Real Men Don't Quit (Real Men #2) by Coleen Kwan

 

Summary:

 

Serial bachelor. Celebrity author. Her perfect forever?

When famous author Luke Maguire decides to write his next novel in the small town of Burronga, Australia, he's sure he can ignore the fiery redhead next door. Not only has he just been burned from a high-profile breakup, but he's never been one to set down roots. No, he'll finish his novel and leave Burronga. And soon.

Tyler Jones just wants to run her business with her best friend, Ally, and take care of her three-year-old daughter, Chloe. She's never needed help from anyone, especially not a man, and the brooding, rugged writer next door can't tempt her. Not in the least.

Only Tyler and Luke can't stay away from each other. So they set rules. No staying overnight, no future plans, no sappy good-byes when Luke inevitably quits town. But the chemistry between them is too strong to contain in a rulebook. Are Luke and Tyler ready to risk their lives of independence for something more?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 241 pages (E-book)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: April 8th 2013 by Entangled Publishing      

 

Last week I came upon an offer to review Real Men Don't Quit by Coleen Kwan and after seeing what the book was about I decided that it look like just the right book for me even though I'm not a contemporary romance fan in general.

However, the good news is that this is one awesome contemporary romance novel. I had a feeling that I would really enjoy the book but was surprised at how much I ended up liking it when I read it the other night.

As soon as I started the book I was completely sucked into Luke and Taylor's small town romance set in Burronga, Australia. Luke is our brooding writer who loves his gypsy lifestyle and moving around and single mom Taylor struggling to raise her daughter, live her life and is a business owner and their sweet romance.

Real Men Don't Quit had me either laughing or smiling 95% of the time while I was reading and the other 5% of the time I was wanting to strangle Luke and Taylor and tell them to hurry up and get together already because them ignoring their feelings just wasn't doing it for me. I loved Luke even though he was rather reserved but what really endeared him to me was how he was with Taylor's three year old daughter Chloe who was such a cutie! I really liked Taylor too because for the most part she knew what she wanted and her devotion to her daughter was admirable.

This was my very first read by Coleen Kwan but I can absolutely guarantee that it won't be my last. I loved how realistic the portrayal of all the characters in the book was extremely realistic and I could totally see a real life romance playing out like the one in Real Men Don't Quit. I thought Coleen did a great job infusing a sweet romance with a lot of humour and I really enjoyed this second book in her Real Men series which can be read as a stand alone.

I would recommend Real Men Don't Quit to any contemporary romance lover. The book has everything that a well rounded contemporary romance novel needs. If you're looking for a romance that's a quick read and that will have you smiling I highly recommend checking Real Men Don't Quit out right away.

 *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

 

 

Loved it!
★★★★★

 

To "Like" Coleen on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Coleen on Twitter CLICK HERE

To become a "Fan" of Coleen on Goodreads  CLICK HERE

To visit Coleen's Website CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

 

 

Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

 

 

Summary:

 

SPANNING THREE GENERATIONS AND HALF THE WORLD, WILDFLOWER HILL IS A SWEEPING, ROMANTIC, AND COMPELLING STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO SHARE A LEGACY OF SECRETS, HEARTBREAK, COURAGE, AND LOVE. Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate.

Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.

Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, and believing in yourself. It’s about finding out what you really want and discovering that the answer might be not at all what you’d expect.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 544 pages (Paperback)

Source: Bought

Publication Date: August 23rd 2011 by Touchstone

 

So when I found this book in one of the used bookstores I've always visiting for $2.95 in mint condition I had to by it and  I had  even completely forgotten that it had been on my Goodreads TBR shelf for almost 6 months.

I really had no intention of reading it the other day but I've been having a problem with focusing on my books so I picked it up on a whim and before I knew it I was 100 pages in and then of course life got in the way just as the book was really starting to go somewhere. By the time I was able to pick it up again it was around 10 p.m.. I finished it by 2 a.m. I just couldn't put it down.

The book was actually a lot different than I thought it would be. I knew going into it just by reading the summary that the book was a sort of family saga but I wasn't expecting it to be quite like this one and I mean that in the best of ways.

I became very attached to Beattie's (Emma's grandmother) character. In fact she turned out to be my favourite character over all in the book. Her resilience, determination and spirit were what made me love her character so much. Despite the twisted life that fate handed her she was able to rise above it.

I loved how the book too us from the streets of Glasgow to halfway across the world in Tasmania on Beattie's journey. The evolution of her character throughout the book seemed so real. She went from being a victim of circumstance to taking charge of her life even when she had to face the cruelest of heartbreaks. Throughout the novel I felt as if I were there along side Beattie watching her grow and change, deal with happiness and extreme sadness and every time something horrible happened to her I would sort of feel my own heart breaking with hers.

However, on the other hand of the spectrum is Emma. Beatti's prima ballerina granddaughter. I wasn't exceptionally fond of her character because Emma is one of those women who has to have everything about them. You know the type, those who when life finally catches up to them and they have to be like the rest of us mortal women turns inward and just whines. Yep, that's Emma. The thing is though eventually Emma gets past a lot of her selfish tendencies and she turns a new leaf and suddenly...when you're reading her parts of the book you start to like her a little more because  you can see a bit of the gumption that aided her grandmother so much in her life shine through in her.

As you can probably guess I really loved this book. I haven't read a book that makes my heart physically ache for the characters in some time. It was wonderful that Kimberley Freeman had such talent that she was able to draw me into the book in such a way that it was as if I was experiencing every ounce of emotion in her book. I for one cannot wait to add more books by this author to my collection.

If you're looking for a novel to transport you to a different time and place this is the one for you. The way that the author was able to construct such an authentic tale of life in Tasmania in the early 1930's for Beattie's part of the novel was amazing and the fact that the book switched from hers to Emma's point of view so seamlessly made this an amazingly moving read. If you want something that makes you think, make your heartbreak and then build it back up again I highly suggest trying this novel. It's one that I will never forget and one that I plan on reading over and over again. If you love historical fiction please give this a try. The author is so talented I can't imagine anyone not loving this book.

To visit Kimberley's Website CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Kimberley on Twitter CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via ChaptersIndigo CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via The Book Depository CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE 

 

 

 

 

Awesome, I loved it!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

 

 

Journey to Her Dreams by Iris Blobel

Summary:

Would you travel around the world to uncover the reason for your dreams?

Hollie Anderson does.

A young woman from Tasmania who lives on a farm just outside Launceston, she has got good looks, likes her job and loves to hang out with her friends. She should be happy, right?
But it’s a recurrent dream that throws her daily life into chaos and takes her on a journey to Ireland. While on her quest for answers she meets Sam in Dublin under unusual circumstances and both women, so different in many ways, find out that one thing they do have in common – and it changes their lives from then on.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 332 pages

Source: Review copy from author

Publication Date: November 9th 2011

Awhile back I was approached by Iris to review her book and I was so excited to read it because it fits in with my Around the World challenge because much of it takes place in Australia, and I love supporting new writers.

First off I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I thought the premise was good and it was a quick read. The beginning really caught my eye and before I knew it I was halfway through the book in the first night! The fact that it was told from alternating characters really appealed to me because while it isn't my favourite style of writing I do enjoy it a lot and for this novel it really worked. In fact without it I don't think it could have been as successful as it was. I also enjoyed the fact that while the majority of the novel focused on Hollie in Tasmania it was broken up by Sam's side of the story taking place in Dublin. I also like how each of the girl's stories fit together so well. Hollie while being a bit naive for my tastes was my favourite character and I liked her far more than Sam who I found to be obnoxious, rude and self centered.

I did have some dislikes for the book though, I thought that the ending was pieced together a little too fast but that could be because I was enjoying the pace of the book and it suddenly sped up and was over all of a sudden. I also wish I knew exactly how old Hollie and Sam were (if it was mentioned in the book I must have missed it). I like knowing how old characters are because it helps me create a better mental picture of them.

All in all I thought this was a good book and definetly worth the read even if the ending could have been a little more drawn out (just my opinion) and the good news is is that it's $2.99 on Kindle right now and it's worth the money spent on it. I hope that Iris keeps writing because despite my minor dislikes for the novel she is a good writer and I can't wait to read the other book she wrote sometime in the near future. Hopefully she'll remember me and let me review her next book whenever she writes it. And who knows maybe I'll make my way to Australia and will meet her one of these days since I have family there.

To purchase the book from Amazon CLICK HERE

To follow Iris via Twitter CLICK HERE

To follow her blog CLICK HERE

*I would like to thank the author, Iris Blobel for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for my free and honest review.

★ ★ ★ 1/2