Since this was so popular the last time around, here is another comparison chart for five YA romance novels. Hope you enjoy!
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Tag Archives: romance
Book Review – Black Box
Black Box by Cassia Leo
Do you believe in fate? For Mikki and Crush, fate keeps intervening and intertwining their lives. Even before they meet in person, their paths cross twice and each time both Mikki and Crush are altered people. Cassia Leo’s story blends darkness, raw emotion and heart-breaking tragedy with the bright light of hope and love. The plot, told in both the present and flashbacks, was slightly implausible but instead of bothering me, it gave the whole story an ethereal quality. A trigger warning: this book deals with some heavy subjects like mental illness, suicide, and sexual assault.
Book Review – Open Road Summer
Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Reagan O’Neill needs to get her life together. She is ready to leave her rebellious ways and bad boys behind. Her best friend, country superstar, Lilah Montgomery, is still nursing a broken heart after a year so when Lilah invites Reagan to join her on her summer tour, it might be the perfect opportunity for some much needed time away. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as Lilah’s opening act, Reagan finds his charm irresistible and her pledge for a drama-free summer begins to look doubtful. This fun, breezy YA romance turned out to be more about best friends Reagan and Lilah than boy meets girl. Yes, of course, there was the obligatory romantic drama but it is the loyalty between the girls that holds this novel together.
Book Review – The Mistletoe Promise
The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans
This quick, heartwarming holiday read, The Mistletoe Promise follows Elise Dutton as she prepares for another holiday season alone. That is until a handsome man from her office building approaches her with a strange but tempting proposition. They will pretend to be a couple through Christmas Eve so that neither has to deal with the prospect of the holiday social season alone. Mr. Evans is a premier holiday romance writer. He captures the feelings of the season and masterfully mixes them with new love.
Book Review – Practice Makes Perfect
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
This cute chick lit book features two senior associates, Payton & J.D., who are both vying for a single partnership position. Of course, hijinks and spark fly as the two compete with each other. This novel is surprisingly funny to the point where I giggled out loud a couple of times. The best part was the dialogue, not just between the main characters but also when those characters were talking to others. It was witty and sarcastic. I also liked the character of Payton. She is a strong, independent woman who can hold her own versus J.D. Overall, romantic and fun.
Book Review – A Royal Pain
A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry
Review: Okay, I’ll admit I’ve been reading too many romanc-ey/chick-lit-y novels lately and that might be affecting my opinion of this one but I’m thinking it was just bad. The protagonist was supposed to be a smart, independent woman and yet she became all desperate and needy whenever a man came into the picture. It was kinda disgusting and pathetic. I finished the book but just barely. I thought about putting it down several times especially when the protagonist was going through one of her many weepy, complaining phases. The whole “had-a-bad-experience-so-now-afraid-of-getting-hurt” plot device is a mainstay of this genre, I get that. But this one felt forced and unrealistic given how obvious it was that the guy would never leave her. This was a “romance” novel that was not at all sexy.
Author Profile: Kate Carlisle
Born: Los Angeles, California 
Website: www.katecarlisle.com
Kate Carlisle began writing after a twenty plus year career as an Associate Director for various television game and variety shows. She worked as a Dating Game chaperone and performed on The Gong Show. After deciding to get out of show biz, Carlisle went to law school and during her first year she started writing fiction as a way to escape studying. She soon dropped out of law school and began taking writing classes. The rest, as they say, is history.
Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery Series is currently seven novels plus one short story. The series centers on heroine Brooklyn Wainwright who is a rare book expert and bookbinder living in San Francisco. Brooklyn has a knack for solving mysteries in the books she restores and a proclivity for discovering dead bodies. I happen to love Brooklyn as a character because of her wit and passion for good books and good food.
In addition to writing mystery and crime novels, Carlisle is also a romance author. She has written five steamy romance novels. Carlisle is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She lives in Southern California with her husband.
Bibliography:
Bibliophile Mystery Series
Romance Novels
Novel Escapism 