Jeff Jarvis

Story collections can be a real mixed bag, but I found that I really enjoyed most of the stories in this book. There is enough variety to appeal to many different tastes. I have a pretty broad range of things that I like in stories, which is why think I enjoyed this more than others may. If you only like a few types of romance/sex stories, you may like a few stories and dislike many others.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I first got this audiobook. I fully expected lots of hot sex, which is definitely in there. But I wasn't sure what kind of story there would be. A retired porn actress moves to, of all places, South Dakota, where she hopes no one will recognize her. That doesn't happen because both the teenager next door and his mother recognize her when they first meet her. They both have watched her videos online.

The story plays out like a porn film, which is actually pretty enjoyable. The dialogue is a little cheesy at times, but it fits well with the style of story this is. I found myself enjoying this one very much and looking forward to book #2.

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed the overall storyline and the characters. There is a lot of good chemistry between the Savannah and Madison from the first time they met. In some ways, this was actually a detriment to part of the storyline which I will get to momentarily. One of Savannah's mothers keeps trying to set her up on dates so she can find someone to make her happy. Savannah and Madison decide they will go into a fake relationship to stop this. But Savannah had her heart broken in college which has turned her off relationships. While I can understand where a bad breakup could hurt someone to the point of wanting to not get involved in another one, the chemistry between this couple is off the charts from the beginning. It seems there is a lot of angst of whether to get into a real relationship, despite the fact that they are hot for each other and everyone can see it.

There are some characters that I feel we never get resolutions to. There is a homophobic character on Savannah's hockey team that is just a pain in the ass through the whole book, but you never find out why she is the way she is other than she is homophobic. It would have been good to know why she had such a hatred or have something happen to her. But that doesn't happen.

Madison's ex, Mary, comes back into the picture and vows to take her dog and get Madison back. In the end, Madison just has an argument with her, tells her she isn't getting the dog, and will never go back with her. Mary just leaves. This character had been built up to be a psycho and it doesn't seem like she would just drive away after an argument.

I also found there were a couple of places in the ARC that I read where the wrong character's name is used in certain sentences. For example, Madison may have been on the phone and hung up, but the line in the book says Savannah hung up.

I still enjoyed the story overall but the points mentioned above lowered my overall rating of the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Jea did an excellent job with the characters and making me want to care about them. I had the pleasure of listening to this one on Audible and Lori Prince does an amazing job (as always) with the narration. She added so much emotion to the character's speaking parts. If you are looking for a sweet romance that has a couple of pretty hot sex scenes in it, this is definitely one to check out.

3.5 Stars

I wanted to give this book more than I am, but one of the characters in it just doesn't sit well with me. Molly is supposed to be this wonderful single mom who does everything for her kids. The problem is she has put up so many fences due to her past relationship that she can't let anyone in. After a while, this really started to grate on me. She has this wonderful woman in front of her that loves her kids, but she is so afraid of getting hurt. She has unrealistic expectations of Duke. She basically wants Duke to choose between her and baseball, which is her job which she has worked hard to get. I just found myself disliking Molly so much and feeling like she doesn't deserve Duke.

I wish there was a way to give 1/2 star ratings here. I would give this a 3.5 instead of just a 3. I very much enjoyed the storyline and it is a very cute holiday novella. With it being a novella, the storyline is rushed a little bit. The main characters hate each other at the very beginning of the book, but it seems like their turn toward friendship takes a hard and fast turn. It felt like more needed to be told to get the characters into that friendship role than was presented. I did enjoy the gradual melting of Brooke's attitude toward the town and toward Christmas. I wish there had been more backstory as to why she disliked both so much apart from struggles with her mother growing up. There are not any hot sex scenes, but I did very much enjoy the kissing scenes.

I believe the story would have been better if it had been extended into a full-length novel to fill in some additional story elements. That said, the story is very sweet and is a good holiday read.

I was provided with a free ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book is hot from the very beginning to the very end. No need for a hot build-up to a relationship. From the very start, Isabelle and Audrey are having sex which over time develops into a relationship. I liked that the story was not too angsty and allowed the couple to really develop into a good relationship. There is a small hitch that occurs in their relationship but compared to other lesfic novels out there it is very minor. I loved how the couple developed and the fact that Isabelle was so wrapped up in work and other things that she was oblivious to how Audrey felt about her.

It is a hot and sweet story that is one of my favorite reads/listens of the year and one I will go back to again.

Simply a fantastic telling of the Olympic bombing in 1996 and how the media's rush to judgment ruined a man's life and legacy. The narration of the audiobook was brilliant and brought the story to life and the pieces unfolded. At the end, you hurt for those who were most affected by the rash decisions made by those in authority and those in the press. It was all about rushing to show the world how quickly we could catch a perpetrator, even if it wasn't the right man. Anyone who is a fan of real-life stories will love this.

This is the first book by Lisa Moreau that I have read, so I wasn't sure how she wrote. After completing A Moment in Time, I can say that I absolutely love her storytelling ability.

The Fontenot and Savoy families have had a long-standing feud going after Claire Fontenot left Kurt Savoy at the alter. Little did they know that fifteen years later, Claire would return to the town and would meet her soulmate in Ivy Savoy. I enjoyed so much how the walls of the feud between the families began to crumble as Claire and Ivy began to get together. The build of their relationship was a very slow build that was just fine with me. It allowed the story to evolve, for bits and pieces of the past to be revealed, and for their feelings to grow and grow. By the time they finally get together, it was such a sweet moment.

The way the story was written kept me interested the whole time. I read the whole book in a day's time as I didn't want to put it down. It is a sweet romance as well as the redemption of two families who had feuded for so long. I highly recommend this novel.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Not Since You is a very enjoyable, albeit predictable, romance story between two lovers who were separated years before and are brought together on a cruise ship, one as a passenger who was scorned by her fiance before their wedding (Charlotte) and the other as a worker on the ship (Lexi). The chemistry the two had years before is ignited again almost instantaneously. The journey to them getting together again is a quick one, resulting in lots of hot sex scenes which were very fun to read.

I typically enjoy Fiona Riley's novels a lot, but this one seemed like it was missing something. The path to the lovers getting back together seemed too easy. While there was some mild angst when Lexi has issues at work, they were not enough to make me think that the couple couldn't be together again. I think this lack of separation for the couple and a feeling that their relationship might not continue is what I was looking for but never received.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, but was missing that punch that I typically see in romance novels that I really enjoy.

I was provided an ARC of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this series. Enough breadcrumbs were left to build the story and relationship further in future episodes, which I look forward to reading. Very erotic sex scenes were another plus.

Finding Sky is a fantastic love story with a nice touch of mystery thrown in for good measure. Skylar is the new finance officer at Jess Ivan's company. The last person in the position had been a real flop and Skylar is a refreshing change of pace. She has a strong work ethic, but there is something in her past that Jess can't quite figure out. The two share a chemistry with each other which is initially discarded since getting involved in a boss/employee relationship would not be a good thing for either of them. But the more they work together, the more they draw closer to each other.

I loved the added mysteries of Skylar's past as well as what she finds while going back through the company records. While a good bit of it can be guessed by the reader, it is still a very enjoyable trip to the end. I loved the character development, especially some of the side characters like Yolanda. The author helps you get to know them and to care about them, which ultimately makes you want Jess and Skylar to get together.

I highly recommend this book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

30 Dates in 30 Days is an absolute treat to read. Veronica Walsh is approaching 35, a point in her life where she expected to have made a partner in her law firm and to have been married. She inadvertently told her assistant about this during an evening of drinking and the quest is on to find her a wife. Her assistant lists her on a dating app and sets up what will be 30 dates in a 30 day period to find “Miss Right”. All of the dates are set up at a local bar to make things easier for Veronica. It is here she meets Rachel, a beautiful woman who is helping her cousin with her bar but who has given up on love.

The chemistry between Veronica and Rachel is off the charts throughout the book. The author plays the slow burn throughout the entire book, so much so that as a reader I wanted one of the women to pounce on the other because the tension was so high. She does an excellent job of making the story funny at times and heartbreaking in others. It is such a good mix of emotions throughout the book. The story was one that I did not want to put down until the end.

While there is not a lot of sex in the book, it wasn't really necessary. I found the build-up of their relationship to be the major plus of this book and the need for hot sex scenes was not really needed (although I wouldn't be opposed to a secret chapter or two that goes into more detail). This book is all about finding true love, the one that you can't live without, of being able to get past old heartbreaks, and opening yourself up to the possibility of hurting again to be with that one special person. This book would make such a wonderful rom-com, which is how I envisioned the story as I read it.

This is a must-read for anyone who loves love and the development of relationships. It is a fantastic love story that I highly recommend.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I have enjoyed books from Carsen Taite in the past, but Leading the Witness takes things to a new level for me. While there is an element of a romance between the 2 main characters, Starr and Catherine, it plays a minor role, which did not bother me at all while reading. The mystery took the main focus and was so enthralling and made me want to not stop reading. In some ways, the main sex scene becomes a logistical issue for the police and DA's office since it gives the appearance of impropriety on the arrest of a suspect. It was an interesting way of bringing the romance to light while at the same time introducing it as an issue that could affect the overall investigation and case. It was a wonderful piece of writing.

The abduction of the mayor's daughter starts the story in one direction, but as the search for her continues, it is clear that there are ties to another abduction that occurred 2 decades before, that of Catherine. Taite did an amazing job of bringing Catherine's story out through her interactions with her psychiatrist and showing the deep emotional scars that Catherine's trauma as a child had caused her over the years.

In many ways, this was more of a mystery/suspense novel with a dab of romance instead of a hot-and-heavy romance novel and I loved every minute of it. This is a fantastic novel and anyone who likes a good mystery will enjoy it as well.

4.5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I'm a big fan of FF soccer stories and M. Ulrich's addition to the subgenre is a really enjoyable one. I enjoyed the character development in this and the building of their relationship. It had a good pace and I especially liked some of the messages that it sends to younger readers, things like not getting into a relationship with someone who is already with someone and not immediately having sex if you are not comfortable with it. I thought these aspects of the story were well done and portrayed a different message from other FF romances I've read. I also liked the aspect of the story that was added with the trainer. To avoid spoilers, I will just say that it added to the story and took it in a different direction from what I was expecting.

I found the story to be very engaging and one that showed very strong women characters, which was another major plus. It is refreshing to see strong portrayals like this.

I would highly recommend this book, even if you are not a soccer fan. It is a very enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Another fantastic romance from Georgia Beers! Her work continues to evolve into beautifully crafted stories with deep emotions. So much is conveyed in a short period of time in this story. I'm also thrilled that this takes place during the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, which are my favorite times of the year for love stories, especially when there is snow.

Olivia has been the assistant manager at the Evergreen Resort, basically doing the job of the manager due to his incompetence. When she is overlooked for the manager's job, she is a very bitter and surly character, one that I didn't much care for at first. But when she meets Hayley while out on a walk one day in the woods, her life changes. Hayley turns out to be the new manager, only because her father owns the resort and is punishing her by bringing her into the family business and making her work. I really liked the Hayley character, mainly because even though she is in over her head, she still tries to plow through things. She doesn't give up. She tries to learn, even if it is not what she wants to do. Both she and her father are still grieving the loss of her mom 2 years earlier, so there are lots of emotions there, from the anger and loneliness that her father feels, to the sadness that Hayley feels. The reader gets to feel those emotions as the holidays come on and how different her experiences are to Olivia, who has her family close by.

The relationship that builds between Olivia and Hayley is filled with passion. They both know that it isn't a good thing to get together because they work together, but they can't fight the feelings that they have. When they finally are together, sparks fly and make for a wonderful love scene.

I could very easily see this book being turned into a movie. The way it is written and paced sets itself up to be shot as a movie, which I would love to see.

I highly recommend this as a sweet love story for the holidays.

This is my first book from L.E. Royal and I found it to be well planned out and a very interesting story. Even though the story centers around a BDSM relationship, it is very light on anything heavy. It is more about the dom/sub relationship and the issues that both are dealing with from their past. The sub (Parker) is looking for a new start after her wife of nearly 15 years cheats on her with a much younger intern. The dom (Kristina) is dealing with issues from her childhood and from a dom of her own that has caused her pain. Kristina doesn't date and only wants to keep their relationship in the BDSM realm. But as the couple gets to know each other and is together through their playtimes, feelings begin to bloom on both sides.

I really enjoyed the story and the battles that each went through. The sex scenes were very well done and were much more loving than you would expect from a BDSM story. Definitely worth checking out.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I absolutely adore this book for so many reasons. While I love HEA endings to stories, this story had the heart-warming, yet tragic tale of a teenager's first love. It tells a story to two girls who deal with their realization that they are gay in different ways. One accepts herself and who she is, despite all of the negative reactions from classmates and those in the small community she lives in. The other cannot accept who she is and spirals into the depths of denial and depression. In many ways, I felt like I was reading the thoughts and actions of many a person that finds they are gay. The love that the girls have is passionate and filled with such emotion, as are the times when they are apart.

I found it difficult to deal with Robin's emotional swings. She has someone in front of her that loves her so much and wants to do anything for her, yet she pushes her away, not once but twice. Asher fights so hard with her emotions, her love for Robin, but in the end knows when their time is at an end. The bittersweet ending capped off a wonderful book that I am sure I will read again in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I found this book to be average when I wanted it to be so much more. I liked the characters, Tessa and Marci, in the way they showed strong women accomplishing things. But, it also showed these women as irrational and unable to communicate with each other to resolve an issue. I get that when you have had your heart broken, that you want to hide yourself off from the world and you become bitter and angry. But Marci's character is an extreme of this. The trust issues that existed between Tessa and Marci threw up red flags for me for that relationship. Even if the sex was earth-shattering (which I wish had been described in more erotic detail), the trust issues signaled doom to that relationship throughout.

From a couple that was so sex hungry, it seemed like their sex was pretty repetitive and not that outside of the box. I would have expected more adventurous sex between them with toys and other accessories. Instead, the sex was pretty much isolated to tongues, fingers, and a glossing over of what happened during their times together. I wanted much more in this category.

Overall, the story is ok, but it could have been so much more.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Missouri Vaun has such a beautiful way of writing characters and developing relationships in characters that make me want to care about them. She does just this in Chasing Sunset.

I was a bit unsure at first whether I was going to like the book based on how the characters initially meet each other, Iris throwing a glass of water in the face of Finn, and then Iris conveniently going to the cabins that Finn's parents rent. That was a bit too much of a coincidence for me, but the remainder of the story held my attention and was much more realistic for me.

I liked how the characters felt real, There was an actress that hadn't really made it, no matter how much she tried. There was a car driver, who felt like she wanted more from her job and that it had to happen outside of Atlanta. Both characters doubted themselves, even though they saw the positives in each other. On the surface, they looked like complete opposites, but on a deeper level they were going through similar battles.

The lovemaking scenes were very enjoyable, and I say they are lovemaking instead of just sex scenes because they felt like they had a lot of emotion with them, not just raw passion. The first time the two are in bed together, Iris knows she isn't ready for sex with Finn, but needed to be held and to feel Finn's touch. It wasn't just jumping into bed at the first opportunity.

I also like the way they finally dealt with their conflict, the honesty that they had with each other to get everything on the table before they continued their relationship. It was refreshing to see that sort of conflict resolution in a novel instead of the couple just randomly finding each other again and having their relationship instantly fixed.

I found this to be an enjoyable summer read. The title does not make sense until the very end of the book, so readers should hold on until then to get the meaning.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbias review.

My review is for the audiobook version of this book.

This is the first work from T. B. Markinson that I have experienced and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I loved the first-person narration from Cori's point of view. The sass of that character was fantastic and I fell in love with her instantly. She was snarky, no-nonsense, sometimes very blunt and direct. Her girlfriend, Kat, was so sweet and supportive. While in my mind the couple seemed like they would not be compatible, I came around to seeing the opposites complement each other. I thought a different type of story was going to be coming early on between Cori and Sam, and I am sure that was the intent. But as the story and characters developed, I could see the real romance between Cori and Kat and that true love between them was not going to be broken.

I have listened to several Lori Prince narrated novels before, but this to me was her finest work. The voices and personas she added to each character brought them to life in my head. She did an amazing job throughout, with Kat being my favorite character that she did.

There are lots of quick wit throughout, making the book very entertaining. I cannot recommend this book high enough for anyone looking for a well-done story with some twists and turns along with some well written deep love between two characters.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This is the second Karis Walsh novel I have read. I was a big fan of Sea Glass Inn, so I was looking forward to this new novel. She did not disappoint at all. I found the novel to be very similar in style to SGI in that it involves a character moving to a more remote area to restart her life and finds love with someone that helps out at the property. Both novels show women at a low point in their lives. The women are not weak characters. Instead, they are determined women who work hard to overcome obstacles and become stronger because of it. I absolutely love that about these novels. Sit.Stay.Love has its own quirks that make the story enjoyable. There is lots of joking banter back and forth between the two main characters that actually had me laughing out loud in a couple of places.

The characters were well developed and well written, making me care for them all. I loved the build to the two women finally being together. It was a slow simmering build that leads to fireworks when they finally give into their feelings.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet romance with strong women characters. It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was provided with a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Melissa Brayden does a wonderful job in all of her books of providing realistic characters, lots of story building, sweet romances, and very hot sex scenes. Beautiful Dreamer does not disappoint and is my favorite novel from her so far. The character Elizabeth is a down to earth woman, one that you want to get to know just because she is so nice and looking to help others. Devyn at the start was the type of character that I typically don't like unless they are turned during the story. As this story developed and she connected with Elizabeth, the ice queen began to melt and her persona transformed, making her one I could deal with.

For those looking for a sweet (and hot) lesfic romance, this is one you should definitely try out. Brayden always weaves lots of actual laugh-out-loud humor into novels and the wit in Beautiful Dreamer made me love it all the more.

I received an ARC copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I have read other Cassidy Storm novels in the past and she always does such a great job with making steamy stories. Team Mom is another of those steamy novels. If you are a baseball fan, you may have to suspend reality for a little while in order to fully enjoy the story. In a nutshell, Bridget's son is trying to make the local minor league baseball team when she is approached by the team's trainer/assistant, Kelsi. She tells Bridget that she can ensure her son makes the team if she agrees to sign on as the Team Mom. Bridget signs on without reading her contact which covers all of her responsibilities, the main one being to keep up team morale.

I'll say that Bridget isn't the brightest bulb in the box. While she seems to indicate that she has never done anything like this before and can't believe what she is doing, she certainly turns into a sex fiend very quickly. It seemed odd to me that she never went back, even after the first sexual encounter, to read the entire contract of what she signed up for. Seems like she wasn't as worried about that as her inner thoughts indicated since she never did it.

The sex scenes are amazing and if you are looking for a lot of hot steamy encounters, you will love this book. If you know baseball, some of the writing there is a bit odd. It is more like a little league setup than a minor league pro setup. Things like single games instead of 3-4 game series, teams that all sounded like they were local, one playoff game where there were over 30,000 people at a minor league game. I could easily overlook these because I could see them as just background to get to the next encounter. But, those plot points are very weak for anyone that knows baseball.

If you are looking for a relatively quick read with lots of encounters, lots of hot sex, and lots of different types of sex, you will enjoy this book as I did.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Secrets in a Small Town is the first work I have read from Nicole Stiling, but it won't be the last. I love ice queen, hate to love style romances and this one is a fantastic version of that. Weaved into the storyline is a mystery. Someone is stalking Savanna Castillo, the town manager of the small town of Winter Valley. She certainly has her share of enemies with the way she holds people at a distance after her heart was broken. But she doesn't want to involve Chief Mackenzie Blake. The two women have a heated relationship, to say the least. But when Chief Blake finds out, she kicks into gear to protect Savanna and try to find who is stalking her. In an effort to protect her and her daughter, the chief moves into Savanna's home, which is where the sparks start to fly. The ice begins to melt and the fire is ignited between the two.

I absolutely loved the character development of both Savanna and Mackenzie, showing their past relationships and how those shaped the women and the animosity they had for each other. While their relationship was very quick to develop, it felt very natural and realistic. Their chemistry was so electric and their lovemaking was on fire.

The stalker mystery was an excellent touch to bring the couple together and to build tension to the story. It made for a well-rounded novel. I highly recommend this novel for anyone who loves ice queens and watching them melt and fall in love.