readers_sea's reviews
453 reviews

Liv and Random grew up together on the TV show "Girl on the Verge". While they were love interests on the show, not much happened off scene - even if they may have wanted something.

It is now twenty years later, and they are back together on set for a reunion episode! Liv hasn't seen or talked to Random much since the show ended, but being back in each other's space is bringing up some unresolved feelings. 

I really enjoyed the additive of blog posts, social media, and podcasts throughout the book! I felt like it added another layer to all the filming fun, especially because not all the opinions lined up with which characters they loved. It was a lot of fun seeing different POVs of "outside opinions".

I am a sucker for a second chance romance, and although Liv and Ransom didn't have <i>too much</i> of a past, I still really enjoyed watching them reconnect. I think we could've benefitted from more of a past between them, but they never really took things off set. I liked watching Liv figure out who she was and what she wanted. 

Overall, I had fun with this book!

Tad bit long, but I loved Zane and Autumn.

Perfect Fall vibes throughout the book. Zane comes back to Cozy Creek to escape the whirlwind that i currently his life. He just wants to keep his head down and worry about himself, but when he goes to the coffee shop and meets Autumn, something is there. He just can't quite put his finger on what it is.

It's a normal day for Autumn at work, until she sees the man of her dreams (literally) in the coffee shop she works at! She has no idea what is going on and slightly freaked out. Then he says the coffee she made him was horrible, and immediately she does not like him. So when they bump into each other again and he proposes to be friends, she actually laughs in his face... Until she realizes he was serious...

I liked the subtle magic oof Cozy Creek and the connection between Autumn and Zane. Zane is misunderstood and he just wants a quiet life. Autumn is trying to figure out what exactly she does want. So when they spark a friendship, obviously that's all it'll be...

Their romance was a bit cheesy once we got there, but I thought it was cute! I loved Autumn showing Zane around and them getting to experience all the little things together. I think they complimented each other really well. Their adventures were so entertaining and seeing them open up to each other was so heartwarming. Zane didn't have that many people he could count on, so finding Autumn was everything he needed.

Although it was a bit long, I still enjoyed the story and liked the Fall vibes. I definitely need to read the rest of the books in the collection. I would've loved to see Zane find more letters though (iykyk)

Ahhhh!! Trent and Cassidy were so much fun!

Trent just got traded and he is not happy about it. Cassidy is in a writing slump after walking in on her (now ex) boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend. And now these two people who are not in the best place... are neighbors.

Cassidy tried to be nice to Trent when he moved in but all he does is slam doors and she was not having it. One day she is having some trouble outside of their apartment building and Trent steps into help. The paparazzi catches this and now their pictures are everywhere with the headlines saying that they're dating?!

Trent's agent wants to run with it, and Cassidy agrees... under one condition. She is allowed to use him and their situation as inspiration to help her get out of her writing slump and finally write books again. Since Trent needs the good press, they all agree.

As lines start to blur between what is to help Trent's image and what's to help with Cassidy's writing, neither of them know how to approach it. They've both just been burned by people they thought they could trust.

I loved Trent and Cassidy! I thought they were such a good match and so entertaining. The grump x sunshine was so well done. Seeing Trent soften and become protective of Cassidy was everything! I loved how much they supported one another and how their connection grew so naturally.

Oliver Rossi and Sofia Navarro - two people who shouldn't be together but couldn't help it.

Rossi is an F1 driver and joins team Navarro. From the start he is made out to be the bad boy villain who cares about no one but himself. He puts himself first and only cares about his career.

Sofia Navarro is the younger sister of Rossi's teammate/first-string driver (??). Once Rossi joins the team, Sofia is told to stay away from him, which she has every intention of doing anyways. Until she can't.

Sofia and Rossi bump into each other off the racetrack and away from the world, and it doesn't take them long to discover that they may have both misjudged each other. Soon they discover there is more to each other than meets the eye, and they want to explore that... but how? Between Rossi's career and Sofia's brother - it's impossible.

Everyone thought that Rossi was just an arrogant guy who cared about nothing and no one but getting to know who he really was became a real treat! I felt so sad when discovering why Rossi acted the way he does. He didn't deserve a lot of what he was dealt, but he needed to figure out a way to keep his head above water either way. Seeing Rossi with Sofia was such a breath of fresh air for him. We got to see who he truly was, behind all the walls he put up.

Sofia was an interesting character. She had a lo of internal baggage that she needed to work though. She had a lot on her shoulders, but she also wanted to become her own person outside of her brother's shadow. She just needed the right person to help push her to get her there. Watching Sofia stand up for herself and what she wanted was amazing. I loved the confidence she grew and how much Rossi believed in her.

These two characters were so good for each other. I loved watching them both grow and thrive together. Beautiful story! 

While tagged as a romance, I feel like there was a lot more going for this one!

The book follows Olivia and Zeke. Olivia scores an internship at the summer games and Zeke is there as a runner for Team Great Britain. When they <b>bump</b> into each other for the first time, sparks fly but they both have other things to worry about at the moment.

I enjoyed seeing both characters back stories and seeing what brought them there. There was a lot of great discussions, and I loved watching them both go after their dreams at full force. They were both such honest and real characters. The side characters were also so entertaining throughout all the adventures they were put through. All the Olympics event and vibes were there, and it was very enjoyable!

I will note this definitely felt more of a YA than an adult book imo.

Engaging enough!

This book follows Annie and Mark. It's their wedding day and while at the altar, Annie sees someone she doesn't recognize. As the night goes on, she learns that this man has been asking questions and no one knows who invited him.

I felt this one was a bit predictable, but it'll be easily forgettable for me. The beginning was a bit slow, but once the pacing picked up it was more entertaining. The dual timelines did get confusing, since we followed different POVs, but it never indicated that at the start of the chapters.

Overall, it was okay, and easy to get through. A couple things did still surprise me, so I do think it would be worth a try.

Thea and Shep deserve absolutely everything!! They are precious and I love them. I am so so happy they found each other.

Thea is very guarded, and no one knows why. She lives under the radar - no banks, no social media, nothing. Constantly looking over her shoulder as she is hiding from her past. She has learned to do as much as she can on her own, but when a leaking pipe reveals itself as a much bigger issue, she is forced to hire Shep to get the job done. 

Shep is the perfect man - clearly written by a woman. He owns the best construction company in Sparrow Falls. From the first moment he seen Thea, he was intrigued but no one knows much about her. He is determined to get her to trust him. He is gentle and kind to her every step of the way and never pushes her. He knows nothing about her past but sees how she reacts to people and wants to build a connection with her so she has someone she can let her guard down with. When she agrees for him to work on her pipes, he immediately gets to work - on the house and Thea's trust.

I loved watching Thea slowly trust Shep. Learning about her past and why she was so guarded made my heart hurt for her. Seeing how gentle and attentive Shep was with her, was everything she needed. Shep was perfect and I loved that Thea was able to get that hope from someone. Thea slowly opened up and found the family she needed in Sparrow Falls. 

This book took me on a ride! So many ups and so many turns. I loved every minute of it. The plot was the perfect pace. The suspense/mystery was perfectly balanced with the romance. There was never a dull moment, and I never wanted to put it down.

Sparrow Falls is the most wonderful small town, and I cannot wait to see who/what the rest of the series will bring!

Layla and Simon... what can I say?

Layla is the owner of a "fancy lady garment" (iykyk) store in the small town of Dixon Creek. She is divorced, but living her life and doing what she needs to do. Of course, being in a small town some people don't agree with her choice in store that she is running as a single woman (eye roll!!). Her sister Gemma is getting married - that should be her focus, but with her ex-husband being the mayor... well, things get interesting when there seems to be an issue when she is denied for a bigger space in town and then told her current shop may not be hers for much longer. Yikes.

In comes Simon! Simon is hired security for Gemma's wedding since they have some big names attending. He is from London and the first time he meets Layla is quite interesting when she mistakes him for being paparazzi (oops).

Layla and Simon are out in town together when she starts getting razzed about her shop. She's telling Simon what's going on when two women (because all small towns need the nosey elderly women) approach them. They start talking to Layla how a single woman like she shouldn't be running a shop like she is, but she immediately blurts out that Simon is actually her boyfriend so she isn't single - hoping Simon will play along. Thank goodness he does! As the word gets around town, their story escalates and now they're telling everyone that they're engaged... Nothing could go wrong now.

Simon agrees to pretend to be Layla's fake fiancé and the story kicks off!

I really enjoyed Layla. She really was an independent woman doing what she could to be happy and do what she loves. Simon was a nice balance to Layla. I feel like they brought out different sides to each other and it was refreshing. They agreed that even though their engagement was fake, it didn't mean that they couldn't have a good time like Simon was in time... because that always works, right?

You really can't help but love Simon and Layla. They were a great match, and I loved how supportive Simon was to Layla because she deserved it! Their chemistry was amazing and flow of their relationship growing was so well done. As the lines blurred, you can't help but hope everything works out for everyone!

This was such a fun read and so entertaining. The main couple, the side characters, the setting, and the plot were all so engaging. Really enjoyed my time with this one!

Ryder and Vanessa were a lot of fun!

Vanessa is newly divorced and staying at the beach house she got in the settlement. She's trying to find herself again and learn who she is without her ex-husband. Despite being 35 years old, when she goes out and catches the attention of a 25-year-old waiter, she can't help but be curious. Ryder is adamant that he wants Vanessa. He wants to get to know her... on many levels. Eventually they give in, but Vanessa is still conflicted.

I enjoyed this novella. I felt there was a good balance of emotion and spice. Vanessa just came out of something difficult, so it made sense that she wouldn't want to just into things right away. Ryder was patient and understanding. I liked that the novella wasn't all spice. We still got to watch Vanessa discover things about herself and relearn who she was. We also got to see Ryder be supportive of that. 

I enjoyed their balance together and the overall story.

Maren Moore is perfect at sports romance, and I will not be told otherwise.

This book follows Addie and Grant through a very "A Cinderella Story" -esque book! We open up with ArtGirl (Addie) and OrleansU11 (Grant) meeting through an anonymous forum on their school website. They instantly hit it off with amazing banter. Eventually they find themselves talking constantly every day, getting to know each other - well, besides who they really are. Grant asks Addie to meet many times in person, but that isn't something she wants to do. She likes the anonymity of their conversations and don't want that pressure of knowing. They confide in each other about their struggles and Addie tells him about her Stepfather forcing her to get married to keep her mother's bakery - the only thing she has left of her late mother. Grant offers to marry her instead but then suddenly, ArtGirl goes silent, and Grant has no idea what to do. He felt she was the only person who truly knew him, with no standards or expectations but without knowing who she really is - he can't find her.

Nine months go by, and Addie is still working at the bakery, but Amos and Earl - who also work at the bakery - see that she is stressed and encourages her to have a college experience, to go out to a party and just give it a try. Addie is reluctant because she much prefers to stay home, but she goes anyways. Instead of actually joining the party she finds solace on the back deck where it's quiet and empty - there she draws in her sketchpad and can tell Ams and Earl she went to the party.

As she is enjoying her time on the porch, suddenly out of nowhere a guy comes bursting out and is attempting to pee over the railing... So of course she needs to make her presence known. They hang out for a bit and see that they click instantly, but once it hits midnight Addie is out oof there! Only... she leaves behind her sketchbook and doesn't give this guy her name.

A couple weeks go by, and porch guy aka Grant wants to find the girl he spent that night hanging out on the porch with. He knows nothing about her BUT he does have her sketchbook which he has no realized is likely ArtGirl who ghosted him months ago... So, he does the only thing he can do. Make a million posters looking for  ArtGirl saying that he has something of hers that she very likely wants back to put all over the school. He tells her to reach out where they first started talking if she wants it back... aka the school's anonymous forum they started talking on those many months ago.

Addie does reach out and confides in him about her being forced to get married in two weeks to save her mother's bakery, but Grant never forgets the offer to marry her first. And there we have the beginning of the story...

I really enjoyed Grant and Addie! From the beginning their banter was unmatched (something that Maren Moore always does amazingly)! I loved how supportive they were for each other and how much they were able to communicate. Both characters were perfect for each other, and although they came from different worlds, they had so much understanding for each other.

Grant was a total sweetheart and protective of Addie. I loved that Addie found someone she could rely on. For so much of her time, she was alone, but Grant would never let her feel that way again. It went both ways though! Addie seen Grant as more than just an athlete and he needed that.

Their connection was palpable, and you couldn't help but root for them the whole time. Through it all, their trust and communication were amazing. Even the side characters were so sweet and added a lot to the story.

Overall, I loved it and cannot wait to visit Orleans University again in the future!