*[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway] Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing #7) by RaeAnne Thayne

Summary:

Lucy Drake and Brendan Caine have only one thing in common…

And it's likely to tear them apart. Because it was Brendan's late wife, Jessie—and Lucy's best friend—who'd brought them together in the first place. And since Jesse's passing, Brendan's been distracted by his two little ones…and the memory of an explosive kiss with Lucy years before his marriage. Still, he'll steer clear of her. She's always been trouble with a capital T.

Lucy couldn't wait to shed her small-town roots for the big city. But now that she's back in Hope's Crossing to take care of the Queen Anne home her late aunt has left her, she figures seeing Brendan Caine again is no big deal. After all, she'd managed to resist the handsome fire chief once before, but clearly the embers of their attraction are still smoldering…
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 352 pages (Mass Market Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: June 24th 2014 by Harlequin HQN

This summer I've been working to knock some authors that I've been wanting to read for ages off my  tbr list so of course I had to sign up for this tour since I'd been hearing lovely things about RaeAnne Thayne's Hope's Crossing series for a long time and it turned out to be another series that I'm kicking myself over not starting it sooner.

While I do wish that I had started this series sooner, as it reminds me very much of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, I'm just happy that I started it period. I loved Lucy and Brendan's story and really liked the small town atmosphere of Hope's Crossing which just felt like I was coming home when I read it.

I thought the backstory for Lucy and Brendan was quite good. Both were a little lost, and confused. Lucy was fired, and falling for her dead best friend (and cousin's)  husband. While poor Brendan was a widower with two wee ones to take care of and conflicting emotions about Lucy.

The chemistry between the two was apparent from the beginning but I did really appreciate that their relationship was slow building despite the fact that they'd known each other before, and had a past of their own that they had to deal with they didn't just jump in bed together and play house right away. There was a lot of hurt feelings, bad memories and apologies on both sides that I found realistic and refreshing.

I went through a wide variety of emotions when I read this one. I laughed, felt angry, got frustrated and wanted to bang both their heads together and tell them to smarten up. I liked both Lucy and Brendan on their own though Lucy was the star for me. I just loved her but Brendan annoyed me in a few parts (he is a man after all) but despite all that I loved their love story and reading about how they found each other was lovely.

I jumped into the series in book 7 and while I didn't have any real difficulty in following the story I feel as though I missed some things about some characters, but that didn't impact my over all enjoyment of the novel at all and now I'm wanting to start the series from the beginning and get to know some of the side characters I met.

I'd recommend this one to fans of the Hope's Crossing series as well as fans of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series with a bit of a sweeter twist. The small town atmosphere and the people in it will have you wanting to pack your bags and find a slower pace of life (and maybe a fire chief too!).

*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.

 

Really Liked It!
★★★★

 

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Author Bio:

 

USA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne loves words. This led her to a fifteen-year career in journalismas a newspaper reporter and editor. But through it all, she dreamed of writing the kind of stories she loved best, romance, and has since published more than 40 titles. RaeAnne finds inspiration in the rugged northern Utah mountains, where she lives with her hero of a husband and their children. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website, RaeAnneThayne.com

 

Giveaway:

 

 

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We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Brenda Novak

 

Summary:

 

Jaclyn Wentworth is on her own with three little kids. She used to be married to the golden boy--former golden boy--of their small Nevada town. The marriage was a disaster because her ex-husband never grew up. And he sure wasn't much of a daddy.

Now Jaclyn's living in Reno. And who, of all people, does she run into there but Cole Perrini, bad boy of Feld, Nevada. Former bad boy. He was her ex-husband's opposite in every way--and he still is. Because Cole's made good in every sense of the word.

Will Jaclyn and her children get the husband and father they deserve? Not a Scrooge, but a Santa!

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 304 pages (Mass Market Paperback)

Source: Bought

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: November 1st 2001 by Harlequin Books

 

This is the third novel I've read from Brenda Novak and I have to admit, it's actually my favourite one so far. I used to love Harlequin Super Romances back in the day so when I saw this for sale during the summer at my local used bookstore I just had to have it and since I'm participating in the Ho Ho Ho Read-a-Thon I thought this would make the perfect read and it was.

 

I was a little unsure of how this romance would turn out. I've read one of the authors newer historicals as well as one of her newer contemporary romances and I've learned to be a little leery of some authors older titles but with this one my fears were completely unfounded.

 

I read We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus in one sitting, it was that good folks. I thought the story was so realistic that I couldn't help but root for Jackie the heroine. She went through a really bitter divorce and she's striving to make a life for herself and her three children but it's had because she has a dick of an ex-husband and she has to deal with his dick of a father who is set on controlling all of their lives. I'm a sucker for a heroine who already has kids because they're generally a lot smarter than some other female leads and I like that they generally aren't self centered. Jackie was great, she had lived a privileged life before her divorce but she has a good head on her shoulders and she understand the value of a dollar.

 

Cole, was a bit of an enigma at first. He was one of those strong silent types with a good heart, but very shy when it came to anything that dealt with feelings. He was smart, well to do and had a loyal heart and I loved how he was with Jackie and her three kids. He was very protective of not only her, but her 3 kids as well.

 

As a couple I thought they were great. They new each other in high school and she married her ex-husband who was the most popular guy in school while he was on the outskirts and was considered trailer trash. I liked how after both of them went through some difficult times in life that they found each other after years.

 

Overall, I thought We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus was a great contemporary romance. It wasn't completely set around the holidays but Christmas did play a big part of the story in the latter half of the story. Brenda Novak is fast becoming a favourite author of mine, and I can't wait to read more of her books in the near future. She was able to create a great clean romance that was sweet without being sappy and like I mentioned it was realistic so there were some laughs and a little drama thrown in for good measure.

 

I would recommend this to all fans of contemporary romances. While the cover dates the novel (it was published in 2001) I think the story holds up well and I didn't think it was cheesy in the least and I thought it was a great quick read with a lot of warmth.

 

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

Loved It!
★★★★★

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A Bride for the Maverick Millionaire (Journey Through the Outback #2) by Marion Lennox

 

Summary:

 

Rachel Cotton has high hopes for her cruise through the beautiful Kimberley region—surely this will be the perfect chance to forget her past and enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation? But gorgeous shipmate Finn Kinnard seems much more interested in stirring her up!

Finn might make Rachel feel all woman, but he also warns her that romantically he can't be relied on. But when a high-octane adventure puts this claim to the test, Rachel discovers there's much more to Finn than meets the eye—and that he might be just the man to entrust her fragile heart to...

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 192 pages (Paperback)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: January 2nd 2013 by Harlequin

 

I've been on a bit of a romance reading spree the last couple of weeks and A Bride for the Maverick Millionaire just happened to be the next one up on my pile of library books when I read it the other day.

 

I used to love the Harlequin Romance line, but over the last few years I've had a lot of misses when it comes to this line to the point that I might only read one or two of the titles a year. To be completely honest the only reason I really borrowed this book is because I saw that it was set in Australia and I just love romances set there.

 

While I went into this one with very low expectations, I was still dismayed to find that the book wasn't even mediocre. I finished reading it, but after the first 25% of it I found myself starting to lag and had to force myself to read what had the promise of being a cute, flirty and fun read. Unfortunately, while there was potential I just felt that the story fell way short of where it could have been.

 

I thought the plot was entirely too fragmented and rushed for my tastes. Now I know this line isn't going to offer me extremely compelling plots with amazingly created characters but it would have been nice if the story did not jump all over the place, switch pace so often I felt like I was in a car with a teenage driver learning how to put the car in gear.

 

The story focused around Rachel and Finn both dealing with issues relating to their pasts and I really did like Rachel, she was smart, funny and dealing with the loss of her baby as well as dealing the trauma of an uncaring husband. Finn's trauma isn't even trauma it's just Finn over thinking things and being a bit of a whiner in my opinion I just didn't see why Rachel fell for him. He was just so closed off it annoyed me.

 

The plot though is what really killed the book for me. It jumped around so much I just didn't like how it was laid out. It could have been pulled off so much better but then again this is the reason that I go into reading books from this line with low expectations.

 

The shame is that this was my first foray into this particular author's writing and I just found this romance to be lacking in chemistry, clear plot and poorly written characters. However, just because I didn't like this one, if I have the opportunity to read another of her books I will with the hopes that I'll enjoy it more.

 

This was definitely a case of this not being a book for me but I would recommend it to fans of the particular Harlequin imprint, fans of sweet romances and ones with a hint of adventure.

 

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 Not For Me!
★

 

 

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