Against All Odds by Maya Alden

3 Stars

Will he fight against all odds to win her back?

Sable Nees has spent her whole married life being a doormat and blending into the background. When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, she reclaims her confidence. She buys a local bar, ditches her mundane job, and starts living her life on her terms.

Heath Falkner, freshly divorced, is still navigating his new normal. His ex-wife may have orchestrated his move to her hometown of Aspen, hoping for a second chance, but it’s Sable who unexpectedly captures his heart.

When their romance ignites, the town erupts in scandal, and Sable is unfairly branded a homewrecker.

Heath tries to keep the peace with his ex for the sake of his fifteen-year-old daughter, and Sable struggles to keep her business afloat. Their worlds collide.

When Heath hesitates to put her first and insults her in front of all of Aspen, Sable has had enough. She walks away.

Heath has to deal with the empty space Sable leaves behind as he learns too late that she is his second chance at love and happiness.

I still think Sable should have told Heath to Fuck Off and for her to leave town. He reprimands her in public without finding out what happened. Then when he finds out he is in the wrong doesn’t understand why she doesn’t immediately forgive him. I loved his daughter and she was my favorite.

Book A Part of A Modern Vintage Romance

Amazon 

Druid Cursed by CJ Burright

4 Stars

One week of freedom. One cursed druid. One woman who could break the spell or doom them both.

Every fifty years, Kellen Ravenwood escapes his magical prison for seven days. This Samhain is his last chance to break the curse, or he’ll be bound forever. All he needs is a sacrifice: the blood of Maggie O’Malley, the last living descendant of the witch who cursed him.

Maggie, desperate for cash after a brutal divorce, jumps at the chance to win a $500,000 prize at a mysterious Irish estate. She never expected ancient rituals, strange magic, or Kellen, the dangerously charming man who claims she’s the key to his freedom.

But Maggie won’t be anyone’s sacrifice. And if there’s another way to break the curse, she’ll find it.

Because some destinies are meant to be rewritten.

And some love stories are worth defying fate for.

Pacing was good. I loved the switch between modern English and Old English. I loved the characters and felt they were developed well. Maggie is learning about her ancestors while trying to get enough money to save her family home. Kellen was given a rough life. There are reveals that are big. The biggest issue I had was the ending felt rushed.

Amazon 

Tempting the Orc by LV Lane

3 Stars

He’s my brother’s best friend.

He’s also an orc.

I’m a shifter and should be with one of my kind.

What I want is green, fierce, and savage with everyone but me.

He’s determined to resist.

I’m determined that he won’t.

This was a short and spicy romance. No world building or character development. It was a fine read but don’t go in expecting much.

Book 1 Coveted by the Orc

Amazon 

Oathbreaker by Elise Faber

4 Stars

She was never supposed to be mine.

Walking away was the only acceptable decision.

It was just one night. Two lonely souls finding solace in the one place we shouldn’t have—my bed.

I thought once would be enough, but leaving her is my biggest—maybe my only—regret.

Now, I’m back and seeing the results of that night is killing me.

I’ll make it up to her. I have to. Because I’ve never loved anyone else.

Because I’d rather die than break her heart a second time.

But when duty calls, I swore an oath to listen.

And I know…

There will be no coming back this time.

This book was interesting. On the one hand I knew who Frankie's daddy was from book one so not surprised. Was surprised he was still alive and was sad to see how things played out with West. I don't know if I would have been as forgiving as Briar was towards Colt but it made for an interesting read.

Book 5 Gamebreakers

Amazon 

Death Rides the Desert by Sara Bourgeris

4 Stars

A haunted ranch. A clever fox. Ghosts who won't shut up.

Claire Caldwell came to Arizona to sell her great aunt’s ranch, lick her wounds, and escape back to Chicago.

Then the ranch decided it wanted a new owner.

A copper furred fox starts leaving gifts on her doorstep. Translucent cowboys appear in the barn. A woman who died in 1985 cooks tamales in Claire’s kitchen like she never left. And somehow, the dead all seem to know one thing Claire does not.

She can see them.

When the most hated man in Perdido Springs turns up dead on Claire’s property and the sheriff waves it off as an accident, the ghosts make it clear. Someone in town is lying. Someone is dangerous. And everyone had a reason to want the victim gone.

With a mystical fox at her side, a house full of chatty spirits, and a too handsome veterinarian who keeps showing up just when she needs him, Claire has to solve a murder nobody wants solved.

Before she becomes the next ghost haunting Whispering Saguaro Ranch.

Welcome to the desert, where the dead do not rest and the living keep secrets.

I loved this book. It was cute in so many ways. It was cozy paranormal romance. I figured out the killer from the beginning but getting all the information was interesting. If moved nicely but could have used some character development. I will be reading more in the series.

Book 1 The Haunted Ranch

Amazon 

Knocked Up by my Fated Alpha by Jennifer Eve

2.5 Stars

Getting cheated on the night before my wedding?

Fine. I just slept with a ridiculously hot stranger.

Too bad he turned out to be my ex-fiancé’s uncle...And my new boss.

After losing my parents and my wolf, being forced into a political marriage was the last straw.

So, I ran.

Finding a job to make ends meet should be easy enough, right?

Unless my boss is Damien Blackwell—

Sharp, ruthless, my one-night stand and my ex’s uncle.

I’m his new assistant—faking smiles while hiding the way my body betrays me every time he’s near.

We’re supposed to keep things strictly professional.

Until he corners me behind closed doors, and every line between us starts to blur.

Then—his long-lost mate returns, with no memory of their breakup.

Perfect timing.

Except I’m already pregnant.

With his pup.

The writing in this book was so bad. At one point I swear Damien kills another character but than later talks about banishing him. I went back and reread to make sure I wasn’t confusing characters. There were also grammatical issues and it read like a high schooler wrote it. Besides the writing issues I also didn’t like how Damien treated Raven and she just takes it. I struggled to finish the book.

Book 1 Knocked up & Claimed

Amazon 

One Night Hand Stand by Julia Kent

3 Stars

Who accidentally has a one-night stand with her yoga instructor?

Yep. Me.

How did I accidentally sleep with someone, right? I know what you’re thinking. Whoops! I slipped and inadvertently inserted Tab A into Slot B.

That’s not quite how it went.

But my yoga instructor is really, really skilled with Tab A, if you know what I mean.

Slot B never had it so good.

What am I supposed to do now, as I walk into my yoga class and find the guy I ghosted this morning… there, in front of the class, perfectly aligned and grinning at me like he remembers touching all my chakras.

He's perfect. Too perfect. He's so perfect he's ruining my job.

I'm an investigative reporter, working on spec for an article for a national magazine, and my job is to find all the ways this yoga chain is corrupt.

The only thing criminal here is that I can't have him in Slot B ever again. And I would. I'd turn myself into a paper doll book if that's what it took for more of that action.

I want him. He wants me. Nothing I do will make him back off because the chemistry is off the charts.

Except for one pesky little thing:

We’re at cross-purposes.

I need my exposé to get the job of my dreams. He needs to sell his stake in the yoga chain before I expose the corrupt current owner.

That makes him my enemy. My nemesis. The guy I have to get around to get ahead.

And now we’re supposed to hate each other.

But who ever let that get in the way of love?

I struggled so hard with this audiobook. I don’t know if it was the narrators or the story but I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. Both Case and Sarah irritated me and I didn’t really care if they got their HEA. I also felt the book was so slow to get anywhere. It might have been a better book to read then to listen too.

Amazon