RS

• Rated 5 stars

“Loved it! ”

RS wrote this review Tuesday, August 25 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“My first Nancy Butler book. Well thought-out, romantic, and with a great ending. Loved how all the loose ends were tied up. I also enjoyed the education I got on sheep and the wonders of sheep dogs. (Seriously! It was interesting.)

Ursula is an impoverished widow who needs to not only sell her pride brood stock, she needs to marry and soon. So she hopes that the rich Duke who wants to buy her horses will be inclined towards marriage, and he seems to be. All seems to be working fine, but when she arrives at his country estate, she is drawn to his outspoken, abrasive (and downright gorgeous) bailiff, Will.

Will seems to have no past and has secrets and insecurities that he doesn't like to talk about, but there's no denying that he knows what he knows—sheep—and he's done great things for the businesses of the community because of it. When the Duke's plans to raise Ursula's prize racehorses puts Will's beloved sheep at risk, he won't hesitate to fight back. But when he does, a lot of long-hidden secrets start to shake loose.

Very enjoyable romance, and I'll be looking forward to reading more of Nancy Butler's work!”

RS wrote this review Thursday, August 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“LOVED IT. Ford has always been treated as somewhat an outsider and slight outcast in the small (ultra religious) western town where he's grown up. Even his sister treats him like he's someone to be endured (even though she loves him in her own way). He's never been handsome and none of the local girls will give him the time of day. He accepts this loneliness as just the way things are for him.

Hannah is on the run after witnessing brutal murders. Out of desperation, she steals from Ford, and later she encounters him again. He's drawn to her and instead of exposing her as a thief, he covers for her.

Hannah sees something different in Ford—no, he may not be actually *handsome*, but there's something very "touchable" about him and his body is like carved oak (I take this to mean he's a hottie, LOL). She sees in him something that no one else has bothered to notice.

There's a tender romance and some tense moments in this lovely novel about two people who have been overlooked and under-appreciated all their lives. Charming in every way. ”

RS wrote this review Wednesday, August 19 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“3-1/2 stars. It was pretty good, but not one of my favorites of Templeton's. I'll keep it to complete the collection, though.

Mia was Grant's ex's best friend, and so when the ex is killed in a car crash, Grant asks for Mia's help to deal with his little 4-year-old, who misses her mommy. Mia was a babysitter for the girl and loved her. And Grant has always seemed to be a bit of a cold fish, and is having a tough time getting the little girl to warm up to him.

One thing leads to another, and Mia ends up staying in his guest house (her lease expired on her apartment). Things improve with the little girl, *and* with the lonely father.

I enjoyed this book and it wasn't a chore to finish, but something about it didn't feel as romantic somehow as some of Templeton's other books. It's a total subjective judgment; it was okay.”

RS wrote this review Monday, August 17 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“4-1/2 stars, and a favorite, even though it's a total guilty pleasure.

This is standard Diana Palmer stuff. I've been on a Diana Palmer binge (which is now OVER for at least a little while—one should only read so much Diana Palmer at a time) and this book has all the standard elements, with an extra dollop of angst and agony that Palmer does so well.

We have these classic Palmerisms:

1. Very hairy hero. (It's mandatory that all Palmer heros have carpet-like chests. I'm not saying that's a bad thing—it just is where Palmer is concerned.)
2. Timid virginal heroine. This one could be worse, but is pretty timid. Doesn't speak up when she should.
3. Woman-hating hero. His ex-wife done him wrong, his mom done him wrong, he doesn't trust women. Doesn't think he's good enough for another relationship, blah blah blah.
4. Big Misunderstanding. Which I must say, got annoying after a while.

I first read this book probably a dozen years ago, and it stuck in my mind because of the agony and angst the hero went through, and how at times he wore his heart on his sleeve. (Well, *we* could see it, but the heroine couldn't.) After reading it again, I must say it does deliver on the agony and drama, just about as well as I remember.

So yeah, I guess that's why I recall this book fondly. Not that it's *that* great, but I did enjoy the angst.

If you're in the mood for a hairy, alpha hero who suffers and pines for the heroine a lot, this is the book for you! LOL.”

RS wrote this review Tuesday, August 18 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Three stories (probably originally published as 180-200 page Silhouette novels) by Diana Palmer. They were all typical Palmer fare, but I especially enjoyed the last story, Connal, and the first, Sutton's Way. (Sutton's Way has a rarity in romance fiction—a virgin hero!) The heroine in Sutton's Way isn't a shy retiring doormat flower, either. She's still innocent (I have yet to encounter a Palmer heroine who isn't) but she's outspoken and teases the hero shamelessly at times.

Connal has a different storyline—a drunken night in Mexico causes the hero to coerce the heroine into a quickie wedding, which she then convinces the hero was a dream. (She assumes the marriage was not valid—but of course she's wrong.) It hits the fan when he finds out that he's been "married" to her all along!

Ethan, the middle story, was okay. Shy meek pianist and arrogant alpha male rancher. Not exactly new.

Reading all these Palmer stories back-to-back made me realize (more than I already do) how she doesn't write kids very well, and how the heros are not exactly taciturn about talking about their private lives. Sutton especially. A lot of information there, buddy!

Also, I don't have a problem with the conservative values that the characters espouse, but sometimes the way they say it kind of sounds like they're a few steps away from holing up in some compound in the deep woods. LOL. Okay, that sounds bad. In the novels, none of the characters are that "out there" in the way they live—but some of the things they say could have been toned down a little and been less preachy. Less is more, less is more.

If you like Diana Palmer's books, you'll probably like these. If you're expecting her to stray from her tried-and-true template of alpha males, sweet conservative heroines, and lots of angst (as well as a lot of hair on the heros' chests) then look elsewhere!”

RS wrote this review Sunday, August 16 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“3-1/2 stars, for the first story by Diana Palmer. Haven't read the rest yet.”

RS wrote this review Sunday, August 16 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“4-1/2 stars. Maybe 5. It was very enjoyable, but I've been mainlining Karen Templeton books lately, and they have similarities. But enough differences that this was an interesting read anyway.

This is another one of the "oops I'm pregnant" books by Templeton, but for a change (from the other ones I've read in the last few...days) the heroine agrees to marry the hero right off, "for the sake of the baby." The hero doesn't want to love the heroine (even though we know he's been fighting it like mad from the start) because of a past shadowed by abuse. The heroine (this time a Jewish New Jersey woman—love her!) has her own share of emotional scars, but can't help loving her noble (but very repressed) husband.

It all turns out well in the end. Add some teenaged kids (who were not stereotypes—Templeton writes kids *very* well) and the hero and heroine from a previous novel running interference, and you've got a fun book with a few tear-jerk moments. A good read.”

RS wrote this review Friday, August 14 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“3-1/2 stars. Maybe an extra half star for the cover. (I like the cover. ;-) ). This book lagged a bit, but in the end I didn't struggle too much to finish it. A nice story.

Fitz is a man whose scandalous past has scarred him, and who never dreams of being accepted fully into society again. Damaris is a "pirate's daughter" (as we are often reminded) who recently inherited a vast fortune. She is rough around the edges and too aggressive and headstrong. She thinks she wants to marry a title and thus gain respect and status in the highest rungs of society, and she almost gets this by arranging to marry an impoverished nobleman, but these plans suddenly go awry. Damaris, being the "pirate's daughter" (see, reminding you again) takes this disappointment badly, creating an embarrassing scene.

Waiting in the shadows is Fitz, who is a friend of said impoverished nobleman. He doesn't capture Damaris's notice at first, but he suggests that she "pretend" to be flirting with him, Fitz, in order to show everyone that she is "heart whole" and not bothered at all by her rejection. Then she can go on to London with her head held high, and find a suitable replacement husband. To this Damaris agrees, but in the process, she finds herself attracted to Fitz, who is "unsuitable" and not at all what she's looking for in a husband.

There is mystery and intrigue, which kept me reading, and more examples of Damaris's headstrong nature, and Fitz's feelings of temptation towards her. (Headstrong pirate's daughters are just his type, apparently.) The ending was tied up neatly, but wasn't quite as predictable as I'd feared it might be. I liked it, liked some of the historical elements, but I confess I probably wouldn't keep the book in my collection if it weren't for the lovely cover. ;-)”

RS wrote this review Friday, August 14 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Laugh-out-loud funny in places. An unorthodox heroine and a sweet (but superficially dull) hero. Bright, clever writing. I'm now a big fan of Karen Templeton's work and am snapping up the rest of her books as fast as I can.”

RS wrote this review Wednesday, August 12 2009. ( reply | permalink )