Category Archives: Romance

Temporarily Yours
By: Diane Alberts
Publisher: Brazen
Published: Feb. 3, 2014
Genre: Contemp. Romance
Rating:

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This soldier’s the perfect hoax…if she doesn’t fall for him first.

Stats whiz Kayla Moriarity knows her way around numbers and algorithms. Men, on the other hand, are unsolvable equations. Now Kayla’s en route to her sister’s wedding—alone and without the fictional boyfriend she invented for her family. Fortunately, her plane comes complete with complimentary cocktails and a ridiculously hot ex-marine in the seat beside her. And that’s all it takes for Kayla’s inhibitions to go sailing out the airlock…

Cooper Shillings has soft spot for people in trouble, but he certainly wasn’t expecting to land in it himself—and definitely not while getting naughty mid-air with a sexy southern belle. When he hears Kayla’s predicament, however, he offers his services as a stand-in boyfriend. After all, he’s heading overseas soon…and how could he refuse a little no-strings wickedness?

It’s the perfect plan. And all Kayla has to do is ensure her family falls for the ultimate bluff, without falling for it—and Cooper—in the process…

Kayla has been lying to her family about having a boyfriend to keep them off her back. The know nothing about this made up man because she wants it to be a surprise when they meet him. Well, imagine her surprise when she meets a man on a plane who’s willing to play the role of her boyfriend. Only, the lines start to blur and the relationship becomes more real than the two of them ever planned.

We’ve all watched those movies with this type of theme. So it comes as no surprise that the two end up falling in love only to have drama in the last 20 minutes where one bails but in the end love prevails. This story is no different from those. However, McLauglin makes it a bit more steamier than those movies. Heck, the two get quite cozy and very personal on the plane ride, in the airport parking lot and then later at her hotel room. So, pulling off the whole, “Oh yeah, I’m totally hitting that.” vibe wasn’t hard for these two. They didn’t need to fake their chemistry because they already had it.

I did have some issues with this book though. The fact that they just meet each other and she allows him to put his hands in her nether region, while on a plane. Maybe I’m just an old stickler but for me that was just taboo. I could see maybe kissing someone at a club or something but on a plane ride? Let alone letting some stranger get his digits in my vajayjay, that’s just not happening. Although I could see taking up the opportunity to have a real life fake boyfriend and then possibly progressing after a while but right off the bat like that? Eh, not so much.

“We met in an airport, and before the plane landed, I already knew the little sounds you make when you come. Ever since, it’s been a whirlwind of craziness.”

Once I got past the initial hand shake – for lack of a better term – I was on board with the story. There were no pesky ex’s trying to reclaim Kayla’s heart. Although, Cooper’s military past makes him feel unworthy of Kayla. However, in the end all it takes is a grand gesture to get the girl of your dreams. It was a good romantic read with a bit of steam mixed in but it was just “eh” for me. It didn’t really give me anything new that I hadn’t already seen/read before. I wish the author had thrown in a twist to set it apart from all the others.

“You know, I saw so many childhood friends marry the first guy who came along just to have that ‘special day’. But every day is my special day. I’m happy on my own.” -Kayla

Marine for Hire
By: Tawna Fenske
Publisher: Brazen
Published: Feb. 3, 2014
Genre: Contemp. Romance
Rating:

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She thought she’d sworn off military men for good…

Sam Kercher is every inch a wickedly hot Marine. Tall. Sexy. Lethal. When his best friends call in a favor, Sam is forced to face an entirely new line of duty—playing nanny for their newly divorced sister and her squirming seven-month-old twin boys. If Sam can dissemble an M16 in his sleep, diaper duty should be a cakewalk…right?

Unfortunately, Operation Nanny isn’t quite that simple. Sheridan has sworn off overbearing military men, so Sam must protect her from her dirtbag ex without revealing just how much he has in common with her brothers. Or that he’s been ordered not to touch her. Ever. Problem is, Sheri’s one hell of a gorgeous woman, capable of making this hard-bodied marine even harder. And Sam wants her bad.

Protect the girl. Care for the babies. Hide his identity. And keep his hands off. But even the most disciplined Marine has weaknesses…and Sheridan is one Sam might not be able to resist.

I don’t normally read romances with children in it. Let’s be honest, it can be a little awkward and distracting when there’s thoughts of hard-ons one minute and children joyfully laughing in the next. So I went into this one with some reservation about there not only being one kid in the mix but two. However, the author did an amazing job incorporating the infants into the story that didn’t make it awkward at all.

There was quite a bit of humor in the story. Right in the beginning you have Sheriden and her friend Kelli hanging out in the kitchen unwinding. Kelli is exactly like me. I have four children, all of which are covered in fur and have four legs. I never received the “mommy gene”. The puking, crying, pooping just sounds like a nightmare. However, scooping crap out of a box and cleaning up regurgitated furballs doesn’t faze me. Yup, Kelli and I are two peas in a pod.

“I love you, Sher. And I’ll gladly hold you hair back if you need to puke in a bathroom toilet on girls’ night. But there’s no way I’m helping you wash diapers.”

The story is written in both Seriden and Sam’s POV. Even if there weren’t a break in between the two, you could clearly tell them apart. Sheriden is worried about not being a good mother while weighing the ramifications of jumping her “manny”. Meanwhile, Sam is reciting Marine jargon and rehashing what to do in combat situations when changing the boys’ diapers. The author did a great job in creating the characters personalities and letting them shine through the pages.

I’d have wished that the author had taken some chances with this story. Right from the synopsis you know how the story ends. Heck, I pretty much knew everything that was going to happen before finishing the first chapter. I won’t go into detail because maybe some of you may be surprised. However, I found this to be a light romantic read that doesn’t make you think to much. I think the only time I really thought about something was when I tried to picture Sheriden beating her ex-husband over the head with a peacock beanie baby.

Like I said, this is a nice light romantic read. Predictable, yes, but still enjoyable. Maybe I’d enjoy Kelli’s story more since I really seemed to gravitate to her personality a lot more. I mean seriously, the chick could be my twin.

“Please. I spent three years married to Captain Insensitive. At this point you could tell me to go fuck myself and I’d feel giddy someone’s talking dirty to me.”