This is my favorite book of the series!

Marriage of convenience never fails me, and this is no exception. I fell in love with Everly and Hux immediately, despite only getting a small preview of them in the first book. There's something about that single dad trope that just hits every single time, and Hux was really doing it for me. He's brooding and a basically a recluse but what he really cares about is getting custody of his daughter. He went to prison for making a mistake when he was younger and because of that, he hasn't ever really been involved in his daughter's life until recently. Now, in order to make a stronger case for the judge in court, he needs to get married and Everly offers to help him out. Of course, despite every effort not to and with a set expiration date on their "marriage", they fall in love anyways. Even though it was under three hundred pages long, it felt like a slow burn. Hux is definitely the grumpy type and Everly is absolute sunshine. As always, the small town romance and secondary supporting characters are amazing, particularly Hux's daughter, Savannah and her bestie (and maybe more?) Travis. Also? I was living for that drama with Katie! This was sexy and sweet and everything I wanted. I ate this up! You will too.

And as it turns out... the only people they were bluffing were themselves. ;)

I really wasn't too excited about this one because I don't like any book that includes a heroine falling in love with a bully. So, I didn't have my expectations set very high and I wasn't sure I was going to like Cal and Nellie's relationship.

I was half right? There were a few parts I absolutely did not like at all, but the rest was good and Cal really did seem to redeem himself in the end. I did think it was a bit weird how one minute they were enemies, then it was abruptly revealed that they were prior fuck buddies who secretly hooked up on occasion, then were currently hooking up, then didn't like each other again and were apart, then all the sudden in love and together for real. It was kind of a weird transition. Not to mention, Cal stole her high school journals just to get dirt on her in order to make amends and make himself "feel better" but hides it from her for his own gain and he doesn't even grovel or apologize for the things he did. And the things he did to Nellie were SO CRUEL and mean and just horrible, and yet she's just supposed to act like he's changed and that he's a good guy but he really wasn't. He did sort of redeem himself, but man, it's hard to look past all of the bad things he did to Nellie and making her life a living hell in school. Most of the time, they were arguing and trading hurtful banter, so when they finally "fell in love", it was a tad bit unbelievable. I honestly think Nellie could have done better, but Cal seemed to be the model husband and father in the epilogue, so...

Also, there's a trigger warning for some pedophilia. Basically, Cal's dad was into Nellie when Nellie and Cal were in high school and he was like a 35-40 year old man. So, look out for that.

All in all, I thought this had so much potential and could have been so much better and just fell completely flat.

I'm a sucker for anything Lucy Score and as usual, she did not fail me. This is the fourth or fifth book of I've read and it's in my top three for sure (behind Things We Never Got Over and The Worst Best Man). This was a very well done enemies to lovers book, and I ate it up. Their banter and back and forth was like no other. And the chemistry? White hot. Dominic and Ally have each met their match and it was so fun to watch their story unfold. There were laugh out loud parts, steamy scenes, moments that made me tear up, and an ending that had me in full blown tears. I love that Lucy Score often writes books with older characters (generally in their late thirties and into their forties) because that's something that we so rarely get to see. Ally was the kind of heroine that you just root for. Yes, her life has been hard and she could be mean and angry at times, but given all that she had faced and was facing, could you really blame her? Dom was rich, but used his money for good, especially when it came to Ally. I adored the way he just wanted to protect her and help her. As per usual, Lucy Score is the master at world building and creating secondary characters that you love almost as much as the main characters. I LOVE that this book was set in the #metoo era and discussed and dealt with important topics like consent and sexual harassment, particularly in the workplace. The character growth that both Ally and Dom went through was tremendous and so well done. I was so happy that they grew and evolved, and both got happy endings and ultimately, the things they wanted that were independent of each other. Also, the twist with Dom's mom at the end? Okay, I see you! And can we get a Faith and Christian book? I'd read the crap out of that.

Where do I begin? First off, I can never not hype up Lucy Score. She never fails me. NEVER, NOT ONCE, NADA. This book was quite the journey, and I love every second of it. This is a book about second chances, finding yourself, chasing your dreams, making amends, finding family in the most unlikely of places and of course, falling in love and finding your person. In this case, it was people. What I liked most was that it wasn't just about the romance, but that it was about Marley's story. It's about HER journey. I cannot say enough about Lucy Score's ability to world build and develop the best secondary characters. This had so many tropes I love, like fake dating and small town romance and sports. This was so heartwarming, particularly the girls of the soccer team and of course, Libby. Marley and Jake had fantastic chemistry and I absolutely adored the fact that he loved her from the start, and loved her for who she is and not what others expected of her. I lvoed the way he supported her and just wanted the best for her, even when she couldn't see it for herself. The humor in this was top notch, and there were so many times that I laughed out loud. I also love that Lucy Score tends to write her heroes and heroines a little bit older, in their late thirties to forties, as this is something we rarely get to see in romance novels. Yes, Marley could sometimes be a lot with her anger and resentment and woe is me attitude, but I found that and her entire story so relatable. This kind of gave me some Ted Lasso vibes, so if you're into that, I'd say check this out.

"We'd started under the shadows under the bleachers. And here we were, twenty years later standing in the sun."

I really feel like, for every good book Devney Perry/Willa Nash writes, she writes an equally bad one. I mean, I don't think any book can top Juniper Hill, so I was already setting my expectations slightly lower. But I really looked forward to this one, after seeing the interaction between Talia and Foster at the end of Juniper Hill. Second chance romance isn't really my thing, but when it's done well and done right, it's amazing.

Let's just say, that wasn't the case here. First of all, Talia told Foster no about a million times and I was starting to get frustrated with him not taking no for an answer and still relentlessly pursuing her. Like, I get it, she's the love of your life and you want her back but it was borderline creepy at times. And yeah, without his unwavering pursuit, we wouldn't have the book at all, but I think there's a fine line and it was definitely crossed... more than once. These two are written to be "soulmates" but holy crap, soulmates wouldn't do what Foster did to Talia. I don't care WHAT you are blackmailed with; just a big fat nope. What Foster and Vivienne did to Talia was SO CRUEL and their reasoning for having to get married and raise a child together (that isn't his, by the way; the only saving grace) is the stupidest thing I have ever read. I KNOW that if Foster had just TOLD Talia what was going on all those years ago, none of them would be in the mess they are in. It was such a cop out and a stupid storyline and it royally pissed me off. Talia deserved a million times better. It lacked ACTUAL romance. I feel like she just felt she had to be with him, and not because she actually loved him. And Vivienne? What an absolute shitshow of a character. Without Foster, her life would essentially be nothing and she is the WORST. I feel like, in the pit of my stomach, that the author is leaning towards having Vivienne and Mateo end up together? And if she does, that will be the end for me.

The only redeeming part about this book is the fact that we meet Jasper, who is Foster's trainer, and Jasper is the one who accidentally gets married to Eloise in Las Vegas in the next book and I'm hoping (really hoping) that that book is better because it sounds like it will be.

Where do I begin? This was not good. It was boring, and weirdly complicated. At first, you think that this is just some guy scamming three girls. You think he's this scumbag cheater. Well, that isn't the case... and if this book had been written better, I would have been okay with waiting for this twist. But honestly? The twist was SO NOT WORTH IT. It was predictable and you basically go 90% believing one thing, then expected to completely change your mind during that last 10%, and root for this guy who you thought was a dirty dog. I mean, I was expected, as a reader, to just go with that? Nope. The actual story was only good in that last 10%, because you actually find out the truth and understand why things happened the way they did. But it just did not have that sweet payoff that you get with other books that have twists. I'm seriously bummed I bought this and spent roughly two hours reading it. I just don't think this works at all. This is touted as a rom com, but there is very little actual romance, and pretty much zero comedy. It was emotionally manipulative and I do not like being tricked like this. Save yourself by just checking out what the twist is by reading a spoiler and skipping the actual book altogether.

Okay, this enemies to lovers absolutely did it for me. I was SO looking forward to Kerrigan and Pierce's book and let me just say, it was everything. I mean, they jumped to lust pretty quickly and their chemistry was off the charts. I really loved the push and pull that Kerrigan and Pierce had going on, as it added to their romance tremendously. Kerrigan was one tough cookie and never gave up, despite the odds, and despite Pierce sometimes making things just a little bit harder for her - but that's business, right? Also, can we talk about how fiercely protective Pierce was when it came to Kerrigan and her (at times) crappy family? I loved the way he defended her and despite all of her family's attempts to to change her, Pierce never once did that and always stood by her and supported her dreams and ambitions.

The thing I took one star off for was the twist... it was kind of a series of twists, but they were honestly... a lot. Like, pretty unbelievable. It just seemed like soap opera level drama and really not necessary I think. I am glad that things worked out for them all in the end, because I was holding my breath, trying to see if they could make it through ALL of those crazy obstacles. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend checking it out. But be sure to read the others in the series!

This was definitely a cute and fun read that hit the spot for me. I really love the single parent trope, and this was a great one. Also, who doesn't love a billionaire hero? I certainly do. Props also go to the author for plus size representation. Cozy is a plus size girl who decides to nanny for Max, a billionaire single father who has his daughter for the summer and needs a nanny in order to be able to work. He hires Cozy, against his better judgment, because his daughter adores her. I asbolutely LOVED the dynamic between Cozy and Everly! Cozy helps Everly loosen up and see life in a different light, and gives her a summer that she will never forget. It was so amazing to read. Max is such a great character, and most certainly not your typical billionaire. He cares, and wants the best for his company and employees and makes that a priority rather than just simple profit. And the way he sees Cozy, oh my goodness. He loves Cozy for who she is, and encourages her to be whatever and whoever she wants to be, even if it's different than him. Despite all of Cozy's insecurities and her past, Max adored her and made her see herself as the amazing person she is. There's some GREAT spice in this too. Also, solid LGBTQ+ representation. The ONLY thing I didn't really like and the reason for taking away a star is because Cozy spent a LOT of time criticizing her own self over her weight and looks and after a while, it began to irk me a little bit, especially because she didn't believe Max when he told her - over and over again - that he didn't care about her weight and that she was everything he wanted.

This is my second Mariana Zapata read, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I know she is the queen of slow burn and this is very true; however, I actually enjoy the slow burn because I truly love plot driven books and the build up of the relationship and the small and special moments we get to see that lead to the culmination of the payoff at the end. As much as I like smut, I also truly love this type of book - where it takes you about 95% of the way into the book to actually see the two main characters actually get together. I really adored the relationship that Vanessa and Aiden have, and how they really seemed to bring out the best in one another as they grew and evolved. MZ is just so descriptive and you really get to know every single detail, which I love. Vanessa is so relatable and you just can't help but root for her. The things she had to overcome were insane and I love that she is so courageous and brave and still determined to enjoy life. The same goes for Aiden, especially when you find out his backstory and why he is the way he is and why he has been the way he has been the way he has been with Vanessa. As an avid sports fan, this football centered book is a great read. Overall, this was such an amazing book and worth checking out.

“Home is where you are. I would go anywhere for you if you wanted me to be there.”

I did take a star off for two reasons: one, some of the words in this were totally wrong and I'm not sure if it was MZ herself in her writing or the ediot just missed the incorrect words or...? For example, the word passed was used instead of past ("I wouldn't put it passed him") and also, using worse instead of worst ("What's the worse that could happen?"). I mean, it really bugged me. Authors/editors should know better. The other reason was because Vanessa referred to Aiden as "big guy" like, a million times. WE GET IT, HE'S A BIG GUY. ENOUGH. There has *got* to be better ways and words to describe someone instead of using the same exact phrase over and over again.

I was actually plesantly surprised and really enjoyed this. I've never read any Nicole Snow books so I went into this one open minded. The premise and summary seemed like something I would like. It was great! Enemies to lovers, sort of fake marriage, insane banter, fighting over cinnamon rolls (the thing that brings them together), boss/employee, grumpy/sunshine, friendship and found family, a hot billionaire, spicy scenes, great supporting characters and a plot I really liked. It's long, but worth it. Dakota and Lincoln had such amazing chemistry! Their growth and evolution was just perfect. I also enjoyed the journey we see with Wyatt; it was so heartwarming and touching the way Lincoln cared for him and wanted the best for his friend. I loved the epilogue and the bonus scene we got. I definitely recommend checking this out!