Archives for February 29, 2020

* Review * THE PRINCE AND THE WEDDING PLANNER by Jennifer Faye

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * THE PRINCE AND THE WEDDING PLANNER by Jennifer FayeThe Prince and the Wedding Planner by Jennifer Faye
Series: The Bartolini Legacy #1
Published by Harlequin Romance on March 1, 2020
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four-stars

When different worlds collide…

…sparks fly!

With her family name on the line, wedding planner Bianca Bartolini needs this royal wedding to go perfectly—she can’t afford distractions. Too bad the bride’s dashing brother has other plans! Duty-bound Crown Prince Leo has mere weeks to announce his own engagement, but none of the candidates measure up to Bianca. They’re the most unlikely match, but might that just make them perfect for one another?

 

A sweet connection! With the first book in her brand new The Bartolini Legacy series, Jennifer Faye takes us for a thrilling ride in THE PRINCE AND THE WEDDING PLANNER. He’s a Prince, she’s a commoner … but they can’t resist each other!

Bianca pulls our heartstrings with her family disconnect and hope that this job will be just the thing to put her wedding planning business on her family’s vineyard on the map. She never expects to be drawn to the prince who arranges her services for his sister.

Crown Prince Leopold is due to take a bride and assume the role of King any day now, but he can’t find a woman who measures up to Bianca no matter how much he searches. Could he dare break protocol and marry a non-royal?

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a dash of royal romance mixed in with a touch of family drama that is going to carry forward through the series. The characters were easy to connect with and I enjoyed getting to know them. Looking forward to more!

four-stars

* Review * FORTUNE’S TEXAS SURPRISE by Stella Bagwell

* Review * FORTUNE’S TEXAS SURPRISE by Stella BagwellFortune's Texas Surprise by Stella Bagwell
Series: The Fortunes of Texas: Rambling Rose #2
Published by Harlequin Special Edition on February 1, 2020
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four-stars

The baby was unexpected. So was the cowboy.

This Fortune daughter is rich in the things that matter…

Veterinary assistant Stephanie Fortune has never been lucky in love—unless you count the furry kind. But now that she’s become a foster mom to a baby boy, she believes her heart is full. And then she meets Acton Donovan. The flirty cowboy charms everyone he meets, so why should Stephanie be any different? “Just friends” is all Stephanie dares to be. Acton, however, is intent on proving he can be the family man she truly needs…

 

Love when she least expects it! With the second book in The Fortunes of Texas: Rambling Rose series, Stella Bagwell picks up the story line right where we left off with Stephanie taking baby Linus in as a foster child in FORTUNE’S TEXAS SURPRISE. The story is fast paced, emotional and just what we were looking for.

Stephanie surprised everyone when she stepped up to take in an abandoned infant just when the town of Rambling Rose needed her. She’s learning the ropes as she goes, but this little boy has stolen her heart already.

Acton and his dog Seymour steal the show quickly as they bring a smile to the reader’s face with their antics. I enjoyed him and found him to be a great match for Stephanie.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartfelt , emotional jaunt into the world of the Fortune’s. I’m looking forward to more to come in the series.

four-stars

* Review * IN COLTON’S CUSTODY by Dana Nussio

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * IN COLTON’S CUSTODY by Dana NussioIn Colton's Custody by Dana Nussio
Series: The Coltons of Mustang Valley #5
Published by Harlequin Romantic Suspense on March 1, 2020
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four-stars

A Colton must solve a DNA mystery…

…and save his family from ruin.

One phone call suddenly upends Asher Colton’s life. He discovers his baby daughter might have been switched with single mom Willow Merrill’s. Worse, the day care owner vehemently hates his family. But for the babies’ sake, they work to uncover the truth about the births as threats to the Colton family—and Willow’s business—mount. But can the truth set free a love-scarred rancher and his harshest enemy?

 

The mystery continues! With book five in The Colton’s of Mustang Valley series, Dana Nussio brings us Asher’s story with IN COLTON’S CUSTODY where we not only get more info into Ace’s birth mix-up but have to follow along as Asher’s baby girl is in question as well. The tension is high and drama is at it’s peak as we see what’s ahead for the Coltons!

Asher is a character who is quick to catch a reader’s eye because he is a hands on single father who works hard to keep up with his baby girl as well as his job as the ranch foreman of Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch.

Willow was a bit harder for me to like. She was headstrong in defending a stand her mother took years ago that ended in upset and still holds it against the Coltons. She warmed somewhat, but was a bit standoffish throughout.

I recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys intrigue mixed with a bit of a family saga. I’m enjoying the series and looking forward to more to come.

four-stars

* Review * THE LOOK-ALIKE by Erica Spindler

* Review * THE LOOK-ALIKE by Erica SpindlerThe Look-Alike by Erica Spindler
Published by St. Martin's Press on January 28, 2020
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four-half-stars

Sienna Scott grew up in the dark shadow of her mother’s paranoid delusions. Now, she's returned home to confront her past and the unsolved murder that altered the course of her life.

In her mother’s shuttered house, an old fear that has haunted Sienna for years rears its ugly head—that it was she who had been the killer’s target that night. And now, with it, a new fear—that the killer not only intended to remedy his past mistake—he’s already begun. But are these fears any different from the ones that torment her mother?

As the walls close in, the line between truth and lie, reality and delusion disintegrate. Has Sienna’s worst nightmare come true? Or will she unmask a killer and finally prove she may be her mother’s look-alike, but she’s not her clone?

 

Surprises around every corner! Erica Spindler drew me in from the very first page of THE LOOK-ALIKE when the depiction of a brutal crime scene started to unveil. With lots of surprises and twists, she kept me guessing and held my attention right up until the end.

Sienna’s plight of returning home a decade after stumbling upon a crime scene changed her life is well documented as we travel through the various characters she reconnects with and new ones who have an unknown connection to the past.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller that has a hint of romance and lots of characters who we’re not sure if they are involve in what’s going on or not. I enjoyed it!

four-half-stars