Skip to main content

Book reviews from the week of January 14th

 


Happy weekend!  This week was a five star week for me.  I read five ARCs and they were all fantastic!  I hope you check out these books and love them as much as I did.  Until next time, happy reading.


The Bride's Runaway Billionaire 

(Three BFFs and a Wedding #3) by Pippa Grant

ARC: Release Date- 01/18/2024

#Billionaire #Celebrity #OneNightStand #SurprisePregnancy #SecretBaby #SmallTown #RomanticComedy #ARC

5 STARS

Book three in this series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.  That said, characters from the first two books in the series play important roles in this book.  There is history in those books that also pertains to this book.  I believe readers will have the best experience by reading the entire series in order.  This book is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

I met Emma for the first time in book one of the series.  That story revolves heavily around her destination wedding and the events that lead her to a solo honeymoon.  I loved her in book one.  She is the soft heart of the three friends.  She is unfailingly kind and full of sunshine.  Book three begins with her in Fiji and she is broken.  She is questioning everything she ever thought about herself and the life she thought she was destined to have.  When she stumbles over a drunk body on her villa porch, she is surprised to recognize the billionaire.  He is also struggling with some life events.  Together they support each other and form a friendship that develops into a passionate night. Only when she wakes up, he is gone.

The book then jumps three years into the future.  Emma has become a mom from that one-night encounter.  I loved seeing the strength she had developed and the fierce protectiveness she had over her son.  She has built a life that is happy and that showcases her resilience.  I love the relationship she has with her brother and her extended found family.  I adore how they have supported her and have helped her while she navigated being a single mom. When her baby daddy shows up out of nowhere, she is fearful yet strong.

The hero has also grown up in the last three years.  He has found his stride and success in a way that makes him more satisfied with his life.  I love how he shows up for Emma once he knows about his son.  I love his patience and his understanding of Emma’s fears and concerns.  I love that he fights for her and the family he wants them to be.  He works hard to show Emma that he will be there for her and Bash.  I absolutely adored his character.

There were several laugh out loud moments, some that even left me crying because I was laughing so hard.  There are open door hot times between the couple outside of their first night, which demonstrated their chemistry and feelings for each other.  When they get together this time, they are ready for a relationship with each other and the future that will certainly be bright.  This whole series was fun to read.  I loved the characters, the stories of their happy endings, and the friendship between the women. 




I Wish You Were Mine (Harbour Village #2) 
by Jessica Peterson

ARC: Release Date-01/18/2024

#AgeGap #SurprisePregnancy #SingleDad #Nanny #Workplace #SmallTown #ARC

5 STARS

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

Maren is a 22-year-old young woman working on her Master’s degree when she becomes the nanny for Tuck’s 4-year-old daughter, Katie.  I love the relationship and bond that she has with Katie from the very beginning.  She showers the little girl with love.  Tuck (34) is a wealthy businessman who is in dire need of help. The attraction between Tuck and Maren was instant and intense.  They quickly form a friendship that is destined to be so much more.

These two are HOT.  The surprise pregnancy is handled with a lot of honest emotions from both characters.  I appreciated how Tuck supported Maren in her choice of direction.  Overall, most of their relationship is handled with a lot of maturity.  Tuck has done his best to prevent himself from getting hurt again like he has in the past.  There is a point in this book where his walls are a problem that he must address.  I love that he does though.  When he finally comes to Maren to grovel (and she doesn’t make it easy on him) he is absolutely perfect in his words and actions.

This was a rich story full of southern charm, steamy moments, touching moments with family and friends, and a couple willing to put in the work to have the family they dreamed of having.  I loved it.



The One I Love (Rolling Hills #3) by Chelle Sloan

ARC: Release Date- 01/18/2024

#SmallTown #FriendsToLovers #SingleMom #SecretRomance #ARC

5 STARS

Book three in the series can be read as a standalone and ends in a HEA.  That said, this book overlaps timelines with book two in a significant manner.  Readers will have the best experience by reading the whole series in order.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Amelia is the girl in the friend group, and she is a force.  I loved her in the first two books, and in this book I learned that she was not always as confident and fierce as she is now.  One constant has been her friendship with the guys, especially Shane.  I really appreciated the history they share and the way the author developed their history within the present timeline.  I related to Amelia on a lot of levels, and I was so happy when she decided to take a risk and give the possibility of a relationship with Shane a real chance.

Shane is something else.  He is broody and stoic.  Amelia brings out his lighter side.  I adored the relationship he has with her kids.  I loved his protective nature and how passionately he loved Amelia.  As two people who have never been in a truly loving relationship, they manage ok.  They only have small communication breakdowns.  The heat between them is hot and fun at the same time.  I loved how Shane is “all in” with everything Amelia.

I enjoyed their story a lot.  In the latter part of the book, the meddling moms were a source of annoyance.  I felt like their antics could have, and should have, been shut down a whole lot sooner than they were.  Otherwise, I had many laugh-out-loud moments and I am seriously looking forward to Simon’s story.



Center Ice (Boston Rebels #1) by Julia Connors

ARC: Release Date- 01/19/2024

#Sports #SingleMom #SecretBaby #SecondChance #ARC

5 STARS

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

Audrey is a wonderful heroine.  She is such a good mom to Graham and a good sister to Jules and Jameson.  I loved her intelligence, her strength, and her determination to protect her son and her heart.  Drew is a professional hockey player who just returned to his hometown of Boston in hopes of being closer to mom and sisters while saving his career.  Once Drew knows about Graham, he is all in.  He does everything he can to be the man Audrey and Graham deserve to have.

There are some romantic moments as Drew fights for his chance to have his family.  He has the help of his teammates to figure out how to go about winning her over in a conversation that was pretty cool to read.  Audrey also has her friends and when they encourage her to give Drew a chance and argue their point in a logical way, she caves the way she really wanted to all along.  I love the emotions between them.  I was able to empathize with Audrey’s fears and emotions as she figures out that Drew really is a good guy.  I also could empathize with Drew and the crazy emotions he goes through along the journey t their happy ending.

This isn’t a short book, yet I read it nearly straight through in one sitting.  I fell in love with the characters and the city.  There are hot times, and even a few laughs along the way.  Graham was adorable. I cannot wait for the next book I this series.



Just A Little Promise (Dare Crossover #3) 
by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

ARC: Release Date- 01/23/2024

#SecondChance #CinnamonRollHero #HealingLove #ARC

5 STARS

This next novel in the Dare Crossover series can be read as a standalone and ends in a HEA.  It is written in third person from an alternating dual POV.  There are many intersecting characters from other books, but it does not detract from Tripp and Skye’s story or their HEA.

Skye is recently divorced from an abusive and narcissistic ex-husband when she moves to New York City with her brother’s assistance. She has managed to regain some of the strength that was so common to her in her pre-married life and is looking forward to creating her own happy future.  Tripp is a former friend-with-benefits.  When they run into each other one night, Tripp quickly realizes he has one chance to win back the one he let get away.

I LOVED Tripp.  He is patient, kind, adoring, romantic, and hot.  He delivers all of that to Skye on a platter, even though she is not interested in a relationship right now.  His patience and protectiveness toward Skye, and his desire to give her all of himself and the world, made him absolutely heart-melting.  It doesn’t hurt that he is also a dirty talker in the bedroom.  Skye needs Tripp’s unconditional love, and she heals and blossoms very quickly with it.  I loved her resilience, her defiance in the face of danger, and her ability to save herself when she needed to.  I also really adore how she allows herself to be vulnerable with Tripp.

Steamy with just a little angst, I couldn’t put this down.  This was a completely enjoyable read.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Tale of Three Signings (Spring 2024 book signing recap)

  Over the past seven weeks I attended three book signings, each two weeks apart, I started at the Sweetgrass Author Event in Charleston, SC. From there I visited some family in West Virginia and Pennsylvania before my oldest daughter and I traveled to Ellicott City, MD, for Charm City Romanticon. After that, I returned home to Colorado before driving to Aurora for Readers Take Denver, where I was assisting Sara Madderson/Elodie Hart and also had a reader ticket. Below I will share some pictures and a recap of each signing as it was for me.  Sweetgrass was the fifth signing event I have attended that was put on by Southern Belles. It was also undoubtably the largest. With a stellar author lineup, there were a lot of tickets sold. In my opinion, probably too many. For a six hour signing, I was able to get to a shockingly few authors in my time there. They hit a few snags with this one.  First, let me talk about the city of Charleston.  Rich in history, with out of this world southern cu

Best Reads of 2023

 2023 has come to an end and  as a result I have had some time to look back on my best reads from last year.  It is always fun to remember the fantastic books I read.  I love thinking about the worlds the authors created for my escape and enjoyment.  I also am able to see where I had some gaps in my reading.  I read most sub-genres and tropes, but I did not read a single fantasy romance last year.  That made me sad.  I will need to fix that in 2024.  My reading is typically on the lighter side of the spectrum.  Dark romance readers will only find a couple of books in that category here.  Most of my reads are also steamy, with open door scenes that are sometimes explicit and appropriate for mature readers.  My reviews are available on the blog if you need more details about what I liked about a book.  Also, I am including Amazon links to the books so you can read the blurb and decide for yourself if you think my favorite reads are books you might enjoy. Looking at the numbers at the end

Book reviews from the week of May 19th

  Happy weekend. This week I read three ARCs and two books from my TBR.  All three ARCs will release the first week of June and the two books on my TBR have been on my kindle for a while. They served as perfect palette cleansers between these wonderful ARCs. Both books from my TBR offered heroines with disability. In The Marquess and I, Willow is blind. In Wolf Signs, the heroine is deaf. I felt like the authors handled both situations well within their stories and it made them interesting reads. Check out my reviews and add these to your TBR today if they grab you. I don't think you will regret it. Happy reading! My Royal Showmance (Park Avenue Promise #2)  by Lexi Blake ARC: Release Date- 06/04/2024 #Royal #SecretRomance #ARC Book two in the series is written in first person from Anika’s POV and ends in a HEA. It can be read as a standalone. If you love reality dating shows like The Bachelor, you are going to love this book. Luca, King of Ravalia, is looking for a queen (