Holly Michelle: You'll Be The Death of Me

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243817596-you-ll-be-the-death-of-me

book blurb:

Cole is spending the rest of his eternity as an overworked Afterlife Clerk, reaping souls for the Afterlife Administration. But when he accidentally reaps the wrong Verdella Rodgers, Cole and Verdella must race to fix his cosmic blunder—and try not to catch feelings along the way. A swoony and whimsical romp, You'll Be the Death of Me is a romance to die for.

Verdella “Dell” Rodgers is at the top of her game. As the chef de cuisine at San Francisco’s hottest new restaurant and on the cusp of marrying the mayor’s son in the social event of the season, her life is perfect. That is until the week before her wedding when she wakes up and find herself very much dead.

Enter Cole, a charming but bumbling entry-level clerk in the Afterlife Administration who accidentally confuses Dell for a 95-year-old woman in Kansas with the same name, reaping the wrong soul. When Cole tries to fix his mistake, their worlds collide in life- and death-changing ways.

Now walking the city as a ghost only visible to Cole, Dell is frantic to get back to her perfect life but soon learns that it wasn’t what it appeared to be, particularly when it came to the man she was about to marry and his high-profile family.

Meanwhile, Cole has no memory of who he was before working for the Afterlife Administration. As they try to uncover Cole’s past and remedy Dell’s future, they realize the mistake that brought them together might just be a twist of fate. With time running out to bring Dell back to the land of the living, she’ll have to decide if the life she left behind is truly what she wants, or if Cole’s untimely appearance could lead to an unexpected change that she didn’t know she needed.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Fantasy *strangers --> More *mystery *Life/death *after life 

*Feisty/driven FMC *timid/shy MMC *supernatural elements *Some spice (light)

*State Challenge California (repeat) *forced proximity  *magical elements

Thoughts:

Dell (FMC) is living the dream, well from the outside looking in... she is owner and head chef at a new prominent restaurant in the Bay area, she is from a wealthy family, and she is soon to be married to the Mayor's son in a very lavish ceremony what else could she want?  Only a week before the wedding the worst thing happens. 

Cole (MMC) is working as a clerk in the afterlife administration as a rule follower who doesn't take risks this job suits him... so when he makes a mistake which leads to the Death of young Dell in California and not 90+ year old Dell in a totally different state he is beside himself with worry there has to be a way to reverse this mistake... thankfully his boss is giving him some time to reverse this error all he has to do is find where Dell took a wrong turn in life and then she will get her life back with no harm done... or not much harm anyways.

Cole lands in the real world shortly after Dell wakes up and finds her new situation at first understandably angry with Cole that fizzles out fairly quickly as she needs him to find her way back to his body... she just needs to figure out where her wrong turn was that should be easy enough right?  She's getting married in a week. 

The pacing was slower at times with discussions on what happens at the after life administration office and all the rules and regulations that Cole wants to continue to follow while Dell steam rolls right over those plans she is determined to get her life back.

There is a bit of a mystery going on as they work together to find the "wrong turn" and she learns things that she never expected from the people closest to her as she is able to listen in unnoticed some good and some not so good but along the way she learns that maybe once she gets back to her life she could make some changes, perhaps she has been so focused on her own goals and being successful that she hasn't been paying as much attention to whats happening around her. 

Naturally having forced proximity thrust upon them working towards the same goal they begin to know each other better, Cole having been in his current limbo state for as long as he has been has forgotten a lot of his prior life and Dell is able to help him as well with the support of some friends.  

Dell shows Cole that he can let loose and doesn't always have to follow rules by the book and it's fun to watch him get a bit bolder throughout the book.

I would have liked to have Cole's POV as well, I listened to this one and thank the author and Netgalley for this early listen copy it was single narration and she did a good job with the characters.  

This was a cute romance and I enjoyed how the story played out, it kind of reminded me of that movie from the 90s heart and souls in the way that the "spirits" have to have the help of a human to complete some of their tasks.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Meghan Quinn: Rules for the Summer

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243359903-rules-for-the-summer

Book Blurb:

He clicked "yes" on a dare. She bought a failing candy shop. Now they're neighbors for the summer―and neither is ready for what comes next.

Renley Gossage has one shot to prove she's more than Cape Meril's favorite cautionary tale: restore her favorite candy shop before the town writes her off like they did her father. No help, no shortcuts, and definitely no rich men wielding engagement rings and making things messy.

Theo Williams never planned on ending up in Cape Meril. A drunken game of truth or dare turned into a botched online engagement, and now he's across the ocean, escaping his father's control with nothing but designer shoes, misplaced confidence, and a rental next door to Renley.

She's practical, stubborn, and covered in paint. He's posh, persistent, and willing to use a sander if it means earning her trust.

Between collapsing drywall, gossiping neighbors, and the chaotic schemes of Renley's aunt, their forced proximity turns into something dangerously close to real.

But Renley's future depends on standing on her own two feet, and Theo's past isn't done with him yet. By the time the candy shop doors open, they'll have to decide if this is just a summer fling―or the happily ever after neither of them saw coming.

Tropes:

*Rom-Com *British MMC x American FMC *Strangers --> More *Shenanigans 

*Quirky side characters *Small town romance *Big Dreams *Oppressive Family 

*Wealthy noble MMC *he falls first *neighbors (for the summer) *reverse grumpy x sunshine

*Opposites attract *State Challenge Mass (Repeat) *slow burn *Spice *Supportive MMC

Thoughts:

Renley (FMC) wants to prove to everyone (including herself) that she can be a successful business woman.  The small town she lives in occasionally will auction the rights to open a store to a local as opposed to giving it to a big chain to keep the small town charm and Renley feels that maybe her luck is finally changing for the better when she wins the former candy shop, she plans to renovate and refresh the shop and re-open it to allow children to build some memories like she had of the place when she was a girl... there is only one problem and it's a big one.

Renley was told by her Aunt Kitty that she could help with this endeavor and had the funds to do so... only she doesn't actually have the money.  Aunt Kitty is a dreamer and while her head is in the clouds chasing her dreams of becoming a hobby horse social media star... Renley's feet are firmly placed in reality where she needs at least 20 grand to revamp the store and open in the time frame, simple enough Aunt Kitty after a night of drinking places her request on a Financier website this will solve the problem there has to be someone out there willing to make this investment.

Theo has been living the life of privilege while he doesn't want the title he has been trained from an early age and is next in line for the title, his father is over bearing and bossy and fully intends for Theo to do what he says when he says it.  Theo while he doesn't want the title doesn't want to cause waves either so after a night drinking with his best mate Rupert and a game of truth or dare lands him on a match making site for a fiance he goes with it he has matched with several women... but only 1 looks remotely tolerable and he is set to prove his father wrong his father thinks he's wasting his life and never follows through with anything... well he will prove his father wrong... next thing he knows he is spending the summer in Cape Meril right next door to his future bride.

After arrival Theo finds that Renley was in fact not looking for a fiance but a financier... why are those words so close?  Determined to continue with his plan since his dad has said if he doesn't get married by the end of the summer he will choose his bride for him... and that is 100% not happening he begins to court Renley... Renley is not having it and demands rules be drawn up so that their interactions remain as infrequent as possible she has a lot of work to do to get her shop up and running in the time allowed by the town and she doesn't need this extra issue in the form of the most handsome man she's ever seen in person with a sexy accent.

While it took them awhile to get there and maybe a few of their rules got changed a long the way... How can Renley believe that this is anything more than a summer fling he has to return home for lord duties doesn't he?  Theo is falling for this girl and hard but how can he prove that he won't be another disappointment in her life when he knows that he is going to mess up at some point? 

To be honest with this one it took me a bit to get on board with it while it was fun and quirky I did find myself struggling with the plot of Renley not realizing sooner about the financier/fiance situation and Renley spent so much time keeping Theo at arms length that besides their internal monolog of both finding each other attractive I didn't see much chemistry on page, the slow burn was slow burning I don't think they kissed until after a few hundred pages.  

That being said after the kiss I began to get more on board with this couple, Theo was so sweet and showed time and time again that he could and would show up for Renley which meant a lot since she had been let down by so many who were close to her in the past.  In fact throughout the book Theo was there for her when she didn't even have the support she thought she would have from her closest relative this caused a lot of additional issues for Renley since she struggled to open up and share her feelings.  

Once the spice started it was fairly frequent throughout the rest of the book and in that way I don't know if the book needed to be over 500 pages or if some stuff could have been trimmed... The rules got repeated and edited several times along the way.

Rupert and the mouse was hilarious, and Aunt Kitty while she was fun I did find myself growing irritated with her at times throughout the book... she said she would help Renley with the store but instead she was spending her days working on her hobby which was not making any money to help herself or Renley while Renley was doing repair jobs around town for income during the day and then going to work later days after hours to prepare the candy shop.

I kind of at some point wished that Renley would decide to open up a store in a different town... if most of the town wanted her to fail why should she stay there with that kind of negative energy?  I get she grew up there but maybe a fresh start elsewhere with nicer people could work too(?) 

I did enjoy this book over all.  If you are looking for a rom-com with a lot of over the top shenanigans this might be the one for you... also do yourself a favor if you are an audio book lover and get the audio for it Shane East, Stella Hunter, Gary Furlong & Cassandra Medcalf did an amazing job with the story.  

Katherine Lyons: A Secret Elixir

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251005278-a-secret-elixir

Book Blurb:

A Regency Romance with Forbidden Love, Secret Identity, and Bodyguard Protection.

By day, Janelle Caddick is the perfect baron's daughter—elegant, demure, and newly engaged to the powerful Lord Benedict. By night, she becomes Betty Gill, a skilled midwife slipping through London's tenements to deliver babies in places where no respectable lady would go. She's kept her dangerous double life hidden for years, until Major Gabriel Vance is assigned as her bodyguard.

Gabriel is Lord Benedict's right-hand man. When he discovers Janelle sneaking around, he expects scandal. What he finds instead is a woman risking everything to save lives that society has deemed unworthy.

Now Gabriel must choose: destroy Janelle by exposing her secret or protect her from dangers she can’t even see. Worse, the more time he spends guarding her, the harder it becomes to remember she belongs to his closest friend.

As Janelle fights to save mothers and babies, Gabriel fights his growing feelings for a woman he can never have. And Lord Benedict watches them both, hiding secrets of his own—secrets that could either shatter their world or forge something far more extraordinary than any of them dared to imagine.

In Regency London, a lady's reputation is everything. But some secrets are worth protecting... and some loves are worth every risk.

Tropes:

*High Gravity Audio Books ALC *Historical Romance *Fierce/Independant FMC *Body Guard MMC

*Marriage of Convenience *Arranged Marriage  *Secret Identity *Forbidden Love *Forced Proximity

*Class Difference *Love Triangle *spice *multiple POV's

Trigger warnings involved check prior to reading

Thoughts:

Janelle (FMC) from a young age learned to obey her father (the Baron)... all while continuing to do what she wanted in her spare time, as long as she was present and proper at the right times her father never took notice to what she was doing outside of this time and so began her secret work learning as much as she could on how to take care of those in labor first with animals then delivering human babies, her work means the world to her and it's incredibly important that whatever happens she be able to continue her role as Betty Gill the midwife.

Out of the blue Janelle arrives home late from a long night out caring for mother's and finds that her father has arranged a marriage for her with Lord Benedict a man she doesn't even know she is then told that she has to accept as her father already has agreed... at first against this idea since this is a stranger she then learns that her soon to be husband is frequently out of the country for work and can provide her with enough income to continue her work, she'll have time to get to know him prior to their wedding and she might grow to at least like him as a friend during that time.

Unfortunately Janelle has very little time with Lord Benedict but in his place he has sent his best friend and most trusted ally to escort her to events --> Gabriel is incredibly handsome, strong, and protective he is also annoying and far too nosy he has been looking into her life and doesn't approve he knows she's hiding something and he's going to find out what it is and stop this wedding before it's too late!

Naturally tempers flare over the course of Janelle and Gabriel's time together and passion ignites, though time spent together was very unwanted at first... it becomes hard to stay away from each other before too long especially once Gabriel finds out what Janelle's after hours activities are and begins to show up to see how he can help. 

Janelle and Gabriel were easy to like and I found myself wanting them to find a way to be together throughout the whole book just when one of them found a way to make things work something would fall thru making it seem unobtainable again.  

My heart truly went out to our three lead characters in this story all struggling with their own battles:

First we have Janelle who is an aristocrats daughter and because of that is forced to abide by society rules and regulations if word got out she was helping the under class/under priveledged members of the town it would be a true scandal... and that shouldn't be the case, proper medical care should be available to all not just the upper class that can afford it.  

2nd --> Gabriel is the son of a Duke and while you would think that would leave him in a better position than most... it doesn't because his mother worked in a brothel and he was born out of wed lock, this of course is not his fault but he was treated unfairly by everyone including his parents and still to this day his mother talks down to him.  He has gone out of his way to prove to himself and society that he is a man of honor and has shown his skills time and time again in battle and after for the crown.  

Then we have Lord Benedict he never believed that he would be in his current situation forced to marry someone he doesn't want to marry and produce an heir... his older brother passed away and the weight of his family's stress fell onto him.  He knows that he is playing with fire having his employee and closest friend escort his soon to be wife around town but he is a busy and powerful man and he knows that they will get through this together.  He has his own secrets but knows that Janelle has a big secret she doesn't want getting out and this is why she is the only woman that he can marry.

While I did see where the book was going prior to the end of the book I was hoping for a different outcome or at least a better conversation between everyone involved before things went too far, the ending is not your usual historical romance HEA.  This wasn't my favorite in the series but it was heartfelt and different from my usual historical romance choices which made for an interesting read.  

I received this ALC from High Gravity Audio books and the narrators were awesome!  I've loved them throughout the previous 2 books in this series that I listened to as well, I did go from the 2nd book to this 4th book but it can be read as a stand alone so I don't feel I missed out by not getting to the 3rd book in the series quite yet and plan to listen to the 3rd book soon.  

Trigger warnings include multiple physical assaults on Janelle (by her father) on page and mentioned that happened in the past.  Gabriel's mother is very emotionally abusive and allows her workers to treat him poorly as well.  

Have you read this book?/ Series?  What did you think? 

Annah Conwell: All That Glitters

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243534739-all-that-glitters

Book Blurb:

They were best friends, until he betrayed her.

Marigold Belmore wants nothing more than to forget about Jameson Sinclair. So what if they’ve been friends since elementary school? Who cares that he was the one person she trusted most in the world?

Jameson showed her how little she mattered to him when he stole the internship they swore not to apply to. That kind of betrayal isn’t something a person brushes under the rug.

Marigold tries to escape Jameson’s brooding stares, but between their shared classes and working on the paper together, the task seems impossible. She refuses to let his presence get to her, but when she’s forced to document his road to hockey stardom, it becomes more and more difficult to ignore the tension.

As banter is exchanged and secrets are revealed, Marigold becomes certain they can never go back to being just friends.

All That Glitters is a college hockey romance with all the sizzle, none of the spice. If you love sports, found family, and academia, you’ll love the second book in the RomCom University series.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC  *College Romance *Sports Romance (Hockey)  *Betrayal *drama

*child hood best friends --> rivals --> more *broken Trust *miscommunication/no communication

*Green flag MMC *just kisses  *State Challenge Georgia *Young adult

Thoughts:

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this ALC 

Marigold (FMC) and Jameson (MMC) are both members on the school paper at first we just know Jameson to be Marigold's rival since he is the editor's favorite and seems to get all the praise in their team meetings... then it's shown that Marigold and Jameson used to be best friends until a betrayal happened. 

Marigold and Jameson decided that neither of them would apply for the internship until a series of events led to Jameson applying and actually getting the internship... Marigold couldn't believe that he would do this to her knowing how much this meant.  Jameson had his reasons but since she has been shutting down any conversations he tries to have about it he can't even apologize.

Marigold is burning the candle at both ends over loaded with classes, the paper, and now this special segment for the paper involving following the hockey team... which she has to work on with Jameson and he is on the team... she was hoping to get a break from him and sulk in peace over their lost friendship but how can she when he's everywhere she looks.

Jameson continues throughout the book to be a faithful friend to her even when she won't even speak with him, he is kind, protective and so sweet... seriously they have been friends since 3rd grade and she can't even give him time to explain himself?  

While this was a cute cozy listen, the main drama appeared in the form of Marigold being over the top upset over this internship that Jameson got and she didn't all because he didn't tell her when she hadn't been talking to him at the time... how was he supposed to tell her when she had been avoiding him?  

I think this book would have been better if the story had taken place in middle school or high school I just feel if they had been best friends since 3rd grade... an adult reaction would have been to have some form of conversation about it to allow him to explain what happened, but I found myself getting irritated with Marigold because every time he tried to talk to her about it she would run off or shut him down saying she didn't want to talk about it and he had betrayed her, I just didn't see it being that big of an issue and if they were really that good of friends she should have been proud of him for getting the internship out of all the candidates instead of treating him like hot garbage while he continued to try to win her and her friendship back.  

If you are not a fan of miscommunication/no communication you probably won't like this one it is a big portion of the book.  I might check out the rest of the series at some point. 

Have you read this one?  what did you think? 

Julia Jarrett: The Game Changer

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237400006-the-game-changer

Book Blurb:

I hired a single mom to help make my small town fall in love with a baseball team. And now I’m the one falling in love…with her.

Buying a small town baseball team might seem an odd choice for a millionaire tech developer, but I welcome the challenge.

Moving back to my hometown and reviving the once-beloved Cedar Creek Thunder is an impulsive attempt to find a deeper purpose, and a life that is measured in happiness rather than dollars.

A chance encounter with the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen has my temperature rising from more than the tea she’s spilled on me. When she walks into my office for an interview later that morning, it quickly becomes clear there’s no one better suited for the job .

Isla Forrester should be off limits, but with a smile that pierces my soul, the single mom is fire wrapped up in sweet temptation.

I’ve always had thick walls around my heart, but Isla and her son are breaking them down.

Now my sole purpose is getting her to believe that loving her is no challenge at all.

Tropes:

*Hambright PR ARC/ALC  *sports romance (Baseball) *work place romance *Single Mom

*disability representation *cozy read *Boss/Employee *Age Gap *wealthy MMC

*small town romance *Spice *Forbidden Romance *slow burn 

*Green flag book boyfriend  *HEA  *low angst 

Thoughts:

Thank you to Julia Jarrett and Hambright PR for this ARC/ALC copy of the book.  

I listened to most of the book and the narrators were amazing Connor Crais & Heather Firth did a great job bringing these characters to life! 

Isla (FMC) is a single mom she has been out of work for a few months and thru a friend finds out a baseball team is in need of a marketing manager it is short term and a few hours away but she knows she can do this she loves baseball and is good at her job... unfortunately prior to the interview she runs into a super hot guy and tea gets spilled all over both of them... thankfully she has a spare shirt in the car after a change she arrives on time for her interview only to find that Mr. Handsome that she just spilled tea on is the owner and one she is interviewing with... not off to a good start.

Luca (MMC) was intrigued by the beauty who he ran into earlier and he knows she is fully capable of doing the job, the only bad part about this whole situation really is that as an employee she will be off limits... so why can't he get her out of his head?

Isla makes the move with her soon to be teenage son. She has been so focused on being a mom and making a life for herself and her son that her love life has been on the back burner... like not even a thought up until her hot boss comes into the picture but she can't go there what would everyone think if she was with the boss?  Also it's not just her own heart she would have to worry about if things didn't work out she has her son to think about.

As Isla and Luca work together to revive this small town team and learn more about each other they can't help but cross further over the line until there is no going back.

Luca is so sweet with Isla's son and it turns out they have more in common than Isla ever would have expected since they have a similar disability.  

Luca is an engineer and created a sensor chip for prostethic legs so that they fit and work better with the individuals body, selling this invention but keeping partial ownership rights in the company he has been able to support his dream of building up his home town minor league baseball team.  

Luca even though he is handsome and successful he does struggle with his own thoughts of self doubt and worries over how people will receive him and his disability. 

This was a lower stakes, low drama cozy read it was sweet to see these 2 come together, work thru their own insecurities and learn that its ok to rely on each other and let down their guard because love is right in front of them they just need to reach for it.  I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

I liked this one but here are some negatives from other peoples reviews:

* sexual encounters are unequal between partners FMC only having had a few encounters and the MMC at least coming off a longer term relationship (more experienced).  While I also found this to be a bit on the unbelievable side it didn't bother me too much.  

* Luca knows that Isla's son is missing a limb but with holds this information from her for awhile and continues to have conversations with others about how she probably wouldn't want to be with him if she knew he was missing a limb.  --> I found this to be more his insecurities showing as he was not only older but also coming out of a failed relationship he was nervous about starting over with someone new especially knowing that he was in a position of power as her boss so perhaps this was just a way to talk himself out of pursuing her, I also don't feel there was anything wrong with him not telling her about this until he was ready they were not together at the time she was his boss.

*boring

*the couple was so mature and communicated so well there was not much angst

Lulu Moore: The Third Baseman

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98279801-the-third-baseman

Book Blurb:

My name is Jupiter Reeves, and I am a fraud.
It’s not that what’s written about me isn’t true.
I am the greatest third baseman of my generation, possibly ever.
I am surly and unapproachable.
I do have a constant scowl, with an armour of tattoos.
And to the outside world, I play my role as the bad boy of baseball like I was born to do it.
But when the doors are closed and you boil it down, I’m nothing more than a man who lost his heart too young, with no prospect of getting it back... especially as I still have no idea where its current owner is.
That was until I was offered an opportunity I couldn't refuse:
Leave the Los Angeles Dodgers - where I've played my entire career - and join The New York Lions in exchange for tracking down the one woman who's consumed me since the day I first saw her fourteen years ago.
Job done.
Now we're under the same roof once again; except Marnie Matthews wants nothing to do with me, or my heart.
So along with winning the Commissioner's Trophy, I have the added challenge of winning back the only woman I've ever loved before the season ends, and convince her to stay in New York with me.
I might have been stupid enough to lose her once, but I'm definitely not going to do it again.
Marnie Matthews is about to become the biggest achievement of my life.

Tropes:

*Sports Romance (Baseball)  *Second chance for romance  *High school sweethearts 

*flashbacks *work place romance *Playboy MMC *STEM FMC *Grumpy bad boy MMC

*Tattoos for her *nicknames *spice *Dual POV *First loves 

*State Challenge New York (Duplicate) *miscommunication/no communication 

*reconnection after over 10 years apart *book 1/12 for 12 recommendations by 12 friends

Thoughts:

I recently decided to do the 12 recommendations by 12 friends book challenge and after putting all of the recs on a wheel and spinning I got this one for book 1 pick.  

Jupiter (MMC) had a childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player for his dream team (The Dodgers) and he had been living his dream life getting drafted after high school to his dream team... to the outside observer he had it all so everyone is stunned when he makes the move across the country to play for the New York Lions, what could cause this life long Dodger to make this move?... Love.

Marnie (FMC) is brilliant she has been working at NASA for years but out of the blue gets a job she can't turn down... seriously it's a lot of money and she figures why not?  Her marriage is at its end and she could use the change of scenary so makes the move from Texas to New York to work for the Lions baseball team only to find out after she gets there that her ex-boyfriend the first guy to ever break her heart is at the root of this move... what?  

This story swaps back and forth between today and the past where we as the readers get to see young love blossom between our two leads, young Jupiter makes the choice for both of them to break up their relationship before he graduates and in turn crushes both of their hearts... now years later he still hasn't gotten over this girl and hopes that in time maybe she will give him a second chance.

Marnie guarded at first (understandably so) towards Jupiter attempts to keep her distance as best as she can but the powers that be have other plans when they keep putting him in her path first as the team appointed player to meet with her while she works on her plans to create a winning plan for the team... then the more time they spend together she has a harder time keeping her distance because the truth is even with so many years apart and even with other relationships in between she's never forgotten him either... but what if he breaks her heart again?  

This was a cute second chance for romance I enjoyed the scenes going back to high school so we could see how their relationship started from this and the dual POV you could really see how broken up Jupiter and Marnie were over the relationship ending and seeing that years later the love for each other was still there.

Some negatives for me about this book (most of this didn't really decrease the enjoyment of the book for me I just kind of went with it but found it off) :

*I wondered why it took 14 years for Jupiter to try to find Marnie again (and only after this trade opportunity happened)... you would think that if he had been thinking about her all this time he would have tried to find her before this?

*He takes forever to tell her why he broke up with her in the first place... she needs this closure (and we do too!  don't keep us hanging... although I kind of figured what it was about prior to the reveal)

*Jupiter is pushy towards getting back together, he gets this job made for her, she is just trying to settle in and she is fresh off of a divorce... let her have some time before just telling her you're going to be getting back together, what if she doesn't want to get back together with you it's been a long time and you did break her heart... P.S. When are you going to apologize? 

*MMC is a player on and off the field it was said in passing he has slept with many other women... but he was upset that Marnie had been married, was she supposed to sit around waiting for you for the rest of her life?  

Janice Whiteaker: Untamed

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237471577-untamed

Book Blurb:

I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life.
Showing up on Tucker Bradshaw’s doorstep claiming we share a daughter is not one of them.
The youngest Bradshaw brother’s reputation is well known in Willow Bend and I plan to use it against him.
I thought he’d simply throw money at the problem, hoping to make us go away.
But Tucker doesn’t see my daughter and me as a problem.
He sees us as a solution.
So, instead of getting to take the money and run, I find myself being moved into his mansion. Driving one of his cars. Spending time with his family.
But I draw the line at sleeping in his bed. That’s never going to happen.
Except Tucker isn’t at all the man I expected him to be. He’s funny and kind. Selfless and humble.
When he reads my daughter bedtime stories, my resolve forms a crack.
When he builds her a princess bed, complete with a tower, that crack widens.
And when he pulls me close one night, telling me what a good mother I am, it crumbles completely.
And that’s a problem.
Because while Tucker’s presence is keeping my daughter and me safe, mine is putting him in danger.

Tropes:

*Hambright PR ARC  *Forced Proximity *Fake Dating *single parent (FMC) *Strangers to more

*spice *close family *Found family *He falls first *Reformed playboy *Small Town

*State Challenge Wyoming *Schemers to More *long term grief  *guarded hearts

*3rd book in series but can be read as a stand alone *Protective MMC *Slow Burn

Thoughts:

Untamed is the first book in this series that I have read and I think while it can be read as a stand alone anyone reading this would benefit from reading the books in order as a lot of characters are introduced and I struggled at first to keep track of who was who, basically our guy Tucker has a big family they are all close and they are all in and out of each others lives/homes.

Ruth (FMC) is a single mother of an adorable toddler Birdie.  Due to her daughters father who wanted nothing to do with their child making threats Ruth feels like she has no other options but to move out of state and start a new life across the country... only she has limited resources, funds and no support system (Since her mother passed away) but she needs to keep herself and her daughter safe so she comes up with a plan to go to the town playboy Tucker... thinking that he won't want anything to do with her and will possibly give her money to go away she shows up on his doorstep... with not much of a plan really.

Tucker (MMC) is known as a ladies man and for many years he has been, he still doesn't want  to settle down any time soon but is wanting to get away from his mother's match making ideas feels that Ruth has magically shown up to his home just in time... so he makes her a deal that she really can't turn down because she needs the money she just needs to pretend to be dating him in front of his family... it will only be for a few weeks then she will make her move and have the money to do so what could go wrong?  

This book took me a bit to get into and while I appreciated the toddler was an actual main character too and not a side character always taking a nap, there were sections that were a bit repetitive when it came to talking about the child's potty time... I could have done with less of that (could just be a me thing, it is relateable for anyone who has had a toddler).

At first our couple is just playing their part keeping their distance from each other in private and getting closer in front of others but soon it becomes hard to keep their hands to themselves even in private... but he doesn't do relationships he's a one night stand kind of guy right?  And she's moving across the country to start her new life, that's what she's been working towards and she still wants that?  

Even though the reason for the fake relationship to me felt a bit more forced I did begin to enjoy this story more once we got past toddler messes and more into our couple growing closer together and it was truly sweet to see a well known playboy who no one thought could be a one lady man go from one night to all in with the right person and he was so caring, protective, and supportive not only of just Ruth but her daughter as well.  Tucker is a sweetheart he is just holding a past tragedy so closely that he can't see around it to the future he could have if he let himself have what he wants. 

Ruth we see is a strong woman who is willing to do anything to protect her daughter and even though their relationship didn't start out in the usual way our couple got to know each other better and grew closer together naturally, they are able to help each other with tougher times which helps with our couple letting their walls down easier... and they didn't even realize it at first.  

Tucker's family is amazing and anyone who has a family like this cherish them!  There are some funny moments throughout with his big lovable family group.

There is a side story that flows over from the first few books and I do plan to eventually go back and read the first two books in this series and I'm looking forward to the next book as well!  

Once I got into this book I was invested this was a sweet small town romance where you knew from the start that the fake part of the dating wouldn't last but the journey to get there was worth the wait.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think?