All For You (Pine Valley #8) by Heather B. Moore {Review}

All For You (Pine Valley #8) by Heather B. Moore

Kindle Edition, 245 pages

Published May 1st 2019 by Mirror Press 

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

    

Life has always been about the game for pro-hockey player Tyler Nelson, but when he meets attorney Lindsey Gerber, Tyler discovers his feelings for Lindsey are anything but a game.

USA Today bestselling author Heather B. Moore welcomes you to Pine Valley!

Crash and burn pretty much describes Lindsey Gerber’s last six months at her law firm where she hoped to make partner. Now, every goal she’s made is suddenly out the window. She moves to Pine Valley, looking for a new start. On day one she meets pro hockey player Tyler Nelson, who’s recovering from an injury and in a physical therapy program that includes nature things like hiking the ski resort, which he hates, and makes no secret of. He also makes no secret of his interest in Lindsey. Their lives are two worlds apart though, and it will take one of them changing everything to make a relationship work.  

My Review: 5 Stars 

This series is one of my favorites! From the adorable covers to the fantastic characters within, Pine Valley and its residents, both new and old, have my whole heart captured.

Nelson is a big, tough, NHL goalkeeper rehabing in Pine Valley and his first meet with Lindsey had me gasping and blushing. Of course, she's not too sure about him at first, but who can resist the charm of a lumbering gentleman? I definitely couldn't, hah! Just like Lindsey, I'm not a big hockey fan, but if my love interest played, that would change in a heartbeat. I love how different they are, yet how they support each other so much.

What I loved best about this story is the way the characters are so human. They're flawed, struggling with some pretty big issues, and yet they're so likable. In fact, I think that's what makes so easy to relate to. And as a bonus, Nelson and Lindsey have a connection to be jealous of.

I always love the secondary characters in these stories and often wonder if there will be a story about them someday, but I must admit that I squealed when one of the Belltown Six baseball players made a brief appearance! What a fun crossover.

I hope this series continues on, because I'm in love with Pine Valley!

Content: mild romance; mild language; mild harassment

Gold (Heart of a Miner Book 2) by Krystal Anderson {Review}

Gold (Heart of a Miner Book 2) by Krystal M. Anderson

ebook, 134 pages

Published February 28th 2019 

Source: Kindle Unlimited

    

Seeking a fresh start outside of his outlaw father’s shadow, Charlie Montgomery finds Silver City, Idaho Territory to be the perfect boom town for his adventurous soul. But when gold is discovered at the Crown Point silver mine where he is hired on, the gunslingers of his past reappear, putting Charlie and everything he holds dear in danger.

She could never marry a miner, Virginia was sure, not after her father was killed in a mining accident last year. Yet something about Charlie draws her like a bee to honey, and despite pressure from another suitor, she takes a chance on him. With her father's debts to pay, Virginia desperately engages in an unsavory one-time deal, realizing she can't outrun the consequences forever. Can Charlie be the steadfast companion and helpmeet whom she so desperately seeks?

A sweet historical romance packed full of adventure that is sure to inspire!

My Review: 5 Stars

Unfortunately, a father's sins are often reflected onto a child, and in this case, Charlie is trying to get out from under his outlaw father's shadow of the life of crime. He moves to a new town, hoping for a new start, but his father's shadow follows him.

Charlie is such a fun character, with his winsome personality and persistence. He's willing to take risks and do what needs to be done to protect those he cares about, especially Virginia. My favorite lessons from this story are that everyone should be allowed to make a name for himself and that true love can conquer all.

In a perilous adventure, this story has gunslingers, danger, and romance seeping out of the woodwork, and it's all very enjoyable. I love this wild west time period of history and thought this story did well to capture the highlights.

Content: mild romance; mild violence/danger 

Gloved Heart by Charlotte Brentwood {Review}

Gloved Heart (Hearts of Amberley #2) by Charlotte Brentwood

Kindle Edition, 225 pages

Published April 20th 2019 

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

 

    

 

Can she ever trust again?

Amy Miller is struggling to come to terms with her new life as a mother, while being a reluctant guest in a rigid gentry household. A victim of abuse, she is determined to never trust a man again.

Henry Russell has loved Amy for as long as he can remember, but his family want nothing to do with her. A chance encounter with Amy rekindles a friendship which might save both of them.

The discovery of a secret which holds the key to Amy’s past will change them both forever, and jeopardise any chance they have for happiness. Can Henry show Amy that true love will give her everything she could ever need?

Sensuality level: sweet (only kissing)
Some content may challenge sensitive readers. 

My Review: 3 Stars

Trust is a difficult thing to regain once it has been lost and Amy is learning that lesson firsthand. Wronged by a man, she struggles to trust anyone of that gender. Her life has been difficult lately, especially as she strives to find the balance between being a new mother and finding her place in society. Her newly rekindled friendship with Henry is a beautiful thing.

I liked Henry and the patience he shows towards a sometimes aggravating Amy. I love how their friendship slowly grows and really enjoyed watching them deal with the secrets that are unearthed as the story progresses.

There is some content that may be difficult for some readers to experience and it does cast a slight shadowy cloud over a good chunk of the story, but it's rewarding to watch the characters work through these hard issues. I enjoyed the story and know things like this must be talked about, but I relish the light and fluffy escapes best.

Content: mild romance (kissing); mild language used somewhat frequently; mild+ violence (vague talk of death, rape, etc)

Kissing the Boy Next Door by Judy Corry {Review}

Kissing the Boy Next Door by Judy Corry

Kindle Edition, 289 pages

Published April 7th 2019 

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

    

Talking to him is forbidden, so why can’t I stay away?

It’s been five years since Wes and I have spoken. Five years since he decided our friendship was less important than our parents’ fight. So when we’re forced to practice a duet together, I expect him to keep our contact to a minimum.

Instead, he’s telling me the feud between our parents has gone on long enough. That he misses me and wants to fix things between us.

But I’m not going to fall for it. I won’t fall for his charms like so many other girls have in the past.

If only my stupid heart would listen to my brain. Because kissing the boy next door is no way to fix a family feud.

Or is it?  

My Review: 4 Stars

Well, since I didn't really read what this one was about, I was caught by surprise--a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a friends-to-lovers story, but it's actually like a modern Romeo and Juliet, with these neighbors as enemies. 

Former best friends, Wes and Lauren, are victims of their parents long-time feud, but when they are forced together, both in running and choir, they realize there might be more to their relationship. There are some undeniable sparks of attraction that intensify as these two try and solve the mystery of the feud, and some pretty hefty secrets emerge as they chip away at it.  

I really enjoyed these characters, especially the easy-going and good-guy, Wes. He's a charmer and really helps Lauren loosen up, yet he's there for her through some hard times. As great as these teens are, their parents have some work to do, hah! I can understand their decisions, yet those choices caused a lot of years of heartbreak and missed relationships. But alas, who's perfect?

This is a great series and I love how each installment builds another piece of Sweet Water High.

Content: mild+ romance (kissing, vague talk of intimacy)

Whatever It Takes by Jessica Pack {Review}

Whatever It Takes by Jessica Pack

Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Publication: May 28th 2019 by Kensington 

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

    

Sienna has no memory of her late mother, yet every significant day of her life—birthdays, the first day of high school, graduation—has been marked by a letter written during her last weeks of life. Sienna knows her father feels grateful to be able to offer up these connections to the loving, talented woman his daughter never got a chance to know. Yet for Sienna herself, the letters have become a dreaded burden, a reminder that every milestone is less than it would be if both parents were still living.

A month before her twenty-fifth birthday, Sienna finds a lump. Facing a cancer diagnosis, Sienna begins to ask questions about her mother’s terminal illness—questions that reveal unsettling inconsistencies and voids in the stories she’s been told. The deeper she digs, the more the image of her mother as a contented homemaker warps into something much darker and far more troubling. If Sienna’s dad lied about this, what else did he lie about?

What does it mean to be a good parent? What role does the past play in who we are? And to what lengths should one go to protect a child? Like the best of Jodi Picoult, Whatever It Takes delves into these fascinating questions of family and identity with power, insight, and love.

My Review: 4 Stars 

Facing a serious health crisis, Sienna decides to ask questions about her mother, who died when she was only two years old, but discovers startling inconsistencies that lead her to dig deeper, finding a complex web of lies.

Marriage is challenging, but when combined with infertility, an overseas job, possible cancer, and other stresses, the breaking point for all of it can be achieved without much effort. My heart went out to Sienna, who tries to be strong and face everything pressing in on her alone. I could feel her desperate need for answers and thought the way the chapters went back and forth between past and present was a clever way to divulge the truth.

This tangled web of deception was interesting to watch unfold and really made me think about the impacts of family relationship and identity. Sienna's relationships are all complicated in one way or another and watching her sort out her connections with others, as well as the mystery surrounding her mother was satisfying. I enjoyed this one and thought it was well done, but wanted the vague threads of the story to have more resolution.

Content: moderate romance (affairs, innuendo, implied intimate relations); mild+ descriptions of drug use; moderate language

Snatching the Catcher by Rebecca Connolly {Review}

Snatching the Catcher by Rebecca Connolly

ebook, 220 pages

Published May 7th 2019 

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

 

    

 

Grizz is about to break all of the rules for something he never imagined he would be risking . . . His heart.

Rachel Bennett has spent her entire life reaching for her dreams to dance professionally, and has come close enough that she’s content with where she is. Enter Grizz McCarthy, one of her brother’s best friends and a member of the beloved Belltown Six Pack. Ranked as one of the hottest pro athletes of the year, Rachel finds there is so much more to Grizz than that, and soon he has her reaching for more.

Rachel should be off limits for David “Grizz” McCarthy. That’s a universally accepted fact, courtesy of his bond with his brothers in the Six Pack. But the more time he spends with Rachel, the less he cares about that fact, and what it could do to his friendships.

 

My Review: 5 Stars

 

It's been so much fun to get to know this group of baseball boys better and to read each man's love story. It's kind of an unwritten rule, or guy code, to stay away from your friend's little sister, but when Grizz runs into Rachel again at her mom's wedding, he's smitten. And after a few cute run-ins with this catcher, Rachel realizes that there's more to him than meets the eye and her eyes will never be the same after seeing his Sports Illustrated picture.

 

Grizz and Rachel have such a cute story, especially since they both share a massive love for baseball and have a sizzling chemistry that can't be ignored. They fall hard and fast, but they share a past, which makes it that much easier for them to take the shortcut to love.

 

This story wrapped my heart up into one big, comfy hug, with its familiar characters and swoony romance, and I'm looking forward to intimately knowing the last few members of the Belltown Six Pack.  

Content: mild+ romance (kissing, making out, swoony); mild language

A Proper Scandal by Esther Hatch {Blog Tour Review and Giveaway}

A Proper Scandal by Esther Hatch

Paperback, 222 pages

Published May 1st 2019 by Covenant Communications 

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

   

Grace Sinclair has been callously cast out of her home. And though taken in as an orphaned child by the vicar and his wife, her unsurpassed beauty makes it impossible for her to remain in the vicar’s household—with two daughters of their own about to enter Society, the vicar and his wife see Grace as nothing but competition. Thankfully, Grace’s estranged Aunt Bell has agreed to take her in to her home in London. But Grace soon learns her situation has just gotten much worse.

It takes only a moment’s acquaintance for Grace to ascertain that her aunt has married a detestable rake. And Aunt Bell, recognizing the danger of having her lovely niece too near her husband, gives Grace an ultimatum: the young woman has two weeks to find a man to marry, after which she will be turned out. With no experience in the art of attracting a husband, Grace quickly realizes that a worthy suitor might not be so easy to ensnare.

My Review: 5 Stars

Beauty can't give you everything in life, as Grace comes to discover. Unbelievably gorgeous, she's an orphan and has been asked to leave the vicar's home to allow for his daughters to find a match. Her aunt takes her in, but the situation there is dreadful. Her only option is to marry, which is easier said than done.

Grace is utterly adorable! She doesn't know the first thing about flirting and her attempts made me laugh out loud. Her first encounter with Nate was so hilarious, yet charming at the same time, and I couldn't stop smiling (and swooning) as they kept running into each other, especially with Grace's bumbling efforts at snagging herself a match. She definitely isn't comfortable with her situation, but she spares nothing in her endeavors to find her place in society--happy and secure, freedom to be herself, and free from annoying rakes.

I was completely enchanted with this tale and didn't want to put it down. I loved the whimsical characters (and even enjoyed hating the slimy ones) and the story line was a pure delight. This author has a fun writing style that really captured my attention and didn't let go.

Content: mild romance

Giveaway: 
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