May 9, 2019

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

Book Review: Beautiful Ever After

I thought that the first book of this duet was terrific, and I waited avidly for the conclusion of Hutch and Lou’s story. The cliffhanger at the end of the first one set everything up for an exciting ending.

I was therefore disappointed that it felt like not a whole heckuva lot happened in the second book. I mean, don’t get me wrong, a lot did happen, and we certainly got the HEA for Hutch and Lou that they deserved from the first book.

But it didn’t seem as if there was a flow to the plot. I don’t want to give plot points away, but at the end of the first book, there was a big revelation from Blair (Hutch’s sister-in-law). The way that continued in the second book seemed to be thrown together haphazardly – and then it was just…solved. I wanted a much bigger ending for that.

I also thought that the introduction of a group of people towards the end of the book seemed out of the blue. I was intrigued by the characters, but as I got to know them I found myself wishing that there was more of them and less of Hutch and Lou professing their love for each other.

I know that makes me sound cranky, but it just felt that the book was one big bedroom scene with little vignettes of semi-action interspersed. I think there could have been so much more.

That being said, I did like the Bella Mafia, and I would love to read more about them, so I’ll be searching for their stories.

Beautiful Ever After (Beautiful Illusions Duet, #2)

Beautiful Ever After by Georgia Cates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved the first book in this duet. I was utterly taken with the romance between Hutch and Lou, and I had really high hopes for the conclusion. It pains me to say that I was disappointed. I thought everything was set up so well in the first one and then it fell apart in the second. I still loved the romance between the two, but I wasn’t satisfied with the sister-in-law subplot, and there were a bunch of characters who showed up very close to the end. I think it would have been more exciting if they had made an appearance sooner and had more to do. As it was, the story just ended kind of…eh. That being said, Hutch is a book boyfriend to swoon for, and I’d like to see him even as a secondary character in future books. This review was written based on a complimentary digital ARC.

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May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

Book Review: Then Came You

Let me start by saying that I love Kate Meader, and am predisposed to liking anything that she writes. I loved the first book in the Laws of Attraction series, but somehow missed the second one (which I am going to remedy this weekend).

Then Came You is the third in the series, and it is the story of Grant and Aubrey. As per my usual standards, I’m not going to give away major details of how or why they were together before (that’s for blurbs and other reviews). I will say that I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t put together the history of the two right away. And even when I did, the author didn’t go in the usual direction of why the first time around didn’t stick for the two.

These are two strong characters, and it was the second book in a week where the mains shared a profession (the first was Better Than Me). In this case, Grant and Aubrey are both lawyers. I am finding that I like the “battle of the sexes” aspect of the two characters on a level playing field. It adds another dimension to the stories. Plus, it made for a hilarious scene at the beginning of the book!

The strength of the characters also allowed the author to explore their weaknesses. In other words, the plot wasn’t overly complicated with job issues or other distractions; the focus was solely the characters and the events that immediately impacted them within the story.

There isn’t much more that I can say without giving plot points away. I liked the style of the writing, I became invested in the characters…oh, and Aubrey has one of the most dysfunctional, messed up families I’ve ever seen! I love how Cat Damon expresses himself. And I want Libby to be my grandmother.

Side note: would love to see a story focusing on Libby’s younger days…that would be a blast to read!

Anyway, it was a great book, and I am grateful to the author, Loveswept, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it. Highly recommended.

Then Came You by Kate Meader
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this second-chance romance, because it had a different feel to it than many others. I liked how the author didn’t allow the reader to know precisely what had happened the first time around right away; instead, it unfolded gradually. The slow roll-out of the facts made the actual revelation of what had caused Grant and Aubrey’s break up more of a gut punch. It also gave the reader more of an insight into each of their characters. I loved the juxtaposition of their childhoods (Aubrey’s family is sooo messed up) and thought that the characters remained true to themselves throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a smart second-chance romance. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for other reasons this book stands out from others in the genre. This review was written based on a pre-release digital ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group (Loveswept) via NetGalley.

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May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

Blog Tour/Book Review: Better Than Me

As y’all know, I read a lot of romances, so I am pretty well-versed in the usual romance tropes. I love it when I find a book that tackles a romance from a different angle and doesn’t fall into the usual patterns. Better Than Me by Kimberly Kincaid falls into this category.

I appreciated the depth that the author put into the characters’ backstories. It made their actions much more believable and real. There was just enough quirkiness and humor to make it real without being over the top; sometimes subtlety is the key to building a relationship. The writing style perfectly mirrored how the characters related to each other.

I also liked that the characters were equals – both doctors. While the “female in a lesser job meets guy who gives her better chances” has its place in romance novels, it’s refreshing to find a book where the characters can spar with each other on a level playing field. This added to Nat and Jonah’s connection; they worked with each other very well.

As I mentioned in my Goodreads review (see below), this book gave me all of the feels. I snorted with laughter at some of the scenes, especially involving the staff at the hospital, and I got choked up with tears a few times as well (I’m not going to spoil it for you, you’ll know the parts when you read them). I also got that neat butterfly feeling in my stomach when the characters came to their senses and made important decisions. The emotion of the characters practically spilled off the pages for me.

I especially liked how the author set up the next book in the series. Instead of “Hey, here’s the end of this story, on to the next couple,” it was more of a “stay tuned to find out what happens.” I don’t feel like Nat and Jonah’s story is over yet. And I will be reading the next books in the series (as well as going back and finding the first one). These are characters I’m not ready to let go of just yet.

Oh, and one final word. Natalie’s view on adoption made me love her even more. It’s personal for me and I appreciate when an author gets it right.

Better Than Me by Kimberly Kincaid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You gotta love a book that starts with a bathtub in a living room. With that setup, Better Than Me takes what could have been a standard friends-to-lovers story and gives it an edge. Nat and Jonah have always been close, but each has baggage that prevents them from thinking of each other as anything but best friends. Of course, as the plot progresses, they start to realize that there may be more there for each of them. This book gave me all of the feels: I laughed out loud and shed tears. I even liked that the book didn’t exactly end with a conventional HEA and I look forward to reading more of Nat and Jonah’s stories in future books. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for more on thoughts on this book. My review was written based on a pre-release digital ARC.

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