“Still bad at blog post titles" –a sequel

No, listen, how do you people come up with catchy post titles because I have nada.

Anyway, hi everybody! How is your week so far? School officially reopens for me this week, and I’m starting the final semester of my Master’s degree! Honestly I feel so burned out right now, I can’t wait for everything to be over, get my degree, and go make money with it, LOL.

In a bookish-related news, have you seen the cover for Lisa Kleypas’ Hello Stranger? Nick tweeted it to me when I was about to sleep last night. Personally I’m not a big fan of the dress; the black and white assemble looks weird, but I love the pink colours. Nick made a point last night in the GC about how it would be much more awesome if the model was wearing some sort of doctor attire, since the protagonist is a doctor. Talking about missed opportunities!

Also, Alisha Rai recently revealed the cover for Hurts to Love You, and it’s just as sexy as the first two covers in the Forbidden Hearts series.  I still haven’t started Hate to Want You, but I’m planning to read it as soon as I finish my current reads.

More reading updates? Onwards!

Kilts, Cooking & Annoying Heroines

Hi everyone! 

How are your weeks going? Mine is going okay. I haven't been feeling some of the romance books I've been reading sadly, so I've been getting back into murder mysteries and crime thrillers instead. I found my old collection of Tess Gerritsen books, and some I actually never got around to reading, so now I'm reading her Rizzoli & Isles books from the beginning.

Before I got into the murder mystery phase, I did get a chance to read some romance books, and I thought I'd share some quick thoughts with you all today. First, I'm sharing my review for the lastest book in Mary Wine's highlander series, Highland Weddings. Though I enjoyed the book, it wasn't as enjoyable as some of the other books in the series. I also review a diverse foodie romance with East in Paradise, which was a sweet book, but I also struggled with the heroine quite a bit.

Take a deeper look at what I thought about them!

HIGHLAND FLAME by Mary Wine [★★★]

Received for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

Some of you may have followed my reviews for the previous books in this series by Mary Wine on the other blog. If you don't know, I'm totally in love with this series. It's my first highlander series and Mary Wine has done nothing but impress me with the way she weaves together romance and politics. I'm always eager to read the next book in the series, so I jumped on Highland Flame with a lot of excitement. 

Right away though I could tell that Highland Flame wouldn't be as good for me as the previous books in the series. It's not a terrible book, but compared to the others, it falls behind a little bit. In Highland Flame, we're given Jane's story. She's a feisty, brave and sometimes reckless Englishwoman determined to return back home after her Scottish husband's passing. Jane is a great character, who shows a lot of strength and resilience throughout Highland Flame. Her scoundrel of her husband was even ready to prostitute her to settle his gambling credit, but she knows she's worth more than that and vehemently refuses. She remains true to herself throughout the book, and always bounces back whatever the obstacle she faces. 

She totally deserved a sweetheart like Diocail. I initially wasn't quite sure what to make of Diocail. He's just become the leader of his clan and desperately needs a wife to fix things around in their decrepit castle. I couldn't quite get a handle on his personality at first, but as the story progressed, we got to see the caring man underneath all that gruff exterior. He wants to do good for his clan, and his kindness and patience towards Jane were nothing short of swoony. Though I loved these two characters individually, I felt like a certain spark was missing in their relationship. I don't quite know exactly why that was, but I only know that I never felt as strongly for them as I did the previous couple. They enter into a marriage with Jane still hell-bent on going back to her home in England, but throughout the Highland Flame, they become familiar with each other and grow a bond. I'm just not convinced by their bond though. As always, Mary Wine writes excellent steamy scenes. Another aspect I liked here was the deeper exploration of what it's like to belong to a clan led by Highlanders. 

All in all, Highland Flame was certainly readable, and if you're a fan of this series, I definitely recommend checking it out.