Book review: STERLING STONE, by L.B. Dunbar

Sterling Falls #7 

Stone & Taxi

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Super cute meet‑cute in Knoxville! This story hooked me from the moment Stone and Taxi did that awkward little hallway dance—you know, the sidestep‑sidestep “oops, you go first” shuffle—right before they nearly knocked heads picking up her fallen book. It felt like pure serendipity, the kind of spark you want to bottle.

Stone finally gets the happiness he deserves, and watching him open up—this serious, steady, quietly shy man who’s spent his whole life protecting everyone else—was incredibly moving. Taxi, with her art, her humor, her nomadic heart, brings color to his beige world, and their chemistry is warm, slow, and full of promise. I loved how the story lets her grow, gently and honestly, as she faces the patterns she’s been running from.

The Sylver family is as lively and loving as ever, and the Sunday gatherings feel like a hug from a whole town. The pacing is thoughtful and introspective, the emotional payoff so satisfying, and the ending left me smiling like I’d just watched two people finally step into the life they were meant to build.

A beautiful, heartfelt romance about choosing to stay, choosing to love, and choosing each other. I adored it.

Purchase links

Amazon US: https://a.co/d/7GmOhyS

Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/6EPEo05 

Amazon AU: https://amzn.asia/d/6gAYPJO 

Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/7z7pxYC 

About the author

L.B. Dunbar loves sexy silver foxes, second chances, and small towns. If you enjoy older characters in your romance reads, including a hero with a little silver in his scruff and a heroine rediscovering her worth, then welcome to romance for those over 40. L.B. Dunbar’s signature works include women and men in their prime taking another turn at love and happily ever after. She’s a USA TODAY Bestseller as well as #1 Bestseller on Amazon in Later in Life Romance with her Lakeside Cottage and Road Trips & Romance series. L.B. lives in Chicago with her own sexy silver fox.

To get all the scoop about the self-proclaimed queen of silver fox romance, join her on Facebook at Loving L.B. or receive her monthly newsletter, Love Notes.

Connect with L.B. Dunbar:

https://linktr.ee/lbdunbarwrites 

Book review: INTERCEPTED, by Aleatha Romig

The Coopers #1

Maeve & Fin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a solid, engaging second‑chance sports romance with a hero I absolutely adored and a heroine who… tested my patience. The football world is incredibly well done—detailed, immersive, and clearly written by someone who knows the inner workings of a stadium on game day. I loved that part.

Fin completely stole the show for me. He’s mature, upfront about his feelings, and deeply committed—to the game, to his team, and yes, to the woman he once loved. Watching him navigate the physical toll of being an older QB while still showing up with heart and grit made him such a standout.

Maeve (Vee), on the other hand, was harder for me to connect with. Professionally, she’s brilliant—ambitious, sharp, and genuinely passionate about the Coopers. But emotionally, she’s so guarded and uptight that it dragged the romance down for me. Her denial, her formality with Fin, and her refusal to confront their past until almost the end made it tough to root for her.

Still, the family dynamics, the behind‑the‑scenes football operations, and the slow unraveling of old wounds kept me turning pages. And the cliffhanger was absolutely brutal—in the best way for a series, the worst way for my heart.

A strong four stars for a compelling hero—

Purchase links

Amazon:  https://amzn.to/48IBQm4

About the author

Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis as well as part of the year in Bradenton, Florida, USA. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time with her friends and family, including her beloved grandchildren. 

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than a million e-readers. Her next series, INFIDELITY (not about cheating) hit New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-seller lists. Aleatha has since released over fifty novels in multiple genres: dark romance, romantic suspense, thriller, and romantic comedy. She went back to her edge of your seat romantic suspense thrillers with her WEB SERIES trilogies, Devil’s Duet, Kingdom Come, and most recently with her suspense series, the Sin series, ready to binge.

The titles keep coming. Be sure to check out her website to stay up to date. 

Aleatha is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writers of America, NINC, and PEN America. She is represented by Danielle Sanchez of SBR Media and PR with Wildfire Marketing. 

Book review: PETTY IN PINK, by LJ Shen

This novella completely swept me off my feet. LJ Shen flipped her usual dynamic on its head, giving me a hero who is not a jerk, but is pure devotion wrapped in a doctor coat, and a heroine who’s all heart, humor, and hard‑won resilience. Layla and Grant’s story was tender, sexy, fun, and hit every one of my favorite romance buttons.

It starts with a pink dress in a Valentine’s day wedding, Layla objecting to the marriage based on her past trauma from the groom, and a wild chase out of the hotel.  Then meeting up with Grant, her friends with benefits of almost a decade.  From that wild, pink‑drenched wedding objection to the soft, steady unraveling of Layla’s trauma, the book balances chaos and healing so beautifully. Grant is the kind of hero who makes you believe in safe love — patient, protective, quietly pining for almost a decade — and Layla’s journey toward trusting him (and herself). It was so lovely to read their story!  Their chemistry was off the charts, the surprise pregnancy just what Grant needed to get his chance with Layla.

I loved seeing old friends Maddie and Chase (The Devil Wears Black) as an established couple, with one little boy and another one in the way.  Maddy continues to be the best bestie, and Chase continues to be the jerk we all love and who loves his wife madly.  It was perfection!

Even as a novella, it felt complete, rich, and emotionally full. I turned the last page grinning like an idiot, wishing only that Jessica had gotten the karmic smackdown she deserved. Otherwise, this was everything I adore about LJ Shen: messy beginnings, deep wounds, big feelings, subtle humor, and a couple who earns their joy. I loved it.

Purchase links

eBook: https://amzn.to/4qVjeqT

Audio (narrated by Erin Mallon and Christian Fox, in dual-narration style): https://amzn.to/3NUy8Pt

**Please note there is no paperback due to its length.

About the author

L.J. Shen is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and young adult romance. Her books have been sold in twenty different countries, and she hopes to visit all of them.

She lives in Florida with her husband, three rowdy sons, and rowdier pets and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and reading to her heart’s content. 

Connect with her on her website at www.authorljshen.com or on Instagram (@authorljshen), or join her Facebook group at http://goo.gl/QZJ0NC. 

Sign up for her newsletter at https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb, and text SHEN to 313131 to get new release alerts (United States only).

Book review: FORCEFUL GOD, by Michelle Heard

Kings of Mafia #7

Christiano & Sienna

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story swept me into the whirlwind that is Sienna and Christiano—two people who loved each other so fiercely that even a bullet couldn’t sever the bond between them. Their engagement party turns into a nightmare when the Irish mafia opens fire, and the moment Christiano throws himself over Sienna, taking a bullet in the back, becomes the fracture line of her entire life. Her terror in that hospital room—his bloody jacket, the white sheet—shattered her, and her diagnosis of Thanatophobia felt like heartbreak.

What I loved is how the book treats her fear not as weakness, but as a wound that deserves care. Sienna leaves him because she thinks loving him will kill her, and for seven long years they orbit each other like two stars refusing to burn out. Christiano grows darker, more violent, but the only thing that soothes him is her scent. And when he finally decides her time is up? Cue tension, obsession, inevitability. And lots of panic attacks!

Their reunion is messy, tender, and scorching. Sienna still believes she’s too fragile to be a mafia wife, but Christiano refuses to let her hide. When he discovers her medication and the truth behind her fear, he doesn’t recoil—he softens. He learns. He protects. He becomes the safe place she never thought she could have. Watching him build systems, routines, and even tech to help her manage her anxiety was unexpectedly beautiful.

And once they settle into married life, the story becomes this warm, intimate portrait of two people healing each other. There’s family, laughter, deliciously steamy moments, and a sense of safety Sienna never imagined she could feel. I kept waiting for the big attack or kidnapping, but the real conflict was internal—and once her secret was out, she finally understood that vulnerability doesn’t diminish love; it deepens it.

Michelle Heard always gives me couples who love with their whole souls—obsessive men, sensitive women with steel cores—and this one felt especially tender. Sienna’s anxiety made her human, and Christiano’s devotion made their love feel inevitable. A compelling, emotional, unexpectedly feel‑good romance that proves that with the right person, even your darkest fear can be met with understanding and unwavering love.

Purchase links

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTV51QN2

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FTV51QN2

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FTV51QN2

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FTV51QN2

About the author

Michelle Heard is a Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author who loves creating stories her readers can get lost in. She resides in South Africa with her son where she's always planning her next book to write, and trip to take.

 

Connect w/Michelle:

Website: https://michelleheardauthor.com

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

FB Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118971435201074

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

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18108320.Michelle_Heard

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Book review: CURSED QUEEN, by Julie Saman

Once Upon Ever After #2

Bellamy & Sebastian

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This sequel delivers everything I wanted after that brutal cliffhanger: more mystery, more royal chaos, and more of Sebastian being an intense, broody beast with a silvery‑blue stare that could freeze oceans — except when he’s with Bellamy and the kids, where he turns into a total softy. In the bedroom, though? The man absolutely lives up to his reputation, and Bellamy is delighted.

Bellamy’s irreverent humor and American practicality (“curses aren’t real, bad things happen, move on”) continue to be the perfect antidote to centuries of royal superstition. She brings warmth and fun into a palace drowning in secrets, curses, and generational trauma. The discovery that she’s pregnant with twins adds joy… until tragedy hits and she spirals into a grief that feels painfully real.

The mystery of Desta’s kidnapping explodes wide open with the dowager queen’s shocking confession — betrayal, scandal, and a level of coldness that made my jaw drop. Rowan steps up beautifully, proving he’s far more than the playboy prince we met before.

And then comes Charlotte, the “perfect” nanny who turns out to be a walking red flag. The snooping, the manipulation, the cheek kiss — all leading to a kidnapping that ties the entire mystery together in a chilling way. The rescue is tense and satisfying, and Sebastian’s groveling afterward is exactly the catharsis I needed.

There’s humor (Arthur the ferret!), heartbreak, jealousy, danger, and yes… an almost comical amount of anal play. These two have no fear.

Overall, it’s a dramatic, emotional, addictive continuation of a series that thrives on love, chaos, and the stubborn belief that curses don’t stand a chance against Bellamy’s big heart and sassy ways.

Purchasing links

Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/CursedQueen

BookBub: https://geni.us/CQBookBub

Goodreads: https://geni.us/CursedQueenTBR

About the author

J. Saman is a USA Today and Amazon top 40 bestselling author who writes sassy, swoony, and scorching contemporary romances. She is addicted to Diet Coke, sour candy, and indie rock. She swears way too much (especially after a glass of wine) and has a penchant for sarcasm (or so her husband and children like to tell her).

J. is an admitted lover of second chance romances, enemies to lovers, and the perfect amount of angst. She is best known for writing funny and emotional romances filled with smart, strong women, and sexy alphas who have a softer side—especially for their women.

Connect with J. Saman

Website: https://www.jsamanbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14923699.J_Saman

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-Saman/author/B01FOIUR46

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jsamanbooks

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

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