Sunday, April 12, 2026

Mini-ARC Review: Falling for Real (Dare to Fall #2)

Falling for Real (Dare to Fall #2)
Carly Phillips

Blurb:

One canceled date.

One overbooked hotel.

One fake boyfriend who feels way too real.

 

I arrive at a family wedding expecting maid-of-honor chaos—not to share a room with Tristan Hayes, the devastatingly charming nightclub owner I’ve crushed on for too long.

 

When the hotel runs out of rooms, Tristan gives his to an elderly couple without hesitation, and I see the kind of man he is.

So, I offer to share my king-sized bed.

 

Just for the weekend. It’s totally innocent.

Until my ex shows up with a date.

 

Suddenly Tristan’s hand is on my waist, his smile lethal, and he becomes my fake boyfriend. It's temporary and perfect.

Except the chemistry isn’t fake.

And wedding weekends don’t 

last.

 

Themes: Contemporary, Second Generation

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I just love a good fake date trope especially when you add in one bed accident and two people that have never admitted they were attracted to one another. Carly Phillips gives us a sweet and sensual novella between two friends of friends that are suddenly thrown together due to unforeseen circumstances and find that their feelings for one another are much more explosive than they ever realized.  Kaylee Martin and Tristan Hayes have been in the same friend circles for ages, but they’ve never let their chemistry move into dangerous waters, until they find themselves at a wedding in Key West and sharing a hotel room with only one large bed.  Then Tristan goes a step further pretending to be her boyfriend to save her from an awkward situation with her egotistical, rude ex when he is trying to embarrass Kaylee, which just pushes Tristan over the edge.  The more time that Tristan spends with Kaylee the more he comes to respect and admire the sweet and sensual party planner that has always been in the background of his life, but can he convince her to give their relationship a real chance once the wedding is over, or will their unexpected fling end when they head back home? I enjoyed every page of this short read, gobbling up all the amazing romantic and gratifying interactions between Kaylee and Tristan, but also the way they both worked through their fears and had to come to terms with their pasts and present in order to accept that their “wedding fling” was so much more and they were meant for one another.  Tristan was loving, sexy, noble and just the kind of guy I would like at my side, even just pretending to be my boyfriend; but ultimately the fact that he was so self-aware and knew immediately that Kaylee was different, that she was the woman the finally convince him to enjoy a relationship, made him perfect in my mind. Kaylee was a great character, admitting her flaws to herself, as well as those around her, but not letting them stop her from getting things done, or being there for those she loved, and of course she knows how to go for the things she wants, even if she sometimes overthinks things when she lets fear rule her. The chemistry that sparked between these two was apparent from the first moment they allowed themselves to open their eyes to one another, and I cannot wait to see more of them in future novels in the series.  Carly’s style and grace for bringing characters to life and knowing the way to readers’ hearts is mystifying but she never fails to hit every note and proves to me why I’ve been a fan for decades.

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

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Mini-ARC Review: Crossroads (Ashford Creek #2)

Crossroads (Ashford Creek #2)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

When Kiera West needs a place to hide from the media and her ex, she never thought

Bodhi Ashford—the man the small town of Ashford Creek once thought a murderer—would be her salvation.

The reclusive, bearded, mountain man has secrets of his own and with one growl, she knew she’d be safe. Sure, he might only talk to her to ask who hurt her, but at least the quiet will let her heal.

When the elusive drummer from one of the biggest rock bands in the world shows up on Bodhi’s doorstep, he needs her to leave yesterday. As soon as he sees the bruises, he knows she needs to stay.

A fire took everything from him once, and the town he thought he could trust turned on him before he could grieve. Falling for a woman in the spotlight is the last thing he needs.

Yet it might be the one thing that could save them both when the darkness of their pasts finally catches up with them.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

What’s not to love about two broken characters finding that together they heal and reshape all the pieces of one another into a beautiful new design? The second installment in the Ashford Creek series is a story that will rip out your heart and then heal you without you even understanding that you needed to be healed.  Carrie Ann Ryan has the special ability to remind us that we all deserve to find love, even when we’ve lost it and feel that our chance at happiness was stolen from us. Kiera West has certainly had her share of bad luck when it comes to men in her life, so when she meets the grumpy and brooding Bohdi Ashford, she never imagines that he will steal her heart and make her fall for him so deeply. Bodhi is the town recluse and hides from those that have whispered—or yelled—about him ever since his family died in a tragic fire, leaving him not only scared physically but mentally and emotionally as well. When the two find themselves thrown together after Kiera tries to escape a dangerous element in her life, Bodhi finds himself unable to resist the sweet and obviously troubled woman that pulls at his heartstrings.  The more they spend time together, just experiencing life again, the closer they get to finding a healing that they never would have let themselves experience before.  But the dangers surrounding Bodhi and Kiera are not willing to just let them enjoy their newly blossoming love and they have to work together in order to overcome the fear and mistrust if they are ever going to get their second chances at true love.

I enjoyed immensely getting to watch Bodhi and Keiera as they both found a way to heal through the traumas that continued to follow them as together, they found a way to begin living their lives again.  Bodhi is obviously a man that has always protected those he loves and not being able to save his family broken his spirit; finding a way to accept his past, love his present, and embrace a future allowed his true character to develop and shine through.  His alpha and sweet nature left us wanting so much more from him when he was being grumpy and it was only when he finally decided to embrace life and love again that we really fell in love with him right alongside Kiera.  Kiera herself was a perfect example of a woman that has been kicked repeatedly but refuses to stay down, the ideal match for a character like Bodhi who needed someone to stand by his side and defend him against the world.  She has a lot of insecurities in her life, but she also knows that she is the kind of person that will find her place in the world if she stops letting others bring her down. Once they stopped letting the world dictate how they lived their lives, Bodhi and Kiera found their joy and love again for one another and for living life and getting to experience it right alongside them was a fabulous experience.  The passion between these two from the very first moment was palpable and hot and I cannot wait to see more of them in coming books in the series.  Carrie Ann always manages to blow me away with her stories of redemption, danger, drama, and love, but she really outdid herself this time with Crossroads.

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