Review Catch Up

It's that time again - I'm catching up on two new release and one read from the TBR pile. Enjoy!

ARC READS

 One Perfect Kiss by Jaci Burton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Average Read

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via NetGalley

I went into One Perfect Kiss with high hopes because I have really enjoy Jaci Burton's work in the past. While this was a decent book, it didn't really live up to what I expect when I read something from her.
Josie and Zach are both recent transplants to Hope, both are teachers, and both have some emotional baggage. I liked both characters, I really liked them together, but a lot of their interactions felt forces and stilted.
I do have to confess that I have missed a lot of the Hope books, so a good chunk of the secondary cast was new to me and the time spent of following their story lines made the overall narrative drag a little bit as well.
This is a standalone work. From the timelines discussed, I'm guessing that Zach and Josie have appeared in prior Hope books, so if you have been following the series then you will probably be glad to see what happens for them. As a reader who has not read the series religiously, I would have preferred to have a little less time spent on the large secondary cast and would have hoped to see a little more chemistry between the primary romantic couple.

Amazon

When We Kiss by Tia Louise

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

This is a well written and entertaining story of a girl whose not a bad as she thinks she is a man not as straight laced as he appears to be.
Tabby and Chad are a fun couple to get to know and I genuinely enjoyed their adventures together. One of the things I liked about this story was that it was simply a boy meets girl romance. Yes, there was drama, but it was the kind you would expect of two people who have lived a life to get where they are. There was nothing over the top, just the normal fears of moving too fast towards a destination you weren’t sure of.
Add in an excellent secondary cast and we have the beginnings of what I think will be an excellent series.

Amazon

TBR READS

Unwell by Robin Laine

3.25 Stars - Better than Average Read

Copy Purchased

Unwell is a debut novel that is loosely based on the author’s own health challenges.
I found Unwell to be fairly well written and I liked the characters. I appreciated that Azley fought to protect her son and was cautious with her heart. Evan was a good hero and I liked how he fought for their relationship.
Where I struggled a little bit was with connecting to the characters. As much as I liked them, I didn’t feel like i knew them enough to really form an emotional attachment.
I liked Unwell enough that I am curious to see what Ms Laine come up with next.

Amazon

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timid ~ Devney Perry ~ New Release and Review

 
 Willa Doon has always been shy. Her quiet demeanor was something she’s always embraced. That is, until Jackson Page moves to town. The one man she desperately wants to take notice struggles to remember her name. Year after year, Willa stands by, watching as the bartender slash playboy drowns his demons in beer and sex. Then one night, he shows up at her door, suddenly aware that the girl he’s seen around Lark Cove is now a beautiful woman. Except what he doesn’t remember is that this visit isn’t his first. They spent a night together once before. A night he’s forgotten, thanks to a bottle of tequila. A night that crushed a timid girl’s heart, and set a broken man on the path to heal them both.  

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      I scooched my chair in toward the table, trying to put a little more space between Jackson and me, but he wasn’t having it. He put both hands on the back of my chair, then leaned in close. “Hi, Willa.” “Uh . . . hi.” I shivered at the heat from his chest on my bare shoulders. Why was he standing so close? My parents were right there. Our table was one of four tall, square ones in the center of the room and there was plenty of space between tables. Plenty. P-L-E-N-T-Y. But was Jackson using any of that plentiful space? No sirree. He stayed pressed against the back of my chair, like there were only three inches of usable space behind him, not three feet. My skin prickled he was so close. I tried to nudge my chair forward again but it barely moved. Sweat beaded on my temples and I pulled in a shaking breath. Jackson’s woodsy, rich scent was everywhere. It overpowered the stale beer, pizza and peanuts, and I inhaled a deep breath, unable to resist. Sexy Hot Forest. That’s what they’d call his cologne.      





Devney is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jamison Valley series. She lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories. Devney loves hearing from readers! Connect with her on social media. Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter

Elizabeth's Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a friend

Review Copy Provided bu Author

4.25 you should really read this stars
Ms Perry is an author I have discovered this year (with the Birthday List) and she is fast become a must read author for me.
We were introduced to the community of Lark Cove in Tattered and the story of the community continues here in Timid. Jackson and Willa’s story starts off in parallel to Thea and Logan’s (Tattered) story, so be warned there are spoilers if you are not reading the series in order.
Willa and Jackson are both characters that I truly enjoyed. I liked them both initially, but that grew with my appreciation for their emotional growth - both individually and as a couple. Jackson’s arc seemed fairly well defined, so I found myself focusing on Willa and the fine line Ms Perry walked in taking a long term crush and redirecting it. I was very impressed with the skill it took to show Willa’s devotion without making her appear codependent.
There is an intrigue element to Timid that helps drive the relationship story and provides a deeper source of conflict. This is an angle I like about this series as it allows to couples to focus outward and avoids the pitfalls of rehashing the same emotional drama too many times.
Timid is a well written, hard to put down book. Excellent characters with a strong secondary cast has me wondering if we have seen the last of Lark Cove or if there might be more stories coming.

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Blue Collar Brother ~ Piper Rayne Cover Reveal

 
Crushing on the Cop - RELEASE DAY - OCTOBER 25th! Cristian Bianco has two things against him—he’s a police officer and he’s a police officer in the 18^th District…meaning my dad is his boss. Growing up as the Commander’s daughter and having his magnifying glass focused on everything I did was more than I could handle. Now, I’m out on my own, living by my own rules. Well, mostly. The ‘job’ I created for myself has me in some hot water and my exit strategy isn’t exactly working out how I’d hoped. Which is why when my best friend bids on Cristian for me at a charity bachelor auction, I’m not having it. A man in blue is only going to be one thing for me—a problem. Except after his brother starts dating my best friend he becomes harder to ignore. The eight-pack abs. The sense of style only a girl like me can appreciate. The way he puts his family first. It all adds up to make him one irresistible prospect and has me wondering if he knows how to use those handcuffs the right way—by locking my wrists to his headboard. ADD TO GOODREADS

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Engaged to the EMT - RELEASE DAY - DECEMBER 6th! Luca Bianco is a jerk. There I said it. He thinks he’s so suave and sexy, walking around in his paramedic uniform stretched out by all his hard muscles and saving lives every day. I swear he thinks every woman in the world kill for a chance to be with him. Men like Luca are good for one thing only—a one-night stand—not commitment. I don’t care if my friend did pay good money at a charity bachelor auction for me to go on a date with him, I refuse to do it. That is until Luca offers me a deal I can’t refuse, and I agree to be his pretend fiancé. The heat that’s simmered between us for a decade ignites and I’m not sure even Luca will be able to kickstart my heart after I call code blue. What’s that saying? Love is blind? Not true. I can see this head-on collision coming a mile away.   ADD TO GOODREADS

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        Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too. Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bookbub | Website Join our newsletter and get 2 FREE BOOKS! Be one of our unicorns  

Netgalley New Releases

Today we have reviews for THREE new releases! Enjoy!

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne

3.5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Netgalley

3.5 stars for an entertaining historical read.
Byrne is a new author for me and this was a good introduction to her work. I found myself really liking Lorelei and Ash/Rook. I enjoyed their initial time together when they were young and hoped with them that the fragile bond could grow until they were mature enough to explore it.
I also enjoyed their more adult encounters and how her affections were able to peel back the layers of time and hardship to find the man underneath.
This was a well written story that balances intrigue with passion in a clever setting. This is part of a series, but I did not feel lost for having not read the other books first. My interest in the author and series has been sparked and I am looking forward to reading the other books.

Amazon

Cowboy, Cross My Heart by Donna Grant


3.5 Stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Netgalley

I enjoyed this book, but also struggled with it at times.
From a character standpoint, I truly liked the cast. Naomi and Brice were both entertaining and the secondary cast was excellent.
For the story - I appreciated the instant attraction between Naomi and Brice and how potential intrigue brought them together. Where I struggled; the scope on the intrigue story line just seemed too vast to believable.
Well written, this follows the Harper/East families we’ve been introduced to previously. It look me to about the halfway point to realize I had read the first book, so this is definitely a stand alone effort. Hopefully we will see Caleb’s story soon.

Amazon

Maybe for You by Nicole McLaughlin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Average Read

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Netgalley


This was a book I wanted to read after really enjoying the first 2 Whiskey and Wedding books and while this one was good, it didn’t have the oomph of the previous stories for me.
Alex and Jake are characters that we have met previously, but the author does a good job of capturing their back story here so the reader doesn’t feel lost.
I loved that this was a friends to lovers story and the slow build up, but my struggle was with how Alex was portrayed after she and Jake became involved.
I felt like she went from a woman regaining her footing after tragedy to a whiny little girl. I understand that the emotional upheaval is part of her character journey, but it really sent mixed messages for me and made it hard to embrace her as fully as I would have liked.
There is also a moment at the end of the book that I feel exploited Alex’s phobias to add tension that wasn’t really needed.
This was a decent conclusion to the series. It is a stand-alone work, but the backstory and involved secondary cast make reading the books in order worth the effort.

Amazon

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Every Breath You Take ~ Faith Andrews ~ New Release & Review

Title: Every Breath You Take
Series: The Every Breath Duet #1

Author: Faith Andrews

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 27, 2018

Blurb

London Monroe is forced to accept an unwanted new reality. Her marriage is over. Her best friend is a million miles away. Her mother’s health is failing. And no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to make ends meet.

They say the way to mend a broken soul is to find someone to make it whole again. But she never imagined it would be him, or that love could be so . . .intense.

Discovering the unexpected will surprise her. Life will get harder before it gets easier. And the man meant to see her through it all will take her by storm.

Immersed in a whirlwind of emotion, London soon learns that there’s a delicate line between love and . . . obsession.

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Releasing October 1, 2018

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Author Bio

Faith Andrews is living out her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she’s not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she’s sitting behind the laptop, creating her next colorful daydream. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.

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Elizabeth's Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

I feel like the 4 star rating here is a little like saying “I’m reserving judgement” because this book is only 1/2 of the story. Yes, this is a duet and if you are reading this review before Oct 1, 2018 you are going to have to wait with the rest of us.

That said - I really liked the story that is here.

We have London - mid 20s recently divorced from her high school sweetheart over some pretty legit issues. She also has some pretty serious other stuff going on in regards to her Mom’s health.
With London comes 2 hunky guys.... her Mom’s doctor and London’s childhood bestie.... and Angst!
That’s right, this well written and entertaining book is full of ANGST! Our girl London is a bit of a mess and more than once I wanted to reach into the book and shake her. I’m not going to say why because this is a spoiler free zone.

Our 2 guys are both equally interesting, but I will say that I definitely had a preference for who London should be with early on.

This is a romantic book, but it’s also very much London’s story. We get a deep dive into what she’s thinking and feeling and there are times when I had to remind myself she was only 26 and was fairly naive in the way of romance and relationships despite having been married.
Ms Andrew’s takes us on an intriguing journey and I am very much looking forward to the conclusion of the duet.

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Review Catch Up

ARC READS

 Catching Irish by Katy Regnery

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a friend

Review Copy was Provided by Author

This is a fun novella to wrap up the Summerhaven series.
Finian and Tate are characters that we have met in the primary trilogy. Given that this is a novella, we don't get to know them very well, but we definitely have some fun with them!
I think one of the things I enjoyed most about Catching Irish is that even though the story is short, Ms Regnery has the emotional connection between Fin and Tate radiating off the page. I liked both characters and should this series ever be revisited, I would love to see more of them.

Amazon

Good Time Cowboy by Maisey Yates

3.5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Net Galley

Ms Yates brings us back to Gold Valley to spend time with the Dodge family - this time with oldest brother, Wyatt.
I liked Wyatt and Lindy and enjoyed watching them poke and prod at each other before finally giving in to their mutual attraction. They are both interesting characters with more in common than they initially appear to have. Unfortunately, as much as I liked both characters, I had a little bit of a hard time connecting to them.
Good Time Cowboy was an entertaining read, but the emotional epiphanies seemed a little forced, especially Lindy's. Both Lindy and Wyatt had road blocks to deal with, it just seemed that they danced a little too much before things magically happened.
This is not my first Gold Valley book, but I think I missed the second book in the series. This is what I would consider a heavily interconnected standalone with numerous references to things that have happened previously and setting up future books. It's not necessary to have read the previous books to read Good Time Cowboy, but by having missed a book in the series, I had a nagging sense of "what am I missing here" as I witnessed interactions with secondary characters. I am curious both to go back and see what I have missed as well as what may be coming next.

Amazon

 TBR READS

  Drowning to Breathe by A.L. Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would recommend Duet to a friend

Copy was received as a gift

This is the conclusion to a Stone in the Sea - given that, don’t try to read this book without reading the first book!
We pick up Shea and Baz’s story right were we left off and Ms Jackson takes us on a wild ride to a happy ending. I enjoyed getting to see how things worked out for Shea and Baz and really appreciated that a lot of the drama in this installment is external to their relationship.
The secondary cast takes a bit of a bigger role here and in some ways that made this a harder book for me to review - because I’ve read this series out of order. Some of the secondary characters behave a bit differently here than I expect mainly because I originally met them when they were more developed.
A Stone in the Sea and Drowning to Breathe are a duet worth reading!

Amazon

Stuck-Up Suit by Vi Keeland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Keeland and Ward have done it again by creating a truly fun story.
Graham and Soraya are a great example of opposites attract and fate stepping in to bring people together. These are entertaining characters that pull you in and make it impossible to put their story down.
Surprises and baggage impact their story, but the way they dealt with those issues just added to my affection for both of them. Great secondary characters and a fun cameo round out an entertaining read that just makes me want to read more by this duet.

Amazon

FREE READS

  The Professor's Heart by T.R. Bertrand

My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Average Read

Co-written books face a unique challenge in making sure that the “voice” of the book is cohesive. This book missed that mark just a little bit. There were a couple of places where it was obvious that the author switched as minor details changed from one chapter to another (she was wearing a robe at the end of one chapter, but he removed her pants in the beginning of the next.)
This is an entertaining read, but really just barely skims the surface of every idea presented. We know the facts, but don’t really get to know the whys behind it. I was definitely left with lots of questions about Derek. There were also numerous tidbits about Naomi that didn’t make sense.
I enjoyed the book, but if you are looking for an angsty, slightly taboo read, this isn’t it.

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faux pas ~ Natasha Madison ~ Cover Reveal

        Meghan
Five days in Paris sounded like a great idea for three friends. Especially when amazing wine was in play. It didn't matter that our rented “apartment” only had one bed, and barely enough space to breathe, we were in Paris and our motto was c'est la vie. Nothing would faze us, not even the rude waiter at the first restaurant we went to, or the insanely hot manger who was insulted when a bottle of wine was returned. Nothing could bring me down or knock me off my path to the best vacation of my life.
 Alex
 I had six days in Paris and then I'd go back to my wine vineyard. It was smooth sailing, until three "americans" came into the restaurant and returned my newest full bodied, savory creation. I ignored her until she stormed out of the restaurant looking for a taxi at one in the morning. I couldn't leave her wandering around the streets of Paris, could I? I’d give her a ride, make sure she was safe, and my duty would be done. Except, was it? Something about her pulled me. This could be a vacation fling. After all, there is no real reason for her to know my interesting secret. I'm France’s most eligible bachelor. This faux pair is almost a faux pas...     When her nose isn't buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she's in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It's a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn't listen to her... FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK READER GROUP | FOLLOW ON AMAZON | FOLLOW ON BOOKBUB | SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER