I don’t usually like romances that are centered on situations of miscommunication – they frustrate me and I usually can’t relax enough to enjoy the story. But Donyo does a fantastic job with One Last Letter. The characters are interesting and she really brings to readers the impact of foolish choices made by the young.

Although Jesse and Evelyn have an opportunity for a second chance, their stubbornness and fear of rejection lead to more heartache. I was on the edge of my seat (even though I knew that they were going to get their happy ending) through a good portion of the book and couldn’t decide if I wanted to hug or kick them. I wanted to reach through the pages, lock them in a room together and force them to really talk. But Donyo handled it well and left me smiling.

Full of deeply felt, and long held, love combined with regret and confusion, One Last Letter is a great western romance. With a satisfyingly sweet ending, I was very glad I put aside my prejudices and gave it a chance.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I totally loved The Playboy. It starts off with a heartbreaking teenage moment between Alexia and Parker. Ash completely captures that feeling of being young (and stupid) and how devastating things can be. Then we flash forward about a half dozen years and the two meet again. Parker handles it like a champ and I totally fell in love with him right there in the middle of Chapter 1.

The way that Parker and Alexia work through their issues (and their attraction) is adorable and I found myself glued to the pages. They have great banter and Parker is a very inventive man as he not only earns a second chance with Alexia but takes on the task of helping her gain confidence. Ash manages to so completely convince readers of how perfect they are together that I took it personally when things went wrong … which just made it all the sweeter when I got to that last page. You know that they are going to figure things out but that doesn’t make that speed bump at the end any easier to take.

(Full review available at https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/book-review-the-playboy/)

Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Win by Submission has lots of scary, suspenseful moments and mixes it with the emotional give-and-take of Cole & Katie falling in love. It has a fantastically nail-biting ending – a little predictable but still affecting and one that had me satisfied. With enthralling writing and characters that pop, Price delivers a great series and one that has me looking forward to the next book.

Full review available at https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/book-review-win-by-submission/ ‎

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

So you guys have no idea how excited I was to get another of Kate Angell’s books – especially when it centers around one of the Richmond Rogues players. Years ago I fell in love with her Rogues and while there is no doubt that I love the Barefoot Williams crew, those ball players will always have a special place in my heart. (Pssst, you can get the original books in a special 4 Book Boxed Set on Amazon!)

Rylan and Beth together are just fantastic. It’s not a very angst ridden book, instead it’s all about the people (yea!) – getting to know each other, falling in love and developing relationships with those around them. Rylan is all sexy ball-player, but being a Cates he’s also smart, settled and big-hearted. He cares about his family & those around him and so does Beth. She immediately adopts all those in Rylan’s sphere and tries to make things better for them, but of course she puts Rylan first. She’s running a little from her past but working for Rylan gives her the chance to sit still for a little bit and confront it.

I did a really big happy dance about halfway thru the book when I started to realize that Angell was possibly setting us up for more Rogues books! We usually spend time with the people of Barefoot Williams but with Rylan being a starter for the baseball team we got to see more of the players. And what a fantastically fun crew they are. I can’t wait to see this group of grown up little boys fall in love – it is guaranteed to be a hoot. Based on the sneak peek at the end, we’re starting with Halo, the biggest little kid of the bunch. I’m so excited!

With a Great Dane matchmaker and hyper ballplayers, Rylan and Beth are kept on their toes … while being pushed into each other’s arms. Humorous and full of heart, No One Like You is another home run from Kate Angell.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

After her divorce, Kate is a little insecure but thanks to David she finds herself again. Once she discovers who she is at her core, she’s surprisingly settled for her past – strong and confident. But she has to let that past go and remember how great she really is. And that she can hold the interest of a younger, super-hot pro-athlete.

David grows up a lot too. He starts to realize the man that he didn’t even know he wanted to be. He just has to convince Kate that he’s ready to commit and that she’s the one for him. David and Kate face a lot of troubles, because of their fears and hang-ups, but it leads to a really great HEA.

The characters are fantastic, both the main and secondary, and Moon does a wonderful job of drawing you into their world. And of making you interested in what happens next – I really hope we get Jack’s story. I felt for him almost as much as the main characters. He’s young but a good guy underneath and he got a good kick in the teeth so I have my fingers crossed that we can see him get his own HEA.

With realistic issues and an emotional storyline, Until You is definitely one to add to your TBR pile.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I totally understood Ellie and her troubles. Feeling like she needs to follow other peoples wants, learning how to set boundaries in her life is very tough for her. With the kind of mother she has, it is easy to get why she hesitates so much with stepping away from the path her mom decides is right.

Managing family expectations is never easy, but Ellie’s packs a little extra punch. Then she meets Gray and he’s definitely hard to resist (I was half in love with him myself). It’s an emotional journey for her but one that makes their HEA all the sweeter.

I have really been enjoying these little novellas – they are nice bite size romantic treats, quick reads with a lot of heart, and they’ve exposed me to new authors as well. With A May Bride Moseley delivers a winner. It is a story of emotions, troubles and love, with complicated family dynamics and personal growth.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I love, love, LOVE Roxanne Snopek’s books. The characters are always so interesting and full of life, while the plot just keep me glued to the pages.

Dane is one of those hottie billionaires that are so popular in romances – he’s smooth, gorgeous, wealthy, and knows how to play just as hard as he works. He’s also anti-commitment … then the ultimate commitment, a little girl, lands on his doorstep and shakes up his world. Luckily he has his oh-so-efficient assistance to help, but the more time they spend together, the more attracted to her he becomes.

Pam knows exactly the kind of man her boss is – short term affairs with gorgeous women. But she also knows how smart and sexy he is. Forced together thanks to a haunted little girl, she’s finding him super-hard to resist. She’s just about the only person in the world who will force him to be the dad that he can be. But can she live with (or without) the man she makes him into …

Dani is just too adorable and the interactions between the three of them as they learn how to navigate new waters is just too darn sweet, heartbreaking and funny all rolled into one addictive ball. They are totally believable and touching as they slowly become a family unit. And just because some might find the secretary/boss fantasy a little clichéd doesn’t mean that in the hands of a great author like Snopek the dynamic can’t be just about perfect.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

As the first story in a new paranormal series, Chaos and Moonlight does a great job of introducing the new world. I think there were a couple of places where an explanation might have been better happening earlier than written, but overall it’s well developed. Sometimes it is hard with the introductory novel to cover everything without throwing off the pacing but Marrow does it well – we get a great feeling for the society the vampires live in. There’s a lot of intricacies to their history which are slowly handed out but I didn’t end up with any unanswered questions and was interested all the way to the end.

Taris is great hero material. He’s strong and caring, taking his role as informal leader to heart. He is greatly affected by the setbacks they’ve experienced and the implications for their future. He, like all of them, is deeply invested in solving their problems – and that’s where Sarah comes in. I’m surprised at how well she takes the existence of vampires, but I think as a scientist that it might be easier to accept the unexplainable. Those difficulties definitely are an interesting twist – I won’t give away too many details because it plays a big part in why Sarah is brought into their world. But it’s one that I hadn’t thought about before but it makes sense and adds a nice complexity to their lives.

There are bad guys – what paranormal book isn’t made better by a villain – and I have to say I really want to see more from these. Despite all of the awful things that they’ve done, I’m intrigued by the idea of redemption … but I’m also afraid that too much has happened. There are also good guys, of course, who will also get their own story. I’m intrigued to see where Marrow goes from here since it looks like their is an answer to the big problem in the first book.

If paranormal romance is your thing (think Black Dagger Brotherhood or The Sentinels) then you may have found yourself a new series. With a large and fascinating group of characters, Marrow has the potential for a sexy new series on her hands.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

Terry’s writing is wonderfully smooth – it moves fast and keeps you turning pages. Since this is a novella it didn’t take long to get to the HEA, but the ride was definitely a good one. We get to be there as Aiden struggles and Paige’s wisdom has her supporting him every way she can. It’s a story as sweet as the town it is set in and I think that you’ll find yourself ready for return trips (and lucky for you there are about a ½ dozen books just waiting for you).

Full review available at https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/book-review-home-sweet-home/

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I liked this story, but I didn’t love it. This is part of a series and I understand that returning readers may be pretty affected by the death of Lindsay’s brother and sister-in-law, but I joined in the middle so I had no ties to them. Unfortunately I didn’t have ties to any of the other characters either and I’m not sure if that would have helped things.

All the way to the end I was doing pretty good. I understood where Lindsay was coming from on her objections to Noah’s fighting. It’s not a pretty sport and I don’t know how I would handle being romantically tied to someone who does it for a living, so her hesitation to get involved with him didn’t bother me.

And his persistence, while it could be stalkerish, is actually an endearing characteristic. She gave off just enough of a vibe to show her conflicting emotions that he knew she wasn’t completely against it. I like Noah – he’s dedicated and caring, has overcome a very difficult background and has made a place for himself. I was right there with Lindsay as Noah showed her the man behind the fighter, and I gave him a little piece of my heart as well.

My problem though is with the resolution of their conflict. I think there could have been more build up to the final decision. I liked it, I just didn’t understand it. It seemed a little too sudden to be believable – it was all one way thru the book and then it switches. I just wish we had a little more set up to it.

Overall though I enjoyed Fighting for Keeps and will look for more by Snow and in the Brookhollow series.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)