Driving Miss Crazy, by D.J. Van Oss

Format: e-ARC, 292 pages

Publisher: Blue Penny Press

Published: 16 May, 2016

ISBN: 9780692685730

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Back cover blurb: He’s got a car. She’s got places to be. If only things were that simple.

Maggie MacNally always falls short, no matter what she does. Whether it’s her career or her love life, nothing ever ends up right, and even as she tries to put her work mishaps and dating missteps behind her to forge a new life in Washington DC, she wonders: is she really heading where she wants to go, or simply following in the family footsteps?

But just as she’s considering packing it all in, an out-of-the-blue proposal from her influential grandmother offers her one last chance at success — a chance which puts her in the path of beguiling and mysterious French diplomat, Valery.

Meanwhile, diplomatic driver and widowed father Adrian Adams isn’t looking to change anything about his life, he just wants to keep his seven-year-old daughter Charlie safe and happy. The last thing on his mind is finding love again – and the last thing he expects is to suddenly lose his job. Luckily, he’s soon got a new assignment, one which brings him face to face with an overworked, stressed-out, but oddly charming Irish girl with a penchant for talking to squirrels: Maggie. It’s not long before Adrian finds himself, unwittingly, falling in love again.

Will Maggie seize the life she’s always yearned for, or be left with the pieces of yet another broken dream? And will Adrian take a second, crazy chance at love, or just play it safe? And what’s with all the squirrels?

My review: I picked this up from Netgalley because of the cute graphics on the cover and the pun in the name, and then was intrigued to find it was a sweet romance debut by a male author. However, I wasn’t really bowled over by the plot. My favourite character was Adrian’s daughter, rather than the couple themselves, and the “intrigue” at the embassy was signposted so far out that nothing came as a surprise in the end. There was a love triangle, of course, and lots of people telling Maggie what to do so she came across as a bit of a child. So overall it was just okay.

Since it was first published the cover has been redone to show a photo of a couple, and I’d have to say that I wouldn’t have picked it up at all had that been the original cover. I much prefer the cute pink and blue graphics.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 2.5/5

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Book trailer reveal: Hard To Let Go, by Laura Kaye

 

I’m very excited to be taking part in this trailer reveal for Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink Series! HARD TO LET GO – the final title in the Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Romance, is releasing June 30th!! Laura has a very special treat, through June 29, anyone who pre-orders HARD TO LET GO, and Fills Out This Form, will receive a Hard Ink Series Short Story! Just fill out the quick form here!

Pre-Order at Amazon | B&N | iBooks| Kobo

Hard to Let Go on Goodreads

 

And now….The Amazing Hard Ink Trailer…

 

Link:https://youtu.be/qM45fjLJXXk

About HARD TO LET GO:

Beckett Murda hates to dwell on the past. But his investigation into the ambush that killed half his Special Forces team and ended his Army career gives him little choice. Just when his team learns how powerful their enemies are, hard-ass Beckett encounters his biggest complication yet—a seductive, feisty Katherine Rixey.

A tough, stubborn prosecutor, Kat visits her brothers’ Hard Ink Tattoo shop following a bad break-up—and finds herself staring down the barrel of a stranger’s gun. Beckett is hard-bodied and sexy as hell, but he’s also the most infuriating man ever. Worse, Kat’s brothers are at war with the criminals her office is investigating. When Kat joins the fight, she lands straight in Beckett’s sights . . . and in his arms. Not to mention their enemies’ crosshairs.

Now Beckett and Kat must set aside their differences to work together, because the only thing sweeter than justice is finding love and never letting go.

Pre-order before or on June 29, fill out the form, and get a Hard Ink Short Story!

 

And don’t miss the other Hard Ink books, now available!

 

Hard As It Gets

Hard As You Can

Hard to Hold On To

Hard to Come By

Hard to Be Good

 

Praise for Hard to Let Go:

“Kaye wraps up her bestselling series with this action-packed story, highlighting her talent for alpha military heroes, hot romance, and an ensemble cast of characters who are unique and engaging. A supersexy, high-octane romantic suspense novel that concludes the popular Hard Ink series in a completely satisfying way.” ~Kirkus Reviews

 

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

 

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In the Shadow of Winter, by Lorna Gray

Format: e-ARC, 339 pages

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Published: March 12, 2015

ISBN: 9780008122720

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Back cover blurb: The Cotswolds, 1947

The relentless winter of 1947 holds post-war Britain in its deadly grip, and Eleanor Phillips rides out from her beleaguered Cotswold farm to rescue a stranger lost in the storm. But the near-dead man is no stranger and when she recognises Matthew Croft, the old ties of a failed romance tug deeply. Her sweetheart has returned from the war…

Suspicion, the police and the panicked flight of a desperate man beat a path to her door. And with a wanted man hidden in her home and stealing back into her heart, Eleanor must be on her guard—for the net is closing in on them both and enemies are all around…

My review: This gets off to a very slow start, probably because having a taciturn hero means there is hardly any dialogue in the first quarter to advance and break up the narrative. However, once the mystery of his flight is revealed, the plot becomes more interesting and the last quarter is action-packed.

Nevertheless, I’m not sure I connected with these characters as much as I should have. Eleanor is plucky and good with horses, but I don’t feel like I know much about her, and I know even less about Matthew. They drink a lot of tea. He healed very quickly from his injuries. But I like them. Freddy is also a great secondary character.

Some of the word choices were wrong, but as this was an ARC I’m hoping those errors will have been corrected for the final published version. The cover is very pretty, but like the blurb it’s a bit misleading about the plot.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 3/5

 

 

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Hard To Come By, by Laura Kaye (Hard Ink, book 3)

Format: Kindle edition, 384 pages

Published: November 25, 2014

Publisher: Avon

ASIN: B00IRCO4G4

Back cover blurb: Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…

My review: Better than the last two books, but not quite as good as the first, in my opinion. I’ve always liked Marz’s easy humour, and Emilie is a great match for him. She’s not a victim, and I liked that there were no great histrionics in their relationship. The suspense plot continues to develop with some major events, and once again Jeremy is a star. I did miss Eileen the three-legged dog, though. Looking forward to Jeremy and Charlie’s book next – Hard to Be Good, due out on April 7.

My rating: 4/5

Amazon

(N.B: Amazon currently has this book on sale for 99c.)