Lois GreimanBesprekingen

2.5 stars

She drew her hand carefully from his chest and rose to her feet. "You are a liar." She said the words softly but with absolute conviction.
"Me!" Air rushed back into his lungs. " 'Tis you who is the liar!"
"Aye. But at least I am good at it," she said, and turning toward the door, left without another word.

I solely bumped this up from a 2 star read because of how often and much the FMC lied. Y'all. It was insane to the point of being all you can do is salute. You will basically be more confused than the MMC while reading this until around 90% and then you're going to have to put on your Medieval cap to not foam at the mouth when it's revealed why there was all the lying.

If lying is your kink, this right here is your Holy Grail.

2.75 stars, at best. Chrissie McMullen is a L.A. psychologist, and becomes the prime suspect of Lieutenant Rivera when her high profile client, football star “Bomber” Bomstad drops dead of a heart attack chasing her around her office, unzipped. So Chrissie decides she has to clear her name. Some zany characters, but nowhere near as fun as Stephanie Plum. Not sure I'll read another in this series.

Fun to read, this is not credible as a mystery with all of the visible detection being done by the psychologist in whose office the victim died. The McMullen family may only be represented by Christina, but their pungent comments that preface each chapter are quite the highlights of the book.

3.5 stars

In Hearth Song, the second installment in Lois Greiman's heartwarming Home in the Hills series, hardworking Bravura "Vura" Lambert is torn between her loyalty to her manipulative husband Dane and her surprising attraction to stoic Tonk Redhawk.

Vura has not seen her husband Dane is the year since he took a job in the mining fields of North Dakota, so she is pretty stunned by his unexpected return. She is not exactly happy to see him but since he is her husband and the father of her five year old daughter, Lily, she tries to make the best of the situation. Quickly growing impatient with his irresponsible behavior, she cannot shake the feeling Dane is being less than forthcoming about his departure from his job and his current job search. Dane somehow manages to charm Vura out of her doubts but her uncertainties about him continue to grow.

Vura is a likable, but extremely maddening, character. She is very close to her father and grandfather and in Dane's absence, their help with Lily has been invaluable. Vura is a strong and capable woman, but her husband has slowly chipped away at her self-esteem over the years. She is more comfortable in blue jeans and a hard hat than a dress and heels but she has tried to be more feminine to make Dane happy. Vura has slowly given up so much of her identity to please him that she barely recognizes herself. She is a fantastic mom and a successful businesswoman but as soon as Dane strolls back into her life, she loses all confidence which leaves her vulnerable and incredibly susceptible to his manipulations. He so thoroughly twists things around that Vura is unable to see just how destructive and conniving he is.

Dane is thoroughly despicable and it is impossible to understand how Vura continues to allow him to guilt her into agreeing to his demands. She has strong doubts about his return and while it is reasonable to try to save her marriage, it is exasperating watching her make excuses for his appalling behavior. Despite proving to be completely untrustworthy, Vura easily sets aside her misgivings and she gives him the benefit of the doubt even in the face of damning evidence that he is lying her.

Tonk has a bit of a troubled past but he has worked hard to overcome his demons. He is the epitome of the strong silent type and he is quite observant. He has strong ties to his heritage and despite a few missteps in the past, Tonk treats people with respect and reverence. Tonk is such an admirable and likable character that it is very exasperating that he remains on the periphery for much of the novel.

Since it takes almost the entire novel for Vura to finally see what her family recognized about Dane years earlier, Hearth Song is an enjoyable albeit frustrating addition to the Home in the Hills series. While it is understandable that Vura needs to come to terms with her relationship with Dane, the overall story gets bogged down in his misdeeds and his inexplicable ability to bamboozle her time after time. Once their relationship is finally resolved, Dane's desperation leads to a dramatic decision and Lois Greiman brings the novel to a suspenseful and action filled conclusion.

4.5 stars.

Hearth Stone is the first heartwarming installment in Lois Greiman's Home in the Hills series. This charming novel is a lovely story of new beginnings for Sydney Wellesley when she impulsively purchases a dilapidated ranch nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Leaving behind a life of privilege is only the first of many changes for Sydney as she finds love and friendship while forging a new life for herself in the wake of a devastating accident.

Sydney is the only daughter of a wealthy but cold and controlling businessman. Following the accident that ends her promising career as equestrienne, she breaks off her engagement to her cheating fiancé and escapes to the Lazy Windmill Ranch. She falls in the love with surrounding area and purchases a neighboring property which she plans to turn into a training facility for other equestrians. When her father demands she return home, Sydney stubbornly defies him, but she quickly discovers she might have bitten off more than she can chew when he cuts off her access to her credit cards and checking account. Luckily for her, Hunter Redhawk is the type of person who cannot in good conscience leave her to fend her for herself, so against his better judgment, he agrees to help her make some much needed repairs on the ranch.

Sydney has spent her life trying to live up to her family's impossibly high standards and she is somewhat distant and cold when she first arrives in SD. She is also rather helpless since she has never had to take care of anything on her own. Lacking even the most rudimentary skills, Sydney is out of her depth, but she refuses to give up her dream. Working side by side with Hunter, she begins to warm up to him and she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Vura Lambert and her young daughter, Lily. But most surprising is the kinship Sydney feels for an injured Mustang she rescues. Her vision for her ranch transforms during the horse's recovery but will she let her need for father's approval alter her plans?

Hunter is a somewhat mysterious man who reveals little about his past. There is no doubt he is a decent, kindhearted person, but he is the epitome of the strong, silent type. He is not easily ruffled and he has a quiet, reassuring presence. He also expects Sydney to pull her share of the weight and he is willing to teach her what she needs to do to help him. While Hunter shares affectionate anecdotes about his family and his childhood on the Rosebud Reservation, it soon becomes clear that there is a tragedy that haunts him.

The relationship between Hunter and Sydney develops slowly over the course of the novel. Sydney is sometimes unintentionally offensive but Hunter takes her prickly attitude in stride and with good humor. It is easy for him to see how sheltered and out of depth she is, but he cannot help but admire her plucky approach to achieving her dream despite the odds not being in her favor. At first reluctant co-workers, their friendship grows as they let down their guard with one another and begin to exchange confidences. There is also a growing attraction that smolders under the surface of their comfortable friendship but in the aftermath of a fiery kiss, an unexpected distance springs up between them.

Hearth Stone is a very touching beginning to the Home in the Hills series. The characters are richly developed and although flawed, they are sympathetic and likable with believable issues to overcome. The novel's setting is distinctive and adds to the story's overall appeal. Lois Greiman does a wonderful job keeping the storyline fresh and unique.

Although a spin-off from the Hope Springs series, Hearth Stone easily stands on its own.

I hope you like the expression "Sweet Jesu", as you'll be reading that a lot from the hero in this book.Story is typical sweet, innocent, novice dragged out of the convent by a very experienced, horny, highland laird. There is also a paranormal element in that she has visions. The heroine is too beautiful to become a nun and the hero is constantly trying to seduce her, regardless of her wishes. She will be presented as the long lost daughter of a rival laird that the hero is to marry, to create peace between the clans. She eventually is told about his plan and reluctantly agrees to go along with it if she can leave after one year. Once they get to the castle, other things happen and suddenly the hero becomes all noble and humble. There are some interesting secondary characters, including the laird's handsome, rakish twin brothers. I thought the book improved greatly after H/h reached their destination, as I initially thought it was headed for a two star rating at best. A pretty good read. 3/5 stars

The denouement was a bit confusing. Who played which part and especially why. Who was the warrior, and why didn't he want to kill her anymore.
There was no reaction from his brothers that he and Anora were in love now.
What caused the change of hart of Munro?
A lot of questions and no answers.
I didn't like Isobel. She seems dishonest.
It took almost to the end of the story before they slept together.

There is a fine balance between romance and action when it comes to books that combine them both. It's usually tough to get it right, and more often than not one overpowers the other - unfortunately, this is what went wrong with this story (well, that and something else, keep on reading).

Gabriel Durrand has lost a man who was in a covert mission in Columbia. Now, he wishes to find him and bring him home, and he needs Eddy Edwards to help him on that. The last thing he expected and needed was for this Eddy person to turn out a woman! One that is very proud, skillful, and yet still very noticeably female. Finding Shepherd will turn out a lot harder than he initially thought...

OK, first, I liked the whole misunderstanding with Eddy's name. I also enjoy tough heroines a lot - although I have to say, trying so hard to prove themselves sometimes gets old nowadays. Still, she was someone a modern female reader could relate with, especially someone who tried working in an all-male environment - been there, done that, and decided it wasn't worth the effort or the possible suicidal thoughts. So I salute her for keeping up with it all and becoming what she became in the end of the book - character growth did wonders for her.

I also found it nice that the happy romantic ending didn't come all too easily when the story came to a close. And yes, the action helped a lot in there, too.

BUT!

The romance could have used a bit more... depth, I guess? It was hard to get into the whole thing with so much going on with the story at once. And that would have been fine, but we're talking about a book that has the romance genre in its main focus as well. See what I'm trying to say? It has been proven that the fine balance I talked about in the beginning of my review CAN be achieved, so I can't really say 'oh, well, it's just impossible to happen'.

Still, what really peeved me to no end, what made me hate reading after a certain page, was Linus. Seriously, I've seen bimbos and nagging main heroines being more thankful than that god damn man! You're being rescued, you stupid horndog! Forget about a woman who has done everything else other than yell it from the rooftops that she's betraying and using you, and be a good rescue victim, grateful for your comrade who risked his ass, his reputation, and everything else in between, to come take you out of that hellhole you ended up in!

As it stood, the story was a solid 4-star maybe in the beginning. But the minute Linus freaking Shepherd started actively talking while being captured, the rating started dropping. Dramatically! Turns out, it is possible for a character to make me do that, huh....

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

While teaching a fellow laird the art of seducing a woman, the hero stumbling upon the one woman he himself can never manage to seduce. Mind you, he has no interest in doing so no matter how beautiful she is. The heroine has a sharp tongue and a dismissive attitude and manages as no one else can to put him on edge and clench his teeth. No, he wants to get as far away from the infuriating woman as he can but his horse comes up wounded and he finds himself stranded at her tavern for another day. Funny how quickly things change. The next thing he knows he overhears his brothers wife's name on her lips in a shadowed conversation and convinces himself that he stays to discover the woman's true loyalties. Then he discovers she's being followed and convinces himself that he stays to see to her safety. All this is bull however as he just refuses to acknowledge the truth-that he stays because he can't stomach the idea of being unable to seduce a woman. The heroine, twin to the laird but cast out and raised a commoner, left her beloved sister and the one place she found peace to work as a maid in a bar because she didn't want to cause any trouble. She's a hard woman who's never known and therefore doesn't understand love or tenderness. She finds the hero entirely sufferable and regardless of just how pretty he is she despises his ego and man whoring nature. She seems to be the only one who can withstand his charm and see through his mask to the shallow creature he is. When the heroine is kidnapped, she instantly looks to the hero to be the villain despite his attempts to save her but regardless, as they escape they become traveling companions on the way back to the hero's keep. From there they discover her sister to be missing and struggle to understand the new feelings developing between them. I didn't like this book for a few reason. First off I felt zero chemistry between the hero and heroine. They had no true heart to heart conversations or in depth emotional bonding and almost the entire book is spent with the heroine refusing to accept the heroine as a good man as well as accepting him as someone she loves. The hero in turn actively pursued her but I found his 'charming' ways quite greasy and slick and found myself understanding why she turned him down repeatedly. Second reason why I didn't like this story was the total lack of any true plot or villain. Someone guy did a pop up at the end but other than that and a few blips of interest most of the book was written in monotone. Third reason I disliked this book was the language. The replacing of MY with the word ME kept me thinking that they were Irish, not Scottish. Also the hero's tight lipped manner in which he answered every statement or question with a question of his own or a mystery non answer. It drove me absolutely nuts!!! Disappointed with the story but it did fit into the paranormal category due to the heroine's mystical link with her sister and the dreams of her being in danger. But this book was a miss in my books.

Widow Madeline Fallon has an image of a proper lady that she maintains amongst Polite Society as a cover. Beneath the masquerade of a prim aristocrat she is talented member of the Lavender House coven. When young women begin to disappear, Madeline investigates.Jasper Reeves has loved Maddie from the moment he first met when he saved her life. He hides his deep regard for the widow, but joins her on her dangerous inquiry in order to keep his beloved safe. However, Jasper also has recently suffered from sexual visions of him with Maddie that he believes is an attempt to cast a spell on him by an unknown adversary for an equally unknown motive; he needs no spell to envision him making love with Maddie. When Maddie returns his desire, neither is sure if it is love or a dark deadly enchantment. This book was such a pleasant surprise. I was hesitant to read it because it looks like your run of the mill historical romance that bores you to tears. But this was pretty good. I loved the characters and their secret yearning for each other. It was real and believable and that made it worth reading again and again

Princess Tatiana Octavia Linnet Rocheneau of Sedonia comes in disguise to Teleere in order to observe the Laird Cairn MacTavish in order to see who he really is before she will send a marriage proposal. She barely sets foot on the shores before she is accosted by none other than the Laird himself. He accuses her of being a well known thief Megs no matter how much she denies it. She doesn't tell him who she really is and he wouldn't have believed her anyway. Tatiana is about to learn more about the seedy underbelly of Teleere than she ever could have imagined.
Between Cairn's extreme stubbornness and distrust and Tatiana's never even attempting to reveal who she is until pretty much the end of the book caused me some fury at points. There was lots of interesting side characters and even a small assassination plot line. It would have been a bit better if the author had spent slightly less time on making Cairn accuse Tatiana of being the thief Megs over and over and maybe actually worked in a little more information on the assassination plot. In the end the main plot was all resolved very quickly while still leaving unsolved subplots. (hopefully resolved in the other 2 books?) But I enjoyed it and it was still good so I will read the next book.

I received this book from Member's Giveaway. I thought this was a cute book. I particularly liked that it was not strictly a romance novel. The premise is Casie, who owns a horse ranch, has her neck up to problems with three teenagers, law suits, sick horses and a man who is getting under her skin.

For the rest of the book review, visit my blog at: http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.com/88933.html

This is a fun series. Think Stephanie Plum as a counselor.

Like a clergyman waking up in a seedy strip club, I have no idea how or why I found myself reading this highland romance. The Scottish Highlands, Texas ranches, Greek yachts, Arab harems are places I fear to tread.

No wonder I found myself completely lost in the narrative. For most of the book I wasn't sure if I was reading fairy-tale fantasy or historical romance masked with a few fictional place names.

The quality of Ms Greiman's writing gives impetus to the narrative, but the story demands complete suspension of disbelief (hence the suspicion that this was intended as a fairy-tale romance). The princess of one fictional country travels incognito to another fictional country to forge an alliance by marrying a laird with an evil reputation. Within minutes of landing on the laird's island she's under arrest, shuffling between the laird's dungeons and prisons and his bed chambers. Meanwhile, the piratical laird metamorphoses into a criminal interrogator and the battle of wits and heavy breathing begins.

I surprised myself by reading this book through to the end, and even taking a quick peek at the second volume in the series, which is tied very closely to the events in the first.

Even though I enjoyed [b:The Princess and Her Pirate|1444513|The Princess and Her Pirate (Sedonia, #1)|Lois Greiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183670974s/1444513.jpg|1435188], it confirmed my aversion (there's a paradox for you!) to this particular sub-genre and probably explains why I abandoned [b:The Princess Masquerade|508093|The Princess Masquerade (Sedonia, #2)|Lois Greiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298562158s/508093.jpg|496117] part-way through.

I love this series and was thrilled to find that another book had been published. Uncorked didn't disappoint me at all (except for a lack of Jack throughout most of the story). I love Chrissy's humour and the amount of denial she embraces in her life. The story is both serious and outright hilarious at the same time, a feat I would not imagine is easy to achieve. A great secondary cast of characters is usually along for the ride, but Uncorked saw them mostly absent, but surprisingly, I didn't much miss them, as Chrissy manages to touch base with just about all of them at some point in the story or another.

I hope this means that the 'un' series will continue and I very much look forward and hope to read more about Chrissy and Jack's chaotic life.

Loved this book enou to go out and immediately order all the rest in the series. Comparisons to Syephanie Plum are misplaced in my opinion. The main character is witty and funny, but there was none of the slapstick you find in the Plum novels. Indeed there are a few very serious scenes throughout the book that make it hard to fit this book into a cozy category. Definitely a great find.

Another entertaining story in the series, a bit convoluted at times with quite a bit of characters this time. Definitely had some laugh out loud moments, like Chrissy's dinner with Rivera's mom, another instance was Chrissy and Eddie at the Strip Please.

Some things that I'm already tired of: Chrissy constantly talking about how beautiful Laney is, and how the world will do and say anything when they are in close (like 243 miles) of Laney and her beauty. I'm also tired of Rivera and Chrissy not actually doing the mattress tango. For crying out loud (which I'm sure Chrissy will do IF she and Rivera ever get that far), three books into the series and no nookie action! Ugh, I'm over that. Annoying, yes. But not enough to stop me from finishing out the series.

Round two with Chrissy and her wacky co-horts, secretary Elaine, the Geekster J.D.,Lieutenant Rivera, and a few of Chrissy's clients.

Elaine wants Chrissy to find J.D., who's been missing since he went to a tech convention in Vegas. For whatever reason, Chrissy doesn't want to accept that Elaine and J.D. are pseudo-dating, but she agrees to see what she can do. After agreeing to look, Chrissy meets a new guy, gets kidnapped, shot at, threatened, forced to deal with a surprise familial visit, and witnesses the aftermath of a possible "murder",all while dealing with the mixed signals coming from Lt. Rivera.

Overall, Chrissy isn't that bad, although I'm not sure why she felt it necessary to lie to Elaine about J.D. Haven't most women had that BFF dating someone we didn't think was right for them but still tried to be there for support? But I digress. At least Chrissy wasn't that shallow in that she actually felt guilty for lying to Elaine. And for the love of canned ham, can Chrissy's sexual drought come (that's what she said!) to an end? I'm hoping that by book 3 she and Rivera have danced the horizontal tango.

I really enjoyed this book, Chrissy McMullen is comfortable in her own skin and even though she's a certified psychologist, readily admits to being not that great of an authority when it comes to personal relationships with members of the opposite sex (for instance, her former BF Eddie Friar).

Chrissy reluctantly becomes involved in trying to solve the murder of one her patients, since she was accused of his murder. I've read reviews of this book and have seen that some have compared Chrissy to Stephanie Plum and I fail to see the similarities. Yes Chrissy is trying to clear her name, but again, she's a psychologist, not employed in any way, shape or form in the law enforcement field.

I thought this was funny, I liked the banter between Chrissy and Rivera; I wasn't prepared for who the killer was, so that was a good twist. I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

What a sweet, fun, charming read! The Lazy Windmill is the name of the ranch in South Dakota where this book takes place, and it is anything but lazy. From beginning to end this book has something going on all the time.If you love stories about misfits then you will have no problem falling in love with every single character in this book.

Casie and Colt have known each other since they were in school. They have shared a kiss, but now Colt is ready to share his life – all he has to do is convince Casie. However, as you will read, it proves way more difficult than it sounds. Casie and Colt serve as surrogate parents for their brood which consist of Emily, Sophia and Ty. All three are teenagers that need love, stability, safety, and most importantly someone who believes in them. All three are unique characters with their own stories to tell,and all three will have your heart tied in knots.

There is A LOT going on in this book. You have the main story of Casie and Colt, but each secondary character, Emily, Sophia and Ty, along with the ranch’s guests all have equally interesting and appealing stories. They are all woven together beautifully and flow smoothly to give you a heart-warming read. Symbolism is strong throughout the book, but it just adds to the charm and warmth of the read. You will be left thinking yes there are still good people left in the world, and wishing there were a few more “Casie” and “Colts” out there – especially for young trouble teenagers.

Rating: 4

Heat Rating: Sweet

Reviewed by: A. Lyn

Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

I received this from Library Thing to read and review. Since I had never read any other author’s books, I wondered if I would enjoy this before I began. I need not have worried. In the vein of Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs, this novel will suck the reader in from the get-go. Cassie Carmichael runs a dude ranch, but in addition to her paying guest, a bronco-riding grandmother, she also has taken in abused animals and three , troubled teenagers: Ty, whose mother bet him, Sophie, daughter of a real estate mogul who pays little or no attention to his daughter, and Emily, an unwed teenage mother. Add in a would-be love interest, Colt, and Cassie finds herself with her hands full. This story winds through numerous adventures in their daily lives. The author has provided a story filled with love, hope and a solid sense of family (though, as Cassie reminds us, they are not really a family in the truest sense of the word). Once I began, I found myself eagerly awaiting the next page and/or chapter to see how things would turn out for Cassie’s “family”. One thing I found very interesting is the interest the author has portrayed the plight of abused animals, something not often touched in books of this genre. The characters are both endearing and real as are the situations. Now that I have read this book, I will seek out other books by the author and await any future books. Finally, the author or publisher has included questions for group discussions, knowing that this book is an ideal candidate for these.

Home Fires by Lois Greiman
Finding home is the series with this being the next in line. Casie has told her city boyfriend she's done with him and stays on the farm her father left her when he died.
She adopts not only animals that nobody wants but a child from another farm, Ty whose mother was beating him up, and a pregnant girl, Emily and the real estates daughter, Sophie to make her strong and a love interest, Colt Dickinson.
Colt attempts to come to the rescue with $10k when she needs it for Angels' surgery and Casie does not want to take it...
He is also there to lend her farm a horse for the guest that is paying for the next several weeks. and he's there to help heal the horse with a foot problem.
More trouble arises when Sophie learns of what a farm closeby does to the mares that are pregnant-for health procedures and she enlists Ty to help rescue some of the horses...
Helpful info on raising of horses and most other animals...
I received this book from Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest opinion

FINDING HOME by Lois Greiman
Cass Carmichael has returned back home to the ranch in South Dakota. Her father has passed away and she hopes to spruce up the ranch and sell it to get back to her fiance and the city where they share an apartment that she pay for with her job as assistant secretary.
She's funding his college education and after he becomes a doctor they will put their money into her further education. Problem is she's putting all her time and money, what's left into the ranch. The lambs are birthing, the cows are birthing and the horses. There are ducks and other animals on the ranch that she just can't turn her back on.
She accumulates more strays, others will donate their time for a place to sleep and help out to learn and to push themselves into helping others.
When Bradley shows up for a night he talks her into the hotel stay and asks for not only the months rent but the next month as well.
I wanted to read this book because it's about not only horses which I want to learn all I can about but South Dakota. Never visited but like what I've read about it.
Also loved the setting of a table under a tree with light bulbs on, looks so inviting and cozy.
A stray, Emily helps in the kitchen and with the animals. They adopt the real estate agents daughter, well she pays to be there and that helps the animals with better food. She knows horses and helps them learn.
Hospital emergency and it draws them all together and we find out other mysteries that shed light on what happened.
Love how she takes what she has and turns it into something real good. It's everyday living on the ranch where things don't always go right.

This book starts out as the traditional historical romance. It sets up a set of girls (cousins) who are dedicated to each other and swear they will be there for each other no matter what. As they get older one of the girls is a mother who decides that her infant son needs protection. She states this as she passes away and gives the infant to her cousin. This cousin will do anything to protect the baby.

Sir Boden Blackblade is sent to retrieve the child and is unaware that the woman is protecting the infant he seeks. An attraction begins.

What I didn't buy or care for about this book was the paranormal aspect. The young girls swear their promise over a dragon pendant. When Lady Sara and Sir Boden finally connect they also begin to share the same dreams. This just wasn't my style and therefore gave it up.

I'm not a fan of using mistaken or hidden identity as a plot device. I don't feel like the characters can really fall in love when they aren't who they seam. An OK read besides this.½