I Would Recommend Maybe
Review
Last updated on 25 Feb 2017 Bear Naked by Katie Kenyhercz - A novella in the Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology First Nations defenceman Bear Thompson wants to spend his day with the Cup back home on the reserve, but first he has to convince his childhood sweetheart and current band chief Aria Paul to give him another chance and that letting the media in won't be the end of the world. The last thing Aria wants to do is fall back in love with the man who broke her heart and left her in the dust, but old feelings spark new ones, and when Bear sets his sights on a goal, it's only a matter of time.
Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology
The New Orleans Cajun Rage professional hockey team just won the Cup. No one thought they'd do it: they were a team of shoulda beens, never coulda beens and a star or two. They'd only been in the Crescent City for three years before this year's Cinderella run that had them skating off the ice with the championship. Over the following summer, each player gets to keep the Cup for a day. Nobody knows why, but whoever has the Cup falls in love. USA Today Bestsellers Robin Covington, Kimberly Kincaid, Nana Malone and Virginia Nelson, Publisher's Weekly Bestseller Angi Morgan, along with Xio Axelrod, Christi Barth, Andie J. Christopher, Avery Flynn, Kim Golden, Lena Hart, Desiree Holt, Robin Kaye, Katie Kenyhercz, Heather Long, Kate Meader, Susan Scott Shelley, and Misty D. Waters bring you 18 romances with smoking hot heroes--both on and off the ice.
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So I know this is a compilation book but I need to find out if any of these authors know about hockey? Call me a prude but I'm from North Carolina where the Hurricanes are and I'm a die-hard hockey fan and I'd like to say an aficionado. While I've been reading several of these, they've made me pause and go WTF? I mean, seriously...have you been to a hockey game? I know it's a novella and there's not a lot you can write in that short amount of space but then just call it something else....Like guys who whine too much. I know...harsh, I just can't get it in my head space to be accepting if you aren't going to do your homework. I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.
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Catch and Release by Laura Drewry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Hope Seaver is an up-and-coming TV producer tackling the hardest gig of her career: a reality show set at the Buoys, a scenic fishing destination owned by three handsome, stubborn brothers. Liam and Finn O’Donnell are willing to tolerate her crew for the sake of the business, but Ronan would rather chew off a limb than open up on camera. Somehow Hope has to convince him of her good intentions—and stop herself from swooning every time Ronan walks into the frame. Ronan knows that he’s the reason his brothers gave up their old lives to run the Buoys, and he needs to make it worth their while. So if this out-of-towner with the kind eyes and dazzling smile wants to give them the free publicity they desperately need, Ronan can’t say no. He just won’t let himself get burned again by a double-dealing woman. But what if Hope’s good-girl routine isn’t an act? When Ronan lets his guard down long enough to catch a glimpse of the real Hope, he likes what he sees—enough to give love another shot. I want to know where Laura Drewry got all her "useless information" for this book lol!! Like do horny toads really bleed from their eyeballs? There were so many uncommon factoids in this book that I felt like I needed to write some down just to have on hand. Hope was so awkward she was hilarious at times. Is there actually a town in Canada called Climax? Or Dildo? Cause they need to change that ASAP. I'm not sure I'd want to live there if it were. The fact is, at times this was a heavy book. It was funny but it also had parts that were equally sad and made you want to cry. To find out why Hope is always so prepared broke my heart...I cried! Hope leaves nothing to chance...you're on a plane and nauseous - she's got mouthwash and crackers, she's also got some napkins and a puke bag. She's always prepared for everything in the giant bag that she takes everywhere with her. She meets Ronan - who I imagine looks like Jason Momoa because who don't we imagine looks like Jason?? Ronan is just a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of guy. He loves the f-word and likes to use it frequently. Hope is a producer for a show about their family and the fishing lodge they own, so think Alaska: The Last Frontier and add in this storyline. After the first season, the shows producers decide to change it up and Hope coming in now as a newbie has to go and smooth over everything because Ronan's response to it all was essentially "F*** that!" What you get are two people who are really quite funny around each other and the family who you've met in the 2 previous books and already love. It's a quirky love story with a quirky hero and heroine and it works! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
The Feeling of Forever by Jamie Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Juliet St. Clair has spent her life under Hollywood's spotlight. While being America's favorite girl next door has had its perks, having to testify against her stalker to put him behind bars certainly wasn't one of them. But when she thinks about walking away from it all, she can't help remembering the enormous pile of medical bills her family is drowning under. Bills that just keep on coming. Felix Donovan had it all--stunning good looks, gorgeous women, and a spot as the drummer to a band that's sitting pretty at the top of the charts. Until one life-altering decision left him paralyzed from the waist down. He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when he wins this year's Sexiest Man award, but the one thing he immediately does is send out a Non-disclosure agreement. Hiding his condition from the public is hard as hell, but he's not ready to face the world while he's still struggling to accept his new reality. Except this year's Sexiest Woman--Juliet St. Clair--never looks at him with pity, only desire. But falling for Juliet means a permanent spot in the tabloids, a decision Felix isn't sure he's ready to make. And when Juliet's stalker re-emerges from her past, Felix's secret isn't the only thing at stake, it could cost Juliet her life. Jamie Howard is a book genius that I rate right up there with Kristen Ashley and Jill Shalvis!! She did an absolute awesome job with this book. Not only do you have romance but you have some suspense and intrigue going on. I loved Jamie's writing style. It kept my attention from the beginning to the very last page and I'm on pins and needles as to the next book. Felix, oh Felix...I freaking love you!! When I read a description of a book I look for something that literally tells a story. I want a plot....I want a beginning, a middle and an ending. I want the full monty. I like to have the fullness of a story told to me. This was that and more. Felix wasn't your average guy. He's a drummer and a year ago he was in an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. To say that he's a little down on life is an understatement. He doesn't really think that he'll ever date or go out again but then he has to do a photo shoot for Sexiest Man of the Year and he meets Sexiest Woman of the Year and they just click with a game of "Would you Rather." Jules is down to earth and she carries the world on her shoulders. She doesn't want to live in the spotlight. In fact, she'd be quite happy living her life in the shadows and being a nobody. Her assistant is the one who makes all her appearances for her since they look so much alike and she likes it that way. She can live on the quiet side of town while her assistant lives in a swanky apartment uptown. The only thing that throws a wrench in everything is the fact that she has a stalker and he just doesn't want to leave her alone...cause hello - stalker?! The thing about this book is, just when you think you know what's going to happen...you're wrong and it's taken in a completely different direction. I thought I knew what was going on because I have some keen detecting skills but I kept going back and forth. Who's the stalker? Will they get to Jules in time? It keeps you on the edge of your seat for the last 25 percent of the book and it's horrible if you have to work the next morning. I came to love Felix's roommate and I can't wait for his book. Seriously, there are just some books where you are like "I read that author, I love that author, I have to read all her other books if she has any." That's the kind of book this is. I would get this for my mother and I believe this is the one I woke her up at 3 a.m. over because of a crucial part in the book because I was like "You will never guess what happened in the book I am reading?" Yes, we are THAT type of family...we wake each other up if we read something that shocks us, makes us laugh, or makes us cry!!!! Well done Jamie Howard on this book! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Undeclared by Julianna Keyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Kellan McVey is Burnham College’s most prolific athlete, partier, and ladies’ man—and that’s just how he likes it. Returning to reign for his third year, he wants nothing to change. Then Andrea Walsh shows up. It wasn’t too long ago that Andi and Kellan were lifelong friends, mortal enemies, and, for one hot summer, more. Then Kellan left and Andi stayed behind. Kellan thought he’d moved past that last summer’s heartbreak, but with Andi sitting next to him in class, befriending his friends, and battling for the same once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity, he’s starting to remember why he hated her…and why he loved her. Kellan has a long list of reasons that falling for Andi again is a terrible idea, though every new moment together challenges that theory. But Andi’s all too familiar with Kellan’s love ’em and leave ’em approach—and she’s found someone else to get serious about. Burnham’s campus king has never had to fight for a girl, but if he wants Andi to give him another chance, he’ll have to do the one thing he’s never had the nerve to do: admit it. I love Kellan!! I felt so sorry for him and I might be the only one who does but part of me just wanted to hug him!! This is a book that I had a bunch of mixed feelings about. The sex in this was OTT but in this case I thought it lent to the storyline. Some authors throw sex in just to throw it in with no purpose whatsoever but in this book, I felt that it worked to help with the story. She did something that made me read it and not put down, which I would have in anything else. Andi is a complicated person. She grew up next door to Kellan and the summer before he left for college they had a sex-filled summer. He didn't want to go away to college a virgin and they decided to see each other that summer and Kellan fell for Andi. It takes Andi a couple of years to get a scholarship to college and when she gets one, it's to the college that Kellan's attending. Wonder of wonders, she acts like she doesn't know him and that ticks him off. Which in turn, also makes him go after her even harder. This was an awesome, quick read and I will read the next book when it comes out. I have a new author that I've added to my list of TBR list. The only caution was that the language and sexual content was excessive at times and that may have taken away from the storyline sometimes. I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Cheater by Rachel Van Dyken
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Lucas Thorn wasn’t born a cheater. All it took was a single moment—say, a certain disastrous incident on the night before his wedding—and boom. Reputation destroyed forever and always. So now he owns it. He has a lady friend for every night of the week (except Sundays—God’s day and all), and his rules are simple: No commitments. No exceptions. But a certain smart-mouthed, strawberry blonde vixen is about to blow that all to hell. Avery Black has never forgiven Lucas for cheating on her sister. And suddenly being forced to work with him is pretty much a nightmare on steroids. Of course, it does afford her the opportunity to make his life as difficult as possible. But no good revenge scheme comes without payback. Because he didn’t become the Lucas Thorn without learning a few things about women. Now Avery’s lust for vengeance has turned into, well, lust. And if Lucas stops cheating, it’s definitely not because he’s falling in love… This book got me out of my book slump...I loved this!!! Avery and Lucas were great together. At first, after the Prologue Lucas was a pig...he had a woman for every day of the week except Sunday. Sunday was his sisters day lol. When he screwed around with a woman in his office in front of Avery, it made me want to reach through the kindle and beat him to death. There were times when you just wanted to shake him...with a hot iron - upside the head :) Avery was one of those characters that's just snarky...she has a sarcastic remark for everything Lucas says. I love that she doesn't take any junk from him. It comes out that he liked her from the beginning and that she's the reason that he didn't marry her sister. He doesn't believe in monogamy and staying with one woman and doesn't realize that one by one he's getting rid of each of the women from his "days of the week." There's some angst, some sex, some love, some sarcasm, some humor and Van Dyken does ALL of this really, really well. She is a master at storytelling and doing it in a humorous way! It's a book you won't want to miss. I know that I'm going to reread it the first chance I get that I'm not speedreading!! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Coming Home by N.J. Walters
My rating: 2 of 5 stars Kansas Fielding and Tobias Slater had always been friends, so when the two indulged in a kiss out of simple curiosity, the depth of the passion they ignited caught them both by surprise, and left them with an insatiable hunger for more. But the next day Tobias was gone, disappearing into a secret life Kansas knew nothing about. Now, two years later—years Kansas has spent building a life and forgetting Tobias—he’s returned, disillusioned and uncertain of his future. Despite the unanswered questions hanging between them, neither can ignore the deep longing stirred up by that one long-ago kiss, and they recklessly surrender to the intensely erotic feelings. And while Kansas knows she’ll do whatever it takes to make Tobias admit his true feelings for her, it’s Tobias who will have to trust in himself to know he’s come home for good. This is a revised edition of a novella that originally appeared in the Taming the Alpha boxed set. I don't usually expect a lot from Novella's because they're short and I know that authors are usually trying to fit a lot into a short format but this book started with sex at probably 8 percent and that's all it was. I gave it 2 stars because it had a plot albeit a plot that was small...it had one. I also gave it 2 stars because it was labeled correctly at being Erotica...it was definitely that! The sex scenes that I didn't skip over were well-written but excessive and I wouldn't let my 18 year-old cousin read them. If you like wham, bam, thank you ma'am then this is your book!! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Take Me Harder by Jackie Ashenden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars Rush Redmond never expected freedom to taste so bittersweet. He spent eight years in jail doing someone else’s time, and for what? As an ex-con, Rush can’t work as a bounty hunter like his brothers—not in Texas. Better to drown his sorrows with a stiff drink and soft curves. Too bad the temptation he craves is a redhead with a badge: Ava St. George. Once upon a time, Rush would’ve done anything for the sheriff’s innocent daughter. Now he’s fighting the urge to let her sweet-talk him into some trouble he can’t afford. Even though she’s a cop, Ava knows that sometimes justice means pushing the boundaries of the law. To track down her mother’s killer, she turns to the man with the county’s criminal underworld in his little black book. The boy she knew is still drop-dead gorgeous, with panty-dropping charm as smooth as his smile. But his sculpted arms and the menacing gleam in his eyes scream “Don’t mess with me.” Yet Ava needs Rush more than ever—in more ways than one. So this was a hard book to rate for me. Usually I like Jackie's books but this one was kind of hard for me. I didn't like the hero...at all. I felt like he was kind of a tool. He could have been nicer to the heroine. Ava had treated Rush as her idol since she was a kid and he treated her now like a male chauvinist. I just didn't feel like they clicked. As a matter of fact I almost didn't finish it when he went to the strip joint and then threw in her face after he slept with her that she wasn't all that. That's a real DNF for me - when a hero treats a heroine like she's a whore and she's not...she just made a bad choice by picking him! It's not a romance, it's not angst because he's tortured - it just makes him a horrible character. I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Her Secret Ranger by Donna Michaels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars By-the-book event planner Beth Brannigan’s best friend dared her to kiss a cowboy. She should have said no. Instead, she said please…again and again. If her brother finds out she’s dating—okay, kissing—okay, sleeping with—one of his military buddies, he’ll kill her. Assuming he doesn’t kill his friend first. Former Army Ranger Brick Mitchum isn’t a relationship kind of guy. But then he meets Beth and starts to wonder if maybe it’s time he settled down. She’s mysterious. Unpredictable. Curvy in every way he needs… And hiding something. He’s just got to figure out what. Brick is one of those guys that keeps everything close and that includes friends and family. Beth loves her brother, who also happens to be Brick's best friend and one of his Ranger buddies. A good part of this book is spent on some lovin' and I'm the type of person who likes some plot to my book, so this was an okay read for me. I must be in a book slump because lately all I'm reading is books that have nothing but sex and no plot. I want a good book with a plot. Throw in some sex and I'm good but if every other page is nothing but sex then I am like an ADHD kid hopped up without their meds...I'm skipping pages and jumping books back and forth. So why the 4 stars? I liked the writing overall and I can overlook the fact that it was overrun with sexual content. What I couldn't overlook was all the pouting Brick did because he couldn't date/sleep with his best friends sister when he thought she wronged him by keeping it a secret that she was "the secret sister." OH MY GOD MAN!!! Grow some man balls and grow up!! It's not the end of the everloving world or maybe it is because you're not getting your 20 times a day sex! LOL. All-in-all, if you want military turned cowboys in a sex-romp - this is the book for you. I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Sugar by Kimberly Stuart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars After realizing her coworkers at L’Ombre, a high-profile restaurant in NYC, will never appreciate or respect her, Charlie Garrett allows her ex-boyfriend, Avery Michaels, to convince her to work for him as executive pastry chef at his new Seattle hotspot, Thrill. She’ll have her own kitchen, her own staff—everything she ever wanted professionally. When she arrives at Thrill, however, she realizes that Avery wanted more than a pastry chef for his restaurant—he wanted a costar for the reality show they’re filming about the restaurant and its staff. Charlie is uncomfortable with the idea at first, but she soon realizes that this is her chance to show the world what women in the kitchen are capable of. She sets some ground rules with the film crew, signs a non-disclosure agreement, and promptly meets the man of her dreams, Kai, off-camera. The show, and her demanding work schedule as head of the pastry kitchen, makes it nearly impossible for Charlie and Kai to spend time together. Drama on and off the set soon take a toll on Charlie’s well-being, forcing her to choose if life in front of the camera is worth sacrificing life behind the scenes. I loved Sugar! Pastry Chef Charlie Garrett is a wonderful, vivacious, pretty, helpful woman who helps her friends and loves to bake!! Sounds like the all-around perfect woman? It's her life and she loves to create and watch people enjoy her creation. The place she works at has a real wanker for a head pastry chef (pun intended!!) That's wanker with a capital W!! She's worked hard to get where she's at and yet the creepy man just mistreats her. Her friend from cooking school, Avery wants her to work with him in Seattle as his head Pastry chef and her best friend Manda, who side note - I, so love!! Anyway, she packs up from New York and heads to Seattle thinking she's going to be top Pastry Chef...Well, she is but with a catch. Avery has been planning a TV Reality Show and the main star is to be Charlie and she doesn't have a clue. I have to tell you that I fell in love with the side characters of Manda, little girl Zara and let me tell ya....when they all go out to the diner to eat - it is hilarious!! I almost wet my pants laughing so hard - so pick you up some poise girls!! When Zara asks Charlie out of the blue and real loud and proud "Aunt Charlie, do you have to go poopy?" I lost it. You have got to read this book. Every person you love has to read this book! There are so many different people that this book will attract. I thought Kai, the owner of the diner and chef was sexy and sweet and just just yummy. We need more Kai's in our life...hint hint Kimberly Stuart! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved everything about this book. It was that good for me. It will make you laugh, make you cry, then make you laugh again and then make you feel freaking good reading it. You ever sit there reading a book and you're just smiling ear to ear because it's that freaking awesome...yeah it's this book! I'd give it 10 stars if I could and I'm stingy with my stars and praise because I'm a picky reader...everyone knows that. They know I base books on plot, sexual content and explicit language and if you have too much of the last two and none of the first then it's a no-go. This book had so much plot and no real explicit language or sex and that is true talent! I can't wait to read any other books from this author. Please do yourself a favor and read this book and then read it again!! This is a book I would definitely share with my mom and she is the pickiest of them ALL!! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Beauty and the Wiener by Casey Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars A TAIL AS OLD AS TIME... Addison Turner has scripted a perfect future for herself, complete with a fairytale ending. She will become the name in doggie fashion design and live happily ever after with the husband of her dreams--and her dachshund, Princess, by her side. Just when her plan is on track and she's gaining recognition at the local dog show, Addison is hit with some Oscar-worthy drama. A group of prize-winning show dogs are stolen from under her nose, and she's stuck asking for help from Felix Vaughn, an infuriatingly hot bartender who is the exact opposite of Prince Charming. When more dogs go missing--and Felix becomes a suspect--the two team up to clear their names. Although Felix and Addison fight like cats and dogs, there's an undeniable spark between them. And as the trail to the missing dogs heats up, so does their red-hot chemistry. Can Addison be persuaded to throw away her script to find an ending that just might be better than she ever expected? I thought this book was going to be like Beauty and the Beast and to a certain extent it is. I really like the mystery of it and the characters. The mystery is one of those that you know from the start who it is...well for me I did. It had some twists and turns and at no time did I think "I'm not finishing this!!" I wish I had read Must Love Wieners first but I didn't because I might have appreciated this more. This isn't a book that you sit down and can't finish in one day and feel just absolute bliss. It's one that you really read over several days and you might read a couple books in between. All in all, I thought the author did an awesome job keeping pace and keeping our attention. I'll definitely read the next one because while it wasn't a wild, sexy romance - not all the time do you need that and I'm not one who needs explicitness in my books. This is one I can recommend to my mom and not be embarrassed that it might have sex or cussing in it. Kudos Casey Griffin!! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Not in My Wildest Dreams by Jamie Hollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars It really sucks to be in love with someone who sees you as nothing more than a friend. Darcy Owens knows this from personal experience. From the moment she met Sean McKenna as a shy ten-year-old, he’s owned her heart. So when he asks for her help with an important construction project, she can’t say no. Building a boutique hotel on Boston’s waterfront is a career-making opportunity, and Sean needs Darcy’s interior design expertise. She’s incredibly talented, and there is no one he trusts more. He knows he can always count on his childhood friend, but doesn’t know why he’s thinking about her tight skirts and blue eyes instead of tight deadlines and blueprints. When Sean and Darcy’s excitement about their work turns into an entirely different kind of excitement, it’s a sexy surprise. But they soon realize that building a new relationship is more challenging than building a new hotel, especially when life-long habits and old insecurities create cracks in the foundation. This book had a really cute premise of girl meets boy at 10 and falls in love with him because he took up for her on a playground and she's been in love with him for 18 years. Boy is just clueless...how often are men just clueless? All the time!! Sean is a magnificent hero. He's just effortless and he genuinely loves Darcy but he's so unsure of himself that he can't be sure of anyone else. This story had me at hello...no it had me at 5 percent. Darcy is a smart aleck, she's sarcastic and snotty sometimes and that's okay because Sean likes her that way. He's the same way. I love the part where they're celebrating and she tells the waitress "Excuse me but could you get your t*ts out of my drink?" How many times have we been out and wanted to say something like this but thought "Nah, I'll sensor myself.." Darcy doesn't sensor. I don't really think she knows the meaning of the word. My all-time favorite is where they're out to dinner with friends, they run into Lisbeth who's an Ex of Sean's. From the the description you get she's just a mean character and promiscuous to boot. Lisbeth says to Sean: "You think about me in the mornings?" Darcy wanted to vomit. "He can't help but think about you every morning. He's been living in fear that his night of poor judgement in high school will come back to haunt him. Lisbeth and herpes are synonymous, after all." "Darcy! What the hell!" Lisbeth slapped Darcy on the shoulder before turning around to look at her date, "I don't have herpes." Darcy is no push over except with Sean. She doubts herself with him and she's not a strong person when she's with him. I think EVERY woman can relate to Darcy. We all have our doubts but especially when we're around someone we love like Darc loves Sean. Sean on the other hand is always used to being second fiddle to his sister Megan and he doesn't know how to be first in Darcy's world. Sex he can do, unattachments he can do but he can't do love until she yells it at him. This was an absolute gem of a book and I would recommend it to everyone. My one tiny pet peeve....the sex and language. I really wish they had like a clean version and a spicy version because they would make lots of money on books if they did that!! I'm not joking. So many times my friends are saying, I would love to read the books you review but they had too much sex and language and they're right. I know that in today's society that's okay but man would authors make a lot if they had 2 versions. So, if you don't mind skipping over the sex and ignoring the cussing then buy the book!!! It's definitely worth the hours it took to read! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Turbulent Waters by Melody Anne
My rating: 2 of 5 stars Coast Guard pilot Nick Armstrong savors the taste of danger. But after his helicopter crashes into the ocean during a mission, shattering his knee, he encounters a whole different type of thrill when he meets his new physical therapist. Maybe being grounded isn’t so bad after all. Smart, sexy, and deeply guarded, Chloe Reynolds is the type of woman who drives Nick crazy for all the right reasons. But as she tries to help him heal, Chloe struggles to keep her heart—and secrets—safe. For years, she has been told that Nick is responsible for her brother’s death, a “fact” that she slowly learns may not contain the entire truth. But can Chloe’s growing feelings for Nick, and their undeniable chemistry, really overcome a years-long family feud? Or will the past ultimately destroy the future they both desperately want? This book was like watching a train crash and not being able to stop it...I just hated it!! It had DNF written all over it. Written on the front, back, all around, top, bottom and in-between the pages....Like for real. I hate saying that! I really hate saying anything bad about any book because I think you can usually find at least a couple redeeming qualities in any book if you try hard enough. I'm usually so lenient when it comes to my stars because I KNOW the work it takes to put into a book but THIS book set my teeth on edge! Can I just say that I have never in my almost 40 years - Yes 40 years...never wanted to nag slap a hero and I don't think I would call Nick a hero, by the way!! Side note - I think he's a man-child who doesn't listen to ANYTHING! I usually love Melody Anne's books but Nick, he had me wanting to bat for the other team! Seriously, I almost took up a whole new genre of books after reading about him and his needs, his wants and how he wanted it. Here's a hint for all the guys out there: If you want a woman and think being cocky about it is the way to go about it, go ahead but you're gonna come across as a dick and douche canoe which is what this guy was. If some dude showed up in my room buck naked and demanded I tell him "yes" I'd attach the prongs of a stun gun to his naked hiney (or something else) and light him up. Try it and see if I'm kidding! Chloe should have diagnosed him with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and got the heck out of dodge, thrown him some meds from a safe distance away and said buh-bye! Now, maybe I'm being old and harsh but maybe I'm being smart in a world filled with men who think they can treat women any way they want because of the Fifty Shades of Grey craze and No I haven't seen it and I'm not going to. So while I usually love Melody, I didn't love this book and I can't recommend it to women who I respect. I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's View all my reviews
Close to Home by Lily Everett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars When Tessa Alexander came to Sanctuary Island, she left behind a marriage to a man who didn’t love her the way she loved him. When she finally found the strength to set them both free, she discovered friendship and self-acceptance in her adopted hometown. Now she’s settled into a quiet life on her own—never expecting to see her husband again. Johnny spent almost two years deep undercover, unable to let his wife into his cold, dangerous world. He’s shaken to the core when he comes home to find her gone. It’s painfully clear that Tessa is no longer the timid young woman he married—she’s become a force of nature, a brave and determined beauty. Johnny can’t let her go without a fight so he sets out to seduce his own wife. But will passion alone be enough to convince Tessa that her new life should include a second chance at happiness with a man who must learn to believe in love? I loved this book! I loved Tessa. I thought she was the best heroine I had read since...in a while. This had some really great moments that left me sighing. I love Lily Everett and there hasn't really been a book she's written that I've been like "I don't like this book!" I've liked them all because they're all different in some way, shape or form. Johnny, oh we all want a guy like him. In my mind I kept picturing him as Chris Pine in This Means War...well because he was HOT in that movie!! My recommendation is get this book and just dive in...kick your kids to the grandmothers house and kick your husband out to somewhere because it's way worth it!! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
Somebody Like You by Donna Alward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Aiden Gallagher was only five years old when he appeared in a photograph on the Kissing Bridge. The town of Darling, Vermont, has used Aiden’s image on the famed bridge—local legend has it that a kiss there results in everlasting love—as part of its tourism campaign. Now, twenty years later, Aiden is asked to recreate the moment with the woman he once kissed: Laurel Stone. Recently divorced, there’s nothing Laurel wants less than to pretend happily-ever-after with Aiden. As teenagers, their romance was no fairy tale—and Laurel has never quite forgiven Aiden for breaking her heart. But now that she is back in her hometown, and keeps bumping into police officer Aiden, Laurel can’t deny that there’s still a strong flicker between her and her old flame. Could it be that the Kissing Bridge is working its magic on Laurel and Aiden—and that all true love ever needed was a second chance? I'm a giant Donna Alward fan and I've found that every book she writes I like. The next one more than the first one. Aidan was an awesome hero and I want one of him for myself. The reason that women like me read these books are because authors like Ms. Alward know how to write romance. Not erotica but real romance. This had sweet build up and sometimes it was bumpy. I liked that. I like small town police stories that have folk lore behind them...it brings back memories of childhood and that makes for a 5 star read. Aidan could cuff me and put me in the back of his police car any day and I wouldn't really mind....as a matter of fact - I might give Laurel a run for her money!! She was great as a heroine but I would have rather knocked her to the side to take her side...wink wink!! Get this book, because it is worth the time and effort to read! I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews
For Finlay by J. Nathan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Finlay Thatcher is a lost soul, guilt-ridden after the death of her twin brother. When Alabama's football coach gives her the opportunity to work for him, she knows it's her chance to move on, even if it means living her brother's dream. Caden Brooks is Alabama's star quarterback. He's got it all. The attention of adoring fans. A girlfriend who'd do anything to hold on to him. And a future in the pros. He's getting along just fine until Finlay steps into his life, despising him at first sight and pushing his buttons like no other. Unfortunately for Finlay, and her attempt to keep Caden at arm's length, there's nothing Caden loves more than a challenge. The problem with this challenge is she comes with a secret that has the power to destroy everything. This is exactly the kind of book I like to sit down to on a weekend when I'm resting and read. I would put J. Nathan up there with Amy Harmon on my list of authors that I would want to be trapped on an island with to fight off zombies!! That is no lie y'all! They both know how to write heart-tugging, heartwarming romance that settles in your soul and doesn't let go. I will no more be forgetting For Finlay than I will be forgetting Making Faces for the some of the same reasons and some different.. You have a very strong heroine (Finlay) and a hero (Caden) who doesn't really see himself as a hero but sees himself like everyone else sees him...Quarterback that everyone wants to be. Winning all the games, making all the grades, dating the head of the sorority but he likes Finlay because she speaks to his soul in a way that no one else does. Finlay is the teams water girl and she's there to heal from what's happened in her past. She can't make the past go away and she can't make it better but maybe she can learn to live with the mistakes of yesterday. What she can't live with is that she hates the quarterback with a passion and that he's living a life he doesn't deserve, one her brother should have had if he had been alive. What she didn't count on is liking him when she thought she hated him. This is a story of a young woman who's trying to come to terms with the fact that her mistakes can't be fixed, she can't say sorry to the one person that was a part of her and how is she supposed to move on when she doesn't really know who she is without him? Her brother was with her for her whole life and now he's not and dealing with that when you're a twin is even harder than Finlay thought. She's handling life but she isn't living it. For me, this book had it all - sorrow, angst, love, romance, humor, and that one person that you can't stand no matter what you do. You'd rather stab her with a hot poker than read about her but you know the author threw the girlfriend in there just so you'd have someone to kick the cat over. I didn't really kick the cat because 1) I don't have a cat 2) That would be wrong 3) Cats should be swung gently LOL :) Everyone that reads my reviews knows I hate misunderstandings and there's one in this but it works because it gives Caden that needed "Pow!" to get him to follow through on telling Finlay how he feels and also to move the story along. I found the writing to be superb, witty, the pacing was well-timed, sometimes the romance part was rushed and could have used a little bit of a slow build but it was sufficient. The language wasn't terrible or overrun with profanity. I would definitely buy this and let my mother read it and I probably will. I will probably keep this on my reread shelf when I want something that speaks to my heart, yet doesn't make me cry my face off all night long. Well done J. Nathan! You did a splendid job with this book and I'm really looking forward to your book with Forester's story because I thought he was a stand up guy. I hope I get to read his story as an ARC because I'm chomping at the bit for more about the team, Sabrina, Finlay and Caden. I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's. View all my reviews |
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