Five Stars for Seducing the Baron

Seduced by the Baron by Amy Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This five star read is the fourth book in the Fairy Tales of New York series about four school friends. This is the Cinderella story.

Our heroine, Faith, is looking after her dad and the family pub, and feeling very left out as her three best friends have all found love. "A guy walks into a bar ..." sounds like a song. Our hero walks into the bar, on business, in jeans and a henley, wanting to set up a meet and greet with the owner. Faith turns him down, he persists and she agrees to a taste test. Oh my word, the taste test. He shows up in an expensive suit, and a tie to match his eyes. Oh, that tie. Fanning myself. Hot, hot hot. When he takes it off, and offers it to Faith, as a blindfold for the taste test, just wow!

This series ends with a wow! Thanks for the great series, and I hope they do more Fairy Tales of ... series. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Goodreads review of Taming the Beast

Taming the Beast by Lucy King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book three of the Fairy Tales of New York is based on Beauty and the Beast. The Beast is Zelda from book 2's brother, Seb. The beautiful heroine is Zelda's good friend Mercy. They have crossed paths twice before the story opens.
Mercy decides to force Seb to reconcile with Zelda, and beards the Beast in his lair. That quickly evolves to an affair...
she propositions him - he objects -
 "What? No. Yes. Wait What was he agreeing with - or not - again?" Hilarious. Loved it.
Seb thinks he is in control and dear Mercy runs rings around him!
There is one good friend of the Fairy Tales of New York left and I cannot wait to read her story. I got a complimentary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Four stars for Tempting the Knight

Tempting the Knight by Heidi Rice
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second in the Fairy Tales of New York series. To quote the dedication, it is based on a "bad girl supermodel Rapunzel". I liked this short format romance a lot.
Our hero Ty is a buttoned up Legal Aid lawyer that cannot figure out how in the world he got involved with the wild woman supermodel with all the hair and a friend of his sister no less. And Zelda , our princess of course, is a recovering alcoholic who cannot figure out what to do with a superhero. I love a romance where the hero and heroine have no reasons for the relationship to work, but they work at it and figure it out.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I got a complimentary copy form NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Fairy Tales of New York, Book One

Pursued by the Rogue by Kelly Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book one in the Fairy Tales of New York series. I liked this romance a lot. It is based on the Ugly Duckling fairy tale. It is also a story about second chances.
I loved the hero, Finn. He is a world class musician who has always carried a torch for our ugly duckling Dawn. I thought it heart-warming how he didn't allow Dawn to push him away, in the midst of a huge health crisis. I thought it interesting how both these characters had a detailed bucket list. "Experiencing everything. You and me."
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Three stars for Adele Down's small town romance Lip Service

Lip Service by Adele Downs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this short and sweet romance. It is a small town romance, with a ghost. I do not usually do paranormal but this one worked fine.
I did feel like I got shortchanged in the backstory. I felt like it started in the middle of Jack and Legs's romance. I guess it was really more about the ghost's ill-fated romance than getting Jack and Legs together. It did resolve things and I did like that.
I received a complimentary copy in return for an honest review. I will probably pick up more romances by Adele Downs.

Three and a Half stars for One Night with the Tycoon

One Night with the Tycoon by Katherine Garbera
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars for One Night with the Tycoon. This is the third in the Whisky River series.
I really liked this story. Just missed that last star because the story got a bit fuzzy in the middle. I had to go back and reread a chapter because I couldn't figure out why our heroine was mad at the hero. I felt like the conflict was not explained well enough.
But I loved the characters, love the series. I loved that our heroine Juliette decided to go after a man who never has anything but one-night stands because, in her words, "knowing that he probably only wanted one night made her want more."
I look forward to reading more in this series. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Four Stars for Bride on the Run

Bride on the Run by Catherine Mann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth novel in the Runaway Brides series. I liked it a lot.
The hero, Boone, was jilted in an earlier book in this series. He blames our heroine, Valerie, for the very public jilting. Turns out, she has a past, and certainly doesn't need the publicity that being involved with Boone would bring.
I expect there will be more in this series, or a closely related one. I Look forward to reading more in this series. I received a complementary copy from NetGalley, in return for an honest review.

Goodreads review of One Night with the Cowboy.

One Night with the Cowboy by Eve Gaddy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Whiskey River series. I liked it a lot.
The hero has just found out he has two additional brothers. They are required by the terms of the will to live on a ranch and learn to work together. Our hero, Trey, has set up a cutting-horse operation on the family ranch. When a property next door becomes available, he is very interested. Of course the other neighbor, Ariana , a lavender farmer, is interested in the property as well. They have a friendly competition, and in doing so, get to know each other, quite well.

I am looking forward to the two Kelly Brothers, as well as the two Blue brothers, getting their Happy-ever-afters. I got a complementary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Happy Release Day to the Summer on Main Street

The Promise of Paradise by Allie Boniface
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a re-issue of Lost in Paradise, and the prequel of the Hometown Heroes series, as well as one of the stories in the boxed set of Summer On Main Street.
I liked this full-length novel a lot. The hero, Eddie, is a small town guy, doesn't know why anyone would want to live in a city. Our heroine, Ash, is a city girl, who really takes to small town life. She falls completely in love with the boy next door. I loved it. "They'd become all the little puzzle pieces that made up a love, and a life."
I received a complimentary copy from the author in return for an honest review. I look forward to reading the rest of the boxed set, and also the rest of the Hometown Heroes series.

After Paradise is the novella that follows The Promise of Paradise. I liked this a lot as well, the story of Jen, a small town girl, back home briefly before she returns to Boston, and the guy she knew in high school, Max. Jen is trying to be nice to Max, and keeps trying to get him a date. There are several characters, Finn especially, that I hope get their own story later in the series. Looking forward to the entire series!

Four stars for The Taming of the Bachelor

The Taming of the Bachelor by Jane Porter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book 4 in Jane Porter's Taming of the Sheenans series, also one of the Montana Born novels set in Marietta, Montana. I liked this book a lot.
I loved that the hero, Dillon, went ahead with his plans to start a new job in another state. I loved that Dillon, thought of Paige as he drove home. He thought of her as home. I loved that our heroine Paige, went to visit him, and didn't beg him to come back with her. I loved the ending.
I had to go back and read the previous ones in the Taming of the Sheenans series, to refresh the stories in my mind. I love the Sheenan brothers. I look forward to the last Sheenan brother's story as well. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

5 stars for Petite Confessions: A Humorous Memoirette

Petite Confessions: A Humorous Memoirette by Vicki Lesage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this collection of short humorous vignettes of life in the city of Paris as told by a transplanted American. Probably my favorite was when her two-year-old is talking to his American grandma. And Vicki is frantically trying to second guess a two-year-old and simultaneously trying to predict the vagaries of the French language, from a non-native speaker, of course.
Hilarious.
Look forward to reading the rest of her humorous memoirs.
I found this as a freebie on Amazon.

Three and a Half Stars for Two Nights with His Bride

Two Nights With His Bride by Kat Latham
My rating: 3 (and a half) of 5 stars

This is Montana Born Brides Book 6. The wedding to which the previous five books have been leading up is between Nancy, a soap star, and Jared, her leading man and producer. It is set in Marietta, Montana, home of the various Montana Born series. I adore the Montana Born books, have read and liked a lot of them.
I give this one three and a half stars. This one is different, in that the heroine is heavily involved, almost married to Jared, but he is not the hero. Not even close. He is a major jerk, we have seen foreshadowing in the previous books. In this book we see that he is more than that, even abusive. Yes, our hero, Wyatt, is Nancy's long ago neighbor, but she doesn't really recognize him as that until halfway through the book.
I did find all the wedding craziness amusing. I loved how Wyatt totally understood, and forgave, a lot of Nancy's dramatics, particularly her lunatic friends.
I also really like that, although this is the final Montana Born bride novel, it is highly connected with One Night with Her Bachelor, Wyatt's brother Gabriel's story, and Taming the Legend, Wyatt's sister's story. And we have Wyatt's brother Austin's story still to come! Can't wait!
I received a complementary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Happy Release Day Never Refuse A Sheikh!

Never Refuse a Sheikh by Jackie Ashenden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third novella in the International Bad Boys series (2015 edition), seventh overall. It also has a brief mention of characters from one of the previous in this series, Never Seduce a Sheikh, also by Jackie Ashenden. I liked this traditional romance a lot.
I loved that the hero and heroine, a sheikh and a princess, were drawn together by loneliness, a "lonely kind of freedom in the desert". I loved that he saw her need to be independent, "a princess should never be helpless". I loved that he need help to be free, to be just himself.
I received a complementary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I look forward to reading more in this series.

A Deal with the Devil

A Deal with the Devil by Louisa George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second novella in the International Bad Boys series (2015 edition), sixth overall. I liked this traditional romance a lot.
I liked that the heroine changed her mind about the hero, quite quickly. She had taken a job with his casino in order to write an expose about his fight club. She changes her mind fairly quickly. I thought the fight club grit versus the casino glitz was an interesting contrast.
I received a complementary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I look forward to reading more in this series, connected only by theme and not by characters.

Goodreads review of Kiss The Bride

Kiss The Bride by Rachael Johns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is novella number 5 in the Montana Born Brides series. I like this series a lot and I like the continuity in this series. Some of the characters are recurring and I love that.
I like that the heroine's daughter pushes her into auditioning, and it goes well. I like that the hero instantly recognizes the heroine as the one for him. And I like that the singing goes well because of their attraction, and vice versa.
I liked this novella a lot and look forward to reading the next in the series. I received a complementary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Match for Marcus Cynster

A Match for Marcus Cynster by Stephanie Laurens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is book two of the Cynster Second Generation series, a longer format historical romance set in Scotland. I loved it! Stephanie Laurens is an auto-buy and about the only author I will pay full price to get the book on release day! Also loved that the ebook had the interior artwork! Thanks!
I loved that the heroine Niniver is the lady of the clan. As such she has many suitors, none of whom are anyone she would remotely consider. She expects to go it alone, and plans for that. Marcus, our hero, is her neighbor, and has always suspected she may be the one for him, but hadn't allowed himself to look at her in that light. Until she needs help with those pesky suitors.
I love that Ms Laurens has such strong heroines, to be matched with equally strong heroes. And there is a nice subplot of murder and mayhem that gives us a lively romantic adventure!
Love this and look forward to reading more in this series.

Love Always, Damian

Love Always, Damian by D. Nichole King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is book two of the Love Always series and DO NOT read this one first. Please please please read Love Always, Kate first!
Damian is quite the hero. He was Kate's hero, and deserved to be. But this is not Kate's story, it is Damian's. And he certainly is not worthy of being the hero, at least at first. He drinks, he smokes, he tomcats around. A lot. But this is Damian's story, not Kate's, and not really even Ellie's.
But this story is indeed a romance, a story about growing up, wising up, and certainly first and foremost, about hope. And Damian certainly deserves all he gets, first, last and middle. But mainly HOPE.
I got a copy from the author in return for an honest review.

Happy Release Day Never Resist A Rake

Never Resist a Rake by Mia Marlowe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this medium length historical novel, the second in the Somerfield Psrk series. It was a bit slow in the middle, and I did feel the characters were a bit modern on their outlook and behavior.
I did like that they met cute. The hero tried to pick her up in a museum, and her friend drug the heroine, Rebecca, away from that bounder. Turns out he is the long lost heir to a marquess. It seemed a bit muddled how she ended up as the prize in a prizefight, but that allowed our hero to save the day.
I did not like the dowager marchioness at all, and I thought the man who previously had been the heir to the marquess was strangely satisfied with losing all that position and money.
I did like that the current marquess and the long lost heir did have time to understand and forgive each other.
I got a complementary copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Forever and Ever - Willow and Stavros

Forever and Ever, My Greek Billionaire by Marian Tee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had to wait to write the review this book deserves. This is the third and final book ( novella?) in the "My Greek Billionaire" (Willow and Stavros) series. I loved this series. I do not like having to wait between installments, as it were, so I definitely recommend getting the series as a bundle.
I had to wait because I did not like how nasty Stavros was while they were taking a break. Willow having to listen to him with his fling- just no! This still bothers me. I am a romantic - I want romance, not torture.
But - yes Marion, you redeemed him. I did not think you would, or could, but you did! Thank you, thank you!
I am so relieved Willow and Stavros got their happy ever after.
I received a complementary copy from the author in return for an honest review. I look forward to more from Marian Tee.

Happy Book Birthday The Major's Faux Fiancee!!!

The Major's Faux Fiancee by Erica Ridley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third novel, fourth story in the Dukes of War series. I love this series! I even went back to check I hadn't missed any.
This medium length historical romance is more dramatic in tone than the previous novels in this series, which I would characterize as romantic comedy. But I still liked this book a lot.
The hero, was a twin, and the heroine, the girl next door, could always tell them apart. Love that!
He considers himself an ex-soldier with nothing to offer. She didn't think him broken at all.
She considered her lot in life to do charity work. But for her "Charity work was a sure thing. Love was a risk. And Daphne wasn't much of a gambler." so our hero certainly has his work cut out for him.
And Daphne has a guardian, a pirate!, that loves to meddle.
I liked this book a lot!
I got a complementary copy from the author, thanks!, in return for an honest review.

Bound to the Sheikh by Carol Marinelli

Bound to the Sheikh by Carol Marinelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first novella in the International Bad Boys series (2015 edition), fifth overall. I liked this traditional romance a lot.

I liked that the heroine had a career as a flight attendant. She wasn't looking for a man to save her, she started out just wanting a fling. He was expecting to go back home and this was to be his last fling. And then it became something more, they are both fighting for their love to exist in the open.

This book has the sense of the traditional harlequin Presents sheikh romances, a plus in my opinion.

I received a complementary copy from netGalley in return for an honest review.