Finding Paradise by Barbara Dunlop {a review}

Passion heats up in Paradise, Alaska, for two people who couldn't be more different in this sweet, sizzling romance from New York Times bestselling author Barbara Dunlop. Learn more about Marnie and Cobra in Barbara Dunlop's latest release, Finding Paradise. It is now available!

I went into Finding Paradise with a bit of uncertainty. I knew that the first book (Match Made in Paradise) was decent, but it didn't fully wow me. So I had that playing in the back of my mind.

I will say, I was pleasantly surprised by Finding Paradise. Returning to Paradise Alaska with the group of women was going to be a wild ride. Especially since none of them had been in the town before, it was totally going to be a fish out of water experience. Granted the women had been thoroughly vetted, but still.

The relationship between Marnie and Cobra grabbed my attention away from all the other "matchmaking" that was attempting to happen. Looking at the two, you wouldn't think they'd work, but yet they did. Especially was Marnie revealed more and more of her skills (as well as her past). She showed how easily she'd be able to fit into this small town, as well as be perfectly suited for Cobra.

I also loved how Marnie jumped in where ever she could to help out. Whether it was with the matchmaking group, the community, with Cobra, or even with Mia, it just speaks to her character.

There was so much of this book that I enjoyed. That being said, the ending wasn't my favorite. Granted it works for Marnie, but in my heart of hearts I wanted something a tidbit different. Honestly, I wanted her to make a grand gesture for Cobra.

Now when do we get Brodie and Raven's story? Because I NEED that. It feels like it is going to be a doozy.

Thank you for reading my thoughts about Finding Paradise. I hope you'll consider picking up this series, and discovering the town of Paradise for yourself.

Laura

Accomplished Los Angeles lawyer Marnie Anton has always been sensible, but when her friend Mia Westberg asks for help with a ridiculous matchmaking project, she can't say no. The idea of transporting city girls into the small town of Paradise, Alaska, is so crazy it just might...work? Against her best judgment, she tags along. Having grown up in a family of intimidating men, Marnie developed a preference for the urbane lawyers and clients in her life in LA. But when she meets a mountain of a buff Alaskan man with an intriguing snake tattoo, intimidated is definitely not the first thing she feels.

Conrad "Cobra" Stanford was skeptical of the matchmaking event from the start. Big-city women weren't adventurous, they were judgmental. They'd take one look at him and scorn his lifestyle, just like his first love did. Cobra planned to give the women a wide berth, but one of them won't be ignored. Marnie's everything that's wrong and everything that's right for him all at the same time. Just when he thinks he's got her pegged, she blindsides him with a startling past, falling into his arms and igniting his protective instincts and so much more....

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Meet Barbara Dunlop

image credit: archbould.com

Barbara Dunlop is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has published more than fifty novels. Her stories have ranged from lighthearted comedies to family sagas. Barbara is a four-time finalist for the RWA RITA award, and her Tule novel His Jingle Bell Princess has been optioned by Motion Picture Corporation of America for a Hallmark movie. Barbara resides in Yukon, Canada with her bush pilot husband. 

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Thank you to Barbara Dunlop, and Berkley Romance, for providing me with an advanced copy of Finding Paradise.

All the Feels by Olivia Dade {a review}

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Olivia Dade is back with All the Feels! This is the second book in the Spoiler Alert series, and this time Alex Woodroe is having his story told. Fans of Spoiler Alert will remember Alex, as toward the end of that book he was in a bit of hot water.

All the Feels features the following tropes:

• opposites attract
• hate to love
• forced proximity
• single bed
• slow burn

The media has tapped Alex as a "bad boy". He's been acting out, and he was recently in jail after a bar fight where he was presumed to be drunk. All of this after other altercations have occurred in the past. Lauren just arrived in Spain for a little R&R after leaving her job in the ER. Her mother insisted that she meet up with her cousin Ron since his show was filming in the area. Ron figures his cousin, who recently left a stressful job, doesn't have anything to do, and (with family pressure) Lauren accepts the job as Alex's handler. Right away Alex is against this, but he'd also do just about anything to keep his job. Even if that means he has to deal with new rules and a babysitter. But once they arrive back in California, can their relationship remain business-like, or will lines start to blur? Could Alex fall for Lauren? Could Lauren believe that Alex would want her?

The premise of this book was good. The execution was a miss for me. I enjoy all of the tropes that were in this book, and it had the potential to be wonderful. Maybe it was Alex, maybe it was Lauren, maybe it was the storyline, but something fell flat. Now I will say, Alex rubbed me wrong from the get go. How he described Lauren from the first introduction, to the words that he continued to use, it was a big no for me. Yes, Lauren is a petite plus size woman, but she is so much more than that. She is also incredibly smart, excels in her profession, and knows her limitations. (Which is why she has taken a leave of absence from her job.) Did she really want to babysit a well known actor? NO! But she was trying to not start a fight in her family, so she felt she had no other option. I feel like mid-way through the book we began to see snippets of the man that Alex truly is. Yet it was a little too late for me. Honestly though Lauren wasn't much better. She was kind of a doormat. More so with her family, but I saw bits and pieces of it with Alex as well. Again, not something I was a fan of.

Now I will say that big dramatic moment for Alex and Lauren was quite dramatic, courtesy of Zach. How all of that played out was intriguing. Yet at the same time I feel that it could have been explained a bit better. I was happy that Alex had some resolution from his earlier guilt in regards to his mom's former situation. The reunion for Alex and Lauren was just okay. I'm glad that feelings were shared, and future discussed. But I wanted more. I wanted the high emotional discussions where they fight for each other. Then the passion fueled embrace/kiss.

Like I said, I had high expectations for All the Feels. Sadly it fell short. I still think it was a decent story, but I didn't feel the romantic connection between our characters. It was more of a friendship connection than anything else.

If you choose to read All the Feels, please let me know your thoughts on the book. As you know I always say that reviews and ratings are subjective to the reader. That depending on the mood, life events, or other situations, that can affect how the reader relates with the story. Now for me, I will say that none of those apply. So take that as you will.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on the book. I should also mention that there is a content warning for implied domestic violence. It isn't in regards to our main characters but a side character.

Laura

Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, Gods of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he's dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all. 

All the Feels is available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Google Play, as well as The Ripped Bodice and Love’s Sweet Arrow!

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Meet

Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorites, though, were always, always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required the donning of actual pants: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Now, however, she has finally achieved her lifelong goal of wearing pajamas all day as a hermit-like writer and enthusiastic hag. She currently lives outside Stockholm with her patient Swedish husband, their whip-smart daughter, and the family’s ever-burgeoning collection of books.

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Thank you to Olivia Dade, and Avon Books, for providing me with a review copy of All the Feels.