His for the Holidays by Samantha Chase is now live!
What better way to unwind from the stress of a family Thanksgiving, than escaping with an armload of Christmas cookies?
Hannah Christy was eager to head home and devour her treats in solitude, while doing some prep work for the promotion she was vying for. Those plans came to a screeching halt… along with the elevator…. trapping her inside with her sexy neighbor.
After being trapped with his match-making family over Thanksgiving, getting stuck in an elevator was a welcome reprieve for Gage Lawson.
If it was up to him, he would gladly stay stranded well into the new year. Especially since his neighbor has a whole treasure trove of ideas on how to pass the time. The best Christmas cookies he’s ever tasted. Delicious spiced wine. Fun getting-to-know-you games. It’s the most holiday merriment he’s had in a long while.
Somewhere in the midst of it all, Gage comes up with the perfect plan. A fake romance to help make both their family get-togethers more jolly! To his surprise, Hannah agrees to be his for the holidays. Yet with the mistletoe in full bloom, and her on his arm, Gage soon realizes their little Christmas show isn’t enough. He wants her for real… and forever.
Roast the chestnuts and hang the stockings, Gage has a plan! With the help of the 55 and over residents, magical flurries, and a never-ending supply of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, he’s determined to show Hannah that Christmas is the most wonderful time of year to fall in love.
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His For The Holidays is one of those charming feel-good romances set at Christmastime that would make a perfect made-for-tv movie!
Hannah and Gage are so adorable, and their romance sweetly grows from a fake relationship to them both wanting moreā¦. But afraid to ask the other for it.
This book is a perfect feel-good Christmas romance, easily read in a single sitting. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than seventy titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
I always believed in fairy tales, but he preferred horrors.
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Damian Blackstone didnāt care about my existence. He came into my world for one reason only. He came to find answers about his past.
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He moved like the villain in my favorite fairy tales. He wasnāt the one who received the happily ever afters; he was the one who destroyed them.
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Which was why I couldnāt understand why the man who raised me set it up in his will for Damian and me to be married. I wasnāt certain Iād be able to live with a man like Damian. We were as opposite as any two people could be. I loved to bathe in the sunlight while he prospered in the shadows.
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I didnāt think Iād develop feelings for the one who looked at me as if I were nothing more than a means to an end. Yet in his darkness, sometimes Iād see sparks of light. Iād see gentleness. Iād see his soul.
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We became entangled with one another as we fell into mistakes and called them fate. I was his Cinderella, and he was my Beast.
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I wasnāt certain that twisted fairy tales ended with happily ever afters.
Western Waves is full of all of the heart, emotion and tears that I’ve come to expect from a Brittainy C. Cherry story ā but there was just *something* missing from Damian and Stella’s story that made the difference in this not being a book I want to give unlimited starts to.
This story takes grumpy, scarred, cold hero with abandonment issues who rarely lets anyone get close to him and teaches him how to find love with a happy, cheery, free-spirited heroineā¦ who loves everyone so hard because she, too, has abandonment issues. What I really loved about Damian and Stella is that they were both so damaged as a result of their childhoods. Yes, she was raised in a huge home with an adoptive father who loved and adored her while he bounced from foster home to foster home. But the psychological torture that she went through from a parade of stepmonsters was almost worse, in a sense, than the mental damage that being a foster kid caused Damian. There really is a lovely arc as Stella comes to terms with that and learns to love herself. While Damian had to learn that he is worthy of being loved, she had to learn how to feel that she is good enough just as she is.
As much as I loved the way the hate-to-love relationship grew between Cinderstella and The Beast, I had some issues with WW. First, Stella has a boyfriend of a decade who is okay with her marrying a stranger? We later find out that Jeff is a grade-A jerk, and their breakup leads to Stella and Damian finally hooking up. But the hookup began as more of a sexual favor than anything else, and I wished something different brought them to act on their feelings.
I think my biggest problem with WW is that I thought I was going to get Damian’s backstory tied up… and I didn’t. The whole who-is-his-mom subplot ended quite anti-climactically. I needed more of an explanation than the two words that he got. When comparing that scene to the lovely flashback chapter where we see how Damian and Connor (Eastern Lights) first met, I felt almost cheated out in not getting that huge piece of the guy’s history. But it was great catching up with Connor and Aaliyah!
Also, the personalities of Damian and Stella were so similar to those of Graham and Lucy from The Gravity of Us. And while I truly loved WW and cried over Damian and Stella, their story just didn’t punch me in the gut the same way that TGoU had.
Overall, I really, really liked Western Waves ā but I didn’t think it was one of BC’s best books.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Brittainy Cherry has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelorās Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing–poorly of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in! Brittainy lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.
Eighteen-year-old, Bronwyn Littleton is in love with a stranger she met on a summer night a year ago.
A stranger who was tall and broad in a way that made her feel safe. He had dark blue eyes that she canāt stop drawing in her sketch book. And he had a deep, soothing voice that she canāt stop hearing in her dreams.
Thatās all she knows about him though.
Until she runs into him again. At St. Maryās School for Troubled Teenagers ā an all girls reform school ā where sheās trapped because of a little crime she committed in the name of her art.
Now she knows that her dream man has a name: Conrad Thorne.
She knows that his eyes are way bluer and way more beautiful than she thought. And that his face is an artistās wonderland.
But she also knows that Conrad is her best friendās older brother. Which means heās completely off-limits. Not to mention, heās the new soccer coach, which makes him off-limits times two.
What makes him off-limits times three however, and this whole scenario an epic tragedy, is that, Conrad, Wynās dream man, has a dream girl of his own.
And heās as much in love with his dream girl as Wyn is in love with himā¦
NOTE: This is a STANDALONE set in the world of St. Maryās.
The return to St. Mary’s with These Thorn Kisses fell a little flat. I loved My Darling Arrow, and really liked A Gorgeous Villain… But Conrad (one of Callie’s older brother from AGV) and Bronwyn were just a bit “meh” for me in These Thorn Kisses.
I didn’t get the same sense of forbidden romance in this book that I did in the previous stories… it just kind of felt forced. I didn’t feel this burning connection between Conrad and Wyn, so the forbidden aspect to their relationship felt unexistent. The other woman drama that I was expecting with Conrad’s ex Helen being the guidance counselor at St. Mary’s was more in Bronwyn’s head than anything else.
Ultimately, These Thorn Kisses was a miss for me. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Saffron A. Kent
Saffron A. Kent is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary and New Adult romance.
She has an MFA in Creative Writing and she lives in New York City with her nerdy and supportive husband, along with a million and one books.
She also blogs. Her musings related to life, writing, books and everything in between can be found in her JOURNAL on her website (www.thesaffronkent.com)
Disagreeing from the first time they meet, Noah and Niko know exactly how to push each other’s buttons while they fight the intense pull between them. But when they are forced to work together, they might realise that their connection runs deeper than frustration and lust.
Niko is driven and ambitious, even when it’s misconceived as cold and measured.
Her latest project is her great-grandmother’s nature organisation. Niko is determined to see it thrive again and hopefully understand herself and her broken family better in the process. Getting a handle on her inconvenient feelings is a must too.
Noah has made a promise to set things right and honour his eccentric grandfather’s hard work. Even when that means taking on an active role in a small nature organisation, while hiding his true identity.
He is busy enough as it is with university, work, and late nights of writing. Still, he can’t help but care about the organisation. Or the fierce woman who always seems to make his life harder.
Only Sometimes is a steamy new adult frenemies to lovers romance set in Copenhagen, Denmark (with a getaway to a gorgeous Swedish forest).
It’s book three in the Without Filter Series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.
The emotion in her eyes doesnāt match her calm and bored voice. Sheās dismissing me, and I canāt do anything because sheās right about this. I want to know why she lets Finn treat her like crap and does all his work with a sweet smile.
But I know she wonāt answer that, so instead, I ask, āWhy is your car at the shop? Did you drive it like an idiot again?ā
She instantly flushes, and I bite back a laugh.
āMaybe youāre jealous because my car can accelerate without sounding like itās dying a slow and painful death! But no, I didnāt speed. Itās in for a stone chip repair!ā
āCould just have well been. Iāve seen how you drive. I guess Iād be more inclined to wreck my car if my dad paid for it every time,ā I say, but it comes out much harsher than I intended.
Niko simply rolls her eyes. āI think weāve established that Iām rich and that you take great offence to thatācould we move on? Today, perhaps?ā
I sigh and run a hand through my hair as a wave of guilt rolls over me. āIām sorry I spied on you. Let me give you a lift to Copenhagen if you arenāt too posh to be seen in my very reliable car?ā
Niko looks at me curiously, humour and frustration mixing in her gaze. āIām not sure. An hour is an awfully long time to be stuck in a confined space with you. Do you think weāll make it back alive?ā Her tone has changed to playful, and Iām again aware of our proximity. One step forward, and our bodies would touch. I can smell her caramel scent mixing with the flowers surrounding us. I notice the rise and fall of her chest, tinted with pink.
She makes me so goddamn frustrated.
Sheās also beautiful and clever.
āI think we can manage,ā I say, but it sounds guttural as her gaze darts to my lips. Heat runs through my veins, and the air feels thick and heady. The idea that we are hidden from the rest of the party by the abundant flowersāitās intoxicating.
Dangerous.
So bloody tempting.
And then the stupid bell sounds, letting us know the auction has started.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Only Sometimes is the first book I’ve read by Felicia Blaedel and I found it to be a charming enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in the deeper themes of grief and loss. Niko and Noah really knew how to poke at one another, but their end goal wasn’t all that different as they were both trying to feel closer to someone that they lost. They kind of get off on the wrong foot, but they form a lovely friendship along the way that leads to something beautiful.
Only Sometimes is part of a series, but is a standalone. I have not read the others in this series, and had no problem following along with the references to those characters who appear in this book.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Felicia writes quirky and heartfelt romance with real, flawed characters. She also reads whenever she has a free minute and can’t leave her house without her beloved kindle.
Felicia writes in English, but is Danish and lives in Denmark with her husband and son.
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When Felicia isn’t doing something bookish, she enjoys drawing, dancing (mostly at home with her toddler), cooking (for the most part) and travelling.
She also tends to buy anything with dinosaurs.
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Felicia writes books about being true to yourself, and she is passionate about mental health and authenticity. As an adult, Felicia received professional confirmation that she is actually autistic.
Felicia hangs out (too much) on Instagram where she posts about her indie-author life, cute dresses, coffee mugs, musings about autism and anxiety, book recommendations, and much more. She would love it if you came by and said hello. @feliciablaedel
There are three words most men canāt resistāI dare you.
So as you can see, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I had no choice when my buddies said āI bet you canāt get that brunette beauty to kiss you before the night ends.ā
I proved them wrong, and oh how good it felt to be right when I swept the quick-tongued woman into my arms and kissed the breath out of her at the party.
But, I made a slight miscalculation.
Turns out sheās my brand new enemy.
And soon Iām locked in a fierce battle of wits with my sexy-as-sin nemesis. Iām determined to show the whole city that my company is offering the best new path to romance, and sheās dead-set on knocking me down. Publicly.
Itās the hottest game of one-upmanship Iāve ever played, punctuated by fiery kisses, dirty letters, and, after a heated argument, hate s-e-x.
You know what they say. Keep your enemies closer.
I keep her so damn close to my favorite body part.
Everything is fun and gamesā¦until I gamble something I canāt afford to lose.
He is back!!! Sebastian York narrates this hot tamale!
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Return to the Big Rock world with Lauren Blakely’s male POV romcom Come Again. Easton runs a successful elite matchmaking service dedicated to capitalizing on real-life chemistry between people when they meet up at his swanky parties — even though he is one of Manhattan’s biggest playboys. Bellamy is a romance podcaster who believes in online dating apps. They first cross paths at a masquerade party where they are dressed as Jay Gatsby and not-Daisy Buchanan, when Easton’s friends dare him to make a move on her. Their chemistry is undeniable and they share a searing kiss neither one of them can forget, but things don’t quite work out the way Easton wanted them to when his mystery woman takes off and leaves them hanging.
Bellamy, meanwhile, knows exactly who Easton is. When they cross paths again, he does not want to let her slip through his fingers again — and they set off on a friends-with-benefits relationship that is full of steam! (He’s been burned by a past relationship and is quite happy with the casual.) Bellamy and Easton have very different viewpoints on how to find romance, however, and their casual fling gets complicated when feelings get involved. I loved Bellamy as a heroine, and her confession to Easton — and his subsequent reaction — was heartbreaking. After she’s gone, Easton realizes what he had and let go and sets out on one hell of a grovel tour.
There is a lot of great snark and banter between Bellamy and Easton, and then on the flip side are these super sweet emails and messages as they fall in love. These characters are so well-written, and the hot scenes are as captivating as the vulnerable ones.
I enjoyed the cameos from some of the other Big Rock couples, and Grandma Coco was one of my favorite characters in this book! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Lauren Blakely:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible
Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style thatās
sexy, sweet, and witty. She also writes USA Today bestselling LGBTQ romance.
With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York
Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, with
more than 55 titles on the USA Today Bestsellers list alone. Sheās sold more than 4.5 million books. A Brown University graduate, Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
Protecting You, an all-new emotional second-chance romance from Lena Hendrix, is available now!
One moment of hesitation and I lost Maggie forever. Since then, weāve spent the last 15 years in this small town circling each other and pretending neither remembers how right it felt when we were best friends. Now sheās a single mom and she doesnāt need a ābroody, grumpy copā like me complicating her life. No matter how many times her heated gaze scorches my skin, I can never have her in the way I want. Completely. So I push her awayābut itās for her own good. Because if she knew the truth of what I did, she wouldnāt just have hurt feelings, she would truly hate me. She has a guarded heart and itās all my fault. But I donāt have a heart at all. I gave it to Maggie OāBrien a long time ago.
I couldnāt. Maggie hadnāt released her arms from around my neck, and I couldnāt
As we inched closer toward Maggie, I could see her partner was getting bolder, pressing his hips into her ass as they swayed. She pulled away, turning to push her palm against his chest. A low rumble vibrated within me at seeing him completely oblivious to her discomfort. The song faded, and I thanked Casey Mae for the dance, effectively dismissing her and ignoring the pout she clicked into place.
Two steps forward and I was pressed against Maggieās back, my hand wrapping possessively around her trim waist. āYou okay, doll?ā My voice rumbled low against the shell of her ear.
āThere you are!ā Her eyes were wild as she turned and threw herself around my neck. Instinct took over, and I wrapped her in my arms. For a moment, I pulled her close to me, drowning in the warmth of her body, the delicate scent of floral perfume and her skin. My cock thickened at the closeness of Maggieās body pressed against mine.
Iāve waited fifteen years for this.
Maggie still clung to me as I shot her dance partner prick a murderous glare. He took one step back, both palms in the air. Shaking his head, he backed away and wound himself around the next girl who smiled in his direction.
I should stop touching her. Let her go.
I couldnāt. Maggie hadnāt released her arms from around my neck, and I couldnāt force myself to peel my arms off her. Instead, I took a deep inhale of her sexy, floral scent and filed it away in my memory for later. Around us, the mood shifted. The lights slanted, and the low bass of a slow country song reverberated through the speakers.
Instead of releasing my shoulders, Maggieās plush hips began to sway. āI think heās still watching,ā she whispered against my skin.
āDefinitely,ā I said. That douche had all but forgotten about us, but if that was what she thought, I was going with it.
One hand ran up her back, settling between her shoulder blades, and I pulled her chest against mine. I knew it was a mistake. My carefully crafted detachment was the only way I knew how to protect her from all my bullshit. Her heart hammered through the delicate fabric of her top, and I could feel the diamond tips of her nipples press against me.
I swallowed a groan as we swayed and moved to the music. Slow, practiced breathing was the only thing that kept me from completely unraveling in her arms. Up close, Maggie was even more beautiful than I could stand.
She was everything I needed but had no right to want. Not after what I had done. I shoved my demons down and focused on the fact that Maggie OāBrien was swaying in my arms, humming along with the band.
āYou smell nice,ā she said quietly. Her voice was barely audible above the noise in the bar.
āMmm,ā I harrumphed, unable to form a coherent thought, let alone actual words. A thousand thoughts tumbled through my head, but I couldnāt seem to find a way to give voice to a single one.
You smell nice too.
I miss you.
This feels too good.
The song faded, melted into a new one, and my ability to form a singular thought returned. My back stiffened as I pulled to my full height, causing her fingers to untangle from my hairline. The cold left behind by the absence of her hands prickled down my spine.
What the fuck are you doing? Youāve done nothing but ruin her entire life.
Dread pooled in my stomach as I thought back to all the choices that brought us here, all the things that I had done. I thought of David. I had no right to enjoy the feel of Maggieās soft breath tangling with mine.
Steadying her on her feet, I held her at armās length and leveled my breathing. Her long fingers curled around my wrists, pushing against my pulse points as they hammered against her fingertips.
Iād let it go too far. How had I let her creep past my defenses and seep into my bones? The swirling greens and amber of her eyes burned into me. Everyone around us melted away.
I could do it. I could pull her into me and crush that full mouth against mine and finally claim her.
āCole . . .ā Maggie took the tiniest step toward me.
I swallowed past the gravel in my throat.
āYou need to be more responsible.ā I pushed past the undulating crowd, fleeing before I could do something epically stupid, like finally caving to my deepest desires. Bitter self-loathing washed over me as I caught the disgusted look that marred Maggieās gorgeous face. Iād hurt her with the very words I knew would cut deep. But I had to protect her, and her heart.
Even if it cost me everything.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
This series keeps getting better and better! We’ve gotten hints of Maggie and Cole’s backstory in the previous Chikalu Falls books, and Lena Hedrix did not disappoint with the emotional second-chance romance she delivered in Protecting You!
Protecting the people of Chikalu Falls is engrained in Cole Decker as a third-generation police officer. But protecting Maggie, the best friend he’s been in love with since he was a teenager, just about ruined him. There is so much history behind the estranged relationship between Maggie and Cole, and I loved how these two went from him (seemingly!) hating her to getting the HEA they both deserved. This emotional, heartwarming, heartbreaking story was captivating from start to finish.
LH also did a really great job of writing Cole’s relationship with Maggie’s daughter, Lottie. And of course, there’s the tight bond between Deck and the other guys, Lincoln and Colin. When things blow up between Cole and Maggie, when the weight of his secret is crushing him and destroying him from the inside out, the bond between these friends really shines as they tell him what a dope he’s being! One of my favorite scenes was between Deck and Lincoln! I’ve thought that the secondary characters were excellent supports from the very first book in this series, and I was thrilled to see that LH continues to write them that way.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Lena Lena Hendrix is the author of steamy, contemporary romance novels. Her love of romance started with her grandmotherās Harlequin paperbacks and now Lenaās stories are full of heart, humor, and plenty of strong Alphas with marshmallow insides-she likes her coffee hot and her heroes hotter!
Lena lives in the midwest with her husband, three children, and two derpy Australian Cattle Dogs. When sheās not writing or devouring new novels, you can find her hiking, camping, fishing, and sipping a spicy margarita!
Unsure of how to move on, my luck seemed to suddenly change. My estranged mother’s last gift to me before she died landed on my doorstep, giving me the opportunity to start my life over.
I snatched up the chance to leave my life behind in Minnesota, opening my arms up to the hot, sunny weather of Texas.
It was easy to start over in unfamiliar territory, my unofficial rules of heartbreak worn on my chest like a badge of honor.
But along with the house my mother left came a new neighbor. An obnoxious neighbor with dangerous glaring eyes and a set of abs that should be considered illegal. He was mysterious and full of secrets, a story hidden behind his hard exterior.
Before I knew it, Dallas Beckett was about to break all my rules.
I just didn’t realize he had his own set, and I was about to put every one of them to the test.
The Rules of Heartbreak is the second book I’ve read by Brittany Taylor — and it was as beautifully full of angst as Paper Hearts! At first meeting, Sloan and Dallas can’t stand one another. But their hate-to-love relationship turns into a no-strings fling since they have both been burned by past relationships and neither is looking for a commitment. But as these two spend more and more time together, feelings get involved, and the carefully-constructed rules they both put in place to protect their hearts seem to matter less and less.
This story is messy and heartbreaking, and it was so, so good. Sloan and Dallas had wonderful banter and sizzling chemistry. Underneath that gruff and grumpy exterior was a guy so broken by the secrets he’s keeping but still had so much love to give. There is a wild twist to this story that just amplified all the angst. Both Sloan and Dallas had a lot of issues to work through on their own, and I loved the journey that they went on as they fought their way to be together.
The Rules of Heartbreak is a fantastic start to a new series, and I hope that the rest of the books to come are just as good — because this was angsty perfection!
I read an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Brittany Taylor
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Brittany Taylor grew up all over the world including places such as California, England and Texas. Today she resides in Connecticut with her husband, son and two cats. She loves reading, but loves writing even more.Ā
Her favorite things in life are her family, binge watching Netflix, and tacos.Ā
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Brittany Taylor has been obsessed with reading since kindergarten.Ā She followed her lifelong dream in 2017 when she published her first novel, Without You. Ever since, she’s been hooked and can’t write the stories in her head fast enough.Ā
If Only in My Dreams by Carrie Aarons is now live!
‘Tis the season to … be freshly divorced at twenty-six and moving back into your parents’ house?
Because that’s my reality this Christmas. As if it isn’t bad enough that my entire hometown is buzzing with the news of my failed marriage, who is the first person I bump into at the grocery store? The guy who treated me like his personal booty call in high school just happens to be looking at spices while I’m trying to pick up cinnamon for my mother.
And get this; Porter Kelly, the broody, mysterious recluse who exposed his own secrets to the world by writing a book about his family years ago, is the one who acts like I wronged him. His rude remarks on aisle nine are the final straw as my exhausted unhappiness breaks, and I’m officially calling off the most wonderful time of the year.
Too bad it’s literally impossible for the woman whose parents own a railroad that specializes in Christmas train rides to ignore the holiday season. Because I’m back under their roof, it’s mandatory to work in the middle of the red and green merriment, Santa himself, and wait for it …
Porter serenading us with the greatest festive hits of all time. That’s right, apparently my teenage heartthrob turned nemesis not only works for my parents, but can strum a guitar like he’s trying to get every soccer mom on board pregnant. As we’re forced to spend more time together than ever, his past baggage and my marital rejection make their way to the surface, bonding us in ways neither of us knew possible.
I thought I was heartbroken about my ex-husband wanting to end our marriage, but that pain is nothing compared to what Porter could inflict. He seems like a changed man, one on the precipice of a new chapter, which is exactly where I find myself. Would it be crazy to think we could turn the page together?
Returning home was the only option I had. But as I come dangerously close to counting on the first man who broke my heart, I wonder if all of my future dreams are too good to be true.
If Only in My Dreams is second-chance, small-town, coworkers perfection wrapped up in all the good tidings of a Christmas story. Porter and Madison’s romance had me hooked from the first page right up until that feel-good HEA epilogue.
That’s not to say that this story is all rainbows and unicorns, because it is not! Madison is back home in her small hometown a few months after her divorce, helping out her parents at their themed Christmas train business while juggling her own job. And one of her coworkers is Porter, none other than her former high school fling, the guy with a huge chip on his shoulder who smashed her heart into smithereens.
Porter’s childhood wasn’t the best, so I get why he is such an angry, grumpy guy. He is downright cruel to Madison at times because he refuses to let himself be vulnerable around her at first. Madison, meanwhile, has zero self-confidence left after her husband just ditched her. She’s struggling with healing emotionally from her divorce when she’s forced into close proximity with Porter, and all her insecurities from high school come bubbling up to the surface again.
As they spend time together, Porter and Madison begin to reconnect, and he finally admits that he didn’t hate her at all — just hated that he loved her and didn’t know how to handle that. But is Madison ready to fall in love again?
I really enjoyed the story arc between the main characters in this book. After Madison’s life imploded, she got a second chance with her first love and it was better than anything she ever expected it to be. I also really liked the side characters — her mom and dad were wonderful, her best friend is super supportive, and there’s a lovely reconciliation subplot between Porter and his mom.
If Only In My Dreams is the kind of book that I’d love to see brought to life as a TV movie!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Carrie Aarons
Author of romance novels such as Fool Me Twice and Love at First Fight, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.
When she isn’t writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She’s a Jersey girl living in Texas with her husband, daughter, son, and Great Dane/Lab rescue.
Avery Fletcher makes a better friend than a loverāat least he thinks so. Well, him and every woman heās ever dated. Now his encounters are brief and satisfying. Thereās really no need to complicate things.
Though, when he sits alone on his porch listening to the cicadas, he has a brief lapse in judgment and yearns for someone to talk to.
Helena Davenport doesnāt need a manānor does she want one. As heiress to her late fatherās fortune and business, sheās here to impress. But apparently, you canāt get away from societal expectationsāeven in the twenty-first century, and the board of directors wants this queen to crown a king.
When she finds herself being tattooed by none other than bad boy Avery at a bachelorette party, she hatches a plan. Heās perfectātattoos, unruly beard, and a sharp wit. Oh, and incapable of falling in love with her. He makes the perfect fake boyfriend.
Sheāll get the company board off her back by giving them exactly what they asked for, and watch them eat their words. What could possibly go wrong?
Social events put the pair to the test, forcing them to get cozyāa little too cozy. The situation soon turns red hot and a little worrisome.
As the plan to stay platonic starts to fall apart, can the two keep their cool or will they succumb to the heat between them?
Each one of these Bird’s Eye books outdoes the last — and I have rated them all highly, so that tells you how much I love this world that Kat Savage has created! Avery has been the strong, silent type in the background of Hawk and Will’s books, and now he gets to shine like the tattooed superstar that he is in this fake relationship story.
Helena and Avery are magic. There is such an easy connection between them from the get-go. Avery is all rough and gruff on the outside with the heart of a giant teddy bear. I loved the different version of herself that Helena portrayed to everyone else in her life, but got to really relax and be herself around him. Underneath the CEO powersuits, Helena was a totally different person, and she really blossomed as her relationship with Avery grew. There’s no doubt that these two come from different worlds — but will their connection be enough to withstand the scrutiny that comes from a tattoo artist dating one of the most important financiers in the world?
I knew that the fake relationship between “the simpleton and the socialite” was going to be epic, and it really met all of my expectations! I need to track down Blythe’s novella and get the backstory on Helena’s sister and her husband! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Kat Savage
Kat Savage resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her three beautiful children, her hunky spouse, and two spoiled dogs. She secretly has hope of getting chickens one day.Ā
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By day, sheās an office manager, pushing paperwork and daydreaming. When sheās not at her nine-to-five, sheās writing. Or thinking about writing. Or preparing books and book stuff. Or quite possibly, designing stuff for other peopleās books.Ā
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She was driven to writing out of a need to distraction and self-preservation after the death of her sister in 2013. Since then, itās snowballed into a full blown passion she canāt escape. Even on the toughest days, she wouldnāt want to.
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She writes poetry packed with real, raw, and sometimes ugly truths. She wonāt lie. Her goal is to make you ache, in that perfect delicious way we often secretly crave.
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Shortly after putting her poetry and prose out into the world, she turned to novel writing. Savage is a natural storyteller, getting better with each book. She tries to give the characters in her novels depth, whether theyāre serious or comical, she builds them in layers with the hope that you see a little of yourself in some of them.
I might have thought he was worth breaking my āno datingā rule.
He might have even given me the best orgasm Iāve ever experienced to date.
But it was a farce.
A trick.
Another lie.
And I donāt make mistakes twice.
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Now he says he needs me.
One week of my help and I never have to deal with him again.
For ten grand, I can suffer anything for seven days.
Even Riggs Stanton.
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Exceptā¦
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The more time I spend with him, the more I get to know him, the more I question myself.
What if what we shared before was real, and itās everything else thatās fake?
****Better With YouĀ is the secondĀ interconnected standalone in theĀ Better LoveĀ series by Brit Benson.
This enemies-to-lovers new adult romance is sassy, sexy, and has a guaranteed HEA.
It is not necessary to readĀ Love You BetterĀ before enjoyingĀ Better With You, butĀ Better With YouĀ will contain minor spoilers forĀ Love You Better.
I have never read anything by this author before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect… Better Than You was a wonderful story of love, betrayal, family drama, illness, death, parental expectations, and so much more!
Riggs and Bailey had insane chemistry from the start. This fling-turned-enemies-turned-lovers story has so much heat, but so much heart, too. The family issues that they are both struggling with added a huge layer of depth to this college romance. Brit Benson beautifully wrote their relationship with witty banter, and lots of betrayl then groveling. I get why Riggs was so torn about his feelings for Bailey due to the situation he’d put himself in. And Bailey had been through so much, and despite the crappy situation with her parents, tried so hard to rectify a wrongdoing to another family member. She was so strong, yet allowed herself to be vulnerable with Riggs. I was so glad that he ultimately did the right thing and worked to get her back.
This book is the second in a series, and I feel like some aspects of Bailey’s relationships with her friends would have been better understood had I read Book #1 first. But that didn’t affect the way I fell for Bailey and Riggs and was rooting for them to get their HEA!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Brit Benson
Brit Benson writes romance novels that are sassy, sexy, and sweet.
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When sheās not dreaming up her next swoony book boyfriend and fierce book bestie, sheās reading.Ā
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When sheās not reading, sheās probably marathoning a Netflix series or wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles in Homegoods.
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Brit currently resides somewhere near the Blue Ridge Parkway with her husband, daughters, and dogs.
