Ok this one was soooo freaking cute!! I enjoyed the previous book in this series but I liked this one even more and I think it’s because it had so many of my favorite things. It has friends to lovers, a fake marriage, forced proximity and the cutest baby that Levi and Eva bond over. There was so much emotion and heart driving the story, when Eva’s sister passes away she is left to raise her niece, Cici and Levi reluctantly agrees to marry her for a year to look better for the courts. Levi is the consummate bachelor but he adores Eva who is his closet friend and he will do anything for her. The scenes with him and the baby were everything, talk about swoony and I loved that Levi and Eva’s relationship was built on such a strong foundation of friendship. While it was super sweet the author always brings the heat and this was no exception SO sexy. I listened to the audio version and Savannah Peachwood and Jason Clarke always deliver the best performances! So cute, so flirty and so adorable I loved this. 

The author is new to me so I wasn’t really sure what to expect here but it definitely exceeded any expectations I had because this was really good! From the moment I started I was immediately drawn into the story of Anna and Gabe, they’re the kind of characters that you form an instant connection with and I was very invested in their story. It follows the two of them over a long period of time and the depth and growth of their characters was excellent. While I loved Gabe it was Anna who really stole my heart, she had such a sad backstory but she was such a resilient and strong woman that I couldn’t help but root for her so hard. There are some heavy issues explored here but it was also very heartwarming and uplifting as well. I adored my time with these characters and so appreciated this beautiful story of love, loss, hope and friendship.

I finished and it was overwhelmingly sad and heartbreaking. There was never a consistent person in her life that gave a single fuck about her beyond her being a cash cow and those closest to her not only used and exploited her, they treated her like garbage. She’s unflinchingly honest and owns her mistakes and it’s a miracle she is strong enough to even be able to tell her story. I hope writing this made her feel empowered and that she has a better support system than she has for most of her life. She deserves so much more than she’s received thus far, SO much more. 

Somehow this is number 19 in the Kim Stone series and if you’re thinking there is no way that a series could go on for this long and still be just as exciting and well written as the very first book you would be wrong. I have rated every single one of these books five stars and I’m not sure there is another series out there that has been rated as highly by me. That’s really saying something too, because I am the kind of reader who adores a series and I am an devoted reader of so many of them but few can hold a candle to this one, it is definitely one of my very favorites. 

One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about Kim as a character is how very black and white she views the world. She is confident in her beliefs and rarely goes back and forth about situations after she’s made a decision for herself or her team. This book explored the gray areas of life where there isn’t always an easy answer and it was fascinating to see Kim navigate uncharted waters. Vigilante justice plays a role in one of the cases Kim and crew are working and that’s a concept that always gets me thinking. In Marsons skilled hands she leads the reader down a dark and dangerous path alongside the team and the entire ride was suspenseful, entertaining and wholly satisfying. Besides an intricate plot in terms of the team’s caseload, you also have some happenings that have shifted the dynamics between Kim, Bryant, Stacy and Penn. This added an emotional layer to the story and it also added even more depth to the fantastic characterization that I’ve come to expect from the author. If you like very well written crime fiction with incredible characters, fast pacing and complex plotting this one is a must!

Ok this one was hot! This is the first in a new series and I can definitely see the potential here. Jake and Rakell had amazing chemistry despite keeping secrets from each other and it’s a slow burn before they get it together and finally hook up. While it’s steamy there was also plenty of depth as well and the characters were well developed and interesting. I was a little surprised that things weren’t resolved in the end but overall I enjoyed this sexy and fun read.