~ Stacy's Place on Earth ~

Tuesday, March 03, 2009:

"Redneck Cinderella" by LuAnn McLane (2009) - review

Raised by her widowed father, Jolie Russell has always been more into getting dirty than looking pretty. She can keep up with any man—that is, until wealthy and sexy land developer Cody Dean struts into her life.

Cody buys the Russell farm with an impossible-to-refuse multimillion-dollar offer that Jolie and her father can't refuse, then relocates them to the Copper Creek Estates. But the country club atmosphere isn’t ready for Jolie’s kind of country. As her two worlds collide, Jolie wonders how she can ever hope to capture Cody’s heart without giving up her grits.

I was in the mood for a light-hearted, sweet romance, and LuAnn must have known it cuz she sent me this. Jolie Russell and her father are living the simple life and like it that way just fine until one day Cody Dean drops by on their doorstep and offers to buy their property for a quite a pretty penny. Jolie wants to see her father not have to work so hard, as he's done all his life, and she's relieved when her father agrees to sell.

But the privileged life isn't without it's own share of complications, as Jolie soon learns the hard way. The gated community she now lives in frowns on their casual ways and country roots. Sexy land developer Cody Dean does his best to smooth relations between the two opposing sides, and discovers that he enjoys the sassy candor of one Miss Jolie Russell more than he expected, but he's still caught up in the rules and regulations of the society he was raised in all his life. It takes a little competition from his less reserved brother to light a fire under his Richie Rich butt before he finally gets his act together and pursues Jolie on his own steam. But now that he's made his move, will the outspoken Jolie decide living in his world is worth the effort, or will she hold on tight to her simple, uninhibited ways and forge her own path without him?

My thoughts:

This was definitely a quick and fun read. I loved Jolie's attitude a whole lot. She didn't really care that she wasn't a "skinny bitch" and instead enjoyed looking just how she was. I also admired that she liked her new friend Carletta and was more concerned about maintaining that friendship than she was about impressing her fancy neighbors. Jolie saw the value in people and appreciated them for their unique ways instead of wanting them all to be just like her. She had her insecure moments, but that was mostly when she tried to be something she wasn't. When she was her own self, she shined.

Cody was a sexy Prince Charming, but I found myself actually liking his younger brother Brett a whole lot more. Still, Cody was rather endearing, and I couldn't help but like him all the more when he couldn't help himself from falling in love with Jolie. She brought out a different side of Cody that let him relax and take time out to enjoy just "being" instead of concentrating on work all the time. Jolie made him laugh, and made him realize that he wasn't taking the time to enjoy the benefits of all his hard work.

Jolie was definitely a firecracker who spoke before she thought, yet she was also smart and hard-working. And no one meant more to her than her father. I loved how close she was to her dad, and how she looked out for him and has been ever since her mother passed away so many years ago. Never once did she resent her father for not always being there when she needed a guiding hand, but recognized that everything he did, he did out of love for her. It was very sweet.

There were a few little...quirks...I guess you could say that got a little on my nerves, but they were my issues and not anything bad about the story. The first was that I felt the clumsy moments between Cody and Jolie were too contrived and "cute", and happened way too frequently, and this drove me a little crazy. If Jolie was more accident-prone and had these kind of incidents on a more regular basis throughout the story (think Bella in "Twilight") then they would have been more believable, but instead they were a little too cute. The other was Jolie calling her father "Daddy". I know that this is a fairly common way to address fathers in the south, no matter what the child's age is, but she said it so frequently that it was distracting, and it made me think Jolie was even younger than she was (in the story I believe she's twenty-four).

But these are my little hang-ups and didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I would recommend it to anyone who likes cute, sweet stories set in a small southern town, and who has an appreciation for country music. And if you like outspoken heroines who have no intention of becoming something their not just to please everyone else, then Jolie's your girl. And Cody is just the right type of hero to appreciate her.

Rating: **** out of *****

Happy birthday, LuAnn!!!

Labels: LuAnn McLane, reviews

posted by Stacy~ at 3/03/2009 05:57:00 AM | 5 comments

Friday, February 20, 2009:

Spotlight: underrated authors

I got LuAnn McLane's upcoming release in the mail yesterday, and I can't wait for the chance to read it. One thing I adore about her stories is that they're sassy and fun and sexy, yet also full of those quirky characteristics of small town, and in this case particularly, a small southern town. Having grown up in a small town for most of my life, I feel a connection to characters who are living in places where it's not unusual, even in this day and age, to leave the door unlocked. Where everyone knows you, your parents and your siblings. Where there's one traffic light and most stores are closed on Sundays. That's exactly how I grew up, and LuAnn manages to really bring places like that to life, with a heavy dash of southern hospitality thrown in.

She's written several books over the last few years, and I've read most of them and enjoyed them all. They are a refreshing change of pace from the incredible array of historicals, paranormals and scorching erotic romances that I consume on a regular basis. Her voice is so distinctive in her books, and I admire that a lot, considering how books start to "sound" exactly the same after awhile and it's hard to tell them apart.

So today I'm spotlighting LuAnn as my pick for an underrated author. Her stories may not appeal to everyone and there's not a lot of new material brought to the table, though I think she's done her part to rejuvenate books about sports (i.e. baseball in "Hot August Nights" and motorcross racing in "Driven by Desire"), but her books are immensely likeable and charming, and her characters are people I can easily relate to. Her stories are straight-up romance with the main focus on the hero and heroine, and she tends to pepper them with references to favorite country singers, which, as a fan of country music, really appeals to me.

I've also been fortunate to have spoken to LuAnn many times, and she is as genuine and as sweet as her stories. Even if I'd never met her though, I would still be a fan of her books. But knowing LuAnn is the icing on the cake, and it makes me want to see her do well in her career.

So which author do you think is underrated, and why?

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Signet (March 3, 2009)
ISBN-10: 045122633X
ISBN-13: 978-0451226334

Raised by her widowed father, Jolie Russell has always een more into getting dirty than looking pretty. She can keep up with any man—that is, until wealthy and sexy land developer Cody Dean struts into her life.

Labels: authors, LuAnn McLane

posted by Stacy~ at 2/20/2009 06:22:00 AM | 2 comments

Tuesday, October 14, 2008:

"Driven by Desire" by LuAnn McLane (2008)

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade (October 7, 2008)
ISBN-10: 045122504X
ISBN-13: 978-0451225047

Only one man could make her heart race… Daredevil stunts and dangerous accidents are par for the course in the world of motocross racing. Just ask Alexia Spencer, who almost lost her high school sweetheart in a near-fatal accident. But when she asked him to give up racing, Jayden Michaels rode off without even a goodbye, leaving Alexia heartbroken.

Ten years later, Jayden’s back—determined to prove he’s over Alexia. But it’s impossible to ignore the irresistible woman she’s become. And it isn’t long before Jayden finds himself on Alexia’s doorstep, driven by his insatiable desire, hoping he can tempt the woman he still loves into letting herself feel the heat—and taking a risk with her heart.

Ever since reading LuAnn's sexy baseball anthology "Hot Summer Nights", I've been a fan of her stories. She incorporates sexy romance with the charm of small-town living, and you immediately feel a connection with her down-to-earth characters. LuAnn McLane writes about people we know, with quirks and flaws and everyday living experience.

This time around, she tackles the world of motorcross racing, and the excitement and pain that goes along with it. Jayden Michaels loves the sport almost as much as he loves his girlfriend Alexia, and at 19, he's got the world by the tail. When he's seriously injured in a race, Alexia begs him to stop racing, terrified she'll lose him. Young and cocky, Jayden believes he can have it all and figures Alexia loves him enough and will stay with him no matter what. But circumstances prevent Alexia from following Jayden when he hits the road, and he's devastated to hear she married someone else. Jayden vows to forget her, losing himself in the danger and thrills of motorcross, and the countless women along the way. Now, a decade later, Jayden is back in Braxton, Tennessee to promote racing to his hometown, never expecting he'd run into the one person who broke his heart.

Alexia had good reason not to follow Jayden all those years ago, but she's afraid to tell him what it is. She loved him with her whole heart, and when he left town it hurt unbearably. Alone, confused, hurting, she finds what she thinks she needs in another man, facing that her and Jayden are truly over. But her marriage does not last, and when Jayden comes back into her life, she knows she may have been granted a second chance at the only happiness she's ever known. Is she strong enough to take that leap of faith?

Right from the first moment Jayden and Alexia see each other again, it's obvious their chemistry is as strong as ever. LuAnn does a wonderful job of creating a sense of their past feelings as well as establishing their attraction all over again, which makes it completely believable when they can't keep their hands off each other. They obviously have unresolved issues, yet their affection and concern for each other shines strongly. Jayden is afraid of letting himself care so much for Alexia, not understanding why she married someone else. Alexia doesn't know if she can go through the pain she did when Jayden left. With the help of Brianna, Alexia's sister, and Colin, Jayden's best friend, the two finally realize that they have a shot at a second chance for happiness, so is fear really worth letting it slip away.

I love how LuAnn sprinkles quaint touches of small-town living in her stories, and adds doses of the country songs she loves so much. Music tends to be a strong factor in her characters getting through some tough times, and I like how she uses it as a symbol of strength.

I enjoyed this story very much, and found it to be very hot and emotional. It may seem that Jayden and Alexia keep hopping into bed like horny bunnies, but they are still young, and are obviously very attracted to each other, so I didn't find this to be too extreme for two people falling in love all over again. I thought it made sense, as they never really got a chance to say "good-bye" years earlier, so they have unfinished feelings between them. It worked for me.

Rating: **** out of *****

Labels: LuAnn McLane

posted by Stacy~ at 10/14/2008 05:19:00 AM | 7 comments

Thursday, March 20, 2008:

Get ready for summer and LuAnn's southern hotness

I adore LuAnn McLane, and her books are much like she is - sweet, sassy, and loaded with southern charm, humor and a small-town innocence that reminds me of growing up in the country.

LuAnn's got some great stories liked up for 2008, and I can't wait to get my hands on these babies. Here's a sneak peek....

July 2008

There's nothing that good hair can't fix...

Macy is starting to lose faith. The chance to be with the love of her life-her best friend's brother-is slipping through her fingers. College football coach Luke Carter has a penchant for hot-bodies babes, not curvy hairdressers such as Macy. And some big-time school may be luring him away from Hootertown.

...or that a woman can't untangle.

But then a country-singing sensation's hair emergency turns into an unexpected big break for Macy. Making it in Nashville boosts Macy's confidence, but her feelings for Luke have her all knotted up inside. And when he interviews for a job at a local university, Macy will have to put up or shut up-or lose him forever.