lisaluvsliterature's Reviews (4.19k)

I didn’t realize this was a novella, but that’s okay, because I totally adored it! It was short and sweet, but steamy! I loved Everly and Beckett’s story. Both had their reasons for the things that came between them. Some misunderstandings, some not wanting to tell because of nerves, and some trying to make sure the other still got to live out their dreams. The idea behind the town’s Kiss Lottery was cute, and I like how it worked. 

There was a lot of cute banter and fun characters that were friends, family, and townspeople. The poems were fun, the gifts were fun, especially the kitten Everly named Murder. There was a little side story of a ghost that needed some closure, and the way it connected back to the characters was just so perfect! Since this is a novella, and I enjoyed all these characters so much, I would love if the author would write a whole series based around them and the town, and the Kiss Lottery too! 

First I have to say that I loved this as I always seem to do with Sivec’s books. I always get the longing to be able to go hang out with the author, knowing she just has to be one of the most fun people to hang out with. The female narrator for this is also perfect. The male narrator also does a good job. As usual the book had me laughing in the car, I don’t just mean a little chuckle as the story played, I mean full out almost throwing my head back, slapping the steering wheel, and laughing out loud. I love how Sam reads romance books and the ones named were some of my favorites like Meghan Quinn and Helena Hunting, and the author even had him reading Seduction and Snacks, her own book! Although for me that was a little bit of a continuity issue since the characters from that book show up to do one of their sex toy shows! So many things in this that had me busting out laughing as I drove, making my drive to work not so negative and dreading going to work, and making my drive home more relaxed if I’d been stressed throughout the day. I can’t wait to listen/read the next one, although it is 4th of July next, then Easter for the last book. So do I wait till July to read the third book, and don’t do the fourth one till next year? Which is probably okay seeing as how I have plenty of audiobooks to listen to.

So I had only read this author’s contemporary romance stories in the SmartyPants Romance books up until now. I loved both of those, and actually had purchased the first book in her series after I met her at one of the first few Book Bonanza conventions. But hadn’t read it yet or the second one that I got as a free ebook. The publisher reached out and asked if I wanted to read an advanced copy of the first book in a spinoff series, and I jumped on the chance!

I really enjoyed all the mythology or world building in this story. And based on that, I do know I’d like to go back and read the first series. There were a lot of fun characters, and I love that we have werewolves, vampires, witches/warlocks, and humans that don’t know about them too. It’s also set in one of my favorite places, New Orleans!

There was more than just the paranormal aspect to the story though. There was a lot of dealing with past trauma and getting therapy and just working on being a good person. I liked the way Celine’s family was overprotective of course, as werewolves, but they could also tell she knew what she was doing, and that Ronan was really a good guy under his bad guy exterior. Now I’ve not really enjoyed a lot of boxer/MMA fighter books, just a few, so that aspect, the cage fighting, was not my favorite part of the book. But again I liked the way the author made it more than just fighting, it was Ronan’s dream. And I liked the way the author had Celine have the misgivings that I think anyone would watching someone they loved in a fight, but then the way she realized it was Ronan’s dream and that she wasn’t being fair to him was great. Another aspect I liked was how when Ronan realized Celine was a distraction for him in the ring when the others did the trash talking about her, yeah, he took a minute to be quiet, but he talked about it with his therapist, and also realized it wasn’t her fault or his fault. And I was so glad it never really crossed his mind that he would have to break up with her because of that issue. That has always been a cop out for adding drama in other stories IMO.

A great start to a new series, and I look forward to both going back and reading the earlier series, as well as reading on for more characters in this series getting their own HEAs!

Okay, I LOVED this book! It was sooooooo good! The characters were great, the storyline was great, the narrators too were great! There was so much more than just romance. Both characters had back story issues that they were working on, both did seek therapy in the book, but also were able to work through some of the issues with each other there as a friend. It was funny how the author had Aurora always say his whole name, “Mike Martin” every time she thought about him, based on him being her imaginary boyfriend from when she was a teenager. I thought that totally made the story, even when it was a little annoying, lol. My only real complaint was that even though I knew what was going to be the third act break up reason, I thought it was totally ridiculous for him to be that upset about it. I don’t care how much it fed into his own issues, it was a stupid thing to get that mad about. And so in the end, the way it all came back together was done very well, but I still had to drop it to 4.5 stars.

Once again this author has written a story that makes you think, but in a fascinating, entertaining way. Overall I really enjoyed this one, although there were one or two spots that dragged a tiny bit for me. But not enough that I ever didn’t want to keep reading, and I hated how busy everything was when I was trying to read this one that I couldn’t sit and read as much as I wanted.

So, even though the publisher did send me a finished copy, I decided to read the e-galley because the book was a little bigger and it was easier to hold my Kindle, lol. So some of the lines I’ve quoted may not be in the final copy, I should have looked to see! I wasn’t even 10% of the way in when I found two quotes that really spoke to me.

Both of these spoke to me so much. Even if the second one was from a character that hadn’t contracted the virus Crown Royale yet and was a not so great person, it is something that seems to be more and more true the closer we look at some artists/authors/musicians. The first one is something that always made me angry at the hypocrisy of some people in certain situations, although the “science” followed wasn’t always anything more than what was being reported by the media. As a former science teacher, believe me, I did my research in all things before making decisions. 

What I love about this author is that his books make you think. Not just the teens that these books are written for, but as an adult, when I’ve read all his books as an adult, they made me think too. They made me see both sides. In my opinion they call out the good and the bad and facts of both sides. Because yes, there are facts on both sides, even people don’t always follow the truth when they make their decisions, or they use it to try to prove things that aren’t connected.

Yes many people don’t want to read books about THE pandemic we just went through. And so the fact that this is about a “next” pandemic might turn some off. But wow, Crown Royale, I think I want to get that virus! I totally felt for Mariel and her bad luck with the virus, although some didn’t see it as bad luck. And then there were the downfalls from this wonderful new disease/virus that gave some credit to the idea that we don’t want everyone to think exactly the same, that there does need to be a voice out there making you think and not just agreeing with everything.

The book was so good, and I don’t know why I assumed how it would end, because the author knows how to do endings that might make you gasp a bit! Such a wonderful, wonderful story!

Honestly, this one was my other least favorite. Which is kind of crazy because the love interest was Scottish, and I tend to love all things that have to do with Scotland in any way! But it was longer than necessary I think, double the time of some of the ones that were my favorites, in fact I think it was the longest one in the collection. The narrator was okay. But, she was doing several different accents, and when she would switch between what I believe was a Spanish type of accent to the Scottish accent, it didn’t always work and I’d get a bit confused on who was speaking. I also don’t read a ton of royal romances either, so that could have been the issue. Not that there was a ton of royalty stuff exactly. I also didn’t like how he got upset with her at the end for basically the same thing he’d been doing.

I do love this author, even more so after getting to meet her last summer and seeing what a fun person she is and how it translates to her stories in how funny they are. This was was also a lot of fun. I loved the plot of everyone she kissed then went on to meet the love of their life right after. There was a thing or two that wasn’t perfect, and I could definitely have used this as a longer story, but I really did enjoy it!

This was one of my least favorites in the collection. Partly because of the third person POV. Partly because the whole scowling thing, I never felt like he explained that very well? I know it is often something that happens in this type of story. But I don’t feel the author explained it or had that character explain it? Or then again maybe I just kind of missed it because it didn’t grab me with that type of POV. 

Okay, I honestly think this was my favorite of all of the stories! I adored Rosie, and I adored her dreamboat! It was a totally unique story with her being stuck in a sensory deprivation tank and the supposedly handsome firefighter everyone called Romeo who kept her company while they tried to figure out how to get her out. It was obvious why her sister left her in there to go do the rest of her spa treatments, even if it only cemented Leo’s care for her. Yeah, in a way it was kinda insta-love, but a highly stressful situation like that makes it feel more real for me. The only tiny complaint I have is her being stuck in a trunk in college seems a little out there, that seems more like a high school type of thing. Anyway, I need to read more by Sally Thorne I think!

I first read this author through the SmartyPants Romance series. Then when she started this series two books ago, she reached out to me and I read and reviewed those two, and enjoyed them! So when I heard the third sibling’s book was coming, I was excited to read Grayson’s story.

Now Grayson was someone that I didn’t really know yet. I mean he didn’t live in town where his family was, where he grew up. That made it so this was his intro as well as his story. It was nice spending time with his brother and sister and their significant others. And seeing how he related to his hometown, and the glimpses into his life outside of Crescent Pass. However his attitude was one that made it easy to see how Abby could totally end up getting hurt.

I definitely connected with Abby though! A shy librarian, who doesn’t really let people know when she is upset, not wanting to make others upset. She was your stereotypical innocent librarian though, in EVERY way! Something she didn’t let on to Grayson until the moment it was really going to happen. I also had a hard time reading about her family, because what she was dealing with her parents’ illnesses reminded me so much of the last year or two and the loss of my stepdad, even if there were no deaths in this story.

In the end this was another wonderful romance from this author, with sweet times, funny times, and some steamy bits!