Review: Right for Me by Cindy Dorminy

Shelby Williams has never had a boyfriend worthy of her parents’ approval. The ones she dated were either not rich enough, not well bred enough, or just not good enough. Her luck changes when she meets Tommy Edwards. With an IQ of about a billion, a sexy smile, and a personality as sweet as the treats he bakes, he’s a guy even her parents will have to accept.

Between the pressure of graduate school and a needy ex-girlfriend, Tommy Edwards has had enough stress to last a lifetime. But when he meets Shelby, his plans to stay unattached go up in smoke. Shelby makes him laugh, and the passion she stirs in him is hotter than an oven. She’s the only girl he’s ever met who likes him for who he is rather than just for his intelligence.

When Shelby’s parents take a shine to Tommy, she blurts out that they are engaged, even though they’ve only been dating for three weeks. Tommy is furious, but before she can set everyone straight, both families go into full-blown nuptial mode, including hiring a wedding planner and shopping for a dress. Tommy and Shelby need to figure out how to tell their families the engagement was fake without ruining what’s real.

My Review:

This was a sweet and memorable book.  I have to admit, it took a little time for me to get into it, but once I did, I zipped right through it needing to know what would happen next.  Shelby and Tommy were perfect for each other, but it seemed every time things were going great, something would happen to almost pull them apart.   I was so happy they got a happily ever after because for a while I thought maybe it wouldn’t happen with all of the lies and misunderstandings. 

I enjoyed the author’s writing and the characters she created.  Along with the romance, there is family drama and close friendships that keep this story moving along nicely.   I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romance or women’s fiction.     

 

Review: Off the Market (Texas BBQ Brothers, #2) by Audrey Wick

Can the man who saved the day win her heart?

Quinn LaFayette is in her inaugural year as library special programs director of Last Stand, but when the kickoff performance for the children’s summer program goes terribly wrong, she has to save face as well as her job. She has a surprise advocate in Cole, whom she did her best to ignore in school. Seven years has only made Cole more appealing, but Quinn is determined to resist the sparks that fly between them because they are too different.

Restaurant owner Cole Hutchinson is no bookworm, but thanks to his fast-thinking antics, he ends up saving the day at the library and earning Quinn’s praise in the process. He’s tempted to seek more, but he’s juggling plenty of female attention from gracing the June edition of Modern Texas magazine featuring barbeque. Cole’s not interested in revisiting a woman from his past, but there’s something about Quinn that he can’t quite ignore.

Can Cole prove that opposites really do attract?

My Review:

A sweet romance with small town charm.

I really enjoyed the first of the Texas BBQ Brothers books, so I couldn’t wait to get this one in my hands.  Cole and Quinn’s story is really special.  They are total opposites who are thrown together by unusual circumstances.  Cole is one of the owners of the popular BBQ joint in Last Stand called The Hut.  Quinn works in the library as the director of special events.  When Quinn’s first summer reading event takes a turn for the worse, Cole, who stopped by to pass out free meal coupons to the kids, takes over for the original guest speaker by telling funny jokes to the children.  I think I fell for Cole at that moment.  In the first book, he seemed to be all about business and not much else.  So, this was a fun and sweet side to see.   

The relationship between Cole and Quinn took some time to develop.  Even though they knew each other in school, they weren’t friends back then.  So, when they did become friends, they stay just friends for quite a while.  But once their relationship changed to romantic, there was no holding back.  Then, there was this one hiccup that almost ruined it all.  I enjoyed seeing how they worked through it to find their happily ever after.     

The author created characters that seemed so real, I could almost picture them living and working in my town.  Her story telling had me flipping the pages through to the end and it was hard to close the book at the end.  I liked these characters that much.  There is also a cute library cat who was a fun addition to the story.  Even though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading On the Market first so you get to know the characters form the start. 

 

Review: Steal My Heart by Aimee O’Brian

When a fantasy turns into a cold reality

Lexanne Harris had a plan down to the last sexy detail. Never did she think her attempt to spice up her love life with her boyfriend would involve her in a burglary with a sexier than sin thief whose emerald eyes and serious between the sheets skills are impossible to forget. As a police detective she is expected to stand on the side of the law and fight for justice. But what happens when the lines of justice blur and what’s wrong becomes way too tempting?

The situation might be challenging but Lexanne is determined to get assigned to the case, recover the jewels and catch the culprit.

The question is: What will she do with her sexy cat burglar when she catches him? 

My Review: 

Sexy and fun and, OMG, I’ve fallen for the cat burglar.

A cat burglar is targeting the wealthy of Los Angeles which makes Detective Lexanne start to fantasy about having sex with a cat burglar.  Detective Mark Finney was up for the challenge of making that fantasy come true.  But the night they planned the rendezvous, the real cat burglar entered the home that Lexanne was house sitting at.  Lexanne doesn’t realize it’s not Mark and played out the fantasy all the way.  Then, Mark shows up and Lexanne realizes she just made the biggest mistake of her life. 

Afterwards, Lexanne can’t seem to get the burglar out of her mind.  It’s pretty early in the book when she finds out who it is, investor Gideon Holt.  She falls for him and they hook up multiple times during the book.  It’s career sabotage for a police officer, but she can’t help herself.  Gideon’s reason for stealing from his clients will surprise you in the end.

I wish this book was longer.  I really enjoyed it and wasn’t ready to put it down.  There were a lot of twists and turns in this book that kept me on my toes.  This is the first book by this author and if she writes other books like this, I will definitely be reading more of her books.

 

Review: Keeping Score (Willow Creek Book 1) by Shannon Stults

With everything on the line, it's game on

Logan Kase has reveled in being Willow Creek's infamous wild child until one detrimental decision proved it was time for a change. Years later, Logan is back in her small hometown and ready to prove to everyone (especially herself) that she's not that same girl anymore. But the new life she's so carefully constructed starts to tear apart the second she runs into Cole Tucker.

Logan thought she'd put her childhood rival and their adolescent games behind her, but it takes her only one night before she’s forced into one final game, a series of hilariously immature challenges that has the whole town keeping score. A game that, should she lose,

My Review:

Sweet, romantic, funny and emotional.  This book had everything I wanted from a romance story?

Logan Kase had finally returned to Willow Creek, and she brought her fiancé, Jacob, with her.  It was quite the surprise to everyone in her hometown to see the formally wild child hooked up with a strait-laced, buttoned up shirt, kind of guy.  But it was an even bigger surprise to Cole Tucker who had secretly been in love with Logan since they were kids.  Cole knew the real Logan and the image she was putting on in front of her doctor fiancé was not the Logan he remembered. 

When Jacob is called out of town, and Cole and Logan end up at Wade’s Bar drinking, it leads them to a series of crazy challenges that eventually leads them to second thinking the futures they had planned.  Everyone in Willow Creek knew Logan and Cole were meant to be together and this was the push they needed to find their way back to each other.

I really got into this book.  The author really has a way with her words.  Every element that I look for in a romance was in this book and I even got teary in the end.  The characters were so much fun.  They felt real and Willow Creek felt like a place I wanted to live in.  I can’t wait to read more books in this series.