Here comes the bridesmaid by Avril Tremayne

Reviewed by Desere


Sunshine Smart is unusual, not because of her one green, one blue eye but more because of her personality. She's a fun and nutty person, you know the kind that loves life and everything about it, the kind that gives off so much positive energy you wish you could climb inside their souls and be just like them, because their life looks like it is just so much fun!

But not all people appreciate that kind of crazy and unusual , especially Leo Quatermaine, he has a business to run and he is bloody good at it too, he does not need Miss Funky Shoes coming in and telling him what to do when it comes to being the best man at his brother's wedding nor does he need advise on what food to serve, he's a chef for goodness sake!

Sunshine takes one look at him and immediately falls for his handsome ways, but tries her hardest to focus on the plan at hand, plan the wedding and get out of there, before she does something stupid like sleep with all hot and smoldering Leo, oh wait she's already done that, now what?!

This was an absolutely stunning read! The characters we the complete opposite of each other, is all crazy fun and Leo all serious, and this made for fantastic entertainment, off the charts funny !

Yes I actually just said the words off the charts funny, not the usual thing I find in hidden in the pages of a romance book, sometimes yes a one of two lines of funny peeks through but in the case of this read, it was over and over and I could not have been more delighted!

I adored the character of Sunshine, I truly wished I could drag this woman from the pages and bring her to life, she was such a burst of fresh air , her personality became very addictive after a few chapters, in the start of the read I will admit I was not liking her so very much, she was almost too much of a oddball, but the more I read the more I got hooked on her funky vibe!

The character of Leo was really sweet in that annoying kind of " I like this hero, but maybe not so much , no wait I love him" manner. The more of him the author revealed the more I became attached to him and his slight darkness. I simply loved how the author let Leo pull back Sunshine's layers and reveal the true her. Don't get me wrong as I said I loved Sunshine and her quirkiness but Leo letting the real woman shine through just made me adore Sunshine more.

First time ever that I have read a romance and actually loved the heroine more than the hero, usually I fall hook, line and sinker for the hero's of romance books but this time around I will be honest and say I could not get enough of the heroine, oh the hero of course was awesome and without him there would be no story, but discovering that I adored the heroine more than the hero is a new experience for me and I found it quite refreshing.

Aside from all the hot chemistry, passion and hilarious fun in this read it also holds a very special message, there is always room in every person's heart to love another. You might think it's simply not possible but that's just the pain from the past talking. If the chance to heal the past comes along, grab hold and never let go!

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance. Simply delightful, fun and sexy  and a wonderful afternoon read about love being set in motion when opposites meet.  I very much look forward to this author's next book .  Remember the name Avril Tremayne for without her fun and funky books you will go insane!

5/5 star review
" Miss Sunshine meets Mr Gloom and all hell breaks loose, even in the bathroom!" 

If Only..... by Tanya Wright

Reviewed by Desere 

Everyone knows when you lose someone it hurts, but it is even worse if it's unexpected. In this debut release from Tanya Wright she tells the story of Micha O'Shea. Ten years ago she was planning spending the rest of her life with boyfriend Drew, dreaming of picket fences, children and the perfect happy ever after. Then suddenly it was all brought to a screeching halt when Drew was tragically killed in an accident.

It is a hard blow for all of Drew's friends but of course more of a blow for Micha. As their friends move on with life and once a year celebrate the life that was Drew, Micha falls deeper and deeper into a world of depression, binge ice-cream eating and hiding from the world.  That is until one night she joins them in the annual celebration and ends up having one too many shots of tequila and kissing her best friend, sexy and delicious firefighter Josh Taylor.

Josh has been Micha's rock ever since Drew's death, he takes care of her on every friendship level possible, after all he did promise Drew he would. But the soul searing kiss Micha lays on him sends his senses into overdrive, and keeping his distance and not dreaming up erotic dreams of Micha is darn near impossible and not as easy as it has been for the last ten years. As for Micha, the kiss as her seeing Josh in a new light and as she floats between dreams of Drew and her having their happy ever after and X-rated dreams of Josh , she is soon forced into having to decide if she wants to continue to live in the past or say "What if I took a chance?"

This was such a stunning read and from the very first page had me in tears. I bawled my eyes out for the pain Micha goes through, I wanted to give her a big hug and tell her she will get over Drew somehow, someday. Of course when one is standing on the outside and Micha's loss is not something you have gone through it's very easy to say that they will get over it. So right at the moment I wanted to tell Micha it will work out somehow , I also came to a sudden halt and started thinking, what if this was me, would I want to get over it, would I too go into a state of depression, or would I tell everyone am fine and totally actually be fine? And with this realization it hit me, that until you have been through such events there is no way you can say how you will react, and you can listen to the advise of others around you but in the end it's up to you to find a way back to the land of the living.

The character of Josh was a treat to read, fun loving, sexy, a little bit crazy fun and a whole lot of  always rock solid pillar strength. I fell head over heals with this hero long before Micha did! But any woman out there would agree that a guy who is always there for you, and goes to the extremes to try and make you smile is perfect and any woman would easily fall in love with him, so this little personality trait is not what truly attracted me to his character. It was the soul searching the poor guy has to go through, and finding the reasons to truly look deep inside the meaning behind is promise. Being in love with Micha for so long and never acting on his feelings because of a promise to his best friend showed him as loyal as they come. Loyalty is always a unique and sadly not found very often personality trait. Through this character the author showed that being loyal and keeping our promises are one of the most valuable and attractive traits any one person can show. Of course just as any romance reader would, I shouted out more than once for him to forget the darn promise and take hold of Micha already, but yes the nagging little voice of reason was with me all the way. Through these set of emotions the author reminded me that a promise is a promise and loyalty is a stunning quality but what if we can see our promise in a different light?

From this read am taking away a range of messages. Holding onto the past will only cause you to never really step into the future life has planned for you, never decide for someone when they are ready to let go they need to do so in their own time, and never take a promise at face value, yes you made the promise but what exactly did you promise?

I highly recommend this read for each and every single romance fan out there. The book had serious depth, a stunning life lesson and a beautiful forever to be remembered romance.  A word to the wise, make sure you pull out the tissues for this one, trust me you'll be needing it!

5/5 star review
" One too many shots leads to the kiss of a lifetime, and suddenly the past seems so far away" 

A Deal Before the Altar by Rachael Thomas

Reviewed by Desere

Every woman out there who has a sister knows how strong and unbreakable the bond is of sisterly love is. You laugh together, you argue and don't always see eye to eye, you cry together when life's troubles pop up and as years go by and you both grow up, the bond just get's stronger and stronger. But all of that aside there is also the 'we fight together'. You will kill if you have to, yes that sounds completely psycho but it's just how it goes. No one and nothing will hurt our sisters if we have anything to say about it.

In this debut from Mills and Boon author Rachael Thomas this is exactly what Georgina Henshaw sets out to do. Her darling sister Emma is head over heals in love, sadly it is with the brother of the one and only " I'll eat you up and spit you right back out" the ruthless Santos Ramirez. If he allows his brother to marry Emma he will lose the company he worked so hard to bring to success, first brother to make it to the altar gets it all,  a condition of their father's will he has never been able to find a way out off.

But when feisty Georgina walks into his office and demands he marries her in order for him to still have his precious company and thus allowing Emma to have her happy ever after, he sees her as a means to an end of all his problems. Only Georgina thinks this will be a marriage in name only, but Santos wants a heir and he'll do anything to make it happen even if it means seducing his lovely wife into his bed. After all the woman has no feelings what-so-ever she's done this whole marriage for business deal before and won't mind getting her heart a little broken, right?

This read was one of the most beautiful, soul touching, sends your heart racing, has you seeing stars reads I have ever read. The set up of the plot has been done before in other similar books but not quite with this much passion. This author had me hanging onto every word, feeling every emotion and desperately wanting to stay inside this book and continue to experience a love so strong and so romantic it will forever life on in my heart.

The character of Santos was the perfect bad boy, am going to knock this man over the head hero. I loved that he tried so hard to be ruthless all the time yet every now and then that special 'am not half as bad as you think' light shined through. Through this character the author showed that when we hurt we do tend to go all out to be as cold as possible in order to protect ourselves yet the good that lives inside us never truly fades away. The trick is to make sure when it does shine through to not let the darkness of fear overshadow the light.

The character of Georgina was all kinds of amazing and had heroine of the year shouting out from every page. Strong, ready to fight, never backs down and does what ever needs to be done to ensure other's happiness. It did make me very sad that she fights so hard to make everyone happy but never herself. I could understand why she does so for her sister, having two of my own I completely understand that ensuring their happiness is not a duty but springs from the undying love sisters share, but more than once I wanted to yell out at her to stop fighting for everyone else and start taking care of her own needs. Through this character the author showed that sometimes the love we have for others is so strong that we forget to remember we are also human and that we also need love. To make it happen of course we need to be able to gamble with our own lives every now and then instead of always being only the make-others-happy-gambler, if we don't we will end up losing more than just our hearts but the respect of those we love.

I have read many debut's in my lifetime and a lot of them have continued to move through life with me, the lessons I learned, the strong emotions I felt, the overwhelming joy at the end of the books when it all comes together, and this read definitely makes it into that category because the story of Georgina and Santos is one I will never forget.

The entire read was filled with passion, romance, suspense and beautiful on some many levels, but what stood out the most was the truly remarkable bond between the characters, sisters, brothers and the very realistic look at just how strong the bond can be. No matter what life dishes out, it's a bond that cannot be broken,yes it can be damaged but never beyond repair. I am taking away a message of life is full of surprises and sometimes they come in very unexpected forms, in this case , waltzing into a office and demanding marriage, but which ever form or way never only see it as a way to solve your own issues. Take the time to see it for what it truly is , life' s way of showing you there is so much more to life then always remembering the past and hurt, happiness is the only way to banish the past , just make sure you don't let it walk out the door., because unlike sister to sister or brother to brother love it might not be as easy to mend.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads. The book has so much life, passion and brilliant flare and is brought to one of the most stunning endings I have read.  It will leave you begging for more Rachael Thomas over and over again! A pure romantic bliss filled read that is for sure going to reach out to each and ever romance reader out there. Watch out world Rachael Thomas has arrived !

5/5 star review
" It's all business in front of the altar, but behind closed doors it's all about protecting their hearts" 


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Reviewed by Nas

A DEAL BEFORE THE ALTAR by debut author Rachael Thomas is a Harlequin Presents release for October 2014.

Georgina Henshaw was prepared to do anything for her sister’s happiness, even go as far as getting married to Santos Ramirez as a business deal only. But the sparks that flew when Santos touched her made sure the marriage couldn’t be in name only.

But Santos had been hiding something and what would happen when Georgie finds out? Would she stay in this marriage? Could she stay in this marriage after finding out that Santos had no heart to love? Or would she be able to melt the ice surrounding Santos heart?

A DEAL BEFORE THE ALTAR is a romance filled with red-hot passion and tender moments. Rachael Thomas did a great job of bringing Georgie and Santos together when it seemed it was impossible for them to ever reach a compromise.

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Only the brave try ballet by Stefanie London

Reviewed by Desere

Imagine being a big time professional football star, sustaining an injury and then to bring yourself back in the game you need to take ballet lessons! Yeah, your over the top manly team members are for darn sure going to have a field day with that one, not to mention the stuff the paparazzi will come up with.

This is exactly what sex on legs football star Grant Farley has to endure, but worse than any girly jab any one can come up with or slush that the press can dream up, is the strong attraction he feels for his ballet instructor Miss Prim and Proper Jasmine.

Grant knows he shouldn't tease her but it's just so much fun he can't help himself, and in the process he will get this lessons to get flexible again over and done with, so it should all work out okay. That is if he can manage to not let the teasing go any further than the classroom, that's the plan anyway, but who knows maybe a fling is just what he needs to bring his full head on A-game again.

Jasmine has enough issues of her own to deal with , she's in this lesson thing for the money it's as simple as that, or at least that's what she tells herself. The flaming hot attraction towards Grant can be filed away with a little discipline and dedication, right? Discipline and dedication is what dancers do best, but that only works when it's related to dancing and other areas in life and soon Jasmine and Grant find themselves trapped in a world of secrets being revealed, an explosive passion and a life changing decision that will either bring them together or shatter both their hearts.

I really, really, really loved this book! It was fun and sexy, humorous and had so much fantastic flair that it blended into a perfect romantic escape that I did not want to see end. I wanted to remain in this author's world that was simply magical and blew my mind!

Both main characters were written very well and so very realistic. They both have injury related issues but of course both have to find their own way of dealing with it and the impact if has on their careers. Seeing how the author let them be completely different but the same on so many levels was really awesome.

I very much enjoyed the level of turmoil and anguish they both have to run through to try and get over the hard blows life has dealt them. And yes I will be the first to say it sounds weird that I enjoyed anguish and turmoil because anyone who knows me knows I want everyone to be happy , but when I say I enjoyed the anguish and turmoil I mean that the author tugged at my heartstrings so badly it not only had me in tears but most importantly reminded me that every single one of us has different ways of dealing with pain. The author brought the reality of it all into play with such vivid detail it completely overwhelmed me, major tissue alert!

I loved all the ballet and football terms, I am not a big fan of either but I very much enjoyed learning about both through the eyes of the author and her characters. Some books that relate a lot of information to the characters careers do so only halfway and I feel lost and irritated and most of the time I need to go and give old Google a good search to try and understand what the author is saying, not the case in this read. The author 's very detailed descriptions put me front and center with all the information I needed to create the scenes and get them playing out in my mind.

I felt the heartache and disappointment of both characters, I felt the adrenalin rush as they push themselves to reach the top and I felt each and every moment of joy as they journeyed to the perfect ending.  I will say that the book starts out just a little slow, but this tied in with the realistic part of it all, most reads of this nature has the couple meeting , dancing around each other and by chapter three they jump into bed together. In real life it does sometimes work that way but for the most part people do actually take the time to wait and get to know each other first. So the little slow buildup in this read is totally worth it, because when it hits that explosive moment you just know that this is the way real love is meant to play out.

Through the character of Grant and his up and leave 'em past I learned that it is always good to pursue our dreams but leaving behind our loved ones it never meant to be apart of the deal. Yes, our loved ones are not always going to support us in what we do, but always remember to be the better person and try and make them understand why you are following the dream., but never let your dream overshadow the love you know will always be there from the ones that mean the world.

Through the character of Jasmine I learned that life has all kinds of terrible twists and turns but it's just the way it is. When it seems too much, running away from it , will only let you end up with regret at never taking a chance, give it your all and push away the insecurities and fears and push forward and go with the flow.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads. The read had loads of crazy sexy fun mixed with a good dose of old fashioned realistic emotion. Stefanie London brought her own very unique style-anality to this read and I will be eagerly awaiting her next book. Passionate, sexy as all heck and the perfect read to let you know life has pitfalls but there is always a way to get back up.  Watch out world Stefanie London has arrived !!

5/5 star review
" He sends her tutu into a flutter, she sends his heart back into the past" 

Unlocking the Doctor's Heart by Susanne Hampton

Reviewed by Desere

I so very much loved this book! The read tells of Beth and how she sets out to the land down under to find a new start. But what she finds is her extremely off the charts good looking boss, who also happens to be like a walking tyrant and has everyone avoiding him at all costs.

But Beth is not the back down kind of woman and she stands up to Matthew, of course he does not like it, not one bit. But soon he starts to like having Beth around and soon he forgets all about keep his distance, that is until Beth says she has to leave, and he is once again left with nothing but a broken heart, will he never learn?

I truly enjoyed this book. It was such a stunning emotional roller-coaster of a read, it tugged on all the right heartstrings to bring me tears of joy and sadness.

The character of Matthew broke my heart , over and over again I found myself wanting to drag him into my arms and help him heal his broken heart.

Him locking his heart away against all emotion was very touching and through this character the author reminded me that it is an automatic defense method hat we all use. We get hurt, we go into hiding, but all it does is change our personalities from loving to absolute walking grump. It does hurt, but the best way to handle it is to do the same as when being thrown from a horse, get up again if you don't no one will ever want to come near you and that will only serve to make your life darker.

The character of Beth, was super fun! I loved her spunk and standing up against Matthew had me rooting for her from the start! I had a huge smile on my face each time she goes head to head with Matthew and I found myself over and over saying " That's it ! You go girl!"

I was saddened by her past, but again because she is such a get out here and fight heroine it was great to see her tackle it head on. Through this character the author showed her as Matthew is meant to be, as we are all meant to be really, what ever happens, happens just trust enough to know you need to at least try in order to find out the truth.

I am taking away a message of when we find someone to love, you need to find it within you heart to let them go and believe they love you enough to come back. Without that level of trust there really will never be a relationship worth fighting for.

I recommend this read for all fans of medial romance reads. It was the perfect balance of spunk, emotional, heartfelt, a very sweet and tender romance with a great message !

4.5 star review

" Within her hand lies the key to his heart"

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Reviewed By Shirley Buchanan

Things that happen to you in your past always affects the way you see the future. Whether it is a past relationship that has gone wrong, an employment opportunity that was missed, or accidents that change the scope of our lives. It is how you will use these experiences that determine the way you conduct your future. Both Beth and Matthew had life changing events, but the way they handled them were very different. One was afraid to love and one was searching for it. Could they find it with each other?

Tired of being ignored and made to feel unwanted by her family, Dr. Beth Seymour made a life changing decision and applied for an exchange program to Australia. She had felt alone and neglected since her mother had died and her father had remarried. Her stepmother and stepsister required all of his time. Determined to separate herself from their suffocating influence and her father's neglect, a fresh start was needed. But from the first foot she stepped into the A and E Department at Eastern Memorial Hospital, she wondered if a fresh start was all she would get. Although chastised upon arriving in the hospital by the “tyrant” of the emergency room, she saw glimpses of a kind and compassionate man under the surface. Sometimes confused by the way he blew hot and cold with his attentions, she found herself falling in love. Only his revelation of “friends only” staggered her. But if that was all she could get, so be it. When an emergency required her to return to England, she wondered. Would their fledgling love survive? Would he give her a chance to prove she was not like the fiance from his past? Or would he just break her heart and let her go?

Five years ago, Dr Matthew Harrison was on top of the world. A fabulous job, a fiance and an excellent future in medicine was stretching out in front of him, but an accident changed all that. Betrayed and abandoned, he decided to live his present and future by constantly remembering going through this pain. Now the only thing he lives for is his time spent in the A and E Department of Eastern Memorial Hospital. Angry and disappointed that life had turned out this way for him, he demanded perfection from himself and all those under him. If that made him a tyrant in their eyes, then he did not care. That is, until the new exchange doctor showed up. Feisty, intelligent, and gorgeous, he felt the first stirring of emotion for her that he had felt in five long years. He would like to have a relationship, but he knows that affection and trust will never be offered. So, friends it is. However, could he trust his judgment? Was that really what he wanted? Would she really be like his ex-fiance? Would she leave him also? But when a family emergency requires her presence in England, he asks a whole range of different questions. How could he have been such a fool? How could he have forgotten for one minute his heartbreak from five years before?

From the first turbulent beginning until the final climatic ending, an entire range of emotions was used to write a story of two people traveling a rocky road to love. Medical events provided the background with interesting details of the lives of doctors as they balanced their personal and professional lives. Secondary characters were entertaining as they related to the ongoing drama between the hero and heroine. An excellent story. Well written characters and a well thought out plot meshed to provide an entertaining tale.

I would recommend this story to all romance readers. I was given a copy for an honest review.

5/5 stars Would the future always be tainted by the past? 

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Reviewed by Nas

UNLOCKING THE DOCTOR'S HEART by debut author Susanne Hampton is a Harlequin and Mills & Boon release for March 2014.

A&E Consultant, Dr Mathew Harrison is a grumpy doctor, biting off heads of his registrars. And he is so fearsome. So when exchange registrar from England arrives at his Adelaide Hospital department, he is not very happy.

Beth Seymour was all ready for a new start in Adelaide, but was not prepared for the attitude of her boss, Mathew. Yet she felt strangely attracted to him!

Could Mathew move from past distrust and betrayal to give Beth a chance? And Beth had her own past disappointment to contend with. Could she love Mathew yet leave him and go?

UNLOCKING THE DOCTOR'S HEART is a well written romance. Author Susanne Hampton did full justice to her characters. She brought to life a gorgeous but tortured hero who couldn’t give his all because of past hurts and a strong, feisty heroine who would settle for nothing less than all. The chemistry and sensuality between Beth and Mathew sizzles. The emotions depicted in the story would touch readers heart.

Highly recommended for all lovers of medical romance.
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Review by TashNz

Susanne Hampton
Unlocking the Doctor's Heart

Unlocking the Doctors Heart is a wonderfully capturing medical romance about Englishwoman Dr Beth Seymour and her boss Dr Matthew Harrison, one of the most feared ER Consultants in the Australian hospital that Beth has just started at.

With the hilarious beginning of the story when Beth mistakes a patient for Matthew (which you can imagine went down like a ton of bricks) on her first day, she gains Matthew’s full attention.  Sparks fly and so begins the wonderful story which left me feeling like I’d read a darn good romance.  Beth is wonderfully feisty and has no problem standing up to Matthew and with her family issues and his broken heart from a previous relationship really has them working hard for their happy ever after.

It’s too hard to pick a few things to mention what I liked about the story because there was so many so let’s start with the cover.  I adore the cover of the edition that I was so lucky to receive.  It makes me smile, it’s inviting and just begs to be read.  I loved Beth’s light to Matthew’s dark and I really enjoyed the many medical emergencies that cropped up.  They were exciting, well explained and really added value to the main story of Beth and Matthew’s trip down the rocky path of falling in love.

I thoroughly enjoyed Susanne Hampton’s March 2014 Mills and Boon Medical Romance over a couple of evenings outside on the deck with the last of the summer’s sun shining here NZ and I would highly recommend for all Medical Romance fans and anyone who wants to try a Medical Romance but doesn’t know where to start.

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Reviewed by Alexia

Great story.....I wasn't sure what to expect from this Medical Romance but it was a wonderful read.  Beth arrives at A&E Hospital as a resident.  Matthew is on his usual warpath with the staff.  Both have issues in their past that mold their characters today.  Beth and Matthew don't want to trust their hearts because they've been hurt.  This is a classic romance where you get to know a little bit about the characters of the book, and they get to know each other, before they sleep with each other.  It makes you root for their relationship to withstand any heartache.

5/5 star review





Reviewed by Maria

Susanne Hampton is a new author, for me at least.  I found her style very different.  She had two very strong, very emotional POVs in this work and writing it can’t have been easy.  Not that the story didn’t flow.  It flowed.  But when two people who have been previously hurt get together, it takes a lot of testing the boundaries to see if they can make it work. 

The author created two very real characters,  Matthew and Beth.  They were people  who I could almost see and hear.  At the time I read the book, I was extremely busy and unable to dedicate much time to reading.  Yet every time I picked up the book, the characters were instantly familiar and I could just pick up where I’d left off the previous time.  The hero was so obnoxious initially, that reading his interactions with Beth, the heroine, practically spiked my blood pressure.  It was so real, so vivid.  When they fell in love and suddenly Beth was faced with the prospect of having to return halfway around the world to assist the father who had taken her for granted most of her life, one could feel Matthew’s sense of desertion.

For me, the acid test of a romance author is how he or she handles the black moment.  That killer moment when all is lost, everything seems to have folded, the joy has evaporated and life looks barren, bleak and empty.  The author who can put the smile  back on your face in a seemingly effortless way gets my vote.  This author passed the test for sure and I look forward to reading more from her.

Finding Justice by Rachel Brimble

Reviewed by Desere

Being in the line of justice can be very tough and when you are female I think it is even harder, everyone knows it more of a man's kind of world. And when your childhood friend is killed and you have to go after the killer, being emotionally involved makes it all the more worse to deal with.

But imagine that the suspect is your past and deep down you know he is innocent for how can a kind and caring man be capable of committing such a ultimate act of evil? Will you still go after the truth in order to honour your friend's memory or will you look the other way in order to be with the man that makes your heart beat faster than a flying bullet?

In the début read from author Rachel Brimble this is the situation that Sergeant Cat Forrester finds herself trapped in. She has the chance to show she is loyal to justice or simply fall of the cliff into bliss whist covered in guilt. She goes for the loyalty we all love to see in one that upholds the law. Only being already emotionally involved on the level of friendship and romance does prove harder than she thought, the lines seem blurred and she needs to really push to keep her balance.

When she finds out a secret about suspect numero uno Jay that could jeopardize any possible future they might have a shot at, the mystery level of this read intensifies to above and beyond and I found myself having to make sure that am reading a Harlequin Superromance and not one from the Intrigue line, yes the action, suspense and mystery was that awesome!

The character of Cat was phenomenal, she does a man's job and she does it so very well, never backing down and always going for the jugular when the time calls for it. But as tough as she is when it comes to the job she is weak and falling into slippery territory when it comes to her love life, so you have a combination of a heroine that will make any criminal stop dead in his tracks but at the same time a woman that any prying man will go after because she can easily be broken when it comes to romance. Totally amazing combination and I for one as reader have not really seen this combination done before! Loved it!

The character of Jay was the kind that as the story builds you find yourself thinking he is so sweet, kind and caring he cannot possibly be a killer, but the mystery level around this man is so intense that it makes you start to think that just maybe the author is going to hit you any minute now with a boom moment and he will turn out to be the killer! A lethal and delicious combination of emotions were rolling around in my head while reading about this man! And am here to report I absolutely adored it! Kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat.

The backdrop settings were in line with the intense building here comes the killer moments and the dialogue was just perfect to keep me mystified. I loved that the author did not let the whole book become about the romance between Jay and Cat, but instead kept the focus on the murder and the secrets of Jay and Cat , letting the romance kind of drop to the background which is unusual for a Superromance read but again so very well done and such a brilliant touch!

I am taking away a message of we all have secrets some not half as bad as you may think and others that we would rather keep hidden from those who love us for they might think less of us, but if someone truly loves you any secret no matter how dirty will be accepted and understood and you will be surprised at the level of support you will receive.

I will add that the read ends in such a manner that you can tell there is more to come, and like myself you will find yourself counting down the days for the next read in this series to hit, you simply will NEED to know.

I highly recommend this read for lovers of romance that have a dose of action, intrigue and passion flaring to the point of no return! A sensual, romantic action packed read that will simply blow you away!

I look forward to the next read from this author, if the first one was this good I can only imagine how awesome the next will be! A best seller, go get a copy now!

5/5 star review
"She has found her romance but will she find the justice?" 

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Reviewed by Maria

FINDING JUSTICE is Rachel Brimble's Harlequin debut and a worthy one it is too.  Harlequin Super Romances is an imprint which features novels with slightly more intricate plots than regular romances.  This is a piece of  emotional drama combined with romance and even suspense.  A great combination and a most absorbing read.

Detective Sergeant Cat Forester is a strong police detective, a no nonsense woman with a mission and a passion for justice.  However, beneath that tough exterior there's a heartache which is impossible to heal, which she shares with no one.  Her carefree life changed forever the day her beloved father was run over by a drunk driver.  Cat's mum turned to drink - the very substance which caused her late husband's demise - as the balm to soothe her wounds.  Her mother's descent into alcoholism takes every ounce of Cat's coping skills.  Because of this, she turned her back on her best friends, Sarah, the best friend a girl ever had and Jay her one time lover, both residents of Templeton Cove, the family's yearly holiday destination.  Now, however, Templeton Cove is calling once more.  Sarah has been found murdered in puzzling circumstances and Jay is a suspect. As a police detective with an unblemished record of solving murders, Cat considers it her duty to find her friend's killer.

But finding justice is only part of the story.  Cat has to find her way back to Jay again.  He never forgot her, nor their unfinished business.  Cat finds it difficult to realize that she doesn't, in fact, have to face her problems alone.  A trouble shared is a trouble halved and with the support of her lover and brother, she can face the difficulties with her mother.  But will she let go and try to trust or will she continue to be Sergeant Fix It, with the solution for everything?  Meanwhile, it becomes more and more difficult to solve the mystery of Sarah's death.  The young woman had a lot of secrets and how is it  possible to unravel them?

As well as an absorbing mystery, this novel deals with the predicament of people caught up in addiction and that of those who care for them.  I think readers should really enjoy this.  Just one tiny thing and this could be editorial rather than authorial (Authorial?  Is there such a word?).  Cat's English and the book has an English setting.  Yet Cat keeps on referring to herself as a 'cop'.  'Cop' is an American colloquialism, I'd have thought.  I can understand a British police officer using the word 'cop' now and again, but I'd have thought they'd have used the term 'police officer' or 'police detective' instead.  I haven't visited the UK in a long time, so maybe things have changed.  The book was published in the USA so maybe that's why.

Looking forward to reading more from Rachel Brimble in the future.


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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker

Sergeant Cat Forrester has a lot on her plate. Working to put the bad guys behind bars and dealing with an Alcoholic mother. When a childhood friend is murdered and their best friend and Cat’s ex lover is the suspect she agrees to visit and see if she can help clear his name.

Jay Garrett has everything he could want, except for Cat in his life. A recovering drug addict he has worked hard to keep clean and be someone he can make his parents proud of. But now the police chief thinks of him, as the number one suspect. And he is going to need all the help he can get to stay out of jail.

I have mixed emotions about this book. It started off slow for me and parts of it seemed to repetitive. I also had issue with both Cat and Jay lying, and it made me question was this always going to be an issue in real life. Lying in my opinion leads to trust issues. I did not care for the back and forth lying, trust, whole truth issues.

Now for the good part: I felt in the end Jay redeemed himself somewhat and the last 1/3 of the book really took off for me “ In the best of ways”, to the point I was turning pages really fast to find out who the killer was. I was correct by the way.

One of my favorite lines:

“Hey, anytime you want to spank it, just shout.”

4.5/5 stars