Just Finished:



Recommended by: The 3rd in the Stepp Sisters trilogy.

From the Back Cover: You have got to be kidding me! On a night like this, when most sane people are home to escape a blinding snowstorm, I happen to run into Millbrook's biggest jerk, Nathaniel Peck, the boy who broke my heart at my junior prom. The one who kissed me on a dare and let his buddies laugh at me. Well, eat dirt, Nathaniel Peck, because you might have noticed me on the covers of a few magazines under the heading: Supermodel. I live in New York City now. I will be leaving as soon as the weather clears. And frankly, if it were a choice between kissing you or braving downed electrical wires, I'd have to think about it.

It's official: I've regressed. It's just that I can't stand the Cult of Nathaniel Peck that has come over this town. Okay, so he is Chief of Police. So he did make sure I got home safely. So he didn't try anything funny with me. So that old smirk has been replaced by a sexy, sad smile...No. People just do not change that much. Somewhere inside Nate is the same leering, conniving womanizer I remember. And I intend to prove it....

My Thoughts: I had my mind made up before I ever opened the book that I wasn’t going to like it. Why? Because I didn’t like how Nathaniel treated Marty in Wanting What You Get. I thought he was a jerk. And I thought this book was going to somehow try to reform him.

By page 40, I realized I’d made a mistake. I sympathized with Nate ~ felt so bad for him for what happened, and the fact that he wasn’t bitter. He was trying to make a better life for himself ~ be a better person. By page 50, I knew I’d really stepped in it. I liked Nate. I thought he was truly a decent guy and he was trying to be a good friend to Marty. And they were both suffering for it because though they tried to be friends, they both wanted more.

What didn't I like? The use of the word "darling". I just don't see Nate using the word. But then again, I'm more of a "honey" kind of gal.

For me, this was between a Good and a Very Good read. I liked it. I’m almost sad to see the series end. I like the Stepp sisters and the world they live in. Luckily, I own the books now so I can revisit their world whenever I want to.

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Good, Kathy Love

Just Finished:



Recommended by: 2nd book in the Stepp Sisters series.

From the Back Cover: This can't be happening

Is he flirting with me? I must be imagining things. Why would Mason Sweet, the gorgeous mayor of Millbrook, Maine, the man I've secretly been in love with since the seventh grade, flirt with me? He's the town golden boy, and I'm, well, the local librarian. The Stepp sister who stayed close to home. The one who bakes brownies...then eats them all. My thighs make that whick-whick-whick sound in pantyhose. He can't possibly be flirting with me. So why is he giving me that melt-you-where-you-stand look? Why is he pulling me close? And what is he whispering in my ear?

Sorry, could you repeat that? Now I'm hearing things, because I swear Mason just asked me if I'd like to...well, he wasn't asking for a book recommendation, let's put it that way. Oh my, my, my. Okay, Ellie, stop blushing like a teenage girl. I'm sure he didn't mean it. Maybe I should just alphabetize something. Be the good girl everyone expects. Eat another brownie. Forget this ever happened. So why is it I can't stop myself from saying, "Yes...."

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Stepp Sisters trilogy by Kathy Love, and I liked it even better than the first one. There was just a sweetness about this story that I found myself crying, a lot. There were also points in the story where the hero tried to push the heroine away by being cruel which caused me to cry also. The story was a wow for me.

I’d rate this a Very Good read. I look forward to reading the last book in the trilogy: Wanting Something More.

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Kathy Love, Very Good

Just Finished:



Recommended by: I can’t remember.

From the Back Cover: In this delightful, heartwarming novel, Kathy Love introduces the Stepp sisters, three women whose lives are about to take a turn for the wild, the unpredictable, and the absolutely enchanting… Meet Abby.

Note To Self: Remind me to have my head examined. What exactly possessed me to come home to Millbrook, Maine, where nothing changes but the weather? Oh, right. A six-month grant to do genetics research at Rand laboratories. What can I say-I'm a smart girl. And smart girls get what they need and get out again. Smart girls don't dream, they settle. And smart girls do not get completely tongue-tied while holding a basket of fried clams when they bump into the most gorgeous man they haven't seen in fifteen years: Chase Jordan.

Remind me to have my hormones removed. Chase Jordan. Town bad boy. Rebel with a cause to show up in my dreams unannounced. Oh boy, this is not good. Not smart. It's like high school all over again. But in a good way. A heart-thumping way. An I-have-no-idea-what's-going-to-happen way. A way that's making me feel like maybe settling for what I have isn't so smart…but really going after what I want is the craziest thing I may ever do…

My Thoughts: I’m so glad I liked this one. I’ve been looking forward to reading the series. And who wouldn’t like to hook up with a reformed bad boy? I like the fact that Chase and Abby got the chance to be friends. I like that he understood her. I like that they had a connection. But, Chase has a secret ~ and it’s one of those that you can pretty much figure out early on.

I started to not like them so much after they hooked up and it seemed they were having nothing but sex. But then they got better again. Some of the things that happened in the story were a little farfetched. The characters are supposed to be around 33 and it seemed there was some immaturity involved. Regardless of that, I’d still say this was between a Good or Very Good read. I liked it enough that I scoured 3 UBS stores looking for the next book in the series, only having to bite the bullet and go buy it at Borders.

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Kathy Love, Very Good