Blog Tour ~ Creed's Honor by Linda Lael Miller

Title: Creed's Honor
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

 Conner Creed knows exactly who he is: a hardworking rancher carrying on his uncle's legacy in Lonesome Bend, Colorado. Maybe a small-town cowboy's life isn't his dream, but he owes the man who took him in as a kid. Until the identical twin brother he's been estranged from for years reenters his life.

Conner struggles with identity issues as he gets to know his wilder brother. And then he meets Tricia McCall, a beautiful woman who knows a thing or two about living someone else's dreams. Together, they just might find their own dreams right here in Lonesome Bend….

Review:


Connor Creed has all but given up on his own dreams and has decided that he's going to follow in his uncle's boot prints and become a rancher in his hometown of Lonesome Bend, CO.  I thought that the name of the town was more than appropriate for Connor and the way he happens to be feeling.  Then his wild card twin brother, Brody, shows up which is difficult for Connor to swallow.

Tricia McCall ends up in Lonesome Bend after the death of her father and she decides to take over his trailer park for him.  She doesn't intend to stay long, just long enough to sell the trailer park and move herself up to Seattle.  However, her crafty grandmother is working double time behind the scenes to get Tricia and Connor together.  Slowly but surely things start to progress along, then a stray dog named Valentino and Tricia's goddaughter are added to the picture.

I really enjoyed this book a lot.  I can hardly wait until the next book in the series comes out!  The thing that I really liked about this book was it was a romance with some drama and pent up emotions thrown in to keep things interesting.  The dialogue and the interactions between the characters, major as well as minor, felt so natural and like your actually there witnessing the book play out.

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Title: Happy Ever After

Author: Nora Roberts

Series: Brides Quartet #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin Group

Release Date: 2010, November 2

Format: E-book, 368 pages

Source: Purchased for my Nook

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 2.75/5

Synopsis:

As the public face of Vows wedding planning company, Parker Brown has an uncanny knack for fulfilling every bride's vision. She just can't see where her own life is headed. Mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker is no exception. Both know that moving from minor flirtation to major hook-up is a serious step. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart.

Review:

This in my opinion was an AWESOME SAUCE series!  I'm really sad to see it come to an end.  I thought that all of the stories in this quartet were incredible but I think that I really enjoyed Parker's story a bit more than the rest.  Park is very organized and likes things to run just so and when you throw hottie mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh into the picture things just get more than a little bit off kilter for Parker.

Malcolm is the exact opposite of what Parker usually goes for in a man.  He's a mechanic, he's got a tricked out classic car AND a motorcycle...Which Parker gets on more than once.  He's also unpredictable, which sort of bothers Parker in the beginning. As different as he is from Parker I think that is what made him perfect for her.  He threw her off her game and made her come out of her comfort zone.

Overall, I really thought that Roberts hit this one out to the park. The main characters are perfect for each other, even if it took them FOREVER to realize it.  I liked that along with the romance there were parts with some humor to keep things from getting too over the top.  I think my two favorite scenes in the book were: when Parker is describing her hypothetical tattoo to Mrs. G and when the other guys are telling Mal how they feel now that they've found their "The One."

Blog Tour ~ A Creed In Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller

Title: A Creed In Stone Creek
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Series:
Publication Date: February 22, 2011

Synopsis:

When single attorney Steven Creed becomes guardian of an orphaned five-year-old boy, he trades his big-city law firm for a ranch near his McKettrick kin in the close-knit community of Stone Creek, Arizona. Taking care of little Matt and fixing up his run-down ranch house with its old barn loosens something tightly wound inside him. But when Steven takes on the pro bono defense of a local teen, he meets his match in the opposing counsel—beautiful, by-the-book county prosecutor Melissa O'Ballivan. It'll take one grieving little boy, a sweet adopted dog and a woman who never expected to win any man's heart to make this Creed in Stone Creek know he's truly found home.

Review:

Steven Creed comes to Stone Creek, AZ to make a new life for himself with his newly adopted son Matt.  Personally, Matt was the best part of the story for me.  Kids say the darngdest things!  Not long after arriving in Stone Creek and buying a "run down" ranch he meets Melissa O'Ballivan, a Stone Creek native. When Steven and Melissa meet there are sparks and an instant attraction. But they have both endured bad relationships in the past which makes the falling in love part very interesting.

Worse yet...They are both attorney's.  Melissa is a prosecutor and Steven is in the process of setting up his practice in Stone Creek as a defense attorney.  Oil and water!  When a local case comes up and these two end up going against each other in court they definitely butt heads.  But no matter how bad it gets their values and love for family are still the same and in the end help each of them.  Once they each get over their individual hang ups and insecurities they are well on their way to a happy ending. That last sentence makes it sound simple, but nothing is ever simple when two VERY stubborn people are added to the mix.

My main hang up with this particular book was Melissa.  I think that at times she was written as a borderline "man hater."  I think she definitely met her match in Steven Creed though.  He's a very determined guy.  Like I said above, I think little Matt was my favorite part of the book.  He kept the story "young and fresh."

RATING:

4/5

Whispering Rock (Virgin River #3) by Robyn Carr *Tiny Spoiler*

Title: Whispering Rock
Author: Robyn Carr
Series: Virgin River #3


Synopsis:

The tightly knit community of Virgin River has been a safe haven for more than a few lost souls over the years -- and there's always room for more . . .
 
A decorated U.S. Marine reservist, LAPD officer Mike Valenzuela was badly wounded in the line of duty, but has found hope and healing in Virgin River. When he agrees to become the town's first cop, he does so knowing it's time he settled down. Twice divorced and the lover of too many women, he secretly longs for the kind of commitment and happiness his marine buddies have found -- a woman who can tie up his heart forever. He finds that woman in Brie Sheridan, a Sacramento prosecutor who understands his drive to protect and serve. Virgin River becomes a safe haven for Brie after nearly losing her life at the hands of a crazed criminal. Though tough and courageous, she's got some fears she can't escape -- but now she has someone who will show her just what it means to trust again.

Mike will do anything to help Brie free herself from painful memories. Passionate, strong and gentle, he vows to give back to her what she's so selflessly given him -- her heart, and with it, a new beginning.

Review:

OMG!  I LOVE Robyn Carr!  Or at least I LOVE this series so far!  I really am glad that I found this series.  I found this book to be full of humor **TINY SPOILER ALERT** (Preacher announces to his Marine buddies he isn't going hunting cause it's ovulation day) **END SPOILER** , Men getting into trouble with their wives (see spoiler), as well as the original cast with a few new cast members thrown in.

Mike and Brie are both the victim's of tragic crimes and their courtship and romance through out the book is very sweet and very touching.  I loved how they both ended up relying on each other to get through their hardships.  Another aspect that I really enjoyed was when Mike would say things to Brie in Spanish and didn't realize that she's pretty much fluent in the language.

Then there's a deeper look in to Mel and Jacks' relationship.  There's more challenge's coming for these two.  They've been very bsusy people. ;)  Then Jack get's himself in trouble AGAIN...He's not handling the fact that his baby sister might have feeling for Mike.

One of my favorite scenes was when Vanni makes Paul (her husband's best friend) watch a birthing video with her because she wants him there when she has her baby.  To say that Paul reverted back to about 3 years old and on the verge of a temper tantrum is an under statement.  FUNNY STUFF!

There were a few sad parts too.  There have been a series of date rapes happening and Mike as the new town constable is working on the case.  Those parts were a little hard to read.  Then there is the death of Vanni's husband, and active duty Marine.  A very sad reality.

RATING:

4.75/5

Shelter Mountain (Virgin River #2) by Robyn Carr

John "Preacher" Middleton is about to close the bar when a young woman and her three-year-old son come in out of the wet October night. A marine who has seen his share of pain, Preacher knows a crisis when he sees one—the woman is covered in bruises. He wants to protect them, and he wants to punish whoever did this to her, but he knows immediately that this inclination to protect is something much more. Paige Lassiter has stirred up emotions in this gentle giant of a man—emotions that he has never allowed himself to feel.

But when Paige's ex-husband turns up in Virgin River, Preacher knows his own future hangs in the balance. And if there's one thing the marines' motto of Semper Fidelis—always faithful—has taught him, it's that some things are worth fighting for.

Why I decided to read this book: I signed up to try to win a copy of Promise Canyon on Goodreads and I decided to start at the beginning of the series so that book 11 would makes sense to me.  I was also able to download the first 4 books of the series on to my Nook as a book bundle! :)

Likes?.....: I really liked Preacher.  He's a big ole burly badass former Marine who doesn't think that he's capable of loving or being loved.  I also enjoyed Paige and Chris who bring out the best and at some points in the book, the worst in Preacher.  I also really enjoyed how the town rallied around Paige and Chris to make sure that they were safe from Paige's abusive ex-husband.  Oh and let's not forget about "unlovable" Preacher turned lover extraordinaire Preacher.  Everyone calls Preacher by his nickname rather than his given name in town, then Paige comes along and starts calling him John and to me that was pretty sexy in it's VERY simple way.

Dislikes?.....: Paige's brother and ex husband....They BOTH deserve to be beaten to within an inch of their lives in my honest opinion.  There were a couple of odd breaks in the story that seemed a little off to me but not enough to be distracting.

Overall: I think that this book was even better than the first book in the series.  Another one that once I started reading I had a VERY difficult time putting down.  I think that the series builds really nicely from one book to the next with the inclusion of new characters as well as reoccurring roles of the "regulars."  I can hardly wait to keep reading!  I'm just soooo mad at myself for not reading this series before now!

Virgin River by Robyn Carr

 

 Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against the backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning.

But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans…and a former marine cements them into place.

Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape, but instead she finds her home.

Why I decided to read this book: I signed up to try and win a copy of Promise Canyon on Goodreads and thought that I should probably start at the beginning so book 11 might actually make sense to me...provided I was able to win a copy. :)  Lucky me...I was able to find the first four books bunched together in a bundle available on my Barnes and Noble Nook.

Likes?.....: I really liked the premise of the story....Jack and Melinda (Mel) are both damaged souls looking for a change....and Boy Howdy do they get it in spades!  I also enjoyed the mostly good hearted turmoil between Doc and Mel....everyone thinks he needs some help and he doesn't.  I also enjoyed picturing Jack helping out the town as well as helping with a an abandoned newborn baby....Here's this big burly badass former Marine who is actually a gentle giant underneath all that big burly badassness.  I also enjoyed the reunion with Jack and his fellow Marine buddies and Jack's "fall from Grace" as a result of the reunion.

Dislikes?.....:  I think that the reason for Mel to stick around at times was a little thin.  Sure Mel's a midwife and babies are her thing but once she made sure that the baby was safely placed she could have easily taken off.  I also thought that in some places (not very many, just a few) that the story was a little bit rushed.  Another small thing that kind of rubbed me the wrong way a little bit at the beginning of the story was how Jack became almost instantaneously possessive of Mel.

Overall:  I think that this was a pretty good start to the Virgin River series.  Minus my few quirks with the book I think that it was a VERY good. Once I started reading it I was pretty much sucked in and could NOT put it down.  But my quirks prevented this story from getting a 5/5.  Jack and Mel's story is very sweet and it makes me wish I had a big burly badass Marine who's just a big ole gentle giant underneath all that badassness!