Monday, March 5, 2012

Review: Kiss Me, I'm Irish by Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, and Maureen Child

Kiss Me, I’m Irish by Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, and Maureen Child
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780373776542
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N
Jill Shalvis Reading Order
“The Sins of His Past” by Roxanne St. Claire
For one incredible night, Kendra Locke gave Deuce Monroe everything she had. Then he walked away without a backward glance to chase his big-league dreams. Now after one too many daredevil stunts, he's back in his hometown ready to pick up where they left off—but Kendra has no intention of giving in so easily….

“Tangling with Ty” by Jill Shalvis
Dr. Nicole Mann, a child prodigy who graduated high school at the age of thirteen, has no room in her mind or her schedule for romance. But when the architect renovating her apartment turns out to have a charming Irish accent, all bets are off—and Ty Patrick O'Grady plans to use every trick in his book to stay in her life for good.

“Whatever Reilly Wants” by Maureen Child
Connor Reilly only has a few weeks to go in his "no sex for ninety days" bet with his brothers—and he figures no woman is safer to be around than his best friend, Emma Jacobsen. Until Emma shows up at a bar in a short skirt and high heels, and suddenly seems anything but safe!


“The Sins of His Past” by Roxanne St. Claire Kiss Me Im Irish Cover
I suppose I should start off by saying that I’m a sucker for reunion romances, so I was really looking forward to reading “The Sins of His Past.” That being said, “The Sins of His Past” wasn’t a story I particularly enjoyed. Kendra’s intelligent and easy to like, but Deuce is so self-centered for the majority of the book that I did not find him appealing at all. To clarify, Deuce isn’t a bad person – he just seems to think that the world revolves around him. Even situations which only marginally have something to do with him are put in terms of how said situations affect him. The highlight of “The Sins of His Past” was not the romance, but rather when Kendra finally called Deuce on his behavior. With such an annoying hero, it was pretty much impossible for me to become invested in “The Sins of His Past.”

Roxanne St. Claire is an author whose work I’ve been meaning to read for years and I hope I’ll have better luck with another one of her books.


“Tangling with Ty” by Jill Shalvis
I’ve been steadily glomming up Jill Shalvis’s backlist and with a story like “Tangling with Ty,” it’s easy to see why. “Tangling with Ty” has heat, heart, and a dash of humor — three things you’re guaranteed to find in Ms. Shalvis’s stories. Nicole is a hard worker who isn’t the most socially adept of people, something that adds a dash of vulnerability to her character. And with a brilliant, beautiful doctor like Nicole for a heroine, that bit of vulnerability is definitely needed to keep her from being too perfect. I simply adored Nicole. As for the other half of “Tangling with Ty”…whew! Ty Patrick O’Grady is one sexy Irishman. The way he handles the sometimes-prickly Nicole charmed the hell out of me and the depth of caring he shows added to the devastatingly hot package he presented. As a pair, Nicole and Ty were fabulous, and I devoured “Tangling with Ty” in one sitting.

“Tangling with Ty” is the second book in Ms. Shalvis’s South Village Singles series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. However, I loved Nicole’s friends Suzanne and Taylor, so I hope HQN plans to reissue “Roughing It with Ryan” and “Messing with Mac”


“Whatever Reilly Wants” by Maureen Child
Friends becoming lovers is a beloved romance trope for a reason. Stories like “Whatever Reilly Wants” exemplify the best of the friends-to-lovers storyline. Connor and Emma have never really seen one another as potential lovers – until Connor puts his foot in it and practically declares Emma to be asexual! I was with Emma all the way on her plot to seduce Connor for revenge, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before she and Connor would fall in love. It’s clear for all to see that Connor and Emma are perfect for one another, so as a reader I simply sat back and enjoyed the wonderfully entertaining ride Maureen Child took me on.

“Whatever Reilly Wants” is the second story in Ms. Child’s Three-Way Wager series, but it stands on its own just fine. However, I’ll definitely be looking for the other two books in the series, as Connor’s brothers charmed the heck out of me.


There’s no reason to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to read Kiss Me, I’m Irish. With its trio of delightful heroines, not to mention a few red-hot heroes that are Irish or of Irish descent, Kiss Me, I’m Irish is sure to please fans of contemporary romance all year long!

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