Review: The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London – Blog Tour

September 4, 2019September 11, 20192 Comments

Title: The Aussie Next Door
Author: Stefanie London
Series: Patternson’s Bluff #1
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: August 27, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Received a copy in exchange for an honest review on this blog tour

Goodreads
Amazon | Nook | Kobo | Apple

Rating: 4.5 stars

American Angie Donovan has never wanted much. When you grow up getting bounced from foster home to foster home, you learn not to become attached to anything, anyone, or any place. But it only took her two days to fall in love with Australia. With her visa clock ticking, surely she can fall in love with an Australian—and get hitched—in two months. Especially if he’s as hot and funny as her next-door neighbor…

Jace Walters has never wanted much––except a bathroom he didn’t have to share. The last cookie all to himself. And solitude. But when you grow up in a family of seven, you can kiss those things goodbye. He’s finally living alone and working on his syndicated comic strip in privacy. Sure, his American neighbor is distractingly sexy and annoyingly nosy, but she’ll be gone in a few months…

Except now she’s determined to find her perfect match by checking out every eligible male in the town, and her choices are even more distracting. So why does it suddenly feel like he—and his obnoxious tight-knit family, and even these two wayward dogs—could be exactly what she needs?

Review:

The moment I read the synopsis, I knew I needed this book in my life. It sounded like the absolute cutest romance and I’m always a sucker for the marriage of convenience trope. Especially when it’s clear that the two characters are perfect for each other.

Angie Donovan had a terrible upbringing. She bounced from foster home to foster home and became a househole name in America for a traumatizing experience during her childhood. Finally having of enough of not being able to espace everyone knowing her story, she moves to Australia, where it only takes her moments to fall in love with Patterson’s Bluff.

Unfortunately, her two-year visa is coming to an end and her request for an extension has been denied. Because of the time she has left in the country before her visa expires, she’s all out of options. Well, almost. She has one last restort she can turn to, and that is to find the perfect Australian man who she can marry.

Enter the sweethearts of all sweethearts, Jace Walters, her next door neighbour and landlord. He lives alone and is quite the hermit. He has high-fuctioning autism and loves his routine. It keeps him grounded. But that dang American girl next door keeps distracting him.

It’s clear from the start that both Angie and Jace are into each other. But Angie thinks Jace doesn’t like her and Jace doesn’t want a distraction in the form of the force of nature that is Angie. Too bad for them, life has other plans.

Their romance was one of the most adorable and wholesome ones I’ve read about in a while. They way these two cared for each other was goals. They both accepted each other for the things they felt judged for and embraced one another for who they were at their best moments and their worst. They had me smiling throughout most of the novel.

The writing was also very well done. Stefanie London wrote a great plot line, capitivating characters, and a romance that will make you “awwww” out loud.

Overall, this was a lovely contemporary romance novel and I highly suggest that you pick it up. It’s worth your time.

About Stefanie London:

USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance with humour, heat and heart. Also llamas.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia Stefanie now lives in Toronto, Canada with her wonderful husband. She loves to read, collect lipsticks, watch zombie movies, and drink coffee.

Her bestselling book, Pretend It’s Love, is a 2016 Romantic Book of the Year finalist with the Romance Writers of Australia.

Review: Vow of Silence by Melynda Price – Blog Tour

May 29, 20194 Comments

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Title: Vow of Silence
Author: Melynda Prince
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: May 27, 2019
Genre: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Source: Received a copy in exchange for an honest review on this blog tour

Goodreads
Indigo | Amazon |iBooks
Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Rating: 4.5 stars

A killer is hiding in Plain sight…

The hunt for a serial killer leads Homicide Detective Josiah Troyer back to his Amish roots. To catch a madman preying on young women, Joe must return to Lancaster County and regain the trust of a shattered community.

The FBI knows Joe is the best chance they have of solving this case. By returning to Lancaster, he will face shunning, and resentment from the people he once called family and friends.

Hannah’s heart was broken when Josiah abandoned her eight-years ago to live with the Englishers. Forced to wed a man not of her choosing, her husband’s untimely death has left her struggling to put her life back together.

When unspeakable tragedy strikes again, Josiah unexpectedly returns, investigating the murder of her sister and two other young Amish women. Hannah quickly discovers the man that’s come back is not the same one she fell in love with.

Gone are Josiah’s easy smiles and gentle ways. He’s harder, colder—a true Englisher… But not even shunning can stop the attraction from consuming them both, and Josiah soon opens Hannah’s eyes to a world of passion and pleasure she never imagined. Choosing Josiah would mean walking away from the only world she’s ever known.

Josiah’s investigation begins to unravel when he discovers the killer is closer than he thought. Soon, he’s in a race against time to save the only woman he’s ever loved before she becomes the next victim.

Review:

This books you guys. This freaking book. It was so good. I flew through it, constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next with both the mystery and the romance. I was on the edge of my seat because it wasn’t too predictable. My first guess as to who the killer was wasn’t correct. The writing made it seem like there were quite a few options as to who the killer could have been and it made the story more compelling to not know from the start.

Second-chance romances are very hit or miss for me, because if it didn’t work out the first time, the past should probably stay in the past. But holy crap, I was rooting for Josiah and Hannah from the moment they met again. They were that kind of couple where you just knew they were meant to be together.

Melynda Price is such a good writer. The suspense, the romance, and the POV from the killer were all excellent and I’m looking forward to reading other books from her.

I highly recommend this book. It was a good mix of suspense and romance and both will have you flipping those pages at record speed to get to the conclusion.

About Melynda Price:

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Melynda Price is a bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her novels have finaled in and or won many awards such as the RONE, USA Today BBA, Golden Quill, National Readers’ Choice, Write Touch, and New England Readers’ Choice.

What Price enjoys most about writing is the chance to make her readers fall in love, over and over again. She cites the greatest challenge of writing is making the unbelievable believable, while taking her characters to the limit with stories full of passion and unique twists and turns. Salting stories with undertones of history whenever possible, Price adds immeasurable depth to her well-crafted books. She currently lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and two children where she has plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with her Chihuahua and a hot cup of coffee to write.

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Review: Down We’ll Come, Baby by Carrie Aarons – Blog Tour

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019Leave a comment

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Title: Down We’ll Come, Baby
Author: Carrie Aarons
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published by Carrie Aarons
Publication Date: January 27, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Received an advanced copy from InkSlinger PR/the author in exchange for an honest review on this blog tour

Goodreads
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Rating: 4.5 stars

Imogen

There is no way we can still love and cherish one and other.

When I married Theo Walsh, the rough, bearded townie who worked construction on my family’s summer house, I’d found my happily ever after.

That was before the fighting.
Before the jealousy.
Before the infertility.

We’ll be divorced long before death does us part.

But to secure my place in the family dynasty, there is just one more hoop I have to jump through. And I need him to do it.

Faking the marriage we once thrived in will gut me.
Especially with the secret I’m carrying.

Theo

I would have sacrificed for her until the end of time.

My job.
My home.
My happiness.

I’d given it all up to marry her. That’s how much I loved Imogen Weston, the daughter to one of the world’s richest families.

From the day we met, I’d done nothing but try to live up to the man she expected to be with. And now, I was done.

Sure, I’d complete this one final ask of hers, even if it destroyed me.

But I’ve made her promise the one thing that might save me. She swore that after she got everything she ever wanted, she wouldn’t look back.

I made my wife vow to leave me forever.

Review:

“I am more in love with you now than I was the day I met you. At first sight, and always.”

This book put me on a freaking crazy roller coaster of emotions and I loved it. However, I do want to start off this review by pointing out the one thing that annoyed me throughout the book: the heroine. This woman did not deserve Theo for a second. The things that she was asking him to do to secure her place in the family dynasty after walking out on him. The way she put her family and their money first for years and never appreciating the sacrifices he made for her. This woman deserves a pile of coal for every Christmas for the rest of her life.

Now that my issues with Imogen are out of the way, let’s talk about what I did love: everything else. The writing, the plot, the emotions, THEO.

Theo is the perfect romantic interest. This dude is what all men should aspire to be. He’s like every good boyfriend in all the romance books, but without those moments where they can be too arrogant or controlling in ways that make you take pause. Theo is dark-haired and bearded and hot as all hell while being the most supportive and kind husband. The things he did to make Imogen happy. Seriously, if you’re going to read this book, I would suggest reading it for Theo alone.

Carrie Aarons is an incredible writer. Not only is she just generally gifted at writing an overall lovely novel, this woman will put you through the craziest ride of emotions. I almost cried on my lunch break at work while reading the last few chapters. And usually books do not make me cry. Especially in public. I have a smiley and bubbly reputation to uphold here.

Overall, this book was amazing. I loved the story line (minus the whole Imogen being Imogen part). The writing and Theo made this book for me and if you’re looking for an angsty romance that might bring you close to tears, then pick this one up immediately.

About Carrie Aarons:

Author of romance novels such as Red Card and Privileged, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the stories she dreams up, and the yoga pant 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, daughter and dog.

Review: Across the Horizon by Aly Martinez

December 23, 20182 Comments

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Title: Across the Horizon
Author: Aly Martinez
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published by Aly Martinez
Publication Date: December 6, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Received an advanced copy from the author/InkSlinger PR for the purpose of this blog tour

Goodreads
Amazon

Rating: 4.5 stars

“Sometimes love happens when you least expect it.” That was what my husband’s mistress told me the day I found out about their affair.

I didn’t believe it until five minutes later when mouth-watering celebrity chef Tanner Reese walked up, tossed his arm around my shoulders, and told my cheating husband to take a hike.

Tanner and I couldn’t have been more different. He spent his weekends at clubs, rubbing elbows with fellow A-listers. I spent mine in yoga pants with cheese boards and a glass of wine—or six.

Our relationship shouldn’t have worked, but it did. That is until Tanner proved to me that even though love happens when you least expect it…

So does heartbreak.

Review:

“Good to know I did not fuck the smartass out of you.”
“Honey, nobody’s dick is that big.”

The minute I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed it in my life. It sounded like the perfect romance with a fair amount of drama. Going into it, I had really high expectations. And luckily for me, those expectations were exceeded.

Rita spent seven years of her life married to douchebag Greg (Tanner’s words, not mine). Those seven years were up real quick the day she discovered that he was cheating on her with one of the nurses at the practice they work for. Greg was a doctor there and Rita was the office manager. Not long after, their office was hosting a spring fling BBQ event for their patients. At that event Tammy, the mistress, so kindly decided to inform Rita that not only was there the affair, but she was also pregnant with Greg’s child.

At the same time, Tanner was at the BBQ helping his brother Porter with the catering. When he heard Greg and Rita arguing, he decided to step in and tell him to back off. Rita took that moment to pretend that she was seeing him to get back at Greg. And so begins the whirlwind romance of Rita and Tanner.

I loved both Rita and Tanner. Rita’s sass and her banter with Tanner was off the charts hilarious. I would actually be laughing out loud as I read the book. But not only was Rita hilarious, she was a strong character. She went through a terrible time in her life with her head held high and was determined to make it to the other side a better woman for it.

“Whether we’re ready for it or not doesn’t change the fact that I’m in love with you. So you can go ahead and assume that, for the next fifteen years, I won’t be out with someone.”

Man oh man, Aly Martinez knows how to write a romance that not only tugs at your heartstrings, but can also make you laugh like crazy. Her ability to write Rita as such a sarcastic little fire cracker with killer one liners is incredible. Not only that, but the chemisty between Rita and Tanner was pretty dang hot.

The story itself was great. The amount of things that Rita and Tanner had to go through, together and alone, made their love feel that much more authentic. It was obvious from their first meeting that they were meant to be together, but it was just as obvious that they each had personal issues they needed to sort out to an extent before they could truly be the couple that they were meant to be.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It’s the perfect mix of a dramatic romance that will break your heart at times but then provide you with comedic relief that will have you laughing so hard.

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About Aly Martinez:

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children.

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.

Review: In Servitude by Heleen Kist – Blog Tour

September 8, 20183 Comments

Hi everyone! Today, I’m so happy to present my review for In Servitude by Heleen Kist. Shalini (you can find her awesome blog here) runs a tour website called Digital Reads Blog Tours. I was lucky enough to be a part of this tour. Today was the last day of the tour, so please check out the schedule at the end of this post to see the other participants’ lovely posts!

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Title: In Servitude
Author: Heleen Kist
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Pollok Glen Publishing
Publication Date: August 31, 2018
Genre: Psychological thriller
Source: Received an advanced copy from the author/Digital Reads Blog Tour for the purpose of this blog tour and an honest review

Goodreads
Amazon

Rating: 4.5 stars

Do you owe your family your life?

When her beloved sister Glory dies in a car crash, Grace McBride’s carefully considered life spirals out of control. She discovers Glory had been sucked into illegal activities at odds with her seemingly charmed existence. What’s worse: Grace finds herself an unwitting accomplice and forced to take over the shady dealings.

Determined to keep her fingers clean and redeem her sister’s reputation, Grace plots to extricate herself—and those Glory held dear—from the clutches of Glasgow’s criminal underworld. But her moral certitude is challenged when familial pressure mounts and Glory’s past intentions remain unclear. Grace grows convinced Glory’s death was no accident, even if no-one will listen.

Seeking justice, she finds betrayal.

Review:

While thrillers and suspense are still part of a genre that is pretty new to me, I find them so, well, thrilling. The topic of financial crime was incredibly interesting, and even though I knew zero about it before reading this book and wouldn’t be able to explain for the life of me what some of those crimes actually entailed, I appreciated the fact that everything was laid out plainly. It was all easy to understand, but still without being too obvious to give any of the plots away.

Heleen Kist is a great writer. The twists and turns she manages to interject keeps you wanting to get through as quick as you can so you can know everything that’s happening. The fact that this was her debut novel stuns me because of how great it was.

The characters of the novel were great. They all had these different aspects to them that made the story itself come together so well.

Everything progressed at such a good pace. The build up to the conclusion of the novel constantly kept me engrossed. There was never a point where it got boring and I wanted to skip ahead to find out what would happen in the end. It was always kept interesting. Some crime books make you yawn until your eyes are watering trying to build up to come crazy conclusion. This book always had me wanting to read just one more chapter so I could know what the heck was going to happen.

There were so many times at the beginning where I thought it could have been multiple different people, but eventually I made my guess and I was right. Thank god because in my opinion it was the most satisfying ending.

Seriously, you should read this book. If you’re looking for an excellent suspense novel to keep you on your toes, then you absolutely need to read this one.

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About Heleen Kist:

Heleen Kist is a Dutch quintilingual Stanford-educated globetrotting career woman who fell in love with a Scotsman and his country, and now writes about its (sometimes scary) people from her garden office in Glasgow. Trained at work to spot and prevent financial crime, she put this knowledge to good use for her debut novel, In Servitude.

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