Search Results : label/Stephanie O » Romancing the Book

Review: The Fall of Rain by Renee Vincent

 historical, review, romance, Rose that Rules All, Stephanie O  7 Responses »
Dec 132011
 


The Fall of Rain by Renee Vincent
Series: The Emerald Isle Trilogy (# 3)
Release Date: November 23, 2011
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Page Count: 250
Source: ebook provided by the author

Leif Dæganssen, an archeologist from Norway, is determined to trace back his Scandinavian roots as far as the Dark Ages and find proof of their existence on the Emerald Isle. After several years of living off the west coast of Ireland, he finally uncovers an ancient artifact—an intricately decorated chest with pagan carvings—buried beneath the very porch of his coastal cottage. Knowing it only confirms the presence of a glorified Norse-influenced settlement on Inis Mór, he’s determined to establish a link between himself and those who once inhabited the rugged isle. For as long as she can remember, Lorraine O’Connor has had dreams of a Norse warrior kissing her. And even though she’s never fully understood the reason for her vivid subconscious imagination, she welcomes the meaningless and wanton pleasure of being in a Viking’s protective embrace—until the day she meets that brazen Northman on an impulsive vacation trip to Ireland. Though blindsided by the relevance of her dreams and the strange familiarity of the man within them, Lorraine can’t help but feel a deep-seated intimacy toward Leif. And the more she gets to know him, the more she’s convinced they’ve shared a life together in a time long forgotten. Are the clues to their ancestral past hidden within the contents of the chest or buried deep within their hearts?


Review: I know for myself I enjoyed the first two books very much. So much so, that I was excited for the third book to come out. Little did I know what book three really had in store for me. OMG doesn’t even cover it. This is my absolute most favorite book of this series. Where the first two take place deep in the past, book three finds us in the present time. How does that work, you may be asking . . . well, I would have never thought it possible until I read it for myself. Taking present time activities and adding in flashbacks from centuries past, this book offers the reader everything; drama, romance, comedy and even mystery. People and things aren’t always what they seem. In fact, you may walk away from this book never looking at that moment of déjà vu the same again. Maybe, just maybe when something feels right . . .we should remember, just who are we to question it? If you enjoy historical romances and love a story with men you would love to sink your teeth into, this is your series to get lost in. Not an ounce of disappointment to found in the pages of these books.

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Review: Chasing her Trail by Keri Ford

 Lovely Rose, review, romance, Stephanie O  No Responses »
Dec 082011
 


Chasing Her Trail by Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas (# 5)
Release Date: November 9th, 2011
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Page Count: 97
Source: eBook from publisher

Jessie McBride barely survived the unexpected death of her loving parents. Forced to fend for herself with few people to depend on while raising her younger cousin, Jessie learned to be self-sufficient. She kept a few friends close and pushed the rest of the world away, along with that helpless, dependent girl she was once. Been there, done that, never again.

It works until Henry Green enters her life, with sentimental tales of his grandpa and family. Jessie is drawn in as Henry strives to take care of the man who raised him. But while Henry is putting things in place for his grandpa to retire, his well-intended controlling ways are smothering Jessie.

Can Henry’s invitation back to life and love tempt Jessie to drop the emotional wall, or will Henry give up on chasing the girl she once was?


Review: First of all I want to give this book some cover love. Honestly, this is just a beautiful cover. Even though we are told to not judge a book by its cover, in this case . . it’s ok! The story that is found following that beautiful cover is just as beautiful.

Jessie has been to hell and back through her life, and now all she wants is to be left alone. Her dreams aren’t big. Jessie wants to rebuild the house that was her mom’s; she wants to tend to the land that was her dads. None of which will harm anyone, that is unless you try to come between her those dreams. Her friends and family all know when to give her space and do so accordingly. Yet, when she comes face to face with a piece of her past suddenly her space is getting a little cramped.

Quinn did her dirty and he knows it. Without telling of his wrong doings he takes Henry out there to meet her anyway. Henry has a plan, a plan to give his grandfather a gift of a lifetime. To do it, he is going to need the help of Jessie.

Can Jessie get past the dirty deeds of Quinn to help Henry out?

This has to be my favorite book so far by Keri Ford. It was so well written. Packed with emotion, drama, and having the right amount of romance. This read is very well balanced. Jessie is such a strong woman, and one that stands up for what she believe is right. Henry is a good ole boy; sometimes it’s almost too much. By the end of the book you will find yourself turning the pages with fingers crossed. Hoping that these two can figure out what we already see. Together they are unstoppable.

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Review: The Other Life by Ellen Meister

 fantasy, fiction, Lovely Rose, review, Stephanie O  1 Response »
Dec 022011
 

The Other Life trade paperback cover
The Other Life by Ellen Meister
Release Date: December, 6 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group
Page Count: 353
Source: book provided by the publisher

What if you could return to the road not taken?
Happily married with a young son and another child on the way, Quinn Braverman has the perfect life. She also has an ominous secret. Every time she makes a major life decision, she knows an alternative reality exists in which she made the opposite choice-not only that, she knows how to cross over. But even in her darkest moments-like her mother’s suicide-Quinn hasn’t been tempted to visit . . . until she receives shattering news about the baby she’s carrying.

Desperate to escape her grief, Quinn slips through the portal that leads to her other life: the life in which she stayed with her exciting but neurotic ex- boyfriend, and is childless. The life in which-as she is amazed to discover-her mother is still very much alive.

Quinn is soon forced to make an impossible choice. Will she stay with the family she loves and face the painful challenges that lie ahead? Or will a more carefree life-and the primal lure of being with her mother-pull her into her other life for good?

This gripping emotional journey is both shocking and poignant . . . as the bonds of love are put to the ultimate test.


Review:  When I read the blurb for this book I was struck with this question, What if? Of course I had to give the book a go and just see where it would take me. Would it take me to a happy ever after ending or an ending with nothing but regret. Once I got started with this book I fast realized that it wasn’t a book to be rushed. I would read and let things soak in. I would sit back and think to myself . . “What would I do if I were in Quinn’s shoes?” Some very touchy subjects are worked through in this book. Opening views on things I never gave much thought to. In the end I still wasn’t sure if I would have taken the same path as Quinn, or if I would have walked another road. What I was sure of was, it’s very important to know that each decision we make today changes the path we take tomorrow. Should we try to be a superhero and do it all, we might just cave under all that pressure. Asking for help doesn’t make you any less of a person; if anything it makes you a stronger person. Stronger because you were able to realize a weakness and speak up, not just hide it allowing the pressure of feeling less weigh you down.

We have all sat and wondering what our life would have been like if we had done this or that. This book gives us the chance to kind of see just what that other path may have had in store for us. If you are looking for a book that is going to pull at your heartstrings and make you think about life, this is the book for you.

 
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Review: Anathema by Megg Jensen

 fantasy, review, Rose that Rules All, Stephanie O, YA  No Responses »
Nov 242011
 


Anathema by Megg Jensen
Release Date: February 5, 2011
Series: The Cloud Prophet Trilogy (# 1)
Publisher: Darkside Publishing
Page Count: 206
Source: Print Copy for Review

Forget prophecy. Make your own destiny.

Sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape, slave girl Reychel dreads her fifteenth birthday – when her master’s symbol is burned on the back of her bald scalp. Her best friend disappears the night before, leaving her to face the branding ceremony alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for Reychel’s help.

Can Reychel learn to believe in herself?


Review: This is my second time reading the book. I have to say, it’s like I never even read it . . I am so drawn into it. Even though I am fully aware of what is to come, and what leads to what, I am still getting the same feelings all over again. From the heart pounding excited of escape, to the mind spinning lies, and manipulation that are going on.

Reychel has spent her entire life hidden from the outside. Allowed only brief glimpses of the outside when it was only her and her master. A month before her 15th birthday she is there to comfort her best friend Ivy through her 15th birthday; which brings the branding of a slave to show where they belong. Ivy promised to be there for her as well. Things don’t always go according to plan . . do they?

Grab yourself a copy and get ready for a very intense, emotional ride. That’s pretty much the only way I can describe it. Your heart rate will increase, and your palms will sweat. You may even find yourself ducking to hide behind a tree so you can’t be seen. No matter what range of emotions you feel while reading this book, you will enjoy each and every word of it.

Favorite Quote:  “I can’t let my wife waste away in a cell when there’s dishes to be done.”

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Review: Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts

 Lovely Rose, mystery, review, romantic suspense, Zita  No Responses »
Nov 222011
 

Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts
Series: Lucky O’Toole Las Vegas Adventure (# 2)
Release Date: February 2011
Publisher: Forge
Page Count: 364
Source: FSB Media

Lucky O’Toole—Head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, premier mega-resort on the Vegas Strip—thinks it’s just another night in Las Vegas. A tractor-trailer has spilled its load of a million honeybees, blocking not only the Strip but the entrance to her hotel… the District Attorney for Clark County-apparently the odd man out of a threesome on the twelfth floor-is hiding in the buff in one of the hotel’s laundry rooms… and Numbers Neidermeyer—one of Vegas’ less-than-savory oddsmakers—is arguing with Las Vegas’ ace private investigator, the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock.

The next day, Lucky discovers Ms. Neidermeyer was tossed into the shark tank at the Mandalay Bay Resort as a snack for the Tiger Shark. When the police show up at the Babylon with a hastily prepared search warrant, applied for by the District Attorney himself, and Jeremy lands in the hot seat, Lucky realizes her previous night was far from routine.

Amid the chaos of fight weekend, the hiring of an eccentric new French chef, and her madam mother’s intentions to auction off a young woman’s virginity, Lucky is drawn into a deadly game where no one is what they seem, a game that will end only when she discovers who made fish-food out of Numbers Neidermeyer.

Lucky O’Toole and Fabulous Las Vegas-life doesn’t get any better.


Review: Lucky has another murder mystery to solve and she’s in top form again. As in her debut novel, Ms. Coonts has produced an enjoyable read that grabs you from the first chapter and pulls you along to the last page. In this edition we find out a little more about Lucky and her life while she tries to track down a killer and keep her nearest and dearest out of the hot seat. You’ll cheer her on as she works her way through the well-conceived plot, although, truth be told, I felt kind of sorry for the shark. Ick.


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Review: Wanna Get Lucky? By Deborah Coonts

 Lovely Rose, mystery, review, Stephanie O  No Responses »
Nov 222011
 

Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts
Series: A Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure (# 1)
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
Page Count: 425
Source: book provided by the publisher

A young woman plunges from a Las Vegas sightseeing helicopter, landing in the Pirate’s lagoon in front of the Treasure Island Hotel in the middle of the 8:30 Pirate Show. Almost everyone writes her off as another Vegas victim.

But Lucky O’Toole smells a rat. She’s head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, the newest, most opulent mega-casino and resort on the Strip, so she’s got a lot on her plate: the Adult Film industry’s annual awards banquet, a spouse-swapping convention, sex toy purveyors preying on the pocket-protector crowd attending ElectroniCon…. Still, Lucky can’t resist turning over a few stones.

When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky’s certain she’s no longer dealing with an anonymous Sin City suicide. To top it all off, Lucky’s best friend Teddie–Las Vegas’ finest female impersonator–presses to take their relationship to the next level. Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.

Lucky must manage the Babylon’s onslaught of outrageous festivities, solve a murder, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control… not to mention keep her balance in six inch heels.


Review:  I read the blurb for this book and was struck with interest when I read that is was about Vegas. Not to mention the fact that it pretty much starts out with some chick falling from a helicopter during the pirate show. The book had its hooks in me before chapter one was even over with. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. It didn’t seem to matter what Lucky had dealt with and put to rest, something was always happening and she had to clean up or put out the fire. When the chick falling from a helicopter (that belongs to “her” Casino) shows on the tv, it’s a mad rush to figure out the who, what, when, where, and how before her life as head of customer relations is a thing of the past.

Running around with her Nextel phone, Lucky starts putting together the pieces. At the same time she is trying to figure out just who she can trust. Let’s not forget to mention the fact she is also dealing with her “crazy” mom, and BFF who sparks her interest in more ways than she is ready to admit to.

There were parts of this book that had me laughing and parts that had me holding tight to the pages. The perfect book for those who like a little crime mystery and a dash of romance.

Favorite Quote:  Honestly when I was finished reading I had tags sticking out of the book all over. So my favorite back and forth in the book was:

“Now I get to see yours,” Dane reminded me.

“Well,” I said as I settled into the deep seat. “Before I turn my cards over, I call and raise you one dinner at the restaurant of my choice.”

He whistled. “It must be good.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at my face. “Or you’re bluffing.” He waited a moment and then said, “Okay, I’ll play. What do you have?”

I smile and pressed the intercom switch. “Paolo, take us to Spanish Trail, the east entrance, please.”

“Remind me never to play poker with you,” Dane said he stared . . . .

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Review: Sexting the Limits by Remy Richards

 erotica, review, Rose in Bloom, Stephanie O  No Responses »
Nov 162011
 

Sexting the Limits by Remy Richards
Release Date: October 7, 2011
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Page Count: 63
Source: eBook provided by the publisher

Celeste Benning lost her phone—the lifeline that connects her to everything social. Luckily, she’s able to retrace her steps and find not just her phone, but a hot bartender who leaves her head spinning and a mystery man who sends her sexy text messages that leave her phone smoking. When a gorgeous woman comes into his bar looking for her phone, Grant is only too happy to save the day…and ask her to go out with him the next night. Then he impulsively sends her some anonymous text messages designed to tease and titillate, realizing only too late that he’s just become his own romantic competition. While Celeste wonders how to choose between the sexy, exciting mystery man and lovable, gorgeous Grant, Grant wonders how Celeste will react when she realizes that both men are the same person…and how he can convince her to stay with him forever.


Review: At only 63 pages, this is a quick read. It does pack somewhat of a bunch. After I was finished with it, all I could think about was . . . if I ever lose my phone, PLEASE let it turn out the way this book did!!! Honestly, can you imagine the thrill it would be to have your phone sound off that a text message has come through, only to read something “dirty” from a number you have never seen before?!?! That has to be rush, a thrill unlike any other. This story for sure got my head to thinking, and my pulse picked up a bit as well. A very hot read, for when you need a quickie!

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Review: The Shoppe of Spells by Shanon Grey

 Lovely Rose, paranormal, review, romance, Stephanie O  4 Responses »
Nov 162011
 

The Shoppe of Spells by Shanon Grey
Series: The Gatekeepers
Release Date: July 2, 2011
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Page Count: 244 pages
Source: ebook provided by the publisher

When is a whole more than the sum of its parts? When it has ties to the quaint little town of Ruthorford, GA, as Morgan Briscoe discovers when a cryptic message threatens to change her life forever.

Morgan’s relatively normal life is turned on its ear when she learns not only that she is adopted, but her birth parents are dead and she now holds half-interest in a business with their ward, Dorian Drake, who, despite his riveting good looks, can barely conceal his hostility toward his new partner.

Morgan discovers that she is more than she seems and together she and Dorian have the ability to control a portal to another dimension. Unable to control their growing attraction, Morgan and Dorian dance around their desires and her burgeoning abilities, until danger forces them to face their destiny.


Review: Recently laid off and gone through a break up, Morgan spends her days at her apartment working in her balcony garden of herbs. Until one day when a call would come in that would change everything.

In a matter of one afternoon, she finds that she is not the biological daughter of her “parents”, but that she was put up for adoption and her biological parents are dead. Decisions need to be made and Morgan is jetted off to meet her brother?!

Dorian isn’t actually her brother. However, the two of them hold interest in what her biological parents have built. Trying hard to understand all that has happened, and what it all means . . .Morgan finds that she is drawn to Dorian, and she can’t explain why.

Ok, so take the above mentioned scenario and let’s add in a dash of danger, the unknown, a crazy person (or two), some caring people, and a best friend everyone wishes to have and you have a wonderful story! I really enjoyed this story. I’m very excited about the fact that this is a series and we get to visit again.

So, grab a copy and get ready to fall in love, with Morgan and Dorian as well as all the people that genuinely care for them.

Favorite Quote: A beautiful prison was still a prison.

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Review: True Grime by Natasha Deen

 Lovely Rose, mystery, review, Stephanie O, YA  1 Response »
Nov 062011
 

True Grime by Natasha Deen
Release Date: August 24, 2011
Publisher: Blueberry Hill
Page Count: 275
Source: ebook provided by the author

Grime cop and teen fairy Pepper Powder lives for one thing: protecting the human species from magical zealots who seek to eradicate them with Violent Illness of Unusual Resistance and Strength (humans call them “viruses,” but their mistake is understandable. The very young often get their words wrong.). When a terrorist leader releases a necrophage bomb, it not only decimates Grime headquarters, it turns Pepper into the magical world’s first fairy amputee—but she’s not going to let a little thing like a missing leg stop her. To catch her criminal, and prevent him from unleashing a VIURS in one of the human world’s biggest shopping centers, West Edmonton Mall, she goes undercover as a human. But once Pepper’s theories of humanity collide with the reality of bullies, cliques, and environmental destruction, will she still believe humanity’s worth saving?


Review:  What do you get when you take Crime add some Fairies? True Grime, that’s what.  Pepper Polly Pebble Petunia Power-Puff, yep that’s her name . . and fighting Grime, well that’s what she was born to do. By the book type of gal and always uptight. Secretly crushing on her partner, she wouldn’t know how to flirt with him to save her life . . honestly.
This book is packed full with imagination.

True Grime is the task force of fairies, put together to protect us silly little humans. See, we are too young to know what is best for us. In fact, did you know we have wiped ourselves out almost completely about 8 times? Once it was so bad, that we almost put the entire universe in harm’s way. Also, did you know that 30 mins human time is equal to 5 hrs of fairy time!!!!

True Grime partners Harley and Pepper have worked well together for a long time. Lou their boss wants them together on this mission. However, an accident with Pepper may have put that option in jeopardy. With Dr. Benny and Echo on the job, hopefully this won’t be the case.

This mission to the human realm has Pepper seeing humans in a whole new light. From meeting Malcolm, who seems such a bully . . until she gets a good look at his life and understands why he acts the way he does. To meeting Champagne and getting that tummy turning feeling of jealousy, and finally, meeting Aponi and understanding what it’s like to be human and to be different and to still be able to walk with your head held high.

Pepper aka Powder-Puff is a fairy on a mission, and nothing . . . I mean NOTHING is going to stand in her way. Claude Von Beulow will be back in custody and behind the walls of the Menacres Asylum. With the help of her team and new found friends can they see the job to its end?

I dare you to read this book and:

  1. Look at a mountain the same.
  2. View a volcano as “just” spewing hot lava.
  3. The size of a tree as “small”.

Wonderful book that really makes you think.

Favorite Quote: “You’re lucky I’d never hit a girl.” I leaned in close to him. “Yeah, you too.”

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Review: Nocturne by Syrie James

 Lovely Rose, paranormal, review, romance, Stephanie O  No Responses »
Nov 022011
 

Nocturne by Syrie James
Release Date: January 4, 2011
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Page Count: 264
Source: book provided by the publisher

When Nicole Whitcomb’s car runs off a Colorado mountain road during a blinding snowstorm, she is saved from death by a handsome, fascinating, and enigmatic stranger.

Snowbound with him for days in his beautiful home high in the Rockies, she finds herself powerfully attracted to him and soon comes to realize that the feeling is mutual. But there are things about him that mystify her, filling her with apprehension—and Nicole can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t want her there.

Who is Michael Tyler? Why does he live alone in such a secluded spot and guard his private life so carefully? What secret—or secrets—is he hiding?

Nicole has secrets of her own and a past she is running from—but Michael understands her better than anyone she has ever known. Soon, she is falling as deeply in love with him as he is with her.

But as the sexual tension between them builds, the clues mount up. When Nicole learns the terrifying truth—that her host is an ages-old vampire who is torn between his love for her and his desire for her blood—there’s nowhere for her to run but into the blizzard raging outside, and he’s the only one who can save her life.

Filled with unexpected twists and surprises, Nocturne is a page-turning, haunting, and deeply romantic story of forbidden love that will grab your heart and not let go.


Review: I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I was sitting here thinking . . that over the past year (almost) I can only count 2 books that didn’t “tickle” my fancy. Does that mean I’m easy? Hmmmm. Well, on to THIS book!!!

The story that was told here, is one filled with mystery and a good ole dash of romance. We start the book and we get a good idea of who Nicole is . . but we don’t understand just what her secret is. We can feel the tension and we understand that there is something in her past that she is trying so hard to keep there, but we have no clue what it is. We then meet Michael, her knight in shining amour, there to rescue her from the bitter blizzard that is pounding her now wrecked rental car. Waking up in a strangers home, and getting mixed signals from this stranger; Nicole plans to just try her best to stay out of his way for the time she must remain in his home.

Michael fighting a battle within himself, life for him was fine . . just himself and his barn friends to keep him company. Now he has to deal with feelings he hasn’t felt in a very long time. Bouncing between wanting to keep his distance and wanting to feel that connection again, Michael finds that he is having the hardest time keeping his distance.

No longer able to stay away, Michael and Nicole start to talk . . learning more and more about each other, until both put the pieces together in one way or another about the others past. Unable to fight their attraction for one another they give in, but each has their own ending in mind. Nicole falling fast would love to find a way to stick around longer. Michael frightened that he wouldn’t be unable to control himself forever with her, wants her far away and safe. Who will win?

Warning: You may want to have a tissue handy when you come to the end. No matter how you want it to end, the end it has will make you tear up.

 
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