A DUKE BY DEFAULT (RELUCTANT ROYALS #2)

New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and-most importantly-herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she's capable of. And it turns out that she excels at aggravating her gruff silver-fox boss...when she's not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr. Tavish McKenzie doesn't need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory...even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice-and his attraction to her-but when Portia accidentally discovers that he's the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project. Forging metal into weapons and armor is one thing, but when desire burns out of control and the media spotlight gets too hot to bear, can a commoner turned duke and his posh apprentice find lasting love?

Release Date: July 31, 2018

Reluctant Royals #2

Avon/Dreamscape Media

Contemporary Romance

Liza's Review:

We first met Portia Hobbs in A Princess in Theory as Naledi's best friend. She had many personal issues going on and honestly wasn't always the best friend to Naledi, but I just knew there was so much more to Portia and was so excited to see we would get her story in A Duke by Default.

Portia has decided to become new Portia and in doing so, she pretty much is trying to reinvent herself. Portia wasn't super likable in A Princess in Theory, so I was so happy to see Portia try and change parts of herself for the better. Portia has always had so many varied interest yet has never been able to stick with just one thing. I hated she always seemed to compare herself to her super organized twin sister Reggie and always see herself as lacking. I absolutely loved moving to Scotland to be an apprentice to a sword maker was what helped her discover what made her tick and what she loved to do with her life.

Tavish McKenzie was pretty much swoon-worthy from the moment he appeared on the page, yet was a bit of an ass as well. He really did push Portia away pretty much from the moment they met thanks to being so attracted to her. However, Portia being Portia, she set herself to helping every other aspect of Bodotria Armory as well as some of the other businesses in the area. I loved how quickly Portia made friends with the locals and her instinctive need to fix things and how she wanted to learn about her temporary home, which led to discovering Tavish was the legitimate son of a duke.

I loved the fact that the more time Tavish and Portia spent together, the closer they became and the harder it was to avoid their attraction to each other. There was serious chemistry between them that had been there from the moment they met. I loved they seemed to get each other in a way no one else really had before and accepted each other quirks and all. They were very clearly friends first and I loved the pacing of their relationship. The slow build up worked for me as Portia needed to understand more about herself before she was ready to be with anyone. Portia also understood Tavish in a way few others did and used her understanding of him to help him as he navigated the new world he was thrust into.

I loved that Portia was able to figure out she had ADHD thanks to a link sent to her from Reggie. I think it was part of the reason she was able to finally figure out how she need to live her life. It pretty much killed me how her parents treated her, yet I loved once she and Reggie had a real conversation about everything that had gone on, they became even closer than before.  I did wonder why Portia never shared her diagnosis with her parents, but also wondered if they would have really listened to her if she had tried. 

A Duke by Default was such a fun and emotional read for me. Ms. Cole has quickly become an auto-buy author for me after just 2 books and I absolutely adore her voice. I loved watching Tavish and Portia fall in love, and I absolutely know they are strong enough to manage anything life throws at them in the future.

Rating: 5 Stars (A)

DELIVER ME (HOLMES BROTHERS #1)

LEAVING AN IMPERFECT PAST…

Monica Gardner is starting over. The broken-hearted St. Louis native has nothing left at home any longer: her future is being an ER doctor at a New Orleans hospital. Her first day makes for a bumpy start as she continually runs into handsome but irascible Dr. Elijah Holmes—a man who could make her change her mind about finding true love.

FOR NEW EXPECTATIONS

For years, Dr. Eli Holmes has been living up to his own high expectations—and is burning himself out in the process. The only time this “Super Doc” ob-gyn slows down is to notice the beautiful eyes of a newcomer, Dr. Gardner. He’s pleased to know that she’s more than just a pretty face, she’s also an ace physician. When they work together, sparks fly. But with both Monica and Eli trying to hard not to fall in love, they realize they can’t resist this affair of the heart.

Release Date: November 10, 2011

Holmes Brothers #1

Contemporary Romance

Liza's Review:

Deliver Me is the first book in the Holmes Brother series from Farrah Rochon. I’ve heard about this series of books forever, and finally had to give them a try myself. I loved Deliver Me so much; I downloaded all the other books in the series when I was only 25% finished reading it.

Elijah Holmes aka “Super Doc” is an ob-gyn who gives his all to his job, even going above and beyond to take care of his patients. He is also absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and has pretty much been a player for years. He has made it a rule to never date doctors after being burned pretty badly in college.

Enter Monica Gardner, who is starting over in New Orleans after having her heart broken in St. Louis.  She has taken a job as the head of the ER and hits the ground running from the moment she joins the hospital. Not only does she basically run the ER, but she has also agrees to help run the charity event to keep The Parenting Center up and running, which the citizens of New Orleans are in major need of always. Of course Eli is the one doctor with the most experience, and he is the one to offer to help with the event.

I have to say I laughed out loud on more than one occasion when Monica and Eli were together. From him almost hitting her with is car on their first meeting, to him needing her to pose as his girlfriend to keep his mom from setting him up with his old high school girlfriend, I found myself totally falling in love with them as a couple. They had some serious chemistry, even if neither wanted to admit it in the beginning. OMG I loved Monica and Eli together so much!!! I have to say I loved that Monica made Eli wait to make love for the first time. I don't think I could have bought into them as a couple if she had just jumped into bed with him, when I knew she was still getting past the deception of her ex. Let me just say it was so worth the wait though! 

With Monica's trust issues, I knew there was a good chance those issues would become a problem between them. I won't lie, it almost broke my heart to see her accept what she was told rather than talking to Eli about the situation. However, when Monica wants to make things right, she also does it in a big way. I had all the happy sighs going by the end of the book. 

I adored Monica and Eli's story, but have to say I also fell in love with the entire Holmes clan along the way. I can't wait to read each of the Holmes brothers get their very own stories, and I so look forward to seeing what is going on with Monica and Eli along the way.

Rating: 4 stars (B+)