Finished Reading February 4, 2014

2 stars
Bored me to tears.
Book Rejected

Prch Amz February 4, 2014 ( )

DNF... I wish I could list some of the pet peeves this book didn't manage to gather together, but honestly, I don't think that's necessary. It got all of them!

Blonde heroine who is quick to jump to assumptions? Check.

Said heroine proves to also be judgemental? Check.

A girl musical band that reminds me too much of badly written fanfics? Check.

A wonderful, grumpy hero, who is everything a woman could want, and yet turns into that blonde bimbo's door mat - AND scapegoat? Damn it all, check.

Everyone around saying how beautiful and hot and kind-hearted the heroine is, without seeing she needs to go jump off a cliff so that her brain might get a bit of fresh air? Check.

A blurb that promises so much, and yet a story that gives so little? Check.

A hell of an idiot friend who doesn't have more brain than the bimbo main heroine she calls a friend? (yes, I do believe we should put Mazy in the same fire pit we shall put Sam) Double Check.

And... what am I forgetting, I wonder.... Oh, yes! The fact she thought so lowly of him, she would assume he had a threesome with her and said stupid friend when they were drunk, even though he wasn't in the same bed with them, all because her friend said so. Oooh, and how he just HAD to be a womanizer - according to her - when he smiled at the nurse who took care of him, but she had every right to flirt with other men and be ashamed when he tried to keep other guys from hitting on her... Check, check, and check!

I don't think there's anything else to say. I couldn't bear to finish it, I couldn't keep watching poor Brock getting humiliated, accused, and mocked about his vocabulary or country or accent. And I certainly DON'T want to read the next book, which I found out is Mazy's story! Mazy can go to the deepest pits of hell, and take Sam with her, for all I care!!!

***I was given a review copy from a LibraryThing Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** ( )

What a lucky person I was to receive this delightful book through a Library Thing giveaway. Lyla Dune has written the story of Sam a musician and Brock, the man who buys the house Sam is the permanent house sitter of. The characters are well developed with believable back stories and chemistry aplenty. There are hurdles to overcome in their journey to a happy ending. A truly enjoyable book and I do hope that Ms Dune’s next book will be as good as her first one! ( )

I won a ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I finished this book and read the authors note that this was her first book I was shocked. The book is well written and I really enjoyed the characters. Sam's character was so full of life and has overcome so much in her life, and Brock is every girls British fantasy. This book made me laugh and definitely made me excited for the second novel which is Mazy's story! ( )

Sam’s been dumped by a man, not one time but many times. Her last guy dumped her via the Internet. Can she ever find happiness with a guy again? Her friend helps her find a beachfront house to “house sit” for a couple. Things are going well. Sam enjoys the area, is paying down her debt (Did I mention that her last beau left her about $50,000 in the hole when he left?), has integrated herself into the small Pleasure Island community, and has found an enjoyable stint as a member of a girl’s band that plays regularly on the island. Just as she learns the house she has been living in has been sold to some unknown, Sam encounters Brock Knight, on-time soccer star from Wales who is now in retirement, when her car dies on the island drawbridge. Little do either of them know that their paths will cross because Brock is the new owner of the beachfront house that Sam has been living in for the past few years. The story of their life together those first few weeks is the plot of this funny and endearing novel. I loved the way Sam and Brock interacted, stiffly at first, gradually becoming more comfortable with each other. There is real chemistry between the two, from the very start. I found myself enthralled with finding out just how and if these two would ever end up even tolerating each other, let alone liking or loving each other. The island is small and has so many interesting, quirky characters, from Sam’s best friends and fellow band members, to the gossipy older woman who sees to be everywhere you don’t want her to be because of the tales she spreads, to the plucky ostrich who belongs to a couple on the island and is usually around somewhere. This is the author’s first book and has definitely shown all of us readers just how well she can and does write and how creative and real she can be with plot and characters. I immediately felt a part of the island community, as I became engrossed in this sweet romantic tale. My only regret was that it ended too soon. I certainly will be looking for the author’s next installment. This book should appeal to every reader who enjoys a light romance infused with comedy and memorable characters and settings. I received this from Library Thing to read and review. ( )