ARC Review: Fighting for Magnolia (Redemption Harbor Security #4)

Fighting for Magnolia (Redemption Harbor Security #4)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

He promised forever, but then he left…

Magnolia fell fast and hard for the boy her parents warned her about. He told her that he wanted to give her the world, but then vanished. Now she runs a successful company in New Orleans and her son is picking out colleges—but someone is lurking in the shadows, stalking her every move. And they won’t stop until she’s six feet under.

Now he’s back and not going anywhere…

Security expert Ezra has just discovered the woman he never got over had their child years ago. Magnolia’s family lied to him, to both of them, and if he wants a place in their lives, he’s going to have to prove that he didn’t leave without a reason—all while keeping her safe from a deadly stalker who will do anything to destroy everything she loves.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Gotta say I love that I didn’t even read the blurb for this story before jumping right in, because that first chapter set everything up and prepped me for a great, sometimes overdone, but always fun trope of a romance story by one of my favorite authors.   Katie Reus returns to New Orleans with the latest installment of the Redemption Harbor Security series as she brings back together to former childhood sweethearts that were separated by circumstances and a past that truly has two sides to each of their stories.  The story is interesting, romantic, intense and sad in many ways as these two former lovers are faced with the truth of their past, present and the hope of a future that might allow them to build a family and home together if they can overcome all the obstacles in their way. I really loved every moment of their adventure and the stories within stories that Katie wove as she has Magnolia and Ezra fighting through the layers of their past in order to find their way to the core of their feelings and the love that never died for either of them.   I am dying for the next story because I know that Berlin falling in love will be a blast and whichever man, she enchants is going to be in for a serious battle to win her heart and trust.

Ezra Hunt has returned to New Orleans, somewhat reluctantly, to build a new branch of the business he runs with his friends helping people and he refuses to think about the past he left behind there eighteen years ago. When he saves a woman from being shot on the street he never expects to come face-to-face with Magnolia Lavigne, the girl that shattered his heart and sent him fleeing NOLA so long ago.  Magnolia is terrified when she runs into Ezra again, because she knows there will be not hiding the secrets she kept from him, even though he left her heartbroken when he left NOLA at eighteen. Now the two of them are forced to deal with the full truth of their past and face the consequences to their present and future, as well as the danger surrounding Magnolia.  Ezra and Magnolia each have unresolved feelings for the other, but can they deal with that as well as the pain of their loss and find a way to move forward, while dealing with the dangers they face, or will they be forced to let go of the future they both so wanted when they dreamed of a future together as kids?

Wow I love when two such conflicted characters, still so obviously in love are forced to deal with one another and find a way to handle their feelings.  Ezra obviously never stopped loving Magnolia even as he tried to move forward in some way after leaving NOLA to join the military, but now that he’s returned everything points him back to her.  When he learns the truth of their past and has to deal with the fact that his choice no longer affect only himself, Ezra begins to understand that he is more than a simple security operator.  His strength, caring, and loyalty are obvious even when he is at his angriest.  I loved the moment when he backed up Magnolia, standing at her back and giving her the extra strength, she needed instead of simply trying to stand in front of her to take care of things himself.  To me those choices of bring a partner instead of being an alpha male, just taking over, make him the perfect match for Magnolia.  Magnolia made a choice long ago, with the limited information she had, to stand on her own, supporting her son and be a great mother and businesswoman, but she never got her heart back from Ezra, leaving her unable to share it with anyone else.  When he comes back into her life, she tries to fight his pull, but like a lodestone and metal they are unable to resist one another, and Magnolia knows that her family will never be fully complete without him now.  The way she stands up fore herself, demanding her due shows her character more than anything, that sass, backbone and strength softened by her love for her friends and family as well as the way she is determined to help other women in need.  She really was a great character to learn about and it was easy to see why Ezra loved her so deeply.

Ezra and Magnolia might have had a short time together in their youth, but their past connection is apparent immediately when they are brought back together, that emotional connection snapping right back into place and there is no doubt why Ezra is all in for Fighting for Magnolia from the very beginning.  Magnolia has spent most of her life as a single mother, but now she is confronted with the only man that ever truly made her feel like a woman and made her heart soar and her soul sing, so it is no wonder that she loses herself to him again almost immediately. Ezra is cautious when he is faced with losing his heart again, knowing the pain that he faces, because he knows he isn’t good enough for Magnolia and he will face the heartbreak of having to give her up again, but that doesn’t stop him from losing falling.  The love and passion between these two are incontrovertible and I dare anyone to try to tell me they don’t below together, and I am kind of angry that they had to wait eighteen dang years for their HEA! The twisty plot and the way the villainy of the story unfolds was interesting and certainly a little bit unexpected, one of Katie’s expertise.  I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens with Berlin as she falls in love, but even more I am looking forward to Katie introducing more NOLA folks and expanding maybe into even more areas of the US with her Safety Harbor folks…. Heck let em take over the world! Once again Katie has struck a heartstring and brings a beautiful and meaningful story of two people separated by time, but never truly moving on, that finally get their second chance at love together.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

ARC review: Forever for Us (The Wilder Brothers #8)

Forever for Us (The Wilder Brothers #8)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

The moment I found out my ex-wife was cheating with my former best friend I knew I’d hit rock bottom, and it was time for a change. With the freshly signed divorce papers in hand, I want nothing to do with my old life as I start my new one with my brothers and our new distillery and bar on the Wilder Retreat.

Only when I see my former best friend’s ex, Ava, in need of a job, I can’t say no. Not when she has their eight-year-old daughter in tow and nowhere to go.

Now I’m forced to work with the woman from my past I’d rather forget. We both want to move on, but every time we’re near each other, the fire hadn’t known we could have burns between us even brighter.

We should say no. The complications would break us. Yet we can’t walk away.

Even when it would be safer for all of us if we do.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

The Wilder you’ve been in the past, I guess the wilder the future could end up being for you, and Carrie Ann Ryan proves that in spades in her newest addition to the Wilder Brothers Series.  The newest set of Wilders is firmly entrenched in the family business and the Wilder Resort and Winery is getting more and more successful, but dangers lurk around ever corner it seems for this family. Carrie Ann Ryan has constructed a family and environment where her characters can not only thrive but find love and happens while growing their family and successes and it’s a beautiful thing to witness. I have enjoyed each new Wilder we have met and gotten to watch fall in love, even though there were so often tears, danger and fear as they each had to work through trauma, pain and emotional turmoil to reach their HEAs. I love the way that Ryan always manages to take us on a journey of two people that seem so disparate and different on paper, people that can’t possibly find a way to be together and overcome their pasts, and something manages to bring them together and force them to let go of their pain and find love once again.  I am dying for the next story, and I know that whoever finds love, their story will be amazing and an adventure in emotional growth and a test of love.        Carrie Ann never fails me in her magic touch and if I didn’t know better, I’d wonder if she was hiding some special magic of her own as she brings love to her characters from the most unbelievable of beginnings.

Wyatt Wilder is finally getting himself in order, his bar and distillery is becoming successful, and his ex-wife has finally signed their divorce papers, but suddenly things are not looking so bright when he is attacked and left bleeding and beaten in his bar late one night.  Removing from her divorce, Ava London, is doing all she can to feed herself and her daughter and keep them afloat when Wyatt shows up in the dinner where she is waitressing.  She doesn’t want to see the ex-best friend of her jerk of an ex-husband any more than she wants a hole in the head, but when her world is suddenly thrown into chaos, he offers her and her daughter a lifeline.  Wyatt has no idea why he offered Ava a job and a place at Wilder for her and Faith to live, but now he is faced with the emotions that they both bring up in him every time he sees either of them.  The more time Ava and Wyatt spend together the more incendiary their connection and when two such volatile chemicals come into contact there is no prevents the explosion.  But can these two find more than the simple physical connection they’ve discovered or are they both too shattered by their past to admit their feelings for one another—and will the darkness lurking in the shadows allow them the chance they deserve at that happiness?

I just loved getting to see these two such damaged characters as they found a way to heal and accept the pains of their past and let it all go as they found love again together. Wyatt has intrigued me from the very beginning, when the Wilder Cousins were first introduced several stories ago and I have been dying to read his full story and learn who and how he was so badly hurt.  Honestly having a vapid and selfish wife that left him for his best friend is pretty dang bad, but it sounds like he was much better off to me. He is the kind of man that needs to be reminded that life doesn’t always have to be so serious, sometimes we can laugh and enjoy the lighter side of life and love without forgetting responsibility.  He was somewhat of an ass here and there as he tried to have his cake and eat it too, when it came to having a relationship with Ava, but then again, she has her own issues.  HE was sweet with Faith always though, and that caring, loving nature, strength and sweetness kept him from moving too far into the dislikeable side of the alpha male that would have made him an asshole, so I enjoyed those moments where he allowed his softer, quieter emotions to rule him.  Ava obviously has been hurt repeatedly by her ex, so I didn’t much blame her from being resistant to Wyatt’s seductions, even when she allowed him into her bed, refusing him access to her heart.  But she slowly began to see that he was more than just a man out to get what he wanted and then leave her high and dry, he truly cared about her and her daughter, was willing to sacrifice and care for them and offer them a piece of his heart.  I loved seeing her interacting with the other Wilder women and finding where she fit in amongst the family, because its obvious from the very beginning that they accepted her into the family, even before Wyatt made her clear she was his.  She has a backbone of steel and is unwilling to give up everything she has scraped and worked for even though she knows that Wyatt is throwing her a bone, but she is not too proud to do whatever she must for her daughter.  That protectiveness, love and loyalty makes her not only a good mother, but a great addition to the Wilders and a great match for Wyatt in the end.

I truly loved the experience of getting to read Forever for Us and watch Wyatt and Ava as they circled and danced their way around one another and finally into a future that was obviously always meant to be.   Wyatt made a terrible decision with his first choice of wife, but now he is finally moving forward with his life and his business is thriving, but when Ava returns to his life, he is suddenly unsure of his path and his choices are all in the air again.  Ava has to fight her way out of the mire her ex left her in, but when Wyatt throws her a life preserver, she is terrified to trust another man, especially one so connected to her past and her ex.  Together they have to accept that sometimes a painful and mistake-riddled past in order to understand that it led them right to the future they were always meant to have, finding a perfect happiness together and building a family and future filled with love, light, and laughter.  The heat between Ava and Wyatt in the beginning often sparks in arguments and fighting, but when it explodes in an altogether unexpected manner, the resulting fire, one that will seemingly continue burn for their lifetimes, is bright and strong.  I loved watching these two dance around one another until they finally came to accept their fates and stop fighting it! Carrie Ann Ryan definitely struck gold with these two and I look forward to seeing more of them (psst there is an extended epilogue for those interested) in later stories.  The next novel (Pieces of Me) where the baby of the family, Gabriel, finds love should certainly be a game changer and I for one am dying for it.  Carrie Ann never lets me down; I doubt she ever will.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

ARC Review: Kiss and Tell (Italian Stallions #8)

Kiss and Tell (Italian Stallions #8)

Mari Carr

Blurb:

Joey is no stranger to romance. After all, his family wrote the book when it came to falling in love and finding their forever partners. There’s no doubt in his mind that his soul mate is out there as well. What he doesn’t expect is to be struck down with a serious case of instalove the second Lucy Storm steps off the front porch of her family’s farmhouse.

Overcoming a difficult childhood, Miles is proud of the life he’s forged for himself. He’s got it all. A hit cable show, amazing friends, and Joey, the greatest cohost a guy could ask for. When Joey throws a curveball into their well-ordered existence, falling for Lucy, the most obnoxiously cheerful person he’s ever met, Miles knows he should be supportive. What he shouldn’t do is kiss the chatty woman to shut her up.

Lucy’s dreams are bigger than her family’s farm, but leaving home isn’t an easy proposition. When Joey invites her to hit the road, touring the country with him as he films his show, she jumps at the chance. However, travel isn’t what entices her most. Because for her, the greatest temptation is the charming Joey…and his infuriatingly grumpy, sexy best friend, Miles.

Themes:  Menage

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating:  

Review:

Whenever I start a series finale it is bittersweet feeling, a feeling of leaving behind friends I have gotten to know and love, but the best thing about books is that we can always return to their pages again and again and visit.  This series finale is no less a departure even knowing that s spinoff is coming and we will probably be getting cameos from some of our favorite characters and also getting a brand-new adventure with all new characters as well. Mari Carr’s worlds interweave so beautifully through series, from the sensual Wild Irish of Baltimore, then the even Wilder second generation of Baltimore Irishmen and women that ultimately led us to the sexy Italians of Philadelphia and now we will start an all-new series of sexy Mountain folks in Northern Virginia (Perfect Storm). If you are looking for the basic and staid relationship, tame lovers, and calm waters of a lot of romantic stories, I warn you to turn away now, because not only will you never find that in any Carr romance, Kiss and Tell was definitely nothing like that. This story is filled with the angst of three people that find themselves in a situation none of them ever imagined they would and reaching for a life they never imagined they would want. Luckily the adventure of life is often filled with surprises and these three got to experience that firsthand. I am sad to see the end of these series, but truly looking forward to the new series beginning with Lucy’s family and getting to learn more about them.  Let the fun and games begin!

Joey Moretti and Miles Williams have been best friends for years, ever since they first met and became cohosts of their kickass TV show, traveling the country and meeting amazing entrepreneurs and business owners. But when they arrive at the home of their newest guests, in the beautiful mountains of Northern VA, they never could have foreseen how much their world was going to change.  Joey is looking for the woman that will finally complete his heart, the love like his siblings and cousins have found, and when he first sets eyes of Lucy Storm he is sure he’s found her.  Miles is attracted to Lucy as well, but he’d never poach on his best friend’s girl and he has no interest in the kind of relationship that the Moretti family has made common. Lucy Storm is brewmaster at her family’s brewery, but she has bigger dreams, if she can ever convince herself to follow them.   When these three are together the sparks fly, but with Miles working hard to deny the magnetic pull and Joey working hard to prove that they would make a perfect threesome, cross-purposes cause severe tension and could cause a rift.   When Lucy agrees to join them on a short trip to expand on her dreams and see a bit of the country, the passion explodes between them all, showing them that some things truly are undeniable, but their relationship has to have an end date—doesn’t it? After all, can three people with such different ideas for their future really build a lasting relationship? Only time and love will tell.

Wow, could three ore perfectly matched—even though it didn’t seem like it at first characters have existed? I loved getting to know Lucy and seeing her interacting with her family (also a good way to introduce future book characters) was intriguing to say the least.  There was definitely a dynamic in the family that was heartbreaking, due to the loses they’d suffered in the past and the way they’d dealt with them.  I loved Lucy’s carefree, sweet, intelligent, and always sunny personality, which was a perfect balance to Miles’s sometimes dark and gloomy moments.  She obviously had her own pain and issues, but once she reached for what she wanted to refuse to let anything hold her back which I loved. Joey was a bit of a character, even for a Moretti, and more than once I wanted to laugh at his stubbornness.  Some men just have to learn the hard way though that you can’t just barrel through life, forcing others to do what you want them to because you think you know what is best for everyone.  His strength, wit, caring, bravery, and dedication remind readers that sometimes if you work hard toward a goal you will get exactly want you want; his willingness to ask for help when it comes to areas that he is clueless—namely relationships—reminds us that he is resourceful and willing to give his all to get the love and relationship he wants. Miles is an interesting one; more than once I wondered if he truly would find his way to open his heart to Lucy and come to terms with the relationship Joey offered them.  He obviously hasn’t as easily accepted the alternative relationships that now fill the Moretti family, and he certainly believes that kind of relationship isn’t for him (or them).  While I could understand his concerns it seemed to me that he was more unwilling to confront his own fears and accept what his heart and mind were telling him every time he was around Joey and Lucy.  Sometimes our instincts are smarter than our higher brains and we just need to pay better attention.  The moments when he opened up, showing his humor, devotion, love, and intensity of emotion I could perfectly understand why Lucy fell for him and Joey was certain he was the perfect third for them.  They truly were the perfect side to make an equal triangle.

Kiss and Tell was a beautiful story of three people reaching for what they wanted out of life and find the beauty and fulfillment of a true love and HEA.  I loved every moment of the sensual, humorous, sometimes sad, but always beautifully written tale of Joey, Lucy and Miles finding their way to love.  Joey was a brash, sexy, in-your-face, and hilarious Italian hottie that stole the heart of a southern girl while teaching his best friend that sometimes we have to give up our preconceived notions of love in order to truly find it.  Miles was a passionate, brutally handsome, somewhat broken, Yankee that needed to have his heart healed in order to find his way to trusting in love again in order to open his heart to the sexy Brewmaster and sharing her with the brother of his heart. Lucy was the sweet and loving small town, mountain girl who’d devoted her entire life to her family, but when these two sexy city boys came into her life she finally decided to give herself a chance at reaching for the stars and the big dreams she’d always stifled.  The passion between these three simmered and sparked in various ways from the very beginning, but the times when they let it have free reign certainly leave us wondering if those mountains were safe from the raging fires they were creating. I am dying for the stories of the rest of the Storm family and their new series, beginning with Lucy’s oldest cousin Levi (Taken by Storm).  All-in-all Mari Carr makes you forget that she’s ending a series even though there are tears and cameos from so many of our favorite characters from past series as she brings Miles, Joey, and Lucy to their HEA in the fabulous conclusion to the Italian Stallions.  Fantastic Mari, just fantastic.

Fun note: for those that have read Mari’s Sparks in Texas series, you’ll recognize a few characters, and for those that haven’t (or like me that have it on their miles long TBR, you’ll want to get right on that after this story)

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.