What a fantastic week of reading I have had! There are some truly memorable characters in this week's reads. I was fortunate to read four ARCs and two additional books. I was impressed by Bella Matthews debut novel, which I picked up in preparation of attending Indies Invade Philly in November. She was a new-to me author. I am trying to read many of the authors participating in upcoming signings if I have not read them yet. I also pulled Bad Prince from by Kindle library to meet the requirement of a story retelling for a book reading challenge. This twist on Cinderella was really delightful. Lauren Blakely's final installment of the Men of Summer series was full of the love and romance that make a real relationship work. I adore Grant and Declan. JH Croix's new novel that starts a brand new series and carries all of the small town feels, hotshot firefighters, and a single dad doing his best with a teenage daughter. Stephanie Rose outdid herself with her addition the Sarina Bowen's True North world. Matteo is a hero to fall in love with. Jessica Peterson's fourth book in the Beauregard family series gave me all of the emotion and loads of heat. Have a fan ready for that one. A reader can't really go wrong with any of these. Grow your TBR and happy reading.
All In With Him (Men of Summer #3) by Lauren Blakely
ARC: Release Date- 8/27/21
#MMRomance #SportsRomance #SecondChance #ARC
5 STARS
This is the third and final book in the Men of Summer
series. All books should be read in
order. This book follows Declan and
Grant after they get back together at the end of book two. It is written in first person from an
alternating dual POV.
I love that this book allows us to see the work that Declan
and Grant put in to make their relationship work. I love that the focus is on remaining
connected: physically, and emotionally.
I love that their communication gets even better as they navigate being
a long-distance couple during the season.
I adore their friends and family support system and appreciate how they
help each other through the tougher times.
I love how they lean on each other.
This book is smoking hot and super-romantic. I could not help but swoon. These guys are one of my favorite couples of
all time. There is not anything I would
change; their story is perfection.
Wild With You (Light My Fire #1) by J.H. Croix
ARC: Release date- 8/31/21
#SingleDad #Firefighter #OppositesAttract #SmallTown #ARC
4 STARS
This is book one in a new series. It is written in first person from an
alternating dual POV. Graham is a single
dad, a hot shot firefighter, and an independent guy. His teenage daughter is a real treat; she
brings the attitude every parent of a teen has experienced yet is sweet and fun
and vulnerable. I appreciated that it
had always been just the two of them and the struggles he has a single dad of a
teenage girl. Madison is a beauty whose
life has fallen apart. She arrives in
Alaska to start over in the small town of Willow Brook and live in the home she
inherited from her grandfather.
They have a lot of steam and chemistry. The biggest hurdles are Graham’s
determination to stay single and Madison’s lack of confidence in herself. I really love the relationship that Madison
forms with Graham’s daughter and the mostly mature approach they take toward
their relationship. This was an
enjoyable read and I think that the series based on these sexy hotshot
firefighters has a lot of promise. I
look forward to the next book in the series.
Safeguard (Speakeasy Taproom #9) by Stephanie Rose
ARC: Release Date- 9/2/21
#SingleDad #SmallTown #FriendsToLovers #ARC
5 STARS
Matteo is a single dad of an adorable 5-year-old girl named
Lauren. He has been a single dad since
Lauren was only six months old. At 28,
he leaves his family and his past behind in the Bronx and moves his daughter to
Colebury, Vermont to be a bar manager at the Speakeasy. He dreams of a life with trees, a yard, a
larger home, and an idyllic small town to raise his daughter. Melanie (23) returns to town to attend
graduate school at a local university after the life she thought she would have
falls apart. She is smart, kind, and
completely unaware of how beautiful she is.
When she gets a job waitressing at the Speakeasy, she meets Matteo, and
the attraction is instant.
I loved how these two fight the attraction to each other
while becoming friends. Matteo is a
good dad, and it is heart-melting to read as he does everything he can for his
little girl. Lauren is a little spitfire
who reminded me a whole lot of my youngest niece. I love how Melanie befriends Lauren and the
relationship they form is really special.
Matteo and Melanie have some serious heat between them. The magnetic pull to each other leaps off the
page. Despite being in their twenties, I
really appreciated the maturity of the characters and how they handle their
relationship. I could not put this one down and stayed up way too late to
finish. This was a fantastic read and I
honestly cannot recommend it enough.
Southern Playboy (North Carolina Highlands #4)
by Jessica Peterson
ARC: Release Date- 9/2/21
#SingleDad #SecondChance #FamilySeries #SportsRomance #ARC
5 STARS
Southern Playboy is book 4 in the North Carolina Highlands
series which follows members of the Beauregard family. It is a stand alone and ends with a HEA. Though it can certainly be read on its own,
readers will want to read the whole series because this family is amazing. It is written in first person from an
alternating dual POV.
At the beginning of this book, Rhett is struggling. He is drinking too much, sleeps around a lot,
and is sometimes a jerk. Amelia finally
has her life headed in the direction of her dreams, or so she believes. When Rhett’s world is rocked by becoming an
instant father to a two-year-old he didn’t know existed and Amelia’s world
literally blows up in her face, the high school sweethearts who broke up nine years
ago turn to each other.
There is a whole lot of hotness between these two
characters. Their chemistry is
insane. They have a history, and their
friendship to each other is a big factor in them falling back in love at record
speed. Big changes are not easy
though. Rhett struggles as he changes
and matures in his outlook of what makes him happy. Amelia takes big risks, knowing that
heartbreak is a possibility. There are
some swoon-y moments, some romance, and some heavy emotion as things come
together. Rhett’s little boy, Liam, is
beyond adorable and I just want to squeeze him.
The author does an amazing job capturing the conflicting emotions that
accompany new parenthood. The family
dynamics are extremely well written. I
love Rhett’s family and Amelia’s grandma Rose is who I want to be when I grow
up. I loved this book. The author just gets better and better with
each release. Don’t miss out on this
fabulous read and this amazing series.
Brady is a terrific hero who falls fast and hard for Nat. I love the relationship he has with his teammates, especially Natalie's twin brother, Cooper. Nat is the new girl who becomes immediately part of her twin's group of friends. There are steamy scenes and good humor with a little bit of angst. I love the friendships formed and Brady's protective instincts toward Natalie. I love the twin relationship Natalie and Cooper share. As this group goes off to college in the next book, I am looking forward to reading more of their stories despite the new adult format. This will not be my last book by this author and I look forward to meeting her in Philadelphia. This book was written in first person from an alternating dual POV.
| This was a wonderful retelling of Cinderella with some twists. It is book one of a series and can be read as a stand alone. It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV. I liked Elle a lot. She is a college girl with a tough past and a drive to make a better life. I love her commitment to her sport, and her training to succeed against the odds. Charlie is a wild prince who is a player. When they meet, there is an instant connection. They are very hot together. I love the friendship and trust they form with each other. When they get an unexpected surprise, things get complicated with kingdom politics. I think the characters were well written and their emotions were easily felt by this reader. I especially love Elle's friend dahlia, who becomes a lead character in book 2. There are evil forces at work to keep them apart and I love that they are able to overcome them in the end. Their HEA is sweet and sexy and would definitely make the news if it were real. It was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more books in the series. |
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