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

 

 

How to Walk a Puma: And Other Things I Learned While Stumbling through South America by Peter Allison

Summary:

On his nineteenth birthday, Peter Allison flipped a coin. One side would take him to Africa and the other to South America, the two places he wanted to explore before he died. He recounted his time spent as a safari guide in Africa to much acclaim in Whatever You Do, Don’t Run and Don’t Look Behind You. Sixteen years later, he makes his way to Santiago, Chile, ready to seek out the continent’s best, weirdest, and wildest adventures, and to chase the elusive jaguar. In just the first six months, Allison is bitten by a puma (several times), knocked on his head by a bad empanada, and surrounded by piranhas while rafting down a Bolivian river—all because of his unusual fear of refrigerators and of staying in any one place for too long. Ever the gifted storyteller and cultural observer, Allison makes many observations about life in humid climes, the nature of nomadism, and exactly what it is like to be nearly blasted off a mountain by the famous Patagonia wind. Allison’s self-deprecating humor is as delightful as his crazy stunts, and his love for animals—even when they bite—is infectious.

Goodreads.com

Length: 200 pages

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: December 20th 2011

Ever since I read my first Peter Allison book in April of last year I've been waiting eagerly to read his newest book of adventures! Unfortunately I was on the waiting list for the library since the book's release date but at least I was the first one to read the copy I got last week (Which I finished in a few hours mind you).

This one was just as funny and entertaining as I had hoped it would be though you can tell that Peter went at his journey across South America a little older and a little wiser. I say older because he frequently refers to himself as that. But despite being a little older he held up a lot better than I would have if I had been the one traveling so much.

Of course, for me the best part of the book was that he still managed to get himself into loads of hilarious and dangerous positions. My favourite part of the book is when he talks about meeting Roy, a puma that he was to "walk" every day for about a month. Now while these large cats are considerably smaller than the lions in Africa they're still stronger than any man. They're bodies are all muscle despite their delecate appearence and Peter sure got to experiance the power that Roy had first hand as he was often the one that was getting bitten by, jumped on and dragged along through the rainforest by Roy.

Peter Allison's tales in this book are sure to delight any fan of his works, he's snarky and hilarious in a way that only he could be. His experiences are wonderful to read about and I'm glad he decided to write a third book based on his adventures in South America, the country that lost the coin toss when he was 19 years old and wanting to take a year off. Instead he went to Africa and became a safari guide, later he returned to Australia and finally he was able to see what life could have been like had the coin fallen on the opposite side all those years ago. If you enjoy travel memoirs and that will have you laughing out loud at the author's antics this is the book for you. I highly recommend it! I can't wait to see what he writes next!

To buy the book on Amazon CLICK HERE

To "Like" Peter on Facebook CLICK HERE

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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