Book review: SKATING THE BLUE LINE, by Jocelyne Soto

Chicago Dark Knights #1

Liam & Chloe

Delightful story and delightful characters!  I love the surprise pregnancy and sports romance, so I was enjoying the story very much!  Two athletes in the prime of their career, they meet, they like, they have a one-night stand but to their surprise, it felt like much more than a one night stand, so it turned into a one-week stand.  Then, they go their separate ways because hockey season started and ballet rehearsals for the winter shows also started.  

Both Chloe and Liam were dedicated to their careers, so family and settling down had been shoved into a future when they weren’t so focused on rising to the top.  But those two blue lines in a pregnancy test put a temporary stop to Chloe’s career.  

I loved how the author developed the characters! Chloe was enchanting, sweet and kind, very sexy when they were together, a sweet daughter to her Mami and Papi.  Liam was also very kindhearted and understanding.  I loved his stand when he learned Chloe is pregnant, supportive of her choices.  There were some very fun and relatable moments during the pregnancy and I loved seeing how this couple get closer.

In spite of being a very entertaining story, I couldn’t help but notice that the story construction and composition needed some editing.  This was an ARC so misspells are expected and they don’t affect my enjoyment nor my review, but I suspect there are sentence compositions, vocabulary chosen and verb conjugation that needed to be addressed.  I truly hope they’re fixed with the final version because it made the book feel very amateurish.  Also, the author didn’t include an epilogue, which is a part I always look after, to see how the characters are doing in the near future.

Purchase links

https://bit.ly/41tlzvu

About the author 

Jocelyne Soto is a writer born and raised in California. She started her writing journey in 2015 and in 2019 she published her first book. She is an independent author who loves discovering new authors on Goodreads and Amazon. She comes from a big Mexican family, and with it comes a love for all things family and food. Jocelyne has a love for her mom’s coffee and writing. In her free time, she can be found reading a romance novel off her iPad or somewhere in the black hole of YouTube.

Connect with Jocelyne Soto

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Book review: FIREBALL, by Abbi Glines

Smoke #2

Blaise & Maddy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If Smokeshow was hot, this one was sizzling!  Blaise is now not just a man in love, he’s a man obsessed with his woman and he can’t let her out of his sight.  He gets grumpy and unreasonable when he’s deprived of her presence.  However, Madeline wants as normal life as possible and he can’t say no.  There are many negotiations between this pair in their relation, and most have to do with calibrating Blaise to behave like a normal dude, not an obsessed cowboy.

Madeline was furious with Blaise and his cronies for what she understood was the murder of her father and brother.  After a couple weeks away, Blaise couldn’t stay away, not when he was told she wasn’t doing well.  So he explains all, and life as Madeline knew it disappears and a new reality comes in.  She’s broken but she deals because that’s the kind of person she is, a survivor with a spine of steel.  She’s kind, she’s naive, thinks the best of everyone until proven otherwise.  And in spite of betrayals, still gives people a chance.  She’s outstanding that way, so no wonder people are absorbed into her sphere and want to be friends or something more.

Madeline and Blaise as a couple are fire, and once Madeline comes into her own, she’s a fireball, managing her man with ease.  I loved seeing Blaise when he gets jealous; the difference between Blaise thundering about his woman, his possession, is very similar to a toddler having a tantrum about a toy, LOL.  I also loved seeing Madeline flourish from the broken woman she’s in the beginning, to the insecure one wondering about her future, to the fireball that kept Blaise in his place with love and passion.  Great storytelling from this author, she went darker than her previous books but way to make them addictive and riveting!

Purchase link

https://amzn.to/431pMrt

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. TikTok @abbiglines Instagram @abbiglines Twitter @abbiglines

Book review: I’LL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, by Monica Murphy

Lancaster Prep #4

West & Caroline

This book needs to be read slowly and savored because it has so many nuances.  It felt like a road of discovery of two souls who were crippled by events in their childhood and how together they were able overcome their issues.  Not without a lot of angst!

Carolina and West met during a night in Paris, they knew they would not see each other again, and yet, made an impression that would stay with them forever.  When they meet again, several months later, it wasn’t a welcome surprise.  There were lies that held them apart, family issues that made it difficult for them to be together.  And yet, the attraction was so strong, their chemistry sizzled between them when they were close to each other.  I throughly enjoyed the enemies to lovers transition because West was so supercilious and Carolina was so snotty.

Carolina comes from a toxic family, she’s affected to the extent that she can’t express emotions, can’t cry, and can’t tolerate to be touched.  Until incredibly, that night she spent with West in Paris.  He’s the only one who can touch her and she won’t cringe.

West feels the heavy weight of his father’s expectations, a future he doesn’t want but also doesn’t know how to evade.  

I loved reading all about their issues and their relation because of the psychology of their situations was so interesting.  Carolina protected herself by being shutoff and running away from her family to London and her ballet company. She had strong feelings, they were just strongly contained inside high walls.  I loved seeing her unfurl and start tolerating and even initiating touch!

West was easier to figure out, he was overwhelmed by his father’s expectations and his mother’s fragility.  He buckled up and dealt but in the process lost Carolina.  Their second chance effort is the most romantic thing ever.  He was scared but he was unstoppable!

Monica Murphy writes young adult like no other! Their story is so full of angst, interesting psychology, romantic and just straight teenager shenanigans.  Riveting and relatable because although most of us aren’t billionaires, we’ve been teenagers and been through the partying, drinking and breaking up stuff.  Unputdownable and entertaining!

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3H8edFI

UK & Australia (UK Commonwealth): https://geni.us/J1J6uXU

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3WQ1mOr

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. She's also known as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.

A native Californian, she lives on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere with her husband, two kids, one dog, and four cats. When she's not writing, she's an assistant coach for her daughter's high school cheer team, which is a two season sport. Meaning, she's at practice with a bunch of teenage girls all the time. Or she's at a football game. Or a basketball game. Maybe someday, she'll even write about this experience.

 

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/

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Book review: BLUSHING IN THE BIG LEAGUES, by R.S. Grey

Another charming baseball romance from RS Grey!  I loved Luke Allen’s sister in “Three Strikes and You’re Mine”, so I was happy to see that Tate is the female character in this one.  And then when I read Grant Navarro’s yumminess as the male character I was in book heaven!

Grant Navarro is everything that you would want in a book boyfriend.  Incredibly gorgeous, but he’s not vain with it, he’s very attached to his father and calls him after every game to rehash the game with him. He‘s incredibly grateful to his father for all his sacrifices, which makes him humble and kind.

Tate was a little bit of a surprise! She’s one of those driven characters, with a lot of opinions about how things should be, then she’s stubbornly attached to those opinions.  One of her opinions is that she shouldn’t want to date professional players, not just because of her brother but because she sees them as entitled and cocky.

“My issue with baseball guys begins when they make the transition into the majors. Aside from the fact that their schedules are horrendous, their priority is always the game, and their egos are obscenely inflated—most of them have this unyielding urge to go crazy the second they sign on the dotted line on their MLB contracts.”

I felt sorry she felt like this because Grant was fantastic! Great person, great son, great friend.  And I was pretty sure he would be a wonderful lover too!  

As soon as Tate and Graham met, there was a very strong attraction.  Grant wants to act on it, but because of Tate’s preconceived notions, she rejects him, hurting both him and herself.  I hurt reading about the yearning, Tate’s insecurity, and how every time Grant is near, she falls into this lust fog and barely contains herself from jumping on him.

I loved Grant and Tate together, they fit perfectly, once Tate got over her issues.  Their banter and sexy moments were drool worthy.  It was entertaining and a great love story.  The last chapters were so dreamy!

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3IaROsw

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

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/40F0JtF 

About the author

R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including seven #1 bestselling romantic comedies. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and dog.

 

Connect with R.S. Grey

Website: www.rsgrey.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7324934.R_S_Grey

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/R.S.-Grey/author/B00HK02B7S/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046937149378

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Book review: RESTRAIN ME, by Michelle Heard

Corrupted Royals #4

Max Levin & Camille DuBois

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michelle Heard has done it again!  When this book started, it felt like a normal bodyguard story.  But then the author exceeded all my expectations and made the story spectacular and full of emotions, very thrilling.

I loved both characters! Camille is a socialite, but not the entitled, pampered type.  She wants to be a photographer but her father keeps her very sheltered and protected and doesn’t want her to work.  So, she’s resigned to this empty and shallow life.  When her life is threatened due to his political decisions, her father hires the world’s #1 assassin to protect her.  

Initially, Max was like a Robocop, no feelings, just an icicle of a person.  When they assisted to one of her functions, he acted over the top, Camille had a hissy fit and demanded that he act like a human, not a robot.  Since he feels guilt about her, he tried to comply with her requests, tried to befriend her, and the rest is, as they say, history.

“Our paths crossed once. Christ, it’s almost been ten years since I last saw her face. She was seventeen and just starting her life. And I almost took it from her.”

Camille is not your regular socialite, spoiled and petulant.  Rather, she is quiet, kind, generous, and loves photography.  Her obsession are her snacks and soda drinks!  

Likewise, Max is not your regular assassin.  He has a heart and he has morals.  He’ll never shoot innocents and will never target women.  He had a sister who had leukemia and her heart’s desire was to marry Max’s friend Nikolai Vetrov.  His friend didn’t hesitate and made his sister happy in her last days.  For this reason, when Nikolai asked for his help protecting Camilla, Max didn’t hesitate and took the job.  And slowly and inexorably fell in love with this lovely woman!

I cracked up when Max takes Camille to a safe house, she’s taking a bath and sees a spider.  Her screech brings Max running, and she demands action from her assassin:

“I get the heebie-jeebies, doing a little dance as I keep pointing at the spider. “Kill it. Kill it. Kill it.”

And Max the assassin, took the spider in his hands and took it outside.  I didn’t miss the important contrast in his actions.

I had a laugh when Max and Nikolai talk on the phone and complain about their women, Nikolai about Abigail, Max about Camille.  I loved reading about Max’s insecurities in holding Camille’s love.  When she hugs him and expresses her love, he feels bathed in love and feels like he’s home.  The story has hard moments, has tragedy, and very hard times for both.  Through it all, there’s a devotion and a sense of home that can only happen in the presence of the other.

Michelle Heard has hit it out of the park again with this story! Emotional, with funny parts, great banter, a great love story and exciting times with an assassin doing his job.  I love her mafia stories!

Purchase links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYW81G53

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BYW81G53

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BYW81G53

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BYW81G53

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62399717-restrain-me 

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.wordpress.com

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

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

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