Showing posts with label Meadow Taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meadow Taylor. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 15

Book Review: Midnight in Venice by Meadow Taylor


Author: Meadow Taylor
Title: Midnight in Venice
Series: Olivia Moretti #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook
Pages: 256
Published: August 19, 2014
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 
Readers met and fell in love with Olivia Moretti in Meadow Taylor’s hugely popular holiday story Christmas in Venice, where Olivia is rescued by a gorgeous Italian cop, Alessandro Rossi, during an airport bomb scare. Now, as the new year begins, her joy at having landed her dream job in Venice’s thriving art world is surpassed only by the realization that she and Alessandro are falling in love—and her surprise that he turns out to be not just the son of a tycoon, but a gifted pianist and former racecar driver who is equally at home in the city’s bejewelled palazzos as patrolling its streets. Olivia can’t believe that her life now includes masked balls, exquisite music, romantic trips to Paris—and true love. But all this is put in jeopardy when a business trip to New York City finds her accused of a crime she didn’t commit—and not even Alessandro believes she’s innocent. Can her new love uncover the truth and keep Olivia’s Italian dream from becoming a nightmare?

A thrilling, passion-filled story set among the dazzling palaces, canals, and piazzas of one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Midnight in Venice is perfect for fans of Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, and lovers of contemporary romance everywhere.


Review:
Read book 1 a while back and have been meaning to get started on this one, but life....yeah. LOL. 

Note - you can for sure read this one without book 1 (aka it was a short story). We get to pretty much re-read book 1 so no harm, no foul. 

We follow Olivia and Alessandro. Olivia has landed the job of her dreams and is starting a brand new life in Venice! There is a bomb scare where is rescued by a hunky Italian cop named Alessandro. They think their story ends there, but they can't get over each other and start spending time with each other. Everything seems to be going amazing and life can't get any better. Until this is all put in jeopardy when a business trip to New York City finds Olivia accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Will they be able to prove her innocence? Will their love be able to stand this?

This was wild....ridiculous....fantastical......crazy....but I enjoyed it. With all the wild and unbelievable scenarios, you can't help but follow along and have fun. Yes, I had fun watching this play out.

I wanna go to Venice now!!!!!!  

Alessandro is literally the perfect man to the point it makes me want to puke. He is smart, hunky, a good cop, ex car driver, and son to a tycoon? WHAT IS HIS LIFE? Luckily at the halfway-ish point he does show some flaws that made me happy. He isn't perfect. YAYY! No one wants a perfect character. 

Olivia is very sweet. Annoying at times, but sweet. You can't help but feel for her. She just wants to live her Venice life!  

I'm honestly shocked there isn't a 3rd book. I feel like we have some side characters that deserve some loveeeee. Or we could follow these two more and I would be fine with that. Olivia has great luck one minute and then it flips to the worst of the worst. I could enjoy another one even if it was a short story. Good lord. The wedding day could be madness. 

All-in-all, this was ridiculous to the point of entertaining. I had fun. I didn't take anything too serious. Fun romance in a beautiful city. I'm just glad our hero wasn't too perfect. I would've been mad. He does have a flaw...or two. 

3 stars from me.


- Favorite Character(s): Olivia
- Least Favorite Character(s): Oh man. I can't remember their name but there was a character that I want to boo forever. That is what I get for waiting a day to type this. 




 Challenge(s):
- TBR Challenge (January, New Year, Who Dis?) #1
- Romance Reading Challenge #3 (Non-US/UK setting)


Wednesday, December 29

Yet another 2-in-1 Short Story Review: Christmas in Venice & Christmas Car Kerfuffle





Author: Meadow Taylor 
Title: Christmas in Venice
(Olivia Moretti #1)
Genre: Chick Lit, Short Story, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Holiday
Format: ebook
Pages: 100 
Published: December 4th 2012
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 
Olivia's Christmas trip to Venice, Italy should be a holiday dream come true. But when she’s confronted by a handsome Italian cop about her unattended luggage, she worries she won't even make it out of the Marco Polo Airport…




Review:
I want to read the book after this one but realized there is this prequel-type book before that seems kinda important to read first. 

Olivia is traveling to Venice, Italy for the holidays. She wants to get away and enjoy the city where her father is from. This holiday dream is dashed right away when she is confronted by an Italian cop. She had asked someone to watch her bag for just a minute, but that person left and now her luggage is unattended and she could be facing some big trouble.

OooOOOoooo Olivia. Poor naive thing. Never, ever ask a stranger to watch your bag lol! Even an elderly old lady. Airports are so particular. 

I do really want to read the next book. This was for sure a prequel. We leave off with a huge cliffie. No - no she does not get arrested or anything, but there is a cliffie for sure. But I really want to read the next because I do not like our guy. Granted....he is just doing his job....but he was a poop. 

This was fun. I'm not seeing the love yet but this is just a prequel. Can't wait to start that book. I have hope. 3 stars from me. 










Author: Jessie Gussman
Title: Christmas Car Kerfuffle
Genre: Contemporary romance, holiday, Short story
Format: ebook
Pages: 80
Published: September 12th 2021
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)


Summary: 
Two days before Christmas, single mom Blythe Mason is stunned when her car is not at the mechanic’s shop where she dropped it off.

Her surprise soon gives way to panic when they figure out that an employee gave her car to the wrong person and it is now five hundred miles away. All the Christmas gifts that she’d carefully budgeted out for her children since July were in the trunk.

Zayden Crile can’t believe his employee made such a huge mistake. And of all people it had to be his former sister-in-law. She’s still upset that his brother ran off with the nurse, leaving her with two small children. She has struggled, and to make things a little easier Zayden takes care of her car as a favor. He certainly never intended to make a mistake which could ruin Christmas for his niece and nephew.


Review:
Been seeing this all over the place, so I downloaded it. 

It is two days before Christmas and Blythe Mason is stunned to find that her car is not at the mechanic's shop where she dropped it off. She is a single mom and all the gifts she had for the kids are in that trunk. Her surprise soon turns to panic when they figure out that the employee gave her car to the wrong person and it is now 500 miles away. Luckily, Zayden owns the shop and is her ex-brother-in-law and he will do what it takes to make this right. 

WHAT a scumbag that ex of Blythe is!!! F that guy. Terrible. She for sure picked the wrong brother. He lies, manipulates, and is so selfish. Bad guy. I hope he gets his heart destroyed. 

Loved Zayden and Blythe. They are perfect for each other. It was nice seeing them finally get their feelings out and fall in love. Adorable. 

I did adore the grandparents. They were adorable too. I did question the portrayal a little bit. The author made it seem like they were in their 90s...but they were barely in their 70s. They seemed overly frail. I mean....it's possible, but if they are that fragile and frail they shouldn't be making out and dancing like they are teens ;) 

But yes - this was adorable and will make you cheer when they finally admit their feelings. 

A goodie for the holiday season. 4 stars from me.