Tag Archives: romance

July Reading List

Some of these were actually read in June; I just didn’t have a chance to add them to the post.

  • The MacKenzies, Liliana Hart – This is a bundle of the first 5 novellas in the series: Dane, Thomas, Riley, Cooper, and A MacKenzie Christmas.  All fall under the premise of love at first sight and several fall under romantic suspense.
  • Choices, Jamie Klaire – An erotica short that is interactive.  At key junctures of the story, the reader can choose which way to go.
  • Long Time Gone, Lorelei James – A novella with the Rough Riders series, telling the story of Kimi West and Calvin McKay, parents of Kade and Kane.
  • More than a Billionaire, Christina Tetreault – Sherbrookes of Newport; childhood friends get reaquainted with so much more.
  • When Darkness Ends, Alexandra Ivy – Guardians of Eternity; The final chapter in the battle against all that is evil focusing on Cyn (vampire) and Fallon (Chatri princess).
  • Against the Tide, Kat Martin – Brodies of Alaska; Rafe and Olivia explore their attraction while trying to sort out the details behind a friend’s murder.
  • Ravaged, Elizabeth Naughton – Eternal Guardians & 1001 Dark Nights; Daphne (nymph and Siren wannabe) is tasked with seducing and assassinating the thought to be dead Argonaut Aristokles.

June Reading List

  • Somewhere Along the Way – Ruth Cardello – Book 4 of The Andrades series – Luke, the doctor brother, starts to question his life when he meets Cassie, the owner of a bed and breakfast in Ohio.
  • Let it Ride – Vivian Arend – Book 3 of the Thompson & Sons series. When Clay’s best friend dies in a car accident, he is there to comfort Maggie as old feelings from high school resurface.
  • Come Back to Me – Cindy Stark – Book 4 of the Aspen series.  April is back in Aspen after three years with her cousin Jessie’s orphaned son. But as the dead woman’s lies and manipulations continue to come to light, April’s renewed relationship with Seth is threatened.
  • Darkness Eternal – Alexandra Ivy – novella 9.5 in the Guardians of Eternity series.  When vampire Marika was killed, gypsy Kata thought she was free of her sister’s torment. Little did she know a binding curse would throw her into Hell with good vampire Uriel as they fight for their lives.
  • Luther’s Return – Tina Folsom – book 10 of the Scanguards Vampires series. Twenty years have passed since Luther was imprisoned for trying to kill Delilah, only to find himself being blamed for her daughter’s abduction.  Reluctantly joining forces with Kimberly, the actual target, and the rest of the Scanguards, they track the kidnapper in a race for time.
  • The Perfect Gift – Kathleen Brooks – book 3 of the Bluegrass Singles series. Nabi has been in Kentucky for nearly twenty years and his biological clock is ticking.  The next generation of Kenneston’s learn his birthday wish and give him the best birthday present ever…Grace.

May Reading List

So my historical to-be-read list bled over into May a little and I’m supplementing it with a lot of cowboys and general contemporary romance stuff.

Heart of a Hero series – Shelly Gray – post-Civil War (1874) Texas, Colorado, Kansas

  • A Texan’s Honor (book 2) – Jamilyn is traveling by rail from her home to Kansas City to live with her aunts when the train is over-run with the Watson Gang.  Little did she know that her fate was in the hands of Will, a US Marshal working undercover to take the gang down.
  • A Texan’s Choice (book 3) – While focused on Scout Proffitt hanging up the gun-for-hire hat and becoming a family man, a good deal of energy is spent on Russell, a young former Watson Gang member from book 2, and Miles, Scout’s brother-in-law from book 1 as they all deal with a group of deadly cattle rustlers.

Grant – Jennifer Ashley – book 2 of the Riding Hard series.  A year after Grant and Christina split up, neither can get the other out of the system.  A volatile reconciliation is attempted amid personal and public crises.

Tycoon Takedown – Ruth Cardello – book 2 of the Lone Star Burn series. Cowgirl Melanie’s trip to New York to find her baby’s daddy is side-tracked by billionaire Charlie who is dealing with his own demons from the past.  (Book 1 read in January 2015)

Books 3-5 of the Walker Island Romances: When It’s Love, All for Love, Forever in Love.

All I Ever Need is You – Bella Andre – book 14 of the Sullivans series. Adam is the last single Seattle Sullivan and is more than happy to stay that way until he meets Rafe and Brooke’s wedding planner, Kerry.  But Kerry knows Adam’s reputation as a playboy and is convinced he’s just like her father who abandoned them when she was little. He has his work cut out for him in convincing her of his devotion.

Destined for Power – Kathleen Brooks – book 4 of the Women of Power series.

One Man’s Treasure – Sable Hunter/Ryan O’Leary – part of the Heal Yeah! series and Equalizers subseries.  While on a trip to Veracruz, Mexico, MMA fighter Jet unknowingly takes on Sami, a terminally-ill journalist who is running for her life from the Mexican drug cartel.

And I Love Her – Marie Force – book 4 of the Green Mountain Romance Series.  It’s now or never for Hunter to make his move on Megan now that her sister is selling the local diner where she works.

Heartbreak Cove – Lily Everett – book 3 of the Sanctuary Island series.  Complicated doesn’t describe what happens between horse rehabilitator Sam and local sheriff Andie when the fate of an abused horse rides the fine line of the law.

On the Run – Jo Davis – book 4 of the Sugarland Blue series.  Tonio gets in over his head when he stumbles into an undercover gig to nail a local thug.

Women of Power

The Women of Power series by Kathleen Brooks is centered around the Simpson family from Atlanta.  Their father worked his way up, steadily building up an empire over the years. When he passed away, Elle was put in charge of the family business and together with her siblings–Reid, Bree, and Allegra–managed to grow it into an international powerhouse.  The series is loosely connected to Brooks’ Bluegrass and Bluegrass Brothers series.

  1. Chosen for Power – Elle runs the family business, Simpson Global, but someone wants to take her and her company down.  Can tech mogul Drake help her save everything her family has built?
  2. Built for Power – Bree heads up the construction division of the family conglomerate and someone wants to ruin her. She’s convinced that architect Logan is her nemesis, but they soon find they’ve been set up by the true enemy.
  3. Fashioned for Power – Allegra oversees the fashion division of the family business and has been dealing with a stalker for months. Finn, former professional baseball player turned lawyer/entertainment agent, is tired of waiting for Allegra to acknowledge what they might have, until he needs to protect her from her enemies.
  4. Destined for Power – Sixteen years ago, Reid fell in love with Elle’s best friend Mallory who was the daughter of a rich senator.  When Daddy threatened to destroy Reid’s family, Mallory sent him away and broke his heart. She fell in with the CIA and trained with Ahmed (Bluegrass) which eventually led to her career in security. Now there’s a threat against the presidential candidates, her father being one of them, and Mallory has been tasked with discovering the details.  The twist? The order for the hit goes down in one of Reid’s casinos and now he’s a target, too.  It’s a race against the clock to put it all together and stop an assassination that will rock the world.

Walker Island Romances Series

The Walker Island Romances series consists of 5 books written by Lucy Kevin, the “sweet” pen name for Bella Andre.  There’s no steamy sex scenes in these books; it’s only inferred.  The series is about the 5 Walker sisters (Emily, Rachel, Paige, Morgan, and Hanna) who live on Walker Island off the coast of Seattle.  I previously read the first two books and completed the series this week with the last three.

  1. Be My Love – Hanna, the youngest sister, is doing a documentary for one of her film classes and digs into the Walker-Peterson feud which has plagued the island for three generations. Standing in her way is Joel Peterson–at least until they both realize there’s more to the story than either of them have been told.
  2. No Other Love – Morgan left the island and has become a world renowned make-up artist. She’s back now to incorporate some of the island’s natural plants to her new line of products, but didn’t count on old boyfriend Brian, the high school science teacher and football coach, to give her a reason to stay.
  3. When It’s Love – Rachel was the wild child, at least until her boyfriend got her pregnant seven years ago and walked away without looking back.  Now she’s careful to a fault until Nicholas comes to the island to film his extreme sports TV show.  Can he show her that life is better with a healthy balance between the two?
  4. All for Love – Paige was burned by a boyfriend when she attended Julliard and now runs her grandmother’s dance studio on the island. Christian is reprising a role formerly done by Fred Astaire and enlists Paige’s help learning to dance. Can he break her out of her shell so she can meet her full potential as a dancer?
  5. Forever in Love – Now that all her younger sisters are paired off, Emily’s at a loss for things to manage.  That doesn’t last long when Michael, her bestie since she was five makes his move and professes he’s loved her since day one.  Can he convince her taking the next step will make their friendship even better?

April Reads

This month I’m focusing on some of the historical romances I’d bought over the years and still haven’t read. In many cases I have more than one book from a series to finish up.

The Montbryce Legacy – Anna Markland – The series starts during the rise of William the Conqueror and follows the Montbryce family through the next 30 years or so.  The author maintains the historical accuracy with events, even though her characters are fictional.

  1. Passion Conquered – Rambaud is William’s right hand man and is reluctantly betrothed to Mabelle.  Only after he meets her, his reluctance fades as they face nearly insurmountable obstacles living near the English-Welsh border.
  2. A Man of Value – Caedmon was a Saxon born in Scotland to his widowed mother.  He meets Agneta while recovering from serious wounds and later takes her as his bride. When he realizes everything he believed about his past was a lie, Caedmon joins the First Crusade and finally comes to grip with who he really is.
  3. If Loves Dares Enough – Rambaud’s brother Hugh brings a heap of trouble on the family when he rescues Saxon Devona Melton from her abusive Norman husband.  Antoine faces similar issues when he harbors Sybilla after her husband is killed during battle with King William.
  4. Passion in the Blood – Robert, Rambaud’s heir to the Montbryce title, suffers the wrath of his family’s biggest enemy when he marries Dorianne de Giroux.

Lassoed in Texas – Mary Connealy – Post-Civil War era, Texas.  Book 1 previously already read.

  • Calico Canyon – Grace, running from her wicked adoptive father Parrish, takes a teaching job in Mosqueros.  She loses her job over the behavior of the unruly Reeves boys and gets snowed into their canyon when Parrish tracks her down.
  • Gingham Mountain – Hannah, trying to find Grace, ends up teaching in Sour Springs and butts heads with fellow orphan Grant over his practice of adopting multiple orphans himself.

The Brocade Collection – Jackie Ivie – A collection of stand alone historical novels which take place during a variety of time periods.

  • Morganna – early 14th century Scotland (Robert the Bruce era). Morganna watched as her clan was decimated by the FitzHugh clan and vowed vengeance, assuming the identity of a lad (Morgan) who pillaged the dead on the battlefield. She is unwillingly pressed into servitude by Zander FitzHugh as a squire giving her the opportunity of a lifetime to avenge her family’s peril.
  • Linna – early 19th century Louisiana territory.  Linna’s family falls to ruin when her father kills her mother for adultery.  In her quest for freedom from her father, she falls into further ruination when she beds Cord and becomes pregnant. Cord only did it in exchange for gold as he seeks to claim the family title that was stolen from him. Little did they know how twisted up their lives really were.
  • Elise – Victorian Era, England/Scotland. Elise attempts to confront Colin, Laird MacGowan, about their illegitimate nephew, but when two headstrong people clash, the only thing that comes to mind is “we all know what happens when we assume…”

March Reads

Okay, this month I’m focusing on all the paranormal books I’ve got stockpiled.

  1. Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire – Kerrelyn Sparks – the 16th and final book in the Love at Stake series.  Russell has been tracking Master Han for the past two years and is finally getting close.  But he’s not the only one who wants the evil vampire dead.  Han killed Jia’s parents and brother when she was eight and she wants revenge.  She’s more than willing to take Russell on as a partner, both for business and for pleasure.
  2. Twisted – Elisabeth Naughton – Book 7 in the Eternal Guardians series.  Cynna sold her soul to Zagreus (Hade’s son) in exchange for getting revenge on the Queen of Argolea.  She’s tasked with breaking Nick, Kronos’ son, but instead helps him to escape and becomes his point of focus as he harnesses the dark power buried deep inside of him.
  3. Her Two Alphas – Scarlett Grove – Lucy gets lost on a hike and is rescued by twin wolf-shifters, Elijah and Caleb, who have identified her as their mate.

Moonbound Clan Vampires series by Larissa Ione (Books 1 and 2)

  1. Bound by Night – Riker never got over his mate Terese who was driven to death by the humans.  At least until he met Nicole who had no idea her company, and her brother, were doing horribly vial things to the vampires.
  2. Chained by Night – Clan leader Hunter reluctantly agrees to mate with Rasha of an enemy tribe.  But when Hunter must fight for the right to save his first born, it’s her polar opposite twin Aylin who steps up to the plate and steals his heart in the process.

The Sentinels series by Alexandra Ivy  (Books 1 and 2)

  1. Born in Blood – Supposed “norm” detective Duncan teams up with “freak” Callie to solve a murder and stop a madman from taking over the world while dealing with the fallout from a relationship between them.
  2. Blood Assassin – Serra is magically lured to St. Louis to find a kidnapped girl and Fane goes after her in a race against the clock to save both the girl and Serra.

The Fallen Angels series by J.R.Ward (Books 5 and 6)

  1. Possession – Jim trades a victory for Sissy’s soul which leads to a number of distractions for him, forcing the battle to a sixth round.
  2. Immortal – The conclusion to the war between good and evil which goes the full seven rounds.

Other, non-paranormal…

  1. Cabin Heat – Bella Love-Wins – Part 1 of the Billionaire Romance Redemption.  Abby is headed back to San Francisco and school with five others when they are forced to take a detour and get stranded in a raging snowstorm.  Luckily, they happen upon Andrew’s Lake Tahoe cabin to wait out the storm.

Cowboys Last All Night

This is an anthology of five novellas by five different authors.

  1. Adam – Jennifer Ashley – Book 1 of the Riding Hard series.  After surviving the stunt accident that killed his best friend, Adam returns home to Texas to recover.  He didn’t realize that Bailey, the girl he left behind, would be an integral part of that recovery.
  2. Overnight Love – Nicole Edwards – a novella tied to the Dead Heat Ranch series.  Kenzie had inherited her grandfather’s Texas ranch and was slow to fit into the small town.  Divorced Lucas comes into her life when he saves her not once, but twice and they fall into an “overnight love”.
  3. Cowboy Inherits a Bride – Cora Seton – prequel novella to the Cowboys of Chance Creek series. Sunshine and Cole have both apparently inherited the same building and are competing to see who actually gets it.  When they quit taking pot shots at each other, they discover they just might be able to help each other out.
  4. Rocky Retreat – Vivian Arend – novella after book 7 of the Six Pack Ranch series.  Rachel is licking her wounds from her failed marriage when Lee shows up in the midst of a storm only to sweep her off her feet again…for good.
  5. Slow Burn – Cheyenne McCray – part 3 of the Lawmen series.  Christie stupidly returns to Arizona only to have her ex-husband put a price on her head, but Trace comes to her rescue time and time again.

February Reads

…and now back to my regularly scheduled randomness….

  1. Heavy Hitters – Mike Lupica – Book 3 of the Game Changers series. Yeah, I know.  It’s a kids book.  My son read it for a book report for school and so I could help him, I read it too.  It was a good book centered around baseball although those eleven year old kids seemed awfully mature…
  2. Loving the Billionaire – Christina Tetreault – novella in the Sherbrookes of Newport series.  Where it all began–Callie’s parents Ruth and Warren.
  3. Always Loving You – Sydney Landon – Book 6 of the Danvers series.  Now that Mac has moved on, Ava is scrambling to get him back.
  4. One Long Embrace – Tina Folsom – Book 5 of the Eternal Bachelors Club series.  Tara thinks she’s slumming with Jay, but when she discovers his ruse, he’s got his work cut out to get her back.
  5. Maximum Risk – Ruth Cardello – Book 3 of the Andrades series. Tara gets sucked into the Andrade family soap opera when Maddy hires her to get to the bottom of the big family secret, but is able to get loner Max back into the fold with his brothers.
  6. Against the Sky – Kat Martin – Book 2 of the Brodies of Alaska series.  Nick and Samantha only intended for it to be a weekend fling in Vegas, but when they explore the possibility of more, they get tangled up with the Russian Mob and a murder investigation.
  7. Curveball – VK Sykes – Book 4 of the Philadelphia Patriots series.  Taylor orchestrates a trade that changes Ryan’s entire career.  As they deal with one curveball after another, their lives become more entwined by the day. (If you don’t like baseball, you might not like this one too much.)
  8. Deja Date – Susan Hatler – Novella 9 in the Better Date than Never series.  Melinda has guarded her heart since she was fourteen and lost her best friend, her dog and her dad all in the same year.  Now Nate has returned to show her how to embrace life and actually live it.
  9.  A Little on the Wild Side – Robin Kaye – Book 3 of the Wild Thing series.  When Trapper discovers Bianca is pregnant and not taking care of herself, he goes all Alpha on her, repeatedly screwing up as he tries to win her over.

The Sullivans

Recently, Amazon listed the entire series of The Sullivans by Bella Andre as their Kindle Daily Deal.  The books normally run $4.99 each, but on that day they were only $1.99!  Of the 13 books and 1 novella currently available, I was missing 4 of them.  Needless to say, I snatched them up pronto. The first eight books focus on each of the San Francisco Sullivan siblings.  Book nine is a look back at how Mom and Dad met.  Then the series moves north to Seattle where the Sullivan cousins live.  In addition to the 13 published full-length books, there are at least 2 more in the works. At the top of my TBR pile this month are the 6 Sullivan books I have not read (I already had 2 downloaded before last month).

#5 – If You Were Mine – Cuddles, an untrained puppy, bring Zach and Heather together, but will the ghosts of their fathers rip them apart?

#7 – Come a Little Bit Closer – Smith’s career as a world class actor brought Valentina to him, but it might also keep them apart.

#9 – The Way You Look Tonight – A childhood crush becomes so much more when Rafe and Brooke are reunited after nearly 20 years. (Seattle Sullivans #1)

#11 – It Must Be Your Love – Mia never got over the week long fling with rocker Ford.  Now, five years later, he’s back and he wants a lot more than just a week this time. (Seattle Sullivans #2)

#12 – Just to Be With You – Ian fights his attraction for Tatiana after the disaster that was his first first marriage. (Seattle Sullivans #3)

#13 – I Love How You Love Me – Dylan was ready when Grace and her son Mason came into his life and did everything he could to convince her to stay. (Seattle Sullivans #4)