Alpha’s Revival by Reece Barden

4 Stars

Rex is an Alpha without a pack. Rejected by his fated mate, he's not interested in second chances.
He just wants to be left in peace to lick his wounds and rebuild his life.
When he starts a new business, his sister-in-law comes to help, but Leah is exactly the kind of happy, bubbly woman he normally can't stand to be around. It doesn't matter how attractive she is.

And let's not forget she knows nothing about shifters.
Even if he wanted to keep her, he can't. Not without facing the one thing that has the power to strike fear in his heart and turn his world upside down all over again. His mate.

Leah knows what she wants and she won’t give up until she gets it.
The second she lays eyes on her handsome brother-in-law, she knows Rex is the one for her.
Even if he pretends to be irritated by her mere presence, she knows he feels it, too.
She's not sure what’s holding him back, but it won’t work, not with this stubborn human.
He can run, but he can’t hide.

When trouble comes to Grey Ridge, and Leah gets caught in the middle, will Rex be too stubborn to go after what he wants? Or will he be too late?

I loved this second chance at a fated mates. The ending makes me want to keep reading to find out more in this world. My biggest pet peeve with this book was trying to keep everything a secret as long as they did because she clearly saw something was going on. I know why it was a secret but Leah ended up being hurt by the lack of transparency. She had a vested interest in keeping it a secret as it would affect her sister so it just irritated me that it took so long to reveal to her. I loved the connection between Rex and Leah. The way they interacted showed the chemistry and made it such a good read.

Book 3 Shifter’s of Grey Ridge

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Royal Hunt by Raven Storm

3 Stars

Eve was only trying to get out of horrible betrothal. At least, that's what she told herself when she snuck out onto the balcony during the royal feast, and had her wicked way with the first man she met.
How was she supposed to know that while that was going on, the royal family was being murdered just beyond the wall?
And the man she was with was a drunken, disgusting mess. There was no indication he was anyone at all of importance!
Yet keeping the new crown prince of the realm alive is only the beginning of her worries. With the murder of the royals came the fae; creatures with magick who descend every hundred years or so to force the humans underneath them to compete in death games. They call it the Royal Hunt.
Now it isn't just about saving the prince's life, but her own, and every human living in the kingdom.

I loved the concept and how things played out. However, it dragged and we still have book 2 to get through for the full story. The first half of the book was a solid 4 while the second half was more like a 2. I loved that she was trying to screw up her betrothal when she mistakenly picked one of the royals to be ruined. They had a lot of chemistry between them. When the fae came out and started the “games” is where the book lost me. It wasn’t explained well for me and it was a drag to read. I will read the rest to find out how things end but hopefully the second book will be better.

Book 1 Royal Fae

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Slide Tackled by Tonya Clark

3 Stars

After four years of losing herself in a relationship that was all about her ex, Devyn Hansley’s new beginning presents itself when her soccer pro, playboy brother invites her to move in with him.

Devyn’s plan to stay away from relationships is sidelined when she meets the team’s deaf goalkeeper, and her anti-dating rule flies quickly out the window.

Kasen Mickelson know the rules when it comes to dating her best-friends’s sister: stay far, far away. But the wager was her idea--and Devyn doesn’t seem like the type of woman who likes to lose.

And Kasen’s certainly not going to let her win.

I loved the first book in this series with the coach. This one was just meh. I didn’t really feel like there was a good connection between Devyn and Kasen. I just wanted more between them.  There could have been more angst with the him being deaf, the fact that it was BFF’s sister, or even something with his job.  

Book 1 Storm Series

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Fumbled by Alexa Martin

2 Stars

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.
T.K. Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on.  
When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.

This book was fine until T.K. disappeared for weeks with no word to his kid. Like Poppy’s one request was to not hurt their kid and that’s exactly what he did.  When he comes back all is good with no mention of his disappearance. First missing out because you don’t know is fine but when you do know and you still leave you’re the dick.

Book 2 The Playbook

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Nanny by Lana Fergusen

3 Stars

Suddenly unemployed and on the brink of eviction, Cassie Evans is left with two choices: get a new job (and fast) or fire up her long-untouched OnlyFans account. But the job market is terrible, and as for OnlyFans. . . . Well, there are reasons she can’t go back. Just when all hope seems lost, an ad for a live-in nanny position seems like the solution to all her problems. It’s almost too perfect—until she meets her would-be employer.
 
Aiden Reid, executive chef and DILF extraordinaire, is far from the stuffy single dad Cassie was imagining. He shocks her when he tells her she’s the most qualified applicant he’s met in weeks, practically begging her to take the job. With hands that make her hindbrain howl and eyes that scream sex, the idea of living under the same roof as Aiden feels dangerous, but with no other option, she decides to stay with him and his adorably tenacious daughter, Sophie.
 
Cassie soon discovers that Aiden is not a stranger at all, but instead someone who is very familiar with her—or at least, her body. Given that he doesn’t remember her, Cassie is faced with what feels like an impossible situation. As their relationship heats to temperatures hotter than any kitchen Aiden has ever worked in, Cassie struggles with telling Aiden the truth, and the more terrifying possibility—losing the best chance at happiness she’s ever had.

Cassie is too forgiving in this story. Aiden is a jerk and uses her but all is forgiven because she loves him. The writing was fine but a weak FMC just ruins a book for me.

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Axe Backwards by Daphne Elliot

3 Stars

Once in a while, after life gets you down, the universe throws you a bone. And if you’re really lucky, it comes in the form of a tattooed baby-wearing firefighter with piercing blue eyes and a heart of gold.

When Noah Hebert swung his axe and rescued me from a coffee shop bathroom, I had only a vague sense of who the tattooed lumberjack was. Turns out he’s more than broad shoulders and a thick beard. He’s a devoted single dad and my new neighbor.

Soon after, we find ourselves falling into an easy friendship. I help him with his fussy baby, and he helps me survive my ex-husband and little sister’s wedding. Despite my vow never to risk my heart again, my defenses quickly crumble. The sight of him rocking his sweet baby in those muscular, inked arms only makes matters worse. And when he defends me to my toxic family, the sparks of attraction between us catch fire.

I moved back here with a mission. Grow the food pantry and make our little town a better place. I can’t get mixed up with the grieving single dad, even if he likes to braid my hair and slow dance in the kitchen.

He moved across the country to escape the flames of his past and protect the little girl he now calls his own. But our town is sitting on a bed of secrets ready to ignite.

And when the heat causes my world to go up in smoke, I’m not sure it’s possible to sift through the rubble and find our happily ever after.

I loved the last one. This one was just ok. I didn’t really like Victoria and Noah together. It was very similar to the last one and that couple and drama was way better. I am still confused by Noah’s guilt over his friend’s death. Victoria needed to grow a backbone and kick him to the curb.

Book 4 Maine Lumberjacks

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Phantom by Greer Rivers

3 Stars

The man behind the mask won’t stop until she’s his.

Scarlett Day has been my obsession ever since I witnessed her dark side.

I was content with being her secret. Content with being her protector from afar… until a dangerous enemy sets his sights on her.

I will do anything to protect her. Even keep her against her will.

Now that she’s mine, I can’t let her go.

I’ve mastered the darkness. She tempts me with her light.

But when my mask is gone, will she fear the monster underneath?

It was fine. Sol doesn’t understand why Scarlett doesn’t trust him and messes everything up. The not trusting her continues throughout the story and nearly gets her killed because of this. Which is why the 3 stars.

Book 1 Tattered Curtain

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Inked Obsession by Carrie Ann Ryan

3 Stars

When men in uniform showed up on Eliza Wilder-Strong’s doorstep, she knew her life would be irrevocably altered. She not only lost her husband, but the future she’d carefully planned. A year later, she’s looking to start over—beginning with a solo healing vacation. Only she never expects to see a familiar, tempting face along the way.

Beckett Montgomery refuses to want his little sister’s best friend—especially because she’s a widow. Yet there’s no stopping the connection between them. As the temptation to give in intensifies, so do the reasons they shouldn’t stay together.

Painful ghosts from both of their pasts stand in their way and sometimes it’s the living that can haunt you when you’re not looking.

Eliza is dealing with a lot since the death of her husband. All the drama was a lot but Beckett is there to help her. He was amazing with her. The stuff with Eliza’s husband was interesting and is what the majority of the book is about.

Book 2 Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins

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Playing Hard to Get by Monica Murphy

3 Stars

Knox Maguire, offensive tight end on the football team, is the king of our college campus. He’s also the opposite of me in every way.

I'm quiet. He's loud.

I'm shy. He's definitely not.

Everyone loves him. No one knows me.

Fresh out of a breakup, I don't really trust him, and why should I? Knox is the ultimate player. When I become his English tutor, I tell myself we need to keep things between us strictly business. Watching my mother deal with my ex-athlete father long, long ago taught me to stay far away from that type of man.

Yet Knox is impossible to resist. Next thing I know, we're getting hot and heavy in the library―and that was never part of the plan. When Knox admits he can't stop thinking about me, I have a realization.

I can't stop thinking about him either.

Instead of keeping my distance, I pull him in closer. Until somehow, we're spending all of our time together and I find myself falling for Knox. Hard.

Will this actually work between us? Or am I getting played?

Knox and Jo Jo were such opposites that it worked well. Knox’s vow of celibacy is what causes all the drama and makes Jo Jo think he doesn’t want her. There was a lot of humor throughout the book and I enjoyed it.

Book 1 The Players

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These Bonds the Unite Us by JC Belenac

3 Stars

The mask is off and her secrets have been revealed.
Omen Powell never imagined she'd meet her Fated mates on the job. Nor did she imagine their relationship would quickly come crashing down around them.
Now, this omega has been rejected. Her identity leaked for the world to see.
With her anti-designation family hunting her down, she’s on the run and battling something few omega’s survive. Her life is on the line and the only ones who can save her are the men who abandoned her.
Primordial Covenant has spent years searching for their Fated omega, but she isn’t who they thought she was. Blinded by their pasts, they walk away, leaving her on her own.
When they realize the mistake they made, will they be able to win their omega back, or has Fate decided this pack is knot meant to be?

This book and the first book should have been one book. There wasn’t enough information in this that justified a second book. The plot was dragged out and I was bored during parts of the story. Add in the lack of groveling by the guys who rejected her. This book was a bit of a disappointment.

Book 1 Soulbound Omegaverse

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Inked Devotion by Carrie Ann Ryan

3 Stars

Brenna Garrett needs time to think about a major decision but finds herself bringing Benjamin Montgomery with her. The problem? He's her best friend's twin, so there's no escaping that familiar face.

Benjamin didn't want to leave his family in a lurch, but Brenna isn't the only one who needs a break. Only a drunken mistake leads to a night of passion with unintended consequences.

When it turns out they can't walk away, they'll have to make a choice: Remain just friends or start something new and possibly risk everything.

Including themselves.

I liked Ben and Brenna story. Friends to lovers was a nice adjustment to what I have been reading. I loved that they both were dealing with the issues about a baby but in slightly different ways. I did love how it worked out.

Book 3 Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins

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This Fate that Guides Us by JC Belenac

3 Stars

When the photography job of her dreams falls into Omen Powell’s lap, she finds herself face to face with the band she’s spent the last year fantasizing about.

Primordial Covenant, the masked musicians whose sultry melodies and poetic lyrics have taken the music world by storm.

Meeting the men behind the masks, their comforting scents and easy affection turn her life upside down. She was prepared for two months of sleepless nights and concert crowds, not for falling in love.

Everyone has secrets, this omega more than others. Forced into hiding after escaping her anti-designation family, Omen wears her own mask. One designed to keep her safe.

Can she set aside her fear of the past and take off her mask? Or are she and these masked rock stars just knot meant to be?

This book ends on a cliffhanger ending. I enjoyed the drama and the trauma Omen and the guys were dealing with. The guys screw up so much and Omen ends up on the run from her birth family and rejected by her mates. The book had so many feelings and it was an interesting read.

Book 1 Soulbound Omegaverse

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Pack Apollo by Brandy Slaven

3 Stars

Welcome to North Five University a place where both independence and packs can be found.

Billie Bardot has lived in poverty her whole life and wants nothing more than to make something of herself. Disregarding North U's reputation for omegas finding their packs, she wants to be able to support herself and her mom without any help. Working at the bar pays the bills, but she can dance circles around social media. When word gets back to Pack Apollo, they decide she's exactly what they need for their business and maybe for their pack too.

The book had potential but need more fleshed out characters. Even if a book is short it still needs good character development. I also felt the ending was rushed with not enough groveling for what happened between characters.

Book 1 North Five University

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Alpha’s Savior by Reece Barden

3 Stars

Hayley's on the run from a stalker who's determined to make her pay. When she saves the life of the local alpha, exposing her new location, Cooper decides he has to make her his.
His to possess, his to love, his to protect.
He's waited a long time to find his mate. He's not going to let her go.
She risked her cover and her life to save him. He's willing to do anything to keep her safe.

Will Hayley be able to accept this whole new world of wolf shifters, packs and fated mates that she never knew existed, or will her past catch up to her and ruin it all?

The secrets that were being kept got old fast and was so frustrating to see it be dragged out. I enjoyed the give and take between Hayley and Cooper. I loved that she worked on being a strong woman even though she had a werewolf mate that could protect her.

Book 1 Shifters of Grey Ridge

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Crossroads by Devney Perry

3.5 Stars

I met West Haven when I was eight years old. He taught me to play poker when I was nine, and we made paper airplanes together when I was eleven. He kissed me when I was sixteen. He was the best part about my family’s summer vacations to Montana. He was the boy who stole my heart. I was twenty-three when life ripped us apart.

Years later, I’m breaking my vow and returning to the ranch, not as a guest but its new owner. West might want me gone, but even he has to admit the only way to save his family’s legacy is with my help.

It’s not easy working side by side and facing those old memories. But this situation is only temporary. We’re at a crossroads. And as long as I don’t let myself fall in love with West Haven again, maybe this is our chance to put those ghosts to rest. Maybe this time we’ll finally be able to say goodbye.

I enjoyed this one a lot but Indy was a lot and West deserved better. The story flowed nicely and was well developed. I loved learning about their history when they are kids and what led to their separation. Once they met up as an adult it was interesting to see how they grew and worked so well.

Book 1 Haven River Ranch

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Unexpected Bond by Kaylee Ryan

2.75 Stars

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, the universe decides to tilt your world on its axis.

I had a plan, and I was moving forward until the day my world was flipped upside down.

It’s a challenge I wasn’t prepared for, but one I had to face.

How do you combine the life you thought you had to the one you’re living?

One breath.

One second.

One minute.

One hour.

One day at a time, you learn to live with your unexpected bond.

OMG this was just weird. Seth meets his forever with Mara but finds out he got her best friend Amelia pregnant. Now this was before they got together so no cheating but I still have the ick cause he knew it was her friend and he wanted Mara. Amelia ends up with terminal cancer and Seth expects Mara to be all in and help him raise his kid. Mara did step up to be mom but overall the book was just meh.

Book 4 Unexpected Arrivals

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Omega Lost by CT Rhames

2.75 Stars

I had the perfect pack. Until I wasn’t enough for them.

Omegas are supposed to be cherished. Protected. Loved.

I thought I was—until my pack found their true scent match and threw me away like I meant nothing.

They sent me to the Reassignment Center, where rejected omegas are supposed to find new packs. But omegas like me don’t get fairy-tale endings.

We get two choices:

A low-class pack that no one else wants.

The heat dens—where omegas are used until there’s nothing left of them.

After nine months in hell, I’ll take any pack that will have me. Even if they’re dangerous. Even if they live outside the law.

They claim I’m their scent match. But I’ll never make the mistake of giving my heart away again.

This was a weird one. I wanted to like it more as I liked aspects of it and the idea was there. But the actual book needed work. There was no world or character development. Add in the book being all over the place it was a pass for me.

Book Part of Omega Reckoning

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Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis

4 Stars

When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.

As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.

So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward?

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Olive has had an interesting life. I liked Olive with Noah. Loved that the his sister and mom and her grandma were trying to push them together. They both fought the valiant fight to their HEA. When you find out why Olive left that was heartbreaking and I still don’t know exactly why Noah’s dad did what he did. Overall, good listen.

Book 7 Sunrise Cove

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Funny Story by Emily Henry

3.5 Stars

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

 

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

 

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

 

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex . . . right?

Took a minute for me to get into the story but once I did I enjoyed it. The premise was cute. Daphne is dumped by her Fiancé and moves in with the ex of the woman who is now dating the Fiancé. I liked Daphne and Miles. They both got screwed over by their partners. The little lie they gave about dating made sense and I loved how upset the exs were about this.

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Good Guy Gabe by CB Alice

2 Stars

I’m the responsible guy. The polite guy. The guy my teammates on the Wilmington Juggernauts, the NFL’s newest expansion team, rely on to keep things running smoothly.

When I’m sent to a local quilt shop to pick up a donation for an upcoming fundraiser, I realize I'm something else: the guy who's going to marry Joss Paige, the self-proclaimed but wildly successful quiltfluencer.

Joss is a hermit, hiding in her shop and online community, but I won’t let that stop me from taking her to the fundraiser. There, I learn she’s been shunned by Wilmington high society because of crimes committed by her ex-husband.

I don’t care about her past or her ex. I only care about keeping her by my side, no matter what it takes. White lies and gentle manipulations—they’re for our happiness. The greater good and all that.

But then I find out what her ex-husband did, what it did to her, and what my tiny white lie will do to her.

And it turns out I’m not the good guy after all.

The story was there and should have been good. It started nicely and I was digging it until the first time Joss and Gabe hook up. She isn’t on anything asked for a condom and he lied and said he can’t have kids. That was the minute I was done with the story. It is no longer consenting. I have no problem with breeding kink but this wasn’t that. Also the drama with Joss went on so long that I got I bored with the drama.

Book 1 Wilmington Juggernauts

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Craving the Obsession by Ava Selwyn

2.5 Stars

“I’m busy. Solve your matters on your own.”

Every time James Sinclair said those words, the light in Mia’s eyes dimmed a little more.

For five years she was his wife. Sweet. Obedient. Devoted. He believed she wanted his money and status. That was why she married him at nineteen. Why she would never leave.

Until one day, a call came…

“Miss Mia Bennett, your parents died in a car crash. Please come to collect their bodies.”

Shattered, she reached out to her billionaire husband. His only reply was, “I’m busy. Solve your matters on your own.”

“Okay,” she whispered. That night, she handed him divorce papers and walked out of his life, leaving all his wealth behind.

She never wanted money. She wanted love. He gave her nothing—so she took nothing.

James thought she wouldn’t survive without him. That she would crawl back. Instead, she vanished.

And when he found her again… she was living in luxuries far beyond his reach.

For some reason, Alexander Graves, one of the most powerful, cunning, and possessive billionaires in the country, was madly devoted to his ex-wife.

Now James is unraveling. Jealousy burns him alive.

But didn’t he already get exactly what he wanted?

This ends on a cliffhanger and waiting for the next part irritates me. It also seemed like it could have been one book vs the multiple it looks like it will be. There was a lot of repeated scenes that bogged the story down. It was an interesting concept and if you like some of the Asian shorts this probably will work for you. I will pick up the rest of the books cause I need to know how it ends but I am not happy about having to read two more books for the full story.

Book 4 Possessive Billionaires, Precious Sweethearts

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