Review Round Up ~ September 20

Arc's and Recent Releases

Captivating in Love by Bella Andre

3.5 Stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Author

This is an entertaining entry into a long running series featuring a set of foster siblings as they find true love. The authors have moved through the original cast and are now telling the stories of key secondary cast members.

Gideon and Rosie are part of the Maverick group by relation to Ari, one of the previous leading ladies. Both are characters that are easy to like and want good things for. I appreciated the emotional evolution Gideon experienced, almost like once he really spent time with Rosie, she was the balm to release some of his pain and fears.

There is an interesting plot twist to bring these two even closer together while also cementing their places in the Maverick universe. Add in too little boy scene stealers and this is definitely a fun read.

My one “complaint” is that while this is technically a stand alone, it is so firmly entrenched in the series that it might be hard for someone starting here to not feel lost. I would strongly recommend reading at least one of two of the other Maverick books first.

Amazon

The Cannon by Leslie Pike

3.5 Stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Author

The Cannon is part of the Swift Series and focuses on Bristol (the sister of the family at the center of the series) and Sawyer, a baseball phenomenon playing for the team her family owns.

I enjoyed Sawyer and Bristol’s story. They are both interesting characters with back stories that have potential for creating issues/baggage. Seeing them interact and deal with those things was sweet.

As with all things from Ms Pike, the Cannon was well written and engaging. So why then is this only a 3.5 star read?

My first (and probably biggest) issue comes from the the fact that is the third book in the series. I somehow (and need to fix this) have missed the first two book in the series. Certain secondary characters are written as if we know the backstory and while it doesn’t detract from Bristol and Sawyer’s story, it was still there poking at me while I read.

The second piece for me was this didn’t seem to have the seamless flow to it that I expect from Ms Pike’s writing. The only thing I can put my finger on for why I feel this way was the introduction of a secondary character who seemed prominent to the story, but then seemed to fade away with no additional mentions. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I won't share more - you will have to read the book to find out!

Overall, this is an entertaining and fun/sweet read. I am curious about the other books in the series and can't want to see what Ms Pike has for us next!

Amazon

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