I absolutely loved this book, which says a lot because I usually can't stand 1st person pov.
The other day I found out Ellen Degeneres was asked to do...moreI absolutely loved this book, which says a lot because I usually can't stand 1st person pov.
The other day I found out Ellen Degeneres was asked to do the audio for the book.
It's hilarious, although, I don't remember a spatula being used. Did I forget something? It also reminds me of the first time I read an explicit novel and the words made me blush, turn away, and put the book down. I'm glad I've gotten over this. (less)
Basic plot: Contemporary marriage of convenience when Jess's father dies and there is a foreclosure on her family home. In order to keep it she has to...moreBasic plot: Contemporary marriage of convenience when Jess's father dies and there is a foreclosure on her family home. In order to keep it she has to marry Gabe. Gabe wants a convenient wife who will give him a kid without making "waves".
Cue obvious wave making.
Lots of previous gf/bf drama throughout. Which I actually really liked, because it was one of the only ways you knew throughout the entire story that the characters even liked each other. This is mainly a consequence of the fact that Jess dwelled way to long on her adolescent love for Damon, and there wasn't enough of Gabe's point of view. This made the ending seem rushed.
But perhaps even worse, is the fact that I LOVE tortured heros. And here you have a great opportunity for this story, and we barely get to see it. :(.
Nonetheless, I'm a sucker for gruff silent heros that save the heroine and are really sweet underneath. Plus, the contemporary marriage of convenience works for this story, which isn't very common. (less)
I absolutely loved this book. Lucas was so incredibility sweet. I really liked how patient he was with McKenna to open up on her own time. And it was...moreI absolutely loved this book. Lucas was so incredibility sweet. I really liked how patient he was with McKenna to open up on her own time. And it was kinda cute that her eating like a ravenous animal turned him on.
McKenna, love the name btw, was also awesome. She has such a strong personality, its hard not to like her.
What made this story for me though was the ending. I really liked it. I'm not going to tell you about it though, 'cause I'd hate to ruin it for you. ;) This book definitely left me with a big fat grin on my face. (less)
I absolutely love Catherine Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series.
Phantom Waltz is about Bethany Coulter and Ryan Kendrick. Bethany is a parapl...moreI absolutely love Catherine Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series.
Phantom Waltz is about Bethany Coulter and Ryan Kendrick. Bethany is a paraplegic and Ryan is a multimillionaire rancher who falls in love with Bethany on site. These Kendrick boys seems to fall head over heels really fast. Part of me finds this a hard leap to make, it's romance though right?
Bethany's disability brought to light a lot of interesting aspects to the story that were unique.
Also, there were times that I was laughing out loud:
(view spoiler)[ Jake (Bethany's brother) to Ryan: "You think your dad's gonna spring us or join us?" Ryan: "My father's jailbird days are over. He hasn't had any brushes with the law since he married my mom." Jake: "He sounds a little hot under the collar." Keefe (Ryan's father): "What the hell is this country comin' to? A girl gets accosted by a drunk, and you arrest her menfolk for takin' up for her? Explain that to me. Used to be, when a man defended a woman, people patted him on the back!" Jake: "He always like this?" Ryan: "Nah. Only when he gets royally pissed." Keefe: "Then, call the judge! Get the damn bail set! I'm not leaving my boys in the hoosegow all night! You got that, partner?" Ryan: "Congratulations. You just got yourself a second daddy. Ain't he a dandy?" Ann (Ryan's mother): "No, Keefe, please! I'm all right." Keefe: "Don't push my wife, you cocky little jackass!" Ann: "Keefe, please!" Jake: "Holy hell, I think your dad just punched a police officer." (hide spoiler)](less)
Plot: Grey doesn't believe in marriage, because his mother cheated on his father all the time. As a resul...moreI really like Jessica Bird's contemporaries.
Plot: Grey doesn't believe in marriage, because his mother cheated on his father all the time. As a result, Grey thinks infidelity and marriage go hand in hand. So when he falls in love with sweet innocent Joy, he can't believe she's as innocent as she seems. And when he finds out she is; he still doesn't think he can have a real relationship with her. That doesn't stop him from trying to be with her constantly. Joy has loved Grey for years. When he finally starts to notice her, it breaks her heart when he tells her he isn't capable of doing a relationship. She loves him too much to let him go though...
I was initially unsure about this one, mostly 'cause I like my heros to do the chasing but Grey (love that name) was so smitten it was alright.
Things I really really liked:
1: The ending. (view spoiler)[ Can I get a guy to jump onto a moving train and confess his love for me? (hide spoiler)] 2: How incredibly sweet and head over heels Grey was (even if he didn't want to admit it). Plus I've got a thing for guys that look good in suits. 3: I also enjoyed seeing the secondary characters again (Spike/Alex/Cass) (I haven't really been reading this series in order). (less)
This isn't my favorite Kristen Ashley. Although, I liked the characters and the plot, the writing style and cursing got to be a little much for me thi...moreThis isn't my favorite Kristen Ashley. Although, I liked the characters and the plot, the writing style and cursing got to be a little much for me this time around. I found it a little distracting. (less)
Update (06/18/12): I liked this book a lot. It was a little slow in places, but in general I really liked Christine Feehan's writing style. I also rea...moreUpdate (06/18/12): I liked this book a lot. It was a little slow in places, but in general I really liked Christine Feehan's writing style. I also really like books that have dorky main characters. I blame this on being a little (alright maybe a lot) of a nerd myself. So, I absolutely loved Lily. Ryland was also pretty amazing and was a great uber-alpha type character (my favorite!!). This series combines romantic suspense and paranormal really well and the action is very good. There was a little too much sex, mostly in that it seemed repetitive. Overall, I liked the concept, the characters, and the writing - I'll continue with the series for sure.
(06/14/12): I like this book a lot so far. I don't generally comment on writing style, but I really like Christine Feehan's (this is the first book I've read by her). I admire writers a lot that can effortlessly jump between point of views to give the reader a very detailed idea of what everyone is feeling almost all the time. I see this so rarely and sometimes it annoys me that I don't know what the other person is thinking or feeling during a particular scene. (less)
My favorite of the series so far. I love Jill Shalvis' books, they just always make me feel so good after reading them!!!!!!!
OMG, and Chloe was freak...moreMy favorite of the series so far. I love Jill Shalvis' books, they just always make me feel so good after reading them!!!!!!!
OMG, and Chloe was freaking adorable. I couldn't get enough of her interactions with Sawyer. (less)
It seems like everyone has read this book before me. I don't really know why I waited so long, but I'm glad I finally read it. I can't wait to read mo...moreIt seems like everyone has read this book before me. I don't really know why I waited so long, but I'm glad I finally read it. I can't wait to read more of the series! Ashlyn and Maddox were so amazing. (less)
I did really like this story. I thought the author did an amazing job capturing the characters. That being said, I would have liked to have understood...moreI did really like this story. I thought the author did an amazing job capturing the characters. That being said, I would have liked to have understood why Travis was such a player. He seemed like a very tortured individual, and they briefly mentioned his mother as a potential reason, but it was a fairly weak explanation. I felt like that could have been explored better, mostly because I know I would have enjoyed that.
I was a little annoyed with how Abby "Pidge" (I absolutely adore that nickname), and the other characters for that matter, reacted in certain situations. It was so very obvious that they are young and I sometimes found it difficult to relate to their immaturity. Although, this is really a compliment to the author of being able to capture this age so flawlessly in her writing. (less)