The Friend Zone (End of the Line #1). By Sariah Wilson.

The Friend Zone (End of the Line #1). By Sariah Wilson. 2019. Montlake Romance. ASIN: B07L5M7DYY (Kindle).

An entertaining read it if you like the slow burn, college jock/tutor & forbidden relationship tropes.

299 pages

Project Duchess (Duke Dynasty #1). By Sabrina Jeffries.

Project Duchess (Duke Dynasty #1). By Sabrina Jeffries. 2019. Zebra Books. AISN: B07HVXS62T (Kindle).

This charming duke, turned reluctant amateur detective, keeps losing focus of his investigation when he falls for Beatrice, his mother’s “project” and his suspected murder accomplice.

Jeffries weaves flirty banter, fun family drama, and a bit of mystery into this endearing romance.

Entertaining, Happily Ever After, Page-turner, Romantic, Steamy, Wonderful characters

352 pages

Not His Werewolf (Not This #2). By Annie Nicholas.

Not His Werewolf (Not This #2). By Annie Nicholas. 2017. Annie Nicholas. ASIN: B071DNP1L9 (Kindle).

A fated mates story with a charming and earnest werewolf and his lady love who worries he might have been tranquilized by animal control one too many times. One cranky dragon included.

461 pages

Obsidian Son (The Temple Chronicles #1). By Shayne Silvers.

Obsidian Son (The Temple Chronicles #1). By Shayne Silvers. 2012. Argento Publishing. ASIN: B009NNHPIA (Kindle).

When the owners of Temple Industry are murdered, prodigal son, Nate Temple must return to the fold in order to unravel the mystery of his parents’ deaths. But when weredragons come to town in search of an old and mysterious tome purportedly detailing a dangerous ceremony, Nate must try to intervene. Because if the weredragons are successful, St. Louis, if not the entire world, will fall to the Obsidian Son.

Fire-breathing shapeshifters, werewolf best friend, free-lancing hunters, magic in flux and the Minotaur, Nate has an exiting go of it in the first book of this fun urban fantasy/supernatural thriller series. 

 

328 pages

The One You Can’t Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2). By Roni Loren.

The One You Can’t Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2). By Roni Loren. 2018. Sourcebooks Casablanca. ASIN: B076BWSBXM (Kindle).

Rebecca Lindt is a successful divorce attorney at her father’s firm. She’s worked tirelessly to earn her place to one day inherit the firm. And ever the dutiful daughter, she has recently taken on extra work helping her dad in his political campaign. And with the upcoming airing of the documentary about the Long Acre High School shooting, her father is banking on her status of survivor to resonate with the voters, despite Becca’s wishes to leave her past memories be. She’s tired, and with the exception of meeting her three best girlfriends for Sunday brunches, she’s lonely. She really didn’t see West, a smart, sexy, tatted chef with dreams, coming.

When West Garrett intervenes in a mugging and saves Becca’s life, his life suddenly becomes more complicated. Two years ago Becca was his ex-wife’s attorney, who in a vicious divorce took his dream of running his own restaurant, sending him into a downward drunken spiral. He’s just getting his feet underneath him, sober and teaching cooking in an after school program for disadvantaged kids who are just like he used to be. Losing his heart to this woman is rather inconvenient but worth the risk if he can earn hers in exchange.

West brings out a different side of Becca than was shown in the first book. Under his attention and overtures of friendship, she really comes to life, shedding the shell of bravado that has been exhausting her to maintain for her father’s approval.

She straightened and help up the bottle.

“Want some?”

“Not yet. But let me know if you see me getting red.”

“You mean watch your body very, very closely in the name of safety” I’m on it.”

He laughed. “You are such a thoughtful friend.”

Yep. She was thinking thoughts all right.

Once again, this book has banter, chemistry and the perfect partner for healing.

416 pages

The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away #1). By Roni Loren.

The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away #1). By Roni Loren. 2018. Sourcebooks Casablanca. ASIN: B06XRH7DBC (Kindle).

Twelve years after a school shooting on the night of senior prom, web designer Olivia Arias returns to the small town of Long Acre to participate in a documentary about the tragedy. She’s dreading the interview, but looking forward to reuniting with Rebecca, Taryn and Kincaid, three other survivors she became close with the summer following graduation. She’s taken aback by the emotional gut punch she receives when she comes face-to-face with Finn Dorsey, almost unrecognizable from the boy he had been.

That night, when the four girls meet up for drinks and open a time capsule containing letters they had written to their future selves, Liv realizes that she has held herself back from living up to the passionate hopes and dreams of her 18-year-old self. Resolving to break up the monotony of her life, she starts by addressing the unfinished business between her and the brooding undercover FBI agent seated in the dark booth nearby. You see, Long Acres High School’s goth rebel, Liv Arias, and its shining star athlete, Finn Dorsey, secretly dated. But that fateful night left both of their hearts broken as life put them on different paths then they had planned.

Loren has delivered the start of a unique series, filled with intense emotions and sizzling chemistry mixed with sweet moments, wonderful banter and prominent friendships. A hard book to put down.

386 pages

Scandalous Ever After (Romance of the Turf #2). By Theresa Romain.

Scandalous Ever After (Romance of the Turf #2). By Theresa Romain. 2017. Sourcebooks Casablanca. ASIN: B01MTEKL62 (Kindle).

It has been two years since antiquities expert, Evan Rhys, has seen Kate, his best friend’s widow and the woman he has loved since Conall Whelan first introduced his new bride to Evan. But now she is in attendance at his Cambridge seminar on forgeries and asking him to accompany her on a trip to Newmarket to meet her father, William Chandler, at a race meet. But when she must return to her children and Whelan House in Ireland, Evan decides to follow his heart and continue on with her. Together Kate and Evan begin to beat back the loneliness, grief and anger they have been living with. Evan wishes for Kate to see him as more than a friend, but soon new questions arise concerning the circumstances of Con’s death and Kate fears that Evan will become one more injury to her heart.

Romain’s Romance of the Turf series has a unique style of storytelling for the regency romance. In the place of balls among the ton, there are road trips among horses. Instead of rakes and rogues in the gossip rags, Evan, and Nathanial Chandler from the first book, deal with their personal struggles quietly, but are still captivating heroes with great rapport with the ladies they love. And the overarching mystery that began in A Gentleman’s Game continues in this book, adding a little element of intrigue to this friends-to-lovers romance.

352 pages

All I Want for Halloween. By Marie Harte.

All I Want for Halloween. By Marie Harte. 2017. Sourcebooks Casablanca. ASIN: B01NC0B6RZ (Kindle).

Following a hot hookup between The Devil and Xena at a Halloween masquerade party, Satan tracks down the Warrior Princess the next day to a Seattle bakery; his mission, to get to know her better, preferably with benefits. He is Gear Blackstone, a talented creator of custom motorcycles who has been forced off his reality show, “Motorcycle Madnezz,” after an altercation with his former best friend. She is Sadie Liberato, a take no prisoners type of gal who is the co-owner of said bakery. Both are recently down and out on love, but neither want to ignore the mutual attraction burning between them. The one rule, no strings attached.

As a big fan of Marie Harte’s Just the Thing and Test Drive, I was looking forward to more of her contemporary romance titles. Unfortunately, while this was far from a horrible read, it was a disappointing one. There was some of the fun banter and sexiness that Harte does so well, but it wasn't as engaging when all of the characters were surprisingly one-dimensional and the leading man and lady seemed to bring out less enjoyable qualities in each other, like misanthropy and a rather alarming level of immaturity for a pair of thirty-somethings. When Harte can deliver strong characters healing from PTSD or realizing that their life doesn’t has to play out like their dysfunctional parent, then Gear and Sadie dole out a pretty weak story.

Right now, this is a single title, but there is sequel bait that doesn’t interest me. Oh well, back to the Donnigans, or maybe I’ll try The Veteran Movers next.

354 pages
MOBIUS 

Landry’s Back in Town (Rocky Ridge Romance #1). By Marjery Scott.

Landry’s Back in Town (Rocky Ridge Romance #1). By Marjery Scott. 2016. Margery Scott. ASIN: B01BNNFEXA (Kindle).

The story of Landry Mitchell and Olivia Harding begins when Landry steps in to thwart an attack on Olivia in a dusty alley of Rocky Ridge, a frontier town in Colorado. The two are instantly drawn to each other, but Landry, who has not been warmly welcomed back by the town’s residents after a three-year stint in prison, is hesitant to approach her. Olivia however, who spends her days taking care of children at the orphanage, sees a man who deserves a second chance. As Landry begins to open up to Olivia and the young orphan Daniel, his bank-robbing brother Tobias re-enters his life….and Tobias does not come to Rocky Ridge alone.

Margery Scott tells a hopeful story about three lonely people building a family and a brother’s love and loyalty bringing redemption. This historical western romance is a short, sweet read.

164 pages