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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Packs Request: The Omega Accords by Tea Ravine

2 Stars

They walked away from me five years ago with one request- stay away

I’ve had five years to change my life, five years to discover who I am, and who I want to be. To grow strong in the agony of their rejection. Still, when I see them, I come alive and no matter how much we promise to stay away, fate’s not done with us yet. When I’m delivered into their arms after I become the target of a crazed serial killer, I am forced to face the truth.

They don’t want me here.

But now, my pack is all that stands between me and the killer who wants me dead.

Five years ago we made a decision and walked away from Hazel Waters. She is the one person none of us wanted to hurt. But now she’s here and we could lose her forever. We can’t let that happen.

We won’t lose her again. As the past and present collide, threatening everything we’ve built and everything we could have; we find there are only two truths that really matter...

We need her more than air and…

We don’t have an omega. We’ve always had two.

I hated the MMCs so much. They blamed everything on FMC and took no accountability for any issues. The guys regularly put the male omega before her. It was as if she didn’t matter and wasn’t a priority. They justified everything because Soren needed them more because of his trauma not realizing they caused so much trauma to FMC.

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Download for Demons by R Oleary

4 Stars

Spite is the perfect reason to download a monster dating app… at least that’s what Miri had told herself when she was rolling her eyes at her overbearing mother’s most recent lecture about spinsterhood and grandchildren. It wasn’t her fault her last couple relationships had been disastrous.

True love might be a big ask, but some devil horns and a kinky tail to have some fun with? That was exactly what she needed to get out of her slump – making her mother clutch her pearls was just a bonus.

But now that four delicious demons are blowing up her inbox? She might have bitten off more than she can chew. Hopefully, they aren’t planning to do the same to her…

It is a dating app for monsters, after all.

Miri was such a fun female main character. When she meets the guys it was a comedy of errors but it works. The guys work well together and work well with her. The flow of the book was good and I enjoyed everything about it.

Book 2 Monster Match

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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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