This is one of those books that is more women’s fiction than romance. While Margot does end up with a HEA moment, a good portion of it is as much about finding a place to call home as it is a guy to share it with.

I love the fish out of water moments as Margot transitions from her life in upscale Chicago to small town living down South. It’s definitely a different way of living but if she gives it a chance she might find her happy again. With grit and spunk she shows those who don’t want to accept her that she might have tripped but she’s not going to go down without a fight. It’s fun and entertaining and touching and did I say fun! How can it not be with a combination bait shop and funeral home for the family business?

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

This is the first in the series that I’ve read and I’m not sure how much of that impacted the story.  What I got was more suspense than romance – the two leads spend 98% of the book apart and there isn’t a lot of backstory to fill things in – but maybe they made appearances in early books ... I'm not sure.  I’m not saying that it wasn’t enjoyable (it was really good, actually) but it was different that what I was expecting. 

So, having said that, I’ll get to the really good part :)  The mystery over what happened to Maggie kept me on the edge of my seat.  Daniels does a great job of leading you through the investigation and revealing each piece as it comes up.  Nothing felt overly heavy handed and nowhere did it feel like you were being sent on a wild goose chase unnecessarily.  It is so easy for a mystery to get away from the author but I was truly quite satisfied with the big reveal & resolution.

Daniels is a fan favorite for a reason and she shows it once again!

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

This is the first in the series I've read so I'm not sure how much the previous stories might play into Caitlyn and Tanner's interactions.  I'm sure they've made appearances but I'm not sure how much that should influence reader's reaction to their love story.  Overall, though, the story does stand alone pretty well.  Mims does a fantastic job of making sure that new readers like me can keep up with anything that might trickle in from those other stories.  

There is definitely tension between the two.  Caitlyn has never warmed up to her sister's husband - he's all around a little too much for her and she never felt like he was worthy of being her sister's husband. 

I'm an only child so I have a pretty hard time grasping the intricacies of sibling relationships in stories like this.  Caitlyn resents her sister and feels like she's always played second to her - getting all her hand-me-downs, big and small.  But she also loves her and holds her in very high regard, going so far to think that the man her sister loved wasn't good enough to marry her.  Logically it makes sense but there's just so much turbulence there and it bleeds over into her dealings with Tanner.

Who is having enough issues of his own dealing with life after the death of his wife.  It's not been easy and he's now feeling pressure from his own (awful) parents, which leads him to falling into a fake relationship with his sister-in-law.  He's very aware that she's never really liked him and having to rely on her help is complicated.  Made even more so when he starts seeing her as more than just his wife's sister.  

Mims does well by Caitlyn.  I think she finally gets a chance to put some of her emotional demons to rest and come to terms with her feelings about herself.  It's hard for her to face certain things after so many years but she does.  I think Tanner does a good job of facing a few of his own issues (although he does have a few fabulous man moments that make you want to smack him a little).  His own childhood and history has given him a few doubts and unfortunately a lack of good communication skills on both their parts just feeds into that, and for Caitlyn as well.  They eventually get things figured out but it takes a bit and some soul-searching for them to get there :) 

There's a lot of drama on everyone's part in Mistletoe and quite a few people need to learn to talk AND listen.  Quite a bit of their troubles could have been avoided with a little better communication but Mims gives us very human characters with very human faults.  (I know I'm AWFUL about communicating some things!)  It makes it real and difficult and, most of all, enjoyable to read.   

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

Cat mentions Hallmark Channel Christmas movies a few times and you get the feel that that was the direction Kerner was going with her story. It’s fun, lighthearted, and predictable, but still so very enjoyable.

After the latest bad surprise with her latest relationship, Cat is ready to write off men for a while. Which, of course, means that they come out of the woodwork – her friend has a widower dad that might be a good match and she meets a guy at the scene of an accident. (Think you can figure out where things go from here? Yeah, but it is still an adventure.)

A relatively new author, Kerner still has a little growing to do as a writer but she has a ton of promise. The characters are entertaining, the story flows well, and I found myself looking forward to seeing how it all came together. All a mark of a good book in my opinion!

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

Such an amazingly sweet story! Riley and Sam slowly build a relationship – it’s not something they are expecting but they have a connection and it’s hard to resist the pull. Both of them have some issues to overcome but they complement each other well. I think my favorite part is that Hanson has Sam get professional help to overcome his PTSD, instead of having it fix itself or having love conquer all. It’s not something that he can do by himself and having the chance at a real family with Riley is the motivation he finally needs to see someone about it.

Riley has some concerns about getting involved with Sam. She hasn’t had the best of luck with men, but lucky for her this time she caught a good one. He’s caring and willing to do just about anything to take care of her and her son. Having a strong man in her life, willing to support her and help her, isn’t something she’s used to but definitely something she needs and it is great seeing her have something so good happen.

I really liked watching these two fall in love and figure out a way around their hardships. It isn’t an easy road for them but one they need to go down to build a strong future together.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

There’s just something about small town romances that I love. That feeling of community and family, with people that feel so real you just want to move there so you can be friends. It’s that thing that made Gilmore Girls so darn appealing – and Gilroy captures it beautifully. Her characters just come alive and you can’t help but feel for all of their ups and downs (and sometimes even more downs).

Luc is back after losing both his hockey career and his wife. He’s going through the motions of getting back on his feet but he’s not really opening himself up for anything that could hurt him that much again. Then he meets Cat … and she definitely brings all his feelings back alive. He’s a man, though, and has to have a few “really?” moments but he’s carrying around a lot and so it’s to be expected.

Cat has come home but she’s not here to stay. She’s got a temporary work assignment and thinks it best to get her daughter out of the city for a while. And being near family is just what they both need. But what she never thought she needed was Luc – having him nearby again puts all kinds of tempting thoughts into her head. She just needs to come to terms with her own past first.

While I really like Cat and Luc, there were moments when I really didn’t get her daughter. I can see what Gilroy was going for (and she is a hormonal preteen) but she’s all over the place and comes off as a petulant toddler more than once (… although that could be the teenager coming out too :) ). Usually the kid is a highlight in the book but here she just rubbed me wrong as often as I liked her.

But I definitely couldn’t have asked for more with the adults! There is a lot of drama between the two of them but they also bring the feels. Both of them are at a crossroads in their lives – they didn’t plan on being where they are and they need to figure out where they really want to go from here. They’ve both had things in the past that they need to work on but if they do it right then they might find themselves in a place much better than they imagined.

If you love feel-good sweetness in your romances, Gilroy definitely delivers – lots of emotion, realistic, and just plain enjoyable.

(Although it is part of a series, it can easily stand on its own.)

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

This is the first in this series for me but it didn’t matter from a story perspective (this one can easily stand on its own). I think that returning readers may have been a bit more amp’d for this one, though, because it looks like Brogan and Ginny’s story has been a long time coming :)

So there is two main parts of the story – the romance and the peeping tom mystery. I’m gonna start with the love story, which I really enjoyed. Both Brogan and Ginny have some things in their past that they need to address, with a professional and with each other, to be able to build a solid relationship. I think that my favorite thing that Jordan does is make sure that these military vets get help from a therapist and have a chance to talk about their pasts & work on their issues. It is such a hot topic today and one that I think she handles really well.

And working through their troubles help bring Brogan and Ginny closer. They’ve apparently been doing this dance for a long time :) so they don’t need a lot of build up but their finally getting together is handled very realistically. (The writing style isn’t the smoothest, especially at the beginning, but once I carried through the early rough parts things started working for me.) Their’s is a wonderful slow-burn romance that is finally seeing it’s HEA ending and it’s a sweet ride, especially for those who have been there from the beginning.

The other piece of the story, though it is a bit less important, is the peeping tom case. I’m not sure how well the suspense portion of the other stories were done, but it wasn’t the strongest part here. There are a lot of red herrings and not a lot of hints to who actually did it. Instead you get attitude from lots of people, without explanation in some cases, so readers are busy looking in a lot of different directions but with clear clues lacking it seemed a little like the bad guy came out of nowhere.

BUUUUT to me this part of the story was really a catalyst for Ginny to address her feelings and for the two of them to work on some potential trigger points for their relationship. It’s not as vital to the story as it could have been so I easily let it go in favor of a satisfying coupling.

And Ginny & Brogan getting together definitely made me happy!

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

I love the fact that while Daniel is out in the cold because of an argument with his bigoted uncle he quickly realizes that we are all guilty of judging a book by its cover after he meets Ax. He assumes that big, muscled, tattooed guy has to be dangerous, but he quickly realizes that he’s more teddy bear than grizzly. The interactions between them are humorous and fun and quickly turn into something a little more. It’s a novella so things have to happen fast but Iris does a wonderful job of making the timing and flow feel natural.

I really wish there had been the opportunity for this to be a full-length story instead of a novella because I loved these two together so much … except I think to make it any longer Iris would have had to include some kind of conflict and that wouldn’t have fit with what we were given here. So I guess I should just be happy with what I got. And I am ecstatic with what I got :)

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

I have no idea how I missed this book – I didn’t even realize it until I sat down to read Code of Honor which is the next one in the series.  And I am super sorry it took me so long!  Burrows has always shown she knows how to deliver a satisfying mix of action, danger, and suspense with the emotional drama of a complicated love story and Broken Honor is no different.

Quinn has been trying to hide the effects of the accident that ended his career as a SEAL.  Years later and it is getting worse but he has nothing else except HORNET.  A horrible childhood with few bright spots followed by the things he’s done in his job has made connecting to people difficult for him.  He doesn’t feel himself to be a good enough for anyone … which makes his feelings for Mara even more complicated.  And, of course, he that means he took the cowards way out. 

Travis may have left Mara after their week together but he’s not out of her life for good.  Finding herself pregnant with his child means that she has to contact him again … but bringing him back to her also brings his enemies.  Soon they find themselves fighting for their lives on foreign soil but the greatest danger is to their hearts.  Because while seeing Quinn in action brings home how dangerous he actually is, it also shows Mara the depth of his disregard for his own life - it’s not easy loving someone who doesn’t think they are lovable.  With time and patience, though, maybe she can show him differently.  If only they can make it out alive. 

The questions over the who and what and why of Quinn’s accident come full circle here and we see some old enemies once again.  HORNET finds themselves in perilous situations with death waiting for them at every turn.  But with every battle we also get to see how much these guys mean to each other, how important the little family they’ve made with each other really is.  Full of white knuckle moments mixed with sniffles and laughs, Burrows continues to delivery enthralling military suspense romances. 

(I think that the HORNET series is best enjoyed if you read all of the stories.  While they are mostly stand alones, there is flow from one book to the next with some of the characters and how consequences of past missions carry over.)

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

I loved getting to know Bridgette and Bodhi.  Foster really is talented so everything she does just keeps you glued to the pages.  Bodhi is a great guy – very honorable (and hot) and has a big heart (and hot) and has a lot of love to give (did I mention, hot?  Inside and out, people!)  He’s chosen to give up having a full life to protect others and he’s darn good at his job.  He has purpose and he’s dedicated to that purpose, without hesitation.  Until he meets Bridgette.

Bridgette is a wonderful single mom.  She was a wild child once but after the birth of her son and the death of her husband she did a little growing.  And maybe some suppressing too.  But meeting Bodhi helps her remember a bit more of the girl she used to be and to find a way to fit her into her life now.

I’ll be honest, though – I enjoyed the book but nearly as much as The Real Thing.  It’s a good setup and there is no denying that Foster has some serious skills as a writer.  It’s just that it seemed like Bodhi and Bridgette’s story was just a bit too long.  Their only real issue is Bodhi’s job and his not wanting to leave anyone at home worrying about him.  Which is SO understandable … buuut without any other problems there isn’t anything else there to keep things moving so we keep coming back to the same thing – he can only give her now because he can’t promise he’ll be there tomorrow.  It’s difficult and emotional, and it lingers there waiting for us when his time with Bridgette is over.  I felt so bad for them and Foster’s resolution is pretty darn good, but it didn’t help with the sense of waiting for me.  Although maybe that is good too, because it gives you just a taste of what it was like Bridgette and Bodhi?

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***