Love Romance Passion » J-L http://www.loveromancepassion.com Because Books Don't Fall Asleep Afterwards! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review: If Wishes Were Husbands by Elizabeth Kyne http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-if-wishes-were-husbands-by-elizabeth-kyne/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-if-wishes-were-husbands-by-elizabeth-kyne/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000 Karin http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13800

If Wishes Were HusbandsReviewed by Karin of Savvy Thinker

I really enjoyed this book.

The story: Rachel is tired of being unmarried. While all her friends can tell horror stories about their men, she has nothing to say, so when her new hairdresser asks if she is married, she spins a story about the perfect man she is married to.

And then when she meets her friend for a drink, she spins the same story to the new women she meets, even as her friend challenges her about the story in privacy. Rachel says she will put them straight, the next time she meets them.

And then…

Imagine her surprise when she goes home and finds the man of her dreams, the one she has spun lies about, ensconced in her apartment, having prepared the gourmet meal she had said he prepares, with a perfect body, perfect sex, perfect everything.

And because she doesn’t remember how they got to that point, he re-proposes to her and tells her about their marriage, and…

But honestly, perfect is not what it is cracked up to be.

Even perfectly perfect in all his ways, after all she did make him up, ends up driving her mad.

The ending: Well, I won’t give it away. It ends differently than I thought, and perhaps my ending would have been better – and I suspect you could propose several endings yourself. But it is satisfying and wraps up some of the loose ends, while giving me other questions, which perhaps if I had read slower, I might have caught – or not. Perhaps the ends are not wrapped up tightly.

This book is delightfully funny, wry, interesting, witty…with good friends…with a mother going through her own mid-life crisis – funny in itself.

You would enjoy it. Part fantasy, part reality, a little bit of everything.

Buy: If Wishes Were Husbands

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Reviewed by Carla F.

At the age of 10, Lady Georgiana Montford is introduced to her betrothed, Robert Balfour, who will one day be the Earl of Sheffield. Robert is already a young adult, but he treats Georgie with kindness. A friendship develops, and Georgie falls in love with Robert. She is then devastated to discover Robert in the arms of another woman. Robert is unaware that Georgie saw him, and can’t understand why she is being so cold to him. However, he soon goes off to his father’s Caribbean plantation. Georgie tells no one what she saw, but she is determined to not marry the “Rat” when he returns, and she will take control of her life and destiny.

Things I liked: The story of Robert’s time on the plantation is sad, but shows why he had changed from the happy, more carefree man that Georgie once knew.

It is very sweet that Robert wants to regain Georgie’s friendship even if they will never be married.

The May Day scenes where Georgie washes her face in the dew in an attempt to get rid of her freckles, and the one with her bumping into Robert which causes him to miss the target in the archery contest and lose the prize of kissing the May Day Queen.

The heat in the picnic scene is not caused by the weather!

Things I didn’t like: Georgie was way too headstrong for me. While I admire her decision to not let others particularly her parents run her life, her choices led to other people being hurt.

Georgie and Robert were caught in compromising positions (or intimate discussions) way to many times by family members.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Pretty Persuasion

]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-pretty-persuasion-by-olivia-kingsley/feed/ 0 Review: No Ordinary Love by Kate Lynd http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-no-ordinary-love-by-kate-lynd/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-no-ordinary-love-by-kate-lynd/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:53:40 +0000 Lynn Reynolds http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13617

Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

This story is written in the first person.

Caliiope is a human rebel who was previously enslaved and tortured. She’s a member of the Resistance. During that time, she met James Lawton who is a half-breed. They first met when she was captured and put on a slave ship. They now pick up where they left off from when Caliope was first enslaved.

Kate has me wanting to read how Caliope and James met for the first time. What was it that made their first time so combustible? What was it that drew them to each other?

Kate gives us a lot of sex in just a few pages. I would have loved more of the story of Caliope’s and James’ adventures in their fight of the Capturian. I actually would have liked less sex, yes I said less sex, in this story. It’s like watching bad porn; you want to turn it off. Too much sex in this story just didn’t work for me.

I actually think that I would have liked Kate’s story more if the characters were more developed. Plus, the story was dropped and we’re left wanting more. Does this mean that there will be another book about the life of Caliope and James? What does the future have in store for them? Do they defeat the Capturian?

Rating: ★★★½☆

Buy: No Ordinary Love

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Guest post and Giveaway by Jennifer Lynne

(contains Adult rated excerpts)

Thank you to Love Romance Passion for having me here today, and right before Christmas, too! I often read blog posts about what makes a great hero, but it is less often that I see posts featuring the heroine. So today, just in time for the holiday season, I thought we could 'celebrate' the romance heroine.

What makes a good heroine in romance? When does she become someone you want to read about? What makes you care whether or not she ends up with that delectable hero? For that matter, why is the hero almost always delectable and yet the heroine may be somewhat more 'ordinary'? By ordinary, I don't mean that she should fade away into the background so the hero can shine. By ordinary, I mean real.

In my view, the more real the heroine, the more likely that the reader will care about her. She should be someone the reader can recognize from their own experience. A woman with personality traits both good and bad. A woman who may not be a stunning beauty but who we care about, simply because we identify with elements of her character and hence we start rooting for her to succeed at her journey. Wherever that journey might lead.

I believe a good heroine also needs to grow as an individual. If she starts and ends the story without any personal development, then she isn't interesting to me. I want her to make mistakes – hell, we all do that! – but I want her to learn from them.

Most of all, for me, I need her to have a backbone. She doesn't have to be kick-ass. She may, in fact, be quite gentle at her core. She may even seem to be a pushover, but when you analyze what she does and why, you discover that underneath that gentle exterior she does have the steel required to stand up for herself and her needs in a world that often doesn't listen.

Jeannie, my heroine in the just released Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1)) is a woman I would class as ordinary. She is a wife and mother, with a part time job and a partner she loves. Certainly someone I can identify with in those respects. Yet she is thrust into a foreign situation where an ancient god becomes the third person in their relationship. I believe that Jeannie shows an enormous strength of character in facing the truth of their M/M/F ménage and its consequences:

Pothos stepped forward and cupped Jake's cheek in his hands. She saw the tenderness in his touch, watched her husband half raise his hands in an instinctive response before letting them drop awkwardly back by his side.

"The gym?" Jake queried.

"Yes." Pothos smiled. "It was preparation. For tonight."

She wasn't sure what Pothos meant, but her husband seemed to understand. Moonlight traced his features and she could see his pulse beating so fast in his neck she wanted to reach out to calm him down. His erection, she realized, was not dissipating. If anything it was getting bigger.

Well, well. A faint ribbon of jealousy flitted through her and she hugged herself, knowing the irrational nature of the emotion given her own desires, but unable to feel completely comfortable with the idea that someone else was able to arouse her husband so fully.

As if sensing her disquiet, Pothos glanced sideways at her, the corner of his mouth curved up in a crooked grin, and as simply as that she felt the tension slip away. As long as it was Pothos, it would be okay. She wanted this.

For herself. And for Jake.

Despite the fact that she feels her emotions are manipulated at times by Pothos, Jeannie discovers a new sense of power when even he yields to her:

They looked beautiful, one the embodiment of power, the other in a more submissive pose, like an erotic picture on an ancient Greek urn, and she felt the rightness of what was about to come next.

"Jeannie, I want to suck his cock," Jake said, without taking his eyes off Pothos.

Pothos looked at her, though, desire written across his features. "I find myself wanting this, more than I expected," he admitted in a hoarse voice. "Something about the two of you is making this experience...more."

"More what?" The two men were waiting for her go-ahead, and perversely, she wanted to make them wait. It felt pretty damn exciting to be in control, even if only for a few seconds.

"Just...more," he answered. "I cannot explain it. I do not ordinarily experience the emotional side of loving, not often at all. But here, with the two of you..."

His eyes were pleading, and then Jake was looking at her as well. "Jeannie, for the love of God..."

She raised her chin. "All right," she agreed. "Go for it, boys."

Then Jake was bending forward and Pothos slid into his mouth. She saw Jake flinch at the first taste of another man, then the initial hesitation disappeared and he groaned and took the organ deeper, sucking and licking and moving his head, slowly at first and then faster as he found the right rhythm. All the while these incredible grunting noises were emanating from his throat, as Pothos growled his own enjoyment from above.

Jeannie sat up, wanting to join in, and Pothos beckoned her. On hands and knees she scooted over to Jake and shuffled in behind him, pressing her mons into his rear and thrusting hard, reaching around his body to find and stroke him while she did so, matching her rhythm to the one he was using on Pothos.

She couldn't catch her breath and her heart pounded frantically in her chest. Her breasts sank into Jake's back as she rode him while he mouth-fucked Pothos. Never in a million years would she have imagined doing this with her husband.

And what they were doing was driving her right to the edge.

When Jake finally came up for air she could hear his ragged breathing almost matching her own, and even Pothos looked as if he were having trouble staying on two legs. She took her hands off Jake and reached forward to trace the trembling thighs of the other man, and then Jake turned awkwardly and reached for her hips. "Jeannie. As much as I wanted to taste another man, it doesn't feel right without you. I love you. I want the three of us to be in this together. Equally."

"Wasn't planning on missing out, Jakey."

Buy: Platinum Passion

Giveaway:

To celebrate the importance of a romance heroine to identify with, and hopefully just in time to spice up someone's holiday reading, I'm giving away a digital copy of Platinum Passion. All comments on this post between now and 22nd December 2011 will be entered in the draw. So tell me, what do you look for in a romance heroine and what makes you care (or not) about her story?

Platinum Passion summary:

Three people. One erotic fantasy. And a twentieth wedding anniversary like no other.

Jeannie yearns for the return of passion in her marriage. Jake wants new excitement in the form of another man, in a way that won't upset the balance of his relationship with his wife. Pothos is one of the erotes and an aspect of Eros, the Olympian god of desire. This couple's distinctive yearning has called to him, and by the power of the erotes he intends to rekindle the flame of Jeannie and Jake's passion in a night of desire that could be the ultimate platinum anniversary gift.

And when the gods of love decide your marriage needs a boost, they never do it by halves.

Buy: Platinum Passion

About the author

Jen is a multi-published author who writes sensual and erotic romance from her home in Melbourne, Australia. She lives in hope that readers will continue to enjoy her novella-length tales of love and lust!

Find out more at Jennifer's website/blog http://www.jenniferlynne.com.au/blog or friend her (she needs more friends!) at Twitter: http://twitter.com/JenniLynnAuthor or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Lynne-Romance-Author/297504180262670

Jennifer Lynne Amazon Author Page

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Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

This is the first book of the "Zodius" series.

Cassandra Powell comes to work for her father and to evaluate some of the soldiers at the military facility.  Not two minutes after literally bumping into one of the soldiers he's hitting on her.  His name is Michael Taylor.  She then goes to meet her assistant Kelly who tells her something interesting about the GTEC soldiers that she will be working with.  I love how Kelly tells Cassandra how to have protected sex - ok Mom!

Cassandra's father seems to be one of the evil forces in this story.  He's done some experiments on the soldiers that Cassandra must now see what the effects are.  He seems to think that he can play God and not be held accountable.  But there is someone who is much more evil than he is.

Michael goes on a mission with two brothers, Adam and Caleb.  Adam shows us how the experiment can take a turn for the worse.  What's even worse is that there is a woman, his wife, who's as evil as he is.  Lisa paints Adam as a very dark sadistic man.  He gets pleasure from other people's pain.  Lisa doesn't make it too graphic but just enough so the reader will understand the type of evil man he is.

Lisa takes the reader on a very suspenseful ride.  From one chapter to the next we don't know what's going to happen to Cassandra and Michael.  But we have to keep reading so that we can find out.  You have to love a hero that in the midst of a war going on, he has time to make love to his lifebond.

Cassandra's father isn't happy on how his soldiers have turned out, now he wants to create a super soldier.  This is one more reason to keep reading.  Was this latest experiment a success?   And how does Michael's mother fit into all this?  Lisa gives us a glimpse into a world where if you fool with Mother Nature, you will suffer the consequences.

I love how Lisa has given Cassandra a strong personality.  She either fights by Michael's side or she'll just go out on her own.  They also love each other - no matter what.  This is the type of love we all long for.

The story ends with us wondering whether good was able to defeat evil.  Who will prevail?  You will have to keep reading the series to find out the answer to this question.  I definitely recommend reading this series.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: The Legend of Michael: Sin and Satisfaction (Zodius)

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Before you start: Have you read Jane Eyre? Did you like it? Well The Forbidden Wife followed Jane Eyre to a Tee, which is great if you love Jane Eyre (which I do) but awful if you’re looking for new surprises (I was and there wasn’t any).

Heroine: 18 year old Ashley Jones is an orphan who grew up in the foster care system. She’s got lots of debt and so desires jobs that include room and board. She’s pretty perceptive and has a lot of insights on people’s behavior because of her upbringing. Working as Jack’s live-in assistant at Blackwood Manor is her ticket for something better, even if it’s located out in the middle of nowhere on the moors.

Hero: 30 something Jack Marchant is working on a novel about his experiences in the military where something bad happened (but is never explained). He suffers a lot from bad dreams which might be indicative of PTSD (but again never specifically stated). He wants Ashley, his little oddball, something fierce, but the trick is making her realize she wants him and can have him.

Wife in the Attic: Or in this case the cruel wife in a coma. She tricked Jack into marriage with a fake pregnancy, which he honored even after finding out because he didn’t want her to swindle him out of money for a marriage that was only 3 months old and also because his pride demanded he make it work anyway.

Review: I wanted Forbidden Wife to do more. If it explored more emotional depth out of Ashley and Jack it could have been a solid update on Jane Eyre. I found this review of the story hilarious because it really tells it like it is.

Rating: ★★½☆☆

Buy: The Forbidden Wife (Harlequin Presents)

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-forbidden-wife-by-sharon-kendrick/feed/ 0 Get into Bed with Olivia Kingsley (Author Interview) http://www.loveromancepassion.com/get-into-bed-with-olivia-kingsley-author-interview/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/get-into-bed-with-olivia-kingsley-author-interview/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:24:30 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13215

Today's interview is with Olivia Kingsley, author of Pretty Persuasion.

Keira: A cheating hero? Or a big misunderstanding?! We need more details!

Olivia Kingsley: The answer is...neither? I guess it could be somewhat open to interpretation, but there's not really any misunderstanding (big or small), and I would argue there was no actual cheating. The heroine, Georgie, is only thirteen when she discovers the hero, Robert, with another woman. It just doesn't occur to Robert that anyone could think he should be faithful to a child that he might or might not marry someday. Georgie, of course, sees it differently! She has a crush on him in that obsessive and all-consuming way a typical teenager does, and that's why she's so shocked and hurt by it. Anyone who remembers the emotional turmoil of that age can probably sympathize with her reaction. It's not a major part of the conflict between them, but the airing-of-grievances scene later in the story where the topic comes up does reveal a lot about their relationship.

Keira: What do you like best about estranged/reunion plots? What’s special about Pretty Persuasion's take on this trope?

Olivia: I love reunion plots in romances because the couple has a history, which I think allows for a much deeper exploration of their relationship than with a couple that's just met for the first time. I like characters with baggage, and in reunion plots there's usually enough baggage for a trip around the world. :)

Pretty Persuasion is different from most reunions I've read because the hero and heroine weren't in a romantic relationship before their separation. So you get some of the baggage, but there's also a sense of "newness" to their discovering their feelings and attraction for each other.

Keira: What is your favorite moment in Pretty Persuasion? Why is it your favorite?

Olivia: There are a couple of fun scenes in the middle of the book involving Georgie's brother being kind of a bully and Georgie turning the tables on him rather cleverly. I wrote this story a decade ago (can't believe it's been that long!), and earlier this year when I decided to publish it and re-read it for the first time, I thought, "Oh, I forgot about this part. It's pretty entertaining." It's probably my favorite because it shows the different senses of humor of all the characters. I once told a friend I don't know how to relate to people who don't have a sense of humor. To my mind, laughter and romance go hand in hand.

Keira: How do you define love? (And how did you know it was love when you met your husband in an internet chatroom!!)

Olivia: That's a tough question! I think love can best be seen in a willingness to try and overcome your differences. It doesn't just apply to romantic love, either. Everyone has disagreements, big or small, but I think most won't put in the effort to work things out with people they don't care about. I'm sure the common reason cited for a lot of divorces--"irreconcilable differences"--often just means the couple doesn't love each other enough, or at all, to try and save their relationship. If you truly love someone, you'll do whatever it takes to not lose that person.

As for myself and finding love in an Internet chatroom...well, he made me laugh. I wasn't kidding about the sense of humor thing! We've been together 14 years (if you count the Internet chatroom days), and he still makes me laugh every day. It's one of the ways we reconcile our differences.

Keira: What are you working on now? What comes next? We want to know!

I've been toying with the idea of a prequel to Pretty Persuasion, a novella telling the story of Georgie's parents. They have such an interesting dynamic, and I think it'd be fun to write it. But right now I'm working on an historical romance very different from the lighthearted Pretty Persuasion. It's big and meaty, lots of plot, lots of history, and a lot of people die. I guess I need to work in some humor somewhere, or I won't be able to relate to any of the characters. ;-)

Buy: Pretty Persuasion

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/get-into-bed-with-olivia-kingsley-author-interview/feed/ 2 Review: Falke’s Captive (Puma Nights, Book 2) by Madison Layle and Anna Leigh Keaton http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-falkes-captive-puma-nights-book-2-by-madison-layle-and-anna-leigh-keaton/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-falkes-captive-puma-nights-book-2-by-madison-layle-and-anna-leigh-keaton/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000 Lynn Reynolds http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=12707

Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

The book Falke's Captive is the second story of the “Puma Nights” series.

Main Characters:  Beth Coldwell is a graduate student looking for some big cats.  Kelan and Reidar Falke are brothers with a family secret.

We also have minor characters:  The rest of the Falke's family - younger brothers; Sindre and Torsten, younger sister; Heidi (ironically she is a veterinarian), and older brothers; Axel and Gunnar along with their woman Dakota (their story is in book one titled Falke's Peak).  Tim another grad student working along side of Beth and Professor Whitmore who oversees the research project.

Our story opens with the brothers at their favorite place in Leavenworth - the Tap 'n Tine.  Then they see Beth walk in.  The purpose for Beth being in town is because of a research project.  We see that it's lust at first sight for the brothers.  And it seems that the feeling is mutual.  Our authors give us the typical bar scene - Kelan starts hitting on Beth.  Then she gets an eyeful of Reidar.

We see that while Beth is out in the woods she shoots a big "cat" with a tranquilizer dart.  But not everything is as it seems.  She has also tagged and implanted a microchip into the cat.  Later we see her trying to track the puma which leads her to the Falke family store.

Our authors give the reader a BDSM scene between Beth and the brothers.  It's not something that is over-the-top but fits in very well into the story line.  Reidar can feel their connection right away but Kelan fights it.  Their connection grows as the story continues.  I love how our authors add in funny moments when the brothers and Beth interact with one another.

Then we finally get to meet the professor in charge of Beth's research project.  His actions are questionable.  This adds a little suspense to the story.

Madison and Anna have the brothers acting like spies when they go after something that Beth has and they want.  It's funny to see how the brother's minds work - one thinking of their future with Beth while the other is trying to make it go away.

This story reminds me of the romantic suspense movies I sometimes watch.  It was also interesting to see my feelings about the interactions between humans and wild animals written into the story.  This gives the reader another connection to the story.

At one point Beth feels betrayed and you have to sympathize with her.  But her anger is short-lived (some of which could be because this story is short).  You have to wonder that if the story had been longer if things might have been a little different.

Spoiler alert:  Our authors made Beth out to be honorable.  But if you are willing to alter test results how honorable can you be?  In Beth's defense I will say that it was done out of love - but still, honor is honor.

Getting toward the end of the story, Madison and Anna give us an action scene fit for a movie - the good guys are here to save the day!  And all ends happily ever after.  Love conquers all!

You will find that you don't want to put this story down.  If you love shape shifter romances, you will want to read this book.  If you haven't read the first book, and you liked this one, I would suggest putting it on your must read list.

You don't need to in order to understand this book but if you want to know more about the older brother's story, you will want to check out "Falke's Peak".  I'm looking forward to seeing if they continue the series.  I want to know what happens with the younger brothers and their sister Heidi.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Falke's Captive

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-falkes-captive-puma-nights-book-2-by-madison-layle-and-anna-leigh-keaton/feed/ 0 Get into Bed with Julie Kagawa (Author Interview) http://www.loveromancepassion.com/get-into-bed-with-julie-kagawa-author-interview/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/get-into-bed-with-julie-kagawa-author-interview/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:05:45 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13138

Keira: If The Iron King and it's following sequels were optioned for a movie and you could cast without fear of budget or actor acceptance, who would you ideally cast in the top roles and why?

Julie Kagawa: I am soooo bad at this, lol!  I know only who I would cast for Ash, and I’ll get to him in a moment.  For Meghan and Puck, maybe Molly Quinn and Zac Effron?  Or Taylor Swift if she did movies.  (I told you I’m bad at this.)  For Ash…there has always been only one Ash for me, and that is Ben Barnes.

Keira:  Grimalkin is one of my favorite characters. When I read him I feel he's got much in common with the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. Was his character inspired by Lewis Carroll's creation and did he appear to you fully formed?

Julie: Don’t tell anyone, but one night as I was writing the first draft of The Iron King, a furry gray cat appeared in the room and suggested that, if I put him in the story, it would be a huge success.  The catch was I had to owe him a favor for the inspiration.  I was skeptical, but ultimately ended up putting him into the story.  Did it work?  Well, you tell me.  ;-)   (And no, I’m not telling you what the favor was.)

Keira: This last book, The Iron Knight, is epic. I mean EPIC! There are so many challenges and puzzles and quests. Which is your favorite? How did you come up with so many!

Julie: Thank you!  I think my favorite challenge was the part with the mirrors, when the characters had to face their dark sides.  It’s a very Classic Quest challenge, which was what I was going for in The Iron Knight.

Keira: I bet you get asked this a lot - Puck or Ash? Why or why not?

Julie: I have to go with Ash, because I love my dark, brooding bad boys. But I adore Puck as well, and the books wouldn't be the same without him.

Keira: Will Puck get a heroine of his own? Are you planning another Iron Fey novel or is it something new for you now?

Julie: You never know with Puck.  Puck is a legend, more so than Ash or Meghan or even Grimalkin.  I have too much respect for the old legends to start changing their stories to fit my expectations.  The image of Puck at the end, wild and carefree, suits Shakespeare’s Robin Goodfellow far better than a Puck who settled down with a girl.  But again, who knows with Puck?  The only predictable thing about him is his unpredictableness.

After The Iron Knight, I have a new series called Blood of Eden, which is a post-apocalyptic vampire story.  And after that, the first book of the second Iron Fey series will be released, this time with Ethan, Meghan’s brother, as the protagonist.

Buy: The Iron Knight (Harlequin Teen)

Julie Kagawa website

Julie Kagawa Twitter

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Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

Main Characters: Maggie Storm, wife to car mechanic Dave for 17 years. Maggie is a housekeeper to Ethan Edwards. Ethan owns his own business and his wife Francine loves to spend his money. Ella Moore is a decorative paint artist who ends up doing work for Francine.

The book setting is in England and for some American readers you may get lost among some of the words, phrases, and references – unless you want to do some sleuthing to find out what they mean. Erica does a great job of describing settings. The reader can almost picture the places where the story takes place.

We see that Maggie loves to go to the library on her day off and read books – and guess what, she loves to read romance novels. She’s miserable at home. Her husband’s nickname is “Mr. Blobby” and she has a terror of a mother-in-law. Will she ever stick up for herself? You’ll just have to read to find out.

This story seems to interconnect all the main characters. Ella meets Ethan, although she doesn’t know it at the time, by saving him from getting mugged. Ethan’s wife always wants to impress everyone and the only way to do that is to do that is to spend all of Ethan’s money and then some. So she hires Ella.

If you want to get a picture in your mind of what Francine may be like – think of the old movies, or soap operas, where the wife is totally oblivious to anything but spending her husband’s money so that she can show off to her neighbors.

Thrown into this crazy mix is the next door neighbor’s wife that has the hots for Ethan. We also see what lengths she will go to – she wants Ethan all to herself. You will need to read the book to see how this all works out in the end.
We get a lot of backstory on our main characters – sometimes I think a little too much. It may have made the book a little more interesting if there was a little less character history. It seemed to make the story drag at certain times. Would it have changed the story any if some of it was left out?

At one point in the story we see Ethan musing about some of his previous conquests. I don’t know that this adds anything to the story. The only thing it does is gives the reader a look into how much of a philanderer Ethan really is.

Erica writes one scene of Ethan having dinner with a client. I don’t see that this added anything to the story other than showing the fiscal hard times he’s having. But couldn’t this have been shown some other way?

Ella also has an ex-boyfriend Lawrence who wants to get back together with her. But after seeing how things used to be between them, does she really want to put herself through that again? Isn’t there someone else better out there for her?

Maggie meets a guy named Daryl Delaney. She ends up starting to have a relationship with him. Like a lot of stories, she gets caught and then makes herself miserable because of it.

The book just seemed to go on and on. It wasn’t until I was three-fourths of the way through the book that I finally started to enjoy it. I will say that Erica did a great job of showing how Ethan’s family acted after he got sick. It all follows with how they act at the beginning.

If you’re looking for a sexy chick-lit book you won’t find it here. It reads more like a soap opera. It’s an ok story but if I were to read it again, I would go check it out from my local library.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Buy: Promises, Promises

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