Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield

--New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street JournalBestseller-- 

What boundaries would you cross for love?

That's the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in a young street musician to learn about her daughter's death and finds herself falling for him. A touching love story that will have you equally tantalized and in tears, Jane's Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.

Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it's too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no age.

Jane's Melody may not be suitable for younger readers due to sexual content.

4.5 Stars

“Don’t you let fear have a place in your life, J. Not even a tiny place. Get rid of it from every hidden corner. Case it away with the truth, and do what you want to do while you can.” 

I’ve gotten a couple recommendations from reader friends to try this out. I was instantly intrigued by the older woman/younger man storyline, so I figured I’d give it a go. I must say I’m in utter awe. 

First off, don’t hate me, but I just have to say: I cannot believe a male author wrote this -- Is it horrible of me to say that? I’ve been constantly surprised when male authors attempt to write romance, but so far I haven’t been disappointed. This story was amazingly sweet, emotionally tender and so worth the time to read it. 

I didn’t cause it, I couldn’t control it. I didn’t cause it, I couldn’t control it. I didn’t cause it, I couldn’t control it. 

Jane has just lost her daughter Melody. No matter how hard she tried to help her, Melody was on downward spiral with no hope of controlling it. Jane is devastated. She wishes she could’ve done more, to have more of a connection to her, but alas, it’s all too late. 

As she sits in her car, staring at her daughter’s grave, she sees a man standing in front of it. Was he Melody’s boyfriend? She runs into him again in the city and is determined to find out how he’s connected to her daughter. What she finds is a man who calls to her soul. Caleb is sweet, honorable and is in need of some TLC. She takes him home, offers shelter, but he refuses to take her charity. Instead she offers Caleb work, as a gardener of sorts, as a form of payment until he can get on his feet. However the connection she feels towards him knocks her off axis. They’re attracted to each other, but she is reluctant to give in until she finds out how he’s connected to Melody.

“We’re you attracted to her?”

“I’m attracted to you.”

“What?”

“Everything I liked about her, I love in you.” 

This was such an emotionally charged book. The beginning kinda reminded me of a glum and gloomy rainy day in Seattle (which is perfect considering that’s where this is set…well, at least around that area). Anyway, as the story unfolds, you start to see a break in the clouds; rays of hope and sunshine start to emerge. Jane seems to be stuck in a rut after her Melody’s death, but with Caleb, she starts to slowly heal. 

As for Caleb…**Sigh**. He’s one of the sweetest Heroes I’ve come across in a long time. There’s no hidden agenda, just completely honorable. He’s so unbelievably sweet and I fell completely and hopelessly in love with him. 

The only reason I couldn’t give this book a full five stars was that I wished there was more dialogue and more interaction between Caleb and Jane. There was a lot of narrative, some of which I felt was a little repetitive. I cherished all the times Caleb and Jane interacted with each other. Their connection and the way they help each other heal and move forward is what made the story so wonderful. Oh! Wait. There is another reason why I couldn’t give it a full five stars: I wanted an epilogue!!! It just ended too abruptly for me, I wanted just a little more. Here’s hoping Mr. Winfield will write a little something extra for us readers. (Hint, hint, wink, wink).

Eternally North (Eternally North #1) by Tillie Cole

Natasha Munro is your typical twenty eight year old girl, well your typical twenty eight year old English loud 'n' proud Geordie; curvy, fun and a whole load of fab-u-lous. Her life is all going to plan – good job, great friends, close family and a loving boyfriend – until an unexpected event stands everything on its head.

Nursing a broken heart and decked head-to-toe in tasselled chaps and rhinestones, Natasha and her flamboyant fairy of a gay best friend, Tink, uproot from their North-Eastern nest, throw caution to the wind and embark on a new life together in Canada. Canada – Land of the Rocky Mountains, maple syrup; oh, and an 'in-between movies' Hollywood mega-star.

Enter infamous bad-boy of the big screen, Tudor North – Tudor 'bloody' North! Tudor is towering, brooding and gorgeous, and he is harbouring a deep secret. His outward demeanour is cold and intimidating, and with it he successfully keeps everyone at arm's length; that is everyone except a certain Ms. Munro. 

It soon becomes clear; what with her smart mouth and lusciously ample arse, that Natasha proves more than a match for our emotionally-distant mega-star.

Will Natasha settle into her new life in Canada? Will she ever find her fairytale happy ending? Can a movie star and an ordinary girl from England ever really make it work? Or will the secrets lurking in Tudor`s past scupper their chance of happiness?

Eternally North is addictive, funny and heart-warming; a fast paced comedic journey of self-discovery; an unyielding friendship and, of course, it would not be complete without a generous sprinkling of good old-fashioned British 'slap-and-tickle'.

WARNING: contains a foul-mouthed voluptuous Brit; a self-confessed and self-promoted Friggin' Fantastic Fairy; and an abundance of tattoo-smothered muscles nicely wrapped up in one gorgeous bad-boy package.

4.75-5 Stars

“I have always had this fear that If I loved anything it would be taken away; even as an adult it seemed like I’d been conditioned to accept that it was just my lot I life, so I never let myself really feel for anyone or anything…until you.” 

**Sigh** I love you, Tudor North 

-----

“I want to take you here against the wall, make you all mine, do you want that, Tash? Tell me you want that too.” 

I have huge smile on my face. Like, HUGE. Why you ask? Three reasons:

One: This story fucking rocked. 

Two: LOVE the characters: Natasha (a.k.a. Tash), Tudor (how awesome is that name for a Hero?), John (a.k.a Tink) and Tate are all so fantastic. I can’t gush about them enough. 

Three: There’s going to be sequel. Happy Dance!! 

Loved. This. Book.

I couldn’t deny that he was all muscle and pure gorgeousness. Bad attitude though. What a bloody shame. 

Tash wanted change. She just caught her now ex-boyfriend in a very compromising position. To top it all off, he was very unapologetic about it, too…just pure sleeze! Her plan? To seize the day. So what does she do? With the support of her fairy-BFF, Tink, they’re off to start a new life in Calgary, Canada. How they chose Canada, well, just read and find out. It’ll make you chuckle :) 

Anyway, once they settled, Tash starts her new teaching job at a very prestigious private school where she’s been given a side project as well: To reach out to the troubled students. One of the student’s is Boleyn Jones. What she doesn’t know, and will soon find out, is that Boleyn is actually the little sister of A-list, bad-boy actor, Tudor North. The first meeting between the two is pretty entertaining itself. He was nothing but rude and full of attitude towards Tash, but according to Tink, he couldn’t take his eyes off her all night. What stick crawled up his arse?

“Tudor said that you are like a sunflower to him; strong, bright and beautiful, and a reminder to everyone that the sun will always shine again, no matter what happens.” 

Tudor North doesn’t let anyone in. His life is mess, but somehow, this spunky Brit is seeping through the little cracks in his highly guarded armor. Her curves, her smiles, her humor is something Tudor needs in his life; no wonder he was instantly smitten. However, he harbors a secret that prevents him from actively pursuing her, but no matter how hard he tries to keep her at arms’ length, his restraint is slowly breaking.

“You are an absolute mind-fuck.” ~ Tash 

Tash, you aren’t kidding, chick. Lots of emotions arise in this story, especially coming from the brooding Tudor. He is so fucking intense, but oh, so broken. Beneath that tough exterior, Tudor is so vulnerable. I lost count at how many times, I cried at his constant struggles. He tries so hard to hide himself and his feelings, it was so sad. Will he ever let Tash in? 

“Natasha Munro, you have completely bewitched me. I would like – no, I know I could be everything to you. But it’s impossible.” 

I loved so many things about this book. There’s the brooding, tattooed bad-boy actor, Tudor North (see my version above,Yummm!! ). The way he turns in to such a softie in Tash’s presence was so cute! He’s just an amazing person. Then there’s Tash, the British heroine, with an uber cool Geordie accent (she actually pronounces Tudor like Chew-da and yes, I guiltily YouTubed Geordie accent…so freaking awesome, I tell ya **grins** ). She isn’t your typical skinny minnie heroine; this woman has some serious curves. What I loved most about her are her humor and bright outlook in life. She really is a ray of sunshine.

Oh! And I cannot forget about Tash’s BFF and soulmate, Tink. His antics with Tash are the bomb. He is freaking High-freaking-larious! The way these two banter, calling each other names likeWilbur, Tink, sausage, fairy…etc is so funny and they do it with so much love behind it, you can’t help but just love their relationship. I want to be let into their inner circle. 

I laughed, I cried, I smiled (a lot) and I loved (a lot). I seriously cannot wait for the continuation of this story. Loved it!

Private Message by Danielle Torella

Tess has never had sex. Believe it or not, she’s never had a decent kiss. 

The aspiring Seattle painter and photographer is still recovering from the trauma of being beaten and nearly raped at a rock show nearly three years before. So she keeps life simple: she goes to school, goes to work in a coffee shop, goes home, goes on living.

But then Ben’s naked body crashes—almost literally—through Tess’s wall against the world. 

Ben is doing his dad’s art-teacher girlfriend a favor when he agrees to pose nude for her drawing class. But what he draws is the interest of the irresistible punk-looking girl—and it’s interest he reciprocates, with interest. 

Their sexual chemistry is too much to resist. But it’s when they have their clothes on that their heat quickly slips on ice. Ben’s womanizing history is one thing, but it’s history of another kind—related to that fateful night at the rock show—that threatens to tear the young lovers apart forever.

2.75-3 Stars

Highlights:

- Our Hero, Ben, is a sexy, tattooed Brit ;)

- Our heroine is named Tess. Yes, I'm narcissistic that way ;)

- Adam Levine makes an appearance in the book. Yea, can't go wrong with that.

Lowlights:

- I'm a fan of insta-love, to a degree, but something about this story felt a little off

- Tess easily forgives Ben for a misunderstanding. If it was me, I wanted more of an explanation. His was a bit lame. 

- Heroine meets a new girlfriend at a bar one night and the next thing you know they're besties. Nope. Not likely. I don't care how well u get along.

- The few twists in the story weren't all that impressive.

There were a few more minor ones, but I think I've said the biggest ones. This had sooooo much potential, too. I wish I had enjoyed it more :(

Mid-Life Love by Whitney G.

If you'd asked me what love was two years ago, I probably would've said, 'It's this amazing feeling that obsesses and possesses you; it's what me and my husband currently have.' If you ask me that same question today, I'll say, 'Please get the hell out of my face.’

Claire Gracen's life is picture perfect. Her career as a marketing director is on the brink of being legendary, and her marriage to her high school sweetheart has never been stronger. No, wait. It has. It used to be amazing and fulfilling, but one day Claire realizes that she's been living a lie and her best friend and husband have committed the ultimate betrayal.

Broken and depressed, Claire is in need of something new—new city, new job, new friends. 

When she happens to attract the interest of the sexiest man she's ever met, a man significantly younger than her, she immediately turns him down—only to later discover that this man is Jonathan Statham, self-made billionaire and CEO of Statham Industries. Her boss.

Jonathan Statham is unlike any man she's met before. He's used to getting whatever he wants—whenever he wants, and he isn't about to take no for an answer. 

Sexy, unpredictable, and charmingly clever, Mid Life Love is a story that will captivate you, entertain you, and force you to fall deeply in love with the characters.

Three Stars

I'm a huge fan of the older woman / younger man stories. Can't get enough of them really. So when one of my GR friends pointed this out, I was giddy. However, with that said, I'm kinda sad that I didn't like it as much. To be frank, I couldn't get over the annoying heroine. The Hero, however, is COMPLETELY swoon-worthy. Loved Jonathan! He made the story worthwhile. He was sexy, sweet, possessive and just HOT. How he never gave up on her, is a complete miracle. Claire was constantly battling her insecurities, especially their age difference. She continuously turns him down, while he incessantly pursues her. Why? I still don't know. I know she's gorgeous and all, and is different from the women he's previously dated, but I seriously didn't get it. It seemed a little forced to be honest. 

**Sigh** Only in books. 

In real life, she would've been dumped and left. No one deserved that kind of rejection over and over again. Plus! How could he be okay with keeping their relationship a secret? For the majority of the book, she kept wanting it between just them, no matter how much he wanted to show the world how proud he was to have her as his. Really, Claire? Really? Yea. You totally deserved to be bitch-slapped. 

Like I said, I wished I had liked this more. It had so much potential, but the heroine completely ruined it for me.

Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey

IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS. 

I can't be held responsible. Things that happen there are supposed to stay there, right? Right? Yeeeah. Not so much. 

Andie's just days away from tying the knot, but there's just ooooone little glitch. Apparently, she's already married. Or someone with her name is married to a guy out in Oregon of all places, and the courthouse won't issue her a marriage license until it's all cleared up. Tripping her way through cow pies and country songs to meet up with a man who gets around places on horseback is her very last idea of how to have a good time, but if she's going to get married, make partner at the firm, and have two point five kids before she's thirty-five, she needs to get to the bottom of this snafu and fix it quick ... before her fiance finds out and everything she's been working toward goes up in flames.

Four Stars

“You’re my wife,” he said, only inches away, his hot breath flickering over my lips. “You married me in Las Vegas two years ago.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m your husband.”

I nodded, tears slipping out.

He gritted his teeth and growled out, “And this is us, consummating our marriage.” 

♥Mack♥

**Sigh** I really LOVE Gavin (Mack) MacKenzie. Finding out I was married to him would’ve been fucking awesome. Hold up. Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a sec….

So I read a couple reviews prior to picking this up, seeing whether or not I really wanted to give it shot. Turns out, the cowboy Hero involved is a real sweetheart, so I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, I haven’t read one featuring a cowboy in a while, so I was intrigued and decided to give it a go. Turns out this is my second book in a row that featured a night in Vegas ending up in a surprise marriage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining; it became a very good read. 

“Just because a person is obsessed with the idea of something, it doesn’t make it right or even good for them.” 

Andie has plan: Make partner, get married and have the two point five kids by the time she’s thirty-five. She is determined to see it all the way through, even though her track record with men isn’t anything to brag about, but I’ll get to that in a bit. 

The only time she has ever veered slightly off the plan was when she went to Vegas for her friend’s bachelorette party and met a sexy cowboy. She was instant lust when she first laid eyes on Mack. After she accidently spilled her drink on him, the ice was broken, and they instantly hit it off. 

With him, I knew I could be myself. I could be confident and sexy and in control. I could dream of a life that didn’t involve a plan that had to be followed for the next ten years. I could forget where I came from and who I’d left behind to become the woman I was now. 

The men Andie’s life so far have fit certain criteria, which so far has resulted in dating a couple douches. There was something about Mack that was completely different and completely freeing. It could’ve been the alcohol, but then again it could be something else entirely. Her and Mack spent a passionate night in Vegas, ending with a hint of something big. 

Luceo non uro means I shine, not burn. To me, though, it means that I have a choice. I need to balance the bad with the good, make sure to avoid the things that could burn or scar me but get close enough to the heat that I feel life and really experience it. Until I met you, I’d never really embraced that idea. 

However, when Andie wakes up the next morning, she really couldn’t pinpoint what happened the night prior. What happened to her sexy cowboy? Though she wouldn’t admit it, she did feel slightly heartbroken at the thought of never seeing him again. 

Fast forward two years later…

Andie is getting ready to marry the biggest douche imaginable. She’s so focused on her plan, that she can’t see what her friends around her see. She’s completely shut out everyone around her. When she applies for her marriage license, she finds out she’s married. When she finds out it happened in Vegas, she immediately starts to piece things to together: Her cowboy and her got married in Vegas. What a clusterfuck! She needed to fix things ASAP, otherwise her plans will go down in flames. Will he even remember her? 

And I felt that point he was making with every thrust. He was taking possession of me, laughing in the face of whatever plan I’d made before coming here. He was calling the shots, not me. …

With every thrust, he gave me his response. “You. Are. My. Wife.” The last word came out as a growl. 

Oh man, I knew the moment Mack sees her at his ranch, things were going to get ugly. He was pissed, angry, but most of all, heartbroken. He really did fall for Andie. He is determined to keep her. Their chemistry is still potent and all he needs is time to convince her to give their relationship a try. 

I would’ve given this more stars, but to be quite honest, I wanted to bitch slap Andie, like multiple times. There were times where I was sporting some serious brass knuckles and then going to town on her. Seriously, she pissed me off. I wanted to yell, Get your head out of your ass and look at what you have in front of you!!Gahh! I hate stubborn ass heroines. 

As for Mack…well, he’s the newest member of my ultimate book boyfriend shelf. He made the book so worth it. Plus the steam in this book could rival any erotica book. Yea, it was HOT. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.