These Battered Hands - Laurel Ulen Curti... "I'd never have her the way I wanted, and this was her way of delivering the blow"

Stubborn, determined, goal-oriented. These words could describe Callie or Nik. Callie is at the end of her athletic career. This Olympics is her way to cement her skill as top of a very competitive sport of gymnastics. Nik has decided his life needs to take a new path; here enters the opportunity for him to coach Callie.

"His words bounced like ping pong balls in my head, catching slightly in the net and making me doubt my own serve. I didn't want to get lost in his f*&king speeches and look forward to his smiles. I didn't want to have to worry about him in the rain or the wind or any other godforsaken showing of mother nature."

If you have ever spent time in competitive sports, you could find a connection in Callie or Nik. Whether driven by demons or wanting joy of the sport, the reader can find themselves immersed in the dialogue and head space Ms Curtis offers. The tale is told in an interesting alternating POV that has the reader knowing the next word but can change on intention based on the character. This is a driven, well paced story that will have you turning the page to find out if Callie and Nik get their 'everything'. Although I enjoyed the story as a whole, I wish there could have been more time spent on the motivations of all the characters. The ending felt a little rushed. But overall, this was a solid 4.5 out of 5 star read.

I have a good friend who is the Meteorologist on the local news station.  She has to get up hella early. Luckily, we live in San Diego so she suffers little public rage of bad weather reports.  

 

One of my favorite things about Romance Novels is learning all about different professions. 

 

Here are some wonderful Romance Novels featuring Meteorologists!!

 

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!

 

1. Let it Snow by Nancy Warren

 

When meteorologist Marisa Langley gets stuck in the cold with The Last Man She'd Ever Want to be Trapped with, survivalist cameraman Rob Sheridan, she can't begin to forecast how hot things are about to get between the two of them.

 

2. Winning Love by Abby Niles

 

Mac "The Snake" Hannon has spent years throwing himself into cage fighting as a way to lash back at the natural disaster that destroyed his future. A call for help has Mac returning to the one place he swore never to return: Kansas--in the height of tornado season.

 

 

There he meets free-spirited Gayle Matthews. At first he wants nothing to do with the infuriatingly persistent woman, but the crazy challenges she tosses his way are impossible to resist. As she thaws years of bitterness, bringing back the Mac he believed long gone, he starts to make peace with the past and see the future again. Until he learns she chases his worst nightmare--then he can't get away fast enough.

 

Meteorologist and storm chaser, Gayle Matthews is no stranger to being left behind and now believes in living in the moment. She wants to do just that with the handsome extreme fighter with the achingly sad eyes. As she works to replace the sorrow with desire, she finds herself breaking her one rule: have fun but don't fall in love. When he suddenly pushes her away and she discovers the horrifying reason why, she issues one more challenge: face his fear and come on a chase with her.

 

Will squaring off with the past lead to a victory for heartache or love?

 

3. The Weather Girl by Amy Vastine

 

Summer Raines knows when it's going to rain. She can feel it. That's why the local weather girl's so good at her job. Too bad she couldn't have foreseen the tumultuous arrival of Travis Lockwood, everybody's favorite star NFL quarterback. Make that former star NFL quarterback. Sidelined back to Texas after an injury, the golden boy is trying to steal her precious on-air time. Summer is reduced to reporting from… football games. It's enough to make her quit and become a storm-chaser like her parents. She's stuck with a career that's going nowhere and a man who delights in her refusal to be charmed. Falling in love isn't nearly as easy as predicting the weather.

 

4. Hell on Wheels by Karen Leabo

 

Roan Cullen isn’t used to feeling out of his depth. As a photojournalist, Roan travels the planet in search of trouble and chaos—and captures it all through the lens of his camera. But the woman leading him on his first-ever tornado chase makes him crazy. She’s subtle, mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous, and always in control. If the conditions are right, Roan could end up with some incredible photos—and a newly broken heart.

 

Victoria Driscoll is used to the “boys’ club” that is storm chasing, but the man she’ll be sharing the Chasemobile with for two solid weeks is unlike any of her meteorological colleagues—for a start, he’s far more handsome. But Roan Cullen is a brash risk taker, the exact opposite of Victoria with her precise measurements and forecasts. As tornado season ramps into high gear, the elements are all in place for a massive twister—and an electric, shocking connection between these two chasers.

 

5. Love Easy by Roe Valentine

 

News reporting is the main joy in Norma Hill's life. She is hell-bent on being more than a weather reporter, but new tyrant boss, Henry Chapel, doesn't agree. While she is following a news lead, Henry saves her from a handsy heir. His words warn her of danger, but his actions stir deeper emotions. Despite his gruff words, can she find the love forever absent from her life? Pompous and determined, Henry Chapel revives sagging rags and brings them to their former glory. When Lawson Publishing begs Henry to take over the Chicago Daily News, he is more than happy to comply; after all, it had been his favorite newspaper as a child. What he didn't anticipate was a fiery sass-mouthed weather reporter to contend with. He also didn't anticipate finding what he'd been looking for his whole life in the press room.

 

6. Impossible by Laurel Curtis

 

Veronica Russo chases storms, but runs from her past by staying firmly in the present. Unwilling to consider the possibility of a future, she’s checked out of life by using solitude and standoffishness as her armor and a sharp tongue and quick wit as her weapons.

 

Coleman Cade is a walking contradiction- just like his mismatched eyes. A rough and manly bull rider with a playful side. A ladies man with thousands of willing victims, but what he really wants is one woman. The right woman.

 

Will Roni be able to let go, move on, and find a way to fulfill her dream of having everything? Or will unsubstantiated choices and unresolved demons stand in the way of their happily ever after?

 

In order to overcome past tragedies and find true happiness- in order to have Everything- Roni needs to do one thing. Find the impossible.

 

7. It Happened at Midnight by Cait London

 

Michaela Langtry returns home to Wyoming seeking peace, and if she can avoid Harrison Kane II she might succeed in getting it. Harrison's cool composure and frustrating logic challenge Micaela, so she sets out to crack his carefully built shields. After all, Langtry women are known for being as bold as their men and Michaela is as much a Langtry as any of them...

 

...It Will Remain True Forever

 

Harrison counted on Michaela coming back to Wyoming where she belongs. She's always fascinated him with her passionate nature, and he enjoys pushing her to the limit. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her where he can get his hands on her. But buried deep in the Rocky Mountains are secrets that are Harrison's alone. Can the powerful past rise to permanently destroy the fragile emotions growing between Harrison and Micaela?

 

8. Wrong Dress, Right Guy by Shirley Hailstock 

 

When a mix-up leaves Cinnamon Scott with a gorgeous wedding dress instead of a ball gown, she can't resist trying it on. MacKenzie Grier appears at her door to retrieve his sister's missing gown, only to be floored by this angelic vision and his own deepest longings. Sparks fly, and soon some enterprising folks are conspiring to give Cinnamon the perfect wedding—all she needs is a groom.

 

Mac had sworn off commitment. Then the Washington, D.C., journalist sees beautiful Cinnamon wearing white. Still, a man reluctant to believe in love is going to need a lot of sweet persuasion to get him to the altar. Luckily, Cinnamon's already got the dress.…

 

9.  Taken By Storm: WhirlwindUpsurgeWildfire by Kathie Denosky, Kristi Gold,  and Laura Wright 

 

WHIRLWIND by Kathie DeNosky

 

Josh Garrett refuses to let storm chaser Kacie Davidson track a tornado across his Texas ranch alone. He's going with her. Now Kacie faces head-on danger from the powerful twister and from the mounting attraction between her and Josh.

 

UPSURGE by Kristi Gold

 

When a devastating hurricane threatens Florida, Marissa Klein and her attractive neighbor, Dr. Greg Westbrook, seek shelter from the storm together. And as the hurricane rages out of control, so does Marissa and Greg's long-denied passion.

 

WILDFIRE by Laura Wright

 

After one unforgettable night together, Nora Wallace and Gabe London never expected to see each other again. But when Nora is trapped by a California wildfire, smoke jumper Gabe is determined to rescue her—not realizing he's also saving his unborn child.

 

10. Blue Water by Liz Hunter

 

Baltimore TV station's Chief Meteorologist Mariah Mattison badly needs a vacation. When a last minute vacancy opens on a two-week, crewed charter in the Bahamas, Mariah jumps at the chance, and accepts her casual co-worker's invitation, unaware that she'll be coupled with a strange man. Master sailor and yacht delivery Captain Simon Hatcher is dealing with his late father's business affairs when two couples descend on his newly-inherited charter business. Simon thought he'd cancelled all the pending charters, but the two demanding executive-types are insistent, and Simon sure could use the money. Life gets complicated when Mariah balks at coupling up with her intended companion, in favor of Captain Hatcher, and the allure of voodoo and deep diving entice the threesome, Mariah's friend and the two men, to leave the charter in favor of island life. The Caribbean heats up when the captain insists on showing Mariah the real sailing life and a lesson in love.

 

Do you have a favorite? Let me know! Vote on my Goodreads list: Sunny Skies! Meteorologists in Romance Novels

 

 

Talk about a complete flip from the last book that I read. With the last book, I delved into the first couple of chapters assuming that I'd love the book and ended up not really liking it. With this book, I was a couple of chapters in and ready to DNF the thing. I figured if I kept reading, I'd end up giving out a big fat 1 star rating. The first few chapters were embarrassingly awful. It took me a while to warm up to the story because of it.

There were two immediate "uh oh" flags :

1. Kristen Ashley fangirling. Uh...is this really worth basing a book on? I don't think so. 

2. A mother effing "perfect guy" list. This is one of the biggest flaws with romance novel expectations in general - the idea that these "larger than life" heroes are going to somehow transfer well to the real world. Newsflash : in real life, most of the leading book men would be HORRIBLE partners.

Anyway, back to the book...to my surprise, after I got past my frustration with the list, I realized that I had started laughing. The humor is very spazzy and all over the place, similar to The Unidentified Redhead. But I liked how the characters eventually started to discount the list that they'd made for themselves. Idiocy gave way to common sense. And hijinx ensued.

"You jedi-alpha-mind-tricked me!"

Sure, there were several eye rolling moments...why anyone would add "uses nicknames" to their list as a GOOD thing, I don't know. A cute term of endearment is fine, but I actually hate the use of terms like baby and daddy (yeah, KA actually used daddy in a book *shudder*). I guess to each his own. But it's not for me. I'd rather a couple have a term of endearment which comes from their own personal story (and not overuse the darn nickname) than throw out a generic 'babe' all over the place. While I think "Hales" and "Danno" were kind of dumb nicknames, at least it was personal, so I'm only halfway weirded out by those. 

I couldn't get over the main character referring to her mom as Allison instead of mom. When she was speaking to her mom, it was mommalicious or mammajamma (again, ridiculously unnecessary), but when she was narrating in her head, she switched to the name Allison. At first, it was almost confusing, as if her mom were two different characters. When I think of my mom, she's mom, not her name. If I were to narrate a book with her in it, I would assume my audience would be okay with me calling her mom.

Moms before Doms.

But for what it was...the story was cute, if sort of one-note (the road trip was almost pointless because the only good part of the story involved Hayley and Dan). Danny was a great guy and the pairing was a fun one. 

"Listen, nobody out smartass-es me, so you're going to have to turn it down a few fucking notches."

It's nothing to write home about, but..if you're looking for a simple love story with several cute (if spazzy) and laughable moments, you might find yourself having fun with this book. 

I wasn't exactly an employee of Small Plastic Penis Paraphernalia Enterprises.

Although, I don't think I'm going to read Allison's (the mom) book. While I found Hayley to be a comical firecracker, her mom was kind of spacey and odd. 

One of the complaints I hear from romance readers is how men real life rarely mirror men in fiction. Laurel Ulen Curtis’ A is for Alpha is a fun filled adventure about two women looking for their own fiction inspired heroes.

 

Haley Whitfield and her mother Allison are big Kristen Ashley fans. When Haley voices her frustration about a date she’s just had, Allison suggests they take a vacation and Haley agrees. Before they embark on their grand adventure they make a list using the alphabet with the characteristics they want their ultimate dream hunk to be. First on the list is Alpha because the entire purpose of this trip is to find someone who is just like a Kristen Ashley hero. There’s one slight problem, Haley finds someone she really likes, but he just doesn’t fit the Kristen Ashley hero mold. What’s a girl to do? Dismissing him from her mind she and Allison head west towards California. Will Haley and Allison find their dream hunks or will they realize that some men are better left to the world of fiction?

 

Firstly, let me just say I really enjoyed this! I haven’t laughed so much reading in quite awhile and even though I’ve never read Kristen Ashley, I don’t feel it’s necessary to do in order to fully appreciate A is for Alpha. This is very much a love letter to Ashley and I think any romance fan will walk away appreciating their favorite romance author a little more. Secondly, if you’ve read any of Curtis’ previous novels then you’re pretty familiar with her writing style. This one is different and much more flirtatious. You can really tell she had a lot of fun writing this.

 

We have good character development though a few secondary characters could have had more screen time. Despite this being about Haley and Allison’s grand adventure, it really is Haley’s journey. At one point, Allison tells her it’s okay to open yourself up to love and heartbreak. I really liked Allison despite her tendency to be a little crazy. I think every woman wishes they had a different relationship with their mother and Curtis makes you take a moment to appreciate your own mother. What I can say about our main protagonist? Haley is dramatic, but you’ll love her to pieces. I don’t want to go into detail about her because I want you to know her and form your own opinion. Of course a romance novel about finding one’s dream boat has to have one! Ah, Dan Smith. Gotta love the name and Haley’s reaction to it. He’s a bit mysterious and the big question you’ll be asking is, does he fit the list? Hmmm…that is something you’ll have to find out! Secondary characters include a Tim McGraw and Zack Morris lookalike.

 

Narration is first person via Haley’s perspective. The writing is engaging and I’ve mentioned it was a fun read. Some of things Haley says are a bit too over the top and I can’t really imagine someone talking like that in real life, but it goes with her personality and I let it slide. What I really liked about A is for Alpha? I liked how Curtis was subtle in her writing in terms of the big reveal. I want to go detail and discuss everything about this book, but it ruins the plot and I don’t want to provide spoilers. I’ll just say: I wasn’t expecting the curveball she throws. Regarding a favorite scene, there’s too many to pick. There’s a hilarious scene involving a four wheeler and someone named Butch.

 

Kristen Ashley fans: you’ll will want to add this book to your to be read list since Curtis pays homage to her. Overall, if you’re a fan of romances and bemoan the lack of real life heroes, then you’ll enjoy Laurel Ulen Curtis’ A is for Alpha. Curtis has mentioned that Allison will get her own book; dare I hope it’s with Tim McGraw lookalike?

I have to be honest here, I started this book, IMPOSSIBLE, a few weeks ago and I just could not get into the “weather chasing” aspect of the story, so if you have the same thoughts when you start reading, then give it a minute because that isn’t the primary focus of the book. I am so glad I put this book aside and went back to it, because it is really a unique and fantastic story and I could scarcely believe that I had previously had a hard time getting into the story!

IMPOSSIBLE has fantastic characters - smart, sexy, stubborn and loving characters. What really roped me into the story was CJ. CJ is only fifteen, but he is wise beyond his years. When the young and handsome stud-muffin in the making crosses paths with the guarded and emotionally unavailable woman called “Roni,” he instantly becomes smitten and is determined to snag her… for his father ☺ This kid is the total package and at the risk of sounding like a pervert... Well, let's just say I was really glad there was an adult version of him running around ;-)

Roni is a little stick of dynamite, but she has a past so littered with pain that she can’t even stand so much as a little pinprick – it might just send her off the deep end. By something short of a miracle, CJ quickly worms his way in her heart and his handsome father isn’t far behind.

CJ and his father, Coleman are like two-peas-in-a-pod. Their father/son relationship warms my heart and soothes my soul. The pair banter like brothers and the handsome team is virtually unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with. Coleman is a great teacher and capitalizes on every opportunity to give back by passing on pertinent knowledge to the next generation of heartbreakers…

❝Finding the right woman is a lot like ridin’ a bull. You’ll know in a little over eight seconds whether they’re worth a second ride or not. And, as you know, the best ones usually buck you off a few times before givin’ you the ride of your life.❞

Upon their first meeting, Coleman Cade, Sr. knows instantly that Roni is just perfect for him.

Then there is the backbone of the Cade family, Nan. I TOTALLY LOVE HER! Aahhh! I wanted to hug her and claim her as my own! Although she might be Coleman’s mother and CJ’s grandmother, she is certainly no prude - I love her spunk! She always offers the BEST advice!

❝A lady should only ride two things, sweetheart. A horse and her man. But only after she has a solid relationship with both.❞

If you follow my reviews, then you know I am a huge fan of the curve ball in the plot. Oh yeah, you guessed it, author Laurel Ulen Curtis effectively throws a monkey wrench in everything with a super secret twist and whoa! Boy did I NOT see that one coming! High marks for pulling that one off Laurel!

Readers! If you are a fan of sexy cowboys, spunky women and a story that will keep you on your toes, then IMPOSSIBLE is a must read!


✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

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