Category: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Lured In (Fishing For Trouble: Book 2) by Laura Drewry

Lured In: A Fishing for Trouble Novel by [Drewry, Laura]

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 27 2016

Series: Fishing for Trouble

Off the Hook – Book 1

Lured In – Book 2

Where can you find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

The O’Donnell brothers continue to cast their lines and find love in this alluring romance from the bestselling author of Off the Hook (“A must-read for fans of second-chance love stories.”—Lauren Layne).

Seasick. That’s how Jessie Todd feels when her best friend and boss, Finn O’Donnell, tells her that the Buoys will be featured on a popular fishing program—which just so happens to be hosted by a guy she used to date. She’s still friendly with her ex, but her new feelings for Finn are making things . . . complicated. His life is out on the sea, and though Jessie works at the resort, her paralyzing phobia of water keeps her on land, where she’s safe. To take a shot with Finn, she’ll need to face her fears—and her innermost desires—head-on.

Finn has been nursing a crush on Jess for a long time, so when she suddenly asks for swimming lessons, he dives right in. Holding her shaking hand as she steps into the ocean makes his heart swell—despite the sinking feeling that she’s just doing it to impress that smarmy TV host. Finn doesn’t trust anyone with his bruised and battered heart, but he’ll be forced to lay it all on the line to keep Jess from being the one that got away.

My review:

This book is more profound than what the synopsis says. The backstories (Finn and Jessie’s) were complicated and heartbreaking. Finn was the last one to see his mother before she took off. He overheard her soul breaking words “Finn was a mistake.” He was seven at the time. He took years of physical abuse from his alcoholic father. That did a number on his self-confidence and self-esteem. Jessie holds herself responsible for the drowning death of her older sister. She had to deal with parents who stopped being there for her. My heart hurt for both of them.

Jessie was awesome. She was a wonderful character to read. She faced her fear of water on top of running the Buoys. She had such positivity to her that it radiated off the page. I loved it!!

Finn was such a down to earth guy and such a great friend to Jessie. He would do anything for her. When they did make that leap into having a relationship, he waited almost a month before having sex with her. He was her friend first, lover second.

The romance between the two of them was believable. Finn and Jessie were friends who fell into love and did it in such a gradual way that it grew on me. The sex was hot but not too descriptive. The author did not feel the need to describe everything that they were doing. Which was great because I got to use my imagination.

This book is the 2nd book in the series, though, and it did read like one. There were certain sections where I was left scratching my head and going “Huh.” I believe that if I read the first book, I would understand the nuances in this book better. So not a standalone novel.

The ending was what I expected. The twist I could see coming from the middle of the book. It was an excellent lead-in for the 3rd (Ronan’s) book.

How many stars will I give Lured In? 3.5/4

Why? I would call this a beach book. The plot was good, the characters great (even though Olivia annoyed me…btw, I would love to see an LGBT romance with her) and the romance was satisfying.

Will I recommend? Yes

Will I reread? Yes

Age Range: Adult

Why? Sex and language

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Anywhere You Are (Return to Briarwood: Book 3) by Elisabeth Barrett

Anywhere You Are: A Return to Briarwood Novel by [Barrett, Elisabeth]

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: September 20th 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Return to Briarwood

Once and Again – Book 1

The Best of Me – Book 2

Anywhere You Are – Book 3

Where can you find this book: Amazon 

Book synopsis:

The author of Once and Again (“Engaging, sexy, and immensely touching.”—Marina Adair) invites readers back to the Briarwood with a novel about a single-minded businessman and the rock princess who melts his heart.

As the daughter of a music legend, Grace Davingham knows all too well what it’s like to be burned by the media’s glare. Now all she wants is to be left to do her painting and conservation work in peace, with no intention of returning to the spotlight. But after she sprains her ankle hiking and a handsome real-estate mogul comes to her rescue, Grace once again finds herself in the public eye.

Sexy, successful, and averse to any attachments, Marcus Colby thrives on rigid discipline in order to manage both his real-estate investment company and his personal life. Marc has no time for fun, and no patience for crazy. Which is why meeting Grace—and inheriting an enormous Great Dane who won’t listen to a word he says—has turned Marc’s carefully constructed world upside down.

Only when Grace and Marc square off over a local controversy do they realize how different they really are. But if opposites attract, their love is destined to bind them together—forever.

My review:

I was “Meh” about this book. It wasn’t because it was a 3rd  book in the series. Anywhere You Are can be read as a standalone book. It wasn’t because of Great Dane named Mr. Pipplepotts. It was because Marc and Grace weren’t believable as a couple. Something about their relationship struck me as forced. I don’t like it when a romance novel comes across that way.

Marc was rigid in his dealing with life and with Grace. I understood some of his rigidity but the way he acted with Grace was a little over the top sometimes. He blew hot and cold, and it drove me nuts.

Grace grew as a character in the book. She was a person who hid out all the time and let people take advantage of her. She became someone who stood up to her family, Marc and people who took advantage of her. I loved it. Plus her interactions with Mr. Pipplepotts was great.

Marc and Grace’s relationship seemed forced. I couldn’t put the finger on it, but his past issues were part of the relationship being the way it was. They also didn’t seem to connect with me as being a couple until the very end.

The ending was what I thought it was going to be and all issues throughout the book were resolved. What got me was that Marc, who is private, was OK with Grace doing guest spots on her family’s reality TV show. A total 180 from where he stood that the beginning of the book and that bugged me.

How many stars will I give Anywhere You Are? 3

Why? Like I said above, I was “meh” about the book. But, the plot was solid and the author did do a great job of making you like the main characters (yes, Marc grew on me after a while)

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range? Adult

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Visibly Broken by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields

Visibly Broken by [Camaron, Chelsea, Fields, MJ]

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 20th 2016

Genre: Romance

Where the book can be found: Amazon 

Book synopsis:

In a powerful, smoldering novel from the bestselling authors of the Caldwell Brothers series (“Bad boy heroes to die for!”—Tracy Wolff), two tortured souls team up to overcome the past, finding the courage to heal . . . and to love.

Jason “Cobra” Stanley was born to fight. With a father like his, he had to toughen up just to survive. Now Cobra tries to take out all of his frustration, all of his anger, and all of his pain in the MMA cage. But after he receives one too many hits to the head during a match, the cycle of violence comes to a screeching halt. Cobra wakes up in the hospital, under the care of a nurse whose blond hair shines like a halo—and whose pure heart touches him on the deepest level.

Lorraine Bosch is a fighter too. The lone survivor of a chilling family tragedy, she prides herself on remaining professional, despite the chaos of the ER. But Cobra is the ultimate distraction. Lorraine knows she should run away screaming from his rippling muscles and shattered psyche. And yet how can she deny this broken man a second chance—especially since she knows exactly what he’s been through? Lorraine’s used to playing guardian angel. Now it’s her turn to find heaven in Cobra’s arms.

My review:

Do not let first impressions ruin this book for you. The first couple of chapters of this book are tough to read. Jason and his girlfriend are abusive to each other. To stop from hitting her, he starts doing MMA style underground cage matches. During one of those matches, he gets hit on the head hard and gets dumped at the ER. That is where he meets Lorraine, a nurse who is damaged by her past.

Like I said above, you need to get past the first couple of chapters to feel the book. I couldn’t understand why the authors would start the book like that. But the more I learned about Jason and his childhood, the more I understood and it is heartbreaking.

It took a while for Jason to grow on me. It took a while to realize that through helping Lorraine, he was helping himself get over his past trauma. He found someone he could protect in Lorraine. Someone who accepted him and his past with no questions asked. Someone who stilled the rage and violence in him. Someone who made him think that he wasn’t the monster that he believed he was.

Lorraine was as damaged as Jason. It took me a while to realize how damaged she was because of the way the book described her. It was brilliant of the authors to do it the way they did. I thought that there were two people instead of one. The more  interactions she has with Dr. Bennett and his family, I came to understand why and it is sick.

The sex scenes were out of control hot. I didn’t like was that Jason was going bareback with Lorraine within days of breaking up with Missy. It bothered me.. The fact that he moved her into his condo without even asking her. That bothered me too. But, in his way, he was protecting her.

The ending wasn’t what I thought it was. The twist fit in with the plot, and I was a little surprised by it. The epilogue was what got me. I was crying at the end.

How many stars will I give Visibly broken? 4/4.5 stars

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range? Adult

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Welcoming the Bad Boy (Hero’s Welcome: Book 3) by Annie Rains

Welcoming the Bad Boy: A Hero's Welcome Novel by [Rains, Annie]

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: August 2 2016

Genre: Romance

Where the book can be found: Amazon

Book synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Welcome to Forever (“Full of heart and emotion!”—Lori Wilde) comes a sweet, sexy novel about breaking all the rules. In Seaside, North Carolina, the boys on the base are heroes—but that doesn’t mean they’re always well-behaved.
 
As a preacher’s daughter, Valerie Hunt only dates the very respectable, very boring men who meet her father’s strict standards. In private, however, she leads a double life as a romance writer of steamy stories about the least respectable sorts of men. Valerie has always kept her hottest fantasies separate from her real life, but when she nearly runs a hot-blooded biker off the road, the lines begin to blur.
 
Even though Valerie almost killed him, Griffin Black can’t be angry after he learns the reason for her distracted driving: an unruly puppy belonging to her ailing friend. As a member of the military police K-9 unit, Griffin insists on training the dog himself. But he soon wonders how he’s ever going to stay disciplined around the most alluring, down-to-earth, and totally unattainable woman he’s ever met. Valerie is the ultimate good girl. And Griffin is going to need all his old tricks to unleash her wild side.

My review:

I LOVED this book. I don’t say this about books in a series if I haven’t read the first 3 books but I will say it about this one.

The beginning was hilarious. Val is taking care of her friend’s Pomeranian, Sweet Cheeks (OMG, THE NAME!!!) while she is in a nursing home recovering from a hip replacement. Because of Sweet Cheeks, Val almost runs down a motorcyclist, who happens to be Griffin. Sparks fly immediately and the story takes off from there.

Griffin offers to train Sweet Cheeks in exchange for Val to help him with his mother. Griffin’s mother has Alzheimer’s and has no memory of him. All he wants is for his mother to remember him so he can apologize for their last encounter.

I cried during parts of this book. I legit ugly cried during Griffin and his mother’s scenes. The heartbreak, the regret came right off pages and into my heart.

I couldn’t stand Val’s father. I understand his wife died when Val was younger but he was so cold towards her and very unsupportive of her dreams. I didn’t get into his miraculous turn around at the end.

If I hadn’t of looked this book up, I wouldn’t have known it was the 3rd book in a series. You can read this as a stand alone.

3 things I liked about Welcoming the Bad Boy:

  1. Val and Griffin’s romance
  2. Val’s alter ego
  3. the storyline

3 things I disliked about Welcoming the Bad Boy:

  1. Val’s father
  2. Alzheimer’s disease
  3. It made me ugly cry

How many stars will I give Welcoming the Bad Boy? 5

Why? I absolutely loved this book. It had everything. Great sex, people falling in love over the course of a month and the plot was fantastic. I LOVED the ending (read the book!!!)

Will I reread it? Absolutely

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Adult

Why? Lots of steamy sex scenes.

Is the book part of a series. Yes, it is book 3. The other books are:

Welcome to Forever

Welcome to Forever–Starting Today (Short story about Micah and Kat)

Welcome Home, Cowboy

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**