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Here are the summaries of the rest of the first chapters for the #Top55
In the next day or so I'll put together a list of my favourite top picks. I have to say it's likely to be difficult.
A first person POV romance. This one stars Henry Cavill as the hero. At least that’s the image that popped into my head from the description. It’s certainly not gonna hurt. That was pretty much all we got of the hero. I’m making an assumption here. Any guy who gives the heroine a black eye in the first chapter is bound to be significant. Tabitha, the heroine, is just home to small town land from college to help out her dad and take stock of her finances.
Classic Boss and Secretary trope. Penny is an appealing heroine, temping while she has med school on hold. There is a reason for it but we don’t find out in this chapter. Hero David is the usual, too good looking womanizer. All the same he comes across well. Banter is clever and the rapport is believable. Chapter ends on a nice juicy hook.
LGBQT – First Person POV New Adult.
It was hard to tell from just the first chapter but I think this may be a best friends to lovers trope. Jace, the hero, is still grieving after the death of his first love nearly two years ago. His friend Ben suggests an internet dating site. It’s clear that Ben is suffering from unrequited love but Jace assumes it’s the douchebag ex. This is part of an ongoing series on Wattpad and mention is made of character appearing in previous stories.
This has a strong chick lit feel at the beginning with the Heroine Claire and her two BFFs. Claire is a career woman but thought she had found her ideal man until he didn’t want to settle down (and promptly married a school teacher). I couldn’t help think of When Harry Met Sally. Now she’s going to forget settling and just date for fun. Gabe is a building contractor doing renovations in her office building and they meet. All his mates are married and settling down so he’s looking to settle. This could be fun.
My first thought was of course the Agatha Christie mystery “Death on the Nile” but once I read the blurb it was more like a taste of vintage romance. Good times.
Natasha with her youngish brother Nicky are joining their Aunt Lucy for a holiday in Egypt. She is disconcerted when they arrive to find their Aunt has organised a cruise down the Nile with an enigmatic archaeologist named Kyle. What’s not to like?
I was a little confused at first with this story. I made the mistake of reading the comments and this author apparently writes Justin Bieber fan fiction. However, the hero is NOT Justin Bieber though there is a secondary character that could be modelled on him. The heroine, Madison, is an image consultant, and she’s just been handed the job of white washing the Rap scene’s biggest bad boy ready to take over his estranged father’s entertainment company. Madison is an interesting character with a strong back story. We haven’t met the hero in person yet, but he looks like one hell of a challenge.
Zoe is our heroine in this chapter. She’s reeling from a put down from her ex that she is sexless and unappealing. You see where we are going here. Her best friends dress her up and send her out on the town to slay all the men. Which works fine, until she spots Zeke. Zeke is an undercover cop and he’s out to trap prostitutes tonight. He’s normally homicide but he’s on loan to vice. You see where we are going here. The next meeting is going to be a doozy.
This is listed as a superromance but it also has a little suspense in it. Eva is in a witness protection program with her children. She’s made a new life as a creative photographer with a small gallery. Her life becomes complicated when her assistant wants to promote the gallery through social media and the assistants Journalist brother comes to the island. Marshall needs a good story to get a promotion and Eva could be it. I’ve read this right to the end.
First person POV. New Adult. Eleanor is a princess, brought up to duty and all that entails. She is about to embark on her college years somewhere in Northern Island. I think. She has to deal with the interest of the paparazzi though a deal was struck (similar to that of the English royals) to leave her alone once the initial flurry is over. The other students have to be dealt with and she is helped unexpectedly by a young man, by name Sawyer. Our hero.
This an angsty read from the first word. Alana left Hayden twelve months ago believing he betrayed her, divorcing him. Now she’s back with a film crew to do a movie about the old west. The history between these two is painful and it seems Alana might be hiding another painful secret from Hayden. The close interest of her film director is likely to continue misunderstandings between them.
Maxine is six months in from a breakup with a cheating ex when her sister drags her out to a club for some R&R. Preferably of the smexy kind. It turns into a disaster when she runs into a brick wall with a charming French accent and a nice technique in kissing. Her vintage Dior dress, and her evening are ruined. Maybe the evening can be salvaged.
So…it wasn’t a nocturne that took a wrong turning. Claudia is a ghost writer and is starting employment with a growing company run by Daniel to help them start a blog. The company is all natury and environmentally sound. There is an instant attraction between them but Daniel shuts it down so for a Blaze, it starts off pretty tame. The characters are interesting though and I skipped into chapter two to get a little more of a feel for them.
Reunion romance. Bing. Music teacher Angela is desperate to fulfil her promise to take the school’s Jazz Ensemble to an event in Madrid. The school is against it, seeing anything not sport connected or academic as a waste of money. Her one chance is Daniel, her first love who is now a wealthy celebrity chef and who donates to the school regularly. Only trouble is, she ran away without confronting him when she saw him lip-locked with his ex-girlfriend fifteen years ago.
Alexandria is a shy wallflower who spends her time writing mystery novels. She lives with her sister and her sister’s new husband who has just inherited a dukedom through the sudden and mysterious deaths of three heirs over a short period. Her brother in law is a strange and secretive man and is determined to marry Alexandria off to “get her off his hands”. Little does our heroine know that she is about to be plunged into an adventure with a mystery man going by the name of Grey who resembles the heroes of her fantasy world all to closely.
This looks like a sweet New Adult college romance. Lance is filling in time after graduating before heading home to work and Abby is still at college. The meet cute is cute and both characters are appealing. I like that Lance is a typical guy but also a gentleman. Abby is less defined.
Ah…Presents. Secret babies...blackmail…marriage of convenience. All the good stuff. Of course we don’t get that in the first chapter…that came in the pitch. Rose has come onto Drew’s yacht to tell him a secret but he is in a drunken stupor. Not a man she wants anything to do with even if he is mourning the recent death of his wife. The one he said he was engaged to when he was dumping Rose four years ago. Oh the angst.
We don’t get to see the hero in chapter one. The heroine is busy realising her boyfriend is pretty useless in just about every department. This is demonstrated by her total involvement in planning chicken salad while he enjoys himself. The advantage of this is the revelation that she isn’t there for any of the right reasons. Hopefully we meet the hero in the next chapter once she takes up residence far away from the ex.
This looks like a Nocturne at first. Then I realised the heroine, Elaine, is high school age. She discovered at a young age that her body regenerates after injury, from a paper cut to a head wound from a fall. It’s a fairly slow start with a lot of information. The most interesting thing apart from her unusual powers is that she appears to be stalked by three college aged people.
The heroine, Jocelyne is a doctor on the run. We don’t know why but when she’s pulled up for speeding she expects to be arrested. When another car does a hit and run on the cop’s partner and the police cruiser, she uses her medical expertise to save his life and then flees the scene. The hero, Seth, is left wondering but determined to find her as she is a witness.
Evony is a warrior woman from an island province. Along with women from the other provinces rules by Emperor Galen, she has been summoned to the palace for a fantasy version of The Bachelor. There is some world building that slows the early part of the chapter but it picks up by the end.
First person POV. Jessica is a shifter mage in a small community. She’s alienated from the pack but when the female Alpha’s son comes into hospital with something odd preventing his natural shifter healing abilities, she’s drawn back into the circle. We get to meet Ian, an ex who still has a powerful effect on the heroine. And from the description, maybe on any woman in a five mile radius.
Another classic presents with revenge, a stolen jewel, and sizzling attraction. Lady Georgina remembers Idriss well. He was her playmate 20 years ago before he and his mother were sent away from her uncle’s castle. Now she needs to find a jewel left to her by her uncle and supposedly in the hands of the Sheikh, Idriss. In her role as party planner, she has the opportunity to go to the castle and search for the jewel. And not fall for Idriss. Hehe.
This story is still a little rough but it has a lot going for it. After one night together nearly ten years ago, Maggie gave birth to Matt’s son. Now he’s back home from the war, trying to put together his life after injury and PTSD messed it up. Running in Maggie and her son was unexpected and the boys resemblance to himself obvious.
This is full of bonnie Highlanders and a canny heroine. Yes it is full of brogue but quite legible. The prologue tells how five boys from different families were fostered by the clan leader to keep the peace. Now grown, Darach is the hero of this story but the others are present also. They start by stealing things from the Fraser’s, a deadly enemy and this includes one young woman. Caitlin. Our heroine.
The heroine Chris has had a tough few years and needs a part time job while she recovers. The job working as an accountant for a well-known show jumping champion is ideal. It’s a slow start at first but once Handsome Hanson, the hero, appears on the stage, things warm up.
Mark and Lizzie, standing by the sea, K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Except they are about to go head to head over a job that Lizzie desperately needs and he isn’t really sure he wants. Lizzie is a people person and we see this in her first interactions with a Seniors Tap dancing group. Mark is an Accountant. Nice setup for conflict.
Tuscany. The name breaths romance. A pity that the hot Italian hero is so suspicious…or delicious. Lana has inherited a farm from her Italian grandmother and has a year to find out if this is what she wants in life. Romeo, the hero, is the manager of the farm and lives there with his grandparents. There is a secret journal given Lana by her grandmother to help explain everything and apparently there will be some mystery later in the book. I had a few problems with head hopping in this chapter but the story kept me interested.
Evey is starting a new life at Watermelon Cove, buying an old house to turn into a Bed and Breakfast. Only trouble is that the nephew of the deceased owner is determined to keep it in the family. The story starts a little slow with the heroine leaving her old life and the classic driving to the destination and thinking over things. The introduction of the hero steps things up nicely by the end of the chapter with the promise of some good conflict.
Reunion romance. This is my catnip. Ava and Davi have history. Three years ago he dumped her but now she needs help and he’s the only man apart from her estranged father she can turn to. In return, he takes over her life and passport. This is looking like an angsty read.
Blake is the new boss of the hotel were Callie and her brother work. The rumour mill says he will be cutting staff and Callie’s position is at risk. Unfortunately Cali met Blake in the lift during a blackout before she knew who he was. That initial attraction was totally not allowable under the circumstances.
And because this is my blog I get to promote my own entry out of order. Known as #spymistress on Social Media this is the story of Trauma surgeon Gabe and Anna, a Russian spy.
To see my stunning book trailer with an earworm that will make you wish for Anna to put you out of your misery
Click hereAnd to double your suffering I have made a second trailer.
Click Here.
How many times have you heard Romance Novels dismissed as fluff, lightweight and unrealistic? How many times have you heard the art of Romance writing denigrated as lacking in originality, plot and not real literature? And what about Romance writers. Critics can't seem to make up their mind. They could be wizened spinsters creating unrealistic fantasies or bored housewives trying to inject spice into an otherwise unfulfilled life. On the other hand, critics suggest they could write one of these romance novels in a weekend. After all how hard is it to past a couple of cardboard cut out protagonists into whatever is the current trope and turn out something that will sell? I'd like to see the results of that exercise.
As for the writers. They range from professional women with careers in the medical profession, academia, accountancy, military, film industry, education, publishing and a whole range of other interesting and challenging jobs. And yes some of them are wives and mothers. Some are single, many are married or with partners, some are divorced and widowed. In other words they come from all walks of life with a vast array of life experiences to bring to their writing.
Now for the books. Lightweight fluff. I was joking on Twitter the other day that this year seems to be the Year of Endometriosis in Romance. I've read several romances in the last few months that have heroine's dealing with the results of this often debilitating disease. It causes pain, excessive bleeding and can lead to infertility. Not the stuff of happy endings.
Last year I would have designated as the year of the mastectomy. A whole batch of books that dealt with cancer survivors and the struggle to make a new life and find love after a blow that strikes at the heart of being womanly.
And we haven't even touched on the men in our heroine's lives. In the current climate with war coming so close to home we have heroes with PTSD and serious injuries. And the ever present Alpha male who is an affliction in himself until brought to his knees by the love of a good woman. Nice to read about but how many really want to live with these guys.
Whatever you think about romance novels, they do not skim over the realities of life. They deal with the things that real women are facing every day in a world that doesn't guarantee a happy ending. But in these books women can find hope and courage and inspiration that no matter how dark things may seem...and on page 143 things can be very dark indeed...it is possible to find a happy ending. And love can mend even the most broken of hearts.
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