Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Release Day: Meet Cute or Your Money Back by Katana Collins


That awkward moment when the matchmaker becomes the match…


Meet Cute or Your Money Back, an all-new grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, matchmaker romcom  from USA Today bestselling author Katana Collins is now available!



I know what women want in a man and they pay me a lot of money to find it for them. 


With the help of my fellow ex-special forces brothers, I opened up a matchmaking business where we use our military skills to help our clients find The One. And it turns out a little military strategy goes a long way.


I treat each new client in my matchmaking business like its own mission. And I’m proud to say that I have a one hundred percent success rate.


Or at least I did. Before Allie Larsen entered the picture. 


She’s smart. She’s beautiful. She’s charming…

… and she’s impossible to please.


But when it turns out Allie has secrets she’s been keeping, she not only jeopardizes her own matchmaking mission, but she puts both our lives in danger.


Except this time, it's not only my life at risk... it's my heart.


When they said, "All's fair in love and war," I'm not sure this is what they meant.



 

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Keep reading for a look inside Meet Cute or Your Money Back!


I knew someone was following me from the moment I stepped out into the brisk city air. When you’re in my line of work, you learn not to ignore that prickling sensation on the back of your neck. I’ve had eyes on me enough times to know the difference between paranoia and the real deal. One surreptitious glance over my shoulder confirms that I’m right. Only it doesn’t appear to be some insidious threat lurking in the shadows; it’s a pair of round hazel, curious eyes that are trained on me.


“Okay,” I mutter under my breath, tightening my grip on my to-go paper coffee cup, “time to face the music.”

      

I make a sharp turn down an alleyway, my boots echoing off the graffiti-stained walls. There’s a method to this madness—alleyways are good for confrontations, fewer prying eyes. I position myself around the corner behind a dumpster and wait, counting the seconds. Sure enough, the soft patter of footsteps crescendos as she rounds the bend, almost on cue.

  

I pull my gun from my waistband, ensuring the safety is still on and raise it chest height as I step out from the shadows. “Why are you following me?”

      

I cringe as she spins to face me, her pouty, berry-shaded lips parted in a gasp. “Oh my lord! That’s a gun!” she cries with the timbre of a kindergarten teacher.

      

“Wow, look at you, Detective Sunshine. So tell me…are you lost or just really into following people?” My tone’s casual, but my stance is anything but. I hold firm with the gun raised, waiting for her to stumble over some lie. But she stops short, blinking up at me with an expression that’s part surprise, part chagrin.

      

“Following you?” Her voice has that high-pitched quality of someone caught red-handed. She laughs—a nervous kind of laugh—and then looks away, searching for an escape route that isn’t there. “No, no, I...I was...”

      

“Let’s cut to the chase.” I step closer and see her swallow hard. Good. Keep her on her toes. “You’ve been tailing me since we both exited the coffee shop. What’s your game?”


She tugs at the strap of her bag, clearly buying time, and I can tell she’s not used to being cornered. Most folks aren’t. Then again, I’ve learned not to trust anyone. Especially some cute brunette playing innocent. I’ve seen firsthand how the doe-eyed Bambi can be trained to lie through their teeth and turn into the deadliest assassin in the room in a blink of those mascara-laden eyes.

      

I’m absolutely not falling for that act.

      

“Who are you?” I demand, not unkindly, but firmly enough to show I mean business. I can see the wheels turning behind those wide eyes, the cogs of her brain grinding as she sizes up whether to run or spill as she stares down the barrel of my gun.

      

“Okay, okay...” She exhales sharply, a half-defeated chuckle escaping her lips. “This is going to sound strange, but⁠—”

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, and I notice for the first time how the setting sunlight catches in her wavy hair, turning it into liquid amber. There’s this playful glint in her hazel eyes that makes them shimmer like two drops of top-shelf whiskey. The sundress she’s wearing clings to her petite frame in a way that’s casual but deliberate, like a flag staked on the territory of her curves.

      

“I’m waiting.”

      

“Look,” she starts, tipping her head back to meet my gaze with a confidence that’s almost disarming. “I saw you back there, in the cafĂ©. You were like some kind of cabernet Cupid, helping that girl with the spilled wine connect with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.”



For more information about Katana Collins and her books, visit her website: 

https://katanacollins.com 




Review: Meet Cute or Your Money Back by Katana Collins

Meet Cute or Your Money Back Meet Cute or Your Money Back by Katana Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was a really fun rom-com about an aspiring investigative journalist and a former Navy Seal turned matchmaker.  Allie is a food critic for a local newspaper, but her dream is to be an investigative journalist.  She hasn't hit her big break yet, but while writing her latest food column she spots an interesting situation that might just make for a great pitch to her editor.  Enter Thatcher, a retired Navy Seal who has started a covert matchmaking company to raise his son after tragedy struck his family.  Two of his special forces buddies help him run his company, and they also help him on a secret non-matchmaking mission on the side.  

Allie hires Thatcher to find her soul mate, and she plans to write the best piece of journalism she can about dating and matchmaking she possibly can without breaking her NDA.  The only problem in she and Thatcher seem to have more chemistry than any of the dates he sets her up on.  As Allie and Thatcher get to know each other better, she uncovers his side mission and that his special forces days aren't quite over.  While she is writing a piece on his matchmaking, she may be onto something much bigger and much more dangerous. 

You do have to suspend your disbelief a few times for the zany things Allie does and some of the situations our couple are put into at the end.  They get into some unrealistic situations, which make give the book plenty of humorous moments, which makes this an entertaining read. This has a big of a romantic suspense element on top of the humor.  

The epilogue with Maple the rescue dog was heart wrenching and beautiful.  That chapter alone gets 5 stars!  Biscuit was such a huge part of the book, but he really stole my heart during this scene.

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Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Review: The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle

The Faking Game The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This follows Nora, an aspiring fashion designer and former model. She has moved to New York for a fresh start for several reasons, but the main one is to hopefully get away from the stalker who has been bothering her for months in Europe. Her brother's best friend has been tasked with keeping tabs on her and overseeing her security detail, and it is a job he takes very seriously. West watches Nora's every move, and is a bit overbearing, but he doesn't want to let down his best friends. He also has undue stress from running the family business and trying to gain access to his trust. Fake dating Nora solves a problem for both of them, he can be by her side at all times and his mother will leave him alone about getting married. In getting to know his charge he realizes that she has a hard time telling people no and hates letting people down. She also needs experience dating, so the fake dating is mutually beneficial especially since she has always had a crush on West.

I really liked Nora and West together. They had good banter and some really sweet moments together. As their relationship develops they had some really spicy moments together as well despite the whole "fake" relationship thing. I appreciated the way that West encouraged Nora to ask for what she wanted and stick up for herself instead of always giving in to make everyone else happy and avoid conflict. The stalker plot was a little weak in my opinion, but it appears that is part of the evolving plotline for Nora's brother Rafe's book. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series as the other billionaires are very intriguing.


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Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Hidden Nature Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ALC and ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this romantic suspense.  This follows Sloan, a Natural Resource Police Officer, who was injured in the line of duty.  She moves back home for her slow and steady recovery with family surrounding her.  She also takes a new job in her hometown, but when a string of missing people pops up she can't help herself from investigating on her own terms.  Something just doesn't feel right about the cases and she is determined to figure out what is going on.  In the mean time, a new neighbor comes to town to flip a old house and start a handyman business with his brother.  Nash turns out to be great at building and fixing things, he is also a good listener when Sloan needs someone to bounce ideas off of.

I really enjoyed the alternating chapters between Sloan and the villains.  We really got to get into the heads of the bad guys and understand their motivations, as out there as they were.  While you don't have to agree with their mission, you can certainly see that they believed wholeheartedly in what they were doing misguided as it was.  This was almost like reading an episode of Criminal Minds, but you really got know Sloan and her family and you got to see the relationship with Nash really develop.  I also really enjoyed the setting, I've been to some of the places this is set in and I've driven past others in my travels.  Nora Roberts always does a great job describing the outdoor settings and building the character dynamics.

The audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy, who is always a pleasure to listen to.  She always does a fantastic job with every audiobook she narrates.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Review: Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items

Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items by J.W. Ocker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting info on strange objects and the meanings people place on them. The author did a good job explaining the history and provenance of the objects without getting too detailed and repetitive while also weaving in some humor and common sense were applicable. This is a really short read that I've had on my TBR for quite a while. I love learning about old weird stuff and this was a quick, informative listen that covers quite a bit of ground.

I received this audiobook as a free promotion from Audiobooks.com, all opinions are my own.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Review: Lessons in Heartbreak by Karla Sorensen

Lessons in Heartbreak Lessons in Heartbreak by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I absolutely loved this!  Ruby and Griffin were the perfect pairing!  She is a shy, small-town librarian who lives up to the stereotype with everything in her life being modest, regimented, quiet, and put together.   She feels like she is missing out on life and would like to be more spontaneous, but letting things out of her control gives her anxiety.  Griffin on the other hand is her exact opposite, he has a reputation for being the life of the party.  His agent has "grounded him" for his latest antics and sent him to spend a few weeks in Ruby's small town away from the media.  Ruby and Griffin were neighbors growing up, but she moved away.  Their reunion might be the perfect opportunity for her to practice putting herself out there and practicing talking to the opposite sex with someone she knows.  

There is real chemistry between our two main characters, however neither of them want anything serious to start.  They both have their reasons, which we learn as they get to know one another and get more comfortable around each other.  I loved that they were vulnerable with each other and that they were so patient with each other.  This had some great humous moments and great emotional scenes.  I also loved the side characters.  I don't want say much more because I feel it would spoil the book.  Getting to experience Ruby and Griffin's interactions first hand and unraveling their relationship one bit at a time was such a great experience.  

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Friday, May 16, 2025

Review: A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen

A Quantum Love Story A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however in an effort to clear it from my TBR I ended up listening to the audiobook from my library.  As always all opinions are my own.

This was a cute sci-fi romance.  This follows Marina and Carter as they get stuck in a 4 day time loop, and try to figure out how undo their predicament.  Carter is a maintenance tech at a particle accelerator, and Marina is a neuroscientist taking part in a memory project at the same facility.  Every Monday they have to relive the same events, but as their groundhog days repeat they begin to break out of their shells and being sharing their lives with one another as they try to solve their time loop problem.  Carter has an eidetic memory, but one day all of that changes and he begins forgetting key parts of their time together just as they are about to make a breakthrough into the time loop solution.  Marina may not have a photographic memory, but she is pretty smart and she is willing to do whatever it takes to save the people she loves.

I really enjoyed getting to know Carter and Marina.  This was really cute and alot of fun.  While there is some great science going on when it comes to time loops, the multiverse, and time travel, I didn't feel it was too overwhelming.  Even Marina would poke fun when the science was getting to complex because that wasn't here area.  This had great emotional scenes and good humor to balance out the science content.  I also appreciated that Carter was a foodie and didn't take himself too seriously, which was a nice compliment to Marina's more serious, academic personality.  They balanced each out out nicely.  The romance is very light and not a major plotline in the book, so if you were looking for a full on romance you are going to be disappointed, especially given the title of the book.  This is more of a sci-fi story with a sprinkle of romance.  The book is very clean though, the couple only kisses twice.  So if you are looking for something on the clean side with very little romance this is a good one to pick up.  

I do feel a bit underwhelmed by the open ending, otherwise I really enjoyed the book.  I prefer more closed endings with things spelled out but that is a personal preference.

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