Game On

Ms.Kersey does a nice job of playing the fake relationship card in this book. 

All the major points hit: I can't fall for this person or this fast or under these circumstances, etc. 

The MC's have good chemistry and reasons for having lackluster love lives. 

She also uses Yellowstone as a silent backdrop character on which to paint her canvas of this tale of love. 

The dog is a nice touch. 

AMAZON

An NFL player, his fake girlfriend, and a family camping trip to Yellowstone. What could go wrong?

Tired of his family giving him a hard time about his lackluster love life, NFL running back Tyler Brandrick tells them he has a girlfriend. When they ask him if she’ll be coming with them on their annual Yellowstone camping trip, he says yes. Too bad she doesn’t exist.

Brielle Hanson is in desperate need of a job. Recently let go, she doesn’t have enough money to make rent, so when the dog she’s walking gets away from her and races to the handsome stranger in the park, she strikes up a conversation. Good thing he makes an offer she can’t refuse.

From This Moment On

Ms. Clopton does an excellent job of introducing her series in book one. 

This couple has plenty of reasons to be apart. Different states. Different states of their hearts. Both are broken and each seems to be what the other needs to heal. There's plenty of attraction to overrule their heads. 

Not a slow burn but not instalove either. A nice balance. 

I only wish the editing was as good as the story. 

I'm looking forwar to the rest of the series. 

AMAZON

Her failed marriage and dashed dreams; famous painter dealing with survivors guilt are they destined to help each other...

Hurt by her failed marriage and dashed dreams, Cali Sinclair returns home to Windswept Bay with her heart wary and closed to the dreams of true love she so desperately wanted. Determined to never again risk her heart, she throws herself into running the family’s small boutique resort on the Florida coast, a place so full of romance that it’s a reminder every day of what she’ll never have.But when renowned artist Grant Ellington shows up to paint a mural on the wall of the resort, she’s swept away by her response to the artist. Suddenly, every time he looks at her, Cali finds it harder than she ever thought possible to keep her heart protected.

Grant Ellington loves his ranch, his horses, and his life as a sought-after artist. But after walking away from a plane crash that killed his best friend and the young pilot, he’s still struggling with survivor’s guilt as he heads to Windswept Bay. Painting a sea life mural at the resort started out as a favor to his neighbor, but one meeting with the beautiful Cali and he feels alive again—and determined to spend time on the moonlit beaches with her in his arms…

But, like him, Cali has her own emotional scars—can they learn to trust the love that sparks between them and move forward from this moment on?

Reflected Realms, Kiss of Life, Rooftop Suitor

I've grouped these three books by EE Everly together because they're all short stories that can be read in thirty minutes or less.

Bite-sized and thoroughly enjoyable. These short reads are perfect if you want a good story but not want to be up until the early hours of the night saying, "Just one more chapter." 

If you think such a quick read would have underdeveloped characters, then you'd be mistaken. Ms. Everly masterfully crafts whole beings that you can easily identify with. They hopes and obstacles. 

Perfect for when you need a quick romance fix. 

Reflected Realms. Kiss of Life. Rooftop Suitor. 

AMAZON

Rooftop Suitor

He is the last man she expected, on a rooftop, no less. She is drowning in her mother’s expectations. What they both need is a change of perspective.

Kathryne flees from horrible suitor after horrible suitor, each one more atrocious than the last. After a particularly vexing engagement with a drunken cad, she attempts a desperate escape from a rooftop.

When her exit is more dramatic and dangerous than she expected, a gallant hero comes to her rescue.

Kathryne believes she’s found the perfect suitor, until an awkward truth crushes the hopes she has to ever find happiness.

AMAZON

Kiss of Life

Sometimes the difference between life and death is just a single kiss.

No one seems to notice the young woman wandering the estate, slipping between the onlookers in the crowd.

Those who do turn and run.

When his eyes meet hers, flaring with recognition, it’s enough to send her racing away into the safety of the gardens, because nothing feels as it should.

And there’s not a familiar soul she can turn to for help.

AMAZON

Reflected Realms

Mirrors should not be portals. Pixies do not exist. And dance partners with mystically blue irises should not be so mysterious.

When Kassidy meets a reflection pixie after dancing all night with a handsome stranger at a benefit gala, she thinks she’s had too much to drink—until she falls through the hotel room mirror into a magical world.

With the mirror passage closed and everyone thinking she’s a lady about to marry a lord, Kassidy has no one to trust but the pixie to get her home safely.

With This Ring

Not sure why I ended up starting in the middle of this series, but now I want to read all the books and see what happens to each sibling.  

Really enjoyed how Ms. Clopton crafted the story of Levi and Jessica. They both have issues, her even more so as a widow with a son to raise. 

Solid story. Strong emotion. Flows like a clean romance should. 

A little more editing would've been nice, but likely won't distract the average reader. 

AMAZON

The Sinclair brothers have watched their sisters fall in love and now...it's their turn ready or not!
After her small son, Kevin, asked both God and Santa for a new daddy for Christmas, and then didn’t find him under the tree, school teacher, Jessica Lyons is starting the new year out with a very unhappy six year old on her hands. Kevin can’t understand that she’s only been a widow for 2 years and she can’t imagine marrying again—not yet at least. But, unknown to her Kevin has a plan and has decided that if God and Santa won’t give him what he wants then maybe the police can!

When the very handsome Chief of Police, Levi Sinclair shows up as Kevin’s Show-and-Tell he believes, as does Jessica, that her son has asked him there to show him off as the "police chief"—It’s a little awkward when Kevin introduces Levi as his next daddy!

 

The Unexpected Groom

Ms. McConnell takes a different tactic with this romance. 

Instead of following one couple, we're following mulitple couples and characters as things change at the ranch. I enjoyed having multiple points of view but the book didn't feel like Ellie's book. Her romance came off as the side romance to Olivia's. 

I had several unanswered questions at the end. 

This book felt more like the intro to a family saga series than a standalone. And perhaps that was the intention. Hook you into each of the characters, then continue reading through the Lime Peak series to get the answers. 

The writing is solid as always. I have read other books by her I've enjoyed more. 

AMAZON 

Ellie Dumont is in love with the wrong man. Logan Labrum is the son of her family’s biggest business rival Joe Labrum. Joe’s made things difficult for the Dumont family for years but that doesn’t stop Logan from turning Ellie’s head. They’ve been dating on the sly for months. As their love deepens, Ellie is torn between family loyalty and the man who stole her heart.
George Dumont wants one thing: to have his family under one roof again. Carol left, taking their son, Levi, a couple years ago. Unsure how to approach a reconciliation with the redhead who lights a fire in his soul, George stumbles forward. 
After a tractor accident cost Olivia Dumont the use of her left hand, she learned to hate doctors and the limitations they laid before her. Which is why she takes an instant dislike to their new renter, Dr. Robert Canton. Robert signed up for the Lime Peak Ranch experience and she’s going to make sure he gets it. Hauling five acres of hay bales in from the field is a good start. But Robert doesn’t complain and he doesn’t tell her she shouldn’t be using her hand or baby her like her family does. But Robert is holding back and Olivia can tell. The closer they get, the bigger the questions become.
Bonnie Ruggles is the heart of Lime Peak Ranch, but her heart isn’t in it anymore. After years of carrying the burden of infertility and mysteries that started long before she married Dallas Ruggles, Bonnie is worn thin. Will their history together be enough of a reason to stick around or will the past be what pushes her off the ranch?

Follow this family full of heart and love and loyalty as they work to navigate the bumpy roads ahead.

Apprentice to the Villain

I loved Assistant to the Villain and the sequel didn't disappoint. 

I wondered how Ms. Maehrer was going to keep Evie and the Villain's growing attraction from overtaking the story and keeping it interesting enough to work in the upcoming third book. She managed it beautifully with the right amount of angst, pull, and some very well timed and well deserved kisses. 

There was so much going on! Obstacles fell like a rainstorm and kept me anxious to see how each character would navigate the mess. 

You need to read book one to appreciate this one. 

I can't wait for the third installment. 

AMAZON

NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. —Mgmt

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs—Kingsley’s included—point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies...including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

Gallant

This is my first read by V.E. Schwab, and it is excellent. 

She masterfully creates Olivia's world at the school and at Gallant. 

What an exceptional, emotional, page-turning adventure. 

I think what amazed me the most was the whole story was told without Olivia ever uttering a word. Incredible. 

I don't want to spoil the story. Read the book. It is worth your time. 

AMAZON

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from. 

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?