C.K. Darling: Embers Of Fate

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250286117-embers-of-fate

Book Blurb:

He puts out fires for a living. She's the fire he didn't know he needed.Event planner Ember Harper arrives in Peachwood Grove for a much-needed escape — a chance to breathe, regroup, and help her best friend plan a local fundraiser. What she doesn't plan on is a rainstorm, a deer in the road, and ending up in the arms of the most devastatingly handsome firefighter in Georgia.

Captain Ryan McCallister has seen plenty of emergencies. None of them looked quite like her.

What starts as a rescue turns into something neither of them saw coming—a connection that feels less like coincidence and more like fate. But Ember's carrying more baggage than the suitcases he helped unpack, and staying means trusting someone again. That might be the scariest emergency she's ever faced.

Good thing she's got a firefighter in her corner.

Embers of Fate is a quick, swoony ride through small-town Georgia, where sparks fly fast and feelings burn even faster—the perfect read to devour in an afternoon.

Tropes:

*High Gravity ALC *Small town romance *Novella *Strangers to more *Insta lust/love 

*Firefighter MMC x Event planner FMC *He saves her *shady business partner

*Quick Read *Cozy Read *Found Family *He falls first *State Challenge Georgia (repeat)

Thoughts:

Ember (FMC) is on her way to help a friend in a small town plan an event when she ends up in a MVA, thankfully the handsome fire captain Ryan (off duty) saw the accident and was able to get her out of her vehicle and get her fast medical care. 

The event that Ember has been asked to help with is the upcoming fire fighter fundraiser and this puts her in close proximity to Ryan, since this story is short everything happens quicker so it is insta lust/love and everything moves fast in a short period of time.

Ryan and Ember's romance even though it moved fast felt natural for the story, this was a cute and cozy small town romance with charming side characters and even had a bit of drama since Ember is in the middle of a legal battle over her business in the city with her shady business partner.  

I would have liked to see more character development for both leads.  But I did enjoy it for what it was the leads are likeable and I found myself hoping for a happily ever after for them but since Ember is in town for just a short time to help her friend could she make that huge move to a small town from her big city life?  Or will their relationship be over before it ever really started?  

The story also sets up the story line for the next book and I'm looking forward to checking out the next in the series.  

The Narrators did a great job bringing this story to life Thank you to the Author and High Gravity ALC for this early listen copy! 

Have you read this one?  what did you think?  

Kelsie Hoss: Married to Lies

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250191557-married-to-lies

Book Blurb:

He needs a wife to save his business. She needs a husband to escape her past.

Someone I loved betrayed me. She committed fraud, nearly destroyed my company, and tried to pin the blame on me. Since then, trust has come hard. Connection has come harder. Which is why I’ve kept my distance from the gorgeous woman who cleans my office every day.

She’s everything I’m not: warm where I’m guarded, quick to laugh where I’m calculating, able to make strangers feel like family with a single smile. Being around her feels dangerously close to peace… and I don’t do peace. Not anymore.

But a major investor is forcing my hand. To protect the company from being handed to someone who would burn it to the ground, I need a wife, fast. And my cleaner’s the only woman I can imagine standing beside me.

There’s just one problem: as soon as we say “I do,” I realize she’s hiding something. I don’t know what it is—only that whatever she’s keeping from me could destroy us both.
***
Please note: This is book two in the Married Series, featuring Quentin and Rei! For the best reading experience, start with the first book, Married to Secrets!

Tropes:

*Darkstar ALC *Marriage of Convenience *workplace  Romance *Boss FMC *Hidden identities

*Spice *Slow Burn *Guarded MMC *Secrets *family drama  *Green Flag MMC

*State Challenge Texas (repeat) *Sweet MMC *Betrayal *Strangers to More 

*Fake relationship *He falls first *Billionaire MMC *Sunshine FMC *Curvy FMC 

*found family *multiple POV

Thoughts:

I grabbed this one from Darkstar it is the second book in the series and I do believe that if you read them in order you'll have a better understanding of what's going on in book 2 since it mentions things from the first book in this one.

Quentin (MMC) knows that in order to save the business that he helps run with his friends he needs a wife... and fast as part of a stipulation in Simon, the chief investor's will, if he doesn't fufil this requirement prior to his passing the voting shares will go to Simon's greedy kids... who don't have the best interest of the business at heart.

Simon faces challenges of his own once this is out in the open the main one being that his children are now actively out to off him to prevent the other share holders from getting married before their father passes away... seriously these kids are awful.

But Who is Quentin going to marry everyone decided he would be the next to find a bride after one of the other friends/owners found his bride in book one.  There is only one person Quentin can think of for the position he has been watching her from a far for awhile, she's not only beautiful but she is hard working seeing as she cleans the office building.  

Rei (FMC) is strong, sassy and curvy... she is also hiding the fact that she's actually a boss, she doesn't really just work for the company that cleans the building... she owns it but due to a a tragic past history she has someone she thought she could trust acting as the owner and setting up contracts... but she cares about her employees and doesn't want to let anyone down again.

Quentin is shy and guarded ever since his last relationship went south... and quickly but he knows he needs to get back in the game somehow and begins leaving sweet post it messages to Rei on the wall where any employee can leave a message.  It's really cute seeing them work up the courage to actually meet in person.

Rei at first focused mainly on keeping her company from going under receives worse news when the man she assigned to pretend to be in charge... starts making demands of his own or else he will spill her secret past that she has worked so hard to leave in the past.

While Rei wants to tell Quentin and her best friend what's happening she also has difficulties opening up to people since even her own adoptive family didn't have her back when she needed them the most.  

Rei hearing that Quentin needs a marriage of convenience feels this would be the perfect chance to make some terms of her own... but the more she gets to know him the more she feels she needs to tell Quentin the truth... but will he still want to be with her when she lays all her cards on the table? Quentin also has a past history that may be returning to the surface as well.  

The narrators did a great job bringing this story to life the author really put Jakobi Diem & Cindy Kay to work with all the different accents. 

Thank you to Kelsie Hoss and Dark Star Romance for this ALC! 

I plan to go back and read the first book at some point to see what fully happened there, but I didn't feel lost jumping in at book 2.  

There were a few shady characters throughout that kept me on my toes! 

There was a build up throughout the book while I was waiting for Quentin to find out Rei's secret before she could tell him herself... or I was just shouting Girl just tell him already!! 

The story dragged a bit for me in places but picked back up and kept me wanting to know more even in the slower parts.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and it did end in a bit of a cliffhanger.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Amy Daws: Nine Month Contract

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219655872-nine-month-contract

Book Blurb:

Help Wanted: Grumpy mountain man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting as the form of communication and nosy brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.

I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life.

But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands in my lap.

Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life.

Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her…

She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.

And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby-making dance—when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing and the home-insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter—I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate.

I want to make her mine.

Tropes:

*Strangers to More *Mountain Man *7 brides for 7 brothers vibes *Spice *surrogate 

*Rom-Com *State Challenge Colorado *Grumpy x Sunshine *Small Town Romance 

*Age Gap *Curvy FMC *Forced Proximity *Mountain Man MMC *Contracts *Banter

*cute animals *Acts of service *Wealthy MMC

Thoughts:

Wyatt (MMC) our hot grumpy mountain man has been living a solitary (ish)... well as solitary as it can be for living on a mountain in Colorado with a few of his brothers... but he has everything he needs he just feels like his life could use something more he would rather not have a relationship but he would like a baby, with his single status how can he get a baby you ask?  A surrogate.

Only he has gone to an agency and rejected all of the women that they arranged for him as possibilities not having any further options they decide to release him as a client. 

Wyatt's sweet and well meaning neice decides to help him with this process by putting up an ad, at first Wyatt isn't on board with going about things that way until his neice brings him the perfect canidate Trista she is beautiful, outspoken, fierce and best of all she doesn't want any commitment or long term relationship she's perfectly ok with the arrangement of just being there for a short time and then leaving at the end.  

Trista has a boat load of baggage including financial difficulties and a lengthy history of family drama and abandonment issues.  She is used to being self sufficient and it takes her awhile to get used to Wyatt and his gestures he is constantly bringing her food/drinks making sure she is eating, buying her things to make her more comfortable... but she is going to be carrying his child so she can see how he would want the baby to have all the best items for proper growth.

Wyatt... such a grump but so sweet when it comes to her, yes please! 

The story covers a lengthy period of time pre and post pregnancy where Trista moves to the Mountain and stays in the apartment above the barn living in closer proximity to Wyatt and his brothers.  An on going theme is Trista works closely with rescuing animals and wants to have her own sanctuary and often brings home animals without talking to Wyatt first... he does have a large barn after all.  

Naturally the longer Trista is around this hot grumpy man the less able she is to resist him... and she had been doing so well but once it's on... it's on!  And it's about time the tension was thick.

This book is full of humor, spice, and emotional moments that make you fall for Trista, Wyatt and his sweet but at times too involved family... But will they be able to realize that this has been more than a contract for awhile? 

I listened to the audio book and Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton were awesome!  

Looking forward to reading more of this series!

Some negatives for this book: 

*The FMC refers to herself as a "cow" throughout the book --> this was just not for me

*Trista is meant to be quirky... but I felt that it was like over the top quirky at times.

*I know Trista bringing more animals to the place was supposed to be fun, but I was kind of irritated with her for that, she didn't ask and she at that time was a temporary guest... he even specifically asked her not to bring home chickens at one point and next thing you know she has several chickens.

*The time line skips around unevenly you'll have several chapters close together in time line then it will skip multiple weeks

*I personally wasn't a big fan of how they went about getting the FMC pregnant it could be a me thing though

Aven Ellis: Lights Out

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/234559555-lights-out

Book Blurb:

I had one never get involved with a driver. My career as a sports journalist depended on it. But I never planned on Caleb Collings.

The Formula 1 star is notoriously private and despises the media. He’s also the only person who stood up for me when a misogynistic exec tried to tear me down.

To my shock, he offered me an exclusive tour. Then another. Now he’s offering me a side of himself no one else gets to see. He’s everything I should avoid, but I find myself drawn to his piercing blue eyes and the unexpected kindness behind his guarded walls. Falling for him could get me blacklisted, but walking away feels impossible.

Lights Out is the exhilarating first book in the Love in the Paddock contemporary romance series. If you like high-stakes passion and a forbidden workplace romance, you’ll love Aven Ellis’s new read. Open the cover and see what destiny has in store.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Single narrator *Sports romance (Formula One) *Forbidden romance

*Secret romance *Grumpy/Sunshine *Reporter FMC *he hates reporters/media *He falls first

*Workplace romance *Spice  *State challenge Florida (repeat) *Green flag MMC

*Hot rich MMC *Single POV from FMC side *instalove 

Thoughts:

Isla (FMC) is a reporter who has been building her social media following by putting out fun content on the F1 world when offered the chance to do an interview for a racing news site she takes up the offer only when she gets there she pretty much right away has a confrontation with someone in the sports world not willing to acknowledge she knows what she's doing and thinks she's just a pretty face.

During this interaction Caleb Collings comes to her assistance and then decides he will give her a personal tour of their space... he didn't need to do this and it's even more surprising since he doesn't like the media due to his past issues with his family being put through the media circus (his family is wealthy and owns the racing company that he currently drives for) during a very hard time he doesn't trust easily and he would rather his life not be splashed all over the news... but Isla is different and he even gives her the rare opportunity for an interview.

Caleb continues to reach out to Isla and even offers additional rare interviews as they get to know each other better at first Isla wants to hold firm to her boundaries to not cross the line and date a F1 driver... she knows what the world will say about her she's worked so hard to get where she is with her job and doesn't want everyone saying she just took this job to date a driver, or she is only where she is now because she's dating a driver.  

The more time Isla spends with Caleb the harder it is for her to resist his offer to go on a real date, he's thoughtful and kind, he takes her needs into consideration and just maybe if she gave this a real chance it could turn into the love of a life time... but can their relationship survive the media storm that will come from being open to the public about being together?  Or will it be over before it really begins?

Things I liked about this story: 

FMC doing well in a male dominated field!  Yes girl!

MMC: Green flags all the way, super sweet perfect book boyfriend

I liked the side characters Isla has a bestie and Caleb's sister are really supportive.  

This was a cute cozy read and if you're a fan of the F1 circuit you'll enjoy the mentions of the races and tours of their base.

I might check out the next in the series it does set up for a second book for the series for the MMC's sister or Isla's best friend who would like to be introduced to her F1 driver crush (Caleb's Best friend)

Things that didn't work for me:

FMC's internal monologue were really repetitive having the story only from her side made these sections harder to get through.

Repetitive "she's not like the other girls" and asks such quirky questions sections 

Caleb told her that he would give her an interview... and Isla flat out asked him if he was doing it to get into her panties because she wasn't offering that as part of the interview... I was cringing for her he was trying to help her with the channel she was working with by offering this interview and I kind of felt like that was insulting to him when he had done nothing to that point to make anyone believe that this would be an exchange like that.  

Isla made a really big deal about not dating an F1 driver ever... she wasn't crossing those boundaries but Caleb just asked her to coffee and she's all about it without much push back.

I felt the book spent more time discussing what would happen if their "relationship" got out to the media then the couple actually spent together... she had done like 2 interviews with him and they met for coffee, she covered some races and talked about her move to a different country and this was like 60% of the book this led to not much time for our couple to actually be together... and I felt that she was jumping a lot of steps thinking so much about their "relationship" coming out after one coffee date.  

This one just felt too insta love for me after they hadn't spent much actual time together, maybe most of their relationship was "off page" 

Have you read this one?  what did you think?

Emma Slate: Prospector's Peak

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250277601-prospector-s-peak

Book Blurb:

From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Emma Slate comes the third book in the Saddles & Spurs Series She’s a virgin who just blew up her entire life.
He’s an ex-con cowboy biker who swore he’d never fall in love… until her.

**Poet’s Story**

OF COURSE. THE RASPY VOICE BELONGED TO A MUSCULAR MAN WEARING A COWBOY HAT.

I swerved off a mountain road into a ditch to avoid a moose. And then a rugged cowboy in a beast of a truck comes to my rescue.

Brooks Keel. The quiet loner at Elk Ridge. The cowboy-biker who looks devastatingly good on a horse and a motorcycle. Ex-con.

As a jobless twenty-three-year-old virgin, I have no business getting involved with a bad boy. But between his hard-won smiles and protective streak, my heart—and my body—hunger for him.

We’re in a chrysalis of paradise and Huckleberry Hill is starting to feel like home... But then the truth about Brooks’ MC past is revealed, and my world explodes. And now I don’t recognize the man I fell in love with. I don’t recognize my baby’s father.

Tropes:

*Dark Star Romance ALC *Cowboy Romance *Virgin FMC *Ex-con MMC *Ex-biker MMC 

*MMC with secret past *opposites attract *protective MMC *supportive MMC *bad boy MMC

*surprise pregnancy *Small town romance *found family *He falls first *Bookish FMC

*State Challenge Idaho (repeat) *insta lust/love *spice  (spice with red wings) *Age gap

Thoughts:

Poet (FMC) just made a huge life decision she quit her job in NYC and now without a clear direction of what to do next heads to Idaho to visit her friends who have recently returned home and are living their best lives with their own cowboys.  

On her way to the hotel she ends up in a ditch... naturally the person who comes to rescue her is hot as sin and dangerous to her heart.  Brooks (MMC) has been in town for a bit but has been on the reclusive side since arriving he works on the farm her friends family owns and keeps to himself.

But Poet is surprised to hear from everyone else he's been so stand offish since he isn't with her and even though she knows he's been in prison in the past she doesn't hold that against him... in fact she can't help but to fall for him harder because of the man he is trying to be now.

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and was happy to return to this small town cowboy romance for Poet's story.  I loved the found family elements to these books and how we're not only getting to know the 4 friends and the men in their lives but also their extended family and some of the townsfolk.  

I loved Poet's grandpa!  He seriously needs his own story!!

As Poet settles into her life post job loss and figures out what to do next she finds that everyone in this small community is willing to help her reach her goals and maybe the dream she felt was just out of reach will be reachable after all.

The closer she gets to Brooks the more she realizes that maybe she doesn't know him as well as she thought she did... and can she live with that?  Especially now that she has discovered that she is with child.

After an argument Poet goes off on her own and ends up in trouble but now it's not just her own life she is risking... she has to hold on for her baby and hope that she'll be found, during this time having plenty of time to think she realizes that if Brooks can put the past in the past she should as well he has accepted her flaws and she knows now that if given the chance she can love Brooks flaws and all too... Brooks please find your girl!  

I listened to this as an ALC and the cast did a beautiful job bringing this story to life! 

This was a cute addition to the series but did feel kind of similar (ish) to the first two books in the way that it was insta love with a surprise pregnancy... I am looking forward to the next book in the series but I'm at this point expecting the 4th book will go the same way.  

If you like a cozy small town, found family, cowboy romance add this one to your tbr but I would recommend reading them in order as other characters from the first 2 books are a big part of this book as well. 

Some things that I wasn't a huge fan of for this book:

*Poet just arrived in town and Brooks who just met this woman offers her money to fix her rental car... what?  $2,000 is a lot of money and he just gives it over 

*Poet and Brooks relationship is on the super fast forward setting --> like skipping right over everything goes straight to moving in together and love, then Poet hears some information that she didn't know about Brooks and is upset about it that she didn't know this about him... of course you didn't girl, you just met him 5 minutes ago!

*Poet had been a virgin until meeting Brooks and not on birth control believed that a pregnancy couldn't possibly occur because it was her time of the month 

*Poet wants to make it on her own but didn't do anything to find a job while she was working on her idea to open her own business... Brooks continued to pay for everything including a new car.  Poet is young, inexperienced with owning her own business and has no savings, it's good to have dreams but you gotta pay the bills too... I do wish I had people in my life like Poet has to help financially.

*Brooks had been with Poet like 3 days and was giving a spare key to her apartment to her friends without telling her, placed a tracking app on her and was calling her friends/family and telling them her business without talking to her first.

*even though the first two books in the series were also insta lust/love the stories just felt a bit more formed, this one felt more rushed and because of that Poet and Brooks didn't really fully click for me as a couple.

Have you read this one?  what did you think?  

Lena Knight: Averted

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240714165-averted

Book Blurb:

She was determined to avert her heart,
He was determined to claim it.

What happens when a badass model in the midst of her master plan for revenge gets distracted by a pair of brown eyes?
Her desperate need to escape her feelings only seemed to pull him closer. She was set on averting. Too bad she came across one stubborn motorcycle riding distraction.


I was a puppet, the strings pulled by my parents. A Barbie doll brought up to sit still and look pretty, preferably with my mouth shut. Feelings were a foreign concept. That was until I locked eyes with a bad boy with a killer smirk. He was a distraction I couldn’t afford. I had dirty secrets to expose, my plan already set in motion. I was determined, focused, all in… Until Mateo.

She was a vision, looking so innocent while screaming trouble. Butterflies were flying around, a magnetic pull so strong, but she managed to turn the poles, fighting me every step of the way, not allowing me to get closer. The more she pulled back, the more I wanted to figure her out. She had her walls firm in place, but I was going to break them, brick by brick. No matter how hard Sabrina wanted to keep up the aversion, I was going to be the one she’d let in.

Tropes:

*Indie Author ALC *Strangers to More *Heiress FMC *Model FMC *College romance

*Revenge plan *FMC doesn't know love *found family *pop culture mentions 

*State Challenge Mass (repeat) 

Thoughts:

Sabrina (FMC) is young, beautiful and set on revenge she's recently learned a lot about her life that she never fully realized and even though she was born into a world of privilege, there is more to life than money and power and she is on a mission to make things right.

Mateo (MMC) although he is also young (in his early 20's) he is smart, kind, compassionate and loyal to those he holds close he was raised in a foster home but there was so much love and support.  While out on his bike he see's a beauty they have a moment where they never exchange names, numbers, addresses basically they know nothing about each other other than what they learned in their brief interaction but it's kind of like that movie Serendipity (which is mentioned in the moment) if it's meant to be it will happen again.

Going their seperate ways Mateo and Sabrina continue to think about the other even though it's doubtful they will ever see each other again (you never know)... but Sabrina did like the fact that Mateo didn't know who she was since she is in a number of magazines and billboards, it's nice to be noticed for just you not your status.

Naturally they do end up running into each other again, there is a bit of a push and pull since Sabrina is getting involved in some dangerous activities and is trying to put distance between anyone she cares about she doesn't want them caught in the cross fire.  Our FMC is a brave baddie and I was rooting for her the whole time to succeed with her plans.  

Sabrina doesn't want to think about or like Mateo as much as she does, she is trying to focus on this one goal... and she doesn't want to have a weak point and the more time she spends with Mateo and his family the more she realizes that she could hurt not only him but also his family... is what she's working towards really worth wrecking what she's building with Mateo?  

I would say that I felt like I might of missed something a few times in the story because I wasn't quite sure how much time had passed throughout most of the book and I thought they had only been together maybe once or twice at this particular time but Mateo was upset that Sabrina hadn't told him the truth leading me to believe that he felt their relationship had progressed further than I thought it had.

There are many pop culture references to books, movies and music and I wasn't always able to follow along quite as well with those segments because I hadn't heard the song, read the book or seen the movie but if you are up on your pop culture references you are going to love these parts of the book.  

I'm so glad that I was finally able to get to this book it's been on my TBR for awhile but if you've been reading by blog you know that I have a habit of probably picking up way too many arcs/alcs (oops) This story was fast paced with a dash of heart, humor and emotional moments spread throughout.  There is a large cast of characters I may have had an easier time with this as I have read a few of the other books in a different series by this author that involved this loving band of brothers and their beautiful Mama Eva.    

I loved Mateo's family they are true family goals!  Sabrina while her own family were ruthless she did have some close friends to help her get through.  

I received this ALC from the author and I loved the Narrators Andi Eloise and Caden Hart were awesome!  

Have you read this one?  what did you think? 

Kate Pelczar: No Pants Required

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251498994-no-pants-required

Book Blurb:

Tabby has to find a job.  she wants a place she can call home.  She needs to find Solid Ground again.

Little does she know taking an evening walk at the beach with her dog will lead to the beginning of a brand new adventure.

Despite her dad complaining about Nymeria destroying his avocado trees, finding ways to kick her when she's already down, or her past is finding ways to complicate her present, Tabby is determined to land on top.  First, She's got to figure out how to get out on her own, follow her passions and possibly find love along the way.

Tropes:

*High Gravity ALC  *Indie Author *Strangers to More *guarded hearts  *Barrista FMC 

*Green Flag book boyfriend  *State Challenge California (Repeat) *Cute animal side kick

*pop culture references *Curvy FMC

Trigger warnings:  Toxic family (DV mentioned ) 

Thoughts:

Tabby (FMC) has to leave Colorado to return to California after the sudden end of her relationship. Arriving back home to live with her parents she truly feels she has reached rock bottom... or at least she hopes this is the lowest times can get for her... thankfully she has her best friend Nymeria (her dog).

Tabby's parents are less than understanding about... well everything.  Shortly after arriving she manages to find a job right away (and she's a very hard worker) her father finds things to gripe about... mainly her dog destroying his property... She needs her own place like yesterday, but she also needs some time to save money.

Trying to get out of the house... because who needs that kind of negativity in their lives she finds herself at a renaissance fair where she falls for a handsome stranger... well her shoe was stuck and he caught her while she was falling, that counts right?  

Tony (MMC) is a green flag book boyfriend seriously he is a true sweetheart caring, stable, wealthy, he likes her for herself flaws and all even though she is at a low point in her life and he is there for her to help boost her spirit and encourage her to follow her dreams... doesn't hurt that he is bilingual and super handsome, he also is a girls dad (older daughters).

We go through Tabby's journey as she navigates working long hours at the coffee shop, working on herself and finding out who she is as a person and what she wants in life... does that include a man so soon after her last relationship imploded? ... what she does know is she needs a place of her own ASAP!  

Tabby's home life after returning to live with her parents is less than ideal and brings up childhood issues where her father becomes increasingly verbally agressive towards her and she worries that her mother is dealing with even worse treatment, she is talked down to by her father, her sister and quite frankly she has had enough... she's tired of walking on eggshells to be supportive of her father's immature and quite frankly appalling behavior towards everyone around him.

Tabby and Tony grow closer together over the course of this book and it's sweet to see them together opening up and letting down their walls.  The narrator did a great job with the characters and this was a truly cute and cozy story.  My heart went out to Tabby having to deal with her toxic family I truly wouldn't blame her for not wanting to deal with them again.

I did find a few situations could have been handled differently during the course of the book (but it could have just been a me thing) one of them being that Tony had given her no reasons not to trust him but she immediately thought the worst case scenario and didn't even want to let him speak... come on girl this guy is amazing at least hear him out before you jump to conclusions.

I also would have appreciated an epilogue to finish things out (this also could possibly be a me thing) it felt like a few plot points could have been wrapped up better.  This book leaves our leads in a happily for now situation.  

Thank you to the author and High Gravity for this ALC! 

Have you read this one?  What did you think?