An Everyday Hero (Heart of a Hero #2) by Laura Trentham #bookreview #contemporary #romance
Title: An Everyday Hero
Author: Laura Trentham
Publisher: Griffin
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Page Count: 330
My rating: 5 stars
About the book:
From award-winning author Laura Trentham comes an emotionally layered novel about redemption, second chances and discovering that life is worth fighting for.
At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams up in flames. A series of bad decisions and even worse luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when everything that brought her joy has failed her.
Then Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, a gifted girl who lost her father in action and now hides her pain behind a mask of sarcasm. But Greer sees something undeniable that she can’t walk away from. To make matters more complicated, Greer finds herself spending more and more time with Emmett Lawson―a man with both physical and emotional scars of his own. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her―and along the way they might just save themselves too.
An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham is the second book in the contemporary romance Heart of a Hero series. This contemporary romance series is centered around characters having involvement in the U.S. military. And the series can all be read as a standalone if choosing to do so with each book having new main characters.
Greer Hadley has wanted to be a songwriter and now at thirty is seeing that dream slip through her fingers as each day passes. To make matters worse at this low time in Greer’s life she has been sentenced to community service. Greer gets sent to a nonprofit that works with veterans and their families telling her that she can use her music to help.
After arriving at the non profit Greer gets paired up with a troubled teen that hasn’t responded to anyone else. At fifteen, Ally Martinez, is dealing with the loss of her father in action and acting out and Greer sees parts of herself in the young girl. Greer also is assigned Emmett Lawson, once the town’s golden boy but now the shell of his former self after his time in the service. As day’s pass Greer finds herself growing closer to them both.
The Heart of a Hero series is the type of books that will take readers on an emotional roller coaster. Reading about these characters and their pain as they rebuild their lives I found it was smart to keep some tissues handy at all times. I loved watching the story unfold and the emotional and physical growth. I’m not sure if there will be any more books to the series but having loved the first two it would be one I’d happily come back to if there were.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
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Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury (A Desert Flowers Mystery #2) by Lee Hollis #bookreview #mystery
Title: Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury
Author: Lee Hollis
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: December 31, 2019
Page Count: 288
My rating: 4 stars
About the book:
For retiree-turned-PI Poppy Harmon, spending her golden years running the Desert Flowers Detective Agency is far from the glamorous life she once knew. But becoming ensnared in two twisted Palm Springs crimes might be her worst look yet . . .
If Poppy didn’t believe she was in too deep as the only female juror in a high-profile assault case involving an infamously hot-tempered crooner, she’s sure of it upon meeting blast-from-her-past Rod Harper. A former TV co-star from her short-lived acting days, Rod is as dashing as ever, and now he wants to partner again—this time to locate his missing daughter . . .
Returning a pampered songstress with a penchant for running away back home unscathed shouldn’t be too challenging. But dodging Rod’s charms while on the job is another story—and so is finding a dead body! When Poppy discovers a fellow juror face down in a swimming pool, she’s unwittingly thrust into a murder investigation with sinister parallels to the troubled chanteuse’s disappearance . . .
As Poppy struggles to survive a steamy love triangle while deciphering the connection between two seemingly unrelated cases, the Desert Flowers Agency must outsmart a ruthless killer who will do anything to keep hideous secrets hidden away . . . including ensuring Poppy becomes the next forgotten ex-actress to bite the dust . . .
Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury by Lee Hollis is the second book in the cozy A Desert Flowers Mystery series. As with most cozy mysteries each book of this series contains it’s own mystery that is fully solved within the book so they could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so. There is however some character building that carries over book to book for those that follow the series from the beginning.
In the first book of the series readers were introduced to Poppy Harman who is a sixty something retired actress who thought she was going to be living out the rest of her life comfortably with her husband. However, after Poppy’s husband passed away quite suddenly she found out that her rather comfortable life was all a lie and that her husband had gambled away their last cent.
When Poppy sat down with her two best friends, Iris and Violet, trying to brainstorm ideas to earn money with no real experience other than acting the trio came up with the idea that Poppy has rather remarkable investigative skills so why not become a detective? With a bit of effort the Desert Flowers Detective Agency was opened with Iris and Violet coming in to assist.
Things weren’t going so well with the new business when it seemed no one wanted to hire three “older” ladies so Poppy got a plan to use her daughter’s boyfriend, an actor, to be the face of the firm. Now that the ladies are up and running they have two new cases to work on at once. A former co-star, Rod Harper, is needing someone to search for his missing daughter and Poppy has been called into what ends up being deadly jury duty in a high profile case.
The Desert Flowers Mystery series is like turning the Golden Girls into detectives. It has a humorous vibe with quirky fun characters which I knew I had to come back to after reading the opening book of the series. This second book had a lot going on making the story fly when reading. This is a series I will definitely enjoy returning to in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Find this book online:
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About the author:
Better Together in Boston by Jennifer Wilck blitz with giveaway
Better Together in Boston
Jennifer Wilck
Publication date: June 11th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Do you believe in the legend of True Springs?
Mr. Right doesn’t exist…
Anna Levinson was raised by a single mother, who sacrificed her dreams to give her daughter a warm, loving home. Now a respected professor on the tenure track, Anna is driven to live the life she thinks her mother should have had. She’s long since come to terms with the understanding that “having it all” is impossible if she wants a successful career.
He’s been told he’s Mr. Wrong more times than he can count…
Despite being left at the altar twice, Ben Diamond still believes his soul mate is out there. He’s ready to marry and start a family of his own. He just clearly won’t recognize her when he does find her. And then he meets the maid of honor at his cousin’s wedding, and his world is thrown off kilter.
Settling down might be more than they bargained for.
A long-distance relationship isn’t what either of them has in mind, and Anna isn’t about to ruin another person’s dreams. However, giving each other up is harder than it looks. Can Ben convince Anna that she’s got him all wrong, and that he’s finally gotten it right?
Fall in love with Anna & Ben in this steamy contemporary romance.
Ticket to True Love is a steamy contemporary romance series about new beginnings, second chances, and finding true love in unexpected places. Fall in love all over the world with bestselling and award-winning authors JB Schroeder, Savannah Kade, Moni Boyce, Shirley Hailstock, Holland Rae, Julie Strauss, & Jennifer Wilck. Start your next romance with Better Together in Boston now!
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EXCERPT:
“Would you like a drink of water?” he asked. “Or would you be more comfortable sitting on the chair over there?” He pointed to the window, next to which was a blue upholstered chair.
“You’re my drink of water.” She pulled his head down to her.
She kissed him, her lips soft, tongue plundering inside when he opened his mouth in shock. He needed to stop this, even as his body responded. Desire and honor warred with each other as heat bloomed. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck, sending shivers down his
spine. She was sweet, tasting of champagne and grapes. Her perfume was elusive, but there, and he pulled her closer, breathing her in. A breathy moan made him pause. He couldn’t do this. Since she wasn’t thinking straight, one of them needed to.
“Anna.” He groaned and unwrapped her arms from around his neck. “I think you’d be more comfortable over there.” He pointed to the chair. He’d certainly be less tempted.
“No, I’d be more comfortable with you.” She pulled his shirt until he had no choice but to lean down.
Her hair, thick and soft, had come undone. Despite his better judgment, he wrapped a curl around his finger, squeezed and released it, letting it slide against the back of his hand, feather-soft.
“We can’t do this, Anna,” he whispered, even as he became hypersensitive to her touch.
She pulled him close and once again, pressed her lips to his. He tried to push her away, grasping her by the shoulders, and for a moment, he thought he’d finally gotten through to her. She pulled back, before trailing kisses across his jaw and down his neck. With a half moan, half curse, he gave in.
Author Bio:
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
She writes contemporary romance, many of which feature Jewish characters in non-religious settings (#ownvoices). She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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Cover Reveal: Slow Burn by Jade C. Jamison
Slow Burn
Jade C. Jamison
(Feverish, #4)
Publication date: June 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
When Brian and Sophie meet, there’s spontaneous combustion.
Too bad they hate each other.
Fashion model Sophia Buckley has despised Brian Zimmer from the first time she heard him speak…and so, without even getting to know him, she plots revenge, executing her plan perfectly. Playing a groupie, she engages Brian in a steamy encounter, only to leave him high and dry.
Brian figures she’s simply the mayor of Crazy Town, vowing to forget the experience and move on.
Except she won’t let him because she keeps turning up in his life.
Despite Brian’s protests, the band’s manager forces Last Five Seconds to engage with this woman because she has an innate talent for stirring up drama. Throw in the paparazzi, and both she and the band get some much-needed publicity.
Forced together, Brian and Sophie find their feelings for one another growing.
But it would never work. They are oil and water, not yin and yang.
So why do they keep ending up in each other’s life? In each other’s bed?
When Sophie cuts Brian to the quick in a very public way, he finds the fuel to walk away for good. But will he really be able to stay away?
Goodreads / Amazon** / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play / Smashwords
Author Bio:
1. Imagine 2. Play some music 3. Write 4. Blow readers away 5. Repeat
Jade C. Jamison is a steamy romance author, heavy metal fangirl, wife and mom, coffee connoisseur, cat lover, and vegan foodie–not necessarily in that order. She loves life and believes we learn our wisest lessons when reading, especially if it’s fiction. Her heroines are
fierce, her heroes all but broken, both seeking redemption together. Whether in a small Colorado town or big city, she strives to take her readers’ breath away…one story at a time.
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https://www.jadecjamison.com/giveaways/slow_burn/
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You Love Me (You #3) by Caroline Kepnes #bookreview #thriller
Title: You Love Me
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
Page Count: 387
My rating: 5 stars
About the book:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The highly anticipated new thriller in Caroline Kepnes’s hit You series, now a blockbuster Netflix show—a compulsively readable trip into the deviant mind of the uniquely antisocial, savvy bookseller Joe Goldberg.
Joe Goldberg is done with the cities. He’s done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now he’s saying hello to nature, to simple pleasures on a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in a long time, he can just breathe.
He gets a job at the local library—he does know a thing or two about books—and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kay DiMarco. Librarian. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He’ll win her the old-fashioned way . . . by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time, they’ll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town.
The trouble is . . . Mary Kay already has a life. She’s a mother. She’s a friend. She’s . . . busy.
True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kay will do the right thing and make room for him.
Oh my gosh Joe is back again!! I love Joe, he’s my favorite fictional psychopath and I was so excited to crawl back into Joe’s head and see where life has taken him this time and boy was it yet again different from before.
You Love Me is the third book in Caroline Kepnes’s You series and it picks up Joe Goldberg’s story a little while after the ending of the second book. If you haven’t read any of the You series before I’d highly suggest starting the series from the beginning and getting to know this awesome character from there. Each of the book’s take place at a different stage in Joe’s life and it’s all best understood in order.
This time around Joe has give up big city life and has moved to a small island in the Pacific Northwest. Joe had plans for this to be the place where he would have taken his family but after a slight urging to sign away his parental rights Joe is now on his own and his eye on the local librarian as he volunteers at the library to pass his time.
I started off this series thinking I had found the creepiest, most disturbing character around. With the story being told from Joe’s thoughts as he stalked a young woman I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough being engaged and horrified all at the same time. When the second book came around I actually began to root for Joe *gasp*. Joe is witty, disturbed, mesmerizing and intoxicating and now he is almost learning some self control. I was completely hooked yet again and still rooted for him as he tried to be good, sort of, maybe and even having read three novels I still am addicted to his unique way of viewing the world.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Find this book online:
Goodreads / Amazon **
About the author:
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