The Best Man’s Baby (Red River #2) by Victoria James

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Judge me all you want, but I am drawn to accidental baby stories like a moth to a flame. And Victoria James writes good, solid stories (even if her titles are a little uncreative…). So I didn’t hesitate to request this book from NetGalley!

The Best Man’s Baby (just like its title) was a fairly simple and uncomplicated story. After watching her best friend get married, good girl Claire makes an alcohol-infused pass at alcohol-influenced “bad boy” Jake, who takes her up on her offer. It was an unforgettable night for both of them.

But then Jake hightails it out of the hotel room like his backside is on fire and disappears for six weeks. Once he gets back to town, he’s met with the fury of his one-night-stand and the announcement that he’s going to be a father.

This book was going along great – I love a heroine who sticks to her mad even though the hero thinks he can talk his way back into her good graces – when BAM, the author totally leveled up and threw in a health issue from the past. Then she doubled down and added more heartbreak from the past for both characters to turn this into a more compelling story than I thought I’d be getting.

My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more story and plot development. The characterizations were great, but as I said, this was a fairly simple story where not a whole lot happened. Still, it was an enjoyable read and a good way to spend an evening!

* thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Bliss for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Royally Remembered (Royally #4.6) by Emma Chase

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Emma Chase’s Royally series is an all-time favorite of mine. I’ve read each of the books multiple times. So OF COURSE I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend more time with the royal family of Wessco.

But this collection of short “stories” dealt with all the Pembrook family tragedies and I spent more time wiping tears than grinning madly while I read. Don’t get me wrong…I’ll spend any time I can with the characters of this series and it was lovely getting more behind-the-scenes looks at what happened before the books happened (or after, in some cases). I guess I just wasn’t prepared to have my heart be put through the wringer and not have all the humor we usually got with this series to balance things out. Am I glad I read this? Absolutely! Do I wish there was MORE? Also absolutely.

Emma Chase is a one-click, no-preview-needed author for me so I’m always happy to get my hands on anything she writes. She was snagged in an (in my opinion – AND that of an actual court judge) unfounded plagiarism lawsuit for almost two years, during which time she didn’t seem to publish as much. Hopefully with the lawsuit settled and her name “cleared” (though can you ever really recover from your name being sullied even if you’re found innocent?) she’ll be able to get back to writing and publishing the stories us fans know and love!

Meant to Be (Twist of Fate #1) by Jennifer Probst

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟

I’ve liked several of the Jennifer Probst books I’ve read (I mean…obviously…since I keep reading her books), so I was excited to get an ARC of Meant to Be. But mostly, this book was just frustrating.

And I don’t even feel like I can give a synopsis without going into spoiler territory. It’s very evident by the cover blurb the author wants the reader to be surprised at what happens between the hero and heroine. So all I’m going to say is this: both the hero and heroine made me cranky, but more so the heroine. Everyone in the couple’s life was telling them to be happy together, and the heroine just wouldn’t let it happen.

In fact, the one thing I DID like about this book is how all the side characters were supportive and encouraging. The author could have stirred up all this extra angst and drama, so it was refreshing things didn’t go that way!

But the rest of the book? I spent a good deal of the time not believing this was written by Jennifer Probst. I almost DNFed at 20%, but then the not-to-be-mentioned “plot twist” happened and I let myself get sucked in. But the whole book was filled with whiny, repetitive thoughts (“I’m stealing my best friend’s life” or some iteration of that phrase was thought or said 15 times…and the friend had died in a car crash two years prior – honey, you can’t steal from a dead person), and two main characters who vacillated so quickly between “I love you” and “we can’t/shouldn’t be together” they could probably use a good chiropractor to adjust their necks from all that whiplash.

I should have liked this book – it has one of my favorite tropes. But when characters spend too much time in their heads and get in their own way of happiness, it just ruins things. Better luck to me next time…

* thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2) by Tessa Bailey

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. SO many fellow reviewers who I’m usually on the same page with about books loved this one. But I just…didn’t.

Actually, I loved the heroine. She had some issues, KNEW she had some issues, and was doing what she could to overcome those issues. Hannah also was one of those rare young adult heroines who knew she deserved more than the hero was offering and stood up for herself to ask for more, but also gave the hero plenty of grace because she knew who he really was deep down. I loved that when the hero acted like a big fat jerk she was able to understand he was acting from a place of fear and not because he was really a big fat jerk – AND didn’t respond out of her own hurts.

But yeah, the “hero” acted like a big fat jerk. For a lot of the book. And maybe my empathy is broken right now because I couldn’t hardly summon up any feelings of sadness about the hero’s past that would make how Fox treated Hannah acceptable or understandable.

My other issue with this book is the writing, which is fraught with repetitive thoughts (“I’m not a relationship guy” and “I’m not a leading lady” are just two things were heard ad nauseum), an abundance of non-communication, and a heaping side of wounded hero who acted like a numskull far too much of the book.

I really want to be one of those readers who love Tessa Bailey. The comedic part of her stories is entertaining and her dialogue is fantastic. But I didn’t connect well with Hook, Line, and Sinker, so this is another one in the mostly-miss column for me with this author. And I’m not sure if she’ll get any more chances…

* thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Suite Spot (Beck Sisters #2) by Trish Doller

E-Reader Addict Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was wondering if Trish Doller would be able to follow up Float Plan with an equally compelling and heartwarming story. I wonder no more because she absolutely did!

Getting unjustly fired from her job at a luxury hotel in Florida has Rachel Beck taking an honest look at her life. Her employment prospects are bleak, and it’s far past time she accept that the father of her four year old daughter is never going to get serious about her…or about being a father. So she takes a leap of faith and accepts a position with a new boutique hotel/brewery on an island in Lake Erie. However, when she gets to Kelley Island after driving for three days, she discovers the owner wasn’t completely forthcoming about the condition of the hotel side of his new business.

And that’s because Mason Brown is desperate. He’s a genius at creating craft brews, but in the wake of his divorce, he’s left without a partner to oversee the final stages of the construction of cabins that comprise the lodging at his hotel. Not wanting to lose his last chance to get things opened in time for the upcoming season, Mason talks Rachel into staying…for at least a couple weeks to see if they can work together.

Of course, the more time the ever-capable Rachel spends around the reticent, reclusive Mason, the more she finds a life that is more than what she ever thought she could have, both professionally and personally.

I love a book where two heartbroken people first become friends and work together towards a common goal, then fall in love. Rachel and Mason have some significant bruises from life, but watching them face them maturely, openly, and honestly with each other was delightful. The Suite Spot is filled with charming characters, heartwarming moments, and a wonderful balance of sweet and sorrowful situations.

I don’t know how Trish Doller does it, but she’s masterfully penned another book that makes me want to pick up and move to where The Suite Spot takes place so I can be friends with the characters in the story. I can’t wait to read her next book!

* thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review