Bring Me Home for Christmas

By Robyn Carr

http://robyncarr.com/

Publisher: Mira

Release Date:  October 25, 2011

ISBN-10: 0778312712

ISBN-13: 978-0778312710

Three years ago, Denny Cutler broke Becca Timm’s heart when he re-enlisted in the Marines and ended their relationship before shipping out for Afghanistan.  Reeling from the death of his mother, Denny convinced himself he was doing what was best for Becca, who was still in college.  By the time he came home two years later, he had realized his error but it was too late.  Becca had moved on…or so she said.  Denny left San Diego and settled in Virgin River, a small mountain community in the northern California mountains.  In the past year, he’s put down roots, found a job that fulfills him and made good friends he considers his extended family.  But he hasn’t forgotten the girl he let get away.

Becca Timm is at a crossroads.  The private school where she’s been teaching has been closed and the wealthy law student she’s been dating for the past year is talking about engagement rings.  As Christmas approaches, there are major life decisions to be made but Becca can’t seem to take that final step forward.  She may have told everyone that she’s over Denny but the truth is she still has feelings for him.  She decides that the only way to put those feelings firmly in the past is to tag along with her twin brother (Denny’s friend and fellow ex-Marine) to their “guy’s week” of fishing and hunting in the “backwoods” town of Virgin River, see Denny and confirm that she made the right decision in not giving him a second chance.

At first, that’s exactly the conclusion she reaches.  She and Denny can’t seem to be in the same room without arguing and she can’t believe he’s made the decision to spend his life in what she considers a hick town in the middle of nowhere.  She’s sure she could never leave her beloved beach and all the city has to offer.  But when Becca injures her ankle, forcing her to stay in Virgin River beyond the planned week, things begin to change. She begins to realize how much Denny has grown up in the past three years and remembers why she once hoped to spend her life with this man.  And, as she comes to know the people of Virgin River, she begins to wonder if perhaps she’s been looking for her happiness in the wrong place.  Only time will tell if the magic of a Virgin River Christmas will open her eyes to the man, and town, that are perfect for this city girl.

Bring Me Home for Christmas is another heartwarming tale from Robyn Carr’s Virgin River.  While I’ve enjoyed some of the books in this long-running series more than others, I never tire of visiting with the warm-hearted people of Virgin River and the surrounding area and am already looking forward to returning December 27th for Hidden Summit.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming, small town, second chance romance to put you in the holiday spirit, I recommend curling up with a copy of Bring Me Home for Christmas.

~PJ

The Comforts of Home

By Jodi Thomas

http://www.jodithomas.com/

Publisher: Berkeley

ISBN-10: 0425244482

ISBN-13: 978-0425244487

Release Date: November 1, 2011

In her third Harmony novel, Jodi Thomas pieces together the stories of characters encountered in the earlier novels and adds the stories of new characters like a master art quilter stitching together varying shapes and colors to create a picture of this Texas town and its people.

Funeral director Tyler Wright has high hopes that Major Kate Cummings, the army arson expert who has moved in and out of his life, is finally ready for their relationship to move beyond friendship. Twenty-year-old Regan Truman is forced to accept that her Uncle Jeremiah, the man who first saw value in her and gave her a home and a family, is dying. As if that weren’t heartbreak enough, her best friend (who could be more) Noah McAllen is still risking limb and life on the rodeo circuit and seems to have lost his dreams and his resilience along the way. Noah loves Regan, but his self-doubt is a barrier between them. “She was the mirror of all he could be, held up to show him how little he’d made of himself.” Meanwhile, former bad boy Brandon Biggs is a Harmony firefighter now and still has his eye on Regan.

Liz Matheson Leary is about to give birth to twins, and her husband Gabe is terrified, feeling totally unprepared for the “alien invasion.” The career of Liz’s sister Claire is flourishing. Her paintings of men barbecued over an open fire and hanged from the Empire State Building by a rope of ugly ties are selling for $20-30 thousand. Her affair with Gabe’s friend Denver Sims is flourishing too—in hotel rooms around the country, hidden away from family and friends in Harmony.

Ronelle Logan, a lonely twenty-seven-year-old so isolated that she feels as if “in all of her life she’s never met someone of her species” delivers a package to the home of newcomer Marin Winslow, a man almost as lonely as she. He makes her feel visible, the two connect, and Ronelle’s life is changed forever. Autumn Smith, pregnant and homeless, becomes one more wanderer who finds a home and friends in Harmony.

When a tornado hits the town, it twists more than trees and homes. Crises bring changes that leave some questions answered for and others to echo long after the storm has passed.

Although there are several love stories in The Comforts of Home, even one with a most atypical hero who earns an HEA, this novel is not romance. It’s not conventional women’s fiction either. It reminds me more of a good TV dramedy series with a cast of quirky characters with whom viewers fall in love and a place that feels as familiar as the small town they know best. I see Jason Alexander as Tyler Wright.

Thomas is a superb storyteller, whatever she writes, and her Harmony books are among her best work. If you’re a fan of small-town settings, heartwarming tales, and out-of-the-ordinary characters, you don’t want to miss this book. Book 4, Just Down the Road, is scheduled to be released April 3, 2012. I can’t wait. I’m hoping to learn more about Ronelle and Marty, and, of course, I want a happy ending for Regan and Noah. In the meantime, I plan to reread Welcome to Harmony, Somewhere Along the Way, and The Comforts of Home.

~Janga

Duty and Desire

A Novel of Modern India

By Anju Gattani

http://www.anjugattani.com/

Greenbrier Book Company, LLC

ISBN: 978-1-937573-01-0

Duty and Desire is the debut novel in Anju Gattani’s Winds of Fire series. To paraphrase the back cover blurb: Sheetal Prasad has it all: youth, beauty, wealth and education. But when this modern Indian woman surrenders love for honor and marries into India’s most glamorous and powerful “royal family,” the Dhanrajs, she is exposed to a web of lies, infidelity, greed and secrets. As Sheetal experiences a loss of freedom, she struggles to control her fate.

The Prologue was intriguing. “It was the wedding of the decade. Everyone present had been holding his or her breath in anticipation of the five hundred-million-rupee bash. Everyone but the bride.”

First, let me say that I am a friend of Anju’s, therefore I would be predisposed to like any book she wrote. But I wasn’t prepared to love it like I did. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she thanked me in the Acknowledgments section. That was a thrill. But, back to the book. The pacing and the plot, the characterization and the conflict, the storytelling and the setting and sexual tension she created, were impeccable. I didn’t want to put it down. It’s the story of a woman’s journey from maidenhood to marriage and a story of how she adapts to her new family, bound as she is by the rigid traditions and confines of her culture.

Her hero, Sanjeet, is a very complex, charming and compelling man with many layers. On the surface, he is intolerable and the way he ignores and abuses his new wife, despicable. Sheetal is sympathetic as she fights her desire for her husband, while at the same time harboring growing feelings of powerlessness,  frustration and rage towards him. The secondary characters, Sheetal’s mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are evil, fascinating and entertaining in their own ways, each trapped by their own past.

I love books about foreign cultures and Duty and Desire is no exception. Anju knows what she writes about. She was born in India and grew up in Hong Kong. Reading her book introduced me to the exotic and glittering world of modern India. The glossary alone is worth the price of the book. I really learned a lot. And the cover is exquisite. I highly recommend this book.

Spirited Away

by Cindy Miles

http://www.cindy-miles.com/

Publisher:  Signet Eclipse, Penguin Group, May 2007

ISBN:  978-0-451-22145-2

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Buy It Here

When Tristan de Barre and his men were murdered in 1292, their souls were cursed to roam Dreadmoor Castle for all eternity.  Tristan’s phantom heart is pounding again for the first time in more than seven hundred years because of the beautiful scientist who’s digging up his castle’s bailey.  Can he make her notice him or will she see straight through him?

Forensic Archaeologist Andi Monroe is tingling with excitement at the opportunity to excavate the remains of the castle.  She could just swear she met the vanished knight, and he’s a fantasy come true.  But until she finds a way to help Tristan lift the curse, their love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

The setting is as gorgeous as the knight, Tristan de Barre.  The castle and the ghosts make it hard to put this book aside for the night.  An enjoyable read.  I love ghosts, and a story that begins in 1292 and ends 700 years later.

Dare She Date the Dreamy Doc?

By Sarah Morgan

http://www.sarahmorgan.com/

ISBN: 978 1-4268-6069-0

Harlequin Medical

Buy It Here

DARE SHE DATE THE DREAMY DOC? Sarah Morgan Nurse Jenna Richards did not come all the way to Glenmore to fall head-over-heels for the first sexy doctor she saw. But what’s a single mum to do when devastatingly dreamy Dr. Ryan McKinley has his eye on you, and the entire island community is mischievously matchmaking…?

Jenna Richards wants nothing more than to start a new life for herself and her teenage daughter. She never expected to be working for a gorgeous doctor that makes her heart beat faster every time he is near. Ryan has hidden out on the island recovering from a terrible marriage for years, but Jenna makes him believe he is ready to live again. A small island, with plenty of people talking about them doesn’t help Jenna and Ryan keep their attraction under wraps. Jenna’s teenage daughter’s happiness stands between them also. Can two broken hearts mend and become one?

This book was one of the finalists for a Rita Award at the Romance Writers of American Conference in 2011. After reading it there is no surprise others thought it was good also. Sarah Morgan knows how to tell a story. Glenmore Island never fails to give a satisfying ending.

Emma’s Wish

by Margery Scott

Publisher:  Margery Scott (Indie Pub)

AISN: B0051306KU

Genre:  Historical fiction, American frontier

Buy it Here

REVIEW SUMMARY:

Emma’s Wish contains several items on my greatest hits list for a good frontier historical: hunky widower, pretty spinster, adorable kids, emotional angst, a little suspense and some great lovin’. It’s a good steady-paced read with characters you care about from the get-go. While it may not fit everyone’s idea of a beach read, I read it while lying on a beach and it fit the bill just fine. Heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable, Emma’s Wish should be on your frontier historical must-read list.

Her Little Secret

By Carol Marinelli

http://www.carolmarinelli.com/

Harlequin Medical

ISBN: 13:978-0-373-06785-5

Buy It Here

Daredevil doctor to doting daddy?

Eastern Beach hospital is just the next stop for doctor Nick Roberts-he’s left broken hearts on every continent! But Nick’s fun-loving altitude is so infectious that his patients-and nurse Alison Carter-are unwillingly hooked. One night with Nick leaves Alison with a new zest for life-and another, rather more unexpected gift!

Alison can’t help but love Nick and neither can the reader.  Any female can identify with a girl that doesn’t want to get involved with a goodtime guy but also can’t help but be drawn to him. In this book, the reader roots for the good girl to get the guy. When some of Nick’s passion for life rubs off on Alison the reader can’t help but cheer. But when the surprise of a baby is thrown into the mix they both have to make a hard decision about what they want.

Nice quick read and an easy way to travel to Australia.

 

Burn

By Linda Howard

Ballantine Books

ISBN: 978-0-345-48656-1

Amazon

It’s true what they say: Money changes everything.  Money certainly changes Jenner Redwine’s life when she wins a lottery jackpot. But it also costs her plenty: Her father rips her off and disappears, her fortune-hunting boyfriend soon becomes her ex, and friends-turned-freeloaders give her the cold shoulder when she stops paying for everything.

Flush with new money, Jenner can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she’s rubbing elbows with the rich, despite the fact that she still feels like a party crasher. Luckily she finds a ally—and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege—in shy, kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who quickly becomes Jenner’s confidante and surrogate sister.

When Sydney invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner, Jenner reluctantly agrees. But while she’s expecting—and dreading—two weeks of masquerade balls, art auctions, and preening glitterati, what she gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, Jenner must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and- dagger scheme—or else. With nowhere to run, and with Sydney’s life as well as her own at risk, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as her panic gives way to exhilaration, and fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feeling s she hasn’t had in years—and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.   

I’m a huge Linda Howard fan and once again she didn’t disappoint. Burn builds in intensity and ends with a smash bang. The characters are real and likable. If you are looking for a book to read on the beach that you’ll get so involved in that you might burn, this is the one. Have a cold drink nearby

NEVER CRY WEREWOLF

Author Heather Davis
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com

Harper Teen

ISBN 978-0-06-134925-6

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

From the back cover:

Moonlight can totally change your life.  And it all starts so simply. You. Him. The moon.  You’re toast.

Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately (how was she supposed to know Wes had “borrowed” that Porsche?).  But her step-mother totally overreacts when she catches Shelby in a post-curfew kiss with a hot senior.  Suddenly Shelby’s summer plans are on the shelf, and she’s being packed off to brat camp.  It’s good-by, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.  Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star) Austin Bridges, III.  But soon she realizes there’s more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby’s help guarding it.  Shelby knows that she really shouldn’t be getting tangled up with another bad boy…but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good looking one?  One thing’s for sure, that pesky full moon is about to get her into trouble all over again.

My take:

Never Cry Werewolf is the first book in the Never Cry Werewolf series by Heather Davis, a sweet young adult paranormal that delivers on realistic teen issues without being high on the teen angst meter.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which was a quick read at 216 pages.  The twist at the end was unexpected and a strong reason to download book two, a novella called Sometimes by Moonlight.  If you enjoy young adult fiction or have a teen in your life who loves to read, I recommend Never Cry Werewolf as a good addition to any reading shelf.

INNUENDO                                     

by Crystal Green

www.crystal-green.com

Publisher:  Harlequin Blaze (Copyright 2006)

ISBN-13: 987-0-373-79265-8

ISBN-10: 0-373-79265-4

Romance

Tamara Clarkson just wants a guy for some good times.  And fun-loving Kyle Sullivan fills the bill!  But he’s a puzzling contradiction:  charming and superficial one minute, serious and intense the next.  It’s almost as if he’s not the man he says he is…

When his insensitive cousin decides to stand up his blind date, do-the-right-thing Murphy Sullivan offers to pose as good-time-boy Kyle.  He’ll just buy the lady a drink and be done with it.  But he finds Tamara irresistibly sexual—and if pretending to be his uninhibited cousin is what it takes, hey, why not?  After all, it can’t hurt to keep up the act for a few more wild nights—can it?

This is one book in the For a Good Time Call… series where some women take back control of their social lives; a lottery-type system involving a funky glass vase, business cards and plenty of steamy encounters.

A fun, hot read and a lesson in life.