Romance – Page 4 – Carol's Notebook

Secret at Skull House by Josh Lanyon

July 14, 2021July 13, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

Secret at Skull House is #2 in the Secrets and Scrabble series. It could work as a stand-alone but as with so many series it's best to read Murder at Pirate's Cove first to get a better feel for the characters and setting, Things are starting to settle down for Ellery. That is until the news that a famous author of supernatural mysteries – Brandon Abbott – has purchased Skull House, a large, dilapidated house outside of town. Well, almost everyone is excited. Nora, Ellery's assistant, had hoped the place would be the new home of the local historical society. Ellery is also not thrilled. He and Brandon had been in a relationship several years earlier that didn't end well. Ellery doesn't want to see him again, but it's a small town and that's impossible. It only gets worse when Brandon is found dead on the rocks below the house. Once again, Ellery is the main suspect and starts asking...

Murder at Pirate’s Cove by Josh Lanyon

July 13, 2021July 13, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

Ellery Page moves to Pirate Cove after inheriting a book store and a huge house from his great great great aunt Eudora, whom he had never actually met. It's actually a great time for Ellery to start a new life, after his ex cheated on him and his screenwriting career is not going great. But of course, it's not smooth sailing. The house is in need of endless repairs and the bookshop is in the red. Ellery is facing pressure from Trevor Maples, a mayoral candidate to sell, but he doesn't want to. And then Trevor ends up dead, murdered, laying in a pool of blood in the bookstore. And, of course, Ellery is the main suspect and as in any good cozy mystery starts investigating on his own. I like Ellery. He's charming and funny and sweet and I love his dog. Police Chief Carson I'm not sure about yet. He's a good guy, steady and honest, and the...

Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency by Daisy James

November 7, 2020November 6, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency, was a sweet, fun book to read with a cup of hot chocolate or my favorite coffee, cinnamon sugar cookie, which just returned to store shelves for the season. I love a good holiday romance and this one hit all the right notes. We have a lovely, snowy setting, happy couples, Christmas trees, cookies, and mulled wine. This is the third in the series and starts right in with the lead-up to Phoebe and Sam’s Christmas wedding. This is first I've read and it did take me a little while to feel comfortable with who the characters are and their relationships to each other. Once I got to know them, though, it's a fabulous group, fun to spend time with. Lexie is, temporarily, a wedding planner, and she wants this wedding to be perfect. I loved all of the activities leading up to the wedding party, like decorating Christmas trees and making gingerbread creations....

Chaos by Iris Johansen

October 6, 2020October 6, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

It's been a long time since I've read any romantic suspense and I don't think I've read anything by Johansen before. Our main characters here are CIA agent Alisa Flynn and billionaire inventor Gabe Korgan. They both want to be in charge and while they bicker a lot, the attraction is clear. And that's one thing that sometimes annoys me about romantic suspense: we're in the grimy wilderness, desperate to stop the bad guy and save the teenage girls, but my mind just keeps going to sex. Really? As a couple, though, they're pretty good. They're both strong, a little short on trust, and long on independence. The bad guys are really awful human beings. The story is violent, with rapes and beatings, but not overly graphic. And while you know Alisa and Gabe will rescue the girls, even Sasha, Alisa's ward, the tension lies is how they'll do it and how much harm will be done to the girls...

The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

The Christmas Pact was a short, sweet romance with a lot of Christmas decorations in the background. On the surface, it's a fun story. The couple meet after occasionally, accidentally receiving each other's work e-mails. Riley Kennedy and Kennedy Riley - you can see how that might get confusing. Riley is pretty sure Kennedy is a jerk, he insists on actually reading her e-mails and adding his two cents before forwarding them to her. They agree to pose as a couple over the Christmas holiday. It will help them both with family issues. Surprise, surprise, they actually start to have feelings for each other. I sound sarcastic, but the story was full of tender, endearing moments when they connected well. And of course, we get a happy ending. Riley was a good character, funny, insecure, cute. Kennedy, however, I wasn't actually fond of. When he was on his good behavior, he was sweet, amusing, and of course sexy, but his...

Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson (with giveaway)

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by CarolNo Comments

I love Poppy. She's an artist who has followed her dream to France, has adorable puppies and is in love with the perfect man. Christmas at the Chateau is a sweet romance, perfect for holiday reading. It's short, but the characters are charming and kind. The treasure hunt was cute even if the treasure itself was a bit predictable. I do love a Christmas romance with a happy ending. Giveaway to Win a Signed paperback copy of ‘Poppy’s Place in the Sun’ (1st book in the ‘A French Escape‘ series), hand-embroidered makeup bag (made by the author) and some artisanal French chocolates (Open INT) a Rafflecopter giveaway *Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative...