Christmas with the Recluse by Victorine E Lieske

From Goodreads:

When Charley gets sent by her father to appraise a mansion full of antiques, she gets a surprise when she arrives and the owner is cold and mean, and doesn’t want anything to do with Christmas. And even worse? It’s not really an appraisal job at all. He just wants her to clean out his mountain of junk from his garage. But Charley makes it her goal to show him that Christmas is a special time of year. And as time goes on, she sees his frozen heart start to thaw.

Alexander has been dealing with the guilt from his wife’s death for two long years. It’s time to move past, so he hires someone to help rid his garage of his wife’s memories. But when she arrives, she’s not at all what he was expecting. And even though she’s a bit crazy, she helps him find his Christmas spirit once again.

My Take:
*sigh* I really enjoyed this one. It had a faint Beauty and the Beast feel to it without being Beauty and the Beast if that makes any sense. Alexander is mean and grumpy because he's been alone too long, but Charley knows how to light up a room with her positive outlook on life.

Lieske did a great job rounding out her characters personalities so they felt real. The supporting characters were also wonderful. One of the things I really appreciated is that Alexander didn't change overnight. During the ten days they spent together he made progress, but he did slip up. This is realistic. People don't completely change years of habit simply because they want to. And he did want to.

I loved Charley's spunk and forgiving nature.  She was sweet and caring, hiding the hidden depth of her understanding behind her age.

I give Christmas with the Recluse a 4.5 and Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

Saving Sycamore Bay by Cami Checketts

From Goodreads:
A football hero. A southern belle in need. Can they rescue her home together?

Harrison Jackson graduated from Auburn University with his master's in accounting and thought he was leaving the world of college football and adoring fans to crunch numbers and make money. Little did he know his boss has other plans for him--a beautiful southern belle and her family's mansion that are both in need of rescue and more than a little TLC.

Grace Addison lost her mother and daddy within a year of each other, she is not going to lose the only home her family has known. Her ex-boyfriend and lawyer are trying to talk her into selling and she has no money to fight anyone, but she has her determination and her pride. When the most handsome and strong-looking man she's ever seen shows up on her doorstep, claiming he's been sent to help her, she thinks he's salvation and an angel combined. When she finds out he's an accountant, she laughs in his face.

Someone is determined to take or burn Grace's home no matter how hard she and Harrison fight. Can she trust Harrison to protect her or should she give up her dreams?

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy Checketts' stories. She writes with a light had that makes it easy to get lost in the story and use my own imagination to filling details with the setting and so forth. This one was no different. Harrison is such a good man. Strong and confident where it counts, he is just the man Grace needs to get through some troubled times. I loved how gallant and determined he was to keep her and her home safe.

Grace was sweet if a bit naive. Her greatest strength was also her greatest weakness--she cares deeply about people and sees the good in them even when the warning signs are there. Because of this, there was just enough suspense to add some extra depth to a sweet love story.

I give Saving Sycamore Bay a solid 4 and clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

The Princess and the Pizza Man by Cassie Mae

From  Goodreads:
Twelve years of tossing pizzas in his hometown in Alabama is like a dream come true for William Monroe, but his sister is ready to leave the Podunk place, desperate to find herself a man and get hitched. He’s not too thrilled to hear about the mansion she’s dragging him to, claiming it’s haunted with the spirit of Cupid, and it’s his job to make sure she doesn’t fall for the first guy who looks her way.

Winter’s been running the Frostville Murder Mysteries ever since she inherited a hefty sum of cash, wanting to give back in a fun and profitable way for her home city. Noticing a lot of puppy-eyed patrons, she gives herself the job of matchmaking, picking out the ones who seem best suited for one another. But when the outspoken and grumpy man from Alabama arrives with his eager-to-be-matched sister, her focus starts to falter, and she wants nothing more than to prove to Will that her mansion can feel like home, too.

My Take:
What fun! I loved that Maybelle tricked her brother Will into taking her to Frostville so she could have her chance at love. Well, I guess she told him that part. However, leaving out the part about the murder mystery made for some cute moments. Will and Belle are your typical brother, and sister due and I loved their interactions. I thought it funny they were both so loud. Add in the fact that Winter isn't your typical soft-spoken, well-mannered heiress and you've got lots of fun. Some of the southern dialogue started to but me, but it wasn't a deal breaker.

I give The Princess ad the Pizza Man a solid 4 and Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

Love Me At Sunset by Lucinda Whitney

From Goodreads:
An ex-con reforming his life. A pregnant widow hiding her past. Will the price of her secrets cost her his love?

Catarina Romano has lost everything: her husband, her house, her lifestyle. She flees to her cousin’s empty manor in the heart of Portugal, trying to find peace and to hide from the scandal spun by the media, only to discover she is pregnant.

Afonso Cortez is done with all the lies. Fresh out of prison for trusting the wrong person, he’s ready to leave the past behind and look ahead to new opportunities. The remote Sunset Manor, in need of a groundskeeper, is the perfect solution, promising to provide Afonso with the solitude he craves while he restores the grounds to their former glory.

Catarina avoids Afonso at first, not wanting to further complicate her life. But Afonso is intriguing, and she feels drawn to him. If only she didn’t feel guilty for all the secrets she’s keeping from him.

When suspicious accidents start occurring at the property, Afonso believes his past is catching up with him. Will he be able to protect Catarina or will he lose the woman who might restore his belief in love?

My Take: 
What a little gem. I felt for Catarina from the very beginning. You could tell she'd been through some tough times. I was mentally doing the math to figure out how young she was when she married. Although you get what kind of life she led during that marriage, I appreciated that Whitney didn't dig into it too much. However, I often wondered if Catarina would have been even more reticent about falling in love after such an experience. Granted, months go by and she is always surprised at how different Alfonso is to the way her husband had treated her.

Alfonso was such a good man. Some people like reading about bad boys, but I've always loved the good guys. He is caring and gentle, while being strong in his efforts to protect Catarina when his past comes calling. In the end, their love is a true partnership.

I give Love Me At Sunset a solid 4 and a clean rating. The only reason I didn't give a 4.5 is because the timeline felt muddled in places.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

Mending Fences by Lorin Grace

From Goodreads:
The fence that once brought them together now keeps them apart.

Mandy needs one last photo to complete her MFA project, digitally transforming the deteriorating Crawford mansion into the stately building it could have been. But a fence stands in her way.

Determined to keep land developers and paparazzi from his great-grandfather’s estate, Daniel Crawford has taken to chasing off intruders by any means possible. No one is going to cross the fence into his land. Or his heart.

My Take:
This was my favorite story in the Mansions series so far! There was nothing to complain or nit pick. The connection between Daniel and Mandy felt real, as did the things keeping them a part. You could argue that Mandy could have let him explain, but women need a cool down period. After that, she did listen. Sadly, the incident with Coach 'Handsy' also felt real to life. Every time "but the team was winning" was mentioned, I wanted to scream because all too often that is more important than women's comfort and safety.

I also loved how in the end, Daniel figures out that love is really about the every day small moments than the big gestures.

I give Mending Fences a 4.5 and Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

Kiss Me in the Rain by Lindzee Armstrong

From Goodreads:

Will she risk the home she treasures for the man she loves?

Cypress Grove has always been a treasured constant in Layla's perfect life. Now the mansion will be sold to the highest bidder if she doesn’t date an investor's son. The problem? The man she really wants just rolled into town.

Tyler is done being responsible and never going after what he wants. Layla's finally given him the courage to quit grad school and use his student loans to flip houses. And he's decided to move near Cypress Grove to do it.

When Layla happens upon suspicious ledgers at the mansion, her family's financial woes take a sinister turn. As Tyler and Layla work together to find the culprit, the attraction between them threatens to burst into flames. But admitting their feelings could spell disaster for Cypress Grove.

My Take:
I enjoyed this story. It was a clean read with likable characters and some tangled emotions. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is because I had trouble believing Layla would go along with her father's crazy plans for so long. She seemed like an otherwise strong woman who knew what she wanted, and yet she was willing to go along with a fake dating/engagement in spite of being in love with someone else to save her mansion. I also didn't believe that it took her so long to figure out who the real thief was. All the clues were there, plain as day.

However, I really liked how Layla and Tyler interacted. That felt real within the confines of the situation they found themselves in. Mostly, I loved the choice that Kayla made in the end. That was real, and it made me go, "finally!"

I give Kiss Me in the Rain a solid 4 with a Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot