Happy weekend! This week I read four ARCs. Historical, holiday, family series, and a touch of romantic suspense gave me a fantastic week of reading. I hope my reviews help you find a new read to add to your TBR from these new and upcoming releases. I certainly enjoyed them all. Until next time, happy reading.
Project Duke (Dukes and Secrets #3) by Mariah Stone
ARC: Release Date- 11/07/2023
#Historical #OppositesAttract #MarriageOfConvenience #Virgin
#ARC
4 STARS
Book three in the series presents the complete love story of Calliope and Nathaniel and ends with a HEA. Because there is an underlying plot/mystery spanning the series, it is best to read this series in order. Written in third person, this book ends in a little bit of a cliffhanger for that over-arching plot/mystery.
Calliope is the 26-year-old sister of a duke. She is
intelligent, beautiful, brave, and a little reckless at times. She harbors a secret shame from her
adolescence that returns to haunt her. There were times when she acted without
consideration of the full consequences, and it made her seem somewhat immature.
She falls hard for Nathaniel, but she holds pieces of herself back from him.
As the Duke of Kelford, Nathaniel needs a wife and heir
before his 30th birthday to receive his massive inheritance. He is the guardian of his 3 sisters (17,15
& 15). He is a character with depth.
He does not believe he deserves to be loved due to some unfortunate events
in his past. He is more than a little
broken inside. I loved his efforts to
take care of his family, even if at times his pride was a stumbling block. He has been a rake and even done things he regretted
doing to make sure they all survived. He
falls in love with Calliope very quickly; though he is slow to admit it.
There are moments in their story where the romance and the
swoon-factor are high. They have some
explicit scenes, some moments of suspense and action, and the occasional angst
of poor communication. They must learn
to fully trust each other before they reach their happy ending. I am really enjoying the underlying plot of
the series regarding her brother, Spencer.
I am very much looking forward to his book so I can find out all the
answers to my questions.
#SecondChance #Billionaire #FamilySeries #ForcedProximity #ARC
5 STARS
Written in third person from a dual POV, this book can be
read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. Readers who have read other books in
the series will recognize other members of the Kingston and dare families
sprinkled throughout the book.
Hadley is a teacher who has made the most of her life after
unusual circumstances took her away from all she had known at the age of 16. She has functioned as a parent and the only
reliable adult in her 13-year-old sister’s life. When she discovers that she and her sister
are in danger, she runs. She returns to
NYC on a whim to ask her first love for assistance. I loved Hadley’s commitment to her
sister. She is savvy and brave, and I
appreciated her character’s desire to make the best of each situation she
faced.
Zach is so, so swoony.
His heart had been broken and his life path was shaped by Mia’s (Hadley’s)
disappearance. He is afraid to be
vulnerable with Hadley. I loved his
squishy heart. His loving relationship
with his large family is special, especially his relationships with his little
nieces. I really loved how he fights for
his chance to make a relationship with Hadley in the present.
I really liked how their teenage first love feelings were
recognized as being different than what they would need to find a happy ending
as adults. I loved that their original
friendship is the foundation for new feelings to develop. At one point, they knew each other very
well. I really enjoyed the way they
learn about each other again and build trust. I especially appreciated that
trust and relying on someone besides herself was so difficult for Hadley. When
they give into the attraction to each other that is still as strong as it
always was, it is a tender and emotional moment. This was a very well done
second chance that I enjoyed and did not want to put down.
#FamilySeries #OppositesAttract #ARC
5 STARS
Book four in the series can be read as a standalone and ends
with a HEA. It is written in third
person from a dual POV. Readers met both
Salena and Ryan in earlier books in the series as minor characters. This book gives readers a deeper look at
their characters and how they are completely interwoven into the D’Angelo
family’s love and chaos.
Salena is a strong and feisty heroine. She tries hard to walk the line between following
her own path and respecting her Italian family heritage and the parental
expectations that go along with it. She
has a few secrets along the way, but I love how strong she is. When Ryan first sees her, his response of “Who
is that?” in stunned adoration sets the tone for their relationship to
come. Though neither one is looking for
a deep relationship, they find it with each other. Friendship, trust, and passion lead them to a
place where Ryan accepts Salena in all her glory. And Salena comes to terms with the possibility
that Ryan might just have real feelings for her that match what she is feeling
for him.
Steamy moments, laughs, and the dynamics of loud, involved
Italian family made this another book by this author that I have loved completely. I have said it before, but I will say again:
I want to be adopted by the D’Angelo’s.
Swoony romance that hits deeper than many, this author wraps up the
series with a perfect epilogue. I am
really excited to see what comes next.
#Holiday #RoadTrip #Military #ForcedProximity #ARC
5 STARS
Planes, trains, and automobiles to love.
This holiday standalone is written in first person from an alternating
dual POV and ends with a HEA. Tessa was
originally introduced in Single and Ready to Jingle as a secondary
character. I never would have dreamed
she would get her HEA in a story like this one, and I loved every second of it.
Tessa has lost everything.
Her last family member has passed away, she has closed her bakery, and
she is missing a love relationship in her life.
Why not do what a psychic says?
The prologue sets the premise perfectly, and Tessa takes a chance to set
one thing in her life to rights. But the
best thing to be said of plans is that they never go quite how one might
expect. I loved Tessa’s
vulnerability. I love how friendly she
is to everyone (except Tre in the beginning) and I truly appreciated her loneliness. Tre is an Army Ranger on leave for the
holidays. Heading home to Portland, he
travels through the airport in NYC where he sees Tessa for the first time. She catches his attention. Though he is not looking for love, he is intrigued.
Through the course of their plans taking
many detours, he and Tessa end up sharing the last rental car on a cross country
road trip.
There was so much to love about this. I laughed out loud so many times. There is plenty of heat, holiday shenanigans in
small towns along the way, and emotion as they realize they want to be the “more”
to each other. There is a plot twist
that only leads to a mild conflict before they find their happy ending. A thoroughly enjoyable holiday read: this is
not to be missed. Someone, please make
this into a holiday movie.
Comments
Post a Comment