Archives for March 5, 2023

* Review * MAKE BELIEVE MATCH by Joanne Rock

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * MAKE BELIEVE MATCH by Joanne RockMake Believe Match by Joanne Rock
Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: The Wedding #4
Published by Harlequin Desire on March 28, 2023
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four-half-stars

Billionaire playboys aren’t marriage material.

But “fake” marriage?

What could possibly go wrong?

Wedding fever has hit the town of Royal, Texas! And graduate student Jessica Lewis has made a deal with the devil. Her one-night stand—bad boy CEO Oliver Price—has agreed to be her pretend fiancé for the social season. Their off-the-charts chemistry makes their fake romance an easy sell. But the more events they attend, the more the make-believe feels very, very real. But for two commitmentphobes from different worlds, will chemistry be enough?

 

Fake turns into forever in this fast paced delight! Joanne Rock is turning on the charm in the fourth book in the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Wedding series when Oliver woos Jessica into one night of debauchery that leads to more than they bargained for! I enjoyed the characters very much and their story was quite satisfying.

Oliver is an accomplished, sincere man who adores his family and lives a good life, but he’s a bit short sighted when it comes to knowing what his pretend fiance needs most of all.

Jessica is a sweetheart who’s out to help her parents get out of a snafu when she agrees to Oliver’s plan, but spending time on his arm is no hardship!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that loves scandal and riches mixed in with heartfelt happily ever afters.

four-half-stars

* Review * A COWBOY WORTH WAITING FOR by Melinda Curtis

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * A COWBOY WORTH WAITING FOR by Melinda CurtisA Cowboy Worth Waiting For by Melinda Curtis
Series: The Cowboy Academy #1
Published by Harlequin Heartwarming on March 28, 2023
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four-half-stars

This cowboy’s done with love…

Or is he?

Former rodeo queen Ronnie Pickett has always had a talent for matchmaking—and now she’s going pro. Her first customer? None other than her friend and teen cowboy crush, Wade Keller. Of course, convincing the widowed bronc rider and single dad that it's time to date again is gonna be a challenge. But no one warned Ronnie about the occupational hazard of falling for her very first cowboy client…

 

Heartfelt and delightful! Melinda Curtis is kicking off a brand new Cowboy Academy series with healing, hearts of gold and humor and I enjoyed every minute of it! The characters have a strong connection between them before their chemistry this go round even comes to a head, so there’s baggage to be sorted through, attraction to act on and happily ever afters to promise. I’m looking forward to more to come in the series!

Ronnie is sweet yet stubborn in her determination to honor a promise to her late best friend and find her husband and little girl someone to step into her shoes. She has good intentions, but her refusal to see what’s truly happening between them almost derails it before it begins.

I loved Wade so much. He’s such a kind man and watching him struggle with what the right way to move forward was just touched my heart. Ginny was a doll too.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a sweet romance filled with angst and good-heartedness as love comes to those who least expect it.

 

four-half-stars

* Review * JUST A LITTLE HOOKUP by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * JUST A LITTLE HOOKUP by Carly Phillips and Erika WildeJust a Little Hookup by Carly Phillips
Series: A Dare Crossover Novel #1
on March 21, 2023
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five-stars

Being a bachelor has its perks. It also has its downside. Just ask Derek Bettencourt.

Standing on stage and being auctioned off in the name of charity is awkward AF… until his business partner’s younger sister wins him for the weekend. He’s all hers to do with as she pleases and he can’t say he’s unhappy with the prospect. Especially since she saved him from an ex-fiancée determined to get her claws into him again.

Jessica Cavanaugh never intended to bid on the man she’s had a lifetime crush on. But her spur-of-the-moment decision gives her a chance to exact a bit of playful payback, for old time’s sake. And Derek is all too happy to indulge Jessica's whims.

What starts as a fun, flirty, game, with Derek acting as her personal handyman, quickly turns into a steamy and forbidden weekend. Lines are crossed that they never intended and emotions unravel their playful facades. Afterward, he can’t get the gorgeous, full-figured woman out of his head and he’s determined to make her his.

But how can they concentrate on a future when someone is threatened by their relationship and will do anything to come between them?

* A Dare Crossover novel featuring Derek Bettencourt from Carly Phillips’ novel, Just One Taste.

 

A sexy, scandalous dive into a forbidden romance! Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde can always be counted on to deliver an attention grabbing, confident hero to steal their heroine’s heart and I just loved seeing them back together again to work their magic in this Dare Crossover! The chemistry is intense, the characters are endearing and heartfelt and their happily ever after is our sweet reward!

Derek is accomplished and sincere and has such a good heart. I loved getting to see him let himself be loved for who he is instead of who someone wants him to be.

Jessica is adorable and gorgeously outspoken. I enjoyed seeing her shine and get all that she deserved out of life.

I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for more to come in this spinoff series!

five-stars

* Review * FOUR WEEKS TO FOREVER by Karen Booth

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * FOUR WEEKS TO FOREVER by Karen BoothFour Weeks to Forever by Karen Booth
Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: The Wedding #3
Published by Harlequin Desire on March 28, 2023
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four-half-stars

Can they put that one unforgettable night behind them

and keep things strictly business?

Sharing the bed of high-profile chef Colin Reynolds during a blackout was a mistake florist Corryna Lawson can’t afford to repeat. Especially now that they’re working together on a celebrity wedding at the Texas Cattleman’s Club. As the two collaborate on flowers and food, Corryna finds Colin nearly impossible to resist…and maybe she doesn’t want to. But then she discovers she’s carrying his baby…

 

Fast paced and pleasurable! Karen Booth always delivers on drama and angst and with the third book in the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Wedding series, she hits paydirt with an attention grabbing couple and a sexy yet sweet trail towards happily ever after!

I enjoyed both Corryna and Colin right from the start and learning each of their back stories endeared them even more to my heart. I wanted to see a little more resolution with the storyline revolving around her ex, but overall I felt like their story was fairly complete and totally enjoyable.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys high profile characters with a lot going on in their lives as they stumble across love when they least expect it.

four-half-stars

* Review * THE NATURE OF SECRETS by Debra Webb

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * THE NATURE OF SECRETS by Debra WebbThe Nature of Secrets by Debra Webb
Series: Finley O’Sullivan #2
Published by Thomas & Mercer on March 14, 2023
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four-half-stars

Legal investigator Finley O’Sullivan has had a difficult year in the wake of her husband’s murder. But in her line of work, there’s no time to grieve. Her job is to protect the firm’s clients and defend their innocence through grueling investigative work.

Ellen Winthrop is a force to be reckoned with in the financial world. In a male-dominated industry, she shattered the glass ceiling by empowering and promoting women. But now her husband is dead, killed in the Winthrop family home—and she stands accused of his murder.

Finley, as the investigator at the firm Ellen Winthrop hired to defend her, has a clear objective: prove that Ellen didn’t do it. But the deeper Finley digs into the Winthrops’ marriage, the more she starts to doubt Ellen’s story. The uncomfortable truth is that Ellen Winthrop may in fact have killed her husband.

And he might not have been the first.

 

Entertaining and highly addictive! The second book in Debra Webb’s Finley O’Sullivan series not only brings us a brand new case to sink our teeth into with her, but it also brings some answers to some of her questions regarding her husband’s murder a year ago. The story is complex and delves into the lives of the newest vic, his wife and all of her closest friends while on the side Finley is getting closer every day to uncovering who her own husband really was.

Even though there are two detailed stories going on at the same time throughout this book, the author does a great job of melding them into one cohesive unit and delivering concise resolutions to each.

I recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a whodunnit mystery with high powered secrets and lies popping up around every corner.

four-half-stars

* Review * CROSS ROADS by Tracey Devlyn

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * CROSS ROADS by Tracey DevlynCross Roads by Tracey Devlyn
Series: Steele Ridge: The Blackwells #3
Published by Steele Ridge Publishing on March 6, 2023
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four-stars

Cybersecurity expert Rohan Blackwell left his fellow hackers in the Collective behind to focus on the family business. But when an unusually fruitless background check on a potential contractor coincides with a savage cyberattack, he can’t help but suspect that the two events are connected. Determined to ferret out the beautiful artist’s real story, Rohan soon finds himself distracted by more than her secrets.

Hard work and quick thinking pulled Lena Kamber out of a difficult past and into a successful fine arts reproduction studio. Then disturbing visions of her childhood begin to surface, and she senses malevolent eyes on her at every turn. Add to that, a gorgeous stranger inadvertently helps a burglar steal her latest high-profile commission, a million-dollar painting. With her beloved career on the verge of collapse, Lena turns to a reluctant Rohan to help her recover the stolen artwork.

As Rohan and Lena draw closer to the truth—and each other—the stakes get higher, the bodies pile up, and the two loners unite to stop a vengeful cyberterrorist from destroying a future they have only just begun to imagine.

 

Fast paced and highly addictive! This octane filled third book in the Steele Ridge: The Blackwells series did not disappoint and kept me entertained throughout, but there was as whole lot to wrap your head around. While the multiple side stories did add mystery depth to the main storyline, they also detracted from a cohesiveness that would have drawn the arc together a bit more. None-the-less, I enjoyed Rohan and Lena very much and look forward to more to come in the series.

I recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that loves a suspenseful romance filled with a close knit cast of family and friends that always have each others backs as one brother after another falls for their one.

four-stars