TWO-FOR-ONE REVIEWS: MAKE YOU MINE / IT HAPPENED ONE WEDDING

Series: Dumont Bachelors #1 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: 5/6/14
Format: Paperback
Pages: 356
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 stars

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For ninety-nine years, every man in the Dumont family has remained a perpetual bachelor. Residents of Cedar Bayou, Louisiana, whisper about a voodoo hex cast upon the family, sabotaging each man’s chance at marriage. In truth, the Dumont men have their own player personalities to blame, and Marc is no exception. As captain of his family’s riverboat, he’s broken hearts up and down the Mississippi. That is, until his high school crush strolls onboard...

Allie Mauvais rocks the boat when she fills in as pastry chef. She hasn’t seen Marc since senior year, when rumors flew that her great-great-grandmother was the one who cursed the Dumonts. After two weeks on the water, neither can deny the attraction that still burns between them. But to truly reach Marc’s heart, Allie must show him that the hex isn’t real, and it’ll take more than her mouthwatering sweets to prove it. Will Allie’s love be enough to finally make Marc hers?

 

As a big fan of Macy Beckett's Sultry Springs series, I was so excited to see she had a whole new series lined up. Even better: it's set in south Louisiana. Even better than that: the series centers around a nearly century-long curse. Many years back, Allie Mauvais' great-great grandmother apparently cursed the Dumont men, to be doomed to fail at love and marriage. Though the series is only hints at a touch of magical realism, there is a strong sense of superstition surrounding the curse. That combined with the community's wariness for Allie's family, gave me a bit of a Practical Magic vibe. I was all in from the get-go.

The Dumont curse seems to be holding true, for no Dumont man has married since. Crazy, right? Right. What's fun about this is, the women in the story is the completely reasonable part, whereas the men, they are bananas. It was cute, really.

Allie Mauvais fell for Marc Dumont in high school. Marc fell right back, and was so into Allie, despite the curse. That is, until it seemed to strike him. Rather than take a chance, Marc dumped Allie, and has spent the next decade burning up the sheets with woman after woman. When fate, or the curse, puts Allie and Marc back together, on a riverboat at that, Allie wants another chance to prove that the curse is just old superstition. Will the girl get her man this time around, or will the curse keep another Dumont man from settling down?

Allie has to continually remind Marc that he is better than he believes. He's not his father. He's not bound by a curse. Marc had so many opportunities to mess up and lose my loyalty, but the poor boy, he's just a bit frazzled and love-shocked and nervous. He wants to make a go with Allie, but the curse keeps getting in his way every time he tries to take the next step. Well, he says curse and I say superstition. Silly man. Luckily Allie isn't going to give up easily, and this creole babe is gonna prove her man right in order to prove him wrong. (Just go with it, I know what I speak) There's trickery and a bit of deceit and gaslighting (totally okay in the name of love) and it was fun!

And by the way, if you've read Beckett's Sultry Springs series, then you already know that humor is a strong point of hers. If there's anything I love more than a swoony, worthwhile romance...it's a swoony, worthwhile romance that makes me laugh.

Based on Make You Mine, the Dumont Bachelors will be a great series with a lot to offer readers. Between all the brothers, there is a lot to look forward to, starting with older brother Beau. He's gunning to win his girl (who happens to be Allie's super snarky sister, Devyn) back. I can't wait for the next installment.

 Favorite Quotes
   By sunset, Marc had a residual cramp in his gut and balls the size of coconuts. If it was possible to die from sexual frustration, he'd be rocking a toe tag before dawn. He could barely walk upright as he climbed the stairs to the captain 'a suite, which of course was all the way on the top level. Allie had damn near crippled him.

  Allie closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself for being so careless. This was it--the game was over. He'd won. If only she hadn't been so distracted by Marc in his underwear...
  "Want some help?" Marc asked, his voice thick with anticipation. "I'm an expert panty remover with years of dedIcated experience. I can have them around your ankles, lickety-split."


  "Is that what I think it is?"
  "That depends," Marc said to lighten the mood. "Do you think it's a left-leaning peen?"
  "Yeah, and it's really happy to see me." Beau's upper lip hitched in disgust. "Do folks actually eat these?"
  Devyn threw down her icing bag and shouted, "I don't work here. I'm just helping out." then ran into the back room without another word. With a sigh, Allie handed her frosting bag to Marc and followed her sister, leaving him with a red-faced Beau and a tray full of half-decorated penis cookies.
  "Real smooth," Marc said, handing his brother the bag of white frosting while retrieving the flesh-colored one. "How could she possibly resist you now?" He bent over the counter and picked up where Devyn left off, outlining each member with a steady hand. The task was harder than it looked, no pun intended.
  Beau used the other bag to frost the tips. "When I woke up this morning, I never guessed I'd be doing this."
  "Or running into you ex, I take it."
  "No, I definitely didn't see that coming." Beau glowered at the white buttercream trickling from the end of each cookie. "No pun intended."
  Marc snickered. "I know, right?"

Dumont Bachelors Series

 
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Series: FBI/US Attorney #5

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Jove

Publication Date: 5/6/14

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Source: Publisher

Rating: 3.5 stars

 

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SHE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO SAY “I DO”

After a humiliating end to her engagement, investment banker Sidney Sinclair is done with commitment-phobic men. But when her sister winds up engaged after a whirlwind courtship, she’s thrown in to close contact with exactly the kind of sexy playboy she wants to avoid—the gorgeous best man. She’s stuck with him, for better or worse, until her sister walks down the aisle, but that doesn’t mean she has to give in to his smooth advances, no matter how tempting they are…

BUT HE MAKES IT HARD TO SAY “I DON’T”

Special Agent Vaughn Roberts always gets his man on the job and his woman in bed. So Sidney’s refusal to fall for his charms only makes him more determined to win over the cool and confident redhead. Only what starts out as a battle of wills ends up as a serious play for her heart. Because the one woman who refuses to be caught may be the only one Vaughn can’t live without…

 

 

Julie James is an author whose come to my attention more and more lately. That so many romance readers adore her books, particularly the FBI/US Attorney series, made giving this book a chance a no-brainer. I have to say, I can see why James is so popular. It Happened One Wedding was a sassy and sexy story that left me a happy reader.

There is a lot to like about It Happened One Wedding. I'll start with the lead characters' names. Sidney and Vaughn. Let that sink in a moment, if you need to.... Yes, the fact the hero and heroine's names are Vaughn and Sydney immediately tripped my Alias trigger. I mean, how could I not adore a book that reminded me of two beloved characters.

I'm not quite sure how to place the story. It's not enemies-to-lovers, because Vaughn and Sidney actually like each other, respect the snark flying in both directions. It's just that Sidney doesn't think . Vaughn is long-term material. And he really isn't. Vaughn is openly interested in having a good time with Sidney, she's only interest in finding Mr. Forever.

It Happened One Wedding isn't a best friend's little sister story either. How about two brothers fall for two sisters and it's sweet and funny, and an endearing story? Due to the whirlwind relationship and speedy wedding between their siblings, the two are forced together. Their relationship has a ton of antagonism. Both are confident and a bit snarky, and wildly attracted to one another. Obviously. And Vaughn and Sidney are in denial, which is truly so much fun.
 
 It Happened One Wedding isn't a truly fresh story, but it is a well-told one. The conflict between the characters, their reluctance to see how exactly right they are for each other, was frustrating, but only in a good way. I wanted to tell Vaughn and Sidney to open their eyes, but getting to that point was what made the story fun. I thought the story was fun, steamy, and touching. Most importantly, I believed in the happy ever after.


Favorite Quotes

  She'd only been gone a few minutes now, and he knew she couldn't go far. Although...there was always the possibility that she could stumble into some poison ivy. Or an angry badger. Or she could slip in those scrappy designer sandals and tumble headfirst down the hill and into an entire nest of angry badgers.


  "Um, did he just walk in on a complete stranger taking a shower?" Isabella asked.
  "Not...exactly."
  Simon strode back into the kitchen.
  "Yep. It's my brother." Isabelle blinked.
  "What?" She turned to Sidney. "Vaughn's here? You slept with Vaughn?"
  "By any chance would you believe we just went for a morning run together?" Sidney asked, going for a smile. Judging from their expressions, they would not.

 

FBI/US Attorney Series

 

       

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About the authors

 I write hot and humorous romances set in the fictional towns of Sultry Springs, Texas and Cedar Bayou, Louisiana, where first loves find second chances. My brand new "Dumont Bachelors" series launches this year from Penguin Group.

I also write romantic sci-fi for young adults under the name Melissa Landers. Check out ALIENATED, now available from Disney-Hyperion, and the sequel INVADED, coming February 3, 2015.

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie James practiced law with one of the nation's largest firms for several years until she began writing screenplays. After Hollywood producers optioned two of her scripts, she decided to leave the practice of law to write full-time. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages and Julie’s next novel, IT HAPPENED ONE WEDDING, will be available on May 6.

Julie James lives with her husband and two children in Chicago, where she is working on her next novel.

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