Abduction

Review:

Jill was abducted when she was 13. Hayden, the town bad boy, was the one who rescued her. It turns out Hayden was colored by his father's action. His father was a horrible person (so the son must be too). After Jill's rescue, the town see him in a new light. They become best friends and then lovers. As teenagers do, they break up so Hayden can prove himself worthy of Jill and Jill can go to college and then the FBI.
Fast forward 10 years and Hayden is retired from the Seals, Jill is an FBI agent specializing in child abduction. After a case goes wrong, she comes back to her hometown. She plans on using the time to look into the cold case of the abduction/murder of a girl her age after her escape/rescue.
Both Hayden and Jill are likable, competent characters. They talk and reconnect. They worked well and I liked them together. There is a decent amount of suspense and mystery.
I read this for Romance-opoly Emergency Services Moon track

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2377165/abduction

Sunset Bay Sanctuary

Review:

Haylee and Mac both have had tragic pasts. This book covered so much- there was death of a child and parents, teenage pregnancy, adoption, the adoptive parents are horrible trope, animals are healing. There was so much going on. There were so many characters too. I had a hard time connecting with both leads. I probably would have given this a 3*, but then something happened that I really didn't like.

[spoiler]

sex with no mention of condom use. And yes, Haylee got pregnant! I thought this was a bit of a 180 for her character. She and Mac didn't discuss having kids, so yeah. (At least I don't remember a conversation)

[/spoiler]

I read this for Romance-opoly Emergency Services Sun track square

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2377115/sunset-bay-sanctuary

The Lawrence Brown Affair

Review:

Georgie needs to get out of London stat. His brother, Jack, sets him up as a secretary to a supposedly "mad" earl. Lawrence (Lord Radner) is a scientist with social anxiety.
This was a wonderful slow burn romance. I liked the additional mystery of what was going on at the estate (but in hindsight, it really wasn't a mystery because it was Cornwall). I thought both characters were layered. While Georgie was a thief, he did so to keep a roof over his head and food in his belly. I did like the realization towards the end that he needed to change. Lawrence was non-judgmental and accepting of Georgie, flaws and all (and vice versa). I also thought Lawrence came full circle. He started out never having left his home and thinking he was mad to realizing he wasn't and deciding to live his life.
I also liked Simon, Lawrence's son in all ways that mattered.
Courtney and Julian (the next book) were introduced in this one. Courtney is Simon's uncle.
I read this for Romance-opoly Rainbow Row moon track

 

 

 

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2282237/the-lawrence-brown-affair

New Ink on Life

Review:

This is told in alternating 1st person. Cassie is a breast cancer survivor. She also draws and does tattoos and approaches MJ for an apprenticeship. MJ only agrees because they shared the same mentor. MJ's business is not doing well.
I wanted to like this, but really hated MJ. MJ was a bitch. And not in a good way. She is nasty to everyone. Cassie was meek and a bit of a doormate. But the time MJ was kinder and Cassie more spine, I really didn't care.
I read this for Romance-opoly Rainbow Row square Sun track.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2282226/new-ink-on-life

Otherworld Secrets

Review:

Most of the stories in this I've already read. I got this for the 2 I haven't.
Life After Theft
It was nice to see a peak into what Hope (1/2 Chaos demon) and Karl (werewolf) were up to. They are happily married with a daughter and another child on the way. Karl is a retired thief who works for Hope's brother in security systems. (He was an excellent thief). Karl is framed and has to go back and steal one last thing to clear his name. I liked this couple from previous books and it was wonderful to see what was going on with them a few years after the series ended.

Zen and the Art of Vampirism
A short story featuring Zoe (I don't remember her from the series) and how she gets rid of 2 vampires who want to take over her territory.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2264836/otherworld-secrets

Just One of the Groomsmen

Review:

Addie has always been one of the guys. She is childhood friends with a group of 4 guys (Tucker, Shep, Easton, Ford). They went to college together and live in the same, small town. Tucker is the only one who moved away to be a lawyer for a firm in "the big city" (Birmingham). After a few years, he is back for good, having quit his job.
Shep announced he is getting married and they are all going to be groomsmen in his wedding. I enjoyed the dynamic of the 5 of them and how they all support each other. Addie excels at sports and can beat the best of them at poker. Her dream job is to be a sports therapist for one of the big AL college teams. She worked as a PT in a small office with a sexist asshole for a boss. I had mixed reactions at first- while her family is supportive, they also want her to be more of a girl (whatever). Addie also (IMO) looked down at women who were more feminine. I thought that dynamic got better as the book progressed.
Tucker's obsession with having a certain amount of cash in the bank came from his parent's divorce. However, he never really talked about it with Addie- so you know that was one of the barriers. There was a lot of dancing back and forth between going for it and holding back .
Overall, I really did like this. The small town where everyone knows your business and can be a bit judgey for it, can also be supportive when it's needed. I also really, really liked Lexi, Shep's intended. She easily could have been a bitch, but wasn't and became a close friend to Addie.
I read this for Romance-opoly Spring square Sun track

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2264519/just-one-of-the-groomsmen

The Corset Diaries

Review:

Tessa is a plus sized American who goes on an English TV show. The show is designed to show how people (a Duke and his family and their servants) lives in the Victorian times. Tessa got the job because she was a distant relation to an American who married an English Duke. Max, who plays the Duke, is also a distant relation of the Duke who married the heiress.
Tessa's 1st person narration was laugh out loud funny. But (yeah you knew there was a but!), she was very self-conscious about the size of her body (she is 6ft and a size 18). When it came to Max, I liked the he was attracted to her just as she was. I also liked she was a little older than him (39 to 34). But, the 5 year gap mattered more to Tessa than it did to him. Which was very annoying considering Tessa's husband was 20 years older than her (who died from cancer 3 years prior).
This was a fun, escapist read.
I read this for Romance-opoly Spring square Moon track

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2264302/the-corset-diaries

Ignited

Review:

Right off the bat I didn't really get Cassidy and Ronan's attraction/chemistry. Cassidy was a self-medicating mess who drank too much. It's an issue that was pointed out on just about every page. Cassidy was a helicopter pilot and something she did killed a member of her crew (it was an accident). She does eventually get therapy; but it took the whole book. I did enjoy Formula One racing as a backdrop.
Most likely will not be reading the next since I didn't particularly care for Maddux and the synopsis doesn't grab me.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2208400/ignited

A Rogue by Any Other Name

Review:

Bourne is part owner of an exclusive gaming club. 10 years prior he lost everything in a game of cards to someone he trusted; his guardian. Since then, he's rebuilt himself and is after his lands. He will gt his lands back at any cost. Revenge is what he lives for. Michael is not a nice person anymore.
Penelope was engaged to a Duke who fell in love with someone else. This being the world in which we live, it was (of course) all her fault. As a result, 2 of her sisters took hasty marriages. Her 2 remaining sisters are on the marriage-mart. For her sisters to marry well, it's on Penelope to make a good match. Penelope grew up with Michael and has always loved him.
Overall this was a nice friends to enemies to lovers romance. I really liked Penelope and her growth throughout the book. It took the whole for me to like Michael. I didn't like his treatment of Penelope. And in the end, there really wasn't any groveling on his part. I did like the end with the revelation regarding Langford and the teaser for the next book. I did like Pippa (didn't care for Penelope's other sister Olivia- she's a bit selfish).
I read this for Romance-opoly The Cobbles sun track.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/2208222/a-rogue-by-any-other-name