Love is Silent by Toni v. Sweeney

 She is hired to teach him to speak—but there are other things he wants to learn.

 About the Book: Anna Leighton is hired to help David Wood, Lord Mayfield, learn the intricacies of Sign language in order to help him communicate with and adapt to the world outside his rural family estate. A greedy relative has petitioned the courts to have David declared incompetent; Anna’s earlier success with teaching the deaf will hopefully prove the accusation a lie.

           Unfortunately, she is working against a time limit of six weeks to perform what some would consider a miracle. After breaking down the walls David has erected to protect himself from further abuse and injury, Anna is successful and he is soon Signing, then speaking in limited amounts—and even dancing. Suddenly he has a champion—and the two quickly fall in love. But societal norms are rigid and unforgiving. The two deserving people must fight more than a vicious family member in order to establish a future together.

 Our Review: In a departure from the genres Toni V. Sweeney is generally known for, with this historical romance, she offers the same loving care for setting, dialogue, and complex characters—both primary and secondary. The history behind educating the hearing impaired is spot-on as well as the minute attention to societal norms for finding love outside one’s station. Spiced with bright, engaging humor and layered characters, Love is Silent is a treat to read and enjoy.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Love is Silent merits a 6.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Authors

Sweet Slow Sizzle by Sadira Stone

 Loving him means risking the only family she has left.

 About the Book: Bangers Tavern’s hunky bouncer Jojo Williams has been flirting with server Lana Lopez for three years, but she dismisses him as a trifling joker. Determined to penetrate her prickly defenses, he plunges into the hot mess that keeps her from dating. If he screws this up, his heart and hers won’t be the only ones broken.

Orphaned by a car wreck at twenty-two, Lana must keep her teen brothers on track and together in the home they grew up in. One more slip-up, and her interfering tías will separate the boys. The last thing Lana needs is a big goof like Jojo meddling with her fragile family. But when the teens’ shenanigans land them in trouble, Jojo may be the only person who can save them from the wrath of the tías. Lana’s growing attraction to the gentle giant makes it harder and harder to shut him out, but... losing the one you love is the scariest story of all.

 Our Review: Welcome back to Bangers Tavern, the hippest and quirkiest neighborhood bar in Tacoma, Washington—where beer flows in all colors, the tater tots are the best in three surrounding states, and the staff is one big, happy family. Sort of.

          As is usual with Sadira Stone’s fabulous Bangers Tavern series, Sweet Slow Sizzle carries on the underlying theme of family, either earned through bloodlines or gathered by choice. Though, with a couple of family members featured in this story, one would never need enemies. JoJo Williams has a heart as big as his biceps and he’s willing to lose it all for the love and respect of one overworked woman who’s terrified that at any moment she might lose what little family she has left. It will take the scare of a lifetime to shake Lana Lopez down to her cut-off denims to understand the importance of trusting the family who has your back, no matter what.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Sweet Slow Sizzle merits a 7.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

All I Need by Kathryn Ascher

 All they need is someone who will love and cherish them.

 About The Book: Hannah Murphy is over her dead fiancé. In the year since his death, she’s kept herself busy and has finally discovered who and what she wants to be. Most important: no longer will she be anyone’s doormat.

After being burned by love, Quinn Taylor focused on his career and his future. When the woman he’s secretly loved since high school flings herself at him, he’s thrown off balance. Just as his and Hannah’s relationship begins to bloom, the past comes back with an unexpected punch and old insecurities threaten their future. To move forward, each must overcome self-doubt—or remain separated forever.

 Our Review: Not only is Kathryn Ascher’s All I Need a study in what happens when the past returns with a blast of epic proportions, showing how old wounds fester under the scars, then erupt and threaten to ruin the new and lovely. An excellent study in a variety of character types. Well done!

 On a scale of 1-5, All I Need deserves a 5.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

Choices Meant for All by Sandy Lender

 When their god needed a protector, she chose yes.

 About the Book:  From the foothills of the Freotho Mountains to the marble halls of Mahriket, factions of deities rise to threaten not only Master Rothahn’s crown, but all Onweald’s people. The battles fan the gates of the dark spirit world, releasing demons of every species to aid the enemy, but an embattled Nigel Taiman brings Malachi’s power to the Arcanan Army’s camp in hopes of tipping the balance in his bride’s favor. Dangerous times call for strange allies from all quarters. To restore the geasa that should save the god she’s sworn to protect, Amanda Chariss must escape the very Betrayer’s grasp and make choices for the good of everyone. Does she have the will to sacrifice all that she holds dear in the process? Dive into the action-packed conclusion of the Choices trilogy to discover how prophecy works with—and against—those who would heed it.

 Our Review: In the first two books of Sandy Lender’s Choices trilogy, we found in-depth descriptions and views of Amanda Chariss from other characters. In this most satisfying conclusion, we are treated to Amanda herself, how she thinks and why. It’s a treat to see how Amanda uses what she’s been taught then how she puts those lessons into action in order to protect her charges and the kingdom.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Choices Meant for All, merits a 5.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

The Billionaire's Christmas Castle

 His billions can’t buy what he craves most—her love.

 About The Book: Balancing career and conscience, billionaire tech investor Michael Garwood escapes the holiday madness and flees to Trappers Cove, a quirky beachside town in Washington State. Having spent many happy summers there as a child, he hopes an ocean view, crackling hearth and solitude will help him figure out his personal crises.

Annie Scott loathes snooty, rich people for their demeaning attitudes and rudeness toward those they consider less thans. Then,  Michael Garwood walks through the door of her Trappers Cove antique shop and after the gorgeous grump shares bits of his human side, Annie decides that sharing a small-town holiday with this man is the perfect distraction for her lonely Christmas blues.

As the holiday events proceed, flavored by the characters who populate the unique Trappers Cove, the frustrated tycoon and fiercely independent entrepreneur learn how to navigate an ocean of differences in order to forge what each wants the most: a forever kind of love.

 Our Review: It came as a great delight to see what author Sadira Stone has in store for the characters as well as the readers of her trendy Trappers Cove series. The Billionaire’s Christmas Castle does not disappoint. A fabulous setting cannot be topped; the quirky characters and local businesses bring flavor to this fun, spicy story about two people of a ‘certain age’ who have survived—barely intact—the wars between the sexes and simply want peace, quiet and someone to cherish. Stone soars with this one.  

 On a scale of 1-5, The Billionaire’s Christmas Castle deserves a 6.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

 

Say You're Mine

 … this is for the quiet ones, the introverts who think of exactly the right comeback, alone, lying awake, hours later. The observant ones who notice everything but say so little…

 About The Book: The above quote, taken from the dedication in Charlotte O’Shay’s Say You’re Mine nails this delightful story to perfection. Skylar Bishop aces everything at her work as a talented and inventive speech therapist. Her personal life, however, shows a big fat F in the success column. If she’s so gorgeous and sensitive to the needs of others, why is her track record with men so dismal?

Finnegan—Finn—Fortunato, an up and comer in the boxing world, leads a reclusive life by choice. After years of cruel teasing and abuse at the hands of others, he’s better off alone. Until he meets a gorgeous woman in the middle of a trendy Manhattan restaurant and sparks fly. Off the ceiling, one wall against the other, singeing the tiles on the floor. Neither Finn nor Sky are the same after one look.

 Our Review: Say You’re Mine takes a thorough, sensitive look at those who suffer from significant emotional handicaps which can impact every area of their lives. Adding onto this lovely romance is the setting of New York in the middle of a blistering heat wave and flavored with sharp, snappy dialogue. This heartwarming tale of two deserving people finding each other is a winner.

 On a scale of 1-5, Say You’re Mine merits an 8.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

 

The Fog Ladies: Date With Death

 Love can be deadly.

 About the Book: The Fog Ladies count on each other like one relies on an early morning San Francisco fog burning off by midday. In their latest caper, Olivia Honeycut joins a senior dating service, meets a man, and promptly stumbles across a body whom one of her fellow romantics has just pitched over a cliff. The ‘fog ladies’ believe the killer is Olivia’s new honey. He’s too smooth; he’s lying about his past and the ‘ladies’ intend to find out why.

 Our Review: What a joy to meet a group of women who genuinely admire and respect each other—even when they agree to disagree—despite a disparity of backgrounds, life experiences, and interests. Of particular joy is Enid Carmichael whom, we’re convinced, would have held her own ‘back in the day’ of the swinging sixties, when women weren’t as liberated as we might have wished, had to tolerate unimaginable misogyny and social taboos, and still succeeded. Enid is a hoot and one of the true stars of this enchanting cozy mystery series. We look forward to book 5. Well done.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, The Fog Ladies: Date With Death merits a 5.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews