Strike a Match

You already know what a big fan I am of Lindzee Armstrong. And this book is just another reason why I'll stay a fan and you should become one.

Love how she works reality into her situations and characters. Kate and Taylor come with issues past and present. I like this about characters. It makes them believeable and relatable. They come with hobbies, jobs, friends, families, and most importantly - emotional depth.

Armstrong knows how to write chemistry without crossing the blurry lines into steamy and smut. I appreciate being able to read Kate and Taylor's story without worrying about skipping "adult" scenes.

There's a couple of cameos by Brooke. Nice to see her in action again.

I would have liked a quick conversation between Taylor and Amy when he stands up to her with tough love. It would've made his shedding his hero complex stronger for me. A totally minor thing.

I'll look forward to the next installment in the series, be it novel or novella.

Amazon

When Kate’s abusive husband dies in a house fire, she only feels relief. Eighteen months later, she’s ready to sweep up the fragments of her past and venture back into dating—but this time with the help of a professional matchmaking company. Surely Toujour can succeed where Kate has always failed and find her the perfect man. Taylor is a firefighter who’s tired of dousing infernos in his personal life. Exhausted from a string of dysfunctional relationships, he turns to Toujour at the prodding of a friend, hoping for an easier path to love. The last thing he expects is to be matched with Kate, the intriguing widow he met on the night her house burned. Past relationship fears and old habits threaten to tear them apart before they’ve even begun. Can the ashes of their pasts hold their happily ever after?

The Christmas Makeover

I bought this one after enjoying Miss Kane's Christmas. I noted that it was a short story and so would be shorter in length than the previously read novella, which I was totally fine with.

While I enjoyed the premise of the story and the interaction of the characters, I was disappointed by the plot hole in the middle. There was an illusion to Dean having a plan to get Jackie back but then suddenly it's the clan at the North Pole reuniting Dean and Jackie. This left me wanting. I think there was an opportunity for Ms. Mickelson to let us see both of their angst and show us Dean's plan to win Jackie. Or its failure to do so and then have the Claus clan step in. This could've been done within the short story confines of the format or I'd have been happy to have it expanded to a novella.

With the characters as well thought out and emotionally involved I would've liked more.

Still a clean and wholesome yuletide read.

Amazon

With the countdown to Christmas underway, interior designer Jackie Frost is surprised to receive an urgent phone call from Santa Claus requesting her help. Once at the North Pole, Jackie gets swept up into Santa's crazy plan to makeover Christmas Central as a surprise for Mrs. Claus.

Several things test Jackie's devotion to the Claus family as the renovations get underway, not the least of which is having to work alongside master craftsman Dean Bradshaw. Dean is handsome, smart, funny, and he has an absolute gift for building things. But what worries Jackie is what he's taking apart, namely the walls she's built up around her heart. 

Stormy Kisses

For those who enjoy sweet/clean/wholesome romance like I do, add this to your shelf. It's a lovely collection of stories, each one satisfyingly short and sweet.

Each other has her own voice and brings her own style to the mix. I've read works by some of these authors before, but there were some new ones I was introduced to.

The writing is solid, the characters likeable, and the settings lovely.

Perfect for a rainy day, or a sunny one.

Amazon

Sweet & Sassy Anthology: Stormy Kisses has six contemporary romances set against wild weather from award winning and Amazon best selling authors. Will extreme weather keep these six couples apart or bring them together?

Miss Kane's Christmas

Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson is my first read by this author.

I thought the premise was fun and enjoyable. There's lots of emotional turmoil to work through on both sides, Carol's and Ben's.

Loved how Carol went all Christmas crazy with this scrooge-like Ben and all the magic of Christmas that pervaded the story. The children are cute and the elves provide comic relief. A clean and wholesome romantic read for the yuletide season. A good length for the story and well written.

I'd like to read more by this author. Thankfully, there seem to be more Christmas books by her.

Amazon

With Christmas only three days away, Carol Claus agrees to her father’s request that she leave the North Pole on a mission to help save Christmas. Joining single father Ben Hanson and his children for the holidays seems an easy enough task until Santa informs her that Ben is the man behind the disturbing new book ‘Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus is a Bad Idea’. 

Posing as Miss Kane, the children’s new nanny, Carol pulls out all the stops to show Ben how fun Christmas can be, all the while struggling to understand how one man could hate the holidays so much. How could she, Santa’s only daughter, be so attracted to a man who refuses to believe her father exists?

Magnus Chase 2

Still loving reading the story of the dead hero. This time there's more mayhem and more backstory to fill in and enjoy. The loveable cast of characters is back plus some new faces.

We meet another child of Loki. That is interesting to say the least. I had a slight issue with the author pulling politics and teen trending identity gender preferences into the mix. Yes, there is much discussion about this in the schools, but I don't need my child to read about it in adventure/fantasy stories used for enjoyment and escape from real world problems. Parents should be aware of this fact before deciding if their child is ready to learn about it or be ready to discuss it if their child has questions. I mention this because he spends a full paragraph on it at the introduction of Alex and dialogue throughout the story regarding his/her fluidity.

That aside, Mr. Riordan maintains his high caliber of writing and adds the sass/snark style I prefer in Magnus to his other series.

Amazon

Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon--the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin. The Nine Worlds will burn. Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer's return is the gods' worst enemy, Loki--and the price he wants is very high.

Mistletoe Match

It's no secret that I LOVE Lindzee Armstrong's writing! And I totally love this series.

Just in time for the holidays is a toe curling romance by her: Mistletoe Match to go along with her No Match for Love series.

Could this couple have anymore barriers to cross? Ms. Armstrong certainly isn't afraid to giver her MC's some serious conflict of interest along with major chemistry. But it's the heart warming writing that's the standout winner in bringing her characters to life. A woman with a cause, a single father providing for his kids, an absentee mother with major Narcissism. We know people like this, which is what makes the writing brilliant.

And yes, I stayed up late into the night to finish it.

Short, sweet, sassy, and oh, so, satisfying. Crank up the carols and get reading! This is one book you won't want to wait for Christmas to read!

Amazon

A kiss shouldn't be this complicated.

When Michelle Collins accidentally walks into the men’s restroom at a holiday party, she doesn’t expect it to end with a toe-tingling kiss under the mistletoe. But the magic of the moment quickly dies when she realizes the mystery man is Austin O’Neal, the new marketing director of the pharmaceutical company she’s sworn to destroy. Michelle will do anything to protect animals from unfair lab testing—even go up against the first man to make her feel alive.

With the ink on his divorce papers barely dry, Austin is struggling to help his three children adjust to a new town as he tries to adjust to a new job—one that comes with a lot of baggage that Michelle helped create. Falling for the strong-willed animal rights activist who is ruining the company image is definitely not in the plans.

When Michelle’s dog is hit by a car and Austin is the unexpected hero, their perceptions of each other—and the causes they fight for—are challenged. Can one impulsive kiss be the foundation for a happily ever after?

Kick off the holidays with this delightful romance today!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Can J.K. Rawling do any wrong?

What an adventure to follow nearly twenty years after Voldemort's death! Except, there are alternate futures when the past is played with. It has so many twists!

The father/son relationships are at the center of the story. They're a tangled mess that need sorting. But the way in which they go about it is true Harry Potter fashion - unexpected and unpredicatable.

I really can't write much without giving away what happens. Not fair to include spoilers. But all the characters we've loved are back, along with new ones you'll come to love too, except, of course, for the evil ones.

For those who love the world of HP this is a must read.

Now, if we can only afford the tickets when it comes to the States!

Amazon

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."