The Wrong Wife by Maya Aiden

2 Stars

Sometimes the wrong choice leads to the right love…

Bound by duty, drawn by desire. Can love rewrite their story?

Even the wrong path can lead to the right love.

Declan Knight always knew he would have to marry a Hartley.

But when the Hartley he loves leaves him the night before their wedding, he’s forced to marry the other sister. She’s not the Hartley he wanted but he can fake it for a year. Can’t he?

Growing up in the shadow of her glamourous sister, Esme Hartley learned to bury her own desires, including her secret crush on Declan Knight. Suddenly thrust into a marriage with him, a glimmer of possibility ignites within her. But can she ever truly capture his heart, or will he remain haunted by her sister’s memory?

Caught between family duty and past scars, can Declan and Esme overcome the ghosts of their pasts and find love in the unlikeliest of places or will their tangled emotions tear them apart?

There was not enough groveling done by Declan let alone Esme’s family. They were all so horrible to her and none of them made up for it. Declan is hot and cold with her because he wanted to be with Viv. When he finally figures out he didn’t love Viv but Esme for me it was too little too late. She is supposed to be a sweetheart with a heart of gold but she came across as a doormat and basically took him back immediately.

Book 1 Golden Knights

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Hunt on the Dark Waters by Katee Robert

3 Stars

Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice—join their ship’s crew or die.

Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his band of pirates are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal.

But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, the danger at sea escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price....

I wanted to like this more than I did. I loved the world and the world building. It was the characters I had issues with. I really hated Evelyn and never got past her behavior throughout the book. She was so selfish and it frustrated me. I also struggled with the pacing of the book. I will give book 2 a chance because I love other books by her.

Book 1 Crimson Sails

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Promo: Carrie Ann Ryan

Spring Fling: A Right Person, Wrong Time Collection

Part of the Forever More Collection Series

Spring Fling: A Right Person, Wrong Time Collection

Sometimes you find the perfect person.

But it’s not the right time.

They second chances don’t come often, but in these three romances, they finally get a chance.

Includes:

The Forever Rule: A Cage Family Romance

From Our First: A Promise Me Romance

Bittersweet Promises: A Montgomery Ink Legacy Romance

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Best of Me by Maya Aiden

3 Stars

She’s the love I never saw coming, but can I give her the best of me?

My family’s roots run deep, and my responsibilities are etched into every part of my life—my daughter, my family, and the Rhodes family business.

As a father, I’ve always put my daughter above everything. I built my world around her, living next door to my ex-wife, keeping the peace for the sake of our child.

I never expected to fall in love again. But then Aurora came into my life, and suddenly I felt something I hadn’t felt in years. I thought it would be simple—until I introduced her to my daughter.

My ex-wife's manipulation of our daughter, shatters the fragile balance I’d worked so hard to maintain, and now I’m faced with choices I never wanted to make. I hurt the only woman I’ve ever truly loved, and I don’t know if I can put the pieces back together.

This guy was lucky she was so understanding. I understand why she stuck it out with him for as long as she did. I loved that when she hit her limit and was done she was done. I wish there was more that was done to the ex-wife. The redemption arc when he realizes how much he screwed up was ok but he didn’t do enough to make up for everything. The writing was fine but it wasn’t one of favorite reads.

Book 1 Savannah’s Best

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Home Advantage by Layne Wren

1 Star

Carson

I’m well-known for being a controversial hockey player.

A lesser-known fact is that I want someone to call mine.

So when I see the most perfect woman in the stands during a fist-fight on the ice, I get distracted and think: finally, just before I get punched in the face.

A worse blow is when she gets away—and the finishing move is when my favorite food brands refuse to work with me unless I improve my reputation.

But when I run into Jamie Michaels at the bookstore she works at, our attraction to each other is undeniable, even if she won’t trust me with the broken heart I’ll do anything to fix.

Jamie

When my ex says he’s leaving me, I shouldn’t be shocked, given my history.

But him cheating and kicking me out makes me so done with this love thing—so there’s no way I’m letting an NHL player get his hands on my heart.

Yet when Carson Callaway offers me a chance to get back at my ex, it’s too good to pass up, and in turn, I offer to help repair his image.

We’ll fake date and keep it just that, fake.

But it’s so, so hard to with all this tension and chemistry simmering between us.

I can’t handle any more heartbreak, but what if things are different this time? What if Carson and I finally find home in each other?

 

I hated this book so much. I didn’t feel there was a connection or chemistry between Jamie and Carson. I also really hated how Jamie was so horrid to herself throughout this book. Maybe it is because I love hockey books so much this one just didn’t work for me. It is an author I will be skipping the rest of the books.

Book 1 Tampa Talon

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Outlier by Susie Tate

4 Stars

Vicky is an outlier. An outlier in society, an outlier in the business world; she’s even an outlier in her own family. She knows that people find her weird and annoying, and she’s resigned to her loneliness until she sees him. Having never been attracted to any man before, her new obsession with burly, rough and ready Mike and the fact she can’t breathe when he’s close comes as a shock.

Unfortunately, Vicky’s cold beauty doesn’t appeal to Mike. The woman they call the Ice Princess is the opposite of his type, and her obvious crush irritates him. How many times does he have to make it clear he’s not interested before she gets the message? 

But there are things about Vicky, Mike doesn’t know. Reasons she behaves the way she does. Loneliness, vulnerability and kindness, that she keeps hidden. And information her family should have shared with him. So when the fireworks start, and she screams, he acts on instinct, pulling her body into his. And when she buries into his chest, shaking in fear, for some reason he’s not so annoyed by her anymore…

All the emotions in this book. I loved reading it. It was interesting to see how the author handled FMC issues. Watching FMC overcome and deal with things that happened to her as a child made it a difficult read. Your heart will go out to her when truths are revealed. MMC was an idiot so many times with her but eventually makes it up but FMC pulls off the best surprise for him.

Book 3 Daydreamer

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Promo: Carrie Ann Ryan

Kiss Me Forever

Book 10 in the Montgomery Ink Legacy Series

Kiss Me Forever is an age gap, workplace, surprise single dad contemporary romance featuring Brooklyn and Reece. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!

Falling for your enemy is bad. Falling for the man you only call your enemy is worse.

Reece Fox is a decade older than me but I’m his boss. And if the man growls at me one more time, he’s going to learn the true meaning of the Montgomery temper. Yet I can’t stop thinking of him.

After losing my fiancé, I’ve sworn off men, but when Reece does the one thing I never thought he’d do—ask for help—I can’t walk away.

Brooklyn Montgomery is too young for me. She’s not only my boss, but my friend’s family. The definition of forbidden. We both know this. But I can’t keep my hands off of her. When we finally give into the heat between us, there’s no going back.

Only when a little girl shows up at our work, she changes our world completely with one word: Dad.

Kiss Me Forever is an age gap, workplace, surprise single dad contemporary romance featuring Brooklyn and Reece. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!

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