book review: FORMULA FREEDOM, by Sawyer Bennett

Race Fever #3

Reid & Lara

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m loving this series more and more!  I love all the technical details that the author includes in the story, it makes it so real and like I’m there at the race track, I only need the sound track.  Also, the story about childhood friends who lost their chance not once, but twice, and now finally can make it real.  It’s chef’s kiss!

Reid is a driver in the FI International Matterhorn team.  He will be racing in the Melbourne Grand Prix and went to the promotional event the night prior.  There he encountered his brother Lance and fiancee Lara.  They were all very close childhood friends, their parents are close friends and own a business together.  Lara is the one who got away, the one he never got over.  And to make it worse, he finds Lance being his usual show off, and Lara strangely diminished and sad.  When Lara later calls him asking for help, an incredible line of events and love story begins.

As with the previous books in this series, and actually, all Sawyer Bennett’s books, I’m enchanted with the stories and the characters. It’s her impeccable writing, the engaging characters who compel to want to be their friend too.  Lara is sweet and considerate, Reid is handsome and dashing. The fact he drives cars around a race track at three hundred miles per hour make him very intriguing.  There are other characters that add to the story, like Carlos Moreno, friend and FI driver, Posey, the romance writer who posed as a journalist, and the new female FI driver, Francesca Accardi, hired by Brienne Norcross, owner of the Titans hockey team, now entering the FI field also. Good times!

Reid and Lara’s story is full of pitfalls, since Lara just broke up with Reid’s brother, and they are worried on the effect it will have on their parent’s friendship.  Lara is a worrier, quick to forgive, but also strong enough to decide that she’s done.  Reid respects and loves Lara and lets her dictate the progression of their relationship. Their story is inevitable, because they have been in love since they were fifteen, they just shoved it into a box because it was not their time. Then after graduation, Reid couldn’t give her the attention she deserved because he was making his name in racing.  So third time is the charm, and what a wonderful steamy story it was!  

Purchase links

https://geni.us/SB-FormulaFreedom

Available in KU 

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Connect with Sawyer Bennett:

https://geni.us/SawyerBennett

Book review: DREAM ON, by Jennifer Hartmann

This is the angsty type of story that I like, people dealing with issues that stop them from realizing their dreams.  Stevie dreams of a future in Hollywood, doing films with music and singing.  Lex has already done Hollywood, but a traumatic event has him running away to Chicago.

Stevie is poor but has a happy home life; Lex is wealthy but has a crappy home life.  Guess who is better off?  He sees Stevie’s home and it smells like happiness and he loves being there, crawling from her bedroom window to the roof and look at the stars.  This is the happiest he’s been.

 A tragic accident tears them apart, Lex returns to Hollywood and his movies, she’s left with physical damages and a broken heart, making do with singing at a bar.  

When Lex realizes he needs her at his side to give credence to the movie based on their story, he brings her home and realizes why he hasn’t been happy and why he can’t sleep.  His mother is a cancer eroding their lives, and I saw Lex acting as a wimp, taking all the manipulations and believing that he’s not enough to protect Stevie.

Stevie’s side of the story is full of love, family and support.  Lex’s side is full of manipulations, expectations, horrible memories.  This contrast works during all the story, and I feel sorry for Stevie’s all encompassing love, and angry at Lex’s listlessness.

This story was so riveting, as Lex and Stevie work for their happiness, Stevie with a ferociousness full of love and determination.  I saw Lex as an empty soul, like his life in Hollywood and his parents killed his zest for life, his acceptance of not having happiness. He was sort of floating around, accepting cues from his mother and his agent, letting events move him around, not doing anything to secure his happiness and take charge of his life.  

I got a little tired of seeing him suffer from insomnia, suffer from his mother’s constant bullying, coast along in an insufficient life, and not rallying.  I realized then that he’s only twenty-two, he’s young and he didn’t have the best modeling on how to live a successful life, unlike Stevie who had excellent models.  

I haven’t been so happy at reaching an HEA!  This couple really had a hard time getting there, but once eradicating the poison from his life, Lex finally got it and zoomed up high.  Great story!

Purchase links

FREE with #kindleunlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/45haCkU

Limited deluxe edition paperback: https://geni.us/DreamOnNovel

Audible: https://bit.ly/4lQWFkB

Narrated by: Angelina Rocca & Lee Samue

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4kpbme2

About the author 

Jennifer Hartmann resides in northern Illinois with her own personal romance hero and three children. When she is not writing angsty love stories, she is likely pondering all the ways she can break your heart and piece it back together again. She enjoys sunsets (because mornings are hard), bike riding, traveling, bingeing Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and that time of day when coffee gets replaced by wine. She loves tacos. She also really, really wants to pet your dog.

http://www.jenniferhartmannauthor.com

Book review: MIDNIGHT BETWEEN US, by Claudia Burgoa

Timberbridge Brothers #4

Kier & Simone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Intense, emotional, and angsty, just how I like my books!  I devoured this book, then re-read slowly to enjoy and savor the angst.  This author enjoys wrenching my heart and putting it together again, and I love it!

I never thought Simone and Keir would ever get their HEA because they were so broken.  They both used the same strategy to deal with their issues: keep people apart, live alone, bury the pain deep inside so it doesn’t come out and unravel.  Except the love they had for each other, which they had buried deep and wanted to ignore, still existed and was too strong to resist.

I loved how the author structured this story.  It has reminiscences from a stormy past, for both Simone and Keir.  Keir comes from the Timberbridge brothers, who had such a crappy home life, full of violence, hatred, and abuse.  Since Keir was one of the oldest brothers, he took a lot of the abuse to protect his little brothers, so he has a lot of issues and dysfunctions to deal with.  Instead of giving us instant redemption and reconciliation, the author took the characters through tribulations and more heartache.   There is a part that was so emotional that I felt like my chest was going to crack open.  

Simone is the product of a teenage pregnancy, and what is worse, her grandfather is the town’s preacher.  She had to live with her mother’s bad reputation and her grandparents abuse of her mother, who finally left, and the strict, loveless household she was forced to live in.  They were each other’s comfort until Keir up and left without a goodbye, until he appears almost dead and tied up, in the trunk of a car.

There’s a feeling of menace, as Keir stays hidden from the Hollow Syndicate, the ones who beat him up and left for dead.  Simone was assigned to patch him up and keep him alive.  Then to keep him at her house which is like a fortress.  Imagine all the feelings and chemistry and guilt floating around for Keir, who abandoned Simone twenty years ago.  There’s resentment and pain on her part, guilt and repentance on his.  It’s all yummy angst!

Another thing I loved was seeing Atlas, oozing marital happiness and even giving out advice!  And then I understood that the older Timberbridge brothers, Malerick and Keir, are the most broken because they got the brunt of the abuse, and luckily their books were left for last, so the best was left for last, yay.  I have my suspicions about Malerick, let’s see if they turn out to be true.  Now I can’t wait for the final book, Malerick’s, and see how it’s all resolved.

Purchase links

https://geni.us/MidnightBetweenUs

About the author

Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. 

She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breaths away. Her books are the perfect blend of steamy and heartfelt, filled with emotional characters and explosive chemistry. Her writing takes readers to new heights, providing a variety of tears, laughs, and shocking moments that leave fans on the edge of their seats.

She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, her youngest two children, and three fluffy dogs.

When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At nights, she likes to binge watches shows or movies with her equally geeky husband.

Connect with Claudia Burgoa:

https://claudiayburgoa.com/wp/links/ 

Book review: DOUBLE PLAY, by L.B. Dunbar

I’m loving this author’s stories about silver foxes! She presents men who have lived some, have a lot of experiences under their belt, regrets and successes, and know what they want.

In this case, Declan and India have always pined for each other but had a lot of near misses, never able to start a relation because they were in different places in their work and personal circumstances. Now, fifteen years after they had a one-week fling, which was way more than a fling and with a potential of something serious, they have a possible second chance.

“I moved. India moved. I had Montgomery. India married Malakai. She went to Vegas. I landed in Nashville. Our history was like one of those maps baseball teams project on the big screen to highlight the crazy path of a player’s journey through the league.”

The story is rife with emotion, regrets, yearning, lots of crackling chemistry and a ton of lust. They are perfect for each other but there are still obstacles. I loved how Declan always deferred to India’s career, understanding how important it is to her.

“India’s work isn’t just a job. It’s her career,” I stress. My hands land on my hips like I’m ready to physically guard India. “A job is something you do. But a career involves passion.” I glance from India to Montgomery. “Women like Indie are paving the way for girls like you. She’s the future.”

They have a constant game of truth or dare, which colors their interactions, and is brilliant in communicating their truths to each other. It’s fun and flirty and sexy. This was a page-turner, very entertaining. I was very invested in how Declan and India would turn out.

Purchase links

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱

 https://amzn.to/42UFp6N

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: LAST CHORUS, by L.M. Halloran

A Perfect Song duet - part 2

Like the author promised, this was an angsty ride where she wrenched my heart, and the hearts of Eva and Wilder. In the previous book, Eva and Wilder had a calamitous ending where she asked never to talk again, Wilder accepted, full of guilt, and they have been living for six years on the fringes of each other’s lives, keeping their distance at awards and music events. Still, her parents are very worried because Eva is a shadow of the vibrant girl she used to be, and they fear she’s in the clutches of a very controlling man, Clay Eaton.

They ask help from Wilder, he takes a peek at them during  a New Year’s Eve party, and decides she does need help. And the rest is a story of love, giving, rescue, awakening a glorious woman to her wondrousness, and winning again that unfathomable soul mates love that has always lived within but had nearly extinguished with trauma, guilt, and addiction. 

There’s a little bit of suspense when you’re dealing with an unscrupulous man who wants revenge, of the PR nightmare type, delight in watching a very mature Wilder, who had won the battle over his addictions and now manages his anxiety successfully; he’s in charge and ready to claim his woman. Eva is initially lost and floundering, but she starts to see, and live, and do her music again, as she recovers. 

Their second-chance love story is beautiful, emotional, passionate, funny, and completely wonderful to read. 

Purchase links

https://a.co/d/6nLiN89 

Available in KU 

About the author

When not writing or reading, the author can be found gardening barefoot or chasing her spirited daughter. Some of her favorite things are puzzles, podcasts, and small dogs that resemble Ewoks. Home is Portland, Oregon.

Connect with L.M. Halloran:

https://www.lmhalloran.com/links/

Book review: LOVE ME BOLDLY, by Stacey Lynn

Deer Creek #2

Holly & Graham

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This series seems to be about women who have dark times in their lives and I’m all for that.  I love angst followed by light, and both the books so far have shown me that.

Holly Jones has been the town pariah for too many years.  First, her mom leaves home, looking for her next high, her father crumbles and turns into the town’s drunk.  Holly was raised in bars, doing her homework while her father drinks.  And to top it all off, her father kills a girl and ends in prison. The accident ruined the town’s tourism season, and in small-minded fashion, Holly was paying the price for her parents’ crimes.  The result of it is that she has trust issues, expects the worse of people, and lives with a “glass half-empty” mentality.

When Holly met Graham, in her last semester of college, he feel hard but she had strong walls of protection.  He was persistent, and eventually they dated, but she learned a secret that ties her dark past to his past and she blocked him from her life.  Then, her baby brother falls into her arms, and she now has a new purpose in life.

Six years later, Graham is back in town, sees her, and seizes the moment to get his second chance.  Again, he’s persistent and determined, and poor Holly doesn’t know what she’s up against.

I enjoyed all the angst, even thought Holly’s negativity irritated me sometimes.  Even so, I understood that with her life story, she didn’t have reason to expect positive things to happen to her.  I loved that Graham was so persistent and loved so hard and boldly, that he was finally able to break the chains that bind her to a closed-off life.  I loved how she received her little brother and made him her life, giving him the life and love she didn’t have in hers.  And I loved how, eventually, she ended up with a village of friends who loved her and cared for her, even if it took her a while to realize that.  

The story has many dour moments, with small moments of sunshine, and as the story develops, Holly starts to question her dark attitude, hope begins to shine through, and some bravery comes forward, daring her to trust and love.  This is women’s fiction at its best, evolving and working through issues towards a bright and shiny future, and I loved this.

Purchase links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/43aWPwF

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/LoveMeBoldly

Apple Books: https://bit.ly/3DwuzKr

Nook: https://bit.ly/4ho4OK8

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3Fk2mqP

Google Play: https://bit.ly/4bDzuWu

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4k7gmnP

About the author

A long-time dreamer, Stacey Lynn has always loved the emotional journey of two different and complex individuals finding their way to a happily-ever-after.

The author of over fifty romance novels, many of which have been best-selling titles on Amazon, AppleBooks, and Barnes & Noble, she loves being able to turn her vivid imagination into a career that brings entertainment and joy to her readers. Focused on emotional, small-town romance, she happily admits her books might require keeping tissues nearby.

Born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, she now makes her home in North Carolina and loves all things Southern. Blessed with her ultimate tall, dark, and handsome hero, and four children, she loves every minute of her wild and wonderful life.

 

Connect with Stacey

Website: www.staceylynnbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6995826.Stacey_Lynn

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stacey-Lynn/e/B00CD6VVQG/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/staceylynnbooks

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

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