Lines in the Sand

Lines in the Sand by Kaira Rouda

Dorsey Pittman just landed her dream job.  She gets to work at a world class resort, with children, and, best of all, live far away from the memories that still haunt her every waking moment.  However, from the moment she steps off the ferry onto Indigo Island she senses that something just doesn't add up.  Her new boss, Steve, is brash, controlling, over familiar, and just down right disturbing.  While the resort is top notch and picturesque, the rest of the island feels sad and neglected.  Dorsey, just can't shake the feeling that they way things are run here aren't the way things should be.

Jack Means has worked hard most of his life to achieve the level of success that is now his...or should be his.  Having already signed an employment contract to become the youngest member of management in Top Club history, Jack is disgusted to learn that Steve has pulled a fast one and is denying his admission to this hallowed club until the end of the summer season.  Until then Jack must cool his heels for another summer as head lifeguard, but with a twist...the long term employee rules of "no dating staff" now apply to him.  Too bad the new Children's Program Director seems just too delicious to resist.  Can he resist Dorsey all summer?  Or will Steve's heavy handed treatment only bring them closer together?

This story was a wonderful depiction of Post Traumatic Stress and Suppressed Memories.  Lately, as the stigma has slowly been removed from PTSD, more and more examples have been popping up in popular and romantic fiction.  This one is a prime example of one method used to combat PTSD, which is meeting your fear head on and acknowledging that you will always have a sensitivity to certain situations.  This story allows no sugar coating or "cures", just a strong dose of truth that some events cannot ever be forgotten.

The characters are certainly memorable.  Dorsey and Jack both have a backbone and a lot of guts to face down the myriad of unpleasant events that take place in the book.  Steve is beyond a creep.  He is one hundred percent EVIL!  The supporting staff, guests, and residents of the Island all add a lot of color and excitement to the story.

Overall, this is an exciting, if sometimes violent, adventure full of mystery and determination to discover the truth and do the right thing.

Continuity/Flow – 5
Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

She's the One

She's the One by Kim Boykin

Melissa Bliss has a strange and wonderful gift.  Aside from being a top notch Realtor and Property Manager, she is also a Matchmaker.  She has the ability to see whether or not someone is compatible, and once in a while she finds a couple whose auras are so blinding they can't be anything but Soul Mates.  She currently stands at forty-nine matches and is in hot pursuit of number fifty.  For some reason, however, she begins to question her gift, and the stipulations put on it by her great-aunt and grandmother all of those years ago.  Would falling in love really cost her everything?  And is Isle of Palm's sexiest contractor worth the risk?

Shane Carver has been in love with Melissa since the moment he moved to Isle of Palm.  Tired of waiting for her to shows signs of interest he is determined to win her heart before someone else steals it out from under his nose.  Unfortunately, just as he is making progress, fate has decided to mess with his plans.  His ex-fiancee arrives on the Island and now Melissa is convinced that the two of them are Soul Mates.  Can he convince her that she is wrong?  And can he keep her out of the arms of a passionate musician who is determined to mend her broken heart?

I am 100% in love with this book.  Kim Boykin hit this one so far out of the park I couldn't help but read it all in one sitting.  The characters are marvelous, the story is pleasantly winsome, and the details applied leave you drooling despite the lack of an actually steamy scene.  The best part, though, was that there wasn't the need for a steamy scene.  The kissing scenes are so sweet and full of passion that you feel drawn in and worked up with them alone.

There are two actual love stories told in this book.  Both are presented with such tongue and cheek that you laugh yourself silly at some points realizing that the situations are so REAL!  If you were to discover that your ex was living next door to you, and you weren't yet over them, I dare you not to act exactly as these characters do.  And Shane's anger and animosity toward his ex messing up his plans leads to some great dialogue (both actual and inner).

Overall, this story shines bright as one of the best Kim Boykin books I have ever read!

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Flirting with Forever

Flirting with Forever by Kim Boykin

Tara Jordan has worked on her writing career just as long as she has worked on her marriage.  So when she finally hits a gold mine with a marriage self-help book, her life takes an ironic turn:  her husband of fifteen years leaves her, taking all of their money with him.  Forced to promote the book in order to pay her mounting mortgage debts, Tara lives in fear that she will be seen as a hypocrite if the world learns of her crumbling marriage, or her growing attraction for her new publicist.

Jake Randall needs a vacation.  He is done catering to divas and so-called celebrity authors without an ounce of writing talent in them.  When a senior publicist gets her foot crushed by a drunken client she calls Jake to take over for her and handle a month-long book tour with said train-wreck.  Little does he know that his first impression of Tara Jordan will be anything but disdainful.  Now his problem isn't controlling an unruly client, but keeping a professional distance from a lovely temptation.

While the subject matter of this book is heavy and complicated (abandonment vs. adultery), the tone was not so much.  This was a surprisingly easy read with an uplifting message all the way through it.  I usually try to stay away from cheating/cruel spouse stories, but this one really played with my perceptions.  I have to say I actually reserved judgement on Jim until the very end, then even after that I couldn't really hate him.

Character-wise, this was such a great build-up to a new series.  Melissa and Marsha are a riot, and I would love to see Erin get a story of her own.  My feelings are mixed on Lou, though.  I actually want to challenge Kim Boykin to make me like her.  I see potential, but right now, I just don't like her.

Overall, this is a fun and flirty story with an uplifting outlook of some pretty messed up circumstances.  It is such an odd combination that it is truly appealing.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Characters – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Weekend with the Tycoon

Weekend with the Tycoon by Kaira Rouda

Samantha Jones loves her job for Blake Genetics, and she has a big idea that could really set the company apart and further their reputation for helping the world.  Just as she starts to believe that her career is on an unstoppable road to success, she is given the opportunity of a life time.  An opportunity that has the potential of ending in the death of her career and the breaking of her heart.

Blake Putnam is a no nonsense kind of guy.  He likes things his way, without a lot of fluff or frivolous waste.  In order to prevent his family from trying to match him up with an air-headed socialite during his sister's wedding, he arranges for research assistant from his company to attend the wedding with him as his date so he can prepare for an upcoming contract negotiation with little distraction...or so he thinks.

This story seemed really fast to me.  I liked the back story regarding the company and why Blake doesn't like his family, but I also like the things that were left unsaid, but were glaringly obvious.  Blake may have idolized his grandfather, but he really did take after his dad in many ways.

I will nit-pick on two things here: the date the company was "founded" and the ending of the story.  First of all, it is very unlikely that his grandfather could have founded the company in 1898.  Maybe his great-grandfather, but if it truly was his grandfather then he must have 70-ish when Blake's father was born.  Secondly, the story ended too suddenly.  Blake's father tells him that his grandfather was cold and then suddenly he is willing to try and change the way he does things at his own business.  It just felt too fast of a turn-around.

Overall, I liked the story.  It was a neat premise, and there were a few fun and exciting scenes that really made it worth reading.  I just wish it would have been longer.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 3

Sex – 4 

Language – 3

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4

Pick Me

Pick Me by Erika Marks

Thea Dunn is having a rough day month year life.  After enduring the constant drama that was her baby sister's wedding the previous summer, Thea was hit with a difficult legal case that ended badly.  Then, a few months later, her long term boyfriend pulled the plug on their relationship.  Now, she has been chased out of her Charleston town house by termites.  Not much could get worse for her, until she realizes that her neighbor is the only person witness to the most humiliating night of her life fourteen years prior:  Calder Frye.

Calder never paid attention to his reputation in high school, so he didn't really notice that girls thought he was sexy or that the people of Magnolia Bay generally thought of him as a bad boy.  Instead he was too distracted by his not so great home life and wanting to get as far away from it as possible.  Now he's returned to town as an ER doctor and who should happen to be his new neighbor?  The girl who shared with him the best night of his life.  Could this be fate giving them a second chance?  Or are their personal lives simply too complicated...even for each other.

This story is sweet and refreshing.  Thea and her sisters are such a contradiction that the way they play off of each other is priceless.  Honestly, as I am a sucker for supporting characters, I would have loved to have had more meaningful dialog with the sisters.  I loved Connie and Jay from Bet the House and would have loved to seen more of them.  Yet, the story involving Pete and Marie was handled very well.  Ms. Marks is an expert and keeping things buttoned up until the end, so it came as no surprise that I was surprised when the source of the conflict in that story was revealed.

The main characters get a lot of interaction time in this.  Maybe because the story is short, but it felt like they spent more time with each other (or alone) than with anyone else.  The big shock was that I actually liked it.  Their interactions were both sincere and humorous.  There wasn't a lot of sex, but this story was written in a way that the tension speaks for itself and doesn't really need resolution to be satisfying.

Overall, this book and fun and enjoyable.  Very heartwarming and a comfy kind of familiar.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4

Perfect Score

Perfect Score by Beth Albright

Journalist Virginia "Ginny" Bruce Hunnicutt just had her dream job ripped out from underneath of her in spectacular scandal.  Back home in Cottonwood Cove, Alabama to lick her wounds, her mother wrangles her into helping her save her family's newspaper by uncovering the secret the new football coach is hiding.  However, the closer Ginny gets to him (and the truth) the more reservations she has about whether she is doing the right thing.

This story is written in a style that is more common in Women's Lit and less common in main stream romance.  It is written entirely in the first person, and only tells the story from the prospective of the heroine (leaving the reader no insight into the thoughts of the hero).

That being said, the story was well crafted and emotionally engaging.  It did seem to run a bit fast, but humorous hi-jinx the heroine finds herself in with her sisters keeps the story from feeling pointless during the rushed parts.  While some elements seemed highly repetitive at the beginning, the story evened out and improved greatly at the end.

Overall, I liked the premise behind this story and am glad I stuck with it to the very satisfying end.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 2

Sex – 3

Language – 4

Storyline – 4

Overall – 3

Sweet Home Carolina

Sweet Home Carolina by Kim Boykin

Darcy Vance has sunk just about everything she has into buying and renovating a former brothel in order to open her very own Bed and Breakfast.  Unfortunately, Mimosa House comes with an embarrassing history to the Bloom Family, who just happens to run the Historical Society Board, and control the Historical Home Tours.  Without being on the Home Tour Mimosa House has virtually no chance of attracting customers...or making money.

Trent Mauldin has just lost his PGA Tour card after failing to recover from a second shoulder surgery.  Coming home to work for his father wasn't his preference, but he soon realizes that it's a lot more complicated than he ever could have thought.  Big Jack's new resort and golf course might be outside of Magnolia Bay, but the entrance isn't.  Now Trent's loyalties are being torn in three: the Bloom Family, to whom he belongs on his mother's side; his father, for whom he works; and the cute redheaded B&B owner, whom he might actually be falling in love with.

This book was a gut punching, emotional roller coaster that I wanted to get off one minute, and ride it out the next.  At one point I wanted to laugh, cry, cheer, and throw-up all at once.  I swear that the author was looking for ways to torture Darcy over and over again.  I wasn't sure a happy ever after was even possible toward the end.  The fact that the ending was pulled off was so impressive I actually did cry...with relief.

Overall, this story was so extraordinarily told I will recommend it to everyone I see.

Warning: the author writes in "first person perspective" for the heroine.  It takes a bit to switch back and forth, but it doesn't take away from the story.  There are a few typos that are noticeable, but again, unless you are a grammar Nazi, it doesn't take away from the story.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Language – 3

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Bet the House

Bet the House by Erika Marks

Willa Dunn has grown up knowing at least one thing for sure:  the Loveless Brothers are EVIL.  Their construction company has always been at odds with her family's historical preservation business.  Now, not only has her baby sister has turned traitor and agreed to marry the oldest Loveless Brother, the middle brother just out-bid her on her dream house.

Knox Loveless can't fully fathom why he lets Wilhelmina Dunn get under his skin, it's just been that way since a teenage bet changed their relationship all of those years ago.  It's none of her business why he joined the Historical Society Board, or that building "McMansions" with no character irritates him.  When he discovers that Willa's dream house is for sale, and that she might be out bid, he steps in and buys it himself.  Now, Knox is once again public enemy number one.  Can another bet change their relationship again?

Willa is often described in the book as being passionate or high-strung.  That is actually a spot on description.  I loved how the author doesn't leave out the ugly bits of a passionate personality.  Passionate people do tend to be self-centered and make a habit of walking over people to achieve their goals.  Being passionate is not a terrible thing, but people like that do need someone in their life (a friend, family member, or partner) to ground then and keep them from alienating people.

All of the characters in this book have massive flaws that the author uses to benefit the story.  The "drama queen" sister isn't chastised, but accepted; the blustering father isn't turned into a villain, just a typical big personality; the "other guy" is actually likable, despite committing a huge social gaffe.

Overall, I really liked this book.  The way that for every situation, both sides of the story were told with equal weight, appealed on many levels.  Plus, the resolution was actually very satisfying and didn't feel forced or rushed.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 3 

Language – 3

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4