Review: Dough You Love Me? by Stacy Travis

Dough You Love Me? by Stacy Travis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio arc of this book via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.   I really enjoyed the narrators, they did a wonderful job brining both Julia and Shane to life and giving emotion and passion to their story.  I switched back and forth between the audio and the print book and you can't really go wrong with either format.  The author did a wonderful job with this book and it translates well in whatever format you prefer.  I loved both equally!

First off, I need a recipe book with all of the yummy things Julia and Shane bake up in this book.  I really enjoyed living vicariously through them as they baked.  When I grow up I want to learn how to make homemade bread, it is the one thing I can't seem to master.

As you can tell this follows Julia and Shane as our main characters.  They knew each other in high school, but a lack of self confidence kept Shane from taking his shot back in the day, which in turn cause Julia a great hit to her own self-esteem.  With a broken heart and a desire to further her education love of baking, Julia attended culinary school and opened a very succesfful bread business and restaurant.  Now she's returned home to attend to family business and she's run into Shane again and it has brought up feelings she doesn't want to deal with.  Things aren't much different for Shane, he's not the same person Julia knew in high school and they both have to spend some time getting to know one another again.

I absolutely loved this small town, second chance romance.  This had great banter and a wonderful story about finding purpose in life and doing what makes you happy.  Sometimes that is a big fancy, fast paced job. that makes you lots of money, sometimes it is slower, smaller work surrounded by good people that fills your bucket.   This was the "comfort food" book that I needed.  

As with all of the Smartypants Romance offerings this book is a standalone and can be read without having read any of the previous books in the series.  You should read them though, they are awesome!  

View all my reviews

Review: More Than I Could by Adriana Locke

More Than I Could by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

I loved this grumpy, sunshine romance!  Chase and Megan didn't hit it off initially, but they were instantly attracted to each other.  This does have kind of an insta-love feel to it, which I will admit is not my favorite but there is more than enough substance to the book to make up for it.   

This follows Megan, who is filling in as a nanny as she is trying to figure out what to do with her life in the wake of being let go from her job in California.  Megan is used to travelling being creative but she has never really found somewhere that feels like home.  Chase is a grumpy single dad with a rebellious teenager on his hands.  When Megan shows up to help him out for the next month while his mom is out of town, he knows he's in for trouble.  Megan and Chase had good chemistry and there are some steamy scenes between them.  Megan is also great with Kennedy as she is able to offer the teen a woman's perspective and she grew up with a single parent.  She is also able to give her advice Chase isn't and see her as a 14 year old person versus the parent who is trying to keep it all together.  I loved the scenes between Kennedy and Megan, they were so relevant to raising a teenager.  

This was a really fun read.  I believe this is a standalone, but Adriana left it open to have more books about the Marshall siblings.  I really loved Chase's family and it has a similar feel to her other family series.  If you like those you will probably like this one as well.  Adriana said that she wrote this to be a break from the real world for a little while and it accomplished just that, it has good banter between characters and let me escape reality for a few hours.  

View all my reviews

Blog Tour: The Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke

 

 

  

  THE SWEET SPOT by Adriana Locke 

  Release Date: 11/29/2022 

Genre/Tropes: Single Mom, Baseball Pro, Small Town Romance       

  THE SWEET SPOT by USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke is NOW LIVE! 

  Grab this all-new small town romance TODAY!   

  NOW AVAILABLE! FREE IN KU! 

https://geni.us/TSSpot       

      

  Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60806368-the-sweet-spot    

      

  Blurb:   

  She wants forever. He plays it day by day. They’re both wishing for the best in USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke’s charming and sexy hopefully-ever-after romance.   Single mom Palmer Clark will not be sidelined by the new man in town. Sure, the honey-tongued baseball legend is gorgeous, loves puppies, and has charmed his way into the community’s heart, but Palmer craves stability. Nothing about Cole says forever. So why is he so hard to resist?   Cole is swinging through town to visit his parents when he meets the kind of down-to-earth distraction he’s been looking for since retiring from the majors. True, his long-term relationship score is zero. But even though raising his average with Palmer seems impossible, it’s worth a shot.   As promising as the summer nights are, fate turns small-town dreams upside down, and some lessons are learned the hard way. But having faith in love and choosing hope over fear might get Palmer and Cole to the sweet spot they’re looking for.  

 

       

  About the Author: 

  USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.   She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her pocket.

 

  Connect w/Adriana: 

Website: https://adrianalocke.com 

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoralocke 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379774.Adriana_Locke 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ivy7xd 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-locke 

Newsletter Signup: http://bit.ly/NewsletterAddy   

Review: The Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke

The Sweet Spot by Adriana Locke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. all opinions are my own.  Thank you to Montlake and Candi Kane PR for providing me with an ARC for review.   This comes out tomorrow November 29, 2022

Palmer is a hardworking single mom, who will do anything to protect her 12 year old son and provide him the stable home she never had growing up.  She has an awesome best friend to help her out, but she doesn't have a big support network.  Enter Cole, a retired baseball player who is staying with his parents in small town Ohio while he does some soul searching.  He is immediately drawn to the small town life and when he meets Palmer he can't deny that there is something about her that screams for him to stay and start something a little more permanent.  Not one for long term relationships, Cole doesn't want to mislead Palmer but he wants what she is willing to give him while he sticks around town. 

This got pretty emotional at times.  Palmer had a pretty rough childhood.  Trigger warnings for an alcoholic and abusive parent.  She also had some pretty questionable relationships with men who let her down.  Despite all that she came out the other side a great person and a wonderful mom who raised an awesome kid.  I liked that we got to see many sides of Palmer from the vulnerable mom and woman to the strong employee and boss that was trying to hold everything together for everyone else.  We also get to see her speak up for herself and do what is best for her and her son.  Cole has some stuff he is dealing with, and while it takes him quite a while for the reveal and for him to come to terms with it.  I'm happy with the way the conflict was resolved.  This was relatively low angst, there is some but it is short lived.  There are some steamy parts, but not over the top.

Overall I loved this sweet small town romance.  

View all my reviews

Review: Worth the Wait by Karla Sorensen

Worth the Wait by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.

While this is listed as the 4th book in the Love at First Sight series, you can read it as a standalone. Each of the books in the series follows a different member of the Buchanan family as they navigate love and the family "curse" of falling in love with their soul mate the first time they meet. This particular story follows Hunter, who has been mentioned in the previous installments, and fans of the series have been long awaiting his story. If you are just starting with this book, I highly recommend reading the previous books, but you don't need to read them to get to know Hunter and Iris.

Hunter and Iris fell hard for each other in high school, but Iris' rough home situation caused her to push him away. Now after years of being apart and growing into capable adults, Hunter and Iris find themselves back in Green Valley at the same time and reunited by Iris' younger brother and ward Theo. Hunter never stopped loving Iris, but he's trying to respect her wishes to be friends and not push her boundaries. He knows that his big feelings for her scare her and she didn't grow up in a kind, loving, accepting family environment until moving in with her Grandmother. Iris still has feelings for Hunter, but she is 100% committed to taking care of her brother. That means getting her business off the ground and protecting him from their mess of a mother.

I loved Hunter and Iris together. Iris slowly comes out of her shell and into her own as she lets Hunter back into her life. I love how fiercely protective of her brother she is. I feel like the author did a great job describing Iris as a person who suffered at the hand of a manipulative and abusive parent, and still shoulders the burden of that. It is easy to criticize Iris and say she needed to let people in and help carry the weight of her burdens. That is part of her journey and I think it was portrayed very well. I felt like there was the right amount of slow burn and angst to this story.

I really enjoyed the side characters. Theo and Maxine were great additions to add some comic relief. I also enjoyed getting to see the characters from the previous books to let readers know what they are up to.

If you are looking for a bit of an angsty second chance romance, I highly recommend this one!

View all my reviews

Excerpt Reveal: More Than I Could by Adriana Locke

     

  MORE THAN I COULD by Adriana Locke 

  Release Date: September 30th 

Genre/Tropes: Single Dad/Blue Collar/Nanny/Close Proximity/Grumpy-Sunshine/Small Town Romance    

  Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31686622-more-than-i-could     

      

EXCERPT 

  “If you’d rather call for a tow, that’s fine.” A faint smirk settles on his lips. “But let me give you a little heads-up.” “What about?” “It’s almost seven o’clock on a Friday night. Tucker, your savior tow truck driver, is currently occupying the last barstool at the Wet Whistle, knocking back cold ones left and right. He ain’t coming to get you until tomorrow afternoon at best. So if you wanna wait it out, I’d find a blanket. It gets cold around here at night.” He knows he made his point. The smugness in his features gives him away. I wish I was ballsy enough to wait for Tucker or, at the very least, call this guy’s bluff. Unfortunately for me, I listen to too many crime podcasts, I’m scared of the dark, and I really, really just want to get to the hotel tonight and take a hot bath. “Suit yourself,” he says, turning like he’s going to leave. “Wait.” Against my better judgment, I unlock the door. I climb out of the car before I can think about it. That’s my second mistake today.    

    

Blurb: 

This grumpy hero makes things hard for the nanny. You know what? I’m over him. His moods. The verbal sparring. Those biceps that look like they were cut from marble. Okay, maybe I’m not over him being shirtless. Chase Marshall is a single dad with a daughter to love, so fighting with me shouldn’t be a priority. But he can’t seem to stay away. The lingering looks when he thinks I’m not watching. The seemingly innocent touches while making breakfast. The smirks gracing his lips after I’m irritated by his antics. He’s ridiculously sweet to his daughter. I even catch glimpses of how charming he could be to me—if he wanted to. But that’s the problem. He acts like he doesn’t want to. That he doesn’t want me. He does. It’s in the innuendos, the way he places his hand in the small of my back—the almost kisses while we’re putting away groceries. The way he comes running when I see a spider and checks on me before he goes to bed. Even if he does grumble about it. I might not be totally over my boss, but I’m going to make him think I am. Let’s see how frustrated Mr. Marshall gets now.   

From USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a grumpy/sunshine, blue-collar single dad, nanny romance. This small-town romance is a standalone novel with tons heat and even more heart.   More Than I Could is a standalone in the Coming Home series where one author a month will be delivering a brand-new story about coming home.       

About the Author: 

USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.   She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her pocket. 

   

  Connect w/Adriana: 

Website: https://adrianalocke.com

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoralocke

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379774.Adriana_Locke

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ivy7xd

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-locke

Newsletter Signup: http://bit.ly/NewsletterAddy

BLOG TOUR: BEARD IN HIDING by Penny Reid

 

Beard in Hiding, the USA Today bestselling companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pies series is LIVE! Penny Reid delivers a heartfelt romantic comedy about two lost souls who find love in the most unexpected way.  

Propositioning the Iron Wraiths’ money man seemed like a good idea at the time…

Diane Donner—recently divorced pillar of polite society—is craving danger. She’s tired of playing it safe and she knows just the sexy criminal motorcycle man to proposition for a good time. Problem is, she doesn’t actually know his name.

Jason “Repo” Doe never takes risks. So when the queen of local commerce walks into his club, looking to get risky and frisky, Jason knows the smartest thing to do is save himself a headache while saving the new divorcee from her worst impulses.

But then one thing leads to another, and the memory of just-one-night doesn’t feel like enough.

Theirs is a story with no future, because how can a dangerous criminal win (and keep) a queen?

‘Beard In Hiding’ is book #4.5 in the Winston Brothers series, is a full length contemporary romantic comedy about two lost souls in their 40s, and is a companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series.

If you want to get the full immersive Green Valley world experience, I recommend reading ‘Truth or Beard,’ ‘Beard Science,’ ‘Engagement and Espionage,’ and ‘Marriage and Murder’ beforehand. ‘Beard In Hiding’ contains spoilers for these four books (in specific).

Grab your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3snwR4z

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2VU86B5

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3j1f1jJ

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2TDE7fI

Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/3cJW2rb

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3i6y4tI

Nook: https://bit.ly/3781FMQ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3l6JQ9q

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2URVrOW

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3xa6Ma2

Excerpt

“Just say it, Diane.”

“Fine.” She lifted her chin. “I want someone to court me.”

And there it was. I continued staring at her, counting the seconds as they ticked by. Why she couldn’t just say, I don’t want you, you’re not good enough for me, I had no idea. Did she think I needed to be let down gently? 

Well, now. That would be a first.

“I want dinners and flowers,” she went on. “And picnics and romantic gestures. I don’t want to constantly be making excuses for someone, for their lack of ability or skill or generosity.”

I deadened the needlingly ache behind my ribcage, suffocated thoughts and desires long abandoned. “Diane. You don’t need to say anything else.”

“I don’t?” Her features brightened and she approached the arm of the couch. “You understand what I mean?”

“Yes. You mean you don’t want me.” And that was fine, and it made sense, and I wasn’t going to dwell on it, and now I needed to go.

“What?” she snapped, her head tilting to the side like she needed to inspect me from a different angle. “No! No, you irritating man. Did I say that? That’s not at all what I’m saying.”

“Then what do you mean?” I glanced over her head toward the room’s exit, impatient to leave. I didn’t belong here, and I’d rather be stranded outside in a snowstorm than accept any more of her charity. 

“I mean, I want you.” 

My eyes cut back to hers and as I waited for the but—because there was always a but—I ignored the tightness seizing my lungs, the hope.  

When she kept on looking at me, as though expecting a reaction, I prompted, “But?”

“But nothing.” She placed her hands on her hips, her tone salty, impatient.

What? “There’s always a ‘but.’”

“Fine. Yes. Okay. There is a ‘but.’” Her eyes moved like she might roll them, but stopped when they reached the ceiling. “I want you. But . . . only if you want me the same way.”

I stared at her and that’s all I could do because I was so damn confused. 

Meanwhile, she peaked at me, nibbling her bottom lip, looking so goddamn gorgeous in her little nighty.

“Do you . . . want me?” The uncertainty in her voice, the vulnerability, hit low in my stomach.

“Pardon?” I choked out because, was hers a real question? How could she not know how much I wanted her? Hadn’t I just kissed the hell out of her? Hadn’t her breast just filled my palm? Hadn’t I just literally said the words, I want you? 

Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips and she stepped fully around the couch, her eyes huge. “I’ve been in a lonely, one-sided romance before. I don’t want that. I want something deep, something meaningful for both people involved. I’m not saying we have to get married. Lord knows, I’ve had enough of marriage to last a lifetime. I don’t think I’ll ever get married again. What I’m talking about is something real, authentic, passionate, but also—above all else—loving. Because what I’ve never had, what I’ve never known, is that.”

“I . . . don’t understand.”

Diane took a deep breath and then said loudly, “I want a relationship,” like the words were a painful confession and the only way she could speak it out loud was by shouting them.

I stared at her for a moment longer before finally asking, “With who?”

Her lips twitched. “With you.”

What? “With me.”

“Yes. But a real one, not just—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—not just sex.”

I barely heard a word she’d said, instead repeating, “With me,” again because the idea was absurd. A relationship with me? Is she crazy?

“Yes. With you. As I’ve said.”

“But . . . Why?”

“What do you mean why?” She frowned. It was severe. “Have you met you?”

About Penny Reid

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

Find Penny online

Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

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

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Instagram: www.instagram.com/reidromance

Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

Connect with Smartypants Romance

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kvDnb4

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2lzyduO

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lGdIMQ

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kwKsYK

Website: https://smartypantsromance.com/ 

Newsletter: https://smartypantsromance.com/newsletter/

Cover Reveal: Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Beauty and the Baller, an all-new small-town sports romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is coming March 29th, 2022 and we have the stunning cover!

An NFL quarterback turned small-town coach gets sacked by a Texas beauty queen in this swoony, passionate romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills.

Gorgeous, talented, and brilliant, NFL quarterback Ronan Smith has the world in his hands. But after losing his career and his fiancée in a car accident, he falls into a pit of grief and bad choices. When a mysterious girl shows up to his party, he feels drawn to her and makes her his…for one night.

Former beauty queen Nova Morgan is on a mission. Scantily clad as a princess from a galaxy far, far away, she sneaks into a high-profile party to capture the attention of her favorite quarterback. But her hopes crash after an awful one-night stand.

Fast-forward two years. Broke and desperate, Nova returns home to Blue Belle, Texas, where, by a cosmic twist of fate, her broody neighbor is none other than Ronan, the shiny new football coach everyone adores. But he has no idea who she is.

The booster club keeps shoving women at Ronan to keep him in town. His solution? He proposes fake dating to Nova. But things heat up for real under these Friday-night lights when he realizes she’s the one who slipped away.

Has this jaded beauty found her forever baller, or will his past keep them apart?

Reserve your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CRMSE1
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BeautyBaller
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CRmo5r

Add Beauty and the Baller to Goodreads→ https://bit.ly/3uhUb4F

About Ilsa Madden-Mills
Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

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

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

Connect with Ilsa
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT
Instagram: http://bit.ly/35xfNfo
Stay up to day with Ilsa by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2ZWaTYh
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EESfM9
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn
Book+Main: http://bit.ly/2s4j9ci
Website: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com
Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up: http://bit.ly/37B6Nay
Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000
*Text message rates apply*