Monthly Archives: September 2013

Review: Haunted Chemistry by Lindsey R. Loucks

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Haunted ChemistryHaunted Chemistry by Lindsey R. Loucks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

I’m really enjoying the opportunity to review for the new Entangled Ever After and Covet lines because I’m discovering so many new-to-me authors whose books I love. Lindsey R. Loucks is a name I’d never heard before, but after reading her excellently-paced “Haunted Chemistry” I’ve added her to my list of writers to keep an eye out for in the future.

When you have a limited amount of pages available to tell the story, it’s important to ensure that you’ve set up the romance in a way that keeps the reader interested without resorting to the old tropes of insta-lust / insta-love. Alexis and Ian have a past together, albeit an unrequited and truncated one, thanks to Ian never showing up for their first date. So when they find themselves both living in a low priced but seriously frightening apartment building, it’s completely understandable that the sparks between them would fly once again, especially when Ian finally gets a chance to explain to Alexis why he’d never showed up that night. Then when all hell breaks loose and both their lives are in danger, the way they first cling to and then work to save each other works beautifully to cement their rekindled attraction and ensure a Happy For Now ending that is satisfying and believable.

What’s especially great about “Haunted Chemistry” is how the author sets up the time, the place, and the two main characters (three if you count Tri, the irrepressible cat who gets everyone else in trouble). The vivid descriptions of the apartments and the dreaded laundry room made me believe I was there with Alexis and Ian every step of the way. I was able to picture exactly how frightening the long narrow cabinets would be, especially at the moment when the analogy Alexis used to describe them nearly came true, with potentially deadly consequences.

“Haunted Chemistry” is a great way to get yourself in the mood for Halloween while enjoying a fast hot romance. I can’t wait to see what this author is going to write next.

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Ruby Hill by Sarah Ballance

From her earliest memories, Ashley Pearce has been drawn to Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum, and she’s not the only one. Decades after the abandoned hospital ended its institutional reign of torture and neglect, something lurks in the shadows. Since she’s a paranormal investigator, it’s Ashley’s job to find out what.

Crime scene expert Corbin Malone doesn’t believe in ghosts. A born skeptic, he has no interest in entertaining the hype surrounding the mysterious deaths at Ruby Hill, but he won’t turn his back while more women die. He agrees to an overnight investigation, never expecting his first encounter would be with the woman he pushed away a year ago. But when he discovers Ashley is a target, he learns his greatest fear isn’t living with his own demons, but losing her for good.

 

One Thousand and One Nights by Ruth Browne

Sheri spends her days fighting zombies and her nights chained to a wall, earning her every breath by telling stories to her captor Aleksy—stories that make them both forget the ruined world. Sheri could put up with the conditions—at least she knows her sister is safe in the community Aleksy leads—until she realizes she’s falling for him…even though he wants her dead.

When Aleksy allowed Sheri and her sister into his compound, he didn’t know about the zombie bite on her back. It’s only a matter of time before she turns into one of the rising dead and threatens their existence, but Aleksy has a secret need for Sheri and her stories. For everyone’s safety, he chains her to his bedroom wall, hoping for just one more day. But how long will the community allow Aleksy to ignore his own rule: always kill the infected. Always.

 

Mercy by Jan Coffey

Julia Klein’s life has begun to unravel—her daughter Amy has been suspended from school, Julia is about to lose her job, and her boyfriend Garrett is being transferred thousands of miles away. Overwhelmed, she and Amy leave for a weekend at a rambling old colonial inn. Julia never suspects that Garrett, desperate to find a way to keep Julia in his life, has decided to surprise her by joining them. Nor does she expect her daughter to befriend a mischievous ghost…or that she herself would be possessed by the malevolent spirit of a long-dead mother.

As a dark secret emerges, Julia, Amy, and Garrett find themselves pitted in a fight for survival against a savage presence that intends to resurrect/repeat/relive a horrible crime committed two centuries ago. And this time, Amy and Julia will be the victims.

 

Haunted Chemisty by Lindsey Loucks

When bookish college co-ed Alexis heads to the laundry room in her new apartment, she runs into Ian Reese, the chem lab partner she crushed on all last semester. And the guy who stood her up on their first date. But she’s down for an awkward reunion, and no better place than her creepy laundry room.

Ian has every intention of making amends, but just when Alexis begins to trust him again, a new threat calls more than their future together into question. A ghost from the apartment’s past is hellbent on revenge, and if he wants to get his girl, he’ll have to get the ghost first.

 

Wish Upon a Star by Michelle McLean

Ceri McKinley never stopped wishing that her ex-fiancé Jason Crickett would come back into her life. But when he finally does, he comes with a request that puts them both—and all of humanity—into jeopardy.

Jason only wants two things: to bury his brother properly and to convince Ceri to trust him again after he jilted her. But when Ceri agrees to help him get his brother back, they end up fighting for their lives as a zombie uprising threatens them all.

 

Northern Light by E.J. Russell

Nothing gives art fraud investigator Luke Morganstern a bigger rush than busting forgers, the low-life criminals who dare victimize true artists. But when his latest job sends him to a remote cabin in the Oregon Coast Range, he’s stunned to discover the alleged forger is his former lover, Stefan Cobbe, the most gifted painter Luke has ever known.

Stefan, left homeless and destitute after the death of his wealthy partner, doesn’t exactly deny the forgery — he claims he doesn’t remember, an excuse Luke can’t accept.

But Luke’s elderly client suggests Stefan may be telling the truth and presents another possibility – a dark presence in the woods, a supernatural fury simmering for decades. Luke must face down his fear of the uncanny – and admit his feelings for Stefan – if either of them is to survive.

 

Review: The Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

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The Naughty CornerThe Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Night Owl Reviews.

The full version of this review is available at Night Owl Reviews: The Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

One of the things I love most about Jasmine Haynes’s writing is the sense of humor she brings to so many of her stories. There’s something funny about everything and everyone in “The Naughty Corner” even when Lola is dealing with what appears to be a stalker sending her threatening emails and letters. The relationship between Gray and Lola starts out as a summer fling for both of them, but as it grows into something deeper, the feelings they each deal with are handled as maturely and realistically as possible under the circumstances, with a minimum of angst and drama. And because this is Jasmine Haynes, the sex scenes are sensual and passionate without being lewd or lascivious. It’s that successful combination of hot sex, deep emotions and light humor that makes “The Naughty Corner” such a fun and satisfying read.

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Review: Man Hungry by Sabrina York

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Man HungryMan Hungry by Sabrina York

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at NightOwlReviews.com

The full text of this review is available at Night Owl Reviews: Man Hungry by Sabrina York

What I loved most about “Man Hungry” was the initial setup of how the hero and heroine met in the bar and had their preconceptions about each other blown out of the water. What I did not love was the fact that they only used a condom on their first night and never again thereafter without even any claims of being “clean” or use of an alternate method of birth control. I was also put off when Justin’s reaction to Jessica’s reassurance that this was her first one night stand was visible relief, especially when he was the one who had pushed for her to go home with him that first night. But overall I did enjoy “Man Hungry” and will definitely be reading more of Sabrina York’s work in the future.

3.5 stars

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Review: Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

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Revealing Us (Inside Out #3)Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance.

This review will contain spoilers for IF I WERE YOU and BEING ME, the previous two books in the INSIDE OUT series. REVEALING US should not be considered a stand-alone book.

If you’ve already read all the previous entries in Lisa Renee Jones’ gripping INSIDE OUT series – two full length books and five novellas at last count – you already know what happened to Rebecca, who her Master is/was, and how the delayed revelation of that secret nearly led to Sara being murdered by the woman who wanted Rebecca’s Master for herself. REVEALING US picks up right where we saw Sara last: sitting forlornly on the bed of her missing friend Ella, still recovering from both the attack on her life and the ultimatum Chris gave her before walking out the door. Chris is leaving for Paris that very night and he wants Sara to go with him. The implication is that if she chooses to stay, their relationship is over. But is going away with Chris the right decision? Sara may have been nearly killed only hours before, but she knows that she can’t let Chris go, and decides to join him on the late night flight.

Despite Chris’ assurances that their life in Paris will be wonderful, Sara finds herself in a place where she can’t speak the language, doesn’t like the food and keeps being confronted by various women still angry at being discarded by Chris in the not too distant past. It’s no wonder that Sara worries that she’s made a terrible mistake and that Chris will soon tire of her as he has with every other woman. But ever since she’s started trying to find out what happened after her friend Ella left to be married in Paris, Sara has also had the unsettling feeling that she’s being watched. When the hunt for Ella collides with the remaining secrets in Chris’ past, it’s Sara that gets caught in the crossfire, and there’s no guarantee that she or her relationship with Chris will survive.

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Renee Jones’ INSIDE OUT series and was impatiently awaiting this concluding book in what was originally announced as a trilogy. When the trilogy officially became a pentalogy (two more full length books will appear in the series after this one), I was concerned that Chris and Sara’s happy ending would be postponed even further. But the author reassured readers that although more was to come, this third book would still give them closure as a couple. Not only does REVEALING US provide a satisfying culmination for Chris and Sara, it also sheds new light on what may have happened to Ella, with plenty of details to keep us guessing until the fourth book arrives.

Nearly all of REVEALING US takes place in Paris, and although I missed Mark’s presence, it was a good way to focus the story on Chris and Sara without all the chaos of the previous events and the ongoing police investigation taking away from their story. Living with Chris in Paris, Sara had to deal with the full force of his day-to-day life as a famous artist in a way she’d never experienced back in San Francisco. Here she was just his latest girlfriend, and one that apparently nobody expected to stick around for long. It didn’t help that Chris had left so many disgruntled women in his past, and apparently every one of them wanted a piece of her. It got to where I pretty much expected someone to show up and threaten Sara every time she went to the ladies’ room alone.

The best part of REVEALING US is that Chris and Sara did begin to talk more and get to know each other better in a way that would help them handle all the obstacles put in their path during the course of this story. They both learned to trust each other in a way neither had in the previous two books, which had the added benefit of making their intimate moments even more emotionally compelling.

The problem for me in this story was when Sara kept ignoring Chris’ warnings to keep herself safe, constantly rushing headlong into yet another situation that put her in danger. All the while Chris kept saying there was one more big secret to reveal but insisting on waiting until the time was right to tell her. I was worried that the time might never be right if Sara managed to get herself arrested, kidnapped or worse before that could happen. I didn’t expect Sara to just agree to everything Chris wanted (despite their intermittent Dom/sub sexual interplay) but she seemed to lack common sense in a few key situations where I considered her exceptionally fortunate to have survived her poor choices.

This may make it sound like I did not enjoy this book, but that is far from the truth. I devoured REVEALING US in one long uninterrupted read where I simply could not put the book down and had to keep turning each page to find out what was going to happen next. I cheered when Sara followed Chris to Paris, I swooned when their trust and love for each other grew stronger and deeper, and I yelled when events (and evil ex-girlfriends) threatened to tear them apart. I loved the way Chris and Sara finally got to their happy ending (at least for this entry in the series) and I can’t wait to see what Lisa Renee Jones is going to do in the next book to bring Mark back into the story and show us what’s happened to Ella. If the next book is anything like REVEALING US, it’s going to be a heck of a ride.

Favorite Quote:

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this out loud.” I draw a breath and force my chin up. “Right or wrong, I needed her to know I could and would protect what is mine.”
Seconds tick by before he softly asks, “Which is what, Sara?”
The husky quality to his voice gives me courage. “You,” I whisper. “I needed her to know you belong to me now.”

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Review: Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery

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Christmas on 4th Street (Fools Gold #13.5)
This review originally appeared at Romancing Rakes For the Love of Romance

[Michele #Review} Contemporary Romance: Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance.

Rating: ~4 hearts: I loved it

Review:

I discovered the Fool’s Gold series by Susan Mallery about 6 months ago, and since then, I’ve managed to glom through nearly the entire series. Although I enjoyed the full length books more than the novellas, these stories are my comfort reads where I always know what to expect with a HEA that will make me sigh. “Christmas on 4th Street” is number 12.5 in the series, and another winner in the Fool’s Gold series.

Regular Fool’s Gold readers have already met Noelle Perkins in the previous three books, as each member of her close group of best girlfriends paired off with the man of her dreams. Now all three of those girlfriends are about to get married in a mostly secret triple wedding planned as part of the big Fool’s Gold holiday festivities. Noelle has agreed to be the sole bridesmaid for all three, but part of her still mourns the wedding she never got to have before coming to town. Gabriel Boylan is the fraternal twin brother of Gideon (fiance of Noelle’s best friend Felicia) and nearly as emotionally tortured as Gideon had been when he first arrived in Fool’s Gold. Both Boylan brothers had served overseas in the military, thanks to the implacable will of their unrelenting drill sergeant father, but it was Gabriel who had been forced into the decision more than his brother. Gabriel had spent his whole childhood having his masculinity challenged by his father, and was only able to please him by becoming a trauma surgeon who spent all his time stabilizing severely injured soldiers fresh off the battlefield. But years of trying to save lives under such extreme conditions have finally taken their toll on Gabriel, and he’s forced to take holiday leave back in the US after nearly ending his career with an unsafe move during his attempt to save yet another injured comrade.

It’s inevitable that Noelle and Gabriel will meet, since her best friend is about to marry his twin brother, and this is Fool’s Gold where everybody knows everything about everybody else, and Mayor Marsha knows even more. Both Noelle and Gabriel have faced mortality head on, but each learned something completely different from the other. Noelle now believes in living life to the fullest, because you never know how long it will last. Gabriel believes that there’s no point in love and joy because everything could end in a moment. The beauty of “Christmas on 4th Street” is in seeing how they resolve their differences on the way to their own happy ending.

If you have read more than one Fool’s Gold book, you know exactly what you’re going to get in “Christmas on 4th Street.” It’s all here: the meet cute, the hero thinking the heroine deserves better than him, the heroine willing to take what she can get in the hopes of changing his mind, the supportive girlfriends bringing dessert and alcohol when the hero screws up, and at least one scene where the all-knowing, all-seeing Mayor Marsha tells the hero about some great new development in town for which he is the perfect candidate in an attempt to keep him from leaving town. But this familiarity does not breed contempt; on the contrary, it’s the tried and true elements that make this latest entry in the Fool’s Gold series just as wonderful for me to read as the rest. Just because I know that the hero is going to do something completely stupid near the end (and that the heroine’s girlfriends will immediately know and arrive with a support party) doesn’t mean that I won’t get all misty when he realizes his mistake and returns to grovel at the feet of the understanding heroine. Formula isn’t a dirty word here, and Susan Mallery’s winning formula holds true yet again for “Christmas on 4th Street.”

Favorite Quote:

“You must be exhausted,” Noelle said. “Are you going to go home and get some sleep?”
“No, I want to stay awake and experiment with the deterioration of my cognitive functions due to sleep deprivation. It should be interesting.”
Noelle patted her back. “You really do need to take up a hobby.”

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Review: Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves

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Covet

This review originally appeared at Seductive Musings

Review: Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.

I was a big fan of Tracey Garvis-Graves’ debut romance On The Island so when I saw she was writing a new book that wasn’t strictly romance, I wondered if it would be just as good a read. The first chapter of Covet was included as a bonus in Uncharted, the follow-up novella to On The Island, and from the moment I read the first page, I was hooked. But I could not have anticipated just how much of an emotional read Covet would be once I had the opportunity to read the whole book.

I’m not ashamed to admit it: Covet didn’t just make me cry, it made me weep so uncontrollably that my husband kept trying to comfort me as I continued to read. Even now, it’s been weeks since I finished reading it, and I’m still starting to get all welled up again. This doesn’t mean that Covet will or should affect anyone else like that, but I’m telling you so you know what you might expect if the story of Claire and the two men she loves gets to you in the same way.

Claire Canton had a marriage and family so picture perfect that even their closest friends were envious. But now she is clinging to that life by her fingernails as the weight of her loneliness drags her ever downward. Her husband, Chris, had his whole identity wrapped up in being the family provider and as long as he was working, they were happy. When the bad economy finally reached his company and he spent the next 18 months unemployed, it was only by Claire’s determination and love that they managed to keep the family together and solvent, while she begged and threatened Chris in an attempt to pull him out of his dark emotional hole. Antidepressants are finally starting to make a real difference, but Chris’ desperation to get another job in his field leads him to accept the worst possible solution – a job that keeps him away from Claire and their children for days and weeks at a time.

After Daniel pulls Claire over for a burned out taillight, neither of them are able to forget the seemingly innocuous encounter. Daniel is initially drawn to Claire because she looks so much like the ex-wife who left him after an unspeakable tragedy. Claire is attracted to Daniel not only because he is “ridiculously good looking” but also because he gives her more attention in that one traffic stop than she’s gotten from her husband in months. As they are thrown together more and more, the physical attraction deepens into something they don’t know how to handle, and that’s when Covet becomes the story of how love can be both the best and worst thing ever.

What happens to Claire and Daniel and Chris is not particularly unique, but the way Tracey Garvis-Graves presents it with the thoughts and emotions of each character provides the compelling sense of psychological tragedy as Claire comes to love both men and Daniel struggles between what he wants and what is right. The series of events that lead up to the final denouement are shocking but not out of place, given what we’ve been shown all along the way, and the ending made sense, even if it wasn’t what I might have wanted. But above all, I was and am Team Claire, and she’s why Covet affected me so strongly and why it’s now the number one candidate for the best book I’ve read this year.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 3

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Review: Body of Work by Karla Doyle

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Body of WorkBody of Work by Karla Doyle

The complete version of this review can be found at Night Owl Reviews

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at NightOwlReviews.com.

“Body of Work” is a wonderful story about how two people wary of trusting the wrong person again can’t help but keep coming back to each other, first for lust and then for love. The scenes between Cassie and Brian are easily the best part of this book, and their relationship is both touching and believable.

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Review: Uncommon Passion by Anne Calhoun

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Uncommon Passion (Uncommon, #2)

This review originally appeared at Seductive Musings

Review: Uncommon Passion by Anne Calhoun

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.

I’ve read everything that Anne Calhoun has published for nearly a year now, and every time I’ve been rewarded with yet another wonderfully engaging and passionate romance. Her latest book, “Uncommon Passion,” features a pairing between two people who could not have seemed more different at first glance, but ultimately show they have more in common than anyone could have known.

Rachel Hill was born and raised in an isolated religious community (I think it’s fair to call it a cult) where women were taught to always defer to men and where she could only be alone in a room with her father or the group’s religious leader. After living her whole life under these restrictions, Rachel realized that her intelligence and innate veterinary talents with farm animals were worth more than what her father and religion dictated. The first brave act of her life was to take the money owed her for decades of back-breaking work and escape to the real world for an independent future. The second brave act of her life was to take the money she’d saved for vet school and bid it for a night with a man at the charity bachelor auction. Rachel isn’t looking for a date. She’s looking for a man who won’t have any problems going right to the bedroom for some quick and casual sex. After all, she doesn’t want a relationship, she just wants to not be a virgin.

Ben Harris is a troubled cop living only for the quick emotional fixes of danger and sex, both of which he gets in unhealthy quantities. He gets the danger fix from his job as a SWAT officer, taking so many unnecessary chances with his safety that his superiors threaten to remove him from the job. He gets his sex fix in his side job as the door bouncer at No Limits, the local dance club where people go to get drunk and get laid, usually in that order. Ben wasn’t even supposed to be on the bachelor list that night at the auction, but when he and Rachel make eye contact, she knows he’s the perfect choice for what she wants to buy with her hard earned money.

The “date” between Ben and Rachel goes pretty much as anticipated, with a quick dinner and an equally quick trip to Ben’s bedroom for some hard and fast sex. Rachel revels in the act that she knows she would never have experienced without leaving everything behind. Ben is relieved that she didn’t demand much of him and even left without having to be asked. But later when he realizes that she’d been a virgin, he somehow feels compelled to go back to her to ask for a do-over. It isn’t long before what started as a quick easy lay between strangers becomes an emotional journey between two lost souls afraid to see that what they have is so much more than sex.

The romance trope of a world-weary man providing sexual instruction to an innocent virgin is a common one, and one that I always enjoy. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen it with a woman who isn’t just an innocent to sex, but to adult life itself. Rachel is a truly remarkable heroine in that she has had to learn about so many things that most people take for granted. Her determination to experience everything an adult woman should have is what brings her to Ben’s bed and keeps her there when he insists on showing her everything she should know about pleasing herself and others in bed. Ben is over familiar with the adult world, to the point of seeming to have a death wish at times. Watching them become more attached to each other in spite of what they both insist they want is a wonderful experience and because this is an Anne Calhoun book, it is both beautifully written and incredibly moving. I loved every moment of “Uncommon Passion” and recommend Anne Calhoun as one of the finest romance writers working today.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre

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Kissing Under The Mistletoe (The Sullivans, #10)

This review originally appeared at Romancing Rakes For the Love of Romance

Review: Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at RomancingRakes4TheLuvOfRomance.blogspot.com.

Rating: ~3 hearts: I liked it

Review:

If you’re a fan of Bella Andre’s incredibly successful Sullivans series as I am, you’ll already know about Jack and Mary Sullivan, and how Mary was left alone to raise their six sons and two daughters after Jack died much too young from a brain aneurysm. In the first 8 books of the series, we got to see each of the Sullivan siblings find their one true love. Now in “Kissing Under The Mistletoe” we finally get to see how Jack and Mary met and fell in love so many years before, along with a glimpse of how wonderful being together was in their first year of marriage.

Jack Sullivan is a dedicated and brilliant electrical engineer who along with his two good friends and co-workers, has created a new portable electronic device that he believes will be a top seller for his San Francisco company. But unless he can find a way in the next 24 hours to show that the Pocket Planner has some kind of sex appeal, his boss won’t even consider trying to sell any. A lesser man would be daunted by such a task, but Jack Sullivan refuses to give up. When he and his co-workers head out to Union Square in search of a place to sit and brainstorm, that’s when Jack has the most tremendous stroke of luck. For that’s when he finds both the solution to his marketing problem and the love of his life.

Mary Ferrer is a world famous fashion model who just happens to be in Union Square that evening for the final photo shoot in her long and successful career. She’s decided to retire after tonight because although she doesn’t regret having become a model, the day-to-day life just isn’t enjoyable for her any longer, and she’d like the chance to do more than just pose for pictures. Mary feels so completely alone since she left her family behind in their small Italian village and her mother disowned her as a result of that decision. She’s tried relationships within the fashion industry, but the last one ended up leaving her even more disillusioned about men and love than before. Yet when she sees the tall and handsome Jack Sullivan staring at her from the street, Mary can’t help but stare back in return, and it’s then that she decides to take one more chance at happiness and perhaps even love.

“Kissing Under the Mistletoe” does a great job in showing exactly why Jack and Mary were so perfectly matched from the start and provides all the back story about how each of them had gotten to that moment in Union Square when fate brought them together. I loved seeing how Mary had experienced a full and exciting life completely separate from her current identity as the quiet loving matriarch of the Sullivan family, and how finding Jack wasn’t an ending for her but a beginning to a whole new life that she’d already wanted before she’d ever met him. We’d seen through the previous books how much her children are like her, but now we get that same type of recognition for their late father, as Jack comes fully to life in this story and shows us just how much he loves Mary by both his words and actions.

The only thing I didn’t fully enjoy about “Kissing Under the Mistletoe” was how the epilogue detailing the first year of their marriage was more like a series of snapshots than an actual continuation of the complete story. Normally I’m a big fan of epilogues, but in this instance I found the change in writing style to be somewhat jarring by comparison, and I almost would have rather not had it there at all.

In any case, I am still happy to have read the story of the Sullivan parents, and am looking forward to the continuing stories of the Sullivan cousins now that all of Jack and Mary’s children have been paired up and married off. Bella Andre never fails to make me care about her characters and “Kissing Under the Mistletoe” is no exception. It’s a lovely romance, perfect for the holiday season.

Favorite Quote:

“Next time I invite you in,” she said with a small smile as she gave him his coat and walked him to the front door, “I’ll let you drink your coffee.”
He was standing on her front step when he said, “Next time you invite me in, I’m going to make love to you.”

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