Too Good To Be True

- Kristan Higgins -

Another enjoyable read from this author (though I would love to read something she did in another POV, all of them have been first person which has a bit of a sameness after a while.)

I would have liked Grace to have a little bit more backbone occasionally, but really I guess the premise of the story is her need to people please, and what that leads her to do, so not really surprising that she doesn't stand up for herself until the end.

Higgins writes great heroes - strong, sexy and yet they don't read like cariactures the way some romance heroes do.

Not quite as good as "Just One of the Guys", but definitely a good way to spend a couple of hours.

To Scotland With Love

- Karen Hawkins-

Another fun read from this author. I'm always a fan of stories with long time friends who start realizing they are attracted to each other, and Gregor and Venetia were great examples of this trope.

They've been friends since childhood, know each other inside out and never really looked at each other in a romantic way until Venetia is trapped into a misguided elopement and Gregor charges to the rescue.

Once again, I really enjoyed both the main characters and all the supporting ones and it was a really fun read.

Into the Dark

- Cindy Gerard -

This felt a bit more erratic than the last book I read in the "Bodyguards" series, like Dallas and Amy didn't really get to know each other or take the time to deal with each of their massive, trauma related emotional problems before plunging into a relationship.

I also felt like the villains, and the conspiracy they uncovered came across as a too over the top, at least for this style of book. There just isn't the time to investigate the issues surrounding it all, and so it comes off as all a bit too easy when they blow up the compound and destroy the immediate villians.

That being said, I really like this author in general and there is a tease of the story between Jenna and Jones that I know I am going to want to read so the problems in this particular story weren't enough to put me off the author in general.

The Murder Game

- Beverly Barton -

Sequel to "They Dying Game" and I enjoyed this one more, I think, mainly because Nicole and Griffin appeared to be equals all the way through, whereas Lindsay and Judd from the first story was a much more out of balance relationship for most of the book.

Barton does a great job of creating a truly scary, psychopathic killer and an equally good of job of giving little snippets of his victims lives before he kills them, so that I was really invested in each victim and hoping like hell that Griff and Nic would track down the killer before he killed each victim (I liked this touch in "The Murder Game" as well - it really ups the stakes and creates a sense of urgency for the reader).

Seems fairly clear that other characters from this book will be getting their own stories, and I will definitely read more.

Love Walked In

- Marisa De Los Santos -

I adored this book, absolutely adored it.

The characters are people I want to invite over for coffee and a hug, the language used and the imagery were so beautifully evocative and complete that it felt like these people really do exist, in a world just out of reach.

I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to them all and I never wanted it to end.

Just gorgeous.

How To Abduct A Highland Lord

- Karen Hawkins -

My historical romance experiment continues... picked this one up because I enjoyed one of this authors' contemporaries (Talk of the Town), and mostly enjoyed it!

The happy ending happens a little inexplicably - I would have liked to read more about their prior relationship because as it is, it seems like Jack goes from happily whoring around to happily married fairly abruptly (there is no indication he wanted a change in his lifestyle before Fiona tricked him into marriage), it seemed liked there was a lot glossed over or ignored with regards to Jack's relationship with his family and I wish Fiona seemed to have more inner conflict over what she is forced to do to end the feud, but overall I mostly enjoyed the characters, the story moved quickly and the larger family relationships of the McLeans and Jack's household (ie: the butler and the housekeeper being gobsmacked when Fiona announces herself as lady of the house) were fun to read.

Between The Sheets

- Robin Wells -

Mostly meh.

The characters weren't particularly in depth or interesting - I was way more interested in the secondary romance between the grandparents - and the conflicts and problems with Emma's reputation and the scandal that made her move to Louisiana were way over the top and logic deficient (what Secret Service team bent on protecting the reputation of their protectee would send a half naked women into a herd of photographers that they knew would be there?) and then the resolution was way too easy in the end.

Her Sexiest Mistake

- Jill Shalvis -

Despite the stupid title, I enjoyed the hell out of this book - reading it through in one sitting.

It's leaps and bounds ahead of the other Jill Shalvis I have read (Get A Clue) in terms of characterisation and conflict that actually made sense between Mia and Kevin.

I also really enjoyed the role reversal in that Kevin was the one who was emotionally invested and open from the start and Mia was the one constantly running away, or claiming it was just sex. It's much more interesting than the cliched gender roles you find in a lot of romance novels, where the woman is all clingy and 'in love' right away and the man is constantly walking away.

I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn't a 'love at first sight/kiss" deal for either of them. Kevin liked her, wanted to get to know more and was up front about that and Mia ended up wanting to first avoid and then develop the relationship more in spite of herself and all her rules and fears about her relationships with men. It all came across as very upfront and honest, and therefore natural conflict, instead of artificial obstacles.

Playing James, Society Girls, Party Girls

- Sarah Mason -

Cheating a bit and reviewing all three in one, since they are all much the same.

I don't mean that in a bad way at all- they are much the same in terms on formula, yes, in that they all have heroines getting into miscellaneous scrapes, butting heads with the male protagonists, and generally making fools of themselves a bit before getting to the inevitable happy ending.

But in all three of these books the characters are completely charming, the stories are at times laugh out loud funny, and they are just so entertaining that the lack of originality is a complete non-issue.

Doesn't look like Sarah Mason has anything else in print, at least in the US, but I would totally read more if there more to read.

Flat-Out Sexy

- Erin McCarthy -

Set in the world of stock car racing which I know (and care) very little about, but decided to give it a go based on great reviews from Smart Bitches and the fact that I pretty much always enjoy this author.

Totally glad that I did! The actual racing aspect is pretty much secondary to the community and lifestyle that springs up around the sport, and I really enjoyed that aspect. The friendships between the drivers and their families felt very natural and I enjoyed the comradery.

Tamara and Elec (stupid name - pronounced a-leck, I assume?) made a nice couple - I generally don't enjoy stories where the guy is this young (25) because it rarely feels believable to me, especially when there are kids involved, but in this case the overall sense of family and community surrounding the sport, and the natural care that people seemed to take of one another, made his instant rapport with Tamara's kids feel more believable.

I also enjoyed the fact that, for the most part, both Tamara and Elec were willing to take chances with each other, open up emotionally, and that the hiccups in their relationship seemed a natural part of the development of them as a couple as opposed to unnecessary obstacles.

I also really enjoyed the secondary characters - am already looking forward to Suzanne & Ryder getting a book of their own (am assuming this will happen!).

To The Brink

- Cindy Gerard -

Third in the "Bodyguards" series, and my favorite by a country mile, I think.

The fact that Ethan and Darcy have a history is what did it for me, I think. They used to be married, and in the course of flashing back to their meeting, marriage and breakup, along with the present-day adventure as Ethan and his brothers rescue Darcy after she was abducted in the Phillipinnes, there is just a lot of opportunities for character details to come out in the course of the story without seeming forced. The reasons for their initial break up were just as believable as their reasons for coming back together and it was fun to read.

To The Brink also had much more characterization and development of the other characters, particularly with the B-story of Ethan's brother, Dallas, and Darcy's fellow abductee, Amy. Despite being a very secondary thread in this book, I felt like I got a lot of information about them and am really looking forward to their story (book 6). We also got to see a fair bit of Nolan, from To The Limit, who is a lot more cheerful now that he's got his happy ending. I really enjoyed that book too, so fun to see those characters again (and to know that Jillian's father is well and truly on board with his son in law's career and adventures now, to the point of paying for them).

The second book was really the weak link in this series for me, the characterization in the other two is just so much better.

Loving Frank

- Nancy Horan -

Absolutely mesmerizing character study using the real life events surrounding the affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick and the controversy that resulted when they left their respective families for each other, and turning it into a fascinating examination of what it means to be happy and what we should, could or would give up, who we would hurt and what we would sacrifice to have that happiness.

One of the most completely fascinating things about this book is the way that both Frank and Mamah, but more particularly Mamah, are portrayed as so intelligent, and we see how that intelligence almost becomes a weapon used against both herself and others around her, as she uses it to justify her actions and choices. Particularly in the words of the feminist writer Ellen Keys, Mamah finds the information and justification she needs to follow her heart and be with Frank, in the process abandoning her family and children.

Horan does an amazing of creating sympathetic characters who make huge mistakes and hurt many people but, by portraying them as people who think deeply and try to do the best they can, they become characters we sympathize deeply with, even as their actions seem selfish and occasionally self indulgent. In Mamah's case this is particularly true. A very intelligent women constrained by the times she was born into, Mamah is on a constant journey to transcend her time and place in society.

We see Frank primarily through Mamah's eyes, and consequently follow with her on her journey as she falls in love with his brilliant mind, and then gradually grows to see the eccentricities, extravagances, selfishness and self-indulgence that are just as prevalent in the man she knows. It is such a fascinating perspective on a brilliant, domineering, aristic personality, both flawed yet honest.

Knowing how the book must end (Mamah Borthwich, her children and several workers at their home, Talisien, were murdered by a crazed employee), I found myself slowing down my reading because I just did not want to get to the point where I knew this voice would be snuffed out.

Completely engrossing and challenging read - being drawn so much from real events, the characters were so three dimesional, strong minded, flawed and real, that I just wanted to know more, even when I disagreed with their actions and rationalizations.

I can already tell I am going to be looking for lots more material on Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick.

See Jane Score

- Rachel Gibson -

Fun read, despite the plethora of romance cliches - I like the sports background for some reason.

One cliche that absolutely drives me insane though is the type of character Jane is - the sexless female who dresses like a nun, blushes over the fact that hockey players are naked in a locker room and, despite being totally comfortable writing about dating and writing erotic fiction for a mens' magazine, is totally clueless and/or inert in her own romantic life. BORING!

One of my favorite contemporary romance reads recently was "Talk Me Down" by Victoria Dahl, largely because the heroine - Molly - was the total opposite of all these cliches. She liked a guy, so she let him know it. She enjoyed sex without apologizing for it. It's just so much more realistic to me than someone like Jane making it to the age of thirty without caring and/or doing anything about the way they look or appear to the world until a guy says something about it, bringing about a magical transformation into a high fashion sex goddess. Or, if this is the trope the author is going to go for, I wish they would inject some reality into - for example, how the hell is Jane, who customarily wears Doc Marten's, so comfortable in the high heels that accompany her infamous red dress? In reality - she'd have a hard time walking in them and want to kick them off before the night is done. Little things like that just inject a bit of reality into the situations, and make it much easier for me anyway to enjoy the overall story.

All that being said, Rachel Gibson is really good at creating a three dimensional world that the story takes place in and I did still enjoy the story for the most part, even if the obligatory wrench in the works was mostly a non-event. Cliched doesn't always equal bad, I guess!

She Went All The Way

- Meg Cabot -

Finally! A Meg Cabot book NOT in first person! Such a relief:)

It was a fun story - very light and fluffy, and a little bit too easy.

Not a whole lot to say about this one - it hasn't stuck with me, that's for sure. In fact parts of it were vaguely familiar so it is entirely possible I read this a couple of years ago and had just forgotten it.

Queen of Babble Gets Hitched

- Meg Cabot -

Far and away my favorite of the series:

Lizzie really grows up and comes into her own both personally and professionally

Chaz is frellin' adorable.

Luke is not demonized, just written as a normal mid-twenties guy trying to figure out what he wants out of life.

Loved the characterization of Luke and Lizzie's relationship as a summer fling that went on too long, because it really was.

Hilarious supporting characters.

Favorite of the series and I think of all the Meg Cabot books I've read so far.

You Don't Know Jack

- Erin McCarthy -

I have to got space books out, instead of getting all of an author's work all at one time from the library.

Anyway...another super enjoyable read from Erin McCarthy.

Jamie and Jack were adorable both as individuals and as a couple and a fun cast of supporting characters made the story fly by.

Have noticed reading this and "Mouth to Mouth" back to back that McCarthy has some character types that she uses repeatedly, eg: the troubled teen (the younger brother in "Mouth to Mouth", the teen hacker in this one, the 'wacky' looking heart of gold type (Cat, Beckwith the cross dressing psychic), but since she makes them seem like individuals and not cardboard cutouts, it doesn't really bother me.

Mouth to Mouth

- Erin McCarthy -

Always enjoy this author and this was no exception.

Loved the characters, loved the way Laurel's deafness was just treated as a fact of life, loved the B story of Russ's partner Jeff and Laurel's coworker Cat - almost wish we had a little bit more time with those characters too.

The mystery/crime aspect that inititally brought Laurel and Russ together was mostly secondary to the story, and that was more than enough.

Also enjoyed Russ's relationship with his brother Sean - would have liked more of that too.

Did think Laurel's mom adjusted a wee bit too quickly to suddenly finding a large, naked man in her daughter's bed but then again also enjoyed the fact that there was no cliched "Oh noes, he is bad" or whatever reaction which I was expecting given how Laurel had described her over protectiveness.

Fun read from a reliably enjoyable author.

Queen of Babble in the Big City

- Meg Cabot -

Ugh, I really want to like this because overall Meg Cabot's writing style is so fun to read, but seriously: I am not even 20 pages in and Lizzie - 22 year old, barely graduated from college Lizzie who just dumped one boyfriend and got together with Luke less than two months ago, is already obsessed and obsessing about marrying him. SERIOUSLY!

I get that there needs to be a complication and clearly one them is going to be Lizzie's wedding obsession and Luke's "commitment" issues or something (not really a commitment issue if a 24 year old doesn't want to get married after two months, as far as I am concerned) but come on...they couldn't have come later, after Lizzie and Luke just got to be together (and adorable) for a while? There couldn't be enough conflict coming from the fact that Lizzie is clearly going to have issues finding work and feeling at home in NYC, while Luke presumably will thrive at med school? Or from Lizzie feeling uncomfortable with her lack of income and his wealth? It's not like this stuff isn't there.

- Ok, so I finished it. And while I still find it completely irritating that Lizzie was so completely and nonsensically obsessed with getting married, I do like the growth she experiences in realizing they might want different things, that she can stand up for herself both in her personal and professional worlds and that she should be herself always, and not "woodland creature" the relationship.

That being said - I am a little bit on Luke's side too, in that I think it is ludicrous for her to be so hell bent on marriage after six months (at the age of 23), and it is not at all unrealistic for Luke - who has just started dating this girl and is at the start of med school and therefor looking at five or so years of all study/work, all the time - to not be thinking in the long term yet.

Adorable and sweet as Luke is, I think ultimately Lizzie has to end up with Chaz - he knows exactly how nuts she is and still seems to love her.

I hope that's how it turns out in book 3, though I also hope that Luke's character doesn't get destroyed in the process and turned into the bad guy.

Get A Clue

- Jill Shalvis -

Okay read - light & easy.

It moved quickly, felt fairly shallow in terms of characterisation and everything was spelled out as opposed to letting things roll more naturally, sort of like a longer version of an old Harlequin romance or something.

The mystery was wrapped up too neatly for sure, but Cooper and Breanne were likeable characters so overall good beach read.

Time of My Life

- Alison Winn Scotch -

Too a while to get into this one, but once the story got moving I really loved it.

Jillian is married to a wonderful man, has a gorgeous baby girl and lives in a beautiful home in the suburbs, yet she feels like something is off. When she hears that the former love of her life, the one she walked away from without looking back, is getting married, she can't help wondering if she chose the wrong path.

Thanks to a massage gone awry, she gets the chance to make different choices when she wakes up seven years earlier, back at the apartment she shared with Jackson, back at her old job, and back in her old life.

Once she realizes what is happening, Jillian decides this is her chance to fix the mistakes she made in the past, and to see if a different path is the right one for her.

I loved that, in the course of averting the fights and situations that had caused her relationship with Jackson to implode the first time, Jillian actually goes through a process of examining herself and the issues in her life related to her estranged mother and, in the interests of making different choices this time around, gets to resolve some of those issues and get to know herself better.

The happy ending, while definitely satisfying, was a teeny bit confusing but overall, this was such a lovely book about self discovery and learning how to ask for what you need and identify what needs to change, that it didn't matter.

Sugar Daddy

- Lisa Kleypas -

Can already tell I am going to go on a binge of everything this author has ever written.

Such beautiful, believeable and well rounded characters - no villians or heroes, just real people with flaws and problems.

Don't even have anything more in depth to say, beyond I was so rooting for Gage and Liberty, and so happy she got her happy ending with the right and got to have an end to her story with the guy from her childhood.

Must head to Texas if they grow them like Gage down there.