4.5 stars

He’s changed so much and yet he’s still the same boy I fell in love with.
The boy who was my protector, my savior, my world…

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OMG!! This was one of the sweetest, sexiest, and swooniest second chance romances I’ve read!! The story captured me from the very first page and I could not stop reading until I reached the last chapter. It was incredibly addictive and well-written. Without a doubt, this is a new top favorite!

Six years ago, Shane and Rachel fell in love. They’d grown up together as childhood friends but as they got older, their friendship turned to more. With their history behind them, their bond was strong and when they fell in love, they fell hard. They mean everything to each other, planned a future together, lived and breathed each other. But Rachel also dreamed of a life beyond their small town, and Shane’s cowboy heart was rooted at his ranch.

We just wanted to spend every second we could together. We were nothing if not inseparable.
It’s like we knew that time was running out.

He knew she wanted more out of life – the kind of more that he couldn’t give her by staying. But when a devastating revelation tore through their lives, he was forced to do something that broke both their hearts.

I never told Rachel the truth about what happened that knight. Why my knuckles were raw and bleeding. Everything was a lie, right down to me telling her, yelling at her, that I didn’t love her anymore.

In the wake of the devastation, she left town and never looked back for six years. She built the life she’d always dreamed of and thought she wanted, but was never able to to fully enjoy it because, even though his actions had torn them apart and even though she wanted to hate him, her heart had stayed behind with the cowboy she still loved.

“I’m your home. I’ve always been your home even when you’v been somewhere else, even when you were hating me, trying to forget me, my heart has been your home.”

When her mother’s illness brought her back to the hometown, she had to face everything she’d left behind. And now she was in the one place she never thought she’d return to, living right next door to the boy who’d broken her heart.

“I know what you and Rachel had was special, is special. And I’ve seen special. I’ve seen it with your father and mother. I’ve lived it between me and Ann. Cynics might tell you that young love isn’t real love, but when love is real, it’s real, and time and age don’t have a damn thing to do with it.”
“Rachel and I broke up a long time ago,” I remind him.
“And now she’s living next door to you.”

Now, one of the reasons why I loved this particular second chance romance book so much is that, even though this is one of my favorite Romance subgenres and I read a lot of them, I also sometimes get annoyed when it’s either miscommunication or stupidity that drives the characters apart. But this book had neither. The reason for their separation was external. Something outside their relationship tore them apart and I honestly just loved that. There’s no cheating or anything. It’s just an honest-to-goodness horrible thing that came into their lives and broke them up.

And as a result of that, even though their break up had been intense and emotionally shattering, it was also very fragile because it had been built on a lie. Shane’s hand was forced and he’s never stopped loving her. So when Rachel’s unexpected return to town threw right back into each other’s lives, it was only a matter of time before they gravitated back to the only place they both wanted to be — together.

“Please tell me that meant to you what it meant to me.”
There’s a strange fluttering in my chest.
Fear. Hope. Love. Loss.
“What did it mean to you?” I whisper.
“The world,” he says before he kisses me, quick and light and laced with tenderness. “It meant the whole entire world.”

This was a very fast read for me. It’s a full length novel but I just inhaled it. I didn’t stop reading from the moment I started. The writing was addictive, the characters were believable, and I really *felt* the story. I particularly love second chance romances because of all the heightened emotions in the reunions and this one was loaded. And for those of you who are looking for sexier, spicy romances, I think you’ll also be thrilled because once Rachel and Shane get back together, things really heated up! It was a very well rounded story and one I’d be happy to recommend.

This is the first standalone in a new series of standalones. You could easily read this completely alone. It has a fully resolved ending with a beautiful epilogue, and the next book will be about a different couple.

If you’re looking for a sweet, sexy, and swoony second chance romance, definitely try this!!!

Rating: 4.5 stars. Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone.

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I’ll be there for her.
I’ll save her.
Because that’s who I am. That’s what I do. Why I’m here — the only reason I’m here.
And she belongs to me.
Ellie’s mine to have and to hold. To save and keep. Forever and always.

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This was one of the sweetest, slow-burning forbidden romances I’ve ever read!! As a huge fan of Emma Chase books, I’d been looking forward to reading this book from the first time I heard about it. It has a slightly more serious tone than most of her books and I absolutely loved the quiet intensity as the secret love story unfolded between a princess’s sister and the loyal guard assigned to protect her. I highly recommend this as a new top favorite!

Logan St. James grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in a family on the wrong side of the law. But these days, he covers his tattoos and scars with a respectable suit. He’s handsome, loyal, brave, skilled with his hands and…other body parts.

Any woman would be proud to bring him home to her family.
But there’s only one woman he wants.

For years he’s watched over her, protected her, held her hair back when she was sick, taught her how to throw a punch, and spot a liar.

He dreams of her. Would lay down his life for her.
But beautiful Ellie Hammond’s off-limits.

Everybody knows the bodyguard rules: Never lose focus, never let them out of your sight, and never, ever fall in love.

I’ll just start off by saying, in case you’re unaware, that this entire Royally series of interconnected standalones takes place in the real world, but includes a fictional country that many of the characters are royalty of.

One of my favorite things about this book was that the story took place over many many years so that really reinforced the build-up of Logan and Ellie’s attraction to each other. Some chapters would skip forward several years at a time and that really served to show how their feelings for each other grew over time.

It’s like I’m being wrenched in two — pulled in two different directions. The numb, hardened, callous side tells me to say no, that this is a dangerous, fucking pointless move. But the other, more youthful side — that’s tender and impractical — wants to give this girl anything she wants.

Logan had had a rough start in life. He’d signed up for the military two years before he should have been allowed, but had proven his skill through his actions. And at the young age of twenty-two years old, he found himself working for the king as one of the most trusted bodyguards in the kingdom.

When he got assigned to protect the princess’s sister overseas in America, she was studying hard to finish her last year of high school. Although they were close in age, the social divides, the professional boundaries, and his sense of duty kept their relationship firmly on the professional side. They shared longing looks and he protected her daily with an intensity further than his job required from him, but they didn’t go any further. As time passed on, through her collage years and beyond, he continued to be her loyal protector. And their attractions finally grew to a point of no return where they both finally risked everything to be with each other.

I would die for her. Kill for her, live for her. The vow echoes through me with every beat of my heart. She is the most important person in my life. She has been from the beginning, and she always will be. There will never be another.
I don’t know if I’ll be any fucking good at love. I’m not quite sure how it’s done. But for her, I’ll learn.
And I’ll do my damnedest to get it right.

I loved the pacing of this book and the way Ellie and Logan didn’t rush into their relationship. The delicious “will-they-won’t-they” tension built throughout the book with such sexy, swoooooooon-filled anticipation. As a result, when they finally gave into their feelings for each other, it was that much more meaningful because you really understood everything they were risking for each other and because you were really able to feel how long they’d waited for that moment. My heart was racing!! I loved the slow burn. I loved the delayed gratification. I loved the struggle they both shared to balance their heart and their duties. It was a truly wonderful and romantic read.

“So, it’s like a… you jump, I jump, Jack and Rose kind of thing?”
“No.” I take her hand in mind, brushing my thumb against her knuckles.
“You jump… and I’ll be there to catch you.”

This can be read as a standalone. However, it is also interconnected with the previous two standalones in this series (see below) so there are definite ties between the characters and storylines. But honestly, I think it’s really up to you whether you want to read this separately or read them all in order. You can’t go wrong either way.

Emma Chase has been one of my favorite authors ever since she released her debut novel. Her writing is addictive and she has truly perfected the balance between humor, romance, and emotion. Royally Endowed would be a great book for fans of love stories with heart. I highly recommend it as a favorite read of the year!

Rating: 4.5 stars!! Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone.

• Buy ROYALLY ENDOWED (Kindle)
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• Buy ROYALLY ENDOWED (iBooks)

________________________

Series of standalones.

“I promise to love you forever.
As long as there is love in this world, we will be a part of it.”

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OMG. OMG!!! I’m wiping tears as I write this review. This book was amazing and I honestly did not expect it to take the direction that it did and my gosh … HOLY FEELS. I mean, that epilogue especially was so emotional!!

To give you a quick idea of what this book is about, the heroine bumps into a complete stranger on the street one night and they just connect. After an amazing night together though, something about him changes in the morning and he breaks her heart. But in a way she doesn’t understand and that just doesn’t quite make sense. For months, she can’t get him out of her head. She wants to move on, but can’t let go of the memory of the mysterious man who stole a piece of her heart that night. And when she finds him again, she realizes just how big a secret he had…

I’m also going to share the blurb with you here:

Charlotte has spent her twenties adrift, searching for a spark to jump-start her life and give her a sense of purpose. She’s had as many jobs as she’s had bad relationships, and now she’s feeling especially lost in her less-than-glamorous gig at a pie-and-fry joint in Los Angeles, where the uniforms are bad and the tips are even worse.

Then she collides—literally—with Adam, an intriguing, handsome, and mysterious painter. Their serendipitous meeting on the street turns into a whirlwind one-night stand that has Charlotte feeling enchanted by Adam’s spontaneity and joy for life. There’s promise in both his words and actions, but in the harsh light of morning, Adam’s tune changes, leaving Charlotte to wonder if her notorious bad luck with men is really just her own bad judgment.

Months later, a new relationship with Seth, a charming baseball player, is turning into something more meaningful, but Charlotte’s still having trouble moving past her one enthralling night with Adam. Why? When she searches for answers, she finds the situation with Adam is far more complicated than she ever imagined. Faced with the decision to write a new story with Seth or finish the one started with Adam, Charlotte embarks on a life-altering journey, one that takes her across the world and back again, bringing a lifetime’s worth of pain, joy, and wisdom.

However, the one thing I would strongly like to emphasize is that I do NOT consider this a love triangle even though there are technically two male leads. I’m trying hard not to specifically spoil anything, but I do want to say that, as many of you know, I’m a reader who usually strongly dislikes triangles, and I was fully fine with everything that happened in this story. It all made complete sense and really felt true to the characters.

It was like we already knew each other, like we had met in a previous life. Memories that didn’t exist began exploding in my mind like fireworks.

I smiled at him; he smiled back. There was some sort of affinity between us, but I didn’t know where it was coming from, exactly. I didn’t know this guy half an hour ago, but now I needed to know him.

This book has everything — it’s part love story, part life story. It’s about learning to live life to its fullest and not being afraid to follow your heart when you find true love. It’s about appreciating each and every moment we have — and not taking any time for granted.

“I want you to know that I am grateful to you. I’m grateful to you now. I got to experience IT in this life, and I don’t think it’s measured with time.”
“You don’t think what’s measured with time, Adam?”
“Love, Charlotte.”

I don’t know why, but I kind of just expected a sweet summer romance when I started reading this. I didn’t expect such an emotionally charged story. I loved its intensity. The writing was strong, the characters felt real, and the story tugged all my heartstrings.

“Have I asked you to marry me?” he asked sleepily.
“Every day,” I replied.
“Well…”
“I always say not yet.”
Adam was dozing off and slurring when he said, “Why?”
I’m certain he was asleep when I finally replied, “Because I don’t want you to stop asking.”

Over the years, I’ve loved many of Renee Carlino’s books and what I appreciate most about the stories she tells is how I can always count on her to step outside the box with a unique story. Its a very comforting feeling as a reader knowing that authors like her are continuing to write books because I’m always searching for stories that are just a little bit different and so I always know that every time she releases a new book, I will definitely want to check it out.

I wanted you to know that when people talk about “the one,” you were my “one.” Is that crazy? I know I’m not that for you because you have your whole life ahead of you and we only spent one night together, but I still had to tell you.

On an emotional level, this book was like a cross between Me Before You and A Thousand Boy Kisses, but with it’s own uniqueness. And the more I think about the story, I realize just how perfect both the title and cover are for it.

When I opened my eyes finally, he was holding himself above me, staring down.
“What?” I said.
He squinted slightly, as though he were trying to recall something. “How long have we been in love.”

Love. Loss. Hope. Healing. Heartbreak. This is a story that reminds you to treasure every moment of life. Something as simple as just being here – alive, with a loved one – can be the most powerful and precious gift in the universe.

Wish You Were Here is a heart-breaking, romantic, and beautiful story. It’s one of Renee Carlino’s best books yet. I read it in one sitting and absolutely loved it. If you loved Me Before You, then you have to read this book!

Rating: 4.5 stars. Standalone.

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So many secrets in this house. And yet, the one secret I should have told years ago is the one I’ve kept the quietest.

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Colleen Hoover is one of best authors I’ve ever read and her books are always sitting at the top of my recommendations lists for every kind of reader! Her books are absorbing, her characters are endearing, and each new story she writes is unique, relatable, and thought provoking. She has a very distinctive writing style that I absolutely love, I also respect and admire her as a person — the charity she has started is incredible, and each time she announces a new book, I count down the days until I’m able to read it.

Without Merit is unlike anything she’s written before. She returned to her YA roots with this one — more in the vein of Slammed and Hopeless — and yet this story is still very different even than those. It’s a slow building, slow burning story that eventually takes you completely by surprise. The most important thing to keep in mind when reading this book is that perspective changes everything. The story doesn’t tell, it shows you. It’s real, raw, and painful. And yet also deeply heart-warming and healing. It conveys a powerful message that tackles tough subjects with grace. It’s relevant and relatable. It’s a book I’d want to give to every teen, but at the same time I believe everyone would enjoy it. The story takes you right into the dark, but also brings you back and leaves you smiling.

“Not every mistake deserves a consequence.
Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.”

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth.

Other than the blurb, I don’t really want to post too much about what the story is about. Colleen Hoover is one of the authors who has fully gained my trust over the years and for me just knowing that she wrote the book is enough to make me feel confident diving into the story blind. I would strongly encourage you to do the same.

Without Merit is a quietly powerful read. It’s a slow build that didn’t really keep my heart racing as I read, but I believe that was intentional. I don’t think it was meant to be an angsty style of read. I think it was meant to be more of a fictionalized reflection of something closer to real life. Sometimes the things that influence a person’s choices the most come quietly. This isn’t the type of story where one huge, cataclysmic event changes everything. It’s the opposite. It’s a butterfly effect times ten. It’s the result of many smaller events that all together build a storm.

No one would be able to determine from the outside of our house that our family of seven includes an atheist, a home wrecker, an ex-wife suffering from a severe case of agoraphobia, and a teenage girl whose weird obsession borders on necrophilia.
No one would be able to determine any of that from inside our house, either. We’re good at keeping secrets in this family.

The first chapter really sets the tone for the whole book. You’re introduced to Merit’s character — her hopes and frustrations, and then there’s this one moment where you suddenly realize that nothing is as it seems.

“So many people dream of living in a house with a white picket fence. Little do they know, there’s no such thing as a perfect family, no matter how white the picket fence is.”

Everything about her life was unusual, odd, different than normal — like the Adams family of small town America — and as the story goes on you could really see how much she suffered from a loss of identity. When you think about ‘child neglect’, your mind often jumps to extreme – abusive – cases. But it can manifest in so many ways. Sometimes a simple lack of attention can be enough to make a child feel so invisible that they lose their sense of self-worth.

I don’t matter here, either. If I dropped out of life, just like I dropped out of school, everyone’s lives would go on.
With or without Merit.

This story has many layers to it and they build. Like I said, it’s the butterfly effect many times over. The writing is brilliant. And it builds so quietly that you don’t even notice that a storm is brewing until the moment where everything just explodes. Implodes. Everything is turned on its end and as the reader you’re RIGHT THERE with it.

I have Utah’s secret.
I have my father’s secret.
My mother’s secret.
Honor’s secret.
Luck’s secret.
I don’t want any of them anymore!
Maybe if I let all the secrets out, they wouldn’t make me feel like drowning anymore.

Perspective. You’ll keep coming back to that theme throughout the book. And when you’re finished it, you’ll look back and just realize how much perspective matters. The Voss Family was brimming with secrets. But the thing with secrets is that they aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes the villain isn’t the bad guy. And as the quote at the top of the blurb says, “Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.”

Perspective changes everything.

The story shows you every detail. It doesn’t tell you what to think. It makes you draw your own conclusions. Without meaning to, you can’t even help but judge situations. But then it shows you this one missing piece that makes you realize how wrong you were. It’s very cleverly written and eye opening.

It’s incredible how much better a kiss can make you feel, right?”
I nod. “So incredible.”
His thumb brushes my cheek, then his satisfied grin falls into a pointed stare. “That’s exactly why I won’t do it again, Merit. You need to fall in love with yourself first.”

And OMG OMG OMG! There is a BRILLIANT bookstore scene!!!!!!!! I don’t want to spoil anything but if you’ve been a longtime fan of this author and follow her, you’ll get a serious kick out of that scene 😀

As I said, this book is unlike anything else Colleen Hoover has written. It’s a new direction for her and, like all her other books, it’s a strong and stellar read I whole-heartedly recommend. If I had to describe it, I’d say it’s very much like It Ends With Us in feeling, but instead this book is targeted at the teen age range rather than adult. But again, I do believe this is a book that everyone will enjoy! It’s easily one of my favorite books of the year!

Rating: 4.5 stars! Mature YA Standalone.

• Buy WITHOUT MERIT (Kindle)
• Buy WITHOUT MERIT (Hardcover)
• Buy WITHOUT MERIT (Paperback)
• Buy WITHOUT MERIT (Audiobook)
• Buy WITHOUT MERIT (iBooks)

“This feels… right.”
His eyes searched mine. “It does. As much as I fought it, and it’s against every rule at work, nothing’s felt this right in a long time. Maybe I couldn’t get you out of my head because you were supposed to be there.”

• Buy BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE (Kindle)
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HOLY SQUEEEEEE!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book!! It was HOT, SEXY, SWOOOOONY, and yet also FULL OF FEELS!! When I first started reading it, I was completely enjoying it – I felt totally wrapped up the story and was loving everything I was reading. But then came… an unexpected TWIST!!! One part of the story connected with another in a way that I didn’t see coming and OH MY GOD from that point on, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!!! I was flipping those pages so fast I barely stopped to breath! I smiled, swooned, and got choked up with emotion. And the epilogue brought happy tears to my eyes. I’ve loved many of Vi Keeland’s books over this years but I can say with full certainty that this is my favorite book she’s written! I highly recommend it as a TOP FAVORITE!!

Vi Keeland is one of my go-to authors. I always look forward to her new book releases because after having read so many of her books, I know that I’m almost certainly going to love them. In fact, when I first started reading this book, I got to chapter three because realizing that I hadn’t even read the blurb — which is a pretty big deal for me because as a reader, I like to know exactly what I get into. There is a very small selection of authors whose books I’ll read without even finding out what they’re about first and I guess Vi Keeland just became one of them!

I think the best way to describe exactly why I love her writing is because it’s effortless. You don’t feel like she’s trying to hard, but you can tell that the book is both well written and edited. The story flows smoothly and there are generally no good stopping points. Her books are easy to read and yet carry a wonderful balance of sexiness, humor, and emotion. They’re both light-hearted and yet grounded by serious feels. I usually find her heroine’s relatable and her heroes dreamy but characterized in a way that makes them feel believably real. For all these reasons, she’s easily one of my favorite romance authors and I’m always excited to read her new books.

Anyways, I’m rambling. Here’s what this book is about:

The first time I met Caine West was in a bar.
He noticed me looking his way and mistakenly read my scowling as checking him out.
When he attempted to talk to me, I set him straight—telling him what I thought of his lying, cheating, egomaniacal ass.
You see, the gorgeous jerk had wined and dined my best friend–smooth talking her into his bed, all along failing to mention that he was married.
He deserved every bit of my tongue-lashing and more for what he’d done.
Especially when that lazy smile graced his perfect face in response to my rant.
Only it turned out, the man I’d just told off wasn’t the right guy.
Oops. My mistake.
Embarrassed, I slunk out without an apology.
I was never going to see the handsome stranger again anyway, right?
That’s what I thought…until I walked into class the next morning.
Well, hello Professor West, I’m your new teaching assistant.
I’ll be working under you…figuratively speaking.
Although the literal interpretation might not be such a bad thing—working under Professor West.
This was going to be interesting…

So of course this story starts off with the heroine being shocked to discover that the mystery man who she mistakenly gave a tongue lashing to in a bar was actually her new boss/professor. But her first real surprise came when she dug into his past and discovered that he used to have a different name and a whole other life before becoming the sexy, yet infuriating, professor she was now swooning over.

“You didn’t answer my question. How old are you?”
“Old enough to be your professor.”
… “So, what? About sixty then?”
“I’m thirty-two, wiseass. Are you happy?”
I smiled. “I am, actually.”
He slipped his glasses back on and returned to the menu.
I leaned in. “You don’t look a day over thirty-one.”
He shook his head and continued reading, but I caught the corner of his lip twitch.

Their attraction to each other was however tempered at first by the professional lines between them. She was his TA and he was her professor. There were rules in place and somehow things kept pulling them apart. But even though they both knew they shouldn’t give in, they desperately wanted to.

When I looked up, he was staring at me. “Christ. Are you trying to get me fired?”
“What?”
His eyes moved back and forth between mine. “You really have no goddamn clue, do you?”

And OHHH MY PROFESSOR WEST!! When their chemistry did finally reach a breaking point, let me just tell you that things got HOT HOT HOT! Any of you looking for a steamy sexy romance will certainly not be disappointed!

“Don’t ask for something you don’t want. I’m warming you.” He took a step closer, invading my personal space.
His pupils were dilated, and he looked angry as hell, but there was something lurking just beneath his dark gaze — desire.
I tilted my head coyly and leaned in. “Who says I don’t want it?”

I also loved the deeper and more emotional undertones to the story that tugged all my heartstrings and brought a wonderful balance to the otherwise lighter side of this romance.

“Do you have any scars?”
“No visible ones,” he said. “Although the invisible scars are the hardest to heal.”

And then…. OMGGGGG!!! There is a TWIST to this story!! Ok wait, I need to back up for a minute. And don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything. So, as you read, you’ll see the story is mostly told in present day and it’s about Caine and Rachel’s story. But there are a few other chapters mixed in from Caine’s past sixteen years ago that are painful and heart-wrenching and real show you a whole other side to this character. Now, I thought they were just there to flesh out the story and all, BUTTTTTTTTT. There’s a twist. A connection. A holy-shit-omg moment. And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter because I don’t want to take away YOUR surprise moment when you read the book. But just damnnn I didn’t see it coming and I LOVED the extra depth it gave the story. I literally got chills and could not put the book down from that point on!!!

Fuck!
FUUUUCK!
… I closed my eyes and let my head spin some more.
How do I find out?
How do I find out?

This is definitely one of those books I want to make everyone read because I’m so excited to see their reactions to the story too! It’s like one of those books you want to tell your friends to read and “keep you posted” as they’re reading so you can experience their reactions too.

He read my goofy smile. “What?”
“This feels… right.”
His eyes searched mine. “It does. As much as I fought it, and it’s against every rule at work, nothing’s felt this right in a long time. Maybe I couldn’t get you out of my head because you were supposed to be there.”

Now, this is the seventh book I’ve read by this author so I’m speaking with some background here when I say that, in my opinion, this is Vi Keeland’s best book yet!! It was a truly fantastic read and definitely one of my top favorites of the year! I highly recommend this to everyone looking for an amazing book to fall in love with!

Rating: 4.5+ STARS!! Standalone Adult Contemporary Romance.

• Buy BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE (Kindle)
• Buy BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE (Paperback)
• Buy BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE (iTunes)

“I wake up every morning thinking about you.” My head thumps softly against the wall as I close my eyes, reveling in the feel of his mouth against my ear. “I go to bed at night thinking about you.” Blood rushes through my veins with the adrenaline his words create. “Please tell me it’s not just me.”

• Buy UNTIL IT FADES (Kindle)
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*SWOOOOOON*

This was such a sweet love story that showcased a new and wonderful side of K.A. Tucker’s writing. This story is full of love, family, and swoon! It was a well-written, slow-burning romance that genuinely made me happy to read it! If you’re a fan of heart-melting Alpha heroes and single mom heroines, you should definitely read this book!

So this story is about a Catherine Wright, a young single mother working as a truck stop waitress in a small town. She had a past that she was desperate to keep hidden from the media and her young daughter, but her world was turned upside down when she rescued a mysterious man from a burning car wreck on the side of a lonely country road one foggy night… What she didn’t know until later is that her mystery man was none other than Brett Madden, a famous hockey star and media darling and his rescue had become the talk of every news reporter in the country. Even though she tried hard to keep her identity hidden, Brett was determined to find out who the woman who saved his life was and when they finally met, neither of them could ignore their attraction…

One of the many things I loved about this story was that, especially since the whole thing was told from Catherine’s POV, the story took the time to show us her past in the very beginning in a way that made you really understand what she was going through and why she tried so hard to keep her identity away from the media at first. The story was never rushed allowing you to experience her emotions and worries along with her. But despite her attempts to keep away from the media, Brett did eventually find out who she was and showed up in person to thank her.

“I’ve been lying in a hospital bed for the past week, thinking of what I’d say when I finally met you, and here I am now and even though I’m talking, I feel completely speechless… And in awe.”
“You’re in awe?” I snort, and then my cheeks burn bright with embarrassment and I avert my gaze to the floor, because I just snorted in front of Brett Madden.
“I would be dead if it weren’t for you.”
“Anyone would have done the same.”
“No. That’s not true. A lot of people would not have done the same. A lot of people would have taken one look at the car and not bothered. Or they would have seen the first flame and ran.” His large hand gently and completely wraps around my biceps, his touch both soothing and inducing heart palpitations. “You’re half my size, you have a child, and you did the impossible, and because you did that, I’m standing here right now.”

Oh my gosh, Brett was such a gorgeous hero! Not only was he a sexy swoony hockey player, he was also just a genuinely GOOD guy through and through. He was completely unaffected by his wealth and fame, and was a grounded, caring, generous, and kind man who treated everyone as his equal. And given his humble nature, he was deeply drawn to Catherine who didn’t want to accept anything from him in return for saving his life. Her sincere attitude was a welcome relief in his world and he couldn’t help wanting to spend more time around her…

“Do you know how many people want you two to get together? You should see all the stuff online.”
“No, thanks.” I fumble with the apron ties around my waist. “Why do people even care? They don’t know us. What happens between us has no impact on them.”
“Because it’s like a fairy tale!”
A fairy tale.
The poor, lonely waitress with a past, the jaded single mother with scars, who scrubs ketchup off tables and serves fries to truck drivers ensnares the rich, gorgeous, kind prince. I guess it’s kind of like Cinderella. Though Cinderella got herself beautiful glass slippers on her night of magic. Mine involved shabby black heels, which were left for dead in a ditch.

Theirs was a truly slow-burning love story — there’s no insta-love here — but the slower pacing made complete and total sense for these characters and everything they’d been through both together and separately. I actually really appreciated that nothing was rushed and that the story took the time to become quite believable.

He grins sheepishly. “When I went home that night, I told my parents that I was madly in love with this brave and beautiful woman who saved my life.”
Oh my God. My heart’s beating in my throat.
“Of course they convinced me that I was completely overwhelmed and that I needed to get some rest.”
“I’m sure they were right,” I mumble.
“I thought so too, honestly.” He swallows hard. “But then you had to go and be not just brave and beautiful but also humble, and funny, and honest. And I couldn’t stop thinking about what it’d be like to be with you… So I need you to tell me what I need to do for you to give me that chance.” His jaw tenses as he locks eyes with me. “Please.”

And I think my favorite part of the whole story was how sweet Brett was with Catherine’s young daughter. I loved the way he always included her every time he asked Catherine to go anywhere with him. Even if he was just inviting her over to watch a game, he openly invited her daughter along and always included her. Plus, kids that age pretty much have no filter and reading about her and Brett chatting away together was utterly heart-melting!

Even though on the surface, much of their story feels a little like a modern fairy-tale, it’s also a beautiful story about a woman who has been let down by life and love and nearly everyone in her life (including herself) learning to trust again, learning to be fearless and daring to follow her heart both for the sake of her own happiness and to set a strong example for her daughter.

I read this book in one afternoon and loved it! As the story got closer to the end though, I’m not gonna lie, I flipped those pages pretty fast with that omg-how-is-everything-going-to-be-resolved-before-the-last-page feeling but luckily everything was in a beautiful, swoon-filled happily ever after befitting of this modern fairy tale.

K.A. Tucker has been one of my favorite authors for many years now. I love her writing style and her stories always draw me in. This one was much lighter in feeling than many of her previous books and I really enjoyed it! It was a truly well-written and delightful read that I’d highly recommend to all romance readers!

Rating: 4-4.5 stars! Standalone Contemporary Romance.

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