Review: Want You to Want Me by Lorelei James

Want You to Want Me (Want You #2) by Lorelei James

Publication Date: August 4th 2020 by Berkley Books

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the book:

The new sexy contemporary romance in New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James's Want You series, set in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Hockey player Gabriella "Gabi" Welk spent her life in pursuit of championships, but she has little to show for it besides dusty trophies and second-place medals. Now her career consists of several part-time jobs to make ends meet. When Gabi gets a chance at her dream job, she swallows her pride and asks her nemesis--smart, sexy and savvy Nolan Lund--for help.

Since being named future CEO of Lund Industries, Nolan has tried hard to overcome his reputation as a fun-loving playboy and ladies' man. For the first time ever, he's more focused on the company than his personal life. He spends his free time at the ice rink his brother owns, cheering on his niece at her hockey games...and watching Gabriella Welk, the superstar athlete and assistant coach who gets under his skin in a way he can't ignore. He's shocked when Gabi agrees to trade a favor for a favor.

They have little in common besides their mutual mistrust, but between family crises and sibling rivalries, Nolan and Gabi realize they want to be more than just friends--much more.

My Thoughts:

Gabriella Welk is at a crossroads in her professional life and has just been dumped by her guy friend for younger sister. When she goes to drown her feelings the last person she expects to accompany her is Nolan Lund.  Just when she thinks she was wrong about the guy, and they might have a connection, he goes and says something that hurts. But she doesn’t care what “Mr. Fancy Pants” thinks of her, right?

Nolan Lund is supposed to be the future CEO of Lund Industries, but his family hasn’t been including him in crucial decisions, and the lack of confidence burns. His serious commitment and long hours don’t seem to be enough.

In Want You to Want Me Gabriella is the athlete, and while Nolan is very masculine, he’s known for his fashion savvy and flair. In the previous books it’s usually been the male set in sports role, however the switch worked, and I liked seeing a Gabriella cast a strong athlete.  The story tackled some of the stereotypes female athletes face, like being called “butch” or not feminine, having people assume you’re a lesbian because you excel in sports. And Gabriella’s confidence did take a hit over the years because of this. She questions her desirability, and so Nolan’s words at the bar hurt. Nolan has had the opposite problem, his looks and interest in looking good has had people assume he doesn’t have a head for business, or he’s gay.

Once Gabi and Nolan got past the initial hiccup over his words, they get to know each other more and more through flirty texts, reaching out to each other more and more for guidance and support. So, when Gabi gets a chance to interview for a sportscasting job and needs the perfect outfit to nail the interview she goes to Nolan for help. Oh, loved the trying on scene, sparks flying as Nolan gets a full on look at just how gorgeous is, and Gabi enjoying his lusty appraisal!

I loved this slow burn romance, the flirty banter back and forth through texts and in person was a delight! At a glance, Nolan and Gabi seemed to be complete opposites, but they got each other on a deeper, meaningful level, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two fall in love!

This is book two in the Want You series, but the Need You series ties in as well, featuring more of the Lund’s and their romances. I’ve loved every book, but each holds up as a standalone romance. There was some history with Gabi and Nolan in the previous book, I Want You Back, a situation I didn’t remember until I started reading this one that gives some insight into their relationship. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to read it first, and there is the fact that it was sooo good! I LOVED Lucy and Jaxon’s second chance romance so much!

4 Suns

Audio Review: What You Wish For by Katherine Center

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Publication Date: July 14th 2020 by Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's Press

Pages: 320

Audio Book Length: 10 hrs 18 min

Narrators: Therese Plummer & Katherine Center (at the end in an author essay)

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm

About the book:

From Katherine Center, the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new novel full of heart and hope. 

Samantha Casey loves everything about her job as an elementary school librarian on the sunny, historic island of Galveston, Texas—the goofy kids, the stately Victorian building, the butterfly garden. But when the school suddenly loses its beloved principal, it turns out his replacement will be none other than Duncan Carpenter—a former, unrequited crush of Sam’s from many years before. 

When Duncan shows up as her new boss, though, he’s nothing like the sweet teacher she once swooned over. He’s become stiff, and humorless, and obsessed with school safety. Now, with Duncan determined to destroy everything Sam loves about her school in the name of security—and turn it into nothing short of a prison—Sam has to stand up for everyone she cares about before the school that’s become her home is gone for good.

My Thoughts:

Samantha has found joy in her personal and professional life, living on Galveston Island as the librarian for the legendary Kempner School, an elementary school that fosters creativity and learning in original way.

However, Sam hasn’t always had a positive outlook on life. She suffered from epilepsy as a child and later as an adult, which was the catalyst for her parent’s breakup. Also, she’s never been lucky in love. Years ago, Sam found her “person” in Duncan Carpenter, a fellow teacher at a previous school, but he never really noticed her, but now she embraces every happiness life affords. 

Sam’s life is turned upside down, though when Duncan is hired as the new principal of Kempner, and instead of the fun-loving, full-of-life guy she knew before, she’s greeted with Duncan 2.0, a gray-suit-wearing, joyless man intent on turning their quirky, happy school into a safe, prison-like habitat. But Duncan is about to have a rude awakening, because Sam is no longer the shy and meek librarian she used to be, and there’s no way she’s letting him implement the changes to her beloved school without a fight.

Loved how Katherine Center made Kempner School come alive. If only all our schools were so quirky and magical!

I just LOVED What You Wish For so much! It was very much a hate to love romance which at times filled me with anger and I wanted to slap Duncan upside the head!  Don’t worry, I didn’t hate him for long, and soon I loved him! Finding out what changed Duncan from the goofy, whimsical teacher into a carbon copy of one of the ‘Borg twisted my heart and made me really feel for the guy!

Sam had her own issues Lingering self-esteem issues from how she was treated by her father and others in the face of her medical condition. It broke my heart.

The slow burn romance between Sam and Duncan was so utterly lovely! I was moved by the deeper subjects tackled, but the story was lighthearted and funny, too. What You Wish For was a 5-star read for me, definitely one of my top five favorites for 2020!

I alternately listened and read What You Wish For, and I have to say the audio was perfection! Therese Plummer is one of my all-time favorite narrators! Her female and male voices are spot on, and her performance enhanced an already fantastic story!

Katherine Center also narrates at the end, reading her essay on reading and writing, and it was amazing! She describes how special it is when a writer can make a reader step into the shoes of a character and story and feel!

5 Suns

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Colors in the Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bookish folk to share their lists on that topic.

This weeks topic is: Books with Colors in the Titles. Gotta say I didn't realize how many books have blue in the title! Other colors weren't as easy to find. I tried to keep to books I read. Here you go:

(click on covers for Goodreads link)

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey:

been a long time since I read it, but I do remember loving it.

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry:

So amazing! The audio was superb.

The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop by Carolyn Brown

Classic Carolyn Brown and sure to make you laugh!

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews:

Even though I didn't get approved for the ARC (sobs!) I'm looking forward to reading *listening* to it when the audio releases.

A Crown of Bitter Orange by Laura Florand:

Ms. Florand's writing is so beautiful and enchanting. She makes me laugh and cry and writes the sexiest scenes! Oh my!

Written in Red by Anne Bishop:

The first (original) five continue to be my favorite, but I love all the books in this series!

Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton:

I know many readers love Ms. Cleeton's recent historical novels, but I LOVED her Flying Aces series. Into the Blue was my favorite.

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick:

There are not many YA romantic suspense/thrillers I've liked, but this is a standout.

The White Christmas by Colleen Wright:

Such a heartwarming story. Several romances wrapped into one story and the setting was perfection!

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh:

Book one of the Trinity/Psy-Changeling series, and still my favorite of the series. Bears!

What titles did you come up with?

Sunday Post #84

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. 

We're up north again with my daughter and the grand kids. I ran three miles one day and hiked almost seven miles today. I went early enough to beat the heat, thank goodness, but I'm tired! There were quite a few cows on the trail (and cow-patties!). 
We're on our way home Sunday.

Read:

Loved What You Wish For so much! Sunshine on Silver Lake was another win for me. Stopped and started Chasing Lucky so many times over the last two months, got to 30%, but I'm throwing in the towel. I don't read YA much, but I enjoy Jenn Bennett's writing and have loved a couple of her YA novels, but this just isn't for me.

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

I'm loving A Change of View! I'm looking forward to Cowboy For Keeps and His Brand of Justice.

Watched:

Nothing, unless you count the basketball game my son-in-law was watching while we cooked dinner. 

Review: Sunshine on Silver Lake by Annie Rains

Sunshine on Silver Lake (Sweetwater Springs #5) by Annie Rains

Publication Date: July 21st 2020 by Forever

Pages: 432 (including novella)

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the book:

Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky café owner and a handsome park ranger.
With summer just around the corner, Emma St. James is eagerly planning a 5K run at Sweetwater Springs National Park. But first she needs the help of one charming, rugged, and handsome park ranger. Her brief high school romance with Jack Hershey may have ended in heartbreak, but Emma can't deny that he still gives her butterflies. So when Jack responds to her request with an all-too-tempting plea to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer, how can she say no?

Jack would do anything for his sister -- even pretend to give up his bachelor life to care for his nephew. Passing his days with his high school sweetheart guarantees one long, hot summer -- but only because every moment together leaves him wanting a real relationship. He can't imagine spending another season without Emma by his side. Can he convince her to give their love a second chance before the summer draws to a close?

Includes the bonus novella A Fairytale Bride!

My Thoughts:

Emma St. James has just turned thirty, the age she lost her mother to cancer, and it’s brought back the feelings of grief, and fears she might be next. Finding out that her mother wanted to organize a 5K race to benefit a good cause but never got the chance gives Emma a way to honor her memory. Now she just needs to be fit into the busy calendar of their nature park. For that she needs the help of the one man who broke her heart prom night, Jack Hershey. Emma’s in luck though, because Jack needs a favor from her, too. He needs her to be his girlfriend for the Summer. Pretend, of course.  Well, that’s what they tell themselves at first, and you know how the story goes…

Jack did let Emma down prom night, but not because he didn’t care or wasn’t interested. Jack has had his own struggle. One he has control of, but doesn’t like to advertize.

When I figured out Emma’s emotional turmoil was over being the same age as her mother when she died of cancer and was avoiding her medical checkup, I almost stopped reading. My mother died of cancer at the age of forty-two and because of that I’ve had to go in often; for many years I was terrified that I’d have the same fate. So, I was worried it’d be tough reading this, however the author did a wonderful job handling the subject, and while this was a plot point it was presented in a way that didn’t stress me out and didn’t overtake the story. 

Emma’s feelings were so very relatable because I’ve felt exactly like her. I enjoyed how she came to terms with her situation and took control. Fear does nothing, knowledge and a plan of action is empowering and comforting. I just really connected to Emma on a lot of levels. Even got her reactions to her father’s remarriage!

Sunshine on Silver Lake was very much a happy romance, despite dealing with some heavier issues like cancer and alcoholism. I loved seeing Emma and Jack fall for each other instead of longing from afar like they had for years. Jack was such a sweetheart, patient, and kind. He really had no idea Emma still carried a torch for him and got a bit swoony over every chocolate kiss gifted (it’s his thing since Hershey’s his last name) and really who wouldn’t?

This is book five in the series, but it’s not necessary to read the previous books before diving in.

4 Suns

New Paperback Release & Giveaway: When You See Me by Lisa Gardner

I'm a big fan of Lisa Gardner to the point that I've re-read many of her mysteries.  Detective D.D. Warren series is one of my favorites, so I'm thrilled to feature the new Paperback version of When You See Me and offer a giveaway! If you're a fan of a well-researched and plotted mystery with imperfect, but interesting and likable characters, I totally recommend these mysteries!

When You See Me (Detective D. D. Warren #11, Gardner #20)

Publication Date: January 28th 2020 by Dutton

Pages: 400

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

About the book:

Bestselling author Lisa Gardner unites three of her most loved characters -Detective D.D. Warren, Flora Dane, and Kimberly Quincy - in a twisty new thriller, as they investigate a mysterious murder from the past that points to a dangerous and chilling present-day crime. 

FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective DD Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. And when a disturbing piece of evidence comes to light, they decide to bring in Flora Dane who has personal experience of being imprisoned by Ness. 

Their investigations take them to a small town deep in the hills of Georgia where something seems to be deeply wrong. 

What at first seems like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister as they discover that for all the evil Jacob committed while alive, his worst secret is still to be revealed. 

Quincy and DD must summon their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers - and Flora must face her own past directly in the hope of saving others.

I read and loved this installment back in January.  When You See Me is book eleven in the series, but you could skip the first two books, (where D.D. is only a side character),  and then dive into The Neighbor if you want to start, but feel like it's a lot of books. 

Connect with Lisa Gardner: 

Website | Facebook | Twitter

The lovely people of Penguin Random House have generously offered up one Paperback Copy of When You See Me to one reader.  Giveaway is restricted to US Residents only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.

Audio Review: A Change in Tide by Freya Barker

A Change in Tide (Northern Lights #1) by Freya Barker

Publication Date: June 2nd 2020 by Spectrum Audio

Narration Length: 9 hrs 17 min

Narrators: Charley Ongel & Tor Thom

Pages: 398

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

About the book:

What impact would it have when everything suddenly faded to black?

For Mia, a crowded subway ride changes her entire life. Retreating to the wilderness helps her cope with a world that is suddenly too loud, too turbulent. Her existence safely contained to the small cottage on the lake, she is unprepared for the neighbor that moves across the bay. 

A career-ending injury has Jared permanently benched. His reputation as The Enforcer won’t survive the unanticipated responsibilities awaiting him. Away from the public eye, he adjusts to his new reality, under the quiet observation of the intriguing hermit on the other side of the water.

My Thoughts:

Mia lives in relative seclusion in a tiny cabin on a peaceful lake. Her choice after an accident on the subway leaves her dealing with fear of being around crowds or away from her cabin.  Everything is pretty much quiet until a new neighbor moves in across the lake. He’s gorgeous, but Mia doesn’t get the greatest first impression after witnessing him in a compromising situation out on the dock, in full view, with one woman, and then escorting another fully pregnant woman home the next week. Things aren’t always what they seem, which Mia soon learns.

Jared’s professional hockey career ends prematurely when an injury makes it impossible to compete, but the situation enables him to be there for his pregnant sister when her loser boyfriend abandons her.  He gets glimpses of his neighbor across the lake, and he’s intrigued, but it isn’t until they need her help as a midwife that they become more acquainted.

I was kind of jealous of Mia’s situation, not the fear part, but I’d love to live out in a cabin on a beautiful, secluded lake. It sang to my hermit tendencies! Mia left her career behind when it became apparent her panic attacks interfered too much to continue. The arrival of Jared and his sister forced Mia to step up, and actually helped Mia quicken the process of healing. 

I really enjoyed the slow build friendship and then romance between Mia and Jared. She can’t help being attracted to him. Who can resist a man with such obvious love of his family? I just loved the bits where Mia uses her skills and knowledge of newborns to help Jordy with her new baby. The baby parts reminded me of that intense time when I just had my kids and when my daughter had her babies. There’s nothing like snuggling a newborn or trying to calm them, which can really take it out of you, lol!

Jared was an intense guy and once he started having feelings for Mia he was pretty focused on her. I did mention in the first scene Mia witnesses him with another woman, but I should say that was it. For those worried about “other woman” drama from that, the woman didn’t have any other part in the story whatsoever. Once Jared and Mia get together, they can’t keep their hands off each other and if I had any complaints it would be that there were maybe too many sex scenes. Still, I really enjoyed their romantic journey and I plan on picking up the next in the series: A Change in View.  Both stories are available on Kindle Unlimited, but I recommend the audio version as well.

Charley Ongel and Tor Thom did an excellent job narrating the female and male chapters. Charley Ongel was easy on the ears with a smooth, lilting tone, and Tor Thom had a very masculine voice.

4 Suns