Top of 2013 List!

1. Best Book With A Troll, Centaur, and BBW:

Troll-y Yours by Sheri Fredricks

I got this book as a joke. A curvy-girl (BBW) book with a centaur, trolls, and various other quirky characters? Well, surprise, surprise! The book had great world-building details, an engaging romantic storyline, and even some interesting commentary on ethnic discrimination. I liked it!


2. Best Movie With A Hot Tub:

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

I'm not sure how I missed this gem in 2010, but I made up for my oversight by heartily enjoying it this year. John Cusack + 1980s music + asinine humor + Crispin Glover with his arm chopped off. It just doesn't get any better than that. I would recommend turning this movie-watching experience into a drinking game. Rules: Drink the whole time.


3. New Favorite Hilarious Over-The-Top Historical Writer Who Also Happens To Be Self-Published:

Anya Wylde

I read Penelope and Seeking Philbert Woodbead this year, and I was tickled pink with both of them. Wylde's sense of humor is divine--quirky, ridiculous, over-the-top farce. I just adore this type of historical romance novel. She has an utterly unique voice in this genre, and I was charmed.


4. Best Beard of the Year/Best Ginger Beard of the Year/Best Hairy Guy of the Year/you get the idea:

Lucas Parker on my blog

Lucas Parker on my Pinterest board

Lucas Parker on Twitter

Lucas Parker on Facebook

Lucas Parker

What? I like Lucas Parker. Sue me.


5. Dumbest New Trend In Romance: NA

New Adult? What's next? SCPA (Single Cell Pre-Adult, aka embryonic stage), IPWISA (I Pee When I Sneeze Adult--50-something romance), and possibly DA (Dead Adult, could also be a zombie book).

Ugh.


6. Best Use Of Tai Chi To Defeat Would-Be Villain Award...

....goes to My Sunshine by Catherine Anderson. A deranged lunatic vet tech who exposes her boobies and tries to take out the heroine with a big-ass knife, a brain-damaged character who has severe memory loss but remembers all of her tai chi moves just in the nick of time, and an asinine dog rescue on the highway make this one of the most ridiculous books I read this year. And that's saying something (see CUM 4 BIGFOOT).


7. Best Book With A Cat's POV:

The Girl With The Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir

Right up my alley. Quirky, cute, fun, romantic and even had a suspenseful storyline thrown in for good measure. You know when the cat's POV starts the book, you're in for a treat. And this book is a 5000-star treat. Another favorite romance read from 2013.


8. Favorite New Erotica Writer:

Scarlett Parrish

Scarlett likes to torture me on Twitter by discussing non-vanilla, troubling topics (bum sex *cough cough*). Also, she has the most exquisite cuss combinations on the face of the earth. So color me surprised when I discovered that this hard-cussing, highly-opinionated author has major writing chops, excellent character insight, fast-paced humorous dialogue, and sweat-inducing sex scenes. Her writing is a hybrid of literary fiction-style with erotica. It's fantastic. Another author-to-watch for 2014 and beyond.


9. Favorite 2013 Christmas Story:

Starry Night: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber

Huge fat thank-you to Kate at Babbling About Books for recommending this adorable holiday story. I read a lot of stinkers this year, but this one was lovely. It had a grumpy bearded Alaskan writer! Grumpy! Bearded! Alaska! I loved it.


10. Favorite Cocktail:

Strawberry Basil Lemonade (with kick) at the NJRWA conference. Soooooooo good!

11. Best Vanilla Menage:

(and only vanilla menage)...

Commando Cowboys Seduce Their Woman by Paige Cameron

Let's face it. Finding a non-kinky menage story is almost impossible. Nevertheless, I was on a mission. To find a "sweeter" menage with no bum-sex, BDSM, or other sexual practices I needed to Google for clarification. And guess what? I found one! This book was a "caretaker" menage--the two hot studs cooked, cleaned, gave foot massages, and generally serviced their woman in a highly satisfactory manner.

And if you believe that one, I have some land to sell you in Florida.

But it was fun!


12.  Most Disturbing Fashion Trend: The Hipster Lumberjack

Skinny jeans + cardigan sweaters + dorky glasses DOES NOT EQUAL lumberjack.

Ever.


13. Favorite New Indie Book Set In New Orleans With Super Hot Chemistry:

Sweetened With A Kiss by Lexxi Callahan

I loved this book so much I read it twice in one week. Another wonderful debut showing by an indie author. Super smoky hot chemistry between the H/h made for a very sexy story, which was perfectly paired with a steamy New Orleans setting. Looking forward to more from this author.


14. Biggest Sci-Fi Film Disappointment of the Year:

Star Trek Into The Darkness

Hey, I have an idea! Let's make a sci fi film with the most iconic spaceship in the genre, and keep the cast grounded on earth for the majority of the movie? Isn't that a great idea?

Um, no. Actually it's a horrible freakin' idea.

Here's hoping the next Star Trek movie GETS US INTO SPACE!


15. Best Bigfoot Orgy Erotica Series:

Cum 4 Bigfoot by Virginia Wade

(I'm guessing that just by typing the last two sentences, I'm pretty much assuring myself a place in hell. I hope they have nice 2-BR condos there).

There's nothing like reading about pot-smoking, girl-abducting, growling, groaning, tea-drinking, loom-weaving, horny-ass bigfoot dudes to guarantee you'll never go into the woods again.


16. Best Starbucks Hot Beverage/Book Pairing:

I recommend drinking a tasty peppermint mocha while reading Christine DePetrillo's Alaska Heart, a lovely story about an Iditarod-winner in Alaska. Curling up in front of a fake duraflame-enhanced fire would also be a good idea.

17. Dumbest SyFy Movie Ever:

Sharknado

When you get so bored watching sharks fly out of the sky that you start reading catalogues in desperation, you know your made-for-television movie is a bust. Not even Tara Reid could save this one. I loved how the scene would be raining one moment, then sunny the next, then windy the next, then storming the next. I want that editing job!


18. Most Romantic Read of 2013:

The Tenderfoot Bride by Cheryl St. John (2007)

This oldie but goodie Harly was so wonderful I actually bought a print copy after reading the ebook. It's a traditional western romance with a gruff hero, a battered heroine desperate for a new life, and a super-satisfying, slow, simmering romance. I cried at the end. This is what romance is all about. Fabulous novel.


19. BEST BOOK OF 2013:

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

After leaving her readers in quite a state following THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY, Louise Penny had a huge challenge with this book. A complicated overlying story arc to be tied up, a heart-wrenching disintegration of a beloved character, a leader fighting seemingly impossible odds. So, what did she do? She wrote a gorgeous, romantic, satisfying book that was pure, utter bliss. Not only did it satisfy the mystery-lover in me, it satisfied the romance-lover, too.

How The Light Gets In is a winner by a long shot. And Gamache, without a doubt, is my "Best Hero of 2013."



Happy Reading To All!
Penny

A Couple of Amazeballs Movie Recs from Nico Jaye

❅ Movie Reviews by Nico Jaye ❅

We're all just kids at heart!

Cartoons are awesome. I love 'em, and there are some reeeeeeeeeeally good ones out there.  Disney's Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites, and to this day I still gravitate towards that trope. In the m/m world, I suppose you could take my love of geek/jock stories as evidence of that. =)

I saw two animated movies this past holiday weekend that were amazeballs! Totally recommend them if you're looking for an uplifting story and some smiles.

Frozen just came out in the theaters and features lots of the beautiful animation for which Disney is so famous. The film is just gorgeous with a really heartwarming message at the center of it. The story follows a princess as she tries to convince her sister, who has accidentally cast a perpetual winter over the land, to come back to their village to reverse the winter and bring back summer.  The sisters are strong heroines, and it's awesome to see such positive and empowering role models for young girls out there. Frozen promotes family and loving people for who they are, and the true love in the end is such a wonderful twist on Disney fairy tales.

Wreck-It Ralph was available On Demand, and since I was one of the five people who hadn't seen it yet, I finally decided to take the plunge. IT WAS AWESOME. I loved this movie. Wreck-It Ralph, the titular antihero, is the bad guy in a retro-popular arcade game.  When he decides he doesn't want to be bad all the time—and who can blame him for just wanting some love?—he goes on a quest to win a medal that would prove he's worthy of everyone's respect and affection.  The journey that he goes on is so gorgeous and fun and quirky. Some of the scenes feature cameos from famous bad guys in other cartoons; I was so excited to spot Bowser from Super Mario Brothers and M. Bison from the Street Fighter series. The story itself features wonderful messages about self-acceptance, confidence, and teamwork. There's even a little (unexpected!) romance between some of these cartoon cuties. Overall, Wreck-It Ralph was fantabulous, and I even found myself brushing back a tear at the sweet and poignant ending.

Frozen: B+

Wreck-It Ralph: A

Reviews by Nico Jaye

❅❅❅

(Quick comment from Penelope...Wreck-It Ralph is out on DVD and that would make an awesome holiday gift! Just saying!)

Review and Give-Away for THE HEART OF A DUKE by Victoria Morgan (A Stephanie Kay Review!)

It's release day for THE HEART OF A DUKE! Yippeeee! Victoria Morgan has enjoyed a stellar debut year...her first novel FOR THE LOVE OF A SOLDIER won first place for BEST FIRST BOOK in the Golden Leaf Contest at NJRWA. It was also nominated for Best First Historical at RT Book Reviews. THE HEART OF A DUKE is Morgan's follow-up novel with Berkley.

Stephanie Kay will be reviewing this lovely book today. And I'm giving away a free copy to one lucky commenter. Please leave a comment after the review to be entered in the give-away, and let me know your email address. 

Take it away, Stephanie!

❊❊❊

A Review of The Heart of a Duke by Victoria Morgan

❊Review by Stephanie Kay❊

Have you ever read a debut author and when you finished the book, it felt like you were reading a book written by an author who had been published for years? Well that is how I felt when I read Victoria Morgan’s first book, For the Love of a Soldier. If you haven’t read it, you definitely should. She just won the NJRWA Golden Leaf award for best debut novel and is nominated for an RT award for best first historical. She should totally win!

But I’m not here to review her debut novel…I just like any opportunity to promote it, since I LOVED it!

Back to her second book, The Heart of a Duke. Which I also LOVED.  This book is another example of a great historical romance. The plot is well developed, and filled with mystery and suspense. I loved the sharp and witty dialogue. The pacing is fast and I found myself sucked in by the opening scene.

Mistaken identities and kissing. How can you go wrong with that?

Lady Julia, headstrong and stubborn heroine (my favorite type) is tired of waiting for her betrothed, the Duke of Bedford to marry her. She finds him alone one day and taking matters into her own hands, she kisses him. Only it turns out to be his twin brother, Daniel. Our hero. He is adorable, protective, and enjoys taunting her. I love the combination of teasing and sexual tension that carries through the entire novel. Daniel is determined to protect Julia from his villainous brother, and she is determined to protect him at the same time.

What I love about Victoria’s characters is how well written they are. They come alive on the page. I feel like I’m reading about real people, not just characters in a book. But it is not just the hero and heroine that come alive, but her secondary characters as well. I really hope that a few of them get their own story next. Preferably Brett (Daniel’s business partner) and Emily (Julia’s sister).

I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an enjoyable historical romance with a happy ending that will make you smile. Victoria Morgan is a new author to watch and I can’t wait for the next book.

The holidays can be stressful, so take a break from all that cookie baking and present wrapping to read this book! (Apparently exclamation points mean yelling, so I’m ordering you to read this book ☺)

Grade: A

❊❊❊

Stephanie, thank you so much for this great review!!!! (note the exclamation points, Stephanie's favorite punctuation). It sounds like another winner from Victoria Morgan!

Please leave a comment to enter the give-away. Contest open until Friday December 6.

Ciao!

Penny

Coming Up Soon!

Here are some of the fun things coming up on Penelope's Romance Reviews during the month of December...

1. Tuesday Dec. 3 is release day for Victoria Morgan's 2nd novel, THE HEART OF A DUKE. Woo hoo! Stephanie Kay will be reviewing it for us, and I'm hosting a give-away tomorrow to celebrate. Please stop by to see Stephanie's review and leave a comment to enter the give-away.

2. My big end-of-the-year post, Penelope's 2013 TOP 20 LIST will be coming up within a week. Don't miss it! It has bigfoot, a ginger beard, trolls, indie favorites, and of course the BEST BOOK OF 2013!

3. I am hosting a HOLIDAY BASH from Dec 9-13, with lots of give-aways and gifts and fun stuff! I'm giving away an indie basket, Junior Mint favorites, Penelope's Motley Crew favorites, and sharing a cool new Christmas cocktail recipe and a list of recommended gifts for the holidays. Be sure to stop by and win!

4. SWEET MAGIK will be out in print within the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted about that.

5. I am working on a short called A LUMBERJACKY CHRISTMAS, which I'm hoping to post as a freebie within a couple of weeks. A gift to my readers! (Hint: It has a bearded lumberjack in it).



Hope everyone survived Turkey Day without indigestion!

Happy Monday,
Penelope

Happy Thanksgiving!

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hope that everyone has a wonderful day...

Lots of love,

Penny

Review: TAKE ME HOME by Inez Kelley

Review for TAKE ME HOME by Inez Kelley

I had a tough reading round-up last week. A couple of books that were highly recommended to me which basically had heroes who were complete and utter jerks.

I'm not on board with that. Male characters can be flawed, real, domineering, and have integrity at the same time. You can't just call any old guy a "hero." A real hero has to earn that term. Earn it.

Okay, enough about that. Let's move on to this sweet book!

I have been looking forward to this one for a LONG time. Why? IT'S ABOUT A LUMBERJACK! Even though Matt corrects the heroine every time she uses that term. He's a modern man--ergo, a lumber man/logging manager. Lumberjack is an old-fashioned term.

What I liked...I LOVED all the fascinating research about the lumber industry, the maple syrup industry, the setting. Kelley really did her homework and it shows. This book is X-tremely lumberjacky...lots of chopping and sawing. Yee haw! (No beard, but there was scruff!)

I also really liked the cast of supporting characters--the camaraderie with the male friends had fun, realistic dialogue.

The hero is a REAL hero. He is tortured by a difficult past, but has integrity, honor, loyalty to friends and family. When the heroine needs him, he is there in a flash, even after they have a huge falling-out.

The heroine is sweet and looking for a place to put down roots. But she is also determined to make her own business successful, and she's a hard-worker. I liked that a lot, too.

The first half of the book was bogged down by too much sex, and it took a while to get into a groove. But by the second half of the book, it became an emotional, romantic journey--reminded me a bit of Robyn Carr's Virgin River Series, with the same small town feel, group of friends-like-family, gorgeous setting.

The ending was satisfying and romantic. And sexy (maple syrup was involved).

What I didn't like...

There was a typo in the first paragraph, on the first page of the book. Come on Carina Press, you can do better than that. I find it amusing that so many people are constantly giving self-pubbed authors crap about their lack of editing, but most of the time, I'm finding typos in traditionally published books.

My main problem with this book was...the sex. The hero and heroine come off as complete horn-dogs at the beginning of the story. There are times I don't mind that, but in this case it was jarring and felt forced.

The premise for this story was fantastic--woman buys property that hero lost to foreclosure, not realizing her new dream home is part of some extremely painful memories for the man she is falling in love with. The main storyline is solid, and their relationship (minus the sex) was believable. But the initial sex scenes felt gratuitous to me. Unless it's an erotica, casual and graphic sex scenes are not adding anything to the story. And this book really felt like romance.

The only love scene that made a lot of sense to the story was the final one in the maple syrup shack. It was sexy, emotional, fit the story perfectly.

I'm not sure if publishers are pushing their authors to add extra sex scenes that don't make a lot of organic sense to the story, or if authors think they need them "to sell." Whatever the reason, I've read a good half dozen books within the last couple of months that had sex scenes that did not complement the story going on.

I know. All of you are screaming YOU ARE SO VANILLA, PENNY. GET WITH THE PROGRAM. SEX SELLS.

In conclusion, I thought TAKE ME HOME was a romantic and satisfying story. It had a bit too much sex for Vanilla Penny, but the lush setting, fascinating details about the logging industry and maple syrup process, and solid main characters and secondary characters, made this a strong beginning for the series. I'm looking forward to reading more by Inez Kelley.

Grade: B

Happy Chopping,
Penny

It's The Elfin Apocalypse! The Klaus Brothers Series ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS!

The Christmas season is upon us! Time for a special holiday treat!

I recently got the rights back for The Klaus Brothers Series from my publisher, and so I re-released SWEET MAGIK (Book #2) with a brand-new cover.

I don't have any new holiday stories this year, so I thought it would be nice to offer the first two books on sale...

SWEET INSPIRATION (The Klaus Brothers Series #1) 

and 

SWEET MAGIK (The Klaus Brothers Series #2) are 

 99 cents at these locations...

Sweet Inspiration (Book #1)... Read more about this book here!

Amazon -- 99 cents
Barnes and Noble -- 99 cents
Kobo -- 99 cents

Sweet Magik (Book #2)... Read more about this book here!

Amazon -- 99 cents
Barnes and Noble -- 99 cents
Kobo -- 99 cents


I've seen warnings on some erotica, so I thought I would add one here for my series. Ready?

THE KLAUS BROTHERS SERIES contains scenes with elves, x-treme Christmas spirit, Santa Claus, the North Pole, sex-in-a-sleigh, magic, old-fashioned romance, and very sweet scenarios. It requires a willing suspension of disbelief, a love of beards, and is enhanced by the addition of a gingerbread latte.

Good luck!

I've made up a couple of fun Etsy treasury collections to celebrate!

ELF cookies from lorisplace, Etsy

Check out THE ELFIN APOCALYPSE!

❄

Peppermint holiday earrings from JarosDesigns, Etsy

Check out PEPPERMINTY PANACHE!

❄

I decided the rest of the series will be novellas. Coming up next...Sweet Adventure (#3) is Sven's story. I added a new one just for Gregor and his true love called Sweet Cinderella (#4). And the final novella is Sweet Destiny (#5), which is Wolfgang's story.

I'm hoping to get SWEET ADVENTURE out for next xmas, 2014.

Please spread the word about this awesome sale. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Love yinz,
Penny

Review of THE WINTER COURTSHIP RITUALS OF FUR-BEARING CRITTERS by Amy Lane (A Nico Jaye Review!)

Review for The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters by Amy Lane

❆ A review by Nico Jaye ❆

Hi romance readers! I'm Nico Jaye, and I'll be popping into the site with some m/m (a.k.a. male/male) romance reviews.

With the holiday season coming up, Penny has me thinking about (i.e., drooling over) gingerbread men and peppermint spice lattes. I can't get enough! Ahhh! *slurps peppermint cocoa* *ahem* While Penny's in the midst of reading her Christmas-themed stories, I figured I'd swing by to share an m/m romance Christmas rec of my own. :)

Amy Lane's The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters is a cute, sweet, angst-free novella of adorable and yarnfully-awesome proportions.  It's filled with character, from the narrator Crawford's gruff ways to the gentle hand with which he cares for his alpacas to the titular courtship rituals he engages in to woo his new neighbor. I adored it and thought it was just the thing to snuggle up with for a nice little dose of winter holiday joy.

In the m/m romance world, Amy Lane is known for her angst-filled stories, and this novella is a nice break from that trend.  I'm definitely not an angsty reader—in fact, I'm pretty allergic to it – ACHOO!—and this one hit just the right mark for me. It's heartwarming, and, if you haven't read m/m romance before, then I think it'd be a great little introduction to the m/m romance world.  There's a sexytimes scene in it, but it's not terribly explicit.  It's also at a point in the story where you'll be celebrating that the two men finally got their signals in tune and opened their hearts to each other.  :)  In addition to two wonderful men finding love, you'll also read about quirky side characters, winter prep in the Colorado Rockies, and yarn-related awesomeness.  There may even be a scandalous knitting pattern included at the end of the book. ;)

This story was super sweet and lighthearted, and I look forward to enjoying it for many holidays to come. Hope you all are having a great holiday season! Keep an eye out for more m/m Christmas-y goodies from yours truly. :)

Making merry with menfolk under the mistletoe,

Nico

❆❆❆❆❆

Thanks so much, Nico, for this adorable review. This book sounds RIGHT UP MY ALLEY. I can't wait to read it!

(I am trying to imagine a scandalous knitting pattern...hmmmmm................)

Happy reading,

Penny

A Perfect Rant

So I did a couple of things last night that are pretty rare for me.

(No, I didn't work out at the gym.)

(No, I didn't cook dinner...ha ha! Funny.)

(No, I didn't flat-iron my hair.)


What I did is...

A. Read a PRINT book. Carumba!

B. Read a mainstream contemporary romance.

C. Read my first ever Kristan Higgins book.


Last night I was stuck in bed because Lucy my weenie dog fell asleep on my lap and I didn't have the heart to move her.

So I reached over to my nightstand to grab the first thing I could for reading material. I had a stack of books I got at the NJRWA conference, and right on top was THE PERFECT MATCH by Kristan Higgins.

I wanted to DNF the book pretty much right away. The whole beginning felt very contrived (gyn appointment for 35 year old...EGGS ARE DYING, HURRY UP AND GET A MAN), accidentally getting caught naked in front of wanna-be boyfriend's parents while attempting to seduce him (EGGS ARE DYING, HURRY UP AND GET A MAN), and it goes on.

And if you think I'm over-doing the EGGS thing, let me tell you that the EGGS have a deep POV in this book, in italics, from beginning to end.

Yes, the EGGS have a POV.

Now, I get it. This is humor. This is also the main reason why I don't read very much mainstream contemporary romance. The whole "my eggs are dying I must find a man" plot device is not that successful for me. I know. For a big chunk of women's fiction and contemporary romance, this is a go-to plot device. We're getting older, we're getting desperate. Yada yada yada. Just doesn't work for me.

But what REALLY doesn't work for me is the TSTL heroine. And this heroine, although a successful business woman, has not one, but two BEST FRIENDS who are complete assholes.

She keeps saying how her best guy friend is "a nice guy" when in reality, um...no. He uses her for casual sex, is totally clueless about how in love she is with him (sure, I believe that), and just weeks after she asks him to marry her and he rejects her, he gets ENGAGED TO HER BEST GIRLFRIEND. And he's all..."You're okay with this, right?"

That's your best guy friend? Really?

And now for THE OTHER BEST FRIEND. Her bestie gal pal, who consoles her after this paragon of masculine virtue rejects her, is really an insecure back-stabbing bitch who steals her life-long crush, seduces him, gets engaged to him, pretends she's carrying his baby, and has the UNMITIGATED GALL TO ASK THE HEROINE TO BE HER MAID OF HONOR AT THEIR WEDDING.

That's your best girlfriend? Really?

This is another plot device that seems good on paper--HEY! Let's have the best girlfriend and the life-long crush get together and squash the heroine's hopes and dreams and scare her dying, 35-year-old eggs.

On paper, yeah, good.

But in reality, if you're a person who has such incredibly bad taste in friends, is totally clueless about people you think are "nice" actually being "assholes" and then CONTINUING TO BE NICE TO THEM AFTER THEY KEEP TREATING YOU LIKE CRAP...it makes you look bad. Really bad.

Too Stupid To Live-Bad.

Also, I'm not even going to get into the fact that the heroine DECIDES TO MARRY A PERFECT STRANGER TO HELP HIM GET HIS GREEN CARD even after HE IS A TOTAL JERK TO HER AT A BAR.

(Another winning plot device).

But he has a sexy British accent, so there is that.

And then the hero saves the heroine's life not once, but TWICE!

1. Heroine almost dies by drowning.

2. Heroine almost dies by fire.

(If there had been an earthquake, that could have been the perfect triumvirate of near-death experiences...earth, water, and fire.)

And then, after the hideous best friends crushing her, two near-death experiences, her eggs screaming for mercy, and her new man telling her he does not love her thereby crushing her poor soul yet again, we finally get to the end.


What I wanted...

1. Asshole friends to be publicly humiliated.

2. A super-satisfying HEA for the hero and heroine after going through hell.

3. A nice sex scene would have been good.


What I got...

1. Asshole friends storyline NOT RESOLVED. They are having problems, but we never hear about what happens to them. Um...really? After all that business, there is NO RESOLUTION.

2. Hero and heroine make up in the hospital in about 5 seconds. Not kidding. This is ONE page of the book. After all that angst, ONE FREAKIN' PAGE. Not satisfying.

3. No sex scene.


So now you know what I didn't like about this book.

But there was something I DID like.

The romance.

The hero is absolutely fantastic. He has an adorable British accent, I loved his flawed character, he is crazy sexy. He is the man. Their romance worked, in spite of the gimmicky plot devices that threatened to destroy an otherwise lovely romantic story.

I read this book in one sitting, desperate to finish and find out what happened, to see the H/h get their happy ending. And that's a big deal. That's what romance is all about.

My conclusion about Kristan Higgins...

1. Skip the generic, over-done, not believable, gimmick-y plot devices.

2. Focus on the romance.

3. One melodramatic near-death catastrophe would be sufficient.


As you can tell, I am pretty conflicted about this book. I loved the romance and couldn't put it down, but I was beyond frustrated with many character and plot issues.

I'm not sure if I'll be reading any more KH, but that could be more of a result of me not loving mainstream contemporary romance than a reflection of the author.

If any of you have a favorite KH book, especially one that is not so frustrating to read, I would love some recommendations.

What a way to start the week,
Penelope

The Bucket List

Wooden Bucket

Bucket With Flowers

Rusty Bucket

Fire Bucket

Blue Bucket

Halloween Bucket

Patriotic Bucket

Bucket O' Beer

I know. I'm a smart ass. I just thought that would be funny. A REAL bucket list. So, here's my actual bucket list...

1. Go to Alaska and pan for gold, see a glacier, and see an Orca whale.

2. Get a cottage in Vermont and live there with three weenie dogs: One smoothie, one wire-haired, and one long-haired.

3. Get these Carhartt pants...

OK, that's enough goofiness for Friday! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Ciao,

Penelope

Off To Rhode Island!

I'm off to Rhode Island for the Indie Author Symposium with Marie Force! I cannot wait to spend time with so many talented and enthusiastic authors.

I hope all of you have a great weekend.

All my best,
Penny