His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John
Historical Romance
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When Noah Cutter, a scarred and reclusive rancher, finds that his philandering half-brother has died and left behind a pregnant wife to fend for herself, he takes it upon himself to make her life easier in any way he can – even if it means marrying her himself. This is a sweet and easy read with just the right amount of angst. I loved how Noah and Katherine’s feelings for each other grew over time, how they came to rely on each other. I especially enjoyed Noah’s quiet and succinct manner in comparison to Katherine’s charming, non-stop chatter. I’d recommend this to anyone in need of a feel-good read (even though it did make me cry once, but it was a good kind of crying, not bad – I promise).
Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress by Sandra Marton
Contemporary Category Romance
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Maria Santos is a struggling jewelry designer who has recently lost out on the chance to design a necklace for a Queen. Prince Alexandros Karedes is the Queen’s son who gets sent to personally convince Maria to do the commission when the original winner had to back out. What the Prince’s parents don’t know is that he and Maria shared a one night stand before she returned to the US. Alex is pretty pig-headed at the start of the story. He threatens and belittles Maria even while he’s defending her to her mother. He decides to use the jewelry commission as a means of blackmailing her into being his mistress. I was happy that this plan didn’t actually pan out and that the two don’t sleep together again until they sort out some of their issues with each other. Once the usual tropes were dispensed with, Maria and Alex actually have a nice relationship with a minimal of angst – until his family start meddling and a mystery regarding the crown jewels suddenly pops up. I’d say I enjoyed the middle of the book more than the rest of it.
Sweet Topping (Cattle Valley #3) by Carol Lynne
Gay Contemporary Romance
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Kyle Brynn is wheelchair-bound and living an independent, but lonely, life above the bakery he owns and runs. He’s fought hard for his independence and is reluctant to to give it up, even when it seems that someone is intent on running him out of business by staging a number of break-ins. Darshawn “Gill” Gilling is an ex pro-football player who runs a garage and gas station. He doesn’t miss his old life much and he knows he’s a lot happier since he came out to his friends and family. When Gill and Kyle start seeing each other, the two men have a lot to overcome. Gill is sweet and earnest, yet he tends to be overprotective of his lover. Kyle, on the other hand, doesn’t believe Gill will stay with him long-term because of his disability. I found this to be a rather sweet story, but there were a number of flaws that detracted from my enjoyment of it as a whole. The writing style was a bit awkward and I felt that the characters, as nice as they were, could have used just a bit more fleshing out. I don’t know if the choppy writing is indicative of this author’s usual style or if – since this is only the third book in a much longer series – it’s because the story might have been written before she came into her own as a writer. I’m unfamiliar with her other work, so I’m not sure how right or wrong I am here. I think I’ll pick up a few more books in this series to see if things improve.
I don’t know if any of you are fans of the tv show Stargate: Atlantis, but if you’re interested in a story about a couple dealing with a major disability, I recommend the Rodney Mckay/John Sheppard slash story Fading Skies by Diamond Raven. It’s a wonderful story and I don’t think you need to know much about the original show to enjoy it, since it’s an AU. :)
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