Second Shot by Violet James

3.5 Stars

Liam never got over Grace. Is this his second shot to finally get the girl?

Grace Knight thought nothing her tech billionaire twin brother did could surprise her anymore—until the day he bought a professional hockey team and moved it to Austin, Texas. Even more shocking? He just signed Liam O’Conner, the league’s star center…and the only guy Grace ever truly loved.

Liam O’Conner doesn’t care that Texas isn’t exactly a hockey hotbed. After a brutal divorce, all he wants is a fresh start for himself and his eight-year-old daughter. But his new life gets complicated fast when he discovers two things: the team owner is his old rival, and the team owner’s sister—his teenage best friend, his first love, and the woman who got away—is now his daughter’s third grade teacher.

Grace has no intention of getting involved with Liam again. He’s her brother’s player, her student’s dad, and the same man who shattered her heart years ago. He’s completely off-limits.

Except Liam can’t make himself care about limits. The spark he always felt with Grace is still there, stronger than ever before. When she starts to let her guard down and allow him into her life—and into her bed—Liam knows this is their chance to finally get it right.

But old mistakes and messy circumstances stand in their way. Can Liam convince Grace to risk her heart one more time? Or will the past steal their second shot at happily ever after?

I enjoyed Grace and Liam’s journey to HEA. His kid was amazing. I loved that her brother bought the team specifically to bring them back together. I will try the next one in the series.

Book 1 Austin Sting

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Fawn by L.V. Lane

3 Stars

The wolf thought he claimed her.

The stag king knows she was always meant to be his.

Fawn is not the harmless human beta she pretended to be.

She is a hidden omega doe—

and her scent is rewriting the balance of power between wolves and stags.

Five powerful males.

And none of them are willing to let her go.

Enemies will learn exactly what happens

when you threaten a king’s queen.

I struggled with reading this one. The pacing was slow and it frustrated me. I liked all the men and her being used was interesting. It was just an ok read.

Book 12 Coveted Prey

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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

Buy Now: Amazon or Direct

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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