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Story Blurb He’s looking for the perfect wife. She’s looking for the perfect one-night stand. Literary agent Zoey Moody has been exiled from the Manhattan publishing scene to small-town Pennsylvania with her best friend and only remaining client, romance novelist Hazel Hart. Zoey’s bank account is running on fumes, forcing her to liquidate her designer wardrobe to make ends meet. But this plucky heroine has a plan to climb her way back on top. Nothing will stand in her way. Okay. Nothing except her six-foot-two-inch blue-collar landlord, Gage Bishop. He’s smart, serious, and sexy. When he isn’t practicing law, he’s working with his equally attractive brothers in the family construction business. Worst of all, he’s ready to settle down. Zoey might be the most beautiful, infuriating woman Gage has ever met, but her special brand of chaos makes it clear they’re all wrong for each other. She’s allergic to commitment and afraid of animals. He’s looking for a wife and lives in a literal barn. (For clarification, it’s a converted barn. But he does live there with a golden retriever who doesn’t understand the concept of personal space.) These opposites can attract all they want. They both know it will never work out. For one, even if she wanted to, Zoey could never give him what he wants. But when Gage’s world is rocked by a devastating family secret, he turns to Zoey for one night to forget everything. That one night just might change everything…or ruin it. Yeah. That’s more likely. My Thoughts/Opinion I loved Zoey as Hazel's agent/sidekick in Story of My Life and have been waiting impatiently for her and Gage's story. Lucy Score has a way of injecting both humor and poignancy into her stories. But let's not kid ourselves - she's a true queen of hysterical banter and highly entertaining spice. Gage was such a perfect hero, almost too perfect, until he wasn't. And then I wasn't sure how these two were going to find their way back to each other. But I'm so glad they did! Now, I have to wait for Levi's story to round out this wonderful community of Story Lake. Favorite Quote: “You were never too much. They just weren't enough.”

Story Blurb IF HE CAN'T HAVE HER, NO ONE ELSE CAN Kade Mitchell is obsessed with someone he despises. A snake in an angel’s skin, Stacey Rhodes is everything he can’t forget – the girl who shattered his heart and drove him deep into the darkness of the underworld. He watched her for years. Killed anyone who came close to her. But now, granted a brief moment of freedom from the life he’s trapped in, he’s back home and driven to claim her again, breaking every rule he’s ever made for himself. Not even his hatred can stop the pull between them. But he’ll never forgive her… will he? My Thoughts/Opinion I wanted this story to be so much better than it turned out to be. I struggled mightily to like either of the main characters and I was almost halfway into the book still wondering what the plot was when the beginning of a plot developed. I also found it highly unlikely that our hero could so successfully lead such a double life. Or that the whole of the underworld with access to law enforcement data couldn't figure out who his girl was. Sorry, but this one was a no go for me. Plenty of other people love it though, so maybe it was a good book that I just wasn't in the right mood for. Favorite Quote: “Staying silent is like being in a mental prison.”

Story Blurb Over the course of two weeks, everything in Beartown will change. Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The destruction caused by a ferocious late-summer storm reignites the old rivalry between Beartown and the neighboring town of Hed, a rivalry which has always been fought through their ice hockey teams. Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a better life, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake. Maya’s parents, meanwhile, are caught up in an investigation of the hockey club’s murky finances, and Amat—once the star of the Beartown team—has lost his way after an injury and a failed attempt to get drafted into the NHL. Simmering tensions between the two towns turn into acts of intimidation and then violence. All the while, a fourteen-year-old boy grows increasingly alienated from this hockey-obsessed community and is determined to take revenge on the people he holds responsible for his beloved sister’s death. He has a pistol and a plan that will leave Beartown with a loss that is almost more that it can stand. My Thoughts/Opinion This community and this story will live rent free in my head for a long, long time. This author's ability to bring me so many times to tears because of what happens to and by these characters cannot be understated. I'm still reeling. From the events that unfold, the alliances that are redrawn, how lives are impacted, and how things end. If you're looking for a series that you can marinate in throughout the reading experience and beyond, you absolutely must read this one. Favorite Quote: “We fool ourselves that we can protect the people we love, because if we accepted the truth we’d never let them out of our sight.”

Story Blurb Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. Have you ever seen a town rise? Ours did that, too. A small community tucked deep in the forest, Beartown is home to tough, hardworking people who don’t expect life to be easy or fair. No matter how difficult times get, they’ve always been able to take pride in their local ice hockey team. So it’s a cruel blow when they hear that Beartown ice hockey might soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in the neighboring town of Hed, take in that fact. As the tension mounts between the two adversaries, a newcomer arrives who gives Beartown hockey a surprising new coach and a chance at a comeback. Soon a team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; always dutiful and eager-to-please Bobo; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the town’s enmity with Hed grows more and more acute. As the big game approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt intensifies. By the time the last goal is scored, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after everything, the game they love can ever return to something as simple and innocent as a field of ice, two nets, and two teams. Us against you. My Thoughts/Opinion I couldn't wait to dive into the second book in this series. The people of Beartown captured my heart and Backman's writing style made me want to forgo my real life responsibilities just so I could get back to this world. And this story didn't disappoint. Deeper connections. Deeper secrets. Deeper loves. Deeper loss. Oh my goodness. How does this story just continue to get better and better? Favorite Quote: “The complicated thing about good and bad people alike is that most of us can be both at the same time.”

Story Blurb Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, stealing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that's beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.  For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She's so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they're professional rivals.  When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning. Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can't trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology. My Thoughts/Opinion This book was clever and cleverly written. The banter between the hero and heroine was smart and witty. You have to suspend your disbelief quite a lot in this story laced with a host of supernatural birds. I think overall the story could have been a little shorter and still accomplish the same humor and resolution, but all in all, it's a really fun refreshing read. Favorite Quote: “It was the lightest of kisses, but it reached deep inside her to stroke some exquisitely sensitive nerve and illuminate her inner darkness like the magical flash of some bird whose name she could not even begin to remember in that moment. She could barely remember her own.”

Story Blurb 'May you not rest, as long as I am living. You said I killed you - haunt me, then' Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past. My Thoughts/Opinion I wanted to read this Gothic classic before the new movie released and while I did finish the book (and wanted to finish it), I can't say I enjoyed the reading experience. The book was written in the 1840s and focuses on dark themes of revenge, anger, and selfish ideals. There was such sadism from so many characters toward others, it was quite difficult to root for any of them, except perhaps Nelly Dean, the woman who cared for them all. Favorite Quote: “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”

Story Blurb By the lake in Beartown is an old ice rink, and in that ice rink Kevin, Amat, Benji, and the rest of the town’s junior ice hockey team are about to compete in the national semi-finals—and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Under that heavy burden, the match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown. This is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities of friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the decisions we make every day that come to define us. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. My Thoughts/Opinion I don't know how to quite put this reading experience into words. Simply, this is one of the best books I've read. Maybe ever. Told in omniscient POV, every single word, line, sentence, and scene mattered to this story. The characters' stories were so intricately interwoven into each other lives, just as it is in a real small town, reading it was compulsively addictive. Love, hate, jealousy, tragedy, striving, failing. This book had it all and I can't wait to continue watching their lives develop in the next book in the series. Favorite Quote: “Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn't through love, because love is hard, It makes demands. Hate is simple. So the first thing that happens in a conflict is that we choose a side, because that's easier than trying to hold two thoughts in our heads at the same time. The second thing that happens is that we seek out facts that confirm what we want to believe - comforting facts, ones that permit life to go on as normal. The third is that we dehumanize our enemy.”

Story Blurb Their families have been at war for generations. They were supposed to be enemies. Instead, they fell in love. Juliette Calloway lives in a world of luxury, legacies, and lies. The daughter of Rosebrook Falls’ most powerful family, her life is a carefully crafted performance, and she’s tired of being polished to perfection.Roman Montgomery doesn’t exist. Not officially, anyway. He’s a shadow, a hidden weapon, the secret heir to an empire soaked in danger and a generations-old feud.When their paths cross, sparks fly. No names.No pasts.Just reckless smiles and a chemistry neither of them can shake. Roman is charming. Mysterious. Infuriatingly flirty. And Juliette? She’s simply… his . When Roman is called back to claim his place as heir to the Montgomery empire, the truth crashes down: Their families are sworn enemies, and Roman’s very existence is a threat.Their love isn’t just forbidden, it’s impossible. Now every kiss feels like a betrayal. Every stolen moment a risk. And in a town built on secrets and blood, their passion might just be the most dangerous thing of all. My Thoughts/Opinion I enjoyed this Romeo and Juliet retelling. Juliet was at points immature and annoying but I realize she is just out of school and a product of a very sheltered childhood so I was able to look past it. The feud between her family and Roman's is long standing and definitely stands between their love. There is plenty of revenge, betrayal, and dirty dealings to go around. Nice twist at the end that wasn't a complete surprise but well done. Favorite Quote: “Love doesn’t survive in the dark, Juliette. It demands for you to step into the light.”

Story Blurb This old flame just might set them on fire. Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life—food. Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating… And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen. Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame. Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant. Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl. Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer. *** Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running. Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school. Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions. Too bad she’s always been clumsy. My Thoughts/Opinion I gave myself false expectations for this story because I assumed from the cover that it was a darker romance. It is not. This was much more lighthearted than I expected, though there were some serious issues. That being said I liked the main characters but struggled to have patience for Calla immaturity sometimes. Decent read and I liked the forum interactions they had, but sadly I never got super engaged in the story. Favorite Quote: “Your broken is still the most whole thing I’ve seen.”

Story Blurb He was the talented bad boy everyone wanted. I was the irrelevant geek everyone hated. He was the sun...drawing all of us in. I was a black hole...taking up space. He was destined to be a star. I was destined to remain an insignificant no one. Until he made me believe I was special... And then he destroyed me. I never thought I'd see Phoenix Walker again after he broke my heart, but fate had other plans. One tour. Eight weeks. Forty shows. Countless opportunities to make him pay. The world thought he was a God... But I knew the truth . My Thoughts/Opinion I like the first part of this story in their teen years. It did a good job of setting up the conflict and, as importantly, their traumas. Very well done. I also liked the set up of the FMC getting to exact revenge as an adult. I think the story was good, but in my opinion, it went on way too long. The ending was a little meh also. I had a hard time with the overt juxtaposition of the roles. It didn't ring true to me. Favorite Quote: “Don’t let your insecurities overpower that which makes your soul come alive. Otherwise, you’ll walk this earth never feeling whole…and that’s no way to live.”

Story Blurb Briggs, Remember when we parted ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn't know was that I was breaking mine too. I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . . Before the war. Before the ambush. Before you. But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours. The truth is I’m lost without you. I thought the nightmare was over when they pulled us from that hole in the ground, but nothing could have prepared me for the war I’d face at home. I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but, please, I have to see you one last time. . . All my love, Scottie My Thoughts/Opinion This book was a big nope for me. First of all, I struggled to empathize with the FMC. But more than that, I'm never going to enjoy reading a story about a woman who breaks her covenant with her husband because of another man. There's nothing redeemable about this story. I'm sorry. I usually try to find something positive to say about any book I add here, but I just can't with this one. Favorite Quote:

Story Blurb 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. My Thoughts/Opinion Having read the mountain man Fletcher Brothers series first, I really wanted to go back and catch Max and Cozy's story and I'm so glad I did. I love this author's excellent depiction of curvy girls without the need to make her size the point of the story. And I loved Max's little girl, who in the future books is the matchmaker for all her uncles. The spice is great and I love that Max and Cozy help each other through real past issues. This book was a great palette cleanser and quick read. Favorite Quote: “Being vulnerable only makes you weak if you’re around predators. Being vulnerable with someone good and decent like Max can make you fiercely strong.”