Review: Sweet on You

Sweet on You

"Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknown to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long.

Independent and adventurous Britt channels her talent into creating chocolates at her hometown shop. Zander is a bestselling author who's spent the past 18 months traveling the world. He's achieved a great deal but still lacks the only thing that ever truly mattered to him--Britt's heart.

When Zander's uncle dies of mysterious causes, he returns to Merryweather, Washington, to investigate, and Britt is immediately there to help. Although this throws them into close proximity, both understand that an attempt at romance could jeopardize their once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But while Britt is determined to resist any change in their relationship, Zander finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings hidden.

As they work together to uncover his uncle's tangled past, will the truth of what lies between them also, finally, come to light?"

Author: Becky Wade

Length: 384 pages

Series: Bradford Sisters Romance (book 3)

"And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted

The world has somehow shifted, all at once everything looks different
Now that I see you"

Y'all I have been waiting for this book for THREE years! I fell in love with Zander and Britt in book 1. (As did the rest of the CF population)
I have been anxiously awaiting the day Britt would open her eyes and fall head over heels in love with Zander. (Every other woman already had)

I was excited to actually get a full book of Zander's perspective. We finally to truly meet him. All of his thoughts, feelings, strengths and weaknesses. I loved him in the first book, but love him even more now. "Zander Ford, wealthy Dickensian orphan."
If you look up the definition of persistence and patience in the dictionary, a picture of Zander Ford comes up. The man had been in love with Britt since they were 14, but still was a GREAT best friend. His heart had been trampled on over and over, but he still held on because he loved her. Okay scratch my previous "patient and persistent"...Zander was a SAINT! Plus his little quirks about closing doors and loading the dishwasher were ADORABLE.

Britt on the other hand...
I really liked her in the first two books and was excited to finally get into her head, but she started to get under my skin.
1) I wanted to shake her until she saw how much Zander loved her.
2) Her "independent/I'm fine" attitude got really old for me.
I'm all for independent characters, but when it becomes the answer to everything it start to wear on me. I had a hard time truly connecting with her as the story progressed.

I LOVE the "best friend to boyfriend" troupe! 😍😍 The romances always have the best foundation since they know everything about each other. This one was no different. I loved the chemistry and relationship between the characters. Though it took so long for it to come to light, it was really a great love story!

The mystery element was really interesting and well done. It was nice to have an additional plot line to the romance. It was fun to see this author dabble in something a little outside her normal genre.

I have the loved the Bradford sisters since the beginning, it's bittersweet to see it end, but Becky wrapped up the series very well. It's definitely going to be something I'll reread.
I rated this book 4/5 stars.

*I received this book from the publisher**All opinions are my own*

Review: Living Lies

Living Lies

"In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name--but no one knows your secret. At least that's what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton's newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she'll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

Debut novelist Natalie Walters pulls you to the edge of your seat on the first page and keeps you there until the last in this riveting story that will have you believing no one is defined by their past."

Author: Natalie Walters
Length: 336 pages
Series: Harbored Secrets (book 1)

"God doesn't make mistakes.

You are here on purpose.

With purpose."

Let me start off by saying "I want my own Charlie". 😍 He was such a great character. He was so sweet and understanding , he was willing to stay through thick & thin. (The uniform was just an added bonus. 😉) 

I want to applaud Natalie for tackling the subject matters she did in this book. Heavier topics such as depression, anxiety and suicide. She shined a light on topics that no one wants to talk about, but need to.

That being said I had a hard time connecting with Lane because of this. I personally don't struggle with depression or anxiety so I couldn't understand some of her thought processes. However, I know that there are many people who DO struggle with this so I'm happy there is a character out there who is open about what they're feeling. 

I did enjoy the steps toward healing that happened towards the end. They did feel a little rushed, but I am hoping to see it progress throughout the series.

I'm big on being taken by surprise in suspense novels. I want to be blindsided by the identity of the bad guy. In this particular book the villain was spelled out for us and that kind of took away the surprise factor for me. I do know not everyone likes that though, so for anyone who likes a "birds eye view" type suspense novel this one is a good choice.

There were a few technical/plot problem that came to mind at the end of the book, but for a debut novel it was a good story. I am excited to see this author grow and perfect her writing style.
I rated it a 3.5/5 stars.

*I received this book from the author/publisher**All opinions are my own*

Quotes:

"Honey, we can only be who God created us to be. Mess and all"

"Honey. God never makes mistakes. You are here on purpose, Lane. With purpose."

Review: Whose Waves These Are

Whose Waves These Are

"In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea."

Author: Amanda Dykes
Length: 368 pages

Thank you to every soldier, past & present! 

I'm so grateful to you & your families!

Y'ALL! I felt SOOOO many emotions reading this book. 
I cried happy tears, I cried tears of grief, I cried for heartwarming moments and I cried for heart-wrenching moments. 
Here is a little snippet of how I felt at the half way point:

As you can see I felt A LOT of things. It is VERY rare that an author can get me to cry, let alone SOB while reading. The fact that this author got me to do it on multiple occasions for different reasons says a lot about her writing style. 

It's amazing. Plain and simple. It was a gripping story of grief, loss, healing, and learning to lean on the Rock of Ages. 
This story rocked me, it had me thinking of the past and the future. There was so much grit to this story! 

I really enjoyed the time-slip aspect, the author did a really good job separating the timelines while keeping the storylines perfectly intact. Though I had a few questions about character timelines and connections in the "modern day" storyline, it personally didn't take away from my experience while reading the book.

The characters were so real and raw, they came to life right off the page. All of their thoughts and emotions built them into wonderful characters.
All the little romances really held the book together. They were all so bittersweet, but they really enhanced the story.

I truly don't think I'll ever be able to put into words my thoughts about this book. I am pumped to see where this author goes next! I think every person ever should read this book.
5/5 stars!

*I received this book from the publisher**All opinions are my own*

Review: The Rancher's Unexpected Baby

The Rancher's Unexpected Baby

"After his marriage ended, Gage Frasier vowed he’d never remarry or have children—but now he’s guardian of an orphaned baby boy. Thankfully, his friend’s sweet sister, Emma Wilder, offers to nanny while Gage seeks a more suitable family for the child. But soon Gage finds himself bonding with his new son…and with Emma. Parenthood surprised Gage, but will love sneak up on him, too?"

Author: Jill Lynn

Length: 224 pages

Series: Colorado Grooms (book 2)

From bachelor to daddy…overnight!

I loved EVERYTHING about this book! The characters. The banter. The chemistry. *wags eyebrows*
It was all so perfect. *happy sigh*

Jill makes it so incredibly easy to fall in love with her heroes! They are all kinds of Hallmark perfect. They have flaws, but they also have great strengths and wonderful personalities. (The fact that they're hunks is just an added bonus 😉)

Gage is a strong character who is so full of love, but he believed his past broke his future. It took an adorable baby boy, a wonderful woman, and an incredible God to open his eyes so he could see that his future was so bright and beautiful.

Emma was an amazing character. She is sunshine and optimism, she sees the good in everyone and gives them all a chance. She was a fixer and a nurturer. I loved seeing her flourish throughout the story since she tried to slip through the cracks when the book first started.

I LOVED the Wilder crew in book 1, and I loved them even more in this book. 

One major thing I enjoyed was the characters COMMUNICATED! Too many times people overreact, jump to conclusions and blow things out of proportion when it all could have been worked out if they had had a conversation. Not in this story. Yes there was "conflict", there always is, but the characters made sure to talk to each other and in the end it worked out. 

This book had me laughing out loud! 😍 It was so good, I read it in one sitting. I'm so pumped for Mackenzie's story!
I rated it a 5/5 stars.

*I received this book from the author**All opinions are my own*

Quotes:

"Its going to be okay, Gage. I promise this is all going to work out."
"You can't promise that, Emma."
"It's not a me promise, its a God one. He works thing together for good. Even the kind of mountains that don't appear climbable."