Leaving Yesterday (Laurel Falls #1) by Zoe Dawson

Blurb...

Rafferty Hamilton doesn’t plan on putting down roots anytime soon. With her divorce final, the hotel heiress has left Manhattan behind to scout new locations for her family’s chain of resorts. Which is why it’s so frustrating to be stranded in Laurel Falls while a good-looking, slow-talking, Stetson-wearing mechanic takes his sweet time with her overheated coupe.

A decorated vet who paid his dues in Afghanistan, Trace Black can fix anything with an engine and get it revving—even Rafferty’s ridiculous sports car. He couldn’t say the same for the knockout driver, who looks like she’s never gripped a gear shaft in her life. Women like Rafferty don’t usually stick around in Laurel Falls, but Trace finds himself showing her everything his hometown has to offer before she cruises on down the road.

As the days pass, Rafferty finds herself charmed by the pace of life and the openhearted warmth of the residents. She’s even tempted to trust again—and it’s all thanks to Trace. He’s not the kind of guy she’s used to falling for, but he just might be the man she needs.

Leaving Yesterday is the first book in Zoe Dawson's new Laurel Falls series, and it's everything I love about small town contemporary romance. The people of Laurel Falls are down-to-earth, hard working, and loyal. They've got hopes and dreams, trials and triumphs and, no matter what, they will always have your back! All this makes them people I can't help but cheer for and care about.

One of the things I most enjoyed about the story - and there are many things to enjoy - is Trace's unshakable devotion to his family, especially his youngest brother, Harley, who suffers with PTSD, the result of his time in the Marines and a mission gone very wrong. Trace feels the guilt of of Harley's illness, blaming himself because Harley was following in Trace's footsteps when he enlisted, wanting to be like his big brother. There's a lot of poignancy throughout the book, but this... this really tugged at my heart.

Another person to love is Rafferty. Sure, she's a product of her upbringing, but she is - without a doubt - her own person. This becomes crystal clear when she sets aside her 'assignment' and opens her eyes to the beauty of the people and the town she found herself stranded in. She might be a wealthy, big city girl, but she's not ostentatious, nor is she foolish enough to let a good thing pass her by!

The bottom line... Leaving Yesterday is a wonderful start to this series, which promises to be an amazing one. If you love Susan Mallery, Kristan Higgins, or Rachel Gibson, you won't want to miss out on the romantic, passionate, captivating world and people of Laurel Falls.

An ARC was generously provided by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept. In appreciation I'm giving them an honest review.

About the book:

Print Length: 268 pages
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Click here to purchase Leaving Yesterday: A Laurel Falls Novel, from Amazon

Ashley Bell (Ashley Bell #1) by Dean Koontz

Blurb...

At twenty-two, Bibi Blair’s doctors tell her that she’s dying. Two days later, she’s impossibly cured. Fierce, funny, dauntless, she becomes obsessed with the idea that she was spared because she is meant to save someone else. Someone named Ashley Bell. This proves to be a dangerous idea. Searching for Ashley Bell, ricocheting through a southern California landscape that proves strange and malevolent in the extreme, Bibi is plunged into a world of crime and conspiracy, following a trail of mysteries that become more sinister and tangled with every twisting turn.

Dean Koontz has been a favorite author of mine since reading Watchers in 1987, and then following Odd Thomas from his ‘birth’ in 2003. To say Mr. Koontz knows how to tell is story isn’t doing him justice because his stories are so much more than just words on a page, and Ashley Bell is further testament of that.

As I’m sitting here writing this review I’m both shaking and grinning. I feel like I’ve just stepped off Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, literary edition. Ashley Bell is an ‘edge of your seat, nail biting, heart-pounding, who dunnit’ that will have your mind reeling and, in the end, leave you breathless and desperate for more! This is the Mystery/Thriller genre at its best!

An ARC was provided by Random House Publishing Group via Netgalley. In appreciation I’m giving them an honest review.

Purchase Ashley Bell: A Novel at Amazon

Witches Be Burned (Magic & Mayhem #2) by Stacey Kennedy

Witches be Burned is the second book is Stacey Kennedy’s Magic & Mayhem series. Even though I didn’t read the first book, Werewolves Be Damned, I had no problem following the plot and was sucked in right from the start!

Blurb…

In Stacey Kennedy’s steamy paranormal romance novel, a rookie guardian sworn to combat the undead risks life and love in a world of violence, witchcraft, and seduction.

Nexi Jones has lost her family, she’s been stripped of her guardian duties, and she’s still learning the ins and outs of white magic. At least she has Kyden, the smoldering hot elite guardian who’s been there for her every step of the way. But just as Nexi completes her training, tragedy strikes the Otherworld when a fellow guardian is murdered by a group of rogue vampires. Ready or not, she and Kyden trek into the Earthworld to hunt down a killer—and Nexi alone will be put to the ultimate test.

Although Kyden knows that Nexi must fight her own battles, his guardian instincts are raging as he struggles to keep her close. The ruthlessness of these vampires is like nothing he’s ever seen. And at their helm is the Black Witch Astoria, a demon with one burning desire: to shed Nexi’s blood in the name of vengeance. What troubles Kyden even more, though, is the warlock who covets Nexi’s heart. Let the devil do his worst . . . all Kyden can do is love and protect Nexi until his last breath.

My thoughts…

Anyone who knows me knows that the Fantasy genre isn’t one of my favorites, but these books are more than just Fantasy. Yes, there’s magic. Yes, there are witches. But there are also vampires, werewolves, guardians, territories, councils… and all of these combined make this an amazing Paranormal Romance series.

Witches Be Burned picks up 4 months after Werewolves Be Damned ends, and we’re given a prologue which tells about the important things that transpired in WBD, and I'm glad for that because this is a complex world. 

With the different beings fighting for peace, there’s never a dull moment, and the ‘Good vs. Evil’ power-struggle kept me on the edge of my seat. To say the universe Ms. Kennedy has created is exciting and unique would be putting it mildly. The Magic and Mayhem world is filled with page turning intrigue. There’s also a fantastic supporting cast of characters, and a hero and heroine who are made for each other. Nexi is a strong leading lady and Kyden is an alpha male who loves her enough to let her be who she’s meant to be - though he often reminds her that he’s still the boss - and she loves him enough to let him go on believing it. And their sexual chemistry? Yeah, it burns hot and wild! See? A perfect match! 

The bottom line… 

To the point… If you’re like me and not a huge fantasy fan, you really ought to give this series a go. I’m so excited to have read this story, and am looking forward to finding out what’s to come for Nexi and Kyden! 

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept,  for providing me with a copy of this book. In appreciation I’m giving them an honest review! 

Worth the Risk (The McKinney Brothers #2) by Claudia Connor

You know, the billionaire playboy / struggling naïve woman trope doesn’t usually go over well with me…but wow. WOW! There’s just something about the way Claudia Connor tells a story that grabs my heart from the start and doesn’t let go!

Blurb…

When a McKinney brother falls in love, powerful emotion and overwhelming desire are never far behind.

Two hearts locked away . . . Hannah Walker spends her days coaching children through injury and trauma, one therapeutic horseback ride at a time. She knows all too well how violence can change a child and leave scars that never heal. It’s easy for her to relate to the kids; what isn’t easy is the thought of facing her own harrowing past.

Millionaire playboy Stephen McKinney could use a little coaching himself. Five years ago he encountered his most horrible nightmare—and the nightmare won. No matter what he achieves, nothing can make up for that awful night . . . or so he believes.

Both desperate for a second chance . . . Stephen is used to getting what he wants. And he wants Hannah. So when she turns him down, he’s intrigued. What he doesn’t know is that her secrets will lead him to a place he never wanted to go again . . . to a side of himself he’s tried to forget . . . a side that would scare Hannah away from ever loving him. Now his only chance to win her trust is to bare his soul, risking everything he tried so hard to protect.

My thoughts…

Worth the Risk is the second book in the McKinney Brothers series and every bit as wonderful as the first. I wasn’t too sure about the billionaire playboy angle…falling for a woman who is so far from his usual type it isn’t even funny. But Stephen is a great guy who’s struggling with a tragic loss, and when Hannah crosses his path, he knows… there’s something about her that draws him in and he can’t deny the need to be with her.

Hannah has a tragic past of her own… horrific, in fact. But it’s that experience – and the almost stifling protectiveness of her brothers – that has made her an amazing woman… the perfect woman for Stephen.

Honestly, start to finish this is a poignant story about letting go of the past so you can hold on to the one person in the world who can free you from your demons. It’s at times heartbreaking, and at times uplifting. At times laugh out loud funny, and at times had me in tears. Worth the Risk has everything I love in contemporary romance, including some burn up the pages sexiness. Hannah and Stephen’s romance is beautiful, and is one of the most hard fought and deserved happily ever afters I’ve read.

The bottom line…

The short and sweet of it - I absolutely loved this story! Loved it! Every deeply poignant, deliciously sexy, beautifully romantic bit of it!

An ARC was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept. To show my appreciation I’m giving them an honest review.   

The Story Guy by Mary Ann Rivers

Carrie West is happy with her life . . . isn’t she? But when she sees this provocative online ad, the thirtysomething librarian can’t help but be tempted. After all, the photo of the anonymous poster is far too attractive to ignore. And when Wednesday finally arrives, it brings a first kiss that’s hotter than any she’s ever imagined. Brian Newburgh is an attorney, but there’s more to his life . . . that he won't share with Carrie. Determined to have more than just Wednesdays, Carrie embarks on a quest to learn Brian’s story, certain that he will be worth the cost. But is she ready to gamble her heart on a man who just might be The One . . . even though she has no idea how their love story will end?

*****

I will meet you on Wednesdays at noon in Celebration Park. Kissing only.

This isn't the kind of story I'd normally pick up, but there was something about the idea of two lonely souls meeting once a week to share stolen kisses in the park. I couldn't stop wondering what would compel Carrie and Brian to enter into such an arrangement. It sounded so tawdry, so shallow, and yet, so heartbreaking and hopeful.

Honestly, I simply couldn't resist finding out what brought them to this point in their lives.

My Thoughts -

It doesn't often happen that a book takes me completely by surprise, but The Story Guy is one that did. I had no idea where this relationship between Brian and Carrie was going - if it was going anywhere at all - but what starts out as a sexy, intriguing, quirky tale, soon becomes a poignant, impassioned love story that I couldn't put down. It's a fairly short read but what it lacks in page count it more than makes up for with complex characters, a deeply moving story, and the promise of a beautiful, destined, happily ever after.

I wish we had been given an epilogue of some sort, something to show us where Carrie and Brian will be 5, 10, 20 years down the road. And believe me, this not a criticism, but a testament to how much I came to care about them both.

I'm looking forward to reading more by Mary Ann Rivers, a very gifted writer.

My thanks to Loveswept and Netgalley for granting me a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.