Her Pucking Stepbrother by RJ Sterling

2.5 Stars

Being shamed out of college and forced to move back home is bad enough.
Having nothing but a thin wall separating my bedroom from my stepbrother's is even worse.
But the cherry on top?
The reminder that, before my dad and his mom ever thought to make us "family"... he was my first.
And now he hates me.
Puck my life.

Book was so freaking slow. Add in the cliffhanger ending with no next book. This is a book I would skip. MMC was an ass to FMC through most of the book and he never really makes up for it. Then the ending happened and I was so mad.

Book 1 Royal Icehole

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Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine

3 Stars

Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.

The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.

As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.

The story was just ok. Margot was irritating throughout the book. It was a standard romance without any surprises. And as the title says about any trope there were a bunch. Way too much and it bogged down the story.

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Banished Mate by Allie Santos

3.5 Stars

To my pack, I was a broken girl—mute, unable to shift, and easy to forget.

I spent my life in the shadows, invisible to everyone but the future Alpha. He was my everything. But he needed a strong mate, and that could never be me, not without revealing the truth.

I was an Omega—a secret that could cost him his life.

So I did nothing.

I would have kept hiding what I was forever, but then I was captured. With one chance to escape, I shifted and ran—straight into the arms of two of my mates. Fierce. Protective. Mine.

But danger was closing in. The past I’d tried to outrun was catching up fast, and this time, it wasn’t just my life on the line.

I am questioning the location of the story. She ends up in Scotland and acts like that is so far but when she goes to confront people in the old pack it’s a really quick trip to get home. World building needs to be done. Otherwise the story was good.

Book 2 Omega Heat

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Willing Prey by Allie Oleander

4 Stars

An exhilarating, primal summer fling in the woods leads to an intensely sexy, edgy romance, where anything goes—just remember your safe word.

Divorced and buried in student loan debt, Claire Collins eagerly enters a spicy business agreement with an acquaintance who wants to explore his primal desires. The deal is simple: thirty days as his sexual prey, $30,000 in her bank account. All she has to do is give Shane Underwood the hunt of his life.

Claire’s a physical education teacher and perfectly happy to spend her summer having wild, kinky sex instead of working her usual serving job. But once they cross the tree line, she realizes how little she knows about the corporate lawyer paying her to be his prey.

Shane is different in the woods. Brutal. Devastating. Feral.

That’s okay with Claire—she is, too. And she’s sinking her teeth a little deeper into Shane’s heart every time he catches her.

The trigger warning page sold me on this book. It was spicy and different in the best ways possible. I loved how Shane was all in with Claire for so long. He opted for what he thought she would accept but he wanted so much more with her. He stalks her long before the deal. I love the deal was his romantic gesture to her and to keep her close.

Book 1 Feral Love

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Love’s a Witch by Tricia O’Malley

4 Stars

She’s hexed. He’s vexed. And for Scotland’s most magical small-town, their feud might just spell disaster.
Sloane MacGregor swore she’d never return to Briarhaven, but with her twenty-fifth birthday looming—the day witches come into their magic—her grandmother summons her and her sisters back for one tiny task: break the centuries-old curse haunting their bloodline.
Knox Douglas, Briarhaven’s grumpy mayor, has worked tirelessly to make his town a haven for magical folk. The last thing he needs is a cursed MacGregor wreaking havoc. It doesn’t matter he once crushed on her. For the sake of Briarhaven, Sloane has to go.
But magic has other plans—and in Briarhaven, love really is a witch.

This book was so sweet and I loved it so much. Sloane was a little bitchy in the best ways. Knox was a dick for reasons. The curse was interesting and I hope with future books we delve deeper into it. The story flowed nicely and I can’t wait for the next book.

Book 1 The Scottish Charm

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Worst Wingman by Abby Jimenez

4 Stars

They’re falling in love, yet they’ve never met. Maybe fate can intervene in a heartwarming “what-if” short story about new beginnings by the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?

Another good audiobook from her. I loved the kismet in this book. The relationship felt rushed but I still enjoyed it.

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Mr. Heartbreak by Piper Rayne

3 Stars

I made a deal with my brother a long time ago to never date his teammates.

Technically, Rowan Landry, the hot as hell center for the Chicago Falcons, is no longer my brother’s teammate. Or his best friend. Their college days are long behind them, and they barely talk now.

Also, I’m not dating him—we’re just sleeping together. There’s a difference.

Except there’s not a lot of sleeping going on, and neither one of us wants to stop what we’re doing.

It’s all fun and games until my brother is traded to the Falcons, because Rowan doesn’t know I’m the new goalie’s little sister. Oops.

The lie by omission pissed me off and it went on too long. FMC knew it would not only upset her brother but also MMC and she still kept the secret. I get why she did what she did but at some point she knew it would blow up. When it did she really didn’t want to take any responsibility for the lie.

Book 1 The Nest

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Devoted Billionaire’s Unstoppable Affection by Ava Selwyn

2 Stars

He pushed her away for someone else, now he’s desperate to bring her back.

“What exactly does it benefit me to announce an orphan as my wife?”

When he is married to Ana Cross, Mason Nightingale always cold-shoulders her.

Ana has been in love with Mason since she was a little girl and he held her hand to bring her inside his home. She loves him unconditionally, that is, until one day he leaves her to die without looking back.

Only then does she realise she means nothing to him.

“Mason Nightingale, I don’t want you anymore,” Ana says to him. Hearing that, Mason’s cold stare falters. For the first time, the icy man shows an expression of panic and fear.

From that moment on, Mason spoils her rotten. Little does anyone expect, it’s the beginning of their end.

There were so many things that were repeated constantly. This slowed down the read. It needed to be edited and tightened up. The idea was there for a good book.

Book 1 Obsessed Billionaires Cherished Brides

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Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

4 Stars

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.

Charlotte and Seth meet cute was fun. They get to know each other when trapped in their apartments. I loved how protective Seth was of her and also how much she didn’t need the protection.

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Closing the Distance by Cadence Keys

3 Stars

It was only supposed to be one night...until two pink lines changed everything.

I don't believe in fairy tales, especially not the kind where a broken foster kid gets the sexy NFL star.

But for one perfect night, Tyler Russell makes me feel cherished, precious, worthy of love. When I discover I'm pregnant six weeks later, all my defenses snap into place.

He claims he wants me—not just the baby. That he's been searching for me since I snuck away that morning. But I've been unwanted my entire life, passed from one foster home to another until I learned love wasn't in the cards for me.

Now he's filling my life with gentle touches and whispered promises, making me dream of a future I never thought possible. But when my painful past becomes tabloid fodder, all my insecurities rush back. I have to decide: trust in his love, or protect my heart like I've always done?

Because if he's only here for the baby, losing him might break me for good.

My biggest issue with this book is the brother has zero consequences. Lexi has her trauma from foster care and it’s used against her. The insta love Ty had was hard to believe.

Book 7 LA Wolves

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Crash by Kathy Lockheart

2 Stars

Code blue in the ER. That's how I end up in his hospital. In my brother's best friend's care.

Dr. Blake Morrison starred in every fantasy I’ve had since sixteen. Now he’s the only one who believes something’s truly wrong with me—the only one who can save me.

But with each passing day, each failed diagnosis, I see him changing. The brilliant, controlled doctor is becoming something else. Something darker. More possessive.

"These symptoms aren't random," he growls. “I think someone's hurting you deliberately. And when I find them..." His fingers clench. "They'll learn exactly how much damage a doctor can do."

His touch sets my heart monitor racing, and what's growing between us is more dangerous than any symptom. More forbidden than any diagnosis.

But as my mysterious illness worsens, will the man who’s saved countless lives lose the only one he can’t live without?

I wanted to like this so much. The idea was good but the book just didn’t pull it off. The ending’s big reveal was rushed.

Book 1 Sinners and Saints

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Promo: Carrie Ann Ryan

 

Crossroads

Book 2 in the Ashford Creek Series

When Kiera West needs a place to hide from the media and her ex, she never thought Bodhi Ashford—the man the small town of Ashford Creek once thought a murderer—would be her salvation.

The reclusive, bearded, mountain man has secrets of his own and with one growl, she knew she’d be safe. Sure, he might only talk to her to ask who hurt her, but at least the quiet will let her heal.

When the elusive drummer from one of the biggest rock bands in the world shows up on Bodhi’s doorstep, he needs her to leave yesterday. As soon as he sees the bruises, he knows she needs to stay.

A fire took everything from him once, and the town he thought he could trust turned on him before he could grieve. Falling for a woman in the spotlight is the last thing he needs.

Yet it might be the one thing that could save them both when the darkness of their pasts finally catches up with them.

**Crossroads is a rock star, widower, second chance, small town contemporary suspense in the Ashford Creek series featuring Bodhi and Kiera. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**

Buy Now Amazon or Direct

Hazel Choice by Jillian West

3 Stars

Hazel

The universe created me for a purpose, and I have no problem fulfilling my destiny... Right up until I feed on the wrong angel. He deserved it, but as fate would have it, he had a cluster of his own, who track me with ruthless precision.

When my family ends up at risk, I have no choice but to leave the only home I’ve ever known. Luckily, a friend in Black Cove rents me a room in her house, and I have just enough magic to pass as a witch. It’s a tough adjustment, and I’m lonelier than I’ve ever been, but I settle in, even getting a job at Spellbound.

Except things get complicated all over again when a sinful incubus moves into one of the other rooms at the house I’m renting.

I’m barely managing that mess when an almost seven-foot-tall archangel walks into the spell shop, seeking help to locate the creature that ate his friend...

Only that creature is me.

My house of cards is so shaky that one heavy exhale could knock the whole thing down.

Have I mentioned angels are the worst?

The books was just ok. The first half was so slow. Then the second half just flew. The ending was also a little confusing. I’ve read the rest of the books in the series and I have enjoyed them. You don’t need to read them to get this book but there is some character overlap.

Book 4 A Monstrous World: The Next Generation

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Life’s too Short by Abby Jimenez

4 Stars

When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted. But after her half-sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad" (now with bonus baby vomit in hair).

The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua. Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.

Good audiobook. Vanessa was a complex character dealing with a lot. I loved her with Adrian. When he screws up the way he makes it up to her was done in an interesting way.

Book 3 Friend Zone

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Never Trust a Hockey Player by Jarica James

 

4 Stars

They say hockey players always protect their own. But my pack proved that was a lie.

After spending my heat completely alone, resulting in a near death experience and a hospital stay, I knew I had to cut my pack out of my life.

One phone call to my brother and I find myself back in my hometown. The local hockey princess has officially returned. Surrounded by my family's hockey legacy, I fall easily back into that life.

A job with the Westgrave Wardens, my brother’s team, seems like exactly what I need to get back on my feet.

The only issue is that I swore off ever trusting a hockey player again… and five of the men that make up the Westgrave Wardens starting lineup are trying to prove that they deserve a chance.

Everything seems perfect… until the media learns that I walked away from my pack. Gossip quickly turns vicious and the Wardens band around me to shield me from the worst of it.

But when their team comes under fire, I know it’s time to fight.

I’m an omega who survived being forgotten and I won’t let anyone steal my voice again. I tell the truth and watch my exes fall from grace, begging me for forgiveness.

It was an interest take on rejected mate and finding your forever. I loved the hockey team and how they stepped up to help her just because her brother asked. The fact that her original pack do finally come back around and try and apologize was fun to read.

I loved that she didn't take them back even after the apology. There was too much bad blood to overcome. I do want to see them get a redemption arc because I truly think they regret their choices.

It was a really good read. I will definitely pick up book 2. It was a really good read. I will definitely pick up book 2. 

Book 1 Breakouts & Baddies

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Ever After Between the Lines by Carrie Ann Ryan

 

3.5 Star

Happy Ever After is Only the Beginning.

Find your fate between the lines in this collection of steamy and special romances from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan.

Fate can change in an instant.

But love can be everlasting.

Includes EIGHT short stories and novellas never before in audio or print.

What if it's You (A Montgomery Ink Legacy Romance)

Over the Bridge (A Montgomery Ink Legacy Romance)

Was it Over Then (A Wilder Brothers Romance)

Inked Kingdom (A Montgomery Ink Romance)

Montgomery Midnight Kisses (A Montgomery Ink Romance)

Inked Fantasy (A Montgomery Ink: Boulder Romance)

A Very Montgomery Christmas (A Montgomery Ink: Boulder Romance)

Delicate Nights (A Montgomery Ink Romance)

Cute little clips from previous characters. It was nice to see them all again. None of the chapters are serious but mostly smexy time and seeing where each relationship is now. If you liked the books you will like these extra clips.

Book is apart of the Montgomery Legacy

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Check and Chase by Claire St. James

3.5 Stars

CHASE MITCHELL 

He's hockey's golden boy with a reputation both on and off the ice. When a brutal knee injury threatens his shot at the Cup, his comeback depends on one person: his rival's little sister—the last woman he should want.

EMMA ANDERSON 

She walked away from skating after a career-ending injury crushed her Olympic dreams. Now she's back as the Bears' physical therapist, ready to face her cheating ex—but not ready for Chase Mitchell.

Especially when he makes her an offer: fake date him to keep his obsessive ex away, and in return, he'll help her get revenge on hers.

Their on-camera chemistry was supposed to be pretend. But when the cameras stop rolling, the heat between them is anything but.

Someone's bound to get hurt.

And in this game, love isn't just risky—it's a full-contact sport.

This was a cute story. I loved Emma and Chase together. I hated that she was forced out of the team because of lies. I am still curious how that would all end up playing out. She hangs with her partner and his team while working for another team. It’s fiction so I am overthinking it but it does make me wonder.

Book 1 Breakaway Series

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Dirty Puck by Sara Zolton Arthur

4 Stars

Fake girlfriend. Zero feelings. One dirty pucking mess.

I don’t have time for romance. I barely have time to breathe.

Two jobs. One amazing son. Zero room for anything else.

Benny is my whole heart—he’s on the spectrum, nonverbal, and worth every second of hustle it takes to give him what he needs. One job pays for our roof. The other pays for his therapies. I’m not looking for love. I’m not even looking for friends.

But somehow, I’ve found myself in a no-strings arrangement with Baker Reece, star goalie for the Charleston Copperheads and walking temptation in skates. We’re not friends with benefits—we’re just… benefits. And that works for me. Until it doesn’t.

When Benny loses access to the therapy he needs, everything starts to fall apart. The only school that can help him is out of reach—until Baker shows up with a proposition. (Yes, he actually called it that.)

His mother is dying, and the one thing she wants most in the world is to see him settled. He needs me to help with that. I need the money to get Benny into the right school. In return for playing his doting fake girlfriend, he’ll cover six years of therapy and tuition. No feelings. No catch. Just a harmless little lie.

But I guess there’s no such thing as a harmless lie, because the longer we pretend, the more real it starts to feel. And the one thing I swore I wouldn’t risk—my heart—might be exactly what’s on the line.

I blew through this book and ate it up. I loved how Baker was with Benny and Bree. Sometimes with Fake dating I question why they would agree to the arrangement. This one I get it. Bree was trying to do her best for Benny and get him in a school that would work with him. I really want more in this series.

Book 2 Charleston Copperhead Country

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Divorced from Number 38 by Elise Faber

4 Stars

She’s completely wrong for me.

But I’m still going to claim her as my own.

Faye Sullivan has only ever been my shy, reclusive next-door neighbor.

Until her house burns down and I find out that it’s not just her home that catches fire.

Underneath all that shy is a woman who’s smart and passionate and…everything I’ve ever wanted.

But my life is complicated. I’m on the road for half the year playing with the Grizzlies and I have an ex-wife who just won’t go away.

Clearly, I’m in no position to fall in love.

Only…my heart seems to have a different plan.

One that means never letting Faye go.

I really enjoyed Faye and Gray's story. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this with the insta love that happens in the beginning but it worked for me. Faye loses almost everything in a fire and is rescued by Gray. He wants to help her even though they don’t really know each other. The other woman drama was amusing with his ex-wife. She causes so many issues to keep him as her backup. When this drama negatively affects Faye the way he makes it up to her was amazing. Not to mention Luna and Smitty interference to get these two their HEA. And the little clip for the next book was just pure evil.

Book 2 Grizzlies Hockey

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Angry Puck by Sara Zolton Arthur

4 Stars

Two Friends.

One Night.

Game Over.

Friends to enemies to lovers—sounds romantic, doesn't it?

Not so much. In reality, we had angry—well, let's just say we had an angry reunion.

It all started when I offered to be my best friend's date for a charity event. When I say best friend, I mean we met when we were six years old. I came running every time he needed me. And he needed me a lot considering he's the star center for the fastest-rising team in the NHL, the Charleston Copperheads. Yeah, you heard me right. My best friend was the Grant Bishop.

Now I may be curvier than the average girl, but that never seemed to bother him before. But for some reason, for this event, he worried about the media thinking we were together. Talk about a gut punch. That was the moment I realized how one-sided our relationship had always been.

For my peace of mind, I had to cut Grant out of my life cold turkey. I blocked his number, then I changed my own. Finally, I moved back to our hometown to start my catering business, Treat Yourself. It sucked that I had to give up hockey. I loved hockey. But what I didn't love was reminders of my former friend, so hockey had to go.

For three blissful years, I avoided that jerk. Well, that all came to a head—and you get my meaning—when he cornered me against a fence at his cousin's wedding "to talk". And let me just say, that "talk" had some major consequences.

I don't know if I can trust him because I do know my heart can't take another disappointment.

What do I do?

Grant was an idiot through and through. He keeps making decisions for her and it always backfires on him. I loved that Jaycee chose herself over their friendship and eventual relationship. I loved the give and take between them. Add in the surprise baby and it was an excellent story to read.

Book 1 Charleston Copperhead Country

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Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

3.5 Stars

Artist Sloan Monroe just can't seem to get her life on track. But one troublemaking pup who randomly jumps into her car with a ""take me home"" look in his eyes is about to change everything. With Tucker by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker's owner reaches out. He's a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.

 

Well, Sloan's not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can't deny a connection. Jason is hot, nice, and funny. There's no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?

Jason was so stupid in this book. I loved Sloane and she had been through so much. Which made me feel she deserved better than Jason’s actions. The story flowed nicely and I was definitely invested in their HEA. The audiobook made it a super fast read and I loved the narrators.

Book 2 Friend Zone

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