The Other Side of the Bridge

The Other Side of the Bridge by Katharine Swartz

Ava Lancet's world has completely fallen apart.  After losing her baby, her job, and her marriage, she discovers that her late grandmother has left her a house in Greece.  Hoping fervently for a chance to separate herself from the emptiness around her she jumps on a plane and heads out to investigate her inheritance.  Little does she know that so much more is involved than a rustic, abandoned house and one broken life.  She embarks on a journey of not only self-discovery, but discovery of a life she never knew her grandmother led.

For the sake of full-disclosure, I am not a big women's fiction reader.  There are a lot of big emotions involved in women's fiction that sometimes I find a bit overwhelming.  That being said, this book doesn't disappoint on the emotions front.  Dealing with everything from grief and marital strife, to fear, hunger, and post-traumatic stress, this book is a clear-cut, "how to deal" story, with one major, over-arching moral tying everything together nicely.

Overall, I actually did like this story.  It might not be my regular cup of tea, but the story is memorable, in a good way.  I think I walked into this with a different expectation, so it took me a while to adjust my perception.  After I finally did, I discovered that it was an enthralling book filled with mystery, and ending with excitement and adventure.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – N/A 

Language – 4

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

The Honeymoon Trap

The Honeymoon Trap by Kelly Hunter

Calling Eli Jackson the "shy" Jackson brother is not a difficult stretch, considering how loud and boisterous his two older brothers are.  But there is something more reserved and cautious about Eli that "shy" doesn't even begin to cover.  So when Cutter and Calder gift Eli a "honeymoon" trip to a gaming convention with his "game wife", Eli is not thrilled.  After finding out his "wife" is outgoing and sexy, he is ready to call the whole thing off.

Zoey Daniels lives life in the moment.  She touches everyone she meets, both literally and figuratively.  When she is invited to spend a weekend at a gaming convention with the man she has been gaming with for two years, but has never met, she jumps in with both feet.  Now she finds herself falling hard for a man who has cut himself off from the world, and happiness in general.  Can she touch him deep enough to make a difference and open him up to the possibilities of life?

This one started out very fun and light-hearted.  There was a lot of back and forth bantering that actually does happen when gamers congregate (I know because I am married to one and have hosted my share of game nights).  I loved the brotherly interaction as well.  Ironically, that is another one I have first hand knowledge of.

The light-heartedness turned a little emotional toward the middle though, with both characters discovering each other's challenges.  The way those challenges were dealt with were very really.  I didn't feel cheated, as though the author was trying to find an easy fix to some major issues.  The reactions were raw and well timed, and the resolution was fun, but with that little bit of brevity that makes it special.

As always, I need to consider the supporting characters.  The only real supporting characters in this book were the brothers.  And their antics were both fun and endearing.  They obviously love their little brother and are genuinely worried about him, but they also like to take the mickey out of him...a lot.

Overall, this was an awesome and insightful story that will have readers admitting that they might just be gamers at heart.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Language – 3

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

The Honeymoon Prize

The Honeymoon Prize by Melissa McClone

After the death of her grandmother and the betrayal of her greedy family leaves her homeless, Addie Sinclair is grateful to her childhood best friend for his offer of protection, even if it is in the form on an "in name only" marriage.  Considering she realized long ago that falling in love with Nick was a bad idea, their agreement seems perfect.  She gets a place to live, financial security, a chance to go to college, and a free vacation, courtesy of their friend Emily.  Too bad Emily forgot to mention a few details.

Nick Cahill doesn't believe that love and sex belong in the same thought, much less the same relationship.  His parents' marriage was disaster and his own fiancee was a lying cheater.  In fact, the only relationship he has ever been able to count on all of his life has been his friendship with Addie.  So when his boss implies that he either needs a wife or a new job, Nick finds the perfect solution to both his and Addie's problems.  A marriage based on friendship without sex.  However, as they arrive on Starfish Island for their "prize" honeymoon, Nick and Addie both realize that keeping their marriage platonic is going to be a lot harder than they had originally thought.

This story tested my boiling point.  Probably because Estate Law in and of itself boils my blood.  Ms. McClone did a wonderful job creating one of the most heartbreaking, and all too real, situations faced by non-inheriting caretakers.  My heart was ripped out for Addie, and I wanted to reach through the pages and slap her family.

Now to the warm and fuzzies.  The scenery in this book was beautiful!  The descriptions made me want to hop on the internet and book a vacation to Fiji, forgetting that I don't exactly have three grand to blow at the moment.

I loved how Nick and Addie interacted with each other.  Once they remembered that they were still friends, their banter was fabulous.  Even their interaction with the supporting characters was better when they remembered that they were friends.  I loved Brad and Mama Lani most of all because they were true to their character stereotypes, but still made to be interesting.

Overall, this was a great quick read that will make you wish you had more books just like it.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4

Second Chance Honeymoon

Second Chance Honeymoon by Ally Blake

Juliana "JJ" Jones has gotten very good at running.  She has run away from every uncomfortable situation she has ever found herself in; from marriage to a man she thought she knew, but didn't, to a job for a boss with grabby hands.  Now, however, she has landed right smack dab in the middle of a situation she can't run from: A Second Honeymoon Cruise for seniors.

Kane Phillips loves his job as Fitness Director on the Royal Pacific.  He specifically loves working the Second Honeymoon Cruise because there is something revitalizing about watching these seniors really live their lives, with no worries of him breaking the forbidden staff/guest romance rule.  It also helps him keep his mind off the hell that caused him to go wild and blow a successful football career out of the water.  Convinced that his wild days were behind him, he is thrown for a loop when he meets JJ, a Wild Girl who just might be worth the chance of risking everything.

This was a super fun read.  The characters were incredibly real, with problems that nearly everyone can relate to.  JJ is the friend everyone either had, or was, in high school.  You know, the one who would charge in to every situation with a twinkle in their eye and a smile that said "watch me".  Everyone laughed at them at the time, but also knew that it was probably a front for something.

Kane is the typical "man's man" that every woman wants to have, and every man wants to know.  Under it all, though, he is endearingly humble and wise to his own weaknesses.  He isn't dismissive of his fame and doesn't bleed false modesty, he is just very aware that he made some big mistakes and wishes to move on from them.

The supporting characters are a riot.  I love seniors to begin with.  The best hours of my life have been spent listening to funny stories of things that happened "when I was your age".  These characters are so on the money that I could actually envision having a conversation with each one of them.

Overall, the book is a blast.  A quick read and so worth it.  At the end I felt that the story was finished, with nothing more to be said.  It didn't drag on, or speed through, keeping a great pace all the way through.  A great beach read for the summer.  One of my rare Perfect 5's.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Language – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

The Bride That Wouldn't

The Bride That Wouldn't by Carol Marinelli

When Kate Edwards was told that Isaak Zaretsky wanted to speak with her she knew it wasn't to offer condolences for the loss of her fiance and close friend.  No, she knew he would want back the million dollars Ivor had given her as part of their marriage contract.  She figured he would also want answers as to why she had been planning to marry his elderly uncle in the first place.  What she didn't expect was for him to suggest taking Ivor's place in the contract and marry her himself.  Too bad he didn't read the fine print, because she has no plans on actually consummating the marriage.

Issak Zaretsky is a rich, international playboy, who is growing tired of the scandals that seem to follow his family.  Upon the discovery that his beloved uncle had actually contracted a multi-million dollar sham marriage just prior to his death, he tracks down the harlot with the intent of finding out what spell she had over the savvy old man.  However, his plans take a turn when he realizes that there is more to Kate than meets the eye.  Quickly he sees both a way to take the public eye off of his brother's recent scandal and give himself a reprieve from the lifestyle he is finding more and more tedious.  But the more he gets to know Kate, the more he realizes that he wants to renegotiate the contract.

I have always been biased toward Russian heroes.  Ever since I was a teenager I have thought that Russian men were the height of macho.  Reading this book brought back so many memories of reading Harlequin Presents in college and drooling over the Russian Gymnastics Team at the Olympics (yes, I had a crush on Alexei Nemov...who didn't).

I found the premise of the story surprisingly believable, and quite endearing.  The characters face problems that most people can understand.  It makes it very easy to sympathize with them when the conflicts are relateable, even if the characters are not (who's going to relate to a rich Russian playboy?).

The love scenes are steamy, there is a bit of colorful language, and the fight scenes are volatile and highly emotional.  In fact, my favorite scenes were the ones where the emotions were flying.

Overall, the story is excellent and the series is well set for a great continuation.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5