Review: The Whole Time by Catherine Bybee

About the Book

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes a tale of a strong-willed dancer exercising her independence and the rich biker she can’t let go.

Salena Barone has broken free of her family and moved into an apartment above the D’Angelos' restaurant, where she works as a manager—without a husband, thank you very much. But even on a restaurant salary, she soon finds herself strapped for cash. Salena’s never been afraid of living on the wild side, though, so she takes on a side hustle that’ll raise big bucks…and eyebrows, if anyone finds out.

Tattooed biker Ryan is the youngest of the wealthy Rutledge wine family and has never dreamed of rings, forever, or continuing the family business. He’s perfectly happy living his own life and helping out hardworking folks in his own way.

When these two independent singles spot each other at a Rutledge-D’Angelo wedding, the attraction is instant. But as their friendship with benefits evolves into something more, the secrets Salena’s keeping—from family, friends, and Ryan—threaten the happily ever after she never knew she wanted.

Review

With the conclusion of The D’Angelos series, The Whole Time, Catherine Bybee wraps up this wonderful series with Salena. Salena has been a tough one to crack but as we see with this book, her hea finally came and it couldn’t have been any sweeter.

With the series, I’m glad Salena was saved for the end. Salena has been labeled wild and troubled but deep down, she has the biggest heart and would fiercely protect the ones she loved. Her love life hasn’t been the greatest but I think mostly due to her protecting her heart from being broken. With someone for everyone, she met Ryan who was a little bit naughty but a great guy. There couldn’t have been two more perfect characters to meet than these two. I couldn’t get enough of them and their journey was worth every page in the book. Two broken people coming together not realizing they were healing themselves together kept me turning the pages.

As usual, we are surrounded by the D’Angelos clan who’s strength and commitment to being there for each other brings love to the book. We get to know more about her parents and really gain insight on why Salena is who she is. Much of the experiences in her family and their perspective had shaped her to make the choices she did. Going through life seeking their approval and love and it being met with an old school mentality really crippled her. So, getting to see her moving out, gaining her independence and finally being in the driver seat of her life, really was a nice journey to see her get to where she was meant to be. Even though her behavior was predictable in the eyes of what people perceived her to be, it was nice getting to see her be able to become the best version of herself.

Overall, this has been a wonderful series with the D’Angelo family. With each book they bring you in as if you’re part of their family. There was something so inviting and memorable about these characters that you just don’t want to let go of. If you haven’t checked this one out, add it to your tbr list.

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Review: Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher

About the Book

Julian

If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile.

So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.

At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex.

The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.

But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.

What happens if I want her to stay?

Dahlia

People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.

Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy.

I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.

Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.

Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.

Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love?

That isn’t part of the plan.

Love Redesigned is a steamy, small town romance about two family friends-turned-childhood rivals. It is the first book in the standalone Lakefront Billionaires series and has a happy ending.

Review

After a disappointing final installment with the Dreamland Billionaire series, Lauren Asher has regained my trust with Love Redesigned – the first book in her new series called Lakefront Billionaires. I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t skeptical about this one at first. However, after reading I can say that I was entertained, and I enjoyed this one so much.

Dare I say that Julian is one of Lauren Asher’s best MMC? I’m certain that I’m willing to die on that hill. He might have a grumpy exterior, but he has a heart of gold and is sweet. And oh, so smitten with Dahlia, who is also a great FMC. Both of them have a healing journey, and it’s beautiful. Instead of running from their fears, they are forced to face them head on. It made for great character arcs.

Julian and Dahlia grew up together and have had this rivalry since childhood. From their pranks to their banter, and heartache, it was a great romance journey. I especially loved how their stories have major HGTV vibes.

Another thing that I loved about this story, was their family. Dahlia and Julian grew up together because their mothers are close. Their mothers are wonderful, and in fact, I love their entire family and their family dynamic. It felt warm and cozy.

Final Thoughts

Love Redesigned is a great introduction into this new series. Julian and Dahlia are the perfect leads, with a great and emotional love story built on second chances and childhood rivalry. The side characters shine bright, and it was exciting to see callbacks from Lauren’s other series. I can’t wait to read the next installment, and get glimpses into Julian and Dahlia’s life.

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Review: Wild Card by Maggie Rawdon

About the Book

The infamous playboy and star wide receiver for the Seattle Phantom is the last person on earth I would ever expect to come to my rescue. Tobias Westfield and I can’t see eye-to-eye on anything.

But when my date goes to hell and I end up stranded in the pouring rain on my birthday, he’s there—holding my hand and playing the adoring boyfriend. I might have had him all wrong.

Until a leaked video and a motorcycle accident turn everything upside down.

When he struggles in the aftermath, walling himself off from the rest of the world, our friends volunteer my help—whether he wants it or not.

So we’re stuck together while my job is in limbo and he fights to save his career.

But every door I open and every day we spend together has me wondering if we're really all that different.

Review

If Wild Card had been written differently, I would have enjoyed this book more. The book starts off on a high. Scarlett’s POV right off the bat, was gripping and I was so sure that she would be a favorite of mine. Then, Tobias is introduced, and the dynamic between them is entertaining and hot. Unfortunately, the book is unable to hold my attention.

It kept going downhill. From the accident to the leaked video, everything felt as if it was introduced but not fully expanded among. And because of that, the emotional connection was missing between the scenes and especially between Scarlett and Tobias.

Final Thoughts

Wild Card felt like most of the good stuff had been edited out and left an almost emotionless book that had started off strong. It felt disjointed, and even the romance could not save it at the end. I expected more from the romance because on paper it seemed like a good idea.

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Review: Flame and Sparrow by S.M. Gaither

About the Book

On the eve of her twentieth birthday, Karys woke to the sight of a divine creature dying outside her home.

Two weeks later, her sister disappeared, leaving nothing but a trail of blood in her wake.

Convinced the gods were responsible for the disappearance, Karys has spent the past five years plotting her revenge with the help of a cutthroat band of likeminded elven rebels. So when Dravyn—one of her world’s most powerful deities—descends upon her kingdom in search of humans worthy of serving him, Karys knows what she must do. Earning a place at the god’s side will allow her to find out what truly happened to her sister…and then destroy the gods from the inside out for what they did.

Thrown into the dazzling but deadly world of the divine courts, she must navigate complicated politics, strange magic, and dangerous trials to prove herself worthy of standing among the gods.

Among the most dangerous of these trials is Dravyn himself.

Karys knows better than to trust the enigmatic God of Fire. The flames of passion that stir between them are only divine trickery. And yet, the more she learns about him, the hotter the forbidden sparks burn. The more she begins to question all she thought she knew about the world of gods and mortals and everything in-between.

And the more she risks betraying her own secrets, which may be the most dangerous thing of all.

Review

This might be one of my top fantasy books of the year. Not sure yet. Ask me in December. However, today, I am fully prepared to gush about my love of this book. I don’t have many complaints. In fact, I don’t think I have any complaints.

Karys was such an interesting and original character. Her character development can beautifully be mapped out within this book, and I really loved reading her POVs. At the beginning of the book, she is so against the Gods, and doing everything to get revenge on them for the death of her sister. And as the book progresses, she learns new information and with that new information she struggles with everything that she has been doing and everything about her sister.

The world building within this story flows well. One of the biggest issues I struggle with while reading fantasy series is how the world is introduced and how everything works. This book does have a complex hierarchy of gods, but I was able to understand it fairly well.

Oh, and the romance. I have to give tens where tens are due. I didn’t know how deep I was invested until a specific moment within the middle of the book. It hit hard. And from that point onwards, I was solid on this book. I was solid before but this moment made me realize that this might be a five star read from me.

The last half of this book was so intense, and I was hanging on the edge of my seat. The story is so beautifully planned and well thought out, that I can’t wait until the second one.

Final Thoughts

Flame and Sparrow is a thrilling ride with a great slow burn relationship. The MMC is so sworn worthy. I love him so much. And Karys is such an interesting character with an incredible journey. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

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Review: Wildfire by Hannah Grace

About the Book

The latest in the TikTok sensation and deliciously “swoonworthy” (Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author) Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand.

Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.

Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.

Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?

Review

I read Icebreaker a year ago, and it was a book that I enjoyed. I had a few issues with it which are outlined within my review, and at that point in time it was unclear if Hannah Grace would be continuing the series. She was faced with valid criticism regarding the depiction of one of her characters. She did go in to edit the book after the criticisms. To my surprise after the criticism, she signed a book deal and the next book in this series was announced.  

One of my criticisms of Icebreaker, was that there were too many characters. Wildfire is about Russ, who apparently was present in Icebreaker, but I have no memory of him. The book is also about Aurora, who I don’t think was present in Icebreaker. Both characters have serious daddy issues, and after a memorable hookup at the party, are temporarily separated due to miscommunication. But don’t worry, they end up working at the same summer camp as counselors.

The book lost me the second they got to the summer camp. It just didn’t feel like a summer camp setting. The best way to put it is that nothing exciting was happening. There was a lot of miscommunication. And although I did love Russ, I was considering DNFing this book. I forced myself to continue and when they finally got past all the hesitation, I finally went back to enjoying the book. Those parts really stood out to me.

Russ was the sweetest, and shy. He’s very adorable, and I think he’s my favorite Hannah Grace lead ever. I liked Aurora well enough. At times, she felt like Anastasia 2.0 with some of her internal thoughts and how she would say things. I'm standing to wonder if that is just a self insert on the author's part. I liked Russ and Aurora’s relationship the most when they were attempting to keep their relationship a secret. They have great chemistry, and they had a lot in common especially with their Daddy issues, but their relationship wasn’t enough to carry the entire book. Quite frankly the back and front got tiring in the beginning. And unfortunately, those high points did end, and the book felt lackluster at the end.

Final Thoughts

Wildfire is unfortunately a disappointing sequel to Icebreaker. Most of the book is plagued by lukewarmness. Something felt missing the entire time. There were a few memorable moments between the leads, but even that wasn’t enough at times.

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Review: The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm by Patricia Crisafulli

About the Book

On a beautiful September afternoon, a hike through the pristine wild of Still Waters Chasm become a path of mystery and deadly danger for Gabriela Domenici and her boyfriend, Daniel Red Deer. First, they take a side trail to an inexplicable construction site in the middle of the woods, where every tree has been cut down and a huge truck bearing strange-looking equipment is parked in the middle. As they continue their hike to the lake, they find a man convulsing with his last breaths, not far from the lifeless body of a woman. After going for help, Gabriela and Daniel return to the scene— only to find the two people and their canoe and gear are gone. It seems impossible that two bodies could revive and leave on their own, but there is no other explanation.

When she conducts a library outreach program in the rural Town of Livery, near Still Waters Chasm, Gabriela discovers a community that is both curious and suspicious. There, she meets Lucinda Nanz, an herbalist whose encyclopedic knowledge of plants for help and harm is both fascinating and troubling, and Wendy Haughton, a young woman who desperately wants to sell an old drawing of unknown origin so she can escape her abusive husband. Despite the state police's warnings to stay out of the investigation, and Daniel's urging to not get involved, Gabriela cannot stay away from Livery and Still Waters Chasm— which puts her on a collision course with yet another murder and people who will stop at nothing to prevent her from getting too close to the truth that could destroy chasm.

Review

Initially, this was intended to be a first impression look at the book but the more I read, my curiosity rose to just finish the book. I'd been exposed the series but hadn't had the opportunity to read her debut into the series, The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor. What I can say is that, The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm, has an engaging charm to it’s sleuth mystery that has you guessing who did it until the very end.

Overall, I found this to be a nice read. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in the book. Gabriela was definitely someone who captured my interest throughout the book but let's not ignore how Agnese shined bright with her sass and humor. I love the inter-generational relationship within the book. It brings depth and relatability to the story. The book had a comfortable pace that had a silent page turning quality that keeps you engaged looking for this mystery to be solve.

Since I didn't read the first book, I can't say for sure if you need to read The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor before but after reading this one, it sounds like the first book was just as good so you might want to read that first to get acquainted with Ohnita Harbor.

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