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Book reviews from the week of January 7th

 


Happy weekend!  This week I read three ARCs and squeezed in another book off my kindle for a reading challenge requirement.  All four were the kind of books that will stay with me for quite a while.  I hope my reviews help you decide to add these to your TBR.  I'm going to keep this short this week.  I have a stack of other ARCs I need to read before next week.  Till next time, happy reading.


Thoroughly Pucked (My Hockey Romance #3) 

by Lauren Blakely

ARC: Release Date- 01/11/2024

#WhyChoose #MFM #BrothersBestFriend #FlingToForever #Sports #RunawayBride #OneBed #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 alternating multiple POV.

Aubrey has been with her friends as they found their men, and she is getting ready to walk down the aisle for her wedding when she is seized by doubts.  Fortunately, her tool of a fiancé breaks it off moments before the wedding.  Whisked away by her brother’s best friends, they begin an adventure where they have fun together and become fast friends on what should have been her wedding day.  When they decide to take a three-person honeymoon as friends, they discover they can be so much more.

This was smoking hot, funny at times, and romantic too.  The guys are very different from each other. Ledger is a little grumpy as he considers what he wants his future to look like.  Dev is the outgoing, fun guy embracing everything life has to offer.  Audrey is figuring out why she was going to settle for a groom like Aiden when she didn’t really want him.  They each have an emotional journey within themselves as well as the journey of their relationship in this book.  I love their individual personal growth arcs.  This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and an excellent addition to the series.  I think this is a series I would like to binge again in the future for its steamy lighthearted fun.



Home Is Where You Park It (Blueball Band of Brothers #3) 

by Marika Ray

ARC: Release Date- 01/11/2024

#SmallTown #OppositesAttract #BestFriendsBrother #GrumpyHero #ForcedProximity #SnowedIn #OneBed #FlingToForever #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.

Readers heard about Keva’s brother, Boston, earlier in the series.  After meeting Audrey in the Hellman brothers series and getting to know her better in this series, I was really looking forward to her getting her HEA.  I adore the relationships she has formed with Nikki and her half-brothers. She has been such a good friend to Paisley, Keva, and Marlo.  I love her kind heart, her bright personality, and her willingness to try new things even when she isn’t very good at them.  Boston has recently separated from the Army and has returned home to mend his damaged relationship with his sister.  I really loved that he was willing to do anything to get his relationship with his sister back on track.

Together, Boston and Audrey are fun and fiery.  The attraction between the giant of a man and the pixie of a woman was hot and instant.  When they get snowed in, neither one is overly put out to do what they needed to do to stay warm.  I loved Boston’s fierce protectiveness of Audrey.  I adored the way she helped him open up to the world of possibilities by being vulnerable.  Funny, steamy, with the right amount of feelings: this is what rom-coms are made of.



Cluelessly Yours (It's A Funny Story #3) by Max Monroe

ARC: Release Date- 01/13/2024

#LoveTriangle #SingleMom #FriendsToLovers #ARC

5 STARS

Sammy (41) finally gets her HEA in this book that ends with a HEA.  Though it absolutely can be read as a standalone, many readers may find greater satisfaction by reading Accidental Attachment first.  It is Sammy’s sister Brooke’s story, and it is where readers will first meet Sammy and her boys.  This book is divided into three parts.  Part one is written in first person from Sammy’s POV.  Part two is written in first person from Noah’s POV.  Part three is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.  There are also three epilogues which give readers a solid glimpse of the couple’s future together.

Normally, I am not a fan of love triangles in books.  I trust this author duo though, so I went into it knowing I would have to read it in a day or go nuts.  Thankfully, though two men are pursuing Sammy, the proper hero is easy to figure out early on and it was just a matter of seeing how it was all going to play out.  There are some twists and surprises along the way that kept me on my toes.  Sammy is living the struggle of being a single mom with all the life juggling that entails.  Her life seemed pretty realistic in that way.  Her response after coming out of a bad divorce and being on her own for a few years to having male attention also felt very realistic.  I love how she starts dating again and learns quickly to trust her gut.  I appreciated that when she allows herself to love and be loved that things happen quickly.

Gah!  There is seriously so much to love about this book.  The hero is kind, generous, supportive, and patient.  Oh, and hot, of course.  I love how he is with Sammy and her boys.  The attraction between the two of them is solid and I loved it when they finally got together.  There are two open door explicit scenes, so the book has some heat.  There are funny moments and emotional moments.  This will be one of those books people wish they could read again for the first time.


The Cowboy and His Runaway (Rock Springs, Texas #1)

 by Kaci M Rose

#Cowboy #HealingLove #SmallTown #FamilySeries 

4 STARS

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this first in series book can be enjoyed as a standalone and ends in a HEA.

This book sets up a whole series set in the small town of Rock Point, Texas.  Like a lot of other books carrying that burden, a lot of the book deals with the history of the family and the area.  Many characters are introduced, and the history between Blaze and Sage is prominent.  When Blaze finds Riley in his barn, much the way he used to find Sage (there are certainly similarities) his protective nature is triggered.  I found his history with Sage uniquely prepared him to care for Riley in the ways she needed, so I did not mind.

Blaze is all man, a cowboy, protective, caring, loving, and gentle when he needs to be.  I adored how he was with Riley as well as his family in general.  Riley is running from an abusive relationship.  She is battered and bruised and needs the unconditional acceptance and love that Blaze and his family offers on their ranch.  I liked her spirit and her determination to move on from her past and embrace her future.

Blaze and Riley have an almost insta-love story line with romantic moments and a little heat.  There are open door scenes, but they are certainly not the focus of their relationship.  I adored the characters, even the secondary characters.  Blaze's parents are the kind of parents everyone should have and few actually do. They were amazing. I fell in love with this family. The writing is a little different than what I am used to, yet I want to read the rest of the stories and see the other members of the family get their happy endings.  I am not ashamed to admit I am hooked on this series.


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