Review: A Duke Like No Other

A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the first book I've read by Valerie Bowman, but it will not be the last. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about starting a series with book #9, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book stands very well on its own. I did not feel lost at all because I hadn't read the previous books in the series first. I liked what I learned of the previous heroes and heroines in this story, however, and will probably go back and read at least some of the other books now.

Both Mark, the hero, and Nicole, the heroine, were likeable leads, and I enjoyed getting to know them over the course of the story. As a general rule, I am not a fan of "big misunderstanding" plots, and while this one did have its frustrating moments, the conflict between the two main characters was handled well. I still found myself wishing that they would just have one honest conversation to clear the air long before they finally did, but the author did a good job of explaining each character's feelings/motivations and why they found it difficult to communicate with each other.

I also enjoyed getting to know several of the secondary characters, particularly Lady Regina and Daffin Oakleaf. I am pleased to learn that they will be getting a story of their own in Ms. Bowman's next book.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Not Quite Christmas

Not Quite Christmas by Sharon Kleve
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a sweet story, but very short, both in terms of page length and the timeline. The whole thing took place over the span of only 2 or 3 days, which meant that the characters basically fell in "insta-love." As a general rule, I am not a fan of the "insta-love" plot, though some stories manage to make it work. Unfortunately, this one didn't work so well for me. There was no conflict or any obstacles for the main characters to overcome before they could be together, so I didn't really have anything to root for. Also, they didn't seem to have much in common besides the fact that their jobs both involved travel and their mutual desire to make it to Seattle before Christmas. That didn't give me a good feeling for the long-term viability of their relationship.

That being said, the story was well-written, and I would certainly read other books by this author in the future.

*Ebook provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Dear Santa: A Novel

Dear Santa: A Novel by Nancy Naigle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was sweet and for the most part well-written, but I still struggled to stick with it at times. The author was very good at including descriptive details in the story, but she seemed to repeat some of them in subsequent chapters, which made the story drag a bit. It didn't help that there was basically no progress in the romance between Angela and Geoff for the entire first half of the book.

Things improved when Angela and Geoff finally started to get closer, but the speed of their courtship was kind of suspect given the level of Angela's animosity towards Christmas Galore. However, they really did seem happy by the time the epilogue rolled around, and I was happy that Angela was able to find a new job that suited her so well.

Overall, while I can't say that I would necessarily recommend this book to a friend or read it again myself, I would pick up another Nancy Naigle book in the future.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: First Earl I See Tonight

First Earl I See Tonight by Anna Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This could have turned into a very dark story given the blackmail plot and the hero's traumatic backstory, but despite these weighty topics, the author managed to produce a remarkably sweet, funny, and enjoyable novel. The only thing that bothered me was the incredible coincidence of the blackmailer's identity. What are the odds that Fiona, the h, would randomly choose to propose marriage to someone so closely connected to her blackmailer? I found that part hard to believe, though at least the author's explanation for how the blackmailer discovered Lily's secret was credible.

In any event, the book was well-written, and I found both the H and h to be very likeable characters. I look forward to reading future books in this series.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Alaskan Holiday

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have read and enjoyed many of Debbie Macomber's books, but "Alaskan Holiday" wasn't one of my favorites. I appreciated the book's message regarding the necessity of compromise in building a successful relationship, but that was one of the only aspects of the story that really resonated with me. For a couple of reasons, I had a hard time connecting with the main characters, Palmer and Josie. First, it felt as if I was starting in the middle of their story because by the time the book begins, Josie and Palmer have already known each other for six months and are supposed to be in love. However, it's hard to get a sense of their connection when we don't get to see their relationship develop from the start. They really didn't seem to have much in common, and it was hard for me to figure out what they saw in each other. Second, I just couldn't relate to their desire to live in the middle of nowhere, Alaska. That isn't the author's fault, and she did a good job in the second half of the book showing the positives of Ponder's way of life. It's not a place I could ever imagine myself living, though, which made the whole idea of Josie's potentially settling there hard for me to swallow.

I also found a lot of the secondary characters to be annoying and overly pushy. Jack, in particular, bothered me. All he seemed to do was demand that Josie cook for him, until he basically lost his mind and "fell in love" with Josie's mom at first sight. (Thank goodness that went nowhere.) He acted more like a spoiled 5-year-old boy than a 50-year-old man. If I were Josie, I would have told Jack to take a hike long before he ever came to visit her in Seattle. (What was up with Jack tagging along on that trip, anyway? Who wants a third wheel on a trip to visit their girlfriend, whom they haven't seen in weeks?)

Overall, this wasn't a terrible book, but it wasn't great, either. Given a choice between "Alaskan Holiday" and one of Macomber's Cedar Cove novels, I'd choose Cedar Cove without hesitation.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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