I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Carter Ramsey is a profession baseball player, but suddenly he has a whole lot of time on his hands. You see, he was recently injured and now he’s contemplating his life choices. He had imagined at this point in his life he would have been married, maybe with a couple of kids. Instead, he’s featured in Citizen magazine in the Man of the Year article. Carter wishes to change a few things about his life and so decides to head back home to Haven for his 10 year high school reunion hoping to reconnect with his high school sweetheart.
Olive Dunn has continued living in Haven even after high school was over. She’s a biology teacher in the local high school (same high school she went to) and loves her job and her small town. She lives on the outskirts of town and doesn’t expect any new neighbors. That is, until Carter Ramsey strolls up next door. Carter and Olive were lab partners in high school once upon a time, but that was about it. Now they’re back in the same time and end up co-chairing the high school reunion together.
I loved the banter between Carter and Olive! I was either laughing or had a silly grin on my face while I was reading this book. I absolutely love that the chemistry between Olive and Carter was gradually introduced to us. We got to reunite with these two as acquaintances, who then turned into friends, before the sexual tension started burning up the pages.
This book is low on the drama, but high on the feels. If you want a lovely romance with some sizzling chemistry then pick up Yours to Keep. Although this book is part of a series, you could definitely read it as a standalone. Yours to Keep releases September 1, 2020.
I have been a long time fan of Lauren Layne! I think she is most likely one of the authors whose books I have read the most. I absolutely loved Yours to Keep! It was such a great book that constantly had a smile on my face. I had a hard time connecting with the characters in the previous book in the series – Yours in Scandal – but really fell fast and hard for Carter and Olive! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book form the publisher.
Lizzan, a mercenary for hire wanders the road in solitude. She prefers her drink strong and a place to sleep, but is willing to help those in need. The place she called home and her once lover have shunned her. She is an outcast and is determined to stay far away from Koth.
Aerax – also known as the feral prince of Koth – is seeking new alliances to help fight the destroyer. Lizzan and Aerax eventually meet on this road and there are so many unsaid words spoken between them. Lizzan believes that it was Aerax who exiled Lizzan from Koth, but how could it be when Aerax has never stopped loving her?
I absolutely love a second chance romance and I loved loved the first meeting between Lizzan and Aerax . I felt the love and longing between these two as much as the hurt. Milla Vane knows how to write such great dialogue and I was constantly looking forward to the banter between Lizzan and Aerax.
Beyond the love story between Lizzan and Aerax I loved the adventure that this book took me on. I have always loved mythology and learning about the legends of the various Gods that the people in this realm believe in was fascinating. I have so many parts highlighted because the storytelling was spectacular. But what is truth and what is the lie? Will people believe in something that is completely false because it was told to them in this manner for generations? And how will these lies and truths set the people of Koth and other realms free.
A Touch of Stone and Snow was a wonderful follow up to A Heart of Blood and Ashes. I loved being immersed in this world and absolutely cannot wait until the next book in the series is released!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Bethany Castle is always in her element. She is calm, collected and cool. After all, she is the interior decorator for her family’s business and that’s exactly what she does best. Put everyone else at ease and make them feel welcome. But what about her, who is going to be there for her when she doesn’t have the energy to always be “perfect”?
Wes Daniels, isn’t used to sticking around in one place for a long time. He’s used to jumping from one place or another; hence his career at being a bull rider. Life throws Wes a curve ball and he soon finds himself in Port Jefferson taking care of his five year old niece for the unforeseeable future.
I really enjoyed Fix Her Up (book #1 in the series), but Love Her or Lose Her (book #2 in the series) wasn’t one I connected with as much. Tools of Engagement might be my favorite of the series. I love a sweet (and dirty) talking, sexy cowboy and Wes was all of those things. The banter between Wes and Bethany was so perfect and the sexual tension was always simmering between these two. But more than that, I loved how Wes seemed to completely get Bethany. He pushed her when she needed it and backed off when she needed her space. He was affectionate and attentive and always so damn sweet.
His sweetness and desire to protect both this niece and Bethany was definitely what made me fall for Wes. The interactions between Wes and his niece were some of my favorites. They were so sweet together and I ended up falling for both of them. A lot of times the single parent trope doesn’t hold that much appeal to me, but these two were so perfect in this book!
I loved the interactions between Bethany and the Just Us League. I enjoyed revisiting with Georgie, Rosie and the rest of the gang. Watching Bethany transform and let go of her insecurities was perhaps my favorite part of this book. As Tessa states in her acknowledgements – we don’t always have to be that perfect person that’s thrown across our social media. It’s okay to just be who we are.
Tools of Engagement releases September 22, 2020 – add this to your TBR list!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
I just finished You Had Me At Hola and what I’m left feeling is the importance of culture, your roots and the strength and love of your family. At the heart of You Had Me At Hola is a love story between two co-stars, Ashton and Jasmine that is intertwined with their respective cultures and background.
Jasmine Lin needs a break from the LA scene. She’s in the tabloids (not for a good reason) and wants to get away from working on soap operas. Ashton Suarez has been working on telenovas and is eager to try his hand at something new. When both of them are cast as the main stars – Carmen and Victor – in a new show on a paid service called Carmen InCharge, they both jump at the opportunity.
I really enjoyed learning about the diverse backgrounds of both Jasmine and Ashton. They each had their own challenges that were equally important to both of them. Jasmine faced the challenge of not knowing Spanish as fluently even when she was starring in a mainly Latinx show. Ashton had his own difficulties because English is his second language and he wasn’t used to the new environment/set.
I will admit that the relationship between Ashton and Jasmine didn’t immediately have me rooting for them as a couple. Ashton was a bit cold towards Jasmine, but as I kept reading I understood his motives. But once these two did decide to take their relationship to the next level – the steamy scenes were so damn hot!
Some of my favorite scenes were the chapters that were dedicated to Carmen In Charge. I loved the way Alexis Daria transformed the book so seamlessly into the show and I found myself really enjoying those scenes between Carmen and Victor.
I really enjoyed You Had Me At Hola! If you’re looking for a sweet and sexy romance that is interwoven with family dynamics then pick up this book when it releases August 4th!
When I first saw the buzz surrounding You Had Me At Hola, I knew it was a book that I really wanted to read. Being a second generation Indian-American I was excited to read a romance that would possibly depict of some of those same struggles that I faced growing up. Alexis Daria does such a wonderful job highlighting those struggles and incorporating Latin representation in You Had Me At Hola without taking away from the romance. Topics such as learning a new language, or not fluently speaking the language of your mother tongue really hit home for me in You Had Me At Hola. I look forward to reading more work from Alexis Daria!
Do you have a favorite romance trope that you find yourself reading over and over again? For me that trope is enemies-to-lovers/hate-to-love. I am such a sucker for these romances! Something about that initial hate with underlying sizzling chemistry that I fall for every single time.
Sometimes the hate elements is greater than the love and vice versa. I really need to feel a bit of the angst in the enemies-to-lovers romances for them to really stand out for me. But overall, this is definitely a trope that I gravitate towards.
Here are a few of my favorite enemies-to-lovers romances!
Immediately from the get-go I knew I was going to love this book. Bishop and Stevie had such great chemistry even though they got off on the wrong foot (ahem, very wrong foot). Bishop is a complete grump/jerk, but so protective of the people he loves and I loved him! I loved the daily shenanigans between Bishop and Stevie – they had me laughing out loud but the scenes between these two were also smoking hot! This book had the slowest of slow burns with plenty of sexual tension.
“I type my password: IHATEJOSHUA4EV@.”I mean that sets the premise for this enemis-to-lovers office romance. Lucy and Josh HATE each other something fierce, or do they? The Hating Game had so much angst and had my heart racing constantly, but I could not stop reading this book. The hating game that Josh and Lucy incorporated into their everyday boring office life made this book that much more exciting. A favorite that I have re-read many times!
The chemistry between Jonah and Calla was so amazing. As soon as these two have their first scene together, you are rooting for them to end up together. I loved the witty banter between these two. I hated Jonah and yet I also loved his personality and the way he would needle Calla. I loved loved loved the fact that both Jonah and Calla got to know one another first. They started off on the wrong foot, but the more you got to know both Calla and Jonah the more you hoped and wished for their love story to continue.
A western romance by Queen Nora? Yes please! Nora Roberts is generally known for writing contemporary romances (usually suspenseful romances), but I loved her foray into historical/western romance. Jake Redman comes across as this rude, horrible gunslinger, but the more Sarah finds out about him the further she falls in love with this complicated man. Okay I will admit, I bought this paperback when it came out in 2003 and it has held a special place in my heart. I LOVE the witty banter, the way these two misfits “hate” each other, but also keep coming back to each other.
Immediately you sense the hatred between Ethan and Olive but it’s still so fun to see them interact and watch sparks fly. It’s always so fun watching an enemies to lovers trope unfold and Ethan and Olive have so many hurdles thrown at them it made it extra fun! If you want an enemies-to-lovers romance that will have you laughing out loud – grab this book!
When hairdresser Delaney Shaw returns home to Truly, Idaho, she doesn’t expect to run into Nick Allegrezza. The resident bad boy in town. Delaney and Nick have always had a love/hate relationship and that relationship becomes even more complicated now that they are adults. Definitely a favorite old school Rachel Gibson book!
I enjoyed the banter between Gabriel Duke and Penny so much! I am a sucker for grumpy meets sunshine and that was definitely the relationship between Penny and Gabriel. Gabriel initially doesn’t want anything to do with Penny or her animals, but I loved the slow transformation of how he came to care for Penny so much.
After the Night is the romance between Hope and Gray. Gray and Hope have a push and pull attraction to one another that neither of them initially want. Gray hates Hope and her family for what they have done to his family in return. And hope…she wants nothing to do with Gray but has to be surrounded by him based on a mystery she is trying to solve from the past. I LOVE this old school romance from Linda Howard. Perfect amount of romantic suspense filled with sizzling sexual tension!
Travis hasn’t had much experience running his family’s ranch and instead is relying on other forms of income taking on a few landscaping jobs to make ends meet. Maggie Mackey runs Petal Pushers a landscape and garden business in Big Verde and now she has competition in the form of one Travis Blake. When Maggie and Travis end up having to work together on a project together sparks fly. I loved their initial hate towards one another and how that slowly evolved into friendship. The witty banter between Travis and Maggie was so great and the chemistry was undeniable. The Halloween party and the Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf scenes were hot hot hot and I loved each and every one of them!
After a meet-cute that goes terribly wrong, agent Vaughn Roberts finds himself in the same wedding party as the maid of honor Sidney Sinclar (yes, the same woman who rejected his advances). I’ve re-read It Happened One Wedding so many times and I never get tired of it! Julie James writes such good witty banter and the banter between Sidney and Vaughn was exceptional. I’m a huge fan of enemies-to-lovers and this book nailed down that trope so perfectly. You immediately sense the hate between Vaughn and Sidney, but their underlying sexual current is always just as active.
When Wall Street hot-shot Ian Bradley has to prove to FBI agent Lara McKenzie that he wasn’t privy to insider trading information – sparks fly. These two definitely hate each other and don’t always see eye to eye, but what starts off has a mutual dislike slowly morphs into something more. Hot Asset had it all – a great plot, suspense to keep you guessing until the very end and a great romance between the two leads
If you’re looking for a suspenseful romance set in Alaska – pick up Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane! This is the 4th book in the Alaska Force series and is sure to be filled with plenty of action and romance.
Dangerous secrets force Caradine Scott on the run from Grizzly Harbor–with Alaska Force leader Isaac Gentry in hot pursuit–in the irresistible new romantic suspense from USA Today bestselling author Megan Crane.
After an explosion that should have killed her, Caradine barely escaped her criminal family by leaving her old identity behind. These days she runs the Water’s Edge Cafe in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere, vowing never to let anyone close to her again.
After his career in the military, Isaac is back home playing the part of an unassuming local in Grizzly Harbor, while also overseeing Alaska Force’s special ops work as the founder and commanding officer he once was in the Marines and beyond. He has better things to do than obsess over a woman who claims she hates him, but every glimpse he gets of the vulnerability beneath her prickly exterior is a distraction . . . and a challenge he can’t ignore.
When Caradine’s demons catch up with her, her cafe isn’t the only thing that blows up. Her past pushes them together, and closer to a future that’s been waiting for them all this time. They just have to survive long enough to enjoy it.
About the Author
Megan Crane is a USA Today bestselling and RITA-nominated author. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher
In Katherine Center’s What You Wish For, Sam has chosen to embrace joy. She’s a librarian at a local elementary school and loves quirky things like polka dots and dying her hair pink. She loves the leadership at her school and has found other teachers who embrace joy just like her.
She moved from another school a few years ago and hasn’t really kept in touch with the other teachers she used to work with. She mainly left because of a crush on another colleague who didn’t return any of the feelings that Sam had for him and she needed a new start.
When tragedy strikes and a new principal enters her elementary school none of the teachers know what to make of it. But Sam knows Duncan or rather she used to know Duncan when they worked together a few years ago. This is the same Duncan that Sam had a crush on.
Sam knows that Duncan used to be so great with kids! He was funny and kind and was always a shining light. But principal Duncan is not the same Duncan that she knew when they taught together in the past. This Duncan is hell bent on re-doing the schools security. He sees everything that Sam and the other teachers love as a potential hazard and way for intruders to get in to the school and harm children. With the rising amount of school shootings in America, Duncan is out to make a change. And to make matters worse he doesn’t seem to remember Sam. Will Sam be able to get through to him and to preserve the school that she loves so much.
After reading Things You Save in a Fire last year, I was really looking forward to reading Katherine Center’s new book What You Wish For. Katherine Center is such a talented author. I love her prose and the ability and ease in which I can read her books. She has a way of completely immersing you in the world that she’s created. As soon as I started reading What You Wish For, I couldn’t put it down. The first half was done so well, but the second half felt a bit rushed and not as developed. There were certain storylines that I didn’t feel necessarily added to the story. A lot of character arcs felt incomplete and I didn’t feel emotionally connected to them.
What You Wish For was still an enjoyable read, but I wanted to love it more than I did. Overall I would give it 3.5 stars. I’m looking forward to Katherine Center’s next book!
After seeing Well Met all over Bookstagram and Twitter I finally ordered myself a copy (yay for Target buy 2 get 1 sales). Well Met was highly recommended from a few friends, so I was really excited to read it. My library audiobook hold for Well Met came in at the same time I was about to pick up the book so I ended up listening/reading this book. I have to say that the narrator of the audiobook did such a tremendous job! If you’re considering reading/listening to Well Met – the audiobook really did enhance the experience!
Emily has recently relocated to Willow Creek, Maryland to help out her sister and niece. Her sister, April was recently in a car accident and needs some help around the house. When Emily’s niece decides to volunteer at the local Renaissance Faire, Emily gets roped into participating too.
This is where Emily meets high school teacher Simon. Simon is a bit rough around the edges and very strict with his faire rules. Emily and Simon quickly develop a tumultuous bond. But when the two of them are in character – sparks fly!
The description around the faire, truly had me imagining I was there. I felt that Jen DeLuca did a wonderful job setting up the scene of the faire and I felt just like Emily – left in awe when the woods transformed into the faire.
I loved the push and pull of Simon and Emily’s relationship. I do wish that Simon had his own POV chapters, because his character came across as very brash/rude on occasion. I also wish that he would have done a bit more groveling in the end. Overall I did really enjoy Well Met and am looking forward to April and Stacey’s stories!
Audiobook:
Story: 4 Narration: 5 Overall: 4
I really enjoyed the audiobook of Well Met! Usually when I listen to an audiobook for the first time I like to read along as well, but I found myself wanting to listen to this audiobook because Brittany Pressley does such an excellent job! I loved it when Emily would switch to Emma the tavern wench! The various accents absolutely make the book even that much more enjoyable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
I had gotten to read an excerpt of Romeantically Challenged and really enjoyed the first few chapters, so I couldn’t wait to read the rest. Annie was feisty, funny and I couldn’t wait to read more about her journey.
Annie had been engaged, but her fiance left her for another woman. On top of everything else, he’s using their wedding venue to plan his wedding to his new fiance. Annie is determined to get away from that life and moves to Rome. Not Rome, Italy but rather Rome, Rhode Island.
This is where she meets Emmitt. Emmitt and Annie hilariously meet when Annie finds out that the house she’s renting belongs to Emmitt and he’s back in town. Emmitt has been overseas as a photojournalist, but a recent injury has forced him to come back home.
I thought Marina Adair’s writing style was really great, but I wasn’t feeling the emotional connection between Annie and Emmitt. It almost felt like there were too many story lines happening with Emmitt reconnecting with his teenage daughter, his injury and then Annie reconnecting with her Vietnamese heritage. Emmitt and Annie’s love story felt almost more of an afterthought and it didn’t feel as well developed as I would have liked.
June was not a good reading month for me. Every time I would open a new book, I would quickly lose interest. I think there is just so much going on in the world right now, that I find it hard to focus. I’m sure a lot of us feel the same way so I’m trying not to beat myself up over that. I’m hoping that July will be a better reading month!
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Rating: 5 out of 5.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (ARC Released June 23, 2020)
Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren
The Roommate by Rosie Danan (ARC Releases September 15, 2020)
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting (ARC Releases August 11, 2020)
If You Never Come Back by Sarah Smith (ARC Released June 9, 2020)
Dear Future Self by Lisa Becker 🎧 (ALC)
Rafe A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon 🎧
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair (ARC Releases July 28, 2020)
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Rating: 2 out of 5.
The Dare by Elle Kennedy (ARC Released June 16, 2020)
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