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.