Shalvis is a genius at writing contemporary romances – one of the most popular authors around, she’s produced tons of fantastic love stories and I’m happy to report that Still the One is one of her best.

I really loved Darcy and AJ. They’ve been fighting an attraction for a while, but both have hangups that make it a no-go. Plus, AJ is close friends with Darcy’s siblings and there is a code about that … one of my favorite storylines :)

Darcy has a lot of gumption. A horrible accident left her with physical impairments, but thanks to AJ’s treatment (and her own stubborn nature) she’s doing very well. Unfortunately, thanks to her childhood, she’s got scars on the inside that rival those on the outside. AJ is one of THOSE guys – he’s gorgeous and built and strong (both in body and spirit). He’s also loving, giving and generous, combining to be an all-around hot package. But, of course, he’s got some internal scars of his own.

Stuck together by forces out of their control, and forced to fake a relationship thanks to Darcy’s big mouth, nature kinda takes over. Of course it isn’t smooth sailing – they still have those hangups, plus quite a few misunderstandings crop up. But it all leads to a very satisfying HEA (and plenty of material for more delicious stories).

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I liked this group of people but there were definitely moments when I wanted to smack David. He’s the quintessential clueless male – more than a few times actually. He (and everyone else) is aware of how Vivi feels but he thinks that she’ll always be there, trailing after him. He’s contemplating marriage to his girlfriend but seems surprised that she’s picking up on that vibe and thinking long-term with him as well. He thinks that everything can go back to normal even after he momentarily gives in to his attraction to Vivi. Get the idea? He’s overall a good guy and he’s carrying a pretty big secret, so I can give him a pass on some things. But that doesn’t mean it is any less frustrating when he has a stupid guy moment :)

Vivi has so much energy to her that it is hard not to like her and you have to admire her tenacity for holding on so tight to her feelings for David, putting herself out there so blatantly. But my favorite part is how she finally learns to stand up for herself and consider her needs. She’s got a couple of bad relationships in her life but once she gets her wakeup call she starts looking at what’s best for her. It’s refreshing to see that kind of growth in a heroine.

David also has a brother and sister who come with their own set of problems. I’m definitely looking forward to more from Beck so they can get a shot at their own HEA. We get glimpses of their issues here so it’ll be interesting to get more details and see where they go from here.

Sometimes funny, sometimes raw, but always engaging, Worth the Wait is an emotional powerhouse and Beck is going on my list of authors to watch.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

With Cupcakes and Crushes, Ford cooks up a wonderful book about letting go of the past in order to embrace the future. Annie finds that it is easier to avoid issues than face them but being back in town and seeing it through adult eyes makes her re-evaluate things. Plus the handsome, smart and sweet Cade gives her extra reasons to make peace with her past.

The story is short but the perfect warm weather read. And although it seems like Annie and Cade fall in love quickly, Ford makes it totally believable. I love them both and I was pulling for them from page one. They make such a fun and cute couple and it is fantastic watching them give in to their feelings.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

The illicit romance with the sibling of your friend always appeals to me but when one of the two is a kick-butt military guy I just can’t resist. There are so many complications that arise out of dating your friend’s sister, but when that friend knows 50 ways to kill you without leaving evidence – well, that makes it even more problematic :)

On top of the romance, we get a good deal of adventure and danger as well. Owens does a fantastic job of weaving the two and making them working together to give her readers a complex story.

Someone Like Her delivers suspense and edge of your seat moments, mixed with humor and heart-warming emotions. With bigger than life men and the women strong enough to love them, danger and laughter, steam and tears, and a good dose of HEA, The K2 Team series is a must read.

Full review available at Romahttps://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/book-review-someone-like-her/

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I’ve actually reviewed a couple of Bybee’s books already (I’m not sure how I missed Taken By Thursday but I’ll get that one up soon) and I have to say I’ve loved every one of them. They are fantastic mix of suspense and romance.

I haven’t met a person that I haven’t liked in this series (or at least not anyone I’m supposed to like) and this time isn’t any different. Bybee gives little glimpses of her heroines in preceding stories so we’ve met Meg before and I wasn’t surprised that I liked her. She’s strong and sassy, just like a weekday bride should be. And of course, she deserves a hunky and suave hero, which she gets with Val. He’s deliciously Italian – cool and sexy, but with a nice bit of fire inside.

At the beginning we get a little flirtation between Val and Meg, but it doesn’t take long for Bybee to get the ball rolling on their troubles. I have to say that it was quite obvious where the problems were coming from but she still manages to make you wonder. It isn’t as much of a whodunit but more of a whydunit and what are our leads going to do about it. Together Val and Meg, with their friends of course (hi everyone!), take serious insult to anyone threatening them and those they love so you know that they are going to take care of business … and they do. It’s quite satisfying to see how they get to the bottom of everything and the way that it is all resolved.

But I think my favorite part of this one is the fact that we continue to get Michael’s story. Out of all of the characters he’s my favorite and I’m not sure why. Maybe it is the adversity that he faces, the fact that he so very much wants to have a satisfactory life and a HEA, his lifestyle choice that is so much a hot point right now. We know that we’ll get another story in the series since Gabi has to get her happy ending, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that Bybee shows us that things can work out for him.

Full of a great deal of humor and spark, love and friendship, romance and heat, Seduced by Sunday is a great addition to the Weekday Brides series. If you haven’t read one before, that’s fine – Bybee does a great job of keeping each story self-contained but with enough character flow between them to keep returning readers happy.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I’ll have to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Priscilla in the beginning. Yes, her marriage ended badly and she has a right to be somewhat upset about it but she is horribly bitter. It makes her bitchy and unlikeable. Luckily I pushed thru and after a few interactions with Trent it got better. He sees past all the snark and finds something that keeps bringing him back. And after a while I saw it too.

Together the two of them are a ton of fun. She’s all kitten with her claws out and he just sits back & laughs before going all Alpha on her. It’s entertaining … and hot, for both CeCe and us J Of course, there have to be problems and they aren’t that much of a surprise, but Hollyfield handles it well. The issues & resolutions are believable, fitting in well with the story and the characters.

Once I got past the bitter CeCe parts, it was a very fast and fun read. Well written, with interesting characters and humorous moments, I ended up having trouble putting it down. If you are a little put off by the beginning like I was, make sure you keep reading because it doesn’t take long to get past that and the rest is totally worth it.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I don’t often have a chance to review LGBTQIA stories – not because of any personal beliefs (to me all good love stories are worth reading) but not all that many cross my desk – so I’m not very familiar with any quirks specific to the sub-genre. I look for the same thing in all my books: strong characters, an appealing story, and a HEA. Horse Crazy does provide those, but since it is a novella it is in a more condensed form.

I liked Melody and the chance to look at the issues a new trans face when stepping into the dating pool again. It’s a hot spot in today’s society and although the story isn’t very long, I think like Ricci does a good job of hitting the important pieces. I really felt like I could understand where she was coming from and the decisions she had to make. Because it is a novella, we didn’t get a chance to really look into Derrick’s reaction and I really think I’d love more from his perspective – a chance to understand where his head is at, because there wasn’t a lot of conflict at the end.

Even with just Melody’s perspective though, Horse Crazy was an intriguing read. A sweet romance and even sweeter mother/daughter relationship, it’s a quick read and one that I couldn’t put down.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I love these stories about little towns – the close-knit community and eccentric personalities just make for fun reading. And with Trentham’s Slow and Steady Rush I’m absolutely thrilled that this is the start of a new series because I absolutely cannot get enough of Falcon, Alabama.

Darcy’s struggles with coming home don’t play nearly as big a part as Dalt’s problems. I can totally see why she felt she needed to get out of the small town she grew up in … and how it changes with an adult perspective. Robbie, on the other hand, has never had anywhere that felt like home. But now that he’s making a place for himself in Falcon, he may actually be able to settle in. The scars he carries on the inside are awfully big, though, and he’ll have to learn how to let go to fully embrace the chances that life are throwing his way. It’s a difficult journey for him, and he fights it every step of the way, but that makes it all the more satisfying when we get to the HEA.

It’s an emotional battle between these two, with each other and themselves. I can admit that Trentham brought me to tears a time or two but she also brought a big ol’ smile to my face. I call that a fantastic read – one that makes me cry, smile, laugh and sigh and enjoy every single darn minute of it. I absolutely can’t wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the guys because if it is anything like this one, they’ll be whoppers.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

Want me to tell you a secret? I absolutely LOVE Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series. Oh, that’s not a secret, is it? :) The dialogue is always snappy, the characters have depth and are interesting, the stories hold my page after page, and it’s all tied up with a nice HEA bow at the end. Perfection!

I think what I found most interesting about Hold Me is that it strayed a little from the formula of the previous stories. We still are given a wonderful hero and heroine, intriguing secondary characters that are sure to have their own story, and little updates on some old friends. This time the story focuses more on Kipling and Destiny’s discovery of themselves and how they fit in with those around them. There are plenty of wonderful interactions between the two and they fall in love bit by bit throughout the story, but it seems to be less important than the outside interactions. Those coming back to Fool’s Gold will know that this is a part of all of her stories but it just seemed to play into more this time … and I really like it!

Destiny has spent her whole life running from the fame of her parents – and the musical gift that they gave her. But this summer she’s in Fool’s Gold on a job and brought along the half-sister that she doesn’t know. Starr’s mom died and their dad is on tour so Destiny is the only one who can help the girl. Seeing her family from someone else’s perspective and dealing with the responsibility of being the guardian to a teenager has Destiny looking at things a little differently. As the sisters get to know each other better and start to look at the future, it becomes obvious to Destiny that her life won’t ever be the same.

Kipling has always been a go getter. He’s spent years at the top of the skiing world … only to have it all crash and burn. Like Destiny, he’s also taking a good look at who he is now and what the future will be. His sister is in Fool’s Gold as well and there is some residual guilt over their past that has a hold on him. It’s intriguing to watch as Kipling has to learn where he fits with those around him – when to step in, when to step out and when they just need his support.

It’s an interesting journey for both Kipling and Destiny as they try to find their paths – sometimes walking together, sometimes side by side and sometimes on their own but always toward a HEA that will make you smile. It’s a beautiful trip, as they make peace with their pasts and look toward their futures, and Mallery once again does a wonderful job of bringing it to her readers.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

Let me start with the fact that I haven’t read the rest of this series (surprise, surprise) and I think that it somewhat impacted how much I understood about what was going on. There were some definite undertones in the relationships as well as some incidents from the previous books that come into play.

Now, having said that, I have to admit that I REALLY liked this story. Cynthia and Chad are fantastic. She’s got that right amount of grit and snark to keep me coming back. She’s been in the shadow of her step sisters for a long time – long enough that she’s forgotten what it might be like to shine. Having the attention of a sexy cowboy may just be what she needs …

And she helps bring the real Chad out. He’s at a point where he is starting to evaluate his life choices when Cynthia falls into his lap. She’s the perfect foil to what he’s used to – caring, hardworking, smart, and sexy but a little unsure of herself. She intrigues him, capturing his attention at a time when he needs something real in his romantic life.

Cinderella’s Cowboy is a short read, but very satisfying, with plenty of humor and snark, heat and sparks, and small town heart. If you’ve read the rest of the This Old House series I’m sure you are going to be a happy camper. If you haven’t, you can start here but since I know what fantastic books Ms. Snopek writes I recommend starting at the beginning – you won’t regret it and I think that you’ll enjoy this one all the more.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)