Happy weekend! I read four books this week including three new-to-me authors. Some of these books have been on my TBR for a while and some were recently added. It was a good week with a mix of elements and writing styles. I hope my reviews help you determine if these will be books you want to add to your TBR. I wish everyone a wonderful week of reading.
Impulsive Love (Mountain Haven #3) by Lea Coll
#Sports #SurprisePregnancy #NewAdult #OneNightStand
5 STARS
This is my first book by this author, though I have read a short story of hers in an anthology. It is book 3 in a series but can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.
Piper is a young woman figuring out what she wants in life, what dreams to pursue, and what her limitations are. I appreciated how she felt stifled by her family's impression of her abilities and how she had been living with those limitations. Colin is a young man who has been recently called up to a major league baseball team in Colorado. He is working to prove that he belongs in the big leagues to both his team and his father.
They have some serious chemistry. When they give into a hot one-night-stand, neither wants it to end there, even though a future together does not seem like a possibility. I really love how they continue as friends through phone calls and texts. They are so incredibly supportive and encouraging to each other, They naturally understood each other and fit together like missing pieces of each other. They must learn to merge their dreams and determine how to have a future together as a family, while growing into the individual dreams they are pursuing. There are some bumps followed by a swoony HEA.
This was a steamy, romantic book with all the emotion of a younger love that can survive forever. It was a very enjoyable read.
Cursed Mate (Shadow City: Royal Vampire #1)
by Jen L. Grey
#Paranormal #NewAdult #FatedMates
3 STARS
This is my first book by this author. It allowed me to meet a reading challenge of reading a vampire book and also reading a new-to-me author. Book one of the Royal Vampire trilogy ends in a cliffhanger. It is written in first person from Veronica's POV.
Veronica is almost twenty when she travels to Shadow Terrace in search of her sister and finds much more than she ever thought to seek. She quickly learns there is a whole world of creatures she thought were myths living in a section of Tennessee. She meets Alex, who ends up saving her time and again, before she realizes he is a vampire. Alex seems like a good guy, if a little hot-headed. I love his protective instincts toward Veronica. Turns out she is his fated mate, despite her humanity.
The world building is quite intricate. I appreciate the thought that went into how the pieces of this world fit together. This series is a spin off of other series written by the author. I am assuming that many of the secondary characters in this book are from those other series. Readers who have read those previously may gain extra enjoyment from seeing those characters again. There is an underlying plot of vampire rebellion and political chaos in the Shadow realm. There are a few steamy scenes and lots of arguing between Veronica and Alex. (No one seems to communicate very well.) There is also a plot point of a shadow that has haunted Veronica most of her life that I am sure will play into the story more in later books.
There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed. Both characters were hard for me to like very much. I don't typically read books where the heroine is this young, so her immaturity may be part of why I couldn't connect with her. This is one of those books that is enjoyable while you are reading and hard to pick up again when you stop. I ended up reading into the second book far enough to get past the cliffhanger ending. Then I decided that I really didn't want to read any more. This is a good series for people who don't mind reading multiple books to get to the HEA and answers to the mysteries. The world-building is quite good, but this story just didn't engage me enough to finish at this time.
Without A Hitch by Avery Maxwell
#Billionaire #OneNightStand #GrumpyHero
4 STARS
This is my first book by this author, though I own several. I decided to start with this one, since it is a standalone. It is actually a standalone that is a spin off of her other books. It does follow one couple and ends in HEA. Readers of her other books will appreciate several cameos of the Westbrook clan. This book is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.
I understood Tilly and her caregiver nature. I also understood her feelings of being somewhat invisible to the world around her. I really appreciated how she is comfortable to become stronger and more outspoken when she spends time with Lochlan. He is a grumpy cinnamon roll of a hero. He starts the book consumed by anger and his desire for revenge, and gradually learns to open his heart to love through Tilly. I love the way they support each other as they are, yet are not afraid to call BS when it happens. Ultimately, they bring out the best in each other. It was exactly the way it should be.
The book started off a little slow but gained speed by about 25%. From that point on, I was fully invested. I loved the emotion, steamy, sm-ex-y scenes between the two characters. Their first night is inferno hot, and they never cool off. They do build a friendship once they spend time getting to know each other and I love how they share their vulnerabilities and their dreams in those quiet moments. They each have a supportive friend/family group and I love the born/found family concept that they each enjoy. There is a little drama with Lochlan's ex, but I feel like it really gave Tilly an opportunity to shine in her newfound confidence. This was a very enjoyable read. Now I need to back up and read the other books on her back list.
Finding Ivy by Claire Kingsley
#Amnesia #RomanticSuspense
5 STARS
This is a standalone with a HEA. It is written in first person from Ivy's POV, with the exception of the epilogue. Formerly titled Remembering Ivy, the author recently changed the name to Finding Ivy. Though I understand why each nomenclature works for the novel, I have to agree that the new name encompasses the whole book more completely.
I have owned this book for a long time. It was one of the few by this author that I haven't read at least once already. At first, I was really afraid it was going to be an angsty read. I have to be in a certain mindset for that. After many assurances that it was not, it was really a matter of having a day where I could sit and read uninterrupted. I knew once I started, I would not want to stop. That day was today. I stopped briefly, but only long enough to cook a quick dinner for the family. Other than that, this book was read in one sitting.
I had heard there was an amnesia plotline to this book but deliberately did not pursue spoilers. I am so glad I didn't. This book was a romantic, steamy ride. I adored William. Who is William Cole? He might be just about perfect. Hot, kind, intuitive, strong, tough, protective: I could go on and on. Ivy is also a strong heroine. She is no wilting lily. She is intelligent and unafraid to stand up for what she believes. I love that they both support and fight for each other.
I really can't say a lot more without spoiling the book. You need to go in blind. You need to experience this book from Ivy's POV. And do not miss the super-sweet and swoony bonus epilogue. Don't wait like I did. If I could give this more than 5 stars, I absolutely would.
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