Quickie Review: The Costarella Conquest by Emma Darcy

Author: Emma Darcy

Title: The Costarella Conquest

About the Book: Jake Freedman is biding his time before exacting vengeance on the man who destroyed his family. And if a blind date with Costarella's daughter will keep his bitterest enemy sweet, Jake will don his bespoke Italian suit and mask his cynicism with a killer smile.…

Jake's practiced touch hooks the innocent Laura Costarella into a dangerous affair. But the treacherously tempting Laura is the only conquest Jake's ever desired more than the ruination of the Costarellas.

It seems that, in this case, revenge is a dish best served red-hot!

 

My Thoughts:

Add this to the list of books which would never have been finished did I not desperately need it for a challenge. As it is, I skimmed a good minority of it.

Ridiculous and ridiculously boring. Dull and flat, the story made no sense. The behavior of all the characters was off for the beginning: who badmouths their family and discusses their family's dirty linen in front of a dinner guest you are trying to impress? Then the plot segues into some sort of friends with benefits arrangement that was just....boring. None of the characters interested me. Like I said, but for the challenge this one would have been DNF.

 

Review: An Indecent Proposition by Carol Marinelli

Author: Carol Marinelli
Title: An Indecent Proposition
Series: Harlequin Presents

Zander Kargas developed his drive to succeed first from his father's cruel fists, then from living on the streets. He's fought for everything, and few challenges remain…or so he thinks!Charlotte is the best secretary Zander has ever had the pleasure of dealing with, and the only woman to fire his blood in a long time. But she works for his bitter rival….Zander, assuming he can acquire her the way he does with most things, reaches for his wallet—except, Charlotte can't be bought. So Zander must entice her…beginning with a very indecent proposition!

I really enjoyed this one despite myself.

Oh sure, I had some issues with the story and with some of the characters, but it still didn't take away from my essential enjoyment. The dialogue was really cheesy in places, but I found it beautiful and haunting instead of annoying. Additionally, I thought the plot could have been much more developed than it was, but again, I read this book at the right time, because it didn't bother me as it usually would.

I really wish, though, that the hero's past had been exploredmore fully. I'd have liked to know more salacious, ultimately heartwrenching details. If I shed a few tears in the process of reading this book, I am refusing to acknowledge it.

I don't remember if I've read any Carol Marinelli before, but I won't be forgetting her in a hurry.

I wasn't going to rate it 5 stars, but I really, really enjoyed myself. And that is what 5-star books are supposed to do for you, so I figured, what the heck? :D

★★★★★

 

Review: Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss by Maya Banks

Author: Maya Banks
Title: Tempted by her Innocent Kiss
Series: Pregnancy & Passion #3
Source: NetGalley

No Man’s Bargaining Chip

Devon Carter was her first; now newly wed Ashley wants their passion to last. But her dreams of true love are crushed by the discovery that their marriage is another of Daddy’s business deals. Her strategy: act the part of perfect wife and make Devon love her.

But Devon misses the bubbly, no-holds-barred woman his wife used to be. Who is this Ashley with the steely demeanor of a society wife? And will he find a way to rekindle the fire in her eyes…especially now that she’s pregnant?

It would seem that Maya Banks' writing does not work for me.

I hadn't read the other books in the 'Pregnancy and Passion' series, so I might b missing some backstory here, but anyway, the main gist of the story is that Devon wants to merge Ashley's father's company with his own. The only way Ashley's dad will agree to that is if, without her knowledge, of course, Devon weds Ashley. He agrees. As luck would have it, she finds out (after they're married), and drama ensues The story is about them working their way back to a HEA.

The entire story was lackluster for me - wooden dialogue, bland story. the heroine was meant to be a naive, flighty person, but instead, read like a tween girl. This was a person who was immensely silly, not-very-smart, not mature - in fact, most teens should be more mature than this girl. I felt like she shouldn't be marrying anybody. If I were the hero, I'd have found myself someone else to marry. And anyway, he wasn't that much of a catch either. Not a good book.

*I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Enticed by His Forgotten Lover
2. Wanted by Her Lost Love

 

The Dutiful Wife by Penny Jordan

Author: Penny Jordan
Title: The Dutiful Wife
Publication Date: 11th Jan 2010
Pages: 189
Source: Library

Saul Parenti has always been glad that he's second in line in the Arrezzian monarchy. He can concentrate on his business empire...and the delights of his new wife Giselle... But when his cousin is killed Saul must ascend the throne. Instead of pursuing their own dreams, Saul and Giselle must now make their lives about pomp and protocol. But the secret traumas of Giselle's past have scarred her deeply; she never wants to be a mother – and that leaves her marriage in crisis: because her royal duty is to produce an heir...

THE PARENTI DYNASTY Power, privilege and passion The worlds of big business and royalty unite...

The premise sounded really interesting. I, for one, don't remember the last time I read a HP where the couple were already married and still together and still in love from the very beginning of the story. Unfortunately, the story is interesting only in name; the execution was horrible.

My impression was that the relationship was very unhealthy. What else can you think when any mention of the guy going somewhere on his own for even 5 minutes triggered feeling of "Oh he doesn't love me anymore; oh our marriage is not strong because we are not spending every waking moment together" in the heroine?

Speaking of the hero and heroine, they were both a bit Mary Sue and Gary Stu and quite stupid. A few good slaps of good sense into them would not have been amiss at all. They kept claiming to be in love, but I didn't see it. All I saw was two people acting so formal with each other, and two unhealthy people in an unhealthier relationship.

The treatment of post-partum depression in this book angered me. It was stupid, and not fit to print. Saul was an idiot and Giselle was an even bigger idiot who should have been put in counseling when she was 6 years old.

Not a good HP.

★★

For Duty's Sake by Lucy Monroe

For Duty's Sake by Lucy Monroe
★★★


This HP is made up of and Idiot Female Lead (I refuse to call such people heroines) who is the way she is because of her sorry excuse for parents.
- Her dad is the idiot "prince" who thinks with not-his-head, and thinks that his wife's refusal to bear another child is reason enough for him to go whoring with half the opposites sex on the face of this Earth. It is interesting that this dude never once caught an STD.

- Her mom is the idiotic,vapid model who thinks "but I love him" is reason enough to let her husband
a. continue with his foolishness(seriously! STDs!)
b. stay 'married' to him, but live in a different country so she is not 'shamed' by his behavior.

Now you are not to surprised our IFL is an idiot who is TSTL, nah?

This IFL thinks because she has been betrothed to the IML since she was 13 (now she's 23) and he hasn't announced a formal engagement, she's an old maid. Mebbe if she...say...went to school or did almost anything else with her life, she wouldn't be spouting such drivel.

She also has the nerve to be talking to people about moving their ideas into the 21st century when her parents are medieval train wrecks and she herself is stuck in the regency era (see above for examples).

With a person like this as one of the main characters, are you going to enjoy the story?

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The Inherited Bride by Maisey Yates

The Inherited Bride by Maisey Yates
My rating: ★★★

I didn't like the heroine at all. She rubbed me the wrong way from the moment she was introduced.She was whiny and childish and, quite frankly, an idiot. princess Isabella has run away to Paris to have a month to discover herself before her arranged marriage. Or so the book claimed. She read to me like a spoiled brat. I sincerely would have liked to turn her over my knee and spank some sense into her. I can see why others would not be annoyed by her though, so I am sticking with a three-star rating. That, and because this was a well-written book.

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The Return of Rafe MacKade by Nora Roberts

The Return of Rafe MacKade (The MacKade Brothers, #1) by Nora Roberts
My rating: ★★★½


This is the first book in a quartet that comes highly recommended by Lady Vale (and most of my other friends who have read it have loved it too). And no one writes contemporary romance quite like Nora Roberts. So with these two things in mind, I was sure I was going to love the book/series. Things didn’t happen quite like I planned.

I haven’t read a contemporary romance for some time, and it took a while, but Nora Roberts sucked me into the fabric of her story and made me care about what was going to happen to all four of the Mackade brothers. So I know that I am going to read all their stories.
Unfortunately, Regan and Rafe were not my favorite characters, even in their own story. Regan was so concerned by not being defined by her mother’s neediness/dependency on her dad that she defined herself in another way – the opposite of her mother: I don’t need help from anybody. It was annoying. Rafe, was way too “me man, you woman” for my tastes, especially in a contemporary. Mebbe in a parallel/fantasy world, it would have worked well (as it usually does), but not in a contemporary. I was not impressed with either one of them.
Hopefully the other three brothers are not as unnecessarily “macho”(hah!n ot quite) as Rafe, and their heroines are not as annoying as Regan.


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The Man She Loves to Hate, by Kelly Hunter

The Man She Loves To Hate by Kelly Hunter

My rating: ★★★★

The rave reviews are right. This book is quite unlike most HPs Ive read in that it was dark, heavy stuff. And it is excellent.

Ms. Hunter writes great, fully-fleshed characters. I loved both Jolie and Cole, especially Cole (He's MINE, Lulu, you can't have him!) And she is a fantastic storyteller.

But here's my catch: I hate, hate, hate adultery stories, and I'm rather extreme in my dislike of them. There are very few cases in which I think it is justified, and this book was not one of them. It was not the main point in the story, but it did play a significant enough role that I took it into consideration and it marred my enjoyment somewhat.

So although I will enthusiastically go looking for more of Ms. Hunter's books, and although this is probably one of the top 10 HPs I've read, I won't be putting it on my keeper shelf, and I won't be rereading it. I guess Lulu wins Cole after all, :-(



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The Royal Wedding Night, by Day Leclaire

The Royal Wedding Night by Day Leclaire

My rating: ★★


Smh. This is my second book by Ms. Leclaire, and I am not inclined to read any more of her work.



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Caretti's Forced Bride, by Jennie Lucas

Caretti's Forced Bride (Wedlocked!) by Jennie Lucas

My rating: ★★★★

I haven't read a single book by Ms. Lucas that I haven't liked. This one is also gold. Her writing, as usual, is very evocative and draws you into the story. This book was filled with a whole bunch of angst, even more than her usual; it made for great tension and holding interest while reading :)

Paolo is the hero of our tale, and what a yummy hero he is! Very likable, right from the get-go, and I found myself rooting for him immediately. And it stayed that way till the very end.

So, we have a good story and a great hero. Why four stars instead of five?

1) The heroine. Isabelle is the worst of Ms. Lucas' heroines that I've read so far. From the beginning. I did not like how rude she was to Paolo, especially when she was asking a favor! A favor, mind you! I could immediately see where her story arc was going and I hated it (and her) right there and then. I just don't think it is in any way acceptable not to tell a man he has fathered a child, unless that man is an excessively violent, internationally wanted criminal with ties to the mafia and all the major underground mobs, and who happens to hate children. . So I thought it was unacceptable what she did. And then she did it again! Her internal struggles did not help. Reading what was going on in her mind made me dislike her even more. She did not appear noble and martyr-ish to me at all, which is probably the angle Ms. Lucas was going for. It failed big-time. Girl is just a self-serving individual masquerading as a martyr.

2) Alexander's transformation into king was kinda weird. Eleven-year-old boys simply do not talk like that, even if they've just been crowned king.

So yes, this is what kept me from loving it completely. I sincerely wish Paolo had dumped Isabella and gotten himself someone who was worthy of him. Ooh - what I wouldn't give to see an HP that ended like this!

But, yeah, I would recommend it. The writing is excellent.



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The Prince's Mistress, by Day Leclaire

The Prince's Mistress by Day Leclaire

My rating: ★★


This is my first book by Ms Leclaire, and I liked her writing. I did not, however, like the story. It started out well enough,and then continued ok, with some ups and downs here and there. The climax though, made me angry, and that's why this book is rated two stars.
Juliana gets mad at Prince Lander because her brother had made Lander agree to marry her for some deal. Lander tries to explain to Juliana that he liked her even before the deal, and that the only reason he'd agreed was because a) he liked her a lot and b) his country NEEDED this deal to survive. Juliana walks out on him I mean, how stupid is that? And then later she thinks of him as the man she loves. Really? So that's how people prove their love? By upping and leaving?

The whole reason for the conflict was stupid, IMO. Lander had shown often enough by his actions that he loved her. I don't get why people will take words over actions. There is a reason they say action speaks louder than words. Yeah. Juliana messed it up for me. I kinda wished Lander had divorced her and found another person who was smarter than that Juliana. Ick!

That being said, I did like Ms. Leclaire's writing style, and a few revelations in this book made me interested enough to want to read the other books in this series if I come across them (I think it is a trilogy, but I am not sure).



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A Mistress for the Taking (Mistress to a Millionaire), by Annie West

A Mistress for the Taking (Mistress to a Millionaire) by Annie West

My rating: ★★★★★


This book is not without its problems, but it is AWESOME!
The hero and heroine are probably one of the top five in HP H/h I've had the pleasure of reading.
For one thing, they are THINKING, SENSIBLE people.
Loved it.
Then again, I am not surprised. Ms. West writes great heroes and heroines.
Keeper.



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The Billionaire's Marriage Bargain, by Carole Mortimer

The Billionaire's Marriage Bargain by Carole Mortimer

My rating: ★


I don't know how these heroes who are such egotistical idiots get made out to be billionaires. Anyone that stupid could hardly make 1 thousand, let alone a billion. And if by some weird stroke of luck he did make that much money...well, a FOOL and his money are soon parted.

Both the hero and heroine are fools of the highest degree.
Don't waste your time!



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Jemima's Secret, by Lynne Graham

Jemima's Secret by Lynne Graham

My rating: ★

I put this book as DNF because i finally gave up and skimmed large portions of it.

The heroine and hero were both idiots.

the writing was atrocious and completely not something you would expect of Lynne Graham.

Do not walk- run AWAY from this book.

Epic FAIL.



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