Book review: NORTH, by Sawyer Bennett

Pittsburgh Titans #16

North Paquette & Farren Abrams

I didn’t click very well with this book because I don’t like the “brothers’s best friend” trope. However, the way the author wrote it was much better than other versions I’ve read. North was a bit reluctant to sleep with Farren and keep it from her brother Rafferty, who is his teammate. Although Farren wanted to keep the secret, North kept fighting it because it didn’t feel honest, and I loved that. 

I found North to be such an upstanding guy. Friendly, honest, a team player, concerned about all his teammates, sees them as family.  A rockstar in bed, and a rock of support when you need it. He’s the perfect book boyfriend!

I saw Farren as a lost one. From a traumatic experience in her teens, she’s closed herself off from any close relations, and seems to live a driftless life. Her family, including Rafferty, call her a free spirit. It boggles my mind that she has a near genius IQ, could do anything she wanted to do, and her family just let her breeze around in all her failures. Plus, she’s brilliant, she could have figured it out or seek help. It was frustrating!

For all these reasons, the book didn’t exactly click with me, even though I loved all the scenes with the Titans, the games, the women in the Titans’ friend circle, and above all, the suspense with Penn Navarro. I was a bit disappointed there was no sighting of my idol Brianne Norcross, but Willa and Mazzy appear frequently, as they have befriended Farren. Outside of her emotional issues, Farren is a delightful friend, smart and entertaining. Just allergic to commitment, sigh.

The writing is superb as always, the pace perfect, and the characters wonderful. It’s always a delight to read a book written by Sawyer Bennett!

Purchase links

Buy direct from Sawyer:

➜ Ebook: https://geni.us/STORE_NorthEbook

➜ Audio: https://geni.us/STORE_NorthAudio

➜ Paperback: https://geni.us/STORE_NorthPB

Get it at all other retailers:

➜ Amazon: https://geni.us/Q1S8G

➜ Nook: https://geni.us/5XB9

➜ Apple: https://geni.us/MAWWC8E

➜ Google: https://geni.us/g32Ok

➜ Kobo: https://geni.us/deNOy1

NORTH is narrated by Stephen Dexter and Savannah Peachwood.

➜ Apple: https://geni.us/NorthAudio_Apple

➜ Chirp: https://geni.us/NorthAudio_Chirp

➜ LibroFM: https://geni.us/NorthAudio_LibroFM

➜ Nook: https://geni.us/NorthAudio_Nook

➜ Spotify: https://geni.us/NorthAudio_Spotify

➜ Storytel: https://geni.us/NorthAudio_Storytel

About the author

When Sawyer Bennett isn’t writing New York Times, USA 

Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling books, she’s listening to her favorite audios, 

catering to her dogs, and schlepping her daughter to and from the horse barn. Known for 

strong character development and romance that caters to a wide variety of readers, find 

Sawyer at https://geni.us/SawyerBennett

Connect with Sawyer:

✦ Facebook: http://bit.ly/Sawyer_FB

✦ Reader group: http://bit.ly/Sawyer_NEP 

✦ Instagram: http://bit.ly/Sawyer_IG

✦ TikTok: https://bit.ly/Sawyer_TOK 

✦ Goodreads: http://bit.ly/Sawyer_GR

 

Book review: CATCH THE KISS, by L.B. Dunbar

Chicago Anchors #2

Bolan & Ruthie

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m loving this author’s books a lot!  She appeals to the older characters, they are usually in their thirties or forties, and supposed to have figured out their lives.  But no such thing, they still have issues to resolve and an HEA, or second HEA to achieve.  It’s fun to read these characters, because the men are kind and the women sassy, which makes for a very entertaining read.

Ruthie and Bolan met in a kiss experiment in college, which resulted in sparks and fireworks between them, but they weren’t allowed to have contact during the next year.  So, they moved on and forgot.  Eighteen years later, they meet again, Ruthie is a widow, Bolan just back from Japan.  Years ago, he was sent to Japan in disgrace for making a mess of his life with his bad boy ways.  Now he has a baby daughter, the mother is not in the picture, and he’s determined to be a good father to his baby girl.

He needs a wife in order to be contracted to the Chicago Anchors due to a recent scandal in the team.  Ruthie and Bolan met again in a charity ball in honor of his mother, and later on, at the sports agency where he is a client.  He requests to have Ruthie as his fake wife, and Ruthie sees this as a way to break out of the chains of her previous life.  So they get a marriage in convenience, with a beautiful baby girl that enthralls both, and more of the same chemistry they had all those years ago.

I loved their story and their attraction and how they couldn’t help getting involved again.  Ruthie had many regrets from her marriage, one of them not having kids.  Now she has a ready-made baby, and a husband who is supportive of her dreams and pushes her to go get them.  Bolan is honest about his past bad boy actions and how he wants a different life for his baby girl. 

It was sweet and steamy, I loved how thoughtful Bolan was, and loved that Ruthie at last has a chance at happiness after a crappy last husband.  It was lovely to see Ruthie get kindness from a man at long last!

Purchase links

https://a.co/d/dE2syhG 

 

Available in KU 

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: THE WAY WE COLLIDE, by Tia Louise

Bradford Boys #4

Hendrix & Raven

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I started reading this series with Garret’s book, The Way We Score.  I loved the Bradford boys, so asked for this title too.  And this one was even better!  I loved Hendrix, he’s thoughtful and honest.  He loves football, it’s his priority, and he makes it clear to all his dates, no exceptions.  

Hendrix meets Raven at his sister’s wedding, Hendrix is a groomsman, Raven is a bridesmaid, and the usual clink happens.  Fifteen months later, Hendrix’ older brother Jack summons him home, and he gets to meet his baby daughter.  No doubts she’s his because she has his face and blue eyes.

I also loved Raven, she was driven and stubborn.  She wanted to be a meteorologist, and she walked away from her family who didn’t agree with her dreams.  Her mother, now dead, was controlling and abusive, and this marked Raven.  It also made her all the more determined to be a good mother to Hadley.

Raven moves to LA to live with Hendrix for a while so he can get to know his daughter.  They also marry so she can get access to her trust fund.  And of course, when two people have such a strong connection, the rest is history.  In this part of the story, I loved Hendrix’s evolution as a dad, and how his view of life changed as he embraced his role of a dad.

I loved how the story developed because their chemistry was so strong and electric, they had trouble keeping is strictly platonic. Hendrix was very considerate of Raven’s dreams and strived to help her achieve them.  They had so much in common, being together was so easy for them, but they had different dreams that pushed them apart.  I rooted to hard for them to make it!

The story was delightful, the pace great, and the characters around them, the Bradford siblings and the partners interesting.  I found Jack and Zane the most intriguing, so looking forward to their stories. 

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://mybook.to/Collideamz   

Audible: https://geni.us/CollideAud

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4hB4s3X 

About the author

Tia Louise is the USA TODAY best-selling, award-winning author of super-hot and sexy romances. All her heroes are alphas with hearts of gold, and all her heroines are the smart, sassy ladies who love them.
 
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Book review: THE HIGH PRIESTESS, by Michelle Heard

Mafia Empire #2

Cassia Dimitrou & Lincoln Knight 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michelle Heard never disappoints!  In this new thriller, she joins a broken soldier with a vulnerable Mafia princess and together they join the pieces of her destroyed mafia empire and he gains redemption.  It’s a different vibe from the first book in the series, but it’s new, different and fresh.  I don’t know where the author gets her ideas but please keep them coming!

Cassia’s family was slaughtered by the Bratva, only she survived, saved by Knight.  He’s a broken man, driven by the destructive memories of his baby sister’s death. He has no purpose to live, except to kill bad people. However, when he saves Cassia from the Bratva, something clicks inside him, like a transfer of a force, and now he sticks to her like glue, determined to protect her and keep her alive. It’s like he needs her for redemption. It’s funny how Cassia tries to shake him off but he won’t budge.  When she finally realizes why, they join forces and the rest is another one of this author’s rollicking stories of mayhem, sex, emotions, and killing. 

Cassia was the heir to be boss of the Greek mafia, and her father was giving everyone trouble with his anger issues.  The Bratva come in a killing spree, Cassia escapes from the house with her two younger sisters but they are killed while escaping.  Knight is a sniper working for the Alliance, broken from the tragic loss of his baby sister.  He changes his alliance to Cassia, with the blessing of Dominic Varga, Santiago Castro,  Leo Toscano, and Enzo Oliveira, the other heads of Mafia who form the Alliance.

Cassia is usually scared spitless of violence and used to dread her future position.  Now with Knight in tow, he gives her the sense of security to engage and dominate.  It’s like she’s the brains and Knight is the brawn, a perfect combination.  She also gave Knight a reason for living again.  I loved their relation as they evolved from savior/captured, to conspirators, to a power couple, to being in love.  

As always, there’s lots of action, both in bed and outside as they take on the baddies in the story. There’s adventure, sadness and revenge, loss and redemption, banter and sass.  It’s hella entertaining, a page-turner kind of love story with some gore and guns, and I loved it.

Purchase links

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVCH9G3H

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DVCH9G3H

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DVCH9G3H

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DVCH9G3H

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:

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