contemporary

Dangerous Curves Ahead by Sugar Jamison

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Dangerous Curves Ahead (Perfect Fit, #1)

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Perfect Fit #1
Published: 8/27/13
Reviewed by Anne
246 pages
Ellis Garret is a plus sized woman who has come to terms with her size.  She’s not on a huge life changing diet or quest to get skinny.  She’s ok with where she is, but she also knows very well that society thinks she’s fat.  An ex-boyfriend was very clear about that.  When he pushes Ellis too far, she dumps him, quits her job, and moves back to her home town to start a clothing shop for women who are hard to fit – plus sized, extra tall, extra short.  
Mike Edwards was her college girl crush, but he was only friendly to her – he dated her sister.  He bumps into Ellis at the local coffee shop, and he looks familiar, but he can’t remember her.  Ellis could be bothered by his lack of memory, but she’ s not.  She finds it funny and teases him, refusing to tell him how she knows him and even knows what kind of underwear he wears.  Mike is used to having women fall at his feet, so he’s intrigued by Ellis happily walking away from him after he flirts with her.
I’m not a huge fan of cartoony romance covers, but when I saw this book featured a plus sized heroine, and it DIDN’T sound like it was about dieting, I decided to give it a try. I’m SO glad I did! It was a wonderfully witty story about a woman happy as she is, trying to overcome insecurities she picked up due to past relationships and a man who has never been interested in a long term relationship before. It was funny and sweet and hot. I really enjoyed it.
The dialog is really entertaining.  I especially enjoyed the back and forth between Ellis and Mike.  I love that Ellis doesn’t put up with crap or excuses from anyone.  When Mike does her wrong, she calls him out on it and is clear about what he did that hurt her.  The secondary characters are fun to read, too.  Ellis’ parents are a hoot!
It did feel like the book was too long. It took too many times hashing through the same relationship problems, and when that happens, it leaves me a little doubtful about their future.  The epilogue absolutely pissed me off, both because it was a change in character and because I thought what happened (and I know it was supposed to be cute) was actually a really crappy way to treat your spouse.
All that said, the good absolutely outweighed the bad for me.  I’ll read another book by Sugar Jamison for sure – even if there’s a cartoon on the cover!


Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Christmas on 4th Street (Fools Gold #12.5)
Grade-B+
Hotness Level-Ember
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Fool’s Gold #12.5
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
336 pages

“That’s the thing about love. We often get more than we deserve and isn’t that incredibly wonderful?”
Yet another installment of Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series and I fall more in love with the series every book. This one is about Noelle who runs the Christmas Attic store in town. That’s right a store specializing in Christmas 365 days a year. I can’t help it, it warms my heart.  Noelle was very sick in the recent past but has overcome it. She lost her mother and grandmother to a auto accident and her fiancé to her illness. She made her way to Fool’s Gold and never looked back. She loves the town, townspeople, friends, her store and her home. But she wants her own HEA and watching her friends marry one by one is bittersweet
.
Gabriel Boylan is the brother of Gideon, who settled in the town a couple of years ago. Gabriel is a trauma specialist with the Army. He has worked overseas and had seen enough horror to last a lifetime. After losing his fiancé to a combat related his issue, he decides that he won’t ever fall in love again because it hurts too bad to lose someone you love. He comes to his brother’s house for the Christmas holiday and meets Noelle.

I so much enjoyed this book because of it’s sweetness. I’ll admit the ending was a little far fetched for most towns but not Fool’s Gold. I can’t wait for her next installment. My continued complaint regarding her separate books with this series is that the heat content is totally unacceptable.

The Christmas He Loved Her by Juliana Stone

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake, #2)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Bad Boys of Crystal Lake #2
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
352 pages

This is the second book in this series and I didn’t read the first one yet. I probably should’ve read them in order but honestly you don’t have to.

Jake is a former Army Ranger and served in Iraq with his fraternal twin brother, Jesse. Jesse married Raine who grew up with the boys in their hometown. These three got into all kinds of trouble together in their youth. Raine’s upbringing was non-traditional, so she enjoyed spending time with the boys and their parents.

When the story begins, you realize that Jesse was killed in action and Jake took a sabbatical from life. He returns home and sees Raine, his brother’s widow and the only woman he has ever loved. This story is the telling of their journey to one another.

I’ve wanted to read the first book in this series since I read about several months ago but at almost seven dollars a book, by an author I wasn’t sure about, that’s just too pricey. Well, after reading this one, as far as this series is concerned, Juliana Stone is an auto-buy for me now. I loved everything about this book. The characters were so real and the emotion so heartfelt. This was so very much more than a contemporary romance.

This is a story about love and it’s healing powers. It’s about family and facing a loss in the family. It’s about survivor’s guilt and the guilt associated with loving someone else after you lose your spouse. It was a story about redemption when it was never needed and the bonds formed through friendship. It was about the acceptance of one’s self, even with your faults. This was perfect for me. I just absolutely loved it!