Lucy Monroe

What an exciting start to your holiday reading. Who doesn’t love mafia romances in the first place, and when it’s a holiday story even better. This book is perfect to pick up and read a single story or settle in and read several. Terrific variety of authors. Little goodies from authors you already love and more to add to your TBR stack if you find a new author to love.

This review is about the first story in the book, Yuletide Pact by Jane Henry. We already know about the family show more rivalries, treachery, danger and the heartbreaking decisions that sometimes have to be made for the sake of “the family.” Yuletide Pact gives us a sweet little glimpse into a party that is supposed to be a truce, but a reunion of two favorite characters threatens that – and has you sighing and swooning. Short but sweet, a satisfying story that makes you want to dig deeper.

I enjoyed all of Sin & Snowflakes, perfect combination of authors and every story just different enough from the others to keep your attention all the way through. Totally enjoyed, recommend without hesitation. I received an advance copy of Sin & Snowflakes. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

Originally published on Tales to Tide You Over

I have come to expect Lucy Monroe to push the edge in her romances, so imagine my surprise when this book seemed to start out so amazingly typical beyond elevating Liyah Amari to a position of some authority on the hotel housekeeping staff. I should have had more faith.

Monroe riffs off the traditional line like a talented guitar player, adding complexity to Sheikh Sayed of Zeena Sarha by making him ill-suited for the role life has thrust on him, show more or so he thinks. Gone is the brash, arrogant, cocky desert warrior of tradition, replaced with a man determined to fill the shoes tragedy left him when his brother died though he finds the fit constricting and sees little true happiness in a path of duty and responsibility. He finds himself wanting in comparison to the brother he’s lost.

For her part, Liyah is the child of a lapse in judgment who has just lost her mother, the only family she’s had because her father abandoned them after the affair and her mother’s traditional family turned their back on them because of the scandal. Only in her mother’s death, she learns who her father is and has the opportunity to go meet him, a rewriting of everything she knew about herself.

These situations help set up the story and provide obstacles throughout the novel, especially when, in a moment of weakness, Liyah follows the same path her mother had in having sex with Sayed. Neither begins the book looking for a romantic connection, Liyah because of a strict upbringing and Sayed because he’s about to embark on a political marriage. Despite an instant connection, both exercise supreme control to prevent acting on it. But circumstances thrust them together and keep them close until they recognize the truth of their bond. The novel is very sensual and explicit, but even in those moments, it’s all about who they are, how life shaped them, and what they intend to do with that life.

This opens the book to another tradition: the secret baby. Even here though, in Monroe’s hands cliche takes on a new feel because the baby is critical as just a possibility, and has political as well as personal ramifications.

What begins as an homage to the desert sheikh romances of the 80s takes on a very modern feel through complex characters and a complicated story that allows them the space to learn and grow. It incorporates cultural elements often missing from the earlier stories, whether in how to address Sayed or who should have a special tea set. Even better, instead of the blonde Caucasian who amazes the dark Middle Easterners with her contrast, Liyah is a mixed-race second-generation American with family ties to his own country and who has been raised aware of her cultural heritage.

Monroe offers a traditional romance story with all the right pieces to satisfy a romance reader, but adds her own twists to make it just a bit more complicated and compelling.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. show less

I broke up with the Presents line awhile back. Reading this book reminded me why.

Savannah was married to Leiandros's cousin Dion. Dion was a selfish, jealous, callous, abusive person. He spent years verbally abusing Savannah and poisoning his family against her. She finally worked up the courage to leave him after he lost control one night and physically abused her. She took her girls and fled to America. When Dion was killed in a car accident along with Leiandros's wife, Petra, Savannah show more returns to Greece for the funeral.

a year after the funeral Leiandros issues an ultimatum to her: either she return to Greece with her children or he'd cut off her monthly allowance. Savannah has spent the last 4 years getting her degree and, while she now has it, doesn't have a job. She needs her monthly allowance to pay for the care of her very ill, elderly aunt. The monthly fee for her aunt's nursing home is coming due. If she doesn't get the money from Leiandros her aunt will be moved to a state nursing home, which would most likely kill her.

Leiandros has always wanted Savannah. He decides to wait a year after the funeral - a proper grieving period - then issues his ultimatum. Though she believes she's only coming for a short visit, he has other plans. He wants justice for the wrongs Savannah caused...and he intends to get it by marrying her and forcing her to have his children.

This book is chock full of fail. I'm not even sure where to start. First we have Savannah. The night she was introduced to Leiandros they shared a kiss before he realizes she was the wife of his cousin. Since then he's thought the worst of her based on his cousin's lies. Dion swore Savannah was cheating on him and her daughters weren't his. So Leiandros thinks her a whore, constantly making cutting remarks about her and putting her down. And yet...she loves him. She's always loved him. The man calls her a whore, accuses her of infidelity and being the cause of Dion and Perta's deaths and of keeping her girls from his family...and she loves him. So much that its hard for her to be around him without aching for him.

Then we have Leiandros. He claims to value family above all else - hence his hatred for Savannah, who stole his nieces from him and killed her husband by running away - yet when he finds out about her ailing aunt, says she doesn't realize Savannah is there anyway and won't be alive much longer. He also blackmails Savannah into first flying to Greece, then into marrying him. He emotionally manipulates her daughters so they push Savannah to marry him - something she does nothing about, by the way - and forces her to introduce them to the rest of the family, who openly scorn Savannah. Then accuse her of not playing nice when his family treats her badly.

I couldn't find one redeeming quality about either of them. Honestly, they deserved each other.

I'm giving this a 1.5 out of 5 because the story was well written. show less

The Real Deal was a sweet, engaging love story that was imbued with a healthy dose of realism, but still managed to stay within the bounds of romantic fantasy that all readers of the genre seem to love. I really enjoyed how Lucy Monroe took two people with low self-esteem, due in part to failed relationships of the past, and helped them to grow and change by finding the perfect mate in each other. Although I don't believe I have previously read any romance novels that primarily take place in show more the corporate business world, I have to say that this type of setting along with all of it's attendant politics would not normally be of interest me. However, since my husband works in a similar environment and frequently deals with such things, I found that I knew enough about the topic for it to actually be quite interesting. I loved the peaceful, serene setting of Simon's island home off the coast of Washington. Until recently I had thought Washington to be a unique backdrop for a romance novel, but over the last few months I have read several stories that take place there. Ms. Monroe still managed to make it seem a little out of the ordinary though. I really enjoyed the loves scenes which I thought were hot, sensuous, and tastefully creative, while still being laden with plenty of emotion. In addition to a great hero and heroine, each of the secondary characters were very well rendered. I was particularly taken with Simon's housekeeper cum security expert, Jacob, and Amanda's one true friend, Jillian. Jacob was a crusty retired Secret Service agent with seemingly hundreds of different personas and Jillian was a flamboyant soap opera actress. Both added a lot of wisdom, levity, and humor to the two more serious main characters, and everyone was woven seamlessly into a tale that was a pleasure to read from start to finish.

I absolutely loved Simon. The only complaint I have about him is the author's repeated use of the phrase “gunmetal gray” to describe his eyes. In my opinion, it was a bit overused, but in the grand scheme of things it was merely a minor detractor to an otherwise great character. Having a techno-geek husband (and on occasion having been accused of being a geek myself), I can definitely say that Ms. Monroe's characterization of Simon was quite accurate, from his reclusive nature, to his frequent and lengthy forays into his lab, to his feelings of simply not fitting in with the rest of the world. I also liked Simon's katana collection and his choice of workout methods, both of which are typical geeky interests. The one thing I found a bit odd though, was his lack of electronic equipment (he didn't even have a TV), as in my experience most geeks tend to be rather enamored of almost any technical device, but maybe Simon got all the technical stimulation he needed in his lab. Since brains and beauty rarely come in the same package, I also thought that Simon's drop dead gorgeous looks were highly usual, but certainly not outside the realm of possibility. I did think it was very sweet and endearing that Simon was rather self-conscious about being so well-endowed, due to past lovers telling him he was too big. Since my research seems to indicate that this is a more common phenomena than most romance novelists would lead readers to believe, I really enjoyed Ms. Monroe's very different and more realistic take on Simon's impressive male attribute. I thought that Simon also exhibited a bit more confidence and social skills than the average geek, but again, social ineptness is a stereotype that is not always accurate. All in all, Simon was a wonderful hero who was kind and caring, a true gentleman, and an all-around great guy to anyone who took the time to get to know and understand him.

Fortunately for Simon, Amanda had plenty of time, and in the interests of a successful corporate merger, it was her job to understand how his mind worked. She was instantly attracted to him on a physical level, but she never realized how appealing the man inside would be as well. Amanda had plenty of hang-ups of her own after a failed first marriage to an unfaithful man who was a lousy lover and constantly berated her appearance. It was difficult for her to believe that someone like Simon could even be attracted to her, much less want anything more, but ultimately they both had to have a lot of patience and persistence to rebuild each other's confidence. While some readers may disagree, I actually liked that Amanda was a modern woman who had chosen not to sleep around, and that the only man she had ever been with prior to Simon was her first husband. I imagine that the issues Amanda faced in her work environment were probably not unlike what many women deal with in the corporate business world every day. It was interesting to watch her struggling with the realization that her career might not be the most important thing in her life after all, and that some of the things she had thought lost to her were actually within reach again. In the end, I felt a sense of pride in Amanda for making a difficult but gutsy decision about her job based on her personal ethics and values, and also for her having discovered a new confidence in herself that was not tied to her work.

The process Simon and Amanda went through, growing and changing and learning to love and believe in each other was a lovely and emotional one to read, but there were a few times I found myself wishing they would just tell each other what they were thinking and feeling. They trusted each other on some things right from the start, but other things took a little longer. Each of their stories came out in bits and pieces as they learned to trust a little more each day, which in hindsight was probably more realistic. I'm also grateful that even though Simon could be a little clueless at times and Amanda a bit stubborn due to her past hurts, no serious misunderstandings ever took place. Even though the revealing of their true selves to each other seemed a bit slow at times, without that pace, the final act of faith that Simon shows Amanda wouldn't have been half as sweet. Looking back, I think it might have been nice if these two had connected a little more on an intellectual level, as it didn't seem like they had a great deal in common. However, their emotional and physical relationship was so palpable that I didn't even think about this until the story was finished, so I guess I can't say that it really detracted from my enjoyment of the book. The Real Deal was an extremely well-written novel that hit very close to home for me, and also hit a home-run right onto my keeper shelf. This was my first read by Lucy Monroe, but after such a wonderful experience I am excitedly looking forward to checking out her backlist. While The Real Deal is a stand-alone novel with no apparent storyline connection to any of Ms. Monroe's other books, Amanda's friend, Jillian, does become the heroine of Deal With This, book #2 in The Goddard Project series. Lucy Monroe has also written inspirational romances as L.C. Monroe. show less