Romance Monday: Maid for Love / Legacy

Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she's knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy's Resort Hotel by Gansett's "favorite son," Mac McCarthy. He's back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family resort and has no intention of staying long. When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son. He soon realizes his plans for a hit-and-run visit to the island are in serious jeopardy, and he just may be "maid" for love. 

My thoughts:

It happened fast, but I would not call it instalove. And well dang it, it was so cute!

Mac crashes into Maddie. He feels bad and decides to help her, by living at her place, and helping with her child and work. And he soon realises that he likes her, he really likes her. And he likes her baby. And I was all awwwwww. It was so sweet of how he fell for them both. 

While Maddie fights it, sure he is hot, but she has a bad bad rep. Oh that made me mad. Men are stupid! Poor poor Maddie. So she was the sane one in this book, she wants to take things slow (or not at all).

Oh Mac's mum is an ass! Still not forgiven!

I enjoyed it and would read more

Cover
meh

Kindle Edition, 260 pages
Published April 28th 2011 by HJTB, Inc
The McCarthys of Gansett Island #1
Contemporary romance
Own

The last of the Murrays...
Christina Murray is elated to inherit her family's ancestral home in Scotland. But upon her arrival she is confronted by her breathtakingly handsome new neighbor, Ian Douglas...and an ancient family curse that comes with the castle.

A violent legacy of passion...

Seduced by Ian's easy Scottish charm by day, Christina dreams at night of three raven-haired beauties, ancestors who fell victim to the curse one generation after another: Katrine, the fiery Jacobite supporter who lost her heart to an Englishman; Jeanne, an accused witch; and Mairi, who shared a forbidden passion with the King of England.

Now it's Christina's turn to lie in that cursed bed... and loving Ian might just cost her life.

 MY thoughts:
Was this a romance? No Must have been romantic fiction then cos it was sad, and kind of depressing.

I guess it was Christina's story that had the romance, which it had. But it was also foreshadowed by the other tragic stories. See, she is cursed. A very old curse. She has inherited an estate. She meets a hunky man named Ian. She gets visions of other women through out time. And they all met nasty endings.

The first vision is of Katrine. A sad story about a woman falling for an Englisman around the time of Culloden.

The second is of Jeanne. A woman falling for a relative. She is happy, until. This one was so unfair.

And the last one, the one I waited for. Mairi if Shiels, the woman who (well in this story) was the mistress of Edward, the hammer of the Scots. This one was the most sad one. It was the one I liked the most and the most depressing one.

So yes lots of tragedy, heartache and deaths, and Christina is heading that way. Still, I enjoyed it at times, but yeah, sad.

Conclusion:
I have been thinking, what to rate it? Would I read more? It was just so depressing. So no.

Cover
meh

Kindle Edition, 384 pages
Published March 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published December 31st 1984)
Romantic fiction
Own

DNFs and #Bookblogwalkers Weekly Check-in Aug. 29, 2014

This challenge is organized by Felicia over at the Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, but this week Jen is hosting

Saturday 1 hour walk
Sunday - 1 hour walk
Monday - 1 hour workout class + 10 km bike
Tuesday - 5 km bike and 30 min walk
Wednesday - 1 hour walk and 5 km bike
Thursday - 10 km bike and 30 min walk
Friday  6 km bike

Sat and Sun

Toad. A "nice" swamp. No explanation needed. And a statue with a  mailbox on, you do not wanna see it in the dark.

---------------------------

DNF time

A girl finds herself in another world. All alone, there are weird animals, buildings, she  meets an advanced race and tries to fit in. Longer blurb

My thoughts:

Ugh I could not go on. Why is this girl still alive? Why is she not sad, depressed, angry or anything? So I gave up quickly. It was the wool thing that did it.

Kindle Edition, 273 pages, Published March 20th 2011 by Andrea K. Hösth. Touchstone #1. YA / Sci-fi. Own

Tries goes to explore the world outside the city and hears new truths. For a longer blurb see

My thoughts:

Do you know what I remember from this book...NOTHING. Well that they talked. I think I listened for 1 minute and then zoned out for an hour each time. I have no freaking idea what this book is about other than it was boring as, ugh, so boring!

SO I gave up like 60% through or something. Then I tried to find the end, gods, more boring talk!! And then more.

But then I found the thing people were upset about but by this time I could not give a f##k. Who cares! But ok I will admit for fans, that endings sucks ass. I would have been mad if I had not been forced to call it quits.

Audiobook, 12 pages. Published October 22nd 2013 by Harper Audio. Divergent #3. YA, Dystopia. Libary

A woman with no ties wanders the world and has great adventures cos she is so awesome. For a longer blurb see.

My thoughts:

Omg, just no. I think I was bored by page 2, suffered through a bit and just no.

World building? What world? There is some epic war going..ok, AND? Nothing.

The main character was stupid. The dialogue did not flow and there was this one thing that was really silly. She has just been kicked out and then she starts to think why the town is called that and I was all? What? And I gave up.

No, I would not recommend it and this book would have needed an editor.

Kindle Edition, 323 pages. Published January 28th 2010. The Book of Deacon #1. Fantasy. Own

The Chathrand is the last of her kind. Built 600 years ago she dwarves all the ships around her. Now, having survived countless battles and centuries of typhoons, it has gone missing. This is her story.

My thoughts:

When it comes to library books I give up quickly, and I knew from page one that this was not for me. Was I supposed to be amused by random silliness. It felt like that I could not wrap my head around what I read.

So I was bored and gave up.

Hardcover, 560 pages. Published February 1st 2008 by Gollancz .The Chathrand Voyage #1. Fantasy. Library

Two people meet, do not like each other but fall in love anyway. For a longer blurb see

My thoughts:

It started of fairly ok (though I saw nothing of PP), but then just in a few pages she manages to throw in religious stuff, and I was all, oh no. Christian fic?

I can do being religious, but I do not like preachy. Do not throw it in my face, I do not roll like that. So DNF.

Kindle Edition, 316 pages. Published 2013. Jane Austen Takes The South #1. Pride and Prejudice variation. Own

A detective needs to solve a big case, and the witness is a former one night stand. Plus politics. For a longer blurb

My thoughts:

I was so bored by page 70 that I had to DNF, I just could not bother caring for anyone or anything. I tried to read the end to find out who killed them but snooze.

Though for once I did see why others might like this one. It was just not my style.

 

ebook, 294 pages. Published June 21st 2010 by Carina Press. Fatal #1. Romantic suspense. Own

Girl  from Sense and Sensibility carves out a life full of adventure and artistic endeavor. For more see

My thoughts;

No, this was a no from page one. The way it was written was not for me, Eliza who cares. I gave up pretty fast, I do not have time for books that do not hook me at once.

Not for me then. Very dry.

ebook, 255 pages. Published November 1st 2008 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published 1994). Jane Austen variation. Own

Interview and contest: Marie Force - Everyone Loves a Hero

Today I welcome Marie Force to my blog. She is the author of Everyone Loves a Hero. And at the bottom of this post is a giveaway of 2 copies.

Welcome to Mur-y-Castell!

Tell me something about yourself, so we get a better understanding about the woman behind the author.

MF: Thanks so much for having me today! The most important thing to know about me is I’m Mom to two wonderful kids, a daughter who is 15 going on 30 and a son who is 12 going on 6. LOL—what is it about girls maturing faster than boys?? They are very busy and active in sports and theater (my daughter is quite the actress), so I spend a lot of time at games, meets and shows. I’m really enjoying the ages they’re at now. They’re a lot of fun to be around. I also work full-time as the communications director for a national membership organization, I’ve been married for 18 years and I live in Rhode Island. I also have a darling 14-month-old dog who is as naughty as naughty gets. She’s lucky she is so cute…

Your newest book is called Everyone Loves a Hero; can you tell us a little bit about it?
MF: When his copilot suffers a heart attack in flight, First Officer Cole Langston lands the jetliner in a blizzard and revives the stricken captain. Catapulted to national hero status, Cole has more women vying for his attention than he knows what to do with. They all have one thing in common: they try without success to bring this happy-go-lucky pilot down to earth. Then comes an airport altercation, a punch to the face, and the lovely Olivia—a shy, timid artist who does what no other woman has ever managed to do: steal Cole's well-protected heart. With women coming on to him everywhere they go, Olivia struggles to believe that Cole is ready for a committed relationship. His biggest problem is getting rid of all his extra ladies before the only one he wants figures out that she's one of many.

Could you tell my readers why they will love Cole?
MF: Cole was so fun to write. We meet him just as he reaches the point in his life where he’s ready for more than transient relationships. It’s a year after his national hero moment, and he’s had enough of the limelight and all the craziness that goes with it. So he’s in the perfect place mentally to meet the love of his life. He’s charming and adorable and totally smitten with Olivia.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
MF: Absolutely! I’ve written about love at first sight several times in my books, and I find it to be an intriguing concept because of the way it changes lives so dramatically. Without warning, bam, there he/she is, and nothing is ever the same again. I love that. 

You have also written a lot of other books. Could you tell me about those?
MF: Sure…. Here we go!

Fatal Affair (Book 1, Fatal Series): On the morning of the most important vote of Senator John O’Connor’s career he is late—again. His best friend and chief of staff, Nick Cappuano sets off to O'Connor’s apartment expecting to roust him from bed and hoping he is alone. But what Nick finds is that O’Connor, the handsome, amiable Senator from Virginia, has been brutally murdered, and Nick’s world comes crashing down around him. Complicating the disaster, the detective assigned to the case is none other than Sam Holland, Nick’s one-night stand from six years earlier, the woman who broke his heart and haunts his dreams. With six years worth of unfinished business hanging between them and more than a few scores to settle personally and professionally, Nick and Sam set out to find the senator's killer while trying—and failing—to resist the overwhelming attraction between them that seems to have only grown over the years.

Fatal Justice (Book 2, Fatal Series): Supreme Court nominee Julian Sinclair comes to Washington expecting to be confirmed to the high court. Instead, he’s found shot execution-style in a city park. Detective Lt. Sam Holland’s list of suspects is long, but does it include her significant other, Senator Nick Cappuano, one of the last to see Sinclair alive? While tracking down Sinclair's killer, Sam is also confronted with a new lead into her father's unsolved shooting that leads to unexpected danger for her. In the meantime, Sam's partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, returns to the "scene of the crime" when he looks up Elin Svendson, one of the late Senator John O'Connor's sexy ex-girlfriends. After a lifetime of virtue, will Freddie be led down the road to ruin by a temptress who wants only one thing from him?

The Fall: Dr. Ted Duffy has finally met a woman who makes him ache with desire. Too bad she’s dating his best friend of twenty years. This simple premise has momentous consequences for Ted in “The Fall,” a story that explores the bonds of friendship, the expectations of family, and the power of love to unite and divide. Ted is a third-generation pediatric oncologist in Boston. He is thirty-seven years old, married to his work, and considers his patients to be “his kids.” He and his friends spend summer weekends in Newport, Rhode Island, which is the only break Ted allows himself from the grind of his job. After a devastating loss at work, he leaves for Newport where he meets his friend’s new girlfriend, Caroline. Over that first weekend, Ted and Caroline fall in love. When they later act on their feelings, shock and disbelief ricochet through his tight-knit group of friends and family. A highly respected doctor, a beloved son and grandson, a loyal friend, Ted is stunned by his sudden free fall from grace.

True North: The first time Travis North lays eyes on Liana McDermott, she’s wearing the most hideous bridesmaid dress he’s ever seen. He doesn't immediately recognize the world-famous super model who is attending her cousin Enid's wedding at the country club he owns. Thanks to Enid's shameless matchmaking, Travis and Liana become acquainted and later embark on a two-week fling intended to be free of emotion and entanglement. As Liana's return to work gets closer, however, Travis wonders how he'll ever let her go when the time comes while Liana considers whether he might be her true north. Two high-powered careers, two amazing weeks and a love that comes along just once in a lifetime. Is she ready to give up her career for a different kind of life? Does he want the same things she does? After insisting on an emotionless affair, she can't very well ask him. Or can she?

Love at First Flight: A Baltimore prosecutor set to begin the murder trial of his career and a hair stylist with a dysfunctional family meet in the airport on their way to visit their significant others in Florida. After they each endure a disastrous weekend, they meet up again on the flight home, striking up an unlikely friendship that leads to love.

Line of Scrimmage: In the Hail Mary play of a lifetime, a sexy NFL quarterback has just ten days to convince his wife to give him a second chance before their divorce is final—and he has to act fast because she’s already engaged to her high school boyfriend. Line of Scrimmage is a story of reunion, redemption, rejuvenation, and renewal. Readers will laugh and cry and hope—that at the end of the day, these two lovers, who clearly belong together, will somehow find their way back to one another.

Are you working on something new and exciting right now?
MF: I have Fatal book 3, Fatal Consequences, coming July 18, and the Fatal Wedding novella, Fatal Destiny, which I’m writing now, out on September 5, 2011. Fatal Book 4, Fatal Flaw, is coming next February.  I recently sold my contemporary, Georgia on My Mind, to Carina Press. I’m not sure yet when that will be out. I’m also working on a new contemporary.

Now for something else; Which three things would you take to a desert island and why?
MF:  My family, my iPod Touch, which I use as an e-reader, and a wifi connection.

Any advice for aspiring writers?
MF: The most important tip I always give to unpublished writers is to never give up. The only way you fail as a writer is to stop writing. Because there are so many ups and downs in this business, it’s important to be extremely protective of your writing and to not let the low points turn you off on the thing you most love to do.

Thanks!

-----

Now to the CONTEST: 2 copies of Everyone Loves a Hero

Rules:

1. US and Canada

2. Ends Feb 8th

3. If you want you can just write enter me, but to make it more fun; Ask Marie a question, comment on the interview, the book, or tell me if you believe in love at first sight.

---------

CLOSED

EVERYONE LOVES A HERO BY MARIE FORCE – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2011

Fame has its perks…
Reluctantly famous, First Officer Cole Langston finds being in the spotlight has its advantages—until he meets Olivia. Having women throw themselves at him everywhere he goes becomes a serious problem when he's trying to convince her she's the one…

And its price…
Olivia has trouble trusting a guy like Cole, and everywhere she turns she sees reasons to run. But he's the only man who's ever seemed to understand her as an artist and as a woman…

Cole is working overtime to prove to Olivia that he's serious, but her deep seated mistrust and his entourage of unwelcomed fans may be more than they can overcome…

ABOUT THE AUTHORMarie Force is the author of Line of Scrimmage, Love at First Flight, Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice, as well as True North and The Fall (available as eBooks through Amazon.com). She is a member of RWA’s New England, From the Heart and Published Authors Special Interest Chapters. Marie lives in Rhode Island with her family and their feisty dog named Brandy. To find out more information about Marie’s upcoming releases, please visit http://www.mariesullivanforce.com/.

Review: Everyone loves a hero - Marie Force

Genre: Contemporary romance
Pages: 416
Published: February 1st 2011 Sourcebooks Casablanca

Fame has its perks...

Reluctantly famous, First Officer Cole Langston finds being in the spotlight has its advantages-until he meets Olivia. Having women throw themselves at him everywhere he goes becomes a serious problem when he's trying to convince her she's the one...

And its price...

Olivia has trouble trusting a guy like Cole, and everywhere she turns she sees reasons to run. But he's the only man who's ever seemed to understand her as an artist and as a woman...

Cole is working overtime to prove to Olivia that he's serious, but her deep seated mistrust and his entourage of unwelcomed fans may be more than they can overcome...

Plot:

Cole is famous for landing a plane in a blizzard and saving the captain. Women are throwing themselves at him and he goes through life without thinking about a future with any of them, until he meets Olivia.

My thoughts:

Awwww, I just wanted to hug this couple. They were so adorable. This was truly a love at first sight and forget about everything else kind of book.

Cole is 36, womanizer, and he loves to fly. He has a woman at every stop and there are good and bad things about his new found fame. But that is old Cole, new Cole emerges the moment he sees Olivia and he wants nothing else but her. And I was just smiling because he is such a sweetie. Olivia, 27, goes to business school, works at the airport and loves to paint. She has a troubled family life, and does not get out much. I read on and just saw myself in her, so of course I had to like her when she was me. Of course she has doubts, because even when they are out together women flirt shamelessly with him, and a girl does wonder. Anyway they were utterly cute together, a couple that had to be together. And I do love love at first sight.

The drama, because there is always drama, is about Olivia's mum, the women who can't let go of Cole, and the issues and fears Olivia has with that. But he is sweet all way through, and she tries. Though there was one thing at the end where I felt like she really should have stopped and thought about a certain thing, but hey some extra drama to get over brings a great ending.

All right I am just gonna say it one more time, what a couple, group hug anyone?

Recommendation and final thoughts:

Do you like love at first sight? A couple that just want to be together, and a couple that just make you warm inside, well then this is the book for you. It was sweet, and the perfect cute lovestory about how two people just are meant to be together. Ok just one more time, I promise, cute story!

Reason for reading:

Sounded good

Cover:

Hihi, not complaining.

PS.

I am having Marie Force over for an interview tomorrow and giving away two copies of this adorable book so you do not wanna miss that.