Playing the Field by Jennifer Seasons

Playing the Field  is the second book in the Diamonds and Dugouts series, and once again Jennifer Seasons has delivered a fun, romantic, sexy story.

JP Trudeau is the shortstop for the Denver Rush, Colorado's Major League Baseball team. He's an unrepentant cocky, sexy, chick magnet who enjoys the "perks" of being a celebrity. He loves his job, loves his community, and is pretty well grounded for a guy in his twenties, so when his team sponsors a charity event for diabetic kids, JP's all in. It's a gorgeous day, he's about to play ball with some great kids and he thinks that life can't get better than this... until he spots "one seriously luscious beauty..." headed his way, and life as he knows it is about to change.

Sonny Miller is happy with her life as an organic cheese maker, living on the ranch she grew up on, and then inherited from the grandmother who had raised her. As a child, she had been abandoned by her parents, and then as an adult abandoned by her boyfriend when she became pregnant. Needless to say, Sonny has trust issues. She's devoted to her son, Charlie, and will do anything she has to do to protect him, so she's decided she'll never get involved with a man again, and so far she's been successful. With Charlie's diabetes, she's made sure their life is planned out, well constructed, and safe. Safe, that is, until JP Trudeau swaggers into it. From then on, all bets are off.

This really is a great story! The close knit, unstoppable duo of Sonny and her ten year old son, Charlie, are awesome, and then with the 'knows what he wants and stops at nothing to get it' hunky shortstop, JP, what we have is a winning lineup of characters I couldn't help but adore.

If you love contemporary romance as much as I do, be sure and give this series a try! You won’t be disappointed!!

Many thanks to Avon Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. As always, it was such a pleasure!

Books in the Diamonds and Dugouts series:

All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey

 

A second shot at first love…

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he's forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren's son…

The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan's door every day to work off his crime.

With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can't deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

*******

All He Ever Desired is the fifth book in the Kowalski Family series and another enjoyable story. I can tell you, without hesitation, that Shannon Stacey is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, and this series is must read for me. The stories are sweet, passionate, humorous, and often focus on valuable lessons, reminding us of what is most important in life; Love, family and integrity.

There are so many things to love about this story! Revisiting the Kowalski clan as they come together for Paige and Mitch’s wedding made for some fun times. Watching Rose and Andy grow closer – Rose’s snarky (for Rose) comments and Andy’s obvious affection for her. Meeting Lauren’s troubled teen age son, Nick, and getting a glimpse into the man he’ll become. And most especially, Ryan and Lauren, the stars of this story.

Ironically, my favorite part of this story is also my least favorite. Like the cover blurb tells us, a lot of years have passed since Ryan made Lauren an offer she was obviously able to refuse, and both moved on with their lives, though neither ever forgot the other. Circumstances have brought them together again, so with all those years behind them and nothing to stop them, they’re finally ready to take a chance on each other and see what the future might hold.

And this is why it's my favorite part: I loved how real it felt. How we watched their struggle - Ryan's to approach Lauren again after having already been shot down once. It might have been 16 years ago, but the wound she inflicted to his pride, and his heart, is still fresh. And Lauren's struggle to take a chance and allow someone into her life again, especially a man like Ryan Kowalski who makes her feel things no one, not even her ex husband, had ever made her feel.

And this is why it's my least favorite part: It's heartwarming, at times poignant and inspirational, but by the very nature of this story, it also causes some lag in the flow and pacing. Not to the point of distraction, mind you, but for me it was there and that's the only thing keeping this from being a 5 star read.

So now I'm very much looking forward to Josh's story and finding out if he can make his own dreams come true. He's been the one person holding everything together while everyone else was off following their own dreams and now it's his time to shine. And then there's Liz's story, too. That girl's had it rough and it's time that she have a chance at love, whether she realizes she wants it or not.

The bottom line: Like all the books in this series, All He Ever Desired is a romantic, steamy, funny, feel good story. The devotion to family and community gives these books that small town feel that I adore, and the characters - their lives and loves - are what keeping me coming back for more.

My thanks to netgalley.com and Carina Press for providing me with a copy of this book for review. As always, it was a pleasure.

The Virgin's Revenge by Dee Tenorio

Determined to get out from under the thumbs of her six overbearing brothers, Amanda Jackman moves out of the family home and sets a course that allows her to live on her own terms. She has a job she loves, a house of her own and life is good! What more can a girl ask for?

Cole Engstrom has his life all planned out, too. A place of his own, a job he loves and the occasional no-strings-attached women to warm his bed when the urge hits him. His life is on the course he has set for himself, and it’s a good one! What more can a guy ask for?

Amanda and Cole have been friends ever since Jackman brothers took him under their wings back in high school. She’s been wildly attracted to him right from the start, but their friendship is too important to risk losing it by asking him to take things to the next level. But when she overhears her brothers “talking” with Cole, laying out their plan to have Cole woo then marry her, she decides to teach them all a lesson and does a little plotting of her own!

The Virgin’s Revenge is the fourth book in the Rancho del Cielo series, and having not read anything by Dee Tenorio before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Because this is published by Samhain I thought it might possibly be a nothing-but-sex wild ride, but that’s just not the case! This story is heavy on the romance, passion and playfulness, but it isn’t until later in the book before things really heat up, making this an all around delightfully romantic, sexy story that had me grinning from ear to ear one minute, sighing deeply the next, and fanning myself yet another.

The bottom line - If you enjoy stories with lots of humor, meddling but loving and devoted friends and family, check this one out. If you need your romances to be sweet, the trials and triumphs heartwarming and inspiring, give this book a try! If you like all of those things and some sexy goodness, then stop wasting time thinking about it and just do it. Just read this book! With their quirky personalities and zest for life, the people of Rancho del Cielo are an absolute joy to spend time with.

The ecopy of this book was provided by Novel Sidekick in exchange for an honest review.

The Virgin’s Revenge by Dee Tenorio
Series - Rancho del Cielo #4
4 of 5 stars
ebook, 253 pages
Expected publication: July 3rd 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN13 9781609288662
Edition language - English

Kelsey's Song by Lanie Kincaid

Kelsey’s Song is the first installment of The Wilder Books and let me just tell you, it was a delightfully refreshing story! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like it, but with Kelsey’s calm strength, JD’s vulnerability but never-say-die spirit, and three adorable kids between them, I was captivated from the first page to the last. Then, as if that weren’t enough, throw in JD’s band-mates, a great storyline and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

Kelsey Conklin is a single mom, raising two children on her own. It’s rough going, but like all things in her life, she just does what needs to be done and keeps moving forward. One day while shopping with her kids at a local Target store, she hears a young girl throwing the temper tantrum from hell! Feeling sorry for the child’s father, Kelsey does what she can to help him out, accepts his thanks, and heads home wondering what had brought the man and his daughter to this point in their lives.

JD Hewitt gave up a lucrative career as a stock market investor to pursue what he loves most – making music!! He’s a guitarist, singer and songwriter whose dream is to have a successful band, so he packed up and moved to Nashville where a man's dreams can come true. Then three years later his ex-girlfriend died of cancer and, out of the blue, JD is handed a daughter he hadn’t even known about. Juggling this newfound fatherhood and his struggling band, Wilder, JD is nearly at his wit’s end when he meets and befriends Kelsey, an amazing woman who just seems to have it all together. The friendship they develop is fun and mutually beneficial, but as the months go on, it becomes obvious that friendship isn’t quite enough for either one of them. But afraid of ruining the incredible relationship they have, neither Kelsey nor JD are willing to open up and admit their true feelings.

There are just so many things right about this story, but for me what stood out most was the way these people came together, loving and supporting, each helping the other to fulfill their dreams, and redefining the word "family." See, I think that too many people believe that a family has to be made up of blood, or some legal document that decrees them as such. But one of my favorite parts of this story came when Kelsey looked around and realized that the people she had surrounded herself with were the true definition of family.

Kelsey wanted to stop time. Her kids were happy, truly happy. She now had the same size family as she’d had previously, but she was willing to admit that this one was better. In so many ways. Oh, God, Andrew forgive me. But the weight that had been lifted from her when Andrew died became even lighter when JD stepped up to really share the load.

He didn’t vacuum her living room, or do her laundry, or mow her lawn. But she had a sounding board that she trusted when she didn’t know what to do. When she wasn’t sure she’d handled something right. When she just prayed for someone to tell her that they saw she was doing her best. It was far more than she had imagined, knowing that someone had her back. No one had had her back for as long as she could remember.

The bottom line - Kelsey's Song is not without its flaws, but those things aside it is a beautiful love story, in every sense of the word. While the relationship building went on a bit longer than I would have liked, I was pleased that their sexual relationship didn't happen overnight. In fact, it was made all the more believable because they didn't become intimate 'til near the end of the book, and when they did, despite the awkwardness afterwards, it felt so right. This book is a light and funny story, with a sweet, romantic and steamy ending. I will absolutely be looking for more by Lanie Kincaid.

My sincerest thanks to Griffyn Ink for providing me with an ecopy of this book, via netgalley.com