Book Reviews

KISSING LESSONS by Stefanie London

11/9/2020

Anyone who has read my reviews knows that I’m a huge fan of Stefanie London. Let me tell you, KISSING LESSONS, didn’t let me down. I loved so much about this book: a curvy heroine who puts family first, but doesn’t let life’s lemons keep her down. Add in a smart, sweet hero who has a soft spot for his grandmother, and our heroine…Perfection.

The chemistry between Audrey and Ronan sparked from the first moment and just kept building, giving us a tender, romantic, yet very sexy romance.

As in all Stefanie London books, the secondary characters really rounded out the storyline and added additional depth and emotion (and laughter…can you say, mean llama). The author does include a serious subject matter (death, grief, a family shaken), but it’s handled in a gentle and kind manner. This is also a student/teacher romance in the beginning, but again it was handled in a professional and responsible manner (she’s an adult…26, part-time student, and he’s only a few years older).

You would think looking at Audrey and Ronan’s backgrounds, their priorities, and goals, there is no way these two will end up with a HEA, but in reality, they were the perfect match. In KISSING LESSONS, you get a sweet, fun, sexy romance, and may even win the next pub trivia challenge!

I highly recommend KISSING LESSONS and can’t wait for the next installment in this new series.

GUARDIAN’S GRACE by Rebecca Zanetti

10/19/2020

Zanetti is a master at writing alpha heroes you love, and would love to slap, all at the same time. Not to mention page turning action from start to finish, with just enough breathing room to fall in love with the characters. Guardian’s Grace did not disappoint.

I loved Grace’s feistiness, and brains. And fell hopelessly for Adare, a man who didn’t believe in love, but fiercely believes in loyalty and protecting those in his circle. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but these two were a perfect fit. Let’s also just say, I can’t wait to read Benny’s story.

This book is part of a series and can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading the entire series in order as there is a higher, over-arching story thread.

IN A HOLIDAZE by Christina Lauren

10/6/2020

If you’re a fan of holiday books, Ground Hog’s Day (the movie) and Christina Lauren (all of which, I am) then this is definitely a book you should check out.

I loved the mish-mash of families and friendships that came together in this story, complete with traditions, good-natured ribbing, a bit of drama, and lots of love.

Considering the circumstances of the story, Mae handled things pretty well. I mean, most people would just have themselves checked in to a psych ward if they started to repeat the same day over and over. But Mae did a fairly good job of trying to figure things out. More importantly, she used the do-over to go after her dreams, and I loved that.

Andrew was sweet, romantic, shy and yet not a push-over. He might be one of my favorite book heroes that I’ve read in quite some time.

Overall, this was a fun, happy, laugh-out-loud book that made me smile.

Trust Fund Fiancé by Naima Simone

9/1/2020

Naima Simone is a master at character chemistry, character conflict, and smoking hot love scenes. I’ve never read a Naima Simone book I didn’t love, and Trust Fund Fiancé didn’t let me down.

The writing was sharp, the characters had chemistry, and it was so much fun to watch these two try to deny what was happening between them. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite story types. Throw in a caring, sweet, helpful hero, and I’m a goner. Which is describes Zeke perfectly.

Yes, Zeke would benefit a little from their union, but it was mostly Reagan who would reap the rewards. Although, I don’t think either realized when they tied the knot, exactly what those rewards were.

I love that Reagan was Zeke’s champion against her parents and those that snubbed him. Those were totally magical moments that made you see how perfect these two were for each other. Zeke was strong, yet caring. And while Reagan came off, at first, as a spoiled little rich girl, she had substance and depth that made me really want to fight for these two to be together.

I found Trust Fund Fiancé a compelling read. I loved the romance and am intrigued by the mystery surrounding the Wingate’s and what looks to be their fall from grace.

Her Aussie Holiday by Stefanie London

8/25/2020

If you read my review on The Aussie Next Door, you’ll know that I totally feel in love with Patterson’s Bluff and its residents, especially the Walters family. I was so happy to return to this wonderful world with Her Aussie Holiday, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Trent is so much fun. He’s super sweet, playful and very caring of those around him. He may come off like he’s as deep as a puddle in the first book, and even at the beginning of this one, but he’s truly so much more. Cora was someone I could really relate to: a bit unsure of herself, lots of self-doubt about expressing herself, but wanting so much more.

Together these two are simply fun, sexy, playful, and a perfect match.

This book was, in my humble opinion, the perfect pick-me-up book. Lots of fun scenes between the two (OMG! The glitter scene!), as well as with the secondary characters. Not to mention, there is a sassy, back-talking cockatoo to fall in love with. I’m completely ready to pack my bags and head down under and live in this world. A must read for anyone looking for something that will make them laugh, as well as tug at their heartstrings.

HONEYSUCKLE SEASON by Mary Ellen Taylor

8/4/2020

I devoured this book. Mary Ellen Taylor has a magnificent talent for weaving the secrets of the past into the present.

This was such a wonderful story of five women, their friendships, their familiar ties, their strengths, weakness, and their love. I enjoyed each and every character equally. When I was in Libby’s point of view, I was lost in her life, yet I couldn’t wait to get back to Sadie. The same for when I was reading Sadie’s chapters, and wanting to know what was going on with Olivia, and so on.

My heart broke for each of these women over the blows that life as dealt them. Sadie and Olivia have such a wonderful, unexpected friendship. While their story clutched at my heartstrings, I couldn’t help cheering on their resolve to succeed and their devotion to each other. Libby’s story is equally touching with the trials and tribulations she’s suffered. I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was going to be okay. And it was fun watching her come back “to life” as sweet sparks flew between her and Colton. While Margaret and Elaine are more secondary characters, by the end of the book, I felt like they were old friends.

Overall, this was a fabulous tale of how women can and do endure, how we are not the weaker sex, and most importantly, that love, whether it is the romantic kind or more often that of friends, can and does win in the end.

I highly recommend any book by Mary Ellen Taylor.

RomeAntically Challenged by Marina Adair

7/30/2020

5 Stars Straight Up Fun

I’ve been a fan of Marina Adair for years. She writes cute, fun, sexy romances, but this newest book, RomeAntically Challenged was something more. Something better.

While it was in no doubt a romance, it was also about family, friends, loss, and discovery.

I loved the friendship between the “3 dads” (bio, step and uncle). The razzing, the not putting up with each other’s excuses and the total love and support they had for “their” daughter. They were fiercely protective. Totally at a loss of dealing with a teen. But most importantly, they loved her unconditionally.

Annie’s journey was a bit heart-breaking at times to read. All you have to do is read the author’s letter to understand how close to home this was for her. I would think her being stuck between two worlds, not quite feeling like she fit in with either, might resonate with many people out there, especially those adopted or even raised in blended families. I loved watching her discover more of her culture. I also loved that while she’s had some rotten luck in romantic love and she’s feeling caught in-between, she’s still a strong woman. She’s smart, funny, kind and just the kind of woman to rock Emmitt’s world.

Emmitt has his own issues to deal with (his two co-parents, his daughter, his dad, his job, and his own insecurities). It’s a lot to tackle in a novel, but I thought the author did a great job of balancing all that baggage the characters were lugging around with the romance, which was fun and sexy. The banter and texting between Ahn (Annie) and Emmitt was spot-on funny to smoking hot.

This was definitely a feel good, funny, warm, breath of fresh air and I’m really looking forward to Gray and Levi’s stories.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks

7/25/2020

I fell in love with this world while reading Eight Simple Rules of Dating a Dragon. I meant to go back and read the first two, but time got away from me and here we are at book five. Clearly, I will be going back and reading the others. Normally, I never read a series out of order. It worked for books 3 and 5, but I recommend reading them in order as there is an overarching storyline.

One of the characters I absolutely fell for when I picked up this series was Brody, so it’s no wonder I didn’t want to wait to read his story. But surprisingly, it wasn’t Brody who shined the brightest in this story…it was Maeve. She’s the baby of the five sisters and treated as such. At times, she comes across as very young…well, she is. But she grew in maturity, strength and confidence throughout this story. She absolutely deserved not only her happily ever after, but the role she has found herself in not just by marrying Brody (relax, it’s PNR…everyone gets a HEA), but by birthright.

As for Brody and Maeve’s love story, it’s sweet and simple, with a few bumps in the road. After all, he is a dog twenty-two hours of the day. But these two don’t let that get in their way…much. Actually, this story was so much more about their pasts. Both have a few shocks in store for them and it’s the way that they handled it that made me love them all the move. Overall, they were great characters with lots of spunk.

There’s also a bonus romance plot line in the book, that of Colonel Nevis Harden, Brody’s best friend. I’ll just say that the author gave him the perfect woman to keep him on his toes. I almost liked their romance even more. Almost.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea was a wonderful wrap up of the Embraced series and I recommend this to paranormal romance fans.

Just Another Silly Long Song, by Rich Amooi

7/12/2020

I picked up my first Rich Amooi book and honestly, I’m not sure why it took me so long. I’ve heard nothing but praise for this author and it was all true.

JASLS was cute, funny, a little silly at times, but made me smile from start to finish. The banter between these two was fantastic. I loved the progression of their dislike for each other to learning there was more beneath the surface, to their friendship and falling in love. The grand gesture was adorable and so perfect for the heroine, and for the hero - Dr. Tough Love - to prove himself.

The angst was low (which was nice, as there’s too much of that in the world right now and I really needed an escape), and the “dark moment” was believable. (Spoiler…I know it was something a simple conversation could fix..but that happens in real life more than we think.) Overall, I give this book two thumbs up and definitely 5 stars for the hours of pure enjoyment it brought.

BITTERSWEET by Sarina Bowen

6/6/2020

I’m always a little hesitant when contemporary romance books are written in first person, but wow, Sarina Bowen did an outstanding job of pulling me in and keeping me engaged with the characters. While the story does start off a little slow, letting us get a good insight into both Griff and Audrey, once it hit the quarter mark, it took off. The “Shower Scene” was smoking hot. I’d put it on par with Roxanne St. Claire’s “Shed Scene” and that’s saying something.

Audrey and Griff were cute as a couple. Definitely a case of opposite attracts, but I loved how Audrey brought out his softer side. And Griff, while a little on the grumpy side (she even calls him Grumpy Griff), when it came to Audrey and his family, he was everything you’d want a romance hero to be. I found the story to be sweet, sexy, and charming. The secondary characters, everyone from Zara, the bartender, to the hired hands, to Griff’s extensive family made this story come to life.

I will give one trigger warning: the scene with the pig…Let’s just say he’s going to be dinner, and I might never eat ham again. I had to skip a few pages there.

Otherwise, it was a great story and I’m really looking forward to reading more by Sarina Bowen.