THE ONES WHO GOT AWAY BY RONI LOREN - ARC REVIEW

Liv's words cut off as Finn got closer. The man approaching was nothing like the boy she'd known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence.

It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.

Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs...

Liv and Finn were together in high school...sort of.  He kept her a secret and he has always blamed himself, just a little, for the fact that he thinks that may have impacted events on a tragic night in high school.

The ones who got away are the ones who lived through a school shooting.  And, I admit, I was intrigued at the idea of having this as one of the central themes of the book.  And, at the same time, a little unsure if it could work.

It did, as it gave the characters a relationship and it gave them something to have in their past, a draw to the town and a reason to pursue the emotions that were still below the surface.  I found it interesting.

But, at the same time, I thought too much of the story was about the past, too much of the draw was because of the past.  For a romance, I want to feel that...at least by the end, there has been some movement forward for the characters, that they are no longer still trapped by the past actions.  This is especially true when it is a second chance romance.

In this case, while I enjoyed it, this book felt more like a prologue to the next one, as it really dealt with all of the things that they needed to move past from the night.

I am looking forward to the next in the series, as often with the first book in the series, a lot of the relationship is lost in the setting up of the next part of the story...and I think this is what happened here.

I do recommend it, as I did mostly enjoy it...but I am looking forward to the next one a lot more.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018!

“May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.”

Laura & Melissa

Our #6 Picks for 2017

Laura's Pick

Hard Wood by Lauren Blakely

From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a hot & hilarious new romantic comedy AND the final novel in her beloved Big Rock series of standalone romances...
Women often say a good man is hard to find. And a hard man is even better.
 
That's why I'm quite a catch-- good, hard, loaded, and wait for it...I'm ready to settle down too. But the woman I want to pitch my tent with lives clear across the country. Neither of us wants to get lost in those woods. All I have to do is resist her for the week she's in town. 

I try. I swear I try. But yeah, that doesn't work out.
And after one fantastic night with my good friend Mia, I'm ready to give her years of nights under the stars. What's a few thousand miles when love's involved? But there's a hitch in my plans -- she just hired my adventure tour company. If there's one thing I'm committed to, it's running a squeaky clean business. Number one on my list of iron-clad rules? 

Don't screw your customers.
But what's a guy to do when she's so hard to resist? How hard can it be to keep our hands off each other for a quick group tour down the hills and over the trails? I'm about to find out, and I have a feeling I'm going to need a new badge of honor because things are about to get very hard in the woods

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Melissa's Pick

Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.

                      

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PROMISE NOT TO TELL BY JAYNE ANN KRENTZ - ARC REVIEW

A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she leaves her secrets behind . . .

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire... and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

 If you have read Jayne Ann Krentz, you have a pretty good idea what to expect from one of her titles.  You are going to get interesting, charmingly quirky characters who seem all the more human for their faults and eccentricities.  The writing will be sharp, the pacing will be quick.  The mystery will move quickly and will end up drawing people into the mix who seemed to only be on the periphery.  The pacing will be strong and the book will be enjoyable.

All of this is present in the story of Virginia and Cabot.  And, really, I am not sure what else I can say about this book without giving things away.  The issue, from a review standpoint anyway, of a book that is this well constructed is that it is impossible to review.

I could talk about the characters, and the plot, and I could ruin it for everyone else.

So, I am going to keep this short and say that I enjoyed this book.  A lot.  And that I highly recommend it.

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Our #7 Picks for 2017

Melissa's Pick

Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap.

He’s not handling it well.

Hoping to help her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora agrees to give him "space"—but while the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:

Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.

A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart.

While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.

The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit... and her naughty sense of humor.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight.

As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.

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Laura's Pick


Dillon Alexander has been Kit Derby’s nemesis since third grade, when he beat her in the school spelling bee. They’ve been competing ever since, driving each other to be the best at everything from science fairs to bake sales. While working together one night during their senior year, they stopped bickering long enough to share an emotionally charged kiss. But a tragedy that same night left them both racked with guilt, driving Dillon out of town and leaving Kit determined to keep her distance.

Now an emergency room physician, Dillon has returned to their hometown of Chance, Nebraska. Soon he and Kit fall back into old habits, sparring in public while trying to stay out of each other’s arms. But when a blizzard traps them overnight at Kit’s grandmother’s farmhouse, the real competition begins: Who will be the first to give in to the feelings they’ve denied for a decade?

    What We Said About Turned Up!

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