The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne : Book Review

A wonderful, entertaining book written in a captivating way by Ms. Layne. Thanks to NetGalley for providing with an ARC for The Trouble with Love.

A short summary from GoodReads -

As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar.

After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.

My thoughts -

I have always thought about the feeling when you complete reading a book. For me, most of the time it is that happy, light-hearted feeling I get when I read a good romance. I love everything about romantic books, the best thing being it's happily ever after endings. What I'm trying to say here is, The Trouble with Love, was such a book for me which made me very happy! The author has put an apt name for the story, with being the main theme of the story - The Trouble with Love is you can never forget your true love how much time has passed or how much you tried to get past it!

I enjoyed Lauren Layne's Trouble with Love. Beautiful writing by Ms. Layne! 

The story is about Alex Cassidy and Emma Sinclair who are magazine chief editor and writer for New York City's popular magazines Oxford (for men) and Stiletto (for woman). They have a painful past, and in the present, they are on non-speakable terms, keeping icy demeanor to each other. Now, after two years working together (almost, with being Stiletto and Oxford being sister companies), they have to get act at least cordial for their common friend's nuptials. And then, starts the unraveling of their  unforgettable past and how they realize how much tangles they are still in the present. It was a beautiful book from first to start.

Normally, i just want to avoid second chance romances, basically because they are so messy and lot of conflicts, i always love happy romances with not much to cry on or get emotional. But this book was a wonderful read for me. I loved the author's way of telling of story. The best thing was even though both characters had strong chemistry, they did not try to act on it until they understood what went wrong in the past. I have read many second chance romances novels, where the characters just start a physical relationship without resolving any of their past issues. It was different in this book, even if you will get frustrated a tiny bit why they cant they talk to each other and resolve their issues and not drag their conflict, it was worth the read till the end. I loved the ending, it was sweet. 

I would love to read more books from the author! My rating for this book would be 5 starts !!

The Winner Takes It All by Jennifer Dawson : Book Review

Ms. Jennifer Dawson has done a wonderful job with Winner Takes it All.
A short summary from GoodReads - 

For two stubborn people…

Corporate mogul Shane Donovan sees the ultra-cool, collected Cecilia Riley as an ice queen—even if he can't deny that, on the surface, she's a work of perfection his body can't ignore. Forced to spend two weeks in the same house for his sister's upcoming wedding, Shane senses that deep down Cecilia mirrors his need. And he's determined to draw her into a sexy game that will melt away her reserve…

Losing is not an option…

Career-driven Cecilia Riley has just enough free time in her schedule to head out of town for her brother's wedding. But her agenda is   thrown for a loop by the presence of Shane. Though his over-confident attitude leaves a lot to be desired, his insanely hot body has kept Cecilia up nights. Unsure what game Shane is playing, Cecilia takes the bait, bent on resisting him at all costs......

But as Shane and Cecilia discover, temptation follows no rules…

My thoughts on the book -

Jennifer Dawson is a new author for me. I had read her Take a Chance on Me novel which is the first book in the series. And i became a big fan of her writing! 

Winner Takes it All is the romance of Shane and Cecilia (Cece). I love strong-willed, stubborn characters and when they fall in love, they fall hard. Shane and Cecilia so perfectly fit each other. Even though, on exterior they were different, once all the surface was scratched, they were really good together. The story happens when they meet together for Shane's sister and Cecilia's brother's wedding where they will be together for two weeks in a same house! I know, its not a unique plot line but the way the characters interact and how the story is written are fabulous. I enjoyed everything about the book, the bickering, romance, steamy hot scenes and the characters!

When we first start reading, you will not like Cecilia, but because she has this mind dialogues, we know what she is actually thinking while she is doing something else. I was frustrated with her sometimes, when she was trying to ignore her own happiness and was chasing something she did not even want. But, that's how it happens sometimes , it takes new friends and a true love to realize your own mind and what you want!  Shane, on the other hand, loved him, he was so sweet with his family. I loved their chemistry. And obviously the end was great. I enjoyed how Cecilia handles her own future, and not allowing anyone manipulate her happiness! Of course, has to say i hated her father, don't know really such characters exist or not! All secondary characters did their part, i enjoyed the book as a whole!

My rating would be four fantastic stars.

The Contract by Zeenat Mahal - Book Review

A modern romance, beautifully scripted by Ms. Mahal. As I use to mention, I love reading short novellas. Sometimes, I use to feel the novellas are too short and not have much depth. But, The Contract was a perfectly short and sweet novella.

A short summary from goodreads -


Shahira, a young, divorced mother of a seven-year-old son, wants nothing to do with men ever again. But circumstances have forced her hand, and Hussain’s unusual proposition leaves her secretly relieved. As per their contract, she’ll have his name, will be paid to look after his ailing mother and motherless daughter and will be left well alone by him. Perfect!  

Until her new husband decides to stop playing by the rules.

Hussain is suave and rich. He is nobody’s fool…and is not about to be bested by the ex-schoolteacher he is married to. He has Shahira in his sights and she has to have all her wits about her in order to hold him at arm’s length.

The main character, Shahira is a divorcee with a young son and marries our hero, Hussain based on a mutually agreed contract. But, the story develops as real feelings develop between them and how they finally get a happily ever after! I agree that this is not a new concept, I myself has read lots of books with same concept but, the way the story and characters are depicted, I fell in love with them. Shahira and Hussain were awesome characters. Shahira was so independent and feisty, I loved her interactions with Hussain. Hussain was fabulous, once he knew the real woman whom he married, he showed his honest feelings to Shahira and wooed her. I loved how Shahira (only at the end !) and Hussain, even though they suffered a lot from their previous marriages, were ready to take risk and finally opened their life to love and trust.

Secondary characters especially, Hussian's mom was great, trying to play matchmaking and all. Overall, the story was very enjoyable except few tiny teeny parts were i felt the book was not perfect for me. For example, multiple povs, and it changed every few lines, was confusing sometimes. But, still as i told already, the tiny teeny negative will be overlooked by us when we we fully indulge in the story!

Nice work Ms. Mahal. Love to read more of you works.

Lost in Italy by Stacey Joy Netzel - Book Review

An entertaining and intriguing romantic suspense by Ms. Stacey. 

A short summary from goodreads - 
 

 Halli Sanders spent two years planning the trip of a lifetime to Italy. Her itinerary did not include being stranded by her siblings, kidnapped by a sexy American movie star, dodging bullets, or fleeing criminals in a car chase around Lake Como. And that's just in the first three hours. 
 
Trent Tomlin put his movie career on hold to investigate his brother's murder-ruled-suicide at his Italian villa. He's closing in on the suspects when an American tourist unwittingly films the murder of the retired cop helping him. The killers will stop at nothing to get the evidence--including holding Halli's family as collateral.

Thrust into the role of real-life hero, Trent finds himself falling for the Plain Jane whose beauty blossoms with every challenge they face. But how can he keep the evidence from the murderers to get justice for his brother and friend without betraying Halli and her family?

First thing I would like to mention is the wonderful work done by the author. I enjoyed her writing and the characters she has created. I know, the story is completely fictional and unrealistic - romance between a movie star and an ordinary girl but, the author made the situations in the book so believable, you would definitely love it! The main characters, I really liked them, I was getting so bored of the same type of characters in some of the books I read recently, Trent and Halli were so different and refreshing, I loved reading about them. They were great with each other, even though most of the time they were annoying or fighting with each other. At times, I got irritated with Halli, she was so distrustful of Trent, but  I could understand where she was coming from so it was not much issue for me. The story, from the start to end was an adrenaline kick, just like the movie knight and day (I had loved that movie :). I just have to mention the premise of the book, Italy, so beautifully described , i thought Halli was lucky she got lost in Italy 😉! The suspense was intriguing, as we already knew the bad guys, and there were no more unknown villains but still was surprised with the twists towards the end. The ending, the fairy tale one, was sweet , was kind of one that makes your heart happy even though it was fantasy type. I would love to read the next books in the series , I need books for Ben and Rachael. Will surely read Eva and Ben's book!

My rating for Lost in Italy would be 4 stars!!

Book Review: Butterfly Season by Natasha Ahmed

First of all, thanks to IndiReads for providing me a copy of Butterfly Season to read and review.

Butterfly Season was an enjoyable affair for me, best thing being a novella and I always love reading novellas, especially because it will be sweet and short. To be honest, this is the second book I read from indireads, the first being Done with Men which I had enjoyed a lot. 

A short summary from goodreads -

On her first holiday in six years, Rumi is expecting to relax and unwind. But when she is set up by her long-time friend, she doesn’t shy away from the possibilities. Ahad, a charming, independent, self-made man, captures her imagination, drawing her away from her disapproving sister, Juveria.Confronted by her scandalized sister, a forbidding uncle and a society that frowns on pre-marital intimacy, Rumi has to decide whether to shed her middle-class sensibilities, turning her back on her family, or return to her secluded existence as an unmarried woman in Pakistan.We follow Rumi from rainy London to a sweltering Karachi, as she tries to take control of her own destiny.

My thoughts on butterfly season -

It's the story of Rumi, a Pakistani girl, who comes on a vacation to England and meets Ahad, a charming guy and the life she has known changes in a few weeks time. There were lot of positives for me in the book mainly, I loved the author's writing, how smoothly she has delivered the story and characters! As i am from India, I know and could relate to the cultural and conservative family convictions explained in the book but it might be difficult to someone from outside to accept it. And the author has explained the situation with clarity so the readers can understand it. I enjoyed Rumi and Ahad's characters so much that I loved their dates, was really engrossed in their relationship when the ugly scene happened and i was disappointed with Ahad. He was so awesome until that, but suddenly the way he reacted to Rumi, I was annoyed with him. Rumi, with all her "baggage", was so open  and sweet but was not treated fairly. But, Ahad redeemed himself, even though he was an idiot, going out on dates with another woman, but realising soon what he wanted and went for it. I loved how Rumi became confident in herself and decided to open her wings like a butterfly and fly away, free of any responsibilities. Last chapter was sweet, except again this part of story I had some issues, even though Ahad proposes, he does not declares his love or anything, oh, come to think of it, both are not declaring their love, just discussing about marriage and all. I know they have strong their feelings for each other, but still I would have loved some declarations of love, some cheesy stuff :) ! What to do, I'm a big romantic! Okay, that was a long review, with lot of spoilers, couldn't control. Oh, sorry forgot to mention, Rumi's sister Juvi, I hated her, such a selfish character. Maria and her husband were great, nice characters. 

Overall, I liked Butterfly Season and would definitely read more books from the author. And my rating, I was confused whether to give it 3 or 4 stars, so giving it 3.5 stars!

Book Review: Done with Men by Suchi Singh Kalra

First of all, Thanks to the author for giving me the ebook to read and review!  Done with Men was a funny, entertaining novel for me. 

A short summary -

Travel journo, Kairavi Krishna (Kay) has had it with men. After a series of disasters (losers, philanderers, leeches, mama's boys and possessive psychos), she is all too tempted to walk out on the prospect of ever finding love. Accompanied by her best friend and flat-mate Baani, she sets off for Goa, hoping to get away from her miserable love life and vowing to stay clear of the male species. 

Goa however, has a host of surprises in store for her. Ricky, her pesky ex-boyfriend, is busy painting the town red with his hot new girlfriend. Now what is poor Kay to do other than overdose on vodka, smoke pot, get an outrageous tattoo and fall off the hotel balcony? She wakes up in the hospital to the tender ministrations of Dr.Vivian D'Mello--young, suave and handsome as hell. Will Kay stick to her guns or will she fall for his ridiculously sexy charms? And what's up with the mixed signals he's giving out?

I enjoyed the book very much. Normally, even though i read chick-lits, i don't use to like it much, mainly because it always use single perspective narrations and also, lot and lot of pages, with an abrupt ending! But, this one was good, i mean, make-you-feel-your-heart-good.

I loved Kairavi's perspective and the book did not drag and my favorite, novellas! I was hooked with the first chapter itself, the way how we are introduced to Kay in a hospital and the circumstances behind it, it was so funny. And i loved the way author narrated the story, her writing style was beautiful. Romantic moments between Kay and Vivian were great. But, still there are some very few things i thought was lacking for me, it would have been nice if we had got what hotshot doctor was thinking, his perspective would have made the story more interesting, especially at the end! It was ok, as we did'nt know what Dr Vivian was thinking and feeling, it created a tension at the end which in turn made the story more interesting! Without any conflict or tension, the happy ending will not be this much sweet! And, i loved the happy ending. I would love to read the author's other books. 

My rating would be 4.25 stars.

Book Review: The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken

I saw this book in the 2013 new releases list and after reading the synopsis, just grabbed it and book was just fantastic. No single word to describe about the book - it was a mixture of everything, sweet , funny, refreshing! I finished the book in a single read till morning 3am. 

 A short summary -

I have a proposition for you." Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus's mouth. It's been years since Kacey's seen her childhood friend Jake, but the minute Jake mentions his ill grandmother, Kacey is ready to do anything for the sweet old woman. And if that means pretending they're engaged for her sake-so be it.

But Kacey wasn't counting on Jake's older brother Travis still being there. She calls him "Satan" for a reason: she's never forgotten the way he teased and taunted her. Yet when they meet again, Travis's gorgeous smile is a direct hit to her heart . . . and Kacey's more confused than ever. As the days pass, only one thing starts to become alarmingly clear-she never should have accepted Jake's deal . . .

 

Ms. Rachel has done a great work with this book.

I enjoyed the book very much for its funny, hilarious dialogues. Really entertaining! And i want to tell a bit about the story also, i loved the situations created in the book and how the author has beautifully sketched the storyline. The characters are nicely depicted.
Kacey, Travis and Jake are just wonderful, i loved each of their characters. Kacey's world was turned upside down after a fateful night where she not only loses her best friend but also her parents. Jake has always been Kacey's best friend and protector from not just his older brother who terrorized her as a kid, but also mean high school girls who did not understand their relationship. Travis, Jake's older brother, has a big crush on Kacey from their childhood. He teased and tortured Kacey as he was not able to express his feelings properly and also, he thought he was her savior by slaying dragons (created by himself) for her (so cute and sweet:) thinking ). A few years later, after the falling out with Jake, Kacey gets a call from her ex-best-friend, Jake who is a millionaire playboy and heir to the Titus throne, with a proposition to be his fake fiancee for a weekend so that he can save his image in front of press and family. Kacey agrees to play the role for the sake of Jake's family and especially his grandma who she loves more than anything. Now, when Kacey and Jake comes to the family home, the story becomes really interesting as Travis, Kacey's nemesis, is also there the whole weekend. From there, it is lot of funny dialogues and sweet conversations between Travis and Kacey which will make you laughing out loud and happy at heart. I loved how they both develop their relationship and understand each other's feelings, and it was so cute to see their fights, very enjoyable. 

Travis's 85 years old grandma is a fantastic character , makes you laugh a lot, her affair with her neighbor was awesome :). This book was a refreshing experience for me. When you start the first chapters, you will think the story is going on the best-friends turned lover track, but it was a change from all such stories when we meet Travis. And you will love it, it makes the story more entertaining. It would be really unfair not to mention Jake, even though this is not his story but he has a equal role in this book - Ms. Rachel has created a great character in Jake, you will love and hate him at the same time. And because some chapters have Jake's point-of-view, it will help you to know him and understand why he is doing the things he does.
 

All in all...a romantic read with lots to laugh. It was an excellent read for me!!