4 stars

“When we were together… Kade had always said our love was bigger than the sky.”

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As a huge fan of second chance love and Alpha male romance, I could not resist reading this book after I read the blurb. Here, I’ll just show you so you can see for yourself:

“Five years ago, I left my fiancé, hotter than hot Navy SEAL Kade Kelly, at the altar. No, I’m not an idiot. Yes, I had my reasons… Upon returning to my hometown, I find that Kade’s now home for good… He scares the crap out of me. He thrills me. He used to tell me our love was bigger than the sky…. I always knew ours was a once-in-a-lifetime love. So how can he be so sure it can happen again?”

The entire story is told to us from Amelia’s POV and the tone of it is actually quite light-hearted! It’s a full-length novel but a very fast read and I found myself easily breezing though the pages. Overall, I’d say that it was a fun read with a sexy romance that tugged my heart strings mixed in with some small-town drama.

Kade was the highlight of the book for me. I totally loved him. He was a sweet Alpha male. Very dominant, broody and possessive, but not in an overbearing way. That poor guy really had his heart broken when she’d left. But, being the big badass Alpha that he was, he was determined not to lose her a second time.

“Every night, babe, closed my eyes, saw your face.”

It was kind of a classic storyline. He loves her, he wants her back, so he rescues her, brings her to his home, protects her, wants to rekindle their romance… while there wasn’t anything really surprising about the storyline, I still totally bought it. Kade made me swoon and I loved seeing him work to get his girl back.

Amelia was funny. I liked her ‘voice’ and she gave the whole story a fun vibe. To be honest, the drama did get “over-the-top” at times but for some reason, it mostly just worked for me. I wasn’t trying to take things seriously, and just found myself loving their romance and overall feeling quite entertained by the story.

“My emotions have been flipping out since the moment I saw him and the I’m-really-sorry-I-left-your-gorgeous-ass-at-the-altar-five-years-ago-I-dont-know-what-else-to-do-but-apologize-but-now-you’ve-killed-me-by-buying-the-house-I-loved-which-makes-me-want-to-stab-you-repeatedly-but-would-you-mind-so-much-if-I-fuck-you-first-before-murdering-you thing I’ve got going is wearing me out.”

There’s plenty of steam in this this book! They’d had years of history together and once they rekindled their romance, things got quite hot… many times… in many places… and many positions 😉

“Open your eyes,” I hear his gravelly voice call to me. 

When I do, my eyes lock onto his, which are so full of intensity… so full of pride because he knows he’s made me come hard… and so full of love.

There were a few things that had me rolling my eyes (especially that extra bit of drama at the end – omg! O.o) but I honestly just went with it. For whatever reason, things that might otherwise have turned me away, actually just worked for me here. I think the main reason was the fact that the romance was so strong and so heartfelt that it just kept the story very centered and I really appreciated that.

“Loved you a long time. Never stopped. Was lost without you those five years. Don’t even know how I kept breathing, but somehow I did. And now here you are.”

Kade and Amelia’s story was completely wrapped up at the end of this book with a HEA and a really sweet epilogue, but there is a secondary side story (involving their friends) that leads you right into the next book. And I actually really love that story set up — it sounds deliciously heart-wrenching — so I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series whenever it comes out!

Overall, I found this book really entertaining — I swooned. It was hot. Cute. Funny. Romantic. Steamy. As I said, it got to be a little ‘much’ at times, but it wasn’t that big a deal and I’m really happy I read it!

Oh, and also, I seriously love the cover and the way that the title ties in with the story.

Rating: 4 stars. Standalone (first in a series of standalones).

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“I’m so used to people only caring about my situation. I forgot what it was like to have someone care about me.”

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What a sweet story!

This was a really touching YA romance with a unique set-up. The hero was homeless, having run away from his abusive foster home, and the heroine was a straight-A high school senior who fell in love with him. Two people from completely opposite worlds meeting by chance and finding true love.

Even from the first few pages of Dean’s story, my heart went out to him. Here he was at 17 years old alone, homeless, and at the end of his line. After ten years of failed foster homes, he finally was placed in one so brutal that striking out on his own, even without a roof over his head, was better than suffering through that pain. He was determined to make it on own though, without accepting help, and he had one thing that was keeping him going…

“My parents might be dead, but my sister isn’t. I promised myself the day the social worker ripped her from me I’d find her.”

In complete contrast to his life, Anna’s life was fueled by her Ivy League dream. As a straight-A student and a perfectionist, Harvard and Princeton were in her future. And in order to better her chances of getting in, she volunteered at various places, including a soup kitchen… which was where she met Dean.

 “How long have you been…?” She stops, but I know what she was going to say.
“Homeless? You can say it. It’s just a word…and the truth? About two years.”

Something about him drew her in, made her want to know more about him, and despite her rule to never get attached, she couldn’t stay away from him… Even though they met by chance, they kept choosing to see more and more of each other until being together just felt like the most natural thing in the world.

“When will I see you again?”
“Soon.” He zips up his hoodie and puts a jacket over it. “We can’t seem to stay away from each other.”

This story is told in alternating POVs between Dean and Anna. I have to say that Dean’s side of the story especially really tugged my heartstrings. Gosh, what a sweet, kind, wonderful guy! My heart broke for him and for the shitty hand that life had dealt him, but he was so easy to fall in love with.

“Would a girl like Anna even think about me let alone want to be with me? … What can I give her? I literally have nothing to offer.”

In contrast though, I had a bit of a harder time connecting with Anna. Even though her heart was in the right place, I felt there were times when her lack of awareness/maturity really showed through — like in the way she said certain things in front of him that were casually careless, instead of being aware of how her life of privilege would naturally afford her a better life. But she learned quickly and she really was a good person, she really did care deeply for him, and I loved that she saw him, not just a homeless guy.

I know this doesn’t matters to everyone, but I also know some of you like to be aware of this so I’ll just let you that this is genuinely YA — there’s no sex at all, just some kissing. To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed this story even more if it had been set in college, rather than high school, but I still very much enjoyed it as it was. — Oh, also, I do wish there had been an epilogue. At the end, we’re left with the feeling that they’ve gotten through the worst of things and are on a path that will lead them to a future filled with happiness, but I would have loved to see some of that future in an additional chapter at the end.

I found this to be a really easy read, but one that kept my attention throughout. It’s very well-written and I read it in one sitting. There’s almost no angst and no unnecessary drama, but there are definitely some darker themes given his life on the street and the harsh realities of his situation. I’d honestly say this would be a great “recovery” read. If you’ve just come off either some really dark or intense reads, then this would be a great one to follow up with because there was nothing that made me sob or put my heart in my throat, but at the same time, it made me care for the characters and I really enjoyed reading their story.

Rating: 4 stars. Contemporary YA romance.

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“This is me. I protect the people I love.”

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Sexy, action-packed, Alpha male fun!!

Teehee!!! I really enjoyed this!! The hero was a total Alpha male (bossy, possessive, bit of an ass, huge heart) and the heroine was hiding out at his house because she’d witnessed a mob hit which naturally brought out his uber-protective side 😉 But, as per the title, they both made assumptions about each other that got them off to a rocky start. They both judged. He assumed she was a stripper. She assumed he was an asshole. Neither of them were completely wrong but they also did not have the right idea either. And the fun process of seeing them untangle their assumptions from reality began….

I loved the whole set up of the story. This was one of those books where I tested out a chapter to see if I liked it and then I just never put it down and kept flipping those pages right through ’til the end!

Some scenes had me laughing out loud for pages on end, and others would hit right in the feels. Lots of sexy hot steaminess, sweetness, ‘omg-he-did-not-just-say-that’ moments, all mixed in with a healthy dose of badass action. Roll all that together with great dialogue and a fast-paced plot and you’ve got a really fun read!

“You should never judge, sweet cheeks. I was a sniper. I know how to kill someone with one finger, and I guarantee nothing will happen to you while I’m here.”

Kenton Mayson was about as badass as they come. Dangerously protective. That man was willing to go to any lengths to protect his woman and was way more concerned with justice than he was with the law. But he loved her completely and you could see that in all his actions towards her. It was seriously endearing.

Autumn was the kind of girl who didn’t let life get her down. She had some hilarious moments (that bed/balcony scene? LOL!!) and I liked that she wasn’t afraid to stand up to Kenton no matter what he did.

Most of the story is from Autumn’s POV but we also get key scenes/chapters from Kenton’s side of things. And I really loved that we had a nice, long epilogue at the end!! — There were a few things here and there that I wanted a little ‘more’ or a little ‘less’ of, but overall, I really enjoyed it and will absolutely be looking forward to more books by this author!!

If you’re in the mood for a fun, Alpha male romance with a badass hero, a feisty heroine, and a great blend of action, steam, and romance, give this a try!! 🙂

Rating: 4 — 4.5 stars. Can be read as a standalone.

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This is a standalone and the first book in a new series of standalones that spins-off of The Until Series, which SO many readers have told me they loved!! This was my first book by this author however, and you could totally either start with this one or read it on it’s own. 

“I love you. Don’t ever forget that… Twice as much as yesterday, but not half as much as tomorrow.”

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I read this forbidden romance in one sitting the other night!! It was one of those surprise reads where I tried out the first chapter to see if I would like the book and then just never put it down!

The story starts out with heart-break. Genevieve learned that her husband, best friend, and long-time love would never return from his deployment right after finding out that she was pregnant with their first child. Two years later, his loss still weighed heavily on her. He might be physically gone, but she still felt married to him in her heart. She’d had her first love and lost him, and now her only focus was on their little boy.

“Cade is a hard act to follow. He loved me. It’s hard to describe, but I feel like we’re still together, that he’s still mine and I’m still his – even though he’s gone.”

She wasn’t looking for a relationship and wasn’t looking to ever replace him but ended up finding love again in the most unlikely of places… with her lawn boy, Daniel, who’d been caring for her and her son from afar for many years.

Ok, so I’ll admit that I was a little nervous going into this book because of the age gap thing. Not that I’m judging or anything but sometimes it just doesn’t work for me. But in this case, it honestly just felt right. For the record, Daniel was 22 years old (about 10 years younger than her) and this completely amazing guy. Mature, self-sufficient, in full control of his life. He was kind, caring, and he made her feel safe. And I think it helped that he was the one who made the move to enter her life initially. He just quietly took care of them until, as a reader, you just could see so clearly that he belonged with them. It just felt right. And honestly, the way that their relationship developed was really sweet. Naturally, Gen had understandable worries about how their relationship would look to the rest of the world but for them, it really just worked.

There were only 2 things that bothered me a little… First, Gen’s mother and her whole attitude kind of drove me up the wall and but hey, thankfully she didn’t do any lasting damage. And second, I wish there’s been an epilogue. There is a happy ending and it does end in a good place but I do feel like an epilogue would have been a good addition to have.

This is a standalone romance though. Overall, I’d say it’s a little emotional — there were a few times when I got misty-eyed — and quite sweet. Daniel and Gen were an unlikely couple but I really liked them together. And I gotta say, it’s incredibly swoony to watch a guy care for a child that isn’t his and just totally accept that child into his life. I also found it to be quite an easy read. It’s a full-length novel but I was surprised at how quickly the pages flew by. I liked the writing style and just generally really enjoyed the story.

Rating: 4 stars. Standalone romance.

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“We all have scars… Some are just more visible than others.”

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What a sweet romance!

I loved the sound of this when I first heard about it and just had to give it a try. I thought it might be a bit of an emotional roller coaster to be honest, but it was more of a low-angst, “make-you-smile” kind of love story about a girl with a damaged heart and a guy who’d lost it all finding love and healing with each other.

Lailah was born with a heart defect and had spent most of her life in the hospital dreaming about a life outside it’s walls. She was a survivor though and lucky to be alive given her condition.

Jude was emotionally broken on the inside. After losing the woman he loved in a tragic accident, he began to work in the hospital she’d died in, the memories and guilt of his loss so strong that he couldn’t let go. He covered himself with tattoos and kept to himself, keeping his true identity a secret from the whole world.

But when he saw Lailah, something inside his heart came back to life. For the first time in three years, he felt something more than just emptiness and he decided to make it his mission to try and bring happiness into her life. And, that is how their story began…

“He was like a Greek god covered in tattoos — and scrubs. Or at least that’s what the nurses were describing him as.

Having spent the majority of my life in a hospital bed, I knew I was a little innocent when it came to the male species, but I understood “hot” when it smacked me in the face – or walked by my door and the little I’d seen was definitely droolworthy.”

I don’t want to tell you guys any more of the story, but I’ll just say that the way they actually meet is just SO incredibly cute!! There is a lot of swoon and sweetness in this story as they become friends first and then more. They were two broken hearts slowly mending each other but the scary thing was that she was living on borrowed time. She needed a transplant to live so throughout it all, their future was ever uncertain.

“Asking someone to step into my world would be like asking him to sign away his own life to take care of mine. I could never do that. Love wasn’t an option for me.”

I want to reassure you that this story won’t devastate you. No ugly tears! There are definitely some more emotional parts but they’re not going to rip your heart out. Oh, and it’s also a standalone so you get the whole story in one sitting! If you’re looking for a sweet love story to get lost in, try this one!

Rating: 4 stars. Standalone New Adult romance.

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Note: This can be read as a complete standalone.
After release, the author announced a second book which
continued the story into a 2-book duet. Both books are now available.

Click covers to purchase either one.