small town

Desperately Seeking Fireman by Jennifer Bernard

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Desperately Seeking Fireman (The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel, #4.5)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel #4.5
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
100 pages

Jeb Stone is the captain of the San Gabriel fire department for shift C. He was married for several years but got divorced. He has an eighteen year old daughter who wants him to date and get on with his life. He meets Nita Moreno at his friend’s wedding. He’s instantly attracted to her and kind of flirts with her. He is still married at this time and this was a little off-putting for me. There’s a reason behind Jeb and his wife’s marriage but that’s for you to read.

The story moves ahead a few years and Melissa, his friend’s wife is coming to get an exclusive interview with a Senator. The Senator that Nita works for. This interview takes place in San Lucia and Jeb gets bamboozled into shadowing Melissa because she’s hugely pregnant. He’s surprised to see Nita and that his attraction to her hasn’t waned.

I hate to admit it but this is one of those series that I have fallen behind on. It’s a good series and I hope to catch up on it now. My main complaint in saying that is that her books aren’t on Kindle through my library. I love to support the authors I read but sometimes I can’t justify the money at the time I want to read it. Then I tend to forget because of the amount of books I have to read.

This is a novella and its just sweet. About two people who have lost and still keep trying to pull it all together. The story is witty, engaging and sexy. If you want a story that is just precious, this is it.

The Summer He Came Home by Juliana Stone

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Summer He Came Home (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake, #1)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Bad Boys of Crystal Lake #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
384 pages

Cain Black was one of the Bad Boys of Crystal Lake. He left town ten years ago to chase his music dream. He’s back now for his friend’s funeral. His future looks pretty good considering his band is about to make it big. He recently got out of a disastrous marriage and was just looking to pay his respects to his deceased friend, then he was moving on. At the funeral reception he sees Maggie and it was love at first sight.

Maggie is a single mother with a young son, Michael. They don’t have much money but she does have a BIG secret. A dangerous secret. She makes her bills by cleaning houses. She lives in a little bungalow that’s perfect for her and her son. She sees Cain and at first she’s frightened but also attracted. She has no time for a relationship with a rock star that will soon be leaving town. She has a son to protect, she tells herself.

I read the second book in this series first and LOVED it. I truly enjoyed this one except for one thing. She’s married. Granted, she’s on the run from her abusive ex but I don’t like to read about adultery. At all. Honestly, it changed how I rated the book. I’m telling you this as a warning if adultery is a hard limit for you as a reader.

Otherwise, this was a great and very sweet book. Their relationship building was fun to read. There’s humor, suspense, sadness and some steamy sex in this story. I would recommend this series to anyone who believes in the healing power of love and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book.

Half Moon Hill by Toni Blake

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Half Moon Hill (Destiny, #6)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Destiny #6
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
384 pages

Anna Romo is the sister of Mike and Lucky. She disappeared when she was young and reappeared some twenty years later, trying to reconnect with the family she lost. She was kidnapped by a woman who wanted a child so badly she was willing to steal someone else’s. We first met Anna in the last book, when she tried to take Amy’s man. She bought an old Victorian style house on the outskirts of Destiny. She has plans to turn it into a bed & breakfast. She has done all the interior work herself but needs to start on the exterior, where she’ll need some help.

Duke Dawson is her brother’s best friend and she finds him living in the woods by her home. Duke is an ex-biker with baggage and a very noticeable scar. He agrees to help Anna do the exterior and the unlikely couple start a physical relationship. He doesn’t want anyone to know he’s in Destiny and she helps him keep his secret.

I had to make myself get into this book and I’m glad I did. I love the other books in this series but I really didn’t like Anna because of her behavior in the last book. I wasn’t crazy about Duke either in this one because he was kind of an ass and a pussy. He treated Anna badly I thought, regardless of his reasoning. Their love built slowly and the love scenes were steamy. But in my opinion, the real love story was between Cathy and Robert. Cathy was the girl who grew up in the house Anna bought and Robert was her first love. I was transfixed by their story with its innocence and purity. When I found out what happened to each of them, I bawled. Tears just rolled down my face. So to make a long story long, I ended up really liking the final book in this series. Anyone who loves small towns and the stories that come with them, should read the Destiny series. It’s with a heavy heart that I recommend it, as I am very sad to see it all end.