Unthinkable by Dani Galliaro

 

4 Stars

One single dad hockey star. One chronically ill single mom. One marriage to solve all their problems.

 

No one likes a call from their kid’s school. When single parents Jack Leroy and Mara O’Connell find themselves in the principal’s office, they unite to conquer their kids’ bully. Mara can’t take her suspended son to work with her, but Jack steps up and watches all four of their kids for an afternoon.

 

They find themselves in a pickle when Mara gets fired and Jack’s ex-wife scares off his fourth nanny in a row. Jack could hire Mara as his nanny, but that wouldn’t solve Mara’s need for healthcare. So Jack devises the most logical plan: get married—and pretend to be in love around the kids.

 

Living under one roof ignites unexpected sparks, yet Jack doesn’t think love’s in the cards. He gets taken down a peg when he realizes he’ll do anything to protect their blended family. And his final bluff might be called when Mara gives him something he’s always wanted but never had.

 

Can Mara make Jack believe in life after love, or is love truly unthinkable?

I really enjoyed reading this one but am still confused why they had to move. That part was never really explained…or if it was it wasn’t explained well. I loved the Femdom in this book. Jack likes to be dominated by his partner and his ex-wife used it against him all the time. When Mara finds out about his need though she had never done it before she was willing to try with him. It was such a sweet part of the book with how she took care of him. I really enjoyed their relationship.

Book 2 Ohio Rusties Hockey

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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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Stealing Hearts by Lex Martin

3.5 Stars

A marriage of convenience might save his ranch, but will it break her heart?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love Rhett Walker, which is complicated since he’s ten years older and my brother’s best friend. After a falling out, we didn’t speak for years—until today, when he found me sleeping in my car, threw me over his shoulder, and dragged me “to safety.”

He’s grumpy and overprotective and even more handsome than I remembered. I’m shocked to learn he’s in trouble. Someone is sabotaging his ranch, which is thirty days from foreclosure. He needs a loan from a friend who won’t extend the funds unless he’s married. Only Rhett’s now a single dad with no plans to fall in love again.

When his brother suggests I marry Rhett for health insurance so I can rehab an injury, my first reaction is hell no. I can’t afford to catch feelings for someone who won’t see me that way.

But spending time at the ranch reminds me how much is at stake—the family business, the welfare of Rhett’s children, and the happiness of a man I’ve always longed for.

Rhett says we’ll keep things platonic in private, even though I’ll be sleeping in his bed. He refuses to mix business with pleasure.

Except when the lights go out in his bedroom, our chemistry is too explosive to contain.

Would it be so bad to fall for Rhett? Or will he steal my heart all over again?

One thing’s for sure—the clock is ticking on our divorce.

Rhett was just so freaking stubborn about Paige and caused all sorts of problems in their relationship. I loved Paige so much. She had so much working against her besides the injury. Having a crush on her husband was minor compared to everything else. The pacing in the book was spot on and it kept me reading. Pulled me out of a reading slump. The reason for knocking it down from a 4 was the will they/won’t they got old very quickly.

Book 1 Wild at Heart

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Cold as (N)ice by Ginny Sterling

3 Stars

A new hockey team, a new location, a new family - what happens when a marriage of convenience becomes all too real?

Barrett Coeur takes on a maid as a favor to a teammate, but he quickly finds himself in over his head. Having sworn-off marriage, focusing on hockey and gaming, he’s blindsided when he learns his new employee, Irene, is pregnant… and the stipulations laid before him by his agent.

Irene is struggling to make ends meet, haunted by past mistakes and wary of trusting anyone with her deaf son—especially when it comes to the handsome man sporting a man-bun. When Barrett makes her an unexpected offer, she agrees to a loveless marriage to protect her child and give him a life she couldn't provide on her own.

When her ex reappears and threatens their new lives, will her marriage become a refuge and the key to saving her heart?

This was just so sweet. It was short and sweet and flowed nicely. I get why Barrett and Irene wanted the marriage of convenience. They both had reasons for wanting a marriage of convenience. The move from convenience to all in love was really quick but I still liked it. Will be reading the other books even without the on page heat.

Book 1 Sticks and Vows

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Axe-identally Married by Daphne Elliot

4 Stars

I used to be a good girl.

That is until I woke up in Vegas married to a former hockey player who also happens to be my best friend’s ex.

Cole Hebert and I are opposites. I’m the new town doctor, a rule follower, and five-five on a good day. He’s the six-seven bad boy currently doing court-ordered community service.

I’m struggling to earn the respect of the people in our hometown, and he’s doing some soul searching after an injury ended his hockey career. We’ve already drunkenly said I do, so we agree to a marriage of convenience.

Forced to live together, we slowly become friends. I see a side of Cole I never knew existed. He coaches kids’ hockey, knits for the entire town, and loves snuggling while watching Jeopardy.

Soon, we’re growing closer, and the way the hockey-playing lumberjack worships my plus-size body and obsessively calls me his wifey has me embracing my inner bad girl and tearing down all my carefully constructed walls.

Our feelings eventually burn as bright as our passion, but the small town we both love is harboring dark secrets. After a shocking discovery, we learn there are those who want us silenced forever, and we’re forced to risk it all to protect our happily ever after.

Cole’s brother was a dick through and through. His HEA was a previous book and I am so not interested in reading it after reading this one.  I loved Cole and Willa. They balanced each other, supported and lifted each other up. Very much couple goals. I loved seeing them fall for each other and defend each other.

Book 3 Maine Lumberjacks

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Priceless by Devyn Sinclair

3 Stars

Three billionaire Alphas. A marriage of convenience. What can possibly go wrong?

Being an Omega is incredible. Being a fat Omega no one wants? Not so much.

But I don’t need to be wanted, I only need to survive. There’s five years left until I get my trust fund, and I can put my toxic, abusive, fatphobic family in my rearview mirror.

That’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it—until three Alphas offer my family a deal.

Three Alphas who are ridiculously rich, scorchingly hot, and claim they need me. For one year.

The deal: Marry them for one year to help save their company, and I walk away with my trust and my freedom. Simple. Easy. I don’t even blink before I sign on the dotted line.

I thought it was just a marriage of convenience and nothing more. I didn’t count on my husbands caring about me. Protecting me. Craving me. Seducing Me. Making me feel things I never have before.

Now a year doesn’t feel like long enough. But that’s what we agreed. One year, and we all walk away.

All good things come to an end. I just hope I can keep my heart from breaking when it does.

As a plus size girly I get where Ocean was coming from but at some point seek help for your insecurities. No amount of sexy time with her husbands is going to fix the issues going on in her head. My issue with the book was her insecurities dragged out throughout the book and it got old really fast. Still a good read just not my favorite.

Book 2 Clarity Coast Omegaverse

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Forever After All by Catherine Maura

  

3 Stars

Desperate and out of options, Elena Rousseau walks into a gentlemen’s club, ready to sell her body in a last attempt to save her mother’s life.

She didn’t expect Alexander Kennedy to be there, and she certainly didn’t expect him to propose a marriage of convenience instead.

Marrying Alexander means knowingly becoming a tool in his revenge plan.

But what choice does she have?

Better the devil you know than the one you don’t.

This was a weird book. I think it wrapped up too quickly and too pat. It felt like the author got to a certain point in the book and said oops I need to conclude this so bam bam bam done. As for the characters Elena was a bit too sunshiny but is balanced out by Alec boorishness. Alex does mellow out by the end and makes me like him that much more.

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Reject Me by Kel Carpenter and Aurelia Jane

 

3 Star

When Dannie rejects the alpha’s son she’s cast out of her pack. She refuses to be mated to the man who has bullied her throughout her life. She turns to the Dark Vampire King of Blood and Beryl and agrees to marry him. She will become his fake mate. The more time they spend together is it really a fake mating? When trouble comes their way will they be able to weather the storm?

This was a pretty good read. There were a couple issues of communication between the main characters that led to ALL the problems. It got old very quickly. I did like them and they eventually figure out what they need to do but it took way too long. I liked how things worked out and it is a complete story that was well written with an interesting world. This book is in a shared world with other authors. It stands by itself but I am interested in the world enough to check out the other books.

Book 1 Immortal Vices and Virtues

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