Book reviews from the week of February 5th

 

I had a fabulous week.   I am traveling with my youngest daughter this week to watch the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.  Reading took a little bit of a back burner this week. I still read 2 novels and 2 novellas. All of them were new to me authors in preparation for attending Holiday with the Belles in Dallas at the end of the month.  I hope my reviews help you find a few new authors love. 

Love War (Battlefield of Love #1 by Cary Hart

#SingleDad #SingleMom #SecondChance #Debut #SmallTown

4 STARS

Book one in the Love War series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Aubrey and Drew are both recently leaving their marriages behind in divorce and learning the new normal of shared custody and coparenting apart. Both of their exes are real pieces of work. When they keep running into each other again and again, they give into their attraction to each other. It helps that their daughters get along perfectly. They have a whole lot of heat and need between them. They both make mistakes along the way. But not everything is as it seems. They each discover the many secrets and lies that will change their lives forever.

This is a real and raw look at divorce and how it affects the individuals and families. There are a few twists that were somewhat predictable, yet no less heartbreaking. Though a few of those are a bit improbable, I could see how a story like this could unfold. The anger, grief, and emotionally charged moments involved in divorce are clearly on the page and created a lot of feelings for me. The writing style is interesting and I actually have a lot of highlighted quotes, which is unusual for me with a debut book. This is a new-to-me author. As this was her debut, I am excited to read one of her more recent publications.

If you are looking for an escape from reality, this book may not be for you. If you are looking for a couple that finds forever through pain, betrayals, and real feelings to get their second chance: grab this one today.

In Love with Lucy (NSFW #1) by C.C. Wood

#Workplace #Novella

3.5 STARS

Book one in the NSFW series is a standalone and ends with a HEA.  It is written in first person from Lucy's POV.

This was a quick steamy read.  Lucy is feisty and challenges her boss.  Chris has been in love with her for ages, but Lucy is amazingly unaware.  She is fearful of heartbreak, yet because this is such a short read I never felt like I knew why she was afraid to pursue a relationship with Chris.  Chris is amazing.  He is incredibly caring an d patient with Lucy.  I wish I had his POV in this story.  Lucy drove me a little nuts at times with her self-absorption.  Overall, I liked the premise of the book.  I felt like it was a little short on the execution and a handful of proofing errors that lead to incomplete sentences were a little distracting.  I enjoyed it enough that I will add the next book in the series to my TBR.

Tempted  (ABCs of Love Series) by Renee Harless

#AgeGap #RockStar #DadsBestFriend #Forbidden #SmallTown

4 STARS

This is a standalone that ends with a HEA. It is written in first person from a dual POV.

Addison (24) is at a turning point when she retreats to her parent's cabin in the woods to get her thoughts together. Asher (37) has been touring with his band for six months. When he sees his best friends daughter again, he realizes she is all grown up.

I loved Addison's determination to get out of her problems without parental assistance. I also loved her confidence in taking what she wants. And she wants Asher. Asher has some struggles of his own. I love how they each sooth each other's tensions and the friendship they share. They are hot together and there are plenty of steamy moments. They also share a deeper emotional connection by sharing fears and troubles with each other.

This was a fun, fairly low-angst story. I liked it and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Pretty Boy (Boys of Summer) 

by Katie Rae

#NewAdult #OppositesAttract #Fling #Novella

3 STARS

This standalone novella is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends in a HFN.

Jolie is kind of a mess.  Preston has his act together.   Unlikely circumstances bring them together and they form a friendship to fling to more.  I liked Preston.  He seemed like a really good guy.  I had a little  trouble liking Jolie’s character.  She wallowed a little much for me.  There were some proofreading errors that made me a little crazy.  Other than that, this was a fast and fun read with a little heat.