Falling for Centerfield by Sophia Summers {Review}

Falling for Centerfield by Sophia Summers

Kindle Edition, 211 pages

Published March 4th 2019

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

  

Cole has secrets.
Harlow has a past.
Will the part of his life Cole hides tear them apart, or become the very thing she loves most about him?

Major League Baseball Player, Cole Hunter, has strong ties to his college days and the university he shared with five of his best friends, now known as the #BellTownSixPack. When an old acquaintance, Harlow Ember, walks in, wearing his jersey and his signature sunglasses, he knows this woman might have what it takes to capture his heart. But none of Cole’s typical efforts to gain a girl’s attention seem to work on Harlow.

Harlow Ember is asked to report on a charity event for children back in Belltown sponsored by Cole Hunter and the Six Pack. Even though Cole attracts her in all the right ways, she has goals of her own that don’t involve losing her heart to one more guy who will end up leaving her cold. While her trust is at an all-time low, her interest and attraction are a raging pull in the other direction.

Will her hurts from the past and the secrets he hides work in their favor or end things before they can even begin?

My Review: 5 Stars

These #BellTownSixPack boys have my heart. I love reading about each member of the former college team and their road to love, as well as seeing where their baseball experiences have led them. I especially love watching them make appearances in each other's stories.

Cole is not only a Major League Baseball player, he's also a major league player, with a different woman on his arm at every turn. I love how his signature sunglasses play such a symbolic role in revealing (or hiding) who he truly is. 

Harlow is a little jock-shy after being burned in the past, but the undeniable attraction she feels towards Cole thrusts her into his charms time and time again. 

With a lot of give (making out) and take (misunderstandings galore), this couple's story is entertaining and charming, especially once the heart is uncovered. 

Content: mild, swoony romance  

Catching Waves by Kimberly Krey {Review}

Catching Waves by Kimberly Krey

Kindle Edition, 211 pages

Published April 3rd 2019 by Candle House Publishing 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

    

When surf instructor Carly Bridger falls for Gage Craven, she discovers the love she’s always longed for. But will the painful parts of her past threaten to tear it away?

Gage Craven has finally gained his famous father’s approval by agreeing to star in a Hollywood film. And while he’s basking in the feels of being his old man’s pride and joy, Gage can’t help but worry over the many ways he could lose it. Topping Dad’s must-do list are two very simple words: Stay Single. After all, what other father and son team could claim to have taken the title of Hollywood’s Most Eligible Bachelor? But when Carly Bridger surfs in and takes Gage’s life by storm, he stands to lose the relationship he worked so hard to earn. No doubt Carly’s worth the risk, but will Gage’s Hollywood ties scare her away?

Second-grade teacher Carly Bridger is on the verge of breaking free from her past—namely, a cowboy poet named Jimmy who loves his broken heart more than her. Carly can only hope her summer job teaching surf at the Royal Palm will move her one step closer to the life she longs for. That hope comes to life when Hollywood hunk, Gage Craven, shows Carly she is able to feel something for another man after all. Yet just as hope for a future with Gage begins to flourish, the past she’s trying to forget comes back to haunt her.

Will these crashing tides destroy their budding relationship, or will their new love be strong enough to survive the storm?

My Review: 5 Stars

The Royal Palm resort is the perfect setting for this swoony romance and I'm ready to book my vacation now! Carly is a teacher during the school year, and a surf instructor at the resort during the summers. Gage is an up-and-coming actor who needs to learn to surf for his new movie and the insta-sparks fly from the first time their eyes meet. Oh, my swoon (insert all the heart eyes).

Carly has a painful secret from her past and I love how Gage brings a breath of fresh air to her life and helps her see what can be and what she needs to do to move on. She is so sweet and deserves more. Gage is charming, persistent, and absolutely adorable! He almost seems to good to be true, but he's got something to overcome too. I love when a story reveals relatable characters and their human characteristics, while still delivering a story worth reading.

In a perfect setting, filled with sun, surf, and swoon, the mistress of steamy clean romance strikes again, offering a powerful tale with a heartbreaking issue and presenting a flicker of hope that is fanned by the flames of forgiveness, maturity, and rock-solid characters. Grab a fan and a tropical drink, and sit back and enjoy.

Content: mild romance (a past mistake, swoony kissing) 

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed by Obert Skye {Spotlight}

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed by Obert Skye

Kindle Edition, 416 pages

Published March 19th 2019 by Shadow Mountain 

 

    

 

Ozzy Toffy’s adventure, which began in Wizard for Hire, continues when one dark and windy night, he gets out of bed, jumps out his window, and walks straight into the ocean.
More than ever, Ozzy could really use the services of Rin, the wizard he hired to help find his parents—but Rin is missing, despite Ozzy’s continual attempts to contact him. And Clark, the mechanical bird his father left him, is as peculiar and vain as ever.
When a mysterious package arrives, Ozzy and his good friend Sigi are sure that the plane ticket and thumb drive they find inside are from Rin. Trying to get Clark through security at the airport proves complicated—as most things are with Clark. But when they arrive in New York, they discover there’s even more adventure in store for them.
Will Rin return and save the day? Will Ozzy figure out why he keeps walking into the ocean? Can Sigi find a way to trust her delinquent father? Will someone please appreciate Clark the way he’d like to be appreciated? For once?
Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed is a story filled with humor and excitement that shows us the magic in everyday things.

Recommended for: ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 to 9

Miss Adeline's Match by Joanna Barker {Blog Tour Review + Giveaway}

Miss Adeline's Match by Joanna Barker

Paperback, 263 pages

Published April 1st 2019 by Covenant Communications 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

    

Miss Adeline Hayes is the perfect lady's companion: pleasant, conversational, and unceasingly proper. But when her closest friend, Charity Edgeworth, breaks off her arranged marriage without explanation, even Adeline's superior skills are put to the test. Charity's father banishes the two young women to the country, sending Adeline with a charge to find Charity a husband or suffer dire consequences.

As Adeline takes on the role of reluctant matchmaker, she discovers more than one obstacle in her path. Not only does Charity prefer escaping in books to socializing, but Adeline soon finds her own attentions distracted by the standoffish—and irritatingly handsome—Mr. Evan Whitfield. Amidst an eventful foxhunt and the unexpected arrival of Charity's former betrothed, Adeline simply doesn't have time for a battle of wits with Evan. But the two are continually drawn together until Adeline begins to question her tightly guarded convictions about love and marriage.

However, when secrets are revealed and truths made known, Adeline must face her most fearsome obstacle yet: herself.

My Review: 4 Stars

Adeline will do almost anything for her closest friend, Charity, but she almost takes things too far in her matchmaking attempts. Addie seems slightly selfish in her efforts to thwart a former suitor, yet she's completely selfless in helping a young boy and his family. It's safe to say that her loyalties lie deep and she'll stop at nothing to help those she's loyal to.

Maybe it's even safe to say that Adeline's emotions run deep. Her intense dislike, and undeniable attraction, to Mr. Whitfield is quite apparent from the first encounter. The romance is a slow-to-grow type, which is good in this tangled up tale of secrets.

This is a classic case of an enemies-to-lovers romance and leans more towards enemies for a good chunk of the first half. I always wonder what a couple thinks when they look back on their first interactions. 

I loved the secondary cast of characters and the way Adeline was able to form connections with some of them. The foxhunt and other activities that draws this group together were entertaining and made this story delightfully charming.

Content: mild romance

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Schedule:

*April 1^st: http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, https://brightlystreet.com/, https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/,

*April 2^nd: http://empowermoms.net/, http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/, https://www.lovebugsandpostcards.com/

*April 3^rd: http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/

*April 4^th: http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/ , https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/ , http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/

*April 5^th: https://www.wishfulendings.com/, http://www.kindleandme.com/, http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://sweetlymadejustforyou.com/ , http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/

In the Pursuit of Eden by Stephanie Fowers {Review}

In the Pursuit of Eden by Stephanie Fowers

Kindle Edition, 543 pages

Published April 1st 2019 by Triad Media and Entertainment 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

 

    

 

Everyone wants to find Eden’s Paradise. Except Ivy.

Ivy is a city girl through and through. So when she follows her twin brother into the forests of the Uintas to make a documentary about looking for a treasure that’s plagued her family for generations, she’s a little out of her element. It's the same treasure that ended her father's life. Add to that her run-ins with the dashing, but infuriating Aiden Hunter. The Southern hottie has rescued her so many times that it’s getting embarrassing. Of course, she’d be more grateful if she didn’t suspect him of putting her in danger in the first place—a danger that keeps growing the closer they get to the truth.

Forced to be allies, the two are thrown into each other’s paths, and she realizes that she has more in common with him than she thought. While Ivy searches for clues in the journal of a wayward saloon girl, Eden, to discover a life that mirrors her own, Hunter fights the demons in a past that seems tangled up in hers. His secrets are hers. The only way to get at the truth is to find an uneasy truce… and maybe something more because Hunter may not be the enemy. In fact, he may be the one who needs rescuing. Now, Ivy has to figure out who she wants by her side, and what she’s willing to give up for love.

After all, Paradise was never meant to be found alone.

 

My Review: 5 Stars

 

I didn't even read what this one was about before I started it and *surprise!* It wasn't anything like I was expecting, but I absolutely loved it. The twists and turns kept me guessing; the mysterious danger lurking in the shadowy trees and on the peripheral edges of the plot had me checking over my shoulder more than once; and the romance gradually bubbling up like a slow moving geyser left me frantically turning pages, eagerly seeking more of that swoon.

 

The story is overflowing with fantastic characters, both good and bad, and I could vividly picture all of them. The locals had me laughing and the "Southern hottie" had me swooning, but it was average, down-on-her-luck Ivy that I really connected with.

 

This book has adventure aplenty and combined with the secrets, I was on edge. But I loved every minute of it. As these delicious characters tumbled together and their lives became intertwined, I was completely caught up in the plot and even tried my own hand at solving this age-old mystery. *Hint* I couldn't do it, hah!

Content: mild, swoony romance; mild+ moments of danger/peril

Cash Valley: To Bring One Down by Ryan K. Nelson {Review}

Cash Valley: To Bring One Down by Ryan K. Nelson

Kindle Edition, 222 pages

Published January 6th 2018 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

    

Agent Alex Travis returns to Cache Valley in search of an escaped prisoner, who bears a striking resemblance to one of the gang members Jack killed in the shootout in Green Canyon four years earlier. His instincts are leading him in the right direction, but he continues to be one step behind the man seeking revenge on Jack & Kate, and their young daughter, Emma. By not telling the whole truth of the missing bank money at the time of the recovery, Agent Travis has put them all in jeopardy. He must now decide if he can solve this case on this own, in time to save his friends, or if he risks asking for help from the Bureau and ruining his career in the process, a possibility that could land him in jail as well. In a race to see who finds who first, the search shifts to nearby Logan Canyon, where Agent Travis will be tested by his own conscience as much as by the man he’s hunting. 

My Review: 5 Stars

You don't need to necessarily read Book 1 to capture the full flavor of this book. I don't retain books well and I read the first one awhile ago, and flashes came back to me, but this story holds up all on it's own in a very suspenseful way. I was grasped and held captive from start to finish and it was especially fun for me because this is where I grew up. I loved picturing this places how they must have been 60+ years ago.

The lives of an FBI agent, an escaped convict, and a young, innocent couple all collide in a truly terrifying tale of danger and I couldn't read this one fast enough. I was stunned by the ingenuity these characters had while facing a sudden shock. How could they function in the face of this kind of peril?! I would be frozen with fear, but no. These are clever and resourceful characters.

This story is fast paced and highly entertaining and I can't wait to finish off the series.

Content: mild-moderate moments of peril/danger/violence; mild language

Saved by the Billionaire by Michelle Pennington {Review}

Saved by the Billionaire by Michelle Pennington

Kindle Edition, 162 pages

Published March 29th 2019 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

    

Protecting her got complicated.  
The boy she loved became the man she couldn’t have.

Warren Drake was an unattainable dream, so Kara forced herself to move on.

When she married Derrick Fenton, Warren made her a promise. If she ever needed him, he would be there. No matter what. Had he known what kind of man Derrick was? She hadn’t—until it was too late.

Divorced and alone with her infant son to protect, Warren’s promise became her only hope.
 
He got the call he’d always dreaded.

Learning that Kara was in trouble, Warren dropped everything and went to her. Anything for the woman who still haunted his dreams. But she wasn’t the only one who needed protection—so did the baby she'd kept a secret.

A marriage of convenience seemed like the perfect solution—Warren just had to lock away his feelings. There was no way he could ask Kara for more when she was still in danger and emotionally vulnerable.

Sailing away on his yacht would buy them time before they had to confront her ex.
But now they have to confront an even more powerful force—their feelings for each other.
They have to keep their distance, but they’re so…close.
 
This suspenseful, swoony romance will keep you in breathless anticipation. Get it now!  
 

My Review: 5 Stars

I'm all over a marriage of convenience, especially when an author can weave one into a modern day romance. This little gem has a little bit of everything: a single mom, a vicious ex, a childhood friend/crush, and a plan. All bets for a real romance are off as the danger escalates,, my friends, and this one captivates from start to finish.

I loved these characters. The author makes this connection believable and especially portrays their individual feelings regarding this situation with an intensity that made me swoon. Warren swept me off on his yacht, right along with Kara, and I wasn't mad about it. 
I loved the interactions with cute baby Aiden, but it was the moments with Kara and Warren that really stole my heart. The danger lurking about only made the romance and Warren's protectiveness that much sweeter.

Content: mild, swoony romance; mild moments of danger