(Review) Let Sleeping Rogues Lie by Sabrina Jeffries

Title: Let Sleeping Rogues Lie
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Series: School for Heiresses, #4
Published: February 19, 2008 (Pocket Books)
Rating: Like a Train Wreck
Format: Paperback borrowed from library

Summary: When Madeline Prescott took a teaching position at Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies, it was to help restore her father's reputation. Instead, she's in danger of ruining her own. The devilishly handsome Anthony Dalton, Viscount Norcourt, has agreed to provide "rake lessons" to Mrs. Harris's pupils so they can learn how to avoid unscrupulous gentlemen, and Madeline is to oversee his classes. She has always believed that attraction is a scientific matter, easily classified and controlled — until she's swept into the passionate desire that fiercely burns between her and Anthony. Nothing could be more illogical than risking everything for a dalliance with a rake — even one who's trying to behave himself. Yet nothing could be more tempting...

It's always so disappointing when a highly anticipated book fails to deliver. I stumbled upon Let Sleeping Rogues Lie in the library months ago but didn't get a chance to read it the first time I checked it out. I got it again recently, super excited that it hadn't fallen through the hazardous cracks of my memory. After reading it, though, I kind of wish that it had.

I went into Let Sleeping Rogues Lie (to which I will henceforth be referring as The Adventures of the Bad Boy and the Honeypot, a title stemming from the hero's oh-so-excellent favorite terms for his and Madeline's respective genitalia) expecting it to be cracktastic. I mean, a rake giving rake lessons to a bunch of schoolgirls. Not a terrible idea, but certainly anything but a conventional one. Add in the pretty schoolteacher who is to supervise his efforts, and it promised to be loads of fun. To be fair, the infinitesimal portion of the book which focused on this was extremely enjoyable. I absolutely loved those scenes! Even though everything which caused the situation to fall into place was rather contrived - a trend which unfortunately lasted the entire book - I had expected that, and the scenes it delivered were just as fabulous as I'd hoped.

Then everyone jumped into a handbasket and did his or her own part to paddle the book toward to its fiery ultimate destination.

I did not particularly like Madeline or Anthony. Their relationship was a hot mess of schemes, half-lies, and manipulation. Done right, this can be a BLAST. I know it's not the healthiest dynamic, but it can be great when the partners are both aware of their one-upping relationship and hold mutual respect (whether the good kind of the you're-my-enemy-but-I-know-we're-equals kind), usually mixed in with some banter and explosive chemistry. But this was so not the case at all here. Everything was life-or-death serious. All their actions were far-fetched and based on wafer-thin logic, and both were plagued by constant paranoia about the motives behind EVERY SINGLE MOVE of the other party. It got old very quickly.

And the best part? OH THE BEST PART.

Anthony was forcing Madeline into letting him give her ~Lessons in Seduction~ by blackmailing her. He held not only the favor he promised her (throwing the party) over her head, but implicitly the fact that he could have her fired from her position and take away her livelihood.

ALERT ALERT ALERT.

Now, to be ~fair~ he was never going to force her to have sex with him. Just do everything except that, then let her decide whether or not she wanted to go all the way after the party later that week. And he was pretty darn sure she would say yes.

At last she would be his. She’d as much as said so at Godwin’s. And even if she came to the party determined to resist him, that would last only until he got her alone in a corner and kissed her. Her natural sensuality would lead her right to his bed.

And if that doesn't endear you to our gag-worthy "swoon-worthy" hero, let me show you a lovely excerpt from their first lesson, right after Madeline put a stop to things.

"It's time for you to leave, Lord Norcourt. I suggest you return to the stables until I make my appearance outside."

"I'm not leaving until we've finished the lesson," he said, half growl, half threat.

"Then I'm leaving."

She darted for the entrance. Swift as a hawk, he lunged, catching her at the door, pinning her against it. With fear gripping her, she drove her elbow into his ribs hard enough to make him grunt and fall back.

In that instant, she had the door open. She was halfway out when he cried, "Wait!"

She turned to glare at him, fully prepared to fight.

"We're not done, sweetheart," he vowed. "Run, if you like, but I will catch up to you eventually, and we will finish our lesson."

Nice guy, that Anthony.

To prove he did possess SOME morals, though, Anthony did have a huge hang-up about virginity. At first, he was determined not to mess with her beyond their first kiss because he never dallied with innocents. However, based on the fact that she asked for a favor in exchange for the favor she had done him (plus the fact that she blushed once, though how that is relevant is beyond me), Anthony decided she couldn't possibly be a virgin and was therefore a totally acceptable target for his machinations. Yeah.

Apparently it was also a-okay to continue in this vein, going by the fact that he later PLANNED TO DRUG HER (or pressure/convince her to try it, rather, since we're not supposed to think he's the villain) so she would reveal her secrets. He had second thoughts and decided not to go through with this (supposedly, since we only have his word on this, as circumstances prevented him from doing it even if he'd wanted to).

And I haven't even mentioned the childhood abuse, drug usage, murder, and scandal which loomed over everything like a wet blanket of crap. Nor the fact that Madeline herself wasn't innocent in all this, lying with every other breath, but at least her schemes stemmed from desperation and attempts to do the right thing for her father. And in their original bargain, Anthony was trying to do the right thing for his niece. So, you know, there were some good motives at play here even if you have to squint and tilt your head to the side to see them.

And somehow, in the midst of all this flapdoodle (noun: ridiculous situation or behavior. A word I just learned when using a thesaurus to try to find the perfect word to put here. Mission accomplished.), they fell in love. Or seemed to think they did. At the very least, they discovered they could have some pretty wild Bad Boy/Honeypot adventures, since Anthony was able to orgasm no fewer than three times in a row with no pauses in between. Due to his Incredibly Lustful and Beastly Nature, of course, amplified by the fact that she loved him. No, really, don't just take my word for it.

“Because it’s already hard enough for me to control myself around you. If I thought you really loved me–”

You would respect her enough to be able to stop if she wants you to?

Please tell me that's what you were going to say.

Although later in the scene, Madeline did finally lay waste to his nonsensical idea that a woman couldn't possibly want sex as much as he did.

You and your half-baked notions about what a woman can bear – you’re the one who has ‘no idea’ about me. I can be just as ungoverned as you.

*cheers*

The one character I actually liked in this book was Mrs. Harris, the headmistress. She was an interesting character from what we saw, a strong but fair woman who took no nonsense. I really would have liked to know more about her!

In the end, The Adventures of the Bad Boy and the Honeypot - er, Let Sleeping Rogues Lie had some positive qualities, but it was not enough to make up for the nonsense that pervaded the story. Even though I held on, hoping for the best, I was ultimately disappointed.

First:“Your father is ready to see you, Master Dalton.”

---

Teaser:A reputation isn’t always the measure of a man.

Unfortunately, Let Sleeping Rogues Lie was not a hit for me. But I have a bad habit of choosing terrible introductory books. For instance, I wasn't impressed by the first Julia Quinn book I read, but now she's one of my favorite authors! So I think Ms. Jeffries will definitely be a pick for an upcoming Second Chance Saturday. Does anyone have suggestions as to which of her books I should choose?

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(Review) Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis

Title: Once in a Lifetime
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor, #9
Published: February 18, 2013 (Grand Central Publishing)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Digital galley received from publisher in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!)

Summary: After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniels tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he’s back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she’s not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.

Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben …even though he has absolutely no idea what she’s done…
Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?

I'm always, always excited to return to Lucky Harbor, Washington. Whether it's a brand new book, a re-read, or I'm just thinking about how much I love the characters, it's just a happy place for me. Needless to say, I was pumped to read the newest one, Once in a Lifetime, especially because of the two characters it featured.

We had met both Ben and Aubrey in previous books. I've been desperate for Ben's book ever since he was first mentioned. He had all the earmarks of a hero I would love: a guy with a military background, amble brains and brawn, who might be a little bit emotionally broken and had spent the past few years doing awesome things with war-torn and post-disaster locations. As a bonus, he was beloved by the town, which is always a good sign. Then, as if that wasn't enough, we saw in Once in a Lifetime that even if he was a little awkward around them, Ben had a heart for kids and was good with them. Excuse me while I reach for the smelling salts. I was also very intrigued by Aubrey! The main reason being that we weren't supposed to like Aubrey back when she was first introduced as a character. But then once you got a little peek beyond her façade, you saw that she wasn't as terrible as she appeared. She was a complicated character, and I appreciated that Shalvis gave her her own book. I really wanted to get to know her after seeing a little of her before, and I definitely got to in Once in a Lifetime.

Aubrey was not always a nice person. In fact, she spent a lot the story making amends for past hurts she had caused, an idea that occurred to her when she accidentally attended an AA meeting ('cause, you know, it happens). I particularly enjoyed the storyline with Aubrey and her sister, Carla. When their parents divorced while the girls were still pretty young, Carla - The Brains - and Aubrey - The Beauty - were split up, too: Carla lived with their father who was a successful doctor, and Aubrey went with their mother, a beauty-obsessed woman who pushed Aubrey into beauty pageants and wanted her to go into modeling. Forced into these roles by their parents, the sisters did not interact much, and they were both secretly jealous of each other. Aubrey's attempts to make amends with Carla brought the two sisters a little closer together and gave me hope that they would have a much stronger relationship in the future. I'm also crossing my fingers that Carla gets a book later on, because I really liked her!

Now, onto the romance. Aubrey and Ben's interactions began when Aubrey accidentally tossed her drink all over Ben at the bar (um...whoops?). I felt the tingles immediately as he looked her, all strong and silent. While Aubrey had had a crush on Ben since high school, he was a pretty intimidating presence, and there was always a sort of unexplained animosity between them. When Ben was hired by Aubrey's uncle to make the renovations she needed for the grand opening of her bookstore (!), though, the tension and sparring turned to sparks of chemistry they could no longer deny. There was a bit of a hindrance to their romance, though: Aubrey had a Big Secret in the fact that Ben was on her list of people to whom she needed to apologize. And he didn't even know it.

Unfortunately, there were a couple things that made me go a little frowny-face. For instance, at one point, Ben stole the something-or-other-part from Aubrey's car so it wouldn't work so she would let him drive her around. Just so he could know what she was up to. Yes, he was nosy and curious and maybe even protective, and it was played out in a humorous way. But that crossed the line for me into things that are less romantic and more stalkerish. Thankfully, this type of behavior did not continue, and Ben owned up to it later.

All in all, Once in a Lifetime was definitely another winner of a Lucky Harbor book! The town continued to charm, and I wanted to visit Aubrey's bookstore! It sounded so lovely. Plus, since she was unofficially open before her Grand Opening, we got to see some interactions between Aubrey and her customers which were both hilarious and fairly apt (such as the people who ask for historical fiction but actually mean historical romance). We also got a preview of the next Lucky Harbor book, It's in His Kiss, featuring Ben's running partner and friend who was mysterious, enigmatic, and silent enough to make Ben look like a regular Chatty Cathy. I definitely can't wait to see what's going on there!

Until next time, Lucky Harbor. Until next time.

First:There was one universal truth in Lucky Harbor, Washington – you could hide a pot of gold in broad daylight and no one would steal it, but you couldn't hide a secret.

---

Teaser:“I mean it, Ben,” she said. “This is my business.”
“Whatever you say, Sunshine.” He pulled out his phone, presumably accessing whatever shoot ‘em up, kill ‘em game he was playing with Jack.
It was as close to a promise as she was going to get, and she knew it. She blew out a breath and then caught sight of his screen. Not a shoot ‘em up, kill ‘em game at all. “Words with Friends?” she asked. “That's the killer game you play?”
“It can be killer,” he said lightly, his manhood apparently not threatened in the slightest. “Hey, do you know a seven-letter word that’s got the letter X in it? I've got a triple-word opportunity here.”
“Extinct,” she said,” which is what I’m going to make you if you follow me.”

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(Review) Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Title: Being Sloane Jacobs
Author: Lauren Morrill
Published: January 7, 2014
Rating: Lunch Break Read
Format: Digital galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!)

Summary: Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

I was already a huge fan of Ms. Morrill from Meant to Be, which I LOVED. I could not wait to see what she had in store with this one. When the cover was revealed, I squealed. When the blurb was revealed, I danced. The Parent Trap (and yes, I mean the REAL one with Hayley Mills) was one of my favorite movies growing up, and since then, I've had a weakness for the switching-places trope. This one looked like so much fun!

And it was. I wouldn't advise going into this one expecting anything mind-blowing. It was all there in the summary and was fairly predictable, but it delivered on what it promised. There were cute boys and ice skating and hockey and two girls who learned a lot about life and love through a far-fetched idea they decided to implement.

The two Sloanes could not have been more different! They were from different walks of life, had different interests, and possessed completely different personalities. It was fun and a tad crazy watching them go from meet to switch-lives-with-me in 0.2 seconds. I wish I we would have seen them interact more! Whether they were apart or together, though, it was always obvious which one of them was currently narrating. Morrill did a great job with the alternating POV. The voices were clear, and the POV shifted just often enough to keep the reader engaged in both storylines.

As for the romances, they were pretty cute, though I wasn't bowled over. I was definitely more a fan of Sloane Devon's romance than Sloane Emily's, because I just never really connected to the Matt the Hockey Hottie. But there were still some great moments on both sides! And I loved Nando - Sloane Devon's love interest - as well as the other friends Sloane Devon made at camp. It was great watching them interact.

One of my favorite things about Morrill's books is that she isn't afraid to let teens be teens. Her characters have immature moments, make mistakes, play ridiculous pranks, and all-around act their age. I like the chip-on-my-shoulder, save-the-world, and mature-beyond-my-years characters as much as the next gal, but there's something so refreshing about characters who actually do things you would do in the real world.

While Being Sloane Jacobs didn't replace Meant to Be as my favorite Morrill, it was still worth reading. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who, like me, enjoys some good switching-places hijinks. Also, as a bonus, it had a fantastic and memorable ending! I can't wait to see what Morrill has in store for the future.

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(Review) Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Title: Lord of Scoundrels
Author: Loretta Chase
Series: Scoundrels, #3
Published: January 1995 (Avon)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Physical copy, won from Harley Bear Book Blog

Summary: Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with the "Bane and Blight of the Ballisters" — and he wants nothing to do with respectable women. He's determined to continue doing what he does best—sin and sin again — and all that's going swimmingly, thank you . . . until the day a shop door opens and she walks in.

Jessica Trent is a determined young woman, and she's going to drag her imbecile brother off the road to ruin, no matter what it takes. If saving him — and with him, her family and future — means taking on the devil himself, she won't back down. The trouble is, the devil in question is so shockingly irresistible, and the person who needs the most saving is herself!

When I first began thinking of books with Beauty and the Beast themes, Lord of Scoundrels immediately came to mind. One of the most famous in the historical romance world, it is a favorite of many. I originally read it back in 2009, scarcely a few months after I discovered and subsequently devoured the historical romance genre. In fact, it directly followed my binge-reading of the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, and that is not an easy act to follow by any means. But Lord of Scoundrels was hailed as magnificent, a classic, a must-read for any historical romance fan, and a book that had converted many a romance-doubter into a romance-lover. So I gave it a shot, and I fell in love.

Now, more than four years later, I needed this book in my life again quite desperately, and this event was the perfect time. I was, however, a little hesitant. Obviously when you first discover a genre, you tend to be less critical of it than after you've had some experience. It's all brand new and exciting, and those little nitpicky things that will bother you later on? You haven't noticed them yet. At least that's how it is for me. I have discovered that sometimes when I re-read a book that was an early favorite, I'll discover that the magic just isn't quite there anymore. And I was scared this would happen with Lord of Scoundrels. Less so than I am with some books, since this one comes so highly lauded. But still.

Shock of all shocks: I needn't have worried.

Loretta Chase still has one of the most charming writing styles I've ever seen. Jessica Trent remains one of my favorite heroines for how strong and awesome she is. I still feel for Dain so freaking much. And the infamous glove scene still gives me a swoon attack powerful enough to make me wish I owned an inhaler. And don't even mention the lamppost scene, lest I keel over in a dead faint.

There are so many things to love about this book. One of the best is the dialogue between Jessica and Dain. It's classic and hilarious and sharp and stunning. Example:

“Jessica, you are a pain in the arse, do you know that? If I were not so immensely fond of you, I should throw you out the window."

She wrapped her arms about his waist and laid her head against his chest. "Not merely 'fond,' but 'immensely fond.' Oh Dain, I do believe I shall swoon."

"Not now," he said crossly. "I haven't time to pick you up.”

What's not to love? Sarcasm is my language, and I snort with laughter every time I read this quote.

Really, though, Lord of Scoundrels has so much to recommend it. A strong heroine. Dual points of view so that you can understand what is going on inside Dain's head (because trust me, you need it). Jaw-dropping moments (or at least one in particular). One of the best grandmothers in the history of literature. Feels galore.

As for why I chose it for this feature? Perhaps the thing that makes this book most infamous: While the heroine is stunningly lovely, the hero is ugly. No, really. He wasn't handsome and then tragically scarred. He was described as unattractive as a child, and he never grew out of it. He's huge with a big nose and a frightening presence. But to Jessica? He's beautiful. Because everyone is beautiful to someone, no matter how the world tries to define you. And Dain breaks my heart into a million pieces because he is so insecure about his appearance, despite his intimidating presence and the devil-may-care attitude he displays. He is has a million walls up, and watching them fall before the (relatively) tiny but powerful Jessica just makes them all the more endearing.

While I don't quite think it is the perfect historical romance - it does have its flaws, though I can't really mention them without spoiling - Lord of Scoundrels remains one of my favorites. I am so glad I decided to conquer my fear and read it again. If you are looking for an excellent historical romance reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, look no further, because Lord of Scoundrels probably does it better.

First:In the spring of 1792, Dominick Edward Guy de Ath Ballister, third Marquess of Dain, Earl of Blackmoor, Viscount Launcells, Baron Ballister and Launcells, lost his wife and four children to typhus.

---

Favorite:In my dictionary, romance is not maudlin, treacly sentiment. It is a curry, spiced with excitement and humor and a healthy dollop of cynicism.

---

Teaser:“I tell you Dain is a splendid catch. I advise you to set your hooks and reel him in.”

Jessica took a long swallow of her cognac. “This is not a trout, Genevieve. This is a great, hungry shark.”

“Then use a harpoon.”

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(Review) Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Title: Making Faces
Author: Amy Harmon
Published: October 12, 2013 (Self-published)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Digital copy, purchased

Summary: Ambrose Young was beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore.

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

I was originally going to re-read and review a different book for my first review of this feature. At the last moment, I decided to do a quick scan of Goodreads and see if there were any promising Beauty and the Beast themed books I could get my hands on quickly enough. Lo and behold, my eyes fell on Making Faces. The cover screamed New Adult, which I've been burned by to the point where I have to force myself to read it. But I decided to investigate anyway. While the cover looked like a typical NA, the blurb seemed to suggest anything but. I'm a sucker for the scarred (either internally and externally; bonus points for both) hero. Plus military? AND it even mentioned Beauty and the Beast in the blurb, which was the reason I was seeking it out? Yes, please. So I clicked over to B&N and bought it before I could think twice. Not the approach I usually take when buying books, but in this case, I'm so glad I did!

The story started in high school where we met Fern and Ambrose for the first time. Ambrose was a wrestling star at the top of the heap, and Fern was a lowly ugly duckling in the view of the few students who actually noticed her. Still, Fern loved Ambrose and had since they were children, and as a romance lover and a writer at heart, she fell into the Cyrano-esque trap of writing love letters back and forth to Ambrose...except she was doing it for her friend Rita. When this was uncovered, Fern's hopes of capturing Ambrose's heart for herself were dashed.

Except after graduation, Ambrose went off to war and came back almost unrecognizably scarred. Fern had lost the braces and glasses and learned how to manage her hair. But she had kept her goodness, her faithfulness, and her unfailing love for Ambrose. Now maybe this might seem pathetic, but Fern never made it seem so weak. It was simply part of who she was. She wasn't ashamed of it, and she owned it, which was something I honestly wasn't sure she had the backbone to do. It made me love her more. In fact, I quite liked Fern as a character.

Fern had been reading romances since she was thirteen years old. She had fallen in love with Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables and was hungry to fall in love like that over and over again. And then she discovered Harlequin. Her mother would have croaked face first into her herbal mint tea if she’d known how many forbidden romances Fern consumed the summer before eighth grade, and Fern had had a million book boyfriends since then.

She was a pastor's daughter who devoured romance novels. So, really, how could I not like her? It was really fun that I could identify with that side of Fern, even though I was unlike her in many other ways. While there are quite a few bookish heroines, it was refreshing and awesome to read about about one who loved romance novels.

Then there was Ambrose. I'm not a wrestling fan, and I don't like my guys with long hair. Somehow, though, it worked for high school Ambrose. He was actually a pretty nice guy, and he was intrigued by Fern even though he never acknowledged it. One thing I wasn't expecting was that we actually got to see some of the interaction between Ambrose and his friends both before and during their time as soldiers, which helped me understand his pain even more. Once he came back, Ambrose was reclusive for many reasons. His looks were a big factor, but Amy Harmon refrained from beating the issue to death, which I appreciated.

BUT. Lest you think the (albeit incomprehensible) thought that a lovely romance is not enough to capture your attention, please read on. This book is not just a romance. No, really. While the love story was wonderful and my love for it is growing even stronger in hindsight, the star of this show was not one of the main two. It was a boy named Bailey.

Bailey positively captured my heart. He was Fern's best friend, and he had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease which breaks down muscles and, eventually, weakens the body to the point where it is no longer able to function. Since this book took place over the course of a couple years with several flashbacks, we were able to see Bailey at several points in his disease. For the majority of the book, though, Bailey was wheelchair-bound, unable to lift his arms past his chest. But he had not lost his spirit. He was such an engaging personality, hilarious and inspiring and real. He had quotes like this that broke my heart:

It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you aren't ever going to be loved the way you want to be loved.

But he had a million more that made me smile, made me think, made me laugh out loud. In short, this was half a romantic love story, half a Bailey story, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Making Faces played into the Beauty and the Beast theme in several ways. There was the obvious, of course, the fact that the beautiful Fern loved the no-longer-beautiful Ambrose. But there was a theme throughout of looking beyond appearances and seeing what was beneath. Inside, Bailey was the world's greatest wrestler and full of vitality. Inside, Fern had a heart that surpassed her beauty. Inside, Ambrose was capable of goodness and love at odds with his tragic appearance. This book showed many times over that the outside means nothing. Beautiful people can be ugly inside, vice versa, and any combination thereof. The outside is nothing but a cover, the side strangers see when they pass by on the street. The inside is what counts.

Not that you'd be expecting it, but Making Faces was not a light read. I spent a good portion of it crying for a variety of reasons. But I am still in love with it and still thinking about it several days later. I am so glad I gave this one a chance, and I definitely plan to check out more of Amy Harmon's books. Making Faces was a surprising, inspiring, and emotional read that satisfied my inner Fern-esque romance-loving heart and gave me something beyond my expectations.

First:“The Ancient Greeks believed that after death, all souls, whether good or bad, would descend to the Underworld, the kingdom of Hades, deep in the Earth, and dwell there for eternity,” Bailey read aloud, his eyes flying across the page.

---

Favorite:She struggled with the words for two days. Everything from “Hi. Glad you’re back!’ to “I couldn’t care less if your face isn’t perfect, I still want to have your babies.” Neither seemed quite right.

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Teaser:You read smutty romance novels and quote scripture. I’m not quite sure I have you figured out.

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|12 in 12 Review| Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

12 in 12 is me committing to read 12 books in 12 months. These 12 books will be old books that I've had on my TBR since the dawn of time and have been pushed aside for all the SHINY. 

Check out my 12 in 12 intro post to learn more! For January, I've decided to read Sloppy Firsts and I LOVED IT! I hope all of my 12 in 12 books are this amazing!

Title: Sloppy Firsts
Author: Megan McCafferty
Series: Jessica Darling #1

Published August 28th, 2011 

Genre: Contemporary YA
Rating: A

Goodreads summary:

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? ... I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment—from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

Sloppy Firsts looked like Racquel book and it's so popular and well loved that I couldn't not read it. Unfortunately, I put it off for so long and now I'm banging my head against the wall because I was right, this is a Racquel book!

+Jessica Darling: this might have been published in 2001, but like I said in my January wrap-up, the teen voice is so spot on, it's better than some of the YA books that I read that are published today. There were clique-y and and stereotypical high school moments, but overall I'm so surprised at the voice!

The beginning is very teen angsty but it wasn't annoying. Jessica's best friend, Hope, has moved away and Jessica feels all alone in the world and well, she's depressed. No one told me this book was sad! But it works. It was just so real and on point, it felt like reading about a real life teen. I want more books like this!

+Marcus Flutie: I've head so much about the oh so infamous Marcus before going into the series but he actually makes rare appearances through out the beginning of the book. It's not only until the last 50 pages or so that he starts making regular appearances and boy were they SWOONY. I spent the last 50 pages alternating between *squeeeeling*, *swoooooning* and *giggliiiiing*. I felt so ridiculous but I couldn't help myself. Marcus Flutie, y'all, Marcus Flutie *sigh*.

+Writing: The book is written in journal form and when I discovered this, it put me off from starting the book because I didn't know how well it will work, BUT, I hardly noticed! It actually worked really well! I was afraid that the book would be all telling and not showing but McCafferty took us to the scenes and we watched them play out instead of just getting a rehash of what happened to Jessica. This makes me so happy.

So add in themes of family and family expectations, school and sports, friendships and relationships, throw in Jessica Darling and you get a funny but sometimes sad but always true retelling of a teen girl making her way through life. And I loved *every* moment of it.

Rating: [A] Amazing. Just like I knew it would be!

First:

Tonight I've been thinking about the mosaic Hope gave me the night she U-hauled ass out of Pineville.

---

Favorite:

"He must be really good in bed," said Manda.
"I doubt he promised sex," I said.
"Burke says he seen Marcus in the locker room and that he's got like, ten inches of New Jersey Whitesnake," said Bridget.
"What?" all four of us asked.
"He's got a huge penis."
"Oh," said Hy.
"Oh!" said Manda.
"Oh?" said Sara.
"Whoa," said I.

---

Teaser:

“You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn't a bad mood at all; it's just your sucky personality.” 

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|Review| Foreplay by Sophie Jordan

Title: Foreplay
Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: The Ivy Chronicles #1

Published November 5th, 2013 by William Morrow

Genre: contemporary NA
Rating: C+

Goodreads summary:

Before she goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s about to find the one she needs.

Pepper has been hopelessly in love with her best friend’s brother, Hunter, for like ever. He’s the key to everything she’s always craved: security, stability, family. But she needs Hunter to notice her as more than just a friend. Even though she’s kissed exactly one guy, she has just the plan to go from novice to rock star in the bedroom—take a few pointers from someone who knows what he’s doing.

Her college roommates have the perfect teacher in mind. But bartender Reece is nothing like the player Pepper expects. Yes, he’s beyond gorgeous, but he’s also dangerous, deep—with a troubled past. Soon what started as lessons in attraction are turning both their worlds around, and showing just what can happen when you go past foreplay and get to what’s real…

For a few years now I've seen Sophie Jordan's Firelight series everywhere. I did not realize she had a giant backlist of historical romance books (I love HR!) AND that she's a local Houston author so when I discovered all of this, I *had* to start reading Sophie Jordan and I started with Foreplay.

Foreplay is a contemporary NA book sure, but the heart of this book is definitely a romance and it's a good romance! To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. There is a certain addictive quality to Sophie Jordan's writing. I read this on a plane and I usually like to sleep on plane rides but I just could not put it down. I had to read it from cover to cover!

Like the summary says, Pepper is helplessly in love with this guy Hunter but she doesn't have much experience with guys and she wants some before she sets out to finally make Hunter hers. This is where Reece comes in. A hottie bartender that seems perfect for the job. When I read the summary, I thought that that Pepper and Reece are actually friends and she asks him for lessons in seduction but in fact, Pepper doesn't know Reece. In the beginning, we watched her catch Reece's attention and it was fun! Reece and Pepper have great, great, GREAT chemistry and their seduction lessons were *hawt*. This is why I say this is a romance novel at heart. Sure it's set in college and I did like the setting a lot but this a lessons in seduction trope after all. Sounds cheesy, but Sophie Jordan made it work. Especially since there were really sweet moments to balance out the sexy.

Towards the end, there are eye-rolling big bang, unnecessarily events happen so (in classic romance style) Pepper and Reece can realize they love each other. I didn't like the overdramtic shit and there were genre clichéness to the book but that's pretty much the only thing I didn't enjoy about the book. Otherwise, this is so much fun to read. Reece was smooookin', I really loved Pepper and I also liked how Reece's background with college was handled. I thought it would piss me off but *phew* it worked out well. All in all, this is definitely unputdownable. I didn't luuuurve the book but I certainly enjoyed it and I can NOT wait for book 2, Tease.

Rating: [C+] I definitely recommend it! A fantastic sweet and sexy romance with one seriously smokin' guy and a great heroine.

First:

All my life I knew what I wanted. Or rather, what I didn't want.

---

Teaser:

“I’m not going to lie to you and convince you that I’m someone good and shiny like your guy that’s going to be a doctor.” 

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|Review| Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand

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Title: Snow-Kissed
Author: Laura Florand
Published September 1st, 2013 (self-pub)

Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: B

Goodreads summary:

Florand takes us to a snow-kissed Christmas cabin for this heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, forgiveness—and hope. After the utter destruction of her marriage and her happiness, Kai knew it was better to shut herself away from the world than to hurt and be hurt. Holed up in her mountain cabin, she planned to spend her Christmas alone. Until her not-quite-ex-husband shows up as the first flakes start to fall. Now should she send him back out into the cold? Or can she be brave enough to let this winter snow bind them back together?

(A novella of 34,000 words. Approx. 130 pages.)

Laura Florand has two published series but she ventured to the self-pub realm to publish this holiday novella about a marriage in trouble. So in my review of A Christmas Promise, we learned that I:

1) love the arranged marriages trope
2) I love the hate to love trope
3) I love Hardy Cates

And here is a new one:

4) I love marriage in trouble stories

Marriage in trouble stories have the capacity to be so romantic and so moving and beautiful but unfortunately, it's not a popular trope (but shout out to Making it Last by Ruthie Knox for being an excellent marriage in trouble novella that I highly recommend). So I'm always happy to find a good marriage in trouble story and Snow-Kissed certainly was excellent.

Snow-Kissed was everything I expect from a marriage in trouble story: emotional, moving, beautiful, and heartbreaking in a bittersweet way but ultimately happy and satisfying. I'm really glad Florand published this novella because it is beyond good. There is just something so unbelievably sweet about seeing a couple fall in love again and that is the case with Kai and Kurt. Also, Florand's writing is just so, so, so beautiful. She has a way with words. So not only is the story beautiful, but so is the writing.

Snow-Kissed works as novella, for anyone who has doubts. We get a glimpse of how Kai and Kurt fell in love and what tore them apart but the novella is spent on a snowy white mountain with the couple patching up their marriage. I will say though, I suffered from major deception when my Kindle told me that I had 10% left but I finished the book and the last 10% were all excerpts. I definitely thing the novella could have used another chapter to make the resolution less abrupt.

This novella is set during Christmas time and this is a vital time for Kai and Kurt. The year before, they spent Christmas separated and miserable so this time, Kurt wants to make sure he is with his wife so he doesn't get sucked by depression on such a special day.

An excellent romance, an excellent holiday read and a short quick read at 99cents, this is not a read romance fans would want to pass up!

Rating: [B] The writing is simply beautiful. I need an extra chapter but otherwise, a terrific read.

First:

The snow fell over the black granite counter in a soft hush of white.

---

Teaser:

She worked so hard to be done with tears like this. And yet their onslaught was almost comforting. Oh, there you are. I've missed you. I guess we;re not done with each other after all.

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(Review) Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

Title: Married for Christmas
Author: Noelle Adams
Series: Willow Park, #1
Published: December 1, 2013 (Createspace)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Digital galley received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: After years of dreaming, Jessica is finally getting married, but the marriage isn't exactly what she thought.

Daniel is her best friend, and she's known him all her life, but he's never gotten over losing his wife two years ago. His dream is to become the pastor of the church in their hometown, but the small-town congregation keeps balking over calling an unmarried minister. Since Daniel needs a wife and Jessica wants a husband and family, she proposes an arrangement that benefits both of them.

They can get married. They can build a life together. They can celebrate Christmas as a couple. It's fine that he doesn't love her. And it's fine that she's not exactly suited to be a small-town pastor's wife. And it's fine that she's more attracted to her sexy, brooding husband every day.

Jessica can be practical about this marriage. She knows what she's getting into, after all...

I was beyond elated when I stumbled across Ruthie Knox's post about this book a few days ago. A Christmas romance! With a marriage of convenience! Between two people who are already friends! Those are three things almost guaranteed to get me to read a book, ALL ROLLED UP INTO ONE LOVELY PACKAGE. Obviously, I needed to read it.

I am happy to say that Married for Christmas fully satisfied my rather high expectations. It was stunning. It made me swoon. It made me giggle quite a bit, because Jessica and Daniel's interactions could be quite amusing. It made me cry, because amidst the fun exchanges, there were buckets and buckets of angst. Watching as problems got resolved, as feelings were revealed? I was blubbering like a baby. Adams captured just how awkward it really would be to suddenly find yourself married to a good friend, despite thinking you were ready for it.

I loved Jessica's pragmatism and her willingness to put herself out there and go after the future she wanted for herself. She did have insecurities, but was honest about herself and her desires most of the time. And Daniel. Oh, Daniel. I do have a fondness for pastor heroes. He wasn't perfect. He had lost his first wife in a car accident two years before and still had not fully accepted that, though he thought he had. He was struggling with things he did not admit to himself or Jessica for a long time. These caused him to withdraw from Jessica, which was perhaps not the best coping mechanism. It led to tension between the two of them that had not been there before. This made for a very uncomfortable situation, given that their marriage was already unconventional. Daniel had issues to work through, and the two of them had issues to work through together. But by the end, I was completely sure about their love for each other and the fact that their marriage was solid and, despite its origins, 100% real.

This book did have a bit of theological and religious discussion - as one would expect - but was definitely not enough to classify it as an inspirational romance. There was quite a bit about the Christmas events Daniel's church was hosting. And it was great! This book really did have Christmas as an integral part of the story, and it made me very happy to see.

I was definitely a fan of Married for Christmas! It was the embodiment of several of my favorite tropes and did not disappoint at all. I will be looking forward to the next books in this series.

First:
Jessica Cameron had to propose marriage in a couple of hours, and she was a little nervous about it.

---

Favorite:
She knew he'd been comfortable financially, since he'd saved for years and didn't splurge on anything except books.

(*gigglesnort* Huh. Clearly I have been splurging on the wrong books.)

---

Teaser:
"For a rather infuriating man, you really might be the best husband in the world."
"I'm glad you recognize it."

*All quotes taken from an advance copy and may differ from final version.

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(Review) Take Me Home for Christmas by Brenda Novak

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Title: Take Me Home for Christmas
Author: Brenda Novak
Series: Whiskey Creek, #5
Published: October 29, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Lunch Break Read
Format: E-galley received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Christmas is a time for remembering. Too bad all memories aren't pleasant. Everyone in Whiskey Creek remembers Sophia DeBussi as the town's Mean Girl. Especially Ted Dixon, whose love she once scorned.

But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive. So when he goes missing, she secretly hopes he'll never come back—until she learns that he died running from an FBI probe of his investment firm. Not only has he left Sophia penniless, he's left her to face all the townspeople he cheated….

Sophia is reduced to looking for any kind of work to pay the bills and support her daughter. With no other options, she becomes housekeeper for none other than Ted, now a successful suspense writer. He can't bring himself to turn his back on her, not at Christmas, but he refuses to get emotionally involved. He learned his lesson the last time.

Or will the season of love and forgiveness give them both another chance at happiness?

Before I go into the review of the book itself, I would like to explain why I dislike the cover blurb. For one, it's misleading, implying that Sophia simply rejected Ted once upon a time. When, in fact, she was his long-time girlfriend and freaking slept with someone else. Just a tiny bit different. But my major problem is the wording of this: "But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive." I don't care how much of a bitch she was in high school. No one deserves abuse. Ever.

Now that that's out of the way, we can move onto the actual book.

I had a rather strange relationship with Take Me Home for Christmas. I came extremely close to DNFing several times (and I almost never DNF books if I've read more than 5 pages). You know why? Because NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. You think I'm kidding. I mean, the book did start with Sophia's husband dying in an attempt to fake his own death. But after that? It was a depressing snooze-fest for another hundred pages. Ted and Sophia didn't even SEE each other until 100+ pages into the story. What could have been conveyed in 2-3 chapters took 9.

But! I stuck it out. And I am glad I did! Because after they finally started interacting, things got good fast. Like, holy crap, you guys. I usually am not a fan of ex stories. In fact, I never would have requested this one, had I known (I guess that's Blurb Writer: 1, Sharon: 0?). But I am happy I did! Because that actually wound up being my favorite aspect of the story. This book was emotions galore, and it was BEAUTIFUL. It was smoking, sizzling, longing, angsty deliciousness. What it WASN'T was a story about people more in love with nostalgia than each other. And I love it a lot for that.

Another great thing is that this book did not feature a "likable" heroine. Sophia was horrid in high school (for mostly unnamed reasons). She had cheated on Ted in the past. She dealt with depression in the wake of everything that happened with her husband. She was a recovering alcoholic, which was a constant struggle for her. She did her best to stay strong because of her daughter, Alexa. But she was human. She made mistakes. Unfortunately, by the end, she was rather sickeningly good, to provide a nice foil against the horrible person she was supposed to have been earlier in life. I kind of just wanted to roll my eyes and say, "Yeah, she's nice now. WE GET IT!" But I did like the idea behind it.

Ted was quite swoon-worthy. He made a valiant effort to not be in love with Sophia, and I applauded his efforts to try to be logical about his approach to love. Of course, he failed. Because as he spent more time with Sophia, he fell in love with her. And even if he had carried a torch for her over the years, he fell for the current her, not only an idea of her. And I believe I've already spent several adjectives describing how I felt about that bit.

Unfortunately, I did have a problem with the fact that a book called Take Me Home for Christmas contained maybe a page or two related to Christmas things. It's just so frustrating to pick up a book, rightly expecting a book with a decent amount of Christmas, only to be disappointed when there's nothing more than a couple of throwaway references.

I also had issues with Eve. She was a fabulously friendly and strong female character who was willing to stand up and help Sophia and tentatively extend a hand in friendship...until Eve started dating Ted. And then OH NO, she could possibly even be friends with Sophia. Because Sophia might make a move on Ted. Eve went from Great Side Character Whom I'd Like to Get to Know straight to Grinchy Girlfriend in 2.8 seconds. Thankfully, she snapped back out of it, but I didn't really get why it had to happen in the first place. It didn't seem to go with her character.

Now you can see why I said my feelings about this book were complicated. I found a lot of things to be either boring or frustrating. BUT I was absolutely in love with Sophia and Ted and their love story. So in conclusion, I would say that Take Me Home for Christmas is worth reading for that alone.

First:
Sophie DeBussi’s husband was gone.

---

Favorite:
“Anyway, love doesn’t necessarily make a relationship successful.”
“No, but it gives you a hell of a lot more to fight for – and it makes life far more rewarding when you win.”

*All quotes were taken from an advance copy and may appear differently in the finished book.

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|Review| A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh

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Title: A Christmas Promise
Author: Mary Balogh
Published org. Dec. 1, 1992. This edition: Oct. 26th, 2010

Genre: Historical romance
Rating: A

Goodreads summary:

A love that cannot be bought or sold proves to be the greatest gift of all, in this heartwarming classic that demonstrates once again why New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh is among the most celebrated authors of historical romance.

Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions—especially when a couple seems as well matched as Randolph Pierce, Earl of Falloden, and his bride-to-be, Eleanor Transome. Ellie brings to the marriage a vast dowry, while Falloden, though distant, is handsome, tremendously desirable, and possessed of a title most young ladies can only dream of sharing.

Yet Ellie is not most young ladies. She knows that she must honor her dear father’s dying wish for her to wed the proud earl, but she dreads a lifetime in a union without love—and how can Falloden claim to love her when he married her only for her fortune? As Christmas descends upon the Falloden manor, the warmth of the season may yet melt away the trappings of duty and wealth, leaving behind only a man and a woman destined for each other’s arms.

I came across A Christmas Promise at this blog post at Heroes & Heartbreakers. I read the post and immediately decided that A Christmas Promise would be my post-finals read and boy, was it a good decision. I have honestly not enjoyed a romance as much as I did while reading A Christmas Promise in a while. It made me laugh. It made cry. It made me swoon. As in LEGIT SWOONING. My heart experienced ridiculous things while reading this novel, y'all. Like hoooly hell, talk about sweet romance!!

A Christmas Promise is an arranged marriage story and if you know anything about me, know that I love arranged marriage stories (and I love Hardy Cates, I'll never miss a chance to give a shout out to BED *wink*), and if you want to know another thing about me, I love hate-to-love stories. Not FAKE hate-to-love where the hate is actually secret love, no, I enjoy legitimate hate turned into legitimate love and this was the case with A Christmas Promise. Eleanor doesn't know Randolph. Randolph doesn't know Eleanor and they were forced into marriage under tough circumstances. They both had incorrect assumptions about the other so they both entered their marriage unhappy and not willing to give each other a try and it was GREAT. I loved the biting sarcasm. Eleanor is a new favorite heroine of mine. That lady is TOUGH and she knew how make to make things tough for Randolph.

"I thought perhaps," he said, "you might be interested in knowing me. That perhaps we might learn to be friends."
"You want me in bed," she said, and her voice was as chilly as his heart. "Shall I go there?"

Snap snap snap, GET IT. God, I love tough heroines. She might have been too stubborn at times, but who cares! Finally, a heroine that wouldn't take any shit from the hero!

"It was hatred at first sight."

It was!! However, since this is a romance novel after all, slowly but surely Eleanor and Randolph started getting along. First they made a pact to cut out the sarcasm and agree to live together in peace since they're joined until death does them apart. It was a gradual change from the animosity in the beginning to tolerating each other to learning about each other and opening each other's hearts to love (god, what a cheesy sentence. Who am I?). I. Loved. It. It reminded me of Confessions from An Arranged Marriage which is also a super well done hate-to-love romance novel that I will forever and ever love.

Another fantastic thing about A Christmas Promise, and the reason it's being featured during this Christmas feature of ours, is that it's a story set during Christmas time. Now, it's not a story conjured up from nothing to be sold at Christmas time for the holiday romance lovers, no, this is terrific story set during a terrific time and Mary Balogh does it justice. There is snow. There is sledding. There is mistletoe. There is family and it's it's just wonderful and real. Eleanor has a big, boisterous family and they made this book (and Christmas) fun. Pretty much 75% of the book is set during Christmas time and it's MAGICAL. The white snow, and illuminating moon and the sledding and the family fun. . . magical, magical, magical.

A Christmas Promise is a fantastic romance with even magical Christmas setting that makes this novel not just enjoyable, but a classic that I will revisit again, and again, and then again. Historical romance fans: this one is for you. Holiday romance fans: this one is also for you.

I know this is a super glowing review, but I truly loved the heck out of A Christmas Promise. It's a new a favorite historical romance of mine and when I say I will revisit this book, I really will be. This  is a romance that I need to experience more than once.

Rating: [A] A new favorite romance of mine that handles my favorite tropes PERFECTLY and it's also one of the best Christmas holiday romance books anyone can hope to read. I'm in love.

First:

The Earl of Falloden glanced at the visiting card resting on the slaver his butler held extended toward him.

---

Favorite:

She was still smiling at him. She knew his thoughts. He was sure of it. Just as a husband and wife should know each other's thoughts. It was a strange, unreal moment.

---

Teaser:

He was just going to have to take her as she was. She would be damned before she would change to please him.

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(Review) Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

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Title: Sleigh Bells in the Snow
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: O'Neil Brothers, #1
Published: October 29, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: E-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green's favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year.

Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family's resort—it's in his blood, and he can't let it fail. Now that he's got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus.

Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she's out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it's terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?

For some reason, when I picked this book up weeks after I looked at the summary for it, I was thinking it was going to be a snowbound together story. Not quite sure why I thought that, but there it is. I was prepared for something cute, fun, and sexy. And that's what I got. But you guys, I also got so much more.

Sleigh Bells in the Snow was not a story about two people being snowbound together, but a family business on the brink of going under. Jackson had come home to do his best to keep Snow Crystal Resort & Spa afloat, but they were lacking publicity. That's where Kayla, workaholic and super marketing genius, came in. Jackson's grandfather was sure Kayla could not come up with a decent campaign for Snow Crystal without truly experiencing it, so Kayla was to stay on the property for a week first. Thus, Kayla decided to come immediately. After all, Kayla wanted to escape Christmas, and a secluded cabin in Vermont is the best possible way to barricade yourself away, right?

Wrong. At Snow Crystal, Kayla found Jackson's family, and they were all about Christmas. There are few fictional families I've ever loved as much as I do this one. Shannon Stacey's Kowalski family. Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family. But the O'Neils are a class all of their own. And my favorite thing about them was that it wasn't just the official O'Neils. There were a couple family friends in the mix who were clearly just as much family as the ones related by blood. As that is very much how my own family operates, I absolutely love seeing it in books. The O'Neils were close-knit and clearly loved each other, but they still gave each other a hard time and even fought sometimes. The interactions between the three brothers in particular were simply fantastic. Each character was clearly presented and unique, and while each stood out individually, they were very much a collective unit. Jackson's grandfather loved Snow Crystal and was resentful of Jackson for changing so many things. Jackson's brother Tyler was doing his best to raise his teenage daughter who had just come to live with him. We even got some sneak insight into that relationship with a little bit of their perspective, and it makes me so excited for Tyler's book. Not to mention the fact that I'm already falling all over myself with how much I want his love story with Brenna. But I digress.

Due to issues from her past, Kayla was extremely uncomfortable with both Christmas and the open affection of the O'Neil family. It broke my heart to watch her go through this. I've read a lot of books where the hero or heroine hates Christmas due to something tragic in their past, but I think this was the best handling and explanation of it that I've ever seen. Though a little dramatic, it felt authentic, and I loved seeing Kayla slowly open up and conquer her fear caused by the past.

Kayla and Jackson had some great interactions. It kind of reminded me of "The Proposal," actually, with the closed-off, workaholic city girl out in the middle of nowhere and learning to adapt and open up with the help of a very hunky guy. Even though their story basically took place over a week and thus they had pretty quick relationship development, it never felt rushed. They had great chemistry and had some butterfly-inducing almost moments, which ultimately led to things getting pretty steamy but never gratuitously so, which I appreciated. There were so many more important things to focus on! Like Jackson teaching Kayla to ski, which made me giggle:

“Want to try again?”
“Why not? I think there might be a centimeter of my body that isn’t bruised, and if I’m going to be black-and-blue I’d prefer to be black-and-blue all over. I like a uniform look.”

Or even Kayla bonding with Jackson's mother, which nearly made me cry.

Speaking of crying, I want to bawl over the fact that the next O'Neil book doesn't come out for another six months. And Tyler's book, which I'm most eager to read, doesn't even have a release date yet. But I will wait for it. Oh yes, I will.

Also, just a moment to look at how freaking cute the cover is, because it needs to be admired. Now, moving on.

You guys, I don't even quite comprehend why I loved this book so much. It was one of those times when everything just clicked. The amount of Christmas in the book was just right, not just a bit just shoved in there as a marketing technique. I loved the family. I loved the characters. The setting was positively magical. The writing was fantastic. I may not be able to fully explain it, but I can tell you one thing: This was my first Sarah Morgan book, but I can guarantee you it most definitely will not be my last.

First:
Kayla Green cranked up the volume on her favorite playlist and blocked out the sound of festive music and laughter wafting under her closed office door.

---

Favorite:
I preferred snow when it was my desktop image.

---

Teaser:
To hell with professional, it’s Christmas. People do crazy things at Christmas.

All quotes taken from an advanced copy and may appear different in the final version.

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(Review) Big Sky Christmas by C.J. Carmichael

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Title: Big Sky Christmas
Author: C.J. Carmichael
Series: Coffee Creek, Montana, #4
Published: October 1, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Stash in the Glove Box
Format: E-galley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Jackson Stone will always be grateful to the Lamberts, who took him in when he was just a kid. But since the accident that killed his foster brother, Brock, he stays away from the family at Coffee Creek Ranch. Especially now that Brock's former fiancee, Winnie Hays, is back in town with her little boy.

The simmering attraction between them may surprise Winnie, but Jackson fell for her at first sight years ago. Loyalty and guilt require he keep his distance, even as their feelings blossom into love. In the end, it's his own conscience Jackson must master. But with the help of the Lamberts, can this Christmas be a time of healing and a new beginning?

When I first read the blurb for Big Sky Christmas, I knew I absolutely had to read it. Let's see how many of my favorite tropes it has. Christmas romance? Check. Long-time crush? Check. Forbidden love? Check. Potential for major angst? Double check. How could you go wrong?

Well, unfortunately, it did.

First of all, there was the secondary character overload. Holy crap, but there were a ton of people. Yes, I jumped into the middle of a series, but it's a romance series, not A Song of Ice and Fire. I should have been able to navigate it without needing a character diagram. I basically just gave up and decided to stop trying to keep track, because it was a waste of time and energy. Most of them weren't even necessary. But the book opened in a wedding where EVERYONE was, and all the introductions were made at once. No, thanks. Eventually, I caught on to two or three who were important, and that was enough for me.

Then we have the main(?) story: the romance. Jackson was Winnie's dead fiancé, Brock's, foster brother, and he had been pining for Winnie for years. Surprisingly, Jackson and Winnie didn't have nearly as many hang-ups about this as I would have expected. Given that this was the case, I am glad they didn't drag it out too long. Because the excuses they did have not to get together were about as thin as a sheet of paper. It would have dragged otherwise. But their relationship progressed - at least in the beginning - at a pretty good pace. But then came even more obstacles.

Now, you might be confused regarding the question mark in the paragraph above. Wouldn't the romance be the main story of the romance novel? You would think. And yes, it was in a way. But in reality? Every single thing revolved around one very obnoxious and annoying old woman named Olive, Brock's mother/Jackson's former foster mother and apparently the devil incarnate. Nearly every bad thing in the book could be traced back to her, and 98% of the drama in the story was influenced by her in some way or another. And I didn't freaking care about Olive or her opinion, and I didn't really get why anyone else did, either.

There were some positive aspects to the book. Winnie's son was adorable, and it was great to see Jackson interacting with him. They had a couple scenes that made me smile. The small town atmosphere was charming. I liked Jackson's foster brothers. Jackson and Winnie's love story was believable. Overall, the story was cute, if a little frustrating and fairly underwhelming. I would recommend reading the others in the series first, which would no doubt help with the character overload.

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