Courting Cate by Leslie Gould

Courting Cate by Leslie Gould
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is probably the first of this "genre" book I have read (Amish romance), so going into this please know that my knowledge of this culture and its practices is no greater than the average person.

I requested this book from NetGalley because the title interested me I wondered if it would be like Taming of the Shrew and once I read the synopsis I knew it would be. Since Taming of the Shrew is my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies I had to get it.

I was not disappointed in its similarities to one of The Bard's greatest comedies. This book has a shrewish girl, but she is not shown in the usual way.

What I liked about this is that the book is from Cate's perspective. We feel empathy toward her. We see the world and how annoying it is through her eyes and how the people around her just do not understand her.

I like that because of the POV we get to see the love between the sisters; this is not something that tends to come out in other versions of this type of story and rarely comes out in a stage production.

I like how the sweet love develops and how suspicious she is of people. She knows she has trust issues, but she has been hurt too many times that she closes herself off

Because this is an inspirational romance, the reader will have to expect some religious stuff that fits the characters and their faith.
I really did not feel hit over the head with it--it came off as inspirational rather than preachy (and it makes me want to dig out my old Bible to read the story Esther).

The more I think about this story, the more I want to give it another half a star so 4 1/2 stars for taking my fav type of story (Taming of the Shrew) and making it better.

The only thing I would have wanted to see more of would be more of Cate and Pete together, holding hands and talking, walking arm in arm... Thsee little bits in the story were breathtaking.

Just a note to my usual readers: this is a YA Christian book. If you are looking for something steamy you need to check out my other reviews. This one does not fit that category, however it is a very enjoyable romance  

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Courting Cate by Leslie Gould

All he ever Desired by Shannon Stacy

Shannon Stacy

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he’s forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren’s son…
The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan’s door every day to work off his crime.
With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can’t deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

Another in the Kowalski family series. Now as you may have heard I LOVE them especially the first book Exclusively yours because well lets just say Joe is special (for this go find my post on Joe I love him)

he would make a pretty Ryan

What I like about this book is it deals with an adult relationship not teenagers not people just starting out their lives This book is one for us grown ups with houses and jobs and kids and exes and lives

Lauren is divorced with a 16 yr old son working as a secretary to a 1 man insurance company.
Ryan lives out of state owns a construction company and shows up on weekends to work on repairing his families ski lodge
Small towns are small you grow up knowing everyone there. These two cannot avoid each other especially when his brother is getting married to one of her best friends.
Stacy writes some of the best male characters you will read they are down to earth and funny and cute and sexy. My only problem with this book is that to me the ending felt a bit abrupt it seemed kinda rushed but it was realistic open ending / beginning and I really liked that too (conflicted it is my name)


Lauren has her hands full being a mom to a teenager who in many places in this book should count himself lucky that
1) he is imaginary
2) he is not mine

He did not do anything too horrible which would have really turned me off to the story while ALL teens have a hard time I am personally sick of books portraying them as uncontrollable beasts who only drink and do drugs and skip school hate all adults and fuck everything that walks while there are some teens that are like this most are not

                                                                                 

This book is part of a series you do not have to read the others to follow along with the story line. You get enough of a backstory of the other characters from the other books to know how they fit together in this life with these new people but not enough to make it feel like you are being beat over the head with story from another book

I like Lauren she is a good mom doing the best she can with what life has dealt her
The more I think on it the more I like the feel of this ending I don't need the HEA spelled out for me
SO if you have been meaning to try some of the Kowalski man meat I think Ryan's Story in this book is a good one
4.5 stars 

All he ever Desired by Shannon Stacy

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacy

Exclusively Yours

Magazine writer Keri Daniels is asked to get an exclusive interview with the very private, famous author Joe Kowalski. Sounds like a dream come true, but for her it is a nightmare. Joe is her ex boyfriend from high school. No real pressure, right? Keri just has talk her ex into giving her an exclusive that he's refused everyone, when the career she left him for is on the line. Best of all, if he does not give it to her he gets to screw her over like she screwed him over.

I love a good book--make me giggle and I am yours! This start to a series about a quirky family is about as good as you going to get.

Joe had his heart broken by Keri when she left to chase her dreams of making it big in journalism. He'd dreamed of the two of them living in the town they grew up in, but he was disappointed..

closest body I could think of for Joe still not quite right

Now she's back and she wants him to save her career by giving her an interview.

He agrees on a few conditions:
1) She has to allow him to approve the questions;
2) No information that he does not approve goes into her article;
3) She has to go camping for two weeks with him and his entire family, and fully participate in ALL activities.

What follows is some of the sweetest, funniest, saddest, most awesome real-life drama, with a mature crowd of characters (all out of college and living real lives). I adore Joe. He is funny, smart, and not hell-bent on revenge (even though it seems that way at times).

Now I have to share a few comments:

Joe had a 78 Grenada

Mine was green

I had one, too. It was a great car--never complain about the Grenada that is one fine piece of machinery!
In my twisted fangirl mind, this is a sign that Joe and I were meant to be (sadly he is not real).

 I also have to comment on this piece of brilliance. It is a side story within this story, about Joe's sister, Terry, and her separation from her hubs, Evan:

Mom to Terry:
"It just makes me sad," she said quietly against Terry's cheek "that you wont fight for him. I know you love him."
And she did. But she didn't have the strength to drag Evan home and then spend the rest of her life wondering every single day if that would be the day he left her again.
"Sometimes love's not enough."

There are so many gems in this book just like that, things that will make you laugh, or cry, or just sigh with happiness.

just one of those camping family activities she has to do 

One more example, or I will just end up quoting the whole darn book !!

"He wanted to stop the world from spinning, to freeze time and hold on to this moment forever.
This was the life he wanted. It was the life that once upon a time he'd thought he'd have. Right now it was as if Keri had never left- as if she'd been a part of his family all along."

Taken out of context it looks cheesy but trust me, this one won't have you reaching for a Lactaid to handle it. It will have you saying AWWWWWWW.

You really root for these characters here, and I LOVE a story that makes me do that. I want to like them and honestly, you learn to love all of them. At least I did

Keri starts out as kinda stuffy, but time spent with a family she grew up with loosens her up.
The rest of the family is a well rounded group that are like real people.The descriptions and their interactions with the main characters flesh them out so well no one is caricature. They are just regular folks.

I hope you give this one a try and me know know what you think!

I really do not know how many stars to give this. I liked it a whole lot--so much so that I bought the next couple of books in the series and then requested another one on Net Galley. Since I liked it so much and I still think about it and rec it to people I think I'm going to have to go with 5 stars! It does not happen often, but I really enjoyed this one. 

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacy

Sue's Review of More by TM Franklin

I heard of this one because I know the author from her fanfic works. I am a fan of her writing, so getting a chance to read an original work of hers was exciting! I've read just about everything she has put out in fandom; the stories are always unique and well told, and that is what we  get in her debut novel, More.


Ava Micheals used to think she was special. As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers.... making things happen. She felt different from others her age, and just knew she was meant for something important. But like most kids Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that and maybe normal life wasnt so bad after all

Now a young college student Ava begins to wonder if there is more to her childhood fantasies than she thought she's haunted by terrifying nightmares of a frightening man chasing her determined to catch her, to take her - a huge hulk of a man with one blue eye and one green. Even during daylight hours, there are moments her hair stands on end with an uneasy prickle of awareness.... and she just cant shake the feeling that she's being watched.

Unable to decide if she is imagining things or just plain crazy, Ava finds an unlikely ally in Caleb Foster A brilliant and mysterious man who comes to her rescue as a physics tutor, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world shaking it to its very core.

The thing is Caleb is not quite what he seems. In fact he is not entirely human and he's not the only one.

together the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans but only after protecting their own secrets -- secrets they fear Ava may expose. Now they're after her bent on her capture or maybe even her extinction.

Fighting to survive Ava has to lead her through the strange new world opening up before her. a world of magic and mystery where she learns she's not actually normal
she's not even just special
She's just a little bit More.

In this book, there are a few things that mildly irritated me, some cliches that stuck over from writing fanfic. However, since I have also seen these used in other romance writing, I'm gonna say they are more general Romance novel schtick than anything else.  Please note: this is a mood thing for me. Sometimes I find that kind of a stuff sweet and endearing other times I am irritated. I think I need to start tracking when I am reading; I bet there is a hormonal correlation to this reaction.

Here's the story: Ava, average student, average college girl (do not get bored--there are average people out there) is struggling with her physics grade. She needs to do well so that she can keep her scholarship and stay in school.

Enter her physics tutor, Caleb, a run-of-the-mill guy who just happens to be brilliant at physics.(LOVE LOVE LOVE that he is not some super Adonis type)

Add to this story her nightmares about a dude with one blue eye and one green eye, and the fact that she thinks she's seeing people that are able to disappear. To top all that off, she keeps remembering things that feel like nightmares.

Those glasses do not hide the cuteness they increase it

You know that Caleb is something other than what he appears and you want to know what the hell that is, and you want her to find out what the hell that is...and there you are.

Anxious for stuff to happen.

We, as readers, seem to notice something is going on before Ava does, which is kinda sad but good because, well, it makes us feel smart.

I liked the action in this book and I liked that it was more of an action/mystery/romance rather than a romance with some action and mystery thrown in.

There was no 'instant attraction', and considering all of the crap that was going on in Ava's life I'm glad for that. I'm pleased that she was not being all weak "female"; I thought she handed the circumstances in a very realistic way.

These are some pretty extreme fantastical circumstances: car chases and beings that are not quite human but kinda human. They could be considered Angels or Titans; it's possible to see how people from a less sophisticated society would see them  like that.

Some of my favorite parts:

Discussing the veil. It is this trick that 'the others' use in order to blend in better with society at large; if they are going to take part in being around humans these super beings have to be able to hide.

Ava can see through this veil. At times it makes her very confused, because she should not be able to do this. Imagine if you were looking at someone that you know and all of a sudden they start to look all airbrushed perfect and glowing! I would lean more toward the 'I am going insane' line of thinking than the 'wow, there's a race of super-humans living on earth and my friend is one of them!' line.


How can I tell that I really got into this book? Well, for one thing, I started highlighting the stuff I liked and the stuff that was bothering me. I noticed that at about chapter three I stopped highlighting and taking notes. To some this might be a sign that they just did not find anything or they got lazy; for me this means I was I was having so much fun reading that I forgot to stop to mark down stuff I wanted to remember.

And that is exactly what this book is: a fun read.
This is the "sit down on a cool fall day, cuddle under a blanket, and get lost in another world that might actually be our world" kinda book. That is, if you believe that there could be another race living along side us regular normal humans.(and if Autumn can turn that into a sentence it will be a miracle) [Ed note: It took a lot of rearranging, punctuating, and mind reading but I did it.~A]

I love the references to mythology. The whole thing made me think of Greek gods and Superman comic books.

I use the words Greek god just so I can use pics of him

I like that the ending is a good ending and could be open for a sequel or left to the imagination of the reader.
 

All in all, I recommend getting this one. It is a good first outing for this author. Thanks to TM Franklin and to TWCS for letting me read it. I give it a 3.5 stars round it up



Go buy it and set up an afternoon for some adventure!



 
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Sue's Review of More by TM Franklin

Sue's Review of Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan

Ghostwriter

by

 Lissa Bryan

After being laid off from the newspaper where she worked as a journalist, and losing her boyfriend in rapid succession, Sara Howell is looking to downsize before her dwindling savings run out. Things are finally starting to look up when she lands a job ghostwriting the biography of a popular politician and rents an isolated island house which turns out to have once been the home of her favorite author, Seth Fortner, who mysteriously disappeared in 1925.

But when strange things start happening, as objects break, or go missing, and terrifying visions appear, Sara begins to wonder if Seth ever left, or if she is losing her mind.

What happened to Seth is a secret closely guarded by the family to this day, a family that seems to exist under a terrible curse. Through an old trunk of letters she discovers in the attic, Sara unravels the mystery and becomes caught up in a tale of greed, lost love and the horrors of WWI.

When Sara realizes she is not going crazy and that Seth Fortner’s spirit still haunts her new home on the isolated island, she begins to draw him out of his shell bit by bit. She will discover what happened to the idealistic young writer who went to the battlefields of France to save lives, and to his beautiful bride to destroy the love between them, and what led Seth to make a terrible choice which would have consequences that would echo for generations.

They gradually fall in love in their world of dreams, dreams which swiftly become more attractive than reality, as Sara learns from a ghost how to truly live. Will she be the one to break the “Fortner Curse” by helping Seth conquer his demons, and heal both of their hearts in the process?

I give it 4 stars

Have you ever read a book and liked a character so much you wish he was real so you could look him up and find out more about him?

That is how I felt about Seth, the character that Lissa has created for this novel.

I even googled his name to see if he was real,
and why? Because the fascination of his own fangirl, Sara, was enough to make me want to be a fan as well.

All of this was before I even got to know him as a character--I was driven by the main character's obsession with this author and the mystery surrounding him!

This is a love story, but it is also a mystery / supernatural book. I have enjoyed Lissa's writing in the past, and this is no different. She is very descriptive and puts you right in the center of the world she creates.  I love how she take this isolated woman, who seems to be everyones doormat, and puts her on an island alone. This is where she is going to write the political autobiography she was hired to write. It's not something she wants to write, but she needs the paycheck.

Lissas choice as Seth--he is stunning

The time alone on this island gives her a chance to grow a backbone before she finds romance, before she falls in love with Seth (or rather, more in love with Seth).

The question eventually becomes, "What is real?" This girl is experiencing head aches, and she dreams of Seth. Is it her imagination? Is she actually talking with a man who has been dead for many years?

I enjoyed Lissa's writing style in fanfiction. I think that was a good way for her practice her story telling. She has a neat way of crafting a complicated story that is easy to read, and her images really stick with you.

In this book, I see Seth: I see his letters, I see him sitting on a sand dune waiting to talk to her, and then I wonder, is he real or is he part of her imagination?

That is what I love most about Lissa's work; there are images that stick with you. I had this happen with her fanfics as well, but to see her write an original story and find that her gift of crafting interesting characters has carried over is a gift.

Things I really liked about this book: yes, Seth is great and everything, but I really liked Sara. I like how she grew as a person. I like how she changed and got stronger emotionally. I like how I questioned her sanity. In many ways, parts of this book reminded me of the movie Somewhere in Time, where the main character goes into a dream to be with the person he loves

That sort of happens here. Seth is the ghost of an author that Sara admires. She can see and talk to him in her dreams, and he can appear to her in this plane (but it wears him out).

I REALLY love the letters that Seth wrote to his wife while he was serving in WW1. Sara finds them and reads them, and that hooked me--there is nothing greater to me than a well-crafted letter (this site has tons of them they are fantastic to read).

Ghostwriter officially released today, 10/11/12, so go on out and give it a read and then come back and let me know what you think of Seth and Sara! 



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Sue's Review of Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan

Review of Definitely Not Mr Darcy by Karen Doorneboos

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy

Karen Doorneboos

There's no place for pride in this Austen misadventure.
Chloe Parker was born two centuries too late. A thirty-nine-year- old divorced mother, she runs her own antique letterpress business, is a lifelong member of the Jane Austen Society, and gushes over everything Regency. But her business is failing, threatening her daughter's future. What's a lady to do?
Why, audition for a Jane Austen-inspired TV show set in England, of course.
What Chloe thinks is a documentary turns out to be a reality dating show set in 1812. Eight women are competing to snare Mr. Wrightman, the heir to a gorgeous estate, along with a $100,000 prize. So Chloe tosses her bonnet into the ring, hoping to transform from stressed-out Midwest mom to genteel American heiress and win the money. With no cell phones, indoor plumbing, or deodorant to be found, she must tighten her corset and flash some ankle to beat out women younger, more cutthroat, and less clumsy than herself. But the witty and dashing Mr. Wrightman proves to be a prize worth winning, even if it means the gloves are off...

*sigh*
I have  a weakness for certain things in this life and anything that makes me think of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is one of them

Those that know me KNOW that Colin is the only Mr. Darcy for me
and if a male character in a book is even slightly like him I fall and I fall hard.

Our story starts out with a broke, divorced mom. Her hobbies are all things past, preferably Regency England. She is a huge fan of Jane Austen and devoured the novels. She belongs to the Jane Austen Society; she goes to tea parties; she owns her own failing business that makes hand-crafted, hand-printed invitations.

She feels lost in this modern world. For her, it is too fast-paced. Men disappoint her when she falls into a trap common to many other women: she is looking for a fairy-tale Prince Charming to swoop in and save her.

She is encouraged by friends and family to join a television show that she thinks is going to be just about living life as though it was 1812 in England; it turns out to be a reality dating show called,  How to Date Mr. Darcy

She has to give up everything in her modern life in order to compete on the show. The hardest part for me would be giving up being with my kid for several weeks, but this woman does not throw a fit till they try to take away her cell phone (for me, strike one).

I love a female character I can relate to, and this protagonist isn't one of those.

This one claims to know and be capable of surviving in the past. She talks a good game, saying she knows all of the societal rules, etc., and would be able to handle everything very well. In reality, she only seems to know the rules that are laid out in the very polite stories written by Jane Austen. Jane did not speak of things like baths, or showers, or toilets, or the smell, or how one dealt with things like their period, or the hierarchy of who gets to use the bath water next, or... you get where I'm going, right?

SHE'S CLUELESS.

yes that is a Regency shower no it is not in the book

For me, this part of the book was irritating. I did not like that a character who made such great claims did not seem to KNOW things outside of Austen. One cannot claim to be an expert (a word that irks me) and not know that Regency women dampened their gowns so the material clung to them--this should not have been a shock. Nor should using a chamber pot, or the diet of the time period, or the bathing situation.

While those things irritated me, ALL IN ALL I really did enjoy this book. Watching her go from starry-eyed romantic to facing reality was a bit hard, but she needed it. It helped her be a better character, more rounded. Once she was able to get over the rose-colored glasses view of things, she was able to appreciate her own world and the experience did give her a good kick in the ass to not just lay down and accept failure.

I like the theme--the 'grass is always greener approach'-- it worked really well here. I liked the side characters, and I liked the twists in the story.

The story line of this reality show involves two brothers: the elder brother who will inherit everything,and the younger brother who will inherit nothing. At first, I was all for both of the men she has to choose between.

Sebastian is handsome; dark,brooding, and quiet, you get to know him a bit of a flirt. Then there is
Henry, the younger brother. He looks stunning, a bit on the nerdy side, is a doctor, and is the penniless brother.

There are other contestants, of course, and the whole thing is just a powder keg of a mess waiting to explode.
And it does.
Many times.

Watching the mess happen is so much fun!

There were many things in the book that bothered me; I tweeted about them and I made my notes, but there was also a lot that made it a worthwhile and fun read.

So, if you can overlook a few annoying things and let the writer take you on her journey you might love this one. I'm giving it 3 stars if Amazon and Goodreads had half stars this book would get 3 1/2 I liked this one it was a fun read and I do think many people would enjoy it as well.

The end made me wonder if it was really over. I wanted more.

 best quote in this book:

"Curvy women were all the rage in the Regency era."

I am a woman out of time ! 

Review of Definitely Not Mr Darcy by Karen Doorneboos

Sue's Review of About Last Night by Ruthie Knox

About Last Night

by

Ruthie Knox 

Cath Talarico knows a mistake when she makes it, and God knows she’s made her share. So many, in fact, that this Chicago girl knows London is her last, best shot at starting over. But bad habits are hard to break, and soon Cath finds herself back where she has vowed never to go . . . in the bed of a man who is all kinds of wrong: too rich, too classy, too uptight for a free-spirited troublemaker like her.

Nev Chamberlain feels trapped and miserable in his family’s banking empire. But beneath his pinstripes is an artist and bohemian struggling to break free and lose control. Mary Catherine—even her name turns him on—with her tattoos, her secrets, and her gamine, sex-starved body, unleashes all kinds of fantasies.

When blue blood mixes with bad blood, can a couple that is definitely wrong for each other ever be perfectly right? And with a little luck and a lot of love, can they make last night last a lifetime?

She is a good girl, formerly a bad girl. How does she do it?

By doing the opposite of whatever her instincts tell her.

I love finding stuff by people I probably never would have looked at without a little push. Twitter, for me, is how I find authors and books that I want to read and that is how I found out about this one.

Ruthie Knox writes us a fabulous story about a woman, living in London, who has been through a lot in her young life and sees everything she's done so far as mistakes. Her way of ensuring that she does not fall into the trap of her former lifestyle is to chose not to do anything:

NO dates.

NO going out.

NO fun.

Just work and exist.

She is a charming female character that is not whiny and is spunky and just fun !

Enter the main male (whose name I will not reveal because it might spoil the fun of the start of the book). He is perfect! Sweet, charming, hot, sexy, flattering--it gets to the point where after a while you wonder if this guy has any flaws...then you get to meet his mother.

What I like about this book: oh, there are so many many things!

Great characters, an interesting story line, sex that makes you wanna beg her for more--
just an overall good, sweet romance that makes you sigh with happiness throughout.

So who would love this book?

IF you like a good sweet romance without a ton of angst.
IF you like a good guy who is hot and sweet (sorry, Sarah, this one is too nice for your tastes).
IF you like a spunky female character who has some growing to do.
IF you are looking for a hot read.  

This one's for you!


This is one of those books that lives up to its reviews. Everyone I know that has read it says, "OOOHH, I loved that one! It's really good !"

Then they say go read her other book, Ride with Me (and that is another review for another day *fans self*).

Sue's Review of About Last Night by Ruthie Knox

His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty

His Very Own Girl

by

Carrie Lofty

As always, we can thank twitter for this one. I was kinda cruising around, stalking peoples conversations because I am creepy like that, and I saw mention of this new book coming out. I had to have it!

Female pilot

WW2

Romance

set in Britain

Has nothing to do with this book I just like the pic

An American medic who is very handsome

Did I mention a female pilot in WW2?

With all of the talk lately about women's rights and things, I want to talk briefly (meaning ramble on for a while) about why I find WW2 so incredible.

Many people talk about the battles that men went through but what always fascinated me is what the women did and how they dealt with it. All over the world women took on the jobs that the fighting men of their generation normally would have done, instead of just being nurses and teachers. Women went to work in the factories; they became the police force; they became the work force of the world, not just building the war machines but also running the domestic world while the men went off to battle. Women ran the homes and they made paychecks.

Lets, talk about the real start of a revolution:
these women got a taste of things that their mothers never had AND they were vital to the war effort. They were an essential part of the allied victory.

Now what I like about this story:
First, the characters grow. These two are both strong-headed, independent people with very set ideas about how they want their lives to be after the war. Both have lived life, they have pasts; they are adults and it shows.

Next, the insecurities they have are realistic and fitting with who they are and where they are in their lives and the circumstances of war.

Finally, this book made me laugh and it made me cry. I really enjoyed it.

The thing I did not like:
My family demanding to be fed and paid attention to and such. I had to stop reading to go do things for them. Silly, demanding children.

I loved the tension between Joe and Lulu and the way their relationship built up naturally, not to mention the love letters between them. It has been said before: a good historical romance requires a LOT of research and this one is fabulously done. 

OK my favorite quotes (those little things that I had to highlight while reading; these made me smile for whatever reasons):

"Jesus, his imagination had no manners."

"The faint aftertaste of mint flavored tooth powder lingered in her mouth. Joe wanted to gobble her up like a peppermint stick."

"We all have work to do."

"Fly safe, Louise."

Now, why do I like that last quote? This bit killed me every time it was brought up in the book because of the life-and-limb situation she and her girlfriends were in. They did not say goodbye using nicknames; instead, they made it a more formal occasion and used their full names.
I love how Joe describes her as having a "quiet kind of vengeance". 

There are more, but if I put them up here I will end up spoiling too much of the story, and then you'll say, "I don't have to read it because SUE told me the whole thing already!"

I'm giving this one 4 stars. I really enjoyed this book--it was a damn good read and made me tear up in places. I loved the steamy romance and only rolled my eyes at a couple of things that pulled me from the story.

This review comes to you special this week because

Friday and Saturday we are doing a read a long AND a give away!
If you have not already entered via Facebook, Twitter, or here on the read-a-long tab, you can enter below by leaving a comment.

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN WIN:

E-copies of all 3 of Carrie's books!

So you can have a copy of His Very Own Girl to give away to a friend!

We will have one winner each night and winners will be announced here on the blog, on Twitter, and on our Facebook page.

GOOD LUCK, AND HAPPY READING!

His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty

Sue's Review of the story Ember by Bettie Sharpe

Ember by Bettie Sharpe

Everyone loves Prince Charming. They have to—he’s cursed. Every man must respect him. Every woman must desire him. One look, and all is lost.

Ember would rather carve out a piece of her soul than be enslaved by passions not her own. She turns to the dark arts to save her heart and becomes the one woman in the kingdom able to resist the Prince’s Charm.

Poor girl. If Ember had spent less time studying magic and more time studying human nature, she might have guessed that a man who gets everything and everyone he wants will come to want the one woman he cannot have.

I love fairy tales! Any old story that has been passed down for generations as a moral tale--they just fascinate me. What is sad is that fairy tales have a very negative connotation now. They are cotton candy fluff, sold to us in Disney princess packages.

As you readers know, the real fairy tales were darker. The princesses tended to be selfish and spoiled, there was always a lesson to be learned, and pain to go through before you could earn your happily ever after 

Back in December of 2011, my friend Einfach_Mich (Jeanne) was tweeting about this story. I stalked her timeline and finally just asked her, "What are you reading? GIMME-GIMME now!" 

What followed was a fun evening of reading a well-written, delicious story.There are female characters you will LIKE--some you will LOVE--and a twist on a well known plot that just is not to be missed.

Ember is Cinderella. The wicked step-sisters and wicked step mother are not so wicked. Ember is not so innocent. Charming is not so charming.

There are bits that have stuck with me months later and are as vivid as if I had read it yesterday; for an absent minded person like me that does not happen often.

Things about this story you will love:
The magic.
The hot sex.
The banter (I love banter).
The snark.
The sense of humor.

This is not only a nice quickie read, this is one you will want to re-read.
BEST OF ALL-- 


IT IS FREE!
   
Who does not LOVE a good free read? If you cannot tell from my gushing in this post you have yet another 5 star rating here I really did love this one I hope you do too !

I really want to know what you think of this book, so here is what I want you to do:
 Leave a comment below!

Sue's Review of the story Ember by Bettie Sharpe

Sue's review of The Wicked West by Victoria Dahl writing as Holly Summers

 The Wicked West 

Victoria Dahl 

OH my goodness!
This short written by the fabulous Victoria Dahl is gonna get one of my rare 5 stars. I have to say this one really, really appealed to me.
We have the fabulous Sheriff, handsome loner, and a lovely new English lady in a western town. There are cattle rustlers and small town politics and--Oh gosh, lets see if I can make this coherent.

For those that do not like D/S sex or relationships DO NOT READ.
For those that do--come on in! This one is a good one!

I happen to find the whole psychology of the relationships fascinating how in a functional D/S relationship it is actually the sub who has the control over things. I think this short story novella explains that well.

She teases him.

She taunts him even by just lowering her eyes, and he does not understand why this woman is causing these feelings in him.

It is confusing because he feels wicked and perverted and wrong; he was raised to be a gentleman, to treat ladies as delicate breakable flowers.

Here is this little thing, obviously not used to hard work, an indoor girl, and she is challenging all of his desires.

I cannot tell you any more about this story because if I do I will give away far, far too much.

IF YOU TRUST ME, HERE IS MY OPINION:

I will read this a second time--probably tonight.
THIS IS HOT STUFF
The tension is fantastic.
The attraction between them just UMPH.
As I said on twitter, this story did not break ANY of my cliche hates.
I give this one a 5 stars. Be shocked--it wont happen often.
This was a great read. I recommend it to EVERYONE that likes a steamy quicky !

Sue's review of The Wicked West by Victoria Dahl writing as Holly Summers