
Mo Daoust
HOW TO ROCK A BILLIONAIRE by Talia Hunter Ms. Hunter describes Meghan so well, I couldn’t help but see Joan Jett in her prime, but with dreads! Meghan is a lovely character: I loved her integrity, her love of music, and her determination to succeed at doing what she really loves and never compromising. Talia Hunter really understands the soul of a musician: Meghan thinks in songs, music is everywhere and means everything to her. I also very much appreciated that Jackson is not your typical billionaire: he actually works! He might be super rich, but he remains humble and appreciates what he has. It was nice for a change to have a billionaire who felt like a real person. He is not a player, he is not a cad; Jackson is simply a man who made it big doing what he is good at. There had been some attraction in the past between Meghan and Jackson, it’s still there, and thankfully, nothing was rushed. The romance bloomed nicely and organically; it was all so very nice and normal! Jackson does have trust issues, which Meghan understands, and again how wonderful to see believable conflicts handled so adroitly. HOW TO ROCK A BILLIONAIRE is a rather simple story, but extremely well done, and Ms. Hunter never falls prey to the genre’s pitfalls. And I couldn’t be happier that the story took place in Australia, as I could enjoy vicariously Sidney’s wonderful sights. HOW TO ROCK A BILLIONAIRE is an intelligent story with very engaging characters, very well written, and so enjoyable; it’s lovely! I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. LOVE STUCK by Michele De Winton Sarah “Sass” Hunt recently got fired, and now she’s starting out on her own as a stylist consultant. One month, and she’s about to have her first client. The husband of her best friend Cara recommended Sarah to his friend Kirk Anderson. Kirk is brilliant, owns a successful business, and he is dull. Kirk is launching a new software package, and for the press conference, he needs to dress for success, but also to impress as a person, and not just as a human calculator. Sarah has been evaluating Kirk on paper, and upon meeting her client, she is almost struck by a metaphorical bolt of lightning, and so is he. Sarah is so not what Kirk expected, with her modified Mohawk, but he thinks she has a certain something, until she pulls out clothing choices! Alas, they definitely don’t see eye to eye when it comes to sartorial decisions! Talk about opposites attract! I admit, had I been in Kirk’s place, I would have been wary of Sarah too. I mean, a velvet jacket? Really? Michele De Winton’s trademark colourful prose shines and dazzles in LOVE STUCK, and I never expect anything less from this brilliant author. However I had serious problems with Kirk; he seemed fine at the beginning, if staid and stuffy, but he had a definitely rude and disrespectful moment that stuck in my mind, and personally, I would not have given him the time of day ever again. I would have made peace with him in the end and shut the door on the whole thing. Sometimes there are “issues” that I can overlook in a book, sometimes I can’t ignore them, and that was one of them. Also, the “electricity” between Sarah and Kirk was out of control here, and how the sexual relationship began required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief on my part. It had been looking up before that moment, but I felt it was too much too soon, and it ended in the misstep that I found rather unpalatable. Overall, it was a fun read, fast-paced and superbly written, with great dialogues, but the romance never worked for me, although fans of Alexa Riley might like it; it’s rather over the top. Or I might have been having a “Kirk Anderson” day (without the rudeness!). I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
1 person found this review helpful

Margaret Watkins
This compilation of books is most entertaining, from sweet to high adventure and second chances. Stephanie Queen’s action Beachcomber book had suspense and romance, whilst Courtney Hunt’s Bridesmaid story spoke of misunderstandings and unfinished business. Ann Omasta’s Broke Billionaire touched all the right spots for sweetness, although her heroine did have a habit of jumping to conclusions rather quickly. I enjoyed the push and pull between Christine Kingsley’s characters as long-standing friends test the waters of romance and Allison Gatta’s auctioned off date makes one realise that jumping to conclusions can make one feel very foolish. I loved Debbie White’s story of the parents’ of best friends finding their way through the landmines of dating to reach the point of merging their families. The stories range from sweet to spicy, but all of them are romance through and through.