Blog Tour Book Review: The More I See by Lisa Mondello

Author: Lisa Mondello
Series: Texas Hearts #3
Publisher:  Self-pub
Publishing Date: April 19th, 2012
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads):

As a top-notch cutting horse trainer, Cody Gentry was riding high until he lost his eyesight after a freak chemical accident.Unable to see the hand in front of his face,never mind the horse or cattle he trained, he knows his life is over and slips deep into depression.His whole future hinges on the success of an eye surgery that could give him his old life back.

When guide dog trainer, Lyssa McElhannon, arrives on his ranch like Florence Nightingale coming to save him, he wants no part of her or her guide dog. But something about Lyssa's musical laugh coupled with her tenacity digs under his skin and won't let go. Having been blind most of her life, Lyssa understands the paralyzing fear Cody feels after losing his vision.But she refuses to let the stubborn cowboy waste his life away sitting in a chair when she knows firsthand that a good guide dog can change his world. She just needs one month to prove it to him.

Falling in love with Cody was not part of Lyssa's plan, nor was having him openher eyes to see that there was a whole lot of living she'd been missing out on.

This is my favorite book of the series. I think that, besides the great characters and the romance between Lyssa and Cody, the story itself is exceptional.

I don't think it's a sad story. I feel like it's more a story of triumph, of growth. And there's also this idea that you can appreciate things better if one your senses or your brain doesn't get in the way. I mean, really, you usually read about drop-dead gorgeous heroines (which is  not bad, mind you), but for me it's always refreshing to read about those women who aren't exactly perfect.

I didn't think I'd like Cody. I was afraid he'd be like his dad for some reason. Instead, I found a tortured soul in need of some love. Real love. I respected him a great deal. I don't think I'd be able to go through what he did and not go completely crazy. I liked that he was modest, caring, fun. And he was honest from the start, not trying to be someone different.

Lyssa is also an interesting character. I liked her strength, her courage. She went through what Cody does at an early age, so she knows what it's like to depend on others for even the most simple things. But she doesn't pity him, or make him feel like it's ok to feel depressed or that it's ok to hide from the world, sitting in a chair all day and refuse to do things. She also doesn't try to help him, making him feel useless. I liked that, because she's treating him like he's a normal person, not like someone who can't see.

Like I said, this was my favorite book of the series. I am hoping we'll get more books in this series in the future. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves a good romance story and sexy, stubborn cowboys

Blog Tour Book Review: His Heart For The Trusting by Lisa Mondello

Author: Lisa Mondello
Series: Texas Hearts #2
Publisher: Self-pub
Publishing Date: February 15th, 2012
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Ever since Mitch Broader set foot in Texas, he dreamed of owning his own ranch. Now that he’s bought a share in the Double T Ranch, he’s one step closer to the dream. Then his past greets him in the form of a baby basket, complete with infant and birth certificate naming him as the father. He can’t change diapers and work toward his dream at the same time.

When Sara Lightfoot, “Miss Hollywood” in Mitch’s eyes, rescues him with her particular knack for handling his precocious son, he hires her on the spot as a temporary nanny. No matter how much Sara’s dark eyes and warm heart make this bachelor think of making their arrangement permanent, she’s made it perfectly clear she has other plans that don’t include him or his dreams.

Sara Lightfoot never thought she’d return to her home on the reservation. Now she plans to reclaim the life she left by going back to the reservation as a Native American storyteller, teaching the Apache children stories of their culture. She didn’t expect Mitch Broader’s sexy smile or job offer as a live-in nanny to derail those plans. After all she’s been through to come home, can she open up her heart once again to love?

I liked this book a lot more than the first one in the series, Her Heart for the Asking.

First of all, I liked the friendship between Sara and Mitch, their chemistry. And the thing I loved most was that their story didn't feel rushed in any way to me. I loved seeing them together, bonding and trying to figure out what their relationship should be like, all the while keeping their friendship intact.

Sara is a woman with scars. She went through some ugly moments with her ex-husband and she did some things she's not exactly proud of, but she tries to learn from her past and use it to help Mitch. She tries to see the good in everyone, even if she's sometimes mistaken.

Mitch is a very sexy cowboy. But there's a lot more to him than that, trust me. He's funny, stubborn, proud, sensible and he has great taste in music. He had a rough childhood and he'll do whatever it takes too make sure that his son won't go through the same traumatic experiences, even if it means giving up his dreams.

There were some very funny moments, there were some sad moments and everything in between. One thing I adored was that we get some info on what happens currently with Mandy and Beau, the heroine and hero from the previous book. I like getting news about old characters, it makes the stories inside a series a lot more real to me.

I would recommend this book to anyone loving a good romance book.

Blog Tour Book Review: Her Heart For The Asking by Lisa Mondello

Author: Lisa Mondello
Series: Texas Hearts #1
Publisher: Self-pub
Publishing Date: February 8th, 2012
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Promises made...secrets kept...
Mandy Morgan swore she’d never step foot in Texas again after Beau Gentry left her for life on the rodeo circuit eight years before. He once promised he'd love her forever. But he'd abandoned their love for the rodeo and she hadn't seen him since. Now she's back in Texas. Her uncle’s heart is failing and Mandy has to convince him that surgery will save his life. She never dreamed the first thing she’d see when she stepped off the plane would be her biggest nightmare...the one man she’d never stopped loving.
Beau Gentry had the fever for two things: the rodeo and Mandy Morgan. But for Beau, loving Mandy was complicated by his father’s vendetta against her uncle and a promise he'd made to an old friend. Hank Promise, Mandy's uncle, was more like a father to Beau than his old man had been. The hardest thing Beau had ever done was leave Mandy behind for the rodeo. He can still see the bitterness and hurt on her face. It has killed him all these years to think Mandy had forgotten him...maybe even in the arms of another man. But now they’re both back in Texas, and Beau's going to do all he can to win back her love.

One of my favorite themes in romance has to be the one about second chances. There's just something about them, ya know? This is probably the reason why I enjoyed reading about Mandy and Beau so much.

If you love cowboys, you'll definitely love Beau. He's sexy, wild, passionate about what he likes and loves. And I could really see he truly loved Mandy, enough to sacrifice himself to keep her safe. That's one of the reasons I liked him. The other one is that he is a man of his word. He made some promises to Hank, Mandy's uncle, and he never broke them. Besides that, he is funny.

Mandy never really got over Beau. She might think she did, but she really still loves him. She has some hurt bottled up inside, not just over Beau, but her family also. I felt like she would to... explode or something. I don't know, I was expecting her at some point to scream, kick, yell, whatever. But she didn't act like a brat, she acted like an adult the whole time and I respected her for that. She sacrificed herself and her dreams to work for her father, a job I don't really think she wanted or enjoyed.

I loved the fact that it wasn't some "oh, we've been here before, let's hook up again for old times' sake" kind of story. Both Mandy and Beau had some growing up to do before getting back together and they both needed to say and hear some things.

I really enjoyed reading Her Heart for the Asking and I can't wait to read the other books in this series. You should try it out, the book was good.