Book Review: Red Flags by Skye Warren

Red Flags by Skye Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not my first Skye Warren book but it is the first in a new trilogy. The concept of a traveling circus is what initially pulled me in. But, by the end of this book I was fully invested in the story of Logan and Sienna. I had a major love/hate relationship with Logan. In the end, it’s a hate relationship so I hope he can redeem himself in the next book.

This story has a lot of secrets, mystery, suspense and the perfect dash of spice. Since this is a trilogy, it ends on a cliffhanger. But, it’s a cliffhanger that has me anticipating book 2.


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Book Review: Sing With Me by Dani Elias

Sing with Me by Dani Elias
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sing With Me is book 2 in the Fellside Mountain Rescue series. We were introduced to the main characters in the first book - Christina, Emma’s bestie and Phil, Alex’s best buddy. This can be read as a stand alone however, I think it’s better after reading the first one. I loved the addition of Grampy, Phil’s grandfather.

These two are complete opposites. Christina is an extrovert. Phil is an introvert. Christina is confident. Phil prefers to hide behind the scenes. But, I think together they are perfect. They balance each other out. However, the path to get there was complicated.

Between Phil almost blowing it on the first date and then their argument, I thought all hope was lost for this couple. Good thing Phil came through and made things right.

This is a quick paced story and not many spice scenes. The actual story more than made up for that.


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Book Review: Blossom With Me by Dani Elias

Blossom with Me by Dani Elias
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have found a new author to add to my list of quick read novellas. This is the first book in the Fellside Mountain Rescue series.

I immediately liked Alex and Emma. I could relate to Emma and her insecurities. It’s always a plus when I can relate to characters through personal experiences. I can see why they do the things they do and why they feel the way they do. Emma’s best friend, Christina, was an added bonus.

I loved the way Alex handled every problem they encountered. He immediately won my heart. And that second date? Who could resist a man after that?

This is a quick paced story and not many spice scenes. The actual story more than made up for that.


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Book Review: The Hate Date by Kaylene Winter

The Hate Date by Kaylene Winter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read the entire Less Than Zero series by Kaylene so when this standalone was announced, I was automatically in. I knew I had to read it.

Joar did get on my nerves frequently. There were several times I wanted to tell Clover she deserved so much better. I absolutely loved that both characters were independent and that this wasn’t a “billionaire steps in to take care of a financially struggling heroine” story. I also loved seeing some of the LTZ characters involved in this story; it made me feel like I was still in that world (don’t worry, you don’t need to have read those books to read this one. To me it was like old friends stopping by for a visit). Joar has to work hard for Clover’s, and my, forgiveness. Yes, this character had to get me to forgive him as well. Until he did, he wasn’t good enough for my girl Clover. That’s how good this story was; I was emotionally invested on behalf of the emotionally damaged FMC.


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Book Review: Forbidden Hearts by Corinne Michaels

Forbidden Hearts by Corinne Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Corinne’s Rose Canyon Series so I was for sure going to start this series as well. Asher is a deputy sheriff in a town called Sugarloaf. He was co-parenting his daughter with the child’s mother, Sara (they were friends when they slept together and are still friends). With Sara going out of town for work, Asher is left to take care of Olivia by himself. The nanny Sara hired quit before starting and left Asher with a big dilemma – childcare for Olivia.

Asher’s boss, the sheriff, comes to the rescue. His daughter,Phoebe, is back in town and happens to not only know ASL but is also an audiology major. This is important because Olivia is deaf so her caregiver needs to know ASL to communicate with her.

What ensues is good chaos. Asher and Phoebe dance around each other. Phoebe and Sara actually get along (finally a good co-parenting example). Phoebe and Olivia become close. And then… Phoebe’s big secret comes out. Which in turn brings up Asher and his sister’s past.

We also see Addison (from Help Me Remember - Rose Canyon book 1) be introduced into Sugarloaf.

Whew… that was a lot. But, made for a great read!


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Book Review: Until the Ribbon Breaks by E.K. Blair

Until the Ribbon Breaks by E.K. Blair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book broke me. It completely gutted me by the end. First, I want to applaud E.K. Blair for not writing a sunshine and rainbows story about mental illness. The truth is, there is no true sunshine and rainbows mental illness story. If that is what you are looking for, it’s not here. This story is raw with true emotions and thoughts.

I wouldn’t classify this book as any type of romance. There is not that much romance that takes place.

Harlow and Sebastian are the main characters. They were friends as kids and became enemies in high school. They are now both residents in a treatment facility. I see some of myself in Harlow, Sebastian, and Harlow’s roommate, Max. I saw some of my own demons in these characters. I felt this story to the bone because I understood the characters and the feelings. I adored the nurse, Marcus. He seemed to really care about the patients in the facility.

Harlow and Sebastian learn each other’s deepest secrets and they reconnect as friends. I rooted for them both as individuals and as friends. I hoped the external triggers they had would see the damage they were causing.

The ending… please don’t expect a happily ever after in this story. I finished this book late at night when everyone else was sleeping and I had to go hide in the bathroom and sob. It was all I could do. I sobbed for the characters in the story. I sobbed for a part in the acknowledgements at the end. I sobbed for myself. And I sobbed for everyone that has ever felt like these characters.

Despite the sadness I felt after reading this book, it will remain one of my favorites because of the impact it had on my heart.


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Book Review: Royal Creed by T.K. Leigh

Royal Creed by T.K. Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been reading T.K. 's books since A Beautiful Mess. Yes, since the very beginning. And I have loved every single one of them without fail. This one was no exception.

Royal Creed is the first book of the Broken Crown Trilogy. As with any of her duets, trilogies, etc I knew to expect a cliffhanger. And what a cliffhanger we had here.

Esme is the Princess Royal and second in line to the throne. She was expected to marry the man that her royal family chose for her. But, she decided to choose who got her v-card. Enter her brother’s best friend, Creed. A relationship between the two cannot happen due to her royal status and his future in the royal guard. But, you don’t always decide who you love, do you?

There is mystery. Not everyone is as they appear. There is tragedy that changes both Esme and Creed’s life. There is steam. Esme and Creed are very physically compatible. Add in some stubborn and hard headed royals and you get this perfect first novel of the trilogy. I cannot wait to see how the next book goes and what state I will be left in after the next cliffhanger.


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Book Review: Man Cave by Vanessa Vale

Man Cave by Vanessa Vale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. The next James brother to get his story: Dr. Theo. And who else to be the leading lady? Bridget’s best friend, Mallory. I love Mallory’s character. She is complex yet still a well rounded character. She has family issues to sort through. She is also such an outgoing person; she can literally make friends anywhere. Dr. Theo had some issues in a “relationship” before picking up and moving to the small town where his brothers had found their happiness. These two characters could not be any more different from one another, yet so perfect for each other. This book was hilarious, sweet and a tad bit angsty.


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Book Review: Man Candy by Vanessa Vale

Man Candy by Vanessa Vale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn’t wait for this one to come out after reading the first. The first book was also an age gap (older man-younger woman), this one is the reverse age gap (older woman-younger man). It is a bit of insta-love, at least on one side. There is some humorous parts that had me laughing out loud (squirrel, emotional support toaster, Dex). These characters were introduced in the first book. Lindy is Bridget’s older sister and Dex is Maverick’s younger brother.

Now that Bridget is all grown up, it’s time for Lindy to have her turn at fun and romance. I love that Lindy confided in Dex about her moonlighting gig and that he was so accepting of her dreams. I hope to hear more about these two in future books.


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Book Review: Red Zone by Kameron Claire

Red Zone by Kameron Claire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a novella and it involves insta-love, which is why I love reading stories by Kameron. I know I’ll get the insta-love and not a slow burn romance. But, to be honest, I would have loved a longer story with these two characters. Rylie and Sunshine were amazing characters and I loved Rylie’s daughter, Nyla. Although there is some insta-lust, I am glad that both Rylie and Sunshine put Nyla above their own wants. This is a good short read with the right amount of angst, steam and sweetness.

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Book Review: Mafia Sins by Sloane Peterson

Mafia Sins by Sloane Peterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved Books 1 & 2. I was so excited for Book 3. But, I was let down with it. I loved the character of Christian and he was done so wrong in this book. He didn’t deserve what he got. I loved Christian and Adelaide’s love story in Book 1. However, in this book, I hated the character of Adelaide as a whole. She gets absolutely no sympathy from me. Quite honestly, the series should’ve ended with Book 2 if this was how it was going to end. I would have been satisfied with that. I almost quit this book but had to see how it actually ended. I highly recommend the first two books; this one not so much.

To be clear, my rating has nothing to do with the author’s writing technique. It is all about how the story went; it just wasn’t it for me.


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Book Review: Lost to the Lake: A Lake Michigan Thriller by Adriane Leigh

Lost to the Lake: A Lake Michigan Thriller by Adriane Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book… OMGosh, this book. I couldn’t put it down once I started. The plot intrigued me and kept me guessing the whole time of what was really happening. I KNEW what appeared was happening, wasn’t really. It was just all circumstantial. Through the cast of characters, I never once suspected the actual culprit(s) to be the actual culprit(s). The secrets, lies, twists and turns will leave you in shock.

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Book Review: Tapped by the Rockstar by Christina Hovland

Tapped by the Rockstar by Christina Hovland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book 4 in a rockstar band series. I have not read the first 3 but I didn’t have problems navigating this one. You were given enough info to know who the rest of the characters were from the previous books. I will definitely be reading the first 3 when I have a chance.

Tanner is the tongue tied drummer of the popular band, Dimelight. Samantha is the activities director at a retirement village. However, she had one social media moment years ago that left her embarrassed and horrified. The two are set up by Babushka and her friends, the Purple Peonies. {For the record, Babushka and the Purple Peonies are my absolute favorite}

This was a good book with the right amount of steam, humor, and sweetness.


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Book Review: Timeless Encore by Kaylene Winter

Timeless - Encore by Kaylene Winter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved Zane and Fiona in Timeless because let’s face it: childhood sweetheart stories are a favorite of mine. And while I loved their continuing story in Timeless Encore, I felt a little let down by it in a way. It’s still amazing in spots; other times I just rushed through the chapter to get to the next and something more exciting to me. I loved Fiona’s aspiration to become a Michelin star chef; this was something she wasn’t going to give up on easily. I loved Mia as well as her father/daughter relationship with Zane. I was happy to see more of the Carter/Ty/Zane story from different perspectives.

This is not only the completion of Zane and Fiona’s story but the story of LTZ as a whole. I feel like I’m losing a connection to my friends since it’s the end of the series. Will we see them again in another of Kaylene’s series? Possibly. I hope so. I’m not ready to say goodbye.

Now, a little tidbit in the ending provided the possibility of Carter getting another book (besides the prequel to the series). I am really hoping for this. Lianne (Zane’s mother) has some explaining to do for me because I was not her biggest fan in this book. I was ready to pack her bags and send her back to Denver, New York, somewhere myself.


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Book Review: Man Hunt by Vanessa Vale

Man Hunt by Vanessa Vale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love a good insta-love story on the shorter side of a book. And this one fit the bill. Bridget is the somewhat nerdy girl who loves numbers. Maverick is the CEO in town to figure out why his construction project isn’t going as planned. A spilled iced coffee later, Maverick finds out the girl who spilt her coffee on him is his employee. This is a kind of re-telling of 16 Candles, only older characters and a much more dirty “Jake”. Bridget accidentally emailed her answers to a survey from her best friend to her boss instead of to her friend. This kick started it all. Perfect amount of humor, lust/love, and misunderstanding. This was a great story and a good start for a new series. I love Bridget’s friend group (her sister and her best friend) as well as all of Maverick’s brothers. I can’t wait to read the next book.

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Book Review: Keep This Promise by Corinne Michaels

Keep This Promise by Corinne Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the third and final book in the Rose Canyon series. You do not need to read the first two to understand this one, but they’re both good so I recommend them anyway. There’s also a continuing storyline that connects all three but enough is explained in this one to understand it.

I was emotional during Spencer and Brielle’s story, had my heart broken and pieced back together during Emmett and Blakely’s story so I imagined I’d have much of the same during this one. However, this one took me on a completely different roller coaster ride.

This book begins a little before the last book ends. However, those added chapters lead up to the end of Book 2 and are told from Sophie’s POV. I loved Holden, Sophie, and Eden. Also, Mama James is one of my favorite characters in this book; I love her sass. As for the villain in this book? I knew something was a little “off” about them but couldn’t put my finger on it. But, then the reveal that they were the bad guy in the story… it solidified that my gut instinct was right.

There is a new series coming as a tie in to this one. I’m not sure if my heart is ready for that one yet… Only time will tell.


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Book Review: Stroke of Midnight by Bella Lane

Stroke of Midnight: Halloween Party Series by Bella Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love short and sweet little reads. This one was both with a little bit of mystery and danger thrown in.

Roman and Jessi had a one night stand, which was never supposed to be a one night stand to Roman, years ago. He left quickly and never told Jessi why (but why didn’t anyone else explain it to her?), but now he’s back and ready to make things right. However, Jessi is in a tough spot and needs the help of the police. Enter the new police chief – Roman.He must now keep her safe, solve the mystery, and earn her trust back. It seems like a lot; can he achieve it all in this book?


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