Reason to Believe by Rebecca Yarros {a review}

Are you ready to visit the small town of Legacy? Well prepare yourself for Reason to Believe by Rebecca Yarros. In this small town romance you'll find the brother's best friend trope, a bit of forced proximity, some found family, and a whole lot of emotions going around. Oh if you happen to enjoy firefighters....well then you'll definitely want to pick this one up.

Now if you've read other books by Rebecca Yarros you might be thinking "Laura, I've been to Legacy before, so this isn't anything new". You'd be correct there are NOVELLAS out there that are set in Legacy. Reason to Believe is the first FULL LENGTH novel set in that small town. Those two novellas are called Point of Origin and Ignite. Do you need to read them first to enjoy Reason to Believe? Absolutely not. Will they enhance your experience? Maybe. If anything you'll get to know the characters who have already found their happily ever after. There are also a couple of short stories that you can access through Rebecca's newsletter. So be sure to sign up for that!

Is it any surprise that I adored this book? Is it any surprise that I found myself tearing up a few times while reading? The answer to both of those is no it isn't surprising. First of all Reason to Believe features one of my favorite tropes. This trope is almost a guarantee that I am going to fall head over heels. The other part that had me falling hard was that I could relate to Harper a bit. I have older brothers, and while I don't know if they ever said anything to their buddies about me being hands off, it kind of felt that way at times. This young woman loves with everything she has, and she longs to take care of those she holds in her heart. So whether that was the boys that she welcomed into her life, her brother, all of the Legacy fire crew, or just her friends. She loved them with everything she had.

This small town romance was absolutely fantastic. Harper and Knox had undeniable chemistry, and you could feel all the emotions. Not to mention you could see how much they loved those two little boys, and would do anything and everything for them. Watching Harper and Knox come together to make the life changing decisions that they did, drew me in. Harper knew that Knox would say yes to whatever she wanted without thinking about how it would affect his life. So she purposefully worded things the way that she did, so that he would make his own decision. 

I found my heart breaking a few times during the story. Obviously with the devastating event that happened in Legacy, that kind of set the stage to begin with. Then you add in those two little boys who just had their lives flipped upside down. It was just a lot. Of course the "relationship" between Knox and Harper also added to the emotional parts. 

Let's talk about Ryker for a moment. Ryker drove me bonkers with his big brother act, and trying to keep these two apart. I get it. I do. Knox is his best friend. He knows Knox better than anyone else. Except for the fact that Ryker's determination to keep Harper and Knox apart has been going on for way too many years now. Ryker got in the way of happiness. Not just for Knox, but also for his little sister. Therefore that just ticked me off!

I'm don't really want to touch on the foster care slash emergency placement part of the storyline. Except to say those boys were loved dearly, and in the end their happiness was worth it all. Also, I was on pins and needles the entire time. I can't lie about that. My mama heart was nervous.

With the history of the Legacy Hot Shot crew, and everything that played out there. That was just emotions piled upon more emotions. Witnessing the family members step up to get this going again was amazing. Seeing the passion and the determination to get this all going again, was fantastic. It wasn't easy by any means, but they came together when the local government was setting them up for failure. The next hurdle was getting reinstated as a Hot Shot crew.

That big dramatic moment between Harper and Knox just pulled the rug out from under my feet. My jaw hit the ground. I felt the pain radiating off of Harper. I felt the heartbreak that Knox was dealing with. Everything that happened in that situation was emotion driven. It was two people who were trying a way to survive the devastation that they just endured. Rather than gravitating toward each other, division occurred instead. They both ran the opposite direction. That broke my heart through and through. All that though got us to the reconciliation, and that was beautiful. 

I could not put this book down, and I cannot wait to see who will be the next main character. I just know it's going to be amazing. These characters, and their small town, have grabbed my attention, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. Kudos Rebecca Yarros on a fabulous book. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on Reasons to Believe. This was a definite 5 star read for me. I was fully invested in the storyline, and the lives of our characters. Go pick up this book. It's simply amazing.

Happy Reading,
Laura

Cover by RBA Designs

“I’ll take them!”

That’s what I tell the social worker when my pre-k student and his baby brother need an emergency foster placement. I’ll do anything to keep the brothers from being split up. But my apartment’s flooded and there’s only one house I can take them to on such short notice…his.

Knox Daniels, my older brother’s best friend, offers his new place without hesitation. He’s not moving back to our tiny town until next month—that’s when all our hotshot firefighters are returning for their one and only chance to rebuild our fathers’ fallen, iconic crew.

It doesn’t matter that I’ve been silently in love with Knox since we were kids. It can’t matter that we pretend that reckless prom night kiss never happened. It won’t matter that my feelings for him could destroy his lifelong friendship with my brother and threaten the certification of their hotshot crew. Because I’ll be out of his house long before he gets back.

Except Knox just walked in…a month early. And the icing on this awkward cake? He’s gorgeous as always and I’m covered in baby puke. He takes one look at the boys and tells me we can make this work—

We can temporarily fake a relationship to keep them from being separated by the system.

Suddenly, everything matters.

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Meet Rebecca

Rebecca Yarros is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, including Great and Precious Things and The Last Letter. “A gifted storyteller” (Kirkus), she is also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.

Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for almost twenty years. She’s the mother of six children, ranging from kindergarten to law school, and is currently surviving the teenage years with three of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon kitten named Artemis, who rules them all.

Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October, which she co-founded with her husband in 2019. To learn more about their mission to better the lives of kids in foster care, visit www.oneoctober.org.

To catch up on Rebecca’s latest releases and upcoming novels, including The Things We Leave Unfinished, which just received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, visit www.RebeccaYarros.com.

 

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Thank you to Rebecca Yarros, and Candi Kane PR, for providing me with an advanced review copy of Reason to Believe.

The Secrets to Heartbreak by Brittany Taylor {a review}

Are you like me, and loved The Rules of Heartbreak by Brittany Taylor? Did the tension between Colton and Vada catch your attention? If they piqued your curiosity, then you need to pick up The Secrets to Heartbreak. This latest installment of the Heartbreak series will fill you in on everything you need to know regarding Vada and Colton's relationship. Plus it's the brother's best friend trope, so you know that sold me!

Going into The Secrets to Heartbreak I was a bit nervous. I LOVED The Rules of Heartbreak, and I wasn't sure how Colton and Vada's story would go. As nervous as I was, I was also excited to dive in, and find out everything that happened. I had to know what these secrets were!

The Secrets to Heartbreak did not disappoint. Colton and Vada's story was fabulous. Every single moment of it I enjoyed. Even the part where I wanted to smack some sense into Colton's parents. I honestly cannot think of a single moment that rubbed me the wrong way or had me not enjoying the book. I mean was Colton's dad the literal worst? Yes, but we have to love to hate someone!

This book had steamy moments. It had emotional moments. It had me wondering what was going to happen next! Basically I fell hard for these characters, and their story. Of course I also loved that we were able to reconnect with Dallas and Sloan as well.

Ryan's storyline tugged on the heartstrings quite a bit. Even more so when things were revealed down the line. Honestly I'd love to have a short story about what happened between Ryan and his love interest, and why that was kept so hush hush.

Back to the dads for a moment. I do find myself wondering about them. Colton dad is problematic to say the least. Whereas Vada's just doesn't seem to exist. And so they piqued my curiosity a bit. I can't help but think of Colton's dad and what his end game was with that big dramatic moment. It just doesn't make sense in my mind. Again though it gave me a character that I loved to hate. So there's that. I was hoping for Vada and Dallas's dad to make an appearance so we could see first hand the relationship (or lack there of) that he has with his kids.

Like I said above, I loved this story and the characters. From the small town setting, to my favorite trope being front and center, to the familial issues, it just all was so good. Now that Colton and Vada's story has wrapped, I am beyond ready for Cassidy's story! I feel like it is going to be a doozy. 

Highly suggest you read The Secrets to Heartbreak. It is a good story featuring my favorite trope, and there is plenty of drama happening throughout the book. Plus who doesn't like to be let in on secrets?

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on The Secrets to Heartbreak. I hope you'll check out this latest addition to Brittany Taylor's library.

Happy Reading,
Laura

 Secrets aren't meant to be kept forever.

Colton Adler was one hundred percent off limits up until the night we shared together nearly two years ago. Both of us forged a deal between illicit touches and unrelenting kisses.

A secret.

A promise. 

A vow made to one another that we would never be anything more than the one night.

Regardless of the feelings I still harbored for him, I understood Colton could never truly be mine.

Since then, we’ve kept our secret buried deep, pretending as if it never happened at all.

But now, after attending my brother’s wedding, Colton was a flashing wave of hot and cold. One minute he was teetering on the edge of giving in to false promises of a forever with me; the next he retreated, reminding me once again that I would never truly be his.

Secrets aren’t meant to be kept forever and it didn’t take long for me to learn I wasn’t Colton’s only one.

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Meet Brittany Taylor

Brittany Taylor grew up all over the world including places such as California, England and Texas. Today she resides in Connecticut with her husband, son and two cats. She loves reading, but loves writing even more. 

Her favorite things in life are her family, binge watching Netflix, and tacos. 

Brittany Taylor has been obsessed with reading since kindergarten. She followed her lifelong dream in 2017 when she published her first novel, Without You. Ever since, she's been hooked and can't write the stories in her head fast enough. 

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Thank you to Brittany Taylor, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced review copy of The Secrets to Heartbreak.

The Scorecard by Maren Moore {a review}

The Scorecard by Maren Moore is officially available! Friends, this book is quite possibly my favorite in the Totally Pucked series. Or really I should say of all the hockey romances that I've read from Maren Moore. Graham and Emery have captured my attention. I cannot wait for you to all pick up this book and give it a read. Just know that it does end in a cliffhanger, so you're not going to get your HEA right away. Rumor has it that The Final Score will be out at the end of May, but that's not concrete right now.

The Scorecard started off with Emery having a girls night at her brother's house. As the girls were talking, the conversation naturally turned toward hockey players. This had the girls creating a list, a scorecard if you will, of a few players. That list was supposed to be thrown away, after all it was just made in fun. Yet when Graham showed up to the house, he happened to find it. He saw his name in 5th place, and that didn't sit right with him. Graham also doesn't understand why Emery seems to hate him so much. It's been bugging him for a while now. Especially as his attraction to her grows. Not that he can do anything about that though, it's his best friend's little sister after all. Things quickly take a turn after a night out. This hate to love relationship has just entered a new phase. Lives are about to change. Feelings are about to shift. A future together is a definite possibility. But it could be all thrown out the window with the news that is about to drop. 

Let's dive into my thoughts...

4.5 stars my friends. That is what I rated The Scorecard over on Goodreads. Freaking obsessed with this couple!

The Scorecard grabbed my attention immediately partly because it's Graham's story, but also because it's the brother's best friend trope. Which if you know me at all, you know I absolutely love that trope. This is also a hate to love story (some could consider it enemies to lovers, but I don't), a forced proximity romance, a fake relationship relationship, and it also has a surprise pregnancy! Oof that's a lot.

We find out early on why Emery has issues with Graham, and it makes complete sense. I don't blame her one bit, I would be irritated with him as well. But all it takes is that one night to change it all. Yes the "hate" is still there, but it's starting to lessen. As Emery gets to know Graham though, that hate is definitely turning toward love. 

Loved getting to meet Graham's mom and sister. The Tennessee scenes were some of my favorites. Being in Tennessee allowed us to get to know Graham a lot more, and see him be a bit vulnerable. This also affected Emery's way of viewing Graham. She was able to see this side of him that he doesn't show to others. It shows what a family man he is, and where his passions off the ice lay. He's sharing what he sees as a piece of his future with the woman he loves.

For those who are not familiar with Emery, she's a new lawyer. It's taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get where she is. At her job, her boss tapped her to work on an extremely important case. I found myself a bit confused about all of this as we had no information about it. We knew the client name, and we were able to briefly meet them, but that was it. I have questions regarding that. I'm not sure how that is going to tie into the storyline between Emery and Graham. I'm guessing that will be revealed in part 2.

Then there is the fact that the "scorecard" from the beginning was not really referenced much throughout the book. To be honest, this is part of what held me back from giving the full 5 stars. I thought we would see Graham working his magic to move up the list, and him showing Emery why he deserves that top spot vs one of his teammates. So that was a bit of a let down.

Oh, and I want to mention the pregnancy because this is the second thing that affected my rating. Now it's not the fact that Emery is pregnant. That doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's the timeline of her pregnancy. We know that Graham is the dad. We know that. I trust that. But knowing what else we know about OTHER characters who are also pregnant, Emery had to deliver prematurely. Yet that was not mentioned. That pregnancy timeline for Emery, Graham, and the other characters just wasn't flushed out properly. There was info that didn't line up. Am I looking too deeply into this? Quite possibly. But as someone who has given birth four times, I know a few things. So that just irritated me. Sorry.

I'm able to look past those couple of "issues", and I still feel 100% confident in my 4.5 star rating. I loved the book. I loved the characters. I am now counting down the days to The Final Score so that I can find out what happens next in their story. Because the tidbit at the end had my jaw dropping.

Cannot wait to see how Maren wraps up Emery and Graham's story, and to see what happens next for our characters from the Totally Pucked world.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on The Scorecard. I hope you'll pick this one up, and fall for the characters the way I have. Truly this is my favorite of the series.

Happy Reading,
Laura

Pretending to be married to my brother’s best friend and my biggest enemy is the last thing I imagined I’d be doing.

But there was a thin line between lust and hate, and when I fell into bed with the NHL’s rookie playboy, I found out just how easy that line got blurred.

We were enemies with benefits, but then two pink lines changed it all.

Now he was bringing me back home to his family’s farm and faking it became real… in more ways than one.

He was meant to be the enemy but falling for him meant letting him win.

The Scorecard
Graham: 1
Me: 0

**The Scorecard is book 1 of the duet and is approximately 60,000 words. This book does end on a cliffhanger.

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Thank you to Maren Moore, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced review copy of  The Scorecard.

Tight End by Lisa Suzanne {a review}

Today is the day that Vegas Aces season 3 is wrapping up. Vegas Aces: The Tight End by Lisa Suzanne was a wonderful journey from fake relationship to one that will last a lifetime. Ben and Kaylee both evolved so much throughout this series, it was absolutely wonderful.

My rating on Goodreads for Tight End was 4.5 stars. I loved it so. This entire series has secured a spot in my favorites list. (which no, there is no physical list at this point, it's all just in my brain.)

If you've  been following along, then you know that Vegas Aces: The Tight End is a continuous series, and books 1-4 each end with a cliffhanger. Therefore I simply cannot recap the book as there is too high of a risk for spoilers. Trust me when I say, the description that Lisa Suzanne has written provides you all the information you need. So let's jump into my thoughts...

Oh my goodness did Tight End have me loving Kaylee and Ben even more! Yes I've been obsessed with their story from the beginning. This fifth, and final, book though just wonderful. The storylines were mostly wrapped up (I do have a couple questions still up in the air), the secret I called back in Tight Laced was 100% confirmed, the reunion was everything I wanted, and I just fell even harder for these characters. Oh, and I was also right about a character being sketchy.

Can I tell you where I still have questions? Erm, probably not since it would be spoiler-ish. Ugh. I need to talk to someone about it! Guess I'll go to the spoiler room and discuss it there.

Lisa Suzanne knows how to write a story that grabs your attention, and has you on the edge of your seat for the entirety. These characters that she has created in the Vegas Aces world are phenomenal. They are memorable. I cannot wait to see them reappear in season 4. And yes, there is going to be a season 4! The set up is perfect, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

If you haven't started the series yet, then now would be the perfect time. All the books are out, so you don't really need to worry about the cliffhangers. Find your favorite reading spot, grab your kindle (or the paperbacks!), and fall for Ben & Kaylee.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on Vegas Aces: The Tight End. All five books were fantastic, and I highly recommend that you read them.

Happy Reading,
Laura

I knew playing with my feelings was a huge gamble with someone like him, but I did it anyway. And now I’ve learned the hard lesson that gambling and life in Vegas just aren’t for me.

I have a lot of decisions I need to make on my own, so I take a job that will allow me to relocate, regroup, and make new friends as I try to figure out what comes next for me.

One of those new friends is a hot former baseball player who is also my temporary new roommate. Even though I find myself attracted to him, I’m carrying too much weight from my past to move forward.

I need to find a way to move on from my tight end, and the only way to do that is to tell him the truth that will change both of our futures forever.

TIGHT END is the final book in the VEGAS ACES: THE TIGHT END series. This series must be read in order.

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Meet Lisa Suzanne

Lisa Suzanne is a romance author who resides in Arizona with her husband and two kids. 

She’s a former high school English teacher and college composition instructor. 

When she's not chasing her kids, she can be found working on her latest book or watching reruns of Friends.  

Connect with Lisa Suzanne

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Thank you to Lisa Suzanne, and Wordsmith Publicity, for providing me with an advanced review copy of Tight End.

Sinful Bodyguard by Emily Bowie {a review}

Sinful Bodyguard is the fourth book in the Dark Mafia Sins series from Emily Bowie. This new release is a friends to enemies to lovers story featuring forced proximity, arranged marriage, slow burn romance, and a whole lot of hate to love. Luna and Fin are both holding secrets, and when they are exposed, it could lead to a war, as well as heartbreak.

Having read Sinful Daughter, and Sinful Kisses, I thought I knew what to expect in Sinful Bodyguard. I knew the Rossi family would be involved. I knew we might find out a bit more about Katrina. I knew we would get to see the other characters periodically. I knew that I was returning to this mafia world. But that was it. I wasn't fully familiar with Luna. She was quiet in the other books, and so I didn't get a main character vibe from her. I do remember seeing Fin at the end of Sinful Kisses, and it honestly took me a bit to place him. 

I really enjoyed how this book began, and the fact that we were in the past. It gave insight into what happened to drive Luna and Fin apart. Not only that but it also showed what influenced Fin to live his life the way he has.

Luna is a strong, independent woman who can handle pretty much anything that is thrown at her. With the exception of Fin. The history between the two is less than ideal, and there is still a lot of feelings pent up regarding what happened in the past. Luna is also a protector. She will do what needs to be done to take care of her family.

Fin is amazing at what he does, and he has earned quite the reputation because of it. Taking over the family business isn't exactly high on his priority list, but it is what he is destined for. First though he needs to fix things with Luna. Not only that, but he's going to convince her family that an arranged marriage between the two is the perfect plan.

I really enjoyed the characters. Separately they are fantastic. Together, I'm just not feeling it. Never once while reading did I see these two being anything other than enemies. Maybe one day I could see a truce being called, but that's about it. So to see the relationship building, and Luna being so resistant toward it, I struggled. Did this Rossi sister deserve her own story? Absolutely. But this enemies to lovers romance was just missing something for me. Honestly it kind of felt like a filler story to get to Katrina's story. And believe me I think Katrina's story is going to be INTENSE! Especially with the build up.

All in all the story was decent. I gave it 3.5 stars on Goodreads. It was just not what I was expecting, or what I was used to based on the others in the series. But these are just my feelings, and we all process books in different ways.

Bring on Sinful Queen!

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on Sinful Bodyguard. I do have a review of Sinful Vow coming soon, I'm just ironing out my thoughts on that. 

Happy reading!
Laura

Cover Design: Jersey Girl Design

Long before Fin was my bodyguard, he was my best friend. It didn’t matter that he belonged to the Irish mafia and I the Italian.

One day changed everything. His family was murdered, and I helped set everything in motion.

I’ll carry the weight of that burden forever.

Six years later he’s back in my life as my bodyguard. He refuses to let me out of his sight, and I’m reminded of my betrayal every single day. Our connection is so much more than friends now. It’s hard not to appreciate his chiseled chest, strong arms, and his need to protect me.

When the tension wraps too tight around us it explodes. Igniting chemistry that neither one of us can say no to.

But Fin could never love me if he learned the truth. I should be more frightened of him than the monsters he’s protecting me from.

When secrets surface, we’re both forced to reckon with what the truth will do to our relationship.
Now I’m standing at the altar with a choice: stand with Fin and risk everything, or protect my family--and my heart.

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Coming August 2022

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Author Bio

Emily Bowie is from a small town in Western Canada. She has been making characters come to life through her writing since she was old enough to put her thoughts on paper. She loves her white wine cold, her heels red, and her books spicy. 

She married her high school sweetheart and they have two amazing children. 

She is the author to the Bennett Brothers Series. 

Recklessly Mine, Recklessly Forbidden, & Recklessly Devoted. 

When she is not writing she can be found reading a good book, making digital scrapbooks and being physically active—whether it is at the gym, going for a walk, or playing /keep up with her children.

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Thank you to Emily Bowie, and Give Me Books PR, for providing me with a copy of Sinful Bodyguard.