Tag Archives: Bluebonnet

Review: The Bad Boy of Bluebonnet (Bluebonnet #4.5) by Jessica Clare

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Title: The Bad Boy of Bluebonnet
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Publishing 9/2/14
Length:   69 Pages
Series:  BlueBonnet #4.5

Overview

Emily Allard-Smith enjoys running her tiny bed and breakfast in quiet Bluebonnet, Texas. The only problem? It�s haunted, and she�s got no one to call when things go bump in the night.

Enter Jericho Lozada. He�s tall, sexy, mohawked, and good with his hands. He�s also not scared of Em�s ghost. And just when Em decides that she needs a man in her life with lots and lots of tattoos�her ex shows up again.

Now Emily has to figure out if she wants to keep a hold on the ghosts of her past�or look into a future with Jericho. But does Jericho even want a future with her?

My Thoughts

we met Emily when we had Elise and Rome’s story and it’s nice to get this little novella to see how things played out for her since there was a tease in that installment with Jericho (Rome’s brother) staying at the B&B o being there more often than expected.

So in this post 4th installment, we have Emily who’s a divorcee and owner of The Peppermint House trying to get on with her life while business is slow and she’s trying to make repairs to the house.  The nuance of course is that this is an old house and has a lot of repairs, and supposedly is haunted.  Living alone and not having any guests at the moment makes things even worse since she’s terrified at night.

Then there’s Jericho – the brother we met in the last installment, who’s also tatted up and looks amazing yet a bit too rough and edgy for this little town.  When Emily hires him to do some of the work around the house, we see how things quickly take an overly friendly turn for them and it’s sweet to see that happen.

Given that this is a novella, there’s no real build here and not a ton of suspense – just a story of these two finding out if there is something to pursue and how to take that.  It’s when Emily’s ex shows up and tries to sweet talk her that we see any real action, but all in all, still a good sweet story.  Supposedly there’s a novella out there for Luanne – Emily’s sister – so we’ll see if i can track it down.  Otherwise, i think that i may have read everyone’s story so it’s on to something else now.  Have a great night all!

Review: The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving (Bluebonnet #4) by Jessica Clare

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Title: The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Publishing 6/3/14
Length:   304 Pages
Series:  BlueBonnet #4

Overview

Playing innocent is easy.

After being the quiet, shy girl her whole life, Elise Markham is ready for a mental makeover. She’s done keeping to herself and staying out of trouble—it’s time to break out of her shell and maybe meet someone intriguing in the process. So, on a photography trip to Bluebonnet, she has a whole lot more on her mind than snapping photos, especially when Rome walks into the picture.

Playing dirty is fun.

The newest instructor at Wilderness Survival Expeditions has a colorful past, to say the least. Having come from a family of notorious con artists that destroyed his credit and reputation, all before his eighteenth birthday, Rome just wants a decent job and a quiet life in a town where no one knows his name. He’s exactly the kind of bad boy that an innocent girl like Elise should stay far away from.

But Elise is tired of doing what’s right. She’s ready to throw caution to the wind—and let Rome show her just how exciting being bad can be…

My Thoughts

There are so many folks for us to get into their stories for in this series, so it’s nice that we get to see what happens when Grant’s sister Elise crosses paths truly with Rome -their new employee.

From what you’ll remember from Grant’s story, Elise is in town with the family for a visit, and she’s quite the complex young lady.  We know that she’s really shy and reserved and that she has this past that we don’t know much about – she never went to school in town and that’s something that makes you take pause right?

She met Rome when he came to the ranch in search of a job, and he’s exactly the kind of bad boy that ideally would have been perfect for Brenna, but the sort of guy that makes Elise think and feel things that she’s never experienced before.

Her time back in Bluebonnet is an opportunity for her to stand on her own two feet, to be an adult since she’s been protected and sheltered by her parents her whole life.  Rome wakes something up inside her and if he’s strong enough to take on that challenge, what we’ll likely see is something intense and passionate.

The nice thing about this story is that where we had opposites in Grant and Brenna, there’s an even deeper level of opposites here with these two, and Rome is definitely not what he seems on the outside.  He’s got a past that’s shaped him into the kind of guy he is now, and all he wants to do is get by.  He’s not even searching for happiness anymore  just freedom.

In true form of our author, we get a sweet story more of romance than sex, which takes us in a different direction than the last installment.  there are true and real feelings that develop in this story and it’s really a question of when Grant’s going to find out and what that will mean since we know that he won’t approve.

Secrets are revealed, Rome’s past comes to haunt him in both the form of his brother and his parents, and you really don’t know what that’s going to mean for his sanity, his career and his hopes for ever being with Elise.

Elise on the other hand has a load of experiences that she wants to get under her belt – she really hasn’t done much in the form of living through her life and being with Rome and around the girls makes her take leaps that are so new to her.  I love the progression that we see her take and i love that the girl that we met in book 3 is not the same that we see towards the end of book 4.  It’s a sweet romance, but one that’s really destined not to work out.  Can’t wait to see what happens next in this series.

Review: The Expert’s Guide to Driving a Man Wild (Bluebonnet #3) by Jessica Clare

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Title: The Expert’s Guide to Driving a Man Wild
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Publishing 1/7/14
Length:   238 Pages
Series:  BlueBonnet #3

Overview

Being out of control…

The product of a rigid upbringing, Brenna has grown into a sexy free spirit who does things her way. No possessions, no debt, no man, and no rules to tie her down. And if she has to work, what better way than as assistant in a wilderness expedition team? So many opportunities to go wild.

…can be risky when you’re falling in love.

One person who doesn’t “get” Brenna is her boss, Grant. He prefers order and emotions kept in check, which means Brenna loves to push his boundaries. He’d be impossible to work for if he wasn’t so infuriatingly hot. But when his overbearing, matchmaking mother arrives in town, Brenna volunteers to be Grant’s pretend girlfriend. After all, it’s the perfect opportunity to drive Grant crazy at every turn.

Brenna’s just a little surprised when Grant agrees to her wild, impulsive schemes. And she’s more than a little surprised when their games take them to the bedroom…

My Thoughts

There’s been a lot building up to hearing Brenna’s story and Grant’s story so it’s nice that we got to finally have it all come to a head in this third full installment.  We’ve seen their pranks and teasing and it’s definitely a bit of foreplay (as his sister notes) but it takes Grant’s parents coming into town and meddling once again about how he needs to get over his wife who passed away five years prior that makes things actually change between then.

We know that Brenna is a free spirit and down for almost anything, so it’s her impulsiveness that changes the dynamic while letting them open up to all things that you can participate in when you’re ‘together’ but not together.

It’s so cliche to me when you start to read about characters who go into things with ‘no strings attached’ and no emotions in play since we’ve seen it time and time again that it just doesn’t work.  We saw it as recently as the first book with Miranda and Dane so it’s really no surprise when it blows up in their face.  In any event, the journey that we go on with them in the meantime is really fun to read.

We see that there are secrets in Brenna’s past that she’s not ready to share with anyone and yet is forced to open up about once things get complicated and deep.  Grant also has his own control issues that we learn about after a bit of time which makes it all make sense.

The nice thing though is that we’re quite easily distracted from all that when we get all of the amazingly sexy scenes that Ms Clare is known for.  I don’t know how she does it, but each couple has an interesting and unique dynamic that we get something totally different in each installment.  Here we have the sexiest dirty talk yet from Brenna, a girl who knows what she wants and asks for it.  And we have Grant who’s held himself back from everything for five years, and once he’s able to get back into the swing of things, he’s so sexy and steamy that it makes the story come alive.

The question of course becomes, we know that they started their relationship out of a lie, and i spent much of the book wondering if anyone would realize that it was a lie before the couple made an honest situation out of it.  You;ll have to read to find out, but know that there are questions of motives throughout and a lot of splitting up and running away.  I can’t wait to see what’s next.  We saw that Elise (Grant’s sister) has her own dark past, yet she’s got this amazing attraction to Rome (the new employee for their company) and his past is something of a mystery as well.  There’s going to be something great coming from their story and i can’t wait to see what that is.  Have a great night all!

Review: The Billionaire of Bluebonnet (Bluebonnet #1.5) by Jessica Clare

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Title: The Billionaire of Bluebonnet
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Publishing 9/18/12
Length:   79 Pages
Series:  BlueBonnet #1.5

Overview


Risa’s luck was running out…

Risa Moore is content with her work as a live-in assistant to an elderly lady—until her boss passes on. Now, she’s stuck in the tiny town of Bluebonnet, Texas, with no job, nowhere to live, and no prospects. Leaving Bluebonnet means starting her life over from scratch, so when Risa gets the opportunity of a lifetime, it’s hard to turn it down. But does her sexy new boss want something more than just an employee?

Until she met a man worth his weight in gold.

Young, hot, and fabulously wealthy, Travis Jesson has no intention of ever returning to his small Texas hometown. Then his grandmother passes away, leaving him her estate and her pet. His plans involve disposing of her things as expediently as possible…until he meets her gorgeous live-in help. And Travis finds himself proposing an entirely different sort of relationship…

My Thoughts

This series is definitely giving me something to hold my attention while there’s nothing on TV and no stores are open.  (Gotta love when it’s Christmas and you don’t celebrate it).  Anyhow, in this novella, we get to have a story supported by characters that are not part of those that we’ve met before, we haven’t heard of either and the only link to the main bits of the series are through the salon that Beth Ann owns.

It’s a quick story nonetheless but a sweet one where we see Travis trying to come to terms with the death of his grandmother and trying to sort out her last and final wishes while trying to get back to his life in Houston.  of course when the door to her house is opened by a sexy and delicious looking woman, plans change.

As we’ve seen in the series for the other installments, there’s really no delay in getting down to business with our couples – the chemistry that they have is something the ignites quickly and it’s really sweet to see how our alpha males, how the controlling and dominant men are able to make these women putty in their hands.  Risa really had no choice.

So after a steamy night in Bluebonnet, Risa finds herself going with Travis back to Houston to help him acclimate to the pig that was left to him, and it’s worked out well for her as she doesn’t have a job or a home and he’s offered her an excessive amount of money for the two weeks that he’s got before a trip.

where this story goes off the rails a bit is that it’s clear that there’s an attraction, but the intention in my head was never for this to turn into a relationship yet it jumps the shark a bit quite quickly to a place where Risa is making demands on him and his time in the form of a relationship.  All that taken into account though, at least we get a quick resolution to all that and an ending that fits the novella.  Can’t wait to see what’s next in this series.  Enjoy!

Review: The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male (Bluebonnet #2) by Jessica Clare

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Title: The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Publishing 5/7/13
Length:   283 Pages
Series:  BlueBonnet #2

Overview

Beth Ann needed a hero.

Beth Ann Williamson is done with her on-again, off-again fiancé. The problem? No one in her small town believes that it’s really over. Beth Ann is determined to show Bluebonnet, Texas, that she can take care of herself. But her plans go awry when she gets stranded in the woods and has to be saved by a handsome, if scowling, Marine.

She got more than she bargained for.

Survivalist Colt Waggoner is not pleased when he’s sent to rescue the pampered princess, and he’s even more annoyed when Beth Ann isn’t grateful for his help. He decides to teach the sexy blonde a lesson—a weekend alone in the wild. Just the two of them, in muddy, wet clothing that needs to come off…

But Beth Ann is not as spoiled as he thought. And when she propositions him for a one-night stand, he knows he should turn it down, because this alpha male might need more than one night to satisfy him…

My Thoughts

This is a really sweet series and the fact that there are so many characters involved that we know that they will all have their own fun filled installments makes it that much better.  As you’ll recall, we met Dane and Miranda in the first book and now it’s time to get into Colt (Dane’s best friend and business partner) and Beth Ann (Miranda’s best friend).  They both know each other from high school yet they were not friends at all, so seeing where they are 9 years later makes it that much more exciting.

The biggest thing about their story is that Beth Ann is a girl who’s life has been dictated by everyone around her.  Her family has expectations of her, her father is the Mayor and of course that means that she has to look and act a certain way.  She’s also coming out of a relationship that lasted for the past 9 years with a man who says he loves her but shows the opposite – cheating on her every chance he got.  So Beth Ann had set out to survive on her own, be independent while not embarrassing anyone and revealing secrets.

Colt on the other hand is ex Marine and owes nothing to anyone.  He has a strained relationship with his family since they have a reputation and are part of a life that he’s tried to leave behind.  So when he’s doing well on his own now with the survival school, he’s in a good place with his friends, it’s definitely interesting to see what happens when Beth Ann comes into the story.

It’s quite sweet actually to see how they are both so good for each – showing the other what it’s like to be cared for and to be wanted by someone else.  It’s tough of course that Colt has had to mislead her a bit on a few things so that he could really get to know her better, and it’s just a matter now of when those secrets are going to come out and who’s going to reveal them.

In true Ms Clare form, we get some amazingly hot scenes – the heat and chemistry between these two is intense.  We see that their connection is something heated and i like that Colt’s able to bring out a side of Beth Ann that she wasn’t able to express with Allan.  The other bit is that there’s really a safety here – one that they both give the other and that’s a nice thing especially with such a macho guy.

There are so many smarmy folks though in the story that are setting them up for failure – and i think that wonder throughout when things will take their toll.  Beth Ann’s business is failing and we can’t figure out how and why.  We see that there’s a lot of family drama with Colt but really don’t even guess the root of things until a secret is revealed.  All in all, plenty of great details to keep us interested.  So now i’m off to find another installment in the series and i hope that you all enjoy your Holiday days!

Review: The Girl’s Guide to (man) Hunting (Bluebonnet #1) by Jessica Clare

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Title: Girl’s Guide to (man) hunting
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Publishing 3/5/13
Length:   278 Pages
Series:  BlueBonnet #1

Overview

Once, Miranda felt a little exposed…

 

Miranda Hill’s cocky ex-boyfriend is back in Bluebonnet, Texas. He ditched her—and their little town—just as some rather shocking photos showed up on the Internet. Miranda wasn’t so lucky. Stuck in Bluebonnet and left to fend for herself, she’s never really shaken the scandal—or his betrayal. After nine long years, he’s back…

It’s time she gets even.

 

Former NHL hotshot Dane Croft has returned home to open a survival training school and reinvent himself. When his high-school girlfriend enrolls in the program, he has no idea that Miranda plans to get him in a compromising position. But to carry out her deviously sexy revenge, Miranda will have to get up-close and personal with Dane all over again. She got nowhere being a good girl; it’s time to be a little naughty. But falling in love with the man who broke her heart was never part of the plan…

My Thoughts

I’m a big fan of Ms Clare from the Billionaire’s series and spin-off that i’ve read that i figured that i could give this one a shot.  It’s been out for a while and i haven’t necessarily been compelled to read it, but i guess it’s good that i’ve got some time on my hands.  None the less, what we have is a sweet story, but maybe one that could use a bit more finesse.

As the description tells us, we are back in Bluebonnet Texas, about 9 years after an infamous experience causes our leading lady Miranda to become the laughing stock of the town, all because a picture was taken of her while playing seven minutes in heaven with Dane, a guy she had a major crush on at the time.  This picture then was posted on line and 9 years later people are still talking about it.  Of course when the chance comes to stake her revenge now that he’s back in town after his NHL career goes to crap, things become all that more interesting.

What we have in this story is a tale of a girl trying to get back at the guy who did her wrong, but as we all know, things will always get complicated.  We see that there are actual feelings developing between them, both physically and emotionally and when things seem to be going her way, secrets are found out and htat makes it all the worse for them both.  i think that throughout the week long survival expedition that they are on we are always wondering who’s going to discover what’s going on and then we also wonder at the same time if Miranda will be able to get her revenge without getting hurt.

The path that the story goes on once they are back from the trip makes you wonder what’s real and what’s not.  We know that Miranda hasn’t told him that she’s moving away, and yet we also know that Dane isn’t telling his friends that he’s with her.  All that together makes it dynamic when Miranda does finally move away for her new job and leaves Dane to wonder what the heck is really going on.

Because it’s a sweet story – the ending that we get is exactly what we expect.  I think the right intentions are all there, but the build was maybe not nearly as dramatic as i would have hoped – knowing what i do from the other series from our author.

All in all, it’s sweet.  steamy and engaging from a passion standpoint which is another thing that we do know that we’ll get from Ms Clare.  But i feel like this was perhaps ‘average’ when the others have been ‘hit out of the park’ .  I’ll give the rest of the series a chance though, so i’ll track down book 2 soon and read it.  Have a great day all!