Forgiving Keven (The Kennedy Boys: Book 7) by Siobhan Davis

It’s not like I still think about him after all this time. Or daydream about how hot his kisses were and what it felt like to have his hands on my skin.

Nope, that’s not me. I’m in a happy place in my life. Engaged to a great man and finishing the last year of my photography degree.

But since I returned to Massachusetts, everything reminds me of the boy who ripped my heart to shreds. Especially when my fiancé’s constant business trips, and dwindling attention, raises old fears to the surface.

And then the unthinkable happens—Keven saunters back into my life, turning it upside down once more.

It’s ironic he thinks he’s protecting me when the only one I need protecting from is him.

Keven

They say you never forget your first love. In my case, it’s true. Most everyone in high school thought Cheryl and I were a match made in heaven and that nothing could tear us apart. Until I messed up spectacularly and lost the best thing to ever happen to me.

Years have passed, girls have come and gone, but no one has laid claim to my heart in the way Cheryl did.

I thought she was lost to me forever when an unexpected encounter with an uptight FBI agent, and an intriguing proposition, brings the beautiful blonde back into my life.

I didn’t hesitate to sign on the dotted line.

I let Cheryl down once before. I’m not going to fail her this time.

Forgiving Keven is a STANDALONE title in the Kennedy Boys world. No cliffhanger and a guaranteed HEA.

My review:

I love second chance romances. They make me smile. I like seeing two people reconnect after being apart. I like seeing them forge a new relationship. Which is why I liked Forgiving Keven so much.

What also sold me on the book was the location. Boston. I am from MA and I loved seeing cities that I grew up with and in being featured in the book. I actually lived in Chelsea for 4 years in my early to mid-’20s. So, yes, I loved it. I read the entire book with a Boston accent…lol.

The main plotline of Forgiving Keven was the plotline with Keven and Cheryl. It was well written and well researched. I liked that the author chose to highlight human trafficking. The scenes involving those girls were raw and gritty. I came close to tears a few times. Some of those children were around my kids’ ages. I couldn’t even imagine my daughter or my son being put through the hell that those girls were put through.

The secondary plotline was Cheryl and Keven’s relationship. I liked it because it was realistic. Everything that they went through, as teenagers and adults, was something that I could relate to. I loved that the author chose to have them go through some traumatic experiences when they were teenagers. I also loved the explanation that Keven gave Cheryl about what happened. Like I said earlier in the paragraph, the relationship was realistic.

The chemistry between Cheryl and Keven came off the pages. The author did a great job at amping up the chemistry/sexual attraction and keeping it up. Every single sex scene was explosive. Loved it!!

There were things that I didn’t like about Forgiving Keven. There were several scenes where women/girls were sexually abused. They weren’t graphic but it was enough for me to throw up a little in my mouth. I also didn’t like Keven’s triplet brothers. They came across as douche canoes the entire book. I wanted to smack all of them upside their heads. Also didn’t like, and this is a personal complaint, that Cheryl went from having bareback sex with Dan to having bareback sex with Keven. All I could think after the book ended, was “I hope she gets tested“.

The last half of Forgiving Keven was action-packed. Which also took me by surprise. I wasn’t too surprised by what happened to Cheryl’s fiance and his associates. Those guys had it coming to them. I did like that it was a HEA. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was those two.

I would give Forgiving Keven an Adult rating. There is graphic sex. There is graphic violence. There is language. There are trigger warnings. They would be sexual assault, human trafficking, and drug use. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Forgiving Keven. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Forgiving Keven.

All opinions stated in this review of Forgiving Keven are mine

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

Big Stick (Aces Hockey: Book 7) by Kelly Jamieson

Big Stick (Aces Hockey, #7)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 23rd, 2018

Genre: Romance

Series: Aces Hockey

Major Misconduct—Book 1

Off Limits—Book 1.5

Icing—Book 2

Top Shelf—Book 3

Back Check—Book 4

Slap Shot—Book 5–review here

Playing Hurt—Book 6–review here

Big Stick—Book 7

Game On—Book 8–expected publication date January 15th, 2019

Where you can find Big Stick: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

A brooding hockey hunk learns to embrace life—and love—from a single mom who takes the world one puck at a time.

Big move . . . Jodie’s motto is “Don’t wait for the perfect moment – take the moment and make it perfect.” And that’s just what she decides to do when she moves to Chicago with her two-year-old daughter. Now all Jodie needs is a place to live, and her best friend’s boyfriend has just the answer.

Big stick . . . Nick Balachov has zero interest in socializing, partying, or flirting now. It’s not that he doesn’t like women. He loves them. It’s just that hockey, casual hookups, and hanging out at home are enough for him these days. Now Nick has a big problem – because the woman living in his empty coach house is a major distraction.

Big deal? The more Nick tries to keep his distance, the more Jodie needs him – around the house, that is. First, he helps with the snowstorm, then the power outage. Nick even finds himself trying to impress her little girl. What the hell is wrong with him? Jodie represents everything Nick doesn’t want. But maybe she’s just what he needs. . . .

My review:

I want to clue you all in for my first paragraph. Usually, when I say that, it is because the book has made me bawl my eyes out or it sucks. Well, in this case, it is neither. This clue is about the timeline of the book. I am going to assume that most of you have read the earlier books in the Aces Hockey series. Big Stick’s plotline coincides with Playing Hurt’s. Actually, Big Stick starts off with what was mid-book for Playing Hurt. What clued me in? The party where Nick met Jodie was one of Chase and Jordyn’s first dates. Then little hints of their relationship showed up in Big Stick. Like when they broke up and Nick had that talk with Chase. It was mentioned in this book after it happened. So, if you are reading Big Stick and happen to see Chase and Jordyn’s names come up, don’t be “WTF“. The author chose to start Nick and Jodie’s story around the same time. It was also a smart move on the author’s part. That would make me look into buying the other books in the series.

Playing Hurt is Nick and Jodie’s story. Nick is a loner. He is a grouch. He hates little kids (his words, not mine). He wants to be left alone. Nick is still dealing with the death of his brother, 3 years later. A death that he feels responsible for. He figures that he is better off keeping to himself. Then he meets Jodie. Jodie is the complete opposite of Nick. She loves to socialize. She is the complete opposite of a grouch. She likes to surround herself with people. She also has a 2-year-old daughter. After a disastrous run-in at a party hosted by Hallsy and Kendra, Jodie is left with the wrong impression of Nick. When Jodie decides she is outstaying her welcome at Hallsy and Kendra’s apartment, Nick makes her an offer. Live in his coach house for minimal rent until she can get on her feet. What could happen? Well, hot monkey sex and falling in love. But can it last? Can Nick decide that he needs Jodie and her daughter in his life or will he let them go?

The two main characters, Nick and Jodie, were complete polar opposites. Since this is a romance novel, they were going to get together. But man, they were like night and day. Nick was serious and kept to himself. Jodie was not serious and loved to socialize. If this was going to be a real-life couple, I would say that their relationship wouldn’t have lasted for very long. But it did. The author, somehow, made them being opposites work in their favor. He was able to come around to being more social and she tried being a bit more serious.

I will say that I loved Jodie’s daughter. I wanted to reach through the screen and squeeze her. Her reaction to Nick was hilarious. “A big giant” was one of the best lines in the book. I also loved her “face fur” comment. That sounded like something one of my kids would have said about their father. I did feel bad for what happened to her in the book. I would have had the same reaction as Nick.

Jodie and Nick had some serious chemistry going on. Sparks flew when they first met. I had a mental bet going on with myself (so sad, huh) about how long it would take for them to start having sex. I lost the bet. They actually held out longer than I thought they would have. Speaking of sex, it was hot. So very hot. My only complaint is that they went bareback so soon after becoming “friends” (hint). I eye-rolled at that. Other than that, I enjoyed the sex scenes. The butt play scenes were my favorite. Only because few authors go there. It’s like its taboo to do it.

I like how the author chose to discuss Nick’s issues. Suicide and depression are hard to write about and I thought she did a great job at handling it. Aleks story was heartbreaking and Nick’s guilt over not being there for him was even more so. I liked seeing Nick coming to realize that to get on with his life, he needs to get over Aleks death.

The end of the book was great. I had thought that Nick was a jerk to end things the way he did with Jodie. I understood that he was scared to death but still, he could have had more finesse. I loved the talk that Hallsy had with him. Love, love, loved it. It was stuff that Nick needed to hear, no matter how hard it was to listen to. I am not going to talk about the end of the book. Let’s say that I was pretty happy with what happened. What Zyanna asked Nick in the epilogue made my heart melt.

I gave Big Stick a 4-star rating. This was a sexy, fun read with some serious topics discussed. The author handled the topics of depression and suicide tactfully. She handled the aftermath tactfully too. I loved the ending and the epilogue.

I would give Big Stick an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is mild violence. There are also trigger warnings. They would be suicide and depression. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 or who is triggered by the trigger warnings read this book.

I would reread Big Stick. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would give a heads up about the trigger warning.

If you or anyone you love is depressed or thinking of suicide, please don’t. Contact a friend, a doctor or call the National Suicide Hotline (1-800-273-8255). You matter your life matters.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Big Stick.

All opinions stated in this review of Big Stick are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

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A Dream of Redemption (The Disgraced Lords: Book 8) by Bronwen Evans

A Dream of Redemption (The Disgraced Lords, #8)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: February 20th, 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Series: The Disgraced Lords

A Kiss of Lies – Book 1

A Promise of More – Book 2

A Touch of Passion – Book 3

A Whisper of Desire – Book 4

A Taste of Seduction – Book 5

A Night of Forever – Book 6 (review here)

A Love to Remember – Book 7 (review here)

A Dream of Redemption – Book 8

Where you can find A Dream of Redemption: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A forbidden love and a chilling mystery tease the senses in this sensuous historical romance from the USA Today bestselling author of A Kiss of Lies and A Love to Remember.

Bookish and independent Lady Helen Hawkestone is expected to marry well. But, having grown up with warring parents, the institution holds little appeal. The trick, she realizes, is to marry for love—a task that’s easier said than done. Only while Helen is raising funds for her do-gooder sister’s orphanage does she meet a man who arouses her curiosity. Lowborn and yet so dignified that Helen can’t help but try to elicit a response, Clary Homeward is an enigma—a heart-stopping, body-stirring, forget-her-social-upbringing enigma.

A single offense against a noblewoman such as Lady Helen would ruin a man like Clary. Her sister, Marisa, rescued him from hellish poverty and employs him with her charity work. Try as he might to push her away, Helen tempts him to want things he could never have. But when girls from the orphanage start disappearing, destined for a grim fate Clary knows all too well, Helen insists on helping. And soon Clary wonders whether something more were not just possible but inevitable—even right.

Trigger Warning: talk of past sexual abuse, child trafficking

Continue reading “A Dream of Redemption (The Disgraced Lords: Book 8) by Bronwen Evans” →

A Love to Remember (The Disgraced Lords: Book 7) by Bronwen Evans

A Love to Remember (The Disgraced Lords, #7)

Title: A Love to Remember

Author: Bronwen Evans

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: August 29th, 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Disgraced Lords

A Kiss of Lies – Book 1

A Promise of More – Book 2

A Touch of Passion – Book 3

A Whisper of Desire – Book 4

A Taste of Seduction – Book 5

A Night of Forever – Book 6 (review here)

A Love to Remember – Book 7

A Dream of Redemption – Book 8

Where you can find A Love to Remember: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A fiercely independent duchess and a brooding, reclusive Earl are tested by the demands of desire in this unforgettable romance from the USA Today bestselling author of A Kiss of Lies and A Night of Forever.

For Rose Deverill, one husband was enough. As the wealthy widow of the Duke of Roxborough, she has cultivated an unsavory reputation meant to discourage wife hunters. Thanks to a string of steamy affairs, Rose is perfectly content to be known by polite society as the “Wicked Widow”—until she’s reunited with the man she fell in love with at age fifteen. Their bedroom encounters are scorching, but it breaks Rose’s heart to wonder whether her reckless behavior ruined her for Philip Flagstaff.

The second son of the Earl of Cumberland, Philip never wanted the title. But after Philip’s older brother, Robert, follows him into the Battle of Waterloo, his worst fears come to pass. Now Robert lies in a soldier’s grave, and Philip is determined never to pass on the inheritance to children of his own. Then Rose appears, soothing the pain with her delightful curves and passionate kisses. The notorious Duchess seems to want nothing from him—and yet Philip has never ached to give a woman more.

Trigger Warning: None

Continue reading “A Love to Remember (The Disgraced Lords: Book 7) by Bronwen Evans” →

Playbook (Love Story: Book 7) by Tracy Ewens

Playbook (A Love Story #7)

Title: Playbook

Author: Tracy Ewens

Publisher: Self published

Date of publication: January 24th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 260

POV: 3rd person

Series: Love Story

Premiere – Book 1

Candidate – Book 2

Taste – Book 3

Reserved – Book 4

Stirred – Book 5

Vacancy – Book 6

Playbook – Book 7

Can be read out-of-order from series: Yes

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

If only life came with a script.

Anna Jeffries has spent the last thirty-two years blending in, content in her worn-out reading chair—her happy corner of the world—spinning romantic scenarios she’s certain reality can’t deliver. After three years of teaching Shakespeare at UC Berkeley, Anna is working toward full tenure. Her life in the classroom means everything and she can’t imagine wanting more… until she does.

Dane Sivac is in his second year as the wide receiver coach, and with new talent on the team this year, he’s beginning to think his future may hold a permanent position with Cal—as permanent as any coach can hope for. When his star receiver begins struggling on and off the field, the sports psychologist asks Dane for help. For Dane, emotions are best ignored, but his player’s seemingly uptight Shakespeare professor is driving Dane nuts… until she’s not.

Invested in the future of a student-athlete they’ve both come to care about, Dane and Anna are forced to work together. The attraction is undeniable, but opposing teams rarely get along. Right as Dane makes the type of romantic gesture Anna has only known in fiction, her career is threatened and she is reminded, playbook or not, she was never good at games.

My review:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was such a sweet romance and to be honest, after all the erotica and the wham-bam-thank you ma’am that I have read lately, I needed to read this. It was a balm to my brain.

I loved that the author chose to have Annabelle teaching Shakespeare at the University of Berkley. Shakespeare is my all time favorite playwright and to see his plays being taught in such a way that the students (even if it is fictional) were awesome.

I also liked the opposites attract theme. Annabelle and Dean couldn’t have been more different and to be honest, it works. They are just different enough that it keeps them both on their toes, relationship wise. The fact that they were first colleagues, then friends and then started their relationship was great. They didn’t jump right into bed with each other and when it did, it meant something to both of them.

I really connected with Annabelle. She was so passionate about what she teaches and it rubs off on her students. I just wish that she was more assertive earlier in the book. Because it would have gotten rid of a lot of her stress (read the book if you want to find out).

Speaking of that, and I truly don’t know this, is it normal for a committee to be so interested in an associate professor’s personal life when they are applying for tenure? Because even I lifted an eyebrow when they called Annabelle and questioned her about her kiss with Dean during the football game. Seemed a bit intrusive (and a lawsuit waiting to happen) to me.

Dean just melted my heart. He was such a nice guy and how hard he fell for Annabelle just melted my heart.

The secondary storyline of the tenure committee really ticked me off and I did a lot of eyerolls during Annabelle’s meetings with them. The other storyline of Trey was actually sad. But, I loved seeing him come out of his shell on the field and off. The talk that Dean had with Trey was perfect.

The end of the book was perfect. It was definitely a HEA!!!

How many stars will I give Playbook: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great read and it was something that I needed after reading a couple of eroticas.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, some language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Black Widow (Jack Parlabane: Book 7) by Chris Brookmyre

Black Widow (The Jack Parlabane Thrillers Book 7) by [Brookmyre, Christopher]

Publisher: Grove Atlantic

Date of Publication: November 1st, 2016

Where the book can be found: Amazon

Series: Jack Parlabane

Quite Ugly One Morning – Book 1

Country of the Blind – Book 2

Boiling a Frog – Book 3

Be My Enemy, Or, Fuck This for a Game of Soldiers – Book 4

Attack Of The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks – Book 5

Dead Girl Walking – Book 6

Black Widow – Book 7

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Book synopsis:

Diana Jager is clever, strong, and successful, a skilled surgeon and fierce campaigner via her blog about sexism in medicine. Yet it takes only hours for her life to crumble when her personal details are released on the internet as revenge for her writing.

Then Diana meets Peter. He is kind, generous, and knows nothing about her past—the second chance she’s been waiting for. Within six months, they are married. Within six more, Peter is dead in a road accident, a nightmare end to their fairy-tale romance. But Peter’s sister doesn’t believe in fairy tales, and tasks rogue reporter Jack Parlabane with discovering the dark truth behind the woman the media is calling the Black Widow.

Still on the mend from a turbulent divorce, Jack’s investigation into matters of the heart takes him to hidden places no one should ever have to go.

My review:

This is a book where I had to struggle through the first couple of chapters. I was left wondering, did Diana do it? The book begins at a trial, and the author goes between the 1st person and 3rd person.

Diana Jager’s character was a hard one to like and to sympathize with. Her childhood is less than perfect, and her adulthood hasn’t been any better. She wrote a blog that called out Scottish surgeons for sexism in the hospital. Then her life came apart when she was hacked by hospital IT guys, and her personal information was leaked. She is let go from her job and immediately got a new one in Inverness….where she meets Peter.

I didn’t like Peter from the get-go either. He came across as too naive and too nice. Usually, that isn’t an issue, but it bothered me (and I am glad that it did). Plus, he was too secretive with Diana.

Add in Jack’s storyline, and I got a mystery that will kept me absorbed until the end of the book.

I usually don’t like it when the author switches between points of view. But in this case, it worked with how the story is being told. While it gives the impression of jumping around, it doesn’t. While it gives the impression of jumping around, it doesn’t.

The author did a great job of keeping a bunch of things hidden until the end. The ending messed with my mind because what I thought was true ended up not being authentic and it screwed with me.

How many stars will I give Black Widow? 5

Why? This is a genuine whodunit with false leads, red herrings and dead ends masterfully woven into the tale. The fact that this is the 7th book in the series isn’t even a point with me because this is a totally standalone book.

Will I reread this book? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range: Adult

Why? Sexual situations, some language

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

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