Rhe’s Bookshelf – February Reads

It’s almost March ya’ll! I can not believe it! Time is continually flying by, and the older my kids get the faster it goes. This is also precisely the exact time that I would prefer it slow down. But until it does I’ll continue to live in my happy book-reading land. Books just make me happy! I packed quite a few in this month, making the most of my brand spanking new Kindle I purchased. Don’t worry, I’m still a card-carrying book nerd, in love with my real-life books. I’m also in love with my free and cheap Kindle books, so there you go. If you’re not following me on my Goodreads account I’d love it if you did! Click the images below to grab your copy of each of the books, or click the Kindle Unlimited image on the side bar if you just can’t get enough of books! Give a try for 30 days and I bet you’ll love it.

 

When the Heart Calls (Canadian West #1)

5 Stars

Worth the Risk (The McKinney Brothers #2)

4 Stars

A Love Fulfilled

2 Stars

Dangerous Curves Ahead (Perfect Fit #1)

4 Stars

Thrown For a Curve (Perfect Fit #2)

3 stars

Because of You (Coming Home #1)

3 Stars

The Wonder of You

2 Stars

Saved

2 Star

You can find my reviews on Goodreads! If you’ve read any of these I’d love to know what you think; and leave your book recommendations in the comments below. I’m ALWAYS looking for a good recommendation!

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Rhe’s Bookshelf – Spotlight on Washington Romance Writers

*This post contains adult themes and affiliate links*



This past weekend I spent some time with some of my favorite people, the authors of the Washington Romance Writers group at their Readers, Bloggers and Librarians Luncheon. This is my favorite thing I do all year. Being your people is amazing and these are my people. We always have fun, laugh, never run out of words and just plain have a great time. Supporting each other as a group is a priority and you feel it. Yes, these authors are here to support their own books, but one of the reasons I was so drawn to this group was their desire to build relationships with their readers and with each other. This group has been helping me support military spouses for several years now by donating gift cards, books and swag to National Guard spouses remotely stationed. So on this edition of Rhe’s Bookshelf I’m going to share a couple of books written by these amazing local authors!!

Geri Krotow

  Geri’s book, Navy Rules was my very first romance book. Most secular fiction these days have sex in it, books that you wouldn’t consider to be ‘romance novels’. But Geri’s book was my first romance novel, in the Harlequin family, that was traditional romance novel. I was going through a deployment and I was wondering the aisle of Walmart. I took my kids to the bathroom, which just happened to be right by the book section. On the cover was a man in a flight suit, with a jet plane and a military service dog. It caught my eye and picked it up. The rest is history. I’ve read almost every single book she’s written so its hard to pick my favorites but these are my some of favorites.

Commander Max Ford was injured in combat and returned to Whidbey Island to recover, the help of a therapy dog. The owner of the dog is Winnie Armstrong, widow of his closest friend. They are thrown together again which forces them to confront the biggest secret between them. 
I’m partial to Navy Rules because it was my first. I’m partial to this book because this woman is my friend now and I am so grateful to know her. But this writing is good guys. I was drawn into the story because this isn’t your mother’s or grandmother’s romance novel. There’s a significant storyline in a lot of these books, and this one is no exception. And because Geri is a Veteran and a military spouse she gets it right. And I never knew how important that would be to me until I started reading these books. You will feel a connection to these characters. If you aren’t connected to the military you will get a very real window into the lives of military families. 
Jamie Farrell

Her Rebel Heart is a sassy book!! You will laugh hysterically when you read this. The kind of laugh that if you have birthed more than one child will probably make you pee your pants!! If you are all about a small town, make you belly laugh, pulls at your heart strings story – with a Southern Twang – The Officer’s Ex-Wives Club books, as well as the rest of Jamie Farrell’s books are exactly for you. 


MK Meredith

This woman is my heart, a fellow military spouse, a Breast Cancer survivor and plain amazing. The kindest heart and the brightest smile. But on top of all of that she’s an amazing writer. She writes saucy stories perfect for a snuggle in front of the fireplace. 
Drago De Luca is an international tycoon in beautiful Italy. His beloved grandmother’s family inn is on the verge of closing its door thanks to a hotel heiress from America. Chase is trying to prove she’s got what it takes beyond her family name. Winning over the people of this beautiful Italian town is priority number one. She meets Drago who claims he will show her around and get the town to fall in love with her. But the truth is he’s out to make sure he fails. Somewhere along the way they fall in love with each other, against their better judgement. 

Seducing the Tycoon is one of my favorite kinds of romance novels because it draws you in to the personal life of the characters. And what I truly think makes it stand out among many others is that it takes the time to connect you to Drago, your male character. You are drawn into his life and are moved by his relationship with his grandmother. I don’t feel like that happens a lot in these types stories. And boy is it a little on the steamy side!! I just got her newest book, Love on the Cape, and I can’t wait to read it and get you guys the review. 

Uma is running away from an abusive and possessive relationship. With no idea of her own self worth she takes a job that will forever change her life. Ivan doesn’t look like the compassionate and gentle man he is. He is determined to heal Uma’s wounds, both physical and mental.
This book was entirely unexpected and surprised me at every turn. This intensely emotional story made me feel so deeply. It touched me right to the core and brought tears to my eyes. This is one of the reasons I was pulled into this incredible community. The intensity with which some of these stories are created is so real. This is not about the romance. These are real humans and could be someone you know. Adriana doesn’t write your typical fairy tale. These are gritty and raw stories that showcase the best of what humans can be, even if they don’t look crisp and pristine. Under Her Skin is an amazing book and I would highly recommend you click on that link and get it right now! I’ve also seen it in the wild on the shelf at Barnes and Noble!
Visit the Washington Romance Writers website to find more local authors! There are so many more amazing ones on the list. You can also find a local chapter of Romance Writers of America by visiting their site. I love supporting local writers and small businesses and you should too!!



Rheanna
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Southern Fried Blues: The Officer’s Ex-Wives Club Series {Author – Jamie Farrell} #RhesBookshelf

I’m a succor for anything Southern or Military related. It’s true I’m afraid. My mama raised me on sweet tea and slaw dogs, where the four food groups include meat, mash potatoes, green beans and that beautifully sweet brown drink. It’s a sensibility. And whether or not I actually ever spent a day of my life living in the South, or the fact that most would argue against calling West Virginia the “South”. I still view myself as such. So I snatched up a copy of Southern Fried Blues by Jamie Farrell with great excitement!! I wasn’t disappointed. Southern Fried Blues is every bit as Southern as I hoped.

Southern_Fried_Blues1800x2700
A Yankee Lady Stuck in the South
Divorced wasn’t a label Anna Martin ever wanted. Now she’s a thousand miles from home, underemployed, and lonely, but she’s squeezing this lemon life gave her and turning it into lemon meringue pie. Never again will she let any man—especially another military man—get in the way of her career.

A Southern Gentleman Military Officer
Jackson Davis believes in family, football, and Uncle Sam. He treats ladies right, takes his uniform seriously, and he loves his dog, but he doesn’t reckon he’s built for true love. After all, if a man good as his daddy couldn’t do it right, what chance does Jackson have?

One Undeniable Attraction
These two vulnerable souls are as different as cornbread and ketchup, but they fit together like sweet butter on hot biscuits. Short-term, they’re exactly what the other needs. But when their hearts get involved, they’re both gonna end up with a big ol’ case of Southern Fried Blues.

Review

Truthfully I started reading this book wanting to wring my hands right off my arms. The main character almost made me want to go insane! That may sound like I’m about to tell you to not even bother with reading it, but in fact its quite the opposite. I promise. So, the main character is a little quirky, and I might have spent a good portion of the book wondering why the most handsome man that I’ve never seen {Jackson} would be interested in our heroine. But never fear, it will all become clear. There’s something about the two of them that just works. And the romance loving, book nerd, milspouse in me was pleased, just as much as someone who would love to have a heroine 
who doesn’t need a man and accomplishes things on her own without giving anything up. How its possible that Jamie combined those two things with perfection is amazing. Although my most favorite part about this book {caution, slight spoiler} was the fact that Jackson didn’t get out of the military. I’m pretty sure that this is the first military-connected novel that I have EVER EVER read where the service member didn’t retire, find a way to leave early, or was injured and simply recovering before a medical retirement. Never ever! It’s crazy, but sometimes I feel like that the book world is trying to tell me that somehow I can’t find happiness as a currently serving military spouse. But not this book. I couldn’t tell you how thrilled I was when I figured out that this was going to be the case! This book endeared itself to me simply on this fact alone. And Jackson, oh Jackson…probably one of my favorite military heroes in a novel…probably a close tie with CWO Miles Mikowski from Geri Krotow’s Whidbey Island Series.  I love love love this book so much, and I’m so in love with this series. I really hope to see a few more books in it soon. Southern Fried Blues is a book that I will read over and over again, as long as this world has sweet tea and southern hospitality in it. Go now! You can thank me later.

**this book is a Romance novel, and does contain adult content; however it is done in a very Southern and classy way**

                                                               five out of five stars

Buy the book here!!! And if you are feeling wild you can buy the two in the series together!! 




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Military Monday and *Giveaway*

If you saw my last post about Military Romance novels you might have read its become a recent curiosity for me. It’s not really an obsession, per se….but I do now find myself scanning the shelves for uniforms when at Wal-Mart or Target.  I’ve run across a common thread and I haven’t decided how I feel about it.  So while updating you on my recent reads, and giving you a chance to win some books, I thought I would open this up for discussion.

Here’s my discovery.  Most of the books that I’ve read have the same, but very interesting conclusion.  They have all ended with the military member miraculously timing his declaration of true love and marriage with him someone being able to end his career in the military.  Many times the conclusion is portrayed to the reader by inference that he is choosing his love, and his women, over his career.  The women in the story almost always doesn’t know if she can handle his career and either wonders this allowed all through the book or actually makes that a prerequisite for the returning of her love, or for accepting a proposal.  I don’t know about you but this completely sticks in my craw.  For one it portrays us women in a completely negative light.  Why yes, I will love you, but only if you give up the career that you’ve been in for however long, because I am too week and fragile to handle this difficult lifestyle.  Why yes, I’ll love you but only if you completely give up who you are so that I can have everything I want.  Clearly loving and being with me is a fair trade for whatever you will now have to do to find a career after what seems to me to be a sudden and quick break from your current career.

Now I know I’m totally thinking about this too much, and I’m most definitely reading too much into this.  Are these books not more likely to appeal to the Military Women?  I mean, I don’t know about the rest of us in this category but I wouldn’t mind reading a romance novel that ends with the guy remaining in the military.  It seems to me that there can be love and romance within the military life!  So now that everyone is rolling their eyes at me, LOL, how about I give you a chance to check the out yourself.  Personally I think they are better than any Shades of Grey book out there even though I haven’t read Shades of Grey.  But the military life, while not to be completely romanticized to the point where reality has to place….is pretty darn romantic if you ask me.

What are your thoughts?

Prize: 3 Harlequin American Romance/Operation Family Books
I found all of these at Wal-Mart at different times.  I’d never noticed them before, so I wonder if being in a high volume military location has anything to do with that or not; or maybe I never really paid attention to them before.  This is my first dive into Romance Novels.

The SEAL's Stolen Child (Harlequin American Romance, No 1430)A Baby For Christmas

A SEAL's Secret Baby (Harlequin American Romance, No 1415)

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Military Monday – The Military Romance Novel

Happy Monday Ya’ll! I hope everyone’s weekend was good. This past weekend Mr. Air Force was home *happy dance* and we spent some quality time together, just the two of us and as a family. On Saturday I took him as a surprise to Colin Powell’s book signing. How totally cool is that? There were so many people there and it moved like an assembly line. But he did stop and take pictures with children only. Another really cool thing. He took a picture with my two oldest and then saw Phillip and said, “What about him,” and proceeded to reach across the huge table and take him. It was really neat, and a super special thing I can share with them when they are older.

So, now, lets talk romance novels. I know I know, you’re sitting there picturing me reading a romance novel. It’s crazy right?  I’ve never really been a romance novel kind of girl.  I always pictured Fabio, from the butter commercials right – flowing hair, shirt half opened….bleck.  You know, poor little milk maids alone in the country side…I’m not really sure.  My grandmother had a shelf of them I remember.  Who read these books I wondered, besides my grandmother of course.

Now, you’re wondering, did she read these books?  I swear it was by accident that I stumbled across my first romance novel.  It was in Wal-Mart (very romantic right?) doing a book drive by, which is something I always do when shopping.  I’ve found some great books while doing a book drive by.  So I was doing my stroll through and I happened to notice a fighter jet and a guy in a flight suit on the cover.  Of course I stopped to picked it up.  Turns out it was a book called, “Navy Rules” and it was part of the Harlequin Series.  Hmmmm, a military themed romance novel.  Interesting to say the least.  I’ve said it before, and you’ll probably hear me say it again and again, this girl is a complete a total succor for Military, Love and Romance.

First, I want to note that the ones that I have read are absolutely nothing like what I had imagined them to be.  So far I have read nine military related romance novels, two of which are from the Love Inspired series, which is a Christian and faith based romance novel series.  So, when they say romance, they actually mean romance and not sex.  Something else that might surprise you is that there is actually a pretty good story line in all of the books I’ve read.  The characters are developed, there’s conversation, emotion (other then all the physical stuff) and even some mystery!

My goal is to bring you some of these books in full review, but I wanted to at least let you know they are out there, I love them, and you should give them a shot.  You might be surprised.

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