Suddenly Sexy by Linda Francis Lee

When a legendary bad boy returns to town, Kate must summon her inner temptress.
Kate Bloom’s ordered world is turned upside down when notorious bad boy and superstar athlete Jesse Chapman comes home. Seeing him again reminds Kate of all the reasons she harbored a Texas-sized crush on him back when they were kids. But she isn’t a little girl anymore . . . and she’s ready to show this hell-raising playboy just how sexy she can be.
After a reporter starts digging into his past, Jesse Chapman returns home looking for space. The last thing he needs is a distraction, but that’s just what he gets when he sees his little Katie. Suddenly the girl next door is hot and sexy–and more than even this legendary ladies’ man can handle.

First let me say woooo hooooo! I'm outta my reading slump! I started this book yesterday afternoon and finished today! Or I think that's when I started it. Anyway . . . back to the book.

Kate (or Katie to our hero) and Jessie, what a pair. Friends since childhood, Jessie is four years Kate's senior. He's the one she runs to every time her mom divorces or remarries (5x's). She's the one he opens to when his mom dies and he has problems with his father. But while Kate is completely open and honest with Jessie about her problems and her feelings for him, he withholds. Partially because how can he go into detail about issues with his father that involve sex, smoking and drinking when he is 11 and that would only make her 7. Jessie learns quick to become a buddy to his dad and to turn into a wild boy in order to keep his father close and not lose him like he lost his mother. But he also loses his brother in return, or at least his brothers respect. But with his brother being 7 years older he should have been the one protecting his younger brother from the bad influences of their father, not begrudging him the attention he got or the way he turned out. Which makes for a lot of sibling tension through the book. One of the things Jessie picks up while always with his father is golfing. Which he takes to from the start. So as he lives his wild life he becomes a professional golfer. He has women, he has his game and he feels he is in no way good enough for his Katie. So when on the day of his brothers wedding Kate walks in on him naked and offers herself he pushes her away. But not before he let himself see how sweet it could be with her, he stops in the nick of time. After telling her no and to leave, she flees crying.
So when Jessie comes back into El Paso and into Kate's life she is a bit weary. Her job is falling apart she is "dating" a great guy that she just can't drum up any passion for and just the site of Jessie makes her melt.
Time after time we see the simmering heat between our h&h. After awhile I'll be quite honest I felt like screaming "JUST DO IT!!!" I did love the character development in the book. We really got a good glimpse of who these characters are and what made them the way they are. But there was just to much getting it on to a certain point then just stopping between Kate and Jessie. You know? I get she was going for good sexual tension but it got old real fast.
We do get a big surprise for our hero in the middle of the beginning of the book that really puts a sweat and emotional turn on the story. But to which I don't' think the author knew enough on the subject to write it as well as it should have been.
With Kate being a News Anchor I also felt that there wasn't enough on that, we never really got to see what she was before her ratings plummeted and made her resort to doing "Getting Real With Kate" while the GRWK segments were funny they lacked reality of what that job would really be like.
I did love the friendship between Kate and her two best girlfriends, Chloe and Julia. In the beginning of most of the chapters we read emails back and forth between the girls. It was fun and added to the story a lot.
All in all it was a good book, I just felt as if the author should have tweaked it a bit more before releasing it. So it made me want to read the next book and also hope it's written just a little bit better.

Grade~ B-

Read them all:
Suddenly Sexy
Sinfully Sexy
Simply Sexy


*****Editing to add something I forgot******

The surprise that I told you about...with the hero? Well in the end of the book it never got an ending so to speak. Pretty annoying...

Grade must go down to a C+ for that alone.

Cover Snob or Not?

Hi my name is Nicole and I AM a cover snob! I am not by any means ashamed of reading romance but I am also not ashamed to admit I am embarrassed by some of the covers of romance books. See it's like this, I'll be reading say.....Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

and I love this cover. No you cannot tell right off that it is romance from the cover. But if someone asks what I'm reading I'll tell them and not shy away from the fact that it is romance.

And don't think I only like non-romance looking covers. I have a huge selection of covers I like, some scream romance in a very classy or fun way, just not a stupid way.

Another thing I completely HATE about covers, and I was just discussing this with our very own Rene Lyons, is when a heroine is blond in the story but a brunette on the cover. Now hello, does that make sense to you? Rene did explain that authors don't always have a say in their covers. But still you'd think the cover artists would at least get some knowlege on what the heroine and heo's coloring is like before they go to work.

But enough negativity! Here are a few examples of covers I love:


Very historical romance, but very tasteful too. Not two half naked people groping each other.



Now I usually HATE any type of faces on covers, after all, I am reading to use my imagination. To escape the world as everyone else sees it. Let me use my imagination, don't force what you have in your head on me. But.....

Love this! This cover just gives a glimpse at a feature and the rest is left to your imagination. Perfection, just like all KMM's other covers.




Love the funky chick vibe on this cover! Carly Phillips for the most part has really great covers too! On all of her more recent books anyway.




I really like Laura Lee Guhrke's covers of both this book (which is my favorite by her) and Guilty Pleasures. Very unique in my opinion.

But one of the reasons I won't read Blaze or Harlequin books is because I am totally horrified by the covers. They are so cheap looking, they look like they are stuck in the 70's and 80's. I just cannot help being ashamed. Sorry but does that make me a bad person? I don't know. But I'll tell you I'll only read one of these books if they are very highly pimped out. And then, only at home or behind a magazine cover.
Examples....






I simply have no words for these covers! I'm sorry they may very well be great reads. But I just cannot buy the covers. Like I said "I'm a cover snob".

Are you???

What Do YOU Do When You're In A Funk?

I'm in a funk! I never, NEVER, read more than one book at a time. But right now I am reading Midnight Sun and trying to read Bait at the same time. I am all kinds of into MS, but since it is an E-Book and I don't have the means to print it out right now I need another book to read while on breaks at work, and in bed. But I can't seem to get into anything. I never start a book and not follow through. But I swear I've read the first chapter of almost three books this week. And now that I've settled on Bait as the book to follow through with, I am reading soooo slow! I started yesterday and am only in the third chapter. Uggg. So help me out everyone. What do YOU do when in a reading slump? Cause it's not that I don't want to read, I just can't get into any of my books!

That's obviously why I have been MIA around here. If I'm not reading, I have nothing to review. So sorry....

It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Meet Our Hero ...
Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past .. and the key to his future. The problem is -- it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.


Meet Our Heroine ...

All the town agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her -- something charming and vexing -- that grabs him and won't quite let go ...


Meet Poor Mr. Mozart ...

Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual -- and annually discordant -- Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other ... and that there is nothing as simple -- or as complicated -- as a single, perfect kiss.


Only read my review if you've read the book because there will be spoilers!

I really really liked this book, I think it had the light fun feel of most of JQ's book. And I just plain and simple loved Hyacinth and Gareth. Neither of them annoyed me at all, they were both refreshingly unique. There was no "forcing" of a wedding, which was a nice change of pace, you know for a gentleman to actually make a choice to marry a young woman and her to say yes all of their own free will.

I must admit that at one point during the book Hyacinth is reading the Italian diary to Lady D and I thought for sure Lady D had only feigned not being about to read Italian to get Hyacinth and Gareth together and really understood it all. But no, that was not the case. To bad it would have been kinda funny.

I unlike most was not let down by the final scene with Gareth and Lord St. Clair, I felt it fitting. Any more emotion would not have fit the norm for them.

One thing that did bother me? Okay I HATED HATED HATED the very last page of the book!!!!!! I was soooo beyond pissed that Isabella (H&G's daughter) found the diamonds and didn't tell her mother!!!!!! It was not cute, not funny, not anything but ANNOYING!!! The entire freaking book we go through this wild goose chase with Hyacinth and Garth looking for the jewels and then they NEVER find them????? Just plain old aggravating.

My Grade: A- (minus for the last page!)

Favorite parts:

"You weren't very subtle," Gareth said.
"No," she replied, "but then, I really am. It's a skill one must be born with, I'm afraid."

I just love the interaction with Gregory! This all had me rolling!
"Milk?" Lady Bridgerton asked?
"Thank you," Gareth replied. "No sugar, if you please."
"Hyacinth takes her's with three," Gregory said, reaching for a piece of shortbread.
"Why," Hyacinth ground out, "would he care?"
"Well," Gregory replied, taking a bit and chewing, "he is your special friend."

Gregory turned to Hyacinth. "Do you still read to her (lady D) each Wednesday?"
"Tuesday," Hyacinth corrected.
"Oh. Thorry."
Gareth blinked. Did Hyacinth's brother have a lisp?

And I can't say enough how much I loved our hero and heroine together!"All right," he acceded, "but the only words I'll allow from your mouth are, 'Oh, Gareth,' and 'Yes, Gareth.'"
He lifted his finger.
"What about 'More, Gareth?'"
He almost kept a straight face. "That will be acceptable."

"I love you too," she said
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, once, deeply, on the mouth. "I mean," he said, "I really love you."
She quirked a brow. "Is this a contest?"
"It is anything you want," he promised.
She grinned, that enchanting, perfect smile that was so quintessentially hers. "I feel I must warn you, then," she said, cocking her head to the side. "When it comes to contests and games, I always win."
"Always?"
Her eyes grew sly. "Whenever it matters."
He felt himself smile, felt his soul lighten and his worries slip away. "And what, precisely, does that mean?"
"It means," she said, reaching up and undoing the buttons of her coat, "that I really really love you."

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

Everything was so much simpler…
When he was wicked.
In every life there is a turning point.

A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one's life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer — the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then…Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love…until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets…

When I first picked up this book and started reading it I really liked it. I thought I was in for a real treat. Now I know from Sylvia's review some of the reasons others didn't like this book, such as we barley knew Francesca. But that point didn't bother me at all, I felt as if I grew to know her plenty well in her book, so that was just fine with me. And also that she was happily married before, which that didn't bother me sooo much. I mean yeah it is hard to fall in love all over again if you were so happy the first time, especially if it were your husbands cousin almost brother. But what did bother me A LOT in this book is how indecisive Francesca was.

How she would be with him over and over, but not commit to marrying him. How every time something big happened she ran. I almost feel like she wasn't deserving of Micheal. He was so tortured and patient with her every whim. I loved him. I felt for him so much. I did really love how Colin played into this story too. How he saw right through Micheal and pushed him in the direction he needed to go. I think even though Francesca annoyed me in the book (and the fact that the book in general took soooo long to get to what I thought was the core of the story) I was still satisfied with the book.

...Till I read the Epilogue, and then I was left with more thoughts and questions. Like John's mother said Francesca and Micheal were born for each other and thanked Micheal for letting John love her first. Did that mean that if Micheal had made his feelings for Francesca known before the wedding she would not have married John since she was "born for" Micheal???? And do you think John loved her sooo much? As much as he maybe could have loved someone else? I mean she said they were satisfied in bed but she never felt the passion she did with Micheal with John so did that mean they were missing something in their marriage? Something she found with Micheal, something John could have maybe found with someone else? I mean he never touched her breasts????!!! Hello, men love breasts, what was up with that? And she never went down on John in TWO YEARS of marriage? Yeah, I'm thinking something was wrong there, and I'm thinking that it's a shame that Micheal didn't stop the wedding in the beginning so he and Francesca could have been together (soul mates) and John could have found his real soul mate. It seemed like Micheal should have been her best friend and lover from the start and John should have just been her best friend.

But beyond all that disappointed me, I must say I was most impressed with the sex in the book, and the foreplay. Hello, we weren't left wanting in that area. Micheal was just as wicked as we were all lead to believe and he didn't hesitate to bring it to the bed with the woman he loved. Bravo Micheal. I hate when the men in historical books feel they can't be naughty with their wives (even when they love them) since they are 'ladies'. Oh Please!

Grade: C+ (the plus is for Micheal, and all his wickedness)

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking and wondering and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled and when he kissed her the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

I know quite a few of the other ladies here on SF have reviewed this book, as all the other Bridgerton books, so originally I had planned on not reviewing it. But as I read both the book and the reviews I found my opinions differed some, and so decided to give you all my review.

I think this is tied for first place in the series. I cannot choose between The Duke and I and this book.

I, unlike most, didn't think that Phillip was annoying in the way he was with his children. I didn't want to yell at him to stop worrying and just be with them. I think this may have been one of the most real books written on a parents fears. It wasn't overly done. Maybe if his anger in the book had been toward them and so he stayed away I would have been mad, but because it was directed at himself, I was able to understand where he was coming from. He never had a mother or anyone to tell him he was different from his father, so how was he to know when he was upset he wouldn't lash out at the children? He was trying so hard to protect them that when he came across the Nurse it nearly killed him to realize that his staying away hurt them as opposed to helping them. If he had walked away at that point and avoided them I think it may have been one to many times for be. But he didn't. And when his mistake was clear in front of him he fixed it. I loved Phillip, he was so real, so honest with himself.

And may I be blunt? Of course I can, lol. Another reason I so enjoyed this book was it was more sexual. OMG the intimacies between Eloise and Phillip were so hot! They were so hot together. I love how blunt and open Eloise was, she held nothing back. Physically, emotionally or with her words.

This book simply put was a breath of fresh air.

I LOVED the children, I know I stated my opinion on them in the book in the beginning but I must say again, how much they added to the book and to Phillips character.

Grade~ A- (the minus because I felt jipped in the epilogue, way to short, and not informative at all!)

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better...

-Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry, he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intendeds older sister, Kate Sheffield the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes to not make the best husbands and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate's determined to protect her sister but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...

Well I must say that this book was just okay for me. I mean it definitely kept my attention the entire time but Anthony really irked me. He was such a total jerk to Kate the entire first half of the book, and not just a little but horribly mean. And I do not think he made up for it in the least. There was no grand gesture or anything.

I really liked Kate in this book though. She was strong, never pitied herself, and was so loving to everyone. And when she found out about Anthony's fear she didn't mock him for the stupidity of it she just said it was totally understandable but he was wrong. That it would be okay. She was just great.

I must admit that I am getting more and more curious about who this Lady Whistledown is though. I do have my suspicions but I will keep them to myself till I know for sure. Over all I like the book and my grade would be....

Grade: B-

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry Although there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that is seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry although there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that is seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!


Well I finally started the series. Every raves about this series and you know what? I really enjoyed this first book. I loved the simplicity of it. There was no evil villain. No mysterious twist. Just two people that fall in love and have to come to terms with all that entails.

From the start Daphne has a confidence that is to be admired. She is not a heroine to swoon at a rakish remark or smoldering look. She holds her own with her quick wit and knowledge of all things male. Well except when it comes to the bedroom. Having four brothers, three of them older, Daphne is quite refreshing as a heroine. She doesn't even need a knight in shining armor to rescue her she is able and willing to throw down a punch to save herself or get what she needs. And while she did do one thing in the book to really irk me, she scored high on my heroine list. Once she realized she was falling in love with Simon she was determined to have him. Not only to make herself happy, but she was determined she was good enough for him and could save him and that he would love her just as much. She knew her self worth.

From the pain Simon had to deal with at a very young age he found anger the only tool to push him on in life. Anger made him find his words, anger got him into the school he wanted to go to. Anger....at his father. All he ever wanted was to be acknowledged but it was one of the many things his father denied him, to ashamed of him. So Simon was determined to defy his father at every turn of his life. Even when his father was dead. But when Simon realizes how much Daphne means to him and what he will be losing if he doesn't give up his hatred for a dead man he has some hard choices to deal with. Simon was a great hero. I loved everything about him. His speech problems made him more vulnerable to me and his honesty was refreshing. And just reading about his eyes made ME swoon.

I loved all the family interactions. All the Bridgerton siblings were great. Can't remember her name but the youngest girl (H-something) was so cute! Loved the possessiveness of Anthony and how B-something (lol) always backed him up. And Colin? Well I can't wait for his book, I can tell it will be a favorite. And I absolutely love the relationship all the Bridgerton's have with their mother Violet. Such a change from the traditional mother of the ton. She is so caring and warm yet strict and firm when need be. Great family.

If I were to find a fault in this book it would be the reason Simon didn't want children. I won't spoil the book and tell all, but for Simon being such a smart man he was very dumb in that one area.

But overall? Great read, looking forward to the rest of the series.

Grade: B+

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

She gave him her innocence . . .Lady Aline Marsden was brought up for one reason: to make an advantageous marriage to a member of her own class. Instead, she willingly gave her innocence to John McKenna, a servant on her father's estate. Their passionate transgression was unforgivable — John was sent away, and Aline was left to live in the countryside . . . an exile from London society . . .and he took her love.

Now McKenna has made his fortune, and he has returned — more boldly handsome and more mesmerizing than before. His ruthless plan is to take revenge on the woman who shattered his dreams of love. But the magic between them burns as bright as ever. And now he must decide whether to let vengeance take its toll . . . or risk everything for his first, and only, love.

In Again the Magic we follow a story of two children, one born to peerage and one a lowly servant, that form a friendship and when they grow up a passionate love. Both know it can never be but they love each other so much they take all the risks to be with each other when ever they can. Until one day Aline's father finds out about the relationship and banishes McKenna from the manor. Aline knows McKenna will never go if he knows she loves him, he'd always find a way back and then her father would ruin him. So she makes him believe that she has just been playing with him and she could never really love a lowly servant. And although it crushes her she watches him walk away thinking she hated him and knowing he'd come to hate her for it.

Twelve years later McKenna returns to Stoney Cross not a servant anymore but a successful business partner from NY in America. And he comes with one thing in mind, to take Aline, to use her ... to get his revenge.

But when Aline and McKenna are together feelings they both do not want to acknowledge cannot be held at bay. Aline has secrets from a horrible accident and McKenna cannot trust the girls who once broke his heart.

So while reading this book first I was thrown because in the first few chapters we are lead to believe that Aline and McKenna have such a unique and special bond as to even be the others half. They know each others thoughts with just a look. And yet when Aline's father finds out the truth and tells McKenna he is to leave, and he goes to see Aline he just believes the bull she is spouting? She has always said she'd love him forever, and they knew each other so well, why then didn't he argue with her? Why couldn't he see the fake front she was putting on?

So 12 years later when McKenna returns for his revenge and they both fall for each other all over again what happens? Well because of a accident Aline had years ago she won't let the love bloom. She AGAIN pushes him away. I mean how many times does the man need to get his heart broken? It is all about the heroine making the ultimate sacrifice for the hero, the sacrifice that is so stupid you want to hit her.

Of course at the end we get our happily ever after, and McKenna was so swoon worthy at the end he totally made up for annoying me a bit in the story. But Aline? Yeah, by the end maybe I understood her a bit more, but she still totally irked me. She just seemed a bit shallow, or maybe just really stupid.

I was a lot more impressed with the secondary characters Gideon and Livia. Such a sweet romance with them. With true struggles not shallow superficial one's. I would love to have an entire book on them. A man actually struggling with a real problem, being an alcoholic, and a woman that loves him so much ... to much to marry him and watch him kill himself slowly. So in them we see Gideon struggle to over come his demons not only for a woman's love but for himself, and Livia with such an unselfish love.

So I would say this is a must read if only for Gideon and Livia. And for the ending with McKenna. And grudgingly I'll admit that although the hero and heroine annoyed me a bit with there ignorance through a lot of the book it kept my interests. So good writing.

And here are a few of the memorable quotes from McKenna, the man did have a way with words:

"My lady, you're about to receive an education in how to conduct and affair. Because for the duration of my stay at Stony Cross, you're going to work off your debt to me...on your back, your knees, or any other position I desire you in."

"I want you for a thousand reasons other than your legs, and ...no, damn it, I want your for no reason at all, other than the fact that you're you. I want to shove my self deep inside you and stay for hours...days...weeks. I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath."

"You sleep too," she said groggily, her hand creeping to the center of his chest.
"No." McKenna smiled and pressed a soft kiss against her temple. His voice was husky with wonder. "Not when staying awake is better than anything I could find in a dream."

Grade- C+ (the plus is because of the great secondary plot)

Leaving Normal by Stef Ann Holm

Shake it up a little!

At long last Natalie Goodwin's life is running just the way she wants it. Her new florist shop is all set for a grand opening, and her daughter is enjoying her first semester in college. The house is clean, the bills are paid and cooking dinner every night is now an option. Natalie admits she's just a teeny bit lonely, but recent dating experiences have left her convinced that Mr. Right does not live in Boise, Idaho.

But life has a big surprise for Natalie and he lives right across the street! Never in her wildest dreams did she think she could fall for a man nine years her junior, but then she has never met a man like firefighter Tony Cruz. He turns her well-ordered life upside down, and pretty soon things go from simmering to scalding. Just when the sparks begin to turn into a three-alarm blaze Natalie is caught unawares again -- Tony wants her and a child of his own.

A baby? At forty-three? Natalie is definitely all shook up.

At 43 Natalie is two years divorced, opening her very own business, and has sent her only child away to college. Life is good, and she is determined to enjoy it. Even if it is a bit lonely.
Tony at age 34 is two years married, with a young step daughter. He has been a firefighter for 8 years and loves it. He's been feeling a rift with his wife for sometime now and soon has to come to terms with that fact that his wife has been cheating on him and is leaving him. Taking away the child he's started to think of as his own.
Natalie and Tony at first glance seem totally different, age wise and what they want. Natalie is not only done having a family because of her age but also because she's never been able to conceive again. And if there is one thing Tony longs for it's a child of his own. But when Natalie offers an ear and friendship when Tony needs it most they connect, and after time things turn to more. But when Natalie lays it all out for Tony he decides to take his chances and just see where it all leads. Sparks fly in the bed room and emotions get confusing. Where will their journey take them?

I really enjoyed this book. Definitely a different pace than what I usually read but very good.
I love that there is an age thing but that it is not the only difficulty or even the biggest one that the couple have to overcome.
Tony is great, he knows what he wants and he also knows what the reality is. But that doesn't make him lose hope and determined to find a way to make it work.
Natalie is strong and independent and a bit scared. With good reason, it's taken her awhile to get to where she is independently and at her age it is a scary thing to fall for a man so much younger, who wants things she seems unable to give.
This is not a fluff read, nor is it a Chicky read. Neither is it a typical romance. It's real, real life. It shows that life isn't always easy, it'll hurt and it'll take you places you never expected. But even when we think most things are coming to and end for us more doors start to appear.
Pick up this book and enjoy. This is a new author for me, but you will definitely hear more about her cause she's just been moved up on my author list.

Grade- B