The Marine's Marriage

Whenever I pick up a book by Ms. Isaacson I know I'm getting a good romance. 

This series starts off strong with Tate and Wren's story. 

Neighbors. Small town girl meets former military. Different backgrounds. Different ways of seeing the world. Broken hearts finding love. It's all here and a dog too. 

You'll want the whole series. 

AMAZON

A Marine, a maid, and a match made in heaven.

Tate Benson can't believe he's come to Nowhere, Utah, to fix up a house that hasn't been inhabited in years. But he has. Because he's retired from the Marines and looking to start a life as a police officer in small-town Brush Creek.

Wren Fuller has her hands full most days running her family's company. When Tate calls and demands a maid for that morning, she decides to have the calls forwarded to her cell and go help him out. She didn't know he was moving in next door, and she's completely unprepared for his handsomeness, his kind heart, and his wounded soul.

Can Tate and Wren weather a relationship when they're also next-door neighbors?

The Dream Hotel

This was my first read by well established author Laila Lalami.

Think of this like the premise of Minority Report. People are detained for crimes they haven't committed yet. 

For poor Sara, she's put under watch because of her dream content. Considering what we think we know about dreams, that's flimsy at best. 

But this type of action doesn't seem so far off from the world we live in. Technology is all around us. We're drowning in it. 

Are we ourselves or our digital footprint interpreted by AI that reflect our true nature? This is a big question in the novel. 

I felt for Sara and her injustice, especially as it prolonged. 

The way she navigates her time at the center is interesting. I liked getting to know the other characters, and especially the twist at the end. 

As I typically read clean fiction, heads up that there are a few swear words and an intimate scene. 

This book will get you thinking. 

AMAZON

Sara has just landed at LAX, returning home from a conference abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.

The agents transfer Sara to a retention center, where she is held with other dreamers, all of them women trying to prove their innocence from different crimes. With every deviation from the strict and ever-shifting rules of the facility, their stay is extended. Months pass and Sara seems no closer to release. Then one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and leading Sara on a collision course with the very companies that have deprived her of her freedom.

Eerie, urgent, and ceaselessly clear-eyed, The Dream Hotel artfully explores the seductive nature of technology, which puts us in shackles even as it makes our lives easier. Lalami asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are.

Her Stranded Billionaire Mix-up

Ms.Livingston tells a solid story.

Yes, we start with a job interview mix-up and a plane crash. 

I found it highly convenient that our heroine was well versed in survival skills. Though I did appreciate that the girl was given those skills over the guy for a nice twist up of traditional gender roles. 

Both have reasons to keep their distance from the other. Too bad there's all this amazing chemistry in the way. 

Don't think too much about the trauma bonding or tight timeline and enjoy the romance for what it is: clean and nicely told. 

Who would you want to be stranded with?

AMAZON

A woman left at the altar. A billionaire who bristles at love. Trapped together on a deserted island, can romance find them where rescue planes can’t?

Just two months ago, life was perfect for Harley Wilson. She was planning her wedding to the love of her life and quickly establishing herself as one of Houston’s most sought-after event coordinators. Then, without warning, her situation nosedived, leaving her single and jobless. Jumping at the first offer she received, she took an assistant position and packed a bag for Jamaica.

Since taking over the family business, Zachary Wolf has devoted himself to helping people. After his parent’s ugly divorce, he’s got no time or patience for love. Which put him in an insanely tight spot when his regular assistant called out sick before their trip to the Caribbean to drop off medical equipment. Determined to make the delivery on time, Zach begrudgingly boards the plane alongside the cute temporary hire.

Neither is thrilled with their arrangement, but that’s the least of their concerns. When a hurricane forces them to crash on a deserted island, their only hope of survival is to rely on each other. Can they learn to trust in the face of unspeakable odds? Or will all hope of their hearts healing be scorched under the sun’s brutal rays?

Protected by the Quarterback

Whenever I pick up a book by Ms. Kersey I know I'm getting a good read. 

This one starts with a bang. Girl escaping her abusive ex to land in an NFL quarterback's cabin. 

There's a ton of push and pull as they both work through their trust issues. Lots of good chemistry and witty banter. 

A lovely clean romance. Another gold star for Ms. Kersey. I'll be back to read more. 

AMAZON

When Shay Campbell flees her abusive boyfriend and ends up in the middle of nowhere, she stumbles upon an unoccupied cabin. At least she thinks it’s unoccupied. That is, until NFL Quarterback Josh Wisner shows up. Too bad he thinks she’s a groupie.

After kicking her out, Josh has second thoughts, but with her ex hunting her, Shay will have to decide if she’s safer with Josh or out on her own.