Jane Myers Perrine

Received from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Jordan meets Persy for the first time when she is trying to deal with the dog she is walking about to pee on the foyer floor of one of his hotels. He is almost instantly attracted to her, and finds himself asking her out on a date. The date doesn’t go off according to plan – they go to somewhere completely out of their comfort zones -and Persy puts Jordan even further out of his comfort zone by what she eats.

Persy has several jobs in the hotel (waitress, dog walker and casino worker in particular) with odd shift patterns, and after a disastrous first date, they keep bumping into each other, despite agreeing to avoid each other.

The pair find they cant help seeking each out, catching kisses there and there, even when they are on opposite sides over the provision of lighting in a hotel staff walkway. Things come to a head when Persy is attacked, which forces Jordan to make a decision.

Every time they meet, Jordan finds out something about Persy, including that she trained as a corporate lawyer, who prefers helping people, and refuses to conform to her mother’s need to be a true Southern Belle and married to a rich man. When Persy attends a Prince social event as Jordan’s date, and meets his mother, she realises that perhaps there is too much at stake, and wonders whether she wants to get involved in that type of life again.

Jordan is not a classic leading man - there are times, even after he and Persy split up, when he comes across as an arrogant, preening man, who considers money and good looks are more important than a personality and principles.

Whilst there is some heavy petting there is no actual sex in this story - not even a cut away. The secondary characters are modertly developed, and are used to demonstrate Persy's character and need to help others.

The ending is not traditional, in that there is no real ending! There is no marriage, living together etc which can be frustrating. Whilst I enjoyed this book, i think that I preferred "The Mad Herringtons" by the same author.… (mais)

Received in ebook format from Netgalley.

For "Sane" read "well behaved". Aphrodite is the only one out of her family, including her parents, who is able to behave according to the strict rules of the age. She doesnt get into trouble, she is on the verge of becoming betrothed to a man as safe as herself, and certainly doesnt show off in public like any other members of her family.

She is invited to a small house party by the mother of her future bethrothed, to ensure that she is a match with the family. Unfortunately she finds her prospective future mother in law to be a nightmare, and her fiance Frederick does nothing to protect her from the nasty ill mannered comments coming from that quarter.

To add to this unfortunate situation, two of her sisters are not helping - her older sister is being as brazen as possible with another member of the party, and her younger sister has decided to make a play for Frederick. One of her younger brothers has decided to escape from Cambridge for a while and has joined the house party pretending to be an Italian Count.

Worst of all, Thomas Warwick - with whom Aphrodite shared a passionate kiss two years previously - is also a member of the party and is being as devilishly rakish as possible towards her and is always by her side when she thinks she least needs it.

This is a decent and novel take on the Regency Romance novel - the characters are so outrageous for the time (and the sheer number of Aphrodite's siblings are clear evidence that her parents keep doing it well beyond all that is considered normal) that it all cant be quite right. Everyone is quite chaste however (we think), though Terpsichore and some of the other women are just a little too happy to flash their cleavage and kiss footmen behind the curtains than is perhaps appropriate.

However, away from her parents, and in the presence of those who can and cannot really behave themselves, Aprhodite learns that perhaps she cant control everything and everyone and perhaps she deserves something better than what she had planned. Frederick isnt quite the man for her she thought, and perhaps Warwick is just the man she needs.

Whilst the main focus of the book is Ditie and Warwick, there is enough of a focus on the two other girls to keep it interesting. I *think* this is the start of a series, and there is certainly enough scope for further stories

… (mais)

Louisa has a strict moral code to which she adheres, earning her the title of Miss Prim. When she accepts an invitation from her sister, she is reunited with William, VicsountWoostone, and takes part in an adventure that proves she is not so prim.

I remember reading this several years ago, and I enjoyed revisiting it. Yes, there are some aspects that are a bit unbelievable, but Louisa was a fun character. It was a delight to see her go from a proper lady to one ready for adventure.

it is a quick read with a fast-paced plot. William and Louisa's history together causes tension at first, but they gradually come to realize how they really feel about each other.

I would recommend this to Regency readers who enjoy a dash of adventure with their romance.… (mais)

I am a sucker for a small town book. You know, the kind that Jan Karon made famous. I sort of collect them — they reside in stacks on my TBR shelf. With a little bit of time between must-reads for reviews, I picked up The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek. This book is the first in a 3-book series and has been out a few years. Its hometown flavor, quirky and endearing characters, and sometimes tough subject matter, made this a surprisingly good read. Surprising because I wasn’t expecting depth, but a fun bit of fluff. While it often made me chuckle, it also grabbed my heartstrings. I can recommend this one.

There is an ensemble cast in The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek — the Widows (self-proclaimed helpers of the church and community), pastor Adam Jordan (newly minted seminary graduate), Sam (a wounded Marine), and Willow (a physical therapist). These characters interact as only those living in a small town can. Everyone knows your business and everyone cares. Struggles are real: finding a niche in a new community, dealing with PTSD, overcoming divorce, and raising grandkids. The small community of Butternut Creek is not a cliche, but a slice of real life. Although published by FaithWords, it does not have an overt spiritual message. Rather, many of the characters live out their faith in natural ways. Other characters are very worldly (sexual innuendo and drinking are their MO) and don’t have any time or patience for the God thing. Many have not come around to the ways of church at the end of the book, but a lot of progress has been made. There are 2 more books to tie up all the ends.

All in all a quick read with a great deal of depth.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.… (mais)