I don't have strong feelings about this book. It was different from what I expected. Matt's reasons for taking Kate to the Caribbean were more involved than just revenge. That part was kind of different. Matt is actually a nice guy, but Kate has already prejudged him as a jerk because of a bad experience in her last relationship. The way she talked to him at the wedding reception was pretty cold. I wish that some of the jerky heroes in the other Harlequin Presents I've read where they deserved it had been given that set down. Normally, I think the Vintage HPs are more exciting, but this one wasn't really. It wasn't bad. Kind of forgettable.

Vows of Revenge by Dani Collins

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


It's hard to say what I felt about this book. Probably why I procrastinated my review. The writing is very good, and I think the author went deeper with the story. I think that for a HP book, the relationship feels very realistic. The drama isn't manufactured, even when the author could have gone for one of those easy HP drama tactics (that admittedly I love since i am a drama hound).

Roman is a complicated guy. He is very emotionally disconnected and is not good at expressing himself verbally as far as emotions. He sends out a lot of mixed signals to Melodie and then doesn't understand the way she reacts to him as a form of self-protection. If it was about sex and being generous with his money, he'd probably be the perfect boyfriend, but that's rarely enough for a woman after a while. I was surprised at the vulnerability that Roman shows when he admits that he's used to women ending relationships because of his remoteness. And the fact that it bothers him that Melodie thinks he's one of the bad guys initially. He pursues her, sexually like a volcano, but holds himself back emotionally. I think that Melodie was brave to keep going with him, not knowing how he felt about her, and when she suspects it, that fear of rejection holding her back. I like that he's 100% self-made and it hasn't been easy for him. He's suffered some major hardships in his short life. I just wish that he wasn't such a wreck at being emotionally available.

Melodie has her own issues. Her father is despicable. And she's lived in the shadow of his inability to show love for his children and his wife, and her feelings of inadequacy. She turned her back on his money with strings attached and has been trying to make it on her own, and Roman has a habit of messing that up for her. She's conflicted about their relationship and its tone, but she has feelings for him that don't seem to want to go away.

The love scenes were very sexy and well-written. There's a lot of chemistry between them and they set the pages on fire together. From the beginning, there's a powerful string that keeps pulling them together. But I loved when Roman finally says how he feels for Melodie. She doesn't have to guess or try to read his behavior. It's all on the table. And it's clear that Roman isn't going to take it for granted in the future.

I think some readers will love this book. Very much a modern romance, although with a traditional happy ending.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.





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An oldie but goodie with a cowboy who lives up to the rugged mantle. I love a good opposites attract romance. In this book, you have a cultured, intelligent school teacher from the city and an older, former rodeo man who is rich but still lives a simple life as a cowboy. Ben is definitely my cowboy book type. He's a bit grumpy and grumbly, but I can handle that. Long, tall, and fierce. He's met his match in Sami, a tiny, proper schoolteacher, that he hires to tutor his son so he can get his GED. Sami knows that she's taking a risk agreeing to work for Ben, a man who makes her feel things she wanted to forget, and in some ways reminds her of her big, brutal father. But the more she gets to know Ben, she realizes that he's the type to cherish a woman, never harm her. I love a hero in pursuit. My favorite kind. And Sami leads him a merry chase. He's really a romantic guy in his rough way.

This has plenty of atmosphere and although it's not that descriptive, the romance is steamy. It's a blast from the past as far as descriptions of clothing. I find that a bit amusing, even though I definitely don't miss the 80s fashions. I'm glad I listened to the urge to read this. It was a good little romance.

My review is a bit spoilery, but it's nothing you couldn't predict if you tend to read romance novels.

I didn't like the hero in this much at all. Leo was a very selfish person. I get that he was raised with a poor moral compass in may ways, but his attitude towards women and sex was objectionable to me. I can't stand heroes who use women for sex and don't even care about them emotionally. He actually bragged to the heroine Anna about having a fivesome with some models! Ugh. This is one instance where I wish the heroine was repulsed by the hero. He started out just mainly wanting to have sex with Anna because she was prissy and he wanted to take her down a peg. When he found out she was a virgin, he got an attack of conscience. They are stranded on an island (the hero's fault) and Anna decides she's tired of being a good girl. One thing leads to another. Anna hands out some of Leo's own medicine back, saying they are over once they get off the island. Of course, she finds out she's pregnant, and when she looks him up, he treats her very poorly indeed.

Leo's not all bad, but he's got a lot of traits that are deal-breakers for me in a hero. He makes it seem like it's a big deal that he's celibate for a few months. Yes, that's pretty unusual for him, since apparently woman regularly drop trousers for him. But the man acts like he's God's gift to the world, and makes it seem like marrying Anna is a huge sacrifice. I for one believe that a woman should feel like she's the only woman in the world to a man she's going to marry. I especially expect that in a romance novel hero. Anne is very insecure, and while that's not Leo's fault, he definitely doesn't help build her confidence any, even knowing she was essentially jilted by the man she was supposed to marry, who married his sister instead. When Anna lets him off the hook, then he decides that maybe he's in love with her after all. No thanks. I wouldn't marry this guy either. Of course, you know they end up together, since this is a romance novel. I hope Leo grows up and becomes a man, in ways other than being able to have sex with many woman.

I like Lynn Raye Harris as an author. I think she's a good writer. I just have high standards that this hero did not meet.