WEDNESDAY REVIEW - A Forever Kind of Rancher

 Good morning, friends!

While without power for part of last weekend I got an early start on my read for this week's review. So why am I posting on Wednesday morning instead of scheduling yesterday? I got busy crafting. LOL

AMAZON

BLURB:

Cowboy Boone Carson isn’t as hard as he appears. He fell in love once, a long time ago, and it never let go of him. Unfortunately for him, he fell in love with Wendy Stevens, who fell in love with Boone’s best friend. Then she went and married the jerk and had his babies. But now…

Wendy Stevens has finally left her no-good, unfaithful husband, and all she knows is that she’ll never fall for another bull rider. Yet much to her surprise, the person who steps up to help her and her kids…is her husband’s best friend, Boone—and he makes her feel things she’s never felt before.

Suddenly, Boone has a chance with the woman of his dreams. Can he prove he’s a man who will go the distance, a rodeo man who will stay?

Sex aside (I believe when you can, to close the door.) I really enjoyed this story. Wendy is a tough woman. Like a lot of us, her growing up years formulated what she thought she needed in life. Her mom worked hard to provide for Wendy growing up. Pattern predicted Wendy's beliefs as an adult when it came to raising her own children. She put the blinders on, raised her girls while her soon-to-be ex had his own idea of what being married meant. No harm, no foul - until that foul came crashing down with a baseball bat. 

Boone is the same way. Stuff in his past made him believe forever wasn't possible. People leave in one way or another. How doesn't matter, just being left behind leaves scars telling us forever is not for everyone.

A FOREVER KIND OF RANCHER is Book 5 in the Carsons of Lone Rock series.

Maisey Yates created characters with real depth. They each had wounds capable of being healed with the right emotional medicine in small doses over a period of time. Was Boone the one to take the first healing step? Or was Wendy the brave one? I'll let you find out. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. My only issue is, once again, with the poor editing on Harlequin's part. I get that part of the wording is Maisey's voice and how she creates emphasis. That said, I don't want to read multiple uses (in some places as many as 4+) of the same word within 6 lines. Seriously? Use a thesaurus. A writer should be able to get the same emphatic tone using a variety of words that mean the same thing... or structure the sentence accordingly. 

Thanks to the poor editing in the early chapters, I'm giving A FOREVER KIND OF RANCHER ...

 

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK    INSTAGRAM    BOOK BUB

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Maisey Yates

 Good morning, friends!

We've had a scary Memorial Day weekend. We experienced not one but two tornado warnings between Saturday morning and Sunday night. The one Sunday night passed directly over my house with no damage! Just bizarre. I was prepared as I could be but after seeing two our our friends' houses, I understand how blessed we were. Bob was at work in Chicago. Sunday night, I, along with my two cats and a very spoiled Beagle/ Bassett hunkered in our safe spot until we had the all - clear. 

On to today's Spotlight Author:

Here's a bit about, Maisey Yates:

Maisey Yates is a New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred romance novels. Whether she’s writing strong, hard-working cowboys, dissolute princes or multigenerational family stories, she loves getting lost in fictional worlds. An avid knitter with a dangerous yarn addiction and an aversion to housework, Maisey lives with her husband and three kids in rural Oregon.

Tomorrow, I'll be reviewing A FOREVER KIND OF RANCHER. In the mean time, check out the links below to find more on Maisey Yates.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK    INSTAGRAM    BOOK BUB

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

As we close out another month, think about your goals for June. Are you on track? What do you need to shift to have a better vision of how Q2 will lose out?

All my best!

~ Angela

WEDNESDAY REVIEW - Second Time Around

Hi friends!

Y'all know second chance love stories are my favorite and HER SUMMER REFUGE checked all the boxes for me. Before I share my full review, let's check out the blurb:

She needs his help to start over…

But can she earn his trust?

Jobless and alone, mom-to-be Jessa Brooks returns to the resort she once called home—only to find the man she left a decade before. New owner Will Madden offers his pregnant ex a cabin, a job…and a silent vow to keep his distance. But working together makes it impossible to stay away. As old feelings resurface, could they find the refuge they both need in each other?

At first I thought I was going to have issues with reading the book. The line editors at Harlequin really missed the mark on passive wording. Once I accepted that and read over 'had' usage, I found a beautiful story that kept me misty eyed through most of the book.

Jessa knew her old home resort was the safe haven she needed to have her baby. I think Will said it best when he (paraphrasing) that as teens we can't wait to get out of our home town but as adults we find comfort in where we grew up. Both Will and Jessa went away to separate universities, pursuing their dreams. Will came home to buy the Brooks Family Resort that had been a big part of his growing up, and owned by Jessa's family for three generations. When he bought the resort from her dad he made a promise she would always have a place at the resort. I thought that was sweet but wait until you read the book and be prepared for Awww moments. I'm not sure actually thought she would ever return. She hurt him pretty bad right after they'd parted ways and I don't think he envisioned her every coming home. yet on a stormy night in early summer, there she was at his front door.

One thing I really liked is the antagonist feature. Not a strong presence but enough to create needed tension to make even the sweetest story sing.

As I said, I was misty through most of the book and a I had to keep a tissue hand as I read the last third of the story. 

I'm giving SECOND TIME AROUND

.5

You'll find all the links I could locate for Gabrielle Meyer below. I suggest checking out the BOOKS tab on her website. She is a multi-genre Inspirational author. I look forward to checking out her Historical romances and might even bring in one of her back-list Christmas books for a July post. 

She also offers signed copies of some of her books in her ETSY shop!

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   X.COM    BLOG   GOODREADS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Gabrielle Meyer

 Good morning, friends!

I hit the book shelves at Walmart hard last weekend and picked up three new books. The first on my list is Her Summer Refuge. I'll be posting the review for that Love Inspired story tomorrow. 

First, let's get to know, Gabrielle:

Gabrielle Meyer lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the upper Mississippi River with her husband and four children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people, places, and events. You can learn more about Gabrielle and her books at www.gabriellemeyer.com.

You'll find all the links I could locate for Gabrielle Meyer below. I suggest checking out the BOOKS tab on her website. She is a multi-genre Inspirational author. I look forward to checking out her Historical romances and might even bring in one of her back-list Christmas books for a July post. 

She also offers signed copies of some of her books in her ETSY shop!

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   X.COM    BLOG   GOODREADS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

All my best!

~Angela

WEDNESDAY REVIEW - Love Walks In

Good morning, friends!

Once again, I've read Book 1 in a series and am anxious to read the rest. 

LOVE WALKS IN - AMAZON

Before I share my review, let me introduce you to the overall series set in Bliss Cove:

Welcome to Bliss Cove, a seaside town where love sweeps in on the ocean breeze.

Stay at the Outside Inn, have dinner at the Mousehole Tavern, take a walk on historic Mariposa Street, buy handmade lotions at Naked, and pick up a chocolate-loaded cookie from the Sugar Joy bakery. Don't forget to stop by Moonbeams for a tarot-card reading about your One True Love!

While you are here, enjoy the spicy-sweet Bliss Cove romances of powerful, compelling heroes and the women who capture their hearts forever.

Blurb:

Shaking off her past mistakes and fickle reputation, Aria Prescott is determined to start a new life with her latest venture, the "Meow and Then Cat Café." Though the café is in the town's most rundown neighborhood, Aria will let nothing stop her from success.

Then property developer Hunter Armstrong shocks the Mariposa Street shop owners with a buyout offer that threatens to destroy the old district. Aria refuses to let the ruthless businessman intimidate her into selling her beloved café, even if Hunter's dark, glowering hotness secretly makes her want to purr.

Aria and Hunter are soon locked in a fiery, tense war over the fate of Mariposa Street. But when Hunter starts falling for this adorable town sweetheart, he discovers that winning the battle might mean losing his heart.  

As I read the story, I understood why the history of Mariposa Street was so important to the heroine, Aria and why she's determined not to let some fancy developer destroy her small part of Bliss Cover. Even meeting the corporate VP, 'Hunky' Hunter Armstrong does not sway her stand.

Author Nina Lindsey wasted no time in bringing this Enemies to Lovers trope front and center. While the actual deed doesn't happen right away, the connection between these two is evident in Chapter One and never lets up. The electric current intensifies as the story unfolds. Then there's the cats. I am a lover of all animals but cats have my heart (three own me!) They are also Aria's support mission. You might say JUMBO rescued her from a situation, aligning Aria with her destiny. 

Then there's Hunter. Nina Lindsey knows how to pick them. Hunter is the perfect partner for Aria and he's smart enough to learn that right away though he takes a little longer discovering his truth. Sometimes what we believe is our path, is just a stepping stone to our true self. I love how she morphed Hunter Armstrong from this Manhattan sharp edged 'get the job done' into a small-town appreciator of cats. While I think he likes cats, tagging him as a 'cat lover' might be a little premature. 

Nina Lindsey did an amazing job of peeling back the layers of her characters to showcase who Aria and Hunter are at their core. 

If you are a fan of Jodi Thomas books but want a little more heat, then Nina Lindsey is your go-to author.  I'm adding the rest of the books in the Bliss Cove series to my TBR Kindle - you know, 'cause I need more! LOL

I'm giving LOVE WALKS IN ...

 

Click on the BOOK TITLE anywhere in the review to purchase  your copy or by visiting her Amazon Author link. 

You'll find Nina Lindsey at any of the links below:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   GOODREADS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Nina Lindsey

 Good morning, friends!

A foggy morning in the Ozarks after last night's storms. Bob heads back out on the boat today for his twenty-one days. This will be number six of the final count down to retirement. I am blessed with a very supportive husband who's retirement will affect my schedule in a good way. More of that later.

While I've featured Nina Lindsey in the past, I never posted a review so I thought I'd bring her back for a return engagement with a bonus post (tomorrow).

Here's a bit about Nina:

Nina Lindsey writes romances filled with heart, heat, and happy endings. She is delighted to introduce readers to Bliss Cove, California, a coastal town with an abundance of warm cookies, ocean breezes, and the ever-present possibility of love.

Nina loves all things spicy and sweet, with chili chocolates being at the top of the list. She is also a fan of glossy magazines, pop culture, Gilmore Girls, energy bites, Orangetheory, and the sound of silence.

She lives in Wisconsin with her meteorologist husband (yes, she asks him daily, "What's the weather forecast?"), their two children, an overly energetic dog, and a snail named Pipsqueak.

Nina has several books set in Bliss Cove. You'll find all of her books on her website and Amazon Author Page. (Links below). 

I've had one of her books, LOVE WALKS IN, on my Kindle for awhile. When I scrolled through looking for a book to review this week, this was a recent download (though I'm not sure why as the book was released in November, 2020).

By her FB page, I see her last update was September 2022 when she re-released her backlist. 

Nina also writes steamier books under Nina Lane.

So, take a look at Nina Lindsey's links below and come back tomorrow for my review as I visit Bliss Cove for the first time.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   GOODREADS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

I hope you have a great week!

All my best!

~ Angela

WEDNESDAY REVIEW - Baby I'm Yours

Welcome back!

Today's book was published in 2008. I didn't realize that when I plucked the book of my over-loaded book shelf. I just saw Karen Templeton on the spine and since the book was on that shelf, I knew I'd not read the story yet.

About the book:

Kevin Vaccaro just found out he was a father... of a five-month-old! He'd put up a hell of a fight to overcome his troubled past. That was nothing compared to the battle he was about to wage for his child's future. — Julianne McCabe had no intention of giving up her sister's child -- the child she loved as her own -- without a fight. Yet that was before Kevin started bonding with his daughter. Before he awoke feelings that made the grieving widow long to share more than late-night feedings. But was she ready to risk her heart again to be the wife Kevin needed? To become the family they both wanted?

In true Karen Templeton fashion, this book was a "don't want to put down" read.  Karen had a way of taking her character flaws also be their strengths. Watching them evolve as you read is an experience I expect from a book. 

I giggled at times, out right laughed at others but the most important part is the 'tissue chapters'. I bawled more in the last twenty-three pages that adorable little Pippa did through the entire story. She was a good baby. so grab the tissues and your copy of BABY I'M YOURS --- > HERE and enjoy!

Baby I'm Yours is the third book in the 4-book Guys & Daughters series. 

You'll find all of Karen Templeton's book son her Amazon Page --- > HERE as well as her GOODREADS page 

Thank you for indulging me in this blast from the past. I'll try to be more current next week ;-)

All my best!

~Angela
 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Karen Templeton

  Hi, everyone!

I know I've not posted for a couple of weeks. Bob came home for his 21 days. When he comes home, if I've not prepared ahead of time, everything falls by the way. My time with him is the most important thing in my life. If he wasn't gone for 21 days then home for 21 days, I might not focus on him quite so much all at once. The good news is, he's preparing to retire at some point next year. Then I can set regular office hours. I don't know what excites me more, having him home all the time of being able to have a schedule. LOL The ADHD in me cries for the latter.

Speaking of retirement, Today's Author Spotlight shines on a 'retired' author. She's happy being grandma and I don't blame her one bit.  I'm talking about Karen Templeton

Here's a bit about Karen Templeton:

NOTE: This bio is several years old but you'll still find her on FB. I'll have the link below.

As the mother of five sons, now grown, I love to write about real people dealing with the drama (and humor) of everyday life. And dogs. And sometimes cats, but mostly dogs. Because you simply can't get too overly serious about stuff with a dog in the house.

Over the past fifteen years, I've written nearly 40 books for Harlequin/Silhouette and Red Dress Ink, and three of my Special Edition titles (A Mother's Wish (2009) Welcome Home, Cowboy (2011) and A Gift for All Seasons (2013) have won the RITA award, the romance industry's top prize for published authors. And I was thrilled when my November 2014 title, Santa's Playbook, earned the Romantic Times Gold Seal of Excellence, out of the hundreds of releases reviewed by the magazine for that month.

I am very active on Facebook, both under my pen name Karen Templeton and my full name, Karen Templeton Berger, running giveaway contests whenever I have a new book out...or just feel like it. I also maintain a website with all my most recent news, as well as excerpts from my entire backlist. So come say "hi." And if you should feel so inclined as to leave a review -- however brief -- of any of my books, that would really make my day.

Happy reading!

I didn't realize Karen  had retired until I started putting her link sheet together for this week. Since I'm wrapped up in a retreat for the first part of this week, Sunday afternoon was a little late to find a replacement read. That said, ANY book by Karen Templeton is a winner in my book.

I'll be reviewing, BABY I'M YOURS - Book 3 in the Guys and Daughters (4 book) series. I might just have to go pick up the other 3. 

You'll find Karen on Facebook under both her author name- Karen Templeton as well as Karen Templeton-Berger. 

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

All  my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Karen Templeton

 Hi, everyone!

I know I've not posted for a couple of weeks. Bob came home for his 21 days. When he comes home, if I've not prepared ahead of time, everything falls by the way. My time with him is the most important thing in my life. If he wasn't gone for 21 days then home for 21 days, I might not focus on him quite so much all at once. The good news is, he's preparing to retire at some point next year. Then I can set regular office hours. I don't know what excites me more, having him home all the time of being able to have a schedule. LOL The ADHD in me cries for the latter.

Speaking of retirement, Today's Author Spotlight shines on a 'retired' author. She's happy being grandma and I don't blame her one bit.  I'm talking about Karen Templeton

Here's a bit about Karen Templeton:

NOTE: This bio is several years old but you'll still find her on FB. I'll have the link below.

As the mother of five sons, now grown, I love to write about real people dealing with the drama (and humor) of everyday life. And dogs. And sometimes cats, but mostly dogs. Because you simply can't get too overly serious about stuff with a dog in the house.

Over the past fifteen years, I've written nearly 40 books for Harlequin/Silhouette and Red Dress Ink, and three of my Special Edition titles (A Mother's Wish (2009) Welcome Home, Cowboy (2011) and A Gift for All Seasons (2013) have won the RITA award, the romance industry's top prize for published authors. And I was thrilled when my November 2014 title, Santa's Playbook, earned the Romantic Times Gold Seal of Excellence, out of the hundreds of releases reviewed by the magazine for that month.

I am very active on Facebook, both under my pen name Karen Templeton and my full name, Karen Templeton Berger, running giveaway contests whenever I have a new book out...or just feel like it. I also maintain a website with all my most recent news, as well as excerpts from my entire backlist. So come say "hi." And if you should feel so inclined as to leave a review -- however brief -- of any of my books, that would really make my day.

Happy reading!

I didn't realize Karen  had retired until I started putting her link sheet together for this week. Since I'm wrapped up in a retreat for the first part of this week, Sunday afternoon was a little late to find a replacement read. That said, ANY book by Karen Templeton is a winner in my book.

I'll be reviewing, BABY I'M YOURS - Book 3 in the Guys and Daughters (4 book) series. I might just have to go pick up the other 3. 

You'll find Karen on Facebook under both her author name- Karen Templeton as well as Karen Templeton-Berger. 

All my best!

~ Angela