Finished Driftwood Cottage by Sherryl Woods. This is one of the books in her Chesapeake Shores contemporary romance series.

Heather Donovan has a son with Connor O’Brien. She loves Connor, but she wants to get married — something that Connor, a divorce attorney, won’t even consider. So Heather takes their son and moves to Connor’s hometown of Chesapeake Shores where the rest of his large family lives. Soon, Heather is living her dream of owning her own quilting shop, but she can’t seem to get over her feelings for Connor. For his part, Connor loves Heather and their son, but his job and his parents’ past relationship woes make him wary of marriage. But when tragedy strikes, Connor wonders if it’s too late to have the life that he truly wants …

I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for a pretty cover, and this book certainly has that. You can almost smell the ocean when you look at it. However, this book didn’t work for me as well as the cover did.

I enjoyed the small town setting and the way that the large cast of characters all interacted and teased and loved each other. I also liked Heather and the fact that she stood up for what she wanted and didn’t back down, even when it would have been easier just to stay with Connor.

However, I didn’t like Connor all that much. He’s very stubborn and more than once he tries to get Heather to come around to his way of thinking. He doesn’t really start to change until the end of the book.

But my main problem with the book is that it seems like all the characters do through the whole story is debate the pros and cons of marriage. There just isn’t much action other than that, until near the end of the book (And I won’t spoil what happens here).

Overall, I didn’t really connect with this book, but if you like contemporary romance, you may want to give this one a try.

My grade: D

Would I read this author again: Maybe. I love contemporary romances set in small, picturesque towns.

Memorable quote: “If anyone had told her a few months ago that she would leave the man she loved more than anything, that she would take their son and move from Baltimore to a small seaside town and embark on a whole new career, Heather would have laughed at the absurdity of the predictions.”

Finished My One and Only by Kristan Higgins. This is a contemporary romance.

Divorce attorney Harper James is ready to tie the knot with her boyfriend, Dennis, only he doesn’t seem as enthusiastic about her proposal as she expected. To make matters worse, she finds out that her sister Willa is getting married again — to the brother of Harper’s ex-husband, Nick Lowery. Harper loved Nick, but their marriage quickly imploded. But when she sees Nick again, all of those old feelings and memories come rushing back to the surface. Harper and Nick are eventually forced to take a cross-country road trip together, and Harper has to come to terms with their relationship, as well as some other family issues. It’s going to be a bumpy ride …

I’ve read several of Higgins’s books now, and I always enjoy her witty, first-person voice and the pets in her books. But in many of Higgins’s books, it seems like the heroine is really focused on getting married and having kids or is pining after a guy. That’s not the case in this book, which I thought was was really refreshing.

I think Harper is perhaps the most grown-up of Higgins’s heroines that I’ve read. Harper’s mom left her when she was a kid, which has really scarred Harper when it comes to relationships and loving and trusting other people. It was interesting to watch her deal with how she feels about her mother and how that insecurity affected her marriage to Nick. To me, that was the heart and soul of the book, and it was done really, really well.

In addition, there’s also some really nice scenes with Harper coming to accept her stepmother and realizing how the stepmother’s always been there for her when her real mom hasn’t.

However, I didn’t connect with some of the secondary characters as much. Harper really hurt Nick, but he comes off as a jerk at times. Plus, Harper’s father does something that seemed really forced and out there and not how most people would handle the situation.

Also, something happens between Harper and her boyfriend Dennis when Harper gets back home that just didn’t seem believable to me at all. And as much as I love romantic comedies, the ending felt very much like something you’d see in a movie. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the quirkiness of it didn’t quite mesh with the rest of the book for me.

Overall, though, this is a really fun and touching contemporary romance. Definitely check this one out.

My grade: B

Would I read this author again: Yes. I almost always enjoy Higgins’s voice and writing style.

Memorable quote: “I opened my mouth, closed it and bit my tongue. Two weeks. Holy testicle Tuesday. Two weeks to talk Willa out of another disastrous marriage, or at least to slow down and really get to know her potential groom.”

I have some awesome, wonderful, amazing news to report: Tangled Threads made the USA Today bestseller list! The book made the list at #100 this week. Click here to see the page. So I am officially a USA Today bestselling author. Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

I just want to give a huge, huge thanks to all the readers out there. This would not have happened without you guys. There are so many great books and authors out there, and it always humbles me to know that folks even give my books a chance in the first place. As an author, you always hope that people read and enjoy your books, but the Elemental Assassin series has been more popular than I ever dared to hope for, and I’ve gotten so many nice e-mails and comments about it. So thank you, readers.

Thanks also go to all the book reviewers/bloggers, bookstores, libraries, and everyone else who helps get the word out about all the amazing books out there. I appreciate everyone’s interest in my books and what you guys do to promote books and reading in general.

Thanks also go to my editor, agent, and everyone at Pocket/Simon & Schuster. It really is a team effort, and you’ve all been great to work with.

I also want to say thanks to my friends and family for all their love, support, and help and for understanding when I have to disappear to do book stuff. I couldn’t do it without you guys.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m off to do the happy dance. Thanks so much, everyone!

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