Holding Out For Special

 

K.T. RAINE

Stats for my copy: Kindle Edition, 9/15/21.

How acquired: Via BookSirens for review.

First line: Emory Dockins navigated the busy onramp onto Interstate 270 outside of Baltimore, her eyes blurred with tears.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This was an absolute delight. When you pick a random book from an author you’ve never heard of, you never know for sure what you’ll get. Sometimes you get a dud, and sometimes you get a gem.

It’s billed as a “Clean and sweet contemporary romance with a dollop of suspense”. It is sweet, and it is clean, with just some kissing between the hero and heroine, but there is also some heat and palpable chemistry. I love a law enforcement hero, and I think this is the first romance I’ve read where the hero was a Secret Service agent. Emory and Vince both have some baggage, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to get a lot of angst, but it was light in that department. What we do get a lot of is amusing banter. I smiled a lot, and I laughed out loud, and then suddenly I was crying, real tears running down my face. And I was only at the 50% mark!

The narrative alternates between Emory’s and Vince’s POV, and I loved both of them. Emory is a teacher, and I really liked how Vince was very respectful of her profession, describing her as “An underpaid, self-sacrificing teacher…”. When she asks how does he know she’s underpaid, he responds “All teachers are underpaid in my book”.

There’s also a cute little girl named Macy, whose mother, a politician, has been receiving threats. Vince’s current assignment is protection detail for the child, and the relationship that he develops with her was just adorable.

This is a breezy, fun and heartwarming story, with well written characters, including the child and her dog, that I probably would’ve finished in just a couple of days if I didn’t have a freakin job to go to. From what I read about the author, this is her first adult book, with her previous books being for young readers, but she has more coming, and now that she’s on my radar I’m eager for more from her!

Synopsis from Goodreads: After 32 years of no luck in the true love department, sweet, unassuming school teacher, Emory Dockins, has pretty much given up on ever finding the right guy. Never in a million years does she expect to catch the eye of the intimidating, but swoon-worthy Secret Service agent, Vince Murano, who comes to question her about death threats against an aunt she never knew existed. Yep, life's funny like that. And maybe Emory shouldn't give up on her happy ever after just yet.

Love Chronicles (Silhouette Romance No. 1749)

 

LISSA MANLEY

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Silhouette Romance, 2004.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Connor Forbes glanced up from the medical journal he was reading at the receptionist’s counter and looked at the office window.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: I needed something light and quick to read in between a couple of review books and pulled this off the shelf at random. This is my first time reading this author.

It started out pretty great, with Sunny’s Great Dane getting away from her and rushing up to the window of Connor’s office, barking at him through the glass, then racing away again with Sunny giving chase. Connor is unimpressed with Sunny’s attempts to control the dog, and the first thing he says to her is “What’s up with your dog?”. He then sorta lectures her about how her dog needs obedience training, insulting and embarrassing her, and that was their meet cute. I love having a dog involved in a book, so I was pleased. Unfortunately the dog, whose name I can’t even remember now, ended up basically just being a plot device. There was one more cute scene with him at the park, after which Sunny struggles to put him in her van. And then for the rest of the book I think he was only mentioned three times! In passing! So that was very disappointing.

Sunny grew up in a commune, with parents who never married. Sunny spent her whole childhood terrified that her parents would split up and one of them would just leave, because to her, not being married meant they were not committed. As a result, Sunny and a childhood friend made a pact that they would marry someone and have a family and a happy life by the time they were thirty, and if neither was married by then they would marry each other. Now that friend is happily married, but Sunny is determined to still fulfill that pact, and frankly I got tired of hearing about it and tired of her internal angsty whining about her parents being unable to commit. I liked Connor a bit better than I liked Sunny, though he too had angsty issues. He’s given up on love because he’s a “failure” at it, in that every relationship he had ended in a break up. But he was a really good guy and his angst didn’t bother me as much as Sunny’s.

There was a very funny scene at a square dance, with Connor dancing for the first time in his life, and very badly. I actually laughed out loud. But other than that, the book is pretty standard category romance fare. Rufus! I just remembered, the dog’s name is Rufus.

Happily, the ending of the book was very satisfying, thanks to Connor’s realization that he loved Sunny, and finding a wonderful way to show her that. So, an okay book but with a great resolution.

Synopsis from Goodreads: SHE GOT UNDER HIS SKIN…

And besides, Dr. Connor Forbes didn't want a partner. Even if Sunny Williams was the most beautiful blonde he'd ever seen, the uptight physician knew Sunny's crazy New Age ideas -- and her irresistible lips -- would only wreak havoc on his practical, well-ordered life.

But with her sweet smile and luxurious deep tissue massages, the spunky siren had made it impossible for him to turn her away without risking the wrath of the entire town of Oak Valley...and his traitorous heart.

Maybe having Sunny as a partner was just what the doctor ordered...

A Lady in Attendance

 

RACHEL FORDHAM

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, June 2021.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program, for review. 

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: Rachel Fordham has a true talent for creating realistic, fallible characters who are strong yet vulnerable. Hazel was a young, thoughtless and immature girl, whose flirtatious actions led her to a forced marriage, which ended when her husband was murdered and Hazel was sent to reformatory after being found guilty of stealing jewels. A crime of which she was innocent. Five years later she is free and starting her life over. Now, instead of living a pampered existence, she resides in a boarding house for women, and takes a job as a lady in attendance to a dentist to support herself.

I read a lot of romance with alpha heroes - strong, arrogant, masterful men. As much as I love those men (on paper anyway!), its refreshing to read about a hero like Gilbert. Quiet, unassuming, mild-mannered, a bit shy around women and resigned to remaining a bachelor. Hesitant about hiring a woman to work side by side with every day, but having reached a point in his practice where he needs an assistant, he settles on Hazel after she assures him she has “...no motives other than working...ours will be a most proper arrangement.”

I love watching a relationship develop slowly over time, and Ms. Fordham wrote Hazel and Gilbert’s relationship beautifully. There’s no holding hands and flirting, but rather an easy, growing friendship filled with conversation and laughter. Until that scene at - well, I won’t give it all away, but who knew a kiss on the cheek could be so romantic!

The themes of forgiveness and acceptance run throughout the book. Forgiveness of others and of one’s self. Acceptance of others, and of one’s self as a worthy person despite one’s past or flaws, or perceived flaws. Much of Hazel’s character growth occurs off page, during the five years she spends in the reformatory, but we are given enough glimpses at her background to appreciate her growth. Gilbert’s growth is more internal, in that he’s already a good man and an upstanding member of the community. But his personality blossoms more and more thanks to Hazel’s influence, as he becomes more talkative and social, and begins to think maybe there’s more to life than permanent bachelorhood.

This is just such a sweet and engaging story. There’s romance of course, and redemption, and adventure as Hazel and Gilbert and their friends dig deeper into the events surrounding Hazel’s arrest and her husband’s death in an effort to clear her name. I teared up more than once, and it all wrapped up beautifully in the end.

Goodreads synopsis: Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel's real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts's lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can't help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose--to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving--and perhaps find love along the way.

The Christmas Swap

MELODY CARLSON

Stats for my copy: Hardback, Revell, 2020. 

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program - received from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed.

First line: Emma Daley had always loved Christmas as a child, but...not so much as an adult. 

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts: Emma spends every Christmas with her best friend and her family, but this year she's looking forward to spending the holiday in her own home. Except Gillian's family have planned a house swap with someone in Colorado and, expecting Emma to be with them as she is every year, Gillian's parents have already bought her plane ticket. Emma reluctantly gives in and joins the trip to Colorado. Quite a change from Arizona! 

West isn't happy that his mother and stepfather planned a house swap with someone in Arizona, turning HIS house over to the visitors. On the way to the airport he realizes he left a briefcase with his music in it, laying out in plain sight on the dining room table. Not wanting the visitors getting into it, he goes back home to get it. When Gillian sees him, she mistakes him for the caretaker, and the shenanigans begin. West is actually a very well known song writer, and it's hard to know if a woman likes him for himself or for who he is. But to Emma and the others, he's just a caretaker, and he relishes that anonymity. 

I loved both Emma and West. Now that Emma is in Colorado she's completely enchanted by all the snow and the thought of learning to ski. When West offers to give her lessons, she agrees, though she also worries that he'll get in trouble with the homeowner for shirking his duties to go skiing with her. For his part, West is immediately enamored of Emma, and keeps putting off getting another flight to join his own family in Arizona. 

I personally do not care for snow or cold weather, but I do love reading about it, although I feel like I now know more about skiing than I ever thought I would want to know! The immediate friendship between West and Emma was delightful, and I loved their interactions. For best friends Emma and Gillian could not be any different. Gillian's family is rich, and she's spoiled and arrogant, looking down her nose at the “caretaker”. I often wondered how the two girls could be friends when Gillian was so awful to Emma. 

I like Ms. Carlson's writing, and she's good with dialogue. Despite the book not being very long (163 pages), we still get to know both Emma and West, and the supporting characters are also well written and unique enough to feel real. I don't want to say much more as I don't want to give away the plot, but I very much enjoyed this novella. 

Goodreads synopsis: All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade this year.

Tyler Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and, to get better acquainted, he poses as the house's caretaker. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get...messy. 

Finding Home on Winslow Island (Winslow Island, Book One)

CHRISSY ELLIOT

Stats for my copy: .pdf review copy

Publication date: Kindle edition, 7/31/20

How acquired: Received for review from BookSirens

First line: If romance had a color, glitter would be it.

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts: I requested this book from BookSirens because, like the last book I reviewed for BookSirens, it sounded like a light, fun, romantic comedy, and like that last book, it delivered. From that first glitter filled meet cute to the happy ending. I love small town stories, and the small town in this book was on an island, which was a bonus.

Tessa and her son live with her mother and help run her bed and breakfast. It wasn't Tessa's dream, but she had promised her father that she would take care of her mother after he passed away. She dreams of buying a dilapidated house that she fell in love with, and having her own art studio. But the bed and breakfast is barely breaking even, and she can't abandon her mother.

Parker is a busy doctor with a soaring career at a big city hospital. He rarely comes back to Winslow Island, but his mother is planning a party for his father's birthday. Which just happens to fall during the island's annual Matchmaking Festival.

From their first meeting, Tessa and Parker are at odds with each other. Parker ticks many boxes for me – he's gruff, direct, rude, arrogant. All of which annoys Tessa, almost as much as her attraction to him does. But of course that's just the exterior, hiding the real Parker underneath. His heart was broken in the past, and now it's locked up tight. Neither he or Tessa are looking for a relationship, and Parker has no intention of sticking around anyway.

I really enjoyed this book. Full of amusing supporting characters, and lots of fun banter between Parker and Tessa, as well as between Tessa and her sister, Gabby, and Parker and his brothers. The Matchmaking Festival was an interesting setting, and Tessa roping Parker into participating in a speed dating event was one of the highlights of the book.

Breezy writing, fun dialogue, the story is sweet and heartwarming. The romance is clean, albeit with some steamy kisses. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Goodreads synopsis: Join the residents of Winslow Island for a fun-filled, opposites-attract, sweet romance - full of piggyback rides and scrumptious baked goods.

It might be Winslow Island's annual Matchmaking Festival, but Tessa has more important things to worry about, like how to keep her mother's bed and breakfast in business.

Parker's life is as precise and planned as the surgeries he performs. He's on track for a career-making promotion - if he can improve his bedside manner.

When his mother plans a family celebration for the same weekend as the Matchmaking Festival, Parker suspects he's in for a series of sneaky setups. But with his promotion fast approaching, he has no time for distractions - until Tessa crashes into him in a shower of glitter, wreaking havoc with his plans and his heart.

With a temper as fiery as her red hair, she's a distraction too tempting to ignore.

Tessa is determined to resist Parker's charms - even if his smile makes her toes curl. He's only on the island for five days, and she won't risk a broken heart. But with the festival in full swing, resisting Parker is proving harder than she expected, especially when he becomes the key to saving her mother's business.

Can Parker convince Tessa that he's worth taking a chance on, or will his career-focused heart drive them further apart?

Whether you are fans of the Gilmore Girls or the Golden Girls, you'll fall in love with Winslow Island.