Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: romance

  • The Rivertown Vet

    The Rivertown Vet

     Jennifer Scoullar, best-selling author of Australian rural fiction, latest book, ‘The Rivertown Vet’ will not disappoint readers. In this page turning novel, she has incorporated not only her deep appreciation and respect for the natural world, but also her extensive knowledge of Australian wildlife.

    While helping her sister run ‘Odessa’ a wombat sanctuary on their family’s tranquil property by the Murray River in South Australia, vet Jana Malinski is rescued by the man, who not only broke her teenage heart but also invertedly caused her family’s life to drastically change.

    When he offers her the opportunity to run Wildfell Park, the town’s zoo, which having fallen into ruin was doomed for closure, she has to make a decision; decline the opportunity of a lifetime or put the angst of past aside and work alongside her nemesis.

    While she fights the undeniable attraction between this handsome single Dad, accountant, someone is undermining her work and threatening the very survival of Wildfell Park. 

    The author has not only created a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, but also a ‘who done it’, in this delightful tale of forgiveness and community. While readers are engaged in the story of Jana and Mark, they are also gaining a greater understanding of the current debate about the benefits of keeping wild animals in captivity.

  • Notes From The Cove

    Notes From The Cove

    Brittany Thompson’s life has been anything but smooth sailing. Her parents fight almost on a permanent basis, she keeps getting involved with the wrong men and her brother Paul, an aspiring athlete and family favourite, drowned in a boating accident just before his Graduation.

    Her latest adventure into romance saw her lose her job at the Seniors Centre but also forced her into following a dream, that of opening her own café in Sand Dollar Cove, something she is discovering she really enjoys doing and the people of Sand Dollar Cover really appreciate.

     She has always blamed herself, as well as Paul’s best friend Ryan Osbourne for Paul’s death. Ryan was her first love, her high school crush, but the hatred she now has for him a has become a very big part of her life.

    Struggling down the street with a large sack of flour, she crashes into none other than Ryan Osbourne, now a resident in town. Little does she know the young girl coming into the café ordering lattes from the Community Board is his daughter.

    Mysterious messages keep appearing on the café notice board, along with a colony of Bats in her café roof space, slowly bring Ryan and Brittany together, far more often that she finds comfortable, as she discovers she still feels a definite interest in the brooding, handsome man who keeps crossing her pathway.

    As the days unfold, secrets are told that force Brittany to slowly allow her grief to surface and begin to let the past flow into the past, but when a Halloween prank gets out of hand, Brittany and Ryan must work together to not only face their fears but make sure another tragedy does not occur.

    The third book in the Sand Dollar Cove series, Notes from Sand Dollar Cove carries forward a delightfully gentle series of love, romance and heartbreak, with naturally, a happy ending.

  • How Not to Hate a Duke

    How Not to Hate a Duke

    For lovers of a cozy dose of Romance for a relaxing trip into a world far, far away from the modern world, Jennifer Haymore provides the perfect Historic romance in How Not To Hate A Duke as Georgina Milford and the sworn enemy of her family, Theo St Clair, the Duke of Desborough come face to face at a Country House party and sparks fly.

    Georgina is thoroughly fed up with being made to attend Ton events in London by her mother who is search of a husband for her daughter, a daughter who is not getting any younger. The issue is the men who are interested are after her fortune; they are boring, frustrating and sycophants!

    Feeling daring she accepts an invitation to Country House party hosted by her dear friends Charlotte and Finn, for once escaping her mother and societies stricture, but when she meets up with a man she and her family truly despise, the dreaded ‘Duke of Despot’s’, she begins to wonder if she should leave immediately.

    Over the course of the following days they are forced together, a handsome man, struggling to restore his families fortune and Georgina, who is slowly beginning to wonder if perhaps there is more to this man than she has previously understood.

    Conflict, passion and family challenges have been seamlessly woven together to entice one into a world of strict society standards, where to break the rules was to be excluded from polite society and to think for oneself as woman, was almost forbidden. Georgina and Theo are out to break all the rules as they struggle to come to terms with a powerful love and family conflict decades old.

    Jennifer Hayward has provided a nice mix of family and society conflict, a strong female character, a devilishly handsome Duke, a very good dose of forbidden passion and a finale which is at the very least unexpected, to create a very entertaining and believable romance.

  • HATE #1

    HATE #1

    In this gripping new series from Tad James, Hate re-introduces Madison Kate Danvers, a young woman with a raft of major issues in her life, notwithstanding the fact that she has just returned to her hometown of Shadow Grove after an eleven-month exile in Cambodia.

    She is lost, bitter, filled with anger and all she really wants in life is to be accepted and recognised by her father, a man who is more interested in money, power and politics. Her new world, now peopled by several seriously good looking men, one of whom is to be her new step brother, are, she discovers residing in her father’s house; his new, larger than ever Mansion!

    Her new room, hideously decorated in pink of all shades and styles make her feel ill, she discovers her father has gone away again and nothing in this new reality she has found herself dumped in, is making her happy; nothing at all.

    She has limited knowledge of three men, after all they, along with a series of horrific events were responsible for her being sent to Cambodia to her Aunt. They seem well settled in the house and the leader of the group, Archer, is going to make her life difficult, she can tell, as he is not taking her vicious, self-righteous, independence at face value. He plainly does not like it, or maybe her, at all.

    Kody and Steele are altogether something different; softer and intrigued by her antics, they appear to find her puzzling, amusing and attractive. She is not impressed. But as the tension rises, the past has not, she discovers been left behind at all. She is being stalked by a serious, vicious person and she is sexually attracted to the three, well built, powerful and charismatic men.

    Madison Kate, begins to seriously question what is really going on and is she safe. If she is not what and who does she have to fear and why?

    Hate is a riveting read which will hold wide appeal to YA readers as the plot sizzles right off the pages, the frustration and hurt of a young, angry, damaged woman is palpable, as Madison Kate vows to get even for everything that has gone wrong in her life, no matter what.

    Two chapters of Book 2 Liar, out later this year are included at the end of the Hate and will have you pre-ordering to find out what happens next.  

  • Blue Rose – album

    Blue Rose – album

    Romantic and somewhat ethereal, Blue Rose the album has captured with exquisite care, the gentle element of life over ten songs, each one a tiny little encapsulation of deeply felt emotion which pleases the senses over and over again

    Each of the songs have, prior to the album, been released as singles, but without a doubt, the full collection of these gentle songs makes a stand out album, and perhaps one of the best of this style for 2023. It is special in that it does not wish to be pretentious in any way, but charms, entices and envelopes the listener into a sense of stillness for the duration of the collection. 

    Once Upon Another Time wafts into being with gently plucked violin and crystal clear haunting oboe which is pure perfection before spreading into a softer, elegance of being.

    Reflective and thoughtful this gentle piece, Just A Thought encapsulates that moment in time spent in reflection, the mind sorting, organising before coming to the conclusion to move on, move forward with ease and comfort.

    The title track Blue Rose is an electronic piece that is both dainty and robust; a blue rose coveted and rare, it blooms, enchants and then fades away. A symbol of rarity, uniqueness and spiritual healing a blue rose is also considered as a symbol of good fortune.

    Not to be left wanting, the baroque tones of RED are catchy, timeless and hold a fascination as there is a definitive sound of deep temple gongs drifting throughout the piece, filling the background as the call of the call of the cello, the measured notes of the keyboard, the whimsy of the viola come together to create a delicate, intriguing melody.

    Soliloquy is an interesting word in that it means speaking one’s thoughts out loud when alone, declaring an intent, setting a purpose in life. Therefore, the song Soliloquy is follows in these words: strong, thoughtful, full of declaration, wrapped in, at times an uncertainly, it culminates in a very carefully orchestrated genteel conclusion.

    Little Sparrow is tinged with sadness as a delightful journey is drawing to close with another delicate, intimate piece that captures the movement, the inquisitive nature of this much loved little bird as it travels its life pathway, vibrant, full of life, charm and purposes.

    Blue Rose – album is perhaps David Wahler’s best work to date and is simply enchanting.

  • I Think of You

    I Think of You

    If you have enjoyed any of Alexander’s McCall Smith’s books, you will undoubtedly be drawn to read I Think of You. It is his writing at its finest, showing the scope of his knowledge of life, music, philosophy, and people. Not only are we treated to some marvellous verse, but he has written explanatory notes about each section and sometimes each poem. Alexander challenges your heart and your mind as he presents this wonderful piece of work. He quotes other poets and discusses their ideas.

    Themes such as love, kindness friendship and food, are used to take us from Scotland to Greece and Dallas to Helsinki. At the beginning of the book, the music from Scarborough Fair and Aida are compared. Both deal with love but from opposites ends of the spectrum. The poet feels that “It is a discourtesy to deny the legitimacy of love that does not conform to a particular set of expectations.” He follows this with a series of love poems that touch the heart of the reader.

    Being the true Scotsman that he is, Alexander has a section in the book called, “ Love letters to Edinburgh.” He has written about the sun shining on a particular street and a poem which discusses the idea of the Scottish metaphor. The author reveals his personal likes which include clothes that are comfortable, telephones with wires, soap that is simply soap and milk which has had nothing extracted. He does not romanticise about the past, recognising the failures such as no dental anaesthetic and no antibiotics.

    I Think of You and other poems is a keep forever book that will never find its way to leave your bookshelves. A tribute to Robbie Burns, Scotland’s national poet, ends this small book in a fitting way.

  • For Once In My Life

    For Once In My Life

    If you are looking for a good holiday read, then definitely choose For Once In My Life. It is light-hearted, with enough chuckles to keep you entertained. Karly Lane has a down to earth style which immediately ensures the reader will sit back and relax and enjoy the characters.

    At fifty-five years old, Jenny lives at home with her three daughters and a grandchild. Two years ago, her husband left her for the young secretary at work. Fortunately, several years before this, Jen decided to go to university and train to be a registered nurse. She has a job which she loves, and enjoys the company of her daughters, and granddaughter.

    However, her daughters and her best friend get together. They feel that Jen is still young enough and vibrant enough to begin to seek male friendships as well as enjoy dating and outings. Much to Jen’s horror, they have put her profile on a dating app. She only finds out about this when a planned evening out is revealed to be not with the family, but with a gentleman who is ringing the front doorbell.

    After three appalling experiences at the local hotel, (quite amusing for the reader) the only person who has benefitted from the dates is the bartender, who happens to own the place. Much to Jen’s horror, he is kind and sympathetic to her; this is just not what she wanted!

    Karly highlights the dilemma’s facing modern women today. Traditions and long held beliefs are questioned while in the midst of family life. An entertaining read.

  • Of Jasmine and Roses

    Of Jasmine and Roses

    Regency romance is a category that lends itself to a wide range of scenarios which make an excellent basis for a really good story to be contrived. Jill E. Warner has taken the thread of racism and bigotry, rife in British Society and bound it into a story of romance of the most gentle.

    We find our heroine, Anna Beasley, in a new household where she has been asked to help out with a forthcoming house party, placing her in a rather invidious position. While she is the Governess for the two daughters, she is of mixed parentage; an Indian father serving in the British Military and English Mother – the daughter of a Viscount.

    Her darker complexion and almond shaped eyes see her the target of racism even within her own family, which is bought into perspective when her Cousin and Aunt unexpectedly arrive at the House party as invited guests. Charlotte St Clair is now engaged to Percival Thraxton, bother of William, whom Anna had met previously in a somewhat embarrassing manner. Embarrassing for William, as his horse had thrown shoe. In a series of most unfortunate events William had become mired in mud.

    As the day’s pass Anna finds herself enjoying William’s company more than she should, but is subjected to insulting and disparaging behaviour from the other guests, as well as her cousin. When a terrible accident occurs Anna decides it is time to move to a new position.

    Anna realises that things will only get worse not better, and she has fallen in love with William who it would seem feels strongly for her, but what to do? When an opportunity is presented to return to India, she considers this as possibly a far better alternative to remaining in England. 

    Well-constructed, the storyline is strong, even though at times Warner labours the point, it sets a vastly different scene to the usual style of Regency/Victorian romance. Anna is a very strong character who shoulders the burden of racism well, William is a man, whom like Anna has to decide the road he will take for his future.

    Of Jasmine and Roses is a most enjoyable read with different aspect of Society used to create an authentic, historic base.  

  • The Duke’s Guide To Romance

    The Duke’s Guide To Romance

    The Gentlemen Authors. Book One.

    Sophie Barnes has created a light, enjoyable romp in Regency England with A Duke’s Guide to Romance when she takes a tried and true formula, turns it around, then adds the easy to love characters Ada Quinn and the beleaguered Anthony Gibbs, Duke of Westcliffe as they discover the way to love, through the pages of a book.

    Ada likes to live a very quiet life behind the scenes or rather the books in her beloved Uncle’s Bookshop, Between the Pages. She enjoys reading and carrying out her work as a bookbinder for her Uncle. What she does not enjoy is that should she be caught, not only working in the bookstore but reading the books she, along with her Uncle could very easily be ostracised from Society.

    That would not bother her unduly but it would have a detrimental effect on her Uncle’s business. Then along comes Mr Gibbs, who really can’t afford to buy any more books as he is in financial distress. He enters the bookstore to brows the stock. Ada thinks is a closed shop and is looking for a book to read when one falls on her head.

    One small chance meeting goes on to be the creative force behind the Duke and his friends, who have spent most of their inheritances on living the fast life, in the wake of their collective father’s passing. They are all desperate to find a means to making some serious money.

    Jane Austen’s death has left a gap in the ‘romance’ market and after a considerably lengthy and fascinating conversation, Ada suggest that perhaps the Duke writes a romance novel! This leads he and his friends to take up the challenge, only to realise it is far harder than they think.

    Well-constructed with a somewhat quirky plot line A Dukes Guide to Romance is the perfect antidote to cold wet afternoons or for a long lazy day on the beach. It is captivating, charming and sets the scene well for the further romances to follow, as the Duke’s friends are still searching for a way to solve their financial difficulties.

    Sophie Barnes has included a very tantalising teaser at the end of the book.

  • Love By Design

    Love By Design

    The Lilac lake Inn Series. Book One.

    Love by Design in an interesting romance as a beginner for a new series, as it sets the scene for what is to follow; in this case it is a story of three sisters who have been gifted a legacy of a Cottage located on the property of Lilac Lake Inn; a property once owned by their Grandmother, but now sold to new owners.

    Dani, an Architect, her sister Whitney, an actress and Taylor a writer come together to spend a weekend with their grandmother to find out what this rather unusual gift means, or more interestingly, why she has chosen to sell off the Inn yet keep the Cottage.

    Dani has never been recognised in the firm she works for, often sidelined for the more interesting work, Whitney is going through a serious break-up with former partner and co-star and Taylor is really suffering from writer’s block. Each one hopes that Lilac Lake will offer them the peace they so desperately need, while they try to honour the wishes of the grandmother.

    Brad Collister and his brother Aaron own the construction company renovating the Inn. They are also the Company chosen to work on the Cottage, should the sisters agreed to keeping the old Cottage, which is supposedly haunted.

    Dani is not looking for a new relationship and Brad is still mourning the loss of his wife to cancer; the last thing either of them want is another relationship but sparks are slowly fanned from their first meeting and a gentle romance begins to blossom.

    Charming in a somewhat older style of romance, Love By Design has a good if somewhat standard storyline, which at times is muddled and repetitious, interesting women in that they are women who know what they want and a ghost to add a sparkle to the romance of Dani and Brad.

    For lovers of romance that is an easy, comfortable and familiar read, Love By Design fits in nicely.