Back to the Start by Elle Keating

Morgan Kelley has left Boston and is settling in Philadelphia…to a city that harbors her most painful secrets. Will these secrets destroy Morgan’s new beginning or will coming clean give her the second chance she’s longing to have? Find out in Elle Keating’s BACK TO THE START!

Title: Back to the Start

Author: Elle Keating

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Dangerous Love

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Format: Digital eBook

ISBN: TBD

Synopsis:

Jake McGinnis has the life he has dreamed of since childhood: a professional football career with adoring fans, financial security, and the unwavering support of his family. From the outside looking in, he has everything. But nothing could be further from the truth. Because there isn’t a day that goes by that Jake doesn’t think about his first love... and what his world would look like if she was still by his side. When he hears that she is relocating to start a new job less than a mile from him, the pain of their breakup feels fresher than ever. For eight years, he has wondered why their relationship ended and now she's settling in his city. A city that isn't big enough for the two of them.

For Morgan Kelley, moving to Philadelphia means living closer to her family and practicing veterinary medicine with two of her closest friends. It’s also her chance to start over and move on from her failed marriage. There’s only one con: the close proximity to Jake McGinnis. Once upon a time being near him was all she wanted, but now he is practically a stranger... and it's all her fault. Faced with awful memories and the possibility of bumping into him at her favorite coffee shop, Morgan is haunted by the real reason she once broke both of their hearts. Deep down, she knows she won’t be able to embrace this new chapter of her life without finally telling Jake the whole truth.  

But how will he react when she shares her secret? Their love story once felt inevitable, unshakable. Is this where it ends for good, or is it the beginning of a second chance

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Review:

Morgan and Jake have been in love since Morgan was five, right until she was eighteen and broke both their hearts. Now, it's eight years later and she's moved back to Boston, to her friends, her mom, and to Jake. Can they move past the heartbreak and deception to continue the love story that never should've ended?

This is a story of second chances, of friendship and football, of jealousy and forgiveness. I enjoyed how real both the characters were and how they made mistakes but fought their way to make things right. There is a large cast of characters to help them out: her friends and his family, and I look forward to reading their stories (Carina's book is currently on sale, by the way).

I felt like this is almost two love stories in one - a sweet childhood romance and the passionate affair years later. They are both well written but quite different in tone, so much so that the present was often overpowered by the past. Compared to the flashbacks, the present comes across a little one-dimensional, like it was there to hold the string the memories together with sex and angst (of which there is plenty).

While I enjoyed reading this, the excessive flashbacks pull a star off my rating. Also, trigger warning for miscarriage and IVF.

Four #fbf stars.

I received an ARC of this book from Barclay publicity.

Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend by Kerri Carpenter

To get over being dumped, Lola McBride crashes a high school reunion looking for a rebound fling. Instead, she finds Luke Erickson who convinces her to pretend to be his girlfriend at his family reunion. Who said reunions had to be zero fun in this sweet romantic comedy releasing June 2018 from Kerri Carpenter and Entangled Publishing!

Synopsis:

It wasn’t shy librarian Lola McBride's idea to crash someone else’s high school reunion. Her best friend made her do it, insisting that having a little fun with a super-hot rebound would make her forget about her recent breakup. That’s when she meets the hottest guy she’s ever seen.

Architect Luke Erickson had no idea attending his ten-year reunion would turn out to be so fun. He catches the sexy brunette in a lie, and he counters with a proposal—He’ll keep her secret if she helps get his family off his back by pretending to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family reunion.

From one reunion to another, Lola and Luke are suddenly spending a lot of time together. Good thing they're only pretending, or this super-secret relationship could get really complicated.

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

Available at:  Amazon  | Barnes and Noble  | Kobo  | iTunes

Review:

Lola’s been dumped, so her best friend Frankie convinces her to crash a high school reunion. She’s caught in her lie by the handsome Luke, who convinces her to attend his family reunion as his girlfriend to keep his meddlesome sisters off his back.

Luke is instantly attracted to the lying librarian, but doesn’t do relationships because his dad walked out when he was five. Lola feels the same attraction, but her failed relationship and sub-zero self esteem convince her that Luke couldn’t possibly be interested in her. Cue the shenanigans and mutual pining.

This isn’t a bad read, but it felt a little cliched, with self-indulgent prose and uneven characterisation. Lola balks at pretending to be Luke’s girlfriend because she dislikes lying, but in the same conversation convinces him to lie about how they met. It all felt a bit forced, as if they change personalities in order to fit the plot. Barely a week after meeting, Luke opens up to Lola because she is different. To be honest, with the mutually-acknowledged attraction, I don’t know why they even had to lie, especially as it made Lola feel so guilty. The title had me interested but the elements didn't quite mesh to make a fully-satisfying whole.

The book definitely had its cute moments and hit all the right beats, but in the end, I can’t say it stands out from the crowd.

Three stars

I received an advanced reading copy from Barclay publishing.

Real Kind of Love by Sara Rider

Synopsis:

As an audiobook narrator, Clementine Cox has no trouble mastering the voices of space aliens, elven warriors, or even demon-possessed cats. But the moment she tries her hand at an erotic romance, she’s stumped. With her deadline looming, she books a week at a secluded cabin to restore her inner muse, telling her loving-but-overbearing family it’s a romantic getaway with her not-so-existent new boyfriend to keep them from worrying. She never expects them to invite themselves along to meet the new guy. Now, she has less than twenty-four hours to find a pretend boyfriend in order to save her job and, potentially, her sanity.

Workaholic Jake Donovan isn’t interested in a real relationship. After a broken engagement, all he wants to do is focus on keeping his brewpub, the Holy Grale, afloat. But when he finds out his favorite customer is in need of a fake boyfriend, and his business partners insist he take a long overdue vacation, he has no choice but to help Clem out. All he has to do is enjoy the sunshine, play nice with her family, and keep his hands to himself for the week.

But Jake’s not prepared to like waking up next to Clem every morning as much as he does. Or to feel so welcome by her quirky family. And as the line between real and fake starts to blur, he realizes one week might never be enough.

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Review:

I love me a good fake relationship novel and this is a solid one. The prose is engaging, the leads interesting, the relationship grows naturally, and the supporting characters are three-dimensional and entertaining.

This also has to be one of the most relatable and stressful novels I’ve read in a long time. I can totally relate to our heroine Clementine, reader and extreme introvert, so reading about her family problems strikes a nerve.

See, her family aren’t hateful or restrictive. They are loving and caring and have no idea about these things called boundaries. Their efforts to set the baby of the family up come from a place of love, but also a narrow-minded view of what it means to be happy. I feel like I would’ve snapped long before Clem did.

I love how Jake was the person who didn’t drain her - as an extreme introvert, I have a few of these people and value them like whoa. He’s a decent guy with his own baggage, but who quickly realised Clem’s worth. I could keep rambling happily about all the wonderful supporting cast but it’s better if you read the book yourself.

I wasn’t super happy about the extended moping near the end. The action was all over so it felt like padding and I found myself skimming to get to their well-deserved happy ending.

Otherwise, a high-quality book, a fun read, and I’m keen to get my hands on the next one in the series.

Four solid stars

I received an advanced reading copy from Barclays Publishing

About Sara Rider:

Sara Rider writes contemporary romance full of heart, heat, and happily ever after. She lives in British Columbia with her husband and daughters. She spends far too much time in public libraries and never leaves the home without her e-reader stuffed in her purse.

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Part-Time Husband by Noelle Adams

Synopsis:

On a Wednesday afternoon, I ask Trevor Bentley to marry me. He might be the most arrogant, obnoxious man I know, but I need him to be my husband for a year.

There are reasons.

He's not going to be a real husband. Just part-time. Yes, I have to live with him. And, okay, I also have to share his bed. And, sure, he's the sexiest and most exciting thing to ever happen to my controlled, organized life.

But still... It's only a part-time marriage. I'm not going to give him my heart. I know what I'm doing, and I'm too smart to fall for my husband.

I hope.

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

Available at: Amazon  | Barnes and Noble  | Kobo  | iTunes

Review:

Well, that was adorable.

Melissa Greyson is having dinner with her grandpa/boss when he threatens to restructure her out of a job so she can focus on finding a husband and settling down. If this makes you angry, you are not alone, as Melissa immediately sets out to broker an arrangement with the one man she knows her Pop despises: obnoxiously arrogant and irritatingly handsome Trevor Bentley.

If you want a wildly original romance with plenty of twists and turns, try something else. This is your classic fake marriage, complete with witty banter, meddling family, and just the right amount of heartfelt angst. Sparks fly, the smug facade drops, and you can guess the rest.

This might be a classic, but I enjoyed every second of it and found myself grinning widely as the climax hit and even as it drew to a close.

Five forever stars

I received a copy of this book from Barclay Publishing.

The Surviving Girls by Katee Robert

A fierce survivor and a fearless FBI agent battle a copycat serial killer in a gripping thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert.

Twelve years ago, Lei Zhang and her friend Emma Nilsson miraculously lived through the notorious Sorority Row Murders that left twenty-one of their sisters dead. Still wrestling with the trauma but finally out of the limelight, Lei and Emma are now devoted to helping other victims find closure. But most disturbing for Lei—beyond the gut-wrenching survivor guilt—is that the killer was her boyfriend. He’s behind bars, but she’ll never lower her guard again.

When a copycat killer targets Lei and Emma, FBI Agent Dante Young is put in charge of anticipating the sociopath’s every move. But what he doesn’t expect is his immediate and overpowering attraction to Lei. The closer they get to each other, the more desperate and terrifying the questions become: Who wants to finish what the killer started—and why?

Now Agent Young vows to protect Lei at all costs. If they have any chance of a future together, first they have to stay alive…

Review:

This isn’t a romance. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Katee Robert and have only read her romances, so I came into this one a little blinkered. I didn’t even realise this was third in a series about FBI agents and serial killers until I started writing this review.

This isn’t a romance, but there is a romance in it. In the context of the book, it’s a highly inconvenient case of insta-lust that distracts the leads and jeopardises their very survival in a tense game of cat and mouse with a shadow from the past.

This isn’t a romance. It’s the story of two girls (one in particular) who survived a mass murder, whose safely-constructed lives threaten to fall apart when a copycat killer strikes close to home. It’s also the story of the FBI agents (one in particular) who must catch the killer before his dealy endgame.

This is a tightly plotted, tense, and thrilling novel about guilt, blame, and what it means to survive. I couldn’t put it down and loved every twist and turn. My only gripes are a) most of the characters felt like they had only rough outlines of a backstory and b) that there wasn’t enough of the dogs, because dogs are awesome.

Four and a half surviving stars

I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher.

Download at:

Amazon:  http://bit.ly/TheSurvivingGIrlsAmazon

B&N: http://bit.ly/2HcOsUZ

Lone Star Blues by Deborah Fossen

Title: Lone Star Blues

Author: Delores Fossen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 17th, 2018

Publisher: HQN

Series: Wrangler’s Creek

Format: Print

Print ISBN: 9781335631992

Digital ISBN: B075JH8W58

Synopsis:

Wrangler’s Creek’s most eligible bad boy has just become its most eligible single dad.

Dylan Granger could always count on his rebellious-cowboy charm to get his way—until the day his wife, Jordan, left him and joined the military. The realization that during a wild night he got her cousin pregnant is shocking enough. But the news that Jordan has come home to Texas to help raise the baby is the last thing he expects.

Raising a baby with Dylan in Wrangler’s Creek is a life Jordan might’ve had years ago, but she doesn’t want regrets. She wants what’s best for the child—and to find out if there’s something deeper between her and her ex than blazing-hot chemistry. Getting closer means letting down her guard to Dylan again, but will he be able to accept the emotional scars on her heart?

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

Available at:  Amazon  | Barnes and Noble  | Kobo  | iTunes

Review:

Dylan Granger is having a bad day. It started with a naked woman asleep in his bed and reaches its peak when a social worker drops his apparent son on his doorstep because the toddler's mother has just been arrested.

If this sounds like your sort of choc-a-plot, read on. This book is full of twists and turns - multiple marriage proposals, custody suits, interfering family of all sorts, cameos from previous books I haven't read, and endless drives back and forth to the prison to talk some sense into Adele, the mother in question.

Somewhere in the middle of this mess are Dylan and his ex-wife Jordan, who also happens to be Adele's older cousin. It's pretty obvious that their chemistry is off the charts, but they've tried the marriage thing before, and it didn't work out

I would've liked to see more of the kid and less of the sprawling supporting cast - I know later books in romance series run into it but it seemed almost every character was visiting from their own book or being set up for one. I also disliked how big events happened off the page and would be related in flashback form, which dilutes the impact.

I do wish the ending had been a little less sudden, but if you want a second-chance cowboy romance with tons and tons of plot, don't go past this one.

Three and a half stars

I received a copy of this book for review from Barclay Publicity

Helping Her Remember by Kate Carley

Internalised misogyny is alive and well

Where do I even start with this review? For a small-town second chance romance with a secret baby, this book managed to annoy me in ways I can’t properly articulate

On the positive side, it handled dementia and aged care with tact and grace. There are some really nice relationships between family and friends, even if their friend group is threatening to get messy.

Here’s the thing: the baby was a secret because the father was a) a cheater and b) an alcoholic. The heroine made the (IMO, correct) decision to keep the father out of the picture. When she does return and finds the father has sobered up, she decides to tell him. The cat jumps out of the bag a little early and the reveal happens in public. Who gets the blame for this?

Well, both of them.

There’s this really icky thing where every ‘apology’ he makes is followed by one from her. He apologises for cheating (though not very well), she immediately forgives him and apologises for staying away. He apologises for being the kind of person she kept their son away from and she follows up with an apology for keeping the son away from him. Even when he gives a decent apology, the book undermines it by making them out to be equally at fault. She constantly carries around this giant burden of guilt. I’m all for communication and talking through issues, but this endless line of self-recrimination and blame does not make for a satisfying book.

Furthermore, he steamrolls his way into the son’s life and wants to do an overnight visit within a month of meeting the kid and within a week of knowing his parentage. I don’t care if you and the mom were childhood friends; that’s not how you parent, buddy.

Finally, the ending felt abrupt. It’s only a happy ending in the family and relationship areas. There’s a subplot with her job that doesn’t tail off, it jumps off a cliff.

If you don’t mind double standards, uneven pacing, and half-hearted endings, you may enjoy this. Otherwise, I’d recommend giving it a miss.

Two stars

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review