COURTNEY REVIEWS: CALIFORNIA HOMECOMING by CASEY DAWES

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Publication Date: 6/24/13
Format: ebook 
Source: Received from author for review

Pregnant and alone, Sarah Ladina wants to regain her independence and do what’s best for her soon-to-be-born baby, but buying a run-down Victorian for an inn wasn’t her brightest idea. An inability to cook or fix a leaky faucet will make the job even harder. When a friendly golden retriever, disabled vet, and potential cook show up on the first day, she knows her life is going to get a lot more complicated. When her ex tries to get back into her life and her doctor orders modified bed rest, Sarah wonders if she’ll ever be able to stand on her own.

After returning from duty in the Middle East wounded in both body and spirit, Hunter Evans is in search of employment and a home. Finding a job has been tough and housing doesn’t come cheap in Costanoa, the town that he loves most on the California coast. His prosthetic leg allows him to run, but keeps him from his childhood passion, surfing. With a low-level job and a transient motel for a home, Hunter isn’t sure life is worth living.

But spring is coming in Costanoa and love is in the air. With the help of good friends, Sarah and Hunter may be able to get beyond the painful past and complicated present to find the love and respect they want and deserve.

 

Sarah and Hunter's story was one of two people who have hurt in their past and present and have to find themselves again. Sarah finds herself alone and pregnant...having to quit school to move back close to her mother when she gets a less than enthusiastic response from her baby daddy. Hunter is an injured veteran, both body and mind...who is struggling to find his place in the civilian world without his leg. So of course, since post-war military stories are a favorite trope of mine I went full steam ahead into reading it.


Sarah buys an old Victorian house that it is her dream to turn into an Inn. This house happens to be Hunter's childhood home so they meet when he wants to but it from her. They hit it off but because of her meddling mother, the baby daddy from hell makes a reappearance. This would be a cautionary tale of what not to effing do when your girlfriend tells you she is pregnant unexpectedly...ggrrr what a douche. Anyways, Sarah does her best to figure out what she wants...mostly to find out she has no clue.


Hunter lost a lot while in the Marines..the least of which being his leg, but also his friend/maybe something more Lauren. He questions a lot of choices when all kinds of new information comes to light, and becomes jaded to all women's intentions. He is still struggling with PTSD and getting back to life as he wants it, but had a lot of drama with his father and trying to get a steady job in construction.

So I liked it a lot, but I felt like it could have been at least 25% longer to flesh out a few more things to make me satisfied. Sarah's issues were a lot more finished than Hunter's in my opinion, meaning there is never any clear resolution with his father...which could also mean daddio will never change and Hunter accepts this fact and moves on. Things with baby daddy are sort of unresolved too. While a lot of stuff seems fast, it was surprisingly not too rushed in the way things are told. I think this comes from getting information in dialogue and not being talked at...so that was nice! I didn't realize until a note at the end that this is part of a series...but I wasn't lost so I think they're unrelated companions or just all set in California. Check this out for a quick, sweet beach read!



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SEXY SUMMER SATURDAYS: BREATHING HIS AIR by DEBRA KAYN

 

Sexy Saturdays is a weekly post we started to challenge ourselves to read more steamy books and have a lot of fun. Feel free to join in. (let us know so we can add a link to your post).

The Autumn Review

Sim-Sational Books

Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Reviews

Insightful Minds Reviews

My Secret Romance

Globug and Hootie Need a Book

**The books featured on SEXY SUMMER SATURDAYS are for adults. If you are under 18 years of age, or do not like smexy books, please stop here. **

Series: n/a

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Crimson Romance

Publication Date: 4/22/13

Format: eARC

Pages:

Source: Received from author for review
 

She is love advice in a coffee shack, he's protection in a biker bar. When her past meets his present, it's a killer cocktail that might get them shot, stabbed, or otherwise dead.

Tori Baldwin spends all her time traveling the states, running a mobile coffee shack and handing out love advice with every cup. She’s staked her rig in the parking lot of Cactus Cove—a local biker bar by all appearances— and plans to stay put for three months. Just long enough to make some money, without making any friends, before she moves to her next destination as she tries to stay ahead of a painful past.

Rain Brookshire is the leader of the Bantorus motorcycle club, and owner of the Cactus Cove in the small town of Pitnam, Washington. He wants the Lagsturns, a rival-bad-news motorcycle club, to leave town before they infect his town with trouble.

With bullets flying and the Lagsturns putting on the pressure, the only way to keep Tori safe—since she refuses to leave town—is for Rain to claim her as his woman. She has no idea that Rain’s played his hand for all to see in the biker world. It doesn't help that Tori exhibits the three ideal classifications of his ideal woman—Classy, Sexy, and a total Goof— and he can't help but posture and lay down the law. But, when it appears Tori’s life is in danger, and the Lagsturns are innocent, he isn’t going to let the law stop him from keeping his woman safe.  

 

Breathing His Air was my first "motorcycle club" book, and now I definitely know what I've been missing. I will be the first to say that I know next to nothing about the culture, but I do know that in this story I learned a lot. These men and women were more than members of a motorcycle club, they were family. The respect and care they have for one another was so admirable. I know that I will definitely be reading more books like this in the future.

Breathing His Air centered around Tori and Rain, two people who seem like they are complete opposites, but who are completely right for one another. Tori is a woman who is running from memories of a troubled past. She moves from town to town with her mobile coffee shack, offering up love advice along with the coffee she sells. Tori was a really sweet character, and was easy to like. I think what I enjoyed most about Tori was her silliness. It's not that she was a ditz or couldn't take anything seriously, it's that she could find the humor in most situations. I tend to be like that myself, so I could identify with her a lot in that way. Tori's childhood was very strange and very traumatic, and this causes her a lot of issues too, making her consistently feel like she's trouble for those around her. It takes a lot of continual convincing from Rain for her to stay, and that she is wanted. Insecure Tori could get a bit tiring after a while, so it was nice that she managed to shake it off most of the time and be the sweet and fun Tori.

As for Rain? Holy geez, this guy was a Super Alpha. Now, I know there are those who don't like the alpha men, and that's cool. But if you do like sexy, bossy, and take control men in your books, then Rain Brookshire should definitely please. I love how he just claimed Tori as his woman (for her protection) and there was no discussion. The way he talked to her, with a bossy yet very sexy tone, gave me shivers. Tori definitely held her own against Rain, though, and drove him absolutely bananas at times! Their chemistry was hot and I was anxious for them to take act of that chemistry. Believe me, I would not have liked Rain if he was a jerk or acting out of anything less than a caring and protective nature. I like my men bossy, but I also like them nice. The author did a really great job of portraying Rain as a man who takes his responsibility toward his club, the town, and everyone around him very seriously, and it's clear that he is a good man. That's not to say that Rain doesn't totally enjoy having the gorgeous Tori in his care, he does. The two head towards love very quickly, and it did seem a bit rushed, but I really didn't care. It fit them.

Breathing His Air was not only the love story between Rain and Tori, but it was also had some suspense too. At the beginning of the story, a rival club has come to town, and they start off on a really bad foot, by threatening Tori. As the trouble keeps coming, Rain and his group start to realize that the threats are not only towards them, but also are targeting Tori. Not only are they causing trouble, but so is Rain's ex-girlfriend, who wants him back in a bad way. Who is threatening Tori? And why? It seems like a no-brainer, but the author did a good job of sort of leading in one direction, then realizing that maybe things aren't as obvious as they seem.

Breathing His Air was a fast, sexy, and fun read. If your looking for a story with a sweet heroine, a sexy hero, and a bit of a mystery, this might be a great fit.

Favorite Quote:

  "Babe?"
  "Yeah?"
  "Next time you stand there with your tits pointed at me and your legs giving me more ideas than is legal, I'll want more than cookie dough from you."  ~ebook, 8%


  "You can't tell me what to do." She lifted the clutched rock above her shoulder and let it fly in his direction. "I'm not your woman."
  He dodged the rock. "You are."
  "No, I'm not." She picked up another stone and threw it toward him. "And no more kissing me."
  He spread his arms out to his sides and dodge the rock sailing through the air at him.
  "Keep throwing rocks at me, and I'll walk over there and do more than kiss you."  ~ebook, 11%

 
  "Don't let me run. Whatever happens, don't let me run away," she whispered.
  "I promise never to let you run. If you ever get the urge, I'll run with you."  ~ebook, 38%

 

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About the author:

Top Selling Romance Author, Debra Kayn, lives with her family in the beautiful coastal mountains of Oregon on a hobby farm. She enjoys riding motorcycles, gardening, playing tennis, and fishing. A huge animal lover, she always has a dog under her desk when she writes and chickens standing at the front door looking for a treat. She's famous in her family for teaching a 270 lb hog named Harley to jog with her every morning.

Her love of family ties and laughter makes her a natural to write heartwarming contemporary stories to the delight of her readers. Oh, let's cut to the chase. She loves to write about REAL MEN and the WOMEN who love them.

When Debra was nineteen years old, a man kissed her without introducing himself. When they finally came up for air, the first words out of his mouth were…will you have my babies? Considering Debra's weakness for a sexy, badass man, who is strong enough to survive her attitude, she said yes. A quick wedding at the House of Amour and four babies later, she's living her own romance book.

 

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