Finding Hope - Katie Reus

Synopsis:
Twenty three years ago, Luke Romanov's childhood playmate disappeared without a trace. He's never stopped blaming himself. When the family he works for hires a woman identical to his childhood friend, he'll stop at nothing to discover her true identity, even if it means betraying her. What few memories photographer Hope Jennings has of her past aren't pretty. The monsters from her nightmares make it impossible to completely erase her violent history, but she's living her life one day at a time. Hired to photograph a wealthy family's ancestral home in the Caribbean, she expects to work hard, get the job done, and go home. Instead, Hope finds unexpected passion in the arms of the family's sexy and dangerous security expert, who has the power to destroy the safe life she's built for herself. When someone from her past targets her to die, Hope doesn't know who to trust. Will Hope and Luke find the answers they need before it's too late?

Review:

Luke is sent to the Key's to strike a deal with an up and coming photographer to take pictures of his family friends home in Cuba.  This should be an open and shut kind of thing until he sets his eyes on Hope.  She is strikingly familiar and he can't help but think, "can this be her?"  Hope has been trying to make a name for herself in the photography world for some time, and an opportunity like the one just handed to her, could really boost her portfolio.  Putting some haunting dreams and prank calls on the back burner, Hope heads to Cuba with the handsome Luke, having a strange feeling she has met him before.  Once they make it to Cuba, all hell breaks loose, she is attacked, and told to stay hidden for 3 days with Luke before returning, she will in essence be dead for 3 days.  While in hiding, her feeling for Luke begin to take hold.  After the 3 days time, they head back to Miami, Luke not being certain the danger is truly over.  While in Luke's kitchen, she comes face to face with her twin, a twin she didn't know existed.  The family she never new was there for her, after being on her own for so long.  With the threats coming at her from all angles, who can she trust?  Is there a future for her?

Notable Quote:

"Five minutes in real time or in Hope time?"  (Hope having lived on "Key West Time" was notoriously running a little late)

Rating:

I really liked the concept of this book.  Hope was strong willed and didn't trust easily.  Mac was the protective father (and I adored him), but she had this whole other family that wanted nothing more than to get to know her.  A quick read, but worth it.  The part I found lacking was the end.  I think an epilogue could have handled some of the "left out" parts.  Mac, Hope's adopted dad, had become close to Hope's mom, and that seemed to upset her biological dad, but nothing came of that.  Maria was having a secret relationship, but other than a brief mention, that was never brought up again.  Several other details could have been wrapped up in another chapter, but instead I was left....wanting a conclusion.  

One Night Stand - Cindy Kirk

Synopsis:
Marcee Robbens found herself in the arms of a sexy stranger before the bouquet was even tossed at her best friend's wedding. And after a night of hot caresses and knee-weakening kisses in handsome Sam McKelvey's arms, even happily single Marcee is humming the wedding march. So when the sun comes up and Sam hits the road, the usually tough-as-nails beauty finds herself nursing a tender heart. . . .

Sam's not the kind of guy who would have a super-hot hook-up with a woman he barely knows. But something about Marcee had him mesmerized—enough for this usually sensible single dad to abandon his responsibilities for one unforgettable night. But Sam never thought his one night stand would turn up as his new next-door neighbor. Or that once he glimpsed the soft side of this captivating woman, he'd find himself falling in love. . . .

Review:

Marcee is a beautiful woman with lots of womanly attributes and men seem to think that is all there is to her.  After losing her job at one of the biggest CPA firms in Chicago, for not sleeping with a client, she decides to start looking at things differently.  After her mother runs off with husband number 5, or was it 6, she decides now is a good time to confront the demons that haunt her in her home town, not to mention being able to get to know her younger brother while helping him get through his final year of high school.  While catching up with one of the only people she could call a friend in the small town, who should walk in but the new sheriff, and one night stand that rocked her world.  After realizing that they are neighbors and her brother is keeping the company of the sheriff's daughter, Marcee and Sam begin a secret affair.  With small town gossip the way it is, they decide mutually to keep their budding relationship to themselves.  As Marcee realizes that her feeling have not only grown, but also being with the dreaded "L" word, being kept a secret is no longer good enough.  Is there more to their relationship besides sex??

Rating:

This was a fun fast read.  The story line was great, and the meddling town was....well meddling.  There was great chemistry and it was really lovely to see Marcee become a respected member of the community, finally.  I wished there was an Epilogue,  her brother had applied to Julliard, what happened with that?  Marcee started a new job and Sam asked her to marry him, did they live HEA?  Another thing that really turned me off to this book was the edit issues.  One chapter Marcee had a Saturn, a few chapters later, she had a Jetta, then back to the Saturn.  Just one of my pet peeves.

Summer in Sonoma - Robyn Carr

Synopsis:
They've been best friends since seventh grade. But this summer, teetering on the threshold of thirty, four women are going to need each other more than ever.

Cassie has sworn off romance after yet another bad date. Yet deep down, she's still looking for Mr. Forever. A long-haired biker doesn't figure into her plans, so where's the harm in touring the back roads of Sonoma on a Harley with Walt Arneson?

Julie married her high school sweetheart—who can get her pregnant with a mere glance—too young and now wonders how her life became all about leaky faucets and checkbook balances. Maybe love isn't enough to sustain the hottest couple in town.

Marty's firefighter husband has forgotten all about romance, and an old flame begins to look mighty tempting.

Beth, a busy doctor trapped in a body that's betrayed her yet again, is becoming a difficult patient and a secretive friend.

Life can change in an instant…or a summer. And having old friends to lean on can only up the chances of happily ever after.

Review:

This book makes you realize that no matter how good you think your friend has it, and how much you envy them and their life, it isn't as perfect as it might appear.  Each of these 4 women have been friends for many years, they envy each other in different ways not really knowing the true darkness that haunts them in different ways.  We visit with Cassie who was attacked and saved by a biker dude, who she is hopelessly attracted to but he isn't the image of who she thought she would be with so she keeps him at arms length.  Julie has the life they all seem to want, she is married to the man of her dreams, her high school sweetheart to boot, they have 3 beautiful children but she is drowning in a mountain of debt and it is wearing her down and causing issues in her perfect marriage.  Marty has the perfect house, the perfect child and the perfect husband, or so it appears on the outside.  She is getting so disgusted with him, she is starting to resent him and his bad hygiene and cleaning habits.  Beth is a doctor who has already been through one health scare, when more medical bad news comes along, she decides to go this one alone, until Cassie finds out.

Notable Quote:

"...and once he slipped the ring on, that was it for romance.  Now foreplay in our house is, 'You awake?'"

Rating:

What an emotional ride this book was.  I was gripped from the first chapter, getting to know each of the friends, the same age but each at different part in their lives and each looking for something different.  The one thing that each of these friends learn is that communication is key, communication with their spouse, with their significant others and above all else, with their friends.  I loved how they were always there for each other, no questions asked.  The two husbands thought of all of the friends as sisters and treated them as such which was great to see.  There were a lot of feelings this books brought up, making me (at least) think about my own relationships with my friends.

Love at First Flight - Marie Force

Synopsis:
What if the guy in the airplane seat next to you turned out to be the love of your life?

Juliana, happy in her career as a hair stylist, is on her way to visit her boyfriend of ten years who's working out of state. She's wondering why they're not engaged yet. Michael is going to his fiance's parents' home for an engagement party he doesn't want. A states' prosecutor, he's about to try the biggest case of his career, he hates the distraction, and he's having doubts about the relationship.

They sit together on the plane, and discover they're on the same flight coming back. When the weekend is a disaster for each of them, they bond on the plane ride home. But life is full of complications, including their exes, who don't want to let go, and when Michael's trial turns dangerous, the two must confront what they value most in life...

Review:

After both having disastrous weekends with their intended, Michael and Juliana decide to become roommates, since Juliana doesn't really want to go back to the house she shares with Jeremy, her love of the past 10 years, and Michael has a huge house all to himself after breaking his 4 year relationship with Paige.  Juliana and Jeremy are in a state of limbo as Jeremy isn't sure he wants to have slept with only one woman his entire life.  Juliana gives him the "time off" he needs to get it together.  In the mean time, Juliana and Michael become more than friends, but when Michael's job becomes more dangerous, and Juliana is affected, he realizes their relationship has come to mean more to him than he realized.  Can he convince Juliana that she should choose him over Jeremy, who has been her one and only love for 10 years?

Notable Quote:

"She wasn't thrilled to discover you have a roommate, especially a female roommate."  He laughed. "I don't imagine she was.  I'll be home in about fifteen minutes."  "should I make popcorn?"  (banter with Michael and Juliana, with Paige coming for a visit)

Rating:

This is one of those books that has it all.  There was something in it for everyone.  Love and romance, plus some intrigue and suspense, then toss in a court case, some angry mobsters and a crazy ex-fiance and you have another smash hit.  I do admit, there were a few times while reading that I was very angry at Marie Force, and was trying to figure out where she was going and how could she do such a thing, but in the end, it was perfect (and I forgive her lol).  I have said it before, on of the ways you can tell if your readers like your books is if you invoke emotions and this one definitely did.

Face of Danger - Roxanne St. Claire

Synopsis:
Private investigator Vivi Angelino loves living life on the edge, but stepping into the shoes of a movie starlet to bait a serial killer isn't just a thrill . . . it's a ticket to the big time for her fledgling security firm. That is, as long as a certain risk-averse FBI agent stays out of her way-and out of her fantasies.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colton Lang isn't above using his well-worn rulebook to stop Vivi's latest walk on the wild side. But when they learn her client is involved in something far more insidious than bad acting, Vivi and Colt must work together despite the electrifying attraction arcing between them. For each new clue is bringing them closer to a high-profile crime with a dark and deadly truth at its core . . . and a cold, calculating murderer with nothing left to lose.

Review:

Face of Danger is the 3rd book in the Guardian Angelino's series.  Vivi is determined to make her family's security company sought after by the elite.  While speculation soars about the Red Carpet Killer, Vivi has an ace in the hole.  She is a dead ringer for the next possible victim.  So Vivi seamlessly steps in to the role of Cara Ferrari, an up and coming actress.  What she didn't count on was FBI involvement by the way of Colton Lang.  While staying at Cara's mansion in Nantucket, things become weird, starting with her housekeeper Mercedes.  Lang and Vivi are set to put the pieces together while staying trying to stay two steps ahead of the threat(s).  Lang and Vivi both have secrets in their love closets, and wall built so tall around their hearts.  It may take a bomb to break the walls down!!  

Notable Quote:

"Then she can have her ten million dollars," Vivi said softly.  "I'll nail her ass to the wall and clobber her with the damn Oscar."

Rating:

It took me a while to get in to the book.  It seemed there was a lot of back story and redundancy, which made it hard for me to press forward.  I am glad that I kept going, cause the Vivi/Lang story actually was amazing.  There were so many twists and turns and new developments in Face of Danger.  I was constantly revising my opinion of "who-done-it" and in the end, I was wrong.  We got to meet a few new family members and I have to say they one I am most looking forward to getting to know is Gabe.  He is danger and hot and mysterious all wrapped up in a nice italian casserole.  I love how they all stick together, no matter how hair brained Vivi's plans are, they are her back up....no matter what.  Looking forward to the next Guardian Angelino's book!!

Remember Me - Laura Moore

Synopsis:
A rising star in the modeling world, Margot Radcliffe hasn’t forgotten the hurt that sent her running from Rosewood, the beautiful Virginia horse farm where she was raised. Travis Maher, a ruggedly handsome rebel and gifted horse trainer with a hard-knock past, had once captured Margot’s heart—only to break it.

But when tragedy strikes her family, Margot is forced to set aside her skyrocketing career and return to a place she never expected to see again, where the legs that everyone admires belong to Thoroughbreds, not supermodels. Now Rosewood Farm’s success depends on Margot, and the only person she can count on for help is the very man who so ruthlessly rejected her love all those years ago.

As Margot and Travis enter an uneasy truce to save Rosewood from financial ruin, their wild natures clash and their unresolved passions for each other begin to surge. But can this hard-edged horseman find a way to express his desire for the one woman he’s ever loved before she’s lost to him forever?

Review:

Remember Me is the 1st book in the Rosewood Trilogy.  After returning to her home and first love, her families horse ranch, after an airplane tragedy, Margot has to pull up her boot straps and get live moving again...not only for her but her sisters as well.  Margot decides very early on that she needs Travis to return to his job and help her get the business back on track.  She does the only thing she knows will lure him back, dangles a prize potential horse in front of him.  Once back at the ranch, Travis does everything in his power to stay away from Margot, but chemistry like that doesn't come along everyday, and eventually they can't resist any longer.  When Margot makes decisions about the ranch that Travis can't believe or understand, he tries to cut his losses.  Margot would rather Travis think she is a media spotlight whore than to know the truth, but will she ever confide in him?  

Rating:

Remember me was full of technical information about the horses and breeding program, and you learned interesting info without feeling like you were bombarded with a technical manual.  The chemistry between Travis and Margot was electric, but my favorite two people to watch grow and change was Jade and Margot's relationship.  Such a dynamic sister relationship, and it was really interesting to watch.  Jade's book is the one I am most looking forward to actually.  I hope we have met her HEA already, cause I have her paired in my mind!!  I would highly recommend Remember Me to anyone who loves a great contemporary romance.  I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the Radcliffe girls!!

Forget Me Not - Marliss Melton

Synopsis:
A Hero's Nightmare Gabe Renault doesn't know why he was in a prison camp. He has no memory of the past three years or of the Navy Seal mission that went wrong. Only two things kept him going: thoughts of his wife and the certainty that he must escape. A Sudden Homecoming After Gabe is presumed dead, Helen Renault pulls the tattered pieces of her and her daughter's lives back together. Married young and for all the wrong reasons, she's standing on her own two feet at last-and proud of it. Then comes the biggest shock of all-Gabe returns home. Gone is the distant, secretive husband he once was. This new Gabe is a man she could easily, finally, lose her heart to. But his memory is slowly returning, exposing a trail of government treachery...and jeopardizing his and Helen's second chance at love.

Review:
Forget Me Not is the first book in a SEAL series.  After finally putting her husbands memory to rest and making the decision to move on with her life, she gets the call that changes her life and her heart forever.  After a year of being missing and declared dead by the Navy, surprise, he isn't dead after all.  But Gabe can't remember the past 3 years of his life including his wife and daughter not to mention the last mission that went wrong.  Helen is trying so hard to guard herself against the "new" Gabe cause he could be so easy to love this way.  He is attentive, and loving and he seems to genuinely care for her daughter, all the things he wasn't before his "death".  Convinced the "new" Gabe is temporary, Helen keeps herself at arms length....until finally she can't do it anymore.  As Gabe's memories start to return, the danger starts knocking on their front door, sending him in to SEAL mode to protect what is his.  After contacting his team and going over his suspicions with them and setting up a game plan, but knowing the danger is to him, Gabe thinks the best way to protect his loved ones is to leave them behind...if only for a while.  Heartbroken, Helen continues on with her life, until Mallory is taken...the first person she seeks out is Gabe.  Secrets are revealed, traitors are put in the crosshairs, and a woman saves the day!

Notable Quote:
Forgive me for being so ignorant that I didn't see this coming.  If I die here today, don't grieve me, baby.  Not everyone is given a second chance.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to have loved you the way you deserve to be loved.


Rating:
An epic love story with a SEAL twist.  I had a hard time putting this book down.  Gabe is wounded, literally from his time in captivity, it is up to Helen to put him back together again.  I loved how Gabe was able to get a second chance and seemed to learn from his past life.  The cast of characters were great to get to know and the set up for the series was wonderful, the book gave us just enough information about the team members to intrigue.

I was very curious about Hannah, we got just a glimpse of her, and I was happy to see her story is told in the next book "In The Dark".

Maid for Love - Marie Force

Synopsis:
Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she’s knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Resort Hotel by Gansett’s “favorite son,” Mac McCarthy. He’s back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family resort and has no intention of staying long. When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son. He soon realizes his plans for a hit-and-run visit to the island are in serious jeopardy, and he just may be “maid” for love.

Review:

Mac isn't back to his hometown for more than 10 minutes before he literally runs in to Maddie knocking her off of her bike on her way to work, which coincidentally is for his family's business.  Maddie's injuries are bad enough that she will not be able to do much of anything for several days, so as a way to make it up to her, Mac decides to take on her shifts at work.  While spending so much time with Maddie and her son, Thomas, he becomes attached and the scary part is he isn't scared about it.  Maddie starts to soften towards Mac and confides some of her deepest secrets and hurts to him.  Some of those hurts Mac knows he can make better and sets himself on a path to restore Maddie's reputation and have her for his very own.  Before he can make everything right, he is sidetracked by a over bearing mother, an ex-girlfriend and Maddie's own insecurities.  

Notable Quote:

"You've got a lot of your mother in you, huh?"  He glowered at her. "Now you're just being mean."  (Mac still trying to convince Maddie to let him help)

Rating:

I really enjoyed this book.  So much emotion packed in to one story!!  Maddie is so strong and has a backbone made of titanium.  Mac is such a softy and only wants what is best for Maddie and Thomas and does his best knight-in-shinning-armor thing.  Maddie is so used to everything going wrong and people believing the worst in her, she isn't sure how to take Mac, but when they finally do come together, it is pure chemistry.  This is a quick read with great humor and lots of great banter.  A very lovely love story.  I honestly can't wait to meet the rest of the McCarthy clan.  Janey, the baby sister is up next, and I am anxiously awaiting June 1st.

When You Dare - Lori Foster

Synopsis:
Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he'll take the mission he's offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who'd had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare's tempted to combine work with pleasure.

Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she's uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all….

Review:

When you Dare is the first book in the new Men Who Walk The Edge Of Honor series.  While Dare is in Mexico retrieving a close friend's sister from a human trafficking ring, he finds Molly confined in the same small trailer that Alani was in.  Molly was chained, taunted, beaten and starved almost to death.  But through it all, she insists she is "fine".  Dare makes this "complication" his top priority, after deciding Molly was there for different reasons than the girls that were kidnapped for human trafficking, he sets his mind to finding out who set up her abduction and to make sure she is safe.  Narrowing down a list of suspects is harder than it seems (the ex, the sister, the sister's new ex-cop boyfriend, the spot-light loving father, the robot of a stepmom and over zealous readers top the list).  Molly is a romantic suspense writer and has a loyal following, so loyal, the powers that be have decided to make one of her books in to a movie.  Can this be the reason she has been kidnapped?  Will she ever feel safe again?

Notable Quote:

"...I could have, and I wouldn't have broken a sweat."   Natalie made a face. "Are all men so modest?"  Jett grinned. "probably."

Rating:

I loved the chemistry between Dare and Molly.  I really liked that to shut her up or to keep her mind occupied he kissed her and he didn't know why, it was as confusing to him as it was to her.  Molly was strong and independent but valued Dare and his abilities to keep her safe in bed and out.  I LOVED the secondary characters (Chris, Trace & Alani).  The interaction with Dare and "his girls" was refreshing and sweet.  When I started this book I was a little disgruntled cause I read the authors note to read the novella first about Natalie and Jett. I wasn't sold on that story and Molly was mentioned only briefly in that story.  But I loved how it all came together in the end of When you Dare.  Dare is used to working alone, Molly is used to getting her own way, teaming them up is....explosive!!I am very much looking forward to Trace of Fever coming out May 2011.