A Little to Close by Rebecca Yarros

4 Stars

Nine years ago, Weston Madigan saved me. I came to Colorado penniless, heartbroken, and pregnant, searching for a fresh start. Weston gave me a job at his family’s resort, then left the next day and never returned, not even to visit.

Then I stumble in on Weston cooking breakfast shirtless—gloriously, inappropriately shirtless—in the shared kitchen of my duplex in employee housing. Given the shock on both our faces, he wasn’t expecting a roommate either, let alone two.

The growly pilot is only home to start his family’s new heli-skiing operation. I can handle being his temporary roommate, right? Chemistry and attraction aren’t impossible to ignore when you agree on ground rules. Besides, even with those gorgeous, brooding brown eyes, the guy is a walking thundercloud…until my daughter, Sutton, makes him laugh and he smiles at me. Then everything changes. Cue inconvenient heart flip.

This is only temporary.
I can’t fall for Weston.
I. Will. Not. Fall. For. Weston.
But rules go out the window when you’re a little too close.

I enjoyed listening to this book so much. MMC has so many issues with his family and it doesn’t really get resolved persay. I loved himn with FMC and her kid. The miscommunication between them was fun to read. I loved how they get back together.

Book 2 Madigan Mountain

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War by Brittanee Nicole

 

3.75 Stars

I’ve never been a good bet.
I wear my emotions on my tattoo-covered sleeve, I say all the wrong things and I revel in pissing off a certain redhead far more than I should. In other words, I’m the last person the court would choose to parent any child, let alone three of them.

Yet being their father is all I want.

So when the woman I love to hate offers to help make all my dreams come true, I jump at the chance. Marrying Ava is a convenient solution: she's my kids favorite person and the court will absolutely approve of the woman who runs the biggest charity in Boston.

But there is nothing convenient about the way I feel when she fights with me, or when we kiss. And I'm not sure which I enjoy more.

This marriage may have a time limit but I'm beginning to think I'd like to keep my wife. She’ll probably fight me on it, but as they say, all’s fair in love and war.

Tyler needed a wife to adopt his foster kids and Ava was their favorite person so of course he talks her into a fake marriage. They both have drama with their ex’s they are dealing with but overall the story was good.

Book 3 Boston Bolts Hockey

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Gentling the Beast by LV Lane

3 Stars

When the Blighten raided my village, my mother gave me her last words of advice.

“Find the biggest, most fearsome man and throw yourself at his mercy. There is no shame before the Goddess in doing whatever you must to survive.”

Which was easier said than done.

I lived in denial for a time, daydreaming of a handsome prince who would rescue me and take me to his grand castle. Here, we would live happily ever after, making royal babies.

Reality is cold and bitter.

No such prince comes.

And later, when my vulnerability as a bondservant manifests terrifying consequences, an unexpected savior swoops in.

Not a prince, but a hideous white orc and the ugliest beast I have ever met—a mute outcast with shifter blood but who cannot shift.

Only I sense he has a good heart, and I remember my mother’s advice.

Can I overcome my aversion?

Maybe he thinks I am ugly too?

Will I even survive mating such a fierce male?

But if I don’t try, who will be there to save me the next time human predators come around?

And so I decide, one way or another, that the white orcish monster is going to be mine.

The book was a bit disjointed. No world or character building. This all led to a meh kind of read. I loved the concept but wanted it to be more fleshed out. It could be because this is book 2 the info was in the first book so I will be reading that one but if it’s supposed to be able to stand on its own this one didn’t. I did like Doug and Jasmine together and how they came about. 

Book 2 Coveted by the Orc

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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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Too Little Too Late by Sarina Bowen

3 Stars

How to behave when the guy who broke your heart two thousand miles away turns up in your office:

One: Don’t drop your lucky coffee cup in shock, even though it’s been ten years.

Two: Don’t get defensive when he asks how you ended up working his family’s ski mountain… and why you kept it a secret.

Three: Give him the worst room in the resort. He deserves it for suddenly waltzing back in like he owns the place. (Which he kind of does.)

Four, five, six, seven, eight and nine: Do not kiss him in the hot tub.

Ten: Try to keep your heart intact after you break all of your rules.

Because Reed is leaving again. Hate can't turn back into love. And it’s a little too late…

I made the mistake of reading book 2 first and so I struggled with this one. Not that it was written bad just I hated Reed so much. I loved Ava and she deserved better than what she got with Reed. Other than my hate of Reed the book was good and I loved the setting.

Book 1 Madigan Mountain

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Promo: Larissa Ione

The legacy continues…

Exciting News!!! Get the first two ebooks in the Demonica Birthright series from New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione & Blue Box Press for FREE for a limited time!

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Legacy of Temptation

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Legacy of Chaos

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Synopsis for Legacy of Temptation, Book One:

Eva Tennant, like everyone at The Aegis, hates demons. But she loves her job as Deputy Spokesperson for the global demon-slaying organization, and she’s excited to be in the running for Chief Spokesperson. All she has to do is not screw up the two-week exchange program with The Aegis’s rival agency, the Demon Activity Response Team. But things go horribly wrong when a murder turns her into a fugitive from justice and puts a demonic target on her back.

Logan, son of the Horseman of the Apocalypse known as Death, has dedicated his life to fighting demons alongside his colleagues at DART. He loves fighting, females, and his pet hellhound, Cujo. What he doesn’t love is The Aegis, whose leadership attempted to slaughter him at birth. Understandably, he balks when he’s ordered to protect an Aegis Guardian responsible for the deaths of his friends. Really, he’d rather feed her to Cujo.

But when an old enemy rises from the ashes, Eva and Logan find themselves giving into temptation even as they sacrifice the things…and people…they love the most.

Overtime Kiss by Lauren Blakely

3 Stars

Just what every bride dreams of—running straight from her cheating fiancé into the arms of a hot hockey star… and then getting hired as his kids’ nanny. 

Tyler Falcon is protective, flirtatious…and frustratingly responsible. We almost did something reckless when he found me alone in my wedding dress, and I blurted out all the things I’d never truly experienced.

Now, the sexy single dad is saving me again with a job I desperately need—and a promise to never mention The Night of 1001 Confessions.

I live in his house. Take care of his kids. Pretend I don’t notice his heated gaze lingering on me after they fall asleep.

Until one night, the tension snaps.

Now we have a deal. Five lessons in seduction. No strings attached.

But he’s not just good in bed. He spoils me with thoughtful gifts and supports my dreams. For the first time, I feel like I belong.

Except…this was never meant to last. I’m his employee. He has kids to protect. And neither of us can afford to make a mistake.

The more nights we spend tangled up together though, the harder it is to pretend it’s just physical. Because I’m not only falling for my boss—I’m falling for the man whose kids have stolen my heart.

My biggest issue was the third act break up. It irritated me so much because it didn’t add anything to the story. Everything else was nice and worked for me.

Book 5 Love and Hockey

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Ink by Numbers by Carrie Ann Ryan

3 Stars

Kaylee knows art, friendship, and love. And because she’s known love, she wants nothing to do with it ever again. She likes her life just the way it is. Her art and her Brushes with Lushes classes keep her sane and happy.

Landon spends his days with numbers and financial spreadsheets. At night, he just wants to relax, but the only way he can do that is with a woman. But these days, not just any woman will do.

Kaylee and Landon do an excellent job of dancing around each other, but no matter how much desire burns between them or their own personal hang-ups, they’ll need to make a choice: life as they know it, or a life that could be so much more.

Kaylee and Landon get their HEA in this book. It flows nicely and adds to the rest of the series. Even though neither is a Montgomery this book was good short story.

Book 4.5 Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs

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Loving Lady Bug Part Two by Jane Handler

3 Stars

My ex doesn’t know when to quit.

It’s not enough that he has a hockey contract and an omega. No, he and his family have decided to go after me because I had the poor judgment to date him.

At least I’ve got Clark and Tenzin–and things are heating up between all three of us. Yeah, I might just keep those two forever. Also, the New York Knights are my family and have my back.

My past is about to catch up to me, but my ex is the one who should be wary. There’s a good reason why I don’t talk to my family much.

I’ve decided that despite my past, despite being just a beta, I deserve good things–friends, a hockey career, and two cute alphas included. And I’m not going to let anyone stop me.

I liked this less than part one. I wish the books had been combined into one book. They could have been edited down to one book. Then you add in some threads not being tied up like Tenz’s baby. It was just meh.

Book 2 Hockeyverse

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Loving Lady Bug Part One by Jane Handler

4 Stars

They call me Ladybug.

I’m the only female EBUG for the New York Knights. I’m starting goalie for my university team. I’m also just a beta. At least according to my knothead ex. Ugh.

But I’ll show him. I’m going to focus and find what used to make me special as a goalie so I can get signed after graduation. Even if putting myself out there is a risk.

At least I have friends who will help me. Like Tenzin, the Knight’s new alpha defender, who like me is getting over a broken heart. And Clark, the alpha forward I befriended last season who is a skating ray of sunshine.

Maybe, just maybe, I’d like to be more than friends with Tenzin and Clark. There’s something there, something that could lead to a happily ever after–even if with my past I probably don’t deserve one.

My feelings for them grow by the day, but will they still care for me once they know what I’ve done?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was so mad when it ended on a cliffhanger ending. I liked the relationship between Swen, Clark, and Tenz. The backstory and trauma for them was interesting to read. Definitely moving on to the next book.

Book 1 Hockeyverse

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Jagged Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

2 Stars

Roxie Montgomery met her soul mate when she least expected it. When he asked her to marry him, she thought her happily ever after was only just beginning. Then, she found that walking into the sunset was much harder than her favorite books made it out to be.

After a crushing loss, she feels as though she doesn’t know her husband anymore, or rather…she doesn’t know herself.

Carter Marshall has loved Roxie since the first time he saw her. But as the days pass between them, so does the distance. He doesn’t know how to show her that he’s all in, and honestly doesn’t know if she’s in at all.

When an accident changes everything, they’ll have to decide if what they have can be salvaged, or if starting over is the answer. Or even possible.

I think this was my least liked book by Carrie Ann Ryan. I liked Roxie and Carter but the story was just meh. They suffer a loss and drift apart. This is normal. They refuse to talk to each other. It was more Roxie than Carter that was refusing to talk and that led to all the problems.

Book 11 Montgomery Ink

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A First Time for Everything by KL Walter

4 Stars

Madeline has always been extremely close to her family, so she is shocked when her older brother gets engaged without including them (or even giving them a heads up!). Mads has never been the biggest fan of his fiancée, Katie, so in order to remain one happy family, she is determined to bond with Katie before the big day, which includes reluctantly agreeing to be a bridesmaid.

During a late-night bridesmaids-only game of "Truth or Dare" Mads is cornered into revealing she has never been kissed or even been on a date, which spurs the other girls to unite on a quest to find Mads the perfect plus-one for the wedding. Next thing she knows she's navigating a series of disastrous dates that include some major misunderstandings and mishaps.

All of a sudden Mads finds her heart tugged in different directions: to Connor, the boy next door who knows her best. To Marco, the former classmate who knows how to push all her buttons. And to some of the new suitors who surprisingly aren't all bad.

As the wedding draws nearer, Mads has to figure out who she wants most as a dance partner, while also making sure her brother isn't making the biggest mistake of his life.

This book is a YA and I loved the book so much. The story was fun to read and the characters were well developed. Pacing was good throughout the book as well.

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Never Kiss a Werebunny by Keira Blackwood

2 Stars

Kissing? It’s the express lane to spit-swap city and cootie central, according to my kids.

The real danger, though, is catching a bad case of feelings.

Exacerbating that danger is the fact that somewhere in my heart lurks a hopeless romantic, a sneaky little love-cheerleader out of place in my otherwise pragmatic life. It’s the force advocating for late-night-romance-novel-reading sleep deprivation. And it’s a silent rebel stirred awake by the insanely hot voice of the guy next door.

I've got that mushy part of myself locked down deep, nearly forgotten beneath my day job herding grown yet child-minded men who think the epitome of podcasting excellence is butt jokes, and actual child-wrangling at home.

But when my daughters prod me to kiss a bunny at the farmer’s market, I assume it’s harmless.

Until I sprout a fluffy little cottontail.

Turns out cooties are real. Even scarier, so are feelings.

This was not a story but an idea. It was too short to build anything. Add in the insta love it just didn’t work well for me. There needed to be more world building and character development to make this a full story.

Book 1 Magical Midlife Malfunction

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An Unexpected Everything by Carrie Ann Ryan

4 Stars

He left me with a note.

Weston Caldwell and I had two months together. Two months of intense heat and plans for our future. Then one day he left me sleeping with a note and never turned back. I closed off my heart and my dreams after he left and promised to take care of my family, never trusting love again.

So when I am forced to head to my family’s small town for protection, I never expect to turn around and see the man I loved.

I want to walk away and never look back, but when I find out he left for a heartbreaking reason, I’m not sure what to think. The chemistry between us hasn’t gone away—if anything it burns even brighter.

But my life is in the city and his is in this small town that draws me. Between his siblings, the town itself, and my new found family, walking away might break me.

Only Weston isn’t the only secret from my past. And it turns out, if Weston and I aren’t careful, we could lose everything before we find our second chance.

I enjoyed this one but Weston was an idiot when they were younger. I get the stress and everything but he made a decision that changed the course of both his and Isabella’s life. Now that they are older and they are both at a crossroads of life it was interesting to see them figuring things out. I did have issues with Phoebe’s name being misspelled a couple of times. Other than that it was a good book.

Book 2 The Cage Family

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