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Book reviews from the week of November 7th

 


This has been a busy week visiting with family and capped by traveling to Philadelphia for Indies Invade Philly.  I had a fantastic time meeting all the authors and narrators, especially the authors I have the honor of  being on their ARC teams. I also really enjoyed meeting other readers from all over the country in person after only knowing them online.  Sometimes when you meet your heroes, they disappoint you.  That was not the case it IIP.  All of the authors were kind and gracious despite big crowds and sometimes long lines.

I was able to read three ARCs this week during the chaos.  Max Monroe's Flynn Winslow is an amazing hero and Daisy was a joy to read.  The Text Before Christmas finishes up the Digital Dating series by Delancey Stewart and Marika Ray.  It also sets the stage for another collaboration that sounds like it is going to be really fun to read.  Lexi Blakes next book set in Bliss, Colorado, gives readers a MFM romance, suspense, and drama as the work out their relationships. All three books release between 11/13 and 11/16.  I hope you have a happy week reading and maybe add some books to your never-ending TBR.  I know I do every week.


My daughter created an art piece of me holding books to have the authors sign.  I think it turned out great and plan to frame it when I get back home.  Left to Right from the top: Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley, my page of signatures, Kathryn Nolan,  Pippa Grant, Stephanie Rose.



The Pact (Winslow Brothers #2) by Max Monroe

ARC: Release Date- 11/13/2021

#FakeRelationship #OppositesAttract #FamilySeries #RomanticComedy #ARC

5 STARS

The Pact is the second book in the Winslow Brothers series of interconnected standalones.  It ends with a HEA and is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Flynn is the quiet Winslow brother.  He doesn’t volunteer information or speak unless it is necessary.  My mom always said to watch out for the quiet ones.  He is intelligent, successful, loyal, responsible, kind, and hotter than Hades.  When he does talk, usually in the bedroom, he has a lot of dirty things to say.  Daisy is bubbly, driven, successful, and a little bit scattered and impulsive.  I really enjoyed reading their story that goes from curiosity, to lust, to friendship and love.  I adored the way Flynn understood Daisy’s needs.  He let her talk when she needed to talk and helped her calm down when would spin out of control.  I seriously fell hard for Flynn. (sigh)

I loved their story.  There are laughs, heat, and romance.  It was everything I needed in a book.  This author duo gets better and better.  (I think I need a t-short that says In Like Flynn.  Someone please tell me when it is available.)  I recommend this one with all my heart.



The Text Before Christmas (Digital Dating #5) 
by Delancey Stewart and Marika Ray

ARC: Release Date- 11/15/2021

#Holiday #FriendsToLovers #Workplace #FamilySeries #ARC

4 STARS

This is the final book in the Cunningham family series, though it can be read as a standalone.  It follows Pamela as she finds love again with Jacques, the winemaker she hired to help her learn to make wine.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Pamela is finding love after becoming a widow suddenly a few years ago.  As each of her sons have found love over the last four books, she has healed and is ready to move on and live a life where she loves someone and is loved in return.  Jacques is an incredibly patient Frenchman who has helped her with her winery.  Miscommunication and a technical accident make it seem like they may miss their chance, but a little intervention leads to a sweet HEA.

I like Pamela and her enthusiasm for life.  I loved Jacques and how much he loves everything about Pam.  I really appreciated that the characters are in their 50’s and finding love and a future together when they both felt like they had missed their chance at growing old with someone.  I adore the relationship Pam has had with her sons in the previous book, and I appreciate how that has evolved as they and she found love.  This is a quick and sweet romantic read set over the holidays. There is humor and love woven throughout the book.  I really enjoyed reading as Pam and her boys have found love in this series and I am excited that this author pair is going to write more together in the future.




Far From Bliss (Nights in Bliss, Colorado #12) 

by Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak

ARC: Release Date- 11/16/2021

#SmallTown #MFMRomance #RomanticSuspense #FriendsToLovers #ARC

4.5 STARS

This is book #12 of the Bliss series and the first new addition to it in a while.  It is written as a standalone without a cliffhanger and with a HEA.  Prior to reading this, I had only read book one in the series.  As I was reading. I could tell that the characters from previous novels play important roles in this one and that there are many easter eggs for readers who have read the whole series.  It is written in third person from three POV.

The characters are well written, especially Michael.  The story revolves around the growth of them as a unit, but more about Michael’s growth and his ability to overcome his feelings about his past.  I love his evolution and the roles that both Lucy and Ty play in his recovery.  I love the friendships he has formed in the town and the support they offer him.  I loved Ty and his outgoing sunny personality.  I loved his positive outlook and his ability to bend without becoming subordinate in the relationship.  Lucy was a sweetheart.  I love her acceptance of Michael, and her strength when dealing with the adversities she faces in the story.  The heat and the tenderness between the characters is heartfelt and swoony.  I adore the relationship that Ty and Michael form.  They are friends, yet more as they share tender feelings for each other and are open to the possibility that they could be even more in the future.  This book contains steamy menage scenes, some drama, and a lot of feels as the characters navigate internal and external adversity to their HEA but prevail.


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