Wild for the Sheriff by Kathleen O'Brien

Name of the book: Wild for the Sheriff

Name of the author: Kathleen O'Brien

Publisher: Harlequin Romance

ISBN-10: 0373718306

ISBN-13: 978-0373718306





A Sneak Peak...

“Were you watching me through the window?”

 How on earth did Dallas respond to that question? And something in Rowena’s expression said she knew he was squirming. He could say he’d been in the habit of checking Bell River while it was unoccupied. He could say… But he hadn’t ever been very good at lying. “We got a call, at the department. Somebody reported seeing…something irregular.” “Wicked and wanton, as the Wright family is known to be? You should know. You remember how we are, don’t you?” He must have made an involuntary motion, because Rowena’s smile broadened, now looking both evil and sexy as hell. “Did you come out here to see if you could get a look at these wicked goings-on, or maybe even get a piece of the action?” Garwood, wake up, he commanded himself. This is now…not fifteen years ago. Stop acting like such a stupid puppet. You know what a mistake it is to let her manipulate you…. Yet, even after that stern warning, he still let her take his hand, and tug him toward the shadowed corner.

She...

She is Rowena. A girl with a cruel past. A past that includes a brutal father and a murdered mother. A past that includes her boyfriend being shot by her father. A past that includes abandoning her sisters, for which one of the sisters never forgave her. But she came out of all these with great determination and grit.

Back at the homestead where it all began, she had to fight for her reputation, vandalism and above all the love of her life. Known as a drifter, would she be able to make her family and her love realize that she has changed and would do anything to keep her roots grounded.

He….

He is Dallas, the Sheriff of the town. A complete contrast to the wild Rowena. Left to raise his son Alec, by a wife who had abandoned them, he knows Rowena is bad news. His mind told him to marry a docile lady with lots of motherly feelings, in other words all that was lacking in Rowena. But his heart always pulled him towards Rowena. He knew behind all the grit was  frightened, timid girl but was he strong enough to protect her from only only anti social elements but also from herself?

The Love Story…

Rowena knew that she and Dallas did not belong together. In her high school days she had gone all out of the way to seduce him, only to have him shot at by her father. He had survived the attack and had become a Sheriff of the town when she returned to claim her homestead. He was sober where as she was wild. He enjoyed permanency, whereas she was a bohemian.

When Rowena saw Dallas after so many years, she found him as attractive as ever. But she knew that she could not make any commitment. On the other hand, Dallas’s son Alec was trying to get a girlfriend for his father, and when he saw the high spirited Rowena, he thought it would be fun to play the matchmaker. But too many ghosts in the past were haunting both of them. Moreover, Rowena had to prove that she could stick to a commitment in a long run. She had a dream, to open a dude ranch. But for that she needed her sisters to agree but her younger sisters had lost their faith in her when she had run away from her aunt’s place, after leaving her younger sister behind.

Sometimes due to fate and sometimes due to Alec’s intrusion, they both found themselves in awkward situations. Their attraction for each other pulled them towards each other until one fateful rainy night………

What I liked….

Rowena’s character came out very strong. Spunky, full of life battling with her inner demons. Whereas she was projected  an ‘I don’t care…” attitude kind of girl on the other hand she was sensitive to a motherless boy’s feelings. A very contrasting character who takes on the burden of this story on her shoulder.

What I did not like…

Strangely, because of Rowena, Dallas came out as a weakling. Okay that is too strong a word, but I really did find him a tad weak, who waited on the outskirts for the action to take place. True, he always helped Rowena, but even if he did not arrive she would have taken care of herself. Sorry Dallas, a bit more macho maybe.

Rating ...

Reasoning…

I found the story too long and would have given it a 3 had it not been for Alec.  No actually the story has some nice folds and each layer holds another story. Whether the relationship between the sisters or Alec and Dallas, the relation of Mitch and Alec or Mitch and Bonnie, all the characters are well played… except for Dallas. [Sorry I did find him a bit intimidated by Rowena…..]

Meet the author…

Kathleen wrote her first book in the first grade. It was a shameless derivative story about Dick and Jane, and was at least seven pages long. Her mother loved it. Her first grade teacher, Sister Anna Mary, loved it. But it would be almost three decades before Kathleen attempted another novel.

In the meantime, though, she never stopped writing. She wrote some awful poetry in high school, working through the typical hormonal overreaction to having her heart broken by "the wrong boy."

After college, she took a newspaper job, and she eventually worked her way up to the position of television critic before throwing it all over to follow her heart, and her husband, a fellow journalist, to make a home in Miami.

When her first child was born, and her life began to consist of cleaning up after small creatures who didn't understand indoor plumbing, she decided she had to go back to writing. But she couldn't bear to leave her amazing little girl, so she turned once again to novels. And because she was a born sentimentalist, and a great believer in romance, she decided to try to write for Harlequin.

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Heaven In Her Arms by Ria Gomes

Name of the book:   Heaven In Her Arms

Name of the author:  Ria Gomes

Name of the publisher: Now defunct Asylett Press, United States of America, 2010

Format of the book:  ebook [Kindle]

Disclaimer: I got this book from the author in exchange for my honest review

She…

She is Michelle. Daughter of an aristocrat in the town of Albuquerque Town,  Goa. Her family was known for their power and wealth. Her father has instilled in her the importance of the family name. She had lived like that all her life, without her mom who had abandoned her at a very young age.[ Or so she thought!!]. Life would have continued in the path her father had chosen for her, had she not met Darrell at the age of seventeen.

He…

He is Darrell. A commoner by the standard of the patriciate of the town of Albuquerque. He fell in love with Michelle the moment he saw her and was determined to have her at any cost. Excelling in all fields, he was known for his determination and his go getter attitude. That was till he lost the love of his life Michelle.

The Love Story…

They met in high school and fell in love. They fought for their love and got engaged. But on the night before their marriage, Darrell finds himself charged with attempted rape and Michelle gets married to Craig. Of course the father is to be blamed. But is it? Is everything so simple as it looks? Or is there another devious master plan behind the star crossed lover’s fate? That is what Darrell comes back to find out after 5 years, years, which he has spent hating Michelle, working day a night to reach that strata of the society, which had rejected him. 

Now the tables are turned. She is no more the rich girl whose father owned the town. But a widow, who is at the mercy of Darrell, to keep a roof over the head of her son and invalid father. Passion sizzles between them and they are back to where they had started but this time the secrets, deceits of the past are clouding their judgement.

Would Darrell be able to forgive her for marrying Craig? Will Michelle ever find out why Darrell was arrested? Read this beautiful tale of love, deceit and passion as the two protagonists take you through the town of Albuquerque with their beautiful, heart touching tale of love and hate.

What I liked…

Ria Gomes has a very good command over the language, as she paints with her words the town of Albuquerque. I could almost see the beautiful town with it’s Portuguese structures and cobbled pavements. The characters are very well etched and the pain of the lovers - palpable. The fear of Michelle is beautifully portrayed as she passes through the stages of  being a daughter, lover, mother and above all a woman.

What I didn’t like….

Darrell. No, don’t get me wrong. He is a strong character, with all the qualities I would look for my partner in life but I found him coming in too strong . But I am sure most of you will argue with me that the macho types should be portrayed like this. Agreed. 

But sensitiveness? Well he was angry about what he thought to be the deceptiveness of Michelle. Agreed. But I still want my hero to be ultra sensitive. Sue me. :D

Ratings....

Reasoning...

If  I answer my own questions on what I did not like, how do I take away the stars. If you don’t agree with me let me know.

Meet Ria Gomes....

Ria is an Indian, born and raised in Goa. After completing her formal education, she worked at secretarial jobs for a couple of local firms before she married the man she’d been in love with since her college days.  She resides with him and her children in Muscat-Oman, and had initially worked as an Executive Secretary for the past several years. Later, she gave up her nine-to-five job after the birth of her second child and chose instead to be a homemaker as well as try her hand at her long cherished dream of being a writer.

A Chat with Ria....

1.What inspired you to write your first book?

Firstly, I’d like to thank you Rubina, for having me on your blog and allowing me to express some of my views on myself and my book.

Now to answer your question. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always yearned to write. Perhaps it was my mother’s insistence that I write everything I had to learn by rote, five to ten times each, that got me caught into the writing habit.  So in those days when I was a child and into a lot of Enid Blyton’s, I would imagine I’d one day grow up and write children’s books. Then later, came the classics, and I thought I’d love writing something along the lines of Jane Austen, or even Charles Dickens. By the time I was out of high school, I fell in love with romances and decided that was definitely what I’d like to write-great love stories about brave men and women who won against all odds and created their own fairy tales. I held on to that dream, and finally, when I attempted to realize it, I wrote ‘Heaven In Her Arms’.

2.How did you come up with the title?

The title of my book came to me when I was almost in the middle of my book. Something about the way the male protagonist thought of his sweetheart gave me the title of my book.

3.Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Not the experiences or events as such, but rather the upbringing principles of a certain mindset and belief system in which I’d been raised, contributed to a certain extent in crafting this novel.

4.If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

This question brought a smile to my lips. When my son was very little I would read him some story, and as I read, I remember feeling as if I was being reconnected with old friends. This feeling of familiarity with authors and their writings has continued over the years as I introduced him to more and more authors which I myself had enjoyed reading as a child. I believe that each of these authors seems to have left a lasting impression on me and so in some way have inspired and mentored me. Most times I find myself trying to create a story and find a solution out of every situation like Enid Blyton, infusing emotions like Charles Dickens and trying to adopt a perky way of telling my story like Sandra Marton.      

5.What are your current projects?

Presently, I’m trying to finish the edits on another romance, ‘A Bride To Bed’ and find a publisher for ‘Sunny’s Girl’, and simultaneously working on another unfinished manuscript tentatively named ‘A Ruthless Seduction.’

6.Who designed the covers?

Someone from back in Goa was engaged to design the cover for this book. It isn’t exactly what I’d expected it to be, but it is the most appropriate from among the other two he came up with.  

7.What was the hardest part of writing your book?

At the time I write any book-and this happens to me every time-I tend to think that whatever I’m working at is the toughest part to tackle, but after I play with it for some time, it almost always becomes a pleasurable experience. Now when I think back over Heaven In Her Arms, I realize that I enjoyed writing about all my characters as well as the scenes, and that includes the sex scenes, although I did remember having a hard time writing those.

8.Do you ever experience writer's block?

Oh that is the bane of my life. There are days when I feel I’m a complete blank, other times I feel I’m up against a wall especially when a character seems to want something that’s radically different from what I’ve mapped up for him/her, and sometimes a scene just doesn’t seem to work. When that happens, I allow my mind to relax by taking up other, mostly household, chores or just listening to some music. Anything that will take my mind away from the story for a while usually works and gives me a clear indication on how I need to proceed next.

9.While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

Mmmm…there’s no direct answer to that one. Most times I have to get inside the characters head and skin to think what he/she thinks and feels, but I’m always aware that the person I’m writing about isn’t me. Then there are those times when I apply my own experiences in some scenes of the book and get a vague sense as if it’s me, but that doesn’t happen all that often.

10.What are your expectations for the book?

Of the three manuscripts I’ve written, ‘Heaven In Her Arms’ probably because it was my first, has a special place in my heart. When I worked at it, I had been resolved to write a story readers would cherish for a long time and some of the feedback I’ve received has been pretty positive. It fills me with a sense of satisfaction that it was a story well written. Naturally, my hope is that more and more romance readers get a chance to read this endearing story of love lost and found.

Amen to that Ria!

You will find Heaven In Her Arms at:

Sparks Fly with the Billionaire by Marion Lennox

Name of the novel : Sparks Fly with the Billionaire 

Author: Marion Lennox 

Publisher: Harlequin; Lgr edition (April 2, 2013) 

ISBN : ISBN-13: 978-0-373-74236-3 

 Sneak Peak...

“Allie, I care,” he said, and it was as if someone else was talking. “How can you care?” He had no answer. He only knew that he did. He only knew that it felt as if a part of him was being wrenched out of place. He was a banker, for heaven’s sake. He shouldn’t feel a client’s pain. But this was Allie’s pain. Allie—a woman he’d known for less than a day. A woman he was holding with comfort, and something more. He looked down at her, and she looked straight back up at him, and he knew that now, for this moment, he wasn’t her banker. In a fraction of a moment things had changed, and he knew what he had to do. He knew for now, for this moment in time, what was inevitable—and she did, too. He cupped her face in his hand, he tilted her chin—and he stooped to kiss her. 

The Story

She…. 

She is Allie. A circus trapeze artist. Granddaughter of the ringmaster of the circus. The circus ‘Sparkle’ is not only her livelihood but also her life. From her childhood, she has been in love with each member of the circus, whether the animals or the other artists.Her grandparents were becoming old and she was looking forward to take over the circus and look after her old grandparents. That was till Mathew did not walk into her life and rock her world.

He ….

He is Mathew Bond, a banker by profession and attitude. A tragic accident had taken away his parents and he had been brought up by his grandfather. His grandfather,having lost his son, had become a hard man and had taught him all about banking but little about love. Mathew who was lovingly called Matt by his sister, became the hard banker Mathew, who knew only about business and nothing else.He did not want anyone to get close to him for the fear of losing them. His protective, emotional armor was broken chip by chip by a pink dressed trapeze artist.

The Love Story….

This love story is one of the most unique stories I have ever read. It is not a sizzling love story which we nowadays see as a trend. There is a kiss or two but the emotions have been highlighted rather than the passions.  

Matthew had gone to declare foreclosure of the circus but he had never imagined that he would end up as the ringmaster of the circus. On one hand he had to do his duty but on the other hand, his humane side, did not like the pain Allie was going through. So taking off his banker attitude, he performs as a ringmaster and wins the heart of his lady love. [Well, that's after saving some runaway camels and dogs and of course a damsel in distress]

But will he be able to save the circus and if he doesn’t will he be able to still win the love of Allie? Well, read on. You  might just be surprised!

What I liked...

I loved the romance in this story. There was passion, but the emotional factor was more superior. This is one kind of relationship which can sustain any turbulence life throws at them. Mathew is a character, who would not think twice before going all out to make his lady love happy, asking nothing in return.

What I didn’t like...

As you can see, I have rambled about Mathew and said very little of Allie. I like that girl but I do feel that the way she felt about her circus, the animals – that passion she had for them could have been bit more focused on Mathew.

Ratings...

Reasoning...

As I have said, I wish the relationship was more balanced. One might argue, for the sake of argument, that Allie did invoke the love for life in Maggot, Mathew’s aunt. But the reasons why she went there is altogether another story. This is the moment I choose to zip up. Let me know if I am carrying the Go Dutch syndrome too far?

Author Bio...

Marion Lennox is a country girl, born on an Australian dairy

farm. She moved on—mostly because the cows just weren’t interested in her stories! Married to a “very special doctor,” Marion writes for the Harlequin® Medical™ Romance and Harlequin® Romance lines. (She used a different name for each category for a while—readers looking for her past romance titles should search for author Trisha David, as well). She’s now had more than seventy-five romance novels accepted for publication. In her non-writing life, Marion cares for kids, cats, dogs, chooks and goldfish. She travels, she fights her rampant garden (she’s losing) and her house dust (she’s lost). Having spun in circles for the first part of her life, she’s now stepped back from her “other” career, which was teaching statistics at her local university. Finally she’s reprioritized her life, figured what’s important and discovered the joys of deep baths, romance and chocolate. Preferably all at the same time! 

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