Review – Not So Over

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Not So Over

Not So series

by Ashley Rayne

Blurb:

What if he’s not the one who got away?

Parker
I knew the minute I broke Marcus’ heart—and my own in the process—that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. But try telling that to the anxious voice in my head, telling me I’m not good enough or how bored he must be with me. I’d give anything for a second chance with him, or at the very least, a chance to apologize. When my best friend’s destination wedding gives her the chance to play ‘match re-maker’ with her brother and me, will he finally listen to what I need to say?

Marcus
One minute, I was looking forward to a future with my soulmate and the next, I was devastated by him ending things with no explanation. He’s tried to call and explain what happened, but I’m not ready to hear. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready. Unfortunately, my twin sister is his best friend, so we’re going to be around each other for the next week. A supposed reservation snafu—that has Kendra written all over it—has me forced to share a room and the only bed in it with him. With my plan of ignoring him now impossible, am I finally ready to hear what he has to say?

*Please make sure to check the authors note at the beginning of the book. On-page anxiety attack.

Buy Link – https://getbook.at/NotSoOver

*****

Review:

I’m a bit all over the board on this one. I love the idea, Marcus is an amazing partner, and I felt so bad for Parker. But I also felt like the pacing was a bit off – the first part was a bit rushed and the second part dragged.

Parker is a bit nervous because he’s going to be in the same location as his ex and is hoping that he’ll get the opportunity to explain why he broke up with him. But he’s also nervous that it won’t go the way he hopes. Marcus isn’t open at first to listening but he gets there pretty quickly. (Maybe a little too quickly.) And they spend the week finding their way back together.

I do feel like Marcus was a bit too fast being alright with sharing a room with Parker. I understand that he isn’t over him and I’m guessing he is hoping that this will give him the excuse to get back together. But he says he was devastated and I think he needs a bit more to get to that point. I do appreciate how he takes what Parker tells him and puts the effort into figuring out how he can help. The man straight up does the work to be a good partner and I love it!

So the first part is all the feels and by midway they are pretty much together. After that it is a lot of steam, with a little bit of moving their relationship further along. I’m not against heat in my stories but I think the balance is off. A bit more time needed to be spent on addressing how hurt Marcus was by the way their relationship ended, forgiving Parker, and being comfortable with giving him another chance. To working their way towards each other again.

Pacing issues aside, I did enjoy it. Loved me some Marcus and his happiness made me happy.

Spotlight – Single Mom’s Guide to Love

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Single Mom’s Guide to Love

by Chelle Sloan

Blurb:

GUIDE TO LOVE RULE #50: Love isn’t always convenient. Sometimes marriage is.

My name is Maeve Banks—Type A single mom; oldest daughter; and renowned interior designer for millionaire bachelors.

And the new Mrs. Logan Matthews.

The latter title is not something I wanted, but something I was forced to do. And for good reason: My adorable six-year old son.

The guide for my perfectly controlled life was simple: No dating or distractions. Focus on my son and my business.

Everything was going to plan until the night Logan Matthews—one of the world’s youngest, and most eligible billionaires—sits down next to me at an airport bar.

He distracted me with his perfect smile and chiseled jaw line. His British accent didn’t hurt either.

When he asked me to dance? I was a goner.

But it was one night. No harm in a little fun, right?

Wrong.

Turns out my one-night of fun is now my newest client.

Which is fine. I’m an adult. I can resist his charm. And that he’s great with my son. Or when he calls me “love.”

But as much as both of us make it look like we have our lives in order, they’re anything but.

So Logan offers me a proposal—the one where we get married as a temporary fix to both our problems.

My ex-husband is fighting for custody of my son. And Logan needs a wife to give the media something to talk about.

It’s a marriage of convenience. Nothing more, nothing less.

There’s just one problem: I think I’m falling in love with my husband.

And there’s no guide to love for that

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3UfD69R

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3A0slRZ

*****

Author Info:

Known for her witty sense of humor, Chelle Sloan is a former sports editor who recently completed her Masters in Journalism. She’s now putting that to good use—one happily ever after at a time. An Ohio native, she’s fiercely loyal to Cleveland sports, is the owner of way too many—yet not enough— tumblers and will be a New Kids on the Block fan until the day she dies. She does her best writing at Starbucks, or anywhere that’s not her house.  Oh, and yes, you probably saw her on TikTok. As for her own happily ever after? Maybe one day… 

Connect with Chelle

Website: www.chellesloan.com  

Goodreads: https://geni.us/ChelleGoodreads 

Amazon: https://geni.us/ChelleAmazon   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChelleSloanAuthor   

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelle_sloan/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chelle_Sloan    

TikTok: https://geni.us/chelleTikTok  

Bookbub: https://geni.us/ChelleSloanBookBub   

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Review – Seaside Serenade

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Seaside Serenade

Seaside Summers series

by Melissa Foster

Blurb:

What’s better than finding your forever love on Valentine’s Day?

They say opposites attract, but for former boxing champ and gym owner Brock Garner, having the beautiful dark-haired, tattooed, combat-boot wearing pixie Cree Redmond flitting around his club has nearly driven him mad. Brock has wanted her since the first time he saw her, and when he learns she has the singing voice of an angel, it speaks to another part of his heart and he’s unwilling to hold back any longer. But Cree’s dating a burly biker and is firmly off-limits. Or so he thinks…

Buy from Melissa Foster’s store

*****

Review:

I often feel like novellas don’t do their characters justice but not this time. Would I have liked more of them? Well, yeah, but Foster does a really good job of giving us a complete story in just a few pages.

Both Brock & Cree have been crushing on each other but a misunderstanding on her relationship status has kept him from pursuing her. The time together, though, has given them an opportunity to get to know each other and for feelings to develop. That helps with being able to make it a believable novella romance.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I enjoyed it. The narrators are nice to listen to – Masters could read the back of a cereal box and I’d be happy – and they complement each other well. At around an hour it was a fast listen and perfect for a lead up to Valentine’s Day.

(Can stand on its own. For returning readers, there are updates on characters from the rest of the series, but I kept up just fine.)

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Review – Right the First Time

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Right the First Time

Shafer U Book 1

by Kristen Vail

Blurb:

He’s the smoking-hot football star. 

I’m the nerd just trying to graduate. 

So why does he keep staring at me?

I’ve always been the girl guys ignore until they need my class notes. But being invisible suits me. I’m at college to keep my head down, get accepted to grad school and hopefully save my dysfunctional family.

Simple enough—until Cam Forrester looks my way.

I’m not about to get sidetracked by some sexy wide receiver. The last time I trusted a man like him I got burned so bad I still can’t shake the dark memories.

But when Cam rescues me from one of the most humiliating moments of my life, I realize this cold, cocky athlete isn’t so cold when he’s around me.

So when he vows to prove to me he’s more than meets the eye…well, what girl wouldn’t give in?

Trust a heartbreaker with my fragile heart?

That’s a dangerous play.

And I’m all in.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/hWxIboE

Available in KU

*****

Review:

There was so much I enjoyed with Lenni & Cam’s story. I felt for her as she struggled to distance herself from her past and juggle school & family. It’s a lot for anyone and naturally she’s finding it difficult on her own. It leads to lots of mistakes, poor assumptions and miscommunication.

Cam has his own troubles. Trying to balance school, family, others’ expectations, and his own wants. It’s a big part of growing older as we try to figure out who we are, what we want, and how to honor ourselves & those we love. It’s a struggle for him, but he is a stand up guy with a good heart and does the best he can to do the right thing.

For a first book, I’m really impressed. Vail does a good job of giving us characters with flaws and issues that feel realistic, with a good balance of sweetness, angst, and growth. These are not perfect people, they struggle but they try, and I appreciate that there’s a good resolution for both of them individually as well as a couple. I’m looking forward to seeing where the author takes us next. Reeve’s got lots going on and I need to know everything 🙂

(Please note that there are content warnings for this one that can be found on the author’s website – kristenvail.com)

*****

Author Info:

Kristen Vail is the author of spicy sports romance featuring realistic characters and relationships with plenty of delicious tension. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, kids and rescue pup.

When she’s not writing, you can find her cooking, listening to music and rewatching shows from the ‘90s.

Connect with Kristen Vail:

https://www.instagram.com/kristenvailbooks/

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Spotlight – Comeback

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Comeback

Holland Brothers #3

by Rebecca Jenshak

Blurb:

My brother’s best friend is such a jerk.    

An imposing, handsome jerk who doesn’t trust me. And now we’re roommates.  

He wanders around the apartment in nothing but gray sweatpants, looking like a broody, tattooed muscle god, and playing music that shakes the walls. I want to hate him for treating me like an intruder, but there’s something about the way he looks at me—like he’s trying to figure me out—that keeps pulling me in.  

Archer Holland is loyal, caring, and protective—with everyone except me.  

Every time I move around our apartment, I can feel his glare. And the worst part? It only makes me want him more.  

Not that it matters.  

He’s my brother’s best friend—the one guy I can never have. But after a late-night rescue, we go from sharing a wall to sharing a bed.  

I’m not sure what my brother would do if he found out, but it doesn’t matter because Archer says it can’t happen again.   

That imposing, handsome jerk is about to find out I’m done playing by his rules. 

Comeback is a football romance with lots of spice, swoon, and a happily ever after. It’s the third book in the Holland Brothers series and can be read as a standalone.

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/414FjZN

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/yz87lV

Audio: Coming Soon!

*****

Author Info:

Rebecca Jenshak is a USA Today bestselling author of new adult and sports romance. She writes sexy, feel-good stories with lots of swoon-worthy moments.

Rebecca lives in Arizona. When she isn’t writing, you can find her cheering on local sports teams, hanging out with friends and family, or curled up with a good book.

Sign up for her newsletter to be notified of new releases: https://rebeccajenshak.com/newsletter/

Connect with Rebecca

Website: https://www.rebeccajenshak.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16681160.Rebecca_Jenshak

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Jenshak/e/B074F258NP/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccajenshak

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1523746940998401

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccajenshak

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rebeccajenshak

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rebeccajenshak

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rebecca-jenshak

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Spotlight – Sterling Fight

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Sterling Fight

Sterling Falls Book 5

by L.B. Dunbar

Blurb:

These former friends might be faking their engagement, but revealed crushes prove there might not be anything fictional about their arrangement.

In college, I often saw Judd Sylver in the library. He was a cool, broody type of guy who reminded me of a deeply tortured soul who might write poetry.

He was very different from the boy I met in third grade on National Make a New Friend Day when I passed him a note, asking if he wanted to be my new friend: Check yes or no.

(I’m a bit obsessed with calendar days.)

He was also vastly different from the young man who stood me up after I asked him to his prom.

Twenty years later, I can let bygones be bygones, especially when he rescues me from a bad date.

Then I witness him breaking up with his girlfriend which resulted in a sticky coffee drink on his chiseled cheeks and ice cubes on his fine-fitting jeans.

I offered him a napkin.

Hey, once a friend, always a friend, right? *insert sarcasm*

However, Judd takes us to the next level at my mother’s garden party, where a misunderstanding occurs with a teeny tiny slip of the tongue and a precious ring on my finger.

And suddenly, I’m Judd’s fiancée. 

Fake or not, things are about to get a little too real with my old friend.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/7KIiaqr

Available in KU 

*****

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. Dunbar’s signature works include women and men in their prime taking another turn at love and happily ever after. She’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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Review – Not Your Biggest Fan

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Not Your Biggest Fan

Not Yours #1

by Sara Ney

Blurb:

USA Today bestselling author Sara Ney sizzles with a quick-witted, sexy romp about an eager entrepreneur and a cocky football star who couldn’t be more different—or more into each other.

Harlow James is destined to rock the dating world. The creator of Kissmet, the app helping singles find love, she’s in New York to secure advertisers. But the sassy, small-town girl can’t help meddling in other people’s business.

When she runs into a muscular stranger at her go-to food truck, Harlow doesn’t realize he’s Landon “Andy” Burke, the NFL’s most-wanted free agent, in town to talk contracts. She just sees a hottie about to get burned by undercooked street food. Though she tries to warn him, he shrugs her off, making a little wager instead.

In a messy twist of fate, Andy finds himself in the same hotel as Harlow. When she collects on their bet, they make a mind-blowing—and bed-rocking—connection. But after the weekend, she goes home to Green Bay to her goofy dad and corgi, ready to focus everything on work again. Kissmet, however, has other ideas, when Andy knocks on her door…

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/NYBFSaraNeyKU

Available in KU 

*****

Review:

I enjoyed Harlow and Andy together. Their time in NY is fun, with an enjoyment of the city and each other. And their flirty texts afterward are some of my favorites moments.

It is an insta-love kinda thing though, so you need to be ok with a little less than logical romance between the two of them. It’ll require you to just go with it and enjoy that they spent like 2 days together before deciding that major life decisions could be made. Realistic, no, but it’s a fun, rom-comy story and doesn’t have to be that real.

Although I do wish we’d gotten more of what it actually means for Harlow to be in a relationship with Andy. She gets a bit of it but I’m hoping that we get glimpses of it as we get future stories in the series. Because it isn’t going to be easy, and based on her issues once she figures out who he is, it’s something that needs to be addressed.

But Ney has an out here because their friends are a hoot and I’m looking forward to more books as (hopefully) each of them finds their own HEA. And Harlow’s dad as well. Like Harlow settling in to a relationship with Andy, I’m hoping that we get more of his search for a partner as we move along. There’s plenty of opportunity to address some of those missed moments and I’m curious to see where she goes.

Silly, funny, and lighthearted, as an introduction to Ney’s work I enjoyed Not Your Biggest Fan. Set your believability cap off to the side and just settle in for some fun 🙂

*****

Author Info:

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

Connect with Sara Ney:

https://linktr.ee/authorsaraney

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Review – The Perfect Love

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The Perfect Love

Ida Heartthrobs Series

by Bethany Monaco Smith

Blurb:

Chelsea Winters knocked me on my ass.

Meeting the curvy, auburn-haired goddess was the last thing I was expecting on my first day at a new college. But when she shows up at the lake house I share with my seven close friends, she looks like my literal dream girl.

Then we spend a few hours talking, and I know without question, she’s meant to be mine.

Until she panics, runs away, and tries to ghost me.

But our campus isn’t that big, and it doesn’t take long for us to cross paths again, and when we do, I realize how terrified Chelsea actually is.

Afraid to trust or let anyone past the upbeat, confident exterior she puts up.

Which means it’s now my mission to show her she’s safe with me. She can trust me with her hurt and her heart. If she needs to go slow, I’ll crawl, as long as it’s to her.

We’re both here for a fresh start, trying to heal from our pasts, but the more time I spend with her, the less I’m worried about the past because all I see is my future with her.

There might not be any such thing as the perfect love, but I know without a doubt, she’s my perfect match, and I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man she shares her future with.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/aT8VLXI

Available in KU

*****

Review:

This is my first read by this author so I’m not sure how this represents her writing style. But I’m not 100% sure what to think of this one. I loved Chelsea and Trevor, individually and as a couple, and I loved the found family that they have created. There are a lot of them, so I was glad for the character guide at the front to somewhat keep up.

For a large group of college students, tho, they come with a large amount of trauma. This is where my hesitation comes in. I guess they could have bonded because of their issues but it seems like every one of them has something big they need to work through. And they know a lot about mental health, good communication, and support. I mean A LOT. Trevor is an amazingly perfect book boyfriend, tho he does have some trauma of his own to work thru, but the rest are amazingly perfect friends. Sure, a couple of them are studying counseling, some are actively in therapy, and they’ve been thru a ton collectively, but they are also only 20 years old. (Not that # of years lived necessarily means that you can’t have these kinds of lived experiences, but all of them?)

I saw another review say that it felt like an after school special and I can see that. There’s a lot of mental health terminology and advice, girl power and healing. I love that Chelsea is so into supporting women, lifting them up – **** the patriarchy, choose the bear kinda thing. But there’s so much going on here. I’m not sure if it is because there are so many of them, and they are so close, that it felt that way. And I admire both Trevor and Chelsea and how they address & overcome their issues. It was just a very full book.

Please know going in that this book deals with some really heavy subjects. It has some fantastic mental health representation and I love to see the normalization of that in books. The characters try so hard to be good people, good friends, to be supportive and love enthusiastically. They are wonderful characters and I so want to know their stories, to get to know them better.

It just feels like a lot when there are so many of them 🙂

*****

Author Info:

Bethany is a small-town girl and lover of all things romance, love, and happily ever afters. She is an indie author of both adult contemporary romance series and new adult drama series set in small towns. She loves taking her characters (and readers!) on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the story whether it’s a standalone romance or a continuous series. Even though she puts her characters through their paces, she always leaves them with a happily ever after, knowing they rode off into the sunset with a good life and their perfect match by their side.

She is shamelessly obsessed with the friends-to-lovers trope and will read any friends-to-lovers book she can get her hands on while writing plenty more. When she’s not writing, you can find her mom-ing, binge-reading, drinking coffee and pretending the laundry doesn’t exist, eating sushi with her SIL, and cheering on all her author pals.

Bethany lives in the Southern Tier of NY with her husband and two sons. You can find out more about Bethany and what she’s working on next on Instagram @bethanymonacosmith.

Connect with Bethany Monaco Smith:

https://bethanymonacosmith.com/links/

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Spotlight – Burn the Wild

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Burn the Wild

A Runaway Ranch Novel

by Ava Hunter

Blurb:

As the reigning country-pop princess, I’ve had everything this life has to offer, especially fame and fortune. But not what really matters. A minute to catch my breath and reevaluate my life. So when my world comes crashing down, I run to a place where no one knows me. A small mountain town where I can hide from my past.

Only I don’t get far. My first day in town, I’m assigned a babysitter.

Ford Montgomery.

A man who drives me crazy with his rude, broody attitude and his backward baseball caps. A man who’s my new boss for the summer. A wild, rugged cowboy straight out of one of my songs. Hard body and gorgeous face included.

But beneath the dirty mouth and the sexy smirk, there’s a pain in his eyes that matches my own.

As the summer heats up, passion sparks and we connect—on the ranch and in the bedroom. Ford shows me friendship, makes me laugh, but most importantly, we see each other’s scars and want one another anyway.

For the first time in my life, I know where I belong. In his arms.

The stage might be calling me, but my heart says it’s with Ford.

But there’s a price to pay for wanting this new life of mine. My past is watching. Ready and waiting to take my newfound freedom and love and snuff it out…for good.

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/40IZnjO

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OeQXtK

*****

Author Info:

Ava Hunter is an Amazon top 50 bestselling author. She writes romance with heart, humor, and heat.

Her bestselling books include Babymoon or Bust, an accidental pregnancy rom-com, and Tame the Heart, a grumpy/sunshine cowboy romance with Yellowstone-vibes.

When she’s not at her computer with a hot cup of coffee, you’ll either find her reading the latest true crime book or traveling with her family. Otherwise, she’ll be behind her desk, plotting out or typing up her next dreamy love story.

Connect with Ava

Website: https://authoravahunter.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21662346.Ava_Hunter

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ava-Hunter/author/B098FF8YN9/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoravahunter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoravahunter/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoravahunter

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Review – Better Than Friends

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Old flames reignite in Sunrise Cove in this charming enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, small-town, forced-proximity love story about family, friendships, and true love from New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis.

Better Than Friends

Sunrise Cove series

by Jill Shalvis

Blurb:

When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.

As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.

So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward.

These books truly stand alone, read in ANY ORDER. They’re connected by setting, not characters.

Add to Goodreads

Add to BookBub

Buy Links:

DIGITAL

AUDIO

PAPERBACK

HARDCOVER

*****

Review:

Shalvis is great at giving her readers cute, heartfelt small-town romances. The characters are the highlight of her stories. And here I love them all, especially Noah’s sister and her son, who provide some of the best moments in the story.

And while I liked Noah and Olive together, I think a little more development needed to be done for why Noah ran so hot and cold. I get that he was hurt by Olive in the past (and another girlfriend did a number on him) but it doesn’t quite explain why he’s all over the place now. Just needed a little bit more to make it easier to follow.

Olive, tho, is not as difficult to understand. With the way her parents (and then Noah & his parents) treated her, she’s going strong with a lot of baggage. The girl needed, and still needs, someone to step up and be there & prove to her that she’s worth it.

Shalvis takes readers on a roller coaster ride as Noah & Olive do the dance of will they, won’t they, can they keep their hands to themselves. Better Than Friends is humorous and sweet and angsty, but not heavy. It’s all about found family and loving yourself & each other, differences and all.

(The series is not connected, outside of the setting, so don’t worry if this is your first.)

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes contemporary romance and romantic comedies filled with madcap adventures and shenanigans and sexy times. (just don’t tell her mom). She’s sold 20 million plus copies worldwide to date and lives with her family in a small mountain town near Lake Tahoe full of quirky characters (Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is mostly coincidental).

Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning novels wherever books are sold.

Visit http://www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and fun blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill:
http://instagram.com/jillshalvis
http://facebook.com/JillShalvis

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