4 STARS!

With her latest in the Big Sky Cowboys series, Nicole Helm brings us a story filled with past heartache, new dreams and an adorable lil’ princess bringing the two together!  Great characters keep you hoping for a happily ever after to give them the future they deserve.

Summer Shaw is spending the time right before the holidays trying to find a place to fit in with her family.  She’s has a happy-go-lucky, people pleasing attitude, and wants to be needed.  When a precious little girl wanders up to her and thinks she’s a fairy princess, she just melts!

Thack Lane lost his wife years ago now, but he hasn’t moved on with his life.  He spends all of his time simply taking care of all his responsibilities and doesn’t even want more.  With the heartache he’s been through, he just expects that to be the life that he’s going to lead.  When his young daughter takes a shine to the quirky neighbor, he begrudgingly agrees to let them spend time together.  As Summer gives his daughter the bubbly atmosphere she’s been missing, Thack can’t help but admire the beautiful woman she is.  Will these two find the start of their happily ever after before the holidays even get here?

ARC received via NetGalley

5 STARS!

A fun and quirky delve into St. Helena Vineyards Kindle World!  It was a joy to see the old characters coming to life with the new!  Lots of laughs throughout.

Sage Mathews has recently moved to St. Helena to help save her grandfather’s newspaper, the St. Helena Sentinel … and also with hope of finding true love like everyone else in town seems to be doing lately!

Parker Edwards isn’t happy to be sent to smalltown California, but his goal is to get in and get out while proving his grandfather wrong in his assumption that Parker can’t handle the job. He sees it as an easy solution of converting the paper to digital which will make it profitable again.

Sage can’t stand hearing that her grandfather’s legacy would be destroyed like that, and sets out to show Parker what an integral part of the community the Sentinel truly is.

ARC received via the Author

4 1/2 STARS!

I’m not usually one to believe the “end of the world” type stories all that much, but I have to say this one was well written and the characters hooked me.  Sure, there were some inconsistencies and some parts where I wanted more detail building up to something instead of having to assume such and such happened, but overall, I was invested in the story and was not putting the book down until I saw how it ended.

Aaden Munoz was living a carefree life as a handyman in California when all of a sudden he hears that an epidemic is ending the world.  He packs up and heads to a campground he knows to ride it out.  Over the next 4 years, he’s joined by other individuals or groups that made their way there to set up their own little family helping each other grow food and figure out how to survive.

Digger is their latest recruit, and over time, they learn that she is a former government operative, and is currently drowning in grief.  Shortly after she arrives, things start happening around the camp.  Things disappearing, vandalism, and worse.  Is she doing it, or is one of their own trying to send a message?

ARC receive via the Author/VA

3 1/2 STARS!

You get a bit of a “been there, done that” feel with this book at first, but the more you read, the more you like the actual characters.  There’s definitely a good bit of monotony as it seems to take days and days to drive 150 miles, and the story goes on with it seeming like they are going to just keep adding to their crew and never see any resolution.  Without knowing what the other books in the series hold, I can’t speculate on whether the outcome will be worth it.  Overall, not bad, you have a vested interest in the characters as you read but it could stand some more excitement.

Ashlyn Glass’s life changes in the blink of an eye when her older sister goes through an experimental medical treatment that turns out to not have been a good thing.  She watches her die in front of her eyes, come back to life, and die again.  She barely escapes from danger herself and only with the help of a neighbor friend.  They band together with some more people when the town begins to become a madhouse, and head toward a haven that might be their only chance at safety.  Along the way, they forge friendships with several more people and build a trust between them to look out for each other and make themselves into a new version of a family unit.

ARC received via Author/VA

5 STARS!

In the first book of a new “Maids Under the Mistletoe” series, Christy McKellen brings us a sweet reunion story!  The characters are easy to connect with and had me hoping for a happily ever after from the beginning.

Emma Carmichael has had a rough few years, and she can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel when she’s suddenly thrust into turmoil again!  She never expected to be serving drinks at a party her boss was hosting to Jack Westwood, the new Earl of Redminster  … and her secret husband!

Jack is shocked to see Emma after all of these years and mistakenly announces to the party that they are married.  When the press catches wind of it and madness ensues, Jack recommends they appear to be living as man and wife until it dies down.  As they try to fight the feelings that never died between them, will they realize that they are still meant to be?

ARC received via the Author/VA

4 STARS!

A quirky take on a feminized Robin Hood tale with a hint of romance!

When so-called tax collectors raid her village, feisty Robyn vows to get their stuff back!  She rallies together with friends and family to try to overtake the bad guys.  Along the way, they meet with problems and have to work on the other side of the law somewhat themselves, but always with the intent of helping those less fortunate.

ARC received via Author/VA

5 STARS!

I loved Fritha’s story!  It’s been such fun getting to know this group of four childhood friends who have remained friends throughout their lives.  They come together to support each other through fun, laughter, and pain and always have each other’s backs.  Fritha has always been the wild one, and in this book, we get a peek inside her past that explains her a whole lot more than we ever knew.

Fritha Wynde is all about having a good time and living life for the pleasure you can get out of it!  She’s happy with her dream job of running a teahouse, but when she finds out a notorious bad boy food critic is coming to visit, she’s livid!

Maxwell Banks is known for his irritable attitude and just plain mean demeanor!  He hates Fritha’s teahouse on sight, but as he spends time going through the location with Fritha, he can’t deny that he’s drawn to her.  Through barbed exchanges, they get to know a little about each other and like what they see!  He’s prudish and she’s promiscuous … how can they find a common ground?

ARC received via Author/VA

5 STARS!

A sweet take on finding love when you least expect it!  Really enjoyable characters!

Holly Abrams has been steering clear of her boss for weeks now.  They agreed after their one passion filled night together to go on about their business and pretend it didn’t happen.  Neither of them believes in all that love and happily ever after nonsense.  They’ve both loved and lost before.

Suddenly called on to join Finn on his luxury yacht to work on a crucial charity project, Holly can’t deny that the sparks are still there between them.  She falls ill and assumes it’s motion sickness, but it turns out she’s pregnant … with twins!  Will the figure out a way to combine their lives for the sake of their upcoming children?

ARC received via the Author