Tag Archives: ARC

Knocked Up (Crazy Love # 2)

By Stacey Lynn

Synopsis

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes baby in a baby carriage. Just not necessarily in that order. . . .

Braxton: I should probably be dead or in jail right now. Instead, thanks to some tough love, I worked my ass off and now I own a string of tattoo parlors throughout the Pacific Northwest. And yet the one thing I’ve always wanted—a family—still seems out of reach. When my best friend gets married, I’m just hoping to blow off some steam with the super-hot maid of honor. But after Cara Thompson tracks me down to tell me she’s pregnant, she’s more surprised than I am when I tell her I’m all in.

Cara: For the first time in my life, I’m living for myself—not for my parents and their ridiculous expectations. I gave up on my MBA, dropped out of the Ivy League, and moved to Portland to pursue my dream of becoming an artist. And what’s the first thing I do? Get knocked up. For a tatted-up sex god, Braxton Henley seems way too eager to “be there for me.” Is this guy serious? Maybe. He sure is patient. Because he won’t back down until I admit what I know in my heart: that our one night stand might’ve led me to the one.

Review

If you’re looking for a sweet and easy read, one that flows well and has just the right amount tension, then KNOCKED UP is for you. It has an enjoyable story, likable and honest main characters, a believable conflict, a sweet resolution and finally, a HEA for Braxton and Cara.

However, I do feel it’s important to point out that the man on the cover looks nothing like Braxton should, who is described as having tattoos that cover his entire torso and arms, from his neck to his knuckles. It’s probably something the author can’t control, but the couple on the cover should look somewhat similar to how they’re described on the inside.

KNOCKED UP is told in dual POVs and while it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. From memory, this is an entirely new set of characters that are in no way connected to the first book.

Knocked Up (Crazy Love # 2)

My Rating:

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Crazy Love Series

Speakeasy (True North # 5)

By Sarina Bowen

Synopsis

Sometimes you fall for Mr. Right. And sometimes for Mr. Right Now…

May

Did you hear the one about the girl who walks into a bar and catches her live-in lover kissing someone else? No? You’re the only one in town who missed it.
Luckily Alec is there to wrap me up in strong arms and carry me out the door before things get too ugly. And that’s not all Alec is good at. Our unexpected chemistry makes him the perfect rebound guy.

Alec

I should know better than to hook up with my rival’s little sister, but the fiery look in May’s eyes really turns my crank. She needs cheering up, and I’m just the guy for the job.
It’s not like I’ll fall in love. Not even after a string of scorching hot trysts, and the realization that we’re good at the same things: wild nights and familial disappointment. I don’t do love, never have, never will. So this is the perfect arrangement, for both of us.

Nobody would approve, but nobody has to know…

Review

SPEAKEASY is the fifth book in the True North series, and I’m sorry to say it was my least enjoyable read from this series.

I liked Alec, who was fun to be around and who treated May like she hung the moon. I liked May, who battled her alcoholic demons every day, and while the struggle at times was immense, she won that battle every day too. I think Sarina did a great job of getting her readers inside the mind of a recovering alcoholic. Not only did I like them as individuals, I liked them as a couple as well. I also liked that we got to see how three of the previous four couples were doing in their lives and how their relationships were progressing.

While I liked the characters and their story, there were two things I wasn’t a fan of. I didn’t like the lesbian fantasy scenes that I felt Alec pushed May into talking about, which he did so purely to satisfy his own sexual curiosity. I also didn’t like how down on themselves Alec and May were throughout the story. I got to a point where I just could not handle their “I’m not good enough” thoughts anymore.

SPEAKEASY is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Alec and May. While it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. As per Goodreads, there will be at least one more book in the True North series, but at the time of writing this review, book 6 is currently untitled, makes no mention of a release date and doesn’t mention who it’s about. I’m thinking it might be about one of Alec’s brothers.

Speakeasy (True North # 5)

My Rating:

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True North Series

I Flipping Love You (Shacking Up # 3)

By Helena Hunting

Synopsis

Rian Sutter doesn’t usually get hit on in the grocery store, but when she notices a sexy man in a suit checking her out, she thinks maybe it’s her lucky day. Either that or the suit has a thing for sweaty, yoga-pant wearing women with excellent price matching skills.

Turns out it’s neither.

Pierce Whitfield can’t believe his luck when he’s able to track down the woman who scratched up the paint job on his car at the scene of the crime. But when he confronts the hit and run hottie, he discovers there’s not just one, but two of them, and he’s been throwing accusations at the wrong twin.

As repair costs are negotiated, and the chemistry between them flares, Rian and Pierce find out they have more than mutual attraction in common. They’re both vying for the same pieces of prime real estate in The Hamptons and neither one plans to give up without a fight.

Can these passionate rivals turn up the heat on their budding romance—without burning down the house?

Review

When a book has me laughing out loud on page three, I know I’m in for a good read…and I FLIPPING LOVE YOU did not disappoint.

My tank is still dewy, post-exertion, I have terrible under-boob sweat, and my thong is all wonky. If I were alone in this aisle, I’d for sure fix the last issue, but suit guy is here so I must leave the thong where it is for now, wedged uncomfortably between my vagina lips.

I LOVED PIERCE. Absolutely loved him. I loved his confidence and his sense of humor, and he’s probably the best book boyfriend I’ve read in a while. I liked Rian too, but Pierce was definitely the standout character in my opinion. My favorite scene was right at the beginning, where Pierce and Rian first meet in the grocery store, because it was fiery, feisty, exciting and a whole lot of fun. Coming a close second were all the scenes where Pierce was flirting with Rian and trying to win her over with his charm. Oh, and the epilogue. The epilogue was really good too.

“You think it’s sexy that I can do math in my head?”
“Yes. You’re gorgeous, outspoken, and intelligent. It’s a hard-on-inducing trifecta.”

There were a couple of minor things that bothered me throughout the story, like a few repetitive thoughts and scenes, and time jumps that were not identified by breaks within the chapters, which affected the flow of the story at times. But as I said, these were minor and didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the story.

I FLIPPING LOVE YOU is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series—and characters from the previous book do make an appearance or two—it can be read as a stand-alone as it comes with a HEA for Pierce and Rian.

I Flipping Love You (Shacking Up # 3)

My Rating:

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The Shacking Up Series

Marek (Cold Fury Hockey # 11)

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

Marek Fabritis is used to delivering blows, not receiving them. But when he gets tipped off by an anonymous email about his ex-girlfriend, the news leaves him ice cold—and it’s not because Gracen Moore is getting married to a total jerk. It’s the fact that Marek has a three-year-old daughter he never knew about. Now he’s going back home, not to play knight in shining armor but to make damn sure that no man takes what’s his. For the first time, there might be something more important than hockey.

Gracen Moore has always loved Marek. That’s why she let him go, so he could pursue a career in the NHL. And that’s why she never told him about Lilly. Only now does Gracen realize that she made an unforgivable mistake. But is that any reason for Marek to crash her wedding and make an epic scene? If the spark that still smolders between them is to be trusted, maybe. Still, Gracen’s not getting her hopes up. Because she knows better than anyone that appearances aren’t always what they seem. . . .

Review

MAREK is a second chance, secret child romance, which for the most part was a very enjoyable read and a good addition to the Cold Fury Hockey series. The story was entertaining, kept me turning the pages and brought out a wide range of emotions from me.

I loved Gracen, who apologized several times for keeping her daughter a secret and she meant each and every one of those apologies. She was willing to accept Marek’s anger towards her, but she was not afraid to stand up for herself and put him in his place when he went too far. Given how their breakup went down, I don’t blame Gracen one bit for what she did, especially when she believed she was simply honoring Marek’s wishes.

I also loved her daughter, Lilly, who was a gorgeous and sweet little girl.

I wish I could say I liked Marek, but I just can’t. While he became a good father to Lilly, I didn’t like how he kept playing the victim or how badly he treated Gracen throughout most of the book. From memory, he never apologized to Gracen for the cruel way he broke up with her, or take into account her feelings or try to understand why she kept Lilly a secret.

While MAREK can technically be read as a stand-alone, the scene where Marek rushes to stop Gracen from getting married⏤and learns about his daughter⏤only appears in the previous book. So if you haven’t read REED, you will miss that particular heated and emotional scene that sets up this story.

I also have to say that the synopsis does not match the story at all, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a glaring disparity between the two. The synopsis says that Gracen let Marek go so he could pursue his NHL dreams, and that Marek rushes to stop her from getting married after learning he has a daughter. That is not even close to what happened. Instead, Marek dumped Gracen when he reached the NHL because he didn’t want to be tied down to her, and only learned of his daughter after he turned up to stop Gracen from getting married.

There’s not a great deal of hockey in this book, as the story mostly takes place during the off-season. But despite that, and as I said above, the story is a page turner and I devoured it quickly. MAREK is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Marek and Gracen.

Marek (Cold Fury Hockey # 11)

My Rating:

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Cold Fury Hockey Series

Hooked On You (Chicago Rebels # 3)

By Kate Meader

Synopsis

Violet Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected. Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that require she takes part in actually running the team with the half-sisters she barely knows. Working with these two strangers and overseeing a band of hockey-playing lugs is not on her agenda…until she lays eyes on the Rebels captain and knows she has to have him.

Bren St. James has been labeled a lot of things: the Puck Prince, Lord of the Ice, Hell’s Highlander…but it’s the latest tag that’s making headlines: washed-up alcoholic has-been. This season, getting his life back on track and winning the Cup are his only goals. With no time for relationships—except the fractured ones he needs to rebuild with his beautiful daughters—he’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore sexy, all-up-in-his-beard Violet Vasquez. And when he finds himself in need of a nanny just as the playoffs are starting, he’s faced with a temptation he could so easily get hooked on.

For two lost souls, there’s more on the line than just making the best of a bad situation… there might also be a shot at the biggest prize of all: love.

Review

HOOKED ON YOU is the final book in the Chicago Rebels series, and it is a little sad to say goodbye to the three Chase sisters who did what nobody thought they could: take control of the worst hockey team in the league and lead it to success.

While I liked Bren, Violet and Bren’s two daughters, and that we got to see more bonding between the Chase sisters, this book didn’t engage me as much as I was hoping it would, and it did take me a few days to finish it. I found myself frustrated by the number of times Bren alluded to something terrible he did in his past before it was finally revealed towards the end of the book. There were also a couple of hockey related mistakes, like the name of the opposing team changing in the middle of the game, and the away team having home ice advantage for game seven of a playoff series. These aren’t huge mistakes and maybe most readers wouldn’t notice, but they were big enough for this hockey fan to notice.

HOOKED ON YOU is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It comes with a HEA for Bren and Violet, and an ending for the team that I think fans of the series will be happy with.

Hooked On You (Chicago Rebels # 3)

My Rating:

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Chicago Rebels Series

Bad Boy Brody

By Tijan

Synopsis

One punch took him from Hollywood’s Golden Boy to Bad Boy Brody.

The media didn’t care he was grieving his brother’s death. They descended on him, but to change his reputation, his manager got him a deal.

Act in an indie film, one that already had Oscar buzz, and he’d get the movie roles he needed to secure his future.

He took the deal.

Yet he wasn’t prepared for the real-life people behind the script.

He wasn’t prepared for the murder the movie was based on.

And he really wasn’t prepared for her, the biggest secret of all.

She was wild. She was beautiful. She defied gravity.

But was she the leading role that would tame him?

Review

Brody was a great character and I felt connected to him within the first few chapters You could feel his emotions and inner battles. He was dynamic, strong and passionate and very easy to like.

At times I admit I struggled with Morgan as a character because she frustrated me. I found her too aloof and some of her actions were strange. However in saying that, she did at times reflect great fragility yet such fierceness, I so wanted to love her.

Matthew and Morgan’s scenes gave me hope she would return to her family. Unfortunately, they were too in infrequent and I lost my interest in her as a character and became more invested in others.

Now I loved the siblings, they to me created mystery and drama and kept me wanting to find out all the family secrets and they were worth the wait. The second half of this story was more enjoyable to me as Brody and Morgan’s step-siblings interactions really developed and moved the story forward.

Bad Boy Brody is a slow burn novel and you have to be patient. It is a lovely story with some great supporting characters with mystery and drama.

Bad Boy Brody

My Rating:

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Stronger Than This

By Abby McCarthy

Synopsis

Marie:
I married a monster — a member of a motorcycle club. I was okay with him blurring the lines until the lines he crossed turned against me. He wasn’t always a monster, or he hid it well. I wouldn’t have married him if I’d known. By the time his true colors showed, I was pregnant with no way out. Until one day, years of planning paid off, and I was able to run away with my daughter.
I found my footing in the foothills of Pennsylvania, thinking I would be far from any MC. I was wrong.

Mickey:
As a member of The Devil’s Crusaders, not much escapes me in Wakeman. Especially not the tiny, fiery redhead who strolled into town, so obviously hiding from something. She made my blood boil in the best way possible. I’d avoided taking an old lady, instead, choosing to spend my years raising my daughter. Not anymore. Not since Marie. I was ready, and she was it for me. I just had to find out what she was hiding from before it finally catches up to her

Review

Stronger Than This started perfectly and drew me in from the first few chapters. After knowing where we are headed you have a continual feeling of waiting for Marie’s future and past to collide.

Mickey was just a perfect male character and once I got used to his accent it flowed well. I had not read any other books by this author and could easily follow the supporting characters. The sense of family amongst these characters provide light and laughter to an at times dark and sad story.

There was no unnecessary drama in this story and considering some of the topics covered it was welcomed as a reader to just follow Marie’s journey. The beautiful way other women were woven into becoming Marie’s tribe was refreshing.

Talon was a realistic character in her honest expression of changing her life. It was lovely to follow this mother and daughter rebuild their connection to each other after living in lies and deceit. Drake was a frightening character and towards the end, I was beside myself with fear.

The last few chapters of this story are at times hard to read as I had forged such a strong connection to Marie and Talon. The journey is worth it as we are given a wonderful happy ever after.

Stronger Than This

My Rating:

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Sweet Redemption (Sweet Duet #2)

By Ellie Jean

Synopsis

Powerfully romantic, sexually charged and full of emotional angst, the sequel to Sweet Deception will enrapture your heart.

Dreaming of a future with Alex Raven was foolish and dangerous… For us both.

My past defined who I was until Alex Raven found me that fateful night. The hot chemistry, passion and protective love he showed me made me want things I could never have. Risking everything, purging my sins, determined to free myself from the clutches of Dimitri Sokolov, I had to accept the ultimate consequence: my life without Alex.

But no one saw what was coming.

How could I have known?

Will I be able to save myself from my past errors? Will redemption ever happen for me with the one man who made me want to risk everything?

Review

Sweet Redemption was a frantic and soul-destroying yet also stunning completion of this riveting mob suspense romance duet. My heart was shattered for Isla but I also held such hope that Alex would be her savior and we are given a wonderful ending, it was so worth the journey.

Their story picks up right where Sweep Deception ended and I found it very easy to immerse myself back into this sinister world. Isla is so fragile yet incredibly strong and in the first few chapters has to find her inner strength again as she battles for freedom.

Alex and his friends again provided so many favourite moments for me. The story flows well, family secrets are revealed and plot twists change that will leave you relieved and also distraught at points in time.

Alex and Isla’s connection is beautiful and passionate however I would have loved more tender moments especially as we reached the end of this story. There is one moment where I personally believe a more soft and sensual interaction would have healed both their hearts and injuries.

All in all, I love this mafia romance, it had drama, deceit, secrets and ultimately unsuspecting hero’s who returns to save the day.

Sweet Redemption (Sweet Duet #2)

My Rating:

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Love At Last

By Claudia Connor

Synopsis

How many times can you be unlucky in love before you decide it’s not luck, it’s you?

I’m in love with someone else. With her ex-groom’s words still ringing in her ears, Clare Franklin flies off alone to her would-be honeymoon. Forced to accept not everyone gets that happily ever after she’s always dreamed of, she’s done with men. Until she gets tangled up, quite literally, with one sexy veterinarian.

The only thing Dr Deacon Montgomery wants is to share his surgical expertise and get back to his two year old twin daughters. But, the connection he feels with Clare highlights just how alone he really is and makes him wonder if he can be more than doctor and daddy.

Long talks and moonlit walks under the rustle of palms has Clare thinking maybe she gave up on love too soon. Until one phone call from home changes everything.

Review

If you’re a fan of sweet, single-parent, second-chance romances, LOVE AT LAST is for you.

I liked Clare and how she took a chance on Deacon after being dumped at her own wedding. It also takes guts to go on your honeymoon alone, knowing you’ll be surrounded by happy couples everywhere you look, and not let it get you down. I loved Deacon. Absolutely loved him. He was honest and sincere, and what you see is really what you get. I loved his relationship with his twin daughters, as well as the effort he went to to reconnect with Clare. He felt they had something special, and he was not afraid to put himself out there for her.

So why only 3❤? Well, because while I liked it, I didn’t love it. I felt that certain parts of the story dragged on, while other parts of the story felt rushed and therefore anti-climactic. But mostly I think my issue was that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be reading this particular story when I did. I believe that if I had been in a better mood, I would have found LOVE AT LAST more enjoyable.

Love At Last

My Rating:

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Sergio

By Natasha Knight

Synopsis

Dark Mafia Romance

I’m the first born son of the mafia king. The favorite. Destined to rule, I’m a dangerous man, a ruthless one. But in my world, you have to be.

Then Natalie stumbles into my life. Wrong place. Wrong time.

Twice, fate put her in my path.
Twice, fate placed the innocent lamb at the mercy of the monster.

I gave her a chance to walk away. Told her it would be better for her if she did.
But she didn’t listen.
And now it’s too late.
Because I’m not good. I never wanted to be. And I won’t let her go anymore. See, I’m not the hero. When I touch her, it’s with dirty hands.

I know my reckoning is coming though. I know I’ll burn for the things I’ve done, the sins I’ve committed. And I don’t deny hell is where I belong, but I want my time first. I want my time with her.

She’s mine.
Forever.
No matter what.

Review

Sergio has blown my mind, I knew going in it was going to be intense, dangerous and an emotional read. This is my fourth book by this author and again she delivers such a diverse and decadent path for the reader.

Sergio and Natalie’s story is mentioned in both Salvatore and Dominic’s story from the Benedetti Brothers Series. Both these stories were 5 Heart Reads for me and I could not wait to go back and learn about the oldest Benedetti.

Natasha Knight knows how to write great Mob Romance stories that are dark and gritty but also honest and hopeful. She can make you love and then forgive the character. She will make you want to have his babies, fall in love with the brutal man and yet want to stand alongside him and face the darkness and enemies.

Natalie is an amazing and strong female character who has a strength that radiates throughout this entire love story. She was a favourite character for me in Salvatore so I was thrilled to learn her history.

Enjoyed having both characters thoughts reflected throughout this story and it has made me want to pick up Salvatore and return to this mob family again.

Sergio is brutal for your heart however it ends perfectly in time just before Salvatore’s life is about to change.

Quote: She is breath. She is life. She is everything.