Just when I think Elsie Silver can't get any better, she goes and proves me wrong. This was everything! I just absolutely loved the relationship between Jasper and Sloane and the journey they took together. This was such a great friends to lovers book, and I also loved seeing all of the other characters from not only the Chestnut Springs series, but also from the Gold Rush Ranch series. Elsie Silver can write the crap out of banter, emotional scenes and those spicy moments are unmatched. This is perfection and I cannot WAIT for Winter and Theo's book. 

I simply cannot believe that this is a debut novel because it is amazing. This is the ultimate friends to lovers book, and a pretty slow burn but it is so worth it. As a survivor of rape, I really was astounded by the care that Lisina Coney took in writing Grace's character and what she has been through, and how that affected her life going forward. I resonated with her and can truly understand the strength it took to not only go back out into the world, but trust a man again and eventually fall in love with him and have a happy ending, one she definitely deserved. Her journey was such a beautfiful one to read. Cal was such an amazing person with a genuine soul and I loved seeing how supportive he was of Grace; there are very few men like this in the world and I just want to keep Cal in my pocket and cherish him forever. I loved the dynamic between Cal and Maddie, and the bond they formed with Grace. You want a book that will make you smile and believe that you are deserving of love and all good things despite feeling broken? This is the book for you.

"𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞." 

After that cliffhanger from book one, I wasn't sure what to expect! But all of your burning questions are answered and everything truly works out the way it is supposed to... but not without drama, right? I just love Delilah's growth in this book, and how she comes into her own and becomes who she was truly meant to be by the end. She is a true queen, and I love that Dante never once tried to dim her light or make her feel less than or tell her she couldn't be what she wanted to be just because she is a woman in a man's world. It's clear how made for each other Dante and Lilah really are, and if you thought that in book one, it becomes even stronger in book two. The spice in book two is even better than the first, and Dante is even filthier in this one. I loved all of the subtle Taylor Swift references and how the plans really come together and we see just what Dante and Lilah were working towards this entire time. I absolutely adored the epilogue too! This is a great duet and well worth a read.  

I'm really not big on mafia books or anything of the sort, but I read Tis The Season For Revenge by Morgan Elizabeth and LOVED it and decided I needed to check out her other books. Despite not liking mafia books, I absolutely could not put this down and the ending had me SCREAMING. I knew it ended on a cliffhanger but holy crap! This wasn't a dark mafia romance like you will typically find, and it felt less about the mafia and more about Dante and Lilah's relationship, which I appreciated. I found myself immediately rooting for Dante and Lilah, despite the obstacles and ALL THE DAMN PLANNING. How many times could Dante say, "You'll see soon, Delilah." I think that's the only thing that irritated me, was the number of times he promised her he had this grand plan and never told her. It was frustrating to her too! But I know everything is revealed in book two, so no worries about that. Also, the spice in this? The mouth on Dante? The way he is with her? Okay, yes to all of the above. I am so excited for book two!

I really enjoyed this second chance romance between Wren and Holt, and I am thrilled that Catherine Cowles has begun yet another great series. This first book in her new Lost and Found series opens up so many new characters and so many new stories, with her signature mix of small town, sweet, steamy and suspense. We were introduced to Holt in a previous series, but we really get more of his background with Wren and the love story they had. The prologue was so heartbreaking! Catherine Cowles always drags me into her stories with the prologues, and she just makes you want to know more. This second chance romance was very sweet and full of forgiveness, and detailed a hourney of forgiveness and healing between both Wren and Holt. This was probably more romantic suspense than small town romance, because there was so much mystery but I still enjoyed it even though I think that at times it could be a little cliche and cheesy. Overall though, I'm excited for this new series and cannot wait to see what the rest of the series brings!

I had such high hopes for this book and it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, but it wasn't great. It was mediocre at best and I kind of feel like I'm being generous with the stars, but...
I truly loved the concept of getting accidentally (drunkenly) married in Las Vegas, and this had so much potential to be amazing. But it was so problematic and there were so many things wrong with this book. First of all, Jasper comes up with the idea to get married in Las Vegas, EVEN THOUGH HE MARRIED SOMEONE ELSE THERE BEFORE, AND IN THE EXACT SAME CHAPEL. Like, why??? Of all the plot twists or whatever, that was the one you chose? Which, by the way, he doesn't tell Eloise this fact until way later. He also tells Eloise that they should stay married just until he can take her to his ex-wife's wedding as his date, basically to rub it in her face that he is "winning" AND HE STILL TAKES HIS EX-WIFE'S CALLS. He really still has her number, still takes her calls, still lets her berate him and put him down when there's an option to, I don't know, BLOCK HER AND CUT HER OUT OF YOUR LIFE? I really hate other woman drama but this was weirdly toxic and just strange. Jasper really treats Eloise kind of crappy, with a few instances of him being "nice" or "caring" but that's sort of a stretch. He does get better at like, the 60% mark of the book, but only marginally so. He does stand up for Eloise both to her own family and his ex, but he treats her differently behind closed doors. He can be standoffish, aloof and not communicative, despite the fact that they are married and supposed to be making it work, even for the fake part of it but also when they actually decide to give it a go for real later on. He doesn't even tell her about this trip he is going on (for a job interview, which he also doesn't tell her about) and she basically finds out about it when she comes home and finds his stuff gone. He doesn't have time to tell her about this "last minute interview" but finds the time to stock the fridge full of food for her so that she doesn't have to worry about meals. Are you kidding me??? And the whole drama with the kid at the hotel and his backstory and the shooting and Jasper only realizing he loves her and wants to be with her AFTER they almost die (he does save her life, but that doesn't take away his bad behavior) was just random and unnecessary and too much. I think the spice in here was pretty good and probably the most amount of spice in any Devney Perry book but that was probably the only redeeming factor, along with getting to see the other characters from the other books, like Memphis and Knox and Winslow and Griffin. I truly think, now four books into this series, that Juniper Hill was a one hit wonder and that Crimson River will be disappointing too. 

I think it's glaringly obvious how much Lauren Asher has grown as a writer since her debut book Throttled. Final Offer was everything and more. This was probably my most anticipated read of 2023 and it did not disappoint. While I loved The Fine Print and Terms & Conditions, Final Offer blew them both out of the water. It was such a wonderful change of pace to go from from two brooding, grumpy brothers to a golden retriever, sunshine of a man. But, looks can be deceiving. As we read, Cal is more than meets the eye. He too, has his struggles and makes people think he is one way, when really, he is suffering inside and trying to overcome some pretty serious demons in his life. He puts up a front, the shiny and happy facade, all while deeply grappling with his addiction. It's clear that his family views him as the black sheep, as the brother who cannot do anything right, no matter how hard he tries. But Cal goes on a journey of redemption and healing and most importantly, becoming a better man not only for himself, but the people he loves. I just loved his growth and his need to prove himself and the discovery of what's really important and worth fighting for. I very much appreciated how addiction was written and handled within this book. Addiction is a difficult thing, not only for the person suffering but also the people around them and the people who love them. Lauren Asher took such care to make sure that it was not romaticized or just brushed over, but very carefully discussed. It was a heartbreaking but also beautiful journey and I couldn't have asked for a better book. I loved the relationship between Alana and Cal. It was so very clear that their love stood the test of time and they were meant to find their way back to each other and go through what they want through in order to reach the other side. Cami was such a breath of fresh air and just what Cal needed to find that purpose within himself. I loved getting to see Cal repair the relationship with his brothers and seeing everyone at the end with their children and their happily ever afters. Final Offer is the best in the series, and you'll see why when you go on this nearly six hundred page journey. 

Such a good ending to this series! This was a really solid small town romance series from Catherine Cowles and I really enjoyed reading each book. This one is actually a super sweet marriage of convenience and I really loved the slow burn romance between Anna and Mason. Anna made some bad choices when she was young and ended up in jail and because she took the fall for someone she shouldn't have trusted. Now, she's made her way into a life she loves running a homeless shelter. When her sister suddenly dies, Anna is determined to take care of her niece and nephew and raise them herself so that they are not left with her abusive parents. However, because of her past, Anna is terrified she won't be able to keep the kids. Mason has worked at the shelter and has been nothing but nice to Anna. He wants to be there for her and offers to marry her in order for Anna to stand a better chance at getting custody of the kids. The two strike up a friendship as Mason just wants to protect and support Anna and the children and while they fool themselves into thinking that this is just temporary and fake, it becomes very real and they do get their happy ending together as a family. I really enjoyed how their romance blossoms while Anna is trying to gain custody of the kids, and how Mason adores not only Anna, but Justin and Lyla as well. As with the rest of the books in this series, there is a bit of suspense at the end and some villainous characters. It was a great ending to a fantastic series!

This is officially my favorite Catherine Cowles book that I've read so far! In this book, Kennedy has run away to Sutter Lake to escape her past where her father stole millions of dollars from innocent people and she helped turn him in. Now, she hates money and extravagance and prefers to spend her time giving back to others while living a very low profile, inexpensive life and trying not to draw attention to herself in any way. Cain is a multi-million dollar tech genius and has decided to buy a home in Sutter Lake to escape the guilt of his past that follows him everywhere. He meets Kennedy and is suspicious of her secrets, especially because she's friends with his friends. But the more time he spends with her, the more he realizes she's unlike anyone he's ever met. I loved how protective Cain was when it came to Kennedy and how much he just wanted to take care of her. As usual with this series, there was a bit of suspense at the end and that really helped the characters realize how much they wanted to be together. I loved how Kennedy wasn't impressed with Cain's money and how they both had trauma in their pasts that they slowly learned to trust people each other and heal each other and fall in love. I just loved this book and how these two broken people found each other and got their happily ever after! 

I'm a sucker for the brother's best friend trope! This book is Jensen and Tuck's story. Tuck is Jensen's older brother Walker's best friend and they all grew up together. Jensen and Tuck shared a particularly special bond and a connection with each other since childhood that no one else could match. Jensen is such a strong woman and has endured so much, and Tuck has been with her every step of the way, even if it was just as best friends. They went from being friends to friends with benefits and then fell in love for real and got their happily ever after. I will admit, I didn't like the transition between just being friends with benefits and then all of the sudden being in love. It was choppy and not done very well, but this is my only real complaint. Overall, it was great and I'm so happy they got their fairytale ending. 

“Every time I touched you three times. Every time I squeezed your hand three times. Every time I kissed each temple and your forehead. That’s what I was telling you. One touch for each word I couldn’t say.”