Note from Anne – this is the first romance novel I owned, the one that started me on my love affair with romance. It hasn’t stood the test of time, though. Back in the day, I reread this countless times. I set romance aside for a few years and when I got back into it, I didn’t care for this one any more. I actually ended up giving it away, because it made me feel yucky. Kudos to Kate for taking on the challenge of reading My First Romance Novel.
Grade – C-
Hotness Level – Blaze
Kink Level – None
Genre-Historical
Series – Bride Series #1
Reviewed by Kate
Douglas, Earl of Northcliffe, needs a bride and an heir to get his family off his back. Due to a scheduling conflict, he sends his cousin, Tony, to wed the beautiful Melissande by proxy. Unfortunately for Douglas, Tony and Melissande fall madly in love and elope. Not wanting to return to Douglas empty handed, Tony makes the choice to proxy-marry Melissande’s younger sister, Alexandra, to Douglas instead — without informing him.
Douglas spends most of the book telling Alexandra he wishes she were her sister. Alexandra, who has secretly loved Douglas for the last 3 years, spends the book alternating between planning ways to make Douglas love her and trying to run away.
While Douglas The Ass and Wishy-Washy Alexandra are the main characters, Tony and Melissande’s relationship is also a focal point — a disturbing focal point. Melissande, being beautiful, is very self-centered. Tony, being her husband, must train her to be a better person. This takes the form of “I’m your husband, you must do as say,” but left me feeling almost dirty. It came off as belittling, embarrassing, and degrading.
The repeated references to Alexandra’s spine being strapped to a broom handle and Douglas’s continued use of “tell me you understand” got tedious. A sub-plot involving a kidnapped mistress leading to Alexandra being kidnapped herself added another layer of weirdness to the story.
All in all, I’m glad I didn’t waste money on this one.
C Reviews
The Navy Seal’s Promise by Soraya Lane
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Reviewed by Kay
The novel is about the promise Luke, a Navy Seal, made to Saskia, a soldier in the Army. They sat next to each on a flight and got to talking. Saskia is a single mother and on leave for forty-eight hours over the Christmas holiday and wants to see her son. Luke is on his way home also but to spend Christmas by himself. He enjoys her company and conversation as they make their way home. Her connecting flight is cancelled leaving her heartbroken, so Luke promises her he’ll get her home.
Luke lost his wife to cancer three years ago. He made her a promise he’d get home to her but didn’t arrive until after she’d passed. He saw the sorrow in Saskia’s eyes and was moved to help her. He knows all too well how short life is and how important it is to be with the ones you love.
This was a very cute and very sweet love story about two people who know about not only sacrifice but dealing with loss. They find something in the other person that they connect with and a love begins to grow. This story made me smile more than once.
Montana Reunion by Soraya Lane
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Genre-contemporary
Trope-marriage of convenience
Reviewed by Kate
When Maddison discovers her fiancee is gay, she takes a break from her busy Los Angeles life and returns home to Montana. She runs across Jack right away. Jack was her childhood best friend whose father has recently died. In order to inherit the farm, Jack must marry within a year, or contest the will…a long and expensive process. Maddie offers a marriage of convenience. Both agree that their marriage is a good idea, but they disagree about children. Maddie wants kids as soon as possible. Jack refuses to have kids because he worries he will be a terrible father like his own dad. So what happens when Maddie ends up pregnant?
I really liked parts of this book. Jack and Maddie genuinely care about each other and their relationship reflects their prior friendship. The whole kids vs. no kids argument got old fast, though. Maddie decides to marry him knowing there won’t be kids, but she continually tries to convince him he would be a great father.
In general, I am a marriage of convenience kind of reader, but this one just didn’t do it for me.
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