Book review: WHEN LOVE FOUND US, by Claudia Burgoa

Timberbridge Brothers # 3

Atlas & Blythe

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Instead of calling this book a page turner, I should call it a nail biter, because it had me on the edge of the seat, anxious as I read about the menace of an abusive husband in search of the wife who escaped his clutches.

The book starts with a chilling escape scene, then goes into the moment where Blythe meets Atlas and connects with his ice-cold blue eyes, and I was done for.  I was incredibly curious about Atlas since the other Timberbridge brothers hate him so much, and it all comes clear in this book.  He’s not just a tattoo artist, he’s so much more.  A brooding artist who hides a tender heart, who wants to protect and save people who are in situations like he was as a child, powerless and without protection.

When he meets Blythe, the same protection instinct comes to life, except this time there’s also chemistry and an intense sense of wanting.  It’s a yummy story and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Atlas deep down inside.  Blythe initially irritated with her stubbornness that came out of self-preservation, but once she accepted that this small town was special, she accepted the help.

I liked that there’s a potential danger to the town, known by the sheriff, unknown to the residents, and this issue is used as a common theme in the series, and it’s this issue that is bringing the brothers together, in agreement or disagreement.  And of course, the power of women, as in, the partners of the Timberbridge brothers who are the ones forcing the reunion, as they themselves are forming such a strong group of supporting women. 

There’s a strong thrum of suspense through the book, like a waiting in suspense feeling, and a great pace that made the book such a page turner.  I enjoyed this book a lot, especially seeing Atlas and Blythe finally getting to stop running, stay, and just be.  Finally finding a home with each other.  Great story!

Purchase links

🎧 Audiobook available on all audio retailers ➝ https://geni.us/WLFUAudio

📚  ➝  https://geni.us/WLFUzon

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: THE PAST, by Sawyer Bennett

Bluegrass Empire #4

Tommy & Fiona

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What an wonderful story! So descriptive, full of sublime prose, a lovely romantic love story of Tommy and Fiona Blackburn, the parents of the Blackburn siblings we have been reading about in this series.  I loved young Tommy, a kind and cocky young man, who greeted Fiona for the first time with a “darlin’” and thus sealed their fate. Fiona was an interesting character, both vulnerable and strong. Her vulnerability was her love for her family and country and her strength came from her convictions and a desire to live life in her own terms, not married off, as her father desires, to increase his wealth.

The author webs a story so riveting, made me love Tommy and Fiona, and Fiona’s uncle Rory, who was her strongest champion. The descriptions of the Glenhaven farm, training center, and the neighboring towns was lyrical, Sawyer Bennett captured the magical essence that I always feel when I read books about Ireland. 

This book feels different from the author’s other books, more poetical in the descriptions, less sexy times which I loved, because it was all kissing, all romance, all about the love story. As always, books written by Sawyer Bennett have the perfect pace and wonderful characters, which resulted in this enchanting story.

Purchase links

https://geni.us/SB-ThePast

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: STERLING TOUCH, by LB Dunbar

Sterling Falls #6

Vale & Cort

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book felt different from the others in this series, more carefully constructed, very tactful around the issues involving Vale and Cort.  Vale suffers from touch deprivation, as befits a baby whose mother died when she was born, and she was left with six older brothers and a devastated father who turned to drink.  Stone, the oldest brother, took Vale’s care upon himself, but of course, he didn’t have the nurturing touch of a mother nor the knowledge of how to lovingly raise a baby girl.  

Cort suffers from touch aversion, for reasons unknown until late in the book.  I thought they made a pretty couple, one who doesn’t want to be touched and another who didn’t get enough hugs, but in a way this balanced them.  I thought this was a brilliant move by the author.  I love how they resolve their issues, slowly and with care, lots of consideration and thought, and act as each other’s therapist on the way to a touchy-feely couple.  

Their story is like the forbidden type, since Cort used to be Stone’s best friend until a betrayal destroyed their friendship and turned them into enemies.  I had a lot of curiosity to see how the author would resolve the issue and she did, in fact, satisfy because it was very real.

There are a lot of sexy times in this story, which I felt was in a way necessary, because these guys are actually learning to touch, so they needed lots of practice 😉 

I loved Vale and Cort, love their respect for Stone, loved the family closeness on both sides, and loved reading the book two times, back to back.  The second time, I caught lots of hints the author gave about Cort’s history, which is left undisclosed until later in the book.   Great story!

Purchase links

https://a.co/d/8UJo6VS 

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: YOU WERE NEVER NOT MINE, by Monica Murphy

Lancaster Prep Next Generation #4

August & Sinclair

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Young adult as only Monica Murphy can write them!  She gets their personalities, insecurities, catches that they’re beginning to mature but are not there yet, feeling the promises of the future but not sure yet where they’re going.  I love reading these YA books because I love the possibilities and the fumbling they do as they figure out their lives.  And this author shows it so brilliantly!

This story is told in two times, when Sinclair arrived at Lancaster Prep for freshman year and August was a senior.  He bullied her all that year, and she hated him and stood up to his insults but they did hurt and upset her.

Then four years later, August is a senior again, this time in Thornhill University and Sinclair arrives, again as a freshman.  He’s captivated from the beginning, but he has a role to play in this university, and that is of the arrogant and selfish wealthy guy who doesn’t mingle with the riff-raff.  He doesn’t recognize her which is wonderful because she hates him and treats him like he’s a monster, which baffles him.  I thought it was wonderful and just the right touch to tumble him from that pedestal he lived on.

I loved the story, loved how they moved on from enemies to friends to lovers, loved how much August changes.  He swore that the Lancaster curse was not true, nevertheless he kept his feelings tied up tight and didn’t get involved with any girl, just a hookup and done, so the curse will not activate.  And it did, regardless of his precautions.  I loved how caught he was! And he asked his father and his sister and they all ruled that, yep, he got it.  

The juxtaposition of falling in love for your bully was a wonderful plot and I loved the whole story.  August was sweet once he got over his uppity ways, he was so considerate and loving.  Sinclair was the perfect heroine, she didn’t kiss his butt, she sassed him, challenged him; in a way, she made him grow and develop all those good person feelings which were inside of him, lying dormant.

This was the perfect page-turner, YA story and a great finale for the Lancaster Prep series.  I only wish there was a Thornhill series because I would love to read Cyrus Thornhill’s story!

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/40aejGg

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3WaQNb5

About the author

Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling romance author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Both a traditionally published and independently published author, she writes young adult, new adult and contemporary romance.

A native Californian, she lives on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere with her husband, son, their goofy dog, and three cats. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. Or reading. Or binge watching something.

 

Connect with Monica

Website: http://monicamurphyauthor.com

Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyGR

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1YUl0Vm

Facebook: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyFB

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

Instagram: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyIG

Twitter: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyTW

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2ZAthV1

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/msmonicamurphy/

Book review: A CAPTIVE SITUATION, by Tijan

Kings of New York #3

Jake & Sawyer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so surprised to start this book and not get sucked into the story, as is usual when I read a Tijan book.  The heroine, Sawyer, is so distracted and clueless, like she’s not all in her head, as she visits New York, does some touristy stuff, and starts loitering outside the building where her cousin Graham works.  Her behavior is so bizarre, no wonder she’s picked up by the police and taken to a precinct. 

Incredibly, Sawyer had wasted eighteen years of her life on a loser who used her to help him further his career goals, then when he got her best friend pregnant, he dumped her and cancelled their wedding.  I was asking myself: how can you have not seen any red flags along the way? Usually Tijan’s heroines are plucky and smart, but this one felt like a mental case.  Those wasted eighteen years really hurt me! So Sawyer traveled to New York City on the week her wedding would have been, to distract herself and find her cousin Graham, son of an estranged aunt, whom she’s never met.  She’s found loitering in front of the building where he works, is taken to a police precinct and left there, again aimless and clueless.

Jake Worthing, whom we’ve met before on the previous books of this series, had met Sawyer on the subway, saw her having a moment, asked if she needed an ambulance, then left her there.  Later on, he arrives at the precinct looking for his addict cousin who has been arrested again, finds Sawyer there, and brings her with him and Val.  And then we’re taken on a crazy rollercoaster ride of Mafia shenanigans, a war for turfs among Mafia lords, old friends Trace and Ashton, Sawyer’s crazy aunts who think they are cyber sleuths, and all kinds of fun stuff.  And here is when I got really engaged with the book, now in familiar Tijan territory.

The story is convoluted, fantastic, with so many twists and turns I got whiplash, super entertaining and riveting. The story started with the insta-lust that is so frequent with Tijan’s characters, and ended with a love story where both characters tried to sacrifice their lives to defend their loved one. In the end, I finally got clarity on Sawyer’s haziness at the start of the story, and it made total sense. As she got involved on the action with Jake, she came to life, all the sass and smarts I expect from Tijan’s heroines came forth, and I enjoyed a hell of a ride. And the end was all I expected and needed, although I wouldn’t mind an extra epilogue (hint, hint). Another Tijan hit!

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4kjjE7G

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

Audible: https://bit.ly/43k7F3A

Narrated by: Amelia Hugh & Jeffrey Kafer

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3EZKUb1

A Captive Situation is book three in the Kings of New York series. It can be read as a

standalone but does mention events from books 1 & 2.

Check out the series here! https://bit.ly/41KRvyY

About the author

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable

novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of

sass on the side. Tijan began writing after college and once she started, she was hooked.

She's written multi-bestsellers including the Fallen Crest series, Ryan's Bed, Enemies

and others.

She is currently writing many new books and series with an English Cocker she

adores.

Connect with Tijan

Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4851199.Tijan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tijan/e/B00DJG52QE

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

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/tijansreadergroup

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

X/Twitter: www.twitter.com/tijansbooks

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@tijan_author

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tijan