Strictly the Worst by Carrie Elks

3 Stars

Linc Salinger and I have nothing in common. He’s a smooth PR executive; I’m his disciplined office rival.

And he’s just stolen the project I’ve been working on for months.

After tough negotiation I manage to bargain my way back on, but there’s a catch. We have to travel to a tropical island and present to the client together.

Sharing a beach cottage with only one bed, we plan to stay professional. But the island's magic starts to thaw our animosity, sparking unexpected chemistry. Every laugh and touch intensifies our connection.

It’s obvious there’s no future between us.

He’s a confirmed player. And I’m a single mom with a teenage daughter and a home that’s falling down around us.

So I make a bargain with myself. A few nights of pleasure in paradise and then we’ll head back to New York and pretend this never happened.

We can go back to being at each other's throats the way we always have.

The only problem is, Linc doesn’t seem to get the office memo…

 

This was my least favorite book by this author. It was cute and I liked Linc and Tessa. I just really struggled with the overall story. Linc deserved a better story.

Book 5 The Salinger Brothers

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Ryker by Samantha Lind

3 Stars

After years of trying to get back home to be closer to my daughter, I finally secured a spot on the newly expanded San Francisco Shockwaves.

Juggling being the newly appointed Captain of the team and taking on full-time fatherhood to a teenager sends my life into chaos.

I quickly find myself needing someone who can pick up the pieces and keep my life in order as I certainly can’t do it alone.

I just never thought my savior would be the sexy woman next door- the one I can’t keep my mind or eyes off every chance I get.

This was a perfectly fine hockey book. I liked Ryker and Avery slowly falling for each other. Ryker’s daughter was an amazing side character and brought a lot to the story. The three of them together made a good read. The co-parenting was also a bonus. They worked together to make sure their daughter was happy and well adjusted.

Book 1 San Francisco Shockwaves

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Always a Fake Bridesmaid by Carrie Ann Ryan

4 Stars

The moment Ewan McBride entered my life, my world tilted on its axis.

When we part, I promise him I owe him anything for saving my daughter’s life.

What I didn’t expect?

Being his fake date to a wedding—in two days.

It was only supposed to be a favor, but we can’t deny the attraction.

Only he lives a state away and my life is in Colorado with my daughter and the Montgomery's.

This can only be one night that feels all too real.

Yet I know walking away will be the hardest thing I ever do.

This was a short and spicy read. I loved Ewan and Livy. It is an insta love but it works. I so want more details on the wedding drama but that wasn’t what the book was about so I get why it wasn’t included.

Book 1 Clover Lake

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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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Against All Odds by Maya Alden

3 Stars

Will he fight against all odds to win her back?

Sable Nees has spent her whole married life being a doormat and blending into the background. When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, she reclaims her confidence. She buys a local bar, ditches her mundane job, and starts living her life on her terms.

Heath Falkner, freshly divorced, is still navigating his new normal. His ex-wife may have orchestrated his move to her hometown of Aspen, hoping for a second chance, but it’s Sable who unexpectedly captures his heart.

When their romance ignites, the town erupts in scandal, and Sable is unfairly branded a homewrecker.

Heath tries to keep the peace with his ex for the sake of his fifteen-year-old daughter, and Sable struggles to keep her business afloat. Their worlds collide.

When Heath hesitates to put her first and insults her in front of all of Aspen, Sable has had enough. She walks away.

Heath has to deal with the empty space Sable leaves behind as he learns too late that she is his second chance at love and happiness.

I still think Sable should have told Heath to Fuck Off and for her to leave town. He reprimands her in public without finding out what happened. Then when he finds out he is in the wrong doesn’t understand why she doesn’t immediately forgive him. I loved his daughter and she was my favorite.

Book A Part of A Modern Vintage Romance

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The Naughty, The Nice, The Nanny by Devney Perry

4 Stars

One week with one little girl—an angel, according to my staffing agency. Acting as the short-term nanny for a single dad should have been an easy way to make some extra cash. Until I show up for my first day and face off with a demon disguised as a seven-year-old girl wearing a red tutu and matching glitter slippers.

Oh, and her father? My temporary boss? Maddox Holiday. The same Maddox Holiday I crushed on in high school. The same Maddox Holiday who didn’t even know I existed. And the same Maddox Holiday who hasn’t set foot in Montana for years because he’s been too busy running his billionaire empire.

Enduring seven days is going to feel like scaling the Himalayas in six-inch heels. Toss in the Holiday family’s annual soiree, and Christmas Eve nightmares really do come true. But I can do anything for a week, especially for this paycheck, even if it means wrangling the naughty, impressing the nice, and playing the nanny.

I loved this audiobook so much. I enjoyed the characters. One big complaint was there needed to be more world building and character development. I get that it was a short story but it still needed more. I liked the relationship between Maddox and his family and daughter. Natalie was a bit wishy washy which is understandable since she didn’t want to start something with Maddox while he was her boss.

Book 1 Holiday Brothers

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Best of Me by Maya Aiden

3 Stars

She’s the love I never saw coming, but can I give her the best of me?

My family’s roots run deep, and my responsibilities are etched into every part of my life—my daughter, my family, and the Rhodes family business.

As a father, I’ve always put my daughter above everything. I built my world around her, living next door to my ex-wife, keeping the peace for the sake of our child.

I never expected to fall in love again. But then Aurora came into my life, and suddenly I felt something I hadn’t felt in years. I thought it would be simple—until I introduced her to my daughter.

My ex-wife's manipulation of our daughter, shatters the fragile balance I’d worked so hard to maintain, and now I’m faced with choices I never wanted to make. I hurt the only woman I’ve ever truly loved, and I don’t know if I can put the pieces back together.

This guy was lucky she was so understanding. I understand why she stuck it out with him for as long as she did. I loved that when she hit her limit and was done she was done. I wish there was more that was done to the ex-wife. The redemption arc when he realizes how much he screwed up was ok but he didn’t do enough to make up for everything. The writing was fine but it wasn’t one of favorite reads.

Book 1 Savannah’s Best

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Whispers of Redemption by Elle Carr

1 Star

Seven years ago, I left the only man I ever loved.

I found out I wasn't able to have children, and I couldn't watch him give up the family he deserved.

I never told him the truth, and I never stopped wondering if I made the biggest mistake of my life.

Now I'm working as a children's doctor, when suddenly the ER doors flew open, and a little girl was carried in unconscious.

Immediately, I checked her airway and started compressions, I pressed the stethoscope to her chest, praying to hear a heartbeat.

Thirty seconds later, her chest finally rose, and air rushed back into her lungs.

She looked right at me, dazed and confused, and whispered, "Are you my mommy?"

I smiled, thinking she had confused me with her mother, until I heard the doors swing open. A deep familiar voice sounded behind me and I turned to see the man I left 7 years ago, standing in the doorway with a photograph in his hand.

I was very confused by the timeline in this book. Add in the covert Christian rhetoric later in the book this book was a hard pass for me. I liked the idea of the book. She finds out she can’t have kids, leaves him, only to come back later is an interesting book. Throw in God hates her and everything else it was a just no for me.

Book 1 Of Grace and Glory

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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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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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Flirting with the Frenemy by Pippa Grant

3 Stars

He's a hot single dad. A military man with abs of steel. My brother's best friend. My biggest enemy. And now my fake date to my best friend's wedding. Disasterville, here we come...

Mission: Survive my best friend's wedding, where I must play nice with my ex and his perfect new girlfriend.

Strategy: Bring the hottest fake boyfriend on the planet.

Target: Grady Rock. Master Baker. Dimples. Muscles. The unicorn of fake boyfriends.

Complication: Wyatt Morgan. My brother's best friend. My sworn enemy. Military man. Sexy as hell single dad. The man I let into my panties for one night of hot hate sex after my ex dumped me.

And the man who just scared off that perfect fake boyfriend.

By pretending to be my real boyfriend.

I can roll with this though. What’s the harm in Flirting with the Frenemy if it helps me get the job done?

Complete my mission and move on.

Or so I thought.

Until Wyatt kisses me again and I start feeling things I shouldn't.

The thing about weddings...nothing ever goes as planned.

I don’t know if it was because the last Pippa Grant book was so good but this was MEH. It felt like things were left out that needed to be in there. Like the accident and the divorce. I also wanted to see more connection between Ellie and Wyatt. It was not one of my favorites.

Book 1 Copper Valley Bro Code

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Love Me Today by AL Jackson

2 Stars

A jaded single dad. A woman returning to her small-town roots. Neither was prepared for their paths to collide…

I should have known I was in trouble when I backed my old, beat-up truck into the shiny Range Rover.

The driver looked like a gorgeous fallen angel – one who’d been booted right out of paradise for being a giant prick.

Good thing I’ll never have to see him again.

Except when I show up for my new job to teach a little girl how to ride her horse, I find the same icy blue eyes glaring back at me.

Paisley Dae is completely reckless. She’s also the best trainer in this small town. And Evelyn gets the best.

Protecting the little girl is my one focus.

Only the sassy trainer in her cut-offs and cowgirl boots quickly gets under my skin. Distractions are dangerous, but she soon becomes everything I crave.

One reckless night of giving in, and Caleb and I spiral into a web of passion.

But when I begin to unravel the secrets hiding in this place, I find there is more riding on this job than I thought.

Caleb and Evelyn are worth any sacrifice – only Caleb has to decide what he will sacrifice for me…

I was so bored reading this book. I didn't like Caleb at all. he was a dick from beginning to tend. Paisley just came across as a pushover to me. Not liking any of the characters makes for a very long read. Jumping around on the timeline also didn't help. Overall, just a pass for me. 

Book 1 Time River

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Big Skate by Elise Faber

4 Stars

I’ve sworn off love…until her.

The only problem? She can’t stand me.

Gorgeous, single mom Ivy wants absolutely nothing to do with me.

She thinks I’m a player—and maybe I am.

She thinks I don’t take anything seriously—and maybe I don’t.

She thinks I can never make her happy—but I’ve never been more focused on anything else. Not ever. Not even on hockey, and I live and breathe the sport.

She doesn’t understand that she’s become my reason for existing—

That if there’s any game in my life I’m willing to do anything to win…

It’s claiming her heart as mine.

Another good book for the Sierra Hockey series. I loved seeing Knox and Ivy get their HEA. My biggest complaint is there is a very big serious issue that is brought up in this book and it's not really fleshed out. I wanted more with this issue. It was still an amazing addition to the series.

Book 3 Sierra Hockey

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Shadow of You by Catherine Cowles

4 Stars

It was supposed to be a fresh start. A small town where I could hide my little girl from the shadows that haunt us. A place where I could keep us safe.

The last thing I expected was him.

A surly, broody mountain of a man who helps me save an injured deer in a snowstorm.

Now, Roan Hartley keeps showing up with his glowers and grimaces. But they only make his rare smiles and the gentle way he talks to my daughter mean that much more.

When forces from my past find us, Roan is determined to keep us safe—even if that means sleeping on my ancient couch every night.

As days turn to weeks, his touch has my walls crashing down. But someone out there doesn’t want me to find happiness. He doesn’t want me left breathing at all…

FMC is on the run from a past that won’t stay in the past. She’s trying to raise her niece the way her sister would want her raised. When the past finally catches up to them will she be able to keep everyone safe?

I loved this book. Roan was this big scary dude but was such a marshmallow towards Aspen and her niece. Aspen had such a backbone and was so loving towards everyone even with everything she survived. Part of a series but it does stand alone, and the other books aren’t necessary, but I still want to go and read them. I figured out who the bad guy was about halfway through the book, but I liked how it was revealed. They were a very interesting choice. I was left with some questions. Like did the one asshole get additional time and did Aspen ever get an apology from two of the people who were the biggest dicks to her? Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it.

Book 4 The Lost and Found

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Mine to Love by Kennedy L Michelle

3 Stars

I barely escaped the serial killer's clutches. Now he's back, determined to get me back forcing me and my 9-year-old son into hiding.
An FBI agent and local detective are put on our protection detail to keep us safe, but who will keep me safe from them? The two men are a blast from the past, a one-night stand 9 years ago that I still dream about and who disappeared the following morning.
Until now.
The attraction pulses between us despite the danger closing in.
Though they are no longer friends, memories from that electric night and us three stuck together might convince them to put aside their differences and share me one more time.
With the killer waiting for the right moment when our guards are down to strike, he just might get the perfect opportunity when the big secret I've been hiding is exposed.
I've never forgotten that night all those years ago..
How could I when my 9-year-old son looks just like one of them?

They had a history between them. It was brief and spicy and then it was gone. Now 10 years later Tallon has been rescued from a serial rapist killer and is need of protection, but she has a secret. Will she let Remington and Jameson keep her safe even if it reveals her secret? Will they forgive her for keeping it a secret and let them get their HEA?

This book was so good until it wasn’t. This is promoted as a MFM which led me to believe the 3 of them would end up together…they don’t. All my issues with the book happened in the last 3 chapters. Jameson is injured and ends up in surgery…that’s the last we hear about him. The author explains he survived and is training and Quantico. Ok but they’re still going to get together is where my brain went just from a distance. You get to the last page of the book and find out he has his own book with different characters. WTF!!!!!!! That is not how it is presented, and I am so disappointed. Will probably check out other books as I enjoyed the writing.

Book apart of the Protection Series

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Last on the List by Amy Daws

3 Stars

Only a bad nanny knows what it’s like to kiss the boss.

CEO millionaire, Max Fletcher is a single dad in desperate need of a nanny.

Cozy Barlow is in the middle of her self-appointed “gap year” and doing everything she can to detach from her past.

But when her sister begs her to interview for the nanny position of a high maintenance client, she doesn’t have a good enough reason to say no.

And when Max locks eyes on the twenty-something in a tie-dye sweatsuit who pitches the idea of daydreaming all summer—he prepares to give this bad nanny the boot.

One problem: Max’s little girl thinks this plus-sized in body and spirit nanny might be her new bestie, so she hires her on the spot.

Now Max is stuck with this bizarre woman who hates everything he represents—corporate greed, money, status, power.

But one stormy night when the power goes out, he discovers Cozy doesn’t hate him. In fact, he’s the leading role in her fantasies.

Fantasies, he would very much like to make a reality.

This was fine but there was a pacing issue. There were many slowish spots that frustrated me. I also got very tired of Cozy mentioning her weight and size. I get it she’s plus size with curves can we move on. I loved Carter but Cozy wasn’t my favorite. She acts like she’s in high school and she is very much not. So, meh.

Book 5 Wait With Me

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Dear Grumpy Boss by Julia Wolf

4 Stars

I’ve spent the better part of the last few years successfully avoiding my brother’s best friend, Weston Aldrich.

As CEO of Andes Inc, the infuriatingly handsome and incessantly grumpy Weston also happens to be my new boss.

It shouldn’t have been hard to continue avoiding him. After all, he’s on the executive floor and I’m one of many copywriters.

Weston has his own ideas about how things should go between us. He’s in my emails, leaving notes on my desk, and as if that’s not enough, he arranges for me to accompany him on a business trip.

That leads to stolen touches, frenzied kisses, and the undeniable need to work each other out of our systems. That always works, right?

Except now that I know what it feels like to have Weston Aldrich appreciate every inch of my abundant curves, avoiding him is impossible.

But he’s my brother’s best friend.

And a workaholic.

We have to stop.

And we will.

Soon.

Just…not yet.

Loved this book. The snarky covertness from Elise to Weston made me laugh throughout the book. I loved how Weston was all in with Elise and her daughter almost immediately. The story flowed nicely and made me want to go and read the other books by the author. My biggest complaint was the Elise was a bit of a doormat with her baby daddy and it did get frustrating.

Part of The Harder They Fall

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Hot Flashes and Hockey Slashes by Marika Ray

4 Stars

He's a hot, shirtless hockey player…and he’s my fake date for my ex-husband’s wedding. Talk about a hot flash to beat all hot flashes.

The wedding bells are ringing and my ex-husband is the groom! When my grown kids hook me up with a fake date to my ex-hubby's tropical island nuptials, I expect sun, sand, and plenty of fruity cocktails - not steamy nights with a shirtless pro hockey player!

Roman might be all swagger on the ice, but this growly, egotistical male model of perfection has a soft side too. While I battle dresses made for twenty-somethings, awkward run-ins with my ex, and unwelcome hot flashes, Roman is there to distract me with flirty compliments, stay up late with me when I can’t sleep, and make me feel vibrant and ageless.

As good as it feels, none of this is real, and Roman is way out of my league. Who’s going to believe this gorgeous, famous, muscle-bound athlete would ever date a scatterbrained, hot-flashing, insomniac nerd with twenty stubborn extra pounds around the middle?

But as the big day approaches, we grow closer. Wedding activities lead to beach walks at sunset, and his oh-so-talented fingers twist my hormones up in a whole new way. Gazing into Roman’s eyes, I start to wonder if he could be my shot at a real happily ever after.

That’s the thing about vacations, though; at some point, you need to return to reality.

Loved this story so much. Olivia has an issue with her backbone with everyone but Roman. For whatever reason he brings out her spunk. When she finally stands up for herself it was amazing. Loved how all in Roman was with her and how it all played out for these two to get their HEA.

Book 1 Hot Flash Hookups

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Midnight with the Hexed by L. R. Friedman

4 Stars

There’s a new witch on the block.

For Oakley Brooks, Celestial Haven’s newest resident can only spell one thing: disaster.

With her magic replenished and gift reclaimed, she shifts her focus to relaunching her business and preparing for the coven’s highly anticipated Moonlit Masquerade.

But another disappearance threatens to ruin Starry Night Lane’s stellar reputation, putting pressure on the supernatural government and its Archons to unearth more answers surrounding the missing witches in the seemingly safe suburb. With the neighborhood under more scrutiny than ever, Lynx and Saros get caught in the crossfire, forcing the pair to keep their relationship with Oakley a secret.

As her past and present collide, she must decide if she’ll follow her heart’s desire or risk living with an eternity of regret.

 

We get all the answers and then some. Loved how it ended and how everything worked out between the Oakley and her men. I loved how they worked around the curse and got to their HEA. I so want some of the secondary characters HEA so I will be reading more books by this author.

Book 2 Celestial Haven

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