Jen's Blog

I didn't realize when I read this one that it was a re-issue.  It was first published as  The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off .  It's also the second book in the series and I hadn't read the first when I found this one.  I enjoyed it enough I will go back and re-read the first two in the series. The only thing I would say about the book that I didn't like, was on occasion it got very wordy.  Overall it was a delightful and fun story. Carlene Lovell is recovering from her husband's shocking affair, with a women she sold some of her expensive lingerie too!  Waiting in the wings is sexy sheriff Jack Landry. This story offers a lot more than just romance though, its really about friendship.  Carlene and her friends and family decide to enter the chili cook-off to get back at Carlene's soon to be ex, and the rest of the men in town.  It's a story about survival and friendship, and these friends have a whole lot of fun!  I love stories like this that incorporate both f

I have been enjoying this Carsons of Mustang Creek series.  They are light, fun and entertaining reads - and really who doesn't love a cowboy story? Book two Always a Cowboy features Drake Carson, in charge of the family ranch. He is devoted to the animals and the land.  He is all cowboy, all the time.  His biggest challenge of late is managing the wild horses on his land, the stallion is running off with some of his other horses. Luce Hale is a graduate student intent on studying and saving the wild horse population.  Sparks fly between Luce and Drake right away and the attraction is instant.  They work together to come up with a plan that works for everyone and fall in love in the process. It's a solid story and a lot of fun.  If you are a fan of sexy cowboys and western romances this one is for you! Start with book one - Once a Rancher . 3/5 stars on Goodreads.

I had to give this one a few starts before I was able to finish it.  I didn't love this one...and I was disappointed because Mary Balogh is one of my favorite authors.  To me the writing and the voice of the characters was stiff and formal.  I didn't feel like the characters were speaking, I felt like a narrator was speaking.  All of the characters had the same "voice" and I found myself not investing in the characters. The story line wasn't all that original, which doesn't usually matter to me if the characters have a personality.  I just wasn't feeling it for this one.  The main character Anna was orphaned at birth but it turns out she is actually a lady.  She has to adjust to her new life, with the help of the Duke of Netherby and they fall in love in the process.  There is a lot of potential here and I will give the second in the series a read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.  3/5 stars on Goodreads.

Duke of Pleasure is the newest addition to the Maiden Lane Series...and it didn't disappoint.  The new Ghost of St. Giles happens to be the favorite street urchin Alf.  Alf is a woman who dresses as a boy to hide her identity in a dangerous part of London.  While protecting the streets one evening she comes across the Duke of Kyle, who realizes right away that the ghost is a woman.  The Duke has been attacked and calls upon the services of Alf to find out who his enemy is. Alf stays in the Duke's house, and starts to become part of the family.  Hugh's two young sons are still recovering from the loss of their mother and Hugh's absence from the house.  They take to Alf right away, and it turns out that Hugh does as well.  There is a happily ever after in this story, as there always is. Hugh and Alf's story seems a little far-fetched (usually the heroine isn't so different from the hero) but it feels right almost from the first page.  It's a story that wa