I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Worth the Wait, and I’m really not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this one. Maybe because I didn’t remember liking Cat all that much (actually I’m not really all that sure how I felt about her) but I think that I expected her to be difficult to like in her own story.

I was seriously wrong. She’s flawed, full of pride and neurosis, but she’s also caring. She works in a world that is all about her image and her dad has never seen her as more than just a pretty face. It’s easy to see why she gets so hung up on what will happen to her now that she’s older and how she can prove herself to be more than just a trophy. Unfortunately a disastrous relationship and a serious secret has her hesitant to give her heart to any guy again.

Hank definitely sees more than just her beauty. He’s a sensitive, loving person who unfortunately has been dealt a very difficult hand. Shortly after his dad died his mom started displaying symptoms of Alzheimer’s so he’s had to support his family since a very young age, giving up many of his dreams. It also means he doesn’t have a lot of time or energy to give to a relationship. He thought something might have developed with Cat but she threw him over for someone else … and now that she’s single again he might be tempted but he’s also very hesitant to be hurt again.

I would have thought that Cat’s attitude would have gotten to me but Beck does a fantastic job of giving her readers a couple they can relate to and care about. I found myself turning page after page hoping that they would find some way to get past their history and issues to be together. When things go sour for them (as you’d expect), it made me sad for them - although I was definitely more on Hank’s side than Cat’s. But they manage to get it all together finally and get that HEA they so need. And I definitely can’t wait to see what comes next.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I found The Catching Kind to be as sweet as the muffins served at the coffee shop the series is centered around. Hailey is that perfect mixture of cute girl-next-door awkwardness. She’s smart, funny, and caring but a little unsure of herself. Throw her into a world populated by the oh-so-confident Connor and lets the chaos reign.

Fun and quirky, with a lovely enemies to friends to lovers plotline, The Catching Kind made me smile, especially the typically Connor ending! I can’t wait to get my hands on more of Quinn’s work.

Full review available at https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/book-review-the-catching-kind/

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

The blurb for this book must have been written by someone who loves to tease :) We pick up the story three years after Claire’s death and Ryan is just existing – he’s building a good life with his daughter but he’s lost his spark. Then he meets Amber … on the side of the road as she kicks the heck out of her flat tire (it is so going on my list as a favorite first meeting).

Of course the fact that this is the first time that Ryan has dated since his wife died causes quite a few problems. His daughter understandably has issues with it and he’s got some conflicted feelings of his own to deal with. But deal with it they do and it creates for readers a wonderfully emotional story. Some may have a problem with how quickly they fall in love, but it is so very sweet that I just don’t care.

We’re also given some great secondary characters in Ryan’s brothers and Amber’s friends. I can’t wait to see what Harms does with the next couple of books!

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

(This is the third book in this series - after Welcome to Forever and Welcome Home Cowboy - but it can be read on its own. Val and Griffin are friends with the couples from the first two books, and they make the occasional appearance, but their storylines don't come into play here. Although it is nice to get an update on their relationships :) )

I did find this one to be a little lighter of a read than the first two books. Griffin has issues with his mom and Val has a difficult relationship with her dad, but overall this came off as a little more of a traditional contemporary romance than what we've seen before.

Since they have friends that are in relationships together, Griffin and Val are aware of each other but they haven't spent any time together. A freak meeting puts them on a collision course that quickly turns flirtatious. It's a slow burn as they get to know each other and we get to know them a little better. Spending time together has them evaluating a few things and making some decisions about their lives & the relationships that they hold dear.

Val is keeping her career as an author secret from everyone and you know that some how that is going to bite her. I will say that I didn't feel that part of the book was handled completely. And she also makes some decisions that doesn't make that much sense if she wants to keep it a secret ... although maybe she was just aching to get caught.

The parts with her relationship with Griffin and her time with the people at the retirement community, even the stuff with her dad that needed to be addressed before she could truly be free (and which needed about three more paragraphs to really satisfy me), are wonderful. But the author thing only worked for me in spots. It wasn't enough to cause me trouble but it did make me shake my head here and there :)

With sexy and fun characters, entertaining and flirtatious interactions mixed with heart and emotion when it comes to those who mean the most to them, Rains delivers another heart warming love story. And you just know she's got a couple more good ones up her sleeve.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

There are stories that you enjoy but are difficult to get into and then there are stories that suck you in. This is definitely the latter - I was absolutely stunned to look up and realize I was over halfway thru the book and had no intention of putting it down any time soon!

I totally see where Brody is coming from with his attraction to Scarlett. He’s spent months avoiding her because she was his best friend’s wife but just because she’s divorcing him it doesn’t make it any easier to turn off those feelings of guilt. I like him as a man even more for it. He’s got things he feels strongly about – family, friends, loyalty. It is hard for him to ignore them … until he finds out exactly what happened. I love the way he’s there to support Scarlett, both before and after the Bahamas vacation. She needs someone to be there for her and he does it so well. And so sexily :)

Scarlett finds herself single, beaten down and unsure of herself. Trying to get her single girl mojo back isn’t working and even more so once Brody is in the picture again. Until she finds herself attracted to her old friend … and figures out that it could be mutual. I totally get where she’s coming from too – her insecurities and fears. I’m going to give a minor spoiler in saying that I loved how she was able to resolve things with her ex at a time when they both needed it most. There is something freeing in that interaction that could color so much for her and Brody, while it also helps her figure things out on what she needs to do to have a happy future.

There are some serious issues at play here but Niles handles them very well. I also appreciate how she gives the two of them a supportive relationship – both of them are there for each other in ways that matters, understanding what is needed and providing the support that the other needs. The last few chapters are just fantastic and I think the ending is just too darn adorable.

I read the first couple of stories in this series, but then I skipped a couple. This one can definitely stand on its own, although it looks like there’s some set up here for future stories. And I'm definitely gonna keep my eye out for what she brings next.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

I hate to say it but it took me a little bit to get into this book. I absolutely loved the first two in this series (Kiss Me That Way & Then He Kissed Me) and was so excited at the idea of finally getting this couple's story … and it was because of that that I kept at it until I got hooked. I can’t put my finger on exactly why, maybe it was because I was so anxious to get their HEA that the build-up just got to me, but whatever it was I was very happy that I didn’t give up. Once it did get going I had a hard time putting it down.

I love Sawyer. He’s got a good heart, cares about his family and his community. His only big weaknesses are his feelings for Regan and how his insecurities from his childhood still cause him moments of doubt. Especially with the wealthier ‘Sips (most importantly Regan’s mom).

Regan isn’t my favorite of the heroines but she grew on me as we find out her secrets and fears. She’s a complicated person but she’s spent her whole life hiding every little thing and putting on a “face” for everyone. I think that it causes her to be misunderstood by not only those around her but the readers as well. As we get to see beneath the surface we start to understand her more.

The threat to Regan wasn’t as big of a deal as I expected it to be after having it be a part of all three stories – if you’ve read the others, it pretty much continued on in the same vein, but of course we finally get to find out who is behind it, which worked very well with what we've seen so far. I was also thrilled to get the resolution on what happened to Regan & Sawyer all those years ago, causing such bad feelings between the two of them. Unfortunately those emotions are still present and give them all sorts of trouble in the present. But it was fun seeing them try to fight it out!

As is to be expected from Trentham, complex personal interactions and layered personalities are present in the last of the Fournette stories. These stories are so much more than just a romance - it's the chance to get to know people and love them like family. I'm happy that there are more coming (most especially a HEA for my favorite Alabama transplant) and I definitely am looking forward to the new & sure-to-be interesting characters we will have the pleasure of meeting :)

(This is part of a series but can stand on its own with minor overlap to other stories, which are explained well so you can easily keep up if this is your first book.)

Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start with how unbelievably HAWT Duke is for being a not so typical hero. He's a terse, mountain of a man who isn't built or handsome in the traditional hero way (he's even hairy with a bit of a paunch), but there's just something about him. For all his gruffness, he's protective, hard working and dedicated to his friends and family. And he's got a mouth on him ... oh, man, does he know how to speak the dirty talk! Knows how to back it up too - whew, baby!

I think that some may find his high-handedness a little off-putting but it works for him and Samantha, which is all that matters. The insta-attraction might also be a no-no but I think that Bailey makes it work. While the timeline is very short, there's something really believable about their interactions, developing feelings and motivations.

The other thing that definitely works is how absolutely adorable Samantha is. She's quirky, funny and, while she's distrustful of relationships, she had a huge heart that yearns for family. Meeting big softy Duke, who would do just about anything for his sisters and who takes her under his wing, has her conflicted on getting involved.

While they get together under unusual circumstances, Duke and Samantha quickly find themselves in a situation that is not what they expected ... and maybe more they can handle. Funny, touching, sexy and sweet, Worked Up is a fantastically fun read that had me by the heart from the very first and never let go.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

**3 1/2 stars**

There is so much going on with this story I don’t even know where to start and I’m afraid that in all my ramblings I may give away a few things I shouldn’t. If I do I apologize and I’ll give fair warning now that there may be some slight spoilers that I didn’t mean to include.

Sofia left Eaves and didn’t look back. She didn’t have the best history there, but she did have her aunt and Burke – both of whom she turned from when she left. Unfortunately her aunt is now gone and while back for her funeral Sofia runs into Burke again. There’s a lot of mixed up feelings, not just of having abandoned both of them, but also where she’s going now and how she can face the town that has so many negative feelings for her. Her health is also a concern and how it impacts her long term relationships. It’s a lot of things going on but she’s a fighter and gonna figure it out.

I can understand why Burke hid his abuse and turned to drugs. But I’m absolutely stunned that he somehow kept it quiet so well for so long. And that finding out about it doesn’t impact Sofia more. There are so many assumptions made about him that turn out to be untrue and so many people that could have helped him but didn’t. I feel so horribly for him but he’s managed to get and stay clean. It doesn’t wipe away those feelings of being unworthy though and that includes being with Sofia.

This is not an easy read by any means, so make sure that you are up for a layered read that will pull on your heartstrings and require time to fully digest. There’s a lot of difficult history for these two and they are still dealing with a lot of complications in their lives. They made a good pair at one point in time – at least as much as they were willing to let the other in. But all grown up now, they have to decide if they are willing to risk opening themselves up and letting the other in completely. There is no halfway here. It is definitely all or nothing and that can be an amazingly scary thing.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

3.5 Stars

I have to be honest on a couple of things. First, I’m not a huge fan of authors having flashbacks in their story – I don’t normally like that back and forth between what’s happening now and what happened before without having an idea of where things are going. A lot of time I feel like it is just a way to try to create suspense when a more linear track can’t and in a poor writer’s hands I feel like the blanks are there to add length to the book. Good thing for me Wiggs is not a poor writer. Even though we jump back and forth she keeps the stories intertwined well and we got an idea of where things were going, we were just waiting to get there. Still not my favorite thing but more palatable when done well like it is here.

The other thing I had a problem with was how Annie and Fletcher keep making the same mistakes over and over again, both in the present and the past. I would have thought that at some point they would have figured things out but apparently not and I really wanted to smack them by the time we reached the end of the book. Luckily they figure things out (because this is a HEA kind of story) so I was able to control my more violent urges :)

Overall, I was kinda surprised at how this book went – I think that the blurb isn’t really a good indication of the story you get. Because of that I didn’t have a good idea of what to expect but Annie is recovering in the hospital for a good portion of it (I’m a little fuzzy on the exact time frame through the whole book) and for the rest she is spent trying to figure out how to get her feet under her again. And of course those flashbacks to her history in Switchback and with Fletcher, which you know going in doesn’t end happily.

While it’s not easy for Annie to figure out where she goes from here, as you can imagine (which is par for the course with Wiggs), her struggle is heartfelt and touching. There is sadness that you know is coming, but there are also high points to off set them – not a carefree read but rewarding.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

This is the first in this series for me but luckily it seems that this is easily a stand alone. There are some hints at the next story (which looks really ah-sum), but Nat & Aiden's story seems to be easily enjoyed regardless of whether this is your first or your fourth in this series.

Overall I really, really liked this book. The second chance romance aspect of it is well done and I felt like James handled the conflict there fantastically. We feel Nat's confusion on having Aiden back, how she's struggling with her old feelings (& reignited attraction) with the heartache that his leaving caused. She never got over him or his betrayal and we hurt with her over it.

James also does a great job with Aiden's hardship at being back. How he's torn over his feelings for Nat and his need to leave a town that reminds him of his difficult childhood. Of spending time with his sick dad, a weak man who neglected his sons and retreated into himself after the death of his wife, leaving them to fend for themselves. Your heart goes out to the hurt little boy inside the man.

The only thing I had trouble understanding is why Aiden took almost the entire book to come clean on exactly what happened when he broke up with Nat all those years ago. He can see how much it hurt her and how it is still influencing her life. He knows that she needs to hear the truth but he dances around it when he should just tell her as soon as it becomes obvious that he needs to. I can see where James tries to have him rationalize it to himself but it just didn't work for me. Sure, it would have led to a much shorter book :) but it just didn't sit right.

But, while I would shake my head at him, I was hooked and anxious to have them figure things out. I'll definitely be checking out what James has in store next ... and checking out her back list as well!

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)