romance – Carol's Notebook

Teaser from Redeeming Love

May 10, 2011May 10, 2011 by Carol9 Comments

He held her in his arms like a child, his warmth soaking into her. He smelled of earth and sun. "You can put me down now. But not in bed. I've spent my whole life in bed and I'm sick of it." (Tuesday Teaser from Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers)...

Review: Silver and Spice by Jennifer Greene

April 12, 2011April 12, 2011 by Carol6 Comments

I'm not going to tell you that the writing in Silver and Spice was mesmerizing. I can't say that the plot was terribly unique, and, to be honest, the characters bordered on stereotypical. But I truly enjoyed the story. It's about friendship, love, and trust wrapped up in a cute romance. The first chapter sets the stage perfectly. Uptight, too perfect banker Anne Blake is being more or less stalked at a party by sexy Jake Rivard. He undoes her buttons, pulls pins out of her hair and keeps catching her eye. While she is annoyed, she seems to be enjoying the attention at the same time. Later, we learn that she and Jake have been friends since childhood and lovers at two points in their adult lives. Both times, Jake left on an adventure, leaving Anne hurt. She's determined not to let it happen again, but of course can't resist him. And this time, Jake's serious. He's wants to marry...

Abandoned: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

March 2, 2011March 3, 2011 by Carol10 Comments

I had to give up on Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. I adored her The Cinderella Deal, and expected a similar type romance, fun and predictable. On the one hand, I was right. The two main characters Min and Calvin are so cute together. Of course, neither thinks the other is right for them, but we know different. They enjoy each other, bantering, playing, relaxed even though Min thinks he's only dating her because of a bet. It would be quite an enjoyable story if Crusie had kept these two and Calvin's friends and dumped all of Min's friends and family. They are the reason I had to abandon this one. Min's family is just mean to her. First, they think she's overweight and are constantly harping on it. Thank heavens Calvin loves how much she relishes food and gets her to eat all kinds of goodies, from chicken marsala to brats to donuts. And they give the impression that they think...

Review: Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee

February 28, 2011March 3, 2011 by Carol9 Comments

Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee Ah, steampunk romance. This one has great elements. The setting is an alternative London, 1898. A slasher is on the loose, killing women and keeping their hearts. Automatons have taken over many of the jobs previously held by the lower class, from manufacturing workers to household servants. The unemployed are angry and things may turn ugly in the city. Victoria is a scientist, part of the team responsible for creating the automatons, but she sees them being used in ways that aren't not what she had expected and she's concerned by the number of these machines that have malfunctioned. Dash is one of the unemployed. He kidnaps Victoria, hoping to use his group's cause, getting rid of the automatons, giving real people jobs again. He's surprised when she agrees with him and offers to help without having to be forced. Dash and Victoria are attracted to each other and against her better judgment, Victoria decides to pursue the...

Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich

January 18, 2011 by Carol7 Comments

Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich Here's the basic story. When something crashes through Kathryn Finn's roof, her neighbor, David Dodd comes over to make sure she's okay. Of course, they seem to be polar opposites. She's a hard-working cellist, he seems to be a lazy bum, living off his lottery winnings. Of course, there's sparks, misunderstandings, a wacky old lady, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a happy ending. To be honest, this one had me rolling my eyes and saying "give me a break." I enjoy a cheesy romance, but this was pushing it. I did love David though. He was so honest, caring, impulsive, and I had to find out what his real story was. He was quite obviously to good a guy to just lay around the house playing with toys until his money ran out. I liked how he treated Kathryn, teasing and a little pushy, but not too alpha. I can't say I recommend that you go out...

The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie

October 26, 2010March 2, 2011 by Carol8 Comments

The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie A sweet, fluffy modern fairytale, kind of like cotton candy, fun but no real substance. Of course, I love cotton candy, and I adored this romantic comedy. Daisy is an artist and storyteller, a free spirit who can be scatter-brained but is warm and caring. Linc is an uptight history professor who desperately needs a fiancée to get the university job he has his eye on. Of course, Daisy being desperate for money agrees to play along for $1000. But then Linc needs an actual wife to keep the job, so Daisy moves with him to the tiny town of Prescott, Ohio. "So you pick me up out of the gutter, and I get a new dress, and I pretend to be something I'm not, and then at midnight I run away and turn back into a pumpkin." Her grin widened. "It's a Cinderella story." (pg. 29-30) You can see where this is going I'm sure. When "midnight"...