Hey folks!
I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday, and your week is going well! Hopefully, you all are reading some good book!
I'm here to share some of my thoughts on some recent romance books that I've read. There's not a particularly over-arching theme in this post. It's going to be a post featuring varying genres, but they all contain some kind of romance! I have two romantic suspense reviews for you - spoiler alert, I loved those two! I also have two contemporaries, one about a nanny and a famous DJ and another about lawyers.
Take a look at what I thought about them!
I picked Extreme Exposure up thanks to Lisa's reviews for books 2-4. I love romances with suspense themes in them, but unfortunately have not read many either. This was a good start to the series, and I enjoyed it a whole lot. What was unique here for me was that the book features an investigative reporter and a senator- I don't think I've read a romance that was so heavily entrenched in politics. It was an experience, and a good one! The characters in Extreme Exposure were a well-developed cast, and Pamela Clare took her time to flesh them out into realistic individuals. Kara and I formed an instant connection. I liked how independent, ruthless and hardworking she was. As a single mother, things tended to be hard for her in many ways, and I especially liked how Clare explores the balance between work and family life here. But Kara does her best for her daughter, and you can just tell that her whole revolves around her kid and her job. Speaking of her job, she's an investigative journalistic like I mentioned above, and a damn good one at that. Her career was so interesting to me. I don't think I quite realized just how dangerous the life of a reporter can actually get. Reece was a fantastic hero too. He's an alpha, but he also has a very sensitive side to him. All throughout Extreme Exposure, he is patient, gentle and loving towards Kara. Their romance was just lovely and I enjoyed watching the progression of their relationship. The plot in Extreme Exposure which involved corrupt companies, unethical politicians, and pollution, was fantastic and held my attention all throughout. I was on the edge of my seat all throughout the book! If you're looking for a romantic suspense novel that's different from most of what's out there, Extreme Exposure is a book for you!
Received for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
I may have mentioned this before but I have a thing for books with wedding themes on the cover, so I picked up That Thing You Do without even bothering to read the back. For the most part, this was a cute book, but there was just something about the writing style that didn't entirely work for me. I guess it missed a spark for me, and I kept waiting to be wowed. The characters here were likable, but I can't say that they were memorable for me. I read the book just a few weeks ago, and there's not much I remember about the main character Greta, other than she's a nanny and is a cynic who doesn't particular want romance in her life. The only thing I remember about her love interest, Jon, is that he's British and a DJ. I found Jon's Britishness to be very stereotypical and he kept calling women "birds" which I don't know if this is a British thing, but why? Personality-wise, I don't remember anything, which I guess means to me these characters were forgettable. That's something that's never a good thing when it comes to character-driven books like romances. The romance itself was cute. I liked how persistent Jon was, and their dates together actually had me smiling, which is what had me flipping through the pages of the book. Anyways, I did really enjoy the friendship between Greta and her friends. They were an eclectic group, but they fit well together. I loved how they were unafraid to voice out their opinions of each other's decisions, and were always there to support each other. Honestly, is there anything better than good girl friendships in books? Certainly not for me! The one character I didn't like in the book was the kid that Greta nannies. Now don't get me wrong. She's a sweet kid who just wants her dad's love, but I felt like the way she was written was a little jarring. She came across as an adult at times with the way she talked, and at other times she would seem young. It was strange. All in all, That You Do wasn't a terrible book, but I'm not sure if I'm invested enough to want to continue the series.
Received for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
Basically why I dislike novellas. :(
Sadly, Breaching the Contract did not work for me. Going into the book, I was completely unaware that it would be on the shorter, novella side. Had I known, I most likely would not have picked it up. I was intrigued by the premise of lawyers falling in love (because I adore Emma Chase's Legal Briefs series!), but I don't think it was executed well here. For one, the short length of the book means the characters were severely underdeveloped. You only get to know them surface level. And I really do mean surface level. Secondly, everything feels rushed, and you never get a chance to fully appreciate the connection between the love interests. I'll say that there were hints of chemistry here and there, that could have been fiery had they been explored better. But for the most part it just felt like it went from dislike/annoyance to sexy times to love in like 5 minutes. I also felt like 99% of the book was telling instead of showing. You are told this and that about the characters, the court-scenes, but never really shown anything. All in all, this was a disappointment for me and I most likely won't be continuing on with the series.
Sandra Brown is an author who comes highly recommended from Rachel at The Reader's Den. I trust anything that Rachel recommends so when I saw that she had absolutely loved Seeing Red, I knew I had to read it. And wow! What a ride! This was definitely more suspense/mystery than romance, but it was such a good book, and the romance is so swoony, so I felt like I absolutely HAD to feature it in today's list. There's a lot going on with the plot of Seeing Red, and I don't want to get into the details of it because it all because it's best to go in blind. The basic gist of the story revolves around a 1992 hotel bombing and the hero who led survivors to safety, the Major. It may have seemed like a straightforward, callous bombing, but there's a lot more to the story that readers only start to find out progressively throughout the book. At the center of it all is Kerra, a journalist who badly wants an interview with the Major for both professional and personal reasons. I enjoyed Kerra's character. She's a hardworking woman, who goes after her goals regardless of the obstacles that fall in her way. I admired her tenacity. As we learn more about her and her past, her vulnerabilities also come to surface and they made her all the more realistic. The love interest here is Trapper, estranged son of the Major who is now a detective. This guy was a total grump, very rough around the edges, and I loved him from the very beginning. He does not want anything to do with Kerra when she shows up asking for help, but somehow finds himself intertwined in her life. The romance between them was so hot. It's a slow-burn romance with a lot of sexual chemistry and tension that's just waiting to burst off the pages. When they finally give in to their obvious attractions to each other, it's hot as hell! The plot here was fantastic too. I was totally hooked to the story just waiting to see how the events would unfold. Sandra Brown clearly knows her way around a good mystery, and Seeing Red was proof of that. Seeing Red is another romantic suspense/thriller book that I highly recommend, and this will most certainly not be my last book by the author!
Have you read any new romantic suspense novels? What are your thoughts on novellas?
Let me know in the comments below!
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