Review: Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin HQN (August 28, 2012)

Goodreads Description:

 Can a city girl make it in the wild, wild West? For makeup artist Grace Barrett, Hollywood is less the land of golden opportunity and more the land of difficult divas, cheating boyfriends and unemployment. So when her great-aunt offers her a free place to stay in Jackson Hole, Grace thinks she'll spend a little time in the sticks to figure out her life, and then move somewhere exciting to live out her dreams. But it turns out that there are a few more thrills in this small town than Grace was expecting....

Cole Rawlins is a rugged Wyoming cowboy born and bred. Yet he can't help but be drawn to the fascinating big-city girl who moves in across from him. As they discover a sizzling attraction, it's Grace who finds herself surprised. Cole's the only man who's ever dared to get close enough to see through her tough facade. And his mysterious past only makes him sexier.

They'll need more than scorching-hot passion to make this opposites-attract affair work. But if they can learn to trust one another enough to reveal their secrets, they just might have a chance at forever.

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Review:

Close Enough to Touch is the first in a new series set in Jackson Hole Wyoming. I have previously read the author's Donovan Brothers Brewery series and since I loved her writing with those books I figured I would love this book just as much. Sadly, I was let down. When I finished the book I felt stressed out and drained. This was not a light or fun contemporary romance. The main characters are angry and secretive people and there was little to no humor or fun anywhere in the story. I also didn't feel that Grace and Cole had much of a relationship and to be honest at the end of the book one of the first things that popped into my mind was that it wouldn't last between them. They reminded me of those couples you avoid hanging out around because they are always fighting or being dramatic. It is stressful and no fun to be around people like that and when you ARE around them all you can think of is getting away. 

Although I dislike the main characters (especially Grace) and their so-called relationship (not a very healthy one in my opinion), the story isn't terrible. The secondary characters were wonderful, but I wish they were involved a little more in the story. I probably would have liked the book more. The setting was really nicely described and I could easily picture it in my mind. I did crack a smile a couple times while reading but those moments are overshadowed by the oppressiveness of the defensive and quick to anger main characters.

When I read contemporary romance I want it to be fun, light and romantic. This, however, just was not my kind of story. I'm not going to give up on the series just yet though because I really did like the secondary characters. Hopefully it will be more enjoyable.

1.5/5
*I received this for review. Any opinions are my own*

Review: Blame it on Texas by Christie Craig

Blame it on Texas (Hotter in Texas #2) by Christie Craig

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Forever (August 28, 2012)

Goodreads Description:

Zoe Adams has always been content with her quiet nights at home, watching TV alone-until her life turns into a real-life episode of Unsolved Mystery Hunters. The story of a kidnapped girl triggers unexplained memories, and Zoe is dead-set on figuring out why. Her search leads her to one of the Lone Star State's richest families-and to sexy PI Tyler Lopez.

Tyler has sworn off women, especially redheads with killer curves who poke their noses into his clients' private lives. Still, he can't deny the attraction any more than he can deny that some of Zoe's crazy story makes sense. But when she becomes a hit man's target, this cold case starts heating up. Suddenly, Tyler will do anything to protect Zoe-even risk his heart.

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Review:

One of my favorite things about the Hotter in Texas series is the characters. They are so funny and likeable. Zoe Adams is a great addition to the series and a perfect match for Tyler. Both have had relationships that ended badly and that really holds them back in the beginning but when they finally let loose the sparks fly between them. Another character I absolutely loved was Rick, who is a police officer and also helps the guys a little with Zoe's case. I really hope that his story gets delved into even more in the next book.

Christie Craig is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, which is saying a lot because I am pretty picky when it comes to that genre. I really liked the first book in this series so I was excited to read this one. Although I  enjoyed the story there were a few minor things that took away a little bit of the enjoyment. I read this on my kindle so I don't know if that affected the formatting but when the author would switch from one group of characters to another group of characters it was often so abrupt it would take me a paragraph to realize that I was no longer reading about the characters from the previous paragraph. The premise of the story is so interesting and there are a lot of twists and turns but when the mystery was solved it just felt like a lame wrap-up that wasn't given enough thought. It was very anticlimactic, but thankfully the romance in the story helped to make up for that.

3.5/5

*I received this for review. Any opinions are my own*

 

Review: Shadows Before the Sun by Kelly Gay

 

Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan #4) by Kelly Gay

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (July 31, 2012)

Goodreads Description:

 The electrifying sequel to the acclaimed urban fantasies The Better Part of Darkness, The Darkest Edge of Dawn, and The Hour of Dust and Ashes!

After filling out mountains of paperwork, Detective Charlie Madigan sets out for a death-defying trip into heavenly Elysia to rescue her partner Hank and bring the siren home. Of course, she doesn’t expect to leave behind an all out siren revolution or return home to find that jinn crime boss, Grigori Tennin, has begun a massive search for the divine being, Ahkneri. Tennin’s tactics set off a chain reaction that puts Charlie in the crosshairs of the shadowy creature known as Death and awakens Ahkneri from her long sleep. And when Vengeance rises, Atlanta will never be the same.

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My Thoughts:

If you haven't read the previous books in the Charlie Madigan series...you should! Oh, and I suggest you not read this review because I don't want to spoil anything for you.

At the conclusion of the last book I was so worried about Hank. The not knowing what would happen was killing me so I was really looking forward to reading this book. The majority of the story is about Charlie's effort to rescue Hank from the Circe in Elysia. It was very exciting (and sometimes creepy) and Charlie actually had some surprising help which added a lot of interest and mystery. In the end the endeavor had both good and bad results. Another major part of the story involves Charlie finally having to face Sachath (otherwise known as Death). Of course nothing can be easy so the answer to defeating Death is not so simple, but with help from her friends and Ahkneri Charlie rises to the occasion.

There is really nothing negative to say about this book. I do wish that there was more Rex (he is my favorite!) and Emma (I would love to learn more about her schooling and such). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will play a bigger part in the next book.

I loved this book and the Charlie Madigan series is one of my favorites. I eagerly await each the next release.

4.5/5

*I received this book for review. Any opinions expressed are my own.*