Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Looking for a Cowboy by Donna Grant

Narrated by: Rebecca Estrella

Series: Heart of Texas Series, Book 5

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Release date: 10-27-20

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Contemporary romance

To review

Omg, that is really the way to start this. This was dark, ok so the book is not dark, but the thing it touches upon. Damn!

Someone is murdering pregnant women, and cutting out their babies and selling them. I mean damn!

Marle's sister was a victim 10 years ago and Marlee became a PI and is not trying to solve her sister's case, and more. Which brings her to a little town to see if a newly adopted baby is one that had been cut out a week earlier. Again, dang!

Cooper is this super sweet, like awww Cooper, all the hugs!

They meet, she is investigating his friends, I thought there would be more drama around that but omg they talked!! The real drama is trying to take down the evil preggo killing baby snatcher ring. And that drama was plenty and chilling.

I did believe that these two could fall fast for each other, she does have a way of making you believe. Good romance, good drama and suspense.

I have listened to the narrator before and I do like her cowboy books, she does them so well. Great distinct voices and you just fall into the flow of things.

A beautiful stranger has come to Clearview, asking questions that are nobody's business. Cooper Owens also wasn't born yesterday. He knows that this out-of-towner is hiding a dark secret of her own. Much as he knows he should head in the other direction, he can't make himself turn away....

PI Marlee Frampton always wanted to lead a nice quiet life, working as a cop in her local police department. But that dream came to an end when her sister was murdered - and her baby kidnapped. Now Marlee's come to Texas to investigate the Harpers, who may be linked to shady adoption agencies. Cooper can't believe that his friends could be involved in anything so sinister...and soon he makes it his mission to help Marlee discover the truth - and keep her safe in his arms.

Book Review: The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean

Author: Sarah MacLean

Title: The Rogue Not Taken

(Scandal & Scoundrel #1)

Genre: Historical Romance
Format: ebook

Published:  December 29th 2015

Pages: 419 
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: LADY SOPHIE'S SOCIETY SPLASH

The youngest of the infamous Talbot sisters scandalized society at the Liverpool Summer Soiree, striking her sister’s notoriously philandering husband and landing him backside-first in a goldfish pond. And we thought Sophie was the quiet one…

When she finds herself the target of very public aristocratic scorn, Sophie Talbot does what she must to escape the city and its judgment—she flees on the back of a carriage, vowing never to return to London…or to society. But the carriage isn’t saving her from ruin. It’s filled with it.

ROYAL ROGUE'S REIGN OF RAVISHMENT!

The Marquess of Eversley was espied descending a rose trellis—escaping an irate Earl and his once-future countess. No lady is safe from Eversley’s Engagement Ending Escapades!

Kingscote, the Marquess of Eversley, has never met a woman he couldn’t charm, a quality that results in a reputation far worse than the truth, a furious summons home, and a long, boring trip to the Scottish border. When King discovers stowaway Sophie, however, the trip becomes anything but boring.

WAR? OR MORE?

He thinks she’s trying to trick him into marriage. She wouldn’t have him if he were the last man on earth. But carriages bring close quarters, dark secrets, and unbearable temptation, and suddenly opposites are altogether too attractive…

Review:

I've enjoyed previous novels by this author and I randomly seen this while scanning through all the ebooks my library is offering (just found out they now have a HUGE selection of ebooks and even audiobooks - yayy!). Love that dress and that summary. Couldn't resist checking it out. 

We have Lady Sophie who is just trying to get away from London and her family. She has always hated the city and the ton, but now she scandalized society at the Liverpool Summer Soiree by striking her sister’s notoriously philandering husband and landing him backside-first in a goldfish pond. Whoops. She jumps on the back of a carriage to leave forever. Little did she know it is a carriage with the notorious Marquess of Eversley inside. He is quickly heading north to see his father.

This had great potential...but I had such a rough time with it. NOT because of the journey but because of our two main lovebirds.

We have Sophie and King (a nickname of course). They are so similiar....thick-headed dumb-dumbs. I wanted to scream at them and shake them....especially near the end. I get them hating each other in the beginning. It was fun watching them throw insults at each other. Cute. Fun. However....it did get a tiny bit old.  

I blame mainly King. He would NOT let it go that he thought Sophie wasn't trying to trap him into marriage. GIRL had proved it 100 million times. LET IT GO. She does NOT want to trap you. She just wants to be alone and open a book store. She even tried just leaving and getting her own carriage a handful of times. BUT noooooooo...she MUST be trying to trap King into marrying her *eye roll*. Okaaaaaaaaay. And Sophie...be dumber. Let's just run away on the back of someone's carriage? Go back to your hometown and hope your childhood friend will 1) remember you (it's been 10 years girl...let it go) and 2) didn't marry someone else because he is pining away for you even though you never maintained a communication with him and 3) HOW are you going to afford your life and opening a library? Girl. Use yo brain. Of course King is going to call you stupid when you tell him your plan. 

Okay this sounds like I would just call it done-so and say I hated the book. Nope, I did enjoy the story overall even though the two annoyed me. It was for sure a different take to a historical romance. There was lust after a while and then love later on. They really had to both grow up and learn to trust each other. It made sense that it took forever. They have a lot of issues to work through...especially King. 

The twists and turns were enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. I really had no idea what was going to happen next. Especially with King's father's secret/twist. That shocked me for sure! D: D: Whaaaaa? No way. Love it. 

Once the two got over their issues, they were SO cute together. 

Overall, not the best I've read by this author, but I did like it. I am interested in book 2 mostly because I want to read book 3 really bad. Mmmm now what to stamp this? *does complicated math equations and calculations* I'll give this 3 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #9 on THE BAD BOYS OF ROMANCE challenge

- #20 Borrowed from library. 

Audiobook Review: Butterface by Avery Flynn

Author: Avery Flynn
Narrator: Brian Pallino , Savannah Peachwood

Title: Butterface

(The Hartigans #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Humor

Format: Audiobook

Published:   July 10th 2018

Where I got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary: 

It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good…

Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard.

I recognize him immediately. The sexiest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league.

But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything.

Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.

Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.

But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.

Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…

Review:

Been meaning to check out this series. Especially book 2. I'm trying to be better and not skip around in the series. ;) So I started with book 1. *pats self on back*

The story follows Gina who is not what you would classify as "pretty". She has a big nose and little eyes. She has always been teased and has resigned herself to this fact especially after a terrible moment when she was made a fool in front of everyone. She has decided that she needs no man and will make it on her own. She has her own house and her own business helping those in love celebrate and plan their wedding. Enter in Ford. He is a no-nonsense cop but he is pretty darn hot. When the two are forced to kiss on the Kiss Cam...they find themselves falling for each other; first in lust and then in love. However, can they really find happiness especially because Gina's brothers may or may not be connected to the local mob. 

This was very sweet. I love both our characters. Ford was a dumb dumb sometimes, but he has been a cop for so long that he forgets people have feelings. Silly boy. And Gina hates her face so much that it really does cause many wedges between the two. WHICH I can understand for sure. When you are self conscious and are made fun so much....it is hard to really love yourself. Plus I would be shocked if a man like Ford liked me too. I would be super suspicious the whole time. 

I loved the fact that the author didn't make this a cliché tale of the ugly duckling magically becoming hot with just some lippie or better clothing. I was worried, if I am to be frank, but the author avoided that pit of cliché central. She refuses to get a nose job because why? Nothing wrong with a big nose. This story shares not only her romance journey, but her journey to truly loving herself. It's not perfect and she will always battle that self-hatred (as we all do), but it was nice seeing her grow and realize she deserves all the happiness in the world. She is so sweet. I want to be her bestie!!!!

I also loved how Ford is not perfect. Sure....he's hawwwwt, has a great family, a good job, sweet, and smart....BUT he is super flawed too but in different ways. It was nice seeing our hero having to grow too and realize that life is never black and white. It is a crazy multi-shade of grey. Yayy for flawed characters! Gotta love it when they are complex. 

This was funny but realistic funny. I would love to see this become a movie!!

The narrators were wonderful. They did well and I am glad we had two different readers. It makes it fun. I hope they do book 2!

Overall, I really adored this. It was really good. It had a lot more depth then I expected. It avoided a lot of the cliche story plots that authors tend to tumble down into when it comes to an ugly duck falling for a non-ugly duck. Kuddos! I'll give this 5 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #53 for Audiobook Challenge

Best of October

Happy November everyone!!!! 

Here are our best of October

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd's pick..........The Silence of the girls by Pat Barker

"Best book goes to this one because how well written and just how gut wrenching it was in the end"

Carole's pick.......You Can Thank Me Later by Kelly Harms

"Best book HAS to go to this one. It is my second time listening to it and I love it so much. So good."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole's pick.....Halloweentown (1998)

"Didn't watch a lot of movies this month BUT I did watch this one twice. So cute. So cheesy. It made me miss my youth!"

Blodeuedd did not have a pick for this month.

"And as always I can not remember any movies, I have watched a LOT of cheesy hallmark ones on netflix."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd's pick...........The Duchess (Season 1)

   

"I watched this tv series, it was messed up at times, but good"

Carole's pick........The Great (Season 1) & The Masked Singer (Season 4)

  

"Picking two this month. Finished 'The Great' and I loved it. Where the heck is season 2???? I also picked 'The Masked Singer". I love this show and after a rocky beginning with a person just unmasking themselves, it has turned around. Loving the music and the costumes!"




Best Cover of the Month:

Bloduedd's pick

"Best cover goes to this one, xmassy 🙂"

Carole's pick 

"Such a beautiful dress and all those soft colors? Yes. I pick this one."