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Love Reading Romance rated a book really liked it The Cupcake Caper (Undercover Cat, #1) by Kelle Z. Riley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Cupcake Caper is a cute cake lit, cozy mystery.that I read in a single sitting. The story follows scientist Bree Watson, who is quietly going about her life until she finds the body of her murdered colleague and, to free herself from suspicion, i ...more
Apr 27, 2017 06:57AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Cupcake Caper by Kelle Z. Riley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Cupcake Caper by Kelle Z. Riley <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Love Reading Romance rated a book liked it The Emperor's Arrow by Lauren D.M. Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Evony is a warrior, not a simpering bride-to-be, and yet she must take part in the emperor's contest for a bride when she is called. She expects to find the whole thing a little tedious, but she doesn't expect to find herself sucked into the center o ...more
Sep 11, 2016 06:36AM · 1 like · like · see review
Love Reading Romance rated a book really liked it Craving Flight by Tamsen Parker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Tzipporah Berger is a single divorcee trying her best (but mostly failing) to fit into an Orthodox Jewish community. When the rabbi's wife sets her up with Elan Klein, she decides to take the plunge and get married so she will finally be accepted. It ...more
Aug 31, 2016 02:42AM · 1 like · like · see review
Love Reading Romance and 4 other people liked Lover of Romance's review of Christian (Vampires in America, #10): "This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance Summary Christian Duvall has been hiding his true power for a long while, no one knows that depth of his power or his abilities apart from his closest friend and child. When there is a op..." Read more of this review »
Jun 11, 2016 05:15AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Christian by D.B. Reynolds. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Christian by D.B. Reynolds <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Love Reading Romance wants to read Callie, Unleashed (Play It Again, #2) by Amy Jo Cousins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 10, 2016 08:36PM · like
Love Reading Romance rated a book really liked it The Goodbye Ride by Lily Malone (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Olivia wants to buy the bike that once belonged to her (now dead) brother so she can take it for a memorial ride with his boyfriend. Owen makes a better offer on the bike, though, leaving Olivia distraught. He makes a deal, however, that she can buy ...more
Jun 08, 2016 06:01AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Goodbye Ride by Lily Malone. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Goodbye Ride by Lily Malone <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Love Reading Romance rated a book liked it No Flowers Required (Love Required, #2) by Cari Quinn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Alexa is determined to make her new life work - despite the fact that her new apartment is falling to bits and her flower shop is going under, thanks in part to the big business that seems to have taken over town. A romp in the sack with her new buil ...more
Apr 01, 2016 11:00PM · like · see review
Love Reading Romance rated a book it was amazing Insecure (Love Triumphs, #1) by Ainslie Paton (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mace is just an IT guy, while Jacinta is a powerful business woman. She's also his boss. But that doesn't stop them from having a one night stand that turns into so much more. When their fortunes flip, though, is it possible for them to keep their lo ...more
Mar 20, 2016 06:10AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Insecure by Ainslie Paton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Insecure by Ainslie Paton <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Love Reading Romance rated a book really liked it The Lady's Maid (Christmas at Kellynch #2) by Celia Swift (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Millie and Justin were childhood friends, but now they're all grown up and she is a lady's maid, while he is a captain. Reunited as adults, their childhood friendship might be something more, but the divide of their new positions makes romance seem u ...more
Mar 20, 2016 05:58AM · like · see review
Love Reading Romance rated a book really liked it Dukes Prefer Blondes (The Dressmakers, #4) by Loretta Chase	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Radford is a barrister and Clara is a lady who wants to make the world a little bit better through her charitable work. Having first met as children, the two reconnect when Clara convinces Radford to help her search the haystack of London to find a m ...more
Dec 30, 2015 06:24AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Love Reading Romance rated a book really liked it

The Cupcake Caper (Undercover Cat, #1)
by Kelle Z. Riley

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The Cupcake Caper is a cute cake lit, cozy mystery.that I read in a single sitting. The story follows scientist Bree Watson, who is quietly going about her life until she finds the body of her murdered colleague and, to free herself from suspicion, i ...more

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The Emperor's Arrow
by Lauren D.M. Smith (Goodreads Author)

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Evony is a warrior, not a simpering bride-to-be, and yet she must take part in the emperor's contest for a bride when she is called. She expects to find the whole thing a little tedious, but she doesn't expect to find herself sucked into the center o Evony is a warrior, not a simpering bride-to-be, and yet she must take part in the emperor's contest for a bride when she is called. She expects to find the whole thing a little tedious, but she doesn't expect to find herself sucked into the center of court intrigue and defending the emperor against an assassination plot. She certainly doesn't expect to find the emperor quite so attractive...

The Emperor's Arrow begins by introducing us to Evony as a fairly unstoppable warrior - she can hit a single leaf in a tree with an arrow, and her prowess doesn't diminish through the story. She's loyal to her friends and to the emperor, brave and strong, which is pretty much what I look for in a fantasy heroine. Unfortunately she's all these things to a fault - being that she doesn't really have any faults. I did enjoy her adventures as a character, but there wasn't really much character development beyond her discovering that she could fall for a man - and this also, unfortunately, wasn't all that convincing to me. She's just a bit too cool, so I couldn't totally see what she saw in the emperor. It didn't help that we don't get to know him very well - the story is entirely set from Evony's perspective and I struggled a little to fall into the romance from this limited side. There wasn't enough build up for their feelings... and then suddenly they were deeply in love.

So yeah, that's a little negative of the romance, I must admit. However, I did end up enjoying this novel. As a fantasy read, it has a lot to offer. Like I said, while Evony could do with a little more character development, she is an exciting protagonist. We also have some other interesting characters, particularly her friend Admina, who is a much quieter, but no less interesting character with perhaps even more of a story to tell than Evony. The world building in The Emperor's Arrow is also really good. I liked the court intrigue, and the descriptions of the clans and all their cultural differences. This, along with quite a bit of action, made the story worth reading in the end, even if it wasn't quite what I was hoping for when I picked it up.

The romance in The Emperor's Arrow didn't quite work for me, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable fantasy read with an exciting world. I'll be interested to see what else Lauren D.M. Smith comes up with.

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Craving Flight
by Tamsen Parker (Goodreads Author)

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Tzipporah Berger is a single divorcee trying her best (but mostly failing) to fit into an Orthodox Jewish community. When the rabbi's wife sets her up with Elan Klein, she decides to take the plunge and get married so she will finally be accepted. It Tzipporah Berger is a single divorcee trying her best (but mostly failing) to fit into an Orthodox Jewish community. When the rabbi's wife sets her up with Elan Klein, she decides to take the plunge and get married so she will finally be accepted. It's not quite that easy to get in with the community, or to get to know her husband, but BDSM (a factor in the failure of her first marriage) might be the one thing that can help her with the latter...

This novella was something a bit different for me because I know *nothing* about Orthodox Judaism and I'll admit, that fact did put me off reading this story for a while. I'm not a huge fan of romances where religion is a major factor in the story, but once I did pick this one up, I really loved it, and a big part of that was learning about this culture. Learning about the Orthodox Jewish community, their rules and beliefs, through a sexy little erotic romance... well, I don't know why that's not the way I learn about everything now. I loved it, and as soon as I put the novella down I proceeded to read everything I could find on Kosher sex. Then told my loved ones all about it while they stared at me like - this is totally not dinner conversation, but they are used to me... so. Anyway! It was really interesting and added a nice bit of interest to an already sexy story...

I have to admit, I didn't really *get* the characters. I didn't relate to them at all and I didn't understand their motivations a lot of the time. But that doesn't mean they weren't gripping. Because of the way it's written, we learn a lot less about Elan, beyond his sexual predilections, but we to get a lot more insight into Tzipporah. Her struggle to fit into her new community is quite heartbreaking, though I would have liked to get a little more understanding into why she decided to turn to religion in such an intense way in the first place. These are her new beliefs and who she is... but as a non-religious person, I guess I was a little blown away that she would choose to marry someone after a month, mostly due to external pressures and a desire to fit in with her religious community. That said, I'm glad we didn't linger too much more on this decision, as the story really gets going once they are married.

That's when we get all the sexy times! Ahh. Yeah. It's super hot, you guys! And really beautiful. Just a lot of YES from me. Tzipporah and Elan are perfect for each other in the bedroom, so I really felt for Tzipporah during niddah, when they can't be together sexually and she worries that their relationship is nothing without sex - I think the niddah aspect of this story brought this fear to the fore, but I also think this is something that many people fear in developing relationships, so this is one of the times that I actually did relate to her! One of the other things I just freaking adored about the erotic aspect of this novella was that it has super hot, super strong D/s erotic scenes, but the thing that makes them extra sexy is the really strong focus on consent without making it tedious. This is pretty common in BDSM stories when they are done *well*, but I felt like, in this story, the consent based D/s sex was handled particularly beautifully. Basically, it just made it even hotter!

Craving Flight was written as part of a Goodreads BDSM Group writing event and is free to purchase. Definitely grab yourself a copy if you want some slightly different, but very beautiful BDSM erotic romance!

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Love Reading Romance and 4 other people liked Lover of Romance's review of Christian (Vampires in America, #10):

"This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Summary
Christian Duvall has been hiding his true power for a long while, no one knows that depth of his power or his abilities apart from his closest friend and child. When there is a op..." Read more of this review »

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Callie, Unleashed (Play It Again, #2)
by Amy Jo Cousins (Goodreads Author)

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The Goodbye Ride
by Lily Malone (Goodreads Author)

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Olivia wants to buy the bike that once belonged to her (now dead) brother so she can take it for a memorial ride with his boyfriend. Owen makes a better offer on the bike, though, leaving Olivia distraught. He makes a deal, however, that she can buy Olivia wants to buy the bike that once belonged to her (now dead) brother so she can take it for a memorial ride with his boyfriend. Owen makes a better offer on the bike, though, leaving Olivia distraught. He makes a deal, however, that she can buy the bike from him if she helps him with some grape vines.

This is a quick read and a quick romance. The whole story takes place over only a few days, in which time the hero and heroine go from meeting each other, to falling in love and making life affecting decisions to be with each other - so I think it's important to keep that in mind. It was the perfect book for me right now, because I'm run off my feet and struggling with the attention span required for longer, more involved stories, but you definitely need to just jump with the whole swept up in love thing.

As I expect from Lily Malone's romances, the characters are sweet, caring individuals. Olivia is still struggling to deal with certain aspects of her brother's death and especially the effects this had on her family, restricting her independence and ability to move on. Owen has just moved back into town and is keen to look after little lost Olivia - I have to admit, his determination to help her, and encourage her to question her life, feels a little pushy at times, but equally she needs a little outside help to make much needed life changes.

The main secondary crisis outside the romance centers on Olivia's issues contending with the homophobia of her family and others in response to her brother being gay. I feel like we've come a long way (in an up and down kinda way) in terms of LGBT acceptance in Australia, so occasionally some of the homophobic attitudes seemed ridiculously conservative to me and I had to remind myself that this is a rerelease from a few years ago AND that it's set in a small town(!!). I also would have liked to see Owen make more of a stand in defense of homosexuality (particularly when his cousin uses the f word), rather than just passively accepting that Oliva's brother was gay. Either way, it's always nice to see authors bringing these sort of issues into their mainstream romances and in such a positive way!! A+++.

As you can tell from all my above rambling thoughts, there's quite a lot of emotional drama and some intense issues packed into this little novella. The best thing about this is that these are wound through so nicely, part of the three dimensional characters and their lives, without it becoming a heavy story. Quite the contrary, this novella has emotional, full, real characters, but is really a fun, easy read that is perfect for those times when you just need to fall in love with characters and a good book, quick snap!

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No Flowers Required (Love Required, #2)
by Cari Quinn (Goodreads Author)

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Alexa is determined to make her new life work - despite the fact that her new apartment is falling to bits and her flower shop is going under, thanks in part to the big business that seems to have taken over town. A romp in the sack with her new buil ...more

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Insecure (Love Triumphs, #1)
by Ainslie Paton (Goodreads Author)

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Mace is just an IT guy, while Jacinta is a powerful business woman. She's also his boss. But that doesn't stop them from having a one night stand that turns into so much more. When their fortunes flip, though, is it possible for them to keep their lo Mace is just an IT guy, while Jacinta is a powerful business woman. She's also his boss. But that doesn't stop them from having a one night stand that turns into so much more. When their fortunes flip, though, is it possible for them to keep their love alive?

Mace is a strong, silent, sexy hero, who couldn't be further from the IT Crowd geek if he tried. Yeah, this is one of those books where we get to enjoy geek love and the smexiness of a hero who has apparently done more to work out than play video games. He's also sweet - a devoted grandson to his elderly grandmother (who is such a great character and I wish we'd had more of her!) - and driven to succeed. He's just the IT guy now, but he has plans to be a tech great.

Jacinta is already there. She's a high powered business woman, so close to being CEO of a bank. This might make her seem unrelatable to some of us mere plebeians, but, with an author like Ainslie Paton, you can be sure you are going to get only very three dimensional, vulnerable and real characters. So Jacinta inevitably has history and damage and stuff to get over that I think makes her a really interesting heroine. Just a content warning for readers: some of that history includes some DV trauma, which isn't hinted at in the blurb, but it's dealt with really well.

From the outside, Mace and Jacinta seem an unlikely couple, but they are so adorable. We get lots of spice, but more importantly lots of confused, damaged, insecure love and understanding. I was well swept off my feet.

Insecure is longer than my preferred romance novel length, Ainslie Paton's novels almost always are, but I read them because her writing is too awesome for me to be put off by the fact that I can't read her stories in a single sitting. So I guess it's no surprise that my one criticism comes from the fact that I think the story could have been cut down in a couple of places, namely where the detail of the business side of Jacinta and Mace's stories develop. There are a few scenes where they are apart and we get business details that were a little slow for me, but this is such a small criticism, since every scene where they are together (which is the majority of the novel) is so delicious.

There's something about Ainslie Paton's writing that is very intense. That's the only word for it. I can only read her books occasionally when I'm ready for all the big feels. Because I know they are coming. But they are so worth it. The ugly crying is worth it too.

If you haven't read any of her books, give Insecure a go; if you have read her, I assume you already bought this one too.

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The Lady's Maid (Christmas at Kellynch #2)
by Celia Swift (Goodreads Author)

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Millie and Justin were childhood friends, but now they're all grown up and she is a lady's maid, while he is a captain. Reunited as adults, their childhood friendship might be something more, but the divide of their new positions makes romance seem u
Millie and Justin were childhood friends, but now they're all grown up and she is a lady's maid, while he is a captain. Reunited as adults, their childhood friendship might be something more, but the divide of their new positions makes romance seem unlikely.

This is a short, sweet romance that follows The Lady's Choice, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. The Lady’s Maid follows Millie and Justin as they reconnect after years apart. We get a lot of background at the beginning, introducing us to Millie’s childhood and snippets of her mischievous friendship with Justin. This is cute background that adds some nice color, but given the brevity of the story, I think it might have been better to start at the point when they meet again as adults – from this point the novella really takes off and it’s pretty adorable really!

Millie is a lady’s maid, but she’s long been a reader and a dreamer. She’s a friend of her lady, Cynthia, who has given her a great new opportunity, but Millie has always wanted more – to be a pirate, or at least see the world. She knows her dreams are impossible, though, as her family needs the security of her position. Justin has returned home for a visit from being a ship’s captain. He’s living the life Millie longs for and he wants a wife to bring along for the ride. So they are pretty much the perfect potential couple.

Pirate dreams aside, it’s the remnant cheekiness from Millie and Justin’s childhood friendship that makes their romance super cute. They have some adorable moments together mixed in with a developing, much more adult, steaminess.

The conflict for these two comes from Millie’s insecurity around her class divide from Justin, and her fears that he is after a higher class of woman, but it’s not really a high conflict story. This is the type of novella I’d recommend for when you need a quick smile from falling in love with characters who are perfect for each other from the start.

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Dukes Prefer Blondes (The Dressmakers, #4)
by Loretta Chase

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Radford is a barrister and Clara is a lady who wants to make the world a little bit better through her charitable work. Having first met as children, the two reconnect when Clara convinces Radford to help her search the haystack of London to find a m Radford is a barrister and Clara is a lady who wants to make the world a little bit better through her charitable work. Having first met as children, the two reconnect when Clara convinces Radford to help her search the haystack of London to find a missing child...

Clara and Radford don't always see eye to eye, but they are a smart couple, who connect as much over intelligence as they do over each others' good looks (even if Radford is frustratingly dubious about the potential for ladies to have a head on their shoulders). There's a lot of fun, witty repartee between these two that was definitely my favorite part of the novel. I adore Loretta Chase's writing, but it's her snarky dialogue that always wins me over.

This novel fits among that class of my favorite historical romances which take the opportunity of having a strong, intelligent heroine and use it to explore the variations of women's place in society, this time along side exploring the world of London youths - which was especially fascinating. The accuracy of Clara and Radford's world is excellent, and throughout this romance, I felt like I was uncovering exciting aspects of nineteenth century London and particularly loved learning about ragged schooling.

There's quite a few elements to this story, from the mystery and action of their street explorations, to the romance that is divided between the first half with Clara and Radford (re)meeting and bonding over the missing-child-mystery, and Clara falling ill, and the second half when the drama and romance reach new heights. The pacing was a little off for me, and I think I would have found the story more compelling if it had been simplified a little, but I'm pretty sure other readers will enjoy this sort of expanded plot, if only because it gives us more time with Clara and Radford.

The fourth book in the Dressmaker Series, Dukes Prefer Blondes is a smart historical romance which takes a fascinating look at the world of 19th century youths, in a romance about a sexy hero and heroine (who both might be too clever for their own good - clever enough to make this a very fun read).

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