Michelle CelmerBesprekingen

Romance

I wanted to like this story but in the end it was just okay

Received an ARC of this story for an honest review. More Than a Convenient Bride by Michelle Celmer has all the elements that I look for within a story. It is a Harlequin published book written by an author that I like. It is part of the Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm series. Lastly, this book was a good book. I love the concept of not appreciated what you have until it is almost lost. This is an amazing story. My one problem was that the story seemed to falter at times.

Check out my review and a teaser here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2012/04/disappointmentville-nanny-bomb...

Would of loved a recap of all the others...this one was emotional and the ending a classic of i almost lost you! Didn't see this events in this one unfolding how it did!

Love the series but this one gets 4.75 stars!!!

Enjoyed this series greatly!!!

4.5 stars! Loved that this was slightly different than your normal we loved and I had your baby story

I really liked this one! Call me the eternally optimistic but I knew Garrett thought he was there for revenge - when he truly wasn't!! Loved the butlers help in the story!

Sometimes a person that is "the help" is perfect for "a royal"

4.75 stars!!!

Attempting to get even can sometimes lead you to the one you were meant to be with!

Sad story but of course it all works out!!!


Loved that I got to reread it.

Check out my review and a teaser here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2012/04/disappointmentville-nanny-bomb...

Fun book. Parker showed up as one of Liam's friends in Nanny Makes Three, a popular doctor who has a reputation with the ladies. In this book he has set his sights on Clare, a woman who has intrigued him from the moment he met her. Though she discourages his advances, he gets the feeling there is some interest. Caring for a critically ill newborn together gives him a chance to get a little closer.

I really liked Parker. He always seemed to have an upbeat attitude and wasn't one of those arrogant, know-it-all doctors. I loved seeing how much he cared about baby Janey and finding out what was wrong with her. Clare's touch-me-not attitude was a challenge for him, and he loved poking at her with his pet names and flirting ways.

I liked Clare too. She is just as drawn to Parker, but a bad experience when she was younger makes her keep her distance from doctors as relationships. That experience also makes it difficult for her to trust men, especially ones that she sees as players like Parker.

I loved the development of their relationship. After several months of not quite adversarial interactions, they came together over their mutual concern for baby Janey. I loved seeing Parker's sensitive side come out when he was talking to her in the stairwell. Then his protectiveness when he found her stranded with car trouble, and the way he used it to his advantage. He was really funny when he took her home and kept teasing her with his outrageous actions. Out of the hospital it was harder for Clare to deny her attraction to Parker, and seeing her just go for it was awesome. Again, Parker shows great sensitivity when Clare shows evidence of some hangups, and that makes Clare soften even more toward him. As they get closer, both of them are able to open up to each other about the things in their pasts that have affected them the most, which only deepens the feelings that are starting to develop. Things are really looking good until a boneheaded action of Parker's threatens the trust that Clare has shown in him. I loved the advice that he got, and who it came from, showing that there have been some really big changes in his outlook. I also liked Clare's big moment at the end, and the changes it showed in her own life.

There's also an interesting twist regarding the identity of baby Janey. Who she turns out to be also solves the riddle of what had been making her so sick. I'm looking forward to the rest of her story in a later book.

I will say that the title really didn't seem to have much to do with the book. The only baby was Janey and there was no dare involving her. The only dare I saw was Parker daring Clare to take a chance on them.

Very good book. Holly has been dealing with a whole host of problems. She is the mother of twin boys, whose father is dead. She had married him because she was pregnant, not knowing that he had drug problems. With his death, she discovered that he had left massive debts, which she currently has no way to pay. Without income, she will also soon be homeless. When her doorbell rings one night, she is stunned to find a man that looks just like her husband standing there, a man who turns out to be her husband's twin brother.

Holly finds out that her husband had told her a bunch of lies about who he was and where he had come from. When Jason explains who he is, and that he wants to help, she is relieved, but also cautious. Having been deceived once, she doesn't want to risk it again. It doesn't take too long for her to realize that Jason is the real thing, which creates a different kind of problem. She is very attracted to him.

Jason was stunned to find out that his brother had not only married, but fathered twin boys. He is determined to do whatever is necessary to take care of them. Making Holly part of the package is no hardship. In spite of her frazzled appearance, he was attracted to her from the moment he met her. He'd like to get closer to her, but he's got his own secret that is keeping him at a distance.

I really liked Jason. He is a wonderful man who really cares about the people around him. He had done everything he could to help his brother, and felt guilty that nothing had worked. It was really sweet to see how quickly he took to the boys. The attraction he feels for Holly is really strong, and his feelings for her grow rapidly, but he has health issues that make him reluctant to marry and have a family of his own. I liked the way that he was honest with her about it, even though he was being terribly pessimistic. He tries very hard to keep their relationship to just friends, but it is a losing battle.

I loved Holly's independence. She really wants to be able to handle everything herself, but she has to admit that she needs help. She also sees Jason's need to take care of the twins, since they are the only family he has left. She's also just as attracted to him as he is to her and is willing to see where it goes, until he explains his issues to her. She starts out agreeing with him that they should stick to being friends, but the more she gets to know him the more she wants him.

I loved seeing the relationship develop between Holly and Jason. I loved seeing them give in to the passion that went along with their friendship. It grew rapidly into love, but neither would admit it to the other. Jason had begun to realize that his fears were a bit extreme, but he wasn't sure how to tell Holly that he had changed. Holly had also realized that she would rather have whatever time she could with Jason, rather than deny them both the life that they wanted. There was a very interesting twist at the end that surprised both Holly and Jason. I loved seeing them finally have the courage to share their feelings and look forward to a future together. I would have liked an epilogue to see the results of that surprise, but maybe they'll show up in a later book.

I also liked the secondary characters of Lewis and Miranda and the struggles they were going through. It was nice to see Holly and Miranda develop such a wonderful friendship, and the support they gave each other. I loved seeing Holly be there for Miranda during her troubles, and how Miranda repaid her. The bathing suit scene was pretty funny, especially with the resulting discovery.

More Than a Convenient Bride was given to me for an honest review through Net Galley

Julie is about to deported because the government won't renew her work visa thanks to some arrest when she was younger. She doesn't want to leave Royal, Texas and she doesn't want to leave her best friend and boss. There is a solution but the only person she trusts enough to ask is her best friend Lucas.

Lucas is devastated by the news that his best friend will have to leave the country and he is helpless to stop it. When his friend suggest that he marry Julie to keep her in the country he balks but the next day he goes to her office to talk about it anyway.

To read entire review please visit http://lauralusbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/04/more-than-convenient-bride-texas...

Good friends to lovers story. Luc and Julie have known each other and worked together for years, and have developed an excellent friendship. Six months after the tornado that hit Royal, Julie has been told that her work visa will not be renewed and she will have to leave the US. Luc doesn't like that idea at all. She has become too important to him and his work. So Luc offers her a marriage of convenience. They will remain friends and coworkers, just with a little bit of show to convince their friends that it's real.

Neither expects the words "you may kiss the bride" to set off uncontrollable fireworks. Suddenly they have trouble keeping their hands off each other. But is this a case of friends with benefits, or is there something more going on?

Julie is cautious about getting involved emotionally with Luc. She doesn't want to ruin their friendship, and lose the home she has found in Royal. She has some trouble believing that someone like Luc could love her, thanks to some issues in her past. His ex-fiancee's arrival in town is a blow to her confidence, especially when it appears that he is spending time with her. So she keeps insisting that all they have is friendship and sex. She can't admit what she has with him until she is helped out by a very unlikely source.

Luc has avoided getting involved with another woman since the end of his engagement six years earlier. His fiancee hadn't liked how involved he was in his work and broke things off. Since his dedication to his work hasn't changed, he doesn't see marriage in his future, until Julie needs his help. He started out just wanting to help her, but that kiss at the wedding really blew him away. Suddenly he was looking at her a whole new way. It still took him awhile to realize that he loved her. He was also kind of oblivious to things that were going on around him. The arrival of his ex-fiancee as the mother of one of his patients threw him for a loop when she first arrived. Fortunately he quickly realized that he had no feelings left for her, but because of that he never thought to mention her arrival to Julie. I loved the way that his mother pointed out the error of his ways to him. Once he knew how he felt, trying to convince Julie became his goal.

I was really unsure about the presence of Luc's ex-fiancee, Amelia. There were times when she really seemed manipulative, and determined to get Luc back for herself, no matter what she had to do. There were other times when she appeared to be a worried mom, just interested in getting the best care possible for her son. And when she was around Julie, she was the sweet woman who knew she had done wrong and learned her lesson. I wasn't sure what effect her presence was going to have until the very end.

There were some pretty funny moments in the books that involved Houdini, the blind kitten that Luc gave to Julie. I loved the way that Luc had picked out the kitty because of what Julie had said about never having had a pet. It was really sweet of him. The kitten's antics were a bit of a mood lightener when things started getting intense.

My favorite book of the series. It all started when the Caroselli grandfather, Nonno, was afraid that his grandsons would never marry and have kids. So he decided to motivate them by offering millions to the first one to marry and provide an heir. In the first two books Rob and Nick made their runs for the prize, but end up choosing love over money (of course) after learning what is most important. In this book, Tony and Lucy had been together, sort of, for about a year when Lucy suddenly left with no explanation. She and Tony had had a friends with benefits thing going on but kept it private between the two of them. Tony is sad and misses her but never went after her because she had made it clear that there would never be anything more between them. He had never been much interested in relationships either until his grandfather's challenge. But Tony has plans for his future and that money would be useful, so he enters into a business arrangement with another woman, which is where this book starts.

Lucy had left Chicago because she realized that she had fallen in love with Tony. Because of her horrible childhood she knew that she was not a suitable candidate for a wife and thought it would be better to leave. She knew she was pregnant and that he would insist on marriage and she didn't want to ruin his life. But when she receives a letter telling her of his upcoming marriage she knows she has to tell him of the baby before he marries. She didn't expect to show up just as the wedding began.

Tony was actually relieved at Lucy's appearance. He had realized almost immediately that marrying that other woman was going to be a huge mistake, but he couldn't figure out how to get out of it. Lucy's arrival took care of the problem for him. He had missed her so much that all he wanted to do was hang on to her. She had been the only person that he ever felt he could talk to about what he really wanted out of his life. He couldn't believe that she was planning to leave again once she told him. I loved seeing him work to get her to agree to stay and let him take care of her.

I found Tony to be absolutely adorable. He wasn't arrogant or conniving, in fact he was pretty darn clueless. He has a terrible habit of putting his foot in his mouth because he doesn't always think before he speaks. But his heart is definitely in the right place and it shows with everything he tries to do for Lucy. Tony also gets frustrated with his big Italian family because he feels like they are always interfering in his life. I loved seeing first his mother, then his grandfather, take Lucy to their hearts, especially because they and the rest of the family had hated that other woman. Tony was so afraid of driving Lucy away, because of their earlier friendship only pact, that he never told her how much his feelings for her had changed.

Lucy was a young woman with terrible self-esteem issues. Her mother is a self-centered drug and alcohol addict that made Lucy's life miserable. Because of it, Lucy feels that she is nowhere near worthy enough to have any expectation of a life with Tony. She was so in love with him that she couldn't stand the idea of bringing trouble to him, which is why she left. But guilt brought her back so that she could tell him about the baby. She couldn't believe he wasn't angry with her. Those same guilty feelings made her agree to stay in Chicago so he could look after her, but she still cared too much about him to say yes to marrying him. He had made it clear before that he didn't do relationships and she didn't want to be an obligation.

I loved Tony's family. Lucy was so sure that they would all hate her that she was completely surprised when his mom showed up that first morning and was so nice to her. It was really great to see Sarah tell her about her own experiences as a newlywed. I also liked the way that she fussed at Tony about his own actions. I also adored Nonno and how sweet he was to Lucy. There were some really fun moments during family get togethers.

The conclusion of the story was wonderful. There had been some drama when Lucy found out about the money, but it was pretty quickly resolved. I loved the way that Tony resolved Lucy's fears. There were also a couple of very interesting twists to the end that had me grinning.

Good book. Caitie has come back home because of the loss of her job. The financial firm she worked for has gotten in trouble with the law, and finding a new job has become difficult. So she's helping out at her parents' diner. It's a small town so she knows she'll run into her ex, but didn't expect it so soon. She can't believe she's still attracted to him after all this time. Caitie still feels guilty about the way she left town without a word, then sending him an inadequate apology letter a month later. She had thought about contacting him, but then heard that he'd married her best friend and they had a child. Feeling her own sense of betrayal, she hasn't seen him since. She's only planning to stay in town until she finds a new job, but that seems to be taking awhile. Seeing Nate again has brought the old feelings back to the surface, not just her feelings for him but the feelings of betrayal by him and her best friend Mel. She finally sat down with her friend and they talked. I liked that they made up, but I thought both Mel and Nate could have grovelled a little more than they did. Having made up, Caitie finds Mel doing her best to shove her and Nate together, trying to get them back together. Caitie has to decide if she cares enough to stay in Colorado or if she's going to go back to New York. I liked seeing some of the changes that Caitie went through. The longer she was home, the more she realized that she had missed it. She also realized that she hadn't really had much of a life back in New York because she was working all the time. She began to see that having some balance in her life made her a lot happier and that Nate was an important part of it. I loved seeing the solution to her job issues and how it was her friends that pointed it out to her.

Nate was still living in Paradise, now working as a Deputy Sheriff. He had been deeply in love with Caitie and when she left town without telling him why, he was devastated. Unfortunately, hanging out with Caitie's best friend, getting drunk with her and getting her pregnant was not the best way to deal with it. That kept him from going after her when he finally discovered where she was. Seven years later he has to deal with her being back in town. I loved seeing him be the one to rescue her a couple times and the effect it had on him. He soon realized that he had never really gotten over her. Their reconciliation seemed to happen pretty easily. I enjoyed the way that Nate was there for her and helped her do things at her parents' house. I loved the hose and paint scene. Nate didn't want her to leave town again, but he was determined that he wasn't going to ask her to stay, that it had to be her decision. Things were going along pretty well until he had an attack of insecurity. I really wanted to shake him when he was being such an idiot.

There were also side stories involving Caitie's parents and sister. Besides her job loss and Nate, Caitie was also dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis. There are several occasions when it is Nate who is there for Caitie when she needs him. It was difficult to watch as her mom has more frequent episodes and the effect it has on Caitie. I loved the way various friends stepped in to help as they learned what was wrong. Caitie also reunites with her sister, with whom she's had a rocky relationship. I'd like to see Kelly get her own story, once she's had a chance to grow up a little.

Good book. It starts out with Rob getting talked into going out on New Year's Eve with a woman he'd been casually dating, and who ended up leaving with someone else. He wasn't in a great mood anyway. As marketing director for the family business he had just found out that an outside consultant had been hired to come in and make changes. When he's approached by a gorgeous woman he decides to stick around a little while and ends up sleeping with her. He was not too happy to find out later that she was the new consultant. I liked both Rob and Carrie but they certainly had some issues to deal with.

Carrie was a strong, independent career woman. After one bad experience she has made it a rule to not get personally involved with any of her clients. When she finds out her New Year's fling is Rob Caroselli she is not happy. When he tries to convince her, then intimidate her, into not taking the job she stands up to him. She makes it clear to him that it won't happen again. At this point she doesn't like him very much but is still incredibly attracted to him. She blames it on the fact that she always seems to go for the jerks in relationships. But as the days go on she discovers that he's not the jerk she thought he was, and that he's actually pretty darn nice. She also found herself giving in to the attraction as she and Rob work together during the day and explore their growing feelings after work hours. I also liked the way that she enjoyed getting to know the other members of the family. It gave her a taste of something she had not been a part of before. I also liked her friendship with Alice and how they were there for each other.

Rob definitely started out looking like a jerk. Between his sneaking out on Carrie without so much as a note, then his attitude when he saw her again, I wasn't sure I was going to like him much. But after that first bump, especially when we find out why he's been so grouchy, his attitude definitely improves. He still is attracted to Carrie, but he's willing to try to play by her rules. When they finally decide to quit fighting the attraction he treats her pretty well. I like the way he admits to his growing feelings for her and starts thinking about a future with her. I loved his two conversations with Nick (from Caroselli's Christmas Baby) at the end.

There is also a secondary story dealing with a possible ghost in the house where Carrie was living that has not been resolved. I hope there's more about it in the next book.

Good book. Rowena has gotten her life together after being something of a wild child. She is running a child care center on her father's estate and caring for her special needs son. I liked the way she was so intent on the care of her son. I also liked the fact that she had a troubled past and had overcome her addictions to become a better person. She had long since tired of the way men tried to use her to get to her father so she doesn't date any more. When she is introduced to Colin there is an immediate attraction between them but she knows better than to give in to it. Colin is in the US to work on a treaty regarding internet security. He is immediately drawn to Rowena but is warned off by her father. He finds, however, that he just can't stay away from her. I really liked the way he continued his pursuit of Rowena even though they had to be careful. I also loved how good he was with her son. There was an immediate connection there, even though Colin had no idea if he would be any good with children. He hadn't had a good relationship with his mother so he is very impressed by Rowena's love for her son. I liked the way that Colin's attentions gave Rowena the courage to finally stand up to her father and take her life back. I didn't like the Senator at all. I also liked the way that Rowena is going to take their relationship slowly to make sure that everything goes smoothly. There wasn't much about the continuing mystery of the president's daughter, but there were a few hints dropped on the progress. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Caroselli Christmas Baby by Michelle Celmer
3 STARS
The Caroselli Inheritance series
The Grandfather of Caroselli family brings together his three grandsons who are not showing signs of settling down. He tells them he has made a trust of 30 million dollars if they produce a son they get 10 million dollars by certain time. He wants the family name to continue.
I thought the idea was terrible to begin with and then read thier really was not a fund set up.
Theresa Phillips has been good friends with Nick Caroselli for over 20 years. They get together for dinner once a week and she spends holidays with his family. His mom has been more of a mom to her than her Aunt who raised her. Theresa wants a family and her life plan was to have kids before she was 30. So she decides to be a single mother and tells Nick about her decision a week after his Grandfather's offer.
Nicolas gets the idea that they have a baby together. He will be thier for her child if anything happens to her. They could make it the old fashioned way. Then after the baby is born they can get a divorce but still remain best friends. They would keep it a secret and pretend for his family's sake that it is real.
His two cousins guess about it being fake and worn him if he hurts her they will be tough on him. They care about Theresa too much to see her hurt.
They plan to get married in two weeks so everybody assumes that she is already pregnant.
Thier are a lot of sex scenes in this book that I skipped over, which is normal for a harlequin Desire book.
Thier are family secrets that are going on in the family that I would like to know the answers too. Thier are a lot of marriages that are on the rocks and make it hard to trust in marriage.
Caroselli family business is making chocolate and reading about it makes me want some so beware it sounds yummy.
The Caroselli family tends to get drunk on holidays. I like how they pull together for each other.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
Publisher: Harlequin Desire (November 1, 2012) 192 pages ASIN: B008X4BO96

This was quite an enjoyable tale with scientist Liv invited by Prince Aaron to his castle to solve the problem of the crops iat the east wing of his estate, which are diseased. She is confident about her job, but not so confident, outside of it, and Aaron is determined to get to know her better.
I loved Liv. Quirky, and bright. Opposites attract, kind of story.

A charming story of a divorced Mum, with a teen daughter, a threatening ex husband, finding romance with her next door neighbour, who happens to be a cop. He is fostering a baby, and he employs Sydney, the Mum, as his Nanny for baby April. Decisions regarding the next step for relationships for all is told here. Good.