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Sunny Shelly’s Review: 32 Rowan Blvd., by Kelsey Kingsley

32 ROWAN BLVD. by KELSEY KINGSLEY is NOW LIVE!

GRAB IT HERE: http://mybook.to/32rowanblvd
Free with Kindle Unlimited subscription!

Get married.
Buy a house.
Have a baby.

That’s every girl’s dream, isn’t it? Well, maybe not every girl, but for Christy Bush, it was.

So, when her boyfriend realized he didn’t want any of those things, the obvious answer was to set him free and find a man who did.

But what Christy didn’t see coming was to find herself pregnant just weeks after their breakup—as well as an unlikely friendship with single dad Kev Scott, the man who delivered her pregnancy test through the NomNow app.

Now, after being abandoned to raise her son alone, Christy has lost her identity to motherhood, in a world full of sweatpants, diapers, and fast food. But just when she starts to wonder if she’ll ever find herself again, fate delivers an unexpected love interest when she meets Kev face-to-face. The newfound romance might just be what she needs to spice things up…

That is, if the past can stay where it belongs–in the rearview mirror.

32 Rowan Blvd is a single parent, friends to lovers, delivery guy, small town, contemporary romance that is sure to make readers smile, laugh, and swoon.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

I adored everything about Kev and Christy’s story in 32 Rowan Blvd! These two hard-working, single parents are first brought together by a food delivery app on what could possibly be the worst nights in both of their lives. He is on the brink of divorce, she’s about to find out she’s pregnant — and neither of them could ever imagine that just a few years later, they would find their happily ever after together!

App-based romances seem to be popping up left and right as a new trope in Romancelandia. But the idea of finding love with your delivery app driver is a meet-cute that I haven’t seen before. And Kelsey Kingsley nailed it! I loved how she began their friendship through the delivery app chat feature, as they got to know bits of each other, and then how they finally met face-to-face when Kev stalks her mom at the drug store. Their friendship turns to a romance so easily, and I was there for it as these two fell in love.

Both characters have baggage in the way of their exes, and Kev is also dealing with some temper issues that he is trying to outgrow. There is some drama with both his ex-wife and her ex-boyfriend, and while Kev briefly hides his head in the sand, he realizes he can’t fall back in the old patterns he had with his ex-wife if he wants a healthy relationship with Christy.

In this story, Kingsley also beautifully brought together characters from several of her other books. Christy is the niece of Clara from Hoping For Hemingway, so there are some appearances by her aunt and August in 32 Rowan Blvd. And there is a HILARIOUS text chat throughout the book that serves as gossip central featuring several characters from Kingsley’s Kinney Brothers series. I never realized that the town was the same!

If you are looking for a heartwarming, heartfelt, well-written tale between two people trying to make the most out of their lives and finding love along the way, then definitely check out this wonderful story! I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: You Keep Breaking Us by Carrie Aarons

You Keep Breaking Us by Carrie Aarons is live!

We were the ultimate example of that couple who can’t live with each other, but can’t seem to function without each other.

The minute I met Callum Strass at fifteen, I was a goner. We were the golden couple of our high school. The king and queen of prom, the sweethearts voted most likely to get married and have babies, and the absolute idiots who decided to attend the same college.

Because that’s when it all fell apart. The naïve, puppy love versions of ourselves couldn’t see the obvious cracks we’d had back in our hometown. But they sure revealed themselves when we started living in an off-campus house together with four of our other friends.

Within a semester, blow-out fights, jealousy, every-other-week breakups, and my abandonment issues had him bowing out. Not just on me, but on the house, too. Until our senior year, when his parents refuse to keep paying rent on two places.

So he moves back in, and I’m forced to live with my ex. The one who has ruined all other men for me. The one I still cry myself to sleep at night thinking about. The one who confesses, during a run-in in a dark hallway, that he hates how much he still loves me.

And when he starts dating again, he might as well plunge a knife straight through my heart. Despite our breakup, I’m on the verge of losing him for real this time, and possibly forever. The only option is to seek help for my deep-seated trauma, the thing that Callum always encouraged me to see someone about. The thing that eventually pushed him away.

Put two of the most driven, headstrong, and passionate people in any relationship and it’s bound to combust. We’ve always had that twin flame kind of love.

So, together we might burn. But we also might heal.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
http://mybook.to/YouKeepBreakingUs

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/341eryX

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

I have been waiting for Bevan and Callum’s story since I read the first Prospect Street book and got a glimpse into their breakup — and Carrie Aarons did not disappoint with You Keep Breaking Us.

This story is an emotional rollercoaster. It will punch you in the gut over and over again. The push and pull between these two is unreal, and I didn’t know if I wanted them to just stay apart or find a way back together! Well, okay, of course I wanted them to find a way back together. And it takes A LOT for them both to get to that place.

Going into this book, I definitely knew Bevan better as a character, based on her friendship with Taya and Amelie. So I was definitely excited to see how she was as the heroine in her own book, and how her, um, bitchiness, affected her relationship with Callum. I must admit, I loved finding out that Bevan wasn’t alone in the couple’s split. CA did a fantastic job of writing both of these flawed characters. Yes, Bevan can be difficult, but I loved the lightbulb moments for Cal when he realized that he had to shoulder some of the blame in where their six-year relationship began to fall apart as well.

There was so much growth from both of these characters, and I was thrilled to see Bevan and Callum grow up and come back together.

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 lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, two children and ninety-pound rescue pup.

Connect with Carrie
Website | www.authorcarrieaarons.com
Goodreads | https://goodreads.com/carrieaarons
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Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/2DDt1xX
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TikTok | https://bit.ly/3fzcrkI
Newsletter | https://bit.ly/authorCAnewsletter

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Rewriting The Stars by Claire Kingsley

Rewriting the Stars by Claire Kingsley is NOW LIVE! http://readerlinks.com/l/2324606

Firefighter Levi Bailey is used to being alone. Not that he’s lonely. How could he be, with a band of unruly brothers, and their wives and growing families. Maybe he’s the odd man out. The one brother who isn’t destined to be with his soulmate.

Besides, he has her.

She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy. But the Tilikum town feud is no joke—especially now—and Annika Haven is strictly forbidden.

Annika Haven never expected to be back in her hometown, let alone as a single mom with two jobs. Add in a pack of overprotective brothers, a brewing family crisis, and a gossipy, feuding town on the brink of chaos, and life gets complicated.

But at least she has him.

He’s her Romeo, a son of the enemy. He makes her smile on her worst days. Yet, despite his brooding sex appeal, the one thing she cannot do is fall for Levi Bailey. They’re just friends and that’s the way it has to stay.

But after months of secret texts and stolen glances, one soul-stealing kiss changes everything. And Levi Bailey is about to do the impossible.

Defy the feud.

Author’s note: an intense hero who relentlessly pursues what he wants and a single mom with a tender heart. Small-town shenanigans, a hundred-year-old mystery, a riot of crazy brothers, enough heat to melt your Kindle (and your ovaries), and the biggest, heart-burstingest, happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Rewriting The Stars had everything I was hoping for as the last Bailey Brothers book! Levi and Annika’s story is an amazing modern-day Romeo & Juliet tale.

I loved these Star-crossed lovers, and how they were determined to be together despite the generations-old Bailey/Haven feud and how much her brothers hated his. My heart melted at how sweet Levi was with both Annika and her son, Thomas. Their road to happily ever after is certainly bumpy, but the epilogue in this book is everything.

For readers familiar with the entire series, Rewriting The Stars also nicely answers many questions about the squirrels, Tilikum’s Montgomery treasure and the ongoing mystery of John and Eliza. But I also think this book can easily be read on its own as a standalone. But trust me, read the whole series from the start!

As much as I couldn’t wait to dive into Rewriting The Stars, I am so sad to see the Bailey Brothers come to an end! But hopefully, we will still get some appearances from the boys when CK writes books for Annika’s brothers!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: The Heart of Us, by Kennedy Fox

The Heart of Us

Love in Isolation, #4

The Heart of Us is now available on all retailers!

What happens when you’re on the run from your psycho ex-husband and your sexy younger boss goes into hiding with you to keep you safe? You slowly remember what it’s like to fall in love and hope he feels it too.

The Heart of Us is an age gap, close proximity standalone romance.

Order Your Copy Today:

Add to your Goodreads TBR List!

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

I spent Super Bowl Sunday reading The Heart of Us, and have zero regrets about my choice. I loved Tatum and Easton’s story so much. We met Easton in the previous book, The End of Us, as he is Tristan’s brother and kept Tristan and Piper well-stocked while they were in hiding. Now it is Easton’s turn to spend some time at his family’s magical beach cabin when his employee, Tatum, is on the run from her psycho ex-husband.

I thought this book was so well done. Tatum’s situation is so delicate, and the authors did a great job of writing this flawed heroine and really showing how strong she was despite the crap she’d gone through with her ex. Tristan was so kind and patient, and really lifted her up and showed her all that she deserved, all that she’d been missing out. He treated Tatum like a queen, and I loved him so much for it.

There are some appearances by Tristan and Piper sprinkled throughout The Heart of Us, and we got a nice glimpse into that couple’s future. Overall, The Heart of Us was so well done! And I loved that tease at the end for the next book with Tatum’s sister, Oakley!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

START THE SERIES TODAY

Meet Kennedy Fox
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of Hallmark movies, overpriced coffee, and making TikToks. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day in 2016, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make you blush and your heart melt. Happily ever afters guaranteed!
View our full reading order here

Connect with Kennedy Fox
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: The Dating Dilemma, by Mariah Ankenman

Release Date: January 24 
Dyson hasn’t believed in love for a long time. But between his reputation as “One Night O’Neil” and his matchmaking sisters, he needs make a bold move. And so he makes Lexi an offer. He’ll help her youth center pass a fire safety inspection—if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend. But one kiss in and he’s in over his head.
Now their sizzling kisses are far from fake, and it’s a disaster. Because that means the heat between Lexi and Dyson is real. And where there’s smoke, someone’s heart will definitely be going down in flames…

Lexi Martin is on the eve of her birthday and all she has to show for it is debt, a crappy apartment, a nonexistent social life, and a somewhat evil cat. So maybe she might be excused for thinking the extraordinarily hot fireman in her office might be an early birthday present from her roomate. Except that Dyson O’Neil isn’t a stripper. He’s a real firefighter. Aaaand excuse me while I burn in the fires of humiliation.

 

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon | Nook | Kobo | Google Play | Apple

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Lexi and Dyson’s fake relationship story in The Dating Dilemma was cute. She’s sworn off men after being used time and time again, and he’s only been about passing flings ever since his fiancée cheated on him. But when he wants to get his sisters off his back, he convinces Lexi to fake date him in exchange for his help making repairs around the youth center she runs.

Even though their relationship is fake, there’s real chemistry between Dyson and Lexi. And when real feelings get involved, will one of them break their own rule to give a real relationship a chance?

Their breakup comes over something that means a lot to Lexi, and I thought that Dyson was a bit of a baby about what it meant for him vs what it meant for Lexi and her beloved cat. But I was glad to see him man up and their reunion scene was cute!

I received an advanced copy from Entangled Publishing and NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Mariah Ankenman

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious daughters and loving spouse who provides ample inspiration for her heart-stopping heroes. 

Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books, follow her on social media or sign up for her newsletter.

Mariah is represented by Eva Scalzo of the Speilburg Literary Agency

Connect with Mariah Ankenman

WebsiteFacebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | BookBub | TikTok 

 
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Just a Kiss, by Samantha Lind

 Release Date: January 6

It all started with just a kiss.

The first was ten years ago in high school.

Our second was in a bar on the dance floor.

We agreed to keep things casual.

But we were like a fire burning behind closed doors.

Those sparks had me wanting more.

When I took a shot in the dark and asked for more, it brought us to the ultimate crossroads.

Do we do things right, with just a kiss goodbye?

Or do we do things right, with a kiss goodnight?  

Grab Your Copy Here!

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 2 Stars

Ugh. This book started off great with a prologue set in high school when Lee and Allison share their first kiss at a school dance. Flash forward 10 years later and they are still living in the same town, still socializing in the same circle of friends, and are still attracted to one another. So they have a one-night stand that leads to a friends with benefits relationship. Which works for a while until Allison wants more. Then it all went downhill.

I hate to say it, but I felt like this book was just all sex and no substance. And by no means am I a prude when it comes to contemporary romance! But this book is only 16 chapters, and Lee and Allison are cashing in on the FWB in every other chapter.

I had way too many unanswered questions after finishing this book. (Which I read in the parking lot while my daughter was at dance class, so it is a fast and easy read!) Why did it take them 10 years to hook up? What happened after their kiss in school when they were each other’s prom dates that it never led to anything else? And why was Lee so anti-relationship? He says he can only offer casual sex because of his past… but did I miss the explanation?? The dude was in a relationship with Allison for weeks, didn’t seem to mind it and even admitted to himself that he could see himself in the future with her, yet totally freaked out when she brought it up. It didn’t add up for me.

There were too many plot holes in this book that I felt were covered up by gratuitous sex for me to really want to say this book is a must-read. I have read several books by Samantha Lind that I really loved… but Just A Kiss was a clunker in my opinion.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Samantha Lind

Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons.

She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.

 

 

 

 

Connect with Samantha Lind

Newsletter | Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Profile | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter     Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: My Unexpected Surprise by Piper Rayne

Release Date: December 14

 

I never thought of myself as dad material.
Until my one-night stand showed up in my small Alaskan town five months pregnant.
But I don’t shy away from responsibility. First, because I’m a Greene and not to boast but we’re kind of a big deal in Sunrise Bay. Second, I’m the Sheriff.
I couldn’t have predicted how protective I’d become for the safety of her and my unborn baby to the point of asking her to move in with me and be my roommate.
Just when I think I have the situation under control, another surprise knocks me over, but it only spurs me to double down.
I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t think it through. Somewhere between the dinners, the TV show binging, the doctor appointments, and me walking in on her naked, lines blurred.
In what feels like warp speed, my bachelor for life status is in jeopardy and I’m fighting for the most important thing of all—my family.
Grab Your Copy Here!
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
My Unexpected Surprise is another great addition to the Greene Family series by Piper Rayne. I’ve been waiting to see which lady would be the one to capture Fisher’s heart, and I loved seeing him and Allie fall in love!

As a result of his mom’s tragic death when he was a kid, Fisher’s scars run deep when it comes to avoiding commitment. Allie, meanwhile, wants the full-blown fairytale romance. A few months before the book opens, Fisher and Allie had kindled a friendship of sorts, and that led to them having a one-night stand (when A Greene Family Summer Bash takes place). Fisher pretty much ghosted Allie after that and avoided her phone calls, but when he runs into her at the hospital he gets an unexpected surprise: She’s pregnant. Now, they both need to adapt to the evolution of their friendship, being roommates and figuring out how they will co-parent. But along the way, Fisher realizes that maybe being Allie’s boyfriend and babydaddy won’t be so bad after all.

I really enjoyed the evolution of Allie and Fisher’s relationship. She had no problem calling him out when he was being a controlling jerk, and he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her in explaining why he felt the need to control anything that he could since he couldn’t control his mom’s death. These two are really sweet together, and Fisher is totally swoony when he decides that he wants to woo Allie.

Allie is besties with Stella from the Bailey family series (Winning My Best Friend’s Girl), so there are lots of appearances by Stella and Kingston (in addition to Dori helping Grandma Ethel play matchmaker, of course!). That tease at the end for Posey and Gavin? Bring it on! And that scene with Xavier and Clara was heartbreaking!!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Piper Rayne: 

Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have “Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle” (okay…you caught us, that’s our tagline). 


A little about us…. We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We’re both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We’re both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too. 

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Tall, Dark & Bossy by A.M. Hargrove

NOW LIVE! Tall, Dark, and Bossy by A.M. Hargrove is available now + FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
 
“I freaking loved this story… it was a whirlwind of drama, spicy and suspense that I just couldn’t put down. Five stars!” – Amazon reviewer
 
“Sinfully enjoyable and totally addictive” – Goodreads reviewer
 
“This was such a wonderful read… a captivating story and unputdownable.” – Goodreads reviewer
 
Special release price of $3.99 (reg. $4.99)  https://smarturl.it/TDB1
 
Add to your Goodreads TBR ➩ https://bit.ly/3pIzWeM
 


The first time I met sexy Stanton Baines, I nearly swallowed my tongue.
But that was before he opened his mouth and directed his insolent comments at me.
Not one to back down from a clash, I fired right back.
From then on, Stanton pursued me with a vengeance.
The first thing I learned was he discarded women like gum wrappers.
Second, the control freak thought he could dominate me.
That billionaire might be the boss of everybody else, but he was never going to be my bosshole.
Nor was I going to be one of his crumpled-up gum wrappers.
My heart had been trampled on enough.
Mr. Baines would not be adding his shoeprints to it.
Except he didn’t give up.
The more I sassed, the more he chased.
After he had me wrapped around his pinkie, he left … as in poofed right out of the country without so much as a farewell.
I figured we were over.
Boy was I ever wrong.
I had completely underestimated the man and that alphahole was about to bring me to my knees … unless I did it to him first.
 
Tall, Dark, and Bossy is the first novel in the Baines Family Series. It is a complete stand-alone with a happily ever after.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Tall, Dark, and Bossy had a sassy heroine and an alpha hero, lots of steam, and some secrets that threaten to ruin Stacey and Stanton’s forever.

This story started out strong, but after Stanton takes off and then comes back, he lost me a bit. I felt like he went from a likable alphahole to just a jerk. I didn’t like the way he was manipulating Stacey. She was wrong for keeping a secret from him, but he just seemed like a different guy in the second half than he was in the first half.

These two hammer out their issues and are on the same page by the end, so there’s a nice HEA that ties it all up…. And that was a payoff worth waiting for.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: His For The Holidays, by Samantha Chase

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.

Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BuAJ6Z

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3DDIoRt

Nook: https://bit.ly/3jTUs9W

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3pXvBpU

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3IJA6eH

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

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

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 more…. 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.

Connect with Samantha

Website: https://www.chasing-romance.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1250276.Samantha_Chase

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1R1Ey8Z

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1034673493228089

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamanthaChase3

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-chase

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Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/SamanthaChaseRomance

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Western Waves, by Brittainy C. Cherry

 

 
 
 
Title: Western Waves
A Compass Series Standalone
Author: Brittainy Cherry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 9, 2021
 

 

BLURB

 

I always believed in fairy tales, but he preferred horrors.
 
Damian Blackstone didn’t care about my existence. He came into my world for one reason only. He came to find answers about his past.
 
He moved like the villain in my favorite fairy tales. He wasn’t the one who received the happily ever afters; he was the one who destroyed them.
 
Which was why I couldn’t understand why the man who raised me set it up in his will for Damian and me to be married. I wasn’t certain I’d 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.
 
I didn’t think I’d 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 I’d see sparks of light. I’d see gentleness. I’d see his soul.
 
We became entangled with one another as we fell into mistakes and called them fate. I was his Cinderella, and he was my Beast.
 
I wasn’t certain that twisted fairy tales ended with happily ever afters.
Still, I was determined to find out.

 

 
 
 

 

 
 
PURCHASE LINKS
 
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
 
Free in Kindle Unlimited
 
 
 
 

 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars


Western Waves is full of all of the heart, emotion and tears that I’ve come to expect from a Brittainy C. Cherry story — 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 heroine… 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 — but I didn’t think it was one of BC’s best books.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
 
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Brittainy Cherry has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor’s 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.
 
 
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