[Review] Off the Hook by Laura Drewry

Off the Hook by Laura Drewry
Series: Fishing for Trouble, #1
Publisher: Loveswept
Publishing Date: April 12, 2016
Format: ebook
257 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

Welcome to The Buoys, a West Coast haven where love comes in with the tide. Perfect for readers of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery, the Fishing for Trouble series features three unforgettable brothers—each of whom is a great catch.

Major league pitcher Liam O'Donnell knows his best days are probably behind him, but that doesn't mean he's ready to retire and become a fishing guide. Still, after all the time he's spent chasing his dreams, he owes it to his brothers to pull his weight around the lodge. The Buoys is their father's legacy, and they can't let some developer take it from them. The one snag Liam isn't counting on is a blast from the past: his ex-wife.

The moment Kate Hadley steps out of the seaplane, she knows this assignment is going to be trickier than she thought. She has to persuade the owners to sell—and one of them is Liam O'Donnell. Ten years ago, she made the biggest mistake of her life when she married Liam during a fling in Vegas. Now he's her only lifeline in the middle of nowhere. Kate's trying to keep things cool, but Liam just reminds her of the scorching few nights they spent together—and tempts her to make new memories that are just as steamy as the old. 

My Review

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

I really loved this book. It was so fun, cute, and unique. Plus there's something about second chances that I really love. Knowing that Liam and Kate were married once before and now have a second chance at love, ugh, it just pulls at my heart strings. I really loved that Kate had no idea Liam's family owned this fishing resort, and then when she finds out, she doesn't run the other way. Instead, she sticks though it, though for completely selfish reasons. Regardless, the more she gets to know Liam outside of their Vegas fantasy week and the rest of his family, she puts aside what she wants and really fights for their interests. 

I am really interested in finding out what happens to the other characters in this book, too! They were really great supporting characters and so many fun personalities. I think Drewry has a really great series here and I can't wait for what's next! 

[Mini Review] Country Heaven by Ava Miles

Country Heaven by Ava Miles
Series: Dare River #1
Publisher: Ava Miles, Inc.
Publishing Date: February 2015
319 Pages
Format: ebook
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

A down-on-her luck cook uses food’s magical properties to tame a beastly country singer after he hires her under false pretenses to restore his image.

When famous—and infamous—country singer Rye Crenshaw saunters into the diner where she cooks, Tory Simmons is certain she’s got him pegged. He’s a bad boy who indulges himself in all things, women included. But while she couldn’t care less about country music or arrogant men, Rye makes her an offer she can’t refuse when he asks her to be his private chef on his multi-city concert tour. The job is the answer to all her prayers: it will clear out her debt and finance the fresh start she desperately needs.

Rye is certain his sassy new cook is the last woman who’d ever tempt him, but spending time with the wholesome girl next door will do wonders for his damaged public image, whether she likes being forced into the spotlight or not. Her food also happens to be the best he’s ever eaten, both comforting and seductive. But spending time with Tory on the road shows him a new side to her—one that’s as impossible to resist as her food. And when an emergency in his family whisks him home, he does the one thing he’s never risked: he lets a woman into his heart…

Soon the emotions Rye faked for the tabloids become all too real, but will the country heaven he’s found in Tory’s arms survive in the real world?

My Mini Review

This was one of those free books that I grabbed from Amazon because it sounded really cute and fun. And that definitely held true. I loved reading about Rye and Tory and I loved their meet-cute. Even though Rye's manager(s) wanted Tory along for an image reason, Rye really wanted to spend time with her and thoroughly enjoyed her cooking. It was interesting to see how they made each other better in everyday life and when Rye's family needs him, Tory is right there to help. I'm really interested in reading the other books in this series; I think there's a lot of potential here for a great series!

Top Ten Tuesday 3.1.16

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for a 'Top Ten' list relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond and participate. All the details are listed on her site.

This week's question: Top ten books if your in the mood for contemporary romance novels!

1. Running on Empty by LB Simmons 

2. Can't Always Get What You Want by Chelsey Krause

3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (not strictly romance but still one of my faves!)

4. Anything But Sweet by Candis Terry

5. Emerge by SE Hall

6. Country Heaven by Ava Miles

7. Once and Again by Elisabeth Barrett

8. Call Me Maybe by Ellie Cahill

9. Loving You is Easy by Wendy S. Marcus

10. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts

[Review] The One and Only by Emily Giffin

The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publishing Date: May 20, 2014
Format: paperback
432 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 5 stars

Synopsis 

In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Timesbestselling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living. 

My Review

Before you read any further, this review has SPOILERS! Here's the thing. I try really hard to keep my reviews spoiler-free. But this book - I just can't. I really want to lay my feelings out there, so I need to release some spoilers. 

I was really nervous to read this book after I read some of the reviews on Goodreads. I usually don't let those get to me, but they were so mixed that I didn't know what to think! I really love Emily Giffin's work and I was worried that I would be let down. Even when I started reading it, I still wasn't sure and I almost talked myself into not liking it at first. BUT. Then I just pushed all those other reviews out of my head and just focused on the story. And that's when I got completely wrapped up in the story and I realized how much I really loved it. 

However, the romance factor was a little worrisome for me. I knew pretty fast that Shea was falling for Coach Carr. The way she talked about him, knew him so well, was always thinking about him. It was just there. And honestly, in the beginning, I didn't like it. I wanted her relationship to work out with Ryan James. But the more I read, the more I realized she was good with Coach and truly herself. I know a lot of people didn't like her relationship with Coach, and I was really skeptical. I mean, he's her father's age and her best friend's father! It's weird! But I like that this was real; we don't choose who we fall in love with, what age they are, what gender, what race, religion, etc. It was a forbidden love, and clearly some people didn't take it too well, at first. 

I'll be honest, if this happened with people I knew, someone I was close with, I would be weirded out. But I like to hope that I would be able to get used to it and really set the age factor aside. Much easier to do in fiction than real life, but I hope I could. I certainly don't think this will be happening in my life anytime soon, but you never know! 

Other than the romance factor, I really liked the story in general. I love football, so it was easy to enjoy it. Plus I really connected and empathized with Shea. I liked everything about her; especially that she stuck true to what she believed. Her life certainly hasn't been easy, and she didn't take the path well traveled. I just really liked this book, even if a lot of other people didn't. It worked for me. 

[Review] Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publishing Date: April 2, 2013
Format: paperback
278 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 5 stars

Synopsis 

The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from "aging out" of the child welfare system, and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.

Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past. As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life - answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

My Review

My first thought when I finished this book a few days ago: I just put this book down and I already have a book hangover from it.

This book was chosen for my book club's February pick and I was really excited to read it. I had heard good things about it, but to be honest, I wasn't completely sure what it was about. And I'll admit that I barely knew anything about the orphan train movement in the early 1900's. But this book captured my attention from the minute I opened it. I've always loved learning about history and my dad's side emigrated from Ireland many years ago, so I was excited to learn Vivian did as well. 

The historical story line in this book was clearly my favorite. I immediately empathized with Vivian/Dorothy/Niamh and couldn't wait to learn what happened to her with the different families she was placed with. I didn't mind the first family, but they clearly weren't that great to her. And I hated the second family (can't say more than that without spoiling it). The next family was obviously my favorite and she was treated really well. She ends up reconnecting with someone she met on the train, and I was so excited when that happened (again, I can't say too much more). Vivian definitely had a difficult life for many years, and even after she was adopted, her life wasn't exactly easy. We learn as the story unfolds just how much she had to endure. 

Even though the historical line was my favorite, I still really, really enjoyed the present-day story line with Molly. I love how the characters' lives are very parallel, both growing up in the foster system. I didn't like Molly's family at all, but unfortunately, it portrayed a very real depiction of today's foster system, to which I'm happy it did. Molly was easy to relate to and you could tell that although she's gotten into some trouble, she really just wanted to find her place in the world. I didn't like her boyfriend; he seemed a little better in the end, but there was just something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. 

I LOVED the ending of this book and thought it wrapped everything up perfectly. But honestly, the moment I finished this book, I was sad because it was over. I didn't want the story to end and I wanted to stay involved in Vivian and Molly's lives! I immediately went online to find more stories like it and seriously contemplated re-reading it right away. I didn't, but its still on my mind! I'm glad the girls at book club liked it just as much as I did! I've also recommended it to so many of my friends and colleagues since I finished. I cannot wait to read the other work by Baker Kline; I hope it's just as good! 

[Review] Fooling Around by Noelle Adams

Fooling Around by Noelle Adams
Publisher: Loveswept
Expected publication: May 2016
Format: ARC, ebook
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

Eric Vincent isn’t in the habit of asking for help. As the founder of a lucrative sports videogame franchise, he’s accustomed to getting his way and enjoying the fruits of his hard-earned success. Then all his illusions of dominance are shattered by a skiing accident that leaves him hobbled, facing a string of surgeries and months of immobility. The only way he’s going to survive is with someone by his side to anticipate his every desire. Someone who will devote every waking second to his comfort. Someone like Julie Nelson . . .

Julie’s life revolves around other people: her students, her parents, her sister. But even she has her limits. Julie has zero interest in playing personal assistant to Eric Vincent, a man who’s as arrogant as he is charismatic . . . until he ups the salary to one million dollars for three months’ work. Soon Julie’s struggling to bite her tongue—and resist the chemistry that draws her to Eric. But after one scorching kiss, Julie decides it’s finally her turn to be selfish. And this time, she’s going to get what she wants.

My Review

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

Like my previous review for After We Fall, I picked this one up over the weekend because I wanted a good romance read for Valentine's Day! And that's exactly what I got. This was a pretty quick read and it kept me hooked the whole time. Julie has taken care of her sick parents for years and hasn't done much for herself because of that. She even left school just before she finished her PhD. Meanwhile, Eric has been building his career for as long as he remembers. Unfortunately, a skiing accident has put him out of commission for a while, and he's not happy about it. With a very large salary, he convinces Julie to come work for him for 3 months.

This story was pretty cute and unique. Not entirely realistic because not many people will pay someone else $1 million for 3 months....but still, a cute story. Eric certainly didn't make things easy for Julie, but she doesn't back down and that's what I like about her. I also really liked that she wasn't all about the money when it really came down to it. I can't say too much without giving everything away, but it was a fun story. I enjoyed reading it and I'm interested in seeing what else Adams has to offer. 

[Review] After We Fall by Marquita Valentine

After We Fall by Marquita Valentine
Series: Take the Fall, #3
Publisher: Loveswept
Publishing Date: April 26, 2016
Format: ARC, ebook
176 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

A tough cop with an even tougher past, Hunter Sloan has never let anyone stop him from getting what he wants—and he wants Evangeline Ambrose bad. With her gentle curves and raw vulnerability, Hunter’s beautiful, mysterious new neighbor awakens his protective side. Determined to do right by a woman who’s gone through hell and back, Hunter could be the one to take away the pain—so long as his own secrets don’t sink their relationship before it begins.

Having escaped an abusive marriage, Evangeline simply wants to start over in the small, quiet town of Forrestville. She’s also avoiding all contact with the opposite sex, because she just can’t trust her instincts when it comes to men—not even with the sinfully sexy cop next door. So why can’t she stop thinking about him? Hunter has darkness in his soul, and yet no one ever made her feel so safe. For all her best laid plans, Evangeline didn’t count on choices this hard—or temptation this hot.

My Review

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

I had never heard of this author, but since I was approved for it on Netgalley, I wanted to give it a try. I figured it was a great day to start this yesterday since it was Valentine's Day and that's the authors last name! Plus, can you really go wrong with reading a romance novel, curled up with your kitty, with your husband next to you on Valentine's day? I think not. 

Regardless of the day I read this, I finished it in one day! It was a really quick, short read and I really loved the characters. Of course, there's something about a man in uniform and I have a soft spot for cops. My brother is a copy in Arizona and I used to work at a police department, and let me tell ya, some of those copes were very easy on the eyes! So I knew right when I read this synopsis that I wanted to get a copy of this book. 

Hunter and Evangeline met in really terrible circumstances, but since then, he hasn't been able to forget about her. Months later she moves in across the hall from him as his new neighbor and things get interesting. It was so fun to watch these two together. They both have a a very difficult past, but learn to overcome it together. It wasn't entirely unpredictable, but I still had an idea of what was going to happen. However, it didn't take away for the cuteness of the story. I definitely will be checking out what else Valentine's written!