Recent Read

Sugar Creek by Toni Blake

Why this one: I've really enjoyed the last few books by Toni Blake and have been looking forward to this one. When I saw it available cheaper at Chapters as an ebook, and I could buy it at 6:30 in the morning - while not even dressed yet, well I was sold!!

Steam Level: Yowzers!!! Watch out - this one can burn you

Blurb: Rachel Farris returned to her childhood home with one mission in mind: get Mike Romo out of her family’s apple orchard business and out of their lives. But hard-nosed and totally hot Mike, who happens to be the law in Destiny, is convinced the Farris clan stole the land from his family fifty years ago and he’s not backing down. Even when shapely trouble shows up in a pair of designer blue jeans. However, neither the hunky cop nor the sexy prodigal hometown girl can anticipate the electricity that heats things up whenever they’re together—adding new sizzle to an ongoing feud that’s raged for generations, and soon putting both their hearts at risk.

My Thoughts: I've read on message boards that a lot of readers are turned off by the trope of the big city girl returning to her small town and ending up giving her big city life up for love. But I've never minded that theme. But for those who don't like it, this may not be the book for you. The heroine Rachel, returns to her small town home of Destiny to help out her grandmother with her apple orchard, though she's a bit resentful that she has to take a leave from her high powered job as an add exec at a critical time. But family is family and Rachel is nothing if not an enabler to her less than successful relatives, although Edna, her grandmother mostly just wants her grand daughter home for a spell.

Rachel Farris breezes into town, but along the way she is clocked speeding by hunky, yet surly cop Mike Romo. The Romo's and the Farris's have a history of feuding and she is less than impressed by this Romo, whom she likes to call Romeo to annoy him. But despite the animosity the two feel for each other, there are some major sparks going on between them and when they end up locked in a concession booth, the sparks turn into a major bonfire and what a hawt bonfire that turns out to be.

Rachel starts out a bit brittle, disliking the fact that she's back in the small town she was so anxious to get out of years ago. But little by little, we get to see her more tender side. As she slowly reconnects with old friends and reestablishes a relationship with her really kewl grandmother, she slowly begins to see that a small town isn't as bad as she thought it would be. And of course there is the steamy relationship that is slowly building with Mike.

Mike is a rough, tough, guys kind of guy. But underneath, he is still suffering from a tragedy in his past that changed his life and destroyed his family. Because of that, he has to be in control at all times and is flummoxed by his growing feelings for Rachel. He's always been a love 'em and leave 'em kind of girl, but he can't seem to leave Rachel. When he finally starts letting his vulnerabilities show, he's just delicious.

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few things that I found a bit tedious - Rachel's continuing insistence that it was 'just sex' between her and Mike and her denial until close to the end that she had any warmer feelings for him. But that was a small issue. And one of the real strengths of this book was the developing relationship between Rachel and Edna. Edna is a real hoot. She's who I want to be when I get old. Slowly, piece by piece, she tells Rachel the origin of the feud between the two families and her relationship with Mike's grandfather.

This may sound odd, but I really loved the apple picking scenes too. When the boys were small we used to take them apple picking every year and reading these scenes brought back those memories - I could almost taste the apples fresh off the trees. The apples you get in stores can't even begin to compare. And I also enjoyed how the author captured the warmth of small towns with all their quirky little festivals and close knit atmosphere.

I found this to be another excellent book and for those who love a good contemporary, this is one I think you will enjoy.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Recent Read

One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake

Why this one: I was really taken with her last book, Letters to a Secret Lover and it was a furshure that I'd be reading this one. I've been checking ever since it came out for it to appear on the shelves at Chapters - and finally - it did.

Steam Level: There was Ice Cube sex in it - that should tell you it was plenty steamy!!

Author Website Blurb:

The perfect daughter. The perfect prom queen. The perfect wife. Jenny Tolliver’s been the good girl all her life, and it’s gotten her nowhere. Now that her marriage has been busted up by her cheating ex, she’s decided it’s time to regroup and rediscover herself. This summer she’s headed back to her hometown of Destiny, Ohio, to the very lakeshore cottage where she grew up, to figure out what life holds in store for her next.

She never dreamed the answer would be Mick Brody, Destiny’s #1 hellraiser. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or in his case, the lake), and he’s landed in hot water more times than he can count. He’s exactly the kind of guy Jenny’s always kept her distance from … but soon the good girl and the bad boy are caught in a raw heat that’s out of control. Too bad Mick’s got a secret that threatens to tear them apart and ruin Jenny’s perfectly, passionately reckless summer …

My Thoughts: As much as I loved Letters to a Secret Lover, I loved this one even more!! One of my favourite story lines has always been heroine/hero knew each other years ago and heroine is a 'good' girl and hero is a 'bad' boy from the wrong side of the tracks - or in this case - the wrong side of the lake. And this one only underscores that storyline love.

Jenny Tolliver was always a 'good' girl. She was the daughter of the widowed chief of police of Destiny Ohio, Walter Tolliver and never put as much as a toe out of place. But she is tired of her good girl self when she catches her husband cheating on her with her very own teaching assistant. So she ditches her husband, ditches her job in the 'big' city and heads back to the small town she grew up in. She's still a 'good' girl but things are about to change when she runs into the hero Mick Brody, one of the 'no good' Brody boys. She didn't know him very well, but does vividly remember an encounter she had with him when she was 16.

Things heat up between them Very Fast when she visits his side of the lake to better star gaze and unexpectedly runs into him and he demands she leave. He threatens her with his very self, but instead of leaving, she answers his challenge and thus follows the first of many steamy encounters between the two of them.

What starts off as raw lust though, slowly develops into love as each fills a need in the other. Jenny has been left feeling lacking as a sexy woman after her husbands cheating and her own 'good' girl upbringing. Mick is going through a very difficult and dark time and Jenny is his oasis.

I really enjoyed everything about this book, the small town feel, the friendship between Jenny and her best friend Sue Ann, the father/daughter relationship and ESPECIALLY the relationship between Jenny and Mick. I thought Jenny was a great heroine - someone I'd love to call friend.

And then there is Mick. Wow!! He just broke my heart. Without giving spoilers, I so identified with what he was going through and I totally 'got' why he was so drawn to Jenny. He had made a lot of mistakes in his life, but was trying to change his ways when he is called back into a very gray time. And man, is he sex on a stick!! I raced through this book and I know it's going to be one I read and reread again. This one I have no qualms about recommending - at all! It's funny in places and sad in others and came oh so close to making me cry. It has a poignancy to it and I always love a book that has that.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Recent Reads

The Song by Jean Johnson

Why this one: Well, I’ve loved and enjoyed each and every single one I’ve read so far so it really was a no-brainer I’d continue with the series.

Steam Level: Pretty hot – not as much as the first three – but would still burn fingers

Author Web Site Blurb: Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day—they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting their destiny, the brothers are exiled to Nightfall Island , where women are forbidden. This presents a challenge for the brother whose magic has been destroyed…

Evanor, fourth-born of the Sons of Destiny, lost his voice—and with it, his powers—in the violent battle that freed his family from their greatest enemy. Thankfully, with the safe return of his twin, Evanor now knows precisely who can bring his songs back to life.

She is the enchanting widow Mariel, a Healer brought to Nightfall to help the brothers in their hour of need. For Mariel and her young son, that means leaving their beloved homeland for the unfamiliar island of Nightfall and its still-forbidden shores…and with it, risking the passion she stirs in her intriguing patient’s heart.

But a new danger looms when the Council of Katan learn there might be women on the Isle…

My thoughts: Hmmm. For me so far, this is the weakest book in the series so far. While certainly readable, it just didn’t grab me the way the first three did. I think part of the reason was Evanor and Mariel were already half in love when the story began, so there wasn’t the initial spark between them. In addition, they were both pretty Beta characters. Mariel is a healer and Evanor the gentlest of the eight brothers I think, thus another reason for the lack of sparkage. In fact, they became lovers before I really was aware of it. Don’t know how I missed it. Because there wasn’t much conflict between the two of them, most of the conflict came externally when the Council of Katan found out something fishy was going on with the exiled brothers. This part was interesting and again, I enjoyed the way each of the brothers had their own roles to play when they were confronted. The author also has a great way of blending in so many characters with each of them having an integral part of the story.

Something else that bothered me though, was the huge amount of time devoted to creating their own version of cell phones. It felt like filler and to be honest, filler that kind of went above my head.

Still, since I’m reading the whole series, I’m glad I read this one. It moves the story along and we get to see more of the most intriguing brother so far, Rydan. But alas, the grade isn’t quite as high for The Song. But I have The Cat ready to read and just because this one didn’t work quite so well as the others, I’m still looking forward to the next installment very much.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

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Love Letters from a Stranger – Toni Blake

Why this one: Well, Katie liked it and sent it on to me. With a whole boat load of books thought I’m not sure why exactly I picked this out of the pile.

Steam Level: Better blow on it first, cause this one is hawt!

Author website blurb: The last thing she needs right now is a man

Lindsey Brooks had it all—an awesome job doling out advice to the lovelorn, a fabulous high-rise apartment, and a to-die-for fiancé. But then she got dumped—wearing nothing but a Kiss the Cook apron—and desperate to escape, she retreats to a tiny Montana town to reclaim a family treasure. She never dreamed anyone would try to stop her – or that he’d be sexy as sin.

Too bad she finds such a hot one …

Rob Colter isn’t into relationships—but Lindsey sees Rob as the perfect guy to help her “get back on the horse.” The sex horse, that is. Unfortunately, he comes complete with a mysterious past, which gets even more mysterious when she finds his passionate letters to another woman – whose name happens to be tattooed on his chest.

And too bad he has so many secrets …

Now Rob’s dangerous past is about to catch up with them both. And if that’s not horrible enough, Lindsey is falling for him – hard. For a girl who usually has all the answers, Lindsey is up to her neck in trouble.

My Thoughts: First off I have to say a Great Big Huge thanks to Katie for sending me this one. I. L.O.V.E.D. I.T.

The author says it’s a cross between Men in Trees meets Sex and The City and that is an apt description. I loved, loved, loved Rob. I’ve said before that I love a blue collar kind of hero. I’d take one of them over a white collar type any day. And Rob is a great blue collar kind of guy. He builds things and also runs the local canoe renting for tourists business. Works with his hands he does. I like that in a hero. He’s also a big grouchy teddy bear type and I love that kind too. And there’s another side to him that goes right to my ‘what I love in a romance novel” side to him – but I don’t want to give that away since it’s not revealed until later on in the story. As Katie can attest – he’s the kind of hero you just want to hug and hug and not let go of.

Lindsey, on the other hand is a girly, girl type – the kind that’s heavy into shoes and that kind of thing. Often times this kind of heroine gets on my nerves since it’s the opposite of me. But sometimes, if the author writes her right – it can work. Blair Mallory is one of those who really ‘works’ for me. And as does Lindsay. While I can’t relate to a lot of what makes her tick, still, she is a very likeable heroine and I warmed up to her quite early in the book. I got quite a kick out of her thing for shoes and her initial horror at wearing Keds! And then later on, she was so thrilled at getting a new pair of hiking boots – and then getting them muddy in the rain. And she really was quite a bit deeper then she first came across as at first.

This is a wonderful story of two opposite people falling in love and appreciating their differences.

I have a couple other of her books not read yet that I’m going to find and then get all the rest of her back list I can find! I’m ecstatic that I’ve found yet another new-to-me author I can rave about.

Thanks again Katie!!

Grade: 4.75 out of 5

Letters to a Secret Lover by Toni Blake

I have enjoyed almost every single one of Toni Blake’s books, starting with The Red Diary. (Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to try her early Category reads) Her books are more than just romance, almost borderline erotica, and there are some moments where I would find myself laughing. Her heroines are intelligent, strong and just have that something special about them. And her heroes are a bit on the alpha side who end up falling hard for the heroine, even though they don’t want to. I love those reads where the hero is almost kicking and screaming, trying to deny the way he feels about this woman that comes along and shocks him silly. Such is the case with Toni’s June release, Letters to a Secret Lover. I had so much fun reading this sexy and witty read that I urge you to do the same.


Poor Lindsey Brooks' ass of a fiancee has dumped her after what should have been a wonderful seduction on Lindsey’s part. She was busy making dinner wearing only wearing high heel stilettos and an apron at the time and thought this would help rekindle the romance and love she shares with her soon to be husband. Unfortunately he didn’t see it that way and since someone was taking pictures through their condo window at the time, she failed in more ways than she ever thought possible. Lindsey needs to reevaluate her life decides to go lick her wounds in Moose Falls, Montana where her Aunt Millie resided. Lindsey lost touch with her beloved Millie, who before she died, wanted to will Lindsey her old canoe livery (Where one can rent canoes to take out on the lake). But with Lindsey busy being engaged and writing an on-line blog and a syndicated advice column called "Love Letters", she lost contact with Millie. Now she has come to Moose Falls to see if she can buy the livery back and hopefully figure out what went wrong with her love life.

The owner of the livery, Rob Coulter, is a hermit. Some of the townspeople even say he is one scary dude. Since Lindsey drove all this way to the middle of nowhere, she is not leaving until she talks to mister scary. When Lindsey finally meets Rob, things don't go that well at all. Rob is a rude and mean SOB. But Rob is also one sexy mean SOB, and Lindsey wouldn't mind getting back on the old sex horse with mister moody. Rob also wears his flannel shirts very, very well. *G*


Rob just wants to be left alone and no one will tell him otherwise even this flaky but cute city girl. Eventually he gives in and decides to allow Lindsey, or Abby as he now calls her because of her advice column, to walk in Maggie's shoes. As things progress between the two, Rob begins to enjoy having Lindsey around more and more.

It seems that Rob has quite the underwear fetish when it comes to Lindsey. After getting a look at Lindsey's leopard print bra, he has no choice but to kiss her. Who would have thought he would find leopard print so sexy? After that, Rob can’t help but get back on the sex horse with Lindsey. But Rob is so secretive about his past and there is this little thing that irks Lindsey. Rob has a tattoo over his heart with the name, "Gina". Who is Gina and why won't he tell Lindsey about her?


These two have one scorching love affair and the love scenes are really well written and just plain fun. The mystery that surrounds Rob will keep you guessing and when you find out what Rob has gone through, you want to wrap him in your arms, much like Lindsey has done.

Letters To a Secret Lover was such a pleasant surprise that made me laugh out loud, and coo over the major loving between Rob and Lindsey, who can't keep their hands off of each other. Toni Blake has written a near perfect novel that left me with a smile on my face.

Since summer is upon us and it is probably going to be a hot one, why not try to get through the heat with steamy book like Letters to a Secret Lover?

4 out of 5 stars. Definitely not a “MEH” read

Katiebabs (KB)