Book Review: The Christmas Trip (Christmas Romance series Book2) by Sandy Barker  @sandybarker

The Christmas Trip
(Christmas Romance series Book2)
by Sandy Barker

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Another year has passed and it’s Christmas again. This year best friends Chloe, Jules, and Lucy are all loved up but living worlds apart.

Chloe is madly in love with her celebrity beau, Archer, but after a whirlwind year in Hollywood’s limelight, she’s desperate to get away and spend some quality time together.

Jules loves her Melbourne life – and gorgeous winemaker Matt – but a crowded flat share has her longing for a place of her own.

Meanwhile, Lucy is stuck in a long-distance relationship, jetting back and forth between Colorado and London to see Will.

When Archer’s plan to whisk Chloe to Paris goes awry, he surprises her by bringing her friends together for a Christmas to remember…

The perfect feel-good holiday romance for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jo Thomas, and Holly Martin.

 

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

God, this was like having a conversation underwater. With a turtle.

Chloe thought any occasion was worth a toast. She’d actually toasted toast once.

My Review:

 

Another fun and breezy installment of the May Ladies on holiday, I adore this sassy trio of gals as much as I do their wittily written series. I am enamored with Ms. Barker’s smooth and captivating storytelling. She craftily pulls me into a cleverly constructed vortex of smart, funny, gorgeous, and multi-layered characters who are endearing, successful, realistically flawed, and adorable, yet complicated. I want to be a May Lady as an additional member of their exclusive group but will have to settle for joining their holiday escapades and amusing adventures on my Kindle.

About the Author

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I’m a writer, traveler, and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list. I love exploring new places, outdoor adventures, and eating and drinking like a local when I travel, and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels. I’m also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover, and a coffee snob.

My first novel, a romantic comedy set in Greece and inspired by my real-life love story, was published in June 2019 by One More Chapter (HarperCollins). In 2020, two follow-ups in the Holiday Romance series hit the shelves: That Night in Paris and A Sunset in Sydney. My novel, The Christmas Swap, is a stand-alone inspired by some of my own Christmas adventures, and I am currently writing my 5th book (the 4th in the Holiday Romance series) and 6th book (a stand-alone), with plans for 7 and 8!

I am represented by Lina Langlee of The North Literary Agency.

Book Review: Murder in an Irish Castle (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #12) by Verity Bright  @BrightVerity  @Bookouture 

Murder in an Irish Castle
(A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #12) 
by Verity Bright

 

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Irish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season!

Christmas, 1924. Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather unexpected invitation to the village Christmas party in the tiny, rural hamlet of Derrydee in the west of Ireland. Eleanor is thrilled about exploring her ancestral roots at her late uncle’s estate and spending the festive season in a castle. Packing Gladstone the bulldog’s coziest Christmas jumper, they set off to the Emerald Isle with her butler Clifford in tow.

Arriving late at night, Eleanor and Clifford are shocked when they find a body sprawled in the snow on the winding country lane outside the estate. The local constable is immediately suspicious and all but accuses the pair of murder. This isn’t the warm Irish welcome Eleanor imagined!

Clifford is certain he recognizes the poor fellow from the funeral of Eleanor’s uncle – but what was their connection? Undeterred by the villagers’ lack of gossip on the matter, Eleanor is determined to get justice for the victim. The man’s pockets are suspiciously empty of personal effects, but closer inspection reveals an old key hidden in the heel of his boot. Could this unlock more than one mystery for Eleanor?

But when a fire breaks out at the castle on Christmas Eve, an even bigger question looms: is someone out to ensure the family line dies with Lady Swift? And will Eleanor’s first Irish Christmas be her last?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

Even those born with no ears has heard of it, miss.

My Review:

 

I continue with my infatuation with Lady Swift, Gladstone, her irreparably spoiled elderly bulldog, and Clifford, and her always prepared, highly astute, and perfectly impeccable butler. I adore this series, it has been as comically amusing as it has been deviously clever with murder mysteries that the little pea in my brain has never seen coming. This one was completely unsolvable, brilliantly plotted, and shrewdly paced. I’m already primed for their next escapade.

About the Author

.
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

Book Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese @Berkley @chloe_liese

Two Wrongs Make a Right
by Chloe Liese

 

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Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.

Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convinces the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash their hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.

To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder, what if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Jamie smiles. It’s soft and small and crooked, but it’s there. I watch it unfurl, and my heart morphs into a gilded balloon that bursts, a shower of gold-leaf glitter sparkling in my chest.

“Don’t downplay your work,” she says fiercely. “Don’t make yourself small just because someone else has.”

He’s stuck around. Like a bug on fly paper.

…you are exquisitely precious to me.

My Review:

 

I delighted in this cleverly penned tale and have added this crafty author’s entire listing to my TBR as I have become her most rabid and fervent fangirl. Her deft storytelling kept a smirk on my face and caused the little pea in my brain to spark as I fell into her bewitchingly engaging tale which featured deliciously quirky yet authentic characters that were well-textured and are now indelibly etched on my gray matter. I adored them and their amusing vengeance plot of having an “Instagrammable romance”/fauxmance that quickly morphed into something much more carnal and delightfully steamy. I have a new favorite author to add to the top of my To Do list.

 

Chloe Liese writes romances reflecting her belief that everyone deserves a love story. Her stories pack a punch of heat, heart, and humor, and often feature characters who are neurodivergent like herself. When not dreaming up her next book, Chloe spends her time wandering in nature, playing soccer, and most happily at home with her family and mischievous cats.

Book Review: Murder Under A Bridal Moon (Mona Moon Mystery #10) by Abigail Keam  @AbigailKeam

Murder Under A Bridal Moon
(Mona Moon Mystery #10)
by Abigail Keam 

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Mona Moon is planning her wedding to Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth, when her preparations go haywire after one of her maids is found murdered. With just days before the blessed event, unwanted guests invade Moon Manor throwing a wrench into Mona’s plans and making it more difficult to seek the truth. Now Robert is a suspect in the maid’s murder. A missing gold brooch and twenty five-dollar bills are the only clues Mona has to find the murderer. She must clear Robert from suspicion or he will call off the wedding, saying he refuses to taint Mona’s good name. Can she discover the killer before the wedding, or will the murderer witness the breakup between Mona and Robert? Was that the intention all along? 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

That red head of his is so bright, it looks like his head is on fire from a distance.

Get ready, old chap. Marriage is less about love and more about who is right.

There are men in this world, who can’t stand the regular Joe having a good life. These men have always gotta be stepping on someone. Makes them feel important, and they are usually standing behind a flag or a Bible to knock the other guy down. Don’t let these people take your dreams away.

It was a gut feeling she couldn’t explain except that it felt right— like thread going through a needle.

Envy is a horrible taskmaster. It turns the nicest people into snakes.

My Review:

 

My second Mona Moon adventure and I continued to be delightfully enamored with the moxie entrepreneur/sleuth. In this entertaining installment, Ms. Moon was dealing with errant family members, a sneaky yellow journalist, wedding preparations, a hotel full of guests, and an eccentric and infamous gate-crashing wedding guest named Georgia O’Keeffe; all of whom required a bit of special handling while she was also trying to solve the latest murder. People seem to drop dead around her with regularity.

Ms. Keam’s writing style and storylines were unfailingly engaging, flowed smoothly at a good pace, and were easy to follow. The characters were colorful, authentic, and well-detailed with brain-tickling descriptions and amusing quirks and observations. I’m primed for more Moon adventures.

 

 

About the Author
One thing Miss Abigail loves to do as an author is to write real people and events into her stories. “I am a student of history and love to insert historical information into my mysteries. My goal is to entertain my readers, but if they learn a little something along the way—well, then we are both happy. I certainly learn a lot from my research, and I hope my readers come away with a new appreciation of beekeeping from my Josiah Reynolds Mysteries.”

Book Review: A Forest Between Us (Crescent Pass Book 1) by Allie Winters @alliewintersauthor

A Forest Between Us
(Crescent Pass Book 1)
by Allie Winters

Amazon   / BB

 

 

A steamy new contemporary romance, A Forest Between Us, is available now on Amazon and free to read in Kindle Unlimited!

– Owen –
Harper Calloway is the one who got away.
Gorgeous. Vivacious. Witty. Everything my introverted self could never be. And though that single night five years ago is all I had with her, there’s no forgetting the girl who steals your heart.
So when the woman in question shows up on my doorstep demanding an annulment for a drunken Vegas wedding I don’t fully remember, it seems like a sign. A second chance to make good on that connection I’ve never felt with anyone else.
Except she doesn’t have any interest in reconnecting, even as things between us heat up the longer she stays in town. What will it take to convince her I want forever?

– Harper –
Owen Taylor is not who I expected.
Protective. Thoughtful. Humble. And the sexy lumberjack vibe he’s got going on? Who knew I was such a sucker for that?
I didn’t come to Crescent Pass to start anything up. My life is in Chicago, not the forests of the Pacific Northwest. But the longer I stay here waiting for an annulment, the harder it is to resist this rugged mountain man who shows me for the first time what it’s like to be understood. Cherished. Worshipped.
We both knew from the beginning this couldn’t last. So why has he gone and stolen my heart?

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

You are the one impulsive thing I’ll never regret.

 

My Review:

 

Having only recently discovered the delight of reading Allie Winters’ unique blend of humor and spice, I continue to revel in her clever wit and amusing storylines. It also doesn’t hurt that her tales are not only peppered with crisp levity but sheet-scorching sensuality as well. Once obtained, her stories tend to be gleefully devoured like a failed dieter on a binge.

I adored this endearing couple, they were both people I would enjoy knowing and spending time with. Both were smart, successful, witty, well-meaning, and hard-working, and while they were also opposite personality types, once they were finally in sync, they fit together with perfection. And oh, happy, day. This tasty missive was only the start of a new series, there is more of this delicious goodness yet to come!

 

About the Author

Allie is the author of the Suncoast University series, the Bishop Brothers series, and the Lessons Learned series. She lives in sunny Florida with her husband, daughter, and two cats. A librarian by day, she spends her nights writing happily ever afters. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and all things Disney.

Find Allie Winters online

Website: http://bit.ly/357VYOr

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/389mnNO

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Book Review: Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk: Modern Folktales #2) by Penny Reid @ReidRomance  @SmartyPantsRom

Folk Around and Find Out
(Good Folk: Modern Folktales #2)
by Penny Reid 

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She’s about to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.

Folk Around and Find out, an opposites attract, single-parent contemporary romance set in a small town from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is out now!

He needs to get her out of his system. Just once…

Hank Weller doesn’t help people. He leaves that do-gooder nonsense to his best friend, Beau Winston. Hank does what he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wants—and Hank does not want to hire Charlotte Mitchell to be an exotic dancer at his club, The Pink Pony. Sure, he can’t help noticing the dips and curves of her, how shrewd, smart, and funny she is, the fire in her hazel eyes. He’s always noticed. She’d probably draw a crowd and entice the regulars. But after Charlotte’s messy, public divorce made Hank’s club out to be the culprit—and made her the single mother of four kids—he doesn’t need or want any additional bad press courtesy of Charlotte Mitchell. Or the distraction. Unfortunately for him, the town’s prettiest charity case doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words nope, no, and never.

Charlotte Mitchell doesn’t much like Hank Weller. Once upon a time, she used to. Years ago, she liked him a whole heckofalot despite other folks in town labeling him as “eccentric” and “nonconformist,” which were polite southern alternatives to “filthy rich” and “self-centered douchebag.” Her opinion of him changed dramatically after he volunteered to be her date to junior prom and then promptly stood her up. They haven’t so much as acknowledged each other in over a decade. But a sudden family emergency means Charlotte needs access to Hank’s club ASAP. Unfortunately for her, the narcissistic fancy-pants doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words help, generosity, and compassion.

But he’s about to find himself schooled. Charlotte is going to teach Hank a lesson once and for all about basic human decency, whether he likes it or not.

Spoiler alert. . . he likes it. 😉

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Sure, excluding the kitchen staff and bouncers, my co-workers were all mostly naked and covered in glitter, but that didn’t bother me any. I worked with kindergartners nine months out of the year. They also liked to take off their clothes and paint their bodies with glitter.

This kid made no sense. Kids weren’t supposed to be interested in interesting things. They were supposed to be interested in pointless things, making too much noise, spreading disease, and telling stupidly long stories that had no ending and made no sense.

It was rare for me to be at a loss for words. I felt verbally bankrupt at the moment.

How much worse can my reputation get? I’m the town pity-project, as my mother loves to remind me all the time. I’m on the bless-your-heart bingo card.

Everyone knew Jackson James didn’t throw parties, or drink, or eat good tasting food, or have fun. If he were a paint color, he’d be beige. If he were a food, he’d be dry, white toast. How a firecracker like Charlotte had ever dated his boring ass, I had no idea.

My Review:

 

Reading Penny Reid’s cleverly penned missives is always good fun and a guaranteed smirk-producing activity. I adore her complex, multi-layered, and well-textured characters and the couple featured in this sparkling installment has become my new favorite. Even the secondary characters were brilliantly imbued with authentic and brain-snagging idiosyncrasies. I continue to be totally enamored with Hank days after finishing his tale.

Ms. Reid’s storytelling never fails to dazzle and delight me and I sank into this engaging tale as if I was sitting in the corner watching it occur. I may even have hissed a few times when the plagues of real life intruded upon my perusal.

And to prove my mother wrong in her stance that reading fiction was not educational and a waste of time, I am pleased to report that I learned a new word with “dingly” as well as a plethora of text emoticons, which I was required to Google to fully appreciate. As such, I owe Ms. Reid my undying gratitude for continuing to plug the holes in my knowledge that my scholarly endeavors have left sorely lacking. Obviously, future Reid editions are now compulsory reading.

 

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator/publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

Book Review: Architecture and Artistry (Green Valley Library, #11) by Nora Everly @NoraEverly @smartypantsromance

 

Architecture and Artistry
(Green Valley Library, #11)
by Nora Everly 

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Architecture and Artistry, an all-new opposites attract small-town romance from Nora Everly, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!

Sadie Hill has a lot going on.

New job, twin boys, deadbeat ex, and a mother from hell.

Her life is chaos and no matter how hard she holds on, every plan she makes flies straight out of her grasp.

The last thing she needs is for her devastatingly hot co-worker to become her new neighbor. A distraction like Barrett does not fit into her precarious plans for the future.

Barrett Monroe has got it going on.

His wicked ex-wife is nothing but a memory, his daughter is back home where she belongs, and he loves his job.

His control-freak ways have paid off and he can finally relax into his perfectly scheduled life—alone, just how he wants it.

The last thing he needs is an irresistible single mom and her adorable kids to move in next door. Sadie was hard enough to stay away from when she was just his co-worker.

But one night spent stranded in a snowstorm together finds these two sneaking around, sharing stolen kisses, and losing their hearts.

Will they give in to the flying sparks between them?

Or drive each other crazy fighting their feelings instead?

‘Architecture and Artistry’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #11 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Sadie, we both know forbidden love is the hottest kind. You have no chance. The more you fight it, the hornier you’ll get for each other. Y’all are like Green Valley’s Romeo and Juliet without the death. Well, maybe not Romeo and Juliet since you’re both hella old and our families get along, so never mind. Ahhhh! This is so hot. I’m excited for you. I would give anything to be in a sexy forbidden relationship!

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you immediately. I couldn’t figure out how to tell you without making your head blow up. I don’t want your head to blow up. You have enough going on, and I don’t want to clean up that kind of mess. I’m sure brain goo stains.

“Sadie is nothing like Leeann,” he pointed out. “For one, Sadie has never tried to run me over with her van. And for another, the flames of hell don’t trail behind her whenever she enters a room.”

Look in my eyes and memorize the way I see you. I don’t want you to ever forget it. No matter what happens, I will always love you. Always…

My Review:

 

This was a fun and lively tale that keep a smirk on my face throughout the majority of perusal, despite the inclusion of one of my least favorite tropes. I’m more than a bit rueful to leave this family behind as this volume completes the Monroe family saga, with the sweetest and kindest brother saved for the finale, and ooh la la, Ms. Everly ended the series with a bang as Barrett Monroe was nothing less than a delectable treat. The storylines were entertaining and engaging while laced together with clever wit, snarky humor, authentic and well-textured characters, and sensual scenes hot enough to melt my Kindle.

 

About the Author

Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf and it has been non-stop ever since.

Once upon a time, she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay-at-home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.

Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.

Find Nora Everly online

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Website: https://www.noraeverly.com/

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Book Review: Big Duke Energy by Emma Hart @EmmaHartAuthor @jennw23

 

Big Duke Energy
by Emma Hart 

Amazon  / B&N 

She can’t fall for the duke.

Easier said than done.

Big Duke Energy, an all-new hilarious, opposites attract romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart is out now!

When bestselling romance author Ellie Aarons finds herself with chronic writer’s block, she’s pretty sure all she needs is a change of scenery. A beautiful lakeside cottage with her cat seems like a good idea.

She’s wrong. She needs more than a change of scenery—she needs a muse.

Which is why it’s so irritating that she’s drawn to the enigmatic but grumpy Duke of Windermere who owns the estate she’s staying on.

They don’t get along—not in the slightest. They could not be more different, which is why it’s so irritating that Max seems to be the muse she’s been looking for. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t help but picture him as the hero in her next book.

Oh, well. There’s really not a lot she can do about it. The muse wants what the muse wants.

Except Sir Winston Purrchill keeps exploring the goat barn, and Max’s delivery of him for the fiftieth time means he sees her manuscript open on her laptop.

He knows instantly that she’s writing about him. The story she’s written reflects their entire relationship until now, but that spicy scene?

That hasn’t happened. Yet.

Max is ready to compromise—he’ll give her the inspiration she needs for her novel, but she has to stop asking why he’s so against the relationship his grandmother desperately wants him to have.

With her deadline looming, Ellie has no other option but to agree.

She just hopes that she won’t do what her heroine is doing.

And fall in love with the duke.

Download your copy today on Amazon and free in Kindle Unlimited!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I just like calling them naughty books because it drives my grandson crazy. He thinks I’m too old to read about two people bonking, but it’s not like I’m getting any myself, so here we go.

That’s what my brain was like, though. A back and forth with myself until I’d boarded the mental train at one station and gotten off on another planet. That pretty much summed up my entire life, actually.

“You, tooting your own horn.” I shrugged. “Someone has to toot my horn. Until I’m a billionaire and can buy my own band to do some tooting, I have to do it all myself.”

“Every dress should have pockets.” “What for?” “Snacks and weapons of mass destruction, obviously. What else would a woman put in her pockets?”

“You’ve got a face like a pornstar’s arse,” Grandma said, walking into the living room. “I beg your pardon?” I blinked at her. “Spanked far too many times to be comfortable.” “You could have just gone with a smacked arse, you know.” “That’s boring. I wanted to spice it up. You were supposed to laugh, you miserable sod.”

I told her that her dress was far too tight, and she looked like a stuffed sausage in a vacuum bag.

There’s no possible way for there to be someone else on this Earth who I could ever love the way I love you.

 

My Review:

 

I’ve only recently discovered the massively talented jottings of Ms. Emma Hart and of those of her tales I’ve had the delightful pleasure to peruse, this is the best yet. Her characters were endearing, well-nuanced, and adorable while ranging from drama llama siblings to sassy and brassy upper-crust senior citizens discussing porn. I haven’t had this much fun in ages!

The plot was shrewdly paced and smartly written and laced together with a writing style that was deliciously witty and hilariously funny with snarky rib-tickling humor that kept me smirking as well as giggle-snorting and laughing aloud. Even the secondary characters’ dialogues sparkled with next-level banter par excellence! I need more of this in my life and as I see she has a treasure trove of books I have yet to obtain, I must devise a plan to amass her body of works even if I have to shake down my couch cushions, check under my car seats, and crack open all my piggy banks to find enough coin to achieve my goal.

About the Author

Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels and has been translated into several different languages.

She is a mother, wife, lover of wine, Pink Goddess, and valiant rescuer of wild baby hedgehogs. She lives in North Wales with her family, three cats, one very large dog, and an undetermined number of chickens and ducks.

She’s known for her hilarious, sarcastic romantic comedies with wildly inappropriate grandparents, and has been dubbed “The RomCom Queen” by her readers.

 

Connect with Emma

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmmaHartBooks/

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Website: https://www.emmahart.org/home

 

Book Review: Lost Track (Common Threads #5) Lost Track (Common Threads #5) by Heidi Hutchinson @SmartyPantsRom

Lost Track
(Common Threads #5)
by Heidi Hutchinson

Amazon  / B&N  / BB

 

Lost Track, an all-new friends-to-lovers slow-burn romance from Heidi Hutchinson, is available now in Kindle Unlimited!

Sabine Debois likes her wine pink and her life predictable. As a private tutor for the rich and famous, she doesn’t get starstruck. But when a tattooed espresso fiend saves her from death by sweater, she’s a little bit… grateful. That’s all. Just grateful.

Sunshine Capone just had the best album of his career, and then his girlfriend burned down his house. Well, his ex-girlfriend now. So he moved to Chicago to focus on his music and avoid the drama of relationships.

He should not be creating any excuse to hang out with the sweet teacher with the hazel eyes and bright smile. She doesn’t need his kind of confusion in her life.

But Sabine’s about to teach this superstar a thing or two about peace, love, and understanding.

Lost Track is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #5 in the Common Threads series, Seduction in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Wow. Didn’t even know buses ran through here until you threw me under one, Piper.

Was the codependency bad if both parties were happy with the outcome?

Her entire body rejoiced at being near him again and she could swear that individual cells inside her body were high-fiving each other.

She made a very unladylike noise. “You point me at anyone who makes fun of you and I will knock them out. I know I sound very calm right now but inside I’m a complete rage monster. I’m not joking. Stop laughing.”

She sat in stunned silence, her heart suddenly too big for her body.

My Review:

 

This was my first exposure to the mad skills of Heidi Hutchinson, where have I been? The writing was smooth, easy to fall into, insightful, witty, and bewitchingly engaging. I absolutely adored all the characters and am completely besotted with the featured couple. I need more of this and have added her entire listing to my TBR. I have a new favorite author!

 

About the Author

Heidi Hutchinson creates funny, clever, slow-burn romance for readers looking for a guaranteed happily ever after.

She hopes the stories she writes inspire her readers to take their hearts on one more adventure.

She lives in the Black Hills with her alarmingly handsome husband, their fearless child, and a rather large and spoiled dog.

She is fueled by her unwavering and perfectly normal devotion to Dave Grohl and coffee.

And a whole lotta love.

Find Heidi online

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidirhutchinson

Website: https://www.heidih.net/

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Book Review: Good and Gone by Britney King  @britneyking_

Good and Gone
 by Britney King 

 

 

In this deviously volatile, deliciously creepy thriller from the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER, a young woman must uncover the haunting truth about the turn of events that left her forever marked…

On a crisp fall morning in Austin, Texas, it is a day no different from any other for young mother Hailey Adams. Until it is. She goes out for her morning jog and does not come back.

When Hailey turns up weeks later with no recollection of where she was—and either unable—or unwilling—to explain what happened to her, those closest to her first question her mental status and then her motives. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media, as well as her loving husband, the popular fitness influencer begins to have flashbacks.

But the more Hailey continues to dig, the more reasons she uncovers to keep the truth hidden—from the law, from the media, and especially from her family. She soon realizes she’s not the only one to recently disappear under mysterious circumstances—and her nightmare may be far from over.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

But life will go on. We like to think we are special, but in the grand scheme of things? We’re not.

The corners of his eyes are folded in like origami boxes about to pop open with a new thing inside. If a face could conjure the sound of shattering glass, or the scent of dawn on a wintery day, Tyler’s would be the one that did it best.

My Review:

 

This artfully cunning trickster has sucked me into another of her crafty tales with her unique blend of realistically creepy chicanery that kept me on edge. I was nibbling on my lips and tugging at my cuticles the entire way through. I will also confess that I was so caught up in her tale I might have been holding my breath a few times as well. Ms. King’s writing is bewitchingly compelling while also tense, itchy, and prone to prickle my skin. Her authentic tales usually involve complicit corruption and something diabolically horrible happening which results in the need to exact vigilante revenge. Their reprisal is at once satisfying yet bittersweet. What does it say about me that I’m always rooting for them to get away with it?

About the Author

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Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 
To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at  bit.ly/britneykingweb
Happy reading.