BOOK REVIEW for "Love After All (Hope, #4)" by Jaci Burton

****(4) out of 5 Stars!

SUMMARY:

High school math teacher Chelsea Gardner has the perfect plan. She’s tired of dating all the wrong men, and after years of frustration, she’s developed a foolproof list of requirements for finding “The One.”

Bar owner Sebastian “Bash” Palmer finds Chelsea beautiful, smart and fun, but he thinks her list is ridiculous and unnecessary. Intent on proving Chelsea is looking for love in all the wrong ways, he offers to help her find the “perfect” man.

Chelsea knows Bash isn’t the right guy for her—he barely meets one of her criteria—but there’s something about the charismatic man that has her yearning for things that are most definitely not list approved.

Because sometimes, a relationship that looks totally wrong on paper can turn out incredibly right…

REVIEW:

This is the first full-length book in the series to go beyond the Burnett and McCormack families, moving easily into their group of friends by highlighting Chelsea Garner and Bash Palmer.  These two are so delightful and entertaining!  I has been so fun to watch the chemistry and connection between them grow throughout the course of the prior books. 

As usual, it is great to see many of the characters from prior books make appearances again through the course of the story.  And some of the characters prove interesting as well.  My absolute favorite in this story is Lou.  I love how quickly she and Bash take to one another, to the point that she accompanies him pretty much everywhere, and he even find himself talking to her when they’re alone. 

There is a lot of humor and wit in this book, mostly due to their personalities, but also somewhat generated by the way in which they get together.  Bash fairly relentlessly pursues Chelsea, while she is actually a little more reluctant to advance their relationship.  He is a much nicer guy than even he realizes, and always has Chelsea’s best interest at heart, both before and after they get involved. 

That’s what makes the drama at the near-end so bizarre.  Of course, there always has to be some obstacle for the couple to overcome, it seems, but in this instance it doesn’t really seem to be in character for him.  Although I guess love does make people do all kinds of crazy things.  Luckily though, with the help of their friends – who at first protect her and then assist on their reconnection – they manage to capture their happily-ever-after.

BOOK BLITZ for "Rival (Fate of the Stars, #2)" by Arwen Paris

Rival
(Fate of the Stars, #2)
by Arwen Paris
Publication date: November 1st, 2018
Genres: Science Fiction,
Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

It’s a role she didn’t want… 

One deadly week has passed since seventeen year old Allison Delaney realized she must save Earth from the parasitic race of Ma’tiok. But the task is even more complicated than Allison feared, and she’s being set up to fail. Blamed for a fatal blow to the Alliance fleet that killed dozens of soldiers, Allison must face judgment for their deaths. The High Priestess Kiobaan is Allison’s only hope. Kiobaan sees the warrior spirit in Allison, along with her potential both politically and physically and agrees to train her. 

And a game she can’t afford to lose. 

Meanwhile, though Allison is the human host of Eenoki, protector of life, she’s not yet ready to harness their combined energy. Their bond is unpredictable at best—volatile at worst. Time is running out for Eenoki and Allison to trust each other—all or nothing—or she’ll never gain the power she needs to defeat the Ma’tiok and save Earth. When Allison is marked for death by an unknown enemy, the High Priestess Kiobaan must step-up and fight. But in return Kiobaan extracts a pledge from Allison, one that will compromise her new status and make her a target.

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Excerpt:

Staring out of the tinted bulletproof windows of the limo, I can’t tell for sure how gray the clouds are that gather above us. I hope it doesn’t rain again. It’s unsettling to come back here. To see the complete destruction of the California ocean side town that I once called home—Avilene Beach. It’s a ghost-like cemetery of charred, crumbling homes and palm trees turned askew and broken apart. Just like me.
This is the direct result of my decisions.
Wind skitters across the surface of black puddles racing by, reminding me of the oily blood of the Ma’tiok. It’s been just one week since my old life, my human life, ended and this new one exploded into existence. Acid rises in the back of my throat, burning hot, and I crush my jaw together hard until my lips press into a thin line. Why did Eenoki pick me?
“Priestess, do you understand what I said?”
Katok’s sharp telepathic tone startles me out of my immersive guilt. “Stick to the speech the High Priestess provided. Yes. I got it.” I swallow hard against the rising bile being pressed there by the trembling in my gut. What if this press conference makes things worse?
“Allison, don’t worry so much. You’ll be safe.” Stephen reaches out to me and Katok snatches his hand midair, crushing it in his huge taloned palm.
“Ow! Dammit, Katok!” Stephen clutches his wounded limb.
I swear, that’s almost a smirk on the massive Vongjar commander’s leopard-like face. Katok’s lips curl back menacingly to reveal his white fangs and piercing resolve. Stephen knows better than to try and touch me.
I sigh, and can’t help but glare at Stephen who sits across from me. His dark muscular arms are crossed hard against his white Navy button up shirt. Even with the blotchy purple and yellow bruises healing across his tense neck and face, he’s still handsome. But his haircut, shaved in military style, makes me miss his longer tawny surfer hair.
“Stephen, if I can’t be the bridge between the Alliance and Earth, our world won’t survive the Ma’tiok. You understand that, right?”
His angry blue eyes lock on me, softening, and he smiles.
I look away and clench my fists on the cold, empty, black leather seats beside me. We can never make it work. He’ll never understand what I am, or what I have to do. I have to serve the Alliance to have any chance of getting them to fight the Ma’tiok on the ground, instead of glassing the Earth like they have so many other infected worlds.
The blue tint to the air thickens as we get closer to our destination. What if I had just gone with Z’iram and left Earth behind? Maybe he would have spared those who died here.
No. If we left, there would be no hope of the Alliance helping this world fight back. Any other choice would have meant the total destruction of Earth without any chance of survival.
I know Eenoki is right, but the truth still hurts.
The High Priestess will arrive soon, aboard the planet killer Star Fire, to judge and test me. This speech is another test, one that I can’t afford to mess up. If Kiobaan doesn’t publicly declare me a Priestess, of Earth, then there will be no ambassador to the Alliance or protection for our world.
I take a deep breath and straighten the pale gown Tarem made me wear, irritated at how ridiculous I look. Not that I own any clothes besides what the Alliance has provided me. Before we left, my reflection shocked me. The way they pinned up my long auburn waves under a small crystalline hairpiece that stands a few inches high, reminded me of my vision of Aakina. The memory Eenoki shared with me from her last day alive, before she and her world were wiped out by the Ma’tiok.
“How much longer Katok, until there are too many Ma’tiok for your troops to handle”
His golden eyes widen. “They multiply too quick. The ground troops struggle to do more than contain them. Our current calculations project ten Earth days at most. We need Alliance support to do any more.” Katok shakes his head.
Ten days left? It’s only been twenty one since the Ma’tiok arrived!
Stephen leans closer. “He’s not telling you the whole story. Admiral Hurst says that there are over ten thousand Ma’tiok and infected humans on the ground, and that combined kills between Katok’s troops and the US military don’t even equal the rate that they’re multiplying at. We are losing every day.”

Author Bio:

Arwen Paris is the author of young adult fiction. Her debut YA Sci-fi Urban Fantasy novel FATE OF THE STARS releases September 1, 2017. The actions packed pages of her novels are filled with characters that are forced to face fears they never expected. When she's not writing, you can see posts of her (too many) vacations that keep her sane. Arwen lives in Washington, has a big crazy family & after the day job, she writes Fiction For the Fearless - #F3Fanatic. 

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BOOK REVIEW for "Hope Burns (Hope, #3)" by Jaci Burton

***(3) out of 5 stars!

SUMMARY:

Molly Burnett dreads returning to her hometown of Hope for her sister’s wedding, especially knowing she’ll have to endure a weekend with the one man she never wants to see again. It’s only a couple of days, so Molly will try to forget her painful past with high school sweetheart Carter Richards. Because despite the bitter memories, she still can’t forget what they once meant to each other.

But when Molly is forced to extend her stay, Carter sees this as his second chance to do things right, to start over again with the only woman he’s ever loved. This time, he isn’t going to let Molly run. Together they’re going to confront the past and put it behind them, and hope for a future as bright as the flame that still burns hot between them.

REVIEW:

This is a decent addition to the Hope series, but certainly not my favorite.  Carter and Molly just didn’t speak to me as much as some of the other couples have.  Carter, while in many respects a seemingly great guy, was often not as sympathetic as he should have been; and Molly was pretty much just an annoying whiner.  That she stayed away from her family, friends and home for 12 years while not getting over him seemed to speak volumes.

The relationship that (re)develops between the two is sweet, and the love scenes are, of course, spicy.  But there just wasn’t a lot of outside story to go along with this volume, and it had a hard time holding my interest.  Also, I felt like they never did adequately address what happened in the past, as well as why they were both so upset about it.  And it was just sad that they wasted over a decade of their lives having their feelings hurt, with neither of them making any effort to resolve things prior to this.  But I guess that at least they did finally get their happily-ever-after at least.

BOOK BLITZ for "Just Jenny" by Sandra Owens

Just Jenny 
by Sandra Owens
Publication date: June 27th, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The small mountain town of Blue Ridge Valley is the home of three best friends, Jenny, Autumn, and Savannah. Each woman believes she has her life perfectly planned, but there is a saying in the mountains…   If everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

In Just Jenny, Jenny Nance has a plan — save enough money to tour the world. The desire to traipse the globe is a dream she once shared with her twin sister. Jenny made a deathbed promise to her sister that she would go to all the places they had fantasized visiting together. Nothing will entice her to break her vow to Natalie, not even the sexy new Blue Ridge Valley police chief... No matter how attracted she is to him. 

Dylan Conrad left the Chicago Police Department to accept the position as Chief of Police in Blue Ridge Valley. Burned out and haunted by a tragedy of his own, he needs to get away from the memories tormenting him. He’s hoping to find peace in the small mountain town, but the quirky residents, an infamous moonshiner, an errant prized bull, and a feisty redhead by the name of Jenny weren’t quite what he had in mind.

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Excerpt:

We’d just ordered our drinks when Dylan Conrad walked into the lounge. He paused in the entryway, his gaze scanning the room. The man was so freaking hot. At seeing me, he smiled, making my heart thump in my chest.
“Mind if I join you?” he said, coming to a stop behind the empty chair at our table for four. “Unless you’re expecting someone.”
That was said to me. “Nope. Have a seat, Chief.” I had a sudden fantasy of playing cop and criminal with him, me being the bad guy and him having to frisk me. I hoped my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. He sat next to me, and I caught a whiff of man and something spicy. I also hoped I didn’t start drooling.
His eyes danced with amusement. “Introduce me to your friends, Red.”
Oh. Right. I was sitting here staring at him like an idiot, and now I knew for sure my face was beet red. “Ahem, this is my best friend, Autumn Archer, and her soon-to-be husband, Brian Stratton. Guys, this is Dylan Conrad, Blue Ridge Valley’s new police chief.”
“Welcome to Blue Ridge Valley,” Autumn said. “I’ve heard great things about you.”
Dylan sat back in his chair. “Oh?”
I kicked her under the table. That devilish gleam in her eyes meant she was up to no good.
“Yep. You have really pretty eyes, by the way. Jenn said they were the color of Tennessee whiskey, and she’s right.”
I kicked her again. Harder.
Dylan turned those beautiful eyes on me. “You been talking about me, Red?”

Author Bio:

A best selling, award winning author, Sandra Owens lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Her family and friends often question her sanity, but have ceased being surprised by what she might get up to next. She’s jumped out of a plane, flown in an aerobatic plane while the pilot performed death-defying stunts, has flown Air Combat (two fighter planes dogfighting, pretending to shoot at each other with laser guns), and rode a Harley motorcycle for years. She regrets nothing. 

A member of Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll, Sandra is a 2013 Golden Heart® Finalist for her contemporary romance, CRAZY FOR HER. In addition to her contemporary romantic suspense novels, she writes Regency stories. 

You can connect with Sandra on Twitter @SandyOwens1 and Facebook at SandraOwens.94043. Her website is: www.sandra-owens.com. 

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BOOK REVIEW for "Hope Ignites (Hope, #2)" by Jaci Burton

****(4) out of 5 Stars!

SUMMARY:

When a movie crew asks to film on his cattle ranch, Logan McCormack doesn’t expect Desiree Jenkins, the young, sought-after star, to be so open, so down-to-earth, or so intimately interested in him. But the last thing a loner like Logan needs is a distraction like Des, who wouldn’t understand what it’s like to live peacefully off the land. 

But it’s Logan who doesn’t understand. What Des wants is an escape from paparazzi and gossip columns, and she’s found it at Logan’s ranch. Now it’s up to her to prove that she’s like any other girl looking to be accepted for who she is. And she’s hoping that it’s by this real-life cowboy who has everything it takes — and more — to give her the kind of happily ever after that can’t be found in the movies.

REVIEW:

Another darling installment in the Hope series!  This second novel - about Luke's brother Logan - is just as delightful as Hope Flames.  

It was so enjoyable to see many of the same characters again (including Luke, Emma, and of course Boomer, Daisy and Annie)!  And many of the new characters were just as fun, especially Colt and Tony.

Although it maybe isn't obvious at first, Logan and Des were perfect for one another.  Her bubbly personality is a great counterpoint to his rather taciturn disposition.  The way that they banter and interact in general is so entertaining.  While these two probably wouldn't have gotten involved with each other under normal circumstances, the illusion of a temporary relationship, due to the nature of her presence on the ranch, gives them both the freedom to just enjoy one another and let things develop naturally.

The love scenes are sensual and sexy, frequent enough to keep things hot, but not so constant as to impede the emotional elements of the storyline.  

This author's writing style is just so smooth that even when there isn't much happening in the story itself, you still want to keep reading.

In this instance, it is the guy who is a total idiot at the near-end of the book, all because of his deep-seated fears from childhood.  Luckily, he finally realizes what a fool he is being though, and - with the help of some new friends - is able to patch things up with Des and secure their own happily-ever-after.