Just Finished:
Synopsis: COOL. CALM. COLLECTED...
Nothing fazes Taylor Donovan. In the courtroom she never lets the opposition see her sweat. In her personal life, she never lets any man rattle her—not even her cheating ex-fiancé. So when she's assigned to coach People's "Sexiest Man Alive" for his role in his next big legal thriller, she refuses to fall for the Hollywood heartthrob's charms. Even if he is the Jason Andrews.

CONFIDENT. FAMOUS. IRRESISTIBLE…
Jason Andrews is used to having women fall at his feet. When Taylor Donovan gives him the cold shoulder, he's thrown for a loop. She's unlike any other woman he's ever met: uninterested in the limelight, seemingly immune to his advances, and shockingly capable of saying no to him. She's the perfect challenge. And the more she rejects him, the more he begins to realize she may just be his perfect match...
My Thoughts: The banter got me first. I’m a fan of quick wit, so I really enjoyed how the two leads continuously tried to one-up each other. This book was fun from beginning to end ~ so much so, I could not put it down once I started reading it. Taylor and Jason were strong, independent, and successful characters so it was a delight watching them both change as the story progressed. And as far as chemistry?? These characters had it virtually leaping off the pages.

Verdict: This was Very Good. I enjoyed the banter between the two characters and was thoroughly entertained throughout the whole book. I cannot wait to read more from Ms. James in the future.

Labels: Berkley, Contemporary Romance, Julie James, Very Good

Just Finished:
Synopsis: When Dorie Anderson meets a cute guy, she becomes a huge klutz. But one phone call has turned her dead-end dating life into an adventure: she's won a trip on a singles' cruise to Fiji. On board, she soon meets pro baseball player Andy, and the ship's hunky French doctor. She's sure she'll fall head-over-heels in no time. Unfortunately, she's right: soon, she trips over her luggage right in front of them. Mortifying. But a bigger disaster is just on the horizon. Dorie finds a man murdered in his bunk the same night a storm wrecks the ship, stranding everyone on a deserted shore. It'd be a perfect setting for romance-if it weren't for the fact that there's a killer among them.

My Thoughts: I don’t even know where to start. I loved this story. Dorie and Christian? Amazing! From their first meeting before the start of the cruise, was hooked. Poor accident-prone Dorie, and smoldering Dr. Christian, who can’t keep his eyes off her. And the two just seemed to come together from there, in spite of themselves.

I enjoyed the friendships Dorie made with the other passengers on the boat as well. Cadence, Brandy, and Andy were all great additions to this story, as were the other members of the yacht crew: Denny, Ethan, and Bobby. I also enjoyed the fact that there was a bit of a mystery involved in the read, and I literally didn’t know who did it until it was revealed. JS gave each of the characters just enough of an edge, that even though I as the reader liked the character, he/she very well could have been the guilty party.

Going back to the reason I read this: Dorie and Christian. Let me sum it up. Dorie and Christian in the cabin, trying not to succumb to their attraction? Hot. Lagoon Sex? Hot! Shower Sex? Hot.

If you haven’t read Jill Shalvis before, start with this one. JS has written a fun, witty, humorous, romantic read that was a wonderful thing for me to curl up with on a cold, blistery day.

Verdict: This was Excellent. I could not stop reading this story and looked forward to every breathtaking page. Keeper, definitely.

Labels: Berkley, Contemporary Romance, Excellent, Jill Shalvis

Just Finished:
Synopsis: Bad luck's been biting at Allie Daniels's heels all her life, so when she inherits a tiny cafe in a small Texas community she's sure there's a catch. But Allie brings her grandmother along, and the cafe gives Nana a chance to do what she does best - cook. As the pair settle in to make the best of what surely must be a mistake in an old man's will, the people of the town drop by. Lonely folk discover there's always a "table for one" available, with down-home food to warm the soul. An old maid, a shy young man, and a drifter, slowly become the family Allie never had. When trouble comes, Allie finds she's not alone anymore -- and that, sometimes, the only cure for bad luck is the courage to love.

My Thoughts: I loved this story from beginning to end. Allie and Nana find themselves in a run-down cabin at Twisted Creek that doubles as a general store and a café. And though they are new to the area, they are not strangers to the people who live at Twisted Creek. Allie’s Uncle Jefferson, spoke of her often and so when he passed away, folks expected Allie and welcomed her as only a small community would do. And the small community soon engulfs Allie and Nana as one of their own, forming a make-shift family.

The cast of characters includes Willie, the fisherman who always stinks of the river; Mrs. Deats, the eccentric rich woman who lives alone at the top of the hill; Thomas, a young man living in his family’s home living inside his books and searching for direction in his life; Mary Lynn, a woman nearing middle age who is wrestling with demons from her past; Paul, a banker who is relearning how to live his life; the Landry brothers, former miners who spend their days fishing and eating; and Luke, the grandson of Jefferson’s best friend and who has more going on than what it seems.

The story was very easy to follow ~ it flowed nicely and the world-building was done slowly. The tale was told in two parts, really. Allie’s part of the story was told in 1st person; Luke’s part of the story was told in 3rd person. Yes, there was romance, but the story encompassed more than that. It was a story of friendship, of family, of community, and of just finding a place to belong.

Verdict: This was Excellent. Jodi Thomas is another new-to-me author and I’m really looking forward to reading more of her. I have a few of her westerns tucked away in my TBR stacks, so I plan on digging them out and reading them soon.

Labels: Berkley, Excellent, Fiction, Jodi Thomas