Game for Tonight by Karen Erickson

I actually read the first two books in the Game for It series two and a half years ago. For whatever reason at the time, I decided not to read Game for Tonight, but had it on my to-read list – because who doesn’t want to read about a pro football player who is a virgin?!?! So when it popped up in one of the several emails I get daily with Kindle deals, I decided to download it and complete the series.

I’m not sure what happened with this book for me. Perhaps I have different standards now (who knows HOW many books I’ve read since I read the first two books). Perhaps it’s that I’ve figured out I’m not a fan of the fake relationship trope. Whatever the reason, this book just didn’t work for me and took a whole week to read. Even if I’m super busy – which I am right now – that’s unheard of for me!

My problem with the fake relationship trope is that too much time is usually spent in the character’s heads. We have to read too much about how the hero and heroine like/love each other, but it won’t ever work. I want to see them interacting with each other, talking things out!

In this case, the hero and heroine had already spent a night together before Aubrey is told she needs to make it look like she and Flynn are dating. They’ve already admitted their attraction to each other, they already like each other. Them dating isn’t so hard to believe. There is the whole “we can’t date because it’s against company policy” (which I think would have actually made for a better plot for this couple) – but that was blown off by the boss with little fanfare. I couldn’t understand why Aubrey didn’t just tell Flynn what her boss told her. Well, other than we wouldn’t have a book otherwise…

If you want to read a book that does the fake relationship trope right, read The Catching Kind by Bria Quinlan – where the couple doesn’t know each other at all, are thrown together for the benefit of publicity, don’t like each other much at all when they start out, but then get to know each other and fall in love. THAT fake relationship worked for me! Not one where the relationship has already started, and neither of them really wants out anyway.

That being said, I liked the characters – especially the hero. Flynn is focused completely on football, to the detriment of having relationships with women. But his career is not going quite the way he wants, and when he discovers Aubrey is as attracted to him and he is to her, he decides to toss away his previous convictions that women are nothing but a distraction and spend the night with her. Pictures of her leaving his house early the next morning put his squeaky clean image at risk, which “necessitates” damage control by the PR team. (Which again, I’m not totally buying – he’s in his mid-to-late twenties, so yeah, maybe it’s a big deal for him to finally be with a woman, but so what?!?!)

The writing was solid in this book. It’s always good to read about a hero who goes against the grain of what is usually offered up in today’s books. Maybe if I had stayed in the San Jose Hawks football world and read about Flynn right away I would have liked this book better. But I just wasn’t buying the plot. There were too many things that didn’t make sense to me, which made it really hard to like.

Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

Settle into a comfy chair, my fellow reviewers. This is gonna be a long one.

I know whenever I open an Alice Clayton book, I’m going to get clever, entertaining writing. And while that is still the case for Cream of the Crop, what I didn’t get is a book that kept me engaged from the start. The initial, very slow pace had me jumping to read two other books before I had this one finished.

Another thing that didn’t sit right with me is the heroine. I’m sure the author was aiming for a book about body positivity. It’s a concept that’s burgeoning as much right now as sustainable farming and local sourcing. I think it’s a great movement! But where it fell apart for me is in the whole “I can get any man I want” mantra the heroine spouted continually for a good percent of the beginning of the book. I don’t find that attractive in a male hero, and if a woman who is beautiful by fashion model standards said the same thing, we’d call her conceited. I feel like continually mentioning how she’s a larger woman is going against the body positivity image. Because isn’t that movement about how size doesn’t matter? That you’re beautiful and worthy of love no matter what size jeans you wear? Let’s not make a woman’s worth about what she weighs? So to constantly be mentioning the heroine is a size 18, just seems disingenuous to me. (Oddly enough, I wasn’t the least bit bothered by Oscar telling her how much he liked her bum, and her body. In fact, I really liked those parts.)

I also have come to the realization that I have a hard time with books written with only one person’s point of view. If I’m really going to feel a connection to the couple, I need to hear from the hero. Especially Oscar, one who doesn’t really speak all that much to begin with.

Now, having said all that…once Natalie stopped telling us how confident she was and how it got her any man she wanted., it turned into the Alice Clayton book I was anticipating. One that was funny, and witty, and entertaining. One where I liked the characters and enjoyed watching their growth as a couple.

We met Natalie, and learned about her crush on Oscar, at the end ofNuts (Hudson Valley #1). Every Saturday she would strut her stuff into the Farmer’s Market, only to be struck dumb whenever it came time to order her cheese from Oscar. When the town of Bailey Falls decides to hire the advertising firm where Natalie works to increase their tourism, Natalie jumps at the chance to spend some extra time with her best friend Roxie. And to see Oscar. Turns out, Oscar has noticed Natalie as well, and the attraction is mutual. While Natalie is spending more and more time in Bailey Falls to develop her ad campaign, she also develops strong feelings for Oscar.

As I said, Oscar doesn’t really talk much. It’s a stark contrast to Natalie, who talks a lot. Except about her past, which has her questioning how she and Oscar can work. She’s the proverbial city girl – one who has worked hard to have a successful career, and she’s not willing to give that up for any man. Oscar, plagued by his own past demons, has also worked hard for what he has, and can’t just up and move his dairy farm closer to the city. It’s a pretty typical dilemma that plays out on pages all the time…

And speaking of demons that plague our hero and heroine… I would have liked to see those talked out more. How was Natalie able to overcome that disastrous first relationship – which had such a profound impact on her life – to become the strong, confident woman she is now? Exactly what different things that Oscar and his ex-wife wanted tore them apart? This was such a lighthearted book, and I would have liked more grit to the story. There could have been some really good, deep conversations between Oscar and Natalie. Instead, we just got lots of steamy scenes (which I was actually a little surprised by after Nuts was mostly closed-door bedroom scenes). Not that I’m complaining about that. But I feel like they both had profound things happen in their pasts that significantly shaped how they approached relationships today. It seemed a shame to not use them more for the storyline.

Once I got past about the halfway mark, I had a hard time putting this book down down. Despite its slow start, I really liked Cream of the Crop. And I’m looking forward to reading Buns sometime in the near future!

Cockloft by K.C. Lynn

Well, I gotta give props to K.C. Lynn for stepping outside her usual plot outline for this latest book. Please don’t burn me at the stake, but unfortunately, that’s about the best thing I can say about Cockloft.

There wasn’t anything wrong with this book, per se. Actually, technically it was almost flawless – which makes me happy to see. I read a lot of indie authors, and not all of them have improved their writing (technically speaking) as well as K.C. has. But nothing much really happened in this book.

Cece and Gabe meet when the fire alarm goes off in Cece’s building. She’s thinking it’s another false alarm and doesn’t leave. When she finally smells fire, she decides it’s more important to find a designer handbag (which has sentimental value to her) than to get dressed and leave the building. When firefighter Gabe comes to get her out, she resists, setting up the mutual “I hate you” feeling between the two of them. They meet again a week later at a party for mutual friends, and end up in bed together.

Then they date, and learn more about each other. Then they learn how different they are. It’s a pretty classic “he grew up on the wrong side of the tracks”/”she grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth”/”how can we ever make this work since we’re so different” story. Add a hero with a propensity to punch people who make him angry, and I just wasn’t impressed with the couple or the story.

I’ve come to expect an emotional roller coaster from K.C. Lynn, and this book didn’t even take me on one you’d find in the kiddie amusement park. It was a sweet, kinda fun story. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon. But really not anything much to write home about, either.

Wild Card by Karina Hale

Loss of love is the most terrifying feeling in the world. It’s the feeling of your heart emptying, slowly being drained. Because that’s the thing about love. It’s free to give. It’s never free to receive.

“The fault of man is that we never live long enough to be the person we want to be.”

I haven’t read Karina Hale before, but I’m a total sucker for second-chance love stories. When I read the sample chapters, and was moved by some very profound writing right off the bat, I decided to give Wild Card a chance. And that chance was not a disappointment at all. Until there was about a third of the book left. Then things sorta fell apart for me…

Rachel Waters and Shane Nelson grew up together. They met at nine, fell in love at 12, became lovers at 16. When they were 20, Shane broke things off, shattering Rachel (and himself) in the process. Now it’s 6 years later and Rachel is back in town. She’s tried her best to move on, but being back in North Ridge is hard. There are too many memories, and a lot of them are really, really, bad.

When Shane learns Rachel is back in town, he knows he’s never stopped loving her and wants to get her back. He spends the first two-thirds of the book being contrite and careful with Rachel – AS HE SHOULD! He’s kind, he’s sweet, he doesn’t push. But then once he thinks he may have a chance with her, he undergoes a complete personality change. Which is when things start to go sideways for me.

Now, I know Shane is described as being “alpha” in the synopsis. But for 60 percent of the book, he’s remorseful and respects how Rachel is feeling. He’s apprehensive about dredging up the past. He frequently walks away from opportunities to hash things out. This is NOT how an alpha behaves. So when he suddenly starts acting that way, it’s like he’s undergone a personality transplant overnight.

And while I’m at it…can I also complain about the whole “push away the woman I’m madly in love with for her own good” plot device? Maybe it’s just me, but it never seems to make any sense. Other than the fact that the hero is young, and young men are prone to not thinking things through. I get that part. It’s the “six years I’ve know it was wrong, I’ve regretted it ever since, but I still didn’t do anything about it” that makes me loco. The only redeeming thing is that Shane did give a fairly heartfelt apology. It fell a little short of what I would have liked to see – I want major groveling! But at least he did give one.

For the most part, the writing was very good in this book. The pacing was good and kept my interest. Good dialogue is important to me, but again, the first two-thirds of the book things were really good, but during the last third a lot of the dialogue seemed stilted and unnatural (I kept thinking, “no one is going to talk like that!”). I will definitely give Karina Hale another try – I’m interested in reading the stories of Shane’s two brothers. There were times Wild Card was moving and heartfelt, and I even teared up several times. But for the most part, this book didn’t really wow me on the whole.

Only His by Madison Rose

Why, oh why do I let myself get sucked into these books?!?!

Only His started out promising. Young girl studying abroad falls for charming older man who happens to be a famous actor. He falls for her because she doesn’t know who he is – finally someone wants to be with him because of who he really is, not because he’s famous. When paparazzi out them to the world and things fall apart because of it, that I get. That is compelling. That is good drama. And that part of the book is far too short.

But things completely fall apart for me with the whole stalker situation, and then the kidnapping. And of course…she’s pregnant.

This was a silly story that wanted to be a serious novella. The situation back home that resulted in the heroine leaving to study abroad could have made for a compelling story. But, I think if you’re going to be ridiculous, BE ridiculous. Go with it, work it, own it. You can’t have it both ways. Otherwise you just give people reason to roll their eyes.

Last First Kiss by Amy Knupp

Last First Kiss is book ten in the Hale Street series, which is a series of books written by different authors, all taking place in the same town. There are interrelated characters, but each can be read as a standalone.

Not gonna lie, I was a little underwhelmed by this book. The writing was good – entertaining even – but when a synopsis tells me a woman “truly yearns for babies of her own and a good man beside her,” I expect a decent amount of page space to be devoted to how much this woman aches because she doesn’t have that. When she falls for a man who she doesn’t believe wants the same things (marriage and children), I want to feel the anguish in having to walk away from him. Or hear them hash things out.

Even accounting for this being a novella, I was hoping for more. This story had the potential to be really good, but what I was anticipating reading – based on the synopsis – fell far short of what the story actually offered. The main conflict in this relationship came from the fact that the hero was the brother of the heroine’s best friend, and the heroine didn’t want her friend to know she’d been seeing her brother – not that she was hurt because the hero didn’t want the same things in life she did.

I would be willing to try another book by Amy Knupp. I didn’t find anything wrong with her writing. But in the future I may need to do a better job managing my expectations…

Love in a Sandstorm by Zoe York

Not too long ago I “complained” to a fellow Goodreads reviewer about how formulaic the heros of today’s romances have become – just about all of them are military men (as if there’s no other possible career for men). But then I went and dropped a book I was enjoying to read this new Zoe York book…with a hero who’s in the military.

I’ve previously read Zoe York before, and while I didn’t exactly remember the books until I went back and reread their synopsis, I did remember them to be decent. (Because I definitely remember when they aren’t!)

Sean and Jenna meet at a refugee camp in Turkey, and are immediately smitten with each other. But Sean’s only there for a couple days before heading out for a two week leave from his duties as a captain with the Canadian Forces. When Sean discovers Jenna is also due some vacation time, he impulsively invites her to join him in Spain. Even though it’s a huge risk, she agrees, and the gamble pays off in the biggest way. They spend a wonderful two weeks together, despite being very different.

“Slow has never been my speed. I’m an all or nothing kind of guy.”
She was learning that. She leaned in and touched his face, tracing the lines at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth.
“Let me be the brakes to your runaway train, then.” 

Once they are forced to go back to their real lives, they are in touch every day. Until, unbeknownst to Rachel, Sean is severely injured. When she finally finds out several weeks later, it takes a couple more weeks before she’s able to leave her post with Doctors Without Borders to get to Sean. He still loves her, but a traumatic brain injury and extensive physical injuries have him pushing her away. Rachel is determined to stick things out though, and Sean has a host of family and friends that give him the proverbial kick in the pants he needs.

I don’t always like time-hop stories – especially when a big mystery is drawn out for the purpose of angst. But that’s not the case here, and I loved both the past and the present storylines and watching them each play out. Zoe York did a great job seamlessly weaving back and forth between the two.

I also appreciate that this story is low on over-the-top angst. Just realistic conflict – and conflict resolution – with a situation that was heartbreaking. I loved seeing the drama play out in a realistic way. Sean is frustrated that he’s no longer able to do even the simple things he used to do – like get up and use the bathroom, and Rachel occasionally succumbs to bouts of feeling sorry for herself.

She drank the second beer in the shower. It was the most frat boy thing she could imagine doing, and she kinda hated herself for it. But on the other hand, the shower felt good and the beer felt better. 

This is the best kind of romance story – just enough of the fantasy to take me away from real life (who wouldn’t want to meet a sweet, sexy man who invites you on a vacation to Spain?!), but also enough real life to make it completely believable.

So dang it, now I have a whole ‘nother series I want to read! I love how Ms. York combined a heartfelt read with humor, which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable book. Add to that relatable and extremely likeable characters, and I just want to keep reading more by Zoe York.

Here and Now by Cheryl Etchison

I freaking LOVE this series, and Here and Now was SO good!

I originally skipped over this book in order to get to Michael’s story (From the Start), who is the older brother from the first book in the series (Once and For All). I’ll just confess that for whatever reason, I really wasn’t that interested in reading Lucky’s story.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!

Lucky and Rachel may be my favorite couple of the series (so far? Ms. Etchison, please, please tell me there will be more from this series!!!) Having known each other growing up, there is a bit of sad history between the two. But six years have passed since they last saw each other, and so much has changed for them.

After struggling to get through nursing school, Rachel Dellinger has now worked her way into her dream job in the ER. But since she’s low woman on the totem pole, she’s stuck with the night shift. Add to that a cheating boyfriend and an extremely strained relationship with her parents, life has sorta beaten her down. But she’s determined to make things better, no matter how long it takes.

Lucky James has left the army and his job as a special ops medic, and is pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor. Starting college at the age of 30 has unique challenges, not the least of which is dealing with silly college-age kids. After ten years in the military, he just has a different perspective on life. He takes classes during the day, but also works in the ER. As a tech. It’s a position that’s way beneath his skills, but it keeps him in the hospital and helps him pay the bills.

As you can imagine, Lucky and Rachel forge a bond working together at the hospital. Soon they’re spending more time together outside work, and even though they’ve been adults for many years now, they’re both still trying to figure things out. And watching them do it together is delightful. Watching them fall in love was even better.

Cheryl Etchison is a masterful writer. I love the characters she creates, and the realistic way she deals with issues the characters are going through. There’s realistic conflict, and adults managing it in adult ways, without over-the-top angst. Her stories are heartfelt, but also entertaining. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Nuts by Alice Clayton

So, summer is kinda kicking my butt…

I had grand plans to read all kinds of books, get a bunch of books off my Kindle that have been on there a long time.  That really hasn’t happened.  Mostly because I keep requesting things from NetGalley, but between vacation (where I read, but didn’t write reviews – yet) and getting the bug to clean out every single closet and drawer in our house, I’m feeling SO behind.

Because I’m so behind in writing my reviews, I’m going to do a quick good news/bad news list for Nuts.

The good news:

• Alice Clayton is adept at writing hilarious internal dialogue.  The heroine in this story,  Roxie, is no exception.  The dialogue between Roxie and our hero, Leo, is also pretty darn funny!  Their innuendo-laced conversations are steeea-meeee, and oh-so-very funny.
• If you’re a foodie, you’ll like the descriptions of food.  And you’ll probably enjoy the talk about growing the food, too!
• I loved Leo’s nickname for Roxie.  Sometimes I think nicknames are silly or contrived.  Sugar Snap was clever, meaningful, not overly-cutesy, and endearing. And when Roxie called Leo Almonzo?  Cracked me UP!
• And finally, FINALLY, a woman gets blindsided in a book, and instead of running off and having a tantrum, she tells herself to “Get the intel.”  Okay, so things don’t go exactly smoothly after that – but hey, you gotta have some drama!

The bad news:

• Some of the antics of our heroine were a little on the ridiculous side.  She keeps falling and landing with her head/his head in each other’s crotch?  Her reaction to bees?  Seemed a little contrived and, well, ridiculous.
• If you aren’t a foodie, your interest in the story may wane with all the descriptions about the fancy food (I kept having to look up what things were) and how to grow it…
• I was a little surprised by the brevity of the love scenes.  They were basically closed-door.  Things would be getting all hot and heavy…and then the next paragraph is a couple hours later, or the next day.  Which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing, but I was surprised by it.

Nuts is a sweet coming home story.  I loved the small town of Bailey Falls, and how there were the stereotypical characters from the heroine’s past (the handsome quarterback who everyone loved), but also the former mean girls who grew up and didn’t still act like mean girls (hurray for maturity!).  I loved Roxie’s ability to look at the town – which she previously couldn’t get away from fast enough – with fresh eyes, and realize sometimes the things you used to hate are the things you love after all.

I might have liked a little more conflict.  The happy-for-now wasn’t very hard fought-for.  However, that was kinda refreshing.  And speaking of the happy-for-now…I’m a big fan of the happily-ever-after, so I’m always going to be left wanting more.

Wallbanger will probably always be my favorite Alice Clayton book, but this really was a delightful, entertaining book and I look forward to the rest of the series!