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.

Review: Please don't stop the Music - Jane Lovering

Genre: Contemporary romance  /Fiction

Pages: 304
Published: February 1st 2011 Choc-Lit

How much can you hide? Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts. But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse? And the curiosity is mutual - which means that her own secret is no longer safe.

Plot:

Jemima Hutton makes belt buckles, and that leads her into the guitar store owned by Ben Davies. They both have secrets, and they both need someone.

My thoughts:

What can I say, it was real. I like this kind of romance. You know where a couple meet, are friends, and then something slowly builds up. It is real, it's life, there are doubts, and there is love.

Jemima is young woman trying to build a life. She is nice, but she is also broken. Why we do not know. But there are hints, something has happened in her past. That alone could have kept me reading, I do like secrets. Then there is Ben, a former celebrity from a band bigger than Coldplay. Why he suddenly left no one knows. He has issues too, and I though that I knew why while reading, but the truth is never that simple. His secret made me want to read on too. These two needed each other. Their way to romance was slow, but truthful, and it made me the happier when they took small steps.

There are also two side characters, Jason who shares a studio with Jemima. He was fun, and Rosie with her newborn son Harry. She was sweet and now I kind of want her story. And of course we need someone not to like and in comes Saskia, the resident bad guy. She does not want to sell Jemima's belt buckles anymore, she seems to have a stick up her ass, and she demands too much from Rosie (who makes handmade cards and sells them in Saskia's store). Something fishy is going on there, so there is a third mystery that makes the plot go forward.

This book had a mix of everything, and there was warmth, true friendship and feelings about loss and trying to hide who one really is. I could not put it down, I had to read on. It was a fast read, and wonderful read too. 

Final thoughts and recommendation:

I would recommend this one, it is not contemporary romance with whirlwind romances in a day, and big jealousy dramas. It's a more truthful look at a couple finding each other and opening up. While dealing with life. It was a wonderful book that I did not want to stop reading, and I do want to read more by this author.

Reason for reading:

I like Choc-lit books, Brit romances are fun :)

Cover:

Nice, but it does make  me think about what her belt buckles really look like with all those stones on it.

Review: A bite to Remember - Lynsay Sands

Argenau, book 5

Genre: Paranormal romance
Pages: 400
Published: January 2011 Gollancz

Rule #1: Never get involved with someone who won't be there for you when the sun comes up.

Once bitten, twice shy, and sexy PI Jackie Morrisey wasn't going there again. Vincent Argeneau may be the hottest guy she's ever met, living or dead, but she's here to stop a killer from turning this vampire into dust, not to jump into bed with him.

Rule #2: Never kiss a vampire...it can be a pain in the neck.

Okay, so Vincent's had four hundred years to perfect his kissing skills, and he does look rather tempting when he runs around the house shirtless. He's also charming, protective...did we mention he can kiss? Jackie needs to be on her guard, or else she'll have to come up with a new rule:

If you're going to fall in love with a vampire, make sure it's a bite to remember.

Plot:

Someone is sabotaging Vincent's plays and to his rescue comes a female PI, sexy, mortal, and with a bit of grudge against immortals. Then his aunt shows up too, because she is afraid that he is lonely and depressed.And she is hinting about life mates.

My thoughts:

Shall I state my do not worry OCD peeps message again, ok. I read book 1 and now I read this one. Were there books in between yes, Vincent's aunt mentioned that his cousins had found life mates but that was it. And the nano thing was explained again and some other things. This book was a perfect stand alone novel. Trust me on this.

Vincent then, an actor, 400 years old, and a bit tired of the hunt, and even sex. He has a disorder that the nanos can't fix. He needs to feed from a source, not bag of blood. He is a hottie, nice and cheery around others. Jackie is all business, good at what she does, and she has been bitten before and doesn't have happy memories of her old lover. But there was chemistry between this couple, even if it took some time for them to act on it.

There is saboteur and the hunt for this person. I kept wondering who it could be, and things will happen. That is all I am saying.

This series is still very light, and with subtle humour here and there. Some romance, passion, danger, and interesting vampires. There was also one great side character and that was Jackie's associate Tiny, this huge guy who loved to work in the kitchen. I could just see him baking his muffins.

Recommendation and final thoughts:

I like this light series, and the Argeneau family. They have a rich history and there are sure certain members of the family whose stories I would like to read. I also liked how easy it was to just jump into this series.

Reason for reading:

I read book 1

Cover:
Ok so i am not a fan of the just face covers, but he does have a very handsome face

Guest review: No rest for the Wicca - Toni Lotempio

Genre: Paranormal romance / Urban Fantasy

Pages: 310, ebook

Published: 2010

Review by Lis

Communing with the dead is an everyday occurrence for PI Morgan Hawkes. A half-Wiccan witch who can commune with spirits of those caught between worlds, Morgan uses her talents to exorcise the trapped ghost or demon as part of the Paranormal Investigation Squad – until a string of murders with a voodoo slant prompts the Special Forces Agency to ask for her assistance. Someone’s killing pureblood witches- and the SFA’s convinced Morgan’s heritage (her father was a voodoo priest) could be instrumental in solving the mystery. Teamed with dashing SF agent Cole St. John – an Inheritor Vampire that sets her blood racing – the two of them fight their attraction for each other as they race to stop a madman from unleashing a demonic force upon the world.
 

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Ho boy! This book. Holy hopping cows! B. sure does know the books she sends me. This book... it's just. Gah. Now I have to form words to make you understand just how cool this book was. Does B. know was she asks of me?

Alright here goes.

No Rest For the Wicca (bad. Bad title. But fun) is about Morgan Hawkes, half witch, PI, ghost & demon whisper and an all-round sarcastic woman. In fact, if you look up sarcastic in a dictionary there will most likely be a picture of her. Morgan works for the Paranormal Investigation Squad (can you just imagine mentioning your line of work at a party and you have to say that?). Enter the mystery in the form of the killings of pure blood witches – now if that doesn't have an arian sting to it, I don't know – in a ghastly manner.  The Special Forces Agency asks for her assistance in solving the murders. Enter sexy sexy sexy agent and vampire Cole St. John. Did I mention he is sexy? Morgan thinks so too! Together they will have to save to world from a mad idiot with a plan.

This is a book that draws you right in and doesn't want to let you go. You'll be sorely disappointed if this books ends, let me tell you that. The story is a straight up mystery, but the plot moves quickly and it fits. There is quite a lot of world building with interesting creatures you don't normally find in an urban setting. But it is the characters that make this a well above average paranormal mystery. Despite her abilities, Morgan is a very human character who is weighed down by her past. She is a strong, witty, snarky and sarcastic woman who knows how to tell a story.

Cole St. John is her paranormal counterpart who is tortured by his past. He is Morgan's perfect counterpart. He is strong without dominant and he doesn't let her get away with anything. He's also a very seductive character! There are some really steamy scenes in this book that just about made me melt.

So did I like everything about this book? Almost. While the story is wickedly awesome and very very enjoyable, what it lacked was good editing. Yes, here I go again on my rant about e-books and editors. It's a minor thing that doesn't reflect badly on the story. There were a few typos and grammar mistakes, nothing major, but an editor would probably have had a good influence on some of the dialogues.

You also  might have caught my quip earlier about pure blood having an arian sting to it. It's something that I don't quit like, but you see it quite often in (urban)fantasy. The classification of paranormal beings into pure and not so pure. From Harry Potter to about half of the fantasy books out there. There is just something not quite right about saying someone is a pure witch, warlock, wolf or whatever. It made me wonder if authors know the impact of some words. Personally I prefer full blooded to pure. Though, of course, sometimes it fits if a character describes someone as “pure” or if a particularly evil group says so. But  not in a general description. However, this is my hang-up so don't let it stop you from reading this book!

Because this is also a book I can most definitely recommend. It impressed me. So go pick it up!!

Thanks Lis! It sounds good :D