Happy weekend! This post is coming in a day early since I will be traveling this weekend and won't get a lot of reading done. I managed to read three ARCs this week finishing each of them just prior to their release. All are contemporary romances with two of them set in small towns. All three were wonderful reads. There was plenty of heat, some laugh out loud moments, and lots of swoon in my reads this week. I hope you consider my reviews and pick up these reads today or add them to your TBR. You won't want to miss them.
ARC: Release Date- 07/12/2023
#FriendsToLovers #CinnamonRollHero #Sports #FakeRelationship
#ARC
5 STARS
This book can be read as a standalone and ends with a
HEA. It is written in first person from
an alternating dual POV.
Rachel just finalized her divorce from her douchey ex and
moved home to San Francisco. Her sister,
her best girlfriends, and her best friend Carter are there to support her. She is expanding her business to include a second
store in SF and healing her bruised heart.
Carter is a pro football player for the SF Renegades. He is at the
height of his career and single after his engagement ended abruptly a year earlier.
Rachel is so strong despite the way her ex hurt her. I love that she is a successful business
owner that still makes mistakes from time to time. I adore her friendships with her girl gang,
and I love the relationship she has with Carter. Carter is a perfect cinnamon roll hero. I appreciate the ways they each try to put their
long friendship first while fighting all the chemistry and mutual
attraction. When they agree to fake-date
to fulfill his contractual obligation left over from his previous relationship,
they can no longer deny their feelings.
I love the heat and emotion between them. I adore that they know each other so well and
are not afraid to call each other out and ask for more and better
communication.
This was a steamy and sweet romance as best friends become
forever. Carter is so, so swoony. Rachel
is a force that understands and accepts all of Carter while dealing with her
own feelings and fears. This was 100% feel-good, low-angst goodness that I
highly recommend.
#CinnamonRollHero #ExCon #FirstResponder #ForcedProximity
#SmallTown #ARC
5 STARS
Book four in this wonderful series can be read as a
standalone and ends with a HEA. It is
written in first person from an alternating dual POV.
Readers met Chase in previous books in the series. As a youth, he had followed his older brother
into trouble that landed him in jail for a while. Now, at 30, life has handed him a lot of sadness,
yet he has done the work to turn his life around. He has formed a relationship with Charly (who
is one of my favorite characters ever) which made me teary at times. She functions as his mother/sister/best
friend and their relationship is very sweet.
He has become a vital part of the large found family that encompasses
this series. He has tried his best to
put his past behind him even though there are a few people who like to hold his
past against him.
Hannah (28) is a police officer who has moved from Toronto
to the small town. She has had losses in
her life too. She sees Chase’s sadness
and connects easily with him. Their
meet-cute (in a previous book and remembered in this one) was adorable. When she becomes Chase’s new roommate, it is
inevitable that they will be more. I adored her character. She is strong, smart, and independent yet
fragile and open when she needs to be. She is absolutely perfect for Chase.
These two are meant to be together. All they want is to make each other happy and
offer each other comfort and eventually, love.
As they pine for each other in the beginning of the book and through a
small misunderstanding, I couldn’t help but root for them to get together. Once they are together, they easily fit into each
other’s day-to-day rhythm. They have heat,
tenderness, and friendship built into their relationship. There are steamy times and a hurdle or two to
overcome on the way to their HEA, but they get there.
It was so good to be back in this series with all these wonderful characters. It made my heart melty. I 100% recommend this book and this series to any reader who needs that warm fuzzy feeling from a group of characters you want to belong to as part of their big found family.
ARC: Release Date-07/14/2023
#SmallTown #OppositesAttract #GrumpyHero #FamilySeries #ARC
5 STARS
Book one in a brand-new series is written in first person
from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA. There are themes and mysteries introduced in
this book that will continue throughout the series. As a result, this series is going to be best
read in order.
Jake is the eldest of the Spencer-King siblings, and his
book is the first in this new series.
His heroine is Cassidy Brooks, who readers may have met before if they
read the Juniper Ridge series. She is
the uber-efficient personal assistant to Laurence and Shirleen Judson. Jake is cranky. His fishing season is shut down and he is
getting creative to keep a livelihood while dealing with family drama and
loss. What he does have is a tight
relationship with all of his siblings and his dad. I adore the family dynamics and the banter
between the siblings. It felt very real
to me. Cassidy has some family drama
too. Her sister is sick, and her mom
makes questionable choices in men while Cassidy tries her best to take care of
everything and everyone. I really love
the relationship she has with her mom and with her sister. I appreciate that she accepts her mom and her
choices for what they are without judgement.
I love her efficient can-do attitude.
I love her professionalism and discretion in a job where it counts.
Jake and Cassidy have a laugh-out-loud meet-cute that had me
giggling. There are steamy moments, a pirate
fantasy worth noting, and a fast and deep emotional connection between the
characters. I adore the mature (mostly)
way that Cassidy and Jake communicate. I
love how they can read each other’s emotions and don’t hesitate to call each
other out. The grand gesture had me
smiling from ear to ear and I adore a good grand gesture. Jake gives good grovel.
This book exemplifies some of the things that this author
does very well. She has created a solid world
in this small town and set a formidable foundation for this series while
delivering well-rounded characters, an intriguing plot, and a swoony HEA. To say I am excited to read the rest of this
series is a huge understatement. And the cover is gorgeous on top of all that.
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