Tag: Tara Sivec

Guest Review: Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec

Posted February 6, 2020 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Jed Had to Die by Tara SivecReviewer: Tracy
Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec
Narrator: Amy McFadden
Publisher: Novel Audio
Publication Date: October 27, 2016
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible Escape
Point-of-View: First
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Length: 8 Hours and 11 Minutes
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four-stars

The happiest day of Payton Lambert's life was the day she graduated high school and watched Bald Knob, Kentucky get smaller and smaller in her rearview mirror. She wanted more for her life than a tiny town where everyone knows your business and you can’t find a decent cup of coffee for at least forty miles. Twelve years later, an unexpected phone call in the middle of the night has her packing up her life in Chicago and racing back home to the one person she ever regretted leaving behind.

Wait, one person?? Make that two. When the hell did Leo Hudson become sheriff of Bald Knob and get so hot? The scrawny Future Farmer of America who followed Payton around like a puppy and could recite cow insemination facts in his sleep is long gone. Leo is still hot on her heels, but now he's wearing a badge and dead set on solving a murder that may or may not involve Payton...along with half the town.

You steal a few wine coolers in high school and make one little comment about cutting off a man's balls when you come home, and suddenly, you're suspected of killing him.

In a town where the biggest crime happened the day Jethro Snell kicked a few of his cows (an honest mistake when you've had a few jars of homemade moonshine), people are pointing fingers, rumors are spreading like wildfire, and Payton swears she's only making out with the sweet-talking, studly sheriff to distract him from the secrets she's keeping.

When you've been tased, peed on by a yippy dog named Bo Jangles, and can't stop picturing what Sheriff Hudson looks like naked, it will be a tough job making everyone agree that...Jed had to die.

Payton Lambert got out of her hometown of Bald Knob, Kentucky the minute she could.  She went to Chicago, got a degree, and now owns her own coffee shop (called Liquid Crack)…which is getting franchised!  She has no plans to ever go back to Bald Knob, but all of her resolutions of the past 12 years go down the drain when she gets a call about her best friend, Emma Jo.

Emma Jo got married right out of high school and stayed married to the deceitful charmer for 12 years.  During that time she’d been abused constantly.  Of course, no one would have believed her if she’d told anyone, her husband is the town mayor and just an all-around good guy.  Blech. He finally beats her to the point that she reaches out to Payton for help and Payton is there as fast as she can be.

Payton is not liked in her hometown.  She was a troublemaker during her youth and a menace (according to the town folk) and not welcomed.  She forces Emma Jo to finally get a restraining order against her husband Jed and gets the locks on her house changed.

Leo Hudson is the hot town sheriff and has got his eye on Payton.  He had a crush on her in high school when he was just a skinny geek.  That crush never died and now he’s not going to let her get away without making his move.

When Jed turns up dead, Emma Jo and Payton believe that something they did caused Jed’s death and they’re petrified that Leo will find out.  That doesn’t stop Payton and Leo from starting something.  Payton’s not sure where the relationship is going, however.  If she doesn’t go to prison for Jed’s death, then she’ll be going back to Chicago to get away from the town that hates her.

This audiobook cracked me up.  When I first read the blurb I figured this story was based on the song by the Dixie Chicks Goodbye Earl.  It started off a little bit that way but only a bit.  I liked the turn it made and found it original and hilarious.

Payton was my favorite character in this book as her sarcasm brought joy to my heart.  Now, Payton and Emma Jo trying to come up with lies to try and hide what they thought they did got a bit old, but overall was pretty funny.

Amy McFadden was the narrator on this story, and I thought she did a fantastic job.  She was spot on with her accents and everyone had a different one so there was no question about which character was doing the talking.  I’m pretty sure she made the book that much better for me.

If you’re in the mood for a fun and funny audiobook, then this is definitely one you should pick up.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Review: Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec

Posted September 17, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara SivecReviewer: Rowena
Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec
Narrator: Andi Arndt
Publisher: Audible Original
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible Escape
Point-of-View: First
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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Reading Challenges: Rowena's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
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one-half-stars

Listening Length: 6 hours and 15 minutes

Cowritten by USA Today best-selling author Tara Sivec and award-winning narrator Andi Arndt, a hysterically funny, heartfelt romance about starting over and taking chances.

Nothing good ever comes from drinking a box of wine alone. So when I decided to entertain my drunken self by setting up some hand-me-down podcasting equipment and reading the steamy parts from romance novels, I never thought anyone would actually listen. The fact that I admitted my huge crush on my sexy next door neighbor made the whole thing even more mortifying. But sometimes life surprises you, and that’s how my podcast, Heidi’s Discount Erotica, was born.

Now I, Heidi Larsen, a sweet former kindergarten teacher in Waconia, Minnesota, lead a scandalous double life reading erotic novels to the listening world. And with each episode, I find myself embracing my new alter ego more and more. Now I’m starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin and do things I never would have dreamed of - like kissing my neighbor.

Look out, Waconia, because Heidi’s on the loose! She’s in your ears, in your hearts, and down your pants...wait, that didn’t sound as good as it did in my head. Well, you get the picture, don’tcha know!

I haven’t read anything by Tara Sivec, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about her so when this book came up for review, I jumped on it. This looked like a cute story and I was looking forward to diving right in. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the heroine at all and she frustrated me from beginning to end and my enjoyment of the story itself suffered because of it.

So this book follows Heidi Larsen as she fumbles her way through a giant crush on her neighbor, a new job at an audiobook studio, and her life in general. She’s led a pretty sheltered life and as someone, who led a pretty sheltered life my damn self, I could not connect with Heidi at all. Her immaturity, her constant struggle with talking to her crush, and just everything about her, annoyed me. I didn’t find her cute as her crush did and I for damn sure didn’t find her little quirks, funny or endearing. I’m sure that if I were a younger woman, that I would probably relate more to Heidi, but I guess I’m at the “GET OFF MY LAWN” stage in my life because listening to Heidi struggle to say the words “dick” and “pussy” out loud and then struggle to string two sentences along to her next-door neighbor and love interest, made me want to yell at her to spit it out already! Also? What’s wrong with Lularoe dresses? Why didn’t she think those dresses were cool or cute? They’re comfy AF and cute to boot, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Wear your loud dresses proud, Heidi. Own your dresses!

I will say that this was a really easy listen. Sure, I didn’t really care for Heidi’s character and thought that it took entirely too long for her to really grow into being comfortable saying naughty words and being able to have a normal conversation with Brent, but it was still really easy to listen to this book. Andi Arndt did a great job of narrating this story and if not for her storytelling, I probably would have quit this book long before it ended. I also really liked Heidi’s friends and her family. I thought it was sweet that her Dad kept showing up and fixing things around the house for her and once she and Brent started having sex, I thought that was pretty steamy. I just wanted to like Heidi since she was the main character and I was disappointed that I just didn’t.

Final Grade

1.5 out of 5

one-half-stars

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Guest Review: Kiss the Girl by Tara Sivec

Posted February 6, 2019 by Tracy in Reviews | 3 Comments

Guest Review: Kiss the Girl by Tara SivecReviewer: Tracy
Kiss the Girl by Tara Sivec
Series: Naughty Princess Club #3
Also in this series: At the Stroke of Midnight, In Bed with the Beast
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Point-of-View: First Person
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A struggling antiques collector finds herself falling in love with a millionaire playboy; but can she ever be a part of his world?

Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after.

While her friends have broken free of their insecurities, Ariel Waters is struggling to come out of her shell. Her ex-husband took away her voice and her self-confidence, and Ariel is drowning under a sea of debt to afford the alimony she has to pay him. She refuses to ever fall for a man’s charms again, and is determined to make her own way.

When her house and her beloved antiques are taken by the bank after too many missed payments, Ariel finds herself adrift until the infuriatingly charming Eric Sailor comes to her rescue. Although she can’t stand the millionaire playboy, Eric’s kindness and unconditional support reveal hidden depths and a love that Ariel never imagined she could find.

But there are outside influences who will stop at nothing to keep them apart; can Ariel and Eric weather the storm and find a way to be together?

Ariel is part owner of the Naughty Princess Club.  It’s a stripping business that’s doing very well.  The other two partners, Cindy and Belle, are stripping constantly, but Ariel hasn’t exactly found her stripping mojo yet.

Ariel had been married and her ex-husband turned out to be a complete bastard.  He’d taken Ariel’s self-confidence and stomped it into the ground, then left her.  Not only that, but then he made her pay him alimony!  Because of Ariel’s debts she loses her house – with all of her wonderful antiques inside.  Luckily her friends and their husbands help her out – along with Eric.  Eric rubs Ariel the wrong way, but when he gives her one of his yachts to live on, she’s incredibly grateful.  If she has a wonderfully nasty dream about him a time or two, it’s only understandable since he’s in the yacht right next door, right?

When Ariel’s house woes were happening she was supposed to be filing the Naughty Princess Club’s business license.  Since she missed the deadline, it has to go to committee.  The horrible woman she talks to at the licensing office, Ursula, doesn’t give her much hope that their license will be approved.  Especially when she finds out there’s more to Ursula’s venom than Ariel firsts thought.  Can Ariel save the NPC and can she do it while falling in love with Eric?

This was just as cute as the first two books in the series.  It didn’t have as much to do with actual stripping as books 1 and 2, but it was still good.

I LOVED Ariel!  She was mouthy and irreverent, and I adored it.  Is that always a good thing? No, but in this story, it absolutely worked for the character. She made me laugh out loud more than once, that’s for sure. I also loved that Eric loved her mouthiness, fire and passion as well.  He was such a good guy and so very patient.

The conflict with Ursula, I felt, was well done and a bit unexpected.  The fact that Eric never hesitated to take Ariel’s side just endeared him to me ever more.

Overall this was a good story and it was a great series.  Fun, light-hearted, and full of girl power.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Naughty Princess Club

four-stars

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Guest Review: In Bed with the Beast by Tara Sivec

Posted June 4, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: In Bed with the Beast by Tara SivecReviewer: Tracy
In Bed with the Beast by Tara Sivec
Series: Naughty Princess Club #2
Also in this series: At the Stroke of Midnight, Kiss the Girl
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Format: eARC
Point-of-View: First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A tale as old as time: she needs a place to stay, he's a grump with a secret and an extra room...can love find a way?

Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after.

Living in her overprotective dad’s basement, shy Belle lives her life through books. Being a part of the Naughty Princess Club is the first adventure she’s ever had, plus she desperately needs the money to save one of her favorite places - the local library.

But when her new friends and new business gets her kicked out of her dad’s house, Belle is rescued by the surly Vincent “Beast” Adams who invites her to be his house guest until she gets back on her feet. Despite his attitude problem and long list of rules, Belle finds herself warming to the muscled man with a penchant for growling and starts seeing a gentle side to him that wasn’t there before.

Yet there’s a room that Beast keeps locked and Belle keeps getting hints that Beast is hiding something…can a nerdy librarian tame the beast or will their romance be over before it has a chance to blossom?

Belle is a book nerd.  She works in a library and that’s her dream job.  She lives in her dad’s basement and though she’s an adult, he is extremely overprotective of her.  When she met her two best friends, Cindy and Ariel, she never imagined she’d be starting a stripping business with them, but it happened.  She’s a bit anxious to actually do that stripping but she’s working on her confidence.  When she gets kicked out of her house by her dad she doesn’t want to bother her friends and ends up sleeping in the library.  She’s saved from that by an unlikely source – a man named Beast who works at the local strip club as a bouncer.

Beast, whose real name is Vincent, is completely besotted with Belle.  He takes her home and sets her up in his spare bedroom.  Despite his form of communication aka grunting, Belle finds him charming.  He shows her with deeds what a good guy he is.  They manage to have some hot interactions but Belle’s not sure if he’s just trying to help her with her confidence or not.  Belle is soon falling in love but when a secret that Beast is hiding comes out her belief in happily ever after is put to the test.

This was another great story in the Naughty Princess Club series.  I really loved Belle and her awkwardness.  She spouts statistics and little tidbits of knowledge when she gets nervous and I found it charming.

This book was in first person POV so of course we didn’t get any info from Beast, which was disappointing.  Beast had a hidden past that comes out (a good one!) and I would have loved to have known his thoughts on a lot of things that happened in the book.  Alas, it was not to be.  Despite that I thought he was a great guy who had serious communication issues.  He came through in the end, however so that was a plus.

This is definitely a romance between Beast and Belle, but it’s also sort of a coming-of-age story involving a 24-year-old.  That seems a bit odd, I know, but Belle had never really come out of her shell.  She’d been protected by her dad all her life and her friends were the ones she read about in books.  She did go to college and get her master’s degree, but I got the impression that she lived at home that whole time.  Meeting and befriending Cindy and Ariel were the first steps in getting her to be her own person.  I loved reading about how she was taking things step by step to change her life and lead it the way she wanted to lead it and doing it in her own way.

Overall I really liked this story – just as much as I liked the first book in this series, At the Stroke of Midnight.  If you’d like to read a couple of fun, contemporary romances then these are two I recommend picking up.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Guest Review: At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara Sivec

Posted February 28, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 9 Comments

Guest Review: At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara SivecReviewer: Tracy
At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara Sivec
Series: Naughty Princess Club #1
Also in this series: In Bed with the Beast, Kiss the Girl
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: February 27th 2018
Format: eARC
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Once upon a time Cynthia was the perfect housewife. Between being the President of the PTA and keeping her home spotless without a hair (or her pearls) out of place, her life was a dream come true. Her husband was once her knight in shining armor, but now he’s run off with all their money…and the babysitter.

Dressed as a princess at the annual Halloween block party on Fairytale Lane, she meets two other “princesses” also facing money troubles: antique store owner Ariel and librarian Isabelle. When the women are invited to wear their costumes to a party where they’re mistaken for strippers, Cindy, Ariel, and Belle realize that a career change could be the best way to make their money problems go bippity-boppity-boo.

But can structured Cindy approach a stripper pole without sanitizing wipes? And could the blue-eyed anti-prince that has been crossing her path become Cindy’s happily ever after?

Cindy is barely hanging on. Her husband has cleaned out their bank accounts and run off with the barely legal babysitter, leaving Cindy and her teenage daughter high and dry.  Cindy is the head of the PTA and a “proper” woman so she tries to hide her husband’s defection for as long as possible.  When she becomes friends with the neighborhood pariah, Ariel, after a bit of a rough start, she realizes that she needs to make a future for herself and her daughter as, obviously, her husband isn’t coming back.

At a Halloween block party one of Cindy’s neighbors ask her, Ariel and their friend Belle to “perform” at a party.  They think that being hired as princesses for a children’s party is an awesome idea but when they get there they figure out that it’s a bachelor party and they were hired to strip.  They get out of that situation but the stripping idea sticks with them.  They decide to start a stripping business of their own, but they need help.  They head to a high-class strip joint to learn some moves from one of the girls, but the owner of the place, PJ Charming, has it out for Cindy.  Or is it that he just wants her for himself?

This was an unexpectedly cute story.  I obviously read the blurb before reading it but it was so much more than I expected.

Cindy was a real piece of work before her husband left, and even afterward.  She had spent years trying to be the perfect wife but her life was…beige.  Her clothes were beige, her shoes, home furnishings and life were all beige.  Her husband leaving ends up being the best thing for her because she learned how to be herself and that wasn’t who she had been while married.  Becoming friends with Ariel & Belle, and becoming an independent woman were all so good for her and I loved seeing her come into her own.

The relationship with PJ was hot and spicy and oh so good.  It could also be very sweet and I loved that.  PJ was a good guy who was really trying to protect Cindy (and keep her for himself).  Yes, he acted like an ass a few times but I thought he more than made up for that.

Overall this was a good book and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a fun and humorous book to read.  I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, that’s for sure.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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