Not Quite Dating
Series: Not Quite #1
Author: Catherine Bybee

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


Waitress and single mom Jessica “Jessie” Mann is practical to a fault. Even if she had time to date, which she doesn’t, she’d be determined to provide her son with a more secure upbringing than the one she had—and that would mean a husband with big bucks. When Jack Morrison—a sexy-as-sin, seemingly broke customer with a cowboy hat and a seductive grin—tries to flirt with her, she shoots him down. She doubts a carefree dreamer like Jack can provide the financial stability she needs. Yet with Christmas just weeks away, and Jessie not wanting to spend it alone, the charming Texan is proving hard to resist.

As the heir to the Morrison luxury hotel empire, Jack is used to being fawned over. But Jack needs someone who will fall in love with him—not his wealth. He’s set his sights on Jessie, though her hardened heart just might get in the way…To be sure, he conceals his true identity and offers to help Jessie find the rich husband she seeks. But Jack’s daring charade may rob him of the holiday wish he wants most of all…


Not Quite Dating is the first book in the Not Quite series by author Catherine Bybee.

Having never read anything by this author before, I wasn't sure if this series was going to be a hit for me. I had heard her writing was good -- along with her plots -- with them falling into the 'feel good' romance.  What I found was exactly that.

Was the story well written? Yes.
Was the ending predictable like others mentioned? Yes.
Did it give me the feel good vibe by the last page? Yes.

I loved the characters with Jack being my favorite out of the two.  While Jessie was written well, Jack was the winner for me.

Why? The main reason is because the characters just clicked for me.  I enjoyed the journey with each chapter. The side characters just enhanced the story further.

While there were some things that left me scratching my head -- mainly the behavior of some characters -- as a whole it made the story complete.  I can't wait to start reading more by this author!

Not Quite Mine
Series: Not Quite #2
Author: Catherine Bybee

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


Gorgeous hotel heiress Katelyn "Katie" Morrison seems to have it all. But when she crosses paths with Dean Prescott - the only man she's ever loved - at her brother's wedding, Katie realizes there's a gaping hole in her life. After the ceremony she gets an even bigger surprise when someone abandons a baby girl on her doorstep. Determined to keep the newborn until she learns who her mother is, Katie has her hands full and doesn't need Dean snooping around, especially when his presence stirs feelings she thought were long gone. 

Dean Prescott knows Katie is lying to him when he discovers a baby is living with her. He shouldn't care what the woman who broke his heart is up to...and he most certainly shouldn't still be aching for her. Yet Dean can't ignore the need to protect Katie - or the desire to be near her every chance he gets. But when he and Katie solve the mystery surrounding the baby, their second chance for happiness could be shattered forever.


Not Quite Mine is the second book in the Not Quite series by author Catherine Bybee.

This is my second read by this author. While I enjoyed the first book in the series, Not Quite Mine fell a little behind in the delivery.  The characters were okay, but Katie was a hard character for me to enjoy.  It seemed like every choice she made -- while they could be justified somehow -- seemed the opposite of what  she should do. Some of the reasons for her choices just didn't fly for me. Why all of the secrets? Just come clean with it and let the people you are concerned with deal with your actions in their own way.

The flow of the story was well paced, and again the side characters were enjoyable.  I still enjoyed this read, along with the previous book, but just not as well.  I am still interested though in reading more in the series and the authors back list as well.

Labels: 3 flames, 4 flames, Catherine Bybee, Romance

Restore Me
Series: Wrecked #1
Author: J. L. Mac

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


Navigating the world alone is all Josephine Geroux has ever known. Life altering tragedy struck early on for her. She endured an admirable struggle through her youth and learned the hard way how to adapt and survive. She managed to arrive at adulthood in one piece in spite of it all. 

After such chaos, maintaining a life free of complications is a priority for her. 
Everything changed when a man with amber eyes came through her door and claimed her heart. She fell hard in more ways than one. The pull between Jo and Damon seemed like fate bringing things full circle.

With another devastating loss looming, Jo fights to hold on to the very thing that brought her to her knees. She finds herself torn between a promising future and clinging to a devastating past.
But that’s not the most worrisome problem on her hands. 

She must convince more than just herself to let the past stay in the past, where it belongs, but on her journey to find closure and resolution, she does the exact opposite. An old wound caused by a heinous act becomes exposed for what it is. The truth is catastrophic and Jo is helpless, watching as the ruins of her fragile world endure more turmoil. 

Can something conceived from tragedy and malice end well? Can something so completely poisoned conquer adversity? Jo is left to make a decision; accept the circumstances she finds herself in or fight with unwavering ferocity to restore what has been damaged.


Restore Me is the second book in the Wrecked series by author J. L. Mac.

Talk about going from one end of the character personality spectrum to the other!  In the last book, I couldn't stand Jo's attitude and I thought Damon was a whipped puppy at times.  With this second book in the series, Damon became a cold man and Jo became the whiny and wimpy girl.  Granted, at times Jo was still bad mouth tough with a chip on her shoulder, but overall she was the one who did most of the begging in this book.

While the writing was much better in this one -- with a better pace than the previous one -- I still couldn't connect with the characters.  I think it was mainly the fact that the characters were complete opposites of what they started out to be in the first book.  I will say that Grams might have been even better in this book and I think even though she is a side character, she is still my favorite.

The revelation at the end was kind of predictable only because this character is mentioned and brought into the story much more than in the previous book.  I also have a 'feeling' about another side character that could be a problem in the next book.

While I enjoyed this book better than the first one, I am still on the fence about this series as a whole.  I feel that the characters just didn't 'speak to me' and it makes me hesitant on reading the next one.

Labels: 2 flames, J L Mac, Romance

Wreck Me
Series: Wrecked #1
Author: J.L. Mac

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


Life can be cruel. People can be ruthless and evil. The world can be cold and uninviting. No one knows these things better than Josephine Geroux. By her own definition, she is a twenty-five year old “nobody with nothing,” and she is content to stay that way. Growing up an orphan has made her tough and indifferent to the people around her until she meets a strangely familiar man with a face that haunts her for reasons she can’t understand.

Despite the pain that will inevitably ensue, she makes it her mission to discover what parts of her tragic puzzle she is missing. On her journey to discovering why the she feels an alarming connection to an absolute stranger, her greatest fear is reawakening the demons and darkness from the past that will surely overtake her if she lets her guard down. 

Little does Josephine know that the past should be the least of her worries. She is toying with a man who has already broken her heart once. She just doesn’t realize it.

Although she makes it a point to avoid interactions with others, Josephine’s life becomes entangled with the enigmatic stranger. Before she realizes it, she has given herself over to the one person who is close enough to wreck her.


Wreck Me is the first book in the Wrecked series by author J.L. Mac.

This has to be one of the hardest reviews to write.  I am so on the fence with the rating that I am still not sure if I the one I give is the right one or not.  I had a really hard time reading this book.  The other reviews were so conflicting that I ended up buying it anyway to form my own opinion.

The pacing of this book is fast.  I am talking instant love and devotion in the space of 24 hours or less. Not only do they start sleeping together right away -- which I can handle in a romance book -- the showering of gifts and attention is almost instant.  I was shaking my head through the first half of this book.  I even complained about reading it to the point of forcing myself to read the rest of it.  Jo was not a character I enjoyed.  Sure, she has had a rough life but her attitude was rude and obnoxious.  Damon could be Alpha Male in the bedroom, but the rest of the time he was like the puppy he bought for Jo.  He bordered on sappy at times and trying too hard with Jo. I think my favorite character of this book though is a Damon's Grandmother.  She was funny and kept my interest when she was in the scenes.

There are also grammatical errors that could be annoying to some readers, but honestly I don't usually pay attention to those things since I make plenty of mistakes myself.  So if this is a big thing for you as a reader, be prepared for some.

As I approached the last quarter of this book though, it started to turn around.  I started to fall for Damon and I felt his pain.  While I don't agree with his final decision in the last chapter, I can see the setup for the next book because of it.  This is where it is hard to make a final decision for my rating.  I hate that I had to wait until the last part of the book to finally find myself feeling for the characters and starting to enjoy the writing.  I couldn't understand why the first 2/3 of the book couldn't be as good as the last 1/3.

Since the ending is left on such a cliffhanger, I am compelled to read the next book. Now that I have made a connection with the characters, I need to see the outcome of the decisions they have made.  I am hoping that the next book will have the gusto that the last part of this book had.

Labels: 2 flames, J L Mac, Romance