Duke’s Inconvenient Bride by Jayne Rivers

3 Stars

A jilted duke. A shy wallflower. A marriage of convenience that neither of them wants.

 

When Lady Emma Carlisle’s twin sister jilts the wealthy and influential Duke of Ashford, their distraught parents pressure shy Lady Emma to marry the duke in her sister’s place, dashing her hopes of a love match.

 

Lady Emma is determined to make the best of the situation, but her new husband is cold, aloof, and wants nothing to do with her. In his quieter moments, she catches glimpses of a thoughtful and intelligent man she’d like to know better, if only he weren’t determined to keep her at a distance.

 

Lady Emma is willing to offer the duke her heart, but she knows there’s every chance he’ll break it. After all, why would the handsomest man in the ton fall for his second best bride?

 

If you love the glamor of Bridgerton or the drama of Downton Abbey, then The Duke's Inconvenient Bride is your next must-read book.

This was an ok historical romance. It wasn’t the best or the worst. The drama with the sister irritated me. Add in the duke being an idiot. It was just an ok read.

Book 1 Unconventional Brides

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Safe Haven by Jarica James

3 Stars

Who knew that two words could shatter every hope and dream Briar had for her future.

You’re pregnant.

Most omegas dream of this, but the only thing Briar can think about is that awful night. While she suffers alone, her attacker gets to flaunt his perfect life in her face.

Until his assistant finds out her secret.

Now she finds herself being exiled from not only her dream job, but her home and city. The betrayal cuts so much deeper when her family is the one to put the final nail in the coffin that was her life.

Her brother, and only ally left, calls on his best friend. She knows no pack will want her, she’s carrying another alpha’s baby, she’s damaged goods. To her relief, the pack agrees.

But when she tries to get them to drop her off at the omega shelter, they refuse. Instead they offer her a temporary place to stay while she decides what to do next. The problem is that with each passing day she spends with the pack, she gets more attached.

When she agrees to be their date to a charity event, she didn’t expect it to change their lives. Secrets are revealed and when her attacker crosses her path again, she quickly realizes that her happy ending may be ripped away for good.

Will her new pack claim her as their own, or will she be forced to live a life she never wanted?

This was a hard book to read just because Briar got put through the ringer. I loved the pack with her so much. They were so sweet and wanted her to be happy and healthy. They bend over backwards to keep her safe when the laws are against her. Her brother was also awesome who was willing to go to bat for her and keep her safe.

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Art of Marrying Your Enemy by Alina Jacobs

 

3 Stars

Forget the summer I turned pretty…that was the summer I got hips, acne, and utterly humiliated by Aaron Richmond.

This summer? This is the summer I had to marry the bastard.

When I walk down the aisle towards my enemy, all to save the Coleman family fortune, I shouldn’t give in to my wounded inner 14-year old-self. I should smile, blink up at him prettily, and declare to have and to hate…

Err...hold.

Too bad I’m Granny Madge’s namesake.

As soon as I begrudgingly say, I do, I toss three tiers of wedding cake on my new husband, kick him in the balls, and down a whole bottle of champagne.

He retaliates by dropping me face-first in his foyer after carrying me over the marital threshold.

I respond in a mature manner by eating a bag of chips in his bed and letting my cat puke on his pillow.

Yeah, this is totally how I’d always fantasized about becoming Mrs. Richmond during my teenage infatuation.

That obsession? Gone.

Never to return.

Not even when he takes off his shirt and his hair is slightly messy over his forehead…

In fact, I loudly declare that I am dryer than my mom’s spelt muffins.

Suddenly that six-five muscular body is hovering over me—the deep voice purring in my ear…

“This will go easier for you if you aren’t.”

Gulp.

We’re not married like that.

There’s a dangerous glint in his eye when he drops the 530 page marriage contract on the table, turns to page 280 and informs me that we have to consummate the marriage or the whole thing is null and void.

“You should have read the contract, Coleman.”

Damn him he’s right.

Because if I’d known I’d have to sleep with my husband, I never would have married him.

Daisy was a doormat throughout the story and she never grew a backbone. She was never a priority even after Aaron realized his feelings. This type of book needs to have a redemption and a strong character development and these were missing. It also missed on being labeled a romantic comedy when there was so much trauma and discord between characters.

Book 2 The Richmond Brothers

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High Sticking by Marie M

4 Stars

Ariella Contreras doesn't need distractions.

She’s fought too hard for her independence to let tradition, family expectations, or a man derail her career. So when a tall, cowboy-hat-wearing Texan in too-tight Wranglers approaches her at a bar and begs her to be his fake date to dodge an ex? She should’ve trusted her gut and told him to get lost.

Because the guy she'd never see again?

Yeah, he's Dalton Langley—the star player on the hockey team she's been hired to be the strength and conditioning coach for. Oh, and he's her new boss's son.

Thanks to a dumb team policy, her job is under scrutiny, and walking away from the "girlfriend" charade isn’t an option. What was supposed to be one night of fake dating quickly spirals into something neither of them saw coming. Lines blur, emotions get tangled, and walking away might hurt like a High Stick to the Heart.

I loved this book so much. All of the characters make the book enjoyable to read. I loved Ariella’s cousin Graciella. The interaction between them made me laugh so much throughout the story. I loved the interaction between Ariella and Dalton. Overall, it was a cute romance that kept me entertained.

Book 1 A Scoring Chance

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Crimson River by Devney Perry

3 Stars

Lyla Eden has spent the last few years watching her siblings fall in love. Meanwhile, she’s married to her job. It’s on her hundredth consecutive workday that her sister stages an intervention, kicking Lyla out of her own coffee shop. With nothing else to do, Lyla sets out on her favorite hiking trail.

It’s there that she spots a man washing blood from his hands in a stream. One moment she’s staring at the jagged scar on his face. The next, his hand is around her throat. But by some miracle, he lets her go.

Shaken to her core, Lyla reports the incident to the local police. Two days later, Vance Sutter arrives in town, armed with endless questions and a tarnished badge.

Vance may be ruggedly handsome but he’s as mysterious as the man he’s hunting. And he’ll be gone from Quincy in a blink. Yet Lyla’s crush is impossible to stop.

No matter how hard Vance tries to ignore it, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. And avoiding Lyla is not an option. After years of chasing dead ends, she’s his only lead to closing the case that haunts his career. So together, they’ll retrace her steps.

To find the scarred man she met beside a crimson river.

I wanted to like this book because I liked Lyla in the other books. The serial killer plot was a lot and the ending was meh. I did like the love between Lyla and Vance.

Book 5 The Edens

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Heartbreaker by Elise Faber and Kat Mizera

3 Stars

She was just supposed to be a one-night stand…

But then she became my world.

Once, I was the lead guitarist of the hit rock band, Midnight Sun. Then a tragic accident took everything from me. I can no longer play guitar, my wife left me, and the future I worked so hard for is slipping away.

All I am now is a grumpy, infamous, former rockstar.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m not in the market for a woman, especially not Jade Cantrell—who’s as beautiful and talented as she is sweet.

Then the media pounces on a story about the two of us, and suddenly we’re zipping off to a mountain retreat and writing an album together.

I can’t keep it strictly business—no matter how hard I try.

And the more I get to know her, the more I know I don’t have any hope of keeping her out of my heart.

One night will never be enough.

I'm going to keep her forever.

When the Game Breakers meet more than hearts will be broken…

They’ll claim, protect, and...maybe just rock their women's worlds.

Jade and Royal both had their own struggles they had to work through in this book. They are best when they're working together and the ending was so not fair I wanted more. Can't wait for book 3.

Book 2 Gamebreakers

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Lessons with Mothman by Kathryn Moon

3.5 Stars

Elias - freelance consultant to Monster Smash Agency, and prestigiously rare moth fae - has never been in love. Granted, he's never been interested in the emotion, but with his friends mating with their clients, the new curiosity is keeping him up at night. If only he could find someone to draw him in like the moth to the flame.

Victoria is looking for facts not feelings. She wants to understand why the monster species are so much more satisfied than humans, than her. But the handsome mothman who volunteers to aid her academic study wants to stimulate more than her intelligence. She's willing to explore their physical chemistry, but she wants no part of his designs on her heart.

Love can't be taught, and it certainly can't be forced, but falling in love with the woman who refuses to let him in might just teach Elias a lesson.

I’ve loved many of Kathryn Moon’s books but this one was just ok. I liked the different monster for a love interest. I loved that he was trying to discover love like his friends had. I just didn’t connect with this one as much as I have with other books.

Book 3 Monster Smash Agency

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