Archives for May 15, 2018

* Review * BREATHE by Carly Phillips

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * BREATHE by Carly PhillipsBreathe by Carly Phillips
Series: Rosewood Bay #2
Published by CP Publishing on May 15, 2018
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four-stars

Fall in love with the Wards…

From troubled teen to successful general contractor, Jake Nichols turned his life around from his time in foster care. Divorced and single, he juggles his time between his daughter and his work. Next on his agenda, a new project that is his chance to prove his worth at the job he loves. Except he never anticipates that the only girl he's ever loved and lost as a teen is now a grown and beautiful woman in charge of the project.

Phoebe Ward has survived and conquered a painful past that includes foster care and becoming a teenaged mom. She wants nothing more than to focus on the present but it’s hard when she looks into the eyes of her son, knowing she’s tried and failed to find his father. She’s resigned herself to raising him alone with the help of her family… Until a client meeting brings her face to face with her first love. A boy… now a sexy man she thought she’d never see again … and the father of her child.

So many years have gone by and both of their lives have changed drastically. Will they be able to put the past behind them and find the second chance they both deserve?

 

Reunited when they least expect it! With the second book in her Rosewood Bay series, Carly Phillips brings us Phoebe & Jake … a second chance at love story featuring a pair of childhood sweethearts who had no say in their split all those years ago and who find themselves feeling those same old feelings as soon as they set eyes on each other. She had a son he never even knew about … he lived through things she shudders to think about … but together again, they just might be able to rectify the mistakes and short changes of the past. This was a fast and easy read. A little light on complications in the current story line, but just enough strife to keep us tied into their relationship until the very end. I’m enjoying this series a lot, and look forward to the next book!

Single mom Phoebe Ward has a great support system with her family, but she’s never gotten over the fact that her son has had to grow up without knowing his father. She and her first love were separated before she learned she was pregnant, and although she tried to track him down, she was never able to find him. Imagine her surprise when she walks into a renovation site she’s supposed to be overseeing, and there he is … all grown up and sexy as ever!

Contractor Jake Nichols was dealt a tough hand in life, and though he let it overwhelm him a few times as he grew up, he eventually got on the straight and narrow and lucked into being mentored by a great man who taught him the tools of his trade and how to be a good person. He’s single with a precociously adorable daughter that he adores. When Phoebe walks onto his job site, he’s blown away … and happier than you can even imagine to see her!

four-stars

* Review * RUMOR HAS IT by Jessica Lemmon

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * RUMOR HAS IT by Jessica LemmonRumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon
Series: Real Love #4
Published by Loveswept on May 15, 2018
Goodreads
five-stars

Barrett: As a former pro football star, I’m used to playing the field. After injuries cut my NFL career short, my second act as a broadcaster ended on live television when a hot mic picked up a little verbal . . . indiscretion. But this latest publicity stunt might just land me back on top—much to the chagrin of Catarina Everhart, the prissy, beautiful journalist who’s been assigned to date a bad boy (i.e., me) and write about it. Catarina swears I’ll never touch her, let alone kiss those full lips of hers. Based on our chemistry, I’m not buying it. . . .

Catarina: Barrett Fox seems to be doing everything in his power to make me hate him. The cocky egomaniac is infamous for his bad behavior, and now, thanks to my boss’s harebrained schemes, he’s apparently my problem. As one fake date leads to another, I start to see a different side of Barrett. He’s close with his family. He does volunteer work. And, okay, he kisses like a dream. Am I really dating Barrett Fox? Or is he playing me? Because suddenly I’m risking my reputation—and my heart.

 

Opposites attract in this fun and flirty gem! Jessica Lemmon has out done herself with this one. Barrett talks a good game, but he’s got a funny, down-to-earth side that takes a readers breath away even faster than his sexy persona. The banter between these two characters is laugh-out-loud funny, the sex is steamy and the overall book is just a super fun read!

Former NFL bad boy Barrett Fox has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle thanks to his temper and a hot mic during his broadcasting job, but he’s hoping his upcoming publicity stunt with an on-line gossip column will be just what he needs to get his job back and be welcomed back into the limelight and prestige!

Reporter Catarina Everhart can’t stand Barrett’s type just on the principal of him thinking he’s God’s gift, so when her boss informs her she’s doing a little side-job of pretending to date him for a summer assignment, she’s appalled! When one fake date leads to another and she actually starts to see the guy beneath all of the pomp, she starts to wonder if they’re still faking this relationship … because it’s starting to feel oh so real!

five-stars

* Review * A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS by M.K. Stelmack

* Review * A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS by M.K. StelmackA Roof Over Their Heads by M. K. Stelmack
Series: A True North Hero
Published by Harlequin Heartwarming on February 1, 2018
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four-stars

She can’t have the man she loves…if it means losing her child!

Alexi Docker’s a widow trying to adopt the child she and her husband had taken in. Except her new rental home turns out to be a disaster reno…and she, now single, has to prove she can give the boy everything he needs. That includes a roof over his head, four walls and running water! If not for the absentee landlady’s cranky recluse of a brother, she wouldn’t have been able to cope. But now Alexi has to choose between a man she’s growing to love and the boy she needs to adopt…because Seth Greene has a past that could ruin the adoption process.

 

With her debut Harlequin Heartwarming novel, M.K. Stelmack serves up an emotional punch that settles her into this line-up of lovely authors right off the bat! The heroine grabs our attention quickly with the hard life she’s having to juggle and despite the sadness she feels, she proves she’s rich at heart with the warmth of her family. The plot is rife with turmoil, yet extremely kind-hearted and easy to sink your teeth into. I found myself pulling for the family, and in particular hoping she and Seth would be able to work out that happily-ever-after they all deserved. Looking forward to more from this fresh voice!

Alexi Docker is trying to hold her life together after losing the husband that meant the world to her. She’s got four kids to be strong for, and she’d do anything for every single one of them … but especially the one that she and her husband were still in the process of adopting. She has to have a stable home and prove she’s the best fit for him … but the new house they moved all this way to live in is not what she was promised!

Seth Greene didn’t think he could be shocked by anything his sister would do at this point, but this one takes the cake. She’s gutted her house and then rented it out to a family and walked away. He’s been picking up the slack for her for years now, and he’s just simply done. No more Mr. Nice Guy! It all sounds good when he says it, but when faced with a struggling single mom who’s going to lose her kid if he doesn’t remodel the house, Seth caves and does everything he can to help her even if it means his sister is benefitting.

four-stars

* Review * DECEIVED by Elisabeth Naughton

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * DECEIVED by Elisabeth NaughtonDeceived by Elisabeth Naughton
Series: House of Sin #2
Published by Elisabeth Naughton Publishing LLC on May 15, 2018
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four-half-stars

Some doors were never meant to be opened...

I made a fateful mistake. I should never have peeked behind the doors into his forbidden world.

But I did, and now I’m a prisoner. Trapped by the man I love. The man I thought I could trust. The man who, despite his lies and deception, I continue to crave.

He can melt my resolve with one rough, whispered demand, and I feel myself giving in to the desire he still stirs inside me. And yet, if I want to survive, I have to be strong. I must find a way to escape. Because if I don’t, I’m afraid I’ll be consumed by a shadowy world that will ultimately destroy me.

Lost forever in his wicked House of Sin…

 

Emotionally raw and riveting! With the second book in her House of Sin series, Elisabeth Naughton picks up from the cliffhanger in the first book to spin a tale of lust, revenge and family loyalty. The characters are torn between their feelings for each other and what the world requires of them. Since we already had the seeds of what the plot was all about laid out in Book One, this book flowed quicker and easier. It was passionate yet tender, and left us on another cliffhanger, wanting more!

She awakens from her nightmare … to find herself a prisoner in his lair. She remembers the secrets she uncovered from his world … the lies, the betrayals, the crimes. She should hate him … she hates his life, she hates his family, she hates the things she knows — yet she loves him, still hungers for him, still craves the high he gives her.

He knows he only has a small amount of time to convince her to forgive him. They’re coming for her. She has to be on board with her new life … or she won’t have one. He can’t lose her now … he’s only just found the love he’s always wanted.

four-half-stars