JoAB

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this first book in The Bennett Family series we meet Sebastian, the CEO (and founder) of Bennett Enterprises. His business is important to him but his family is the most important thing in his life. Bennett Enterprises is extremely successful in the jewelry industry with many family members holding positions in the company.

When Sebastian sees Ava who has been hired as a marketing consultant for their new line, he's instantly attracted to her. This couple tried to keep their relationship professional but that didn't go too well for them.

Layla Hagen has written a wonderfully descriptive novel with very likable characters that gripped my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them. It was interesting the way Ava and Sebastian were drawn to each other but tried not to give in to their desires. Ava was a strong, intelligent woman who did her job well. Sebastian was also strong and intelligent but it was nice to see his soft side when he was worried about the way Ava felt about him.

I love the Bennett family and am looking forward to reading more about them.

When I was given a copy of Spoons in exchange for an honest review I wasn't sure I'd like it and was concerned that I wouldn't be able to give a positive review. I sure was wrong. I LOVED it!

It starts with Noelle asking Cade for a divorce believing he didn't love her any more. What else was she to think when she walked into his office to find him kissing Sherry? Before legal action could be taken they went away for 3 weeks to a family event being held at River's Sigh B & B which was owned by Cade's family. They agreed to act like nothing was wrong while they were there.

After being married for 11 years, it was very hard for Noelle to call it quits especially when she still loved her husband. But Cade wouldn't talk to her about his feelings so she believed he didn't love or like her any more. Cade thought she should just KNOW how he felt without him telling her. Misunderstandings and lack of communication are pretty common in marriages but this was pretty extreme.

This story is so well written you can feel this couple's pain. I kept wanting to fix it for them and wish I could have told them, "Just talk to each other." This is a hard story to read and very emotional but very good. Anyone who has been in a relationship and can understand the problems that come up, would like this book.

First Star starts out kind of funny with the main character, Alex, and her friend, Dani, going to a grocery store to pick up guys. When they found a little girl eating a bag of Oreo's they stopped to help her. After she told them her dad and Meggie were lost, they took her to customer service to have her dad, Kell, paged. Alex and Kell kept meeting up and became attracted to each other. They both have issues with attachments that they struggle with so don't want to commit. Kell doesn't want a relationship because of his ex-wife's desertion and Alex has a stalker that she doesn't want Kell and the girls to get involved with. It's a bit alarming that the stalker knows everything she does.

This is a great suspense with trying to figure out who the stalker is. But, I'll tell you, you'll never guess. Then there's Alex finding out that the sister she thought was dead, isn't. There was so much going on in this story but it never felt over-whelming. The author did a wonderful job of keeping the story flowing and the suspense high.

I loved the characters and how they were developed. I liked that Alex was willing to give up seeing Kell and his girls in order to protect them from her stalker. As for Kell, I did want to shake some sense into him a couple of times because he wouldn't consider getting into a relationship because of the impact it might have on his daughters. I loved Emily and Meggie. They were so cute in both what they said and did.

I won this book in a Just Romantic Suspense giveaway and I'm glad I did. This is a really good romantic suspense that I highly recommend.

First Star starts out kind of funny with the main character, Alex, and her friend, Dani, going to a grocery store to pick up guys. When they found a little girl eating a bag of Oreo's they stopped to help her. After she told them her dad and Meggie were lost, they took her to customer service to have her dad, Kell, paged. Alex and Kell kept meeting up and became attracted to each other. They both have issues with attachments that they struggle with so don't want to commit. Kell doesn't want a relationship because of his ex-wife's disertion and Alex has a stalker that she doesn't want Kell and the girls to get involved with. It's a bit alarming that the stalker knows everything she does.

This is a great suspense with trying to figure out who the stalker is. But, I'll tell you, you'll never guess. Then there's Alex finding out that the sister she thought was dead, isn't. There was so much going on in this story but it never felt over-whelming. The author did a wonderful job of keeping the story flowing and the suspense high.

I loved the characters and how they were developed. I liked that Alex was willing to give up seeing Kell and his girls in order to protect them from her stalker. As for Kell, I did want to shake some sense into him a couple of times because he wouldn't consider getting into a relationship because of the impact it migh have on his daughters. I loved Emily and Meggie. They were so cute in both what they said and did.

I won this book in a Just Romantic Suspense giveaway and I'm glad I did. This is a really good romantic suspense that I highly recommend.

I loved this box set of quick romances! Each of these stories are about curvy, independent women finding strong men who appreciate them.

Jenn wrote wonderful stories in short page counts. She somehow told everything needed to make them super entertaining reads. I really liked the story lines and especially the characters in these books.

These romances are western themed and each can be read in about an hour so if you're looking for sweet little romances, this set is perfect.

I liked being able to read all 3 books in The Unforgettable Southern Billionaires together and recommend that you do. You really should read them in order to get the story completely.

We watch as Desiree and Grant's relationship progresses, becoming hotter and hotter. These characters are very likable but Grant's father, not so much. Let me stress that he's not a bad character, he's just not a nice man. Every story needs a villain and he's it in this one.

I liked the suspense in this book. Actually, I liked the whole book - the plot, suspense, sex scenes, romance and the family sections.

If you are looking for a nice, quick romantic suspense, look no further.

Please note I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the extremely disliked owner of a local comedy club is murdered and Chloe Cook's good friend Holly is the prime suspect, Chloe has to find the real killer to prove her friend's innocence. This isn't the first murder Chloe has investigated so, even though she is a cosmetic saleswoman, she has experience with solving murders. You can imagine the reaction of Detective Thicke when Chloe tells him that his suspect (her friend) is innocent and she's going to prove it. He's not happy about it, especially since Chloe has solved murders before.

I liked the writing in this cozy mystery because it was easy to follow the investigation and the characters are so likeable. Chloe is a wonderful person who will do anything to help her friends. I love Grandma Betty. She's a humorous addition to the cast and so are her friends. When they help with the investigation it's always funny - usually because of their ages. Chloe's boyfriend, Dylan, is terrific! He's very understanding of Chloe's investigation and supportive of her working on it.

If you like cozy mysteries, you should read Killer Finale.

Darcie Reed learned that her last living relative (Uncle Horry) passed away and was told to go for the reading of the will. It was actually a video will. Turns out he left everything to his cat! That is unless Darcie and her ex-fiance stay in the house for 30 days. Then Darcie gets the house and his fortune. If they don't meet the stipulations and something happens to the cat, everything goes to Horry's half brother that Darcie didn't know existed.

You'd think this book would be sad because it starts out with a death but it's not sad at all! The characters are hilarious! You've got a grumpy housekeeper, the brother's girlfriend, Pookie, who looks and acts like a stripper, Darcie and Cam trying to keep their hands off each other and Uncle Horry's ghost who talks to the cat.

Uncle Horry called his house Shangri-La and had toys and gadgets all over the place. The walk leading to the house was lined with flamingos and frogs. The frogs were movement activated and ribbetted when set off.

If you want a cute story with great characters try Stuck in Shangri-La.

In this third book in The Unforgettable Billionaire Brothers series we get Ethan's response to his father's decree that they must marry or lose their share of Silver Enterprises, a company their father, Vance, owns but the boys have run for years. Ethan won't go along with his father's demand and gives his notice as CEO of Silver Enterprises. Before he can leave, his ex-wife's sister, Freddie, shows up and tells him he has a son! I loved this surprising twist.

Most men would argue that the child couldn't be his but Ethan accepted the news without freaking out and immediately wanted him to come live with him. What a great guy.

The characters were well developed, especially for such a short story. Ethan is a terrific hero. I picture him bigger, better and more handsome than his brothers and he's so kind. He was very firm when he stood up to Vance and gave his notice rather than run out and find a wife. I liked Freddie and Matt (Ethan's son), too but I didn't like Vance. I understand why he gave his sons the ultimatum but didn't like it. I felt sorry for him because of why he felt the need to tell his sons to marry.

This is a nice, quick, very hot story that is a good escape for a short time that I recommend.

This book is about Marcia Kester Doyle's life and the problems of a middle-aged woman. It's told in short stories like blog posts.

After reading the blurb, I expected a humorous book about being a middle-aged woman. While there are some funny things in this book, it's basically about an older woman's life that is pretty sad. She clearly loves her family and finds her children's antics funny. I just thought I would never have let my children behave the way her's did. I didn't think some of the things they said and did were funny - just rude.

I'm in the same position in life as she is and have raised 4 children as well. While I look back on my life and find it mostly good but some not so much, I don't imagine that the events that mean so much to me would be of interest to anyone else. That's how I felt about some of the situations Marcia wrote about.

After reading the acknowledgements at the end of the book I felt bad that I couldn't give a better review because it was clear that Marcia has loved her life and the people in it.

Please note I received a complementary copy from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

* 4 stars *

Please note that I won Rolling in the Deep in an author giveaway on the Harlequin Junkie blog.

I really enjoyed this story of a couple who won the lottery together. They both work at a large superstore and hardly know each other but one of them suggested that they buy a ticket and share the money if they win. And boy did they win - BIG.

Ray recently moved to Poughkeepsie from Queens so he could earn money to go to school to be a chef. Holly is divorced with a son who is her entire world. Holly divorced her husband because he was verbally abusive and hasn't been in a relationship since. When she is attracted to Ray, she ignores it because she is afraid, thanks to her ex.

This book tells us about Ray and Holly's lives before they met and after they win the lottery. We see that winning it doesn't make life as easy as we think and it wouldn't solve all our problems. A lot of them but not all of them.

The plot and characters are fantastic in Rolling in the Deep. The only thing I wasn't comfortable with was the first sex scene. It didn't fit the story because it was more like they had been together for months. I liked the ending but wanted to know more. Isn't that always the way with a good book?

This is a sweet, well-written story that I definitely recommend.

* 4 stars *

I really enjoyed this short mystery. Julia is a wedding planner and everything is going perfectly at the wedding - until the groom falls over dead. Was it an accident or murder? The resort manager doesn't want to lose any business over this so he tells Julia she has 24 hours to solve it or she's out of a job. She has her work cut out for her.

This was well written with good characters and lots of details in the story line. Even though it's a short story I never felt the author rushed any part of it.

Please note I received Dye by Cake in exchange for an honest review.

* 3 stars *

Slightly Stalky was funny and made me laugh so hard I was shaking. Amy Vansant has a way of making an enjoyable story hilarious! This is about Emily who meets Sebastian while playing darts at a local pub. She falls for him immediately and starts to stalk him. Well more like slightly stalks him. There is a difference which you'll find out about when you read this.

The characters are well developed so we really get to know them along with the secondary characters. I did find Emily to be a bit ditsy but very funny. I could easily see why she fell for Sebastian. He's kind, considerate and hot. There's even a "blind" dog who adds to the fun.

I received this book in return for an honest review.

* 4 stars *

This story starts out in New York City with Rachel Somerfield falling in love with a man who want to marry her and take her away from Whitman’s Home for Orphaned Girls where she lived. She is ecstatic and can hardly wait for the big change this will bring to her life. He turned out to be a skunk and left her - pregnant - though he didn't know that. Unmarried and pregnant was just not done in those times so Rachel didn't know what to do. She accepted a teaching position in the small town of Sand Hill in the west where the residents were very kind and helpful. Especially Sheriff Chance Scott. He's very taken with Rachel and she with him and his son.

Second Chance Hearts is set about two hundred years ago. I didn't figure out exactly when but during a time when a cab wasn't a car but was pulled by horses so a long, long time ago. It was interesting to read about how different things were then and how hard life was but people handled everything in their stride. If women think we have it rough now just look back at how it was then and see that we have it easy.

While the story was a bit slow in starting it was very well written with a smooth, suspenseful plot that I enjoyed. The characters were likable and well developed. Actually I felt so bad for Rachel for most of the story that there were times that it was hard to enjoy.

Ms. Tiner has created a work full of suspense and romance while also keeping me captivated with the thought provoking plot. I highly recommend this novel to historical romance lovers.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

* 4 stars *

Hacking With the Bad Boy is the third and final book in this serial and this one's about Max and Blaine. I liked this book a lot. I especially liked the way 2 computer "geeks" worked together to find information to catch the bad guy. I didn't want to stop reading this story because I wanted to know what would happen next. The only things I suspected would happen was that this pair would probably be able to find the evidence they needed and that they would end up with each other.

I really liked the great characters. I loved how smart and capable Blaine was but sad for her unhappy childhood. I was pleasantly surprised that Max wasn't a typical nerd (tall, skinny with thick glasses) but big and strong. Oh and hot too. And I loved the chemistry between Max and Blaine.

I understand this is the last book in the series but I would like to read more by this author.

* 4 stars *

This was a heartbreaking story but I couldn't stop reading it or thinking about it. It starts with Emma and Corbin meeting in high school. Emma always had her nose in a book and didn't have many friends while Corbin was new in town but more outgoing. They were an unlikely match but clicked and became inseparable. They knew they were meant for each other and planned on spending their lives together. Then the unthinkable happened. Corbin was charged for a murder he didn't commit and sentenced to life in prison.

Emma tried to prove that Corbin was innocent but when he refused to see her or answer her letters she had no choice but to move on without him. While Corbin knew he was being cruel to Emma, he wanted her to have a life, even without him. He knew cutting her out of his life was the only way that would happen.

So Emma finally moves on and marries another man. Many, many years later evidence that had been ignored proves Corbin is innocent so he's released from prison.

I liked that this story is told when Emma is a mature 47 year old woman. Now that Corbin is getting out of prison after 28 years and she's thinking about him a lot, I wonder what they'll they do?

This story is told by going back in time with Emma and Corbin's memories. I usually find that confusing but Lindsay Detwiler did it well so that it's easy to read.

Please note I won Voice of Innocence on the Tome Tender Blog in an author giveaway.