Summoning the Orc by Saam King

3.5 Stars

Is accidentally summoning a hot monster at work a fireable offense? Asking for a friend…

Becca loved books about women finding their fated mates. But since she was stuck in the real world, she figured she’d just have to focus her attention on being the best enchanted tomes librarian anyone had ever seen. It would’ve worked, too. If only she hadn’t accidentally pulled an orc through a magical portal and changed everything…

As chief of a clan of one, Rok worried he’d never have a family of his own. Then she summoned him. All it took was one look at the beautiful Becca and he knew she was his. So, navigating a strange world while wooing a human woman who doesn’t speak his language shouldn’t be too hard…right?

When the witches of the tome threaten to send him back to his own realm, will Becca and Rok decide their potential happily ever after is worth fighting for?

Guess there’s only one way to find out…

Book one was way better than this one. I was very confused when I started the book and had to double check I read book one. I have read it but this was just weird. I enjoyed the plot and the characters but struggled with how the book started as other worlds were not explained in this book or book 1.

Book 2 Kingverse Orces

Amazon 

Axel by Samantha Whiskey

3.5 Stars

The NHL’s been at my door since I was 18. But I’d never leave the Swedish Hockey League— Not while raising my little brother. But now he’s grown and the Carolina Reapers show up with my greatest weakness: Langley Pierce, their new head of PR.
I’ve never been able to say no to her.
She’s fierce, independent, and the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. She also has a stubborn streak wider than my entire country. One comment from her smart mouth about never dating again, and I propose.
No, really, I actually propose: A six-month marriage contract in exchange for signing with the Reapers. I want to date this woman so badly that I’m going to marry her first.
I’ll use each day to show her how a queen should be treated.
Our wedding day started a countdown I’m powerless to stop, and the faster the months fly, the harder I fall.
She’s sworn she’ll never choose a man over her career, and I promised never to ask her to. Until I’m forced to.
How can we move forward when we started this whole thing backwards?
If I can’t convince her this marriage is anything but fake, the next document we sign will crush us both.

I loved Axel so much. The FMC not so much. She waffled so much throughout the story and she was so rude to Axel. She acts like he wants to force her into a specific role but all he does is want to love her. Enjoyed the writing and the world that I will continue reading.

Book 1 Carolina Reapers

Amazon 

Ice Darling by Lia Bevans

3.5 Stars

Withdrawal episodes.

That’s what the therapist says when my six year old starts disconnecting from everyone and it destroys my entire world.

When I gave up professional hockey, signed my divorce and determined to raise my baby girl on my own in Lucky Falls, I swore I’d be everything my daughter needed.

But Gordie needs more than her dad right now.

For some reason she connects with the town biker chick... Cordelia Davenport.

The female mechanic is the only one who can reach my daughter during her withdrawals.

There’s just one small problem.

Cordelia hates my guts – ever since I rejected her request to be her fake boyfriend and… well let’s just say the feeling is mutual.

But my daughter is more important than my pride and if we're doing this, I'll be the best fake boyfriend Cordelia's ever seen.

Sure, the woman makes me stutter like a toddler on a sugar rush. And maybe I notice how good Cordelia looks in those leather pants a little too often.

It doesn't matter. I’ll put up with the stubborn, mysterious, ridiculously beautiful woman in my house.

And around my dinner table.

And even in my lap.

Somehow, I'll get my daughter back to herself, keep my small-town hockey team from falling apart and avoid falling in love with my fake girlfriend in the process.

I was very confused by the hockey drama in this book. The characters were amazing though. I loved the interactions between Viking, Cordelia and Gordie.

Amazon 

The Wrong Husband by Maya Alden

3.5 Stars

Her Sister's Ex = Her New Husband = A Complete Disaster!

When Damian Archer finds out his girlfriend is cheating on him, he devises a cunning revenge plan: seduce and marry her unsuspecting sister, Emilia, the Invisible Miss Winters.

Emilia has always secretly liked Damian, so when he turns on the charm in Las Vegas, she's easily swept off her feet. By the end of the night, they are married and have spent the night together. She thinks Damian married her in a drunken haze and offers an annulment. But when their Vegas wedding hits the gossip sites, Damian suggests staying married for a while to avoid a PR mess.

At first, Damian ignores Emilia, but his sweet and artistic wife slowly works her way into his heart. Emilia starts to believe in fairy tales, only to find out Damian married her to hurt her sister.

Heartbroken, Emilia wants nothing to do with her wrong husband, regardless of the media fallout. But Damian has finally discovered what it means to be truly in love, and he's not going to lose his wife, not when she holds his heart

My god there were so many characters I hated in this book. So many were irredeemable and I wanted all of them to pay for being so horrid to Emelia. I did love that FMC made them all wait after she found out the truth. She deserved so much better than her husband and all of the family members.

Book 1 Marriage by Contract

Amazon 

Devoted by Evelyn Flood

3.5 Stars

Devastated.

Abandoned.

Denied.

With Sienna separated from her Soul Bonded alphas, her time is running out. Her body is failing, and she can't survive without them. And after the events of the Bonding Trials, she's on the verge of giving up.

She put her trust in her pack again and again, and they failed every single time.

Her heart can't take any more lies.

But the Cohen pack is determined to find Sienna and bring her home.

And nothing is off the table.

I loved book 1 and it got a rare 5 stars out of me. I needed this one immediately. When I got this one, the guys didn't suffer nearly enough for all they put her through. I enjoyed the journey but wanted them to suffer more but she ended up paying for it. I loved the side characters and want more. 

Book 2 the Bonding Trials

Amazon 

Packed in the Firehouse by Melissa Huxley

3.5 Stars

The fire started, and I never wanted it to go out…

The fire took everything from me. My home. My memories. The stability I fought tooth and nail for, giving my son the life he deserved.

But it was all gone, destroyed in a matter of minutes as I helplessly watched.

Escaping with our lives and nothing more, Luka and I headed for the shelter, determined to rest before starting over tomorrow, creating a new life from scratch once again. Three Alphas wouldn’t have it though, surrounding us and demanding we stay with them and the other firefighters at the station.

I was reluctant to say yes, and if I had been alone, I would have shot them down. But Luka deserved to feel safe after what we had been through.

And after all, it was only supposed to be for a few nights…

I didn’t expect to find love in the aftermath of the smoldering embers of my life, but would the traumas of my past douse the flames before they could fully ignite?

The guys were adorable and I loved them. Sunny, I had issues with. Her twin brother is never told what happened and he discovers on his own what she’s been going through. He is rightfully angry about it. Then he’s forgotten all over again. The story also went on way too long. Overall, enjoyed but small issues.

Book 1 Fire House Omega

Amazon 

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

Amazon 

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.

Amazon 

Varsity Dad Dilemma by Lex Martin

3.5 Stars

That’s what I thought. Until someone drops off a baby with a note pinned to her blanket that says one of those jocks—either Rider or one of his roommates—is the father. The problem? Baby mama doesn’t mention which of these numbskulls is the sperm donor.

I wouldn’t care about their paternity problems—not the slightest bit—except my brother lives there too. Which means that adorable squawking bundle might be my niece, and there’s no way I’m leaving her unattended with those bumbling football players.

They need my help, even if they don’t know it yet. Once we solve this dilemma and figure out who’s the daddy, I’m out.

I’ll just ignore Rider and those soul-searing looks he gives me every time I reach for the baby. He broke my heart three years ago. He won’t get a second chance.

This book had a pacing issue. The beginning quarter and the last quarter made sense and flowed nicely. It was the middle part that slowed the book down. Characters needed to be developed better. Rider was an idiot multiple times, but I did like his grand gesture to win Gabby over.

Book 1 Varsity Dad

Amazon 

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws

3.5 Stars

Help Wanted: Grumpy mountain man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting as the form of communication and nosy brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.

I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life.

But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands in my lap.

Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life.

Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her…

She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.

And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby-making dance—when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing and the home-insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter—I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate.

I want to make her mine.

I enjoyed the audiobook. It was a slowish story to get to the HEA but it was worth the wait. It was different as Wyatt’s niece picks Trista to have her uncle’s baby. Trista had every intention on walking away once the kid is born as she doesn’t feel she would be a good mom. The way they make the kid is interesting… Once they finally admit they don’t want to end their relationship it was so cute and I loved it.

Book 1 Mountain Men Matchmaker

Amazon 

Falling by Christina Lauren

3.5 Stars

One darkly seductive immortal’s powers of persuasion have worked flawlessly for nine centuries—until he meets the one woman who can resist him—in a wickedly hot short story by New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren.

Cat should be afraid of Brigan—the devastatingly gorgeous stranger at a Halloween party whose very presence makes everyone else fall at his feet. But while his supernatural allure drives others to mindless obsession, Cat somehow keeps her wits…even as she surrenders to temptation. When this cursed being realizes she alone can see his true nature, one night of searing passion could break a centuries-old spell—or doom them both.

This was my least liked book in this series. Best parts was it was a really quick read. It was an interesting take on supernaturals. However, the fact she hooked up while still technically dating. Yes her boyfriend had abandoned her and was a major dick but still in a relationship. Also unlike other books in the series I felt like there was no connection between Cat and Brigan. It was all heat and no substance.

Book 2 Scared Sexy

Amazon 

Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws

3.5 Stars

All I wanted was a casual plus-one to my brother's destination wedding, but those idiots on my family tree hacked my dating profile and sabotaged my quest for the perfect weekend fling. Now I'm stuck on a tropical vacation with only my hand to keep me company.

Until I’m forced to share a room with the bane of my existence: my sister-in-law’s best friend.

Dakota has hated me for the past seven years. I wasn’t losing much sleep over her screaming rants because she was some other guy’s problem. Or she was, until she got divorced.

Being stuck in paradise with a woman who loathes your very existence doesn't sound hot, but after an unexpected moment in our shared palapa, she starts screaming at me in a different way.

What happens in paradise stays in paradise. That is, until Dakota shows up on my mountain with a proposition: be her wingman to help her regain her pre-divorce confidence.

Suddenly, Dakota’s not just the person I love to fight with. She’s the woman I want everything with.

Dakota frustrated me so much in this book. She was very much like a Karen and was a dick to Calder. She does get better the more you get to know her but I never got passed it. I just never liked her. Loved his tinder profile and how he was with his family and cats.

Book 2 Mountain Men Matchmaker

Amazon 

Beyond the Winter Kingdom by Aurelia Jane and Kel Carpenter

3.5 Stars

Faerie was a nightmare—twice kidnapped, magically bound, and held captive by my fated mate. But Eversus? That’s where the real party starts. And yes, I RSVP’d like an idiot.

Sadie’s gone. Vanished without a trace. And the only lead we have points to a realm no sane person dares to enter: a pit of smoke and ash, ruled by demons and forgotten gods. A place no fae survives.

Eversus.

Vareck—the fierce, brooding King of Faerie—is determined to be my plus one into the twin hells. He says we’re bonded. That I belong to him.

But I didn’t ask for a mate. And I had no intention of catching feelings in the middle of a hellscape.

Together, we’ll brave the realm of monsters to bring my sister home. But the deeper we go, the more I wonder if I'm the one who won’t make it back.

When a world fights to devour us, his voice is the thread I hold on to.

Because some bonds burn brighter in the dark.

And it turns out, some monsters aren’t left behind—they come with you.

I really wanted to love this as much as I loved book 1. This one was a whole lot of nothing happening. It added a bunch to the story without really moving it forward. I still liked the characters and there were new ones added with additional information added to characters from book 1. I just didn’t feel like it added enough to the first book to be awesome. It ends on cliffhanger ending. I am invested and will read the next one but it just frustrated me. The audio was good and I liked the narrators.

Book 2 Faeted Seasons

Amazon 

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws

3.5 Stars

Help Wanted: Grumpy mountain man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting as the form of communication and nosy brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.

I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life.

But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands in my lap.

Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life.

Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her…

She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.

And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby-making dance—when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing and the home-insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter—I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate.

I want to make her mine.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. Wyatt was a bit of a grump and he never gets better but he is so sweet with Trista. Trista was a bit to sunshiny and it did grate. I also questioned if she really would have been ok walking away. The give and take between them and how it went from just a transaction to all in was fun to read.

Book 1 Mountain Man Matchmaker

Amazon 

Your Pucking Mom by Vee Taylor

3.5 Stars

Our latest superstar is my newest problem.

Until I meet his

mother...

Chicago Ravens captain Ledger Cole believes in earning

your stripes, not coasting on golden boy status. So when Austin Hart becomes the NHL’s

youngest signee, Ledger is determined to give him a pretty steep learning

curve.

Auburn Hart is barely clinging onto her son’s meteoric rise to stardom.

Uprooted to a new city, a new job (working in a coffee shop in your thirties is

fiiine, right?) and being forced to keep an eye on Austin’s troublemaking

tendencies is...a lot.

When loneliness and chance create the perfect hookup,

neither Auburn nor Ledger realizes their awkward real-life connection — until the truth

spills out. But with more than one career at stake, and Auburn’s scars hovering at the door,

they can’t just follow this irresistible pull. Can they?

I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the story and how Auburn and Ledger get together. They worked so well together and balanced each other out. Austin however was a spoiled brat throughout the book and just irritated me. He never really learned anything in this book and made it difficult for his mom to get her HEA.

Book 1 Ravens Hockey

Amazon 

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

Amazon 

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

Amazon 

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

Amazon 

Hex Around and Find Out by Molly Harper

3.5 Stars

As the middle sister in a trio of sea witches, Cora Seaworth has spent most of her life hidden away at her family’s magical cottage on Moonshadow Cove. She’s claimed her own corner of the library, cozied up with her favorite novels and a ghost cat named Nicodemus. She’s the deep thinker among her more tempestuous sisters, so she isn’t prepared to be swept up in a real-life romantic adventure in the form of sexy local baker Iggy Galinsky.

Iggy is tired of his reputation as the Island’s unreliable charmer and a man of many talents but no true calling outside his family’s bakery. Sure, it’s mostly true, but it still hurts his feelings. His carefree life gets serious fast when he meets the beautiful, mysterious Cora Seaworth. Before long, they’re working together with Cora’s sisters, various ghosts and the unfathomable creature lurking at the bottom of the cove to defeat an ancient enemy. If they don’t prevail, it’s not just their love that’s at stake, but Starfall Point’s entire magical community.

I enjoyed listening to this book. Cora and Iggy worked well together. The over arching storying progressed nicely. Things are revealed that were interesting. The romance itself was a bit minimum but I still enjoyed it.

Book 2 Moonshadow Cove

Amazon