Lisa Carlisle

After his time in the military left him scarred and hardened, Leo has secluded himself away in his family’s cabin. When his mother hires help to make sure Leo is doing ok and help him around the cabin, Leo isn’t happy that his space is about to be invaded, yet when Rosanna shows up he is blow away. Leo is stunned by Rosanna’s beauty, but his own insecurities has him acting like a beast and treating her not so nicely. The more time Leo is around her the more his interest is peaked until he is offering for her to stay a little longer. Rosanna is an amazing woman who has worked hard to get whee she is at in life so a temporary job has her traveling to Vermont and she isn’t prepared for the man she meets. These two fight their attraction and both have insecurities that have them shying away from each other but they soon can’t stop the pull. Can Leo learn to let go of what haunts him so he can move forward or will he forever be stuck hiding away to wallow in his pain? I loved that this story has beauty and the beast vibes while also weaving its own uniqueness throughout and the pain Leo felt was so heartbreaking but you fall in love with this grump anyways.… (mais)

I read the blurb and I was sucked in. A gargoyle that comes to life to protect a woman?

I don’t think I paid attention to the fact this was a novella, which means the pace accelerated quickly. Very steamy! The progressions all worked for me, and I like the premise. A goth nightclub that hides more than your average patron.

Things that made me raise my eyebrows: a gargoyle who looks like Fabio with a French accent. Okay, I can roll with it. Toward the end when she assumes he didn’t return to stone. Seems as if her impending danger might have recalled him, but again, I can roll with it. I enjoyed the story. It was a quick read and the pacing moved well.

One place that took me out of the story - the epilogue. Danton talks about how he uses his wings to travel. So when they go from Boston to Paris, that was my assumption until he asks if she wants to fly and she’s suddenly afraid. Then he asks if she’s ever flown in a plane. How did they get there if those two options weren’t accessed?

Overall, a fun read, and I still love the way she morphed the gargoyle.
… (mais)

Catherine has spent years trying to forget Angelo until she sees him at the wedding of her friend. When he doesn't remember who she is, she gives him a fake name and plans to never see him again. It isn't long, though, before he recognizes her as the girl he left behind when he went into the Navy after high school. As they begin to rekindle their relationship, they are plagued by the fact that Angelo's leave will be over in a week and at the same time Catherine is dealing with a disgruntled subject from her latest neuroscience project.

Angelo is a predictable romantic suspense with no mystery and flat characters. The plot relies mostly on a fairly standard second chance romance between two static characters, making it difficult to care about what happens to them in the story. Also, there is little or no conflict between the characters beyond their initial meeting when Angelo doesn't remember Catherine. Overall, Angelo is a very weak story about two uninteresting characters.… (mais)

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: Angelo was the one who got away.

Now he's a Navy SEAL determined to protect her.

Catherine is looking forward to a weekend wedding in Newport as a much needed escape.

But when she comes face to face with Angelo DeMarchis, that illusion shatters.

Had she ever gotten over him?

Navy SEAL corpsman Angelo has needed this leave for a long time. But when he runs into a woman from his past at a wedding and learns she's in danger, he shifts into action.

He has ten days to make sure she's safe.

He won't let anyone get to her.

This time he's playing for keeps.… (mais)