"Tamed By You" by Kate Perry

Transcript of Video

All right, so I just finished reading a book called Tamed by Love by Kate Perry, which is the 7th book in her “Laurel Heights” series. This is a book series set in the Laurel Heights neighborhood in San Francisco, CA. It is a…upper class? Upper, middle class? Uh, neighborhood that is full of small little boutique shops, and so the series takes place around the umm, very…independent, and, umm, strong women, who…run those, uh,…businesses that are, uh, in that neighborhood. 

So this book is based on a character by the name of Valentine, who is a matchmaker. And she’s trying to find her way, because she’s not a very good matchmaker. And she’s realizing that that’s the case, that she’s not very good at it. But she is really good at, um, computer science and developing, umm, computer applications, and phone applications and things like that. And she’s trying to decide how to break the news to her mother who she inherited the matchmaking business from, to tell her that she’s really not a good matchmaker. And she falls in love with a very quiet, uh, former prizefighter named Ethan, and we’ve seen him a little bit in previous books, cause you know you always do in these series romantic fictions. And she’s friends with other characters that we’ve seen in the books before, and it’s very fun to, umm, get a chance to follow up with those characters as always, and to see how they, umm, relate to each other throughout the book. 

And, umm, the neat thing about Kate Perry’s series is that there’s always 2 story lines. Umm, sometimes they’re connected, and sometimes they’re not. This one doesn’t really connect until the very end of the book. Which is really nice, so it’s, ummm. Characters that we’ve seen in other books, which doesn’t always happen, But it’s nice because in this book you’re following 2 story lines of characters that you’ve already connected with. Umm, and that other story line is, uh, Tony or Anthony, and Sophie Martinou who is an actress who has come to the San Francisco area to stay at Tony’s house, umm, she’s kind of squatting in his house, which is kind of funny. That creates a whole dynamic that is hilarious. And, they’re, umm, circling around each other for a lot of the book. And, so you get to follow both of these…uh, great story lines and see two very different, umm, love stories develop. 

And that’s the neat thing about these books is that, umm, the story lines are very similar, umm, the love…romantic relationships are…similar. The relationships…umm…as I repeat myself, sorry, … they umm, while the circumstances are different, cause the, the four characters are, are very different people. Their…uh, status of , uh, where they are in their…love path is similar. So they’re facing, umm, they’re concept of where they are romantically is very similar. So you’re watching them go through these romantic relationships, umm, and, and fight it in the same… way, or fight it differently, but they’re both kind of on the same path to finding this, you know, their new romantic relationship. That you as a reader are clearly like “you need to get together”.  And, uh, they’re fighting it. And it’s very fun to read these two story lines. And you fall equally in love with all 4 characters, which is nice, umm. And you, she writes very well, Kate Perry does. Umm, Is very good at…uh…filling out all, both stories, so you’re able to follow along with both of them equally well. So it’s not, she doesn’t spend…more time on, umm, uh, obviously she spends more time on the A story, which is the, for this book is Valentine and Ethan, but you get enough of the B story, umm…that you are satisfied…with it. So that’s, it’s very nice. You, you get sort of 2 stories in one with these and it’s very exciting and, and you have a lot of fun with it. Umm, it’s a great series, it’s umm, it’s light, and, and fun, and, there’s, there’s you know, there’s enough back-story, and, and enough story to it that it’s, you sink your teeth into it. But it’s not so much that, uh, it’s a light, fluffy read. You don’t have to think to hard about it. You can kind of just, uh easy, breezy run through it, and, and you get it going and, and through it and it’s fun. It’s a fun read. Easy to get through. Umm, but not so empty, that it’s just fluff, there’s a lot of heart to the story as well. So, umm, if you’re looking for a fun, easy read that gives you just enough crunch to get, get through the day then I would check it out. The “Laurel Heights” series, Kate Perry, number 7, Tamed by You. Enjoy!

Maid For Love and Fool For Love by Marie Force

Transcription of Video

Ok, so, I just finished reading, umm, the second of a book series by Marie Force. Umm, and I’m actually gonna to do a review of both the first and second books. So, this is, umm, Maid For Love, that’s M-A-I--D, and Fool For Love by Marie Force and these are the, uh, first two books in her series, “The McCarthy’s of Gansette Island”. They are, umm,  really, really good romance novels based on, umm, a family, uh, that owns a Inn in, on this island, umm, that, uh, is based on a place, I guess, that Marie Force has actually been. She used to spend summers there. Umm, and it’s uh, this great, uh, you know very, …umm…, what’s the word I’m looking for?…Internalized community? Ummm, so everyone knows everybody else, uh, even the summer people who come and stay every summer. Ummm, you’re not really a tourist because everybody knows you cause you’ve been there before. Umm, but, uh, you, uh, you’re known, everyone knows who you are. Umm, so everyone has a history, and everybody, umm, has,,,, uh…, knowledge, and, you’re, you know it’s hard to break out of those stereotypes that you’ve grown up in. So that’s kind of the basis behind the first book, umm Maid for Love. 

Umm, there’s something about… Marie Force’s writing that she… you know, romance novels are very…fluffy. There’s a lot of …fiction, clearly because romance novels are fictionalized. But, …you …get a lot of truth in the characters that Marie Force writes. While, they’re still very fluffy and there’s that, you know, clearly it’s gonna have a happy ending cause it’s a romance novel. Umm, there is a lot of, uh, …realism, I guess, to the way that she creates her characters. Umm, and that’s what I really like…about…her writing. There’s, umm, just…something…real, and, and she brings a heaviness, I guess, to the way that she writes. All of her characters have pain, and, uh, a past, and there’s, uh, something they have to overcome, that,  to be able to find love. That she just, she brings this real, sort of, down and dirty aspect to her writing. Umm, and, so it’s really, really neat, umm, to see in her writing. 

And, of course, umm, being a series of books, there’s, is really great, because, you know, clearly, there’s this family, that, you know, so, you’re gonna have all of these books about all of the people in this family. And so the first book is umm based of, on, the story of the oldest brother, Mac, who falls in love with a maid, ha ha Maid,in the, at the Inn. She’s one of the housekeepers. And, umm,…it’s, it’s a great story. She’s, you know, she’s a down on her luck, she’s been, umm, she’s had trouble since she was in high school, like there’s, she’s got a whole past. And she’s, she’s never gonna fall in love with this guy because he’s one of the McCarthy’s and blah da blah da blah. So there’s a whole lot of, uh…uh…bad blood between them? But they’re able to come together because he’s a great guy, and. He’s got his own issues, but they work together and they come together to, umm, fall in love and they just, it’s this great thing. Umm, it’s a really well written story, and has, you know, uh, some very good, hard hitting…moments. Ummm, just in the fact that, you know, there’s, uh, things that they both have to overcome and they do that really well. 

Fool for Love, the second book, is, umm, the youngest Mccarthy child actually, so the daughter Janey, and Joe, …uh…, who is actually Mac’s best friend, funnily enough, who has been in love with her since they were, you know, kids. But she was dating her high school sweetheart and they were gonna get married, and, umm. you know, Joe’s been suffering for her for a long time, and it’s very sweet. Umm, and of course, she, uh, he was, her fiance, was going to…school to be a doctor in Boston or some such place, and ends up cheating on her and she finds out and there’s this whole big fiasco, and, umm, of course she turns to Joe who has been this big brother like guy. And she doesn’t want to tell her family, so who could she go to, but Joe? And so then that sets up the story for how they fall in love. And it’s just this great, wonderful… coming together. But at the same time you get to see, umm, the continuing story of, of Mac and, and his, umm, loving wife, who I cannot remember her name of, clearly. But, or his soon-to-be wife, cause they get married in the second book. But, umm, so there’s all of this wonderful, you know, continuation of the story line. But, umm, Joe and Janey are …uh…very real, because you have this….uh….you don’t really know for sure if they’re gonna to end up, uh, together. I mean you do, because it’s a romance, again.  But…there, it’s very much a real, sort of, …umm….uh…not….what’s the word I’m looking…stop gap….but ummm, there is a real…roadblock to them getting together in that Janey doesn’t know if she actually loves Joe, or if she just…finds him convenient ,because he’s always been there. Which is a very serious problem for her. Umm, and, you know, and, I understand that. 

So…she, it’s so, it’s just great writing and it’s a great story. And you know when you’re looking for some fluff with a story behind it, it’s really great to read. And, you know, you get caught up in characters, and the family love that’s there, and then the friends, and the great, just, chemistry that she writes. And Marie Force does a great job, she’s fantastic, I love it. Umm, so yeah, so it’s a great series to pick up and read and then, and I’m looking forward to reading more of it. So hopefully I’ll get to review another one coming up here shortly. We’ll see how quickly I bust through the next one. So, yeah, if you’re looking for a good read…Check it out. Thanks.