Tag Archives: contemporary romance

book reviews, Romance

Review ~ A Teaspoon of Trouble by Shirley Jump

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Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Type-A chef Carolyn Henderson has walked away from her job at a trendy NYC restaurant after an abrupt family tragedy. Now, as a guardian to her four-year-old niece, Emma, and a very disobedient mutt – kids and dogs are so not her skill set – moving back to Marietta, Montana seems the best temporary option. But when confronted by her parents’ declining health, Carolyn has to face reality. And she’s going to need some serious help. So who better to ask than Matthew West, a blast from her high school past… and as hunky and helpful as ever.

Vet – and very eligible, if reluctant, Bachelor – Matthew West can’t believe his luck when his high school crush stumbles through his door. Dogs, kids, and gorgeous damsels in distress. Carolyn needs help with the pup, and he needs help whipping up delicious concoctions for the Bachelor Bake-Off. So she wants to make a deal: dog obedience lessons for cooking tips… but Matthew wants to broker quite a bit more…

In A Teaspoon of Trouble we meet Carolyn Henderson, a talented NYC chef who has just lost her sister and brother in law and was now tasked with raising her adorable little niece Emma. So back to Montana the girls go, with Carolyn hoping her parents can help her be the mom her sister knew she could. Only her parents are aging and filled with grief, which means she has to figure it out. But Carolyn runs into the high school boyfriend she’d left without a backwards glance, and Matt is better than she remembered. A small town vet, he loves his life but wishes for more. For love and marriage. Shirley Jump has written a fun small town romance that includes a fun bachelor bake off for charity, moonlight kisses and tons of romance.

Where Shirley Jump excels in A Teaspoon of Trouble is creating the small town atmosphere with fun, small town characters, plenty of adorable animals and we can’t forget little Emma who is absolutely precious. And Matt was incredible; hot and generous and kind. But Carolyn was kind of hard to like for much of the story because she was so focused on what she wanted that she never thought about Emma, only her career. It was kind of repetitive but she got her stuff together in time to redeem herself, at least in this reader’s eyes.

There were also some really great moments filled with emotions, particularly a late night scene with Carolyn and her niece. Those scenes gave this book the depth it needed to be more than your average romance novel.

Holiday

Happy Holidays!!!

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Happy holidays to you and those you love, and thank you all for helping to make 2017 a wonderful year filled with great stories, amazing authors and fun friends. Here’s to an even better 2018!


If you need something to keep you busy over the long holiday, be sure to check out these #99cents reads!

Ally & Archer.
They were the quintessential ‘it’ couple. Young, beautiful and ambitious. Everyone said they had what it took to make it. That they would last. She had stupidly believed it. All of it.
Hook, line & sinker.
Then he’d walked away and never looked back.
Never knew what he left behind.
Years later he finally returned to the place where they’d grown up. Met. Fell in love. Smiling and looking all handsome with his big strong SEAL body, and turning Ally’s carefully constructed world upside down.
But Archer realized his mistake and though it took some time, he was ready to make it right. For everyone involved.
And Christmas in Blissful was the perfect setting for magic, romance and a rekindled flame.
Can Archer and Ally find a way to let go of the past and reach for a future beyond Christmas Day?

💚❄️🔥……….Buy Links……….💚❄️🔥
US: http://amzn.to/2BxmII3
UK: http://amzn.to/2Bmc0aC
AU: http://amzn.to/2BHWjYt
CA: http://amzn.to/2BEJlKM

💚💫💚💫💚💫#EmeraldCreekSummer💚💫💚💫💚💫

DRE never returned to Emerald Creek after the man she thought she’d marry broke her heart. But a late night phone call from half way around the world brings her right back to her hometown. And face to face with the man she never thought she’d seen again. Summer in Emerald Creek was everything she remembered—endless festivals, picnics in the park and time with her best friend and her favorite little tykes—and Dre is finding it hard to resist the pull of the chemistry she and Erick still have.

ERICK made the biggest mistake of his life all those years ago but the result, his adorable little girl, was the best thing that ever happened to him. He’d done the right thing, or at least he’d tried to but his marriage hadn’t worked despite all that it had cost him. But now that Dre was back in Emerald Creek the universe had given him a second chance this summer, to put back together what he’d broken. To reclaim the only woman he’s ever truly loved.

Can one summer recall a lifetime of memories and rekindle a love that never really went away?

US: http://amzn.to/2eERVP9
UK: http://amzn.to/2xadNNE
AU: http://amzn.to/2gKNlD6

After losing her birth parents and her adopted parents Alexis Mabry is used to being alone. So after a year of bad dates with everyone from sugar babies to cross dressers, she decides to stop dating altogether and focus on what matters most: her business and her friends in Mustang Prairie.

When she meets a handsome stranger on vacation she starts to wonder if maybe its time to get back in the game.

Baxter Thompsen spent the last decade building his empire to the exclusion of everything but sex. Now tired of the socialites and starlets, he wants someone real. When he finds her, Alex only wants a vacation fling and it’s up to Baxter to show her that lust is great, but love is everything.

Is it lust, is it like or are Baxter and Alex just a little bit in love?

US: http://amzn.to/1L9772p
UK: http://amzn.to/2eElzmQ

Holiday, New Releases, Romance, Sales

LIVE ~ Second Chance eX-mas by N.D. Jackson

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#LIVE #secondchanceromance #smalltownlove #99cents

Title: Second Chance eX-mas
Author: N.D. Jackson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: Cosmin Arnautu
Release Date: December 21st, 2017

💚❄️🔥……….Synopsis……….💚❄️🔥
Ally & Archer.
They were the quintessential ‘it’ couple. Young, beautiful and ambitious. Everyone said they had what it took to make it. That they would last. She had stupidly believed it. All of it.
Hook, line & sinker.
Then he’d walked away and never looked back.
Never knew what he left behind.
Years later he finally returned to the place where they’d grown up. Met. Fell in love. Smiling and looking all handsome with his big strong SEAL body, and turning Ally’s carefully constructed world upside down.
But Archer realized his mistake and though it took some time, he was ready to make it right. For everyone involved.
And Christmas in Blissful was the perfect setting for magic, romance and a rekindled flame.
Can Archer and Ally find a way to let go of the past and reach for a future beyond Christmas Day?

💚❄️🔥……….Buy Links……….💚❄️🔥
US: http://amzn.to/2BxmII3
UK: http://amzn.to/2Bmc0aC
AU: http://amzn.to/2BHWjYt
CA: http://amzn.to/2BEJlKM

💚❄️🔥……….About The Author……….💚❄️🔥
N.D. Jackson is the author of sweet and sexy contemporary romances, with an emphasis on the quirky fun and idiosyncrasies of small town living. Her stories have been called fun, steamy, witty and hot. She loves to write about tough heroines who find love when they’re not looking for it and larger-than-life heroes who would never give up on the right girl. She lives in a flat in Germany with her husband who occasionally interrupts her in the writing cave to ask for her delicious vegan Pho or to sweep her off on a weekend adventure. The heroines in her books are a combination of her ‘GIRLS’ and people from her travels who’ve left lasting impressions.

Most importantly, she wants you to know the sassy older women in her books are thanks to the strongest women she knows, her grandmothers.

💚❄️🔥……….Follow ND……….💚❄️🔥
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MustangPrairieBooks
Website: https://ndjacksonwritinstuff.com/
Twitter: @ndjaxn_author
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2ess8N5
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1iESd8T
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2etUCBB
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cwSq0X
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261671587620194/

book reviews, New Releases, Romance

New Release & Review ~ Crash Into Us by Shana Vanterpool

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Title: Crash Into Us
Author: Shana Vanterpool
Genre: Contemporary/2nd Chance Romance
Release Date: December 18, 2017
They met when they were kids.
They were friends, lovers, and then husband and wife.
They were supposed to be together forever.
He was her Superman.
She was his happiness.

And then he went pro.
And she doubted something that was supposed to be forever.
Mistakes were made in exchange for dreams, and hearts were shattered.
Their forever crumbled right before their eyes.

He went on to play for the Washington Warriors. He ate, breathed, and slept professional hockey. All he had left after her was the ice. He was in magazines, he won a Stanley Cup, and he had a crowd of people screaming his name. He had everything. Didn’t he?

It’s hard to move on from an addiction, and she was addicted. Drunk on love too early on, she never truly moved on from her first love. She faded in and out of life, trying to ignore her need. But bad habits have a way of coming back when you least expect them too.

For years they went separate ways, until her Superman falls from the sky.

He was on a helicopter after a big win when the engine cut out. He knows he’s not making it out alive. Even with the screams of his teammates shouting in the background as they crash toward earth, all he can think of is her. He’ll never get to see her again…

Love is unforgiving dragging her back to heartache. She only wants to help him get better from the accident and move on with her life. She never planned on falling back in love with him. She never planned on falling so hard a second time.

Lovesick and broken, they crash right back into each other.

I finished this book pretty quickly and now…I don’t know where to begin.

So, I’ll start where I always do with books written in first person. My preference. Yes, we all know that they aren’t my favorite books to read which probably says more about me as a reader and a person than about the author. But I received an email asking if I wanted to review Crash Into Us and after reading the synopsis I was ALL IN.

…then I received the ARC. First person.

Still, I pushed on and, crap on a cracker, I really liked it. A lot.

I liked Jasmeen almost as much as I had problems with her, but she was stronger than she thought and that’s a characteristic I always enjoy reading. My first impression of her was that she was very sad woman who needed to go out and figure out what fueled her. Oh, and that her mom was a big ol’ ass. But slowly I came to see her strength in her actions, because most people wouldn’t have done what she did to help Gavin.

Who, in my opinion absolutely did not deserve it. Or so I thought.

And this is where my only real problem with the Crash Into Us came into play. The whole reason for their divorce became so murky and muddled after a while that I honestly just stopped caring. I mean, if she’s going to forgive him then the details don’t really matter, right? At least that was my perspective until this part of the story was actually resolved.

I also didn’t love the flashbacks because I don’t think they added to the story. It gave depth, but who they were at ten years old wasn’t all the relevant in the face of accusations of infidelity.

As I neared the 45% mark I had been contemplating calling it quits, and not because Shana Vanterpool is a bad author, she’s not, but because I felt that Jasmeen gave in too easily. Gavin needed to work harder to earn her love back, but he didn’t have to so…

I gave this story 4.5 cocktails because it was good. Really good. The love between Jasmeen and Gavin was intense, for most of us that would be scary as hell, overwhelming, but it was right for them. Crash Into Us was packed with emotion and angst, so if those aren’t your jam you’re not going to like this story, but damn the emotion was so good. It was like crying over Dawson’s Creek or Party of Five or even the early seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, that kind of angst.

It fed my 90’s grunge girl at heart need for good, solid angst. This wasn’t drama for the sake of drama, this was grown folk’s problems drama and damn, I read it in 2 days when I should have been finishing final edits on my own book.

I’ve never read Shana Vanterpool but this book gave me the FEELZ.

Romance author, coffee drinker, and bad boy aficionado. Every second not spent breathing is an opportunity to write and read. I live in Northern California with my family and actress dog, Halle Bella. (Just Bella when she decides to cut the crap.) Escaping with a good book is something I live for and I write so others can do the same.

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book reviews, Holiday, Romance, Sales

REVIEW ~ Oklahoma Starshine by Maggie Shayne

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Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:
 A deeply moving, emotional story of a mother’s anguish, a father’s love, a family’s hope, this novel will renew your faith and restore your belief in miracles.

Veterinarian and single mom Emily Hawkins’ world is turned upside down when her precious little girl is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Only a bone marrow transplant can save 3-year-old Matilda Louise. Emily isn’t a match, but she’s determined to find someone who is, and that means tracking down Tilda’s biological father and his filthy rich family, a family she believes would’ve preferred her little girl had never been born.

But when she arrives in Big Falls, Oklahoma, nothing is the way she expected. Joey McIntyre, the billionaire’s son who’d been her sweet teenage summer fling, is as handsome and smooth as ever, but he seems to fall hard for Tilda-Lou at first sight, and he’s furious that Emily has kept his child from him. Which makes no sense at all. Soon Emily begins to suspect that the version history she’s believed all these years, might not be the real one. And if that’s true, she’s done a terrible, unforgivable thing.

But none of that matters as dire symptoms set in. The doctor advises Emily and Joe to give their girl the best Christmas ever. Fortunately, Christmas is what the Brand-McIntyre clan does best.

Emily and Joey put their feelings aside, coming together in a desperate search for a way to save their little girl against all odds.

But the truth is that little Matilda Louise is the one who’s saving them.

If you enjoyed Maggie Shayne’s Award Winning Texas Brands Series and Oklahoma Brands, you are going to LOVE the McIntyre Men.

I’ll tell you up front that I am a fan of Maggie Shayne and specifically her Oklahoma-centric series’. I love the feisty Brand women which means I’ll pretty much give every new series at least one book. When I came across Oklahoma Starshine, which combined the Brand women with the hot McIntyre men, I was all in. Throw in a secret baby and the possibility of a second chance romance and I’m a sucker for it!

I won’t rehash the synopsis but let me just tell you that I was totally prepared to have a real good hate-on for Joe…and Bobby Jo. And for a long time, I did. Even longer than Emily probably.

One of the things that often defines Maggie Shayne novels is the big family dynamic and I love it. Almost always. Sometimes though, like in the case of Emily, I think it can come across as bullying. Skepticism is perfectly understandable but seriously, NO ONE considered that just maybe Joe had done something to screw things up between him.

I loved watching Matilda and Joe fall in love as father and daughter, it just enhanced the whole holiday feel of things. To me Emily and Joe were secondary in this story, which was okay.

I loved that all the Brands show up and use all of their quite considerable otherworldly beliefs to help guide Tilda to good health.

Oklahoma Starshine was a lot of fun, magic, holiday spirit with just the right amount of romance to make this a quick, enjoyable read.

***At the time of this review Oklahoma Starshine is just #99cents!***

book reviews, Holiday, Romance

Review ~ Oklahoma Christmas Blues by Maggie Shayne

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Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Darryl is on a quest for peace. His chance at fatherhood was taken from him long ago, and an IED in Iraq ensured he’d never get another. In Big Falls, the McIntyre brothers hire him to keep an eye on their beautiful cousin Sophie in case her criminal ex shows up. He doesn’t expect to fall head over heels.

Sophie McIntyre’s life was blown apart by a drug dealing ex who cost her her job and nearly her medical license. She comes to Big Falls because she has nowhere else to go. And the minute she gets there, things start to get better.

Is it because of that letter to Santa her Aunt Vidalia convinced her to write?

Within days she meets a beautiful man with a deeply wounded soul. And oddly, she finds herself giving him the same advice the town Santa gave to her—try believing again, and if it’s too much to believe, then just try hoping.

Love, magic, and miracles ensue.

Because this is Big Falls, Oklahoma. Miracles are an everyday occurrence around here. Especially at Christmastime.

If you know me at all, then you know that Maggie Shayne is one of my one-click authors and that is especially true with the ever expanding Oklahoma branch of the family! This is a heaping serving of Christmas magic mixed in with a little bit of love and romance.

Sophie was in Oklahoma visiting her uncle and aunt-in-law (Vidalia of the Oklahoma Brands), but really it’s because her ex cost her a fancy job at well respected hospital and he nearly cost her career. So she’s lying low and trying to figure out what happens next and going back to her roots as a bartender.

Darryl was hired on the down low by her overprotective cousins, the titular McIntyre Men, to keep her safe in case her ex comes after her. But Sophie thinks Darryl is the bouncer who likes to flirt with her, until a misunderstanding forces the truth out quickly. I really appreciated this in Oklahoma Christmas Blues because sometimes we really don’t need to have it drawn out over the length of the story. It was handled and we all moved forward.

The cutest part of this story was the letters to Santa and how slowly they came true. Of course there’s a lesson to be learned here because neither Sophie or Darryl asked for material things. They wanted help getting their lives back on track while they sorted it out for themselves.

Again Maggie Shayne has done a fantastic job with this fun holiday tale to kickoff the newest series. Oklahoma Christmas Blues was a quick read but my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I can’t wait to watch each of the McIntyre men fall, and I have Oklahoma Moonshine already!

Side note: I missed Vidalia’s story and I’m adding it to my TBR list! You can do the same here!

New Releases, Romance

Hard Work by K.m. Scott is LIVE!

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It is a sexy new standalone loosely based on Beauty and The Beast, is now available, so get it today and fall in love with Zane and Becca’s story!

Zane Gilford has lived a blessed life. The only son of the owner of The Gilford House Inn, he’s benefitted from his mother’s extraordinary success. But Vermont was never where he wanted to be, and the day after graduation, he put the quaint country inn and everything about it behind him and never looked back.

Until now.

The death of his mother left Zane a very wealthy man, but in her will she also left him a surprise. For an entire year, he must run that Vermont inn he’s hated all his life if he wants to get one red cent of his inheritance.

Becca Fox has worked her way to the top of the advertising business and has the personal and professional scars to prove it. In her rare time off, she loves visiting her favorite bed and breakfast in the mountains of Vermont. When she finds a new owner running The Gilford House Inn, she wonders if her favorite getaway place has been ruined for her. He’s sexy as all hell and incredibly good looking, but he’s so cocky and arrogant.

From the first moment he sees her, Zane knows he wants Becca, but to get a woman like her, he’s going to have to learn to be a better man than he’s ever been. He’s got an inn to run and a woman to win. Neither is going to be easy. And time isn’t in his favor.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2AVzxeF
iBooks: http://kmscottbooks.com/hardib
B&N: http://kmscottbooks.com/hardbn
Kobo: http://kmscottbooks.com/hardko
Google Play: http://kmscottbooks.com/hardgp

New Releases, Romance

LIVE!! ~ Checkmate Duet Boxed Set

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Titles Included: Checkmate: This is Dangerous & Checkmate: This is Beautiful
Series: Checkmate Duet Series (Logan & Kayla)
Author: Kennedy Fox
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Trope: Second-chance Romance
Photographer & Designer: Sara Eirew

Release Date: November 16, 2017

Introducing the complete Logan & Kayla saga in the Checkmate series from the USA Today Bestselling duo, Kennedy Fox!

Checkmate: This is Dangerous & This is Beautiful is a second-chance romance that’ll have you swooning and laughing from the first to the last page! Are you ready to play the game?

***

Logan Knight is a real-life knight in shining armor. 
Brooding and mysterious, he’s the kind of guy every girl instantly notices. Between his seductive smirk and charming good looks, it’s no wonder Kayla can’t help the way he makes her feel when she’s near him. 
Too bad he’s unavailable–or so he says.

Kayla Sinclair is a saint and real-life angel.

She wears her heart on her sleeve and inspires Logan to be a better person.

Rescuing dogs, feeding the homeless, volunteering at the local food pantry are just a few of the ways she gives back to others, although no one has ever been there for her.

Falling for her is inevitable, but losing her will destroy him.

Logan may think he has her all figured out, but Kayla is determined to prove him wrong.. This game of push and pull has her running in circles. One wrong move and they could both lose.

When unexpected tragedy strikes and Kayla forgets their relationship ever existed, Logan’s worst nightmare comes to life. He’ll do anything to remind her of the love they shared. It’ll be an uphill battle, but Logan won’t walk away without a fight. Whoever said all is fair in love and war never played by his rules.

Checkmate.

*Recommend for ages 18+ due to sexual content and adult language.*

 

iBooks: hyperurl.co/ibookslk
Kobo: hyperurl.co/kobolk
Nook: hyperurl.co/nooklk
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2hC7NqJ

Amazon International: hyperurl.co/amazoninlk

PRE-ORDER LINKS
iBooks: http://apple.co/2xZ1Men
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2jTkHRl

Nook: http://bit.ly/2wIilek

Amazon: Coming Soon

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Cover reveal is scheduled for January 8, 2018
Release is scheduled for January 30, 2018

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Brooke Cumberland & Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today Bestselling pseudonym, Kennedy Fox who share a love of You’ve Got Mailand The Holiday. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day, they decided to collaborate and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make your lady bits tingle and your heart melt. If you enjoy romance stories with sexy, tattooed alpha males and smart, independent women, then a Kennedy Fox book is for you!

Instagram: instagram.com/kennedyfoxbooks | @kennedyfoxbooks
Twitter: twitter.com/kennedyfoxbooks | @kennedyfoxbooks
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Website: www.kennedyfoxbooks.com
Email: kennedyfoxbooks@gmail.com
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book reviews, New Releases, Romance

LIVE ~ The Coalson Family Cookbook of Memories!!!

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The Coalson Family Cookbook of Memories: as told by Ginny Coalson (Tempered Steel Series 8)

 

Since the Coalson brothers first appeared on the publishing scene in 2014 in Whistlin’ Dixie, readers and fans have been asking about the wonderful food Mama Ginny Coalson served at their Sunday dinners. Well, never one to disappoint my fans (I hope), I made your wishes come true (and Ginny’s too, as she was working on a cookbook for a fundraising effort).

I gathered all the food talked about in the Tempered Steel Series, added some of my own plus friends, fans, and other authors, to make The Coalson Family CookBook of Memories a truly down-home cookbook. It’s filled with yummy comfort food, warm friendships, and even some short stories of the brothers growing up, told by Mama Ginny, herself. Oh, and like any good friend, I left out all the calories and guilt!

I hope you enjoy the cookbook and the memories from a woman everyone would be happy to call “Mama.”

~Maggie Adams

Release Date: November 14, 2017

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2zJoYgu

About the Author:

Maggie Adams is an Amazon Best Selling contemporary romance author. Her first book in the Tempered Steel Series, Whistlin’ Dixie, debuted in Amazon’s Top 100 for Women’s Fiction, humor, on November, 2014 and then again at #61 in 2016. Since then, she has consistently made the Amazon best seller 5-star list with Leather and Lace, Something’s Gotta Give, Love, Marriage & Mayhem, and Forged in Fire. She is also the recipient of the Dayreader Review’s Best New Series Award for 2015. Her series has launched the tiny town of Grafton, Illinois, into International recognition with sales in Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and the UK.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling (usually just to the grocery store), dancing (around the kitchen to avoid cooking) and relaxing with her family (aka taking a nap while watching a movie). She loves to chat, so feel free to look her up!

STALK MAGGIE ONLINE!!!

http://www.maggieadamsbooks.com – website

https://www.facebook.com/maggieadamsbooks – book page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/maggiesminxes –fan club page

https://www.amazon.com/author/maggieadams – author page

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9867300.Maggie_Adams – goodreads

https://twitter.com/AuthrMaggieAdms – twitter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-adams-006a8b142/ – LinkedIn

https://www.pinterest.com/maggiesminxes/- Pinterest

https://www.instagram.com/maggieadamsbooks/ – instagram

book reviews, New Releases, Romance

Review ~ An Ex For Christmas – Lauren Layne

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Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

When a psychic tells spunky, superstitious Kelly Byrne that she’s already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas. Kelly immediately writes up an “Ex List” and starts contacting old boyfriends to figure out which one is the one. When her college sweetheart rolls into town, Kelly convinces herself that they’re meant to be. The trouble is, sparks are flying with someone she’s never given a chance: her best friend, Mark.

Mark Blakely has watched the guys on Kelly’s list break her heart, and he’s not looking forward to watching them do it all over again. Mark’s always been there for her, but the timing’s never worked out for their relationship to be something more. Now, just as Mark is ready to move on, the sexual tension between them is suddenly off the charts. With Christmas morning around the corner, he just hopes Kelly will wake up and realize that everything she wants has been right in front of her all along.

I really wanted to LOVE this story but it turns out that I only liked it. An Ex For Christmas is a good story but there were times that I wanted to strangle Kelly. Not that I have any problems people believing in or using magic 8 balls, horoscopes, tarot cards and any of that. But letting it rule your life? It grew a bit tiresome way before we got to Christmas Eve and Christmas.

This story was…odd. More than half the story is Kelly tracking down other guys with no mention of having feelings for or even an attraction to her best friend. At fifty percent I had to go back and read the synopsis because I thought maybe I’d misread it. But no, I hadn’t. Then finally something happened but by then I was really just ready to get to the HEA.

As a writer I understand drama and storytelling so I have to give Lauren Layne credit because my reaction to Kelly, at times, was visceral. I screamed “Oh. My. God.” At least ten times from sixty percent to the end. Don’t get me wrong, Mark was no angel either. I mean it was clear he had feelings for her, but not to her.

Did you hear me? Not. To. Her.

I loved parts of this story, the history of their friendship and how close they were, even sharing a dog. I just wished that two people who had such a great relationship, could have communicated a little better. I mean, seriously!

All that being said, Kelly and Mark were adorable together. It was clear they could be a great match if she’d let go of her complete reliance on the supernatural or mystical to guide her life. As someone who used to spend her high school years poring over every horoscope printing in the Sun Times and Tribune, I understand where she’s coming from. Except…I was in high school, not looking for The One.

An Ex For Christmas is good read, probably a great read if you don’t let Kelly annoy you too bad! That’s why I gave it almost 4 stars, let’s call it 3.75 stars.