Book Review: SOMEONE ELSE'S FAIRYTALE by E.M. Tippetts

Book Review:  SOMEONE ELSE’S FAIRYTALE

Author:  E.M. Tippetts

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Category:  Contemporary Romance

“This is like a fairytale.  Everything with you has been like a fairytale.   You’ve been Prince Charming to a T.  You’ve been attentive and caring…. and you’ve got a wonderful family.”- Chloe

“But…”- Jason

“It’s not my fairytale.  It’s not anything I ever wanted.  It’s the last thing I ever wanted.  I hate crowds.  I don’t want to be the envy of every other woman on the planet…This is someone else’s fairytale.”- Chloe

“Yeah, I know.”- Jason

“You do?”- Chloe

“It’s mine.”- Jason

DESCRIPTION VIA GOODREADS:

Jason Vanderholt is Hollywood's hottest actor. Chloe Winters hasn't bothered to see most of his movies. When they meet by chance, he is smitten and Chloe becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn't her fairytale

MY SUMMARY:

Chloe is no one's fan.  Though she watches movies once in awhile, she has no love for actors, certainly not for uber popular Jason Vanderholt, who happens to be shooting a movie in her....and his....hometown in Albuquerque.  A movie which Chloe's roommate and close friend Lori has persuaded her to join as an extra.

She accidentally meets and is underwhelmed by Jason.  he is constantly surrounded by an entourage and hordes of screaming and fainting fans, but for some unexplainable reason, he zooms in on Chloe.

After an embarrassing episode (Jason's) and misread intention (Chloe's), the two become friends.  Mostly because Jason makes a major effort to be so.  Chloe is unimpressed and sees Jason as just another guy who happens to be physically beautiful and nothing else.  

Many phone calls, skype calls and not-quite-dates later, she still JUST wants to be friends, believing that what's happening to her and Jason is someone else's fairytale.  It certainly can not be hers, since she has no interest in an actor, trusts no one because of a horrific childhood and has a nonexistent family life..... Can it?

MY REVIEW:

Lovely story. Well paced, this romance was built up perfectly.
I love how strong Chloe's character is.  Despite her past and what she lacks in the present, she never cowers and faces everything head on.  A genuinely brave heroine who deserves the fairytale she gets.

The sequel:  Nobody's Damsel

Jason is a sweetheart.  Underneath the sky blue eyes and fake tan, he really is just another guy who wants a relationship based on truth, and who better to get his attention than the one woman who doesn't want it?
The author made me believe in these two, made me root for them.  And above all I like how they build their friendship first before anything else.

The only thing that I didn't appreciate was the long drawn out "problem" 3/4 into the story though the end justifies it.  I wish that part could have been shorter.

The support characters are great, especially the Vanderholts.  The mean twin sister is my personal favorite.  I love her quips and how she abuses Jason in a loving manner only family can get away with.  
I highly recommend this book to romantics especially to those who believe that fairytales can come true. You never know, they just might.....

You may visit the Author’s site at:

http://www.emtippetts.com/p/home.html

All photos have been lifted from the author's site

Book Review: WHOSE BED IS IT ANYWAY? by Natalie Anderson

Book:  WHOSE BED IS IT ANYWAY?

Author:  Natalie Anderson

Publisher:  Harlequin KISS

Category:  Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date:  October 2013

Series:  The Men of Manhattan

“I’m serious.  I’m still hot and bothered by that article.  Seven times in one night?  Was that for real?”- Caitlin

“You want to find out? You want to use me?”- James

“Just for now.  You’re not going to hurt your heart, are you?”- Caitlin

“So we’re having a holiday fling?”-  James

“We Are.”-  Caitlin

Description Via Goodreads:

"You're wearing my T-shirt." 

Returning home after a daring rescue mission, all James Wolfe can think of is sleep. So he's furious to find a beautiful stranger curled up in his king-size bed! Normally no woman ever gets between his sheets without prior invitation—who does she think she is? 

Disgraced celebrity Caitlin Moore has been offered a place to stay and she won't give it up—not with the paparazzi outside, baying for her blood! Reluctantly she agrees to share the apartment with James—but, with enough electricity to short-circuit the whole of Manhattan, keeping to their own sides of the bed might prove impossible….

My Summary:

Caitlin is on the run.  The hounds are after her with lies too many to count and they are not looking for the truth.  They just want to kick her further while she’s down.  She is all but destroyed and trusts no one, most especially her own family.

James is tired.  He wants to rest while in between assignments rescuing those in need of help around the world.  He certainly did not expect a hot woman in his bed on his very short vacation.

Learning that she is a friend of his brother’s, he reluctantly agrees to share his condo…. and later on, his bed.  They agree to expect nothing, demand nothing and tell nothing of what happens between them.  But what if that nothing suddenly becomes Everything? 

My Review:

Two solid characters plus an interesting plot, this book was pleasant to read.  The chemistry between James and Caitlin was explosive.  Quick to build, their sex for fun turned relationship was believable in that they had much in common in personality and beliefs though opposites in childhood and family lives.  Their characters matched and opposed when and where it mattered.

The writing itself was good though I could have done away with some repetitions specifically Caitlin’s problematic past.  James is a winner.  A guy’s guy any girl would love to take home to momma.

Overall a fun read for romantics on an otherwise boring day.

You may visit the Author’s site at:

http://www.natalie-anderson.com/

Book Review: MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED by Kate Davies

Book Review:  MOST LIKE TO SUCCEED

Author:  KATE DAVIES

Publisher:  Carina Press

Category:  Adult Contemporary Romance

“whoa, slow down.  There’s no rush.”- Nathan

“Says you.  I’ve been waiting ten years for this.”- Kelsey

“Only ten?  I’m disappointed.”- Nathan

“Not tonight.  No disappointments allowed tonight.”- Kelsey

Description Via NetGalley:

Book one in The Girls Most Likely to…

Ten years after being voted Most Likely to Succeed, Kelsey Moore is still living in her hometown, still working in her family's flower shop, and too embarrassed to attend her high school reunion. Only the chance to reconnect with her study buddy—and secret crush—Nathan Barrow tempts her to go.

Nathan isn't sure why he came back for the reunion after spending the past decade working abroad. But when he runs into his former lab partner, Kelsey, he's sure glad he did. The chemistry between them is as potent as ever, and when she offers him a weekend of wild, no-strings-attached sex, Nathan knows he'd be a fool to say no.

Nathan can't be tied to one place for long. But the more time they spend together—in and out of bed—the more Kelsey wonders if their reunion could become something more permanent. That is, if Nathan is still interested when he finds out she's been less than honest with him about her life since graduation…

My Summary:

Kelsey feels like a failure, she has never lived up to everyone’s expectations much less her own.  Upon graduating from high school, this brilliant student could only forego her waiting scholarship for her mother’s security and sanity after her father walked out on them.  Ten years later she’s still tied to her mother and their small flower business. 

Nathan went off to do everything he set out to do after high school.  Everything is going well for him except there’s still no one permanent in his life.   His work brings him to every corner of the world so it is quite difficult to have a relationship.  Then he sees Kelsey.

The reunion goes off without a hitch, especially for Kelsey and Nathan who more than reconnects.  Eventually though Nathan has to know the truth about Kelsey, and when he does, will Kelsey be ready to let him go?

My Review:

Cute and sweet

Obviously with a story like this, there’s barely any complication.  Reading this felt like a ride on a side street, slow and easy, stopping briefly on a hump, then driving full speed past it. 

There’s nothing original nor heart wrenching about this at all.  The characters are likable, the dialogues are ordinary and the writing is capable.  Other than that, it’s nothing you haven’t read before.

Warning:  Some scenes are scorching hot.  So read with caution. 

You may visit the Author’s site at:

http://kate-davies.com/

Book Review: THE MARRIAGE MERGER by Jennifer Probst

Book Review:  THE MARRIAGE MERGER

Author:  JENNIFER PROBST

Publisher:  Gallery Books

Category:  Adult Contemporary Romance

“Do you like to shock women Sawyer? You won’t find me that easy to manage.  I’ve been harassed, propositioned and insulted.  And I’ve dealt with an array of masculine temper tantrums.  I’ve seen it all and I can handle it.  I prefer to keep our relationship mutually beneficial for all involved, but if you want to play hardball, that’s fine too.  Capisce?”- Julietta

“Let’s get something straight.  I have no need to threaten or bully a woman into bed.  I enjoy sex and giving pleasure.  I find you fascinating, complex and hot as hell.  I also think you may be the only woman I’ve met in the past few years who made me crave to break a few rules just to put my hands on her.  In her.  Over her….  Capisce?  Now breathe.”- Sawyer

Description Via NetGalley:

Author Jennifer probst

Her sisters have found wedded bliss with their wealthy, wonderful dream men, but not Julietta Conte. She’s stayed on terra firma as top executive of the family’s corporation, La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Work is her passion, and her trendy Milan apartment her sanctuary . . . until Sawyer Wells, a masculine masterpiece in a suit, lures her out of hiding with an irresistible offer: an exclusive partnership with his international chain of boutique hotels. 

Julietta’s been burned before—and trusting her brother-in-law’s friend, whose powerful gaze alone has her rethinking the best use of a conference room, is the riskiest proposition. But with a once-in-a- career chance to take the bakery global, will she mix stone-cold business with red-hot seduction?

My Summary:

Both Sawyer and Julietta are tough business people.  But from the very beginning an intense attraction is already there, especially for Sawyer who can’t seem to stop wanting Julietta.  So he propositions her.  One sex filled night in exchange for Julietta’s free rein on all things business.  Julietta, ever ready to expand her family’s business, agrees.

They explode together many times over.  What they do not expect is for that one night to damn them together in matrimony courtesy of Julietta’s mom, Mama Conte, whose help was vital in Sawyer’s success and change of direction many years prior.  He owes her everything, and so he gives her his future, a life with her daughter.

They fall in love fast, though neither would acknowledge what everyone else already sees.  Until Sawyer’s past comes back to threaten what they could have together.

My Review:

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION

That’s what these two have together.  The story is scorching hot with lots of thrilling (i.e. very sexy) moments. I have been eagerly anticipating this novel since I loved all three previous books in this (Marriage to a Billionaire by Jennifer Probst) series.  I knew my expectations for a hot romantic novel would be met and I was not disappointed. I loved the story and I loved the way it was written.

The only thing I did not expect was the touch of BDSM ala Fifty Shades of Grey that was peppered in The Marriage Merger.  I believe that it could have stood without this, but then again to each his own.

Apart from the 3 couples from the 3 older books converging in this story, there’s also a bonus character that I grew to like, that of Wolfe, a former homeless and directionless boy that Sawyer pretty much adopted from the streets, all because Wolfe reminded him of his younger self.  This boy helps Sawyer become the man and husband Julietta deserves…but that’s getting ahead of the story.

I also like how this last book neatly ties up all the four novels together.  There is a happy ending for each that we suckers for romance would surely appreciate.

I do recommend all the books in this series.  If you have a few hours to spare, begin with The Marriage Bargain, follow it up with The Marriage Trap and The Marriage Mistake.  Then finally read The Marriage Merger.  If nothing else, this will leave your face with a silly grin.

You may visit the author’s site at:

http://jenniferprobst.com/

All photos have been lifted from the author’s site