Someone Like You by Laren Layne (Book 3 Oxford)
4 stars
Lauren Layne is one of my favorite go to authors, especially in audios. This one certainly did not disappoint. I have been waiting for Lincoln’s story, and this installment was even better than I imagined. The narrator, Ms. Rebecca Estrella was also well performed. Although this book can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend that you do read the first two books in order to better understand the characters. I also highly recommend Ms. Layne’s other series as well.
Lincoln is not the care free guy that I have come to hate. There hasn’t been a woman who has not been dazzled by his charm until he meets Tori, the new copy editor. Daisy is shy, timid, and awkward. She attempts to ignore his charms, which confuses Lincoln. The harder that he tries to win her over to his team, the more that she resist.
Daisy has had a rough life during college due to a mean spirited prank that has left her running from men, especially the playboy type. However, as she gets to know and understand Lincoln, she realizes that there is damage behind the façade. Both Lincoln and Daisy have so much to give but so much to shelter as well that their past is comingled with their future until both realize that they can trust the other.
Thanks to Tantor Media for supplying me this book in exchange for an honest review.
Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig
4 stars
Juliet Langley is distraught after her music career crashes. Tucking her tail between her legs, she is forced to go back into food service. As if she hadn’t already been down on her luck, she is thrown yet another curve ball. Her two timing fiancé runs off with her best waitress and in the process steals from Juliet. Packing up and moving back to Nashville, Juliet is offered a job to manager a friend’s coffeehouse.
By all appearances, Java Jive has not changed since the last time Juliet was here. To her surprise, the staff is revolting, and an employee is found dead in the dumpster. Unfortunately for Julia, this occurs on her first day back on the job. Just Juliet’s luck, the corpse is the cook who had gotten into a heated battle with Julia over code enforcement. Now, the employees are too happy to spill the beans to the cops regarding Juliet’s bad temper. Questions that Juliet can’t answer are being thrown at her, and she is finding that not only the coffee is in hot water. If she doesn’t solve the case, her next job maybe making coffee in the slammer.
This was a cute cozy read. Juliet is fun, witty, and very likeable. The narrator brought Juliet to life and the listen/read was very easy and fast. This is definitely a listen if you don’t want to think and just enjoy the moment. Grab a cup of java and be prepared to be swept away into Juliet’s crazy world. Thanks to Tantor Media for supplying me with this audio in exchange for a honest review.
Until Jax (Until Him #1) by Aurora Rose Reynolds
3.5 Stars
This book started off extremely slow and oh so very confusing. After a couple of chapters, I figured out why. Although this book is marketed as #1 in the Until Him series, this is actually a spin off. Some of the characters were previously introduced. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why Jax was so in love with Ellie. Well, now I know why. As a suggestion from one reader to another, I highly suggest that you do read Ms. Reynold’s Until series before embarking on this one.
While I did like all of the characters in this installment, my favorite had to be Hope. Hope is Ellie’s daughter. In order to better understand Hope and Ellie, I would have to include spoilers, which I never do. The discovery is flushed out early on in the book. Ellie has gone through some hard times and is surprised and awed that Jax and his family love her unconditionally.
While I have nothing against this book or the author, I’m not sure if I will read further in this series. The story was sweet, romantic, and had just an edge of angst for me. However, other characters just didn’t hold my interest enough to invest in this series.
Thanks to Tantor Media for giving me this audio in exchange for an honest review.
To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise
Thanks to Tantor Media for giving me this audio in exchange for a honest review.
Olive has been in love with Jason since the first day she met him. Granted, she was only six years old but she knew immediately that she was going to marry this kid. Jason came from a bad home and spent most of his time at Olive’s since her brother was his best friend. Unfortunately, a trajedy in Jason’s life forces him and his family to move. Little Olive’s heart was shattered.
Fast forward to current day, grown up Olive who happens to be a writer. Her latest book was picked up by a movie exec and now Olive finds out that the lead man will be no other than Jason. Olive has mixed feelings about working with Jason but soon realizes that both have an attraction that never died. Jason doesn’t see Olive as simply his best friends little sister. He sees a grown up woman that he desperately wants to go to know. Olive refuses to get her heart broken again and does everything that she can to stay away from him, especially being with him alone.
Very few books have the hero seeking the heroine’s love and affection. I really liked the fact that this one did. This was a funny light-hearted read and the character building was steady. I did find at times that the author was too descriptive on issues that really didn’t require that much detail. All in all an enjoyable read.
Stork Mountain by Miroslav Penkov
2.75 Stars
Thanks to Tantor Media for giving me this audio in exchange for a honest review.
This book was not originally written in English and was converted. I found the book to read more like a college textbook than a work of fiction. I didn’t like or dislike the main character, which is a major issue that I had throughout the book. Going back to his roots, a young college student leaves the US and returns to Bulgaria where he lived as a child. He is determined to find his grandfather who cut off all ties three years prior.
The premise started off really good, and I began to root for the young man in anticipation of locating and reconnecting with his estranged grandfather. Unfortunately, this book stopped short for me. The story veered out from the original premise where suddenly he fell in love with an unobtainable Muslim girl. I am also not sure how much research the author did on Turkey and Bulgaria. The character building, relationships, and settings really needed more detail. This was a long book that could have definitely been much shorter. This reader is not quite sure of the audience that this book was intended for. I had hopes of a work of fiction that also spanned other countries. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I highly doubt that I will read anymore books from this author.
Everything I left Unsaid (Everything I Left Unsaid #1) by Molly O’Keefe
3.75 Stars
Thanks to Tantor Media for this audio in exchange for an honest review.
What do most people do when they hear a phone ring that’s not theirs – perhaps ignore it? Annie has just ran away from a very abusive husband. She has cut off her hair and changed her identity and has now found herself doing odds and ends living in a trailer park. She happens to be in her trailer when a strange phone rings. Annie shouldn’t have picked up the phone but did anyway – bad Annie! Perhaps, if she left the phone alone, her life wouldn’t be more complicated than it already was.
Dylan happens to be the caller, and there is an immediate attraction. He happens to live at the top of the mountain and is a recluse and has asked Annie for a favor. Again, Annie loses all sights of reasoning and agrees to help Dylan. The conversations between Annie and Dylan are scorching hot! For a couple who do not even meet in person until the end of the book, they sure know how to work the phone sex!
There is a cliffhanger in this book, which I normally hate. Now, I have to read book 2 (and soon) to find out what happens between these two. Now that they have met, how will both react to the other’s secrets? This book has quite a bit going for it. The writing was very good, and the suspense kept me wanting to learn more and to root for this couple. Stay tuned for book 2 of the Everything I left Unsaid series.
In His Corner by Vina Arno (aka Cindy Fazzi)
4.5 stars
I received this book from the author for exchange of an honest review.
What a knock out of a book! From the first page until the last I was hooked. Dr. Siena Carr was a 26 year old well established ER doctor. She was born into wealth and was used to the finer way of life. From her designer clothes, fancy car, finer meals, upscale boyfriends, Ivy League college, and even her name sake (Siena, Italy), this Dr. was the image of a snob. She left the east coast for San Francisco in order to establish herself away from her family. Dr. Carr had recently broken up with another well established Dr. (surprise – I think not). Imagine her surprise, when she falls for Tommy Raines aka the Juggernaut who happened to stumble in her ER with a nasty cut.
Tommy is everything that Siena is not. His wardrobe choice is jeans and hoodies. He prefers grilled cheese over a Panini. He even dropped out of college to help take care of his sick mother. One says that opposites attract, and that is what happened to this couple. Tommy often calls Siena a snob (which did get old) but begins to change to make her happy. The Juggernaut doesn’t have a problem with changing in order for Siena to be happy. However, his breaking point occurs when Siena refuses to watch him fight in one of the most important matches of his career. Siena prefers sparring with him under the sheets rather than watching him knock out or injure another man. She takes her oath as a doctor to the extreme.
During the first half of this book, this reader had a problem with Siena. She was too prim and proper and made comments to Tommy at every turn on how he should act, what to wear, and even what to eat. However, Ms. Fazzi included a valuable life lesson, which made this reader see both Siena’s and Tommy’s POV. Neither Siena nor Tommy were trying to change the other but wanted to make some changes to make each other happy.
For such a short book, the storyline was a major punch. From the writing style, to the character development, I was impressed with this new author to me. I will definitely read more of Ms. Fazzi’s book and appreciate her reaching out to me. I would love to see this book become a trilogy or a series to see where Tommy’s and Siena’s life takes them.
Pack Challenge (Mangus Pack #1) by Shelly Laurenston
3.5 stars
I received this book from Tantor in exchange for an honest review.
I am not quite sure how to even begin this review. I finished a few days ago and am still processing it. The storyline was ok but not great. In this humble reader’s opinion, the secondary charcters played out like a list of whose who. I felt that several of the so called “friends” were not needed and distracted from the storyline. I must be on to something, because this is my third biker book in less than a month. I find this odd since I never have felt compelled to read anything about bikers and even less about motorcycle clubs.
All Zach Sherridan wanted was to become alpha male of his pack, and certainly, a needy female was not part of this equation. Because of Sara Morrighan’s past, all that she could hope for was to have a few friends but certainly not a boyfriend. Sara quickly realizes that her life can be totally different if she is with Zach. I really disliked Miki, Sara’s best friend who did not have a filter and said exactly what was on her mind. I also found Sara to be snotty,boring, and an aggressive drunk. Sara’s bad behavior was deemed normal since after all, she was coming into her She Wolf phase. No excuse should have been covered up for her rude obnoxious behavior. The performance by the narrator definitely made this book more enjoyable. I will continue to listen to the next book in this installment but not sure if I will continue the series after book 2.
One More Shot (Hometown Players #1) byVictoria Denault
3.75 stars rounded to 4
This audio was given to me by Tantor in exchange for an honest review.
This book had all of the makings of an excellent storyline with lots of drama and angst. Jessie, an NHL star, had been in love with Jessie since he was 18 years old. A slight misunderstanding and both went their separate ways. Fast forward 7 years, and both meet at a funeral. At times, I did want to smack both of the H/H across the back of their head. I especially thought that Jordan played the immature card much too often. Jessie was annoying at times also but not nearly as much as Jordan. Both have made mistakes and have learned life lessons the hard way.
Meeting back up after 7 years, brought the couple to wanting more. Callie, who was a supporting character didn’t help matters, and I felt this was just thrown in for good measure. There was definitely some funny likeable moments. The performance from the narrators gave this book an extra star. I am not sure if I will continue with this series as I am not a big hockey fan. I will definitely check out more from Ms. Denault as well as from both of the narrators. Overall, a fun new adult/chick lit.
Midnight Heat (Midnight Cowboys #3)
3 stars
Cat Johnson
Special Thanks to Kensington Book via Netgalley for the advance reading copy given in exchange for an honest review.
This is book 3 in the Midnight Cowboys series. Very seldom do I read a series out of order. Since this was for a review, I opted to read book 3 first. Apparently, the supporting characters were given more identities in the first two series.
Justin Skaggs and his mother have suffered two strategies in a short period of time. Justin was devastated when his brother was killed in Afghanistan. Justin is now thrown into taking care of his depressed mother. Needing a short break, Justin decides to take a road trip. His boss and friend, Rohn, has asked him for a favor (with pay of course). Justin is now on a mission to pick up Rohn’s fiancée’s belongings from her house in Arizona and bring back to Oklahoma. Rather, Justin runs into Phoenix Montagno, a first grade teacher.
Phoenix is on a mission herself. As an adoptee, Phoenix has never been interested in searching for her biological parents. However, luck would have it, that she now has her biological mother’s name. She now has her mother’s address and drives from California to Phoenix, AZ. Running into Justin and becoming interested was not in the deck of cards. The chemistry between the two was evident and made for an enjoyable read.
The writing was simple and flowed well. I really liked Justin. Although he was young, he had life experiences and did all that he could to help his mom and Phoenix. I also liked Phoenix but at times appeared to be more of a teenager than an adult. I may not follow this series but will definitely look for more books by this author.
