Eastern Lights-Blog Tour (Review)-Friends to Lovers-Available Now

I’ve been a fan of this author for a while (put her name in the search bar on my blog and you can see the reviews). I can honestly say this is one of my favorites of hers.

I was immediately drawn in by the story of Red and Cap (aka Aaliyah and Connor). We actually met Connor in Southern Storms, when he was just the assistant to Jax. I went back and re-read the parts of that book that Connor was in – it was pretty cool to see how the character developed and continued into this book.

I think he’s one of my favorite characters out of all of hers.

Connor is just a good person. Shaped by his mother’s illness for most of his childhood, he understands the importance of capturing every moment, even as he is reticent to give too much of himself in case he loses the person he loves.

It’s not a spoiler to say that in spite of how Red and Cap leave their initial meeting, you just know they’re destined. Of course, being a book from Ms. Cherry, there’s going to be a lot of angst and the path to their happiness isn’t going to be smooth.

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I thought she did a good job of creating individual characters, and I really enjoyed the friendship between the two leads. Even though the romance is inevitable, I loved how they helped each other and how the friendship grew – it didn’t just happen.

I also thought that the twists in this book were some of the best.

They kept occurring right up to the very end. Interestingly, this is the second book I’ve read lately that featured the same medical condition, issues, and events around the illness. That’s all I’m going to say about it, but just strange, because it’s not exactly a mainstream idea.

Not all of the twists were entirely believable, and if there’s a family as corrupt as the one in the book, I hope I never meet them. But I was happy to see people get what they ultimately deserved, and I did literally laugh out loud at the fruits of Damian’s abilities (plastic hot dogs was inspired).

Speaking of Damian, I really hope he’s the character featured in the next book, because I’d love to follow his story.

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About Brittainy

Author Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon #1 bestselling author.

She has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing.

Her novels have been published in 18+ countries around the world. Brittainy lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her fur babies.

August 16, 2020September 4, 2021

Southern Seducer by Jessica Peterson (Review)

I loved this author’s Charleston Heat series. Nobody can do swoony southern men and strong women like she can. It’s been nearly a year since the last one in the series was released, because the author had her own life events going on (shocking, right?) The break was much needed and inspirational, I think, because this book was personal to the core.

One thing that always stands out about her books is the honesty. Her characters are raw and real. While the endings are sometimes fairy tale-ish, the romances are something to dream about and aspire to. They also provide an escape to old married women like me. It’s fun to live vicariously.

For this first book in her new North Carolina Highlands series, we get the story of Annabel and Beau, best friends for nearly 20 years. I’m not going to go into too many details about the plot of this book (those can be found elsewhere) but I’m going to tell you what struck me personally about this friends-to-lovers story.

I think that Bel came from a very personal place for the author. The descriptions of the feelings and emotions that Bel felt as a new mom could only be put on paper by someone who had lived them herself. I imagine that other moms to newborns will identify, which makes the book so much more relatable.

I, personally, wouldn’t know. But what the author managed to do was make me realize what I will never feel. Sometimes you don’t know what you miss until it hits you in the face that you won’t have it.

What I did feel deep down, however, was the emotion that Beau’s fear brought out in me.

[SPOILER ALERT] SCROLL DOWN TO BELOW THE BOOK COVER NOW if you don’t want to see a major plot point.

My father had a condition very similar to Beau’s dad, and the descriptions of his behavior (as well as that of Beau’s) brought the last few years of his life screaming back at me. Where other readers will relate to the PPD and find strength, I related to the memories of the dementia and bursts of outrage that Beau remembers of his father.

I’m not going to lie. I had to put the book down a few times after his descriptions of temper, or forgetfulness, or just failing…those were real and raw emotions, and they were hard to deal with. Since the author’s perspective of PPD was so accurate, it led me to wonder if she also had experience with the kind of brain trauma she wrote about. The passages were difficult, but I was able to relate to Beau more in those moments. He became more real to me than just the best friend studmuffin character.

It was a heavy dose of reality in a beautiful romance.

OKAY I’M BACK

Anyway, this author also has the slow-burn romance thing down to perfection. She’s fantastic at creating scenes that give the reader that little swoop in the belly and the “oh my” seduction. Who doesn’t love a character who can seduce both the female lead and the reader at the same time!

I loved the entire Beauregard family, and their resort is one I wish existed in real life because I would love to vacation there. I know that it is based on real-life places, but I want the whole Beauregard experience. I’m excited that it’s a big family and that we’ll (hopefully) get stories for each of them.

This is probably one of the most personal reviews I have ever written. I hope you love the book as much as I did.

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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April 4, 2019April 4, 2019

COVER REVEAL: Better Than Me

Better Than Me, an all-new steamy friends to lovers romance from USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Kincaid, is coming May 7th, and we have the beautiful cover for you!

What happens when Remington’s most notoriously single, notoriously sexy surgeon falls for the one woman he can’t have? Did I mention that she’s A) his best friend, B) immune to his charm, and C) sleeping on his couch for the next six weeks?

Familiarity breeds temptation for Jonah Sheridan and Natalie Kendrick in this steamy friends-to-lovers medical contemporary romance. While part of the Remington Medical world, this book is a complete standalone and can be read as your first Kimberly Kincaid novel, or your twentieth. No cliffhangers, no spoilers, all red-hot HEA!

Pre-order your copy today!

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Cover Designer: Sweet n’ Spicy Designs

Photographer: Sarah Eirew

About Kimberly

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet and hot and edgy romantic suspense. When she’s not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as “The Pleather Bomber”, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a USA Today best-selling author and a 2016 and 2015 RWA RITA® finalist and 2014 Bookseller’s Best nominee who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. Kimberly resides in Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters.

Connect with Kimberly

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https://kimberlykincaid.com

March 25, 2019March 24, 2019

NEW RELEASE: Van by Melanie Moreland

This is one of my favorite series, ever, and you do not want to miss my review for it. This time, it’s personal.

Presents : New Release

Van by Melanie Moreland

AMAZON | ITUNES | NOOK | KOBO

Series: Vested Interest; Book 5

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Friends to Lovers

GOODREADS | GIVEAWAY

Vince Morrison, known to most people as Van.

Good with his hands, be it crafting a piece of wood, playing his guitar, or pleasing a lover — he excels at them all.

Friendly, flirty, and talented, he’s cool under pressure, and hot everywhere else.

But he keeps his heart closed, even as his interest and emotions are tested.

Olivia Rourke works alongside him at BAM.

Talented, private, and intriguing, she touches something inside him he can’t deny.

He wants to know her. In every possible way.

He wants her to know him.

Her past tells her to stay clear. Van is everything that she wants, and exactly what she cannot have. She has someone else to think of who is more important.

Can either of them risk their hearts?

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Caught in the Rain
Steel-Toed and Sexy as hell

A Little Girl, Glitter and Happy Places

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About the Author

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.

While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and she also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.

Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet). She’s learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.

Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com

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March 25, 2019March 24, 2019

BOOK REVIEW: Van by Melanie Moreland

I’m going to start this one with a disclaimer: I’m going to discuss an event that may give away part of the plot towards the end of this review. I usually don’t like giving things away but I feel strongly about addressing it. So, look for the disclaimer.

I’ve only been writing this blog for a few months, and I’m continually trying to keep up on all of the ARCs I read. In between those, I try and catch up and write reviews of books I have read in the past, especially if they are a part of a series. This is one of those books that fit into both categories.

Van by Melanie Moreland is the fifth in her Vested Interest series. You can read my review of Bentley (the first one – I’ll get to reviewing the others someday). This one follows the same pattern as the others: a partner/member of BAM finds the woman of his dreams. It sounds simplistic, but it isn’t. I always look forward to these books. Ms. Moreland has a particular talent for creating real characters who you want to get to know.

Van is the carpenter/foreman/master of all things construction for BAM; Olivia is the designer. They each have baggage that keeps them apart, but you know it is inevitable. As I have mentioned before, you know it’s going to happen, it’s the WAY it happens that is the fun part.

I love that the characters are always real (although, I can’t say I know anyone exactly like the boys of BAM, but I sure would like to). And I particularly like the female characters in Ms. Moreland’s books, because they are strong, yet vulnerable, and they aren’t afraid to let their men help them when necessary.

The conflict in this story is especially good, as the character who causes it is even more despicable than usual. The description of the person and their actions (trying not to give anything away) made me wish I could punch the person myself, and it’s rare that I have that much of a reaction to a character.

I highly recommend this book, as well as the rest of the series. This is one of my favorite series, and it’s an excellent addition.

Now I am going to discuss that other part I mentioned at the beginning. So if you don’t want to know a plot point, stop reading NOW!

What really made me love this book is how the author addresses adoption, especially waiting/older child adoption. It is one of the only times that I have been 100% completely able to relate to something in a romance book.

We adopted our son when he had just turned four. Everyone we spoke to going through the same agency wanted babies, but for various reasons, we did not. We went through the lengthy and emotional process, gained our approval, and started receiving the “waiting child” bulletins from the agency.

We had only been looking for about a month when the picture of a little chubby-cheeked boy showed up. Both my husband and I looked at the picture and seemed to instantly know that he should be our son. We went through the next process of requesting and being matched, which was all more complicated since it was international.

The day we were matched is etched in our minds, just like Van describes. We could not wait to travel to Ethiopia to meet him and bring him home. The challenges mentioned in the book sounded so familiar. The emotions described by Van were our emotions. The instant knowledge as to which child to help…it’s all real.

It’s been 10 years this June, but reading Van’s account brought it all back like it was yesterday. I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate the thought and time that the author put into writing these sections. The children who are waiting are the ones who need the most love, and I loved that she wrote Van and Olivia as people who understood that.

Anyway, that’s my personal relation to the book, and the reason that I love it most out of the five in the series.