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Hey loves. It's time for some more book reviews.
Total physical/kindle books: 2
Total audiobooks: 5
Total for this month: 7
Total books for 2025: 53
Goal for 2025: 120 books
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Title: Ruthless Hawke
Author: Gwen McNamee
Genre: Romance
How I Read It: Hoopla Audiobook
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: You have to be ruthless to be a Hawke.
Our empire in New Orleans has only grown over the years.And protecting it falls on my shoulders.
Whether it’s in the courtroom or in the streets, I do whatever it takes to get the job done.
We’ve already suffered and lost enough.
I won’t let anything threaten my family or what we’ve built.
But a mysterious woman from my past shows up, with danger in tow.
That’s not all she brings with her.
The little girl stares up at me with the Hawke blue eyes.
Instantly, my entire world shifts.
It isn’t just about defending what’s ours.
Now, it’s about defending what’s mine.
My Review: What happened in the past can come back to haunt you, especially if you use fake names and you never planned on seeing each other again. I enjoyed the storyline, characters kept me hooked, and the spice was there.
Title: Night Hawke
Author: Gwyn McNamee
Genre: romance novella
How I Read It: Bookfunnel Audiobook
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: A Second Generation Hawke Family Prequel
Two nights. No names. No expectations. A lifetime of consequences.
Graduating from law school means finally stepping into my destined role in the Hawke empire.
But before I head home to NOLA to settle into the family's multi-billion-dollar business, I need one night to celebrate.
Ideally with the redhead who won’t stop eye-fucking me from across the bar.
I never intend it to turn into an entire weekend in bed with her.
Yet, somehow, that’s exactly where we end up.
There are only two rules—no names and no expectations.
Easy to agree to at the time.
Impossible to abide by once I realize how incredible she is.
One night isn’t enough.
Not even two are.
A lifetime won’t be.
We fell into the unexpected, and it will change everything.
Night Hawke is the prequel to The Hawke Family Second Generation Series. Grab this steamy story about a two-night stand between a billionaire heir attorney and the mystery woman running from her life who becomes so much more.
My Review: Hot one night adventure. The prequal that leave you wanting to know what happened. Intense chemistry, quick read.
Title: Falling for His Bachelor
Author: Robin Bielman
Genre: romance
How I Read It: Kindle
My Rating: 3 out of 5
Amazon Description: She’s always been the girl he had to protect. Now she’s the woman he can’t resist…
When Navy firefighter Nick Palotay returns to Marietta to go on the bachelor auction block for a good cause, he expects it to be risk free. But when he needs someone safe to bid on him and his sister's best friend is coaxed into stepping up, Nick isn’t prepared for the effect Cassidy has on him. She sends his mind to all kinds of dirty places…places his battered heart can’t afford.Cassidy Ware is in waaay over her head. She’s always been Nick’s other little sister, but she’s all grown up now and just a glance from him leaves her hot and bothered. Still, she can stay immune to his charms and keep him at an emotional distance because she’s got an agenda, too. She’ll help the too-handsome Nick with his charitable deed, and, in return, he’ll help her keep an unwelcome suitor at bay.
A deal’s a deal, but when their “business transaction” turns into more pleasure than duty, can they walk away from each other without losing what matters most?
My Review: A charming sweet read. The ending felt rushed with some lose ends.
Title: Caught Up
Author: Navessa Allen
Genre: dark romance
How I Read It: Libby Audiobook
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: “I wanted this woman, and I was a man who always got what he wanted.”
Nico “Junior” Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don’t get to have women like her. It’s why he pushed her away back in high school and kept his distance ever since.
But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior’s innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. Watching Lauren from a distance isn’t enough; he needs to make her his.
“He’s ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.”
Lauren is intrigued by the mystery man who keeps showing up at her club, who tempts her white-hot desires. But as their flirty online messages stir up a deeper form of connection, Lauren worries she’s developing real feelings for this brooding stranger. As their combined desire ratchets up to a breaking point, who will seduce who?
My Review: I may have loved this more than Lights Out. The story line had me hooked, the spice was on fire, second chance romance... and Teddy Hamilton's voice
Title: Single Dad's Guide to Recreation
Author: Karen Grey
Genre: Romance
How I Read It: ALC (advanced listener copy)
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: He’s the big-city corporate VP slashing costs. She’s the sunny, small-town toddler-whisperer in his crosshairs. It should be easier for them to keep their hands off each other.
The new guy in town may be a hot single dad–we’re talking total, mouthwatering eye candy here–but that isn’t stopping him from shuttering my favorite program here at Climax Parks & Rec.
Nor does it stop me from being blinded by lust and tripping over my own feet every time I see him, even though we’re completely wrong for each other.
He’s all business; my job is to play.
He’s moved upstate from Manhattan; I’ve returned to my small town roots.
He’s overwhelmed by his two adorable kids; doctors told me I’ll never be a mother.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s his job to “re-org” (aka ruin) everything I love about my job?
Despite all this, he’s got me dreaming of something I told myself I’d given up on: a family of my own.
My Review: Funny, cute with small town drama. Enemies to lovers with likable characters that banter keeps you hooked. Totally recommend but be sure to read the trigger warnings.
I first read the book, then went back and listened to the audiobook. I loved the audiobook even more. Hearing the characters banter pulls you in so much more.
Title: Fireworks and Frenemies
Author: Elle Rush
Genre: romance
How I Read It: kindle
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Bob “Mac” Mackenzie has finally started construction on the house of his dreams. The lakeside paradise is everything he imagined, with the exception of the nightmare next door. The pretty project manager apologizes for the inconveniences her own build is causing, but the accidents keep happening.
The Holiday Beach mansion she designed was supposed to be the diamond in architect Lori Baker’s crown, but instead she’s wearing dirt on her face. Impossible clients are driving her to the brink, and a few initial misunderstandings with the handsome neighbor have turned every interaction into all-out war.
When Lori is fired after she tries to fix some of the damage the owners cause to Mac’s property, she finds herself stranded and jobless. With nothing to go home to, Holiday Beach could be the perfect place to start over on her own Independence Day. All she needs is a chance to showcase her skills—but her best shot is with her worst enemy.
My Review: Give me a charming small town, holidays, romance, Hallmark vibes and I am hooked.
Title: Maine Characters
Author: Hannah Orenstein
Genre: romance
How I Read It: Libby
My Rating: 2 out of 5
Amazon Description: From beloved author Hannah Orenstein, this love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.
Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark.
When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents’ pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family?
For fans of Carley Fortune and Elin Hilderbrand, this sister story set on a lush lake brims with the undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor that have endeared Hannah Orenstein to legions of readers.
My Review: DNFd (which I haven't done in forever). The banter felt immature, I wanted to smack both sisters and tell them to grow up. I did not get Parent Trap vibes just a father who lied to them both.
Currently Reading
What are you reading this month?
I haven't read any great reviews for Maine Characters! It sounds so promising too but I totally get abandoning a book if the characters are grating on your nerves. The Single Dad's Guide to Recreation sounds really cute.
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