Tag Archives: romance book reviews

book reviews, Fiction, New Releases, Romance

HAPPY RELEASE DAY & REVIEW!! ~ White Knight by Annie Dyer

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Title: White Knight
Series: Callaghan Green Series Book Two
Author: Annie Dyer
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: June 1, 2018
Back then things were simple, being together was easy and exciting. Back then, their only concern was keeping their relationship secret from her brothers. Until she had a choice to make; the hardest decision she ever had to face. 
Claire Callaghan has dedicated her adult life to two things: her career as a family lawyer and trying to move on from the love she had to give up. Killian O’Hara has spent years fighting for his country, growing his business, and trying to forget how it ended back then, all the while wondering why Claire took herself out of his life, breaking his heart. 
But fate has a funny way of bringing the past into the present.
Claire’s latest case puts her in danger, not just from the man who her client needs to hide from, but from the man she’s had to leave behind. Killian can protect her, if she’ll let him, because being close to him reopens old wounds. All he wants is to try again, to prove he’s the man she needs and maybe an explanation.
However, even choices made long ago have consequences, and only Claire can decide if she can give both Killian and herself a second chance at the happily ever after they never had – back then.
White Knight is the second in the Callaghan Green series. Each book is a standalone and can be read separately from the others.

Continue reading HAPPY RELEASE DAY & REVIEW!! ~ White Knight by Annie Dyer →

book reviews, Fiction, New Releases, Novellas, Romance

BOOK REVIEW!! ~ Part-Time Husband by Noelle Adams

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ABOUT:

On a Wednesday afternoon, I ask Trevor Bentley to marry me. He might be the most arrogant, obnoxious man I know, but I need him to be my husband for a year.

There are reasons.

He’s not going to be a real husband. Just part-time. Yes, I have to live with him. And, okay, I also have to share his bed. And, sure, he’s the hottest and most exciting thing to ever happen to my controlled, organized life.

But still… It’s only a part-time marriage. I’m not going to give him my heart. I know what I’m doing, and I’m too smart to fall for my husband.

I hope.

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book reviews, Romance

REVIEW TOUR ~ Fall from Grace by Michelle Gross

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Title: Fall From Grace
Author: Michelle Gross
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 1, 2018 

 

Our first goodbye wasn’t our choice.
Our second was…
What do people say about third chances?
I would never forget the moment I met Noah at six years old,
nor would I forget the way I grew into myself next to him; with him.
I didn’t want to forget the way he kissed me for the first time or the way we were two kids pretending it was okay to do adult things.
What I did want to forget was the reason I walked away… and how he had to let me go.
Loving you had a consequence that was too much to bear. 
Now I was an empty shell, half of who I was, who I wanted to be…
And I came back home after four long years and this time, I knew you weren’t going to let me go.
I’m afraid… because remembering why I walked away from our love in the first place was the hardest part of all.
But in order for you to understand my relationship with Noah, I have to start from the beginning… Before our love had a price, before they called our love “puppy love”, before I fell from grace…
I was the happiest when I was with him.
Funny how my feet felt like lead the days I left you, Noah… But now that I was back, they only felt like running.
This is a standalone romance that tells Grace and Noah’s story starting at age six, but don’t let that detour you from reading their story. This is a book meant for adults and deals with mature themes. It’s a story about two kids loving each other and proving that maybe when you meet the one, you just know, even if you’re a kid.

Fall From Grace is a really good story. Noah and Grace were heartbreaking in their love, from discover to loss, they tore me apart. They were young, incredibly young, when they met and began their sexual explorations and though at times it was uncomfortable to witness, it was never gratuitous. This isn’t insta-love, this is ‘we’ve been through hell and back and still want to stay together’ kind of love, but it takes them through a really tough road to get there.

That journey to the end, well it was incredible to read about. Noah was willing to do pretty much whatever it took to become the man Grace needed, which only made it all the more gut wrenching. That kind of pure love, well it’s a heady thing and so powerful, and it was an absolute joy to read. Fall From Grace was a surprising read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

Michelle is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky where opossums try to blend in with the cats on the porch and bears are likely to chase your pets—this is very true, it happened with her sister’s dog. Despite the extra needed protection for your pets, she loves the mountains she calls home. She has a man and twin girls who are the light of her life and the reason she’s slightly crazy.
As a kid, she was that cousin, that friend, that sister and daughter, the talker who could spin a tale and make-believe into any little thing so it was no surprise when she found love in reading, and figured all these characters inside her head needed an outlet. They wanted to be heard, so she wrote.
The voices keep growing faster than she gets the time to write.
The stories are never going to end. That’s perfectly okay, though. We never want to stop an adventure.
She writes and loves many different genres so sign up to her mailing list to keep updated on her releases!

 

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book reviews, Romance

Review ~ The Island by Alyne Hart

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THREE PEOPLE. ONE RELATIONSHIP.
For 31 year old Amie Graham, life on the island was supposed to be simpler – simpler than the life and problems she left behind. Less complicated and less dramatic than life back home. That was the plan anyway.
But fate, it seems, has a sense of humor and it throws a complication or two right in her path.
Complication one, Michael.
If you could cross a model with a football player, you’d get Michael, at least how Amie sees him. Long dark blonde hair, packed with rounded muscles and well over six feet tall, he’s gorgeous, he’s funny, sweet and vulnerable. He’s her own Greek god among men, and she finds herself falling in love with him.
Complication two, Gabe. 
Gabe is beautiful, serene and intelligent, and Amie finds herself drawn to him. With his curly brown hair, soulful green eyes and olive skin decorated with tattoos and piercings – she finds herself falling in love with him also.
The other problem? They’re best friends – and they’re in love with her too. Can three people really love each other, or is the air of the island just messing with their hearts and minds?

I’m going to preface this review by telling you that yes, I met the author at an online event where authors and readers get together to talk romance, and I won this book during a giveaway. That being said, I don’t review all books that I win because some—like The Island—aren’t in a genre I normally read and I don’t always feel that I can appropriately review it. But this was such an unexpected treat that I had to share my thoughts.

That being said, The Island was a really good read. Unexpectedly so. I’ll admit that I’ve only read a few MFM novels and mostly because of all the hot sweaty monkey sex. But this is a different read altogether. The focus was on the relationship, the characters and how they grew on that island.

And hello, when and how can I get to this fantastic place?!?!

So, Amie. She was looking for something simple after a whole lot of not so simple in her life. She wasn’t really looking for anything but a change. Simplicity. Peace. What she found instead were Michael and Gabe, two people she didn’t know she needed. But she did.

She so did.

Personally, I am fascinated by the intricacies of polyamorous relationships (have been since Big Love) and the way the author really digs into Amie’s mindset and coming to terms with having feelings for more than one man, and considering how she ended up on the island, I’d say it was really a journey for her and I got to witness it.

The Island wasn’t a story I expected to like but it pulled me right in and I had to know how it all turned out. And of course, I had to get to the steam because…I’m a dirty pervert and I like the steam! With or without the steam, this is a beautiful love story, albeit nontraditional, and it’s all the more intriguing because of it.

More about Alyne Hart here.

book reviews, New Releases, Romance

Release & Review ~ The Billionaire’s Unexpected Baby by Kira Archer

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One minute, pregnant Leah Andrews is throwing up over the side of a yacht and the next, she’s married to party boy Brooks. It’s an arrangement born of sheer desperation to save her job, but now the tabloids are all over them, their friends are running a pool betting on whether they’ll actually stay married until Baby Day, and worst of all, she and her new husband might just be falling for one another. But they belong in opposite worlds. It’ll never work.

Billionaire app developer Brooks Larson lives his life on the light side. Until he tries to play hero and claims to be Leah’s husband. Now he’s up to his ears in Lamaze classes, baby powder…and unexpected marital bliss. But he’d make a rotten husband and horrible father. Leah and the baby deserve so much better. Add in major baby daddy drama and the whole situation is the worst idea EVER. But sometimes those bad ideas might just be the best ones.

Each book in the Winning the Billionaire series is STANDALONE:
* 69 Million Things I Hate About You
* The Billionaire’s Unexpected Baby

After reading 69 Million Things I Hate About You, I was excited to read this story about Leah and Brooks. Leah is the girl you know as the ‘good girl’. She toes the line, reeks of responsibility and rarely does anything shocking. So imagine her surprise when she ends up pregnant after a totally out of character one night stand. Unable to contact her partner for a night, Leah accepts her friend Kiersten’s invitation to celebrate the christening of her first baby…on Brooks’ yacht.

And Brooks is…well yummy is the first word that comes to mind. Insecure, is the second. But being handsome and rich, he oozes confidence and only those who know him can see below the surface. But when he meets Leah he’s smitten, even though she’s pregnant, which right away gives him a few extra points in my book.

After an incredible kiss under the stars though, Leah hears no more from Brooks and though she’s sad, it doesn’t matter. Until the Catholic school where she teaches has a problem with a single mother-to-be. So that sets up our marriage of convenience plot nicely. And this is where The Billionaire’s Unexpected Baby really gets going. Mostly.

Unlike the first book in this series, I didn’t connect to this one and I didn’t find it as fun. Kira Archer, of course, knows romance so it is still a good read but it was missing that something that made 69 Million Things such a pleasure to read. For instance, I never really understood why Brooks felt so unworthy. I mean it was a pretty big part of the plot but it never really explained it. I think that would have made the great guy Brooks turned out to be even more satisfying, but it didn’t take away from the plot.

There’s a twist, there’s heat and there is romance. This book has everything and it’s done beautifully so I can’t really complain, but the first book simply blew me away, hence the 3.75 star review.

book reviews, Romance

Review ~ Any Way You Want It by Monique McDonell

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ABOUT:

Sometimes the big-hearted guy who comes bearing over the top gifts is the perfect fake fiancé.
Chloe has spent her whole adult life running, with no one to lean on, so she’s more than a little wary of Moose. After all, why would he be interested in her? When her shady ex-boyfriend shows up in her ice-cream parlour Chloe panics and tells him that she and Moose are engaged. So now she has a crazy ex stalking her and a hot not-fiancé moving in and she’s not quite sure how to deal with either of them.
Moose has been looking for an opportunity to show Chloe that opposites attract for a reason. Living in her house and spending every day with her couldn’t be more perfect as far as he’s concerned.

Will Chloe let her guard down and let Moose in or will she do what she always does and run?

If you like hot coffee, snow days, a little bit of Elvis and fun, romantic comedies Any Way You Want It is for you.

Although part of the Upper Crust Series You can read Any Way You Want it as a stand-alone novel.
Upper Crust Series

Book 1 – Any Way You Slice It
Book 2 – Any Way You Dream It
Book 3 – Any Way You Fight It
Book 4 – Any Way You Plan It
Book 5 – Any Way You Want It
Book 6 – Any Way You Build It
Book 7 – Any Way You Spin It

I was really excited to read this because I mean, who could resist a big mountain of a man called Moose? I was in right from the get go, but Chloe made Any Way You Want It a really difficult read.

Chloe has lead a very sheltered life inside a religious cult in Texas, but when the time came to marry some old fart, she left it all behind. Unfortunately she fell prey to the same predators that too sheltered children often do and his name was Viper. I applauded her for getting away, for having the strength to leave behind not one, but two toxic situations.

…then I got to know her.

I wanted to like Chloe, I really did but she just made it so damn difficult. Self-doubt is expected and hell, it even enhances the story. BUT there comes a point where you just can’t put up with it any longer and I’m sad to say that point came very early on. If not for Moose, Marissa and the whole community, I might have stopped before I got to the end. But Moose was the Pacey of book boyfriends, kind and sweet, patient and understanding, and hot as hell with a penchant for going shirtless! Yeah, he was all kinds of perfect with a mile-wide protective streak that just about had me swooning as I read.

I know it sounds like I didn’t like this book, but the truth is that Any Way You Want It was an enjoyable read filled with small town goodness. Monique McDonell has written a fun romance that’s easy to read and endearing in its sweetness. I will point out that at times the language became British English which was unexpected but took nothing away from the story.

book reviews, New Releases, Romance

Release & Review ~ Claiming Cooper by AF Crowell

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Title: Claiming Cooper
Series: An O’Loughlin Brothers Novel
Author: AF Crowell
Genre: Romantic Suspense/NA/Western
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Her first crush. 

 

Her first rejection. 

Cooper O’Loughlin is everything Kinsley Allen has ever wanted. 

Just when Kinsley should have been starting life, finding herself. She ended up running. When she landed back home to deal with the fallout from the one night that had changed her entire future she never imagined she would end up tied back to him. 

Much like every other time before, Cooper shut her down before she could admit her true feelings. She was in love with her best friend’s brother. 

In the dark shadows, secrets hide. Time was up. Kinsley’s consequences followed waiting to exact their revenge. 

There’s no place safe, not even home.

 

In Claiming Cooper, we meet Kinsley, who has practically been part of the O’Loughlin family since she was a kid. Best friends with one brother and crushing on another, she’s always felt safe around them. So, when things go really wrong one night she hightails it out of town just days before graduation and heads home. To safety. She knew, if nothing else, her best friend Ashton would be there for her.

Back at home now, she wants to put that all behind her and focus on the future. And Cooper, the object of her desire and her best friend’s brother. Cooper, he’s a character. Though he always felt something for Kinsey, he kept it to himself because of Ashton’s feelings. But now that she’s back in town and clearly something is wrong, he is feeling all kinds of protective…and something else. And therein lies his problem. Does he finally go after what he wants or continue to put his brother’s feelings ahead of his own?

A.F. Cromwell has written a solid story that I did mostly enjoy. I always have trouble with stories written in the first person and I really would have liked to hear some things from Cooper’s perspective, but the story was compelling enough that I kept reading. Claiming Cooper was emotional, and at times, heartbreaking. But worth the read.

“I loved this book so much and I cannot wait to read more in this series. I ugly cried, I laughed, I cried some more, I was happy, I was hopeful, and most of all… I fell in love with the O’Loughlin family.”  ~Stacy Stewart

“Omg. My heart couldn’t handle this book a few times, but I must say it was amazing. This book takes you on a crazy roller coaster of emotions and tragedies.” ~Candice Handy

“I read this story in one night… as in it was so good I didn’t sleep because I had to find out what happened. AF Crowell is putting out another great series and this one has sexy cowboys!! YES!!!!”  ~Beth at White Hot Reads

Suddenly, the shed door burst open with a whoosh of humid air. On the other side was none other than the gorgeous Cooper O’Loughlin. “Ryan, I fuckin’ warned you once to stay the hell away from Kinsley. What the fuck?”
My jaw fell open at his words. Why would he have told Ryan to stay away from me? Ryan was Ashton’s best friend and I considered him a friend as well.
“You need to chill, bro,” Ryan said nonchalantly then handed the bottle back to me. “Kins asked if I wanted to do shots with her. It’s not like we’re in here fuckin’ or something.”
“Get the hell outta here,” Cooper seethed, his cheeks were crimson and splotchy.
What the hell is his problem?
“Later, Kins.” Ryan shouldered past the wall that was Cooper, muttering something indiscernible the whole way.
“Seriously?” I raised my brow. “What was that?”
“How wise do you think it is to get drunk with him?”
“Oh, get the hell outta here with that shit, Cooper. I’ve known Ryan almost as long as I’ve known you. He’s never tried anything.” My voice got louder as I went, and my arms flailed wildly. “And what the hell would it matter to you anyway if I was in here screwing Ryan?! You’ve made it perfectly clear you aren’t interested.” By the end, I was pointing my finger and yelling at him.
Cooper didn’t back down. He didn’t apologize. He yelled back. “When did I ever say I wasn’t interested?!”
I stood there, rooted to the floor, my whole world rocked to the core by one question. Before I could even answer him, he came at me from across the small room like a heat-seeking missile. Directed straight at me.
“Fuck it.” His strong hand slid along my jaw and roughly cupped the back of my neck at the same time his right arm came around my waist and yanked me to him.
Almost losing my balance, I crashed into his hard chest and found myself transfixed by his eyes. While I saw familiarity, I also saw a smoldering passion that had never been there before. It was spellbinding.

 

“I never said I didn’t want you.”
A.F. Crowell lives in Charleston, SC with her husband and two sons. They have two dogs, Diesel, a German Shepherd rescue and Dez, a black Labrador Retriever. She shares her love of books with her children, who have a head start on becoming life-long readers. 

Romance fiction hit her radar when her husband forced her to watch Twilight one weekend when they were snowed in. That was it! From there her love grew; Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, YA and Dystopian are her preferred reads.

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book reviews, New Releases, Romance

NEW RELEASE & Review ~ Roomies by Christina Lauren

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Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient. 

For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.

Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.

Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?

Roomies was a fun read and it would have been a great one if not for its first person telling. But despite all that, I loved the story of Holland and Calvin.

Holland is a glorified gofer for her uncle’s wildly successful musical productions but she secretly longs to be something more. A novelist. But her own lack of self-confidence is getting in the way so she’s content-ish to keep working for her uncle.

Until she hears the voice of an angel in the subway, screws up her courage to go talk to him and then falls prey to a random attacker and her sweet singer steps in to protect her. What’s a girl to do? Honestly the only thing she can do is return the favor, in the form of her brilliant musically successful uncle. But this is a romance novel which means there is some sort of problem, which in this case, is Calvin’s citizenship status. Or lack of.

And that’s where things really get interesting!

His story is so inspiring and brave that Holland offers to help him with his problem because he’s talented and because it’s the right thing to do. One of the things I loved that Christina Lauren did with this story was, she made Holland honorable. Sure she was harboring a serious crush on Calvin, but it didn’t feel like that’s why she decided to help him. The chemistry was apparent from the moment she gave him an adorable mini-lecture about Holland. In the Netherlands.

And my goodness but unrequited love is the worst and I felt her pain. Down deep. But I loved how Calvin didn’t just take from her. Nope, Roomies is a tale about two good people who form a bond and help each other achieve their dreams. And that is what a really good romance is all about.

So I’m giving this story 4.5, it didn’t bother me that it was written in first person stars!

book reviews, Holiday, Romance

Review ~ Christmas Glitter by Ann B. Harrison

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After a rough year involving a serious car accident, painful recovery and broken engagement, Dakota Moore moves to Cherry Lake to rebuild her life. To embrace her new community, she volunteers to coordinate the annual Christmas tree gala.

Adam Clements has come home to help his mother run the family business while his father recovers from a heart attack. For the last decade, he’s been a high-flying soccer player, enjoying the life that comes with his popularity. But something is missing and he can’t put his finger on it… until he returns to Cherry Lake and remembers the feeling of home.

Adam tries to keep his distance because he knows he’ll be leaving, but he can’t deny his attraction to Dakota. With the countdown to Christmas on, can Dakota convince Adam that his home is right there in Cherry Lake, with her?

One of the things I liked most about Christmas Glitter was the overall theme of making choices. Both Dakota and Adam have had some life changing events happen in their lives recently and Ann B. Harrison’s tale is about the choices they make. Do they let these things happen to them or do they make a choice about what their lives will look like next? It’s an interesting choice, but a good one as the story unfolds with Dakota recovering physically and emotionally, and Adam dealing with the realities of aging parents and an aging body as a professional athlete.. With both Adam and Dakota back in Cherry Lake, they will both have to decide what happens next. Her life is now in Cherry Lake but his stay is only temporary, even if the life that’s waiting for him isn’t as fulfilling as it should be.

The thing the author does so well in Christmas Glitter is the way the relationship builds. Not that I’m opposed to it, but there is no insta-love, this is definitely a slow burn that starts with friendship and gradually changes as they get to know each other. Healing, though in different ways, changes their perspectives and as the story moves forward you just know this will cause some drama later on! Aside from the basic relationship drama, I loved the focus on the holiday and the small town calmness.

I am a sucker for a small town romance and Christmas Glitter was the perfect holiday treat.

book reviews, New Releases, Romance

Review ~ Possessed By A Vampire – Susan Griscom

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They possess the power to make their dreams come true—but it won’t be easy.

Preston Knight—Elvis to his friends—loves being a vampire. The night he was turned was the first step to him becoming the kind of man he always hoped to be. Now, he’s a rock star. What could be better? But the one thing that would make his world complete is just out of reach. The woman he yearns for has some serious secrets, and despite him knowing that she wants him just as much as he wants her, she won’t let him in.

Lily Grey never asked to be a vampire. The choice was taken from her eons ago, and things never improved. Now, she finds herself peddling drugs on the streets of San Francisco and playing the part of doting wife to a possessive and sadistic vampire with delusions of grandeur. But family means everything to Lily, and she’s willing to sacrifice everything for it…even her one chance at happiness with the sexy-as-sin vampire who sets her heart ablaze.

When one night of passion opens the door for a century of secrets to be revealed, Lily and Preston must fight for not only what they believe in but also what they love.

Possessed By A Vampire is the story of two very different vampires. Preston, known as Elvis to his friends, has loved it from the moment he made the transition. But Lily never wanted, didn’t ask for it and resents the hell out of being a vampire. He is a live life by the seat of his pants musician and she is a slightly naïve, sweet and trapped by her maker into living a life she doesn’t want. When they meet, there is something powerful, visceral about their connection. Susan Griscom does a really good job of painting the picture of their connection. She highlights the instinctive protective nature that rises up in good time guy Elvis, when it comes to Lily. Too bad, Lily is deeply connected to another.

The attraction in Possessed By A Vampire is instantaneous and I felt totally okay with that. Especially because there was a long past to get through before we could even get a glimmer of hope for Elvis and Lily. Lily’s life hasn’t been a happy one since was turned into a vampire but the one bright spot is Elvis, but her heart is not free and that’s the major conflict in this story. They had to dig into the past to figure out how to beat the current threat so they could live many, many lives together. To flesh out the story, Susan Griscom has given us a cast of supporting characters to love and hate on this thrilling adventure to the end.