Coming Soon/New Releases:
The Mistletoe Trap by Cindi MadsenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend
Review Copy Provided by Publisher by Net Galley
Do you need a feel good read to get you ready for the holidays? Then Mistletoe Trap is the fun friends to more you are looking for.
Julie and Gavin have literally been friends forever. It was so much fun watching these 20 somethings deal with the shenanigans of family pushing them together while they tried to decide if they wanted to keep denying that they had feeing for each other.
Ms Madsen did a fantastic job with the grand gesture needed to make things right again - this book has made me super curious about the first book in the series and what may be coming next.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a friend
Do you need a feel good read to get you ready for the holidays? Then Mistletoe Trap is the fun friends to more you are looking for.
Julie and Gavin have literally been friends forever. It was so much fun watching these 20 somethings deal with the shenanigans of family pushing them together while they tried to decide if they wanted to keep denying that they had feeing for each other.
Ms Madsen did a fantastic job with the grand gesture needed to make things right again - this book has made me super curious about the first book in the series and what may be coming next.
Amazon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a friend
Review Copy Provided by Author
In Rewrite and Simmer, a key secondary character was Victoria. She is the daughter of Josh (Rewrite) and Sara (Simmer), in Pining we get to see her all grown up! She is paired with Anthony, a young man who made a youthful mistake and paid the price.
This is a quick read and it was fun to see grown up Victoria as well as catching up with the previous characters. Both Josh and Sara (along with their other halves) were able to impart key wisdom to our young lovers as they navigated the path to happily ever after.
Ms Rose always does an excellent job of bringing the real world into her stories and she does that here as well, especially as she compares Anthony’s situation to Josh’s experience. While this is technically stand alone, knowing the back story of the other couples definitely adds to the enjoyment here.
Well written, as expected, Pining is another winner from a favorite author.
In Rewrite and Simmer, a key secondary character was Victoria. She is the daughter of Josh (Rewrite) and Sara (Simmer), in Pining we get to see her all grown up! She is paired with Anthony, a young man who made a youthful mistake and paid the price.
This is a quick read and it was fun to see grown up Victoria as well as catching up with the previous characters. Both Josh and Sara (along with their other halves) were able to impart key wisdom to our young lovers as they navigated the path to happily ever after.
Ms Rose always does an excellent job of bringing the real world into her stories and she does that here as well, especially as she compares Anthony’s situation to Josh’s experience. While this is technically stand alone, knowing the back story of the other couples definitely adds to the enjoyment here.
Well written, as expected, Pining is another winner from a favorite author.
Amazon
Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Net Galley
In Secret Nights, Ms Crews returns us to Cold River, but this time the focus is on the Kittridge brothers introduced previously as secondary characters. We start with middle brother, Riley, and his estranged wife, Rae.
This was a book that I enjoyed - as we got to see Riley and Rae address issues and come to terms with a long term relationship/non relationship. But, it’s a book I was also frustrated by.
I liked the premise- the idea that one partner deciding to finally end the cycle they were in sparked change and set key events in motion. But, I struggled it’s how much back and forth there was to get to resolution.
I had a hard time connecting to Rae and Riley in parts of the book and was surprised at how easily they got past the big “fight” scene when so much was revealed. In most of the book, the town of Cold River and various siblings were very involved in the Riley/Rae drama. I found it a bit of a let down that the resolution didn’t address more of those conflicts, it seemed like a big miss to assume that everyone would just be “okay” with how things played out. I would have liked to have seen less of the back and forth early on and more of how did the resolution work.
All of that said, I am very curious to see more of Cold River and if Riley’s brothers can solve their own romantic dilemmas.
In Secret Nights, Ms Crews returns us to Cold River, but this time the focus is on the Kittridge brothers introduced previously as secondary characters. We start with middle brother, Riley, and his estranged wife, Rae.
This was a book that I enjoyed - as we got to see Riley and Rae address issues and come to terms with a long term relationship/non relationship. But, it’s a book I was also frustrated by.
I liked the premise- the idea that one partner deciding to finally end the cycle they were in sparked change and set key events in motion. But, I struggled it’s how much back and forth there was to get to resolution.
I had a hard time connecting to Rae and Riley in parts of the book and was surprised at how easily they got past the big “fight” scene when so much was revealed. In most of the book, the town of Cold River and various siblings were very involved in the Riley/Rae drama. I found it a bit of a let down that the resolution didn’t address more of those conflicts, it seemed like a big miss to assume that everyone would just be “okay” with how things played out. I would have liked to have seen less of the back and forth early on and more of how did the resolution work.
All of that said, I am very curious to see more of Cold River and if Riley’s brothers can solve their own romantic dilemmas.
Amazon
Mistletoe in Paradise by Jill ShalvisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend
Review Copy Provided by Author
A quick holiday novella about a second chance and what’s important.
I enjoyed seeing Hannah and James reconnect with a little interference from step dad Harry. Ms Shalvis does an excellent job of making these characters relatable in a very short time frame.
This story also touches on key points, like what’s really important in life and how sometimes we have to bend to make relationships work.
While this is set away from Wildstone, that is where Hannah is from. I am hoping these two will pop up as secondary characters later!
A quick holiday novella about a second chance and what’s important.
I enjoyed seeing Hannah and James reconnect with a little interference from step dad Harry. Ms Shalvis does an excellent job of making these characters relatable in a very short time frame.
This story also touches on key points, like what’s really important in life and how sometimes we have to bend to make relationships work.
While this is set away from Wildstone, that is where Hannah is from. I am hoping these two will pop up as secondary characters later!
Amazon
TBR READS:
Runaway Road by Devney PerryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend
Review Copy Purchased
Runaway Road is the first book in a new series about 6 teenagers who formed their own family when they needed it and where they are now. We start with Londyn and meet her as she is leaving Boston after a divorce.
Ms Perry pulls us into London’s story and does an excellent job of weaving world building into what happens when fate, in the form of a flat tire, interrupts a cross country road trip.
That flat tire led to Brooks and the town of Summers, WV. It was easy to see why Londyn would get attached to both! I loved how the story between these two was crafted as a friends to lovers tale - and how the time with Brooks allowed Londyn to take a different look at her life so far.
The secondary cast in Runaway Road is fairly small, which allows us to focus on the primary couple in the story. We learn a little bit about the 5 other people Lodyn was with as a teenager, but not much. We do see some of Gemma, the heroine of Wild Highway (book 2), but it’s done in a way that feels organic to this story. I am looking forward to what happens next in the series.
Runaway Road is the first book in a new series about 6 teenagers who formed their own family when they needed it and where they are now. We start with Londyn and meet her as she is leaving Boston after a divorce.
Ms Perry pulls us into London’s story and does an excellent job of weaving world building into what happens when fate, in the form of a flat tire, interrupts a cross country road trip.
That flat tire led to Brooks and the town of Summers, WV. It was easy to see why Londyn would get attached to both! I loved how the story between these two was crafted as a friends to lovers tale - and how the time with Brooks allowed Londyn to take a different look at her life so far.
The secondary cast in Runaway Road is fairly small, which allows us to focus on the primary couple in the story. We learn a little bit about the 5 other people Lodyn was with as a teenager, but not much. We do see some of Gemma, the heroine of Wild Highway (book 2), but it’s done in a way that feels organic to this story. I am looking forward to what happens next in the series.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Average Read
This is my first read by Leslie McAdam and I picked it up as a free read.
I have very mixed feelings about the book. I liked Jessica and wanted to root for her, but it was difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the story.
The Ground Beneath Our Feet reads more like a guide to self help in terms of body acceptance, self image issues, and addiction versus a relationship story. That made it difficult to embrace the evolution of the relationship from roomates to more between Jessica and Mikey.
There is an interesting secondary cast that seems to be part of a larger series. I am curious about the other books, but I don't know if I will be rushing out to buy them.
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