Once again it’s time for this month’s Harlequin mini-reviews and giveaway. This month I read lots of good and a few not as good series books. Here we go!
About the book:
Mel Watson’s just a normal girl until a cab ride turns into an invitation to a whole new life. It’s not until she hears her cab driver being addressed as “Your Highness” that she realizes she’s stumbled into a fairy tale.…
Prince Rikardo can’t believe he’s collected the wrong wannabe princess. Mel’s far from the cynical social climber he planned for—the tempting softness in her eyes makes him wary. For Rikardo’s long given up on love: he wants a temporary wife…and proposing to this sweet, ordinary girl feels all too real.
I love tales of mistaken identity. What I really liked about this book was that Rik, after realizing his mistake, wasn’t a jerk to Mel. He didn’t blame her for the mistake to make her feel bad in any way. A lot of times in these Harlequin books the guys are a little too alphahole for their own good and Rik was refreshingly different. Their romance is sweet and I loved their happily ever after.
the book girl gives INVITATION TO THE PRINCE’S PALACE a 5/5
About the book
Ellie Winston is adopting her late friend’s baby… But she hits a husband-sized hump: to adopt Jiao, Ellie has to be married! Where can a commitment-phobic female find a husband in a day? Then cutthroat billionaire Finn McKenna comes to Ellie with a business proposition, only he isn’t prepared for Ellie’s merger-with-a-twist…marriage!
Finn never lets anyone close, even someone as feisty and intriguing as Ellie. But saying “I do,” even when you don’t really, has a way of making even the most stubborn people wake up and realize what they’ve been missing….
This book just didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel any real spark between Finn and Ellie. They are constantly sending each other mixed signals and pushing each other away with one hand while pulling close with the other. Their relationship is non-existent until the ending when it completely changes. The change didn’t feel natural or realistic at all.
the book girl gives ONE DAY TO FIND A HUSBAND a 2/5
About the book:
He was only supposed to tempt Vanessa Reynolds away from her plot to become queen. The pretty, single mother may believe she’s going to marry his father, but Prince Marcus Salvatora will do everything in his power to prevent a royal marriage.
Yet befriending the lovely American and her adorable baby girl has the debonair bachelor awash in confusion. This woman and her child are not schemers. In fact, they could make his life complete. But once she leaves without a wedding ring, the powerful prince knows he’ll be forbidden to ever truly make her his own.
I wasn’t sure at first if I would like this plot at first. I’m not fond of people cheating in any form, but the relationship between Vanessa and the King isn’t a real relationship and they both know it. I didn’t really feel that she was cheating on him, because she had been honest with the way she had felt about him the whole time. I loved how Vanessa and Marcus go from mistrusting each other to falling in love as they got to know each other. I also liked that even after they fall in love Vanessa is willing to give it up in order to not hurt the King or come between him and Marcus. It’s a very romantic story.
the book girl gives PRINCESS IN THE MAKING a 4/5
About the book:
Standing at the altar, Damien is breathless as the woman he loves walks toward him—to marry another man. Knowing bridesmaid Zoe’s watching him makes it harder still. The opposite of the bride, Zoe’s too loud, too vibrant, too
everything!
Zoe can’t resist provoking him—just once, she’d like to see “Mr. Perfect” lose his cool. She can tell there are fireworks smoldering behind those pale blue eyes.
But before the wedding night is over, their unexpected connection will threaten to undermine everything they both believe about themselves and each other
.
I love when a couple starts their road to romance fighting and not liking each other. This antagonism usually stems from some sort of unwanted attraction and always adds more spice to the story. In ALWAYS THE BEST MAN Zoe and Damien are complete opposites – he’s a control freak and she’s Miss Spontaneity – so from the very beginning they have butted heads. When his best friend and hers get married they are thrown together and the sparks fly. I really liked this couple. Even though they seem like opposites beneath the surface they are very similar. They are coping with a fear of being left or not being good enough for someone else, but they deal with it in very different ways. ALWAYS THE BEST MAN is a romantic, emotional, and lovely story.
the book girl gives ALWAYS THE BEST MAN a 4/5
About the book:
Isn’t it every girl’s fantasy to have one of NYPD’s finest living next door? I love a man in uniform!
Unless, of course, he’s Daniel Brannigan—older brother of my best friend, with an ego the size of Texas and a reckless streak a mile wide. To say we bring out the worst in each other is an understatement! Especially now that we know each other’s secrets
.
So this is one fantasy I’m refusing to indulge in. But did I mention he used to be a marine? Apparently they like a challenge
.
This book didn’t work for me until the very end. I like it when there is some fire between the couple and their dislike really stems from attraction, but this couple’s constant arguing and one-upmanship got on my nerves. I also didn’t feel that either character was really into the relationship until the very end. However, the end was brilliant. I almost stopped reading the book around 75%, but was out and didn’t have anything else uploaded onto my fire so I decided to finish it and I was glad that I did. The ending is full of emotion and shows the true depth to the characters. This is a hard book to rate since I only really enjoyed a very small percentage, but I think that it deserves a solid 3.
the book girl gives NEW YORK’S FINEST REBEL a 3/5
About the book:
His not-so-perfect fiancée…
Emilio Andreoni’s goal is perfection. A corporate king and Italy’s most eligible bachelor, he craves only one more thing to complete his phenomenally successful life—the perfect woman!
Once he thought that woman was shy Gisele Carter, until her scandalous goings-on became headline news and he called off their seemingly perfect engagement.
But now Emilio is faced with proof of Gisele’s innocence. He’s determined to win back the only woman who ever truly satisfied him, but first he must persuade Gisele she’s worthy of wearing his diamonds again.…
This is one of those deliciously angst filled books that Harlequin is famous for. Emilio turned Gisele away when he thought that she had betrayed him. Two years later he finds out that what he thought was completely wrong that Gisele had been innocent. He sets off to “make it up to her” as if she should immediately just back into his arms and not care that he set her away with no thought to what would happen to her. In the two years, Gisele has grown stronger and become a woman who won’t just follow what Emilio wants and be arm candy to make him look good. Their new relationship is full of sparing and hatred, but even though Gisele doesn’t want to find herself attracted to Emilio anymore she is. She can’t help but want to touch him when he’s near. I liked the chemistry between Gisele and Emilio. Plus the tension as they try to find some way to put their relationship back together again.
the book girl gives DESERVING OF HIS DIAMONDS? a 4/5
About the book:
Sometimes Wrong Feels Oh-So Right
Hillary Wright has always been a magnet for Mr. Wrong. Her latest left her in trouble with the law, and to clear her name, she’s agreed to an undercover sting—as the “date” for infamous Troy Donavan. The notorious hacker is now a government good guy…and a sexy billionaire playboy. Troy has a reputation as the sort of man she’s vowed to avoid, and his secretiveness adds fuel to Hillary’s distrust. But with his kisses like molten sin, her fierce resistance is melting. And being sensible in the face of such overpowering desire is just not an option.
I loved this book. Sexy, sexy alpha Troy walks the like between bad boy and good man. He does what he needs to do to protect those he cares about and if it includes lying or omitting the truth. Hillary isn’t as interesting as Troy, because she lets the men in her life make the decisions for her over and over. However, with Troy there are times that she is able to stand up to him. She doesn’t give in to the attraction between them right away and makes him wait to make love when if he had his way they would have done so the night they met. The attraction between Hillary and Troy is instant and hot. I loved the way his wanted to protect her, but also use the opportunity to spend more time with her and be able to really get to know her well. Troy was focus on more than just the physical attraction. I can’t wait for the other two books in this series featuring The Alpha Brotherhood!
the book girl gives AN INCONVENIENT AFFAIR a 4/5
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.
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Contest runs through 8/19/12 at 5pm cst. Winners have 7 days to claim prize and you must check back to see if you are a winner:)
About the book:
