Trusting a Warrior (Loving a Warrior #3) by Melanie Hansen

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

This book was so not what I was thinking it would be. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does make it hard for me to get my thoughts straight enough to write the review…especially when the misleading synopsis is partly to blame.

Newly pregnant bartender Lani Abuel is having a bad day when she meets customer George Monteverdi, who is in the bar to toast the memory of his Navy SEAL teammate, mentor, and friend on the first anniversary of his death. Little do they know the night they met, Lani and Geo share similar tragedies in their pasts, and the key to healing is working through their pain – both on their own and together.

There is a lot to unpack in this book, so get comfy. I have lots of thoughts.

First off, as I said, the synopsis is misleading. Lani’s fiance was no longer Lani’s fiance when he fell in love with another woman. She wasn’t done wrong by the ex, who is actually a really decent person (and so is the new lady in his life – incidentally, the second book in this series is about them, but I haven’t read it, so maybe it was more messy than this book made it seem 🤷). Lani even knows the end of that relationship was for the best, even if she is still sad the close relationship is over. It was actually refreshing to see how this part of the storyline played out without all kinds of drama and angst. I loved seeing Lani’s growth in accepting how her past affected her relationship with Rhys – and it was good to see it evolve into a healthy relationship with him, along with becoming friends with his new girlfriend.

The next thing I want to bring up is that this story went in a direction I didn’t see coming…at all. I was prepared for the talk of war and PTSD, the difficult topic of suicide. What I was not expecting was the story to start out with the hero being involved in a relationship with another man. Which I just want to be clear here, isn’t an issue. But it was a little…confusing. There was no hint whatsoever that the hero is bisexual until the revelation is tossed out in a conversation with the heroine, and is then never discussed at all. And I can’t decide how I feel about it. Should that aspect of a person’s sexuality be treated as unceremoniously as the color of their hair? Or, does being in a relationship with a bisexual person involve nuance and unique challenges that deserve to be a more integral and developed part of the storyline/relationship? Had I done some research on the author (or read the other two books in the series) I may have seen this coming, but alas, I did not. So mentally I wasn’t prepared to have these kinds of jumbled thoughts.

Which brings me to the romance part of this book. I loved how Lani and Geo started out as friends and their relationship developed organically. It was so sweet to see Geo check in on Lani when he was away, and that when Geo’s walls started to crumble he turned to Lani for comfort.

But I really feel like the romance was a secondary storyline, taking a backseat to descriptions about military training, Geo’s job as a K9 handler, and then the therapy both Lani and Geo need to deal with the traumas in their pasts. And while I’m always a big fan of a book that shows the importance of mental health and treats therapy in a positive light, it was disappointing to only see Lani doing the hard work. We know Geo finally got to a place of peace and acceptance with his past, but I would have liked to see it happen.

Sometimes writing my review helps me sort things out in my head, helps me solidify what I think or feel about a book. But it hasn’t this time. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that while I enjoyed the characters and their story, I was here for the romance. I was here for a story where a hurting woman needed to learn to trust a warrior. Instead, I feel like we got a good story about a woman who learned to trust herself, and led another hurting soul along on her journey to healing. Which is not a bad thing…it’s just not what I was expecting. Throw in several different storylines and some topics that left me feeling unmoored, and you have a recipe for a muddled, rambling review.

* thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin – Carina Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A Navy SEAL for Christmas by Zoe York

Full disclosure: so far I’ve only read the final story in this anthology by Zoe York. I full intend to get to the rest of the stories as some point, but right now I’ve got about eight other holiday books in my queue, so the others will have to wait for another time!

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Navy SEAL for Christmas was short, sweet novella and exactly what I needed to put me in the holiday spirit!

Navy SEAL Ben Simmons has just come home from a six month deployment to discover his furniture – which was supposed to be delivered to his new apartment before he arrived – is in a truck somewhere, two states north.  So when a friend tells him about a job where he can make some easy, quick money, he jumps at the chance.  All he has to do is model for an art class.  Naked.

High school math teacher Chelsea Doyle is a little sad to be spending this holiday all alone, but she has fun plans!  She’s very much looking forward to having two weeks off, and is really excited for the eight night, life drawing art class she signed up for at a studio close to her apartment.  What she didn’t plan for was running into the incredibly good looking, charming art class model outside of class, or discovering he has moved in right next door.  Too bad she signed a contract saying she wouldn’t hit on the model. 

But Ben isn’t deterred by the waiver and is more than happy to wait until his gig as a naked art class model is over.

The thing I loved about this story is that there’s no angst, no conflict, no drama between the couple.  They have a meet-cute and fall head-over-heels for each other.  Do I want all my books to be so simple and uncomplicated?  Of course not.  But sometimes it’s nice to read about nice, normal people who get along and have a great time together. 

I’ve had dubious success in the past with holiday stories.  They usually leave me feeling more bah-humbug instead of fa-la-la-la-la.  Yet I should have known Zoe York and her Navy SEALS would deliver the heart, heat, AND holiday cheer we all so desperately need this year!

Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Fair or not, there were a couple things going against this book when I picked it up (and…why I even requested the ARC is a whole other rabbit trail we’ll be ignoring right now).  First, I generally stay away from young adult romance – because they’re usually rife with self-inflicted angst caused by non-communication.  And second, this book was majorly hyped with copious amounts of gushing in my Goodreads and Bookstagram circles – which automatically makes me suspicious (or should I say cynical?) since I frequently find myself standing on the dusty road far behind bandwagons.

But wouldn’t you know, Always Only You is going on my Best Of 2020 list.

Frankie Zeferino is a 26 year old woman working as the social media guru for a professional hockey team.  She also is autistic and has arthritis, which – in her experience – makes relationships more challenging and not really worth it.

Ren Bergman has had a huge crush on Frankie ever since his first day as a professional hockey player.  But there’s a non-fraternization rule, which makes Frankie off limits.  So Ren is determined to wait until he CAN be with her.

And THAT right there will win me over ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.  I can’t express how much I love a hero who knows what he wants and is willing to play the long game to get it.  In a deep and wide sea of alpha males and insta-love stories, a slow burn romance with a sensitive, manly man, wins – hands down – every single time.

There wasn’t a single thing I didn’t love about this book and watching Frankie’s grumpy disposition run afoul of Ren’s constant sunshiny outlook was charming.  Their witty banter was delightful.  And when conflict arose, it was heartfelt and realistic.  I loved Frankie and Ren.  I loved their love story.

I’ve read close to a thousand books the past six years.  Sometimes I feel like I’ve read all the great books there are to read…that I’ll never be wowed again, that only cliched writing/tropes/characters remain.  Then along comes an author who gives us a book with a fresh voice, unique characters, and superb writing that effortlessly charms and entertains readers.  

So yeah, I’m completely on the Chloe Liese bandwagon.  And I can’t wait to read more of the Bergman Brothers series!

* thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Reclaim by Aly Martinez

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟½

There are only a handful of authors on my auto-buy, no preview needed, one-click purchase list. Aly Martinez is one of them. And to get an ARC for her latest release so I could read it early? MONTH MADE!!!

Sweet, plucky Nora Stewart has a terrible homelife. Abandoned by her mother at seven, and enduring a negligent and abusive father, she and her brother Ramsey are doing their best to make their way through life. To that end, eleven year old Nora got herself a job…digging for earthworms. It’s messy and disgusting, but she’s away from her house and no one bothers her…until Freaking Camden Cole shows up, apparently hired for the same job. Before long the two are inseparable, spending every day together, making money on earthworms. But when Cam has to leave at the end of the summer without a chance to tell Nora goodbye, it puts Nora on a path that leads to tragic consequences and twelve years of Cam coming in and out of her life.

Having read and really enjoyed Release (Ramsey’s story), I was very excited to read Nora’s story. However, the first half of the book dragged for me. I always appreciate when an author gives us the backstory, and gives it to us chronologically (I find switching back and forth between past and present is a delicate balance that is frequently missed – although Ms. Martinez has done it well). But this time, we got TOO much backstory, with almost none of it fun to read because of Nora’s family situation. And I often felt the dialogue between young Nora and Camden was too mature for kids who were supposed to be 11/12 and 12/13. (Incidentally, I had the same issue with Release.)

So, it’s hard to give a higher rating to a book I wasn’t totally engrossed in for over 50% of it.

But the last half was the Aly Martinez I know and love: twists, turns, and a totally swoony hero. I loved that once Nora and Cam were older they didn’t hold back their thoughts. The bane of young adult romance’s existence is angst caused by non-communication – and there was a small bit of that here – but we’re aren’t left with a case of whiplash watching them go back and forth between together and not. I loved how the lesson (for lack of a better word) of this book is that you can be meant to be with someone, but the timing may not be right so you need to work on yourself for when the time IS right.

Reclaim started off kinda rough – nobody likes reading about children who are abused and other awful things that happen, and there was (in my opinion) an excessive amount of it here (although I will mention it wasn’t gratuitous in the descriptions, thank goodness). But nobody writes convoluted, complicated, heartbreaking stories like Aly Martinez, and I love them.

* thank you to Social Butterfly PR and Aly Martinez for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review

True Surrender by Tracey Cramer-Kelly

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟

I’m a total sucker for second chance romances, and I love a good military suspense plot. But both storylines in True Surrender left me wanting more.

As Major Aaron Bricewick lay close to death after horrific beatings at the hand of terrorists in Afghanistan, his last thoughts were of Holly Rossiter – the woman he left behind ten years ago in pursuit of his military career. To his utter shock, several days after being rescued and transferred to a hospital in Los Angeles, he finds Holly standing by his bed with news that she’s part of his treatment team.

While Aaron recovers from his physical injuries – which includes the amputation of his lower left leg – and deals with painkiller dependency and PTSD, he and Holly find themselves falling back in love. But it becomes apparent the circumstances surrounding his capture and rescue aren’t exactly as he’d been led to believe and someone he thought he could trust isn’t being truthful. In his quest for the truth, those he loves and cares for could end up in danger themselves.

This book started out really strong, but there were a number of things that kept me from enjoying this book, which I really feel could have used about another 50 or so pages to more fully develop both Aaron and Holly’s relationship, the challenges Aaron faced recovering and learning to live as an amputee, and the suspense storyline.

I would have liked to get a little more of Aaron and Holly’s backstory and why they broke up. I would have liked to see more of their present-day interactions that led to them falling back in love. When Holly had to attend an overnight conference and decided to take Aaron up on his offer to watch her four year old son, I felt like they hadn’t spent enough time together for that to be okay – I didn’t feel like their relationship had gotten to the point where a mother would entrust her young child to a man she hadn’t seen for over ten years, and one who was dealing with physical limitations and may not be in the best headspace, at that.

But the big thing that bothered me is that I couldn’t really understand all the things that led Aaron to discover the conspiracy around his capture and rescue. All we know is he talks to a journalist who was captured with him, shares his concern, then the journalist goes off to investigate and comes back with what he’s discovered. So much of the conspiracy was vague and most “action” took place off page. Which left me feeling unsatisfied with the suspense part of the plot. Give me ALL the suspense action!

And there were a couple other things that I would say were “off” in this book…

First, there is a bit of a religious aspect to this story. The journalist frequently talks to Aaron about God, the Bible, and praying. Holly also prays and attends church. Aaron spends time contemplating his beliefs. And yet…there are also sex scenes. Not graphic ones, mind you. But not exactly “closed door” either. I don’t read a whole lot of “inspirational” romance, but I’ve never read one that clearly was trying to have a religious overtone AND had sex scenes. I’m a “to each their own” kind of reader, and there’s not much I won’t read, nor do I get offended easily. But for a reader who is thinking they’re getting a “clean” romance, they’re not going to be happy with the extent of this couple’s physical relationship nor the descriptions of it, and I found the juxtaposition of talk about religion and the inclusion of sex scenes to be a bit incongruous.

And the last thing that bugged me…because I’m a stickler for details, especially ones that are so easy to Google…when Aaron is having surgery to deal with an issue with his stump, he gets nauseated, and they give him Pitocin. Twice it’s mentioned the medicine used was Pitocin (and since I’m being persnickety…it’s spelled two different ways 🙄). Pitocin is the drug I was given to induce labor. So…HUH??? I did my own Google search and couldn’t find anywhere that it’s also used as an anti-nausea medicine. I’m not sure what medicine the hero should have been given, but I’m fairly certain it wasn’t that one. How did someone who apparently has training as an Emergency Medical Technician (as this author does) get that wrong? Or why was that not fact checked??? Errors like this don’t sit well with me. If you’re going to be specific about a drug, you should make sure you’re naming the right drug – especially when a quick Google search can keep you from making an error.

So, even though there were a handful of things that kept me from really liking this book, I DID still finish it, so that’s saying something at least. And the pacing didn’t drag so it kept my interest. But once I finished, True Surrender just left me wanting more.

Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19) by Robyn Carr

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

It seems fitting that one of my all-time favorite authors wrote the book – in my all-time favorite series! – that I read to complete my Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge.  With this book I’ve read 104 books!  

Well, sort of…I’ve DNFed 7 this year, but with two months left I really will finish reading 104 books.  Also, I’ve listened to 56 audiobooks this year!  A lot of people count audiobooks in their reading total, but I don’t – mostly because a good number of the books I listen to are ones I’ve already read.  And I don’t count rereads in my challenge count either.  If I did, my number would be way higher right now – when the world went sideways in March, I did a lot of rereading because I needed books to help me escape the crazy reality we were experiencing and new books often seemed too risky.  Even now, I’m still doing a lot of rereading…

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled review for Return to Virgin River.

In this return to the bucolic town of Virgin River, we meet Kaylee Sloan – a writer of suspense novels with a bad case of writer’s block who is still deeply feeling the death her mother almost a year after she passed away, and Landry Moore – an artist and dog trainer who grew up in Virgin River and is known for being a bit of a loner.

When Kaylee arrives in Virgin River, she discovers the house she planned to rent for the next several months caught on fire and is uninhabitable.  She finds her way to Jack’s bar, and – as so often happens in Virgin River – the rumor mill spreads the word about her lodging’s demise, which then leads her to the perfect little cabin owned by Landry.  As Kaylee does her best to finish her latest novel, she and Landry first become friends, which of course turns into more.  And it was great to catch a glimpse of so many of Virgin River’s beloved residents in the process!

Does this story rate high on my list of Virgin River favorites?  Nope.  It started slow, didn’t pull me in as quickly as usual, and seemed to amble about on its way to getting to the point.  Did I still enjoy it?  Absolutely!  I am fully aware that these books are very formulaic. Virgin River is an unrealistic utopia of a small town, and the hero and heroine are almost always flawless in their behavior, even when dealing with the baggage from their pasts. The good guys always win, and even the bad guys are seldom all that bad. Everything ends with happily ever after…or at least happy for now.

But there’s comfort in knowing exactly what you’re going to get.  And after reading (or listening to) at least 40 Robyn Carr books, and never getting sorely disappointed with a single one, I know I’m going to get fantastic dialogue, honorable heroes and determined heroines, and a story that will leave me with a big smile.  There’s not enough of that going around these days, so I’ll take it wherever I can.

Fumbled (Playbook #2) by Alexa Martin

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

To be clear…there was a better than 50% chance I was going to like this book. If you’ve followed my reviews for any amount of time you know there are two tropes I will drop everything like a hot potato to read: second chance, and the secret child. Either of those on their own and I’m a sucker, but together??? NOT A CHANCE I’m not going to read it!

Poppy Patterson was 16 and in love with TK Moore (and he with her) when he went off to college to chase his dreams of a professional football career. When Poppy discovered she was pregnant and TK wasn’t interested, she was heartbroken. Kicked out of her home and all alone, she moved across the country and did her best to build a life of her own where she could raise her son.

Ten years later, TK is living his dream. He’s a beloved player for the Denver Mustangs, popular with the ladies and the life of every party he attends. When a chance encounter at a nightclub puts Poppy back in his orbit, he wants nothing more than to have another chance with the only girl he’s ever loved.

This story had the perfect amount of angsty drama! TK doesn’t respond well to Poppy’s revelation about her child, but I loved that things weren’t drawn out, nor was TK’s behavior unrealistic, given his career and the lifestyle he’d lived as a professional athlete. And as much as I would have liked to see Poppy be a little more hesitant to jump back into a relationship with TK, it was nice to see a strong, self-sufficient, determined woman who was willing to let someone help her when she needed it. Often we get so much conflict because the hero comes in after being absent for years, wanting to make up for lost time, and the heroine resists all efforts. I liked that both TK and Poppy were willing to admit their attraction and that they still had feelings for each other and didn’t fight it.

One thing that didn’t quite make sense to me was Poppy’s strong concern about head injuries. I know traumatic brain injury is something the NFL is making a big effort to address, but I couldn’t ever understand exactly why that was such a big issue for Poppy personally. But I loved how that storyline played out and what it meant for Poppy and TK. Also, I feel like the events that lead to their separation when they were young were sort of glossed over and not fully addressed – it seems to me if I had loved someone so deeply and missed out on being with them for ten years, there’d be a lot of anger and some BIG feelings about that, none of which we saw (and I would have liked to!).

There’s nothing better than a young couple finding their way back to each other after so long apart. And I really appreciate that there were so many times the author could have taken a cliched route (sports romances are rife with other woman drama, for example), but Ms. Martin steered clear of the tired and worn-out antics. I really, really liked this story, and I really liked the characters. I had to wait several weeks for this book to be available at my local library, but it was SO worth the wait!

Love on the Run (Pine Harbour #5) by Zoe York

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

With my finishing this book, I’ve read all eight of Zoe York’s Pine Harbour series. Not gonna lie…I’m a little sad. With the exception of the last book in the series, they’ve all been fantastic! So, really, it’s a good thing I had this one lingering somewhat hidden on my Kindle (until I found out it was on sale and went to purchase it but discovered I already owned it…which, if that isn’t an indication I have TOO MANY books on my Kindle, I don’t what is…and sorrrryyy for that rabbit trail) because who wants to finish a series on a down note???

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled review.

Love on the Run isn’t your typical bodyguard romance. I mention it because if you love that trope and are looking for a suspense-filled, action packed story…that’s not what you get here. That’s not to say it isn’t still fantastic, though.

Liana Hansen is a famous country music star who’s been on the rise since she first hit the scene 12 years ago at the young age of 18. But recently she’s started having some…episodes…that cause her to doubt herself and her career. After one particularly bad incident that had her rushing off the stage at the end of a concert, she leaves the tour group during a short break and escapes to Pine Harbour – to the home of her best friend, actress Hope Creswell (from Pine Harbour #3). Seeing her best friend isn’t in a good state of mind, Hope decides to hire Dean Foster as a bodyguard to accompany Liana for the last couple of months of the tour.

Dean Foster has recently retired from the Pine Harbour police force and is new to the bodyguard gig. Which is a good thing – he’s more of a hired friend whose job is to make sure Liana is insulated from the stress of being on the road, and less of an armed, muscled man there to protect her from danger. Not that he couldn’t keep her safe if need be, but that’s not really his role this time. Of course, the more time he spends with Liana, the harder it is to control his overwhelming attraction to her – especially when the attraction is mutual.

The thing I love best about Zoe York’s books is that they aren’t filled with a bunch of ridiculous crap (for lack of a more eloquent word). There’s no droning on and on about how hot the hero or heroine is, no repeated inner monologues about how they can’t be with the other person. There’s no over-the-top drama, no self-created angst. The characters have hangups and trauma from their pasts to work through, and sometimes do stupid things as a result. But there’s always a good friend or family member to help them get their head screwed back on straight. I love Ms. York’s writing and I love her stories. They just make me smile every single time!

So yeah, I’m really sad to be saying goodbye to the Foster and MInelli clans of Pine Harbour. Thankfully, there’s a new series about another Pine Harbour family – and I can’t wait to read them all!

Willow Creek by Karen Ann Hopkins

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟½

I have no problem with a synopsis that is vague or mysterious – one that leaves you with questions about what you’re going to be reading.

What I do have a problem with is a misleading one – one that tells you one thing, but entirely different things happen. The first part of the synopsis for Willow Creek seems like it was written by someone who didn’t even read the prologue: the heroine’s life wasn’t saved in a storm (she needed help, but her life wasn’t in danger), she didn’t kiss the hero (he kissed her), and saying they were lovers is a gross exaggeration – they had hardly even spoken to each other and kissed only once before the heroine’s father caught them together.

These discrepancies probably shouldn’t bother me. BUT…they do. And to start off a book kinda cranky because of a synopsis that is inaccurate is not a good thing.

Anyway…moving on.

Sixteen year old Rowan was hired by neighbor Charlie to help train his horses and spent six months doing his best to not pay any attention to Katie, Charlie’s sixteen year old daughter. When Charlie catches Rowan kissing Katie, he banishes Rowan from the farm.

Six years later, Charlie has died in a car accident and Katie is facing a dire financial situation. She turns to the one person who might be able to train all the horses in time for them to be sold so they can save her home and farm.

When Rowan arrives to train the horses, his attraction to Katie is alive and as strong as it ever was. And Katie, despite doing her best to forget the boy who captured her heart after one kiss, still longs to be with Rowan. But Rowan is Amish and a relationship between them wouldn’t be accepted by Rowan’s family or community.

The problem with these characters (in my opinion, for whatever that’s worth) is that they are young – 22 years old – and behave like it. They spend half the book mad at each other because they keep making out after letting their hormones take over. We get lots and lots of repeated inner monologue about how they can’t be together because he’s Amish and she’s English.

This story could have been far more compelling if it showed more relationship development (on an emotional level, not just the physical) and Katie and Rowan focused on the consequences of them being together, instead of constantly getting angry and jealous. They truly did come from different worlds and that is a legitimate reason to have conflict. I would have liked to see Katie spend time in selfless contemplation, realizing what it would mean for Rowan to leave his community, or maybe even consider (GASP) whether or not she could become Amish. All this couple did was make things more difficult for themselves because of their behavior. Which…I know…is probably not unrealistic for two people who are 22 years old. But for this reader it just caused frustration.

Yet, things weren’t all bad with this book. I’ve been DNFing left and right this past month – not sure if it’s the books I’m reading, my mood, or a combo of both. Whatever the deal, I was interested enough in this story to finish it in just a couple nights. So that’s a good thing!

* thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review