Genre: Contemporary Romance

#BookReview And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle @smpromance @nancynaigle @StMartinsPress #AndThenThereWasYou #NancyNaigle #SMPRomance #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle @smpromance @nancynaigle @StMartinsPress #AndThenThereWasYou #NancyNaigle #SMPRomance #SMPInfluencers Title: And Then There Was You

Author: Nancy Naigle

Series: Chestnut Ridge #1

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jun. 27, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

During the coziness of sweater weather in the mountains of Virginia two people find love against all odds in USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle’s And Then There Was You .

Reeling after falling prey to a Romeo con-artist who just waltzed away with the better part of her belongings, Natalie Maynard works closely with the detective assigned to her case, only the few leads have led nowhere.

Detective Randy Fellowes can’t promise Natalie restitution, but he’s determined to find the culprit and serve up justice. Married to his work, he’s caught off guard when Natalie has his thoughts wandering to more than the case.

Natalie soon seeks refuge in the one thing she still owns ― an old fishing cabin in the mountains of Chestnut Ridge. She quickly falls in love with the town and the eccentric people who are teaching her so much about the area and its heritage.

Through these people, and the determination of Detective Fellowes, she rediscovers her courage, self, and a reason to risk love again.

Review:

Reflective, optimistic, and tender!

And Then There Was You is a charming, uplifting tale that takes you into the life of Natalie Maynard, a confused, heartbroken widow who, after falling for a con man that left her confidence shattered, her life in tatters and her money all gone, moves to her late husband’s cabin in the idyllic mountains of Virginia to regroup, start over, and perhaps find some peace, family, and a new place to call home.

The writing is warm and fluid. The characters are kind, attentive, and supportive. And the plot is a sweet, heartfelt blend of life, loss, friendship, grief, introspection, drama, community, tricky situations, romantic gestures, unconditional love, and new beginnings.

Overall, And Then There Was You is a heartwarming, hopeful, captivating tale by Naigle that’s a promising start for this new Chestnut Ridge series and is definitely the perfect choice for anyone who loves endearing characters and small-town charm.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

       

 

 

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nancy Naigle

USA Today bestselling author NANCY NAIGLE whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. Now happily retired, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and the occasional spa day with friends. A native of Virginia Beach, she currently calls North Carolina home. Nancy is the author of Christmas Joy and Hope at Christmas, both of which have been turned into film for Hallmark Channel.

Photograph by Adam Sanner.

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#BookReview The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey @sierragodfrey @KayePublicity @sbkslandmark #KayePublicity #TheSecondChanceHotel #SierraGodfrey #womensfiction #contemporaryromance

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#BookReview The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey @sierragodfrey @KayePublicity @sbkslandmark #KayePublicity #TheSecondChanceHotel #SierraGodfrey #womensfiction #contemporaryromance Title: The Second Chance Hotel

Author: Sierra Godfrey

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Sep. 12, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 374

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 8/10

It’s all fun and games until you accidentally marry a stranger in Greece and inherit a hotel.

Amelia Lang’s life is kind of a mess. She’s stuck living at home with her narcissistic mother. Her tech bro ex-boyfriend deliberately sabotages her at work, and she gets fired after throwing a mug at his head (it’s okay! She missed.) Then she has a major falling out with her best friend. So Amelia does what Amelia does best: She runs away.

After traveling around Europe for three months, she settles on a small Greek island to reset her life and figure out what’s next. But after too much retsina, she gets tricked into marrying James, another guest at the hotel, who is perfectly nice—but perfectly boring. To top it off, they are gifted the very hotel they’re staying in—a hotel they don’t want that is in desperate need of some TLC. They agree to keep the hotel open through the busy summer season for the sake of the island’s quirky but well-meaning residents, after which Amelia plans to return home to start rebuilding her disastrous life.

Amelia and James must work together to determine how to get out of their situation—easier said than done for Amelia, who’s started to feel a strong spark of attraction for James. But Amelia is sure her real life is waiting for her back in San Francisco. Is it time for Amelia to return home or could this be the second chance at a new life she didn’t know she wanted?

Review:

Breezy, hopeful, and romantic!

The Second Chance Hotel is a delightfully charming, touching tale that takes us into the life of Amelia Lang at a time when her love life is in tatters, her career is stalling, and she finds herself at the end of a European vacation on a small Greek Island waking from a night of festivities with a pounding headache, an unexpected husband, and a co-ownership in a local rundown hotel that needs more than just a little TLC.

The writing is light and tender. The characters are independent, hardworking, and caring. And the plot is an uplifting tale of life, love, friendship, family, community, starting over, taking chances, old hurts, new beginnings, spirited shenanigans, humorous mishaps, following one’s dreams, and contentment.

Overall, The Second Chance Hotel is a heartwarming, engaging, escapist read by Godfrey that reminds us to always surround ourselves with those we love, stay open-minded, and be excited for whatever comes next.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity & Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sierra Godfrey

Sierra Godfrey is a technical writer, graphic designer, and a former credentialed sportswriter covering Spanish soccer. When she’s not writing about messy families, she’s taking long walks, reading, and being cozy. Originally from Santa Cruz, California, she has lived all over the world including Santorini, Greece, but now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family, which includes a dog, two cats, and a turtle, all of which seemed like a good idea at the time.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview The Long Game by Elena Armas @elenaarmasbooks @SimonSchusterCA #TheLongGame #ElenaArmas #SimonSchusterCA

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#BookReview The Long Game by Elena Armas @elenaarmasbooks @SimonSchusterCA #TheLongGame #ElenaArmas #SimonSchusterCA Title: The Long Game

Author: Elena Armas

Published by: Atria Books on Sep. 5, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children’s team in this smalltown love story in the vein of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer —from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception.

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.

Review:

Spicy, heartfelt, and engaging!

The Long Game is a spirited, heartwarming, enemies-to-lovers romance that features the ambitious, hardworking Adalyn who, after having an epic meltdown go viral on the internet, is sent by her father, owner of the Miami Flames FC, to the small town of Green Oak, NC to stay out of trouble and manage the local team with the grumpy, sexy, former professional soccer player, Cameron Caldani who’s determined to do whatever it takes to help out his friend, stay under the radar, and not let the infuriatingly, pretty new arrival get under his skin.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are quirky, supportive, and kind. And the plot is a fun-loving, flirty blend of tricky situations, tender moments, humorous mishaps, self-discovery, friendship, family, kindness, support, happiness, romance, community, and some furry friends with large personalities.

Overall, The Long Game is a charming, humorous, enjoyable treat by Arnas that is a delight to read and ultimately reminds us that sometimes life doesn’t always turn out the way we planned it. Sometimes, it actually turns out better.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elena Armas

Elena Armas is a Spanish writer, self-confessed hopeless romantic and proud book hoarder. Now, she's also the author of Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment. Her books are being translated to over 30 languages–which is bananas, if you ask her.

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#BookReview In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #IntheLikelyEvent #RebeccaYarros #Montlake #FireflyDist

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#BookReview In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #IntheLikelyEvent #RebeccaYarros #Montlake #FireflyDist Title: In the Likely Event

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Published by: Montlake Romance on Aug. 1, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 348

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

When Izzy Astor gets on a plane to go home, she isn’t expecting much. It’s the usual holiday travel experience: busy, crowded, stressful.

Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.

Review:

Romantic, thought-provoking, and absorbing!

In the Likely Event is a poignant, intimate tale that sweeps you away into the life of Izzy Astor and Nate Phelan, two teenagers who, after having an instant connection and surviving a plane crash together, spend the next several years separately following their dreams while fondly anticipating and savouring the few days they sometimes get to spend together until an unexpected meeting on the war-torn streets of Afghanistan has them not only trying to survive but finally confronting the long-buried hurts, secrets, and feelings they’ve built up over the last ten years for each other.

The prose is sentimental and tender. The characters are independent, supportive, and layered. And the plot is a compelling, touching tale of life, love, family, honesty, kindness, communication, acceptance, self-discovery, grief, loss, understanding, forgiveness, romance, taking chances, and new beginnings.

Overall, In the Likely Event is another emotive, thoughtful, beautiful read by Yarros that reminds us that life is complicated and messy, timing is everything, and sometimes, perhaps, things are just truly destined to happen.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

      

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rebecca Yarros

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She's a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores. When she's not writing, she's tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years, and they're currently stationed in Upstate NY with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog, but she would always rather be home in Colorado.

Photo by KATIE MARIE SENIORS

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#BookReview All That We Never Were by Alice Kellen @AliceKellen_ @SourcebooksCasa #AliceKellen #AllThatWeNeverWere #LetItBe #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview All That We Never Were by Alice Kellen @AliceKellen_ @SourcebooksCasa #AliceKellen #AllThatWeNeverWere #LetItBe #SourcebooksCasa Title: All That We Never Were

Author: Alice Kellen

Series: Let It Be #1

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Aug. 29, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 448

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 8/10

International bestselling author Alice Kellen will flood you in emotion, following two star-crossed lovers whose destiny is inexorably intertwined.

He’ll do anything to bring the light back into her eyes.

19-year-old Leah Jones used to love her life. Now, she can barely get out of bed in the morning. Still shaken by the sudden loss of her parents, her 29-year-old older brother is the only person she has left to keep her from falling into an emotional abyss. But as he prepares to move across the country for work, soon he’ll be gone too, and Leah will have no one. 

Axel Nguyen is her brother’s best friend, and the natural person to turn to. Seeing Leah so despondent is a punch to Axel’s gut. At her brother’s request, Axel drops everything to move Leah in with him, to meet her every need. He’s determined to push her to her limits, to break down the walls she’s built to protect her fragile heart. Little does he know, she has loved him forever, and now his love for her expands to so much more. As Leah and Axel’s undeniable bond grows stronger, Axel must break Leah’s heart in order to guarantee her the life he knows she deserves…

Fans of Colleen Hoover, Anna Todd, and B. Celeste will immerse in this thrill of a heartbreaking emotional rollercoaster.

Review:

Absorbing, romantic, and emotional!

All That We Never Were is an intimate, moving tale that sweeps you away to small-town Australia and into the life of Leah Jones, a nineteen-year-old girl who, after suddenly losing her parents in a tragic car accident, struggles to find any light in her life until her brother heads out of town to work and she is placed under the care of the one man who she’s always had a crush on, her brother’s best friend Axel, who may develop more than platonic feelings of his own while he shares a roof and does whatever he can to bring passion and colour back to her world.

The writing style is heartfelt and smooth. The characters are tormented, fragile, and endearing. And the plot is a rollercoaster ride of life, love, loss, grief, tension, PTSD, comfort, support, family, friendship, and undeniable attraction. 

Overall, All That We Never Were is a touching, immersive, tender start to the Let It Be duology by Kellen that had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish and a cliffhanger ending that left me more than a little eager to see how this story could possibly end.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

       

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Alice Kellen

Alice Kellen is an international bestselling author of romantic fiction. She writes stories with universal, crossover themes such as love, friendship, insecurities, losses and longing for a brighter future, connecting with younger and older readers alike. She lives in Valencia, Spain with her family.

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#BookReview The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner @jenniferweiner @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCA #JenniferWeiner #TheBreakaway #SimonSchusterCA

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#BookReview The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner @jenniferweiner @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCA #JenniferWeiner #TheBreakaway #SimonSchusterCA Title: The Breakaway

Author: Jennifer Weiner

Published by: Atria Books on Aug. 29, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and a life-changing journey.

Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead of a career, and the apartment where she’s lived since college still looks like she’s just moved in. But she’s got good friends, her bike, and her bicycling club in Philadelphia. She’s at peace with her plus-size body—at least, most of the time—and she’s on track to marry Mark Medoff, her childhood summer sweetheart, a man she met at the weight-loss camp that her perpetually dieting mother forced her to attend. Fifteen years after her final summer at Camp Golden Hills, when Abby reconnects with a half-his-size Mark, it feels like the happy ending she’s always wanted.

Yet Abby can’t escape the feeling that some­thing isn’t right…or the memories of one thrilling night she spent with a man named Sebastian two years previously. When Abby gets a last-minute invi­tation to lead a cycling trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, she’s happy to have time away from Mark, a chance to reflect and make up her mind.

But things get complicated fast. First, Abby spots a familiar face in the group—Sebastian, the one-night stand she thought she’d never see again. Sebastian is a serial dater who lives a hundred miles away. In spite of their undeniable chemistry, Abby is determined to keep her distance. Then there’s a surprise last-minute addition to the her mother, Eileen, the woman Abby blames for a lifetime of body shaming and insecurities she’s still trying to undo.

Over two weeks and more than seven hundred miles, strangers become friends, hidden truths come to light, a teenage girl with a secret unites the riders in unexpected ways…and Abby is forced to reconsider everything she believes about herself, her mother, and the nature of love.

Review:

Humorous, heartwarming, and uplifting!

The Breakaway is a sweet, slow-burning romance that takes us into the life of the hardworking, kind Abby Stern who, after needing a little space before taking the next step with her current boyfriend, Mark, decides to lead a twelve-day bike tour from NYC to Niagara Falls with two unexpected participants among the pack. One a former one-night stand notorious for his playboy lifestyle whom she’s never been able to completely forget, and the other her mother, whom she’s always had a strained complex relationship with due to her lifelong criticism of Abby’s above-average weight.

The writing is sentimental and engaging. The characters are layered, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is a touching tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, healing, taking chances, growth, revelations, tender moments, light drama, misunderstandings, romance, passion, new beginnings, the importance of body autonomy, and the joy of cycling.

Overall, The Breakaway is another charming, timely, thought-provoking tale by Weiner that has everything I’ve come to know and love about her novels, including a good dose of hope, heart, healing, and humour that always keeps me coming back for more.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of sixteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, most recently, Mrs. Everything. A graduate of Princeton University and contributor to the New York Times Opinion section, she lives with her family in Philadelphia.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Hollywood Jinx by Sariah Wilson @sariahwilson @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheHollywoodJinx #SariahWilson #Montlake #FireflyDist

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#BookReview The Hollywood Jinx by Sariah Wilson @sariahwilson @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheHollywoodJinx #SariahWilson #Montlake #FireflyDist Title: The Hollywood Jinx

Author: Sariah Wilson

Published by: Montlake Romance on Jul. 25, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 299

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 8.5/10

When Hollywood comes to small-town Ohio, the scene is set for an unpredictable romance in a fun and flirty novel by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.

The small town of Patience needs a financial boost. Temporary librarian and aspiring film-score composer Jane Wagner’s plan? Invite movie star Nick Haddon to the town’s harvest festival and stand back for the tourist surge. No one thought he’d say yes—much less that he’d bring a documentary crew to stream his visit.

Given Nick’s affinity for trouble, his reputation and films are tanking. Patience is the perfect stopover on a journey of self-improvement and his chance to put good karma out in the universe. Spending time with a sweet and lovely guide like Jane is a bonus. But Jane’s heartbroken past keeps her on guard against men. Especially when they’re jinxed.

The truth is, Jane’s falling hard. But she can’t ignore the differences between them. He’s famous. She isn’t. He’s here for two weeks. This is her home. Where can it possibly lead? She’ll see. Because day after blissful day, Nick’s encouraging Jane to trust again and, best of all, to dream beyond Patience.

Review:

Romantic, hopeful, and sweet!

The Hollywood Jinx is a heartwarming, sassy tale that takes you to the idyllic town of Patience, Ohio and into the life of the hardworking, kind Jane Wagner as she juggles the renovations of her family-owned B&B, the responsibilities of being the temporary librarian and town mayor, the organization of the town’s much-needed revenue making annual festival, and a growing attraction for a movie star who’s only in town for two weeks.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are fun-loving, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is a heartfelt, flirty blend of tricky situations, tender moments, humorous hijinks, self-discovery, new beginnings, friendship, family, happiness, romance, community, and love.

Overall, The Hollywood Jinx is a charming, witty, adorable read by Wilson with characters I couldn’t help but root for and a swoon-worthy ending that left me smitten, satisfied, and already looking forward to reading whatever she comes up with next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sariah Wilson

USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children . She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with two cats named Pixel and Callie, who do not get along. (The cats, not the children. Although the children sometimes have their issues, too.)

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains @AnnieRainsBooks @KayePublicity #KayePublicity #AnnieRains #ThroughTheSnowGlobe #HolidayReads #WomensFiction

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#BookReview Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains @AnnieRainsBooks @KayePublicity #KayePublicity #AnnieRains #ThroughTheSnowGlobe #HolidayReads #WomensFiction Title: Through the Snow Globe

Author: Annie Rains

Published by: Kensington on Aug. 22, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 8.5/10

It’s a Wonderful Life meets Groundhog Day, as a woman dangerously close to losing it all receives an unexpected Christmas gift that prompts a surprising journey of self-discovery… and another chance at happiness.

What if you could have one more day with someone you lost?

Diana Merriman, a physical therapist, is probably the only person in the small town of Snow Haven, North Carolina, who isn’t looking forward to Christmas. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé Linus was critically injured when a car hit him as he biked home from the toy store he owns and manages. Watching him open his eyes is the only gift she wants, but she can’t help losing a little more hope every day.

But an unexpected visit from a friendly neighbor and finding a snow globe of Snow Haven—a gift Linus had hidden in the closet—the night before Christmas Eve changes things in ways Diana never would have imagined. Because on Christmas Eve Diana wakes up to find that it’s not—Christmas Eve, that is. Instead, it’s somehow December 4 all over again, the day Linus got hurt, and as mystified as Diana is, she immediately starts a plan to save her partner from his fate.

Nothing is that simple, of course. Instead of a single repeat of that day, Diana finds herself in an endless loop of December 4, experiencing every possible variation of events. Along the way, she uncovers startling truths about herself, her relationship, and even her career that illustrate the ways she’s retreated from her life—and in the face of life’s slights and outright blows, from her deepest feelings. Suddenly hope is second only to joy as Diana opens her heart to the people she loves in every way she can.

Review:

Thought-provoking, optimistic, and creative!

Through the Snow Globe is a moving, time-loop tale that takes you into the life of Diana, as after a tragic day when everything seems to go wrong, patients get injured, feelings are hurt, dreams of a promotion are shattered, and her beloved fiancé is involved in an accident that leaves him fighting for his life, fate magically intervenes twenty-one days later on Christmas Eve when she discovers a present hidden by Linus that once enchanted allows her to relive December 4 over and over again to try and change, grow, reshape relationships, strengthen friendships, and recognize what’s truly important.

The writing is sensitive and sincere. The characters are flawed, genuine, and weary. And the multi-layered plot is a heartfelt, absorbing tale about life, love, family, friendship, trust, compassion, romance, happiness, destiny, self-reflection, and second chances.

Overall, Through the Snow Globe is an emotional, pensive, heartwarming tale by Rains that reminds us that life is complicated, things happen for a reason, often the choices we make have consequences, letting people in is never a bad thing, and love is, ultimately, always worth fighting for.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Annie Rains

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.

Photograph courtesy of Read-Forever Website.

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#BookReview Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan @kennedyrwrites @Read_Bloom #ReadBloom #KennedyRyan #LongShot #HoopsSeries #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan @kennedyrwrites @Read_Bloom #ReadBloom #KennedyRyan #LongShot #HoopsSeries #SourcebooksCasa Title: Long Shot

Author: Kennedy Ryan

Series: Hoops #1

Published by: Bloom Books on Aug. 8, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 480

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 10/10

*Reader Advisory: Please be aware of the content warning in the beginning of the book.

From award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the soul-gripping, unforgettable first installment of the Hoops trilogy.

Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It’s the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable…but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man—basketball’s “golden boy” and August’s long-time rival.

The two go their separate ways, but they often recall that electric night and what could have been. While August has embarked on his all-star life, studded with wealth and fame, Iris’s perfect public relationship has become a nightmare behind closed doors. A tarnished dream of fool’s gold.

When August re-enters her life, the world seems briefly bright again, but Iris’s darkest nights are not over yet. To survive, she must build her own strength and trust that her bond with August can endure after all this time.

Even when her fraudulent prince has vowed never to let her go.

Review:

Powerful, consuming, and heartbreaking!

Long Shot is an immersive, emotional, heart-wrenching tale that takes us into the life of the intelligent, driven Iris DuPree as she struggles to survive a surprise pregnancy, broken dreams, a daughter she loves more than life itself, a boyfriend who was once loving but is now always angry, controlling, and brutally violent, a strained relationship with a cousin who always had her back, and a complicated attraction with a man who somehow has been stealing her heart piece by piece since the day they first met.

The writing is tender and expressive. The characters are genuine, vulnerable, and resilient. And the plot, told from alternating POVs, is a haunting tale of life, loss, secrets, perseverance, power, shame, self-blame, violence, denial, pain, healing, hope, empowerment, sexual assault, new beginnings, and unconditional love.

Overall, Long Shot is not for lovers of the lighthearted. It’s dark, gritty, raw, at times disturbing, but it’s also tragic, memorable, beautiful, and romantic. It made my heart smile, shatter, and then put it all back together again in 480 pages, and I can guarantee that even though it’s shockingly the first novel I’ve read by Kennedy, it definitely won’t be my last.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to Bloom Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kennedy Ryan

A RITA® and Audie® Award winner, USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish, and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts. Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, TIME, O magazine, and many others. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.

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#BookReview Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert @katee_robert @SourcebooksCasa #KateeRobert #CruelSeduction #DarkOlympus #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert @katee_robert @SourcebooksCasa #KateeRobert #CruelSeduction #DarkOlympus #SourcebooksCasa Title: Cruel Seduction

Author: Katee Robert

Series: Dark Olympus #5

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Aug. 8, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 8.5/10

He was my enemy. My lover. My husband.

And the one man I swore by all Olympus I would destroy.

Aphrodite has never flinched at getting her perfectly manicured hands dirty, and she’s not about to start now—even if that means marrying Olympus’s enemy number one, the new Hephaestus. She has a wicked plan to keep her deadly new husband off-balance, seducing the one person he seems to care about most in this world: Pandora, a woman as beautiful as she is sweet.

Two can play the seduction game, however, and Hephaestus is all too happy to put his new wife in her place. Her ex, Adonis, seems like he’ll do the trick. It doesn’t hurt that he’s gorgeous in the way of fallen angels, either.

The only problem with using seduction as a weapon? Hearts are all too quick to get involved. With Hephaestus and Aphrodite trading venomous strikes that feel a whole lot like foreplay, lines become blurred and emotions entangled. But a broken heart may be the least of their worries. With unrest in Olympus reaching new heights, these bedroom games may have deadly consequences for themselves, their city, and everyone they’ve come to love.

Review:

Action-packed, tantalizing, and risqué!

Cruel Seduction is an alluring, edgy tale that features the beautiful, seductive Aphrodite who, after having no choice but to give up her own wishes to do what she must as a member of The Thirteen, finds herself in the precarious position of having to marry the one man she’d rather kill than wed, Hephaestus, saying goodbye to the only man she’s ever truly loved, Apollo, and restraining her ongoing attraction to a woman who is totally off limits, Pandora.

The writing is passionate and enticing. The characters are stubborn, vulnerable, and demanding. And the plot is a scorching tale full of friendship, family, danger, deception, attraction, romance, scheming behaviour, and spicy (MF/MM/FF) sex scenes.

Overall, Cruel Seduction is a tantalizing, dramatic, sexy addition to the Dark Olympus series by Robert that has all the elements you look for in a mythological retelling and more with its heat, danger, fantastical elements, sexual tension, and happy-ever-after ending.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

       

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Katee Robert

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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