Publish:  June 11th 2019 by Montlake Romance       ASIN: B07KXMVBR6

Series:    Broken Pieces #1                        Rating:  5*

In a nutshell –  I really, really loved this story!   The protagonists grew up as neighbors.  Tina Jenson was the pesky little sister of her brother Smith’s best buddy Harris Chapman.   Harris was a few years older, and may or may not have recognized the pure adoration and major crush Tina had on him.  After all in her mind Harris was the most handsomest man alive in spite of him having an identical twin brother.   

Tina was self conscious of her well developed body after her mother constantly found fault with her looks, leaving Tina in a state of very low self esteem. But regardless of her big boobs and big booty, Tina was determined to have a grand time at Harris and his twin brother Greyson’s 20th birthday celebration.  As it happened it turned out to be the best (Tina and Harris jumped into bed together) and the worst  (when she overhears crude and hateful comments the next morning) night of Tina’s life.

Ten years later, Tina’s life is a mess. THE night with Harris didn’t just hurt her feelings; it started a cascade of disappointment and soul searing heartbreak. Every time she bumps into Harris, her heart twists inside out. She is constantly trying to hate the very sight of him, yet still wants him.  Truthfully, she’s harboring a painful secret from their night together that she’s not ready to reveal.

Crossed signals, high-society whispers, and shame have kept Tina and Harris apart for years, but deep down, they’re hungry for each other and eager to write their own rules. The story combines huge betrayals and a huge emotional roller coaster of misunderstood comments, finger pointing and some very hot sensual laden scenes.  With so much history of failing and feeling like a failure, it was taking its toll of both on Tina and Harris who was trying his best to convince her she was truly an  amazing woman!  

Loved the pace, the prose and the emotion!  Great read.

Series:  (Hot and Hammered #1)    Rated:  5*

This was a brand new author for me and the first book of a new series by a New York times best selling author.  Love discovering new authors (even if they’ve been around for a while) and FIX HER UP was indeed a fun read for me. Just have to say, I loved the story, loved the characters, loved the humor, and it hit all the ahhh spots in a lovely romance!

Georgette “Georgie” Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town.  As the youngest sibling she picked balloons instead of blueprints and her family has never taken her seriously since. Georgie loves what she does; planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh.  Although, she has plans to expand into a full entertainment venue; along with spicing up her wardrobe;  working on her personal appearance (hair shaping and waxing (?)); and putting herself on the market to stop day-dreaming of her longtime crush of Travis Ford!

Truth! Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, never.  Obviously she’s never been kissed either!  No one takes her seriously that’s for sure. But if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who entertains in a clown suit. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and bad boy tabloid favorite?

After an injury ended his career Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie. Now he’s flipping houses with Georgie’s brother to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. He made a name for himself on and off the field and now he’s having to live with the jokes of his bad boy love-um and leave-um affairs. Then here comes Georgie, his best friend’s little sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she kicks his butt to get him out of his depression she proposes a wild scheme. They’ll pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. It’s not like it’s real, but somewhere along the line, the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her.

Marilyn Rondeau

Bonnie Blythe is an English professor who has been engaged many years to her long-term boyfriend with dreams of  tomorrow as married and happy.  Her best friend met a fellow overseas last year and within months Bonnie is helping to plan her wedding.  Secretly Bonnie might be just a tad jealous that within months she was helping to plan a wedding that wasn’t hers.  However, a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, and she decides to close the book on love.  But in a romance novel – never say never.

Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel – sexy, virile, handsome and impeccable manners. Fate has put Bonnie in England for the summer—to teach her favorite subject and conveniently very close to Theo. They had agreed to be friends-with-benefits but just as Bonnie begins to believe she’s falling in love she learns a bitter truth that makes her take a step back. Will she forge ahead and tell him or hold off so he can complete his ‘duty’ to his family!  Or, will she have the courage to risk her heart again?

The characterizations in this were spot on! I could truly feel Bonnie’s rage, disappointment and insecurity when she discovered her ex in HER bed with another woman!   Devastating as it was – Bonnie had been true blue even when she had met the most devastatingly handsome Brit the year before and the physical attraction had been powerful.  So to discover it had all been in vain – horrible!

So, giving in was only to discover that Theo was ten times more sexy, kind , courteous and such a superb lover she kicked herself that she’d wasted all that time with such a loser. But now she also discovers Theo’s secret and the fact that he was being nagged into a marriage of convenience by his mother – life couldn’t get much worse.   But if you want to find out if it does or doesn’t you will just have to read this book!  

Marilyn Rondeau

Published:  Feb 5, 2019  by  St. Martin’s Griffin

SBN13: 9781250145536         Series: A Heart of a Hero #1     Rating: 5*

Harper Lee Wilcox’s life has been more or less at a standstill since the death five years ago of her beloved husband Noah.  Noah was the only person she ever dated, and loved – a true soul mate.  He was a Navy SEAL killed in the line of duty and never met, his son Ben born after he passed and named after his best friend and SEAL team mate Bennett Caldwell.  

While Harper is feeling a growing restlessness of needing a new direction, a call from her best friend Allison helped to make her act.   Allison was dealing with her husband, another Navy SEAL struggling with PTSD, and Harper drove to Fort Bragg to help her out. 

Two things occurred during the visit.  One, not every widow of a fallen SEAL received a very generous monetary award given to the wife.   Two, she discovered most of the other military wives struggled with husbands deployed for months at a time and felt as lonely and discouraged as Harper was feeling now.  At last a purpose! 

Harper came up with an idea of starting a business for military wives that would finally use her two degrees of business and marketing.  And be good for the other military wives to give them back purpose while waiting for their husbands return.  

Additionally and central to the read was discovering and finally meeting Bennett Caldwell, her husband’s very best friend and team mate whom Harper had never met.  Bennett was a man who held secrets and the truth behind what really happened to Noah on the field of battle. But most of all he was a man whom Harper felt an emotional pull towards that bothered both of them because of the love they both had felt towards Noah.  Could they find happiness together and put feelings of guilt to rest behind them…. 

All I can say is THE MILITARY WIFE packs an emotional punch to heart and soul and brought tears to my eyes (in a good way) and a lump in my throat! Sweet, sensual and a very highly recommended read!

Marilyn Rondeau

Paperback, 320 pages                               Published August 28th 2018 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks

ISBN: 9781250140029                  Series:   Whiskey and Weddings #3      Rating:  4*

After a year of mourning her fiancé, Alexis Parker has worked hard to rediscover what she really wants out of life. She’s fresh out of the military and back stateside where her big brother wants to take care of her as he always had since she was orphaned at 7 years of age.   Consequently he offers her a marketing job at the Stag Distillery his business whom he partners with three of his best friends. Unbeknownst to him Alexis has preliminarily accepted a job working for the CIA.  The new job would be starting in  3 or so months and knowing it would just be for the summer she agrees to work for the Family business  taking it on as  a challenge and a change.  After all Alexis would be accompanying her best friend and email pal Jake Cooper on a Stag Distillery cross-country promotional tour. Jake may have a playboy reputation, but Alexis is surprised to find out that there is more to him than meets the eye. And along the road, she is beginning to like what she sees. . .

Jake promised Alexis’s brother that he’d be an absolute gentleman. Of course, that was before he and Alexis hit the road, and they both agreed that what Alexis’s big brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him. The plan: they’re consenting adults and what happens on the road and in the RV stays on the road and in the RV!  Although ‘crap happens’  and Jake realizes that he and Alexis make a perfect mix. Can this notorious playboy convince Alexis that he’s ready to shake things up and give true love a shot?

Absolutely a really heartfelt romance, with a best friend who thinks he doesn’t deserve the girl but wants her anyway, knowing of the love she is still holds fast to and still grieving over the finance she lost. This story definitely has a strong emotional pull and the romance and sensualness are really over the top!  Loved it.

Marilyn Rondeau