Perfectly fine, but nothing to exciting. I hate the hand-cuffed to someone trope and I didn't really connect with this tale. I much preferred Fine's previous title with main characters Pixie and Levi.

**Reviewed from a free ARC provided by www.netgalley.com

A classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover." If I hadn't received this as an ARC, I would never have picked it up and I would have missed out on a great story.

When art teacher Shelby tells new neighbor Wyatt (Ty) to stop revving his motorcycle at 2am, sparks fly, but not the good kind. Both make snap judgements; Ty thinks Shelby is a bitch (and tells her so) and Shelby thinks he just another outlaw tattooed, motorcycle-riding bad guy. After Shelby realizes the troubled new boy in her art class is Ty's son, she offers to help this new family who just may help battle her demons.

Sweet and sexy, the dynamic between this couple was surprising and different from most romance novels. Shelby is the one struggling to connect after years of emotional abuse from dead preacher father and I loved how O'Keefe explored Ty's inner struggle to not just be the "lay" and show her he wanted more than just hot sex.

Bravo.

Thanks to www.netgalley.com for the ARC.

Nick went to prison for a murder he didn't commit and is then released once firm evidence is found. He is still considered an ex con and has problems finding employment until a famous televangelist hires him as a glorified house boy.

Then Nick falls in lust (what he calls love) with the Reverend's innocent, virgin, blonde, angel daughter. If he touches her, or gets caught anyway, it will be the end of his job.

Reverie is 16, a pledged virgin with a promise ring, and has her pants on fire when she sees Nick shirtless by the pool. She starts rebelling against her strict parents (who are jerks, so fine) by dressing "sexier" to impress Nick, wearing makeup, and acting out. She is soooo in love, and Nick is worth it all, even if he has a trashy ex and a record, and it will make her parents furious. The reader gets her POV through sappy, childish diary entries that made me sad.

This was way not for me. There was no established reason why these kids loved each other besides hormones, I felt Nick's attitude toward the girl who he was more than happy to have sex with constantly before meeting the virgin was suspect, and Reverie basically a stereotype.

Thank you to www.netgalley.com for the free copy.

Nice to see a unique setting (Kodiak Island in Alaska) and a girl who dresses punk BEFORE she meets the guy, but all in all a pretty standard New Adult romance. The best part is Maya's best friend Beth. I'd love a friend who would threaten to chop kick a guy in the throat for me.

stuffy governess meets devilish painter of nudes. a nice twist with the lady pursuing the lothario.

Steamy set of holiday inspired contemporary romances. I enjoyed that the holidays were not the focus of any of the stories (more the cold climates) and that each couple had a history prior to starting a sexual relationship. No first time loves here. Shalvis never disappoints.

Short and sweet, but a bit lacking in character depth which isn't standard for Shalvis. Not one of my favorites, but a pleasant distraction.

I read the two short stories, already having read the first two full novels. They were cute and fun for Christmas time, but not too Christmas-y.

Well now. I chose this for the 'guilty pleasure' square for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge (come on that description is too much), but this was actually really fun and great.
Kauffman's two main leads defy typical romance tropes. Tessa is suffering from PTSD related to her war photographer career and Roan is running an artisanal basket weaving coop on a small Scotish island. Tessa is on a holiday to hopefully recover when she is asked to photograph the men of the island (including Roan) for a Hot Scot calendar. Sparks fly, and while Roan wants Tessa for forever, she doesn't know if she can be healthy enough to give her all.
A bit repetitive at times but great Scottish dialogue.

Despite the excellent book description promising a hot historical reenactor who accidentally travels back in time and meets a sexy Scottish Clan leader, the overall storyline was uneven and not to my taste.
This was basically an insta-love tale (all action takes place over four days) with fun aspects that were never fully explored. Plus, while the banter between Duncan and Abby was funny and Abby was a pretty awesome leading lady, the ending came too abruptly.
Overall the story was a bit too all over the place and really unfortunately the sexy parts weren't all that titillating.