Releasing Now: The Invitation by Jodi Ellen Malpas

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

The Invitation by Jodi Ellen Malpas is now live!

An ambitious career woman. An enigmatic billionaire. There’s more to their affair than meets the eye in this scalding romance by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the This Man series.

Amelia Lazenby deserves a breather—from work and from the stress of a recent breakup. Courtesy of her best friends, she gets a day of pampering at a posh country spa called Arlington Hall. Instead of finding calm, she finds her pulse racing when she sees flawlessly rugged Jude Harrison. Hand on heart, she’s never laid eyes on such a stunner. And an unexpected steam room meet takes their instant attraction to a whole new level.

Amelia wasn’t looking for an intense new affair. But the passion Jude ignites is off the charts. Even if he is a little possessive. Even if his temper can be as formidable as the influence he has on her body. He becomes all the more intriguing when Amelia discovers that Jude not only owns Arlington Hall but that their meeting was no accident. It was planned. But to what end?

That’s a mystery as irresistible as Jude himself. Is he worth the risk? Or is this the man who could break her?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

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*****5 Utterly Consuming Stars*****

Let me start this review by saying that it has been way too long since I have had the pleasure of reading a book by Jodi Ellen Malpas. This author is one of my OGs. I have read many of her books, been completely addicted to her words and series and characters for so long, and I have truly never read a book quite like the ones that she creates. There is just something so addictive, something so unadulterated, something so passionate about what she creates with her characters and love stories and I truly can’t get enough. I hate that I have let myself get behind on her books, but this book was the PERFECT introduction back to her words.

The Invitation was utterly consuming. I mean that with every fiber of my being. I read this book in a matter of hours and did not come up for air one time while reading it. I literally sat here reading that book cover to cover, devouring everything with Jude and Amelia because I was obsessed. I was hooked. I was addicted. I was in it with them, in the thick of their throws of passions, their ups and downs, and everything in between. I was in it with them and I loved it. I loved it so beyond everything because I could not get enough of what those two shared in this book. Their connection is on a whole different level. It’s raw, it’s layered, it is dynamic and evocative and consuming in a way that will truly steal your breath at times. There is a force to be reckoned with when those two are together. And this book showed every single bit of that.

And I loved every damn word of it and what I got with those two in this incredible book.

I’m sitting here writing this review hours later and I’m still thinking about those two. I am very much chomping at the bit for what comes next for them, and I am already counting down the days because I need everything with this couple. They definitely go through it in this book, but I was here for it. I was here for the passion and connection. I was here for the mystery and the unfolding of things and events. I was here for what these characters share on a true and honest level. I was here for every moment of possessiveness and unadulterated feeling and connection. I was definitely here for all of the fire and heat that these two exude in every single second they’re on the pages of this book. But more than that, I was here for how these characters were utterly consumed with each other and what they made each other feel. You could tell it was unexpected, you could tell it completely turned both of their world upside down, and you could tell it was something unlike anything both of them had ever experienced.

I loved and relished and lived forgetting to be in the thick of that with them over the course of this book and getting to be with them as they tried to figure out what that meant, and what they did with all of that world of feeling.

I thought Amelia‘s character was fantastic. She is a gem. There’s no other way to say it because that girl was the best. I loved that she should on her two feet 10 toes down, willing to fight for what she wanted for her life, and what she wanted for her heart. She wasn’t afraid to take a risk when it really mattered. She wasn’t afraid to put up a fight when it was really needed. And she felt with her whole heart. I loved that girl with my whole heart reading this book and I felt like this author just really allowed me to get everything with her. I felt connected to her, I loved her, and I just rooted for her across this book. I also just loved that Amelia had such strength to her, but that she was also vulnerable and real and honest. That shined across this book and I think that just allows you to see every facet of her character in the best way. And it definitely creates a genuine connection to her character. Amelia is fierce, she is passionate, she is her own force to be reckoned with and I just can’t wait to be back with her character. I need her to get every good thing because that girl deserves it. She deserves it and more.

Now Jude was a little bit of an enigma across this book and I was here for it. I love a little bit of a mysterious man, but more than that. I definitely am here for a male hero who is possessive, who is a forced to be reckoned with, and who is not afraid to push you well past that edge for the right reasons. (I’m also really here for a wealthy man who doesn’t know what to do with his very real feelings. It’s what I was raised on. What can I say?!) But in all seriousness, I loved Jude‘s character. You don’t get his perspective in this book as the story is told from Amelia‘s point of view, but I felt like I still got so much of him. I understood so much of his struggle at times, so much of what he felt for Amelia, and so much of how this was different between them. The fact that I could feel that and practically touch that and experience that in this book is a true testament to what this author creates that I got that and I wasn’t even in his head. I could not get enough of this man. He definitely has some making up to do and I definitely need some answers, but I have no doubt that Jude and his determined self will see it through. Because his feelings for Amelia are very, very real, and I have no doubt about that.

And let me tell you now, grab yourself a fan because the level of chemistry and connection that Jude and Amelia share is off the charts. I mean, I’m pretty sure I was the color of a tomato or something close to that throughout so much of this book. The heat, the passion, the moments that these characters share… It is pure unadulterated FIRE. It is passion and Fourth of July fireworks and so much connection combined in the most explosive way. It is pure heat and tension, but more than that, there is such a layer of feeling and heart and unforgettableness to what they share in every moment, but especially in those moments.

The way this author perfectly balances out that outstanding level of heat and connection and desire these characters have for one another, while also showing that there is such emotion and vulnerability and raw honesty in what they share is everything and just so much more. And that more? That more is perfection.

What Jude and Amelia share in this book definitely throws both of their worlds out of orbit. They were not prepared for each other. They were not prepared to feel everything for one another. You feel that in every part of this story with them. And even through every twist and turn, even through every up and down they have to face, you know that there is something true and real about what they feel and share together. And they might not have been prepared for it, they might not have expected it or even wanted it at first, but it’s there. It’s there and it’s real and it’s tangible and it’s them. So wholeheartedly them. And it cannot be denied. Not one little bit. And you feel that in your soul reading this book. You feel that in every way, in every moment, in every page. And the truth of that might scare these characters out of their ever loving minds in this book, but it’s everything to experience that with them.

All of that so outstandingly combines through this author’s writing to allow you to see the truth and vulnerability and heart and emotion that goes with the two of them as they wade their way through all of that ocean of realness and feeling.

And through it all, you believe in what could be with Jude and Amelia with your whole heart, but more than that you know that the two of them and their messy and complicated and flawed and very real love is worth it. It’s beyond worth it. And I felt that through every second of their story. And I loved it so damn much.

So. Damn. Much.

Jody Ellen Malpas just completely blew me away with this book. I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. All I knew is that it was written by one of my favorite authors and that’s all I needed to know because I have loved every single book by the author. But I was so totally not prepared for how addicted and obsessed and completely and snared I would become in the story, in this couple, and their passionate love affair that is so layered and just so much more. I just could not get enough of what these characters were sharing.

From the first moments they meet, to their back-and-forth and that glorious and tension filled buildup, to every moment of what comes after. I was hooked. I needed everything with this couple. I could not get enough of what this couple shared, how they made each other feel everything they weren’t prepared for, how they both changed the game, and how they had to figure out what came next. I loved the layers of passion and fire and vulnerability and heart and love and spice and just so many other things that combined to make an incredible and unforgettable love story.

The Invitation throws you heart first into a world of wealth, desire, undeniable connection, and so much heart. This book definitely has some twists and turns to it that will send you reeling at times. It will definitely show you that these characters have something between them that can’t be denied. And it will definitely show you that Jude and Amelia are both in their own ways layered characters who have a lot to figure out, but who fit so perfectly together, and who show the other that nothing was ever right until it was the two of them.

Even in the moments of struggle with this couple, you feel that in your bones that there is something so inherently right and meant to be about them and what they share, and that is a true tell of the talent and connection this author infuses into these characters, into their love story, and into this book that you feel that through every single page.

This world is definitely my new obsession. I already need every single story. I need more of Jude and Amelia. I definitely need more of Abbie and the mysterious man that she met in France a few years ago. And I just want everything. This book is giving me the best feeling, it is leaving me reeling in the best way, but more than that it has me needing more of this world because I need more of this couple, more of their journey, and more of what these two are going to do next after the events of this book. I’m finishing this first book knowing that I care about these characters, that I’m invested in them, and that I love them with my whole heart and desperately need them to find a happily ever after… And it truly doesn’t get better than that.

I cannot say enough, good things about this book and the introduction to this world. I am clearly already hooked, I am invested wholeheartedly in these characters and their love story, and I am truly desperate for the follow up book. I cannot say that enough. I need everything with these characters. I need more of their passion, I need more of their hard moments, I need more of their truthful moments, I need more of their moments where they’re scared out of their minds because they’ve never felt like this before in their lives, I need more of the moments that turn the world upside down because I just love Jude and Amelia and the possibilities that could be for them. Those possibilities shined throughout this first book and I have no doubt they’ll continue in the next. And I am here for all of it!

This is a must read for fans of this author, but also if you are new to her words, jump in heart first into this world. It will show you how addictive, how provocative, and how utterly unforgettable a love story by Jodi Ellen Malpas can be, and you will be hooked. I promise you that! This woman truly knows how to write and create a consuming and all-feeling love story and this one was no different. She is also the queen of the alpha male and strong female heroine dynamic in my opinion, and she definitely delivers on that once again in this book. She delivers it all in The Invitation, and I for one cannot say enough good things about this book.

Simply put, this book is one of my top reads of the year.

It’s another amazing, consuming, and incredible love story from Jodi Ellen Malpas that is dynamic, layered, addictive, messy and raw, but most of all is a story about two complicated hearts and people finding the one person who changes everything. It’s about two people experiencing and finding something they weren’t prepared for. It’s about a love that is built out of the most unadulterated connection that threatens to consume them in every term. It’s about a fiery connection that soon becomes something so much more. But more than that, it’s truly a story of two people finding something in one another that completely turns their worlds upside down in a way that will change them and their hearts forever.

And honestly, that’s just scratching the surface of what I absolutely loved in The Invitation by Jodi Ellen Malpas.

10Jun2025

Releasing Now: Release Me by K.A. Tucker

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

Release Me by K.A. Tucker is now live!

Release Me is the first book in the highly addictive Wolf Hotel Mermaid Beach series, a spin-off of the Wolf Hotel series.

I may not know much, but I am an expert in two things:

Heartbreak.

And hedonism.

I’ve been chasing escape from one bed to the next, finding distraction in all the wrong places.

Like with my roommate’s sister.

And my billionaire boss’s lover.

You could say I’m lucky in lust but very unlucky in the other L-word.

By the time I arrive in Mermaid Beach, Florida, I’ve decided I’m done with flings. I’m over chasing women I can’t have.

Until I meet Sloane Parker, the woman who has made it her mission to ruin the new Wolf Hotel.

A hotel I’m supposed to help manage, by the way. Yeah. Me, Ronan Lyle, Director of Facilities.

Don’t you dare laugh.

I don’t need another forbidden woman in my life, especially one who could derail my future.

But what I want? That’s a totally different story.

Please note: This series is intended for a mature audience.

Available in Paperback, ebook (read for free in Kindle Unlimited) and audiobook!

https://geni.us/ReleasemeTWH

Audio Narrated by: Veronica Fox & Alex Kydd

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/41mjK6Q

Release Me is a spin-off story set in the highly addictive Wolf Hotel world from Internationally Bestselling Author, K.A. Tucker.

What to Expect:

Playboy

Bad Boy/Good Girl

Close Proximity

Secret Hookups

Business Rivals

Starting Over

Forbidden Romance

To celebrate the release of Release Me, Tempt Me (The Wolf Hotel Book 1) is FREE during release week!

Start the series today: https://bit.ly/4jGvTcC

*****5 Utterly Consuming Stars*****

The Wolf Hotel Series by KA Tucker is a series that I have been obsessed with since the moment I devoured it years ago. I still think about those books. I still think about those characters, that world, and all of the consuming and addicting feelings that that world, and those characters and every moment with them made me feel. And one of those characters that I have not stopped, loving since the very first moment I met him, was Ronan.

Because that man is in a league of his own.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a Henry Wolf girlie till the day I die, but there is something beyond damn special about Ronan. There is something SO unforgettable about Ronan. There is something utterly consuming and soul touching about Ronan. There is an undeniable, palpable, incredibly layered level of personality and fire about Ronan. Ronan is just Ronan. If you have met him, you love him. There is no if ands or buts about that because that man truly is set apart. There is something so alluring about him, something that you cannot get enough of, something that pulls you in no matter what direction you’re going. And honestly, that’s just part of what scratches the surface of what makes him such an incredibly dynamic and layered and unforgettable character that will steal your whole heart.

Ever since falling in love with him in the original series, I have needed his book. That novella, which now opens the start of this book, was the cherry on top that made me desperate for more with him. And I have to say that the more I got with him in this book was everything I didn’t even know I was missing in my life. Because this book and getting back into his headspace, and getting back into this world is everything my heart needed. This book was consuming. I read it in one sitting. It was fiery, it was unforgettable, it was captivating. It was tangible with its tension and connection between these characters, but more than it pulled my heart in to every bit of these characters. Yes, it was hot as hell, yes, there was so much glorious buildup between these characters, but more than that there was such a realness to them that had my heart in every breath of this book.

And I am already counting down the days to the next installment because I need it like I need my next breath.

This book takes you to the new world of Mermaid Beach and to another Wolf Hotel opening, and I have to say the way that this author totally encapsulate she was in this world is truly on another level. There is no way you can’t help but be enamored by this world, the dynamics of it, and all of the characters that make it what it is. It was giving me total flashbacks of what made me fall in love with the original series reading this book. I think this author hits the perfect balance of hitting those notes that made you fall in love with this world in the first place with the original series, while also showing you that this is a brand new world, with new rules, new characters, and lots of new feelings and relationships.

This new series, this new world, and this new set of characters mixed in with those fan favorites from the original series will definitely have you obsessed with everything you’re reading. I promise you that. I literally could not put this book down. I was beyond obsessed with getting back into Ronan‘s head, getting back with all of my other favorite characters from this world, while also getting to know Sloane. The world of this book is definitely fiery, memorable, and the steaks are high. You feel that through every page of this book and this author invests you in all of that, and in all of these characters. I cannot say that enough. You will get it all with them. Every high, every low, every moment of buildup, every moment of glorious tension, every moment of fire and connection, and every moment where you wonder where in the world these characters are going to go and what they’re going to do next.

In this book, you get the perfect balance of forbidden romance, fiery connection and tension, breaking of all the rules, and so many doors opening that you will be chomping at the bit to find out what happens next. Ronan and Sloane definitely break all the rules in this book, and I was here for every second of it. He is the new director of the hotel that is trying to take over the only home she’s ever known. She is a feisty business owner trying to hold on with all she can to her business, her Home, and to the semblance of normal she has, but she is not prepared for Ronan and the things that he makes her feel.

These two should not work on paper. They are definitely enemy number one to each other, but there is something that keeps pulling them back that they can’t get enough of. They feel a whole hell of a lot for each other, And the connection between them is palpable. Over the course of this book you get to see the two of them weighed their way through every bit of their complicated feelings and connection, and it is truly everything.

I could not get enough of what these two were doing to each other. They definitely make each other question everything, while also feeling absolutely everything. There is something very real and raw about the two of them. And I loved getting to be in the thick of it with them as they tried to figure out what the hell that meant for the two of them. Their feelings are complicated, their decisions aren’t easy ones, and this book and it’s events definitely for the two of them to make some hard choices and face some hurdles that they were not prepared for.

I loved getting to be in the thick of that tension with them because I just was an enamored by the two of them, I was invested in every bit of what they were sharing. I already need every new moment with them because I love these two with my whole heart and I want them to get their happily ever after. I need it. Like I NEED it. I think that speaks to what this author creates with these characters right from the start that I feel that so strongly and deeply, and that that level of connection was built from the first book and what I know will be another incredible series.

I will warn you that this book does end on a cliffhanger, but I have no doubt that it will be beyond worth it because this author has shown that every book that she writes, and every new installment to this world is perfection and beyond worth it. I have loved this world for a very long time and being back with it is everything. It is a series that is addicting, that is romance driven, that packs fire and humor and heart and romance and so many layers to it, while giving you memorable characters that you won’t be able to get enough of. I am wholeheartedly invested in Ronan and Sloane’s love story, while also invested in this world as a whole. I want all of the stories from this series and being back with these characters, being back within this world, and just getting everything that this author creates in this spinoff series is truly perfection!

Release Me was the perfect introduction to the spinoff series that I cannot wait for more of. If you were a fan of the original series, you will absolutely love this book and getting to dive deep into Ronan‘s love story that we have all been waiting for. And this first installment of it with him and Sloane and all the other incredible and unforgettable characters of this series, is absolutely amazing. It will definitely leave you on the edge of your seat, desperate for more, and you will love it.

Plus, getting to be back in the world of characters that first swept you into this illustrious series, will make your heart happy. I know it made my heart be beyond happy. Getting to see Connor and Henry and Abbi and all of the other incredible characters from the original series just adds to what makes this new series so fantastic. Getting to see how these relationships and friendships have evolved, how they strengthened, how they’ve continued will definitely have you laughing your ass off at times, feeling all the connection at others, but also knowing that these characters truly are a complicated found family of sorts that do show up for one another and push each other when it truly matters. And getting to be back in the thick of that dynamic with all of them? Well, it’s just the best. The actual best.

I am literally sitting here, writing this review just thinking about what I read with these characters, thinking about how much I already need everything with them, and I could not be more invested. I am obsessed, I am hooked, and I am desperate for what will come next. And that is just scratching the surface of what KA Tucker creates in this book. I love it so damn much and I can’t say it enough. She has created that palpable magic and connection again in this first book and I am here for it. I am here for all of it and I cannot wait for more!

I truly can’t say enough good things about this book, or what I got with Ronan and Sloane. This book encapsulates you with an addictive, fiery, and unforgettable world that is filled to the brim with complicated business dealings, forbidden relationships, and a level of connection you won’t experience in any other series. This world is truly addicting and I cannot wait for more. I am so beyond eager to see what this author has planned for Ronan and Sloane and the rest of these characters as this series unfolds. There are definitely some hard decisions and moments coming their way, especially with what was set up in this book, and I’m here for all of it.

I am invested in their relationship, I am rooting for their happily ever after, but more than that I am just counting down the minutes until I can get back in their heads and their hearts because I love both of their characters with my whole heart. That is a true testament to what this author creates that I feel that so much as I’m sitting here writing this review, and I cannot wait until the moment I’m back with all of these characters because my heart is ready. Plus I really need to see how they are going to figure it all out because I really really need them to do that because what Ronan and Sloane share is undeniable, and I am here for watching their dynamic and their relationship build over the course of this series.

This introduction to this spinoff series was the actual best and I cannot say enough good things about it. I am obsessed with this love story, with these characters, and I cannot wait for more. I will be counting down the days to the next installment in this series, and I have no doubt that this author will continue to wow me at every turn with what she creates in this love story because she has done that in every single incredible book that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading from her. And this book was no different.

Meet K.A. Tucker

K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.

She is the internationally bestselling author of over thirty books, including Ten Tiny Breaths, The Simple Wild, and the Fate & Flame series, Until It Fades, Say You Still Love Me, and Keep Her Safe. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.

K.A. Tucker lives outside of Toronto. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading recipes she’ll never make or chasing rabbits away from her hostas.

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29May2025

Releasing Now: Tiger Lilies & Tight Ends by Kathryn Andrews

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

It’s release day for TIGER LILIES AND TIGHT ENDS by Kathryn Andrews! Grab it in KU!

#OneClickHere

https://a.co/d/eEVHZnx

Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…

🧡 Brother’s Best Friend

🏈 Football Romance

🧡 Roommates/Close Proximity

🏈 Secret Romance Author

🧡 Teenage Crush

🏈 Golden Retriever Hero

🧡 Slow Burn

🏈 Interconnected Standalone

When fate delivers a roommate . . . don’t block it.

Tyler Quinn

There is a beautiful woman unexpectedly living in my house. A woman I sort of know because she’s my best friend’s little sister. Although, she’s definitely not so little anymore.

My entire professional career, I’ve been the starting tight end for the Tampa Tarpons. Life as a football player keeps me in the spotlight, when my preference is the dark. Through unfortunate past experiences, I guard my privacy and don’t do roommates, ever. But when my best friend calls and says he needs a favor, I don’t say no. Although I wish I had. Now she’s here, with her gorgeous turquoise eyes, big trusting smile, and taking up my spot on my couch. I’ve established the rules for how this is going to go, but as time passes and she opens up, I find it’s becoming harder and harder not to break them.

Lily Kent

If I know one thing for certain, I’m never dating another football player again.

After walking away from a very long and expired relationship, I needed a place to stay to plan out my life. My new life. I can work anywhere, so when my brother suggests crashing with his best friend Tyler, I say,”Yes.” Who doesn’t love palm trees, sunshine, and an attractive roommate? Tyler is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome, but the best part is he’s also kind. He makes me feel grounded when everything else feels upside down. He makes me feel things I wasn’t expecting. I know I said no more athletes, but in those moments when his hand grazes my back or when he makes me laugh, I wonder about my plans. Maybe I should change them, maybe we should, after all, fate did lead me to his door.

***** 5 ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE STARS*****

I have been reading and loving books by Kathryn Andrews for over a decade now, and I cannot say enough how much I love her books. She always encapsulates incredible characters, heart touching stories, so much feeling and emotion and connection, along with so many other layers that truly set her world and her books apart. I have loved every book by this author. I have been addicted to her words for quite some time now and I don’t ever see that changing. And I wouldn’t want it to change because this author just has such a way of developing you with everything you get with her characters and it is truly the best.

Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends is an absolutely incredible addition to the Tampa Tarpon Series that Kathryn Andrews has so vividly and incredibly created. I love this world. I love the world of this football team, I love the found family vibes this entire series gives off, but more than that I just love that this world connects so many of the books and characters that I’ve loved by this author into a place where they can play an incredible game on and off the field, while feeling everything, and falling in love with their soulmates. I truly love this series and can’t get enough. Every moment with these characters just makes my heart happy and makes me smile so beyond bag.

And getting this story with Tyler and Lily was absolutely everything.

Tyler and Lily have the most undeniable connection that was tangible through every second of their story. Those two were meant to be. Even when they fought against their feelings, even when that slow burn was slow burning, they felt it. It was there. It was real. And it threatened to pull them under in the best way. I love getting to be there with the two of them as they reconnected, as they embraced what they were feeling, and as they allowed those scales to tip and finally give into everything that could be. There is something so inherently right about the two of them that you feel from the moment you meet them. Something so real and true and their connection, and the way that these two show that and create that and allow you to experience that with them over the course of this book is utterly incredible.

From the moment I started this book, I could not get enough of everything between Tyler and Lily. Those two are the definition of friends who become so much more. Tyler is Lily‘s brother‘s best friend and she has always had a thing for him. Fresh off of her own break up she needs time to regroup. And with one phone call that brings her to Tyler, someone she hasn’t seen in quite some time. These two definitely get off to a bit of a rocky and awkward start, but it’s only because there is so much there between them. And the more that these two settle into being roommates and friends and something so much more, the more that their hearts come right to the line with them as they fall so truly, and deeply for one another.

Kathryn Andrews and her amazing writing put you right in the thick of it with these two and you will love it. That is one of the many qualities I love about how this author writes her books. She just invests you in her characters, and each of their own journeys, and in the romance, they built together. She puts you right in the thick of it with them on the pages of her book and you’re able to live and breathe and feel every bit of what these characters do. It just puts you in the heart of the story in the best way, and it has you needing for the two of them to find their way. I felt that from the very first moment I met Tyler and Lily and I just loved these two getting to show that their friendship was so much more.

Lily was the female heroine of my dreams. Not only is she a secret romance, author, but she just has a genuine heart of gold. She is someone just trying to reevaluate her life, make a new plan, and figure out what she needs to do next. I really resonated with that and her while reading this book. And I also just loved how genuinely good of a heart and person she was. That girl feels with her whole heart and she is just so good. But more than that, she just wants to find her place and find the place where she can be celebrated with those who aren’t afraid to celebrate and love her loudly. I loved getting to go along with this journey in this book while she figured out what came next, well also finding the person who was ready to give her everything she deserved and more.

Tyler was a man who I loved from the very first moment I met him. I loved getting to peel back the layers of what made him the guy that he was. He is funny and genuine, and has a heart of gold himself, but he also has been through it. You get to understand that and you get to understand why there are certain walls that he’s put up. I loved over the course of this book that not only did Lily help chip away at those walls, but she helped Tyler realize that he didn’t really want those walls in the first place, as he also took them down himself. I loved getting to be with Tyler as he felt what he did, as he fought with his whole heart for Lily and what could be, and as he allowed himself to bask in the possibility of a chance at something incredible. This man deserved the best of everything and I loved getting to see him realize that in this book.

Lily and Tyler both on themselves at a crossroads in a lot of ways over the course of this book. She is fresh off of a break up and he is someone who has been closed off romantically for a long time. When these two are together not only did they build a genuine friendship that reignites so much connection between them, but they start to feel so much more for one another. And that more is beautiful, it’s deep and vulnerable and real, and it forces the two of them to realize that what they may have thought they wanted could be so much more with one another.

I loved getting to watch the two of them take chances with each other.

Getting to watch them, put their hearts on the line even when it’s scared them out of their minds. Getting to be there as they took a chance on each other and on themselves in the future. Getting to be connected to their story as they figured it out, as they fought for what could be, and as they put their hearts on the line when it really mattered was absolutely everything. And I loved every single second I got with them in this book on that journey. I loved how those two weren’t afraid to be vulnerable, weren’t afraid to pull back those layers and show each other the real them, and I loved that they also weren’t afraid to love each other loudly when it really mattered.

One pinky swear at a time, those two pulled me under with them into the fierce level of connection and love that they were building and sharing, and it was absolutely beautiful.

This author once again immersed me in the world of football that I just truly can’t get enough of. When I tell you this series is my happy place I mean it. Every book by this author is my happy place, but this series especially. It is the meeting point of so many incredible characters and stories that I’ve loved from this author, well also setting up so many possibilities for future stories that I cannot wait to get my hands on. This author perfectly weaves together the dynamics and friendships and family that these characters are within this world and it is truly everything to experience.

This football team is something special and you feel that in your bones while reading this book and every book in this series. I love the connections between these players, I live for their group chats and the TikTok challenges, but more than that I just love that they genuinely care about one another, and that they truly are this family that will do anything for each another. These characters love to push each other‘s buttons, they love to push each other when it’s really needed, but more than that they love to be there for one another. I loved once again, being back in the heart of this team and getting to watch the sports players give it they’re all on and off the field.

Kathryn Andrews truly finds the best balance in creating a sports romance that gives you that heart and romance and spice and connection, while giving you the sports and the outside world and everything in between. It truly comes together to make the perfect package and an unforgettable romance. I can’t say that enough.

Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends is a book that I cannot say enough good things about. This book is definitely one of my top reads of the year and definitely one of my favorites from this author. It just was so beyond good to read and experience. It made me smile, it made me melt with these characters, it definitely made me blush with some of the moments they share, but more than that it just made me believe in everything they were feeling and experiencing together. Tyler and Lily are soulmates. They were meant to find each other in this book. While the start of this book finds them both at a crossroads not exactly sure what comes next, the middle finds them willing to put in the work for themselves and each other to see what could be, and the end of finds them creating something so perfect and true and real that truly took my breath away.

I loved every single word and page and moment of this book. Tyler and Lily are the actual best. And this world and this series and this football team is somewhere that I cannot wait to be back in. I’m already keeping my fingers crossed that this author will write all of the books for all of these incredible characters because I need every one of their stories. I think that just speaks to what she creates in every one of her books that I truly can never get enough. I’m always ready for more, I’m always ready for the next book, and I’m always ready to see what she will create with her characters and their unforgettable stories.

Kathryn Andrews continues to be one of my favorite authors for a reason because she pours her heart and soul into every word of her books and it shines on every page. I felt that through every breath of this story with Tyler and Lily as they went from roommates to friends to so much more. Their story was consuming, epically, romantic, and just so beyond sweet and spicy, and all kinds of amazing. Those two stole my heart from the very first moment I met them, and with each new pinky promise, they just solidified how much I needed them to find their way.

I loved getting to go along with them over the course of their journey in this book and getting to see them pour their hearts out to one another. It was a heart touching and emotional story that consumed me with them, connected me with them and just let me live every breath of the story with them and the most amazing way. This author allows you to feel it all with these characters over the course of this book, showing you that the possibilities of more and taking a chance can truly change your life in the best way.

Tyler and Lily have the best kind of love story in this book. Getting to watch these two experience that glorious more together is absolutely everything. And this author delivers their story in a way that will have you beyond invested, beyond ready for everything they’re about to give you, and beyond ready to get that much deserved happily ever after for the two of them. This book delivered it all in spades and it is a must read.

Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends is the perfect romance read, and it is one that will steal your heart the moment you start it. I promise you that. So the second you finish this review, run yourself to this book. Because Tyler and Lily are ready to give you their all, and you will be truly blown away by what you get with them in their story.

I pinky promise you that.

Meet Kathryn Andrews:

Kathryn Andrews is a #1 Inspirational Romance Bestselling Author who loves stories that end with a happily ever after. She started writing at age seven and never stopped. Kathryn is known for Chasing Clouds, the Starving for Southern series, and her much loved Hale Brothers series. Her stories are sweet, southern, and fall into the genres of chi-lit, contemporary romance, sports romance, and southern fiction.

Kathryn graduated from the University of South Florida with degrees in Biology and Chemistry, and currently lives in Tampa, Florida. She spends her days as a sales director for a medical device company and her nights lost in her love of fictional characters.

When Kathryn is not crafting beautiful worlds that incorporate some of her most favorite real life places, she can be found hanging out with her husband and two young sons, while drinking iced coffee and enjoying the sun.

Connect with Kathryn Andrews:

https://linktr.ee/kandrewsauthor

29May2025

Releasing Now: Before You Go by Aurora Rose Reynolds

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

It’s release day for BEFORE YOU GO by Aurora Rose Reynolds! Grab it in KU!

#OneClickHere

Amazon US https://a.co/d/12Vu1ab

Amazon CA https://a.co/d/hirigTU

Amazon UK https://amzn.eu/d/4kZrkTC

Amazon AU https://amzn.to/3SPtnG6

Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…

🔥Opposites Attract

🔥Protective MMC

🔥Friends to Lovers

🔥Accidental Pregnancy

🔥Emotional Scars

🔥Not good enough for her

🔥One Night Stand

🔥Sworn Off Relationships

Dayton Calloway and I wouldn’t have gotten together if it weren’t for two pink lines.

After getting divorced, Francisca Dawson is attempting to find out who she is and how she wants her life to look. One thing she knows is that there isn’t room for a man in that equation. But then she meets Dayton Calloway. A man who is charming, funny, and unbelievably gorgeous. Unable to deny their connection, she gets lost in the moment and gives into his dirty mouth and skilled hands.

Actions have consequences.

Dayton knew that he never wanted to get married or have children. His upbringing before he entered foster care showed him that. So he took all precautions to make sure that wasn’t a possibility.

But like they say nothing is ever one hundred percent.

Now, he’s picturing life as a father and coming to terms with the possibility of having everything he never knew he wanted with a woman who is not only taking up space in his life, but that empty space in his chest.

Before you go, do you take a chance and risk it all, or do you just let go and possibly miss out on the most beautiful love you’ve ever known?

That’s what Dayton and Francisca will have to figure out.

Love is only as messy as you make it.

*****4.5 UTTERLY FANTASTIC STARS*****

Aurora Rose Reynolds continues to be an author who delivers incredible romances. I can’t get enough of. I have literally read and loved every book by this author, and I cannot say enough, how amazing it has been to fall in love with the character she creates over the past 10+ years of reading her books. She always encapsulates so much swoon and heart and just connection into her words and what her character share and I truly can’t get enough. Her books are my happy place. They are stories that I look forward to every time I sit down to read a new one. They are worlds that I just can’t get enough of. And I think all of that speaks to what this author creates in each and every one of her books that I feel that in every way when I read and experience her words.

Before You Go had one of my all-time favorite tropes in it. It is an accidental pregnancy book about two people who were just looking for a night of fun, but end up experiencing so much more. Franny and Dayton definitely aren’t looking for anything serious, but everything changes when that plus sign pops up on the test. And I have to say I love getting to watch these two wade their way through all the uncertainty, all of their growing feelings for each other, and getting to see them embrace the beauty of what they shared and created. Those two have an undeniable connection and getting to watch them build a genuine friendship, a heart, touching and consuming relationship, and getting to see them come so far from where they start at the beginning of this book, was honestly so beautiful.

I absolutely love those two and everything they shared. I loved that they could be so vulnerable with one another. I loved that they made each other want things they never thought they would ever have. I loved that being together made them reconsider everything. I loved that being together made them feel everything. I loved that they just felt right. There was something so innately right and good about the two of them, what they shared, how they showed up for each other, and just what it all meant. That along with everything else’s author infuses into their connection, into their touches and kisses and everything in between just combines to make the perfect romance.

This story was just so easy to read and love. And I’m honestly not surprised by that one little bit because I could say that about every book by this author. She’s one of my favorite authors for a reason. I know when I sit down to read a book by her that I’m going to love it. That I’m going to melt with these characters, that I am going to get an incredible story I won’t be able to put down, and that I will just love every moment. That was true through every word of this book. I especially loved getting to be back with these family of characters because they have each been through a lot. And it has honestly been so sweet and meaningful getting to see them each find their much deserved happily ever after. This book not only gave me an incredible love story with Franny and Dayton, but it brought me back to a world of characters that I will truly never get enough of.

I just loved reading this book. I loved how these characters really grew. a love that was so honest and vulnerable. I loved how they made each other feel things they might not have been ready for at times, but that were so true and deep. I loved that they pushed each other to be honest and real with not only one another, but themselves. I also loved that there were so many incredible layers and pieces to the story. There was the romance between this couple, there was this found family that they are a part of, there was a little bit of a suspense, plot line that added another layer to this world, but more than that there was also just so much love and heart and connection. I felt that in every page of this book and it just had me loving every bit of what I was reading.

Love and life are full of unexpected terms, and this book with Franny and Dayton definitely shows you that. This couple definitely had a memorable start, and they have some hurdles to overcome throughout this book, but they are incredible and you will love getting to be along with them on their journey as they find their way through it all. Their honesty, their connection, and the heart that they weave together through every second of this book is truly the best. And it will have you believing in everything that could be between them. These two might’ve had a very unexpected start, but their story together is beautiful, meaningful, and so very sweet and hard touching. It’s also got a firework level of connection and spice and that combines to make a book of the unexpected so beyond beautiful.

The way these characters show up for each other, the way they fight for what they’re feeling, and what they worked towards together to build is truly the best. And my heart was in every breath of it with this author and how she created these characters, their story, and every piece of this world. Aurora Rose Reynolds truly delivers everything in her books, and this one just showed me that again and again. I’m already counting down the days to the next time. I get to read a book by her and my heart is ready.

Meet Aurora Rose Reynolds:

Aurora Rose Reynolds is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose wildly popular series include Until, Until Him, Until Her, Underground King, Shooting Stars, Fluke My Life and How to Catch an Alpha series.

Her writing career started in an attempt to get the outrageously alpha men who resided in her head to leave her alone and has blossomed into an opportunity to share her stories with readers all over the world.

Connect with Aurora Rose Reynolds:

https://linktr.ee/Auroraroser

15May2025

Releasing Now: Tourist Trap by Morgan Elizabeth

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

Tourist Trap by Morgan Elizabeth is now live!

Bestselling author Morgan Elizabeth delivers Tourist Trap, a small town, age gap, grumpy sunshine, summer romance based in Seaside Point, a shore town in New Jersey.

Claire:

A summer in a tourist trap is exactly what I need. A single summer of fun before I finally buckle down and decide on what I want to do with the rest of my life. So when my best friend suggested I spend the summer as a lifeguard in Seaside Point I jumped at the opportunity.

I was ready for a summer of uncomplicated fun, so imagine my surprise when my ex’s older brother owns the house I want to rent a room in. Not only is Miles the guy I used to have the biggest crush on, he refuses to give me the time of day.

Miles:

I have enough on my plate trying to save up what I need to buy my brother out of the house we inherited by the end of the summer. I definitely don’t need the distraction of my brother’s gorgeous ex prancing around my house. But for some reason I still can’t understand, I agreed to let her rent a room and now she’s prancing around in her little bathing suits, flirting with me endlessly, and making me a summer bucket list because she thinks I can’t have fun.

I don’t mess with tourists, and I surely don’t mess with my brother’s exes, but just like the moon and its effect on tides, I can’t escape her pull on me. Will I be able to survive this summer with her, or will I get distracted and lose it all?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://a.co/d/havURVI

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4kBjmZQ

Audible: https://adbl.co/3ESpb5d

Narrated by: Sebastian York and CJ Bloom

*****4.5 Summer Fun Stars*****

It is no secret that Morgan Elizabeth is one of my favorite authors. I have spent the last six months reading every book by this author that I can get my hands on. She has just such a way of infusing, such color, such personality and vibrancy, and just so much spice and swoon into her stories. I have loved every book by this author, and this one was no different. It encapsulated everything I’ve come to love and expect when reading a book by her, and it has me eager to see what she plans to create next. Because her books, they are just so fun, so enjoyable, and just Incredible to experience.

Tourist Trap was the perfect summer read. I mean that with my whole heart. This book was all kinds of fun, it had so many memorable moments, and it just had that magic that exists when you are living your best life, in your new favorite place, with the people who own your heart. This book just delivered it all. It was a book about second chances, a story filled with memorable moments that had me smiling from ear to ear, and a book that had a romance that truly felt meant to be.

Claire and Miles had the best amount of chemistry. Those two knew how to push each other‘s buttons in the best way, and boy did that push them closer together. Those two felt meant to be. They felt like they were finally finding the right time at the exact moment they both wanted and needed each other with everything they had. he may be her ex-boyfriend‘s older brother, and she may be a thorn in his side at times, but those two have a connection that is undeniable. And it is the best getting to see that play out over the course of this book. They make each other feel everything, and it will have you loving every single second you get with them.

I promise you that.

This book just had so many memorable and fun moments that I truly couldn’t get enough of. From the hermit crabs to the summer bucket list, to the spicy adventures in a lifeguard chair, Morgan Elizabeth definitely brings the heat, the fun, and all of the incredibleness in this book and this world. I love that no matter what book I read by her I know I’m going to get an enjoyable story that is well written and that just consumes me. A book that is a whole vibe in the most amazing way, that will just give me a story that I love. That was this book in every way. It was enjoyable, it was so fun, and I just loved getting to spend time with these characters. They definitely deliver it all in this book and I for one cannot get enough.

Miles and Claire kept me on my toes through every page, but more than that they showed that they really felt something for each other. Their feelings were deep, they were honest, and even when they didn’t know what to do with them, they felt them. I loved getting to connect with their characters. I loved getting to watch them, push each other‘s buttons, and practically want to climb each other like trees, but more than that I just loved getting to see them accept and fight for everything they wanted together. Throw in some very memorable and funny moments with those two, and there is no resisting them. I promise you that!

If you are looking for the perfect summer read, then you need to run yourself to this book. It is a summer romance that involves a little bit of enemies to lovers, forced proximity vibes in the best way, so much fun and memorable moments, with a heavy dose of spice that will leave you ready for all the fireworks. It will give you Miles and Claire in the best way and you will just love what you get with them. They definitely have a romance that encapsulates and consumes you within everything this year. And honestly, it’s just so dang fun and so dang memorable in the best way, and I loved every second of getting to experience the story with them.

Tourist Trap definitely captures the magic that a summer at the shore can bring you, and the way that this author infuses so much personality and life into her characters, so much connection and love into the relationship, and so many memorable and enjoyable moments into this book is the best. I loved every bit of this book and I truly can’t wait to read whatever this author writes next. Her books are some of my favorites and they are truly my happy place. I just feel the best when I’m reading a book by this author and I could not ask for more. I felt all of that and so much more when reading this book and experiencing this fantastic love story, and I know you will too!

This book is another must read to add to the list from this author, and it will definitely have you ready for all of those summer vibes, this incredible love story, and all the fun you get with this couple. I can’t wait to see what this author plans to write next and I have my fingers crossed for a couple of characters in this world to get their own story because I already love them all. These books truly just get better and better and I for one cannot wait to see where the next memorable and vibrant adventure with this author brings us!

Meet Morgan Elizabeth

Morgan is a born and raised Jersey girl, living there with her two boys, toddler daughter, and mechanic husband. She’s addicted to iced espresso, barbecue chips, and Starburst jellybeans. She usually has headphones on, listening to some spicy audiobook or Taylor Swift. There is rarely an in between.

Writing has been her calling for as long as she can remember. There’s a framed ‘page one’ of a book she wrote at seven hanging in her childhood home to prove the point. Her entire life she’s crafted stories in her mind, begging to be released but it wasn’t until recently she finally gave them the reins.

I’m so grateful you’ve agreed to take this journey with me.

Connect with Morgan Elizabeth

Website: https://www.authormorganelizabeth.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21988181.Morgan_Elizabeth

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Morgan-Elizabeth/author/B09H9YFGXL/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559817177489

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/412555790886704

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authormorganelizabeth

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormorganelizabeth

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/morgan-elizabeth

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authormorganelizabeth/

23Apr2025

Releasing Now: The Persistence of Thornes (Wildflower #3) by Micalea Smeltzer

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

The Persistence of Thornes by Micalea Smeltzer is now live!

Hawthorne Mills is supposed to be my chance to start over with my brothers. Becoming their guardian wasn’t the plan, but I’ll do anything it takes to keep them from being put in the system. Even if it means raising two teenage boys when I’m only twenty-three.

There’s one thing I don’t expect.

Caleb Thorne.

He’s literally descended from the founding family of the town and practically royalty here.

And also my new neighbor.

Which makes him privy to every screw up I make trying to navigate being a parental figure to my younger brothers.

It should be easy enough for me to avoid him but he’s annoyingly persistent in wanting to help me. I call it pity even if he insists it’s not.

The worst part is there’s undeniable chemistry between us and the more time we spend together the harder it becomes to resist.

But nothing good in my life has ever lasted so I fully expect Caleb to be another of those temporary things.

Especially when my past demons finally catch up with me.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

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

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4jKRxOk

5 Absolutely Incredible Stars

When I read the Wildflower Duet by Micalea Smeltzer a few years ago, I fell in love with this small town, it’s unforgettable characters, and the consuming way that this author brought every detail of this world to life. I still think about that world. I still think about those characters, their journeys, and the beautifully emotional story. I got within those pages. So to say that I was excited to come back to that world, to come back to those characters, and to see one of my favorite characters get their well deserved happy ending, is putting it mildly. My heart was ready for this book. My soul is ready for this book. I was just ready to see Caleb Thorne find the person who was meant to be with him.

And let me just tell you now, every bit of this incredible romance was perfection. Every second of this book getting to see Caleb find his match and Halle was everything. Every moment with these two solidified, how much I knew, they needed to be together in every way possible. Every page of this book had me knowing in the deepest part of my heart and soul that these two were soulmates and that they were exactly what each other needed.

Getting to experience and feel all of that over the course of this book with Halle and Caleb was truly wonderful. And honestly, it’s just scratching the surface about what I loved about their story. There were so many big things and little things and just incredible things that had me melting into a puddle of swoony goo reading their story. Those two have an irresistible connection, they have a love that is built stone by stone and brick by brick in the most thoughtful and vulnerable and heart touchingly real way, but more than that they have this magic and dynamic between them that is truly mesmerizing.

Those two are endgame. They are two halves of the same whole that were meant to find each other to complete everything. They didn’t even know they needed. Those two are soulmates. You feel it in your bones. The first moment they meet and the way that these two show up for each other, the way they fight for each other, and the connection and love they are building across this book, and the way that they show everyone around them, but most importantly, each other, that they are meant to be is absolutely beautiful. And it will touch your heart in every way possible. I promise you that.

The Persistence of Thornes has all of the best pieces that make it an incredible love story from start to finish. It’s got a single father who has the biggest heart, stepping into help his neighbor who he definitely has a crush on and wants to have so much more with. It has a strong, independent woman who has been let down so many times in her life by those she should’ve been able to trust, just trying to raise her brothers in the best way possible, while also feeling all of the things for her very handsome next-door neighbor. From the moment these to meet, it is on. Their connection, their fire, and their pull to one another. They may fight it at times, they may take it slow at others because they know the other is scared, they may question everything they think they feel and know, but through it all that fire and that pull to each other is there. It’s fierce, it’s real, it’s vulnerable, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

And you will love every second of getting to experience all of that with Caleb and Halle.

Those two are just something special. What they feel for one another is so real and right and you will just love getting to see the two of them give into all of that over the course of this book. The way they see each other, the way they completely and wholeheartedly get each other, the way that they show up for each other in the exact way that the other needs is truly incredible. It shows the honesty and realness of these characters and their connection, it shows how much they truly understand each other in a way that only they can, and it is just beautiful. It is incredibly beautiful and emotional and meaningful.

Halle and Caleb‘s characters truly stole my heart. I mean from the moment I met them in this book. I loved them with my whole heart. I had already loved Caleb from my previous experiences with his character in the rest of the series, and Holly wiggled her way in there from the very first page. Those two are just so special. There’s just something so incredible about each of them on their own, but when they’re together, it’s truly like fireworks. It’s truly like everything clicking into place in the right way at the right time and it’s incredible to experience that with them.

Caleb Thorne is a character that I have been intrigued by and that I have loved ever since I met him in the first books in the series. That man goes through a lot. And while I would not change an ounce of the story that I’ve already read with these characters, I was definitely ready for him to find his happily ever after. That man has a heart of gold. He shows up for everyone. He loves with his whole heart. And honestly, he just wanted somebody to pick him. To love him first. To choose him. And getting to see him experience that, getting to see how thoughtful he was with Halle as their relationship evolved and developed, and getting to see just how he was willing to show up for her, his family, and himself was absolutely amazing. That man is truly the best. He has the biggest heart, he is always willing to show up and put in the work, and he just loves with his whole heart. You feel that in your bones reading the story and getting to be with him as he experienced a love that he’s so truly deserved, while also giving a love that was so honest and true was beyond meaningful and just so damn beautiful.

Also… The fiery mouth on that man, I was not prepared. Caleb Thorne definitely brings the heat and do not count him out because he is ready and willing to show you that not only is he in this with Holly, but he is bound and determined to show her and everyone around them that they Are meant to be. And that everything they share together is worth it. Watching Caleb build a relationship that he did with Halle, her brothers, and everyone around them was beautiful and so hard touching. That man shining the love and adoration he has on those around him, but especially on Halle was truly everything. That man is so thoughtful, he is so endearing, and he is determined to show her that she is worthy of love and help and care, and that she can count on him. The way he shows up continually for her, for those around him, and the way that that love and adoration is reciprocated to him from Halle is wonderful. And it made my heart so beyond happy getting to see this genuinely good man experience everything that he so deserved.

Now Halle‘s character completely enamored me from the very first moment I met her. I love that girl fiercely. She is a young woman who has had the hardest lot in life. She has experienced too many things that nobody should. But she continues to show up, she continues to fight for herself and her siblings, and she continues to put in the hard work to make a better life for those around her. She herself has a heart of gold too, and she is just so genuine, determined, and hard-working. But she’s also somebody who has been let down so many times and it’s hard for her to trust others because she has trusted before and it’s broken pieces of her. I felt so much for her throughout this book and her unraveling all of those pieces of what she had been through as she tried to resonate with what she was experiencing and feeling in the present tense of this book.

That girl has been through everything, and getting to see her finally bask in the light, getting to see her except the love of someone who deserved her, and getting to see her over the course of this book realize that she deserved that goodness, that she wanted it, and more than that that she was willing to fight with her life for it was absolutely mesmerizing and emotional and beyond beautiful. Halle deserves every good thing in life and you will love getting to see someone doubt on her, getting to see people show up and fight for her, and getting to see her come into her own and realize that she is worthy and deserving of the love that is right next-door. Getting to see her fully except those things about herself and her life and her journey is incredible and so telling and vulnerable. You will love how you connect to her character, you will love just getting to watch her love and experience the trueness of that for the first time, but more than that you will just love The tenacity of her character and her heart through every page of this book.

If you can’t tell already, I loved these two with my whole heart. They were the epitome of meant to be. These characters just saw each other. They got each other. They realized what each other needed and showed up in the ways that truly mattered and in the way that changed everything for these two. Their hearts were so genuine, their connection was so real and true, and the love that grows over the course of this book is so hard thought and honest and beautiful that it completely encapsulate you in the rightness and the depth of what Halle and Caleb share together.

I really can’t say that enough.

My words honestly do not do their love story that justice it deserves. The persistence and the tenacity of these two, their connection, and the love that is eternal between them is absolute perfection, and there truly is no resisting it. These two are meant to be, and you will bask in every swoon worthy moment. You get with them as they try to figure out how they can click all of those puzzle pieces into place to get to the happily ever after that they both so truly and unequivocally deserve.

This love story and what this author gives you with her characters is truly outstanding. I can’t say it enough. I melted reading this book. I swooned. I felt the butterflies right along with these characters. I just believed in them and their love story and I truly cannot say that enough. Micalea Smeltzer put you right in the thick of it, she put your heart on the line right along with her characters, and that pulls you in fiercely. You are just able to live and breathe every ounce of this love story with these characters, you believe in them, you love them with your whole heart, you root for them with all you have, but more than that you just know that they are meant to be and getting to experience all of That as you experience, their story is truly nothing short of everything.

I probably could go on for thousands of more words with all of the things that I loved about The Persistence of Thornes by Micalea Smeltzer. This book is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and has just brought me back to a series that is so so special to me. I love it. This author does justice to Halle and Caleb and their story and love that they build together, while also bringing you back into a world of characters that Stole my heart years ago. She also leaves a few doors and windows open for possibilities in the future and I for one cannot wait for all of that. This town, these characters, and the connection they all share is truly something special and it was the most incredible reading experience getting to be back with all of them in this very special place as yet another epically, emotional and beautiful love story comes to life.

My heart was beyond happy getting to experience what I did with Halle and Caleb and the boys, and just every other incredible character of this world. It brought back so many of those original feelings I felt reading this series from a few years ago, but it added and multiplied the love I have for this world and what this author creates within it. She truly pours her heart Into every bit of what these characters share. That shines in every interaction, in every little moment, in every big moment, and every moment where these characters show you that they are this found family of people who have seen each other through the hardest moments of their lives and yet continue to show up and love each other because they want to. Because they choose each other, they choose to live life together and show up when it matters, and they continue to love each other, even when that love is complicated…and they always will. Getting to experience that level of heart and connection with all of these characters, while also getting the most romantic and all feeling love story between Halle and Caleb truly makes this book. It makes it everything and more.

And I honestly cannot say enough good things about it.

This book is a must read for anyone who loved the Wildflower Duet, but more than that is just a must read for anyone who loves a good love story. This book is the epitome of two people finding the exact right person who will show up for them in ways that they need, that will sear their hearts to one another, but more than that that will have them believing in every possibility of what could be for that happily ever after. This book is romantic, it is heart touching, and it is absolutely beautiful.

I continue to be blown away by what this author creates with her words and characters, and this book is definitely one of my new favorite of hers. It stole my heart, it completely consumed me from start to finish, and it just reiterated the fact that the right people will find their exact right person at the exact right time that they’re meant to. And getting to experience that, getting the honesty and vulnerability with these characters, thrown in with all of the love and connection and fire they share, It’s truly everything. Everything and more.

Run yourself to this book as soon as you can, and just prepare yourself for one of the most beautiful love stories you will get to experience. I know that I will never forget what it was like to fall in love with these characters, and to experience everything they give you in this book. It is romantic, it is beautiful, it is full of feels and swoon, but more than that it is just wholeheartedly them and the truest and realist way, and I just loved every second of it. These characters completely stole my heart, and I really don’t want it back because I just love them so much. I loved every bit of this book and I know you all too. Because I completely believe it is 100% impossible to not fall in love with these characters and the beautiful love story that they give you in this book and in this entire series.

Meet Micalea

Micalea Smeltzer is a twenty-something author from Northern Virginia. She has four dogs, which is as crazy as it sounds. As a recent kidney transplant recipient she’s dedicated to raising awareness around the effects of kidney disease, dialysis, and transplant as well as educating people on living donation.When she’s not writing you can catch her with her nose buried in a book.

Connect with Micalea

Website: https://micaleasmeltzer.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5371025.Micalea_Smeltzer

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Micalea-Smeltzer/e/B0086Y9968/

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/370997336425131

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micaleasmeltzer

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/micalea-smeltzer

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/micaleasmeltzer/

5Apr2025

Review Post: The Nanny is Off Limits by Q.B. Tyler

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

It’s all about the forbidden attraction with The Nanny Is Off Limits! Pick up the latest release from Q.B. Tyler today!

One Click Today!

Cover Designer (Both Covers): @shereads.pang

Rowan Kincaid hasn’t dated in over a year.

Not since the mother of his children unexpectedly passed away, leaving him to parent their three children alone.

Exhausted, overworked, and feeling like he’s failing at every turn, he’s desperate for help.

The Help that shows up?

A gorgeous woman almost twenty years younger thank him.

She’s compassionate and charming and the kids fall for her instantly.

And despite the fact that she should be off limits, he falls for her too.

Read My Review!

5 Incredible Stars!

If you know me, then you know that I am a huge fan of QB Tyler, and her books. I have literally read and loved every single one. They have all been must reads for me, and she is an author who I can always count on for spice, so much heart, and a story that I will just want to devour. I experienced all of those feelings and more while reading this newest book by her. It brought me into a world of characters that I already love with my whole heart, it broke the rules in the best way, and it delivered everything I have come to love and expect from this author.

The Nanny Is Off Limits explores Rowan and Elianna’s story of forbidden romance. He’s a single dad in desperate need of some help. She’s a nanny who swooped in to save the day. They are both not supposed to cross that line with each other, but they can’t help but want everything with one another. throw in some glorious tension and build up, a connection that just won’t quit, and a serious level of fire between these two, and you were just scratching the surface of what brings them together. This book follows the two of them as they try to make sense of their feelings, as they give into temptation, and as they see what it all means and where it’ll have them ending up.

What I loved about this book, is what I’ve loved about every book from this author. It was equal parts, consuming, spicy as hell, and romantic in every way. There is such a level of connection to what Rowan and Elianna share. There is such a deeper meaning to it too. It’s not just about breaking the rules. It’s not just about it being forbidden between them. It’s so much more. Don’t get me wrong, all of those factors make the spice even spicier, and this author has such a way of giving that tension and angst and build up in a way that is glorious, but there is so much to these characters and I love how this author once again allows you to experience the true hearts of them over the course of this book.

Rowan was a character that I fell for from the start. He’s a single dad, whose kids recently lost their mother, and he’s just trying his best. He’s definitely at his wits end a bit, and he’s just trying to make sure that he’s there for his kids in a way that means everything. He’s also someone who hasn’t let him feel things in a long time, and being near his new nanny, brings up feelings he was not prepared for. What I loved about his character was getting to see him find himself again, getting to see him as a dad, and someone who cared with his whole heart, well also being someone who is willing to show up and be strong for everyone when it truly mattered. That man was the best and there is no resisting him. I promise you that. I fell for him in chapter 1, and I just fell even harder the more that I got his story, the more I saw what he felt for Elianna and the way he was a father, and just the more that I got to spend time with him. He truly is the best.

Now Elianna’s character was another one that I loved from the start. She has the biggest heart, she is so good with kids, and she is used to taking care of everyone. As an oldest daughter myself, I related so much to the strength that she had, the determination she had to make sure everyone else was okay first, and the good hearted stubbornness and tenacity she had. I think what I loved most about her character is that while she was so strong, there was also such a level of vulnerability to her. She showed that fiercely with Rowan and he was able to peel back those layers for her to be honest and to be true and to be yourself. I loved that. I also loved that she completely owned, who she was, what she wanted, And she did it with a heart that was so full of love. That woman steps in to help and has the best intentions, and I loved getting to spend time with her over the course of this book.

These two definitely have an absolutely fiery connection through every page of this book. It’s consuming. It’s all encompassing. It’s unforgettable. They are meant to be. Even when it breaks all the rules, even when they have to have the hard conversations, and even when things get a little bit complicated, they are it for each other. You feel it in your bones. And that is just one of the many things I love about how QB Tyler writes her romance books. She shows you why her characters must be together, and why they have to find their way. I felt that from the very start with these two and that feeling never waned throughout this entire book…and it was glorious.

I also have to say that the incredible side characters of this world made my heart so happy. I loved Uncle River and I’m already counting down the days till his book because I need it in my life right now. But I also just loved Margot and SJ and Isla. Those three definitely bring the humor, the life, and the banter to the story, and I loved getting to see the dynamic between those three tiny, and not so tiny, humans, with their dad and with Ellie. They bring such a lightness and such a level of fun to the story, but also so much heart with everything they’ve gone through. This author really does their journey justice in a way that feels authentic and real and true.

I truly can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this book. It delivered everything and then some. The spice was spicy, the feels were feeling, and the heart was there in every bit. I loved getting to see these characters fall for each other and experience everything that came their way as they felt Everything for one another. I loved getting to be there as they finally gave into what was right in front of their faces. I just loved them and what they shared. It was raw, it was real, it was intense and tie, and it was just them. It was them in the most wholehearted and authentic way, and I loved getting to be in every part of it.

QB Tyler throws you into the thick of it with her characters and it truly is the best. She invests you in them, she makes you get them and believe in them and love them with your whole heart, and she shows you why they must find their way. You feel that through every single turn of the page in The Nanny is Off Limits and it is truly the best. It consumes you, it reels you and fiercely, and it has you believing in everything that could be between these characters. It also has you blushing something fierce. And honestly, that’s just part of what I loved so much about this book.

If you were a fan of this author, then you will love this book. It is single dad, falling for the nanny, age gap, forbidden romance goodness. It ticks all the boxes, it delivers the spice and feels, but more than that, it delivers an incredible and fantastic love story from start to finish. Rowan and Elianna feel absolutely everything for each other in this book and you will love getting to see them explore what that means, where it’s all going to go, and what that will bring the two of them as long as they’re willing to take a chance and break the rules.

This is a must read romance that will make you blush, make you smile, and make you feel at all. And honestly, that’s just part of what I loved about it so much. This is another incredible read by this author, and I am already looking forward to the next time I get to read her words because I can never get enough of what she creates with her characters, with her stories, and with her incredible romances.

About the Author:

Amazon Top 15 Bestselling author and lover of forbidden romances, tacos, coffee, and wine, Q.B. Tyler gives readers sometimes angsty, sometimes emotional but always deliciously steamy romances featuring sassy heroines and the heroes that worship them. She’s best known for writing forbidden (and sometimes taboo) romances, so if that’s your thing, you’ve come to the right place. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her on Instagram (definitely procrastinating), shopping or at brunch.

Author Links:

– Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/author.qbtyler/

– Instagram: @qbtyler.author

– Twitter: @qbtyler

– Tik Tok: @author.qbtyler

– Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/q-b-tyler

– Website: www.authorqbtyler.com

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17506935.Q_B_Tyler

3Apr2025

Releasing Now: The Nanny is Off Limits by Q.B. Tyler

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

Need some age gap romance? Then pick up The Nanny Is Off Limits by Q.B. Tyler today!

One Click Today!

Cover Designer (Both Covers): @shereads.pang

Rowan Kincaid hasn’t dated in over a year.

Not since the mother of his children unexpectedly passed away, leaving him to parent their three children alone.

Exhausted, overworked, and feeling like he’s failing at every turn, he’s desperate for help.

The Help that shows up?

A gorgeous woman almost twenty years younger thank him.

She’s compassionate and charming and the kids fall for her instantly.

And despite the fact that she should be off limits, he falls for her too.

About the Author:

Author Links:

– Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/author.qbtyler/

– Instagram: @qbtyler.author

– Twitter: @qbtyler

– Tik Tok: @author.qbtyler

– Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/q-b-tyler

– Website: www.authorqbtyler.com

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17506935.Q_B_Tyler

6Mar2025

Releasing Now: Never Been Worse by Morgan Elizabeth

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

Never Been Worse by Morgan Elizabeth is now live!

Harper Abbott’s reputation has never been worse. The one time she tries to be spontaneous ends with her and her two best friends getting arrested for a prank gone wrong. Now, her cheating ex and his new girlfriend are on a mission to ruin her fledgling career as a fashion designer.

Wes Holden, guitarist for Altas Oaks, was pleasantly surprised to find out the charity date he was wrangled into was won by Harper, the woman he’d been quietly into for years. When he hears about the trouble she’s facing, he has the perfect solution: they should get married. His band needs a distraction in the media, and he could help her designs get more exposure.

With another leap of spontaneity, Harper agrees and is thrown into the limelight. Soon, what started as a mutually beneficial fake agreement starts to become more, and Wes finds himself working to convince her to give them a shot while Harper struggles to keep the full truth of her breakup—and its repercussions—under wraps.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4gitPH9

Narrated by: Jason Clarke & Angelina Rocca

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3ZFrEGz

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

Morgan Elizabeth has firmly cemented herself as one of my new favorite authors. I have recently binge read almost all of her entire back list and I have been blown away by what this author creates with her words. Her books are a joy to read. They are equal parts, funny and spicy and swoony and just incredible. They are romantic comedy goodness, and I have loved every single book of hers. They have all been five star reads and I have just been overjoyed getting to spend the time that I have with all of her characters, their antics, and their love stories.

Simply put, this author is one of my favorites, and I was beyond excited to read this book.

Never Been Worse had some of my all-time favorite tropes in it. But more than that, it had an incredible love story that I could not put down. This book was honest, it was vulnerable, it was funny as hell, it was spicy as all get out, and it enamored me with this couple and their connection. I mean, I was a melted puddle of goo reading this book and watching these two fall for each other, and I was here for every second of it. The way that Wes loves her with his whole heart from the very beginning, and the way that she is able to find herself and find her heart again after going through so much was perfection.

Those two were beyond meant to be. They may have come together in the most unorthodox of scenarios, but they were written in the stars. They were meant to be. They were endgame. You know that in your bones reading this book and I loved getting to be with the two of them as they realized how real it was between them. I mean, we definitely knew it was real the whole time, and it took Harper a hot second to get there herself, but getting to be with these two as they fell, as they felt it all, and as they willingly gave in to the epic of their connection and fire together was truly nothing short of everything.

I truly cannot say enough good things about this book. It truly had everything I love about a romance novel, but especially one from this author. The banter was perfection. The fire and connection between this couple and the build up to them giving into that and sharing it was chef‘s kiss. Couple that with the fact that it was a revenge story, a marriage of convenience that was so real that it would pass any lie detector test with flying colors, and the fact that these two had an undeniable level of connection… And I was smitten. I was more than smitten because I loved everything about them, everything they were sharing and building together, and the way that they continue to show up for each other in every way that mattered.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was Harper‘s character. I really connected to her, her honesty, and her vulnerability about the challenges she faces after the end of her previous relationship, after realizing she blindly put her faith and trust in the wrong people, and as she tried to figure out what was real and what was not, was everything. Her journey and her character was so real to me. I felt such connection to everything she goes through in this book and what it’s like to feel like you’re restarting your life when everybody else around you has firmly cemented theirs. The way that she wants more, the way that she realizes that she deserves more, and the way that I was able to connect to her character through this author‘s words as she fights for the life and the love that she’s always deserved was absolutely wonderful. And beautiful as all get out.

I loved that girl with my whole heart reading this book, and not only that I connect with her struggles and her journey that she goes on in this book, I was rooting like hell for her through every page. I wanted her to succeed. I believed in her. I wanted to be friends with her. She’s that fantastic and likable and real of a character that I felt all of those strong connections and feelings. And honestly, that’s just part of what I loved about her character and what I got with her throughout this book. Morgan Elizabeth truly has a knack for making her characters the people you want to be best friends with and Harper was no different. That girl is strong and resilient, and definitely knows how to dish some revenge, and I loved every second I got to spend with her.

Now not to be done, Wes Holden pretty much stole my heart from the very first moment I met him. From the very first book in this series, it was a parent that Wes had something there for Harper. But when you finally get into his head in this book, and you realize that that man has fallen hard and deep for Harper, there is no resisting him. Couple that with the fact that he is the most protective gem of a man on this planet, the fact that he would do anything for that girl, and the fact that he is willing to put in the hard work and play the long game to make her his was nothing short of perfection. That man is the best. End of.

I have loved every hero by this author, but Wes might be my new favorite. He just had such a way about him. The way that he was so honest and real at all times with how he felt about Harper, the way he showed up for her, showed up for his friends, and the way he showed up for every challenge that came their way was utterly fantastic. And I’m not going to lie, getting to spend time with a rockstar covered in tattoos, who loves with his whole heart and isn’t afraid to be so real about those feelings and fight like hell for the woman he loves was absolutely swoonworthy. It was everything and then some and that man is truly a gem with a heart of gold.

Like I said, I could not put this book down with these two. I was beyond consumed in everything they were building together, I was here for every moment of their “fake “relationship, and I was absolutely blown away by what these two give each other. What these two share is very very real, it is built straight from the heart, and it is romantic AF. There is no resisting Harper and Wes and what they share in this book. I promise you that. Every moment with them will have you rooting with everything that you have that these two will find their way and that they will give into everything they’re sharing.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Jules and Ava make up the best trio with Harper and I could spend 17 more books with those three. Their antics are everything, their banter is joyous, and the way that they show up for each other and create the most solid friend group was incredible. Getting to see the two of them with their respective spouses, getting to see the found family of characters that all of these characters have created together, and getting to be there through every antic and fun filled moment and crazy revenge plot was fantastic.

And so damn fun.

This book just made me so happy. I cannot say that enough. All of this author’s books have brought out this feeling in me as I’ve read them, which is just part of the reason I love them all so much, but this one truly might just be my new favorite. It was so incredibly written, it was consuming in every way, and I just loved what I got with these characters. Revenge, fun, spice, love, and all the glorious swoon. What’s not to love?

Never Been Worse is what love stories and romantic comedies should be. This book proved that to me again and again. This book was so fun, it was so heartfelt and genuine at times, so swoony and romantic at others, and it just highlighted how incredible love can truly be. The love you find with your friends and those you chose to build your life with, the truest love you can build out of something you thought might not even be real, and the love that you find within yourself when it really matters.

This book is definitely going down as one of my favorite reads of this year, and I truly cannot say enough good things about it. This was not only the perfect conclusion to a series that I’ve loved, but it was another utterly incredible read by an author who is one of my favorites. This book Was everything I needed. My heart was so happy reading it, and I loved everything I got with these characters. Wes and Harper bring everything to the pages of this book, they deliver it so vulnerably and sincerely, and you cannot help but love them and root for them and want every good thing for them while reading their story. And honestly, that’s just part of what makes this book so incredible, so romantic, and so phenomenal to read and experience.

I highly recommend this book and every other book by this author. You will love everything about how she creates her love stories and what she infuses into her words. There is such life and color and vibrancy to what she creates that it makes such a magical reading experience that will just make you unbelievably happy. I can’t say that enough. Throw in the fact that there are some incredible Taylor Swift references, the best kind of revenge plot lines, and just so much fun and love to be had, and you will just love it all. I promise you that.

Never Been Worse is a marriage of convenience story that will have you knowing from the very first page that everything between this couple is so incredibly real, and that everything they’re building together is meant to be. You will swoon with these two, you will feel it all, you will laugh your ass off at times, but more than that you’ll believe in everything that they’re sharing together and fighting like hell for. This book is what romance novels are made of and it is perfection. I can’t say that enough!

Run yourself to this world, these incredible characters and their love stories, and all the romantic comedy goodness this author’s fantastic words have to offer. It would be wrong not to.

Meet Morgan Elizabeth

Connect with Morgan Elizabeth

Website: https://www.authormorganelizabeth.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21988181.Morgan_Elizabeth

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Morgan-Elizabeth/author/B09H9YFGXL/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559817177489

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/412555790886704

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authormorganelizabeth

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormorganelizabeth

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/morgan-elizabeth

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authormorganelizabeth/

19Feb2025

Releasing Now: Here and Now by Corinne Michaels

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

Here and Now by Corinne Michaels is now live!

I’ve crafted my new life in Ember Falls with two simple rules: maintain superficial relationships and always be ready to run.

But when my son’s incredibly hot hockey coach Miles Anderson walks in, things get very, very complicated.

With his charming smile and our accidental dates, he’s the exact opposite of any man I’ve ever dated. That should make saying yes to being with him simple, but nothing in my life is easy.

In fact, it’s a mess.

Miles makes me smile and treats my son like his own. When we’re together, I forget about my troubles and dream of a life that I will never be able to have with him.

It’s only a matter of time until the past comes knocking and I’ll have to leave, breaking us both in the process.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/HereandNow

Available in ebook, audio, and in print!

Duet Narration by Jason Clarke & Angelina Rocca

Indie paperback available until April 1, 2025

Goodreads: https://geni.us/HAN_GR

***** 5 ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE STARS *****

It is not a secret that I am a big fan of Corinne Michaels and her books. I have literally read every single one of them and they have all been five star reads for me. She is one of my favorite authors for a reason. I can always count on her to write an incredible romance that has the swoon, the heart, and feels, that brings the banter and incredible characters, and that will just give me one hell of a love story. Every book of hers has delivered that and more and this one was no different. In fact, it was more because everything I got with Miles and Penelope in their book was perfection.

Simply put, I loved every incredible word of this book.

I’m melted into a puddle of goo with these characters and what they shared together. I also laughed my ass off with the antics of this friend group and small town, while also simultaneously falling head over heels for the magic and love that grew and blossom between these two. Their love story is truly beautiful. It is consuming in the best way, and it is the definition of finding that right person at the exact right time you need them. It is a story of finally letting yourself feel and have all that you’ve been scared to let yourself find for all these years. It is a love story, built on truth and longing and connection that will steal your heart in every way possible.

Miles and Penelope had the most indescribable level of connection that I could not get enough of. I loved those two. I loved that he immediately was attracted to her and wanted everything with her. I also loved that she felt the same, but kept him on his toes, pushing back at every chance she got. I loved that these two were determined to hold on to what they felt. I loved that even though both of these characters had experiences in their lives that made them feel a bit of trepidation about giving into what they felt for one another and the incredible connection they shared, they both were completely honest and real and vulnerable about what they felt and shared together. When it really mattered those two were it. They were wholly real with themselves and each other, and I love getting to be in the thick of that with them.

It was everything.

Miles and Penelope were truly the best.

I loved that she was doing everything she could to protect her son and herself. I loved that while she was trying to protect her heart from all of the hurt that the world might try to bring it, that she couldn’t help but feel what she did for Miles and hope that in another life she would get to experience it all with him. I loved how honest and real she was with herself and with him. I loved that she tried to push away her feelings for Miles, but they just came back full force, even harder every time she tried to push him away. I loved that Penelope was so strong and willing to do whatever it took for her child and his safety. I loved the connection she had with this small town and her brother and every character she met. I loved just how genuinely good of a character and person she was and that shined on every page of this book. I loved that I just felt beyond connected to her while reading and that I just rooted like hell that she would allow herself to feel the love that Miles so willingly wanted to give her because she deserved everything. And then some.

I’m pretty sure Miles stole my heart from the very beginning. That man is a man of his word. He loves with his whole heart, he feels with everything he has, and even though he himself has also experienced trauma in his life, he was ready to fight for who and what he truly wanted. He was willing to put in the work and the time to show Penelope and her son that he was at and that they were meant to be a family. He was willing to do the work and face truth about his own experiences in order to have the love that he is so desperately wanted and deserved. I loved that man with my whole heart. I loved how resilient he was. I loved the banter that man could deliver. I loved how he was also just a genuinely good person with a heart ready to love and fight for those he cared for. I loved that he was willing to do whatever it took and wait out his time for Penelope and Kai because he knew that he wanted them. He wanted their love and he wanted what could be, and he was willing to do what it took and wait, however long it might be, for a chance at having the two of them. I loved that it was the little things and the big things he did that showed his true heart. I just loved him. He is truly a gem of a character and I dare you not to fall in love with him in this book.

Spoiler alert, that’s an impossible task.

Now I have to say the town of Ember Falls might just be my new happy place. These characters are the best. The banter they all bring, the dynamics at play, and the true level of friendship they all share is truly something special. I can’t say it enough. I could read their text message threads for the rest of time and die a happy girl. I could also be at their disc jockey practices for the rest of time and continue laughing until my cheeks hurt because that is just how incredible they all are.

There wasn’t a moment in this small town with all of these characters that I didn’t love and cherish. This place is truly something special and Corinne Michaels creates a world you never want to leave. She has such a way of creating that small town magic that feels real and tangible and just genuine. It makes me want my own version of Ember Falls. It makes me long for the connection these characters all share and the way they show up for each other. It honestly just wows me every time I read one of her books how she creates that magic with the town and characters that she creates, and this book just brought all of that back in the fiercest and best ways.

This book and the series and this small town create a found family of sorts that is truly something special. You feel that in your bones with this friend group, and every new journey and book and moment with them is the one that I truly can’t get enough of. Those characters know how to push each other‘s buttons, but they also know how to show up for each other and truly care. I love every moment I get with this friend group and the family they’ve created, and I truly can’t say enough how utterly fantastic it is to spend an entire book with them. It is simply the best, and this friend group definitely brings the laughs and heart to every moment they’re together.

I also have to say that one of my favorite parts of reading a book by this author is how all of her books connect in some way. They’re little things, but it makes the best reading experience. I won’t share too much about this connections because if you’ve read her books, you deserve to enjoy those moments for yourself, but trust me when I tell you that those connections and the way that it all comes together is absolute perfection. This author has been one of my favorites for quite some time, and getting glimpses of former characters and former places that have stolen my heart through her words, has truly been the best.

Here and Now was an absolutely beautiful love story. It encapsulated a romance that was full of feeling and swoon and so much heart. This book is ready to welcome you with open arms to Penelope and Miles and all that could be between them. It’s in those soft and sweet moments that these characters really shine and show up for each other. It’s where you really see how perfect they are for one another and how they will do anything to see each other through. Couple that with a level of suspense that adds that spark and such consuming feeling to what you’re reading, and you have just part of what I loved about this book.

Miles and Penelope share a connection that truly lights off the page, and getting to experience their love story as they feel what they do, as they share it all so honestly and vulnerably, and as they continue to show up for one another in every way that matters, was absolutely everything in this book. I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with this series, and this small town, and this couple just showed me again and again why I loved every part of their love story. They are magic and they are so meant to be, and you will feel that in the deepest part of your heart reading this book. I promise you that.

This is definitely going down as one of my favorite romance reads of the year, and I for one I’m already chomping at the bit for more of this series and small town. Corinne Michaels truly has a way of creating magic with her words and it is the absolute best to experience. She knows how to make her characters real, she knows how to consume you in every bit of their connection and emotions and everything they share, but more than that, she just puts you in the heart of her stories and small towns in a way that is truly everything. I have loved everyone of her books and this one might just be my new favorite. Because it delivered absolutely everything with Miles and Penelope that I could not get enough of.

Their love was beautiful, it was true and honest, and it was just completely wholly them from start to finish. Those two truly are something special and I loved every part of what they built together in this book. It is an easy, and they definitely have to face their share of hard conversations in this book to find their way, but they make it so worth it. And they show you through every turn that they are meant to be and worth fighting everything for.

This is another must read by this author, and it continues to show how thoughtful and amazing she is as a writer and storyteller. She does these characters and their story justice, and she just brings you a love story that will drown you in feels in the best way, while having you believe in everything that could be between these characters. There is magic in this small town and beauty to be had, and you will just love every second you get with these characters. Trust me when I say this is your new must read romance and that you will love every moment you get with these two in their absolutely incredible and amazing love story.

I know I did. So damn much.

I honestly can’t recommend this book, this series, or any other book by this author enough. She is an incredible writer and brings her love stories to life in the most unforgettable way. Her books have given me the most incredible reading experiences over the years, and this one was no different. It was truly the best of everything, and my heart is still with Miles and Penelope and everything they shared together. And I truly don’t think I want it back because those two and Kai just captured it so completely in this book, that it’s just theirs. And I’m completely okay with that.

Meet Corinne

Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.

Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.

Connect with Corinne

Website: http://corinnemichaels.com

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