A Weaver Wedding by Allison Leigh

Blurb:

Shy and retiring Tara Browning couldn't believe it. One minute she was enjoying an outrageous, out-of-the-blue weekend of heaven with Weaver's hometown hunk, Axel Clay, and the next minute he disappeared without so much as a goodbye! Was she dreaming? The baby on the way seemed very real indeed….
Now, months later, Axel was back in town, showing up on her doorstep with a song and dance about being her bodyguard while her brother testified in a high-profile criminal trial. In such close quarters, could Tara keep her baby secret—and her hands to herself—now that this masterful man of the Double-C Ranch was back on her radar?

My thoughts:

My first Silhouette in a while and .... actually a review book for Harlequin. Set in the small town of Weaver, this story is part of a series about the men of the Double C Ranch. The writer did a good job of showing the importance of family. Tara found herself alone and pregnant but found a "home" with Axel's parents and siblings as well as their spouses. Growing up was not easy for Tara as she did not have the stability that Axel enjoyed with his family.

On the other hand, Axel's character seemed childish at times. He said he was concerned for Tara's safety as her body guard .........but as a man, his actions left much to be desired. How dare he spend several nights with her but disappears for months without so much as a phone call.

Overall, I thought the story bordered on the mysterious.....though too many characters were introduced. I thought the novel was heartwarming and definitely embraced family as a central theme but not as steamy a novel as I would prefer.

Your Local Handyman by Stephanie Williams

Blurb:
Who is going to fix who up with what?
Alexis Harrison has bought the American Dream. She purchased a huge Colonial fixer-upper in a posh neighborhood. She’s now ready to have a house warming party. All she has to do is find the right person or persons to help her do all the hard work. No problem. She has met and hooked up with the local handyman, the sexy Tony Castellano. But when her house starts falling apart at the seams, so does she. But Tony is there ready to fix things—and not just the house.
Tony Castellano, wants to be more than the local handyman to the sexy new neighbor Alexis Harrison. But he’s willing to fix her windows, her pipes and anything else that needs repair as long as he’s near her. But fate has come knocking. Now her house is a total wreak and she needs a place to stay. Now he can show her he can fix more than pipes.
Will Tony heat up more than the water or will Alexis deep freeze him?

Review:
This was simultaneous combustion from the start but neither Tony nor Alexis was willing to admit it ……….that is, until Tony got a chance to do some work at Alexis’s house while she was home. Alexis with her mocha skin and succulent lips, sets Tony’s hard, Italian body on fire.

Tony struck me as a very devoted guy who is loyal to the woman he chooses. Alexis, on the other hand seems to be very ambitious but not really the "marrying" type. I enjoyed this novella but really wished the author had more time to develop these characters so the reader could get a better understanding of what motivated both of them.

Overall, it’s a wonderful story of romance and lust. The book is highly entertaining and a very spicy read.

A Man For The Summer by Ruby Bartek

Blurb: Dentist Junior Atkinson left her tiny home town to see if she would fit in better in the big city. She definitely didn't. Now she's back, living in the house she grew up in, friendly with every citizen of the two-stoplight town. Things couldn't be more wonderful. Well, maybe if her patients paid her regularly. If there was an eligible man in a fifty-mile radius. If she hadn't just been told that a medical condition meant she had only a few more fertile months despite her tender age of twenty-eight. Junior barely has time to digest this news when she finds hunky travel book author Griff Ross in her chair with a hell of a toothache.

Review: This story is set in rural Missouri and reminds us why small towns can be so heart warming and fun to live in. Junior is a young, funky Dentist who wants to get pregnant. With the prodding of her equally fun loving Aunt, she entices Griff into her bed for a night in the hopes of making a baby. Griff, a straight-laced writer; is not too happy when he finds out he was lured into Junior’s bed under false pretences. On the flip side, he cannot rid himself of the images of their encounter. I enjoyed the story and the relationship that developed between Junior and Griff. I think the author effectively captured the differences between the two and showing how they both worked to bridge the gap caused by their equally opposite upbringing. The story is light, fun a bit spicy and a nice summer read!