Thursday, August 04, 2016
[Book Review] Falling by Jane Green
Andrea reviews FALLING by Jane Green (Berkley Books, 2016)
Emma Montague has always been a quiet introvert. She would much rather be in the corner reading a book instead of being at a party. She was part of the hustle and bustle of New York banking for too long when she realized she was craving a more subdued and quiet lifestyle. Answering an ad for a rental house in Westport, Connecticut, Emma thinks this may be the answer she has been looking for. The house itself is horribly dated but Emma realizes its potential, especially since her most attractive landlord, Dominic DiFranco, lives right next door.
Time passes and Emma and Dominic find themselves more and more in love, and Emma is smitten with Dominic’s young son, Jesse. Even though Emma and Dominic couldn’t be any more different, the two are inseparable and even start thinking about becoming a family unit with Jesse. While Emma and Dominic are getting closer each day, they are thrown some major curve balls as all couples are.
Everything seems idyllic for the couple until it isn’t. Experiencing the worst kind of loss, Emma must go on without Dominic.
This is a heartbreaking story about all the ups and downs of true love; readers will learn that true friends are the family we make for ourselves.
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Library
Labels: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
[Book Review] A Forever Kind of Love by Farrah Rochon
Reader’s Advisory Romance Genre Spotlight
A FOREVER KIND OF LOVE by Farrah Rochon (Harlequin, 2012)
This is book one in the Bayou Dreams series.
The story starts out with a tragedy that brings Mya back home to a place she hadn't been in over 15 years. She was running from her high school sweetheart and a secret that she was keeping from him. Corey was hesitant but yet so happy to see Mya after all those years. Mya stayed around town longer than she had planned and this lead to her rekindling the passion she once had for Corey. However, the passion only lasted until Corey continued to ask why she left and if she was scared of loving him. Mya couldn’t hold her secret any longer and after 15 years she told Corey about the baby.
They both were hurt and upset and Mya was ready to leave town again. That is until her Aunt Maureen stopped the car on the way to the airport and advised her that she was wrong and needed to talk to Corey. Mya stopped by to talk to Corey and she realized that he was the one.
Labels: Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Readers' Advisory Annotations, Reviews by Micole Simmons, Romance
Monday, October 04, 2010
[Book Review] DEAR CUPID by Julie Ortolon
Fiction/Romance Laura Salehi reviews DEAR CUPID by Julie Ortolon (St. Martin’s Press, 2001)
Kate Bradshaw used to enjoy writing answers for her “Dear Cupid” romance advice column for an online magazine, but now that she’s divorced with a son to raise and bills to pay it’s not that easy (or fun) anymore. After her boss threatened to fire her if her column didn’t once again give the optimistic, helpful advice her readers were seeking, Kate decided to try flirting with men again, only to remember how fun romance could be so she could keep her job.
She chose her first target, Mike Cameron, at the airport on her way back from the meeting with her boss. Afterward, she felt silly and awkward, but relieved that he didn’t know her name and would never see her again. However, it turns out they live in the same town and he managed to track her down and hired her at her second job with the task of helping him find a wife. Kate reluctantly took the job since she needed the money; little did she know that Mike already had someone very specific in mind…
Mike was my favorite character in this book because nothing seemed to faze him and he routinely did thoughtful things for people he cared about. One of the many considerate things he did was to help repair the marriage of Julie’s closest friend.
You will probably enjoy this book if you like a story that is funny at times, but serves as a lighthearted reminder to appreciate, and not take for granted, the relationships we have with the people we care about, including friends, spouses, children, and parents.
Laura Salehi, Bartlett Library
Labels: Contemporary Romance, Reviews by Laura Salehi
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
[Book Review] SUGAR DADDY by Lisa Kleypas
Fiction/RomanceBeth reviews SUGAR DADDY by Lisa Kleypas (St. Martin’s Press, 2007)
An intriguing hardcover debut by Lisa Kleypas, Sugar Daddy begins with Liberty Jones and her mother moving into a trailer park in Welcome, Texas. Liberty was born to a Hispanic father (who passed away early in Liberty’s childhood) and Diana, blond-haired and blue-eyed. As a family of two, money is always tight, but they manage to get by. . .especially with good friends like Miss Marva, Lucy Reyes and Hardy Cates. Hardy, a hunky "bad boy", is bound and determined to escape Welcome and won’t let anything or anyone keep him there—even if that means denying his feelings for Liberty.
Tragedy strikes when Diana is killed in a traffic accident, leaving Liberty to graduate high school and raise her new little sister, Carrington. Amazingly, Liberty qualifies for a scholarship at a beauty school and lands a position right out of school with an exclusive salon. There she meets Churchill Travis, an investment tycoon. Over many manicures—and eventually lunches—they become very close friends. After a horse-riding accident leaves him wheelchair bound, Liberty is hired to be his personal assistant. Carrington and Liberty move into the mansion—much to annoyance of Churchill’s eldest son, Gage. Liberty and Gage bicker viciously—which as all romance readers know means one thing. . .a possible love connection!
Life for Liberty is never smooth, especially as Hardy re-emerges on the scene—now rich and wanting Liberty. But is Hardy the same guy who loved her before? Or is he the same guy that would not let anything stand between him and escaping life as he knew it in Welcome?
I was rooting for Liberty from the first time I cracked open this book until I closed it. Maybe I see a little bit of myself in that girl from "the wrong side of the tracks" trying to make it in the "big city." Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good love story. Or maybe Lisa Kleypas knows how to spin her web around readers and draw us in...either way it was a great book!
Beth, Highland Branch Library
Labels: Contemporary Romance, Reviews by Beth, Romance
Monday, February 05, 2007
[Book Review] CRAZY FOR YOU by Jennifer Crusie
Fiction/RomanceDoris Dixon reviews CRAZY FOR YOU by Jennifer Crusie (St. Martin's Press, 1999)
There is something exhilarating about reading a writer at the top of his or her game. I’ve read novels that Jennifer Crusie published before and after 1999’s Crazy For You. This is my favorite. She knew what her readers wanted and gave it to them. According the dust jacket, Crusie analyzed the structure of women’s fiction for her Ph.D. dissertation in literature. This information makes me wonder about the years of study and practice that shaped Crazy for You, a tight, funny, satisfying romance. Here's a quick summary:
Quinn Mackenzie is sick of her life. Sick of teaching art to high schoolers. Sick of her boring, worrisome live-in boyfriend, Bill. He never listens. Things begin to change for the better when Quinn adopts an abandoned dog. Bill calmly orders her to get rid of it. She refuses and he takes the dog to the pound behind her back. After reclaiming her dog and dumping Bill, Quinn makes other changes. She pursues bad boy mechanic Nick, who was once married to her wild sister Zoe. Quinn longs to be wild, too. Nick is just the spark she needs, but Bill refuses to accept that his relationship with Quinn is over.
Doris Dixon, Raleigh Branch Library
Labels: Contemporary Romance, Reviews by Doris Dixon, Romance
