Falling for Her Billionaire Best Friend by Maria Hoagland {Review}

Falling for Her Billionaire Best Friend by Maria Hoagland

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: July 9th 2019 by Red Leaves Press 

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

    

Kissing your best friend is a gamble. One amazing lip-lock could destroy the friendship or be the start of true love—but you won’t know unless you try it . . .
 
WELCOME TO THE COVE
With heavy iron gates, two security stations, and a groundskeeper's cottage, The Cove has everything a billionaire could ask for in a home. Dubbed Billionaire Bachelor Cove because of the residents' single status and income portfolios, The Cove is the perfect place to hide away from the world. But, as the residents soon find out, they can't hide from love.

♥♥   FALLING FOR HER BILLIONAIRE BEST FRIEND   ♥♥
Billionaire next-door neighbors Mary Alice Howe and Ryland Neilson have mothers who are are lifelong best friends. But throwing their children together for everything from Camelot Cruise birthday parties to cotillion classes has ensured a close friendship, not the hoped-for romance.
Excited to become the newest CEO of his father's company, Ryland takes a risk that just might ruin the company. Taking a chance on a relationship with his best friend Mary Alice, however, seems even more foolish. Sure, he’s had a slight crush on her for a while now, but they can’t get their timing right to give a romantic relationship a shot.
Already unsure what she wants to do with her career and her relationship with pro soccer player Camden Sharpe, adding new and thrilling feelings for her best friend causes Mary Alice’s world to spin upside-down. One thing she does know is that she wants a fairy-tale romance. Ryland may look like the part of the handsome prince—tall, dark, and gorgeous—but can a woman be swept off her feet by someone she shared orthodontist appointments with?
When a personal ad brings the two together, they realize that maybe they don’t actually know everything about each other. Discovering new sides to their personalities adds a surprising layer to their relationship. Yet when old expectations arise, they’ll have to decide if it’s better to stay in the safety of the friend-zone or jump down the rabbit hole of the unknown and risk everything for love.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
 
Inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, this full-length sweet/clean contemporary billionaire romance is similar to your favorite Hallmark movie and will bring a smile to your day!

My Review: 4 Stars

This installment of the Billionaire Cove series is inspired by Alice in Wonderland, but I didn't totally get the references. The quotes at the beginning of the chapters did show some of their feelings and emotions, but the plot didn't seem to follow Alice's story at all, aside from the names--Mary Alice and her parents, Lewis and Carol.

Mary Alice and Ryland have been best friends for years and their families would love for them to get together, but the stars have never aligned. The book goes back and forth between their points-of-view and I did enjoy reading about their inner thoughts and feelings. Maria Hoagland always does a great job of portraying her characters in ways that make them easier to relate to and sympathize with. Although new feelings arise, I felt the romance was on a very slow track, which is probably more natural for life-long friends, but I wanted more. 

I did think it was fun to have these two discover unknowns about each other, because sometimes when you know someone for so long, you think you know everything there is to know about them. Surprises like these are good. I also liked the Steampunk elements, which made the story unique. This is a sweet, realistic romance and I really did enjoy it.

Content: mild romance 

The Billionaire's Mountain Bride by Elizabeth Bromke {Review}

The Billionaire's Mountain Bride: Married in Maplewood (Maplewood Sisters #5) by Elizabeth Bromke

Kindle Edition, 122 pages

Published July 1st 2019 

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

    

Fans of Debbie Macomber will enjoy this sweet take on the country mouse and the city mouse. The Billionaire's Mountain Bride is the first installment in a heartwarming spin-off series following the lives of four small-town sisters.

Maplewood innkeeper Mary Delaney always thought she'd marry a down-home local. Until she met big-city billionaire Kurt Cutler. Early love gave way to a blissful engagement. But as the wedding date nears, Mary finds out Kurt's wealthy lifestyle may not be compatible with her small-town values. She questions whether her fiancé really is “the one" or if her dream wedding is clouding her judgment.

Kurt Cutler found his soul mate in sweet Mary Delaney. But marriage means compromise. Kurt has to move his booming tech business and big-city lifestyle to Maplewood Mountain, where campfires reign king and the internet is a thing of the future.

Kurt must decide if he can assimilate into Maplewood and into Mary’s life. And Mary must decide if it's a marriage she wants...or just a wedding.

Order and find out what becomes of Maplewood's first romantic duo, Mary and Kurt.

My Review: 4 Stars

This is such a sweet series, but I don't think a reader would be lost starting with this one. Yes, the backstory to Kurt and Mary's romance makes it that much better to know, because you realize that it's not always a happily-ever-after once the book ends, but there are still issues to work through. Relationships can be difficult, especially when two people from such opposite worlds are trying to merge onto common ground. Bromke does a great job of showing these differences and allowing the reader into the lives of these characters for a time.

Love knows no bounds, no incomes, and no lifestyles, as is apparent with Kurt and Mary. I enjoyed watching them figure things out, as they finally lock down a wedding date and deal with expectations, hopes, and dreams. I grew to love Kurt and Mary and was excited to read more about their story.


Content: mild romance

The Billionaire's Mountain Bride is the Maplewood Sisters saga finale but the first installment in the spin-off series, Married in Maplewood. Readers will most appreciate reading about the Delaney sisters in chronological order. Check out these other titles today:
Christmas on Maplewood Mountain (Meet the youngest sister, Mary, just before she lays eyes on Kurt Cutler)
Maplewood in Love (Follow Mary and Kurt into their short story sequel, where love at first sight struggles to survive)
Return to Maplewood (Find out if middle-child Anna can slow down with blue-collar stud Dutch McCree)
Missing in Maplewood (Fall in love with older sister, Erica, and her husband Ben, who might be falling out of love in this dramatic suspense)
Murder in Maplewood (Oldest sister, Bo, needs a partner in crime to uncover Maplewood's darkest secret. Is Keegan Flanagan up to the task?)
The Billionaire's Mountain Bride, Married in Maplewood (Can Maplewood's favorite couple overcome their differences? Find out if a wedding in is store for sweet Mary Delaney and her handsome Prince Charming)

Before We Say Goodbye by Michelle Pennington {Review}

Before We Say Goodbye (Summer of First Kisses #1) by Michelle Pennington

Kindle Edition, 138 pages

Published June 28th 2019 

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

    

My first kiss has always belonged to him.
I've always shared everything with my best friend—except my biggest secret.
She doesn't know I have a crush on her big brother.
There's a really good reason I've never told her. She hates all the girls who throw themselves at Tate. The last thing I want is for her to start hating me too.
But now that we've graduated and I'm about to leave for college, suddenly I've realized how much I'll regret never taking a chance on what I want most.
Then she dares me to kiss someone before summer ends—a push to break me out of my shell. So really, she can only blame herself for this, right?
Because I've always intended my first kiss to be with Tate. And I'm starting to think he won't mind. In fact, he might want it as much as I do.

If you love best friends and first love in a story that will make you laugh and swoon and die for more, grab this book today! 

My Review: 4 Stars

Kat has just graduated from high school and has never been kissed, but she's sure been crushing hard on her best friend's older brother. Piper, the friend, has a mission to see her three best friends kissed by summer's end. There's something always intriguing to me about this trope and it was fun to watch it unfold, especially with a few unexpected twists.

Summertime is magical, especially when you live in Florida by the beach, but when you add a first love, first kiss, and first romance into the equation, it's like unicorns and rainbows. Tate is a typical older brother and a huge flirt, but once he gives his heart, there's no question about where he stands.

Once that first kiss was given, butterflies erupted in an earth shattering movement across my stomach because Holy Swoon! That kiss was well worth the wait!

These characters are sweet and fun, but I wished a few parts had been developed a little more. I wanted more juicy details and wasn't completely satisfied--it was like eating half a donut, instead of  the whole thing. But the story line is fun and definitely swoony, and I'm excited to read the rest of this new series!

Content: mild romance (kissing, swoony)

The Burned Billionaire by Jennifer Griffith {Review}

The Burned Billionaire by Jennifer Griffith

Kindle Edition, 210 pages

Publication: June 28th 2019

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

 

    

 

He’s a burned spy with one last chance in the field to recover his life and fortune. She’s a divorced teacher on a mission to rediscover her lost self.

Understated billionaire and intelligence operative, Birch Cardon is searching to know who burned him and destroyed his career at the CIA. Another agency, the shady Entity, has offered him a second chance. If he fulfills a series of missions for them, they’ll not only unlock his accounts, they’ll give him his life back.

Or so they say.

Spies never know whom to trust.

With one last mission to fulfill, Birch jumps at the chance to head back to his college town of Getaway Bay to prevent the kidnapping of a diplomat’s daughter. Working undercover at a bakery, he’s going to save the girl and himself in one fell swoop.

High school English teacher and former cheerleader at Birch’s university, Arden Pike is fresh off a bad divorce after her dead marriage finally buried itself. Because her counselor friend encouraged her to head to a place where she remembers being the Real Arden, she returns to Getaway Bay.

However, her choice of old friends to reconnect with is a huge mistake. Her party-gal pal leaves Arden high and dry—with no phone, no ID, and no access to her hotel room. Arden is stranded.

Then, Arden shows up in Birch’s bake shop desperately hoping to meet her missing flaky friend. He can’t believe his eyes. Could the girl of his college-years dreams who dumped him hardcore possibly be his contact for this mission?

When he signed up for this job, what this burned billionaire didn’t know was that his second chance wouldn’t be just at salvaging his career—but at reclaiming love with the girl who got away. 

 

My Review: 4 Stars

 

I love Jennifer Griffith's books and this one was no exception. Birch and Arden have a slightly different story, as there is an element of suspense that flavors the swoony romance with a hint of danger. 

 

Birch and Arden reconnect in a surprising way and I love a second chance romance, especially with "the one who got away." Birch has sacrificed much in his life to save the world and it comes at a high cost. Arden is trying to find herself again after her divorce and their immediate connection is spontaneously rekindled in a bakery. Birch and Arden had a deep connection based on intellect, Shakespeare, Donne, and other poetry and words and they are able to pick right up where they left off. I was intrigued with their association and ability to finish each other's quotes. They are each quirky, yet complementary to one another's character, and I enjoyed watching their connection deepen as they spent time trying to figure out a solution to their sticky situation.

I love Hawaii and really appreciated the unique aspect to the setting. While the plot is sticky and slightly suspenseful, it's not intense. Being trapped in a situation with someone attractive definitely made their predicament entertaining and bearable and I loved the swoon.

 

Content: mild romance (some innuendo, kissing); mild peril/danger

Identity (Kingdom Chronicles #3) by Camille Peters {Review}

Identity (The Kingdom Chronicles #3) by Camille Peters

Kindle Edition, 351 pages

Published June 25th 2019 

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

 

    

 

Anwen's uncanny resemblance to Princess Lavena has been a curse since the moment she entered her service, as the spoiled princess has frequently used it to her advantage by forcing Anwen to switch places with her. But Princess Lavena’s latest scheme is her worst—and most dangerous—yet: compelling Anwen to take the princess’s place in her marriage to her loathed fiancé, Prince Liam.

Bound by an enchanted contract not to reveal the charade, Anwen is forced to go through with the masquerade and endure a marriage to a man who despises the woman he believes her to be. As time goes on, Anwen struggles not only to maintain her identity, but to fight her deepening feelings as she begins to fall in love with her new husband, a man who not only isn't hers to keep, but who has no idea who she really is.

** Inspired by “The Goose Girl” **

 

My Review: 4.5 Stars

 

First off, this series has some of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen! Secondly, this series is great! I wasn't in love with the last book, but this one had my heart swooning in a snap.

 

Anwen has been the diva princess's servant for years and they look almost identical to one another. When Princess Lavena places a curse on Anwen, forcing her to take her place in an arranged marriage with Prince Liam, a whole new world opens up.

 

Anwen has the heart of a saint and is one of the most good, kind, and generous souls around. It takes a minute, but her true self starts breaking down the walls surrounding Liam's heart. I absolutely adored Anwen and didn't envy her situation one little bit! As the chemistry ignited, I found myself falling in love with this union as the characters battled their emotions and the lies and enchantment that swirled around them.

 

Liam is one of the most charming, attentive, and attractive men to grace the screen of my Kindle, but I was slightly disappointed that love turned him into a sappy pile of mush. Don't get me wrong, I loved that, but I wanted to see some of the mischievous antics that he was known for in the previous books emerge here and there, because that's what really caught my attention. I know that love can change and soften a person, but I wanted him to retain that thread of truth to himself too.

 

This is a story that mainly focuses on love and for a loophole for love to conquer all and that sang straight to my heart. I loved getting to know some of the other characters better, along this journey to happily ever after, and I'm crossing my fingers that Nolan and Archer get stories eventually. I also adored Liam's sisters and would love stories of them too. Wow--if I get my way, I'll be busy reading for the next little while. 😉

 

Content: mild+ romance (swoony, light innuendo, kissing) 

Falling for My Best Friend by Victorine E. Lieski {Review}

Falling for My Best Friend by Victorine E. Lieski

Kindle Edition

Publication: July 2nd 2019 

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

 

    

 

It was just a fake kiss. It wasn't supposed to make my heart stop.

He was my best friend since...forever. Parker was just, Parker. Dependable. A little geeky but so was I. And we weren't supposed to have chemistry. I was in love with Lucas. Dreamy, hot Lucas. But Lucas was in love with Charlotte, which stunk.

And then I kissed Parker and my world shifted and I started to wonder, was Lucas the one for me? Or was I chasing after the wrong guy?

 

My Review: 4 Stars

 

Hannah and Parker have been best friends forever and they get along so well. So when Hannah decides she needs Parker's help to get new guy, Lucas, to notice her, the fireworks fly, but not in the direction that Hannah was expecting them to go.

 

I love a good friends-to-lovers story and this one brought back a lot of old high school feelings, as the angst, drama, and romance was so well written. I would love to see this story in a dual point of view, as I was left guessing at Parker's intentions and feelings. It would have been fun to watch both perspectives unfold. These are great characters, although Hannah did come across as a little spoiled and bratty at times, and even admitted to her little tantrums. I also enjoyed seeing glimpses of previous characters in this story. It's like getting an extra epilogue of sorts. 

 

This series is charming, sweet, and wholesome, giving the reader flashbacks to teen life (in a good way) and bringing a smile to the face.

 

Content: mild romance  

Awake at Widmore Manor by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee {Review}

Awake at Widmore Manor by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Kindle Edition, 147 pages

Published June 15th 2019
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

   

A violent storm. A sleepless night. A test.
Emma Widmore has longed to return to her childhood home since the day she was forced to leave it after her father’s death. Widmore Manor represents every hope Emma has ever had and every person she has ever loved. When she feels drawn back to Widmore Manor on a stormy night, she is granted refuge by the one person she is sure would still know her after all these years. But when James Atwood—heir of Widmore Manor and Emma’s childhood friend—shows nothing but suspicion, Emma’s hope falters. After hearing rumors of a test—a standard—that other young women have failed, Emma worries that she, too, will fail. As Emma seeks to understand this test, she must be reconciled with her past and learn what being home truly means.
 
Readers have fallen in love with this unique and moving regency retelling of The Princess and the Pea. 

My Review: 4 Stars

This story is a fun and darling retelling of The Princess and the Pea--Regency style. Emma and her family were forced to leave their home at the death of her father. A true display of character is shown when hard times are endured and Emma is a truly genuine and positive young woman. She went from having it all to having nothing, yet she is able to find the best in all situations and is able to learn so much about who she is and how she can contribute in life. The relationship she has with her sister's family is so endearing and sweet.

I love the connection that Emma feels with nature and especially the pea aspect. Widmore Manor draws her back in and although the new heir is her childhood friend, there are many rumors about him and his heart breaker ways. The relationship that rekindles is so perfect!

I love a fun and fresh fairy tale retelling and felt that this one delivered. While having new aspects, key elements were retained, making it feel new, yet familiar.

Content: mild romance

Find the other books in the series: 

The Fairest Heart by Heather Chapman
The Midnight Heiress by Ashtyn Newbold 
Spun of Gold by Jen Geigle Johnson 
Beauty's Rose by Rebecca J. Greenwood 
Awake at Widmore Manor by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee