Love in the Shadows by Barbara Wallace
Short and sweet–I really enjoyed this one. Both Jenny and Nick were scarred–literally and figuratively–and both needed the nudge provided by the four-legged “matchmaker” of the series. I especially liked that the heroine admitted at the end that it was too soon for a true HEA (it’s only about 70 pages long), but that she has definite hope of one.
Two thumbs (or maybe paws are more appropriate?) up!
Now, time to go back and read the first three in the series… 😉
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Stealing the Groom by Sonya Weiss
I liked the premise of this book, and there were many funny and clever moments in the book. Lines like
Amelia ran down the sloping incline and headed for the car as if it was the last piece of cream cheese red velvet brownie left on a tray at Great American Cookies.
made me smile. I could totally feel her sense of urgency–and darn it, I was going to beat her to that brownie.
Ultimately, though, the book just didn’t quite work for me. Though I liked both Amelia and Chad, I just didn’t feel their big romance. They both did a lot of talking–internally and out loud–about how crazy they were for each other, but it felt like way too much telling and not enough showing. The plot, too, ventured too far into silliness for me to really take it seriously.
(Honestly, what grown adults are going to be so accepting of their grandparents forcing them to get married–and not even question the legality of how quickly it’s all coming together until much later? Chad’s a savvy businessman–I’m just not buying it.)
In the end, I liked the idea and the characters, the prose was entertaining, but the plot was a stumbling block. Though this one didn’t quite work for me, I’m not going to rule out reading more from this author just yet–hopefully this is just a one-off.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars – C rating
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.