Romance Book Review: CA Harms' Loving Colt

Author: CA Harms
Series Connection: Southern Boys
ISBN: 978-1507738788
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Alexis is running from an ex-boyfriend who had been abusing her. On the last of her money, she hopes to make it home to Florida with her little girl Maddie before she runs out. Seeing mother and daughter together in his hometown diner, Colt decides to play good Samaritan and tells the waitress that he will pay for their dinner as he leaves the diner without saying a word.

Spending the night in a local motel, Alexis takes Maddie to breakfast at the same diner and runs into Colt and his mother Ann. The speak only for a minute before Colt and mom leave the restaurant. Before leaving town Alexis bumps into Maria, Colts sister and without knowing the connection. When Maria sees Alexis needs help she sends the mother and daughter to her own mother's house, who is delighted to help the young woman she met earlier in the day.

So starts the relationship between Colt and Alexis. There is an instant attraction between the two, but is this the right time for Alexis to start a new relationship? Can she trust that Colt won't hurt her or her little girl?

Colt never thought he would want to be in a relationship, but everything goes out the window where he meets these two.

These books get increasingly better as the story goes along. I'm not sure, but am wondering if there will be more to the series. Colt is a warm-hearted guy who loses his heart to Alexis and Maddie. Alexis shows a lot of strength to pick up and drive across country to get away from the abusive boyfriend and to even think about taking a chance on someone new.


Description:

**Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content. 

Alexis and Colt never planned on crossing paths. 

Alexis and her three year old daughter were running from their past and Colt was looking for his future. 

Neither planning to find salvation in one another. 

One night changed it all… 

And they had no hope of ever being the same again. 

Finding a way to make things work, when it feels like everything is against them, is something they will have to work hard to overcome. 

Will Colt be strong enough to handle Alexis' past? 

Or will it be too much?

Romance Book Review: CA Harms' Finding Gavin

Author: CA Harms
Series Connection: Southern Boys
ISBN: 978-1503009752
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

This is the second in the CA Harms Southern Boys series. Finding Gavin tells the story of Maria and Gavin. A lot of the before story of Maria and Gavin was told in the first book in the series Forgiving Reed. Gavin comes to work for Kori's parents. On the night that Kori's son Rhett become very ill, Gavin comes to drive Kori, Rhett and Maria to the hospital. He stays with the girls until word comes back on the baby's health.

Maria falls hard for Gavin, but Gavin is just getting over his wife betrayal and isn't interested in becoming involved in another relationship. Over the course of the next year, the two see each other, however Gavin is also dating someone else. This leaves Maria heartbroken, but what can she do, she's in love.

Maria has a hard past. As a child her father leaves her and her mother. Her older brothers follow their father leaving Maria feeling like she is unlovable to males in general. Her mother is wonderful, as well as the love of her best friend Kori. She grows into a strong woman, but she feels she has lost everything when she can't get Gavin to commit to her.

Gavin is fighting with his ex-wife for a divorce. He hasn't told Maria the whole story of what has been going on in his life. Now that he has found the truth and his divorce in finally going through, he is ready to commit to Maria.

Now he has to work to get her back. Can the two finally find their HEA?

I am starting to understand why this series was recommended to me from one of my Facebook friends. This second book was put together better than the first. I think Gavin had every right to be going through a hard time with his wife's betrayal and needed time to heal. Maria was a little out of character in some spots, but she did go through some of her own hard times, so it was acceptable. Looking forward to reading Colt's story next.

Description:

**Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content.

Gavin was a broken hearted cowboy from Savannah...

The one she fell for even though he tried to warn her away.

Maria's entire life had been one rejection after another, always going after things that were just out of reach.

Gavin was no exception.

She wanted him, so desperately...

But life had a way of making things unattainable, at least for her anyway.

Just when things began to change, once again the darkness glooms, and Maria finds that her happy ending is again...

Unreachable.

Romance Book Review: CA Harms' Forgiving Reed

Author: CA Harms
Series Connection: Southern Boys
ISBN: 978-1502392992
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Kori had two great loves in young life. Reed, who was her high school sweetheart who she caught having an sex with someone else, and Blake, the father of her son who died in a car accident. After losing Blake, Kori moves back home to Georgia to her parents' farm. She meets old friends including Reed, who wants to make amends and be her friend. 

After some time has passes and Reed works his way back into Kori's heart the two find their HEA. 

This series was suggested to me by a Facebook friend who really liked it. This first installment isn't a bad start. It seemed to run a bit slow moving, but you have to understand that Kori is running through emotional turmoil in her life. She has to get over he last love to go back to her first. While I get that, there were some good chances to make this book a little more interesting.

Without telling any plots I saw at least two occurrences in the book where a developing storyline could have changed the course of this book to make it stand out, but for some reason the author decided not to move the story in that direction and then never wound up explaining where she was headed. They seemed to serve no real purpose in the story. Maybe they will be picked up in future stories, I hope so. I just wanted to explain why I gave this book such a low rating. 

Description:

**Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content. 

Kori suffered a great loss, one that left her feeling so desolate and alone, that she believed nothing would ever fill the void…

The only thing that kept her going was the one little piece of joy she still had in her life, her baby boy, Rhett.

She had no choice but to move forward and give her son the best life she could. Which meant moving back home.

Except there was one problem.

Home was where Reed would be…

The man who once held her heart, then shattered it into a million pieces.

Grieving the loss of Rhetts dad, and learning to forgive those who have betrayed her, Kori was battling it all.

But will she ever have the strength to forgive Reed?

Romance Book Review: Juliana Stone's Tucker

Author: Juliana Stone
Series Connection: The Family Simon
ISBN:  978-1495477904
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Juliana Stone

Purchase Link: Amazon

Three years ago a tragedy turned Simon's perfect world upside down. Over the past year he's been finding peace with too many different women in his bed and the friendship of bartender Abby Mathews. When his mother insists he bring a date to his cousin's wedding he invites his current bed partner, but at the last minute she ditches him for a weekend spa trip.

Know he can't go alone he asks Abby to come along. There is one big rule though...he can't sleep with her.

Abby has been in love with Tucker since the day he walked into her bar, but she know that for him she's strictly in the friend category. She isn't ready to lose that, but when she tells him what she thinks of his behavior with other women, he surprises her by inviting her to a family weekend wedding.

Is this Abby's chance to help Tucker move on with his life and find the love she can give him, or will they ruin their friendship forever?

Tucker is the first in a series about a well-to-do family complete with movie stars, politicians and a mother who is out to see her family happy and loved.

Tucker's life is a mess and the chance for a HEA in this story seems hard in coming in this book. That's just the way I like it, if it were too easy it would be boring. The plot was predictable, but I like the way the author resolved everything at the end. Abby was a surprise, a little sassy, but not as strong as you would suspect. She knew what she wanted, she needed a little push to get her there.

This series is a cast off to another of the author's series, The Barker Triplets, where Tucker's brother Beau (the movie star) is introduced. Beau and his girlfriend Betty Jo Barker are regulars throughout the book.

Description:

When all hope is gone, can love still will find a way? 

Tucker Simon has given up on love. After a tragedy, it’s just not in the cards for him, and he wishes his family would get off his back. He’s fine—or at least he thought he was--until a family wedding forces him to address a few things, namely his date, Abby Mathews. She's been put in the ‘friend’ category, mostly because she deserves so much more than what he can give. But the more time that he spends with her, Tucker begins to think that maybe there is a chance for love after all... 

Abby Mathews has been in love with Tucker Simon since he walked into her family’s bar nearly a year ago. But he’s got baggage and heartache a plenty. His one-night-stands isn’t going to lessen that no matter what he thinks. Tucker needs a friend, but Abby wants to give him more, and as they navigate their way through a weekend in Florida, their attraction can’t be ignored. Abby has to make a choice. Does she cherish their friendship and take what she can get? Or does she go after what she really wants, which is Tucker’s heart…

Romance Book Review: Georgette St. Clair's Hard to Bear

Author: Georgette St. Clair

Series Connection: Blue Moon Junction

ISBN: N/A

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance, Werebear Romance, Werewolf Romance

Publisher: Georgette St. Clair

Purchase Link: Amazon

Taking a job at a small newspaper, in her sister's new home town, half werewolf-half witch Coral Colby learns of the disappearance of a human and two shifters. There seems to be nothing in common between those missing and the police don't seem at all worried about the disappearances. Coral knows there is a story here she just has to dig a little deeper and see what she can find. 

At the same time she is trying to land a interview with local businessman, Flint McCoy and his plans to grow his family's business, but Flint doesn't seem to be interested in an interview. Now isn't that strange one would think that a businessman who was trying to grow his business would want as much free publicity as he could get. Something is going on in this small town and Coral is going to find out what it is?

After reading a couple of others in this series, a little out of order, I thought I'd catch up and check out other books by Georgette St. Clair and Blue Moon Junction. All the books seem to have different plots going on. This one had a fairly good plot, but wished it would have been more drawn out. This plot could have gone on through all the books in the series and connected the stories together better. Otherwise a quick read with a sweet story.

Description:

Humans and shifters alike are vanishing from Blue Moon Junction without a trace, and Coral Colby, curvy wolf shifter and small town reporter, is on the case. Unfortunately, there are numerous distractions along the way – like the sexy, arrogant bear shifter who’s been rudely refusing Coral’s interview requests, and the complicated love lives of, oh, everyone in town. 

But soon she’ll have bigger things to worry about, like who’s really buying up all the swampland around Blue Moon Junction, and why the bear shifter suddenly can’t get enough of her. The deeper she digs, the closer she comes to a terrifying truth – and to losing the love of a bear who may just be her fated mate.

Romance Book Review: Georgette St. Claire's My Heart Laid Bear

Author: Georgette St. Claire
Series Connection: Blue Moon Junction
ISBN: N/A
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Werebear Romance, Shifter Romance
Publisher: Georgette St. Claire

Purchase Link: Amazon

Clover is a bear shifter, whose family has a less than socially acceptable background. Rushing to the aide of her family, she takes in her young siblings and again rushes to the aide of another sibling member and moves back to her hometown. Only wanting to help her younger sister, Clover approaches bear shifter Sam McCoy about his brother who has gotten her sister pregnant. She remembers Sam from her youth and knows him to be arrogant and sexy as hell, but that isn't going to stop her from pounding him to the ground for what he's done to her sister.

Sam is immediately smitten with Clover. He wants her for himself but he knows if he tells her why he stopped the wedding between his siblings, she just get more mad at him. Instead he offers her a job and hopes for the chance to get to know her.

Within the first chapter I was hooked especially after this paragraph:

"Well, that was in the past. He’d grown up to be the arrogant furball who’d arrested numerous members of her family over the years and run them out of town until there were no Jones left here. Even worse, he thought that her sister wasn’t good enough to marry one of the wealthy McCoys. Well, too damn bad. Her sister was eight weeks pregnant, and that bastard Jeffrey was going to do right by her, or her name wasn’t Clover Lulabelle Movie Star Windwalker Jones. Which, unfortunately, it was."

Georgette St. Claire's books are generally short, but a good afternoon read. This latest in the Blue Moon Junction series fits in with the others in this series offering a smart mouth heroine and a ruggedly handsome male lead along with a quick sexy, humor filled story. 

Description:

Bear shifter Clover is steaming mad and ready to be fitted with a new pair of bear skin boots. How dare the sexy head of security for the McCoy clan forbid her younger sister from marrying his brother? His brother knocked the girl up and he’s going to do right by her, or her name isn’t Clover Lulabelle Movie Star Windwalker Jones – which, unfortunately, it is. (Her parents were hippies.) 

His. Clover is hotheaded, impulsive, demanding – and she’s his. Sam McCoy knows it the second he lays eyes on her. Sure, he’s arrested most of the members of her family at one time or another, and now she’s blaming him for ruining her younger sister’s life – details, right? 

Sam has a secret weapon – he gets her a marketing job at his family’s jelly and jam factory, which will help her retain custody of her brother and sisters. Late nights at the office and some sexy honey samplings lead to even sexier times, and the possibility of a future – until Clover’s past comes back to haunt her and threatens to tear apart the family she’s fought to save.

Romance Byte: Sara Hantz's Capturing the Bodyguard's Heart

Author: Sara Hantz

Series Connection: The Emerald Quest

ISBN: n/a

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Sara Hantz

Purchase Link: Amazon

Description:

When Lexi Turner attempts to board a luxurious yacht on her quest to recover a family heirloom, she didn't envisage being thwarted in her attempt by Spencer Marsh, the hot bodyguard, who’d been staking out the billionaire owner. Sucked into a dirty underground world, their love is put to the ultimate test.

Romance Byte: Meg Chambers' Running Wilde

Author: Meg Chambers
Series Connection: Winnie Wilde Series
Genre: Women's Fiction
Publisher: Meg Chambers

Purchase Link: Amazon

Description:

When her thirty-year marriage ended, fifty-year-old Winnie Wilde took back her maiden name and set out to rediscover the woman she'd left behind. She never expected her journey to begin in the arms of Ben Church, a young contractor nearly half her age with the right tools to unleash Winnie’s potential.

Romance Byte: Ella Jade's Sliding into Second

Author: Ella Jade
Series Connection: The Kingston Heat
Digital ISBN: 9781940744643
Genre(s): Erotic Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Beachwalk Press

Purchase Link: Beachwalk

Description:

Jilted once before, now it's her turn to level the playing field.

Hotshot sports reporter Sage Millan has been busy making a name for herself in the male dominated world of baseball. She's just landed her dream job, and her first assignment is covering the newly crowned World Series champions, The Kingston Crushers. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. The only problem…her ex-boyfriend, and the only man she's ever loved, is the team's second baseman. Things ended badly between them, and she's not sure she can put those demons to rest.

Professional baseball player Nicolas Cordova is having the time of his life. His team has just won the World Series, and with the victory comes more fame, women, and exposure than he ever could have imagined. But things are about to change for the sexy, charismatic athlete. He never expected his ex-girlfriend to walk back into his life, much less the locker room.

These days Sage is smarter, more mature, and doesn't plan on being played a second time. Her appearance stirs old memories for Nic. She's the one he let get away in the name of his career. He vows he can be the man she needs this time around. Will that be enough to mend her broken heart?

Content Warning: contains explicit sex and adult content

Romance Book Review: Celia Kyle's Chasing Tail

Author: Celia Kyle
Series Connection: Quick and Furry
ISBN: 9781680399905
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance, Werelion Romance
Publisher: Celia Kyle

Purchase Link: Amazon

Sitting alone at her desk in the library, werelioness Penelope knows a predator when she sees one. When the powerful lion shows up hunting the bookshelves she has a right to be leery, but she realizes that werelion is her mate everything changes. That is until she finds out that it all may be part of a witches spell.

This is the first book in a new series by paranormal author Celia Kyle. All the stories are generally very short. If nothing else, this book will give you a quick bite of entertainment and a chance to see if you'd be interested in delving into other books by this author. It is a fairly good book that in my opinion could be longer so we an get to know the characters a bit better.

Description:
Werelioness Penelope Little has a growling lion pacing the library’s shelves. Not just any lion, either. He’s the most powerful feline in the country. And for some reason, he’s got his sights set on curvy, slightly nerdy, and totally frumpy Penny Not-So-Little.

When he finally calms enough to shift… Well, gorgeous doesn’t begin to describe him. He’s sexy, sinful, and has a smile that nearly brings her to her knees. Even better, he’s all hers. Or is he? When a witch is involved in his sudden appearance, there’s no telling. 

**Stand alone, no cliffhangers.** 

Quick & Furry: Love, Laughs, and a Bit of Rawr on the Go. 

Part of the Quick & Furry series: 

Chasing Tail 

Tailing Her 

On Her Tail 

Heads or Tails

Romance Book Review: Milly Taiden's The Mate Challenge

Author: Milly Taiden
Series Connection: Sassy Mates Book 4 ~ Emma and Mason
Genre: Erotic Romance, Shifter Romance, Werewolf Romance, Vampire
Publisher: Latin Goddess Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

As with all the other Sassy Mates, Mate Challenge begins with the same evening where we find out the Emma has set her friends up to be mated with the help of her friend Ellie and Ellie mom Barbara. She's tired of them being stubborn. But readers soon learn the Emma is being stubborn herself.

Mason marked Emma months before when he met her and learned she was his mate. They've been sort of dating during all that time, but Emma can't commit until Mason realizes that he can't control her every move. Mason can't seem to help but want to protect Emma, especially since she spends too much time putting herself in danger.

When a teenager goes missing Emma goes on the hunt for her, meeting a vampire and working against time in hopes of finding the girl alive.

With the fight still continuing within the neighboring pack in the background story, Mate Challenge adds a whole new set of characters to the story that I'm hoping will continue as the story moves into the fifth book. I particularly like the sexy vamp and am wondering if she has a new "pet" in her future.

If I had to share one thing that I wasn't crazy about with this book it would be that there was a wee bit too much sex in the story, although I have to say that Mason's on going monologue during those scenes certainly made for some hot reading.

Description:

Emma Ferro wants nothing more than to accept Mason Wolfe’s offer to be his mate. He’s wild, sexy and can do things with his tongue that should be illegal. But Mason is also overwhelming her with his need to protect and keep her out of trouble. He needs to live and let live. It’s not like she’s killed anyone...yet. Until he learns she’s an independent woman, he’s going to stay waiting. 

Mason Wolfe has a problem of the short, sassy and curvy kind. Every time he leaves Emma alone, he knows she’s going to get into trouble. It’s getting to the point he’s ready to slap a tracker on her butt just to keep his sanity. He’s busy holding down the pack, helping with fighting new rogues and a secondary threat that’s come to town. 

When Emma goes searching for a missing girl, she finds a lot more going on in Blue Creek than even the biggest shifters are aware of. With the help of the least likely person, she’ll put herself on the line in order to save the ones she loves. Mason will have to find a way to help Emma or face losing her forever. 

Reader Note: This book contains wild and growly sex (the hot and sweaty kind), adult language (dirty talk is our middle name), and violence. If this is not the kind of stuff you like to read, skip this book. However, if you like a domineering wolf on a mouthy curvy girl, then this is right up your alley. Enjoy!

Romance Byte: HelenKay Dimon's Chain of Command

Author: HelenKay Dimon

Series Connection: Greenway Range

ISBN: 9781426899584

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Carina Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Description:

Retired marine Sawyer Cain can’t forget all he’s seen and lost, but he can try to start over. Opening a gun range with his closest friends is the first step toward a new life—one where he finally buries the guilt he can’t seem to shake. So much depends on the property he needs to buy…and the gorgeous but completely frustrating woman who refuses to sell it.

Hailey Thorne is done—with loss and with anything military, after the closest thing she had to an uncle died in Afghanistan. When Sawyer shows up on her porch he has military written all over him. He’s one more in a long line of people who wants the land she inherited, and suddenly he’s everywhere she goes. Hailey can’t get the broad-shouldered, dirty-talking, dead-serious man out of her head. Or her life.

Sawyer’s not above using his skills in the bedroom to try to convince her to sell, and Hailey is more than willing to let him. Their pleasure-only arrangement works…until emotions get in the way. But Sawyer has a secret he’s convinced will have Hailey hating him forever, and Hailey’s not willing to risk loving anyone she could lose.

Romance Byte: Nicole Simone's To Cherish and To Hold

Author: Nicole Simone

ISBN: 9781310632822

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Nicole Simone

Purchase Link: Amazon

Description:

Luke and Marlene return in the follow up to the Amazon best selling novel, Love of a Rockstar

Marlene Parker got her fairy tale ending. Luke Anderson, her one and only love and their darling little girl are finally a family again. However, nobody said marrying a rockstar is easy. 

The media is out for blood, groupies are singing on Marlene’s front lawn and people are deeming her the new Yoko Ono. If that wasn’t enough, there is a wedding to plan and pies to bake. An expert in chaos, Marlene doesn’t get easily stressed. 

That is, until an unexpected pregnancy digs up old insecurities, potentially threatening the life she has worked so hard to gain.

Will Marlene and Luke vow to cherish and to hold forever?

Or was their story never meant to be?

To Cherish and To Hold is a novella. Not a full length novel.

Romance Book Review: Linda Howard's Shades of Twilight

Author: Linda Howard

ISBN-13: 978-0671019716

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Pocket Books; Reprint edition

Purchase Link: Amazon

Originally published in 1997, this timeless romantic suspense by Linda Howard is a classic by the author who has long since mastered the art of romance and suspense. 

Roanna and her cousin Jessie's parents are killed in an accident and the two orphans move in with their wealthy grandmother Lucinda. Lucinda has a lot of plans for her grandchildren, as well as he nephew Webb. To Lucinda the children are the future of her family empire. She decides the Webb will inherit and expects that someday he will marry her granddaughter Jessie. 

The the children grow they become closer and soon Lucinda's goals are met, Webb and Jessie marry. Roanna who is much younger is desperately in love with Webb, but she realizes there's no chance for her with him. She very accident pron, always saying the wrong things and not at all what every in the family expects a young socialite to be. She loves spending time with the families horses. Webb takes care of Roanna when he can, always spending time with her and giving her attention even when she follows him around like a little puppy dog. 

Jessie, on the other hand is a complete witch to Roanna and her marriage to Webb isn't what she thought it would be at all. She begins a elicit affair and soon is violently murdered. With the case left unsolved and Webb as the prime suspect with no proof, he takes off and leaves Lucinda and Roanna when they need him most. 

After 10 years Lucinda sends Roanna to go find Webb and bring him back. Still as ruthless as he once was, maybe more so he gives Roanna an ultimatum. He'll come back if she sleeps with him. 

Check out the rest of the book and find out who really killed Jessie and who has set his sights on Roanna and Webb next. This book leaves you guess right until the end. 

Description:

Roanna Davenport was raised a wealthy orphan on her grandmother's magnificent Alabama estate, Davencourt, where she had a passion for horses, a genius for trouble, and a deep love for her cousin, Webb. But everyone expected Webb to marry their ravishing cousin, Jessie. When he did, Roanna's desire became no more than the stuff of dreams -- until the night Jessie was found bludgeoned to death. 

After the shocking murder of his wife, Webb left for Arizona, abandoning the legacy that he had once believed was all he wanted. But then an all-grown-up Roanna walked into a dingy bar in Nogales to bring him home; the mischievous sprite he had known ten years earlier was no more. Gone, too, was her fire. In its place was ice that melted at his touch. Webb is drawn back to Davencourt, to Roanna, and to the killer that once destroyed his life and waits only for the chance to finish the job....