Category Archives: Samantha Chase

Review: Meant for You by Samantha Chase

meant youTitle: Meant for You by Samantha Chase
The Montgomery Brothers Series Book Five
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Brand new Book #5 in Samantha Chase’s popular Montgomery series

She dares to dream…
Summer Montgomery wants to be taken seriously almost as much as she wants her brother’s best friend, Ethan. But with a long resume of seemingly random career choices and a protective brother on watch, those things are nothing more than pipe dreams…

Does he dare to try?
Ethan Reed would like nothing more than to live by his own rules. Not wanting to disappoint his best friend Zach, or any of the Montgomerys, Ethan’s had to push his long-denied feelings for Summer aside. But it only takes one night away from watchful eyes to make impossible dreams come true…

Review:

Meant for You is the fifth installment in Samantha Chase’s Montgomery Brothers series. In this outing, William Montgomery is still matchmaking and his free spirited niece Summer is his latest project. He convinces his brother (and Summer’s father) to send Summer to the Portland office to work with her brother Zach in the hopes that her longtime crush on Zach’s best friend (and company VP) Ethan Reed will lead to love.

Summer has been trying to find her niche for quite some time and the rest of her family views her as flighty. The family does not take her seriously and when she begins working with Zach, he does not give her any worthwhile projects. Nonetheless, she shines as she works in the various departments and she is well liked by the other employees. Summer and Zach have been quarreling over his next thrill seeking adventure and to keep the peace, Summer takes off for a weekend retreat. Her overprotective brother asks Ethan to make sure she is ok and Summer seizes the opportunity to act on her attraction to Ethan.

Ethan is a great guy but because of his loyalty to Zach and the Montgomery family, he has decided to ignore his interest in Summer. He is laidback, easygoing and not eager to rock the boat but when Summer makes the first move, he finds it impossible to resist her. After their one night of passion, the two go their separate ways, but when they unexpectedly run into one another while playing tourist, a push from Zack’s assistant and Summer’s friend Gabriella Martine is just what they need to spend some quality time together. Away from the prying eyes of Montgomery clan, Ethan and Summer enjoy getting to know one another while indulging their desire. Both are aware of the potential problems awaiting their relationship when they return to their regular life, but they decide to live in the moment. Unfortunately, the real world intrudes when a crisis brings the Montgomery family together and the couple decides to keep their romance a secret.

The relationship between Summer and Ethan is sweet and there is no denying they share a real connection. But as soon as they are reunited with the rest of Montgomery family, trouble begins. Neither is willing to come clean about their romance and they are forced to sneak around to see one another (which is completely ridiculous considering both of them are adults). Summer’s brothers are overprotective to the point they are insulting to both her and Ethan. The family’s reaction to Summer and Ethan’s relationship is incomprehensible considering that he has been treated like a family member for twenty years.

But what is the most astounding is the patronizing and disrespectful attitude that the Montgomery family displays toward Summer. They unfairly blame her for another family member’s decision and they treat her like a child. She is forced to prove herself over and over again and despite her efforts, they refuse to take her seriously. The utter disregard for her feelings and complete lack of faith in her professional abilities is appalling and absolutely infuriating. This part of the storyline is incredibly frustrating and completely unforgivable despite the story arc’s resolution.

Despite a few issues with the rest of the family, Meant for You is a lovely romance and a nice addition to The Montgomery Brothers series. Fans will enjoy seeing Summer find her happily ever after and Samantha Chase’s intriguing glimpses of Zach will leave readers impatiently awaiting his story.

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Filed under Contemporary, Meant for You, Rated C, Review, Romance, Samantha Chase, The Montgomery Brothers

Review: Return to You by Samantha Chase

ReturnToYouTitle: Return to You by Samantha Chase
Montgomery Series Book Four
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating:

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Brand new Book #4 in Samantha Chase’s popular Montgomery series

She will never forget their past…
He can’t stop thinking about their future…

James Montgomery has achieved everything he’d hoped for in life…except marrying the girl of his dreams. After a terrible accident, Selena Ainsley left ten years ago. She took his heart with her and she’s never coming back. But it’s becoming harder and harder for him to forget their precious time together, and James can’t help but wonder what he would do if they could ever meet again.

Review:

A matchmaking uncle, a concerned brother and a well intentioned friend conspire to reunite former high school sweethearts in Return to You by Samantha Chase. Set against the backdrop of a high school reunion, this second chance at love romance has plenty of drama and sizzling hot chemistry. Although it is the fourth installment in The Montgomery Brothers series, it can be read as a standalone story.

Selena Ainsley and James Montgomery have not seen each other since their inexplicable break up ten years earlier.  While Selena was recovering from a traumatic accident, James vanished without explanation, leaving her completely devastated. Nursing a broken heart, Selena left town and never returned. Now a successful event planner, Selena’s good friend Jen convinces her to organize their ten year high school reunion. What Selena does not know is that Jen, along with James’s brother and uncle, have concocted a scheme to reunite Selena and James. The sparks fly between the couple but it soon becomes obvious that anger from their unresolved past burns just as hot as their mutual desire.

James and Selena’s first couple of encounters are extremely antagonistic. Both are still extremely angry over how their romance ended ten years ago, but there is still plenty of passion simmering between them too. James is a little hotheaded, acts without thinking and he kisses her senseless before they have the opportunity to discuss what went wrong between them. Selena is just as impulsive and they quickly jump back into a physical relationship. They do eventually discuss their break up but their reconciliation is uneasy and plagued with trust issues. They gloss over their problems and embark on an affair but it does not take much to break the fragile truce between them. Their relationship wildly veers between the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows as misunderstandings, snap judgments, miscommunication and rash decisions threaten to tear them apart.

Selena and James are frustrating characters. Communication between them is practically none existent so they make impetus, ill-informed decisions before they have their facts straight. With so much anger and the unresolved issues between them, it is very difficult to believe that they can still be in love after a ten year separation. However, there is no denying the scorching hot attraction between them and their sex scenes are very sensual.

Although Selena and James are a little exasperating, the secondary characters are delightful. Jen is a little uneasy about her role in getting Selena and James back together, but her heart is in the right place. She is an excellent sounding board for Selena and she offers some pretty good suggestions (that Selena mostly ignores!). Selena’s grandmother is a complete sweetheart and her words of wisdom definitely give Selena food for thought. James begins repairing his distant relationship with his brother when he turns to him for some much needed advice.

Despite a few issues with the lead characters, Return to You is an enjoyable romance. The novel is well-written and the storyline is interesting. The characters are well-developed and likable. Samantha Chase brings the novel to a romantic and very sweet conclusion as Selena and James finally get their much deserved happily ever after. All in all, a nice addition to The Montgomery Brothers series.

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Filed under Contemporary, Rated C+, Return to You, Review, Romance, Samantha Chase, Sourcebooks Casablanca, The Montgomery Brothers