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Book reviews for the week of August 13th

 


Happy weekend!  I spent the first half of the week in West Virginia with my dad, one full day traveling to get home, and the past couple of days playing catch up from being gone for three weeks.  

One thing traveling is very good for is an amazing audiobook.  I was thrilled to listen to Ripple Effect on audio.  One of my favorite books of all time: Teddy and Stella were perfection in bringing it to life.  I also read three ARCs.  They were all wonderful in their own way.  Two are set in quirky small towns, one is set in London. Check out my reviews to learn more about these upcoming releases.

It seems like it must be ARC season, because they just keep rolling in.  I'm not complaining.  I love getting a look at the next release by some of my favorite authors before it is available.  I love being able to help get other readers excited about upcoming releases.  Trust me when I say that August and September are jam-packed full of amazing new books you will not want to miss.  I hope my reviews encourage you to add these to your TBR.  Until next time, I wish everyone a week full of wonderful reads.


Ripple Effect (Disaster Love Series #2) by J. Bengtsson

Narrated by Teddy Hamilton & Stella Hunter

#Celebrity #EnemiesToLovers #HealingLove #Audiobook #Reread

5 STARS

I did a reread via audiobook.  The series has ben renamed the Disaster in Love series. Teddy Hamilton and Stella Hunter are perfection in bringing this book to life.  The layers of angst and depth to the characters that they add made it an incredible listen.  The story was just as vivid and memorable as I remembered.  I had forgotten how much RJ's mom annoyed me the first time around.  Luckily, she is dealt with appropriately, even if not as quickly as I would have liked.

Original Review:

This is book two in the AnyDayNow series and can be read as a standalone.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA.  I read the short story version of this in the Night With A Rockstar Anthology.  I wanted more, and I was so excited when I learned it would become a full length book.  This is my first full length book by this author and I am dying to read more.

RJ and Dani have an adversarial relationship as next-door neighbors until an earthquake traps them together. The event changes both of them.  Ultimately they must depend on each other for survival and recovery to move past the tragedy they live through.  This is a story of how events change us.  It is about how we can grow and move forward after witnessing horror.  It is a tale of survival.  It is all about finding the right person at what seems like the worst time.  It is about bonding together and helping each other be better people and making a difference in the world around us.

This book blew me away.  There is so much emotion! The author does a fantastic job conveying everything the characters are going through.  I have a bit of a book hangover today.  I am still at a loss for words, but here is what is going through my mind: "Wow."   "I think I may need to read this again, it was so good." "I am stunned by the beauty of this story and the message of living your life well."

The characters are likable and felt real.  RJ is initially struggling and the experience helps him grow dramatically.  Dani is tough, brave, determined, and a wonderful heroine. The writing is exquisite and descriptive in a way I cannot express.  The setting is dark and terrifying.  I can tell already this will be one of my top reads this year.  Don't miss this one.



S'more Than A Feeling (Blueball Band of Brothers #2) 

by Marika Ray

ARC: Release Date 08/24/2023

#SecondChance #SecretBaby #SingleMom #SmallTown #ARC

5 STARS

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

I adored Linc.  He faces some surprises in this book, but he always has his heart in the right place and does the best he can when things happen.  I love how determined he was to pamper Keva and cherish her and Lucas.  I appreciated his mixed feelings, his anger, and most of all- his determination to succeed with his little family.

Keva has been busy as a young single mom.  I appreciated how her found family supports her emotionally and practically.  I understood her feelings of inadequacy and fear for the future.  When she gave Linc a chance, my heart melted.  I loved the heat between the characters as well as glimpses of the domesticity they quickly settle into.  The sparks they felt when they first met are only hotter now.

This was a fun, feel-good read that made me smile.




Yours To Be (Dixon Creek Ranch #3) by Emily Silver

ARC: Release Date- 08/24/2025

#FakeRelationship #SmallTown #ARC

5 STARS

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

Layla is a clothing and lingerie designer and shop owner in the small town of Dixon Creek.  Her ex-husband is the mayor.  He and the old ladies of the town do everything in their power to steal Layla’s dream.  They are unpleasant side characters who serve the purpose of driving Layla and Simon together.  Simon is 100% swoony.  A bodyguard with his own emotional baggage, he doesn’t hesitate to jump in and help Layla with her predicament.  I love how fast Simon falls for Layla.  I loved how fast fake became very real indeed.  They have snappy chemistry that leads to steamy scenes which I really enjoyed. 

Coming back to Dixon Creek is always a pleasure.  This book centers on Gemma and Blake’s wedding and has appearances by some of the author’s Ainsworth Royals who come to town for the wedding.  I love a good crossover.  This was a joy to read, and it left me smiling.




Unveil (Alchemy #3) by Elodie Hart

ARC: Release Date-08/25/2023

#AgeGap #Billionaire #Erotica #BDSM #ARC

5 STARS

Unveil is book three in the Alchemy series.  Though it can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA, readers starting with book one will have the advantage of knowing how the kink club, Alchemy, has been evolving.  This is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Gen (36) is the only female owner of the four owners of Alchemy.  She has been friends with Zach, Rafe, and Cal since they were at university.  She is well put together, fierce, incredibly intelligent, and witty along with her beauty.  She has struggled with finding a man who can stimulate her both in the relationship arena with intelligent conversation and can meet her needs in the bedroom.  Anton (52) is a billionaire who has divorced three times but stays on good terms with his exes.  He is powerful, charismatic, and has a presence that can overwhelm a room.  He is the epitome of BDE in all its glory. He goes after what he wants in life and in business.  He has a voracious appetite for power, success, and physical satisfaction.  One of the things I adored was how much depth the author credits to Anton.  He is such a big character.  He has so many layers of love, passion, vulnerability, and loyalty. Gen is also fully developed and dealing with insecurities and vulnerabilities and fears as she falls hard for the powerful man who becomes her everything.  I adored how these two characters grow together and embrace a life neither thought they could have with a partner that can meet all their needs in the most perfect ways.

Since Alchemy is a club that caters to kink, readers should expect this book to be hot and they will not be disappointed.  This book can melt your panties right off.  Settle in because you will not want to be interrupted once you immerse yourself in this world.

I am seriously loving this series. I feel like I know the characters more than in a typical club book.  The friendship between the group and the acceptance they share is something we should all have in our lives.

The author lists some content warnings that readers should be aware of in case they are sensitive to those issues.

CW:

Unveil is set in a sex club, and you will find the following on the page:

Group activities, spit-roasting, voyeurism, exhibitionism, prostitution, domination and submission, bondage, toys. While they both have sex with other people before they are a couple., once they actually get together there are no OW/OM dramas.  Unveil has a monogamous HEA.




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