Tag Archives: small town 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.

Review ~ A Spoonful of Sugar by Kate Hardy

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ABOUT:

Tyler Carter is a healthy-eating gym owner who doesn’t bake. When his employees enter him into a bake-off contest to raise money for Harry’s House, an after school space for kids commemorating local first responder Harry Monroe, he needs to learn–fast!

Shy special needs teacher Stacey Allman loves to bake and often dreams of sharing her confections with her uber fit, gorgeous neighbor. So when Tyler sets off his smoke alarm and explains his dilemma, she can’t resist the temptation of playing pastry chef tutor. He offers boxing lessons in exchange. More time together? Yes please,

But when Tyler’s ex comes back to Marietta asking for his help, will it derail Stacey and Tyler’s chance at love, or will it make them see that they’re the perfect fit?

A Spoonful of Sugar is book two in the Bachelor Bake-Off series, and this time we get health conscious gym owner Tyler, whose staff entered him into the bake-off knowing he can’t even cook grilled cheese. So when Tyler sets off his smoke alarm during an attempt to bake a cake he finally gets an official introduction to his cute by shy neighbor, Stacey Allman. Stacey is a heroine you can get behind and I applaud Kate Hardy for this character. She is sympathetic and kind, sweet and shy, but along the way she learns that she is stronger and smarter than her family ever let her believe. When these two meet up for baking lessons, it is a sweet romance even grandma will love.

What I loved about A Spoonful of Sugar was the small town feel and getting to catch up with the people of Marietta. The drama was minimal, almost too minimal but for a sweet romance it got the job done. I liked Tyler a lot, but Lyle is the one who stole the show for me and I hope he gets a story in this series too. The thing I had a problem with is that Kate Hardy spent a lot of time talking about how to bake and at times it felt more like an homage to baking than a small town romance. The author more than made up for it with the actual bake-offs, but it slowed down the pace of the book a bit too much. Overall I enjoyed this title, but I enjoyed book one more.

Second Chance eX-mas Just 99 cents!!!

 

#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/

Review ~ Falling for her Best Friend’s Brother by Noelle Adams

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ABOUT:

After too many bad decisions in romance, Emma is going on a man-fast. For the next six months, she’s fasting from men. No sex. No dating. No soulful gazes. No fond memories of her first crush. She’s going to spend the time focusing on her career, getting in touch with herself, and helping her two best friends with the launch of their new tea room. No men.

And that includes her brother’s best friend, Noah Hart, who has just returned to their hometown.

She doesn’t want Noah anyway. He might be even hotter than he was before, but he’s not a nice guy anymore. He’s made a fortune by acting ruthless in business, and the last thing he’s looking for is small-town domestic life. He doesn’t even want to be in town again, but a sick grandmother guilted him into it. Then he has nerve to not even recognize Emma when he sees her again. Maybe it’s been seven years, but a decent guy would remember his best friend’s little sister.

Noah is not a decent guy. Anyway, Emma is on a man-fast. And she doesn’t want Noah.

At all.

Fifteen years ago, three girls were thrown together because their brothers were best friends. Now they’re all grown up, and their brothers are grown up too. The Tea for Two series tells their stories.

As soon as I heard the words ‘man fast’ I knew Falling for her Best Friend’s Brother was going to be good! It’s basically tempting the universe to throw the perfect man right at your feet and dare you to ignore him. In Emma’s case, that man was her best friend, Ginny’s, brother Noah. Crushing on your best friend’s brother as a kid is one thing, it can be brushed off as just that, a crush.

But when Noah walks into the tea shop owned by her two best friends, one of which is his kid sister, Emma knows her man fast is in trouble. My favorite thing about this story was Emma. She tried, really, really tried to keep to her man fast because, let’s face it, falling for jerks sucks. Big time. But Noah was hard to resist.

And Noah, hot, vulnerable, cool and complicated, Noah. I had some issues with Noah which were thankfully resolved by the end of the story, but damn, he made it hard. I do love a hero that can be redeemed by the end but there were times I really wanted to just grab his sexy ass and shake some sense into him. We all have issues but he refused to deal with his in any real way, which resulted in some pretty deep feelings of alienation. It was hard to have sympathy for a grown man who always runs at the first sight of trouble, but I loved him anyway.

And let’s not forget the steam. Falling for her Best Friend’s Brother is packed with some hot sexy times that you won’t soon forget. This is kind of a departure for Noelle Adams but this reader is NOT complaining.

The story was fleshed out well, introducing us to the other brothers and best friends for the rest of the Tea for Two series, plus their wise old bible-quoting Nan. I’m committed to this series and if you’re interested this book was #FREE at time of posting!

Review ~ Cowboy SEAL Homecoming by Nicole Helm

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ABOUT:

Three former Navy SEALs
Injured in the line of duty
Desperate for a new beginning…
Searching for a place to call their own.

Alex Maguire never thought he’d go home again. The perfect soldier, the perfect leader, he’s spent his whole life running away from Blue Valley, Montana—but when a tragic accident bounces him and two of his men out of the SEALs, there’s nowhere left to turn but the ranch he used to call his own…and the confusing, innocently beguiling woman who now lives there.

Becca Denton’s like nothing he could have imagined. She’s far too tempting for her own good, but when she offers to help turn the ranch into a haven for injured veterans, he can’t exactly say no. He’ll just need to keep his distance. But something in her big green eyes makes Alex want to set aside the mantle of the perfect soldier and discover the man he could have been…safe and whole within the shelter of her arms.

Nicole Helm’s story of an inexperienced woman at the troubled SEAL who steals her heart was incredible. Becca was a great character, I would say the perfect romance heroine because she is bright-eyed and naïve but she’s perfectly aware of it and unafraid to start going after what she wants. And what Becca wants is Alex.

Alex spent his adult life as a Navy SEAL and now that his life of service has ended, he’s at loose ends and suffering from PTSD. He insists he’s fine but Becca is tenacious and quickly falling for him, which means she wants her man whole. This is the part of the story I really enjoyed, watching Becca realize just how strong she was, which allowed us to see that Alex was the one truly suffering and in need of help.

Jack and Gabe perfectly rounded out Cowboy SEAL Homecoming, adding both comic relief, back story and a glimpse of the strong bond forged against the backdrop of war. I loved the guys and the way they razzed each other, and quickly opened their arms and hearts to Becca.

Nicole helm penned a perfect small town romance with a hero and heroine that make it easy to root for their happy ending.

Review ~ New Year’s at the Graff by Marin Thomas

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ABOUT:

After being banned from celebrating the holidays with his stepfamily, San Diego businessman Lucas Kendrick arrives in Marietta, Montana, in time to attend the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Graff Hotel. The rodeo-theme party isn’t his style but he’s drawn to the pretty cowgirl running the dice table. When the clock strikes midnight and they ring in the New Year with a kiss, Lucas almost forgets he’s in Marietta on business and not pleasure. He believes he’s found the perfect property for his prized client. There’s just one problem—the pretty cowgirl has her sights set on the same piece of real estate.

Now that single mom Ava Moore has earned a business degree, she wants to help other struggling women get back on their feet by opening a co-op on Main Street. The last thing she expects is competition from the handsome city slicker whose New Year’s kiss she hasn’t been able to forget. Lucas isn’t only stealing Ava’s heart he’s bonding with her daughter. Can Ava convince Lucas that the best business deals are made with the heart and not money?

New Year’s at the Graff is a fun small town romance featuring a single mother, her adorable little girl and the big city businessman who steals their hearts. Ava has finally finished her education and she is determined to move on from being a housekeeper to a business woman helping other single mothers get back on their feet. She isn’t looking for love, so when she spots the handsome well-dressed stranger on New Year’s Eve, she’s surprised by how strongly she’s affected by him. Marin Thomas did a great job of bringing me right back to Marietta and the chocolate shop, Grey’s Saloon and all the happenings in this adorable small town.

The thing that I liked best about New Year’s at the Graff was the low-key, angst free way Lucas and Ava got together. Other than a few hot kisses, they took time to get to know each other and though they both fell fast, they didn’t jump into anything. This is definitely a beautiful romance but the other relationships in the story really made me love it. Tilly, Ava’s mother in law, and her quirks were fun and entertaining, but the way Marin Thomas wrote Lucas and Princess Sophie made them the true scene stealers, in my opinion. Even his relationship with his mother and then his father kept me reading just to see what was happening.

This was a fun and short romance that I’m happy I got a chance to read. Fun times are always had in Marietta.

Review ~ A Teaspoon of Trouble by Shirley Jump

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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.

Happy Holidays!!!

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

Review ~ A Real Cowboy for Christmas by Stephanie Rowe

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Only a deathbed promise would send Jaimi Hamilton to Rogue Valley for Christmas to track down her brothers, the nine Stockton cowboys who don’t even know she exists.

When Sheriff Dane Wilson discovers the vulnerable, sassy single mom from New England has a secret connection to the cowboys he considers his brothers, the protector side of him kicks in…but whose side is he supposed to be on?

When a wintry first kiss raises the stakes, suddenly there’s more than just family at risk.

 

A Real Cowboy for Christmas is a short, fun read packed with big, rugged cowboys and the women who love them. This is a quick read, following Jaimi and her little girl, Emily on a trip to Rogue Valley to make good on a deathbed promise.

What she finds instead is a hot Sheriff with a lifelong connection to the men with whom she also shared a connection. Dane, he was the STAR of the story. Handsome with a hint of that alpha protectiveness that makes a girl’s knees go weak, he had a killer smile and a way of quickly putting the skittish Jaimi at ease. I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let go.

For those of you who take issue with insta-love, you’re not going to like this story even though it was absolutely perfect. They didn’t have a lot of time, so they did what adults do; make a decision and hope for the best.

A big, rambunctious family is how all little girls should spend the holidays and the Stockton clan was as big and boisterous as families came.

A very good and super fast read that pulled me right in and didn’t let me go until the story was over.

Books in the Wyoming Rebels series (all books are standalone and can be read in any order):
A Real Cowboy Never Says No
A Real Cowboy Knows How to Kiss
A Real Cowboy Rides a Motorcycle
A Real Cowboy Never Walks Away
A Real Cowboy Loves Forever
A Real Cowboy for Christmas 
A Real Cowboy Always Trusts His Heart (Coming Soon!)

COMING SOON: Second Chance eX-mas by N.D. Jackson

Title: Second Chance eX-mas
Author: N.D. Jackson
Release: December 21, 2017
Pre-order Link: http://amzn.to/2BxmII3

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?