Skip to main content

Book Reviews from the week of May 16th:

 


I am publishing this post a little early this week since I am taking the weekend off and going out of town.  I loved the three ARCs I read this week.  They were each very different from each other and I enjoyed the variety in the characters and the stories.  



Not You Again (The NOT series #1) by Terri Osburn

ARC: Release Date- 5/24/2021

#RomanticComedy #ARC

4 STARS

This clean rom-com is written in first person from Becca’s POV.  It is book one in a new series, can be read as a standalone, and has a cute HEA.

Becca agrees to blind dates set up by her friends.  They think she needs to move on from a past heartbreak even though she feels like she has. Her blind dates are not good, and she ends up being rescued by Jacob and running into him over and over, despite the odds.

I love that that Becca is comfortable with Jacob.  I love that they can communicate well with each other when they keep crossing paths. The reason for Becca’s heartbreak is revealed slowly over the course of the book.  I am not ashamed to admit I shed tears when the whole story comes out.  I really felt great empathy for her.  The book is set in Pittsburgh, which I loved.  I lived there for a few years myself and I felt quite a bit of nostalgia as the book covers many areas of the town.  The crazy sports fandom, the people, and the crazy driving conditions are all there in this fun and romantic book.  I look forward to reading more books in this series.



A Kiss for a Kiss (All In #4) by Helena Hunting

ARC: Release Date- 5/27/2021

#SportsRomance #SurprisePregnancy #SecretRomance #ARC

5 STARS

Mature characters in a surprisingly complicated relationship.

I have waited for Jake and Hanna to get together.   This was worth the wait.  Their story is written in first person from a dual POV.  Though it is book four in the series it can be a standalone with a HEA for Jake and Hanna.

Hanna has a complicated relationship with Ryan, from A Secret for a Secret.  She falls into a fling with Jake, who happens to be Queenie’s dad, and who becomes Ryan’s father-in-law in this book.  I really appreciated that both Hanna (46) and Jake (45) are mature characters who end up getting thrown for a loop with a surprise pregnancy.  I loved that the author tackled the risks of midlife pregnancy as well as the perspective change required to become parents again at that age when they least expected it.  I love the communication that must happen between Jake and Hanna to get to their HEA.   I love the passion they share.  Their relationship and a baby add additional complications to already complicated family dynamics, and I understood Hanna’s hesitancy regarding the relationship.

I loved Hanna’s story.  I loved how her relationship with her mother changes and grows over the course of the book.  I adored the relationship she forms with Queenie and the girls in Seattle as well as the relationship she shares with her best friend Paxton.  Everyone needs a best friend like her.  I was disappointed with Jake’s initial reaction to the pregnancy, but proud of how Hanna handled his response.   I loved that it did not take him long to get it together and become the hero I knew he would be. I really enjoyed the read which made me laugh, cry, swoon, and break out a fan.  Their HEA in the epilogue is sweet and full of hope for the future.



One Night Bride (Sisters from Hell #2) by Marika Ray

ARC: Release Date- 6/3/2021

#AccidentalMarriage #CowboyRomance #OneNightStand #RomanticComedy #ARC

5 STARS

Sometimes one night can be the beginning of a lifetime.

Esme gets her one-night stand with the bonus of a cowboy husband on her weekend in Lake Tahoe.  This story is the second book in the Sisters from Hell series, but it can be read as a standalone and has a HEA ending.  It is written in first person from a dual POV.

Esme may be 24, but she is driven and successful in her business.  She is focused to a point where fun has become a rare thing.  She is a planner, but she never even considered planning a marriage to a cowboy on the night they meet.  I liked Esme a lot.  I appreciated her boss lady perseverance.  She grows over the course of the book, which I always enjoy.  She learns to reprioritize as Remington takes an important place in her life and in her heart.

Remington was a fun hero.  I loved how he could see and respect Esme while still wanting more for her than she was allowing herself.  I love that he falls so hard and fast for Esme without realizing how far gone he is. They have an intense heat between them fueled by instant attraction.  They hook up very quickly after meeting and it is break-out-the fan hot.  I also loved that they related to each other on a professional level with encouragement and respect.

This was a steamy, fun romance that I enjoyed very much.  I can’t wait for the next book in the series.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book reviews for books read May 3rd - May 10th

  Happy weekend!  I read two ARCs this week. They were both very different and both very good. Marika Ray's new book is going to be the perfect summer read. Take it to the lake or the beach and fully enjoy the quirky romance between Maple and Holt. I promise you will adore the meddling seniors along the way. Then I read an arc by a debut author and it knocked  my socks off. When was the last time you got a book hangover from a brand new author? Yeah, it is a rare thing but it happened to me this week.  Check my reviews and add these to your TBR. You wont be sorry. Until next time, happy reading. Anchored by Marika Ray ARC: Release Date- 05/13/2025 #FakeRelationship #ForcedProximity #SmallTown #SecondChance #ARC I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advance reader copy of the book. This standalone is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA. Maple (32) is having a crisis of confidence due to many factors when sh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Best Reads of 2024

 It is 2025! It feels like 2024 flew by.  This year's "best of" list is a little different.  In part this is due to time constraints and in part due to the fact that some trope categories have a LOT of excellent reads.  I just could not narrow them down to even eight for the graphics. I obviously have my favorite tropes, as this list will tell you. If you don't see a trope here on this list, it may be that I read one and it just wasn't quite a five star read for me. Most of the books I read are either four or five star reads. I have found what I like, and I tend to stick to it. You can search the labels on the main page of my blog or search in the general search bar to pull up books from another category and read my reviews. If a book is on this list, it was a five star read for me. That means I loved it, I found no major flaws in timeline, editing, or characters, and I would want to read it again. The links I am including are for Amazon out of ease, but several o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book reviews for books read May 11th-25th

  I read three ARCs and 2 books from my TBR in the last 2 weeks. I feel good about that considering that life at home has been pretty full lately. May has been an excellent reading month for me. There are so many good releases right now, it is impossible for me to keep up. These are all worth adding to your TBR. Check my reviews and add them to your list. Until next time, happy reading. Built To Last (Park Avenue Promise #3) by Lexi Blake ARC: Release Date- 05/27/2025 #EnemiesToLovers #Celebrity #Workplace  #ARC I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advance reader copy of the book. This is the third book in the series, and it is written in first person from Harper’s POV. This book is driven heavily by dialogue, and I personally did not miss having the male POV. Though it fully contains the love story of Harper and Reid, I think readers will gain the most value from reading this series in order. The friendship and found family relationship between Ivy, ...
Post a Comment
Read more