Mini-Review Blast & Giveaway!

I tend to go through spurts when it comes to reading. Some weeks I read a lot, others hardly at all. I go through spurts like that with types of books too. I had a period recently where I was reading a lot of heavy, dystopian-type novels (there are so many great ones out there right now!). I wanted a break from that, so I read a few quick, light romances. In my opinion, these types of books are the best way to get away from it all for day - especially while laying in your hammock. So, here are my reviews of a few of them. And to top it off, I am giving a lucky reader a chance to win their choice of two of them (sorry, US only)! If none of them look interesting to you, you can pick any two from my list of nearly 100 books found on paperbackswap.com (see list here!)  All of the books are used, but in good shape, some have been signed and personalized. Enter using Rafflecopter at the end of this post. Ends Friday, July 6th!

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Blazing Midsummer Nights
Leslie Kelly
May 22, 2012
Harlequin Blaze
224 pp.

Synopsis: 
Anything can happen on a magical midsummer's eve Marketing director/workaholic Mimi Burdette has The Plan-work for her father and date his right-hand man. Problem is, there's no heat in the relationship. Not even a spark. And worse still, Mimi is having some seriously sexy, panties-ablaze dreams-and the star looks a lot like  Xander McKinley, the hunky firefighter next door. Mimi's dreams might be due to the strange tea she drank. Or the predictions from the fortune cookie she ate. Or they could be due to Xander's smokin' hotness. But whether it's magic or just old-fashioned fireworks, Mimi is about to break all of the rules-including her own!


Review: Sizzling right from the beginning, this book is exactly what a Harlequin Blaze novel should be. Just the right amount of romance & hot sex, without too much secondary story or characters to weigh it down. I loved the idea of the two main characters living in nearly adjoining apartments with secrets doors. I would've liked the ending to have been drawn out just a bit more, but overall it was great. Read it in a day - a quick, sexy, summer read.  3.5/5 stars. 

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The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar
Susanna Carr
Expected Publication: August 7, 2012
Harlequin Presents Extra
192 pp

Synopsis: Jeweled veil weighing heavily on her head, Zoe Martin waits for her sheikh husband-to-be. The shame of her adoptive family, orphan Zoe has endured six years of being kept as a slave—now she's been sold into marriage…to a man known as The Beast!

Being discarded to the sheikh has one bonus—this could mean freedom! Zoe must play along with the three-day—and three-night—ceremony, but she isn't expecting the blazing attraction from just one stolen glance at playboy sheikh Nadir.

Review: This book was a great departure from the normal type of book I read. I've always found the whole idea of Middle Eastern culture in romance novels off-putting with the arranged marriages and lack of women's rights. I do admit that I like reading books with alpha males, but I don't like it at all when it's the culture imposing the male's dominance. But, since I was asked if I'd be willing to read this book, I read the synopsis and the premise intrigued me enough to give it a try: An American woman, Zoe, orphaned and forced to live in Jazaar with an misogynistic uncle who only uses her as a means to an end - basically selling her off to be married to help his village. 

The book starts off right in the thick of things - wedding day. We meet Nadir, new husband to Zoe - it's immediately apparent that he's struggling between two worlds - the old fashioned ways of his country and the modern world he prefers. Both Zoe and Nadir are surprised at their immediate sexual attraction, which of course, blossoms into more as they get to know one another. Somewhat predictable from that point, but I still wasn't sure exactly who was going to concede more in the end. I was pleased I expanded my horizons and gave this genre a try. 3.5/5 stars. 

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The Doctor's Baby
Cindy Kirk
April 1, 2010
Silhouette Special Edition
215 pp.

Synopsis: July Greer couldn't believe it. Here she was, in labor...and the doctor treating her was the father of her child She and Dr. David Wahl had shared July's one and "only" one-night stand. But they'd both moved on. So how could she tell the sexy obstetrician the truth?

The strapping baby boy David had just delivered couldn't be his son...could it? Because the woman holding him in her arms was the one he'd been unable to banish from his dreams for the past nine months. And she was awakening all kinds of new dreams in David--mainly to grab them both in "his" arms and never let them go.

Review: One of my favorite themes in romance novels is the couple forced together by unplanned pregnancy. This book certainly had that, but with the added twist that the father didn't know the baby was his, but loved him anyway. David, our hero, was completely charming and endearing. At times I wasn't sure July deserved him, and became frustrated with the lies, but it did make for some great tension built up in the end. You really couldn't help but root for them. My one gripe, which is minor, was July Greer's name. It kept reminding me of the actress Judy Greer, who then is who I pictured as July in my head. And I really hate reading books where I don't know how to pronounce the name. Was it supposed to be "July" like the month or was it a non-traditional spelling for Julie? I know this seems petty, but every time I read her name (which obviously was a lot) I thought of those things and it distracted me from the story. Overall, a light, charming romance novel. I read it in a day. 3.5/5 stars.

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I'd like to thank Harlequin for providing me with Blazing Midsummer Nights at BEA 2012, and the authors Susanna Carr and Cindy Kirk for copies of their great books! I won Cindy's book from the Special Editions authors' blog, which frequently features great giveaways from all those wonderful authors - be sure to check it out! Thanks everyone!

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