First there was light, love, and laughter. But then, the darkness struck, and there was no escape. I was trapped, lost in a world of loneliness and despair.
And my best friend walked away, sealing my pain and suffering.
I was only fifteen years old.
But now, I’m ready for a new start, a fresh beginning, and college is the answer to finally finding that light again.
Of all the campuses in the world, my best friend, my closest confidant, the boy who could’ve saved me all those years ago is on mine.
ALEX
My graduation night was the worst night of my life and quite possibly the best. My best friend closed herself off and shut me out of her life. When we were just kids, young, fun, and carefree.
On the night of my graduation, she was there.
And I owe her everything.
For her strength.
Her courage.
And her persistence.
But now, seeing her on campus, I know there’s a reason our paths crossed again. We were never meant to be apart.
Can I convince her to open up, and share her heart once again?
I have mixed feelings about this story. The premise was good, and the story held a lot of promise, but I felt like the execution fell short.
Alex and Chelsea were close friends when they were younger, and while he remained best friends with her twin brother, Travis, the two of them drifted apart. Both characters have trauma in their pasts. Chelsea has kept her SA to herself all these years, but she was witness to Alex’s — and that made him shut down around her. But then they run into each other a few months later at college, and Alex takes the opportunity to apologize to Chelsea and prove to her that she can depend on him.
However, while I liked the characters, their reconnection, and the healing journey that they go on together, I felt disconnected. The writing was choppy, the dialogue was clunky at times, parts of the story seemed to jump around, and the ending was rushed.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
AUTHOR BIO
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author S. Moose writes emotional stories with a HEA. She’s a lover of anything and everything romantic, from music to quotes.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Contact Stephanie with SBR media for rights information: Stephanie@SBRmedia.com
To keep up with the latest from S. Moose be sure to visit her social media sites.
They tormented me and made my life a living nightmare when all I had ever wanted was to be left alone.
And five years ago, after a lifetime of being bullied and harassed, of enduring more pain and trauma than any man could handle, that’s exactly what I set out to do.
I left the only home I’d ever known to lock myself behind the cemetery gates and care for the only people who have ever given me the peace I craved—the dead.
But just as I’d started to feel comfortable, an unexpected stranger broke into my house and fell into my web of reclusive safety, and somehow, opened my eyes to love and the possibility that I just might have the strength to weather the storm after all …
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Oh my goodness… Charlie Corbin. Poor, sweet, tormented, loner Charlie Corbin, aka Spider.
The Spider & The Storm absolutely gutted me. Like, big, ugly tears, reading in bed at midnight. Charlie has endured so much devastation in his life, when he only wanted to be around his family. Then one day, he crosses paths with the raincloud (aka Stormy) who is destined to change his life forever. Stormy has been through her own trauma, and together these two broken souls find a way to heal one another despite the pain they are both drowning in. They are the missing puzzle pieces in the other’s life, complementing each other so well.
This book is quite hefty, but Charlie and Stormy’s story moves along at a great pace. This story is a masterpiece. Kelsey Kingsley crafted a wonderfully inspirational story of grief, heartbreak, loss, and redemption. Not only is it a love story between Stormy and Spider, but it is also a love story between Charlie and his older brother, Luke. The relationship between the brothers is just as important to Charlie’s growth (and eventually finding peace in his life) as is his romance with Stormy.
I absolutely loved how Kelsey Kingsley tied in her other moody, broody heroes Blake (Warrior Blue) and Soldier (Saving Rain) with Charlie’s story — Stormy is Ray/Rain’s sister, and works for Blake at Salem Skin. You don’t have to have read those books to enjoy Spider and Stormy’s story, but you should go read them anyway because they are just as fantastic.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
He’s commitment phobic. She believes in happy endings. The twist of fate that binds them is a surprise they never saw coming in a bittersweet romance about instant family—and not-so-instant love.
A decade-old animosity is the only thing Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have in common. Until their mutual best friends pass away and they’re appointed co-guardians of the trusting couple’s precocious toddler, Mira.
Liam is committed only to professional football. Relationship-wise, he’s even better at defense. Still wrestling with a tough childhood, he’s not cut out to be a father. Why his late best buddy believed in him, Liam has no idea.
An optimistic romantic, Zoe has always dreamed of a fairy-tale life. But even though Liam’s biceps make her dizzy and she can’t stop thinking about his lips on hers, he’s not exactly Prince Charming. With or without that brooding Brit, she is determined to make good on her friends’ last wish.
Forced into a predicament they never expected, Zoe and Liam are discovering things about each other that could scorch through boundaries, warm hearts, and change minds. And best of all, with their shared love for a pint-size surprise like Mira, they might just turn a house into a home.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Oh my goodness, Liam is my new favorite Karla Sorensen hero! That growly, grumpy commitaphobe turned out to be such a softie with a huge heart, and I just wanted to hug him!
With The Best of All, KS delivers a masterpiece. While Liam and Zoe’s story has a HEA, there is A LOT that these two have to go through before they get there. This captivating story is a super slow burn — like seriously, it all builds up to the last 15% of the book. But once Liam and Zoe get there, it is on! That said, the journey that these two characters go on in is quite the emotional rollercoaster.
Both Liam and Zoe are grieving the tragic death of their best friends, which leads to them needing to raise little Mira together. But on top of that, we get some very heavy stuff from both characters as Zoe attempts to piece herself back together after a divorce and Liam is running from his troubled childhood. It takes a lot for Liam to face his fears and take a chance on the hope of a relationship with Zoe. Without even realizing it, he’s become a fierce protector of both Zoe and Mira, despite his insistence that he wants nothing to do with having a family. I absolutely loved that Liam didn’t know what to do with all those big feelings. Watching him transform from the growly guy in the beginning to the guy he is by the epilogue was heartwarming.
“It was always her.”
Gah, I was so happy that Liam found the love and life he deserved with Zoe and Mira!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
He met me on my worst day. He’s the cop that saved my daughter and me.
My daughter somehow managed to pull this magnetic man into our lives. I vowed to stay away from men after the disaster that was my marriage, but every little thing he does wears me down. He’s there for us when things go wrong and then starts promising to always be there. Not just for me, but my daughter, too.
Caleb:
For years, I’ve said I would never be in a relationship. I have too much baggage. Then Bailey and her daughter entered my life and everything changed. They flip my world on its axis, and my protective instincts kick in. It doesn’t take long before I decide that I’m going to make them both mine.
Will Bailey and I be able to get over our hang-ups about relationships? Will her ex push us apart or only cause our relationship to grow?
Domestic Abuse (not between the MCs)
Discussions of PTSD & on page nightmares
On page gun violence
On page death (through a flashback)
Mentions of feelings of inadequacies
Mentions of parental neglect (not by the MCs)
Mentions of car accident & drunk driving
Discussions of sexual assault (not experienced by either MC)
This story was so emotional. This is the first book I’ve read by Alex Taylor, and I enjoyed Caleb and Bailey’s story so much.
From the onset, Caleb quite literally saves Bailey when he is the cop on duty responding to a 911 call at her home, where there is a domestic violence situation happening between her and her ex-husband. After that, Bailey’s sweet little girl, Charlie, wants to bake Officer Sutton cookies as a thank you, and a lovely friendship is born between the two main characters. I also loved how patient and kind and loving Caleb was with Charlie, who did not get that kind of affection from her own father.
The “saving” in Saving You goes both ways, however, as Bailey ends up saving Caleb from the ghosts of his past. He’s a military vet, and has been suffering from PTSD nightmares for years. Through their relationship, these two characters save each other, and Caleb really goes above and beyond to prove to Bailey how much he *wants* to be the guy she can rely on when things get crazy with her ex-husband.
Saving You is the second book in a series; I did not read the first story, but I had zero issues following along and didn’t feel that there were holes in my understanding of the relationships between the group of friends.
This was a lovely story, with some great spice, and I want to check out the rest of the series now!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Alex Taylor
Living in the Vancouver area of British Columbia with her husband, Alex enjoys spending her free time reading, watching Hockey (go Canucks), watching Disney movies and crime TV shows, and spending time outdoors. She started writing in 2023 when her first story just wouldn’t leave her mind. From there, the ideas of a series formed and she’s never looked back.
She enjoys talking to other authors and romance lovers. Her TBR is never-ending, but that doesn’t stop her from adding at least one new book every day. Alex looks forward to experiencing more in the indie author community and can’t wait to share her books with the world.
Things only an idiot would do: 1. Develop an obsession for his best friend’s sister. 2. Agree to let her be his new roommate. 3. Kiss her.
Hello I’m Emerson Knight and I’m an idiot.
I try to stay away from Gianna Damiano I really do. But between crop tops and fiery glares I can’t get her off my mind. One fake date changes everything and I cannot deny I want my hands on every one of my new roommates delicious curves. One night keeps turning into one more. And suddenly I’m lying to my best friend.
I’m the man known for his fake out, but I’m only kidding myself because the way she’s stealing my heart feels very real.
After Gianna’s boyfriend cheats on her, she moves into her brother’s apartment since he is rarely there and finds herself roommates with his best friend, Emerson. Emerson has always had a crush on Gianna, and he takes the opportunity handed to him to be her support system. Gianna is hesitant to trust him because she’s been burned in the past, but Emerson is a total golden retriever and proves other just how beautiful and worthy she is.
This couple had great banter and sizzling chemistry, but I also really liked the softer side of them. Especially the vulnerable side of Emerson. He is a swoony book boyfriend, and despite trying to lift Gianna’s self-worth, he’s kind of down on himself a lot of the time and is quite insecure. They complemented each other well, and I was really rooting for them.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Jenni Bara:
Even as a young child Jenni Bara would conjure up all kinds of tales with her endless imagination. She’s improved her skills since the days of scaring her younger cousins with ghost stories, but her love for books and stories has never changed.
In her everyday life, she is a paralegal for family law writing unhappily ever afters for people every day. So in turn she spends her free time with anything that keeps her laughing including life with her kids!
All joking aside she is blessed to have not only very amazing kids but super supportive parents as well as a loving extended family always happy to share their opinions!
Her favorite spots all have the best views of the sunsets and she loves to share the views through photos.
She just began her career as a romance author writing books full of life, love, and laughter.
A scorching hot, he-falls-first, touch-her-and-die, billionaire romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann …
The first time I saw her, I wanted her. The second time I saw her, I knew she had to be mine. Beautiful blonde hair. Cornflower-blue eyes. Body to die for. All things I knew I couldn’t live without. But after one night, she ghosted me, leaving me desperate for another taste. I was usually the one to walk out the door before the morning light came. This time, it was her, but not without becoming my obsession in the process. Lily was a mystery. She had a past shrouded in secrets she was unwilling to divulge. She was running from something, and I was determined to find out what it was. And once I did, I’d do anything to protect her. They called me the sinner for a reason. Because I wouldn’t hesitate to burn down the world or cross any line to save her.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
The Sinner is Book #3 in the Spade Hotel series by Marni Mann, and I loved Brady and Lily’s story. I’m a sucker for a good story where a playboy falls head over heels for a woman for the first time in his life, and that was executed brilliantly in The Sinner.
Lily has a bit of a traumatic past; she’d lost both her parents, and prefers to spend as much time as she can working as a flight attendant because she feels less lonely when she’s in the air. Oh yeah, and she comes to this situation with a stalker ex! I loved seeing Brady in protector mode, and I really felt Lily’s concern in getting involved with Brady to begin with, and exposing him to her dangerous ex.
The chemistry between these two characters was sizzling, and the suspense element of the story was intriguing. Marni did a great job in writing the romantic side of their relationship as well as the danger elements.
I look forward to seeing the Cole brothers find their partners as this series continues! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Marni
USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts sexy, titillating stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives with her husband in Sarasota, Florida. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, boating, or devouring fabulous books. Want to get in touch?
I’m still unclear on how I got into this predicament in the first place. A year ago, I was a man with one thought on his mind, the redhead I met at a hotel bar. Twelve months later, I found her.
Unfortunately for me, she not only happens to be my very off-limits coach’s daughter, but also . . . my new assistant and roommate.
I don’t even need an assistant, but Coach Wood doesn’t take no for an answer. Add in him writing up tasks for his daughter, Wylie, to complete for me? Well, it’s his own form of sweet torture. We are talking tasks that I would never ask her to do.
Tasks that make her despise me.
Hate me.
That make her utter four words that cause a shiver to crawl up my spine . . . Posey, this is war.
Teddy Hamilton and Emma Wilder narrate this sexy, boss/assistant, forced proximity romance in duet with a full cast including Jason Clarke, Connor Crais, Vanessa Edwin, JF Harding, Stella Hunter, Erin Mallon, and Kelsey Navarro-Foster!
Oh my goodness. This has to be one of the funniest and sexiest books Meghan Quinn has ever presented to the world. I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff but So This Is War is pure gold! We have gotten to know bologna-loving Levi throughout this series and all of its donkeys and apples (Oy! IYKYK). But nothing prepared me for how much I would fall in love with Levi Posey as he falls in love with his coach’s daughter, Wylie!
What made the simmering tension between Wylie and Levi even more delicious was that they met a year earlier, and he’s been trying to find her ever since. He had no idea that his dream girl was his coach’s daughter. And now that he knows, and he’s been blackmailed by his coach to have Wylie be his personal assistant, she is strictly off limits. Yeah… that only lasts for so long.
Actually, it does last a really long time. Because this story is one heck of a slow burn. Meghan really sets up the frustration and tension and desire and lust between these two characters, and it is PERFECTLY narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Emma Wilder. Listening to Teddy sing the woodland creatures diddy was hilarious… and Oh My Gosh, when Teddy-as-Posey gets going with the spicy stuff, it is not to be missed. The audio also has a full cast of characters with returns from the other Agitators (Jason Clarke, Connor Crais, Vanessa Edwin, JF Harding, Stella Hunter, Erin Mallon & Kelsey Navarro Foster), which was just *chef’s kiss*
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN:
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
Never miss another NEW RELEASE, text READ to 474747.
A dark, contemporary, billionaire romance featuring anti-hero, secret society and close proximity tropes from USA Today Bestselling duo P. Rayne.
I spend my nights slinging drinks at Black Magic Bar or taking my clothes off at the local strip club. After my father passed, my stepmother gave me no other choice.
But when I break free of the chains binding me to my family estate, I find myself with nowhere to go. Until Nero Voss, the youngest of the billionaire Voss brothers, offers me a room at Midnight Manor. Now, I’m under his watchful gaze and enjoying it more than I should.
I shouldn’t give in to temptation, he is my stepsister’s ex-fiancé after all, but the pull toward him grows stronger by the day. I fight, but I’m losing the battle.
Nero is keeping secrets, though.
What he doesn’t know is that I’m keeping secrets, too.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Wow, I think Nero may be my favorite Voss brother so far! I don’t know what it was about the youngest brother and his stalker tendencies, but I loved Nero and Cinder’s romance in this Cinderella reimagining.
I really enjoyed the connection between these two, and it was evident on the page right from their initial meeting at a masquerade ball. When Nero’s relationship with Cinder’s stepsister Maude falls apart, he fixates on the mysterious dancer at the local strip club, having no clue who she actually is. Nero swoops in like a gothic knight in expensive-suit-armour to rescue Cinder on the night that she finally decides she’s had enough of her stepmother’s tormenting. Both of these characters grow a lot during the time they spend together. Cinder realizes that she’s stronger than she thinks she is as she imagines a future for herself completely free of the shackles she’d been living in. And Nero ends up softening some of his edges, imagining a future life with a woman by his side for the first time ever. However, both of them are holding on to some secrets, which just may tear apart any happily ever after for Nero and his Princess.
I thought that Midnight Whispers was a great addition to the Midnight Manor series! I am looking forward to seeing how this series comes to an end with Sid’s book!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet P. Rayne
The darker side of USA Today Bestselling Author, Piper Rayne.
Jolie Prescott has always been in love with love. She spent most of her life walking around with hearts in her eyes and immediately jumped at the chance to start a wedding planning company with her two best friends. So when her own fiancé called off their wedding and immediately started dating someone else, it was a major blow she never saw coming. The gossip about it finally starts to die down in her small town. Then her ex announced he’s engaged again. And his new fiancée just happens to be Jolie’s worst enemy. Which makes it really inconvenient that she can’t seem to stop thinking inappropriate thoughts about that woman’s moody half-brother.
He is the ultimate grump.
Vaughn Cavanagh never thought he’d set foot back in Pembrooke, Wyoming after moving away when he was thirteen, but when his father gets sick, he uproots his life to try to repair their frayed relationship. The only thing standing in his way is his spoiled brat half-sister, her determination to throw the ultimate wedding, and her beef with a certain wedding photographer he can’t get out of his head.
When one impulsive act leads to Vaughn announcing he and Jolie are dating, the two have no choice but to fake their relationship to save face. But when feelings enter the picture and lines start to blur, Vaughn has to decide if he’s willing to give up his quiet, solitary life and stay in Pembrooke for a woman he never intended to fall for, or if he’s going to risk losing everything because he’s too afraid to take that leap.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
This book was so good! I love when a grumpy hero who doesn’t believe in love falls hard and fast, and that is exactly what happened with Vaughan when it came to Jolie. While he is a brilliant businessman, he is so emotionally stunted and just didn’t know how to handle the situation with his sick father or the feelings he has for Jolie. Vaughan showed so much growth over the course of this story, and I loved seeing the man he became thanks to Jolie’s influence.
I thought these two characters had a connection from the moment her cat attacked him, and the banter between Calamity Jane and City Slicker was hilarious.
I have read A LOT of Jessica Prince’s books, but not the Pembrooke series, so this quaint little town was new to me. But I loved that Jolie is Dalton’s sister from the Hope Valley series; I so enjoyed the cameos from Dalton and Charlotte! I am looking forward to Ryan and Tarryn’s books (hopefully!) in the future!
i received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Hockey is my life. I play hard, and I don’t lose. The Frozen Four is at my fingertips, but my eligibility is at risk thanks to one frustrating class. Enter Avery Dalton—beautiful, independent, and utterly off limits. She’s my coach’s daughter and his choice for a tutor. Too bad she isn’t interested… Until she offers me a secret deal her dad can never find out about. She’ll help me pass, and I’ll help her forget about her ex. Friends with very specific benefits. Except for one little problem—I can’t stop trying to win her heart.
Avery
I don’t date hockey players. I don’t befriend them or kiss them in the library either. No one told Cole Mathis that. His perfect good looks and golden boy reputation are everything I should avoid after my last disastrous ex, but when he needs my help, I offer him a deal. Staying detached should be easy, but my weakness is apparently a hockey playing country boy with a wicked sense of humor and a talented mouth. As we get closer, I cling to my rules and hope he doesn’t figure out the truth—he’s the one person who could break me.
Ice Cold Heart is a quick, fun read. Cole is a total golden retriever marshmallow of a book boyfriend, and Avery is snarky black cat. She’s has some relationship trauma, and is hesitant to get involved when she begins tutoring Cole, but when they make a tutor/relationship pact, he begins to wear her down. I really liked that they had met on their own before her dad (Cole’s coach) connected them so Avery could tutor him. I felt like their relationship was built on those first interactions, and then the forbidden aspect of her being his coach’s daughter came later, so it really did put up an obstacle for them to move past.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
AVAILABLE NOW
Broken, tattooed, gravedigging hero
Strong AF, body piercing leading lady
Strangers to lovers
Spooky vibes
Found family
Sunny Shelly Reads 