Tag: Tasha’s Reviews

Buddy Review: Highland Deception by Meggan Connors

Posted July 10, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Buddy Review: Highland Deception by Meggan ConnorsReviewer: Tasha and Rowena
Highland Deception by Meggan Connors
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication Date: March 17, 2014
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 300
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Rowena's 2019 GoodReads Challenge, Rowena's 2019 New to Me Challenge, Rowena's 2019 TBR Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-stars

When Kenneth Mackay, long-banished rogue and thief, returns to the Mackay holding at the request of his brother, he has no idea what he might find. He certainly doesn’t expect to be confronted with his twin’s imminent death, or with the plan his brother has concocted.

Ten years before, Malcolm made a tragic mistake, and, to preserve the family name—and his own skin—he allowed Kenneth to take the fall. Now that he is dying without an heir, Malcolm plans to atone for his mistake: by giving Kenneth his life back. All Kenneth has to do is assume his brother’s identity. But complicating matters is the unexpected return of Lady Isobel Mackay, the daughter of an English marquess... and the wife Malcolm didn’t want.

Isobel barely knows the husband who abandoned her even before their marriage, and she'd long since given up on having a real marriage with him. Yet when she returns to the Mackay holding far earlier than expected, she finds her husband a changed man. Despite the hurt between them, Isobel's heart responds to this man who cares for his entire clan as if they were family. Who, for the first time since their marriage, cares for her as if she is, too.

Falling in love with her husband had never been part of Isobel’s plan. But when their future is suddenly in peril, Isobel must find a way to save him—from himself and from the deception threatening to tear them apart.

Kenneth MacKay has been living his life on the run ever since he took the fall for his brother’s actions but when he is summoned home because the very same twin brother, is dying, his life is about to take a very interesting turn. Kenneth is going to step into the life of his brother and his life is never going to be the same again….especially when he meets his brother’s wife, Isobel, a woman that if Kenneth isn’t careful, can steal his heart.

Rowena: So who was surprised that my sister chose a historical romance for this month’s book of the month? I’m not. I am, however, surprised that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would have. There were too many things that annoyed me but let’s start with what you thought. Did you like it or nah?

Tasha: I wasn’t surprise either with Blanche’s historical pick, hahaha! Actually I expected her to select a historical romance, specifically a highlander romance. This was an okay read for me. I didn’t like it all that much but I didn’t hate it either. Just wish it was better. I know I won’t be doing a re-read of this.

Rowena: Same here. I mean, it was fine but not great or even memorable. Are you surprised that Blanche LOVED this one though? Haha.

Anyway, what did you think about Kenneth and Isobel? Did you like them? Was their romance believable?

Tasha: You know me, I love the whole “happily ever after ending”. I am happy Kenneth got the girl and the lands in the end. I can’t believe how his own twin brother would do him dirty like that. Now did I like them? Kenneth, yes. Isobel, there were moments I didn’t like her so much. Their romance could’ve been better.

Rowena: I agree that this book could have been a lot better. There were far too many things that happened that had me either rolling my eyes or shaking my head. I didn’t get the feeling that this book happened over a good chunk of time. For me, it felt like everything happened at warp speed. I didn’t believe that Isobel could fall in love with Kenneth so quickly after how horrible Malcolm was to her. Malcolm was horrible to her for years but for a few months, Kenneth shows up and shows her a better side to him and it felt like she didn’t question it long enough for me to believe the change of heart from him.

Also? I thought it was pretty gross that Kenneth didn’t come clean with Isobel the moment that he fell in love with her and they started sleeping together. Especially when he finds out that she was a virgin the first time that they slept together.

Tasha: Actually, I understand why Kenneth didn’t come clean. He even said so himself. If she didn’t know the truth, she couldn’t lie. And he really wasn’t sure how she would’ve reacted to the truth. So I get it. And for the longest, she’s had dreams of this man, her husband having a family together and being so happy. She was hopeful and was trying to make this work with Malcolm but when he wouldn’t budge, she’d leave for London. Now imagine coming back to Scotland and your dream man isn’t being mean to you and making you feel like there’s a chance after all, I’m positive that’s what Isobel felt and went for it.

Rowena: The author should have found a better way around that because it was gross. Kenneth was pretending to be someone else and Isobel thought she was falling in love with her husband and I’m not down with those kinds of secrets and the way that Isobel found out was even worst. She may have been a brat but she didn’t deserve that.

Tasha: If anything, I think the part that really bothered me is when she finally figured out that he was Kenneth, she said his name once and said that was the one and only time she would say it aloud. I thought that sucked. Malcolm was the mean husband, who had no regard for her or her feelings. Why couldn’t she address him as Kenneth in the private, when its just the two of them. I wouldn’t have been able to utter the name Malcolm. You’d hear me address him as “my lord”, “my laird” or whatever title he holds, but not Malcolm.

Rowena: Then I spent some time being annoyed with Isobel’s friend and lady’s maid. The way that she wasn’t as supportive to Isobel as I hoped she’d be, considering she worked for Isobel, it bothered me when she jumped down Isobel’s throat for things I’d expect my best friend to be supportive of.

Tasha: I’m glad she wasn’t on board with going back to London when Isobel was ready to leave. She noticed the change in the Laird and she saw how differently he was treating her. Okay yeah, maybe she only wanted to stay because she found herself a man but to me, Isobel was being a brat. And in those moments, it’s your real friends who will set you straight and tell you to get it together. That’s what I saw happen in that part of the book.

Rowena: Nah, the lady’s maid was first and foremost, Isobel’s maid and they were around the same age so she forgot her place and didn’t stay in her lane. There’s a way to make your point without being a total bitch about it and I thought that the maid (what the heck was her name again?) misstepped. I think I was more annoyed with the way that she came at Isobel because a whole lot of her reasoning for not wanting to go back to London was because she wanted that D. It didn’t come off right.

Tasha: I didn’t think Marie was a bitch towards her, just very firm and direct. But I have to agree with the sleeping with somebody when they don’t even know who you really are. That’s gross! And again, I wish it was a better read than what it turned out to be, just meh.

Rowena: There were just too many little things that bothered me but despite all of that, I still didn’t hate the book and I think that a huge part of the reason I didn’t hate this book was because the week that I read this book, I had read so many other bad books that this was a walk in the park compared to them.

Would I re-read this one? Probably not. Would I recommend this one to other readers? I don’t know. There was promise in this book but the author took the story in a different direction than I would have taken it and because of that, my enjoyment wasn’t as great as it could have been.

Tasha: You made some really good points! And some I agree with, like the relationship between Kenneth and Isobel being rushed. And how he didn’t tell Isobel the truth about who he really was before they did the deed or how the book started off really good and then sadly it just it fizzled out.

Rowena: Like I said, there were so many ways that the author could have written this romance and the way that she wrote it, wasn’t my favorite so yeah, I won’t be re-reading this one. Also, I should probably mention that I was one of the few people in book club that didn’t love this book so if you are curious about this one, you should give it a go.

I give this one 2.5 out of 5, what about you?

Tasha: My rating for this is a 3 out of 5. This will not be a re-read and I probably wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve read similar books that were much better reads.

Final Grades

Tasha: 3 out of 5
Rowena: 2.5 out of 5

three-stars


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Guest Review: Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha Young

Posted November 5, 2014 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha YoungNatasha’s review of Echoes of Scotland Street (On Dublin Street #5) by Samantha Young.

Shannon MacLeod has always gone for the wrong type of man. After she drifted from one toxic relationship to the next, her last boyfriend gave her a wakeup call in the worst possible way. With her world shattered, she’s sworn off men—especially those of the bad-boy variety.

Cole Walker is exactly the sort that Shannon wants to avoid—gorgeous, tattooed, charming, and cocky. But his rough exterior hides a good man who’s ready to find “the one.” He’s determined to pull Shannon from her self-imposed solitude and win her heart.

As Shannon opens up in the face of Cole’s steady devotion, the passion between them ignites to blazing levels. But when Shannon’s past comes back to haunt her, her fears may destroy the trust Cole has built between them—and tear them apart for good…

Oh boy, Samantha Young has done it again! Echoes of Scotland is the fifth book of her On Dublin Street series and this may be my favorite so far. Going into this I was already jumping up and down for joy knowing this was about Cole and hopefully his happily-ever-after ending. When Cole was first introduced into this series, it was during Jo (his older sister) and Cam’s (his now brother-in-law) book. Jo basically raised Cole because there was no father in the picture and their mother was nothing but an abusive alcoholic drunk. And of course, because Jo loves her brother to no end, had to hook up with older men with lots of money to help support herself and her brother but all that came to an end when Cam came into the picture. This kinda gives you an idea of what Cole’s upbringing was like. He may have had the unconditional love of his sister, his brother-in-law and some close family friends, that still could not mask the unwanted feeling he received from his own mother. Who would be the one to capture the heart of this sexy man?

Shannon MacLeod would be this lucky woman but she fights it every step of the way. I love Shannon! Her description that of a “wee fairy” with her too red auburn thick wavy hair and less than average height and of course her spunky attitude made for the perfect companion. One of my favorite parts of the book is the Prologue where Cole and Shannon first meet as young fifteen year olds. They were so cute and innocent and everything around them seemed to fade away until that stinkin’ horn ruined the moment. I believe Shannon said it best when describing that first meet between those two, “I felt like fate had just handed me two cups and I’d stupidly drunk from the wrong one”.

Well its been nine years since that day and fate would have it that they should meet up once again. Neither Cole nor Shannon is the same young innocent fifteen year old from that day. Each have gone through their own experiences that have shaped who they are and the way they live today. With that being said, it seriously frustrated me that Shannon kept fighting tooth and nails to keep her distance from Cole. Okay, so what if he appeared to be the epitome of everything she just promised herself to stay away from but how can you deny this magical connection you feel with this man? I mean sheesh, at least give him a try. I’m not saying to jump his bones right then and there but try to start off some kind of a friendship. Not come off as some snotty stuck up biyotch!! If she had just given it some time to get to know Cole, she would have found out that he wasn’t anything like those losers she dated who took advantage of her. She seriously was a magnet for some sorry ass excuse for a boyfriend. I mean don’t get me wrong, I get Shannon was burned really bad by these loser boyfriends of hers but it ticked me off that Cole was getting treated this way because of their mistakes. Cole did not deserve that, especially coming from some receptionist they just hired. Hell, she knew nothing of him nor did he know anything about her. It was a wonder they were able to have a civilized conversation but that was only after she finally apologized.

This was such a great read and a totally unexpected pleasure to revisit some of the characters from her earlier books. It was an even better treat to meet some of these fabulous new characters that really made this book so great! Thank you Ms. Samantha Young for letting me escape my reality and be a part of your On Dublin Street world. I feel like I know all these characters as if we were long time homies. Until the next book, I’m out!

Rating: 5 out of 5

This title is available from NAL.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Buddy Review: The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

Posted February 1, 2014 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

The Boy Next Door
Rowena and Tasha’s joint review of The Boy Next Door (Boy #1) by Meg Cabot.

Gossip columnist and single New York City girl Mel lives lives in the most exciting place in the world, yet she’s bored with her lovelife. But things get interesting fast when the old lady next door is nearly murdered. Mel starts paying closer attention to her neighbors—what exactly is going on with the cute boy next door? Has Mel found the love of her life—or a killer?

Rowena: I went to breakfast with my friend Tasha a couple of weeks ago and we spent most of our breakfast discussing the books we were reading. So because we read a lot of the same books and because Book Binge is never far from my mind, I asked Tasha to buddy review a book with me each month for Book Binge and just like that, we were off. Our first buddy review book was The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot. It’s a book that is near and dear to my heart (because duh, it’s Meg Cabot) but it was new read for Tasha. I thought it would be interesting to discuss this book with her so here we are.

Alright Tasha, it didn’t take me very long to read this book and when I finally finished it, I was reminded why I love Meg Cabot so much. She never fails to write those books that just entertain the socks off of you.

What were your first impressions of the book?

Tasha: My first impression, hmmm…well, after reading the first 5 to 6 emails, I began to wonder if I could actually finish this. I mean, a whole story read through emails, I wasn’t sure. But I got used to it and found myself REALLY liking the book. This was a first Meg Cabot read for me and I enjoyed it very much.

Rowena: I know what you mean. I first heard about Meg Cabot and this book told in all emails a few years ago by my friend from Australia, Grace. She came down to visit way back in I think 2005 and we were at the bookstore looking for books and this was the book that she was looking for. I had never read a book entirely written in emails but I completely embraced the idea and picked this book up as soon as I could (they didn’t have it in stock at the B&N that we went to). As soon as I read it, I was glad that I did because it was such a fun book.

This re-read didn’t take anything away from my previous enjoyment of this book. I loved it all over again (which I’m happy about since a lot of my favorite books from back in the day are not holding up for me) and seeing John and Mel get to know each other and then fall in love while Mel believes John to be someone else? It made for a great read. Meg Cabot sure knows how to entertain.

What were some of your favorite parts of the book?

Tasha: That’s hard to say. I like the relationship she has with her boss George. If only my boss was as cool as he was. I mean, he tried to sound like a big bad guy, but I think his “bark was worse than his bite”, lol. There was this one part in the book where Mel and Nadine were emailing back and forth about John (after she found out who he really is) and George was being nosey and trying to read Mel’s email. She had purposely wrote something about him because she knew he was reading it,

“ ‘Are ,you kidding? George Sanchez is the sexiest man alive. Any man with that much hair on his back has to be a veritable repository of testosterone…’ HA, GEORGE! CAUGHT YOU!!!!” (pg 164)

That was one of my LOL moments. The characters here were so likeable that it was easy to follow along with the emails and capture everyone’s different personalities. How could you not be sucked in by Mel’s personality. Her response to George and the HR representative, Amy Jenkins just has her character written all over it. And I really really like John. I only wish he was man enough to come clean much sooner and told Mel the truth. But of course, it that happened, then it would’ve been a SUPER SHORT story!

Being that you’ve read other books from Meg Cabot, what would you sets this particular story aside from the others?

Rowena: I agree. I loved Mel’s character. I loved the way that she dealt with everyone at work, her soft heart where her neighbor was concerned and how close she got to what was the dog’s name again? Paco? She was such a giving character, who didn’t let people walk all over her and her personality just rocked my socks. I think my favorite scenes in this book were her responses to Amy Jenkins. And well, her emails about Max aka John. LOL.

What were your thoughts on Max? What a loser that guy turned out to be. When he first comes onto the scene and he’s more concerned with spending a week with a model instead of his Aunt in a coma, I hated his guts. And that model chick he wanted to spend time with? Ugh, what a freaking airhead.

Oh, I forgot. One of my favorite emails was the one John sent to his brother telling him about his first meeting with Mel as Max.

To: Jason Trent <jason.trent@trentcapital.com>
From: John Trent <john.trent@thenychronicle.com>

Subject: How’d it Go?

She’s a redhead. Help.

Haha, oh man I adored John. The obvious affection he had with his brother Jason made me laugh and swoon because one guy is great but two hot brothers? Yum! I LOVED them.

Tasha: Oh yeah, you could tell the sincerity of Jason’s concern for his brother at the beginning of this whole fiasco. Its nice to see that brotherly love. But what about John’s sister-in-law Stacy (Jason’s wife), wasn’t she the BEST? I loved her and I loved the emails between her and John. Some of the CRAZY advice she gave him also had me LOL! I liked that she was pregnant during all of this because it made her more human…blaming all her crazy advice to her hormones, ha! I loved her even more when she forward that email to Mel explaining John’s true feelings for her and the situation.

As for stinking Max, he was a big ka-ka head!!! I mean, who does that…throw a fit because your rich aunt wouldn’t give you money and accidently knock her to the floor AND leave her there to bleed to death? I tell you who…Max Friedland! He got everything he deserved in the end. Broke and no chance of getting any of his aunts money, hehe! I felt sorry for Vivica. She seemed like she really liked that loser. And yeah, I think she was somewhat of an airhead but it wasn’t like she knew anything about what Max had done. Its funny, I pictured Max as some cheesy looking Don Johnson (Miami Vice days) wanna be. You know the type that thinks he’s a real lady’s man, and dresses himself like he’s got plenty of money to throw around, when really he’s nothing! That’s what I thought of Max.

Rowena: Yep. Don Johnson for sure, I mean he wanted John to wear tassles on his shoes during his first meeting with Mel. What the hell? LOL. But you’re right, Stacy was pretty awesome. All of the characters in this book were kind of awesome. What happened with Max made me laugh because that was what he got for being stupid…and selfish.

I loved the characters, the story and the pacing. The story moves at a fast pace so there isn’t time for you to become bored, which is something that I appreciated. Meg Cabot does well with the stories on the lighter side of the emotional train but she does it in a way that still tugs at your heart strings. This book was so full of win that I’d gladly read it over and over again. How about you?

This definitely gets a 4.75 out of 5 from me.

Tasha: I agree, the characters were ah-mazing! They made the story more interesting for me. The different emails back and forth, to different recipients, I was looking forward to ‘em. And I suppose it did make the story go by faster. Definitely a great read for me and I’ll be picking up more from this author.

This being my first Meg Cabot read, I’d give this a 4.5 out of 5.

Thanks for choosing a great book Rowena!

Rowena: …and I think we’re done! Thanks for reviewing this book with me, Tash. You rock! What’s our next book? Your turn to choose.

Tasha: This was fun! Thanks for inviting me to do this. It’s something different and I really enjoyed it 

My pick: Charade by Nyrae Dawn

Rowena: Thanks for doing this with me, I love talking books with my favorite book people!  Next month Tasha and I will be reading and discussing Charade by Nyrae Dawn on Book Binge. See you next month!

This book is available from William Morrow.  You can purchase it here or here in e-format.


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