Releasing Now: Gathering Storms (Wild at Heart #4) by Lex Martin

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

Gathering Storms by Lex Martin is live!

One Click: https://geni.us/GatheringStormsEbook

What you will find inside…

🔥single dad + nanny

💜marriage of convenience

🔥cowboy romance

💜country music star

🔥romantic suspense

💜forced proximity

🔥opposites attract

What’s more complicated than a marriage of convenience? Falling for your husband.

After losing my apartment and librarian job in the same week, I’ve hit rock bottom. That’s the only reason I consider Jace Walker’s offer to be his toddler’s nanny while he goes on a national tour.

I don’t even like the man. But he recently had a baby he didn’t know about dumped on his doorstep, and for once in his charmed life, he’s as desperate as I am.

The plan seems simple—until his label says only spouses can join the tour. And Jace Walker, it turns out, would rather lose the chance of a lifetime than leave his daughter behind.

So when he asks if I’d consider marrying him, I know exactly what I am: His last resort.

I agree to his four-month marriage, convinced he’ll never tempt me. Besides, he’s too charming, too handsome, too talented to look twice at a bookworm. I have walls up for good reasons.

Except life on the road with this rugged cowboy has other plans—bandmates who resent me, his conniving ex who joins the tour, and a deranged fan who leaves us creepy gifts.

And nothing prepares me for Jace himself. The man underneath the charm. The father who’d give up everything for his daughter. The one who makes me feel things I buried a long time ago—and the storm building between us reminds me exactly why I buried them.

If you enjoy reformed playboys, swoony cowboys, single dads who adore their daughters, or prickly, closed-off librarians who would rather read than hang out with country stars, this one is for you!

*****5 Absolutely Amazing Stars*****

It is absolutely no secret that I am a huge fan of Lex Martin and her books. I have read and loved every single one of them, and they have all been five star reads. There is just something incredible that she infuses into her characters, her stories, and all of the feels that she gives you within the unforgettable books that she creates. Simply put, I have loved and treasured every single story and couple and journey I have been on with her characters in the over 10+ years. I have been reading her books.

She is one of my favorite authors for a reason, and what she encapsulates with her characters and their feelings and what they give you is equal parts authentic, unforgettable, vibrant, and just heart touching. I have loved every single book that she has written, and I have treasured every reading experience she has given me as a proud romance reader, but the one that I just experienced in Gathering Storms was truly everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING. This book took a hold of my heart with all that it had and it gave me with Jace and Rory. It gave me the two of them wholeheartedly in the most authentic and genuine way, and it pulled my heart fiercely to those two and everything they gave me in their book. Their story was incredibly consuming, and it just wowed me on every page because of what these characters gave one another, what they allowed each other to feel, and what they pushed each other to hope and dream for together.

So let me just say, if there is anything you take away from this review, it’s that you need to read Gathering Storms and experience every breath of Jace and Rory story this very second. Trust me on that. Because I’m about to say a lot more words about what I loved about this book but really the biggest thing you need to know is that this book is utterly amazing, and the journey and the experiences and moments you get with these characters will not only pull your heart to them fiercely, but it will have you loving and believing in them with everything you have. And honestly, that’s just scratching the surface of what I loved about this book, this couple, and what they gave each other and felt and shared throughout their story.

Now I have to say that one of my favorite aspects of this book was getting to be back with the entire Walker family and in the small town of Wild Heart because this is truly one of my happiest places to be. This family is everything. They show up for each other, they love each other, they call each other on their BS, and they just are a family. In every way that matters. And seeing that family grow and evolve over this series has been the reading experience of a lifetime. I have loved every journey I’ve gone with these brothers and getting Jace‘s story was no different. It has me just more in love with this family, the way that they are together, and the way they love one another, well also, so desperately excited for what’s to come for all of them! Plus, the small town they live in is a gem and I honestly treasure any moment I get with these characters in the place they all call home. It is truly something special and you feel that in your bones in every single book of this series.

Over the course of Gathering Storms you get to go through every tour stop and twist and turn that comes their way as they pour their hearts out to one another, as they let the music push and pull between them growing that fierce connection between them, and as they put their hearts on the line when it really matters for one another. Throw in a little bit of suspense and a whole lot of emotion and you are honestly just scratching the surface of what makes this an incredible romance to finish. What Jace and Rory share together in this book is absolutely unforgettable, completely consuming, and will just have you knowing and believing in everything that is so real between these two. Their relationship might have started off as a deal and a way to help them both out, but it’s soon becomes something they can’t live without. Getting to be with them as they put their hearts on the line and bare their souls to one another over the course of this book as they fight for the realness and heart that is so beautiful and fierce between them is truly the best reading experience you could ask for.

Trust me when I say there is literally no resisting these two, and you will absolutely be blown away by what they show you with their hearts, Jace’s music, Rory’s tenacity, and the fierce and unadulterated connection that they let you experience with them.

If I’m being honest, I don’t think I knew exactly what to expect with Jace and his story with Rory. I mean, I knew I would love it, I knew that I would consume it and just be blown away because that’s the feeling I’ve had reading every book by Lex Martin, but he was the brother that I definitely didn’t know what to expect with. (Though Isaiah might give Jace a run for my money on that one, and I can’t wait!) I knew that he was a bit of a playboy, I knew that he was a phenomenal musician, but I just didn’t know what his story would entail. And I just have to say that I was utterly blown away by that man. Because let me tell you that when his world is turned upside down, not only does he do everything in his power for his little girl, but he also does the same for Rory as he falls so hard for her. I absolutely LOVED that about him. His genuine level of heart, the care and protectiveness that shines through in every moment with him, and the authenticity that shines with him is absolutely everything. I spent this book falling more and more in love with his character, and I really cannot say enough how much I loved getting to feel so connected to him through every single second of this book.

That man walks the walk and talks the talk. Sure there are complications that come his way, and sure he has his flaws like every human being, but his heart is in it and there’s no doubt about that. His heart is in being the best dad he can be after unexpectedly finding out he had a child almost a year after she was born. His heart is in creating a family with his child and showing her that he will always choose her no matter what, while simultaneously healing his own scars from the past. His heart is in giving what he feels with Rory a real chance because he knows there’s no reality in which he wants to exist without her. His heart is in creating music and an experience that is invigorating and memorable, but also full of truth and authenticity. His heart is in being there for his siblings and his family and for those he cares about in any way that he can be. His heart is in it, and it shines through every moment of protectiveness, and heart, and every moment of seeing and celebrating and loving Rory and her dreams and hopes and desires just as much as he does all of that with his own hopes and dreams and desires. But most of all his heart is just in it with Rory & Layla in every breath of this book and it’s PHENOMENAL.

Now not to be all done is the one and only Rory because I connected so much to that girl on a very real level while reading this book. The way that she is so true to herself, the way that she is so vulnerable with her own feelings and insecurities, the way she is so hopeful about the life that she wants to have and create pulled my heart fiercely to her. The way that she just continues to show up with a heart of gold, even when the world has done her wrong, even when the people in her life who were supposed to love her most have done her wrong, is truly everything. That girl is a true gem, and I love her with my whole heart because I saw so much of myself in her character and in who she was. The way that she is a wallflower and proud bookworm and just so genuinely good hearted. The way that she just shows up even when people try to dim the light that she just so naturally brings to the world and those around her. The way she just loves and cares and feels with her full heart is absolutely beautiful.

Rory is so easy to love and relate to and I honestly just cannot say enough how much I enjoyed getting to spend time with her as a character. Not only because I just felt so connected to her, but because she just was such a genuinely good human. She was someone who had been through so much, but was still pushing on, full of hope, and feeling all that she could. She was someone who gave it her all even when she was doing something she never expected to be doing. And she did it all with a genuine heart of gold and a smile on her face because she was going to show up when it really mattered and take a chance. I loved that about her and I just loved getting to see her have that fire within her through every part of this book. Even when others tried to diminish it or take away from her, she stood tall and firm with her heart of gold on her sleeve ready to feel it all and take a chance on love, and I just loved that about her. I loved that so so much.

Rory and Jace definitely have an unconventional story, but that is honestly what I loved about the two of them. What starts off as something purely on paper between them soon become something so much more. When Jace needs a nanny for his new daughter that was literally dropped on his doorstep, Rory comes in to save the day. She’s the town librarian, who has recently lost her job and definitely needs a push to the next step. What she doesn’t expect is that that next step involves touring on a tour bus with Jace as his new wife and nanny. But she decides to take a chance and these two decide to help each other out. But what they don’t expect is one small bedroom on the back of the bus, so much heart and feeling, and a connection between them that grows every second they’re together. Over the course of this book these two soon realize that what started off as fake has soon become much more real than they ever expected it to be, but more than that it’s something that they both want to hold onto and are willing to fight like how far.

As you can clearly tell, I absolutely loved every second of this book. I loved everything that Jace and Rory built together. I loved getting to see the way they poured their hearts out to one another, the way they broke down each other’s walls, and the way they both came together after both having experienced their own heartaches. These two have both been hurt in the past by those who should have been there for them and they’re still picking up the pieces in this book. But what they find together, what they allow each other to share and feel together, and how they literally help put the pieces of one another back together again as they pour the hearts out to each other in this book is truly INCREDIBLE to experience. It shows you the true depth the feeling that both Jace and Rory feel for one another, but it also shows the vulnerability and the authenticity that exists between them.

The way these two see each other, love every version of one another and continue show up for each other, fight for each other and their relationship, and just feel everything together will have your heart in every breath of this book. I promise you that. I think that’s what I loved most about this book. It was the way these characters not only saw the truest, most real and raw versions of one another, but it was the way in which they celebrated and loved those versions. Even the complicated and flawed versions that they didn’t want the world to see. Even the versions that made mistakes and had missteps. Even the versions of themselves that sometimes broke their own hearts. They saw those versions in one another and they still showed up. They still fought for each other and their relationship. They still cared and loved and felt it all. Even when it scared them both out of their minds, even when they didn’t know if it was all truly real, and even when they didn’t know what came next, they were there and they showed up when it matter and that was EVERYTHING.

Rory and Jace share a connection, a level of heart and emotion, and a level of vulnerability with one another that they’ve never felt or shared with anyone before. And honestly, that shines on every single page of this book with what you get with them because you feel it in your bones how right these two are for one another. You feel it in your soul how much they mean to one another, how much they matter to each other, and how much they know they have to see this through with one another…and all of that allows you to feel so utterly connected to both of them and their story and what they feel and share together in this book.

Experiencing all of that with Jace and Rory and what you get through Lex Martin’s writing in Gathering Storms will have you beyond in love with these two. (And really 3, if you include Layla, which you should because she is the actual sweetest.)

Like I said at the start of my review, Lex Martin writes some of my all-time favorite books and there is a reason she is one of my favorite authors. She just allows you to feel everything with her characters. She put you in the heart of her stories, she gives you dynamic and vibrant and memorable characters that you love with your whole heart, but more than that she just gives you characters and a love story you want to believe in. She shows you why this couple has to find a way and why their love is a love worth fighting for and love worth believing in. You feel that in every part of your heart and soul reading this book and it makes for the most incredible reading experience with Jace and Rory. It makes for a reading experience that just shows you the depth of connection in the ferocity of which these two feel for one another, and it will have you fighting right along with them to get that much deserved happily ever after.

Lex Martin truly leaves it all on the pages of this book in the best way. She shows you why these two have to be together, she gives you a memorable and enjoyable story that is full of so much heart and swoon and love and laughter. She shows you that these two have an undeniable level of connection and feeling that just doesn’t quit, and she allows you to experience every high and low and everything in between with them. She also gives you an incredibly consuming story that perfectly encompasses suspense, small town goodness, family vibes, a touring rock band, and so much emotion and vibrancy. She creates a story that has every piece you need as a romance reader, and it makes for the most consuming, unforgettable, an utterly phenomenal book to read and experience.

I really can’t say that enough. Nor can I say enough, how much I just loved Jace and Rory and Layla and the dynamic and family they created together. Those three are truly something special and my heart will be forever marked by those three because of what they allowed me to experience over the course of this book with them. Their story is beautiful, it’s emotional, it’s sweeping and fierce and memorable, it’s full of color and vibrancy and music and heart, but most of all it’s just truthfully theirs. In every way possible, this story belongs to the three of them, what they so beautifully and authentically share together, what they fight like hell for, and what they show up for in one another and themselves in this phenomenal romance. Lex Martin allows you to experience every breath of that through her impeccable, writing and storytelling with this couple, and it will truly have you loving and basking in every single moment you get with this couple.

I promise you that.
And more.

Because honestly, what you get with Jace and Rory and Layla, and every other incredible character of this world is so much more. The way that you connect to these characters, the way that you feel every breath of what they feel for one another and what they share together, and the way that you just feel so invested in the two of them, putting the pieces of themselves back together again while they take a chance on opening their hearts to one another is truly EVERYTHING and so much more. It is a beautiful story of resilience and hope and love, and getting to see these two show up for each other, getting to see them love and celebrate and fall for every version of themselves and each other, and just getting to be there in every big and small moment with them throughout this book and this story is the actual best.

Gathering Storms is a beautiful, all feeling, and utterly consuming love story full of so much spark and music and joy and love and vulnerability and heart and connection that will truly sweepy off your feet. But more than that, it will give you an incredible love story between Jace and Rory that feels beyond meant to be. It will show you that these two may have had an unconventional start to everything, but the feelings between them cannot be denied, nor can the truth that is on every page of this book: these two have to be together because they truly complete one another, they truly see one another, and they truly love and cherish and care for every single piece of one another.

Their story is one you won’t soon forget, and I promise you that it will deliver an unforgettable romance that will check all of the boxes, that will give you all of the swoon and fire, but most of all that will have you just loving this entire world of characters and utterly in love and consumed with everything this couple gives you.

Simply put, Gathering Storms by Lex Martin is an absolute must read and is one of my top reads. I’ve read this year. It is an utterly incredible romance from start to finish that will give you incredible and dynamic characters that will steal your whole heart and that you will love to pieces. It is another impeccable romance by this author that has shown me through every single page why she is one of my all-time favorite authors and why I will always look forward to a new book of hers. This book delivered everything and more, and honestly, I could go on and on with so many more words about how much I loved this book and how incredible it was to experience this love story with Jace and Rory. Those true truly gave me at all in this book and I just loved it.

I loved it so fucking much. And I know you will too. So so much.

So just do yourself a favor and run yourself to this book and this entire series. It is small town goodness, filled to the brim with so much charm and heart and fire, and it is Lex Martin at her best. Trust me when I say there is a multitude of reasons that makes her such an incredible author, and the author of some of my all-time favorite books, and this book just shows that in spades. Honestly, this whole series does that and more, and will have you absolutely in love with this small town, this fantastic family, and every ounce of feeling and emotion you get within the pages of these books.

Trust me when I say that Gathering Storms by Lex Martin is your next romance read that will steal your whole heart and you will absolutely love everything you get with Jace & Rory and their story. There’s no denying the love and connection between these two and what they bring out in one another. What you get with them will have you believing in that and in them fiercely and unequivocally with your whole heart…and honestly, it doesn’t get better than that. Not one little bit. 💜

Meet Lex Martin:

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of Varsity Dads, Texas Nights, and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romance novels, the steamy kind she hopes readers love but her parents avoid.

She’s always been obsessed with writing, starting in elementary school when she would pen short stories and make her father read them. (Afterward, he’d have to take her tests, but he was a good sport and did them without complaint.) 

In high school, when she wasn’t playing basketball, she wrote emo poetry (that won awards, go figure) and worked on the school newspaper.

She later became a nationally-certified high school English teacher and freelance journalist but decided she’d rather write romance novels than tests or city hall articles.

Lex loves coffee, rom coms, pen hoarding, planners, and college football. She married her almost college sweetheart (they met right after graduation), and she’s still obsessed with him, especially when he writes her songs.

She currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband, twin daughters, a bunny, and their new puppy. Drop her a line at lex (at) lexmartinwrites.com. She loves hearing from readers.

Lex is represented by Kimberly Brower of Brower Literary & Management.

Connect with Lex Martin:

https://shor.by/6VIR

Releasing Now: West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1) by Corinne Michaels

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

West of Forever by Corinne Michaels is live!

What you can expect:

💜 enemies to lovers
💜 cowboy x cowgirl
💜 grumpy x sunshine
💜 rival families
💜 single dad
💜 forbidden

West of Forever is live on all platforms!
💜 E-book & Audio: https://geni.us/WOF-CM
💜 Paperback Preorder Campaign: https://geni.us/WOFPreorder

Tristan Stone is off limits.

It doesn’t matter that the grumpy, single dad did nothing wrong. He’s a cowboy and his last name means I’m bound by blood to hate him. My family would never be okay with me having feelings for our enemy.

When he stops—in the pouring rain—because I have a flat tire, the last thing I expect is for him to help me. 

I do my best to ignore the water sliding off his hat and how he fills out those jeans. My best, however, is not good enough. Each night I close my eyes and dream of a future we can never have. And after he defends me at the bar and we share a magical dance? It only gets worse. 

I know I should forget about him, but when I find him alone one night, I offer up a no-strings attached relationship that we both promise to keep secret. Sidelong glances across property lines morph into clandestine meetings under the stars wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Never mind that our families will never approve or that he told me he can never love again, I crave him.

Soon our no feelings agreement is in tatters, and my heart belongs to that broken cowboy. Will he break it or will he defy them all and choose us instead?

5 Absolutely Incredible Stars

West of Forever by Corinne Michaels is one of the best books I have read this year. I figured we should start this review by getting that truth out there because I’m about to say a lot of things about this book and what I absolutely loved about it, but the one thing I want you to know is that it is one of the best books I have read this year, one of my new favorite books from this author, and an absolutely incredible and consuming love story. This book was everything I needed and more. Honestly, it was so much more because what I got in this book, in the start of this series, and with Lark and Tristan was truly incredible to experience. Like I am practically giddy over everything I got with those two and my heart could not be more in love with every word that Corinne Michaels delivered in this unforgettable book.

Now it is no secret that I am a huge fan of Corinne Michaels. I have read all of her books, I’ve been a fan of hers for over 10+ years now, and I love the way that she creates a love story and allows you to live and fall in love with her characters. I have felt those feelings in every book of hers, and every new series, and in every world, she brings us heart first into. To say that I love her books, is honestly putting it too mildly because I have just gotten the best reading experiences of my life with her characters and through her words and the moments she has given me as her characters have just experienced everything together. Let’s just say there are many reasons why Corinne Michaels continues to be one of my all-time favorite authors and why I can always count on her for a must read romance that will steal every piece of my heart.

Starting a new series from her is always an exciting time because it’s a whole new world of characters that I know I’m going to love, and let me tell you do I already love the characters of Heartstone Ranch. From the moment I started this book, I was smitten, not only with Lark and Tristan, but all of the characters of this world. I was immediately intrigued by them all, pulled in by all of their different dynamics and personalities and charms, and I was definitely invested in all of the stories that I know they have to tell. I loved that through every page of this book, I was immediately just consumed within this world, these rival families, and every thing that went on between them. Couple that with just the incredible characters that make up this world and you have a series that I know is going to be my new favorite. And honestly, I’ve already counting down the minutes until I get all of the stories this world has to offer because my heart is ready for every single one of them.

But it truly goes without saying, but I’ll say it clearly because it deserves to be said, that Lark and Tristan steal the complete show in this book as they should. Those two are the whole show in this book, and I absolutely LOVED getting their story.

From the moment I met them in the very first chapter, I was not only intrigued by them, I was not only connected to them, I was already rooting for them. Because their connection? Their fire and spark that is there in every second they are together? It’s life-changing. It really is because you know that there is something very true and real about what they share and what they make each other feel. That is evident from the very first moment you meet them and it is evident through every moment they continue to share in this book. I absolutely lived for being in the thick of that, in the heat of it all, and in the back-and-forth of these two as they tried to fight their feelings, as they tried to deny the truth that was right in front of their hearts and eyes, and as they just fell so hard for one another.

Simply put, Lark and Tristan deliver a passionate, heartfelt, and utterly consuming love story in West of Forever. Their love story absolutely blew me away. Going from enemies and rival families, to friends who sleep with each other and pretend not to feel everything for one another, to so much more is a fiery and eventful ride with them full of emotion and connection and so much heart. But more than that, it is just a story that will take a hold of you with all that it has and utterly consume you within the depth of what these characters share.

I think that’s honestly one of my favorite aspects of what Corinne Michaels gives you with Lark and Tristan. She shows you so much of what this couple shares and feels together. She puts you in the heart of it all. She peels back those layers, she shows you the vulnerabilities that both of these characters has, she puts them right at the forefront, and she allows you to fall right along with them. She allows you to experience every breath of what they share. Every emotion, every kiss, every moment where they see each other in a way that no one else ever has. She lets you be there in every moment where they make each other feel things that they were never prepared to feel and that there was no going back from. She lets you experience it all, while showing you why they are so beyond worth it and why they have to find a way to end up together. And knowing and feeling and experiencing that through every breath and word and moment of this book is truly everything. It sears your heart to theirs and it has you believing and knowing that these two have to find their way to each other.

They just have to.

They set up of this series gives you so much. You have the Stones and you have the Gatlins who are rival families and have been for decades. They definitely do not get along and they are definitely not supposed to like each other. So when Lark and Tristan can’t help but feel everything for one another, it definitely sets up the best kind of forbidden romance. And what I loved so much about this series is that you obviously have this set up of these rival families, this new small town, and all of the dynamics that go with it. But in the thick of that, you also have the most unforgettable love story of two people who are not supposed to want each other, two people who are not supposed to even look twice at one another, two people who are practically sworn to hate each other, but in reality they feel EVERYTHING for one another.

They feel sparks, they feel connection, they feel alive when they’re together. Being together lights the two of them on fire in a way that they both know they’ll never be the same. Being together changes the trajectory of their lives. Being together brings so much beauty and life and color back to them after they’ve both experienced so much. Being together has them knowing that they have both been permanently changed by what they have shared and felt together. Being together allows them a vulnerability and truth with themselves and with each other that they’ve literally never shared with anyone else before.

Being together changes everything for them.

And while they might not have been prepared for those changes and they might’ve denied that that’s where they were headed, these two definitely show that the connection they feel, the feelings they share, and the emotion of it all cannot be denied or pushed away or diminished by any outside force or even their biggest fears because everything they experience and feel and share together is beautiful and real and worth it. So beyond worth it.

I hope you can see that I absolutely loved Lark and Tristan. I mean, those two are gems, and I was smitten with them from their very first meeting and that love just continued to grow through every single moment with them. Through every moment they pushed each other‘s buttons, through every moment at their ridge, through every moment in between where they tried to deny what was really happening between them, and through every moment where they just grew closer and closer to what felt written in the stars. Those two are incredible characters. They have layers to them, they have fears and insecurities, they have hearts of gold, and they feel everything for one another. Getting to be with them as they experienced all of that together, as they showed up for each other, as they made each other feel every emotion under the sun, and as they just fell so hard and so deeply for one another gave me the absolute best reading experience.

I truly cannot say that enough.

It’s also suffice to say that those two light each other on fire in a way that will have you welcoming the burn. Because what they do to each other, what they make each other feel, and the sparks that are sparkling in every second they’re together are abundant. The build up of that tension is GLORIOUS and will have you begging that these two to give into just one little morsel all of that spark and connection they share. But more than that the sparks and fire between Tristan and Lark is addicting, and you will LOVE being addicted to the fire and the connection and the heat that these two bring out and one another. It is scorching and it will just add to what you know is true: these two have to be together.

I honestly felt so connected to these two as they shared what they did. I mean, there were moments that brought tears to my eyes with this couple while reading their book, there were moments where I just laughed my ass off with them, and there were so many moments where I melted and swooned right along with them with everything they made each other feel and allowed each other to share. What these two give one another, what they allow the other to see in themselves, and what they build together in this book is absolutely fucking beautiful. I mean, it is breathtaking at times, it is so genuinely heartfelt, and it is just beautiful. So damn beautiful. The connection they share, the fire of it all, the depth of it all, and what it means for these two and everything they feel is absolutely beautiful, but more than that it’s just brimming with all the hope of a more and a forever that these two deserve with their whole hearts.

Those two see something in one another that no one in their lives has ever seen or allowed them to feel. They see each other in the most real and raw way. They get each other. They get each other’s fears, each other‘s worries, and the things that hold them back. But more than that, they also see the pieces that make them wholeheartedly good. The pieces that make them who they are at their core and the pieces that ultimately show them that there is no future that exists without the other in it. These two break down every wall and barrier between them and their families and the histories between them and on the other side they find each other. They find each other and a hell of a lot of love and connection that they can’t help but want to hold onto with all their might. Getting to be in that place that is so special to them, getting to see them show every part of themselves to the other and embrace it all, and getting to see these two create something so magical and so special together is absolutely incredible and breathtaking in this book.

What Tristan and Lark share in West of Forever is undeniable in the most beautiful and heartfelt way, and getting to experience that as a lover of love stories and a believer and happily ever afters is something I won’t soon forget.

Tristan & Lark definitely have their work cut out for them in this book and the world of their rival families, but boy do they make that work so beyond worth it with what you get with them. The relationship they build together, the relationship she builds with his little girl, the way they just fit in a way that feels so right and meant to be, and the way that nothing between them can truly be denied is absolutely everything to experience in this book. What you get with them will definitely have you loving it all, and loving them, but most of all it will have you knowing that these two have to find a way to there forever because it’s the only ending that is deserving of them and everything they share and give you in this unforgettable and absolutely incredible romance.

Corinne Michaels does it again in West of Forever. She creates the most unforgettable and consuming love story with the world full of characters your heart loves from the get-go and she just creates a story you want to get lost in. She gives you a love story that is bursting with fierce connection, incredible banter, unforgettable moments that steal your breath and simultaneously make you melt into a puddle of goo, while showing you that you can’t get enough of it all and everything she creates with her characters. She also once again finds the perfect balance between levity, glorious banter, undeniable connection, and just so much heart with all of these characters, but especially with Tristan and Lark. The way that Corinne takes you from chandeliers and chicken coops, to special and especially spicy moments at the ridge, to fiery banter filled text messages, to everything in between is the actual best and will just have you loving everything you were getting with these characters.

This book is an epic start to a new series that I already love and I for one already know that it’s going to be one of my favorites. I mean, you have small towns, cowboys and cowgirls, rival families, and more personality and vibrancy then you can shake a stick at. This book and this series definitely have me LOVING the vibes that this world brings and I am already addicted and ready for more. I am already invested in not only seeing what continues to happen for Tristan and Lark but also the rest of these characters as the series continues. There’s no denying that these characters are all a force to be reckoned with, and I am here for it. I am here for every single one of them, and I’m excited to see how each and every one of them will find the loves they so deserve. I an also definitely here for Clyde Stone and the antics that man gets up to.

West of Forever is the most incredible star to a new series that I have no doubt will continue to be absolutely consuming, breathtaking, and unforgettable. I’m sitting here writing this review honestly just wanting to go back to the beginning with Tristan and Lark because that is how much I absolutely loved their book, loved experiencing every single moment with them as they felt everything together, and loved the two of them.

I love those two with my whole heart, and I loved getting to see them fall piece by piece for one another. I loved getting to watch them realize that love is always worth fighting and showing up for. I loved getting to just be with them as they felt and shared every piece of themselves with one another in the most beautifully vulnerable way and showed the world around them that love should always be celebrated, no matter if that person you love if from a rival family. I loved them. I loved their love and everything that came with it. I loved the authenticity of it all, the raw emotion of it all, and I loved that when it really came down to it at the end of the day, that love is what saw them through everything. Their trust in each other, their trust in that connection and love that they shared and so beautifully built, and their trust and the hope for the future and their want and desire for that forever will see you through it all in this book with them.

Trust me.

There is literally no resisting those two and everything they share, and honestly, you won’t want to resist them. Because the moment that man stops on a rainy highway to help her get to safety and assures her that any man worthy of her would swim through a flood to get to her, it’s over. It’s game over because you know that everything these two share, everything they feel, everything they bring to each other‘s lives and hearts is worth fighting for. Everything they feel for each other is worth fighting for. Everything they hope for and believe in and can dream of is worth fighting for. Everything about what they share is worth fighting for.

They are worth fighting for.

And getting to experience that? Getting to know that and believe that and feel every breath of that in this book through this incredible authors writing? Well…It actually doesn’t get better than that. It truly doesn’t. Because what Corinne Michaels gives you through her words with Tristan and Lark through every breath of this story, every emotion, every moment where they push and pull as all of the pieces come together, is truly everything. Honestly, it’s more than everything because the level of connection you feel to this couple, the level of belief you have in everything they share, and the honest to goodness love you feel for them and the other incredible characters of this world, is something to relish in. Because getting to feel that connected to a couple, to their story, and to every breath of what they experience in a brand new world of characters (who you can’t wait for more from!) is nothing short of everything.

If you take one thing away from this review, let it be that you need to read and experience this book for yourself. Lark and Tristan and every other incredible character of this world are ready to steal your heart and show you that the world of Infinity Ridge is your new favorite place to be. They’re also ready to show you that enemies can become so much more when given the opportunity to fall hard for one another….and that more? Well it’s life changing and beautiful and absolutely EVERYTHING for this couple. And you will love every second you get with them in this book as they realize and feel all of that in the incredible more they share together.

I’m already counting down the days until I’m back in this world because I am in it with these characters and I just love it. I love it so so much. And I just can’t wait for what this entire series will bring for them all! My heart is beyond ready for all that Corinne Michaels has planned for Heartstone Ranch and I know it’s going to be an epic ride. So saddle me up and call me a cowgirl because me and my heart are beyond ready for everything this new series will continue to offer!!

p.s. Make sure you read the Clyde bonus scene at the end of the book. Trust me when I say it will give you everything and will not only have you loving that man even more, but it will have you simultaneously shaking your head, smiling so hard, and melting in the best way.

It’s a Cover Reveal: The Seduction by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted in Books I love, Cover Reveal by

Jodi Ellen Malpas has revealed the cover for The Seduction!

Releasing: November 24, 2026

Blurb Coming soon!

Pre-order today!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4u5wgDd

Audible: Coming Soon


Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4ucRm2J

It’s a Cover Reveal: Gathering Storms by Lex Martin

Posted in Books I love, Cover Reveal by

✨It’s cover reveal day for GATHERING STORMS by Lex Martin releasing July 9th! 

#PreOrderHere 

https://geni.us/GatheringStormsEbook

What you will find inside…

🔥single dad + nanny

💜marriage of convenience

🔥cowboy romance

💜country music star

🔥romantic suspense

💜forced proximity

🔥opposites attract

What’s more complicated than a marriage of convenience? Falling for your husband.

After losing my apartment and librarian job in the same week, I’m one bad day away from hitting rock bottom. That’s the only reason I consider Jace Walker’s offer to be his toddler’s nanny while he goes on a national tour.

I don’t even like the man. But he recently had a baby he didn’t know about dumped on his doorstep, and for once in his charmed life, he’s as desperate as I am.

The plan seems simple — until his label says only spouses can join the tour. And Jace Walker, it turns out, would rather lose the chance of a lifetime than leave his daughter behind.

So when he asks if I’d consider marrying him, I know exactly what I am: his last resort.

I agree to his four-month marriage, convinced he’d never tempt me. Besides, he’s too charming, too handsome, too talented to look twice at a quiet bookworm. I have rules and walls up for good reasons.

Except life on the road with this rugged cowboy has other plans—bandmates who resent me, his conniving ex who joins the tour, and a deranged fan who leaves us creepy gifts.

And nothing prepares me for Jace himself. The man underneath the charm. The father who’d give up everything for his daughter. The one who makes me feel things I buried a long time ago—and the storm building between us reminds me exactly why I buried them.

If you enjoy reformed playboys, swoony cowboys, single dads who adore their daughters, or prickly, closed-off librarians who would rather read than hang out with country stars, this one is for you!

Pre-Order Link:

https://geni.us/GatheringStormsEbook

Meet Lex Martin:

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of Varsity Dads, Texas Nights, and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romance novels, the steamy kind she hopes readers love but her parents avoid.

She’s always been obsessed with writing, starting in elementary school when she would pen short stories and make her father read them. (Afterward, he’d have to take her tests, but he was a good sport and did them without complaint.) 

In high school, when she wasn’t playing basketball, she wrote emo poetry (that won awards, go figure) and worked on the school newspaper.

She later became a nationally-certified high school English teacher and freelance journalist but decided she’d rather write romance novels than tests or city hall articles.

Lex loves coffee, rom coms, pen hoarding, planners, and college football. She married her almost college sweetheart (they met right after graduation), and she’s still obsessed with him, especially when he writes her songs.

She currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband, twin daughters, a bunny, and their new puppy. Drop her a line at lex (at) lexmartinwrites.com. She loves hearing from readers.

Lex is represented by Kimberly Brower of Brower Literary & Management.

Connect with Lex Martin:

https://shor.by/6VIR

Releasing Now: Lucky Girl Summer by Morgan Elizabeth

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

Lucky Girl Summer by Morgan Elizabeth is live!

What you can expect:

✨ grumpy x sunshine

✨ lucky girl syndrome

✨ workplace romance

✨ summer romance

✨ only one bed

✨ strangers to lovers

💚One Click 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 👉https://geni.us/luckygirlsummerpre

June Taylor has always believed that the universe pushes her in the right direction, even if, at the time, it felt like the end of the world. The universe works in strange ways, and those strange ways always work in her favor.

But when she gets laid off from the job she always thought was her calling, she leans further into all things luck and fate and vows to take every opportunity that the universe offers her. She’s entering her Lucky Girl Summer, finding four-leaf clovers and wishing at 11:11, and knowing it will all work out in the end. When she stumbles into a new job, she thinks it might be working… until she realizes her grumpy new boss is also the man she had a one-night stand with. 

Graham Hawthorne is not a man known for getting distracted: has always been laser-focused on his career and nothing else. When work brings him to the small shore town of Seaside Point, where he’s been tasked with opening a beach resort, he assumes it will be the same as always: get in, make the business profitable, then move on to the next location. 

It’s just his luck that he would find himself increasingly obsessed with his new bubbly assistant… and even more obsessed with making all of her whimsical dreams come to life. 

But lately, his successes have felt hollow, no longer bringing that satisfaction of a job well done. He hopes that his newest challenge, heading the newest expansion of Daydream Resorts in the form of small-scale luxury clubs, will be the thing to snap him out of it.

*****5 Absolutely Incredible Stars*****

Lucky Girl Summer by Morgan Elizabeth is like summer, sun, magic, and all of the hope and luck in the world brought together in one incredible package. And that package just happens to be the most consuming love story that will have you melting into a puddle from the very first moments you meet this couple. This book is absolutely everything and I’m sitting here writing this book review with the biggest smile on my face. Just absolutely in love with everything. I just read and experienced with June and Graham in their story. Those two definitely keep each other on their toes, they definitely have a connection that doesn’t quit, but most of all they have a level of luck and love that is truly beautiful.

I just love this book. I loved every single second of it. I loved the magic and sparkle of it all in this book with June‘s character. I loved how grumpy and stubborn Graham was. I loved what these characters made each other feel and what they brought to each other‘s lives. I loved that just when I thought I couldn’t fall harder for these two or swoon even more, I did just that because of what Morgan Elizabeth gave me with her characters. But more than that I just loved the connection and fire and undeniable level of pool between this couple. They are definitely meant to be, and you feel that in your bones from their very first meeting. And the more you get with them, the more you need and realize that there is no ending that doesn’t exist without the two of them together.

Morgan Elizabeth is one of my favorite authors for a reason. Her books truly are my happy place and I just love getting to fall in love with all of her couples. I also seriously love that every book of hers is that in a world of characters that you never truly say goodbye for. I love that when I read a book of hers. I get to see future characters that I know I will get stories for, well also getting some of my favorite couples that I’ve already gotten to love. It’s just the best amount of everything and getting to spend time with her fictional characters in the incredible small towns that she creates with all of the connection and friendship and heart that they all share is truly the best. Every book of hers feels like I’m going back to my favorite summer camp with my best friends in the world and that we’re just getting to spend the best amount of time together, living and loving and just experiencing everything together. It feels like the best kind of time reading a book by this author, and I have felt that in every single one of her books. There is equal parts, magic, and love and sparkle and heart and fire, and just connection bursting from every single moment that she gives you with all of her characters and couples, and this book with June and Graham was no different.

Lucky Girl Summer is definitely one of my favorites by this author. There’s just something so magical and so right about June and Graham. The fact that they’re so seemingly opposite with her being all sunshine and hope and color, and him being all black and white and serious and grumpy. They are definitely opposite, but they also make each other feel everything. And getting to be in the thick of that connection and that desire and that pull that they have to one another, getting to see them do everything in their power to build something real with each other, and getting to see just how much they impact one another is truly everything. When you couple that with how this couple shows up for each other, how they show up for themselves, how they push each other to fight for what they both want while falling so hard for one another is the absolute best. And it just pulls your heart fiercely to everything they share.

June‘s character stole my heart from the start. As a teacher myself who knows what it’s like to burn out, I immediately connected to her. I also just loved the way that she viewed the world around her, the universe, and how she manifested the good and lucky things coming to her life. I loved that she truly believed that and it wasn’t just a thing for her, it was who she was. She was someone who believed in the goodness of the world and what the world could bring her and others. I loved getting to experience that with her, and I especially loved getting to watch her bring that vibrancy and life and color and personality to this book, but especially to Graham. Because boy did he need it. But more than that I really loved getting to see how June really learns to accept the dreams that I’ve always been within her and how she believes not only in what those dreams could bring her, but what she can choose and create for herself in her life. She is a true gem of a character, and I just loved her with my whole heart through every part of this book.

Now Graham‘s character also stole my heart in the best way in Lucky Girl Summer. That man puts the grump and grumpy, and I was here for it. I loved that he had such a hard exterior, that he is definitely a grumpy man, but that he also has such a strong level determination. That man can be stubborn when he wants to, and I loved that he wasn’t afraid to push June to achieve her own dreams while he himself was pushed out of his comfort zone. But I have to say what I think I loved the most about his character is just how much that man was so down bad for June. I mean he was smitten. He was in it with her even when you didn’t first realize it as a reader and I LOVED it. I loved that there was some pretty big yearning and feelings happening beneath that grumpy surface from him, and I loved getting to see the depth of those feelings and what that man was willing to do for the woman he really cared about. I also loved that her being in his life pushed him in ways that he really needed to. That man definitely loves that girl with his whole heart, and you feel that in your soul in this book with these two.

There are so many moments in this book that will just make you melt. So just prepare yourself now. I literally was taking notes on it as I read because I just wanted to remember those moments because they were so swoony and sweet and thoughtful. I mean the lengths that Graham goes to for June is pretty much everything and I’m still swooning hard from that. And coupling that with the way that she pushes him to be friends and to feel all of the things outside his comfort zone is also absolutely everything. Those two are actual magic together and getting to see them fall for each other, getting to see them feel everything for one another, and just washing the two of them show up for one another in every way that matters is truly perfection.

It’s true just see each other and get each other in ways that no one else ever has before. And that’s not to say they don’t have the most incredible friend group ever, because they do. Her group of friends and really her family that they have all created in this small town, welcomes Graham with open arms, and it gives both of these characters the love and the pushes that they both need. But even though these two grow this incredible support system through his work and her friends, and this found family of characters, they also see something so true and real in one another. They truly see every honest feeling and moment with one another. They get each other, they see each other, they show up for one another in ways that matter, and they push each other in the ways that the other needs. It is honestly breathtaking getting to feel and experience the depth of that connection in this book and it will have you not only loving every single thing you get with them, but it will just have you knowing that they have to be together.

They just have to be.

Morgan Elizabeth makes this another absolutely consuming and effervescent read from start to finish. Her books truly give me the best love stories and the best characters and the best moments that I can’t stop thinking about. And I don’t want to. That’s what I love about her books. She not only invest me completely with a group of characters and a small town and just everything that she infuses into her stories and words, but she just makes her books and her series places that I never want to leave. She just shows that what she gives you is something to treasure and bask in, and every new book of hers is another moment you get all of that incredibleness again. And that…well that’s just the best.

Lucky Girl Summer is the book of the summer and it’s just another must read from this author. It combines a story of romance, friendship, beach, towns, and summer vibes, and the best way. It brings all of the hope and magic and sparkle that I have come to love and expect from a book by this author, but it just amplify that with everything that June and Graham share together. Those two definitely have an undeniable level of connection and getting to watch them given to it, getting to watch the way in which they show up for each other and feel everything for one another, and just getting to be there as they relish and everything they share together is absolutely amazing. It makes for a hell of a love story, and it will definitely have you knowing that these two were written in the stars and meant to be in every way.

Getting to feel that and experience that with them and knowing that there is no universe in which they aren’t together and aren’t meant to be is absolutely everything. What June and Graham share is actual magic in this book. And you will love getting to be in the thick of it. You will love the connection and fire they bring out in one another. You will love the way they show up for one another and show each other that they see each other and who they truly are and hope to be. You will love the heart of it all and how this couple turns luck into love in every way that matters. You will just love the way that these two can simultaneously push each other’s buttons and push each other to that edge, while also loving everything that makes them them and basking in the sunlight and magic and fireworks that they bring to each other’s lives.

Honestly, I could just keep going about how much I loved this book and everything that June and Graham shared together. Those two could not have been more perfect for one another. And getting to be in the thick of everything they share is something that I won’t forget, and honestly, I don’t want to because I just loved those two with my whole heart. I loved how they were themselves through it all. I loved how right they felt from the very first moment they met. I loved how much they connected to one another, how much they just saw each other and felt together. I loved the way they fell for each other in the small moments and in the big moments. I loved the way these characters just saw each other and understood each other and celebrated each other and who they were every chance I got. But most of all I just loved them and who they were and what they made each other feel.

It was magical and effervescent and so beautifully built full of love and connection and a healthy dose of luck and magic, and I was here for every fucking amazing word of it.

When you couple that with the incredible small town you get in this book, Morgan Elizabeth’s phenomenal writing that put you in the heart of it all, and the consuming pieces that come together in this story you have it all in this book. You have the love, you have the connection, and you have a story that just doesn’t quit. You have the moments that definitely light you on fire and give you the fireworks, while also giving you the moments that have you melting into a puddle over the swoon and heart that these characters share. And honestly? That’s just scratching the surface of what makes Lucky Girl Summer one of my favorite books. I’ve read this year and a book that you need in your life this second.

Trust me when I say that June and Graham are ready to steal your whole heart, and you will gladly give it over peace by peace in this book because that is how magical and incredible and unforgettable those two are. You will love every little moment with them, every sign of luck, and every second second these two share together as they fall so hard for one another. This book and everything you get with them is the epitome of an incredible romance novel that will have you believing and feeling and just living for everything this couple shares and it’s the best. Honestly, it’s more than that, so much more. Because what this author pours into this book into this couple into the vibes and just the feels of this book is absolutely everything and unforgettable, and every other positive adjective that you can think of, and that still doesn’t really capture what you get with this couple and these characters. So honestly just prepare yourself now to love this book, this couple, this town, and all of these characters with your whole heart because there’s no resisting any of that or them.

I promise you that.

Morgan Elizabeth has once again outdone herself in Lucky Girl Summer and honestly, I just love it. I loved falling in love with June and Graham and everything they shared and made each other feel in this book. I loved the magic of it all, the luck of it all, and the love these two build peace by peace, moment by moment. What they share together is beautiful, full of such effervescence and heart, and it’s just so inherently them in the best way. I honestly could have lived in this book if you let me and the vibes that it gave me with this couple and I really can’t say that enough. I was here for everything this book and this author give you and I just loved it. I loved every single second and word of this book with this couple and you will too.

There’s no resisting the magic and the pull and the hope and the love and the luck and the spark of it all with June and Graham…and honestly, you’re just going to want to jump heart first into it all with them. Trust me. What you get with these two in their book will have you loving them in every way, believing in everything they share, and honestly just wanting more and more of it all because what you get within this book with this couple is phenomenal. Morgan Elizabeth truly delivers a must read romance in this book that will have you loving every second you get with this couple, well also desperately hoping you could get more of it all because that’s just how damn good it all is.

This book is a must read for anyone who loves a good love story, who wants a little bit of sparkle and magic in their lives, and who wants to feel the beauty and the love and the heart of a love story between two characters whose love story feels written in the stars and beyond meant to be. But more than that, this book is just a must read because it is the epitome of an amazing love story from start to finish with incredible characters, phenomenal writing, and a consuming world of characters that will steal your whole heart while simultaneously making you fall in love with each and every one of them. June and Graham truly give you everything in their love story and you’ll love it. You’ll love it and them and everything you get to experience with them along the way.

And honestly… That’s just a fraction of what makes this such an amazing book to read and experience.

Releasing Now: Falter (Guardian Protection #3) by Aly Martinez

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

🎉FALTER IS LIVE🎉

𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞-> 𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐩𝐬://𝐚𝐦𝐳𝐧.𝐭𝐨/𝟒𝐭𝐳𝐞𝐥𝐅𝟖

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

💙Bodyguard

💙 Forced Proximity

💙Grumpy Sunshine

💙Jaded Hero

💙Forbidden

I once made the mistake of falling for a client, and it nearly cost me my career.

Jaded and disgraced, I used my attitude as armor so it could never happen again.

Until I was assigned to protect Lofton Beck.

Hollywood’s golden girl had a stalker on her tail—and two dead bodyguards.

She was a nightmare from the start. Didn’t follow orders. Had no concept of boundaries. Worst of all, she was so damn gorgeous I couldn’t build my walls strong enough to keep her out.

As the threats escalated, we were forced into hiding at her family’s farm. Keeping my distance became impossible with her sleeping in the room next door.

Somewhere between our early mornings together and the quiet moments when the world disappeared, it became clear her stalker wasn’t the most dangerous part of the assignment.

Protecting her was never the problem.

Falling in love with her could cost me everything.

*𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.*

*****5 Absolutely Fall Worthy Stars*****

Let me tell you something, if there is something I know in life to be true, it is that Aly Martinez can write a hell of a romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat, that will have you feeling absolutely EVERYTHING, and that will have you believing with your whole heart in the couple she gives you and allows you to fall in love with. Falter encapsulated all of that and more and was her at her best. This book is a quintessential Aly Martinez book and it was absolutely incredible, unforgettable, and utterly consuming from start to finish. But more than that, it was an amazing and all-feeling love story between two people who shouldn’t be together, who shouldn’t work, yet every jagged cracked piece of themselves fits perfectly with the other in a way that feels wholly meant to be.

Falter is the story of Lofton and Devon, two characters who come together in the most extraordinary of circumstances, who feel absolutely everything they weren’t prepared to feel for one another, and who change each other’s lives and hearts in ways that neither were prepared for.

This book is their journey to absolution. This book is their story of forbidden love. This book is their healing from everything that has gone wrong in each of their respective pasts. This book is their opportunity to put their hearts on the line, to let their vulnerability shine, and to break down the solid walls that they have built around their hearts. This book is a fight for them. This book is a fight for her safety and freedom, from both a literal stalker endangering her and also the life she thought she always wanted, but turned out to be the version she didn’t want. This book is a fight for him and his freedom, from a past version of himself, from the weight of the mistakes he’s made, and from feelings he wasn’t prepared to feel.

This book is Lofton and Devon through and through on their journey to accepting everything that they make each other feel and then some. It is them at their best and worst and everything in between. It is them and their most vulnerable, and their most real and raw, feeling everything under the sun that they weren’t prepared for, but that they also needed like they needed their next breath. It was the two of them and the new normal they shared and created together. And that new normal scared them both out of their minds with what it made them feel, but it was also the exact place they were always meant to be because the way these characters see each other, get each other, and fight and show up and feel everything for one another is true perfection. And that perfection may be complicated and messy and rawly emotional at times, but it is very them, it is perfectly them, and it allows every piece of their heart and emotions to shine.

Simply put, Falter by Aly Martinez is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year and is a new favorite book of mine from this author.

This book just utterly consumed my mind and my body and my heart in every word of what I got with this couple from the very first page of this book. Thrown into the thick of the action, this book puts you in it with Lofton and Devon. She is a celebrity who is being stalked and who is in literal danger. He is the bodyguard who is hired to protect her and who might also want absolutely nothing to do with a celebrity scene or a celebrity.

These two definitely get off to a rocky start, but the more time they spend together, the more protective he gets, the more she breaks down those walls and adds little cracks of emotion to them, and the more that they see each other for who they really are in the quiet mornings they share together, the more these two realize the shit is about to hit the fan. And by shit, I mean their feelings and emotions because what they share is everything. It is all kinds of forbidden because he is her bodyguard and she is the client, and they are definitely not supposed to want each other, but want each other they do. Their slow burn gloriousness of connection and fire and pull to one another will literally give you life on this book. Trust me on that. And watching these two give into everything they make each other feel, watching them show up for each other in the way that they do, and getting to be there as they fall so hard for one another will pull your heart to their fiercely in every way possible. I promise you that.

Devon and Lofton share something undeniable. It might break all the rules, it might be messy and complicated and flawed, but it is so inherently them. The way these two pull back all of the layers and see each other for who they are is absolutely everything. But more than that getting to watch them put their hearts on the line when it really matters, getting to watch them poke at each other until there is no choice left, but to fall for one another, and getting to watch these characters reckon with the depth of their feelings and connection is truly incredible. It makes for a hell of a love story and it will definitely have you knowing that these two are meant to be. They are meant to find their way, even if what they share breaks all the rules, and even if what they share isn’t supposed to work, and getting to be so connected to them as they give it they’re all in this book will truly have you in love with everything they share and what they give you.

There is truly such beauty in the moments that you get with Devon and Lofton. In the slow moments, in the vulnerable moments, in the moments where they let all of their colors shine for the other to see. There is such authenticity and heart in what they build. It is slow and glorious in how it grows and how that tension between them amplifies, and it truly changes the trajectory of everything for the both of them. And all of that might scare them out of their minds at time, but it also firmly cements for them that the other is who they are meant to be with, and that the other is the person who truly changes everything. The depth of what these two share, the love that grows so authentically and honestly with them in those quiet moments, in those real and raw moments, and in the moments for the whole world to see, sear your heart to everything they share and will have you knowing that they HAVE to find a way.

They just have to.

Aly Martinez finds the best balance of that emotion, that fire and connection, that undeniable pull to one another with what she gives you with Devon and Lofton, and she lights it all on fire. I mean she amplifies it in the best way through what she gives you with them, and you will be here for every second of it. But more than that, you will just love the vibe of this entire book. You will love the banter and the levity you get with these characters. You will love the action and the suspense of it all that will keep you guessing until the very end. You will love that these characters build such an understanding of one another, and how that shines in the most beautiful way in every breath of this book. But more than that, you will just love how wholeheartedly connected you feel to both Lofton and Devon as you get to experience the story with them. I really cannot say enough how much this author just lets you live this book with her characters and it truly is everything to get an experience that.

Because Lofton and Devon… They leave their heart and souls in this book and you will relish in that with them.

I also have to say that being back in the world of Guardian Protection was actual perfection. This whole series owns my whole heart. I love these characters, I love these men, I love their complicated stories to finding love, and I love that only they know how to push each other‘s buttons in the way that they do. This is a found family of complicated characters who show up and love each other in every way, even when they mess up and it’s the best. I have loved this series for years now, and being back in this world is truly the best. Seeing all of my favorite characters again, getting all of their interactions, and just getting to be back in a world full of fictional characters that would do anything for one another, and that equally know how to get under each other‘s skin in the best way has been the best experience. This whole found family of characters shows up for each other in every way that matters, but more than that they had such a levity and heart and connection to the story and it’s the best.

And let me just tell you, I’m already chomping at the bit to be back in this world because I need more of this series something fierce. (Cough, Johnson, cough.) There are definitely some characters that I need everything from and I will be not so patiently waiting for every single one of them. That is how invested Aly Martinez makes you in this series but in every one of her books. She just shows you a group of characters you can’t help but love and want everything with, and it’s one of the best things about her books because you just feel so wholeheartedly connected to her characters, what they give you, and what you feel and experience with them. This series is no different, and getting another moment with all of these characters with Lofton and Devon was truly amazing.

Falter just made me love this world of characters more, but it also gave me an incredibly emotional and unforgettable journey with Lofton and Devon in a way that I just loved. Devon is a complicated character, that we may or may not have met before, and getting to see his evolution, getting to see his fight in it all, and getting to see the truth and vulnerability and what he feels and shares with Lofton was absolutely everything. And Lofton was a true gem of a character. I mean, that woman has a heart of gold, she has so much fight in her, and she is just trying to make semblance of her new normal in the life that she has. I just loved her character from the start and I was immediately enthralled with her.

Getting to see the grumpy sunshine vibes that both her and Devon give off as they fall so so hard for each other, as they try and pretend it’s not happening, and as she just so painstakingly works at that man to show him that they are inevitable and that they feel everything is truly the best. But more than that, just getting to see these two put their hearts on the line when it really matters and show up for each other in only the ways that they can is true perfection and will just have you believing and knowing that they have to find a way to make it all work. That they have to find a way to that happily ever after because there is no other alternative for those two in the depth of what they share.

It’s easy to see from this review that this book is one of my favorite books. I’ve read this year. And I really can’t say it enough. This book is Aly Martinez at her best and the way you get equal parts swoon and suspense and spice will have you living for every breath of this book with Lofton and Devon. I really can’t say that enough. Those two are truly something special and getting to watch them build an epic love story together in this book will have you feeling every breath of their story and then some. But more than that, it will just have you be believing and the two of them and what they give to each other. Those two definitely make each other work for it, and it is the most glorious slow burn to the finish line with them, but it is also so worth it and it will have you be believing in everything they feel and share together.

Trust me on that.

I could not have loved this book or this couple more. What they share, what they give you, the emotion and vulnerability of it all, the fire and suspense of it all, and the way this author tells the story and lets you experience her unique writing and storytelling voice is truly amazing. This is what romance reading should be like. A book like this from this author where the layers and shades and colors of her characters shine brightly and honestly and vulnerably through every second you get with them, simultaneously taking a hold of your heart with every layer and peace and nuance they give you.

It is books like this one that reminds me why I love reading romance so much and why Aly Martinez is one of my all-time favorite authors. Because what she delivers in Falter with Devon and Lofton is more than everything. It is real. It is raw. It is emotional and vulnerable and breathtaking. It is romantic and swoony and fiery. It is consuming in every way and on every level. It is complicated and messy. It is just them. It is them in the most honest and true and real way sharing everything together, letting their colors shine, and be believing in each other and what could be. It is them, wholeheartedly them from start to finish, and I truly could not have asked for more.

Simply put, Falter is a book you need in your life this very second, and I promise you that you will love every breath of what you get with Lofton and Devon. Their love may be forbidden, their feelings may be off limits, and they may also know how to get right under each other skin and push all the buttons each other has, but these two definitely show you that they and their love and everything they share together are worth it.

So beyond worth it. And then some.

I truly could go on and on about how much I loved and felt everything within this book with Lofton and Devon, but I will wrap it up here because really you just need to read this book. You need to read and live and experience everything these characters give you in this book and just embrace it. Embrace their vulnerability, their honesty, and the true selves they give you and their story. Their story is everything and then some, and you will love getting to take it all in with them. They make every second of their story worth experiencing and fighting for, and honestly that’s just scratching the surface of what makes their love story in this book epic and emotional and unforgettable.

Aly Martinez leaves your heart and theirs on every page of this book and it is literal perfection. What you experience with Devon and Lofton across their unforgettable and deeply emotional love story will definitely have you in it with them, believing in everything they share, and fighting right along with them that they find a way to make what’s forbidden and off-limits something that can last forever. Getting to go along with them as they share their beautiful and all feeling colors with each other and the world will give you everything and more with them. And really, there’s no better feeling than that…or what you get with them in this absolutely incredible book.

Releasing Now: The Lie of Having It All by Morgan Elizabeth (Holly Ridge #3)

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

The Lie of Having It All By Morgan Elizabeth is live!

A small-town forbidden romance between a grumpy publicist and his sunshine, pop-star client that can be read as a standalone or as part of an interconnected romance series!

What to expect:

-A fun, spicy, standalone rom com
-Grumpy sunshine vibes and banter
-A pop star lying low in a small town
-A grumpy publicist looking for peace and quiet
-Allllll the delicious spice (our MMC Leo is the king of talking dirty)
-Found family vibes

From a young age, child star-turned pop star Willa Stone knew “having it all” was a myth. The truth is, at some point, you have to choose what you really want in life: a career or a love life, fame or friends, success or peace. Knowing her true purpose in life is to create music and perform, she’s long accepted that her life would always be on display, and every moment would revolve around building the brand. Even her relationships are manufactured, a lifetime of fake PR relationships in order to build interest in her next album.

When she’s instructed to hide from the limelight for a while, she isn’t sure what to do with herself. That is, until she stumbles into Holly Ridge. There, she starts daydreaming about finding balance and, for the first time in her life, having it all.

After a health scare made him realize he was living for nothing but his job, Leo Sinclaire is out to find balance in his life. This starts with buying a rundown house, connecting with the roots he’s ignored since becoming a cutthroat publicist to some of the world’s biggest stars, and, most importantly, being alone.

Unfortunately, he quickly finds that if he wants to be alone, Holly Ridge is the wrong choice. That peaceful existence completely evaporates when he discovers his biggest client—and biggest headache—has the same small town as her place to hide away. He spends time trying to keep her in line, both for his job and his sanity, but after a while, old feelings start to surface, and even though dating a client is strictly forbidden, he can’t seem to stop thinking about her.

What happens when those thoughts turn into trying to figure out if they can have it all, together?

What you can expect from this Holly Ridge romance:

☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine

🏡 Forced Proximity

💞 Found Family

🎤 Sheltered Pop Star

🌷 Meddling Small Town

💓 Mutual Pining

One-Click here 👉https://geni.us/thelieofhavingitall

*****5 Absolutely Incredible Stars*****

It started with a sweatshirt.

A sweatshirt. A secret crush. And years of pent up connection.

It started with two people who are completely off limits to each other, finding themselves in the same place at the exact right time, searching for the reset and the version of themselves they both so deserve.

It started with them…and a chance at something more.

A chance at having it all.

The Lie of Having It All is without a doubt, one of the best books I have read this year. It is also without a doubt, one of my favorite romance books I’ve ever read and definitely a new top favorite by Morgan Elizabeth. This book was everything. This book is everything. It is truly one of the most incredible and heartfelt and romantic love stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and honestly as I sit here writing this review, I’m fighting back tears because that is how much I LOVE these characters, the love they build and fight their asses off for in this book, and the connection you get to experience with them as they take a chance on each other and the chance at a future that they are both desperate for and so deserving of.

Simply put, this book is absolute perfection.

From the very first pages of this book, I was in it with Willa Stone and Leo Sinclaire. Those two completely stole my heart from page one but honestly, they stole it a long time ago. Because you see these two have been floating around in this author‘s books for quite some time. I have wanted both of their books for quite some time. And when I found out that these two were going to be paired together? I’m pretty sure I actually shrieked. Like full on happy shrieks happened. So to say, I had high hopes for this book is putting it lightly… And I have to say that this book and what I got with these two far surpassed anything I could’ve ever hoped for. (And I had the highest of hopes y’all.)

Because what you get with the two of them in this book is truly everything. It’s honestly more than everything. It’s them, it’s perfection, it’s full of swoon and heart and so much charm, and it’s honestly just meant to be. They’re meant to be. Leo and Willa are meant to be in every way, shape, and form, and getting to see them give in to the world of feeling they share, getting to see them take a chance on themselves and each other, and getting to see them fight like hell for the future they both so want and so deserve is truly nothing short of everything.

And then some.

This book had everything that I love in a romance novel, and everything I’ve come to love and expect from a book by Morgan Elizabeth. It had the most incredible yearning and it had so much unadulterated fire and connection and buildup. The tension was glorious and thick as the good Lord intended, and the charm and vibrancy and personality of these characters was memorable in every way. I loved these characters with my whole heart from page one of this book, and I loved watching them fight against all of the feeling and connection they had always shared. The way that that push and pull built through every second they were together and apart in this book will give you life. That coupled with the fact that their relationship is forbidden because she’s a well-known popstar and he’s her publicist, and you will be smitten with these two. Plus, she’s throwing the fact that they’ve clearly been dancing around some very vague feelings for one another for what has been years… And you will be beyond invested in these two and what they make each other feel.

Trust me on that.

But more than that, this book has love. It has all kinds of love in it. It has the love you build with friends and the love you build with the people who become family. A family that might not be built from blood, but that is definitely built from love. It has love that you fight like hell for, love that you’ve spent your whole life, wishing was real. It has love that is so layered and beautiful and deeply felt that it is consuming in a way that leaves the most beautiful kind of permanent marks on your heart and soul. It has love that is worth believing in and fighting for with all you have. But it also has a very special kind of love. The love you feel and build for yourself. The love of discovering the real you, the most vulnerable honest version of yourself, and the you you were always meant to be. It has the love of finally finding yourself and the person who loves every version of you that exists, every piece of you, and every complicated, beautiful, and incredible part that makes you you.

This book allows these characters to explore the love that they fight like hell for within themselves, and the love that they also fight like hell for for each other. Leo and Willa let each other see the real them in this book. They open themselves up, they allow themselves to be vulnerable, and they let the beauty and realness of who they are shine in this book. And when they do all of that, while falling so hopelessly in love with one another, they realize that they may have just found the best, most real and incredible version of themselves yet. And that version of themselves is perfect for the other in every way.

Getting to see these two not only discover so much about who they were, who they wanted to be, and what they wanted for themselves and each other, but also getting to be front row and center as they fell so damn hard for each other was nothing short of wonderful. These two could not have been more meant to be. The way they see each other, the way they show up for each other in every way that matters, and the way that they just get each other is the best. They notice, they see, they remember. They show up not only when it matters, but in every little and big way. They celebrate each other and every quirk that makes the them, but more than that they love those quirks and vulnerable pieces. They relish in them, and in each other. They love and feel loudly, with their whole hearts and souls, even when they’re forced to be quiet. They also feel with their whole hearts, and getting to see them peel back the layers of one another, getting to see them open up about the world of feeling that has always been there between them, and getting to see them put it all on the line again and again for the chance of being with one another, and the chance at having it all was incredible.

I truly could not have loved Willa or Leo more. I felt so connected to them. I loved their vibrancy. I loved their realness. I loved getting to understand them. I just loved them with my whole heart. I related so easily to Willa and her people pleasing ways. But I also just as easily related to Leo and his own anxieties. I loved how honest these two were with one another and how they just could not help but feel everything for each other. I loved that once the floodgates open for these two, there was no going back. There was never going to be anybody else. You feel that in your soul with these two and the way that they just feel everything when they’re together because they realize that the other sees them in the most beautiful way is something that I don’t even have the right amount of words to express.

I mean, getting to see these characters fall so hard for each other, getting to be in the thick of their tension and connection is truly the best, but honestly, the most beautiful thing about this couple and their individual and interwoven journeys in this story is getting to see them be their very real and true selves and watching them every step of the way. Because not only do they choose one another, but they fall in every way they didn’t even know it was possible for each other. They fall for each other, they fight with their whole heart for what they know is meant to be between them, and they do it while being their raw and vulnerable selves, letting the truth of it all and the truth of their feelings shine through. And the way they can be honest with each other, the way that they can be real about their own insecurities, what they perceive as their own flaws, and the way that they love each other through it all is perfection. It really is because it’s just so special. They are so special. What they give you is so special. It’s just them in the most unadulterated and beautiful way, and truly I don’t think there’s a way you can read this book and not love Leo and Willa and everything they share with your whole heart.

It’s impossible.
They are impossible not to love and believe in with your whole chest.
And honestly, that’s just part of what I absolutely loved about their story.

I also have to say that being back in the magical town of Holly Ridge is truly my new happy place. That place really is magical and while there might not be actual literal witches and things like that, there is magic in the air there. Because the way the characters of that town are just able to be, the way they show up for each other, the way they are family is truly something special. I loved getting to see Leo and Willa carve out a home and carve out their own very special place in Holly Ridge in this book. It was like that town was ready to welcome them both home and bring them together and that was truly everything to experience. Because getting to see these two find their way to one another at the exact right time in the exact right place in this very special town, with a group of very special people who soon become family and are ready and willing to do what they can for those two, is absolutely breathtaking.

There is really something special about this town and I am already chomping at the bit for the next time we get to come back to this world of characters because my heart is already ready for more. Plus the antics these characters get into will have you laughing and smiling until your cheeks hurt. I promise you that! I love all of their shenanigans, the way they all poke fun at one another and tell it like it is, but most of all I just love the way all of these characters are there for one another in every way that matters. Holly Ridge is truly the best place with the best people and you will just LOVE what you get to experience in this magical small town with all of these wonderful characters.

I also have to tell you that while every book I’ve had the pleasure of reading by this author has been a five star read and has delivered the most incredible romance and steam and story… Leo and Willa bring actual fire in this book. I mean, I was practically blushing throughout most of this book with the heat that emanates from the two of them and every moment they share together. From that glorious, slow burn buildup of tension that has been building for years between them, to the inevitable explosion that happens when they finally give into it all… You will be feeling the heat right along with them. Trust me on that and just prepare yourself for some serious fireworks that are dazzling, that are full of all of the fire and heat, but more than that that are just utterly beautiful with a level of connection these two share.

The Lie of Having It All explores the idea of if you can truly have it all. Both Leo and Willa have thought about that for their entire lives and struggle to find the balance and the truth of that question. The events of this book bring them together in a way that they weren’t expecting, but in a way they are here for in spades. Those two have shared years of connection, years of longing and yearning, and it just takes one chance for the two of them to finally give in to it all. And that all is truly amazing. That all is more. That all is full of charm and fire and so much connection and heart. That all brings them to the most special little small town full of a family of characters that are ready to welcome them with open arms and show them this is where they’re meant to be. That all is encompassing and consuming, and everything those two need and deserve after years of losing pieces of themselves to others. That all is real and beautiful and worth fighting for. Getting to be with Leo and Willa throughout every second of this book as they fight for that all, as they show up for that all and each other, and as they put their hearts on the line for that all is EVERYTHING.

Morgan Elizabeth has completely outdone herself with this book. I mean, I’m not surprised one little bit by that because truly every book by her has wowed me and been a 5 star read, but this one is truly something special. There’s just something about what Leo and Willa share, something about what they fight for within one another and for one another, and just something about the beautiful layers and pieces that they give one another in this book that truly makes this story something special. My heart could not have been more in it with both of these characters and getting to see them finally have the chance at something they had longed and yearned for for years was amazing.

The beauty and love and emotion they fight like hell for the chance to share in their story will completely sweep you off your feet and will have you knowing that those two have to find their way to forever. There simply isn’t another option for them. They’re simply isn’t a world in which they don’t find their way and their hearts to one another because those two are soulmates. They are endgame. They are the all they’ve both been searching for. And knowing and experiencing that with them is truly the best.

My heart is so beyond full after reading and breathing and living every second of this love story, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Leo and Willa firmly cemented their place in my heart for the rest of time with what they so unforgettably gave me in this book and in their story, and I’m here for it. I’m here for all of it because those two are the definition of meant to be and they wowed me with their story. They are the definition of fictional characters that feel so real, that feel so authentic, that feel like true friends you love with your whole heart, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Because feeling that level of connection and heart with a set of characters and believing in their love story with everything you have is the absolute best feeling on the planet.

End of.

The Lie of Having It All is Morgan Elizabeth at her best. Willa Stone and Leo Sinclaire and their epic, all-feeling, utterly consuming love story were more than worth the wait. They were worth everything. And I’m honestly just beyond grateful that I had the chance to experience what I did with these two as they fell so hard and deep and truly for one another.

Because it was perfect. It was wholeheartedly them. And it was fucking beautiful.

It started with a sweatshirt.

It ended with a love so epic, so meant to be, so inherently right.

It ended right where it began. With them, their undeniable connection, and their hope for more, their hope for forever.

It ended with Willa & Leo, together through it all, basking in the utterly spectacular all they worked their asses off for.

It started with a sweatshirt and it ended with them exactly where they were meant to be.

Together.
Forever.
Blissfully in their all that they deserved every breath of.

Releasing Now: Burning Skies (Wild at Heart #3) by Lex Martin

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

✨Let’s celebrate! It’s release day for BURNING SKIES by @authorlexmartin! Grab it in KU!

OneClickHere: https://geni.us/BurningSkiesEbook


Crossing a line has never felt this good.

I’m what you’d call a good girl—at least that’s what my family thinks. But I’m tired of living by everyone
else’s rules. So when I sneak into a scandalous, masked costume party and spot Beau Walker—my
longtime crush and my family’s sworn enemy—I do something bold: I cross the one line that’s utterly
forbidden.

Hidden by shadows and masks, we lose ourselves in the hottest night of my life. Until I accidentally
moan his name, and everything comes crashing to a halt.

Beau says things I can’t forget, and my fantasy of him shatters along with my heart.
But when suspicious fires break out at the high school where I teach, I’m forced to see the one
firefighter I wish I could forget.

And when our long-smoldering tension finally ignites, the heat between us lights up the sky—and
reveals a danger neither of us saw coming

Burning Skies is an enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance that features a scorchingly hot firefighter
and the little sister of his long-time nemesis. If you enjoy cowboy families, old vendettas, and small
towns brimming with secrets, this one is for you!

*****5 Absolutely Perfect Stars*****

I have been lucky enough to read Lex Martin’s books for over 11 years now. And I do mean lucky. Because I truly think that I am one lucky girl for finding her books all those years ago because it brought me to one of my all-time favorite authors. Picking up that first book of hers over 11 years ago brought me to a world of characters that have stolen pieces of my heart again and again with each new book this author releases. It was one tiny decision that brought me to an author who has delivered some of the most incredible and impeccable romances that I have had the pleasure of reading. So I am very lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to read books by Lex Martin over the last 11+ years because her books are some of my all-time favorites. Her books have given me everything with her characters. Her books have delivered unforgettable love stories that I still think about. Her books have just been everything. Everything and so much more.

Burning Skies, book 3 in her Wild At Heart Series, was another prime example of why I absolutely LOVE every single book that I’ve had the pleasure reading by this author. I mean this was Lex Martin goodness. Plain and simple. It was swoony, it was suspenseful, it was small town amazingness. It was full of high levels of tension filled heat and connection between these characters, so much incredible heart and fire, and just a love that was born out of so much beauty and hard fought trust. Lex Martin once again threw me and my heart right into the thick of it with her characters, and I just loved it. I loved every damn word of this book and the experience I got with Honey and Beau as their love story unfolded.

I truly could not have asked for more.

This book very much gives off star crossed lovers in the most perfect way. Add in an enemies to lovers twist to that vibe, and your heart will be feeling EVERY emotion under the sun while experiencing the story with Honey and Beau and you will be LIVING for it. I promise you that. This couple and their families have years of strife between them. They are not supposed to be together. They are not supposed to want each other or like each other or even tolerate each other, but Beau and Honey can’t help but feel every damn thing for each other. Their connection is undeniable, the pull they have to one another is fierce and tangible, and the way that they just make each other feel like no one else ever has before is indescribable. Really it’s so very telling because these two may be wrong and forbidden for each other in all kinds of way on paper, but they could not be more perfect for one another when it comes to their hearts, their desires, and the truth of them, their souls, and their undeniable feelings.

I don’t think I could have loved Beau and Honey more than I did in this book. I just loved the two of them. Fiercely. I loved that from the start things felt so different between them. You could tell that even though these two were not supposed to want each other, they couldn’t help but feel everything for one another. They couldn’t help but know that there was something so inherently different about each other that truly made all the difference. And that something truly meant everything as they decided to risk it all for one another.

I loved that even though the odds were stacked against them, even though they had their families and years of history breathing down their necks, they stood strong. They stood strong in their taking of chances and risks, they stood strong in their hope for the future, and they stood strong in the belief in what they shared, in their hearts, and in each other. Sure they had their human moments of all of the emotions as they processed everything that came their way, but they never once wavered in the belief that the other was the one person who changed everything. That the other was the one person who made them feel everything. That the other was the one person who they would never, ever be able to forget or move past. That the other was someone that would always be in their heart and soul. They never wavered in the knowledge that the other was someone who left a permanent impression on their heart that they never wanted to have go away.

And that made all the difference for these two. It made every difference. Because it just showed the truth and the heart and the utter beauty of Beau and Honey and everything they felt for one another. It showed such real and vibrant authenticity and feeling from them that truly knew no bounds.

The way that you’re able to connect into that emotion, to that connection with Beau and Honey, and the way that you just feel every breath of that is absolutely wonderful in this book. It makes for a hell of a love story, but more than that, it just makes for a love story and a couple you believe in with everything you have. You can’t help but love these two, the goodness that emanates from the two of them, and you just can’t help but want and need with your very being for them to find a way. Couple that with the fact that he’s a fireman with a protective side and a heart of gold, she’s a teacher with a beautiful sense of determination and so much care and love to give the world, and the fact they just can’t help but poke at each other until the inevitable explosion that brings them to the place they were always meant to be, and you have a story that you will be owned by. I know I was and I truly can’t say enough how much I loved being owned this book, this couple, and the journey I got to go on with them.

Lex Martin just completely envelops you within this world, within this incredible small town in a way that has you living and breathing the story. She shows you how high the stakes are for this couple with the past that their characters and their families share. She lets you understand the struggle these characters experience as they try to make sense and way through all of the emotion and connection they share, while also trying to balance what that means with their families and what comes next. She allows you to understand the struggles and the hiccups that come their way as they navigate they’re very real feelings for each other, but they’re also very complicated circumstances. She allows you to understand what holds them back, what pushes them forward, what ultimately brings them to the places that they are desperately hoping to be together and it just connects you to their story in the most unforgettable way.

It all makes for a reading experience that just feels real. A reading experience that feels like you’re living and breathing these moments with these characters. It makes for a reading experience that is enjoyable and just amazing because you are in the heart of the book with this couple, believing in them, fighting for them, and just rooting for them with your whole heart. That level of connection, that level of heart, and that level of emotion you feel and get with these characters as you’re experiencing their story is truly indescribable with how wonderful it is. It amplifies everything you experience with these characters over the course of their story and it just has you loving everything. Every high, every low, every misstep, every celebration, every moment that makes your toes curl, your heart flutter, and your soul melt. You love it all because you’re so fully connected to these characters, that you understand it all, you get it all, and you just believe in it all with this couple and what they share.

All of that is a true testament to the writing talent that Lex Martin has. You just can’t help but love and relate to and just feel everything for this couple because her words create that and give that to you through every single page of what she creates. You can’t help but live this story with them and it’s everything. Absolutely everything. It’s everything to feel that connected to them because it just pulls every part of you into their story in a way that invests you wholeheartedly in the love they are building, the trust they are sharing, and the moments of love and vulnerability and beauty that come to life in front of you.

Getting to experience that as a romance reader and a lover of love stories is something I don’t take for granted, and it is something that I truly treasured while reading this book because it allowed me to get everything with this couple in a way that I know I won’t forget.

This series, just like every other series by this author, has burrowed itself so deep into my heart with how much I love all of these characters and the world that this author has created. It just feels right. It feels like a place I want to spend time in. It feels like a place where really good things can happen. It’s also a place that perfectly weaves together swoon and suspense and so much heart that I literally cannot get enough of.

This world of characters have just stolen my whole heart with every book and every new book I get with them just makes me love them more. I love their friendships, I love their family dynamics, I love the way they show up for each other again and again. I love that in this small town history has a way of always repeating itself, yet these characters are trying to break the binds of the past that threaten the things they love most. I love how dynamic all of these characters are, I love that they’re willing to change their opinions of what they thought was true and what they thought they knew when given the opportunity, even when it’s hard. I love that this world of characters are complex and human and vulnerable and just a fun time to be around.

Even when things are going crazy in this small town, even when these characters are trying to figure it all out, even when no one knows what comes next and they’re feeling all of the things, these characters show up for each other. They love each other. They push each other‘s buttons, they fight, but they also love. Hard. And just getting to see each and every one of them over the course of this series is absolutely incredible. It just makes me love this world even more and it has me desperate for every new moment and story and interaction with all these characters because I just LOVE them all. I feel like I’m a part of their crazy families and I never want to leave them because that’s just how much this author has allowed me to love and experience them all and every moment with them. I can’t wait for every story to come from this world and small town because I am ready for it all!

Simply put, Burning Skies by Lex Martin is one of my favorite books I have read this year. It’s only 2 1/2 weeks into the year and I know that this will be one of the best books that I read this year because of everything that I got to experience with this couple and because every bit of their dynamic and fun and emotional love story was incredible. It was just everything. It was more than everything because I just got to live this story with this couple, believing in them with my whole heart, and just loving them through it all. The way that they show up for each other, the way that they feel absolutely everything for each other, and the way that it all unfolds is so them, so right, and just so perfect. I truly could not have asked for more.

Lex Martin delivers a phenomenal love story that checks all the boxes. She gives you star crossed lovers that may start off as enemies, but end up as so much more. She gives you small town goodness and gossip and suspense that will keep you on your toes through every turn of that page. She gives you so much heart and connection and unadulterated fire that will simultaneously have you melting, swooning, and reaching for that fan because you’ll be feeling that fire and feels in every way, shape, and form with this couple. She gives you two authentic and genuine characters, who have such beautiful hearts of gold laced with vulnerability, who are bound and determined to break every rule because they have to find a way to be together. She gives you a story of two people whose love truly feels like fireworks in the night sky; beautiful and effervescent, mesmerizing and emotional, and just full of joy and a vibrancy that last long past the moments they fall away, leaving a beautiful glow behind in their wake.

Beau and Honey put on the most dazzling and authentic display in that night sky in this book. And honestly you will be enamored with every single moment you get with them as you experience what they share together as you watch them build a love that can never be diminished. It’s real, it’s beautiful, and it’s everything. But most importantly, it’s them. Through every page, through every moment, through every emotion, it’s them and their love in the truest and most real way that can never be denied.

This book is a beautiful story from start to finish, packed with impeccable writing and characters, and more swoon and fire and heart than you can shake a stick at. It has charm, it has love, and it just has two characters you will LOVE with your whole heart. And honestly, it doesn’t get better than that. It really doesn’t. Because finding a love story that is so consuming as this one, finding a world that you don’t want to leave like the one that author creates in this series, and experiencing what you do with these characters is truly something to treasure.

I’ve been lucky enough to treasure this author‘s books and characters for over 11 years now, and it’s been the best. Honestly, it’s been more than that. It’s been absolutely everything. And the feelings and the emotions and the moments and the highs and the lows and the heart and just every incredible and all feeling and beautiful moment I have had the chance to experience in this book, and in every other book by this author, is not something I take for granted. Not one little bit.

Simply put, you need to read this book. You need to read Burning Skies. You need to experience the love story and the wild ride you go on with this couple, their families, and this incredible small town. You will not be disappointed in them, their hearts, and every single second and moment you get with him along the way. In fact, I think you’ll find yourself falling head over heels in love with everything you’re reading and you will love it. You will love it and them and then some. And then you will be just like me, counting down the days until the next moment you find yourself within a Lex Martin book, experiencing everything with her dynamic characters, and loving every single unforgettable second of it.

Meet Lex Martin:
Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of Varsity Dads, Texas Nights, and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romance novels, the steamy kind she hopes readers love but her parents avoid.

She’s always been obsessed with writing, starting in elementary school when she would pen short stories and make her father read them. (Afterward, he’d have to take her tests, but he was a good sport and did them without complaint.)​

In high school, when she wasn’t playing basketball, she wrote emo poetry (that won awards, go figure) and worked on the school newspaper.​

She later became a nationally-certified high school English teacher and freelance journalist but decided she’d rather write romance novels than tests or city hall articles.​

Lex loves coffee, rom coms, pen hoarding, planners, and college football. She married her almost
college sweetheart (they met right after graduation), and she’s still obsessed with him, especially when he writes her songs.
​
She currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband, twin daughters, a bunny, and their new puppy. Drop her a line at lex (at) lexmartinwrites.com. She loves hearing from readers.

Lex is represented by Kimberly Brower of Brower Literary & Management.
Connect with Lex Martin:
https://shor.by/6VIR

Releasing Now: Come What May (Ember Falls #4) by Corinne Michaels

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

Come What May by Corinne Michaels is live! 

Available in Kindle Unlimited!
➝ https://geni.us/CWM_Zon

Listen to the Audio!
➝ https://geni.us/CWM_Audio
Duet Narration by Austin Stone & Samantha Brentmoor

Order the paperback!
➝ https://geni.us/CWM-Deluxe

Sleeping with your client is bad, but what I did is even worse.

When I’m sent to Ember Falls to handle a PR nightmare, I have no idea I am creating a crisis of my own. Killian Thorn is everything I know to resist—older, rugged and handsome with mesmerizing green eyes and a wicked smile—which is why instead of running from him, I end up in his bed.

Forced to work together, our stolen kisses are the least of our worries because the scandal on Killian’s ranch continues to grow.

My job is to fix the issue, but our secret is only making it worse.

My best friend convinces me that being with my client isn’t really such a faux pas. In fact, she thinks I should go for it since I’ve always guarded my heart.

Trouble is, neither of us realize we’re talking about her dad.

*****5 Absolutely Incredible Stars*****

If you know me, you know that I am a series gal through and through. A good romance series owns my heart. Getting to spend pages and pages of time with my favorite fictional characters will always be my happy place. Getting to be with those characters as they fall in love, as they experience heartache, as they evolve and grow, as they put their hearts on the line again and again, as they just feel everything is the best experience ever for a reader. When you add in a small town that is charming and incredible and honestly just magical, that is truly just the cherry on top. When you also add in incredible love stories that steal every single piece of your heart that makes it even better.

That is what the Ember Falls Series by Corinne Michaels has been for me. That is what each and every one of these books and love stories has been for me. When I tell you that these characters have borrowed themselves so deep in my heart, I mean that with my whole chest. I have loved this world, I have loved the journeys I’ve gone on with these characters, and I have eagerly been anticipating a story for Killian. And sitting here writing this review, having just fallen absolutely in love with his and Tessa‘s love story, it’s suffice to say that those two stole the last few pieces of my heart and borrowed themselves just as deep as the characters and love stories that came before them. And it’s the best feeling on the planet. End of.

Simply put, I could not have loved Come What May by Corinne Michaels more.

This was the perfect end cap to a series that I have loved every second of. It was the perfect conclusion to a story in world of characters that will permanently own a space in my heart. It was the perfect way to reiterate the magic and the love and the charm that blossoms in the town of Ember Falls. But more than that, it was just a perfect and all feeling and authentic love story for Killian and Tessa, two people who deserved no less. These two gave me it all in this book. They laid their hearts, their connection, and they’re honest and beautiful vulnerability on the pages of this book and it was everything. It was everything and more.

What can I say about this book and how much I loved it? I mean, I loved it in every way possible. I loved the way. This book hits the ground running with these two. I loved the premise of the story, with Tessa and Killian unknowingly sharing the most memorable night of their lives before realizing that she’s his new publicist, and that they now have to work together. Throw in an age gap, some forced proximity goodness, and a slow realization that Killian is her best friend‘s dad… And you have them makings of a romance that will own every part of you.

But honestly, this book was so much more than all of that. It was a book about two people connecting in a way they didn’t even think was possible. It was about two people really seeing each other, seeing the pieces that made them them, seeing the pieces they so often hid from the world because sharing those pieces meant showing trust, and that didn’t come easy for them. It was a story of two people finding everything in one another, even though they weren’t supposed to work on paper. Even though they weren’t supposed to be together. It was a story of two people realizing that all of the pieces that they felt were missing could be found right in that other person. And those pieces not only completed the pieces of themselves, it made them feel whole. It made them feel chosen. It made them feel seen and understood. This was a story of two people showing up, choosing each other, and fighting for what could be, even when it was really damn hard and scary and full of all the emotion.

Come What May is Killian and Tessa’s unforgettably beautiful story of finding the exact right person their heart needed at the exact wrong time that ends up being the most perfect time for what may come.

If you can’t tell by now, I absolutely loved this book. I loved the fire and the connection of this couple. I loved what they made each other feel and think, and just embrace. I loved that they immediately saw each other, believed in each other, and honestly just understood each other. I loved that they wanted the best for one another, even if that meant they couldn’t be together. I loved that no matter what they never stopped fighting for each other and they never doubted one another or their intentions. I loved that there was no fighting the inevitable in this book for this couple and that there was no denying the level of heart and connection they shared.

I loved them. Simply put, I loved them, and I loved what they built and shared in this book because it was honest, it was so true, and it was so them. It was built in the small moments, in the glances, in the touches that felt like everything, in the words said with so much heart and meaning behind them, and in the quiet moments they shared together. It was them through and through and getting to watch them build that love through the moments they shared, whether they were big or small, was absolutely everything. Everything and more.

Tessa and Killian were honestly just the best. I loved that they discovered so much about themselves while falling so hard for one another. I also just loved that they could be their truth selves that not many people got to see, when they were around each other. They shared truths about themselves that were so real and so honest. They saw the real them and they loved each other for it. They fought for each other and those true selves. They saw each other‘s hearts and they couldn’t help but feel everything for one another. Getting to be in the thick of it with them as they tried to make sense of all of those feelings they shared, as they put the pieces of the past, present and future together, and as they waded through all of that connection they couldn’t help but feel towards one another was the actual best. It just put me in the heart of this story, believing in these two with all that I had, cherishing the moments they shared and the authenticity that blossomed between them.

I also just have to say that I found their two characters to be incredibly endearing and just so easy to love. She is a young publicist, trying to find her place in the world. She’s headstrong, she’s determined, and she has been through it, but she is pushing through to that other side. She also is beyond dedicated to what she does and feels just about everything, even when it scares her shitless. He is a man who has worked tirelessly to establish himself. He has gone through many phases and companies, and he is finally finding his true happiness and his home. He is protective, he is compassionate, and he is very very real and sexy as hell. When these two and their worlds are brought together, they realize that they might just have found that person they can be their true self with. And that person might just be the home that they’ve both been desperately craving.

Come What May by Corinne Michaels is a truly incredible love story that weaves together a love story built on such connection and heart. It is a story of two people who aren’t supposed to work, who aren’t supposed to be, yet can’t help but defy everything to find their way to one another because there is no world in which they won’t share everything together. This is a love story that weaves equal parts small town magic, with some good old fashioned suspense, a ton of heart and emotion and connection, and the most incredible cast of characters you will ever find.

Simply put, this book is one of my favorites I have read and brings this entire series to the most fitting and perfect conclusion that my heart needed.

Corinne Michaels once again puts you in the heart of a small town and a world of characters that you can’t help out love. I have been lucky enough to experience that in every book and series I’ve read by her, and this one was no different. I love her books for so many reasons. I love the emotion and the connection I feel to her characters. I love that I just can immediately feel the goodness of her characters from the moment I meet them. I love that there are so many layers and pieces to each of her characters and their stories that beautifully unfolds through her writing and her storytelling and how she lets it all come to be. Getting to experience that as a romance reader and a lover of love stories is something I don’t take lightly.

When I sit down to read a book by her, I know I’m about to read my next favorite book and she has never let me down once. I felt just such immense love for Killian and Tessa and their whole story reading this book, but I was also reminded through every page how much I’ve loved every couple of this series. How much I’ve loved every second in this incredible small town that just feels so real and so special to me. How much I’ve loved and lived and experienced with all of her characters over the 10+ years of falling in love with them. Getting to see glimpses and connections with them all, getting new experiences with new characters, and just getting to be in the epic and incredible and beautiful love stories that this author creates is truly everything. EVERYTHING. I cannot say that enough, and I honestly cannot thank this author enough for continuing to create love stories and characters and worlds like this one.

Her characters and the world, and the moments they share together are some of my all-time favorites and truly have burrowed themselves permanently into my heart. They’ve made me feel everything. They’ve made me laugh, they’ve made me cry, they’ve stolen my breath at times, they’ve melted me into a puddle of goo on the floor, and I’ve experienced just about every emotion in between with them. I’ve fallen in love with these characters as they’ve fallen in love with each other. I’ve shown up with them as they’ve shown up for each other, as they’ve created found families, families born out of tragedy and heartache, families built on the best of friendships, and shared connections of crazy sports games. I’ve been with them through it all, and my heart could not be more in love with what this author has created for them all. She continues to create books and love stories and small towns and characters that are genuine, that are true, and that give me everything and more as a lover of love stories and romance books. Her books, her characters, her stories, and the way she so thoughtfully weaves and creates them all make for unforgettable books and reading experiences. They are my happy place and they always will be, and to find an author who brings out all of that and more is something I don’t take for granted. At all.

Killian & Tessa’s story in Come What May wraps up our time in Ember Falls in a way that will just have you remembering again and again what made you love this small town in the first place. It is filled to the brim and bursting with the best characters, who have such good hearts, a lot of humor and banter, but who also unequivocally love one another and show up when it really matters. The family and friendship they create together is unyielding, and it has been incredible to watch that unfold over these four books. That coupled with the pieces of all of the other incredible books, this author has woven together into this world makes for a hell of a journey with these characters. It makes it a journey that feels so fulfilling, a journey that is emotional and beautiful and full of so much love, but most of all it just makes it one of the best reading experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Plus ending a series with a sexy older man who rocks a cowboy hat, owns his own farm, and would do anything for the woman he loves… It truly just the best. Plus when that girl is effervescent and as dedicated and hard-working as Tessa is, who feels just as much for that older man as he does her… It doesn’t get better than that. Trust me.

This book is a must read. It is an incredible romance from start to finish, it is exceptionally written and crafted, but more than that it is just a damn good story. It will consume you, it will leave your heart on the pages of this book with this couple, and you will love it. You will love how you are brought into the thick of it and into the heart of it with Tessa and Killian, as they feel everything for one another, and as they experience something neither of them were prepared for: love. You will love watching the suspense unfold in this book, you will love all of the incredible characters of this small town in series, but more than that you will just love getting to see this couple show up and fight for each other and the ending they so deserve in this book.

Reading and experiencing all of that unfold in the pages of this book is more than everything. It’s just more in the best way, and it will leave your heart abundantly full and bursting with love for this couple, what they share, and every moment you get with them along the way.

Killian & Tessa’s story in Come What May is beautiful, unforgettable, consuming on every level, spicy, and just them through and through. But more than that, it is a story of two people taking a chance and seeing what comes of it, consequences be damned, because nothing could keep them or their hearts apart… and honestly, all of that is just a fraction of why you need to read this book this very second.

Releasing Now: The Promise of Forever (Holly Ridge #2) by Morgan Elizabeth

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by

The Promise of Forever by Morgan Elizabeth is live!

For as long as she can remember, Hallie Young’s life has been intertwined with the King family in every way that matters. Over the years, the Kings have become the family she always desperately wanted after her mom left, and there is nothing she would ever do to jeopardize that.

Not even Jesse, her best friend’s hot older brother, whose name she used to doodle in the margins of her notebooks.

Jesse King did not expect to become a dad at 21 or to take on the responsibility of raising his daughter alone soon thereafter, but he accepted it without hesitation. He’s determined to make sure his now pre-teen daughter, Emma, makes it to adulthood with as few bumps and bruises as possible. This means his own personal life is on the back burner until she’s out of his house, a decision he’s never even questioned, much less regretted.

That is, of course, until his little sister’s best friend shows up at his front door to watch Emma over winter break. Suddenly, long-buried feelings are resurfacing, and he’s wondering if she couldn’t be exactly what his little family is missing.

What you’ll find with Hallie & Jesse:

✨ Winter Romance

✨ Single Dad

✨ Best Friend’s Brother

✨ Forced Proximity

✨ Found Family

✨ Second Chance-ish

✨ Small-Town Christmas Tree Farm

✨ Dual POV

Start Reading Now! ❄https://geni.us/thepromiseofforever

*****5 Utterly Incredible Stars*****

If I could summarize The Promise of Forever by Morgan Elizabeth in one line it would be: to be loved is to be seen.

And let me tell you, Hallie and Jesse see each other.

They see each other. They get each other. They value each other. They understand each other. They love each other. They truly feel everything for each other. And over the course of this book you get to see their long, glorious, slow burn and buildup of tension and connection come to fruition in the most romantic and unforgettable way. And the way that this couple shows up for each other, the way that they see each other, and the way that they just do everything in their power to be with one another is absolutely everything.

Hallie and Jesse also really fucking love each other. Even if they’re not ready to admit it to themselves or each other….YET.

Now it is no secret that I’m a fan of this author and her books. I have read almost all of them and they have all been five star reads. This one was no different. From the moment I started this book, I was enraptured with this couple. I was pulled in by their connection and banter. I was hooked to the fire that was present. In every moment they were together. And my heart was in it with them right from the start as I realized that both of these characters were fearful and vulnerable of pushing for that more they had both so desperately hoped for for so very long.

Hallie and Jesse have known each other almost their entire lives. And it is that connection that pulls them through every single second they share in this book. But the more you’re with them, the more you realize that these two have so much love for one another. They want each other in every way possible. Not just physically, not just a scratching itch, but they want each other and the hope and happiness that the other brings to their life. They want to build something real with each other. But they’re also scared out of their minds to do that because they are both worried, for their own reasons, that if they push for more things could go to the wayside or be irreparably broken.

The Promise of Forever is Hallie and Jesse’s chance at at all. It is their moment to truly see each other, to truly show up for one another, and to take that chance at a little something more that could change their entire lives. It is their story of vulnerability, heart, and such connection. It is a small town romance, filled to the brim with memorable characters and moments that will make you simultaneously swoon and melt and just smile. It is a story of two people who have known each other, their whole lives, but finally realize that it is now their time to take those chances, to fight like hell, and to show up when it really matters because doing that is truly all the difference.

I think what I loved the most about this book, besides just the way that this author once again enraptured me within an incredible romance and world of characters, was getting so connected to Jesse and Hallie. Now I have read so many of this author’s books, and I have loved all of her characters, but I truly connected so much to what Hallie and Jesse share. I connected to their fears and worries, to their moments and experiences together, I connected to the vulnerabilities they both shared with themselves and with each other, and I just felt everything for those two. I absolutely loved getting to peel back the pieces of them and see how it all fit over the course of this book. Couple that with how these two just continue to show up for each other, how they saw each other, and how they fixed the pieces that had been cracked so long ago was truly everything.

Holly was a gem. She is a girl that is he strong, that is determined to find her place in the world, and she has a heart of gold. But she’s also been through a lot. She has a lot of struggles with trusting that others will stay after being abandoned by her mother at a young age and having others in her life leave her. She doesn’t trust easily, and she doesn’t want to lose the only family she has left. And that family happens to be her best friend‘s family that her ultimate crush is the oldest brother of. And no matter how much she feels for Jesse, she is petrified that giving into it and pushing for the more that she desperately wants, and craves will be the end of it all. Her vulnerability, her heart, her compassion, and the way that she just shows up and is her true self is beautiful. Couple that with the way that she is there for Jesse‘s daughter and the relationship that she builds with Emma who is also experiencing struggles with abandonment from her own mother, and there is no way you can resist the pull of this girl. She is fire, she is heart, and she is vibrancy and color and just life and love. That shines on every page of this book and it is impossible to just not love her with your whole heart.

Now Jesse is a man who knows what he wants. And he knows that he wants Hallie and his family to be whole and all of the good things. But he also has his own worries. He worries that he will be pushing her into something she doesn’t really want. He worries that he too could push too far and what it would do to their friendship and dynamics as a larger family if things didn’t work out. He worries about his own daughter and her lack relationship with her mother and the impact, I could all have on her. He worries that he could scare Hallie away. But over the course of this book, you get to see how that man shows up for her. How he continues to shows up for his daughter. How he puts it all on the line when it really matters. How he fights like hell to show Holly that they are meant to be, that there is no other option than them finding a way to figure this out, and that they are forever. Being with that man as he finds that strength and determination, all along with that heart and fire, to show the woman he has always wanted that they will always find a way is incredible. And it just melts your heart a million times over for that man. Trust me.

These two have a connection that just won’t quit. And at the start of this story you start to put together that things have already kind of been happening between them. But these two are scared. And they don’t want to rock the boat. But soon they can’t resist each other at all anymore. And that fire and that explosion of feeling that follows is breathtaking. It truly gives you everything and then some. It is a combination of tension and connection and so much pull to one another that you will be desperate for more of it. And getting to see them give into it and feel it and share it together Is everything your heart needs in this book.

These two definitely have a world of feeling they have to figure out, and they definitely have to take their time and doing it, but that time is glorious. It shows you the heart and care they have her one another. It shows you how in it they truly are. And it exemplifies the idea that these two really see each other and get each other in the most visceral and authentic and true way.

Now like any Morgan Elizabeth book, this story is all kinds of fun too. There are moments that make you smile and laugh and just laugh at the antics of these characters. It just makes for a romantic comedy that is full of heart and emotion and fun in the best way. This author weaves all of those layers together to make a beautiful story that is equal parts romance and connection, while also giving you glorious tension, and so much vibrancy and color and life. She just pours it all on the pages of this book with all of these characters and this family and in the small town, and she will have you loving every second you get with them. This book exemplifies the idea that family isn’t always who you’re related to and that you can surround yourself with people who make your life completely whole and it will give you everything. The Kings do that for Hallie, and she in turn does that for them, especially Jesse & Emma, and it’s the actual best. I’m truly already counting down the days until I can be back in the small town because I am ready for so many more stories in this world and I just can’t wait!

The Promise of Forever is probably one of my favorite love stories. I’ve read this year. The way that it just exemplifies the idea that these characters truly see each other in every way that matters and how they show up for each other and feel everything for each other over the glorious slow burn of this book is absolutely everything. My heart could not have been more in this book with these two. I just loved them. I loved them the way that they loved each other. Even in those moments when they were scared out of their minds over everything they were feeling and how real it all was, even in those moments when they didn’t know what it all meant, and where it would all lead, and even in those moments when they didn’t know what that next step would be, I was with them and I loved them and I believed in them with my whole heart. That’s the connection this author gives you to her characters that you feel out in your bones and it’s truly the best. It just allows you to live through the events of this book and be with these characters in every moment where they show up for one another and give it their all to see what could be.

Hallie and Jesse are both at a crossroads in this book, forced to face those feelings, and those longing glances, and that sizzling connection that has been growing and building between them for years. This story definitely takes them for a loop, but it also shows them exactly who they are, exactly how strong they are, and exactly how meant to be they are. It shows them that between the two of them and Jesse‘s daughter Emma, they are the perfect fit. The perfect fit that was meant to be together right from the start and that is meant to be together for the rest of time. Getting to go along with them as they work slowly, but surely to put all of those pieces together, as they mesh their lives, and as they just allow themselves to hope and believe in the power of everything they share is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt and romantic journeys you will experience.

I promise you that.

This book made my romance, loving heart, so happy. It gave me the spice, it gave me the tender moments, it gave me Hallie and Jesse. It gave me the story of a bright, genuine and fiery female lead that was scared out of her mind that everything could fall apart and that she’d be left behind again, falling for the one man (and his little girl) she’d always hoped could be hers. It gave me the story of a stoic, good hearted single dad, that was petrified he would push another person into a life that they didn’t really want, falling for the one girl he had always wanted to be his. This was a story of two people building the pieces of their lives and hearts together in a way that allowed them to create the most beautiful picture of forever. It is a romance through and through, brimming with love and swoon and so much connection. It is a story of a family and long held wishes becoming true, it is a story of love and longing and so much glorious tension, but most of all it is a story of two people putting their fears aside, seeing each other and the depths of everything they feel and share, and fighting like hell for the chance to see what it could all be and what it could all mean for the rest of time.

This story is forever, and so are Hallie and Jesse and every bit of what they share together. You will absolutely love and cherish every moment you get with them as they put the pieces of that forever together with their whole hearts, feeling everything, and putting it all on the line. You will definitely smile with them, you will for sure blush a time or ten, but most of all you will just love them and the love they have for each other those around them, and for all of the things they hope and wish for for their future. Their story is incredible to experience and it will just blow your heart away. It will bring you back to an incredible small town full of fantastic characters, it will just make your heart happy, but most of all it will just show you that these two (and Emma) have been beyond meant to be… And you will treasure every second you get with them as they put it all together.

Forever.

Morgan Elizabeth just continues to allow me as an author. Her books are some of my all-time favorites and this one is no different. I loved this couple, I loved their journey, I loved their love. I loved how they saw each other, I loved how they made sure that others saw the person they were so hopelessly falling in love with, and I loved that they continued to show up with an open heart and so much love, even when it scared them out of their ever loving minds. I loved every second of getting to see them fight like hell for the forever they thought could only be a dream. It was truly breathtaking getting to see them create the romance and the love story that they do in this book through this author‘s words, and I know I won’t soon forget it.

Do yourself the biggest favor and read this book. Go into it with an open heart, be prepared to feel everything, and just get ready to fall in love with all of the characters of this world, but especially Hallie and Jesse and everything they share. They definitely show that forever is all kinds of beautiful and worth EVERY moment to get there with what they give you in this book… and you will just love it. You will love them. You will love what they share and create together. And you will just love their love.

It’s impossible not to. Trust me. 💕

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