Close Enough to Touch

Close Enough to Touch

by Colleen Oakley

Genre: Fiction, Romance

Synopsis:  Love has no boundaries...

Jubilee Jenkins has a rare condition: she's allergic to human touch.  After a nearly fatal accident, she became reclusive, living in the confines of her home for nine years.  But after her mother dies, Jubilee is forced to face the world-and the people in it-that she's been hiding from.

Jubilee finds safe haven at her local library where she gets a job.  It's there she meets Eric Keegan, a divorced man who recently moved to town with his brilliant, troubled, adopted son.  Eric is struggling to figure out how to be the dad-and man-he wants to desperately to be.  Jubilee is unlike anyone he has ever met, yet he can't understand why she keeps him at arm's length.  So Eric sets out to convince Jubilee to open herself and her heart to everything life can offer, setting into motion the most unlikely love story of the year.

from the book jecket

Review:  This book had such an interesting premise that I had to put it on my to read list!  I loved Before I Go by Colleen Oakley that I had high expectations for this book due to the author's ease of writing and ability to make the reader feel for the characters.  Unfortunately this book did not grab me and tie me in with the emotional connection I wanted to have.  I found Jubilee's condition absolutely fascinating and was intrigued by how she dealt with it by becoming a hermit but I was not as interested in Eric's story.  The chapters alternated between Jubilee's and Eric's points of view.  I spent the early chapters of Eric's story skimming through trying to get back to Jubilee's life.  Eric really seemed to struggle connecting to people whether it be Aja, his adopted son, Ellie, his biological daughter, or Jubilee (once they met).  As the story moved along I became more invested in Eric's story because he connected with Jubilee.  I really started enjoying the story more and wanted to see Eric and Jubilee get together.  The ending was not satisfactory in my mind and was much too rushed. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Light We Lost

The Light We Lost

by Jill Santopolo

Genre: Romance

Synopsis:  Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice.  But before she can make her decision, she must start her story-their story-at the very beginning.

Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes them forever.  Together they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter.  When they meet again a year later, it seems fated-perhaps they'll find life's meaning in each other.  But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York City.

What follows is a thirteen-year odyssey of dreams, jealousies, and ultimately, of love.  Lucy will begin a new life with handsome and reliable Darren, while Gabe will travel the world.  Their journey will take Lucy and Gabe continents apart but never out of each other's hearts. And Lucy will find herself asking: Was it fate that brought them together?  Is it choice that has kept them away.

Lucy's powerful voice brings to life the universal truth of first love, of being completely understood for the first
from the book jacket

Review:  This is a love story between Lucy and Gabe that spans over many years and across countries.  Lucy and Gabe first met in college but didn't start dating until a year later.  They really only dated for a few months before life took them in different directions but somehow they continued to love each other while being with other people and being far apart from each other.  While I enjoyed their love story and the passion they felt for each other I had trouble liking Lucy because of how she treated Darren, her husband.   I felt that Lucy wasn't being fair to Darren who truly was a great guy who loved her.  Lucy clearly couldn't get over loving Gabe even though she knew she needed to and Darren was her fall back and not her true love.  I felt bad for Darren the whole book.  I also wondered the whole time of how much Lucy and Gabe really loved each other if they weren't willing to sacrifice anything for each other.  If their love was truly all consuming and burned like a wildfire (a metaphor that the author uses), then why wouldn't they have given up careers for each other?  All that aside the story captured my attention and I needed to know why Lucy was writing this whole story to Gabe.  We know something happened but we don't know yet until the very end.  I'm going to be honest, half way through I almost skipped to the end to find out what happened but I restrained myself!  This story definitely pulls at your heart.

Rating: 4 stars

Wife Number Seven

Wife Number Seven

by Melissa Brown

Genre: Romance

Synopsis:  Lipstick. Bright, red lipstick. Nothing but lipstick. 

Even though it’s against our faith to wear a color that screams of sexual promiscuity and deviant behavior, I’m not allowed to protest. 
But, I want to. 
So badly. 

You see, there’s more to me than the braid that spills down my back. 
More to me than the layers of heavy fabric that maintain my modesty. 
And so much more than the oppressive wedding band that adorns my finger--the same band that each of my sister wives wear. 
So much more. 
To protest would be sinful. 
I must keep sweet, that is my duty. 

So I’ll wear the lipstick. I’ll do as I’m told. 
And I’ll do my best to silence the resistance within me, to push him from my mind. 
If only my heart would do the same.

from GoodReads

Review:  First off I have to start by saying that this is not my typical genre although I do rarely read light sexy romances.  My review and rating will be based on my limited knowledge of this genre.  I found this book because I recently became friends with someone and discovered that she is an author.  I was curious to see what she writes so I purchased this whole series.  To be honest, stories about polygamous sects in the FLDS church really intrigue me and I am drawn to reading them.  I read this book throughout the course of a day so clearly it was engaging!  

This is the story of Brinley who is in her very early 20s and is the seventh wife to a much older man.  She lives a submissive life in an FLDS compound with an occasional trip to the outside world.  At the beginning she is somewhat accepting of her lot in life, except for one rebellion, but then changes happen in her family and she starts to think about what more there is in life.  She comes across a man who used to be part of her church but is now a drug addict and things escalate from there.  The relationship between Brinley and Porter seems to come out of nowhere but romance novels work that way!  I got caught up in the story of Brinley trying to figure out what she wanted to do.  This book is full of drama, passion, sex, and romance.  The story leaves you wanting to know more about some characters and hoping that they are the subjects of the next books in the series (which I will be reading but not sure if I will be reviewing or not)!

Based on the storyline, I would rate this book a 4 but there were some quirks with the writing style that made me lower my rating.  These were things that bothered me as a reader but may not bother other readers.  This book was written from the first person point of view of Brinley but there were a couple chapters that were from a third person point of view and were about side characters.  The information that was presented was necessary to the book but having chapters that changed perspectives was distracting.  There were also times where there were flashbacks and we knew they were coming because of the ellipses.  Those could have been left out!  There was a fair amount of swearing from one character which I don't like but other people may not mind.  Overall this was a good read for a sexy romance novel.  There were steamy moments but not too many where the book was only about that.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Wedding Chapel

The Wedding Chapel

by Rachel Hauck

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance

Synopsis:  For sixty years, the wedding chapel has stood silent and empty.  Retired football hall-of-famer Jimmy "Coach" Westbrook built the chapel by hand, stone by stone, for his beautiful and beloved Collette Greer, whom he lost so many years ago.  The chapel is a sanctuary for his memories, a monument to true love, and a testament to his survival of the deepest pain and loss.

Photographer Taylor Branson left her hometown of Heart's Bend, Tennessee, to make a new life for herself in New York.  She had lots to run away from, not least of all a family history of broken promises and broken dreams.  Love catches Taylor off guard when she falls for Jack Forester, a successful advertising executive, and their whirlwind romance leads to an elopement-then to second guesses.  Jack, in spite of his very real love for Taylor, is battling his own demons and struggles to show her his true self and the depths of his love for her.

Taking a photography assignment in Heart's Bend, Taylor is thrown back into a past of family secrets buried deep beneath the sands of time.  When Taylor and Coach's journeys collide, they each rediscover the heartbeat of their own dreams as they learn that the love they long to hold is well worth the wait.
from the back of the book

Review:  From the get-go, this book did not draw me in like the other two books in this series.  I just wasn't as interested in Jimmy's life at all nor did I like the story of Taylor, Jack and Colette and they are all the main characters!  The book was so slow until two thirds of the way through.  Once you get past that, the book speeds up and becomes much more captivating.  All of a sudden I cared about the characters and what happened to them.  That aside, if I hadn't read the other books first, I would not have continued reading this series.  I felt like the Christian fiction aspect of this book didn't come into play until the end and it was on the lighter side.  The chapel is referred to in future books but I don't believe you meet any of the characters again.  This book could have been a stand alone.

Rating: 3 stars

To see my review of The Wedding Dress, click here.

To see my review of The Wedding Shop, click here.

The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress

by Rachel Hauck

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique.  Dressing brides for their big day is her gift-and her passion.  But with her own wedding day approaching, why can't she find the perfect dress-or feel certain she should marry Tim?

Then Charlotte purchases a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale.  It looks brand-new, shimmering with pearls and Bit  satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design.  But where did it come from?  Who wore it?  Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet?  Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl?  And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been "redeemed"?

Charlotte's search for the gown's history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress.  Emily from 1912.  March Grace from 1939.  Hillary from 1968.  Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny.  And each with something unique to share.  For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte's heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the beauty of finding true love.

from the back of the book

Review:  After reading Rachel Hauck's The Wedding Shop, I knew I wanted to read other books in this series as I enjoyed Hauck's easy writing style that keeps the reader's attention.  This book did not disappoint!  In fact, I liked it more than I liked The Wedding Shop. I really liked Charlotte (whom I met in The Wedding Shop) and Emily, who was from a wealthy family during the early 1900s.  I like how the historical stories of Emily, Mary Grace, and Hillary were intertwined with the modern day story.  The Christian fiction aspects of the book were not heavy handed (I thought it was actually less than what was in The Wedding Shop) and really fit in with the story line.  This book warmed my heart as I read about the love stories between Charlotte and Tim and Emily and her beaus.  Definitely a lighter book but a feel good one!

Rating: 4 stars

To see my review of The Wedding Shop, click here.

The Wedding Shop

The Wedding Shop

by Rachel Hauck

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance, Historical fiction

Synopsis:  It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart's Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment.  Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride.  But days turn into months and months to years.  All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.

More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart's Bend after finishing her commitment to military service.  After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.

When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.

As Cora's and Haley's stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.

from the back of the book

Review:  This was a heartwarming, feel good book about two women connected together by their love for the wedding shop.  The romance in the story was fairly predictable but what the reader wants from the book.  The author has an ease to her writing style to capture the reader and keep us reading.  I like the look back at the wedding shop in the 1930s and how it survived the Great Depression era.  I liked Cora more than I liked Haley as the former was a more believable character.  I did not know that this was a Christian fiction book when I picked it up and while there were some parts that were heavy on religion, they were very meaningful about forgiveness.  There were other parts where Christianity was sprinkled in but not in a heavy duty way.  This book was a great blend of Christian, fiction and romance.  Definitely a lighter book but one that was very enjoyable.  I think I will look up the rest of this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Christmas on Main Street

Christmas on Main Street

JoAnn Ross
Susan Donovan
Luann McLane
Alexis Morgan

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): ‘Tis the season to fall in love in these four small towns.

In “Christmas in Shelter Bay,” New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross returns to Shelter Bay, where Kelli has long tried to keep her feelings for her friend Cole a secret. But when the local matchmakers conspire to send them to a secluded lakeside cabin, the two friends soon discover that a little love will keep them warm.

TV producer Nathaniel Ravelle knows the Bayberry Island mermaid legend is a joke— how could a statue grant a wish for true love? But when a Christmas Nor’easter lands him in close quarters with local Annie Parker, they see magic at work in matters of the heart in New York Times bestselling author Susan Donovan’s “A Seaside Christmas.”

In LuAnn McLane’s “Mistletoe on Main Street,” Clint isn’t sure how to rekindle his romance with high school sweetheart Ava—until his father bows out of playing Santa at the annual Cricket Creek holiday parade and Clint gets the chance to make this Christmas one to remember.

And in Alexis Morgan’s “The Christmas Gift”, business is booming at Bridey Roke’s pastry shop. Everyone in town stops in to sample her holiday treats. But in her spare moments, she’s perfecting a special recipe to charm the handsome new neighbor—who has his own surprise gift for her come Christmas Eve!

Review: An easy to read collection of cheerful Christmas romances, just right for reading in front of a roaring fire.  Each novella is set in an already existing storybook town, which can be a bit confusing if the reader has never read the other books in the series, but each novella did stand alone.  I particularly enjoyed Donovan's story set in the town with the crazy mermaid ladies - some very funny images!

Rating: 3 stars (for a romance)

Candlelight Christmas

Candlelight Christmas

Susan Wiggs

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR SUSAN WIGGS INVITES YOU TO AN UNFORGETTABLE CHRISTMAS IN THE CATSKILLS

A single father who yearns to be a family man, Logan O'Donnell is determined to create the perfect Christmas for his son, Charlie. The entire O'Donnell clan arrives to spend the holidays in Avalon, a postcard-pretty town on the shores of Willow Lake, a place for the family to reconnect and rediscover the special gifts of the season.

One of the guests is a newcomer to Willow Lake— Darcy Fitzgerald. Sharp-witted, independent and intent on guarding her heart, she's the last person Logan can see himself falling for. And Darcy is convinced that a relationship is the last thing she needs this Christmas.

Yet between the snowy silence of the winter woods, and toasty moments by a crackling fire, their two lonely hearts collide. The magic of the season brings them each a gift neither ever expected—a love to last a lifetime.

Review: Year ago I read several books in Susan Wiggs' Willow Lake series, and I really enjoyed them, so it was nice to pick up another book in the series and revisit the quaint town and friendly neighbors living in the Catskills.  This book was a quick and charming read about spunky and sporty city girl Darcy, who falls in love with loving single father Logan.  While I liked how Wiggs brought Darcy and Logan almost together in the years leading up to the perfect Christmas described in this book, the romance still felt a little quick.  But overall a fun to read, feel good Christmas story.

Rating: 4 stars (for a romance)

Starry Night

Starry Night

Debbie Macomber

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): ’Tis the season for romance, second chances, and Christmas cheer with this new novel from Debbie Macomber.

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a mega-bestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

Filled with all the comforts and joys of Christmastime, Starry Night is a delightful novel of finding happiness in the most surprising places.

Review: Debbie Macomber's books are always sweet, heart warming, and full of Christmas cheer, and this one is no exception.  So why the average rating?  I guess I had a hard time buying that two such polar opposites would be attracted to each other after finding themselves stuck together for a short period of time.  I couldn't help wondering whether they would actually be happy living together for the long term.  I guess I'm too realistic and not a sappy romantic anymore.

Rating: 3 stars (for a romance)

An Outlaw's Christmas

An Outlaw's Christmas

Linda Lael Miller

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): With his wild heart, Sawyer McKettrick isn't ready to settle down on the Triple M family ranch in Arizona. So he heads to Blue River, Texas, to seek a job as marshal. But in a blinding snowstorm he's injured—and collapses into the arms of a prim and proper lady in calico.The shirtless, bandaged stranger recuperating in teacher Piper St. James's room behind the schoolhouse says he's a McKettrick, but he looks like an outlaw. As they wait out the storm, the handsome loner has Piper remembering long-ago dreams of marriage and motherhood. But for how long is Sawyer willing to call Blue River home?

As the gray skies clear, Piper's one holiday wish just might bring two lonely hearts together forever.

Review: Years ago I read several of Miller's books about the McKettrick family, so it was fun to revisit them in this cute little Christmas romance.  I always enjoy Miller's writing style, and the story was engaging and zippy.  The heroine, Piper, is a likeable headstrong woman, who has met her match in handsome cowboy Sawyer.  A sweet and heartwarming story full of Christmas cheer.

Rating: 4 stars (for a romance)

The Christmas Cookie Collection

The Christmas Cookie Collection

Lori Wilde

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Four delightful novellas featuring characters from Lori Wilde's New York Times bestselling book The First Love Cookie Club. First published as e-originals, they are now available in one volume and in print for the first time

Review: Four easy to read short stories about couples finding love in Wilde's fictional town of Twilight, Texas.  I enjoyed the stories, but think that some of them would have been better if they had been longer and had more detail.  It felt like too much was crammed in a short story.

Rating: 3 stars

Christmas at Twilight

Christmas at Twilight

Lori Wilde

Genre: Romance, Christmas

Summary (from Goodreads): It's Christmas in Twilight, Texas. The Cookie Club is baking, the town is decorated, and Delta Force Operator "Hutch" Hutchinson has finally, reluctantly, returned home . . .

. . . only to get pepper sprayed by the delicious- looking stranger who's taken over his house. She says her name is Jane, and she immediately sets down ground rules. Top priority: no touching. For Hutch that isn't easy—he was wounded in action, but one part is still working very well.

Then Hutch learns the truth. Jane harbors a frightening secret—she's really Meredith Sommers, on the run from a dangerous ex-husband and desperately in need of the safety Hutch can provide. In that moment, he vows he'd do anything in his power to protect her. And as Christmas approaches, they discover that their love can conquer the past and overcome any obstacle—but what price will they pay?

Review: This was a sweet little book to read before Christmas; I had never read a romance by this author, and I enjoyed her writing style.  The characters were well developed, the plot was interesting, the writing was smooth, and the dialogue was realistic.  There was definitely a little bit of descriptive hanky panky going on, so be forewarned before you pick it up.  My only complaints were that the author has incorporated a lot of issues in this book (bipolar disorder, PTSD, and domestic violence) and that she brought in a lot of miscellaneous characters that aren't important to the story and get a little confusing (which makes sense when you realize that she has a series of books about the people in this town, and she's trying to update the reader about their lives, a la Debbie Macomber).

If I'm in the mood for a romance novel, I would definitely choose another by Lori Wilde.

Rating: 4 stars (for a romance)

One True Loves

One True Loves

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Genre: Romance

Synopsis: In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse.  They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of  their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts.  They travel the world together-Emma as a freelance writer, Jesse as a production assistant on the sets of nature documentaries-living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

One their first wedding assignment, Jesse is on an assignment in the Aleutian Islands when his helicopter goes missing over the Pacific.  Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma moves home in an effort to put her life back together.  Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again.  When she and Sam get engaged, it feels like her second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jess is found.

Emma now has a husband and a fiance.  But who is her one true love?
from the back of the book

Review:  I have never read a book by this author before but I really enjoyed the ease in her writing style and how I was swept away in the flow of the story.  This book carries you through two romances, one with Jesse and one with Sam.  As a reader, you fall in love with both couples and once Jesse returns it is hard to decide who you want Emma to end up with.  You feel Emma's pain as she grieves over losing Jesse and then you feel her pain as she is torn between her two loves.  Emma really reflects on what it means to love which is thought-provoking to the reader.  I could not put this book down and read it all in one day.  I am definitely going to look up more books by this author!

Rating: 5 stars

Then and Always

Then and Always

Dani Atkins

Genre: Chick Lit

Summary (from Amazon): For fans of One Day, What Alice Forgot, and the hit film Sliding Doors, comes an absorbing and surprising debut novel about a young woman who, after an accident, gets a second chance at life . . . just not in one she remembers.

Rachel Wiltshire has everything she’s ever wanted: a close group of friends, a handsome boyfriend, and acceptance to the journalism program at her top-choice college. But one fateful evening, tragedy tears her world apart.

Five years later, Rachel returns home for the first time to celebrate her best friend’s wedding. Still coping with her grief, she can’t stop thinking about the bright future she almost had, if only that one night had gone differently. But when a sudden fall lands her in the hospital, Rachel wakes to find that her life has completely changed. Now the people she loves most are not the way she remembers them. Unable to trust her own recollections, Rachel tries to piece together what really happened, and not even she can predict the astonishing truth.

Review: I was looking for a light, quick read, and this book fit the bill.  As I was reading it, I kept thinking that it reminded me of the movie Sliding Doors, which I very much enjoyed.  And lo and behold, the publisher even referenced Sliding Doors in the book summary above!  Although at times it was a little slow and predictable, overall I enjoyed the story, and especially loved the thought-provoking ending.

Rating: 3 stars

In Good Company

In Good Company

Jen Turano

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction. Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position.

Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he’s desperate for competent childcare.

At wit’s end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance–with each other. As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges, Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons. But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the children’s parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose company he truly wants for the rest of his life?

Review: I categorized this as Christian fiction because it has a few mentions of praying to God, but it is almost like the Christian elements were an afterthought to the story.  There is some light romance in the story, but no bad language or adult content.

This was a cute, fun-filled light read about a Mary Poppins-esque nanny who brings joy to a household of unruly children and snobby adults.  I enjoyed Millie's positive attitude, quirky habits and love of literature just as much as I despised her evil high society romantic rival.  I'm not usually a fan of Jane Austen take-offs and rewrites, but this one was a fun read.
 

Rating: 4 stars

The Bollywood Bride

The Bollywood Bride

Sonali Dev

Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): Ria Parkar is Bollywood's favorite Ice Princess--beautiful, poised, and scandal-proof--until one impulsive act threatens to expose her destructive past. Traveling home to Chicago for her cousin's wedding offers a chance to diffuse the coming media storm and find solace in family, food, and outsized celebrations that are like one of her vibrant movies come to life. But it also means confronting Vikram Jathar.

Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria's exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love--until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it's taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she's been guarding for everyone else's benefit--and a chance to stop acting and start living.

Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.

Review:  I loved getting a glimpse of life as an Indian in the United States; the author did a lovely job describing the Indian customs involved in a wedding, and provided all kinds of fascinating little details about all the preparations that must be made.  I felt like I was part of Ria's large and loving family getting to experience the excitement leading up to a huge wedding celebration.

The character of Ria was a tad over the top, though.  She seemed to feel her emotions like a teenage girl, very very dramatically, and I got a little tired of reading about how her tears were pouring down her face for hours because her heart was just completely broken.  The entire conflict in the story stemmed from the fact that she had a big secret that she didn't want anyone to know about, and I spent the entire novel wishing she would just let her childhood soulmate in on her secret already.  Because you knew he'd find out eventually, and everything would turn out fine.  But I guess that wouldn't have made for a very long story....

Rating: 3.5 stars

Just Destiny

Just Destiny

by Theresa Rizzo

Genre: Romance

Synopsis:  What would you do if your whole world fell apart?

Jenny Harrison made some poor choices in the past, but marrying Gabe was the best thing she'd ever done.  They had the perfect marriage, until a tragic accident leaves Gabe brain dead and her world in ruins.

Devastated by by grief, she decides to preserve the best of their love by conceiving a child, but Gabe's family is adamantly opposed, even willing to chance exposing long-held family secrets to stop her.  Caught in a web of twisted motives and contentious legal issues, Jenny turns to best friend and attorney, Steve Grant.  Steve wants to help Jenny, but he has reservations and secrets of his own.

When something so private and simple turns public and complicated, will Jenny relent?  What is Steve willing to sacrifice to help Jenny?
from GoodReads

Review: It was hard to put this book into one genre. This book started out as a lighter romance novel but then got into a much more serious book about ethics but still continued the romance throughout.  It could be considered women's fiction as well but there was a romance undertone through the whole book.  I think I would have liked the book better if the romance throughout would have been taken out.  The book had enough other story line to keep it going if it was expanded a bit more.  I thought some of the characters lacked depth such as Gabe's ex-wife and Gabe's uncle.  The supporting characters supported Jenny without question and I think that was unrealistic.  I know this may sound strange seeing as how there was a court battle about whether Jenny should be allowed to have her deceased husband's baby but there wasn't enough conflict among characters.  Everything was a bit too nice.  I had previously read a later book by Rizzo and I can tell her writing has evolved quite a bit since this book.  I liked her later book a lot more and I look forward to reading what she has coming up next.

Rating: 3 stars

Unwrapped

Unwrapped

Erin McCarthy
Donna Kauffman
Kate Angell

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): From the streets of Chicago to the back roads of Kentucky to the wild dunes of a Scottish isle, mistletoe and mischief are this season’s hottest gifts...

Blue Christmas
ERIN MCCARTHY, New York Times bestselling author
While a blizzard blankets the world outside, Blue Farrow burrows into the arms of her highway hunk at the No Tell Motel. The road might be closed for dangerous conditions, but the couple navigates their own Kentucky Christmas curves. Nice and oh-so-naughty, Blue and her man open up to each other as they keep the Yule log burning.

Santa in a Kilt
DONNA KAUFFMAN, USA Today bestselling author
The wind-whipped December sands of the isle of Kinloch invigorate Kira McLeod as she sets out to tame rugged Shay Callaghan, a Scottish bachelor as wary of a wedding ring as a snowman is of the hot sun. It’ll take all the wiles of the canny islanders to weave a perfect Celtic Christmas for all...

Snow Angel
KATE ANGELL, National bestselling author
Snowed under in Chicago, free spirit Allie is trapped in Dutton’s department store on Christmas Eve when the lights go off and the holiday romance heats up. Our snow angel finds herself face to face with the dashing Aiden, the heir to the retail riches and her host for a night of winter wonder...

 
Review:  I generally love cozying up with a Christmas anthology in the middle of December, but I guess I have grown out of sexy Christmas romance short stories.  (Although I never liked romance stories where the characters jumped into bed too quickly.)  In the first story, the two main characters seemed quite likable, but then they jumped into bed together for no really good reason, and made me lose all respect for them as people.  The second story seemed to be part of an ongoing series, and since I had never read the first part of the series, I was left feeling confused and uninterested.  I gave up before the third story.

Rating: abandoned

The Perfect Christmas

The Perfect Christmas

Debbie Macomber

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS PERFECT?

For Cassie Beaumont, it's meeting her perfect match. Cassie, at thirty-three, wants a husband and kids, and so far, nothing's worked. Not blind dates, not the Internet and certainly not leaving love to chance.

What's left? A professional matchmaker. He's Simon Dodson, and he's very choosy about the clients he takes on. Cassie finds Simon a difficult, acerbic know-it-all, and she's astonished when he accepts her as a client.

Claiming he has her perfect mate in mind, Simon assigns her three tasks to complete before she meets him. Three tasks that are all about Christmas: being a charity bell ringer, dressing up as Santa's elf at a children's party and preparing a traditional turkey dinner for her neighbors (whom she happens to dislike). Despite a number of comical mishaps, Cassie does it all --- and she's finally ready to meet her match.

But just like the perfect Christmas gift, he turns out to be a wonderful surprise!

Review:  This was a cute little story about a woman looking for the perfect man at Christmas time.  I knew exactly what was going to happen in this story just by reading the blurb, and I was right!  Contrary to the book's description, there weren't any surprises in the book; but even worse, the main romance was completely inexplicable.  I generally like Macomber's quick, light, fluffy little stories, but this one could have used more depth to bring it up to the level of her other quick, light, fluffy little books.

Rating: 2 stars

The Sweetheart Deal

The Sweetheart Deal

Polly Dugan

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads):The poignant story of what happens when a woman who thinks she's lost everything has the chance to love again.

Leo has long joked that, in the event of his death, he wants his best friend Garrett, a lifelong bachelor, to marry his wife, Audrey. One drunken night, he goes so far as to make Garrett promise to do so. Then, twelve years later, Leo, a veteran firefighter, dies in a skiing accident.

As Audrey navigates her new role as widow and single parent, Garrett quits his job in Boston and buys a one-way ticket out west. Before long, Audrey's feelings for Garrett become more than platonic, and Garrett finds himself falling for Audrey, her boys, and their life together in Portland. When Audrey finds out about the drunken pact from years ago, though, the harmless promise that brought Garrett into her world becomes the obstacle to his remaining in it.
 
Review:  Although the plot was predictable, I thought Dugan did a very nice job capturing the grief felt by newly widowed Audrey, and the anger and confusion felt by the fatherless boys.  Her descriptions of Audrey's depression and inability to function in the days and weeks after the accident felt amazingly real.  However, I thought the alternating first person narratives were needlessly confusing, and that the story would have worked better if she had focused on the points of view of fewer characters.  The two younger boys didn't get nearly as much page-time, and so their stories felt incomplete.  Which was actually my biggest problem with the book; the author presents a troubling issue with a character, then shows the resolution at the very end, without going through the middle steps of how the character felt as he worked through the issue.  Most importantly, the romance between Audrey and Garrett moved too fast - Audrey went from non-functioning depression to falling in love in less than three months?  I couldn't believe it.  And while the eventual romance between the couple was beautifully rendered, I found myself still wondering WHY they had fallen in love.  As smaller examples, Dugan brings up several little conflicts (Brian's guilt about his drawing, Andrew's conflict with a bully, Christopher's fixation on an inappropriate woman) and then doesn't flesh them out.  Sure, the boys each have a happy ending, but what brought them to the happy ending point?  It wasn't clear to me.  I would be interested in reading another one of her books to see if she matures as a writer.

Rating: 3.5 stars