Regina
This story contains plenty of drama, a healthy dose of slapstick, and everything in between. And, of course, lots of swoons. This is a romance, after all.
I loved both Kennedy and Hadden - each on their own, but also as a couple. Bring on those sparks and those butterflies! happy sigh
My only complaint would be that most of the conflict stems from someone jumping to conclusions, seeing or hearing what they want to see/hear, and not talking things out with each other. This goes for Kennedy and Hadden as well as for Hadden and Harley.
Aside from that, I have to say, the more I read in this series, the more I fall in love with the town - and the townsfolk - of Cape Kismet. Can't wait to read Cecilia's story next!
4/5 just-talk-it-out-dagnabbit! stars
This might be my favorite in the series yet!
“Cranberry Hill was nice, but Maple Cove was an oddly shaped key that seemed to fit an oddly shaped space in his heart.”
I think Matt got that right. The more time I spend in Maple Cove, the more I realize how much I have grown to love the place and its people.
I found both Matt and Rylee to be likeable and relateable characters and easy to root for - if not professionally, in Rylee's case, then definitely for her personally!
4.5/5 quirky and heart-warming stars
ALL. THE. FEELS!
Honestly, I am SO FULL OF FEELINGS that I don't quite know what to do with them. Belting out “Let It Go!” at the top of my lungs sounds like a good option, actually - I think Rosie's onto something there!
Janci Patterson and Megan Walker have a knack for creating characters that are so easy to root for. By the end of chapter 1, I was thoroughly in like with all of them: Becca, Thea, Rosie, and Nate. By the end of the book, each one of them has managed to steal my heart in their own a special way.
One of my favorite scenes (of oh, so many) is when Thea and Nate have A TALK in chapter 14. That girl... <3
I can't wait to read more books by these two authors, and I'd LOVE to read more about a grown-up Thea - she's a force to be reckoned with!
This lovely, slow-burn romance is a wonderful addition to the series! Deanna and Wyatt are such a great match - even if one of them might need a bit longer to realize that. I loved seeing them grow close and become true partners, not only in a professional sense.
As always, it's a treat to visit with lots of “old friends” (special shout out to Ari!) and meet the heroes and heroines from future books (I sincerely hope that's not just wishful thinking on my part... :D).
4.5/5 take-a-risk-and-follow-your-dreams stars
This book is just as sweet, funny, and charming as the other stories in this series - though it might be my new favorite. I mean, how can you beat a hamster hotel?!
4.5/5 sweet, funny, and charming stars
Cute YA romance with some funny moments and some drama. I really liked Frankie and Jackson and their families, especially Jackson's sister Chelsea.
Bonus points for the short cross-overs with Via's story (How to Kiss Your Enemy).
(Not only) for fans of the Mages of New York series.
This is a spin-off series, so if you liked Mages of New York, and especially Aspen and Lucien, chances are good you will enjoy this tale of their respective offspring as much as I did.
Especially in the first instalment of the series, Skylar reminds me so much of her mother Aspen, it's sometimes not even funny - except when it is. Asher seems to follow in his father's flashy footsteps into overachieverdom, but - unlike his dad - he isn't larger than life. Yet. ;)
Rounding out our new team of heroes are Mia, Skylar's best friend and understated bada$$, and Colson, who has become one of my favorite characters in this series, not only because he is a good guy, loyal, and kind, but frankly the smartest of the bunch under fire.
Add to that a mysterious, magical villain who is on a vendetta against Skylar's family, and - as seems to be par for the course for Fletcher's series - by the end of the series, the world as we know it is in ruins (again).
I would also like to mention that I truly appreciate (not only in this series, but in all of Sean Fletcher's books I've read so far) that not everything is clear-cut, there's no obvious black and white, and I occasionally find myself sympathizing with the alleged villain.
5/5 Sharkira stars
Here I thought I couldn't love this series any more than I already did. But Lauren. And Nick. And Sharkira! And the rest of this crazy (born-into or found) family at Juniper Ridge.
Once again, Tawna made me (snort-)laugh and swoon, and she yanked those old heartstrings around a bit, too.
Can't wait for the next book in the series!
“It's different being away from everybody's expectations. I can just be myself. And I want to be myself with you.”
le sigh
le swoon
This prequel novella is a wonderful teaser. Sam and Griff managed to steal a piece of my heart in record time, and I can't wait to see these two getting back together!
5/5 can't-wait-for-the-HEA stars!
Charming and cute!
This sweet story gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings I have come to expect from Nala Henkel Aislinn's books, and it made me smile. A lot. :) I enjoyed spending time with Sam and Brody and the quirky folks of Maple Cove - but it was Aramis who totally stole my heart. (I may also have developed a soft spot for a certain couch...)
I loved the little nods to the Cranberry Hill series, and I'm looking forward to the next book!
What a lovely collection of Wishful holiday novellas - I adored every single one of them!
Dance Me a Dream
I read this lovely novella in one sitting, played the old “awww, just one more chapter!” game until 1 a.m. :) I met Tara first in Riley and Liam's book, and I was delighted with how this story turned out - not only for her but for everyone, including Ginny and Austin.
The Christmas Fountain
This is the story of Mary Alice, who certainly deserved better than what she experienced with Judd in “If I Didn't Care”, and who finally gets her swoon-worthy HEA with Dr. McHottie.
A Lot Like Christmas
The perfect combination of Southern small-town charm, likeable, “real” characters struggling with real problems without too much melodrama, a swoonworthy romance story with a dash of humor - the latter not only but also served by the Casserole Patrol.
A Very Campbell Christmas
While this short novella deals with a tough subject (if you're like me, you might want to keep tissues at hand, just in case), it's also full of hope, and love, and - as the title implies - lots of family, too.
4.5/5 Chock-full-of-holiday-spirit stars
“Live life so you don't have regrets.”
I loved returning to Juniper Ridge in this heartfelt, heartwarming, funny, and - this IS a Tawna Fenske book! - steamy holiday novella.
Jessie and Joe were both so easy to root for, both perfectly imperfect but perfect for each other - and, of course, for Joy.
I swooned, I laughed, I cheered them on while they were figuring out how to be together, how to be parents together, yet still remain true to themselves. (Joe has some mad Google-fu, I'll say! :D)
And I especially enjoyed seeing more of Patti and Colleen, Joe's awesome moms! (I pretty much fell in love with these two in Snowbound Squeeze...)
4.5/5 what-a-wonderful-holiday-treat stars
Another new favorite! :)
I believe I mentioned that Foxhound Foes (book 3) was my new favorite of the series, but Billionaire Beagle is a very strong contender! Again, I feel right at home in the quirky small town of Maple Cove, and it's lovely to reconnect with some of my favorite quirky characters. Olive has shown time and again that she is a force to be reckoned with, and I really enjoyed following her on her journey from handcuffing herself to a bulldozer to falling in like (and eventually in love) with Xavier - who turns out to be a genuinely nice guy instead of the cardboard-cutout villain Olive would like to cast him as.
One of my favorite scenes is when “the girls” (Quinn, Sam, Vi, and Dubby) help Olive get ready for her is-this-a-date-or-a-business-meeting, and I appreciate Vi's offer/threat to take Xavier down if Olive needs her to. I think everyone should have friends like these. :)
More please!
4.5/5
The drama is strong in this one!
Once again, I can't help but fall in love with these characters; especially Nix is a force of nature, and her take-no-prisoners approach to life reminds me a bit of Tracie Bannister's “Izzy As Is”.
While the rivalry of the two dance studios creates a nice Romeo-and-Juliet atmosphere and Vanessa is a nemesis that's oh so easy to hate, Nix's almost frantic search for reasons why Marcus might not want to be with her feels a bit over the top (yes, even for a book with this premise :) ) and superfluous.
Like all books in this series I've read so far, this story made me smile, (snort-)laugh out loud, and swoon - the chemistry between Nix and Marcus is off the charts! - and I'm (always!) looking forward to reading more from these authors.
Bonus points for setting part of this story in my current backyard (well, almost...)
4.5/5 Think-of-the-nuggets! stars
DNF at 11%. The MCs and narratitive voice are using specific vocabulary and expressions widely used by (German) right-wing and neo-nazi parties and organizations. Intentional or not, personally, I found it off-putting.
Cliffhanger, much?
When I started reading, I was not aware that this book only covers the first week of the exchange mentioned in the blurb. So this story ends at a point where nothing is resolved. Meh. (I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, YMMV.)
Also, there's a LOT of drama for such a short amount of time covered in the book, and it took me a while to warm up to Mallory and the boys (not Mohammad, though, he was an insta-like :) ).
4.5 / 5 Cooper-is-a-total-cinnamon-roll stars
Another funny, cute, and heart-wearming instalment of this series of loosely connected standalone stories.
While I liked both Toni and Cooper, and especially their texting banter, I'll admit that I might like Cooper just a little bit more. He turned out to be such an awesome guy (not perfect, but perfect for Toni), and Toni's grasping at “reasons” why Cooper just had to be a bad guy felt a bit exhausting at times.
Overall, it was a sweet and funny read that tugged occasionally on my heartstrings, and - like in the other books in the series I've read so far - the well-meaning meddling friends and family members added some extra fun to the mix.
It took me a while to get into the story, and there were a couple of times when I almost DNFd. The “sista” shtick got old really quickly, and I felt the mama drama was a bit much. But the heist shenanigans were entertaining, and I really liked Punch (a fellow nerd).
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This “where do we go from here” story was a fitting extended epilogue for “Space Between Heartbeats” and felt very in character for both Nicole and Dale. I really appreciated how it turned out.
This book is the first in another Cranberry Hill spin-off, although aside from the prologue, we get to meet a completely new cast of characters.
I can't help but feel that this story was more cookie-cutter than what I'm used to from Nala Henkel-Aislinn's books. It took me a while to get into and warm up to the MCs, and I'll admit that my favorite characters were neither Marley nor Preston, but Marley's son Cooper (he really stole the show!) and Guinness.
While I enjoyed the reformed-Scrooge/Grinch part of the plot, I'm not a big fan of insta-love, but your mileage may vary. :)
3.5/4 stars
I thorougly enjoyed this story! Siti has grown up a lot since the first book in the series, and it was fun to reconnect with old friends from Earth as well as get to know a whole bunch new ones - not to forget a whole new set of (fr)enemies. This was another well-written, entertaining adventure that kept me up way past my bedtime.
Life, health, and the pursuit of happiness.
It was so easy for me to fall in love with Shae and Emmett, even though my heart was breaking for both of them. Shae's hunger for life felt infectious (though you probably wouldn't catch me zip-lining, naked or otherwise :D ), and I kept rooting for Emmett to find his way back to love after his tragic loss.
And although this story tackles some serious issues and pulls on your heartstrings (quite a lot), there are enough light-hearted and funny moments (not to mention the swoon-worthy romance) to balance all the drama.
Bonus points for featuring the crew - and the baked goods ;) - of Pain au Chocolate (Reuben! Adam!).
I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series (Neely's story?).
The swoon is dialed up to 11!
“Something about him always made her want to jump. Because deep down, she'd always believed he'd catch her.”
I already fell in love with Sam and Griff in “Until We Meet Again,” and it was just wonderful to finally see them get their HEA. And once again, Kait Nolan managed to melt my poor little heart into a puddle of swooned-out goo (grand-gesture FUBAR notwithstanding).
Can't wait for the next one in the series!