The Neighbor's Secret

Ms. Montpetit crafted a laugh out loud meet cute. Intruder in the bathroom. Brilliant. 

It was fun to watch how the forced proximity of Ethan and Allie, slowly allowed them to unravel the other's secrets. 

Ms. M. does an excellent job of giving her characters emotional wounds that the person they're attracted to can heal. 

A great start to the series. 

What jilted bride books have you liked?

AMAZON

Ethan Smith:

Friend? Yes. Foe? Probably. Enemy? Maybe. Lover? Hopefully!

After being left at the altar on her wedding day, big city financier Allie Strickland returns to her quirky hometown by the ocean hoping for peace and quiet to get over her fiancé’s betrayal.

On the very first night, Allie’s nerves are shattered when an unexpected intruder breaks into the house while she’s taking a bubble bath. The man is devastatingly handsome but she soon learns that he’s using a fake name and has old ties to Heartland Cove. Forced by weird circumstances to share the same rental house, Allie’s suspicions grow—even as she finds herself attracted to him.

When her ex-fiancé shows up one night begging for a second chance, who can Allie trust—or will her own heart betray her?

The Executive's Secret

Ms.Montpetit never disappoints her readers. 

I enjoy second chance romanes, and, while this one was one sided in high school, I still think of this book that way. 

Great chemistry between the characters and plenty of obstacles both physical and emotional to overcome to keep the reader turning pages. 

Plus, who doesn't love a hero who has the means to help out the person he cares about and does so respectfully rather than saving her completely. 

What do you like about second chance romances? 

AMAZON

He was a juvenile delinquent. She was an aspiring pianist. When sparks fly at their high school reunion, they’re willing to forget the past—until old secrets surface, threatening to destroy their future.

Caleb Davenport travels the world building his company into a billion-dollar enterprise, but he's tired of being alone and can't stop thinking about Kira Bancroft since high school. He assumes she’s living her dream as a concert pianist—until one evening, fresh off the plane from Hong Kong, he gets the shock of his life when he runs into Kira waitressing at a Denver restaurant.

After a terrible accident that disabled her father, Kira abandons her piano career to help her parents pay the medical bills. When feelings erupt between her and Caleb at the high school reunion, she starts to hope that maybe she can dream again. But Caleb is keeping a secret that could ruin everything.

Does Caleb have a chance to win Kira’s heart—or will his family's secret past prevent him from capturing the girl who got away?

Understanding Elizabeth

 This is my first read by Ms. Helm. 

I appreciated her take on the well known story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. She added in some ideas as to how they might've grown closer and developed their relationship. 

It's always fun to read another author's take on Jane Austen's creation. 

There was some slight rearranging of scenes and timelines, but I allowed for the creative liberties as they let the story unfold the way the author intended. 

If you like reading Jane Austen retellings or spinoffs, then this one is worth the read. 

Do you like Jane Austen retellings or spinoffs? Let me know in the comments. 

AMAZON

Mr. Darcy is tempted beyond what he can endure when Elizabeth Bennet leaves her private journal entries in the parlour of Netherfield. Upon reading her writing, he is appalled to find that she overheard his unflattering remarks at the Meryton Assembly and despises him for his thoughtless comments. He wishes with all his heart that he could undo the damage.

During a restless sleep, he dreams of two powerful beings who can give him his heart's desire - Elizabeth's admiration, respect, and love.

Will he take the offer to change the past so that he never makes the offensive statement? Will he make a deal with the Devil, or is the price too dear?

What would you do to get exactly what you want? How much would you be willing to pay?

The Trooper's Treasure

 The third book in Ms. Isaacson's Brush Creek series. 

These's characters had a lot to unpack, especially Dawn. 

The story is well set up with conflict and well rounded characters. And yes, dogs. 

I especially loved Nana's character. 

Another solid read in the series. 

AMAZON

The "wild child" of the Fuller family, a state trooper with a daughter, and his year-long crush that could build a family if he could just get out of the friends category...

Dawn Fuller has made some mistakes in her life, and she's not proud of the way McDermott Boyd found her off the road one day last year. She'd driven an hour to have a medical test done so her family wouldn't know, and while McDermott has asked Dawn out several times since then, her shame and embarrassment haven't allowed her to say yes.

She's spent a hard year wrestling with her choices and trying to fix them, glad for McDermott's acceptance and friendship. He lost his wife years ago, done his best with his daughter, and now he's ready to move on. He's dated other women, but he keeps gravitating back to Dawn as if she's the sun and his whole world revolves around her. He asks her out one more time, surprised when she finally accepts.

Can McDermott help Dawn find a way past her former mistakes and down a path that leads to love, family, and happiness?

Hart & Soul is NOW an Audiobook!

I'm happy to announce that Hart & Soul Book 1 of the Sweethearts Music Festival Romance Series is available as an audiobook on my YouTube channel! 

Please listen, like, subscribe, hit the notification bell, and tell your friends! 

How do you like hearing Hart & Soul brought to life in a new format?

FREE BOOK ON YOUTUBE!

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.