Hold Me
Enjoyable contemporary romance that’s a twist on the old “Shop Around The Corner” trope. Read and reviewed earlier.
Category: Books
rags?
Always On My Mind
One of my favourite romance series is Lucky Harbor. Set in an idyllic seaside town in the Pacific Northwest the books jump from resident to resident as they find love.
This book finds talented baker Leah falling for firefighter and best friend Jack. It’s actually a fake dating story as Leah tells Jack’s ailing Mother Dee that they’re together to make her happy.
It’s got a small arson subplot to add to the action but it’s mostly confused mutual pining.
It’s full of clichés and the writing never elevates above readable but it’s a fun read and if you like a sweet contemporary romance this is a good one.
Read before but not reviewed in the 2014 epic romance binge.
rescue?
The Good Luck Sister
This novella is set between Lost and Found Sisters & Rainy Day Friends in the Wildstone series.
It follows up on Tilly and Dylan from the first book ten years after they part as teenagers.
It’s a sweet short tale using a flashback device that I thought was kind of pointless if you could remember the events of the earlier book.
Probably worth skipping unless you’re especially invested in this pair or you’re a bit of a completist (like myself)
emily?
How To Be Dead
Dave is an ordinary guy working in a typically grinding office job.
After a near death experience he meets Death and discovers he’s now able to help ghosts pass on to the other side.
This introductory novella is an entirely competent comic fantasy. There’s a series of novellas following on from this one about the further adventures of Dave but it’s hard to tell from this one how good they’d be.
For a free ebook it’s certainly worth trying.
flamethrower?
The Hating Game
I read this one last year. It’s a perfectly enjoyable hate to love story.
It’s probably best you read last year’s review as my opinion hasn’t really changed since that first read.
family?
Rainy Day Friends
Lanie starts a new job at a family run winery. Very vulnerable after the death of her cheating husband she’s deliberately avoiding relationships but with a bickering family and fellow new arrival River she finds herself making new bonds that could be the best thing or worst thing to happen to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this well written and paced romance. The characters were all entertaining and believably drawn by the standards of contemporary romance.
carbs?
Just For Show
Claire is a successful couples therapist with a book deal on the horizon when her fiancé breaks off their engagement a week before the wedding.
Told by her agent that the deal depends on her being in a happy relationship she hires an actress to play her girlfriend.
This is a pretty enjoyable fake relationship story. The lead characters are well rounded and interesting.
I’m fan of Jae’s Gilmore Girls fan fiction and this was worth checking out
tank?
Head On
This is the sequel to Lock In which set up a near future world where an illness called Haden’s Syndrome has left a significant percentage of the population locked into their physical bodies and only able to experience the world remotely via robot proxies.
The lead character is once again Haden FBI agent Chris Shane.
This one is set in the world of the fast-growing and ulraviolent Haden sport of Hilketa.
When a player dies in a pre-season match Shane and their partner uncover a web of lies that goes all the way to the heart of the sport.
As always Scalzi’s prose is easy to read and designed to draw you in. It’s a fast-paced ride of a read rather than something designed for depth.
attention?
Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl
I picked this up because Brownstein is part of one of my favourite bands: the wonderful Sleater-Kinney.
Despite her success with the cult comedy show Portlandia this book is very much more concerned with her band than any other aspect of her life.
Speaking with a disarmingly frank and self-deprecating tone she looks back at the band and her early life.
It’s definitely one of the stronger rock musician autobiographies I’ve read.
I don’t think she paints a very flattering picture of herself but she does come across as someone very much worth knowing.
gunshot?
Moonlight Over Manhattan
Sweet sheltered Harriet Knight gets her chance at love in the last of the “Bark Rangers” books.
Her love interest is dedicated Emergency Doctor Ethan. He’s convinced after the failure of his first marriage that he’s not suited to long-term love. After getting to know Harriet the last thing he wants to do is to hurt her by getting involved.
Another fun, readable romance by Sarah Morgan. She’s got this type of tale down pat and never disappoints.