Basically forgettable for me. I listened to the whole story, but felt pretty meh about it. The heroine is a sheltered daughter of a mobster who is suddenly launched out into the "real world" when her crime boss father is under investigation and she needs to be out of the way.

A series of fortunate events and kind strangers, along with white privilege, land her in the arms of a hot, alpha tattoo artist with a shop on Bourbon Street, New Orleans who gets her on her feet and is always there to pick her up before she hits the ground.

Bishop has never settled for anyone before, but of course his "cupcake" is the one to change it all for him. Uh, huh. I can't even remember her name.

I did appreciate that there were a few times the heroine called Bishop out for his behavior. The narrators were good, so at least there was that.

Read as part of a "Milwaukee Reads" initiative and to facilitate a book discussion at the library I work at.

The author's thesis statement, that residential segregation is mainly de jure, not de facto, in large part due to government(s) actively legislating it, was thoroughly researched and and well-argued. There is a brief section on the future, and what can possibly be done, but I didn't leave the book feeling optimistic in any way.

My most important take-away was the author's assertion that we need to be teaching this matter in schools, so our youth will not continue to grow up thinking poverty, social hierarchy, etc. is solely a choice.

Many readers will find the book itself dry, full of legalese, and dense. I was annoyed that the book was end-noted, not foot-noted, and that the citations were not clearly marked in the text. I understand this is a publishing technique to not scare away readers, but come on. The author did include a few * marked footnotes, so why not just be consistent?

Definitely love at first glimpse of the cross-stitched book cover, and also a great delight inside! While a bit overwrought in the details, I had a blast reading about Duane, his family of bearded renaissance men, and his quest to court his childhood frenemy Jess. Jess was also a great character and it was great to see a woman who wasn't willing to compromise her dreams of world travel.

As mentioned above, some of the plot details were a bit too much and made the story drag a little. There was a lot going on between the motorcycle gang, Duane's drag racing, and a drug trafficking black mail scam and found myself just wishing the story would get back to Duane and Jess sparkling chemistry. I was scared the mistaken twin trope would go on too long, but was very pleased it was mostly the "meet cute" moment for our hero and heroine.

I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series!

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review!

Two stubborn strangers are seated next to each other on a plane where snarky barbs and sexual tension are exchanged, and later lead to a completely consensual, sexy as all get out, sex-a-thon.

Ava detests the arrogant, tattooed, and bearded Scotsman who appears to be rude and cold to most everyone he encounters, but still manages to turn her on more than anyone she's ever met. When he propositions her for a sex-only arrangement, she cannot resist having hate-sex with the bastard, but eventually catches feelings as one does when it turns out he's actually kind of perfect for her.

Young is excellent at writing angsty, tempestuous romance, and this is no exception. That said, I felt a bit betrayed by the light-hearted cover and description promoting this title, as there are some very difficult and triggering topics covered, including miscarriage, death, abortion, and cheating. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had just a little more forewarning, so here's yours!

Also, I'm just not really in the mood in 2018 for an asshole rich guy. I never really grew to like Caleb throughout the story. I often wanted to punch him in the face. The conflict between the characters mostly stems from them not getting along at first, and just a whole lot of secrets and lack of communication.





Also, SPOILER ALERT>

Spoiler

Caleb does not put on a condom during one of his and Ava's sexual interludes, and when Ava alerts him to the fact he isn't wearing one, he continues to have sex with her and almost refuses to stop despite her insistence. That didn't sit well with me, especially when the reader later finds out a lot of Caleb's "issues" stem from the fact he got his last, awful girlfriend pregnant and in his words "murdered" his baby without his consent.. I'm not here for the abortion shaming

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Exactly the kind of book I needed to read right now. Just Christmas-y enough to justify the title and cover, but not dependent on Christmas cheer bullshit plus a super-hot and supportive male hero who believes in the heroine and defends the heroine's choices and decisions.

Molly Malone is tired of being the administrative assistant for Archer Investigations and is ready to start taking on her own cases, but her protective brother and her boss keep deciding she isn't ready. When they refuse to take on a case involving a Bad Santa swindling his elves from their fair cut of bingo proceeds, Molly decides she'll take the case on her own.

To make matters a bit more delicate, she also has to contend with the fact she spent the night in the bed of one Lucas Knight, one of her colleagues, and he doensn't remember anything. She tucked him in after he didn't realize the potency of a pain pill and a shot of booze (he's recently recovering from a GSW) and he thinks they may have done more than just sleep. Molly is intrigued that Lucas doesn't seem to be upset that they slept together, just that he doesn't remember.

Now he's also decided he's going to be her partner on the case of the Bad Santa and while she knows she could do it on her own, she's definitely okay with having more time with Lucas, even if she's a bit embarrassed by the tiny elf costume she needs to wear.

What ensues is a fun, kind of dangerous caper with a delicious and supportive man who'll do anything for her, even if it means falling for her at the same time.

Loved Molly and Lucas as a couple and it was so great seeing Shalvis at her prime. There are so many great comedic moments and I love all the sexual tension. I was a bit dubious about the premise of Lucas waking up in Molly's bed and not being able to remember the night (especially in light of recent news), but the situation is handled in a great, non-creepy way.

Lady Eleanor, the Duke of Marymount’s eldest daughter, must marry well and must marry quick in order to save her family from ruin after one of her sisters ran off with the dancing instructor. She's always followed the rules, including not wearing her much needed glasses in public, and will marry whomever her family sees fit.

When her parents find a suitable man, it turns out he's just a bit too busy and way too disinterested in wooing Eleanor, so he asks his brother to press his suit. And his brother, Lord Alexander Raybourn, turns out to be the one whom Lady Eleanor may just risk everything for.

I enjoyed my first Frampton, but did find the story a bit dull overall. Nothing really stood out to me besides the story being well written and enjoyable. I will definitely continue to read the other books in the series as I've heard great things about the latest title (2018).

Sailor Bishop first encountered curvy, beautiful, and red-headed Ísa Rain at a college party he snuck into as a teen. He tried to comfort her after she was humiliated and dumped by her current boyfriend, but she ran away.

Years later, Sailor finds himself the target of an outburst of bravery and lust from Ísa. He's on the job gardening when the school teacher unexpectedly launches herself at him in the parking lot. But, as quickly as she kisses him and agrees to make out in the back seat of his truck, she's gone.

Ísa is tired of doing what is expected of her, tired of allowing her strong-willed mother tell her what to do, but she's also determined to keep her motley family together, no matter what it takes. She also can't believe she's thrown herself at a man who is too beautiful for this world, a man who is far too young to be the stable husband and father she is looking for, right?

As Sailor works to convince Isa they are perfect for one another and that she is perfect as she is, Isa must also learn her own power and whether she'll allow herself to go all in.

A lovely, low-angst romance novel perfect for fans of small-town contemporaries looking for a different setting (this one takes place in New Zealand). I had a bit of a hard time with the audio book narrator, as she did an Icelandic accent for Isa (an accent I'm not familiar with), a standard American accent for all of the non-dialogue parts, and then various Aussie accents for the rest of the characters. After the first couple of hours I was able to settle into the story.

Bonus points for the diverse cast of characters and the great female and male friendships int he book. I'm really looking forward to reading Isa's friend Nayna's story (Raj sounds HOT). I also liked seeing a character with prosthetic limbs (Isa's little sister) who wasn't just a plot bunny.

Mildly spoiler-y review.

Consumed is the best title for this book, as it utterly consumed me and made me join the Bad Choices Book Club when I stayed up to the wee hours finishing it in one sitting.

The first chapters hit the ground running hard, as main character Anne Ashburn loses more than just her chance at being one of the best fire-fighters on her team when she is caught in a burning warehouse fire minutes.

Danny Maguire, Anne's teammate and also the man she just spent a wildly wicked night with is the one who gets here out. Both he and Anne have terrible health repercussions from this rescue, both physical and mental, and they both cannot fathom seeing each other again.

The book jumps to nine-months after, and we find Anne starting her new gig as an arson investigator, a far cry from her past life. She has a new boss to deal with, and a new pet that she finds during her first investigation. She's also living with her new reality of having a prosthetic hand, something she's accepted as part of her.

Danny himself is struggling with the psychological fallout from his brush with death and being the one responsible for freeing Anne from the fire by cutting off her hand. He's still working on the ladder, but he's drinking too much and spiraling.

When some of their mutual friends and an arson case bring Anne and Danny back into proximity, the old fire between them ignites anew, but can either of them forgive, forget, and fight for a future together?

So incredibly addicting and hot, PLUS well-researched and totally immersive world building. I loved that Anne was strong, comfortable in her body including when she loses her hand, and isn't willing to compromise her sense of duty. She's not made to be likeable, but is perfectly Anne. I also loved Ward's handling of Danny's mental health issues. Danny isn't healed from sexy times with Anne and he does see a therapist (huzzah!). Representation matters, and this was good to see.

While still very white, JR Ward's new series is one you won't want to miss.

Shut up, this is flippin' adorable and just a tad subversive. What if you met the cutest, cuddliest, and best boyfriend ever while in the woods? And what happens when he needs to leave you to hibernate?

If you love romance and graphic novels, this may just be perfect for you. The illustrations are fantastic and I've never wanted to date a bear more in my life.