This was a good week with many excellent ARCs that I recommend.
Mister Fake Fiancé by Nadia Lee
#BillionaireRomance #WorkplaceRomance #FakeRelationship #ARC
Release Date January 8th
4 STARS
| I loved Erin and David. Their story is written in first person from a dual POV. Erin tries hard to blend in and never stand out. David is a charismatic leader, Erin’s boss, and a really good guy. He has been living a playboy lifestyle and when his evil Ex shows up and tries to worm her way back in his life, he recruits Erin to be his fake “love of his life.” Things happen and before they know it, they have agreed to a fake engagement lasting 3 months. Erin has things she is hiding, but David falls fast and hard for her. I love his desire to protect her and to show her how much he values her and adores her. She knows what a great guy David is, and feels lucky to only have the three months of a fake relationship with him. I love that her trust and feelings for him grow as they spend more time together. It was a real treat to see her shopping experience with Josephine from Erin’s POV after reading Josephine’s POV in “Marrying My Billionaire Hook Up.” I love how the author works in cameos of previous characters including Dane, Sophia, Wyatt, Jan & Matt. This was a very enjoyable read with a sweet HEA. |
Let it Be Me (Men of the Misfit Inn #1) by Kait Nolan
#SingleMomRomance #FriendsToLovers #FirefighterRomance #AgeGapRomance #ARC
Release Date January 8th
5 STARS
| This was my first book by this author, and I was sucked in by the end of the first chapter. The writing was clear, descriptive, and emotional. It is written in third person from a dual POV. I love the idea of the Misfit Inn and I will definitely be reading more books written by this author. Caleb is a firefighter who is on the scene to save a teenage girl when an accident happens right in front of him. He experiences an immediate kinship with her as he helps her through the initial stages of shock and grief. When her godmother shows up at the emergency department, he experiences love at first sight, but realizes the little family needs time. I adored the maturity Caleb shows in recognizing Emerson and Fiona’s needs. I love that he becomes a friend to both of them first, quietly helping them through the tough time. Emerson is a tough woman who must face grief and parenthood in the same moment. She goes all in for Fiona, setting her needs aside while making sure that Fiona is as secure and comfortable as she can be. She is admirable in her selfless devotion and I instantly admired and loved her character. I really loved the relationship she has with Fiona and the cohesive little family unit they become. When Caleb finally makes his move, Emerson must overcome her perception that she is too old for him and recognize that their 8-year age gap is really not significant. They have chemistry, heat, and friendship as the foundation to build a solid relationship. I love that they must balance the new dynamics of becoming more than friends and figure out what they want the future to look like for them. I recommend this book for anyone who likes single mom, older woman/younger man, and firefighter romance. |
Not the Marrying Kind by Kathryn Nolan
#FriendsToLovers #OppositesAttract #ARC
Release Date January 8th
5 STARS
| Max and Fiona have an epic story of falling in love while learning that who you thought you were, and what you thought you wanted, are not always accurate. This full-length book is written in first person from a dual POV. I adored Max, the anti-Prince Charming. Reading as Fiona set him in a spin was amazing. Fiona is a bad a$$ woman who makes a goal, and then kills it. I love her intelligence, confidence, sass, and fire as she goes after what she wants. I really appreciated her dilemma when she realized she wanted Max more than the goals she had previously set and gone after. I adored the feelings and emotions they felt as they fell head over heels with each other. It is so beautifully written that I felt their emotions myself like I was falling in love for the first time all over again. I love the passion and heat between these two. It nearly melted my kindle. There is humor to the story, and I found myself smiling a lot. There is emotion: fear, doubt, love, pain, hope & loss. I love the family relationships in this book (born and found) and the support and love that they offer both Max and Fiona. I always think of Ms. Nolan as a lyrical writer and she takes it to a new level, weaving a musical soundtrack of great rock and punk rock songs throughout the story. It is done so effortlessly that the music is part of the characters and the story and never feels like it is just tacked on. I love the underlying messages of family, community, art, and chasing joy. The characters feel like friends that I need to spend more time with and the story moved me in a way that encourages me to bring music back to a more prominent role in my own life. Five stars does not seem like enough for this incredible seemingly-opposites-attract story of love and finding your joy where you don't expect it to be |
Reputation (Mason Brothers #2) by Adriana Locke
#RockStarRomance #EnemiesToLovers #ARC
Release Date: January 5th
5 STARS
| Coy is a music star and the fourth of five Mason brothers. I adore the Mason family. This author always does such a fabulous job writing supportive families with real banter and straight talk. I love the relationships Coy has with his brothers and his parents, especially the relationship he shares with his mom. I love that Bellamy and Coy have known each other their whole lives. Their complex relationship reflects the experiences gained in a lifetime. They have fought, loved, trusted, and broken trust with each other- which makes a complicated and layered relationship. Bellamy is a strong young woman who relies on herself to get through things. Giving Coy her heart and trusting him is a huge step for her and it is not a step taken easily. Coy must grow up a little through the course of the book. He learns to take control of his life instead of letting his life control him and it is a beautiful thing. I adore the relationship that Coy has with Bellamy’s dad. There is a love and respect there that comes from a lifetime of experiences that they share as well as their shared love for Bellamy. The author accurately handles the emotions that an adult child experiences when a parent is battling cancer through Bellamy. The exhaustion and emotions of helplessness, dealing with insurance companies, getting to appointments, and trying to hold onto hope are all there as Bellamy helps her father. The book has some deep emotional moments. There is humor and passion. And there is ultimately the deep and committed love that Coy and Bellamy finally accept in each other. The HEA is super sweet and I cannot wait to read the next book about the Mason family and to catch glimpses of Coy and Bellamy’s future in them. This fantastic read is written in first person from a dual POV. |
The Hot Mess and the Heartthrob (Bro Code#4)
by Pippa Grant
#RockStarRomance #SingleMomRomance #RomanticComedy #ARC
Release Date: January 7th
5 STARS
| Levi is the pop star with ll of the awards, fame, money, and security that comes with it. Ingrid is a single mom with a business and three kids who is juggling her life and barely getting by. This fairy tale rom com has the pop star meeting the hot mess and being utterly enchanted. This novel is written in first person from a dual POV. I laughed out loud till tears streamed down my face multiple times while reading this book I could not put down. I empathize with Ingrid in her motherhood quest of trying to do it all and not having any time left for herself. Her children are more than adorable, and they grabbed my heart and squeezed. I loved seeing Levi fall hard and fast not only with Ingrid, but with her kids too. The interactions between him and her kids are priceless and often funny. I understood the hesitation Ingrid has in believing that what Levi is offering her could be a reality. I love the passion and the humor between them. I love Levi’s ability to see beneath the surface to help meet Ingrid’s day-to-day needs in ways only he can. I love that his support system becomes hers as well: it was beautiful. I love the cameos of the other Bro Code members, their families, and other members of the Pippa-Verse. I would love to live in Copper Valley and hang out with these wonderful characters that have been created there. This was a fantastic book and I hated that I reached the ending because I want more from all of these characters. *sigh* I will just have to wait until the next fantastic story from this author is available to get my fix. |
#SportsRomance #NewAdultRomance #ARC
Release Date: January 4th
5 STARS
| This is a college age/new adult/baseball romance that I thought was extremely well done. Holt is charming, handsome, intelligent, kind, and honorable. He is a great hero, and he falls fast and hard for the snarky waitress who tells him exactly what she thinks of the college athletes on campus. Harmony is a goal-oriented heroine who has a plan for her life. Holt is persistent and she eventually gives in and falls for him. I love that she is willing to fight with him and insist on communication and trust in their relationship. I love that they must learn to communicate with each other. I love that they recognize that relationships take work and that they figure out how to work their relationship and keep the commitments they make to each other. I love that they have supportive family and friends that they can turn to for advice and assistance to get through the tough times. Their love is strong, and their passion is hot as they grow together over the course of the story. I adored this new adult romance that is written in first person from a dual POV, and I definitely recommend it. |
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