Stone Castles by Trish Morey

 

Reviewed by Desere


For ten years Pip Martin has been pushing the limits pursuing a prestigious career in New York. Then she returns to Yorke Peninsula to say farewell to her dying grandmother. She doesn't want to linger, she wants to get into town unseen, say goodbye to her grandmother, say hi to her best friends and then get out and back to her perfect happy life in New York, which not only includes the perfect job but the perfect sexy hot friend Chad , that comes with all the right benefits a climb to the top of the corporate ladder girl like her needs.

But life is never that simple and not only is the whole town aware of her arrival, but so is her childhood sweetheart, Luke Trenorden. He was her everything, until the night he betrayed her and tore their lives apart.

Seeing Luke again awakens the feelings from the past, but it also brings back the memories of a long kept secret, a secret she has been trying to solve for far too long. Then the answer is revealed and Pip has to decide is she 's going to go back to being the corporate goal getting career woman she's become or if she's ready to be the woman she was meant to be, the one only Luke can see.

This read was all about stunning emotion, that drew me in from the first page and held my attention right through to the end. I laughed and I cried my eyes out , and I got my heart broken over and over again, and then the author pieced me back together again with remarkable wonder.

I adored the character of Luke, he's the kind of hero that deserves happiness but every time it is or has been in reach something happens to tear it away, and this completely broke my heart. I wanted to grab hold of this man and hug him tight, tell him it will all be okay he just needs to hang in there. But as we all know, saying the words never really means anything because they are just words. Through this character the author showed that when we believe that everything we do is wrong and happiness is not in the cards for us, it's one of the biggest mistakes we can make, because it 's not us but life's way of steering us to where we need to be or in the case of Luke keeping us where we are meant to be so that we are there for the one that needs us the most when the time comes.

The character of Pip was at first the really, " Oh man a stuck up NY diva heroine". And I did not immediately like her at all. But as the read progressed and the author let me in on her past I could clearly start to see why she's so focused on her career instead of happiness. It broke my heart when the author revealed the hurt she had faced in the past. Through this character the author showed how the hurt from the past is essential in life to teach us what we should be reaching for. We lose our way but when life offers up the right goals we should be chasing , the trick is to stop, listen and then act instead of ignoring the signs and simply sticking to the game of pushing for what we want instead of what we need.

This book was filled with so many wonderful emotions, brought to life with vivid color by the author. It tells the journey of self discovery, romance rekindled, lessons learned, secrets and mystery keeping people apart and bringing forth a new life for all.

I recommend this read for all fans of reading. Deep emotion that will bring you many tears of joy and sorrow, give you a new zest for life, have you believing in love, friendship, family and teach you that the past is simply that, what's in the past is not what will bring you the future you deserve, it's about letting go and chasing the dreams of your heart and not those bouncing around in your mind. This author knows how to climb deep into the very soul of life!


4.5 star review
" He breaks down the stone castles around her heart, but does she have what it takes to venture outside?" 

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Reviewed by Nas

 STONE CASTLES by author Trish Morey is a December 2014 release by Pan McMillan.

Pip Martin had everything she wanted back in New York. A high flying job she loved and great life. So when she came back to the deathbed of her Grandma, why did she feel something was lacking? Was it to do with Luke Trenorden, the man she had walked away from ten years ago?

Luke certainly felt the spark rekindle for Pip, but would it bring them close or shatter any chances of them ever finding happiness? Then the big secret is out. Will it destroy Pip now?

STONE CASTLES moves along very fast. This is a second chance story with first loves. Pip and Luke had emotional baggage they were keeping hidden. This tale takes a reader deep into both the characters’ psyche to discover how they are hurt by omissions of truth and lies and how they build stone castles around their hearts. It is a story that will stay with a reader long after she closes the book. It has that momentous impact by all the emotion depicted in this tale.

Recommended to all readers.

His Royal Love Child by Lynn Raye Harris -Royal Baby Collection

Reviewed by Desere


Falling in love at the age of eighteen and then having to let the guy go is just plain awful. What is worst is if the guy does not come after you, pretty much spelling it out loud and clear that he does not love you as you love him.

But if the guy is a prince and has no choice but to obey his duty, would you blame him?  For Charlotte this is the dilema. Years ago she and her mother were living on the grounds of the King or Iria and her mother was nothing more to the King than a convenient mistress, until he found a new woman to warm his bed. The King dismisses Charlotte and her mother, effectively severing the young lovers ties.

Charlotte moves on, but when she suddenly comes face to face with the one and only man she has ever loved and had to let go, she is suddenly not so sure of why having fun with crown Prince Luca is a bad idea. And when he takes her away for a romantic hot sex filled getaway she is positive she can let go when the time comes and once again move on. But when she discovers he is to be engaged to a Princess and all she could ever be is his mistress, she get out as fast as she can, but she takes with her a piece of him that will bind him to her forever.  The real question is will he come looking for her this time or will she have to face life without him again?

The character of Charlotte was great, she is no fool me twice gal, and holds her grudge against Luca firmly in place until he kisses her senseless that is. After that she is like any other woman who' s heart will always belong to her first love. I loved that the author let the character try to keep a clear head amongst the hot passionate nights she finds in Luca' s arms she of course fails but surprisingly she shows she is stronger than she looks and holds back her pain until out of sight, not all woman can stare into the eyes of her man and simply turn around and walk out without so much as a single tear slip out with him watching. Charlotte was therefore a very likeable heroine not showing weakness.

The character of Luca was awesome! The man is all sexiness and charm, but also a bit of a idiot by always sticking to his precious duty, however that being said it was understandable as the life of a Prince is never easy. I loved that the author lets him get hit and hit real hard when the moment of clarity dawns on him, was nice reading about a prince going down and going down hard, suddenly he became the hero prince instead of the always doing my duty even prince.

The backdrop settings were fun and exciting keeping in tune with the here and now instead flashbacks to the past as we often find , such as it happened in the palace or the here or there all those years ago,  the author stuck to keeping it in the here and now with settings of fun, sun and romance, and this blended in nicely with the short read feature, the book comes in at seven chapters.

The dialogue was classic Lynn Raye Harris, fun, sexy, sensual and classy! I am taking away a message of turning your back on the past is the worst mistake you can make, you need to either face it and deal with it or embrace it and find happiness within the walls of hurt.

I highly recommend this read for all short story fans and fans of Lynn Raye Harris reads, with that deeper meaning of old love never dies.

5/5 star review
"Forever has always been in the cards for these two lovers" 

Tangled In Divine by Heather Rainier

Reviewed by Nancy Crocker

Tangled In Divine by Heather Rainier is the 14th book in The Divine Creek Ranch Series, and it is still as entertaining as The very first book Divine Grace. I can honestly say this is one of a few, very few Authors who has never let me down. She manages to take her fans on a journey every couple of months to Divine, Texas. And most of us never want to come back home. 

Tangled in Divine brings together the trio of Julian Alvarez, Chris Potter & Gwen Henderson.

Julian Alvarez a former rodeo rider and friend of Gwen's, who is now a ranch hand. This is one very sexy, hot cowboy. He also has a couple of big secrets, he has been in love with Gwen for a while. And he started a venture capitalist consortium and he is worth millions.

Chris Potter, Julian's best friend is a giant Teddy Bear. He has a great BIG heart, comes from a big Italian family. But he has always felt awkward with woman. He also feels as if he needs to be a joker to make up for his lack of social skills. One look at Gwen Henderson, and he has fallen head over heals in love with her.

Gwen Henderson a Barrel Racing Champion, who has finally retired from the rodeo circuit and returned home to her family's ranch in Colorado, only to find out her father has foolishly lost the ranch and her prized horse to the bank. Gwen feeling lost, heads back to Divine Texas. She plans to get back on her feet and fight to get her family's ranch and her beloved horse back when they go to auction in March. Of course she didn't plan on falling head over heels in love with two men.

Heather Rainier, always manages to write a book that her fans find very hard to put down. She writes Flaming Hot love scenes, I was half expecting my kindle to melt. She also manages to write quite a bit of humor. You can always count on a great selection of songs to read about, weather on the radio or playing at The Dancing Pony. If it is a song I have never heard before, I can promise you I will be hitting youtube before long to listen. Heather also brings back some of her characters from previous books, and I must say it is something I love revisiting. To see old favorites and watch them have each others back ... Priceless. And talk about priceless the little ones in Divine will make you laugh & cry with their actions and words. 

This loyal fan is looking forward to the next book in the series, maybe it will include a map to Divine, Texas! One can Hope.

5 of 5 Stars

Yours For The Night by Samantha Hunter

Review by Nas

Yours for the Night: Yours for the Night\Virtually Perfect (Harlequin Blaze)

YOURS FOR THE NIGHT by author Samantha Hunter is a Harlequin Blaze release for October 2012.

We met Bodyguard Garrett Berringer earlier in Samantha Hunter's Mine Until Morning, he was a widower who was waiting for his heart to heal.

Now he is on vacation to SanFrancisco which also concides with his best friend's wedding. He is asked to step in place for a sick groomsman. There he meets bridesmaid Tiffany Walker and they are instantly attracted. Though when he talks of his own marriage, Tiffany misunderstands and walks away as she thought he is a married man. He goes after her and after some explanation; they decide to do a wedding weekend hook up as they both feel the simmering desire between them.

Then disaster struck and Tiffany's secret is out! She is a private investigator. What will happen now? Will Garrett sit back and see someone he loves get in danger again?

YOURS FOR THE NIGHT is a sensational romance which is filled with mystery and danger. The James Bond fan in me loved this thrilling story! Author Samantha Hunter's Berringer Bodyguard's turned out to be a thrilling series. Looking forward eagerly for the next book in this series.

Highly recommended.

VIRTUALLY PERFECT by Samantha Hunter is a takeoff on Internet dating. It was fun and entertaining story but with the underlined emphasis on the danger of online connecting. There is reality depicted amid the romance and sensuality of this story.

Return to Romance Book Haven

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Reviewed by Desere :

Sam Hunter has always been able to totally blow me away with her books. She packs in so much passion and intrigue with her characters that it always feels like I am actually inside the book living it !

And this time around boy oh boy has she done it again only this time it was so much better ! Yes ladies Garrett is a force to be reckoned with he is one of the most scorching hot characters I have read about in some time!

He hooks up with Tiffany and soon we see Sam Hunter's magic at work. With her manner of deep fascinating characterization , stunning backdrops and simply stunningly hot passion and desire.

But also that perfect little twist that I have come to learn is always incorporated into a Sam Hunter novel that just takes the book to a whole new level and adds to the mystery of a romance.

The book was sensual,filled with romance and even danger ! I look forward to the authors next book with renewed anticipation.

5/5 star review
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Reviewed by TashNz

Wow! Is it hot in here or just me? Blaze! It sure does in this book. 

Yours For The Night is the first in the Berringer Bodyguards series. Three (hot) brothers run a Bodyguard business. We meet Garrett who is in town for a friends wedding. He's called up to step in for a sick Groomsman. He's not too happy about this until he meets his partner for the wedding, bridesmaid (and junior P.I) Tiffany. Sparks fly instantly and before you know it they enter into what they call a "Wedding Hook-Up"... Unfortunately while they're hooking up Tiffany's family jewellery store is being robbed by what appears to be high class jewel thieves. The thieves are also targeting other jewellery stores around neighborhood.

Garrett is worried about Tiffany, she decides to take the case on by herself but she's new to the world of private investigation and Garrett doesn't want her to get hurt. He offers to help her out since he's going to be in town for a while so she reluctantly lets him become her sidekick.

I really liked the mystery story line, it kept me page turning from the beginning. There's some hot romance thrown in and I cant wait to delve into Case 2, Hers For The Holiday.