Happily Ever Never by Carrie Ann Ryan

4 Stars

I love falling in love.

Only I’m the worst at it.

My friends call me a serial first dater and I can’t blame them.

All I want is a happy ever after, yet all I find are happy ever nevers.

This is my last chance. After this set up with my friend’s tattoo artist, I’m done.

No more dating. No more chances.

If I don’t fall in love with Leo Johnson, I’ll give up on dating.

Even if it shatters my dreams in the process.

I loved this book. May was excellent on first dates but nothing every went past that first date. I loved her with Leo. They just worked and May got to get past the first date curse.

Book 2.5 Montgomery Ink Legacy

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Single Dad Dilemma by Karla Sorenson

3 Stars

A gruff, divorced NFL coach meets his match in an equally grumpy, commitment-phobic neighbor in this warm-hearted and witty romance about family, second chances, and overcoming the past.

You’d think it was the perfect setup: living next door to the grumpy single dad who needs my help with his troublemaking kids—just until football season is over. Swoony stuff, right?

You know who’s not swooning? Me.

I’m as grumpy as he is, and I’m fairly certain that for NFL Coach Barrett King, it was hate at first sight. It’s nothing I’ll lose sleep over because 1) the feeling is mutual, and 2) I’m not a people person. Just me and my dog, Larry, moving around when the mood strikes, is what I prefer.

Except I start getting attached. First to the kids. Then to their father. I don’t know why. He’s overbearing. His attempts at flirting are just growls and glares. But if I ever see that man smile…well, I might tear all his clothes off.

I don’t do forever. And Barrett—serious, thoughtful, sexier than he has any right to be—doesn’t do short term. We’re headed straight for disaster.

But if we're willing to take a risk, maybe this story won't end in heartbreak. Maybe what started as the perfect setup for two imperfect people just might end in love.

I loved the kids in this book so much. They were just adorable. The adults less so. The back and forth went on too long between Barrett and Lily. I also struggled with Lily wanting to leave even though she was happy where she was at.

Book 2 The Kings

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Stalked by the Kraken by Lillian Lark

3 Stars

A matchmaking witch, an ancient sea creature, and the sex contract they make.

Welcome to the Love Bathhouse where desire and acceptance are in the water.

The Witch

Celibacy is a bad look for a matchmaker.

Especially a matchmaker who works at the kind of paranormal bathhouse that would have grandmothers clutching their pearls.

A worse look is a matchmaker experiencing a crisis of confidence.

I am that matchmaker.

We need raw magic, desperately.

And now a mysterious man walks into my office, offering me the exact solution I need.

The problem is that he wants to be matched… with me.

Matching doesn’t work for me; I found that out the hard way.

The Kraken

I saw her and the creature inside me wanted.

She doesn’t want a relationship. She says that the most we can have are the three nights she promised me, but the dark part of myself isn’t going to let the woman who snared its attention go.

I found her. I hunted her. She’s mine.

I’ve loved other books by Lillian Lark but this isn’t one of them. I am glad I didn’t read in order because I wouldn’t have continued the series. The book felt disjointed. I loved the idea of the book. I just wished for it to be better paced and put together.

Book 1 Monstrous Matches

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Sated in Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

3 Stars

Ethan Montgomery thought he had his life figured out until the moment he and his best friend, Lincoln, met a woman in a wedding dress drinking wine out of a paper bag. Love has never been in the cards for him because he doesn’t realize what is right in front of him.

Lincoln’s done his best to ignore his feelings for Ethan and focus on his art. Yet the moment Holland enters the picture, all bets are off and sparks fly.

Only Holland is fresh out of a disastrous relationship that ended with her running away from her cheating groom. She’s not sure she can trust a man again—let alone two.

But the attraction between them cannot be denied and sometimes there’s no going back—even when their pasts try to break them apart.

The frustration I had with Holland, Ethan, and Lincoln. They all wanted out so the other two could have their HEA. It got old really quickly. I also felt like the ending was too rushed.

Book 13 Montgomery Ink

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A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper

4 Stars

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal” retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind. Their first day is anything but relaxing: Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?

As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time with the resort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.” Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it's clear that deadly secrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.

I loved this murder mystery with just a bit of romance. The characters were well developed and so was the world. I loved how the mystery played out. As well as the back and forth between Jess and Dean. Definitely looking forward to the next one.

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Pregnant and Rejected by the Lycan King by Kiara Sere and Via Thorn

2 Stars

My fated mate is the alpha king…

And I’m too weak to be his queen.

So he rejects me- but doesn't know I'm pregnant with his pup.

I’ve been a punching bag my entire life.

Bullied by my pack, sneered at by my family…all because my wolf refuses to show herself.

So when all unmated females are invited to the alpha prince’s ball so he can find a mate, I’m dreading it.

My sister trips me in front of everyone, and I’m ready to be the laughingstock of the ball.

Instead, the prince catches me.

And our mating bond snaps into place.

His fierce protectiveness takes over and he turns his rage on my bullies:

“Apologize to your future queen, or I will toss you out in the cold after breaking the pack bonds to make you a rogue.”

The heat of our connection and the way I feel when he looks at me…it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt.

But then he realizes I’m a weak omega who’s never even shifted.

He doesn’t want me anymore, but it’s too late—he’s already marked me.

I resign myself to being ignored by my suddenly icy, distant mate for the rest of my life.

But then I find out I’m pregnant.

So I run.

Once I’m gone, will he realize how much he needs me?

Or will I spend the rest of my life brokenhearted and mateless, raising our baby by myself?

The book was so slow and took forever to get to the HEA. I also never got past Talen’s rejection of Elena. This is one I wish I skipped.

Book 41 Forbidden Alpha Kings

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Wrapped in Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

4 Stars

Liam Montgomery will try everything once.

He started his career as a model and turned that opportunity into becoming a bestselling author.

The only thing he hasn’t tried is a steady relationship.

Not that he’s looking for one.

Arden Brady doesn’t get out much.

Living with Lupus means sometimes her days aren’t her own. She’s lived her life to the fullest so far, but the one thing she’s never let herself do is fall in love.

Then comes Liam.

A chance encounter changes the game, and both will have to risk everything they thought important to make this work. Because family secrets and unplanned heartache aren’t the only things trying to tear them apart. But if they’re lucky, the passion between them might just make this romance thing something they can believe in.

Arden has Lupus and doesn’t think she will ever get her HEA. Liam is all in with her basically from the beginning. He works with her and wants to care for her. There were a lot of cute moments in the book.

Book 12 Montgomery Ink

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