Once Upon a Romance

    In this blog post, I reviewed Alex Bailey’s Once Upon a Romance, the first installment in the Dream Come True contemporary romance series, this enchanted love story is magical like any Disney movie. Sophie O’Connor loves her job as an editor working in Los Angeles with her best friend Hyun. But when her brother-in-law Rick had to leave town for work before Christmas, she needed to do something for her eight-year-old niece Ariel. And that was to grant her Christmas wish: go to Disney World. Though she wasn’t much of a Disney fan since she lost her sister Natalie a year ago, she would do anything for Ariel and had arranged a trip to Florida.  On the way there, she met someone named Professor Disney, who was a blogger on everything Disney. From there, they befriend him and explore the parks. While Sophie was still taken with her boyfriend Darren, she noticed a change in her when she had fun with Ariel and Professional Disney aka Ray Bueno through the parks. She began to let go of the past grief behind her and looked to the future to heal and followed her heart to the love of her life with Ray.

This magical contemporary romance is lovely and endearing.  I cared for Sophie, who would do anything for her niece Ariel to make her happy. And she began to let down her guard a little while she had fun with Ray. I also cared for Ray, who found his happy place as a Disney blogger, and healed for his own personal loss. The trio locations of Denver, Los Angeles, and Walt Disney World were blissful and perfect with epic scenic settings. The dual themes of the story is to find your magical happy place and to  let go of the grief.

This sweet contemporary romance is wonderful and enchanted. . I rated this book, four out of five stars, because of minor punctuation errors. If you love romances with non-stop action, plenty of drama, and hints of sweet romance,  Once Upon A Romance will make you a believer. This book is recommended for fans who love Disney movies, Robyn Carr, and Kristen Hannah romance novels.

Tough Justice

    In this blog post, I reviewed Tee O’Fallon’s Tough Justice, the first installment in the K-9 Special Ops romantic suspense series. This debut is packed with suspense and keeps you hooked on every page. For Dr. Victoria Sampson, she promised to not get involved with the DEA, knowing what they’ve done and had destroyed her family years ago. She had witnessed too many young people die from a dangerous opioid cocktail called gray death in the ER. But when she meets DEA Agent Adam “Deck” Decker, things change after they work together on saving lives to chase down a dangerous drug dealer in Denver and its suburbs. For Deck, he lost his sister Marianne to drugs years ago when he couldn’t save her in time and blamed himself for it. But after Tori saved his life from being exposed to gray death, he wanted her to work with him by gathering information from her patients to help with their investigation. When things get intense for a warrant, it puts them into a precarious situation from being stalked and placing them in danger. And when she had saved his life with an opioid, he didn't want it, knowing what it did to her sister, and caused a rift between them. During their time apart, Tori became suspicious of her fellow coworkers and tried to put the pieces together. When she did, it was almost too late to stop it, putting her life into peril. Will Deck save her in time to rescue her and mend her broken heart by making a compromise. 

This thrilling romantic suspense is gripping and is timely with the opioid crisis you hear about in the news.  I cared for Tori, who worked hard to get where she wanted to be ‘till this day as an Er doctor, in spite of the financial crisis her family was in. I cared for Deck, who loves his job as an DEA agent, and working with Thor, his beloved dog, to get drugs off the streets. Thor was adorably sweet. They make an incredible team and an awesome couple. The location in Denver and its vicinity was picturesque with mesmerizing scenic settings to take you there.The theme of the story is to defeat the odds to make a relationship work, you have to compromise when it comes to love.

This gripping romantic suspense is awesome and a heart-stopping read. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because for no reason. If you love romances with non-stop romantic action, plenty of romantic drama, and heart-pounding tension Tough Justice should be added to your TBR list. This book is recommended for fans who love romantic suspense novels featuring K-9s like Margaret Mizushima and Sandra Brown.

Close to You

    In this blog post, I reviewed Kristen Proby’s Close to You, the second installment in the Fusion contemporary romance series. This love story will have your heart swoon and make you laugh in stitches. For Cami LaRue, she had the biggest crush on her best friend’s brother for a long time. When she was a teen, he went away to the Navy for a decade as a pilot. Now since he was home and back into her life, she wanted to mince words with him. Later on, their friendship had blossomed into something wonderful when they both revealed feelings for each other. They took their newfound relationship when they dated and went through some unexpected life-challenges along the way. For Landon, he loved flying planes for the Navy. Until he ended up injured on a mission, he recovered back home and faced Cami, the only woman he ever wanted and stole her heart. In the meantime, he became a central focus point into her life and being there for whenever she needed him. Now since he had found Cami, he never wanted to leave Portland for the longest time and found home with her. But when they dealt with an unexpected blow, they worked through the issues together and found out they were meant to be together forever.

This heartfelt  contemporary romance is truly wonderfully written and moves your heart. This  romance has all the right ingredients for a great love story. I I cared for Cami, who loves her work at the restaurant, and had issues with Scoot, a wilty cat. I loved how she cared for her nephew and having fun with her besties. I adored Landon Palazzo, and loved how he took care of her and all of her needs, even if he dealt with her cat Scoot. The location in Portland Oregon was loveswept with mesmerizing scenic settings to take you places.The theme of the story is absence makes the heart grow fonder and stronger with every heartbeat.

This endearing contemporary romance is top-notch and perfect for a steamy Love story. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because it was an emotional read.  If you love romances with non-stop romantic action, plenty of romantic drama, and heart-stopping intrigue, Close to You should be added to your TBR list. This book is recommended for fans who love Hallmark Channel movies, Kristan Higgins, Jennifer Probst, and other romance novels.

The Butterfly Garden

    In this blog post, I reviewed Mary Campisi’s The Butterfly Garden, the sixth installment in the That Second Chance contemporary romance series. This beautiful tale is about family, and  dealing with life’s unexpected surprises that might be thrown your way. For Jenny Romano, she was a successful photographer who took photos across the world, making a name for herself. But when she receives a phone call that her sister was in a car accident in Ohio, she dropped everything and rushed over to be with her nieces and help her sister  Grace come out of her coma and get her through the crisis. She later learned that her brother-in-law died at the scene. While she handled taking care of her two nieces, she discovered her brother-in-law was unfaithful and kept that knowledge to herself. But then she met Dr. Elliot Drake, a single father, and a psychologist, to help her nieces and her sister cope with various issues from the crash. She began to trust her heart to him since she needed his advice on how to deal with her mother, who always criticized her throughout her life. For Grace, she needed to be strong for herself and her children, since her perfect world had unraveled with lies and deceit of a broken marriage. As Jenny begins to see Elliot more, she begins to fall for her and wins the heart for his daughter, Sydney. As Grace gets stronger to face the light and start a new life, Jenny decides to find a new meaning of the world home, when she can be with the man she loves and still travel to take photographs closer to home and to her sister.

This tear-jerking romance is so emotionally packed with the matters of the heart. This love story is wonderfully written and beautifully told to pull your heart strings taut..  I cared for both Jenny and Grace, two different sisters, who wanted to seek approval from their mother. They both had to deal with life-changing circumstances and being accepted for who and what they are, faults alone. Elliot was a charming man who cared for his daughter alone since his wife left him to pursue her dreams. But he helped Jenny through a turbulent crisis and cared for her with his whole heart. The location in Ohio was charming and quaint in a suburban cul-de-sac neighborhood with picturesque scenic settings. The theme of the story is acceptance and being loved for who you are while finding a second chance in love and family ties.

This heartfelt contemporary romance will move your heart and have you weeping every now and then. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because it was an emotional read.  If you love romances with non-stop romantic action, plenty of drama, and heart-stopping intrigue, The Butterfly Garden deserves to be read.. This is recommended for fans who love Hallmark Channel movies, Susan Wiggs, Debbie Macomber, and Barbara Delinsky.

Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay

   In this blog post, I reviewed Holly Martin’s Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay, the first installment in the Jewel Island romantic comedy series. This mesmerizing romcom will fill your heart with light, love, and laughter. For Aria Phelps, she loved living at the Phelps Hotel and cherished her relationship with Noah Campbell. They once shared a passionate kiss with each other a year ago until he left her brokenhearted. A year after her father passed away, Noah Campbell returned back into her life. Though her twin sisters wound up with money in the will, her late father left her with the family hotel which is down on its luck. As the new hotel manager, she needed to work with Noah, who brought a percentage share, to renovate it and make a profit again with some changes. For Aria, she needed to keep her distance from Noah to protect her heart and have a pure professional relationship with him. But when they get together to work on a business plan, things do get heated up between them which makes things way harder than it sounded and looked. Noah was dealt with a broken heart from his first marriage and had feelings for Aria, but he hated leaving her the first time until he returned to the island. He had a great working crew for them to turn things around to make it a success, but he didn’t want to feel abandoned and unloved again. When there was a misunderstanding, it caught them off guard, until they risked everything to be together for their happily ever after. 

This heart-warming romcom pulls and tugs at your heartstrings real hard. This love story is endearing and moving beyond words.  I cared for Aria (love the name) and Noah, who were left unloved and abandoned in their childhood. But Aria is a true underdog who wanted to find her own sense of belonging and be loved. Noah is a champion of the heart, who was hurt badly due to a bad marriage, and wanted someone who completed him to make him whole. They were simply made for each other. The location of Jewel Island was enchanted with lovely majestic scenic settings.. The  dual themes of the story is family comes in different forms and loves someone naturally just the way they are.

This romcom will take you places and transplant you there from every page. I rated this book, five out of five stars, because I LOVED it.  If you love romcoms with non-stop romantic action, plenty of drama, and heart-stopping suspense, Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay will make you sigh and  weep for joy. This is recommended for fans who love Hallmark Channel movies and romcoms and various romcom novels.

Daughters of Magpie Cove

   In this blog post, I reviewed Kennedy Kerr’s Daughters of Magpie Cove, the third installment in the Magpie Cove contemporary romance/women's fiction series. This tale deals with family secrets, a second chance for love, and the ties that bind us together. For Connie Christie, her return to her beloved Magpie Cove in Wales had a rough welcoming return. She ran into Alex Gordon, someone she knew from her past schooling days, at the pub. They had a rough start. Besides a family reunion with her mother and uncle, she ran across some old classmates from school that gave her a hard time. Someone had been stalking her and leaving her nasty notes, while she worked as her family’s museum manager and tour boat guide across the waters. As she had gotten closer to Alex, the more she was in peril to stay at her hometown. She didn’t know who wanted to do something harmful to her, though she wanted it to stop before it would drive her away. Would she follow her heart to stay at home with Alex or take a chance on her dream career?

This compelling contemporary romance pulls at your heart and deals with bullying, mental health, and finding true love unexpectedly. This is beautifully written and heart-wrenching to see what Connie had gone through. I also cared for Alex as he became the hero for her and loved her with his heart. The location of Magpie Cove, Wales, took you places with lovely scenic settings. The theme of the story is love one another and bury the past since people can change over the years.

This moving romance tugs your heartstrings. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because I would’ve loved to see Alex’s POV.  If you love women's fiction novels and contemporary romances with non-stop dramatic action, plenty of romantic intrigue, and heart-stopping twists and turns, Daughters of Magpie Cove will make you weep. This is recommended for fans who love contemporary romances and women's fiction novels like Marion Keyes, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Susan Wiggs, and Taylor Jenkins Reid.

The Dead Yard

   In this blog post, I reviewed Adrian McKinty’s The Dead Yard, the second installment in the Michael Forsythe crime thriller series. This novel will leave you speechless and have you hooked right from the first page. It all started for Michael Forsythe who vacationed in Mexico and hid out from the authorities during the Clinton Administration in the 1990s. Though he had a bounty on his head, he had been recruited by both the MI6 and the FBI to go undercover in a top-secret danger assignment. If he didn’t do this, he would face persecution and spend eternity in a Spanish jail cell. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. So he signed on and headed to Boston to infiltrate a dangerous Irish cult by saving the crime boss’s daughter from imminent danger. Mission: accomplished. But later, when things turned dicey as he discovered his handler had been killed, he needed to throw suspicion off himself and take revenge on them in a life-and-death master plan to escape for freedom.

This gripping crime thriller is twisted and will give you goosebumps. I cared for Michael, since he’s a diverse character with a prosthetic foot. You don’t see that everyday in any fiction, then and now. I could see he had feelings for Kit, and also for Samantha, his handler, and left him a bit torn. He had to deal with a complicated situation under the circumstances that were thrown at him. The trio locations from Boston to Plum Island and then near Belfast Maine were thrilling and had mesmerizing scenic settings to transplant you on every page. The theme of the story is to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

This dark espionage thriller will keep you guessing for more. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because it was a tad gory. If you love fast-paced crime thrillers with non-stop dramatic action, plenty of intrigue, and heart-stopping suspense, The Dead Yard is the book for you. This is recommended for fans who love crime and espionage thrillers and dramas like Vince Flynn, the Jason Bourne series, and John Le Carre.