I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I LOVED this one! Just a Boyfriend by Sariah Wilson is the second book in her End of the Line series about the football players at Seattle’s EOL college. This time it’s Bash’s story. Second chance romance has never been as sweet as it is here.

Ian “Bash” Sebastian left home his senior year of high school after his dad married his girlfriend’s mom. No one knew they were dating, and after his dad’s not so subtle hint that if they did date it would ruin his new marriage, Bash left. After a bout of depression and self-medicating cost him his college scholarship, he’s back at EOL, and so is Ember. Maybe it’s time to clear the air?

I love Bash. He was first introduced in [b:The Friend Zone|43164832|The Friend Zone (End of the Line #1)|Sariah Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554924572l/43164832._SY75_.jpg|66962511] as Logan’s roommate. He’s funny and genuinely a good guy. When I realized the second book featured him, I knew I’d read it, not caring what the book was about. Bash’s story is heart-breaking, and it made me love him even more. He has this self-deprecating humor that is endearing, and he always puts others first despite his own happiness.

It’s been three years since Ember last saw Bash, and while she thought she was over him, she’s realizing she just hid her heart-break from herself. She’s still heartbroken, but determined to put it behind her and be friends with Bash. He didn’t want her years ago, he doesn’t want her now, but they were good friends and can still be, right? I like Ember too. She’s caring, witty, and puts her happiness on hold for her family.

The entire plot revolves around Bash and Ember hashing out their previous relationship and coming to terms with how to move forward. Ember is the only girl for Bash and always has been. Now he’s going to stop at nothing to prove that to Ember. The question is how do they tell their parents? This romance is sweet and steamy, heart-breaking and heart-swelling. It’s perfect!

Overall, if you haven’t guessed already, I loved Just a Boyfriend. The chemistry between Bash and Ember is sweet and makes you want to ship them right from the beginning. I highly recommend this for anyone that enjoys college/sports romance and second chances.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Jesse and the Ice Princess by Michelle MacQueen is the first book in her new series Gulf City High, and it is a delightful read! I read it in one sitting, not wanting to miss a minute of Jesse and Charlotte’s story.

Charlotte Morrison is the hockey coach’s daughter and a competitive figure skater. She doesn’t have time for friends or fun. Her determination and one-minded focus has led to her unfortunate nickname: ice princess. Charlie hates this nickname. Her shyness coupled with her lack of social life has her labeled a snob, a mean girl that thinks she’s better than everyone else. But that’s not Charlie and she doesn’t know how to change that persona or if she really cares to.

Jesse Carrigan is the hockey team captain and school’s golden boy. Everyone wants to be Jesse and the girl’s want his attention. But Jesse’s school life and home life couldn’t be more different. After his mother’s death two years prior, his dad has retreated into work, leaving Jesse and his sister (who suffers from extreme social anxiety) to raise their younger twin brothers. I love Jesse. Never once does he complain about his lot in life. Instead you see a young man completely comfortable in his role as caretaker. It’s this trait that leads him to see through the ice built around Charlotte.

The plot of this one centers around Charlotte and Jesse. Jesse’s team is not known for winning, and just once before they graduate, he’d like to see them win. After seeing Charlotte playing on the ice with her friend, he knows how they’ll win. He needs the ice princess to come teach the team her moves. It’s convincing her of this that is the problem. I love the complexity of the plot here. While it seems straightforward, MacQueen delves deeper into Charlie’s actions and the motives behind them. In this short novel, the character’s development is beyond expectations as Charlie learns to adapt to new situations and stand up for what she wants.

Overall, I really loved Jesse and the Ice Princess. This is the first contemporary from the author I’ve read (I have read her fantasy novels under her pen name [a:M. Lynn|17630479|M. Lynn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]), and it won’t be the last. If you enjoy sweet, YA contemporary, I highly recommend it.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

Can you be addicted to a series? If you can, then I am 100% addicted to Scarlett Dawn's Trixie Towers series! Like the first book, I devoured Scales and Skeletons in one sitting, forgoing sleep to do so. And I regret nothing

I received an eARC of this book via the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

My heart was not prepared for this book. An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham is the second book in her series Heart of a Hero that follows the lives of soldiers and those closest to them. In this installment, we meet Greer Hadley, Emmett Lawson, and Ally Martinez when they are at their lowest point. Dealing with grief, depression, and a glimpse of PTSD, An Everyday Hero shows what a little persistence and a lot of love can do.

Greer Hadley has officially hit bottom. Arrested for being drunk and disorderly at a bar in her hometown, Greer thinks it can’t get any worse. Then her uncle (who is also the judge) sentences her to community service at a local agency that provides music therapy to veterans and their families. After selling her guitar to make rent money, bombing her last performance, finding her boyfriend sleeping with another woman, and moving back in with her parents (in her thirties!), the absolute last thing Greer wants is to pick up a guitar again. Now she has no choice but to confront her newfound stagefright all while helping two people that do not want her help.

Ally Martinez is a fifteen year old who has just lost her father, killed in action. To say she’s acting out is an understatement. Yet Greer sees past her anger and attitude. She sees a girl who is hurting, and all she wants to do is help. The relationship between these two builds naturally. I wanted to reach through the pages and give Ally a hug. She’s a strong young woman that stole my heart as she stole Greer’s.

Then there’s Emmett Lawson, the golden boy that starred in many of Greer’s high school fantasies. Emmett is not the boy she remembers. Haunted and drowning his memories in Jack, everyone has written him off as a lost cause. But not Greer. Like with Ally, Greer sees what Emmett’s anger really is: a front for his insecurities. He lost a leg and friends, and he blames himself for not preventing it. A little tough love is in order.

I absolutely love Greer and Emmett. She doesn’t put up with his bull, and it’s exactly what he needs. Where he pushes, she bucks back. And it isn’t one-sided. Emmett pushes Greer, getting to the root of her anxiety and stagefright. It starts as friendship, and I love the progression the author shows in the book. It felt real and right.

Overall, An Everyday Hero will tug at your heartstrings and may even have you shedding a tear or two. If you enjoy contemporary romance, I highly recommend it.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

I received an eARC of this book via the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Jane Austen in space….yes please! The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne is a modern-day, futuristic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. While the year isn’t specifically stated, you can assume it’s been a few hundred years since the people of Earth took off in their spaceships they now call home. That’s a long time in space, and that’s a long time for ships to begin to breakdown, and for society to reevaluate itself which is precisely what is happening here. The Stars We Steal is a story of romance, deception, and class division that will appeal to all audiences.

Leonie Kolburg, or Leo, is a princess of a nearly defunct ship. She hates her title. Because of it, she lost the one person that made her feel normal. The title is little more than a status symbol anyways. Leo’s family, along with many others, are near destitute. Years in space with no form of income and lots of expenses is finally taking its toll. With the Valg Season upon them, Leo’s father is forcing her to marry, not for love but money. She must find a wealthy husband to secure her family’s financial freedom. Otherwise their ship (and titles) will be gone.

While attending the Valg Season, Leo talks her father into staying in the Royal chambers aboard the Scandinavian, the ship hosting this year and her mother’s home ship. In doing this, they can rent out their ship and make a little money. What Leo doesn’t count on is her former fiance and his new friends renting it. Elliot is now a wealthy, successful captain of a whiskey ship, and like Leo, is entering the Valg Season. But Elliot’s motives aren’t entirely pure.

What is the Valg Season? It’s like a coming out party (think Victorian England) for society. The bloodlines on the ships are running a little too thin. If you don’t want to marry a cousin or other relative, you enter the Valg Season which lasts a few weeks. Glittering balls, speed dating, dinners and dancing, among many other events fill up the weeks so the eligible candidates have a chance to mingle, meet and choose a spouse.

I’ll be honest, this aspect of the book while seeming to be the main plot (at least from the blurb) actually doesn’t take up as much as one would think. I expected more from it and had hoped to learn more about why they’re in space. In truth, it could have been set on Earth or another planet and the storyline not changed. The plot really focuses on the romance and the mystery surrounding Elliot’s return.

While I really liked Leo, the other characters fell flat for me, even Elliot. There were many times I had to check to see who Leo was interacting with because there was no depth. There is however plenty of representation from race to sexuality. It was as if the author had a list she could that she was checking off….lesbian check, asian check, mocha skin color check. Maybe it was just me, but it felt off and forced, and honestly the characters could have been any skin color or sexual orientation and it wouldn’t have impacted their story.

Overall I’m torn. I really enjoyed some aspects of The Stars We Steal. I loved Leo, her tenacity and forward thinking (because for this to be set so many years in the future, I felt as if I’d stepped back in time). I enjoyed how Donne weaved her own tale through Austen’s Persuasion. There is enough of the original story that it made me smile. However, if like me you are looking for a space opera, or at least a science fiction, this isn’t it. Yes, they are on a ship in space, but that’s the extent of it. The Stars We Steal is a unique take on social status and inequality set in the beautiful expanse of space. If you enjoy light science fiction with a little romance, I recommend it.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Best friends….secret love….y’all Michelle MacQueen put my two favorite tropes into one incredibly sweet story. Roman and the Hopeless Romantic is the second book in Macqueen’s Gulf City High series, and as the title suggests, follows the story of Roman Sullivan. If you’ve read book one, he should be familiar as Jesse’s flirtatious, good-natured best friend. I was really excited to start this one, and it does not disappoint!

Roman, as I’ve already stated, is genuinely a good guy and a bit of a flirt, which gets him the reputation of being a ladies man. However, he couldn’t be farther from that. He’s lonely. His parents are constantly away for work, his best friend has a new girlfriend, and his other best friend is currently not speaking to him. Roman doesn’t take it personally, or at least tries not too. Cassie doesn’t speak to anyone, but that doesn’t stop Roman from talking to her. When his parents tell him they are moving to another country and he has to go with them, Jesse makes him an offer he can’t refuse. But how does one go about living in the same house with the girl he secretly loves?

Cassie Carrigan lost her innocence and security the day she witnessed her mother’s death two years prior. Since then, her anxiety and PTSD has kept her inside her house where she only speaks to her family. Even Roman, the boy who was once as close to her as her brother Jesse, she can’t talk to. Her fear gets the better of her at every turn. She’s lost herself, the fun loving girl she used to be, and she doesn’t know how to get it back. When Roman moves in with them, Cassie’s therapist sees an opening for her to push back at her anxiety. Between the small challenges her therapist assigns and Roman’s constant presence, can Cassie begin to live again?

This book is more than a romance. It’s a heartfelt exploration of loss and grief, first love and best friends, and how anxiety can cripple it. I adore Roman! He is a big teddy bear who loves fiercely. And Cassie….my heart broke for her, but I was ultimately proud of her resilience and determination to break out of her shell. Michelle MacQueen perfectly captures this couple, and while the romance is sweet, it’s their friendship that drives the plot. If you are a fan of YA contemporary romance, I highly recommend it.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

When I see a book about mythology, I grab it. I love Greek/Roman/Norse/Egyptian….well you get the picture