B Reviews

A Baby for Easter by Noelle Adams

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
21417617
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Spark
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Willow Park #2
Published: 4/7/14
Reviewed by Kate
226 pages
 

Alice and Micah spent a summer together as camp counselors in high school, culminating in hand holding and a memorable kiss.  But while Alice hoped for some kind of commitment, Micah left for college where he became a bit of a wild man.  Now, years later Alice has returned home to Willow Park after two broken engagements. She’s made a set of rules for herself, to keep her from falling for the wrong guy again. Tired of trying to live the playboy life, Micah has also returned home, hoping to live a life that makes him feel better about who he is. When a baby is dropped off and turns out to be his daughter, Micah turns to Alice for help.

 

Yes, this book includes religion.  Both Alice and Micah were raised in religious families.  Both are actively involved in their church.  But I wouldn’t classify this as a Christian romance, it was more just a part of who Alice and Micah were, rather than being preachy. 

 

What this one was a gentle tale of two people striving to be better people and yet sometimes being their own worst enemies.  Alice is so caught up in her list of rules that she forgets to trust herself. Micah is so caught up in trying to overcome his past that he can’t get out of his own head at times. Yet the story manages to be emotional and gripping, rather than whiny and annoying.  If fact, I was so involved in the story and characters that I didn’t even realize that there wasn’t any sex.  I perfer my romances to have some sex in them (this is the Dirty Girls’ Good Books blog after all), but this one was great without it.

 

If you like small town contemporary romances, give this one a try.  Noelle Adams has a unique voice that I’ve enjoyed at every turn of the page. I look forward to investigating her backlist more.

Double Feature: Whitetail Rock and The Fix by Anne Tenino

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
1221560913248416

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Published: 2011
Reviewed by Anne
73+27 ebook pages

*Note: I’m reviewing these two stories together because they are very closely linked and short!

Nik was adopted from India as in infant by his very white family.  He grew up in a very white town very conscious of his skin color. On top of everything else he’s gay – just one more way to be different in his conservative home town.  Fortunately he’s got a solid family who has always stood behind him and supported him.  It’s when he’s home from college visiting them that he meets Jurgen, who looks like someone Hitler would have drooled over and pushes all of Nik’s buttons.  Unfortunately, those buttons are a mixed bag.  Nik is turned on by Jurgen, but also unwittingly reminded of some bad experiences in his past and people who were only interested in him because of his skin color.

Whitetail Rock is the story of how Nik and Jurgen meet and work through their issues.  The Fix is a very short update on them working through a new issue.  Both were good, hot reads.  Nik is very insecure, and Jurgen is more insightful than he looks.  I would have enjoyed these stories even if I’d paid for them, but it’s an extra bonus that they’re available for free!  And some of the characters apparently feature in the book Too Stupid To Live, which I *did* buy and am looking forward to reading!

Once Upon A Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Once upon a Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club, #4)
Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Billionaire Boys Club #4)
Published: 4/15/14
Reviewed by Anne
248 pages

Griffin is not just a billionaire, but a member of the royal family in Monaco-like country in Europe.  He’s pretty proud that he has just one staff member, but as it turns out he relies heavily on that assistant to do everything for him.  When this assistant is too sick to attend to him on a trip back to his home country, he finds himself desperate enough to accept his friend’s offer of lending his assistant, Maylee to Griffin for the trip.

Maylee is a small town southern girl who still hasn’t lost her accent or her Golly Gee! outlook on life.  As it turns out, though, she’s an incredibly good assistant and Griffin comes to rely on her.  He’s as rude as he is good-looking, though, so it’s a good thing Maylee has a thick skin and is determined to complete this assignment for the money it will let her send home to her family.

My initial impression was that Griffin was an asshole.  Unfortunately that changed very little during the book.  Maylee walked the line of being TSTL.  Had she not been extremely competent, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive her actions on the plane when she met Griffin for the first time.  As it turned out, Maylee saves this story.  She’s aware that she’s a little backwoods country girl, but she also knows what she’s good at, and she knows that Griff needs her.   Griffin might be incredibly rude to her, but that doesn’t make her feel bad about herself, and that was wonderful to read!

This would have been an A read, but the last few chapters of the book just felt really rushed to me.  I thought MayLee and Griffin had issues to talk through that couldn’t be solved by grand guestures.  I cheered every time Maylee made a stand for herself, so I cringed a little bit when their problems resolved themselves the way they did when she returned to New York.

It especially bothers me that she ends up being completely dependent on him.  It bothers me because, while I’m convinced he loves her, I’m not convinced that he won’t trample all over her feelings and keep thinking he’s better than her.  They’ve got a lot to work through and it leaves me uncomfortable feeling like she’s really stuck with him  – and she’s given up trying to do anything independent.  (Yes, she mentions a business she’d like to start, but I find that improbable, because she’s never mentioned it before this and has no business experience.

All that said, I know I’ll keep reading Jessica Clare.  I adore her sense of humor!  Harry Potter references always win with me!  Maylee and Griffin do a pretty good job communicating with each other about sex, even if they don’t talk enough about their relationship.  Jessica Clare has all the elements I like, even if this wasn’t a favorite read for me.