Archives for July 2021

* Review * THE ROOKIE by Kendall Ryan

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * THE ROOKIE by Kendall RyanThe Rookie by Kendall Ryan
Series: Looking to Score #3
on July 20, 2021
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four-stars

A talented rookie who's about to lose it all. A reluctant sports therapist who might be able to help.

He has everything a man could want. A lucrative hockey contract. Adoring fans. A family who loves him.

But he’s about to throw it all away. Logan Tate’s name is dominating the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Instead of goals and assists, the talented young defenseman has been racking up fights and suspensions.

I work with athletes who are struggling, but Logan’s different. He’s not just going to blow his season, but his entire career. And now he can’t return to the ice until he deals with his issues, but the stubborn man won’t let anyone get close enough to help.

Which is why I packed up and followed him to his family’s property in the remote mountains of Colorado. He can’t avoid me here.

The only problem?
I can’t avoid him either. He’s chopping wood and building fires, rescuing my car from snowy ditches, and inviting me to Sunday dinners with his loud extended family. He’s a whole lot of man, but beneath all those hard edges is an unexpected tenderness.

Tempted or not, I have to stay out of his bed and get him back to the ice . . . no matter how difficult that might be.

 

An emotional addition to the Looking to Score series from Kendall Ryan! THE ROOKIE is a bit unorthodox in that there is not a lot of hockey or much in the way of team camaraderie in it but Logan’s  family steals the show and makes the reader fall in love with each and every member of them by the end of the book. I wanted more of Logan and Summer together after they finally admit they’re all in, but I enjoyed their journey!

Logan is an interesting character who has a lot going on in his life at the moment that manages to take us on a journey to his family home in Colorado.

Summer is trying her best to get Logan back on the ice and back in a good head space.

I recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys a hockey romance with a lot of heart.

four-stars

* Review * BUILDING A SURPRISE FAMILY by Anna J. Stewart

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * BUILDING A SURPRISE FAMILY by Anna J. StewartBuilding a Surprise Family by Anna J. Stewart
Series: Butterfly Harbor Stories #10
Published by Harlequin Heartwarming on July 27, 2021
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five-stars

An instant family…
Is life-changing!

Pregnant construction supervisor Jo Bertoletti doesn’t need anyone’s help…or another heartbreak. So she’s putting handsome, kindhearted firefighter Ozzy Lakeman firmly into the friend zone. After all, she’s just passing through Butterfly Harbor, and her life is too complicated for a summer romance. But Ozzy feels an immediate connection. Can he convince the woman of his dreams to take a chance on building a forever family with him?

 

A return visit to Butterfly Harbor is like going home! Anna J. Stewart has done a phenomenal job of wrapping a small town around her readers’ hearts and giving us story after story filled with a strong supporting cast of friends and family in this small coastal town that manages to house so much love. With an amazing tenth book in her Butterfly Harbor Stories series Stewart brings us one of her sweetest heroes ever when Ozzy finally meets the love of his life in BUILDING A SURPRISE FAMILY. Great characters, strong back stories and a sweet happily ever after that will make you melt!

Ozzy has been a character that I’ve felt a connection with from the very beginning of the series and seeing him work so hard to realize some dreams has been so rewarding. I loved him in this book and seeing him happy is the best.

Jo is strong willed and self-sufficient, but seeing her let her guard down and let Ozzy bring a softness to her life is really inspiring.

I highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who loves a small town romance filled with easily relatable characters and a friendly cast of extras in every story that make the town fulfilling.

five-stars

* Review * FALLEN JESTER by Devney Perry

* Review * FALLEN JESTER by Devney PerryFallen Jester by Devney Perry
Series: Tin Gypsy #5
Published by Devney Perry LLC on May 18, 2021
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five-stars

Leo Winter loves his life. He works when he needs money. He rides when he craves freedom. He frequents the local bar when he wants a good time. The Tin Gypsies might be a memory, but the bachelor life he lived with his motorcycle club still suits him fine. So when a one-night stand surprises him at a family barbecue and claims she’s pregnant with his child, he’s certain he’s died and gone to hell.

Cassandra Cline took one night off from her structured life. One. And now her wild fling with the local bad boy has turned her life sideways. Her dreams and academic career are circling the drain, and none of it would have happened if she’d stayed far, far away from Leo.

Except avoiding him is impossible, especially when she’s forced to move home to Clifton Forge, Montana. And he refuses to leave her side when a series of strange accidents put her and their baby at risk. But are they accidents? Or is she standing in the middle of a battlefield she doesn’t understand?

Her only allies are people she barely knows. And a man who has the potential to steal her heart.

If only he’d stop playing the fool.

 

The ultimate bad boy has met his match! With book five in the Tin Gypsy series Devney Perry has Leo being a jerk throughout a good part of the book … and yet I still love that lug of a jerk! He’s family now am I right?! In FALLEN JESTER Leo’s wandering ways will get the best of him when a one night hookup shows up with a big surprise for him. I’m finally caught up with my series binge and now I’m going to be counting the days until book six gets here. I love this loveable group of guys and gals and all of their danger and drama.

Leo is loyal and lovable even when he’s being a jerk. He’s playful and fun, but he’s a bit of a crossroads even before he learns that he has a baby on the way.

Cass is steadfast and determined on her course in life, but the aftereffects of the trauma she suffered recently has her reeling and looking for comfort and fun. That fun brought more than she bargained for though.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys an MC series that has a family of misfits who love hard and remain loyal to the bone.

five-stars

* Review * MARRIED FOR ONE REASON ONLY by Dani Collins

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * MARRIED FOR ONE REASON ONLY by Dani CollinsMarried for One Reason Only by Dani Collins
Series: The Secret Sisters #1
Published by Harlequin Presents on July 27, 2021
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four-stars

Convenient vows…
…for their baby’s sake!

His brief was simple: confirm whether model Oriel Cuvier is the secret daughter of a Bollywood legend. But when billionaire security specialist Vijay Sahir locks eyes with Oriel, all thoughts of work disappear—leading to a few stolen hours where all rules are broken…

Weeks later, Oriel gets two life-changing surprises. First, the truth about her birth mother. Second, she’s pregnant with Vijay’s child! He demands marriage, but can she really promise to honor and cherish him when, until now, all they’ve shared is one extraordinary encounter?

 

A surprise pregnancy is just the beginning of the drama about to unravel in the first book of The Secret Sisters duet by Dani Collins. MARRIED FOR ONE REASON ONLY kicks off a little slow and confusing, but the characters and all of the secondary characters start to make sense eventually and deliver a satisfying romance. I’m looking forward to the second part of the duet.

Oriel is accomplished and successful yet doubts herself and where she fits. As the storyline unravels, she feels justified in her doubts as secrets are exposed.

Vijay is secretive and troublesome at first, but ends up being a pretty stable guy.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a lot of drama and subterfuge mixed into their romance.

four-stars

* Review * CALLING CASSIE by Kat Mizera

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * CALLING CASSIE by Kat MizeraCalling Cassie by Kat Mizera
Series: Alaska Blizzard #9
on July 13, 2021
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five-stars

Twenty-three-year-old hockey stud Logan Pelletier is having the time of his life as the ultimate bachelor. It’s all about hockey and living it up with his friends. He has no time for love, let alone a relationship. Until a spunky, hockey-playing stripper dances into his life... and his bed.

Miss independent Cassidy Reynolds is already 0-2 in the marriage department. And the twice divorced twenty-four year old isn’t looking for lucky number three. She’s focused on hockey and getting a college degree. Stripping is just a means to an end, but when her friends from the Alaska Blizzard hockey team start hanging out at the club, she knows it won’t be long before they figure out her secret.

As Logan and Cassie blur the lines, will it be game over for their friendship or will it be the start of something more?

 

Highly enjoyable friends to lovers story! Kat Mizera delivers lots of sass with book nine in her Alaska Blizzard hockey series and I loved every minute of it! The characters were quick to catch my attention and had me invested in their chemistry throughout. Looking forward to more in this super fun series!

Logan is fun loving and sincere and loves hockey and having a good time. He’s not looking for a relationship, but have Cassie in close quarters certainly brings temptation to life!

Cassie is an all around great person who has been handed a crappy hand a few times in life. It’s heartwarming to watch her let her guard down just a little with Logan and even Ryder.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who loves a hockey romance filled with hunky men and lots of laughs and sexy times around each corner.

five-stars

* Review * NOBLE PRINCE by Devney Perry

* Review * NOBLE PRINCE by Devney PerryNoble Prince by Devney Perry
Series: Tin Gypsy #4
Published by Devney Perry LLC on November 10, 2020
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four-half-stars

The night Luke Rosen met Scarlett Marks was the only time he’s regretted becoming chief of police. One horrific night of blood and death, and now she’s living under his roof—all because he swore an oath to serve and protect.

Scarlett is stubborn and infuriating. She has no respect for the order in his structured life, and she never does anything she’s told. Worse, she doesn’t seem to care that the information she has on a motorcycle gang means she might end up dead. But her unwavering strength, her courage and tenacity and beauty, makes it impossible for him to abandon her.

If Luke is going to keep her safe, he’ll have to make the hardest decision of his life. He can either honor his values as a cop, knowing Scarlett is unlikely to survive . . . or he can break all the rules and protect the woman who’s invaded his home and his heart.

 

This series is keeping me on my toes! With book four in the always exciting Tin Gypsy series Devney Perry brings us Luke and Scarlett’s story in NOBLE PRINCE and I highly enjoyed it! The drama is intense, the romance is spot on and the overlapping of setting up another story for the next book always keeps me hungry for more.

Scarlett is a flawed character and though she’s easy to sympathize with because of her childhood, she is not easy to like at first until we get to know her true self and she admits her weakness. In the end I felt her story was very sincere and powerful.

Luke is such a nice guy and I loved him to pieces. He had to compromise with his morals a few times to keep him honest with himself, but he kept things as copacetic as he could while loving his woman the best way he knew how.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who loves a juicy MC romance with secrets, lies and drama always wrapped up in a hot romance with an alpha man.

four-half-stars

* Review * BILLIONAIRE’S ROAD TRIP TO FOREVER by Michelle Douglas

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * BILLIONAIRE’S ROAD TRIP TO FOREVER by Michelle DouglasBillionaire's Road Trip to Forever by Michelle Douglas
Published by Harlequin Romance on July 27, 2021
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five-stars

Running from a wedding…
… to a whole new future!
Bree Allenby’s first stop on her road trip across Australia is to attend the society wedding of her brother’s best friend. When Noah Fitzgerald is dramatically jilted, he needs a quick getaway—so Bree suggests he come with her! Spending her days with a billionaire is not what she was expecting… Not only is their spark of attraction completely new, but it has them both rethinking where they’re going in life!

 

Michelle Douglas is bringing on all the feels with BILLIONAIRE’S ROAD TRIP TO FOREVER and I simply couldn’t put it down! The storyline starts out fairly whimsically with a pair of friends setting out on a road trip, but both characters have a lot of mental anguish to work through and loads of chemistry pulling them towards each other. Great characters, emotionally eye-catching dialogue and such a satisfyingly sweet love story.

I liked Bree’s character throughout, but when I learned about her first childhood meeting with Noah, she became my very favorite. She is feisty and loyal and about to set out on a journey of love and the ultimate gesture of friendship.

Noah is a sweetheart. His childhood was anything but ideal, but meeting Bree at a young age and being taken under the wing of her entire family was a destiny he so deserved.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a friends to lovers storyline with lots of emotion and heart.

five-stars

* Review * FROM RICHES TO REDEMPTION by Andrea Laurence

* Review * FROM RICHES TO REDEMPTION by Andrea LaurenceFrom Riches to Redemption by Andrea Laurence
Series: Switched! #2
Published by Harlequin Desire on August 1, 2019
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four-stars

Her ex-lover is back—

right when she discovers her life is a lie.

Ten years ago, Morgan Steele secretly eloped with River Atkinson—only to see her vows betrayed. Now River’s back, made good as CEO of a construction company that rivals her family’s empire. Forced to work together, they give in to long-suppressed desire. But when Morgan discovers she was switched at birth and isn’t the Steele heiress after all, will their second chance be sabotaged by secrets?

 

Her first love is back … just as her world is falling apart around her! With the second book in her Switched! series Andrea Laurence is turning up the drama on this entertaining switched at birth story. The premise is fresh, the characters are rich with drama and adding in a reunion story was fun. I’m looking forward to more to come!

Morgan is more than the spoiled little rich girl we wondered if she would be after the bombshell was dropped in Jade’s book that they were mixed up at birth. I enjoyed her drive no matter what life threw at her.

River is a successful business man who took the lemons life through at him and made them flourish into lemonade. I think he got the short end of the stick in the situation for sure and would have loved to have seen a bit more of his life developed into the story.

I recommend this book as well as the prior in the series to anyone who loves a drama filled book that delivers a powerful happily ever after. Fast paced, intense and satisfying.

four-stars

* Review * STONE PRINCESS by Devney Perry

* Review * STONE PRINCESS by Devney PerryStone Princess by Devney Perry
Series: Tin Gypsy #3
Published by Devney Perry LLC on May 5, 2020
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five-stars

Presley Marks has just become a cliché: the jilted bride. Wearing a white dress, standing in front of her friends and family, she announces that her fiancé—according to his text—has forgotten about the wedding.

Humiliated and angry, she hides from the world in the mundane routine of her life. Working at the Clifton Forge Garage isn’t glamorous, but it’s safe from the spotlight.

At least it was, until Shaw Valance comes to town.

The notorious Hollywood actor is starring in a movie based on the town’s infamous murder. When he’s not on set, Shaw hovers at the garage, watching as they build his custom motorcycle and irritating her with his handsome smile. He was supposed to leave once filming wrapped and go back to his fancy life, not buy the house next door.

But Shaw might regret that purchase once Presley’s ex-fiancé returns, bringing with him a war between old rivals that could burn both their houses down.

 

This series just keeps throwing surprises my way! With book three in her highly addictive Tin Gypsy series Devney Perry captivated me from page one and kept me on my toes throughout. Highly entertaining turmoil always manages to flare to the surface when this group of loveable misfits are involved and I always find myself entrenched in their drama. I’m binging the series because it’s so much angsty goodness!

Presley is tough with a sweet center, but having the man she thought she was going to marry stand her up at the alter just might be her downfall.

Shaw is kind and down-to-earth in a smug, rich guy sort of way. I enjoyed him more than I was expecting.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a close knit MC type of group who knows each other’s secrets and is willing to bury the body with no questions.

five-stars

* Review * HOMECOMING HEARTBREAKER by Joss Wood

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * HOMECOMING HEARTBREAKER by Joss WoodHomecoming Heartbreaker by Joss Wood
Series: Moonlight Ridge #1
Published by Harlequin Desire on July 27, 2021
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four-half-stars

“You’re the one who left, remember?”
How could he ever forget?

Celebrated entrepreneur Mack Holloway has come home to Moonlight Ridge to care for his foster dad and save his family’s once-luxurious resort. But to accomplish either he must face his past—the woman he left without a word, resort manager Molly Haskell. He’s never admitted what drove him away, and he’s not ready to confess now, even when working in close quarters ignites a fiery passion that burns away everything else. But Molly is keeping secrets of her own that could bring them to the brink…

 

A decadent kickoff to the Moonlight Ridge trilogy! In HOMECOMING HEARTBREAKER Joss Wood lays the groundwork for reconnecting three estranged brothers at a time when their family needs to band together the most. To accomplish this, oldest brother Mack will have to come face to face with the love of his life that he walked out on years ago. The drama is high, the passion is undeniable and the warmth and heart coming off of this family is super satisfying. I’m looking forward to the the next brother already!

Mack is an easily redeemable character who has a heart of gold and carries the burden of the world on his shoulders. Seeing him get his happily ever after is very rewarding.

Molly is a sweetheart that has been dealt more than one bad hand in life, but through it all she’s been steadfastly upbeat and ready to take on the world to be loyal to her core belief.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys seeing a shattered family reconnect as each sibling takes the walk towards their forever love.

four-half-stars