First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips was a whirlwind from start to finish.  I’ll admit that I don’t usually venture in Mrs. Phillip’s direction when I’m choosing a romance novel to read.  This is mostly because when I love an author I like to buy all their books and I just can’t afford to buy all Susan’s books… there are simply too many!  However, since the bookstore I work at is in the Chicago suburbs, where Mrs. Phillips lives, she comes into our store often.  I felt it was important to start reading her novels.

First Star I See Tonight is the eighth book in Phillip’s Chicago Stars series.  I haven’t read any of the other seven Chicago Star novels and I definitely don’t think you need to in order to enjoy First Star.  Mrs. Phillips refers to previous characters enough to peak your curiosity of the other books, but she always has an accompanying explanation of the people and their roles.  I did not feel as though I were missing anything by not reading the previous novels, but I sure do want to read them now!

Cooper Graham, former quarterback of the Chicago Stars and current owner of a popular nightclub, is being followed.  At first he thinks Piper Dove is an overenthusiastic fan, but he soon discovers that she’s been hired to tail him.  Rather than sue her, his first instinct, he offers her a job hoping to use her loyalties to his advantage.  Piper soon discovers that protecting Coop is more than a full-time job.  His staff are stealing from him, someone’s trying to take down his business, and now it looks as though someone is trying to take his life.  Piper will risk her life to protect Cooper’s, but she won’t risk her heart, and that’s all Cooper really wants.

One of my favorite things about Susan Elizabeth Phillips is that her books are funny! I absolutely love when I’m reading a romance novel and the characters and their dialogue are actually humorous.  It’s such a disappointment when I find myself laughing at the dialogue rather than with the characters.  Piper and Cooper have some wonderful chemistry.  Every moment with them had me on the edge of my seat.  They had witty banter, moments of sexual tension, and some believable arguments.  I could have kept reading about their relationship forever.

I thought Piper and Cooper were fantastically realistic characters, despite the somewhat unrealistic aspects of the plot line.  Still, what romance novel doesn't have those moments?  I loved every part of First Star except (and this doesn’t count as a spoiler since it’s mentioned in the blurb) the Middle Eastern princesses.  I thought the novel would have been better off without that subplot, honestly, but you can draw your own conclusions there.

Overall, this book was a phenomenal read.  It had mystery, romance, humor, danger, and more.  There were definitely some sexually heated situations and a good dose of drama (my favorite).  This is such a great summer read, just don’t expect it to last long.  I was flipping through those pages so fast that it only took me four hours to make my way through it.  I could not put it down and you won’t be able to, either. 

Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan

If you’re looking for a sweet summer read, then look no further.  Sarah Morgan’s Sunset in Central Park is the perfect book for the beach.  This book won’t get you on the edge of your seat or keep you guessing about the ending, but it’s a light read and has a really cute relationship between the two characters, Frankie and Matt.

This was my first time reading something by Sarah Morgan.  Unbeknownst to me at the time this is the second book in a romantic series.  I realized a couple pages in that something seemed like it was missing and went to Google to figure out if this was part of Sarah Morgan’s From Manhattan with Love series. Regardless, I didn’t feel that not reading the first novel detracted from Sunset in Central Park in any way.  It only made me curious about the book I had missed and had encouraged me to seek out Sleepless in Manhattan. Morgan did a great job of creating a standalone book within a series, which I always appreciate from authors.

The From Manhattan with Love series follows three young women: Eva, Paige, and Frankie.  Sunset in Central Park is Frankie Cole’s story.  When Frankie was fourteen she watched the devastating collapse of her parent’s marriage and now, over a decade later, she still bears the scars.  Even after watching one of her best friend’s fall in love Frankie still believes love is for the weak and stupid.  Matt Walker, Paige’s brother, has grown up with Frankie and knows all about her hang-ups.  Matt has always had feelings for Frankie, but after uncovering some of her secrets, he discovers that his feelings for her have grown out of control.  Now he has to convince Frankie that love does exist, and that he’s the one for her, before she pushes him away.

There’s no mystery or murders in this novel.  Sunset in Central Park is one of those bare bones romance novels that focuses on nothing more than the relationship between its two characters.  While I usually prefer my romance novels with a little more oomph, there’s something really relaxing about not sweating, or tensing, or stressing out while reading (something that those mystery romance novels tend to make me do). 

The characters are loveable, the dialogue was realistic and quite funny, and the whole story was romantically cliché in the most wonderful way.  The intimate scenes were written really well and definitely heated up the storyline.  I read this book in a matter of hours and enjoyed every minute of the read.  Reading this novel didn’t make me blush, overheat, or cry.  It didn’t push me to the edge of my seat desperate to know what happens next.  It was just a pleasant afternoon read, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Deception Island by Brynn Kelly

First and foremost, I am going to warn you that this romance novel is not for everyone.  Deception Island by Brynn Kelly is dark, disturbing, and wildly violent at times.  Reading the description on the back of the novel gave me no indication of how distressing this read was going to be. 

Rafe Angelito is a former child soldier who thought he had finally escaped his past.  When his son is kidnapped in order to ensure his cooperation in a ransom scheme he discovers that his worst nightmare has come true.  Holly Ryan isn’t the daughter of a wealthy presidential candidate, she’s just a recently released convict with a desperate need for money to start her new life.  Playing rich Laura is a dream job, until she’s kidnapped by people who want to trade Laura for ransom.  When her identity is discovered she and Rafe find their lives, and the lives of Rafe’s son, at risk.  Two people who have never learned to trust anyone are going to have to trust one another or face terrible consequences.

The rest of my review should not be a reflection of Brynn Kelly's writing abilities or style.  I thought she did a wonderful job of setting the scene and creating unique, though damaged, characters.  I'm afraid this novel was just not one that I enjoyed overall.

Based on the description I thought I was in for a thriller romance with the typical good versus bad plot line.  I never expected that I was going to fall into a world of former child soldiers, torture, executions, and rape.  When I am not reading romance novels, I’ll admit, I usually read about serial killers or other such crimes (think Lindberg kidnapping). When I’m reading a romance novel, I would really prefer that the execution of other characters be kept to a minimum.  That was not the case in this book. 

In romance novel the main characters are supposed to trust one another, sacrifice for one another, but above all, develop a believable love for one another.  This novel fell short of that description.  I normally avoid spoilers in my reviews, but I feel that this is an important spoiler to give.  About midway through the book, following the reveal of Holly’s true identity, Rafe is so enraged that he chokes Holly.  She survives this only by pretending to die.  He is shown to be remorseful (and man, does he have some PTSD), she forgives his actions and the story moves on after that. 

I did not forgive.  I know that Rafe had a horrific childhood, and I am not surprised that he reacts violently, but I wanted to stop reading right there (I didn't, however).  I find it hard to consider a man who would choke a woman nearly to death to be a hero.  Not to mention that the choking incident is not the only moment in the book where Holly fears Rafe may kill her.  I do not feel that, in a romance novel, the characters should ever have to fear for their lives from their counterpart.  

I know that there are some people out there who might enjoy this novel, but I cannot consider myself one of those people. 

All In by Simona Ahrnstedt

All In by Simona Ahrnstedt is not like other novels you’ve read.  It happens to be the first foreign language novel to be translated to English and published in America.  Originally written in Swedish All In brings the reader directly into the world of Sweden politics.

Advanced reader copies of romance novels (i.e. copies of the yet-to-be-published novel) do not come to our book store all that often (hint, hint to authors), so when a romance novel does cross the threshold my coworkers know to leave it for me.  I was very excited to read All In because I happen to love novels with a power struggle between the two main characters.  There’s something about having to sacrifice for love that makes the novel really resonate with me.

In All In, we are thrust into the world of politics, finance, and class conflict.  Natalia De La Grip is a member of one of the most powerful families in Sweden.  She currently occupies a high paying job within her family’s company and she’s very good at what she does.  When David Hammar asks her to dinner she has understandable hesitations.  David Hammar, a venture capitalist, has gone up against her family’s company twice, and lost… twice.  Now he’s planning a hostile takeover sure to destroy everything her family has worked for, and her family, all in the name of revenge.  Together the two embark on a torrid affair shrouded in secrets that can only end in heartbreak.

I’ll be honest.  Politics was never my strong suit.  Most romance novels set in the political arena sort of gloss over the specifics and keep things general to keep their readers interested.  Ahrnstedt, however, meticulously researched Sweden politics to write this novel and it is absolutely clear upon reading it.  I will say that it was a little tough to get into the novel in the first few chapters because I was so unfamiliar with terms, roles, and people, not to mention the political atmosphere of Sweden is vastly different from that of America (on the surface at least).  However, by the end of the novel I had not only read a wonderfully romantic story, but I’d actually learned something about politics in the process.

Natalia and David have some indescribable chemistry.  I love the way Ahrnstedt showcases their passion for one another while also their difficult struggle to move past their differences.  For a while I became completely absorbed in the novel and forgot that Natalia and David were mere characters in a novel.  They seemed so real to me.  Their pain seemed so real to me.  Somehow she helped me relate to two people from upperclass Sweden and I am still dumbfounded about that.

The only complaint I have about this novel is the cover.  I would have loved to see the cover appropriately portray the powerful characters and the dangerous game they are playing.  The cover makes the book seem like a light romantic read when it reality it was an emotional, passionate power struggle that had me desperate to turn the next page.  All in all, that’s a minor complaint I suppose. 

All In comes out next month.  If you like romance novels thoroughly researched, well-written, and erotic, then you need to check out this book. 

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

I never thought I would be saying this, but I think I’m actually starting to enjoy the romance sub-genre of ‘proper romance’.   My first foray into this type of novel was with Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, a wonderful steampunk proper romance that I reviewed a couple weeks ago.  The same publisher who gave me a copy of that book also gave me two others that he thought I would enjoy, one of which is Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. 

Marianne, reeling from the loss of her mother, is abandoned by her father in the care of her grandmother.  Marianne is not your typical lady.  She likes reading, and riding horses, and twirling, and she is completely bored with her life.  When she is invited to stay with family friends at their estate she jumps at the chance for a little excitement.  She never thought that excitement would come from falling in love with a handsome, irritating, arrogant man.

This book was absolutely adorable.  Now, that might not sound like the kind of romance novel you are looking for, especially if you normally read the sort of stuff that makes your whole body flush, but bear with me.  There was genuine chemistry between the characters, the sort of banter that had be laughing out loud, and just enough mystery to keep you wondering what was going to happen next. 

Over the years I have noticed that my reading has progressed from these more innocent type of romance novels to the brazen, erotic sort.  Reading these proper romances brings me back to when I first started reading and brings me back to my own first loves.  It reminds me when I’d feel warm for days just from exchanging simple kisses with my crush. 

I think it takes a great amount of talent to make your reader’s heart flip and their blood heat from flirting and kissing.  Julianne Donaldson definitely has that sort of talent.  Edenbrooke was everything I would want from a novel:  intriguing, filled with passion, and delightfully romantic.  

The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

For nine months Sonali Dev's books have sat on the bookshelves of the independent bookshop in which I work.  For nine months I have watched them fly off our shelves.  For nine months I had myself convinced that they were not my type of book.  I love romance, obviously, but I prefer light hearted romantic mysteries, mostly contemporary because I like to understand my settings and characters. I had never encountered a romance novel that involved Bollywood nor Indian culture in general.

However, a week ago Sonali Dev found herself in our bookshop and engaged in a conversation with yours truly.  After meeting such a fascinating woman and getting a first hand run down of her novels there was no way I was going to be able to resist reading her books.  I bought The Bollywood Bride and grabbed the advanced reader copy of her next book: A Change of Heart (review to come).

Today I needed a new book for the elliptical and grabbed The Bollywood Bride.  This novel follows Rai, a successful Bollywood actress with a dark and troubled past, and Vikram, the boy who changed her life and whose heart she later shattered.  Now, after ten years apart, they are thrust back together to celebrate their cousin's wedding.  Rai is swamped in secrets, Vikram is holding onto his rage, but together they are battling a continued passion for one another.  

I'll be honest, there were a couple times during the book that the Indian phrases and cultural activities confused me, however, Sonali does a phenomenal job of explaining the definitions and meaning behind activities without being overt about it.  Despite my ignorance pertaining to the Indian culture I still found myself enjoying the novel greatly. 

The Bollywood Bride is a darker type of romance novel than I usually choose to read.  I like tension and suspense in my novels, though usually that comes from not knowing who the murderer is.  In the case of this novel the tension and suspense came from knowing Rai's deepest, darkest secrets, and also knowing that Vikram knew nothing.  In the most troubling moments of the novel I found myself desperate to flip to the end to make sure everything would end alright (I resisted, but it was quite the internal battle).  

Sonali Dev knows how to write, that much is clear, but she also knows how to write raw emotions and believable characters.  This book was a deep, emotional, riveting read that had my heart breaking and soaring at different moments.  As a plus, I also learned a lot about Indian culture and the Bollywood scene.  I recommend this book to romance readers wholeheartedly, but especially to anyone looking to break out of the typical romance novel mold.  

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Reading a new book can be a frightening adventure.  I’ve been holding onto A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet for a couple weeks now.  For all intents and purposes the book looks like something I’d delve into immediately, but a few things kept the book on my shelf.  For one, this novel takes place in an alternate universe involving warlords, dragons, fortune tellers, magic, and more.  I’m more of a contemporary romance gal, myself.  I usually worry, with novels like this one, that I will spend too much time trying to understand the unfamiliar world and the plot and romance will fall by the wayside.  Second, the novel is by an author I’ve never heard of before.  I’ve always had difficulty branching out to new authors because I so hate wasting my time on disappointing novels with boring plots and ‘been there, done that’ characters.

That was not the case here.  I cannot stress that enough.  I picked up A Promise of Fire on my lunch break today. Big mistake.  Having to put the book down after 30 minutes was absolute torture.  By that point I was 50 pages in and utterly in love with Soothsayer, Cat Fisa, and the warlord looking to wield her as a powerful weapon. The chemistry between the two of them is undeniable and electric.  Later, when I finally got the chance to continue read, I could literally feel the blood heating in my veins and my heart beating quicker (alright, alright, that might have had something to do with my reading it on an elliptical during my workout, but I attribute at least some of it to the book).

A Promise of Fire follows Cat, a young woman with a horrific past, innumerable enemies, and secrets, so many secrets.  She wants nothing more than to blend into the world around her, disappear, but Griffin has a different plan.  Griffin is looking for a weapon, one that will help keep his family in power, but he never expected someone like Cat to cross his path.  Cat has talents that make her extremely useful, and extremely dangerous.  As Griffin and Cat are forced to spend time together they begin to trust one another, which puts Cat’s life, and Griffin’s in mortal danger.

Even though this novel is set in a time and place known only in Bouchet’s imagination she manages to express that world with incredible detail to her readers.  It never took much effort on my part to understand this foreign environment, strange magic and abilities, or unfamiliar terminology.  That is always the mark of an excellent storyteller.  It was a spectacular, titillating, undeniably realistic story that kept me riveted until the very end and will follow me into my dreams.

I finished the book moments ago and had to write this review immediately.  I am utterly heartbroken, and incredibly impressed, that this book appears to be Amanda Bouchet’s debut novel.  A Promise of Fire is the first in a trilogy, the release dates of the next two novels are set for January and Fall of 2017.  I am , of course, devastated that I have to wait that long, but I suppose it isn’t that long in the scheme of things, and it is worth any amount of time to have this story continue. 

A Promise of Fire comes out August 2016 and I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to read a unique, captivating, and swoon-worthy story pre-order this.  I will be watching Amanda Bouchet closely from here on out and I look forward to having her novels join the ranks on my numerous, but exclusive, bookshelves.  For more information on this amazing novel, please check out Amanda's website: amandabouchet.com

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Don't Tempt Me by Lori Foster

I haven’t read a romance novel by Lori Foster in a while that didn’t revolve around the ultimate fighting lifestyle.  Even though I am not well-versed in ultimate fighting, I still find those novels, full of drama and hot shirtless men, quite exciting.  I was not sure how I was going to feel going back to her more contemporary romance (still with shirtless men, but less of the ultimate fighting). 

Don’t Tempt Me by Lori Foster, from the back cover, sounds like one of those two-in-one deals, but don’t let the description fool you.  Honor Brown is moving into a ramshackle house in a rough side of town in order to be closer to her ailing grandfather’s nursing home.  Her new neighbor, Jason Guthrie, isn’t keen on the idea of a woman living alone in this neighborhood, and is constantly offering his assistance, much to the dislike of Honor, a strikingly independent woman with no time, or patience for a romantic relationship.

In the secondary story, Honor’s best friend, Lexie Perkins meets Sullivan Dean, one of Honor’s other neighbors.  Lexie is a forward woman who knows what, and who she wants, and goes for it.  Sullivan doesn’t mind Lexie’s advances and together they embark on a wild affair.  However, Sullivan has a complex about party girls like Lexie and Lexie soon discovers that not everyone is will to look beyond the wild exterior.

One would think that these two stories would be equally featured within Don’t Tempt Me, but Jason and Honor take front and center stage, leaving the Sullivan and Lexie story slightly underdeveloped and wanting for more.  Honestly, I was left wanting for more from the Jason and Honor story, too.  There was so much going on outside their personal relationship that I found myself craving the chapters that focused on their intimate moments (and no, not just the sex scenes). 

Don’t Tempt Me has romance, danger, crazy family members, and humorous friendships.  My main complaint is that there doesn’t seem to be a good balance of all of those.  At any given moment I felt that the romance was at the bottom of the totem pole, so to speak, which is very unlike Lori Foster.  Conflict was coming at the characters from a million different directions and, totally unlike myself, I sort of wished that there was… less of it. 

I, also, wish that Foster had given Sullivan and Lexie their own novel, because what there was of their story in Don’t Tempt Me didn’t do them justice, in my opinion.  Foster gave us a quick and cute romance tale, but Sullivan and Lexie both have such independent lives and with Lexie’s wild passion I thought we would get an explosive romance between the two. 

Of course, Lori Foster gave us a great story with well-developed characters, per usual.  If you’re a big fan of her work, then you’ll enjoy this story.  It has everything we, as readers, have come to expect from Lori Foster’s novels. If you are interested in reading this book, but haven’t read any of Foster’s previous work, then I have some other novels to recommend to you for your first venture in her world of romance because this one pales in comparison to some of her other works.

Don’t Tempt Me comes out August 2016.  Look for it!