REVIEW: The Jake Ryan Complex by Bethany Crandell

 

The Jake Ryan Complex by Bethany Crandell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The title of this one definitely caught my eye. I love the movie Sixteen Candles and Jake Ryan.

I'll admit, I've had a hard time finding books that screaming at me, so the simple fact that this one did earned it 5 stars. Reality is it was more of a 4 star read.

I also have to admit that even though it's been a while since I've seen the movie, I've seen it enough times that the whole time I was reading, I kept comparing the book to the movie. There were definitely a lot of little nods to the movie, maybe even more than there needed to be.

And of course, what's any romance novel without the stereotypical "lets avoid talking about important things so that there's a huge misunderstanding later!" Every time Mac put off telling JT about "Michael" and her family I knew it was going to blow up.

I'll admit, I don't understand why it was such a big deal that Mac was still single at 39. She owned her own home, has a successful career, owns her own medical practice. She has a good life. But that wasn't enough for her mother. I really didn't like her mother.

Anyway, this was a cute book, and if you're a fan of Sixteen Candles, you might enjoy it.

View all my reviews

Update on me

It's been a few hot minutes since this blog has been active, and I apologize for that. 

As the main blogger for this page, I am the one that usually keeps it active. But in September of 2019 my mom suddenly died. The months that followed were hard. And just as things started to even out some, the pandemic hit. 

When I first started working from home during the pandemic, I thought I'll be able to work on the blog and get it back up and running...no problem! and I honestly don't have a good reason for not doing that except to say that I wasn't in the reviewing mindset. 

After my mom died, I wasn't able to read anything for months. I wanted to read, I was always looking at books on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon. But every time I sat down to read, I couldn't concentrate, or I'd get a page in and a word or sentence would hit me and make me start crying. So even though I always had my kindle and phone on me, little to no reading was accomplished. 

Once I was able to start reading again, I wasn't in the mindset to review what I was reading. Now, this wasn't a bad thing. I needed to read for me, read for pure enjoyment. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reviewing books (because I really do) but I needed to sit down and read, absorbing the joy of what I just read. During this time I fell in love with some new authors, but I've also had a hard time finding books that are holding my attention. A lot of books look awesome and I want to read them but when I start them they're just not right for me at this time. 

One author I absolutely fell in love with was Tijan. I've seen her books around for years, I've seen friends of mine reading them and I just never gave them a chance. I don't have a good reason for that, I just never got around to it. But I found one of her books on my kindle that I randomly purchased a while back and I decided to try it on a lark. Like I said, I was having a hard time finding the perfect books to read. And I started it and never looked back. I absolutely loved it. I started reading her backlist from that moment on. I haven't completely read everything by Tijan yet, mostly because I have to be in the right mind for a series, but she has definitely become an auto-buy author for me. 

It's actually only been recently (extremely recently) that I've started reviewing books. Lol, I say that having only posted 2 reviews. I should wait to say this so I don't jinx myself, but 2 is good. Especially in a short time. Honestly, the most recent review is really reminiscent of my very first review, the one that kicked off the drive to start writing reviews. I read a book that angered me, left me irritated and I had to get it all out. Lol, so I wrote a review. 

During the past year I did try to write reviews. I had a few that came out ok but majority of the time when I sat down, all that came out was The book was good. I liked it. I mean, that's not bad but it also doesn't tell me anything. I always review under the assumption that no one else is going to read my reviews. So I review for myself. Back in the golden days of Goodreads, before it turned toxic and people started leaving, I had friends that did read my reviews. We talked books. We joked about things, had gif wars. Good times. But now, I never know if anyone actually reads them (and that's fine) so I just write them for myself. 

Anyway, if you've made it this far in the post, thank you for reading. If you've followed us for any length of time, thank you for sticking with us! I'm seriously hoping that this is a restart of this blog. A Renaissance if you will. 

REVIEW: Bear in a Bookshop by Zoe Chant

 

Bear in a Bookshop by Zoe Chant
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

He's all wrong for her.
So why do his arms feel so right?

When shy bookworm Melody daydreamed about her perfect man, "must love books" topped the list. She never dreamed of someone like Gunnar blowing into her neatly alphabetized and indexed world to turn it upside down. Finding out that her one true mate is an ex-con with a grade school education must be fate's idea of a cruel joke. Never mind that his kisses make her swoon and his touch turns her traitorous knees to jelly ...

Sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, Gunnar is six and a half feet of gruff, dyslexic, tattooed bear shifter ex-con hiding a gentle heart. He knows he could be the man Melody deserves, if only she'll let him unleash the passionate woman hidden underneath her sexy librarian cardigans.

But with danger from both their pasts closing in fast, Gunnar is running out of time to prove to Melody that a good girl and a guy from the wrong side of the tracks just might be able to write their own happy ending.

A sweet and funny paranormal romance building to a thrilling climax, #3 in the Bodyguard Shifters series. All books in the series are standalones with a guaranteed HEA, and can be read in any order.

REVIEW: Almost Never by Melissa Toppen

Almost Never by Melissa Toppen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

Alec Murray.
He was the one.
From the first moment I saw him, I knew.
I had never been more certain of anything in my sixteen years on this earth.

But Alec didn’t notice me. At least not in the way that I wanted him to.
He noticed my best friend instead.
I stood by and watched their relationship blossom.
An outsider looking in, wishing things were different.
Torn between my loyalty to my best friend and the boy who had unknowingly stolen my heart.

Weighted by feelings I could never express out loud, I wrote them all down.
Every thought. Every feeling.
I poured them all into a letter.
A letter he was never meant to read.

Only that’s exactly what he did.
He read it.
Every single word.
But by then it was too late.

Even if he was no longer dating my best friend.
Even if I was more in love with him than ever.
He was leaving.
I was leaving.
And there was nothing either of us could do to change it.

Alec Murray was my almost fairytale.
The happy ending I swore I’d never get.

But our story is far from over…



*Almost Never is a friends to lovers, complete standalone.

REVIEW: One Moment Please by Amy Daws

One Moment Please by Amy Daws
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

That awkward moment when an ER doctor has to inform you that you’re pregnant…with his baby.

Three things Lynsey Jones knows about the hot doctor: he’s grouchy, an arrogant jerk, and strangely obsessed with pie.

Three things Dr. Dick knows: he doesn’t talk about his past, he doesn’t do relationships, and the crazy girl in the hospital cafeteria who ate a fistful of French silk pie…is annoyingly irresistible.

After a chance meetup at a bar and a heated cab ride together, things come to a head and now instead of hating each other, they’re horizontal in a bed.

Three months later, the weird cafeteria stalker who crept out of Dr. Dick’s house like a thief in the night, winds up as his patient in the ER after her Tinder date from hell.

Dr. Dick is prepared to keep it cool and professional. That is until her bloodwork reveals that she’s pregnant.

What really throws him for a loop…is that the surprise baby…is his.

WELCOME BACK and REVIEW: Seek by Amabel Daniels

Welcome back! 

So, it's been a hot minute since I've been on the blog. A lot has been going on, for me (and the world in general). I had a hard time getting back into reading for a while, and even when I did get back into reading I wasn't in the headspace to review anything. So I've spent the last couple of months just...existing, and reading anything and everything. There have been a few books that gave me such feels that I wanted to write a review but the reviews never materialized. And that's ok. I knew I wasn't there. 

So all of that scared me when I was offered a review copy of the book I'm going to talk about today. I love this author and her books, so I knew I'd end up liking the book (I have yet to find a book by her that I didn't like!)...so I knew that I'd like her book but I was also a little unsure if I was mentally ready to review something. But, I wouldn't know until I tried. 

So that brings me to this book. Seek (Project Xol #1) by Amabel Daniels. 

Ok, so first impressions...HAVE YOU SEEN THAT COVER!?!?!? 😍😍😍

I've read almost everything that Amabel Daniels has published, and I've enjoyed everything I've read (even the one that made me mentally live in nature *shudders*), so when she offered me an advanced copy of this book, I couldn't say no. 

So, the blurb: 

It’s been months since Cassidy Shaw has heard from her mother, Rosa, a world-renown scientist. When she does, it’s in the form of an urgent edict to retrieve a key. Arriving at Rosa’s apartment in Cincinnati, Cassidy encounters strangers. One man who seems determined to silence her. The other, could he be her savior?


Luke Dixon enters the fray, believing his neighbor is being attacked. Never one to ignore someone in distress, he’s then shocked to realize he’s the one needing rescue. Bound together through violence, Cassidy and Luke must come to trust each other as they embark on a search, armed only with the key and Rosa’s cryptic directions. It’s a journey with unexpected answers and decades-old research. A search with more questions…and a lethal enemy who returns when least expected.

I knew going into this book that it was going to heavily focus on the suspense part of the story, so I expected that. I was definitely pulled into the story and on the edge of my seat to find out what was going on with Rosa and who was after Luke and Cassidy. The action starts in chapter one and keeps going until the last page. Honestly, when I got to the last page, I thought something glitched with my kindle because it just ended. 

So, I knew that this was a series but I wasn't anticipating a cliffhanger. I mean, my bad...but OMG THAT CLIFF!!!!!!

I should have anticipated the cliffhanger because the further I got into the book, the more I wondered how the book would be wrapped up in the short time that was left in the book. I will say that the cliffhanger is great in the sense that it provides more time to build the relationship between Cassidy and Luke. I'm definitely intrigued by their relationship and would love to see how it builds and grows. 

I definitely recommend this book and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

VEILS by Brynne Asher

“Give me a memory, Noah.”

That’s what she said … the woman who rendered me stupid in the shadows at a wedding reception. I did everything I could to figure her out. She wore more veils of armor than I’ve seen in a lifetime. On the outside, she was strong and self-assured. But within those beautiful, guarded blues? She was laced with vulnerability and grief.

We had one night. The best night. She got the memory she wanted, but in the process, I was left branded.

Then she thought she could strut out my front door and my life, right after announcing she was my boss’s baby sister.

I had no choice but to follow. Not only did I go after her, I chased her halfway around the world. Because when it comes to her, one memory isn’t enough. It doesn’t matter that there couldn’t be a more opposite pair than us.

Gracie Cain is a healer. I’m Noah Jarvis, a cold-hearted killer.

But when my job came back to bite me in the ass, I wasn’t the only one caught in the crossfire. It bought us memories no one was counting on.

That’s when all the veils were ripped off

You slay me Brynn Asher. I just finished Veils and I have actual tears in my eyes. I've loved all the books in this series but I have to say, Jarvis is the best yet. You absolutely killed it! ❤

I have to say, when I first met Jarvis years ago in Vines, I had no idea the depth he was hiding. While he was only a secondary character in the first 3 books, he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder that I wasn't sure would ever go away. We didn't get much of him so it was hard to really get a good read on his personality. I can now say I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him and see how far he's come in his own story. 

I liked Jarvis in the previous books. I even liked him in the beginning of Veils. But I fell in love with him at the airport when he brought Gracie breakfast burritos and replaced her coffee. I loved how he was intrigued by Gracie, how he knew she has secrets and he wanted her to tell them to him. He doesn't want to just learn all about her from her 'file', but have her open up to him of her own free will. He followed her across the world to get just a little more time with her. He pushes, but not in an obtrusive way. 

"Go Chase your dreams, baby. Every single one of them. You deserve it."

If that doesn't scream perfect book boyfriend material, I don't know what does! ❤😍 The biggest thing I liked about Jarvis, he doesn't like people. I don't either. That makes him A-Ok in my book! He's so sweet in a secret, only for Gracie kind of way. I loved how he was falling in love with her and was totally ok with it. He's making plans. Plans for a future with her where he never did anything like that before. I also love the added humor amidst the drama. Harry strikes again with her cute cow self. 🐮

This book was so amazing! Jarvis and Gracie's story was just beautiful. Her history and the things she's endured.... For Gracie to be as strong as she is, it's just pure beauty. And how Jarvis was with her, how he fell for her and was determined to give her nothing but a beautiful life is what true love is. Yes, I know this is a fictional romance book, but so what. As a die-hard reader, THIS is what book boyfriends and book hangovers are made of. 

I was hooked from the beginning. I tried to stay awake to read all in one sitting but that didn't happen. Luckily for me, I had a free morning with no plans but to get back to Veils and see it through to the beautiful end. And the ending was, indeed, beautiful. So sweet and perfect. Brynne Asher is such a great author. She really knows how to tell a story that hooks you in and just won't let go. The writing was awesome and the characters were great. I loved seeing the guys from the previous books and where they are now. I don't think too much time has passed in the story since the last book so it felt like I was picking up where Gifts left off. Either way, I really loved and enjoyed Veils!

The Killers series is one I go back to often and I'm glad I now have this gem to add to the pile. 

Brynne Asher lives in the Midwest with her husband, three children and her perfect dog. When she isn’t creating pretend people and relationships in her head, she's running her kids around and doing laundry. She enjoys decorating and shopping, and is always seeking the best deal. A perfect day in “Brynne World" ends in front of an outdoor fire with family, friends, s’mores, and a delicious cocktail.

Killer Series Buy Links:

Vines, Book 1 - hyperurl.co/mxdgp0

Paths, Book 2 - hyperurl.co/9nx2cr

Gifts, Book 3 - hyperurl.co/haa0el

Until the Tequila, Crossover Novella - hyperurl.co/lxnauf 

Killer Series Buy Links:

Veils Goodreads Link -  https://bit.ly/2DVv0w5