Enticing the Spymaster (War Girls #2) by Julie Rowe

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's a good story with the right amount of suspense, war, and romance. It has a decent amount of historical data too. You feel as though you've gone back. And as usual with a Julie Rowe story, you have a fair amount of medical stuff--which is educational as well as entertaining.

And it's well written, if a bit short for the seriousness of the situation and the topic chosen: WWI.

But I love the heroine, Jude, a nurse and lady spy in one. I loved the way she stood up to the hero. I didn't like him much at all. That's my problem, I'd say. He has no faith in women, doesn't think they belong in the war, blah blah blah...

"Back in England, he'd make sure her father kept her home..."

I failed to see what the heroine saw him in. She even says she doesn't want a man like the following:

"Believes all women are stupid and their only functions are to have babies or host parties..."

It all works out in the end though. I'll give them that. I appreciated the ending. There was a moment of incredible suspense when I doubted they were going to get that ending. It takes good writing to make me forget that there's going to be a HEA 'cause it's required. LOL

While I struggled with the first half--the hero's bossiness and constantly kissing the heroine even though she had told him not to touch her ever again--I enjoyed the last half very much. I LOVE that the woman saves the day. I also enjoyed the additional character. It was a good surprise and I hope to see more of this person in book three.

I received this from netgalley.

Saving the Rifleman by Julie Rowe

It's the Great War and Maria is a British nurse in  Belgium. Naturally, she sympathizes with the British. When a handsome wounded British soldier appears hiding in a closet of the hospital, she struggles to save them both... He needs to get home with some special information and after getting caught and almost raped by a German officer as she tries to save John, she has to run too.

But John has a wounded leg, Germans are stalking him after the Officer's humiliation, and Maria is falling hard for a man she feels is above her in society. Dare she part with the one thing of value she has on her person...her heart and her female charms?

Things happen in the heat of the moment...

The story was action packed with cute dialogue. There were moments of intense suspense when I thought they were going to die or not get away. The run doesn't stop with leaving the hospital. They have quite a few intense moments as they try to reach the border.

What I didn't like: At times it was TOO easy. I mean, really, the Germans didn't take us war twice and for so long by being stupid. Nobody looks in the closet? The chickens in the coop don't make a bunch of racket and alert the soldiers to the intruders? After his gunshot wound, already sewed up twice is kicked repeatedly, he can walk?

Some things didn't make sense to me, but in all, it's a good story, and the ending was fantastic! I love how Maria handles herself against a cousin. That is all I'll say.

Four bikes. I got this from netgalley.

North of Heartbreak by Julie Rowe

Having read Ice Bound by this same author a few months ago, when I saw there was another by her, I was terribly excited. And that title and cover sure don't hurt!

Once again, we have a medical contemporary romance in an "exotic" location. This time it's Alaska. The heroine, Willa, is a nurse who was battered before and is struggling to trust again.. especially men. Enter sexy bush pilot, Liam...good-looking, rich, arrogant...all the things that remind Will of her abusive ex. Her brain tells her to stay far away from him, her body tells her quite another.

What I really liked about this story was it's moral... DO NOT JUDGE A PERSON BASED ON THE ACTIONS OF ANOTHER. I don't think this can be pounded into our head often enough.

In the middle of flights, polar bear attacks, kids hurt by caribous, flu epidemic, and turbulence, Liam and Willa  must learn to trust one another--not just because he's flying her around in MediVac, but because once they surrender their bodies, it's only a matter of time before they surrender their  hearts.

See, Liam doesn't trust women. So this is a two-sided issue. I saw the ending coming a mile away...well, part of it. As soon as I found out why Liam didn't care for women, I knew what was going to happen. However, I liked the book. I liked the way the author managed to keep it all the heroine's POV. I was surprised, but found it worked. LOVED the Alaska stuff. I can't get enough of that.

Four bikes. I got this from netgalley.

Favorite quote"
Flying three days a week with him was going to be an odd sort of torture. Like being diabetic and having someone wave your favorite chocolate bar in your face everyday.

Icebound by Julie Rowe

This is like a psychiatry lesson and contemporary romance in one. It addresses handling grief in the face of losing a loved one, feelings of guilt, sharing the 'blame,' and surviving a traumatic childhood. In the background is the trials and tribulations of surviving a winter in Antarctica.

Emilie is the one dealing with grief. She has lost her husband and is struggling to get past his death a year later. She's a doctor with "everything needed to treat every malady except her own. Loneliness wasn't listed in the medical textbooks." She goes to Antarctica to finish her late husband's research and falls for Tom. Tom is the one trying to overcome a traumatic childhood. He knew nothing but abuse growing up and feels that he will be an abuser too. He must learn that you are not always what you are raised to be, that one can overcome a childhood full of hate. There's immediate chemistry between these two.. (too immediate, actually.. ) and their relationship goes back and forth. Tom claims he is a one night stand man (he's climbed Everestt, crossed the Gobi Desert, and looked down the barrel of a gun, but the thought of a wife and kids scares the crap out of him) and they can only be friends, yet he gives the impression they have a relationship. This was odd and disconcerting at times. Emilie is all about marriage and kids. (I would so not mention that to a man one month after meeting him! LOL)

So how is this going to work out between Tom and Emilie? One of them is going to have to change their long term plans in order to accept the other's...

I mentioned guilt and sharing of blame being another issue. Remember this takes place in Antarctica, a very rough terrain. An accident results in death and a man must deal with the fact that he possibly killed his best friend, but there may be more to the accident than they initially realize.

The medical stuff: FABULOUS. I had no idea what all hypothermia was really about or how to treat it till now. And even though this is just a contemporary romance.. not a murder mystery or anything like that, I really got a good idea of what life on Antarctica is like. There was plenty of excitement as well... downed power lines, fires, accidents... The author did a fabulous job.

Still felt the romance between Emilie and Tom sort of came up too fast and out of nowhere. I would have appreciated a bit more build up there.. so four stars.

Favorite quote: "There are all kinds of ways to die...It's living that takes guts."

I received an egalley of this through netgalley.