Bound To The Bachelor

Title: Bound to the Bachelor 

(Montana Born Bachelor Auction #1) 

Author: Sarah Mayberry 

eBook provided by Netgalley 

Published February 20th 2015 by Tule Publishing

Lily Taylor knows Beau Bennett dislikes her, but that won’t stop her from asking him to volunteer for the Bachelor Auction she’s organized to help her friend Molly provide for her tragically injured son, Josh. If Beau’s gorgeous face, piercing blue eyes and chiseled body inspires the women of Marietta to dig into their pockets for a good cause, then Lily will do whatever it takes to secure his participation. 

Beau Bennett isn’t sure how he wound up on the auction block being eyed up by hundreds of eager women, but he knows who to blame for it – Lily Taylor, the sexy, distracting, off-limits best friend of his kid sister. As far as he’s concerned, the sooner this nightmare is over, the better. The last thing either of them expects is for Lily to wind up bidding on – and winning – Beau, or that their date will lead to Beau stepping in to save Lily when her past comes back to haunt her. 

As Beau does his best to keep Lily safe, they discover that maybe they don’t dislike each other quite as much as they thought. In fact, maybe it’s just the opposite…

4 stars!

 Tis' one of the really romantic books I've read this month of Love. If I do have ten thousand grand right now, I'll bid for Beau Bennett immediately, no questions asked!

Bound to the Bachelor is the first book in the Montana Born Bachelor Auction series. Lily Taylor asked Beau Bennett, as well as other hot bachelors of Marietta, to participate in a Bachelor Auction, to raise funds for their friend, Molly and son Josh who was recently involved in a tragic accident. Long before this auction bid took place, Lily and Beau had tried really hard to get away from each other. I basically didn't really know what made Beau dislike Lily so much; is it just because she's got the notorious reputation of being a stripper/exotic lap dancer once? I say, he was quite judgmental if that was his reason for avoiding her. But as the story progressed, we learned the real reason why Beau couldn't trust his heart to be near her.

 On the other hand, Lily's past found its way to come back and haunt her, ultimately putting her life in danger. An inheritance of some sort, amounting to ten thousand dollars, shook up Lily's nerves, and brought about the memories of her past. To get away from it all, she decided to use the money to bid on Beau Bennett. And their lives took a spin from thereon.

 I like happy endings, I crave for it every now and then. The author knew how to make readers swoon for the guy and cry with the girl. This book melts my heart, Lily & Beau have the perfect chemistry. Although their instant love connection and profession of love at the end of the book was too soon, I still liked that "having butterflies in my stomach" feeling after reading their book. It's my first Sarah Mayberry book and hopefully, not the last.

Princess of Thorns

Title: Princess of Thorns 
 Author: Stacey Jay
eBook, 400 pages
Published Dec. 2014
source: Netgalley

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne. Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. 

Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago. Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

3.5 stars

 I’ve got mixed feelings about this book. A month ago, I've read Fractured Dream by KM Randall and I thought it was really great. I became a Storyteller and it was like the book version of Once Upon A Time, the TV series. Now, after reading Princess of Thorns, I couldn't help but compare the two books. Which is totally unfair because each book has its own story to tell.

 Truth be told, I’m a big fairytale fan and I like retellings, too, but I can’t say the same with Princess of Thorns. Somehow, Sleeping Beauty’s story has come to an end and so her daughter Aurora is next to the throne. But she can’t relinquish this throne because she’s on the run, together with her brother Jor; because once the Evil Queen learns she’s alive, Aurora might as well wish for her death. She must hide and save her brother, and then suddenly Prince Niklaas arrives. He thinks Aurora as a boy, so she pretends she’s Jor.

Suffice it to say, the book, in my opinion, was very well written & was quite engrossing. I admire Stacey Jay’s clear and concise descriptions and development of characters, as well as the pacing and magical adventures along the way. But soon, it became too much of a mixture of Mulan & LOTR, that it somehow lost its appeal in the end.

While evidently Aurora & Niklaas had chemistry, the uber romanticism on the latter part of the story became too much for me to bear. But surprisingly, my kids enjoyed reading it, and they told me Aurora kicks @ss. So we’re giving the Princess of Thorns thumbs up!

 

 S T A C E Y  J A Y

Stacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing.

Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor. Learn more at http://staceyjay.com.