Review: Mistletoe Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

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Mistletoe Cowboy
Series: Spikes & Spurs #5
Author: Carolyn Brown
Genre: Romance
ISBN: 9781402270154

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

‘Tis the season for… 

A matchmaking grandma on a long-disantance mission 
Mistletoe temptation in every doorway 
A sexy cowboy with a killer smile

When Gran Presely agrees to sell Creed Riley the Rockin’ C Ranch for a song at Christmastime, he can hardly believe his good fortune. There’s just one little catch-her tantalizing granddaughter Sage is part of the deal…

MY THOUGHTS

It is the season for Holiday romance!  I enjoy curling up by our fireplace with a roaring fire, cup of cocoa, and a sexy romance to read.  I was looking forward to reading Mistletoe Cowboy by Carolyn Brown this holiday season because I usually love anything by this author.

Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorites by this author.  I couldn’t get into the plot and Sage was not a favorite character for me.  She was snotty and stand offish.  I just couldn’t bring myself to care about her turmoil and personality.  Creed was a little more likable, but he was still on the dull end of the spectrum.  When these two are put together in an unlikely situation, the chemistry fizzled and never really took off for me. This book has a bunch of stereotypes including speech that kept me from truly enjoying it.

While I consider this a light and fluffy read for the holidays,  I don’t consider it a feel good romance that filled that reading hunger I was looking for.  It wasn’t a book I couldn’t stop reading and it wasn’t one I kept wanting to finish until the last page.  Others might enjoy this type of read, but I wanted a little more substance and chemistry in my reading.

MY RATING

If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it!

Review: Rev It Up by Julie Ann Walker

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Rev It Up
Author: Julie Ann Walker
Series:  Black Knights Inc. #3
Genre: Romance

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

He Never Misses a Target

Jake “the Snake” Sommers earned his SEAL codename by striking quickly and quietly – and with lethal force. That’s how he broke Michelle Carter’s heart. It was the only way to keep her safe – from himself. Four long years later, Jake is determined to get a second chance. But to steal back into Michelle’s loving arms, Jake is going to have to prove he can take things slow. Real slow…

She Aims to Make Him Beg

Michelle Carter has never forgiven Jake for being so cliché as to “love her and leave her.” But when her brother, head of the Black Knights elite ops agency, ticks off the wrong mobster, she must do the unimaginable: place her life in Jake’s hands. No matter what they call him, this man is far from cold-blooded. And once he’s wrapped around her heart, he’ll never let her go…

MY THOUGHTS

Oh Ms. Walker, how you love to tease me and pull me back into this world.  Suspense and romance in one book is always a good thing, but when Julie Ann Walker writes it, I want to jump for joy.  I loved the first one in this series and they just keep getting better.

Even though the main character of Jake “the Snake” Sommers reminds me of watching wrestling with my father in the early years, I found myself falling for him very quickly.  He was strong, determined and sexy as all get out.  Michelle is a heroine that can hold her own as well.  In the modeling world there is one word that can describe this girl — fierce.  She gives as good as she gets with Jake and they really heated up the pages together.

With danger and suspense in most of the book, the author did a great job of including the romance on a balanced scale.  Secondary characters are back from previous books and give us a glimpse of some of our favorites.  Again, while I loved the previous books in the series, this one I think is one of my favorites.  The authors writing just keeps getting better and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next book!

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: Savage Hunger by Terry Spear

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Savage Hunger
Author: Terry Spear
Series: Heart of the Jaguar #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Kathleen McKnight is on a dangerous mission to help her army team take down a drug lord. She’s a tough as nails recruit, but when she’s caught in the crossfire, she has to rely on a mysterious man to save her. She has no idea that he has big plans for her…

Connor Anderson is a jaguar shifter who is looking for his mate. When he rescues Kathleen in the jungle-twice–he can’t help but be intrigued. Will a bite or a scratch turn Kathleen into the perfect jaguar mate?

MY THOUGHTS

Author Terry Spears usually writes about wolves in the paranormal romance genre. This time in Savage Hunger, the author decided to write about jaguars and I am one reader who is glad she decided to branch out.  There is just something about this authors writing that sucks me into the story no matter what is being told on the pages.

The plot and suspense of this story was written pretty well.  I liked each of the characters in the book as well.  Kathleen held her own as the main heroine and Conner was sexy and swoon worthy many times throughout the story.  I think the only problem I have is the way the author took the story of Kathleen and her transformation.  It was kind of a let down, but one that didn’t completely stall me from reading the remainder of the book.

Suspenseful, romantic, danger, and even some quirky bring a beautiful new series from a great author I follow.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

Charming Blue by Kristine Grayson

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Charming Blue
Series: Fates #8
Author: Kristine Grayson
Source: Publisher/Sourcebooks
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781402263743

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Once upon a time…he was the most handsome of princes. But now he’s a lonely legend, hobbled by dark history. With too many dead in his wake, Bluebeard escapes through the evil spell of alcohol. But it’s a far different kind of spell that’s been ruining his life for centuries. Jodi Walters is a fixer, someone who can put magic back in order. But Blue has a problem she’s never encountered. And worse, she finds herself perilously attracted to him.

MY THOUGHTS

New stories based on childhood fairy tales can be a huge thing to take on for an author.  Sometimes they work and other times they fall.  They can be as wonderful and mesmerizing as Cinderella and Snow White.  Other times they can be like Humpty Dumpty on that wall on the edge of great that unfortunately loses it’s balance and becomes a mess for the reader.  Authors have to know how to balance perfectly between long time readers and new readers.  We all have our favorite fairy tale and trying to change them can cause many opinions across the grid for readers and fans.  Kristine Grayson seems to be able to handle this task without disappointing the reader.

I will say that Kristine Grayson and her works have been hit and miss with me.  I have enjoyed some of her books, but others have not been as enjoyable.  Charming Blue seems to fall in the middle of this spectrum.  While I loved the plot and the characters — including the secondary ones — I had a really hard time getting into it.  Every time I set the book down for a bit I seemed to forget what had happened before.  It just wasn’t memorable enough to keep me infatuated with the story.  It was one to pass the time, but not one that left me with the “must read now” pull that other books have given me.  For lack of better words, it didn’t have the ‘magic’ I was expecting.

Again, while the plot and characters were fun and entertaining, it wasn’t enough to keep the story flowing at a great pace.  It was slow and ho-hum.  While it may be another miss in this readers eyes, I still will continue reading the works this author creates because I am a sucker for fairy tale stories!

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Call Me Wild by Robin Kaye

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Call Me Wild
Series: Wild Thing #2
Author: Robin Kaye
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9781402257339

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


She doesn’t know a single thing about relationships…

Unemployed sportswriter Jessie James plans to make a killing writing a bestselling romance novel. She’s never read one, but really, how hard can it be? Moving cross-country to a borrowed house in Idaho, Jessie starts her research with the first gorgeous guy she runs into…

Luckily, he knows everything…

Sports doctor Fisher Kincaid notices Jessie right away–the transplanted Easterner sticks out like a sore thumb in the small town. When he discovers she’s researching attraction and romance, he graciously offers himself as a test subject. That’s when everything starts to go wrong, and they both find out how much they need a few good lessons in love…

MY THOUGHTS

Author Robin Kaye is a hit and miss author for me.  While I loved some of her previous books, I also found myself not liking some of her other books.  I think the biggest problem I have found with her writing is the  balance.  Sometimes her characters are too perfect or not believable enough.  Then she will throw in the other main character that doesn’t balance well with the the before mentioned one.  It feels forced at times and they don’t seem to compliment each other like they should.

Again, we have a too perfect hero in Fisher. Seriously, a man who cooks, cleans, sexy and also a Doctor makes for a perfect hero.  Then you have Jessie who is just wishy-washy and bland.  It has all the makings of a romance book with the same plots you come to expect.  The only difference in making a book stand out is the character dynamics.  I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy much of what happens between the usual plot in this story.

It was a fast and comfortable read.  It didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t a waste of time either.  A little over halfway in this book is when I actually started to enjoy the characters.  For me, it was just a regular romance book with no ‘wow’ factor for standing out.  If you are looking for a quick read to pass the time, then this one will do.  It is simply a romance that will keep you happy for a bit until the next read comes along in my opinion.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*