Category: Kimberly’s Review

TITLE: Make Me Lose Control
SERIES #: Cabin Fever #2
CHARACTERS: Shay & Jace
AUTHOR: Christie Ridgway
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/30/14
ORDER LINKS:Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
USA Today bestselling author Christie Ridgway returns to Blue Arrow Lake with the dazzling story of opposites attracting in the rustic mountains of California.

As live-in tutor to a headstrong teen, Shay Walker has her hands full—and the girl’s absentee father doesn’t help matters, either. All Shay wants is to let loose and indulge in a birthday fling with the hottest stranger who’s ever caught her eye. But her one-night stand turns out to be Jace Jennings, her student’s long-distance dad…and now he’s taking up residence—at his lakeside estate and in Shay’s most secret fantasies.

Jace isn’t exactly a family man, but he’s determined to do his best by his daughter—and the first step is forgetting how hot he is for her teacher. But close proximity and their heated connection keeps Shay at the forefront of his mind—even as it’s obvious she holds her heart in check. So does Jace. Until they both realize that losing control just might mean finding forever.

REVIEW:
4.25 Hearts So many romances have the broken hero/heroine who has dealt with so much in their past and they are working at moving beyond. Well this has the heroine doing the same but the difference is most of this is in her own mind. Shay sees herself as an outsider in her own family because her mom had an affair and she does not share the same father as the others but the family doesn’t see her this way at all but Shay can’t get past it. She also blames herself for her dad’s death but again no one else does. These are both in her own mind and heart. So how does she get past something that no one else can understand?

Jace had a bad childhood himself. Mostly his dad never taught him how to love. So when he spends 10 years away from his daughter and then needs to come back into her life he doesn’t know how. And really doesn’t know how to understand Shay and his feeling for her. And then there is London who is dealing with her own issues as a 15 year old girl and her first crush.

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked the way the characters were written. I enjoyed the family in the background. Seeing Ryan and Poppy from the first book in the series was great too. I really enjoyed the epilogue. You do not need to have read the first in the series but you will know you missed their story but it will not take away from this one. I have read all of Ridgway’s books and this one ranks really high for me. You will enjoy it if you give it a try.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Want It
SERIES #: Rule Breakers #3
CHARACTERS: Erin & Zander
AUTHOR: Jennifer Chance
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/09/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In the latest tantalizing Rule Breakers novel from Jennifer Chance, an irresistible alpha male follows his ex into a deadly standoff—and reignites a heated affair.

For Erin Connelly, being a good girl isn’t such a bad thing. She’s working her dream job at a Boston art gallery and staying out of trouble, which is more than she can say for her deadbeat mom. Unfortunately, her mother’s latest misadventure lands her in the clutches of a Mexican drug lord. Now the only person who can save her is the one man Erin has no business asking for help: the sexy-as-sin army ranger who just so happens to be her former high school sweetheart.

Zander James is no gentleman—and no officer, either, thanks to Erin. Four years ago, she made a call that terminated his highest aspirations . . . and their relationship. He’s never forgiven her, but when he learns that Erin’s embarking on a half-baked rescue mission, he sure as hell can’t let her go alone. Now, with a treacherous enemy lying in wait, the electrifying tension between them may just be Zander’s undoing. Because while he may be able to keep Erin alive, he can’t promise to keep his hands off her.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the third in the Rule Breakers series and for the most part it is an enjoyable read and I wanted to read every word to find out what would happen. I even thought I figured a part out and it ended up not being true (might have been better if it was). But do I consider Zander a Rule Breaker? Not really. Maybe when he was young but not know. Which actually brings up something. The characters seem older than the 22 year olds they are supposed to be. There doesn’t seem to be any youth in them anymore.

They are both so mad at each other for what happened four years ago that they can’t see straight and yet so attracted to each other that they can’t think of anything else. But neither understands why they other did what they did four years ago. In all honestly I might be able to understand Zander being upset but holding a grudge for something that Erin really should have done? It doesn’t seem right. Her side I understand completely.

Like I said it was an interesting read and the story is a bit suspenseful but there are problems with the dialog. I can’t even count the number of times Erin drifts off from the conversation and then says “What?”. It seemed the author found enjoyable (to her) lines and then used them a handful a times then started with a new line. The love scenes were repetitive. There were a few other things but all in all it was a good read and I will read the next in the series which I am thinking is Dani and R-Four’s story (?).

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Where There’s A Will
CHARACTERS: Miranda and Coe
AUTHOR: Stacy Gail
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/17/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Miranda Brookhaven returned to Bitterthorn, Texas to fix the past. Years ago, her father used her teenage romance with Coe Rodas to steal the prototype for a groundbreaking new automotive invention. Now her father’s dead, and thanks to the convoluted will he left behind, she’s stuck in town until she rights the wrong that lost her the man she loved.
Coe learned early on that life never goes according to plan. His dreams of hitting it big vanished when Miranda all but invited her father to take the only thing of value he ever had. But now the once-pampered princess is holed up in a condemned trailer on the edge of town…and everything he thought he knew about her and about what happened between them back then seems completely wrong.
Miranda’s determined to give back to Coe all that he lost. If she can do that, maybe she can move on from the past. But Coe seems to be more interested in their rekindled passion than claiming what she thinks he deserves. She’s got sixty days to convince him to cough up evidence that he’s the original inventor after that, the only way to transfer the patent rights over to him would be to make him part of the family, and she’s not sure her heart can take another hit.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts I enjoyed this book but it did get wordy at some times. The relationship between Coe and Miranda is interesting and seemed to take a long time to work out but then I realized it didn’t really. It was more that there were a lot of words to get them there. I know that sounds weird but it is true.

So Miranda and Coe both have different stories about how their past went and while neither is really wrong neither is really right either. But this story is not about their past as much as about how they deal with their futures and how they need to learn to live beyond what the past handed them. And I think the author did a good job of getting that across. Sometimes the scenes were so real and true that you can feel the hurt. When Miranda explains about Coe getting rid of the tattoo of her name it is so sad and you can imagine the feelings she has.

So while I enjoyed this story and it is only about 150 pages it is not a quick read. But that being said it is worth the read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.