The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery

I've read a bit by Susan Mallery and thought her works were entertaining, so when this first book in a new series came out I thought I'd give it a try.  A group of strong women trying to make their way in life.    Never a bad plot premise.

This book surrounds three women.  Nicole is running her exercise studio and dealing with a husband who up and quit his job and isn't helping around the house.  Shannon has always put her career first but now has found a man that may change her view on things.  And Pam isn't coping well with aging.  But these three friends will help each other through tough times and try to find the appropriate path in life to take.

I can't say I really cared about Nicole or Shannon's stories.  Well, maybe Nicole a little bit.  But Pam was the one that I thought had the best storyline.  It's not that it was any more relatable than the others, but it seemed the most developed and you could really sympathize with her emotions.  She made you feel the strongest.  As for the guys in the novel.  They weren't as fully developed.  They had some personality but the real story was with the girls.  So that was a tad disappointing.

I do think that all the plots were realistic and things that various women at various stages in their lives could relate to.  What it boils down to is that they have man troubles, and relationship issues.  Which is a common thing, but was presented in a way that it was interesting.  The writing was approachable and it moved with a solid pace.  This is a sort of romance so there are mentions of sex and the like in there.  So if that's not your thing, just be aware that it is there.  It's a longer book, but it also has a reader's guide and some recipes in it, which extends the page count.

An enjoyable romance.  It had some emotional aspects to it but by far was more of a leisure read.

**This book was received as part of the Amazon Vine program**

The Girls of Mischief Bay
Copyright 2014
401 pages

Their Little Princess by Susan Mallery

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. I'm not really even a kid person and I liked it. Which considering its a romance that revolves around a kid that's saying something.

When Tanner learns that he has a child, it doesn't come as a surprise per say. He'd already agreed with the mother that they were going to give the baby up for adoption. But when he goes to look at his newborn daughter he realizes that he can't give her up. So while the mother jet-sets to California, he becomes a single father. And doctor Kelly Hall goes from not liking this father to be to really admiring him. Enough that she offers to help him buy baby stuff and help out the first couple of weeks to get him adjusted to the infant. What she doesn't expect is to fall for him though, especially when she has so many things in her past that she has to overcome too.

Tanner is a great guy. He has flaws, but isn't afraid to jump headfirst into anything. And he's pretty awesome for wanting to raise his daughter by himself. So many guys wouldn't want to do that. Yes I know he's fictional, but he seems very real. Kelly was good too. She had some shadows in her past and had to work through them and find some self acceptance. And that's a good lesson right there and a good draw to a realistic character. The baby played a somewhat lesser role in this book, despite it being the main focus of the story.

Considering this book was all about a baby, it was more than just feedings and diapers and baby stuff. Which actually that was kind of weird because the baby played a small role next to the romance story. It was more Kelly and Tanner doing stuff and getting stuff ready for the baby as opposed to taking care of her. But it was still a good story. There are some long sex scenes in it, so if that's not your thing, you probably shouldn't read it. I liked how everything progressed and the book had a good pace to it.

I would try this author again. She has a nice style and the romance was a good read.

Their Little Princess
Copyright 2000
246 pages