicole is at the center of the romance theme.  I love how Nicole is so independent and how Hawk is so fun!  Put them together and you get the wittiest and funny dialogue while you fall in love with both of them.  Here are a few funny scenes so you can get an idea of the authors humor.

A scene between Hawk and Nicole-

    Now that he studied her, he could see it in the slight slump of her shoulders and the paleness of her skin.  “Someone hurt you.”
    ” I’m fine,” she told him, then shrugged.  “It’s nothing.”
    “I was married for twelve years. ‘Nothing’ in this context is female code for ‘you’re going to have to keep asking to prove you’re seriously inerested.’ What’s wrong?”
    “I’m fine.”

Another scene between Hawk and Nicole-

     “I should go.”
     His dark gaze settled on her face.  “How long are you going to run from me?”
     “I don’t know.”
     ” Admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving it.”
     ” How very bumper sticker of you.”

I wish I could share more of the funny scenes with you, but seriously, they are all throughout the book.  This romance was fun and light and I loved all the extra characters in the plot.  I loved how it all began, the romance and bickering in the middle, and the hot and heavy romance in the end and all through the book.  I can’t wait to read the next sisters story!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!



SWEET TALK by Susan Mallery

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SWEET TALK
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: HQN Books (July 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373772971
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373772971
SYNOPSIS:
Is there anything sweeter than a first love?
Don’t ask Claire Keyes.  The twenty-eight-year old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance.  Her music career has left little room for friends or family — which is just part of the reason she’s estranged from her two sisters.
But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL.  Despite the fact that Claire can’t boil water, she’s determined to play caretaker.  Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list….along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time.
Ambitious?  Maybe.  But a girl’s gotta dream.  And ruggedly sexy Wyatt is a dream come true.  Although he keeps telling himself that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire is near.  If this keeps up, she just might sweet-talk him into her bed….and her life. 
MY THOUGHTS:
This is the first book in the Keyes Sister Trilogy. This book is centered on the romance of Claire and Wyatt.  Claire was whisked away at a young age after she was discovered to be a concert pianist genius.  She left behind her twin sister Nicole and baby sister Jesse.  When Nicole ends up having to have surgery, Jesse calls her sister Claire and tells her she needs to come home and take care of her sister.  Claire hasn’t spoken or seen her sisters since the death of their father many years ago.  She shows up trying to make things right and to reconnect with Nicole and Jesse.  What she didn’t expect was to fall in love with Nicole’s friend Wyatt. 

This book was one of those romance book that gives you that happy feeling while reading it and when the story ends, you want to know what happens afterward.  I loved the sweetness of this book and how it focused on family.  Wyatt’s daughter from a previous marriage, Amy, was 8 years old and was deaf.  I loved how the author also threw that aspect in the story as well.  You could also tell the author had done her research on that topic, as I have a daughter who is deaf, and she knew what to write on the subject. 

Overall a wonderful read that I enjoyed so much I finished it within a few hours.  So sweet and romantic.  I am now hooked on this author and have almost completed the whole series.  A great new author for me and I am glad I was introduced to her wonderful writing and sweet romance!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

WICKED KNIGHT by Tierney O’ Malley (Review & Giveaway)

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WICKED KNIGHT
Source: Author Submission
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

  • Erotic Romance: Contemporary
  • ISBN: 978-1-60435-646-5
  • Cover Artist: Ash Arceneaux
  • Editor: Red Rose Publishing
  • Word Count: 59,250
  • Release Date: January 28, 2010

SYNOPSIS:

He vowed never to love again. She is afraid to love. A passion so strong they cannot resist.
Ruggedly handsome pediatrician, Dr. Tristan Knight, is done with marriage. Once is enough. Eager to avoid making another mistake of getting trapped in marriage vows, Tristan wields strong control to suppress his growing attraction to his sister’s friend, Julie Parrish. But his resolve is tested when an unusual request for help lands on his lap–marry Julie.
 Author and former model, Julie Parrish has been trying to keep her image clean; otherwise, her drunkard father will get the inheritance her mother has left her. She will never let that happen. But her stepmother, Marla, has learned about the will’s stipulation. Since then, she’s been attempting to prove to the lawyers that Julie is far from being clean. Fortunately, her mother has added an out to the will. Marriage. So when Tristan surprised her by offering his help end her problem with Marla, she accepts. But Julie wants more than just a ring. She wants the elusive doctor’s heart.
MY THOUGHTS:
I cannot stress enough on how much I love this author’s writing.  I love how each character finds their way into my heart and mind and take over while I am reading the story.  The author can lure you in on page one and never lets go until the end.  

In this authors new series, we are introduced to 4 steamy men. They are the Knight brothers. We read about Tristan first and his hot romance with Julie.  Julie has been living with the brothers for 6 months now, and Tristan has not been able to get her out of his head.  Both of them have flaws, but they can’t deny the attraction between eachother. 

I loved this story! I cannot wait for the next story in the series so I can get my Knight fix again.  I am a very picky person when it comes to reading ebooks, but I know that Tierney O’Malley will never let me down!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

GIVEAWAY:
Thanks to Tierney for offering this giveaway!
One lucky winner will receive the following:
 A e-copy of this book!
RULES:
1. You must be a follower of this blog to enter.
2.  Go to the following link and vote for Tierney in her contest:
3.  Leave a comment on this post when you are done voting with your email address.
Contest will run until 3/7/2010 with the winner announced on 3/8/2010.
GOOD LUCK!

SEALED WITH A RING by Mary Margret Daughtridge

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SEALED WITH A RING
Source: ARC from Sourcebooks
* I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
  • Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 2, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402236980
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402236983
SYNOPSIS:
She’s got it all…except the one thing she needs most
Smart, successful businesswoman JJ Caruthers has a year to land a husband or lose the empire she’s worked so hard to build. With time running out, romance is not an option, and a military husband who is always on the road begins to look like the perfect solution…
He’s a wounded hero with an agenda of his own
Even with the scars of battle, Navy SEAL medic Davy Graziano is gorgeous enough to land any woman he wants, and he’s never wanted to be tied down. Now Davy has ulterior motives for accepting JJ’s outrageous proposal of marriage, but he only has so long to figure out what JJ doesn’t want him to know…
MY THOUGHTS:

Want a hard-core Alpha male who has a soft spot for woman of his dreams?  Navy Seal Davy is your man then.  This man was a true alpha in this book.  Yet, when it came to JJ, he was a softie at heart. A book that has great detail and rich story that you can’t help but fall in love with each character!  I loved the plot and the author did an amazing job telling the story.  Romance at its finest! JJ was the independent heroine that wanted to everything on her own.  Davy was the sexy jerk that you can’t help but love.  Both characters had their own flaws and problems, yet you find yourself rooting for them throughout the story. A great new read for me from a new author. I will definitely have to check out the other books by this author!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

WILLOW by Julia Hoban

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WILLOW
Author: Julia Hoban
Source: Library
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Dial (April 2, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0803733569
  • ISBN-13: 978-0803733565
 SYNOPSIS:

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her. 
MY THOUGHTS:
This book was an emotional read that was also informative of a problem that is on the rise that is not thought about that much.  In Willow, the main character blames herself for the death of her parents after she is in a car accident with them where she was driving.  Instead of dealing with the pain, she turns to cutting herself to release some of the grief.  
I found the romance between Willow and Guy to be sweet and wonderful.  It was written beautifully and the characters definitely clicked together.  I still cannot believe that people can do this to their bodies, but that is only my opinion.  I can understand the reason that this character did it though, and each time she would do it, my heart would break for her.  There were many scenes in the book that Willow and her brothers interaction would also break my heart. 
I was sucked in from the first chapter and couldn’t put this book down.  I was hoping that Guy would get through to Willow and be her hero.  I wanted Willow to sit down and talk with ther brother and work things out.  There were times I wanted to jump into the book and help Willow work through it all. 
A wonderful book that was not only informative, but moving.  It sent my emotions all over the place. 
MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!