Book reviews for books read August 18th- 31st

 

A Package Deal (Wolfe Brothers #1) by Marika Ray

ARC: Release Date-08/29/2024

#CinnamonRollHero #FamilySeries #ForcedProximity #MarriageOfConvenience #SingleMom #SmallTown #ARC

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this first book in series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. The author returns to the small town of Blueball for a new series focused on the Wolfe brothers. Book one gives Warrick his happy ending.

Warrick is 44 and retired wealthy when he returns home to assist his mom after his father passes. I absolutely loved this hero. He is kind, generous, protective, delicious, and absolutely everything. When he melted into a puddle for Em’s 5-year-old daughter, I knew my heart was a goner. The relationship he builds with little Georgia is really something special. He falls hard for that little girl while falling for her mom too. Em is a powerhouse. As a female general contractor, she can do anything a man can do but better. She is a force who has a bunch of baggage and walls built high to protect herself from being hurt again. Warrick has his work cut out for him to get past them and cherish her the way he wants to. He woos her romantically and consistently. I loved the heat between them and how willing he was to sacrifice to prove to her that he was different from her past experiences. I love that Em learns to trust again with Warrick. They have a beautiful HEA. I am very excited to read the rest of the series when his brothers get theirs too.

Offside Hearts (Love and Hockey #1) by Nikki Lawson

#CinnamonRollHero #Debut #InstaLove #SecretRomance #Sports #Workplace

Written in first person from an alternating POV, this debut can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. It is set in Denver, Colorado.

I kept seeing the FB ad for this book and it kept catching my attention. I finally grabbed it to give it a read.

Noah plays in the NHL and has a known reputation as a player and the black sheep of his family. Margo has recently finished her master’s degree and is job hunting. Their meet-cute requires some suspension of disbelief, but it is definitely unique. When Noah decides to go all-in on a relationship with Margo, he commits completely, reforming his bad boy ways. They decide to keep their relationship a secret, though it really wasn’t necessary and I’m not sure it added anything to the story.  Noah is a dirty talker and they have spicy scenes together as they deepen their relationship. Overall, the characters were fairly likeable. Noah was very easy for me to love. He was actually a pretty wonderful hero.

Unfortunately, the book fell into the trap a lot of debuts fall into. The book needed additional proofreading and editing. Some examples:  the Manhattan drink used so often in the book being made with vodka, Seattle being an hour later than Denver, and a 3^rd act breakup that was not necessary and could have been avoided. Manhattans are made with whiskey and Margo specifically states she doesn’t like whiskey at one point despite drinking Manhattans through the whole book. Also, there is a big secret that Margo has that once revealed gets quickly solved despite the illegal nature of it.

I wanted to love this book. I did like it. I think there are a lot of positives to the story and the writing. Specifically, Noah was a wonderful character. For a debut, I believe the writer shows a lot of promise. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Foundations (The Power of Three #1) by Leigh Lennon

#Billionaire #LGBT #MMF #Menage #Workplace

Written in first person from multiple POV, this can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.

Elliot is a strong alpha female who is pursuing her career goals. Arden and Daimen are childhood friends who have been in a dedicated relationship for several years. They are billionaires who are partners in their own company. The first part of the book is mostly about their relationship, but the primary focus is on how physical their relationship with each other is. Arden is the playful and funny partner while Daimen is the broody alpha almost dom. They are both looking for the woman to complete their triad and make their dreams come true. Elliot seems like the perfect answer. She struggles with how far she wants to remove herself from what society deems “normal” so it takes a while to convince her that they can have a beautiful future. Daimen’s repeated use of the term “little girl” for drove me a little crazy. Though he is a dominant man, the book doesn’t really embrace the DDLG k/n/k and it seemed like a miss.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I wanted better character development. The characters had a lot of potential but never quite met it. The plot takes a suspenseful turn toward the end, and I found that good, but it was almost wrapped up too quickly. I wish there had been more lead-up to it in the rest of the book or something. The intimate scenes were bland and repetitive compared to similar books I have read before. They are still hot, but not as hot as they could have been.

This was an okay read, and I will probably read more of this author to see if some of the things I felt were weak get stronger in future books.

Wild (Wild #1) by Adriane Leigh

#Erotica #RomanticSuspense #SmallTown

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this book can read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.  This is my first book by this author. As a first book in series, I thought it did a good job introducing the town and setting the stage for future books. It is set in a small coastal town in Maine.

Lane and Kat both have secrets. They have both been hurt in their past. Their secrets are gradually revealed over the course of the book. When they first meet, they share an instant and intense physical attraction that leads to a drunken night together. Their relationship starts off very rocky. There is push/pull dynamic as they dance around each other, fight, have s#x and separate again to start the process over. It doesn’t feel like their relationship is very healthy and they both push for the no strings relationship that it will never be. Neither character is very likeable in the beginning. There are A LOT of hot times. They kind of overwhelm the first half of the book. They are building a friendship/situationship, but it takes a back seat to the physical intimacies. Lane is a seriously dirty talker and lives up to his Wild name. He is a dirty boy. Kat is open to his pleasures and sassy and fierce in her own way while being a sweetheart underneath the surface. The plot really picks up as the book continues and the last 35-40% of the book was very good.  I couldn’t put it down. There were twists and turns and danger before they got their happy ending. I only wish the first 60% of the book had the same intensity. This is one of this author’s earlier releases and I am excited to read some of her more recent work. I am also not opposed to reading the rest of this series and will probably go back to it when I get a chance.

CW: grief, loss of parents, DV, r@#e (mostly off page- not MMC), cheating

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang

#Billiionaire #BrothersBestFriend #GrumpySunshine #MorallyGrayHero #NewAdult

This was my first book by this author. I did not pick it up because of social media but because I am hoping to meet this author in Seattle next month. I have seen her books everywhere and I was curious. I looked at what was available and grabbed it. It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV, can be read as a standalone, (series is interconnected), and ends with a HEA. The setting is DC metro area, Philadelphia, and London.

Ava Chen is a Chinese American beginning her senior year of college. At 22, she has developed her friend group and a little backbone in pursuing the education she wants instead of what her father would have chosen. Alex Volkov (26) is the genius, billionaire, best friend to Ava’s brother, Josh. He is controlled, powerful, and more than a little cold, dark and twisty.

Without going into the many plot points, here are some things I loved.

Ava has a creative spirit and determination to see the good in life despite her tragic past and current nightmares. Alex is determined and on a path of vengeance. I loved his intelligence and his powerful presence. Readers only learn later how seriously he invests into the long game to achieve it. He has a dark past and present as he pulls strings all around him to meet his end goal. I love how they form a friendship first before giving in to their passion and shared desires in the bedroom. There are smoking hot open-door scenes but what I loved most was when they would have fun together or when Ava could make Alex smile and laugh.  There are a whole lot of twists as Ava remembers and learns the truth about her past. Alex faces his own revelations which lead to danger, suspense, and Alex makes a critical error with Ava. It takes a LOT of time and groveling for Alex to win Ava’s trust back and get a second chance at forever. The grovel was good, and I liked that Ava didn’t just take him back right away.

I couldn’t put this down and ended up staying up so late. I think I was sleep-reading because I ended up rereading several chapters the next day. I loved that the characters were solidly developed and completely imperfect. Alex is a hero unlike what I normally read, and I both loved and loathed him at points throughout the book. Alex changes because of Ava’s love. Ultimately, Ava changes too as she takes control of overcoming her fears on her own and learning to stand on her own. I adored the multicultural aspect of the book. Ava was a heroine that I think will stay with me for a long time.  I was also drawn to the secondary characters. I sit here now wondering if I should grab book two (which completely intrigues me) or try to read another new to me author next in preparation for Seattle.

Catalyst (Metamorphosis #1) by Shelby Gunter

#AgeGap #Billionaire #FamilySeries #GrumpySunshine #Workplace #RomanticSuspense #SmallTown

This is my first book by this author. I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with her at a signing a couple of years ago and I am FINALLY getting one of her books read. When she wrote this series, I fell madly in love with the covers and have been wanting to read them ever since. I wanted to read at least one before I see the author again at a signing next month. Between the cover and the grumpy/sunshine trope, picking up this one was a no-brainer. Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this first-in-series book can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.

Adam is a grumpy workaholic. At 37, he and his brother have built their business to great success through hard work, smart decisions, and sacrifice. Ellie is straight sunshine. She always looks for the good despite the bad things that have happened to her in her life. At 27, she has spent the last several years working as a high-level office temp. I love how she challenges Adam. I adore that she can see the cinnamon roll man under the grumpy exterior. I really love how hard and fast Adam falls for her. I appreciated that they both tried unsuccessfully to fight the attraction and the feelings that were developing between them. Spice? Oh yeah. Open door scenes are just the right amount of spicy. Who knew Adam had a little alpha frosting on his grumpy cinnamon roll self?

The characters were complex and well-written. I loved the found family element of the story and I am super excited for the rest of the Ellis brothers to get their happy endings. The pace of the story was good, and I enjoyed the suspenseful elements of the plot. Readers should note the content w@rnings at the front of the book because the story does touch on some topics that could be difficult for some readers. As a survivor myself, I felt like the assault in Ellie’s past was handled well.  I really liked that Ellie had done all the right things at the time including getting counseling to heal and move forward.

I am making it a goal to read the rest of this series before the end of the year.

The Lawn Boy (All-American Boys) by Taylor DeLong

#CinnamonRollHero #Novella #SurprisePregnancy

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. It is set in the All-American Boys world in Texas.

Nash and Coco (both around 27) are both adulting well. Nash has a lawn and landscaping business while Coco works as a nanny for three children. They have an adorable meet-cute with fun banter and some innuendo.  Because of the novella length of the story, their relationship moves at warp speed. The author manages this successfully with the surprise pr4gnancy trope. Honestly, I love this trope for that reason. Through a series of time jumps the reader gets to see their relationship change and grow over about two years’ time.

I liked both characters. Nash is wonderful. He works hard to take care of Coco. He is what every woman wants, really. Coco is levelheaded but the pregnancy throws her for a loop. Their biggest conflict comes from her need to take things one day at a time while he needs the stability of a planned future. They figure it out.

This was a fun easy read that I really enjoyed. I am looking forward to meeting this author in Seattle and reading more of her longer books.

Hot Daddy Sauce by Angel Devlin and Tracy Lorraine

#AgeGap #ForcedProximity #Instalove #SingleDad #Novella

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this novella can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.

Leah (21) is renovating the house of her deceased parents when she meets the neighbor. Jenson is about 10 years older than Leah. He is a chef, a restaurant owner, and the single dad of an adorable 6-year-old girl.

They are instantly attracted to each other and quickly become involved physically and emotionally. There are several spicy scenes as they can’t seem to stay away from each other. I liked Leah’s sass.  I loved how Jenson was with his daughter. I also loved how quickly and completely he was overwhelmed with feelings for his young neighbor.

This was a fast and fun read. I really enjoyed it.

Pitcher (Commander in Briefs #0.5) by Kristy Marie

#FriendsToLovers #NewAdult #Novella #Prequel #Sports

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this is a prequel that ends on a little cliffhanger and does not have a HEA. The couple’s story continues in book one of this series.

I picked this book up without realizing it was a prequel and would not have a HEA. The characters are followed from the age of 14 to around 21 or 22 in this book. I thought the writing was good without grammatical errors. Unfortunately, I did not like either character. The immaturity and toxicity of their relationship was a decided turn off for me. There are plenty of other reviewers who have gone into more detail about his. I don’t really feel the need to expound on it personally. This was not the book for me. I won’t be continuing with this series at this time. I would like to try another book by this author in the future, maybe one not set as a new adult romance.