Review: One Man Rush by Joanne Rock

Matchmaking Case File #114Requested Match: Kyle Murphy, pro hockey player. (This guy can score.)Challenge: Not looking for anything serious (yet).

Notes: Ridiculously attractive, sexy, irresistible…and I want him for myself!

Matchmaker Marissa Collins is looking for a man. A hot, successful man. But the man she’s considering—hockey player Kyle Murphy—is for a prospective client. Marissa’s matchmaking professionalism goes MIA, though, when she meets Kyle…who’s not coming along quietly.

Kyle isn’t looking for a match. He has his eye on the prize—the Stanley Cup—or at least he did before Marissa dropped into his life. Now he’s playing a new game, one where getting Marissa in bed is the goal. And if he has to play dirty…that’s even better.

 

A romance novel involving a hunky hockey hero? Really? Yes!

In Joanne Rock’s latest book. Kyle Murphy is the object of affection for a rich socialite and professional matchmaker Marissa Collins is hired to make the love connection, but the second she looks into Kyle’s deep green eyes(who doesn’t love a guy with green eyes?) she knows the only person that she will be setting Kyle up with is herself. Since meeting Kyle Marissa has started to question her job and her motives. She truly loves bringing people together(and the money isn’t bad either, especially since she’s her mother’s caregiver) but she’s searching for more and she didn’t even realize it until Kyle came around.

One thing I really liked about this book was the instant attraction between Marissa and Kyle, and Rock made it so believable, it wasn’t just two people being led by their raging hormones with no love in sight.  There was some emotion, that they explored later, but there was nothing but raw attraction at first. What woman wouldn’t love a guy seeing  them for the first time and not being able to get them out of his mind and wanting them that much?  I know I wouldn’t mind. The chemistry between Kyle and Marissa was fantastic. I also really liked that Kyle saw past Marissa’s retro glasses and style and actually saw her, but he also liked her because of her retro glasses and quirky-ish style. The plot was new and not the plain jane plot but not trying to be too different just to grab attention. The hockey scenes that Rock describes make me think of the scene from Love Story where Jenny is watching Oliver play hockey.

Marissa was a really likable heroine. She wasn’t one of those heroines that we sometimes read that we can’t relate to at all for one reason or another, either she’s picture perfect appearance wise or completely annoying personality wise. Marissa was great because she was confident and self-conscious at the same time. I liked her tradtional, yet a little quirky style, not just fashion wise but personality wise. This is actually one of the ways she and Kyle connected. You rarely see a hero and heroine connect on a values, and if it is mentioned, it’s talked about off stage.

I really liked Kyle also. Sure, he would fly Marissa to games and such but  he is also a down to earth guy who can sling around liquor bottles like Tom Cruise in “Cocktail” for his hockey fans. Kyle is sexy yet sensitive, which is what we all want in a hero isn’t it? His imperfect, crooked nose only added to his appeal. He wasn’t the stereotypical Roman God we read about in most romances. His relationship with his “brother” Axel(whose story comes out next month!) really helped the reader learn who Kyle was. He’s fiercely protective of his family and teammates and when he meets Marissa he immediately feels the same about her.

There was only one thing about the entire story that I really didn’t like,. And it wasn’t even that I didn’t like it, per se, it was that the resolution with Marissa’s mom. I don’t want to give any plot points away but it just seemed a little too quick and conveinient. It was good and made sense, I just wished it hadn’t been so quick.

All in all, I really liked this steamy and sincere read and I will definitely be telling people to check out this book(and the rest of the series).

If you’d like to check out this or Joanne’s other books please visit her site: www.joannerock.com

 

Review: Tamed by a Texan by Tanya Michaels

Grace Torres has a lot to lose. And the Texas Hill Country restaurateur isn’t letting Ty Beckett steal her thunder. He may be the Lone Star State’s most famous bachelor chef, but Grace has a family legacy to save. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep her beloved restaurant afloat…even go head-to-head in a reality TV cook-off only one of them can win.

Growing up dirt-poor just made Ty more determined to succeed. But he’s facing some stiff competition. Grace may be the only female alive who sees past Ty’s footloose facade and charming one-liners. She’s also igniting more heat than a Mexican jalapeño.

Walking away with first place could give Ty everything he ever wanted. It could also make him lose the one woman who’s ever come close to taming this culinary cowboy!

WARNING: Do not read this book on an empty stomach…or if you are on a diet.

In this contemporary tale Grace Torres is struggling to keep her family’s restaurant afloat and sees a national cooking competition as the perfect chance to save the place she loves. The only thing that Grace didn’t count on was sexy T.V. personality Ty Beckett(yes, Castle fans, you can giggle, I did.) to also be in the competition. The guy is known for his skills in…and out of…the kitchen, but Grace is immuned to his charms, at least that’s what she thinks.

Michaels sets the book in the Texas Hill Country(Fredricksburg to be exact), which isn’t that far from where I grew up, so it would really neat to have places mentioned that I knew about. It was also refreshing to see a book be set in a smaller town and the usual big cities like New York or L.A. Don’t let the book fool you though. It may be only 217 pages but it was fast paced but I didn’t feel like I missed anything or that I was trying to catch up. Michaels was very descriptive of the people, personalities and places she was wanting to show the reader. And as I mentioned before the receipe descriptions were enough to make your mouth water(mine is while I’m writing this).

From the very beginning I got a sense of who Grace was, but that didn’t mean that she was boring. She’s quite complex. She’s trying to carve out a place for herself but without completely forgetting where she came from or what she was fighting for. She just wants to add her own spin to it. Grace knows her own mind and knows she is talented, but she’s not above listening to new ideas, and that’s what I really liked about her. She’s not some shrinking violet who is constantly doubting herself throughout the book only to be miraculously cured of her all insecurities at the end. She’s feisty and sure of herself, which is why she stands up to her brothers, who think the restaurant is too much for her to handle. I really enjoyed the family dynamic between Grace and her brothers, Ben and Victor. It was natural and not forced, which is how it should be. And without giving any of the plot away when Ben and Victor pulled the stunt they did I wanted to smack both upside the back of the head. I also really liked the secondary romance that started to bloom between Ben and Amy, the restaurant’s eccentric bartender. I wonder if they will get their own book?

Ty Beckett. The guy is sexy, confident, and a real smart ass but I liked him. The snappy dialogue between him and Grace had me laughing out loud in a few places. He also has a past that he’s trying to forget, but who doesn’t have at least some part of their past they’d like to forget? He’s done quite well for himself in life, especially since he grew up poor, and he’s very much protective of that, almost to the point of being pompus, but only because he never wants to go back to it. It’s admirable of him and it really fleshes out his character, that his past bothers him. It’s awesome that he has one. He’s not just some description on a page, but a person we care about. In the end, after much reluctance, he comes to terms with his past and can see his future without the past mudding it up. Ty’s relationship with his manager, Stephen was also very well fleshed out. It was very similar to the relationship I have with my best friend, sometimes brutally honest, sarcastic and loving at the same time.

Grace and Ty as a couple make you care about them, too. Their chemistry is fantastic and completely believable. I was cheering for them and laughing during their witty verbal exchanges. You can tell Michaels watches a lot of television but I loved the pop culture references that were sprinkled throughout the book but it’s hysterical so it totally works. All in all it was a fantastic book that’s got a place on my keeper shelf, and not just because she was nice enough to autograph it for me, but so I can reference back and make some of those recipes! (and to reread a great romance.)

If you’d like to check out this one or any other books by Tanya here is the link to her website: www.tanyamichaels.net

Review: A Mother’s Homecoming by Tanya Michaels

 

 

 

For Pamela Jo Wilson, returning to her sleepy Mississippi hometown means coming face–to–face with her past. At seventeen, overwhelmed by the responsibilities of a new marriage and family, she fled Mimosa. But Nick Shepard wasn’t the only one Pam left behind. Now, thirteen years later, she just hopes she can make things right with her ex–husband and the child she barely knows.

Nick’s first instinct is to protect his daughter, but his little girl is hell–bent on meeting the woman who left her behind. With his own feelings for Pam being as powerful and all–consuming as ever, how can Nick know what he’s feeling is real? And how can he trust Pam again? First she has to convince him she’s through running. That she’s come home—this time for good

Michaels tells it like it is in her latest novel. Pamela Jo is flawed but that is what makes her so easy to relate to. Pam isn’t the type of woman who sees the errors of her ways and instantly changes, it’s a struggle for her.   No one is perfect and everyone has done at least one thing they aren’t proud of, in Pam’s case, it’s more than one but she’s trying to redeem herself, and in all honesty, she doesn’t want to be perfect, though she secretly wants forgiveness, she really just wants to accept the past. Pam’s internal dialogue throught the book really shapes who she is. We get to know her. By the end of novel I really liked Pam. She wasn’t just a character on a page but she was a real woman, someone we’ve all been at one point or another. The relationship between Nick and Pam was very realistic as well. They didn’t just instantly pounce on one another after being part for so long. There was pain and raw emotion between them that they had to overcome before giving things another go. They had to grow into one another again, even though there was an intense history between them.  Nick was charasmatic on his own. He was the traditional small town boy who grew into a caring man who loves his family no matter what, even though they can be pains sometimes. He wasn’t a weak man by any means but I did like how he finally stood up for himself and Pam against his family in the end.  His relationship with his daughter, Faith, had me laughing a couple of times and smiling the rest. Pam’s relationship with Faith was awesome to see, too. Pam was skiddish at first, more than willing to crawl under the nearest table  to hide from the daughter she didn’t know, but as the story progressed you see Pam channeling those maternal instincts that she didn’t believe she had.  

There was only one thing I really didn’t like about the book and if I mentioned it I will be giving away some big plot points, so you will just have to read it to find out what I’m referring to.

My favorite thing about this book though is that it was unconventional. It was raw and truthful regarding the issues of alcoholism and addressing the consequences of a person’s actions.  It was refreshing to see an author take a risk instead of being like all the others. Kudos to Michaels on a job well done!

Author’s website: www.tanyamichaels.com

Review:Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out….

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea.

It is very rare that I find a book I can’t bring myself to finish. Sadly, this is one of them. I had been trying to finish this book for two weeks and I couldn’t do it. I picked it up because I am in love with the series True Blood and wanted to see what all the fuss was about because many people I know have highly praised the series of books. I am not one of those people. The television show is sexy, funny and keeps me watching. The books weren’t considering I couldn’t even finish the first book. I do applaud Ms. Harris for having such an original idea and coming up with some sexy vampires but the books weren’t for me.

I will definitely keep watching the series but I think sadly I will skip the books. I will eventually catch up to the books, right?

Review: Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl

The wrong man just might be her perfect fit…

Primal attraction is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager, Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps, steel-toed boots and unadulterated sex appeal? The man blows things up for a living!

She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day, it’s back to plain Jane and safe men.But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, and her lawyer ex-boyfriend won’t help, Jane turns to Chase. And she discovers a man who’s been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering all kinds of truths.

 

 

Lead Me On is the third in the Tumble Creek Series. At first, I was a little skeptical because there really wasn’t much mention of Jane in the previous novels but I think she fits in quite nicely. She’s fiesty yet vulnerable just like the rest of Victoria Dahl’s heroines. Jane Morgan has spent the last ten years trying to forget her past but when William Chase walks into her office she can’t run anymore, not that she really wants to run from the ruggedly handsome tattooed bad boy, who really isn’t all that bad. What she really wants is to run staight into his bed and he’s not objecting.

I normally don’t have a thing for tattoos but Chase definitely made me want to reconsider my attraction. Ms. Dahl deals with the prejudices and judgements society dishes out has quite well. I have to admit that I had my own initial prejudices about Chase because of his tattoos but I quickly learned that he’s just a normal guy who likes pizza and Coke, who just happens to also like permanent body art. Chase has overcome his own childhood sufferings and trying to “raise” his alcoholic father while he was just a child himself. Despite the lack of an ideal childhood, he became a very successful business owner. The further along I got into the book the more I like Chase. He’s a great guy. He’s considerate of  his loved ones. One of the ways that impressed me was he stopped enabling his alcoholic father. Something else that made Chase more likeable was he might have been madly in love with Jane but he still got aggravated at the things she did. He didn’t instantly forgive her for being overly critical and let her get away with murder and I really liked that.  

Just as Chase isn’t the typical tattooed badass, Jane isn’t the typical secretary. Behind Jane’s prim exterior there’s a wanton scratching to get out. I completely identified with Jane’s desire and need to expel her past from her memory. We’ve all got those skeletons in the closet that we never want anyone to know about because we’re afraid of being judged, even if we’re no longer that person. Jane’s appearance as the typical “goody-two-shoes” was the classic front for a girl trying to forget her premiscuous past but she definitely isn’t boring. Throughout the book Jane grows, not instantaneously, which is a relief, and learns to accept the person she was in the past and realizes that she wouldn’t have become the person she did without those unpleasant experiences. What a great lesson for all of us to learn. Jane’s family was far from perfect but they were real people, people that you and I know. Jane’s Grandma Olive was a riot. She reminded me of my mom, just telling it like it was and giving way too much information at the most embarrassing time possible. I do wonder if Jane’s brother, Jesse, might become a Victoria Dahl Hero one day. Jane’s ex, Greg, that she dumps in the first chapter, was an ass. Plain and simple. No way to sugar-coat it. I was really glad when he got his just desserts. No pun inteneded.

The passion between Jane and Chase was fantastic. Sexy and sweet at the same time. It wasn’t just mindless sex between two people just wanting an orgasm. The pace was fast and the dialogue witty and clever with plenty of laugh out loud moments. All of the characters were well rounded and well thought out. As I sit here typing this I am trying to think about something, anything, that I didn’t like about the book and there isn’t a single thing I can say I didn’t like. There were moments were I cringed, not out of dislike, but out of discomfort for Jane and being embarrassed for her.

 All in all, Lead Me On is a novel that I would recommend to anyone wanting a fun, sexy and intelligent read.

Review: Lady of the West by Linda Howard

Only true love could redeem…. Victoria Waverly, noble daughter of the war-ruined South, is sold in marriage to a ruthless rancher. Honor and pride help her endure life as a wife in name only but nothing can quench her forbidden desire for hired gunman Jake Roper. His gaze is hard, but tenderness he can’t hide promises to unveil to Victoria the mysteries of love.

Only true love can destroy….Jake curses his burning need for Victoria, for he wants nothing to stand in the way of his drive to reclaim Sarratt’s Kingdom — the ranch that is his legacy and obsession. But ancient wrongs and blazing passions will bind together the aristocratic beauty and the powerful cowboy. In a bloody land war, they will fight for Jake’s birthright…and seize at all costs the love that is their destiny.

 

 My Thoughts

Lady of the West was originally published in 1990, the height of the Lonesome Dove western craze, and was recently reprinted.  It was definitely a nice change of pace from all the vampire and other paranormal books that are currently flooding the bookshelves. It’s nice to know that there are still some cowboys sauntering their way on the shelves. Strong characters and an intriguing plot make this a novel worth picking up.

What Appealed to Me

The characters. They were so well fleshed out. Each one had great backstories and descriptions to make you love them or hate them. From the hero, Jake, to the ranch whore, Angelina(no, that’s not my description, that’s who she was). Victoria, the heroine, was a character I admired. She was strong and independent yet isn’t all that experienced in the ways of love. At first her reaction to sex bothered me a bit because she seemed too naive but then I remembered that she didn’t know ANYTHING about sex whatsoever so it made sense for her to be afraid. I would be a little jumpy too if I had this ruggedly good-looking cowboy telling me he wanted me if didn’t even know what the phrase meant.  Victoria’s younger sister, Celia, was also greatly fleshed out. Every scene she was in I could see her bouncing around with wide-eyed innocence. Toward the beginning of the book there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of them but once they were whittled down it was much easier.

-The plot. The land wars and the cruelty of it all actually happened. It wasn’t sugar-coated just because it was a romance novel. The Civil War and the Restoration afterward is often romanticized but Ms. Howard is truthful and honest about how it was to repair not only our country but the families involved and the desperate measures that were sometimes needed in order to survive. I commend Victoria on making such a sacrifice because I don’t know if I could’ve done the same and married a man like Frank McLain.  Speaking of Frank McLain, you hated to love the guy. Linda Howard did a great job with him as a character in general and showing how his past affected him. It wasn’t little spurts here and there of him thinking about what he had done and what had happened to him, but the fear followed him throughout the story. It was very believable.

-The fact that the hero and heroine weren’t the only couples in the book having sex. It was realistic and refreshing. Oh, and steamy. Can’t forget that.

What Didn’t Appeal to Me

- The ending. I’m not going to give anything away but it was less than satisfying. It was too abrupt, too quick for my liking. There was a ton of build up throughout the entire book to what could have been a fantastic climax but instead it was comparable to someone putting out a candle between their fingers and letting it fizzle out. It had so much potential and it was a little frustrated to see it not carried out with the bang it could’ve had.

-This might be a little nit-picky of me but some of the structure bothered me. In some places there wasn’t a clear break in scenes and point of views so I found myself repeatedly flipping back through previous pages to see if I had missed something.

Rating: B. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a gritty, yet romantic western.

Publication date/Price: 1990/7.99

Author’s website: Ms. Howard only has an infortmation site through Random House  so check it out.  http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=35941

 

Hi there!

So, you’re probably wondering what  I Would Rather Be Reading is all about. Well, to sum it up without lengthy explaination(we’ll save that for future posts) it’s about two friends, and critique partners, who love reading and sharing great finds, new and old, with fellow bookworms.  Occasionally, there will throw in movie reviews in there for good measure. Have to keep you on your toes afterall.

Thanks for checking us out and we hope you come back to check out what we would rather be reading!

Happy Reading!

Elizabeth and Emily