At Home on Marigold Lane

   In this blog post, I reviewed Debbie Mason’s At Home on Marigold Lane, the fifth installment in the Highland Falls contemporary romance series, this beautiful romance novel captures a second-chance romance with the best friend’s brother trope perfectly in this lovely love story. It would make your heart sigh and weep with tears of joy. It all started for Brianna MacLeod, who had escaped a violent husband and tumultuous marriage, and had also struggled with the pain from a terrible fall she had almost died from, a year ago. She couldn’t sleep at night and didn’t feel good about herself. But when she ran into her ex-fiance from a decade ago, Dr. Caleb Scott, at the grocery store, it brought up painful memories of their broken engagement. If it wasn’t for Cal and his wife Raine, they helped save her life. But this old flame didn’t die hard for Cal, when he was stuck in a marriage of convenience with Raine, and dealing with his moody step-daughter Izzy.  While he helped Bri deal with her medical issues, he couldn’t help wondering what ifs with her, and have a second chance. But they needed to put it on hold until they received the funding for a new trauma center–things couldn’t be harder than it looked and seemed in that small town. While they tried to keep their burning feelings under wraps, it became harder to do until someone found out and exposed them. Caught between a rock and hard place, Bri couldn’t deal with the heartache until she needed time for herself to sought things out and tell Cal how she felt about their happy ending.

This tear-jerking contemporary romance will put your heart on an emotional roller coaster ride and pull your heart strings. I instantly cared about Bri and how she would deal with her pain and how she could be more dependent on herself. I also how she re-bonded with Em, Cal’s sister, to make amends and be best friends again.  I also adored Cal, who had a full plate on his hand, while he kept his emotions in check. He wanted to do the right thing for the trauma center and Izzy, when he needed to put Bri first and foremost to get the happy ending they deserved. The picturesque autumn landscape of Highland Falls was lovely for the scenic settings along the Blue Mountains Region. The theme of the story is fight for love and those who believe in you. 

This beautiful contemporary romance is amazingly wonderful. I rated this book, five out of five stars for no reason. If you love a contemporary romance that has the best friend’s brother trope, plenty of romantic action, and lots of drama to make your heart weep, add At Home on Marigold Lane to your TBR list.. This book is recommended for Hallmark Channel fans, and for fans of Kristan Higgins, Kristen Hannah, and Kate Meader along with many others.

To All the Dogs I Loved Before

  In this blog post, I review Lizzie Shane’s To All the Dogs I Loved Before, the third installment in the Pine Hollow contemporary romance series. This endearing romance has plenty of sweet scenes with a hint of humor.  This contemporary romance has a great mash-up of grumpy-sunshine and second chance for the tropes that makes this an awesome lovely story. It all started when the town newsletter’s editor reported that Elinor Rodriguez was back together with her ex-fiance Levi Jackson. In Pine Hollow, Vermont, it gave their small town something to talk about and speculate. Though it wasn’t true and nothing but conjecture. But when Elinor’s Aussie Dory keeps escaping from her home, Police Chief Levi Jackson keeps bringing it back to her, safe and sound. Elinor, the school librarian, has always hated Levi for blindsiding her on their broken engagement three years ago. She didn’t know why or for what reason. While she deals with her younger sister Charlotte’s relationship problems, she has aspirations to become a published author. For Levi, he had kept a secret he never told anyone: he has dyslexia. And he didn’t want to be anything like his old man and how he treated women. But everytime when Dory escaped, he was always on call to bring it back to Elinor, though he always took care of her and did things for her when she least expected it. While being the police chief for Pine Hollow, he was always there for her and his friends. But in the end, would he tell the truth to Elinor about his true feelings for her to make things right?

 This heart-warming contemporary romance is moving and heartfelt. I cared for Elinor, who always thought she was perfect in everyone’s eyes. She might be too harsh on Charlotte and cared for Dory and her students. And she would never give up on love and on her dreams. I adored Lexi, since he’s diverse as a main character with a learning disability. We don’t see that everyday and need more of them in novels. I loved how he became fond of Dory and looked out for people in Pine Hollow.  Dory was a hoot and adorably sweet Aussie who loved Levi and Elinor.  The location of Pine Hollow, Vermont, is lovely and wholesome for a small New England town with picturesque scenic settings. The theme of the story is no one’s truly perfect when love will find the way.

This sweet contemporary romance is recommended for those who love dogs in the story with a second chance storyline. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason. If you love romances with non-stop romantic action, plenty of suspenseful drama, and hints of sweet loving romance, add To All the Dogs I Loved Before to your TBR list . This book is recommended for fans who love Hallmark Movies, Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Marina Adair.

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch

  In Carolyn Brown’s Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch, the first installment in the Ryan family contemporary romance series, this sweet second chance friends-to-lovers love story about Addy and Jesse warms your heart.  After twenty years with the Air Force as a medic, Jesse Ryan returns home to Honey Grove, Texas, to return to his family’s ranch. But he runs into Addison Hall, his childhood best friend Addison Hall, and his daughter Mia, he didn’t know he had with her in an on-night stand. While he returns to ranching, he gets to know Mia, who’s a bit rebellious in nature, and sparks ignite and fly between him and Addy. As his father’s live-in nurse, Addison kept Mia a secret for him and didn’t want it to ruin his dreams. While she managed to be a single mother for so long, she kept her friends for him a secret, though it did run rampant every time he kissed her or touched her. While they did with family business in the small town, they’ve gotten to get past Mia’s wild side and the town gossip, they’ve had to follow their hearts to get the happiness they truly deserved and wanted for so long.

This was a beautiful love story that pulled at my heart strings and feel deep emotions about this second chance romance. I adored Jesse on how he dealt with the situation about learning about Mia and taken hold of the situation at his home ranch. I loved how he wanted to stay close at home and be where he belonged with Addy. He never left anybody ruffle his feathers. And I loved how Addy remained devoted to the Ryan family and took care of Sonny and how she wanted Mia to care for Jesse like she did. They do work well together and made a great team. I really liked the small town of Honey Grove, Texas, and the ranch settings of working with alpacas, sheep, and other livestock. It made me want to visit the place by picturing myself there. The theme of the story is everyone deserves a second chance to find their true love, even as friends.

I couldn’t find anything negative to say about it since this was a beautiful heartfelt contemporary romance. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because of a couple of minor glaring errors on misused dialogue tags and internal thoughts on my e-arc from last summer. This is recommended to everyone who loves to read second chance contemporary romance novels or Hallmark movies. If you love heart-stopping sweet contemporary romances with non-stop action, plenty of romantic drama, lots of sparks, and a dose of heat, you'll stop by for a visit at Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch.

Between Two Thieves

 In Sloane Steele's Between Two Thieves, the 2nd installment in the Counterfeit Capers romantic suspense series, this latest novel will keep you on your toes and leave you in suspense. For Nikki Russo, she's a well-known art thief that works for a company that's reminiscent of the Leverage TV series, that steals for a common purpose. She knows a trick or two about stealing since her father Dodger taught her how to do it at a young age. It's all how she met and fell in love with Wade Palmer, her father's protégé, a decade ago. They were both after one particular painting, the Devereaux, at the Carlisle Museum. Little did they know they met each other at the same party pulling a con and crossed each other's paths. But they worked together for one common interest that brought them together in the first place: her father who was in deep trouble. Wade had gone straight and worked for a security consultancy firm who wanted to break free from Dodger like Nikki did. She was the one who got away so many years ago and never stopped loving her. Though they worked both sides of the fence, his dog Flynn became his best friend--it's something that Nikki never liked and feared.  They team up to pull the switch and the ultimate con to exact revenge and to get something they both want and desired--another chance to be together in the end. 

Fans of "Ocean's Eight and Eleven" (both versions) and "Leverage "would love this heist-centric themed second-chance romantic suspense novel. I cared for Nikki on how she's her own individual person and worked for a team that became like a second family. I loved how she's creative and thoughtful of stealing artwork by pulling off those masterful cons. I also cared for Wade who changed his lifestyle and did it for a greater good. He wanted to protect Nikki because he cared so much for her.  I loved the location and the scenic settings from the apartment to Wade's firm and beyond. The theme of the story is trust your gut and people can change if given a chance.

 If you love high-stakes romantic suspense with tons of heart-stopping high-octane suspense, plenty of romantic drama, lots of intrigue and thrilling chills, Between Two Thieves is perfect for you.