Catch of the Day

Catch Of The Day by Kristan Higgins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm not sure how I got on to reading Kristan Higgins' novels, most likely from reading a review on Goodreads or from a friend's blog. No matter how, I'm just so glad I discovered them.

This one might just be my favourite, its just a wonderful story.

I just loved Malone, I don't know what it is a about the strong and silent type that is so appealing but he really tugged on my heart strings and warms me to my toes.

My one complaint (and it wasn't enough of a complaint to take a star away from my rating) is that the end feels rushed and left a few things unresolved. I would have liked another couple of chapters to make us feel that this couple was going to be able to live together and communicate going forward. The author made me want everything to work out for them but I was left with a feeling that I needed to know where Maggie and Malone went from there.

Dare I hope this is because the author plans Book 2 and we will pick up with these characters again? I would love that, but as none of the author's other novels have continued in a series, I'm not holding out much hope. An epilogue could have tied things up nicely for me. I know I can always let my imagination run wild but I would like to know what the author was planning for these two.

Do not let this stop you from buying the book, you will love it. Just a word of warning though....make sure you have a box of tissues handy, you might just shed a tear or two.



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1.1.11

I've been telling myself all day that I need to ensure I post today, the first day of the New Year.
I'm certainly got my fingers crossed that today does not set the trend for the forthcoming year. I'm feeling quite miserable. Not sure if I have a cold or hayfever or some kind of allergy. I've taken Codral Cold and Flu tablets, I've taken a good dose of Polarmine, Panadol and Nurofen and I can't say any of it has improved my aches and pains, has only made me feel very dull in the head and quite sleepy.
I really get quite down whenever I am not feeling well. I would dearly love to trade in my ailing body for a new one. Probably something high on my list of wishes for 2011 would be better health.
The Christmas celebrations in our household were just as Christmas should be, all about family. Christmas Eve Geoff's Aunty Helen flew up from Sydney. Its the first time she has been to see us in Queensland since our wedding. She has spent most of her life caring for Geoff's elderly grandparents after his father passed away and leads a fairly quite life.
It was lovely to have her here with our family for Christmas.
She spent a week here, and left to return to Sydney on New Year's Eve.
My mother also came to stay with us on Christmas Eve and left only today. She was happy to stay here and we were happy to have her. She didn't want to spend Christmas time on her own and I can understand that. I think my youngest son is sad to have lost his roommate. My mother also brought with her, her current housemate, Dash, who is the puppy of a friend of mine currently holidaying in the US. The kids have loved having Dash here and has made me realise a dog would be a welcome addition to our family, but I'm just not ready for the added responsibility to my long list of things to do.
I've been very lucky this Christmas holidays to have Geoff home. He is taking extended leave from work as his long service leave is well overdue. He won't return to work until the end of January. I must admit it has taken a lot of stress from my shoulders knowing that he isn't returning to work in a few days. We will be driving to Sydney some time in the next week or so to see his family down there.
Christmas has been a very relaxed affair for us. We had a lovely Christmas lunch of our traditional roast pork and veges, trifle for dessert and Mum's Christmas cake. Mum also made a yummy cheesecake.
My older brother Steven came for lunch with his girlfriend Sam. My younger brother and his family were supposed to come but didn't arrive until nearly 4pm in the afternoon so they missed out on our lunch.
The weather over Christmas was rain, rain and more rain. Lucky Santa had gifted the boys with some lego as it was perfect lego building weather.
As I said Helen departed New Years Eve, but my mother stayed. I also had my niece Shanti over for the night as my brother and his girlfriend had a party at their house, as they have done for a couple years as its also Matthew's birthday.
I didn't quite make midnight to stay up and watch the fireworks. Shanti had an unsettled night though so I spent most of the night up anyway.
I won't be making a list of 'new year's resolutions'. I'm sure if I went back to check over what my resolutions were for last year, I may not have achieved too many of those.
I can only hope that 2011 is full of good health and happiness for my family and friends.
Cheers everyone and best wishes for a fabulous New Year.

Undeniably Yours

Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey




I couldn't wait to read Undeniably Yours after really enjoying the first novel, Exclusively Yours.
This is another great read from Shannon Stacey. I just love the Kowolski family and once again found myself laughing out loud throughout this story.
We met Kevin Kowalski in Exclusively Yours, Joe's younger brother who has recently divorced, left his job as a police officer and is now running a sports bar. He meets Beth one night in the bar when he breaks her drunk boss's nose and subsequently loses her her job. They run into each other again when she is running the bar at Joe's wedding. The get together that night and through a misunderstanding she leaves his hotel room the next morning without leaving her last name or her phone number. She contacts Kevin again six weeks later when she finds out she's pregnant. Kevin wants to be involved with the baby and be supportive to Beth. Kevin really wants a relationship with Beth, and not just because she's pregnant with his child, but she's really holding him at arm's length.
I gave the first novel 5 stars and am only giving this novel 4 stars, I considered only 3 stars but decided it really did deserve more than that.
The only reason being that I just couldn't quite understand why it was that Beth was so fiercely trying to protect her independence and not allow Kevin to get closer. There was no insight into any previous relationship that made her want to be so independent, and although she had protective parents, they didn't seem to smother her.
All in all though another great read and I just wish there were more novels available.....because I'd love to read more of the Kowolski family.



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Exclusively Yours

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book. Joe Kowalski and Keri Daniels fell in love in high school, then she broke his heart when she chose to chase a career on the other side of the country. She hasn't seen him in 18 years. He is an author and she is a journalist for a gossip magazine. Her boss wants a juicy story and if Keri doesn't get it she loses her job.
Joe agrees to answer a question a day if she spends a two week camping holiday with him and his family. Joe's entire family is on the trip, his parents, his siblings and his niece and nephew. His brother Mike and his wife Lisa have four sons. Mike thinks its time to get a vasectomy and Lisa thinks its time to have another baby. Also there is Joe's twin sister Terry and her teenage daughter Steph. Terry's husband Evan walked out on her 3 months earlier. Terry also holds a grudge against Keri for walking out on Joe just as much as she walked away from Keri as her best friend at school.
I got so much from this book, it made me laugh out loud at the antics between the family. I think one of the reasons I connected so well with this book is because the family is so real.
The story is infused with so many different types of love that it really is more than just being a romance book. It's full of hearty laughter and family closeness, and is one of those books that are refreshing, light and funny in spite of the drama it portrays.
I'm sure this is a book that I will re-read some time in the near future. For now I can't wait to read Joe's younger brother Kevin's story in "Undeniably Yours".



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Once Forbidden

Once Forbidden (The MacKendimen, #2) by Terri Brisbin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm a huge fan of Terri Brisbin's Scottish romances and this is one of her novels that I really enjoyed. It really deserves 4 1/2 stars, and I've even considered giving it 5 stars.
"Once Forbidden" is unlike any highland romance I have read before Set in one of my favourite time periods, the early 1300's, Anice McNab has just wed her betrothed, the heir to the clan MacKendimen, Alesander —a family powerful in both name and arms. In the years she has waited for this day, Anice has dreamed of becoming the lady of the clan and its castle, and of finding love with her handsome betrothed. But her dreams of love are brutally shattered on her wedding night when she is brutally raped and beaten by her husband. The Laird of the MacKendimen's and father to Alesander sends his son away to the King in order to protect Anice and the baby she conceived on her wedding night.
The Laird then requests the return of his illegitimate son Robert, a son that he has not accepted publicly to the clan, to take care of Anice's duties whilst she awaits the birth of her baby.
Robert is still struggling to deal with the fact that he has not been acknowledged by his father and his rightful place within the clan. He also finds himself falling in love with Anice, who is fighting her own demons in dealing with the brutal way in which her marriage commenced.
I loved Robert for the way in which he respected Anice and was prepared to do anything he could to gain her trust and make her feel comfortable in their relationship.
Just in case you are wondering there is not a detailed description of the wedding night but throughout the book we get glimpses of what may have happened so that the reader can understand Anice's terrible fear of even coming into contact with the men in the clan. I'm not the sort of reader that likes too much detail when it comes to things such as rape. There's quite a bit of humour in this book too.
This is actually book 2 in a series and I would love to read the other books from the series, but quite a few of Terri's older novels are very hard to come by. I managed to find this one on the Australian Borders website as an ebook. So far no luck in finding the other two.
If you love a good Highland romance then I recommend you have a read of "Once Forbidden".



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Our Wicked Mistake

Madeline May is a young and beautiful widow who calls on the notorious Viscount Altea, Luke for assistance one evening when she believes she's killed a man in her home. A year prior Madeline and Luke had spent a very passionate night together, after which he became distant and avoided her.

Seeing each other again has rekindled their attraction and their affair.

This is a fabulous romance to read. I also enjoyed the back story of Luke's younger sister Elizabeth and her lifelong friend Miles.

I can't wait for the third book in the series to be available "His Sinful Secret" which is out in November 2010.



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My Lord Scandal

My Lord Scandal by Emma Wildes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm going to have to order some more of Emma Wildes' novels because I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Its refreshing to read a romance where the hero and the heroine are honest with each other and don't try to deny or destroy their feelings for each other. You can almost feel the chemistry between Alexander and Amelia and wanted them to find a way to be together despite their families disapproval of each other.
It also kept me interested until the end as to why their families hated each other and the mystery surrounding the family heirloom that Alexander was sent to retrieve.
I found "My Lord Scandal" to be a thoroughly enjoyable read.



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