Category: adult

adult

Review: Orchard Valley Brides by Debbie Macomber

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Orchard Valley #3-4

orchard valley brides -debbie macomberNorah Bloomfield is feeling a bit unneeded these days. Her father is recovering from his heart attack, and her sisters, Valerie and Stephanie, are busy planning their weddings. But then a cantankerous Texan named Rowdy Cassidy crashes his small plane in Orchard Valley. The same Rowdy Cassidy who’d been Valerie’s boss; and who’d demanded she marry him. Now he’s Norah’s patient, and in all her nursing experience she’s never encountered a more difficult man. Or a more irresistible one! Except; is he still in love with her sister?

When Norah’s friend Sherry Waterman leaves Orchard Valley, Oregon, for Pepper, Texas, she’s definitely not in the mood for Lone Star Lovin’. But if anyone can change her mind, it’s Cody Bailman – a hardworking, good-looking rancher. Not only that, Cody has a twelve-year-old daughter who thinks Sherry’s just perfect for Dad!

3 Drink Me Potions

I don’t know why I thought it would get any better with the ridiculous antics that sometimes get between two people who are clearly crazy about each other. This novel did not really do any better, in my opinion, although I’m (oddly enough) considered a fan of Debbie Macomber (I know – don’t say it – what generation am I in?)

In Norah, I was very excited to see how the last and youngest Bloomfield sister would do as all the eligible bachelors in town seemed to have been scooped up by her older sisters in the previous books. This book both infuriated me and mildly satisfied. Rowdy Cassidy was one hard man to read. I couldn’t tell half the time if Norah should be insulted or not by his clear agitation at his feelings for her and whether or not he could truly love her.

Norah, on the other hand, was a lovely woman. She didn’t take his awful behaviour and clearly told him so. If he was in the wrong, she let him know. But she was also able to see her own mistakes and not let her pride deter her from making the compromises that were required for the sake of both their happiness.

Altogether, Norah was a quick read, but I wished the ending wasn’t so abrupt. The little epilogue helped in a sense to tie in all the plotlines from the Orchard Valley series, but even so, the 180 that Rowdy went through didn’t satisfy me.

As for Long Star Lovin’, it was interesting seeing a new destination located in Texas state. The small-knit community and very unique (or maybe I should say “odd”?) people were amusing aspects.

As for the romance, oh my goodness. I’m DEFINITELY infuriated. That man. Cody Bailman! He really has no romantic bone in his body. I would’ve been pissed if I were Sherry, who thankfully was also a very sweet and strong woman. She just wanted someone to love her, not really the romantic actions itself. Those may come when there are true feelings from the heart.

Without the comic relief that presented itself in the form of Heather, Cody’s daughter, I dunno what I would’ve done. Heather was a very interesting 12-year-old. I’m not sure even I would’ve been so bold at her age. Fearless, I’ll say. But her daring and opposite-of-shy kinda personality made her endearing and helped me control my absolute disappointment in Cody’s behaviour.

Altogether, Sherry’s story was interesting but the awful ups and downs of her relationship was just too much. It too also ended abruptly, with Cody’s 180 change even more crazy. Macomber didn’t go into depth of how this new change of heart would affect them all, or to really settle the problems that were always present. It was like BAM! everything’s good. Yay! Wedding! Kids!

What. The. Heck?

Plus, it ended with the EXACT same line as another of Macomber’s story that I’ve read last year. Running out of ideas? I’m not sure.

Overall Recommendation:
These two stories were remarkably similar and different at the same time. Norah’s story was a decent conclusion to the Orchard Valley series, with an epilogue that helped tie in everyone’s plotlines. However, her love interest was truly infuriating at times and his professed love hard to believe. Likewise, Sherry’s story also had its problem with the male interest who just COULDN’T understand romance for the life of him. It shouldn’t be that hard to do something nice if it just came from the heart. The big up-side to this was due to the eclectic and tight community in this small Texan town. Overall, I’m left half infuriated and not completely sure I’m satisfied with the abrupt endings.

adult

Review: Orchard Valley Grooms by Debbie Macomber

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Orchard Valley #1-2

orchard valley grooms -debbie macomberValerie rushes home to Orchard Valley, Oregon, when her father, David, suffers a heart attack. She and her two younger sisters, Stephanie and Norah, are gathering at his side, praying he’ll live, fearing he’ll die.

At a time like this, falling in love is the last thing on Valerie’s mind. And with Dr. Colby Winston, of all people! He’s David’s heart surgeon, a renowned specialist who enjoys small-town living, while Valerie is a high-powered businesswoman who prefers city life. They’re complete opposites in every way. Yet David keeps insisting she and Colby are a perfect couple.

Meanwhile Stephanie has other worries besides her father’s health. She’d fled Orchard Valley three years earlier after her humiliating rejection by local journalist Charles Tomaselli. Now she’s home, and it’s not long before they begin reliving past battles–and renewing old feelings. He was the reason she left. This time, will he give her a reason to stay? David seems to think so.

Does their father know something Valerie and Stephanie don’t?

3 Drink Me Potions

It’s a fairly open secret that I have some strange soft spot for Debbie Macomber. Yes, her stories can be cheesy with their happy-ever-after endings, but sometimes, a girl just needs those kinds of endings, you know?

With Orchard Valley Grooms, I had such high hopes. Two sisters falling in love with their respective special someones? Sounds like it fits the criteria to a glove.

But. Yes, there is a but. These two stories captured me with their endless drama and irritated me to no end all at the same time.

In Valerie, the immediate attraction and way Colby and Valerie fell for each other made some sense in a way. Valerie was under a lot of stress what with her father suffering from a heart attack. Colby was there to give her the emotional support that she needed. However, by the end of it, they were happily in love and thinking of marriage in, what, three weeks? Does this happen in real life? How can one know if this person would survive every bump in the road that’s sure to come in hopefully a long marriage? Sure, it may be an adventure to find out, but still. It was a little unsettling to see that it happened all so quickly.

And then there’s the fact of their drama that initially prevented them from getting together after realizing each others’ feelings. Colby is traditional as crap! Don’t mind my language. A women can very well work and take care of a family. Yes, he’s tired at nights after his long (and presumably emotion-taxing) shifts, but a woman doesn’t just live to serve hand and foot for him when he gets home. As for Valerie, I understood her inhibitions but she wasn’t all for compromise initially either.

If that first story wasn’t exhausting enough, I immediately jumped into Stephanie. Silly me thought it would help relieve my inner frustrations. Oh boy, was I wrong.

I liked Steffie more than Valerie in a sense that I could understand unrequited love. She ran away from the face of rejection and I don’t blame her. Charles was awful when she admitted her feelings three years prior. Who could blame a girl for wanting to get away from such embarrassment?

However, the resolution to Charles’ actions just didn’t seem quite…right with me. It wasn’t that it couldn’t have been plausible. It could have been. I just didn’t understand why wait so long to tell Steffie he felt the same way. So much drama and heart ache could’ve easily been bypassed if he did. Why get so angry if he knew she still felt the same way towards him? I just dunno. This poor heart of mine couldn’t handle all this nonsensical heart ache.

Anyway, I gobbled these stories up as fast as I could and although I didn’t love them as I had hoped, they weren’t terrible. A guilty pleasure, if you will. But never have I wanted to throttle guys as much as I did with these men. I can fully understand the Bloomfield sisters’ feelings.

Overall Recommendation:
Two stories in one with each based on one Bloomfield sister. I couldn’t ask for more, can I? Turns out, the story didn’t hold as much for me as I had hoped. In both Valerie and Stephanie, the male protagonists acted in nonsensical manners that drove me (and the Bloomfield sisters) crazy. I suppose there had to be tension and drama to prevent an immediate happily-ever-after resolution, but it was exhausting. I wouldn’t necessarily throw these stories out. It was still the cheesy, happy ending kind of story that I needed on occasion. At least it fills up that requirement perfectly. I would say it’s perfect if that is the kinda book you’re looking for on a boring, lazy afternoon.

adult

Review: Friends and Then Some by Debbie Macomber

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

friends and then some -debbie macomberLily Morrissey knows exactly what she wants in a husband: a big bank account. Not that she’s greedy or shallow; she just needs the security for herself and her beloved grandmother. But husband-hunting is harder than she expected, especially with her best friend Jake in the way. In fact, Jake—who would be perfect for her if he weren’t so committed to everything money can’t buy—is becoming downright distracting, with those jade eyes and that disarming grin.
 
All Jake wants is the freedom to sail his boat, write his stories, and live life on his own terms. Then his best friend tells him she’s going groom shopping. But Jake can’t imagine life without Lily or bear the thought of her in another man’s arms. How can a rootless guy living a no-strings existence and a woman looking for someone she can count on both get what they need? By letting their hearts choose love.


2 Drink Me Potions

Honestly? The antics of both protagonists Jake and Lily got really tiresome by halfway through this rather short novel.

Lily was hard to like at first. From the very first pages, it was evident that she was a shallow gold digger. Even she had to dissuade herself from thinking that that was indeed what she was. She was working as a pianist in some fancy hotel in order to hook her claws into some rich man staying there who may appreciate her music. And she wasn’t one ounce bit ashamed of finding a husband solely for his money so that she and her grandmother could have all the luxuries in the world that she ever wanted.

Meanwhile, Jake is really a no-strings kind of guy. He drives a cab and lives off on his boat. He could literally up and move whenever he wanted. He was a nice enough guy, but he was adamant about not ever letting some woman change him into what she imagined him to be.

So when Lily and Jake “accidentally” kiss one day, it changes everything. Jake gets all the more grumpy due to his denial of any attraction that he may feel for Lily. And she finds a few men interested in her who may fit her exact criteria: rich.

It started off a little amusing, like a romantic comedy where the two main characters have obvious feelings for each other but their denial of such notions is a little funny for those watching objectively from the outside.

Oh boy, does it get tiring when practically the whole novel is centred on almost-happens and kisses-that-shouldn’t-have-happened-yet-did but-they-(I mean Jake)-ignore-them-anyway.

I sped through Friends and Then Some ’cause I like Debbie Macomber but enough’s enough. I was ecstatic when it finally ended with the conclusion that we all knew was gonna happen from the start. They admit their feelings for each other. Of course. No duh. But the process was rather painful to get through.

Overall Recommendation:
Friends and Then Some really shows the novice in Macomber’s writing. The storyline wasn’t meant to be unpredictable as the synopsis definitely shows these two best friends were bound for each other. However, what started off amusing with their denials and underlying attractions just became downright annoying when Jake continues to refuse the notion of being with Lily and Lily just acts like a selfish brat who wants a rich husband to feed her desires for worldly things. The ending just didn’t come fast enough, and I wished more of the story focused on the last few scenes ’cause that’s the only place I found pleasure in.