Christmas at the Amish Market was such an intriguing read. I had initially picked it up to just pick up more Amish romance, its been a theme of romance that I have been wanting to read a bit more of. I have really fallen in love with the more traditional feeling of their set ups and I went into this book completely blind which delivered in some ways and in other ways I do wish I knew what I was expecting with this one. I did find that this story was fascinating and loved the Christmas theme to the story. But I will say that I wasn't sure how I felt about two couples falling in love with the most unexpected people when they were in a relationship with other people. I know this can be a hit or miss for readers, so know this going into it. Now technically there is no cheating at least not physical, but there is emotional cheating, so be aware of this going in. However, like my dad says unless they are married, its an open court haha so maybe that holds true for Amish romance too??

Overall I had a fun time with this one, it had some poignant charming moments that were so intriguing and definitely love what the author did with this one and curious about her writing and would like to try her out more in the near future.

 

 In Her Highlander's Bed is the 11th installment in the "Highland Brides" series. From the moment that I saw this beauty I knew that I just had to read it. There is something so endearing about the way that this author has written this series. There is such great family connection in this one here. It was so charming to see the way that this story came together. Lynsay Sands definitely wrote a treasure. So if you are a fan of the series or just the author, you will have a fun time with it.

In Her Highlander's Bed is where our hero is enjoying a cold bath in the Loch, having recently recovered from a arrow wound to the chest. But when he sees someone trying to steal his clothing, he chases them and discovers its a woman posing as a boy. He brings her to his castle, to help her with her injuries where amnesia is present. As Calen is determined to figure out the truth, there is an endearing chemistry that is building between them. But the secrets come out and soon they might have to come together to protect those that they love.

In Her Highlander's Bed we have such an interesting romance and I know that Amnesia might throw some readers off, but its short, and not dragged out throughout the story. I really enjoyed both of these characters here, they had such a good bond. I loved the highlander feel to the story and the focus on the clans and the laws with the King, it was really interesting. Lynsay Sands did such a good job with it. The romance was so delightful though, they had powerful chemistry and are so caring towards each other. And once they get on with the smexy times, it really hits just right for them. The family connection is so solid and well loved throughout the story. I really enjoyed seeing this serial arc that the author implemented and I am so curious to see the author do more for Calan's family.

Overall I found In Her Highlander's Bed to be a vibrant and sexy historical that delivered in such a solid way. Its packed with plenty of thrills, packs a sensual punch and portrays a powerful romance to fall so easy in love with! 

 

Extreme Exposure is the first book in the "I-Team" series and I have had this series on my TBR watchlist for the longest time and after seeing this one available in the library, I just knew that I had to grab it up. I am so glad that I was able to pick this one up here because it was fantastic in every way! I absolutely couldn't seem to get enough of it and I just fell so hard for this book and most especially this romance!

The Story sets off with our heroine, who is at a bar with her best friend, when she runs into a senator, and the chemistry kicks off between them. And they begin to slow begin a relationship with each other. While at the same time our heroine is brought into a conspiracy that is causing health and harm to people in the area, and she is determined to get down to the bottom of it, but as the connection between herself and her Senator, there is a conspiracy to destroy both of them and only by learning to trust in each other will they be able to win and bring the conspirators to justice.

This was such a fun book and I had such a good time. I really enjoyed all the elements that come together in this novel and its definitely a winner for me. One I couldn't put this one down, I was so engaged by the story. The hero is a alpha male, so thats a plus, but not in a toxic or bad way. I think I would categorize him a alpha male, he is super protective and can be commanding but at the same time he is always trying to be patient and understanding of where the heroine is coming from and working with her. I loved seeing what a healthy representation this book is in what a alpha male should be and I was so delighted by it all. I definitely had a delightful time with this one here. Such a true treasure.

What I think many readers will enjoy is the balance of the romance and the suspenseful aspects. Sometimes in romantic suspense books, the suspense plot can take over the romance. But in this novel, it seemed to be well countered with the romantic elements. As for the romance, the relationship was just delightful. We have a single mother who is so devoted to her son, and his birth father abandoned them when she refused an abortion. Then comes in the hero who is so attracted to her but also wants a real relationship with her. The way that he fights for her and her son was so precious. He definitely helps her realize that not all men are like her ex, and that some have integrity and honor.

The suspense elements of the story was so superb. Its basically about a whistleblower who is coming clean about toxic elements for the company that he works for that is harming others. I really loved the focus in seeing the side of the Whistleblower and what they have to do to come forward with the truth. Pamela Clare really focused on these elements so genuinely. We see how the heroine was determined to make sure he and his family stayed safe. Normally journalist heroines are toxic and yeah I LOVED this heroine as a journalist, she had integrity and I really loved seeing her determination to get to the truth.

Overall I found Extreme Exposure to be such a treasure and I can't wait to delve more into this author's writing! SIMPLY A SUSPENSE GEM!

 

 The Christmas Backup Plan is the 11th installment in the Twilight Texas series and I absolutely adored this book, it was such a Holiday delight! I have really fallen behind with this series, and really this author. I used to be all updated but when I looked on her backlist I am like WOW I have really neglected reading Lori Wilde that is for sure. If you are looking a hilarious Christmas romance, then this one is a must, and I recommend it in audio as the narrator really did so well on the humorous aspects.

The Christmas Backup Plan starts up with two people that are completely at odds with each other. They have both known each other for quite a long while and have never fully gotten along. The hero is ex military and still learning to adapt to the loss of fingers in his hand and learning to deal with his PTSD from his time as a Army Ranger. Then we have our heroine, who is a wedding planner, and is more spontateous in her planning whereas the hero is much more of a planner. They have completely opposite in their personalities however, they come together to make sure the wedding of a mututal friend goes smoothly. As they travel together, and make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch, they discover they have a strong sexual chemistry and act on it. At first its just to warm themselves up but soon their emotions get caught up in their connection, and they have to decide if they are worth fighting for.

I found this dynamic to be so interesting and I was a bit on the fence if I even wanted them together. And yeah these two are completely different, but through their relationship journey they also cultivate a respect for each other. I really admired both characters in how they acted towards each other at times. I loved how they both see the depths to their differences and try to see beneath the surface. Now I wasn't a fan with how they handled the more serious aspects of their relationship that goes deeper than sex. So seeing them discover this was a bit rough at times, as it felt like they could be callous with each other, but in other ways it felt more honest and practical. But eventually they find their way together.

Overall I found The Christmas Backup Plan to be such a solid installment and just had me itching to read more from this series and author! Definitely a keeper for you Christmas bookshelf! 

Once Upon A Christmas Carol is a standalone and is part of the Audible Plus Catalog, and its super short and sweet. Now its only available in Audible. I will say that this one was so unique in that this is GRAPHIC AUDIO! Like yeah, you definitely need to grab this one up if you love Graphic Audio. I had no clue that it would have been in graphic audio. I just enjoyed the way that this story was developed and its super short. It was so different to the level of experience that there is when you are listening to Graphic Audio versus regular narration. It was almost like listening to a movie, because it had a full cast, sounds of the setting and felt so rich in detail.

Now was this story perfect? Nope it wasn't. The hero is much more devoted to the heroine than the hero even though this isn't the first time she has hurt him. So its all about the heroine really being in the dark about herself, learning about her past and learning to grow from past mistakes. I really don't like how some of the decisions that she makes that hurts the people that she loves. I do respect the hero and how much he was devoted to the hero and be honest with the heroine.

If you are looking for a super atmospheric holiday romance, to deliver all the feels and just had so much in the Christmas feelings and it had me in tears. The emotions were so heartfelt in this story that I least expected. I adored it all. So for a 2 hour listen, it was such a solid audiobook that is festive and endearing.

 Last Duke Standing is the first book in the "A Royal Match" series. I absolutely adored this book here, it was so so delightful. There was such a great level of charm to the story. I did read some of the ebooks and then listened to the audiobook as well. I was really fascinated by this story. This is a royal romance so I am guessing we will be getting another royal series from the author. We did see characters from the other previous royal series that this author wrote. I was intrigued to see how this story would be built. I went into this one blindly, I really didn't know what the blurb or setup was. But I was intrigued by the chemistry between the hero and heroine. And I loved the whole plot device, that was used to bring them together. It was so fun seeing the hero being her chaperone in finding a husband and he ended up being the only one that was her true match in every way. The characters were both delightful and had such solid personalities and once they got over their animosity toward each other, they really built on their connection and so the second half was just amazing for me to read. I am glad that I started this one in audio, and finished it in ebook format though. 

 Opulent Obsession is the third book in the series "Breaking Belles" and I really had a fun time with this one even though the heroine was driving me batty. Opulent Obsession is part of a erotic romance series. The setup of the series is that we have six men who are obligated to take part in a initiation process and it has a sexual environment. These six men go through this initiation to change how it's done as they don't believe it's right and I really love that they are willing to sacrifice so much to create change and that the women by their side have such complete trust. And in this book, we have a story of a second chance and these two were friends as kids but were torn apart because that was not of their own making and I really enjoyed seeing them come back to each other. Although I felt like the heroine was so bitter and angry and the poor hero just takes it and is so understanding and patient with her. So I felt like she could have been more willing to listen to him and really be more understanding on his end, and really see the truth behind it all. It took almost 75% before she was able to see the other side and see that it wasn't the hero's fault. And they are in this situation where they really need to be a team together or they won't accomplish the initiation. What they put these young people through is hell and I just wish that the heroine just was more of a partner as the hero was fighting to be with her. It just felt one-sided most of the time throughout the story.

Overall I had a blast with Opulent Obsession and I just couldn't seem to get enough of this story! 

 Painted Scars is the first book in the "Perfectly Imperfect" series and this series has been all over the romance book community I feel like and I finally decided to pick her up. She has been on my TBR for quite a while and Its been a while since I read such a good Mafia Romance. Now while it didn't quite make it to a five star read, it was still a solid read and I am very intrigued about this. I had such a good time with the authenticity that is delivered in this one. I really adored the way in which the author implemented this story here. There are many fun aspects to this story and while it wasn't a perfect book for me, it was such a win. I have to say that it was such a page turner, and I couldn't put this book down. So I will warn you that her writing is very gripping and you will be so easily drawn into the story.

Painted Scars though had some issues for me, if I am behind honest. My largest issue was the heroine. I really struggled with character especially in the later half of the story. Like she devotes herself to the hero but then runs scared and wants a divorce when she is faced with the reality of being in the mafia which she knew going into in the first place. I just felt like she was too rash and didn't give herself time to think it over before ending it all and the hero I am sorry he didn't deserve the pain she put him through. And then the whole groveling she does, well I think the hero deserved more. She just seemed so naive to me and I wasn't able to take accountability for her lack of commitment to her husband.

Overall while I had some issues, I had a wonderful time with this one here. And I can't wait to explore this series, as I hear it gets better with each book. 

 Home With You is the second book in the Winter Valley series and I was really hopeful for this book as I absolutely adored the first book and couldn't put that down. I will say that I struggled with this one because the pacing felt so much slower than what the first book delivered. And also I just wasn't a fan with the conflict in the story. The reasons for the second chance relationship just felt like a filler to me. It didn't really add anything genuine in the conflict interest and I struggled working through this one. It might work for some readers, but it just wasn't for me. When it comes to second chance, I really like the reason that broke them up to be relevant and not for reasons that would break someone up. I just didn't understand the reason the hero broke them up, it made zero sense to me. But that is just my impression on the situation there.

Overall I liked some aspects to the story, had a light Christmas feel and a decent grovel. But an enjoyable installment and curious to see about future installments. 

 Viscious Prince is the fifth installment in the "Royal Elite" series and I have to say that this author is becoming so addicting. I absolutely adored everything about this book here and it was so delightful to read. I was so intrigued to see where it would be taken for me but it really delivered in all the ways that I expected and more. I really adored the characters here and finally getting Ronan's book was so delightful. He is probably the more entertaining out of the group, and I felt like we got to see so many more hidden depths to his character. He was matched up with the most unlikely girl ever haha but honestly once we get to the details behind her facade, you really get to see so much more depths to her that I really enjoyed. There is so much depth of emotion and abuse that is focused on. I really enjoyed the manner in which the author displayed this portion of the story. Its built as a solid mystery layered upon the romance, and seeing the pieces of it all come together just makes for the best crescendo of an ending. If you are fans of Rina Kent, edgier romance and a good mystery balanced with the story, then you definitely need to grab this one up!