The Secret Marriage Pact (Business of Marriage #4) by Georgie Lee

  The Secret Marriage Pact by Georgie Lee

Blurb: 

An improper proposal!

Jane Rathbone is used to being left behind, and no longer believes she deserves happiness. But when childhood friend Jasper Charton returns from the Americas, more dangerously sexy than ever, she has a proposition. She'll give him the property he needs if he'll give her a new future--by marrying her!

Jasper never imagined taking a wife, but wonders if loyal Jane could be his redemption. And when their marriage brings tantalizing pleasures, convenient vows blossom into a connection that could heal them both...


I must damit that even though I was really looking forward to reading this book, in the end I was looking more than once how many more pages there were still left to ead and when it would finally end. Don't get me wrong - I loved Jasper and Jane and on the whole it was a really nice story but in the end I was a bit annoyed every time someone mentioned feeling guilty or anything that sounded even remotely like that.

Jane's stubbornness, her loyalty, her love for Jasper and of course, her sense of business, made me like her from the first page on. Jasper very soon grew on me as well, especially in constrast to his idiot of a brother.

Right from the beginning Jasper's hidden feelings of guilt are a very cental topic and when Jane started thinking about her guilt in relation to the deaths of her parents, I caught myself rolling my eyes. Her feelings, well, let's just say that what I learned about them in the end was exactly what I had expected and Jasper's feelings, well, I would have loved to shake him a bit. Nope, it's not nice to do what was done but - it wasn't his fault, was it?

I loved to see Jasper and Jane rediscover the feelings they had for each other and I really loved Jasper's mother. She is amazing. The rest of the family is loving but difficult and well, we won't talk about Milton, he is an idiot and it is a good thing for him, that he found a sweet and loving wife because in my eyes she is his only redeeming quality.

Alright, well written but not as captivating and easy to read as I had expected.

★★★

Falling for the Hometown Girl (Marshall Ranch #2) by Shelli Stevens

Falling for the Hometown Girl by Shelli Stevens

Blurb:

Katie Marshall is known for her 'girl next door' reputation and for always playing it safe. So, when she books a bachelor party from Seattle at the Marshall Ranch, she isn't sure what to expect until trouble strolls in–Hunter Richardson, local bad boy turned successful software tycoon...and Katie's job gets a lot more interesting. 

Hunter has always struggled to find his place in Marietta. Now, somewhat reluctantly, he's back in his hometown and not looking forward to a week on a cattle ranch... but that all changes when he sees Katie, the girl he could never forget from high school. A girl he shouldn't want anything to do with. Soon, he realizes he wants much more from her than just a guided tour of the Montana landscape. 

Hunter’s plan had been to get through the week, before returning to Seattle and his million dollar gaming company. Instead, he finds himself falling for the hometown girl..


The nice, sweet girl and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. Well, not exactly but Hunter definitely wasn't one of the most popular boys in high school and there are reasons why he never wanted to come back to Marietta.
A bachelor party at the Mashall Ranch brings him back into town - and to the one girl he could never forget. Hunter is the owner of a successful gaming company but coming back to Marietta wakes a bunch of sleeping dogs he'd rather not confront again but Katie is the one person that he never wanted to forget. There is a mutual attraction, right, but will that be enough? With Hunter leaving at the end of the week, is there a chance for the two of them?

I really enjoyed reading about Hunter and Katie even though I was a bit upset with Hunter for pressuring Katie considering the circumstances. She is living in a small town where everyone knows everyone and where people talk and judge rather harshly and he knows it and he exactly knows what he asks of her.
Sure, she is interested as well but he was rather selfish, just thinking of himself and his wishes and never thinking of the consequences for Katie. Katie is sweet and you just have to like her and Hunter, well, he grows on you. Owning up for things he himself did wrong and being able to move on and forgive past wrongs are traits that I can definitely respect in a character and of course, there was also Eddie and what he did for him and for kids like him. He was always nice but, well, I already mentioned that I didn't like the way he pursued Katie so that made for a bit of a rocky start for us.

A nice story that I really enjoyed with a wonderful HEA - I like it and would also read other books by Shelli Stevens.

★★★★

Lord of Pleasure (Rogues to Riches #2) by Erica Ridley

Lord of Pleasure by Erica Ridley

Blurb:

In the Rogues to Riches historical romance series, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Sigh-worthy Regency rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind romance with rollicking adventure.

Nondescript “good girl” Miss Camellia Grenville only ever opens her mouth when forced to sing at her family’s musicales. That is, until the night she infiltrates the ton’s most scandalous masquerade ball on behalf of her sister, and finds herself in the arms—and the bed—of the one man she’d sworn to hate.

Irresistibly arrogant and unapologetically sensuous, infamous rake Lord Wainwright always gets his way. When he accepts a wager to turn his rakish image respectable in just forty days, he never anticipates falling for an anonymous masked lover...or that discovering her identity would destroy them both. 


I've read many books by Erica Ridley already and on the whole I always enjoyed reading them but somehow this  book didn't do it for me. It is still nice to read but I found myself skipping pages and I couldn't really get into it.

Alright, many of the historical romances are not very realistic and you just have to cut them some slack because they are just, well, romances. Most of them work out for me well despite that because the romance part is the reason why I read those books, I need my HEA and everything around it and reality wasn't always that accomodating.

Unfortunately apart from being very nice and likeable, Lord Wainwright, our eponymous Lord of Pleasure, is not very convincing in his quest for bettering himself. Well, he is convincing in his wish to become respectable but in my eyes he appears to be a bit pathetic.
Miss Camellia Grenville is sweet and nice and everything else but especially at the end, it was a bit too much and she took more risks than I would have felt were even remotely realistic. Maybe I'm too critical and should rather applaud Camellia but somehow - nope.

Apart from that the book is well written, it's just a problem with the story and its characters that makes it less fitting for me, other people may be less critical there (and more romantic) and might enjoy it much more.

★★★

Conveniently Wed to the Greek by Kandy Shepherd

   

Conveniently Wed to the Greek by Kandy Shepherd

Blurb:

A marriage for the sake of her baby...

When luxury hotelier Alex Mikhalis encounters the blogger who once nearly destroyed his reputation, he wants to get even. Only Adele Hudson isn't exactly as he remembers. She's pregnant and alone, and he can't stop his protective instincts kicking in!

After a difficult breakup, Adele is very wary of all relationships. She has no choice but to accept the Greek tycoon's offer of a job, despite their complicated past. But his next suggestion is much more intimate: becoming his convenient wife!


Okay, I take it, that everyone who buys a book with a pink cover and a blurb like this one, expects something sweet, romantic - and sappy. You know the kind of book where you sigh and that are easy to read and you know exactly what is supposed to happen?

Right, that's exactly what you get here. And it is well written and convincing, you just know that Alex and Adele are meant for each other and that everything will turn out alright.
There were some twists that I hadn't expected and it made for an entertaining read with a swoon-worthy tycoon, who rather down-to-earth due to his horrible experiences and sweet, charming Dell who has lost everything and still smiles and makes Alex fall for her.

I enjoyed reading how they slowly realized how they felt about each other and, yep, there was a very big greek family involved as well. Nice, loving, a bit pushy and all in all a family that you might dream of. Alright, sometimes, when you don't want people to interfere in your lives, it might be rather nightmares but, well, sometimes they are really just nice and sweet. Even if they give you those aforementioned nightmares and try to play matchmaker.
If you expect an easy read that makes you swoon and smile - this is your book!

★★★★

Blog Tour: Never trust a Pirate by Valerie Bowman

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Never Trust A Pirate

is the seventh and latest book in the 

Playful Brides series

by 

Valerie Bowman

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The rules of engagement were never so scandalous. . .

A rumored pirate and the scurrilous black sheep of his well-to- do family, Cade Cavendish relishes his world of rebellion, deception, and seduction. Nothing and no one can hold him to be the duty-bound, honorable man he is expected to be. But when an unexpected run-in at his twin brother's estate with a ravishing, raven-haired maid leads her to believe he's actually a viscount, Cade's renegade life is thrown wildly off-kilter. And even though a case of mistaken identity can be quickly set to rights, matters of the heart are quite different...

Miss Danielle LaCrosse is startled to learn that the handsome gentleman who radiates sin and has the devil in his eyes is not her employer the Viscount, but rather his infamous brother. A former heiress, orphaned and left penniless, Danielle has more than a few secrets of her own. Cade may be skilled at coaxing even the most hidden desires out of Danielle but can he earn her trust--and win her heart--as they embark on an adventure to confront a dangerous enemy from both of their pasts . . . and uncover the identity of the so-called Black Fox along the way?

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How would the author describe her book?

"I call Never Trust a Pirate: 

The Scarlet Pimpernel meets Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Regency England."

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Those of you who have loved the other books of the series, will be happy to learn more about Cade, Rafe Cavendish's mysterious twin brother and his quest for revenge - and maybe for love, who knows...

According to Valerie Bowman the series was conceived on the terrible boyfriend of a friend of hers whose actions made her think about some kind of break-up service - add some pinches of Regency and The Unexpected Duchess, the first book in the series, was born. Initially planned as a series of three books, the Playful Brides are now planned to consist of eleven books and a novella in the end. 

If you have ever thought what the characters in the Playful Brides might look like, you might want to check out Valerie Bowman's Pinterest Site for the Playful Brides where you can find a lot of photos that'll give you a good idea what or rather who she had in mind when she wrote her books.

As you can see - life - and love -  aren't easy for the Playful Brides and their loved ones but at least you can look forward to an HEA, even if those stubborn and perfectly charming characters need some time to get there.

Oh, by the way - book eight in the series will be out on Halloween, so if you haven't read the other books in the series yet, there's still time to catch up!

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Live Out Loud - Marie Meyer

 Live Out Loud by Marie Meyer

Blurb:

I thought I'd live in silence forever . . . and then I met him.

I'll never be able to hear, but music has always been a source of comfort for me. Rather than listen to the rhythm, I can actually feel the beat pulsing through me. It's pure bliss. So the moment I saw Thorin playing his guitar, I was mesmerized. I'd never seen anything more beautiful . . . or intimate. I couldn't tell where his body ended and the song began. He's everything I need in my life . . . I'm falling fast, hard, and deep.

I want him more than anything. But while I live in silence, Thor lives in secrets. He's holding something back-something that's keeping this intensity, this longing from being real. And the silence may be too loud to bear . . .

I loved this book! I loved to see how Harper and Thorin connect despite everything that might stand between them. Thor's willingness to communicate with Harper, to learn how to sign made such a big difference and I just loved him for it. Oh, don't forget her friend Chloe, she is amazing as well. Even though Thor's willingness to learn how to sign meant even more to me as he is a musician, he is someone whose life revolves around music, around sound - the one thing that Harper will never be able share with him. She can feel music but she can't hear. And she doesn't speak.
The whole story is about living in silence and living with sound. Thor sometimes needs silence to settle down, to be able to create music and Harper's life is silent. Even her relationship with Harper's former boyfriend was defined by the difference between coming from a Deaf family and a hearing family.
It is amazing to read how Thor tries to overcome all those obstacles and how much of a diffrence that makes for Harper. How can you NOT fall for a guy like him? Well, that's what Harper thinks - right until the moment when it is not enough any more. Or is she not enough? Or...?
There were moments when my heart broke, right then and there, I was so upset and I just hoped that, well, you know, all this happily ever after? That's what I wanted for those two and for a while I was really worried...

A wonderful book that left me thinking about opening up to someone, about connecting with people, learning other languages (and checking out options to learn how to sign as "Signing for Dummies" that Thor uses is not available for the German sign language and did you know that there are even different sign for the UK and the States?) and so much more. I loved the story and I loved the characters - a lot.
My first book by Marie Meyer but definitely not the last.

★★★★★

Mine, Forever and Always by Tammy L. Bailey

Just a quick impression:

Mine, Forever and Always by Tammy L. Bailey 

Blurb:

Just shy of fifteen years old, and during a fake and impromptu wedding ceremony, Lily Scott married her best friend's brother, Henry Dalton.

It seemed harmless enough until he leaned in and whispered to her his true feelings, amorous words she has been unable to forget: Now you’re mine, forever and always. 

Unfortunately, growing up pulls them apart and transforms Henry into a pompous scoundrel. When they meet again at a house party hosted by Henry’s sister, will Henry remember his once faithful promise to Lily?

This book was a sweet read, I enjoyed reading it and will probably read it again even though it is not one of those books that kept me hooked to my reader. I read it and I didn't put it aside but there was something about the characters that made me want for more. More time with them, more about them. 
The hero and the heroine both remember very well that there was "something" when they were younger, one of them doesn't know what happened to tear them apart. When those two meet again at a house party, will those remnant sparks, that seems to light up every time they meet, be enough for them to find their way back to each other?

A simple but heart-warming story with very likeable characters - I liked it.

★★★