I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.
If you have been following along with the Smartypants Universe from the beginning, the name Clara Hill has come up before, and you will be familiar with the other Hill sisters. If not, this reads as a complete standalone, so don't worry you start here.
Clara and Nick had a thing in high school. They parted ways when Nick went away to college on a full scholarship, and Clara was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and find her own way. They didn't part on the best of terms, so when grown up Nick moves in next to Clara with his two kids in tow, she is somewhat of a mess. She just wants to be left alone to water her plants, people watch her neighbors, and avoid dealing with her problems and tell other people how to fix theirs. Nick is doing the best he can to deal with being a single dad, be cordial to his ex, be a good teacher and coach, but when Clara re-enters his life she is all he can think about. All of those memories from the past come racing back and he is determined to fix things with Clara once and for all.
If you love second chance romances, this is a great one. Nick and Clara have alot of chemistry and alot of explaining to do. Once they finally get to the bottom of what happened in high school and what their fears and expectations are, things really take off for them. Nick knows Clara is the one who got away, and now she is back in his life, he isn't letting her go again. I appreciated that we get some appearances by other characters that we've seen in past books. I also liked the way that the situation with Nick's kids and his ex-wife were handled. They had a good co-parenting situation and were respectful of bringing new partners around their children. Clara was also wonderful with the kids, the kids were great too.
I love Nora Everly's writing and this is another great addition to the Smartypants Universe!
I was provided both an audio and print ARC of the book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this mystery thriller, it kept me on my toes and invested in the storyline until almost the end. There were a few elements that took this from a really great thriller to just an OK thriller for me. They all happened toward the end of the book, so I have mixed feelings about it. I thought it was a solid thriller for the most part, but there were a few character and plot things that occurred that really didn't work for me. There are some things that are far too convenient and I had to suspend a little too much belief for this to work.
Granite Harbor is a small Maine Town with a local historical settlement, where many of the townspeople work and demonstrate how life as an original settler would have looked. Life in the town is turned upside-down when a local teen is found brutally murdered and his body left at the settlement to be found. We follow the characters through the investigation as the town morns the loss of one of their own and as things begin to escalate.
There are quite a few characters to keep track of, some are relevant, while others don't really add much to the storyline. The premise was interesting but the execution was a bit off. The transitions between characters was at times jarring as you jumped from Alex the detective investigating the murder to Isabel the mother of one of the kids, to another random character who may be involved or may be a red herring, to the murder who's identity is kept secret and who's POV is told in the past tense. It was hard to keep track of everyone at times.
You will definitely want to check the trigger warnings for this one before picking it up. There are some fairly disturbing and graphic scenes.
I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.
This was a bit of a slow start for me, but things really started to pick up around the 50% mark. I felt this was a tad on the long side, especially in the beginning as we are meeting all of the characters and establishing the plot. The second half of the book picks up the pace as our former nun Helen teams up with bounty hunter Thad to find her brother. They get pulled into a much more complicated situation, and things heat up both on the mission and in the romance department.
This book had a really unique concept, and I'm anxious to see where the rest of the series is headed as the other two characters are intriguing. Former nuns form a support group as they enter the life outside the convent. Helen's friends Nina and Matilda are awesome and I look forward to getting to know them more in the future. Helen, has settled in as a librarian and she is working on a romance novel. She is seeing a therapist, to work through her feelings and how to navigate new experiences. Enter Thad, former reality TV start and real life bounty hunter. He poses as a library patron for a case he is working on, but there is real tension and attraction between them when he finally reveals his intentions. Helen's brother Dean has always gotten into mischief, but this time he has gotten in way over his head. They go on quite the adventure to find Dean, and their attraction grows Helen agrees to help Thad find him, and they set out on a road trip. Helen really starts to come into her own and experience things that were forbidden and deemed sinful when she was a nun. Thad also has some stuff he needs to work through based on past relationships. Their character development was done very well, and I really appreciated how the author approached sensitive situations and the topic of personal choice.
Overall, I thought this was really fun. I enjoyed getting to know Thad and Helen and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program.
This book has a lot going on and addresses some pretty heavy topics. This spans several genres, to name a few it is a bit horror, mythological/folklore, and mystery/thriller. The author takes a deep look into very real issues that Native and Indigenous people face such as suicide, substance abuse, and trauma.
This follows alternating points of view Louie in the past, and Noemi in the present. In Louie's chapters he is a teenager, and much of his time is spent babysitting his toddler aged niece Noemi and being the man of the house for his sister and mom. He does his best to take care of them and uphold customs and traditions. During the summer the story takes place the reservation they live on is plagued with several deaths, all of which end up having some strange circumstances or occurrences. Louie is caught up in the legends and lore of his people as more strange things happen that summer. He tries to understand what is going on and get to the bottom of things
In Noemi's chapters, she is in her late thirties and has just learned that the love of her life has been involved in a fatal car accident, and his death has been ruled suicide. She is adamant that he would never do that, so she tries to figure out what really happened. With Uncle Louie's help she tries to find out if it truly was an accident or if Roddy was hiding his internal pain and trauma from her.
I found the pacing of this book to be very slow and there are a ton of characters to keep track of. The vast majority of the story is told from Louie's POV in the 1980's, with Noemi's POV sprinkled throughout. The past and the present are connected, however I felt like there were two distinct books as Noemi's chapters felt a bit disconnected from Louie's. I expected Noemi to go on a similar path of discovery as Louie did to discover what happened to Roddy, but that doesn't happen. The folklore aspect was interesting and I liked the way the author wove that into the horror elements.
Ruined Juliet, an all-new emotionally charged, sports romance from USA Today bestselling author Katana Collins is now available!
I should hate Holden Dorsey after what he did to me. I want to hate Holden Dorsey.
So why can’t I stop picturing him late at night when I’m alone in bed?
I’ve worked too hard to get into this prestigious theater department and land the lead role in Romeo and Juliet. I’m not going to let anyone stand in my way… especially not my rebellious Romeo.
I should have learned my lesson the first time. I should have stayed far away from Holden.
Amidst acting in one of Shakespeare’s most notorious tragedies, we’re living our own. Holden vowed to pick up my shattered pieces and fix me, but it’s too late.
“As much as I’d love to stand here and chat with you, I’m late for class.”
I move to keep walking, but with a single step to the side, she blocks my path once more. “About that. As you know, Holden needs this class and the show credit to graduate on time. And it seems that he’s been a little distracted by you these last few weeks. Since you’re only a freshman, you have plenty of time to make this class up later in your college career.”
Folding my arms, I narrow my gaze at her. “Distracted how?”
She titters a laugh that’s faker than the cubic zirconia earrings my sister gave me last year for my birthday. “Oh, you know college boys.”
“I don’t really. As you said, I’m only a freshman.”
“We got a call from his football coach that his games have been slipping a little.”
“And you think that has to do with me? Not the fact that he’s stretched really thin by taking on a second extra-curricular activity that’s very demanding?”
She pauses and gives another quiet chuckle through her nose. Makeup has settled in the few creases around her mouth that I have no doubt if she knew were there, she’d have run straight to her cosmetologist to fuel up on some botox. “My son is used to a demanding schedule. So the only variable I can see… is you.
If you care about Holden at all, you’ll quit this class. And this show.” If there was ever a kick in the pants to fuel me to get my part back… This is it. No one strong arms me out of what I want to do. One way or another, I have to convince McCay to take me back.
“Wow,” I chuckle. “Does that actually work? Playing the whole ‘if you love my son, you’ll do this for him’ game?”
“We all make sacrifices for the people we love.”
“Good point. I wonder what sacrifices Holden will make for me.”
Holden and I aren’t in love. Not by a long shot. But I revel in the shock that takes hold of Mrs. Dorsey’s expression as she realizes what I’ve just implied. “And,” I add while I’ve got her speechless, “unfortunately, the add-drop time for our semester is already over. I can’t quit the class without taking an incomplete.”
To her credit, she recovers quickly. The polite exterior has given way as she rips a checkbook out of her Louis Vuitton purse. “Classes here are what? Four thousand a semester? So, what if I give you, say, six thousand … for your troubles.”
“I can’t be bought.” My cheeks flush red at my statement. Because that’s not exactly true, Kate, is it? Holden has bought me for a heck of a lot less than that. He bought my panties. He bought my dignity. He bought my innocence.
Ignoring the shame bubbling inside me, I hold my ground firmly as she sighs. “Fine. Ten thousand, then. But for that price, I expect you to steer clear of my son for the rest of the year.”
She scribbles a check and tears it from the book, holding it out to me.
“No, thank you,” I say, folding my arms.
“Take the check.”
“I don’t want your money,” I snap. “I don’t want another penny from your freaking family.” I yank my phone out of my bag. Even though I’m officially late for class today, there might still be time to plead my case to McCay. I type out a quick email to her.“In fact, I had quit the show with Holden this morning, but just because you thought you could buy me off? I’m emailing the professor right now to rescind my resignation.”
“You have to trust me, this is for your own good,” Mrs. Dorsey pleads. “This is one part. One class. All you need to do is stay away from my son—”
“Mom!” Holden’s voice comes out of nowhere and both Mrs. Dorsey and I jump at his rumbling baritone.
Good lord, the guy is even more delicious today than usual. His dark hair is still shower-damp and his amber eyes look golden in the morning sun.
I tear my gaze away from him and force my rapidly beating heart to slow, reminding myself that Holden Dorsey stands for everything I hate about privilege and high society.
“Holden!” Mrs. Dorsey clasps the collar of her silk button down shirt. “You scared me.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asks stepping between us.
Her eyes dart between Holden and me. “I-I’m here to see you, of course!” she says in a sickly sweet voice, then holds out her arms to hug Holden. “I wanted you to see I was okay despite our little chat the other night.”
“Uh-huh.” he lets her hug him, but I note the stiffness in his shoulders and the fact that he doesn’t hug her back. Instead, he yanks the check from her hand and holds it up. “And what’s this? What was all that talk the other night about your regrets? About how much you wished I would find someone special?”
I’m not sure what was said in their conversation the other night, but it’s clear it’s not my place to interject.
Mrs. Dorsey winces. “I did mean that. I do regret what we did to Megan and I want you to find someone.”
“Just not me,” I say, deadpan, then turn to look at Holden. It’s all too much. This freaking family has more money than they know what to do with and they think they can just buy people off. “Like mother, like son, huh?”
He does a double take at me, seeming confused. Of course he’s confused. When he last saw me, we were making out in a hot tub. I was about to call things off with my secret panty buyer to give it a real try with Holden.
And then, I discovered he’d been lying to me.
He is my secret panty buyer.
But he doesn’t know that I discovered his secret.
In his mind, we are still on the cusp of getting together.
Well, Holden, you have a rude awakening coming.
“One crazy thing at a time, please,” he says, then turns back to his mom. “Go home, Mom. Go back to Dad and to your martinis and your club and stay out of my love life. And feel free to pass that message onto Dad, too.”
Mrs. Dorsey looks briefly hurt. “Your father doesn’t know I’m here. But trust me, be happy I’m the one here and not him. He won’t be nearly as generous with his offer.”
He glares at her for a long moment before turning to me, holding up the check. “Do you want this?”
“No,” I hiss, not hesitating for a second to answer.
Not missing a beat, he tears up the check, tossing the pieces at his mother. “Well, there’s your answer. And next time you’re too drunk to function, call someone else to take care of you.”
“Holden—”
“I don’t want to hear it right now.”
Like a dejected child, she turns and walks back to her car, teetering on her kitten heels, leaving the two of us standing there outside my dorms.
I watch his mom get into her BMW, rev the engine and peel out of the parking spot.
A breeze catches the ends of my long blonde waves and whip them across my face. A strand gets stuck in my lip gloss and before I brush up into a ponytail, Holden reaches out, twisting his finger around the errant strand and tucking it behind my ear. Unable to stop my reaction, I shiver at the feel of his gentle touch as he asks, “Were you really going to quit the show?”
I blink, slowly, shaking off the fog that surrounds me whenever Holden's skin touches mine. “I was. Until your mom offered me money to quit. Stupid pride.” I pause and hold up my phone to show him the email I just sent to McCay. “I should have taken your mother’s ding dang money for something I was doing anyway.”
He smirks. “But you don’t like being told what to do.”
Heat blasts the apples of my cheeks. “No, I don’t.”
“Don’t quit,” he begs and I can’t help but wonder if he knows why I’ve distanced myself.
“Why shouldn’t I?” I challenge him back.
“Because you were born to play this role. Because you are Big-Juliet-Energy if I’ve ever seen it.”
Big Juliet Energy. I smile to myself and drop my gaze to the cement sidewalk. He’s one to talk. He’s got Big Romeo Energy.
Holden continues his groveling and I have to admit, it feels good. I want him on his knees begging, even if I don’t want to admit it. “Please, Katherine. If you quit, I’m going to be forced to act with Addison as my Julie.”
Wait a minute.
Wait a fluffing, forking minute.
“Why did you quit in the first place?” he asks as my gaze snaps up.
“What did you say?”
“I asked why you qui–”
“Not that. About Addison getting my part.”
He sighs. “Yeah, Addison is now officially your understudy. So if you quit, I have to do this whole show with her as my Juliet.”
No.
Addison has been trying to undermine me for weeks.
She can’t have my part.
She can’t have Holden.
I am Juliet. And Holden is my Romeo.
For more information about Katana Collins and her books, visit her website: https://katanacollins.com
Adriana Locke has revealed the gorgeous covers for Pulse!
Releasing: May 13, 2024
Cover Design: Kari March Designs
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster
USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke delivers a spicy, age gap, grumpy sunshine, workplace romance in the first book in the brand new Landry Security series.
Troy Castelli acts like it’s my fault that we’re cooped up together in a room with one bed overlooking the ocean. I didn’t ask for a stalker to break into my house and then send me a threatening email detailing my demise. And I sure as heck didn’t request that my boss send Troy and his uber elite bodyguard skills to accompany me out of town—although I’m not mad about it.
A paid tropical vacation with a grumpy, gray-eyed bad boy in a suit isn’t exactly a burden.
But it is a giant test of my willpower.
Troy’s alpha protector tendencies drive me wild. His arrogant smirk gets under my skin. But it’s his not-so-innocent touches, heated looks and touch-her-and-die vibes that are the final strike that ignite our explosive chemistry.
The longer we’re together, the more his broody exterior slips, and I get a glimpse of the real man beneath the sculpted muscles. I’m determined not only to unearth his mysterious past but also to make him realize what we have is more than just a fling in paradise.
USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author, Adriana Locke, writes contemporary romances about the two things she knows best—big families and small towns. Her stories are about ordinary people finding extraordinary love with the perfect combination of heart, heat, and humor. She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden. Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.
I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Literally Yours PR, all opinions are my own.
If you haven't read the other books in the series, I would suggest starting with either Shattered Juliet or Broken Romeo. Then I would move on to this book, but I would suggest reading Rebel Romeo first, then onto Forbidden Romeo. This is told from Kate/Katherine's perspective during her college years with Holden as they take place during Rebel Romeo. There is overlap in events, but as with Shattered Juliet we only get her perspective. In the Romeo books Kate tells the story from the present, while the past is told from Holden's journal entries from college. The Juliet books give us insight into what Kate's experiences and feelings were during their time together in college. While many of the scenes repeat, it is nice to get to know Kate and get her thoughts. I often wonder what she was thinking and why she did some of the things that she did, and this gives us an opportunity to get to understand her a bit better
This is a nice recap of events to tide you over until Forbidden Romeo comes out later this year, and it adds more depth to some of the scenes between Kate and Holden as their relationship was beginning. We get to know them a bit more as they learn to embrace their vulnerability and use it in both their personal and professional lives.
I am anxious to find out how things end for our characters as the final act is closing in and Rebel Romeo ended on a pretty big cliffhanger. I was hoping to gain more info in this installment but I am quite certain the finale will be worth waiting for.
I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.
This was hilarious, while also being sweet and heartbreaking at times! This reads as a standalone but it has interconnected characters, and if you want the full comedic impact of Chad and to understand some of the stuff he's talking about, I'd start at the beginning. There are a lot of references to things from the previous books, but they aren't really necessary to follow along with Val and Larinda's story. If you find yourself saying "what in the world?" I'd start back at the beginning and you will understand what is going on. Despite this being Val and Larinda's book, I feel like this was Chad's book too.
This follows Larinda, a successful country music start who wants to take control of her music. She's found a young, new producer who sees her vision and doesn't try to walk all over her or shut her down when she has a suggestion like the rest of her team. Val is an unknown in the music industry, but he's got talent and Larinda wants him around. As Larinda's tour progresses, it becomes clear that there is chemistry between the starlet and the producer, however her team has clearly stated that she can't date her producer. Larinda has been "dating" her co-headliner Jarvis for years but she's had enough of his nonsense, but their record labels have other plans in mind.
Val quickly finds himself stuck between his own desires and protecting Larinda from some plot he can't figure out. Aided by none other than Chad from Sandeke Telecom, who becomes his new bestie and spy mentor, Val learns that her career is in danger and he will do anything for her. She is his ray of sunshine in a crappy existence, and she has been put in a terrible situation. Larinda is a people pleaser and has a hard time telling people no, she often gets taken advantage of. She gets some great advice from Val's sister about being the confident woman she is both on an off the stage which I really loved. I think we all walk a fine line between our professional self and our personal self, Larinda needed a little reminder that her two selves needed to be a little more alike.
Overall, I loved this! This has a great romance between two great characters, some great comedic moments, and some good emotional moments that will pull on your heartstrings.
I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions are my own.
This was a super cute romance. Amerie aka Mimi to her close friends and family, is going through a rough time. She had a successful career as an event planner, but when an event went poorly and her focus was on her ailing mom she was let go from her firm and her life has been spiraling ever since. Now she is ready to take control and branch out on her own, but she is struggling to get her business off the ground and make rent. Enter Vincent, a successful and handsome astronaut about to launch into space on his biggest mission yet. His family isn't the most supportive of his career choice, but he loves what he does. They want him to settle down, or at least find someone. When he and Amerie collide at their favorite coffee shop, and a little white lie about a fake relationship quickly morphs into something much more.
I completely related to Amerie's dad making PB&J with butter, my dad also made them that way when we were kids. That made me smile and that bit of nostalgia really hit home for me. I really loved the family aspect for both main characters. As we get to know both Amerie and Vincent, we get to understand them both and their personalities. Vincent is driven and like a scientist likes to control the variables. Amerie is risk adverse, doesn't deal well with her emotions, and she too likes everything controlled and perfect. They are kind of perfect for each other and shaped by their life experiences. I really enjoyed getting to know them, their families, and watching them fall for one another. They have good banter with one another, and
Overall I this was a solid debut romance. I really enjoyed the characters and the slow burn pacing worked really well. This has a bit of spice but isn't overly detailed in that area which I actually prefer in my romances.
I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
I love weird stuff, especially if it has a paranormal spin. I am also a believer in science and data driven analysis, so while I'm open to the possibility of the weird and unexplained, I am also a skeptic. This book aims to explain coincidence, ghost and alien encounters, sleep paralysis, reincarnation, out of body and near death experiences and more with a scientific and factual approach.
The book is filled with lists, which doesn't translate well to audio. I'm not sure if the final version will have an accompanying PDF, but that would be helpful visual for some readers as the narrator often reads the criteria used for debunking or classifying a certain type of event. I found that hard to follow at times while listening. I found myself often wishing I also had a copy of the print book to reference as I went along as there are alot of facts and lists I wanted to revisit. I feel like this is a book I would have enjoyed more in print.
Overall, I found the concepts interesting but the delivery and presentation to be a bit dry. I was expecting a bit more comedy from something with such a catchy title, and perhaps it was but the comedy didn't resonate with me.
I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
The audio narration was great. The narrator did distinctive voices for each character, making it easy for the listener to distinguish between characters. I always appreciate that, especially when there are multiple characters with a good bit of dialogue.
Ophelia is a psychologist assigned to a crew tasked with exploring an abandoned planet and investigate what happened to the previous crew. Ophelia is tasked with keeping them mentally healthy after the loss of one of their crewmates on a previous mission and after a condition called ERS has become more prevalent for those that spend alot of time in space. ERS has been known to make people violent, and Ophelia has dedicated her life to studying and preventing the disease after experiencing it's effects first hand as a child.
Upon landing on the desolate planet and beginning explorations, the crew begins to exhibit strange behaviors that mimic ERS. The crew has not warmed up to Ophelia for many reasons, and no one wants to be diagnosed with ERS. When one of the crew turns up dead, Ophelia has to unearth the skeleton's in her closet and work with the remaining members of the team to figure out if they are sick or if there is something else going on.
This is my first book by the author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This book was extremely atmospheric. This blurs the lines between sci-fi, horror, and thriller. I definitely got the creepy, desolate vibes the author was going for.
I thought the premise was really interesting and the author did a good job describing the planet and the surroundings. I did find the writing repetitive at times especially when it came to Ophelia's character arc. I feel like had the author stuck with the weird planet plotline or the medical plotline this book would have been a knockout, but there were too many threads of stuff about Ophelia's family, her job, the crew, and the planet going on for it to be a cohesive story. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, as the action starts to build up to something that doesn't ever happen. Honestly, I expected a little more death and destruction from a space horror, but this is more of a mystery/thriller. There is some gore and the descriptions are good, but I wanted a little more suspense and scare factor. I felt like finally when we got to the good part when the action was picking up and the horror elements were really taking off, it ended in what I feel was an unsatisfying way.
Overall, I thought this was entertaining but the conclusion was underwhelming.
Passing Notes by Nora Everly
