When Samantha finds a kitten in distress she takes him to the closest veterinarian clinic. When Xavier Rush walks in the door, Samantha is gobsmacked by his Greek god vibes, until he opens his mouth proving himself to be a surly SOB, delivering his professional opinion about the cat and the entire human race. Samantha loves nothing better than proving an SOB wrong, unless he can admit his mistake. They go on one date, and it is absolutely perfect, but Samantha has some family issues and is moving back home to Los Angeles the minute their date ends. Only neither one of them can forget the other.

Abby Jimenez is the queen of delivering romantic comedies with a lot of heart and this novel definitely had both. I laughed out loud at the great dialog, and felt emotional stirrings about all of the difficulties Xavier and Samantha had to overcome. Sounds great, right? So why was I left feeling slightly disappointed? Stop reading here if you don’t want some small spoilers.

This story had all the things, it really did. Romance, good looking girl, great looking guy, lots of chemistry, comedy, but what it didn’t have was our two main characters in the same city for the majority of the book. I thought the author did a great job of showing how a long distance relationship has been proven to break up couples. It was frustrating for me as a reader to not have them holding hands in the evening over a good meal or tv show, I can only imagine how it would feel in real life. So, I spent a great deal of this story, in between brief chuckles and heart tugs, feeling frustrated. That’s not really how I want to feel when I’m reading a romance novel. Hence the disappointment.

The good parts of this novel were really great. I loved both characters, I liked their back stories, I LOVED them together. I just didn’t get enough of that togetherness. Despite that frustration it was still a well written book by an author I love, it just wasn’t a five star read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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May I just say that I am loving these short novella’s? The audiobooks are just over an hour, a perfect short break from reality where I can zone out and enjoy a great story. Worst Wingman Ever was all that and more. Narrated by two of my favorites, Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber, this story was romantic, funny, and also made me get a bit teary. Truthfully I enjoyed it so much that I spent 15 minutes telling my husband the plot while I had him trapped in a car with me on the way to the grocery store.

The premise is about meet-cute’s around Valentine’s Day. In this instance Holly, who is a hospice nurse, is taking care of her grandma during her last days. When she is leaving for a brief break she notices a note on her car with a Valentine’s coupon for some “action” (totally said in a hilarious but not appropriate for my review way) at a future time. The note was left by the brother of the suitor who was supposed to put it on his girlfriends car. He obviously put it on the wrong car, but the letter starts a train of notes left between two strangers. Some are sweet, some are hilarious, and they leave each other curious about the other person. This brief exchange of notes, for me, is the side story to Holly’s service to her mother in her final days. There is some sadness and introspection, but her grandmother is also a bit of a character and there are some funny-sweet moments too. All of which leave Holly having hope for her future. Of course, as this is a short meet-cute story, you know the ending but the 59 pages in between was just about as perfect as you can get and felt very well rounded like I had just read a whole novel, not a two chapter story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is imploding- her divorce is just about finalized, the promotion she was looking for has been delayed, and her brother’s chances for a new kidney are one in a million. When the new Dr. Jacob Maddox over-steps she goes into full on beast mode and delivers a set down that they both will never forget. Realizing his error, Jacob writes her an old fashioned letter that starts a back and forth letter exchange that creates a rock solid friendship. When Jacob secretly tests himself and is a match as a donor for her brother’s kidney Brianna will do just about anything Jacob wants in return for this life-saving gift. Jacob asks for that favor- he wants Brianna to pretend to be his girlfriend for a series of events with his family, something that she’s happy to do, but this line she crosses makes it very hard for them to ever go back to being “just friends”.

First, I need to give props to the narrators, Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber. I’m a huge fan of Zachary Webber’s and have listened to him many time so falling back into his voice and portrayal of Jacob was no hardship and super easy. Kyla Garcia was a new narrator for me, but she too was wonderful and the two of them together had great chemistry. Abby Jimenez wrote some great dialog for these two characters and due to their narration, I was all in. This story caught me hook, line, and sinker.

These letters that Briana and Jacob exchanged were such a great way to create a voice for each character. Their jobs as emergency room doctors would be a dreadful read, but their relaying their days to each other on paper allowed the author to create unique voices for each of them. It also allowed the characters to relay things about themselves that would be hard to say in person. So, they got to know each other quickly and when they finally became friends in person it was a seamless exchange. I just so loved that. Am I the only one that was reminded of the movie You’ve Got Mail during these chapters? It was just all so fun and charming. I was smiling the whole time I read those letters.

I really liked how this novel explored social anxiety as a theme. I think it’s one of the first times where I’ve read a romance where the hero had this mental issue and it really opened my eyes to anxiety and how people deal with living with it. I loved how Briana knew how to deal with it and automatically did things to make him feel more comfortable, really without much thought. It made me love her a lot and get invested in the two of them as a couple. Briana too, was not without her own mental issues and the author did a great job explaining what was happening in a realistic way that didn’t get bogged down by technical terms. Briana and Jacob were so present for each other you couldn’t help but love them both.

I found this novel charming, funny, emotional, sad, and inspiring. I’m kind of surprised to be using those descriptors in what I thought would be a simple rom-com but this novel had a depth that leapt out and punched me in the face and made me take notice. You can’t help but admire a story that makes you feel all of those things and then reflect back on it again days later and say to yourself, yeah, that was a really good one. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Driving home from a funeral through the countryside, ER Doctor Alexis Montgomery avoids a deer and ends up in a ditch. Luckily for her super cute and ten years younger Daniel Grant drives by and stops to help pull her out. Later that night when she walks into the dive bar where he and his friends are sitting he has a chance to make an impression. She accepts his offer of a grilled cheese sandwich and ends up spending the night. What was meant to be a one night stand turns into her weekend escape and carpenter/B&B host Daniel starts finding his way into her heart.

Part of Your World was a breath of fresh air. A younger man-older woman romance that didn’t feel at all forced, I loved Daniel’s small town and quirky nature. Alexis obviously did too since she snuck away from her fast paced life, pushy family, and super annoying ex-fiancé in order to breathe a little easier. She never intends for her two lives to cross but their feelings for each other override her cautious nature and make her take risks in order to find her own happiness.

I was so surprised by this novel. I mean, I’m not sure why I was because I love this author and have yet to be disappointed by one of her novels yet the quirky setting and characters made me fall in love. Not just with our two main characters but for the whole town, pigs, goats and all. Alexis was a woman who needed saving from herself. Coming from a well-known family of doctors she feels the pressure of falling in line and doing as her parents want- becoming uber successful and continuing the good family name. She doesn’t want the same things they want but it’s not until she ends up in the ditch and meets Daniel that the direction of what she wants out of her life really changes.

There were many magical moments in this novel and all of those happened in the small town of Wakan. There seemed to be some sort of “true love” mystical bond between Alexis, the town, and Daniel. While slightly silly, it did give a “it was meant to be” vibe to an already sweet story which I’ll admit I fell for – no problem. It helped that Daniel was charming, funny, and just absolutely adored Alexis- I can buy into the magic of the moment if it means these two would get together. After all, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be!

If you love small town romances with a hint of magic and a whole lot of charm, you will love Part of Your World. Pick up this book and give it a read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Part of Your World

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Vanessa’s mom and sister didn’t live to 30 so Vanessa has vowed to live every day like it was her last, traveling around the world and blogging about her life. She didn’t expect people to react so positively having followers in the millions. When her sister drops her baby off and never returns Vanessa has to change her life to fit this new little one. Adrian Copeland is a successful trial lawyer with an impeccable reputation and hard work attitude. When the screaming baby wakes him up, he goes over to his neighbor’s see what’s up and ends up babysitting while Vanessa takes a shower. Enjoying her personality, Adrian ends up spending more and more time with she and Grace until they are almost like their own little family unit. But Vanessa is a lifestyle blogger who is used to living life like there’s no tomorrow.

I have read the other two books in this series and they were cute, which is why I picked up the third. I did not expect this book to be so full of heart, have great characters, and leave me with soggy tissues to clean up when I finished reading. Whew! This novel hooked me in and then took me on a journey that I wasn’t sure I wanted, but definitely didn’t want to stop.

Vanessa was kind of a nut. A free spirit, she really fits that lifestyle blogger persona- or at least she seems to. She really has a hidden agenda, raising money for ALS, the disease that killed her sister and that her mother was also showing symptoms of. Vanessa is terrified that she too will die from this disease. That thought has filled her life and every decision she’s made since she realized it. Adrian is completely thrown by this fascinating creature that lives next door. He has been all about work and as he gets to know her he is realizing that there is so much more to life than being a partner in his firm and working 24/7. I loved seeing him blossom out of his work persona.

I can’t let this review end without saying something about Vanessa’s family who played a huge part in this book. As with most families, her’s had their share of issues. What was so nice about Life’s Too Short was how family was at the heart of the story. The ALS storyline, the baby, her father’s hoarding, her sister’s addiction, her brother’s money making schemes. All integral parts to making Vanessa who she was and why this novel worked so well. Loved! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Two years after the sudden death of her fiancé and Sloan Monroe can’t seem to get her life back on track. Once a talented budding artist she is barely making ends meet working for a mass production company painting cat astronaut paintings. On the anniversary of her fiancé’s death she is driving down the road when she finds a stray dog. She takes him home and calls the name and number on his tags. She leaves messages for over two weeks, but in the interim she keeps feeding the dog and taking him out on walks which help her come out of her funk. When the owner finally calls back and says he’s out of the country, she offers to keep watching him, sending him texts and pictures daily. As those texts with Jason turn flirty she finds herself looking forward to the time when they can meet face to face, while at the same time feeling guilty for moving on. When she finds out he’s a famous musician she wonders if she can survive another heartbreak.

I read The Friend Zone when it first came out and even though I liked it I sat on this second novel. Who knows why, because as soon as I started reading it I knew that I was going to love it. It was so easy to read and I really loved both Sloan and Jason. Jason, despite his superstar status was so down to earth, calm, and charming. He knew that what he found in Sloan was something special and he pursued her with a steadiness that was sweet and smooth. Sloan was a bit more of a mess because of her fiancé’s sudden death but then who wouldn’t be? I loved how it was Jason’s dog, Tucker who brought her out of her slump, playing a great wingman for his missing owner. By the time Jason arrived on the scene Sloan’s heart was on the mend and she was more open to a new relationship. Was this book perfect? No. I had issues with the conflict that arose when Sloan joined Jason on tour. It was pretty manufactured but I had trust in the author to get us back on the trail to our happily ever after, and she did.

I seem to be drawn towards books that have solid friendships, and Sloan’s and Kristen’s was pretty much perfect. I can’t say I remember Kristen too much from The Friend Zone since I read it quite a few years ago, but she was a pretty funny foil to Sloan’s more subdued demeanor. Her antics created the perfect comedic foil to push Sloan into action on a few pivotal scenes. I smiled through her craziness and enjoyed their friendship. Every Thelma needs a Louise and that was who Kristen was for Sloan.

If you are in the mood for a quick romance that is surprisingly sweet with characters who have quite a bit of depth, this may be the perfect book for you! I am still wondering why I waited so long to read it, but hey, the third in the series is out already and now I don’t have to wait at all before diving in to another book that I know is going to bring me pleasure. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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