Tag: Romance

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Confessions from the Quilting Circle-Blog Tour (Review)-Women’s Fiction-Available May 4

I very much enjoyed this story that wove the history of three generations of women from the same family into one coherent narrative.

Although, I guess with quilting I should maybe say “patched” instead of “wove?” At any rate, I was drawn right into the plot as the sisters arrived at their grandmother’s house.

I did think that there was an awful lot going on in opening chapters, and at times I felt like it was bogged down a bit which made it slow going.

But I’m pretty sure the author plotted that way so that the reader could grasp the backgrounds of the three sisters to understand their current situations and mindsets.

I liked how the author used one word repeatedly to tie both the sisters’ lives and the quilt together. I thought that was illustrative and nice attention to detail.

I also thought that each of the sisters’ personal journeys were realistic and believable but also tailored to each sister. I related to Lark the most, but there were elements in Avery’s and Hannah’s stories that I could also understand on a personal level.

That showed some nice balance by the author, because more often than not there is a singular character to relate to, not a bit in each of them.

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I enjoyed the diary entries that started the chapters. It was an effective way to get the past across without jumping back and forth in timelines causing confusion.

One of the only things that kind of bothered me throughout the book was the heavy use of the pronoun “she.” I know that seems nitpicky, and I usually do not mention grammar in my reviews.

However, when the three main characters are female and talking to each other, repeatedly using “she” sometimes confused me as I couldn’t figure out exactly who was speaking. I often had to go back a bit and re-read, parsing out the dialogue so I was sure to understand it.

But that was minor. Otherwise, I thought it was a good read, and I would recommend it.  

Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @maiseyyates
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Instagram: @maiseyyates
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Author Bio: New York Times Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. 

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Southern Sinner-Book Review-Fake Romance-Available Now

It’s frickin’ hot.

Let’s get that straight first.

Like, straight up, oh my God, belly dip, kindle-on-fire hot.

Like, don’t try to sneak a few pages here and there when other people are around hot.

Like, make sure your significant other is nearby and you can have some quick alone time hot.

Did I mention that it’s on fire?

With each Beauregard brother’s story, I think I fall a little bit harder for the family. Each one has been my favorite at any given time.

This book it’s Hank’s turn. I’ll be honest that I didn’t think much of him in Emma and Samuel’s story, but not because of what he did.

Kind of because he was just “there” and came across more as a catalyst for their story rather than having his own identity.

I think maybe that was a reason I had a hard time getting a grasp on him. I mean, he was great, and just as swoon-worthy as his brothers. But was just a hard personality to discern.

Until Stevie.

Who, on the other hand, was an open book to me. I got her right away. I liked that she was older and had more experience.

I definitely liked them together. And that’s what it’s all about anyway, right? The chemistry between the characters?

I think I made that part clear at the top.

But, ICYMI, it’s off-the-charts hot.

My only complaint, and it’s a petty, teeny one, is I would have liked to have seen the music of Hank and Stevie come full circle. I mean, the music-writing scene was amazing.

And Stevie does live in Nashville, which has multiple amateur open mic nights.

Just sayin’.

I am very glad to have two more stories with this family. It looks like Rhett is next, with Milly wrapping it up.

Unless we can get a story for June? I mean, 40 is the new 30, so maybe June could have a second chance at love once her kids are all paired off? I would pay double or more for that book.

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To Catch a Dream-Blog Tour (Review)-Romance-Available Now

I am a big fan of this author’s Calendar Girl series, so I was interested to see how she branched out into a story like this. I wasn’t disappointed.

While parts of it read like a run-of-the-mill romance, there were enough unique aspects to make it a more interesting read.

I particularly liked the focus on Native American traditions, language, and perspectives. I have virtually no experience with any of that, so I have to assume the author did her research and that it was all accurate.

I’ve always liked learning about new things, especially when it comes to belief systems. For this reason, I found the sections with Tahsuda to be especially informative and enlightening. I also liked the nicknames and language usage.

I kind of wish the author had expanded on the racism that Evie experienced on the Reservation. I think that was an important point both in the story and in the current climate in real life that could have been emphasized and explored.

Then again, it’s a romance, so maybe it wasn’t the place.

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I understood Evie’s perspective on falling for Milo, but I thought her reasoning wasn’t supported as well as it could have been. It was sort of like her reasons made sense but didn’t fully develop into actions.

Likewise, there were a few plot threads that seemed to disappear. Maybe I just missed it, but I was never quite clear on what business deal Milo wanted with Evie. I mean, it was mentioned, but once one domino fell, that seemed to go by the wayside.

In fact, the entire job purpose seemed murky to me.

The twist at the end was something but I wish that, too, had been a little bit more hinted at along the way. As it was, it seemed like it just came out of the blue in the last 20% of the book – almost like the author decided the story needed a little kick and just threw it in.

I will say that Milo is by far one of the hottest heroes I’ve read in a while. Romance novels tend to exaggerate size in general, but I could picture him as Evie saw him.

This was a quick, enjoyable story, and I would recommend it.

P.S. As I was typing this review, I realized the significance of the title. Very clever.

TWITTER: @AudreyCarlan  
Facebook:AudreyCarlan/
Insta: audreycarlan/?hl=en 
Goodreads: 7831156.Audrey_Carlan

AUTHOR BIO: 

Audrey Carlan is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over 40 novels, including the worldwide phenomenon Calendar Girl serial, and her books have been translated into more than 30 languages across the globe. Audrey lives in the California Valley with her two children and the love of her life.

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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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Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/EasternLights

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.

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Southern Hotshot-Book Review-Romance-Available Now

Over time, I have become a huge fan of this author. Her Charleston Heat series is one of my favorites because the guys are swoon-worthy yet sensitive and the gals are headstrong yet vulnerable.

It’s a fine line to walk but Ms. Peterson does it with expertise, humor, and a heavy dose of steam.

Oh, the steaminess.

I could make this whole review about that alone because it is off the charts in this book. But I should probably get to some other things first. Besides, it’s best to experience it yourself – so buy this book, because no way could I do it all justice.

Anyway……

I liked how this book overlapped with the first in the series (Southern Seducer). So often, series are exactly that…they’re linear, where a couple is introduced individually, but each book focuses on the actual pairing. Kind of like dominoes in a row.

But Southern Hotshot takes place concurrently with Southern Seducer, so events from that book that got a small mention (for example, the friction between Emma and Samuel) get full attention here.

It’s an effective way to tell their stories because it reflects real life, which is messy and complicated and not at all linear.

Boy are Emma and Samuel messy and complicated.

You can read blurbs and plotlines elsewhere. But frankly, the author had me at female sommelier. Growing up in Northern California near Wine Country, I feel like it’s practically in my blood.

I loved the passages about Emma’s love for wine, her passion for pairing the correct wine with food, and how it all transcends simple sustenance. It’s true that the right combinations can speak to the soul. The author does a fantastic job describing this.

I enjoyed Samuel’s transformation. His “awakening” so to speak was a definite journey, but one that he needed to go on. I liked how Emma guided him – in many different ways.

That was unique in this story as well. You know that they should have figured things out way before they did but being in the moment and focused on what each wanted, they kind of couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

Now, back to that steaminess.

Ms. Peterson outdoes herself this time. The sexting chapters are beyond hot. I mean, I don’t know what else I can say about them. It’s difficult to capture that on the page, I think, but she managed.

And the “real life” scenes? Fuhgeddaboutit. What woman wouldn’t Samuel’s attentions?

Beyond all of that, the author uses crisp dialogue and an acute eye to throw in wise observations about everything from anonymity on the internet allowing for true soul-searching, to the pitfalls of believing the shiny, happy lies of social media, to the importance of Young Adult love triangles.

That last passage literally had me laughing out loud.

Aside from their partnership in work and personal lives, I have fallen in love with Blue Mountain. Each visit is like a vacation. The descriptions of the resort itself are idyllic and someplace I would like to go in real life – not that I could ever afford it.

But I so appreciate Ms. Peterson for giving me the opportunity to visit virtually. It’s a world that is worth escaping to if only temporarily.

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The First Time We Met-Books On Tour (Review)-RomCom-Available Now

I’m going to admit, I started this book very confused.

On the one hand, I enjoyed the back and forth between Izzy and Sam. I thought that their connection was obvious, and I could literally feel the relationship “fizz” between them. However, there were other parts where it seemed as if the author was just trying to fill in in order to move to the next fizzy part.

Case in point – within “Part I” of the book, there were several life events for both Sam and Izzy that were quickly glossed over. Births, deaths, break-ups, moves. It was quite a whirlwind and didn’t give me sound footing. I understand that the author needed to get to the rest of the book, but I wish it had been a little bit smoother.

In Part II, however (and through the rest of the book), the plot follows a more regulated timeline of both Sam’s and Izzy’s lives.

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What I liked about the book was how it reminded me of a 90s Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie. And I thought that even before it was mentioned in the book!

Obviously, the course of true love never does run smoothly, and that’s certainly the case with Sam and Izzy. They were two ships passing in the night. Repeatedly. Just when they seemed as if they were on the right track, life kicked them back again.

I didn’t mind that, because it kept me guessing as to whether or not they would ever be at the right place at the right time together. But, as with any good RomCom, love prevails (of course). You know it’s going to, but it’s all about the journey getting there. I loved how it all came full circle, quite literally.

And any book that has a “Friends” reference is okay by me.

Twitter: @JoLovettWrites

Author Bio:

Jo Lovett lives in London with her family.

She worked in Corporate Tax before taking a longer-than-expected career break to have more-than-expected children (five). She started writing romantic comedy when she realised that she was regularly begging her oldest son to let her do his English homework but she wasn’t actually that interested in haunted houses or Macbeth.

Jo was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping/ Orion First Novel Competition 2018 and shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Award 2019.

When she can escape from her laundry mountain and childcare, she enjoys reading, tennis and wine.

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Chance of a Lifetime by Jude Deveraux and Tara Sheets – Blog Tour (Review)

I have been on such a lucky run of books lately, with several unique plot twists or storylines making for very interesting reading.

This one takes the cake, putting a spin on a time-traveling romance in a way that makes it intriguing and thoroughly plausible (especially if you have particular beliefs – more on that later).

I will admit straight off, I am not generally a fan of regency romances, they just aren’t my thing, (which kind of doesn’t make sense, because I like historical romance) so at first, I was leery of this one. I worried that there would be too much set in that part of the story and it wouldn’t be interesting.

I was totally wrong. And I may have even found a new genre to explore, or at least give another chance.

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I liked the simplicity of the set-up of the initial meeting between Liam and Cora (told via Liam’s memories). It seemed as if relationships and connections were much more clear cut.

That’s important, because things get complicated quickly.

You see, Liam has a task based on his previous life actions. He needs to help Cora fall in love with the right person – because apparently he screwed up so badly in their original lives that each of her successive lives has ended in tragedy.

Can he ignore his love for her and complete his task? Can love be forced? Or are soulmates meant to be together regardless of the potential consequences?  

If you look at those questions, you may think that this has a lot of new age/past lives stuff in it, but aside from the premise, the authors deal with the concepts in a straightforward manner that made for easy and intriguing reading.

I really enjoyed Liam the most, because he was the one with the task. I thought it was funny that the angels gave him just enough knowledge to get by in the modern world, which made some of his revelations highly amusing.  He was also the only one who knew what was stake which added depth to his actions. However, I liked Cora’s slow realization as well.

For me, it was a great illustration that there are many things we don’t know – past lives is just one of them. I happen to believe that our energies continue when our bodies are gone, which is why we have feelings of déjà vu, or feeling totally comfortable with someone you’re just met. Cora puzzles over these very things.

I’m not going to give you the ending, because that wouldn’t be fair. But trust me when I say that you really should read this one for its unique perspective on undying love. I’m hoping it won’t be the only book like this from these authors.

Author Website: https://judedeveraux.com/
TWITTER: @JudeDeveraux1
FB: @JudeDeveraux
Insta: @Judedeveraux

Jude Deveraux is the author of forty-three New York Times bestsellers, including For All Time, Moonlight in the Morning, and A Knight in Shining Armor. She was honored with a Romantic Times Pioneer Award in 2013 for her distinguished career. To date, there are more than sixty million copies of her books in print worldwide.

Author Website: https://tarasheets.com/
FB: @TaraSheetsBooks
Insta: @tarasheets

Tara Sheets is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Her debut novel, Don’t Call Me Cupcake, won the 2016 Golden Heart® award sponsored by Romance Writers of America. Tara began her career as an author in the Pacific Northwest, inspired by the rain and the misty mountains and the rivers of Starbucks coffee. She now lives in the warm, wonderful South where she can stand outside with no coat on, and she finds that pretty inspiring too. When not writing, Tara enjoys life with her book-loving family and a book-eating dog named Merlin. You can find out more about her on the web at www.tarasheets.com, on facebook/tarasheetsauthor, and on twitter @Tara_Sheets.

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Summer at Hope Haven by Kristin Harper – Books On Tour (Review)

Let’s cut right to the chase.

I. Loved. This. Book.

I sometimes avoid stories like this because I’m not always keen on stories with family secrets or realistic family problems. Something about this one caught my eye, however, and I am so glad that I decided to pick it up.

In fact, I was so happy to pick it up that I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting. For me, that is pretty much unheard of, not only because of our hectic family schedule but because I often have so much going on in my head, I can’t concentrate on one story all at once.

Aside from these positives, kudos to the author for so many other things.

For establishing a setting that could reflect the emotions of the characters.

For creating characters with depth and realism.

For capturing grief so poignantly and accurately.

For crafting a story that was heartfelt and emotional.

I loved Emily’s journey to becoming whole again. Tragedy strikes her in a one-two punch that would floor anyone, so she retreats to a place that holds special family memories. I could totally relate to the feeling of wanting to be alone and feeling even lonelier in doing so. Getting out of that cycle is difficult.

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What Emily ultimately realizes is that it’s not always about what she thinks other people think. That’s another by-product of grief, in my experience. It’s easy to become so introspective that one doesn’t realize that other people may have different and helpful perspectives.

She needed to experience that through listening to other people and getting out of her own head. Fortunately, she had good (and patient) people around to help her, as well as a neat volunteer job that was therapy in its own manner.

I usually don’t like it when characters make assumptions about something thereby creating annoying drama. That happened with Emily a few times (and with Lucas). But, again, I am willing to give Emily a pass because peopling is sometimes difficult even in the best of times. When one is trying to find the way back to life again, it is sometimes harder to stop and think things through.

That being said, when I expected her to really lose it and go on a tirade at a particular person, she was calm. It was only later that her emotions caught up with her. I think deep down, she realized that the first person wasn’t worth the time or energy. That’s another lesson about self-realization that came through in her story.

I liked how Emily’s parents’ situation (no spoiler here, although I did guess the heart of the family secret) actually gave Emily the perspective and proper attitude to change for the better. I was especially touched by the reactions to art, both on Emily’s part and others who saw Emily’s art. Those were special moments in the book.

I see that this is book one in a new series set on Dune Island. I can’t wait to read more, and hope that at least some of the characters make appearances again. Do yourself a favor and pick up this excellent novel.

Author Bio:
Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can. 

Twitter: @KHarperAuthor

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Here to Stay by Adriana Herrerra – Blog Tour (Review)

What could have been a run-of-the-mill, enemies to lovers/workplace romance story was made much more enjoyable by the author’s perfect capturing of a unique lifestyle and attitude that belongs to one group of people.

Every major city has its quirks, and life-long residents grow up incorporating them (often unknowingly) into their own characters. There is no place where this is truer than New York City.

People from there have a style and persona that is identifiable as “strictly NYC.” That even carries into the Boroughs, and further into neighborhoods. I lived in the city, so I’m very familiar with most of them.

I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. The author did a fantastic job of capturing that certain something New Yorkers have. From the lexicon to the clothing styles, it all felt familiar and a little bit comforting.

BUY LINKS

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay?id=_-zaDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20

I especially liked Julia. She reminded me of a Dominican I once worked with in Midtown. Big and bold, but at times unsure in new situations. I also enjoyed Julia’s mom’s attitudes toward her daughter living in Texas. That’s another NYC thing…nothing is as good as what you can get in the city (even down to hand lotion).

I thought Rocco was an interesting character. He was working class Queens (also familiar) but painted as the bad guy in Julia’s eyes. I enjoyed watching the two of them slowly grow to understand each other and realize how much they actually had in common. It showed the importance of looking beyond the surface of people.

I got the feeling that this was written for a younger set of readers. Due to my teenage son, I’m pretty up on slang and current phrases, but don’t use them myself. The characters in this book used them consistently, especially when the NYC transplants were together. It made the book very contemporary.

I would highly recommend this well-written and “current” book. I think a lot of people will be able to identify with the characters and their situations.

About Adriana Herrera

Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The WashingtonPost. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American LoveStory, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

Connect with Adriana Herrera

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Baller by M. A. Foster (Review)

I loved this author’s Cougar; it was one of the most emotional, epic love stories I have ever read and still remains one of my favorite books. It would be hard to outdo Emerson and Cam’s story, but Liam and Vanessa come pretty close.

One of the things that I like most about this author is that she writes in a more narrative style than others. What do I mean by that? I am not exactly sure – it makes sense the way I think of it but is hard to explain. I’ll give it a shot.

With other stories, it is easy to recount a plot in terms of plot points: boy meets girl, boy does something dumb and loses girl, boy regrets it, boy gets girl back…that sort of thing. You know that there is going to be stupidity and tears, and worrying about making the right choices before everyone ends up where they are supposed to be.

I suppose you could pigeonhole Baller into this framework, but that would be to do it an injustice because there is nothing formulaic about the author’s storytelling. She creates whole worlds with fully realized characters who have complex relationships and connections. Her stuff is just…real. That being said, you can get book report reviews elsewhere; I’m going to talk about what I liked about the book.    

I loved the story arc, and how it overlapped with past books before moving forward. That’s another thing that I like about this author. Her stories aren’t exactly linear (as in book one happens, and then book two happens). It’s more like watching a tv show from different points of view; the holistic approach is another thing that lends realism to her plots.

I thought that Vanessa was an interesting character. She was stubborn, even when she knew she might be wrong. Thank goodness her friends were there for her from the beginning. I really enjoyed the scenes with the four of them, because it was straight-talk from real women – not just the “my tribe will always agree with me.” We could all use friends like that.

I also liked how the author captures male camaraderie, which isn’t always easy. One particular scene in a restaurant bathroom had me literally laughing out loud because I know people who would say the exact things that the guys said.

If I had any complaints about this story, and this is being nitpicky, is that everything seemed to go a little bit fast at the end. I kind of expected a little bit more angst or drama. But how it all played out didn’t bother me (if that makes sense).

This is also the only author who, in addition to the detailed character lists she shares, I also need to keep my own notes. But that’s okay, because I enjoy active reading much more – it keeps me engaged.

I love this author’s style, I love Heritage Bay, and I’ve become attached to the characters. I can’t wait to see who gets the next story!

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