I recently came across a new-to-me author on Hoopla and decided to binge all three titles that were available. The Jaxson Cove Duet was an unexpected surprise. With such likable characters, some twists and turns, and some sexy/swoony romance, they were perfect contemporary romance escapism. Unfortunately, Healing the Broken, which I believe was Street's debut novel, did not work as well. I was hooked on the story, but the hero's overbearing personality was a real turn-off. But two out of three ain't bad! :) Have you read anything from K. Street?
EVERYTHING I NEVER WANTEDK. StreetSeries: Jaxson Cove Duet #1
4.25 stars
One phone call was all it took to bring me back to the small town I had grown
up in. Everything had changed, and staying away was no longer an option.
Four and a half years later, I was a widowed single father still here, still
trying to pick up the pieces. We were doing just fine on our own, my little
girl and me.
At least, we were until Camryn Parker stumbled into our lives. The woman was
like a tornado after a hurricane; she was the storm I never saw approaching.
Behind her beauty and sarcastic wit, she was just as broken as I pretended not
to be. As hard as I tried to resist, it was impossible not to fall in love with
her.
In the end, it took nearly losing it all for me to realize everything I never
wanted was exactly what I needed.
*****
I came across Everything I Never Wanted while browsing
Hoopla. I’d never heard of author K. Street but I’m so glad I happened upon
this little gem. Tucker is a single father to five-year-old daughter Shayne. With
the help of his mom and his two friends who act as a surrogate aunt and uncle
for Shayne, he lives a quiet, if sometimes lonely life. Camryn moves to Jaxson
Cove, the (fictional) small Florida coastal town for a fresh start. Living next
door to Tucker and Shayne, she is immediately drawn to the single dad and his
precocious daughter. The relationship that ensues is filled with passion and
care, but she knows there is more that Tucker is not telling her.
I really fell for these characters. Tucker sometimes strayed
into the too-good-to-be-true realm, but I didn’t even care. I loved his
devotion to his daughter. And speaking of the precocious Shayne, I’m not
typically of fan of children in my romance novels, but this little girl
captured my heart. She was equal parts sweet and sassy, and so incredibly
loving to the small circle of adults in her life who loved her so fiercely. When
it came to the conflict near the end of the book, I was a little disappointed
in Tucker, even though I understood his knee-jerk reaction. Even so, it was
hurtful and I shed some tears right along with Camryn. The narration by Teddy
Hamilton and Callie Dalton (two of my favorites) made this sweet story even
better.
EVERYTHING WORTH FIGHTING FORK. Street
Series: Jaxson Cove Duet #2
4 stars
Fate.
Destiny.
Whatever you wanted to call it, Macy Caldwell was mine.
She had a chance to get out of this town, but she refused to take it.
She was going to give up everything for me.
I wasn’t worth that kind of sacrifice.
In order to save her, I had to break her.
The night Nash Masters broke my heart was the catalyst for the ruin that came
after.
All these years later, he was fighting for my forgiveness.
He had no idea I was the one who needed his.
The truth didn’t always set you free.
They said love conquered all, but this was war.
And everything worth having was worth fighting for.
*****
It was obvious from the first book in this standalone
duet, Everything I Never Wanted, that Macy and Nash had history. Once high
school sweethearts, Macy left town at 18 after Nash’s betrayal. It’s been 10
years, and Macy has since returned to town, but she has never forgiven Nash for
what he did, despite his repeated apologies and attempts to put the past behind
them.
I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance, but this story
also featured some aspects that I’m not such a fan of – like keeping secrets,
and making decisions for others because it’s “for their own good.” Grr. Even
so, I was pulling hard for Macy and Nash. Despite what happened in the past,
they still loved one another, and it was worth fighting for even though it took
time to rebuild the trust in each other. Macy’s big secret seemed pretty
obvious from early on but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Side note: Getting
more page time with five-year-old Shayne from the first book was a real highlight.
I love that precocious little kid!
K. Street
3 stars
Monsters didn’t just exist in nightmares.
They were real; they lived among us.
As the sole witness to a brutal murder, Ryann Sinclair knew that better than
anyone.
He’d been burned once, and Cash Donovan swore it was the last time.
That all changed when Ryann stumbled back into his life.
She was fiercely protective of her heart, and he was hell-bent on protecting
her.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Cash was determined to break her.
Just so he could be the one to put her back together.
*****
Oh boy. After enjoying Street’s Jaxson Cove duet, I
downloaded the only other title Hoopla had from the author. Unfortunately,
Healing the Broken did not capture the same emotion, sweetness, and heart as
the other books. At age 11, Ryann had witnessed horrific violence and lived in
a household that left her scarred, physically and emotionally. Years later
Ryann was working at a bar when she was reunited with her teenage crush. Cash,
now a police detective, was happy to reconnect with Ryann but it was obvious
there was a lot more to her past than she told him. When a stalker set his
sights on Ryann, Cash was determined to keep her safe at all costs.
My main issue in this story was Cash. He was so
heavy-handed, and Ryann called him on it several times, but he stayed pretty overbearing throughout the whole story. The way he gave orders and tried to lay down the law did not sit well with me.
(And don’t get me started on how he called her “baby girl” in every other
sentence.) I was surprised at how dark Street took the story and the graphic
violence was not for the squeamish. The plot was interesting and the tension
amped up throughout the story, but Cash’s heavy-handed manner was a real
turn-off. Teddy Hamilton and Callie Dalton did a great job with the narration –
and that’s probably why I’m not rating this one lower – but even good
performances could not fix the issues I had with this one.
HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?
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