*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Ashbrook loves Regent’s Park Bird Sanctuary. Visiting there reminds her of the times she went with her mother when her mother was alive. One day while she’s sitting and sketching a bird, a handsome laborer introduces himself as Oliver Barrow. Lucy is taken with him despite the fact their stations in life are so disparate. When her father insists she marry the repulsive Lord Conrad Croome, fifth Earl of Lofton, she’s devastated. But Oliver has a secret and he’s determined that Lucy will marry him instead.

Light-hearted, fun and entertaining, this historical romance is both adorable and enjoyable. The characters don’t have as much depth as I would like and the world is confined to a small slice of historical London, but there is a lot of humor and some angst as well as an endearing hero in Oliver. Even the birds are characters all on their own though not in a Hitchcock way. This is a sweet, clean romance for those who prefer less in-your-face bump and grind. Stomach butterflies, racing hearts and kisses only here.

This story started out so promising, but an awful love triangle derailed it. What I did like about the story was that it featured two older characters as the love interests; Lady Ollerton was 42 and a widow of very limited means (she had a maid that stayed with her for room and board in lieu of wages) other than her title. Mr. Radcliff was 51 and wealthy but living with his nephew and his wife (a couple from another book in the series). Their shared love and knowledge of birds was quirky, but made watching them fall in love fun.

Then came the stupid love triangle and the scheme of the dowager (mother of a hero from another book in the series) to have Radcliff for herself.  2 stars.

This month's goal is to read and archive/delete those e-books that are 100 pages or less - Basically Short Month, Short Stories. A few full length books will be read to keep making progress on personal challenges and get the TBR pile down. This month also includes darling daughter's and darling son's birthdays (born two years and six days apart), their joint birthday party, a trip to see Motown the Musical, and the binge watching of the final season of Downton Abbey.

Courtney Milan Challenge

1. Proof of Seduction (Carhart Series #1)

Women in the Military Challenge

2. The Lonely Soldier by Helen Benedict

Non-Fiction Challenge

3. Is It Me? by Miranda Hart

4. The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (I would just like to progress in this book)

From the Ballroom and Beyond: 9 Regency Box Set

5. More Than a Governess by Jerrica Knight-Catania

Classics Challenge

6. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (53 years after first publication counts as "classic" right?)

The Great and Powerful TBR Pile

7. How to Catch a Wild Viscount by Tessa Dare

8. An Improper Lady by Jane Goodman

9. The Lullaby: Shania's Story by Lola Grace Stevens

10. The Lawyer's Luck by Piper Huguley

11. Lost in a Royal Kiss by Vanessa Kelly

12. Macaron Murder by Harper Lin

13. The Duchess of Love by Sally Mackenzie

14. Mail Order Misfit by Kristin Osbourne

15. Miss Amelia Lands a Duke by Sandy Raven

16. Twelfth Night by Deanna Raybourn

17. Claiming the Duchess by Sherry Thomas

18. Royally Ever After by Loretta Chase

19. The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress (Dukes of War #3) by Erica Ridley

20. His Lady Peregrine by Ruth J. Hartman

It should come as no surprise that I love cats. 

Cats in romance novels are wonderful too. There should be more of them. I especially love it when the hero has a cat. Real men love cats. 

Here are some wonderful Contemporary Romance Novels with Cats!

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!

1. Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley Hero (big tough biker) has a kitty. 

Lauren Grahame has spent her whole life thinking something special was going to happen. She didn’t know what it was, she just knew it would one day be hers. But she learned the hard way that special wasn’t on offer.

So, after divorcing her cheating husband, Lauren searched for nothing special and she thought she found it when she landed a job as a waitress in a biker bar in Carnal. It was perfect: a nothing job in a nowhere bar in Nowheresville.

Then Tatum Jackson walked in. Part-owner of the bar, he took one look at high-class Lauren and wanted nothing to do with her. And he made this known, loudly.

Tate’s angry insults seared in her brain, Lauren decides the feeling is mutual and she doesn’t want anything to do with the gloriously handsome Tate Jackson. The clash of the bartender and barmaid begins but, even though Tate makes his change of mind clear (in biker-speak, a language Lauren is not fluent in), Lauren is intent on going her own way.

Until a serial killer hits Carnal and Lauren finds out Tate isn’t a bartender, he’s a bounty hunter. He stakes his claim for Lauren before he goes on the hunt for a killer but Laurie doesn’t speak biker nor does she understand bounty hunters and Tate comes back from the hunt to find his old lady has moved on.

Life throws curveball after curveball at Laurie and Tate as secrets are revealed, women are brutally murdered, Tate leads Lauren to special and Laurie tries to find her inner biker babe.

2. The Nerd's Pocket Pets by D.R. Grady Tiny Kitty

Shelby Conroy has always had this thing for Mr. Clean and now she’s met his look-a-like. Sam Welby is an oncology pediatrician, former Navy SEAL, and all around yummy man. Except she’s supposed to be working for him, not drooling over him. Sam has managed to fight his attraction to Shelby so far, but he’s a little confused as to why her lab coat pockets wriggle.

3. Geek with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir 

Beauty and the geek… 

Shy music geek Emerson Foshay breaks into a cold sweat and is rendered speechless whenever Lola Brown, the girl of his dreams, steps into his guitar shop. But once a stray cat named Sam follows him home, everything changes and Emerson becomes the coolest guy in town. 

4. BEAST by Pepper Pace

Interracial fairytale is the story of Beast; a marine with a destroyed face and a plus sized beauty who has identity issues. A lesson learned is that beauty is not what is on the outside...In this romance that is taken from the Beauty and the Beasts' fairytale, it will leave you questioning 'who is the beauty and who is the Beast?' 

5. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a Kitchen Aid mixer to die for, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O. Adding insult to O-less, she also has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Every moan, spank, and—was that a meow?—punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has—yep, you guessed it—no O. Enter Simon Parker. When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has…well…mixed results. Because with walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick. A delicious mix of silly and steamy, this is an irresistible tale of exasperation at first sight.

6. Night Magic by Karen Robards Hero is allergic and they are on the run. 

Romance writer Clara Winston dedicates her newest book to her cat, Puff, without knowing what havoc she is about to unloose on her placid (boring?) life. Because there’s a rogue CIA agent out there whose code name is Puff, and some very bad guys want to kill him. When the bad guys show up at mild-mannered Clara’s house, thinking that she can lead them to the man they’re hunting, she is rescued by that man, disgraced CIA agent Jack McClain. Jack is green-eyed, black-haired, infuriatingly macho—and every bit as sexy as the romantic heroes she’s always writing about. Clara hates him on sight, but if she wants to survive he is the only game in town. With Puff very reluctantly in tow, they go on the run for their lives, battling each other until the sizzling chemistry between them explodes into red-hot passion.

7. Long Time Gone by Meg Benjamin

Erik Toleffson wasn’t looking to become Chief of Police. He’s got enough trouble trying to rebuild his relationship with his three brothers who, until just recently, ran the other way when he approached. He’s not the bully they grew up with, but bad memories are tough to overcome. 

Morgan Barrett is as worn out as a vat full of crushed grape skins. She never planned to run Cedar Creek Winery, but there’s no one else to shoulder the load as her father recovers from an injury. All she needs is a little sleep. Just a five-minute nap in the booth at the Dew Drop Inn…if that guy across the bar would stop staring at her as if putting her head down on the table is a crime.

After Morgan yawns in Erik’s face, there’s nowhere to go but up. With time, though, their relationship warms like a perfectly blended Bordeaux. Until the shady mayor digs into Erik’s past and dredges up information that could drive a permanent wedge between him and his brothers—and sour any chance of a future with Morgan.

8. Whisper Falls by Toni Blake

Tessa Sheridan came crawling back to her quaint hometown of Destiny after her big-city interior design career crumbled. Now not only must she struggle to make ends meet, but she has to contend with a biker next door and the roar of Harleys shattering the serenity of her cabin in the woods by Whisper Falls.

Worse still, her sexy, bad boy neighbor makes her feel breathless and weak—and shy, petite Tessa knows what a major mistake it would be to get involved with someone so . . . dangerous. 

They say that former teen rebel Lucky Romo has a dark, secret past—that he’s trouble with a capital "T." Still, Tessa feels all tingly when she sees how well he fills out a pair of tight jeans. And when Lucky invites her into his world, she knows the intense heat sparking between them could lead her somewhere wild and wonderful . . . and, yes, dangerous!

9. Back in Black by Lori Foster

Gillian is a PR expert hired to smooth out the rough edges on hot- headed sports club president Drew Black. He's rough, raw and ready for any challenge Gillian throws his way. But which one's going to end up on top?

10. Purrfect Voyage by Ruth J. Hartman

Kitty Carter is used to getting into strange situations when she chases her cat, Arthur. But this latest escapade is just too much! When Arthur chases a mouse at the marina while she's doing research for her book, she follows him down the dock and onto a yacht. Not entirely her plan, since she falls down some stairs and hits her head, and wakes to find herself out to sea. And she and Arthur aren’t the only ones on board!

Did I miss your favorite? Let me know! Vote for the best kitty in Contemporary Romance on my Goodreads list: Cats in Contemporary Romance 

I marvel at the variety of human life. Right now, in my Southern Californian city, there are men and women who still make their living from the sea and still others setting sail to travel around the world for commerce of pleasure. 

Please enjoy these Contemporary Romances featuring non military sailors, yachtsmen, and mariners of all sorts.

To vote for the best of the best visit the Goodreads list:  Mariner: Sailor, Fisherman, Ship Captain in Contemporary Romance.

My lists are never in any particular order.

1. The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis

Tara has a thousand good reasons not to return to the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Yet with her life doing a major crash-and-burn, anywhere away from her unfulfilled dreams and sexy ex-husband will do. As Tara helps her two sisters get their newly renovated inn up and running, she finally has a chance to get things under control and come up with a new plan for her life.

But a certain tanned, green-eyed sailor has his own ideas, such as keeping Tara hot, bothered . . . and in his bed. And when her ex wants Tara back, three is a crowd she can'tcontrol-especially when her deepest secret reappears out of the blue. Now Tara must confront her past and discover what she really wants. If she's lucky, she might just find that everything her heart desires is right here in Lucky Harbor.

2. A Great Catch by Michelle Jerott

Lucas Hall once made Tessa Jardine feel 200% female-and 100% foolish after he walked out of her life without a word. Now, the tall, heart-catchingly handsome former Coast Guard hero is back. But a painful tragedy stands between them, and no matter how determined Lucas is to regain her trust, Tessa's equally determined to resist him. If only she could forget the passion she'd found in his arms...

Tessa once set Lucas's world on fire, and he's willing to do anything to regain her love. Working tegether has created a tension too powerful to ignore, and reignited the desire that's too powerful to resist. And with each passing day, and each burning kiss, Lucas is determined to make Tessa believe in their future together-and to make her see him again as one great catch.

3. Purrfect Voyage by Ruth J. Hartman

Kitty Carter is used to getting into strange situations when she chases her cat, Arthur. But this latest escapade is just too much! When Arthur chases a mouse at the marina while she's doing research for her book, she follows him down the dock and onto a yacht. Not entirely her plan, since she falls down some stairs and hits her head, and wakes to find herself out to sea. And she and Arthur aren’t the only ones on board!

4. Undertow by Cherry Adair

Teal Williams is content with her career as a ship’s master mechanic—until Zane Cutter, the “Casanova of the Caribbean,” makes her an offer she can’t refuse: to climb on board with him for a real-life treasure hunt. Teal must help him dredge up a shipwrecked vessel containing an abundance of gold, silver, and emeralds—and she’ll claim part of the prize.

Zane needs a mechanic—not a lover—and Teal, who can also dive, is perfect for the job.  So it suits him just fine that Teal is completely immune to his charms…or so he tells himself.  But with a deadly enemy in their midst—one who’s silently edging closer—Zane and Teal sink into troubled waters. Trapped in the middle of a perilous sea, they have no one to turn to but each other as they face down a danger that runs unfathomably deep—and a passion that runs even deeper…

5. Jack & Jilted by Cathy Yardley

When his chef eloped with the masseuse, Captain Jack McCullough knew he'd have to pitch in to keep his four-star yacht afloat. Too bad he didn't know one end of the galley from the other, but he did have the looks, the charm and…the jilted bride?

Dodging caterers' bills instead of confetti, jobless Chloe Winton did what every suddenly-single woman should. She talked herself into taking the week-long honeymoon cruise her former fiancé had paid for. (Yes—for the whole week!) But when she meets the hot, sexy—do-gooding—captain, she's not sure the six days and seven nights will be enough!

6. Melting Into You by Tracey Alvarez

Big, sexy men who don't relate well to kids need not apply...
Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. When you don't trust people not to let you down, it's easier to not get involved-and getting involved with a man who makes her skin sizzle just by looking at him would be una pazzia-crazy! Four years ago while Kezia's daughter, Zoe, battled leukaemia, a tragic accident stole her husband's life. Starting over in the little town of Oban where she's adopted into the close knit community on Stewart Island, Kezia and her daughter are all the family the other needs. Except Zoe yearns for more.

New Zealand's worst candidate for instant fatherhood...
Ben doesn't do gooey emotional stuff. He doesn't do cosy home and family. And he sure isn't the big teddy-bear Kezia Murphy, the woman he secretly fantasises about, thinks he is. So when Jade, his surprise eight-year-old daughter arrives on his doorstep, he's a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting.

They'll either melt or raze their lives to the ground...
When the sparks of attraction between Kezia and Ben fan into an inferno, Ben doesn't know how much longer the layers of resistance around his heart can resist melting into the gooey mess he fears.

7. It Takes Two  by Joanne Michael

Abby’s come to this small town in northern Quebec to research beluga whales. And her dog, Figgy, is all the company she’s interested in. But then she meets widowed captain Marc Doucette and his brokenhearted daughter. Turns out they may be exactly what she needs.

Too bad Marc’s dead set against everything Abby and her job represent. But can he keep up his stand once he sees how good Abby—and Figgy—are for his daughter? And can he deny that there might be other—more personal—reasons to change his mind?

8.  In Deep Waters by Melissa McClone

Long ago and far away...

...there was a world filled with light and laughter and love. But quakes buried the land deep below the sea. Slowly the people adapted to their new world. But a civil war broke out, forcing the king of Pacifica to send his four children far away, each with a guardian and a piece of the royal seal.

Twenty-five years later, it was time for the siblings to be reunited--and reclaim what was lost. Natural beauty Kayla Waterton had always avoided the sea--she'd sensed its secrets...and its danger. But a chance-of-a-lifetime search expedition for a sunken ship could lead to answers about her mysterious past...and passion in the arms of modern-day pirate Captain Ben Mendoza....

9. Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich

Love Overboard is a romantic tale about a handsome ship'scaptain; a wary wench from Jersey City; a hundred-year-old, two-masted schooner; and an entire town of shoemakers. There's some getting naked, some blueberry pie, more getting naked.

10. The Boy is Back in Town by Nina Harrington

There was a time when the devastatingly sexy Ethan Chandler left Marigold Chance blushing and tongue-tied but thankfully, that's all in the past. Now that the ice-cool international yachtsman has sailed smoothly back into her life, she's determined to show him that the ugly duckling's become a thoroughly modern swan—a beautiful, driven businesswoman with no time for him!

Yet Ethan seems equally determined to ruffle her perfectly groomed feathers and show her what she's been missing out on….