contemporary

Mine To Take by Cynthia Eden

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Mine to Take
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Genre-Contemporary/Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
151 pages

Trace and Skye were foster children at the same home in their teenage years. Skye’s parents died and Trace’s just didn’t care to raise him. After Trace saves Skye from an attempted rape by their foster brother, they became friends and then lovers. Trace broke up with Skye and joined the Army. Skye became a ballerina and pined for Trace. After an auto accident and the feeling she was being watched, she moved back to Chicago. She tried to hire Trace’s security firm but he offered to help her find her stalker for free. Trace wants Skye back in no uncertain terms.

It was good suspense but I think it’s hard to build great suspense in a novella. The romance was rushed and the lone love scene was hot. I wanted to like it more than I ended up liking it. It was just an okay read for me but I would definitely read more from this author again. Cynthia Eden writes good paranormal books with blistering love scenes that I missed here. Are you a romantic suspense fan?

Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold, #11)

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Fool’s Gold #11
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
384 pages

Gideon Boylan was a sniper in the armed forces and a P.O.W., which has left him scarred. He has settled in the town of Fool’s Gold to try and find some peace. He bought the town’s radio station and even does the nighttime DJ job. He likes his privacy and doesn’t want to get too involved with anything. The he learns his one night stand from the past is here in his new hometown.

Felicia Swift is smart, scary smart. She was a logistics master with the Special Forces. She still works with four of them and is helping their new business in the town of Fool’s Gold  get off the ground. She has never had a family but wants one desperately. But to get that, you have to out your heart on the line and rejection is scary.

I wanted this to be so much better than it was. It was okay and I didn’t hate it but I certainly didn’t love it either. I mean it had everything I would normally love: a scarred hero and heroine, a secret baby and this town I love to read about. It never came together for me. Besides, the town has already had a secret baby story and I thought that was cheap. I’ll continue because of my love for this series but this was not as good as it usually is.

Cowboy Seeks Bride by Carolyn Brown

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Cowboy Seeks Bride
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Spikes & Spurs #7
Genre-Contemporary
384 pages
Reviewed by Kate

Haley McKay (whose professional name is HB McKay) thinks her dad is playing a practical joke on her when he sends her to meet Dewar O’Donnell and his buddies at the start of a cattle drive. She’s supposed to ride with the cowboys on the month-long round up as research for a reality show the family tv company is considering, but Haley is sure that when she gets there it will all be a joke.

Dewar is expecting HB McKay to be a middle-aged business man, not the feisty red-head that shows up. He’s been actively looking for a wife, but knows there’s no way Haley’s busy life as a career woman would mix with his life on the ranch. But despite the logic, the sparks between Haley and Dewar fly.

Carolyn Brown is one of my favorite authors of the modern cowboy, In Cowboy Seeks Bride she delivers a solid, low conflict romance. Haley’s city-girl ways clash with Dewar’s country life, but the attraction is instant. I enjoyed watching Dewar and Haley sneaking around and hiding their relationship from the other cowboys on the drive. The ending seemed a bit too easy, a little too perfect, but still believable. I can forgive the ending since I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

Are you a fan of the modern-day cowboy romance? If so, who are some of your favorite authors?