The Snowflake Inn

Review:

Riley was discharged from the military and comes home to try and get his mother to sell her inn. Grace is living and working at the inn. Having met each other in rehab, Grace and Corrine became friends. (Not that rehab, both were getting PT- Grace for a broken leg, Corrine for a hip replacement). 
I would have liked this better if I had liked Riley more. He annoyed me. What kind of person gets injured and doesn't tell their family? (So not to worry her). Then, because of the injury, gets discharged from the military. Doesn't share/say anything. Just shows up. After spending a few days in town first. That just annoyed me.

 

 

 

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1617748/the-snowflake-inn

Mistletoe Between Friends

Review:

Lily and Cameron have known each other since childhood and were always best friends. Each also secretly crushed on the other too, but never wanted to confess it for fear of ruining their friendship. (Yeah, didn't see that coming, right?). Both, under pressure from their parental units, decide to fake date each other. With the holidays coming up, neither want to be setup and just want to be left alone. 
Predictable, but sweet. The story worked well for the length. In fact, if this were longer, I would have been ready to slap and yell at both Cameron and Lily. It was amazing at how well they knew each other, but at the same time, didn't.

 

 

 

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1617746/mistletoe-between-friends

The Virtues of Christmas

Review:

Nice group of holiday novellas. Both were nice, sweet stories with unconventional heroines. 
Respect for Christmas:
I liked that the heroine was a courtesan. I liked the interaction between Michael and Henrietta.

Patience for Christmas
Patience is an advice columnist(!). I enjoyed the banter between Dougal and Patience. Also introduces the Windham sisters (the Windham Bride series).

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1617749/the-virtues-of-christmas

Guardian Ranger

Review:

Veronica's brother, Cale, is missing. She turns to Jasper, an ex-military friend of Cale's. Unbeknownst to her, Jasper is also looking for Cale. It appears that Cale is guilty of murder. Jasper works for an elite, off the books type, government agency. 
Veronica was nice, although very sheltered. She grew on me as the book progressed and I liked how she came out of her shell. Yes, this contemporary romantic suspense still hit a pet peeve of mine (the heroine is a virgin- at 28).
I realize there were some things that Jasper couldn't share. My issue is he had moments where he lied and I didn't think he had to. He could have been more honest (to a point). Veronica forgave Jasper too quickly. Overall, this was satisfying. 
I do know who the next couple is (Sydney and Gunner), with Cale's coming in book 4. I'm assuming the underlying storyline (who was the one paying for the hits) will continue on the next book.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1616738/guardian-ranger

A Lot Like Love

Review:

Jordan happens to be the daughter of a rich man and the sister of someone who did something stupid and is paying for it. Jordan also happens to be fucking awesome all by herself. She's a successful business woman, owning her business, a popular wine store. She knows knows everything about wine.
Nick, is an undercover FBI agent who has worked one undercover job after another. He doesn't "do" relationships. He lives her the job.
You know where this is going! See, the FBI needs her for her connection to someone. She can get the FBI in, so they can get the evidence they need to take this person down. Nick becomes Jordan's fake BF. Things happen and their fake "date" has to become more. 
I enjoyed this one so much. I loved the banter between Nick and Jordan, Nick and his family, Jordan and her family. In fact, I enjoyed this so much, I wasn't ready to say goodbye at the end of the book. An epilogue would have been nice:-) Nick has his preconceived notions of who Jordan is based strictly on the fact she has money (or in this case stands to inherit $$). Jordan quickly proves him wrong. I liked how this progressed from not-quite enemies to an admiration to lovers. 
One of the only things I didn't like about this book was how most women were struck dumb by Kyle's attractiveness. Really?! It's also a little dated with the "Lost" references (Kyle looks like Sawyer).

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1616018/a-lot-like-love

Shoulda Been a Cowboy

Review:

Jake was the resident "bad" boy in Copper Ridge, Oregon. Cassie, a "good" girl, had a huge crush on him and tutored him in math. Before she worked up the nerve to tell him how she felt, he left town abruptly. Cassie made some bad decisions (getting married and not furthering her education) while trying to please her mom. 
Fast forward 15 years later. Jake is back in town, he dad died, leaving him her properties. Cassie is renting one of his properties for her coffee shop. Cassie decides to go after what she wants.....for a change. 
Both have some issues, they talk and work through them. Decently paced, but I thought it was rushed towards the end.

 

 

 

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1615264/shoulda-been-a-cowboy

The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton

Review:

Got this weekend (11/4) at my local library sale. Having heard about Miranda Neville's death, when I saw this, I picked it up. I've never read her and I thought I would remedy that.
Here is her obituary.
Avon's remembrance.

I enjoyed the opening. Celia was being kidnapped and stripped of her clothes. When the kidnapped leaves, she takes initiative and escapes, stumbling over Tarquin. It turns out, the hit on his head gives him amnesia. In the past, he had made a comment about Celia that, in turn, ruined her marriage prospects. So, to get back at him, Celia makes up a story and an identity for him.
I did find it hard to believe that Tarquin, with no title, had the influence he did. Seriously, *one* comment, and everything is ruined?!
I enjoyed the first part of the book (act 1). The road trip (for lack of a better word) across the countryside, their banter and interactions, the who/why was Celia kidnapped, their survival in the wilderness. This was the best part of the book.
Then (act 2), Tarquin remembers who he is. They go to a friend's house. I lost some interest at this point.
I was surprised at how much I liked Tarquin. (Since he is/was an arrogant bastard). Since this isn't a book that would have jumped out at me, I'm glad I read this.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1614502/the-amorous-education-of-celia-seaton

The Highlander Next Door

Review:

Got this this weekend at my local library sale (Nov 4th). Having heard about Janet Chapman's death, when I saw this, I picked it up. I've never read her and thought I should. I think this was the wrong book to start with (detailed below).
Here is her obituary.  I loved that her family mentioned she was on hospice.  

Oopsie, this is book 6 in a series that is a spin-off of another series. So, maybe I would have enjoyed this (a little) more if I had been more involved in this world and characters. So, back to the book.
Niall is originally from somewhere else. Make that a different time. Pretty cool, yeah? He is the Chief of Police. He had moments where I liked him and didn't. My main problems where with the heroine, Birch. And maybe Niall's intelligence in falling for someone like Birch.
Birch's mother has been married 4 times and has made some iffy choices. So, Birch is JADED. To the point she's a BITCH. Yes, in caps, because she is that BAD. I didn't like her, couldn't connect with her, and didn't believe her turn around. No, no, and no.  I didn't like that she ran a battered women's shelter. Wrong career choice there.  

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1614480/the-highlander-next-door

Wrapped Up in You

Review:

Justin hates the holidays: with good reason, someone he was close to was killed right before. So, his colleagues (makes you like em, right?) sign him up to be a Santa for a week. Everything he collects goes to charity.
Lilly is best friends with Justin's sister. Shocker- they have a history and it's not the best one. Lilly was a bit of a bully to Justin when they were younger. To Lilly's credit, she does realize what she did when younger was wrong. 
So, of course they are paired together. Lilly, a reporter doing a story, rides with Justin for a week. I don;t mind stories like this when done well. Each side talks, forgives, is apologetic, and has empathy. I didn't care for this one much, mainly because I didn't like Justin or Lilly. Both had moments where I wanted to slap some sense into them. Lots of angst. I just didn't connect.

eARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing(Lovestruck) and NetGalley
Expected publication: was November 13th (per NetGalley) *this has changed to? (Amazon says Oct 8th, 2018. I had to go back and look at that date, yep, it says 2018). No listing on B&N.
*as of Nov 2, 2017

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1613665/wrapped-up-in-you