Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: Out now
How I got this book: From the publisher

The Larkin sisters are used to hearing whispers behind their backs. Being raised by hippie parents in the small resort town of Barringer’s Pass, Colorado, they were always considered oddballs, and for a while, they did everything they could to earn the name. But now, older and wiser, they’re discovering that it’s not so great to be the wild child, and are struggling to earn a new place for themselves in town.

When Maggie Larkin resists the come-ons of a sleazy actor in town to shoot a film, she pisses off more than a pretty boy and his manager. Turns out that Rafe DeLuca isn’t just a movie star…he’s possibly a killer, and Maggie’s landed herself in more trouble than she could imagine. Enter Cal Drummond, cop extraordinaire, who’s been trailing DeLuca himself for weeks, convinced that his recently murdered sister is one of Rafe’s victims. He’s determined not to let another woman be victimized by the dangerous Rafe, and if that means sticking like glue to Maggie, so be it.

Maggie and Cal seem like perfect opposites, but as we all know…opposites attract!
This blurb came from Goodreads.

Pocket Books is also sponsoring a giveaway along with this review so keep reading to find out how to enter.

When we were offered this book to review I read the blurb and it seemed pretty interesting so I accepted the request. I happen to have a soft spot for characters who are trying to redeem themselves or to distance themselves from their less then stellar behavior in the past. I also liked the thought of a murder mystery and a grieving bound to be overprotective cop. Unfortunately after finishing Silver Sparks I still haven’t decided if I liked the book or not.

I enjoyed seeing the bonds between Maggie and her two sisters along with the relationship between Cal and surviving much younger sister. Each was determined to protect the others and willing to do anything to get revenge on Rafe. But some aspects of the family ties didn’t ring consistent. Maggie mentions that her reputation was an attempt to live up to what people were saying because of her hippie parents, yet she never demonstrated any sense of resentment or strain with her parents when she visited them later in the book. I found that odd because on other occasions she was hurt and humiliated by that same reputation. One of Maggie’s two sisters, Sophie, was raised completely separately so she never painted with the same reputation yet when her professional and personal world fell apart due to the influence of Rafe and his family’s money Sophie didn’t have any reaction except anger and a determination to help expose Rafe for what he was.

As characters Maggie and Cal remained pretty consistent. I could certainly see the personality trait that made Maggie decide to live up to her reputation. I liked seeing how she didn’t just completely flip a switch and become a completely different person when she decided to live respectably. Cal was certainly fixated on Rafe and determined to bring his sister’s killer to justice but based on his behavior I kept thinking that his sister was killed years ago instead of within a month or so. Unfortunately I never connected with either Maggie or Cal so I was never sucked into what they were experiencing. I actually found Cal’s sister more interesting.

Ms Ambrose employed some interesting twists in the murder mystery portion of Silver Sparks but I thought some of the things that happened were a bit too coincidental and tied the threads up too nicely in the later portion of the book. Due to my background reading murder mysteries I personally enjoy getting clues along the way and then having the “aha” moment when the puzzle fits into place.

I give Silver Sparks a C.

Thanks to Pocket Books we have a print copy to giveaway. To enter leave a comment talking about what reality show actor/actress you would most like to meet and what show they are on. This contest will close on Jan 23d with the winner announced on the 24th.

Links to purchase:

Barnes & Noble | Amazon Book
| Kindle eBook

Review & Giveaway Silver Sparks by Starr Ambrose is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Arriving home on leave from his tour of duty, Army Captain Alex Montoya knows there’s a beautiful woman waiting for him-his best friend’s sister. She’s always been off limits…until now. He fully intends to move them out of being “just friends” and encourage her to release the sexual needs he senses she’s buried deep.

Tianna McIntyre is starting over after her marriage ended. Her ex-husband weakened her self-esteem and caused her to deny her true sexual desires. But being around Alex brings all her dormant fantasies to the surface, and now Tianna feels the stirrings of her secret, submissive wishes.

Determined to help repair the damage Tianna’s ex did to her self-worth, Alex will use whatever means necessary to convince her they’re meant for each other, including tying her down to make sure he has her full attention while he takes her to the heights of pleasure she’s always dreamed of…
*Blurb from Goodreads*

When I first heard that Kaylea Cross had a pen name to write more steamy erotic stories, I hunted down that name and continue to keep an eye out for any new stories she writes. When I finally was able to sit down and read Touch Me, I couldn’t put it down!

Alex is home on leave, healing from an injury while fighting overseas. Although he wants to be back fighting with his team, he is also looking forward to finally getting a chance to show Tianna that they are meant to be together.

Tianna is just getting over a failed marriage from a man who beat her down emotionally. She doesn’t think she’s ready to venture out into the dating world again, until Alex comes home. Around him she can open up, be more herself, and get back to a point where she is happy in her own skin. But will Alex be enough to help pull Tianna out of her shell and gain enough confidence to take another chance at love?

I absolutely adored this story, even though it was shorter than I normally like. I’m always a sucker for the macho Alpha hero who is head over heels in love with his leading lady, and Alex was the perfect hero. He was strong and confident and alpha to the core, but at the same time he was also gentle and caring and ready to protect Tianna by any means necessary. I really liked that he was so willing to stand by her side and help her pick up the pieces of her somewhat broken life, but he was willing to let HER do the work, without being an overbearing jerk about it. There wasn’t one single thing about Alex that I didn’t love and adore.

While I didn’t connect with Tianna as quickly, I did care for her as more of her story came out. Her history with her husband and why their marriage dissolved wanted to make me cry. Tianna had a lot of growing to do, and while we don’t get to see too much of that in the story, Croix does a good job of showing it in the little subtle things. I do wish that Tianna would have just talked to Alex when she was scared instead of running away and trying to put as much space between them as possible.

All in all I thought Touch Me was a wonderful short story. It was full of smokin’ hot sexy times, but it also had a deeper emotional connection between the hero and heroine. It was both sweet and sexy and fun to read. I just wish we could have had a little longer time with these two.
I give Touch Me a B

Review – Touch Me by Callie Croix is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Beth Danube’s emotionally abusive husband is dead and buried. So is her heart. It’s no big deal, she has all she wants: her three little boys and a fresh start in a small Alberta town. What she doesn’t want is another man in her life—not now, maybe not ever. After ten years of unsatisfactory, missionary-position sex, she never expected her libido to reawaken. One look at sex-in-boots Daniel Coleman in a Calgary bar, though, blows the dust off her sexuality.

Sensing an edge of desperation, even fear, beneath Beth’s come-on, Daniel finds himself giving in to the powerful urge to let his normally subdued desires run wild. The lady wants non-judgmental, non-vanilla sex? She’s got it—in and out of the bedroom.
At first, friends with blazing-hot benefits is more than enough. Then she realizes Daniel is burning away the protective fortress around her heart…and the guilty secret she dare not reveal.

Warning: One woman determined to retake control of her life, a man with the single-minded purpose of offering her—and her body—everything she needs. Inappropriate behavior in barns, change rooms, and oh-my-gawd phone sex with a cowboy.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

MinnChica: It’s no secret that I am a total fan girl of Vivian Arend, especially when she goes off and writes about sexy cowboys. After the first book in the series, I was hooked on the Coleman brothers and couldn’t wait to get my hands on more. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to. While we didn’t get to know a while lot about Daniel in the first book, I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with him in this one. He is just so sweet and caring and supporting and sexy that I couldn’t help but love him. And while I didn’t connect as easily to Beth, I really felt for her character as time went on. I cried with her and laughed with her and really cheered for the two of them to work everything out.

E: Out of the two Six Pack Ranch books Ms Arend has published so far I found Rocky Mountain Haven my favorite.  I really enjoyed it when it was published the first time and I continued to really like her re-published version.  I fell in love with Daniel during their first two “meet cutes”.  He was so gentle and refused to accept that Beth really just wanted a one night stand so when things didn’t work out that night he tried to set it up so they could meet and get to know each other.  Then when he encountered her again he noticed her discomfort with public attention and protected her from it.  Then I sat back and enjoyed how he steadily moved towards his goals while ensuring that Beth and her children remained comfortable with his presence.  Beth and her boys had a traumatic past that she didn’t share immediately with Daniel yet you could tell that he paid extremely close attention to her physical reactions (more then just the seriously smexytimes) as he continued towards his goal.

MinnChica:  That was one of the big things that endeared me to Daniel the most as well. The fact that he was so in-tune to Beth, that he wanted her so much he refused to let himself stay behind her walls, that he ingrained himself so fully into her life and became such a permanent fixture in the life of her boys. I also really liked that Beth was so hesitant with letting someone in. Given her history I wasn’t surprised by her keeping Daniel an arms length away, and I enjoyed that it took him so long to wiggle his way into her circle of trust. But damn, once he got there it was so sweet!

E: He was just great!  I have to had it to Beth also.  She decided that she was going to reclaim her life and try to heal the damage done to her boys.  If she hadn’t made that decision then regardless of how wonderful Daniel was this never would have gone anywhere.  On the outside Beth didn’t appear to be a gutsy strong heroine but she had an internal core of steel that gradually made itself evident as the story progressed.  Yes she had self doubts and you could see how she struggled with guilt and self-blame but she never let that get the best of her and her drive for a “normal” life.  I liked how she had managed to start becoming part of the community before she encountered Daniel again so he wasn’t the key to her acceptance.

MinnChica:  Oh yeah, I really liked that as well. I was glad to see that she really made a life for herself outside of him so that she had something else to fall back on when she needed to. I also really liked that she helped Daniel realize where he wanted his life to go. She helped him accept himself and come to an understanding of what he liked in life best, what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. I really liked that. It was also great to see more of the Coleman brothers, see more of them in action and get a better feeling for the family as a while. This book had me so excited to read more about Matt and the twins!!

E: I enjoyed the glimpses we got of the rest of the family and their interactions.  I also started wondering what was going to happen with some of the cousins who have a less then supportive father.  I am hoping Ms Arend will provide us with either a spin-off about them or continue to sprinkle their stories in the Six Pack Ranch series.  I could tell that the heroines or potential heroes…for the remaining brothers are going to have to be special.   One thing that bothered me was the lack of mention about Travis and his issues.  In Rocky Mountain Heat some things came out about him that I think wouldn’t have completely disappeared in this next installment but it was like he really wasn’t present at all.  Granted we did get some family drama with Matt, poor guy, so everything wasn’t rainbows and puppies just because Beth and Daniel were in a healthy relationship.

MinnChica: Oh Matt, after reading about all his troubles I was so, so excited to read more about his story. I couldn’t wait to see what happened with him and if he would be able to get past what happened and move on with his life. I also agree that things with Travis were really left up in the air, and we didn’t get to see much about him or his ongoing issues. I think his story is going to be an interesting one. I have some theories about him, but who knows……

E: I am really looking forward to seeing what else Ms Arend has in mind for this complex family.  I think she has done a great job at showing how even the most tight-knit family on the surface has a lot of complex undercurrents.  I will say that she has her work cut out for her if she wants to displace Rocky Mountain Haven as my favorite.  I can’t say how much I enjoyed the slow growth of friendship and love between Daniel and Beth.  Knowing Daniel’s overall goal made their smexytimes extremely touching and sweet not to mention steamy *grin*.  I give Rocky Mountain Haven an A-

MinnChica: Rocky Mountain Haven quickly surpassed Rocky Mountain Heat as my favorite as well. The romance was so sweet and yet very sexy. I loved Daniel and Beth so much, I wanted to cheer for them and see them both find happiness and comfort in each other. The series has quickly become a favorite of mine, with the dynamics between the brothers and cousins and potential spouses so reminiscent of a real family with real issues and real love for each other. I can’t wait for more and more books in the series! I give Rocky Mountain Haven an A- as well.

Joint Review – Rocky Mountain Haven by Vivian Arend is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Nash Barron may be cynical about love, yet even he likes a good wedding. But the only good thing about his brother’s wedding is Kelly Moss. Nash can’t help but admire her confidence and beauty, but he’s forced to keep his distance because getting involved with Kelly could destroy his relationship with his newly discovered half sister, Tess…

Kelly came to Serendipity to give Tess–her half sibling as well, thanks to an illicit affair–a second chance at life. She learned long ago not to rely on anyone but herself. Besides, she doesn’t want to upset Tess’s life by pushing for a fling with Nash. Except the more she gets to know him, the more vulnerable she becomes to the kindness beneath his gruff exterior, and the less she’s able to stay away. But she has other reasons for keeping her distance. Like the secret from her past she knows Nash will never forgive…
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I’m a big fan of both Carly Phillips and small town romances, so the Serendipity series is right up my alley. After reading the first book in the series, I was hooked. However, I was also a little worried that Nash was going to be too emotionally immature for me to enjoy as a hero. I am so happy to report that this was NOT the case!

Nash is the middle brother and holds a lot of guilt and resentment towards his two brothers. He also hasn’t had the easiest time getting to know his younger sister Tess. And despite that fragile relationship, he can’t seem to stop thinking about Kelly and how much she turns him on.

Kelly settled in Serendipity to make sure that Tess could stay with Ethan, and to start over for herself. But every moment she spends with Nash just makes her want to spend more and more time with him. But she worries that between her recent illicit past, and Nash’s inability to let people go and Tess, they might never be able to make a relationship work.

I love books about families. The dynamics between everyone involved can be so beautiful and amazing if it’s done right. After having read a series recently where it felt as if the siblings never grew up, I was a little hesitant as to where Phillips would take the characters. I was so happy to see Nash really make an effort to grow up and change and develop as a character, instead of hold onto those resentments and guilt. While things aren’t exactly hunky-dory at the end of the book, there is also a vast amount of emotional progress, and I couldn’t be happier.

Both Nash and Kelly aren’t exactly portrayed in the best light in the first book. Kelly is Tess’ half-sister from her mother’s side who drops Tess off at Ethan’s doorstep. Nash is the angry brother who can’t seem to let go of the past and move onto a new future. But I am so happy that we got to see things from their perspective. I ended up cheering for them both about a quarter of the way into the book. Kelly is having to deal with a very embarrassing and hard situation from back home, and the only friend she makes ends up having a history with Nash, causing even more discomfort for Kelly. But I loved the way those two developed a friendship despite that. It was sweet and wonderful.

Nash is a complex hero, and his struggles were so fun to watch. He went back and forth with his emotions so many times, and watching him have to work through everything and grow as a character was so awesome. Although there were times I wanted to smack him for taking two step forward and then one step back, his overall growth as a character just blew me away. It was really refreshing to have to watch the hero go through such an emotional roller coaster, and come out victorious.

In true Phillips style, the romance between Nash and Kelly was great. They had moments that made me laugh, made me want to cry and had me fanning myself from the heat they generated. I’m such a huge fan of Phillips’ and she is, in my opinion, one of the best contemporary romance authors out there!

All in all I loved Nash and Kelly’s story. Their courtship was so fun to read, the characters became so alive and animated throughout the story that they dragged me into their lives and had me wishing I was there with them. I can’t recommend this series enough!
I give Destiny an A-

Review – Destiny by Carly Phillips is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

The Pledge: Scott Farrell, recovering Boring Guy.
The Goal: Membership in an ultrasecret consortium of urban adventurers.
The Conditions: Select three insane challenges. Tell no one. Survive.
The Complication: Amanda Wheeler, sexy girl next door.

Scott never mentioned The Player’s Club, but Amanda’s onto him. She’ll keep quiet and help him get in…if he’ll nominate her for membership. It’s a dirty little deal that launches the normally nice neighbors into a world of skydiving, burlesque—and adrenaline-soaked sex that gets better every single time.

Not everyone’s happy about the new recruits, however. And initiation may be a lot tougher than either of them expected….
*blurb taken from Goodreads*

Lou: When Minn emailed me this request, the blurb intrigued me and because it was a contemporary romance, I didn’t want to pass it up — despite the up and down relationship I have with Harlequin’s categories. This is the first book in the series about an infamous club called the Players Club, where rich males are members and every month they go and take part in stunts that annoy some people, and are the envy of others. Scott, our ordinary hero, is spying on the comings and goings of these suspicious men in his next door’s neighbours fire-escape. He starts to think they are members of the mob, and his spying is interrupted by his next door neighbour, Amanda, the heroine of the story. Scott and Amanda hit it off, and he shares with her his curiosity of what’s happening below. What Scott soon finds out — when his curiosity takes shape into going down into the alleyway where these men are gathering — is that these men are members of the Players Club. And when he’s spotted, he’s asked to join and from there Scott, the once boring data analyst, is knee deep in the Player Club, and soon enough, Amanda is also caught in the action. So despite my like of the premise, and what I thought of the cute romance between Scott and Amanda, I really really disliked this book and some of the aspects that made me think are these characters supposed to be adults.

Minn: I too really enjoyed the premise of the book, and I too thought that the romance between Scott and Amanda would be full of action both in the bedroom and out of it. And while I didn’t think this was the best contemporary romance I’ve read this year, I didn’t hate it. I can see where Lou is coming from in thinking that some of the characters acted more like college kids than adults, and that was probably my least favorite aspect of the story. However, the overall theme of living life to the fullest, and pushing past any and all fears to go out and do the things we’ve only dreamed about really rang true to me. I loved that both Scott and Amanda were given the chance to do things they would have otherwise never done. For me, that made up for the ridiculousness that was George and his childish BS.

Lou: I think Amanda and Scott were cute together, and I loved their interactions and their sex scenes were smoking, but I hated that the Players Club was such an immature tree house club where the main tension was the jostling of who would be the leader. And I really wanted to kick George out of the story all together because it really got on my nerves. He was in essence a 12 year old boy who wanted to the leader. I also didn’t like that Amanda’s job which she worked hard at was made to be boring. I think that Amanda’s job wasn’t the problem, but Amanda herself made the choice of not doing anything outside of it. I also didn’t get why she suddenly wanted in on this all men club. The Players Club I felt was made out to be this super cool club that all the popular and non-popular kids wanted to be a part of. And some of what they did, where Amanda and Scott take part in animal abuse really had my blood pressure rising so fast that I found any liking of the characters went out of the window. Having the hero and heroine being exhilarated at the thought of running after terrified bulls, who after being chased through narrow streets by idiotic humans, are then killed in a bullfighter’s ring afterwards. I honestly wanted to put the book there and then down.

Minn: While I would never want to run with the bulls, I didn’t read that part as being animal abuse. I will admit that I’m glad Scott and Amanda didn’t go to the bullfight afterward, I don’t think I’d have wanted to read that. I also got the feeling that the Club was very fraternity-high-school-clickish, and like you, could have done without George being in the story at all. But at the same time, I also liked the side characters Flinn and Lincoln, and will be interested in looking at their stories. I have to wonder if those two will be paired up with Amanda’s two best friends. I think that now that George is out of the picture, the series will have a chance to focus more on the romance, the steamy smexy moments, and the dare-devilish adventures each couple goes on.

Lou: I did like Lincoln and Finn, though I wished Finn would have got rid of his cousin George sooner from the outset. But I think for me, whilst Amanda and Scott were strong characters, the external story of the Players Club in the end I disliked and having the characters act like kids, I couldn’t wait for the book to end. I doubt also that I would pick up the other books in the series. The Players Club rubs me up the wrong way because I feel that it’s importance is way too materialistic and the characters were sort of made to work around the club. I also disliked the ending where and this is a spoiler so look away: When Scott and Amanda do get together at last, it ended on a happy note of Amanda being ‘allowed’ in the club. I thought why would that be such a happy thing? I thought any female would want to run far away from the club. END spoiler. I also think that whilst Amanda and Scott let go of their inhibitions, I felt that it was done in a very immature way. When Amanda blackmailed Scott, just so she can be part of the club, it just felt way too immature. Overall, I give Player’s Club: Scott a D. Despite the cute romance at the beginning, the rest of the book and it’s characters and situations drove me crazy.

Minn: Call me crazy, but I think Amanda being allowed into their club is a good thing, whether or not her reasons for doing so were childish or not. I love seeing alpha men get shaken up by a woman in their midst, and I think the next couple books will have Amanda and her girlfriends doing just that. All in all there were some low points in this book, especially surrounding George and his childish behavior. At the same time I really enjoyed the overall message of the book, the steamy but slow emotional building relationship with Scott and Amanda. I’m looking forward to reading more about Finn and Lincoln. I give Player’s Club: Scott a C

Joint Review – The Players Club: Scott by Cathy Yardley is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Peppa Grant’s fellow employees may call their new CEO Mr. McSexy, but she’s also heard that he’s aloof and distant. Cameron McCormac certainly seems cold toward Christmas when she meets him at the company’s annual party…but he’s also the sexiest man Peppa has ever seen. And when he offers to forgive the damage she accidentally caused to his expensive car in exchange for accompanying him to his family’s holiday get-together, she agrees.

Cameron needs a date to the family party to get his matchmaking relatives off his back. Their chemistry is instant and undeniable, leading to an incredible one-night stand. But Peppa wants love and family, while Cameron’s only interested in temporary pleasure. When their relationship takes an unexpectedly serious turn, will he run the other way—or will he give love a second chance?
*Blurb from Goodreads*

| Kindle eBook

Review – One Perfect Night by Rachel Johns is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: Dec 27th
How I got this book: From the Publisher

New from bestselling author Jude Deveraux, the first in an exciting trilogy set in Edilean, Virginia, focusing on three young women, best friends since college, and the lives, loves, and dreams that await them.
Sparks are flying between Jecca Layton and Dr. Tristan Aldredge. The only problem? Tris lives in a tiny town in Virginia, and Jecca has a great job and friends in the big city of New York. Can they survive the distance? And who will sacrifice the life they’ve created for themselves for the one that they love?
Filled with Deveraux’s trademark charm and masterful storytelling, Moonlight in the Morning is a well-crafted and impossible to put down romance, about a summer fling between a country boy and a city girl that has the potential to become something more – if only they lived in the same place.
I copied this blurb from the back of the print ARC provided by the publisher.

Once I discovered historical romances, one of my go-to authors was Jude Deveraux. After reading the four books in her Velvet series, which introduced the Montgomery family I proceeded to read everything I could find that involved the Montgomeries and the Taggerts, two families that intermingled through the years. As a result I followed Ms Deveraux from medieval times to almost present day with those two families. Then something happened, I am not sure what but I stopped reading new books by Ms Deveraux and stayed with my old favorites. When we were offered a chance to review Moonlight in the Morning and I saw the author’s name I leaped at the chance because I had such fond memories of her books from previous years.

I think in a way my familiarity with the Montgomery and Taggert families actually did Moonlight in the Morning a disservice in the beginning. Instead of starting with furious action and then slowing, this one started slower and built in intensity. Once I settled into the slower pace and got to know the characters I could feel Jecca’s frustration with her father and brother, her desire to become an artist, and her longtime crush on one of her best-friend’s older brother. Ms Deveraux also opened my eyes to how the actual “nice, romantic not alpha, extremely good looking guy” might feel when he can’t find his ONE but everyone blames him for leading on everyone he dates because he is nice.

I enjoyed watching the romance unfold between Jecca and Tris. Neither of them tried to hide who they were or their goals as they got to know each other. It was refreshing to see that instead of one trying to be what they think the other person will want. I also liked the lengths Tris went through trying to ensure that Jecca liked who he was (personality) instead of what most women fell for when they met him. They both cared for other people around them despite how family and close friends can support and also only view you through the lens they are accustomed to instead of the person you are trying to become.

As much as I enjoyed the interactions in Edilean, Virginia and watching Jecca and Tris grow together I do have some quibbles regarding the foreshadowing of the relationships in the upcoming books. The blurb mentions three best friends from college but the third girl, Sophie, was only mentioned as in dropping off the face of the earth after graduation. It seemed like she was mentioned only as a placeholder. The other thing that bothered me is that all of a sudden it was mentioned that Kim, Jecca’s best friend who grew up in Edilean, had a crush on a guy when she was 8 only he vanished and she wasn’t able to track him down again. Then at the very end of the book she mentions that she has found him. Those three elements did not have a smooth inclusion in the storyline and jarred me from my enjoyment. Given the painstaking build up in learning the different characters and my past experiences with Ms Deveraux’s writing I will admit I was expecting a much better introduction into the upcoming books.

I give Moonlight in the Morning a C+

Links to purchase:

Barnes & Noble | Amazon Book | Kindle eBook

Review – Moonlight in the Morning by Jude Deveraux is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Love!
A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

| Kindle eBook

Review – Holiday Kisses Anthology is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Breaking rules and breaking hearts

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn’t ready to settle into a quiet life running their family’s newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble–and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who’d like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly Chloe can’t take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe’s colorful past keep her from a love that lasts . . . and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?
*Blurb from Goodreads*

| Amazon Book | Kindle eBook

Review – Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Long Lost Love and Second Chances
Elisabetta Gardelli thought she’d spend her days serving coffee and writing obits for the town paper until an unexpected opportunity results in her dream job as a journalist. Now, divorced and determined to make it on her own, Lissa is hired to do a series of interviews about entrepreneurs who’ve made their mark at an impressively young age. First up? Wall Street mogul Trevor Dane — Lissa’s first love. Lissa hasn’t seen Trevor since he left the small town of Serendipity to earn his spot on the right side of the tracks. Ten years have passed but neither has really moved from their super-passionate teenage affair – or the heartbreak that followed. This reunion can be their second chance or it can provide much needed closure. It all depends on Trevor. Can he forgive Lissa or will the past continue to stand in their way?
*Blurb from author’s site*

When Carly announced on Twitter that she was releasing a novella set in the town of Serendipity, I got all sorts of excited, asked if she wanted to do some promotion with us, and then nearly fainted when she offered me an advanced look. I loved the town of Serendipity and the folks in it, so this was a super sweet treat for me!

We only had a few moments of page time with Lissa in Serendipity, and she wasn’t exactly portrayed in the greatest light. But I always got a sense that there was so much more to her, and was hoping we would get more time to know her better. What we don’t see is that Lissa has had it rough. Her history in the small town wasn’t easy, and because of one dumb choice in high school, she ruined the best relationship she could have hoped for. Now that she is divorced and working on interviewing up and coming business men, Lissa will have to come face-to-face with the boy who left her behind, the one she let get away.

Trevor took Wall Street by storm and while he hasn’t stopped thinking about Lissa, he refused to let anyone tell him about her either. When she walks into his office to interview him, all the emotions from high school come back and Trevor realizes he is far from over her. But with the vast amount of history behind them, will they be able to come together as adults and admit they let the real thing go all those years ago?

I absolutely adored this story! It’s a short one, but it packs quite a punch in the small time we have with Lissa and Trevor. It’s obvious from the get-go that both Lissa and Trevor are still deeply in love with each other, despite the years and distance. But despite that love, there is also a bit of distrust and uncertainty, especially for Trevor.

I really liked that Phillips had Trevor struggle with his decision to try again with Lissa. He was obviously hurt by the way things ended between them, and yet even after they rekindled their physical relationship, Trevor wasn’t ready for more. I was glad to see him be the one to struggle with trust issues and a little insecurity as to whether or not Lissa would hurt him again. It was real and emotional and I loved that he didn’t hold back in his honesty with Lissa.

Although the story takes place over just a few short days, it feels like there is so much more going on. The short story packs an emotional punch and the tension between Lissa and Trevor starts strong and simmers until it finally explodes. There is a wonderful smexy scene that is not only hot but very heartfelt as well.

All in all Kismet is a wonderful novella to add to the Serendipity series. The connection between Lissa and Trevor is unmistakable and their romance was quick and yet so sweet and romantic. Fans of Phillips and the Serendipity series will want to make sure they get their hands on this novella!
I give Kismet an A

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Review – Kismet by Carly Phillips is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter