Friendship and Intimacy in Molly O’Keefe’s Tempted

This book is good! I don’t know why I’m so surprised since everything Molly O’Keefe writes is magic, but I don’t like westerns, so I didn’t expect to love this one so much or, to be honest, to even read it. But I bought it on release day to support a favorite author, took a look at the first page, and didn’t put it down until I finished it.

Here’s the blurb so I don’t have to describe the plot:

Denver, 1869  

Annie Denoe has fought hard for her independence. She has a new life and new freedom as the assistant to a doctor, and though she risks both propriety and her safety, she is determined to be happy in a life on her own.  

Steven Baywood is trying to rebuild his shattered life, even though the ghosts of his harrowing stay in Andersonville prison still haunt him. He craves Annie and her quiet strength, but he can't give her the love she deserves. When a tragedy changes everything for Annie, can Steven find peace with his past in order to give Annie a future?

Because It's Never Too Late: My Favorite Books of 2014

Image Credit: Abhi Sharma

I don’t know about you, but I always thought that January  February  March needed more “Best of” lists. I mean, why so greedy, December?  Why do you hoard all the lists? Since I’m contrary like that (and didn’t have time to write this thing in December when I should have and then the months kept passing and it became The Beast to Be Defeated! GAH!!!) and because it’s never too late to annoy people with my choices, today I present you with my The Most Memorable List of Bestest Books that Ever Booked in 2014. It’s not going to be predictable or repetitive at all, so get ready to be blown away by so much awesomeness!

On a more serious note I must say that I always have good reading years, so you won’t hear me complain about having a hard time finding good books or coming up with ten titles to put on the list, but this year my productivity was so lacking and my reading so scattered, that even now, after I’ve had time to think about what I read, what I loved and why, I can’t even find the energy to remember. So memorable is a good way to describe these books, because they were the ones that first came to mind when I was having a hard time mustering the enthusiasm to blog.

Review: Summer Rain Anthology

Source: Review copy provided by one of the authors. 

This review is going to be long, so let’s jump right into it.

*****

Redemption by Ruthie Knox tells the story of two unlucky people punished by the economy (as well as some unwise and bizarre business decisions) and how they come together and find solace in each other.

Basically, this novella is a unicorn, also known as a doom-and-gloom small-town contemporary. Blink and you’ll miss the magic of two miserable people whose future is uncertain, falling in comfort with each other. It has a hopeful ending that doesn’t promise much to either reader or characters, but that perfectly fits the tone of the story.

Grade: 4

Heroine Week, Day 2 – Sexual Double Standards in Romance Novels or She Wants It - And That's Okay by Molly O’Keefe

I think that sometimes we confuse difficult and unlikable with complex and flawed. But being a Mary Sue can be tiresome, y’all! And no one knows that better than Molly O’Keefe’s heroines, who risked not being liked in favor of having fun and doing what they want (while wearing pink cowboy boots).

*****

Sexual Double Standards in Romance Novels or She Wants It - And That's Okay by Molly O’Keefe

I live in a bubble. My friends, the women I follow on Twitter, the blogs I read - our viewpoints upon the world, feminism, sex, romance novels - they match up the majority of the time.  I work from home so I don't have to see people or converse with people I don't like, or who routinely anger me and I've stopped reading the comments sections on line, where so much ugliness seems to reside.

Heroine Week, Day 2 – The Appeal of the Unlikable Heroine or Why I'd totally Root for Scarlet to Beat Up Melanie by Nicole Helm

Unlikable heroines seem to be really appealing (unsurprising, once you think about it). Nicole Helm has been one of their fiercest champions and I’m glad she’s here today to tell us why.

*****

The Appeal of the Unlikable Heroine or Why I'd totally root for Scarlet to beat up Melanie by Nicole Helm

The unlikable heroine. She saunters onto the pages of a book and takes no prisoners. She might be mean. She might be arrogant. She might find a way to get what she wants no matter what.

These are characteristics that make many romance readers swoon...if we're talking about the hero, but more often than not they are the characteristics that make a heroine totally polarizing and labeled "unlikable". You love her or hate her, and there's very little in between.

Review: Crazy Thing Called Love by Molly O’Keefe

Update: there seems to be a confusion with some comments, so I want to clarify that this is a review, NOT a giveaway.


Update 2: Spoilers ahead. They don't ruin the book, but do give away one big plot development. 

Source: a review copy was provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.

As you guys know, I’m a fan of Ms. O’Keefe’s books and I really liked her single title debut, Can’t Buy Me Love. I was apprehensive about the second book, which turned out to be just as good. So now we’re here with the conclusion of the series, and a new take on romance, relationships and old genre tropes.

Crazy Thing Called Love is about second chances; not only at love, but in life, family and work. It’s the story of Maddy and Billy -- high school sweethearts who married very young and got divorced almost immediately, not because they didn't love each other, but because they weren't mature enough to deal with what life put in their way, in this case, fame and glory.

Guest Post & Giveaway: Molly O’Keefe on Sports Journalism, Realistic Romance and the Consequences of Fame

Molly O’Keefe wrote one of my favorite books of 2012, and she continues to amaze me with her ability to infuse her stories with a heavy dose of realism. 

Romance tends to, well, romanticize every aspect of life, especially when said life is already seen as desirable but unattainable. This is particularly true with sport romances that mostly feature perfection and an idealized version of reality that gets old when constantly repeated. So when I read a book like Crazy Thing Called Love, a story that doesn’t pull any punches in its portrayal of the negative consequences of sport glory and fame, and still manages to deliver a very romantic love story, I feel hopeful that more authors won’t hesitate to tell stories that are closer to reality.

She’s here today to tell us more about that uglier aspect of fame, and what makes it so fascinating.

Also, stick around because there’s a giveaway at the end.

2012: A Year in Books | The Best

Winter Berries by Michelle Buntin

This year I tried to choose books that were both the best and my favorites (although “best” is still quite subjective). The end of the year is plagued with awards, but most of the time the winners are the popular books and not necessarily the best. I want this list to reflect entertainment but also quality, because one of the reasons this year was less than stellar, was because of the rise of many books that were more unfinished product than anything else. And one thing I wish 2013 brings is higher standards. I believe quality and entertainment aren't mutually exclusive, and all the books on my list should reflect that.

Giveaway: Naughty & Nice Holiday Hop

Loveswept and Romance at Random are celebrating the release of their upcoming holiday anthology, Naughty & Nice, with a Giveaway Hop. We wanted to be part of it because we are fans of the authors and can't wait to read the book.

The prices are*:

• 15 NetGalley preview copies of Naughty & Nice by Ruthie Knox, Molly O'Keefe and Stefanie Sloane (International).
• 5 Paperbacks of About Last Night by Ruthie Knox (US residents only).
• A grand price of  $15 Gift Certificate to the winner's e-retailer of choice. (International)

Review: Can't Buy Me Love by Molly O'Keefe

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

This is Ms. O’Keefe single title debut and I was very excited to read it because I’ve enjoyed her books before. Can’t Buy Me Love isn’t much of a departure from her usual stories, which means that it is a slightly angsty story that focuses on the characters and their journey both personal and as a couple. It’s also book one in a series, so the secondary characters feature prominently in it.

Tara Jean Sweet is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks to whom life has dealt bad hand after bad hand. But her luck changes when she meets Lyle Baker, an elderly –and wealthy– Texas rancher. He puts her in charge of one of his business and gives her life a new meaning. But he also asks something in return: he’s dying and he wants her to fake an engagement to lure his son back. Lyle isn't a good person – he was an abusive father and a terrible husband. He has two kids: Luc, product of his marriage, and Tori, product of his affair. But he only wants Luc, so he demands that Tara acts like a gold-digger bimbo who’s about to take all his money, to anger Luc and provoke him into coming back to the ranch. To Tara, Lyle means redemption, help and friendship, so she’s willing to do anything for him, not to mention that her job is tied to Lyle and she doesn't want to lose it.

Review: Unexpected Family Molly O’Keefe

I discovered Ms. O’Keefe’s books last year when I read book one in the series. The books can be out of order, in fact, I didn’t realize they were connected until I was well into the story

When Lucy Alatore was young, all she wanted to do was design jewelry and leave home. Her dream came true and she moved to Los Angeles, but after a bad business decision she’s back to her hometown with nothing but failure. 

Jeremiah Stone was a rodeo super star but he had to quit because of injure.  He didn’t have much time to grief the loss of his career because his sister died leaving him in charge of his three young orphaned nephews. So he’s been back in town for the past year struggling with his new responsibility and barely managing.