Tag Archives: Harlequin

Standard category romances

Review: I Only Have Eyes for You by Bella Andre

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I Only Have Eyes for You (The Sullivans, #4)I Only Have Eyes for You by Bella Andre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU is the fourth book in Bella Andre’s best-selling Sullivans series and the first with a Sullivan sister as the heroine of the story. The two youngest Sullivan siblings are twin sisters named Lori and Sophie, but their brothers usually refer to them as ‘Naughty’ and ‘Nice’. It’s difficult enough for Sophie Sullivan to establish an identity independent of her wild and unpredictable twin. But when Jake McCann, the man she’s been in love with all her life, continues to behave like another one of her six older and overprotective brothers, Sophie decides to finally make him see her as someone who is capable of being an adult woman worthy of his attention.

Jake McCann is the best friend of Sophie’s brother Zach and practically a member of the Sullivan family after hanging out at their home throughout his troubled childhood. He owed them all so much for looking after him when his own family had let him down, and so would never allow himself to consider making any moves on either Sullivan sister. Yet he can’t help but notice how beautiful Sophie has grown and how much he would like to be with her if she’d only been anyone else. She deserved better than a guy from the wrong side of the tracks who’d had plenty of sex but would never make a real commitment to any woman.

It’s during the wedding of Sophie’s brother Chase that Sophie makes her move, playing up her appearance so that she looks just as seductive and glamorous as her twin. What Sophie doesn’t know is that over the past several months, Jake has already become aware of her as a romantic interest, despite every instinct telling him it could never work out between them. So when Jake sees the new grown-up Sophie in the way she wanted, not even Sophie’s brothers can douse what ignites between them after the wedding is over. The repercussions of what happens on that night will ensure none of their lives will ever be the same.

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU was so heartfelt and dramatic that it actually had me worried Sophie and Jake might not find their way back to each other in time to enjoy their happy ending. Bella Andre helped me appreciate why they each behaved as they did, even though their actions were often frustrating, and it was gratifying to see them slowly work through all their issues to build a true relationship out of what had begun as a single night of passion.

I’m a big fan of all the Bella Andre Sullivan books, but this was the first one that really affected me more than any of the others. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU is a poignant love story that tore at my heart and made me cry, and I loved every minute of it.

Favorite Quote:

“I love you, Jake McCann. Always.” She felt the wonder, the magic, the beauty of knowing true love had been waiting for them all along. “Forever.”

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Review: If You Were Mine by Bella Andre

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If You Were Mine (The Sullivans, #5)If You Were Mine by Bella Andre

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

Bella Andre continues her Sullivans series with book number five, IF YOU WERE MINE, bringing us the story of Zach Sullivan and Heather Linsey. Zach is the last person who should have been saddled with a rambunctious little puppy, however temporarily, but he couldn’t turn down his brother Gabe, or Gabe’s fianceé’s little girl. But when his good friend Agnes recommends Heather as the perfect dog trainer, Zach’s interest in Heather ensures that he’ll make all the time she needs to help him make Cuddles behave.

Growing up with a father who cheated and a mother who allowed it has made Heather bitter about men and their lack of fidelity, and just because Zach Sullivan is ridiculously handsome doesn’t mean she’ll let down her guard so he can break her heart. But Zach is used to women falling all over him, and sees Heather’s initial rejection as a challenge he is more than willing to accept, even though he already knows he can never offer her more than sex. Amazing, mind-blowing sex, to be sure, but nothing more.

When Heather’s mistrust meets Zach’s fear of commitment, the result is a story where the hero and heroine spend most of their time doing everything they can to work against their own happiness together. And that is the main reason why I did not love this book as much as the others before or after it. Every time it looked like Zach and Heather were making progress in realizing that what they had was something to treasure and nurture, one of them would backslide into their negative presuppositions about love and relationships and push the other one away again. I wanted to smack Heather more than once when she refused to even consider that Zach was a better man than her father, believing that making herself emotionally vulnerable was being stupid in a way she assumed her mother had been. But Zach was just as infuriating with his insistence that he was somehow doomed to follow in his late father’s footsteps in the worst possible way, with no reason to doubt what I considered to be an incredibly irrational belief.

The best parts of IF YOU WERE MINE were when we got to see Zach and Heather allowing themselves to be happy with each other both in and out of the bedroom. The dog training scenes were also fun, as well as any scene involving the extended Sullivan family, and I did enjoy the book when I wasn’t wanting to throw things at the hero and heroine. By the end of the story, it was a relief to see both Zach and Heather get set straight on what was true and real, and figure out that they belonged together for good. It may not have been my favorite in the series, but IF YOU WERE MINE is definitely worth reading for anyone who loves Bella Andre’s Sullivan family.

Favorite Quote:

He was halfway across the living room when he turned and said, “If it weren’t for the puppy of mass destruction over there, I’d invite you to join me.”                                                   Ah, there was the man she could so much more easily fight her attraction to.                    “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”

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Review: Marriage Under the Mistletoe by Helen Lacey

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This review originally appeared at Book Thingo:

Marriage Under the Mistletoe by Helen Lacey

Marriage Under The Mistletoe is the second book in Helen Lacey’s Crystal Point series for the Harlequin Special Edition line, and although this was a new author and series for me, I had no issues following the story of Evie and Scott without having read the previous book. (Kat’s note: In Australia, the book is published under the Blush line.)

Evie Dunn is the sensible sister of the Preston family, the one whom others depend upon even as she shoulders the responsibility for taking care of herself and her only son, Trevor, after the tragic death of her husband, Gordon, ten years earlier. Although she believes herself content with keeping her bed and breakfast running smoothly while attempting to be both mother and father to Trevor, the regret of burying her sexual side along with her husband does manage to poke its pointed head up now again.

That poke is never so fierce as when she first lays eyes on Scott Jones, the incredibly sexy American firefighter that she agreed to pick up at an airport several hours away from Crystal Point, and the younger brother of her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Scott is also several years younger than Evie, and the age difference makes her think that any attraction between them couldn’t possibly be mutual. But Evie’s assumption is dead wrong, as they both discover all too soon. Scott is visiting for the next three weeks to attend his sister’s Christmas Eve wedding to Evie’s brother, staying only until the New Year. How could there possibly be anything other than heartbreak if Evie and Scott give in to their heated attraction?

Although I enjoy reading romance in all its variations and genres, there is something special about the perfectly composed category romance. You know as a reader what you’re in for with the standard tropes (long distance lovers, older woman/younger man, and so on) but you also know that when you’re in the hands of a talented author, the resulting story will be an unique joy for you to savour. That’s how I felt about Helen Lacey and Marriage Under The Mistletoe.

All the obstacles in the path of Evie and Scott’s HEA seemed insurmountable at first, and watching how Lacey worked to show how each could be confronted and conquered was both marvelous and completely believable in the context of the story. The primary setting of Dunn Inn, Evie’s B&B, was an especially great way to frame the interactions between the hero and heroine as well as the supporting cast of characters, including the couple’s extended families, Evie’s teenage son and the inn’s various guests. It made me wish I could stay in such a warm and welcoming place, one that lent itself to romances both new and old.

YAY OR NAY?
In Marriage Under The Mistletoe Lacey gives us everything we could hope for in a traditional contemporary category romance, and more. I’ll be adding her Crystal Point series to my TBR list for when I want a few quiet hours to experience the joy of falling in love all over again.