Monthly Reads - February 2014

Sigh, I'm really having a hard time finding my blogging groove. It's weird because one week, I'll manage to write three posts and the next, nada ^_^; Anyway, I'm really happy I managed to write this post! I really wanted to have it posted in March - no fun to always play catch up. I barely made it, but I made it :)

Here is what I read in February:


1) Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare: B-

Lately, I haven't been in the mood for historical romance. It seems to be another genre I am burning out on (noooo!!!) ^_^; However, after seeing all the good reviews about Romancing the Duke, I decided to give it a try... especially since the hero was blind!

Romancing the Duke is the first in Ms Dare's new series in which each heroine inherits a castle. Isolde Ophelia Goodnight, better known as Izzy Goodnight, is the daughter of England's most acclaimed author, Sir Henry Goodnight. Because her father failed to provide for her in his will, Izzy finds herself in a financial bind. When she learns that her godfather has left her a bequest in his will, it seems to be a godsend. However, she never expected to be inheriting a castle... and one that is not empty at that. Ransom William Dacre Vane is the eleventh Duke of Rothbury and previous owner of Gostley Castle. After his bride ran away with another man and being injured in a duel, Ransom lost his eyesight and retreated from the ton, taking refuge in Gostley Castle. He's been in seclusion for seven months when Izzy shows up on his doorstep with the ludicrous claim of ownership over his home. Obviously, there's been a mistake somewhere and Rothbury intends to keep Izzy close till he finds out what happened. As for Izzy, all she wants is a roof over her head.

Romancing the Duke was a cute book and I enjoyed it... just not as much as everyone else seems to ^_^; This happens to me regularly with Ms Dare's books. I don't know what it is, because I do think her writing is solid... It's just that for me, that little extra that makes a good story into a great one is missing. In this case, I feel I didn't connect with the characters even though they were likable and well developed. I wished Ms Dare had played up Rothbury's blindness a bit more... Still, there were some good elements to Romancing the Duke. I liked that the book was focused on Izzy, Rothbury and their romance, that there was no villain/evilness and the humorous tone.


2) Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil: C-

Life in Outer Space is about Sam Kinnison who is a geek and is resigned with is place in the high school pecking order. He has a good group of friends, knows what he wants to do in the future and is just waiting for high school to be over to realize his dreams. Then Camilla, the new girl at school, comes into his life. Sam doesn't know what to do with Camilla because she doesn't fit the mold he knows and very quickly, everything in his life seems to be changing...

I picked this book up based on Alex's review. She loved Life in Outer Space and I was hoping it would work as well for me... Unfortunately, it didn't :( First, I was expecting this book to be funnier since Sam is a nerd. I guess that's what you get for watching so much Big Bang Theory LOL. In truth though, Sam wasn't that nerdy; he simply was passionate about movies, especially horror ones. Think Dawson Creek instead of Sheldon or Leonard and so it was hard for me to really believe he was being bullied. I feel that he should have stood his ground a bit more firmly... As for the story itself, I don't know ^_^; The friendship between Camilla and Sam was well-written and his confusion was interesting, but at the end of the day, I felt Sam was really dense. I mean, it was obvious this was heading for something more and his acting all scared rabbit - not very attractive. Then, Ms Keil added all this issues in the story, but I don't feel like anything was really resolved... and I never really understood what was Sam's parents' situation. Overall, Life in Outer Space simply didn't grab me.

3) Jaded by Anne Calhoun: C-

Lucas Ridgeway is jaded. He used to be a cop in Denver, but after burning out, he came back to Walkers Ford, South Dakota, to serve as their chief of police. He simply doesn't want to feel, doesn't want to care anymore because he's been burned too many times. He is not looking for a relationship, but an affair with his sexy tenant who's leaving soon, that he can manage. Alanna Wentworth comes from an affluent political family. After turning down a very public proposal, she needed space and time away from her family and escaped to Walkers Ford to be their town librarian. She always knew it would be temporary as she is needed by her family foundation and her mother and sister have started being very insistent for her come back. Before going home though, Alanna wants to do something different... such as seducing her sexy landlord.

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end, it just didn't work for me. Part of it is on me because I'm burning out on contemporary romance and Jaded didn't really offer anything different. However, it was also the book. I felt there was a lack of of chemistry between Alanna and Lucas, no real connection between them except for sex. There was also a lack of development to the story. Ms Calhoun really stacked up the book with back stories and secondary characters, but she didn't really do much with it which is unfortunate. I really would have liked to see the characters work out their problems, but all the resolutions were so sudden! It's like all the characters started at point A with their issues and ended at point B with their happy endings and none of the progress was shown. I read the book and yet, wasn't a witness to their journey from A to B :(  One thing that made me really uncomfortable is that Alanna's family ran a charity foundation which is very noble. However, that foundation mostly helped people in third world countries. But what about what's right in front of you? There's this teen that Alanna took under her wing, Cody, whom I really liked and obviously came from a poor family. I kept expecting for her to do more for him, to realize that she could change his life... and it took so much prodding for it to happened :(

I think that Ms Calhoun had some good ideas with Jaded, but failed to execute them :(


4) Split Second by Kasie West: B+


5) On the Fence by Kasie West: B+
Upcoming Review (closer to release date)


6) Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb: C+


7) Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg:
Upcoming Review.


8) At the River's Edge by Mariah Stewart: C-

I've been reading the Chesapeake Diaries series on and off and decided to pick up At the River's Edge based on the blurb. After finding her boyfriend cheating, Sophie Enright decides she needs a break and heads back home to St. Dennis, Maryland. While there, she finds an old shut-down restaurant and decides to buy it, because working in a diner as a cook was one of her best experiences. Jason Bowers came to St. Dennis to be close to his nephew - his only remaining family. He was hoping to buy the land on which the shut-down restaurant is located to expand his landscape business, but got it snatched under his nose by Sophie to whom he is attracted to.

The blurb made it sounded like there was a huge conflict between Sophie and Jason because of the land, but there wasn't ^_^; And that's the problem with At the River's Edge. It's not that I wanted the land deal to come in between Sophie and Jason, but I was hoping for something, anything to happen! There's a difference between a low-conflict story and a book where nothing happened and I feel Ms Stewart missed the mark here.  Also, the whole story was about Sophie quitting her lawyer career to open a diner/restaurant... and I simply didn't buy it ^_^; There's a big gap between loving working in a diner during college and quitting your successful career to open a restaurant. Sophie had no experience whatsoever and while she did ask for advice, it was still hard to believe she'd be successful. I've watched a lot of Masterchef shows, I've seen people who are passionate about food and dream of becoming chefs and opening their own restaurant and I didn't see that passion in Sophie.It's too bad about At the River's Edge because I thought the set up was promising although a bit cliché, but everything turned out to be quite bland: the characters, the romance and the story :(


9) Night Broken by Patricia Briggs: B-


10) Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler: C-

11) Long Hard Ride by Lorelei James: C

There's not much for me to say about Long Hard Ride. This was an erotica romance that's been on my e-reader for a while. I picked this up because I needed something different. It's basically about a heroine who is trying to find herself after letting her parents run her life. She hooked up with a cowboy, but found out he was married and almost got stranded... if it wasn't for the hero. Hero offers her an opportunity she can't pass, be his groupie and do everything he demands until they reach their destination.

While I liked Channing and Colby - the heroine and hero - and thought they were hot together.  If you take out the sex part, well Long Hard Ride becomes your usual romance where the H/H started a fling which quickly developed into something more. It's interesting though that Colby's family didn't approve of Channing and I wished there'd been more on that. Otherwise, the most interesting part of the book was Colby's partners, Trevor and Edgard, and their relationship.


12) Third Degree by Julie Cross: B
Upcoming Review.


13) Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop: B

***

Genres

Contemporary Romance - 2
Erotica Romance - 1
Historical Romance - 1
New Adult - 1
Romantic Suspense/Mystery - 1
Urban Fantasy - 2
Young Adult - 5

***

In the end, the tally is not so bad :) I really did a good job at reviewing the January books, so I thought I really dropped the ball for February... and I did. However, it seems I was also able to catch it back LOL. Reading-wise, I'm happy with the number of books read, especially since February was a shorter month, even if many of them were a bit blah ^_^; Although in the books defense, I think I was feeling blah as well.

I've also been switching gears a bit in February, picking up more Young Adult and New Adult books. I've been complaining for a while that I'm burning out on contemporary and historical romance ^_^; It's hard to put into words. On one hand, I feel I want stories that are more classic... but at the same time, I want something refreshing! I feel authors are playing it too safe lately :( To make up for those genres, I've been trying to look for new urban fantasy series, but they're hard to find... If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share! Luckily, I've been in the mood for YA and NA and that's not lacking in today's market!

What about you? How was February? What have you been in the mood to read?

Monthly Reads - October 2012

TGIF yay! I can't wait till the end of the working day. It seems like this week has been really busy and going by very slowly ^_^; And I have to say, I'm starting to dread the coming weeks. It just seems like there is a lot of work ahead of me and very little time. By the way, it seems like there will be a good outcome about my job situation after New Year, but it's not confirmed yet. As soon as it is, I'll let you know!!

For today, I was debating whether to blog about books or curling LOL. Seems like the two big passions of my life right now. I opted with books because I figured it'd be quicker... which I'm not sure it was LOL. But also because there's an in-club tournament this week-end and I might as well cover that in my next recap, right? So stay tuned for it next week!

Now, let's talk about my first love: books! Here is what I read back in October! I can't believe we're in December ^_^; I'm so behind on my review! Although this post should help :)


1) When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen: C-


2) The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan: B


3) Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong: C+


4) Believe in Me by Laura Moore: B+


5) Trouble Me by Laura Moore: B-/C+
Upcoming Review.


6) Midnight's Daughter by Karen Chance: B-


7) Death's Mistress by Karen Chance: B+
Upcoming Review.


8) Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance: B
Upcoming Review.

9) Home for the Summer by Mariah Stewart: C-

The cover of Home for the Summer caught my eyes and then, I decided to read it because it was a friends to lovers trope. When they were kids, Lucy Sinclair and Clay Madison were best friends. However, for some some reasons unknown to Clay, Lucy started to isolate herself from everyone during high school and now, they are more like regular acquaintances. Nowadays, Lucy is a successful event planner based on the West Coast and seldom comes back home while Clay is happy with his farm and has just started an organic brewery business. When work brings Lucy back to St. Dennis for several months, Clay decides he wants to reconnect with Lucy and see where it leads them. But there's a reason Lucy left town and stayed away... and it might just keep them apart.

It's nice to read low-level conflict romances from time to time, which is what Home for the Summer was. Overall, the story was sweet and the characters, nice. I liked Lucy and Clay, they were just regular people going about their life and I enjoyed seeing them reconnecting. Unfortunately, I thought there was not enough depth to the characters and to the story. In addition, the way the book was written, it was quite passive: the romance, the timeline and the events. We didn't get to see everything that was going on, which in some cases work, but not in Home for the Summer. I think it would have been better if the storyline focused on a shorter period of time and more happened, instead of Lucy and Clay reconnecting and falling into a relationship over time. Because of the passiveness, it felt like the storyline was a bit dull and as a result, I never really got hooked by it. Also, the foreshadowing of what happened to Lucy to make her avoid home was not very subtle. It was easy to guess what happened to her... I wouldn't have minded if at least, she has worked through it and moved on, but she didn't seem to. And what I really disliked was since Lucy revealed her secret to Clay, of course, something had to happen to impact her current life. It's just too coincidental and it never sits well with  me.

Bottom line, Home for the Summer was not a bad book, there was a lot of good elements to it actually. Unfortunately, it's not a memorable book either - not while reading and not afterwards :( And that's why I'm giving it a C- instead of a C.


10) What Happens at Christmas by Victoria Alexander: B-


11) Turning Up the Heat by Laura Florand : B+
Upcoming Review.

12) The Accidental Bride by Christina Skye: C

Once again, I saw the cover, thought it was cute and decided to give it a try since I usually enjoy those fake wedding/marriage plots. However, the blurb of The Accidental Bride was a bit misleading...

Jill O'Hara is a chef whose hard work is finally paying off. Her restaurant is starting to get really good critics and her organic salsa range is becoming popular. Life should be good... until Jilly suffers a minor heart attack, prompted by too much stress. Per doctor's order, it is imperative that Jilly changes her lifestyle and if possible, her line of work, but she doesn't know how and being a chef has always been her dream. To help her out, her best friends send her to a cooking retreat which turns out to really be a knitting retreat in Lost Creek, Wyoming. There, she meets Walker Hale, the town's hero and recluse, and Winslow, his brow Lab retriever. Both have been to war and come back injured and now, help training the U.S. troops to use service dogs in hostile terrain. It's love at first sight between Jilly and Winslow, but she is not immune to Walker either... And yes, they do plan a fake wedding ceremony, but it has nothing to do with television and everything to please the retreat's owner, an elderly lady with a heart condition.

When I started The Accidental Bride, I thought the story really had potential. I liked the issues that Jilly was going through with her life, both health and career-wise. It's hard to find something you want and love to do, but Jilly did. Not only that, she is successful at it... and then, to be told she can no longer do it? How do you deal with that? The problem though with The Accidental Bride is that Ms Skye had a good premise, but once Jillly found herself in Lost Creek, it's as if the author lost direction of what she planned and started improvising and the focus of the book got shifted to something else ^_^; The focus should have been on Jilly's problems and her new life, but instead of trying to figure out those, we got knitting and Jilly's lack of skills at it. We had Jilly playing barrista and helping to extinguish a kitchen fire... and we had the whole fake wedding fiasco going on. Jilly's denial was used as an excuse for the lack of focus on her issues, but still, those were important! Also, there were a few things that weren't very logical to me and the whole wedding thing, I can't believe Jilly accepted. She's a pretty down-to-earth person, level-headed, so it's hard to believe she would accept to marry someone just to please an elderly lady whom she has known less than a week... No matter how attracted and how much she liked the fake groom. This lack of direction was really quite unfortunate because Ms Skye actually had a great hero ^_^; I actually enjoyed the connection between Walker and Jilly and where they were heading. And I loved Winslow and his dynamics with the H/H! He such a great dog character and the highlight of the book. And then, the ending was rushed with a big conflict concerning Walker's background... instead of being about Jilly's issues introduced in the beginning.

To recap The Accidental Bride had a lot of potential with a good premise and great characters, but it was never exploited because the author went on a tangent when it came to the storyline ^_^;


13) Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry: B
Upcoming Review.


14) My Kind of Christmas by Robyn Carr: B


15) All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey: C-


16) Within Reach by Saran Mayberry: C+
Upcoming Review.


17) All They Need by Sarah Mayberry: C+
Upcoming Review.


18) A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery: B-

19) First Impressions by Nora Roberts: C

Another book I picked up because of the cover ^_^; What can I say, I'm easily swayed :) So First Impressions is a re-print and contains two oldies from Ms Roberts: First Impressions and Blithe Images.

In First Impressions, Shane Abbot comes home after a teaching stint in the big city with the dream of converting the house she has just inherited from her great-grandmother into an antique shop. She decides to hire the new guy in town and her new neighbor, Vance Banning, because he looks like he needs the job. What she doesn't know is that Vance is actually a wealthy businessman who needed time to find himself again after an atrocious marriage to a gold-digger.

First Impressions was a nice book. I actually really liked Shane's character, she was very bubbly, optimistic and passionate. Vance was more controlled and quiet and the two balanced each other out really well and I thought the romance was sweet. At the end of the day, there's nothing new to First Impressions, but it's a good book to pass time. My one issue with it was Shane's mother. She's a calculative woman who cares only about money and beauty. When she finds herself in trouble, she comes back home to see what her grandmother has left her, which is nothing. She's determined to make trouble to Shane, but Vance scares her... He then threatens her to stay away from Shane, but the woman is vengeful and when she finds out the dirt on Vance's previous marriage, she comes back to throw it in Shane's face. Let's face it, Vance's secret about his wealth and his marriage was always going to be the conflict of this book. That's fine to me. However, I really disliked the way it was thrown in Shane's face. Quite frankly, I just don't understand why the mother came back to face Shane. Just to hurt Shane? Because she was such an evil woman? I think the story could have done without her character...

20) Blithe Images by Nora Roberts: D

Oh wow, Blithe Images... I think this is the worst book I've read by Ms Roberts ^_^; I think it's largely due to the dated style of the story.

Hilary Baxter is a model enjoying success when she is offered an exclusive 6 months contract for a very prestigious fashion magazine. Of course, she accepts and this brings her in close proximity to Bret Bardoff, owner and and publisher of the magazine. So that's the premise of the story. From the get go, you know that Hilary and Bret are attracted to each other, but they keep circling each other... They're not in a relationship, but they want to... but enters the evil woman, Charlene who is from Bret's entourage and high society. She and Bret used to have a thing, but Bret put an end to it. Yet, she still believes she is going to marry Bret and is all jealous of Hilary and warning her of.

Where to start? First, I actually liked Hilary. She was pretty level-headed and felt humane... and that's pretty much the highlight of Blithe Images. What didn't work for me was Bret. I usually love Ms Roberts' hero, but Bret, ugh. He was sooooo patronizing! And the reason why I say Blithe Images feel dated in style is because Bret feels like a stereotype of the  wealthy businessman hero in the 80's romance. The kind that doesn't show his emotions and what he is feeling. Also, I think Ms Roberts meant for him to be elusive, but the whole combination didn't work for me. Instead, it frustrated me. I think Bret should have cleared things up with Charlene from the start instead of using her to make Hilary jealous and should have just gone after Hilary. Also, it's hard for me to believe that Hilary is in love with Bret when she has barely spent quality time with him. Most of their interactions were about work and she had to figure out the man he was and meh.

So yes, Blithe Images just didn't work for me :(

***

Balance
Books bought: +6
Books read: -20
TBR pile: -14

Genres
Category Romance - 3
        --> (Contemporary - 3)
Contemporary Romance - 10
Historical Romance - 2
        --> (Regency -2)
Urban Fantasy - 3
Mystery/Thriller - 1
YA - 1

***

Obviously, I can't complain about the numbers! October was my best reading month of the year with twenty books :) Yay!! As you can see, I went on two binges: contemporary romances and Sarah Mayberry LOL. I was just in the mood for contemporary romances and just gobbled them one after the other... and since that's what I was in the mood, well naturally, I went through the Sarah Mayberry books I had in my TBR pile. I have not reviewed any of them yet... I'm hoping to do a Sarah Mayberry week eventually... Eventually being the key word LOL. I have to say, while I read a lot of books, not many stood out which is unfortunate.  Is it because I'm a tough grader? There is a bit of that probably, but I think it's the books as well. But that's a discussion for another day.

How was your month of October? Did we read any of the same books?

Monthly Reads: March 2011

Yay! I'm done with my Monthly Reads post and we're just a few days into April :P Go me! LOL, I think it helped I only read 12 books this month. It really felt like a so-so month for me, I didn't have any momentum/rhythm at all. I think I was half-way through the month and had only read 5 books... so it seems that I managed to "save" the month, but still. It was just so busy, first with the presentation and then, the BPPV. Sigh. Lots of good books are coming out in the next few weeks, so I hope that helps my reading mojo :)

Review-wise, I'm still not completely satisfied with the numbers of reviews; however, I am getting my groove back :) I've managed to review most of the books I read in February that I planned to review, so I'm pretty happy. Now, onto books for March!! I think that by the end of this month, there won't be such a delay between the reads and the reviews :P

Now, what did I read this month? Let's find out!


1)Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins: D+

published by Hyperion in March 2010

The heroine of Hex Hall is Sophie Mercer, a 15 years old witch who inherited her powers from her absentee father - her mother left him when she discovered he was a warlock. After yet another incident that reveals her powers to humans, Sophie is sent to Hecate Hall - a school for supernatural "delinquents" which Sophie will attend till her 18th birthday. Being the new kid at school is hard enough, but this is also the first time that Sophie spends time with her peers - shifters, fairies, witches... and the deck is stacked against her. First, Sophie's roommate is the school's sole vampire who's been suspected of killing another student, then she keeps getting pestered by the other three witches to join their coven... and oh, she discovers that her father is head of the Council and he's the one responsible for exiling all students and teachers to the school. Yeah, let say that doesn't make her the most popular kid...

I really had high expectations for Hex Hall based on the blurb and the good reviews. Unfortunately for me, the  book didn't measure up to them. My main issue with Hex Hall is that as a heroine, I don't feel like Sophie had anything that made her stand out or that she was very likable. Oh, she wasn't disagreeable or anything, just not someone I warmed up to. There were also some facts regarding her situations that really bothered me such as Sophie never having met her father or knowing that he was the head of the Council. It wasn't her fault, it was her mom's, but I think it was really stupid on her part. Yes, she did her best to help Sophie by studying anything paranormal, but there's nothing better than experience and exposure and I think that Sophie would have been so much prepared if she's been able to meet her father.

Otherwise, the world building wasn't that engrossing and the kids at Hex Hall - ugh, just spoiled and stupid!! It really bothered me when they whined that they didn't deserve to be at Hex Hall - all she did was fly to catch the bus! It's hard to like characters that are so immature and don't take responsibility for their action. The only character that was okay was Jenna, Sophie's roommate, and Cal, the ground keeper and healer.

Finally, I don't think there was much to the book story-wise. The first half was Sophie learning about herself and the other beings, adapting to school and her little run-ins with the three other witches. Then there was her crush on Archer, which really didn't do much for me. Probably the only redemption in the end was the mystery which led to quite a big revelation about Sophie... All in all, Hex Hall really didn't impress me and I won't be picking up the sequel.


2) Blackout by Rob Thurman: A-
Upcoming Buddy Review with Leslie.


3) River Marked by Patricia Briggs: B+
Upcoming Review.


4) Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John: B/B+
Upcoming Buddy Review with Li.


5) Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly: C
Upcoming Buddy Review with Ames.

6) Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer: C
published by Penguin Young Reader in March 2008

Vladimir Todd is a vampire, born from a vampire father and human mother. Three years ago, his parents died mysteriously in a fire and now, Vlad is living with his mother's best friend, Nelly, who is a nurse and brings him back blood from the blood bank. At 13 years old, Vlad has to deal with being a teenager at school, but also with his awakening powers. Things get complicated when one of Vlad's favorite teacher disappears and is replaced by someone that seems to know way too much about supernatural beings... and when another vampire shows up in town looking specifically for Vlad.

I've been quite curious about The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series because the books have been prominently displayed in my bookstores in the past year, but I've never really come across it on blogland. So when the YA books were on sale, I decided to give it a chance. I also liked the idea of a male being the protagonist. Overall, I thought that Eighth Grade Bites was pretty okay. Hmmm, it introduces Vladimir, a young vampire that is still getting over his parents' deaths, whose powers seem to be getting stronger and who has to deal with everyday's life as a teenager. Vlad was a nice protagonist and I didn't mind reading from his POV. I really enjoyed his relationship with Nelly and his best friend, Henry. I think that really made the book for me, because it felt so real. I mean, despite being a vampire, Vlad was also an everyday boy who enjoyed hanging out with his best friend and eating junk food :)  I also liked Mr Otis, Vlad's new teacher.

Unfortunately, the book wasn't perfect. First, I thought it was a big too short, probably because of the young audience Eighth Grade Bites aims for. It made for a really awkward pacing in my opinion, because 3/4 of the book was used to set up Vladimir's world and life, the ground work for the rest of the series... and then, in the last 1/4 of the book, Ms Brewer dealt with the book's storyline, the action and mystery. Blink and you're going to miss it ^_^; So that aspect was weak... and I also thought Ms Brewer was trying too hard at misleading the readers, trying to infuse mystery into the book. It felt a bit forced or perhaps again, it's because the book is aimed at younger readers.

So not a bad book, but not one that made me rush to devour the next installment.


7) Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles: B
Upcoming Review.


8) Texas Glory by Lorraine Heath: B
Upcoming Review.

9) Almost Home by Mariah Stewart: C
published by Bantam Books in March 2011

Steffie Wyler has known at an early age what she wanted in life: 1) make ice cream, 2) Wade MacGregor and 3) live happy ever after. She's achieved her first goal, being the proud and successful owner of One Scoop or Two and is working on the other two. Few months ago, she almost went to bed with Wade, but he had to leave abruptly. Now, he's back in town, stopping on his way to his new job, with a baby in tow and Steffie doesn't know what to think. It seems like she should be moving on; only problem is that Wade has always been the one.

Few months ago, Wade had it all - he was in business with his best friend, Robin Kennedy, brewing beer - a work that he enjoyed immensely. Then, Robin's boyfriend embezzled the business, Robin died from cancer and left him with her precious little boy. Instead of selling KenneMac to someone else, Wade preferred to close down shop and found a job in another brewery. Before heading for the new job, Wade decided to stop in St. Dennis to spend time with his family and introducing his son. As usual, sparks between him and Steffie fly, but Wade knows that Steffie's life belongs in St. Dennis...

Sorry for the synopsis, not the best... but at the same time, I'm not sure how else I could describe this book. I actually thought Almost Home was a romantic suspense, given that's what the previous books I read by Ms Stewart were... but instead, it was more contemporary/small town romance, so it took me a little by surprise.

Almost Home was quite a quick read, mostly because not much is happening. Actually, a lot of little things are happening, but in the grand scheme, in the general sense of a storyline - yep, not much is happening. The book pretty much focuses on Steffie and Wade's romance and what made Wade closed down his business. I feel like there was a lot of superfluous aspects in this book such as the Ouija thing and the witch magic to fill up the pages ^_^; I think Almost Home would have been more interesting if the romance has been more intense. It just took a while for Steffie and Wade to decide what they wanted and to go after each other. I mean, in the beginning, Steffie was angry at Wade because he shows up with the baby and that means he might have been married or with someone else when he and her almost got together... and that's really understandable. Then, you had Wade that thought he should avoid having a relationship with Steffie, but just couldn't keep away from her. When she finally comes around, well it's his turn to brush her off, because her life belongs in St. Dennis and so it's best not to start anything... and yada, yada, yada. The worst is that in the end, everything - everything - was resolved so easily, even the "intrigue" aspect of the book... so it really felt like a lot of elements were just unnecessary, there just to make this book longer, sigh.

It's quite unfortunate, because Steffie and Wade were likable characters. They're nice, they're loyal, they're decent and every day persons who have to make a living. They have great families and friends surrounding them and healthy relationships with others. I also liked that Steffie and Wade valued each other, that Wade told Steffie the truth about his son. I liked when Steffie told Wade that she was big enough to decide on her own and it wasn't his choice to make. I think they were quite compatible and mature... However, their romance was missing some excitement, some flirting, some witty banter. It's the way they interact with each other, as if they didn't have chemistry :( Instead of focusing on the relationship and interactions between the H/H, it feels like Ms Stewart was trying too hard to infuse drama and conflicts and it just felt forced.

Almost Home was not a bad book, but it did miss the mark for me where the romance is concerned :( I did enjoy some aspect of it, but I doubt I'm going to re-read it and I don't think I'll be picking up the first two books ^_^;


10) Texas Splendor by Lorraine Heath: B
Upcoming Review.

11) Juggling Briefcase & Baby by Jessica Hart: C+
published by Harlequin in October 2010

Lex Gibson is a very driven man, having spent most of his life trying to please his father. Now as CEO of the family business, Lex is about to close a deal with a Scottish grocery chain - something his father has tried all his life and never succeeded. To say this deal is crucial is an understatement and Lex will let nothing ruin this deal - surely not the re-appearance of Romy and her baby girl... baby?!?

Lex and Romy have known each other since they were kids, their mothers being each other's godmother. When Romy was 18 years old, she spent a passionate week in Paris with Lex who proposed to her. However, being too young and afraid of commitment, Romy refused and has spent the last few years in tropical locations for various jobs. Now a single mother, Romy has returned to London for stability and has a part-time job in Lex company to build up her CV. Lex has been scrupulously avoiding her, but when an emergency comes up and Romy is the only one who can accompany Lex and secure the deal, he has no choice to spend time with her...

I bought this book because Wendy, our Super Librarian, really enjoyed it :) Howmever, I'm starting to think that my reading tastes quite differ from hers, which is actually not such a big surprise LOL. In all Ms Hart's books, I've really enjoyed the British settings and the writing. I think it's the romance and the characters that just don't do it for me ^_^;

In Juggling Baby & Briefcase, I really didn't mind the secret baby plot, because it was executed quite differently. Basically, Romy had a brief affair, wounded up pregnant and returned to London. She never told the father, because he got back with his ex-girlfriend, now fiancée; however, as Freya is growing, Romy figures her daughter should get to know her father. So basically, the secret baby plot had nothing to do with Lex and that's what I found interesting. I also applauded Ms Hart for taking this direction with the storyline, as it is pretty unusual in my opinion. Instead, the part I found cliché is Lex and Romy having to fake a relationship in order to close the deal... although it did force Lex to spend time with Romy.

I thought Lex was quite an interesting character. I would like to say that I liked him, but it's not really possible, because he was not very likable ^_^; He was too hard-edged and uncompromising in my opinion. I did like the way that Ms Hart developed him, I understood what shaped him and what pushed him to be the man he is. It's quite unfair that he had to spend his whole life trying to prove himself to his father, gain acceptance, while it was so easy for his brother... Being first-born is really a hard job in certain circumstances and really unfair :( Likewise, I think that Ms Hart also did a good job developing Romy's character. Unfortunately, I found her harder to like, which is quite a surprise because I usually love free-spirit characters and from the blurb, that's what Romy seemed to be. My biggest issue was Romy wanting Lex to do the first step - acknowledged her in the company or at Lex' brother's wedding - for them to re-connect, when she's the one who turned him down. She wanted to know that he still cared, that she still meant something to him... and I thought it was quite selfish of her. It was also selfish of her not to want Freya to develop any attachment to father figures. I mean, yes, Romy was hurt when her father left her mother for another woman... and I understand that Romy was trying to protect Freya... and I shouldn't say anything because I've never been in that position, but really...

I enjoyed Lex scenes with Freya and actually wished for more. I think Ms Hart did a great job at portraying the child and how babies behave. As for Lex and Romy, I actually want a little more development. It just felt flat for me, these two who supposedly never got over each other. They just didn't seem to be able to trust each other and I think that's sad in a relationship :(

Overall, I liked the book, but was far from loving it. I guess because there was a baby, I was expecting something a bit cuter. Instead, Juggling Baby & Briefcase was more a fast and brisk read.


12) Sugar Creek by Toni Blake: C
Upcoming Review.


Books bought: +23
Books read: -12
TBR pile: +9

12 books read, not too bad :) There were a few books that stood out, but overall, it was not really an exceptional month. What I'm most proud of is how eclectic the month was, I think I really mixed it up well, and two books came from my TBR pile!! Can you imagine? LOL. However, a lot of new books made it to the TBR pile ^_^; Ah well, can't win it all, right? :)

So far, April has had a good start and I hope it continues on that trend! :)