They Cage Animals At Night

They Cage Animals At Night: The True Story of a Child Who Learned to Survive by Jennings Michael Burch

What a moving story. Burch, from the age of 8, was forced to move from orphanages to foster homes to his own home and back through the cycle. I was brought to tears…my heart hurts for children that live with this lack of stability. So heartbreaking. And Jennings bonded with an old, donated stuffed animal. So incredible what a small, simple act of generosity can generate for a lonely child.

Kudos to Burch for telling his story.

The Saint

The Saint by Monica McCarty

This is the next book in McCarty's Highland Guard series. I love these characters!

In this installment I was moved by the strong chemistry between Helen and Magnus. Helen is a well-developed female character. She makes the point in the book that she has always wanted more from life. Like Helen, I have always wanted MORE and I still struggle to define what that actually means in my life.

This is an amazing series for the romance lover (straight romance, Scottish, historical or suspense). Check it out!

Natural Born Charmer

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Amazon Description:

“Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard is the luckiest man in the world: a bona-fide sports superstar and the pride of the NFL with a profitable side career as a buff billboard model for End Zone underwear. But life in the glory lane has started to pale, and Dean has set off on a cross-country trip to figure out what's gone wrong. When he hits a lonely stretch of Colorado highway, he spies something that will shake up his gilded life in ways he can't imagine. A young woman . . . dressed in a beaver suit. Blue Bailey is on a mission to murder her ex. Or at least inflict serious damage. As for the beaver suit she's wearing . . . Is it her fault that life keeps throwing her curveballs? Witness the expensive black sports car pulling up next to her on the highway and the Greek god stepping out of it.Blue's career as a portrait painter is the perfect job for someone who refuses to stay in one place for very long. She needs a ride, and America's most famous football player has an imposing set of wheels. Now, all she has to do is keep him entertained, off guard, and fully clothed before he figures out exactly how desperate she is. But Dean isn't the brainless jock she imagines, and Blue—despite her petite stature—is just about the toughest woman Dean has ever met. They're soon heading for his summer home where their already complicated lives and inconvenient attraction to each other will become entangled with a charismatic but aging rock star; a beautiful fifty-two-year-old woman trying to make peace with her rock and roll past; an eleven-year-old who desperately needs a family; and a bitter old woman who hates them all. As the summer progresses, the wandering portrait artist and the charming football star play a high-stakes game, fighting themselves and each other for a chance to have it all.”

My Thoughts:

Phillips is another of my favorite romance authors. She has such a keen talent for character creation.

I loved both characters and didn’t want the story to end!  

Not Quite a Lady

Not Quite a Lady by Loretta Chase

I enjoy Loretta Chase’s writing style. This isn’t her best romance, but I still liked it. The problem was in the plot. I felt that there were too many competing plots in this one. Because of that I got a bit lost and then a bit bored.

But Chase is always a good bet for a quick, happy ending read!

So Tough to Tame

So Tough to Tame by Victoria Dahl

Amazon Description:

“Charlie Allington is supposed to be on the fast track to the top—a small-town girl who was making it big in her career. Instead, she's reeling from a scandal that's pretty much burned all her bridges. Now, out of options, she needs a place to lick her wounds and figure out her future. True, working at a ski resort in rugged Jackson Hole, Wyoming, isn't her dream job. But if there's one perk to coming back, it's a certain sexy hometown boy who knows how to make a girl feel welcome. Cowboy Walker Pearce never expected a grown-up Charlie to be temptation in tight jeans. She's smart and successful—way out of league for a man like him. But he's not about to let that, or his secrets, get in the way of their blazing-hot attraction. Yet when passion turns to something more, will the truth—about both of them—send her out of his life for good…or into his arms forever?”

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My thoughts:

Dahl is known for her steamy love scenes and this certainly conforms. As for the characters, I didn’t feel a strong emotional connection, but there was a very strong sexual vibe. I didn't love this one.

Rainshadow Road

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Kleypas is arguably my favorite romance author (closely followed by several others, but she would be #1, on most days). This is classic Kleypas--very emotional, complex characters and a tangible connection between the characters.

I loved this one.  

Guardian Angel

Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood

Amazon Description:

“The Marquess of Cainewood vows to hunt down the pirate wretch in revenge for his brother's death. But when Jade, an enchanting vision of rippling red hair and eyes of jewel-green, appears at his door to beg desperately for his protection, the Marquess agrees to keep her safe from the villains who want her dead. Jade is infuriating, exasperating, and gorgeous; Caine is noble, strong-willed, and powerful. No woman has ever befuddled him so, nor so deeply aroused his desire. But as Jade answers his knowing caresses with an innocent, wild abandon, they are drawn into a web of treachery that will test the very heart of their love!”

My Thoughts:

A good read for the historical romance crowd. I enjoyed the characters Garwood created here. I have always had an infatuation with the pirate theme…