Trouble Me by Laura Moore 
Series: Rosewood Trilogy (# 3)
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 432
Source: book provided by the author

Trouble isn’t the only thing on her mind.

The youngest and wildest of the Radcliffe sisters, Jade is the last to return home to her family’s sprawling Virginia horse farm and its unsettling memories. She never planned on a night of passion with a stranger before starting her new life as a teacher and riding instructor—or the shock of recognizing the man who gave her so much pleasure standing right there in her classroom.

Officer Rob Cooper is stunned. Not only is the woman who rocked his world his daughter’s second grade teacher, but she’s the troubled teen whom he blames for his wife’s death years ago. Worse, now that he sees her in the light of day, he wants her more than ever. Time has softened Jade’s hard, rebellious edge—she’s spirited, honest, and sexy to distraction. But will the feelings ignited in the heat of desire be enough to heal a past that needs forgiving?

Review: Trouble Me is the third and final book in the Rosewood trilogy and Laura Moore wastes no time in heating things up! There is no slow build to passion; Jade Radcliffe runs in to Officer Rob Cooper quite by accident but because it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, they have no idea that they are enemies – mainly because they are so swept away by passion and decide to not exchange names.

From start to finish, Trouble Me is an excellent conclusion to the series. We get to see where Jade’s sisters are in their lives (their stories were told in book one, Remember Me and two, Believe in Me). By the time Jade’s story is front and center, if you’ve read the first two books, you are emotionally involved with this family and if you are like me, you’ve been waiting for this story to be told.

Rob Cooper harbors a lot of anger toward Jade who was the poster child for bad behavior in her teens. On the night that his beloved wife tragically dies, he is busy hauling Jade in for underage drinking. He blames Jade for not being there when his wife needed him and finding out that his hot one-night-stand is none other than the woman who is the root for all of his misery has Rob majorly conflicted.

Jade comes home to Rosewood to start her life over. She’s gotten her life together and is coming home to teach not only elementary school but horse riding lessons to children. All of her well-crafted plans come crashing down around her when she turns to find Rob Cooper sitting in her classroom on meet the teacher night!

Laura Moore tells a compelling story of how two people who were once bitter enemies with nothing in common can overcome their pasts to create an incredible future. Jade and Rob heat up the pages of Trouble Me from start to finish and in between the steamy scenes, we are once again treated to a glimpse in to the world of horses and training and showing them. Plus we finally get to the bottom of Jade’s mom’s diary and who the elusive TM is.

I read this series slightly out of order when I originally found book two and read it first. Each of these stories can be read alone and you would have no trouble keeping up with what was going on but as a series, it’s fantastic.

Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery
Series: Blackberry Island (# 1)
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: MIRA
Page Count: 368
Source: Advance Preview provided by the author

Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

Review: Best friends; you love each other, you hate each other. It’s all part of life. In Susan Mallery’s soon-to-be released “Barefoot Season” we meet two former best friends who have so much hostility toward one another that it was hard to like them or imagine why anyone would want to be friends with them in the first place!

I have to admit, I am a die-hard Susan Mallery romance fan. I’ve read them all – twice! As with last year’s Best of Friends, Susan takes us through the story that does have romantic elements but the main plot deals with the difficult relationships between family and friends. In previous books, she presents realistic struggles between friends, family and lovers and Barefoot Season is no exception. The animosity between Michelle and Carly is palpable on every page and at times I wished that they would just scream it out and move on.

Everything in its own time.

Not only is Michelle recovery from the horrors of war and an injury, she returns home after her mother’s death to find her beloved inn in financial ruins. Add to that the fact that Carly is running the inn and the two are forced to work together.

Carly’s a single mom struggling with a lifetime of lies and just wanting a chance at a normal life but with Michelle back in town, she finds it difficult to look at the future when the past is still hanging over her head. Along the way other relationships form and, as she does so well, we get that taste of romance that Susan Mallery writes so well. If I had one complaint it was that I would have liked to see a little bit more of the development of these relationships; I think it could have been interesting to watch the romantic relationships evolve and how those relationships come to help Carly and Michelle with their own friendship.

All in all, Barefoot Season is a wonderful read. Once I started, I could not put it down. While not your typical romance, there’s still enough for even the most devout fan. For those of you looking for a good book to use with your book club, Susan has even included questions for discussion at the end. Being that we all have had best friends, this story has a lot to offer to a group discussion setting.

I love an author who is in tune with her readers!

The Reunion Game by Jan Scarbrough
Series: Ladies of Legend Series
Release Date: February 19, 2011
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Page Count: *Kindle/eBook only 362 KB
Source: ebook provided by the publisher

Thirty-three-year-old Jane Smith’s biological clock is ticking. But pickings are slim in Legend, Tennessee, until the fifteen year high school reunion gives Jane a second chance. Graham Winchester will be back in town.

In high school, Jane’s shyness has stopped her from taking action. Now she’s older, wiser and no longer afraid. Graham has moved to the big city and won’t stick around after the reunion. He’s a confirmed bachelor and happily-ever-after is not in his makeup. Yet, Jane must exorcise the demon Graham has become so she can get on with her life.

Switching places with her glamorous twin sister is just what she needs to get Mr. Most Likely to Succeed into bed and out of her heart.

Review:  I have to admit that this book captured my attention from the first time I read the blurb. I am a fan of contemporary romances and ones that involve meeting up with an old flame and hoping for a second chance are personal favorites. The twin-angle wasn’t appealing because I feel that that particular storyline has been done to death but I’m glad that I didn’t let that stop me from reading Jan Scarbrough’s The Reunion Game.

Jane Smith is at her high school reunion and finally has the chance to see Graham Winchester again. Sparks fly from the get-go and it was their chemistry was undeniable. However, Jane’s identical twin sister, Dawn, is now a famous Hollywood actress to whom she feels inferior to and believes that the only way that she can seduce Graham and find out if their one-night-stand from graduation night was a fluke, is to switch identities with her.

One of the great things about the twin’s switching places story was that Ms. Scarbrough did not overly focus on Dawn; you got a very general idea of who she is, how she acts, but she was not a front and center player in this book. Normally when you have twins and one is more successful or thought to be more attractive, they tend to be mean and take over the story. That is not the case here.

After sharing a steamy kiss at the reunion, the sister’s switch places, but Graham isn’t easily fooled; he knows them both too well and so he goes along with this crazy scheme (unbeknownst to anyone) in hopes of figuring out why Jane would go to such great lengths to be with him.

This novella was a quick read with interesting characters and a story that was believable and not too far fetched. You actually cared about Jane and Graham and felt both of their vulnerabilities. I can’t believe it took me so long to actually get to reading it! After I was done I found out that “The Reunion Game” is actually part of a series, but that really didn’t change how I felt about the story. This book can clearly stand alone and it’s nice when an author can do that for you – create a series but make it possible to pick up any book in it at any time and still enjoy it without being lost.

If you are looking for a fun and sassy read, check out Jan Scarbrough’s The Reunion Game on your eReader.