C Reviews Category

REVIEW:  After the End by Bonnie Dee

REVIEW: After the End by Bonnie Dee

Dear Ms. Dee: This was a book recommended to me after I expressed interest in post apocalyptic books, an interest stoked by the writing of Kylie Scott. “After the End” is a more plot driven, cinematic book and because of that, not as engaging. However, for those who like fast paced action with some human(…)

REVIEW:  The Summer He Came Home by Juliana Stone

REVIEW: The Summer He Came Home by Juliana Stone

Dear Ms. Stone: This is the first book in a series involving three childhood friends who reunite upon the death of one of their members. Cain Black is a former star high school quarterback turned down a full ride scholarship to Michigan State University to pursue his dream of music. He and his band are(…)

REVIEW:  Sugar Daddy by Nicole Andrews Moore

REVIEW: Sugar Daddy by Nicole Andrews Moore

Dear Ms. Andrews Moore: I’ll be honest — this book caught my eye because it shares a title with one of my favorite Lisa Kleypas books.  What I found was a mostly engaging if relatively bland contemporary novel with a heroine who is  a Mary Sue, and an uptight hero who unwound as he fell(…)

REVIEW:   Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt

REVIEW: Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt

Dear Ms. Hoyt: I felt schizophrenic reading this book.  Part of the story of Lady Margaret Reading and Godric St. John is heartwrenching, subtle and evocative.  Part of it lacks believability, relies too heavily on past characters and books, and plods along at speeds that a snail would get impatient with. In a previous book,(…)

REVIEW:  The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

REVIEW: The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Dear Ms. Higgans: When I was growing up, I always got these annoying reports cards that said “Dabney could try harder.” Well, Ms Higgans, so can you. The Best Man isn’t an awful book–in fact I had fun reading it.But this novel has far too many pitfalls. It’s condescending to gays, full of unbelievable emotional(…)

REVIEW:   Makeover Miracle by Charmaine Ross

REVIEW: Makeover Miracle by Charmaine Ross

Dear Ms. Ross: I thought the blurb of this book was effective because it conveyed that it wouldn’t be the run of the mill reality tv show but one that featured a woman who would undergo an internal transformation as well as an external one.  I love makeover shows because it is exciting to see(…)

REVIEW:  Flesh by Kylie Scott

REVIEW: Flesh by Kylie Scott

Dear Ms. Scott: I don’t like post apocalyptic stories. I am not a fan of zombies. Thank goodness for other reader’s recommendations because without them, my own prejudices would make me miss interesting new stories such as this one. Flesh is set 53 days post apocalypse in Brisbane, Australia. Daniel has stumbled upon non infected(…)

REVIEW:  Rinaldi’s Revenge by Paula Marshall

REVIEW: Rinaldi’s Revenge by Paula Marshall

Dear Ms. Marshall, I read “Rinaldi’s Revenge” due to part of a documentary I recently began watching – the BBC series “The Private Life of a Masterpiece.” Covered on one disc that featured some Italian Renaissance paintings was a three panel work I hadn’t paid much attention to during my study of famous artworks. But(…)

REVIEW:  The Lady Who Broke the Rules by Marguerite Kaye

REVIEW: The Lady Who Broke the Rules by Marguerite Kaye

Dear Ms. Kaye: While I’m afraid I’m getting burned out on traditional European historicals, I’m always looking for novels with a different setting or unusual characters, and this book certainly fit the bill. It’s set in Regency England and is part of Harlequin Historical’s Castonbury Park series; the hero is an American ex-slave and the(…)

REVIEW:  Back to You by Robin Kaye

REVIEW: Back to You by Robin Kaye

Dear Ms. Kaye: I should have stopped reading when I realized that the two protagonists were named Storm and Breezy. Nothing good can come of this level of twee but instead of listening to my instincts, I read on. Breanna aka Breezy Collins has loved Storm Decker forever. He’s been off sailing his yacht, winning(…)

REVIEW:  The Lost Soul by Gabriella Pierce

REVIEW: The Lost Soul by Gabriella Pierce

Dear Gabriella Pierce: I will never fully understand how anyone could claim the short-lived ABC TV series, 666 Park Avenue, was based on this series. They have completely different premises. The TV show was about an apartment building that granted your desires — but for a price. The book series is about a young woman(…)

REVIEW:  Hero at Large by Robyn Amos

REVIEW: Hero at Large by Robyn Amos

THE AGENT: Tall, dark and devastatingly handsome Keshon Gray THE MISSION: To smoke out a deadly traitor–or die trying THE OBSTACLE: The sweet temptation of the only woman he’d ever loved! Keshon Gray had never regretted anything he’d had to do in the line of duty–until now. For entering the dangerous world of gang warfare(…)

REVIEW:  Lakota Legacy Anthology by Madeline Baker, Kathleen Eagle and Ruth Wind

REVIEW: Lakota Legacy Anthology by Madeline Baker, Kathleen Eagle and Ruth Wind

Originally published in 2003, this anthology has now been reissued by Harlequin. I’ve read all three authors before, though it’s been awhile for two of them, so I went into the anthology with a little bit of preconception – both good and bad – but I was hoping and willing to be wowed all around.(…)

REVIEW:  The Lass Wore Black by Karen Ranney

REVIEW: The Lass Wore Black by Karen Ranney

Dear Ms. Ranney: I had such high hopes for this book, particularly when I realized it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast inverted. The heroine, Catriona Cameron, was a beauty who enjoyed the pleasures of men, both in bed and out. She enjoyed toying with them. She enjoyed getting away with almost any(…)

REVIEW:  Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

REVIEW: Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

Dear Ms. Snadowsky: I was intrigued by this book because the cover is clever, I’m a fan of the New Adult movement, and this book seemed to be right within those parameters.   The tagline reads “eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.” To be fair,(…)