Review: Taming the Country Star by Margo Bond Collins & Making Waves by Ophelia London

Title:  Taming the Country Star Author:  Margo Bond Collins Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Bliss, June 16, 2014 Format/Source:  E-ARC, Publisher Genre:  Contemporary Romance Rating: 4.5/5 He'll do anything to win her heart. She'll do anything to keep him away. Country star Cole Grayson is in town, and Kylie Andrews is less than thrilled. As if months of changing the radio station and tearing down his posters weren’t bad enough, now she has to deal with a town of fans swarming toward the man who deceived her the year before. But when Kylie’s eyes meet Cole’s again, she can’t deny the electric chemistry that drew her to him the first time around. Cole Grayson is on a mission. Ever since Kylie left him, he hasn’t been able to forget her sweet country smile. After writing a song just for her, he sets off for her hometown to prove he’s not the player she thinks he is. But as much as Cole can’t forget her, Kylie wonders if she can forgive him… Title:  Making Waves Author:  Ophelia London Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Bliss, June 16, 2014 Format/Source:  E-ARC, Publisher Genre:  Contemporary Romance Rating: 4.5/5 She’s in over her head and he’s in hot water… Visiting her friends Ellie and Charlie in Hawaii was supposed to be a much-needed vacation for journalist Justine Simms. But when she learns the notoriously reclusive pro-surfer Chase Ryder is coming out of retirement for a competition, she knows she’s found the perfect exclusive to save her career. Of course, then she learns he’s the gorgeous, secretly nerdy guy who broke her heart a year ago. Will Davenport—aka Chase Ryder—doesn't do interviews. He keeps his real name out of the papers and doesn’t mix his public life with his private. That is, until the still-heartbroken Justine blackmails him into giving her an exclusive. Seeing Justine, stunningly beautiful as ever, brings back all the feelings he had before. But despite their smoldering attraction, nothing has changed since he had to leave her the first time. My Thoughts Can old flames be rekindled??? I can’t answer that question for you, but you can find out the answer to this question for Cole & Kylie in Taming the Country Star by Margo Bond Collins and  Will/Chase & Justine in Making Waves by Ophelia London. Taming the Country Star is a Sizzling Hot Novella.  In Collin’s novella, Kylie, the Heroine, is the one who ended the relationship abruptly. She just had a difficult time dealing with being in the spotlight and Cole’s deception, which caused an inner conflict regarding whether she wanted to be with Cole. There was definitely a physical connection between Kylie and Cole, and they exhibited an emotional connection as well. For a novella the back-story is well developed and it was expertly placed so it didn’t interrupt the flow of the present day story. Making Waves by Ophelia London has less sizzle than Taming the Country Star and is a sweet romance novella.  In this book, it was Chase, the Hero, who previously ended the relationship without explanation, and from the way that Justine recalled what happened I couldn’t imagine that she would want to be with him. However, you won’t be disappointed with this novella, because there are plenty of ah, oh wow, and oh no moments as they get reacquainted and chase tries to protect his identity while pursuing a journalist—there’s bound to be a mishap there. I love how Chase and Justine attempted to get to know each other on a whole new level, and at times everything seemed so perfect. However, I soon found that Making Waves captured the ups and downs of relationships due to words left unsaid and unfortunate mistakes. Overall, they are both fantastic novellas that you don’t want to miss. Both contain conflicts related to the heroes and/or heroines issues with something that is such a big part of the heroes and/or heroines lives. Although, they are similar they remain different. I would definitely recommend reading both of them. After all, Making Waves might cool you down after experiencing the heat in Taming the Country Star. I received e-arcs of Taming the Country Star by Margo Bond Collins and Making Waves by Ophelia London in exchange for an honest review.