Romance

Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2)

Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2)

By: Sarah Morgenthaler

Blurb:

Lana Montgomery is everything the quirky small town of Moose Springs, Alaska can’t stand: a rich socialite with dreams of changing things for the better. But Lana’s determined to prove that she belongs…even if it means trading her stilettos for snow boots and tracking one of the town’s hairiest Christmas mysteries: the Santa Moose, an antlered Grinch hell-bent on destroying every bit of holiday cheer (and tinsel) it can sink its teeth into.

And really…how hard could it be?

The last few years have been tough on Rick Harding, and it’s not getting any easier now that his dream girl’s back in town. When Lana accidentally tranquilizes him instead of the Santa Moose, it’s clear she needs help, fast…and this could be his chance to finally catch her eye. It’s an all-out Christmas war, but if they can nab that darn moose before it destroys the town, Rick and Lana might finally find a place where they both belong…together.

Review:

I don’t put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I don’t watch Christmas movies until then either. That rule does not apply to books. I really love Christmas books and movies, but I’m not able to stop myself when it comes to books.

Mistletoe and Mr. Right was just as cute as the previous book in the series. Lana is in control of herself in a way that I will never be. She’s gorgeous and driven. She’s a huge success in her business life, but she is incredibly lonely.

Rick’s ex-wife has left him scared to get into another relationship. It’s taken him three years to be ready to date again. He gets completely tongue-tied around Lana and has been harboring a crush for her for years. It’s adorable.

They decide on a holiday romance, but you know it’s never going to last. They are everything the other has always wanted. Their second date is freaking hilarious and the best date I’ve read all year.

The book did end up being a sweet romance, so there was nothing graphic. I would also not recommend reading this unless you’ve read the first. All the previous characters are there and play a pretty significant role, as well as the town. You’d have a lot of catching up to do if you started here.

The next book in the series comes out in January, and I’ve already pre-ordered it. I did that with this book too. If Morgenthaler had written anything else, I’d be binging it all. It’s a few days early, but I’m definitely in the holiday spirit.

5/5

500 Miles From You (Scottish Bookshop #3)

500 Miles From You (Scottish Bookshop #3)

By: Jenny Colgan

Blurb:

Lissie, is a nurse in a gritty, hectic London neighborhood. Always terribly competent and good at keeping it all together, she’s been suffering quietly with PTSD after helping to save the victim of a shocking crime. Her supervisor quietly arranges for Lissie to spend a few months doing a much less demanding job in the little town of Kirrinfeif in Scottish Highlands, hoping that the change of scenery will help her heal. Lissie will be swapping places with Cormack, an Army veteran who’s Kirrinfeif’s easygoing nurse/paramedic/all-purpose medical man. Lissie’s never experienced small-town life, and Cormack’s never spent more than a day in a big city, but it seems like a swap that would do them both some good.

In London, the gentle Cormack is a fish out of the water; in Kirrinfief, the dynamic Lissie finds it hard to adjust to the quiet. But these two strangers are now in constant contact, taking over each other’s patients, endlessly emailing about anything and everything. Lissie and Cormack discover a new depth of feeling…for their profession and for each other.

But what will happen when Lissie and Cormack finally meet…?

Review:

I missed that this was the third book in a series. I could tell which couples I had missed, but their stories were never explained, so reading them out of order seems alright to do.

Lissa saw a young man killed in a hit and run. As a nurse, she tried to save him, but she wasn’t able to. She ended up with PTSD after the event. She was unable to sleep, was always jumpy, and had anxiety attacks. It was rough for her. Since the healthcare system was understaffed, they weren’t about to discharge a usually competent nurse. Instead, they sent her off to the country.

Cormac was a former military medic, now working in the small town he grew up in as a nurse. Deciding a change might be good for him; he takes the opportunity to trade places with Lissa. London is a new place for him, and he’s able to learn some things about himself and the world around him. His parts are probably the least interesting. He was an okay character, but his parts were more focused on him experiencing London.

The two exchange emails about their patients, and after a while, personal observations are included. It evolves from there. Sadly, you don’t see many of these communications. They’re occasionally referenced, but it’s more about growing feelings without seeing the reason for those feelings.

I hesitate to call it a slow burn because there never seemed to be any passion between them. It was a sweet romance. They were two people who were hurting. Who were, eventually, able to find comfort sharing with each other. It wasn’t until the end of the book when they were actually in the same physical location.

I loved the Scottish setting. The supporting characters were great. There were a lot of parts that were emotionally moving. So I cried, a fair amount. All in all, it was a lovely book.

3.5/5

Say Yes to the Duke (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #5)

Say Yes to the Duke (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #5)

By: Eloisa James

Blurb:

Miss Viola Astley is so painfully shy that she’s horrified by the mere idea of dancing with a stranger; her upcoming London debut feels like a nightmare.

So she’s overjoyed to meet handsome, quiet vicar with no interest in polite society — but just when she catches his attention, her reputation is compromised by a duke.

Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter, will stop at nothing to marry Viola, including marrying a woman whom he believes to be in love with another man.

A vicar, no less.

Devin knows he’s no saint, but he’s used to conquest, and he’s determined to win Viola’s heart.

Viola has already said Yes to his proposal, but now he wants her unruly heart…and he won’t accept No for an answer.

Review:

This is the fifth book in the Wildes of Lindow Castle series, and so far, the series has remained remarkably consistent. The family is entertaining to read, and seeing little peeks into past relationships is always enjoyable. Ultimately, I hope that the oldest brother who died in a bog ends up returning to life in the last book, but we’ll see.

Viola is the step-child of the Duke of Lindow. Technically, she’s not of noble birth, but they’ve always considered her family. Since the rest of society isn’t as nice, she knows that her family is some of the few who think of her that way. So she’s got a bit of an anxiety problem.

Meanwhile, Devin had parents who hated each other. His mother died when he was relatively young, and his father challenged everyone he could to a duel. It was not a very healthy environment for a child, but that seems to be the life of a lot of dukes.

There were more than a few conversations eavesdropped on, and those were some of the best scenes. Viola was a wonderful heroine, she could be a bit shy and anxious, but she was never really that way with Devin. I like it when that’s done well, and it was here.

They made a great couple. The story was nice and sweet, with several steamy moments. All in all, I found it a very enjoyable book.

4/5

A Duke, the Lady, and A Baby (Rogues and Remarkable Women #1)

A Duke, the Lady, and A Baby (Rogues and Remarkable Women #1)

By: Vanessa Riley

Blurb:

When headstrong West Indian heiress Patience Jordan questioned her English husband’s mysterious suicide, she lost everything: her newborn son, Lionel, her fortune—and her freedom. Falsely imprisoned, she risks her life to be near her child—until The Widow’s Grace gets her hired as her own son’s nanny. But working for his unsuspecting new guardian, Busick Strathmore, Duke of Repington, has perils of its own. Especially when Patience discovers his military strictness belies an ex-rake of unswerving honor—and unexpected passion . . .

A wounded military hero, Busick is determined to resolve his dead cousin’s dangerous financial dealings for Lionel’s sake. But his investigation is a minor skirmish compared to dealing with the forthright, courageous, and alluring Patience. Somehow, she’s breaking his rules, and sweeping past his defenses. Soon, between formidable enemies and obstacles, they form a fragile trust—but will it be enough to save the future they long to dare together?

Review:

A Duke, the Lady, and A Baby had a title I love. I was hoping for something over the top and amusing. Once again, I’ve disappointed myself with my expectations.

Things did not start well because I was quickly taken out of the story. Patience, the heroine, was committed to Bedlam for ten days by an evil man out to steal her son’s fortune. She was saved by a woman in charge of a secret society of widows who’ve been screwed over by the system. She spends weeks searching for her son before finally finding him again. What took me out of the story was her ability to breastfeed her son immediately. The stress of being in Bedlam would have taken that ability away if, by some miracle it hadn’t, the weeks away would have most certainly done it. It’s possible she would have been able to restart her production, but it would have taken weeks of trying. I might have been able to roll my eyes and move on, but breastfeeding her son and her milk production are mentioned several times. It’s such a misunderstanding of female anatomy that it bothers me a lot. It could have easily been researched, but it would have ended up requiring a lot of rewrites. I’m not sure if it wasn’t caught or if it was decided it would be too much work. Either way, it took me out of the story very early on.

Busick, the hero, is not consistent. He’s almost immediately attracted to Patience, even though he knows she’s lying to him. He is gruff, but not? It’s weird. He was confusing to me, and it would take too much thought to figure precisely why, and this book already took up too much time.

As a couple, they made about as much sense as the rest of the book. There wasn’t much romance, and the book lacked a lot of the couple’s usual internal emotion. They didn’t kiss until closer to the end, and it was not described. It was a pretty chaste book. Considering in the acknowledgment, at the end of the book, Riley starts thanking her heavenly father and quotes a Bible verse in her Author’s Note, it’s obvious why. I wish it had been explained before I started reading this was a Christian romance. That’s the genre that fits this best.

Many plot points sound exciting in the blurb but were either explained in the first few pages of the book or dragged out so long that I didn’t care; I just wanted it resolved. The only positive I can think of in A Duke, the Lady, and A Baby was that the heroine was a woman of color.

2/5

Kiss My Cupcake

Kiss My Cupcake

By: Helen Hunting

Blurb:

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn’t plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn’t spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.

From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there’s also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they’re forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it’s possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this outrageously funny romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of Meet Cute.

Review:

I boohooed through the end of this book. I’d love to blame my anxiety meds, but I really am just a crier. There were a lot of feels, lots of history, and an old man who had lost the love of his life. I think my tears were warranted.

Blaire is opening up her cupcake and booze shop. It’s her dream, and she’s forgone the money her parents could give her to prove that she can do it on her own. Blaire works herself into what will end up being an early grave at the rate she went. Most nights, she gave herself only a couple of hours a night to sleep, which was odd because she didn’t even bake the cupcakes. She did decorate them, but it seemed strange to me that she didn’t bake them too.

Ronan is in charge of his family’s bar. It’s been in their family for three generations, and it’s very dear to his heart. He lost his parents when he was twenty, and his grandparents were a huge help for him. It’s all charming.

The couple had a rocky beginning, mainly because Blaire kept expecting the worst from him. Anything he did, she hated. It was honestly pretty annoying. She was purposefully misunderstanding his actions and words and it made me dislike her. Thankfully, it didn’t last too long, but I never really warmed up to her. I don’t think I could say I warmed up to Ronan either, but I’m not sure why.

Most of the chapters were written from Blaire’s perspective, with a few sprinkled in from Ronan’s. His chapters were my favorite because hers were just so stressful. She was always doing something or worried about her business. She did think about how sexy he was and enjoyed spending time with him and his family, but the stress always seemed to be there. Meanwhile, most of Ronan’s chapters were getting to know Blaire and enjoying her. His business was established, so he didn’t have those same concerns.

Kiss My Cupcake was a cute story with a lot of sweet parts, sadly I never warmed up to the characters.

3/5