fun, adventure and sweet romance
340306
I actually have this book in paperback but I wanted my mom to be able to read in large print so I bought the Kindle version.  I enjoyed reading it this time as much as I did when it first came out.
1153514
Anyone who yearns for romance and adventure will enjoy this story. The characters were warm and engaging, and the plot was sweet. Not to mention all the delicious sounding food! This was my first Misty Beller novel, and I can understand why her stories are so popular. I'm looking forward to the next one. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
3985954
4 stars for a quick pace, sweet, and adventurous read.

I liked this story. The writing was beautiful, and the life of pirates were realistically drawn.

Initially I didn't love our heroine, Charity. She threw me with her attraction to James, in a situation that seemed fraught with danger, where only fight or flight should have been on her mind. Then her refusal to stay in the cabin befuddled and annoyed me. I mean where would she go? She was a stowaway on a pirate ship! Yet she was adamant in wanting to leave the safety of James cabin .to go onto the deck with a hundred lusty pirate? LOL

After a few chapters I started to warm to Charity, then I fell in love with her character. Spunky and determined, yet vulnerable, I rooted for her till the very end. Our hero James was just as charming, honorable, and endearing. I thought James and Charity were good together, and the slow buildup of attraction between them was realistic and very sweet.

I liked the setting very much. I could picture everything, and the few adventurous moments were truly heart pounding.

Would I recommend this story? YES

I am anticipating the second book in the series
3035817
It was a really enjoyable read, a romantic evasion after a stressed day at work. It 's a clean romance, sweet with several twists that make it a very attractive story.
Easton wants only occasional stories. He changes very often the place where he lives. During the time he is there, he meets a girl, uses her for the time that remains there and then disappears without regrets. He has yet to find the woman who will steal his heart forever. After nine years of engagement Derek asks Lani to marry him. She is hesitant, she should leave her grandmother alone and leave Hana, the beautiful city of Hawaii that now feels as her home. But his declaration of love is so deep and romantic that opens her heart and convinces her to say yes. The doubts return when in the bed and breakfast that manages with her grandmother arrives Easton.
I really like this series, these books are very romantic with a character in common, the matchmaker Pearl, a lady very mysterious, almost magical.
This book was completely enjoyable. I loved Easton and Lani, both are real and extraordinary and I loved also how Pearl tries to encourage their history.
I recommend it to those who love Hawaii and contemporary romance.
2996742
This is a sweet Christian romance in an unusual setting, at least from my personal reading experience. The main characters are truckers in Wyoming. Randi is a spunky but vulnerable heroine. Shattered dreams have set her on this path of independence. Matthew is a young preacher who dreams of ministering to the trucking community. Danger and unexpected events throw these two unlikely people together. Unanticipated responsibilities cause Randi to question the direction her life is taking. Can Randi learn to trust again? Is Matthew willing to give up his dream? Not only is this a fun romance, it is a story of seeking God's direction, His will for one's life.

I found this to be an enjoyable story. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Brandemeyer.
2081813
Crownless: Tales of the Banished is a sweet, imaginative tale that takes the reader into a new world: one with princesses, quests, adventures, and enchanting creatures. The main character is a fun "damsel in the distress," who is befriended by a mythical Panther-like keeper of The Wilds (the primary setting of the novel). She realizes she is not really in distress; rather, she is up for new challenges that take the reader on an interesting journey through a beautiful world. The bond she develops with her guardian, Thera, and the stories she recounts about other minor characters she meets along the way, are warm and memorable.

I recommend this title for readers who enjoy fantasy, young adult,and books about nature.
3679902
4.5 stars. Sequel to Rarer Than Rubies, this 2nd installment in the "Precious Gems" series was again a very fun m/m adventure romance. This time, romance writer Trent and his former government agent/now boyfriend of six months Reed are traveling in Rome on vacation, or they were until Reed gets called in on a case for the FBI, and Trent finds out that Reed was really "retired" from undercover work, and things snowball from there, including smugglers, missing agents, and Reed's painful past.

I had a great time reading this (and it was an excellent book to bring along on vacation.) Full disclosure--I love adventure romance, so if something is halfway decent, I'll probably enjoy it. Fortunately for me, this was way more than half-way decent.

I think I might have liked it more than the first one, maybe because this time Trent and Reed are in a more established place--still having issues, but often working together (to Reed's chagrin) on solving the case. Their back-and-forth is really fun to read, and it's neat to see all the little things they do and think about that convey how much they care about each other. (Trent always wanting to do the right "spy" thing and help Reed; Reed being irritated that Trent followed him but then quickly notices little things that Trent likes and makes all these mental notes to get more of those things later.) It was neat to see how their relationship had developed, and even when they were fighting, it was easy to tell how much they cared about each other. (Even if they weren't always good at expressing this in words.)

Like Thailand in Rarer than Rubies, Italy was very much a character in the book, and I really enjoyed all the details about the setting, the food, the cultural aspects, and even the way people talked. I think Lynley does a great job of making the place in the story feel very real and present without overburdening the reader with too much unnecessary information.

My one beef is the same from the first book in that I thought sometimes the MCs ruminated too much about what was going on, their worries, etc. For instance, at times reading about Reed's worries about his former FBI partner, what his feelings are, and whether he should tell Trent felt repetitive and slowed the pacing down a little when these "thinking pockets" would pop up.

That, and Trent does one thing that I thought was really dumb. I love his character though and I wouldn't qualify him as "Too stupid to live" but that one time I understood Reed'a irritation. Whatever Trent did though was for Reed, so I won't fault him too much.

For stressed out readers like me, everything ends well, but I would qualify it as "Happy For Now." The ending and the breadcrumbs in this book lead me to think we should (hopefully) see more adventures with Reed and Trent, which I would definitely look forward to. An overall really fun read that successfully hit all my adventure-romance buttons.

This could be a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading Rarer than Rubies first. I think you would get a lot more out of the characters, and also understand Trent's anger more in the beginning when he finds out Reed was still working for the FBI.

Lastly, Trent's obsession with the TV show Burn Notice and what spy tips he learned from watching it was HILARIOUS. Props to the author for maintaining such fun, quirky humor throughout the book.
3761625
Disclaimer: I received and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rescue Her Heart is a fun debut novel featuring a mysterious disappearance of both father and fuel, space girlfriends and pirate battles. I would call it science fiction light, so if you are interested in a lot of word building, this might not be for you. However, if you are a fan of adventure romance and can go along with some space travel and blaster battles, you will enjoy this whirlwind romance.

I found this book true to my own life experiences in that the majority of the recurring secondary characters are friends of one of the main characters, Nat, and they are also queer.  It is so nice to see queer community and friendship reflected and I really enjoyed that.  That said, it is a romance between Catherine, a desparate 18 year old who is just finding out who she is (in more ways than one) and Nat, a 28 year old Space Ranger who doesn't know it yet, but is looking for love. Their age-gap comes up but is not the driving force behind the story. Finding Catherine's father initially drives the plot, but the trouble and fun they get into along the way is the entertaining part.

Through their many adventures, Catherine and Nat are constantly tested.  Watching their relationship develop kept me interested. Pick this one up and find out how all these mysteries resolve themselves.
4940266
The Queen of Mariskantania is missing, and it is up to the hero, Sir Nathan to smite all the evil in the land and rescue
her. In this colorful adventure we travel with Sir Nathan across the land, past beautiful puffy Jubb Jubb trees, through
the Swamp Forest of Misery, past Mount Thunder and all the way to Flying Hills of Blort. This perilous journey is
wrought with danger as our hero must outsmart pixies, evil wizards, the mini Prestidigitator (who really thinks he's ten
feet tall) and baby giants. Through everything the Hero manages to overcome his challenges and in the end makes a
number of new friends.

This book is an enchanting tale of adventure and fun. I smiled the entire time I was reading it to the point that my
cheeks hurt. Author Mark Simon Smith has created an entertaining world for children and adults alike. There was a
number of laugh-out-loud moments and even a few places where I found myself holding my breath to find out what was
going to happen to our hero. In addition to the great descriptions and clever adventures that Sir Nathan experienced, I
think that readers have an opportunity to learn about overcoming obstacles, using your head to solve problems and
making new friends in the process -- lessons we can all use no matter our age or experience.

(This book was provided to Compulsion Reads for review by the author.)
3734978
I like the authors writing style and it's a sweet story.  She had quite a good imagination and knows how to express it to be enjoyed by others.  It's nice to read a romance without all the sexy details. Am reading book 2 at the moment and enjoying it also.
3930355
This is a cute and entertaining story. Alice is stuck on a trip that she was to take with her husband but when her fiancee leaves her before the wedding  Alice won't let this trip go to waste. Yet it seems niether did her ex; giving his ticket to his friend. So now the two must figure out how to enjoy themselves while ignoring the mix up. That does not seem to work for Elliot and Alice though. The two soon find themselves drawn to one another in ways they could not imagine. There trip is soon a whirlwind of a romance. I enjoyed the characters and the banter between them. Their story moves quickly and makes for a fun read. Love has a funny way of finding its way into your heart and Elliot and Alice find this out as they enjoy their adventure. This story is a sweet and fun romance that will have you cheering on love.
2286764
Yes, this is a sweet romance.  A good one with fun predicaments.  Good characters.  And good chemistry that  is clean!
1735625
I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway from the author.

I really enjoyed this one. The author has a great voice. The banter and humor are especially well done. Zoey and Ryder were wonderful characters with good chemistry. I liked that this book had both the perspective of the hero and the heroine which was different from the first book in this series. The only small criticism I have would be that it could have been a little faster paced. Overall it was a fun, sweet read. I also definitely recommend checking out the first book in the series, The Rule Maker.
3034555
Sweet romance with great fantasy story. This was such a cute book. I really liked the romance between Evangeline and Beom. There were tons of adorable k-drama worthy scenes that got my heart racing. Evangeline was a wonderful character. Kind, sweet. brave. I loved it!
2042944
fun,sweet with details about personalities and much love within all the characters.
2151702
I enjoyed this book, it is a sweet romance. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
833285
I like a sweet romance with a fierce heroine. Bailey was definitely fiery. She has definitely come into her own. The Outlaws sending their friend to investigate the Westmoreland family was a good way to show how a new spin off series would begin. I am fascinated by Alaska so I was happy to see the setting of Bailey's adventure. Funny how Bailey learns that home is where the heart is.