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Romantic Reads and Such

Monthly Archives: June 2024

Review – Sterling Streak

06 Thursday Jun 2024

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review

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Book Review, L.B. Dunbar, Sterling Falls series, Sterling Streak

Sterling Streak

Sterling Falls #3

by L.B. Dunbar

Blurb:

Love was a losing battle for this country music darling and a single dad, baseball star until one night brings them together and one small town sets the playing field for a possible winning streak.

They call me Lady Boss. Maneater. Queen. But beneath the makeup, blond wig, and glitzy costumes, Iโ€™m just a country girl who likes to sing. I donโ€™t hate men, Iโ€™m just struggling to find a good one. Iโ€™ve learned my lesson. Fool me once, and it will never, ever happen again. So Iโ€™m baffled when I meet Ford Sylver.

A superstar in his own right as the centerfielder for the Chicago Anchors baseball team, plus a single dad to three adorable little girls, we share a moment when I save his firm backside and pretend heโ€™s mine. Something that he can never be.

Only, when he suffers a season-changing injury and I need a place to disappear, we both end up back in Sterling Falls, where Iโ€™m suddenly and unwittingly his nanny. 

Thereโ€™s danger in having a wild side. Iโ€™ll try anything once. However, forced into close quarters with Ford, acting as his personal nurse, and caring for his three little ones might backfire. Because Iโ€™m staring at all I ever wanted and never thought would happen for me.

After losing at love in the past, could I finally be on a winning streak?

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/dMtjRK2
Available in KU

*****

Review:

Cadence was the best. She’s strong but also vulnerable, struggling with what the career that she loves means for the rest of her life, her privacy, her relationships. It’s not easy but she definitely handles it like a boss, without letting it make her lose her big, caring heart. I do wish we’d gotten a little more of her side of things outside of her time with Ford because I’d love to see her more in her element. As it is, she’s pretty darn awesome – loving Ford’s kids, supporting him when he needs it, and fitting in seamlessly into their lives.

Ford has had a difficult few months but as a single dad he’s got to keep it together. Even if it means having to deal with unresolved issues from his childhood. I assume that there is more to those family dynamics in some of the other stories, but since this is my first (and it is resolved well) I would have liked a bit more because it is so important to why Ford is the man he is. Probably a good reason to read some more books!

***slight spoilers ahead***

I will say that I expected more from Ford towards the end. I understand that he’s been hurt, fresh out of a relationship (maybe too fresh) that ended badly, but he has some bad reactions and I felt like Cadence let him get away with it a little too much. I understand that he felt bad for it but c’mon man. I mean she does a good job of standing up for herself and removing herself from it, but I think he could have begged a little more ๐Ÿ™‚

My first from Dunbar was enjoyable, sweet, and satisfying. Looking forward to seeing what else she comes up with!

*****

Author Info:

L.B. Dunbar loves sexy silver foxes, second chances, and small towns. If you enjoy older characters in your romance reads, including a hero with a little silver in his scruff and a heroine rediscovering her worth, then welcome to romance for those over 40. L.B. Dunbarโ€™s signature works include women and men in their prime taking another turn at love and happily ever after. Sheโ€™s a USA TODAY Bestseller as well as #1 Bestseller on Amazon in Later in Life Romance with her Lakeside Cottage and Road Trips & Romance series. L.B. lives in Chicago with her own sexy silver fox.

To get all the scoop about the self-proclaimed queen of silver fox romance, join her on Facebook at Loving L.B. or receive her monthly newsletter, Love Notes.

Connect with L.B. Dunbar:

https://linktr.ee/lbdunbarwrites

~

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Spotlight – Forgotten Desires

05 Wednesday Jun 2024

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

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Corinne Michaels, Forgotten Desires, Whitlock Family series

Forgotten Desires

Whitlock Family series

by Corinne Michaels

Blurb:

Heโ€™s a billionaire in need of a wife โ€ฆ

And Iโ€™m his ex who canโ€™t say no to him.

Ten years ago Carson Knight was my one great love, but he abandoned me without a trace.

Now heโ€™s a billionaire single-dad in need of a temporary wife.

And heโ€™s at my house on one knee with a proposalโ€ฆ

Marry him, so heโ€™s more likely to win full custody of his daughter, keeping her safe from her unstable mother. In return, heโ€™ll take care of the medical expenses for a surgery my father needs to survive.

Reluctantly, I agree to tie the knot, on one condition. Once those custody papers are signed, we go our separate ways. Because heโ€™s even more gorgeous, charming, and sweeter than he was back then, and I donโ€™t trust myself not to fall for my fake husband.

Especially when I hear him say โ€œmy wife.โ€

Or feel his hands on my skin. Taste his kiss or see the way he looks at me with those blue eyes and know that our carefully crafted rules will shatter.

Right alongside my heart.

Goodreads: https://geni.us/FD_GR

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://geni.us/FD_Amazon

Paperback: https://geni.us/FD_PB

Signed Paperback: https://geni.us/FD_Signed

Audible: https://geni.us/FD_Audible
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton & Stella Hunter

*****

Author Info:

Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.

Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.

Connect with Corinne

Website: http://corinnemichaels.com

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2N1H2Gb

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NVZmhv

Facebook: https://bit.ly/1iwLh6y

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/corinnemichaelsbooks/

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2L1Vzo6

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@corinne.michaels

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2yc6rss

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2m7MkEL

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/corinnemichaels

CMBOOKS TO 77948

~

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Review – Thin Ice

03 Monday Jun 2024

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Book Review, Elmwood Stories series, Lane Hayes, Thin Ice

Thin Ice

The Elmwood Stories, Book 4

by Lane Hayes

Blurb:

The hunky dad, the hockey coach, and a new start…

Bryson

Elmwood isnโ€™t good for my love life. Hey, Iโ€™m a positive person and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about small-town living, but I havenโ€™t had a date in years. Thatโ€™s fineโ€”my son is and always has been my number one focus.

Except now heโ€™s grown and gone. And itโ€™s lonely.

Okay, yes, the new hockey coach is hot and single, but heโ€™s off-limits. Smittyโ€™s trouble with a capital T, and his baggage might outweigh mine. Besides, we said nothing would happen after โ€œthatโ€ night. It was a one-time, never to be repeated deal.

At leastโ€ฆthatโ€™s what I thought.

Smitty

Am I sad about retiring from pro hockey? Honestly, no. I canโ€™t remember the last time I wasnโ€™t in pain. I need a rest and I could use a distraction from unwelcome memories at home. Stat.

Soโ€ฆElmwood.

Look, we all know I wonโ€™t last a whole season of coaching high school kids, but stepping in till they find a better candidate is a good temporary plan. And Brysonโ€™s here.

Thereโ€™s something about the hot dad with the sunny smile and bad dad jokes that makes me feel alive again. Iโ€™m not in the market for foreverโ€”been there, done that. Look, Iโ€™ve taken risks for my sport, but Iโ€™m not giving my heart away again. I know thin ice when I see it.

Or do I?

Universal Link

Add to Goodreads

*****

Excerpt:

Smitty gamely followed me to the next vignette at Pinecrestโ€™s premiere home and furniture boutique. โ€œItโ€™s a coffee table, Bry. It serves two functionsโ€”a footrest and a place to leave dishesโ€ฆand the remote control. Anything is fine.โ€

โ€œYeah, right,โ€ I huffed. โ€œSomehow I doubt the guy who couldnโ€™t live with yellow walls and had lots of opinions about the sectional he special ordered doesnโ€™t care about the coffee table that will go in the same room.โ€

Smitty darted his gaze around the store and leaned in close. โ€œPlaces like this intimidate the fuck out of me. It smells like a perfume factory and everyone is smilingโ€ฆbut their eyes are dead. Like theyโ€™re zombies. Is this a Pinecrest thing or a bougie thing? I donโ€™t do well with hot cotchure.โ€

I burst into laughter. โ€œHaute couture?โ€

โ€œSure, whatever.โ€

I brushed my hand against his in a show of solidarity, then linked our pinkies for a brief moment and pointed at a handsome dark-wood coffee table with a wide base. โ€œWhat about that one?โ€

Smitty shrugged. โ€œLooks nice.โ€

โ€œI think so too.โ€ I clandestinely checked the tag. โ€œYikes. Itโ€™s pricey. Letโ€™s keep looking.โ€

โ€œDo they have a coffee table with cupholders?โ€

โ€œAbsolutely not, and why would anyone want a cupholder in a coffee table?โ€

Smitty widened his eyes comically. โ€œAre you kidding me? Why would anyone not want a safe place to plop a cup? You never have to worry about spilling a drink or knocking it over, and you wouldnโ€™t have to fumble for it when youโ€™re watching a game, โ€™cause your cup is right where you left it.โ€

โ€œOkay, thatโ€™s a whole lot of nonsense. And thankfully, a moot point.โ€ I glanced at our surroundings as if to be sure that was true and noticed the salesperson watching us from the register. I couldnโ€™t remember her name off the top of my head, but I was pretty sure Iโ€™d sold her and her partner a house two years ago. I lowered my voice and added, โ€œThey donโ€™t have such a thing, but even if they did, Iโ€™d stop you from buying it.โ€

โ€œHow? Iโ€™m bigger than you. And Iโ€™m fast. I could whip out my credit card in a flash and shove this fucker into my truck before you could say โ€˜No, bad table!โ€™ โ€

*****

Review:

I, like pretty much everyone else apparently, loved Smitty. He’s like a big, likable puppy who just throws his whole self into things. He’s struggling a bit with his past and where he’s going next so he’s taking a bit of time in Elmwood to figure things out. It definitely doesn’t hurt that Bryson is nearby.

We’ve met Bryson before and most of us were curious about his story. He’s such a great dad and an upstanding member of the community but there has to be more there, right? Of course because he’s just a bit too … perfect ๐Ÿ™‚ There are issues in his past, things that have left him a little scared to stray too far from the straight and narrow. It leads to some complications with Smitty in town. Putting him on some people’s **** list because of how he treats Smitty at first. But it definitely doesn’t take him long to get past that ๐Ÿ™‚

Thin Ice, like the rest of The Elmwood Stories, is a low angst, slow burn, feel good love story. There’s moments of humor (between Bryson’s dad jokes and Smitty’s ingenuity in getting Bryson’s attention), steam (oh, the steam), and all the emotions (as both come to terms with their pasts and what a relationship together might look like). I loved seeing everyone again and wallowing in all the warm & fuzzies & snark & fun. Looking forward to whatever Hayes has for us next.

*****

Author Info:

Lane Hayesย lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesnโ€™t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, whoโ€™s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write.

Sheโ€™s been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yesโ€ฆromance is much more satisfying!

Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolateโ€ฆin any order. Add a book and sheโ€™s set!

Connect with Lane:
My Readersโ€™ Group, Laneโ€™s Lovers: https://bit.ly/3aIbMYg
My Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3cICfaK
Blog: www.lane-hayes.com
Twitter: twitter.com/LaneHayes3
FB: facebook.com/LaneHayesAuthor
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/lanehayes
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/lane-hayes
Instagram: instagram.com/lanehayes3/
Instagram: instagram.com/lanehayesauthor/
Goodreads: goodreads.com/LaneHayes
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@lane_hayes

*****

Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Thin Ice, Lane is giving away the Winner’s choice of an audiobook or ebook of your choice from her published works!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

*****

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FTC Disclaimer - see bottom of page for complete statement, but please be aware that in many cases I am provided a book to read. However my opinions are my own & no guarantee of positive review is given by any party.

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I have received ARCs of books free from NetGalley (and many moons ago from BookTrib.com) to review but the majority of the stories are either bought by me or provided for free from the publisher, author, or PR company. The opinions I share are my own and in no way are influenced by an author or publisher. There is no promise of a positive review by any party and there is no additional compensation. Unless otherwise noted, I am not affiliated with any contest or other event mentioned on this blog and I do not receive a paid endorsement for any post.

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