May 9, 2025

* Review * SOMONE TO TEMPT by Michelle Major

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Someone To Tempt by Michelle Major
Series: The Skylark Series #2
Published by Romilda House on May 22, 2025
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I’ve spent my whole life playing by the rules. It’s time to break a few…

Work hard. Do the right thing. Be a good girl. That’s how I survived growing up with a scandal-magnet mother and a brother who treated troublemaker like a part-time job. I thought if I followed the rules, I could outrun the chaos.

For the most part, I have. Being mayor of Skylark is everything to me, and I want to belong here. But competence and responsibility aren’t the crowd-pleasing campaign qualities that will get me re-elected in this small town.

So I sign up for a ballroom dance class, determined to show everyone this good girl knows how to have fun. Then he walks in.

Jake Byrne. The reckless rule-breaker who ruined my family’s reputation and broke my heart.

I hate him. Obviously.

But hating is a lot harder with his body pressed against mine, moving like we’re made for each other. Turns out, Jake isn’t just gorgeous. He’s charming, perceptive, and what’s worse? He makes me feel. Everything.

And when he kisses me, I shatter right along with the rules.

Just when I start to believe in second chances, a scandal from my past threatens our future. Jake swears he’s in this for real—but I’ve been burned before. Trusting him might be the biggest temptation of all.

Smalltown emotional goodness! With the second book in her new Skylark series, Michelle Major takes her reader back into the heart of Skylark, Colorado with Mayor Iris Dixon’s story. She’s spent her life outrunning memories and scandal thanks to a dysfunctional family, but she’s finally settled into the place that captured her heart. When her childhood crush AKA “the man that helped ruin her life” comes back onto the scene, all bets are off and emotions are holding all the cards. I loved Iris and Jake and really enjoyed getting to know their background and watching them find their way into a really heartwarming relationship. Lots of drama, well developed worlds and great characters will steal your heart with this series!

I highly recommend this book as well as the first in the series to anyone who enjoys a smalltown romance with lots of friendship, community and angst as love finds a way to heal all.

* Review * DYING TO MEET YOU by Sarina Bowen

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen
Published by Harper Perennial on May 13, 2025
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Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she’s a mess. She knows that stalking her ex’s avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she’s out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms.

Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car.

Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.

But Rowan isn’t the only one keeping secrets. As she digs for the truth, she discovers the dead man was stalking her too, gathering intimate details about her job and her past.

Struggling to clear her name, Rowan finds herself spiraling into the shadowy plot that killed him.

Will she be the next to die?

Diabolically twisty … but in such a down-to-earth way! Sarina Bowen is turning on the angst and is sure to delight her mystery fans with Rowan Gallagher’s story. We get a very natural connection with the storyline and characters before things begin to take a turn and we are thrust into a mystery we don’t see coming. I really enjoyed Rowan and her story. She’s easy to like, her peril is well-developed and we get a story of family in addition to the mystery going on in the forefront. Loved every minute!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a whodunnit with lots of twists with likable characters and bits of family along the way.