#Bookreview – Down Too Deep by J. Daniels #Downtoodeep @jdanielsbooks #netgalley

Title: Down Too Deep

Author: J. Daniels

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Rating: 5⭐️

 

Down Too Deep will hit you with all the feels. Nate lost his wife and is struggling to get himself together. He has a little girl named Marley and he isn’t sure how to navigate raising this little girl on his own. After his wife’s passing he shut himself off and lost himself in his work.

 

Life is about to be changed dramatically when single mom Jenna walks into his restaurant. She has 8 year old twins, Oliver and Olivia. Jenna steps up to help Nate take care of his little girl while he works and these families slowly start to blend and function phenomenally well together.

 

This was just the sweetest love story, but not solely because of the romantic love. They fall hard for each other’s families and it is absolutely the most heartwarming story. I flew through this one and quickly became a huge fan of J. Daniels. After finishing this story, I went on to binge read the rest of the Dirty Deeds series.

 

Thank you Netgalley and Forever publishing for my copy. All opinions are my own.

#Bookreview – Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger #PerfectStrangers @JTGeissinger @jenw23

Title: Perfect Strangers 

Author:  J.T. Geissinger

Publisher: J.T. Geissinger, Inc

Pub Date: October 1, 2019

Rating: 4⭐️

 

This story hooked me quickly! I was obsessed with Olivia and James. They had fantastic chemistry and I couldn’t get enough of them. It was super steamy.

 

This story was full of surprises. I feel like this is a hard one to review. At one point in the story I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish it, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. I ended up really enjoying it.

 

This story was very meta. It was really interesting and I like the path it took even if I briefly was infuriated. It evoked such strong emotions because I was so invested in the characters. I’m going to include a synopsis so you can get a feel for this read and so I can keep it spoiler free.

 

Synopsis:

 

Author Olivia Rossi hasn’t been able to write a word since tragedy struck two years ago and ripped her world apart. Heartbroken and still haunted by the past, she accepts an offer to spend the summer at a friend’s apartment in Paris in search of healing and her lost muse.

 

What she finds instead is James, an enigmatic stranger who ignites in her an unexpected and all-consuming passion.

 

Agreeing to tell each other nothing more than their first names, Olivia and James embark on a torrid affair. But the more time they spend together, the more Olivia begins to realize her summer fling is turning into a powerful connection…and that the magnetic man she’s falling in love with might not be what he seems at all.
Thank you @socialbutterflypr for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Review – Shortcake by Lucy Watson #shortcakebook @lucywatsonbooks

Title: Shortcake

Author: Lucy Watson

Publisher: Lucy Watson Books

Pub Date: September 19, 2019

Rating: 5⭐️

 

Lucy Watson just published a phenomenal debut novel, Shortcake. If you love rom-coms, then you should definitely give this one a read. This is one of the best that I’ve read. I was seriously laughing out loud on several occasions. This wasn’t one of those with just a line or two here and there that put it in the rom-com category. It was most of the book. Emelia Anderson’s inner dialogue and overall personality are going to make you want to add her to your book besties list.

 

Emelia Anderson was a live-in caregiver for a lovely old lady named Rose. Rose has passed away and Emelia is devastated because she and Rose had become so close. She meets Rose’s family at the funeral and they are not very welcoming or kind. Her handsome, motorcycle riding grandson Ben Crawford is extra cold to Emelia. He becomes even less of a fan after he finds out that his grandmother has included Emilia in her will. He believes she conned his grandmother. Now they are forced to live together because of stipulations in Rose’s will. For anyone to get what she has left them they must live together and fix up her old house.

 

Seriously this book is steamy and hilarious! You will fall in love with Emelia and Ben. Even the secondary characters were fantastic. Ben’s friends were all amazing and I hope they all get books. This is free on Kindle Unlimited if you subscribe to that or just $2.99 on Amazon.

Review – Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne #LoveonLexingtonAvenue #LaurenLayne #bookreview #netgalley

Title: Love on Lexington Avenue (Central Park Pact #2)

Author: Lauren Layne

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pub Date: September 17, 2019

Rating: 4⭐️

 

This was such a cute, slow-burn romance. Claire is widowed and she found out at her husband’s funeral that he had been cheating on her for quite some time with at least two women. These women became best friends. They all thought they were the only woman in Brayden’s life. They make a pact to keep each other away from the bad guys.

 

Claire is trying to reinvent herself, starting with her old house. Her friends introduced her to her contractor, Scott. Scott is the opposite of Claire and normally not at all the kind of guy she’d be interested in. They have good banter. Their relationship starts off as quasi enemies and then they transition to friendship.

 

I love the slow build where they had to work up to even being friends and admitting that they enjoyed each other’s company. They’ve both had their guards up from their previous relationships. There is very minimal steam, but plenty of tension.

 

This is my first Lauren Layne book and I am definitely a fan. Also, this is book two in the Central Park Pact series, but works as a stand alone. I’m going to go back and read the first one and I can’t wait for Audrey’s story in the third installment.

 

I love the setting and character development. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed it. This would make such a cute movie.

 

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for my eARC copy. All opinions are my own.

Review – The Accidental Life Swap by Jennifer Joyce #TheAccidentalLifeSwap

Title: The Accidental Life Swap

Author: Jennifer Joyce

Publisher: HQ Digital

Pub Date: September 1, 2019

Rating: 3⭐️

     The Accidental Life Swap turned out to be quite the charming story. Rebecca works as a PA for Vanessa Whitely of Vanessa Whitely Events. Vanessa is a difficult boss. She’s brash and doesn’t value her employees. Rebecca has a degree in Events Management, but Vanessa only sees her for her organizational skills and ability to run her errands. Vanessa bought a home in a small town out in the country that  was in need of restoration. Rebecca is more of a people-pleaser and not used to sticking up for herself, so when Vanessa sends her to oversee the remainder of the remodeling there is no push back.

      The first day on site, Rebecca is mistaken for Vanessa among the work crew. She doesn’t correct the mistake since everyone is a little intimidated by Vanessa, and thus the accidental life swap is in full swing. Rebecca is able to be more assertive by hiding behind her borrowed identity. She didn’t foresee the falsehood causing any real trouble until she falls in love with the town and it’s people.

        This story really was charming. The pacing was a bit slow. It took a little while to fully get into it. It felt like a lot of the story was just following Rebecca and her inner monologue. I would have liked a little more interaction and dialogue with the community. The love story was cute, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more chemistry other than them just bantering over their fiercely competitive nature when it comes to board games. Overall, if you enjoy a cute non-steamy romance then this was a good one.

Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

Review – Caraval by Stephanie Garber #caraval #bookreview

Title: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publishing Date: January 31, 2017

Rating: 3⭐️

Synopsis:

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic

Review:

This series has garnered a lot of hype. I went in with high expectations, which can sometimes work against you. I wanted to love this one so much. It just didn’t deliver for me. Garber’s prose is really beautiful. I liked it, but I wasn’t blown away by it.

It started out really strong. I loved the prose, there was a big, suspenseful build up, and a lot of promise with building likeable, strong characters. It just didn’t deliver for me. If I had to have a book with a strong narrative or  strong characters, I would choose a story that has well developed characters. I need characters that I can be invested in.

This book made me feel like I couldn’t believe any of the characters or anything within the world. It made it hard to connect to. I liked it enough to try book two, Legendary, and I hope that I can enjoy that one a little more.

Review – Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey #fixherup @tessabaileyisanauthor

Title: Fix Her Up

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon Romance

Publishing Date: June 11, 2019
Rating: 5⭐️

 

I absolutely love Georgie and Travis’s story. Their chemistry is fantastic. They understand each other in ways that no one else has ever been able to understand them. They make each other better, stronger people. There is a lot of steamy romance, so if it’s not your thing, this may not be for you.

 

This book had me laughing out loud. I love how hilarious and down to earth Georgie is. She may be small, but she is mighty. Georgie is the little sister of Travis’s best friend. No one thinks of Georgie as a grownup, but Georgie doesn’t want to be thought of like that anymore.

 

Travis has been living the life of a professional baseball player, but an injury has him retiring before he was ready. He’s been wallowing and Georgie is determined not to let him lose himself. She’s exactly what he needs. Together they work to improve themselves.

This book was a quick, fun read! I highly recommend!

 

Review – Call Her Mine by Melissa Foster #callhermine @Melissafoster

Title: Call Her Mine

Author: Melissa Foster

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Publishing Date: August 13, 2019

Rating: 4 ⭐️

 

Call Her Mine was a wonderful friends-to-lovers story, but it was also more than that. Ben and Aurelia have been friends for over a decade. They both have feelings for each other and neither one has been willing to risk their relationship to try for more. Aurelia is resigned to life in the friend zone and just as she is determined to put a little space between her and Ben, they find a baby on his doorstep. Ben is the supposed father and he really needs Aurelia’s help.

This is the catalyst for their new, romantic relationship. They are now navigating so many new facets to their relationship. Their relationship as lovers and now as coparents. In this instance, their solid foundation of friendship allowed for easing some of the tension brought on by these new circumstances. They are searching for answers together and falling in love with each other in a whole new way and learning to love another little person.

Foster made this about more than just romance. It was about friendship, family, commitment, compassion, and forgiveness. It was a nice, quick read.

 

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake Romance for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

Review – Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Title: Thirteen

Author: Steve Cavanagh

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Synopsis:

THE SERIAL KILLER ISN’T ON TRIAL.

HE’S ON THE JURY…

They were Hollywood’s hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.

This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.

All the evidence points to Robert’s guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie’s mind.

What if there’s more than one actor in the courtroom?

What if the killer isn’t on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?

Review:

Thirteen was a great read. This book is part of the Eddie Flynn series. I have not read any of the previous books and this story stands well on its own.

 

Cavanagh instantly draws the reader into the mind of a serial killer – Kane. This perspective really made this story stand out for me. The shifting POV added to this story significantly. Kane is such a phenomenally developed character and Eddie Flynn moves the plot a long expertly.

 

Cavanagh’s descriptions and attention to detail are brilliant.  It was a very visceral reading experience. He had me cringing while simultaneously sitting on the edge of my seat.

 

There is so much description and that allowed for a thoroughly fleshed out character. Kane is very self aware. He knows that he is different, but very skilled at fitting in and portraying a normal, upstanding member of society.

 

This story is fast-paced. It flows well and Cavanagh builds excellent suspense. The author’s law background adds so much realism to his story. It’s not so heavy on the legal jargon that it is cumbersome to the reader, but it definitely lets you know that this author knows what he is talking about.

 

Thank you so much to Flatiron for reaching out to me to review this book. All opinions are my own. It was really a thrill to read.

Review – I Wanna Sext You Up by Evie Claire

Title: I Wanna Sext You Up
Author: Evie Claire
Publisher: Loveswept
Pub Date: August 20, 2019

Rating: 4 ⭐️

Links: Goodreads Amazon

Lorie has been rebuilding her life and reworking her dreams. She has goals and is focused and determined to advance as quickly as possible in a new career as a pharmaceutical sales rep. She gets assigned the tough, new doctor Saam Sherazi. He never has time for the sales pitch and is solely focused on his patients. In the beginning, he treats Lorie just as he has all of her sales team. A phone mix-up allows Lorie to get past his barriers. They have a lot of things in common and he loves that she isn’t interested in him just because of the M.D. behind his name.

These new feelings are unexpected and cause a lot of stress for Lorie. She doesn’t want to risk her job over what may be temporary feelings. The boundaries are hard to keep in place. The lines get blurred and redrawn. This was a fun, fast-paced workplace romance. Saam his direct and upfront about what he wants and Lorie is more resistant because she does have a lot more at stake. Their problems are real world, relatable and Lorie is strong and not willing to give up her dreams just to be with Saam. Saam is understandable and tries not to give up on Lorie.

Thank you Loveswept publishing and Netgalley for my ARC copy. All opinions are my own.