Independent Woman versus Stubborn Male
924131
Great story of two very independent strong-willed people. Storyline is well developed and characters grow well together. Very good love story.
376600
I really enjoyed this story. The husband goes over the edge with jealousy and the h has no real memory of what happened so she cannot convince him she did nothing wrong - she's not positive but knows herself and that she would NEVER betray her beloved.

I wish the story had been longer and developed the characters more. I also REALLY wanted to see the person who set her up get what they had coming!!!

Overall, a good read.
4813481
Quick read! Car is smart, uptight & very stubborn but Mr. Cress is also smart & very determined. She's doesn't trust him but can she resist his magnetism, he's alpha--instantly drawn to her so rejection isn't in his vocabulary. Amazing the things a man will do to get the woman of his dreams.
4316870
The title of the song is based upon advice given to the lead singer, by a female he met, 'long years ago.'  The advice is, that, when it comes to female relationships, that a man should 'Hold On Loosely' female, but that he should not hold on too tight, or he'll 'lose control' of the situation!  Good advice that should be considered as one wanders through the obstacle course(s) of life.  Right?  Right.  Basically, the advice is this, 'Give your baby a little 'spank' on the toosh reminding her that you are paying attention to her actions, and that you care, and are aware that other men might be interested, and that you have a 'potential' for some jealousy should a situation arise - but just a little 'spank' - just reminding her that you're the man.  If you try to actually control her - she'll 'SPANK' you back 100 times harder than you could ever handle!  So, the advice, from a woman, for the benefit of man, is to just 'Hold On Loosely' - and she'll continue to 'play along' and let you 'think' that you're in control!

Advice.

Everyone's got it.

:-)
4286762
I like this one.  The hero is different.  He is a 2nd son who enjoys being a second son.  After his wife gives birth to a fifth daughter and nearly dies, Lord Ashmore stays away from his wife and calls his brother, George Sinclair, home from India.  George is fun and gets along well with his sister-in-law.  That is why when he blames her in a semi serious conversation, she just blows him off.  They have always understood each other better than he and his brother.  His brother decides to name him his heir and find him a suitable woman to produce another heir and spare.

Lady Haywood is looking for her next husband.  She has been widowed four times before and wants a child more than anything.  She does not want to get married unless one is on the way.  She keeps running into George who is truly smitten, but they both know the Earl would never approve of his marriage and he loves his brother too much to disappoint him.  He finds a suitable debutante who might end up being a Lady Haywood, but having Lady Haywood to judge her by makes her a poor second.

The frustrations of trying to stay in society and the problems of infertility make this book a little different than most.  George was a great hero.  The secondary story of the Earl and Countess of Ashmore was a little sadder and the Earl was a bit of a tool.  He was so bound by society's whims and yet refused to continue to try to have a male heir as society dictated.
4679887
As newlyweds twelve years ago, my husband and I were experts at fighting. We are both oldest children and had lived as independent adults for a few years.  We both had pretty strong ideas about how day to day life should go.  We really needed PLEDGE in our communication tool box.
3840548
Wow, the Hero had absolutely no problem forgiving Heroine for leaving him, despite his assertion that he wanted nothing to do with her.  Within a week, they were having sex (we have no idea why he thought they had a long-term future, he barely asked her and apparently believed her), within a month he was ready to propose.  Um, why?  What was so great about her, that he could get past her rejection of him 15 years ago so that she could "sow her wild oats"  (direct quote from her)?

I just think there were some important trust issues that needed to be confronted here, instead of just rushing into a HEA.
304841
Living a sheltered life, having all the perks until the fraud that her father prepetuates changes her life forever. This should not have happened to a young college girl. Fortunately, after hard work, lonliness, depression, she emerges a stronger young woman. Her father. still not available to fess up to his part in this crime against his daughter.
2421092
Brings out the sometimes ridiculous double standards between genders. While women on average are not physically as strong as men, their wit and intelligence should not be overlooked. Things are not so one-sided for a determined (and desperate) young woman.
2472771
Learning to be assertive in a restrictive, male-dominated world becomes an adventure for sisters trying to stand firm and survive in the early 1900s on their own.  What gutsy ladies!
3875801
Being a "Surrendered Woman" means loosening your iron fist and relinquishing some of that control back to the MAN (not boy) you married.  It means accepting your husband for the unique individual he is, instead of trying to teach him how to be more like you.  I found in my own marriage, that as I expect less of my husband, he expects less of himself and the more headstrong I am, the less my husband seems to care about making decisions.  Of course I have a hard time accepting that I have so much power over how he feels about himself and how he acts in our relationship (don't men have minds of their own?!), but nonetheless, I can chat with my girlfriends about why husbands are so affected by their wives - I needed a practical way to deal with the fact that my husband seemed to be reverting to childhood.  By ignoring my natural inclination to take control and leaving control of the relationship "up for grabs," my husband had the opportunity to take it back (Yes, back.  Remember dating your husband?  Did he decide where to eat dinner, what to do, who would pay, etc?  If he was capable of making good decisions then, he is still capable of making them now!) and, here's the best part, HE DID!  Now he is more confident in himself and we are happier at home.  By relying on him to change the oil in the car before my trip, wash the dishes "correctly" or drive us safely to our destination, I am telling him I trust him, need him and find him to be capable.  Who doesn't want to that?

The concepts in Doyle's book are nothing new to those of us who read Christian-based marriage books; however, Doyle made a few distinctions that I found extremely helpful.

1. When you revert to your old, controlling behavior (habits are hard to break), remind yourself that if you have done ONE thing in this book you have made progress!  Don't beat yourself up over the times you mess up.
2. Apologize often and be specific.
3. Do not look to your husband for positive encouragement on this journey back to the real you.  Your husband married you because you are a wonderful, loving, fun individual - not because you are a scary, controlling, mother-figure!  Reverting back to the girl he fell in love with does not deserve a pat on the back from him.  Talk to your girlfriends for support, they will be more than happy to admire you when you take the high road in your relationship.

Although they may seem obvious, these three points made a big difference for me.  The only part of the book I did not agree with was the section on finances.  My husband and I had a very frank discussion and we decided that, for us, me handling the budget/bill pay just works better.  Other than that, this is one of the best books I've read concerning marriage from a wife's perspective.  I liked Doyle's practical approach.  She didn't sugar coat how hard it will be to change learned behaviors.  It is HARD to give up control, but it is VERY nice to not be responsible for every little thing in the relationship all the time. I would recommend it to any woman who is having a hard time letting go control.
4235870
He has bo idea  how to  care for  his nephew .  After his sister's  death he takes custody of her son. His world  is business  and the  occasional  woman  for relaxation .  She is  a  fun, witty  down  to  earth  woman  with  strong  ambition  to  build  her own  business .  Desperate  for  help he accepts a referral  from  a friend  for a  nanny. Can he keep  his hands  to himself  or will he once again  let his libido  turn  his world upside  down
2933439
I loved this book!! A great story about how woman had to be stubborn and tenacious in order to show they were equal to men. An inspiriational story on how not to give up when you want something badly enough. A great look at the Civil War from the perspective of all involved...men and women. Meeting the author this weekend at a book signing!
2255214
Rafe is a man that gets the things he wants, the way he wants them. He came up from nothing his refusal to hear the word no and his drive to succeed has made him a billionaire. It has also gotten him basically put on house arrest due to driving himself so hard he got ill and needs to recover. Rafe is bored doing nothing which makes his already angry and intimidating personality even worse. That is until Janna literally scales the walls to his "castle" determined to talk to him about saving the animals. I actually liked Rafe despite his severe lack of tact or "PCness". It was made clear, to me, why he was the way was and the struggle to come to terms with needing anything, much less love someone was well done.

Janna is just as determined as Rafe to get what she needs to keep her animals free and that is exactly what he uses against her. Janna has her own issues with getting close to a man. Her inner strength tempered with the vulnerability that she doesn't want to admit to or show anyone was something I did like.

This is a good quick read. If you have issues with definite alpha males that are over the top and not in the least worried about what others think you won't like this one. I didn't think I would - I was wrong.

(I was given a copy in return for an honest review.)
3199618
When Lucy stepped off the train she was a larger woman than Levi had expected. She did not tell him that she was a heavy set woman. There is another woman that showed up even after she was not invited. Clara has a problem that she needs to overcome if she expects to be taken for a serious prospect for a wife for any decent man. When you read this story you will understand what I mean.
586993
To pay for her senior year of college, Sasha applies for a job as a submissive for part of her summer.  Its a month long gig which will pay handsomely leaving a bit of pocket money after the bills.  Plus it is located in a resort outside of Big Bear.  While having never actually submitted, she has been curious of the BDSM for a while.  To her, it seems like a win win situation.

Anderson is a grumpy man who has been burned before and now holds resentment and mistrust towards all submissives.  Although already an introvert, he now has become further aloof even at the retreat he started.  As a defense mechanism he withholds himself from enjoying the lifestyle he finds innate.

Andersons closest friends have pushed the issue to hire a submissive for him.  So as a forced situation, he is initially quite resistant to it.  But after a short period of time, he realizes how new she is and feels the urge to protect and mold her.  The bigger question is will she teach him to trust again.

I found this to be intriguing and at times even a bit uncomfortable.  I love a good BDSM book!  In some ways I would love to get on my soapbox about it not being a responsible view of the lifestyle in how much Sasha would do with Anderson that wasn't agreed upon, however, we don't really know what the agreement was other than she accepted to be his submissive for a month.  Their relationship also tends to lean towards a 24/7 D/s or even a M/s liaison.  I, personally, find the M/s relationships to be unnerving but that has more to do with a your kink is fine its just not my kink kind of way.  This story seems to lack romance but not emotion.  It is an erotic display of an arranged relationship with an option to decide to continue.  It reminds me quite a bit of Red Phoenixs Brie series with a bit of the Hotel Bentmoore series by Shelby Cross.

Rating:  4 Stars

To see more reviews like this, go to <a href="http://www.smutandbonbons.com">Smut and Bonbons.</a>
~Complimentary copy received in exchange for honest review.~
3399589
It isn't too often that I want to bang my head against a wall from the stubbornness and unmoving character qualities of a heroine. But that's what I desperately wanted to do while I read Courting Cate by Leslie Gould.

Cate Miller, a self-proclaimed spinster at age twenty-three, has tried her best to be happy with her life as her father's store secretary. Her father was considered wealthy, and any time that Cate thought a man might make a move on her, she and her fiery attitude cut him down. He was only after her father's money, right? Cate believed that she wanted to stay unmarried--let her younger sister Betsy have the husband and kids!

But when her father Bob decides that Cate has to get married before Betsy can, things get ugly. Cate, in her stubbornness, attempts to refuse. Betsy, flirty and friendly (unlike Cate), is already being courted. Knowing that her father has made this declaration, Betsy is driven to grief and hatches a plot to get Cate hitched.

When drifter Pete Treger comes to town looking for a job and a wife, Cate's family gets some bright ideas. (Or not so bright.) But Pete arrives in town with his own issues to deal with, and, like Cate, is about as stubborn as they come. When he gets a job working for Bob Miller in his store, he soon proves his worth to Bob. And Bob's decision for Cate to marry first is just all the more solid in his mind.

I found a few things in this novel that irritated me, and it's all about the character development. ***SPOILER ALERT!!***

First was the feeling that the author was trying too hard to make these two butt heads. Their behaviors were very annoying to me. Second, Cate had no homemaking skills. This didn't add up for someone who had decided to be a spinster--she'd still need to take care of herself, right? Third, Cate raised her sister Betsy after their mother died, and Betsy ended up being a bit spoiled and conniving. Although I will say at the beginning of the story, Betsy didn't seem that way. The fact that Cate made a decision that would benefit Betsy so much seemed a bit too unreal to me. Fourth, Pete started out as this nice, friendly guy who doted on Cate, and then in the middle of the book he became this hard, uncaring person who paid her no attention. Shoot, he even made her hitch-hike to another state in the pouring rain!! For a guy who seemed to really really like her at first, this just felt unbalanced. Fifth, at the end of the story, Cate comes to an epiphany about Pete's family that was too rushed. When I read it, I turned back a page to see if I'd missed something--it was that shocking to me. Sixth, it was devoid of feeling between the two main characters until the very end, and even then it wasn't a "Wow, they are SO in LOVE!" moment for me.

I liked this story, though, because I think that Leslie genuinely had a nice story line. The plot was very much more developed than the characters were. Her description was very good, and the writing was very nice. There were bits of unpredictability thrown in that was refreshing. The story is written in First Person POV, and it read smoothly.

All in all, I liked this book and look forward to the next book in the series.