Victoria Grant

Little known fact about me: I grew up watching soap operas. Two in particular: Coronation Street and General Hospital. My Dad was from England, so Coronation Street was basically law to watch. We couldn't miss an episode! My Mom liked General Hospital and got me into it, which I ended up watching every day after school. I slowly moved away from General Hospital only due to the fact I worked or had college and university during it, but it was still quite the guilty pleasure for me.

Then, in walks No Cure For Love by Victoria Grant. This sounded EXACTLY up my alleyway. It sounded like the romantic drama of General Hospital but in book form. Why wouldn't I want to pick this up?! So naturally, I did.

This hospital romance fills that void of my old guilty pleasure. It opens up with a hot guy being examined by our lead doctor, and it starts off with a bang (not literally... in either way you want to say that... pun intended). Rylee, our amazing doctor, is taking care of Jamie Calederone (whose family is the lead of this series). This hockey loving Canadian ends up in the ER with a hockey jersey, and a probably head injury. Rylee is a little bit smitten, and that's just the start to their dramatic love story.

Side note: I did a year of health care... I don't think we put rippling muscles on the hospital records, but I am SO down for it if we are suddenly changing that up. I think it's funny. Although, mine might sound like "Average, eats a little bit too much cake, has the knees of an eighty year old woman."

So, we have this business hot shot and a caring physician who just wants her stupid, cheating ex (who is also a doctor) to leave her alone. Jamie is a little hot headed, and Rylee is definitely misunderstood by him. At times, Jamie frustrates me and makes me want to shake him and scream. But hey, not all men can be some dreamy dude off Grey's Anatomy. A fair bit of misunderstandings happens, and Jamie gets himself into more trouble. Rylee and Jamie bounce back and forth between true romance and fighting disaster, before they make a decision on how their relationship should go.

Fun notes:
1. "Freckles like cinnamon sprinkles on hot cocoa" - I like this imagery. This is why I love romance novels - the imagery is always insanely awesome.

2. Hockey puns are included in this book and I highly appreciate it, being a Canadian who knows too much about hockey, of course...

3. The Calderone family seems like a kooky family full of hijinks and mischief. I like it. I definitely need to read the other books in this series.

4. The hot box analogy... I found it very weird and odd. When you read the book, you'll understand. I get what was being said, but it felt really awkward. That's just me though!

5. This book sets ups boundaries very well. I hate books where the lead sets a boundary and the counterpart goes against it like they don't matter. This book made the boundaries clear and the characters followed. We need more of that to be set as good examples for romance readers.

Overall, this book is a fun, romantic read! You by no means need to read the rest of this series to understand what is going on. I read this without any background on the rest of the series and absolutely loved it! I'm sure the relationships between the characters and Easter eggs will make more sense if you read the whole series, but you'll be fine with this as a standalone.

Five out of five stars! Gimme more of these romances, stat!

I received this book for free form the author, Victoria Grant, in exchange of an honest review.… (altro)

Being a book worm is hard! There's thousands upon millions upon probably billions of books to read out there, and you always hope you find the magic mix of your reading style and the book. The Calderone Family Romance series is one of those series that just vibes with me. It's a fun, fast paced romance series packed with drama and really hot scenes. I'm so thankful I found one of those series, because I can dip into these books and suddenly I've swam out to the deep and and it's already too late... I've binged the book.

Now, let's get past my fun, little introduction. We've got Book 1, Stranded in Love, for this series! Now, a kind warning: I am reading this series out of order. I already jumped into a book later on in the series, but it does not affect my reading experience at all. It only made me way more interested in reading up on the rest of this series! So, perfect note for you readers - feel free to give this series a read out of order. Unless you are totally offended by learning who the couples end up with and their futures first... It's a good time!

This book is a Christmas read! It might not be the most obvious Christmas book, but it's set in the winter time in a snowstorm in good ol' Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Shout-out to my fellow Canadians!

We have Laney Calderone, the only daughter in the famous Calderone family. They are big, hot shots with a very expensive company under their belts. We have the parents, Eve and Boyd, who are basically royalty in Toronto (as it seems). Eve is a wee bit of a drama queen, and Boyd seems to be a more kind and gentle partner to balance out his wife. We also have Laney's many brothers (who will eventually be getting their own books in the series). Charles, Noel, and many more will pop up!

So, Laney is out in a snowstorm and gets stuck. There isn't anything more true than that statement when you are in Ontario. She just found out she was pregnant and her awful, no good fiancee broke up with her over it. He's trash, which pretty much any character (except Eve and Ramone himself) would tell you. Along walks in Tyler, a guy who seems to instantly butt heads with Laney around every corner. He plays knight in shining armour, to save the day and bring her to his house so they can wait out the storm. Sure, it seems creepy and you can understand Laney's dismay, but it turns out being a little too good... Something romantic starts brewing, especially with a week of time alone in a big apartment...

The comedy and sexy scenes will keep you pulled into this book. It definitely gives off soap opera level drama levels in this book, so be ready for insta-love, quick romances, sudden arguments and dramatic characters. I enjoyed it for the escape that it was! It's a fun, fast paced romance book that doesn't leave me bored or feeling like I'm left behind. It's just long enough too, so it's a nice, quick read.

Bonus points for the Fred and Ginger quotes. These books are excellent at random quotes and pop culture references. I thoroughly enjoy it.

I recommend this book if you love: cheesey romances, insta-love stories (or at least very fast relationships), soap opera drama and a fun, fast paced book.

Five out of five stars!

Thank you to Victoria Grant, the author, who sent me a free, signed copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. This one is definitely going on display on my favourite book shelf!… (altro)

The Calderone Family Romance series is peak drama and romance, so go figure that Write To Love kept the pace going and the romance hotter than ever.

Casey and Noel are our leads - a mystery writer and one sexy business man. Casey Dunlop is all of us nerdy little book people's dream (or reality) - she's written books and finally has one published! It's the time of her life, and she's so pumped to be out meeting and greeting fans (if only she could get more books published too...). She accidentally stumbles upon Noel Calderone, one of the hot bachelors of the famous, Toronto business empire Calderone family. He's sexy, wealthy and the man of her dreams... she just doesn't know it yet. After an awkwardly cute encounter, the two begin their dance in each other's lives, and it's going to be bumpy and dramatic!

Tall. Dark. Handsome. That's what Noel is, but Eve, his Mother, proves to be the star of the show for a few chapters. She's a fantastic antagonist that made me HATE HER SO MUCH. The fury that woman gives me is unbelievable. It feels like I'm back to my high school ways, but instead of watching soap operas where we hate the evil women, I'm reading it. It's a fun kind of hate though, because I'm almost certain she's going to get better or we're going to get her love story... and maybe we'll understand.

Casey goes through a lot, but the happily ever after is what made me feel good. It makes you warm and fuzzy, after all of the super hot, super steamy sex scenes. Not gonna lie, this book is R rated fodder for those romance fans who like a dash of erotica in their reads...

If you want charm, romance and drama, this book is definitely it! I love hopping into these books because they drag me away to a fantasized land of craziness. The romance is on point, the sex is hot, and Toronto is definitely a fictional place... right? (Says the Canadian, ironically... or sarcastically... Your pick). Take this romantic, comedy, drama fest and run with it! I highly recommend it.

Five out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the author, Victoria Grant, in exchange of an honest review.
… (altro)

Designing Love by Victoria Grant is the third romantic read in the Calderone Family romance series.

We're back at it again with another Calderone child getting their love story fleshed out in the most dramatic and romantic of ways. Charles Calderone gets his turn to shine as he woos Caroline Winters, an architect. She's a close friend of Casey (who you may or may not remember from previous instalments in this series), so it was only natural for her to find love with another hot and handsome Calderone brother. She's wickedly smart, a leading architect, and knows what she wants. She's the best of the best in her world, there's no denying that. Charles didn't want romance, but here he is fawning over Caroline. He was done with women, much like Caroline who vowed she didn't need a man or a family. But things change when you start falling in love. Caroline and Charles butt heads, but man are they destined for one another. The sassy and sarcastic nature, the hot headed-ness, and the ambition of these characters make them on interesting match.

The drama of the Calderone family continues, with Eve (Charles' Mother) being a wee bit of a terror and the family values being strong. It's interesting to seeing another strong willed, headstrong woman come into this family. Man, I wouldn't survive... So these women win all of the awards!

The nice thing about this series is you can either read each and every book in the series in a binge like fashion (like me...) or you can read them as standalone. Reading them together makes the Easter eggs of familiar characters way more fun, but it doesn't affect the experience at all. Victoria Grant does a miraculous job of making sure you know any backstory up front, and lets you enjoy the rest of the ride. So if you're fearful for grabbing book three, don't! I read a fair amount of these books out of order and it hasn't affected my reading experience at all.

If you want a negative out of this - Caroline and Charles are quite hot headed and quick to their temper. It can definitely be annoying (if you don't like characters like that) but it doesn't take away too much from the story. I see Caroline as a high achieving, stressed out character who has to deal with the always infuriating Calderone family (seriously though, Eve is a wee bit of a monster...) so I can see why she'd lose her cool so quick.

Overall, this is a fun series with soap opera like drama, quick pacing, and lots of hot and heavy romance. I truly enjoy whisking myself away into these books and watching the wild romance unfold. I highly recommend these romance books for fans of big drama!

Five out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the author, Victoria Grant, in exchange of an honest review.… (altro)