Book Review: Caught Looking by Lisa Suzanne

Caught Looking by Lisa Suzanne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book 2 of the Vegas Heat: Bases Loaded series that follows first baseman Danny Brewer and pop princess, Alexis Bodega. Book 1 left us with a cliffhanger that led right into this book.

I loved the addition of Danny’s family and learning more about them through them. His sister Anna is carrying a secret that we find out towards the end. We see more of Alexis and Danny together even though she accepted her manager’s proposal at the end of book 1. Again, Alexis’ father needs to step away from being her agent and just be her father. My favorite secondary character right now is Gregory, Alexis’ bodyguard/driver/etc. He seems to be the only person from her “Alexis Bodega” brand life that actually cares about her.

This book also ends on a cliffhanger which creates problems for Alexis and Danny yet again.


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Book Review: Stubborn Heart by A.K. Evans

 

Stubborn Heart by A.K. Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stubborn Heart is book 1 of the Westwood Series. There is a prequel to this series, Naughty Heart. You do not necessarily have to read that to understand this book. The prequel just gives the background into the Westwood family and business. I did love the little tidbits from that book mentioned in this one.

This book is the first born son of Malcolm and Evelyn (from Naughty Heart), Wyatt. In trying to conduct business for his family’s company he meets Rhea Marks, whose family owns the neighboring dairy farm.

I loved the pace of the relationship between Wyatt and Rhea. There were times in the book that some things seemed repetitive. I don’t blame Rhea one bit for her initial resistance to Wyatt. I mean you were upset that I declined your business proposal then want to become my BFF and running partner? I’d be a little suspicious too, girl.

Overall, a great story and I can’t wait to learn about the next Westwood.


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Book Review: Back Against the Wall by Marie James

 

 

 

 

Back Against the Wall by Marie James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Lindell series. After the prequel, I was excited for the series to begin. This book did not disappoint.

Chase Woodson and Madison Kelly both grew up in Lindell. They had a falling out of sorts when they were younger and neither wanted anything to do with the other. However, both needed something from the other at the present moment. Cue the close proximity…

Both characters were well developed and I enjoyed being back in Lindell. I loved Madison’s relationship with Chase’s twin boys. They definitely needed a good female role model because their mother was definitely not one. I enjoyed watching the relationship grow and blossom. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.


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Book Review: Foot in the Door by Marie James

Foot in the Door by Marie James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Foot in the Door is the prequel to the Lindell series. And it is a great intro into this new world.

Kalen and McKenna were well written as was the world of Lindell. The miscommunications between Kalen and McKenna were actually kinda funny to me. As readers we knew the truth behind the misunderstanding but it was humorous to watch them navigate it all.

This prequel has me excited for the rest of the series.


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Book Review: Thorns of Malice by Maggie Cole

Thorns of Malice by Maggie Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok, Maggie Cole, I see you.

This is the second book in the Wilted Kingdom duet. And this one kept me so much more invested than the first one. I couldn’t put this one down. I started reading it a chapter or two at a time, but the minute I had an uninterrupted period of time, I finished it all.

Ivy is not as naive as she was 10 years ago. She’s found her backbone and is ready to make everyone pay… including Dax.

Dax hasn’t been the same since Ivy left and is determined to bring everyone that had wronged Ivy down.

Dax was the same old Dax… in a way. He was still devious and manipulative. But, this time he used his powers for good but in a bad way. If that makes sense. Dax had to prove a lot, even to me, that he was redeemable. And did he ever.

As for Avery, Bobby, and Cooper… Well, they got exactly what they deserved. Now, bear in mind that some of the events in this book are far-fetched (i.e. what is wrong with Ivy, what Dax used to get revenge on the others). But, it didn’t bother me as I see worlds in books as open for anything. If it makes sense in the book world then I’m all for it.


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Book Review: The Secrets Next Door by Sally Royer-Derr

The Secrets Next Door by Sally Royer-Derr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG! I loved this book! To be fair, I have always been a mystery/thriller type of girl (Nancy Drew was my first books read and ironically, Nancy Drew is mentioned in this book) so I’m always down for a good mystery and thriller read.

There’s several players in this book and they all somehow intertwine together. First we have twins Tabitha and Talia. Then we have Tabitha’s husband, Grant and they have a young son. Talia is married to Zach who is also a childhood friend of the twins. We also have a new neighbor, Anne.

The beginning starts with an incident occurring that doesn’t make sense right away. But, you know it’s important somehow. The first few chapters after are kind of slow but after that - it’s fast paced and intriguing. Everytime I thought I knew who to suspect, I began to second guess myself. Everytime I thought I knew what happened, I later found out I was wrong.

This book was simply amazing and I’m thankful for Netgalley providing me a copy to read for an honest review.


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Book Review: Never Fall for the Bride's Father by Julia Kent

Never Fall for the Bride's Father by Julia Kent
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is book 2 in Julia Kent’s Whatever It Takes Series. The series follows the employees of a wedding protector business. I loved the first book and was excited for this one.

We met Katie in the first book since she is one of the co-owners of the business. I was excited for her story because I loved her character. However, it fell a little flat for me. I just couldn’t get into Patrick and Katie as a couple. They didn’t have the *spark* for me. I feel like Katie deserved a little more for her future than Patrick. While he might’ve been a great guy, his constant bringing up Clemmie (his late wife) was off-putting. I get that she was his first love, the mother of his daughter, and only deceased for 3 years, but he constantly brought her up and compared Katie to her.

I’ll continue on with the series even though this book wasn’t it for me.


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Book Review: The Influencer by Adriane Leigh

The Influencer: A Completely Diabolical Psychological Suspense by Adriane Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What did I just read? I say this in a good way. This book was absolutely amazing and I can’t wait for the next part because that cliffhanger was deep!

Few talk about it, but being an influencer isn’t always what it seems. Our main character, Shae, is the perfect example of this. You go on a wild roller coaster ride with Shae as her “perfect” life begins to crumble. You feel bad for her then things change. And they change drastically. Suddenly you don’t know whose side you are on. You don’t know who is right. There are times you feel for other characters. And there are times you feel for none of them.

This ends in a cliffhanger and I am on pins and needles waiting for the second book.


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Book Review: Stay Present by Kaylee Ryan

Stay Present by Kaylee Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know I said Archer was my favorite Kincaid, but Ryder is right up there with him. There have been snippets of the relationship between Ryder and Jordyn. So, I was looking forward to the whole story between them. I wanted to know just as much as Ryder and the other Kincaids why Jordyn left with no explanation. Of course, in true Kaylee fashion, the explanation was nothing I would’ve thought it to be. Ryder’s dedication and loyalty to the one he loves is the sweetest thing ever. I’m also glad that Jordyn had one friend that had her back through it all, cause her family ain’t it. Her family… Oh, you will loathe her parents by the end.

I feel like Jordyn acted childish in the book some, but for a good reason. They always say “If you act like a child, I’ll treat you like a child.” Well, in Jordyn’s case it’s “If you treat me like a child, I’ll act like a child.” The way her mother just inserted herself in her life and decided to make all her decisions… Uh, no ma’am. I don’t care who you are.

The next two books are for the twins and I have a feeling they are both going to be a handful. I mean, they’ve both been a handful through the whole series…


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Book Review: Stay Wild by Kaylee Ryan

Stay Wild by Kaylee Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Kincaid Brothers stories are just getting better and better. After each one, I’m like the next brother can’t possibly top this brother. And I am proven wrong, time and time again.

This is one of my favorites of the stories. Archer won my heart from almost the beginning. Scarlett was made for him and everyone knew it right off. My poor little self was sobbing at the end, both before the HEA and during the epilogue. Like, I was totally crying my eyes out.

I’m eager to see how the next Archer brother woos his soulmate.


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Book Review: Ruthless Passion by Brooke Summers

Ruthless Passion by Brooke Summers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was not my first Brooke Summers book, but it has me ready to binge every single last one of them. I love the worlds she creates in her books. Please, take heed to the trigger warnings because they include many deal breakers in books for some. I love her worlds exactly for the reasons there are trigger warnings. Do I like reading books that have perfect worlds? Absolutely. But, know what else I like reading? Gritty, hard, dark books. Books that may have parts that are hard to read, sometimes even hard to stomach. But, I love them anyway and will continue to love reading them. I love that Brooke continues to make these hard and gritty worlds with so much involved in them.

That being said…

This is book 3 of a series that ties into some books from another series. However, I had no problem understanding the story between Dario and Portia. This book had me going through all the emotions - sadness, sympathy, anger, furious, happy. I cried sad tears and happy tears. All the questions I had at any part of this book were answered later in this same book. There were times I thought I knew what was going to happen only for Brooke to swerve real fast in another direction.


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Book Review: Mine to Covet by Kameron Claire

Mine to Covet by Kameron Claire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been enjoying this series (Veteran K9 Team) and this book was no exception. However, this is not one of my favorites in the series. But it is still worth a read.

The characters were amazing and the story was well developed. There was a perfect mix of drama and spice in the book. The introduction of Logan’s family was perfect. You had enough information and story to form your opinions on them yet they didn’t overtake the main storyline. The same with Tess’ mom. She was in the story enough to add to it but not too much to overtake it.

The only problem I had was that since I was reading this series out of order (face palm), I was kind of lost when it came to talking about members of the VKC that had books previously. I don’t think it hindered the storyline at all but it had me wondering what happened in those books (I know, I know. I’m going to go read all the ones I’ve missed


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Book Review: Seeds of Malice by Maggie Cole

Seeds of Malice by Maggie Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read several of Maggie Cole’s Mafia series so when I heard that she was releasing something a little different, I was all in. This book is definitely different from the others that I had read. It’s like an amped up Cruel Intentions (first thing that came to mind when I was reading it).

My mind has been played with in so many different directions. Dax is almost completely unredeemable to me. I seriously cannot wait to see how, or even if, he is redeemed in the second book. His sister and his best friend can just leave. They are not redeemable at this point. Based on the interactions in the book, Dax’s younger brother is the only decent person in the family.

It was hard to imagine all of the naivety that Ivy had. There were so many red flags about Dax and his sister that I’m not sure how she didn’t see them. The way she treated her father was just odd to me.

I rated it a 4 because it was slow in the beginning. It probably didn’t pick up pace until almost the end. I have read a few other bully romance books and this is probably the worst in terms of “bullying” I have read. Like, seriously Dax needs therapy and a lot of it.

I’ll be interested to read the second book in the duet since it will be 10 years later and Ivy is back to get revenge. I sincerely hope that she pays Dax back double what he did to her.


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Book Review: Chase the Storm by A.K. Evans

Chase the Storm by A.K. Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Road Trip Series by A.K. is one of my top series of all time. I simply love the idea behind it because it seems so unique to me. I also love going on the road trip with her as she visits each state.

I read this book in a day because that was how invested I was in it. The beginning focused on Indy and let me tell you… I wanted to adopt this poor girl just to help her. We see how her struggles began and how she got to the point she was in her life.

Griffin entered in the story after a couple of chapters. We learned a little about him and his life.

Then the two met. And that’s when I was 100% invested. This story was one of the sweetest and romantic stories I have read in a long time. Definitely one of my favorites of the series.


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Book Review: Naughty Heart by A.K. Evans

Naughty Heart by A.K. Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have loved all of A.K.’s series so far so I was excited to see the new Westwood Series coming out. I immediately knew I had to read this series… even if I am usually a little impatient waiting on the next in a series.

This book is the prequel to the series. This is a sweet workplace romance and I love how A.K. took the time to develop Malcolm and Evelyn through the series. Evelyn was written in a way that made you feel sympathy for her and made you root for her to find her happily ever after. Malcolm evolves in this book and it makes you smile to see his changes.

I can’t wait to see what this series has in store for the reader. I feel that this may become another of my favorite series.


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Book Review: Mine to Cherish by Kameron Claire

Mine to Cherish by Kameron Claire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kameron is absolutely one of my top insta-love authors. I immediately know I am going to get a quick but well thought out short novella.This one was no exception. This is the first book in the Veteran K9 Team series and was an amazing start to it.

Cher and Vale were great characters and we learned so much about them in the short time we had with them. They were well developed and their story was flawless. Characters were introduced that I hope are getting stories of their own in the series.

I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series has in store for us.


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