Showing posts with label Contemporary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contemporary. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2013

My 11 Favorite Contemporaries

My favorite romance novels in the contemporary genre. As with favorite movies, they’re not ranked but organized alphabetically by title and there’s 11 instead of 10 and I’ve summarized as much as I can. You may notice I have a thing for Jennifer Crusie’s books.

The list of my favorite historical romance novels is coming tomorrow!

Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl
Book Two in Donovan series
Published October 2011
A really fun book that takes what is essentially a “bad boy meets good girl” set-up and enriches it. It’s about people who are more than the labels they’ve been given learning how to just be themselves and be together. Jamie and Olivia are a really cute couple.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

About Last Night by Ruthie Knox

About Last Night by Ruthie Knox
Published June 11, 2012

“Listen, City,” she said. “About last night. Thanks for—”
For getting me back on the train? For taking me home with you, undressing me, letting me sleep in your bed, washing my clothes, setting out a towel and a toothbrush for me, and making me breakfast? Oh, and let’s not forget kissing me and touching me until I damn near lost my mind.
“— for taking care of me,” she finished.

Grade: A-

Official Summary from Author’s Site:
Cath Talarico knows a mistake when she makes it, and God knows she’s made her share. So many, in fact, that this Chicago girl knows London is her last, best shot at starting over. But bad habits are hard to break, and soon Cath finds herself back where she has vowed never to go . . . in the bed of a man who is all kinds of wrong: too rich, too classy, too uptight for a free-spirited troublemaker like her.

Nev Chamberlain feels trapped and miserable in his family’s banking empire. But beneath his pinstripes is an artist and bohemian struggling to break free and lose control. Mary Catherine — even her name turns him on — with her tattoos, her secrets, and her gamine, sex-starved body, unleashes all kinds of fantasies.

When blue blood mixes with bad blood, can a couple that is definitely wrong for each other ever be perfectly right? And with a little luck and a lot of love, can they make last night last a lifetime?

I Say:
About Last Night is not light and fluffy; it’s intense and dark, with a very damaged heroine and the world’s hottest banker. I haven’t been reading many contemporaries lately, but Courtney Milan’s review convinced me to give this book—and this author—a try. I’m glad I did.

Sizzling by Susan Mallery

Sizzling by Susan Mallery
Book Three in The Buchanans series
Published February 2007

“She was met by soft, seductive music, lit candles everywhere and the man of her dreams walking toward her.”

If you didn’t roll your eyes or mentally fiddle with the punctuation, this may be the book for you.

Grade: D+

Official Summary from Author’s Site:
Reid Buchanan was always a fan favorite on the baseball diamond. A spiteful article about the former pitcher and current playboy questions his talent in the bedroom. And the newspaper's just the first bad news. Reid's grandmother Gloria's broken hip means she needs constant care—but Reid hired Nurses 1 and 2 for their bedside manner with him. So for Number 3 he chooses Lori Johnson, the first candidate who seems immune to his brand of charm.

Lori's never wasted her time with amoebas like Reid Buchanan. So why are her well-fortified defenses starting to crumble under the force of his sexy smile—and the kindness he shows her at every turn? There's only one explanation for the feelings flaring between them—chemistry. Chemistry so hot, it's sizzling!

I Say:
This was a book I took out from the library because of the title and the cover. Not much thought went into my decision. I expected it to be a light, fluffy, fun, escapist read. And in some parts it was. But other times it was contrived, awkward, or just inappropriate. So I’m pretty glad it came from the library.