the_shelfrighteous_writer's reviews
57 reviews

This book was very enjoyable to me. It had a bit more of a negative to positive ratio than I would have liked - so much of the book centered on either Harper avoiding Joe or Joe being pissed at Harper. I would have liked to see a bit more positive interaction between them, but I still really enjoyed what I read.

I am brand new to hockey romances but oh my gosh, I loved this one! Astrid is dumped at the altar (though we later find out that the jacka** thought SHE was the one who dumped him ... what a loser!) and swears off all things hockey. Then she hooks up with a sexy guy - Cal - who comes to her 'rescue' at a bar where she's working. Fate steps in and they end up working together to help her ex get his goalie mojo back. All the while, sparks fly between Astrid and Cal, though Astrid insists nothing can come of it.

I loved the plot of WALK OF SHAME - intense attraction but characters who insist that they can't (or shouldn't) be together.

And the ending - just wow! I adored watching Astrid and Cal when they thought it was nothing, then seeing everything start blooming ... but the ending had me nearly in tears. I loved it! 

 ** I received an eARC of Falling For Mr. Bad in exchange for my honest review. This in no way influenced my review and all thoughts contained within are my own.

The chemistry between Kane and Sable is red-hot right from the start! From the moment she sees the city slicker on the side of the road by his rental car, it’s obvious this romance is going to come with a hefty dose of snark!

If I wasn’t giggling at the banter between Kane and Sable (especially when they’re still fighting their attraction to each other), I was swooning over Big Daddy Kane 💕

How can a man with such a thick shell be so infuriatingly romantic?

But, as usual, it was the ending that sold the 5-star rating. I can’t say much because this isn’t a spoilery review, but there’s a teary-eyed HEA in FALLING FOR MR. BAD.

My favorite part of Melissa Foster’s Love in Bloom series is how often the siblings and friends pop up from other books. FALLING FOR MR. BAD let us catch a glimpse of Amber and Dash living out their happily ever after, as well as Johnny and Jillian in their pre-wedding (and pre-twins!) bliss!

Sable is all about protecting her siblings and she often puts their needs ahead of her own. The best part of this new relationship for her is that Kane is exactly the same way! He stepped in to take over as his brother Johnny’s band manager when all heck broke loose. Mr. Billionaire, with a bazillion businesses of his own, dropped everything to be there for his brother.

Serious cardio liquification 💕

And Sable, in the middle of a VERY important music tour, drops everything to fly home (at Kane’s urging) when all heck breaks loose in her family. These two are made for each other!

I love how Sable isn’t one of those girls who craves fame. She’s a musician because she loves it. Does this make things a bit complicated for her (and for Kane, who is tasked with getting her to say yes to the tour)? Yes. And I want to say her bandmates are dicks about wanting to do the tour (because they want the fame and all), but I also got where they were coming from.

On that note, she’s not after Kane for his money either. She actually fights AGAINST having any sort of relationship with him for the majority of the book. This woman can take care of herself (and her family), pay her own way, and doesn’t need a man for anything.

- FALLING FOR MR. BAD does have a Dementia trigger -

As someone who’s lost my Nana to Dementia, I know this can be a trigger.

However, don’t avoid FALLING FOR MR. BAD because of it. Deloris is one of my favorite characters. She’s basically a surrogate grandmother to Sable and their relationship reminded me so much of the one I shared with my Nana 💕 Seeing what Sable went through, as Deloris had moments of not knowing her, tugged at my heartstrings. But she’s a large part of reason why Sable is who she is.

And the ending ... No spoilers here. But oh my gosh, that ending!! Serious happy tears.

Throughout the book, there were little nagging things in my brain – things I wanted to see happen. And at the end of the book, Kane wraps everything up so sweet and romantically. I was in tears.

I am eagerly awaiting Sable’s twin sister, Pepper’s book (did I forget to mention Sable’s a twin? And this booknerd LOVES twins!).

 I love the Bradens so much already, after visiting them in Peaceful Harbor, but I've recently become acquainted with Hal Braden and his huge family. I've fallen in love all over again, not sure why I'm surprised Melissa Foster can captivate in under 75 pages.

This tiny novella gives a glimpse into each of the main Braden siblings, as well as Patriarch Hal. The entire family is together for Christmas and the way they celebrate had me in tears. I loved the sleepover and the insane chaos of the large family! So many kids!!!

What stuck out about this little novella was how easily you could see and feel each Braden's love for their spouse. It seems like each time you turn around, one of them is sneaking off for some "alone time". It's a true Melissa Foster book ... sexy heroes and strong women, all falling in intense, crazy love with each other.

This is a must-read holiday story that any Braden family fan should read. It's also a great introduction to the Bradens at Weston ... though careful because your head will spin with all the people!! 

I borrowed a copy of this audiobook via Scribd and really enjoyed the narration done by Patti Murin. When listening to an audiobook, I need to be able to distinguish between the characters. Murin does a fantastic job of separating the characters and adding enough emphasis to their dialogue so the story comes alive. 

The banter between the characters is what really set this book over the top. Not only between Jess and River but also between Jess and her best friend, Fizzy. There were more than a few points in this book where I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. 

 

Though the budding romance between Jess and River was the focus of THE SOULMATE EQUATION, the supporting characters were some of my favorites! I loved Jess’s daughter, Juno, to pieces! She was smart, opinionated, and so sassy! And her interaction with River is priceless!

Who doesn’t want a best friend as pushy, bubbly, and outgoing as Fizzy? Or grandparents as supportive and loving as Pops and Nana Jo? Or meddlesome sisters like River’s? Jess has built up such a supportive little community around her and June … it’s almost like a magical other world. The only characters I didn’t care for were Jess’s deadbeat/moocher of a mother and another person but … SPOILERS! You’ll have to read for yourself to find out who.

This isn’t exactly what I would call an enemies-to-lovers book but River is a seriously snobbish and rude man in the beginning of this book. However, the tentative chemistry between the two of them makes up for it. This is one love story I wish I could read for the first time all over again. 

I have never read a book before that mentions my hometown! 

This started out as a book club buddy read but I was immediately hooked by the banter between Alexis and Daniel. Two different worlds but they fit so well together. 

I loved so much about this book. Hunter (the dog) and his antics are hilarious! He becomes obsessed with Alexis right away and goes from bringing not-so-dead presents to her, to getting jabbed by porcupines and sprayed by a skunk! 

Dislikes: Alexis's "friends". They are entitled snobs and I didn't care for them at all. Note: this doesn't include Bri, her best friend. I absolutely adored her! 

This book resulted in a serious ugly cry, warranting the 5 stars. I loved everything about it and this is the first (and only) book I have ever annotated by writing in. I can't wait to visit Nadia Cakes myself and I'll definitely be reading more of Abby Jimenez's writing in the near future!

I picked this book up because I absolutely love anything about twins. Let's get that out of the way right away.

Each time I opened this book, I felt sad. First I was confused and almost angry at Stella. Where does she get off abandoning her twin? And, as the reader, we witness firsthand what Desiree and her mom go through, in losing Stella (not that Desiree is so innocent, to begin with). 

Then the book switches over to Desiree's daughter, Jude. I liked her but she's just so closed off from the world. 

And then it's Stella. The entire first half of the book, I was wondering about Stella. Where did she go? What has she been doing while her family missed her? And then, all of a sudden, she's there. While I understood her desire to be something more than the poor girl she was, I still couldn't get past what she did to her family. And all the lies she has to tell to keep up.

While the end did sort-of wrap things up, it also felt like it just kinda faded away. And while I enjoyed this book (devouring it in 2 days), I'm not sure it's one I could re-read. Definitely worth reading, though.

5 stars simply because HOLY CRAP!

I am not a normal thriller reader. I'm a serious chicken. So this book was outside my comfort zone. That being said, I felt such an insane variety of things while reading this! Verity herself creeped me out, I was disappointed in Lowen's character many times throughout, and then the ending. Just. Holy. Crap!!!

I have read so many reviews raving about Colleen Hoover's writing ... and they are all spot on! I wanted to throw my book across the room, yet at the same time I couldn't stop reading because I absolutely had to know what happened. 

I am hooked. The only question left to answer is which CoHo book do I read next??