Archives for September 19, 2021

* Review * A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS by Jennifer Snow

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS by Jennifer SnowA Lot Like Christmas by Jennifer Snow
Series: Blue Moon Bay #2
Published by Entangled: Amara on September 28, 2021
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four-stars

This Christmas season, love comes where you least expect it.

For Jessica Connolly, there is no better place than her coastal hometown of Blue Moon Bay. She has a wonderful family, supportive best friends, and a successful bakery on Main Street. Unfortunately, every time she designs one of her ex-boyfriends' wedding cakes, she's reminded just how unlucky she is with love...and that she's a good luck charm for men to find their happily ever after. With someone else. The minute they break up. So she's decided to be done with love.

Dr. Mitch Jameson is more comfortable traveling the world with Doctors Without Borders than staying in one place. He just needs to survive the holidays in his small hometown before he can leave again. The beautiful, intriguing bakery owner with an aversion to dating might be just who he needs to occupy his restless heart.

From sipping hot chocolates at the local festival of lights to early morning dessert deliveries, Jessica and Mitch rediscover the spirit of the holidays. But when the 25 days of Christmas are over, will their romance be over, too?

 

A sweet small town holiday romance! A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS is the second book in Jennifer Snow’s Blue Moon Bay series and brings together the town’s favorite baker and a returning favorite son during the build up to the holiday season. The characters make a really cute couple and are fun to get to know.

Jessica is a delight, but she’s tired of being seen as a relationship failure and having to grin and bear it as she makes everyone else’s wedding cake. I enjoyed seeing her learn to see herself through someone else’s eyes for a change.

Mitch is a well-rounded guy who has made it his life’s mission to help the less fortunate, but he’s never stopped to look at his life in a way that showed every day life that could also use his touch on it.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a small town romance centering on holiday fun.

four-stars

* Review * SHY INNOCENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT by Melanie Milburne

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * SHY INNOCENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT by Melanie MilburneShy Innocent in the Spotlight by Melanie Milburne
Series: The Scandalous Campbell Sisters #1
Published by Harlequin Presents on September 28, 2021
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four-half-stars

Out of the shadows…

…into the billionaire’s arms!

Elspeth Campbell’s sheltered existence means she’s hesitant to swap places with her exuberant twin for a glamorous wedding. But the social spotlight is nothing compared to the laser focus of Mack MacDiarmid’s undivided attention…

Having witnessed his father’s double life, cynical Mack’s certain the supposed socialite isn’t who she seems. And when she’s embroiled in a scandal not of her making, he tells Elspeth the pretense is up! He longs to show her she’s already the strong, sexy woman she wants to be…but is that all Mack can offer?

 

A twin-swap sets the stage for romance! Melanie Milburne weaves a delectable tale with the first book in her Scandalous Campbell Sisters duet and I was hooked throughout. While there wasn’t a huge amount of relationship development in SHY INNOCENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT, the storyline dove into various aspects of both of their lives and related a well-rounded story that I enjoyed very much. I look forward to Elodie’s story next!

Elspeth is a genuinely sweet character who trusts in her mischievous twin sister a little too much for my liking. I enjoyed learning more about her and seeing her make a connection with Mack.

Mack is duty bound and set in his ways, but beneath the surface we meet a heart of gold and a spirit just aching to get out.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast paced love story filled with secrets, misunderstandings and good natured escapes into romance and love.

four-half-stars

* Review * INMATE OF THE MONTH by Lani Lynn Vale

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * INMATE OF THE MONTH by Lani Lynn ValeInmate of the Month by Lani Lynn Vale
Series: Souls Chapel Revenants MC #7
on September 21, 2021
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five-stars

A porn video changed his life.

One second, he has an ex with an ax to grind, and the next, he’s internet famous—and definitely not in a good way. In an, it’ll ruin your career, kind of way.

Only, Laric didn’t know that he was internet famous.

Not until a black-haired beauty walks into his life, and stumbles over every word that she says because all she can picture is him doing the unthinkable for the world to see.

Sadly, that’s not the only thing wrong in his life. His world is messed up, and he likes it that way.

There’s no room for a woman that wants to fix him.

Because fixing requires intimacy, and intimacy isn’t something that Laric does. Not after the life that he’s lived, and the things he’s done to survive. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that he’s a felon, and he has no regrets about how he got that title.

The last thing he needs in his life is a woman that has her head in the clouds and thinks this world is made of butterflies and confetti.

However, Catori isn’t who she seems.

The day she meets tall, dark, and handsome, he saves her life. And then never leaves—though not for his lack of trying.

Not that she’s complaining about the way they’re thrown together, time after time. She’s more than willing to have a man like Laric around. Mostly because she’s already seen the good in him that he refuses to admit that’s there.

He may be a biker that does questionable things, but in her heart, she knows that he does those bad things for good reasons. And she’s not about to throw away the chance at happiness just because he thinks he knows what’s best for her.

Plot twist: she knows what’s best for her. And that’s him.

 

Lane Lynn Vale is outdoing herself book after book! The books in the Souls Chapel Revenants MC series just keep getting better and better. Laric and Catori are an absolute delight and I couldn’t have loved their book more. The emotions are real, the plot is thick with suspense and the interaction between Catori and Laric’s work family is so much fun. I can’t wait for more!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a group of misfit ex-cons who got together for all of the right reasons to right wrongs and support each other as one after another answers when love comes calling.

five-stars

* Review * BAILEY by Jessica Ames

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * BAILEY by Jessica AmesBailey by Jessica Ames
Series: Untamed Sons MC #7
on September 24, 2021
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four-half-stars

BAILEY

I've always felt like an outsider in the Untamed Sons. I'm Nox's sister, widow of a brother, but I'm not one of them. When I'm abducted by our enemies, I don't expect to be rescued by a tall, dark, handsome and extremely dangerous stranger. Zeke Fraser is the devil in a suit and he's refusing to give me back to my family. Worse still, I'm falling for my captor. There's something captivating about the man and while I know he's going to be my downfall, I can't stop from gravitating towards him.

ZEKE

I was sent to rescue Bailey, but instead, I found myself unable to part with her. Keeping her captive in my penthouse isn't the best plan, but I'm unwilling to hand her over to the Sons until I know they're going to uphold their end of the bargain. I'm not supposed to fall for the woman I've stolen, but there's something about Bailey's fire that keeps me wanting more.

But to have her, I have to survive her family, and the club is out for blood. Mine.

 

Captivating danger! Jessica Ames is heating things up with book seven in her always action packed Untamed Sons MC series and I loved every minute of Bailey and Zeke! The plot is thick with danger, the characters are intriguing and the overall supporting cast makes for a solid connection between the MC and this crime family.

Bailey is Nox’s sister and easy to like. She’s a solid part of the MC, but feels like she lives on the outskirts looking in. She stays strong throughout the danger she is put through, but resisting Zeke is harder than she imagined.

Zeke is not a good guy, but he’s a solid man to have at your back when danger comes knocking. He doesn’t intend to fall for Bailey, but she’s pretty irresistible under the circumstances.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys an MC who isn’t afraid to take down whoever they need to when it comes to keeping their family safe.

four-half-stars

* Review * KEEP ME WARM AT CHRISTMAS by Brenda Novak

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * KEEP ME WARM AT CHRISTMAS by Brenda NovakKeep Me Warm at Christmas by Brenda Novak
Series: Silver Springs #10
Published by MIRA on September 28, 2021
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five-stars

Maybe this Christmas can thaw his frozen heart—and heal hers.

Hollywood starlet Tia Beckett knows one moment can change your life. Her career had been on the fast track before a near-fatal accident left her with a debilitating facial scar. Certain her A-lister dreams are over, she agrees to house-sit at her producer’s secluded estate in Silver Springs. It’s the escape from the limelight Tia’s been craving, until she discovers she’s not the only houseguest for the holidays. And her handsome new roomie is impossible to ignore.

Artist Seth Turner has good reason to keep his distance. Losing his wife after only a few years of marriage has left a deep scar, even if he is still happy to spend a semester teaching art classes at the New Horizons Boys Ranch for troubled teens. Despite nursing her own wounds, Tia finds her curiosity piqued by enigmatic Seth, whom she recognizes as something of a kindred soul. Maybe spending Christmas together could be another game changer for both of them—this time, for good.

 

Novak is bringing on the feels with this return to Silver Springs! With intriguing characters and a dramatic set-up the reader is quickly hooked on the plot in this tenth book in the series. It’s heartwarming to reconnect with the heart of the town Aiyana more in this book than many in the series and the evolving plight of Tia held my attention. I wanted a little more in one area, but overall this story was a solid addition to the series with a comforting connection.

Tia was quick to draw my sympathy and I found myself rooting for her from start to finish. She was complex, yet fresh and real.

Seth was a joy to get to know. He was a nice addition who fit in seamlessly with the family we have already grown familiar with throughout the series, but he also had a side branch that I would have liked to have seen developed more.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a small town romance with compelling characters and heartwarming storylines that will always hook you quickly.

five-stars