SECOND CHANCE COWBOY BY A. J. PINE - COWBOY OF THE MONTH AND ARC REVIEW

Once a cowboy, always a cowboy

Ten years ago, Jack Everett left his family's ranch without a backward glance. Now, what was supposed to be a quick trip home for his father's funeral has suddenly become more complicated. The ranch Jack can handle---he might be a lawyer, but he still remembers how to work with his hands. But turning around the failing vineyard he's also inherited? That requires working with the one woman he never expected to see again.

Ava Ellis broke her own heart the night she let Jack go. She was young and scared---and secretly pregnant with Jack's baby. Now that he's back and asking for her help, Ava sees her opportunity to right the wrongs of the past. But how will he feel about the son he's never known? Could this be their second chance---or their final heartbreak?

“Cross my heart, this sexy, sweet romance gives a cowboy-at-heart lawyer a second chance at first love and readers a fantastic ride.”
Jennifer Ryan – New York Times bestselling author

There was something about this book.  The chemistry between Jack and Ava was scorching.  There's a lot more to this book that is worth mentioning, but it isn't very often that the chemistry between characters sparks this strongly from their first meeting (well, the one 10 years later) and continue throughout the title.

This is my first book by A. J. Pine, and I absolutely loved it.  I thought Jack was authentic, and my heart broke for him and all of the things he was denying himself because he was afraid he was like his father.  I loved all of the moments he had to prove to himself, and those around him, that he was nothing like the man and the past that he was running from.

I liked Ava, a lot.  I thought she was strong, and I respected the reasons for the decisions she made, even though I am not sure I fully agreed with them.  Choosing to keep from someone that he is going to be a father is a big secret to keep, and she knows this.  And, she owns that she did it without really making excuses.  She gives explanations, but not excuses.  Did I totally agree with her?  No...although I see her logic.

But, it doesn't matter if I agree with the choices of the characters as much as it matters that I believe they do...and, I believed in the characters.

The best thing about a second chance, and it worked so well here, is that there is a history between the characters that heightens not only the first meeting, but the subsequent interactions.  It was done so well in this title that you felt the tension between Jack and Ava, the longing, the desire to reconnect and the fear that them not making it this time would destroy them both.

This is also the first book in a new series yet it doesn't fall into the trap of being too much about the secondary characters in order to build the story (which is a pet peeve of mine).  I think this worked so well because the secondary characters are his brothers, and other members of his family, so their inclusion in the story feels more natural than other first in the series titles.

This was an emotional read with amazing sexual chemistry.  I loved it, I recommend it, and I can't wait for the next in the series!

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Owen squirmed in the wooden booth next to her. “Mo-om. I’m so hungry I think I’m going to die.”

Ava laughed, hoping her son couldn’t see through the reaction to the nerves that lay beneath. Normally she’d give him a snack in the car—a bag of goldfish crackers or one of those squeezie applesauce pouches—but she hadn’t wanted him to be full once they got to the restaurant. He needed the food to keep him from getting bored. And to keep him from being idle enough to scrutinize anything about Jack he might not want scrutinized.

“In a few minutes, bud. Promise.”

But it was five minutes to one, and Jack wasn’t here. Yet. Because of course he was coming. She hadn’t spent the whole hour mentally reassuring herself only for him not to show.

Oh shit. What if he didn’t show?

She’d chosen to sit with their backs to the door. Otherwise her eagerness to see Jack enter would get the best of her. But this only made things worse. More than once she’d attempted to casually look over her shoulder only to meet the curious eyes of several BBQ on the Bluff patrons.

“Are you two ready to order, or are you waiting on someone else?”

Ava startled as a young woman with a blond pixie bounced a pen against a pad of paper. “It’s cool if you’re still waiting. I’ve got a couple of nephews, though, probably around your little guy’s age, and all they ever do is eat. Figured he might be hungry.”

Ava smiled and turned to Owen, who gave her a pleading look.

“We are waiting for someone, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to—”

“Lily Green, since when do they let the cook out of the kitchen?”

At the sound of Jack’s voice, a warmth spread through Ava’s veins like chocolate fondue, hot and sweet and delicious. She shook her head. This was not the place to let his smooth baritone start—doing things to her.

“Since I’m short two servers this afternoon,” the other woman said with a grin. “And how about you tell me why I’ve already seen you twice in the span of four days? Luke told Tucker you’d be hightailing it out of Oak Bluff first chance you got.” She turned her attention to Ava. “My husband and Jack’s little brother, Luke, are good friends. Best friends, actually. But me and Luke? We butt heads like you wouldn’t believe. Wonder if big brother here is as difficult as the other.” She winked at Jack.

He smiled and slid into the booth across from Ava and Owen.

“Am I late?” he asked, and Ava shook her head. He glanced back at the woman with the notepad—Lily. And Ava couldn’t help the surge of relief she’d felt when the woman said husband.

“Start us off with that cornbread you sent over the other night, will ya?” Jack added. “I’ve been craving it ever since.”

Lily shoved her pen behind her ear and dropped the pad into her apron pocket. “You got it. I’ll get the rest of your order when I deliver the goods.”

Only after Lily was gone did Jack give Ava his full attention, and she had to remind herself to breathe when he looked right past her and let his eyes fall on Owen.

“Hey, bud,” he said. “You like cornbread?”

Owen narrowed his eyes at Jack—at his father—and Ava watched as the boy studied the man. Finally, her son nodded.

“Yeah, I like it,” he said, then looked back and forth between his parents. “My mom calls me that, by the way. Bud.”

She held her breath, and Jack cleared his throat. He was nervous, and Owen was already giving him the third degree. But then Jack crossed his arms and smiled. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but he seemed ready to take whatever Owen had to dish out.

“What should I call you, then?” Jack asked him, and Owen crossed his arms as well.

“You’re a friend of my mom’s?”

“I am,” Jack said.

“A good friend? Because if you were a good friend I think I would have heard of you before.”

Jack let out a nervous laugh while Ava seemed to ignore her earlier directive reminding herself to breathe.

“Truth is,” Jack started, “your mom and I used to be real good friends. Then I left town, and we lost touch for a while.” He turned his attention to her, his blue-eyed gaze steady and intent. And Ava’s heart stuttered like it had the first time she saw him in high school. “But I think I’d like for us to be friends again.”

Owen tilted his head toward her so that both of their gazes were fixed on hers.

“Do you wanna be friends with him again?” Owen asked.

Ava cleared her throat. “Yeah, bud. I think I do.”

Because friendship she could admit to wanting. Friendship was a start. What she wouldn’t do was hope—this early on—that it would lead to more.

Owen nodded and faced Jack again. “One more question.”

“I’m all ears,” Jack said, his lips hinting at a grin.

“Marvel or DC?”

Jack’s brows raised, and Ava bit her lip.

“And here I thought I was going to get a hard question,” Jack said. “Because the only right answer is Marvel, and the top Avenger, of course, is the first Avenger, Captain Steve Rogers.”

Owen pumped his fist in the air and shouted, “Yes! Okay, Mom. This guy’s cool. I think you two should be friends again.”

Ava’s breathing finally steadied, but she had a rising tide of emotion. Because Jack and Owen had connected. Her son had just given his own father the seal of approval. And she—well, she’d never expected this day to happen, let alone have it be a success.

“Cornbread for all my friends!” Lily said, placing a basket on the table.

The spell was broken, but a new one took hold as Owen devoured a piece before Lily even had time to leave the table. They all watched as he sank into the booth as he swallowed—satiated for the moment.

“Did he even chew that?” Lily asked.

Owen grinned and rubbed a hand over his belly. “Whatever I did, I’m gonna do it again.” He reached for piece number two, but Ava’s hand landed on his wrist before he could swipe another golden square.

“Drink something, bud. You’re gonna choke or make yourself sick if you don’t slow down.”

Jack scratched the back of his neck and squinted at Lily. “I remember my brothers saying this place had the best strawberry lemonade. You still got that?”

She shook her head, and Ava watched as Owen deflated.

“I change the menu monthly. But I’ve got a frozen strawberry limeade that’ll knock your socks off. What do you say?”

Owen perked up again. Ava smiled and lifted her shoulders. Jack slapped a palm down on the table.

“I guess that settles it,” he said. “Three strawberry limeades, and judging by this guy’s appetite, I think we’re ready to order.”

Check Out the Forever Cowboy of the Month Page: Cowboy of the Month

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A.J. Pine
Website: http://ajpine.com/
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SHOT ON GOLD BY JACI BURTON - ARC REVIEW

In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Final Score, opposites attract when a figure skater and hockey player lace up their skates--and go for the gold...

Will "Mad Dog" Madigan is making his second trip to the Winter Games, and he couldn't be happier. Hockey is his life and playing for the U.S. team is a privilege. Then he meets U.S. figure skater Amber Sloane. She's beautiful, ambitious and driven--everything Will desires in a woman. He would love to show Amber how hot life off the ice can be.

Amber has skated her entire life, sacrificing everything in the hopes of one day winning gold. Now she's competing for the third and final time. She intends to win, and nothing's going to get in her way--until she meets Will. He's an irresistible charmer, and before long Amber is wondering if this sexy hockey player is the perfect guy to show her some moves outside the rink.

But after all the medals have been awarded, Will and Amber will have to decide if what they have together is just a fling or a real shot at true love.

The Olympics are happening in real life, and the international games are happening in this book.  I love the connection to real life and the feeling of "being there".  In fact, I am writing this review while waiting for the ice skating team finals to start...so, it really is like I am there with Amber.

Will and Amber.  A life-of-the-party hockey player and a serious, studious, here only for the competition ice skater.

Really, they shouldn't work together and they probably don't on paper.  But, in this book?  It works well.  I think this is because, by this point in the series, Jaci Burton knows what she is doing when she writes a sports romance.  She has the balance down...the hero (and in this case the heroine) need to be in the sports world, not someone on a break, or who has retired and is sunning himself on a beach somewhere, but playing, training and living the sports world.  And, the other side of this needs to have the realistic romance that you believe, the kind that makes you believe the super dedicated hero and heroine would actually get involved with the other.

This title works.  Add in that Amber is so sheltered she is a virgin, and the wonderful reaction Will has to this, the overbearing skating mom, the friends and fellow athletes, and you have a book that transports you to the international games village...just in time for the Olympics.

I enjoyed this title, and I recommend it.

Watch the Book Trailer:

Check Out the Cover Shoot in an Article from Cosmopolitan.com HERE:

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RULED BY ANNE MARSH - ARC REVIEW

The Rebel vs. The Princess

Complete opposites who share the same burning passion!

Jaxon Brady of the Hard Riders MC has sworn to protect Evie Kent from a rival gang. His hard muscles and black leather motorcycle boots are a sharp contrast to the girlie dresses Evie wears for her successful party-planning business. Their instant attraction is magnetic, and their lust keeps them glued to each other’s side…but is it a dangerous distraction?

“Dare is Harlequin’s hottest line yet. Every book should come with a free fan. I dare you to try them!” —Tiffany Reisz, international bestselling author

Jaxon "Rev" and Evie are not a match made in heaven.  He is a biker and she is a princess.  Literally.  Ok, she runs a company where she throws parties and dresses up like a princess, but the meaning is there.  And, he really is a biker, in a rival gang of the one her brother is a part of.

So, this is not a simple relationship, and she is determined to have nothing to do with Rev.  But, she is attracted to him, and he is attracted to her...so, staying away from one another isn't exactly working out.

I loved that Evie tells Rev that, if he wants to be with her, he needs to date her and follow her rules.  And, I loved that he followed them, in his own way.  I liked the way the author handled the meshing of their characters, and their lives.  They come from different worlds, and believing that it would work out and that they would get a happily ever after required me to believe that they were able to meet in the middle, and I believed it.

The characters were interesting and I believed in their attraction.  I did enjoy this overall and I recommend it.

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ABOUT THAT KISS BY JILL SHALVIS - ARC REVIEW

When love drives you crazy . . .

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do . . .

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

… is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

Jill Shalvis is a favorite of mine because I know when I pick up one of her books, I am going to enjoy it.  This book was no exception.

I enjoyed Joe, Kylie and their investigation into kidnapped penguins and fake furniture.

There was a kiss.  The kind that you can't stop thinking about, that makes you weak in the knees and makes you wonder if it was a fluke, if that kind of chemistry is something that happens only once.  And, then there was nothing, both Joe and Kylie moving on from the kiss like nothing happened...because they think the other has moved on.

Watching them fight the attraction, and their belief that the other didn't feel it, made for a fun read.  And, when they do get together, the chemistry is fantastic.

I enjoyed this title as much as I expected I would, and I recommend it.

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GAME ON BY VICTORIA DENAULT

"I don't break hearts. I break headboards . . . "

When it comes to scoring in the pro hockey league, Alex Larue is crushing it-with the hot puck bunnies. He's the life of the party, the guy with all the jokes . . . and the one whose Party Guy mask keeps the real him well hidden. The last thing he needs is anyone finding out about his troubled past, or the nightmares that haunt him still.

Brie Bennett is less than impressed by Alex from the moment she meets him. And even though he insists on volunteering at the charity she runs, she doesn't trust him. He's hiding something...but so is she. She's not just the rich, privileged New York princess he thinks she is. The animosity between them is undeniably addictive and as their worlds keep colliding it becomes supercharged with something else - attraction. But if they stop playing games and let each other in, they both might lose.

I love sports romance.  And, I have no idea why as I am not a sports fan.  Although, I have some guesses and the hot bodies, the alpha male and the pure physicality of the heroes in sports romances probably have something (ok a lot) to do with it.

Alex, however, is so much more than the brawny sports hero.  And, this matters a lot to me as a reader.  Books about hot men are a dime a dozen, so if I am going to read, and enjoy, a sports romance I need to like the characters, and I need them to seem real.  I loved that he was a little insecure, that he was the guy who wasn't the standout player on the team, that he was the one the coach doesn't want on his team...but he still needs to believe in himself.  Watching the struggle, to get past this and his childhood was interesting, and compelling and it made me like him, and care what happened to him.

Brie was also interesting.  A woman who, from outside, looks like she has it all and has all of the advantages that she possibly could have...but runs a shelter for kids who would be living on the streets otherwise.

Alex and Brie aren't sure what to think of one another, but they know there is an attraction that they have to fight...because neither of them want to be attracted to the other.

This makes for some incredibly hot scenes as they both fight the attraction they have to one another.  It also makes the payoff, the time they spend together, even better as you are invested in the characters and like them by the time they become a couple.

The writing was strong and the pacing was mostly good, although I would have liked Brie and Alex to be together for a little longer in the book, as I did think it took a little too long for them to start on the portion of the book where they were a couple.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

PLAY CRUSH BY KATE DONOVAN

Armed with degrees in computers and robotics, Haylee Kirk is overqualified for the job of fitting wireless helmets to the heads of pro football players. Her ulterior motive? Impress the sexy tech genius who’s funding the project in hopes it will lead to her dream job. And since she felt a definite vibe with the guy when they crossed paths once before, maybe to her dream lover as well.

Even when she meets Wish Bennett, the tall, lean, ripped tight end for the Portland Lancers, she’s sure she’s immune to his charms. Because she’s already taken, isn’t she?

After an awesome rookie season, Wish is living the dream. Then he meets Haylee and life goes officially crazy. Not only is she pretty and smart, she’s actually measuring his head! It has to be a sign. Even when she tells him she’s in love with some tech dude, he knows he can change her mind.

With the help of two rowdy superstars, Wish convinces Haylee to bet her future—and his—on one monumental kiss. If it doesn’t work out, he’ll back off for sure.

The question is: will Haylee?

I enjoy books with characters who you don't think should be together and watching them work it out so they end up as the perfect couple.

Haylee and Wish are a classic opposites attract.  He is a football player and she is a computer geek, working with the team to see if a new helmet will help with the severity of injuries to the players.

I liked the chemistry between Haylee and Wish, but it took too much time (at least for me) to see them as a couple, there was a lot of time together, but not enough time with them together for me to really feel invested in their chemistry and their attraction.

I also thought her boss was a little overdone.  I get the idea of needing the conflict, but he seemed more like the villain in a cartoon than an actual person.  I have had bad bosses, but I have never had one this bad.  Overall, I just didn't believe in the character, so the conflict that was added by the character seemed really forced.

I liked this overall, and I enjoyed it...but I wanted more from the title.

COVER OF NIGHT BY LAURA GRIFFIN-ARC REVIEW

Sparks fly when a journalist and a Navy SEAL cross paths in Thailand in this third entry in the thrilling and sexy Alpha Crew series from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

Journalist Karly Bonham is on her first overseas mission, covering the new United States ambassador to Thailand, when she is taken hostage by terrorists, with only her wits and courage to keep her alive—until help arrives in the form of Navy SEAL Ethan Dunn.

As part of an elite SEAL team called Alpha Crew, Ethan has been on countless harrowing missions, but he knows this one is different the instant he meets Karly—the sexy young reporter who somehow managed to escape the terrorists’ clutches. Ethan is impressed by her, especially when he learns she has intel that could be the key to a successful rescue op. Ethan knows working with a civilian raises the stakes on an already dangerous mission. But with the clock ticking down, he enlists Karly’s help to thwart a vicious plot and bring a terrorist mastermind to justice.

I enjoyed this book. Karly and Ethan meet under intense circumstances, and share a connection. And, I loved that while that connection was acknowledged, it really was never inappropriate or to such a degree where I felt that it didn't make sense that the events would occur, no sex against the wall during the gun fights or other silliness that just made no sense.

I liked their relationship, and the idea that it was a one night stand, at first. And then it was a 2 night stand, and then it was more. This followed and felt real. The way the aftermath of what Karly experienced is handled also felt authentic. While not going into any details, and not giving anything away, I felt like she acted as someone who had been in a hostage situation would. I found this to not only be realistic, but also interesting.

I liked the way the book ended, after a second or so. It is a little abrupt, and at first I found myself wanting more, an epilogue, a further story, a what happens next...something. But, I have all I needed. I decided the reason I wanted more was that I genuinely liked the story, and Ethan, and I wanted to see what happened to them and wanted more of them.

Not a bad way to leave a reader, honestly. Enjoying what they read and wanting more is definitely the way to end a book.

I recommend this title. It does function as a standalone, although there are references to characters from the previous titles referenced in this one. If you have read those (and I recommend them) this is fun...if you haven't, they function as secondary characters who don't detract from the story.

Overall, this was enjoyable and I look forward to the next in the series.

CARNAL BY SIMONE SOWOOD-ARC REVIEW

I don’t know what made me go to him that night.
Steel, the pierced drifter with the neck tattoo.
Mostly I wanted to hurt my reputation.
He could take my virginity and I’d go home, ruined.
I never thought he’d say no.

*** A steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with a sizzling hot alpha. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Please note Carnal was originally published as Carny, and has been re-edited.***

I liked this book overall.  I didn't actually read it the first time, as I was not sure how I felt about the idea of the hero being part of a traveling carnival.  I have no idea why, but this wasn't something that had a lot of appeal for me.  But, when it appeared the 2nd time, I thought I would give it a shot.

I am glad I did.

I liked Emily and Steel.  I liked their relationship.  While there was definitely insta-love, I also liked the idea that they were pulled from one another before they had a chance to fully pursue the idea of a relationship and what it might mean.  I think, at least for me, when a choice is taken from me, the appeal of the thing I lost becomes much stronger, so that part worked for me.

In places, I found the writing to be a little more dramatic than always works for me, but this is the author's style.  She writes the grand stories, the dramatic ones, in which the characters all react to things in a big way.  So, while this is not always a favorite of mine, I know this going into the book and I did not change the rating as a result of this.

That said, I thought Emily adjusted to the new life a little easily, but she was young and in the first stages of a new love, so I also thought that was realistic.  Sort of.  Although going from a Burberry dress to a trailer without AC and not really complaining was a bit of a stretch and I thought there was a lot of story there that was not really addressed.

I did think the whole thing with where he was from was a little much, and I thought it was not really a necessary thing...that there was enough going on for them, enough drama, that this was an addition that was not necessary for the story and that it took away from other points in the story that would have been better served to be a little more developed.

Overall, I did enjoy this, and it is exactly what is advertised, a fun, quick, hot read.

I recommend this title.

RAW HEAT BY CHERRIE LYNN-REVIEW

The third book in the Larson Brothers series from New York Times bestselling author Cherrie Lynn is the sexiest installment yet!

Youngest Larson brother Damien has the luck of the devil. Fast talking and faster thinking, he owns a successful nightclub in Houston and runs an illegal poker room upstairs. After a troubled childhood, now nothing is out of Damien’s reach—except his accountant, Emma Haskell.

Emma has always been drawn to Damien’s dark intensity and the gleam in his eyes that promises more than she can possibly handle. But when her brother’s gambling threatens to destroy her family, Damien makes her an offer she’d be crazy to accept—but can’t refuse: her brother’s debts will be forgiven, and Emma belongs to him for thirty days.

In Damien’s world, he shows his angelic bookkeeper what it’s like to live with the devil. But Emma brings out a side in Damien he thought didn’t exist. Will the flames of lust scorch them both, or will this beauty tame the beast and give him something to fight for?

Raw Heat scorches with emotional intensity and smoldering passion that will leave readers spellbound!

This book was so interesting and, from the beginning, you are drawn into the romance between Damien and Emma. 

Emma is an employee at Damien's nightclub and, while she finds him attractive (and sees him as the stuff of her fantasies) she has never acted on the attraction, or pursued it.

Damien is also attracted to Emma, and for less noble and more "I don't want to ruin her" motivations, isn't pursuing her.

And then, her brother shows up in the illegal casino upstairs and, to pay off his debt, she agrees to become Damien's for 30 days.

You aren't supposed to like Damian, but you do.  You aren't supposed to find him sexy, or compelling, or find anything about him to like,  But you do, and so does Damien...which becomes a problem.

This is definitely a darker book, but I enjoy those so this one was definitely a hit with me, as the dark in this book felt really forbidden, in a way that the forbidden really works and really feels taboo.  The idea that there is an attraction to the person who bought you, and that this person is appealing on any level is a fascinating story arc to explore and made this book well worth reading.

I recommend this title.

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ROYAL TREATMENT BY PARKER SWIFT-REVIEW

"Addictive, sexy and beautifully written. I can't get enough of Dylan & Lydia. 5 erotic stars" -Vi Keeland, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author on Royal Disaster


All this duke needs is his duchess...


For five blissful months I've been engaged to Dylan Hale, the most handsome, commanding, and wickedly sexy duke in England. For five months I've woken up next to the man I love, indulged in secret trysts, and submitted to every delicious desire. Even better? We've managed to keep it hidden from everyone. That means no paparazzi scandals, no snide comments from Dylan's mother, and no harsh public scrutiny. It's been heaven, but with Dylan's royal responsibilities looming, our time alone is running out. And while I can't wait to be Dylan's wife, I'm terrified that becoming Dylan's duchess might mean losing myself.

This is book 3 in the story of Dylan and Lydia.  It's definitely not a standalone, as it picks up after the events in the other books, their first meeting, the beginning of their relationship, and all of the build up is referenced in this book, vaguely, but you need to have read the first 2 in order to really follow.

I was invested enough in Dylan and Lydia to want to know how it ended up for them, although I can say that I thought it was a little too long and the book would have worked better, I think, as a duet.

The emotion, at least for me, felt a little drawn out and like there was not quite enough for them to really have the plot to make it through the 3rd book and the break up, make up and issues started to feel a little like a soap opera...the issue exists because it is the 4th chapter of the 3rd book and not because it really follows a strong story ARC.

I recommend this book, as it is the end of a series and the first 2 books really were engaging, but this one was not as compelling as the others in the series.

SUDDENLY ENGAGED BY JULIA LONDON-VIRTUAL TOUR

Can Kyra and Dax let go so easily—or has love become a preexisting condition?

SUDDENLY ENGAGED

Lake Haven #3

Julia London

Releasing July 25, 2017

Montlake

Single mother Kyra Kokinos spends her days waiting tables, her nights working on her real estate license, and every spare moment with her precocious six-year-old daughter, Ruby—especially when Ruby won’t stop pestering their grumpy next-door neighbor. At first glance, Dax Bishop seems like the kind of gruff, solitary guy who’d be unlikely to offer a cup of sugar, let alone a marriage proposal. But that’s exactly what happens when Ruby needs life-saving surgery.

Dax showed up in East Beach a year ago, fresh from a painful divorce and looking for a place where he could make furniture and avoid people. Suddenly his life is invaded by an inquisitive munchkin in sparkly cowboy boots—and her frazzled, too-tempting mother. So he presents a practical plan: his insurance will help Ruby, and then they can divorce—zero strings attached.

But soon Kyra and Dax find their engagement of convenience is simple in name only. As their attraction deepens, a figure from the past reappears, offering a way out. Can Kyra and Dax let go so easily—or has love become a preexisting condition?

I enjoyed this title overall.  I liked Kyra and I thought Ruby, her daughter, was adorable.

Dax, well, he was a little grumpy, but with everything going on in his life with his ex, this was understandable, I think anyone would be little grumpy.

There was a lot going on in this book, with the grumpy neighbor, the things Dax was dealing with, the things Kyra was dealing with, and then Ruby’s illness.  In a lot of ways, it made for a full story.  Unfortunately, at times this fullness of the story left me feeling like there was just too much going on.  I know, life can be like this and things come at you all at once, but for me this took away a little from the story.

Overall, you like the main characters, they are relateable, and even though all sorts of things are happening, they don’t turn into tragic characters, which I did like.  The happy ending they reach was well-deserved for all involved, and I did enjoy the journey of this title.

I do recommend this book.

 

Julia London is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than forty romance novels. Her historical titles include the popular Desperate Debutantes series, the Cabot Sisters series, and the Highland Grooms series. Her contemporary works include the Lake Haven series, the Pine River series, and the Cedar Springs series. She has won the RT Book Club Award for Best Historical Romance and has been a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction. She lives in Austin, Texas.

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