Review: Lights Out

 Lights Out

"CIA analyst Brynn Taylor developed a new program to combat terrorism, and she invited members of foreign intelligence agencies to America to foster cooperation between countries. Now one of them, Egyptian spy Remon Riad, is missing.

Jack Hudson has been working for the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency (SNAP) for almost nine years and takes the lead in hunting down the missing spy. But he isn't at all pleased to find out Brynn is involved. It's hard to trust a woman who's already betrayed you.

Every lead they follow draws them dangerously deeper into an international plot. Kidnapping, murder, explosions, poisoning--the terrorists will do anything to accomplish their goal of causing a digital blackout that will blind a strategic US military communications center and throw the world into chaos.

Can Brynn surrender control to a man who doesn't trust her? And can Jack ever get over what she did to him? The fate of the world--and their hearts--hangs in the balance."

Author: Natalie Walters

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Series: The SNAP Agency (book 1)

***

I don’t even know where to start…
I’m OBSESSED with these characters & this new series!!

This book was so fast paced! A LOT happened and though there were a few moments my head was spinning from trying to keep up, I never missed a beat or anything important.

The chemistry between the SNAP team made me want to hug this book to my chest! I LOVE teams that are more like family. It makes my heart so happy! 💗

Brynn & Jack had history which worked in this story because of how fast it went down. While I feel Jack holding onto the hurt and “not being able to trust Brynn” for 8 years was a little ridiculous (they were both in training for the CIA…they knew their weaknesses would be exploited) I’m glad they had an actual discussion about it and worked to make a relationship work.

I enjoyed them together, though the SNAP team (and Kekoa) took center stage for me. 😍

The “suspense” plot line was one I don’t normally read. Cyber crimes and terrorism (at home & internationally) is not my normal thing. (It kind of freaks me out a bit because it is SO realistic nowadays) BBBUUUUUTTTTT!!! I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look at how our wonderful brains keep our country safe DAILY!

And even though this is a work of FICTION, it did give me an extra appreciation for everyone in any kind of service for this country!

I don’t know what else I can say…I was HOOKED from the beginning! I finished it almost in one sitting and I’m ANXIOUSLY awaiting book 2! This is my favorite Natalie Walters book so far. 😍😍

5/5 stars
*I received this book from the publisher**All opinions are my own*

Review: On Schedule

On Schedule 

"Avery:

I’m a simple woman. All I want is for my wedding planning business to thrive. That’s it. I don’t want some annoying photographer (Okay, I'll admit it. He's attractive. In a guy-you-want-to-hate kinda way) that tries with moderate success to get under my skin. I don’t need some adorable stray puppy that’s just dying to make me a dog mom. I don’t want any of it. All right?

Tyler:

I mean, am I attracted to Avery? Sure. If you're into the big brown eyes and full soft lips kinda thing. She may or may not have sneaked her way into my film roll more times than I can count this week. But as enticing as Avery is, she has a bite to go with it. Like a tiger, just waiting for you to come close and count its stripes so it can attack. But what if there's more to her than the human checklist vibe she gives off? And what if I'm drawn to that part?"

Author: Summer Dowell

Genre: Romantic Comedy (clean read)

Series: The Wedding Business (book 3)

"I’m a huge fan of love and marriage and all that gushy stuff. 

Just for other people. Not me."

Someone get me a fainting couch because I’m about to swoon! 😍😍
This one is definitely my favorite of the series and I could totally see myself grabbing it for a reread in a few months just so I could relive this book hugging feeling!

My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard! I don’t think I stopped grinning or giggling the whole time. My romance loving heart was dancing the whole time!

I loved Avery & Tyler! They were SO CUTE together. They were so much a like, but it worked so well for them! They just meshed - even their beginning “hate” phase was just well placed banter and I was FOOORRR IIITTT!!!
I loved how they fed off each other. Their dialogue was my favorite!

Avery was a little uptight, but her upbringing really affected who she was. But at her heart of hearts she loved people and was a sweet character.

Tyler was a flannel clad dreamboat! Loved him from the moment I met him. 😉 But I loved how thoughtful and patient he was.

There were a few hiccups through their relationship (as it always goes) but they communicated with each other and didn’t harbor anything for too long.

I loved seeing all three girls together again, mostly through text, but those were some of my favorite parts. The group chat dynamic is something I can relate to. 💕

I don’t know what else to say other than I loved every moment of this story! From the hate, to the obvious matchmaking, to all of the love!

I’m sad to see this cast of characters go, but I’m excited for the next project from Summer!
5/5 stars
*I received this book from the author**All opinions are my own*

Review: Amanda

 Amanda

"“The devil made me do it” is a phrase that will never pass my lips. Why would it when I have Delores, my undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, to make all my decisions for me? (Yes, I named her myself since the doctors couldn’t do it for me.) A get together with friends? Delores says no. I’ll have my prescheduled daily afternoon fever and fatigue at that time.My two biggest regrets with having Delores direct my fate? One, my family thinks my illness is all in my head. And two, I set the love of my life, Peter Reynolds, free from my anchoring tether so he could fly. I never thought I’d see him again, but five years later he’s soaring in the limelight as one of the most talked-about defensive players in professional football. Oh, and did I mention he also happens to play for the team my boss just assigned me to as a social media manager? Meanwhile, nothing much has changed for me. Delores still bosses me around, and I’m still hopelessly in love with Peter. What’s a girl to do?"

Author: Sarah Monzon

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Series: Sewing in SoCal (book 4)

***

Y’all, I didn’t know I needed this second chance romance until I got it!
Amanda & Peter were the cutest couple and it was rooting for them the whole time.

Sarah has this ability to make me loose myself in the stories she pens. I sit down and finish her books in one sitting, and normally grin like a buffoon the entire time. It happened again with this one!

I loved getting to be in the Sewing in SoCal group again! Though life is changing and taking them all different places they are still as close as family! Always there NO MATTER WHAT!

I loved that family is more than DNA was a theme used in this book! While it broke my heart that neither of the characters had very good/almost nonexistent relationships with their families, I loved that they found people who loved them for who they were. Every single piece of them!

Amanda was a strong character! Anyone who has gone through an autoimmune disorder is so incredibly strong!! (Diagnosed or undiagnosed)
She put up walls because of people not believing her and her pain. It was easier to “fake it til she made it” with a mask on than be honest and get unfriendly remarks.

Until Peter…MAN I LOVED THIS DUDE!! *SWWOOONNN* He was such a great guy! I loved that he kept loving Amanda, even after all their years apart. He loved every piece of her and showed her that she was whole, even with Delores attacking her body. He showed her the power of your chosen family, what their reactions should really be.
He had a pretty rough upbringing too, and he never lost sight of who he was or where he came from. He showed God’s love in every aspect of his life, and I just really enjoyed his character a lot. THE MP3 PLAYER SCENE…my heart might’ve exploded.

I loved that we got to see the SoCal girls again, and their romances are all blooming wonderfully! 🏈
I’m looking forward to Betsy’s story! I’m sure that one is going to be a trip!

It was just a sweet story that still had a lot of REAL LIFE woven throughout the pages! I really enjoyed this addition to the series. It might be my favorite! *insert all of the heart eyes*
I rated it 4/5 stars
*I received this book from the author**All opinions are my own*

Review: The Key to Love

 The Key to Love

"The only thing Bri Duval loves more than baking petit fours is romance. So much so, she's created her own version of the famous Parisian lovelock wall at her bakery in Story, Kansas. She never expects it to go viral--or for Trek Magazine to send travel writer Gerard Fortier to feature the bakery. He's definitely handsome, but Bri has been holding out for a love story like the one her parents had, and that certainly will not include the love-scorned-and-therefore-love-scorning Gerard.

Just when it seems Bri's bakery is poised for unprecedented success, a series of events threaten not just her business but the pedestal she's kept her parents on all these years. Maybe Gerard is right about romance. Or maybe Bri's recipe just needs to be tweaked.

Novelist Betsy St. Amant invites you to experience this sweet story of how love doesn't always look the way we expect--and maybe that's a good thing."

Author: Betsy St. Amant
Genre: Contemporary Romance

***

I was prepared for a story to woo me this Valentine’s Day! In the season of love I thought this would be the best time to read this book. You can’t go wrong with a baker & a travel writer right??

The setting and plot intrigued me! It pulled me in, but the characters didn’t keep me.

Bri was not my favorite…
She was so incredibly immature & naïve. She had on rose colored glasses about love and life and she held her mom (and love) on this pedestal. She was also unnecessarily rude to Gerard from the moment he stepped into the bakery. It wasn’t even like a cute, flirty sassiness. It was just snarky with no reasoning. She didn’t even know anything about him before spouting off. Her character didn’t start to change or mature until the last 20 or so pages…

Gerard actually felt like he grew THROUGHOUT the story. He came into town guarded and wanting to be anywhere but there but he did his job. (And fell in love in the process *wags eyebrows*) As he got to know Bri, and see how she interacted with the townspeople, showing what real love, God’s love, looked like he started to soften.

As a reader it was hard for me to read this book because while I knew what was going on since I had a bird eye view, and was in both of their heads. They didn’t ever really have a full meaningful conversation with each other until 2/3 of the way into the story. Everything felt slightly unfinished. And after a while the story just felt long and drawn out, bits of it unnecessary and other pieces felt missing.

I’m glad the characters worked it out because they were good for each other. Bri kept Gerard rooted and Gerard reminded Bri to fly. They were COMPLETE opposites, but in a way that did attract.

The romance and chemistry was definitely there! And I didn’t feel like that was overrunning the pages. It did feel like they were getting to know each other and not just focused on physical attraction (though it was definitely there which I didn’t mind at all)

I’m stuck on my rating honestly. Because I did enjoy aspects of the story! Enough to give the author another try. But not enough to swoon and giggle over it. There were things that really made me want to just set the book down at some points.
*I received this book from the publisher**All opinions are my own*

Review: It's Just Business

 It's Just Business

"Having grown up with a mom who had more boyfriends than a flower has petals, Haley Lane has zero fairy tale aspirations of true love. It doesn’t exist. But when a charming man with an annoyingly perfect smile and a habit of volunteering keeps running into her, she wonders if she was wrong all along.

That is until she realizes he's the one that stole her flower shop.

Austin Ryder is one of those nice guys, the people pleasers that genuinely want to help. So when he makes an underhanded business move that affects a random, beautiful stranger, he feels more than a little guilty. Good thing he’ll never see her again. Until he does.

Will Haley let things go and accept her feelings for? Or will revenge be her only solution. In the end, it's all just business, isn't it?”

Author: Summer Dowell
Genre: Romantic Comedy (clean read)

Series: The Wedding Business series (book 2)

"If I wasn't careful, I would lose my heart to this dreamy, business stealing man."

This book made me smile, sigh, and slightly cringe all at the same time.

The smiling & sighing are pretty self explanatory since it’s a romance! *insert heart eyes here*
The cringing probably needs the explanation…The sabotage/pranks were fun to read, but I was waiting for someone to find out and press charges. Eeekk. It made me anxious, though in my heart of hearts I knew it had to work out because…ROMANCE. Duh!

This book definitely shows you the true lengths of real friendships though! The girls were ready and willing to take down Austin and the restaurant because he stole Haley’s dream. I loved all their little powwow meetings! (And all the snacks involved!)

Haley was a character! She was the extroverted mess that everyone needs in their life. Her POV always made me chuckle because I know people like her and they just always bring a smile to my face. They’re little balls of sunshine!

Austin was great! He was tall, dark, handsome, and great with people. (And he spent his free time hanging out with kids) The perfect hallmark hero! He had a huge heart and he saw the good in everyone. He was just a really good guy!

Haley & Austin together made me smile & sigh! They had such an easy chemistry and banter that I love!

The ending was adorable too! 🎕
Though it wrapped up a little too perfect I’m glad that Austin could forgive Haley for her role (her whole plan really) in getting back at him. Again, it’s a fictional romance of course it ends in a happily ever after. I would have it no other way. 😉

Overall it was an enjoyable rom-com! I’m really looking forward to Avery’s story!
4/5 stars
*I received this book from the author**All opinions are my own*