Author
Cedar Hill, Book 4
Reviews of Cedar Hill Book 1, Book 2, Book 3
Heat Factor: Some nipple action, then fade to black
Character Chemistry: He pursues her aggressively, and she seems to like it
Plot: She’s the one for me! Now I must convince her of this immutable truth
Overall: People who are fans of one-sided courtship books might really enjoy this one, but it seriously did not work for me
Cedar Hill, Book 3
Review of Cedar Hill Book 1; Cedar Hill Book 2
Heat Factor: You can’t really tell sometimes if the heat is from the characters or getting all worked up about DANIEL, THAT STINKER
Character Chemistry: They’re drawn to each other from the start but they are in for a bumpy ride.
Plot: Daniel is deeply messed up because of the trauma his philandering father committed. Tammy is deeply messed up because she was seriously wounded by a disgusting troll of a famous conductor who blacklisted her from her career as a musician. They find each other working in the Veterinarian’s office together in good old Cedar Hill, but if you think this is one of those “they THINK he’s a cad but really he’s got a heart of gold!” you are SO mistaken. It’s going to string you along, friends.
Overall: I was on the edge of my seat with this one the whole time because I did not believe any author could pull this kind of hero off, but duh, Susan Craig wrote it.
Continue reading “Review: Twist of Fate by Susan Craig (2019)”
My First Smut is a recurring feature where we talk about our formative smut experiences. These short confessionals may include such details as: What book did you read? How old were you? Were there other people involved? What made the experience special? What role does smut play in your life?
This week, after a long hiatus, My First Smut returns with a guest post by romance novelist Susan Craig. (You can find our reviews of her books here.)
Thinking back…wayback… to my first introduction to romance novels.
I was twenty-two years old and living on the South side of Chicago, four houses down the street from the tiny elementary school where my husband taught. I’d taught there too, until our daughter was born. Now I was a stay-at-home mom caring for a beautiful little girl.
Very stay-at-home. We had no car. In those days, we took the bus anywhere further than a walk away. It was easy. No need for schedules. You simply went to the stop and waited. Within fifteen minutes, your bus would come. But in the cold December weather, even with excellent public transport, I was not inclined to do much travelling with a baby.
So my daughter and I spent most of our time alone in our second floor walk-up.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Books from the Butcher’s Wife”Cedar Hill, Book 2
Review of Cedar Hill, Book 1
Heat Factor: Steamy and Angsty and Hair-Raising (Oh, MY!)
Character Chemistry: They’re like a mix between a well-worn couple who knows one another well and brand new lovers who don’t know what they’re doing (but in a good way)
Plot: Sally’s super busy running her dog rescue, earning her long-overdue degree, and raising her son alone. Then she starts getting stalker-y notes and her previously tepid friendship with Jim, the town’s veterinarian, turns into something more as he works to keep her safe.
Overall: This book was just…stressful. Will they, won’t they, will they before she’s murdered, how can they afford all those take-out dinners, is she going to finish her paper with all this drama going on, just…so stressful.
Continue reading “Review: Stubborn Love by Susan Craig (2019)”Cedar Hill Romance, Book 1
Heat Factor: The perfect balance of plot-driven steam.
Character Chemistry: It was instantaneous and inevitable
Plot: Two extremely bright individuals strike a business deal that gets very complicated (and just absolutely, divinely delicious).
Overall: I was so impressed with this book–it was a genuinely well-balanced read.
The Smut Report 