Light From the Dark by R Sullins

3 Stars

Casey has been on the run from a very bad man. She ends up in the middle of a small town, nowhere, not sure what she should be doing next or where she should go. Brent and Ethan have been together since high school and know they push each other and need a balance of a good woman. When they see Casey, they know she’s it. Now they need to convince her that she needs to stay, and they can keep her safe from anything. Will she want to stay when she finds out the truth?

I enjoyed this one, but it could have been better. It was a pacing issue. The book was going along nicely then it got close to the end, and we were nowhere near the end, so the rest was rushed to conclude. It should have been a longer book or split into two books so it could be more fleshed out. Worth checking out more by this author.

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Bad Business by Elise Faber

3 Stars

Roman is trying to survive raising his son. Maddie is a fixer, and she wants to fix everything. When she sees Roman and his son fighting, she’s determined to help them. When feelings develop, between Roman and Maddie will she be able to move past her trauma to get her HEA?

It could be because I haven’t read the series in a while, but I don’t remember the details leading to Roman and Maddie’s HEA. This one wasn’t one of my favorites. Felt the relationship was too rushed with Maddie’s issues and wrapped up too pat. Without spoilers I also didn’t get the closure I wanted with the other big plot. Overall, it was an ok read, just not my favorite.

Book 17 Billionaire’s Club

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Shattered Truth by H Hunting

 

4 Stars

Nearly running into Winter, BJ found his Cinderella. Instead of a shoe she left her hockey skate. Winter is just trying to earn enough funds for school and hockey gear when she is nearly run off the road she didn’t realize her life was about to change.

Loved this book. It was light with bits of drama and seriousness. The drama wasn’t over the top and it just made me like the book even more. I loved the give and take between Winter and BJ. They balance each other out. I also liked seeing all the characters from Pucked series. It is not necessary to read that series to read this one. This is one of my favorite books by H. Hunting. Definitely give it a read.

Book 3 Lies, Hearts, and Truths

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Bitter Sweet Heart by H. Hunting

 

4 Star

Maverick is coming to the end of his college years and isn't sure if he's on the right path. He has one final hook up over the summer and though he wants to see Clover again he doesn't think it will work. What he wasn't expecting was walking into his creative writing class and finding Clover is his new professor.

So much angst in this book. It is a super sweet but angsty book. I was a tad confused in the beginning as Kody and Lavendar weren't together but I quickly realized Clover and Maverick was overlapping their story and then things clicked for me. I loved Clover being the older of the two. Liked less that she was still married when they first hooked up. I also didn't feel like Maverick and Kody patched things up in this book. If it happened in book 1 I can't remember. Can't wait to see who gets the next book.

Book 2 Lies, Hearts and Truths

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Bewitched by Elise Faber

5 Star

Raph has sworn off love. Having a pack bunny pretend to be pregnant to get a commitment will do that to you. Beth has also sworn off love as she feels she's too evil to deserve it. Raph has always lusted after Beth but never gone for it as she is BFFs with his buddies. Now she's carrying twins for their friends and not taking care of herself. He sets all of his issues aside to care for her. Can she move past her history and realize they both deserve love?

I Loved this book. I want to go back and reread it right now to get the parts I'm sure I missed. I loved Beth and all her hang ups. Raph has been burned before and denies his attraction to her until he can't anymore. This one just hit all the feels for me. Plus all of the adult people in Beth and Raph's life are horrible people. Beth’s for blaming her for her stepdad's actions and Raph's for the abuse. The only part I'm hung up on was if Raph's bio mom ever told her kids Raph was their half brother. Otherwise I enjoyed the story and the epilogue with the bit for the next was quite the tease. Now to wait impatiently for the next one.

Book 5 Breakers

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Governor by Lesli Richardson

 

2 Star

Owen Taylor has been working towards the Governor’s office his entire adult life. No matter how powerful he is he kneels for one man Carter Wilson, his best friend, and Chief of Staff. He kneels for him because of Carter’s wife who is now his Lieutenant Governor. How did these three make it to the governor’s office?

This is an interesting harem story. I just thought it was way too long and meandering. I ended up skipping huge parts of the story because I was bored. I wasn’t even jumping to the next sex scene just looking to have the story move along.

Book 1 Governor Trilogy

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Cap by Elise Faber

3 Star
Josh is a professional hockey player and is used to people liking him. He's not used to the snark he gets from Jess. She works for the Gold filming all the games. When they first met he puts his foot in it and ticks her off. Now three years later he still wants her but can't seem to get through her walls. Once her secrets are revealed will they get their HEA. 

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I didn't like Jess at all. Her trauma is alluded to but isn't revealed until way late in the book. This led me to not like her at all. She was a massive dick to Josh thru most of the book and doesn't really do anything to redeem herself. I enjoyed Josh and all the secondary characters. Overall, not my favorite Elise Faber book.

Book 6 Gold Hockey

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Protector by Anna Hackett

 

5 Star
Ballerina Saskia is kidnapped off the street and taken to California. She's able to get a call off to her friend Cam to come and save her. Cam and the rest of Norcross are able to track her down and save her. Now they just need to track down the billionaire who thought he could steal women for his pleasure. Cam may not be ready to move on from his deployment but he's determined to keep Saskia safe. Will he be able to ignore the attraction?

I loved Cam and Saskia's story. Every time Saskia is kidnapped She's able to save herself, Best scene for me was when she was first taken Norcross group comes in to save her and she's climbing down the side of the house. The struggles Cam was dealing with, were heart breaking. I loved how Saskia is able to get under Cam's defenses Hackett also sets up her new series with Saskia's brother and that one looks so good and I can't wait for it to come out.

Book 9 Norcross
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Mansplainer by Avery Flynn

 

4 Star
The last remaining single Beckett cousin's determined to win the last present from grandma. Nash just has to make it to Christmas without falling in love. When he meets Chelle who is in need of a temporary husband he feels like he's got it in the bay. Chelle needs to marry or lose every thing from her dad's estate. Chelle and Wash plan on a short term marriage but will the be able to stick with their own terms?

This was not one of my favorite Flynn book. The writing was good I just struggled to connect with Nash. I did love what the present was and how everything worked out. I really wanted to see lash have to do the dates like his cousins had to do. Overall, a good addition to the series

Book 3 Last Man Standing

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04 A Wild Ride – Vivian Arend – 4*

Nicole Adams is having a secret affair with her brother’s best friend Troy Thompson.  When one of her sister announces she is pregnant she decides to cancel the fun and get serious and Troy is not a man who can do serious.  Troy knows he can do forever with her if she just gives him a chance. 

This book was hard to review.  I liked it a lot but there were things that were left hanging that I wanted answers for.  One of the big issues was everyone loves Troy but thought he was a womanizing flake.  Pretty much everyone in Nicole’s family love him just not with her.  They never give any reason other than he was so good in high school football but never went beyond that.  It just irritated me no one vocalized why he wasn’t good enough.

03 Let it Ride – Vivian Arend – 4*

Maggie Ward loses her husband in a car accident.  Clay Thompson has thought of her has more than a friend for a long time but would never do anything about it since he was friends with both of them.  When Maggie’s husband dies he steps up and takes care of her without any demands.  The book takes place over months.

This is one topic that I normally can’t stand.  You lose your spouse and then jump right into another relationship.  However, I think it was handled a little bit better than most in this book.  It takes place over the course of a year and isn’t instantaneous.  Clay and Maggie were cute together and watching their relationship progress from friends to lovers was interesting to read.

02 One Sexy Ride – Vivian Arend – 3.5*

Len Thompson has been in love with his sister’s best friend Janey but she is off limits until he finds out she is about to leave town for good.  He wants to have a no strings affair with her until she leaves.  The problem is he is in love with her and doesn’t want her to leave.

I had issues with this book.  Len was willing to be just friends with Janey forever until he finds out she has plans to leave.  His brilliant plan is to have a fling with her while she is in town and then let her go when she planned to leave town.  I get this all stems from how he lost his mom and what he went through but come on you love this woman and you are willing to let her go because of them.  I just can’t understand that.  Other than this the book was well written and enjoyable to read.

01.5 Baby, Be Mine – Vivian Arend – 4*

Gage Jenick has been friends of the Thompson family forever.  He has noticed Katy Thompson wasn’t just his best friends little sister but she was in a relationship with someone else.  When Katy breaks up with the boyfriend Gage is all in even though he is leaving for a work assignment for two months.  While he is gone Katy is in an accident which causes her to lose some of her memories.  Katy is also pregnant.  She remembers breaking up with her boyfriend but he swears they got back together.  Gage comes back into town and wants to pick up where they left off but Katy doesn’t know who is the father.  She feels she should give both men the opportunity to be involved with her pregnancy. 

This was an interesting idea that could have gone so very wrong but in this case was done very well.  I loved how Gage was all in with Katy no matter what.  He didn’t care if the baby wasn’t his he wanted to be with Katy and the baby.  He supported her even when life made it difficult for him to be involved.

01 Rocky Ride – Vivian Arend – 4*

The eldest Thompson, Mitch, has wanted Constable Anna Coleman in his life and bed for a while.  He speeds to catch her attention and she finally caves and they have a steamy affair but he wants it all not just a few nights.

I liked the interaction between Mitch and Anna.  She was a strong woman who didn’t take crap from anyone.  The big drama in the book is one of Anna’s co-workers thinks Mitch is trash and makes up a story of a promotion to get Mitch out of Anna’s life.  The way they handle the outside forces was interesting. 

12 Kisses After Dark – Marie Force – 3*

12 Kisses After Dark – Marie Force – 3*

I've read all the books in the series and this one did not do it for me at all. Marie Force always goes back to all of the characters on the island which is great to see what they are all up to but this is the 13th book. There are more then 13 couples now so there didn't seem to be any time spent on the main couple. The time spent on Shane and Katie seemed very rushed and not all that believable.
*Spoiler*

My biggest issue with the book was when Shane's ex comes to town. Katie seems to take issue with the fact Shane wanted a minute with his ex. This is where I no longer cared for their relationship. Katie knew Shane had never gotten any closer from his ex yet she took issue with him wanting a minute to talk with her. When Shane does finally track Katie down she wants time to think because she doesn't believe he is over his ex. Doesn't matter that he said he was over her and he wants to be with Katie...nope Katie who had never been in a relationship prior KNOWS that Shane isn't over the ex. Shane had to go all out to prove to her he was over the ex. Not only does he have to prove to Katie but he has to defend his actions to his sister and her husband Katie's brother. I'm sorry I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to talk to their ex if they had been given no explanation for the divorce.

For me if it hadn't been for some of the other stories I would not have finished this book. But maybe if there had been less other stories the author could have done a better job with Shane and Katie.

11 Gansett After Dark – Marie Force – 2*

11 Gansett After Dark – Marie Force – 2*

I have read every book in this series. Some I've loved and some have been just ok. This one was just ok to me. I liked getting some loose ends tied up but there were more bad then good for me.

Issue number one: The general's trial. I didn't understand why his prior history was being used at trial. Prior history is only used at sentencing OR if the defendant takes the stand. Also why would he suddenly decide to plead guilty when a former friend decides to testify. It is still hearsay. I get the author wanted to wrap some previous loose ends up but if you are going to write a court/trial scene please do some basic research. When I read some of these scenes it made me stop and say that's not right and a quick search online found the information.

Issue number two: Laura's morning sickness. I don't know any doctor that would let her get away with extreme morning sickness without treatment. At one point Laura said she didn't want to take ANY drugs during her pregnancy and it just no! I know some women have a really hard time with morning sickness. There is nothing wrong with taking anti-nausea meds while pregnant. I also don't think it would be instant relief from the symptoms like it was with Laura but what do I know.

Issue number three: Too many people. The author goes over every single previous character and their are too many of them. It is hard to keep track and it causes repetitiveness.

10 Meant for Love – Marie Force – 4*

10 Meant for Love – Marie Force – 4*

This would have been a five star review except for the drama forced into it the story. I had been waiting for Jenny's story since she had been introduced and looked forward to it. I loved how the couple meets for the first time with her throwing tomatoes at him for waking her. Some people might not like the fact they don't introduce themselves officially (last names) until later in the book but it makes sense with both of their histories why they wouldn't want to. She finds out his story when she is on a date with another guy. She over hears Alex firing the company manager for talking about how "crazy" his mom is. She has dementia not crazy and it sets him off. Jenny understands and fills Alex in on her tragic loss on 9/11 and they seem to roll along nicely. It isn't until her parents show up and they do a sit down meal with her parents and his mom where it falls apart. His mom goes off on her (dementia) and he breaks up with her. It just seemed very contrived and didn't make any sense. The mom had had other episodes with Jenny around. She had talked about her family experience with dementia so why is it now an issue. Alex ends up groveling to get her back but it just seemed like the whole argument was forced.

09 Time for Love – Marie Force – 3*

09 Time for Love – Marie Force – 3*

I had a hard time with this one. In fact it had been sitting on my to read shelf for a while. David is Janey's ex. The one who cheated. I really really hate cheaters. Probably the only reason I got through it was the other storylines. I get David had made amends and saved lives and what not and Joe and Janey were awesome together but grrr he cheated. Then he ends up with Daisy who is sugary sweet...sometimes to sweet. I don't know how much time between Daisy being assaulted by her ex and this book but it is a little iffy that they started a relationship so fast. Though that seems to be how Marie Force rolls. There is much drama with Janey and Joe.

*Spoiler*

Janey is nearing the end of her pregnancy and she starts to have problems. With her systems it sounds like she has preeclampsia. I am pretty sure with how far a long she was any doctor would have instructed her to go to the main land and be induced. I feel like the author didn't have that happen because she wanted the shock value of David saving Janey and the baby.

08 Waiting for Love – Marie Force – 4*

08 Waiting for Love – Marie Force – 4*

Third time has to be the charm....right? Abby is back on the island since things didn't work out with Cal the doctor. She comes over with Adam where she tells him her sob story and he tells her his. They are both coming off of bad break ups and are looking to have some fun. They are there for each other. One of the best scenes was after Adam told Grant they were having some fun together. Grant is asked by someone (can't remember who) if he was upset by the situation and his was response was I can't be. If I am then Stephanie will think I still want Abby and I don't want her I want Stephanie so I have to be ok with it.

The big issue I had with there relationship was lack of communication towards the end of the book. Throughout the book they are pretty honest with each other. Very very honest so why change that at the end. It seemed like the author needed to come up with some big drama before the book could conclude. Something bigger than Adam dating his brother's ex.
*Spoiler*
Adam fights for his company and has to go to the mainland to do it. He tells her he is coming back but hey she's been sold this bill of goods by two other guys. She says they are done. He waits a whole week before he starts texting her. He said he couldn't hold out any longer. Why wait? You know what you are doing is going to the mainland to sell the company why not just be honest with her and tell her that. Text her all the gooey things you want to.

07 Longing for Love – Marie Force – 5*

07 Longing for Love – Marie Force – 5*

I loved the seventh book in the series. I loved how Tiffany picked herself up after her ex dumped her. Leaving her and her daughter high and dry without any furniture. I loved that Blaine waited until her divorce was finalized before starting something with Tiffany and when he does he always does things with her when the daughter is having a sleep over elsewhere.