Tag: Christi Barth

Sunday Spotlight: The Accidental Fiancé by Christi Barth

Posted February 21, 2021 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 2 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight: The Accidental Fiancé by Christi BarthThe Accidental Fiancé by Christi Barth
Series: Love Lottery #1
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Publication Date: February 23, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books

Is it the chance of a lifetime or his biggest mistake?

When former hotel manager Alex Kirkland, his sister and their best friends pooled their money for an unusual lottery prize—a historic, dilapidated inn on the Maryland shore—as a last-ditch attempt to escape rotten circumstances, they never expected to win. But they’re all looking for a fresh start and a second chance, so Alex convinces everyone to move in and repair the building in time for the spring wedding season.

Sydney Darrow never planned to return to her hometown. But her family needs her and Sydney can endure anything for 90 days—including making sandwiches and serving coffee with a smile until she returns to her jet-setter career. When her grandma mistakes a handsome customer for the “fiancé” Sydney created when she thought her grandma was on death’s door, well...Sydney will do anything to keep her spirits up during treatment. She can persuade him to keep up the charade for a few months, right?

But when Alex agrees to play along, will they both fall for their own fiction?

Excerpt

Alex’s expression morphed into straight-up solemnity, like he’d slipped on a mask. “The four of us have no incoming income until we get this inn running. Damn straight I’m all about the bottom line.”

“I guess I can add practical to your list of traits.” Which she appreciated. It was the people who pretended not to care about money but pinched every penny in secret that were difficult. Hiding things—anything, big or small—never turned out well.

In a tone drier than Death Valley, Alex said, “That is just what every man longs to hear during a proposal. That practicality came in ahead of good looks and sex appeal.”

“I didn’t say that.” Did he truly not know that he smoldered with sex appeal? That he could be the man in a cologne/watch/champagne ad? It was actually endearing that he needed a bit of an ego stroke. “Alex, you’re suavely handsome. Your smiles are rare, and all the more potent because of it.”

Those icy eyes widened in…disbelief? Appreciation? Hard to tell. But then he dipped his chin. “Nice to hear. Was that so hard?”

“I didn’t realize you needed a bit of flirting to consider this favor. It seemed…forward to lead off with cataloging your physical traits.”

“Forward?” A huge belly laugh rolled out of him. It was warm and contagious, even though Sydney knew it was aimed at her. “You just proposed after a grand total of ten minutes of conversation, over two days.”

Men had a tendency to be so darned literal. “I’m not proposing for real. I’m asking for your help. You will, in no way, be obligated to follow through into a fake marriage.”

“Then where does the line get drawn?” Alex braced a hand on the back of the couch and leaned forward. He leaned in so close that his breath warmed her ear. “How interesting does this get?”

For a moment—okay, three—Sydney let herself enjoy the closeness. The heat pumping off him through the waffle-weave shirt onto her chest. The brush of his biceps against the back of her head. How their knees pressed together. It was all intimate and on the edge of…something. She just wasn’t sure what.

Love Lottery

Giveaway Alert

We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

Sunday Spotlight: February 2021

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About Christi Barth

Christi Barth Author Photo

Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage.

A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series. Christi can always be found whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.


Tagged: , , , ,

Guest Review: Check My Heart by Christi Barth

Posted January 2, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Check My Heart by Christi BarthReviewer: Tracy
Check My Heart by Christi Barth
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: July 17th 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-stars

The death of his little brother turned Kurt Lundquist’s world upside down. He channeled his grief into skating his heart out--and ultimately leading his hockey team to win the championship. Now, all he wants to do is throw a party with the Cup in his brother's honor. He’s got no clue where to start...until he runs into the gorgeous hospice nurse who took such great care of Jasper. She’s waaay off limits, but he’s desperate, and hires her to help him.

Lisette Broussard’s heart broke a little more every time a patient died. Losing the brave brother of a hockey star was the last straw. Learning a new specialty was supposed to change her life for the better, but it used up her savings. Then the slam dunk job with the New Orleans championship hockey team mysteriously disappears. So she jumps at Kurt’s offer of a job, no matter how temporary. No matter how...dangerous, given how much she’s always crushed on him. No matter how risky it is to fall for Kurt, since he’ll always associate her with the grief of losing his brother.

But the more time they spend together, the deeper they both fall. Kurt’s heart begins to thaw...and then heat. Lisette can’t resist him, and throws caution to the wind. She’ll take whatever time he gives her. Can they move beyond the pain of the past and focus on a future together?

Kurt Lundquist is a hockey player and a good one.  When he little brother dies of cancer it changes his life. He wins the Cup because his brother, Jasper, had wanted him to.  Now that he has he’s not sure he wants to continue to be a hockey player.  He is past 30 years old and he’s not sure his heart is in it any longer.  When he runs into Jasper’s hospice nurse while at the hockey facility and finds out she’s there for a job, he asks the team not to hire her.

Lisette loved being a hospice nurse but found that she just couldn’t do it any longer.  She got so attached to her patients and of course, inevitably, they died.  In the end it was too emotional and she decided to quit her job and get re-certified as a physical therapist.  She desperately needs a job and thought she was a shoe-in at the hockey facility but they didn’t hire her.  When Kurt shows up at her apartment telling her that he needs her help planning a party for his day with the Cup to honor Jasper.  Lisette needs a job and she’d do anything for Jasper or his memory so she agrees.

Kurt knows that it’s a bad idea to get involved with Lisette as she’s always remind him of Jasper but he falls in love with her anyway.  Once she finds out that he blocked her job, however, he’s not sure she’ll stay with him.

This was a cute story.  Jasper’s portion of the story was incredibly sad, and Barth did a great job of writing his memory.  Every time that she mentioned him I got a little teary-eyed. Lisette and Kurt’s love story was good, but imho, a little repetitive.  It was mostly them getting together and then worrying that Jasper would always be between them in some way which it never seemed to do.  I understood their fears but after a while it got old I was kind of over it.

In the end it was a cute story.  I do wish there was a bit more hockey in the hockey story but maybe that’s just me.

Rating: 3/3.5 out of 5

three-stars


Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Review: The Opposite of Right by Christi Barth

Posted December 30, 2015 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: The Opposite of Right by Christi BarthReviewer: Holly
The Opposite of RightSeries: Bad Decisions #1

Publication Date: November 13, 2015
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Kylie Stafford has spent her whole life doing exactly what's expected. The right major, the right sorority, the right guys, just like her mother and her sister before her. But when everything falls apart for her, Kylie wonders if doing everything right has been utterly wrong. There's only one way to find out! She decides to try making all the wrong choices for three months. Hit on a tattoo-covered rock musician? Check. Go back to his dressing room for a hot hook-up against the wall? Gulp. Drop everything to be a roadie for him to binge on more of the best sex of her life? Maybe. Start falling for him despite her better judgment? Figure out why doing everything that seems wrong feels so darn right?

The premise of this book reminded me somewhat of Meeting Trouble by Emme Rollins, a novella I read last year because it was a free download. I’m happy to report this story worked much better for me.

Kylie is a good girl who has spent her life making decisions based on what others thought were best for her. Now she’s a college graduate with no prospects, since the coveted internship she thought she’d landed fell through. She attends a concert with her best friend and accidentally makes out with the lead singer of the band….then gets roped into being their goodie girl (the one who sells the band’s merchandise) for the evening. She does such a good job of it, they offer her the position until their regular girl recovers from emergency surgery. Good girl Kylie would have said no and gone back home to nurse her depression. But what has being a good girl ever gotten her? So she decides to embrace being a bad girl for awhile, and agrees.

Cam Watson is trying to get his band back on track after a pretty awful year. He made some questionable decisions (that involved a girl), which led to tension between the bandmates and disappointed fans. This tour is their chance to prove their serious about their music and to gain back the following they lost with their last flop. The last thing he needs is to jeopardize that with a girl, but he can’t stay away from Kylie. She’s smart, fun and understands music in a way few people do. But she’s already causing more trouble with his band and making it hard for him to concentrate. He wants her now…and maybe for always.

I thought Kylie would come across as whiny and immature, but I actually really enjoyed her. Instead of seeming careless or flighty, her decision to walk on the wild side showed an inner strength and really allowed her to find herself. She wasn’t reckless, but rather exploring her personal boundaries and deciding what ..and who.. she wanted in the future. I thought her career choice was really interesting and it played well with her position in the band.  I did become a bit frustrated by her refusal to commit to things with Cam, but considering her precarious position in her real life, I understood it.

Cam was a pretty stand-up guy. He made some mistakes that cost him the trust of his fellow bandmates, but he was the first to own up to his behavior. He was doing his best to get things back on track. I liked how committed he was to the band. His slow progression from wanting a quick tumble with Kylie to being all in was really sweet.

This is a novella, so the length worked against the story a bit. I would have liked more background information on all the band members, including the main characters. It ended abruptly. I would have liked to see more with them after their issues were resolved. I can only assume they’ll have a full length book at some point, or be featured as strong secondary characters in the later books.

Though this was short, I really enjoyed the story. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series.

3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


Tagged: , , , , , , ,

What I Read Last Week

Posted May 27, 2014 by Tracy in Features | 2 Comments

Hey guys!  Hope you’re having a nice Monday.  For those of you in the US…Happy Memorial Day.

Nothing much has been happening around here lately so I guess I’ll just get down to what I read last week:

I started the week with The Witch of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney.  This story is about Mairi Sinclair who lives in Edinburgh and runs her deceased father’s printing press.  She is getting more involved in women’s rights and this ends up butting heads with the Provost of Edinburgh.  The pair squabble but they can’t deny their attraction to each other.  This was a really great story and I very much enjoyed both Mairi and Logan’s characters.  4 out of 5

Next was Don’t Blackmail the Vampire by Tiffany Allee.  Rachel is trying everything to get her sister away from her loser of a fiance and Charles is trying to figure out if the loser fiance, Brent, is making threatening phone calls to his sister-in-law.  Rachel finds out that Charles is a vampire and attempts to blackmail her into help her with her sister.  The story is cute and fun.  I’ll post a review later this week.  3.5 out of 5

The Reiver by Jackie Barbosa is a short story about a Laird who captures a reiver on his land and throws him in the dungeon.  Then he figures out he’s a she and ends up falling in love with her.  Too bad he doesn’t anything about her. It’s a pretty fast story as it’s so short but it was cute.  3 out of 5

Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti is Nate’s story in the Sin Brothers series.  He’s still looking for the codes to deactivate the kill switches and tries using his connection with his old love to get them.  He doesn’t realize that’s he’s never stopped loving her and that poses a problem when he’s trying to stay objective.  A good book – I’ll post my review later this week.  4 out of 5

There’s Wild, Then There’s You by M. Leighton is the story of Violet who meets Jet at a Sex addicts anonymous meeting and neither can get the other out of their minds.  The problem is that Violet stood up and said she was a SA but she’s not.  She hates deceiving him but she likes him so much and is afraid to lose him.  I’ll post my review of this one soon. 4 out of 5

Last for the week was Planning for Love by Christi Barth.  This is a cute story that involves wedding planner Ivy who ends up falling for Bennett.  Ivy is a head in the clouds, everything’s rainbows and butterflies type of girl and Bennett is an anti-romance, cynical, the glass is half empty kind of guy.  They make a strange pair but Ivy is determined to make Bennett fall in love with her.  It’s cute but a little slow in the middle.  It wrapped up with a nice bow at the end which was a little disconcerting as I just didn’t see Ben changing his mind about love.  shrugs 3 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
crickets

Happy Reading!


Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Lightning Review: A Fine Romance by Christi Barth

Posted January 14, 2014 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Lightning Review: A Fine Romance by Christi BarthReviewer: Holly
A Fine Romance by Christi Barth
Series: Aisle Bound Trilogy #2
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: March 11th 2013
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 367
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Book two of Aisle Bound

They say you form your first impression of someone within thirty seconds of meeting them. Or, in Mira Parrish's case, within thirty minutes of not meeting them, when said person is supposed to pick you up from the airport and never shows. This is not a perfect start to her new life. Her friend Ivy is depending on her to run a new romance store, and Mira can't afford to let her down.

Sam Lyons should probably apologize. But every time he sees Mira—which is often, since his family owns the bakery next to her shop—he can't resist antagonizing her. There's something about the sexy, straitlaced woman that drives him crazy. He can't get involved, though. He has too much baggage to be any good in a serious relationship.
Despite his teasing attitude, Mira finds Sam too sweet to resist. (His hot body may be a factor.) But if there's going to be anything permanent between them, they'll need to let go of their pasts and look to the future…
99,000 words

 

I really enjoy books where the hero and heroine are enemies before they’re friends. That was the case here and it played out well. Mira’s bad opinion of Sam is formed before she even meets him, when he leaves her stranded at the airport her first day in town. From there they antagonize each other as often as possible. But there’s undeniable attraction between them. If only Sam was willing to put as much effort into a relationship with a woman who isn’t his mother…and if Mira would let that woman be her.

This is a sweet story. I thought both Sam and Mira held themselves back too much at times, but I can’t deny I enjoyed the getting-to-know you. What really made the story stand out was the cast of secondary characters. The residents of the small town, Sam’s mother, Mira’s best friend…it all came together to create an enjoyable atmosphere for love.

Overall I enjoyed the main characters as well as the secondary. The close-knit group really brought the story together.

3.5 out of 5

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

three-half-stars


Tagged: , , , , , ,