Pamela BrooksRecensioni
Autore di Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded
Recensioni
Red Wine And Her Sexy Ex (Modern Heat) di Kate Hardy
Una storia lineare e priva di qualsiasi mordente, di buoni sentimenti e “principi azzurri”, un vero “harmony” in tutto e per tutto.
Una lettura che scivola via in un soffio, troppo innocente ed elementare per il mio personale gusto.
Tre stelle, ma proprio stiracchiate.
Such a sweet romance about second chances and family. Ryan and Rachel have been hurt by former lovers, and both of them were unsure about falling for someone new.
I know the author did her homework on people with dementia, because she described things I went through with my Mother.
Ben moved to the small village of Great Crowmell for a fresh start. After finding out that his wife and the baby she carried belonged to his best friend, he needed to get away from the memories and the pitying looks. He has no interest in entering any new relationships.
Toni moved back to Great Crowmell to care for her grandmother and stayed after her grandmother's death. After a series of relationships with men who turned out to be selfish jerks, Toni no longer trusts her judgment and has sworn off men.
Ben and Toni got off to a rough start when he tripped over her therapy dog, Archie. After Ben comments about dogs not belonging there, and Toni snaps back, both retreat to their corners. Fortunately, neither one holds a grudge, and they clear the air the next day. Toni is a friendly and kind-hearted woman and wants Ben to feel at home in the village. After inviting him to dinner, where he gets to know both her and Archie, the beginnings of a friendship form. I loved watching Toni and Ben spend time together, getting to know each other, and sharing the hurts of their pasts.
Neither expected the sparks of attraction they felt. After an evening of Ben comforting Toni after losing a friend turned into much more, they had to make a decision. Do they allow past hurts to rule their lives, or take a chance and explore whatever is between them? I loved how they were open and honest about their wants and needs and decided to move their relationship ahead slowly. It was sweet to see the things they did together, from dinners to sightseeing to quiet movie nights. Their romantic weekend away was incredible.
Everything moved along quite nicely, then Toni became pregnant. I wanted to shake Ben, who let his past get into his head and cause him to make a boneheaded mistake. I ached for Toni, who suddenly felt her past happening all over again. Fortunately, Ben's idiocy didn't linger too long, helped along by an emergency with his sister's family. I loved Ben's big moment at the end, with his heartfelt apology and admission of his feelings. I didn't blame Toni for being wary at first and making him work for her forgiveness. The epilogue was fantastic, with a nice little twist at the end.
I loved the view of life in Great Crowmell. Like small towns all over, everybody seems to know everybody else and all of their business. I loved how quickly Ben felt at home. I would love to live/visit there myself, especially during their nineteen-forties weekend. Archie was another big part of the book. His obvious joy at being around people and ability to sense what they needed made him an excellent therapy dog. I loved how he turned Ben from an anti-dog person to a dog lover.
On a personal note, I loved Ben and Toni's trip to Vienna. Having been to the SiSi Museum, I agree entirely with Toni's love of what she saw. From their carriage tour to the concert to the pastries they ate, it all brought back wonderful memories.
When Antonio saw Tia, he was wracked with guilt. Nathan's death had devastated him, but as a member of the royal family, he had been taught to keep his emotions under control at all times, so he knew he hadn't handled the visit to the family well. To make things worse, he was immediately sent on another mission, so he hadn't been able to attend Nathan's funeral. He knew how much Nathan loved his mother and sister and felt terrible that he hadn't checked up on them.
I liked seeing Antonio try to get Tia to talk with him. I liked that he understood her attitude, yet persisted in requesting her presence. Tia tried to resist, but when Antonio invoked Nathan's name, she gave in. I loved that encounter in his rooms, as he didn't behave at all like she expected a prince to behave. I was glad that she finally listened to his reasons and forgave him. Her own grief and empathy made it easy for her to give him a comforting hug. What was unexpected was the passion that flared between them, and the form that their comforting of each other took.
Six months later, Tia shows up in Casavalle, after trying for months to reach Antonio. She has been stonewalled all along the way, mostly because she won't tell anyone WHY she needs to talk to him. After all, that kind of news should be delivered in person, not through a third party. I liked that Tia stood her ground until she finally got to see him. To say he was shocked would put it mildly, and not too happy that she had so much trouble reaching him. Unfortunately, the timing of her news isn't the greatest, as the royal family has already been rocked by several scandals. While Antonio tries to figure out how best to handle it, he and Tia head for his private hideaway.
I loved the time that Antonio and Tia spent at his chalet. It was mostly just the two of them, giving them a chance to get to know each other. I loved the effect that Tia had on Antonio, helping him open up to his emotions, learning how to show them. There were some sweet scenes of the two of them together, being almost like ordinary people. I loved how the people of the village, although aware of his royalty, treated him (mostly) as just another man. That said, I enjoyed their surprise when he filled in as Santa at the village holiday party. Even better was Antonio's surprise at how much he enjoyed it. It didn't take long for Tia to realize that she had fallen hard for Antonio, but she was determined to stand on her own two feet. The last thing she wanted was to feel like yet another duty to him. I ached for Antonio because it took him so long to realize that what he felt for Tia was love. Then he had to figure out how to convince her of his feelings. I liked the advice he got from both his brother and his mom. The ending was sweet and romantic. I can't wait for the third book and the story of the surprise sister.
Also, it was weird. I don’t know if the author brushed up on britishisms, or what. It was confusing sometimes who was talking. Every time she used a British term, he would correct her to the American. Then, out of nowhere he would use a British term, like how he liked her “jumper”. A Montana rancher is NOT going to refer to a sweater as a jumper. Especially when an obvious point is made of him correcting her. Multiple times. That should’ve been sorted in editing as well.
A Spoonful of Sugar hits the sweet spot. It celebrates the value of helping others and falling in love, all with a light touch. A hint of drama sets the stage for a little romance, a dash of heart and a tablespoon of laughter that tops off the fun. Love, hope, charity and laughter are the best recipe for a good time. Kate Hardy outdid herself with Stacey and Tyler.
Free copy received in exchange for an honest review
I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from the Publisher via NetGalley for voluntary review consideration.
I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from the Publisher via NetGalley for voluntary review consideration.
Read more of this review and TWO teasers here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2014/07/feasted-on-crown-prince-pregna...
He was all business and had no time for love. She was kind and loving. Two very different people...one very special night. This is a wonderful sexy story I definitely recommend.
I loved Carissa's enthusiasm for the season. She is determined to make Quinn see the magic of the season and sets out to convince him. She takes him to everything from light festivals to ice skating trying to show him how wonderful it is. As she gets to know him she discovers that Quinn doesn't talk about his past at all and wonders if that has to do with his dislike of Christmas. Carissa herself has known pain of her own, but deals with it by trying to do good for others.
I liked Quinn a lot. He has terrible memories of his childhood, which have really affected his adult life. He was abandoned by his mother and raised by his aunt and uncle, but always felt as though he was a burden to them. While he was in college he fell in love with a young woman who it turned out didn't care for him and broke his heart, adding to his feelings of being worthless. By the time he meets Carissa he has gotten in the habit of keeping everyone at an emotional distance. But there is something about Carissa that he doesn't seem to be able to say no to, and he finds himself doing things he'd had no intention of doing. I loved seeing him start to loosen up and have fun, even if he was still having trouble believing in her magic of Christmas. I also liked the way that he was able to get her to talk about her painful past and gave her the support and understanding that she didn't expect. I also loved what he did with that knowledge.
It was great to see how Carissa's determination started to break through Quinn's defenses. Thanks to her he got to see what loving families were like. I also loved seeing the attraction that built between them. Both of them had painful pasts, but Carissa is more open to seeing what might come of it. When their attraction gets the best of them, it scares Quinn and he tries to pull back. Carissa finally succeeds in getting him to talk to her about his past, but then lets him know that he needs to deal with his demons if he wants a chance at happiness with her. I loved what he did with what she told him, and the difference it made to his entire outlook. His final push to show her how he feels was really sweet and romantic.
Ellie is a sweetheart. Only someone like heart can undertake the task of melting Mitch's heart and helping him look at life with different eyes. Loved reading this story!
Mitch Carter is a Philadelphia PR executive who doesn't celebrate Christmas since he doesn't have good memories of it growing up. He is on the fast track to taking over the PR agency when his boss C.J Holford retires next year, but C.J. has one more test for Mitch before he makes his decision: show that Mitch has a heart and take C.J.'s place as Santa at a children's party at a local hospice.
Ellie Brown is a British pastry chef who has come to Philadelphia to start over after a divorce, and to help her Godmother run the bakery/catering service while she is in the hospital for a hip replacement. Ellie loves Christmas, and she dresses as The Chief Elf while catering the children's party at the hospice.
An unexpected snowstorm has Mitch and Ellie snowed in and sharing Christmas Eve together, giving them a chance to break down the walls, open up, and take a risk at love, making it a special Christmas to remember.
'Tis The Season To Kiss Santa is a wonderful holiday romance novella that has a lot of Christmas joy, spirit, and hot sensuous romance. Author Kate Hardy weaves an enjoyable tale of two people finding unexpected love at Christmas that leaves the reader with a smile on their face. This is a sweet romance romance that will tug at the heartstrings as Mitch is humbled at the children's party and he learns to open up his heart, while Ellie learns that it's okay to take a risk with her heart once again. I got lost in the sensuous and passionate slow-building love scene between Mitch and Ellie, their chemistry was electric, and their romance was very sexy and tender, I sure wouldn't mind kissing Santa!
'Tis The Season To Kiss Santa is an enjoyable little holiday story. The joy of the holiday season and the true meaning of Christmas comes shining through in this uplifting and tender novella, it will definitely put the reader in the holiday spirit.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/tis-season-to-kiss-santa-by-ka...
for Read Your Writes Book Reviews
This was a nice little story. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I felt disconnected from the characters. However, I was still able to enjoy the book.
Because of Mitch's upbringing, he isn't a fan of Christmas. In fact he's been called Ebenezer. It's not that Mitch is a bad guy, because he isn't. His past just doesn't hold the memories of what great Christmases are all about. When his boss questions if he has a heart, Mitch puts on a Santa suit for one hour to prove that he does.
Ellie loves Christmas. After getting divorced and losing her business, she is in the U.S. to help her Godmother who is recovering from hip surgery and find out what she wants to do next with her life.
An unexpected blizzard traps these two together on Christmas Eve and together they find a love of Christmas and discover that sometimes it's okay to take risks.
Source: Publisher: Entangled ~ Indulgence
I really liked both Emmy and Dylan. In spite of their feelings toward each other they were willing to do whatever was best for Tyler. Emmy is a talented jewelry designer who tends to see the good things in life. Unfortunately she also has really bad luck in relationships so has pretty much written off getting involved with anyone until Tyler is grown. As she and Dylan settle in to their new lives she discovers that he's not as bad as she had thought. She sees his willingness to learn how to care for Tyler and also that he's more open to compromise. It isn't long until she is also noticing his good looks and that there's a buzz of attraction whenever she's around him. I really liked the slow growth from adversaries to friends to more. It wasn't a flash bang attraction but very real development that dealt with their different personalities and the problems that occasionally came up. Even with their growing feelings Emmy still had some issues left over from her previous relationships that nearly derailed their future, but talking it out solved the problem. One of the things I really liked about her was her happy outlook on things. Besides the playing with Tyler that she did, I loved the way she looked at the world around her. Seeing the butterfly gardens and the seaside through her eyes was great.
Dylan was a darker personality. He hadn't had a happy childhood, with no father and a mother who was constantly trying to "find herself". It also made him sure that he never wanted to have children because he would have no idea how to care properly for them. This caused the end of his marriage, which only reinforced his feelings. In spite of that he was willing to do his best for Tyler. I really liked the way that he had no trouble asking Emmy to teach him what he needed to know. I also liked the was that he realized that he had misjudged her by comparing her to his mother. He fought his attraction to her because he didn't want it to impact their care of Tyler, but more and more he saw the ways he had changed and thought that a future could be possible. I thought that his "lunch date" with Emmy was just the sweetest thing and more romantic than I had expected from him. I loved the way he went after her at the end.
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