ARC Review: Until I'm Yours by Kennedy Ryan

Until I'm Yours is the fourth book in Kennedy Ryan's Bennetts series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading in order if possible to really see how the characters here got to this point. It isn't necessary, but I think that Sofie's transformation over the course of the series is something that shouldn't be missed. I will admit that I wasn't her biggest fan before this book. Seeing how she was at the beginning of this series versus now though, I am so glad that I went into this book with an open mind. 

Having been a famous model since she was 18 years old, the world has always had one label or another for Sofie Baston. When her father asks her to help him reel in another big fish for business, Sofie never expects to come face to face with the hottest guy she has ever laid eyes on. But Trevor Bishop is more than just a pretty face, he is actually a really great guy as well. Soon Sofie realizes that Trevor is actually the one reeling her in, and there is nothing she can do to stop it. But when Sofie's past threatens to ruin everything that Trevor has ever worked for, she will do whatever it takes to do the right thing for him. 

I loved these two together. They were absolutely perfect for one another, and I couldn't get enough of them together. I really loved that the attraction between them was instant, yet they took things slowly. We got to see such a strong connection form between these two, and it was so clear that this was everything for them. Both had been in relationships before that were serious and could have been more, but they also knew that they hadn't found the right person. Sofie and Trevor had never been able to make it work with anyone else, because they were meant to find one another. I loved Trevor's constant support of Sofie, and how he never let her past change how he saw her. Sofie hadn't been a saint, yet he stood by her and I loved him all the more for that. 

Overall, this book was so much more than I had been expecting. I know that Kennedy Ryan is a great writer and I knew that I would love Trevor. I hadn't expected my mind to be changed so completely when it came to Sofie though. Kennedy Ryan knew exactly what she was doing with these characters, and it was all so genuine and felt so real. I truly believed everything that happened and I loved getting to know Sofie better. She hadn't been perfect, yet she had come so far and it was great to see all her progress. This book was emotional and difficult at times, but I really felt invested from the start and had to see how things would play out. If you haven't read this series or anything by Kennedy Ryan yet, I highly recommend it. I absolutely love this series, and this book was such a great addition to it.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: 9 Letters by Blake Austin

9 Letters is Blake Austin's debut novel, so I wasn't really sure what to expect here. I was drawn in by the blurb and beautiful cover, and this story had so much potential. While I feel like the story had a great premise, I did think that the execution wasn't entirely there. For a debut novel this one wasn't bad, but I definitely had some mixed feelings overall. 

A year after the death of his wife, Luke Cawley receives a package containing nine letters she had written him. With each letter comes a task he must complete before he can open the next letter. His first letter calls for him to adopt a dog, and it is at that shelter that he meets Rae. Rae has had a series of bad relationships and is looking for something lasting. With both Luke and Rae trying to move forward with their lives, they will each have healing to do before they can fully move on. But can they help one another and find happiness in each other, or will there be too much damage to overcome? 

I had a bit of a tough time connecting to both Luke and Rae. Part of that was understandable as we only had Luke's POV. It made it difficult to connect with Rae because I felt like she was not around much. Since we didn't have her thoughts or what she was going through, I just never felt like we really got to know Rae or form any kind of connection with her. Even though we did have Luke's POV, I felt the same way about him. Although he was a constant in this story, I just felt detached and as though we weren't really getting much depth from him. It all felt on the surface, and honestly he drove me a bit nuts at times. Yes he had lost his wife and was grieving, and yet I wasn't really seeing much progress for him. It felt like he was going through the motions and was just doing each item to the next letter. I thought that his focus on Maggie was a bit too much too, as she seemed to almost have more of a place in his life than Rae did. I felt like their relationship was more present that what we saw of him developing something with Rae. I wanted more, and I never really felt like we got that. 

I also felt like this book needed a bit of work when it came to the writing itself. While the story was there and I liked the concept, it was the execution I found lacking. There were times that the story would switch from present to past and back again, with no explanation. While it was usually at the start of the chapter, there were no designations and the reader was left to figure it out within the first few paragraphs or pages and things would be referenced to either time (it would mention something going on in high school rather than the present) or we would see characters that weren't a part of either the past or present. It was confusing, and it would have been much easier had the reader had some type of warning of the switch. I also had some issues with how things were worded. Some sentences were just a bit odd, and there would be extra words or they would be out of order. It was distracting and I would have to read some of them several times to understand what the author had meant. There were also several times that things were a bit exaggerated, especially when it came to the constant reminding the reader that the story took place in Missouri and more specifically Kansas City, as well as how redneck the author made some of these characters sound. I actually live in the Kansas City, Missouri area (born, raised, and lived my whole life here), and the way some of these characters talked is like no one else I have ever heard from this area. Not saying we don't have our fair share of rednecks, but some of this was just over the top and slightly insulting with how some of these characters spoke and acted. I also didn't like how the author kept bringing up KCMO like the reader would have suddenly forgot where the story was taking place. It just wasn't necessary to beat the reader over the head with it like we weren't intelligent enough to remember. 

The other thing that I will say is that this story isn't exactly what I would classify as a romance. There were some romantic elements, but honestly this book was more about grief and healing that it was about love. Luke had been through a lot and was trying to move forward with his life, and that was the focus of this book. The actual love part was a bit of the past with his wife Emily and very little in the present with Rae. By the time anything really happened in the present, the book was abruptly over. I actually thought that I was missing something at the end of the book, because it just stopped. I didn't care for the way that it ended, and would have liked to have been given a bit more. We are lead to believe that things are on the right track for Luke, but this was one of the most abrupt endings for a standalone story that I have ever read. So while I think that this book had a lot of potential, it unfortunately fell flat for me. I think that Blake Austin does have promise as a writer, but I think there are some things here that could have used some work and a good set of beta readers would go a long way in helping Austin's future as an author.

**ARC Provided by TRSOR Promotions**

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ARC Review: Emergency Engagement by Samanthe Beck

Emergency Engagement is the first book in the new Love Emergency series from Samanthe Beck. I really enjoyed this book and I liked the characters a lot. Each book in this series is a standalone, and I already can't wait for the next one. Samanthe Beck is a great writer and this is one of my favorites to date from her. 

Savannah Smith goes from expecting a proposal from her boyfriend, to learning that he plans to propose to someone else. So when her hot neighbor shows up on her doorstep on Thanksgiving and they end up in an interesting situation, both of their families get the wrong impression and believe that the two of them are engaged to each other. Beau Montgomery has had enough pain to last him a lifetime, but when he sees the way his parents react to the thought of him being engaged he can't be the one to take away that happiness. So Beau asks Savannah to go along with the engagement until they can break things off and go their separate ways later. But as much as Beau would like to keep Savannah from getting under his skin, they both finds themselves falling for one another. Is their fake engagement destined to become a real one? 

I really loved these two. They were so great together and I absolutely loved how everything turned out! Their connection was so much more than I expected, and I really loved that they had a past they didn't remember. They had amazing chemistry, and there was a ton of heat between them. Samanthe Beck always brings the steam, and Emergency Engagement was no different. I really loved how cute these two were together though, and I thought that they were perfect for one another. They were very different, and yet the worked so well. 

Overall, this book was really cute and I enjoyed it a lot. Savannah and Beau were a lot of fun to read about, and I had a great time getting lost in their story. I already look forward to getting Beau's friend Hunter's story next, and I really want to get Savannah's sister Sinclair's story too. I loved all the characters here, and thought that this was a great start to Samanthe Beck's new series. This is one I would definitely recommend, and I think readers will really enjoy Savannah and Beau's book.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Chasing You by Kelly Elliott

Chasing You is the fifth book in the Love Wanted in Texas series. This series is a spin-off of Kelly Elliott's Wanted series featuring the children of the characters from the Wanted series. While it isn't necessary to read these books in order, I would recommend it if possible. Each book is a standalone story though. 

Meagan Atwood and Grayson Bennett first met when Meagan was on a girls trip with her friends. They reconnected later when she ran into him at her friend Grace's house, as he was the cousin of Grace's guy Noah. Their friendship grew from there, and their relationship quickly turned into them being best friends with benefits. But both of them know that what they feel is so much more. But then Grayson's newest coworker turns out to the be the awful girl that made Meg's life a living hell in college, and it appears that Grayson is dating her. But Grayson only wants Meg, and is determined to show her that it is for more than just the benefits. What neither of them could have predicted was a danger they never expected to threaten to take everything that they had found together.

I loved these two together so much! Meagan had never been my favorite of the series, and yet the more that we learned about her here, the more I began to love her. She was so much more than her facade and the impression she had made on me previously, and I really loved that we got to see a whole new side to her character. There was so much that had shaped who she was, and I felt so badly for her and all she had been put through. But I loved how it changed her and the person she became because of that. Grayson was sexy and sweet, and I adored him as well. He was perfect for Meg, and I loved how he wanted no one but her. Their chemistry was off the charts, and they already had such a great friendship and connection. But seeing them really admit their feelings and take the chance on a relationship together was so enjoyable to read about. 

The one thing I will say is that at the beginning of this book I didn't really understand why these two could admit to wanting more with one another and yet they were struggling so much with actually doing it. I understand being scared and not wanting to ruin things, but at the same time that didn't feel like the case here. It was a bit confusing why they would admit to wanting one another yet put each other in the friend zone, but luckily it didn't last long. I couldn't get enough of these two and I really liked how things ended up. There was a lot that happened here that I didn't see coming, and it was an emotional read. I felt like I was so invested in these characters and they were going through so much that I couldn't help but feel so strongly about it all. Kelly Elliott is a fantastic writer, and I love that she always brings out all the emotions because you are so invested in her stories. I already can't wait for the next book in this series, though I am sad as well since it will be the last. I am having a tough time coming to terms with the fact that I have to let these characters go, but I know that I will go back and reread their stories over and over again in the future. This series is one of my favorites, and if you are looking for good NA or Contemporary Romance stories that bring all the feels this series is a must read.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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ARC Review: Taking the Score by Kate Meader

I'm relatively new to the sexy nerd genre but I mus say there is something really offbeat about the sexy nerd books that I really get into. This was the story of Emma and Brody. It's a fun story with lots of quirky dialogue and some interesting twists and turns. It's not a literary work of art but it's entertaining and easy to read.

Emma is the dutiful big sister who gets caught up in a predicament trying to bail her hot mess of a little sister out of another bad situation. The story with Emma was really interesting. When we meet Emma, from Brody's POV, she is this frumpy secretary who's all business. From Emma's POV she is a reformed party girl who is determined not to make the same mistakes she has made in the past with men. It turns out that Emma's frump is more a disguise (an effective one) than anything else. Despite Emma's baggy clothed exterior, Brody finds himself attracted to her and fantasizing about his secretary. The situation ratchets up 1000 notches when he visits a strip club where Emma is working as a stripper...sort of. You have to read the book to get the exact story but I will tell you that Emma is the worst stripper ever. Of course Brody wants to know why the company compensation package is not enough for Emma and boy does he find out. Taking care of her sister is really sinking Emma financially and Brody turns into the white knight character. Frankly, I love the Cinderella ish and it totally worked for me.

I loved the explosion once Emma and Brody finally got together. I loved how dirty they both were with each other and how they both brought out the underlying freak in the other one. I am all about the bossy alpha men with endless financial resources so Brody was giving me serious life. If I had an issue with this book, it would just be that Emma's plans seemed really ill conceived. I HATE it when I'm reading one of these books and the heroine is in a near impossible situation but doesn't want to accept help from the Hero. I'm just not noble enough to understand suffering or trying to figure it out on your own when there is a hot guy there who can solve all your problems. Yes, the feminist did just revoke my monthly membership but seriously, I'm here for the fantasy.

I have to give a shout out to Emma's crazy ass cat. He was a great supporting character and I truly appreciated his shenanigans. This book is good fun, it doesn't offer anything life shattering or unexpected but I definitely recommend you give it a try.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Frigid Affair by Jennifer Foor

Frigid Affair was previously published in a limited edition box set as a short story, but Jennifer Foor has revised and expanded the story to be a full novel. Since I am a huge fan of hers, I couldn't wait to read this story. The blurb really sold me on this story though, and I couldn't wait to read it! 

After a tragedy took everything from her, Amantha headed to Alaska to start over. She needed a place that wasn't a constant reminder of everything that she had lost, and living off the grid gave her a way to move forward. But when a winter storm and another tragedy bring her a handsome stranger, she decides to make the most of it. What Amantha thought was a one night stand is quickly realized to be more when the man she spent the night with shows up on her doorstep two years later.

I liked the characters in this story and I felt badly for both of them. They had been through so much and that had changed their lives forever. In each other they were able to find a connection that they hadn't felt with anyone else, and I knew if they could get past everything that they would help one another heal. While I did like them together, I didn't feel entirely invested in them. I had a tough time connecting with them, and felt like there was just something that wasn't clicking for me. They were likable enough characters, but there was just something that kept me from really getting into their story. Part of that could have been the length of the story, as I felt like there was a lot of this book that they weren't together. I think had I seen more of them getting to know one another and spending time together without all of the past issues getting in their way that I might have felt differently. They definitely had chemistry though, and I did believe that these two cared about each other. 

Overall, I liked this book but I didn't absolutely love it. I wanted to connect more with the characters and story, but I just wasn't able to. This book had such a different feel than what I have previously read from Jennifer Foor, and I think that her taking it from a short story to a full novel might have hurt it somewhat. It didn't feel as though it was entirely complete or pieced together correctly since we didn't get much of these two actually together. It almost felt like the story had been spliced together and didn't flow as well as her stories normally do. It was still good, but I think this book had the potential to be so much more. I will admit that I never saw the twist coming, and that is why I have been vague here about the story and characters themselves. I don't want to spoil anything since I was really shocked by everything that happened. I absolutely love Jennifer Foor's books though this wasn't my favorite, and I know I will read more from her in the future. I love how different and unique her books are, and I always know that anything I read from her will be unlike anything I have read before.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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ARC Review: Dared by Kristina Borden

At the very beginning of this book, I had hope that it would be really good. It opens with our introduction to Summer, the heroine. Summer was strong and sassy and I liked that about her initially. But things quickly went off the rails. It didn't take long to discovery that Summer's strength and sassiness crossed the border into extreme drama and hysterical behavior. Let me just give you a hint, Summer can't just break up with a guy. Nope, Summer is burning up a guy's clothes and kicking him out. And you know what the real problem with that is? The fact that the author didn't bother to account for how someone is able to start a fire indoors and keep it contained without burning up the whole building.

Next, we meet Damien and things get even worse. Damien is a manwhore or really just a whore. Ok, no big deal right? We read about these types of guys everyday. The problem in this book is that Damien is banging every random chick he can get his hands on even after Summer re-enters his life. I just don't like to read about the main characters in a book with other people. Even though there is technically no cheating, after Damien and Summer acknowledge their attraction to one another there are still sexy scenes with both of them with other people. That is just a huge turn off for me.

Next problem, by the end of this book, I really didn't like Damien or Summer and I really didn't care about them being together. Summer and Damien act like they are in their late teens instead of in their late 20's. Summer is constantly going on these immature rants and using physical violence to make her points. I'm as violent as the next middle class girl but I wasn't still pulling chicks' hair and kicking guys in the balls after I reached the drinking age. Summer didn't get the 'you are a grown up now' memo. Damien is also more like an 18 year old guy as opposed to a 27 year old guy. The way he treats women and speaks to women was a complete turn off and there was never really anything to mitigate the effect of his assholery.

Next problem, there are a lot of things in this book that just don't make sense. I don't mean sense on a conceptual level, I mean like this book needs some more Beta readers. At one point, Summer goes for a jog in New York, only at the time, she is living in DALLAS. At another point in the book we are supposed to be reading from Summer's POV, but suddenly it's Damien's. At another point, the name of one of the characters changes. Like her name is A in one chapter and B in the next- super confusing. Those are three examples but there was a lot of this going on in the book. Sometimes things like that don't really matter where the story line is particularly strong but in this book, the actual plot needed all the help it could get and it just wasn't forthcoming.

The last big problem (and there are a lot of smaller ones) with this book was that the resolutions of the conflicts were just really rushed and not well conceived. Damien's resolution of his issues from childhood was particularly unsatisfying. It was like he took 2 weeks, snapped his fingers and he figured out a lifetime of dysfunction. And the issue with Summer at the end of the book and how it is handled was just....stupid. Like, I really love my HEA's but they have to be logically connected to what is going on in the story. This one just came out of nowhere.

There was some potential here but in the end we wind up with two really unlikable characters who are intimate with other people in the book, can't control their tempers and have the coping skills of the average 12 year old.

**ARC provided by Author**

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ARC Review: Make Me a Match Anthology by Melinda Curtis, Cari Lynn Webb, and Anna J. Stewart

Make Me a Match is a short Anthology featuring three interconnected stories from Melinda Curtis, Cari Lynn Webb and Anna J. Stewart. Set in Alaska, Cooper, Ty, and Gideon take a bet to get back in to the hockey world. If they can match 6 couples that find real love, they will get jobs working for one of Coach's teams in the lower 48.

Baby, Baby by Melinda Curtis 

This one didn't work for me at all. It starts out with Cooper Hamilton being surprised with a visit from a one night stand that he does remember arriving in town with a baby she claims is his daughter. Cooper being a complete bachelor wants a paternity test, but the more time he spends with Nora and her daughter Zoe, the more he falls for the baby girl and her mom.

My biggest issue here was that I didn't like Nora. She was extremely judgmental and pretty awful to Cooper for the majority of their story. She showed up out of the blue with a baby and expected him to just accept it and that she would leave again once he handed over money. It really felt like she wouldn't have bothered to tell him at all if she hadn't needed financial support. I honestly saw no connection form between these two with Nora constantly having a negative attitude towards Cooper and making assumptions about him. Cooper was really good with Zoe, and he had been through so much. He came around really quickly for having his life turned upside down yet again, and I wanted Nora to see that. Unfortunately her abrupt change of opinion at the end of the book was too rushed to be believable for me. This one was a miss all around, though I liked Cooper a lot. 

The Matchmaker Wore Skates by Cari Lynn Webb 

I liked this story a little better than the first. Ty Porter is a former pro-hockey player. He was badly injured an a reporter ruined his career with a couple of features she wrote. Now years later as he and his friends have a shot at once again getting back into hockey, she returns looking for another story. Ty and Kelsey once had something together, but with her career on the line, she will do whatever it takes to get her story. 

Once again I had trouble liking the heroine. Kelsey was so determined to be on the top of her career, and she had little to no regard for who she had to step on to get her there. Yes she had some stories that helped others, but it seemed like she was very selfish and only out for her own success. I didn't like how she could do what she did to someone that she knew and had romantic feels for, it just felt like her feelings couldn't have been that genuine if she could turn around a do that to him. She ruined his career and never looked back. While things did feel pretty rushed at the end, I did find it more believable than the first story in this anthology since Kelsey and Ty had more history than Coop and Nora did. I wanted to like these two together since I am a huge fan of second chance romance stories, but it was hard to overcome my dislike of Kelsey. 

Suddenly Sophie by Anna J. Stewart 

This was my favorite story of the anthology! Gideon Walker has a history with Sophie Jennings. He hated having to turn her down for a loan to expand her flower shop, but he knew that her brother would find a way to take the money as he did everything else. But when Sophie comes to him asking to be a part of his matchmaking service, he sets out to find her a match. Except with each new date, he starts to realize that the only person she should be dating is him.

I really liked Sophie and Gideon. They were great for one another, and I liked that they had a bit of a connection going into this story. Sophie was sweet and caring, and loyal to her brother even when he didn't deserve it. While I didn't agree with her letting him get away with as much as she did, it was good to see her stand up to him at the end. He needed some tough love and I was glad she got there. Gideon had been doing his best to look out for her when he could, and I really liked that he had her best interests at heart even if it didn't seem that way at first. This one was cute, and I enjoyed it a lot. 

Overall

Overall, there were some cute moments and these were light and easy to read. If you are looking for a set of short and clean romance stories, this is one worth giving a shot. Coop, Ty and Gideon were a lot of fun and I think that readers will enjoy seeing these men try their hand at matchmaking.

**ARC Provided by Author**

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ARC Review: A Friendly Flirtation by Christine Warner

I have to start out with my warning that you are going to be plagued by a sense of deja vu as you are reading this book. If you have ever read a friends-lovers, little sister romance before, this book is going to be very familiar to you. It's not just that, there are also some social themes in this book that are pretty well worn.

Allison is the nerdy girl who aspires to be something more than invisible. Jared is the best friend of Allison's brother who is going to help her be something more than invisible by giving her dating tips (stop me if you've heard this one before). Of course big brother does not care for the budding relationship between Jared and Allison. This is always the part that gets me in these little sister books. The "little sister" is a grown woman and I can never understand why her adult brother would be so involved in her love life or have such a strong objection to her dating. It just seems...weird. Allison's response is what the typical nerdy chick might do, she quits her job (it's a long story but Jared and the brother are business partners and Allison works there too and blah blah blah, drama). Jared quickly discovers his flirtation with Allison was more than that and it's on like donkey kong or whatever.

I really did feel like I had read each aspect of this book several times before. If you read my reviews, you know I don't criticize books just because they remind me of other books and I'm not doing that here. I chose to read this book because I like the little sister, reformed nerdy girl theme. I think this author does a good job with the theme. Allison is a bit timid for my taste but I like Jared and I liked how their relationship developed. Ok, the drama of it all was a bit contrived but it was all in good fun and it made it easy to keep turning the pages of the book. I wish Jared had realized his feelings for Allison sooner but aren't men always the last to know? I'm not going to hold it against him. This book was good fun, fast paced and the characters were sweet. If you are a fan of this sub-genre, I recommend you give this one a try.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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