Another great month of Harlequin romances! Here are my mini-reviews and a chance for one commenter to win the book of their choice (from the book’s reviewed) in either print or digital.
About the book:
Anything can happen on a magical midsummer’s eve…
Marketing director/workaholic Mimi Burdette has The Plan—work for her father and date his right-hand man. Problem is, there’s no heat in the relationship. Not even a spark. And worse still, Mimi is having some seriously sexy, panties-ablaze dreams—and the star looks a lot like Xander McKinley, the hunky firefighter next door.
Mimi’s dreams might be due to the strange tea she drank. Or the predictions from the fortune cookie she ate. Or they could be due to Xander’s smokin’ hotness. But whether it’s magic or just old-fashioned fireworks, Mimi is about to break all of the rules—including her own!
I enjoyed this book, but felt that it was missing some important element. The characters are well fleshed out and the love scenes are sizzling, but I felt there needed to be something more between the sex.
the book girl gives BLAZING MIDSUMMER NIGHTS a 2/5
About the book:
The Marshalls…
A rich, powerful family that mixes business, politics…and pleasure. If the U.S. had a royal family this would be it!
The tabloids just couldn’t get enough of A-list couple hotshot producer Finn Marshall and Hollywood wild
child Caitlyn Reese. Then Caitlyn fled the glaring lights of Tinseltown, leaving an indelible mark on the Walk of
Fame—and an empty seat on the back of Finn’s motorbike.
Now Cait is back! She’s still got the X factor, and Finn is struggling to banish his X-rated thoughts! Because one thing is for sure…he isn’t interested in just a quick Hollywood retake. To interest him, it’ll have to be a full-budget epic remake
.
I enjoyed this story, but wish there had been more romance. Cait and Finn had a tumultuous relationship in the past and neither one thinks that they are good for each other. So, now that they are again in each other’s lives they try to keep their distance from each other to no avail. However, the attraction between the two of them is just too strong for them to resist and they must find a way to not go back to the destructive behavior of the past. I really enjoyed the way the characters come into themselves during the book. I wish there had been more of Cait and Finn as a functioning couple instead of just the last chapter.
the book girl gives REDEMPTION OF A HOLLYWOOD STARLET a 3/5
About the book:
The CEO’s second chance…
Max Montgomery had it all: charm, good looks and a career as CEO of the family business. Marriage to Kate Hunter was the icing on the cake. Until a devastating family secret sent his world—and then his marriage—crashing down around him.
Years later, Max is accidentally reunited with Kate, who also has a secret—the daughter he’s never met! Bonding with adorable Trisha may come naturally, but with the shadows of the past still haunting him, recapturing the heart of the woman he’s never stopped loving is quite a different matter…
THE TYCOON’S SECRET DAUGHTER is a story of redemption and second chances. I’m usually not a fan of books with an alcoholic character, since I have a father who is one, but I really enjoyed this story and the changes that happened to Max because of his strength of character. Kate has trouble seeing him as anything other than the man who ruined their marriage and frightened her. It takes them spending time together and getting to no one another as the people they are now instead of the people they were for them to find their way to a happily ever after. The story is emotional and heartwarming.
the book girl gives THE TYCOON’S SECRET DAUGHTER a 4/5
About the book:
THE PERFECT MISMATCH!
It seemed as if all the Fortunes were finding love—all of them except Emily. Pretty, poised and smart, the oldest Fortune daughter had given up on Mr. Right and was now looking for Baby Right.
And then she met a man.
No one would ever picture rough-around-the-edges Max Allen with a pampered princess like Emily. The tall,
shaggy-haired airport manager had never caught a break in his life. After he’d lost baby Anthony, he vowed never to love another child. And now he’d fallen hard for a polished, sophisticated woman intent on having a baby. Was Max headed for another heartbreak? Or could the well-heeled Ms. Fortune be the one who finally made him whole?
FORTUNE’S PERFECT MATCH is a sweet story of getting what you didn’t know you wanted. Emily Fortune wants a baby and isn’t willing to wait around for her perfect man. She tries adoption and in-vitro with a sperm donor. But in the midst of all the baby planning something happens that she never thought would…she meets Mr. Right. Max doesn’t want children after loosing a child that he thought was his but wasn’t. I loved this couple. They are very different and they struggle with those differences. The only thing I didn’t care for was Emily’s blind pursuit of having a child at the expense of all else. I loved the happily ever after ending to this story.
the book girl gives FORTUNE’S PERFECT MATCH a 4/5
About the book:
It was the stuff of fairy tales: Hannah agreed to help out a princess, and within hours finds herself engaged to a king! This dangerous charade has to end fast—the electrifying chemistry between them feels far too real!
Zale’s royal bride-to-be looks like the pampered princess he’s being forced to wed—yet she’s transformed into a feisty woman who makes his blue blood run hot! But is she fit to be his queen? Zale will just have to tempt her out from beneath her tiara to find out!
I’m a huge fan of Harlequin books featuring common heroines and royal heroes. NOT FIT FOR A KING? is fantastic. I loved the inner turmoil that Hannah feels at impersonating a royal princess. The attraction between Zale and Hannah is intense and very romantic. The emotional roller coaster of the last third of the book leads to a very happy ending that put a smile on my face.
the book girl gives NOT FIT FOR A KING? a 5/5
About the book:
Defending His Legacy…At Any Cost
When scandal threatens the luxury auction house that bears his family’s name, Vance Waverly suspects the media feeding frenzy is an inside job. Could his gorgeous assistant, Charlotte Potter, be plotting Waverly’s downfall? There’s one way to fi nd out: seduce the truth out of her!
Charlie is between a rock and a hard place. She can reveal Waverly’s secrets to her unidentifi ed blackmailer or lose custody of her child. Whatever she does, she’ll lose the career she loves. But losing the man she’s come to love—her big, bad boss—could put her over the edge…
GILDED SECRETS is a sweet, romantic story with two great characters. I loved Charlie. She is a single-mom who wants one thing – to make a good like for her little boy. Vance Waverly wants nothing to do with love, but finds himself drawn to Charlie and her son. I loved his internal struggle about the feelings that come about for Charlie. Charlie also struggles with her feelings for Vance, but mainly because she doesn’t want to do anything that could hurt her child. When someone threatens Charlie, Vance knows that he will do whatever necessary to protect her. A very sweetly written romance.
the book girl gives GILDED SECRETS a 4/5
About the book:
A shocking Sicilian secret…
Louise Anderson’s heart pounds as she approaches the imposing castello. Only the Duke of Falconari can grant her grandparents’ dying wish—but this is the same man who said arrivederci without a backward glance after their night of unadulterated passion…
Caesar can’t believe the woman who almost ruined his precious reputation still fiercely fires his blood. Discovering that their union created more than just salacious memories, he agrees to grant Louise’s request…in exchange for a demand of his own.
That she wears his band of gold!
I’m not really sure if I liked this book or not. I loved the ending when Caesar realizes what he feels for Louise, but the rest of the story wasn’t romantic at all. Caesar is racked by guilt about things that happened in the past, but he doesn’t apologize. Louise is bitter about the way she was treated in the community and by Caesar. She doesn’t want anything to do with him, but has to see him. I didn’t feel a real connection between the hero and heroine until the very end of the story.
the book girl gives A SECRET DISGRACE a 3/5
GIVEAWAY:
TO ENTER:
Leave a comment on this post telling me which book on the following list you would choose if you were the winner.
US addresses only, please. Make sure to check to see if your name is chosen.
Additional entries can be gained through the following:
Contest runs through 7/1/12 at 5pm cst. Winners have 7 days to claim prize and you must check back to see if you are a winner:)
