Title: Hard Sell
Author: Lauren Layne
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

Twenty-eight and filthy rich, Matt Cannon is the youngest broker on Wall Street. He may be a “boy wonder,” but he’s every inch a man. Ask any woman—any night. But when Matt’s latest fling makes scandalous headlines, his clients get anxious, and his bosses at Wolfe Investments level an ultimatum: keep his assets zipped, get a “real” girlfriend, and clean up his act. Only one woman can help Matt with something this hard.

For PR genius Sabrina Cross, the best fixer in Manhattan, playing Matt’s steady is going to be a challenge, even if it’s just for show. They already have an explosive history, she can’t stand the cocky party boy, and worse—she can’t stop thinking about him. So who’ll dare to break her “no touching” rule first? Because when that happens, Matt and Sabrina’s game of let’s pretend will get so hot it could set both their reputations on fire.

Review

I didn’t know that the 21 Wall Street series had a new book released (I got the first one on Netgalley), so I jumped when I saw this book. While it wasn’t as good as the first book, it was an entertaining sequel.

Matt Cannon is a billionaire investment banker who attends a bachelor party in Vegas, which happens to also be attended by a writer at the Wall Street Journal. There are photos posted, and it starts damage control at Wolfe Investments, where Matt works. His bosses tell him he needs to clean up his image but getting a girlfriend and Matt knows exactly who to go to – Sabrina Cross – who happens to hate him.

Sabrina does PR for the society folks in New York – very discreetly. She and Matt have a past – one that quite honestly didn’t make sense once it was revealed, but I digress. Matt goes to Sabrina to act as his girlfriend, and Sabrina reluctantly agrees.

They begin a fake relationship, which, surprise, surprise, isn’t really fake. They have feelings for one another, but are too dense to realize it. Luckily, they have a great group of friends who realize they are perfect for one another and won’t stop until they end up together.

I really, really liked Matt. He owned up his mistakes and tried to do the right thing. Sabrina was a little harder to like at first – she was very guarded and hard to get to like. By the end of the book, she was much more likable.

I’m really hoping that the next book is about Kate and Kennedy, because we need their book. But this was good read and I would recommend it.

Title: All The Way
Author: Kristen Proby
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Public Library

Goodreads Summary

Finn Cavanaugh is known for being a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. He owns a successful law firm with his brother and brother-in-law in Manhattan. On the rare occasion that he has down time, he spends it at his home in Martha’s Vineyard. But when Finn’s troubled niece goes to stay with him for the summer in Martha’s Vineyard, he’s reluctant to take time off from work. That is, until he meets his beautiful new neighbor, London.

London Watson is a Tony Award winning actress on Broadway. When tragedy strikes her family, leaving her alone and injured, she flees Manhattan for Martha’s Vineyard. Hoping she can figure out how to pick up the pieces of her life, London is convinced that she’ll never be able to return to the stage. But when she meets the charming young girl next door and her sexy uncle, they soon lure London out of her shell as she finally begins to heal from the wounds of her past.

But when London feels confident enough to return to the spotlight, she’s dealt another devastating blow. Will the newfound love between London and Finn be enough to conquer all? Or will it be over before it has a chance to grow…?

Review

If you have read my blog, you know Kristen Proby is my favorite author. I love her, so I was very excited to get my hands on this new series. It was good, but not great.

London Watson has just lost her parents in a fire, one where she was badly injured. She’s the Kristen Chenowith of Broadway – and thanks to her injury, she can’t perform and she’s devastated. After hearing her parents will, she heads to their family home on Martha’s Vineyard to recuperate and grieve.

Her parent’s lawyer, Finn Cavanaugh, happens to live next door to London’s house on Martha’s Vineyard, and has taken a few weeks off to go there with his niece, Gabby, who lost her mom and is struggling. Gabby and London take to each other quite quickly, and I liked there storyline.

Then, at about 25%, Gabby leaves with her grandma and we don’t hear from her again. She’s part of the summary, and she was quite a cute character, so I was a little bummed that she was kind of abandoned. We saw her a little at the end of the story, but that was it.

There was also a storyline with London’s brother, Kyle, who is a drug addict and was cut out of the will unless he checks into rehab. This storyline was really predictable and didn’t add too much to the story. I didn’t love it.

I’m hoping the next story is about Quinn, Finn’s brother. There is also Gabby’s father, Carter, who deserves a book.

I did like this story, despite the fact that there was no epilogue and some of the stories weren’t finalized. Maybe they will be in the next book.

Despite not loving this  book, I did really like it and I would recommend it. You tend to do that for your favorite author:)

Title: Accidentally Hitched
Author: Piper Sullivan
Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

I was completely exhausted when I first laid eyes on him. I had been traveling, and for the last twenty-four hours, sleep had evaded me. I knew I looked terrible, and I was relatively sure I didn’t smell so great, either. It was not the most ideal moment to make a first impression. On a normal day, I wouldn’t be so torn up about it, but today was different. This was the day I met Taylor.

He was a gentleman in every way. I was instantly taken aback by his vintage look and charm. It was almost like he had stepped out of the past. I would only be in Boston for two days before traveling again, and I was determined to get a second chance at a first impression.

Review

I don’t think I’ve read a book this G rated since junior high……

The Suite Life is about Blue Stone. Her father is Alec Stone, famous rock star. Blue travels the world with her dad and doesn’t have much of a social life her own. Upon arriving to a hotel in Boston, she meets Taylor Patterson. Taylor is doing what I would call an audit of the hotel – checking to see where improvements could be made. But the staff kept calling him their boss. But he wasn’t employed there. Anyway….

They meet and hit it off. So much so they can’t stop kissing. That’s the extent of the relationship intimacy we get in this book. Kissing.

Very quickly after meeting, they are in love and get married. All in the span of a few months. All the while, just kissing….

Ok, I’m being a jerk, but come on. Meanwhile, when we hear from Taylor (I think he got like 2 chapters total) his story is told in the third person, where Blue’s was told in the first person. I found that to be an odd writing choice.

There was also a ton of gushing in this book. Gushing over Alec the rock star, gushing over Taylor the real estate genius. It was very over the top and got old quite quickly.

I didn’t really like this one much, and I would say skip it.

Title: Accidentally Hitched
Author: Piper Sullivan
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

I’ve always had a thing for the boy next door Nash

All six-foot-four of him. With his dreamy blue eyes and dark hair.
And by dreamy, I mean I dreamt of him. A lot.
Of the dirty things he would whisper in my ear.
Of his hands roaming my body, making me feel sexy and beautiful.
But dreaming was all I had.
Until one small town party and my crazy aunt turned my life upside down.
Now I’m his accidental wife.
I should still keep my distance, I’ve had enough of people with questionable motives.
Except, I want everything that comes with being Nash’s wife.
Especially him.

I’ve always had a thing for curvy Viviana
She was feisty, she was sassy. She had a body I wanted to feel against mine.
I need to taste her skin, to hear her moan my name.
But she was also totally off limits.
As a single dad I can’t afford to risk my daughter’s heart on another woman.
Especially since she was our neighbor.
And my friend.
But one night changed everything.
Vivi and I are now accidentally married.
And I’m desperately trying to figure out how to make this accident… permanent.

Review

Trying to use up my Kindle Unlimited membership while I have it and came across this one, which is in the Top 10 on the bestsellers list. Sadly, this book is just bleh.

You have to suspend some serious reality for this book. Vivi lives in Louisiana, and her Aunt, Aunt Mae, accidentally marries Vivi, and her neighbor, single dad Nash. They get married in some weird voodoo ceremony. This made no sense at all. And they were just like, oh ok, some kooky lady married us, so it’s legit.

Nash has this adorable little daughter named Norah.  To be honest, Norah is the only reason I finished this book. She was  so cute and sweet.

Vivi was a little odd. She moved back to Louisiana from Chicago after some incident with her former business partners (this was not very clear, as to why this happened). She now is a romance writer, and a very successful one at that.  Nash does custom woodworking. This was kind of a cool topic. But….

Around 60% in, Vivi turned into a different person. She was cold and untrusting and it was bizarre. I didn’t really love the end of the story – I didn’t like the way Vivi acted. I would say that both Vivi and Nash acted a little immature, but Vivi took the cake for sure.

Book was ok, not sure I would recommend it.

 

Title: Ultimate Sacrifice
Author: K.C. Lynn
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

Men of Courage: A brotherhood bound by courage, honor, and sacrifice.

Hard work and dedication brought Austin Hawke up the ranks at his department, eventually earning him Lieutenant position. He was more than ready to lead his fellow brothers but one fatal call leads to tragedy and a danger they never saw coming.

Meanwhile, his personal life is just as destructive. All thanks to the gorgeous sports bar owner he shared an unforgettable night with only to have her slip out on him before the morning sun. Zoey thought she could escape him without a fight but what she fails to realize is Austin doesn’t give up when he wants something, and he wants Zoey.

Zoey Anderson had dreams of exploring the world, capturing its beauty behind a lens, but all that changed the moment her disabled sister was born. Due to their loveless home, Zoey dropped her dreams and took on the role of caring for her younger sister. A decision she could never regret.

Taking her life by storm, Austin Hawke crashes through all the barriers she placed around her carefully guarded heart. When passion burns and devastation strikes, Zoey quickly learns that love doesn’t come without sacrifice.

Review

I found this book on Kindle Unlimited and was totally hooked on the cover because…well, you have eyes. Yowza. Thankfully, the content of the book was a good as the cover.

Zoey has been taking care  of his sister, Chrissy, who has cerebral palsy for many years, because her mother is an addict and an all around awful person. Because her whole life has been about work and Chrissy, Zoey doesn’t allow herself a social life, until she agrees to a date with Austin Hawke, hotshot firefighter. Once Austin gets a taste of Zoey, he’s not letting go. He even accepts that Chrissy is a huge part of her life, and welcomes Zoey into his heart.

There is a serial arsonist in town, starting incredibly lethal fires. This storyline was not wrapped up at the end of the book, despite hearing from the arsonist. I guess that storyline will continue in the next book, which I will absolutely will be reading.

Chrissy – a girl with cerebral palsy who was so wonderful. She loved Austin so much, and he felt the same way about her. The story between Austin and Chrissy was so sweet. I will openly admit this book made me tear up.

I loved this story – I didn’t love that the arsonist story wasn’t resolved, but I did love the fact that there wasn’t a ton of relationship dram in this book. Both characters were awesome, and I’m really excited for the next two books in this series.

I would recommend this story.

Title: Not So Nice Guy
Author: R.S. Grey
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Summary

“Oh my god. Who that?”
I get asked this question a lot.
“Oh him?” I reply. “That’s just Ian.”

Just Ian is the biggest understatement of the century.
Just the Mona Lisa. Just the Taj Mahal. Just Ian, with his boring ol’ washboard abs and dime-a-dozen dimpled smile.

Just Ian is… just my best friend.

We’re extremely close, stuck so deep inside a Jim-and-Pam-style friendzone everyone at works assumes we’re a couple – that is until one day, word spreads through the teacher’s lounge that he’s single. Fair game. Suddenly, it’s open season on Ian.

He should be reveling in all the newfound attention, but to our mutual surprise, the only attention he seems to want is mine.

He’s turning our formerly innocent nightly chats into x-rated phone calls. Our playful banter sports a new, dangerous edge.

I want to assume he’s playing a prank on me, just pushing my buttons like always – but when Ian lifts me onto the desk in my classroom and slides his hands up my skirt, he doesn’t leave a lot of room for confusion.

I’m a little scared of things going south, of losing my best friend because I can’t keep my hands to myself. So, I’m just going to back away and not return this earth-shattering kiss – oh who am I kidding?!

Goodbye Ian, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal!

Helloooo mister not so nice guy.

Review

After Arrogant Devil, which I loved and gave 5 stars, I was very excited to get my hands on R.S. Grey’s new book. While it wasn’t a 5 star read, it was a solid 4 star for sure.

Sam and Ian have been best friends for 3 years. They teach at the same school. Oh, and they are secretly in love with one another. I don’t know about you, but I’m a firm believer that men and women can’t be friends unless they are in committed relationships. But that’s just me.

This book took a few turns I was not expecting, but I really enjoyed it. Ian. Just Ian is so amazing. I loved him so very much. He was so sweet and considerate to Sam. He loved his mom and dad. He coached soccer. I mean really, what’s not to like!

Sam is a great character as well. She’s a little spitfire. She was a little insecure, and felt she wasn’t good enough for Ian, but she as really great and sweet. I didn’t love her parents – there were pretty awful – well, her mom was.

It seemed that the other teachers, the females, were pretty accurately written.  I felt like this was an accurate representation of teachers in a high school.

This book also had a great epilogue. So that made me happy:)

Overall, this was a cute read and I would recommend.

Title: Sweet Dreams
Author: Nina Lane
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Romance
Where I got it: Kindle Freebie

Goodreads Summary

Sugar Rush Candy Company CEO Luke Stone is a devoted businessman who doesn’t do relationships. He does short-term affairs with clearly defined rules. But when a sexy bohemian angel propositions him in a bar, Luke is tempted to want more.

Polly Lockhart is horrified when she wakes the morning after her twenty-third birthday to realize she made a fool of herself with a sinfully delicious man. She tells herself she doesn’t have time for romance anyway, as she’s fighting to keep her mother’s beloved bakery afloat and finish her culinary studies. That all changes when her class tours the famed Sugar Rush headquarters, and Polly collides with her dream man again.

As she succumbs to their hot attraction, Polly soon realizes her bakery isn’t the only thing that needs saving. Luke, driven and unyielding, will burn out unless someone convinces him to taste the sweetness of life. But can Polly remember this sugar rush is only temporary?

Review

I got this as an Amazon freebie, was in between ARC’s and waiting for the new R.S. Grey to come out, so I thought I’d give this book a try.

Polly’s life was in a rut – she was dating a boring guy who never went out (sounds like my first serious boyfriend, whom I’ve dubbed the “world’s youngest coach potato”). Her friend tells her to get out and have some fun. At a bar, she gets drunk and meets Luke Stone, kisses the crap out of him, then proceeds to puke all over his shoes. She’s mortified.

Polly’s also in a culinary class (she owns a bakery) and her class takes a field trip to Sugar Rush, a local candy company. While on a tour, she comes face to face with the man she puked all over – and he’s happy to see her again.

Polly and Luke’s story was cute, but man was it LONG. This book could have been one hundred pages shorter and it would have been much more enjoyable. Way too much inner dialogue on both sides (especially since the story was told in the third person).

There were a few side stories I didn’t really care for – one involving Polly’s sister, and one involving Luke’s aunt. I liked Luke’s dad Warren, and his brother Evan, who the next book is about – but I’m not sure I liked them enough to read on. I’ll have to see.

This was a “sweet” story. There wasn’t an epilogue, which was a bummer, but I enjoyed the ending. Luke’s character development was much better written than Polly’s as well. Overall, the story was just ok for me.