Customer Reviews

Beauty and the Black Sheep (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 1)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Frankie (Frances) Moorehouse has been taking care of her family ever since her parents died. While only 31, Frankie is worn out with caring for her younger sister, Joy; her grandmother, who has dementia; and the crumbling bed & breakfast that has housed Moorehouses for six generations. To top matters off, the cook has quit. Frankie has reached the end of her rope when she hires Nate Walker. Nate, a 4 star chef, is passing through when his car breaks down. While Nate is in the process of using his life savings to find a restaurant to call his own, Frankie's little bed & breakfast looks like the perfect answer for the summer months.

Nick and Frankie have plenty of problems to work through. Both parties have been burnt in the past and bring numerous issues to the table. In fact, at one point, I got frustrated, because everytime one problem got solved, another problem arose. Because of all the old baggage, sometimes the romantic conflict seemed a little forced. I enjoyed the character of Nick, who was wonderful, although sometimes I couldn't understand why he was attracted to Frankie, who seemed too guarded and too stubborn. The book was very well written and I liked the ending, but I was able to set it down and walk away several times. While not a J.R. Ward entry in quality, a nice book for a pleasant afternoon.

Jessica Bird is a pseudonym used by the author who also writes as J.R. Ward (the "Black Dagger Brotherhood" novels). If you're considering buying this book because of that, be aware that it's nothing like the other series. The blurb says this is her debut book with Silhouette Special Edition, and it reads like it. It's very pleasant, entertaining, and certainly worth buying, but it's not memorable. As the other reviwer mentioned, it's just not clear at all why the hero falls for the heroine. She's spunky, and he likes women with that quality, but that still doesn't answer the question 'why her?' However, the hero is sexy, handsome, and well drawn, so it's fun to read for him alone.

I plan to read the others in this series only because I love J.R. Ward's books, and I'm curious about her evolution as a writer. If it weren't for that connection, I probably wouldn't buy another by Jessica Bird.

*THE REBEL is a re-issue of Jessica Bird's (J.R Ward's) BEAUTY AND THE BLACK SHEEP which she wrote for Harlequin.*

I don't read a lot of Harlequin but I am a huge fan of JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood which is how I discovered Jessica Bird. I enjoyed this, her debut novel and could definitely `hear' Ward's voice in the writing particularly when it comes to her sexy yet somewhat tortured male characters. And although this is a predictable, feel good romance Bird kept my interest throughout the engaging love story with interesting secondary characters and multiple POV's. In fact she's left me curious enough that I'm going to have to read the rest of the Moorehouse Legacy series to find out what happens to them all. Cheers!

Ten years ago Frankie's parents died in a boating accident leaving her to raise her younger brother and sister and care for Grand-Em who suffers from dementia (I loved Grand-Em) To help pay the bills Frankie's turned the family's 6th generation mansion into a Bed & breakfast/restaurant. Unfortunately without the money for upkeep the walls are literally crumbling down on top of them. Tonight the chef's quit and Frankie's reached the end of her endurance, she's exhausted and if business doesn't pick up soon she's going to have to sell.

As fate would have it chef extraordinaire Nate Walker's beloved car Lucille has just broken down leaving him stranded on the side of the road. In his search for a phone so he can continue on to New York, Nate unknowingly enters the chaos of Frankie's kitchen. And before she can say "no soup for you" he's saved the night, putting her naïve staff to work and whipping up a fancy chicken dish for the starving guests.

The attraction between our pair is instantaneous (this is Harlequin after all) but Frankie's not going to be taken in by Nate's green and gold flecked eyes or his athletes body easily she's been burned once too many. That's a good thing too because in Nate's opinion Frankie really needs to dial down the attitude although he can't help wondering what lies beneath the glasses and baggy clothes or how she'd look if she would just smile. Maybe he'll postpone buying that restaurant in New York, just for the summer of course, help Frankie get back on her feet before he leaves. I mean what's the worst that could happen? It's not like he's going to fall in love or anything. It's not like he'll mow her lawn wearing nothing but a pair of cut-offs, sweat trickling down his muscled chest.

Here's the correct reading order for the series;
(The Moorehouse Legacy)
1-Beauty And The Black Sheep (reissued as THE REBEL)
2-His comfort and Joy (reissued as THE PLAYER)
3-From The First
4-A Man In A Million

(The O'Banyon Brothers)-Bird/Ward has never completed series
1-The Billionaire Next Door

When her parents died ten years ago, life as Frankie Moorehouse knew it ended. At twenty-one, she was thrust into the role of parent for her teen-aged sister Joy, caretaker for her grandmother, who suffers from dementia, and manager of her once wealthy family's home, now a Bed & Breakfast in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. That's a huge responsibility for someone so young, but given her older brother Alex had taken off to the sea years ago, she was the only one who could keep it all together. And so she did. Barely.

Now thirty-one, Frankie is hanging on by her fingernails as the old family home deteriorates and the bad economy chips away at the tourists who are their livelihood. She's behind on the mortgage and things keep breaking and flooding and growing mold. It's a bleak, scary time, and the sixteen hour days, seven days a week that she's putting in still haven't lead to any headway. So when her cook dashes off to Vegas with no warning, Frankie is stuck taking on yet another responsibility for her floundering business. Too bad she's not exactly a world class chef.

Once heir to a massive family fortune, now disowned black sheep of the family, Nathaniel Walker is a renowned chef with Cordon Bleu training. On his way up from the city on a leisurely trip to Canada, he's taking the summer to find the perfect location for his and his friend and partner Spike's new restaurant. He was driving through the Adirondacks when his car Lucille gives up the ghost, and a tumble into some poison ivy, along with a sprained ankle, left him with limited options for the night. He makes it to the Moorehouse back door just as Frankie is in a panic over the scorched chicken and scorched temper of hungry guests. Fortunately for her, there's only one other thing Nate does better than cook...and he'd like to try that out on Frankie, too.

Nate may have saved her bacon, but his presence burns Frankie's buns. She's a control freak of the first order and he's impossible to control. Thing is, if she's going to save her family home, it's obvious she needs him. Doesn't mean she has to like it...or be at all civil to him. If she can just remember that his employment is definitely short term, they may be able to make something for the B&B if they work together. Problem is, the looks he gives her definitely raises her temperature, and his advances, while confusing, are the stuff of which dreams are made. Before she can even figure out if she can survive employing him, an even scarier question arises. Can she survive loving him?

Kicking off the Moorehouse Legacy series, Jessica Bird (aka J.R. Ward), starts with feisty, core-of-steel Frankie and big bad chef extraordinaire Nate. I loved these two. Though, admittedly, Frankie was such a thankless shrew at first it took me some time to warm up to her. I ended up admiring her strength and her tenacity in the face of monstrous responsibility and sacrifice. And Nate just tickled me. Bird has a gift for characterizations, that's for sure. I also adored the backdrop of this series. Reminded me of my grade school years in Glens Falls, and my childhood memories of the mountains up there.

I had a couple of issues with the book, which started with a bit too convenient an introduction between Frankie and Nate. I'm all for kismet, but still, that seemed pretty contrived. Fortunately, the pace of the plot and the presence of the characters was strong enough coerce me into forgiving that too-convenient beginning. Frankie was a bit unsympathetic for much of the beginning of the book, and her wild hair over Nate's presence in "her" kitchen felt a bit overdone, but again, that smoothed out as the book went along. I do wish more development had been given to Nate and the impact of his break with his family. That could have added another dimension to his character.

Likable (in Frankie's case, eventually) lead characters, charming and interesting secondary characters and a solid, if slightly unsurprising romance were pluses for Beauty and the Black Sheep, but I would definitely have appreciated a bit more depth to Nate's background and some added complexity to both of their personalities. The plot was classic contemporary romance fare, but it was well written and nicely paced, with a smooth narrative and realistic dialogue, all framed by picture postcard scenery. I enjoyed it and look forward to continuing the Moorehouse Legacy series.

Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

For Frankie Moorehouse, White Caps is more than just a Bed & Breakfast. It's her childhood home...and it's falling to pieces. Frankie's worked herself to the bone trying to keep her parents' legacy going, while supporting herself, her sister and her grandmother, and she's barely making ends meet. And when her chef up and quits one night, it's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Nate Walker is the rebel in his family. He's not a corporate suit, but a chef making his own way in the world. While driving through the Adirondacks, Nate's car breaks down, and he's forced to hoof it to the nearest residence, which just happens to be White Caps. The disastrous kitchen that greets him puts Nate in his element, but beautiful, frosty Frankie Moorehouse knocks him off-balance. He convinces her to hire him for the summer, but the more time Nate spends around Frankie, the harder it is for him to imagine leaving her. What will happen when the summer comes to an end?

J.R. Ward may be known as a powerhouse paranormal author, but she's every bit as strong in the contemporary romance genre. THE REBEL is an utterly fantastic book, filled with love, passion, hardship, discovery and humor. I love this book, plain and simple.

Frankie and Nate are two characters who don't take the easy road in life, but work long and hard - and often against the odds - to achieve their goals. They're people that you not only have to like, but respect. The romance between them both fires the blood and warms the heart, making for a wonderfully satisfying love story. In addition to Nate and Frankie, Ms. Ward brings the entire cast of supporting characters to life in THE REBEL so perfectly that I felt like I could simply fall into the story. I cared about these characters and their struggles, so I was invested in THE REBEL and finished it wanting to dive into THE PLAYER and THE SINNER, the other two Moorehouse siblings' books.

For those unfamiliar with THE MOOREHOUSE LEGACY series, THE REBEL is a re-issue of BEAUTY AND THE BLACK SHEEP, which Ms. Ward wrote as Jessica Bird. I'm ecstatic that the Moorehouses' stories are back in print, for this is a series that's not to be missed!

Lily
Reviewed for Romance Junkies

Ten years ago Frankie's parents died in a boating accident leaving her to raise her younger brother and sister and care for Grand-Em who suffers from dementia (I loved Grand-Em) To help pay the bills Frankie's turned the family's 6th generation mansion into a Bed & breakfast/restaurant. Unfortunately without the money for upkeep the walls are literally crumbling down on top of them. Tonight the chef's quit and Frankie's reached the end of her endurance, she's exhausted and if business doesn't pick up soon she's going to have to sell.

As fate would have it chef extraordinaire Nate Walker's beloved car Lucille has just broken down leaving him stranded on the side of the road. In his search for a phone so he can continue on to New York, Nate unknowingly enters the chaos of Frankie's kitchen. And before she can say "no soup for you" he's saved the night, putting her naïve staff to work and whipping up a fancy chicken dish for the starving guests.

The attraction between our pair is instantaneous (this is Harlequin after all) but Frankie's not going to be taken in by Nate's green and gold flecked eyes or his athletes body easily she's been burned once too many. That's a good thing too because in Nate's opinion Frankie really needs to dial down the attitude although he can't help wondering what lies beneath the glasses and baggy clothes or how she'd look if she would just smile. Maybe he'll postpone buying that restaurant in New York, just for the summer of course, help Frankie get back on her feet before he leaves. I mean what's the worst that could happen? It's not like he's going to fall in love or anything. It's not like he'll mow her lawn wearing nothing but a pair of cut-offs, sweat trickling down his muscled chest.

I don't read a lot of Harlequin but I am a huge fan of JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood which is how I discovered Jessica Bird. I enjoyed this, her debut novel and could definitely `hear' Ward's voice in the writing particularly when it comes to her sexy yet somewhat tortured male characters. And although this is a predictable, feel good romance Bird kept my interest throughout the engaging love story with interesting secondary characters and multiple POV's. In fact she's left me curious enough that I'm going to have to read the rest of the Moorehouse Legacy series to find out what happens to them all. Cheers

If you're a fan of JR Ward from the Black Dagger Brotherhood books - run away from this one! What an incredible disappointment. The characters are unbelievable and simplistic, the plot is rote and the romance is tepid. This is a total "harlequin romance" and is not at all representative of JR Ward's other work.

I didn't know until after the fact but the book to read first was IRRESISTIBLE
BACHELOR, because this book lead into the book REBEL. However I did enjoy Rebel
but it could have been longer to know what happened.

I love most books written by J.R. Ward so I moved on to her Jessica Bird books. People must remember that the Bird psuedonym is for straight romance with not a single vampire or angel in sight. The action is a lot slower and centers around the building of the relationship. The couple still has nearly instant attraction and personal issues but they are issues that normal people can relate to, unlike turning into a mmonster when you lose your temper.

The Rebel is a good read and I'm keeping it for my contemporary romance library.

Great book all around. Characters are endearing and have a strength that draws the reader in. The heroine is likeable and flawed but deserves a break. The hero is the type of guy I'd like to step into my kitchen.