For me this is a good solid 4 star book, one I could see reading again and one I recommend.
This romantic suspense starts right from the start when a yFor me this is a good solid 4 star book, one I could see reading again and one I recommend.
This romantic suspense starts right from the start when a young woman, seemingly in a hopeless situation is trying to escape something. It then switches to our hero Danny, an EMT firefighter out for a run when he notices a car barrelling down on a young woman. He knocks her out of the way and is horrified to watch the car turn around and head back to them. They manage to get out of the way and the car goes roaring off. The young woman has been clipped by the car and Danny sees she gets to the hospital.
The young woman turns out to be our heroine Lark of course and it turns out she’s lost her memory. She remembers her name and that’s about it. When she’s released from the hospital, Danny insists she comes and stays with him and his grandmother as they need to find who wants Lark dead and why. His grandmother is palliative and Danny has taken a leave of absence to care for her. The story is Danny and Lark trying to discover her past and why someone wants to kill her. Along the journey they fight their growing feelings for each other until they can’t any longer.
I love both Danny and Lark. Danny is everything that makes for a great hero. He’s a good and protective guy for his grandmother and now Lark. And of course he’s a hot fire fighter and that’s always pretty fine. I love Lark too. She’s a strong young woman who despite having no recollections is wanting to face whatever is out there hunting her.
I’m an end reader, someone who has to skip ahead to make sure there is a HEA. (Hello, this is romance, of course there is ...more
I love this book. I mean really, really love it. I’ve adored all the Calico Cove and Win Some, Love Some is no exception.
Nick and Nora are the destineI love this book. I mean really, really love it. I’ve adored all the Calico Cove and Win Some, Love Some is no exception.
Nick and Nora are the destined to be together hero and heroine. Nora has been weaving in and out of the series when she was a wee tiny baby. Her young mother died and her second cousin Roy stepped forward to. be her guardian in the first book, Happily Ever, Maybe? a delightful Beauty and the Beast retelling that was my introduction to the Amazingly Talented Hailey Sore. Then Nick shows up in the fifth book Can’t Take The Heat which I just recently reread. He’s a young runaway from a very unhappy home who is taken in by the hero and hero. From the first moment she meets Nick as a young child she loves him. And Nick, starved of love is fascinated by this young girl and loves her back.
This book opens on Nora’s 18th birthday when she decides it’s time she and Nick “formalizes’ their deep love for each other. It does not go well. Nick is horrified to discover that Nora wants to move their relationship in an entirely different direction, he is close to 30 and she is 18, than he ever could have imagined and inadvertently breaks Nora’s heart to the point she leaves Calico Cove for 6 years and moves to France. There is no contact between them. Though Nora has become a very successful social influencer and he watches every vlog she makes, constantly missing his best friend. She had brought such joy into his grey world.
But her great life in France horribly falls apart and she has moved back to Calico Cove to recover. The story is about Nick and Nora working through the distance dividing them and it’s such a wonderful story. Nick is so supportive of Nora it almost brings a tear. He has unexpected supporters in his two step brothers. There stories are told in Making The Save and Power Play. You don’t have to have read those books but they are equally wonderful and I gave them both 5 stars.
There’s no question that Hailey Shore is at the top of my favourite authors. If she writes it, I will read it and love every word....more
I had a bit of a hard time figuring out a grade for this one. It’s better than a 3 but I’m not sure it’s a full 4. Oh well, I enjoyed it so 4 it is.
ThI had a bit of a hard time figuring out a grade for this one. It’s better than a 3 but I’m not sure it’s a full 4. Oh well, I enjoyed it so 4 it is.
This is a continuation of the first book with Axel, the oldest son in this dragon shifter romance and Charlotte, the best friend of the previous book as our hero/heroine. Charlotte has been badly beaten by her boyfriend and once he leaves for work, she high tails it to Bear Claw to see her best friend Ava. When Axel sees Charlotte, he immediately recognizes her as his mate. He’s ecstatic but also realizes first Charlotte is pretty damaged and will need a lot of healing time and second, how does he tell her he’s a dragon shifter?
There’s not a whole lot more to explain as he patiently navigates his way through this delicate situation. He’s a wonderful beta type hero and so good with Charlotte, it’s impossible not to love him. Of course we see Ava and Maverick and the rest of the family. I appreciate how the author deals with issues between Maverick, the second brother who is also the alpha of the dragon clan and Axel who is the oldest but a beta. I’m glad that she does this.
I think you pretty much have to read the first book but they are conveniently available in as a single book, all six books in one and available on Kindle for free on KU or selling for only $9.99, a great deal for 6 books.
I enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to the next in the series....more
It’s so hard NOT to give 5 stars to a book by Julie Kiss. Her books just warm me cockles of my heart so completely. I love that I have them as ebooks It’s so hard NOT to give 5 stars to a book by Julie Kiss. Her books just warm me cockles of my heart so completely. I love that I have them as ebooks and always available to keep my cockles warmed any time it needs it.
This book is a continuation of the Road Kings series. In the very first book we are introduced to a rival pop band, Seven Dogs Down. There was a mutual loathing on both sides of the other group. All these books later we get the story from a member of the former band. Yes, Seven Dogs Down fell apart in spectacular fashion.
But our story opens with our heroine Katie Armstrong. She’s a very nice, beautiful actress who stars in successful romcons for Netflix. She wants to spread her acting wings into gritty full screen movies but she’s locked into the ‘nice’ girl role. Her agent comes up with the idea of having a thing with a bad boy rocker and comes up with Travis White, former member of Seven Dogs Dog Down.
Turns out Travis is one of the all time best heroes I’ve ever read. Ever. I really like Katie but I’m head over heels in love with Travis. He’s completely down on his luck since the band broke up. He has nothing left except his beloved car. He doesn’t even really have a home and crashes with friends. When the book opens he’s staying with an older former rocker. He’s deep in depression to the point even getting dressed is an effort. One of the things so compelling about him is self realization most of his failures rest on himself. He’s not bitter, he doesn’t blame anyone else. He’s completely self aware and I love that so much about him.
When he is approached about pretending to be Katie’s fake boyfriend, he’s all on board. It’s not for any nefarious reason but because he can tell she’s real and he truly wants to help her out. I’m not going to give any more of the plot away, I’m just going to highly recommend reading this utterly warm hearted book. We see many chapters from previous books but you don’t have to have read them to enjoy this book. I noticed the spice was down somewhat in this book. Julie writes incredible sex scenes but while they were still in this book, they weren’t quite as explicit as I’ve seen in some of her other books.
But this one is absolutely delightful and with many a previous Julie Kriss book, this will be an excellent reread and sly buster book. ...more
This book is a hoot and I adored it. Joe is the youngest of the Cortell brothers and he’s been the best secondary characters I’ve read in all the bookThis book is a hoot and I adored it. Joe is the youngest of the Cortell brothers and he’s been the best secondary characters I’ve read in all the books in this particular series. He’s been a hoot from the beginning with his odd lingo that has confounded his brothers. So I had high hopes that I’d love his book and sure enough I did. And will again when it comes time to reread it.
The book starts out from our heroine Sofia’s POV. She’s basically been held a prisoner in her own life. Both her parents have been cold to her for her entire life and every aspect has been strictly monitored. She’s told what to eat, what to wear, how to behave. She’s not allowed to date, her friends are chosen for her as well as any activities she participates in. . Because her family is wealthy, she hasn’t learned to cook, to clean, to do laundry, anything. She’s never had a job and the only thing she’s been brought up to be is someone’s trophy wife.
She finally rebels when she’s ordered to marry a man she doesn’t love, a man she caught boning one of her bridesmaids the night before the wedding. She gets as far as just before the ceremony when she rebels. She runs out of the church and runs up to a guy sitting outside on a motorcycle and begs him to take her away. He agrees, they cut off her voluminous wedding dress and away they go. The hero of course is Joe. If Sophia is the princess, he’s the opposite of the prince. He’s a member of a MC club and owns his own tattoo shop and he’s far from wealthy.
They start off on the wrong foot. She looks down on him and insults him. He’s furious with her attitude get oddly turned on at the same time. Sophia finally settles down, realizes what a condescending bitch she’s being and decides it’s time she grows up and sees how most people live. And along with this she begins to see what a caring and generous person Joe is and her feelings for him deepen.
I absolutely love seeing the growth in Sophia. She gains a sense of pride and accomplishment with every thing she learns. Underneath her seemingly spoiled exterior, she’s so sweet, naive and likeable. Despite their differences she and Joe are perfect for each other. I love this book and I WILL be reading it again. It’s hard toy because Ive enjoyed many of this author’s books, but this one might be my favourite....more
I’ve gotten behind on writing up reviews. I finished this book a while ago but am only doing the review now.
This book is told in two parts4.5 out of 5
I’ve gotten behind on writing up reviews. I finished this book a while ago but am only doing the review now.
This book is told in two parts and is the story of Charli a young 17 years old from America who is spending the summer in Ireland with her cousins, two brothers and their sister and their family. Her cousins have a small group of friends and Rhys is one of them. This the sweet story of young love between them. While the family is quite well off, Rhys is a different story. He comes from a poorer backgrounds and also very dysfunctional. His father is a bully who beats both Rhys and his mother. As a result Rhys hides his mother while he stays with his friends. This gives he and Charli time to form a close, intimate connection. But she has to head home and he has set plans he can’t give up so they sadly say goodbye and promise to keep in touch. But this doesn’t last long and they loose contact.
The second part takes place some fifteen years later when Charli moves to Ireland. The intervening years have not been good for her. When she left Ireland years ago she was a confident, friendly, open heated and loveable person but she’s not at all who she was. She gwas married to a controlling, narcissistic man who destroyed her confidence, separated her from friends and family and she was only a shadow of who she used to be. She finally gathered enough courage to divorce him but left to move to Ireland with nothing but the promise of a job working as the head accountant with her uncle’s successful chain of hotels.
Very soon after she settles back into her former home, she unexpectedly meets Rhys again. He knew he would be seeing her again though and is shocked by the change in Charli. Their feelings for each other never left though Charli is broken and in no condition to get back into a relationship. But Rhys is loving and understanding, having lived most of his early life being abused, and he is slowly able to help in her healing.
I’ve read many books by this author and loved them. I can’t really put it in words but there is a uniqueness about them. There’s a tenderness and it feels like a quietness about them that is very soothing and comforting about them. It’s like sitting during a winter storm in a warm cozy blanket watching the snow fall, knowing everyone is safe and you’re well stocked and prepared. It’s almost soothing.
I love L.H. Comways books and can’t recommend them highly enough. They are on KU though I have purchased most of them so I have them close when I need that feeling they bring to me....more
If you’re ever looking for the perfect, shorter Length book and your a fan of sports romance, then I have the perfect author for you to read. She doesnIf you’re ever looking for the perfect, shorter Length book and your a fan of sports romance, then I have the perfect author for you to read. She doesn’t mail it in every book, there have been a few I haven’t been impressed with, but overall I’m very happy with Brenda’s writing. Her books leave me feeling good and with a smile in my heart. The vast number are hockey romance and as a fan of the sport, she knows her stuff in this area.
Can is the heroine in this one . She’s a single mother of twin boys and after living with her sisters for years, she’s finally moving into a house she purchased on her own. Besides her sisters for also helping out is Dom, her sisters boyfriend and NHL hockey player. Their story is told in the previous book. Rowan, a teammate of Doms is also helping. He’s been wanting to go out with Cam since he first met her but up until now she’s been refusing. Although she’s attracted to Rowan, she was victim of a stalker and on top of that he ex husband is a deadbeat father. Plus she’s been busy in school and then establishing a career so dating just isn’t on her agenda. She wanted to be man free except for her sons for a year.
The year is up and Rowan is still very much interested in taking her out and she finally agrees. The date is great, her best ever and their chemistry is off the charts. But Cam wants an ironclad guarantee that there will be no one else in his life while they are together and Rowan isn’t ready to make that strong of a commitment so with them both standing firm, they remain just friends.
But feelings don’t just go away, things happen with Cam so that Rowan becomes very protective. - and so on. Both Cam and Rowan make for a great hero/heroiine. We learn things about Rowan that makes him very sympathetic. Even Cams sons are cute and I’m normally not a fan of children in romance. It’s often so hard to get them balanced for me but Brenda does it. I read this book in one day because I was enjoying it so much. And it’s short.
This one gets 5 stars and it just happens to be the book I meet my GoodReads goal with so it’s all good.....more
This is one of the better second chance romances I’ve read and I was quite pleased to find another new-to-me author.
Lincoln and Lola meet and fall in This is one of the better second chance romances I’ve read and I was quite pleased to find another new-to-me author.
Lincoln and Lola meet and fall in love when he’s 18 and Lola 15. Right from the beginning they know they are it for each other but things haven’t been easy. Linc had enlisted in the military before he met Lola. But that didn’t stop them from ending their relationship and they got married young while he was on leave. Because she was so young when they married, she missed out on a lot of things people her age did. She went to college while Linc was away but didn’t party the way most of her peers did. She wasn’t happy when he re-enlisted; she was hoping they could start living their lives together. But when he finally got out, it wasn’t long before he left her again to help his foster brother with whom he was very close and didn’t tell Lola the reason he chose to leave her behind for his brother.
Resentment began to slowly grow but wanting to be a supportive wife. But as far as Lola was concerned, things were done for good when he once again left her behind while helping another foster brother and he ended up being arrested and sentenced to three years in prison and Lola suffered a devastating loss while this was going on. The back story is told in alternating time periods between their past and how she is coping now he’s being released. She’s still desperately in love with Linc but she’s very hurt that time and again he didn’t choose her and she doesn’t trust him any longer.
Although we never see things from Linc’s POV, we can see he’s a very good guy and desperately still in love with Lola. It’s breaking him that she wants an end to their marriage. But maybe because they were so young when they got together, they never really learned to communicate and because she didn’t tell him, he had no idea how his choices affected her. It was never any doubt they still loved each other but it was just too late for them.
Or was it.
This book isn’t perfect but it’s pretty darn close. I would have liked to get inside Lincs POV so we could get to know him better. He had a very bad and sad childhood but we didn’t really get that much of a glimpse into it. I tend to read very quickly as I always have more books to get to, but either I missed it or the author didn’t really address a few things I was confused about. Again, if we saw things through Linc’s eyes, my questions would have been answered immediately.
Still as I already mentioned, this was a ver good second chance romance and I enjoyed it very much. Also important, I recommend this book, it gets my stamp of approval and for sure, I want to read more Abby McCarthy books....more
If given only one word to describe this book it would be beautiful. It’s exactly the kind of book I love and read and reread.
Zenobia is our heroine. SIf given only one word to describe this book it would be beautiful. It’s exactly the kind of book I love and read and reread.
Zenobia is our heroine. She’s staying at friends of hers while they are on vacation as her own apartment is being worked on. She’s a nurse in the Emergency Department and she loves her job though it can be very stressful. And she’s a wonderful heroine who I adore. She meets hero Axel in an unusual way. She’s making breakfast one morning, singing a Taylor Swift song at the top of her lungs when she turns around, sees a Viking and threatens him with grits. The Viking is Axel though he’s not really a Viking, just looks like one. Seems he also was invited to stay at her friends home, the husband is Axel’s best friend. Axel turned them down, then changed his mind at the last minute and arrived from England late the night before. Things don’t get off to the best start. He accuses her in his British accent of being a Swiftie. That she NOT, it was just the song itself she really liked.
So it looks like they are going to be roomies for the next couple of weeks until her apartment is done. Axel is an artist who works with metal, mostly scrap metal he finds and turns it into incredibly beautiful works of art. He’s going to have his own show in NewYork so he’s staying in the US. And Axel absolutely breaks my heart. He’s the very best hero I’ve read in a long, long time. His beloved brother drowned a number of years previously and his parents withdrew from him, leaving him thinking his parents wished it was him rather than his brother. He was quite sickly growing up, was quiet without many friends and he has continued with that belief. But he grew up to be gorgeous, though he doesn’t see it, and working with heavy metals has helped him beef up. So the Axel on the outside doesn’t match the Axel on the inside.
Once things are cleared up to who’s who between he and Zenobia, things develop quickly between them. They are both wildly attracted to each other though Axel doesn’t see himself as nearly good enough for her. And though on a physical level things are good, it goes much deeper. Zenobia really sees the inner Axel and is blown away by him. And she confesses things to him she has never told anyone else. They are open and honest with each other and I’m so impressed with that. There are no surprise secrets to break them apart. For me this book is perfection.
Though I have a small number of books in my TBR pile, this is the first one I’ve read but it’s 100% not going to be my last. I’m shocked she’s not on many readers best author lists if her other books are as well written and enjoyable as Broody Britt. It’s beautiful....more
I can’t seem to get enough of this family and this series. The hero in this one is Wyatt. He’s the second oldest Landmark brother and a very well likeI can’t seem to get enough of this family and this series. The hero in this one is Wyatt. He’s the second oldest Landmark brother and a very well liked doctor. Marlow is our heroine. We met her and her precious daughter Dakota in the previous book. She’s best friends with Sophie, the heroine in the second book. In that one Marlow was in a real shitty marriage and in this book the marriage has turned to toast and Marlow is leaving her husband and moving to the small town of Landmark to be with her bestie. She runs into Wyatt, literally, when she rear ends his car. Wyatt has had a rough day and Marlow is exhausted from the upheaval in her life so they don’t have a good start. Things don’t get any better the second time they meet when Dakota is feeling bad and Marlow takes her to the doctor who just happens to be Wyatt.
But they know they have to somehow work things out as her bestie and his brother are madly in love, see previous book, and Marlow and Wyatt don’t want to make things difficult for Sophie and Theo. And of course being kind of forced together, they are wildly attracted to each other much to their dismay.
This is a delightful enemies to lovers romance and I read it in one day. Marlow has led a lonely life and when Wyatt learns more about her history, his admiration for her grows. But since she’s still technically married though going through a divorce, they can’t act on their growing feelings.
I liked both of them and once again I love the closeness of all the characters. The only drawback for me with book is the daughter Dakota. I feel bad feeling this way but I found her annoying for the most part. This isn’t unusual for me and small children in romances I’m afraid. It’s more of a me issue and most readers wouldn’t find this an issue at all.
So onto the next book. This one is about Callum, the grumpy brother and the one I’ve been looking forward to the most....more
Though the first book in this series didn’t really work for me, there was enough for me to keep on with the series and this book proved it.
Theo LandmaThough the first book in this series didn’t really work for me, there was enough for me to keep on with the series and this book proved it.
Theo Landmark and Sophie Copewell had been best friends and then so much more ever since they met as children. They were each other’s person and it kind of went without saying they would spend their lives together. But eight years previous to the opening of Someday, and while still in their teens, Sophie disappeared in the middle of the night leaving Theo a letter with very little explanation. Theo was devastated, broken hearted, angry, confused and many other emotions. And while he moved on with his life, becoming a veterinarian, he couldn’t get Sophie out of his mind and heart.
So he is gobsmacked when he gets a call from her needing his help with a horse. She’s come back. And she said it’s for good. Theo’s reaction is a great deal of anger. He doesn’t really know why she left in the first place and he’s lost all trust in her. But he still has very deep and strong feelings. And that’s all I’m going to say about the story.
I love both Theo and Sophie. They are both good people who have suffered great loss and are now very tentative with each other. Theo’s large family are overjoyed she’s back. She was with Theo so often when they were young that she’s pretty much a part of the family.
This is a very emotional story and one I found next to impossible to put down. I stayed up past 3:00 am because I had to read to the end. For me that’s a very strong sign I loved the book. I’m very happy I’ve found Willow Aster. I’ve already started the third book. And since these are on KU, if you have it, you can read them for free....more
I’ve read just about every book Brenda has written and I can only think of 2 that didn’t work for me and she has a very large backlist.
Dan4.5 out of 5
I’ve read just about every book Brenda has written and I can only think of 2 that didn’t work for me and she has a very large backlist.
Dane is the hero in this one. He’s a very successful NHL hockey player but his life outside of hockey is a mess. If there’s a way he can screw up, he’ll find it. As a last resort he’s assigned a “babysitter” to be with him full time to manage him and keep him out of trouble.
Josie is the one assigned to him. This means she’s with him almost 24/7. She moves into his house, she goes on all his road trips, even sleeping in the same room to guard him from himself.
Of course this causes resentment on both sides and both are masters at insults. But many are very funny insults giving this story a somewhat lighthearted feel at times. Of course being in such close proximity all the time brings out deeper feelings of a more personal nature if you get my drift.
This is a rather shorter book and I read it in only a few hours, but it reads longer. I’m amazed at how complete it feels . Often when reading a shorter story I wish it was longer so we could get more background or get to know the characters more but I don’t feel that with Drawn To You. Once again, as with almost every one of her books, I give it a ...more
I said in currently reading that this is a gentle, warm, sweet, feel good that makes you happy when you’re done. Quiet Types is a perfect title and thI said in currently reading that this is a gentle, warm, sweet, feel good that makes you happy when you’re done. Quiet Types is a perfect title and this is another winner by L.H. Cosway.
Maggie hasn’t lived the best life. Her terror of a mother kicked Maggie out when she was 16 and she really struggles. She makes a living cleaning people’s houses. She lives a pretty grey life. But there is one bright spot. She rides the bus to and from work every day and she has recently noticed a young man taking the same bus, both ways, who watches her. The more she sees him watching her, the more interested in him she becomes.
Eventually circumstances happen where they start to interact. While Shay, the young man in question can hear! he is unable to speak? He had surgery on his throat when he was very young and lost his voice. But a very special and sweet bond happens between these two and it’s so heartwarming reading their story. There isn’t much action in this book and I was very fine with that. I love both these characters and it’s wonderful reading their story.
I got this one on KU and there’s a second book out in this short series I want to read very soon....more
What did I think about this book the question asks. Well, I love it! I love all of the Claire Kingsley books I’ve and this is another one I can say thWhat did I think about this book the question asks. Well, I love it! I love all of the Claire Kingsley books I’ve and this is another one I can say that about.
Weston is a friend of Caleb, one of Kendra (sister to Alex, hero of the first book). A successful plastic surgeon, he’s looking for a place to stay while his own house is being remodeled. Caleb suggests he move in with Kendra. She needs a roommate to offset living costs as she establishing herself in a new career.
To put it simply, Weston is a jerk and he doesn’t really change throughout the book. He’s rude. He’s impatient and he doesn’t like people. He loves sex and getting women to participate is more of a game than anything else. He’s lucky if he remembers their names the next morning on the way out the door. And I absolutely love him! So one who hasn’t read the book has to ask. And I’m not sure I can explain the appeal, but love him I do. He’s completely unapologetic for who he is and one has to admit he’s honest. He’s the bad boy that so many women fall for and want to change.
Kendra is the opposite. She’s ’good people’. Although once Weston moves in and is the jerk he is, Kendra completely accepts that about him and makes no attempt to change him. Together they are the perfect opposite attracts’ couple. When Weston is in a serious car accident, she comes to see him in the hospital and stays with him until he’s released. As her brother is a an important surgeon there, the staff ind of close their eyes to the fact rules are being broken. And she is the only person to visit Weston. She feels so bad that his life is so void of people. For his part Weston is gobsmacked that she would do this. But he likes being looked after. He’s never really experienced anything like it. His mother died when he was very young and when his father wasn’t ignoring him, his dad was very emotionally abusive. This goes a long way in explaining Weston.
And like The Grinch, Weston’s heart starts to grow and he begins to change. Only towards Kendra mind you and though Caleb remains his only friend, he also lets Kendra’s family in. But he pretty much much remains unrepentant to the rest of the world and I truly appreciated the way Claire has written his character. I find it quite refreshing. This book gets five stars, a thumbs up and a strong recommendation. And it’s for sure going on my reread list....more
Ack!!! How could I have forgotten to do a review for this book? I love this book and I love Claire Kingsley. I read it a few books ago but4.5 out of 5
Ack!!! How could I have forgotten to do a review for this book? I love this book and I love Claire Kingsley. I read it a few books ago but my memory isn’t quite what it used to be so I’m a bit hazy but I’ll try my best.
This is the third book in the series. I read and loved the first book but I skipped over the second book because I was in the mood for a single dad book. And this is a very good one. The outline is pretty good, Caleb, much against his will, falling in love with Linnea, his late wife’s much younger sister. This could have been on the icky side but it wasn’t at all for me. He barely remembers her and she has changed a great deal since the last time he really saw her. Linnea is the opposite of his wife. His wife, who was killed in a car accident when their daughter was still very, very young, was an ambiguous medical student. Linnea is much more of a homebody. Though her parents, especially her domineering mother, are very insistent she join a major symphony as she’s a brilliant pianist, Linnea is happier giving piano lessons to children and being a nanny to her adorable niece Charlotte, a quiet and shy young girl. She’s only a nanny really because her mother forced her on Caleb. He’s a busy emergency surgeon and has had trouble finding good childcare.
Ms. Kingsley does a very good job with Caleb’s dilemma. He’s a good man who adores his daughter. He knows Linnea is very good with his daughter but he struggles with his attraction.
This is a book I happily recommend and can easily see me rereading.
This is my first Daphne Elliot book and like I’ve been very pleased to say about a number of new to me authors lately, it’s not going to be my last. IThis is my first Daphne Elliot book and like I’ve been very pleased to say about a number of new to me authors lately, it’s not going to be my last. It’s the third book in the series and I gather at least one couple were in a previous series so I was a bit lost at times but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the story.
If I were given only one word to describe this book it would be sweet. Now for me sweet is not always a positive thing. If I read an overly sweet book it’s not something I enjoy. But this is the perfect sweet.
Cole is our hero. Apparently he is the youngest son of a real nasty guy and he was the product of an affair his father had with his secretary. So he was never really accepted by his older brothers. On top of that his mother abandoned him with his vile father. Early on Cole showed an aptitude for hockey, however his father for years sucked all the joy out of the game for Cole. He did make it to the NHL but he had a career ending injury. Much of this is told at the beginning of the story and some throughout. But because of the life he lived, Cole never really experienced love and his life was pretty sad and lonely. All of this is to say Cole had my heart from the veery beginning. He reminded me of one of my all time favourite heroes from one of my all time favourite books, Will Parker from Morning Glory by Lavryle Spencer.
I also completely adored Willa, the heroine. She is a country doctor who unexpectedly took over her physician father’s practice when he suffered a stroke. She is a plus sized heroine. I don’t usually read romance books with plus sized heroines, I think it’s too close to home. I read a few in my earlier days of romance reading and the authors just never ‘got’ and I ended up getting very angry. But with this book Daphne Elliot does a wonderful job with Willa. She is successful and beautiful but struggles with her self perception. I can so relate to this. I struggle between thinking positively about myself and at others a huge helping of self loathing.
After giving my thoughts on the hero and heroine, it might help if I say a bit about the storyline. Cole and Willa are in Las Vegas with the same group. Her best friend is marrying Cole oldest brother. What makes this a bit different is her best friend and Cole were a couple themselves through most of high school and Cole was NOT one of her favourite people because of the way he treated her bestie. The brother and the besties story is told in a previous book I haven’t read, (this one being my first). But despite this Cole and Willa find themselves going off together as both were feeling a bit lost. Much to their surprise, they had a good time, drank way too much and ended up getting married. After some discussion the next morning, they decided to stay married for six months ago before quietly going for an annulment.
What I truly loved about this story is they TALKED to each other and became dear friends. And Cole found Willa gorgeous and was very attracted to her. But because of her own body positivity and previous experience, she couldn’t see it. For her part, because they talk and Cole is very honest about his past, what she sees is someone who’s basically good but up until now hasn’t really had it easy but really wants to become a better person. Besides becoming friends, they both have a great deal of admiration for the other.
Like previous recent books I’ve read, I got this one on KU but plan to buy my own copy cause even though I just finished this book, I want to reread it again. But before I do I think I’ll at least read the first two books just to get a clearer picture of Cole and Willa before getting back to them. It almost pose without saying that this book gets a string recommendation....more
I figuratively closed the cover of this book, I read it on my iPad so it doesn’t technically have a cover, with a happy sigh of contentment. Another SI figuratively closed the cover of this book, I read it on my iPad so it doesn’t technically have a cover, with a happy sigh of contentment. Another Susie Tate book I adored and want all romance readers to read.
Lottie is the heroine of this book and she is simply amazing. She’s pretty much been on her own, having to take care of herself since she was taken away from her alcoholic mother at age 10. Now she is also taking care of her much traumatized, younger sister Hayley. In order to do this she is holding down two jobs, one as a waitress at a posh club where she’s constantly being groped and pawed at by the elite and the other job at the estate of Oliver, or Ollie Harding, a lofty Duke. We met Ollie in the previous book in this series, while a nice guy, really doesn’t live in the real world of us mortals.
Much to his dismay, he has quite the crush on Lottie, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever met before, she’s completely unfazed by his exalted status and has no hesitation in calling him out. I love it when she does this. It’s very comical. But Ollie does manage to charm her and things begin to happen between them. But because he lives such a grand life style, he’s not aware of how the average person lives and Lottie is worse off than most because of her circumstances. In order to simply survive, she is forced into an act that Ollie sees as the worst kind of betrayal and his love turns to hate and he becomes quite cruel to her.
She still remains in his orbit though because though she’s no longer the ‘cleaner’, she gains a job working for his neurodiverse sister Vicky who we also met in Day Dreamer. As this is a romance and must end happily, how this comes about is a large part of the story.
I read the GoodRead reviews after I finished this book and while some readers didn’t think Ollie groveled enough, and I understand why they see it that way, I gave him a pass. He came from a completely different world and while there may not have been an outward kind of grovel we readers love to see, he is so very remorseful at how he acted towards Lottie. And due to the circumstances, I can understand why he came to the conclusion he did. He was devastated by what he believed and acted because of deep pain and once he became aware of the truth, he did every single thing he could to make amends and take care of Lottie and Hayley. And his love and admiration only grew stronger.
I got this book on KU but once I return it, I’m buying a copy so I will always have it close by for when it calls for a reread. And the call WILL come. The way I felt when I finished this book is addictive. In fact Day Dreamer, the first book in this series was whispering while I was reading Gold Digger and I listened and I’m rereading it. And I’ve preordered the third book, Outlier, where Vicky is the heroine, she’s such a vivid secondary character, even though it doesn’t come out until May of 2025.
I could try and go into what makes Gold Digger such a strong five star book but I don’t think I can quite do it justice. So all I can say is you simply need to read it. It works very well as a standalone but if you do go straight to this one, I’m willing to bet you’ll want to go back and read the first book. And then read more of Susie Tate’s backlist.
There’s no question that Susie Tate is my find of 2024 author and I want to share her....more
This is a cute, heartwarming story that makes you smile when you reach the end.
It starts out rather sad. Weston, our hero, the quarterback of an NFL tThis is a cute, heartwarming story that makes you smile when you reach the end.
It starts out rather sad. Weston, our hero, the quarterback of an NFL team that has recently won their second Super Bowl in a row. He’s enjoying coffee with a few of his teammates, all single dads when he gets a call from the hospital letting him know his very young son has been in a serious car accident. The problem? He doesn’t have a son. He rushes to the hospital to find out what’s going on. Turns out he does have a baby with a woman he had a one night stand with and the mother has passed away in the accident.
Her older sister Sadie, shows up very quickly after he arrives and is very bitter that he has rejected her sister and his son. And he is very angry that he was never told he had a son.
The story is about them discovering the truth and what happens next. Sadie dearly loves her nephew and is terrified this very wealthy, football hero will take little Caleb away from her. But Weston is a good man and would never do such a thing. How they work together to do their best for Caleb is the heart of the story. They both love him and out him first. It’s a feel good story and I enjoyed it very much. This is yet another new to me author, one I will be reading more of....more
I had a kind of tough time grading this. I liked it better than the 3 star indicates but one major story point keeps me from enjoying it more.
This is I had a kind of tough time grading this. I liked it better than the 3 star indicates but one major story point keeps me from enjoying it more.
This is the second book in the series and this one focuses on Dallas, oldest brother of the Montana siblings from a well known wine producing company. He suffered a devastating loss when his beloved wife and six month old son died in a tragic incident. Since then he’s been hiding and in deep mourning in a small cabin in the woods. He’s cut himself off from just about everyone though is still able to do his job as CFO of the winery remotely.
This changes when he rescues a young woman from a single car accident near his cabin. It’s winter and a snowstorm comes barreling in, cutting them off from the outside world. Martina Carver is the young woman in question. She also has suffered more than her share of losses. Her mother died when she was very young, followed by her father when she was around 16. She has a young son, Charlie, 3 years old though her marriage didn’t survive. She remained on very good terms and they shared custody. Charlie was at his fathers when his father suddenly died and she was on her watch to pick up and bring her son home when she got lost in the countryside when she has her accident. She is very aware of how Dallas is still lost in his pain. And though she will always have a scar from losing her loved ones, she is able to try and help Dallas begin the healing process. There is a strong attraction between them while they are snowed in and it’s not long before they give in to it.
But even though Marti is perfect for him, he is adamant that after this interlude there can be no future for them. And this is the plot point that lowered the grade. He was TOO adamant there could be nothing and even though I recognized his reluctance, I found myself getting annoyed with him.
But apart from this I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked both Dallas and Martina quite a bit as well as the extended families and if another reader grades this one higher than I did, I’m good with that, I understand why. This book makes me want to delve deeper into Samantha Christie’s backlist....more
Well, it seems I’ve found myself a new author to read. I found this opposite attracts, small town, grumpy sunshine book amusing and adorab4.5 out of 5
Well, it seems I’ve found myself a new author to read. I found this opposite attracts, small town, grumpy sunshine book amusing and adorable.
Brady is a by the book small town sheriff. He’s recently been plagued by a fairly new resident of his small town, Luna Lancaster. He constantly is having to arrest her. Her current infraction is chaining herself to a tree in order to halt the development of a big block store going up in their small resort town. His rather large family own and run a rather run down, seen better days resort in located very close and they are hoping such a commercial development will help their business attract more people.
Brady and Luna are polar opposites, he being rather rigid in the way he runs his life and Luna a total free spirit and the sparks between them are majorly flammable. The chemistry between them is unstoppable much to Brady’s dismay, not so much Luna though. She’s all for finding out what could happen should these two enemies give in.
There’s so much to like about this book. Both are honourable people wanting to do what’s best for the small town. They’re both very likeable with a lot of humour between. And I love that when Brady lets go, he is totally gone for Luna. He’s a true toughie on the outside, soft teddy bear on the inside.
I’m very excited about getting more into more Brighton Walsh books. This is the first book in a series about all the siblings and she has many more series besides this one. As you can probably guess, this is a thumbs up, strongly recommended book....more