Review: Meet Me at the Cupcake Café (At the Cupcake Café #1) by Jenny Colgan

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café (At the Cupcake Café #1) by Jenny Colgan
Published April 14th 2011 by Little, Brown Book Group

Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe. Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. When she's made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment. Armed with recipes from Grampa, and with her best friends and local bank manager fighting her corner, The Cupcake Cafe opens its doors. But Issy has absolutely no idea what she's let herself in for. It will take all her courage - and confectionery - to avert disaster … 

My Thoughts

What a wonderful story filled with recipes that will tempt your sweet tooth. I was in the mood for a corner cafe story and this fit the bill perfectly. My first experience with Jenny Colgan’s novels, and I immediately grabbed her other books because she hit the mark with my literary craving.

When Issy Randall is made redundant in her city job, she takes her severance pay and decides to open a Cupcake Café that will display all the wonderful recipes she’s inherited from her grandfather. It’s not an easy task for this carefree girl who must immediately learn how to budget, plan, task and manage a business all on her own. Lucky for her, she brings on Pearl who helps her get the café off the ground. Together, these two ladies create a cozy corner in an eclectic town that offers wonderful treats and savory coffee selections.

Issy, Austin, Pearl, Helena and even Caroline were a perfect blend of characters. I loved how these very different characters came together and brought the story to life. I was so invested in their lives that I couldn’t put the book down! There were happy moments, sad events and serious events that kept the story flowing at a steady pace.

The funniest scene in the book was when Caroline fed Louis a healthy cupcake and his jaw dropped along with all of the ingredients. I liked this story for so many reasons and I can’t wait to pick up another Colgan novel. YUM! 

4 Suns

Review & Giveaway: Midnight Pursuits by Elle Kennedy

Midnight Pursuits (Killer Instincts #4) by Elle Kennedy

Publication Date: April 1st 2014 by Signet 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book: 

Her job is to stay hidden.
Too bad he can’t take his eyes off her.

Soldier-for-hire Ethan Hayes is the youngest member of an elite mercenary team. While he may be affectionately nicknamed the rookie, the skills Ethan honed as a Marine make him seriously dangerous. But when a sudden distress call puts him in close quarters with a rival, he finds more than his field skills being put to the test.

Juliet Mason stands out as the master thief in a covert group of assassins and spies. Her latest mission is personal—and it’s gone horribly wrong. Juliet may prefer to work alone, but when the rookie comes to her aid in snowy Eastern Europe, she can’t deny they make a good team. But even up against a powerful enemy, their most challenging task yet may be fighting the passion between them...

My Thoughts:

As you’ve probably realized by now I’ve been enjoying the Killer Instincts series by Elle Kennedy.  We get Ethan and Juliet’s romance in Midnight Pursuits.

Ethan is the “rookie” of the team, the youngest at only twenty-five, and the picture of a gentleman. While staying at Isabel and Trevor’s house in Vermont, as they’re off on their honeymoon, he gets a call meant for Isabel from Juliet and she’s in trouble. Juliet is almost incoherent and injured so Ethan drops everything and flies out to her aid. 

When Isabel gets a call from a hospital in Minsk that her brother, Henry is in critical condition, she hops immediately on a plane.  Henry is her only family, and she’d do anything for him.  When she finds out his fiancée was murdered in a professional way, Juliet takes it upon herself to track down the killer and exact vengeance. 

To be honest I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy Ethan and Juliet’s romance as much as the others. They were snipping and snapping at each other in the last book, Midnight Games, so there was palpable tension between them, but Juliet seemed so bristly and aggressive; I didn’t know if Ethan would be a strong enough personality for her.  No worries, Elle Kennedy showed another side to sweet, gentlemanly, Ethan, one that matched up to Juliet’s perfectly. We got a take-charge and alpha sort of Ethan, mixed in with the good-guy he is, and I loved seeing this side to him:

"I mean it, sweetheart. You're not walking away from me. Not until we finish what we've started. And even then, I still won't let you go."
"How very caveman of you."
"Don't care. You're not going anywhere, Jules."

One thing I love about romantic suspense is the lack of much angsty relationship drama. Ethan and Juliet are too busy dodging bullets or trying to escape the enemy to be vacillating over their feelings.  Important things become very clear, quickly, when you’re faced with life or death.

Midnight Pursuits was another win for me and any fan of romantic suspense loaded with action and danger will definitely enjoy Elle Kennedy’s addictive and fun series!

4 Suns

Connect with Elle Kennedy:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

  

  

The lovely people of Signet have generously provided a giveaway for one Waves of Fiction follower: Winner's choice of one book from the Killer Instincts series (books 1-5).  The giveaway is open to US residents only.  Simply fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.

Review: When Love Happens by Darcy Burke

When Love Happens by Darcy Burke
Published on May 26th, 2015 by Avon Impulse

About the book
Tori Archer is married…well, on paper anyway. She hasn’t actually seen her husband since the disastrous morning after their impulsive Vegas wedding. The memories of their intense passion may still make her weak in the knees, but Tori knows their marriage was a mistake.

After six months filming abroad, television producer Sean Hennessy wants nothing more than to track down his sexy, captivating wife and get her into bed… fast. So when his boss sends him to Oregon to persuade the famous Archer sextuplets—the former stars of a reality TV show—to do a reunion special, Sean sees the perfect chance to win Tori back.

Only, Tori wants nothing to do with him and is determined to push him away. But their attraction is as hot as ever and Sean will do anything to prove their relationship was more than just a fling…because he knows that when real love happens, it changes everything.

My Thoughts:
I have been out of the romance game for awhile now and honestly I was a little scared to jump back in.  My tastes have drastically changed in the last few months and romance just hasn't interested me, but When Love Happens is a perfect example of what an author can do for a reader.  Darcy Burke has renewed my faith in romance and shown me what I have been missing!

Tori and Sean engaged in a whirlwind 5 week romance that ended in a quickie wedding in Vegas.  That same night though tragedy struck and Tori runs home leaving Sean and their newly marriage behind.  After six months Sean, having no other options, goes to Tori to try and save his job and also to see what might be left of their relationship.  He isn't ready to throw in the towel and knows things won't be easy because sometimes a heart can't relearn love no matter how hard you try.

I fell into this story with ease. The writing kept me engaged and I truly enjoyed each and every character.  What I thought was fascinating was the Archers.  Yes they were rich and yes they were all driven, but they weren't perfect.  They each had their own flaws some being bigger than others and honestly it was nice to not read the "they have it all and some" storyline.  I liked the edge the author gave this family.  I did get a bit confused at times because there were just so many of them, but I still really loved them all.  For me they took center stage.  Tori and Sean had a very nice storyline, but I was totally captivated by this family and I know I will definitely pick up the previous books because I have not had enough of them.

As I said Tori and Sean had a really good storyline.  I liked the whole reality show storyline because yes I admit it I am a reality show junkie, but what I really enjoyed was just them.  It was exciting to see how Tori reacted to Sean and I rooted for them from the beginning.  Sometimes I could take or leave the main couple in romances, but not these two.  I wanted Tori to forgive herself and let Sean in and I wanted Sean to give everything and more to Tori to remind her of what they once were.

This was a fast and fun read that left me wanting more from the whole crew.  I am thoroughly captivated by this author and her writing and I can't to find out how the rest of the Archers find their HEA's!

4 suns

Review: Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover 

Published December 30th 2012 by Jay Crownover Books

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters


Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight-A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want—and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

My Thoughts

Rule is yet another book that’s been on my radar for quite some time, and it seems most of my fellow book friends have read this except for me. So after quite some time, I’ve finally decided to pick it up to see what all the excitement is about. Definitely a novel that’s worth your time if you’re currently into New Adult. It has the drama, college life, drama, good chemistry, drama, steamy sex scenes… oh and did I mention drama?

In this novel, we get to meet Shaw and Rule who have known each other for many years. Shaw has been a part of Rule's family for many years since Rule’s twin brother took her under his wing and protected her from a young age. The Archer family always believed that Remy and Shaw were in love, but that wasn’t quite the case. Oh and I’d like to mention I called the twist on that one pretty early on…. However, in reality, Shaw has held a torch for Rule, which has gone unrequited.

After Remy’s death, Rule takes a downward spiral and Shaw always seems to be there to pick up the pieces and force him to have a relationship with his family. After years of pain, the Archer family continues to fall apart, causing Shaw to choose sides between his parents and him. 

There were quite a few other things going on in this story that involved characters I suppose will get their own story, including Rome, Jet and Rule’s roommate Nash. I liked all of them. They are a tight group and their stories are interesting. 

I fell for the romance between Shaw and Rule and enjoyed their time together, but there was a lot going on around them that tipped the story to the overly dramatic scale. 

I’m interested in continuing with the Marked Men series, but I hope Crownover scales down the drama and focuses more on character development. She definitely has a knack for writing about sexy, hot guys, so since I’m currently in the mood for that I’ll see where this takes me. Interesting novel that’s filled with steamy moments and tattooed hotness. Not bad!

3 Suns

Review: Midnight Games by Elle Kennedy

Midnight Games (Killer Instincts #3) by Elle Kennedy

Publication Date: August 6th 2013 by Signet

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

She wears a thousand deadly identities. He sees through them all.

A master of disguise, Isabel Roma spends her life pretending to be other women. Normally, her emotions are reined in tight—but sexy mercenary Trevor Callaghan has a knack for getting under her skin. The elite operative’s quiet strength and raw magnetism affect her in ways she’s never felt before, a distraction that can quickly turn deadly in their dangerous line of work.

After putting his tragic past behind him, Trevor is ready to focus on his future—and he damn well intends for Isabel to be in it. When their entire operation is thrown into chaos, Trevor enlists Isabel’s talent for deception. And as they attempt to save their team in a world where the stakes are high and the danger is grave, Trevor must convince Isabel that the woman beneath all the disguises is the one worth having...

My Thoughts:

In Midnight Games we finally get Trevor and Isabel’s romance which has been brewing since the first book in the Killer Instincts series.  They first met when Jim’s crew of mercenaries and Noelle’s assassins banded together for a mission. 

At the time Trevor is still a shell of the man he used to be, still grieving over the death of his fiancée, Gina.  Isabel and Trevor had to pose as a newlywed couple, totally in love and over-the-top affectionate, and Trevor is surprised to feel an attraction to Isabel, thinking he’d never feel those feelings again. It’s an unhappy discovery, one that unsettles him and fills him with guilt. Isabel feels terrible for Trevor, a man whose zest for life seems to have been extinguished, but she does feel glimpses of heat and passion beyond their disguise.  When they part ways, it’s not a happy situation because Trevor is not in a good mind space and behaves like an ass. 

They’re paired together again in the next book, and Trevor’s feelings have changed significantly.  Even though he’ll never forget his departed fiancée, he’s found the desire to live and be happy again, and he’d like to do that with Isabel at his side. Unfortunately, Isabel leaves him high and dry at her apartment and disappears without a word. 

Trevor and Isabel have had stops and starts to their romance, but in Midnight Games, Trevor is determined to track Isabel down and get serious.  She’s the one and only woman he can’t stop thinking about. But these two will have to sort out their relationship in between dodging attempts on their life when Morgan’s compound is attacked and Morgan himself goes missing. 

Isabel and Trevor’s romance light up the pages and make for a super hot read! There’s a history between this couple and I loved witnessing all the tender moments exchanged.  They’ve let each other in and got close in a way no other has in the past, so I was seriously excited for them to finally come together!  I have to say, it was worth the wait. Trevor and Isabel’s romance ties with Jim and Noelle’s (Midnight Action book 5), as my favorites so far.

Midnight Games will keep you on the edge of your seat with all the twists, action, and danger at every turn.   Fans of romantic suspense will gobble up Elle Kennedy’s addictive and thrilling Killer Instincts series!  On that note, I’m off to read the next book, Killer Pursuits, Ethan and Juliet’s romance. 

4.5 Suns

Connect with Elle Kennedy:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Review: The Proposition (The Proposition #1) by Katie Ashley

The Proposition (The Proposition #1) by Katie Ashley 

Published December 9th 2012 by CreateSpace 

With her thirtieth birthday looming, Emma Harrison finds her biological clock clanging and the elusive knight in shining armor yet to appear. She’s running out of options, especially after her gay best friend backs out from being her sperm donor. Of course, there’s always a sperm bank, but Emma fears a donor mix-up might impregnate her with the spawn of Satan.

Resident company womanizer, Aidan Fitzgerald, is used to always getting what he wants, especially in the bedroom. When Emma spurns his advances at the company Christmas party, he's determined to have her no matter what it takes. After Aidan learns of Emma's predicament, he is quick to offer a proposition that will benefit them both. He will father Emma's child, but she must conceive it with him naturally. Not one for hook-ups or casual sex, Emma is reluctant to take him up on his offer, but his charm, coupled with her intense desire for motherhood, wins out.

Soon their baby-making sessions become more than just physical. Aidan can't seem to walk away from her while Emma begins to wonder if Aidan could be the one. But can Aidan leave his past behind to become the man Emma needs him to be?

My Thoughts

The Proposition caught my eye a long time ago, but I kept putting it on the back-burner. After the long wait to dive into this story, it wasn’t quite what I thought it would be.

Emma realizes her biological clock is ticking. After a few years of heart-ache where she lost both her fiancé and mother, she wants to have a child regardless of not being in a relationship. When her back-up plan is no longer an option, she takes an offer from Aidan who she previously refused to have a one-night stand with at a work party. When Aidan and Emma iron out the details of this baby making arrangement, they are both satisfied with the proposition of Emma mothering the child and Aidan not having to play a father role. However, as predictable as some romances are, after she gets pregnant they both start to have feelings for each other and begin to re-evaluate how this baby situation will really pan out.

I feel I had a hard time connecting with the characters because it was told in the third person. Maybe if I got to know Emma more and heard directly from her when her feelings began to change, I would have probably had more tolerance for her decisions and feelings. It ultimately boiled down to simply not connecting with this character.

Aidan was neither here nor there for me. I didn’t find him swoon-worthy, but I did appreciate the role he played in this story. He was clearly attracted to Emma and it seemed like he was willing to roll with Emma’s feelings as they shifted and formed.

Overall, I found the storyline slightly predictable with somewhat awkward dialog. Not quite what I hoped for, but not a complete bust. Just okay…

3 Suns

Review & Giveaway: Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young

Moonlight on Nightingale Way (On Dublin Street #6) by Samantha Young

Publication Date: June 2nd 2015 by NAL

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

About the book:

Logan from Echoes of Scotland Street is back with his own smoldering story, as the New York Times bestselling On Dublin Street series returns…

Logan spent two years paying for the mistakes he made. Now, he’s ready to start over. He has a great apartment, a good job, and plenty of women to distract him from his past. And one woman who is driving him to distraction…

Grace escaped her manipulative family by moving to a new city. Her new life, made to suit her own needs, is almost perfect. All she needs to do is find her Mr. Right—or at least figure out a way to ignore her irresistible yet annoying womanizer of a neighbor.

Grace is determined to have nothing to do with Logan until a life-changing surprise slowly begins turning the wild heartbreaker into exactly the kind of strong, stable man she’s been searching for. Only just when she begins to give into his charms, her own messy past threatens to derail everything they’ve worked to build…

My Thoughts:

Grace’s new neighbor, Logan, is basically a manwhore.  His sexual antics and loud parties have deprived her of sleep, and generally ticked her off.  Logan’s reactions to her complaints push her buttons even more so, accusing Grace of being an uppity snob.  Needless to say they are not on the best of terms when they first meet.  But Grace gets to know Logan a little and her opinion of him begins to soften, just a tad. 

When faced with something that changes his life forever, Logan is shocked and thrown for a loop, but he quickly abandons his party lifestyle to accommodate. Grace steps in to help, because she can’t help but admire the way Logan immediately accepts the change in his life with ferocity, and because the situation strikes at her heart for personal reasons. 

Samantha Young captures feelings so spot on that every time I crack open the pages of one of her stories I automatically put myself in the character’s shoes.  So of course I rooted for Grace and I felt her every hurt, all her longing and attraction, as well.  She was such a sweet, giving person, and her help to Logan cemented their closeness. In that closeness, Grace starts to fall for Logan even though she fears he’ll just break her heart in the end.  Grace doubts that she’s even Logan’s type when he paraded blond, curvy, scantily clad women in and out of his apartment for months, and Grace is pretty much the opposite.  Also, low self-esteem stemming from an absolutely horrid family further fuels her concerns.

Logan spent time in jail, almost two years, for severely beating the man who nearly raped and killed his sister.  So he didn’t feel worthy to take on the change in his life, but Grace helped him work through those feelings and be the man she knew he was.  Of course, I wanted to smack Logan a couple of times, but he proved time and time again what a good guy he was and I couldn’t help but fall for him.

Grace and Logan dance around their attraction, building up combustible sexual tension, so when they finally give in it’s so very HOT:

“The things I’m going to do to you, babe. I’m going to make you mine, every single piece of you.” Our eyes locked, his filled with sexual promise. “No holds barred, Grace. Not with me. I’m going to fuck you like there’s no tomorrow, and you’re going to let me.” 

I appreciated there was no last minute romantic drama to taint their relationship when they finally committed. It was Grace and Logan against the world, aka crappy family. 

I’m sad to say good-bye to this series, I’ve loved each and every book in the series, but Samantha Young gives us a good send off with short, but heartwarming epilogues for each couple.  You know these friends who’ve become like family, through their emotional bonds and unwavering support will live happily ever after, and that’s what every romance junkie, like me, craves! 

4.5 Suns

Connect with Samantha Young:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

The lovely people at NAL have generously provided a print copy of Moonlight on Nightingale Way to one lucky Waves of Fiction follower. The giveaway is open to US residents only. Simply fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win. Good luck!