The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills is now live!

From bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a steamy story about first love and second chances where a city girl returns home for a Valentine’s Day tradition…and the boy who broke her heart.

Roses are red, violets are blue–someone in Rose has feelings for you…

Yeah, bad ones. Everly Davis didn’t leave her tight-knit hometown on the best terms. It’s been ten years, but you don’t forget heartbreak like that. Then again, the anonymous invite to the annual Kiss Lottery in Rose, Tennessee, gives Everly content for her podcast. And she has a bone to pick with that old heartbreak anyway.

Beckett Whitfield has never left Rose–and he’s never forgotten Everly. He even named the villain in his latest bestseller after her. Turns out she’s not happy about that. Nothing about their reunion is particularly happy, and after the way they left things, what did he expect?

When the Kiss Lottery pairs them together, Everly and Beckett will have to confront old feelings that never went away and the secrets they never shared. But finally telling each other everything might be exactly what they’ve needed all along.

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49BGhiI      

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4gt5tdc 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

The Kiss Lottery is such a cute Valentine’s Day novella! It’s just 22 chapters — easy enough to read in a day — but packs a lot into those chapters! It’s an adorably funny, second-chance, small-town, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance between childhood friends who never got over one another.

It’s been 10 years since podcaster Everly returned to her small hometown of Rose, but then she gets an anonymous invitation to the town’s Kiss Lottery Valentine’s Day event. She’s reluctant to return home because of Bennett, once her best friend and secret crush. Yet while a messy history with Bennett and her hometown await her once she gets there, Everly soon learns that home isn’t just a place, but a person. Because the feelings that she and Bennett have for each other run deep, and 10 years apart has done nothing to make those feelings go away.

This novella was so fun. I loved the quirky characters of Rose, especially Bennett’s Aunt Margo. Everly’s friends are such a fun bunch, and I would love to see this world expand so we can see more of them!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Ilsa Madden-Mills

#1 Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills pens angsty new adult and contemporary romances.

A former high school English teacher and librarian, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa

Website | www.ilsamaddenmills.com   

Goodreads | http://bit.ly/2EESfM9   

Amazon | http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT    

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/authorilsamaddenmills     

Facebook Group |  https://www.facebook.com/groups/728703210580726     

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Bookbub |  http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn        

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Text Updates |  text romance(877) 207-0713 to receive updates

THIS WILD HEART by Karla Sorensen

Release Date: February 7

Blurb:

Who forgets marrying a football player? Me, apparently. Turns out countless shots and a bad breakup lead to questionable decision making. But waking up in Vegas with a ring on my finger beside a hot, naked man is hard to ignore. I married Parker Wilder. Thanks to our quickie nuptials, I’ll get my inheritance, and he’ll get his family and their well-intentioned meddling off his back.

Forgetting the wedding was the easy part. Being married to him is a whole different story. Parker is too … everything. Chiseled by the gods good-looking. A heartbreaking kind of broody. The kind of man you know will wreck you for all others. Good thing this is all pretend. And oh, how we pretend. We pretend ourselves right into me ripping the clothes off his body.

It’s all fun and fake marriage until the day he gets a knock on the door with the surprise of a lifetime. Until the bomb goes off and we’re left to pick up the pieces. Until the pretending stops and we’re left with only one question: was any of it real?

Buy Link:

bit.ly/ThisWildHeart

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Welp, I was not expecting to cry the way I did with This Wild Heart! Karla Sorensen really went all out wrapping up the Wilder Family saga with Parker’s book. Pairing him with Anya (Aiden and Isabel’s daughter from Forbidden/The Ward series) was another awesome connector between the Wilders and the Washington Wolves world, and as a longtime KS reader, I loved the cameos.

I’ve been reading the Wilders from the beginning, so I’ve seen this family go through Tim’s illness and death. It affected them all in different ways, but I had no idea that Parker was carrying around the level of guilt that he was! He is so emotionally stunted, and his closed his heart off to any kind of feeling. Watching him fall in love with Anya and realize that he doesn’t have to live in a self-imposed prison of grief was wonderful. I loved how these two characters connected over the loss of their parents (Anya’s dad was a widow when we met him in Forbidden).

Although Anya and Parker’s relationship starts out as a marriage of convenience, it is so full of passion and is a delicious slow burn as these two realize just how perfect they are for one another. The addition of Leo to this story was unexpected but added another wonderful layer to Anya and Parker’s relationship as they navigated the situation thrust upon them.

While I’m sad to say goodbye to the Wilders and all of the chaos that goes along with the family, I think that KS gave us an awesome farewell.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Karla Sorensen:

Karla Sorensen is an Amazon top 10 bestselling author who refuses to read or write anything without a happily ever after. When she’s not devouring Dramione fan fiction or avoiding the laundry, you can find her binding books, and watching football (British & American) or HGTV. With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University, she made her living in senior healthcare prior to writing full-time. Karla lives in Michigan with her husband, two boys and a big, shaggy rescue dog named Bear.

Connect with Karla Sorensen:

https://www.instagram.com/karla_sorensen/

EMBERS IN OUR PAST by Stefanie Castro is AVAILABLE NOW

Blurb:

What should you do when the life you’ve always wanted seems hopelessly out of reach?

Clay Nichols thought he was living his happily ever after with Abby, his wife that he pictured forever with. Loving her was effortless. No matter what obstacles they faced, they navigated them as a team. Having a baby was taking a long time, but they were exploring all their options together. Until the day Abby suddenly left it all behind.

Eighteen months ago, Abby walked away from her husband and her life in Boston. Unable to give Clay the family they dreamed of, she sacrificed her own happiness, allowing him a chance at the future he always wanted. A fresh start in California was exactly what she needed…or was it?

When Abby shows up one night at Clay’s local bar on the arm of a fellow firefighter, things get heated. Clay is ready to stop at nothing to put his life and his marriage back together. Can he win her back, or will everything fall apart once again?

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/aMMqhh1

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Embers in Our Past was a beautiful, haunting story of love, perseverance, loss, grief, and finding your way back to happiness. After the glimpses of Clay we saw in Embers in The Outfield, I could not wait to dive into his and Abby’s book and see how they reconnect.

Both of these characters go on such a complete arc throughout this book. Stefanie Castro did a phenomenal job of exploring the intricate ins and outs of what a marriage goes through when dealing with infertility, and the grief that comes with the loss of that dream. And then on top of that, she wonderfully wove a reunion story for Abby and Clay through their surprise, miracle pregnancy.

This book was tough to read at points because I felt so deeply for these two. But I loved going along for the ride as Abby and Clay reconnected and found their way back to one another even after their divorce. I also loved getting to know Tucker and can’t wait for the next book in this series!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Stefanie Castro:

Prior to becoming an author, Stefanie had written for years on blogging platforms. She is a registered nurse with years of experience working with families starting their journey into the parenting world. She started writing as a way to connect with families. After releasing her first memoir in May 2023, she felt a pull towards writing romance. Her love of the genre is something she is highly invested in as a reviewer and cheerleader for authors all around. Stefanie debuts her romance this fall with If Only You Knew. She is shining a light on romance characters that are in their forties, something she feels is not easy to find in the genre. Stefanie resides in Southern California, with her husband, two kids, and their Cavalier King Charles dog.

Connect with Stefanie Castro:

https://linktr.ee/authorstefcastro

Penn by Jennifer Millikin is now live! 

From Amazon Charts bestselling author Jennifer Millikin comes the first in a swoony fairytale retelling series packed with unapologetically romantic heroes, sassy heroines, and their fractured paths to a happily ever after.


The entirety of Olive Township is looking forward to the fast-approaching day when Daisy St. James will say ‘I do’ to the town golden boy.

There’s just one little catch.

Daisy isn’t in love. Her impending nuptials are transactional in nature, and that suits Daisy just fine. She learned the hard way a long time ago that true love does not exist, so what does it matter if her marriage is a farce?

But then a stranger named Peter sails into town, his forearm bearing a tattooed symbol of the Navy SEAL he used to be. And wound around that symbol, are daisies.

Daisy is ready to write it off as coincidence, but there’s no denying the way the enigmatic man feels familiar to her. His slow smile, his stormy eyes, the shape of his jaw. He makes her laugh, draws out her smiles, and even more dangerous, he challenges her previous thoughts about true love.

And then one day, he says three little words only someone from her past would know…someone named Penn.

Penn Bellamy returned to Olive Township with plans to sell his late mother’s estate, snag a locally famous Sammich, and be on his way. Under no circumstances was he to speak to his childhood best friend, Daisy. Or be her ear when she fled her engagement party. Or become her physical therapy client. Offering to help her with her home remodel? He wasn’t supposed to do that, either.

When Daisy learns Peter and Penn are the same person, and he discovers Daisy’s engagement is a pretense, all bets are off.

Penn will do whatever it takes to make Daisy his, even if it means telling her the truth about why he left once before.

After all, all is fair in the quest for true love.


* Penn is the first in a four-book contemporary romance series inspired by the film The Princess Bride. Expect swoon, sass, spice, and happily ever afters.

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4eU2R6V

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/Penn

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3UWGGWT

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Looks can be deceiving, as both Daisy and Penn find out in this book. Ten years after he left town, Penn returns under an assumed name, Peter, to deal with settling his late mother’s house. He hopes to get in and out before anyone realizes who he is and that he’s returned, but within hours of being back, Penn runs into his first love/childhood best friend, Daisy, and realizes he’s as drawn to her as he ever was. And what’s worse, she’s engaged to another man.

Knowing that Penn was going to try to win back Daisy, I let it slide that he’s essentially lying to her by keeping his identity hidden. I was captivated by how long it might take her to figure out that Peter is actually Penn, and why she and Duke were entering into this marriage of convenience in the first place.

There’s a great connection between Penn and Daisy, and I liked his banter with his best bud Hugo as well. I didn’t know what to make of Duke, and I loved that one-off chapter we got from his POV that gave insight to his background. I can’t wait to get to his book. Penn puts forth a big display to win Daisy over and stop the wedding, and I was totally into it. Plus, I love it when a hero has a tattoo representing his first love. Swoon.

While this didn’t pack the punch that another of Millikin’s recent releases did for me (What We Keep, which blew me away), Penn was engaging and kept me hooked on how long it would take Daisy to figure out that Peter was really her first love, Penn. There is the unresolved question of *why* Duke’s dad Glenn did what he did when it came to basically forcing Penn and his mom out of town. I can only assume that will be explained as this series goes on, especially since Duke will eventually get his own book!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer Millikin is a bestselling author of fifteen contemporary romance and women’s fiction novels. She is the two-time recipient of the Readers Favorite Gold Star Award, and readers have called her work “emotionally riveting” and “unputdownable”.

Following a viral TikTok video with over fourteen million views, Jennifer’s third novel, Our Finest Hour, has been optioned for TV/Film. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, children, and Liberty, her Labrador retriever.

Connect with Jennifer

Website: https://www.jennifermillikinwrites.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jennifermillikin

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0161EZ30K

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferMillikinwrites

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jennifermillikinreadergroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenmillwrites/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorjenmill

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-millikin

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jenmillwrites

My Plus One = You by Angela Haas is now live!

They’re just trying to survive wedding season–until love crashes the party.

It’s wedding season in Scottsdale–the perfect backdrop for love … unless you’re Rachel or Cameron.

For Rachel, wedding fever is difficult to escape, especially when every bride registers at her home décor store. For Cam, who invests more in his bakery than his heart, weddings are just another event to survive.

Desperate to avoid the endless parade of “I dos” alone, Rachel and Cam make a pact–be each other’s plus one for the season’s weddings. The rules are simple: don’t overcomplicate things, be there for each other, and–most importantly–don’t fall in love.

Easy, right?

When their exes reappear, stirring up old emotions, their resolve is tested. Amid the swirl of confetti and wedding vows, they confront their growing feelings and lingering pasts.

Will the irresistible pull of love force them to break the rules?

Dive into a steamy, humorous, and heartfelt story where love may be the wedding guest neither Rachel nor Cameron saw coming.
 

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3AXoZQh   

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4jgwIKg 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

My Plus One = You is absolutely adorable! It was well-written, paced well, light-hearted, entertaining, and full of witty banter between Cameron and Rachel.

Cameron and Rachel are both perpetually single. Although they have common friends, it isn’t until she’s a bridesmaid and he’s an unexpected groomsman at one couple’s wedding that they finally meet. After hitting it off at the wedding, they agree to be each other’s plus-one for a string of upcoming events.

As they attend a variety of weddings and other events together, Cam and Rachel grow close. There is undeniable chemistry between them, but Cam is still carrying around baggage from his ex that is holding him up from being able to move forward and start something real with Rachel. (In fact, they both have horrible exes, who cause issues for them multiple times, but his ex really gives “Mean Girl” a new meaning!)

Eventually, they pause their friendship so they can both work on themselves. And admittedly, I cried. I was rooting for these two so hard! But then this line made it so worth the wait: “The greatest pain is being away from you, because while you started as my plus one, you turned out to be my everything.”

Knowing that this was the first foray into romance for fantasy writer Angela Haas… I was quite impressed! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Angela Haas

Angela Haas was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She writes superhero fiction and mostly recently has started writing romance novels. She loves not camping, salty snacks, and soft blankets. She has been writing since she was a kid and still has all the spiral-bound notebooks she filled with her early stories. Her series, Keepers of the Universe, features older women as the superheroes because she was tired of the standard entertainment tropes of older women being the evil queen, jilted first wife, or wise grandmother. She and her husband live part time in Arizona and Colorado with an English bulldog, French bulldog and Boxer mix. 

Connect with Angela

Website | www.ahaaswrites.com    

Amazon | https://www.amazon.com/stores/Angela-Haas/author/B0B44XC9ZQ    

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086616515893      

Instagram |  https://www.instagram.com/angela_haas_writes/     

Pinterest |  https://www.pinterest.com/guidostar1/     

Other | https://www.threads.net/@angelam_haas 

Newsletter |  https://spotted-owl-publishing.ck.page/ae947e6cc1   

📚BREAK THE RULES by Julia Jarrett

🎤Narrated by Connor Crais & Angelina Rocca

I live by one simple rule: my daughter and baseball are all that matter. Until I get traded to the same team my unforgettable vacation fling works for.

I wanted Willow Lawson from the first second I saw her, and once we gave in to temptation on the sunny beaches of Hawaii, I knew I’d never forget her.

But our fling was meant to be just that. A hot vacation hookup and nothing more. After all, she’s got a rule too:

Never date a baseball player.

When my agent lands me the deal of a lifetime with the Vancouver Tridents, it seems like the perfect move.

Until Willow walks into the conference room on my first day, and I realize maybe this time, our rules were meant to be broken.

▶️ https://www.audible.com/author/Julia-Jarrett/B0877TLRZN

🎧 Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars 🎧

Julia Jarrett is a new-to-me author, and I absolutely loved Ronan and Willow’s story!

Break The Rules had me hooked from the moment Willow and Ronan met on an elevator at the airport. They were both en route to Hawaii — her for a much-needed solo vacation and him for his friend’s wedding — and fate kept putting them together: in the airport, at the resort, on the hiking trail… and when Willow is forced to vacate her room but here are no others at the hotel. Ronan offers to let her stay in his suite, and that is when they finally give in to the sizzling chemistry between them. A family emergency with his daughter forces Ronan to leave without saying goodbye, but fate brings them together several months later….

Because Willow knew exactly who Ronan was, and he’s now been traded to the baseball team she works for in media relations. Needless to say, Ronan is shocked to see his Cherry working for his new team. They both try to keep things completely professional between them, but the pull between them was just as strong in Vancouver as it had been in Hawaii. But as a female in a male-dominated industry, Willow has always been determined to not date a player…. Is she willing to break her rule for Ronan?

I also loved how dedicated a father Ronan was to Payton, and the sweet relationship that Willow developed with his little girl. Having been raised by a single dad herself, Willow kind of had a special place in her heart for them both, but she so easily fit into their family dynamic.

Connor Crais is a narrator I am very familiar with — I loved listening to his silky timbre. I am not as familiar with Angelina Rocca as a narrator, but I thought she did a fantastic job voicing Willow. It was so easy to get lost into this story listening to these two talented VO artists.

As with any series, there is a cast of supporting characters, and JJ dropped enough breadcrumbs about the rest of Ronan’s teammates to pique my interest. I will definitely be checking out more from the Vancouver Tridents series. I received an advanced listener copy and voluntarily left a review.

NOT YOUR BIGGEST FAN by Sara Ney is NOW LIVE

Blurb:

USA Today bestselling author Sara Ney sizzles with a quick-witted, sexy romp about an eager entrepreneur and a cocky football star who couldn’t be more different—or more into each other.

Harlow James is destined to rock the dating world. The creator of Kissmet, the app helping singles find love, she’s in New York to secure advertisers. But the sassy, small-town girl can’t help meddling in other people’s business.

When she runs into a muscular stranger at her go-to food truck, Harlow doesn’t realize he’s Landon “Andy” Burke, the NFL’s most-wanted free agent, in town to talk contracts. She just sees a hottie about to get burned by undercooked street food. Though she tries to warn him, he shrugs her off, making a little wager instead.

In a messy twist of fate, Andy finds himself in the same hotel as Harlow. When she collects on their bet, they make a mind-blowing—and bed-rocking—connection. But after the weekend, she goes home to Green Bay to her goofy dad and corgi, ready to focus everything on work again. Kissmet, however, has other ideas, when Andy knocks on her door…

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/NYBFSaraNeyKU

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

This book was such a fun read! It was lighthearted and witty with relatable characters…. And who doesn’t love an Average Jane unknowingly falling for the pro athlete?

The meet-cute between Andy and Harlow had me howling out loud with laughter.

After their hot weekend tryst in NYC, Harlow never expects to see or hear from Andy again. I enjoyed getting to know them as they got to know each other over text messages. And then when Andy decides to go all-out and make a grand gesture, sassy Harlow is rendered speechless.

Was it wrong that he hides his celebrity status from her? Maybe. But I can appreciate how Andy enjoyed just being “Andy” and not football star Landon when he was with Harlow, because she didn’t know who he was and didn’t treat him like he was a superstar. I was really glad to see that he doesn’t let his lie of omission go on for too long… but how it all comes out was hilariously awkward!

This was a great start to a new series and I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, flirty, no-drama romcom!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the advanced copy!

Meet Sara Ney:

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

Connect with Sara Ney:

https://linktr.ee/authorsaraney

THE PERFECT LOVE by Bethany Monaco Smith is NOW LIVE

Blurb:

Chelsea Winters knocked me on my ass.

Meeting the curvy, auburn-haired goddess was the last thing I was expecting on my first day at a new college. But when she shows up at the lake house I share with my seven close friends, she looks like my literal dream girl.

Then we spend a few hours talking, and I know without question, she’s meant to be mine.

Until she panics, runs away, and tries to ghost me.

But our campus isn’t that big, and it doesn’t take long for us to cross paths again, and when we do, I realize how terrified Chelsea actually is.

Afraid to trust or let anyone past the upbeat, confident exterior she puts up.

Which means it’s now my mission to show her she’s safe with me. She can trust me with her hurt and her heart. If she needs to go slow, I’ll crawl, as long as it’s to her.

We’re both here for a fresh start, trying to heal from our pasts, but the more time I spend with her, the less I’m worried about the past because all I see is my future with her.

There might not be any such thing as the perfect love, but I know without a doubt, she’s my perfect match, and I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man she shares her future with.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/aT8VLXI

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

The Perfect Love is a deep, angsty emotional roller coaster, but it’s also a really beautiful story of healing as Chelsea and Trevor fall in love and lean on one another to deal with their demons and past traumas.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics — it’s the first I’ve read by Bethany Monaco Smith, and I thought she did a great job in detailing the traumas each character was dealing with and how they moved forward together. It’s raw and messy, but I was rooting for Chelsea and Trevor every step of the way.

The Perfect Love is a spinoff of another series, and there are a lot of secondary characters. I’m sure fans of BMS love the cameos and the Easter eggs, but as a first-time reader, I found it hard to follow along at times.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Bethany Monaco Smith:

Bethany is a small-town girl and lover of all things romance, love, and happily ever afters. She is an indie author of both adult contemporary romance series and new adult drama series set in small towns. She loves taking her characters (and readers!) on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the story whether it’s a standalone romance or a continuous series. Even though she puts her characters through their paces, she always leaves them with a happily ever after, knowing they rode off into the sunset with a good life and their perfect match by their side.

She is shamelessly obsessed with the friends-to-lovers trope and will read any friends-to-lovers book she can get her hands on while writing plenty more. When she’s not writing, you can find her mom-ing, binge-reading, drinking coffee and pretending the laundry doesn’t exist, eating sushi with her SIL, and cheering on all her author pals.

Bethany lives in the Southern Tier of NY with her husband and two sons. You can find out more about Bethany and what she’s working on next on Instagram @bethanymonacosmith.

Connect with Bethany Monaco Smith:

💜 💜 💜 Crazy Imperfect Hearts by Samantha Christy is now available. 💜 💜 💜

It started with a one-night stand.

It turned into friends with benefits.

Then… it became a contract that bound us together for life.

My life is crazy. But organized. There are lists. There are calendars. Yes, plural. And there are a hundred Post-it notes lining the walls of my office.

But there is order to all of it. There is method to the madness. I know exactly where everything is, what I need to do, and precisely how to do it. My family business has an image we have to convey and it’s my responsibility as the marketing director to bring it to fruition.

Oh, and I, Lucas Montana, also look damn good in a suit.
Then there’s Regan. (Insert eye roll.) She’s crazy in its purest form. Her clothes make her look like a cross between Stevie Nicks and, I don’t know… Bat Girl? She’s eccentric. And don’t even get me started on the way she runs her business.

We’re complete opposites in every way. So then why, after one reckless night with her, do I feel her particular form of crazy might just be the very thing that’s been missing in my life, not to mention it could be the cure for the affliction that had me leaving four women at the altar.

But then, as life tends to do… a curveball comes our way. And even the crazy spins out of control.

Available in Kindle Unlimited, Kindle, and Paperback.

Link: https://geni.us/SC-CIH

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Oh wow, I was NOT expecting to have all the emotions for Lucas that I did! Over the course of Samantha Christy’s series set in Calloway Creek, I’ve seen bits and pieces of Lucas, known as the Runaway Groom, for having ditched four women at the altar. Going into this book, I honestly didn’t think that a baby pact story could possibly come close to Dallas’s book… but SC pleasantly surprised me because Lucas and Regan’s unconventional love story was just lovely!

Lucas and Regan were complete opposites and I loved it! She is flamboyant, eccentric, and lives her life flying by the seat of her pants; he literally has jumbo boxes of post-it notes delivered to help him organize his life. Yet he was so out of sorts after their one-night stand and it was adorable. As a serial monogamist, he had no idea how to handle the situation.

I thought SC did a phenomenal job of exploring Lucas’ insecurities and how he knew he was a pariah in Cal Creek. As he and Regan start a secret situationship, it slowly hits him that he never got over his first crush on his best friend’s sister, and then he just becomes so miserable when he realizes he’s trapped in a situation where he can’t tell her the truth.

Two things that bugged me: first, I’m a big fan of show, not tell, and I really wanted to see the reunion scene between Lucas and Ryder. I felt a bit disappointed when that was an expos recap and not an on-page scene. Secondly, as a plus-size woman myself, I appreciate a plus-size heroine. But why did it have to be said over and over again? Yes, Regan’s body shape was important to the story as far as her situation with her ex, and the pregnancy. But I felt like the constant mentions of her size every other page were insensitive and unnecessary.

Despite those two sticking points for me, I thought this story was lovely. I was crying, unexpectedly, by the time I got to the last 25% and just wanted these two to get on the same page!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.