Mini Book Reviews #6

Hey guys,

Happy Review Thursday guys! And for once I bring you actual reviews on a review Thursday – crazy right!
I am definitely falling behind on my reviews since I have been reading so much more than I anticipated so far this year so I thought I would do a bunch of mini reviews to try and get through a bunch of them.
This kind of post is becoming a pretty common occurrence on my blog although it has been a month since I did one of these. Same as last time, I was very kindly sent a quite a lot of these via Netgalley but obviously all my thoughts are all my own and receiving it didn’t differ my opinions in anyway. Also, as I did get them on Netgalley, most of them are not actually out yet – but I will link to their Goodreads pages so you can find out when they do come out or if they already are. The ones I received via Netgalley will have (N) beside their title.

The Rocker that Holds Me by Terri-Anne Browning
Blurb: Touring with four rockers is the thing of dreams…At least that is what people tell me. To me those four rockers are my family. They have watched over me from the time I was five years old. Protecting me from my mother and her drunken, drug addict rages. When they made it big they still watched over me. And when my monster of a mother died they took over as my guardians. In the six years since that happened I have watched over the four men that
mean everything to me. I take care of them just as they once took care of me. I handle all the dirty work behind the scenes of a rockers life. It isn’t always pretty. At times it came be damn near disgusting, especially when I have to get rid of their one night stands. Ugh! Taking care of them doesn’t bother me though. I mean it’s not like I’m in love with one of them. That would be crazy. Falling for a rocker is NOT smart. Okay, so I’m not smart. I love my guys, and one of them kind of holds my heart in his big old rocker hand. But I’m dealing. I’ve been able to keep it my little secret for years now.
I’m not, however, dealing with this bug that I seem to have caught. It scares the hell out of me. I hate doctors, but I’m suddenly more worried about finding out what is wrong with me than what the doctor might do to me. When I get my test results back my life will never be the same again…
Review: After having read To Be Your Last, I was really in the mood for another rockband romance kind of thing and this was free for Kindle so i grabbed it. It wasn’t great. Very predictable and the romance kind of creeped me out. Jesse was a the best character by a mile. The writing style was good, shame the plot wasn’t a bit better.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐
Score Rating: 3/10

Music of the Heart by Katie Ashley
Blurb: For Abby Renard, the plan was supposed to be simple—join her brothers’ band on the last leg of their summer tour and decide if she’s finally ready for the limelight by becoming its fourth member. Of course, she never imagined stumbling onto the wrong tour bus at Rock Nation would accidentally land her in the bed of Jake Slater, the notorious womanizing lead singer of Runaway Train. When he mistakes her for one of his groupie’s, Abby quickly lets him know she sure as hell isn’t in his bed on purpose. Jake Slater never imagined the angel who fell into his bed would resist his charms by promptly kneeing him in the balls. Of course, the fact she seems like a prissy choir girl makes her anything but his type. So he is more than surprised when after betting Abby she wouldn’t last a week on their tour bus, she is more than willing to prove him wrong. But as Jake’s personal life begins to implode around him, he finds an unlikely ally in Abby. He’s never met a woman he can talk to, joke with, or most importantly make music with. As the week comes to a close, neither Abby nor Jake is ready to let go. Can a sweetheart Country songstress and a bad boy of Rock N Roll actually have a future together?
Review: This was pretty good. There were definitely some super sweet moments and I loved Abby. She was so badass and brilliantly written. I loved all the band members but Bray was my favourite. Jake was where the book fell down for me, at the start he was brilliant but as it progressed I just felt like there was something missing from him as a character. I liked the sub-plot of Susan. It was heartbreaking and had me in tears. Overall a good quick read.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 6.5/10

The Billionaire Athlete’s Christmas Fling by Leslie North (N)
Blurb: The last place Chase Elkins wants to spend Christmas is at his family’s ski resort. He loves his family, but he’s nursing an injury and doesn’t need the temptation of the slopes. However, when his grandmother says she’s seen enough of her grandsons in the tabloids and they’re to return home for Christmas, he can’t refuse. And when he runs into the captivating ski instructor Tana Birch upon arrival, he’s secretly glad he returned. Tana is sure she’ll be fired after making a fool of herself in front of one of the resort owners. How could she not know the gorgeous man she insulted was Chase Elkins?! Instead she finds herself up for promotion—recommended by Chase. But she’s working at Elk Lodge to escape her past and support her young daughter, not to get involved with a billionaire athlete—especially one in her employer’s family. She wants to earn the promotion on merit, so any relationship is completely off limits. Even if her daughter is totally obsessed with him. But when Tana is accused of stealing from a wealthy client, Chase is confronted by the fact that he might not know her as well as he thought. It doesn’t take much digging to find that Tana has also made the news. Will Tana’s past catch up with her and leave Chase’s heart in the cold?
Review: I enjoyed this. It was a sweet and quick Christmas romance. Nice wee pick me up read. As always I loved the male protagonist, Chase, the most. I enjoyed his chapters and his backstory. Tana wasn’t a bad female protagonist but she wasn’t outstanding either. I liked the plot and everything seemed pretty reasonable. The child kind of annoyed me but thats how normally feel about that trope in books.
I have read a few books by Leslie North and they don’t disappoint. If you want to read a Christmas romance this is a nice place to start.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 5/10

Lady Sophia by Pamela Stephen (N)
Blurb: Sophia Pocock and Henry Jenkins first meet in Venice in 1720, in what proves to be a fateful moment for them both. Henry pursues a hedonistic and carefree lifestyle, off the leash and chaperoned by a young man nearly as irresponsible as himself. He enjoys every experience that Venice allows, and some that it doesn’t.
Sophia, a young woman usually kept close at home in provincial Buckinghamshire, is accompanied by her mother’s sister on the trip of a lifetime. The young people’s worlds collide when Sophia attempt to escape her aunt for an afternoon’s enjoyment.
If you enjoy reading novels set in the Georgian era, and you like the work of Georgette Heyer or Jane Austen, then why not try this latest novel by Pamela Stephen.
Review: This wasn’t a great read. It begins by prefacing that this is a novella based on how two characters from another series by the author met. I think thats where a big issue lay was that it was quite confusing to begin with. It was set up in a way where you were meant to know at least a little about the characters and as I did not I struggled. The perspective changes along with the writing style didnt help with this issue as it swapped between the speakers thoughts (first person) and more generalised thoughts of people in the room (third person). The formatting also caused a little confusion but I’m overlooking that as it is just a superficial error that can be fixed or could be just an error in my copy.
The plot had an interesting idea behind it but ultimatley because of the lack of chemistry between the main characters I didn’t have much interest in reading the novel as I didn’t care about their relationship. I finished it because of the length of it (only 66 pages) but I was deflated by the end with no interest in what occured.
Maybe if you are a fan of the series you would enjoy this as you have pre-knowledge and an interest in the characters but based on this novella alone I sadly don’t recommend it.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐
Score Rating: 3/10

So Wright by Skye Jordan (N)
Blurb: After a lifetime of abandonment, Miranda Wright depends on no one but herself. She’s about to break ground on her dream of building green, affordable houses for retired veterans, and she’s not about to let anything alter her plans—especially not a sexy know-it-all architect from New York. Her strict, no-seconds rule has kept her heart safe this far, so why fix what isn’t broken? When a family crisis strikes, Jack Taylor is on the next flight to Nashville. But coming home stirs up more betrayal than answers, and he finds the perfect distraction in a feisty but guarded brunette. Only, one-night turns into a whole lot more, and Jack finds himself all-in by the time he discovers that Miranda’s secrets may very well cost him not only the family business, but his heart.
Review: The romance in this was beyond adorable. The plot was gripping and the humour was great.
I definitely had concerns in the first half that everything was moving very slowly and not much was happening. The blurb kind of gave away a little too much in my opinion as it definitely robbed the reader of the surprise of them meeting on the construction site and I dont think its needed in the blurb anyway, especially as that happens well after the halfway mark of the book. My biggest gripe with this howevee was that the whole sideplot with Gypsy was rather dull and wasnt exactly needed.
But the writing was great and the main plot was brilliant and the romance!! It was so sweet. Great read.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 7.5/10

The SEAL’s Convenient Wife by Leslie North (N)
Blurb: When Navy SEAL Patrick Nelson returns from a black-ops mission, he’s in for a shock—his six-year-old daughter Ellery has been abandoned by his ex and is currently in foster care. Now he has to prove he can be a good, stable father to Ellery, and that includes convincing Imogen Mendel, his daughter’s gorgeous kindergarten teacher, that he’s one of the good guys. Turns out, Imogen is more than just a pretty face. She’s planning to testify against some dangerous people who are now threatening to silence her—for good. But not on Patrick’s watch. He’s got the perfect solution to keep Imogen safe and give Ellery a stable home: get engaged. Imogen may have agreed to a fake relationship with Patrick, but she has to admit there’s absolutely nothing fake about their attraction to one another. It’s red hot and impossible to ignore. Before she knows it, they’re turning into a real family and her heart is taking a painful turn toward falling in love. Things would be pretty good if not for the threats that escalate as the date of the trial looms closer. Thank goodness she has a sexy SEAL protecting her. But for how long? This fake marriage is turning far too real for both of them…
Review: This was a super sweet romance. The characterisation was brilliant, and the backstories were really well developed for such a short book. The plot was fun, although maybe could have been more dramatic when imogen’s storyline came to a head. However its only a short novel so I understand why it isn’t overly elaborate, but it did make me feel like I was waiting for the next big thing to happen but instead the book ended. Like I said, the romance was so sweet although I again felt like the ending left with potential issues with their relationship which is unusual for a romance but I suppose it is more realistic to real life.
As always I enjoy Leslie’s writing style and the sex was very fun in this book. Great quick read, thoroughly enjoyed.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 7.5/10

Late Love by Scarlett Hopper (N)
Blurb: Charlotte “Lottie” Night didn’t expect her year to turn out this way. After finding out she’s carrying more than just the emotional baggage of her breakup, life as she knows it quickly changes. Panicked, she attempts to balance everything alone until she meets Owen. Owen Bower didn’t know what he was missing until Lottie crashed into his life. She’s everything he never knew he wanted, but a relationship is the last thing on Lottie’s mind. Yet when a chance encounter between the two reveals Lottie’s biggest secret, a bond is immediately formed. Owen quickly becomes Lottie’s closest confidant, but it’s clear their connection is anything but platonic. Emotions can only be ignored for so long until someone cracks, and it looks like Owen will be first. Forced to confront her feelings, Lottie must decide, can she move forward without her past getting in the way?
Review: This book wasn’t for me. The entire plot revolves around a pregnancy, which is not a trope I enjoy. The blurb doesn’t mention it which I think is a big mistake since its often a Marmite topic in romance novels. I don’t know if it was solely down to my lack of interest in the main plot or not but this book was slow. It had no pace or intrigue. And the plot out with the pregnancy was dull. The romance was kind of meh and it was more of a close friendship than a relationship. I loved Owen’s character (the books saving grace really) and I initially really liked Lottie but once the story progressed and after her actions in the later chapters I just couldn’t enjoy reading her. The writing itself was great and there were some really funny moments so I’d definitely pick up another book by this author, maybe even within this series but this one was not for me and I think really missed the mark for a romance novel since it had very little romance.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 6/10

The SEAL’s Surprise Baby by Leslie North (N)
Blurb: There isn’t a blurb posted on Goodreads for this yet.
Review: I enjoyed this. It was a fun, quick read with a great plot.
Normally I enjoy Leslie North’s Characters more than her plots but this was a complete flip on that. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through – the action, the tension. It was amazing and extremely well fleshed out in comparison to the previous one in the series and for the length of the novel.
As I said, the characters fell a little flat for me but I would quite happily take that for once because the plot was so much better than the last book.
The romance was sweet but felt a little forced and unbelievable. Nate was my favorite character surprisingly. I usually don’t like babies but this one was different because he was written in a great way. As usual, I really enjoyed Leslie North’s writing style. I actually didn’t anticipate liking this novel very much. As I mentioned, babies aren’t a big draw to a book for me but this was a very pleasant surprise and I am excited to read the last in the series.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 5.5/10

The SEAL’s Instant Family by Leslie North (N)
Blurb: Again, no blurb posted on Goodreads for this as of yet.
Review: This was okay. As always I really enjoyed Leslie North’s writing style. How she churns out so many quick and fun books is beyond me.
This one lacked the integration between the SEAL plot and the romance compared to the second book in the series. For this reason, the SEAL plot felt a little rushed and unimportant to the larger plot. The romance was sweet as always and I really liked their conflicting characters – it might have been a tad exaggerated with one needing to plan everything and the other hating all plans but for the sake of progression in the book I can understand that.
It was another short and sweet romance with a hint of action to pick it up. Nothing mind-blowing but certainly enjoyable.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 5/10

Tempted by Anna Ray (N)
Blurb: This was supposed to be just business. No one said anything about falling in love. I can’t stand Daniel Marino. He’s an insufferable flirt, a womanizer, and all he seems to care about is money—and sex. But he’s also the one paying me, and I need the money too much to turn down the job. Still, I feel like there must be more to him than a businessman and a playboy. If only he would let me see it. Laura Byrne is the first woman to resist me in years. The moment she stepped into my office, I knew I wanted her in my bed. I might be her boss, but she still doesn’t back down from my challenges. And it just makes me want her more. The longer I spend pursuing her, the more I realize this isn’t just about sex anymore. It’s about making her mine. Daniel and Laura will have to navigate a rough road to become closer, and even if their differences don’t tear them apart, Daniel’s mafia enemies might.
Review: Wow! This was such a fun book. I couldn’t put it down. It was gripping, exciting, funny, sexy. Just a great read.
I loved the multiple POV’s, especially Daniel’s. I always have a soft spot for romances from men’s POV’s. The characters were decently developed considering the length of the book and the amount of time dedicated to the plot. I loved the bad guy, he was so easy to hate, perfection! The plot was brilliant. Very well paced. I didn’t even notice how far into the book was until I read the Epilogue.
I enjoyed the writing. It was heavily thoughts and dialogue based which fitted with the fast paced drama and plot. The sex was tastefully written but also smutty enough to be classes as erotica.
It was a nice romance. It could potentially have used a little more relationship building that wasn’t sex/appearance based, but its a short novel so that’s understandable.
Overall a nice read. Definitely recommend if you want something quick, fun and action-packed.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 7.5/10

Cowboy’s Convenient Marriage by Mary Sue Jackson (N)
Blurb: Charlotte Kennedy needs a husband—yesterday. Her entire life she believed she was a U.S. citizen, but it turns out she isn’t. Now, to claim her inheritance and continue running the company her late father just left to her, she has no choice but to get married—especially with her brother threatening to expose her non-citizenship and take over the company. If only she had someone in mind… And then she remembers sexy cowboy Emmett Sawyer, who as a teenager proposed to her, just to make her laugh. She never gave him an answer then, but now it’s a definite yes!
Emmett’s reaction to marrying Charlie is an immediate and definitive no. She may be gorgeous, but getting married to a woman he’s barely seen since high school is not something he wants. That is, until he sees the conditions of his frail mother’s new nursing home and begins to rethink Charlotte’s impulsive proposal, which includes a nice cash influx for him and his struggling ranch. This fake marriage would give him enough money to take care of his mother and maybe even help lift his ranch out of debt. But when his and Charlotte’s fake kisses turn into the real thing and Emmett starts letting his heart get in the way of common sense, he realizes he’s in real danger of falling in love with his pretend wife…
Review: This was a beautiful romance. I’ve recently been really enjoying this trope and this was no different. I have read quite a few novels by Leslie North now but I have never read anything under her pen name of Mary Sue Jackson and I did notice a little difference in the writing style. I didn’t think it was any worse or better than the typical writing, however.
Normally this trope relies on a lot of sexual tension that implodes and ruins the agreement. And while this was present in the story I enjoyed this more as their relationship was built on a friendship and sweet gestures between them before it jumped to sex. I felt this made me enjoy it more because it felt like a more fluid and developed relationship.
I loved the whole plot with Christian and the court. Emmet’s mum was an adorable character and I wish we had more of her and less of Zadie because I just didn’t take to her in the same way. The characterization was nice to read and I liked that they developed the backstory more than I expected as it isn’t always something that’s touched on in romance novels such as these.
Overall, I’d recommend this book. It was a nice and fun read, great pick-me-up.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Score Rating: 6.5/10

The Billionaire’s Fake Engagement by Leslie North (N)
Blurb: There is no Blurb posted for this yet.
Review: I have really been enjoying these fake engagement/instant marriage sort of romances since there is always drama straight from the beginning rather than a slow build like typical romances. The side plot in this sadly let it down a little for me as I didn’t feel invested enough in the characters to particularly care about their backstories and how that impacted them in the novel. I did like the other side plot with the ex-boyfriend coming back – it was just enough drama to get intriguing but nothing too much to dominate over the romance.
The characters were okay but nothing outstanding. I wish we got more of Anna at work because the snippet we did see was a force to be reckoned with. I felt like Gabe had very few redeeming qualities, other than his occasional sweet or grand gesture but other than that it felt more like lust on his part with a sudden shift to love when the plot demanded it but nothing really happened to explain why his feelings developed.
Overall, it’s not my favourite Leslie North read but it had. I’d probably give this one a skip but she has some other amazing books with similar tropes.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐
Score Rating: 3/10

The Billionaire’s Christmas Son by Leslie North (N)
Blurb: Again no blurb has been posted for this yet.
Review: This wasn’t for me for one main reason. I could not stand Rachel. Everything about her irritated me and so I found it incredibly difficult to finish this when basically every other chapter is written from her perspectives and the ones that aren’t are solely focused on her from Jonas’s perspective.
She is ungrateful, rude, and untrusting. She never takes responsibility for anything. Throws hissy fits on multiple occasions throughout and then despite nothing having changed she comes to her senses and takes Jonas up on his offer. I think she should have always been accepting of Jonas and none of her anger towards him is valid in any way, BUT I would have at least gained a little respect for her character if she had stuck to her guns on her opinions rather than just changing because that’s what the plot dictated.
As for Jonas, his plot was slightly more interesting but still generally kind of dull. There was no chemistry between them other than the occasional sentence describing their instant attraction to each other 3 years prior which we don’t get to experience as the reader. The only thing that connects them in any way is their son and it’s not fun to read, if anything it’s slightly uncomfortable because of how forced it feels. And it’s very ironic considering Rachel’s hatred for toxic relationships.
This was a disappointing conclusion to what had been a decent series by Leslie North. I obviously don’t recommend this, but the others in the series weren’t bad if you wanted a sexy Christmas pick me up with A LOT more chemistry than this.
Star Rating: ⭐
Score Rating: 2/10

So these are the some of the books I have read recently that are shortish or just ones I don’t think I would do a full review on. I still have a very long books-I-Have-Read-But-Need-To-Review list so don’t worry! I think I’ve decided to post reviews for series in a singular post rather than individual for most of them because otherwise I would never make it through my list. I hope you enjoyed this and I will see you tomorrow! Have a great day ❤