Tag: Kate Meader

Review: Then Came You by Kate Meader

Posted June 4, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Then Came You by Kate MeaderReviewer: Rowena
Then Came You by Kate Meader
Series: Laws of Attraction #3
Also in this series: Down with Love , Illegally Yours
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 200
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Rowena's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In the courtroom, they’re rivals. In the bedroom, they’re . . . divorced. But could the road trip from hell lead to a second chance at love?

Aubrey Gates is the hottest divorce lawyer in Chicago, a barb-tongued stiletto with legs that go on for miles. When her cool gray eyes meet mine across the battlefield, I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything. Then I remember who she is: the woman who brought me to my knees. The woman who destroyed my faith in relationships.

The woman I used to call . . . wife.

And she needs a favor from me, Grant Lincoln.

It seems my ex forgot to mention the demise of our marriage to her dear old grammie, and now we’re both expected to attend her ninetieth birthday party. In Boston. And because it isn’t already awkward enough, Aubrey and I are driving there together from Chicago. That’s more than a thousand miles of tension, heartbreak, and barely concealed lust.

A little piece of paper might say we’re over, but this road trip is the true test. I intend to get my wife back . . . and I won’t stop until “I do.”

Then Came You is the third and final book in the Laws of Attraction series by Kate Meader and it was the book that I was most looking forward to because we’re finally going to get the lowdown on what truly happened between Grant and Aubrey. Grant and Aubrey used to be married but something happened that drove them apart and before either of them knew what was what, the marriage and the relationship were over. These days, they’re still in each other’s lives because they share friends and work near each other. They’re both divorce attorneys and often find themselves across the courtroom from each other so when Grant hears that Aubrey needs a ride home for the holidays, he offers to take her…and to pretend to still be married to her so that she can tell her aging grandmother the truth, in person.

On the road trip, Grant and Aubrey are stuck in close quarters with nothing but the road and time on their hands. They have a lot of time to talk things over and Grant realizes that his feelings for Aubrey never went away so he decides that he’s going to use this opportunity to try to figure out where they went wrong and how to fix them.

Aubrey grew up rich and she didn’t have the kind of loving upbringing that Grant did so she grew up to have a lot of Mommy and Daddy issues. Her parents left a lot to be desired in the parenting department and the only person in her family that she is close to is her grandmother. Her grandmother that never knew that she and Grant have been divorced for the last few years. Aubrey is finally going to tell her the truth but when they get home, Aubrey is so confused about everything that things don’t go the way that she thought it would.

Grant grew up with his single mother and all the love that could be showered on one person. He grew up in a happy home and never wanted his Mom to work as hard as she did while he was growing up. He wanted to take care of everyone around him and when he failed with Aubrey, his life was thrown off its axis. Being around Aubrey again, wanting to fix everything that went wrong with them is a lot harder than he thought as well.

Of the three books in this series, this book was my favorite. It was full of angst and just as intense as I thought it would be. Seeing Grant and Aubrey work through their shit and fall in love all over again with who they were now and recognizing who they were before, it all made for such a great second chance romance. I loved seeing the gang altogether again and really, Kate Meader did her thing with this one and I’m glad that I read it.

Final Grade

4 out of 5

Laws of Attraction

four-stars


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Review: Illegally Yours by Kate Meader

Posted January 14, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Illegally Yours by Kate MeaderReviewer: Rowena
Illegally Yours by Kate Meader
Series: Laws of Attraction #2
Also in this series: Down with Love , Then Came You
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 228
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Rule #1: Never fall for your client.

Rule #2: Never fall for your client’s fiercely protective, smoking hot sister-in-law.

I’m the kind of guy who believes that everyone deserves the best legal representation money can buy—which just so happens to be me, Lucas Wright. Give me your henpecked, your cuckolded, your irreconcilable differences yearning to break free! And if you’re the bad guy in your marriage, that’s cool too. Your green is as good as anyone’s.

Tell that to Trinity Jones. It’s my job to destroy her sister—the soon-to-be ex-wife of my a-hole of a client—and Trinity’s “big sis” instincts are dialed up to the max. I admire that. I admire her. But she won’t stop me from representing my client to the best of my ability.

Not even if my chemistry with Trinity is undeniable. Not even if we can’t keep our hands off each other. Not even if she injects life into a heart assumed to be long dead.  Because when faced with a choice between love and duty, the job will always win—or at least that’s what I thought before I met Trinity . . . and suddenly conflict of interest never felt so right.

This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Illegally Yours is the second book in the Laws of Attraction series by Kate Meader. The series follows a trio of lawyers who opened a law firm together as they fumble their way toward that happily ever after. The first book, Down with Love, featured the first friend, Max Henderson. He fell in love with the wedding planner that was planning his brother’s wedding and Illegally Yours follows the second friend, Lucas Wright, as he falls for the sommelier who hosts the bachelor party that all of the boys attend.

There was a small hiccup surrounding the first cover of this book a few weeks ago and I was a little disappointed with the way that the author handled the whole situation. Lucky for her, the publisher came right in and fixed the issue and the new cover featured a more appropriate heroine and I was super glad because the heroine on the new cover? That is Trinity freaking Jones.

Anyway, so this book starts off at the bachelor party and Lucas sees Trinity for the first time. He is immediately attracted to her but even though Trinity thinks he’s a good-looking man, she also thinks that he’s an asshole so he’s not for her. Lucas starts trying to charm the socks off of Trinity and gets a drink poured over his head for his troubles. I actually thought their meet cute was a cute one…and I also really enjoyed seeing their romance blossom.

Trinity’s sister is going through a pretty nasty divorce and Trinity is doing everything in her power to support her because her soon to be ex-brother in law is a real piece of work and when she finds out that Lucas is his attorney, she’s really off the Lucas Wright train. Lucas struggles with that conflict of interest because he wants Trinity and he wants her bad. Seeing that struggle made their story more interesting and I thought it was handled well.

Both Trinity and Lucas are really going through it in this book. Trinity with the heavy weight of the family burdens that she takes on her shoulders, trying to be there for her sister at the same time have her own life is hard for Trinity and she didn’t know how tight she held the reins around that until Lucas came into her life. Being with Lucas was going to be hard on her sister and yet, not being with Lucas was hard on her.

There was a lot more to Lucas than I first thought. When we met him in Down with Love, he was loud and crass and I didn’t think there was much there but boy was I wrong. He’s got family issues that would make me cry and I loved seeing him open his world up to Trinity. Sure, they fumbled their way around for a little bit but I thought Meader did a great job of telling their story in a way that kept me right in the center of it all.

Overall, this book was a solid romance and even though I liked it, I didn’t love it the way that I loved her hockey books but still, this is a good read and I recommend it if you’re in the mood for some lawyer loving. Lucas is great and Trinity is fabulous heroine who you will be cheering for.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Laws of Attraction

four-stars


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Review: Down with Love by Kate Meader

Posted August 28, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 3 Comments

Review: Down with Love by Kate MeaderReviewer: Rowena
Down with Love by Kate Meader
Series: Laws of Attraction #1
Also in this series: Illegally Yours , Then Came You
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Point-of-View: First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 237
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Sparks fly when the hot-shot divorce lawyer meets the high-powered wedding planner. The only question is, what kind?

If you ever get married, remember my name: Max Henderson. In my line of work, you acquire a certain perspective on supposedly everlasting unions. . . .

1. Pre-nups are your friend. 2. The person you married is not the person you’re divorcing. 3. And I hope you didn’t spend much on the wedding because that was one helluva waste of hard-earned cash, wasn’t it?

But some guys are willing to take a chance. Like my brother, who thinks he’s going to ride off into the sunset with the woman of his dreams in a haze of glitter on unicorns. And the wedding planner—the green-eyed beauty who makes a living convincing suckers to shell out thousands of dollars on centerpieces—is raking it in on this matrimonial monstrosity.

The thing is, Charlie Love is not unlike me. We’re both cogs in the wedding-industrial complex. As the best man, I know her game—and I can play it better than her. But after one scorching, unexpected kiss, I’m thinking I might just want to get played.

Down with Love kicks off Kate Meaders brand-spankin’ new series, the Laws of Attraction series and the first book features a divorce attorney and a wedding planner. Should be fun, right?

Right.

Max Henderson sees the aftermath of love at work so he’s learned that for himself, he wants nothing to do with it. He’ll take the sex and the fun but the feelings and all of that madness are not for him. So when his younger brother announces his engagement, Max wants to be happy but he also wants to make sure that his younger brother isn’t taken for a ride. So he starts going on and on about prenups and everything his younger brother wants no part in and Max struggles with keeping his opinions to himself and that’s made even harder when he finds himself attracted to the wedding planner.

Charlie Love believes in love and she believes in creating memories for the happy couples that come to her for help in planning their big day. She’s good at what she does and she believes in happy endings, no matter how much shit her latest client’s brother throws in her face. He’s the most irritating person and she’s not at all happy that he’s attracted to her and she’s attracted right back. It’s going to be an interesting few months and no matter what, she’s stuck with Max Henderson underfoot at every turn.

Max and Charlie were a fun couple though Charlie was super extra in her interactions with Max throughout most of the book. I kept wanting to tell her to relax because, damn girl??? And then once I’m over her extra-ness then it was Max’s turn to get on my nerves and I wanted to smack some sense into both of them.

Overall, the story isn’t my favorite from Meader but it was still enjoyable. I did like getting to know Max and his family, seeing them embrace Charlie right from the beginning was fun and I really liked the friendships on both sides with Max and his partners and then Charlie and her best friends. They had a good support system but their romance kept making me roll my eyes but the sex was hot though. 🙂

Grade: 3.25 out of 5

Laws of Attraction

three-stars


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Review: Hooked on You by Kate Meader

Posted May 28, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Hooked on You by Kate MeaderReviewer: Rowena
Hooked On You (Chicago Rebels, #3) by Kate Meader
Series: Chicago Rebels #3
Also in this series: So Over You (Chicago Rebels, #2), In Skates Trouble (Chicago Rebels, #.5), Undone By You (Chicago Rebels, #3)
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Point-of-View: First Person
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The steamy Chicago Rebels series returns with this racy and sassy tale of embittered hearts, second chances, and going for the goal—on and off the ice.

Violet Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected. Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that require she takes part in actually running the team with the half-sisters she barely knows. Working with these two strangers and overseeing a band of hockey-playing lugs is not on her agenda…until she lays eyes on the Rebels captain and knows she has to have him.

Bren St. James has been labeled a lot of things: the Puck Prince, Lord of the Ice, Hell’s Highlander...but it’s the latest tag that’s making headlines: washed-up alcoholic has-been. This season, getting his life back on track and winning the Cup are his only goals. With no time for relationships—except the fractured ones he needs to rebuild with his beautiful daughters—he’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore sexy, all-up-in-his-beard Violet Vasquez. And when he finds himself in need of a nanny just as the playoffs are starting, he’s faced with a temptation he could so easily get hooked on.

For two lost souls, there’s more on the line than just making the best of a bad situation… there might also be a shot at the biggest prize of all: love.

Hooked on You is the final book in Kate Meader’s Chicago Rebels series and it features the last Chase sister and the captain of the Chicago Rebels hockey team. Bren and Violet have been circling each other for multiple books and their story is finally here. I have been on pins and needles waiting for this book and when I finally got it for review, I was super stoked.

Violet Vasquez is living her best life right now. After surviving the big C, Violet swore that this year was going to be the year of the V. She was going to live, really live her life and she’s making no apologies for it. Everyone loves Violet, one-third of the new owners of the Chicago Rebels hockey franchise. She inherited a third of her father’s hockey franchise and a couple of sisters that she never knew until now. She’s not quite sure what she’d like to do with her life so she spends her time learning new things, hoping to find something that fits. Something that feels right.

Bren St. James is a recovering alcoholic who is raising two young daughters after their mother took off on one of her “finding herself” trips. He’s working on getting full custody of his girls so he’s got his work cut out for him. He needs to live the life of a monk because he won’t risk losing his girls for anything and anyone. When he needs someone to help watch after his girls during away games, Violet hits things off with his girls and she gets the job. Staying away from the one woman that tempts him proves to be too hard for Bren because before he knows what is what, he’s in a relationship with Violet that is hard to walk away from.

The sparks between Bren and Vi have been sparking ever since they met and watching them come together was a delight. Their banter was wicked and the relationship that both of them had with Bren’s little girls was fantastic. Violet understood Cat and Franky in a way that Bren didn’t and the team that they were together just warmed me right up.

I enjoyed the other books in this series a great deal but this book was my favorite. I had an inkling that I’d enjoy this one a bit more than the others because Bren and Vi were fierce and complicated characters. I knew that their story was going to take the cake and I wasn’t wrong. Kate Meader created a wonderful world for these characters and the romance she wrote for Bren and Vi was solid and it was fun and I loved it.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Chicago Rebels

four-stars


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Sunday Spotlight: Hooked on You by Kate Meader

Posted May 27, 2018 by Rowena in Features, Giveaways | 4 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

Kate Meader won me over when I really dug into the Chicago Rebels series and I really haven’t looked back. I just read all of the books in this series a couple of months ago so waiting for this book hasn’t been that long for me but it’s felt like it because I’ve been curious about Bren and Violet ever since they came onto the scene. I have every faith that their book is going to be awesome and I’m super thrilled to share an excerpt with you lovelies today.

Sunday Spotlight: Hooked on You by Kate MeaderHooked On You (Chicago Rebels, #3) by Kate Meader
Series: Chicago Rebels #3
Also in this series: So Over You (Chicago Rebels, #2), In Skates Trouble (Chicago Rebels, #.5), Undone By You (Chicago Rebels, #3), Hooked On You (Chicago Rebels, #3)
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

The steamy Chicago Rebels series returns with this racy and sassy tale of embittered hearts, second chances, and going for the goal—on and off the ice.

Violet Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected. Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that require she takes part in actually running the team with the half-sisters she barely knows. Working with these two strangers and overseeing a band of hockey-playing lugs is not on her agenda…until she lays eyes on the Rebels captain and knows she has to have him.

Bren St. James has been labeled a lot of things: the Puck Prince, Lord of the Ice, Hell’s Highlander...but it’s the latest tag that’s making headlines: washed-up alcoholic has-been. This season, getting his life back on track and winning the Cup are his only goals. With no time for relationships—except the fractured ones he needs to rebuild with his beautiful daughters—he’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore sexy, all-up-in-his-beard Violet Vasquez. And when he finds himself in need of a nanny just as the playoffs are starting, he’s faced with a temptation he could so easily get hooked on.

For two lost souls, there’s more on the line than just making the best of a bad situation… there might also be a shot at the biggest prize of all: love.

Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || KOBO

Excerpt

She smiled at him, a dazzler that knocked him over. “I’d best be off. Harper’s freaking out, which means my night playing nurse is only beginning. But first, I have a question for you, Franks.”

His daughter sat up straighter. “Okay.”

“What did the baby corn say to the mama corn?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where’s popcorn?”

Pretty lame, but Bren would suffer through a million terrible jokes just to witness the smile Violet put on his daughter’s face.

Franky grabbed her hand. “I could show you those other slugs tomorrow. They’re not as fascinating as the Rathouisiidae, but they’re still interesting. I have them in a terrarium at home.”

Kendra had never been encouraging of Franky’s interest in wildlife and science, preferring to direct her energies to dolls and clothes, pursuits that Franky didn’t care for. Though his daughters never said it, he suspected Kendra’s ambivalence to motherhood shone through, and this is why they’d wanted to live with him. His kids needed accepting adults in their lives, and he waited with bated breath for Violet’s response.

Violet squeezed Franky’s hand back. “Wow, you sure know how to sell it, kiddo. Let me see. I’ve got improv class in the afternoon, but maybe we can figure something out.” She was clearly trying to take the middle ground here—not hurt his kid’s feelings and still keep with Bren’s ill-conceived wishes that she not spend time with them.

He was such a jerk. He’d made this big to-do out of Violet and his kids because he wasn’t strong enough to be around this beautiful steak of temptation.

“See ya, Franky,” Violet said, pulling her hand away gently. “And remember: always ask before you chow.” She nodded at Bren as she headed out.

Bren leaned in and kissed Franky on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a sec, sprite.”

He caught up with Violet a few feet away outside the room. “Vi.” Vi?

She turned, obviously surprised. “Oh. Hi.”

“Thanks for doing that. For having the presence of mind.”

“No problem. I mean, it was pretty fucking scary, but I knew Harper had one with her and luckily she’d left her Kate Spade in the box when she stepped out.”

“Kate Spade?”

“Purse, heathen.”

He rubbed his beard to hide his budding smile.

“Don’t be too hard on Caitriona,” she said softly.

“Why do you say that?”

“I know she’s older, so I’m guessing you expect her to look out for Franky. But she’s just a kid herself, and she’s kind of self-absorbed right now for self-preservation reasons. I remember what that was like when—well, I remember. These last couple of weeks have been trying on you all.”

Worst father ever right here. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. For years, he’d not needed to because he was: (a) married and (b) reliant on alcohol to make him more palatable to those closest to him.

Violet didn’t seem to care. She could have stepped into the silence, but she just stood there, waiting for him to get his personality together.

“Franky really likes you,” he said.

“Well, she has excellent taste.” Wink and grin. “She’s pretty special herself. She’s going to either rule the world or destroy it. Maybe both.”

“Yeah, sometimes I think she’s hovering on the edge of the dark side.” Talking about his kids was easy. For the last eleven years, his marriage had survived on conversations about the girls, which was perfect for the man who lived inside his head and made rare visits to the world of normal adults. He’d made a terrible husband, and not just because he was a drunk. Now, if he ever got around to dating, what the hell would he talk about?

Violet was surprisingly easy to talk to when he wasn’t trying to ram his tongue down her throat. He wished he’d tried this sooner instead of scowling at her for the last eight and a half months.

“When’s the hot Swede starting?”

“I haven’t called her yet.”

“Oh?”

He shook his head, unable to verbalize it. Ms. Ikea would have done a fine job saving Franky tonight—of that Bren had no doubt. But she wasn’t the one on the spot. This woman was.

“Could you come over tomorrow like Franky asked, for the slug show? After your improv class, if that’s a real thing?”

“Oh, it’s a real thing. I’m also learning flamenco. Building my résumé.”

He had no idea whether to believe her. But he wanted to believe in something.

“Her mom wasn’t the most encouraging of her interests.” He refused to feel bad about guilting Violet into a visit, not if it pleased his daughter. “If you have time, Franky would appreciate you stopping by.”

“Only Franky?”

“Not sure Caitriona appreciates anything right now.”

She smirked, a smartass look of I’ve got your number. She’d meant: Would one Bren St. James appreciate a visit from one Violet Vasquez?

“I’ll see what I can do, Nessie.”

She sashayed off down the corridor back to the waiting room, leaving him bewildered and questioning everything he thought he knew about women.

Does this not sound like an awesome book? I’m pretty anxious for it and you should be too because it’s part of a fabulous series. You should definitely be on the look out for this one.

Chicago Rebels

Giveaway Alert

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Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About the Author

Kate Meader

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | GOODREADS

I’m Kate Meader, USA Today bestselling author of steamy, funny romances with alpha heroes and the strong women – and men – who match them quip for quip. My books will make you laugh, swoon, fan yourself, and maybe even tear up a little. What more could you want? (Perhaps, one of my heroes at your beck and call? Sorry, they’re too busy being heroic!) Here you’ll find information on my books, including excerpts, free reads, and what’s next. To stay in the loop, sign up for my newsletter, and to get up close and personal, join Kate’s Kittens, my closed Facebook group for fans.


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