Arm Candy - Patricia Ryan

Book three in the Hot City Nights series by Patricia Ryan is Arm Candy. These are a series of three books, all independent reads, but set in the city.

Arm Candy

David Waite, a wealthy British fundraiser in New York City, knows exactly how to please a woman, but he’s had enough of social climbers and users. His solution? “Arm candy,” a beautiful woman to accompany him as his regular date. She’s to serve as a dazzling accessory, not a prostitute or call girl, with no strings attached, either emotional or sexual. Then he sees Nora, and he finds himself overwhelmed with a craving for sweets…

Nora Armstrong is a wholesome, virginal beauty fresh from the Midwest. Her cousin asks her to go out with David Waite as a favor to advance his event planning business. She can’t say no, any more than she can say no when David asks for a second date, and a third… According to “arm candy” rules, she should be safe… until David decides to break the rules. Suddenly Nora realizes it’s a risky business, being this smoking hot Brit’s faux girlfriend… and falling in love.

My Review

This was a great fun read. Nora was far from keen to act as arm candy, but she feels that she owes her cousin and knows that this could help his business. Though she is reluctant to begin with, she soon connects with David and the chemistry between them grows stronger.

There is an incident, part way through the book, that doesn't really paint David in a great light. It is down to a misunderstanding, but I'm not sure that I would have been as willing to forgive him and spend time with him afterwards. Particularly in light of something that happens as a follow on, if not quite result of, his actions. (Sorry, that's a bit vague, I don't want to give away any spoilers.)

The longer that Nora keeps secrets from David, about her career and life, the harder it is for her to share them with him. Of course, when she does, he's hurt that she has kept things from him and lied. Can he forgive her and move on?

I enjoyed this book, I liked the growing romance between David and Nora. Like all of Patricia Ryan's other books, it's well written and the other minor characters are also interesting. If you're looking for a fun, romantic read, then I don't think that you'll go far wrong.

A Burning Touch - Patricia Ryan

A Burning Touch is book three in the Hot City Nights series by Patricia Ryan. This series is a group of books all set in the city, but that aren't actually connected, so can all be read as stand alone novels and in any order. 

A Burning Touch

Mansfield, New Jersey, is burning up building by building—each fire more devastating than the last—and it’s Irish born police detective Jamie Keegan’s job to bring the “Firefly,” as the arsonist has dubbed himself, to justice. He balks when his captain orders him to consult the beautiful and enigmatic India Cook, who has offered her services as a psychic to the police department.

Jamie doesn’t believe a word about India’s special talents. He knows all about con artists. The fact that India doesn’t like to be touched—that’s how she reads people—is only more of a challenge, because she’s just about the most smoking hot woman he’s ever met. Convinced she’s a con artist, Jamie tries to deny the chemistry simmering between them as they work together to stop the Firefly before he can strike again.

My Review

I'm always a little bit reluctant to read novels where one of the characters has a supernatural power. There's a real danger that it will slip into the ridiculous and far fetched. In this book though, I needn't have worried. Although India does have a special ability, it is written in a way that makes it seem completely believable and fits with the story line.

Jamie is sure that India is a con artist. But, as he begins to fall for her, he decides that she must actually believe that she has this ability herself. She is just mistaken about it. His past makes believing that she can really read peoples thoughts and emotions, something that he just can't accept.

I think that the struggle between the feelings that India and Jamie start to have for one another, and the fact that he can't accept that she has this gift is really interesting. Can they somehow overcome this lack of belief? Will Jamie manage to accept who and what she really is, or is their relationship doomed to fail?

I won't give away what happens in this great story, you'll have to read it for yourself. Hopefully it's enough to say that he doesn't suddenly, miraculously change his mind. The journey is quite exciting with a few twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

Deep in the Night - Patricia Ryan

Deep in the Night is book two in the Hot City Nights series by Patricia Ryan. Although this is a series, the books are all stand alone novels that don't link from one to another. I've read them in the wrong order, but that doesn't really matter.

Deep in the Night

Roman Fitzpatrick: Cool play-by-the-rules ex-cop on the outside, but scratch the surface… a hot-blooded man, ready and able to do whatever needs to be done.

Summer Love: Free-spirited photographer and gossip columnist in San Francisco. She has a “fan” who’d like to see her out of the picture.

Roman’s Assignment:

• Guard a woman who doesn’t want guarding

• Overcome prejudice against flighty gossip columnists

• Pretend Summer Love isn’t the sexiest, most desirable woman on the face of the earth

My Review

First of all, I think that I have to comment on the names of the main characters in this book. Summer Love? Roman? Yes, they are a little bit odd, but there is at least a reason given for Summer Love, and it makes sense in terms of her character. In any case, don't let that put you off, I certainly didn't.

Deep in the night is the story of a woman and her body guard. Summer doesn't think that she needs a body guard and she certainly doesn't want one. It soon becomes apparent that someone is out to get her, or at the very least to get something from her, and she has to rely upon Roman.

Although Roman tries to keep his distance from his client, he can't help but be drawn to Summer. There's something about her that he just cannot resist, even though she's not his type and he's not her's. It isn't long before they find that they can't resist one another.

This was a lovely little romance, with well developed and likeable characters. There was more to both of them than at first seems obvious and I really enjoyed reading their story and about the way their relationship developed. Another great book from Patricia Ryan.

My Best Friend's Girl - Patricia Ryan

If you've read my blog before, you'll know that one of my favourite author's is Patrica Ryan. I've been reading her North Moon Bay and Hot City Night's series. I've been a bit behind with the reviews unti now, so I'm hoping to share my thoughts over the next few weeks, starting with this one.

My Best Friends Girl

He had a damn good reason to stay away from her… and now a million reasons to come back.

Dean Kettering: The quintessential lone wolf, he’s led a solitary existence on his sailboat since leaving the Air Force. Then one simple act puts this antisocial bad boy in the middle of a media frenzy, earning him the title of “hero” along with an unexpected windfall of a million dollars. He doesn’t want the money—doesn’t feel he deserves it—but he knows someone who does….

Laura Sweeney: Dean’s polar opposite, devoted to home and hearth, she’s the woman he secretly longed for even after she married his best friend… the friend who made Dean promise to take care of her as he lay dying. But when he finally sought her out, their long-simmering passion flared into irresistible, white-hot need.

Dean walked out of Laura’s life that night, only to return years later with a million dollars he insists she must take. But if she does, she’ll have to let him back in… and tell him the truth about her little girl’s father.

My Review

I have read this book before, under it's previous title, Million Dollar Baby. It's one that I really enjoyed though, so reading it again was no hardship. This series has been updated from the original version, to modernise it slightly too, so it wasn't exactly the same as the last time I read it.

Dean has always loved Laura, even when he knew that he shouldn't love her. Even when she was with his best friend and he knew that he could never do anything to hurt him or their relationship. Laura had always know that Dean was attracted to her. She felt something for him too, even though she loved her husband and didn't want anything else.

Laura doesn't trust Dean any longer. He hurt her and seemed to prove that he was the heartless, love them and leave them type that he'd always seemed to be. He runs away when she needs him most and for years she hears nothing more. When Dean returns with a million dollars to give her, Laura want's nothing to do with him. For all these years she's been keeping a secret from him and to let him into her life and heart could endanger everything.

I loved the way that the relationship between Dean and Laura developed. Dean had to learn to accept who he really was in order to get all he'd ever wanted. Laura had to learn to trust that Dean really could offer all that she'd ever wanted. Laura's best friend was a great character too and I enjoyed the dimension that she added to the story. I also loved Laura's five year old daughter Janey.

The only downside with this book is that it was over far too soon. That might be my own fault though, for reading it far too quickly and not putting it down.

The Black Sheep - Patricia Ryan

A few weeks ago, I read and reviewed The Marriage Arrangement by Patricia Ryan. This was actually the second in North Moon Bay series. Although the books are linked by a similar location, they are actually completely stand alone novels. I decided to go back and read the first book, The Black Sheep.

The Black Sheep

While house-sitting at a waterfront estate, sweet, straight-laced Harley is stunned by the arrival of her employer’s supposedly dead son, an Alaskan bush pilot with a bad boy rep who’s been wounded in an airplane crash. Coming home after years of estrangement—and a stint in prison—to make amends with the old man is difficult for Tucker, but not half as difficult as keeping his distance from the super-sexy but virginal Harley while they share the house, awaiting his father’s return.

Having given up on the idea that he’ll ever fully heal from his ravaged leg, Tucker balks when Harley urges him to swim as physical therapy—until she adds a unique incentive: “Catch me and you can have me.” Her certainty that he’ll never be able to swim that fast evaporates when he embarks on a rigorous training regimen, determined to claim her as his prize. But when she unearths the dark secret in his past, will she still be willing to pay up when the time comes?

My Review

It will probably come as no surprise to hear that I really enjoyed The Black Sheep. I like a good bad boy story and this is certainly that. Although Tucker seems to be the stereo typical bad boy, it soon becomes clear that there is much more to him than that. I did find Harley a little annoying, because she was so uptight, but she soon relaxes with Tucker.

The relationship between Tucker and Harley is lovely and I loved the way that he had to work to get to know her and work to get better in order to win her. The relationship is believable and I like both of the characters. There is, of course an 'issue' for them to get over, before they can have their happily ever after. In some ways, I would have liked Harley to have handled things slightly differently, but as she had the experiences of her childhood to deal with, I can understand why she immediately assumed the worst.

If I had to find fault with the book, I would just have to say that it is over too soon. It was a great quick read, but of course I wanted more.

Good to be Bad - Patricia Ryan

It's always a great day when a new book comes out by one of my favourite authors. Today, Good to be Bad by Patricia Ryan was released, so that makes it a really great day as far as I am concerned. I was actually lucky enough to get my hands on a copy over the weekend, so that I could read it and review and let you all know what I think. I have to say, that getting it read in that short space of time wasn't an onerous task, as once I started I just couldn't put it down. 

Good to be Bad

Emma Sutcliffe is content playing the Good Twin to her glamorous, self-assured double, Zara, a literary superagent. Emma’s life is comfortable, predictable… if somewhat humdrum. But after she walks a mile in her sister’s yellow leather miniskirt and mile-high stilettos—hounded by a smoking hot surgeon-turned-thriller-writer who’s convinced she’s Zara—there’s no going back.  

Gage Foster flew all the way to New York for a meeting with Zara Sutcliffe, and now she’s trying to stand him up? Oh, hell no! He may be a laid-back son of the South, and she may be just about the sexiest thing he’s ever seen, but that doesn’t mean he’s about to sit still for that kind of high-handed bull crap. He’ll dog her heels until she gives him what he wants.  

Good to be Bad is book one in the “Double Dare” two-part romantic suspense mini series by identical-twin authors Patricia Ryan and Pamela Burford. Each book is a stand-alone romance and can be read and enjoyed on its own. The suspense story line that begins in Good to be Bad concludes in Pamela’s Twice Burned. Formerly titled Twice the Spice.

My Review

I do enjoy a good romantic suspense book and Good to be Bad was certainly that. The lead characters were believable and I loved reading about the growing attraction and romance between them. The suspense side of the book was thrilling, without detracting from the developing romance and the two aspects of the story seem to gel well together.

Our Hero, Gage Foster was at one time a surgeon, but after injuring his hand, now writes novels. The injured hero is a bit of a recurring theme in Patricia Ryan's books, hand and leg injuries do seem to pop up quite often. I'm not sure if it's a way of making the heros a little bit more vulnerable than they may have otherwise been? It does add an interesting extra dimension to the story lines though.

Although Emma, our heroine, is quite naive in the ways of men, and is quite reserved in general, she doesn't come across as being unable to function on her own. Something which can quite often happen with similar characters. Instead she is resourceful and willing to take a risk to solve her problems. 

What I really liked about this story, was the way that the relationship between Emma and Gage developed. Although he tried to be her knight in shining armour, she didn't let him take complete control. Often in romance novels, one character might get upset, or misunderstand something, then suddenly they admit that they got it wrong and everything is right again. Of course life isn't really like this. I did like the way that Emma wasn't prepared to instantly forgive, forget and sail off into the sunset, the second that Gage admitted that he might have been a little hasty in his judgement over something. 

I really enjoyed this book. Of course, I am going to have to read Twice Burned by Patricia Ryan's own twin, Pamela Burford. I need to know what happens next in the suspense story line. Good to be Bad is a stand-alone romance, so you don't need to read both, but lets face it, why wouldn't you?

The Marriage Arrangement - Patricia Ryan

A few years ago now, I came across a wonderful series of historical murder mysteries set in Boston in the late 1800's. If you've been to this blog before, then I'm sure that you'll know that the Nell Sweeney books are some of my absolute favourite books. You might have also gathered from my reviews of them, (which are here by the way) that I'm a bit of a fan of their author; P.B.Ryan. 

While the Nell Sweeney series is written under the P.B.Ryan name, it just so happens that the same author writes some pretty great romance novels under the name Patrica Ryan. I happen to be a bit of a fan of them too, although, until now, I haven't actually reviewed any of them on here. In actual fact, Patrica Ryan can claim credit for making me realise that I do enjoy a good romance novel and opening up all of those wonderful (and yes, some not so wonderful) stories that I've consumed over the last few years. I started with Nell Sweeney, decided to try out her historical romances (to be reviewed at a later date, I promise) and then moved onto the contemporary romances. Loving each and every one as I read them.

Until recently, all but a few of Patricia Ryan's back catalogue of contemporary romances have not been available on Kindle or in eBook format. But recently she has been able to re-release them with new titles, new covers and (I believe) having been slightly updated. When I was given the chance to review one of them, I jumped at it. I did get this book in return for a review, but lets face it, I would probably have purchased it anyway, and I will be buying the others too. Enough waffling though, on with the review.

North Moon Bay Series

The Marriage Arrangement is number two in the North Moon Bay series, don't let this put you off though. Although there are currently 3 books in the series, they are actually stand alone novels. The setting of the books is what ties them together, rather than any links between the characters from each story. 

What's it about

Clay Granger, a billionaire extreme sports star, thrives on taking risks and pursuing thrills. When his friend Izzy Fabrioni finds herself pregnant, alone, and broke, Clay proposes an arranged marriage that should solve all her problems while making his own life a bit more bearable. As one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, he's found himself hounded by matchmakers and gold-diggers. A wife—in name only, of course—should be just the ticket to get them off his back. 

Wary but desperate, Izzy agrees to the insane plan. It's just another escapade for Clay… until he discovers that sharing his life—and bed—with sweet, sexy Izzy makes the “in name only” part of the deal a whole lot harder than he had anticipated.

My Review

While the whole two people getting married for something other than love, but falling in love once they are married, is hardly a new theme in love stories, it is one that I enjoy. Most of the previous books that I have read with this as the story line, have been historic fiction. This one by contrast is a modern take on the theme. The idea that Clay and Izzy might think that marriage was a good idea to help them out of their problems, is believable and works. There is a hint though, right from the beginning, that as Izzy has long had feelings for Clay, she might be hoping for something more over time, even if she doesn't admit it to herself.

One of the things I loved about this story, was that it wasn't just about Clay and Izzy discovering how they felt about one another. Izzy has baggage from her previous relationships, men very like Clay have in the past treated her badly and she's reluctant to fall into the same trap again. For Clay the ghost of his previous wife has meant that he's kept women at arms length emotionally speaking, and had no closer relationships than one night stands. Both of the characters need to work out exactly what they want and except that, then make the changes in their life, or see the changes in the others life, before they can accept the growing relationship.

Over all this was a great book, perhaps a little bit of a lighter read than some of Patricia Ryan's other books, but still very enjoyable. The Marriage Arrangement was a good read, give it a go, I'm sure you'll like it.