Tag: Contemporary Romance

Review: Finally Mine by Lucy Score

Posted July 17, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Finally Mine by Lucy ScoreReviewer: Casee
Finally Mine by Lucy Score
Narrator: Melissa Moran
Series: Benevolence #2
Also in this series: Pretend You're Mine, Finally Mine
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: October 26, 2018
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 448
Length: 11 hours and 30 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Who is he if not a hero?
Aldo Moretta has always been the hero. The strongest, the fastest, the bravest. He fought for his country and built a thriving business in his hometown. With friends and family never more than a few blocks away, there was just one thing he was missing. The right girl.

She’d fallen for the wrong guy. The bad guy. But now that she’s finally free, Aldo isn’t going to miss his second chance. Not until his last deployment goes horribly wrong. He was prepared to give his life, but he wasn’t ready for an injury that takes a piece of him. How can he be her hero now?

Who is she if not a victim?
Gloria Parker walked away from a relationship that almost cost her her life. But the shame clings to her like a shadow. She’s wasted ten long years on the wrong man. When the right one returns home scarred and broken, she sees a kindred spirit. But as Gloria rebuilds her life, brick by brick, she wonders if she’s cut out for love. Real love.

Will they find a way to heal together or will their wounds keep them from the happiness they both crave?

Aldo Moretta has wanted Gloria Parker since they were in high school. He stepped aside when she started dating another guy, though it was hard. It got harder when she started being abused by her boyfriend. Now that Gloria has left Glenn, Aldo finally (heh) gets his chance with her. The problem is that he’s being deployed to Iraq and he doesn’t want her to wait for him. He wants her to stretch her wings and figure out who she is aside from a victim.

When Aldo is hurt in Iraq, he isn’t sure he can be what Gloria needs. After having to get one of his legs amputated below the knee, Aldo feels like he’s not a man that Gloria needs. He wasn’t there for her while she was being abused and now he feels like he’s not as much of a man. It was stupid, but he was clearly struggling. Harper helped him worked through his issues. One of the best things about this book was getting Aldo’s POV on his friendship with Harper. It was probably one of the best friendships that I have ever read in a book.

I’m not a huge fan of series books that have concurrent timelines (see The Purveli by Dianne Duvall). Finally Mine takes place at the same time as Pretend You’re Mine. While it was interesting to see Aldo and Gloria’s relationship with Harper and Luke, I still couldn’t get completely behind this book. It’s not that it wasn’t a good book, because it was really good. It just wasn’t as good as Pretend You’re Mine. Aldo and Gloria were sweet and I enjoyed it, but my expectations were really high.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Benevolence

four-stars


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Review: Pretend You’re Mine by Lucy Score

Posted June 26, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Pretend You’re Mine by Lucy ScoreReviewer: Casee
Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score
Narrator: Melissa Moran
Series: Benevolence #1
Also in this series: Finally Mine, Finally Mine
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: November 8, 2018
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited, Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 474
Length: 11 hours and 41 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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five-stars
Series Rating: four-stars


I only wanted to protect you…

Luke Garrison is a hometown hero, a member of the National Guard ready to deploy again. He’s strong, sexy, broody. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to ruin his solitude. When the wildly beautiful Harper stumbles into his life, though, he realizes that she’s the perfect decoy. A fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he’s deployed.
So what if kissing her sends his mind to wicked places? He can control himself. Can’t he?
Harper was on her way to starting a new life… again. But something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make his house a home. When she’s in his arms, she finally knows what it’s like to feel safe. Protected.
One night of sharing a bed turns into something much, much more… and soon Luke can’t keep his mind off Harper’s wide gray eyes or his hands off her luscious curves. He never thought he’d feel this way about a woman again. But he knows that he can’t tell her the truth about his dark past. And she can’t reveal what she’s running from.
At least this isn’t a real relationship. It’s only for a month. It’s only pretend. Until it isn’t…

I first read this book in March, but didn’t review it. I decided to listen to it on audio to see if I adored it as much as I did when I read it. The answer is a resounding YES. I loved this book from cover to cover. It has everything I look for in a romance. It had a tortured hero, a loveable yet quirky heroine, a small town that you couldn’t help but love, and secondary characters that only added to the story. This book was everything.

Harper was a force of nature. Once you got in her path, she didn’t let you go. Harper first meets Luke after a barfight that leaves her unconscious. When she wakes up, she sees Luke Garrison & thinks to herself that nothing could look as amazing as he does. They instantly click, but Luke is closed off in some ways. When his sister, Sophie, suggests that she stay with Luke for the night, she can’t turn down the offer. She has no money, no cell phone, and her car is running on its last leg. Harper has no idea what she’s in for when she decides to stay in Benevolence.

Life hasn’t always been easy for Luke Garrison. Losing his high school sweetheart on the day that he comes home from Iraq is something that he hasn’t moved on from. He is immediately drawn to Harper & her openness. You don’t ever have to wonder what Harper is thinking, because she tells you. He is worried that she will kill herself one day. It would be an accident of course, as Harper tends to be accident prone. It doesn’t take long for Harper to be fully immersed in Luke’s life & he doesn’t know how he’s going to let her go when he leaves for his next deployment. Then he doesn’t because he asks her to wait for him.

This was a very interesting book insofar as some of it takes place when Luke is overseas. Harper knows she loves Luke, just as she knows that he’s closed himself off from loving anyone. She doesn’t know what his story is, but she hopes that he will tell her some day. Then she finds out his secret on her own. I loved that she didn’t freak out. Harper was just such an amazing character. I loved both Harper & Luke, but it was Harper that really stood out for me. Like I said, I loved everything about this book and think that it’s the best book in the Benevolence series.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Benevolence

five-stars


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Review: Promise Me Always by A.L. Jackson

Posted January 30, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Promise Me Always by A.L. JacksonReviewer: Casee
Promise Me AlwaysNarrator: Connor Crais, Samantha Brentmoor
Series: Redemption Hills #4
Also in this series: Give Me a Reason, Say It's Forever
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: January 30, 2023
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 491
Length: 12 hours and 37 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

I should know better than to let Tessa McDaniels pretend to be my fiancée.I’m a dark, dangerous disaster who leaves destruction in his wake.But when she offers to pretend to marry me to help me get my kids back, I can’t refuse. They are the one thing I have left to fight for.
Milo Hendricks found me at my lowest.Battered and broken by my ex with no place to call home. When he insists I stay at his cabin with him, he sparks the feelings I’ve tried to suppress.He’s only supposed to be my friend, but every time he comes in the room, he makes my knees weak.This gorgeous, tatted, mountain-of-a-man who’s riddled with secrets.
Tessa is everything I crave but can’t have.I shouldn’t touch her.Shouldn’t make it real.But she’s a red-headed flame I can’t resist, and I can’t help but take her to my bed.
Now we’re falling into an abyss of passion and need.Loving her is easy.Only we’re tied in ways we don’t know.I’ll do anything to protect her, but it’s my past that might destroy her in the end…

Tessa McDaniels was introduced as Eden’s quirky but loving friend in Give Me a Reason. She became more prominent of a character as the series continued, until it was obvious she needed her own book. Tessa is a woman that is holding out for her “Ace”. Due to the situation she finds herself in after her brother is injured, Tessa doesn’t think she will ever find her Ace.

Milo Hendricks is a bouncer at Absolution. The head tough guy. But the head tough guy wasn’t really a tough guy at all. He’s a softie. Hard on the outside & gooey on the inside. It made for quite the contradiction. All Milo wants in his life is to get his kids back from their grandparents. After his wife died, Milo was certain that he had (and lost) his chance at happiness. Then he meets Tessa & all his thoughts go up in smoke.

After Tessa finds herself in an unimaginable situation, Milo is there to help her pick up the pieces. He is there for her when she feels like she has no one else. Even her gang of girlfriends and their families aren’t enough to make her feel less alone. Then Milo comes in & saves the day. The least she can do is help him get it kids back. Right? Because it’s a great idea to lie to everyone you love. I did have a hard time with that even though I understood.

This was definitely a friends-to-lovers book. It was so nice to see Milo & Tessa’s friendship grow into more. I loved both these characters. Milo was everything a tortured alpha hero should be. Tessa was a combination of sweet and spunky. They just fit. They fit from the very first page they came together.

It took me five long days to finish this book. ALJ generally tends to write angsty novels, but this one took angsty to a whole other level. Like I was feeling anxiety when I was reading this book. I felt relief when it was over because I just couldn’t take it anymore. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good book. It was a great book. It was just a lot. A lot of blame, self-hatred, grief, and love. It really did have everything that I usually love when I a read an ALJ.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.

Redemption Hills

four-stars


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Review: Recovery Road by Christine Feehan

Posted January 23, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Recovery Road by Christine FeehanReviewer: Casee
Recovery Road by Christine Feehan
Narrator: Ryan West
Series: Torpedo Ink #8
Also in this series: Judgment Road , Judgment Road, Vengeance Road, Vendetta Road, Desolation Road, Reckless Road, Savage Road, Annihilation Road
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: January 24, 2023
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 410
Length: 11 hours and 15 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

A broken man finds a woman worth living for in the new novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan’s Torpedo Ink motorcycle club series.
Kir “Master” Vasiliev doesn’t care whether he lives or dies. He’s a burnt-out shell with no one and nothing but his club. Whatever Torpedo Ink needs, Master will put himself in harm’s way time after time. If he doesn’t make it back, he’s certain everyone will move on just fine.
Investment banker Ambrielle Moore knows her own mind, and she’s not willing to settle for anyone. So when a second-rate gangster and his thugs try to coerce her into marriage—and giving up all of her family’s money—she’s having none of it. Until they turn to cold-blooded murder.
Grieving and enraged, Ambrie is ready to go scorched earth on her captors when Master shows up anticipating a damsel in distress. But Ambrie is nothing like he expected, and everything he never knew he desired....

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t too excited for this book. I haven’t enjoyed the last few books in this series, but I’m a diehard Feehan fan. I’m so glad I gave this one a try. It’s one of the better books in the series in my not-so-humble opinion. Although all CF’s heroes are tortured alphas, Master was in a different league. He is the only member of Torpedo Ink that has a criminal record & the club uses him to take care of things in and out of prison. Going on assignment in prison is the last thing Master wants to do. In fact, it’s killing him slowly each time he goes back in.

Ambrielle has a gift with numbers & with money. Unfortunately her money has caught the attention of some nefarious people. When her parents are murdered in front of her, Ambrie isn’t sure how she is going to get out of the situation. She does know that she will do anything to get revenge on the man responsible for the senseless killings. When her parents murderer tells her she’s going to marry him, she will do anything & everything to get away.

Torpedo Ink has their eyes on Ambrie. They know she’s in trouble & they are going to help her get out of it. Somehow she has caught the eye of one of the biggest human traffickers in the business. Not only that, but they are going after Czar & his family. Everyone in Torpedo Ink is on lockdown until they can find out who is responsible. In the meantime, the only way to help Ambrie is to have her marry one of them. Master doesn’t want to be the one that marries her, but he’s immediately drawn to her & he’s certain that he can’t let another have her.

This book started off with a bang & just kept going. I loved their relationship & how real it seemed, no matter that they only knew each other for a matter of minutes before they were married. Feehan made it all work somehow. My favorite part of the book was when they go into The Floating Hat, which is Hannah Drake’s tea shop. I loved getting a little peek back into the lives of the Drakes. The prank they pulled on Jackson was funny as hell too. I found myself laughing, which doesn’t often happen in Feehan books. Overall, this is a good addition to the series & I plan on continuing to read it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Torpedo Ink

four-stars


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Review: One Percent of You by Michelle Gross

Posted November 14, 2022 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: One Percent of You by Michelle GrossReviewer: Holly
One Percent of You by Michelle Gross
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: May 5, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 341
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars

Make no mistakes about it. I know what I look like to others. Young, government-aided, pregnant mom. They see Lucy on my hip, and they see a mistake. I mean, why else would someone have a child so young, right? They couldn’t be more wrong. I’m too busy most days between parenting, work, and finishing up my last year of nursing school to let their judging gaze tear me down until he moves in the vacant house next to the apartments I live in.
His cold, blunt observation of us doesn’t differ from any other stranger. He doesn’t know me, but he’s already painting a picture of who he thinks I am in his mind. He judges my very round belly, Lucy’s inability to leave him alone, the bags under my eyes, and the fact that I could not care less what I look like anymore.
He’s a rude guy. Stays that way for months too. Then something happens, I’m not even sure what. Judgmental Guy decides Lucy and me — as well as baby Eli — are worth his friendship.
Turns out, Judgmental Guy isn’t too mean — okay, he kind of still is. But he graduates to Elijah. I build an unlikely friendship with him which deems it necessary for him to start smiling around me and my kids.
I’m wrong again. Elijah isn’t rude. He’s terrifying. His strange acts of kindness are unraveling me. Elijah is only my friend.
Right?
Oh, fudge. I think I’m wrong. Again.

One Percent of You by Michelle Gross is a single-mom contemporary romance. My friend Ames recommended this book to me. If not for her, based on the blurb and the first chapter, I probably wouldn’t have read it. I’m glad I did. It turned out to be really cute, though it could have used a good edit.

Elijah sort of accidentally on purpose scared a little girl in the grocery story and stole her bag of chips. Then she moved into the apartments next door to his house, and became his arch-nemesis. He’s feeling pretty judgmental about her and her obviously pregnant single-mom, but also kind of intrigued. As time goes on, Elijah comes to realize he’s been a jerk and he becomes friends with the little family.

I loved how Elijah was sort of intrigued by this little family of Hadley’s, despite his resistance to kids. The way he and Lucy, Hadley’s daughter, formed a bond was adorable. There were a lot of editing errors and I thought Hadley held onto things a little more than she should, but overall it was a great read. It was just what I was in the mood for at the time.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

four-stars


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