Alison KentCritiques

This was a sweet story. I enjoyed it and will continue on with the series.

Only read Body Check

Fun second chance romance. This was released in 1990 and it feels that way. Someone watched Pretty in Pink too many times. The dialog is painfully terrible and the main characters backstory is absurd. I liked it anyway.

Alison Kent's Beneath the Patchwork Moon is an emotional and poignant novel of new beginnings for both Luna Meadows and Angelo Caffey. Although she has a thriving business, Luna has not quite moved on from the accident that took the life of her close high school friend, Sierra Caffey. On the ten year anniversary of Sierra's death, Luna is finally making positive changes to her life, but with the return of her first love (and Sierra's brother) Angelo, will painful memories of their failed romance continue to keep her mired in the past?

Luna's grief over Sierra's death is compounded by guilt and a long held secret that she has never revealed. Their close friendship is one of her most cherished memories and while Luna recovered physically from her own accident that day, she never quite recovered emotionally. But the ten year anniversary marks the beginning of many changes to Luna's life. She has purchased a loft and she is leaving the family home for the first time. A new baby is on the way and Luna is about to become a sister for the first time. Luna bought the old Caffey property when it went into foreclosure and she plans to build a community arts center in Sierra's memory. Just as she begins clearing out the Caffey family belongings, she is surprised by Angelo's return and she soon realizes that in order to heal, she will need to reveal her closely guarded secrets.

Angelo is also deeply mourning his sister's death but his grief is also compounded by anger and guilt. He cannot let go his guilt for not helping Sierra more when she needed him but at the time, he had enough to deal with since the weight of taking care of his family fell on his young shoulders. After his family fell apart under the weight of their grief, they disowned Angelo after he finally took action to save them from complete ruin. That day also marked the end of his four year relationship with Luna when Angelo left Hope Springs for good.

Beneath the Patchwork Moon is a leisurely paced romance with a great deal of introspection but the mystery of the day of the accident adds a bit of suspense and drama to the unfolding story. Learning the secrets of the past drives the first half of the novel, while dealing with the aftermath of these revelations drives the last half. Despite the sometimes melancholy memories, the novel remains upbeat and positive. The attraction between Luna and Angelo simmers under the surface of all of their interactions and their romance is interwoven with their efforts to make peace with the past. All of the various storylines are neatly but realistically wrapped up and the end of the novel adroitly sets up the next installment of Alison Kent's Hope Springs, TX series.

Momma want! I'm just gonna carry around this cover so I can take it out when I feel bad and gaze upon it.

Nothing constructive here folks, just me living out fantasy atop fantasy.
A little better than the first book in the series; less sex (keep clutching your pearls though, still heaps of the sexytime being made) and more story.

Decent but let's not kid ourselves here, this is alone time, glass full of wine, and bubble bath reading.



*There is a scene where the main character is dressed like the cover photo and probably added a full star to the rating for that alone.

There was legitimately sex in every chapter. The main characters meet up in chapter 1 and never stop boinking from there on out.

In a previous post, I discussed finding books on my tbr pile without knowing why. Not so with this book, I know exactly why I picked this. The cover, it's hotter than a possum makin' love in a wool sock.

I have a weakness, it's cowboys. This book had several and described them all in such splendid detail.

The storyline? Oh, hahahhahahahha!

If you like cowboys, plenty (read as the whole book) pretty hot sex scenes, and have a night to yourself, this would be the book for you.

*I kid, there was a storyline (I say that loosely, very, very loosely). 3 cowboys come back to their hometown they abandoned 16yrs ago. The main cowboy in this story has daddy issues. The chick he hooks up with also has daddy issues, oh and runs a saloon. The farm the 3 cowboys inherited is a money pit. Banging, banging, banging, more banging, really I could go on here... Main cowboy decides to live with daddy issues and decides to stay and make a go at the money pit and chick with newly resolved daddy issues.

There is a second love storyline involving main cowboy's sister. Daddy issues, runs into cowboy she has pined over, oh shock he has pined over her too!, comes to terms with daddy issues, and new life direction with pined over cowboy.

3.5 stars

“Who hurt you?”Finn asked, his voice pitched low and coming from just behind her.
She kicked at a cloud of bubbly foam. “A friend of my father’s. He said I invited his advances. Told me I’d asked for it with the way I flounced around half undressed.”
“You know you didn’t. No woman asks for a sexual assault.”
She tried to shrug off his words. “He didn’t really hurt me—”
“Of course, he did. If not physically, then emotionally. How old were you?”
“Fourteen. Old enough to know better.”
“Olivia—”
“He was right. About that much, anyway. I’d seen him looking at me. I knew what he was thinking.”She lifted her face, letting the breeze cool her. “But he wasn’t going to have any say in what I wore. I had the right to wear anything I wanted to, damn him, to expose as much of my body as society said was decent. I’d show him. And I did. Until he showed me.”She didn’t move when she sensed Finn coming closer. She didn’t freeze or flinch. She wanted him there. Wanted the comfort he offered when he stood behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. She closed hers on top of his and held him there, sinking into him, needing the support of his body, but needing even more the emotional rock he offered.

Ladies and gentleman, this is a hero. There were so many little but immensely powerful moments from this hero Finn in regards to healing the heroine. Swoon.

This one started off pretty slow with Finn doing some P.I. work and Olivia purposefully crossing paths with him. Then about 20% in, we get a second couple of Judi and Roland/Roman (he is undercover DEA) that share equal time, trading off, with Finn and Olivia. About 40% in this becomes erotica and what a steamy sexy read it is. Both of our couples are far from shy and burn up of the pages with their chemistry. Then about 60% in the story starts to hit some deep emotional tones delving into our characters' childhood issues and how they affect them today and finally the last bit plays out the suspense storyline. This story is a hard one to pinpoint because of all its different components and while it made it different, it also made it uneven. However, the hot sex and little devastating emotional moments more than makeup for the other grouses.

Kaylie Flynn has returned home to Hope Springs, Texas, where she lived as a foster child from age ten to age eighteen, in an unusually fortunate foster experience. Having built a successful career and a nice nestegg as baker, she has now bought the old home of her late and much-loved foster parents, Winton and May Wise, to be not only her home, but her new business, the Two Owls Cafe, serving lunch from 10am to 2pm.

She also has another mission, finding out what happened to her birth parents, and why they never came back to get her after the awful events that landed her in foster care.

Hope Springs is a charming town, and the characters are likable and interesting. Having spent ten years in Austin, Kaylie is sometimes surprised at how many people remember her and her foster parents, here in small-town Hope Springs. They also remember her brownies--then and now, her method of dealing with emotional crises is to bake brownies, and then find people to eat them before she can eat them all.

But Kaylie has her own memories, some clear, others buried, and she wants to find out her parents didn't want her. Like many children, she blamed herself for the upheaval of her childhood, and as an adult hasn't shed those feelings.

Old neighbors and classmates, as well as people she didn't meet as a child, become new friends. The hunky contractor the old classmate who became the realtor who sold her the Wise home recommended, Tennessee Keller, is skilled, perceptive of her needs in the renovation, and, oh, yes, very attractive personally as well as physically. Luna Meadows, local maker of a stunningly successful line of hand-weaved wool scarves, becomes a good friend--but turns out to be sitting on a potentially explosive secret. Tenn Keller has his own secrets. Kaylie herself is keeping secrets from her new friends as well as from herself.

Of course this all has to explode over all of them, and the question is whether the relationships she's built, and her new business, are strong enough to survive it.

There were points at which I wanted to give Kaylie, Tenn, Luna, and others whacks upside the head with a clue-by-four, as I felt they were being more obtuse than the reasonable demands of the plot required, but really, I liked them all, and I'm not fond of violence.

Recommended with the above-noted reservation.

I bought this audiobook.

Eva Channing and Carson Brandt had a tempestuous love affair in their youth, then Eva disappeared. Seventeen years later, Carson finds her again - with a seventeen-year-old son, Zach.
I couldn't get into the two main characters, especially Eva. She can't seem to tell the truth even when it wouldn't hurt to do so. The whole subplot with Zach looking like Carson and even having his love of photography felt too forced. I could buy him looking to Carson as a father figure, but most of the rest of the story was too slow. The ending just wasn't believable. The writing is good, but I found it one of those books where I kept reading because I thought something would happen, and it never really did.

On a random trip to the library I found Bliss and the Art of Forever by Alison Kent hanging out on the "newer" book section. Being one of those people who DOES judge a book by it's cover, I had to pick it up! As I have mentioned in my previous reviews, I am a total sucker for books with "cute" covers. I use this term for lack of a better word, as these covers are the ones that draw my attention before any other. Then, on top of that, if the synopsis describes a quirky romance, a creepy psychological thriller, or an emotionally-charged drama, I am pretty much sold. That being said, this book fits the above criteria to a T.

Bliss and the Art of Forever is the 4th book of a series called Hope Springs. Seeing that, I looked around for any of the previous books but had no luck. After reading this book though, I feel like it can be read as a stand-alone. I didn't feel like I missed anything by not reading the prior books. I did feel that this book was a little slower paced than the ones I normally read. I personally didn't find this to be an issue, but thought it was worth mentioning for those readers who prefer a faster pace. I actually liked the more relaxed pace as it seemed perfect for this simple and sweet romance.

What is different about this book from other romances that I am familiar with is that one of the main characters is a long-haired, tattooed ex-biker. You usually find this type of Alpha Male in those steamy erotic reads. The thing that drew me in was that fact that the guy is also a single parent of a six yr old daughter, and is a successful chocolatier. The book includes some yummy-looking recipes thrown in every couple chapters as well. I actually found a few that I wrote down to try later! The only other thing that I could find that might deter some other romance readers besides the slower pace is the fact that the book does not include any steamy sex scenes. So, if that is something that matters to you, you might keep that in mind.

Bliss and the Art of Forever is a lighthearted, readable romance that provided me with a relaxing way to pass the time while I waited for my car to be serviced. I sped right through it without having to put too much thought into it. The setting of Hope Springs was perfect, and I found all the characters to be engaging and interesting. I will definitely be checking into the other books in the series.

The Second Chance Cafe was an easy to read, although predictable romance. This book seemed pretty squeaky clean at first, so much so that I was reading it to my 73 yr old aunt. But, then I got to a sex scene that I thought was a little too explicit for this book and found myself skipping that whole section as I didn't feel comfortable reading that part to her. But, that being said, my aunt enjoyed the story and didn't seem to really notice when I was improvising through several pages. My aunt enjoyed the recipes that were included within the pages, and all in all it was an enjoyable story.

I picked up this book mostly because I was curious to see how the main character would turn a house into a café. I thought the undercurrent of sexual tension was a bit distracting and the sex scene too long, so I probably shouldn't have read this book.½

Novellas average 50 to 100 pages. 4 of the stories deserve, on average, 4 stars. "Turning Up The Heat" by Susan Donovan is maybe 2 stars. I just didn't like it at all, but it was pretty well written. "A Blue Christmas " by Allison Kent is my favorite in this book. Blue is a great character. If you like anthologies of contemporary romance with a bit of good sex, this is a good choice.

I love this series. I wish the books were longer, but otherwise Kent just nails the genre.

Steamy group of six short stories to heat up the holidays ... first two enjoyable tales of taking friendship a step further, Susan Donovan's was just plain fun, following two reunions had me dwelling more on years missed, and the last one had me smiling throughout ... I'll be looking for more by Nancy Warren.

As with all the books in this series, this is super sexy, crazy fun, but way to short and way too rushed. I love these characters and absolutely see them together, but not after 12 hours with none of that time spent outside of crisis. I wish Kent had written this whole story because it would have been stellar.½

This one sizzled all the way through. Kent certainly knows how to keep the sexual tension going along with an interesting story line. Arwen and Dax were both strong characters I could identify with. I'm a sucker for small towns and am a Texan, so this one was right up my alley. I enjoyed it and will be looking for more in the series.

Look, it was sexy and romantic and funny. It was also dated, needed an editor (copy and general), and had ridiculous villains. Turns out I didn't care that much. I rolled my eyes when someone in New York walked just a few blocks to get from Midtown to the Financial District and when someone is described as doing something knowingly and with intent and in the next sentence said to be doing the same thing "guilelessly." There is a lot more of that kind of stuff. But in the end, it was a beautiful 78 degree day, and I lay out on my back deck and read this cover to cover, and it was absolutely delightful.

This is very short. It took 2 hours to read in its entirety. Really it is a part of a book, but this part is so good. There is meat here for a proper book, and I am not sure why the author started or left off where she did. I am just looking at it as a short story that I enjoyed. Great characters, super steamy love scenes, etc. That said, if the whole story were here it would have been a lot better.

Jo Goodman's short story about Nat Church was ok.

Boots Under Her Bed Crazy Callie / Nat Church and the Runaway Bride / The Scent of Roses / The Hired Gun's Heiress, Authors: Alison Kent, Kaki Warner, Jo Goodman, Jodi Thomas

This is a wonderful western anthology with 4 stories.

CRAZY CALLIE by Jodi Thomas Callie's step father has been working for years to make her ranch his. He has made everybody think she crazy. Her one chance to keep from being committed is to marry.
Luke Morgan is taller than Callie and flat-out drunk behind the saloon.. she found her groom.

NAT CHURCH AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE by Jo Goodman
Felicity Ravenwood is in Texas jail with the local temperance ladies and she refuses to post bail and when Nat Church posts it for her, she refuses to leave the jail.

THE SCENT OF ROSES by Kaki Warner
Working under cover for separate agencies they each think the other is the bank robber. It's a realy interesting train ride.

THE HIRED GUN'S HEIRESS by Alison Kent
Maeve Daugherty was traveling with her uncle and he left her behind in Texas. She takes a job as book keeper in a local brothel. Zeb Crow is determined to protect her from herself.. and her uncles enemies.½

A great collection of Wild West novellas! Each novella found in this novel is unique, sassy, and down right fun to read! This was my first experience with all four of the authors, but certainly not my last. Each time you start a new story in this book, the characters, storyline and even the setting are rather different and very entertaining!

Crazy Callie needs to find a husband, fast, if she’s going to escape her stepfather’s devious plans. When she goes husband hunting, in a rather unique place, she finds just the type of man she’s looking for. But after she and Luke marry, she learns that while she found Luke when he was down, he definitely wasn’t out for the count. As the two of them deal with the obstacles facing Callie, they find that love can be found even under the strangest of circumstances.

Head strong Felicity isn’t going to bow to her father’s wishes. She wants to marry of course, but not to the men of her father’s choosing. So she runs and ends up causing quite the commotion in a small town jail. When Nat Church shows up and springs her, she’s not exactly willing to go, but Nat has ways to manage difficult females. Once safely tucked away in her private train car, Nat reveals that she is being allowed to have a grand tour of the west, but if she steps one foot out of the car, she’s officially cut off and not allowed back inside. But being held captive isn’t quite so bad when you’re riding with Nat Church…..Has Felicity finally found a man she wants? And is Nat Church willing to marry a rather strong-willed female, such as Miss Felicity Ravenwood?

When Rachel James and Richard Whitmeyer board a train, they have a lot more in common than they think they do. Both are connected to a bank robbery in Nebraska, both are hiding a secret or two, and both are trying to pry information from the other. But when their train gets stranded, things start to get quite interesting…. I wish I could tell you more about this one, but I don’t want to ruin the story so you’ll just have to read it for yourself! I’m sure it will keep you guessing until the last page!

When Maeve Daugherty runs away with her uncle, the last place she expected to find herself was working in brothel. But as circumstances would have it, that’s exactly where she finds herself. But at least she’s being allow to use the accounting skills she learned and not serving the men. But when her father’s hired gun, Zebulon Crow turns up looking for her, she decides to go with him, even though she has no desire to return home to her parents. She’s always had a thing for Zeb and while not looking forward to the journey or the end destination, it allows her to spend time with him. But the longer she’s with him, the more she learns that things are not as they seem. Can Maeve deal with learning the truth about her parents and uncle? And will Zeb and Maeve have to pay the price for all the wrongs her family has done?

Just a wonderfully written, highly entertaining collection! Even if you’re not the biggest fan of Westerns, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Boots Under Her Bed. I promise, you will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading more from these amazing authors!

Rating: 4.5

Heat Rating: Mild

Reviewed by AprilP

Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More½

Fun, sexy, really well-written. My only issue is that it is super short. I got it as a library used book sale in a $6 bag, but I might have been a little miffed if I had spent $7.99 on a couple hours of reading material.

Fast paced, adventure packed novel. I zipped right through. Strong dialogue and good character depth for the page time they got. Overall I was impressed. Especially with the ending. I like that it was more a HFN than a HEA, considering the time frame of the romance.

This is the second reality-based book I've read. I've read novels by Kent in the past and really enjoyed them, and this was no exception.

Thanks to a nudge from her friends, Michelle signs up for Match.com. She doesn't expect much to come of it, but she's pleasantly surprised when she comes across Todd's profile. After exchanging a few emails, they agree to meet.

What blossoms is a sweet, steady love story. From their first text message to their first kiss, Kent beautifully showcased their developing romance. Right from the beginning I was caught up in them.

There isn't a lot of drama involved in their relationship. There's no major obstacles to overcome, nothing to keep them apart. This is a story about two people who meet and fall in love. They go through trials as a couple, but the conflicts are all external and they do well facing them together. I really liked that. I'm not sure I'd always want that to be the case, but it worked here.