Review - Mile High by Liz Tomforde

 

 

I recently finished reading Mile High by Liz Tomforde. This is a hockey romance set in Chicago, IL The hero is a cocky playboy with a reputation for being the bad boy of hockey, while the heroine is a curvy flight attendant with body image issues.

This is the first time I've read this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story started off slow for me. I didn't love the cocky badboy who seemed determined to make his flight attendent's job a nightmare every time he was on the plane.

But Stevie gave as good as she got and Zanders began looking forward to their banter. What started out as a way to annoy her turned into a way to get her attention.Their banter became more playful and soon the sexual tension was heating up.

I ended up loving Zanders and Stevie, not wanting their story to end. It's a good thing this is the first book in a series. I'm hoping we get some more glimpses of Zanders and Stevie in book two.

4.5 stars.

~

Zanders

Chicago hockey isn’t complete without me—everyone’s favorite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.

What I don’t like is the new flight attendant on our team’s private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I’ll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she’ll be begging to quit her job.

But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can’t quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons or if it’s more than that.

Stevie

I’ve been a flight attendant for years. I thought I’d see it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again…no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.

Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.

Everything but him.

 

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#Review #Romance Revealing Her SEAL by Kat Cantrell

Title: Revealing Her SEAL

Author: Kat Cantrell

Rating: 4.5 Stars

This was another great read from Kat Cantrell.

In this one we got to know Rachel and Evan. It was great seeing her get him to open up little by little. Their interactions, especially at the beginning of the story, were sometimes almost comical at times. And as with the first book in this series, I could almost feel Evan's pain as he struggled to put the past behind him.

I have to say I didn't like it quite as much as Claiming Her SEAL, but it still ranks as one of my top five reads of the year so far. This is definitely a series I will be continuing. There are six members of the team and I look forward to reading each one of their stories.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great read and enjoys military romance.

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Cantrell read her first Harlequin novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily ever after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching Friends or dancing with her kids to Duran Duran and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Kat, her husband and their two boys live in North Texas. Kat was the 2011 Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA® Golden Heart® finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.

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#Romance #Review Driven by Lori Sjoberg

Title: Driven

Author: Lori Sjoberg

Rating: 4.5 Stars

This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be my last. I fell in love with Mason and Kayla. They really were made for each other and I wanted to see them get their HEA.

I enjoyed the set up of this novel, and to be honest it was what led me to downloading it in the first place. Mason wasn't what I expected, or what Kayla expected. The first time we meet him in the story he comes off cocky and not all that likable. As soon as the bet starts, however, we get to see another side of him...a side that is a lot more down to earth.

For me, this book was close to perfect. I loved the story line, the characters, and the editing was good too. There were only two things that knocked this book down from 5 stars to 4.5 stars. About a quarter of the way into the book there is an issue with an employee. The set up is there, but nothing ever comes of it. At the time, it seems as if it will be used to built another part of the story, but in the end it just sort of goes away. My second issue had to do with a misunderstanding toward the end of the book. While I understood it to a certain extent, the jump was quite sudden. I would have like to have seen a little more building up to it.

Even with those small issues, and yes, they were small, I loved this novel. It was a great read and I found myself picking it up whenever I had a spare moment. 

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a sexy billionaire romance with a twist.

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About the Author

Lori was a born a coal miner’s daughter. No wait, that’s not right.  Actually, she was born a carpenter’s daughter. Her mother was a housewife/homemaker/stay-at-home mom – whatever the politically correct term is these days.  Basically, she made sure Lori didn’t get into too much trouble, a task easier said than done.

Growing up the youngest of three girls, Lori never had control of the remote. (Not that she’s bitter about that. Really. Okay, maybe a little, but it’s not like she’s scarred for life or anything.) That meant a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy. Star Trek, Star Wars, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits – you name it, she watched it. It fed her imagination, and that came in handy when the hormones kicked in and she needed a creative excuse for being out past curfew.

After completing her first manuscript, she joined the Romance Writers of America and Central Florida Romance Writers. Now she exercises the analytical half of her brain at work, and the creative half writing paranormal romance. When she’s not doing either one of those, she’s usually spending time with her husband and children of the four-legged variety.

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#Romance #Review Twisted Up by Erin Nicholas

Title: Twisted Up

Author: Erin Nicholas

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: Amazon

First I have to say that while I loved this book, I'm not a fan of the cover. After reading the story, the two people on the cover look nothing like how I picture Avery and Jake in my head.

Now that's out of the way, let's get to the story itself. Its been a few years since I've read a book by this author, but I'm glad I picked up Twisted Up. Jake and Avery were both really likable. It was kind of a friends to lovers type of story, but with a little bit of a twist...and I'm not talking about the tornado that makes an appearance.

I tend to like books that have a very logical progression to them and this was exactly that type of book. The romance between these two happened naturally. It wasn't rushed and it wasn't without its road bumps. They both had their own obstacles to overcome. The ending was sweet and really quite perfect for them. I couldn't wait to see them get their HEA. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a sexy small town love story.

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About the Author

I've been reading romance since my mom first let me into her book cupboard when I was about fourteen. LaVyrle Spencer, Julie Garwood, Debbie Macomber... they took my 'happily ever after' ideas from animated princesses to real people in the real world.

I've been writing romance almost as long. Many a family car trip was spent with my head bent over a spiral notebook in the back seat. I'll confess that my very first attempts at fiction were fantasy and paranormals, influenced by my father's love of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the original Alice in Wonderland. If Harry Potter had been around, I'm sure he would have been on the bedtime story shelf as well.

But it wasn't long until I started writing about true love and that's where I've been ever since.

I'm so thrilled to be able to share these stories with you! I hope that they make you smile, sigh, maybe even choke up a little. Most of all, I hope that they help you believe in magical things like first kisses, the spark of passion, and the power of true love.

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#Review of Dangerously Hot by Lynn Raye Harris

Title: Dangerously Hot

Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Rating: 4.5 stars

This is yet another reason why I love to read Lynn Raye Harris' books. I know when I pick one up that I will be treated to a great story that will have me not wanting to say goodbye to the couple.

Dangerously Hot brought together Lucky, the widow of a former HOT teammate, and his best friend, Kev. Reading this one was kind of interesting, mainly because I'm currently writing a story with a similar bases. Even though the stories go in completely different directions, there were some similarities, including the guilt Kev feels about his feelings toward Lucky.

As with all of Lynn Raye Harris' characters, I loved Kev and Lucky together. They brought out the best in each other and it was so clear from the beginning that there was more than friendship there, even though neither wanted to admit it at first.

One of the ways I can tell I loved a book is that when I finish it I immediately want to go back and re-read my favorite scenes. That was definitely the case with this one.

If you're looking for a sexy romantic suspense novel with hot military men, I would highly recommend this one.

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Author Bio

Lynn Raye Harris is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM SERIES of military romances as well as 20 books for Harlequin Presents. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former military husband and two crazy cats. Lynn's books have been called "exceptional and emotional," "intense," and "sizzling." Lynn's books have sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

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#Review Reckless by Mallory Crowe

Title: Reckless

Author: Mallory Crowe
Rating: 4.5 stars

It's been a while since I've read a story by Mallory Crowe and after reading this I'm kicking myself for not finding the time to read more. I enjoyed Reckless better than I did the first book I read by this author, Teaching The Boss. 

Robert and Malia were such a great couple. I fell in love with them right away. The misunderstandings and conflicts between them were understandable once the full story of both their pasts came to light. There were also quite a few twists and turns in this one, some of which I didn't see coming. 

This is the second book in this series, but I was able to read it without having read the first book. That being said, after reading this one I want to go back and read Colin and Jean's story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a sexy romance with two characters that have a complicated past. 

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Author Bio

Mallory Crowe has lived in Michigan her whole life and has been in love with romance ever since she'd skip to the end of every novel, just to make sure the hero and heroine survived and ended up together. She lives with her husband and three dogs. When she's not writing, she's spending too much time in front of the TV, hiking, or working with various animal rescues.

#Review In Too Deep by Tracey Alvarez

Title: In Too Deep

Author: Tracey Alvarez
Rating: 4.5 stars

I first discovered this author when I agreed to read and review the third book in this series, Ready To Burn. I loved it so much that I went looking for more from this author and found that this first book in the same series was free. Of course that meant I had to download it right away and I'm so glad I did.

Hard as it is to believe, I think I fell in love with West and Piper even more than I did Del and Shaye from Ready To Burn. Both West and Piper are strong characters and stubborn in their own way. But everything that happened between the two of them was believable. I completely understood Piper's feelings about what had happened in the past, both between her and West and with her family. It was nice to see the evolution of all of that and how the author both resolved things and also set up the next book in the series.

The editing in this one was almost flawless. There was one plot point that was repeated as if it was new information and it briefly pulled me out of the story. Other than that, I was once again amazed by this authors storytelling.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a well rounded romance with a touch of family drama.

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Author Bio

Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.

Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.

When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework. 

Website

#Review Teaching The Boss by Mallory Crowe

Title: Teaching The Boss

Author: Mallory Crowe
Rating: 4 .5 stars

This is the best book I've read in a while. I loved the characters. They were well developed. Neither were perfect, but that was okay because they had enough redeeming qualities to make them likable.

There were some things in this book I didn't expect, including the set up for the second book in the series which I plan to check out in the not too distant future. It was a fairly long book but I never felt as if it was dragging. In fact, I didn't want the book to end. I would have been happy if April and Sam's story would have continued on.

So why 4.5 stars and not 5? There was one issue I had with the book. It's a personal thing and to some it wouldn't matter in the slightest, but it's a bit of a pet peeve for me. Not once did the author mention birth control throughout the book. There was no mention of condoms, using them or not, or even of April being on the pill. The entire conversation was non existent. In a modern day romance, I think this is something that needs to be addressed.

Will it keep me from reading the next book in this series? Heck no!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good office romance.

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Author Bio

Mallory Crowe has lived in Michigan her whole life and has been in love with romance ever since she’d skip to the end of every novel, just to make sure the hero and heroine survived and ended up together. She lives with her husband and three dogs. When she’s not writing, she’s spending too much time in front of the TV, hiking, or working with various animal rescues.

Website

#Review Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn

Title: Sweet Reunion

Author: Melanie Shawn
Rating: 4.5 stars

I stumbled upon this book on a website showing free and discounted books. After reading the blurb, I decided to download it and give it a try. I'm so glad I did. This is the type of romance I love to read. The characters were well developed and it wasn't all about getting to the next sex scene. This book was about the relationship, the romance.

Amanda and Justin were both easy to relate to. The way they reacted to things, as well as their past relationship made for an intriguing story. I read a review that complained the two weren't together enough, but I completely disagree. It was important to see how Amanda was with her best friends and how Justin dealt with his family. It made them richer characters.

The only thing that kept this from being a five star read for me were a few technical issues. For example, there was a scene where Amanda walks into a room with a tray full of mason jars. Something happens and she ends up dropping the tray and the mason jars...but none of them break.

I would highly recommend this book to those who love a good, realistic, romance. This is the first book in the Hope Falls Series and they are all going on my TBR list.

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Author Bio

NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they now make their home in So Cal.

Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. Shawna always loved romance in any form - movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! They have joined forces to create a world where true love and happily ever after always has a sexy twist!

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Review: Embattled Hearts by J.M. Madden

Title: Embattled Hearts

Author: J.M. Madden
Rating: 4.5 stars


As I mentioned in my review of The Embattled Road, I first encountered this author, at the Lori Foster RAGT. If you haven't read The Embattled Road, I highly suggest you do so before reading this one. Although Embattled Hearts can be read as a standalone, the reader won't fully understand the bond between John, Duncan, and Chad without reading the prequel first. With that said...

Embattled Hearts is a wonderful beginning to what I hope will be a long running series. 

I love the premise of this series. Military men and women face many challenges when they return from combat, and this series doesn't shy away from any of them. In Embattled Hearts, Shannon breaks through the walls that John has built up since losing the use of his legs. He sees himself as less of a man given all the limitations he has since returning home from war. When he acknowledges his attraction to Shannon, it only makes him feel like less because he is sure there is no way he can be the man she needs. Shannon, however, feels differently. 

This book is set five years after the end of The Embattled Road. I like how the author made the decision to bring us back to these characters after some time had past and their business was in full swing. At no point did I feel the story was rushed. We were able to see John and Shannon's relationship develop naturally with the bumps in the road one might expect given their challenges. 

When I was sitting down to write this review, I struggled some on what to rate this story. As an author, I know how much work goes into writing and editing a story. When it's clear the author didn't care enough to hire a good editor, or the publisher didn't, I have an issue and normally lower my rating accordingly. However, with this book I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. The first third of the book was nicely edited. There were no missing words, and things flowed well. Then, the momentum of the story picked up and the editing started falling apart. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't so bad that there was an issue on every page, but it was enough for me to really take notice. 

As I said, normally, when there are editing issues, I take the rating down, however I chose not to do that with this book. The reason why? Because this was clearly an editor issue and not an author issue. My guess is that the editor got so caught up in the story that they began missing edits. 

Still, this was a great story. I highly recommend Embattled Hearts to anyone looking for a realistic romance with wounded, but lovable, military heroes. 


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Author Bio

USA Today Bestselling author J.M. Madden writes compelling romances between 'combat modified' military men and the women who love them. An eternal optimist, she believes there is a soulmate for everyone, no matter what the situation or physical challenge. She's written 16 romances in the past three years and has plans for many more.

Website

Review: Ready For Love by Marie Force

Title: Ready For Love

Author: Marie Force
Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: Amazon

This is the third book in Marie Force's Gansett Island Series, and tells the story of Luke Harris and Sydney Donovan. I've read the first two books in this series, and I have to say that Marie Force is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. 

When I need something that will take me away from reality for a while, Marie's stories always do the trick.

Where to start with this book. I loved the sweet connection between these two old lovers. Sydney's back story was heartbreaking. Seeing her bloom with Luke's help was one of the highlights of this book for me. 

It was great getting to see more of Luke in this book. We were introduced to him in Maid For Love, the first book in the Gansett Island Series, but we didn't really get to know him. All we knew was that he was a great guy who went out of his way to help Big Mac, the head of the McCarthy family, run the marina. In this book we find out what a great guy he is, and how he's never completely got over his first love. 

The only reason  this book is not a perfect 5 out of 5 stars for me revolves around a particular love scene. It was meant to be down and dirty loving...which don't get me wrong, I love...but there was a sanitary issue that pulled me out of the story. It would have been a simple fix, really. Just move sex to the shower instead of them going directly to the bed. Instead, it made me cringe, and not in a good way. 

Other than that, however, I loved the story. It was a quick read, as all of Marie's books are for me. For two days I didn't want to do anything that didn't involve reading Luke and Sydney's story. If you like contemporary romance, then you should definitely check out this author and her McCarthy's of Gansett Island Series. 


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Author Bio

With more than 2.5 million books sold, Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 contemporary romances. Her New York Times bestselling self-published McCarthys of Gansett Island Series has sold more than 1 million e-books since Maid for Love was released in 2011. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press, as well as the Treading Water Series and numerous stand-alone books. All You Need is Love, book 1 in her new Green Mountain Series from Berkley Sensation, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller in February. The second book, I Want to Hold Your Hand, will be out in June, and the third book, I Saw Her Standing There, is coming in November. In 2014, Marie will have eight mass-market print releases—the first five Fatal Series books from Harlequin and the first three Green Mountain Series books from Berkley. While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and Louie.

Website

REVIEW - Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan

Title: Ghostwriter

Author: Lissa Bryan
Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: Libboo

Lissa Bryan is a local Ohio author. She's also published with TWCS. We've done a few author events together, yet I'd never read any of her books. To be honest, I was a little nervous about it. Lissa doesn't tend to write traditional romances, and quite frankly I wasn't sure if I'd like that or not. For that reason, I kept putting it off, and putting it off. Now, I'm kicking myself for not picking this book up sooner.

Ghostwriter is a wonderful and heartwarming romance.

The first thing I have to say about this story is 'have your tissues ready'. There were so many times in this book where my heart broke for Seth and Sara. And then there were times that were so sweet they brought tears to my eyes.

Ghostwriter is a paranormal romance...not something I read a lot of. Werewolves, shifters...not really my thing. I prefer romances I can relate to, which is why I pretty exclusively stick to contemporary. What surprised me with this one was just how much I could relate to both of the main characters.

Sara is such an easy character to like. She's down to earth, and a bookworm. Seth? Well, Seth is a ghost. Yep, that's right, an honest to goodness ghost that 'haunts' the island where Sara lives. The romance that develops between these two is an unlikely one, but I became wrapped up in it, wanting them to have their happily ever after.

I will say that I did see the ending coming, but that was okay. It fit the story.

This book kept me up until 3am reading, and even then I didn't want to put it down. It made me laugh, cry, and a whole rang of other emotions. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a great romance with a paranormal twist.

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Author Bio

Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot.... though only in her head.
Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

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