Title: Accidental Romeo
Author: Nicole Snow
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

A perfect stranger just kissed away the worst day of my life.
Emphasis on perfect.
Hunter Forsythe is so far out of my league I can’t even buy tickets.
And now he’s insta-date to my stuck up sister’s wedding?!

Brace for everything to go hilariously wrong.
But my mysterious new hero is no flipping joke.
Rich as sin. Knockout eyes. A snarlypants single dad. Muscle, muscle everywhere.
Too good for the quiet baker girl no one ever noticed.

Then I find out what – and who – put him up to this insanity.
I’m so mad I could spit nails.
Imagine my surprise when Romeo keeps coming.
Hear my door slamming in his face.
Witness my jaw hanging when he starts wooing me for real.

Dream dates, family dinners, and soul-branding nights.
I’m in full Juliet mode before I see the crack in his world.
The longing. The loss. The secrets. The danger.
Does love even fit in Hunter’s jagged heart?
Or is a Shakespearean tragedy in our stars?

Review

Title: Hotshot Doc
Author: R.S. Grey
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

Dr. Russell has a bad reputation around our hospital. The scrub techs say he’s cold-blooded, the nurses say he’s too cocky for his own good, and the residents say he’s the best surgeon in the world—really, just a swell guy!—on the off chance he’s within earshot.

I try to avoid him and his temper at all costs. It’s just as easy to admire his sexy, grip-it-while-he’s ravishing-you hair and chiseled jaw from a healthy distance, preferably from the other end of the hallway half-hidden behind a plant.

Unfortunately, my plan crumbles when my trusty ol’ boss decides to swap his white coat for a Hawaiian shirt. His retirement leaves me with two terrible options: switch specialties and spend months retraining, or take an open position as Dr. Russell’s surgical assistant.

That means I have to stand near him in the OR for hours on end and anticipate his every need without letting his biting words and bad attitude intimidate me. Oh, and as if that’s not difficult enough, my silly crush on him—the one I’ve tried to stomp on until it disappears—might just be reciprocated.

It’s fine.
I’m fine.

I take my job seriously. There will be no smoldering bedroom eyes across the operating table, no angry almost-kisses in the storage closet. (Well, no more of those.)

What’s the phrase? An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Maybe I should go for a whole damn bushel.

Review

This has been sitting on my kindle since the day it came out and now I’m wondering why…..because this book was great!

Bailey is basically a single mom to her teenage sister, working as a surgical assistant. The doctor she has been working with retires, and she needs a new doctor. Dr. Matt Russell needs an assistant, but has an awful reputation. Despite her gut telling her not to, Bailey takes the job.

Matt is pretty much a giant ass for the first half of this book. We don’t really know why he is the way he is (a workaholic married to his job). He’s the antithesis of Bailey. She’s light and hope and happiness – he’s dark, moody and rude.

The characters in this book are really great. Bailey is a great heroine. She has put herself on the back burner for years, but it hasn’t charged who she is. She is raising her sister the best she can. Her sister, Josie, is hysterical. She is wise beyond her years.

Matt, while an ass at first, is a really good guy. His main goal is to help kids – he’s a pediatric spinal surgeon. How can you not like that? And he was so sweet to Josie once he got over himself.

This book was really great, and I highly recommend it.

Title: Until Nox
Author: Layla Frost
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

Not all heroes are good guys.

With a body count on his soul and blood on his hands, Killian Nox lived in the gray. Ruthlessly single-minded, if he wanted something, it was his. And when it came to the gorgeous lass with a fiery attitude, he didn’t just want her.

He needed her.

With southern-bred manners and a snark all her own, Augusta ‘Gus’ Allan was a connoisseur of cheap wine, delicious Mexican food, and good TV. Unfortunately, her taste in men wasn’t as well-developed. When her knight in shining armor turned out to be a douche in tinfoil, Gus never expected her real hero to be a sexy-accented, tattooed beast of a man.

But he was exactly who she needed.

Gus had no clue how comforting a monster in the dark could be…

Until Nox.

Review

I am loving this Kindle Alpha World, where I get to see the Mayson’s all the time (despite the weird time line where July is a baby).

Gus is about to move in (temporarily) with her boyfriend when she discovers he’s cheating. The neighbor across the hall hears all of this commotion and asks Gus to move  in to help take care of his dog, Nolan, because he’s going on a business trip for 3 weeks. Having no other options, Gus moves in to help Killian out.

Gus has relocated to Boston from school. She gets a call that her Meema has had a stroke. Killian pays for her to fly back to Tennessee – to see her Meema. And guess who her neighbors are? The Mayson’s!!!

In the meantime, Gus and Killian are developing a relationship over the phone and through text, though Killian knew the minute he saw Gus that he wanted her. Gus doesn’t really know what Killian does – and she’s surprisingly cool with it.

This was a quick read but I loved the characters, especially Meema. I would recommend all these Kindle Alpha books.

Title: Until Avery
Author: Brynne Asher
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

Dreams.

I never had one. Never even knew what a dream was until a certain unassuming Carpino waltzed into my life. That day my world tilted.

It became unhinged.

I might not have been a dreamer, but she was.

She wrote the words missing from my life. Her notes ignited my heart. Her flame lit up my darkness.

Her dreams became mine and I’d move heaven and earth to give them life.

Especially when my past surfaced and threatened to kill every dream we had.
Until Avery, I had nothing.

But I’m Link Forester. I’d fight for her, for us, because right now, I have everything to lose.

This is a Carpino crossover novella by Brynne Asher written for the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World of NYT Bestselling Author, Aurora Rose Reynolds.

Review

Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that Aurora Rose Reynolds had created “Happily Ever Alpha: Kindle World”.  She has invited other authors into her Mayson world and I couldn’t be more thrilled – I’m a big fan of the Mayson’s.

I will say that I was a bit annoyed about the timing of this story. Link is very close to Asher and Nico Mayson – whose kids we are now reading about (I just read Trevor’s son’s book yesterday as well; that didn’t feel very authentic, but to someone not familiar with the Mayson’s, bit probably wouldn’t be a big deal).

Avery Carpino (I LOVE the Carpino stories) moves to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt – but she’s really there because her dream is to be a song writer. She tries to sneak into a club but runs smack-dab into the bouncer (who is really the owner) – Link Forester. Link is a total ARR alpha (which I loved). Once he discovered that Avery got into his club after he turned her away, he went to confront her but instead ends up holding her during a song – and feels an instant connection.

Turns out Avery is Nico and Sophie’s nanny (for Harmony, who again, is an adult in the book I just read…). Imagine Link’s surprise when he goes to the girls birthday party and runs into the girl he tossed out of his club. It turns out the song he heard, that he couldn’t get out of his head, was written by Avery.

This is a novella, so it’s not long, but there is a dramatic side, with an old boss holding a grudge against Link, which made the story interesting. I have a bunch more of these books to read over the next month, and I’m excited!

If you haven’t read the Mayson series by Aurora Rose Reynolds or the Carpino series by Brynne Asher, please do. They are both great series:)

Title: The Wrong Game
Author: Kandi Steiner
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.

Two season tickets. 
One genius idea. 
Zero interest in a relationship. 

The plan is simple: a brand new, hot, preferably funny, definitely single male will fill one of those seats for every Bears game at Soldier Field. And I’ll fill the other. 

I can’t think of a better way to use the season passes I’d bought for my ex-husband. I am a woman of plans, and this one’s foolproof. 

Until Zach Bowen offers to be my practice round. 

He’s infuriating. Presumptuous and overbearing. And absolutely, undeniably gorgeous. Any woman with a heartbeat would be attracted to him, and mine picks up speed every time he speaks. 

But as I said, I’m a woman of plans — and I’m not backing down on this one. 

One night. One game. And then, his time’s up. 

He can try to change the rules, but here’s the truth: he can’t win if he’s playing the wrong game.

Review

A book about a female football fan who has season tickets to the Chicago Bears sounds like the perfect book for me. I am also a female football fan from Chicago. The Bears are my team. Sounds great, right? Not so much.

First of all, I have to things about this book that stuck in my craw. The are:

• Gemma referred to her ex-husband. He’s dead. They were married when she died. He was not her ex-husband. 
• They kept talking about the “kiss cam” at Soldier Field. They don’t do kiss cams at football games, especially Soldier Field (where I was a season ticket holder).

Ok, back to the story. I freaking loved Zach. He’s a great guy who gave up so much for his family, and he’s a hopeless romantic. He meets Gemma and he’s instantly smitten. Gemma’s plan is to take a different guy to each home game, to get herself back into the market. She doesn’t count on meeting Zach.

The reason I gave this book only 3 stars was Gemma. She was a really hard character to like. On paper, we have a lot in common. Both football fans from Chicago. But this girl, who was hurt, which I get, my god. She just wouldn’t budge on her stand to give Zach a chance. It made her so hard to like.

I did like the way this book ended and it had a good ending. But overall, I couldn’t relate to the heroine, which made the book less likable for me.

Title: Hate Notes
Author: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.

Something blue. 

I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.”

Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true. 

The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed.

He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did not result in a happily ever after.

But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined.

Something new. 

But I have no idea how this one is going to end . . .

Review

I had no idea what to expect going into this story, but I absolutely LOVED it and encourage everyone to read this.

Charlotte Darling is down on her luck. She caught her fiance cheating, can’t find a real job and is living on ramen. During a drunken evening, she manages to schedule a showing for a $7 million penthouse and decides to go see it, just to see how the other half lives. When she gets there, she meets Reed Eastwood, the man who will show her the property.

Reed is annoyed at this meeting because he knows that Charlotte’s application is fake. She said she’s a dog surfer. So their meeting doesn’t end well. She ends up in a bathroom, in tears, and meets Iris. She tells Iris her sad story, and Iris tells her she sees a lot of herself in Charlotte. She offers Charlotte a job and she starts the following Monday.

Imagine Charlotte’s surprise when she literally runs into Reed and discovers that he’s Iris’s grandson. I’m sure you can imagine how that turns out.

One criticism is the title – I don’t think Hate Notes accurately describes the book – it’s a very small part, but that’s just me.

I won’t give too much of the story away, because I want you to read it, but this story is full of incredibly rich characters. Charlotte is an optimist who believes in true love. Reed is a hardened man, who is a cynic. The banter and chemistry between these two was written so well. I loved both of these characters so much, and I so badly wanted a happy ending.

I also adored Iris. Sometimes grandmothers are written to be very annoying, but Iris was amazing. She loved her grandson and wanted to see him happy, and knew, deep down, that Charlotte was the person who could make him happy. She did everything in her power to make it happen and it was beautiful.

This is a real slow burner. But the payoff is so worth it.  The epilogue was really amazing. I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s got all the feels.