2014 – Book #7

ImageThe seventh book I finished in 2014 was Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins. I finished this book on 1/22/14. I rated this book 4.5 stars out of a scale of 5.

Kristan Higgins is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books always make me laugh out loud while I am reading them. They’re definitely not what I would call a steamy romance novel but the stories she writes are very sweet love stories. And many of her books remind the reader that love is not perfect, that not all love stories involve two perfectly chipper loving people. Sometimes love involves people who are cranky but they find that one person who can make them laugh. I guess what I’m trying to say is that her idea of love and romance is a little more realistic than some of the other romance novels I read. And maybe because of that they are truly touching love stories that reach deep inside the reader and grab a hold of your heart and squeeze.

Too Good To Be True is the story of a woman named Grace who is trying to move past the fact that her fiancee dumped her for her younger sister. She’s on the hunt for a new man in her life when a very attractive man moves into the house next door to her. She soon finds our however that he is an ex-convict (don’t fret, he did two years for a white collar-crime that, well, read the book and find out I guess). All of the characters in this story (in my opinion even the characters with smaller parts) are well-developed and draw emotions from the reader. While a tad slow in a couple parts, overall this book is a great read. Higgins is one of the few who can make me laugh out loud and cry my eyes out in the same book. Great author and a great book!

Link to author website: http://www.kristanhiggins.com/index.html

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Too-Good-Be-True-Hqn/dp/0373777914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392852081&sr=8-1&keywords=too+good+to+be+true

2014 – Book #6

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The sixth book I finished in 2014 was The Perfect Lover by Stephanie Laurens. I finished this book on 1/19/14. This is the 10th book in the Cynster family series (previously referenced in post about The Promise in a Kiss). I rated this story 4 stars out of a scale of 5.

This story is about Simon Cynster and his romance with Portia Ashford. Simon’s older sister and Portia’s older brother were featured in an earlier Cynster novel (#9 – On a Wicked Dawn). Simon and Portia find themselves at the same house party in the country. During their stay, the hostess is murdered and they, along with an inspector Stokes, work together to solve the murder. All the while Simon and Portia develop deep feelings for one another. As usual, Laurens draws us in to the emotions of the characters and makes it very easy to connect with the plot and lose yourself in the story. Overall I thought it was an excellent novel.

Link to author website: http://www.stephanielaurens.com/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Lover-Cynster-Stephanie-Laurens/dp/0060505729/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392768831&sr=8-1&keywords=the+perfect+lover