Hot Summer Nights - Jaci Burton, Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy, Jessica Clare (Berkley - July 2013)

Passions ignite in these all-new stories from four bestselling masters of contemporary romance? 

Series: Hope (Book .5)

In Jaci Burton's "HOPE SMOLDERS," struggling divorcée Jane has put her personal life on hold to raise her kids -- until she runs into Will, her ex's former best friend, who convinces her it's time to start having fun again.

This story is the introduction to Jaci Burton's new series. I've already read the first book in the series, Hope Flames, and really enjoyed it, so I liked going back and reading about Jane and Will. Jane is the single mother of two who has been struggling since her husband walked out two years ago. All her energy goes to taking care of her kids, her house, and her two jobs. There isn't a lot of time for fun.

Will is surprised by the attraction that he feels for Jane when he sees her again. He feels guilty about not checking up on her and the kids after her husband left them and decides that now is a great time to introduce some fun into Jane's life. So he talks her into a date with him, which goes really great - until an emergency with her daughter breaks it up.

Jane had a great time on the date and the "afters" were wonderful. Will was even supportive and caring with her daughter at the ER. She worries about risking her heart and those of her kids by getting involved with Will. Over the next several weeks things go great as Will makes a place for himself. Jane is very independent and reluctant to allow herself to depend on anyone, especially a man, which ends up creating some conflict. Will was a real sweetheart of a guy. He wanted to help Jane have fun again, but he was also interested in the kids. I loved seeing him make sure there was plenty of time with them as well as alone time with Jane. When they run into a rough patch, I really liked that Will reacted realistically with anger and hurt, but was able to see her point of view after he had a chance to calm down. Jane's issues were also realistic, though she had to have them pointed out by both Will and Chelsea before she was able to let them go.

I liked the ending and seeing them work out their issues. I especially liked Will's understanding of Jane's fears and that he shows he has the love and patience to persevere. 

Series: Serendipity (Book 4.5) Serendipity's Finest (Book 1.7)

Carly Phillips takes you back to the town of Serendipity, where overworked Alexa has an instant connection with a sinfully sexy football star on the dance floor.  A one-night stand evolves into multiple nights when Luke decides to teach the good doctor about his own brand of fun.  But when it's time for him to leave town, will these "PERFECT STRANGERS" be able to say goodbye for good?

Loved this story. Alexa is an overworked doctor who takes a night off to help a friend by taking her out. She meets Luke, a pro football player who is in town for a few days visiting a friend and the chemistry between them is hot. After a couple nights together, Luke sees a need in Alexa that he's more than happy to fill.

Alexa always wanted to be a doctor and her personal preference was toward pediatrics. But her father, the current chief of staff of the hospital, has been grooming her to take over his position when he retires. She works long hours in many different parts of the hospital, hasn't had a date in months, and barely has a social life with her best friend. There's something about Luke that got her attention that very first night and made her forget about work for awhile. When she gets called to the hospital for an emergency, she finds Luke waiting for her when she's done, offering to take care of her.

Luke was drawn to Alexa from the moment he met her. First he saw her beauty and felt their physical attraction. He saw the loyal friend when Cara needed her for backup. Then when Cara got hurt, he saw her change into the intensely capable doctor. He is fascinated by all the layers he sees in her. After taking her out for breakfast and then spending the next 24 hours with her, he really wants to get to know her better.

Alexa gets a little spooked by the intensity of what she's feeling for Luke and tries to pull away, but he doesn't let her get away with it. I loved their conversation when she owns up to what she did. Luke wants a chance to show her how to have some real fun, and has no trouble standing up to her father to make sure she gets it. I really enjoyed the mental image of her father standing there with his mouth hanging open because of it.

The time with Luke, and the example he has set of having a balanced life, makes Alexa more aware of how unhappy she has become with her life as it is. When Luke invites her to come to Texas with him and meet his family, she has some hard truths to face. Meanwhile, back in Texas, Luke is still hopeful that things aren't over between them. I loved Alexa's solution and really hope to see them appear in a later book to see how they are doing.

Series: Bluebonnet (Book 2.5)

In Jessica Clare's "THE LEGEND OF JANE," an intrepid Bloggess catches the eye of local law enforcement when she gets caught trespassing.  Luckily, Luanne wouldn't mind getting handcuffed by Officer Hotness?

Luanne has come to Bluebonnet to live with her sister while she is out of work. To pay the bills left over from a sleazy boyfriend, she has a video blog of her doing crazy things. The income from the ads is her only income right now. The story starts with Hank finding her filming herself attempting to do "cowtipping" in a local field. She wants to film him arresting her, and he isn't going to cooperate. Both of them are attracted to each other, but they seem to be total opposites in personality.

Hank comes from a long line of cops and likes what he does. Bluebonnet has been pretty quiet up to now and he really doesn't want Luanne's kind of craziness messing that up. But there's something about her fearlessness and fun that really appeals to him. They start dating and having a good time together, but her blog antics are always at the back of his mind. Hank is very conscious of his place in the community and fears what could happen if her actions start to reflect badly on him.

Luanne started the video blog as a way to pay off the bills that accrued when her ex-boyfriend ran up credit cards in her name. She got caught by Hank while filming one of her pieces, and was immediately attracted to him. They start dating, but she knows he has some issues with the things she does for her blog. She keeps doing them in spite of it.

I had a hard time connecting with these two. I got really frustrated with Luanne because it seemed like she was ignoring the very real problems her videos were creating. Hank's concerns didn't appear to bother her at all, which is not the attitude you should have about someone you supposedly care for. Meanwhile, Hank seemed to be pretty uptight about her work. He seemed to like the way she was so different, but wasn't willing to see that what she did wasn't hurting anyone. He was too concerned about the way it looked. 

Though it all worked out in the end, I hope that they both learned a little bit about themselves and their relationship.

Single girl Chelsea is tired of feeling like the fifth wheel on her weekend jaunt to Lake Placid, until she gets stuck out in the cold and finds a muscular knight in shining armor to warm her up -- in Erin McCarthy's "ICE PRINCESS".

This story makes me think of the Sesame Street song "One of these things is not like the others". The anthology is Hot Summer Nights and the three other stories take place during the summer. This one is in the middle of winter. Huh?

That being said, it was a cute story. Chelsea is on a ski weekend with some friends. She was supposed to be with her boyfriend too, but they had broken up. She feels a little out of place as the others are still paired up. When she gets locked out of her room on the balcony Brody comes to her rescue. There's a definite attraction between them, but they miss connecting after the rescue.

Brody is a former skiing champion who is now one of the ski instructors at the resort. He's happy to see Chelsea again, as she ends up being his student the next day. The ski lesson was pretty funny, as Chelsea is a total klutz on skis, but she has a great attitude and sense of humor. They make arrangements to meet later, and things get pretty hot from there. They are well matched and feel like there is more to what they could have than just hot sex. 

I really liked the way that they made the commitment to spend more time together after that weekend and really get to know each other. Loved the ending and how it all worked out for them.

Hope Flames - Jaci Burton (Berkley - Jan 2014)

Series: Hope (Book 1)

When it comes to love, they already know the rules...by heart.

Thirty-two and finally setting up her veterinary practice in the town she once called home, Emma Burnett is on her own and loving it. Independent and driven, she’s not letting any man get in the way of her dreams. Not again.

That’s fine with Luke McCormack. Divorced and hardly lacking in female company when he needs it, he’s devoted to the only faithful companion in his life -- his police dog. Still, there’s something about Emma he can’t shake.

When a series of local break-ins leaves Emma vulnerable, she seeks help from the first man to spark her desire in years. And now they’re giving each other something they thought they’d lost forever...hope.

Good, moderately steamy romance between two people who really weren't looking for any kind of relationship. Emma has come back to her hometown, setting up her vet practice. She had a relationship in college and after that derailed her plans, then turned abusive before she escaped it. She's determined that she will run her own life the way that she wants it and no man is going to distract her. Then Luke brings his dog Boomer into her clinic and she and Luke hit it off.

Luke, like Emma, isn't in the market for a relationship. He was married once and it didn't work out, so he's dealing with it by avoiding any kind of commitment. As a hot cop he has plenty of female company when he's in the mood for it. The only steady in his life is his police dog Boomer, and that's just the way he likes it. But Emma is something entirely different than the women he's used to and he can't stay away from her.

The chemistry between them is hot from the very beginning, but both of them are very wary of getting involved. They begin by trying the "just friends" approach, hanging out together with each other and their dogs. But the attraction is too much to resist, and the flames between them burn pretty hot. It's not just physical between them, though. Their friendship allows them to open up to each other about their pasts and what makes them reluctant to risk their hearts again. That same friendship moves ever closer to love, though neither s willing to say it out loud.

I loved seeing the relationship between them grow and change. Luke is constantly surprised by how different Emma is from his ex-wife. She thinks his family ranch is great, where the ex hated it. Emma is very understanding about Luke's erratic hours, having the same kind of hours herself. He sees that her determined independence is the reaction to what happened to her before and is fully supportive of it. Emma spends a lot of time watching Luke carefully, worried that he'll turn out to be just like her ex. She slowly begins to trust him, seeing that he isn't trying to control her. I liked seeing her support of his career, and the way she was there for him to talk to and just unwind with. When her past rears its ugly head, she pushes Luke away, fearing that she's made the same mistake she made before. I loved seeing Luke give her the space she wanted, while still watching out for her the way he feels he must. The ending was sweet and sexy and I can't wait to read the others.

I also loved the secondary characters. The most important were the three dogs. I loved seeing Boomer do his police dog thing, and then be the playful pooch when he was off duty. Emma's dog Daisy was as big a part of her vet practice as anyone else, and the little rescue pup Annie was just adorable. I also liked seeing Emma and Luke with their friends. Emma's two girlfriends were terrific with the way they teased each other and yet were there in a crisis. The support they gave Emma when she opened up to them about her ex was just what she needed to help rebuild her confidence. Luke's relationship with his brother was fun to see. They had their whole unspoken language thing going on during Luke and Emma's visit to the ranch, which gave Logan a wide open field to really give Luke a hard time. I also loved seeing Luke with his friend Carter and watching them work on Luke's truck. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Carter in his book.

The mystery of the drug thefts was good without taking over the story. It gave a good look at what being a small town cop was like, and the frustration they had over how long it was taking to solve. I liked the part it played in moving Luke and Emma closer together. The resolution was good, just the right amount of intensity for the type of book this was. There was quite an interesting twist to the danger that Emma was in, that really brought out the changes that she had gone through.