Romance Rehab - Romance Rehab

Bayou My Love by Lauren Faulkenberry

5/17/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 09/28/2017
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: Kinda

I was sold on reading this book when I saw that it was a renovation romance. (Even though the title is a little lame) That’s all it took. I have an almost unnatural fascination with home remodeling shows. I’ve lost DAYS to HGTV binges. I’m not proud of that, by the way. I’m just letting you know how much I adore the idea of renovation romance novels. And this one started off strong, too. Too bad it didn’t quite stick the landing…

First of all, I loved that it was the heroine, Enza, (which is a name that struck me as almost too unique, bordering on weird) was the house flipper, not the hero, Jack. There was a good amount of competence porn here. (And y’all know I love me some competence porn)

Fast Fury by Kaylea Cross

5/9/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 01/18/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

Y’all know I have some issues with romantic suspense. But Kaylea Cross is one of those rare romantic suspense authors who always gets it right, in my opinion. The balance between sexy times and real mortal danger in her books is always perfect, the plots are twisty enough to be interesting but not SO twisty that I’m confused, and the heroes are alpha without being alphaholes. There’s a reason why this author shows up so many times on our Friday “best of” lists, and her winning streak is more than upheld in Fast Fury. Here are the highlights:

All the Pretty Faces by Rita Herron

4/18/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 03/29/2016
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

OK, I’ll admit that I made a half-assed buying decision on this one. I didn’t even read the blurb. I downloaded it because I saw that it was written by a bestselling author, and...I liked the cover. There, I admitted that I’m totally shallow. It has a pretty cover, OK??? Don’t judge.

But once I got past the cover, I was less than blown away, which I found surprising. The writing was great. The story flowed beautifully. There was a totally WTF plot twist at the end that I loved. But the main characters? Yawn.

One Taste of Sin by Amanda Siegrist

4/11/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 04/06/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

OK, y’all know I have somewhat of an attitude problem about romantic suspense. Even when I suspend my disbelief that anyone would stop and have sex (or even think about stopping and having sex) when a serial killer is after them, I still struggle with pretty much this entire category of books. But I like this author, and I read and enjoyed the last book in the series, so I checked my attitude at the door and gave this one a read. Just like the last book, overall, I’m glad I did.

Damaged Love by Sarah J. Brooks

4/4/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 03/18/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: I dunno

I apparently read a different book than all the reviewers on Goodreads. Because while I remain impressed by the dude on the cover (seriously, sir, job well done), I was less than thrilled with the book itself. I DNF’d at 4%. Here’s why. (Hang with me, folks. This is another one where Imma rant a bit)

Telling instead of showing
The whole first part of the book tells me about how smart and successful the hero is, and about how he runs a company that is doing groundbreaking cancer drug research. His rival (an old friend) is doing shady stuff to compete. All of this is being told to me at great length WHILE THE HERO AND HIS WIFE ARE FLEEING KILLERS!!!!

Hostage by Skye Warren and Annika Martin

2/20/2018

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 01/27/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

I don’t normally read dark romance. It tends to depress me, and the world is depressing enough on its own, so I don’t need to read depressing crap, too. But on the recommendation of a friend, I read the first book in this series, Prisoner, and absolutely adored it.

I waited and waited and waited for Hostage to be released, and about hurt myself 1-clicking at lightning speed when it came out. And once again, the authors didn’t let me down.

The Elder by Celia Aaron

2/6/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 02/06/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

If you’ve read any of our reviews or weekly “best of” lists, you’ve seen plenty of Celia Aaron. I’ve read, reviewed and ADORED The Bad Guy, Nate and Incubus. Hell, I even read (and loved) her Reylo fanfiction. (Sidenote: there’s also some super hot The Walking Dead fanfiction there, too. But be warned: it’s not work appropriate, folks. Save this one for home, after hours, when the kids are asleep.) So, saying that I’m a big fan of Celia Aaron is an understatement. Kind of like saying, snow is a little cold and doughnuts are a little yummy. (Doughnuts are EVERYTHING. But I digress…) That said, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I loved The Elder.

Final Siege by Scarlett Cole

1/30/2018

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 01/30/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

If you’ve visited this site more than once or twice, you already know I’m a huge fan of Scarlett Cole. Her books are repeat offenders on our weekly “best of” lists, and I absolutely adored the first book in this series, Under Fire. So, it will come as a shock to no one that I loved this book as well. (When I got an email from the publisher asking if I was interested in an ARC, I made grabby hands at my computer screen and squealed with glee, even though they couldn’t see me or hear me. Not my proudest moment, but I can live with that. But anyhoo...)

We Were One by Elizabeth Reyes

1/29/2018

NEW ADULT/ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 01/29/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

If you’re an Elizabeth Reyes fan (like I am), you probably read The Girl In The Mirror, which is a kind of twisty, psychological romantic suspense read. (It’s also really awesome, but I digress...) We Were One tells the story from the hero’s (Nico) point of view. A lot of times, retellings from the male POV don’t work out (I'm looking at you, Darker) But fortunately, this isn’t one of those times. We Were One somehow manages to be a completely different story than The Girl In The Mirror, in the best possible ways.

Seal of Honor

12/20/2017

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Title: Seal of Honor
Author: Tonya Burrows
Publication date: 5/28/2013
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

Egads, this wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I DNF’d right around the 25% mark. Here’s what made me pull the plug:

The heroine, Audrey, is an artist. When her brother is kidnapped (who he’s kidnapped by isn’t really relevant. Just know it was your standard, run-of-the-mill romantic suspense novel baddie), what does she do? Well, she immediately drops her life in Costa Rica and journeys to Colombia to save him. By herself.

A Love Restrained

10/4/2017

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Title: A Love Restrained
Author: Becky Flade
Publication date: 10/4/2017
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

So, I’ve been giving romantic suspense a hard time lately. I even considered turning my back on the category altogether. But this story was a rather nice reminder of why I shouldn’t make hasty decisions about an entire category of books based on a few bad experiences.

Kylee was a heroine I really rooted for. She’s smart and tough, but still sensitive and vulnerable enough to open her heart up to Jayson, even though they have very little in common in the first part of the book.

The Witness

10/3/2017

DUDE REVIEW
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Title: The Witness
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication date: 4/17/2012
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

Let me start this review by saying how much I appreciate my blog partner. Jennifer could’ve been a little irritated with me for running off on my own like a lost 5-year old at Wal-Mart to pick out my second romance novel. But she didn’t shake her head or say “I told you so” even after I released my 2-star review. Nope, she just quietly put that awful experience behind us and patiently presented me with new options for stop #3 on my journey into romance-land. She even gently nudged me towards The Witness, like a mom guiding her toddler away from sharp-edged furniture.

Manhunt

9/26/2017

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Title: Manhunt
Author: Ann Voss Peterson
Publication date: 06/14/2017
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

So, I came REALLY close to DNFing this one, folks. But I hate to DNF, especially when I get the book from NetGalley, so inexplicably, I persevered and made it through to the very end. I wish I could say things got better as I got to the end. They didn’t.

There were a number of points early on in the story where I started to question Shanna’s intelligence. And if there’s one thing that pisses me off in romantic suspense, it’s a TSTL heroine. For example, here are my questions for Shanna:

Undercover Attraction

9/21/2017

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Title: Undercover Attraction
Author: Katee Robert
Publication date: 11/28/2017
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

I REALLY don’t like to DNF any book. It makes me feel like a big ole quitter. A failure. A reader with a weak constitution. A fair-weather reader, if you will. But in reviewing books for this blog, I’ve come to accept that I simply can’t afford to finish every book I start. In the interest of maximizing my reading time, sometimes I just have to let a book I’m not enjoying go so that I can move on to book that’s more my speed, you know? And sadly, that’s what I had to do with Undercover Attraction.

Hidden

9/18/2017

DUDE REVIEW

Title: Hidden (A Bones Secret Novel, Book 1)
Genre: Romantic suspense
Author: Kendra Elliot
Publication date: 07/17/2012
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

So I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I’ve successfully finished the second romance novel of my entire life. The bad news is that it didn’t go anywhere near as well as my first. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone to blame but myself. After Jennifer made such a fantastic recommendation for my first romance review, you’d think I would seek her out for advice on my second. But nooooooooo. I wandered into the romance wilderness on my own, as lost as a Kardashian at a neighborhood garage sale.