Archives for December 9, 2016

** Review ** MARRIED FOR THE GREEK’S CONVENIENCE Michelle Smart

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

** Review **  MARRIED FOR THE GREEK’S CONVENIENCE  Michelle SmartMarried for the Greek's Convenience by Michelle Smart
Series: Brides for Billionaires
Published by Harlequin Presents on January 1, 2017
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four-half-stars

Vows never broken…

He was the man she never wanted to see again… Exclusive matchmaker Elizabeth Young cannot believe it when Xander Trakas storms back into her life, announcing that their disastrous marriage was never annulled!

His was the bed she never thought she'd share again… It would be so easy to surrender to the fire that still flickers between them, but can Elizabeth risk giving her heart to the formidable Greek again?

His was the ring she never thought she'd wear again… With guardianship of Xander's precious nephew at stake, Elizabeth just can't refuse her husband's demand!

An emotion filled reunion story!  If you’ve been reading any of the Brides for Billionaires series, you will be familiar with the main characters of this story as we’ve seen them slightly in the previous books in the series, and now it’s time to finally learn about their past together.  I enjoyed getting to know what shaped them both into the people that they were in their individual lives, and watching them find their way back to the innocent love they once shared … only better!

Billionaire matchmaker Elizabeth Young had her heart broken at a young age, but she didn’t let it stop her from establishing herself with a successful business that caters to a successful crowd.

Greek billionaire Xander Trakas never expected to see Elizabeth again, but when he discovers the quickie annulment they thought had happened a decade ago was never actually completed, he decides to contact her to help him out with getting guardianship of his nephew.

Elizabeth doesn’t want to forgive Xander for the way he treated her all those years ago, but she can’t deny that the pull towards him is still there.  Will they part ways again when all is said and done or will this be a blessing in disguise that brings them back to each other again?

four-half-stars

** Review ** THE COWBOY’S RUNAWAY BRIDE Nancy Robards Thompson

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

** Review **  THE COWBOY’S RUNAWAY BRIDE  Nancy Robards ThompsonThe Cowboy's Runaway Bride by Nancy Robards Thompson
Series: Celebration, TX
Published by Harlequin Special Edition on January 1, 2017
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four-half-stars

And the bride wore…running shoes?

Publicly shamed by her former fiancé, Lady Chelsea Ashford Alden has fallen from grace and her intimate life has become fodder for the British tabloids. On the run from the paparazzi, there's only one place for the errant aristocrat to wait out the scandal: her best friend's cottage in Celebration, Texas…

Instead of foiling a burglar, rancher Ethan Campbell startles a gorgeous blonde in the bathtub! Chelsea covers up…her true identity. But not her sizzling attraction to the tall, dark and hunky cowboy. Ethan has loved and lost, and until Chelsea, he never thought he'd love again. But he doesn't know her secret, and if she reveals the truth, he might be the one to run this time around.

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A sweet opposites attract story with a sexy cowboy and a touch of royalty!  A group of fun characters set the stage for a growing romance as the rancher meets the secret royal and falls head over heels!

On the run from a British tabloid scandal thanks to her ex and one particularly nosy reporter, Lady Chelsea Ashford Alden escapes the country and heads to visit her best friend since college in Celebration, Texas.  She needs to remain under the radar so she doesn’t bring the rabid reporters to this cozy little town, so she hides her true identity from the locals.

Rancher Ethan Campbell is a good guy and watching over his neighbors house when he knows she’s out of town, so imagine his surprise when he finds Chelsea in the bathtub when he goes to investigate someone being in what should be an empty house!  Once the mistake is taken care of, Ethan can’t help appreciating the beauty of the visitor to his little town!

When sparks fly each time they are together, Chelsea and Ethan give in and let their emotions lead them into exploring what they are feeling.  Will the fact that he still doesn’t know her secret identity come back to bite her when all is said and done?

four-half-stars

** Blog Tour / Book Review ** CHRISTMAS ON CRIMSON MOUNTAIN Michelle Major

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

** Blog Tour / Book Review **  CHRISTMAS ON CRIMSON MOUNTAIN  Michelle MajorChristmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major
Series: Crimson, Colorado
Published by Harlequin Special Edition on December 1, 2016
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five-stars

LOVE ON THE MOUNTAIN

Peace and quiet—that’s all Connor Pierce wanted from the rented cabin on Crimson Mountain. Yet the caretaker turned out to be lovely April Sanders—a total distraction. As were the two little girls she was caring for. Connor’s plan to forget his painful past soon detoured into giving the ladies a Christmas to remember.

Being named guardian of two motherless girls has upended April’s world. Add to the mix a mysterious, brooding writer claiming he wanted to be left alone while going out of his way to bring a little joy to the girls, and she has quite the quandary. April had counted herself out of a happy ending. But maybe Santa still had a few surprises up his merry old sleeve…

 

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Michelle Major turns our emotions inside out with the latest in her Crimson, Colorado series! With her normal “get to the heart of it” style, she instantly wraps our hearts around two little girls and two people who have been hit hard by life. I found myself hoping against hope that these four people could heal each other’s pain. It’s sad, it’s sweet, it’s raw … and you even find yourself chuckling out loud a few times amidst the emotion because the kids are that adorable and sassy. Loved it!

Connor Pierce was just seeking some peace and quiet when he rented a cabin on Crimson Mountain for a couple of weeks, but when the caretaker shows up with kids in tow, he is sure this is going to be a nightmare!

April Sanders doesn’t know what to make of the unhappy man staring her down when she introduces herself, but there’s no way she’s going to turn those little girls away from the happy Christmas they desperately need.

Connor doesn’t know how to interact with the world anymore, but he can’t resist helping these little girls heal when he sees the sadness in their eyes. Will this be just what he needs to wake up to life again? And will April finally have to face her fears and decide a future isn’t so bad?

 

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EXCERPT from Christmas on Crimson Mountain:

“Thank you for taking care of me these past couple of days.”

She sniffed. “It’s my job.”

He acknowledged her words with a small nod, or maybe it was the bitterness creeping into her tone that he recognized. “How are Ranie and Shay?”

“Do you really care?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “Even though I don’t want to care. The other night…on the highway…it affected me. Hearing that scream when the car slid on the road and the headlights moving closer.” He paused and a shudder ran through him. “I’m sorry I disappeared, but I wasn’t fit company for anyone after that.”

“It’s fine.” She tried to hold on to her anger even as it slipped through her body like grains of sand through her fingers. She needed that anger. It was safer with this man. Safer for her heart. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“I want to give you one anyway.” His hold on her gentled and he rubbed his thumb over the sensitive flesh on the inside of her wrist. “I’ve missed you, April. I’ve spent the past three years alone, and suddenly I’m lonely without you. I stopped caring. I didn’t think I had it in me to care, and I’m still so turned around. Every little thing sets me off and I can’t stop it. But I also can’t stop wanting to be near you. It doesn’t make sense.”

She closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions that poured through her at his words and the gentle pressure to her skin.

“Do you know,” he asked, shifting so close now that she could feel his breath against her hair, “that I listen for the door to close after you leave and rush down to the kitchen because your scent lingers after you’re gone?”

She huffed out a laugh that sounded breathless to her own ears. “Are you saying I smell?”

“Like lavender and vanilla. I’ve made an idiot of myself the past two days following traces of you around the house.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to know what you do to me, even if I should stay away. It’s better for both of us if I turn around and walk back to my bedroom until you’re gone.”

She waited a moment, but he didn’t move. “You’re not walking.”

“Hell if I can make myself go.”

“Don’t go,” she whispered. Slowly, as if she were gentling a stray animal, she lifted her hand. Her finger brushed the prickly strands of his dark beard, and his lips parted.

“I forgot to shave,” he muttered.

“Too busy?”

He took a breath, released it and then nodded. “Writing.”

“Connor,” April whispered. “That’s wonderful.”

He shrugged and looked away. “Who knows how long it will last. But the words are coming. So damn many, drowning me with their force. It’s like…”

She pressed her palm to his cheek, gratified when he leaned into it. “Like what?”

“Like it used to be.” He said the words softly, as if they were an apology. April could feel the tension in his body and wished, just for a moment, she could transfer his pain to herself. Give him a few seconds of remembering what it was like to live without the weight of guilt and sorrow bearing down on him.

“Look at me,” she said, moving closer to him, pressing into his warmth. His arms came around her waist, his hands splayed open against her back. She could feel their heat and strength through the thin cotton of her pajama shirt. So much talent flowed out of those hands. The worlds he created within his imagination and put on paper for readers to discover. “You have a gift, Connor Pierce.”

“It’s not—”

“Don’t say it. Whatever you’re thinking.” She brushed her lips over his. “Those words are in you. The stories you write are part of you.”

“How can they still be there when I’m dead inside, April? They were part of my life before, but now I’m—”

“You’re here,” she told him, and held her hand to his chest. His heartbeat was strong and sure under her palm. “With me. Now.”

“You make me feel things I’d thought I lost the capacity to feel. You make me want things—” His voice broke off as he drew in another deep breath. He leaned down until their foreheads touched. They stood that way for several long moments, her lips just grazing his. She breathed him in and it felt like she was pulling his essence into her lungs. Like he was part of her. A part she thought she’d lost after the illness and heartbreak that had changed who she was inside.

“I’m sorry I can’t be the man you deserve,” he whispered. “I’ll hurt you and girls. I hurt everyone—”

“Not now.” She pressed her mouth to the base of his neck, tasted the salt on his skin and wanted more. “This moment is ours.”

He claimed her mouth then, kissed her until the feel and taste of him was all she knew. Everything else burned away in the flame that was her need for him. He pulled her closer, if that was possible. Their tongues tangled and his hands skimmed under the shirt and up her spine, sending tingles as they moved. His kiss was demanding and consuming, and every inch of her body burned for him. For more.

His lips trailed over her jaw and he nipped at the sensitive flesh of her earlobe. “Will you stay?”

The simple question rocked her. How was it that such a longing could have been buried inside her and she’d never guessed? Even at her most in-love-and-alive, she’d never felt anything quite like the force of her desire for Connor. Still, she shook her head. “I have to go back in case the girls need me. If Shay wakes up…”

“I understand,” he said, pulling his hands from underneath her shirt.

No, her body screamed. Don’t let him go.

“Come with me,” she told him, lacing her fingers with his.

He stared at her, his eyes unreadable once more. She hated that he could slip behind his mask so easily. She wanted to break through until she saw every bit of him, good and bad. She wanted to know him and, in return, allow him access to all the secret places she kept hidden from the rest of the world.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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Michelle Major grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in Journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at www.michellemajor.com.

Connect with Michelle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

 

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