Book reviews for books read June 15th-23rd

 

June has been a heck of a month. My husband has had 2 hospital admissions so far and we are only 23 days in. It has me off my groove a little bit. I was able to read two ARCs and three books from my TBR in the last bit though. Check out my reviews and give these books a try.

Beneath Highland Stars (Special Ops Scots #3) 

by Kait Nolan

ARC: Release Date- 06/20/2025

#EnemiesToLovers #ForcedProximity #RomanticSuspense #ARC

I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advance reader copy of the book. Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this 3^rd book in series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.

Finn is the former Royal Marine who is happy-go-lucky, always joking, always charming- at least on the outside. Underneath he is serious, damaged, and feeling all of his emotions. Saoirse is the town vet and she and Finn have a sappy way of communicating as they try hard to convince themselves that their chemistry isn’t real. Once Saoirse truly sees Finn, and the man he really is, she is doomed to fall in love with him.

I adored Finn. His quiet protectiveness, the way he feels so deeply, and his competence-wowza! What isn’t to like? Saoirse is a fierce and intelligent woman who is kind despite her posh upbringing. I loved that she committed to a life that made her happy instead of bowing to maternal expectations. Their story kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down as they trek through the woods to find her friend and end up finding so much more. Ajax? I can’t say enough about that dog! He is a true hero, and I fell hard for his furry-ness. I loved that plot is able to be sewn up in a way that karma is distributed. I also loved that Finn and Saoirse end up leaning on and trusting each other in a way neither one would have expected. This was a beautiful story and the perfect end to this series.

The Complication with the Best Man (Lake Starlight #5) 

by Piper Rayne

ARC: Release Date- 06/24/2025

#Firefighter #FirstResponder #ForcedProximity #OneNightStand #OppositesAttract #SurprisePregnancy #SmallTown #ARC

I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advance reader copy of the book. It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV, can be read as a standalone, and ends with a HEA.

Harper is the wild child cousin. She is full of life, willing to jump into adventure, and radiates fun and sunlight. She can be impulsive and appreciates a good time. Finn is a good guy. Steadfast, loyal, willing to sacrifice himself for those he loves. He is drawn to Harper’s zest for life and her exuberance at Palmer and Hudson’s wedding where he is best man and she is maid of honor. A hot one-night stand later and he goes home to Vermont.

I loved the conflict of Finn returning with a fiancée, but also with a secret. All is not as it seems, and no cheating occurs. Harper was a wonderful character as she handles surprises with authentic emotions. She is uncertain, a little afraid, and committed to her decision. Finn handles the news well, all things considered. I loved the way he takes care of Harper while allowing her the moments of doubt she needed. This was a relatively low-angst small town romance. Spicy times, romantic gestures and the occasional laugh made it a joy to read.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

#BookClub #MarriageOfConvenience #OppositesAttract #FakeRelationship #OneBed

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this standalone ends with a HEA. Set primarily on a fictional island in Indonesia, there are also scenes that take place in both L.A. and San Francisco, CA.

Anna (25) is a bit of a hot mess on the outside. That exterior hides a thoughtful, mature, caring, and loyal woman. Liam (32) is a Stanford professor who is diligent, structured, and keeps mostly to himself.  He likes order and predictability. He is kind but his family is a dysfunctional nightmare. Family drama led him to marry Anna in name only just 5 years before. Now, he needs her help.

I loved the physical attraction that sparks between them when they finally spend some time together. I loved how fast Liam falls for Anna and her unrestrained, irreverent, personality. I really liked that he appreciated her for who she is and didn’t try to change her. His protective instincts where she was concerned made me swoon. I adored Anna’s character. Her relationship with her dad was special and made her the caring, unique individual she has become. I loved her artistic streak and the way she appreciates Liam as an artform. The terms she uses to describe his physical assets made me giggle. I loved their physicality and the emotional connection they form as they really get to know each other. I also loved how they learned to support and love each other unconditionally.

 I despised Liam’s father. The family, in general, needed a lot of change to be better people. There were times when I felt angry, distraught, sad, and powerless for Liam and Anna as the events unfolded. I loved romantic and spicy times, but this book also tackles some of the bigger issues in today’s world. Economic inequality, misogyny, dysfunctional family relationships, narcissism, and greed coexist alongside fear of the loss of the parent and the toll cancer takes on a patient and a caregiver emotionally and financially.

I read this for book club, and I found it to be a very enjoyable read that I didn’t want to set down.

Accidental Doctor Daddy (Unintentionally Yours) 

by Mia Mara

#AgeGap #Forbidden #OneNightStand #SurprisePregnancy #SecretBaby 

This book is written in first person with an alternating dual POV. It can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.

While vacationing in a tropical paradise Ella (30) and Dom (48) have a fun meet-cute with a spilled drink that leads to a hot one-night stand. 

There are lots of spicy scenes as the characters prefer sex to communication. There is family drama for Dom with his adult children, especially his son.  Leo, also Ella's ex, is an immature addict who seems much younger than his 30 years.  Dom seems very career focused but then abandoned everything he was working toward quickly later. I found that confusing. 

Ella is kind of a mess. Her relationship with her best friend is inconsistent. One minute they are close and the next they almost hate each other. There is a minor mention of Ella’s childhood being shaped by a controlling mother and that her relationship with her sister is non-existent. I feel like that could have been better developed to help me understand Ella.  Her decisions didn't make a lot of sense to me. She deliberately makes everything harder by not communicating with Dom. I had a hard time relating to either MC. 

My biggest beef was with medical discrepancies. Is he an ER doc, a trauma surgeon, or what? I don't know of any world where an ER doc would take a pre-term labor patient to surgery. And then to have the delivery be indicated as vaginal did not make sense. 

I normally love the surprise pregnancy trope. This was my first book by this author after seeing this in a Facebook ad. It was entertaining but lacking in places.  I might give another book of hers a try. Maybe if it doesn't have any creative medical references, I might like it better. 

Paper Dreams by K.J. Lewis

#Escort #Workplace #SecretIdentity

Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this standalone ends with a HEA. I can’t remember how this book ended up on my TBR, but it has been there for a long time, and it was gifted to me last Christmas during a book exchange. This book was so much more than I expected. Let me try to explain.

First, Natalie is a wonderful heroine who is doing everything in her power to try to stay afloat in a challenging financial situation. I loved her drive, her ability to communicate, and her fearless pursuit of the goal.  She goes through A LOT in this book. There was a lot more emotional depth than I was prepared to experience. I felt her fear, her anger, her grief, her guilt, her despair, and her hopelessness. Nixon, on the other hand, was a character that took a while for me to warm up to. His communication skills when it comes to Natalie are less than ideal. Without giving things away, there are times when he should have walked away and other times when he should have dug in and stayed. His emotional immaturity and fears place them on a path to destruction. When everything explodes at once in Natalie’s life, she is devastatingly broken. It never had to be that way. It takes a long time for them to recover and to get to a pace of healing and forgiveness. I will give Nixon credit that when he finally acts, he sticks in and sees it through. I did enjoy their steamy scenes as they built a bond that was so much more than what he was paying for even though she doesn’t know his identity.  I loved the angst and the emotional turmoil of the book.

There were some areas that felt rushed where I wanted more development of the scene. At times, it felt like pieces were missing. The last 20% of the book is full of large time jumps with not a lot of detail. I wish it had had more. There were also a couple of usage errors that took me out of the story (bare instead of bear/discrete instead of discreet). That said, I did enjoy this book. I didn’t want to put it down. I had to know HOW they could come back from the hurt. I was thankful that author delivered their happy ending.