Showing posts with label Courtney Milan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Courtney Milan. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Minis: Ruthie Knox, Courtney Milan

Lately, I've read a few enjoyable books. These fall under the short format category ranging from a 100 page novella to a 230 page book. I chose to read works by Ruthie Knox and Courtney Milan. Ruthie Knox is an author that fellow blogger Nath has been recommending to me for a long while, and by now everyone has heard praises about Courtney Milan's writing and works, right? Well, here are my quick impressions.

About Last Night by Ruthie Knox

I decided to give Ruthie Knox's work a whirl and picked up her contemporary romance About Last Night. I love that this romance is set in London, but the most attractive aspects of this novel are its characters and my reluctance to reduce this story to a specific trope. My one quibble is a rather rushed ending that needed just a touch to make this book the perfect contemporary romance read for me.

Nev, or City as Cath call him, is an excellent example of a male beta character. He is giving and loving without coming off as a pushover. Nev is in control when need be, but gives Cath the space she needs to work out personal insecurities. Does he push? Yes, but Cath needs a little push in order to see herself for the woman she has become despite the multitude of challenges she has faced in her life. This is not a one way relationship though... Cath helps Nev come to terms with what holds him back from achieving true happiness.

Initially, there doesn't seem to be much depth to Cath as a character except that she's trying to be a 'good girl' after having been a 'bad girl' in the past. However as the romance moves along, there are layers and layers to this woman. I really love how Knox uses humor, personal angst, sensuality, and passion to reveal this character. Cath doesn't come off as a brooding, broken, or depressing character.

The tattooed American girl from Chicago and the wealthy buttoned-up Brit may seem like they don't fit, but in the end they are perfect for each other. About Last Night by Ruthie Knox is a lovely and a passionate romance with a great balance between humor and heavy conflict, a rather imperfect and unique heroine, and a gorgeous beta hero whose passion and love win the day. Grade: A- 

Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox

After finishing About Last Night I just had to pick up another contemporary romance by Ruthie Knox and settled down with Ride With Me. This romance involves Lexie, a female cyclist who wants to ride cross-country from Oregon to Virginia and needs a male partner to accompany her. Tom is set up to ride with an unwanted partner by his sister, and doesn't find out Lexie is a female until they are about to take off. Needless to say, their first meeting is not a good one. He's a grumpy man with a complicated past and just wants to be left alone to enjoy the road at his own pace. She is pretty much a happy-go-lucky woman with a  set path and just wants to enjoy the ride and meet people along the way.

Lexie and Tom's road trip romance was fun, hot and really enjoyable. I love the growing sexual tension that builds between these two, the fun, fun moments on the road, as well as reading how Tom's grumpy personality slowly melts and changes into that of a man that Lexie considers a viable partner. Lexie's own change from an uptight woman to one who enjoys the moment is also a wonderful experience. In this romance, I love the fights between Lexie and Tom just as much as the hot and passionate love-making. Another lovely contemporary romance by Ruthie Knox. Grade: B+

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan is currently being offered free of charge and it is only 100 pages long, so why not read it? What a gorgeous little novella this one turned out to be!

Serena Barton is a governess who lost her position when she was compromised by the Duke of Clermont when he visited her employer's home. She decides to seek compensation from the sleazy Duke even if she has to sit in front of his London residence until everyone who matters notices. Hugo Marshall, also known as the Wolf of Clermont, is the Duke's man of business. An ex-pugilist, Hugo is also known for his ruthlessness in dealing with those who dare cross the Duke. What happens when the ruthless Hugo and the determined Serena meet? There lies the conflict and the romance.

Oh Hugo! I fell a little in love with this ruthless man who turns into a passionate bit of mush after he meets Serena. He's an 'ordinary' man with ambitions and a keen mind, but what a soft touch! And Serena is damaged, but she's a stubborn, determined woman who refuses to stand down. Hugo's soft touch combined with his honesty wins her over, just as Serena's backbone and admirable stand win him. I loved them both. Milan gives both Hugo and Serena backstories -- a lovely surprise in this quick 100-page romance. This is a short historical romance that I will probably re-read in the future.

Favorite Moments: The sexy hairpin exchange bedroom scene, and the letters and notes exchanged between Hugo and Serena. Grade: A-


Saturday, September 10, 2011

August 2011 Reads, Quotes & Minis

Well, summer is officially over! I can't believe it. My August reading was a bit of a challenge, not because the books I read were not good, but because I had to struggle to squeeze them into my schedule during the month due to unexpected circumstances. Interestingly enough, although I didn't review many books during the month, there are a couple there that I predict will be included in my top ten list of favorite books read and reviewed at the end of the year.

This month I've decided to feature quotes from some of the books that I'll be reviewing in the near future. I've been collecting quotes lately, and I'll let you know the reason for that later... but for now, here are my reads for August and some of those quotes:

Totals Books Read: 12
Contemporary: 2 (Romance: 1 Erotic Romance: 1)
Historical Romance: 6
Paranormal Romance: 1
LGBT: 2 (Speculative Fiction: 1  Young Adult: 1)
Fantasy: 1
  • Speaking Out: LGBTQ Youth Stand Up edited by Steve Berman (Upcoming Review): This is an anthology written about and for LGBTQ young adults that is not to be missed. Here's a quote from the Introduction by Steve Berman, he says it best:
"I'm daydreaming as I type this -- the look on a fifteen-year-old Steve's face as future (or is that present? damn, time travel plays havoc with adjectives and tenses) me hands him an anthology of stories, all showcasing the self-esteem every LGBT kid needs. No, deserves. I'd probably be all mumbly-mouth, telling teenage Steve to read this story first...no, that story. Well, I'd recommend he avoid the intro or else the entire space-time continuum might collapse around New Jersey (a risk in any era, let me tell you). That fifteen-year-old me would be able to face high school, then college, then his twenties without much of the fear of being alone, being different, being gay. He would know that the voice he used to entertain himself with odd stories could be heard by many who understood the daily trials (harassment by bullies, hiding from parents and straight friends).

Voices are meant to be heard."
  • Wilde Stories 2011: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction edited by Steve Berman (Upcoming Review): This is another anthology except that this one is all about that wonderful speculative fiction sub-genre that I love! There are some excellent stories in this anthology by authors whose works are new-to-me and that I'll be looking for in the future and others whose works I've read. A quote for you from Oneirica by Hal Duncan (Artefact II):
"I raise my own hand now, feel the weight of wood in it. I do not have to look to know that I'm holding  a mace or sceptre of sorts. I have been carrying it all along, the thyrsus of Dionysus and the club of Heracles, the staff of Prospero and the spear of Longinus, Odin's Gungnir and Sun Go-Ku's Rúyì-Jĩngũ-Bàng. It is the most modern magician's wand and the most ancient spearthrower. I squeeze it in my grasp and it shrinks to a twirlable size, sits comfortably between my fingers, a pen. There is no need for any statement of authority more grand than this, I think, not in this day and age. What was comfortable in one era as a humble reed with a wedge-shaped end, will be comfortable here and now as simple ballpoint. It is the most important of all these objects of power, I think -- though I am prejudiced, I suspect -- the original of all tools for shaping order and chaos."
  • Snowflakes and Stetsons: Western Christmas Wishes by Jillian Hart, Carol Finch, Cheryl St. John (Upcoming Review): This is a holiday anthology of the western historical romance kind... yeap! It's lovely and cozy and warm and just what I needed to read toward the end of this last month.  I know I'll be re-reading it during the holidays too... here's a quote from The Magical Gift at Christmas by Cheryl St. John:
She looked into his eyes.
"I will come back for you."
"I know."
"No one can find you here."
"We'll be fine, Jonah."

He wanted to kiss her. His gaze dropped to her lips, now chapped from the cold and wind, and he wanted to press his mouth against hers and feel her sweet warmth.

She knew what he was thinking, because her eyelids fluttered and even more color than what the cold created rose in her cheeks. "You may kiss me."

She never stopped surprising him.
This is the much anticipated sequel to A Companion to Wolves, a fascinating fantasy book that I read at the beginning of just this year. I'm a fan of Elizabeth Bear's writing, although I've never read anything else by Sarah Monette. I can tell you that this book is obviously the middle of what is shaping out to be a fantasy trilogy with Norse culture as its base, a fascinating study of the bond between man and animal, as well as relationships between the men, plus the social structures that they've built between themselves and those of other beings. It's a fascinating world full of nuances with plenty of room for exploration.
  • Unlocked by Courtney Milan: B-
This novella by Courtney Milan was a mixed bag for me. There were so many things to like... how well Courtney Milan developed both the characters and the situation between them in such short format is one of them. The fact that Evan had the courage to rectify a wrong in front of society was another. The way Lady Elaine Warren led her life and became nothing for a period of ten whole years, and the fact that she only came back to "life" because Evan saved her in front of society was not. There was something lacking in Elaine's character, she allowed herself to be broken by the ridicule of one man and one woman. Was there really no one else to see her for who she really was during those ten years?

There are a few other inconsistencies (the rope scene) and some of the dialogue that pulled me out of the story. I did like the unexpected way in which Evan and Diana worked out their differences, and that Milan developed a friendship between Evan and Elaine before their romance came to a conclusion. This made sense as she at least needed that space of time to reconcile her feelings for Evan. This novella is a rather inexpensive ebook and I would say worth reading.  
  • Temptation Island by Lorie O'Clare: B-
  • It's Always Been You by Victorial Dahl (Upcoming Review)
I read two books by Victoria Dahl in the space of a week, a historical romance and a contemporary. I'll tell you right now that I enjoyed the contemporary much more than the historical... this was a good romance, but not one that will stay with me. I will let you know more about it later. 
That's it for my August reads. Although I have yet to review three of my top reads for the month of August, from the books read and reviewed my top recommendations are The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley, One Good Reason by Sarah Mayberry and Leah and The Bounty Hunter by Elaine Levine. I can tell you that September is already shaping out to be a good reading month for me. How about you? Any great reads in August?

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Holiday Reads!

Well is everyone ready for the holidays? I hope you all have the best of holidays with your families. I'm preparing myself for a few days of rest and relaxation, and am hoping for a quiet celebration with friends and family.

December has not been a great reading month for me, so hopefully this next week will yield a few hours where I can sneak away and read a few Christmas or holiday-themed books. I'm in the mood for those this year.

I'm planning to read, or re-read some old favorites and/or books that I've had in my TBR for a while. 



  • A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh will definitely be a re-read! I read it back in November when it was first re-released and recommended it as an excellent read. This is a Christmas historical romance full of family joy, warmth and traditions. I think this magical story should really be enjoyed during this week and plan to do so. 
You can read a full review of this book here.

  • Next on my list is a book that I first read about two years ago in 2008. A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr is a short story that truly embodies everything you'll find in that series: strong females, dedicated male characters with a service or military background and healing storylines. This was the first story I read by Robyn Carr and the one that "hooked" me into reading her Virgin River contemporary romance series. 
You can find an excellent review by JillD who reviewed this novella recently at Romance Rookie.

As far as new reads are concerned, there are two on my Kindle that I hope to read this weekend. These are books that were previously released, but that I'm getting to now:

  • Under the Mistletoe by Mary Balogh is a collection of short Christmas novellas and one of those older Signet releases by this author that I've been wanting to read for a while. I'm sure that some of stories will be better than others, but since this is Balogh and I love her 'true to period' writing style, I'm really looking forward to reading them. The short format to the single stories are perfect for this week. I can read one or two and continue if there are interruptions. Perfect! 
For this book I found an excellent review by The Romance Reader for you. Or you can always check out  different opinions at Goodreads

  • The Heart of Christmas with Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick and Courtney Milan is a book I featured last year as one I wanted to read. Well, this was one of those books that I never got to, and I'm definitely reading this year! These three wonderful writers are not to be missed, and I hope to enjoy every single story. 
There are many reviews for this book and most of them seem to be on the positive side. Here is one by AnimeJune from Gossamer Obsessions.



  • For those of you who love the LGBT M/M romance sub-genre, I cannot recommend enough the His for the Holidays anthology featuring Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg, Nine Lights Over Edingburgh by Harper Fox, I Heard Him Exclaim by Z.A. Maxfield and Icecapade by Josh Lanyon. There's something for everyone in there. I don't know if I'll have the time to re-read this whole anthology, but I'll sure try to at least re-read one or two of my favorite stories. Complete review here


My plans seem overly ambitious and I just noticed Baloghs are prominently featured! But hey... I do love her writing and her Christmas stories. What are you planning to read over the Christmas holidays? Romance? Paranormal? Sci-Fi? Urban Fantasy? Or like me, are you hitting the those holiday-themed stories?