The Month in Review
More Romance Please
The following are MRP's 4-5 heart reviews given during the month, plus review that have not yet posted.
We hope you enjoy!
Our Five Heart Reviews
Yummy? Oh, yes indeed. Becky Holmes will do whatever it takes to
protect her baby – too bad she doesn’t have two nickels to rub together. She is
in a world of hurt, and with an evil ex storming back into her life, “worse to
come” is all she can see on her horizon.
Logan Knight is a war vet dealing with PTSD. Too bad he has a
father who thinks real men don’t get PTSD. With a deadline of an ancient ultimatum
looming, Justin is stuck if he can’t produce a wife. And Becky may be forced to
give up custody of her child, unless she can prove she is providing a steady,
safe home for the child.
Thankfully, both have good-hearted meddlers for friends.
The story is wonderfully written, and the baby might actually steal
the show. Tender, funny, endearing, and at times teeth-grinding, Her Temporary
Hero will satisfy that itch for the perfect summertime read.
The lives of a determined photojournalist, an ex-Marine suffering
from PTSD, and an Afghani runaway child-wife weave together in this gripping,
heart-rending, and at times infuriating story. I loved every minute. When Seth
and Phoebe meet, he is on a black-ops mission to Afghanistan. He suffers from
PTSD, and few on his squad believe him capable of doing anything more than
endangering the team, but Phoebe sees something different, and through her,
Seth begins to see things differently, as well.
The story is solidly written, the characters well-drawn and
likable, and the hard issues Tonya Burrows covers are done with a very deft
hand.
Our Four Heart Reviews
I liked this one!! Rich, teen-aged socialite Brooke Kingsley isn’t
willing to simply follow the rules when it comes to her life. For most in her
position, her path is laid out with this simple formula: good grades + good
college + good marriage (based on breeding, not love) + never, ever questioning
the status quo = A Perfect Life. But to Brooke the formula equates to BORING
WASTE OF A LIFE. And she’s not willing to go there – especially when the only
boy who has ever made her heart come to life is the bad boy who lives on the
wrong side of town – one Dylan Crawford.
The constant refrain that all the rich people are bad, selfish, and
shallow, while the poor are paragons of trampled virtue was a bit heavy-handed.
Apparently only these two lovebirds are able to look for, or see worth in
anyone from the other side, a la West
Side Story. Thankfully, this one ends better for all, and that definitely
made me smile.
SHH certainly does not have the pace of a barn-burner, but its
gentle ride-along and lovely writing make for a good read. Macy Stoddard is
called to a new job in a location I never knew existed – Thousand Islands, NY,
on the St. Lawrence River – to be a personal rehab nurse for an elderly woman.
Very early on, Macy must face the realization she is not wanted there by almost
every household member, other than the lady who owns the house and is her charge.
Nevertheless, Macy perseveres, even as events unfold that none in the household
could have foreseen.
At times the story takes on the flavor of a tourist guide as we
visit islands, villages, and learn (perhaps a bit much of) the local history,
but otherwise, the story is charming and worthy of a few quiet hours of reading
enjoyment.
I
enjoyed Tender Deceit – to the point
where I forgot it was the first book in a series. Arrgh, I wanted to know more,
more, more at the end. Patience was never a prominent aspect of my personality.
Sigh.
Forced
to leave Singapore by her father, our heroine, Leah, was shunted off to a
boarding school in England at the age of fourteen, when she refused to stop
seeing her first love, Toran. Why such a drastic measure, you ask? IDK. Toran
was a nice young man, smart, polite, gorgeous as the day is long….oh, maybe
that’s why Daddy intervened. Even so, seems excessive. Regardless, Leah has
made a life for herself in London, but she’s forced to return to her childhood
home on receiving news of her father’s death – a death that may have a suspicious
cause. Once back in country, it doesn’t take long to Leah to see Toran again,
but what are the chances something between them may be rekindled? Before they
can seriously consider the question, they find themselves in the line of fire
of a very important, very ruthless man.
The
writing is strong, the characters well-drawn and likeable. It was a pleasure to
read this book, and I look forward to the next in the series.
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