Tag: contemporary romance

This Chick Read: Still Standing (Wild West MC #1) by Kristen Ashley

Clara was married to who she thought of as the man of her dreams when the rug was pulled out from under her. He was arrested for embezzling life savings from the elderly to pay for her home and in a gated community and the Mercedes she drove. Duped by her husband and castigated by the general public, Clara retreated to a slum-like apartment trusting only her childhood friend. Except for that friend was married to a low-level gangster. Good intentions went bad when Clara agree’s to run errands for her friend’s husband, bringing her to the attention of some rather unsavory low-life’s. Which is how she meets Buck, President of the Aces High MC. He takes one look at Clara and decides it’s the beginning of them. Clara somehow misses that message until she runs into trouble again and Buck and his MC bail her out.

I feel like I’m on a roll with Kristen Ashley novels. I’m really enjoying them lately. Still Standing is a woman in jeopardy trope, which Kristen Ashley in her earlier novels did so well. Clara is a good girl that just doesn’t understand how and why she got herself into this position. Buck, as the president of an MC, is not the man she ever thought she’d end up with, but then look how her last husband turned out. On the surface he was bright, shiny, and clean but underneath he was dirty. Buck is kind of the reverse. On the surface he is rough and dirty, but he actually lives by a code and that code is brotherhood and honor. Clara see’s that and wants to be good enough for him. Unfortunately, she feels dirty and doesn’t see herself as being good enough for him. It’s a really interesting twist on the usual MC novel. I’ll admit I liked this pair as a couple. I also liked the way Kristen Ashley told the story. It really reminded me of what I loved so much about Mystery Man, Tyra and Tack’s story from long ago. Also, one of my favorite KA novels. Another good girl with a slightly unsavory MC President. This one not quite so clean as Buck and his brothers, but just as fascinating.

I have really high hopes for this newest MC series. There was some great physicality, but there was also a lot of story packed into this novel as well. It had a nice even balance and I didn’t find myself skimming through sex scenes to get to the plot. If you want to read a Kristen Ashley series from the start, I’d read this novel. As I said above, it has the feel of the Chaos novels, and if you like it you have 8 of those to go back and read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Still Standing (Wild West MC Series Book 1)

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this novel through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Beth Fremont and her friend Jennifer work in the newsroom of a newspaper. They know that their emails are being monitored by corporate but they still conduct private conversations that might be thought to be inappropriate to the powers that be. Normally and email is sent to the writers if they are misusing their emails, but they never receive one, so they continue their discussions thinking that maybe that “monitoring” isn’t actually happening. Lincoln O’Neill is the guy whose job it is to monitor those emails. Every night when he gets to work he goes through the notification file and see’s Beth and Jennifer have again been tagged. The problem is that their emails are just so interesting!

The majority of this novel are the email exchanges between Beth and Jennifer. They talk about everything under the sun. What’s going on in their lives, marriages, relationships, etc. Their exchanges are engaging, funny, and insightful. If I were Lincoln, I’d want to keep reading them too. The problem is that Lincoln starts to fall for one of them. They are both in relationships, Jennifer is married and Beth has a long term boyfriend. Lincoln is dying to see what they look like but most of the time they work during the day and he works at night, but he can see pictures on their desks. Beth’s boyfriend is a good looking guy who is in a band and Lincoln through their emails knows that it’s not the perfect relationship and he gets his hopes up.

This novel is the perfect mix of voyeurism and hilarity. You learn a lot about these characters through their writing but you also learn a lot about Lincoln. He is a big part of the story. I was surprised by how invested I got in both of the girls stories because I really on learned about them through emails. This was a very different kind of love story but I enjoyed it a lot. It was actually quite funny and I can see why Lincoln didn’t want to stop reading those emails, for the most part they were really funny!

This is not a new novel, it was released in 2011 and takes place in 1999 as the year is turning to 2000. Technology is a small part of the story because Lincoln is essentially in the IT department and in 2000 everyone was worried what would happen to their technology when that year turned over. As I lived through all of that I found it funny to remember how we were all so worried and then nothing happened. That added to the humor for me in this novel. If you are in the mood for a slow burn romance that is truly different, I’d give Attachments a chance. It’s more story than romance and I loved the humanity in these characters. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Attachments: A Novel

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Love at First by Kate Clayborn

When he was sixteen, Will went with his mother to Chicago to visit an uncle he never knew he had. While outside on his uncle’s balcony he hears a girl one or two floors up speaking to someone. Her voice captures his imagination and he thinks of her all the time over the years following. Sixteen years later he inherits his uncle’s condo and meets that same girl, now a young woman whom he has an instant connection. The problem is that he wants to use the condo as a long term rental and Nora and the other occupants of the building are against it. Love at First is an atypical enemies to lovers tale with a great cast of side characters and two main characters who will tug at your heart.

As I was reading Love at First and getting used to the pace I was having flashbacks to the movies Sleepless in Seattle and While You Were Sleeping. Both of those are favorite romance movies of mine. Love At First has a similar pace and humor. Softly sweet and a little magical. Will and Nora (perhaps named after Nora Ephron?) despite being on opposite sides of the rental argument have that instant connection that adds an electricity to their interactions. Literally and metaphysically. When they touch hands for the first time they felt that connection and despite not seeing each other much at first their only thoughts are of each other. This is definitely a woman’s love story and plays into all of our romantic hopes and dreams. Well, mine anyway. Instant love, connection, physical attraction, and a gentleness and thoughtfulness that screams I love you. Magical.

Let’s talk about Will and Nora. Although I loved them for each other they were not perfect people. Who wants to read about perfect people who meet and fall in love? Most people reading these novels aren’t perfect and the main characters faults allow us to dream that this too may happen to us. Despite different circumstances growing up, Will and Nora have similar feelings of abandonment, but Nora had her Nonna and the residents of this Condo complex she is so attached to, Will only had himself. As they explore their relationship there is such a gentleness to how they interact, it really gives a magical feel to what they discover about themselves and each other.

I can’t end this review without a brief note about the cast of characters that live in the condo complex. They are funny, friendly, grouchy, and complex. I loved how despite their differences they were a family that looked out for and loved each other. What a fabulous place to live, despite the weird smells and flocked wall paper.

You may have guessed that I really enjoyed Love at First. It’s hard not to appreciate the authors ability to remove cynicism and reality from the reader’s mind and replace those things with a story that draws them in and holds them in the strong arms of a soft and sweet romance. I reveled in that vacation from realism and can’t wait for this author to write her next novel so I can put those rose colored glasses back on.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase!* Love at First: An Uplifting and Unforgettable Story of Love and Second Chances

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- If you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a mall stipend.

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This Chick Read: Passion on Park Avenue (The Central Park Pact #1) by Lauren Layne

Naomi Powell has transformed herself from the poor daughter of a housekeeper to CEO of a Fortune 500 jewelry business but despite her success she’s had trouble putting her past behind her. She receives an invitation to interview for an open apartment in the very same Park Avenue building where she’d lived with her mother when she was a housekeeper. That job ended in embarrassment, living on the streets for a short time, and her mother’s eventual decline. Naomi has held a grudge against the boy she used to know, Oliver Cunningham and his failure to stand up for her to his father. When it is none other than Oliver himself who interviews her for the apartment she does the unexpected and accepts the offer to live next door to him. What she finds is that he and his father are not the people she expected them to be. Can she put the past behind her and take his offer of friendship seriously? Especially when she finds him so attractive?

I’ll admit a great enemies to lovers plot is my favorite romance trope, but there was something more to Passion on Park Avenue. I think it was Naomi’s background and her rags to riches story. Super private, Naomi doesn’t let a lot of people close. The series is based on a female friendship between she and two other women who all got screwed over by the same man, so her mistrust in people seems pretty apt. She does strike up a heartfelt friendship with those ladies so it doesn’t seem to far fetched for her to give Oliver a chance at friendship. Especially once she see’s that he isn’t the boy she remembers. It does take her a little while to get there though. The fact that Oliver wants something a bit more than friendship is something she isn’t ready to give, but their dance towards romance is tension filled and makes for a great story.

There is a surprising amount of depth in this novel. Not just in the premise of the three ladies who become friends when they find out at his funeral that they all were involved with the same man. That is a great way to start but once Naomi’s story gets going we see that hard as nails shell is actually a protective shield to keep her from being hurt like she was over and over by the people she counted on as a child. Her own mother included. Naomi has always had to count on herself, so it’s hard for her to let someone else in her life and doesn’t know how to lean on someone else. It does help that Oliver is taking care of his ill father and despite his strength could use someone to lean on himself. His reasons for never letting a woman get close are pretty obvious. His time is restricted by his father’s needs. Can the two of them get over their misplaced independence and come to rely on each other? Well, this is a romance so you can guess that they do, but their story is worth reading to find out how it happens.

I should mention that I read the second book in this series first, and liked it enough to go back to start the series. I actually liked this novel even better than the second one. I think I’m a sucker for great female fictional friendships. Naomi, Claire, and Audrey have that bond of betrayal that makes them become true friends. They are each totally different than each other, but somehow each of their strengths balance the others weakness. I love that their friendship is just as big a part of the story as the romance, and that story continues through each book and just keeps getting better.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted romance with some depth of character, please give this series a try. This novel was fun, but it also had some emotional moments that had me reaching for a tissue. It was the perfect balance of romance and story. I’m giving it a 4.5 rating for entertainment and striking the right emotional chord. I hope you’ll like it as well. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Passion on Park Avenue (1) (The Central Park Pact)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I may receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Free (Chaos #6) by Kristen Ashley

Rebel Stapleton’s best friend fell a victim to addiction which led her down the path to her ultimate death. Wanting revenge for her friends death Rebel goes undercover hoping to gather evidence and build a case against the people who killed her. She put her life on the line, which became unacceptable to many people, but mostly to Rush, a man that she hadn’t yet met, but who was determined to protect her.

With a name like Rebel you knew she’d be the perfect girlfriend to a biker guy named Rush. As with many of our alpha hero’s he took one look at her through binoculars no less, and decided she was the one for him. Despite her independence she quickly realized she was in over her head and seemed somewhat relieved that he swooped in to save her. Unfortunately she’d caught the eye of the bad guy who was also determined to make her his own. That was just not going to happen on Rush’s watch.

Free, the title for what might be the last book in this series. A concept that for the men of the Chaos MC means they can live their lives free and clear, having gotten out of the illegal game their predecessors had led them into. It also means that they let other people live their lives and they don’t pass judgement. I liked this concept and them for this book a lot. I just wish the story had been as simple as that theme. Free, the story was a convoluted mix of twists and turns that instead of being a series of reveals for the reader just created more conflict. I’ll admit this novel exhausted me and I’m a fan of this series.

There is always a bit of emotional drama in a KA novel. This had an overabundance of both but what it was missing was a little bit of the humor that balanced all of that dark drama. Some of her other novels found that balance which made those stories more enjoyable to read. This novel was dark after dark, only letting in a small amount of light which would be the romance of Rush and Rebel. I just wish the author hadn’t taken us on the other tangents which I felt were a little unnecessary and tainted my feelings for this book a bit.

So, I had mixed feelings for this book. ❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Free (Chaos Series Book 7)

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Dream Maker (Dream Team #1) by Kristen Ashley

Evie Gardner is a technological genius but her family has always held her back. Always being asked to bail them out, or support them when they don’t have any cash she’s held off on her plans for her own life and taken a job at Smithie’s as a stripper. Only by showing herself off can she make enough money to save for college, if she wasn’t always having to hand it over to them. When her brothers bad choices land him in jail again, Evie expects to be called to fund his release. Instead she’s asked to meet with a sketchy guy who hands her a bag of drugs to keep safe. Thankfully she has Danny Magnussen on hand to help her deal with the fallout from that bag getting stolen. Now her family has put her life on the line and that is just not cool!

A true throw back to Kristen Ashley’s Rock Chick series, this was a fun romp that was more story than action, thank goodness! When this author started her career she mastered the women in jeopardy story, but one thing set hers apart. Her ladies had a girl clan that also rose to the occasion, not letting their alpha guys save the day and steal the show. OK, maybe those guys save the day but it’s nice to have a girl group to lean on and let loose with and the Dream Team is no different than the Rock Chick’s except they might have better heads on their shoulders.

Danny “Mag” Magnussan is not one of the Hot Guys, he’s one of the Commando’s and it was interesting to get a behind the scenes look at Hawk’s commando team and “where they are now.” Danny seems the perfect match for Evie, willing to step in and keep her safe but not wanting her to change who she is. I liked their balance of help and support they gave each other in this novel and it added a different element to KA’s normal action adventure sequence. It didn’t take away from the fun at all and added depth to their colorful life.

If you’re in the mood for an easy read, this series is a fun romp down memory lane. It was fun to re-visit characters from other series, but even more it gave me hope that this author might turn away from some of the hard core physical activity that she’s been writing more recently. This book was fun, sexy, and had a good girl gang. You can’t beat that for your weekend read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Dream Maker (Dream Team Book 1)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Enjoy the View (Moose Springs #3) by Sarah Morgenthaler

Despite being on the young side of 30 River Lane’s acting career is in trouble. Enough that she has talked two of her friends into heading out to Moose Springs to take her first step behind the camera producing a tourism documentary for the area. What she doesn’t bargain for is a town full of people who don’t want any more tourists in their small town. The permits she signed up for? They go missing. None of the locals will be interviewed for the production and she’s been kicked out of every restaurant in the area. Desperate, she and her team are left filming on the side of the road when she meets mountaineer Easton Lockett. He’s quiet, taciturn, and helplessly attracted to the vivacious River. When she suggests turning their tourism doc into a documentary about climbing their local mountain Mount Vail, it’s Easton who she turns to to get them up the mountain.

This series started off so strong with Graham and Zoey in The Tourist Attraction. I was charmed by the characters and the town, so when I read the second novel, Mistletoe and Mr. Right I had pretty high expectations. I did get a solid rom-com but I felt like their was something missing in my leading man and lady. Not in Enjoy the View. I had always been curious about Easton. He was a quiet guy in the background to both of the main characters in the first two novels. I didn’t know that I would love him so much. It helped that River was sassy, irreverent, and just as attracted to Easton as he was to her. Even more, she was the underdog in this story and just so easy to root for!

The friendships that drew me to love the first novel was a huge part of the attraction in Enjoy the View but surprisingly it was River’s two friends Jessie and Bree who were her biggest support group and also happily led her down the road to silliness. The three of them together were fun and showed how true friendships work. I love when there’s a good girl gang, and even though Jessie was a guy, he’s totally in the girl group in this novel. Easton too had a those friends who were so devastatingly fun in the first couple of novels. Those friends helped the reader see the man beneath the beard and his true nature which was gentle, fun, and loyal. An all around great guy. Of course, that broad chest and build helped elevate that attraction.

The thing I loved most about this story was that River, a woman who seemed to have it all, was really finding herself in Moose Springs, Alaska. In climbing her way to the top of this mountain, she falls in love, but she also learns a lot about herself and who she wants to continue to be. That self revelation is thought provoking, charming, and in the midst of a dangerous climb up a mountain, exhilarating. That she did it with Easton at her side was the frosting on the cake.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase!* Enjoy the View (Moose Springs, Alaska, 3)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Forever Girl (Wildstone #6) by Jill Shalvis

Maze heads back to Wildstone for the wedding of her BRR, Cat, and a reunion with her estranged gang of friends. Expecting them to hate her for her absence, instead she’s embraced back into their hearts. Uneasy about facing Walker, the man she once loved and left, she finds that their chemistry is just as fiery and hard to resist. Maze’s past has taught her to guard her heart but these friends are formidable and she learns she is stronger with them by her side than she is alone.

I have to talk about how much I loved Maze. Sure, I’ve read many books where the heroine is flawed, but there was something about Maze that made me care about her. Usually, I get tired of the self castigation, but Jill Shalvis walked that fine line of being too sorry for yourself, and allowing yourself to move past her issues. Maze blamed herself for something big that happened when they were all kids, but she allowed herself to be loved and to accept their judgement (which was no judgement). For me, Cat was actually the character I got impatient with because of her neediness. She needed her friends to be back together and she needed her fianceé to be something other than what he was. However, her wedding was the incident that brought this group back together so I understood her purpose.

Walker was a different story. Sure, he also had his issues. I mean, they were foster kids so that comes with a lot of baggage, but he was just so solid. I liked him from the get go and once I figured out I adored Maze, I totally rooted for them and eagerly read their reunion and all that followed. He was just all that.

I have read a couple of the other Wildstone novels but The Forever Girl doesn’t reference any of the characters in the past and can be read as a stand alone novel, so don’t be fearful of that #6 after the title. If you’re a fan of Jill Shalvis novels as I am, please pick up The Forever Girl. It’s the perfect story about lost friends and found love which really hits the right note during this pandemic. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this ARC through Net Galley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase!* The Forever Girl: A Novel (The Wildstone Series, 6)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (1/4/21)

I finally managed to get a good bit of reading in during my break from work over the last 10 days. I did also stream some shows with my husband. I know last week I talked about Bridgerton, but over New Years my husband and I streamed Ted Lasso on Apple TV. Such a funny and heart warming show. If you have that service you should give it a try. Now back to my reading materials.

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

I read Motion, Space, and Time back to back over two days. The first two books being cliffhangers. I have been reading some books I’ve had stored on my kindle and Motion was one of those. Luckily I was able to find Space and Time at the library and didn’t have to wait to borrow the e-books. This was a really good series! Technically she has them listed as books 4,5,6 in the Hypothesis series, but these can be read separately from books 1-3 which have different characters. I love how her characters are flawed and real rather than being these perfect individuals that none of us can dream of being. These were good and I totally recommend them.

JUST STARTED

I’m about half way through this novel and it’s really good! It’s rare when you can’t count on Nora Roberts to deliver a good story. Her pace and pattern of the story is familiar but I’m enjoying it a lot and can’t wait to get back to it.

What book did you read over the holiday and what will you be reading as we head into our new week? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Happy New Year and have a great Monday!

Deb

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This Chick Read: Dream Chaser (Dream Team #2) by Kristen Ashley

After Lottie successfully set up their friend Evie and Mag, the rest of the Dream Team has been shying away from their hook-ups. Ryn Jansen doesn’t have any interest in Boone Sadler despite their obvious attraction to each other. She’s been let down by men before and isn’t willing to trust that he’ll be any different. When he shows up with information that her ex sister-in-law has been conning her out of money she’s upset for two reasons. She got conned by her family, but also Boone butted into her business! Despite his good reasons, Ryn is not happy but this time he isn’t giving up. When a bad guy kidnaps her for info, Boone becomes all alpha male claiming her as his, determined to get to the bottom of her kidnapping and to protect her with his life.

I did not read the first book in this series, Dream Maker, before I read Dream Chaser, but I certainly went to my kindle and downloaded it immediately upon finishing this novel. It was so much fun! The Dream Team series is a spin off of the Rock Chick series, one of my favorites. These novels were about fun, friends, and yes their alpha men, but the heart in these books make them easy to read and love. Dream Team was exactly the same, a return to the hay day of Kristen Ashley writing. Or at least when I liked her writing more.

What can I say about these characters? The Dream Team are strippers but like Julie Roberts in Pretty Woman, these strippers are only doing it for the money, not because they enjoy stripping. Like the Rock Chicks before them, there is an underlying plot running between the novels, so while I didn’t read Dream Maker first, if you have that chance, I’d read them in order. Also, I liked Dream Maker even more than I did Dream Chaser. Ryn has a family who takes advantage of her, taking her money, keeping her from pursuing her own dreams. Boone with his direct approach helps her come to terms with them.

As with KA’s more recent novels, Dream Chaser has some hard core sex scenes, but you know what? She did a lot of fade aways in this series too. It was a good blend of showing some action and not giving too much. Or at least it was to me. I like a story with my romance and I found it in this novel. In fact, this is why I started reading Dream Maker immediately upon finishing. This book took me back to why I had initially liked Kristen Ashley so much. Let’s hope she continues in this vein, or at least that there are a LOT of books in this series.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest.


Click this link to purchase! Dream Chaser (Dream Team, 2)

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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