Tuesday 28 April 2020

Jace by Sasha Summers (Kings of Country #1) #bookreview #romance #countryromance

Jace

(Kings of Country #1)


by

Let the music carry you away in this brand-new series featuring the King family and their country music dynasty

Music is all he has...but is it enough to heal them both?

Jace Black went from an oilfield roughneck to an overnight singing sensation. Now he's working on a duet with country music legend Krystal King, and he's determined to earn his way to the top. But the more time he spends with Krystal, the more he finds himself falling for her--and he's beginning to be more interested in her than he is in making a name for himself.

Krystal King grew up on stage and in the spotlight. No matter how golden her life appears, her past left deep wounds. But Jace Black makes her wish things were different. To do that, she'd have to risk letting him in... And that might be too big a risk for her battered heart to take.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52014548-jace



Source:
Genre:
Part? or Standalone


My Jace Review . . .

It has been a long time since I read a Sasha Summers novel and I was quite happy to return to this author. I liked the concept of this book and the potential series to follow. Jace Black is an up and comer new singer from one of those reality shows, and ends up with the opportunity to sing a duet with his favorite singer/songwriter Krystal King.

The King family is basically country royalty. Krystal and her twin sister Emmy and her brother Travis have a band together called Three Kings.

Krystal has been treated like crap when it comes to her mother and her talent is ignored. When her mom tries to overstep and have Jace sing with Emmy instead of Krystal whom wrote the song, Krystal gets upset. This is where it all starts for Jace and Krystal.

Thankfully Emmy and her sister have a good bond and great banter, with Emmy always having her back and trying to get everything that Krystal deserves.

Some great example of Emmy's support:

"Now talk to me. We don't want to go to Australia? We don't know what to make for dinner? We don't want to lose Jace but we're still borderline emotionally constipated and think we can't have him even though he clearly be had . . . by you."


"Don't let fear stop this. You're this brave, strong woman. Be brave for me."


Now my tiny irk. In romance fiction when one of the characters takes a choice to save the other is so redundant and sadly irks me. Again this story line was here.

"My choice to make."


All the characters were written well. Her mom was quite the piece of work and she was written well, that you hated her from the start, where the dad was written that you felt for him and his bad choices but also his regret.

Krystal is portrayed by the media as a hell raiser but that is far from the truth as possible. It was her past secret that no one believed once she told the truth, and the aftermath of those choices made Krystal the way she is. The journey for her to move forward and find her strength was done well and you couldn't help but fall in love with Jace from the moment we meet him and with his heartbreaking back story.

There are so many elements to come with Travis, Emmy and Sawyer. Hopefully their nasty mom is going to behave in the future.

The one thing that confused me the most was Three Kings were all adults and had issues with their mom but they all lived at Home. So many problems could be been less if they didn't live there. Just a thought, but where would the angst be if they didn't live there.

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Lauren




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Sunday 26 April 2020

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker (The Simple Wild #2) #bookreview #romance

Wild at Heart

(The Simple Wild #2)


by

Calla Fletcher returns to Toronto a different person, struggling to find direction and still very much in love with the rugged bush pilot she left behind. When Jonah arrives on her doorstep with a proposition she can’t dismiss, she takes the leap and rushes back to Alaska to begin their exciting future together.

But Calla soon learns that even the best intentions can lead to broken promises, and that compromise comes with a hefty price—a log cabin in interior rural Alaska that feels as isolating as the western tundra.

With Jonah gone more than he’s home, one neighbor who insists on transforming her into a true Alaskan, and another who seems more likely to shoot her than come to her aid, Calla grapples with forging her own path. In a world with roaming wildlife that has her constantly watching over her shoulder and harsh conditions that stretch far beyond the cold, dark, winter months, just stepping outside her front door can be daunting.

This is not the future Calla had in mind, leaving her to fear that perhaps she is doomed to follow in her mother’s fleeing footsteps after all.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50607148-wild-at-heart?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Zoz9RSapyP&rank=2


Source: Kindle
Genre: Adult Romance
Part 2 of 2



My Wild at Heart Review ...

I wasn't sure how this story was going to go after The Simple Wild. Don't get me wrong The Simple Wild is one of my favorite books, but I wasn't sure if this book was going to drag out Jonah and Calla or were we going to get a different story after the loss of Wren.

"I can't remember what it feels like not being in love with you, Calla."

What we got was pure beauty. We got to see the evolution of both Jonah and Calla, as they are trying to find their way together and compromising without losing themselves in the process. Jonah is normally a direct communicator but the fear of losing Calla causes him to not be as great with communication, while Calla thinks she's giving it her all but is she really?

"You were made for me. I am madly in love with you, Calla Fletcher."

I love that their break down in communication is NOT the whole story, its just part of the story and it's what helps them find their way back to each other. Loved getting to see the other characters as well. Especially that we get to see Aggie and Mabel again.

"Find your place here. Something that's going to give you - Calla Fletcher - purpose. Something that feels like you." She nods slowly, as if agreeing with her own answer. "Find that, and then give it your all."

For Calla this world is so new to her, and she doesn't have the familiarity where they live nor have her parents or friends visiting. She tries to find herself but loses herself in the process, but with the help of new characters and her learning to communicate with Jonah it helps her find her way.

"No, Calla, I think you came here wanting to try, but you're so hung up on not being your mother that you can't seem to figure out a way to be yourself."

Often in stories they can drag out too long, but I was so sad when this story ended. I hope we get more from these two as there is still so much that can be explored with all the characters involved. I want to see how the interaction with Jonah's family and her go. As well as with his family and her family. Will they have kids? How does that change things for them? Will Roy get to reunite with his family? Will Muriel find the truth about Roy how will she react?

This story had a beautiful simplicity, as well as a woven complexity around it which gave it such a balance. I absolutely love Jonah and Calla together, and I'm so happy we got to see them again and see if they can find a balance with this new world for them. A world without Wren in the picture, as well as her trying to navigate a different path than her mom chose.

5 Fabulous thumbs up!


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Lauren





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Friday 24 April 2020

Enemies by Tijan #bookreview #romance #sportsromance #footballromance

Enemies

by

Stone Reeves was my neighbor, and I've hated him since sixth grade.

Gorgeous and charismatic, he became the town's football god, while I became the town's invisible girl.
He went to a Division 1 school for football, while my father was fired by his father.
His team won the National Championship, while my mother died the same day.

He was a first round pick for the NFL ...
... while I made the worst decision of my life.

Now I'm in Texas trying to pick up the pieces of my life.
But, Stone is here.
Stone is everywhere.

It doesn't matter that disaster has struck my life again.
It doesn't matter that he's the one trying to console me.
It doesn't matter that he's the nation's newest football obsession.

Because for me, he always has been and always will be my enemy.

** Enemies is a 100k enemies-to-lovers football romance standalone!


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49047293-enemies?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=goGwvBIwRv&rank=3



Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: NA Sports/Football Romance
Standalone


My Enemies Review ...

I love Teardrop Shot so much, that I was stoked to read another sports romance by Tijan.    Sport Romances are my guilty pleasure and so far Tijan is 2 for 2 in this category.

This time around we have a love hate relationship between Dusty and Stone.   I liked Dusty from the start.  She was not your normal character which I appreciated.  She had her challenges and her flaws.

The prologue hooks you in to find out what happened any why.  That window was enough to understand Dusty's hostility then we find out the whole truth of where her pain was coming from.

You felt for Dusty because so much shit was happening to her that most people would not be able to handle all that.   Here love/hate relationship with Stone is the anchor she needed to pull through.  I loved Stone and Dusty together.

This book totally checked so many boxes for me.  Sport Romance.  Check.  Enemies to lovers. Check.  Sweet Romance.  Check.  Not predictable.  Check.

I absolutely adore Tijan and can't wait for more.

4 Enemies to lovers thumbs up!


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Lauren




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