Pearl's World of Romance - Reviews with a Passion: Lucky Trilogy

Showing posts with label Lucky Trilogy. Show all posts

August 21, 2009

Lucky Streak - Carly Phillips

6:00 PM |

Jacket Copy:

Long ago, as revenge on a Corwin who stole her son's fiancée, a witch proclaimed an eternal curse that every Corwin male who married for love would be destined to lose his love and his fortune ...

The good news is that Mike, a police officer, awakens after some hard partying in Vegas $100,000 richer and married to Amber, the gorgeous woman he met the night before. The bad news: His last name is Corwin. The really bad news is that Amber's a consummate con who took his money and ran. Seems the family curse has finally hit him.

But to Amber, Mike isn't business as usual. Something about her new husband softens her steely heart, even as she betrays him. And Mike, first hell-bent on divorce, welcomes a second chance to defy the curse... and turn his run of bad fortune into a lucky streak!

I read this book in 24 hours! That is a rare thing. Normally reading it takes me at least a few days to read a book, however, now I was sick at home and add to that, that this was an engaging read, led me to finish it before I knew it. The book started nice and smooth and I was drawn in from the very first chapter. It had a somewhat different vibe compared to LUCKY CHARM but I was pulled into the story just as fast. The immediate attraction between Amber and Mike set the tone for a fast-paced, funny and breezy contemporary romance. It was exactly what I needed and what I was looking for after some intense reads and one very disappointing one.

What happens when a straight-laced cop saves a Las Vegas con artist from her persistent partner in crime? In Carly Phillips’ LUCKY STREAK what follows is an impromptu Las Vegas wedding, $ 100,000 won by the groom and then stolen by the bride who pulls a disappearing act. And this is just the beginning. There is a curse to thwart, a redneck con who got conned to avoid and fathers who need physical and psychological help.

Amber Rose is charismatic and vivacious. She has a photographic memory, which comes in handy in the con artists’ scene. Her reasons for using her talent to con people are not selfish, even if Mike doesn’t see it that way at first. In her eyes she doesn’t have a choice and she tries not to con people who can’t afford to lose the money. She is independent, confident, loyal and caring and tries to make up for the bad things she has done to Mike in an endearing way.

Michael “Mike” Corwin, is one of the cursed Corwin cousins but he chooses to pretend it doesn’t exist. He has enough on his mind with his job and his eccentric father. Mike is very straightforward and he’s also a black & white kind of guy. No grey areas for Mike Corwin. His father’s behavior and mental condition, rather than the Corwin curse, is what made him shy away from relationships. But he is a great guy who is charming, witty and protective.

I enjoyed how the relationship between Mike and Amber grew from fling and Las Vegas hitch to a meaningful relationship with both eventually going for it and wanting to make their marriage work. Mike a bit more hesitantly, but not less convincingly. And I absolutely loved the ending and resolution for Mike and Amber. Carly Phillips chose an original and endearing end that moved me deeply.

LUCKY STREAK is endearing, hot and well written. Once I started I couldn’t stop reading. It read so fast, I flew through the pages and before I knew it I was at the end and now heavily anticipating book 3: Jason’s story. Carly Phillips’ writing is so true to life and easy to grasp it was like seeing the characters and events in front of me while reading. And because she also writes characters that are easy to identify with, understanding their conflicts and dilemmas didn’t take much effort.

Reflecting on both LUCKY CHARM and LUCKY STREAK I realize that Carly Phillips is making this trilogy about much more than just the main couple and their romance story. I love how she brings in the whole family (cousins, uncles) and the dynamics that go with their interactions give the books its rich and realistic flavor. Another thing that resonates well with me is the subtle undertone of humor that shines through regularly throughout the book, making it a very pleasant read.

While Carly Phillips enticed me with the first book of the trilogy, she’s solidified the fascination with this one and now has me craving the final installment of the trilogy.

Quotes:
She sucked in a shallow breath. There was nothing soft or giving about his body and yet everything in his expression told her he’d give her everything she asked for and even some things she didn’t.

Mike awoke with a morning hard-on and Amber’s hand on his groin. Helluva wake-up call, he thought. The woman was obviously put on this earth to make him a very happy—but insane—man.

Labels: Carly Phillips, Contemporary Romance, great reads, HQN Books, Lucky Trilogy, reviews | 6 comments |

January 17, 2009

Lucky Charm - Carly Phillips

8:00 AM |

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I reviewed this book for ROOB at the request of the author,

Back Cover:
Long ago, as revenge on a Corwin who stole her son's fiancée, a witch proclaimed an eternal curse that every Corwin male who married for love would be destined to lose his love and his fortune ...
Derek thought he could outsmart the long-standing Corwin curse by breaking up with Gabrielle, his first love— and marrying someone else. Now, divorced and broke, all he has left is his teenage daughter and a healthy respect for ancient sorcery. But then Gabrielle returns, determined to defeat the curse and rekindle their passion. But will her stubborn streak and her unwavering love be the lucky charm Derek so desperately needs?

The Corwins, the male Corwins to be specific, have been haunted by a centuries-old curse, cast by a spurned woman, ever since they can remember. Derek Corwin is convinced this curse is the cause for his luck being on the downfall, both romantically and financially, now that he is divorced and left almost penniless. After all, hasn't the curse affected all his male forefathers and all his current male relatives?

Gabrielle Donovan, Derek's high school sweetheart and the love of his life he let go for fear of the curse, is convinced there is no curse. It all comes down to the power of suggestion and bad luck and she's determined to prove to Derek that they have a future together that won't be ruined by some non-existing curse.

Derek is honorable, strong and proud. Despite his otherwise rational and sensible look on life, his belief in the curse is something that clashes with that but still, given his personal and family history it's not hard to imagine where his belief and fears come from. His relationship with his 11-year old daughter Holly is heartwarming and genuine. The scenes with her gave me a look into a caring father, willing to put his daughter's needs before his own. The scenes with Gabrielle showed me another Derek, a man any women would fall for willingly, cursed or not.

Gabrielle is a delightful heroine. She's feisty, stubborn and filled with a healthy zest for life but she also knows when to back down and let reason slip into the equation. She is loyal and compassionate. She has tried to forget Derek and move on but deep inside she knows she can't forget the only man she has ever loved and she owes it to both of them to give their love a second chance.

Both Derek and Gabrielle are wonderful characters. The romance between them is hot. The attraction between them is sensual and unmistakable. The love scenes are spine tingling and there's no other way to describe them than that they're red-hot!

The secondary cast was quite extensive but more in description and background than in actual participating in the storyline. Most secondary characters were to create a background for Gabrielle and Derek. There were a few who had a bigger part in the plot, such as Sharon (Gabrielle's best friend) and her fiancé Richard. They had a small secondary storyline that very smoothly and fluently connected with the main plot in the end. Another important role was reserved for Derek's daughter Holly, a great 11 year-old with normal pre-teen issues. When tension would run up between Gabrielle and Derek or when the storyline would get intense, her character always offered a happy and bubbly accent to serve as a distraction. I loved Holly!

This first book in the LUCKY trilogy has whetted my appetite for more of the Corwin men and this curse they think they have to conquer. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. It was fun, emotional, charming and down-to-earth. Carly Phillips writing style is easy to read, smooth and fast-paced. I finished the book before I knew it and that was also because I just couldn't put it away. Every time I did, I wanted to go right back to Derek and Gabrielle and find out how they would conquer the curse.

Throughout the book I was wondering how Gabrielle was going to make Derek put the curse aside because as determined as Gabrielle was to do so, Derek was just as fixed on shielding their love and protecting her from the Corwin curse. But in the end the solution to it was brought in a realistic, satisfying and believable way.
I liked how Carly Phillips set up the plot and imbedded themes as power of suggestion, manipulation and hunger for power into it. It was an excellent mix of characters, plot and romance that fitted very well together.

The romance was heartwarming and genuine. The characters were easy to relate to and identify with. The plot was suspenseful, well paced and believable. The love scenes were luscious and sultry. It was the combination of this all that made this book a noteworthy contemporary romance for me. One I will treasure on my bookshelves and now I am dying to read how Derek's cousins, Mike and Jason, are going to deal with the curse and the women who are going to break it.

All things put together Carly Phillips has provided a book, and hopefully a trilogy that entertains, endears and arouses. What more could you wish for in a contemporary romance? I would say not a thing, because my needs were all met and satisfied in a perfect and gratifying read.

Quote:
In her dreams, he was always the boy she'd lost. But now she was facing the man -a sexy man wearing nothing but short black boxers.