Short Take Reviews: Remembering Everly and After We Fall



Remembering Everly (Lost & Found #2) by J.L. Berg


Synopsis: After a stunning cliffhanger ending in Forgetting August, USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg delivers the happily ever after that fans have been waiting for in the sequel, Remembering Everly.

He's forgotten his past, but it hasn't forgotten him. After losing two years of his life trapped in a coma, August Kincaid will do anything to win back the love of his life. But his past threatens to destroy his second chance at happiness, it's Everly who is in danger of paying for his crimes.



MY THOUGHTS: I was so excited to read the conclusion of August and Everly's story and get some answers after the cliffhanger ending in Forgetting August. 

In Remembering Everly we get more insight into August and the kind of man he was before the incident that stole his memories and put him in a coma. The pressure he was under was intense and many of his actions, the ones that left Everly feeling like a prisoner, made sense when told from his point of view. As his past begins to collide with his present, August is walking a fine line trying to find a way to move forward and live the life he wants.

Everly is once again planning her wedding to another man, but her feelings for August are far from resolved. Guilt-ridden by the secret she kept from August, and still missing the relationship they had, she's left feeling unsure of what direction to take.

I loved the connection between August and Everly in this one. As the story progressed and more truths came to light, it became apparent that, regardless of the past, they were so much better together than apart. They were both struggling with the aftermath of decisions August had made in the first book and neither of them were dealing with the fallout well. August worked to right past wrongs and Everly made decisions about who and what she really wanted and I was cheering for them all the way.

This was a completely satisfying ending to the Lost & Found duology and I'll definitely be reading more from Berg.

3.5/5 STARS

After We Fall (Take the Fall #3) by Marquita Valentine


Synopsis: A tough cop with an even tougher past, Hunter Sloan has never let anyone stop him from getting what he wants—and he wants Evangeline Ambrose bad. With her gentle curves and raw vulnerability, Hunter’s beautiful, mysterious new neighbor awakens his protective side. Determined to do right by a woman who’s gone through hell and back, Hunter could be the one to take away the pain—so long as his own secrets don’t sink their relationship before it begins.

Having escaped an abusive marriage, Evangeline simply wants to start over in the small, quiet town of Forrestville. She’s also avoiding all contact with the opposite sex, because she just can’t trust her instincts when it comes to men—not even with the sinfully sexy cop next door. So why can’t she stop thinking about him? Hunter has darkness in his soul, and yet no one ever made her feel so safe. For all her best laid plans, Evangeline didn’t count on choices this hard—or temptation this hot.


MY THOUGHTS: Evangeline (Eva) escaped an abusive marriage and has started over. Leaving everything behind, she now has a job at an animal shelter and is moving into a new apartment. She's come a long way but still has trust issues and doesn't let people get close to her.

Hunter has not forgot the woman he found on the side of the road, beaten and afraid. He did what he could and took her to a women's shelter. As a cop it's his job to protect those in need and move on to the next call, but even after six months he can't shake his reaction to the woman he helped.

When Eva moves into the apartment across the hall from Hunter, he's thrilled to see the woman he hasn't been able to stop thinking about; however, Eva is mortified to be face to face with the cop who saw her at her lowest point. As Hunter tries to befriend Eva and gain her trust, Eva slowly comes out of her shell and is willing to let Hunter into her life.

Told from dual points of view, I enjoyed getting to see both Eva and Hunter's thoughts and motivations. While I wish there had been more depth to their characters and more build-up to their relationship, it was still enjoyable to watch as it progressed.

Overall, After We Fall was an engaging contemporary romance and I look forward to continuing the series.

3/5 STARS
Do you prefer series or stand alone novels?

The Sunday Post #34


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 
showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is
coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:

Hope you've had a great week! I'm going to skip right over talk of the election (can't we all use a break from that?) and instead say Happy Veteran's Day (slightly belated from Friday) to anyone of you who has served or has supported family members as they have served this great country. I am incredibly  proud of my husband who served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and retired as a Chief Petty Officer. He is the embodiment of patriotism and his love of country is unrivaled. I am so humbled by the sacrifices he made. Veteran's Day has passed, but if you know a veteran, it's never too late to thank them for their service.
Me and Robert - Circa 1992

Speaking of The Husband, he was in Plains, GA yesterday for their Veteran's Day/Fall Car Show. I decided against going because he left a day early (it was too far to drive up the day of the event) and it was going to be an all day event. (Hello boredom.) Well I am totally kicking myself now for not going! Because he met President Jimmy Carter! It was likely that President Carter would be at the show since he lives in Plains and has come to the show in previous years but it's not like Robert just saw him from a stage or something. No, he actually met him, shook his hand and they spoke. Robert asked the Secret Service if it was okay to take a photo and President Carter was gracious enough to allow it. He even posed in front of Robert's car.

President Jimmy Carter - November 12, 2016

I would have loved to have met him. He is a true humanitarian and has always seemed like such a kind and genuine man.

While Robert was hanging with President Carter, I was engaging in some retail therapy. I'm not a big shopper and when I do shop I prefer to do it alone and at my own pace. You ever have those times where you don't like anything you see, or nothing fits right, or it fits but you don't like the way it looks? Ugh, hate what that happens. Well, yesterday was the total opposite of that. So I came home with bags of clothes, makeup, shoes... success! I had a blast. :)

Monday, November 7: On Moday I shared my review for Welcome Home for Christmas by Annie Rains - the fourth, and I think final, release in the Hero's Welcome series. It was the military aspect  that first drew me to this series (it takes place in a coastal North Carolina town near a fictional military base) and I've enjoyed each book in the series. 

Tuesday, November 8: This week's Top Ten Tuesday was about sharing the most recent additions to my TBR list. I've become pretty picky about adding to my TBR so whatever's there are books that I'm truly excited to read. 

Saturday, November 12: Yesterday I was part of the blog tour for Layla Hagen's Your Inescapable Love. Such a good contemporary romance! I definitely want to go back and read the earlier books in the series now 


 

  
Finished:
Your Inescapable Love - Layla Hagen
Sisterhood Everlasting (Audio) - Ann Brashares

Current: 
Stay With Me (Wait For You #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rule (Marked Men #1) *Audio* - Jay Crownover


ARCS FOR REVIEW:


April 11, 2017
The Upside of Unrequited - Becky Albertalli




How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 
You know I want to hear about it! :)

Review + Giveaway! Your Inescapable Love by Layla Hagen


I'm excited to be taking part in the release week blitz for Layla Hagen's latest release, Your Inescapable Love. There's lots to enjoy here - an excerpt, some awesome teaser graphics, and even a giveaway! I hope you'll give this one a try and enjoy Emilia and Max's story as much as I did.

*A new sizzling friends-to-lovers romance from a USA TODAY Best-selling Author* *This book is a stand-alone. Each book in The Bennett Family series will follow a different couple.*  Max Bennett was nine years old the first time he met Emilia. The two formed a tight friendship that lasted for years until she moved away. Now, years later, Max enjoys a successful career, and his brilliant business sense helped him take his family’s company to the next level. Max loves his life: carefree and fun. He has everything he wants and does not intend to settle down anytime soon (even though his family might have other ideas). But when a chance encounter brings him face-to-face with Emilia, he starts questioning everything. The girl he last saw years ago has grown into a beautiful woman with sensual curves and a smile he can’t get out of his mind. Their chemistry is sizzling, and between old memories and new challenges, the two form an undeniable connection.   Emilia Campbell has a lot on her plate, taking care of her sick grandmother. Still, the twenty-eight-year-old physical therapist faces everything with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. The one area in her life where she’s not too optimistic is love. After practically being left at the altar, Emilia has sworn off men. Until the childhood friend she hero-worshiped and hasn’t quite forgotten steps into her clinic. Max is every bit the troublemaker she remembers, only now he has a body to drool over and a smile to melt her panties. Not that she intends to do the former, or let the latter happen. They are both determined not to cross the boundaries of friendship. But as they spend more time together, their chemistry spirals out of control. Can Emilia trust her childhood hero with the key to her heart and accept she might have found her one true love? 




MY THOUGHTS
I thoroughly enjoyed Max and Emilia's story in Your Inescapable Love. Meeting as children, Max became the friend that Emilia desperately needed. Years later they reconnect as adults and there's more there than a rediscovered friendship - there's off-the-charts chemistry. Neither Max nor Emilia are looking for a relationship but the time they spend together has them both rehtinking that.

Max and Emilia are such likable characters. Emilia has a lot on her plate working as a physical therapist and also caring for the grandmother who raised her who now has Alzheimer's. She's independent and a hard worker but she's gun shy about relationships after her fiance dumped her three weeks before their wedding date. Max is a success in business but has always sworn off relationships in favor of casual flings with no strings attached. He is equal parts cocky and charming and I loved his desire to try to help Emilia and ease some of her burden.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters, especially the other members of the Bennett family. Max comes from a big family and I loved their interactions. If I had one quibble with the book it would some of the language that seemed so out of place. I have zero issue with profanity or dirty talk but some of it here felt so at odds with the overall tone of the book. It ended up seeming coarse and jarring. 

Your Inescapable Love was a wonderful contemporary romance that left me wanting to go back and read the previous books in the series. That being said, even though this is the fourth book in the Bennett series, I had no issue reading it as a stand alone.



EXCERPT
“I think it’s every man’s fantasy to be stuck with a woman in an elevator,” Max says. “And when it happens to me, I’m nearly having a damn panic attack.”
“I’d say you’re doing fine, Bennett. You scared me a little in the beginning, but now you’re looking good.”  I’m pleased to observe that he seems more at ease than before. His breathing pattern is calmer, even though his hands are still curled into fists. He also eyes the floor right next to me from time to time, which is a telltale sign he’s not completely at ease. Almost driven by a will of its own, my hand inches closer to his, reaching for him. I touch the back of his hand with my fingers. At first, nothing happens, but then he opens his fist, letting me in. Having my hand in his feels familiar and new at the same time, which I suppose is the perfect way to sum up our renewed friendship. Trying to ignore the way my body hums at his nearness, I scoot even closer to him, until my left hip touches his right hip. Max moves our intertwined hands on his lap. “I knew I had to get you to talk in order to distract you.”
“You’re a distraction all by yourself. Especially since your skirt slid up when you sat.”
“Oh crap.” I inspect my skirt, and sure enough, it slid up my thighs. Damn me and my habit of wearing skirts on the way to work and only changing into training gear at the clinic. My ass is not hanging out, but there’s enough to see if you look closely. And Max definitely is looking closely. That’s why he was peering down regularly. It wasn’t a sign of nervousness. It was a sign of him being a pervert. I’ve been so focused on him, I didn’t even notice my panties are almost on display. Hastily I cover myself, pulling at my skirt and wishing it were longer. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“And ruin all my fun? I’m not stupid.”
“I, on the other hand, am an idiot. A complete and utter idiot.”
“No, you’re not.” He opens his mouth as if he would like to add more, but then closes it again. 
I remain silent, watching the vein pulsing at the base of his neck. Up close, I can smell his scent beneath the cologne, and it’s intoxicating, awakening every single cell in my body. Unexpectedly, he turns my palm up, tracing the almost invisible white line at the base.
“The scar almost faded,” he murmurs. “Did you tell anyone how you really got it?” he inquires.
“No, I kept our secret. Did you?” On the night before Grams and I moved to Montana, I snuck out of my house to meet Max for a farewell walk around the places we used to hang around. I cut my palm badly in the process.
“I don’t kiss and tell, Emilia.” I don’t know if it’s the fact that he used kiss and Emilia in the same sentence, or that his tone is low and husky, but a delicious shiver slithers down my spine. With his thumb, he draws little circles at the base of my palm, driving me crazy. How can a gesture so innocent stir so many sinful sensations inside of me? My breath hitches as I hear Max swallowing hard. Risking a glance at him, I notice his jaw is clenched, as if he is exerting the utmost self-control. Raising my hand, he places a kiss on my scar. The contact sends a jolt directly to my center.
I let out a sound somewhere between a moan and a groan, energy strumming through me. Max turns his head toward me, focusing on my mouth. He is so close. I’d barely have to tip my head, and.... Almost involuntarily, I lick my lower lip.
A groan reverberates from deep inside Max. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Shaking my head, I become acutely aware that our hands are still intertwined. Worse still, we’re both shaking. To someone watching us, it wouldn’t be noticeable. But I can feel it in my bones. Our last vestiges of control are about to give in. I pry my hand out of his and push myself further away in an attempt to put some distance between us, but as soon as I move my ass, my damn skirt slides upward again.
“Fucking hell,” Max exclaims, his gaze following the hem of my skirt as if he wants to set it on fire. Cursing, I cover myself again. He snaps his gaze away, staring at the door instead.


 Don't miss the other books in the Bennett Family Series!

  Your Irresistible Love (The Bennett Family Series, Book 1): 
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2dbUS7s 
 Google Play: http://bit.ly/2booehV 
  The AUDIO version: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dsVfw4 

  Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family Series, Book 2): 
 Google Play: http://bit.ly/2doRv2q 
  The AUDIO version: http://amzn.to/2dH85WD 

  Your Forever Love (The Bennett Family Series, Book 3): 
  Google Play: http://bit.ly/2ar1ooN 
  The AUDIO version: http://amzn.to/2dbWMF7              

ENTER LAYLA'S GIVEAWAY


About Layla Hagen: I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it.      
Links:
Website: https://twitter.com/laylahagen
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LaylaHagenBooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laylahagen

Top Ten Tuesday: Let's Add to the TBR, Shall We?

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 
This week's Top Ten Tuesday theme is about our latest additions to the ol' TBR. Because we all know it's ever-growing. I used to add books faster than I could remove others but I've become a lot pickier over the years about what I add to my TBR. So here are the latest books to actually make the cut and get added:


The Crown's Fate - Evelyn Skye
By Your Side - Kasie West
Full Tilt - Emma Scott
I Found You - Lisa Jewell
After the Game - Abbi Glines
The Upside of Unrequited - Becky Albertalli
Bittersweet - Sarina Bowen
I See You - Molly McAdams
Race the Darkness - Abbie Roads
Till Death - Jennifer L. Armentrout


Have you read any of these? Are any of these on your TBR?

Review: Welcome Home for Christmas by Annie Rains

Welcome Home for Christmas by Annie Rains

Genres: Hero's Welcome #4

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 8, 2016

Format: Kindle

Source: NetGalley

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon


Synopsis

The bestselling Hero’s Welcome series continues with a juicy Christmas romance, a short novel set in Seaside, North Carolina, where the bustling military base keeps this small town stocked with dedicated, lovable heroes.

Three-hundred-and-sixty-four days a year, Allison Carmichael doesn’t mind being single. It sure beats dating another loser, and it keeps her heart safe. Then there’s that three-hundred-and-sixty-fifth day: Christmas Eve, the traditional time her entire family gathers together—and gangs up on her, demanding to know when she’s going to get married. This year, she swears, is going be different. And that’s why, at a charity auction she’s throwing on-base, she buys herself a man.

Sergeant Troy Matthews insists that he’s not for sale. His time is, though, and he’s happy to donate it. Happier still when he learns the identity of the winning bidder: the redhead with the killer good looks and smart mouth who runs the veteran’s center. Allison needs Troy’s help to fool her family into believing they’re an item, and he’s all too happy to indulge her. But by the time Christmas Eve rolls around, their little charade is working a little too well . . . because Troy’s falling head over heels.
My Thoughts

Allison is dreading the family Christmas gathering since it's just another opportunity to be hounded about her single-and-no-prospects status. On a whim she bids on Troy during a charity auction with the thought of having him pose as her boyfriend. Problem solved, right?

Troy is a military police officer and is anti-Christmas. Ever since a big argument with his brother he hasn't gone home for Christmas and tries to avoid anything to do with it. But when a buddy tricks him into a holiday bachelor auction he finds himself going along with it since it benefits an orphanage. And he has no complaints when the attractive Allison "buys" him. He's willing to go along with her ruse on one condition: they spend some time together before Christmas so they'll be believable as a couple.

As always, Rains has written totally likable characters that are so easy to pull for. Her main characters are always good people with great chemistry and Allison and Troy are no exception. Troy is truly a stand-out guy. Warm and charming and funny, he helps out when and where he's needed and really goes above and beyond. Allison is dedicated to her work at the veteran's center where she is a director and, like Troy, is civic-minded and always willing to lend a hand where needed. Their "fake" relationship felt real from the very start because it was so apparent they belonged together - they just wouldn't allow themselves to accept it so easily.

My only quibble lies with Allison's constant deference to her mother's opinion. It rankled that an independent, professional woman like Allison would give such credence to her mother's feelings about her romantic relationships. And not just be swayed by them but basically turn them into self-fulfilling prophecies. It seemed odd to me that a grown woman would allow her mother's opinion to matter so much. Because of this I sometimes got a little frustrated with Allison and was antsy for her to show more backbone and make her own choices, regardless of anyone else's opinion.

Even with that one issue, Troy and Allison's story is still completely enjoyable. I liked how they each approached their pretend relationship and what their expectations were. There was plenty of humor and seeing some familiar faces from previous books was an added bonus.

Welcome Home for Christmas is the fourth book in the Hero's Welcome series but can easily be read as a stand alone. Those who like their romance on the sweeter side without a lot of angst will find plenty to enjoy here.

Note: This title was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

3.5/5 Stars
 
Do you enjoy novels with a holiday theme?