Review: Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

Warning: the review contains a spoiler, it’s hidden, but I'm making sure you know about it now in case you prefer to skip the review.

One of my favorite books by Robyn Carr is A Summer in Sonoma. It’s one of her standalone books and if you haven’t read it you should because it’s wonderful. When I found out that Walt, the hero of that book, had a cameo in this book (he also makes a cameo in the previous book, Hidden Summit) I was a happy camper.

Katie Malone is a single mother of 5-year-old twins. Her husband died in war when she was pregnant and she’s been alone ever since. Months ago, tragedy struck again when her brother became the main witness of a murder and had to go into hiding. That ended up well with him moving to a small town called Virgin River and finding love, but Katie’s life was a bit of a mess. When she finally allowed herself to date and maybe find love, the guy she was dating turned out to be gay. Now she’s trying to start again but first she’s taking her boys for a little road trip and to visit their uncle.

Review: A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through Edelweiss for review purposes.

It took one book, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, for Ms. MacLean to become one of my favorite Historical Romance writers. It was one of those books that you knew were special after reading the first pages. Then she continued to awe me with her following books to the point of becoming some of my favorite books of the year. Sadly, I’m afraid to say that we have hit a bump in the road, because A Rogue by Any Other Name didn’t work for me as well as her previous novels.

The book opens with the ruin of the Marquess of Bourne, who loses everything but his title in a card game. Ten years later he is richer than he ever was and infamous for owning London’s most exclusive gaming hell. Everyone fears him and he wants revenge, part of his plan is taking back his inheritance, which includes his childhood home, a place that’s now part of Lady Penelope Marbury’s dowry. 

Review: Geek Girl by Cindy C Bennett

A couple of weeks ago I read and loved Heart on a Chain by Cindy C Bennett. The book was seriously flawed but was very entertaining and addictive, so I wanted to read more and that’s why I got Geek Girl.

Jen is the school’s bad girl. She dresses in black, uses heavy makeup and has a bit of a reputation. One day she sees the school’s nerd, Trevor, and decides that her next project will be to seduce him into the dark side, to turn him bad like her. So she bets with her friend that she will be able to do it sooner or later. At first he can’t understand why someone like her will want to be friends with someone like him, but because he’s such a good boy he invites her to join his group of friends. Slowly they get to know each other, Jen realizes that he is a great person and fun to be with, and Trevor gets to see past the bad girl to the real Jen inside. So they become friends and then fall in love. Slowly her clothes change and her makeup is less strong, she stops being a Goth girl to become a geek girl.

Review: Tailor Made by Josephine Myles

If I had to describe this book in just a few words I would say fun and sexy. Tailor Made is the perfect light story if you’re looking for something quick and entertaining to read.

Felix McAvoy is an art student famous for being a bit of a transgressor when it comes to art, and a bit of a slut when it comes to men. His latest mission is getting into the pants of his tutor and in order to do it he plans to impress him -and everyone else- by doing something quite subversive as his final art project.

Review: Time Out by Jill Shalvis

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

If you follow the blog you already know that I love contemporary romance, and you can’t love contemporary romance without loving Ms. Shalvis’ books. So when I saw this book on Netgalley I was a happy reader.

If you’re a fan of this author you probably know that besides writing great small town series, she also writes steamy books for Harlequin’s Blaze line, books such as this. A sexy and fun contemporary romance that’s great for those days where you’re feeling bored and want something entertaining to do that won’t take much time or effort.

Winners, News and Announcements

This was a slow week here at Romance Around the Corner. I was quite busy so I apologize for not answering to all your comments. We did have some fun, though, with an author guest post and Marie’s review of The Girls' Guide to Dating Zombies.

I would like to, once again, thank Tiffany A. Snow, for writing such an interesting post and for the giveaway. Also, thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on the post.

Before I announce the winners, I want to let you know that we are going on a tiny hiatus and will be back next Thursday to our regularly scheduled blogging. We have a couple of reviews ready and an awesome giveaway.

The winners of No Turning Back by Tiffany A. Snow are: EVERYONE! That’s right, everyone who commented on the post wins a copy of the book (except Marie, of course). So Jade and Na get an ecopy of the book, and Chrisbails gets the signed copy. Congratulations guys! As usual, emails are on their way, if you didn’t get it check your spam folder or send me an email brie.clementineATgmailDOTcom

Before you go, the winner of the Josephine Myles giveaway never responded so I had to choose a new winner, the lucky person is: Yto. Congrats! I’ve already emailed you. 

Remember that I will be out of town so if you don’t hear back from me before Thursday don’t panic!

Thank you so much everyone, have a nice weekend!

Review: The Girls' Guide to Dating Zombies by Lynn Messina

Note: We received a copy of the book from the publisher for review purposes.

I have been trying to come up with a way to describe this book in a few words and I think that I finally have it: ridiculously funny. The book is quite well written and even though beyond the dating zombies’ idea the plot is not exactly original, the story is so well presented that it makes the reading enjoyable. And last but not least, it’s refreshing.

It’s the year 2020 and twenty years ago a disgusting disease plagued the earth targeting the male population. But instead of killing them, they became zombies with purple skin, rotting limbs, mumbled speech and the compulsion of eating brain. The difference between these zombies and the “normal” ones that we are most used to reading about, is that for some kind of genetic reason these zombies go after animal’s brain, not human’s, and for that reason they live –or not die- among humans. 

Guest Post & Giveaway: Author Tiffany A. Snow

Love triangles are one of romance’s favorite themes. I know that halve the books I read use this trope. Today, author Tiffany A. Snow is joining us to celebrate Valentine’s Day and love triangles, so please help me give her a warm welcome.

Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Last year I read my first Susanna Kearsley book and it ended up being one of my favorites of the year. So I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her backlist. The Winter Sea had a similar plot to The Rose Garden in that they both had historical plots taking place parallel to their present counterparts, but that’s where the similarities end.

On one of my latest reviews I was complaining about unrealistic endings where the characters got everything they wanted, and how I felt that we should get more bittersweet endings where the characters had to make sacrifices. This book is a perfect example of that. I think not everyone would be happy with how things end but to me it was fitting to the circumstances. The ending was both happy and sad, and I was very glad (and weepy!).

Winners!

We have some winners to announce! I should have done this yesterday but I was out of town, so I apologize for the delay. 

As usual, thank you very much to everyone who was a part of our giveaways. I had a blast reading about your respective muses and your favorite romantic comedies (I even added a couple to my list!).

The winner of The Bro-Magnet by Laren Baratz-Logsted is Christine.

The winner of book of choice by Josephine Myles is Cinderella.

Congrats guys! Emails are on their way, if you didn’t get it check your spam folders or contact me at brie.clementineATgmail.com

Hope to see you all back soon!

Review: Firelight by Kristen Callihan

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

I got this book because everyone was talking about how great it was, so curiosity got the best of me and I requested it. It also helped that I love Beauty and the Beast stories and this one seemed to be the paranormal version of one. Unfortunately the book failed to meet my expectations.

Lord Benjamin Archer is a tormented man. Years ago something mysterious happened to him and now he’s disfigured and hiding behind a mask. Desperate to find a cure he seeks vengeance against the person who stole it from him, but what he finds instead is his daughter, a lovely and rebellious young lady who takes his breath away and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. So he devices a plan in order to have her, a plan that includes blackmailing her father so he can marry her.

Guest Post & Giveaway: Author Josephine Myles

A warning and a note from Brie: this post contains a NSFW picture, so careful when reading it. The comments on the pictures are mine.

We are very excited to welcome author Josephine Myles to our little corner of the blogosphere. If you like m/m contemporary romance you’re probably familiar with her work. Her stories are fun and touching, filled with great characters that feel real and relatable. Oh! And they are quite steamy as well. 

Review: Heart on a Chain by Cindy C Bennett

This is what happens when you follow so many book lovers on Twitter. You start to snoop in on conversations about books and end up buying them. I’m not complaining, though, it’s a great way to discover stories that otherwise would go unnoticed. Thanks to Katie (aka KT Grant) for indirectly recommending this book to me.

I’m having a hard time rating this book. Just based on entertainment value it deserves a high grade because I found it addictive and engrossing, I couldn’t stop reading. However, it’s seriously flawed. If you want to enjoy the book your BS-meter has to be turned off or else you won’t handle how over the top and extreme this book is.

Interview & Giveaway: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

As you guys know, I loved The Bro-Magnet. It was an original and hilarious story that I think every romance fan in need of a good laugh should read. And today I’m happy to welcome the person who created such an enjoyable story. Please let’s give a warm welcome to Lauren Baratz-Logstend!

Hello Lauren, welcome to Romance Around the Corner. Excuse me if a start laughing in the middle of the interviews but that’s what happens every time I think about your book. I’m like one of Pavlov’s dogs, I hear The Bro-Magnet and I start laughing.