Review: Child on His Doorstep by Lee Tobin McClain

Child on His Doorstep by Lee Tobin McClain
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Published: August 2020
 

When Corbin finds a two-year old on his doorstep, he is unsure of who he is. The note with him, says he's his little brother. His parents are alcoholics and his childhood was not the best, to say the least. While having, Mikey, his brother in his care, is probably the better option, Corbin has no idea how to take care of a child. In comes Samantha. Corbin had a huge crush on her in high school, and it seems like those feelings haven't gone away. When she tells him that she has a background in child care, Corbin feels like the luckiest man. But, Samantha is a recovering alcoholic herself and has a few secrets she's keeping. Will these things keep Corbin for going for the love he deserves?

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved the idea for this story, but for me, it just didn't hit the mark for me. It felt like everything was very surface level and not much depth to the characters. I don't want to give too much of the story away. This is a romance, but also Christian Fiction. I enjoy both of those genres, but I don't think I will read more books by this author.

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Blog Tour Review: The Sea Glass Cottage by RaeAnne Thayne

The Sea Glass Cottage by RaeAnne Thayne
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Published: March 2020
 

Olivia Harper is doing well for herself. She has a job she is really good at and she has even started her own company, helping small companies with their social media. When a traumatic event changes her life in Seattle, it's at the same time she gets a call to return home to California to help her mother. Olivia left Cape Sanctuary and didn't want to return. But it seems now, she doesn't have a choice, she has to go back and face the demons she left behind and confront the past that is before her. As she is there taking care of her mother and trying to figure out why her niece now hates her, lots of secrets come to the surface. Will Olivia be able to make it through her short time in Cape Sanctuary and return to her home in Seattle?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After losing her father and her sister, Olivia's mother didn't have much time and energy left for Olivia. Especially after having to take over the family business and raise her granddaughter, Juliet was happy that Olivia was able to take care of herself and did so well in school. But often she regretted how she handled herself during those times, though she was doing the best she could.

This was the second book that I have read by RaeAnny Thayne. I would describe it as a romance with a dramatic flair to go with it. With secrets and lies hiding in the corners, you never know what is going to happen next. Toward the end, the book got to be a bit predictable, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole.


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Blog Tour Review: Secret Heir Seduction by Reese Ryan

Secret Heir Seduction by Reese Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: February 2020
 

Darius Taylor-Pratt is excited to be called to Royal, Texas to meet with the owner of Goddess in hopes of a partnership with his clothing line Thr3d. He is shocked when his ex-girlfriend Audra Lee Covington is staying right next door to him. When Darius finds out the real reason he is in Royal, it sends his world in a tailspin. He is thankful to have Audra there to cope, but he can't exactly tell her what is really going on. Audra is now a jewelry designer, in town to make wedding pieces for step-daughter of Goddess. The pair find themselves together on more than one occasion while they are in town together. Will they be able to get through their past in order to make a future together, or will secrets and lies keep them apart still?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the second title I have read by Reese Ryan and this was a good one. After Darius found out that his parents had been keeping a secret from him his whole life, he distances himself from them. When he meets Audra in grad school, their relationship is still strained, so he is not honest with her about them. Audra comes from a political family that Darius knows he will never fit in to, so he breaks up with her before she is forced to do it. Five years later, they both find themselves in Royal, TX. It's a strange coincidence.

Darius still feels the attraction for Audra and the feeling is mutual. Can he be honest with her this time around? Will she accept his apologies and be able to move forward?

This was a fast paced romance that you had to know how it was all going to end. This is a couple that were meant for each other, but will they make it?

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Excerpt:

Audra slid into the driver’s seat of the Bentley Continental GT convertible her parents had gifted her four years ago, after her business cleared a million dollars in profits in its first year.
She glanced back at the diner. Darius sat motionless in the booth where she’d left him.
Of all the people in the world that she could run into, she had to run into Darius Freaking Taylor-Pratt. The man who’d broken her heart five years ago.
She’d been madly in love with him, and she’d believed he loved her, too. Right up to the moment he’d said things had gotten too serious between them, and he needed space.
There had been no discussion. No evidence he’d fallen for someone else. And no real explanation.
She’d been devastated. 
They’d met at a party during grad school at Harvard. The attraction between them had almost been instant. She’d told her friend that she was pretty sure she’d met the man she was going to marry.
Sure, she’d been a little buzzed when she said it. But every day they were together made her believe those words to be true.
Darius suddenly ending things had come of out nowhere. It had left her reeling, wondering what she’d done wrong.
But that was the past. It’d taken some time, but she’d gotten over it and moved on.
Or at least she’d always believed she had. But seeing Darius today made her feel as if things between them weren’t finished at all.
He was more handsome than ever in his navy Tom Ford suit, a white shirt and a navy print tie. His story about being in Royal on business was undoubtedly true. Never a fan of suits, Darius would require a damn good reason to wear one.
And the bald head he was rocking…on him it was sexy as sin. Her fingers had itched with the desire to run her palm over the smooth, brown skin on his clean-shaven head. She’d balled her hands into fists, her fingernails leaving marks on her palms.
Darius’s dark brown eyes registered a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite read.
Sadness. Anger? Maybe even regret.
The only thing she knew for sure was that she’d desperately wanted to lean in and kiss him. If only to remind him of what he’d walked away from five years ago.
Her cell phone rang. 
Sophie Blackwood.
Audra smiled, thankful for the distraction. She hit the call button and pulled out of her parking space, heading back toward the house she was renting while she stayed in Royal.
“Hello, Sophie. Back in town yet?”
“We arrived a couple of hours ago. Nigel, my fiancé, needed to stay a couple more days to take care of a staffing issue with the show.”
Audra couldn’t help smiling. Sophie was doing that thing that many newly engaged women did where they referred to their intended as their fiancé, as frequently as possible. It was adorable. And everything about Sophie’s bubbly excitement and the warmth with which she talked about him spoke to just how in love they were.
For Sophie’s sake, Audra truly hoped that their love would last.
“No worries. I’ve been keeping myself occupied. I sketched out a few designs. I’ll show them to you when we get together.”
“Are you busy now? We’re going to grab a bite with friends over at the Glass House in an hour or so. You should join us.”
“Thanks, but I just picked up a salad.” Hopefully, Sophie didn’t think her rude for turning down her offer.
“Is everything all right?” Sophie’s voice was laced with concern.
“Yes. I’m just a bit stunned. I ran into my grad school ex just now.”
“A local?” Sophie asked.
“No, in fact, I got the impression this is his first time here, too. So it was weird to run into him.” Audra bit into the sucker she’d teased Darius with. 
She was pretty sure he’d nearly fainted when he caught a glimpse of her pierced tongue.
Good.
She might be over Darius, but she wasn’t above reminding him that he should be sorry he’d walked out on her.
“Oh? Who is he?” Sophie’s voice sounded less jovial.
“Darius Taylor-Pratt. He runs the athletic performance clothing company Thr3d.”
“That must’ve been quite a surprise.” Sophie laughed nervously, then quickly changed the subject. “So the venue where I’d like to have my wedding got damaged during the recent wildfires. The damaged portions have been rebuilt, but there’s still a lot of work to do. If you could spare the time this Saturday, we could definitely use the help. Besides, it would be a chance for you to get to know some of the folks you’re creating custom jewelry pieces for.”
“Sure.” Audra shrugged. “And maybe we can meet tomorrow afternoon to discuss your custom designs?”
“Come to my place tomorrow afternoon at one. We’ll have a late lunch and go over everything.” Full-blown giddiness had returned to Sophie’s voice. “See you then!”
God, I remember what it felt like to be that in love.
Seeing Darius and talking to Sophie made her even more certain she’d done the right thing when she’d broken it off with her most recent ex a few months ago.
Cassius “Cash” Johannsson was exactly the man her mother and United States senator father wanted her to marry. A perfectly nice gentleman from the right family with ambitions to one day sit in the Oval Office. But she wanted more than just “perfectly nice.” 
She wanted a man who made her laugh. Who was her friend as well as her lover. A man who understood the manic craziness that often accompanied a creative mind. A man who made her body burn for his.
Cash had never engendered that kind of spark in her. Nor had she ever gushed over Cash the way Sophie did over Nigel. The way she once had over Darius.
In the end, she’d broken it off with Cash because she was just settling. He deserved someone who would feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be on his arm.
Audra entered the beautiful gated community where her rental house was located. She was traveling with sample jewelry pieces and loose diamonds, the value of which easily topped two million dollars. So she required the additional security afforded by this gated community and the safety measures of the home she was renting from the Blackwoods’ family friend—Dixie Musgraves.
She grabbed her meal, courtesy of the Royal Diner, and headed inside, determined to banish all thoughts of Darius.

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Audio Book Review: Let Me Love You By Alexandria House

Let Me Love You by Alexandria House
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: February 2018
 

Jo is pretty content in her life, but when she meets Big South, all of that changes. Working for Beju Park she is sent to his hotel room to deliver a piece of jewelry that he had commissioned. When Big South met Jo, there was something about her that he found irresistible. She was mean, but it didn't bother him at all, he had to have her. Jo wasn't sure if she wanted a life with Big South, but Everett McClain, was one good looking and thoughtful man. Will they be able to make it through his fame and her past in order to have a future together?

I read this book on recommendation from a Facebook group. It reminded me of Zane books that I read in my early 20's. It was ratchet and I was all for it. I loved the narrators of this novel. The male made me want to jump into the book and see him in real life.

Jo is just a single mother trying to make it after a crazy divorce. Everett "Big South" McClain has had his share of hurt as well, and finds love when he least expects it. I can say one thing, this book had me and my man doing a few more things in the bedroom after reading it. Got me all hot and bothered. I loved listening to this book. This is the first book I've read by Alexandria House and it won't be my last. This is a good author to read when you fall into a reading slump. She is sure to bring you right on out of it.

Recommended for those who like romance with a little ratchet!

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Audio Book Review: Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Published: April 2019
 

On the first day of law school, Kailyn runs, literally, into her crush, Daxton Hughes. They spend the next few years trying to one up each other for the best in class. There was always a bit of tension between them that never went anywhere, but by the end of law school, Kailyn was no longer crushing on Daxton. Now five years after law school has ended, they are both working for successful law firms. Daxton doesn't even recognize Kailyn when he and his parents walk into her office to do a trust for his younger sister. Seeing him stirs up all kinds of emotions in Kailyn she's not sure how to respond to. When a few months later, Daxton's parents die in a tragic car accident and Kailyn become curator for his sister, they will start spending more and more time together and their feelings for each other are definitely going to change.


Helena Hunting is becoming on of my favorite romance authors. This book wasn't quite as good as the others I have read, but I enjoyed it all the same. I had picked up the book at the library a few weeks ago. My son had a class at the library and I thought it was only an hour long and had planned to spend that hour browsing the library bookstore, which I did. Then I found out the class was 2 hours long and I was there with nothing but my phone which I really don't like to read on. So I picked this up and read for an hour while I waited. I really got invested in the story, but then didn't pick it back up since I had other books I was already reading. When it became available on audio, I quickly picked it up.

What I liked about the book is the story as a whole. It's a cute romance book that will leave you with a smile on your face. A lot of the plot is predictable, but it reminded me of a Hallmark or Lifetime movie that you would watch.

What would you do if your arch enemy walked into your office, and his face was on your desk? You see Daxton Hughes was a child TV star of Kailyn's favorite show. And she has t-shirts, mugs and posters with his face all over them. Then the theme song to his show starts to play and then ... you seem like an obsessed fan girl instead of the competent lawyer you are. But Kailyn isn't ashamed of her fan girl title and it's one of the things Daxton grows to love about her. When he is forced to raise his 13 year old sister following their parents death, it's Kailyn that helps them both through the tough time, since it was something she had also experienced in her past.

Another enjoyable book.

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Audio Book Review: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: August 2018

Andi Oliver and her mother, Laura have been living an idyllic life in Belle Isla, Georgia when everything gets turned upside down. A gunman disrupts their lunch and Laura's actions during that ordeal send their whole world in a tailspin. Laura immediately kicks Andi out of her home and Andi is confused by her mom's decision. Following instructions given by her mother, Andi finds a person she never knew existed.

I really enjoyed this book. It was pretty long though, so it took me a while to get through it. There are twists and turns around every corner and you never know what is going to happen next. Just when you think you know what is going on, there is another surprise around the corner.

Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I was surprised.  This is an unbelievable story that is going to be on Netflix next year.  I can't wait to see it.  Click here to learn more about it.

Karin Slaughter really knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. My heart raced, and I could feel myself riding along with Andi as she tried to find out the truth about her mother. If you have never read a Slaughter book, this is a great one to start off with.


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Review: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: April 2019

Annika Rose is a beautiful woman living in downtown Chicago. She is 32 years old and she is pretty happy with her life. When she is reunited with Jonathan, her first boyfriend who had disappeared from her life 10 years ago, her world is turned upside down. She has grown so much since the last time she saw Jonathan, but she still has feelings for him. When they decide to give things another try, Annika and Jonathan learn more about themselves and each other than ever before. Will love win this time, and is Annika really different from the girl he used to know.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Heros & Heartbreakers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've said it many times on my social media while reading this book, that I devoured it. This book grabs you right from the start and draws you in for the long haul. Full of things that will make you laugh, make you cry and even make you gasp. Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I had to find out what was going to happen.

In the story you find out that Annika is a little quirky and that is because she is on the Autism Spectrum. I could really relate to this part of the story, since I have a child on the spectrum myself. There are some people who will accept the quirky habits and learn more about the person and there are others who are cruel and who just won't understand.

The story starts when Jonathan runs into Annika after 10 years in the grocery store. The story flashes back and forth from current day, which is 2001 in the book, to 10 years previously when Jonathan and Annika first met and the development of their relationship. I think this is a book everyone will enjoy.

  

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Review: Lost For Words by Stephanie Butland

The Lost For Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: 2018

Loveday Cardew has the perfect job for herself. She's not a big fan of people or large social settings so working at a used bookshop is just the right fit. Loveday has been on her own for a while, being in the foster system most of her life. So when books from her childhood start showing up at the bookshop, she's not sure who she can trust. Who knows about her past and who is trying to get her attention? But who could be behind this, Rob, the guy who can't take no for an answer; Nathan, the new man in her life; or Archie, the eccentric bookshop owner?

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loveday has the job, I believe most of us as book lovers would like to have. The opportunity to work surrounded by books all day, every day. Getting to discover new things and get to know old favorites all over again.

But things start to get weird when books that used to be in her childhood home appear at the bookshop. At first, it seems like a coincidence, but when the books start to get more personal, Loveday starts to question everything in her world. On top of the books, there is also a new man in her life, Nathan. Nathan is very different from any other man that Loveday has been with, although there haven't been that many. He allows her to be herself, while at the same time, trying to gently push her out of her comfort zone. Loveday isn't sure whether or not she is able to put herself out there like that. Along her journey she will discover things about herself that will help her to grow into the strong woman her friends already know her to be.


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Audio Book Review: Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 1996

In this book, the focus is on Myron Bolitar's tennis clients. Myron is at the US Open watching his client, Duane Richwood play. When shots ring out in the stadium, the result is deadly. Valerie Simpson, a teen tennis player looking to get back in the game, has been murdered. She had come to Myron a few days before to become a potential client. Why was Valerie murdered? Myron feels an obligation to find out, since she had come to him and called him many times. Is she connected to Duane? Myron and Win have a lot of digging to do to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Book 2 in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron is a jack of all trades, but his main trade is as a sports agent. He gives his clients a personal touch, big agencies aren't able to deliver. Plus, he's a lawyer and that helps out as well, especially when his clients seem to need legal services.

I really liked this book. I could connect with it on a personal level, being a former tennis player myself. Not that I was anywhere near being able to play in the US Open, but it was a fun sport.

This book takes you back to look at Valerie's life when she was a tennis star at a very young age. Bring in more murders from her past, political scandals, inappropriate coaches, disappearing suspects, and you have an interesting book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.



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Review: Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amber is in a coma. She can hear the people around her, but there is nothing she can do. The book travels back to the events leading up to the coma and the diary of a young girl with a lot of troubles. This book is full of shocking events. Is her husband to blame for the accident that put Amber in a coma? Will her sister be able to find out what is going on before Amber wakes up? Will Amber ever wake up? How will the events of her past shape her future if/when she does wake up?

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Book for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I must say that I'm just as confused now as when I was reading the book. Usually for me it is because the book travels back and forth through time, but this time, the story itself was confusing. You think you may know what is going on, but then a curve in thrown into the story and you have no idea what is going on. The story held my attention and I was able to finish it rather quickly, but even days after finishing it, it has left me with questions.

Is Amber really as bad as you think? What about her sister Claire? Who is the real culprit in all the disaster that has happened in their lives?


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AudioBook Review: I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb

I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Usually I do not review the audio books I listen to on the blog.  Mainly because I listen to them over such an extended period of time that the characters are lost to me and the story sits in the back of my mind.  But this story really stuck out to me.  I think it resonates with what is going on in our world today and a book everyone should read.

Felix Funicello is a film professor who lives in Connecticut. He is divorced and has one daughter, Eliza, who is currently working for New York Magazine. Felix also has two older sister, Simone and Frances who are an integral part of his life. Felix hold a movie club on Monday nights in the old Vaudeville theater in town. One night as he is setting up, he is visited by the ghost of Lois Weber, a renowned film director in her time. Lois shows Felix glimpses of his life along with the important women in it. Through these snapshots, Felix gains a greater understanding of the women in his life and women in general.

This book was reminiscent to A Christmas Carol, but he is visited by the same ghost, who brings three different visitors with her. Felix is first returned to his six year-old self. Where he and his sisters are helping their neighbor gather votes to become the next Rheingold Girl. Rheingold is a beer. This happens after his daughter tells him she has to write a piece about these girls.

The next transportation is a few years later when Felix is twelve. His mother and sister are talking in the kitchen about her boss being inappropriate with her at work. This part I heard just a few days after hearing day after day about a new man in a high position has been removed because of inappropriate behavior in the work place. Mind you, this is taking place in the early '60s and times were different, but some things never change. As Eliza, is telling her mother about what her boss has said, it's the mother's response that truly strikes me.
"Men are men. Shapely girls like you just have to put up with stuff like that in the working world or else quit. Those are your choices."
Thank God, those are no longer our choices, and that shouldn't have been the mentality then, maybe we wouldn't have all these issues today.

Also during this trip, Felix is given some news about his family that will change the dynamic forever.

The final time Lois comes to visit, the guest she brings, gives Felix a testimony that he has wondered about in the back of his mind for most of his life. That helps to fill a missing piece. The story is sad and is a part of the two previous visits from Lois.

All of these visits help Felix to be a better man, brother and father to the women in his life.

I think this is a very important book for all women to read, especially with the things going on in our world today. Told from the male point of view, I think it helps to see that some men can be empathetic to the plights of women. And this books covers a lot of those plights, from feminism, to abortion, adoption and acceptance. Years ago, I read She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb and I remember feeling the same way after reading it. Read them both.



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