Tag: romance

This Chick Read: Wrong Number Right Guy (The Bourbon Street Boys #1) by Elle Casey

May Wexler receives an urgent text from her sister from a dive bar downtown called Frankie’s. Responding to the urgent nature of the text, she grabs her mini Chihuahua and rushes out the door. Dressed inappropriately for a biker dive bar in her pink espadrilles and Ann Taylor clothes, she braves the biker element in search of her sister and her three kids. Needless to say, her sister isn’t there. The text was sent in error, and before she figures that out, she’s in the middle of a shoot out and a burly bearded gorilla grabs her and hustles her out the door.

This was the first of the fish out of water scenes in Wrong Number Right Guy for May. She was not the brightest bulb in the bunch, however she was plucky! and damned funny actually. There were a couple of scenes where I was laughing out loud and wiping tears from my eyes. Normally I abhor stupid women in books, but there was more to May than met the eye and I can only think that Ozzie saw right through that Ann Taylor facade before I did. Even though he was mostly the strong silent type, he seemed to like her shenanigans and actually gave her credit for having more brains than I’m convinced she had. He was the perfect stoic foil to her beard jokes and took her teasing very well.

The best thing about this novel, besides the humor, was the fact that even though May was kind of nutty, she wasn’t a victim. This girl seemed terrified of everything, but when push came to shove, her instincts were on fire and she’d kick butt. Sometimes by accident, but she didn’t need a man to save her, she always ended up saving herself. This is why this book ranked so high. Well, that and the humor. My god, I laughed! I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series to see if they are just as funny. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Wrong Number Click this link to purchase! Wrong Number, Right Guy (The Bourbon Street Boys) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Amber (Red Hot Love #1) by Elle Casey

Amber’s life is peaceful if not a little boring living on a hippie commune in Maine with her three mothers and two sisters. She and her sisters lives get flipped upside down when a lawyer shows up on their doorstep representing a famous rock band offering a $10 million settlement each to their three daughters. Not only are they shocked that their father’s may be alive, but also that their mothers had been groupies for the band Red Hot, gotten pregnant at the same time, and retired to a commune to raise them and never telling them that their fathers were alive.

I’ll admit, this premise was a new one for me! Groupie moms, now hippies on a commune raising their daughters? When hippie chick Amber arrives in NY, a little heated about these fathers trying to buy their daughters off, she is a duck out of water. Ty, new lead guitarist for Red Hot, meets her at the airport, but she takes the old adage “Never talk to Strangers” very seriously and although cute, she ditches him. The hijinks between Ty and Amber begin. They have some serious chemistry and Amber soon can’t resist this tortured musician.

Yes, this was a love story that I really liked, however the real conflict is between Amber and this band of possible fathers. When she gets past her anger, she starts to build relationships with the band and those scenes are written so well, the pain on both sides heartbreaking. I really liked how her feelings for them and learning how they loved her mothers really added depth to the story and as a comparison made the love story between she and Ty real. Amber was different than other Elle Casey novels, but I really enjoyed it!  I will definitely be reading her sister Emerald’s story when it comes out in April 2018! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I was given an ARC of this novel through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest!

Amber

Click this link to purchase! Shiver

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Lingus by Mariana Zapata

Kat is your average ordinary twenty something young woman. She teaches grade school, has had a few boyfriends, has a group of very close girlfriends, and has a wonderful relationship with her father. She also loves porn. Yep! You got it, porn. Kat gets dragged to a porn convention by one of her best friends, and although she is constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure no one she knows see’s her, she is having a blast. While waiting for her best friend to get her favorite male porn star’s autograph, she meets Tristan. Beautiful Tristan who is just sweet as can be. They strike up a funny conversation and inadvertently end up eating lunch together. While he is gorgeous with a capital G, it doesn’t occur to Kat that she is at a PORN convention and that Tristan could be a porn star. Not until she see’s him signing his own autographs at a table later on that same day and he beckons her over asking if he can see her later.

Except for the porn aspect of this novel, this is your typical Mariana Zapata friends to lovers novel. (I would’ve said “typical slow burn” novel, but porn and slow burn, ewww!) Tristan wants to be Kat’s friend. He doesn’t have girlfriends because he doesn’t think it’s healthy to be doing porn and trying to have a relationship. Well, ok, that makes a ton of sense! However, Tristan and Kat have this incredible energy together and even though it takes a while to get there, they do end up together. What makes this novel so different is that this crisis of sorts is well, porn. That is what is keeping them apart. Told entirely from Kat’s perspective, she agonizes over his job. We see that, we hear her feelings, and we know how knowing what he does disrupts her peace of mind.

Tristan through Kat’s eyes is perfect. Beautiful, great personality, fun, and a really really nice person. His explanation for why he does porn doesn’t really ring true for me, but then I’m not a guy and don’t have guy sexual thoughts, so who knows! Maybe it’s that easy to get into porn! Knowing what he did for a living would be a deal breaker for me, but Kat and Tristan are just friends, and one of her other best friends is in that industry. So, even though it’s kind of common to Kat, it’s still strange to me, but I kept reading. LOL.

I’ll give the author some kudos for making me like her writing enough to pick up a novel where the lead characters meet at a porn convention. The friends to lovers story rang true and their friendship did not revolve around porn. (thank God!) I loved both Kat and Tristan and rooted for them to find their happy together. They were quirky, the dialog was fun and just as with her other novels, Ms. Zapata delivered! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Lingus Click this link to purchase! Lingus Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Catalyst (The Deception Game #1) by Kristin Smith

Catalyst is set in a world where genetically altered teenagers are the norm and being naturally born is abnormal. When her father dies suddenly, Sienna has to leave school to find a way to make money to support her mother (who has lupus) and her little sister. Uneducated and “normal” Sienna turns to a life of crime. Taking a job to steal from the man who created the technique to genetically alter human life, she is caught by a military group and blackmailed into killing that scientist. Sienna turns to the Fringe, a semi- terrorist group that is helping extract teens from science labs where they are being tested on against their will not wanting to be a killer. Yikes, there’s a lot going on in this world and really very little explanation, which did make my head spin a bit.

Sienna was a hard headed girl who had good intentions. She’s trying to take care of her family but really just wants someone else to take care of her and make this all go away. I mean, what 17 year old wouldn’t want that? She was torn between two men, Zane, the first genetically altered boy/man, and Trey, the leader of the Fringe. Zane, protected since he was a child, seemed very naive. He was friendly, handsome, charming, but somehow innocent. Trey was also friendly, handsome and charming but a little more dangerous. I am a bit tired of the torn between two guys trope and was looking for an angle that hadn’t been taken in previous novels. Unfortunately, other than they were both nice guys instead of one being evil, Sienna’s situation wasn’t unique.

I really wanted to feel more for this book more than I did. The concept was interesting and I love a strong good versus evil theme, but I thought the world building needed more explanation and I didn’t connect with Sienna. That lack of connection hurt the impact of the final moments of the novel. What happened rocked Sienna’s world, but it just didn’t rock mine. Was it horrible? No. I saw a lot of promise in this novel that just wasn’t fulfilled. Can the author deliver on that promise in the next novel? If she gives Sienna more heart, yes. Will I pick up the next novel, Forgotten? Undecided. ❤️❤️❤️

Kudos to the beautiful covert art which grabbed my attention and made me pick up the book. (Although it didn’t scream apocalyptic genetically altered teen novel.)

Catalyst Click this link to purchase! Catalyst (The Deception Game) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

When Alexa and Drew get stuck in an elevator together at the Fairmont Hotel during a power outage they pass the time by flirting and eating the cheese and crackers she brought to share with her sister. When the elevator starts moving they are both slightly disappointed. Arriving at their floor Alexa gets off the elevator but Drew stops her with a question. Would you be my date to a wedding and rehearsal dinner this weeken? Alexa, normally shy and insecure feels somehow confident in his company and agrees to this kind of strange blind date. When she shows up for the rehearsal dinner they totally click and she helps him navigate what could be a rather uncomfortable event. He’s a groomsman in his ex girlfriends wedding.

The Wedding Date quote

There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book. Alexa and Drew were a bi-racial couple. Seeing things through Alexa’s eyes while navigating the relationship were eye opening. Something as simple as going to a backyard barbecue can be difficult as the only black person at the party. I cringed in horror at some of the things Alexa had to endure. Crude talk from drunk white men hitting on her was normal to her, and it just shouldn’t be. Her job as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Berkeley was a highly qualified position. She had a law degree and was beautiful and personable, but was denigraded by men because of her race. It pissed me off for her. How did Drew handle this? Extremely well. He was mad on her behalf and tried to save her from these unsavory characters, but being a part of a bi-racial couple was not something he was used to navigating. Although to give him credit, the mistakes he made in the relationship were normal man-woman mistakes and didn’t have anything to do with race.

Drew was also an adult with a big job. He was a pediatric surgeon, used to making life altering decisions in the blink of an eye. However, when it came to women Drew was a man-child. His only long term girlfriend being the bride whose wedding he was in. Both characters had their insecurities, but Drew’s were about his failure to make a commitment. It took having to fight for Alexa and for them as a couple to make him grow up.

The topics I talked about above make this sound like a serious book. There were moments that were eye opening and serious. But really, this was a fun romance. Drew was charming, as was Alexa. Their courting song and dance was similar to other books I’ve read, but it was the topics above that gave this book heart and these characters something to overcome to fight to be together. It didn’t take long for me to be charmed into reading the whole novel. Really, I think it was by page 3.  These two characters had great chemistry and the sex scenes (NC-17 rated) didn’t get in the way of a very good story.  This is Jasmine Guillory’s debut novel and boy did she hit a home run. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

The Wedding Date Jasmine Guillory is a graduate of Wellesley College and Stanford Law School. She is a Bay Area native who has towering stacks of books in her living room, a cake recipe for every occasion, and upwards of 50 lipsticks.

Jasmine Guillory Click this link to purchase! The Wedding Date

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Score (San Francisco Thunder #1) by Victoria Denault

When Zooey was a teenager she rebelled in all ways. The daughter of a minister, she liked to cross the line. Now, going through a hellish divorce, Zoey runs into the sisters of a childhood crush, Jude Braddock. Jude hearing about his sisters run in with Zoey, immediately flashes back to that one night… the problem is, Zoey is no longer the same girl and Jude is not the same boy.

Jude is a professional hockey player and gets all of the benefits that go along with that role. Tons of one night stands have given him a rotten reputation in the news. When he finds Zoey again, he spends hours of time trying to get her into bed. However, Zoey is going through a divorce, and while she is definitely attracted to Jude she is not going to break those vows before the papers are signed. Her dedication gives the two of them time to settle down and actually get to know each other again. Jude finds himself in a new role of supporter and friend. A role that does not come very easily to him.

I have to admit, I struggle with reading about sluts, whether they are male or female. Spending time in Jude’s head as he strategizes on how he wants to get Zoey in bed only annoyed me, but also being inside his head while he struggled with how to be a good friend to Zoey while she was fighting feelings of insecurity over her failed marriage, redeemed him a little. There was more to his storyline than just sex; trust issues with his teammates, sisters who were too much into his business, and his own feeling of low self esteem even though he was a pro hockey player. All of these things added to the story giving it more of a plot than he trying to sleep with Zoey, but unfortunately that was still the overriding theme.

Zoey was really forgiving of all of Jude’s sexual shenanigans and in fact was kind of turned on by his aggressiveness. Totally not my thing.  I found myself overlooking and skimming through all of the sexy scenes trying to find heart.  I did really like Zoey’s character. The contrast between a wild teen and a conservative adult who struggled with her identity and self esteem was interesting. The Jude who helped her find herself again, I liked. I just wish that we didn’t have to dig through so much of slutty Jude to find that guy. Zoey was the girl that got away for Jude, and the fact that she still meant so much to him after all of these years was sweet. Together as a couple, they did seem to bring out the best in each other and that was why I stuck with the book.

I do love sports romances and find it interesting that a lot of authors go the slutty male character route. Is that attractive to women? I guess?  Maybe some women like the fantasy that a good woman can tame him? I like the fantasy of “this couple brings the best out in each other” and that’s why I gave it ❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!  Score (San Francisco Thunder) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Judgment Road (Torpedo Ink #1) by Christine Feehan

Anya Rafferty has taken a job as bartender in the bar owned by MC Club Torpedo Ink. She’s trying to fly under the radar, friendly but not flirtatious with the bikers and customers, but her beauty gets her noticed. Reaper is the enforcer for Torpedo Ink. His first job is to protect their President, Czar, but he can’t keep his eyes off Anya. He tries to scare her off but she’s broke and doesn’t have anywhere to go. When they go head to head their chemistry is fierce and against his better judgment he decides to make her his own.

I don’t normally read MC biker romances. I don’t have anything against them, they just aren’t my thing. However, when Christine Feehan writes well,her books are really, really good. This book had elements of greatness. Judgment Road and those bikers in Torpedo Ink had a background that was different and drew me in. Stolen when children in Russia, they were abused, trained, and raised to be assassins. When they escaped Russia they stayed together forming this club and using their skills to help others who have been victimized. I liked that theme, but wow, this was a pretty dark book. If you have triggers about rape, abuse, etc. this will be a difficult read. I don’t have those triggers and at times I cringed in horror.

Anya and Reaper were kind of typical of a biker and his babe. He was totally Alpha and she was sassy and sweet. There was a ton of smoking hot sex (a little too much at times) but they had a lot of past trauma to get over, on both their sides to get to their happily ever after. Anya was on the run from a group that wanted her dead and without giving away the story, Torpedo Ink ended up saving women who were brutalized by this same group. I wish Judgment Road was a little less sex and a lot more of that story because it was a really good romantic suspense tale and got me totally hooked. If Reaper hadn’t had trauma in his own background that he and Anya worked through with sex, passages that were important, I would’ve skimmed a lot more than I did.

This series is an offshoot of the Sea Haven series, if any of you are fans. Viktor (Czar) and his wife Bythe were the last book in that series. There is a mystical element to the Torpedo Ink members, just as there was in the Sea Haven series, with each biker having a trait that was kind of magical and mysterious. This magical element gave the series a little boost into the unreal, but made it a lot more fun to read.

Judgment Road was a pretty dark, grueling start to this series, but there were some other members that I found pretty fascinating. I think I’ll need to keep an eye out for the next one, but am hopeful it will be a little lighter read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Judgment Road Click this link to purchase! Judgment Road (Torpedo Ink) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Survive the Night (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #3) by Katie Ruggle

Survive the Night is the third installment in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series and Sarah is my favorite heroine of the three. Sister to a wanna be mob boss she has been locked behind doors and abused for her whole life. That may sound like Sarah would be a victim but she has a bit of steel in her spine. After escaping her brother she moves in with Jules and Grace (heroines from books one and two)and starts to practice what she has been internally preaching…she wants to live a normal life. When she sets eyes on K9 cop Otto she isn’t scared by his size, she is captured by his sweetness watching as he rescues animals and rehabilitates them with a soft touch.

Of course, this is a Katie Ruggle novel so you know trouble is coming and Sarah needs to gear up for a fight. Sure enough, when her brother tracks her down it affects Grace too as their reasons for being in Monroe are tied together. There are some great action scenes that really drive the story. Sarah, separated from her friends when the trouble starts does not hide until its all over. She takes the bull by the horns and seeks out her friends showing she has spunk and is a fighter even after being beaten down for years.

If there was one thing missing for me it was with Otto. He was a big sweet lug who loved animals and took in strays. He was pretty one dimensional and I would’ve liked to have made more of a connection with him. After all he was in the previous two novels, unlike Sarah so I should’ve felt more for him than I did. His purpose was to be there to help save the day and win his girl. He got to do both in a very satisfying way. I enjoyed reading this book on an overcast Saturday afternoon and it hit the spot. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase! Survive the Night (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

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This Chick Read: When It’s Real by Erin Watt

When Vaughn Bennett meets pop star and teen idol Oakley Ford she is totally unimpressed. He’s late, rude and well, a bit stuck up. She used to be a big fan of his music, but that attitude! Vaughn unfortunately has to suck it up because she’s been hired to be his fake girlfriend to help improve his image.

It took Vaughn and Oakley a long time to warm up to each other, so the first two thirds of the book was all about the tension between the two of them. Oakley was also used to getting everything he wanted, so his lack of courtesy towards Vaughn really made him out to be a jerk. That lack of courtesy wasn’t just one sided though, Vaughn was also not very nice to Oakley for that same period of time. This may have been why I had a hard time with these two characters. I’ll admit that when they finally learned how to be friends with each other I grew to like them more and had an easier time with their transition to love.

I thought it interesting that Vaughn and Oakley were both so independent. Vaughn because her parents died in an accident leaving she and her older sister to raise their younger brothers. Oakley was raised by actor parents and had emancipated himself at 15 from them so he could make his own decisions about his career. His parents pretty much dropped out of his life at that point leaving him to raise himself. Vaughn and Oakley’s history should’ve given them a commonality, and it was certainly used, but not until much later in the book when they stopped antagonizing each other and became friendly. Once they did, those similarities did provide that bond, but I wanted it much sooner!

This was a book that should’ve been easier to like. I thought the plot was interesting, and the characters back stories made them human and sympathetic. When they finally really became a couple I really did enjoy the story, I just wanted them to get there a little sooner than they did. However, once they got over that hump I found that I easily forgave them for taking so long to get there, and Erin Watt really does craft a good story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

When Its Real Click this link to purchase! When It’s Real (Harlequin Teen) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn

When a previous expedition partner of Stoker’s goes missing details from his past threaten to make headlines again, stoking those old flames of gossip. Veronica Speedwell is determined to investigate this mystery and keep Stoker’s name and heart from being dragged through the mud again. As they traverse the Egyptian curse that seems to have followed the Ankheset exhibition to London they unravel not only the mystery, but also the intricacy of their friendship.

There are many reasons why the Veronica Speedwell series strikes a chord with me. Even though set in Victorian times, a somewhat prudish era where women are still entrapped by societies rules and station, Veronica is a modern woman. She and Stoker are business partners in life as well as in their investigations. She is outspoken and loves to shock Stoker with pithy statements and fantasies about the male form, and has great wit, charm and a dry sense of humor. She is a woman that I really enjoy reading about. As she and Stoker investigate the disappearance of his previous partner and the curse of the Egyptian exhibition that he had been traveling with (that has now come to London), Veronica’s inner lioness comes out as protector to Stoker’s fallen hero. A Treacherous Curse is a very fine tooled mystery but also we are given insight into the feelings Veronica and Stoker have for each other in a couple of very emotionally moving scenes that I honestly didn’t know these two characters had inside them.

A Treacherous Curse, although set in Victorian London, is uniquely flavored with all things Egyptian. When finding a tomb can mean instant fortune, and also fame for those who uncover those treasures. Although a different era, I had visions of Indiana Jones running through my head while getting to know some of these new over the top adventurers, which was tremendous fun. The pace of the story seemed a little quicker than the previous two novels only slowing down to a simmer for the introspective thoughts Veronica had regarding Stoker. This was my favorite novel of the three so far, and I truly liked the other two! A perfect mix of action, adventure and yes, a glimmer of  a future romance. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given an ARC of this novel through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest!

A Treacherous Curse Click this link to purchase! A Treacherous Curse (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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