Review: Heart of Gold by Jessica Bird

Heart of Gold

by Jessica Bird

There is a pretty big distinction in the writing when I read a Jessica Bird book as opposed to a J.R. Ward book.  It also shows how much the author has grown into her own voice as a writer.  With HEART OF GOLD, her second book ever published, I found the story to be a thrown together.  Don't get me wrong, it was still cute but there was no originality and the conflicts were weird and felt like they were building up to something big that never came and the resolutions were just...too easy.

Nick Farrell is a sexy hero.  Hot, young, rich and very much the brooding and grouchy type.  Used to always getting his way and quite often rude to others.  His sister died recently leaving him in charge of taking care of his teenage nephew.  He's had archaeologists asking to dig on his mountain looking for gold for a long time and it's not until beautiful and young Carter Wessex asks him that he agrees.  And that has everything to do with his attraction.

First the issue of Nick's nephew having a crush on Carter, then the reason why Carter hasn't talked to her father since her mother's death, then the fact that Nick is apparently in love with this woman without actually spending any time getting to know her just a few small conversations and well of course sex.  There were just so many things that could've blown up into something more and given depth to the story but never did.

I thought the book was an enjoyable, light read.  Although I have other authors that I enjoy more than this to read when I'm in this kind of mood, HEART OF GOLD was still sweet with a touch of sexy enough to like it.

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: The Player by Jessica Bird

4.5 Feathers

The Player

by Jessica Bird

(The Moorehouse Legacy # 2)

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  It's another feel good romance from the Warden herself!  I liked it better than the first, even though I saw a lot of people felt the other way around.  I think I started liking Joy Moorehouse from the first book.  She's the timid, younger girl that has had a crush on the towns' most eligible bachelor her whole life.  She's had dreams of giving him her virginity and living happily ever after.

You can't help but like her!  But at the same time she's no wilting flower.  She has a backbone, she goes after her goals in life and in love.  And when she loves she gives herself completely.  To her family and to Gray.

Gray Bennett aka Most Eligible Bachelor, is a player as the title suggests.  He keeps his job a secret in the small town his from and spends a great deal of time in New York City.  While he was back in town visiting his dying father he saw Joy and found that she had transformed from the girl he used to know to a beautiful and sexy woman.  And with her air of innocence he should be the last thing around her.

OK, so I'll admit that the plot where the guy thinks he's no good for the girl and wants to stay away because he will only bring her heartache is good, but to a point.  I think that was my only complaint with this book.  Gray kept thinking he was bad for Joy.  I wanted to slap him sometimes.  But that at least didn't stop him from pursuing her.  And then there's his trust issue because of seeing his own mother cheat on his dad.  So two things that got on my nerves just a bit.

But as you can see the good far outweighs the bad.  I thought this story was sexy as hell, Gray being so delicious probably helped.  It was also sweet and I loved the fact that it was a completely different story than the first book.  With all the society parties going on it had the feeling of a historical romance but set in current times.

I cannot wait to read the next one, although it seems I might be waiting.  I'm spoiled and I want to listen to the audiobook like I did with the first two.  Which means.... indefinete wait because there's no date announced for the re-release of the last Moorehouse sibling's story!  Waaaaaaaaaaa

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Leaping Hearts by Jessica Bird

Leaping Hearts

by Jessica Bird

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was when the audiobook for this started and there was a short intro from Jessica Bird aka JR Ward that talks about how this particular book came to be and what it means to her. It definitely gave me a different perspective before diving into the story and I was able to appreciate some things more. Especially knowing this was her FIRST EVER story, the fact that she got lucky to get some pointers from Sue Grafton, the fact that she wasn't scared to curse about it, what she learned from Ms. Grafton and how that affected her writing in this book as well as in the future.

LEAPING HEARTS is a story about heart, hardships, following your gut and your dreams and not holding back. AJ Sutherland buys a horse at an auction for the purpose of training it and riding it for show jumping. But this horse is wild. Her family turns away from her, she has to pay for the horse with her own money and is left with no where to go (her and the horse) and no way to train.

That's where Devlin McCloud comes in. He's a legend but his career ended abruptly when he had an accident that injured his leg and ended with his horse being put down. That was a year ago and he's been a recluse since. He was at the auction and saw something in AJ and Sabbath and when AJ asks he agrees to help train her and the horse as well as give her a place to crash.

AJ is young, idealistic, very determined and has a definite connection to Sabbath. I loved to read about that. How she was able to calm down and tame such a wild animal and together overcame some of the mental obstacles that were there. She is also infatuated with Devlin, of course always had a bit of a celebrity crush on him. I thought it was very sweet to see her crush on him and at the same time stand her ground not falling totally at his feet or jumping when he said it.

Devlin is a bit of a tortured hero in this story, he walks with a bit of a limp still from his injury, uses a cane, and has so many issues to get over in his mind before he can really be a functioning adult and be in a relationship. But AJ was perfect to slowly bring him out of that funk and get him to open up his heart.

I loved the romance, I loved the story. It was a nice feel-good book with enough emotion and drama that it felt real.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Review: The Rebel by Jessica Bird

The Rebel

by Jessica Bird

(The Moorehouse Legacy # 1)

I've had this book on my TBR list for a while and since every summer I look for something light to listen to while catching some sun rays, I decided to give this a try.  Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised!  And note that this book was originally released in 2005 with a different title: Beauty and the Black Sheep.

I think the first thing to do before reading a Jessica Bird book, if you are a J.R. Ward fan, is realize that this is a different pen name.  Don't go in expecting to read the Black Dagger Brotherhood just without fangs.  But do go in with an open mind and let her writing transport you to upstate New York, to a decrepit bed and breakfast that will need almost a miracle to stay afloat.  And that miracle might just be chef Nate Walker, who can bring in clients in masses.

Frankie Moorehouse is a strong woman.  She has been running the B&B since her parents died, has closed herself off to having any kind of a real life in order to not loose the only thing that they still have of their family.  And forget about guys and love, so not on her list of things to do.  But how can she not add Nate Walker, hot and sexy, bad boy and chef.  Although she has all these conflicting feelings in her head about why she shouldn't get involved with Nate, his perseverance wins out.

And Nate, well, what can I say?  He knows how to work a woman almost as well as he uses those chef knives.  He has great strength, leaving a life of luxury and commodities with his family to follow his dreams.  And he applies that same drive to get the woman he wants.  And that is extremely sexy.  But then again, everything about Nate was sexy.

The actual story was well developed without being wordy, I was hanging on to every word!  The Moorehouse family is definitely an interesting one and I can't wait to see the siblings find true love.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Review: An Unforgettable Lady by Jessica Bird

 

(more like 4.5 feathers)

An Unforgettable Lady

by Jessica Bird

As a fanatic – almost rabid- fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I cannot help but gush over J.R. Ward writing. So, in the effort to cover my bases a little more, I decided to pick AN UNFORGETTABLE LADY off my bookshelf and read it. I was pleasantly surprised because I thought that this was a strictly contemporary romance, but I soon found out that it’s a romantic suspense.

Bird captured my attention with the first sizzling hot kiss between the hero and heroine of this book. Grace Hall is a countess. She’s wealthy, privileged and scared out of her wits because members of society are now being killed off one by one. In addition to that, she had the added stress of maintaining her father’s fortune after his recent death while also dealing with the repercussions of her ongoing divorce.

When she first meets John Smith, their meeting is a heated one but in not the way you think. They bicker with one another, neither one allowing the other to gain the upper hand. Smith is a man of little words. He is a man who is content with who he is and isn’t looking for change. His life may be lonely, but at least he has control over it and so when Grace learns of another murder, she hires Smith as a personal bodyguard to ease her nerves a bit. It’s Grace’s effort to gain control of her own life.

As their lives collide, Grace soon finds herself unable to deny the attraction that she has for Smith. Similarly, Smith can’t help but notice that Grace isn’t an ice princess that society portrays her to be. He learns that she has a fire in her.

Bird does an excellent job of transitioning from feelings of extreme fear to lust, reaching the opposite end of the emotional spectrum that a character can feel. What I loved about this book is that the in-depth thought processes of a character that readers enjoy from the BDB books are still evident in Bird’s writing. She writes in a way that you feel as if you are Smith, as he battles between his sense of honor and duty and his lust for Grace.

In the note to readers at the beginning of this book, Bird mentions that she sees Grace and Smith similar to Marissa and Butch because Grace is wealth and class while Smith could not be any more different than her. I do see the resemblance, but I feel like their personalities are more similar to Z and Bella. Much like Z, Smith warns Grace off, telling her that he is a man one night stands, not of lazy morning-afters. But like Bella, Grace doesn’t allow him to push her away. She is determined, and in the end, she gets what she wants.

AN UNFORGETTABLE LADY turned out to be an enjoyable read that I would recommend to readers who enjoy romantic suspense. It has the same elements of our favorite books by Ward, but just a different backdrop and a little more emphasis on suspense. But in the end, the product is the same. It’s gold.

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon