After a successful career as a professional football player,
Ford is returning to his alma mater as a coach. Excited to settle into his new
job and new home, along with his daughter Joey, Ford shows up on his first day
shocked to find that Millie (the one that got away) also works in the athletic
department. Best friends in college, Ford was ready to move things out of the
friend zone with Millie when life dealt him a curveball that changed everything. Now, after
ten years apart, Millie is suddenly back in his life.
I love a second chance romance and this one delivered. Ford and Millie had great chemistry and I enjoyed their journey as they made peace with the past and worked toward a future together. Millie understandably had some trust issues and wasn’t always the best communicator. Luckily, Ford excelled at being up front, stating how he felt, and what he wanted. Ford’s relationship with his daughter was a highlight and I loved his dedication to putting her first, even when it meant making concessions for Joey’s selfish, flighty mother. While no new ground was broken here, I enjoyed the low-stakes, low-drama romance with a couple that was easy to pull for.
Toren is immediately taken with Jennsyn the first night he lays eyes on her. They have a hot and heavy one night stand and, despite having her number, he doesn't call her in the ensuing weeks. (His reasoning: he was totally thrown by their connection and the insanely good sex. Um, okay?) Imagine his surprise when he learns she is a 21 year old college student. The problem with that is him being a 32 year old assistant football coach at said college. Oops.
What follows is many chapters of Toren and Jennsyn being all emo and angsty while trying to keep their distance - but then caving and having more hot and heavy sex when she sneaks over to his house late every night. (Did I mention that college girl lives right next door to college coach?) Separately I really liked Toren and Jennsyn. He was a decent guy, still feeling the loss of both his parents and a beloved uncle, and he took an active role in the lives of his young cousins. I sympathized with Jennsyn's struggle to forge her own path and extricate herself from her mother's overbearing plans and demands. But as a couple I just wasn't feeling it. Out of the bedroom there was a severe lack of communication which meant their relationship felt very surface-level. I was told they had a great connection but there was nothing to back that up. For the first time, a Devney Perry romance missed the mark for me because where was the romance?
As much as I love Devney Perry, somehow I had not read the Lark Cove series, which is one of her earliest series. I decided to remedy that in August and binged the first three books. Hopefully I'll finish the series this month!
Abandoned as an infant and growing up in an orphanage
left Thea feeling both unlovable and desperate for a family. When a one-night
stand results in an unplanned pregnancy, Thea leaves New York City for a
quieter life with her found family in Lark Cove, Montana. Logan has never
forgotten the woman he met bartending at a hotel bar almost six years ago and
he’s astonished to see her while on a business trip in Montana. That quickly
turns to shock when he realizes the little girl at her side is his daughter.
There was so much I enjoyed about Tattered. I fell in
love with Thea and Logan and 5-year-old Charlie. The way Logan was immediately
enamored of his little girl and was desperate for her to like him melted my
heart. While Logan accepted his new role as a father quickly, that did not
erase the face that they lived across the country from one another, and neither
Thea nor Logan had any intention of uprooting their lives. There were times I
was frustrated with Logan as he made assumptions that Thea and Charlie would
move to New York, determined to fit them into his workaholic life in the city. The
ending, and the sacrifices and compromises that were made, was totally
satisfying. It seems many reviewers did not care for the secondary plot
concerning Thea’s stalker, but I enjoyed the added suspense.
Willa has had a crush on Jackson since she was a teenager
and first laid eyes on the newcomer to Lark Cove. Long after her friends have
told her to give up on her crush and move on, Willa’s feelings have not
lessened, despite the fact she seemingly makes little impression on Jackson.
When they finally share a kiss and Jackson has no memory of it the next day,
she knows it’s time to let her dream go. Of course, that’s when Jackson begins
to pursue Willa and realizes what a special woman has been right in front of
him all along. Unfortunately, Jackson’s past has him dead set against
commitment, and he knows Willa is a woman who wants forever.
Jackson disappointed me at times with the way he continued
the relationship with Willa, knowing that he would at some point walk away. It
felt selfish and cruel. But I also felt for him because while he told himself
he would never fall in love or settle down, he was also lonely and desperate
for someone to choose him and care for him. Willa was a sweetheart, so selfless
and willing to give of herself, and I admired her for sticking by Jackson and fighting
for him when he tried to walk away (something no one else had ever done). The
secondary plot with Jackson’s mother (ugh, horrible person!) and the bombshell
she dropped into his life was handled so well, and the support Jackson received
from those around him warmed my heart.
Kaine knows the meaning of loss more than most. When he retreats
to Lark Cove and buys a cabin in the woods, he wants only to be left alone with
his grief. Piper has just moved to Lark Cove and when she buys a cabin to
renovate, she encounters the surly and standoffish Kaine. Ready for a fresh
start after a divorce, she wouldn’t mind having a fling with the gorgeous man
next door. The result is a shock for them both and forces Kaine to face his
past.
Tragic was a mixed bag for me and I struggled
through the first half. Part of the problem was the female narrator who I wasn’t
jibing with (which resulted in me abandoning the audio version and switching to
Kindle), but I also wasn’t feeling any connection between Piper and Kaine. They
had a friends with benefits situation going and it was tough to feel invested
in them as a couple. My feelings did a total one-eighty in the second half as
Piper and Kaine faced an unexpected hiccup to their arrangement and Kaine
finally faced his grief and anger head on. It was Kaine’s story that crushed my
heart and had me shedding tears. His journey made every page (and every tear)
worthwhile. (Side note: Realizing that Kaine’s brother Isaiah was the
Isaiah from Riven Knight – my favorite book in the Clifton Forge series – had
me squealing with delight!)
Tropes: brother's best friend, friends with benefits, professional athlete
Crew Madigan is a snowboarding legend. He’s gorgeous, rich, famous and every woman’s dream. Well, except mine. I’ll take a nerdy guy with a clumsy streak who wouldn’t know what to do with a pair of skis to save his life. Superstar athletes? No, thanks. World champions? Hard pass. Crew? Definitely not.
It’s been over a decade since Crew set foot on Madigan Mountain. Instead of sitting with his family during his brother’s wedding, he takes the chair beside mine. ESPN really doesn’t do that chiseled jaw justice. The cameras miss the flecks of gold in his eyes. When he invites me to his hotel room after the wedding, I break all of my own rules for just one night.
But here’s the problem with just one night. Crew is impossible to forget. And he’s not the only one who loves a thrill. The crash, the broken bones, are inevitable. Because together, we’re a little too wild.
Crew:The youngest of the Madigan brothers, he was
the last to return home and the one who struggled the most with the loss of his
mother and the aftermath. He’d stayed away for twelve years, focused solely on
his career. When a trip home for his brother’s wedding led to a night with
Raven, he was unprepared to develop real feelings for her. And when his trip was
extended and he began to reconnect with his brothers and father, he was faced with
some life-altering decisions.
Raven:Having sworn off athletes and their nomadic
love ‘em and leave ‘em lifestyles, Raven was holding out for the real thing:
someone who would put her first. A single night with Crew (her brother’s best
friend) seemed harmless, but when he stayed on at Madigan Mountain and they
continued to spend time together, things got complicated fast. Steeling herself
for Crew’s inevitable departure, while also longing to embark on a snowboarding
career of her own, Raven struggled with taking a chance on both.
What I Loved:Watching as Crew reconnected with
his brothers was so satisfying. As were the tentative steps he made in
repairing his relationship with his father. Perry did a great job at depicting
both the highs and the lows of Crew’s career – his success and fame, along with
the demands and the loneliness. Raven was a likable character and I was happy
to see her finally draw boundaries with her brother and call him out on his
choices, and also pursue her own dreams. A highlight was getting time with the
characters/couples from the previous books, seeing all the changes in their
lives, and how their relationships and families were flourishing.
But Not So Much:My quibbles are few! Because Crew
and Raven’s earlier interactions were dedicated solely to their hook-ups (both
agreed this was a temporary no-strings-attached thing), I was so slow to feel
invested in them as a couple. It was also a little frustrating when neither Crew
nor Raven would admit to having feelings and wanting a real relationship.
The Ending:I’m a sucker for a good epilogue, and
A Little Too Wild delivered not one but two! Getting a glimpse into the future
and seeing how far Raven and Crew had come did my heart good. 4 STARS
I read my first Devney Perry book two years ago and she quickly became one of my go-to authors. Twelve books later and she is cemented as one of my favorites. Today I'm sharing an entire series review. I tried to keep my thoughts on each book fairly brief, but yeah... there are a lot of feelings here and I had things to say. So get comfy - or resort to skimming. No hard feelings. 😄
The Tin Gyspy motorcycle club is no more. The clubhouse is boarded up, the club disbanded, and its members have chosen to move beyond a life of crime, drugs and violence and operate on the right side of the law. Now they own the Clifton Forge Garage, widely respected for their restorations and customizations. The men are still brothers and they have allowed a select few into their found family. But the past comes back to haunt them and payment is due for past sins.
Bryce is a journalist who has recently returned to her small hometown of Clifton Forge, Montana. When a grisly murder is committed and the former president of a supposedly defunct motorcycle club is implicated, Bryce is determined to get the story. Her run-in’s with Dash, son of the accused, leave her frustrated as he stonewalls her at every opportunity. Dash is certain that his father is being framed by a rival club and no good can come from Bryce digging into their past.
I was hooked from the very start. Bryce was smart and feisty and never took no for an answer. Dash found himself in a tricky situation, being completely taken by Bryce while keeping safe the secrets of the past. This was the perfect blend of small town setting, intense chemistry and romance, and a suspenseful plot that tied it all together. I loved that some major plot points were left unresolved since that had me anxious for the next book. 4 STARS
Isaiah and Genevieve entered into a marriage of
convenience to protect them from prosecution for a crime – a crime that Isaiah
committed while saving Genevieve’s life. Now living together in the small
apartment above the Clifton Forge garage where Isaiah works, the virtual
strangers slowly settle into a routine. But the danger from the past is still following
the former Tin Gypsies and those in their circle.
Riven Knight is my favorite from the series for many
reasons, but the main one is Isaiah. He was such a broken hero. Having spent
time in prison for a devastating accident, he lived with crippling guilt, but
he had the purest of hearts. Devney Perry really took the time to build the
relationship between Isaiah and Genevieve slowly and carefully, while still
furthering the plot. I adored this couple and their story.4.5 STARS
I appreciated Shaw’s dogged efforts to make a connection with Dash and the others, but Presley was having none of it. No way was she going to allow her found family be exploited. As their relationship grew, we learned a lot more about Presley’s past and how it tied into the current trouble. My only quibble with this one was when the conflict occurred between Presley and Shaw, Shaw made assumptions and didn’t even give Presley a chance to explain – he just left. It was still a compelling story, a solid romance, and I loved the set-up for the next book.4 STARS
Scarlett Marks is under police protection. The information she has on a motorcycle gang means there’s a target on her back. When she escapes from the safe house, police chief Luke Rosen is prepared to keep her safe and alive at any cost, even if that means her living in his own home. As his feelings for Scarlett grow, he’s faced with impossible decisions: keeping Scarlett safe, or honoring his values as a cop.
Luke had played a part in previous books, so I already knew what a good man he was. He took his job to heart and was truly honorable and, yes, noble. Luke struggled with the decisions he was forced to make. He had to balance his love for Scarlett with his duty as an officer of the law. Devney Perry did an amazing job at showcasing Luke’s moral dilemma. While Scarlett wasn’t my favorite character at first (she put herself and others at risk with her decisions), her courage and her willingness to sacrifice for Luke really had me warming to her. Luke was a total alphamellow – super protective but so sweet and tender when it came to Scarlett. Luke was steady throughout, but Scarlett really came into her own and I appreciated seeing those changes in her. 4 STARS
Confirmed bachelor Leo lived for a good time, so when a one-night stand showed up and announced she was pregnant with his baby, he wasn’t just thrown for a loop… he was rocked to his core. Cassandra took one night off from her structured life and what does she have to show for it? An unplanned pregnancy, the local bad boy as the father, and her academic dreams going down the tubes. When a series of accidents put her at risk, she feels like she’s in the middle of a battle that she doesn’t even understand.
Oh, how I loved Leo. He was something of a scoundrel, but he came around. He did not handle the news of impending fatherhood well. I felt for him as he struggled with a role he never wanted but I also wondered how I was going to respect him as the hero when he kept letting Cassandra down. Trust Devney Perry! Because she had Leo grow and change in such a believable way. It wasn’t like a switch was flipped; it was so gradual, and I loved seeing him become the man he wanted to be. Cassandra was hurt by Leo again and again and she showed such patience, but she was no pushover. There were moments when she stood her ground and set limits with Leo to protect her heart. My own heart practically burst at how Leo loved Cassandra and how he cherished their little family. Leo’s redemption arc helped to make this one of my favorites in the series. 4.5 STARS
After years of drama following the end of his motorcycle club, Emmett is all for a no-strings fling with the mystery woman he meets at the bar. As they spend more and more time together, Emmett realizes she’s his perfect match: intelligent, sassy, loves riding on the back of his bike, and lazing in his bed. What Emmett doesn’t know is that she’s the daughter of his archenemy – the president of a rival motorcycle club, and the man who murdered his father. Nova has come to Clifton Forge seeking revenge, but if she’s successful it will mean losing the man she has come to love.
Tin Queen provided a satisfying end to the series, but I found myself wishing it wasn’t this particular couple that provided that conclusion. Perry did an amazing job at bringing the story arc full circle and providing redemption for the characters, but in this case, it was a personal preference that kept me from being fully on-board. I’m not a fan of relationships that are based on lies or deception. And because Nova’s ulterior motive was the genesis for the relationship with Emmett, I just wasn’t able to get past that and be fully invested in them as a couple. Nova chose time and time again to deceive and to move forward with her plan for revenge, and I couldn’t get over the betrayal. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed being in the Clifton Forge world, surrounded by the characters I love. 4 STARS
In case there was any doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Devney Perry built the overall story book by book, each installment adding new layers, continuing the arc of the story while still giving each couple their own journey. One of my favorite aspects was the way Perry set up each future book. At the end of each story there were threads of the next story to come, giving just enough to have me anxious to continue on. I already knew that Perry was gifted in great characterization and that was really evident in this series. I got the feeling that she knew these characters inside and out. I felt like I got to know them just as intimately and finishing the final book was like saying goodbye to friends.
NOTE:
In 2021, the series was rebranded. The series name was changed from the Tin Gypsy series to the Clifton Forge series, and the first book was retitled from Gypsy King to Steel King. In addition, the original skull covers (which I love) were updated. The content remained the same.
While I still think of the series as the Tin Gypsy series and the first book as Gypsy King, I want to recognize the changes.
Her past. His secrets. They have more in common than
she knows.
Maisy is happily content with the life she's built for herself and her young
son in small-town Prescott, Montana. Her child is thriving, her business is
growing, and her family is as close as they've ever been. But when a handsome
stranger walks into the lobby of her motel, her simple life is swept up in a
wave of affection for his gentle heart. None of those feelings can be trusted,
though. She made that mistake before with another man. The man she murdered.
Hunter was a different man when he first saw Maisy Holt from afar. He took one
look at her and ran in the opposite direction. But years later, he's back in
Montana and unable to keep his distance. He shouldn't have tried to find her
but he never was good at rejecting temptation. The promise of the good she
could bring into his life is too hard to resist. Maybe if he can disguise the
lies and hide the deceit, he can keep her from learning the truth. Because his
only chance at a future with her is by burying his past.
Maisy survived a horrific event almost 4 years ago and
was so traumatized she made significant changes in her life. She quit her
nursing career and bought the local motel, renaming it The Bitterroot Inn. Her
days and nights were devoted to her 3-year-old son and running and remodeling
her inn. She was open to a relationship but a string of dismal first (and only)
dates left her feeling that love was out of reach.
Enter Hunter Faraday. Staying in Maisy’s inn for several
weeks while his new house was being completed meant they saw each other often,
and the chemistry between them was instant and intense. But as they got closer
it was obvious there was a lot Hunter wasn’t sharing. Questions about Hunter’s life
were met with vague answers or outright evasion. Maisy’s past made her sensitive
to any hint of deception, but she was willing to give Hunter the benefit of the
doubt and see where things went. When secrets came to light and pieces start to
fall into place, and what Maisy cherished most was threatened, she had to
decide if she could trust again and truly close the door on the past.
Maisy Holt was pure joy. She was goodness personified.
She was a beam of sunshine breaking through the clouds in my life.
I’d walked away from her back then.
I’d avoided her the last time I’d lived in Prescott.
I wouldn’t do either ever again. I wasn’t giving her up
without a fight.
I’d come to Prescott with a plan: to look out for this
beautiful soul. My plan had just changed. Now I was here to win her heart.
Maisy has been a constant side character throughout the Jamison
Valley series, and it was wonderful to finally have the focus shift to her. A
previous relationship had tragic results and I loved seeing Maisy’s resiliency and
the life she had created for her young son, Coby, and herself. I appreciated
the slow build of the relationship between she and Hunter and their connection
seemed to strengthen and deepen so naturally. Well, not entirely naturally,
because Hunter already knew who Maisy was and his appearance in the small town
of Prescott was no coincidence. (I had to suspend believability a bit when it
came to Maisy not realizing Hunter was the new doctor at the hospital, which
was a point of contention. In a town as small as Prescott, and with her best
friend working at the hospital, how did that information not make it back to
her?) It was obvious that Hunter keeping secrets was going to backfire and it
did – spectacularly. While I could understand Maisy’s reaction to some extent,
I also felt she was partially to blame because by the time Hunter tried (many
times) to share information with her, she refused to listen. At one point she
even told him, “I don’t want to know. If whatever you have to say is going
to hurt, then I don’t want to know.” After that, can you really blame
Hunter when you’re blindsided by the truth at the most inopportune time?
Beyond the issue of secrets being kept and information
withheld, I really loved the relationship that formed between Maisy and Hunter
and Coby. Maisy’s first concern was always her son, so she took time before
introducing Hunter into their daily lives. Coby adored Hunter and seeing how
much Hunter returned those feelings turned my heart to goo. There was a pivotal
scene when Hunter’s love and devotion to Coby was of full display and it brought
me to tears. The family bond that was forged between the three of them was just
precious.
The inclusion of all the characters from past books was
like revisiting with old friends and made the reading experience even better.
Add to that an epilogue that gave me all the feels and put a huge smile on my
face, it all combined to show why Devney Perry is an author I return to again
and again.
Second-chance romance? Single dad? Small town? Rock star? High school sweethearts? If any of those tropes check your boxes, let me tell you that Rifts & Refrains has it all... and does it so well. If you've read Sarina Bowen's Lies & Lullabies, then you already know Quinn. Get ready to see another side of her. And if you're new to the Hush Note world, come on in and meet Quinn - drummer for a world-famous band - and a woman who is about to be forced to face her past.
From the moment Quinn Montgomery sat behind her first snare and cymbal set, she was destined for fame and glory. As Hush Note's infamous female drummer, she sets the rhythm for the band's chart-toppings hits. When people tap their feet to their music, it's to her pulse.
Quinn is content to live in a world away from her family and the cage of her youth. Her only regret is leaving Graham Hayes behind without a goodbye. No matter how many sold-out stadiums she plays, no matter how many crowds sing her songs, his voice haunts her when the music stops.
When a family tragedy forces her to return home to Montana, she plans to leave the second she's paid her respects. But seeing Graham again turns her life upside down. As a boy, he wasn't able to make her stay. As a man, he might be her future.
If they can mend their rifts and find solace in the refrains.
M Y T H O U G H T S
After almost a decade, Quinn was returning to the
hometown she fled. Growing up as the preacher’s daughter wasn’t easy. Her
father’s expectations threatened to smother her dreams and when she left at the
age of eighteen she left behind the boy she loved. Over the years she’d tried
to tell herself that it wasn’t real, that it was just a high school romance,
but she never forgot Graham. Now back in Montana to attend the funeral of her
beloved grandmother, the only person to keep in touch with her over the years,
Quinn comes face to face with her estranged family members, and the man who has
always held her heart.
There was so much to love in Quinn and Graham’s story. I’m
always a sucker for a second chance romance and it was obvious these two people
belonged together. Like Quinn, Graham never got over what they shared. Now a
single father, he was determined to keep Quinn at arm’s length while she was in
town. Then he could go back to fooling himself that he was over her. Even
though the chemistry was obviously still there, for both of them, they had a
lot to work through. Facing the past and making peace with the decisions they’d
made was the only way to move forward.
It seemed like when Quinn left home her entire family
(other than her grandmother) basically wrote her off. They all seemed outraged
that she dared to want something different than small-town life. I was so angry
and bitter on her behalf. Maybe the way she left wasn’t ideal, but her parents,
her brother, and her sister, did nothing to reach out to her afterwards. The
effectively cut her out of their lives and I was so hurt for Quinn. It would
good to see them make peace, but I have to admit I was still holding a grudge! But
when it came to Graham and his son, I was all in. I loved how much seven-year-old
Colin idolized Quinn and the way he welcomed her into their lives with open
arms. Graham and Quinn had both held on to a lot of anger and pain and
resentment over the years and it made it all that more satisfying when they
began to let go of the past and get to know the people they had become.
While Rifts & Refrains can easily be read as a
standalone, it was even more enjoyable having read Lies & Lullabies, the
first book in the companion series, by Sarina Bowen. The cameo with Jonas
warmed my heart, and the scenes with Nixon have me totally primed for his story
in the upcoming Muses & Melodies. Quinn and Jonas and Nixon are so much
more than bandmates - they’re family – and it shows in every interaction. I
loved this unconventional rock star romance and Quinn and Graham (and Colin)
really captured my heart.
Note:I received a a complimentary copy of this book for review. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.
E X C E R P T
She took one step before stopping. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, the same corner I’d kissed earlier, and I fought the urge to stand and capture that mouth again. Her smile broadened, though there was pain in her eyes.
“Colin is a cool kid. You’re a good dad, Graham. I always knew you would be.”
She might as well have stabbed me in the chest.
“Thanks,” I said, watching as she walked away.
Fuck me.
When had I never loved that woman?
Maybe that kiss had woken me up. Maybe it had made me realize how goddamn lonely I’d been without her. I had Colin, but there was a corner of my heart that would always belong to Quinn.
I should have followed her nine years ago.
Because now it was too late.
MEET DEVNEY
Devney is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Washington with her husband and two sons. Born and raised in Montana, she loves writing books set in her treasured home state. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her family. Writing one book, let alone many, was not something she ever expected to do. But now that she's discovered her true passion for writing romance, she has no plans to ever stop.
Here's a handful of quick reviews that are something of a mixed bag. A few were really enjoyable but a couple were not so great, including, I'm sad to say, an arc I had high hopes for. They can't all be winners! If you've read any of these, let me know what you thought... I'd love to hear.
After loving Perry’s The Coppersmith Farmhouse, I was
excited to return to the small town of Prescott, Montana. Nick and Emmy shared
one wild night in Vegas which ended with a spontaneous wedding. But the next
morning Nick was gone, leaving Emmy hurt and confused over what had happened
and why he left. Flash forward nine years and Emmy, who has come to Prescott
for a fresh star, runs into none other than Nick. While the story depended on the
reader believing in Nick and Emmy’s near instant connection and the fact that
they still carried a torch for each other almost a decade late, I was more than
willing to roll with it. Perry managed to have me so firmly onboard the Nick
& Emmy love train that even Nick’s insistence that she was his wife (which,
technically she still was) had me swooning instead of rolling my eyes. When
drama arrived at their doorstep I was so invested that I was turning the pages
as fast as I could. While I didn’t love this one quite as much as the first book, I was still all-in for Nick and
Emmy’s story. (The Clover Chapel is the second book in the Jamison Valley
series but can easily be read as a standalone.)
FIGHT FOR ME (THE ARROWOOD BROTHERS #2) | 3.75 STARS by Corinne Michaels
Come Back For Me, the first book in the Arrowood Brothers
series, had the perfect set-up for Declan and Sydney’s story so I was excited
to learn their background and watch how they reconnected. Declan and Sydney had
been Declan+Sydney since they were kids. The best friends/lovers were a perfect
match – until Declan abruptly broke things off and walked away. Years later, forced
to return to his childhood home for several months, Declan had to face the
fallout from his actions. There were times when I wanted to throttle both
characters for keeping secrets, and their back and forth started to feel a
little repetitive, but in true Michaels fashion, she made me care. And when the real emotional scenes
came, I was right there, dabbing my eyes and forgetting all about wanting to
throttle anyone, and just wishing for a happy ending. (While it’s not necessary
to read Come Back For Me first, the brothers’ background is explained a lot
more in that one and would probably help make sense of Declan’s decisions and
actions.)
Hailey seems to have the perfect life – until her husband
is killed in an accident and she learns that he wasn’t only her husband. He had another wife - and
children. Devastated, she retreated to a beachside home to lick her wounds. Jensen
(totally digging that name) was married to his high school sweetheart and
thought his whole life was mapped out until his wife walked out on him and
their daughter. When a new woman moves into the house he built for his ex it
raises his hackles and the sparks fly. There’s no other way to say it: Jensen
was a total dick at the beginning of the book. The way he treated Hailey was
pretty atrocious and uncalled for. To Hailey’s credit, she didn’t just take it
and she let him know what she thought of him. Eventually they did find common
ground in their shared losses/betrayals and a relationship grew from there.
Their story was mostly drama-free which I appreciated, but I also didn’t feel
much of a connection with either character or their relationship. Even so, I
appreciated their openness and honesty with each other and the ease they had together.
Jensen’s daughter was totally cute and it was heartwarming to see the bond grow
between her and Hailey.
The Player was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Warren was an
international soccer star at the top of his game and Camila was a mere mortal who
lived in NYC and worked for a non-profit. A chance meeting had Warren desperate
to get in her pants during the two weeks he’s in NYC. So yeah, that felt like
the entire premise for at least the first half of the book. Eventually they
started spending time together and some real feelings started to develop but it
took so long for there to be anything substantial to their relationship that it
was hard to feel invested. As much as I liked Warren, Camila was hard to take.
She had a total bias against anyone with money and was hung up on social
class/standing. It was maybe a bit understandable considering her past but she
took it to an extreme. And she played hard to get for so long I couldn’t
understand why Warren persisted. When a secret was revealed late in the story,
Camila overreacted and used it as an excuse to push Warren away (even her
sister tried to reason with her), and Warren’s grand gesture, while huge, felt
undeserved and as if he was the only one compromising. As much as I liked
Warren and his story, Camila wasn’t particularly likable and that made it hard
to pull for her.
I had such high hopes. I mean, it’s a book set in 1991
and is practically an ode to late 80’s/early 90’s pop culture (90210, Designer
Imposter perfumes, Wilson Phillips and Color Me Badd). And it’s Megan
McCafferty, the creator of the Jessica Darling series (which, by the way, never
got the attention it deserved). But I’m sad to say, The Mall just didn’t do it
for me. Main character Cassie was quite a pill. Cassie was wallowing in post
break-up status and absolutely oblivious to anything or anyone around her. She
was super judgey about everyone she encountered and behaved like a total brat with her parents. So there was that. It’s the summer between high school
graduation and college and Cassie was meant to be spending it working with her
longtime boyfriend at America’s Best Cookie. Instead, he cheats on her, they
break up, and she gets fired (I never did understand why she got fired.) She
finds a job at another mall shop, working with her former bff, and gets pulled
into a bizarre scavenger hunt while continuing to be whiny and self-indulgent. By
the end it seemed like she supposedly learned a lesson from the other mall-ites
she encountered which felt too after-school-special for me. I’m bumping this
one up by a half-star sheerly for the nostalgia factor of all the 90’s references.
(Side note: The 90’s setting, while fun, seemed like an odd choice considering
that anyone old enough to actually remember and appreciate the references is
much older than the intended YA audience.)
Devney Perry is one of those author’s I’d been meaning to
read for quite a while. And when I finally
picked up The Coppersmith Farmhouse, I was so glad I did. I easily fell into the
story from the very first page and was charmed by the characters and by the
small town setting. Gigi was starting over in a new town after a beautiful,
fully restored farmhouse was left to her. While she and Jess, the town’s sheriff,
got off to a rocky start it was obvious these two belonged together. Their
approach was very different – Jess could be like a bull in a china shop (hello
bossy alpha hero) and often spoke and reacted without pausing to think how it might
come across – and that led to some arguments and hurt feelings. But there was
also great banter and a lot of chemistry and Jess and Gigi were open and honest
with each other. In addition to the romance there was also a subplot concerning
drug trafficking in the town that added an element of suspense. I’m not usually
a fan of kids in my romance books but Gigi’s four-year-old daughter, Rowen, was
a doll and the relationship she and Jess formed melted my heart. I loved the
push and pull between Gigi and Jess, their sweet but steamy romance, and the secondary
characters in the small town. I can’t wait to continue the series and I consider
Devney Perry a new favorite!
Where has this book – and this author – been all my
life?! I had this one sitting in my Audible library for a solid year before I
finally listened to it and now I’m kicking myself. Because I seriously loved
it. Casey and Jake met when they were paired together at a wedding and their
connection was quick and believable. In Casey, Jake found someone who saw past
the rock star label and liked him for himself. And in Jake, Casey felt the
freedom to be herself and Jake seemed to “get” her like no one else did. Casey
was a down-to-earth girl who found herself falling for a guy who just happened to
be a rock star. But Jake wasn’t just a rock star, he was also the guy who was
known for being abducted as a kid and living to tell the tale. Except he doesn’t tell the tale – he shuts that
part of his life out and refuses to talk about it. However, he carries scars
from that experience, both physical and emotional, and they threaten any future
he and Casey might have together.
I loved Casey and Jake’s journey and fell for their
story hook, line and sinker. Bengtsson took the story deeper and darker than I
expected and it made for an emotional reading experience, without ever dipping
into melodrama. I shed some tears during this one, but it also provided plenty
of humor and heart. The narration by Andi Arndt and Joe Arden was the icing on
the cake (yeah, I went there).
When it comes to my relationship with the Sea Breeze
series the status would definitely be: it’s complicated. Because as many times
as I rolled my eyes at the cheesy dialogue or railed at the character tropes
that were repeated book after book, I was still hooked. These books are like
crack and I kept coming back for more. In Until the End, I finally got Rock and
Trisha’s story, which bounced between then and now chapters. They were the rock-solid
couple all through the earlier books so it was great to get their back story
and find out what they went through to finally become the steady married couple
that everyone looked to as an example of a healthy, happy relationship. The fun
part, though, was the epilogue that included a chapter for each couple in the
series. Jax and Sadie were as obnoxious as ever (gag), but the others were entertaining
snippets into how far the couples had come over the last few years.
Amazon: 
