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Story Blurb Joe Raven. My first love. My only, ever love. Harper Stewart and Joe Raven have loved each other since childhood. From elementary school to middle school, through high school and into college, they were each other's first crush, first kiss, first love, first everything... until something happened which tore them apart. Ten years later, Harper and Joe will finally confront the long-buried secrets that ended their relationship. Will the same secrets that almost destroyed them now threaten any chance of a future together? Or will the deep love they once shared give them the strength and courage to forgive? My Thoughts/Opinion The hook for this book was quite good - it made me want to read it. I was introduced to Harper and Joe in book one and had to know what had torn them apart. I thought the author did a good job with the trauma of the breakup and the subsequent process of forgiveness. If I had one complaint, it was that Joe often felt like a doormat and I wish he had had at least a few experiences outside of his love for Harper to make it feel like a healthier relationship. Favorite Quote: And that's when I know. No matter what happened in the past, and no matter how uncertain the future, Haper Stewart is my forever. Always was. Always will be.

Story Blurb Lucky. The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work, at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games and the team owner is talking about trading me. I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be. Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game—that’s three goals in one game for you non-hockey lovers. Now, I have to track her down and bribe her to do it again before every game. Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking about it. I find her and when I get to know her better, I end up spending more time thinking about her than my game, but she’s made it clear she wants no part of me. She’s going to learn that I didn’t become a professional hockey player without having to fight for what I want. My Thoughts/Opinion I'm not a huge hockey romance girl, but I thought the premise to this story was cute and different. And I was right! Aiden wasn't a typical hockey jock. He was a down-to-earth guy that came from a middle-class family. Saige was a self-made woman with a heart of gold. Her broken hearted backstory was a little weak to keep the conflict throughout the whole story, but I easily looked past that because I liked them both so much. Good start to the series. I enjoyed the side characters and look forward to the future books in this series. Favorite Quote: I'm bothered she can't be mine. I'm pissed that I couldn't take her hand and walk out of that theater with her, proud to say she's my girl.

Story Blurb Carey Duncan has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other. James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus. Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together… My Thoughts/Opinion The dynamic duo of Christina Lauren is fantastic at witty banter and off-the-wall plots, and this story is no exception. I loved the backstory of both main characters, and their chemistry was exceptional. I especially appreciated how James handled Carey's medical condition. Very sweet. My only issue with the story was that the main conflict between the two could have been easily resolved and the resolution, when it did happen, felt a bit like an afterthought. But either way, I was happy their got their HEA. Overall a cute, fun read. Favorite Quote: “I swear to God he fell in love with me when he saw me take my bra off without taking off my shirt. He looked at me like I was some kind of sexy witch.”

Story Blurb Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman—until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other.  Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip—and giggle. She isn’t dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father’s French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon’s mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide. So what—in heaven’s name—possesses him to propose? And what will he do if she says yes? My Thoughts/Opinion It's been a minute since I've escaped with a historical romance, and Eloisa James is a fantastic author, a staple in the genre. I didn't quite connect with our heroine, Yasmin, in this story, though I did feel sorry for her backstory and experience. Giles was also hard for me to connect with. His backstory felt weak, and I struggled to care much about him. Made it hard for me to root for these two, but I will be back to try another by this author. Sometimes, no matter how good the author, a book is a miss. Favorite Quote: “I want you to know that my respect for you has only deepened after learning of his seduction. You were taken advantage of, yet did not allow him to steal you, the essential you, the joyful you. You did not allow his evil intentions to define you.”

Story Blurb A Star is Born meets Daisy Jones and the Six by way of Colleen Hoover in this unique story following an all-female band on the brink of breaking out. This diverse cast of characters play hard and love harder...no matter the ultimate price. Growing up in dive bars up and down the East Coast, Toni Bennette's guitar was her only companion...until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and before long he was Toni's way out, promising they'd escape their stifling small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back. Now, Toni's all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie scene. When a friend suggests she try out for a hot new up-and-coming band, Toni decides to take a chance. Strong, feminist, and fierce as fire, Toni B. and the Lillys are the perfect match...except Seb's now moonlighting as their manager. Whatever. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart...not to mention the key to her future. My Thoughts/Opinion There were a lot of elements to this story that I like - Toni's hard-knock life, her killer talent, her quandary about her life's direction. They writing itself was really good. But as a romance, it was lacking. Seb, her love interest, left a lot to be desired. His actions and personality were a disappointment repeatedly throughout the story. I really wanted to root for their HEA, but I think Toni could have done a heck of a lot better. Favorite Quote: “I am under you. How could I be so wrong? The years have not scrubbed you from my veins. I am under you. Though it's been too long Since you almost kissed me in the rain. I am under you. Strange to ever think that I was free. I am under you, and I hope that you're not over me.”

Story Blurb GIRL IN LUV Langley Vaughn is in desperate need of a date. But not just any date. She's looking for a date to the wedding from hell. It isn't every day you're forced to be in the bridal party while your first love marries your archnemesis…otherwise known as the world's worst stepsister. The entire situation is a nightmare, and Langley is sick and tired of taking orders and forcing a fake smile. She's done being the bad guy when she was the one who was wronged. She needs to find a date who's not afraid of her family's money…someone willing to shake things up. She needs someone outside of her normal social circle, someone ready to go to war with the well-to-do. She needs someone who won't back down. Someone willing to play the complicated game of tug-of-war she's been engaged in with her family for years. Never in a million years did she think she was going to stumble across her very own heroic heartthrob when she set her crazy plan in motion. Not only does Iker show up for her time and time again, he also forces her to finally fight for herself. He says he's only there for the money…but his actions speak so much louder than his words. Iker Alvarez would do anything and everything to get his hands on some quick cash. Not just any cash, but enough to make sure his younger brother gets into the college of his dreams. Thank goodness for a desperate, pretty little rich girl with too much money and her heart set on an outrageous scheme. Being in the right place at the right time might just be the answer to both of their prayers—and this smart soldier has never let a golden opportunity slide by. Iker doesn't mind coming to Langley's rescue and being her plus-one…as long as the price is right. Only, he didn't plan on liking the blonde socialite as much as he does. He is totally unprepared for the pull he feels toward her, coupled with his growing desire to protect her from the vultures and villains living under the same roof. He wants to be the guy who keeps her safe and gives her the courage she obviously needs to fight back… But someone else, someone far more powerful and influential than Langley's wealthy family, has dibs on Iker's time and on his future. He knows he isn't the guy Langley can count on in the long run, but damn, if he doesn't want to do everything in his power to be that man. ************************************************************************************** BOY IN LUV Distance sure as hell made his heart grow fonder… But it shattered hers into a million pieces. Langley Vaughn knows she's never going to make the same mistake again. Who falls head over heels in love in a week? Langley did, and she's regretted it every day since she handed her heart to a boy with too many secrets and too much baggage. Iker doesn't fit into Langley's world, and he made it clear he doesn't want to. He left before she even got a chance to try and change his mind or to prove to him how good they could be together. Langley's spent the last nine months healing her heart and making big plans for the future. Plans that absolutely don't include Iker… even though he's back, looking better than ever, and saying all the right things. Iker Alvarez knows he made the biggest mistake of his life. At first, the pretty blonde in the red dress was nothing more than a means to an end. But, she quickly became so much more. As soon as Iker walked away from Langley, claiming it was for her own good, he knew he screwed up. He left her so she wouldn't worry about him when he deployed, so she wouldn't waste her time waiting around for a guy who was never going to be good enough for her. Only, nine months and a deployment later, Iker still can't get Langley out of his head… and he totally underestimated the hold she has on his hardened heart. He's a guy who's not sure how love should work, or how to go about winning his girl back…he's about to get a crash course in both. My Thoughts/Opinion I was looking for a good audiobook the other day and stumbled across this duet. I knew this was a two-parter going in, so I treated it as one longer book since both stories were in dual POV. I really enjoyed the star-crossed love elements of this story and the class and ethnicity boundaries the MCs had to navigate to find their HEA. The story was a little thin on tension in places and the secondary characters were definitely only in play to push the plot forward (as evidenced by their personality changes from book 1 to book 2), but the storytelling and solid main characters made it easy to overlook the shortcomings enjoy the listen. Favorite Quote: “If you’re the one holding the pen, you’re the one in charge of how the story ends.”

Story Blurb Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet’s favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he’d be finished in Hollywood. April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her “real life”—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction. On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her. With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled? My Thoughts/Opinion I liked the premise of this story, and I started out really liking the main characters. I also liked the format of the story with inserts of the fanfic stories they'd written. April is a self-proclaimed fat girl and for the first part of the story, I could see the potential the author intended to a) build a great romance and b) build April's self worth. Unfortunately, her body size ended up defining her for the entire story, and was basically validation for her terrible behavior. Too many times she jumped to conclusions about others' motivations and it became almost untenable. I got to the point where I lost my motivation to care much about their HEA. Favorite Quote: “Black to disappear. Extra fabric to disguise. As always, fatness was a sin, most likely mortal rather than venial.”

Story Blurb After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable. While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people. Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his? My Thoughts/Opinion What an incredibly well-crafted and emotionally driven story this was! Just Wow!! I absolutely fell in love with the main characters and appreciated so much that the author never gave them easy outs for the issues they had to resolve. I can't remember the last time I rooted so hard for an HEA, and I love that this very inventive story teller found a fresh way to deliver. Fantastic cast of side characters as well. I fell in love with the entire town of Wakan. Kudos to the author for such a great read!! Favorite Quote: “Love follows you. It goes where you go. It doesn’t know about social divides or distance or common sense, it doesn’t even stop when the person you love does. It does what it wants. Even if what you want is to not be in love.”

Story Blurb How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are? Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return. But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have, because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark... Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching forbidden romance about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we’re willing to go on behalf of those we love and who need us most. My Thoughts/Opinion As you might now, Rebecca Yarros is one of my all-time favorite authors. She has a gift of blending a solid romance with real-life issues and this story brimmed with all the quality I've come to expect from her writing. Camden's story, and the guilt he carried, was heart-breaking. Willow had her own secrets as well. I loved the undercurrents of harsh family dynamics, along with the sacrifices that sometimes must be made for the truth. I haven't found a book of hers yet that I wouldn't recommend - so enjoy! Favorite Quote: “Desperation and love make ordinary people do heroic things.”

Story Blurb When Tanner Stewart learns his crazy ex is returning for a summer in Skagway, he places a personal ad, looking for someone to pose as his fiancée for the summer. Enter McKenna Cabot, a commitment-phobic college professor from Seattle caring for her aging grandmother. The promise of seasonal money is too good to pass up, so she heads north for the summer only to fall head over heels for tall, blonde, and handsome Tanner. But are their feelings strong enough to last when the season is over? My Thoughts/Opinion The Stewarts of Skagway is a six-book series. The second book in the series (Harper) was recommended to me somewhere and I thought the premise was intriguing. Then I realized there was this one book ahead of it and so I started here first. The book was well written, if not a bit of a stretch in a few places. I liked the FMC's motivation, the Stewart family, and the solid glimpse into Skagway history and culture. I'm also a sucker for a golden retreiver hero. This book felt a little generic to me, but I liked it well enough to venture on to Harper's story (review coming soon.) Favorite Quote: "The only life I want is the one that includes you, Kenna."

Story Blurb Rowan I’m in the business of creating fairy tales. Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels. Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland. My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her. Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias. By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late. People like me don’t get happy endings. Not when we’re destined to ruin them. Zahra After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, I should have been fired. Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job. The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I’d ever met. Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn’t care. At least not until I discovered his secret. It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn’t fix everything. Especially not us. My Thoughts/Opinion There were lots of things to love about this story. The grumpy/sunshine trope I truly enjoy, the setting (who doesn't love a Disneyesque venue), the representation (loved Ani!). And I really loved Zahra and her sunshine. I had a harder time connecting with Rowan, and never did really understand the family angst. It just didn't feel totally fleshed out to me. Also, didn't love the repetitiveness of Rowan's screw-ups then immediate "I didn't really mean it. Give me another chance" vibes. The story is part one of a 3-part series, so maybe the family angst will come together for me in subsequent books. Favorite Quote: “If I had a heart to give, it would be all yours. Free of cost.”

Story Blurb Fate brings together a ballet teacher and a hockey player in this big-hearted novel about second chances and taking risks by the bestselling author Entertainment Weekly calls the “master of witty banter.” Once upon a time teenage Aurora Evans met a hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. And soon, he was the perfect fake boyfriend, a get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky situations. I can't go to prom. I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in Canada. He was just what she needed to cover her social awkwardness. He never had to know. It wasn't like she was ever going to see him again... Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.” The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself. My Thoughts/Opinion From the cover, I expected a totally cutesy, adorable rom-com. What I got was a deep, emotionally vulnerable, incredible book that dealt with all kinds of real-life issues from eating disorders to loss and grief to parenting. I absolutely loved this book and am so glad it was so much more than I expected. Both the main characters were flawed, and I really loved how they worked through their own issues and worked for each other's weaknesses. Lots of big sighs through this one. Highly recommend! Favorite Quote: “when you don’t know what to say, you usually can’t go wrong with the truth, even if it makes you or other people uncomfortable.”