Book review: STEAL MY HEART, by Laura Pavlov

Rosewood River #1

Easton & Henley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Incredibly delightful!  This is a brilliant first installment in another small town series, and I loved the characters.  Easton is Emerson’s twin, the woman who cancelled her wedding and ended in Magnolia Falls as their new general practitioner doctor. She’s also the one who stole Nash’s heart. We met Easton in that book when he came to Magnolia Falls to help Nash with his custody case against Cutler’s bio mom, and I was so eager to read Easton’s story.  And it was as good as I expected!

Easton is the manager of a law firm’s Rosewood River branch.  He’s given the assignment to mentor one of the partners’ daughter, just out of law school. And of course, he’s biased against her, thinking she’s a daddy’s daughter, using the privilege of her legacy.  And he’s in for a huge surprise!  The surprises kept coming as he deals with Henley Holloway the first few weeks.  She’s incredibly beautiful, competent, hard working, and the best of all, incredible at pickleball!  Because of course, Easton is a shark in office and an ace in the pickleball courts.  When I read this part, I knew I was in for a wonderful read.

The story is entertaining, and it has its undertones of issues; Henley has abandonment issues, Easton has a tragedy in his past that has affected how he deals with women.  Their carriers are important to them, hence the romance at work issue is a big deal.  And then we have Easton’s family who are a delightfully rowdy lot, Henley’s bestie Lulu, who is an irreverent woman with a huge zest for life.  The author used the group chats again, and it’s hilarious and informative.  We get to know all the men we’ll be reading about soon, in future books.  And I can’t wait, especially Bridger, the grumpy one.

The wonderful elements of small town are present here, with The Taylor Tea column, a gossip rag that chronicles the doings of the town citizens, and the businesses’ peculiar owners. It all joins together for a wonderfully entertaining read, with some sexy times and sweet times, funny parts, and emotional moments.  The story and the characters have certainly stolen my heart!

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/stealmyheart1

Audible: https://bit.ly/3Dz4U3n

Narrated by: Andi Arndt & Connor Crais

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3C87dd2

About the author

Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost-grown kids, and dog-whisperer to one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!

 

Connect with Laura

Website: https://www.laurapavlov.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6569734.Laura_Pavlov

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Book review: THE ART OF STARTING OVER, by Heidi McLaughlin

Beautiful story, angsty as all heck, but full of hope and growth.  Devorah learns about her husband’s cheating from a vlog her best friend published, declaring their love for each other.  Disbelieving, she went to his place of work, he’s not there, then went to her best friend’s home, and found them in bed, in fragante delicto.  And the worst thing? Neither of them were repentant, they were entitled and fully convinced they have a right to be together.  Never mind all the vows and codes they broke.

Brokenhearted, Devorah and her daughter Maren left their home in Chicago and moved to Devorah’s hometown, Oyster Bay, the small town she swore she would not come to live in again.  And there she found Hayden McKenna, the one who got away when they were teenagers. 

Hayden is also moving back to town, also brokenhearted, the difference that he lost his wife to a fatal car accident.  He tried to wing it for a while, raising his nine year old son, Conor, but found he needed his family and his hometown, to help and support them during their mourning.  

When Hayden and Devorah run into each other, they are in different parts of their mourning, but their companionship brings a lot of surcease to their pain, and in Hayden’s part, hope because she was the one who got away.  Notice a pattern here?

They were in love during high school but Hayden didn’t have the pants to declare his love because Devorah is his best friend’s little sister.  Now they are older and wiser, so this is his chance.

I loved the evolution of Devorah as she deals her heartbreak, from staying depressed in her bed, to starting to deal and find her groove. Love for her daughter made her move, and Hayden played a mayor role in helping her cope and overcome. I loved the small town feeling, the gossipy Cathys, the wonderful families, Hayden’s and Devorah’s slow burn romance, the kids with their resilience and their insta friendship.  It was at times a heartbreaking story, but also uplifting as we share Devorah’s evolution. Very heartfelt and emotional, with just the right touch of steam.  This was a story of the heart, and I loved that the author respected that process. 

Purchase links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3W19DBo

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/40jZu5b

About the author 

Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018, and is now available on DVD & Digital.

To stay connected with Heidi visit www.facebook.com/authorheidimclaughlin or heidimclaughlin.com

Book review: OH HELL NO, by Abbi Glines

Mississippi Smoke #3

Oz and Winslet

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My favorite part of this book is the title, it’s such an accurate depiction of Winslet’s feelings when she realizes she’s attracted to her abductor. Oz kidnaps her and imprisons her in a basement to scare her into giving the whereabouts of her brother who had stolen four million dollars from the family. So, of course, her feeling about acting on that attraction was “oh hell no”!

Growing up with her little brother Perry, protecting him from an alcoholic abusive mother who wielded all her hate on Perry, her first instinct is always to protect Perry.  She didn’t believe Oz about Perry’s criminal acts until he escaped and abandoned her to her abductors. And even so, her love for him was such that she remained loving him and wanting to protect him.

This story deviates a little bit from the others in the series because there’s a very subtle humorous tint to their conversations and their ruminations.  So, in spite for the gritty nature of the mafia aspect, there’s a lightness to the story.  Winslet was delightful, such a loving person, quirky, a little rambling when she’s flustered, beautiful but she doesn’t realizes it so she’s not entitled.  No wonder Oz fell so hard! She was incredibly attracted to his god-like gorgeousness, but intimidated by his darkness.  Again, refer to the Oh Hell No title!

I loved how the author wrought their coming together, it was very realistic, fraught with humor, darkness, and tenderness.  I loved Oz’s protectiveness and the usual jealous/possessive attitude of the males in this series, and I noticed some similarity with Thatcher’s stalking methods, and how Winzy gave Oz peace, just like Halo and Bane.  I loved seeing Bane, the devoted husband, changing diapers!

Another wonderful addition to the series, another wonderful book to re-read and enjoy!

Purchase links

 https://geni.us/OHNAG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oh-hell-no-abbi-glines/1146758397?ean=2940167746268

About the author

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party, and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She finally moved to New England into a home that is 200 + years old with it's own ghosts. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she being born in Alabama, her life in New England is as close as she will get. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, and/or watching Netflix like the introvert that she is. 

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways:

www.abbiglinesbooks.com

TikTok @abbiglines

Twitter: @abbiglines

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