Book Review: Kiss Me in Sweetwater Springs (Sweetwater Springs #2.5) by Annie Rains

 Kiss Me in Sweetwater Springs

 (Sweetwater Springs #2.5) 

by Annie Rains

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA /  B&N

A heartwarming novella in the Sweetwater Springs series from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains, perfect for fans of RaeAnne Thayne and Debbie Mason.

If Lacy Shaw could have one wish, it's that the past would stay in the past. And with her high school reunion coming up, she has no intention of reliving the worst four years of her life. Especially when all she has to show for the last decade is how the shy bookworm blossomed into...the shy town librarian. Ditching the event seems the best option until a blistering hot alternative roars into Lacy's life. Perhaps riding into the reunion on the back of Paris Montgomery's motorcycle will show her classmates how much she really has changed...

While growing up as a foster kid, Paris Montgomery only felt at home in Sweetwater Springs, which is why he picked the small town to start over after his divorce. He can't afford to ruin this refuge with another doomed relationship - especially one with a woman who is his total opposite. But when the town's sweet librarian offers to help him reconnect with his foster dad, he finds they have more in common than he thought. Both are about to discover that home is where the heart is.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:



Greta Merchant used a cane, but he knew she walked just fine. The cane was for show, and Paris had seen her beat it against someone’s foot a couple of times.



The nickname had just rolled off his tongue, but it fit. Lace was delicate and beautiful, accentuated by holes that one might think made it more fragile. It was strong, just like the woman sitting next to him.



My Review:



Annie Rains has penned an enjoyable, pleasantly satisfying, and sweet story featuring two lonely yet kind and endearing characters living in a small town; one a reserved librarian who lived on Pine Cone Lane, and the other a computer whiz/graphic artist/tattooed biker who was handsome enough to have all the ladies salivating whether they were young or old, married or single. The storylines were sweet and heartfelt with both main characters having experienced painful histories of disappointments and insecurities in their childhoods that continued to haunt them yet each was endeavoring to overcome. The premise was relevant and tender, the writing was easy to follow and engaging, and the small-town characters were amusingly delineated.

About the Author

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling author who writes small-town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and three children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

Book Review: Willow (The Pepper Lane Club Book 1) by Grace Parks

Willow

(The Pepper Lane Club Book 1)

by Grace Parks

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Can a socialite and a technophobe fall in love?

A bubbly personality and a great job in social media didn’t mean that Willow Lawson had it all. Her love life was a distant memory and her social life only work-related. The maddening demands of life seemed to get in the way of finding time for herself or her friends.

She starts the Pepper Lane Club as a chance to step away from her busy schedule once a month to reconnect with her friends.

Thomas Greer, the proprietor of the Pepper Lane Café, annoys her. He’s her complete opposite; unsociable, serious, old-fashioned and dead set against social media.

Always game for a challenge, Willow decides to take him on as a client. She’s going to prove to Thomas that he needs her help. She knew she would be successful, she just didn’t know she would lose her heart along the way.

Can Willow fall in love with a man that doesn’t respect her profession? Will Thomas let go of his preconceptions long enough to get to know the real Willow? Enjoy this sweet romance as Willow finds love and friendship in the first book in the Pepper Lane Series.

Six women. Six stories. Six chances of love. One café.

The Pepper Lane Series follows the lives of six women as they share life, love, and heartache once a month at the Pepper Lane Club. They might be an unlikely group of friends, but it takes all types to form a tribe.



My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


We turned around to the sound of our boss, who had snuck up on us like a thief in the night. Megan was a heavy set woman who, despite her size, always managed to creep up on us when we were least expecting it. Despite wearing big leather boots today, we hadn’t heard a sound. We were certain she owned some magic powers, and that by signing our work contract we had also signed away our lives.

Carey worked quickly, like the Edward Scissorhands of the salon world, and I knew this was the job for her.


My Review:

This lighthearted and playful tale has put me in the mood for alliteration; it was fast, fun, frothy, and feisty. I enjoyed the entertaining storylines, wry wit, clever humor, breezy writing style, and lively collection of characters. Willow’s banter and verbal exchanges were often like a Masters level tennis match and kept a frequent smirk on my face while reading. Her character could also be a bit annoying to others as she was often late, hung-over, argumentative, and messy. Hmm, we could be closely related.

About The Author

From Grace, with Love...
Grace Parks is a sweet romance/chick-lit author with a penchant for the happily ever after.

Social Media Links 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graceparksauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceparksauthor/

Website: www.graceparksauthor.com

Book Review: Flutter (Nash Brothers #3) by Carrie Aarons

𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 

(𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞)

by Carrie Aarons

One-click Flutter: mybook.to/Flutter

 He can’t stand her, and best believe, the feeling is mutual.

Her life is the complete opposite of what he desires.

So, why can’t they keep their hands off each other?

Forrest Nash is a smug know-it-all. With his brains, ridiculous good looks and penchant for disobeying the laws of both the police and the dark web, Fawn Hill’s resident genius is cockier than any man Penelope Briggs has ever encountered. It doesn’t help that their six-year age difference makes him completely ineligible in her eyes. Add in the fact that he doesn’t want marriage or babies, and that should eliminate him from the dating pool forever. But it doesn’t mean she can’t sleep with him. Once. Or twice. Or ten times. Against all logic, though, Forrest seems to be sneaking into her heart at the same time he’s sneaking into her bed.

Penelope Briggs is one bossy, obnoxious woman. With three young children, a calendar full of school drop-offs and sports, and enough emotional baggage to fill an airplane, this widow is definitely not what Forrest Nash is looking for. And yet, he can’t get enough of the maddening bombshell. But as their hook-ups become a constant, so does his involvement in Penelope’s life. The things he swore he never wanted, love and kids, seem to be the only things on his mind. And when an attack from his part of the cyber world threatens her safety, he’ll have to admit his feelings for the woman he’d do anything to protect.

What started as a convenient friends-with-benefits situation is quickly growing wings. Even if both parties are trying hard to ignore the flutter.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She closes the place on Monday, but if the three of us can manage it, we do a private class. And when I say class, I really mean vent slash gossip session in leggings and sports bras.


Corey is the kid all the teachers loved but would shove you in a locker when their backs were turned. He hasn’t gotten much better in adulthood…


Lily looks around, ducking her head to quietly talk. And that’s when you know you’re going to be told the good stuff, when someone lowers their voice.


“A low-key wedding for my high-maintenance wife. I’m assuming you want a diamond to go with that?” He points to my finger. Hell, he really does know me. “Nothing too showy …maybe a carat or three.”


… the two of them are so happy, it’s almost like looking at the sun. Honestly, it kind of hurts, but it’s also pretty sweet.




My Review:



This was a quick and entertaining read full of steam and humor, but I was initially hesitant to pick it up as I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to enjoy a story featuring the insufferable Forrest, as his personality didn’t come off well in the previous books. I thought Forrest was undeniably arrogant, obnoxious, and distant, and had enabled his addicted twin brother. Silly me, I ended up enjoying and caring more for Forrest than I did for Penelope, as he was really the sweeter and deeper of the two. The storylines were well balanced between angst, levity, and scorching hot sensual scenes – this couple was combustible.

Author Bio

Author of romance novels such as The Tenth Girl and Privileged, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.

When she isn't writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, daughter and Lab/Great Dane rescue.

Author Links

Visit Carrie's website: authorcarrieaarons.com

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Book Review: Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale

Last Summer

by Kerry Lonsdale

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

Books-A-Million | B&N

  From the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal, bestselling author of the Everything series comes a new novel of love, lies, and deceit.

Lifestyle journalist Ella Skye remembers every celebrity she interviewed, every politician she charmed between the sheets and every socialite who eyed her with envy. The chance meeting with her husband, Damien; their rapid free-fall into love; and their low-key, intimate wedding are all locked in her memory. But what she can’t remember is the tragic car accident that ripped her unborn child from her. Ella can’t even recall being pregnant.

Hoping to find the memories of a lost pregnancy that’s left her husband devastated and their home empty, Ella begins delving into her past when she’s assigned an exclusive story about Nathan Donovan, a retired celebrity adventurer who seems to know more about her than she does him. To unravel the mystery of her selective memory loss, Ella follows Nathan from the snowcapped Sierra Nevada to the frozen slopes of southeast Alaska. There she discovers the people she trusts most aren’t the only ones keeping secrets from her—she’s hiding them from herself. Ella quickly learns that some truths are best left forgotten.

  

My Rating:

My Review:



I quickly succumbed to Ms. Lonsdale's magic and tumbled right into an oddly unsettling yet mesmerizing vortex inhabited by her troubled characters. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Ms. Lonsdale is deviously talented with the word voodoo! My opinions and feelings towards her characters turned on a dime, I couldn’t decide who was to be believed as none seemed trustworthy and all appeared to be harboring layer upon layer of secrets, tragic losses, and deep-seated issues that I was extremely curious to unearth. The writing was emotive and highly moody while the storylines were maddeningly paced and cunningly crafted. I was deeply annoyed and beyond irritated with each character in turn and biting my cuticles and lips with the ever-increasing and ratcheting tension. It was stellar!

About The Author

Kerry Lonsdale is the Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, and #1 Amazon Kindle bestselling author of the Everything series—Everything We Keep, Everything We Left Behind, and Everything We Give—as well as All the Breaking Waves, and Last Summer. She resides in Northern California with her husband and two children. Learn more about Kerry at www.kerrylonsdale.com.

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Book Review: The Secret Cove in Croatia (Romantic Escapes #5) by Julie Caplin

The Secret Cove in Croatia 

(Romantic Escapes #5) 

by Julie Caplin

Amazon  US / UK / AU /  B&N

Sail away to beautiful Croatia for summer sun, sparkling turquoise seas and a holiday romance that’s forever…

When no-nonsense, down-to-earth Maddie Wilcox is offered the chance to work on a luxury yacht for the summer, she can’t say no. Yes, she’ll be waiting on the posh guests… But island-hopping around the Adriatic sea will more than make up for it – especially when Nick, her best friend Nina’s brother, is one of them.

Sparks fly when they meet onboard and Maddie can’t believe self-entitled jerk Nick is really related to Nina.

But in a secret, picture-perfect cove, away from the real world, Maddie and Nick discover they might have more in common than they realize…


My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

With big bones, Maddie was never going to be a size ten; she was a healthy twelve to fourteen and her stomach had never, and was never going to be, flat and, yes, she had muffin tops – double chocolate chip muffin tops. All bought and paid for.


‘… those shorts. Serious fashion crime… Oh, dear God. A travesty. Those are men’s shorts. No wonder you look like a pudding on legs. Fabulous legs, by the way.’ She actually walked around Maddie as if she were a prize pig on show.


We were the kids on free school meals. I’m the first to go to university, which my mum views with deep suspicion. The way she carries on, you’d think I’d taken up witchcraft.


Honestly, you young people. Every communication tool under the sun and none of you seem able to talk to each other.


My Review:



This was a fun and amusing read that entertained with clever observations and mocking wit while simultaneously taunting me with delectable descriptions of mouth-watering dishes and lush exotic locals as the characters cruised the Croatian Coast on a luxury yacht. Well, the lovely main character of Maddie was actually employed as a last minute addition to the crew on said luxury yacht. Poor Maddie, she was required to clean up unspeakable messes and smile as the vile and petty “stick insect” models squealed like toddlers, pranced like show ponies, and barked orders and insults at anyone who dared to offer a differing opinion to their plans while they fleeced a wealthy boyfriend and enjoyed an extravagant vacation at his expense.


This was my first experience dabbling in this cunning wordsmith’s skills and my willpower to abide my diet regime was sorely tested by her deviously penned and artfully detailed meals. It took all I had not to succumb, although I did dream of a succulent pasta and wine-fueled binge after feeling compelled to Google Croatia and several of the items and places mentioned. Ms. Caplin’s oddly enticing characters were intriguingly and comically drawn; even the villainous harpies kept my interest primed as I was curious as to if or how their duplicity would be exposed, although I will also admit to gleefully hissing my displeasure at their unrepentant self-absorption. I seem to love to hate narcissists.


In addition to falling into a circuitous yet interesting and educational Google stoked lesson on Croatia, Mr. Google also assisted me with several fun new additions to my Brit Word List with duff them up – hit them many times; oik – an uncouth or obnoxious person; and cadge – ask or beg for something. Mr. G is one of my all-time favorite boyfriends, as unlike most of the human variety, he never fails to perform.

About The Author

Jules Wake announced at the age of ten that she planned to be a writer. Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands, taking journalists on press trips to awful places like Turin, Milan, Geneva, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and occasionally losing the odd member of the press in an airport. This proved fabulous training for writing novels as it provided her with the opportunity to eat amazing food, drink free alcohol, hone her writing skills on press releases and to research European cities for her books. 

She writes best-selling warm-hearted contemporary fiction for HarperImpulse.

Under her pen name, Julie Caplin, her twelfth novel, The Secret Cove in Croatia published in ebook format this July.

Social Media Links 

Twitter @JulieCaplin
@Juleswake
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieCaplinAuthor

Book Review: The Boyfriend Collector (Book #1) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

The Boyfriend Collector

(Book #1)

by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes The Boyfriend Collector. 

SHE JUST NEEDS ONE GOOD MAN TO GIVE HER HOPE…

 

(Part One of Two)

Treated like a servant in her own home, twenty-year-old Rose Marie Hale can’t stop dreaming of her next birthday. It’s the day she’ll inherit a fortune, break free from her cruel family, and finally start living her life—finish school, travel, find love. After a lifetime of hardship, it’s all she’s ever wanted.

But when Rose discovers she must marry before her twenty-first birthday to claim the money, she has no choice but to push herself out into the world in search of a man she can love and trust. Unfortunately, those are the very things that have been used as weapons against her.

With only a month to go, can she find true love? Or will her past hold her back, leaving her penniless and alone?

Because the only man she trusts and wants is off-limits.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:



This man doesn’t just have a stick up his ass, it’s an entire forest.



The maids come and go like lettuce in a vegetable drawer. They’re chewed up or they rot, but either way, they’re gone in seven days.



I’m not looking for Mr. Perfect. I’m looking for Mr. Perfect-For-Me.



I rub my eyes, disregarding the fact that I still have on last night’s mascara and that I’m going to look like last night’s trash panda, too.




My Review:

This fast-paced little missive was a quick read with a bit of everything including Ms. Pamfiloff’s trademark snarky humor, family drama involving a naïve and gullible Cinderella-type main character, greedy grandparents, fraud, a hitman, embezzlement, multiple suitors vying to be groom potential, and a wonky will. Oh my, and the story isn’t done yet. I am eager for the rest of the tale, even though I want to give Rose a few good pinches for being so dim-witted and easily deceived.

About the Author

MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling romance author with over a million books sold worldwide. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dream. Mimi lives with her Latin Lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and the rat terrier duo, Snowflake and Mini Me, in Arizona. She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.

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Book Review: Instructions for Falling In Love Again by Lucy Mitchell

Instructions for Falling In Love Again 

by Lucy Mitchell

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

What would you do if your late husband left you a list of instructions on how to fall in love with someone else?

Pippa Browning is faced with this exact dilemma, three years after the death of her husband, Dan.

Buried at the bottom of a drawer are a collection of notebooks full of Dan’s advice on how to live without him.

Pippa’s notebook is red and contains his instructions on how to fall in love again.

But Dan doesn’t just want Pippa to fall in love with anyone – Dan’s crazy suggestion is that Pippa should date his handsome friend, Mikey Stenton, a known thrill-seeking ladies’ man.

Reluctant to follow Dan’s advice, Pippa enters the world of dating. She embarks on a humorous journey of self-discovery, with the help of her children and two best friends.

It isn’t long before Pippa is finding it hard to ignore Dan’s instructions and Mikey Stenton.

Is Mikey really the man that everyone thinks him to be? Or was Dan right, and Mikey’s simply been misunderstood?

A heart-warming romantic comedy about motherhood, friendship and finding love, the second time around.
My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


I take a sharp intake of breath at the news of Mrs Gladson and the imminent birth of her fourth child. When I saw her a few months ago in the school playground, she’d ballooned overnight and had a look of terror etched across her face.


You come across as their friend. I prefer to act like I’m unhinged. Kids pick up on this stuff. It’s good for kids to live with a bit of fear…


Your children are feral. If they’re not escaping down ladders to go underage drinking, they’re cutting all their hair off at parties.


I’ve found myself in new territory. For the first time in my life, I’m frantically thinking of excuses to leave a woman’s house. ‘Got to go,’ I stammer, searching for the door. She kisses me again, sucking the air out of me like a giant hoover.




My Review:


This was a fun and witty read, penned with wickedly clever wry humor and sharply honed and double-edged levity while cast with a large slate of amusingly annoying and dysfunctional characters. Pippa was an impractical widow of three years and had been heedlessly turning a blind eye to the carefully planned budget her dying husband had painstakingly drawn up for her, as well as to the brattiness and emotional needs of her three challenging children who by that point had been labeled as “feral” by their grandmother, and were largely beyond Pippa’s weak attempts at control, although she didn’t seem to be expending much effort to rein them in.

Her departed husband had always been the responsible and organized parent while Pippa was largely an airy-fairy, ineffectual, and exceedingly lame parent as in many ways she was just as irresponsible as her monstrously mouthy and beastly children. She had avoided processing her grief by ignoring her dead husband’s instructions and spending lavishly and willy-nilly in redecorating her home and indulging in her passion for baking. She received an embarrassing wakeup call, which finally seemed to have rattled the little pea in her brain when her under-aged teenaged daughter was carted home in a drunken state while Pippa had assumed she was upstairs asleep. Oh my, major parenting fail.

Ms. Mitchell has hit a home run with her debut publication by serving up a crisp and breezy writing style with engaging storylines that were edgily amusing while also heart-squeezing and observantly emotive. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere near this loud and obnoxious family, but I enjoyed being privy to their inner workings as Pippa began to find her way back to herself and her dead husband’s thoughtful plan for her. I also scored a fun and irreverent new addition to my Brit Word List with coffin dodger – which is UK slang for the elderly.

About The Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Twitter

Instructions For Falling In Love Again is the debut novel from Lucy Mitchell. She lives in South Wales with her husband, her two teenage daughters, a giant labrador and a gang of unruly cats.

Lucy is the author of the award-winning blog, BlondeWriteMore and was a Featured Romance Author on Wattpad.

When she’s not working or writing, Lucy can be found listening to audiobooks in a muddy field with her dog or sat outside her local pub in the sunshine enjoying a glass of wine.

Instructions For Falling In Love Again is out in June 2019.