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Hard Day's Knight
Men in tights never looked so good. At least that's Pepper Marsh's first impression when she attends a jousting competition at the Rennaissance Faire in Ontario. An unemployed and unattached software engineer, Pepper has had enough of the computer geeks in her dating pool. She years for a man of yore. A man not afraid to stare death in the face ...and laugh at it. A man with a big lance...
Pepper's cousin has promised to find her a knight in shining armor, on the condition that Pepper walk around in wench garb. With her mind on her embarrassingly revealing bodice, Pepper promptly steps into the path of an oncoming steed...and is rescued by sexy Englishman Walker McPhail. Once the wild man of jousting, Walker has let a brush with death keep him out of the ring. Though his emotions are clad in almost impenetrable armor, Pepper finds Walker infuriatingly sexy--and she's about to go medieval on his heart...
Pepper's cousin has promised to find her a knight in shining armor, on the condition that Pepper walk around in wench garb. With her mind on her embarrassingly revealing bodice, Pepper promptly steps into the path of an oncoming steed...and is rescued by sexy Englishman Walker McPhail. Once the wild man of jousting, Walker has let a brush with death keep him out of the ring. Though his emotions are clad in almost impenetrable armor, Pepper finds Walker infuriatingly sexy--and she's about to go medieval on his heart...
346 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
44 people are currently reading
1854 people want to read
About the author
Katie MacAlister
121 books5,975 followersFor as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading. Growing up in a family where a weekly visit to the library was a given, Katie spent much of her time with her nose buried in a book. Despite her love for novels, she didn't think of writing them until she was contracted to write a non-fiction book about software. Since her editor refused to allow her to include either witty dialogue or love scenes in the software book, Katie swiftly resolved to switch to fiction, where she could indulge in world building, tormenting characters, and falling madly in love with all her heroes.
Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble's publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.
Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.
Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble's publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.
Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
December 3, 2008
Oh, yes. Our heroine decides to leave the "computer geeks" she works with and goes to find a "real man" at a... RENAISSANCE FAIRE? Dude, I have worked at a Ren Faire. Yes, there is a certain amount of hotness with the guys in tights and accents and such. But in reality, these guys are also completely geeky.
Silly plot aside, this book is BAD. No one (even at Ren Faires) speak like these characters, and the sex scenes are decidedly UNsexy. No one should ever use the term SQUELCHY, okay, people? Ew, just writing it gave me the shivers. Gross gross gross.
This book is kind of funny if you're a Faire person, because it's so off-the-mark. And the writing is seriously atrocious. But I would say 99.89% of the world should just pass on this book.
Silly plot aside, this book is BAD. No one (even at Ren Faires) speak like these characters, and the sex scenes are decidedly UNsexy. No one should ever use the term SQUELCHY, okay, people? Ew, just writing it gave me the shivers. Gross gross gross.
This book is kind of funny if you're a Faire person, because it's so off-the-mark. And the writing is seriously atrocious. But I would say 99.89% of the world should just pass on this book.
March 20, 2015
4.5 stars
This is my second Katie MacAlister book and she once again, did not disappoint.
MacAlister usually writes strong and confident women who are unbelievably ridiculous in their hilariously amusing moments.
Here we have Pepper, who is determined to pull off her happily ever after and fairy tale story with Walker, a grumpy and very sexy knight in shining armor. They’re a perfect match, and for every corny line that was written, a warm and emotional scene was added in. They complement each other really well, and pull off that happy ending without a hitch—and a few stray pets along the way.
Reading this story was like living a little slice of a fantasy world, considering the setting.
If you want a sweet, funny book with some deliciously smoldering moments, give this one a chance.
After reading Hard Day’s Knight, I have an unbelievably strong urge to visit a Renaissance Faire.
This is my second Katie MacAlister book and she once again, did not disappoint.
MacAlister usually writes strong and confident women who are unbelievably ridiculous in their hilariously amusing moments.
Here we have Pepper, who is determined to pull off her happily ever after and fairy tale story with Walker, a grumpy and very sexy knight in shining armor. They’re a perfect match, and for every corny line that was written, a warm and emotional scene was added in. They complement each other really well, and pull off that happy ending without a hitch—and a few stray pets along the way.
Reading this story was like living a little slice of a fantasy world, considering the setting.
If you want a sweet, funny book with some deliciously smoldering moments, give this one a chance.
After reading Hard Day’s Knight, I have an unbelievably strong urge to visit a Renaissance Faire.
August 22, 2017
This was a fun book and I think that this is the best one that this author has written,
December 9, 2008
Possibly the worst book I've ever read - and a ridiculously inaccurate rendering of what goes on at a renaissance faire, to boot. The sex scenes aren't even sexy - "happy juice," anyone? Yech. The main enjoyment I had out of this book (which was considerable, I'll admit) was reading passages of it out loud to friends for public mockery. Skip it unless you've worked at a ren fair and want a good laugh at all the inaccuracies.
July 22, 2020
Jayyyyzus, this was annoying and .... annoying!
Honestly, i don't think i liked a single thing about this book.
No chemistry, gross sex scenes, stupid plot, nonsensical events (ie. she is DEATHLY afraid of horses for 75% of the book, then it turns out she's a VET and wasn't actually AFRAID of horses, but just doesn't like them EATING HER HAIR?! Sorry, what horse will eat your hair?! Also - after acting deathly afraid and screaming at a horse "please don't eat me, please don't eat me!" how could the author come back with "she was not actually afraid of horses, she just doesn't like them much" at the end of the book?! Like make up your mind and stick to it. That's just lazy writing ....
Many other nonsensical events and ideas... Well the whole plot actually! In a different book, i would have loved the jousting - here it was a joke . Here it was made to seem like a stupid girl (who is afraid of horses and can't ride), could just sit her stupid ass on a horse and hold a lance and actually joust and be "ok at it". Wow... ok ...
Maybe i should have given it 1* ?!
Honestly, i don't think i liked a single thing about this book.
No chemistry, gross sex scenes, stupid plot, nonsensical events (ie. she is DEATHLY afraid of horses for 75% of the book, then it turns out she's a VET and wasn't actually AFRAID of horses, but just doesn't like them EATING HER HAIR?! Sorry, what horse will eat your hair?! Also - after acting deathly afraid and screaming at a horse "please don't eat me, please don't eat me!" how could the author come back with "she was not actually afraid of horses, she just doesn't like them much" at the end of the book?! Like make up your mind and stick to it. That's just lazy writing ....
Many other nonsensical events and ideas... Well the whole plot actually! In a different book, i would have loved the jousting - here it was a joke . Here it was made to seem like a stupid girl (who is afraid of horses and can't ride), could just sit her stupid ass on a horse and hold a lance and actually joust and be "ok at it". Wow... ok ...
Maybe i should have given it 1* ?!
August 15, 2020
This was cute! Pepper attended the Renaissance Fair with her cousin CJ. She is pet sitting her aunts cat, Moth, while also helping CJ out by playing the part of a Wench. Walker, the jousting leader, intrigues Pepper and she just can't keep her nose out of his business. Several racy scenes that have you giggling.
April 16, 2009
I went into Katie MacAlister's Hard Day's Knight desperately wanting to love it. It's not often that I see a faire based book that doesn't involve some sort of cheesy-ass time travel. Maybe I set my expectations too high. Maybe this person's experience of a renaissance faire is entirely different than mine; I don't know. (I doubt it though - I've performed at renaissance faires for enough years that I seriously doubt it's THAT much different at her home faire.)
If I were to judge renaissance faires based on this book having never been to one, then I would come to the conclusion that they are all about jousting and the Wenches' Guild. There's a mention of brightly colored tents as well, but those seem to disappear after they initially set up the book. Most of the book centers on jousting, which I know very little about so I won't really be able to go into details on that one. Pretty much all I can say is that it was a HUGE jousting competition with teams in from all over the world (though they only seem to interact with three teams- the elitist team, the good guy's team and the good guy's ex-wife's all-female "men suck, grrr!" team.)
Beyond that, the heroine in the book was a member of the Legion of Wenches (in the real world known as "The International Wenches Guild") The funniest part of that?
She's never been to a renaissance faire.
o.O
Seriously, who joins the Wenches' Guild without ever having been to a faire and without knowing what you're getting into? I mean, her cousin talked her into it, but still, the internet is available. Do some research!!! She naturally finds herself shocked as she's dragged away from her new jouster boyfriend to go on a "Promenade" *cough*WenchWalk*cough*, where she's expected to sing bawdy music and kiss random guys she's never met. If I had to sum up the entire non-jousting part of the book in macro-ese, it would be "My shelf: let me shows you it." (Though, to be fair, that does actually kind of describe the Wenches Guild. >.>)
Through the entire book, this woman is just so obnoxious about the whole faire thing. Hell, they even set it up in the beginning that she's only going in the hopes of find true love. *eyeroll* She's really close-minded about the entire experience and doesn't open herself up to anything new (...well, except her legs, which she opens up quite easily, actually. She and her jouster have some cake-and-bake action within two days.) Her cousin has to drag her to go do anything new. Plus, throughout the book, the girl is stuck babysitting her cousin's parents' cat who is the spawn of Satan and tears everything up, though he loves the hero. And actually, based on the heroine's experiences and thoughts, I figured this book was set out to make fun of the IWG, but no, apparently the writer is a member of the IWG, so there goes that theory.
The hero is very bland. There's not much to his personality other than the fact that he has a "dreamy" British accent. He's kind of playful in bed or when he's trying to get some, but never any other time. He's kind of angry sometimes. The only thing I can tell he's interested in is animals and jousting. We don't learn anything about his non-jousting past or family or anything (which is odd - contrary to popular belief, people who work at renaissance faires actually DO have lives outside of it. They may have families, friends, spouses or significant others, jobs, etc.). They try to give him a troubled past where he's all emo because he broke the neck of some guy while jousting, but it kind of fails.
Really, the whole book kind of fails. Bonus points for attempting a concept that I've not seen before in these things, but it still ended up relying on a lot of the old tried-and-true romance novel cliches as well as failing on the initial idea.
If I were to judge renaissance faires based on this book having never been to one, then I would come to the conclusion that they are all about jousting and the Wenches' Guild. There's a mention of brightly colored tents as well, but those seem to disappear after they initially set up the book. Most of the book centers on jousting, which I know very little about so I won't really be able to go into details on that one. Pretty much all I can say is that it was a HUGE jousting competition with teams in from all over the world (though they only seem to interact with three teams- the elitist team, the good guy's team and the good guy's ex-wife's all-female "men suck, grrr!" team.)
Beyond that, the heroine in the book was a member of the Legion of Wenches (in the real world known as "The International Wenches Guild") The funniest part of that?
She's never been to a renaissance faire.
o.O
Seriously, who joins the Wenches' Guild without ever having been to a faire and without knowing what you're getting into? I mean, her cousin talked her into it, but still, the internet is available. Do some research!!! She naturally finds herself shocked as she's dragged away from her new jouster boyfriend to go on a "Promenade" *cough*WenchWalk*cough*, where she's expected to sing bawdy music and kiss random guys she's never met. If I had to sum up the entire non-jousting part of the book in macro-ese, it would be "My shelf: let me shows you it." (Though, to be fair, that does actually kind of describe the Wenches Guild. >.>)
Through the entire book, this woman is just so obnoxious about the whole faire thing. Hell, they even set it up in the beginning that she's only going in the hopes of find true love. *eyeroll* She's really close-minded about the entire experience and doesn't open herself up to anything new (...well, except her legs, which she opens up quite easily, actually. She and her jouster have some cake-and-bake action within two days.) Her cousin has to drag her to go do anything new. Plus, throughout the book, the girl is stuck babysitting her cousin's parents' cat who is the spawn of Satan and tears everything up, though he loves the hero. And actually, based on the heroine's experiences and thoughts, I figured this book was set out to make fun of the IWG, but no, apparently the writer is a member of the IWG, so there goes that theory.
The hero is very bland. There's not much to his personality other than the fact that he has a "dreamy" British accent. He's kind of playful in bed or when he's trying to get some, but never any other time. He's kind of angry sometimes. The only thing I can tell he's interested in is animals and jousting. We don't learn anything about his non-jousting past or family or anything (which is odd - contrary to popular belief, people who work at renaissance faires actually DO have lives outside of it. They may have families, friends, spouses or significant others, jobs, etc.). They try to give him a troubled past where he's all emo because he broke the neck of some guy while jousting, but it kind of fails.
Really, the whole book kind of fails. Bonus points for attempting a concept that I've not seen before in these things, but it still ended up relying on a lot of the old tried-and-true romance novel cliches as well as failing on the initial idea.
August 16, 2010
This was a very interesting book from the beginning. Some of the characters I loved and cheered for and some I didn't like at all and booed. I really liked Pepper's personality and strength. I loved that even though she questioned herself repeatedly she never gave up. Which is hard to do when it seems that no one is on your side, not even family.
I found her cousin CJ infuriating. I can't believe that someone that is supposedly close enough to you to invite you along on a trip could be so callous, mean and disloyal. She constantly put Pepper down, let her feel like an outcast and then had the nerve to chastise the rest of the team for groveling when they made a huge mistake by falsely accusing Pepper. I waited the entire book to find a redeeming quality in CJ, but never got there. Thank goodness the other characters were much more likeable.
Walker, however was scrumptious. How can you not fall in love with an alpha male who is responsible, loyal and loves animals. I was taken by him the first time he let Moth climb all over him without making a cat scarf out of him. The cat truly was a menace. The man had a past, he had baggage and yet he still had a big heart. And he wears tights. Maybe I should start searching for Renaissance faires :)
Another great suggestion Kindle smut!
I found her cousin CJ infuriating. I can't believe that someone that is supposedly close enough to you to invite you along on a trip could be so callous, mean and disloyal. She constantly put Pepper down, let her feel like an outcast and then had the nerve to chastise the rest of the team for groveling when they made a huge mistake by falsely accusing Pepper. I waited the entire book to find a redeeming quality in CJ, but never got there. Thank goodness the other characters were much more likeable.
Walker, however was scrumptious. How can you not fall in love with an alpha male who is responsible, loyal and loves animals. I was taken by him the first time he let Moth climb all over him without making a cat scarf out of him. The cat truly was a menace. The man had a past, he had baggage and yet he still had a big heart. And he wears tights. Maybe I should start searching for Renaissance faires :)
Another great suggestion Kindle smut!
March 6, 2011
There are times this reminded me of A Knight's Tale, but I think it's because they're both about jousting.
The book kind of dragged until chapter 16 or so. Yeah, I get there's set up and all that, but it felt so predictable. Having said that, the explanations towards the end brought everything together.
Honestly, I liked the book but it was just meh.
The book kind of dragged until chapter 16 or so. Yeah, I get there's set up and all that, but it felt so predictable. Having said that, the explanations towards the end brought everything together.
Honestly, I liked the book but it was just meh.
October 3, 2011
This is my kind of romance. An intelligent (but not perfect) heroine mixing it up with an Alpha male, who though cautious, isn't really afraid to love a woman. The two take turns chasing each other (though neither runs away very fast or for very long.) The banter is humorous, the sex is hot, and the payoff is love (since the sex starts early.) I'm ordering more of this author's books.
July 10, 2013
It's light, it's fluffy... Girl meets handsome man at a Renaissance Faire and he is, literally, her knight in shining armor. Yes, it's hokey, yes, there is a totally ridiculous love story mixed in along with jousting. Dorky at best, but I still giggled aloud at least enough to give it a 3 star rating.
August 7, 2016
Was the book a little ridiculous? Yes
Did I cringe at word choicesometimes a lot? Yes
Did I still enjoy it? Yes
Because that's what romance novels are. They're silly, over the top, not meant to be taken seriously. That's it. That's their purpose.
2.5 stars
Did I cringe at word choice
Did I still enjoy it? Yes
Because that's what romance novels are. They're silly, over the top, not meant to be taken seriously. That's it. That's their purpose.
2.5 stars
December 28, 2011
This story had delightful characters and wonderful comedy and really dynamic villains. good stuff!
January 7, 2016
DNF at 75% not because it was bad, but because I was no longer in the mood for such a book.
May 21, 2018
Kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading—mostly because it made me crave a Ren Faire. But the language was all kinds of cheesy throughout the book and I couldn't stand the female protagonist.
August 3, 2024
2.5
Pepper goes to a jousting tournament in hopes of meeting hot knights. Her cousin CJ had luck with her jousting boyfriend at a Renaissance Festival and she wants to find some of the same magic. What she finds is Walker, a squire who gave up jousting for mysterious reasons. She finds him irresistible. He finds her irritating. The two squabble like crazy. Throughout the tournament their chemistry brings them together again and again.
You have bitter Walker, whose past got a bit annoyingly interfering. The spicy bits were so intermixed with them pulling apart you never knew when they were on the outs or not. And I did think Pepper fell in love too fast. It was a bit much, seemed more like lust than the two having good genuine moments of connection. Walker's gruffness went over the top for me and Pepper's aggressiveness became desperate as a result, making me not feel their romance very much.
I loved hearing about the jousting and tournament. Anyone interested in the sport would probably get into this. Although this book is set at a Renaissance Festival, it doesn't have much of the overall festival feel. The only focus is the joust. (There is a bit about the League of Wencges, but this doesn't give you mich of Faire life) It is an immersion into competition jousting in the modern era. I was really into this and am going to look up more about it.
The mystery for who was sabotaging the main competition team kept my attention and I loved the cat, Moth. I did think the cousin's character was terrible. She was selfish and unnecessarily harsh on Pepper. I would have liked more from side characters in this. I think that could have brought more life to the story bringing it above average. There was a lot of potential and some interesting starts, we just never got too personal with any of them or had any special moments. Aside from Farrell. We almost got there with him.
Overall, a fun read. But not overly brilliant.
Pepper goes to a jousting tournament in hopes of meeting hot knights. Her cousin CJ had luck with her jousting boyfriend at a Renaissance Festival and she wants to find some of the same magic. What she finds is Walker, a squire who gave up jousting for mysterious reasons. She finds him irresistible. He finds her irritating. The two squabble like crazy. Throughout the tournament their chemistry brings them together again and again.
You have bitter Walker, whose past got a bit annoyingly interfering. The spicy bits were so intermixed with them pulling apart you never knew when they were on the outs or not. And I did think Pepper fell in love too fast. It was a bit much, seemed more like lust than the two having good genuine moments of connection. Walker's gruffness went over the top for me and Pepper's aggressiveness became desperate as a result, making me not feel their romance very much.
I loved hearing about the jousting and tournament. Anyone interested in the sport would probably get into this. Although this book is set at a Renaissance Festival, it doesn't have much of the overall festival feel. The only focus is the joust. (There is a bit about the League of Wencges, but this doesn't give you mich of Faire life) It is an immersion into competition jousting in the modern era. I was really into this and am going to look up more about it.
The mystery for who was sabotaging the main competition team kept my attention and I loved the cat, Moth. I did think the cousin's character was terrible. She was selfish and unnecessarily harsh on Pepper. I would have liked more from side characters in this. I think that could have brought more life to the story bringing it above average. There was a lot of potential and some interesting starts, we just never got too personal with any of them or had any special moments. Aside from Farrell. We almost got there with him.
Overall, a fun read. But not overly brilliant.
July 25, 2020
Woooo! Walker is hot, Hot, HOT!
Pepper was tired of dating computer gooks so she thought she might find herself a man at a Renaissance fair where she was promised lots of nights in shining armor… Why she didn’t expect red-fair guys to also be geeks, I’ll never understand.
However, this isn’t just any Renaissance fair. This is also a jousting tournament… Real live men and women, in armor, on horseback, knocking each other around with big sticks. And it takes a lot of muscles to control a horse and ware all that armor, and knock somebody around with a big stick! Lots and lots of muscles.
Only this isn’t a tournament for fun, this is a tournament for money… Big money. However somebody is sabotaging the man Pepper has said her heart on. Not only could Walker lose the tournament, it could take his life. She is bound and determined to stop it...even if it means learning to joust herself.
Brave, imaginative, and a jolly good time, it’s hard to remember that this book only spands two weeks. Pepper and Walker, fueled by the drama of competition, and egging each other on, fall head over heels in no time flat.
Pepper was tired of dating computer gooks so she thought she might find herself a man at a Renaissance fair where she was promised lots of nights in shining armor… Why she didn’t expect red-fair guys to also be geeks, I’ll never understand.
However, this isn’t just any Renaissance fair. This is also a jousting tournament… Real live men and women, in armor, on horseback, knocking each other around with big sticks. And it takes a lot of muscles to control a horse and ware all that armor, and knock somebody around with a big stick! Lots and lots of muscles.
Only this isn’t a tournament for fun, this is a tournament for money… Big money. However somebody is sabotaging the man Pepper has said her heart on. Not only could Walker lose the tournament, it could take his life. She is bound and determined to stop it...even if it means learning to joust herself.
Brave, imaginative, and a jolly good time, it’s hard to remember that this book only spands two weeks. Pepper and Walker, fueled by the drama of competition, and egging each other on, fall head over heels in no time flat.
March 3, 2019
I cannot stand this narrator. She's read a few of Katie MacAlister's books, and I put up with her, then, but when combined with an entirely unlikable heroine and an entire cast of British characters (her British accents are mediocre at best), I JUST CAN'T. Ugh. Didn't finish this one, and I don't intend to.
Katie MacAlister has written a lot of great, fun books. This is not one of them.
The protagonist is self-centered, and kind of an idiot. I actually liked the hero, even if he was the usual angsty, cynical, brooding British dude. All I could think was, "WHY do you like her?" I get that she was trying to be supportive, but everyone, EVERYONE, other than her could see how disastrous her actions were. Plus, she whined. A lot.
Skip this one. And if any of the audiobook producers are reading this, please stop using this narrator. Her stilted performance is not pleasant, and her character acting is limited to about three different voices. All of the best friend characters in every single book she's read have the same voice. Argh.
Katie MacAlister has written a lot of great, fun books. This is not one of them.
The protagonist is self-centered, and kind of an idiot. I actually liked the hero, even if he was the usual angsty, cynical, brooding British dude. All I could think was, "WHY do you like her?" I get that she was trying to be supportive, but everyone, EVERYONE, other than her could see how disastrous her actions were. Plus, she whined. A lot.
Skip this one. And if any of the audiobook producers are reading this, please stop using this narrator. Her stilted performance is not pleasant, and her character acting is limited to about three different voices. All of the best friend characters in every single book she's read have the same voice. Argh.
November 30, 2017
Excellent read - I finished it in 1 day, I couldn’t put it down. A fun, sexy journey. The dialogue is perfect and witty. The plot is titilating with a dash of mystery. The sex scenes are hot! Everything one wants in a romance. Bonus points for appealing to ren fair geeks like me!
I didn’t give it full stars because if a couple issues:
She breaks 4th wall and randomly tells reader some jousting info. Only does this once but the paragraph was jarring. Her editor should have worked on that one.
MC and love interest suggest or outright lick each other’s bodies with thinks like frankincense and myrrh massage oil or raspberry scented lotion on which sorta made me gag at the idea. Also, love interest licks toes after she walked around outside (where horses have been) barefoot.
Also a couple euphemisms that we’re a bit too much... happy juice?
I don’t want to throw you off reading it though. These bits are tiny. The whole read is great and can’t wait to sink into another MacAlistar book!
I didn’t give it full stars because if a couple issues:
She breaks 4th wall and randomly tells reader some jousting info. Only does this once but the paragraph was jarring. Her editor should have worked on that one.
MC and love interest suggest or outright lick each other’s bodies with thinks like frankincense and myrrh massage oil or raspberry scented lotion on which sorta made me gag at the idea. Also, love interest licks toes after she walked around outside (where horses have been) barefoot.
Also a couple euphemisms that we’re a bit too much... happy juice?
I don’t want to throw you off reading it though. These bits are tiny. The whole read is great and can’t wait to sink into another MacAlistar book!
August 7, 2024
nostalgia
So I gave this book 4 stars because well it’s mostly for nostalgia reasons,I have a soft spot for these books but they have not aged well,this is a classic to me because I like the fact that the characters don’t cuss if not at all or they come up with creative ways to do so-newer books have lost this kind of art-I like that it’s still goofy and as long as you go into these sorts of books not thinking to much and just in it for a good laugh I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. almost all the female characters from this authors books are almost all alike-similar personalities and mindsets-this isn’t really a good thing because it’s like reading a carbon copy even though the characters look drastically different in characteristics. The banter is always great between the two love interests but the conflicts are always weak. This is why I couldn’t give 5 stars.
So I gave this book 4 stars because well it’s mostly for nostalgia reasons,I have a soft spot for these books but they have not aged well,this is a classic to me because I like the fact that the characters don’t cuss if not at all or they come up with creative ways to do so-newer books have lost this kind of art-I like that it’s still goofy and as long as you go into these sorts of books not thinking to much and just in it for a good laugh I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. almost all the female characters from this authors books are almost all alike-similar personalities and mindsets-this isn’t really a good thing because it’s like reading a carbon copy even though the characters look drastically different in characteristics. The banter is always great between the two love interests but the conflicts are always weak. This is why I couldn’t give 5 stars.
Read
October 25, 2020-i enjoy this authors humor.
"i dragged my gaze from where it was taking in the sights up to his silvery-gray eyes, back to the sights, up to his eyes again, and then pretty much did a little tennis-match thing for a minute or so where i looked back and forth between the two points of interest while i frantically tried to resuscitate my mind from where it had fallen into a faint." (he was naked)
"i'm not crying. i'm... i'm allergic to Moth! (cat). that's why i couldn't be a vet. allergic to animal dander, i am. oh great, now i'm starting to talk like Yoda."
"you're smiling at my bum."
"i know, i just can't help it, it's so adorable. it's even more adorable when you tighten it like that. i don't suppose you have a quarter handy? i'd like to see if i could bounce it off your butt."
"i dragged my gaze from where it was taking in the sights up to his silvery-gray eyes, back to the sights, up to his eyes again, and then pretty much did a little tennis-match thing for a minute or so where i looked back and forth between the two points of interest while i frantically tried to resuscitate my mind from where it had fallen into a faint." (he was naked)
"i'm not crying. i'm... i'm allergic to Moth! (cat). that's why i couldn't be a vet. allergic to animal dander, i am. oh great, now i'm starting to talk like Yoda."
"you're smiling at my bum."
"i know, i just can't help it, it's so adorable. it's even more adorable when you tighten it like that. i don't suppose you have a quarter handy? i'd like to see if i could bounce it off your butt."
October 14, 2018
This is a silly, fun romance book with many laugh out loud moment. The book is a light read and I like this book from the other books written by the same author. I did notice that the writer uses female characters who are ignorant or don't have enough information about the male main character and end up making a mess out of the situation a lot. I have noticed this in other books written by the author too. She deliberately creates a situation in which the character is given less information and as a result, she acts stupidly and ends up in a bigger mess than usual. And I don't believe the side characters, they gossip about everything but not the hottest and juiciest gossip of all. That's just stupid.
April 7, 2020
I'm giving this a four out of five stars because I had one major pet peeve w/this book. It was the communication between pepper and the rest of the ppl at the fair. No one would tell her anything anytime, and it a began w/her annoying cousin, CJ. I'm sorry, but if theres something that's important to be known, leaving the main character in the dark like that is just lazy writing.The author could have done skenthi else's for conflict than to have the main character made out to always be the villain. I thought was just bull. Usually, I love Katie Macalister, but this just really set me off. Her humor, of course, was amazing, and I loved Alpha Pepper, which are the only two reasons this book is getting a four out five.
May 5, 2018
I started this book earlier but have been under the weather and it took me longer to finish than normal. Katie MacAllister has done it again, granted this was one of her earlier works, but it was good. As always the main characters are lovable and funny, but it is the side characters that rule the day. The main side character was Moth, a big cat that the main character Pepper Marsh was pet sitting that somehow turns out to be the best personality detector any woman would need. Overall good read.
October 25, 2022
I read this a long time ago and thought I remembered loving it…couldn’t make it thru a second time. Had to put it down when I got to the expensive negligee brought to a renaissance fair…where you’re going to sleep in a tent. On the ground. Pepper is annoying. CJ is annoying. Pretty much the whole book was annoying and, I realize it’s fiction, but still - way too unrealistic. It took me a month to make it this far and I can usually finish a book in a couple days. Not sure what I liked about it the first time, why I bought more of her books or why I kept this one for so long.
June 24, 2020
It’s a was a light in fun read with some laugh out moments . But I really didn’t like CJ and why does a supposed friend and family has to be so disloyal and mean. She had no redeeming quality. Also the conflict is all because none of the people in the team including her cousin tell pepper anything. Why ? Only to make it easy to write? That part and the whole blaming pepper for the sabotage part was just too over the top and unbelievable.
February 4, 2023
A quick read with an interesting focus, but a lot of it just didn't make sense to me. The characters don't seem to make rational choices and those choices randomly change one page to the next. The writing often feels repetitive. All the side characters are regularly mad at the main character for not knowing things they refuse to tell her. I can't tell if I liked or hated the cat's constance appearance and biting.
April 9, 2024
This was a hard one to gain traction with because it was front-loaded with so much jousting and wenching terminology that it was hard to follow at first, much less get into. Pepper won me over in the end with her indomitable attitude and that crazy cat of her aunt's. Heck, I was feeling attracted to Walker with the way she was talking him up throughout the book! I'm probably wouldn't read it again, but I'm glad I read through it once.
August 16, 2020
These were the type of chick lit that avoided for a long time. It was just so.... cringey. MC was annoying most of the time and we get it, youre sturdy! Also Ren Faires are fun but no way would I consider it seriously like these people, which makes it laughable. I love the idea of romance at a faire but this book didn’t hit the mark for me.
March 7, 2021
I want to like Katie MacAlister, I truly do. Solid research and decent world building...but the heroines! If you appreciate emotionally stable, financially competent women who have their own lives...this is not your book. Or your author. Ok with burning down your life for a man? Join 'Pepper the Wonder Slut' here. Yeah, that's a quote. Sigh.
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