It’s Raining Men by Julie Hammerle – a Review

It’s Raining Men by Julie Hammerle – a Review

 

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Description:
Don’t drink and text.

Even on the cusp of forty, I had to learn that the hard way. After discovering my best friend, who I was supposed to grow old and single with, got engaged, I drowned my loneliness in one too many Old Fashioneds and woke up with thirty-nine responses from every available man in my phone. Yup, I even texted my plumber…and he turned me down.

Apparently, my liquor-infused text said that while I don’t need a man, maybe I’d be down for a constant sidekick for movies, plus-one invites, and dinner on the table after my grueling shifts as a concierge doctor—till death do us part…and was anyone in?

Through the absolute mortification of thirty-seven rejections, shockingly, I realize two men have said yes. Behind Bachelor Door #1 is Rob, my old high school crush: the comfortable, dependable boy-next-door. Behind Bachelor Door #2 is Darius, the exciting, flashy news reporter about to hit it big. Does this mean I’ll have to get out of my yoga pants and actually go on dates now?

Dax, the local bartender who got me into this disaster in the first place—remember the Old Fashioneds?—can’t believe I’ve given up on finding true love. What does a tattooed, broody twentysomething know about carving out a future for yourself, anyway?

Too bad the further into this hot mess I get, the less I know about who I am. And I’m going to have to figure out exactly what I need if I ever want to find a true happily ever after.

 

 

Review:

I quite enjoyed It’s Raining Men by Julie Hammerle.  It’s a fun, charming and flirty story about Annie Kyle who’s about to turn 40 with no man in her future in sight.  After a drunken night she accidentally texts all the men in her phone and the next morning the fun or chaos ensues for Annie. 

I found the characters to be very likeable and relatable with real life issues.  All the characters from Annie, to all her potential mates(Rob, Darius, and Dax) had no problem holding their own and being able to carry the story forward to make it all make sense. There were many sweet and funny moments, with enough serious ones to balance everything out and make the whole story very relatable for the reader regarding life and relationships. 

I liked Dax from the get go and wanted him to be her guy from their first scene together. I was very happy in the end when Dax did turn out to be the one, even though he’s much younger then her.  There was just something about him, and together he and Annie just had this vibe about them whenever they had a scene together. It was something that just couldn’t be ignored whenever Annie and Dax were together. Whether is was just teasing each other at the bar, or chatting about his dog, something was in the air around them.  Now don’t get me wrong, her other potential mates(Darius and Rob) were well rounded characters and generally good guys.  However, whenever Annie was in a scene with them, that vibe wasn’t there for me.  Neither of them seemed like ‘the one’ for Annie in my opinion, but that’s just me. 

It was fun and intriguing to watch Annie juggle all 3 guys and try to figure out just who was best for her in the long run.  At times I thought the story was just going to run off the rails but instead Miss Hammerle did a great job of balancing everything out all the while making sense of all 3 relationships for Annie.  It never truly got complicated or messy for anyone involved.  Miss Hammerle kept everything real, open and relatable to life’s daily issues and it made for a very enjoyable story.

If you’re you looking for something fun and easy going to pass the day away, especially a rainy day.  Then I’d say It’s Raining Men by Julie Hammerle is just what you need.

Until next time, happy reading.

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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A Lot Like Love by Jennifer Snow – a Review

A Lot Like Love by Jennifer Snow – a Review

 

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Description:
They have different ideas about the fate of an old inn…until it brings them together.

When Sarah Lewis inherits a run-down B&B from her late grandmother in coastal Blue Moon Bay, the logical thing to do is sell it and focus on her life in L.A. But when she learns that interested buyers will only tear it down in its current state, she feels a sense of obligation to her grandmother to get it back to the landmark tourist destination it once was…even if that means hiring the best contractor for the job, who happens to be her old high school crush.

Wes Sharrun’s life has continued to unravel since the death of his wife three years before. Now with a struggling construction company and a nine-year-old daughter, he sees the B&B as an opportunity to get back on his feet. Unfortunately, despite trying to keep his distance, his daughter has taken a liking to Sarah, and his own feelings are tough to deny.

As they spend more time together painting, exploring a forgotten treasure trove of wine in a basement cellar, and arguing over balcony placement, the more the spark between them ignites. But will saving the B&B be enough to convince them both to take a second chance at love?

 

Review:

A Lot Like Love by Jennifer Snow reminds me a lot of the many Hallmark movies I’ve watched over this past year.  It was very sweet, charming and endearing.  It had a little bit of everything in it; past issues that need to be dealt with, trying to move on after the death of your spouse, old family history coming to the surface thanks to the discovery of an old journal, and finding love with the one you were always meant to be with.  This is the journey of Sarah and Wes and I really enjoyed reading this one.  Oh and lets not forget the chemistry between these two that just keeps getting hotter and hotter as the story goes on.

I really like both Wes and Sarah from the very beginning. It’s obvious they have history that was never fully settled or dealt with, and thus the sparks spring forth between them right away.  Only for Wes he’s very hesitant because he has a nine year old daughter and he’s worried about her welfare and doesn’t want her heart broken again.  Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought his daughter would see through him and know he has feelings for Sarah and that she’s completely okay with it.  Marissa, Wes’ daughter actually becomes somewhat of a matchmaker and tells her dad he needs to admit his feelings for Sarah and ask her out.  She even goes so far as to tell him she’d be cool with Sarah as her stepmom.  The bond/friendship between Sarah and Marissa is quick to form and just blossoms throughout the story. You can see how the 3 of them make a nice little family and do belong together.  Thankfully it’s Marissa who helps her dad fix the mess he makes between him and Sarah and in the end they do find their happy every after. 

As I said earlier A Lot Like Love is a charming and endearing story between Wes and Sarah. It’s the type of story that you can’t help but keep reading until the end because you need to know what happens next.  It’s the perfect book to spend a lazy Sunday with and forget about the outside world for just a little bit. 

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Like a Boss by Anne Harper – a Review

Like a Boss by Anne Harper – a Review

 

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Description:
Antonella “Nell” Bennett is having the worst day of her life.

Long-term boyfriend broke up with her? Check.

Drove through the pouring rain to a small roadside restaurant, only to be told all the tables were reserved for “Couples Night”? Check.

Definitely no longer one half of a couple? Check.

So maybe she got a little heated with the restaurant’s host, and maybe her voice carried a bit as she lamented—loudly—that she’s never anyone’s “plus-one.” At least an attractive stranger comes to her rescue, inviting her to be seated with him, and when it turns out to be one of the best nights she’s had in a while, even ending in an innocent kiss that becomes anything but? Check please.

Fast forward a week, and Nell’s rant has gone viral. Sure, her tiny hometown of Arbor Bay is collectively buzzing over their latest Internet celebrity, but Nell’s no stranger to attention. Drama seems to follow her whether she likes it or not.

But even she never expected to show up to work only to discover her brand-new boss is a very familiar face…

 

 

Review;

Like a Boss by Anne Harper was a hoot from beginning to end. It was a fast paced page-turner you didn’t want to put down for fear of missing one of Nell’s shenanigans. She is a pistol of a character who is loud, a little crazy and always finding some form of mischief/trouble to get into.  She absolutely stole the show with every scene she was in and led this adventure without any trouble. I just loved her character and Miss Harper knew what she was doing when she wrote Nell’s character. 

Now don’t get me wrong, Quinn is equally loveable but in a much more quiet and steady sort of way.  However, anytime he was around Nell, it just seemed that he found himself in the middle of one of Nell’s outrageous plans. Instead of being annoyed by them or getting angry for dragging him along, he found he enjoyed them.  Even though it wasn’t how he lived his life at all, or was used to these kinds of shenanigans he quickly realized that without Nell around, his life was dull and boring.  Once he realized that Nell was exactly what he needed and found the right way to fix things between them thanks to one nosey and ‘hurricane’ of senior Mrs. McMurray all was right in his life.  I loved the scene with Quinn and Mrs. McMurray where she actually called him a ‘tool’ for letting her go.  That was just one of the many laugh out loud scenes that Miss Harper wrote for Nell and Quinn’s adventure. 

There were many more that kept me entertained and just waiting for the next outrageous plan of Nell’s; like them chasing Mr. Wiggly the pig through the mud late at night for a friend, lol!!!!!!, or Nell’s mom tossing her shoe across the yard at that troublemaker Keith MacHaulty for trying to ruin her birthday and snag another video of Nell doing something crazy. Keith is your typical scrum bag type character, but provides a lot of laughter at his own expense as a secondary character thanks to the great cast of well written secondary characters that just added that extra pizzazz to an already well written story. 

I’d have to say Miss Harper has a hit on her hands with Like a Boss. It’s a fun, fast paced read that keeps you entertained from beginning to end.  It’s a great way to pass a dull rainy afternoon that’s for sure. 

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Wishing for a Cowboy by Victoria James – a Review

Wishing for a Cowboy by Victoria James – a Review

 

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Description:
Janie Adams has been a single parent to her nephew since he was a baby. Fifteen years later, she’s finally found out who his father might be, so the two of them travel across the country to find him. She’d do anything for this kid. But when they arrive in the small town of Wishing River, Montana, and Janie finally meets the ruggedly handsome cowboy she’d been told had abandoned his son, his shocked response changes everything.

Aiden Rivers can’t dispute this is his kid when he sees his own features staring back at him, but he had no idea Janie’s sister was pregnant when she left him. He didn’t even know she had a sister—clearly they’d all been lied to. Now he has fifteen years of fatherhood to make up for and no idea how to be a dad. This was never in his plans.

Janie sticks around to help him ease into parenting, everything from showing him how to lure a sulky kid out of his bedroom to keeping up with the latest teen-speak. Together, they surprisingly make a good team, this city girl and country boy. But when the past catches up with them, Aiden and Janie must decide what’s best for the boy who’s connecting them, not only for each other…which could mean splitting them apart.

Each book in the Wishing River series is STANDALONE:
* The Trouble with Cowboys
* Cowboy for Hire
* Wishing For A Cowboy

 

Review:

I really enjoyed Wishing for a Cowboy by Victoria James.  I found it to be a fast read but with a very good pace.  It was a sweet, charming and emotionally charged story between Aiden, Janie and Will.  Ms. James did a wonderful job with this story. The characters were very well written and just seemed to compliment each other. The secondary characters were used in just the right way with scenes that helped propel Aiden and Janie’s romance along, as well as the parenting storyline. 

The emotion that flows off the pages between Aiden and Will in learning they are father and son, trying to cope and deal with this new reality is very real and heartfelt. The same goes for Aiden and Janie’s romance.  The emotion and chemistry between the two characters is noticeable from the very beginning and just continues to grow throughout the their story.  One of the things I really liked is the fact that Ms. James never rushes or pushes Janie and Aiden together, it just happens and we get to see both sides of their stories, how both got to be where they are, and all the sacrifices they’ve made along the way to get to this point.  Neither Janie nor Aiden had an easy life, and it isn’t until they meet, spend all this time together with Janie helping Aiden and Will become father and son that they realize they are better because of the other one in their life now.  Both Janie and Aiden realize their life is complete when they are together and with Will.  They make an adorable family and the scenes with just the three of them are wonderful to read and just add that little extra to the story. 

As much as this was a very emotional and heartfelt read, Ms. James does write some well timed light hearted and easy going moments to compliment everything else going on in the story.  Including some well timed drama and intrigue when Janie’s sister, who is Will’s MIA “mom” shows up to disturb the peace in all their lives. What a train-wreck she is, and I was glad to see her drama induced part of their story was short lived, and Janie and Aiden with the help of Will were able to overcome Maxi’s hurtful intentions and find their HEA.   

As I said at the beginning of my review, I really enjoyed this one.  However, I didn’t realize this was the third story in her Wishing River series. I have a feeling I will be on the lookout for the previous two and any future books in this series.  If you’re looking for a quick read with a handsome cowboy, an emotional, yet charming romance then this one’s for you.

Until next time, happy trails to you.… oops, I meant happy reading everyone!!  😉  

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Hot on the Ice by Anna Sugden – a Review

Hot on the Ice by Anna Sugden – a Review

 

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Description:
Lily Eddison is on the way to making it—her personalized, gourmet chocolates are in high demand. She has it all going on…until her landlord pulls the rug out from under her. Now she needs investors but the last person she expects or wants to save the day is the oh-so-hot, but arrogant, pro-hockey player Dante “Fireman” Taylor.

Hockey is Dante’s life and as the Docker’s star defensemen, he has no time for love. An opportunity to invest in Lily’s dream is just business, even though he can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous chocolatier. Despite his reluctance to be in a relationship, Dante and Lily move from partners to friends to lovers and he’s all in… Until an obsessive fan’s revenge tanks their romance and it’s dead on the ice.

Great hockey players know they have to take more shots on goal to score a hat trick and Dante gives it his all to prove to Lily that off the ice, she’s the only one for him.

 

Review:

Hot on the Ice by Anna Sugden has two of my favourites; hockey and chocolate.  I knew from those items this book was going to be a winner and I was right.  Hot on the Ice captured my interest from beginning to end with Lily and Dante.  Their adventure was fast paced and electric. The chemistry between the two even though hostile in the beginning was sizzling.  As their adventure moved forward it only got hotter.  Little wonder Dante’s nickname is Fireman!  Woohoo can he start a fire with one little look! 

Lily and Dante have a history and I’m glad Ms. Sugden takes the time to really let us learn their backstory because it plays a major role in their current situation and what’s to come thanks to a crazy stalker fan of Dante’s who doesn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer.  Thanks to stalker fan Sheree, she tosses poor Dante’s plans of a do over with Lily into precarious waters and almost causes Dante to loose Lily for a second time in his life. I like how both characters had great friends who rallied behind them to help solve the problem of stalker fan and hopefully pave the way for a reconciliation for Dante and Lily.  What’s the old saying 3rd times a charm?  LOL!! Well in Dante’s case it really was. 

Hot on the Ice was a fairly quick read for me. Like I said, hockey and chocolate as part of the story I couldn’t go wrong. Toss in two well crafted characters who had great chemistry and just clicked from the get go only propelled the story forward, kept it interesting and page turning all the way through.  Her secondary characters added another solid layer to Dante and Lily’s story, giving us more info on both and allowing the story to just keep rolling along. Now I’m wondering if Ms. Sugden will continue with another hockey book based on two of the secondary characters we meet along the way because there seemed to be enough hints that these two like each other and could have something more down the road. Guess I’ll have to wait and see. It also helped that Ms. Sugden tossed in a good amount of hockey talk and play along with some really delicious chocolate making talk/scenes as well.  All I wanted to do was watch hockey and eat chocolate afterwards, LoL!!  If anyone is as big a hockey fan and chocolate fan as I am then Hot on the Ice won’t disappoint at all.

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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About That Night by Laura Brown – a Review

About That Night by Laura Brown – a Review

 

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Description:
Izzy Fineberg can take on any challenge—and she’s had some big ones lately. After one fateful night with the hottest Deaf man she’d ever met, Izzy found she was pregnant with his child. And she never caught his name. She’s been doing the single mom thing for nine months now, and surely, nothing could be more challenging than that. But her first day at her new job, she meets her supervisor…and recognizes him immediately. 

Nolan Holtzman never expected to see Izzy again, and now, she’s the new hire at the agency he works in. He’d think things were finally going his way for once, if not for the iron-clad ban on interoffice dating. He’ll have to keep his distance from her if he wants to keep his dream job helping the Deaf community. Much easier said than done when Izzy drops the bomb that she’s a single parent…of his son.

It’s the shock of his life, but that won’t stop him from stepping up to be a dad. So when Izzy is suddenly in need of a place to stay for a week, Nolan invites her and the baby to his home. But even as difficult as it is, keeping their little family a secret from their employer isn’t their biggest challenge ahead…

 

Review:

I quite enjoyed About that Night by Laura Brown.  It’s a fast read with a good flow that keeps the reader entertained from beginning to end.  I also like the fact that even though it’s a quick read, Ms. Brown doesn’t rush anything about her story between Izzy and Nolan.  She takes the time to give us enough backstory to understand how Izzy and Nolan came to know each other before meeting again. She also fills us in on parts of their past that are important to their current state.  All this important information helps to propel their adventure forward and what an adventure it is. 

I thought both Izzy and Nolan were well written. They felt real and believable as characters, which helps us relate better to them creating a connection that keeps us wanting to read on and see just what will happen next. Their chemistry is there from the get go and it’s off the charts.  Whenever Nolan and Izzy were alone together the sexual tension between them just kept building until they finally combusted. 

I will say, Ms. Brown definitely knows how to create that special chemistry between her couples and this time it just added to an already precarious adventure for Nolan and Izzy. It’s like I was sitting on pins and needles waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under them at work regarding their past meeting and winding up being parents to one very cute and adorable baby Archie.  For me I’d have to say Archie stole the story in every one of his scenes.  The descriptions of Izzy and Nolan’s separate interactions with Archie, then their combined interactions with him are just downright sweet, comical and adorable.  It was very easy to see these scenes in my minds eye and I couldn’t help but smile at all of them, and just want for all three of them to get their HEA.  Watching the 2 of them learn to be parents together and realize they have to put Archie first is very sweet, charming and comical at times.  As per my favourite scene; Nolan changing Archie for the first time and not knowing what can happen when you change a baby boy.  Needless to say poor Nolan got a little pee pee shower, LOL!!  Yes I was laughing out loud at that one.  Needless to say even though they have some bumps in the road to their HEA, both Izzy and Nolan realize they are better and stronger together then apart, not only as a couple but as parents too.  They wind up creating their own little family and they couldn’t be happier about it. 

If you’re looking for a speedy read, with a feel good mood to it you need look no further then About that Night by Laura Brown.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Until next time, happy reading everyone.

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount – a Review

In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount – a Review

 

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Description:
Willow
Figure skating was supposed to be my whole world. But one unlucky injury and now I’m down…but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab–a boatload of rehab–and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team?

Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on.

Brodie
Hockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships–hopefully in front of major college scouts, too–so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie?

Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.

 

Review:

It’s been a while since I’ve read any Young Adult stories so took me a while to wrap my head around this one.  Thankfully it was based around my favourite sport of hockey so it helped to pull me in and get me into the story.  In the Penalty Box features Willow a figure skater who suffered a devastating injury that knocks her off the Olympic team and Brodie a star hockey player hoping to make a college team with a full scholarship.  Thanks to a chance meeting with Brodie, Willow finds herself on the town’s hockey team as their star goalie.  Yes a figure skater turns hockey player, I really liked that twist in this story. 

Of course becoming their star goalie isn’t an easy task as at first the guys are hesitant about a figure skater becoming a goalie and she’s a girl to top things off.  However, Willow has a feisty, competitive and spunky attitude about her that quickly wins the majority of the team over.  The more she’s around the guys and playing goalie she learns what it’s like to be on a real team and is enjoying herself.  She finds herself torn between her love of figure skating and the love of hockey she’s developing.  On top of all this she’s hopelessly falling for the teams captain Brodie. 

Brodie is you typical jock on the ice. He’s got everything it takes to be a star hockey player including the charms on and off the ice.  Hockey is his life and his escape from what’s going on in his home life.  If it wasn’t for hockey and his teammates Brodie would’ve been lost like his father after his mom died in a bad accident.  Enter Willow the figure skater, Brodie sees something in her that he believes can transform her into the goalie the team needs.  Convincing Willow that she can do this and helping to train her, Brodie finds himself hopelessly falling for her even though he’s sworn off relationships off the ice. 

Both Brodie and Willow have a lot going on in their lives off the ice.  Willow with her injury and wanting back on an Olympic team and Brodie dealing with his father throwing their lives away after his mom died.  Together they wind up leaning on each other and supporting one another through thick and thin.  Spending all this time with each other both on and off the ice they begin to develop feelings for one another and have to keep their budding romance a secret as the coach put out a no fraternizing with teammates order.  Of course there’s your typical teen drama that happens and the drama that comes about when the team finds out they’ve been lying about their romance.  In the end everything does work itself out and Willow and Brodie get their HEA. 

If you’re a fan of the young adult genre and the sport of hockey then this one’s for you.

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Marcie

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Twelfth Knight’s Bride by E. Elizabeth Watson – a Review

Twelfth Knight’s Bride by E. Elizabeth Watson – a Review

 

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Description:
Lady Aileana Grant just wants to help her starving clan at Christmastide. So she pilfers some vegetables from the bastard Laird James MacDonald—the Devil, they call him. When the Devil shows up and demands marriage as recompense for the thievery, Aileana can’t believe it when her brother agrees. Even if she’s able to negotiate a severance on Twelfth Night, that’s still two weeks to put up with the laird in enemy territory. She’s counting down the days, even if James isn’t quite the disgusting cretin she’d imagined.

James needs to marry an enemy bride in order to inherit his fortune. Cursed restrictions. He’d been unable to look away from Aileana’s untamed beauty ever since she squared off with him. He might as well handfast with the infernal lass. He’d get his money and perhaps some peace among the clans. He has a fortnight to win the heart of the lady with the voice of an angel despite her sharp tongue.

Twelfth Night is merry and bright as Aileana and James realize a true connection between them. But when Aileana discovers the reason the Devil forced her into marriage, how can she ever believe he truly wants her?

 

 

Review;

I really enjoyed Twelfth Knight’s Bride by E. Elizabeth Watson.  I forgot how much I love being transported back into the Scottish Highlands and this story didn’t disappoint.  I couldn’t help but love both Lady Aileana and Laird James.  The two characters are just expertly written and pair well together.  As the story begins it’s very easy to want to side with Aileana and Clan Grant, but once we get to see and hear more of James and his Clan’s side of things you can’t help but want to root for both sides.  I found myself wanting for Aileana and James to be the catalyst for the bad blood between the two clans to end. 

At first it seemed hopeless, but as the 2 spend more time together and listen to stories that affected both clans, they come to realize that this war between them has nothing to do with them anymore, and just maybe it can finally end. The slow progression to falling in love with each other was fun, flirty and steamy at times between Aileana and James. I liked that Ms. Watson took her time with these two and didn’t rush things, especially since Aileana wanted nothing to do with James in the first place. She only agreed to marriage to keep her Clan safe from Clan MacDonald, but the more time she spent with James and got to see another side of him she comes to realize he isn’t the ‘devil’ after all but someone who was done wrong by as well.  His gentle side towards Aileana, the children at Castle Tioram, the wild life is just to darned sweet and enduring. 

One scene I particularly liked was when James brings back all that was stolen from Clan Grant and Aileana’s brother realizes that James is in fact in love with his sister.  The jabs that Laird Seamus tosses at James are quite amusing and we catch a glimmer of a truce beginning between the feuding Lairds.  However, my favourite scene would have to be when Aileana finally realizes that she is in fact in love with James and that he’s really in love with her, and the money in his inheritance means nothing to him because what he truly wants is her.  Yes the romantic in me was swooning a bit over this one.  I would have to say Ms. Watson has a winner on her hands with this one.  If you love being transported back in time to the Scottish Highlands and some sexy Highlanders, then this one’s for you. 

Until next time, happy reading!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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