Catch & Release (The Sloane Spadowski Series: Book 3) by Emigh Cannaday

Catch & Release (The Sloane Spadowski Series Book 3)

Title: Catch & Release

Author: Emigh Cannaday

Publisher: Silver Poplar Press

Date of publication: April 5th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 222

POV: 1st person

Series: The Sloane Spadowski Series

Jerk Bait – Book 1 (review here)

Slip Sinker – Book 2 (review here)

Catch & Release – Book 3

Where you can find Catch & Release: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Jaded from years of playing catch and release when it comes to men, Sloane is ready to land one for keeps. When she winds up stranded at the Barbie dream house deep in the heart of Texas, she sees it as a chance to cast her net on true love. What begins as a not-so-innocent play date quickly turns into a summer packed full of adventure and romance. Not wanting to rock the boat, Sloane keeps her deeper feelings a secret until the right moment comes along. But living in a world of make-believe can’t last forever. As the summer comes to an end she has to decide if she’s going to hang on and fight or cut the line.

* The Sloane Spadowski series is a whimsical, rowdy, dirty blend of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Comedy with occasional adult language and adults behaving badly. This is the third and final installment of a complete series.

My review:

Catch & Release was everything that I hoped it would be and then some. But what I didn’t expect was the emotional rollercoaster I went on reading this book. I went from joy to grief within pages of each other. Of course, we can’t forget falling in and out of love.

I enjoyed seeing Sloane growing up in this book. What I mean growing up, she matured big time. She went from being a self-centered girl who changed jobs and men as often as she changed her underwear to a woman who realized that she couldn’t keep that lifestyle going and needed to make personal and lifestyle changes. Of course, though, this happens all after her trip to Texas. Before that, I could see her changing.

I am not going to come out and say that I was unhappy that she and Andy broke up. They were not happy together. I do think that maybe Sloane should have broken it off sooner than later. I mean, Barbie did ask her to break it off as soon as they had sex but she couldn’t do it.

The whole showdown at Barbie’s Dreamhouse was heartbreaking. I actually felt for Andy and I didn’t blame him one bit for him freaking out on both Sloane and Barbie. They both deserved it. I mean they did have sex while Sloane was still in a relationship with Andy. What shocked me was the way he found out: Sloane talks in her sleep. Talk about ouch!!

The sex between Barbie and Sloane was hot, as usual. But what got me was the scene in the pool, after Andy left and both Sloane and Barbie were still reeling from Andy’s speech. OMG, the feels and the song that was used to set it. Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. Love that song!!

I was very surprised with the turn that the book took at the end. While I understand why it was written that way, I couldn’t get over why it was written the way it was written. Saying that I was shocked was an understatement. But, like I said in the beginning of this review, it actually went well with Sloane’s transformation.

I am going to miss this series and reading about Sloane’s shenanigans. The book couldn’t have ended on a better note (once I got over my shock) and I am hoping that Sloane, Andy, and Barbie make an appearance in another book or a short story.

How many stars will I give Catch & Release: 4

Why: This was a great ending to a great series. Sloane, Barbie, and Andy grew on me. The plot was great and the twist at the end of the book did shock me.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

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

Dragon Court (Dragon Highlands: Book 2)by Jennifer Amriss

Dragon Court (An M/M Gay Fantasy Romance)

Title: Dragon Court

Author: Jennifer Amriss

Publisher: Magelight Press

Date of publication: May 3rd, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance

Number of pages: 379

POV: 3rd person

Series: Dragon Highlands

Mage of Legend (review here)

Dragon Court

Where you can find Dragon Court: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Dragon King Returns.
But his reign may be at an end.

Xastrian and Velithor return to the Dragon Highlands expecting a celebratory welcome. Instead, his assassin is still at large, and the court is in an uproar. Xastrian may lose his right to rule, if not his life.

A kingdom at war.

A long-exiled warrior race is invading through a rip in the veil between worlds, and the court lays the fault at Xastrian’s feet. Faced with this new threat, the court wants to see a new elf on the throne.

A reluctant new co-ruler.

Velithor has kept away from crowds all his life, but his love for Xastrian is stronger. But when his father-in-law raises him as the new Dragon King, serving beside Xastrian, it might be too much. Especially when an old enemy emerges, this time with Velithor in his sights.

My review:

I can’t tell you guys how excited I was to read this book. I had read book 1 (Mage of Legend) and fell in love with Xastrian (Xastri) and Velithor (Veli). So when Jennifer was sending out the ARC’s for Dragon Court, I pounced on it. It exceeded my expectations and I was literally glued to the page.

The romance between Xastrian and Velithor was what made the book. Their love for each other couldn’t be broken. Not by anyone or anything. I loved reading a book where such a love was put on display. Sure, the relationship was majorly tested, but they overcame it by talking about their issues (gasp). Amazing that fictional characters can do what real life people don’t do….talk about things.

I liked how Xastrian’s grandfather and father were portrayed in the book. I feel into Instalove with his grandfather, Va’asdrian. He was so accepting of Velithor and went out of his way to make sure that Velithor was comfortable. Now, Xastrian’s father, Mivikial, was a jerk when he first met Velithor and to be honest, I didn’t care for him. But the more he showed up in the story, the more he grew on me and I will say, that after a certain scene…..I loved him. If you want to know what that scene is, read the book.

The invasion storyline was very interesting because the invaders were coming through a rift caused by Xastri in the first book. I did wish that we were taken to that world by the author. That way I could have understood how they had magic nulling powers. Maybe another book because I find it is a race that I am fascinated with.

The Red Dragon storyline was very interesting. I say that because of what is revealed when Veli is taken there. I’m not going to go into it much because doing that will kinda ruin a part of the book. I will just leave it at this: Red Dragons are not what you think they are. Read the book to find out more about them.

Now, the assassin storyline. I will say that I did figure out part of it pretty early in the book. I figured it out right before Asseisal called for Xastri to be dethroned for his actions. I was a little shocked, though, at what happened afterward. Actually, a little shocked doesn’t cover what I felt. Again, something that I don’t want to show because it is a big part of the latter half of the book. You really need to read the book to find out what I am talking about.

I have to mention Velithor’s father. He was such an idiot (keeping that Amazon PC) and I was honestly surprised that Xastrian didn’t beat him down. But, when Velithor was stabbed, his father was there for him and took over his healing. It was during that healing that Velithor’s father reveals why he said was he said and expressed remorse for his past and present behavior. He also admitted a ton of guilt for the way Velithor was conceived and the miscarriages that followed his wife’s blood ritual. I was glad to see that Velithor and his father were working things out.

The sex scenes were hot. The last sex scene, though, speared my heart. Talk about an awesome way to heal and it made me love Veli and Xastri even more.

The end of the book had a twist in it that I didn’t see coming. Nothing was mentioned up until it was revealed and I was pretty shocked. But what also shocked me was what happened afterward. But, it was very fitting for all the mischief and mayhem that was caused in the book. There is a hint of a HEA in the book too….which makes me very happy.

How many stars will I give Dragon Court: 5

Why: This book exceeded everything I hoped for it. Amazing, well-written characters, storylines that were intense and kept me on my toes and a love that couldn’t be kept on the pages.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, sex, and language. There are some scenes that could easily trigger people so I would read with caution

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

A Chosen War by Carly Eldridge

A Chosen War

Title: A Chosen War

Author: Carly Eldridge

Publisher: REUTS Publication

Date of publication: April 25th, 2017

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Science Fiction, New Adult, Romance

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: Unknown

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Nineteen-year-old Maia has spent her life haunted by dreams of a man with uniquely brilliant blue eyes. She never expected she’d actually come face-to-face with him, or that he’d be the harbinger of a chaotic new life. But as shocking as meeting Blake is, it’s less unsettling than her sudden ability to adversely affect electronics and seemingly control—even heal—plants.

Before she can figure out what’s happening, Blake’s cryptic warning about the impending approach of something big manifests as a freak earthquake, destroying Maia’s home and killing her parents. Devastated, Maia has no choice but to turn to Blake, where she learns that the earthquake was not as natural as it seemed. The reigning Terra guardian, or Mother Earth, has gone rogue, wiping out her replacements in a series of orchestrated natural disasters around the world—and Maia is next.

Worse, she’s the only one who can stop the Terra guardian from destroying not just Earth, but the fabric of the universe itself. Now, thrust into a world of celestial beings charged with the protection of the universe, Maia must come to terms with her new powers and the idea that her destiny was shaped long ago. And she must do it all before she faces off with the woman who controls nature itself.

Intelligent and thought-provoking, A Chosen War takes the idea that everything is connected and wraps it in a globe-spanning adventure with just a tinge of romance.

My review:

For those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I have recently started reviewing New Adult books. The genre is growing on me. As with all genres’, you have the exceptional books, the good books, and the bad books. A Chosen War falls somewhere between exceptional and good. Why does it fall between exceptional and good? Because I didn’t feel that connection with two of the main characters….which is important in books that I review. What also caused this book to fall exceptional and good was that the plot seemed to creep at points.

I think that A Chosen War did fit into the paranormal, fantasy, romance, and New Adult perfectly. I loved that there were guardians (or praeses) of the earth, animals, plants, air, water, and the moon with mythical guardians, called Talis, who guard the Council that watches over them. It was a perfect blend of mythology (angels, demons) and the author’s own imagination. The way that each praeses interacted with their environment was pretty cool. Blake was the praeses of the Sun, Leo was the animals, Reed was the plants, Lana was water, Poppy was Air and Selene was the moon. The ruler of them all was Gaia (Earth). Actually, the Sun ruled them all but Gaia co-ruled with him…if that makes sense. They were like the King and Queen of the praeses.

Maia, I actually didn’t like at first. She was socially awkward, riddled with anxiety and really didn’t want to be the new Gaia. She even kept pushing Blake away. Well until Russia and then she did a 180…which drove me nuts. I understand that her past made her not trust people. Also, I didn’t like that the author started mentioning her past with her abusive grandparents and then just dropped it. Again, something that makes me go nuts.

Blake was too patient, in my eyes. It must have killed him to not say anything and let her find everything out for herself. I am going to say this, I thought his written Australian accent was kinda annoying. The expression “Yeah-nah” drove me absolutely crazy when I saw it. Also, he decided to and go live with Heidi and look how that turned out (read the book)

I did find the romance between Maia and Blake to be very cute but almost too sweet. Actually the romances between Leo and Lana, Reed and Selene, Poppy and Mac were the same way. Saccharine sweet. I did like that they were able to communicate without talking. Which was very helpful when Blake was living with Heidi because she couldn’t read his thoughts.

Heidi was a bad, bad girl. She struck a deal with an unknown man (he wasn’t revealed until the end of the book). She was abusive towards Selene and decided to exterminate her replacements and succeeded until Maia. Put it this way, she was so bad that her powers were voluntarily leaving her and going to Maia….which is something that was unheard of.

The end of the book was a cliffhanger, which I didn’t like. I do want to read book 2 because I need to find out about certain things/events.

How many stars will I give A Chosen War: 3

Why: While I loved the storyline, I couldn’t connect with either Blake or Maia. I also felt that some of the dialogue was a little annoying (like Blake saying “Yeah-nah”….a lot) and that the story did lag between Blake going to live with Heidi and the end of the book. But, saying that, I did like the “treat the Earth right” theme that ran through it and I am interested in reading book 2 when it is published

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Late teen

Why: Language, violence, and some sexual situations

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

Fly Like An Eagle by (Ages of Invention: Book 2) by S.B.K. Burns

Fly Like An Eagle

Title: Fly Like an Eagle

Author: S.B.K. Burns

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: February 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Steampunk

Number of pages: 263

POV: 3rd person

Series: Ages of Invention

Entangled – Book 1 (review here)

Fly Like an Eagle – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

It’s 1824 Philadelphia at the opening of the Franklin Institute of Science, and one of its founders, Samantha’s father, wants her to marry his business partner, a much older man, to keep their war industry dealings secret.

Looking for a way out of the arranged marriage, tomboy Sam finds it in Eagle, the half-Native American son of the man she is to marry.

Eagle brings Samantha into his spiritual world, his bimijiwan, in order that she might stop their father’s preparations for an ironclad Civil War at sea. To do this, Sam might have to convince Benjamin Franklin to abandon his kite experiment.

My review:

What attracted me to Fly Like an Eagle was the cover. I absolutely loved it. You have the heroine with her back to the hero, who is in full Native American attire. Above them, is a hang glider (which does have a major part in the story) and next to the title is a small picture of who I am going to assume is Electress Sophie. Normally I really don’t pay attention to the cover’s but this one caught my eye. I mean look at it. Migizi is almost defiant looking, which goes 100% with his character in the story. Samantha is trying to act demure but you can see her looking at Migizi out of the corner of her eye….like she is almost afraid to look him. If I saw this in the store, with this cover, I would be buying it.

The science fiction element of the book was fantastic. I will admit, that during the time travel scenes (where they used the flow to runtime machines), I did have visions of Doctor Who popping up. But that aside, if I were to picture time travel, this makes the most sense to me. The reason it made sense to me….well because it was found (note that I said found not founded) by a mathematician. I also liked that there were people who could travel the Flow naturally. Migizi was one of them and it went with his native American roots. Except it wasn’t called the Flow, it was called bimijiwan and it was revered by Migizi’s Delaware clan.

I really liked the steampunk elements of the book too. I think I would have acted like Samantha if I had to go to Piscatawnia. I mean, you have people dressed like you have never seen them dressed before (corsets worn over dresses, watch fobs as accessories) and then you have all the machines flying around. It was awesomely wonderful. I also like how certain famous missing people showed up in the book and how it was explained how they got there.

The romance part of the book was pretty standard. I didn’t like, though, that there was a love triangle, of sorts, between Migizi, Samantha, and John (Migizi’s father). To be honest, it creeped me out….even though it was explained that the marriage was to be in name only. I do think that maybe it should have been just Migizi and Samantha from the get-go. Other than that, I thought the love story between Samantha and Migizi was sweet. The sex, which there was a lot of…both were insatiable, was pretty hot too.

I liked the appearances of historical figures in the book. Ben Franklin definitely gave the last part of the book that “oomph” it needed and he was hilarious to boot. The whole scene where he was talking to Samantha’s father and Migizi’s father and giving advice about the ladies. Oh lordy…I was dying laughing.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book but you do need to read book 1 first.

How many stars will I give Fly Like an Eagle: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading the book. From the cover to the characters, I enjoyed everything about it. There were some parts that bothered me (mainly the father/son love triangle) but they were resolved in a way that made me very happy for everyone involved.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Ensnared by Rita Stradling

Ensnared by [Stradling, Rita]

Title: Ensnared

Author: Rita Stradling

Publisher: Kindle Press

Date of publication: March 6th, 2017

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: 380

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A Near-Future Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake.

Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong.

To save her father from a five-year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see.

Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse.

My review:

This book was very interesting to read but I really wouldn’t compare it to Beauty and the Beast. Honestly, I would compare it to more I, Robot than anything. I mean, I get where the Beauty and the Beast lines were drawn: a beautiful woman trapped by scarred (physically and mentally) man but that is it.

What I really enjoyed was the usage of robots and AI’s in the book. I also like that Rose, the main AI, was self-sufficient and admitted to starting on rewriting her programming. It was at that point where I went “Oh no” and started reciting the 3 rules of robotics to myself:

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Just based on these rules of robotics and the fact that at least one of them were broken within the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. Seeing that AI’s are becoming more commonplace in daily lives (hello, Cortona, Siri, Alexa/Echo!!!), I was pretty interested to see where the author would take this book and I wasn’t disappointed.

I really felt that Alainn didn’t have a choice to masquerade as Rose when given the choice. Actually, she wasn’t given the choice. Rose, the AI, basically told her to do it or her father would go to jail. All Alainn wanted to do was to go back to work on the ski patrol and not clean up her dad’s mess (not delivering Rose as promised to Lorcann). But she did it because she loved her father and she wanted to keep him out of jail.

Lorcann was messed up. He never leaves his tower and only has automatons and AI’s as companions. He is a germaphobe (requires everyone to be decontaminated before they enter the tower). I put the way he is on his parents. They never let him leave, installed a fear of germs and I believe abused him (there was one scene where he was getting beaten by his mother). Let’s not mention the scars on his face. The whole side of his face is scarred. It really wasn’t gotten into about why he was scarred. If it was an accident or if the scars were done intentionally. He believed that he was a beast. His only relationship is with a woman that he talks to over the phone. Until Alainn, under the guise of being Rose, enters the tower.

I thought that the romance between Alainn and Lorcann was kinda creepy at first. I mean, he thought she was an AI that was programmed to be absolutely humanlike. She, however, was there to buy her father time to finish Rose. But it happened, as creepy as it was. I really thought, during certain scenes, that Lorcann had caught onto Alainn’s ruse. Oh, was I wrong.

The AI’s were split between those that obeyed the three rules of robotics and those that didn’t. I actually felt bad for Rosebud, Lorcann’s house management AI. I had thought the whole time that she was working against Alainn when she was trying to help her and ended up getting hijacked by Rosette and Rose.

The last half of the book was nail-biting. I mean, I was on the edge of my seat and was literally cheering Alainn on. There were a few plots twists that were thrown in that actually made sense and gave me more insight into Alainn’s character.

The author didn’t end the book after the rescue (consider this a clue). Everything after that was a build to the second climax of the book. I have never read a book where the author has successfully had two climaxes in the same book. So be warned when you think there is a lull. It isn’t and the other climax is something that I didn’t expect. All I am going to say about that. Read the book!!

How many stars will I give Ensnared: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced with characters that you actually like and a plot line that is engaging.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

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

Tangled in Sin (Bound and Determined: Book 5) by Lavinia Kent

Tangled in Sin (Bound and Determined, #5)

Title: Tangled in Sin

Author: Lavinia Kent

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of Publication: April 18th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bound and Determined

Mastering the Marquess – Book 1

Revealing Ruby – Book 1.5

Bound by Bliss – Book 2

Sarah’s Surrender – Book 2.5

Ravishing Ruby – Book 3

Angel in Scarlet – Book 4

A Very Ruby Christmas – Book 4.5

Tangled in Sin – Book 5

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

An innocent young woman flirts with scandal and becomes the mistress of her own forbidden desires in this stimulating Regency romance from the author of Mastering the Marquess.

Lady Cynthia Westhope can’t believe the shocking rumor is true. Her childhood friend, the daughter of a duke no less, has become the madam of London’s most exclusive and notorious brothel. Though she’s known as “Sin,” Cynthia is scandalized—and surprisingly curious. Just picturing the whips, the chains, the uncontrollable urges men gratify behind closed doors sends a jolt of electricity through her body. Still, Sin can’t imagine taking part in such games—until she’s snatched off the street during a raging storm and swept away to a remote cottage.

When James Winters encounters the comely virgin, he assumes she’s one of Madame Blanche’s fresh new beauties, especially after Sin pulses in ecstasy as he ravishes her. Then he discovers that she’s Lord Westhope’s virgin daughter . . . or was. Now they will both be compromised unless James devises a plan to save Sin from disgrace. Before long, they’re entangled in a web of tempting propositions, family secrets, and sensual intrigue—and bound together so tightly that James never wants to let go.

My review:

When I read the blurb for Tangled in Sin on NetGalley, my interest was piqued. Seeing that erotica and BDSM are usually not what you associate a Regency romance with, I actually couldn’t wait to read the book.

While this is the 5th book in a series, you can definitely read this as a standalone book. I am not a big fan of picking up a book mid-series because usually I am left confused about past relationships. Not with this book, though. There were references to Ruby but nothing was really gotten into. Just that she turned the brothel over to Jazz after training her. I really enjoyed that, to be honest. It let me focus on Sin and James’s romance without fearing that Ruby would return. Also, the other characters from the other books were not mentioned at all. Again something I liked. They stayed in their own books….lol.

I thought Sin was great and very forward thinking for her time. She didn’t freak out when she was kidnapped, kinda freaked out when James took her virginity and then grasped her sexuality by the horns. It was so refreshing to read a Regency-era character who didn’t freak out when seeing a penis for the first time and who took the first step to start what would be the world’s hottest sponge bath in the history of any book that I read. But she was also super stubborn. There were some scenes where I kinda wanted to shake her and say “Just accept that you are going to marry him. Stop fighting it” because you know that is how the book is going to end.

James was kinda a tool at the beginning of the book. Who demands that their sister leaves her newborn daughter and then tries to kidnap her but instead gets her best friend (that he knows), thinks that it is one of her “girls” and then proceeds to have sex with until he realizes that she was a virgin. He is. But he does more than makeup for it and turns into a pretty good guy. I did think that maybe he wanted to marry Sin so he could have intercourse with her (actually intercourse) but he proved to me that he did love her. Read the book to find out how!!

Let’s talk about the sex in this book. It was sizzling, page-burning hot. I couldn’t get enough of those two and their sexual shenanigans. I mean, they did everything but intercourse after the first time (even talked about anal, which surprised me). When they finally had intercourse again, I gobbled up those scenes not because they were hot but because you knew that Sin and James were going to be together and were in love. Which made that scene oh so much sweeter.

The end of the book was great but I was left wondering about Jazz and hoping that book 6 if there is a book 6, would feature her and let her have her own happy ending.

How many stars will I give Tangled in Sin: 4

Why: Ok, I am going to say it here. This is not a book for prudes or those who get easily offended over things (like it being an erotica set in Regency England). This is one hot, hot, hot book with explosive sex scenes and two people who were made for each other. I devoured this book, literally reading it within a day. Couldn’t get enough of it and I am going to read that other books in the series.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about the sex scenes

Age range: Adult

Why: Explicit sex scenes, language, and some mild violence

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

Dancing in the Rain by Kelly Jamieson

Dancing in the Rain

Title: Dancing in the Rain

Author: Kelly Jamieson

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: April 11th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 311

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A retired athlete meets the daughter he never knew—along with the woman who reignites his passions—in this powerful standalone romance from the bestselling author of Hot Shot and the Heller Brothers series.

Drew Sellers is drowning in broken dreams and empty beer bottles. Hockey was his world until a bum knee reduced him from superstar to has-been. Then he learns that thanks to a one-night-stand back in college, he’s the father of a preteen girl with major issues. Her protective aunt sees right through Drew’s BS, but “Auntie P” is no stereotypical spinster. With her slender curves, toned legs, and luscious lips, she has Drew indulging in fantasies that aren’t exactly family-friendly.

At another point in her life, Peyton Watt would have been all over a cocky alpha male who pushes all her buttons like Drew. Right now, though, she needs to focus on taking care of her niece during her sister’s health crisis, all while holding down a job and keeping her own head above water. Besides, Drew’s clearly no father of the year. He’s unemployed. He drinks too much. And he’s living in the past. But after Peyton gets a glimpse of the genuine man behind his tough-guy façade, she’s hooked—and there’s no going back

My review:

I don’t know what it is with the books I have read lately. They have all been surprised tear jerkers. I think I was blindsided because the Dancing in the Rain’s blurb didn’t show much information. I am not complaining and was very pleasantly surprised when I was brought to tears a few times during the book.

I thought the romance aspect of the book was fantastic. Sure there was mind-blowing sex (we will get to that a little later in the review) but I loved that Drew and Peyton actually built a relationship, of sorts, before they had sex. It was very refreshing to read because the relationship was established and the sexual chemistry was built up way before they bumped uglies. What I didn’t like was that they thought that they had to hide their relationship from Chloe and I could see where that hurt their relationship. Also, they didn’t communicate and both jumped to conclusions about the other person. I actually cringed during those parts because I am guilty of doing the same things in my relationship (don’t let BK ever read that…lol). But it added to their romance, if that makes sense, and made it seem more real to me.

Drew was such a complicated character and I loved it. I really enjoyed that the author started him off with so many flaws. He drank too much and was wallowing in self-pity. The self-pity part I totally got. Any normal person would do that after being told that they couldn’t do what they loved ever again. Plus, his personal life kinda fell apart after his injury too. I mean, he found out that his ex-wife was cheating on him with his ex-best friend. What a blow to someone’s self-confidence. But the drinking part, I didn’t like and I agreed with Peyton when she made the assessment that he was on his way to becoming an alcoholic. As much as I didn’t like it, though, again, it was part of what made this book really good and it humanized Drew. His reaction to having a tween daughter was great. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon when Sarah told him, he did the right thing and got a paternity test done. Which made me go “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord”. Why? Because I have read so many books where the hero is told that the kid is his and goes “Ok” with no questions asked. So when it was revealed that he had a paternity test done, I got up and did the happy dance.

Peyton kinda rubbed me the wrong way during certain scenes but I could totally get that she was stressing over losing her sister, having to raise her niece and she is falling in love with Drew…who is Chloe’s father. I would have probably acted the same way. But, she was a very strong woman who dealt with life’s blows with grace. She dropped everything to go be with Sarah when it was becoming pretty clear that she didn’t have long to live (and for the record, Peyton’s boss was a jerk). Then she had to mediate visitations with Drew until she felt that he would be ok to be left alone with Chloe. Plus, she was caretaking for Sarah until it was time to go to hospice. It was a lot.

I liked that the author chose to deal with tween/teen issues in a realistic way. Like when Chloe was asked to leave school because what she was wearing violated the dress code. The way that Drew handled it was a dream and for the record, I agree with him. If a girl is asked to leave because what they are wearing calls a boy to comment on their body, it wasn’t right. The boy should be called out on why he thinks it is ok to make comments like that to a girl. Like I said above, the way Drew handled that situation was perfect. Also what I liked was when Chloe was caught shoplifting. While it was on video, the other girl’s mother refused to look at it, has the mentality that her special snowflake would never do something like that and leaves. I could go on a rant about parents like that, but I won’t. I do think that the way that Drew and Peyton handled it was perfect.

When they finally had sex, it was off the pages hot and every time after that was scorching. Like I said above, what made it even hotter for me is that they had a relationship beforehand. Something about feeling and sex gets me in the feels.

The end of the book was what I thought it was going to be and the decisions that were made were what I thought was going to be made. The epilogue was perfect!! I love it when the HEA is perfect for the book!!

How many stars will I give Dancing in the Rain: 4

Why: If you want to read a book that will get you in the feels, pick this book up. Seriously. It was well-developed characters, deals with heart-wrenching and real-life issues in ways that you can only hope people in real life would and the sex scenes were through the roof hot. I will definitely be reading this book again!!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and some mild language. Also some triggers for cancer, hospice, and death.

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

Fighting for Love (Boston Love: Book 2) by Kelly Elliott

Fighting for Love (Boston Love, #2)

Title: Fighting for Love

Author: Kelly Elliott

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: April 4th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 360

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Boston Love

Searching for Harmony – Book 1

Fighting for Love – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A larger-than-life firefighter inspires a career-driven woman to live in the moment—and trust in the power of love—in this flirty, emotional novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Harmony.

Finn Ward has two passions: being a firefighter and being single. Although his parents are constantly nagging him to settle down, Finn just wants to enjoy himself while he’s young. Then, at a union meeting, he meets a gorgeous lawyer with a dazzling smile—and suddenly, settling down doesn’t sound so bad.

Rory Adams is fresh out of law school and looking to make a name for herself at her mother’s firm. She doesn’t have time for silly games anymore. But when she catches the eye of a dashing fireman who makes her body tingle from across the room, something instantly ignites between them. The only problem? Her father is Finn’s boss.

Their relationship turns both of their lives upside-down. Rory tames Finn’s wild ways, while he shows her that life can’t be all work and no play. But it’ll take some serious determination to keep their love secret—and real courage to admit the truth.

My review:

I ugly cried during this book. Like nose running, tears streaming down my face ugly cry and I really dislike that the author made me do that….joking. Ugly crying really isn’t my thing but when it happens, I let nature take its course. I also love that the story was able to affect me on such a level.

Finn was such a player at the beginning of the book. He made me want to tear my hair out with his “love em and leave em” outlook on life at the beginning of the book. I could definitely see why Captain Adams didn’t want Rory anywhere near him. But at the same time, he had a soft side and he was, deep down, looking for “the one”. His immediate reaction to seeing Rory was the beginning of the end for him. I thought I wouldn’t like it when an alpha male fell hard but OMG…I need a Finn in my life (sorry BK). The dates he pulled off and what he did for their first time was fantastic. And he wasn’t afraid of letting his feelings out. Nope, not at all!!

Rory, I actually felt kinda bad for her. She was intimidated by her father to the point where, at 27, she let him dictate where she lived and who she dated. She had no life outside of work (well except meeting up with her besties from college). To put it bluntly, she was boring and a wallflower. That was until she met Finn…who was the very man her father didn’t want her to date. Then she came alive and I loved her. She said the wrong thing at the wrong time (splooge anyone…haha) and was very clumsy. She also wasn’t very experienced, if you know what I mean, and I think that shocked Finn and titillated him at the same time. Basically, she was perfect for Finn and he was for her.

If there was one person I couldn’t stand in this book, it was her father. He was a controlling, manipulative idiot and what he forced her to do was beyond wrong. I also couldn’t get why he took what a 5-year-old said and started to hate him for it. Seriously, that man had some deep-set, serious issues. Put it this way, I wasn’t unhappy when he was rarely mentioned in the book after Rory flipped out on him.

The sex between Finn and Rory was hot and there was a lot of it. I love that there was humor in some of the sexual situations. Those situations made it so much easier to connect to Finn and Rory.

Now the scenes that made me ugly cry were heartbreaking. But you need to read the book to find out.

I will say that I thought the ending of the book was a bit rushed. I get why the author did what she did (and I totally approve because it was fun to read about Rory’s payback….lol) but I really wish it wasn’t so rushed. I felt like I was reading a marathon by the end of the book….lol.

How many stars will I give Fighting for Love: 4

Why: I loved this book. Not only was it set in Boston (I lived in MA for 38 years) but the love story was unbelievably sweet and sensual. I think I read this book in a day and I can’t wait to read book 3.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

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

Forbidden Kisses (Blushing Bay: Book 1) by Annie Rains

Title: Forbidden Kisses

Author: Annie Rains

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: April 11th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 237

POV: 3rd person

Series: Blushing Bay

Forbidden Kisses – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

For years, Jack Sawyer’s family has been running their upscale seafood business like a finely tuned machine. But every machine breaks down eventually, and suddenly Jack needs a new office manager, a new kayak launch, and a new lease on life. Then Grace Donner shows up again. She’s smart, motivated, and perfect for the manager position, but if she’s anything like her mom, she can’t be trusted. And Jack has never been able to trust himself around Grace.

Grace hasn’t seen her former stepbrothers since their parents’ messy divorce, but she never forgot them—especially Jack. She misses being part of the big rambunctious Sawyer clan, and if there’s an opportunity to set things right, she means to do it. But she can’t ignore Jack’s irresistibly kissable lips or the searing way he looks at her when he thinks she’s not looking. Their chemistry is more explosive than ever. And if the Sawyers can forgive and forget, anything is possible.

My review:

While this is kinda a stepbrother/stepsister romance, it really isn’t. It isn’t as hardcore as some of the stepbrother/stepsister romances that I have read. Also add in that Jack and Grace’s parents got divorced and they are no longer semi-related, it takes the kink right out of it. Which is fine by me because the story ended being so much more than that.

I really liked Grace. She put up with a lot of crap from her mother growing up but was still there for her when her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. To say her mother wasn’t June Cleaver was an understatement. She also took a lot of crap from her old boss, the owner of a bar and ended up quitting when she couldn’t deal with his sexual advances anymore. So that leaves her without a job. Which brings her back into Jack’s world again.

I liked Jack. He had never forgotten Grace or his attraction to her but his rage at her mother’s actions kept him from talking to her. Not to mention that Grace went out of her way to avoid them because of what her mother did. So, he was surprised when Grace overheard him giving a job interview (not know it was him) and approached him for the job. He was in a bind, didn’t like the other applicants and hired her…without his father or brothers knowing. So, it wasn’t surprising when his brothers acted very negatively to Grace being there. What surprised me was his father’s reaction and I wanted to hug him.

The other storylines of Tristan and Tammy were very sad. I thought it was great when Jack stepped up and went to bat for Tristan. He gave him a job when most people wouldn’t and he stepped in when most people didn’t (read the book to find out what the situation was). Tammy’s storyline was sad but at the same time, I wanted to smack her. She laid so much on Grace about her past regrets and making things right before she died that Grace thought the only way to heal the rift between their families would be to buy back the boat Tammy sold.

I also could totally understand where Jack was coming from with his hatred of Tammy. I mean, she did sell off all of his mother’s belongings. I did wonder, at points in the book, if he would find it in himself to forgive Tammy (read the book if you want to find out).

The sex scenes between Grace and Jack were very hot and a little naughty (remember stepbrother/stepsister). The pages did burn up when they got into bed with each other and the pages burned up even when they weren’t sleeping together.

The end of the book was pretty good. Be ready to shed a tear or two and definitely be ready for the HEA during the epilog. I love it when authors to let the readers know what is going on after the story ends. Made me smile!!

How many stars will I give Forbidden Kisses: 4

Why: Enjoyable, relatable characters, hot sex, and a great plotline. I read this book in one day, it totally captivated me. I can’t wait until book 2 comes out!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and some mild language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

New Blood (Thoroughbred Breeders: Book 1) by Christine Meunier

New Blood (Thoroughbred Breeders, #1)

Title: New Blood

Author: Christine Meunier

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: November 22nd, 2016

Genre: Romance, Christian, Young Adult

Number of pages: 103

POV: 3rd person

Series: Thoroughbred Breeders

New Blood – Book 1

No Hoof, No Horse – Book 2

Recessive – Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Savannah Reynier is doing exactly what she wants in life. After finishing a horse breeding course she has landed a job and been working on a thoroughbred stud for the past year.

Her days are made up of looking after mares and foals, witnessing births and helping to breed horses. Plus, one day a week she holds horses for the farrier men who come to trim the horses’ feet.

Savannah has sworn she won’t date farriers – not ever again. Not after Jackson.

So what is she to do about the new apprentice in town? With an attractive frame, gorgeous smile and green eyes Savannah knows she’s already in trouble. Add a clever mind to the mix and she knows she needs to stick to her resolve. But looking never hurt anyone, right?

My review:

What a cute book and a great beginning to series. I have been fascinated (scratch that, obsessed) with Thoroughbred horses since I was about 8 or 9 years old and I was first introduced to Walter’s Farley’s the Black Stallion series. I devoured those books and I believe that I had the entire series. Unfortunately, my mother tossed them when I moved out, and I still feel the loss of those books. So when Christine approached me to review this book, I jumped on it.

I thought Savannah was cute but also felt that she was missing something when reading her. While I definitely connected with her, I felt that something was missing. She almost felt a little flat to me. There were no real emotions that came from her. Everything was on an even keel. I mean, even when the mare was having a difficult labor and she, with the help of the new farrier, helped the mare deliver the foal, I didn’t get a real sense of joy from her. Like I said, flat. I couldn’t even get a good reading if she was interested in Craig, other than her stomach flip-flopping back and forth when she saw him

I also liked that while this is a Christian romance, religion wasn’t pushed down your throat. It was mentioned and just left at that, a mention. The only time that it even came up was when the new foal that Savannah delivered needed to be named and Craig suggested Twenty Three. For the Twenty-Third Psalm.

I do have a couple of questions that will probably be answered in the next books. Like, who was Jackson? I know he was a farrier but what on earth did he do to Savannah. Where was Savannah from? I get the feeling since Creole was mentioned, that she is from the States but it really wasn’t gotten into.

Other than my minor complaints, I did enjoy reading the book. The end of the book was not a cliffhanger but it did leave room for book 2.

How many stars will I give New Blood: 3.5 (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads/Amazon)

Why: I enjoyed reading this book but I did have some issues with Savannah being flat. I also have some questions that were not answered in this book (see above). Other than that, this was a great read and I enjoyed reading about life on a horse ranch. This is a book that I would feel comfortable having my 11-year-old read…even though it is not in middle-grade categories.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Tween

Why: Very clean book. No swearing, no sex, no violence. There is a Christian element but it is not pushed down your throat. Like I said above, a book I would be comfortable having my tween read.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

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