small town

Sawyer

Happy Thursday! Sawyer is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC.

I loved this sweet (but spicccyyyyy) romance between Sawyer, our middle Rivers brother/single dad, and Ava, a single mother who is new in town to start a new job as a barrel racing coach. These two first meet in the city and have a fiery one night stand, only for Ava to show up in the same small town where Sawyer is from.

I just really loved their dynamic, from the body-slamming-at-the-bar meet cute to the eventual blending of their families. I loved how Ava helped Sawyer relax a little. It was fairly low angst, not a lot of drama between them, and that made it really quick and easy reading for me. 

They’re both single parents and I loved the cute moments with their girls. I also loved the previous FMCs showing up to support Ava and welcome her into the Rivers clan. It made me laugh, swoon, and sweat at different times.

Overall, I just really liked it! 

Beautiful Exile

Happy Tuesday! Beautiful Exile is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC. 

I always love being back in Sparrow Falls!

This is Arden’s story, who’s been a bit of a mystery throughout the series, and it turns out she’s one of my favorite CC heroines ever! How can you not love a FMC who holds the MMC at knifepoint upon first meeting him?? 

It’s got everything I love and want in a Catherine Cowles book – small town, (found) family, underestimated but strong FMC, protective MMC, romance, suspense, Lolli,  and this time throw in a hilarious meet cute too!

Definitely check this one out if you’ve loved this series so far too!

Fan Service

Fan Service is out now! Thank you to @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram

This was a unique book! I really really loved the premise – a washed up actor seems to be following the path of his once beloved character on a long running tv show: turning into a werewolf. He doesn’t know who to turn to for help, so he finds the moderator of the fan page for his show, because no one knows more about his old character than her.

It started off so strong for me, it was laugh out loud funny and like I said the premise was so fun, but ultimately I was kind of bored and wanted more to happen. 

So overall it was funny but not a true winner for me personally. I’d still say check it out if you like a himbo MMC or loved 90s The WB/CW paranormal dramas!

Story of My Life

Happy Tuesday! Story of my Life is out now and it’s small town romcom perfection! I received an ARC, but all opinions are my own. 

Lucy Score came out swinging (with a dead fish) in the first addition to this new series. Honestly I am not always the hugest romcom lover anymore, but this one was romcom done right for me – full of humor, irreverence, and a whole buttload of heart. 

I loved the new in town, fish out of water vibes of city girl Hazel moving to small town Story Lake on a whim, starting over when life wasn’t going her way. She was a once popular romance author struggling with writer’s block, so when the hunky small town contractor working on the dilapidated house she bought starts to stir up some creativity in her, she asks him to keep inspiring her with a fake date, and maybe more. The banter between Hazel and Cam was hilarious, and boy were those two attracted to each other. 

I loved the romance but I also loved the supporting characters and side plot. The town was so fun and quirky, and I loved how they banned together to try to save their town. 

It felt like one part Schitt’s Creek, one part Hart of Dixie, with the close proximity, exasperated,   I-want-to-tear-your-clothes-off vibes of Nick and Jess from New Girl (all my favorite things.)

Definitely check it out if you are a fan of the author’s Blue Moon series, or just quirky small towns in general. 

I really just loved everything about this!

Penn

Happy Thursday! Penn by Jennifer Millikin is out today, I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

The Princess Bride is my favorite movie, so when I saw the author was coming out with a series loosely based on it I just had to read it! This would be Westley and Buttercup’s story, though we are also getting stories based on Inigo, Fezzik, and Humperdinck (???) too! 

Even if you haven’t seen or read The Princess Bride, this was still a cute small town romance, between two childhood friends who were separated in their teens but are brought back into each other’s lives as adults and just can’t stay away from each other.

Penn is in town to sell his late mother’s house, only he’s doing so under an assumed name so he doesn’t have to face his past. He’s a former SEAL who’s time in the Navy (like a pirate hehe) ended after an injury, and the physical therapist he finds in town just so happens to be his former best friend Daisy (like Buttercup!)  who he has always loved. The only problem? Daisy is engaged to the town prince, only she’s not in love with him. 

The relationship between Penn and Daisy was heartwarming, the connection just jumped off the pages and I loved the added angst of her being engaged to someone else. It’s definitely a slowwwww burn but it pays off by the end. It feels a bit like a fairytale, which makes sense given its inspiration. 

There are quite a few references and parallels to The Princess Bride and I thought it was so fun to find them!  But truly they are more like easter eggs so again if you haven’t seen it you’ll be fine.  

Truth Or Beard

Happy Tuesday! It’s an exciting day excuse Truth Or Beard by Penny Reid re-releases today. Thank you to the publisher for the special bookmail!

This is such a great start to one of my favorite series! (Or you can take it back a step and read Beauty and the Mustache if you want to know more background!)

This is a story about mistaken identity and long term pining, about a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, about a woman who knows what she wants and it’s not staying in her hometown, living a quiet little life. It’s also, and most importantly for me, a story about family. About coming together, about the importance of letting those you love help you carry you load when things are hard. 

In a world of You Up? texts, the Winston Brothers are old fashioned gentlemen who woo their ladies, who love hard and freely, who aren’t afraid to stand up and do the right thing. The series follows these remarkable bearded brothers as they grieve the loss of their mother, deal with the ramifications of their evil father, face off with a dangerous biker gang, and, of course, fall in love. 

The author’s writing is at once lyrical and sharp, full of prose but also whip smart language that will have you re-reading to take it all in. I have laughed with them, and cried with them, and cheered them on over the years. This is truly one of my favorite fictional worlds, and I’m so so excited to see these characters that have become friends out in the world for all to enjoy!

All The Missing Pieces

All The Missing Pieces is out now! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC and the author for the ALC. 

There’s not much I like more than small town romantic suspense from Catherine Cowles!

This brings us Ridley and Colt’s story, which is a complete standalone. Ridley travels the country in her van, making a true crime podcast when she rolls into town to investigate a cold case that’s very close to Colt’s heart. He doesn’t appreciate her stirring up trouble in his town and reopening old wounds.

They started off very antagonistically which I love. I also love when opposites attract, so the straightlaced sheriff MMC facing off with (and eventually living with) the free wheeling FMC was a lot of fun. 

The mystery kept me guessing and I did not figure out who the “bad guy(s)” is/were in advance, which is the best. 

I loved it! I read it twice – first with my eyeballs, second with my ears as I tried to pick up on any clues I missed the first time. The audiobook was well done, especially the FMC (the MMC sounded a little old for the character for me but still great!)

Wyatt

Wyatt is out today! Thank you to the author for the ARC

This one is for the mutual pining lovers! This is a childhood friends to fake dating to lovers romance between Sally and Wyatt, who we met in Cash. 

I loved this! I’m not always a fan of friends to lovers but I thought this was really really well done. It felt realistic why neither would have made a move before now, and I loved watching their relationship grow and change as they finally did admit feelings. 

I loved both characters separately and together. Sally is driven and ambitious but still has space for her family, friends, and community. She’s a good girl, following the dream her father set out for her, but I loved that she finally stood up for what she wanted and found her own path. 

Wyatt is, on the surface, a bit of a class clown, always flirting and trying to make people laugh. He’s faced some loss in his life that makes him scared to commit, that is until he finally gets a chance with his dream girl Sally. Oh, did I love the way Wyatt loved Sally. He loved her in big ways and small ways and it just filled my heart with so much joy. He’s a man who is not afraid to show emotion, not afraid to make a grand gesture, not afraid to ask for help to win over his girl.

Together their relationship just felt meant to be – these two opposites sure had common ground in each other and I just thought it was a beautiful romance. It’s a romance that actually feels romantic but also has some very dirty (complementary) scenes that had me sweating – it was sweet and spicy in the best way. 

Overall, I just really really loved this addition to the Lucky River Ranch series and can’t wait for Sawyer!

Bourbon & Secrets

Happy Friday! Bourbon and Secrets is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC.

There is something so sexy about this series! The writing is lush, the characters are smart and confident, and the steamy scenes are spicyyyy. It’s not noir but I get those same slinky, sensual, vibes.

This is book two in the series, which features Lincoln, the middle Foxx brother and widowed single dad. He shares a slightly complicated past with our FMC Faye (including a little blackmail over events which ran her out of town five years ago) but she’s back under suspicious circumstances and the two just can’t seem to stay away from each other. 

They start off very antagonistically with lots of banter and jabs but it quickly turns into more, despite them both hiding a lot of secrets. I loved how their relationship changed and evolved and it was a delight to watch them fall.

Aside from the romance, which I loved, I also loved Faye’s relationships with Lincoln’s daughters and also her newly found friends in Hadley and Laney, who we met in book one. I also all around love the Foxx family, the distillery setting is just stunning, and I just really really love this series! 

Forever The Highlands

Happy Thursday! Forever The Highlands is out today! Thank you to the author for the ARC. 

It’s always great to be back in Scotland with Samantha Young. This is the final book in The Highlands series, which is a spin off of the Adairs, so this is book number 11 set in this world.

This is Eilidh and Fyfe’s story, which is a brother’s best friend, single dad romance. We’ve known Eilidh since the beginning of the Adairs and watched her grow up over the course of the series so it was nice that she finally got a turn to shine.

I thought both characters were really interesting. Eilidh is struggling, she sacrificed everything for a career she hates. She doesn’t know who she is anymore or what she really wants, other than her brother’s best friend. Fyfe has had a troubled life and doesn’t think he has the capacity for love until the daughter he didn’t know existed is dropped on his porch unexpectedly.

I loved how these two broken people finally found each other after years of tension and pining. I’m sad to see this series end, but look forward to what the author will bring us in the future!