Audiobook Review ~ The Wedding Confession by J.J. Knight

The Wedding Confession (Wedding Meet Cute, #1)The Wedding Confession by J.J. Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found The Wedding Confession to be quite amusing. Right from the beginning - from the spilt wine, being sent out into the rain, and to being holed up in a shed… where things became a little steamy. I could tell that Ensley and Drew were going to be fun together and I was excited to see where it went between them.

Drew was hesitant to begin with and when Ensley turned up in his town he was quick to offer her a job. It wasn’t really what she had planned, but it bought them together. There were a few little misunderstandings - which would come back to cause trouble for them - but really they were cute together, despite how grumpy Drew was at times. It was sweet to see him grow out of his playboy ways and realise that he could change.

Once again it was the narration that swept me away in this world. Their storytelling was captivating and I know I will listen to both Laurie West and Stephen Borne in the future. JJ Knight wove this story nicely and I know I will read more of her work.


Title: The Wedding Confession
Author: J.J. Knight
Series: Wedding Meet Cute #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: June 13, 2023

She sparkles. He growls. Baring their true feelings could be the start of a wild love story—or the end of it—in a sexy romantic comedy by a USA Today bestselling author.

One spilled glass of wine and bridesmaid Ensley James is ejected from a country club wedding in the rain. Ensley looks on the bright side. That would be her longtime crush Drew Daniels. The moody, broody, skin-pricklingly sexy groomsman is tossed out with her. Waiting out a hot spring storm in a cozy shed for two, it’s time for Drew’s confession: he’s strictly a one-nighter. Ensley’s dare? Give her three date nights and see where it goes.

A veterinarian like Drew is great when it comes to puppy love, but he has his reasons for his rules about women: no true feelings, just flings. So why agree to Ensley’s three-date challenge? Easy. Miss Ray of Freaking Sunshine is absolutely irresistible. Night after night, Ensley and Drew can’t ignore the heat, the growing intimacy—and the unexpected complications. Drew’s walls may be crumbling, but Ensley’s still at risk of being another tryst.

Especially with Ensley’s final confession. This one could be their rockiest challenge yet.

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Audiobook Review ~ The Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke

The Sweet SpotThe Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Palmer and Cole were a couple that I enjoyed getting to know! Teddy Hamilton and Stella Hunter delivered the story perfectly and they took me on an incredible journey.

I liked seeing Cole out of his comfortzone, where Palmer didn't bend to his will immediately. Palmer was a beautiful, single mother that everyone adored, but used to attract douchebags. I liked how she was looking out for herself and her son first. She didn't fall for Cole immediately and he started to see himself in a different place. However he had a secret and together they worked through their feelings to try and find out what they wanted.

This was a beautiful read by Adriana Locke, and it really touched on some hard life content.

Title: The Sweet Spot
Author: Adriana Locke
Genre: November 29, 2022
Published: Sports Romance

She wants forever. He plays it day by day. They’re both wishing for the best in USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke’s charming and sexy hopefully-ever-after romance.

Single mom Palmer Clark will not be sidelined by the new man in town. Sure, the honey-tongued baseball legend is gorgeous, loves puppies, and has charmed his way into the community’s heart, but Palmer craves stability. Nothing about Cole says forever. So why is he so hard to resist?

Cole is swinging through town to visit his parents when he meets the kind of down-to-earth distraction he’s been looking for since retiring from the majors. True, his long-term relationship score is zero. But even though raising his average with Palmer seems impossible, it’s worth a shot.

As promising as the summer nights are, fate turns small-town dreams upside down, and some lessons are learned the hard way. But having faith in love and choosing hope over fear might get Palmer and Cole to the sweet spot they’re looking for.

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Audiobook Review ~ Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant

Not My Kind of HeroNot My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maisey and her daughter came back to her Uncles home town after he left the house to her. She had walked away from a bad relationship, and a career that made her look bad. She wanted a clean start for herself and her daughter. Her initial meeting with Flint was quite dramatic and I laughed at Earl the bear and what unfolded!

Seeing what Maisey endured made my heart ache, she wanted the best for Juni and her decisions held her back. Flint realised that what he initially thought of Maisey wasn’t true and he had underestimated her. The attraction between them continued to grow, but Maisey was determined to keep Juni as her first priority and her happiness was second.

I enjoyed all the small town stories and how close this community was. Not My Kind of Hero was a fun and sweet read, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. The narration by Savannah Peachwood and Connor Crais was done perfectly, and I liked how they portrayed the characters. They told Pippa Grants story so well that I was easily drawn into the world.



Title: Not My Kind of Hero
Author: Pippa Grant
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: August 15, 2023

From USA Today bestselling author Pippa Grant comes a rollicking romantic comedy about a single mom and a grumpy math teacher tackling their differences on a Wyoming ranch.

I knew fixing up my life with a fresh start on the hobby ranch I inherited in Hell’s Bells, Wyoming, would come with challenges. Things like snow. Wildlife. Local gossip about why my daughter and I are here.

But the biggest challenge?

My surly new tenant.

He’s like a bear. Fascinating from a distance, but don’t get too close, or he’ll bite.

His personality should be a good thing. I have no need of a new man in my life. But he’s not only my tenant; he’s also my daughter’s math teacher and soccer coach. I keep running into him. He keeps thinking I need to be saved.

Maybe I do, but here’s what I don’t expect: he’s a fixer-upper in need of saving too.

And I might be the only woman for the job.

Hell’s Bells, help me.

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Audiobook Review ~ The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

The Chemistry of LoveThe Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This was an easy read to get into, but wasn’t the kind of book that blew me away. Anna was a cosmetic chemist, she was a bit of a dork and had a crush on her boss Craig. She was very stuck in her head about making decisions, but ended up making a huge decision to act on her crush. She made me cringe as she turned up to a function in a costume, and ended up a crying mess when she met Marco, Craig’s brother

I liked Anna and Marco together, they had a lot in common, which they figured out over time. Both were hesitant to act on those feelings and even though they were working on a plan, their feelings were getting stronger. They were both a bit dorky together and I cringed at the dad jokes, but Anna and Marco were sweet. Marco had family issues that hurt him in the past. Together, these two were cute.

Em Eldridge did a great job of narrating this story, I quite enjoyed the way she delivered the characters. I'm continuing to enjoy Sariah Wilson's stories.

Title: The Chemistry of Love
Author: Sariah Wilson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: February 1, 2023

True love requires a little research and development in a funny, heart-racing romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Paid Bridesmaid.

How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams—who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig’s empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she’s game to play.

All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they’re falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after—if it weren’t for one hitch in the plan. There’s more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna’s feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real.

Blame it on chemistry. It’s unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?

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Review ~ Between Commitment and Betrayal by Shain Rose

Between Commitment and Betrayal (Hardy Billionaire Brothers, #1)Between Commitment and Betrayal by Shain Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the series that I have read and I was super excited to see Declan and Everly’s story unfold. The premise had me excited, and I was keen to see these two get together. Declan was older than Everly, but was drawn to her early, although Everly thought that he disliked her. I liked watching their connection grow, and it was amusing to see them grow closer. I also really love Declans siblings!

As much as I wanted to love this story, it fell flat for me. I found the forced marriage aspect hard to believe, and felt that these adults were a bit childish. The back and forth was frustrating, Everly’s sister Anastasia was a pain that put a weird spanner in the works. More often than not I was frustrated with the read and skipped bits. I think a little too much drama was injected in the read, it needed to be a bit more simple.


Title: Between Commitment and Betrayal
Author: Shain Rose
Series: Hardy Billionaire Brothers #1
Genre: Sports Contemporary Romance
Published: March 23, 2023

My father's business partner will do anything for the empire they built together...Even marry me.

Declan Hardy, All-American heartthrob and retired NFL billionaire, is my complete opposite.
He's commanding where I'm cooperative.
Spontaneous while I am deliberate.
Loud when I stay quiet.
The only thing we have in common is that both our names are on my father's will.

He'll inherit the fitness and hospitality empire and I'll keep the one thing I hold dear.
As long as I marry him—with conditions.

One year of a fake marriage.
One year of living together.
One year of pretending I belong in his luxury lifestyle.

But stipulations are never that simple.

Especially when I can't tell if his kisses are fake or if I'm pretending when I kiss him back.
And as more conditions arise, it's clear there's a fine line between commitment and betrayal... and neither of us knows where that line falls.

Between Commitment and Betrayal is a billionaire, forced proximity, fake marriage of convenience and a father’s business partner novel. It is a complete standalone by Shain Rose.

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Review ~ Mile High by Liz Tomforde

Mile High (Windy City, #1)Mile High by Liz Tomforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Mile High, watching Zander win over Stevie. He was one of the biggest names in hockey and never one who was tied down. But once he met Stevie, his focus shifted. Stevie was determined to keep Zander at arms length, but the more she saw of the real Zander you could see that she was slowly falling for him. They had more in common and over time slowly opened up to one another.

Zander’s manager was a real jerk and I hoped that he would see what an ass he was early. The end of the season was coming and he wanted a new contract but was under a lot of pressure to keep up the bad boy persona. Stevie could see through it all and encouraged him when she could. I liked Zanders team mates and how close they all her. I enjoyed Stevie working at the dog shelter and how they brought them together. This was quite an easy read to get swept away in.


Title: Mile High
Author: Liz Tomforde
Series: Windy City #1
Genre: Sports Romance
Published: June 4, 2022

ZANDERS

Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.

What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job.

But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that.

STEVIE

I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.

Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.

Everything but him.

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Audiobook Review ~ Runaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn

Runaway GroomsmanRunaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed listening to Sawyer and Fallon's story. I was entertained by how Sawyer landed on Fallon's doortep. They didn't really think a lot of one another to begin with, but Sawyer slowly came to appreciate what Fallon was trying to do. I liked the way that Fallons Grandfather pushed Sawyer into doing things, despite his dementia. It was amusing to see the way Sully influenced everyone too - she was a big personality!

This was a cute story and I enjoyed the way that Samantha Brentmoor and Alastair Haynesbridge narrated it. It's been a qwhile since I have jumped into one of Meghan Quinn's books, and I really enjoyed this one.

Title: Runaway Groomsman
Author: Meghan Quinn
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 11, 2022

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a heartfelt romantic comedy about new beginnings and finding the romanticized happily ever after in the most unlikely of places.

Hollywood screenwriter Sawyer Walsh knows a good love story when he sees it. But when it comes to real life romance, he’s a mess. That’s how he finds himself standing at the altar…as his ex-girlfriend ties the knot with his very famous best friend. The pressure, the resentment, the media coverage—it’s all too much—and before he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s making a run for it, leaving a shocked congregation and flashing cameras in his wake.

Needing to lie low amid the media fallout, Sawyer lands in the charming town of Canoodle, California, where he crosses paths with Fallon Long, who runs the Canoodle Cove Cabins, a family-owned business and Sawyer’s new short-term residence.

Overwhelmed with renovations and her long list of responsibilities, Fallon is struggling to make ends meet while attempting to bring the cabins back to their original glory. So when Sawyer arrives, she is grateful for the income, but immediately writes him off as just another vapid Hollywood hack, until he begins to prove her wrong at every turn.

As Fallon comes closer to saving the family business, an undeniable bond forms between her and the handsome screenwriter. But the pressures of her family obligations and Sawyer’s notoriety might prove to be too much for anyone to handle. Could Canoodle be the setting for a new romance—or is true love just a Hollywood cliché?

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Review ~ Right Guy, Wrong Word by Jewel E. Ann

Right Guy, Wrong WordRight Guy, Wrong Word by Jewel E. Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Jewel E Ann puts out a read, there is a fair chance I’m going to read it. This one was originally a short story that I hadn’t read as yet, so I just had to pick it up. I found it to be quite enjoyable, I was drawn into the fun banter, the push and pull between the characters, and the intense attraction that these two had for one another.

It was told in two parts, the first part was quite amusing watching Anna and Eric interacting and seeing the chemistry between them. I loved how they came together at a book club meeting, and how one little book caused so much conflict between them.

In the second part I liked how much these characters had grown, and there still was a connection between them. Eric is such a caring guy and you cou led see that with his dad, and again with Anna. It was soo good to see them together and sort through those feelings and finding out what they wanted. This was such a sweet, feel good read that I devoured quickly!


Title: Right Guy, Wrong Word
Author: Jewel E. Ann
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: August 3, 2023

Do books have souls?

Anna Black has the perfect novel choice for her book club. She also has a sexy new neighbor who jumps at the opportunity to join fellow bookworms in discussing her pick for their summer read.

It’s lust at first sight and the marriage of two literary souls.

The charismatic owner of a new T-shirt store in Des Moines’s East Village, Eric Steinmann, has a confident air and an irresistible “mating dance.” He’s almost perfect … until he says the wrong word.

Will Anna and Eric write their own story? Or will their chemistry die when fiction turns into reality?

**Right Guy, Wrong Word was originally written as a short story, The Last Person. It’s been revised with significant changes to the original content and extended into a full-length novel.

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Review ~ Coach by Devney Perry

Coach (Treasure State Wildcats, #1)Coach by Devney Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coach really was a feel good read. After years apart the feelings between Millie and Ford would come back and they would rekindle their relationship. I enjoyed watching Millie build a relationship with Fords daughter Joey and how quickly these three gelled. I liked seeing how passionate Millie and Ford were about their jobs and the kids they worked with. They deserved happiness, even though they decided to keep it a secret.

There was a little bit of drama that threatened their jobs, as they both worked in the same area. Most of the staff were good, and were a close group, so I had hope that things would work out. The passion between them was strong, and they couldn’t deny that they belonged together. I really enjoyed the epilogue, seeing how tight knit they all had become. Coach was a nice easy read to get lost in.


Title: Coach
Author: Devney Perry
Series: Treasure State Wildcats #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: April 6, 2023

Football star. Single dad. And once, a long time ago, mine.

I’ve spent the better part of a decade forgetting Ford Ellis. If he had just stayed away from Montana, I might have erased the memory of his striking blue eyes and rugged smile forever. Avoiding him was easy when the only place I saw his face was on ESPN—and a remote control could fix that problem.

Except my boss just hired Ford as the new head coach for the Treasure State Wildcats. Not only will I be stuck watching him on the sidelines this season, but avoiding him will be impossible now that we’re working together.

Maybe I haven’t forgotten Ford. Maybe I still dream about what we might have been. Maybe he hasn’t forgotten me either.

Except those maybes won’t change the fact that we were never meant to be. Maybe he was mine once. But as of today, the only thing I’ll be calling Ford Ellis is Coach.

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Review ~ About Tomorrow by Abbi Glines

About TomorrowAbout Tomorrow by Abbi Glines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read several Abbi Glines books, and this one popped up on KU, so I decided I’d dive into this world. It began sweet, but a jump nine years into the future shows that Sailor and Creed are no longer together or had had contact for the past six years. I could see that there was still a connection between them despite how much had changed. As the story unfolded, things changed as Sailor moved into her grandmothers’ house and her boyfriend put her to the back of his mind as he studied hard for medical school.

Honestly, I know how important studies are for people, but if you also commit to a relationship, that person is just as important as your studies and your future. I actually felt sorry for Sailor as she became lonely as Griff would go days without contacting her, so I understood why she let Creed back into her life so easily. Creed and Sailor had suffered a lot in their pasts, and that connection brought them back together.

I did like this read, but the cheating aspect did annoy me a little and I would’ve liked them to work through the deeper issues better so that they were more committed to the relationship and each other. Insecurities led them to bake harsh decisions that almost derailed them. Overall, not a bad read, but not one of my favourite Glines reads.

Title: About Tomorrow
Author: Abbi Glines
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Published: December 14, 2020

About Tomorrow...

I close my eyes as I hear him speak. I take one very long and deep breath hoping to calm the immediate butterflies that take flight in my stomach and hope to slow down the racing of my heart. The voice was slightly deeper but the timbre was one that was achingly familiar.

My actions did little to help, but then who was I kidding? A deep breath wasn't going to fix the effect he had on me and my body's inevitable reaction. Even the memories that would forever haunt me couldn't keep my emotions from triggering at the nearness of him once again.

I used to pray that I'd find the strength to move on from him, from the pain that the end carried, from the emptiness in my chest, but ultimately move on from—the loss of Creed Sullivan and the death of his sister, Cora.

The Sullivans had been the best part of my summers in New England.

Deep down, I knew my ache for all that I had lost was the reason I returned...

But I hadn't expected to see him again—especially not like this.

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