Review: The Perfect Illusion by Winter Renshaw

The Perfect Illusion by Winter Renshaw

Kindle Edition, 408 pages

Published April 24th, 2017

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads

It’s only pretend…

And it’s only three months.

I’m in the midst of scrawling “I QUIT!” onto his fancy cardstock letterhead when my boss corners me. He needs a favor, he says. And then he asks how well I can act …

Hudson Rutherford needs a fiancée.

With his old-moneyed parents forcing him to marry some bratty hotel heiress and his hedonistic, playboy lifestyle at stake, the only way to get them to back off is to make them think he’s truly, madly, deeply in love … with me—his third personal assistant this year.

But I can hardly stand working for him as it is.

Hudson is crazy hot and well-aware. He’s arrogant, spoiled, and silver-spooned. He checks me out when he thinks I’m not looking, and his life is a revolving door of beautiful women. Plus, he can’t even pronounce my name correctly—how’s he going to convince his family he’s in love with me?!

I’m seconds from giving him a resounding “no” when he flashes his signature dimpled smirk and gives me a number that happens to contain a whole mess of zeroes …

On second thought, I think I can swallow my pride.

But, oh baby, there’s one thing I haven’t told him, one teensy-tiny thing that could make this just a hair complicated …

Here’s hoping this entire thing doesn’t explode in our faces.

My thoughts…  **Spoilers**

The Perfect Illusion is very predictable, but I still enjoyed it.

Hudson, spoiled millionaire, sexy and the biggest arrogant jerk needs a fake fiancée before his 30th birthday. Underneath all that arrogance is nice, generous and caring guy, and he has his sight set on his Personal Assistant Maribel.

Maribel is an independent young woman who is not going to put up with Hudson’s rudeness or mistreatment of her. She knows she can no longer work for him and is ready to quit, even if that means leaving New York City.

Hudson needs a wife and Mari seems to be the perfect contender. She is beautiful, sweet, caring and would be perfect for meeting his family. Mari has just found out she is pregnant after a one-night stand and has no luck contacting the father. She thinks going home to Nebraska is the right decision for her and her baby. Hudson makes her an offer, pay her to pretend to be married to him.

Hudson takes Mari home to meet his family, they are so nice and caring and they instantly like Mari and welcome her. Hudson starts to fall for Mari, something he didn’t think he was capable of, he is determined to make their fake relationship work for real. Mari begins to have real feelings for Hudson as well and feels guilty for not telling him about her pregnancy. Things become difficult and the story picks up when Mari meets Hudson’s best friend Alec, her baby’s father.  

I loved the chemistry between Mari and Hudson, but the secrets they kept from each other made me want to smack their heads together. This book had me smiling from the beginning.

Happy Reading -J 

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Review: Absinthe by Winter Renshaw

Absinthe by Winter Renshaw

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published August 6th, 2017

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads

The name on the screen was “Absinthe.”

But I knew her as the sultry voice blowing up my phone for late night chats about Proust and Hemingway interspersed between the filthiest little … mutually satisfying exchanges ... I'd ever experienced in my life.

We’d never met. 

Until the day she walked into my office, her cherry lips wrapped around a candy apple sucker and an all too familiar voice that said, “You wanted to see me, Principal Hawthorne?”

My thoughts…

Absinthe isn’t your typical student-teacher taboo relationship, this story is so much more.

Halston had it rough growing up, a childhood that no one should ever have to go through. Halston has moved into her uncle’s home to complete her last year of high school at a very prestigious school. Halston is the type of girl that says what she means and makes no apologies for it. To pass her time, Halston decides to try a dating app to talk to someone before school begins, she uses the screen name Absinthe, after her mother’s drink of choice.

Ford Hawthorne is starting his professional career with his dream job. He isn't about to let anything or anyone come in his way of achieving his dreams. Being the new Principal of one of the most prestigious high-school is stressful. Ford uses the same dating app and begins talking to Absinthe, he is instantly intrigued because she is a smart woman who quotes the greatest literature pieces of all time. He has an instant connection with Absinthe, but because of his job he knows that they can never meet. Ford had no idea that the woman who stimulated his mind and body would be someone forbidden.

One afternoon Halston is sent the office after being reprimanded by her teacher. In walks Halston, and the last thing Ford expects to hear is that sultry voice that has been constantly playing in his head. Then she is suddenly repeating familiar words from their conversation back to him.

When the unimaginable happens Ford automatically blames the only person that could have done this to him, Halston. He is so angry that he just moves on. Over the years Halston tries to find Ford and has no luck. Years go by with no contact at all. When Halston and Ford are brought back together, it's not an easy start, a lot of misunderstanding, some very hurtful words and actions that are not forgettable.

Absinthe, the story, was more emotional than I expected. I adored Halston, she was a strong heroine and could overcome so much. I really loved this story even though it wasn’t your typical taboo student/teacher romance, Halston and Ford never crossed that line. My only issue was that I wanted Ford and Halston to have more time together, their chemistry in person was undeniable. Another great read by Winter Renshaw.

“It was never about the student-teacher dynamic,” he says. “It was only ever about you. All I ever wanted was the smart-mouthed girl who quoted Great Gatsby in a world where everyone else quoted Nickelback.”
― Winter Renshaw, Absinthe

Happy Reading -J 

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Review: Blue Heaven by C.J. Box

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box

John Bedford Lloyd (Narrator)

Audiobook, Duration: 11:34:34

Published 2008 by Macmillan Audio

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads 

A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother are on the run in the Idaho woods, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder—four men who know exactly who William and Annie are. And where their mother lives.

Retired policemen from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the local sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children. Now there's nowhere left for William and Annie to hide…and no one they can trust. Until they meet Jess Rawlins.

Rawlins, an old-school rancher, knows trouble when he sees it. He is only one against four men who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses. But in this thrilling mystery novel from C.J. Box, these ex-cops don't know just how far Rawlins will go to protect William and Annie…and see that justice is done.

Blue Heaven is the winner of the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Novel.

My thoughts…

This is my first book by C.J. Box, Blue Heaven was selected by my library book club for the month of October. I’m happy that I listened to this on audio, I’m positive if I was reading it in print I would have skimmed quite a bit. The author provided an exhaustive background of each of the characters and to be honest, some of the characters I could have cared less about them.

Twelve-year-old Annie Taylor is angry with her mother, especially when her boyfriend Tom, appears at breakfast, just like he would if he lived there. To win over her 10-year-old brother, William, Tom promised to take him fishing. When Tom doesn’t keep his promise, Annie decides to take her brother fishing instead. While working their way through the woods they come upon and witness a group of four men who are in the process of killing another man. They are spotted by the murderers and end up running for their lives, they barely escape. Fortunately, Annie and William found a place to hide until they can figure out what to do.

The children end up on a ranch owned by Jess Rawlins. Jess discovers the children hiding in his barn and once he hears their story of the murder he immediately protects them. He keeps them hidden until her can find out more information about what the children are telling him.

Jess soon discovers that a group of corrupt LA police officers were involved in a robbery and murder at the Santa Anita racetrack. The group has retired to Idaho and have been laundering the stolen money at the local bank. Once the kids are reported missing, the four officers volunteer to help the local sheriff organize the search for the children. They basically take over the search and they want Annie and William found and dead before they have a chance to tell what they witnessed in the woods. The story picks up when the murderous officers realize that Jess has the children in his care.

I have to say that I was a bit surprised, angry and disappointed by the ending of Blue Heaven. The entire story was very detailed, the ending felt like there was no closure. It wasn’t an ending I was expecting.

Happy Reading -J    

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Review: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

Audiobook, Duration: 09:06:23

Published July 11, 2017

by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group

My rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don't know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I'm going through. How could they? I don't even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I've attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I've never once sat with someone until now. "So your dad is dead," I say to Kit, because this is a fact I've recently learned about her.

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David's blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit's attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad's tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they'll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

My thoughts…

It has only been a month since Kit lost her father in a car accident. Kit begins to pull away from her friends because they cannot understand what she is dealing with. Needing an escape and wanting peace and quiet she sits with quiet David at lunchtime. Kit asks David for his help to figure out what really happened with the car accident her father was in, and of course David can’t resist.

Kit has always been part of the popular crowd and David has not. David is incredibly honest and he doesn't quite have social skills like everyone else. Kit likes this about him and realizes that she enjoys his company. David also begins to like his time with Kit, she has always been nice to him, but talking to someone like they do is new for him. David is on the Autism Spectrum, with high-functioning Autism, Asperger's syndrome.

“Kit stares at me, and I stare back. Eye contact usually feels like an ice headache. Just too much, too fast. Sharp and unpleasant. With Kit it feels like the first few seconds on a roller coaster, all gravitational force, no escape, pure thrill.”
― Julie Buxbaum, What to Say Next

At times David is made fun of at school and has a difficult time determining who means well and who doesn’t. His older sister, Lauren “Miney”, watched out for him quite a bit when she attended the same high school, now that she has graduated she worries about David. Lauren encouraged David to keep a notebook of facts of other students that he can rely on to help keep things straight when interacting with them. David’s relationship with Lauren was incredible.

The friendship that develops between Kit and David is beautiful and will make your heart feel, but it is not without problems. They both will learn things that they were not expecting when David discovers the truth behind Kit's father's death and they are not be prepared to deal with what those circumstances and emotions. Eventually a romance blossoms and I adored every moment of it.

“There's a famous expression that if you've met one person with autism, then... you've met one person with autism.So you met me.Just me.Not a diagnosis. I realize I hurt you. I forgot to think about you first. I did not put myself in your shoes, as the expression goes. (Though as a sidebar, I think wearing other people's shoes is kind of disgusting; I'm only okay with the concept metaphorically.) So you know, you are all I think about.”
― Julie Buxbaum, What to Say Next

What to Say Next, is the second book that I’ve read by Julie Buxbaum, this story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, a fantastic read.

Happy Reading -J 

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Review: Something So Perfect by Natasha Madison

Something So Perfect by Natasha Madison

(Something So #2)

Kindle Edition, 219 pages

Published July 29th, 2017
4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads

Matthew

Drafted first round pick when I was seventeen, playing first line at eighteen, branded NHL's bad boy at nineteen. At twenty-three I was cut from the team and living back home with my parents. A knock on the door brought an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. All I had to do was prove I learned from my mistakes, so no way would I fall for a chick with a pouty mouth even if I wanted to spend all day devouring it.

Karrie

When my father gave me a job, I had no idea it would be to babysit some washed up NHL player. He wanted me to be his chaperone, his overpaid babysitter. I thought it was a joke. Then I met him, Matthew Grant. I wasn’t prepared for this particular bad boy. He’s not only hot but he’s arrogant and kinda sweet in a 'you make me crazy' kind of way.

Basically now that he’s finished screwing up his life, he’s decided to turn mine upside down.

She’s the first thing I’ve ever wanted more than hockey.

He’s the guy I know I should stay away from.

But what if this thing that started out so wrong turns into something so perfect?

My thoughts…  **spoilers**

Matthew found fame at a young age playing hockey and lived the life of partying hard and sleeping with puck bunnies, but after too much partying and getting into trouble his hockey career suffered. Finally, after some time Matthew gets an offer by a pro team after not playing professionally for a while. There's just one condition… he gets a chaperone to keep him in check and out of trouble. Matthew is not happy with this new arrangement, he will have someone watching his every move and living with them.

Matthews new chaperone, is the boss’s daughter, Karrie, a very young and gorgeous woman. The attraction is strong and mutual, Karrie wants to keep things between them strictly professional and prove to her father that she can do the job without complications. Matthew has other plans, he didn't let Karrie push him away and he decides that sooner or later she will be his.

“This, me, you. It’s happening. I’m going to kiss you,” I tell her, running my tongue out while I kiss her neck. “I’m going to come home and come to your bed. Or you can come to mine, but” – I kiss her lips again – “Make no mistake about it. This thing is happening.”
― Natasha Madison, Something So Perfect

The banter between Matthew and Karrie had me laughing at moments, she keeps pushing him away and he went all alpha male with her. Normally I don’t care for stories that have a insta-love trope, but overall, I did enjoy this one. The author did add some unnecessary drama (Matthew being accused of rape) and it was resolved rather quickly. I was disappointed and felt it did not enhance the story. So why add it? Even though Something So Perfect is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

Happy Reading -J 

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Review: We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Jorjeana Marie - Narrator

Jesse Bernstein - Narrator

Audiobook, Duration: 05:44:54

Published July 7th, 2015

by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads

Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless.

Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed “It” girl in her class, but her grades stink.

Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it, but Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; “Spewart” could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder.

They are complete opposites. And yet, they have one thing in common: they—like everyone else—are made of molecules.

My thoughts…

Stewart is socially awkward, eccentric and smart, he shares some of his father’s traits. After the death of Stewart's mother, his father Leonard begins dating Caroline, a newswoman who works at the same TV station he does. After dating secretly, the two decide to combine their families. Stewart’s father sells his family home and moves in with Caroline and her daughter Ashley.

Ashley is a fashionista who is self-absorbed, not very bright and selfish. Part of Ashley's ordeal is due to her father has divorced her mother and moved into the guest house on the property, because he's gay. Ashley is afraid that her friends will discover that her father is gay and that will tarnish her social standing. Ashley makes some awful choices in the book and Stewart is there to stick up for his ‘step-sister’.

Stewart is still dealing with missing his mother and his mother lived a very different life from Caroline's, but the two families, along with Ashley's father, manage to have a somewhat pleasant coexistence. Stewart was by far my favorite character, he was just adorable.

Happy Reading -J  

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Review: The Time in Between by Kristen Ashley

The Time in Between by Kristen Ashley

(Magdalene #3)

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 563 pages

Published August 29th, 2017 by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads

After a painful loss, Cady Moreland is coming to Magdalene to start the next chapter of her life. A chapter that began eighteen years ago but had a heartbreaking ending. The time in between was full of family and friendship, but Cady could never get the man she fell in love with all those years ago out of her heart.

Coert Yeager has learned to live without the girl who entered his life right when she shouldn’t and exited delivering a crippling blow he never would have suspected. The time in between was full of failing to find what he was missing…and life-altering betrayal.

But when that girl shows up in Magdalene and buys the town’s beloved lighthouse, even if Coert wants to avoid her, he can’t. A fire in town sparks a different kind of flame that won’t be ignored.

As Cady and Coert question the actions of the two young adults they once were thrown into earth-shattering circumstances, can they learn from what came in between and find each other again?

My thoughts…

This is one of the best Kristen Ashley books I’ve read in a while and Magdalene is one of my favorite series. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t stop reading. It was very emotional, I had the box of tissues next to me. The story goes between past and present and it works well.

The Time in Between is the story of Cady and Coert, which begins in Denver eighteen years earlier. They meet at a party that Cady doesn't want to be at, and even though she is instantly attracted to him she isn’t sure she wants to connect with him because he is friends with some shady people. Coert ends up pursuing her and their attraction was instant, mutual, and it didn’t take long before they were in love. They were so in love that they were planning a future together, it was all torn away from them when lies and bad circumstances came between them. Cady discovers Coert’s true intentions, she doesn’t wait around for explanations or answers from Coert. They are separated for many years, but they never forgot or even fully moved on from one another.

Now, eighteen years later, Cady’s husband has died. Before his death he has requested that Cady move to Maine to reconnect with the two men in her life, her brother, and Coert. Cady makes the decision to move to Magdalene and her step children are not happy with her decision. Once Cady is in Magdalene she buys a lighthouse and has plans to have it renovated into a home for herself.

Coert is the sheriff of Magdalene, divorced and a single dad, he knows everything that goes on in town and is fully aware Cady is there and has plans to stay. He is not happy having Cady so near him once again and wants nothing to do with her. After a not so nice encounter with her brother, Coert receives a call from the neighboring town Sheriff warning Cady to stay away from her brother. Coert goes to the lighthouse to deliver the message to Cady and the reunion was not full of love and or understanding, the scene between them is heartbreaking. They eventually find their way, but not without more drama and more heartbreak.

Coert is the typical Kristen Ashley alpha male, sweet, bossy, very protective and a swoon worthy dad. Cady is so loveable, kind and forgiving, I was so thrilled they get a HEA ending. There is a good bit of family drama and some sweet and funny moments. The Time in Between is book #3 in the Magdalene series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Happy Reading -J 

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Review: Never The Bride by Charlotte Fallowfield

Never The Bride by Charlotte Fallowfield

(Dilbury Village #1)

Kindle Edition, 314 pages

Published February 28th, 2017 by Charlotte Fallowfield

Goodreads

Abbie Carter felt doomed as she clutched her bouquet and started walking up the aisle. Again. She felt like she was stuck in some kind of Groundhog Day wedding nightmare. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Eight dresses, most of them hideous, were already stuffed in her attic space. She had more bridesmaid dresses than relationships. Was she really that unlucky in love? She despaired of ever finding her soul mate and was convinced that if she packed away dress thirteen in her attic, she’d never get to wear the coveted white one and have her happy ever after.

That was until she locked eyes with one of the handsome ushers, whose wink turned her elegant and well-practiced glide up the aisle into a flailing Bambi-on-ice spectacle. Miller Davis was the first man in forever to make her heart skip a beat, as well as her legs turn to jelly. And, for once, her interest in a man didn’t seem to be one-sided. It was just a shame that the Atlantic Ocean separated them. Abbie couldn’t even make a relationship with her elderly fat pooch, Sumo, work, so what chance did she have with a permanent New Yorker? Her best friend, Georgie, told her to ignore the miles that separated her from Miller and to go for it, saying that true love knew no bounds.

Was Abbie fated to always be the bridesmaid, or would her wish for the perfect day with the man of her dreams ever come true?

While Never The Bride is a standalone story, it's the first in the Dilbury Village series of romantic comedy novels. All of them will be set in the quaint fictitious English hamlet in the Shropshire countryside, but feature a different village couples' story.

Warning, if you are of a sensitive disposition when it comes to toilet humour, then the Dilbury Village series may not be for you!

My thoughts…

Abbie Carter is a silly but sweet twenty-eight-year-old accountant and the mother of a grumpy gassy fur baby Sumo, and forever a bridesmaid… eight times, and she has the hideous bridesmaid dresses to help her keep count. Abbie has such a huge heart and is adored by her close friends but in the romance department it has been depressingly non-existent. In one of the weddings she is attending, a mishap arises due to her clumsiness, it’s then she catches the eye of the best man, a gorgeous man that can turn her into a gooey mess with just one look.

The best man is Miller Davis, an American from New York City. Miller has been alone all his life, after being abandoned by his family. He grew up with one goal, to make something big of himself and he's succeeded. Miller owns a huge software gaming company and is one of most desirable bachelors in New York. From the moment Miller sets eyes on Abbie wearing her monstrous bridesmaid dress he is completely smitten by her. The more he talks with her the more he wants to stay to get to know her, and Abbie feels the same about Miller. The problem is Abbie and Miller live in two different continents and it seems like timing is never on their side.

Sadly, Miller and Abbie spend a lot of time apart, since Miller needs to be back in New York to run his business. Abbie lives in the cottage her father left to her when he passed away. It is her last connection to her father and there’s no way she could ever imagine leaving it or the people she has come to love so dearly. This becomes road block for the couple because neither is willing to make a compromise. Abbie believes Miller doesn’t love her enough because he refuses to move to Dilbury and Miller with abandonment issues takes Abbie’s unwillingness to move as proof that she is not as into the relationship as he is. Throughout the book they continue to make ridiculous decisions, I just wanted to smack both their heads and tell them to quit acting like idiots.

Even though I was frustrated and annoyed with the characters behavior, I could get pass that. What I cannot get passed is the toilet humor, even though it clearly states in the synopsis that toiler humor is present, I felt this went beyond humorous and was just plain gross and disgusting. I can’t comprehend why the author felt the need to have the poor little bulldog Sumo terminally ill with bowel cancer, eventually passing… it just didn’t seem right for a romantic comedy.

I will not continue with the series, apparently the Dilbury Village toilet humor series is not for me.

Happy Reading -J 

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Stacking the Shelves #23

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and co-hosted by Reading Reality. It’s all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves; may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in a store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course eBooks.

It has been a month since I participated in Staking the Shelves. I was trying to cut down on my book buying, obviously I’m not doing very well. These are the books I added to my shelves during the month of September. I’m not going to add a synopsis for each book, but all book links will take you to Goodreads.

If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Read: 5 out of 5 stars

Review

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium #5) by David Lagercrantz

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas

I’m horrible, I have not started this series yet.

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella #1) by Kelly Oram

Read: 5 out of 5 stars

The best Cinderella retelling

Make sure to have tissue nearby.

Coming Up Roses (Southern Roots #1) by LK Farlow

Read: 2 out of 5 stars

True Believer (Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell #1) byNicholas Sparks

Read: 2 out of 5 stars

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown

Read: 5 out of 5 stars

Should be required reading in high school.

A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite

Read: 2 out of 5 stars

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Read: 4 out of 5 stars

Summer Fling (Players of Marycliff University #1) by JericaMacMillan

We Own Tonight by Corinne Michaels

Stone Vows (A Stone Brothers Novel) by Samantha Christy

Read: 3 out of 5 stars

Mr Right Now: A Romantic Comedy Standalone by Lila Monroe

Read: 3 out of 5 stars

Running From A Rock Star (Brides on the Run #1) by Jami Albright

Read: 4 out of 5 stars

The Honey Trap by Karli Perrin

Read: 5 out of 5 stars

Mr. Everything: A Billionaire and the Nanny Romance by Emily Bishop

World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Deacon (Unfinished Hero #4) by Kristen Ashley

Sebring (Unfinished Hero #5) by Kristen Ashley

Last week we spent time in Illinois visiting with family and on the way home we pulled off the highway in St. Charles, MO stopping at Half Price Books. My husband and children were very patient while I spent an hour shopping, I could have spent more time there. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Half Price Books ... we need one in Colorado.

I already read and own the first three books in the Millennium series on Kindle, I enjoyed the series so much that I wanted to add the physical books to my shelves. The Wolves of Mercy Falls series is one of my favorites, although I do have to finish book three. I have read one book by Jane Austen, Persuasion, couldn’t pass up Emma.  

Emma by Jane Austen

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium #2) by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1) by StiegLarsson

Finally finished… this post was very time consuming! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has added to their shelves and if you’ve read any of the books I have listed, please let me know what you thought of them.

Have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting. -J

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Review: The Passion of Patrick MacNeill by Virginia Kantra

The Passion of Patrick MacNeill by Virginia Kantra

(Sweet Home Carolina #2)

Kindle Edition, 252 pages

Published September 2015

by Amazon Digital Services
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads

Dedicated burn surgeon Kate Sinclair shields her tender heart behind a white coat and a coolly professional manner. But something about the little patient the nurses dub “Iron Man” and his vital flyboy father challenges her as a doctor and a woman.

Since the car crash that killed his wife and almost took his son, pilot Patrick MacNeill’s life has revolved around his little boy. No one—no woman and certainly no interfering doctor—can intrude on their bond, forged in love and pain.

When little Jack’s care brings these two together, it ignites a passion they can’t ignore. But their growing involvement threatens Patrick’s emotional barriers and Kate’s professional future. With so much at stake, will she trust her judgment...or her heart?

My thoughts…

Dr. Kate is an exceptional surgeon working in the burn unit, she used her drive and intelligence to make it through medical school. She grew up with a beautiful sister so she always felt unattractive, they grew up in poverty and was abandoned by their father. Kate is a dedicated doctor with no social life.

Patrick, ex-Marine and pilot, lost his wife in a car accident and almost loss his infant son. Patrick had all his focus on helping his son with the injuries he suffered, he neglected his own life for years and he never even considered a relationship for himself.

Jack, Patrick's four-year-old son, a patient in the burn unit where Kate works is boy full of excitement and curiosity. Jack’s primary doctor can’t see him for a scheduled appointment, Dr. Kate fills in for her boss. Jack has a positive connection with Dr. Kate, she also presents a different opinion on Jack's future treatment regarding a surgery his primary doctor suggested.

Patrick finds Kate’s intelligence, dedication and caring manner attractive even though he isn’t completely attractive to her physically, although she is pretty, her looks are not what he would typically go for. The relationship that Kate and Patrick grow together is heartwarming, especially since they try to help one another through heartbreak. Patrick was so consumed with caring for Jack he never truly worked through the grief process after the death of his wife.

The Passion of Patrick MacNeill is a beautiful romance, this could have been a sad story but it wasn't. With the help of a loveable little boy, Patrick and Kate found love. This is book #2 in the Sweet Home Carolina series and book #1 in the MacNeill Brothers series, it can be read as a standalone.

Happy Reading -J 

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Review: The Soul Mate by Kendall Ryan

The Soul Mate by Kendall Ryan

(Roommates #4)

Kindle Edition, 302 pages

Published August 14th, 2017

Goodreads

The smoking-hot one-night stand I was never supposed to see again?

Yeah, well, I might be pregnant, and he’s my OB-GYN.

My thoughts… **spoilers**

I was looking forward to this book, for most of the summer I saw the cover image almost daily in my Facebook feed and I do enjoy romance novels with babies/children. I was disappointed and felt cheated that there was no baby (until the epilogue).

Bren and Mason have a one-night stand, she sneaks out the morning after. Mason has always believed in soulmates and when he finds an incredible connection with Bren, he is sure he’s found the one… until he wakes up the next day to find her gone and with no way of contacting her. Bren is not open to anything but a one-night stand, she is focusing on her career as a zoologist.

Mason is determined to find Bren, he hasn’t had any luck. Bren goes on with her life. She starts feeling off, tired and vomiting, she suspects that she may possibly be pregnant. Her boss recommends a wonderful OBGYN doctor, she makes an appointment and to her surprise Mason is the doctor. Although when Mason enters the room he doesn’t quite notice Bren, she’s on her back, feet in stirrups and ready for her exam. Mason starts the vaginal exam and ‘recognizes’ her vagina as belonging to his soulmate…ugh.

Bren might be pregnant with his baby, but Bren has made it clear she’s not interested in a relationship with him, but he’ll do his best to convince her he’s the one for her. I think it’s after two dates she finally gives in and its love. Bren was so indecisive and then not, it was annoying at times and her reasons for pushing Mason away was ridiculous (at least I thought so).

Unfortunately, The Soul Mate just wasn’t for me, which was surprising since Kendall Ryan is one of my instant buy authors and I’ve read plenty of her books. Hopefully I’ll enjoy her next book.

Happy Reading -J    

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