Susan Andersen (1)Critiques

Romance

I typically don't rate books I DNF'ed (I dropped this around 70% but I had read enough by then), but I felt I had to drop a quick review for this.
*SPOILER*
I just want to say that it's 2021 and rape in all forms - marital or otherwise is truly not the way stories should be driven forward any more. The ML was so unappealing because of this as he apparently raped his wife for 4 years! Like wtf actually. And also did the Hattie have to get raped to get the plot moving?
And also using such an absolutely gorgeous cover seems like a crime.

Lily & Zach meeting each other gets off on the wrong foot. He thinks she's out to fleece his rich sister and she thinks he's an ass. An active Marine who's used to giving orders, Zach is at a loss as he discovers more about Lily than what he initially assumed. Lily starts falling for him on a road trip to stop his sister's wedding. Romance, intrigue, and mystery ensue. Solid book with good plot that has characters from the other books in the series that I haven't read yet.

Fast read mystery romance that follows the same boring theme. Juliet is rich, prim, & proper. Beau is blue collar police sergeant assigned to protect her at her rich daddy's request to the department. Typical repressed woman versus virile studly cop. A little mystery with attempts being made on Juliet or Beau's life. Of course they end up in bed, fight, & make up. The New Orleans language written in the book was irritating & hokey compared to other books I've read with the Cajun dialect.

Baby I'm Yours
4 Stars

A delightful romantic comedy involving a showgirl on the run from the mob, a straight-laced teacher of the death, and the dark, brooding, and stoic bounty-hunter who can't tell them apart.

This has just the right mix of romance, adventure and action.

Sam and Catherine's love/hate relationship is very entertaining as their attempts to outmaneuver each other during the road trip from Seattle to Miami leads to one funny moment after another. Catherine's forthright attitude and willingness to stand up for herself in the face of Sam's overbearing belligerence makes her a particularly engaging heroine while Sam's chivalry and sense of honor more than compensate for his questionable logic and behavior.

The minor suspense plot also has its moments although the villains are overly stereotypical as are Catherine's sister, Kaylee, and her boyfriend, Bobby.

All in all, a light and fun read that is highly recommended for fans of Susan Elizabeth Philips and Rachel Gibson.

El último lugar en el que Catherine esperaba encontrarse era sentada en un autobús, esposada a un malhumorado cazarrecompensas.
Justo dos horas antes,este pedazo de hombre se presentó de improviso en su casa, la confundió con su errática hermana, una showgirl de Miami, y se la llevó en volandas en sus enormes brazos. Y no importa lo sexy que sea él: ¡Catherine está furiosa! Pero a Sam McKade nadie lo engaña con el viejo truco de las hermanas gemelas.
Al fin tiene consigo a la guapísima pelirroja y no va a permitir que se le escape. El problema es que la chica resulta ser mucho más dulce y elegante de lo que parecía, y que los besos de ambos son de tan alto voltaje que alguien puede llegar a quemarse...

The 2 books I've read in this series are super cute. I liked [b:Playing Dirty|10319829|Playing Dirty (Sisterhood Diaries, #3)|Susan Andersen|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305319689s/10319829.jpg|15222193] more than I liked this one but I am a sucker for friends-to-lovers stories in all of their many variations. I have a few caveats, however. 1) Not a fan of the villains' p.o.v. If there is supposed to be an element of suspense in the story, using the villain's p.o.v. ruins it. It can work, I guess, but I've yet to see a successful example of it. 2) I feel like the resolution happens a little quickly. The emotional issues get resolved in an A Ha! moment, but life-long issues take more than 3 seconds to get over. 3) In this book particularly, there is a whiff of homophobia that made me unhappy. It's not overt but Jane wonders about a dude's sexual orientation because he happens to wear nice clothes and moisturize and then having him be the villain is a subtle stereotype reinforcement, i.e. grooming is gay->dude is well-groomed->dude is bad->gay is bad. I'll probably read the middle book eventually.

The romance was sweet and fairly believable, the moppet was adorable, the dudely dude was foxy, and the lady was smart/nice/not-a-pushover. The villain, however, was a both cipher and a cardboard cut-out. For all that a small part of the story is told from his p.o.v., I never got a sense of why he was who he was and crazy is not a sufficient motivator for me. Lots of people are "crazy" and manage not to be murderous jerk-wagons. On the plus side, while the dudely protagonist was disabled I never felt like his disability was a stand-in for a personality or a cop-out for narrative tension. Overall, I liked enough to continue with my Susan Andersen glom.

Cute and sweet, although I am noticing (after reading like 5 of Andersen's books in rapid succession) that the endings are always resolved a little too neatly.

The downside to an author glom is that recycled plot lines are way more obvious. I just finished reading Exposure and the similarities between this book and that one are legion. I probably wouldn't have liked this book even if I hadn't just read the other, but I might have been inclined to give it another star.

I have to say this though, that it isn't necessary to print character accents. It's annoying and distracting. If the character is from Atlanta and is described as having a southern twang, if a person has heard that accent before they are probably capable of applying that without the text having to read "Why, Ah do dehclay-er" instead of "Why, I do declare". If you haven't actually heard the accent then it's just plain weird (obvs this is not just southern accents, this applies to whatever else have you). It's something I've seen in numerous books, and I hate it. HATE it. I will tolerate an occasional dropped g or whatever, but the rest of it makes me want to hulk-smash.

A fairly decent romantic suspense. I actually enjoyed watching the hero fall for the heroine's baby girl more than watching him trying to get with the heroine. That was oddly the better relationship. I didn't really understand why the bad guy was going what he did. His crazy possessiveness was too random and just didn't make much sense. Other than that, this was an interesting, fairly satisfying read.

This wasn't bad. I definitely felt as if I'd missed out not having read the first two books of the series. But I wasn't lost. This book explained itself.

I honestly didn't know how to feel about Cade and what he did for a long time. But he ended up being a good enough guy. I think what he did, in combination with Ava's mother, damaged her irreparably. She may try to get over it and put it behind her, but I don't think she'll ever be completely confident in her body, which is sad. Because based on her measurements, she's pretty much right at the normal weight for her height. It was so strange how this book made her out to be so thick, curvy, and almost hefty.

I didn't quite buy the whole business about them being "in love" with each other. But it was sweet they got their happy ending.

This was a good, quick read and I enjoyed it.

I actually liked it quite a bit, loving my BBW heroines as I do, until the author described her as 5'7.5" and 150 lbs. Are you freakin' kidding me? That is not fat. Boo.

I really wanted to like this book. I've enjoyed other "fun romps" I've read by this author but I just couldn't get into this book and I started it about 3 times. I think I couldn't get past wanting the hero to allow the heroine to prove or disprove who she was right off the bat and then the whole thing would be moot. Maybe I just wasn't in the right place mentally for this right now.

Really enjoyed finally reading Ava's story. I enjoyed how she was such a strong person even though she had insecurities. I liked Cade. I especially liked that he had treated her so badly in high school but had not waited the 10 years until this book took place to apologize for his betrayal. He had tried many times over the years. It just took her this long to forgive him. This book was well written, light hearted without being farcical. It moved right along and all made sense. I really wanted to watch the documentary when they were done with it. Too bad it's make believe. ;-)

A solid end to this enjoyable series.

This one was kind of disappointing after having read about these two as teenagers. Somehow the story wasn't what I expected for them. Decent but not her best.

The plot of this book revolves around women's sexuality, or more specifically, the varying ways in which heterosexual men react to women's sexuality - including rape and sexual assault. Yes, there's romance in this book, but it's only endearing sometimes... For the most part, it seems unbelievable and a little off-putting.

I respect that the author tries to draw attention to the fact that women have been sexually-abused and shamed for all of history, including today. However, the numerous ways in which even the "good" male characters treat female characters in this book negate the intent. (And some of the language is jarring and too modern for a "historical" novel.)

Be warned: the cover is misleading.

I enjoyed this fun sassy book. Throw in 2 red-headed feisty twin sisters, a bounty hunter, and a hired killer and you have a good read with lots of twist and turns. Perfect book for a relaxing summer afternoon.

Catherine heeft al vaak moeten opdraaien voor de roekeloosheid van haar tweelingzus. Maar deze keer heeft Kaylee het wel heel bont gemaakt. Met als gevolg dat Catherine opeens wordt achterna gezeten door een huurmoordenaar.

Recommended as funny, contemporary writer but really just couldn’t get into her stories/characters much. Not much there . . .½

"Cutting Loose" is the 1st novel of the Sisterhood Diaries Trilogy that is a sizzling example of everything I equate to an author writing Harlequin® romance novels. I haven't read a Harlequin® romance for a long, long time but favorite authors that come to mind are Barbara Delinsky, Jude Deveraux, Judith McNaught, Linda Lael Miller, and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Some might call this type of romance novel light and fluffy or predictable but in some cases that is exactly why a reader might initially make the selection. However, it is not the reason why I still select one even if not as often. The women have often been underestimated by some of the populace but their true friends always know each other's strengths and complement each other's weaknesses so they can help each other to find laughter in the midst of tears or encouragement to try something new or give support when confidence needs to be refreshed. The man who becomes their "one and only" sees the incredible person that others have misjudged and is able to look at their own behavior (sometimes with the help of a loving relative or friend) and takes responsibility for their part in any misdirect of the relationship to become a positive. Any individual can write a sentence with descriptive adjectives but only a talented author can create sizzling settings throughout the entire novel that as you read the chapters it feels like the body heat of the couple you know are in love (even before they know) is steaming from each page as each sentence adds to the electricity and the steam is seemingly rising off each page from the newest developments of the storyline.

In this 1st book of the trilogy, the man is Devlin Kavanagh who has come back to his hometown of Seattle to be the lead on one of the construction projects as his brother Bren continues cancer treatments. The brothers Kavanagh are a formidable group of men individually and together and that doesn't even begin to take into account their sisters, parents, and extended family. The woman is Jane Kaplinski who with friends Poppy Calloway and Ava Spencer have inherited the Wolcott mansion stemming from a special friendship with Miss Agnes Wolcott that the girls had enjoyed since they were young adults.

I easily guessed that the 2nd novel in the trilogy would highlight Poppy Calloway. I'll let you determine if you can guess why when you read "Cutting Loose." We'll all have to read "Bending the Rules" to delight in Poppy's story which would then naturally lead to Ava's story being the highlight of "Playing Dirty."

4.5 stars. A sweet, yet sexy, novel, Some Like It Hot is a perfect blend of family, friendship and romance. Please click HERE to read my review in its entirety.

Most heroes in romance novels are cookie cutter perfect, but in That Thing Called Love, Susan Andersen takes a chance with a very imperfect character, absentee father Jake Bradshaw, and she beautifully redeems into a dedicated family man who captures both Austin and Jenny Salazar’s heart. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/07/24/that-thing-called-love/

3.5 stars.

Susan Andersen's No Strings Attached is the last of the Bradshaw brothers' romances and in this outing (which is also set in Razor Bay), half brother Luc gets the surprise of his life when he meets Tasha Riordan, the woman he spent one glorious night with seven years earlier. Equally astonishing is her animosity towards him and her inexplicable belief that he is a low-life scumbag criminal. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tasha clings to her mistaken belief in an effort to protect her heart but will their smoking hot attraction convince her to give Luc another chance?

Tasha and Luc have very different memories of their passionate encounter and Luc would like nothing more than to pick up where they left off. His confusion over her hostility towards him is quickly cleared up when she tells him the real story about what happened to her, but she stubbornly refuses to believe he is actually a DEA agent who works deep undercover. Tasha tries to avoid him as much as possible but her best friends are Luc's brothers' girlfriends and she is further dismayed to learn that he is her new renter. Confronted with irrefutable proof that Luc has been telling the truth about his identity, Tasha gives in to their desire but she is determined to keep their relationship casual.

I have been looking forward to Luc's story since his introduction in Some Like It Hot and I love his character as much as I do his half-brothers Jake and Max. Luc grew up an only child who did not learn about Max and Jake until after their father's death and he is very eager to get to know them. Although he likes both of his brothers, Luc is envious of Jake and Max's close bond but he never lets his feelings get in the way of his burgeoning relationship with them. Luc's career has kept him from romantic entanglements, but when it comes to Tasha, he soon realizes that keeping his distance is going to be impossible. Once he gets to the bottom of what really happened to her seven years ago, Luc has some important decisions to make about his future but will his future include Tasha?

I liked the glimpses of Tasha from the previous novels, but in No Strings Attached, I found it difficult to like her. Her stubbornness about Luc's identity quickly becomes irritating and once she does believe him, she uses someone else to prove that Luc does not mean anything to her. Her indecisiveness is also very frustrating and she is constantly changing her mind about whether she wants him in her life or not. She also leaps to conclusions and lack of communication on her part leads to unnecessary misunderstandings between them. Although I dislike how Tasha handled her complicated relationship with Luc, she is quick to offer help to troubled teens Jeremy and Peyton and she has great friendships with her best friends Jenny and Harper.

Overall, No Strings Attached is an enjoyable read and it is a lovely addition to Susan Andersen's trilogy starring the Bradshaw brothers. It can be read as a standalone story, but I highly recommend the previous novels as well.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Tasha Riordan's one night stand lands her in jail…in the Bahamas…for drug trafficking. Turns out the man she knew as Diego wasn't the only hot thing in the room. After two terrifying days she is released and sent back to America vowing to never lose control like that again. Seven years later she walks into her bestfriend's kitchen to see Diego passing the potatoes at the table. Diego, who is really known as Luc Bradshaw, is an undercover DEA agent and even though he was on R & R when he invited Tasha back to his hotel room, he was still technically on assignment. Thus begins a story filled with white lies, feelings of betrayal, and a rest of the book that never lived up to the fast paced exciting first two chapters.

The biggest problem I had was the main characters did not have a lot of interaction and when they did it started off as great fiery banter that slowly veered into unfunny vitriol. Tasha snaps and snaps at Luc to the point you wonder if his bedroom skills are worth it for her and Luc's feelings of lust never seem to develop into something more; towards the end I really just wanted these two to go their separate ways.

This is third in a series but can definitely be read as a standalone. Characters from book one and two get a lot of screen time, so if you read the previous books maybe you would enjoy revisiting them but for others that haven't, it could feel like just a lot of needless filler. There is also a mini secondary couple followed throughout the story involving a recovering troubled teen boy and struggling with family issues teen girl. Their story, interaction, and attraction to each other felt more real to me as they actually communicated and developed a relationship. I found myself way more invested in them towards the end of the story.

This had such a promising explosive beginning with characters that seemed to sizzle with chemistry, unfortunately, a lot tiring scenes followed. Secondary characters needed to be pushed to the side to make room for our main couple and the story should have been heavily edited; it read like a director's cut of a Peter Jackson film. Susan Andersen usually writes great banter between leads and steadfast paced books, this one, however, missed the mark for me.