Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family, #2)We met Kevin Kowalski in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/799823901">Exclusively Yours</a> as the brother of the hero. In this book, he gets his own HEA. Beth Hansen is a floater. She moves through life on her own terms, not setting down roots anywhere. Which is why it is a shock to come up pregnant after a one-night stand where protection was used. A one-night stand where she believed he was a player.
Kevin immediately jumps into protective mode. He just wants to make sure that Beth is taken care of. None of her jobs provide insurance and her apartment has... issues. So she moves in across from Kevin.
I loved that this story took place over a year. Kevin learned from his brother's mistake. Don't marry just because of the baby. Insurance wouldn't cover it anyway. But he thinks he's falling in love. It's sort of insta-love but we actually get to see that it sticks around.

Four stars
Follows Exclusively Yours
Followed by Yours to Keep
This book came out November 1st, 2010


Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Witch Way Home by Danielle Garrett

Witch Way Home (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery, #4)Holly ended the last book in the series with hope. She's got a court date that may mean she will be licensed to practice potions again. Unfortunately, her court date doesn't go as planned. First, there is a witch on the council who seems way to delighted to turn her down; it almost seems personal.  Also an issue? Her SPA agent, Harvey, who promised to speak up in her favor, is nowhere to be found. Is it because he doesn't want her? Is he wrapped up in the major trial that is happening across the way? Or is he dead? Holly didn't particularly like the guy but that doesn't mean she wishes him gone.
This book will end in a final battle that will change the lives of everyone at the manor forever.
I am really hoping that Holly's relationship with Adam will be resolved soon. I still am not at all seeing why he is her OTL based on anything other than the author assuring of it often. The mystery was okay but I was dragged down by this relationship.

Three Stars
This book came out May 5th, 2017
Follows Witch Slapped
Followed by Along Came a Ghost (novella)
Listened to this book from the library

Monday, March 16, 2020

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

I've read the excerpt for this book several times and thought, "I might like this." And I was right.
Exclusively Yours (Kowalski Family, #1)Keri Daniels had a forever-kind-of-love with her high school boyfriend Joe Kowalski. These days, she's a Hollywood gossip reporter and he's a famously reclusive horror/mystery writer. When her boss finds out that Keri knows Joe, like KNOWS Joe, she's given an ultimatum, get a story on Joe or else.
Joe pretty much figures out that Keri is doing this story under duress but he decides to screw with her anyway. Loved that there was no deception. He's just up front about the fact that he wants to mess with her and that's why she'll be spending two weeks with his family on their "Kowalski Vacation of Doom" (or something close to that) without electronics of any kind and, in return, she'll get one question a day which he will answer.
There are several subplots, most prominent is with Joe's twin sister, Terry, who is having some serious issues with her husband and taking them out on her former BFF, Keri.

Four stars
This book came out January 1st, 2012
Followed by Undeniably Yours
Borrowed this book from Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

Sunday, March 15, 2020

How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

How to Be Fine by Jolenta GreenbergI quite enjoy the By the Book podcast. Greenberg and Meinzer take two weeks and live strictly (sometimes not so strictly) by various self-help books. For those people who aren't avid self-help readers, they might wonder if there are really that many books out there. Oh yes, there are. Books that range from really useful to downright ridiculous and the authors of this book have read over 50 at this point. If you have ever wondered about self-help books, listening to the podcast is definitely worth it. If you have ever wondered more about the authors, this is a great book. In alternating chapters, Greenberg and Meinzer talk about the books that they have read and what has really helped them. They also answer letters that listeners of the podcast have sent regarding  particular episodes, books, and whether the authors were "right" in their assessments of books.
A lot of this was information that I had already heard on the podcast but it was fun to relearn a lot of it. I liked the honesty about the things that worked and the things that didn't. And both authors are up front about why things worked for them and why they might not work for other people.

Four stars
This book comes out March 17th, 2019
ARC provided by HarperCollins and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Marriage Effect by Karla Sorensen

The Marriage Effect (Washington Wolves, #3)There are some books that I prefer to read with my eyes rather than my ears and the second book in the series was one of them. But I didn't give up on the series because this book interested me. A former model and a football player marry so that he can keep his sisters and she can inherit $3 million? Okay. I'm in. And I liked this book. I didn't think Logan's urgency was set up as much as it could have been but Paige's sure was. And I liked that they were upfront with each other about the reasons for marriage. I didn't think the last Big Misunderstanding was needed and I definitely did not like the  apology scene (I really don't like public declarations) but this was overall a nice read.

Three stars
This book came out June 12th, 2019
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Friday, March 13, 2020

Royal Hottie by Kylie Gilmore

Royal Hottie (The Rourkes, #2)Known as the Royal Hottie, Phillip Roarke is the second oldest in the royal family of Villeroy, an island kingdom off the coast of France. He is not at all amused to be conscripted into a mad scheme of his new sister-in-law to help bring commerce to their island. She wants to open up a high-end spa and to get the word out as well as raise some money, she has put together a bachelor auction made up of Phillip and his other unmarried brothers and puts the word out to some of her wealthy former hair clients.
So it's no surprise that Phillip is rude to a woman that he assumes is there for the auction. He's surprised to find out that Ruby is actually a friend of his sister-in-law's, there to help redecorate the castle ahead of having her clients come in. She is sort of star-struck to meet the Royal Hottie but it turns into annoyance when he seems to be a big ol' jerk. However, he decides to pitch in and help her get everything together so that the auction will be a success. While working together, they start to realize that there may be an attraction there after all. Too bad Ruby doesn't have enough to bid...
This one was really inconsistent and the timeline just made me feel like I had whiplash. Ruby was a schemer but she wasn't but she is. And we're going to jump forward in time but Phillip is a jerk but two sentences later realizes it. I liked both Ruby and Phillip but wish the story could have been smoothed out a bit more.

Two and a half stars
This book came out May 10th, 2019
Follows Royal Catch
Followed by Royal Darling
Borrowed audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, #5)
In a previous book of the series, Mercy had borrowed a book from a man named Phin. She has been very busy in the mean time and has been reading it off and on because it has very interesting handwritten stories about the fae. But there is something more about this book because Phin is gone after leaving a cryptic message to protect the book and there are strange fae hanging around his shop trying to get her to give them the book.
There is also something going on with her BFF Samuel and it's bad enough that she can't tell anyone else. And even worse, there are still members of Adam's pack that resent Mercy and they're going to have to figure it out before the pack falls apart.
Great build up until the end and then a lot was resolved in the last 15 pages and that felt rushed.

Three stars
This book came out March 30th, 2010
Follows Bone Crossed
Followed by River Marked
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own