Quirky Madison gets into trouble like no other...
580626
An adorable book to finish off the last weekend of summer! Light enough to read on the beach, action packed enough to make you forget about the kids squealing in the background. Throw in an ex-husband with a penchant for trouble and a new set of friends and you've got one hot story.

Quirky Madison gets into trouble like no other. She manages to finagle her way in and out of scrapes. Brown kept me laughing though out. I am excited for the next installment in the series!
4691675
When Madison Lane arrives at Christmas, Colorado the public perception is that she killed Christmas (thanks to a NY Times headline), ran over Santa on her way into town, and then ran over the sheriffs aunt. Not a great entrance especially when shes there to explain why her company won't be investing in a new resort that would have been a boon to the town. The way the sheriff views it Madison has caused more problems for him in a couple of hours than hes had to deal with in a year!

Hilarity ensues  making this novel perfect for a film version on the Hallmark Channel. Theres comedy, a bit of drama, and romance, of course, in a town called Christmas. I would watch that movie! Poor Madison is a trouble magnet  it just seems to follow wherever she goes and the poor sheriff is the one usually called to clean up after her. In addition to being sheriff, Gage is a divorced father with custody of his two young daughters. Theyve taken to Madison in an unexpected way  making it even more difficult to separate himself from her  because he doesnt need any more drama in his life, does he?

I enjoyed this first book in Debbie Masons Christmas, Colorado series. If you're a fan of contemporary romance and the author I think youll like it as much as I did. *I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.
2997105
Gabrielle will, make you laugh, with her quirky twisted revelations that are going on around her. Meeting her alpha pair that is not an alpha pair was heart rendering in the problem that past history happens especially for Jack. Berk the other half drags Jack into their future.
3590917
Madison loves two very different guys.  Stewart is a workaholic that spends his days in a suit. He's extremely successful and demanding, but he can't devote any time to a relationship. He and Madison are reduced to stolen moments in his office, late night trysts and the occasional weekend. Stewart worries he's going to lose her due to his lack of attention, so he proposes an unusual situation. He wants her to find a boyfriend that can pick up the slack and keep her satisfied. But he still wants to remain number one in her life.

In the beginning Paul was just sex to Madison. Someone to keep her occupied while Stewart was busy with work.  He's competitive and doesn't want to share her, but it's better than the alternative of not having her at all. She ends up falling hard for Paul and her heart is split between the two guys. Paul spends his days on a surfboard and wants nothing more than to make her happy. He is who she spends her days and most nights with. Until Stewart calls and wants to see her. Madison manages to keep her two worlds separate until an accident brings her two guys together and she's forced to make a decision.

I loved this book! At first I wasn't sure about the whole love triangle, but it was so different and unexpected. There are a few twists that I didn't see coming and some very hot scenes. It's hard not to love both guys for different reasons. I was so torn, but happy with Madison's decision.
903729
Sunny and the whole town of Peculiar are having a wedding!! And Sunny is bound and determined to marry Babe before their bundle of joy makes an appearance in the world. Only in true Peculiar style, there is mishap after mishap, is it a sign? Or some nefarious plot against Sunny. My Furry Valentine was bursting with colorful characters, great prewedding/baby jittery humor, and mystery that abounded. The book kept me reading and involved in all of the mayhem. While this is part of a series, you don't have had to read the first in this book but it would be helpful.
1820781
Fun read.  Although we all know where this would end up, it was fun to see how Madison screws with Jared and almost screws everything up.
3899219
Loosely based on what MIGHT have happened after the Ashley Madison hack....

The author made no secret of her inspiration.  The lead female is named Ashley, with her alternate persona being Madison.  A tad on-the-nose?

The sex is hot, the lead-in is fantastic
1970336
As with all the female characters in Jessica's books, Katie is a member of the hot mess express. She is quirky, funny and her own worst enemy. And what's not to love about hot hockey playing model Chase. Together they created an hilariously angsty back and forth that I could not put down.
780474
I loved this book!  After the passing of her aunt, Madison is left with her house and rental units.  Then her life is turned upside down when she's introduced into her new life of sexy hunks, unscrupulous lawyers, thieves and thugs.  What's a girl supposed to do, why go with the flow and try not to get killed!
173030
Can be read as a standalone.) I liked this because it was a bit of a different read although it had a quirky beginning.  Noah Lake is an extreme sports junkie.  He's traveled the world in search of his next rush but it all comes to a crashing end when he mistimes a dive that leaves his body shattered.  After months of grueling surgeries and painful PT, his body is as healed as it'll get but he's left blind.  Understandable, Noah falls into a terrible depression and is filled with palpable rage and anger.  Seriously, I could feel how pissed Noah was.  He lashed out at everyone and refused to accept the new hand he was dealt.  He's gone through so many personal assistants because he's just downright mean and bitter.  Along comes Charlotte.  She's a violin prodigy about to graduate from Julliard, but is barely scraping by financially, and has just had a horrible year dealing with two personal tragedies.  When a chance meeting comes with Noah, whom she instantly hates, she's presented a lucrative opportunity to be his next assistant, making more money they she every could, including free room and board.  Noah is a complete jackhole to her, which puts Charlotte in such a tough spot because she NEEDS this job.  Slowly but surely Charlotte's sweet personality and determination helps Noah attempt to live again.  It was such a sweet buildup between these two.  Both Noah and Charlotte have their demons, and therefore share a mutual bond.  But Charlotte sees beyond Noah's prickly exterior and brings out the compassionate man underneath.  That's what I loved the most about this book.  I loved when Noah tried to crack inappropriate jokes about his blindness - snarky humor sooo works for me!  I was almost disappointed with the ending as I kinda hoped it would go in a different direction.  This book also needs one more editing sweep as there were enough grammatical errors for me to start taking note.  4 star.
3412305
WOLF WITH BENEFITS was another quirky--very quirky--paranormal romance by Shelly Laurenston. Jackal Toni Jean-Louis Parker is the oldest of eleven and is the one who can manage to keep her siblings' lives organized. All of the other kids are prodigies in one field or another and almost all of them have the ego to go with their extraordinary gifts. Toni is constantly solving problems--often self-created problems--for her assorted siblings.

Toni meets Ricky Lee Reed while escorting some of her younger siblings to the sports arena where one of her brothers wants Bo Novikov's authograph--and to sketch him naked. Ricky Lee finds her entertaining and attractive. He's a wolf and so isn't at all prejudiced against jackals since they are both canines. Not that he wants to mate with her, but a little fun would be good.

It doesn't take long before Toni and Ricky Lee are both involved in Toni's new job as Director of Team Travels and Promotions and a threat to her siblings. The dialog is crisp and funny. The byplay between Toni and Ricky is funny. The story is filled with appearances by characters from earlier books in the series including Blayne, Bo Novikov, and Dee-Ann Smith. A new character, Livy Kowalski the honey badger, adds all sorts of craziness of her own.

This one was fun. Fans of funny, quirky paranormal romances will love it.
3245060
I enjoyed this quirky little urban fantasy from Katharine Kerr, the sequel to&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/License-to-Ensorcell/dp/0756406560/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">License to Ensorcell</a>. Psychic Agent Nola O'Grady works for a very special agency, one of those ones even the CIA doesn't know exists.  Born into a large Irish-American Catholic family of eccentrics, Nola came into her power in her mid-teens, and discovered that nothing would ever be the same again.  Now she works for the preservation of Harmony - balance in the Universe.  It's not working for Good - it's recognizing that things can go seriously wrong in the universe when there is not a balance.

Nola has managed to keep her distance from her crazy, enthusiastic family for years, but now her agency has returned her to San Francisco, her hometown. They've been referring to her tiny outpost as the Apocalypse Squad, but the joke may have seeds of truth.  Chaos sightings have increased on the Pacific coast, multiple doors into another world have been discovered, and someone is creating "rogue waves," sudden, unexplained walls of water that have swept several to watery graves.  Nola has only two minimally talented stringers as assistance, as well as Ari Nathan, an Interpol and Israeli secret agent who has been reassigned to be her bodyguard.  Two searches obsess Nola - for Reb Ezekiel, the supposedly dead prophet from Ari's youth, and for the enigmatic "Brother Belial," leader of the Chaos Cult Nola and Ari have previously damaged.

Psychic Nola and skeptic Ari are still learning to work together, to trust each other, and finally face things that even her agency is not sure exist.  They've surrendered to the strong pull of Qi between them, and even decided to move in together.  Nola is astonished that Ari has actually stayed around more than a month - she's used to men being unable to accept her strange work and eccentricities.  But Ari is hanging in there, and these two disparate souls are discovering that they make a good team - when they're not arguing about the steps needed to solve their cases.

Kerr has chosen two disparate individuals as her protagonists.  Nola is a deep introvert, both entangled and feuding with her family, almost anorexic in her desire to control her relationship with food, while Ari is hyper focused on his calling, has serious control issues, and has managed to alienate the majority of his working associates with his blunt micro-managing.  They weave their way through a San Francisco that is both familiar and strange even to folk who know the city.  We're talking definitely contemporary fantasy/noir here.

The world Kerr has created continues to open up, with deepening relationships with Nola's complicated relatives and the possibility of dealing with alternative worlds beckoning.  Kerr makes me want to see what happens next in her world.  If you like urban fantasy, look for it!
4657693
Sometimes a person (or character) will just rub you the wrong way. So it is with Madison Knight in "Ties That Bind" by Carolyn Arnold for me. As a detective, Madison hates clichs as much as, well, seemingly most people. She is Kojak with a candy bar substituting for the lollypop but without the charm. Her attempts at empathy are mostly swallowed up as repetitious and muddled internal thoughts. She appears uncomfortable in her own skin, and I never knew if she was going to laugh or punch her partner one more time. (I'd have hit her back a few times!) The book has more than its share of clichs in the form of cardboard characters, a sounding-board partner with belabored personal issues dragged out far too long, and an overused twist regarding the bad guy--though it was nicely handled.

My copy of the story had numerous formatting issues. I can't hold that against the author, but I believe a stronger editor would have tightened the decent story line, cutting some of the lengthier scenes and eviscerating the partner. (Second bananas need to bring something to the table, and he just doesn't.) Is it really that bad? No. Personal preferences will draw (and have drawn) some readers to Madison's tough-as-nails personality. The investigation proceeds more like real-life: hard work, bad breaks, lucky finds, bad timing, confusion, inexperience, intrusive politics, etc. The twists are well handled, and while the suspense is not as sharp as it could be, it was there. All total though, this is just a slightly better than average read, shy of a four rating. It is a "3."
971457
This is NOT a gentle little story for kids about a group of best girl friends meeting in a frilly pink bedroom to share snacks and plan fun adventures together.

Instead, this book is pretty serious testimony that the world's most bloodthirsty monsters do NOT always have claws or fangs.

In fact, some of the most hateful witches alive actually have the sweetest and most angelic-looking faces of little girls still in school.

Innocent, mild-mannered Shannon Hale (the heroine as well as the author of this book) learns the hard way that cold-blooded creatures are bred without anyone's knowledge in homes (including her own!) where there are TOO MANY hungry kids running around and in schools where the prettiest, richest, and most popular girl is singled out to be a walking status symbol by TOO MANY hopeful friend-wannabes (and this is happening in THIRD GRADE, too!)

Taking place in a bygone period from the late 1970s through 1980s, Shannon struggles valiantly to find a good friend, but she keeps getting caught up in a very catty drama  la "Mean Girls", where all little girls in her class ruthlessly compete to cozy up to the so-called "princess" and also develop a hive mind to keep each other in their place, too. Even worse, one of the girls in this kiddie clique has became a backstabbing bully out to make Shannon's life as miserable as possible. All because the poor girl has actually befriended her rival's coveted prize, of course.

If that isn't all, Shannon is also terrorized by an abusive older sister in her own house! So she bravely copes by counting things and escaping into her superheroine/superspy/revenge fantasies. Or she gets literally sick.

Of course, it turns out that both Jenny and Wendy (who give Shannon a hard time) had been unhappy little girls who had trouble finding friends, too. Aw, sorry to hear this, but if Jenny's issues aren't swiftly dealt with, she may one day brutally MURDER Shannon with an accomplice's help in a high school restroom FOR LIKING THE SAME BOY (yes, this unfortunate incident did happen recently in real life, BTW.)

The other "villain" who also seems to want Shannon dead and cold, Wendy herself could have been on her way to juvenile delinquency when she was an angry, embittered teenager (or even forced prostitution if the modeling agency she was running away to didn't turn out to be what it seemed to be!) Naturally, the blame lies on all the stuck-up girls at Wendy's school who don't want anything to do with her in the first place. Right?

And people (including the mother, sisters, and friends) who keep telling Shannon (or some other victim) to "suck it up" may ask "WHY?" the loudest if a tragedy actually happens. We ALREADY have problems with school shootings and youth suicides today - especially if they are likely caused by the way arrogant, selfish kids treat each other these days!

An excellent eye-opener to warn all young girls who simply want to make friends, of course.

But with all the name-calling, talking behind back one's back, and even physical assaults, who needs enemies? :P
560357
Poor Sabrina gets herself into quite a mess in this quirky young adult/new adult novel. Granted, she doesn't have any experience standing up to her parents, and when her underhanded way of trying to manipulate them quickly gets out of control, she only ends up making things more complicated. She has an inner sassiness that is fighting its way out, but manifests in whining and bickering with her sister. She is a little self-absorbed as most 18 year olds are I'm sure, but as she is humbled by her experiences she learns to not take her family for granted. Calvin is somewhat of an enigma, and even though he has his share of flaws, he helps Sabrina realize her true fears that she must conquer in order to claim independence. The secondary characters are vividly portrayed through the lens of Sabrina's perspective, and I loved the fun coincidences of a shy admirer popping up here and there in the story, throwing Sabrina off guard in the middle of her self-inflicted drama. There were some difficult lessons she learned but the story ends on an upswing that melted my heart.

(Thank you to Cedar Fort Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)
2468989
This time we meet the very aloof, uptight, prim and proper Madison who hasn't had much of a social life and Toby, fun, athletic & maybe intelligent (??), who has set his sights on her.

It was great to see Toby's HEA.
3650536
4.5 stars.  A-freaking-dorable.

I loved the quippy dialogue and the subtle humor. Charlotte is quirky and cold, yet still likable in an eccentric way.

And Watson, with his aw-shucks glow, is so thoroughly endearing that you want to pinch the crap out of him through the pages.

I couldn't quite give it five stars because the mystery, which built beautifully in the rising action, had a climax that I'm just not 100% about, but still, this was enjoyable as heck and I CAN'T WAIT for the next book.