Knot that Simple by Amy Oliveira

3 Stars

"You are an Omega..."

Even as I say the words it doesn’t feel true. My hand tightens around Alice’s tiny fingers and I consider running, but there’s something deep inside that tells me to listen. There’s something better for my daughter than the life I’ve been able to give her.

When we move to the omega village I think I’ve lost my mind, but it’s the people around me who are willing to supply us with everything we need. It feels too good to be true, and when I’m handed two one way tickets to Ireland, I realize it’s time to pay up.

What would three men want with me when the father of my child didn’t even want us?

Tadgh is the first to make me feel at home, Osian is the calm I’ve needed after so many storms, but Lorcan? He’s the one I’m struggling to crack but want to call Daddy.

Can three fisherman and a remote Irish village really equal happy ever after for two girls no one has ever loved?

This was a short and quick read. Not a lot of world or character building. I felt like things were missing but they may have been in book 1. I still enjoyed the overall story and the spice level.

Book 2 Lost Omegas

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Cooking Up a Demon by Sabrina Cross

4 Stars

Bea thought all she had to worry about when she moved to Ghostlight Falls was the cold, wet weather and getting her Nonna’s bookstore up and running.

Instead she finds herself accidentally summoning a demon at every turn. An annoyingly sexy demon who insists on helping her, despite her protests.

Now, more than just soup is cooking up between Bea and the Demon. But summoning him puts more than just Bea’s heart at risk.

I loved this book and the characters. There were some plot holes but overall, I enjoyed the read so I am ignoring the holes.

Book Part of Ghostlight Falls

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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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Too Little Too Late by Sarina Bowen

3 Stars

How to behave when the guy who broke your heart two thousand miles away turns up in your office:

One: Don’t drop your lucky coffee cup in shock, even though it’s been ten years.

Two: Don’t get defensive when he asks how you ended up working his family’s ski mountain… and why you kept it a secret.

Three: Give him the worst room in the resort. He deserves it for suddenly waltzing back in like he owns the place. (Which he kind of does.)

Four, five, six, seven, eight and nine: Do not kiss him in the hot tub.

Ten: Try to keep your heart intact after you break all of your rules.

Because Reed is leaving again. Hate can't turn back into love. And it’s a little too late…

I made the mistake of reading book 2 first and so I struggled with this one. Not that it was written bad just I hated Reed so much. I loved Ava and she deserved better than what she got with Reed. Other than my hate of Reed the book was good and I loved the setting.

Book 1 Madigan Mountain

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Runaways by Devney Perry

4 Stars

Londyn McCormack didn’t have a typical childhood. She ran away at sixteen and spent her youth searching for a place to call home. She’s built a good life for herself through hard work and a little luck, but after a devastating divorce, she’s running away again. Her life collides with Brooks Cohen, a small-town mechanic who gives her a reason to stop driving on that runaway road.

Gemma Lane built an empire. Not a small feat, considering her home as a teenager was a makeshift tent in a California junkyard. She’s dedicated her life to turning pennies into millions. And she’s leaving it all behind. She’s headed across the country in her best friend’s Cadillac when a detour in Montana reunites her with Easton Greer, a man who hasn’t changed. A man who still owns her heart.

Katherine Gates has been in love with Cash Greer since the moment he saved her life from a runaway goat. But she’s learned to shove her feelings for Cash down deep. They’re friends—best friends. Until the day they take an impulsive road trip to the Oregon coast. And she learns that Cash has some secrets of his own.

Aria Saint-James went to Arizona for a vacation with her sister. Instead, she’s stuck at a wedding with her nemesis, Brody Carmichael. She blames the champagne for falling into bed with him that night. Enemy or no, the billionaire is irresistible in a tux. Except Aria gets a surprise a few weeks later—she’s pregnant. When he learns that she’s carrying his child, Brody offers Aria the chance of a lifetime. The catch? She has to live under his roof until the baby is born.

Clara Saint-James is completing a journey. She’s returning a Cadillac to California, a place she’s avoided for more than a decade. It’s time for closure and to put ghosts to rest. And it’s time to find out if there’s still a spark to an old flame. She fell in love with Karson Avery when they lived as runaway teens in a junkyard. That love stayed with her for more than a decade. Either it’s finally their time to be together. Or it’s time to let him go and surrender to the dotted lines that have always kept them apart.

Book 1 Runaway Road – I loved this one so much. Londyn was so strong and just wanted to find her HEA with or without a man in her life. Brooks just wants to take care of her and they were so sweet together.

Book 2 Wild Highway – This one builds on book 1 and is just as good. I loved Gemma and Easton. The issues they have to overcome to get their HEA is amazing to read.

Book 3 Quarter Mile – I think this was my least favorite book in the series. It was mostly because Cash was such an ass throughout this book. He never redeems himself but Katherine ends up with him.

Book 4 Forsaken Trail – I loved the fights between Aria and Brody so much. The give and take between them was fire. I loved seeing them get to their HEA in the end.

Book 5 Dotted Lines – Also one I wasn’t a huge fan of. Karson was dating someone when Clara came to town. Yes he broke up with her before starting something with Clara but it was just an ick for me.

Books 1-5 Runaways

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Burning Skies by Lex Martin

 

4 Stars

Crossing a line has never felt this good.

I’m what you’d call a good girl—at least that’s what my family thinks. But I’m tired of living by everyone else’s rules. So when I sneak into a scandalous, masked costume party and spot Beau Walker—my longtime crush and my family’s sworn enemy—I do something bold: I cross the one line that's utterly forbidden.

Hidden by shadows and masks, we lose ourselves in the hottest night of my life. Until I accidentally moan his name, and everything comes crashing to a halt.

Beau says things I can’t forget, and my fantasy of him shatters along with my heart.

But when suspicious fires break out at the high school where I teach, I’m forced to see the one firefighter I wish I could forget.

And when our long-smoldering tension finally ignites, the heat between us lights up the sky—and reveals a danger neither of us saw coming.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was well written and I loved Beau and Honey. There give and take was a fun read. There were some issues. I felt there was too many tropes going on and it wasn’t necessary. It bogged down the story a bit. I loved how things resolved between Beau and Honey’s brothers. Overall, it was a good story and I enjoyed how Beau and Honey get their HEA.

Book 3 Wild at Heart

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Sable Peak by Devney Perry

Vera Gallagher is chasing constant. For four years, her life was anything but normal. And the years before that she refuses to even remember. Dwelling on the past only hurts. Life is fragile, a lesson her mother taught her well. She’s determined not to waste a moment of her newfound freedom.

Maybe some would consider her crush on Mateo Eden wasted time. Maybe some would call her a fool for loving a man who hasn’t once dropped a crumb of interest her way. Still, to Vera, it’s Mateo or nothing.

He’s handsome. Charming. Witty. And he loves his family the way Vera loves—with her whole heart.

Maybe he’ll never notice her. Maybe she’s too damaged, too broken, to find that normal life she craves. Maybe her secrets will always keep them apart. But Vera will love him anyway. Whether Mateo realizes it or not.

Vera and Mateo make such a cute couple and I loved the family were happy for them. However, Vera needed to get so much therapy after everything she had been through to work through her issues and she never did. This led to all the problems in the relationship.

Book 6 The Edens

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Crimson River by Devney Perry

3 Stars

Lyla Eden has spent the last few years watching her siblings fall in love. Meanwhile, she’s married to her job. It’s on her hundredth consecutive workday that her sister stages an intervention, kicking Lyla out of her own coffee shop. With nothing else to do, Lyla sets out on her favorite hiking trail.

It’s there that she spots a man washing blood from his hands in a stream. One moment she’s staring at the jagged scar on his face. The next, his hand is around her throat. But by some miracle, he lets her go.

Shaken to her core, Lyla reports the incident to the local police. Two days later, Vance Sutter arrives in town, armed with endless questions and a tarnished badge.

Vance may be ruggedly handsome but he’s as mysterious as the man he’s hunting. And he’ll be gone from Quincy in a blink. Yet Lyla’s crush is impossible to stop.

No matter how hard Vance tries to ignore it, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. And avoiding Lyla is not an option. After years of chasing dead ends, she’s his only lead to closing the case that haunts his career. So together, they’ll retrace her steps.

To find the scarred man she met beside a crimson river.

I wanted to like this book because I liked Lyla in the other books. The serial killer plot was a lot and the ending was meh. I did like the love between Lyla and Vance.

Book 5 The Edens

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Come Back to Me by Sirena Song

3 Stars

Lizzy Lockstead recognized her pack as a girl. Too bad they didn’t.

After years of pinning for Jacob and his pack, Lizzy has given up on fated mates, scent-matches, and love. Coming into her twenty-first year after graduating from the state Omega Finishing Academy, she makes her way back home to Knotty Pines, resigned to settle for a life without her alphas by her side. Just when she has given up hope, the pack comes for her, pleading forgiveness. Will she find room in her heart to forgive her alphas and join the pack she knows is meant for her? Can she trust them with her heart after all this time?

Jacob Edwards lost his omega right out from under his nose.

After years of searching for his pack’s omega, he realizes she was there all along. His best friend's younger sister wasn’t the omega he was expecting, but when he finds a trace of her scent the summer she turns twenty-one there is no denying who she is to them. The hunt is on, but Lizzy blocks them at every turn. How could he, Mateo, and Rhett make such a huge mistake? How will he ever get her to come back to him when they denied her for so long?

The men in this book just pissed me off so much. Add in Lizzy’s mother I just wanted to bash so many heads together. Lizzy deserved more groveling and care than she got. She told so many people that they were her mates and they all made out like she was crazy and it was just a girl hood crush. Then when they figured out that she was in fact their mate she was just supposed to forgive and forget. Ultimately I did enjoy the read and the drama but I so wanted her to reject all of them and make them crawl.

Book 2 Knotty Pines Omegaverse

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Dewey Belong Together by Ann Whynot

2 Stars

Librarian Maxine Peters lives her life behind the scenes. By day, she's a buttoned-up cataloguing whiz in the basement of the Green Valley Public Library. By night, she's secretly dominating in an online role playing game as the legendary Maximus_Damage. Her in-game persona has the skills to back up the hype. But every hero has an enemy; every saga,a villain. And by her own invitation, Maximus’ arch nemesis, Wrath, has just landed in Green Valley.

Jonathan Owen is not at all who Maxine expects when she meets Wrath face to face. Eager to leave the past in the game, Jonathan takes this golden opportunity to win Maxine's heart. There's just one wrench in that plan: he may have, on a few occasions, acted like a bit of a jerk online. And to his puzzlement, she has taken their fun rivalry to the level of epic dislike. When Jonathan and Maxine are unexpectedly alone for a weekend, secrets are revealed that make love hard and hatred even harder. Jonathan quickly learns fighting his own demons will take more than one elite gamer. And Maxine, who is busy rebooting her life in Green Valley, might not be up to the task.

When real life starts to override the game, can Maxine and Jonathan find a way to make it work? Or will it be game over for this player versus player adventure?

I really wanted to like this book but I just didn’t like it. There was anxiety about the long distance between Max and Jonathan. I also struggled with Jonathan being all in with Max well before meeting her AND believing she was actually a man. There was just pacing issue with the book and it was just a meh kind of read.

Book 3 Green Valley Library

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Jasper Vale by Devney Perry

3 Stars

Eloise Eden’s pride and joy is her family’s hotel in Quincy, Montana. Her lifelong dream is to own The Eloise Inn. All she has to do is prove to her parents that she’s the epitome of responsible. That her days of being duped and making reckless decisions are history. She’s so close she can taste it.

Until after one weekend in Las Vegas, she comes home married to a stranger.

Jasper must have put her under a spell with those soul-deep eyes because after a single night together, they woke up husband and wife. Her only hope is to keep this marriage a secret until it’s annulled. Then she’ll pretend it never happened.

Except Jasper begs her to stay married. To fake it for three months so she can accompany him to a wedding. Maybe she’s lost her mind to agree. But her brooding husband seems desperate. It’s only three months, right? Then she’ll say goodbye to Jasper Vale, and with any luck, hello to her new hotel.

Oh Jasper. I loved him so much but he’s so stupid too. I connected with Eloise. She’s ignored so much and just wanted to be seen. Yes she’s made mistakes in the past but the way the family deals with it is to make her feel useless. The big shooting at the end really didn’t add anything to the story other than to show the matriarch of the family doesn’t take responsibilities for her own mistakes.

Book 4 The Edens

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Garnet Flats by Devney Perry

4 Stars

Talia Eden loved Foster Madden for one year, two months and eleven days. It was on day 438 that her love died. The day he chose to marry her best friend. The day she vowed never to think of Foster again.

Until years later when he has the audacity to show up in her small hometown of Quincy, begging for her help.

The ink on his divorce papers is barely dry, yet he comes armed with apologies and promises. She knows it’s all a ploy. Foster is the king of games and secrets. But he’s got delusions the size of Montana if he thinks she’ll help him train for a world championship fight.

Except Talia has forgotten exactly what made Foster famous. The man has dedicated his life to victory. He’s steadfast. He’s determined. And he won’t stop fighting until he’s won her heart.

This book flowed nicely. I loved the backstory of Talia and Foster. Talia deserved so much more groveling from Foster than she got. I get Foster was in tough spot but there were so many ways that this could have been better. I did like them together.

Book 3 The Edens

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Juniper Hill by Devney Perry

3 Stars

Memphis Ward arrives in Quincy, Montana, on the fifth worst day of her life. She needs a shower. She needs a snack. She needs some sanity. Because moving across the country with her newborn baby is by far the craziest thing she’s ever done.

But maybe it takes a little crazy to build a good life. If putting the past behind her requires a thousand miles and a new town, she’ll do it if it means a better future for her son. Even if it requires setting aside the glamour of her former life. Even if it requires working as a housekeeper at The Eloise Inn and living in an apartment above a garage.

It’s there, on the fifth worst day of her life, that she meets the handsomest man she’s ever laid eyes on. Knox Eden is a beautiful, sinful dream, a chef and her temporary landlord. With his sharp, stubbled jaw and tattooed arms, he’s raw and rugged and everything she’s never had—and never will. Because after the first worst day of her life, Memphis learned a good life requires giving up on her dreams too. And a man like Knox Eden will only ever be a dream.

I loved Memphis so much. She is trying to make it on her own with a kid and starting over. Knox is an ass from the beginning with reasons he eventually tells Memphis about. After he explains everything he does make it up to her. It was a slower paced book which is why a 3 instead of a 4.

Book 2 The Edens

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Indego Ridge by Devney Perry

4 Stars

Winslow Covington believes in life, liberty and the letter of the law. As Quincy, Montana’s new chief of police, she’s determined to prove herself to the community and show them she didn’t earn her position because her grandfather is the mayor.

 

According to her pops, all she has to do is earn favor with the Edens. But winning over the town’s founding family might have been easier if not for her one-night stand with their oldest son. In her defense, it was her first night in town and she didn’t realize that the rugged and charming man who wooed her into bed was Quincy royalty.

 

Sleeping with Griffin Eden was a huge mistake, one she’s trying to forget. He’s insufferable, arrogant and keeps reminding everyone that she’s an outsider. Winslow does her best to avoid Griffin, but when a woman is found dead on Eden property, the two of them have no choice but to cross paths.

 

As clues to the murderer lead to one of Quincy’s own, Griffin realizes Winslow is more than he gave her credit for. Beautiful and intelligent, she proves hard to resist. For him. And the killer.

I loved Win and Grif’s story. This book was more mystery than a romance, but it worked for me. Win has to deal with a lot with the new job and people showing up murdered. Add in falling for Grif who is technically a suspect. I loved the ending and the mystery played out.

Book 1 The Edens

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Falls Like Rain by Reese Rivers

3.5 Stars

When she left, they fell apart. Now she's back and it's her turn to Fall.

I married my three best friends when I was ten, ran from them and everything I knew at eighteen to save one of them and now I’m back at twenty-eight with no idea of who I am as a woman or what I want my future to look like. All I really know is, if I’m going to Fall, it’s going to be for ME

She was our everything, our future, but she ran away, broke us and left us in pieces for ten long years. Now she’s back and no matter how hard she tries to keep her distance and her secrets from us, we’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth and then make her fall just as hard as we did.

This was such a good premise and I wanted to love it but the guys were fucking stupid. Rain leaves when she and the guy’s are threatened. She does it for them but they never question why she left, just judged her. When she comes back after her dad dies and the guys are dicks to her until they find out the truth. She makes her life better and chooses herself over everyone else. Which she’s never done before. The guys do end up groveling a bit and it was good. I just wanted a bit more.

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Molly and the minotaur by Bea Gallow

2.5 Stars

Love is the key to unlocking the magic in Minos Falls!

For most of her life, Molly Durand was told to stop believing in fairytales, and when she arrives in Minos Falls, North Carolina, she finally does. With no boyfriend, no job, and no place to live, a mysterious town in the mountains is the last place she wants to start over. So, when she’s offered her dream job managing the town’s bookstore, she accepts. Until she discovers her new boss, Leo Angelos, is a Minotaur.

Leo Angelos has been waiting for his mate to arrive for fifteen years. Not because she’s destined to be the love of his life, but because she’s the key to breaking the curse plaguing his town. He just wasn’t expecting his mate to be his newest employee.

But when monsters from Molly’s past step out of the town’s shadows, they jeopardize not only the end of the town’s curse but also her happily ever after with Leo.

I wanted more world building and character development. I wanted more information on everything which led to me feeling like something was lacking. It was insta love between Leo and Molly which was meh. I am undecided about reading the next book.

Book 1 Magic in Minos Falls

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Unwanted by Sirena Song

4 Stars

Cammie Cooper became an alpha-chaser by accident.

After a one-night stand that ends in two pink lines, Cammie thinks she’s found her happily ever after. She forgets all about scent matches, fated mates, and the truth about being a beta from the town of Crawley. That is, until her alpha drops her when he finds his scent match.

Cammie finds herself back home and out of options. She’s got two kids, two jobs, and more bills than she can keep up with.

Her neighbor Reid comes to the rescue after a run-in with the wrong side of the law, vowing to protect Cammie and her kids. But she can't trust another alpha, no matter how much he promises. When she meets his bonded omega, it confirms her suspicions. What could the pair want from her but a good time?

Can Reid and Finn convince Cammie they mean to claim her and her kids? Is it possible for them to blend their lives and find love after so much heartache?

LOVED Cammie so much. She is a beta living in an omega world. She doesn’t change either which I loved so much. She stayed who she was and still found her HEA with Reid and Finn. I loved that they stepped up for her kids when her ex abandons them for his scent match. It was just a very nice and sweet omegaverse book.

Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Unwanted-Knotty-Neighbors-Sirena-Song-ebook/

Love and Tequila Makes Her Crazy by Brittanee Nicole

 

3 Stars

Nate Pearson was my first everything.

My first friend, first love, and first heartbreak. Now he's just my ex-husband.

It’s been three years. It’s time to let go of the past. When a man covered in tattoos walks into the bar where I work, with a guitar case slung over his back and a determined swagger, I think I’m finally ready to move on…until I see his guitar. I’d recognize it anywhere. It was the last gift Nate ever received from his father.

The man holding the guitar is different than the one I left behind in Nashville, but one thing remains the same, Nate Pearson will always be the love of my life.

The reasons why I asked for a divorce haven't changed. Only problem is, Nate Pearson says he still loves me, and this time he's playing for keeps.

I enjoyed this second chance romance. I felt Amelia got the short end of this story. Everyone is pushing her to forgive Nate and that she’s the only one who can save Nate. That is not her job at all but everyone makes it her job. With the flashbacks to their childhood it slows the book down. They weren’t necessary. I started skipping them. Once everything comes out Nate doesn’t do anything to fix the problem but it was still interesting to read.

Book 1 Bristol Bay

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Heart of Curiosities by Karice Bolton

2 Stars

Amelia Evans knew one day she’d come back to help at her family’s Antiques and Baubles on Curiosity Bay. She just didn’t expect it to happen after her fiancé leaves her for her best friend, her apartment burns down, and her trusty ride of over a decade wheezes its last breath.

With her sisters welcoming her into the fold, she realizes the island’s coveted antique store might just be the place to mend her broken heart.

But when an exotic vase arrives with something special inside, she knows she needs to find the rightful owner. There’s no way he would ever have let this go. She just never expects it to be…him.

When James Edwards hears from an antique dealer regarding his family’s belongings, he ignores the call. After all, everyone’s been after him since his mom’s death to get a piece of his family’s rare collectibles.

And that was the least of his worries. Between his own life imploding and his future not what he ever expected for his small son, he doesn’t have time to worry about an expensive vase.

It isn’t until the woman shows up at his doorstep that he realizes there’s more to it than he realizes, but the mystery surrounding the woman holding the vase is as intriguing as the one he wishes he could solve.

This was an interesting story idea, but it had a massive pacing issue. The beginning and ending were good but getting there took way too long. The ending was also a little bit weird. I liked the main characters and wanted to love this book but with the pacing issue it made it hard to read this book. Overall meh.

Book 1 Curiosity Bay

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Good as Gold by Sarina Bowen

4 Stars

Matteo has had a ruff year. He’s lost his best friend to a freak accident and that’s made him want to go home. When he gets there, he finds his childhood friend Leila is single. He’s always wanted her but when she married their best friend, she was off limits. Now that she’s single all bets are off. When she tells him the one thing, she wants is a baby, can he give it to her and walk away?

I enjoyed this book a lot. There wasn’t any high angst in it. I loved how Leila and Mateo were so closed off on their true feelings for each other. Everyone else in the book knew and tried to encourage them both to open up. Both had their reasons for being closed off and it was interesting to watch them work through it and come out on the other side. It made for a fun read.

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