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Book reviews from the week of January 16th






This week has been full of ARCs.  When they roll in, they all seem to come at once.  They cover family, action, sports, forbidden, and fantasy.  It was an amazing reading week with a lot of variety.  All of these books will be releasing within the next month and most of them within the next two weeks.  They are all worth adding to your TBR and are by authors that never fail to deliver stories that you won't want to put down.  I hope my reviews help you decide if you want to add them to your TBR.  I wish everyone a wonderful week.  Happy reading!

My Famous Frenemy (Greene Family #6) by Piper Rayne

ARC: Release Date - 01/25/2022

#Celebrity #SmallTown #EnemiesToLovers #FamilySeries #ARC

4 STARS

This is book six in the Greene Family Series.  It can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Posey gets her man when Gavin comes to town permanently and falls hard for the feisty redhead. Posey is dreamy-eyed for Gavin until she realizes that he is running against her mom for mayor. There is witty banter, some romantic moments, and a lot of heat between the two of them.  The small-town dynamics include retirement home shenanigans that help them make the leap to each other.  There are several laugh out loud moments to their story. They each have some baggage and feelings that must be dealt with to get to their HEA but they make it.  Posey can be single-minded and sometimes that is detrimental to Gavin.  Gavin is trying to pave his own way in his life for the first time and I really liked him a lot.  He recognizes that he shouldn’t sacrifice his happiness anymore, and I love that he is at that point.  The black moment is quickly resolved and the HEA is sweet and hot.  This is an excellent addition to the series.

The book also sets up Xavier and Clara’s book in a way that makes my heart ache.  I cannot wait for them to get their HEA.

Penalty Kiss (Manchester Athletic #1) by Annie Dyer

ARC: Release Date- 01/27/2022

#Sports #EnemiesToLovers #ARC

5 STARS

This is the first book in a new sports series by this author.  It is written in first person from and alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA.

Rowan is the bad boy athlete who has made some errors in judgement that have landed him in trouble.  Dee is the good girl who maintains a squeaky-clean image.  When the Manchester Athletic club decides that he needs to be seen working with her on some community projects to improve his image, Dee is not happy.  Her opinion of him is not great.  Once they start spending time together, they realize they have some things in common and a different kind of spark begins to fly.

This was a bit of a slow burn.  I appreciated that they both have things in their personal lives and a love of the game that has shaped who they are as athletes and as people.  I love that they take the time to get to know each other.  I love how Rowan begins to look after Dee and his desire to be the reason she smiles.  There is witty banter and fun nicknames along the way to letting go and falling in love.  Once they get together, there is plenty of heat.  Dee has some family drama and fame can cause problems.  I really appreciate that they work through their dark moment quickly and spend more time working together than fighting.  This was an excellent start to a new series.  There is the set up of more books to come.  The characters are interesting, I learned a little about football (soccer), and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.


The Fae Warrior's Princess (Between Dusk and Dawn #4) 
by Jamie Schlosser

ARC: Release Date - 01/27/2022

#Fantasy #FatedMates #ARC

5 STARS

This is book four in an interconnected series.  Although it is a standalone with a HEA, it is recommended that the books be read in order.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Dani is a princess, daughter of the Fae King of the Night realm, Kirian, and Queen Quinn.  She is an empath with strong powers that were evident far earlier than normal.  She is fierce, brave, intelligent, kind, and determined to be with her fated soul mate.  Torius is the valiant warrior that readers met in the other books of the series.  He is Kirian’s best friend.  He is strong, brave, loyal, and one of the best warriors in Valora.  When he recognizes Dani as his soul mate when she is still an infant, he also recognizes that it could be harmful to her if he is around her too much before she comes of age.  To prevent harm, he removes himself from her by taking distant missions and counts the years till they can be together.

I adore Torius and I was so looking forward to his HEA.  I was excited to learn more about him in this book.  He and Dani are perfect for each other.  Aside from the mate bond, they also form a deep friendship with respect for each other.  This may be the steamiest book of the series so far.   It is melt- your-Kindle hot. There is action, adventure, danger, passion,humor, and romance. The author does a fantastic job creating the different worlds and the intricacies of time within them.  I could not put this down and I read it in one sitting. Though Torius and Dani have a HEA at the end of this book, there is drama with side characters that remains unresolved. I am excited because this sets up the next books in the series.  To say I am anxiously waiting for more would be an understatement.  I have absolutely in reading this series and I cannot recommend it enough.


The Commander (Men of Hidden Justice #3) 
by Melanie Moreland

ARC: Release Date 02/01/2022

#SecondChance #AlphaHero #RomanticSuspense #SecretBaby #ARC

5 STARS

The Commander is book three in an interconnected series of standalones. It can be read by itself and ends with a HEA.  That said, most readers will have a fuller experience reading the books in order so that they understand the history of what the organization has done.  There are events mentioned briefly in this book that occurred in previous books, etc.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

This book follows Julian, the Commander of the Hidden Justice team.  Readers met him in the previous books as a tough, silent, steady presence who controlled the action. I was so happy that he gets a HEA like Matteo and Marcus.  His is with Taliyah.  She is a brave and intelligent woman with secrets of her own.  I love how protective he is of her.  They form a relationship where they are there for each other.  It is filled with passion, heat, and hope.  Until something happens and it doesn’t.  Once they are reunited, they must work to rebuild trust, overcome fears, and allow themselves to love each other again.

I loved their story.  Sometimes relationships are complicated and take work.  Their HEA is perfect.  I adore where they take their relationship.  This is a fantastic series with passion, action, and emotion.  I definitely recommend this book and the rest of the series.


The Best Kept Secret (Where There's Smoke #3) 
by Tawna Fenske

ARC: Release Date-02/22/2022

#FriendsToLovers #Forbidden #SingleDad #ARC

5 STARS

Book three in an interconnected series, this book is a complete standalone and ends with a HEA.  It is written in third person from an alternating dual POV.

This book follows Nyla as she and her friend Leo fall in love.  There are a few reasons why their relationship is unconventional, which I will not spoil.  I will say that those reasons make for some very interesting dialogue and situations throughout the story.  There is a lot of heat and some laughs along the way.  I appreciate the family dynamics at play, as they also add to the funny moments.  Leo’s son Seth is a wonderful addition to the book, and reading Leo be such a good dad only made him hotter.

I really enjoyed reading as Nyla and Leo finally give in and allow themselves to fall in love.  I love the relationship they build and how they understand each other so well.  I appreciated the way that their history added to their ability to read and communicate with each other.  I love how they both want what is best for the other one.  They must overcome a few hurdles along the way.  Over the course of the book, several secrets are revealed. Ultimately, it all turns out for the best and the HEA was wonderfully sweet. I am sure that I will be thinking about this book for weeks. 



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