Regina
Kait already had me in the very first scene, when Sebastian is working with one of his rescues, Ginger. I was wishing right there and then (and still am) that there were more Sebastians-at-heart in real life. I'm not only a fan of his horsemanship skills, I'm also firmly on #TeamSebastian where Christmas movies are concerned. Just so you know.
Laurel made quite an entrance (no pun intended), and I appreciate that she continues in the tradition of capable, take-charge heroines in and around Eden's Ridge.
On a side note, I love Ari's matchmaking meddling, and I hope to read her story eventually, when she's done some more growing up.
(And there are also little crossover easter eggs for fans of Tawna Fenske: I'm chuffed to bits that Sean gets to cater their wedding, and that Logan and Athena are spending their honeymoon at the Ponderosa Resort! <3 )
"Remember ladies (and Jason), this is war."
This first book in the new Cozy Cottage spin-off series is super-cute and funny. I love the characters - Sophie and Jason make a great team - and the supporting cast features not only the usual Cozy Cottage Café suspects (most prominently Bailey and Paige), but also Sophie's BFFs Erin and Darcy as well as Sophie's whole Irish (non-mob!) family.
With all the teasing and light banter between Sophie and Jason, I can't help but picture Ryan Reynolds as Jas.
Erin and Darcy are a hoot, and I'm soooo looking forward to reading their stories and them finding their own HFN or even HEA!
Max has been one of my favorite characters since I read the first book in the series! I'm happy that he and Nora finally got their HEA, as well. :)
What I liked:
- nerdy hero (always a plus!)
- Vivians family + group of friends, especially Toff
- the whole setting with author mom / book store / book club / EVERYTHING books! ;)
- the Star Trek references. :D
- the initial premise to try to solve an emotional conundrum the logical (Vulcan) way
What I didn't like:
- Vivian sticking to her (admittedly stupid) plan for too long, and in general acting a bit stupid for a usually smart person
- the final plot point with Jake
I had so much fun reconnecting with “Mobius: The Next Generation” ;) - and Enzio! - in this short Christmas story!
Fun, emotional, beautiful writing... happy sigh
Great collection of the stories of the DBS guys and gals (and some of their extended family)!
Even if I didn't rate each individual book 5 stars, the set overall was a great read, hence this (maybe not quite mathematically correct) 5-star rating for the box set.
Of course, everyone has their favorite characters, and I am no exception, so my personal ranking of the stories would probably be:
- Harrison / Zelda (geeks ftw!)
- Sway / Ryan
- Mike / Clarke
- Blake / Lucy
- Luke / Lenny
- Greta / Shane
The glimpses we got into Carl and Miranda's story in “Into The Night We Shine” makes me want to read more!
Faye is a fun and entertaining heroine, her antics made me chuckle - and sometimes outright (snort-)laugh. She is well matched with her longtime best friend Ralph who's been carrying a torch for her for a loooong time.
Add a pretend relationship plus forced proximity at a destination wedding to the mix, a bridezilla, and a couple other hiccups, and you get an equally funny and sweet story.
Although this is definitely a standalone story, it looks like it might be the beginning of a series - will all the sisters get their own books?
I liked Kaylee and Kyle as main characters, but after book #1 - which I adored - the story fell a bit short for me. I can't really put my finger on it,but I felt Kyle was being a bit wishy-washy. A number of characters we met in the first book had some fun cameos, and I definitely want to (and will :) ) read more books in the series.
This short story felt more like a first draft than a finished story, especially compared to other books by this author I have read.
Short and sweet - and Isaac, oh my!
I loved this story of second chances, holiday spirit, and family shenanigans. Isaac has been a favorite of mine in the first two “27 ways” books, so I was curious to meet the lady who would steal his heart and hopefully be his HEA - and Georgia did not disappoint!
I'd love to read more stories in this series, please...
This is a fun prequel to a new series! Both the setting as well as the characters are my kind of quirky - this little appetizer of a novella definitely makes me want to read more.
This was a fun story, but the ending was a bit too cliffhanger-y for my liking. If all parts of the series take place during the same 10 days, it would make more sense to me to wrap them all into one omnibus instead of separate books.
That being said, I liked the characters, the reality TV show setting provides a fun twist, and I'd really like to see more questions answered (which will hopefully happen in the following books).
As an avid YA reader who grew up with John Hughes movies and all things 80s - how could I not want to read “Seeking Jake Ryan”?! (Spoiler alert: I couldn't. Not want to read, that is.) I have no idea if “kids these days” ;) will get the references, but the book sure was fun to read for someone like me who has felt YA-ish for a couple of decades now. :D
I really liked Sloane, but Gabe... well. I kept wishing he'd get his act together a bit sooner. Still, it was an entertaining read, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
A lovely story and a great start to the series!
I really love the characters - the Lipstick Outlaws are strong ladies, each and every one of them, but they really shine when they come together in the band, as a team.
I couldn't help but root for Rissa and Jake (and the band, of course, but those two especially ;) ), and
Val is definitely another favorite!
I truly love the overall theme of family - not only the one you are born into, but the one you find along the way.
4.5 / 5 happy-sigh stars
I really liked Hadley in the first two books, so I was looking forward to reading her story and also - of course :) - curious about her personal hero. Spencer brings a lot of drama and angst to the table, so Hadley, with her positive and assertive personality, complements him well.
As is par for the course, the story is well written, and I enjoyed reconnecting with the “usual suspects” from the first two books: Charlotte and Jesse, Cassie, and especially Roman, who is definitely one of my favorite characters in the series.
It's “only” 4 stars for me, because the level of drama is just a bit too much for me, especially towards the end (was that really necessary?).
Not a spoiler, it has nothing to do with the storyline itself and as such is not relevant to the review, it's just a personal pet peeve of mine: Hadley had to wear a helmet on the four-wheeler, but not on horseback? I understand that wearing a helmet may seem "uncool", especially to teenagers, but really, it's just common sense. Even the nicest horse can stumble and throw you, through no fault of his or her own.
I might have been inspired by the Mars rover Perseverance's landing to finally start this series that's been on my TBR for a while now.
I loved to get to know Penny, Lucinda, and the crew of the RPT Red Zephyr (especially Commander Bertoli) , and it was easy to root for Penny to overcome her struggles - both before and during her voyage.
Can't wait to read more in the series and find out what's next for Penny!
“Tell me about complicated.”
They say opposites attract, and boy-oh-boy do they in this entertaining (and hot!) tale.
I'll confess I fell into total insta-like with pretty much the whole Amante clan in “The Runaround”, and Ponch is no exception. Andie, on the other hand, already proved to be more of an acquired taste in “New Jerk in Town,” so it's extra fun to spend some time in her head and find out what makes her tick.
I truly had a blast watching these two worlds collide while also reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances.
4.5/5 Black Forest Cake stars
What a cute story! I was already looking forward to reading Jade's story after meeting her in “The King of Nice”, and I enjoyed it a lot. And if I hadn't been rooting for Austin from the get-go, he would have had me at: “I'll show you my Legos.”
It was also fun to reconnect with the rest of the band, especially Maddox - well, his story is yet to come, and I'm looking forward to reading it, too... :)
This was a pretty angsty read where I sometimes felt like grabbing both main characters by the scruff of their necks, shake some sense into them and yell at them to just TALK to each other. :)
That being said, I liked both Jackson and Cindy and was rooting for them to get things sorted out. I get both their hang-ups, so it was understandable where all that angst was coming from.
I really liked how the story got resolved, and it was nice to reconnect with Veronica and Micah, too.
In Mage's Apprentice, Sean Fletcher introduces all sorts of supernatural and magical races, and we learn that there is generally no love lost between “supes” and “Norms”. Enter Aspen, our Norm protagonist living in one of the magic boroughs of today's New York.
While some aspects of the story might seem overly familiar (orphan whose parents got murdered by a powerful wizard, half-giant best friend, ...), and there are many nods to other authors' works (hello, Charlotte!), Sean Fletcher provides his own spin on common tropes and delivers an entertaining tale.
As always, I enjoy his blend of action and humor, and not to forget a hefty dose of teenage shenanigans.
As is par for the course for his books (at least those I've read so far), things escalate quickly, everyone's lives are at stake, and Sean Fletcher won't let you forget it. Their fight to save supes and Norms alike from an otherwordly evil takes Aspen and her friends from New York to Europe on their search for allies, only to culminate in the final boss battle back in New York.
Although this series is set in the same world as the Heir of Dragons series, it's not necessary to have read it first to enjoy Aspen's adventures. (There are a couple of easter eggs for those who have read Kaylee's story, though. :) )
Le sigh. Le melt. <3
This story kept me up way past my bedtime. And made me ugly-cry. Repeatedly. And I loved every single second of it, even if my heart was breaking. Because it gave me ALL the feels. And that included plenty of heart-warming moments as well as some quality time with the extended Reynolds clan.
Zoey and Harry are likeable protagonists, and their supporting cast of characters- including Zoey's Nana and Harry's kids Hannah and Oliver - are also fun to spend some time with.
The writing is good, there are funny moments as well as swoon-worthy moments, but somehow the story didn't quite grip me as much as “Ever After”or “Gentleman” did.
Overall, it was an entertaining read, just not my favorite in the series - that title still belongs to “Embracing Her Ever After”.
Really liked the first half of the book but had some problems with the second (mostly Roan's behaviour).
It was fun to reconnect with the characters from “Playing the Field”, namely Casey and Lucas, but also Alex and Grant, Coach Beeler, and a couple of others. Since I already liked both Casey and Lucas, it was really easy to root for them from the get-go. :)
A new addition to the cast is Archer, and I am very much looking forward to reading his story!