Review: Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Book: Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
Published: August 28, 2012 (Harlequin MIRA)
Format: Egalley from publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!)
Summary: Sonnet Romano's life is almost perfect. She has the ideal career, the ideal boyfriend, and has just been offered a prestigious fellowship. There's nothing more a woman wants - except maybe a baby sister? When Sonnet finds out her mother is unexpectedly expecting, and that the pregnancy is high-risk, she puts everything on hold - the job, the fellowship, the boyfriend - and heads home to Avalon. Once her mom is out of danger, Sonnet intends to pick up her life where she left off. But when her mother receives a devastating diagnosis, Sonnet must decide what really matters in life, even of that means staying in Avalon and taking a job that forces her to work alongside her biggest, and maybe her sweetest, mistake - award-winning filmmaker Zach Alger. So Sonnet embarks on a summer of laughter and tears, of old dreams and new possibilities, and of finding the home of her heart.

My Review: I went into Return to Willow Lake with a bit of hesitation. I had never read anything by Susan Wiggs before, and this book had a cover that made me think of those books that are cheesy in a way that is only acceptable if accompanied by lots of Christmas carols and mistletoe. I am very glad I gave Return to Willow Lake a chance, though, because it was so much better than I was expecting.

For starters, one thing I loved about this book was that the main two characters were not your typical leads. Sonnet was biracial - half African American, half Italian - and Zach was very pale with long, blond hair nearly as light as his skin. They had been very close friends throughout childhood and high school, and although they'd lived in separate cities for years, they were still share-the-big-news-first, visit-whenever-I'm-in-town friends. Until Sonnet's step-sister, Daisy's wedding at the beginning of the book. They had not seen each other for quite a while, and a romantic encounter caused Sonnet to freak and cut Zach out of her life for the next few months.

Then Sonnet received the news about her mother and moved home. As Zach was nearly a part of the family and her new job involved working with him (filming a reality show featuring Jezebel, a teenage hip-hop star), Sonnet and Zach's friendship began to recover. Except now there were feelings Sonnet did not know how to deal with.

One great thing about this book was how wonderfully the love story fit with the whole story. The romance moved at a great pace and never felt secondary, but it also did not overshadow Sonnet's relationship with her mother, which, as that was Sonnet's reason for turning away some amazing opportunities and moving back home, was rather important. I loved watching them interact. Nina was very wise and kind, and it broke my heart to watch her go through her struggles. Because Zach was so close to the family as well as working with Sonnet, the three plots - the family life, the job, the romance - all coalesced into one beautiful story.

There was some drama, which obviously had to happen. However, nothing was blown out of proportion or stretched to melodramatic lengths just to draw the book out longer, which would have been very easy to do with some of the conflict. I very much appreciate Wiggs and her ability to write a sweet, touching story without making me overdose on cheese. I will definitely be looking up more of her books, and I recommend this one, which is officially out today!

I’m in the middle of Central Park and I’m tempted to burst into song about what a Great Day this is. I’m about to become a one-woman flash mob. His kisses tasted of champagne and chocolate cake and memories so old she couldn’t tell if they were memories or dreams. She’d always been good at school. Good at work. Good at being a trophy daughter. Sometimes, though, she wasn’t sure she was good at life. If she’d become the person she’d dreamed of being at fifteen, she would be a prima ballerina with six kids and a horse farm.

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Review: A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

Book: A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare (Spindle Cove #3)
Published: August 28, 2012 (Avon Books)
Format: Digital ARC from publisher via Edelweiss
Summary: After years of fending for herself, Kate Taylor found friendship and acceptance in Spindle Cove--but she never stopped yearning for love. The very last place she'd look for it is in the arms of Corporal Thorne. The militia commander is as stone cold as he is brutally handsome. But when mysterious strangers come searching for Kate, Thorne steps forward as her fiance. He claims to have only Kate's safety in mind. So why is there smoldering passion in his kiss?

My Review: Tessa Dare has done it again. I have yet to read a Dare novel during which I did not laugh multiple times and swoon nearly as often. Spindle Cove is my favorite series of hers yet, and A Lady by Midnight just may be the best of the three full-length novels in it (although it's definitely a close race).

One of the advantages of a romance series is that you can slowly build to a couple through books before the two ever actually get their story told. This was the case in A Lady by Midnight. Even though their build-up during the previous books was very subtle when compared to Book Two's Couple (so as not to spoil it for you) in A Night to Surrender, I was utterly captivated by Kate and Thorne. There was so much mystery surrounding them! In the previous books, there was pretty much one tiny moment where there was just a hint of...something. That's it. That's all you got. Did they have a positively torrid affair? Were they childhood BFFs? Was he secretly an undercover spy who recognized her as the long-lost princess of a tiny-but-successful country? YOU HAVE NO IDEA. When I read the excerpt - just enough to be tantalizing - in A Week to be Wicked, I went positively berserk. To think, I was cruelly going to have to wait months for this! (Really, I have a tendency to get dramatic over the wait for books. Reason #4378 that I love the book blogging community is that you guys get it.)

Anyway. I was not entirely sure what to expect of Kate and Thorne's story, but I knew I was going to love it. And I was not wrong! While it was a part of the story, I did not think of it at as "posing as the fianceé" book at all. There was so much more to the story. Kate was digging into her past, trying to figure out who her parents might have been. Then, all the sudden, people came out of the woodwork, claiming Kate, an orphan since she can remember, as a part of their unconventional but Titled family. There was mystery surrounding this, as well as the continued question of how, exactly, Thorne knew Kate. As to that, there were hints throughout the book before the truth finally came out.

The romance between these two was incredible! I love how neither of them were 100% "pretty people." Kate had a large, red birthmark on her face that made her very self-conscious, and Thorne was hulking, unrefined, and his features were too harsh to be considered handsome by many. It was a nice change. You don't have to be conventionally attractive for someone to love you or view you as such, and this book was a great example of that. As for the characters themselves, I loved them! Although I did sometimes wanted to kick Thorne because he was so dang self-condemning and couldn't see how wonderful he was. Over the course of the story, I became so attached to them that I full-out cried when they got their Happily Ever After at the end.

All in all, A Lady by Midnight was utterly splendid and charming and absolutely a worthy addition to the Spindle Cove series. I immensely enjoyed Kate and Thorne's story, and I would recommend it to any lover of historicals who enjoys her romance with a side of mystery, smoldering chemistry, wit, and lots of laughter.

Corporal Thorne could make a woman quiver, from all the way across the room. An inconvenient talent, so far as Kate Taylor was concerned. Kate realized she had a grave problem. She was infatuated. Or mildly insane. Probably both. The mood went from black to some iridescent color only found in rainbows and seashells. She was already suffering these fierce pangs of infatuation on the basis of his looks and strength alone. If he revealed a streak of sharp wit in the bargain, she might be in desperate straits. Those words shivered through her bones like cello notes, each one settling to a low, arousing thrum at the base of her spine.

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Review: Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks

Book: Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks
Published: September 27, 2011 (Ballantine Books)
Format: Physical copy from library
Summary: Fiercely loyal to his elder brother, Alaric McCabe leads his clan in the fight for their birthright and must wed for duty. But on his way to claim the hand of Rionna McDonald, he is ambushed and left for dead. Miraculously, his life is saved by the soft touch of a Highland angel. An outcast from her own clan, Keeley McDonald was betrayed by those she loved and trusted. When the wounded warrior falls from his horse, she is drawn to his strong, lean body. The wicked glint in his green eyes ignites a passion that will follow them back to Alaric's keep, where their forbidden love draws them deeper into the pleasures of the flesh. But as conspiracy and danger circle closer, Alaric must make an impossible choice: Will he betray his blood ties for the woman he loves?

My Review: Thanks to Outlander, I found myself craving another romance set in Scotland. I had seen a lot of Maya Banks but had never read anything by her. I stumbled across this one at the library and decided to give it a try. I had mixed feelings about Seduction of a Highland Lass: there were things I really enjoyed, as well as things I didn't. Overall, it was a good, but not great book.

I would normally wax eloquent here about the hero of the novel, but not this time. The hero was definitely the element that weakened Highland Lass the most, for me. While he had his moments, Alaric was a one-dimensional, cookie-cutter super Alpha who was really quite boring. At no point did I feel especially attached to him, or the idea of him and Keeley. In fact, a (disconcertingly large) portion of me almost wanted Keeley to end up with his brother. Yes, his BROTHER. As opposed to Alaric, Caelen was a multi-faceted, extremely intriguing, and thoroughly swoon-worthy figure. While I didn't really want Keeley to wind up with Caelen (because I liked her, and she loved Alaric, although who knows why), I still found myself jumping to attention any time his name was mentioned or he appeared on the scene. Caelen was what made this book not only worth finishing, but made reading until the end a mandatory thing.

One more negative: If I saw the phrase "'tis the truth" or "'twas the truth" one more time, I was going to RIP OUT MY OWN HAIR. Seriously. At one point, it occurred three times in half a page. I don't read a lot of Scottish romances, and if the dialogue is typically that repetitive, there's no way I could bring myself to read very many of them, no matter how much I enjoy the setting. Which I really, really do. In fact, that was one of the things I did like about this book. The clans, the loyalty, the land. I have discovered that I really enjoy reading books set against a historical Scotland background. I find it fascinating.

Another potential draw of this book would be the steam factor. If you're looking for a book with some scenes to make you blush, this would be a great choice for you. 'Tis the truth (HA). But really, the memory of one particular scene is still enough to make me fan myself. And I'm sitting outside in the breeze. And I read this book over two months ago.

I would recommend reading In Bed with a Highlander, the first in the series, first, because books number 2 and 3 refer a lot to events that happened in it. All in all, Seduction of a Highland Lass had its ups as well as downs. The romance was fairly mediocre, but I really liked Keeley. Honestly, it would be worth reading for Caelen alone.

The tales she spun in her head would make a bard look boring.

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Review: Something About You by Julie James

Book: Something About You by Julie James
Published: March 2, 2010 (Berkley Sensation)
Format: Physical copy from library
Summary: Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends with a death. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and for nearly ruining his career. Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it's no joke; the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension.

My Review: Julie James really is a never fail author for me. Her contemporaries are among the best, and Something About You was no exception. I actually read Something About You after I read A Lot Like Love, which was the reverse of how they were intended to be read. But there were some comments in A Lot Like Love that made it absolutely mandatory that I read Something because it sounded simply splendid. And it was.

From the first time they appeared on the pages together, Jack and Cameron had chemistry that simply leaped off the pages. There was definitely animosity between them, due to an incident that has occurred years earlier. But the intense dislike clearly also masked immense attraction on both parts. The dialogue between the two was snappy and sharp, but eventually good-natured and amusing as Jack and Cameron began to develop feelings and grow to trust each other.

The book was a fantastic romance with a good dose of mystery and suspense. And glowering. Special Agent Jack McGlowerFace Phallus Pallas was immensely swoon-worthy with his affinity for reading and all his protective, Alpha male ways. I respected Cameron, who was a strong female lead. As much as I loved them separately, they were particularly awesome when together. Thankfully, this was a romance, so I got my fill of that! Something About You was a terrifically satisfying romance. You won't want to put this one down. At least, I know I didn't!

Thank God she wasn’t still hanging out in her underpants. The temperature in the room rose so fast the glass on the television fogged. Nice to see his exceptionally fine-tuned special agent powers of observation were intact. Jack Pallas was one of those men that made other men wish they weren’t standing on a doorstep wearing red-checkered oven mitts.

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Review: Storming the Castle by Eloisa James

Book: Storming the Castle by Eloisa James
Published: December 21, 2010 (HarperCollins)
Format: Audiobook from the library
Summary: What Miss Phillipa Damson needs is a good, old fashioned knight in shining armor. What she has is a fiancé she never wanted and a compelling urge to run away. But if she manages to escape, will she find her happily ever after?

My Review: As I'm not generally the biggest fan of Cinderella retellings, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James when I read it last year. During the reading, there was one secondary character who stood out: Wick, the major domo/butler who had some additional relationship to the prince that was quite the mystery for a while. I unfailingly loved him in every scene in which he appeared. When I later saw that he had his own story, I jumped at the chance to read (well, listen to) it.

May I reiterate, just in case you missed it: A love story where the hero is a butler! How awesome is that?

Forced to run away from home or face a marriage to a horrid man, Phillipa chose the former. When she heard that the prince and princess had a need of someone to help their sick baby, Phillipa jumped at the chance. She had previous experience with children and medicine, so the position was perfect for her. She felt an immediate attraction to Wick, and the feeling was reciprocated, although neither disclosed it at first. Yet there were bigger problems than her deception separating them: As Phillipa was not actually a servant, their stations were not compatible with the prospect of a future together. Phillipa was far above Wick in station, and Wick was a stickler for living according to rules and protocol. How could the two ever have a future together?

One thing I can definitely say about Phillipa and Wick is that they had magnificent chemistry, and it culminated in a couple scenes that had steam rising from my dashboard. As Storming the Castle was a novella and there was not room for the development of a full-length novel, their relationship felt rushed, especially since my preference generally runs toward the drag-it-out-as-long-as-possible end of the spectrum. In addition, the progression of their relationship toward the beginning was a little strange and awkward. Overall, though, their story was cute and ultimately satisfying, and it made for a very enjoyable few hours.


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Review: Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry

Book: Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry
Published: August 7, 2012 (Harlequin)
Format: Egalley from publisher via NetGalley (Thanks!)
Summary: Being a single dad was never on Michael Young's agenda. Yet with the sudden loss of his wife, that's exactly the role he has. On his best days, he thinks he can handle it. On his worst… Luckily, family friend Angie Bartlett has his back, easily stepping in to help out. Lately, though, something has changed. Michael is noticing exactly how gorgeous Angie is, and how single she is. She's constantly in his thoughts and he feels an attraction he never expected. Does he dare disrupt the very good thing they have going? If they have a fling that goes nowhere, he stands to lose everything—including her. But if they make it work, he stands to gain everything.

My Review: Within Reach is one of my favorite books that I've read recently. I absolutely loved pretty much every single thing about it. I recently reviewed another Mayberry book (Her Best Worst Mistake), and I mentioned how I associate Mayberry with amazing friends-to-lovers stories. This book? Exemplified that perfectly, even though there was a whole other level to it.

Angie was the long-time best friend of Billie. Michael was Billie's husband. Angie and Michael were friends, but Billie was the connecting link. They never would have even contemplated each other as anything other than wife's-best-friend and best-friend's-husband. Then Billie died unexpectedly. And everything changed. After Billie's death, the book jumped ahead 10 months. Even after this time period, Michael was still deeply immersed in his half-life of mourning, and his children were suffering from it, as was he. After arriving back from a short trip to New York with fresh perspective, Angie saw how much he was struggling. She told Michael some hard things he needed to hear, and she began helping him out more than she had before. Then circumstances changed again, and Angie began spending significantly more time with both Michael and the two children.

The dynamic between Angie and Michael shifted slowly and never felt unnatural, although they both fought the attraction. The romance was slow-building, intense, beautiful, and breath-taking. Literally. The first time they kissed, I'm pretty sure I didn't breathe for about 30 seconds. Mayberry has this way of writing scenes - particularly kissing/love scenes - that just punch you right in the gut. In a good way. If that makes any sense at all. Obviously, this book was not light on the angst. I didn't cry as much as I anticipated, though, even though it was a very emotional at times.

Perhaps the thing I loved most about this book was how real I felt the relationship was. I habitually read romance. If I'm being honest, probably 98% of the books I read at least have a strong romantic element in them, even if it's not the main plot. I read about fictional relationships on a daily basis. I do occasionally get the feeling that the couple would never actually make it if the book was reality, but it's very rare. However, it's also rare that I get the overwhelming sense that the couple would absolutely make it in the real world. I got that feeling in this book. Michael and Angie had a lot of issues to work out before they could ever really be together - okay, really only one issue, but it was a doozie - but once it was resolved, I was absolutely 100% convinced of their love for each other, their compatibility, and their ability to come together couple and as a family.

Once I picked up Within Reach, I did not want to set it back down again. Ever. It was an emotional - and, let's face it, hormonal, because yowza did this book have some sexual tension going on - roller coaster, but I loved every single second. (Except the part where they watched Bridesmaids with an almost-3-year-old boy. Maybe it's just me, but I found that inappropriate and pointless. Of course, I didn't like that movie at all, so.) But aside from that moment, there was really nothing I disliked about this book. The writing was solid, the children believably portrayed, the relationship believable and moving. If you love a wonderful romance and don't have an aversion to having your heart wrenched a time or two, this is the book for you. Look out for that gorgeous cover (seriously, haters to the left, it's so pretty! And not a mullet in sight!) when it hits the stores August 7.

Books had been her closest friends when she was growing up, a secret portal through which she escaped to magical worlds and far-off places. It wasn’t much, as far as strategies went. In fact it felt a little as thought she was heading off to fight a dragon with a toothpick as her weapon. He felt as though the sun was shining on his face for the first time in days, simply because she was standing in front [of] him, because he could smell her perfume and hear her voice and breathe the same air as her.

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Review: Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry

Title: Her Best Worst Mistake
Author: Sarah Mayberry
Published: May 3, 2012 (self-published)
Format: Ebook, purchased
Summary: For six years Violet Sutcliffe has known that Martin St Clair is the wrong man for her best friend. He's stuffy, old before his time, conservative. He drives Violet nuts - and the feeling is entirely mutual. Then, out of nowhere, her friend walks out just weeks before her wedding to Martin, flying to Australia on a mission of self-discovery. Back in London, Violet finds herself feeling sorry for suddenly-single Martin. At least, she tells herself it's pity she feels. Then he comes calling one dark, stormy night and they discover that beneath their mutual dislike there lies a fiery sexual chemistry. It's crazy and all-consuming - and utterly wrong. Because not only are they chalk and cheese, oil and water, but Martin once belonged to her best friend. A friend Violet is terrified of losing. What future can there be for a relationship with so many strikes against it?

My Review: I adore Sarah Mayberry. She is the only category romance author on my auto-read list, and I bought this one the minute I saw it mentioned over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Little did I know, that behind that beautiful cover was one of Mayberry's best books yet! I read it, and I came this close to re-reading the day after I finished. I just didn't want to tear myself out of that world. I wound up not re-reading, but the desire didn't go away, and I wrote it off as a need to read a Mayberry book. This hypothesis was disproved by the fact that I just read her upcoming release, Within Reach a couple days ago. Although it was fantastic (watch for a review in the first week of August!), it did not reduce my craving to reread Her Best Worst Mistake. So, I'll be doing that soon. But onto more specifics.

There were so many things to love about Her Best Worst Mistake! The first and foremost reason I couldn't put the book down was the amazing combination of sexual tension and chemistry. I don't even know how to explain it! It was like the combination was a force in itself that bound me to my Nook. The scene where it all culminated and came to a head (the "dark, stormy night" mentioned in the synopsis)? I still think about that scene on a regular basis. And I read this book in May. And unlike many books, the tension didn't peter out after the first time; it kept going strong.

Mayberry is an expert at crafting relationships. I generally associate her with friends-to-lovers, because those are usually my favorites of hers. But Mistake was completely on the other side of the spectrum. Martin and Violet were opposites in so many ways, and they loathed the sight of each other at the beginning of the story. Their relationship and real feelings developed in a completely roundabout way, but they were so authentic. I didn't doubt for a second that they would make it as a couple. They were already accustomed to disagreeing and knew how to deal with it. Through the course of the book, they learned that many of the "reasons" for their previous opinions were not at all accurate, and they had to accept that. Which they did. And they grew individually and together as a result of it.

There were some things that were less than flawless, of course. I felt like there was too much commiserating and fretting and waiting around once it was actually time to make their relationship known. I know that it was obviously a big deal, but it took up quite a lot of time and got repetitive after a while. I would've preferred it if those 20 (or however many) pages would've been used for a little more time in the beginning, so we could see them interacting more when Elizabeth was actually around.

Her Best Worst Mistake is technically a companion to Mayberry's previous Harlequin release, Hot Island Nights. They take place over approximately the same timeline, though, and do not need to be read in order. I've yet to read the first one (although I plan to soon), and Mistake did not suffer at all. If you're looking for a contemporary romance with mind-blowingly good sexual tension, less-than-perfect characters who are willing to grow and learn, and wonderful love story, Her Best Worst Mistake would be a great one to put on your list.

One last note to all my Australian readers. Is "gets on my wick" a common phrase over there? It seems to be the equivalent of "gets on my nerves", but I'd never seen it before, and I thought it was interesting.

It wasn’t as thought he’d done anything to provoke her. Except breathe, of course. This is a conversation that requires alcohol and saturated animal fats, preferably in the form of ice cream. He felt as though the room had just tilted, as though up had become down, black become white. And then his mouth was on hers and there was nothing else in the whole wide world except for the warmth and the pressure and the rasp of his tongue and the taste of him and the press of his body against hers and the need surging through her blood like a runaway freight train.

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Review: Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis

Title: Forever and a Day (Lucky Harbor, #6)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: July 31, 2012 (Grand Central)
Format: Temporary egalley provided by Netgalley, physical finished copy provided by Grand Central Publishing. (Thanks!)
Summary: Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh’s loveable mutt to caring for his rambunctious kids. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad… With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family–until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “good bedside manner.” Josh and Grace don’t know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day…

My Review: My feelings for Forever and a Day could probably be conveyed in a 200-character long capslock keymash. But as that would be of no help to anyone else, I'll attempt to be coherent in my love for this book. Okay, mainly Josh. But this book as a whole was great. It started off with Josh contacting Grace - by accident - to come be a dog-walker for his son's new dog. Grace, being strapped for cash as she was, agreed, even though she had little-to-no experience with dogs. The result was hilarious, and the book only got better from there.

I had such a wonderful time watching the relationship between Josh and Grace build. They had smoldering chemistry from page one - in fact, it started in small increments in the previous books - and it only grew steadily more intense until it finally exploded. Their romance was as heart-meltingly beautiful as it was hot, and their interactions felt very real to me. They could be serious, but they had some of the most entertaining exchanges ever. Exhibit A)

This stopped her cold. “You have more spiders?” “No,” he said without missing a beat. “No spiders.” “You said spiders,” she said. “And I saw a big one in the side yard, in the sprinkler well.” “That spider went south for the winter.” “It’s summer.” “He wanted to be the first to get out of town.”

What made this book even better, though, was that it was not just about Grace's relationship with Josh. It was about Grace and her own journey to happiness, developing her ability to make her own choices. It was about Josh and his struggle to balance work, family, and the wishes of his dead father. It was about Josh's son, Toby, and Josh's - and Grace's - relationship with the young boy. It was about Anna, Josh's younger, wheelchair-confined sister, her interactions with the two older adults, and her journey to finally coming to terms with what her life could be with her disability.

Now, I will devote a paragraph to Josh, because a review of this book would not be complete without it. Because seriously. I'm quite convinced that Shalvis just jumped into my head, pulled out every single thing that's a turn-on for me, and created Josh. Responsible. Single father. Fantastic, near eidetic memory. He was also just a little bit tortured, but with a great sense of humor and a huge heart to make up for it. Add in a whole heap of the sexy!pants factor, and my heart was going pitter-patter. Plus, he was a total nerd at heart, and just a little awkward with women - at least internally. He truly had a little bit of something for everyone, but he never seemed incomplete or scattered as a character. Probably my favorite hero in the entire Lucky Harbor series, which is saying something.

Like the first "trilogy" of the series, these three books also grew increasingly better with each installment. Forever and a Day was definitely my favorite of this second set of Lucky Harbor books. I would, without any reservations, recommend it if you have previously enjoyed the Lucky Harbor novels. I was going to end this review with a lament over the end of the Lucky Harbor, but today I received some fantastic news! According to Jill's post on her blog, there are three new Lucky Harbor novels in the works! Therefore, a lament is no longer in order. However, in the mean time until the next book comes out, Forever and a Day will be here to keep you company on July 31, and I would highly recommend going out and getting a copy.

Bonus! Included in Forever and a Day is the recipe for the Chocoholics' Cupcakes-Worth-the-Fat-Grams. I, of course, baking and chocolate enthusiast that I am, made these immediately after finishing the book. Whether it was because it was an egalley, or simply the digital formatting, I don't know, but some of the ingredient amounts did not display correctly, so I had to guess for some of it. The mixture wound up too runny, then I added way too much flour in my attempt to make it normal cupcake-batter-y. And I baked them a few minutes too long. Thus, the cupcakes wound up quite dry. But the taste was fantastic, and I can't wait to make more of these and improve them to perfection...by actually following the recipe.

P.S. Stop by for my interview with Jill Shalvis tomorrow, part of the Summer with Jill Shalvis Blog Tour!

He turned to say something and caught her staring. She quickly pretended to be watching her own feet. Look at that, her heels were looking a little worn. “Pretty hardwood floors,” she said. “You weren’t looking at the floor. You were looking at my ass.” Giving up, she sighed. “Okay, yes,” she said as primly as she could. “But it’s impolite of you to point it out.” Okay, so maybe chocolate doesn’t make the world go around, but it sure makes the trip worthwhile. There was just something about her that made him feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Like he couldn’t wait to see beyond the packaging, couldn’t wait to touch. And not just physically, which was what really disconcerted him. He wanted to touch her from the inside out, which made no fucking sense at all. So wake up and smell the damn cupcakes. “It’s because love is one of those really bossy bitches,” Amy said. “There’s no telling it what to do.” And on the Eighth day, God created chocolate.

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Second Chance Saturday: July 2012 Edition

Second Chance Saturday is a Fictionally Inclined feature wherein I pick, read, and review a book each month that I have previously written off for some reason or another. (If you'd like more information on how this feature works, check out this introduction post.)



This Month's Featured Book: Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean
This Book Was a Second Chance Because... I had a previous meh experience with the author.
Verdict: Loved it! Totally worth the second chance.
Purchase: Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Better World Books || The Book Depository

Review: The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

Title: The Duke Is Mine
Author: Eloisa James
Published: December 2011 (Avon)
Format: Physical copy from library
Summary: Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can't he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper, albeit intoxicating, flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear. Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion...until Quin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love. To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul...unless it's already too late.

My Review: Eloisa James is one of my favorite historical romance authors, and she has done a series of stories with fairytale elements. The Duke Is Mine is, as you can probably tell from the cover, a story with a strong influence from the fairytale The Princess and the Pea. I wasn't particularly excited about this idea, because I've always found that to be a ridiculously stupid story. It's never made sense to me. But I adore James, and the summary of the book caught my interest immediately, so I read it anyway.

There were several things I enjoyed about this book. My favorite element was the witty tone and wonderfully snarky banter that made an appearance at times. I also really loved that both the hero and the heroine had what might be considered physical flaws. Olivia was curvy, and Tarquin had a thick white streak in his hair. Such a unique touch! I hadn't read another book where this was the case, but I liked it. It was a way to make the hero less than perfect physically without giving him actual disfigurement or horrible looks or something. I liked how both of these played into the story as well, particularly Olivia's weight.

Olivia was awesome, hands-down. Her sense of humor was hilarious and very similar to mine, so I appreciated reading from her perspective. The aforementioned snark predominantly played out there. She had traits that could have been annoying, if over the top, but she balanced them well. It was also interesting and touching to read about her relationship with her sister. I also really liked Tarquin, with all his logic and reason and poems to nonexistent women.

Overall, the romance was great. There was some drama toward the end that was a little boring and predictable, but it was necessary for the story. There were also surprising elements such as the ability to make me tear up a couple times, and I snorted with laughter on more than one occasion. So, although there were some weak elements, The Duke Is Mine was a highly enjoyable romance with a great take on the fairytale twist.

❝That way no one will think that we spent the night doing wicked things in a tree, which I’m sure is what would come to mind if we appeared together. I often assume people are cavorting in trees.❞

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Review: Born in Fire by Nora Roberts

Title: Born in Fire (Born In #1)
Author: Nora Roberts
Published: October 1994 (Jove)
Format: Audiobook (narrated by Fiacre Douglas)
Summary: Gifted, reclusive, stubborn, free-spirited...Maggie Concannon is a glassmaker whose exquisite works are more than mere objects of beauty, but reflections of her own true nature. One man saw the soul in her art, and vowed to help this complex woman build a lucrative career. When gallery owner Rogan Sweeney came to Maggie's isolated studio, her heart was enflamed by their fierce attraction - and her dark past was slowly healed by a gentle and forgiving love...

My Review: Born in Fire is the first in the Born In trilogy by Nora Roberts, but I read Born in Ice first. There were two factors in Born in Ice that made me want to read Born in Fire. The first was the appearance of Maggie and Rogan. While their summary didn't sound all that interesting at the time, the characters themselves were intriguing, and I wanted to know more than the hints about their story that were conveyed in Ice. The second factor, though, was definitely the main one. And that would be the narrator.

The narrator of Born in Fire was Fiacre Douglas, who narrates all three books in the trilogy. For the first fifteen seconds of Ice, I was livid. How dare my romance book have a MALE narrator? That's what I got for downloading in a hurry and not checking the voice for once. I even had an actual rant about it, my empty car getting an earful as I drove down the road. But once I accepted it, I actually heard said male voice, instead of just the fact that it was not, in fact, a woman narrating my book. And I heard that he had an Irish accent. As a self-proclaimed accent enthusiast with a particular propensity for Irish accents, I found this rather swoon-worthy. I have also made a concentrated effort to refrain from seeing a photograph of said narrator, for fear he is a 55 year old man with beady eyes and a beer gut. In my head, he matches his voice. Which is, to say, quite attractive.

Aside from being aesthetically pleasing in the auditory department, Born in Fire had several more things going for it. Maggie Concannon was a great character! With artistic characters, it is extremely easy to make them too flighty, too eccentric, too irresponsible. However, Roberts managed a great balance with Maggie. She had flaws, but she had many redeeming qualities to balance them out. I truly felt the things she felt, and I understood how and why she needed to get them out in her art. The art itself - both the making and the appearance - was presented splendidly in the writing. I know next to nothing about glassblowing, but I never felt overwhelmed with details. At the same time, though, I could see immense beauty any time it was mentioned.

I also really liked Logan. It was very enjoyable to watch (or listen to, as the case may be) the two of them fight their feelings about each other, then finally give into the inevitable. They both had legitimate reasons why a relationship would be difficult, but they learned to move past them. There was also a splendid little side romance that was a joy to watch unfold. All in all, Born in Fire was definitely a winner! I would particularly recommend it if you are a fan of art, glassblowing in particular.

❝Sex and power generally depend on the woman.❞

❝When you love with all you are, it isn’t just unhappiness you risk. It’s heaven, too.❞

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Review: At Last by Jill Shalvis

Title: At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: June 2012 (Forever)
Disclosure: Received for review from Netgalley. (Thanks!)
Summary: Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she's tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won't make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob. A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn't let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can't deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it's up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.

My Review: Oh, Lucky Harbor. I truly think I could regularly read books from this series/in this setting for the next twenty years and never, ever get tired of it. Shalvis has created such a beautiful, enchanting place that I never want to leave! The fifth in the Lucky Harbor series was, of course, no exception. After getting to know Amy a little bit in Lucky in Love, I really wanted to know her story. I wanted to know her better as a character, and I especially wanted to see how her story with Matt (otherwise known, much to my snort-inducing laughter, around Lucky Harbor as "Ranger Hot Buns" - thanks, Lucille!) played out! There was a bit of hinting about them in Lucky in Love, and I, of course, was hooked on them merely from this. There was a mystery surrounding them that I could not wait to solve.

The chemistry in At Last was absolutely incredible! I was ready for the screen of my Nook to start melting, or something equally melodramatic. Holy cow! I loved the progression of Amy and Matt's whole relationship. The whole "don't-WANT-to-want-you (but totally do anyway)" device is absolutely one of my favorites. They definitely had that going on at first, but deeper things came into play in the conflict that kept them from their HEA for a wile.

Amy was a fascinating character. She had a particularly rough past, and it was an issue that had to be faced over the course of At Last. It was a factor in the possibility of things developing seriously with Matt, and it also came into play in her interactions with Riley, a teenage runaway who appeared in Lucky Harbor in the book. And really, it was necessary for Amy herself to come to terms with some things.

One thing I really enjoyed about At Last was the continuity with the rest of the series. Shalvis did a great job with this. At Last could be read as a standalone, and nothing would seem amiss. But there were plenty of little references and offhand comments here and there for fans of Lucky Harbor to pick up. And maybe I'm only speaking for myself here, but I love spotting something that's an obscure (or even not-so-obscure) reference to something that happened in a previous book. It makes me want to take off my glasses and spiffily polish them on my shirt before replacing them in a haughty fashion. That is, if I wore glasses. In reality, I just make this open-mouthed, crinkled-nose grin that I've never actually seen myself make, but I imagine it looks something like an imitation of a crazed pig. You can see why I'd prefer the glasses scenario.

Oh, and I have a question. It's not specific to At Last because it comes up ALL the time, but I just final made a note about it. HOW, exactly, does every secondary character in romances have the I Can Totally Tell You Had Sex Superpower? I mean, really. I know some people are perceptive, but sheesh. But anyway. All things - even totally unrealistic superpowers - considered, At Last was absolutely a solid addition to the Lucky Harbor world! I recommend it to new and old Shalvis readers.
*If some of these seem familiar, that's because I failed in my quote organization and accidentally included a couple of them in my review of Lucky in Love. The review has been corrected now (with even more Lucky in Love quotes replacing the accidental At Last ones!), but I thought I would clear that up just in case there was any confusion.

❝Life’s short. Dessert first.❞

❝When in doubt, eat chocolate. When stressed, eat chocolate. When in doubt and stressed, eat chocolate. Especially when that doubt and stress were related to a man and her feelings for said man.❞

❝And good Lord, the way he looks at you is contributing to global warming.❞

❝The calories in chocolate don’t count because chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, and everyone knows that beans are good for you.❞

❝I have panty x-ray vision. God-given talent.❞

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Review: Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Title: Lucky in Love (Lucky Harbor #4)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: May 2012 (Grand Central Publishing)
Disclosure: Received for review from Netgalley.
Summary: Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone... For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't -- including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all...anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

My Review: If you are a regular around this blog at all, you know that Jill Shalvis is a favorite of mine. I discovered the Lucky Harbor series (that I thought was just a trilogy, but lo and behold, THERE ARE MORE!) this past January on a whim, and I am SO GLAD I did! It is, without a doubt, one of the best contemporary series I've read. Lucky Harbor is a fantastic place; I'd love to visit, or even live there. If, you know, it weren't just a figment of a brilliant author's imagination.

I was somewhat afraid that after Head Over Heels, my favorite of the series so far and the last of the three sisters, the next installments might not quite measure up. Oh, how wrong I was! I adored the three new ladies to whom we were introduced - collectively known as the Chocoholics (obviously, I can relate). This meant that the quotes starting each chapter were all about chocolate, and what a fantastic opportunity this provided for Shalvis. Some of them made me laugh out loud! This one was probably my favorite; it's just perfect:

❝It’s not that chocolate is a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is far more reliable than a man.❞

The Chocoholics meetings were hilarious, and I loved watching the friendship between these wonderful women bloom. Mallory Quinn, the quintessential Town Good Girl, was the first of the Chocoholics to have her story told. And boy, what a story! Ty Garrison - formerly known to us Lucky Harbor fans as Mysterious Cute Guy - played opposite her lead, and the story of the Good Girl and Not-Quite-So-Bad Boy never felt so good. They had a uniquely perfect Meet Cute, and lots of things ensued that were not exactly as expected. They set the pages aflame several times, and their story overall was just wonderful. They were so great for each other, and the end left me with a giant smile on my face.

When reading a Shalvis book, you can be pretty much guaranteed a laugh or two or twenty. Lucky in Love definitely did not disappoint on this front! Even when I was reading while working out on the elliptical at the gym, I just kept cracking up. There were so many fun characters and one-liners. Lucky Harbor was still magnificent, and although none of the former leads were heavily featured, there were still several mentions and cameos. Lucille, the Facebook-addicted town gossip, was as hilarious as always. Along with the humor, the book still had plenty of substance and lots of heart. Lucky in Love could easily be read as a standalone, but Lucky Harbor fans absolutely will not be disappointed.

❝But her secret inner bad girl was screaming oh please, can’t we have him? Just once?❞

❝Some secrets are toxic if you try to keep them inside. You know that, right? Some secrets are meant to be told, before they eat you up.❞

❝He knew he had no right to touch her, crave her like air, but he did both. And when he put his mouth on hers, he recognized the taste of her, like she'd been made just for him.❞

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Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Outlander (Outlander #1)
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Published: June 1991 (Delacorte Press)
Summary: The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach - an "outlander" - in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the Year of Our Lord 1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

My Review: My first impression of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was this: "Now, that is big book." Seriously. The thing is huge. I mean, I started it when I got to a class early, and when I went to hold it in one hand and prop it against the table to read, I dropped it because the weight of the unread side was so heavy that it actually caused me to lose my grasp of the book. Thankfully, I (not-so-)gracefully caught it before it landed on the floor, and no damage occurred. This is particularly good since I got the anniversary edition, with the fancy, cushy binding and the CD of tracks from the Outlander musical (which I didn't even know existed). Anyway, back to the size. I almost let the size dissuade me from reading the book. After all, there wasn't much left of the school year, and a book like that was sure to eat up what little free time I did have. I'm also not a huge time-travel fan. However, I'd heard good things about it from romance fans, and the word "classic" was thrown around a lot. So I decided to give it a shot. BEST DECISION EVER.

I almost did a video review of this book a few days after I finished it. Except it really would have wound up being ten minutes of uncontrollable flailing and rambling and tangents that would make no sense, due to trying to avoid any spoilers. So I decided a regular review would be the way to go. At least this way I can pretend to be a little bit organized.

First of all, there is absolutely no denying that this book is huge. However, what you might not guess is that Outlander is like a time continuum or vortex or time-travel contraption all on its own. Because every single time I sat down to read this book, I was completely lost in the world. It was as if the time I spent reading just disappeared. It was so compelling, so enthralling, that even though it did take a substantial amount of time to read, it never, ever felt like it. In fact, I wasn't ready for it to end, even when it did. A lot of times, I will (very carefully, avoiding any of the text) look at the last page of a book to see how many pages long it is, so I'm not fooled any deceptive 20-page-long Reading Guides/Author's Notes/whatnot at the end. Unfortunately, I somehow got the wrong number in my head for this book, so I thought it was almost twenty pages longer than it actually was. Thus, the last thirty seconds of my reading looked kind of like this:

Me: *reading along and smiling though a slight mist of tears*...*turning page*...*jaw dropping in horror* WAIT, WHAT?! IT'S OVER? NOOOO!
Roommate: *looking up from her book* ...Um. Are you okay?
Me: I don't know. *leaping off the bed and hurling self toward laptop to check Goodreads for the second book*
Roommate: Right. Okay. *going back to her book*

The funny thing is that it actually wasn't a bad place to end. It was a pretty good one, really. But because of my page count mistake, I was not mentally prepared for it to be over. And I need my mental preparation! Especially when I've loved a world so much as this one. Thus the ever-so-slightly dramatic reaction.

Speaking of the world, I really should get on with the whole review part of the review, huh? Well, the world was one of my favorite things about it. I've read tons of historical romance, but very few of those have actually been set in Scotland or the mid 1700's. I tend to focus mostly on Regency (surprise, surprise) with some others thrown in for good measure. Therefore, I didn't have a basis of comparison. The world building in Outlander was fantastic. I actually felt like I was in 18th century Scotland. And what's more - Gabaldon made me feel like I wanted to be there. It had a very similar effect to that of when I read The Scottish Chiefs, which is mostly the story of William Wallace (Braveheart), which I read for History class back in high school and loved. Back to Outlander, though. The details were perfect. They lent the world a strong sense of authenticity but never felt overwhelming, unnecessary, or boring. Everything from the characters to the setting worked together to form the Wonderful World of Outlander, which I never wanted to leave.

As for the characters, Claire was a great heroine. She was delightfully normal, with both admirable traits and flaws. I enjoyed reading this story from her perspective. The supporting characters were interesting. The villain was appropriately horrid. And now, for the character you are all wondering about. The hero, Jamie. Swoon with a capital S. And, really, a capital WOON, too, because he was just that wonderful. Honestly, I don't know what more to say. For you to discover how amazing he truly was, you would just have to read the book.

There were several other things I enjoyed about Outlander. I expected not to like the beginning before the time travel occurred, but I actually enjoyed it. The pace of the whole book was perfect. As one would imagine, the story did not unfold quickly, yet somehow it never felt like it dragged. It felt just right. Although I did not always like the circumstances themselves, I appreciated that Gabaldon treated things in a period-appropriate manner.

Outlander came this close to being a 5-star book to me. Unfortunately, there were a few things that rubbed me a little bit the wrong way, but I still loved it beyond belief. While I'm on the subject, though, I might as well address it, since I've been meaning to for a while. Obtaining a 5 star rating from me is a nearly impossible feat. I know some people say "5 stars" all the time, and I don't hold it against them. But for me, I see 5 stars as Absolute Perfection. If a book is not absolutely FLAWLESS, or does not make me absolutely adore it so much that I can overlook any flaws, I will not rate it 5 stars. Period. The last book I rated 5 stars was Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson, which I read in September 2010. That's almost 2 years ago; I've read approximately 200 books since then. Not a one (other than re-reads of old favorites) has been rated 5 stars. That's actually why I switched over from using a rating scale based on numbers. I do still use numbers, obviously, but I no longer include them in all my reviews. Aaand look at that. I seem to have digressed again. But I'm wrapping up now, I promise.

I will just toss this out there: Outlander had some things I didn't think to expect, and it wasn't some of the things I thought it was. There was drama, and there was intrigue. There was a charmingly unique world. But most of all, there was a beautiful, crazy-good-chemistry, make-your-heart-melt-and-ache love story. AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

Random end note: I may be the only person this happens to, but after I've watched a film/series where the people have British accents, sometimes my inner monologue/thoughts will pick up that accent for a short period of time. I've never had it happen with books before, but it happened a little with this book. Some words had a slight brogue when I thought them, and I used tons of Scottish contractions in my head the way Gabaldon wrote them (like "doesna" and "havena" instead of "doesn't" and "haven't"). WEIRD, I KNOW. But it totally happened, for the last couple days toward the end of the week I spent reading it.

PS! For those of you who donna don't know, there's a read-a-long of Outlander in June hosted over at The Reading Housewives! I would highly suggest checking it out if you're interested. I'm sure it's going to be a blast! If I had not read the book so recently, I would be joining myself. In fact, I might drop by for discussion from time to time just because I can. I do love talking about this book, as evidenced by this review (and trust me, there was way, way more).

Good gracious. Apparently I was feeling verbose today. If you actually made it through all that, let me know! I'll be sure to give you an interweb high five!

❝Getting up once in the dark to go adventuring is a lark. Twice in two days smacks of masochism.❞

❝No wonder he was so good with horses, I thought blearily, feeling his fingers rubbing gently behind my ears, listening to the soothing, incomprehensible speech. If I were a horse, I’d let him ride me anywhere.❞

(Okay, I know that's not how it was meant, but tell me I'm not the only one who just about died laughing.)

❝Not for the first time, I reflected that intimacy and romance are not synonymous.❞

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