ARC Review: Good Girls Don't

Good Girls Don't
Victoria Dahl
Contemporary Romance
Donovan Brothers/Book 1
HQN Books/August 30, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Too much of a good thing…

With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman — or a heartbreaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices her when he arrives to investigate a break – in at her family's brewery. He's got his own problems — starting with the fact that his partner, Simone, is pregnant and everyone thinks he's the father.

Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother's playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tension could tear her tight–knit family apart. In fact, the only thing that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their "baby" sister. Especially a man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath. He's not who people think he is — and neither is she.

I first met the Donovan siblings in the novella Just One Taste, in the anthology The Guy Next Door. They are a close knit trio who love each other but who also have a lot of responsibilities and a difficult past they still need to work through. Being the only girl, you might think Tessa Donovan is coddled and protected but it's really Tessa that does the protecting.

Oh my goodness does Tessa Donovan know how to spin a web! She's so protective of her brothers, so desperate to keep them happy, she spins these intricate lies and half-truths. Of course it will all unravel but Tessa doesn't want to think about possible failure. I was surprised that her lying didn't bother me more. I didn't think she always made the best choices, she acted out of desperation more than once. But Dahl does a good job explaining and showing how Tessa came to be so desperate to keep her family together.

Luke Asher is in for an interesting and amazing ride. He just doesn't know it yet! When he investigates the robbery at Donovan Brothers Brewery, he didn't expect to be blidesided by the sweet and sexy Tessa Donovan. Right from the start I liked Luke. He's protective by nature which makes him a good cop. He's dealing with the rumors surrounding him and his pregnant partner. He still hasn't completely worked through his painful divorce and now he's feeling an odd attraction to a women he thinks he should stay away from. Has in fact been told to stay away from. Dahl gives Luke enough problems to cause him some anxiety while keeping it real. Luke may be the hero but he can't magically fix everything wrong in his life. Some of it he just has to accept and move on. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him and feel his frustration at not being able to fix things. Dahl did well showing this, making the plot far more realistic with Luke making mistakes and dealing with the outcome. Add in his self-deprecating humor and he's a very likable hero.

Tessa and Luke together really worked for me. On first impression they don't seem to fit. Luke is serious and not at all the party animal he apparently was in college. While Tessa is serious when it come to the family business but she knows how to have a good time. And she always has a smile. She's very good at finding the positive while Luke tends to be more on the pessimistic side of the equation. But together they balance each other out. They are funny together with Tessa teasing Luke and Luke trying not to be drawn to Tessa. They don't have an easy time of it with both Tessa's brother's warning Luke away from their sister. But Tessa is stubborn and these two can't resist each other.

Speaking of brothers - lots of tension between Jamie and Eric. I like that the siblings are close and love one another but everything isn't perfect. Perfection is boring and there is nothing boring about the complex relationships of the Donovan siblings. I do hope there are some resolutions in Jamie's book because Eric came off as an overbearing ass and I'd hate to have that impression going into his book. LOL

The police aspect of the story was a distant second to the romance and character development. Which was good since it wasn't a very strong plot, having an obvious suspect and very little suspense. The believable characters and a romance as sweet and sinful as chocolate are what make this an exceptional start to a new series.

Rating: B+

Books in this series ~

Just One Taste (prequel novella in The Guy Next Door anthology)
Good Girls Don't
Bad Boys Do (October 2011/Jamie)
Real Men Will (November 2011/Eric)

Review: Summer's Crossing

Summer's Crossing
Julie Kagawa
Young Adult/Fantasy
Iron Fey/Book 3.5
Harlequin Teen/June 1, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

Loved this funny, sweet novella told from Puck's POV. It's just Puck and Ash on a mission - not the two you would imagine would team up. But team up they do! Puck and Ash do manage to work together with Puck adding that unique humor to ease those tense moments or to simply irritate the heck out of Ash.

Puck keeps Ash on his toes, not always sure what Puck is up to but knowing that he's always up to something. He is a prankster after all! Their quest becomes dangerous when they venture into the Summer Court and into Queen Tatania's presence. Ash's life is in Puck's hands, a potentially dangerous place to be. Ash has Meghan. Puck wants Meghan. Would Puck sacrifice Ash, his long-time enemy, to get the girl?

Puck keeps both Ash and the reader on the edge with his antics. He's smart and sneaky but still has a heart of gold. Kagawa once again proves why this series is so popular with this quick look into a favorite character's head and heart.

Rating: B+

Books in this series ~

The Iron King
Winter's Passage (previously free novella)
The Iron Daughter
The Iron Queen
Summer's Crossing (free novella)
The Iron Knight (October 25, 2011)

Review: The Heir

The Heir
Grace Burrowes
Historical Romance
Duke's Obsession/Book 1
Sourcebooks/December 7, 2010

From Goodreads ~

AN EARL WHO CAN'T BE BRIBED

Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the Duke of Moreland. To escape his father's inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper...

A LADY WHO CAN'T BE PROTECTED...

Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle Windham that she works as his housekeeper.

As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna's secrets threaten to bring the earl's orderly life crashing down - and he doesn't know how he's going to protect her from the fallout...

After seeing a bunch of good reviews for Grace Burrowes debut novel, then it's offered as a free download it was easy to pick it up and give it a try. It turned out to be a good, solid read with an engaging family of unusual aristocrats.

Anna Seaton is a lovely young woman with secrets and responsibilities that go beyond her housekeeper duties. Anna is funny and smart with a surprising lack of modesty when it comes to her employer. She doesn't run screaming or faint away when she must act as his valet. It's amusing and while I found Anna's actions a little hard to believe, I enjoyed her interactions with Windham. She intrigues him and pulls him out of his orderly life.

Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, likes structure in his life. He likes to keep to a schedule and prefers not to deviate from it. When he decides to stay in London for the summer he expects it to be a quiet time away from his family and the drama they stir up. When he and his housekeeper have a misunderstanding of the painful kind, he begins to notice her and how she has been improving his home. Westhaven is a typical oldest son in that he is responsible and accustomed to taking charge of situations. I liked how he began to loosen up when he was with Anna, allowing himself to deviate from his orderly life and learn to enjoy spontaneity.

Anna and Westhaven together are an odd couple on the surface but it turns out they have a lot more in common. I did like how Westhaven thought she was a bit odd but still respected her and enjoyed her company. They did jump between the sheets pretty quickly and Burrowes can write some hot sex scenes. Anna helped Westhaven loosen up there too! By the time these two got to their HEA, they felt like a couple that belonged together.

The family that Westhaven was hoping to get away from doesn't stay away. His father is a schemer, trying to get his eldest son married with an heir on the way. His brother is an adorable musical genius who's hiding some dark secrets. The rest of the family adds in their own drama which only shows Westhaven how much he needs the peace and pleasure Anna gives him.

The second book of the series, The Soldier is already out with the third book, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish is due out in October with book four, The Virtuoso due out in November. The Heir was an amusing and entertaining romance leaving this reader wanting to read more of from this new author. Ms. Burrowes is giving readers a lot to look forward to this fall.

Rating: B

Books in the series ~

The Heir
The Soldier
Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish (October 2011)
The Virtuoso (November 2011)

Cowboys and Aliens and Movie Trailers...

I love western movies. I also like the Alien movies (just the 1st two) and scifi movies in general. Combine those two elements and you get a fascinating, action-packed movie right? Uh...no.

I had such high hopes for this movie. I mean, Daniel Craig! I do like him but not so much in this one. Aside from looking good in a vest and out of it, his character came across as two dimensional. The other big name was Harrison Ford who lately seems like the same character, just a different movie.

*Some spoilers*

The plot is your basic aliens capture humans to study them for any weaknesses while they exploit Earth's resources, namely gold. Daniel Craig's character managed to get away but he now has amnesia. He also has a shiny bracelet that he can't remove. Okay, the bracelet was pretty cool. So, Craig's character, Jake Lonergan (a romance hero name if I ever heard one!), Jake heads into town after waking up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how he got there. He has a confrontation with the local bully who also happens to be the son of a wealthy rancher aka Harrison Ford's character Woodrow Dolarhyde (yes, that's his name). It turns out Jake is a wanted man. Oops. I'll bet it would have been nice to remember that little fact.

But no worries, he won't be in jail for long because the aliens are coming to town. They come, they blow things up, they abduct townsfolk and generally scare the crap out of everyone. One alien does crash land and after killing one of the townsfolk, heads out of town, leaving alien tracks behind. Well, you know what's coming next - it's posse time! It's time for everyone to work together to rescue the family and friends who were abducted. I think there was just about every western cliche you could think of in this movie. Except for the whole alien thing. :)

As the posse tracks the big bad alien they travel through what is suppose to be the Arizona territory of 1873. I don't know if it was filmed in Arizona but it does look like very rugged terrain. Not a soul in sight, or so you'd think. First they run into Jake's old gang. Now at the this point I had lost track of how many times I'd yawned. But I perked up as soon as I saw Walton Goggins. Who you say? He plays Boyd Crowder on one of the best shows on TV - Justified. So with renewed interested I held out hope that things would pick up. Yeah, there was some alien fighting and more abductions then another cliche pops up in the form of the Apaches. This is when things got really weird. LOL

Eventually we get to the big showdown with the aliens. Things get blown up, people die, aliens die. Jake sheds his outlaw persona and becomes a hero. Sacrifices are made and the ones who survive have a new appreciation for life and become better people for it.

Not much else to say, except the aliens were pretty cool and gross in that alien way that all aliens are. Big and gooey with alien hands that pop out of their middles. That was pretty cool. :)

My verdict - unless you're a real diehard Craig, Ford or cowboy and/or alien fan, save your money and wait for the DVD.

Trailers...

One thing I like about going to the movies is seeing the trailers. I was in for a treat since I got to see the Conan trailer again. Nothing like a bigger than life Jason Momoa to put a smile on your face. :)

There was also a trailer for the movie Battleship, release May 2012. Not sure how I feel about this one. It has Taylor Kitsch which is a positive. (Still can't believe no more Friday Night Lights), Liam Neeson and that guy from True Blood, Alexander Skarsgård. It's the plot that has me thinking this might be a wait for the DVD kind of movie. It's basically transformers at sea. So, I guess we'll see. :)

And speaking of Friday Night Lights (still missing it) Brad Pitt has a new movie coming out next month called Moneyball. I'm not a big Brad Pitt fan and I'm not crazy about baseball but this looks really good. It has a Friday Night Lights feel to it and it's based on a true story. And there was even a book about it. It's about the Oakland A's and how they went from being really, really bad to being a winning team. I might actually go see this one.

Geez, just how many times can I mention Friday Night Lights in one post? Apparently a lot! Still missing it. :(

July Reads...

I took this picture the other evening on my way to the grocery store. This is just south, about 1/2 mile, from my house. It's a good example of our July weather. It's monsoon season so we get lots of clouds and thunderstorms this time of year. I can remember as a kid, lying on the grass and watching the clouds. This was usually after some intense playing of tag or riding bikes or climbing trees. It was a great way to rest and relax.

Now, I hardly ever take the time to just look at the clouds. I do have high windows in my living & dining room that are uncovered and offer a view of the sky. But it's not the same as being outside and just watching the clouds go by. I think we could all use a little "cloud time" in our busy lives.

On to the books...

July was a month filled with some very good reads and a few wonderful audiobooks.

Audiobooks

1. Rules of Attraction ~ Simone Elkeles/YA/A
2. Perfect Chemistry ~ Simone Elkeles/YA/A-
3. Archangel's Consort ~ Nalini Singh/PNR/B+
4. Born of Night ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon/PNR/B-
5. Born of Fire ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon/PNR/C
6. Freefall ~ JoAnn Ross/RS/C

I'm all caught up and ready for Archangel's Blade, the next book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters series. And I finally dove into the very well reviewed and discussed Simone Elkeles books about the Fuentes brothers. Highly recommend both books. Book 3, Chain Reaction comes out later this month.

The two Kenyon's were okay with heroes very reminiscent of her Dark Hunter heroes. I couldn't help thinking how tortured all her heroes are. I can't think of any who are well adjusted and don't carry scars both physical and emotional.

The Ross could have been better but there were too many characters to keep track of.

Print/Electronic Books

1. His Majesty's Dragon/Naomi Novik/Fantasy/A
2. Heartbreak Creek/Kaki Warner/Western Historical/A
3. Divergent/Veronica Roth/YA Dystopian/A-
4. One Good Reason/Sarah Mayberry/Contemporary/B+
5. Hexed* (anthology)/Ilona Andrews/UF/B+
6. A Gentlewoman's Predicament/Portia Da Costa/Historical Erotic/B
7. A Gentlewoman's Ravishment/Portia Da Costa/Historical Erotic/B
8. Hounded/Kevin Hearn/UF/B
9. Smart and Sexy/Jill Shalvis/Contemporary/B
10. Inside Out/Maria V. Snyder/YA Dystopian/B
11. The Last Goodbye/Sarah Mayberry/Contemporary/B-
12. A Kiss at Midnight/Eloisa James/Historical/C+
13. Aftertime/Sophie Littlefield/Dystopian/C
14. Forbidden Pleasure/Amanda McIntyre/Medieval Erotic/C

The Numbers...

Contemporary ~ 3
Dystopian ~ 1
Fantasy ~ 1
Historical ~ 1
Historical Erotic ~ 2
Medieval ~ 1
Urban Fantasy ~ 2
Western Historical ~ 1
YA ~ 2

Format...

Print ~ 7
E-Book ~ 7

Out of the 14, only 3 were from the TBR pile. The rest were either from the library (I love my libraries!) or the publisher. I'm trying to get through the library books that I've had out for what seems like eons. The city library allows 99 renewals as long as there are no requests. And I know I've had some of them for close to a year. So I really need to get the library TBR pile down.

I'm way behind on the reviews and not sure if I'll try to catch up with these or just go from here. I think the problem was that I was so behind on the June reviews it took me all of July to catch up on those! I wish I could write reviews in 30 minutes. Heck, even an hour would be quick for me. Unfortunately, I'm easily distracted. LOL

A thank you to Nath for recommending the Naomi Novik series. It was such a fascinating adventure with Laurence and Temeraire! I'll try to get a review up soon.

*Hexed anthology - I only read the Ilona Andrews novella. The other stories were part of series that I haven't read yet.

It All Started With a Cake...

This past week has been a busy one getting ready for my baby's (sob) birthday. He turned ten today, double digits. It's still hard for me to believe my once little bald baby (he was the only one without hair), has turned into such a great kid.

*No baby pictures since those are all print, not digital. I'm tempted to hire someone to put our boxes and boxes of print pictures on CDs. Hmmm...might just be a job for the teen. :)

About the cake... a few weeks ago I told youngest he needed to get his birthday wish list to me soon so I could start shopping. The topic of cakes came up and I asked him what kind of cake he wanted. Last year I made a castle cake and I was hoping this year I'd get to do something a little easier. Turns out he didn't want me to make his cake he wanted "that Cake Boss guy" to make his cake. LOL I had to break the bad news to him that the possibility was pretty slim and he should stick with me. Now, I should give a little background on youngest, he loves the video game Minecraft. He talks about it all the time and I mean all the time. So he tells me he would like a Creeper cake. What's a Creeper you ask? It's this green thing from Minecraft that blows up. So I Googled and found tons of Creeper info and what started with a request for a cake snowballed into everything Creeper...


             Here's youngest with his Creeper themed presents.

I'm not a crafty kind of person but most of this was pretty easy to do. I just printed the Creeper eyes and mouth and glued them on. The t-shirt was the most difficult because I had to make the template, iron it on, paint and hope that the lines stayed straight and the paint didn't bleed under the stencil. I can't tell you how stressful this was. LOL After making the t-shirt, the cake was easy. :)


                               Youngest with his cake.

I decided to only make the Creeper face on the cake since we were going to my mom's and I had to take the cake there. I did find instructions for making a full size Creeper but it takes 2 cakes, 1 for the body and 1 for the legs and head. Thankfully he liked this one just fine. :)

I now have one month until middle's birthday. He said he would like a Wizard 101 themed birthday. o_0 At least the teen is easy - she just wants books and cash. LOL

Are you all having a great summer or getting stuck in the heat waves? I can't believe some parts of the US have actually been hotter than here in Arizona!

Review: Heartbreak Creek

Heartbreak Creek
Kaki Warner
Historical Western
Colorado/1870
Runaway Brides/Book 1
Berkley/July 5, 2011

From the back cover ~

Edwina Ladoux hoped becoming a mail-order bride would be her way out of the war- torn South and into a better life, but as soon as she arrives in Heartbreak Creek, Colorado, and meets her hulking, taciturn groom, she realizes she's made a terrible mistake.

Declan Brodie already had one flighty wife who ran off with a gambler before being killed by Indians. He's hoping this new one will be a practical, sturdy farm woman who can help with chores and corral his four rambunctious children. Instead, he gets a skinny Southern princess who doesn't even know how to cook.

Luckily, Edwina and Declan agreed on a three-month courtship period, which should give them time to get the proxy marriage annulled. Except that as the weeks pass, thoughts of annulment turn into hopes for a real marriage-until Declan's first wife returns after being held captive for the last four years. Now an honorable man must choose between duty and desire, and a woman who's never had to fight for anything must do battle for the family she's grown to love...

Many of you know how much I love a good western romance. After reading and enjoying Ms. Warner's Blood Rose trilogy, to say I was looking forward to her newest release was putting it mildly. One of my absolute favorite romance tropes is the mail-order-bride trope. If I read a blurb mentioning mail-order-bride, I'm there. For me, it's the ultimate in the romantic fantasy of trusting in fate and falling in love.

Southern belle Edwina Ladoux has lost just about everything. Her home, almost all of her family and her way of life. But she's ready to start a new life as the mail-order-bride of a man she only knows through his letters. Along with her best friend and half-sister Prudence (Pru), they head west. Edwina is a woman who can give the outward appearance of a delicate and proper lady but when she wants something she can be as stubborn as a mule! Edwina and Delcan don't make the best first impressions on each other. She thinks he's too big and too rough and he thinks she has some crazy ideas.

Declan Brodie is rough around the edges with a sweet and gentle inside. He loves his four rambunctious children and he loves his ranch. But he can't run a ranch and take care of the kids and the house too. Declan is nothing if not practical so he advertises in the Matrimonial News no less.

Honest, hard-working widower, age thirty-three, seeks sturdy English-speaking woman to help with mountain ranch and four children. Drinkers, whores, and gamblers need not apply.

How could Edwina possibly pass up a request like that? Except Ed, as Declan calls her, after first calling her Miss Priss, Declan doesn't think Ed has what it takes to take care of the children and house. He thinks she's too fragile and she can't even cook! Imagine! LOL Good think Pru is there to cook and teach Ed. Declan's impression of Ed slowly changes as he watches her take on the task of corralling his children's wild ways and learning about ranch life.

Ed and Declan were so very good together! They tease and irritate each other while they're busy checking each other out. I loved how Warner developed the romance, letting Ed and Declan discover that their first impressions only showed the surface and there was a lot more going on underneath. There's one scene where Declan realizes that he doesn't just need a wife, he needs Ed. For Ed, she not only fell in love with Declan, she also fell in love with his children which was important since the are so much a part of him. Some of the best scenes were with Ed and the children. These kids had personality and certainly added humor and emotion to the story.

The secondary characters that populate the town of Heartbreak Creek are a wonderful mix of typical small town folk and a couple of newcomers who liven the place up. Maddie Wallace and Lucinda Hathaway arrived on the same train as Ed and Pru. The four women become fast friends and share advice, experience and encouragement on their new lives. I know we'll see much more of both Maddie and Lucinda in coming books.

Ranch life isn't easy but for Declan and Ed, it's made even more difficult with a crazy man out to get revenge against Declan. Looking back, there was a lot going on in addition to Ed and Declan getting to know each other. Lots of upheaval with threats to everyone Declan cared about. Then throw in the once-thought-dead wife come back to life and damn but they had a heck of a lot to overcome. Yet, I never felt that it took away from the romance. If anything, it brought Declan and Ed closer together. There was just the right balance of romance, humor, suspense and teasing for future books.

Heartbreak Creek is a beautifully told historical western romance. We need more books like this! Thankfully, Ms. Warner has more on the way.

Rating: A

Books in this series ~

Heartbreak Creek
Colorado Dawn (January 2012)

ARC Review: One Good Reason

One Good Reason
Sarah Mayberry
Contemporary Romance
Sequel to The Last Goodbye
Harlequin/August 1, 2011

From Goodreads ~

It's time to move on...

Any day now Jon Adamson will pack his bags and hit the road. After all, his intention was never to hang around Melbourne once he’d settled his late father’s affairs. Yet he hasn’t moved on. And it might have something to do with Gabby Wade. The not-so-big office manager with the really big attitude is making Jon’s days…interesting…engaging…fun. It’s impossible for him to resist her.

But he knows himself—long-term commitments and cozy family dinners aren’t his style. If that’s what the future holds, why is he still here? And why is he spending all his days—and nights—with Gabby? Because maybe she’s the one reason strong enough to make him stay.

What if you discovered that all you ever wanted were the things you’d left behind?

After reading about Jon's brother Tyler in The Last Goodbye, I was looking forward to finding out more about Jon, and Gabby too. I was also hoping Jon and Gabby's story would have more romance. They still have emotional issues to get through but the story isn't as dark as The Last Goodbye and Jon and Gabby are cute together!

Gabby Wade is a petite, feisty woman who works in an office of all men. She's not much for dressing up, preferring casual wear for her job as office manager of T. A. Furniture Designs. It's not surprising that Gabby gets along well with men, since she's used to working with them, but for some reason Jon just rubs her the wrong way. They're squabbling is amusing, each giving as good as they get. Lots of sexual tension going on here! I liked that Gabby didn't suddenly do a 180° and ditch her jeans and t-shirt for skirts and heels. It's more a gradual realization that she's stopped caring about how she looks. It's the fallout of her breakup with Tyler, Jon's brother, nearly four years ago. Once Gabby is honest with herself and how she feels, you see her start to hope for something lasting with Jon.

Jon Adamson is a strong, silent type. Very silent. He's fighting his demons and while he's not losing the battle, he's not really winning either. It's a daily struggle that Mayberry puts him through. The oddly bright spot in his days is Gabby Wade. Odd because on the surface they don't get along but in spite of that they're developing a relationship based on mutual like and respect. Mayberry puts Jon in limbo. He's working for his brother but he doesn't plan on staying. But he sold his company in Canada so he has nothing to go back to there. He really has no plans but you see him slowly thinking that maybe he could have something with Gabby.

Mayberry lets Gabby and Jon's relationship develop naturally, with some interference from Tyler and Ally but that's to be expected since they love and care about both Gabby and Jon. The way Mayberry woven in the two couples and their relationships really worked. I thought I might have a problem with Gabby having been Tyler's lover then her being with Jon. But Mayberry had me believing that while Gabby still had feeling for Tyler, they were that of close friends, not of a lost love. Gabby's feelings for Jon ran much deeper. There was a small issue of Gabby thinking she was still in love with Tyler, then falling for Jon happening rather quickly. To have such strong emotions change so quickly didn't ring completely true for me.

In the end, Gabby and Jon get their Happily Ever After that they both worked so hard for. This couple really clicked for me. They came across as a real couple with real issues. They had a rocky start that led to both of them facing some hard facts about what they really want in life. A very sweet, romantic story.

Rating: B+

Review: The Last Goodbye

The Last Goodbye
Sarah Mayberry
Contemporary Romance
Harlequin Super/February 8, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Ally Bishop knows the settling kind when she sees one. And Tyler Adamson is definitely one. Ordinarily this never-in-one-place-long girl would stay far, far away. Maybe it's the way he looks in jeans, or the way he looks at her, but suddenly Ally is breaking her own rules with dizzying speed. All that Australian temptation right next door…well, there's only so much resistance one girl can have.

As she dives into a fling with Tyler, Ally assures herself she can maintain perspective. After all, he's only here long enough to care for his ailing father. That gives them a time limit, right? With each passing day, however, she falls for Tyler more. And soon she has the strongest urge to unpack her suitcase and stay a while.

This has been in the TBR pile for a few months and while I love Sarah Mayberry, I didn't pick it up until I requested One Good Reason from NetGalley and realized the hero was the brother of the hero in The Last Goodbye. So of course I had to read this before I read that. Makes sense, no?

This story had a lot of emotional baggage. It was a boatload full for both the hero and heroine. Different, but similar. He's from an abusive home, she's never really had a permanent home. Both are still working through it in their own way. For Ally, it means not putting down roots but staying mobile by house sitting. A few months here, a few months there. Her job as a advice columnist allows her to work from anywhere, so she does. She meets Tyler when she searchers him out to let him know that his father, her neighbor, is ill. Ally is a very positive person - upbeat and kind. She's one of those people that's easy to like. The only thing that really bugged me about her was her insistence in her "gypsy" heritage. Not that her family were gypsies but that her mom traveled/roamed a lot. Never staying in one place. Ally uses that as an excuse to continuing moving. It's an excuse to not form ties with anyone, keeping her chances of pain and disappointment at a minimum. She's a smart woman, so why doesn't she realize she's not her mother?

Tyler is a successful designer of custom furniture. He has a thriving business. The one thing he doesn't have is a family. He was never really close to his older brother who lives in Canada and hasn't talked to his father in ten years. All that changes when Ally shows up and brings Tyler's past to the present. He doesn't make a very good first impression on Ally, telling her that he doesn't want anything to do with his father. Wow. But she leaves an impression on him. Tyler is a hero that doesn't like the spotlight and has is conflicted when it comes to helping his father. Mayberry does a good job showing how Tyler wants to just walk away from his father, who would try the patience of a saint, but Tyler is a decent person and can't walk away. Tyler puts up with a lot while taking care of his father and it helps that Ally's there to ease the way.

Ally and Tyler's relationship gets off to a rocky start. There is something there but Mayberry doesn't make it easy for them. Both have issues to work through before they can have a healthy relationship. Tyler's issues made more sense than Ally's. Her's didn't seem so hard to overcome and I felt like she used them more as an excuse than any great fear of commitment. I did like how she helped Tyler break down that wall of silence. He really didn't like talking about his feelings and his past.

The Last Goodbye isn't one of my favorites from Mayberry. It's a little too dark with not enough lighter moments to balance it out. The romance wasn't the main focus, instead, Tyler's messed up relationship and unresolved issues with his father took center stage.

Rating: B-

TBR Challenge Review: A Kiss at Midnight

A Kiss at Midnight
Eloisa James
Historical Romance
Happily Ever After/Book 1
Avon/August 1, 2010

From Goodreads ~

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancée, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

After reading and loving my first Eloisa James novel, Beauty Tamed the Beast, I was looking forward to read the first book in the series. Fate smiled on me with the suggested theme for this month challenge as Fairy Tales. Perfect since A Kiss at Midnight has the Cinderella theme.

Miss Katherine Daltry aka Kate is likely to be mistaken for a servant rather than a family member. She has taken over the duties of running the manor ever since her father died and looking like a lady is the last thing on her mind. The first impression one might have of Kate is that she lets her stepmother push her around. But that's not completely accurate. Kate works as hard as she does because she cares for the staff and the tenants of the estate. Her stepmother would like to do away with most of them, and has let quite a few go already. I liked that Kate is not portrayed as a pushover. She's certainly not meek but when she goes to the Prince's castle, she out of her element. Maybe that's why she gave in to him so easily. She knew he was engaged and no marriage proposal was possible but she felt this was her one chance at love, if only for a night.

Prince Gabriel gives a first impression of being a bit bookish. He's an archaeologist and would rather be working a dig than residing over a castle. His attraction to Kate is due in part because of her lack of knowledge of the proper etiquette when in the presence of royalty. She has a tendency to say what's on her mind and Gabriel finds her refreshing and a challenge. But he must marry for money and is engaged to a Princess. Here's where I started having problems. Gabriel's princess is due to arrive any day. It's an arranged marriage, they haven't met but Gabriel is determined to do "his duty". But he still seduces Kate, knowing she's a virgin he assures her he won't take her virginity. Nope, he'll just get her, and himself naked. But no sex. *rolls eyes*. Yeah, how long do you think that lasted? He even got to where he was begging Kate for sex (this is after they had sex, but only for that one special night) because he just had to have her. This is after his fiancé had arrived at the castle and he's met her and she's nice!

The overall story and the writing are well done but I had a hard time with Gabriel's motives and I just didn't like him. I get that he was conflicted with his duty to his family and people and his feelings for Kate but it felt too much like he used her. When he drags Kate into the maze to have sex, after just dancing with his fiancé, that was the final straw for me. As far as I was concerned, this was no prince charming.

On the brighter side, I did like Kate's fairy godmother Henry, short for Henrietta. She was a hoot! She said what was on her mind and helped guide Kate through her venture into society. I did like the story but would have enjoyed it far more had Gabriel behaved more like a gentleman rather than a scoundrel. If you can overlook his behavior, then this fairy tale might be for you.

Rating: C+

Book in this series ~

A Kiss at Midnight
When Beauty Tamed the Beast
This Duke of Mine (2012)