(Click on the titles of the books for the Goodreads synopsis)
In July I read A TON of romances....that's actually all I read, so in August I might try to mix things up a bit and add in other types of books like; thriller/mysteries, young adult, fantasy etc. I was just in a "happily ever after" kind of mood, I guess.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This one had me laughing out loud at a few parts and getting frustrated for the characters. I'm a huge sucker for a love story about people who have known each other for ever. I was rooting for them the whole time....while also screaming in my head, "just talk to each other!!" lol!
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A story about a man that got the worst news a father could ever have and a woman living with her sick mother. They decide to have a "one night stand" type of agreement but it becomes much more than than for them both. Then Shae is dealt devastating news that tears them apart. I liked this one but I do feel like it may have been a bit drawn out in a way.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I really liked both of these characters a lot and I think their love story felt genuine and not forced. Henrik was such a sweetheart and not what I expected at all. Jacqui was even a really enjoyable character. I read it all in one sitting because I needed to know what was going to happen at the end. I wasn't sure if I was going to end up heartbroken or not!
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars
I was a bit disappointed with this one. I expected more focus on his hockey career and there wasn't too much talk about it at all. The main thing that I had a problem with the were the romantic scenes they were just missing something. I love Auden's character even if she did seem really naive and immature at times. The love between the two main characters seemed really forced and almost instant.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
LOVED this one! At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like Cameron very much but once he started opening up more and warming up I loved him, almost as much as Millie. I love how positive and upbeat she always tried to be. And it also helps that she loves Disney movies like me. I found myself laughing hysterically at some parts, and wanting to shake some sense into the characters in other parts (in a good way!). I wanted to punch Olivia multiple times too.! Great book that left me smiling!
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars
This was a very short novella (at only 82 pages). I liked the idea of this one but I was a bit let down. I feel like the whole relationship progressed really rapidly without any mention. One minute they are sleeping together for the first time and then she's moving in with him. It ended up feeling very rushed. The chemistry between the two of them was great but I feel like that was lost pretty quickly.
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars
I liked the idea behind this one a lot but I was left disappointed. There was no resolution at all at the end of the story and I think it really needed it. I didn't realize until I wasn't almost at the end that it was a series so maybe that was part of the problem. She was a very unlikable character. I know she had a troubled past but I just couldn't like her for some reason. I think I just expected more of an absolute type of ending and some love, instead of just the lust.
My rating: 1 out of 5 stars
I couldn't get into this one at all. At first, I was really liking both lead characters because they both had such strong personalities, but then Nix ended up just coming off across as bitchy. And he acted like it would absolutely kill him not to say something about her giving him a blowjob in every single conversation. It got old really fast.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the back and forth bantering between the two of the main characters. I did think that the ending way a bit rushed though. I liked the chemistry between the main characters a lot but some of the secondary characters probably didn't need to be there, unless this will become a series. All in all, a nice love family love story, but I just wanted more out of the ending.
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars
This whole story read a bit awkward for me. Jared had no backbone at all what-so-ever when it came to his ex. He was avoiding going to charity events just because she was going to be there. What full grown man does that? And his "feelings" made no sense at all. Meghan was giving me whiplash with her feelings too. Just not my type of story, I guess.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I'm such a huge sucker for "friends that become lovers" type of books, so I absolutely loved this one. I enjoyed both of the main characters so much, and the secondary characters were really interesting too. I'm actually kind of hoping this turns into a series because I would love to read a book on Eve or Justin's brother. It was a lot of fun to see both of the main characters trying so hard to fight the attraction and failing miserably.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the first one in this series a lot so I was so happy to read the second one. I'm a big sucker for love stories about people who have known each other forever. I thought the book ended a little too abruptly though. I really liked the direction that the book was going but I would have liked just a little bit more. I did still enjoy the story, just not as much as the first one
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A romance about a hot hockey player?? Yes, please! I really ended up enjoying this one. Ryker was such a sweetheart and I loved the stronger female character of Gray. I really loved the interactions with his daughters.
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars
This book was incredibly frustrating for me. Keaton comes back to Jocelyn at the beginning of this book asking for another chance. Their marriage ended because he was caught cheating on their anniversary with her one enemy and HE has the balls to say she's being unreasonable when she says she doesn't want to take him back. Definitely not my type of book.
My ratings: 4 out of 5 stars
Violet is a romance novel addict and Jared is a womanizer who refuses to settle down. Jared's mother doesn't have much time left so in an effort to make his mom happy he blurts out that he has a serious girlfriend and he's bringing her for the big celebration they have every year. He convinces Violet to pretend to be his girlfriend for 2 weeks to make his mother happy. They both try to keep their distance and fail miserably. I had a couple of laughs and even teared up once or twice with this one
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I felt like this one started out strong then lost some steam somewhere in the middle but finished really strong. I loved the last couple of chapters. It showed a lot of growth on both sides and it was so sweet. It was nice to see such a tough character like Kincaid voice his feelings and be such a sweetheart.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A suspenseful romance book was just what I needed to shake things up and it was fun trying to figure out who the bad guy was. I really loved how protective Ethan was of Carly. It was really sweet and also pretty sexy. "She doesn’t like it when strangers touch her, so either get your hand off her, or I will be removing it."
My rating: 3 and a half out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this one a lot. This is another friends before love type of story. I only took one star off because I felt like there was a little bit too much not answered at the end. Cam was so clueless and he was such a sweetheart.
My rating: 1 out of 5 stars
This one made me want to bang my head against the wall. I liked the idea behind it but HATED everything else about it.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gavin was such a sweetheart throughout this whole book. Jessica was a great character too, both were really likable characters which was nice. I definitely want to go back through the series and check out the earlier books too. I loved all of the secondary characters. The baseball team he played for was a lot of fun with their pranks.
My rating: 2 and a half out of 5 stars
Neve becomes Rory's penpal while he is in Afganistan and they start exchanging sexy letters back and forth. They have plans to meet up when he gets home to fulfill all of the fantasies they came up with in their letters. Through a misunderstanding Neve believes he is engaged and runs off. So a lot of the story is Rory trying to make up for that while struggling with PTSD, and Neve also has a pretty promiscuous past that she is trying to overcome.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
This was definitely a darker romance than I expected. I am not a huge fan of the topic of rape and a lot of this book was centered around it, so it took some getting used to. While I wasn't a huge fan of that part of the story, their love story was really sweet. They were both very damaged people but they were perfect for each other. They shut the world out but not towards each other. It was nice to see the character growth in them both. I wasn't surprised by the reveal of the killer but I expected that.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas! This one definitely had me laughing out loud at some parts. I loved how witty they both were, and Mack was definitely swoon-worthy. I've never had a "thing" for cowboys but he may make me start! I loved how sweet he was. There was definitely a lot of sexy parts too. Andie and her life plan made me a little bit crazy at times but I loved seeing her character grow and loosen up as the book went on. I love the Mackenzie family. Very sweet and steamy love story!
My rating: 3 and a half out of 5 stars
Going into this one, I wasn't too sure how I was going to like Candice's character. She seemed so ditsy and high maintenance in the last one that I didn't think I would like her much. It was great to see another side of her in this book. She's still a little ditsy and high maintenance BUT there's a lot more to her than that in this one. I loved Ian almost as much as Mack (from the first book). He's the grump and trouble maker of the family so it fun to see him loosen up with Candace and play around. This was much more of a slow burn type of romance than the first one was. I think overall I enjoyed the first one maybe just a teeny bit more but really liked them both.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Gavin is a Dr that lives in Dublin and is visiting his sister for a month in New York, where he meets Toni, his sister's best friend. They instantly feel an attraction and decide to have a summer fling while he is on vacation. It's supposed to be a no strings attached, just sex kind of relationship but they both start to develop feelings for each other. I would have liked to see them do more than just eating, drinking, and having sex though. We didn't really get to see too much of their relationship
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars
I liked how this one started out but then after that it sort of fell apart for me a bit. It's supposed to be a love story involving Amy and Sean but most of the story is about her job and her friend's wedding/miscarriage. Sean and Amy hardly spend any real time together before he realizes that he has feelings for her. It ended up being too unbelievable for me.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this one! It had such a different storyline that I instantly knew I wanted to read this story. I loved Gracie's spunky personality and that she could kick butt if she needed to. Jake was an absolute sweetheart and smooth-talker when he wanted to be but like her, definitely had a temper. I liked that neither one of them were perfect, nothing is worse than an ultimately "perfect" character. It makes it more believable when they have flaws. They both had pasts that they had to move past. I love all of the supporting characters and can't wait to read the next one in the series!
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I'm such a huge sucker for "friends to lovers" type of stories, and this one didn't disappoint. Riley was the typical womanizing college student but he was so incredibly sweet with Devyn. I loved their friendship and how close they were. The chemistry between the two of them was off the charts too. The way he planned out that whole day to make sure everything was special for Devyn was so sweet. There were definitely times in the story when I wanted to shake or smack one of them upside the head but you'll have that. There were also quite a few laugh out loud moments with Nate.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Roni is a woman with a traumatic past that has a problem with running when things get intense/difficult. Coleman is a bull-riding cowboy with a 15 year old son and a ton of patience. Roni and Coleman feel an instant strong connection with each other and Coleman wants to give it a chance. Roni tries to run away multiple times but he won't let her and he takes his time with her, gaining her trust. Coleman was so romantic and sweet with her all the time. I loved Roni's "take no crap" attitude too. I'm very glad the author added the "extra" at the end with Coleman's POV. It answered some of the questions I was having about a pretty big reveal towards the end. I will admit that the continued use of the word "shitdizzle" got on my nerves a bit but all in all, I enjoyed this story.
What have you been reading lately? If you are on Goodreads, we should be friends!
**I received every one of these ebooks for free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review, so HUGE thanks to them and the publishers.**
