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Hey friends. February was another good reading month. I need to get back into the habit of doing reviews sooner. There was one book I read but completely forgot about if it wasn't for the list I had written throughout the month keeping track. Guess it wasn't that memorable. Lets jump in.
Total physical/kindle books: 3
Total audible: 7
Total books for 2024: 19
Goal: 150 books
Title: Renegade
Author: Laramie Briscoe
Genre: romance
How I Read It: audiobook on Chirp
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: When you fall in love with the most unexpected person, at the most unexpected time……
Ryan “Renegade” KeplerI’m the type of man who knows what I want. I make up my mind and stay in my lane, never veering off the course I set for myself.
Going into the military? Did it. Youngest member of the Moonshine Task Force? That’s me. Get my best friend’s older sister in bed? It was my pleasure.
Age means nothing to me. I’ve seen and done things men twice my age never will. What I want more than anything is someone to share my life with and that person is my best friend's older sister, Whitney.
Whitney Trumbolt
Ryan is ten years my junior, but damn, being a cougar never felt as good as it did the night we spent together. Now I’m struggling with wanting things to either go back to the way they were or spend every night in his arms.
Make my wedding planning company the best in the south? Did it. Ignore the way my body trembles when I see Ryan? Epic fail. Freak out when I see a positive pregnancy test staring back at me? Complete with mascara running down my face and clutching my pearls.
Looks like things won’t go back to the way they were. There’s a man in my life that doesn’t take no for an answer. He’s the one who makes my blood run hot, cheeks turn red, and heart beat wildly within my chest. His name is Renegade.
My Review: I enjoy this book. I loved the age gap relationship between Whitney and Ryan. The characters had great chemistry and the narrators were amazing at pulling you in with their voices.
Title: Most Eligible Billionaire
Author: Annika Martin
Genre: chick-lit
How I Read It: audiobook on Book Funnel
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: OMG - the cute little dog I adopted turns out to be a billionaire Maltese! That's right, my tiny dog just inherited giant corporation!
I'm Vicky, the dog whisperer. (Not really, but that's what my elderly neighbor says whenever I walk her dog, Smuckers.)
When she dies, she surprises everybody by leaving a corporation worth billions to Smuckers...and she leaves Smuckers to me.
Suddenly, I go from running my Etsy store to sitting in an elegant Wall Street boardroom with Smuckers in my lap. And my neighbor's son, Henry Locke, aka New York's most eligible bachelor, glaring across the table at me.
Rumor has it Henry's a business genius who's as talented in the bedroom as he is in the boardroom. Sure, he's gorgeous. Sex in a 7,000 dollar suit. But....
He's arrogant and infuriating. He refuses to listen to me when I insist I didn't con his mother. He thinks he can bully me, buy me off, control me, even seduce me.
Henry may have the women of Manhattan eating out of the palm of his hand, but I'm so over entitled rich guys who think they own the world.
No way will his wicked smile be charming me out of my panties.
His wicked...devastating...impossible-to-resist smile.
Oh well, who needs panties anyway?
A sexy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy stand-alone!
My Review: Cute storyline that kept me guessing. There was drama, humor, sadness, all mixed together. I loved the way the female narrator was able to make you feel her emotion with her voice.
Title: Stolen Away
Author: Jennie Marts
Genre: romance
How I Read It: kindle
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Elusive charmer Cash Walker is a tough-as-nails cowboy, except when it comes to the shy woman who shows up with a pretty smile, a wounded spirit, and a goat riding shotgun in her passenger seat.
Recently divorced from an abusive husband, Emma Frank has come home to Broken Falls, Montana. Lost, alone, and unable to escape the bullying tactics of her ex-brothers-in-law, she finds solace and friendship at the Tucked Away farm and with the handsome cowboy who believes in her and who helps her find her own courage.
There’s a darkness in Cash’s past that’s kept him from ever letting anyone get too close, but he can’t seem to stay away from Emma, who seems to be the one to finally break through his tough exterior and steal this cowboy’s heart.
My Review: This book was hard to read at times with the abusive relationship that Emma has with her ex-husband and his family. Emma found some amazing friends who supported her and helped her through everything. You watch Emma grow so much as a person in this time. Then you have Cash who is always there are the right time. And ends with a happily ever after.
Title: The Ceo
Author: Victoria Purman
Genre: romance
How I Read It: kindle
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: CEO Callum Malone has it all: power, Italian suits, a house on one of Sydney’s stunning beaches and a new life without a woman in it. Just the way he likes it, ever since his nasty divorce.
Landscaper Ava Gibson is in no position to turn down a job, even if it is for her despised ex-brother-in-law. But when resentment gives way to underlying attraction, Ava is finally forced to confront her truth… she’s falling for him.
Will Ava be able to keep her growing desire in check? Because the irresistible Cal doesn’t want her to…
My Review: I am normally not a fan of novellas because I feel like most don't give enough detail and it is just the "hype". I loved the way this story developed. The characters, the storyline, the romance. I was hooked.
Title: Long Road Home
Author: Carmen Bishop
Genre: romance
How I Read It: kindle
My Rating: 3 out of 5
Amazon Description: Whoever said time heals all wounds was full of crap.
In my experience, all it does is allow the anger to fester, letting it build to something akin to hate.
And hate is what I feel when Lincoln Calloway is the one who meets me at the airport.
The arrogant jerk broke my heart ten years ago and humiliated me in front of everyone we knew. He chose a life of pain and gave into his addiction despite my promise to help him.
Now, he tells me he's sorry, that he desires to make amends, but all I want to do is show him everything he missed out on by turning his back on me.
I try not to care that he's here, helping my family when they need it most. Try to ignore the way he says my name and how it makes me want to forget everything he's done.
Because Lincoln Calloway has always been a walking disaster, and I'm not looking for another heartbreak.
My Review: I read this earlier in the month and completely forgot about it, The storyline didn't leave a lasting impression. A second chance romance after a horrible break-up. From what I can remember I had to force myself to finish reading.
Title: Crash
Author: Grahame Claire
Genre: romance
How I Read It: Bookfunnel
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: Teague Hollingsworth crashed into my perfectly predictable life like a rocket, turning everything upside down and setting it ablaze.
It was the world’s worst first impression and one I’m not likely to forget . . .Until he shows up just when I need him.
It turns out he’s not at all the man I thought he was.
He’s kind to my dogs.
He’s protective of me.
And he doesn't seem to mind the chaos.
Slowly, he's winning my trust . . . and maybe my heart.
But there's more to this man than I could’ve imagined.
Shadows and secrets that threaten what I love the most.
I've lost everything once.
I won't do it again.
Not even for him.
My Review: Perfection of a slow burn. The drama, the suspense, the way everything tied together. Loved it. I laughed, I cried, I worried and I loved all mixed into one great story. Loved the chemistry in the narrators banter. Even with the cliffhanger, i enjoyed it.
Title: American Queen
Author: Sierra Simone
Genre: erotica
How I Read It: Hoopla
My Rating: 3 out of 5
Amazon Description: My name is Greer Galloway, and I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States.
When I was a girl, I received a warning: Keep your kisses to yourself.
Twice I ignored it, and twice my heart was utterly, miserably broken. I didn’t need to learn my lesson a third time. Instead, I swore off love forever.
But President Colchester hasn't sworn me off—not by a long shot.
I knew him as Ash, the soldier I once kissed in a circle of broken glass. I haven’t forgotten his broken promises and forbidden desires. But the country knows him as the leader of the free world, all that stands between us and war.
Desperate to have me, Ash sends his best friend Embry to bring me to him. He doesn’t know about the secrets we also keep. Our own tragedies. Our own cravings. The second kiss. Soon, I find myself caught between past and present, pleasure and pain—and the two men who long for each other as much as they long for me. And as war and betrayal press ever closer, we tumble headlong into a passionate love affair that will change the world.
My Review: Over the top storyline that is unrelatable, but who doesn't dream of marrying into the wealthy world aka the President. I found it hard to keep up with the back and forth between present and past at times. I loved Stephanie Rose as the single narrator. I felt like the story was complete until the epilogue that leaves you with a cliffhanger.
Title: Burn
Author: Grahame Claire
Genre: romance
How I Read It: Hoopla
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to fight fire.
There’s no high like rushing into a burning building knowing you could save a life.Ever since I met Pepper, I’ve only put her in danger.
But even that knowledge can’t keep me away.
She’s everything I never knew I needed.
Kind, brave, and never hesitates to put me in my place.
But someone isn’t happy I’ve found a place with her.
As the threats close in around us, I have a choice make.
Give up everything I’ve dreamed or lose the woman who has made me whole.
The fires are closing in.
Time is running out.
And we might both be burned to ashes.
My Review: Part 2 of the Shaken series. After part 1 leaves you with a major cliffhanger, this one starts off right where part 1 left off. The suspense keep me going needing to know what happened, but in realty you already know who it is. Another slow burn in the romance genre. I enjoyed the duet narration again. It ended with another cliffhanger but I wasn't left needing to continue with the series.
Title: Only Say Good Things
Author: Crystal Hefner
Genre: biography
How I Read It: audiobook from libby
My Rating: 3 out of 5
Amazon Description: A raw and unflinching look at the objectification and misogyny of the Playboy mansion, a woman’s stolen young adulthood and her journey to self-acceptance, and a rare look inside Hugh Hefner’s final days.
At just twenty-one years old, Crystal Harris’ life changed forever when she attended a party at the notorious Playboy mansion. Picked out of the crowd by Hugh Hefner, she became one of his infamous “girlfriends,” attending glamorous Hollywood parties and traveling the world. Yet this seemingly alluring lifestyle had a dark side. Hef controlled his girlfriends with strict rules regarding everything from their hair and makeup to their curfews, and Crystal was forced to compete with other women for her spot in the highly hierarchal system. Living at the mansion, she felt more like a fixture than a resident.
She quickly rose to the top, but being Hef’s number one girlfriend came at the cost of Crystal’s identity outside her role in the Playboy universe. Her fate seemed sealed when Hef surprised her with a marriage proposal she could not imagine refusing. But as Crystal Hefner, she grew increasingly restless to understand who she truly was away from what she saw as Playboy’s toxic culture.
In ONLY SAY GOOD THINGS, Crystal offers a vulnerable and clear-eyed look at how her experience with Hugh Hefner catalyzed her transformative journey from someone who prized external validation over all else to a person who finally recognizes her true worth. This candid memoir provides a fascinating look behind the scenes at a powerful cultural icon and brand, and an equally empowering perspective on hard-won lessons about who we allow to determine our value.
My Review: I was always a big Hugh Hefner, Playboy, and Girls Next Door fan. I never really watched when Crystal was on it though. We all knew deep down their relationships were messed up with the age gaps and what was entailed to be in a relationship with Hef. I am not a fan of how Crystal aired all the dirty laundry after his passing. It is sad everything she put herself through in her relationship but sweet the love she had for Hef until the end.
Title: Twisted Love
Author: Ana Huang
Genre: romance
How I Read It: Hoopla
My Rating: 2 out of 5
Amazon Description: He has a heart of ice . . . but for her, he'd burn the world.
Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can't escape. Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.
But when he's forced to look after his best friend's sister, he starts to feel something in his chest: A crack. A melt. A fire that could end his world as he knew it.
Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can't remember. But despite her broken past, she's never stopped seeing the beauty in the world . . . including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn't want.
Her brother's best friend. Her neighbor. Her savior and her downfall.
Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both . . . and everything they hold dear.
My Review: I don't get the hype over this book. It wasn't a bad storyline, it just wanted great. I didn't like the characters, it went from romance to borderline dark romance. I got a soap opera over dramatic to many tropes feel. There was just to much going on.
Currently Reading
The Love Everybody Wants by Madison Prewett Troutt
What are you reading this month?
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