ARC Mini-Review: Last Minute Fiancé (First Time #2)

Last Minute Fiancé (First Time #2)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

A single drunken night changed everything.

One positive test later, and I’m not only pregnant with my best friend’s baby, but I’m falling for him too.

Except when my ex finds out at work, I do the worst thing I could at that moment: I lie.

I make up a fake fiancé and my boss overhears.

Now I need my best friend to play the part. He’s good at it, too, since we can’t keep our hands off each other.

When we’re both forced to lean on each other, we’ll have to face facts.

There’s nothing fake about this relationship.

Even if I’ll break my heart in the process.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Well, if you have ever wondered what happened when two people who are hiding their feelings for one another find themselves a little bit too drunk together, now you know. Carrie Ann Ryan takes us on a fun and interesting, but emotionally tragic and painfully traumatic story as two people slowly find their way out of the trouble them get themselves into and into the future of love and a new family within a family.  Luca Cassidy and Addison Lily haven’t been friends for a long time, but their immediate connection made their friendship deeper than either of them could ever explain to anyone else. The chemistry between them however is something that neither of them would ever acknowledge if they were sober, but one night of their inhibitions being down leave them with a lifelong consequence when Addison turns up pregnant.  At the same time, Addison is up for a prestigious promotion at work and needs to show she is a serious relationship so Luca steps in to fool her coworkers and support her like a good friend should.  But spending time together as a couple, even a fake one, means that Luca and Addison are finding it harder to hide their true feelings for one another and continuously fall to their passion.  But can they really get past their fears and past tragedies in order to give their future a real chance and find their happiness, or will all the obstacles in their way keep them from being a true family?

I will preface this part of my review by saying I am not a baby person, so whenever a pregnancy comes up in a story I tend to begin to lose interest, especially when they start to fast-forward and I know the baby will actually make an appearance.  But thankfully Ryan is skilled enough that I didn’t mind the little guy’s appearance in Luca and Addison’s lives too much and he added to their story instead of detracting as so often is the case.  Addison has been trapped for so long, slamming her head against the glass ceiling as she tries to make a name for herself in her chosen career, that she has lost site of the truth of happiness.  We don’t work to be happy; we work in order to find happiness outside of work; in order to live a truly balanced life, you must have more than just work in your life, and she just was not able to reach that until her epiphany and finally learning her lesson far too late in the story.  I loved seeing her eyes slowly being opened with the help of Luca and her friends and once she learned the lesson finding an all-new way to be happy in her career with a new and more fulfilling path. The love she denies having for Luca for so long is certainly obvious to the rest of us, but he offers him so deep a friendship and partnership that it’s still enjoyable to watch.  Luca is a sweet, lovable, affable, and giving individual that has had so much crap thrown at him in his life that I am thrilled he finally, if totally by an accident of fate, found a way to get his HEA with a woman worthy of his heart.  His past heartbreak and family drama makes him wary of his feelings in the beginning, but he quickly comes to understand and admit his love for Addison, if only to himself.  I also loved seeing how determined he was to show he was all in on being a dad and partner to Addison for every step and everything she needed as they finally made a future together.  This family is one that I am thrilled we are getting to learn more about, another spin-off of those crazy Montgomerys, but they are almost more heartbreaking to learn about at times than even the originals. Carrie Ann never lets me down and her skill with a plot and characters terrifies and amazes me more with each story she sends my way.

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

ARC Mini-Review: Fighting for Adalyn (Redemption Harbor Security #3)

Fighting for Adalyn (Redemption Harbor Security #3)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

She trusted the wrong person…

And got good people killed. While Adalyn will live with that mistake forever, she finally got justice. Even if it cost more than she’d imagined. But the past has come back to haunt her—and it wants revenge. An old enemy is out to destroy everything she holds dear, starting with her sister. He’s targeting all her former haunts and connections in New Orleans, using the wildness of Mardi Gras week to commit his crimes.

He thought she betrayed him and never looked back…

Rowan, veteran Marine, has hated Adalyn for getting his team killed. Until he discovers that the former CIA agent risked everything to stop the real perpetrator. Now they’re racing against the clock to stop a faceless madman determined to kill them and as many people as possible before the week is over. If they can’t figure out who he is or what his endgame is, an entire city could go up in flames—with them in it.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating:  4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

This story has intrigued me for a while now, since we began getting hints in Reese and Cash’s story, that Rowan and Adalyn had a history that was going to come back to bite them in the butt. Katie Reus is one of those authors that always manages to take reader’s through some of the darkest and most dangerous of backstories when she brings her couples together.  As this series continues to expand and we meet more and more couples, learning more about characters that have intrigued us, we just continue to want more so I am looking forward to more in the series as more offices open for the Redemption Harbor group. Rowan and Adalyn were once friends and might have even been more, but then their world exploded with a mission that went terribly wrong, costing the lives of their friends and coworkers. After that tragedy, Rowan never stopped blaming Adalyn for the loss and began to hate her as much as he once thought he could love her.  Adalyn once trusted Rowan as much as she trusted anyone, which truly wasn’t much, but she won’t trust him again after the way he reacted and treated her.  Now a killer is after Adalyn through her family and friends and she has to depend on her Redemption Harbor team, even though she isn’t big on trusting others.  The more time they are forced to work together, the crazier Rowan is making Adalyn and she is coming to count on him and her emotions are becoming undeniably wrapped up in him.  The past finally catches up with Adalyn, forcing her to count on her friends in order to protect Rowan and both of them have to come to terms with their feelings for one another before they lose the chance forever.

There was no denying from the beginning that in order for Adalyn and Rowan to find their way to love, they both had overcome their anger and past mistakes.  Adalyn has lived her life trying to protect her heart, keeping a wall up between herself and the world, and never letting anyone truly into her heart. She hasn’t ever felt the loneliness until recently as she watched the happiness of her friends as they found the loves of their lives and married, but now she wonders if she has made mistakes.  But she never imagines that her future rests with a man like Rowan, one that more than once railed at her and broke her trust;  while she trusts him to stand by her in work, she fights hard to protect her heart, but once she finally gives in to him, the love that blossoms for her is unbelievable. Rowan wanted Adalyn from the very beginning, but he had no idea how to handle her and then when he let his anger rule him, he made a huge mistake and he lost her.  When they end up back together, working for the same company, his eyes are slowly opened to the truth of the woman that once captured his heart and he begins to forgive himself and her. Once he accepts the mistakes of his past, he sees a way to make Adalyn give them a chance and takes advantage at every turn.  The heat and passion between Adalyn and Rowan is there in their every interaction, sometimes even more in their sparring than in their loving, but you can definitely tell that their relationship will never be boring.  I loved every moment of this story and while I sort of guessed the villain, there was enough of a twist that it kept it interesting and I loved the ending.   I am looking forward to more in the series, maybe even in a new setting with a new office branch (love how that gives the series unending possibilities), but whatever comes next I know will be tremendous. There is no doubt their story was filled with drama, angst, danger, and pain, but Fighting for Adalyn was an adventure worth every moment.  

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

ARC Mini-Review: A Wilder Wedding (The Wilder Brothers #7.5)

A Wilder Wedding (The Wilder Brothers #7.5)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

The Wilders know their weddings and this time it’s for one of their own.

Naomi and Amos have been the secret backbone to the Wilder Brothers’ Retreat and Winery for years.

They’ve also loved and hated each other along the way.

Their on and off again relationship has always worked for them, but now it’s getting in the way of the next Wilder Wedding.

If they don’t figure out what they want, one of them will have to do what they feared: leave the Wilders.

But if they take that leap, they might just break.

Or finally have what they’ve always wanted.

Each other.

Themes:  Novella, Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Many of us have wondered about the true story of Amos and Naomi since the beginning of the Wilder Brothers series began and Carrie Ann Ryan Finally gives us their fraught and tragic love story as they come together, fall apart, and then finally win their HEA.  I was truly rooting for Amos and Naomi to get their HEA, but I hated the way that Amos kept breaking Naomi’s heart and leaving her hurting even though her love for him never waned.  Amos is the kind of protective male that has never really embraced his emotions and learned to express his emotions in anything more than the physical way. While he obviously cares deeply for Naomi, he fears that he will hold her back and he wants her to be able to achieve all of her goals in life without getting in her way.  Naomi wants badly to succeed in her career, but losing the man she loves is not part of her plan to get there, but she can’t be around him day-in and day-out without being with him.  Only when he is truly forced to accept the possibility of Naomi no longer being in his life, does Amos come to understand what truly losing her will mean to him and he steps up to show her that he can change.  The love between these two is strong and passionate and that push-pull is heart wrenching until they finally find their way to peace.  I loved getting to know Naomi more, seeing her growing and pushing for what she wants and deserves from life and demanding her due. Amos is a typical dude that needs some sense slapped into him and thankfully the Wilders are there to provide that for him.  It was great to see all our favorite Wilders woven through this story and I loved the wedding scenes for sure.  I am dying to see more of Amos and Naomi in future stories in the series now that they have found their HEA and gotten their relationship figured out.  Carrie always manages to give her readers that bit of closure that we need as we become invested in the characters in her series and this Naomi/Amos novella is a perfect example, Carrie on!

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

ARC Review: Rising Sun (Elven Kingdoms #1)

Rising Sun (Elven Kingdoms #1)

Donna Grant

Blurb:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant introduces a wickedly seductive new series with a ruthless, jaded elf and a bewitching human hiding a powerful secret—unlikely soulmates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death.

Nothing could make Yasmin return to Shaldorn, the place of nightmares. But when she’s caught stealing, she’s given an ultimatum: take Ravi over the Dangerous Peaks to the stronghold or face imprisonment.

She has no choice but to agree, though she intends to escape the elf as soon as she reaches the mountains. Yet, as they battle nature itself, the two enemies find common ground—and an all-consuming passion.

Can they prevail in their dangerous heist, or be torn apart by a betrayal?

Themes:  Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

So, I have to admit, going into this story I had no idea what to expect because I didn’t recall the way that this story might or might connect with other Grant stories and was worried if I would be diving into the deep dark of the ocean with no life vest.  But I am glad to report that if you are readers of the Grant Dark King’s series you will begin to understand the connections within this story quickly.  We have run across the Elven Kingdom in passing previously with the Dragon King Kendrick found his Mate Ester in an elven warrior and their adventure led them across the Elven border.  This story is just the newest branch in Grant’s amazing imagination of the Dark world if you want to look at it that way and she takes us on a perilous journey from one end of the Elven kingdom to the other. That said, while there was a little bit of a romantic bent to the story, I would definitely classify this story as less of a romance and more of a fantasy novel, where the core of the story was the plot of the characters being pitted against the elements and their enemies the emotions and connection that I was hoping for, though that came in essence at the vert end of the story.  With very interesting and complex side characters I am truly looking forward to more in this series and cannot wait to see how Grant ties it in with the rest of the Dragon Kings novels as I can only imagine that war is on the Horizon for Zora and these Elves are not going to be able to escape the consequences anymore than the Dragons.

Yasmin is simply a human that has done whatever she has to do to survive in the world she finds herself in where humans are not only powerless but truly treated as less.  She hasn’t always been honorable, but she has always looked after others that are even more powerless than herself and now it has gotten her into trouble.  When she is caught in a trap by the powers that be, she is forced to face the most terrifying part of her past as she is blackmailed into escorting an annoyingly judgmental and intriguing Elf to the most dangerous stronghold in the kingdom. Ravi doesn’t trust Yaz, but he needs her to get her into Shaldorn in order to prevent a tragedy and possible war, but the more time he spends with her, watching her face challenges and learning about her past, the more he changes his opinion of her.  Soon he can no longer deny that he judged her incorrectly and the trust that has built between them is more than just partners and he cannot live without her.  But when he almost loses her, Ravi has to accept that sometimes only by giving up everything you thought you wanted in life is how you get what you truly need.

I truly loved seeing these two enemies, from such different walks of life, with pasts that neither understood or wanted to share, come to fully trust and love each other.  The cliché of enemies to lovers is true for a reason, because sometimes only by opening yourself to true vulnerability cane you come to fully love and trust your partner.  Yaz has had a truly tragic and traumatic past, one that I caution you can be painful to read, and when she is forced to relive it, I almost cried along with her and Ravi.  Her pain and fear were fully supported by those events, and I loved that her sharing with Ravi slowly opened his eyes and heart, teaching him that sometimes the means do not support the end goal.  It was so beautiful that she was willing to sacrifice herself in order to help Ravi not only survive in the end, but also to help him succeed in his mission and save others, showing us that despite her being only a human she had a pure heart and that her extra power was granted to just the right person. Love rewards those that share their love. Ravi was a bit of an ass in the beginning; his superiority, not only as an elf, but because he wasn’t a criminal like Yasmin, convincing him that he was truly better than her.  But as he grows and changes, getting to know his partner, see her in action and hearing about her past, he because more of the partner she needed all along I loved seeing him kicking butt and taking names in order to do whatever it took, not only to accomplish his mission, but also to save Yaz when he almost lost her.  However, I have to tell you, despite being a superior elf, with all kinds of training a skill, he proved to be a simple MAN and does the stupid thing almost losing her all on his own later on and I just wanted to slap him upside the head… honestly it has to be a testosterone thing!  Thankfully in the end they managed to come to their senses and find a way to get what they both wanted and needed together.

This foray into a new branch of the long running world for Donna Grant is beyond intriguing with dark and terrifying characters, tragic backstories, and magic that is fascinating.  I am truly looking forward to this new undertaking and hoping for many more stories, starting with installment two, Dark Heart, coming soon.  Yasmin is a human with just that little bit extra she has been hiding for a long time, but that has guided her to safety more than once.  Now she is forced into a dangerous mission and one that she knows she may not make it back from, until she comes to truly care for and trust her partner.  Ravi has no love for the humans around him, and even less for the criminal he is forced to partner with, but when she proves more than up to the challenges, they face he quickly comes to care for her.  Together they are determined to stop tragedy and make it home, but the deck is stacked against them and neither of them is willing to risk the other’s life, so when the chips are down it might come down to a single fatal decision if they aren’t careful.  I loved every moment of this story and despite the romance being subtle and more of a very slow build, there was a very sweet falling for both Ravi and Yaz and I look forward to seeing them together in the future books in the series as they continue their lives together. Grant never fails to give us an epic quest when she begins a new series, filled with beautiful world building, character development, terrifying villains, and you will not regret diving into Rising Sun. Well played, Ms. Grant, well played.

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