vera_allbookedup's reviews
1878 reviews

Pepper Montgomery just won't give Clay Braden the time of day, even though she is attracted to him. WHY!?!?!? Every single time Pepper and Clay are in the same place, Pepper will make any excuse and leave. Clay gets invited on a trip to Paris for some concerts and finds out that Pepper is going. After all a bunch of her siblings and their significant others will be on this trip. Everyone else is coupled up but them so Clay ensures that he pairs up with her each time. Every time Pep is near Clay, she's reckless. She's doing things she would normally think twice about and she's enjoying it. When her family moves on to other parts of Europe, Clay convinces Pepper to stay one more day in Paris. Once they're stateside, Pepper ignores texts or takes long to answer. When Clay temporarily moves to Charlottesville, he does everything in his power to show Pepper how dedicated he is to being present for her. When they're together, Pepper is a better version of herself. She's less stressed, more productive, and open to Clay. We find out her fears and frustrations and the secrets she's kept. Through it all, Clay is a stable support.

I loved this couple! I like how Clay was relentless without being overbearing, how present he was with Pep, how he found ways to give her the support she needed, how he brought out Pep's true self. Then there was #teamplay and the unveiling of the elaborate scheme to get Clay and Pepper together. It was surprising to see who was involved and what they did! I so did not expcect that!!! I can't wait to read more in this series with the Bradens at Ridgeport.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

"When I open the door to my apartment after a shitty day at work, the last thing I expected was to make direct eye contact with some random woman's a**hole."

When the book begins with a first line like that, you hope the main character gets her revenge. That's exactly what Skye Davis did. She dressed up in clothes her cheater boyfriend would shame her for wearing and hit the bar. She did not expect to meet up with the likes of Silas Silver, a man several years older. But age matters not in the bedroom. Oh boy, did Silas show everything she'd been missing in that toxic relationship she just left. Silas was also the last person she expected to see the next day at work when she's summoned to a meeting about embezzlement. Her immediate supervisor was trying to pin wrongdoings on her, but Skye is so much smarter with her spreadsheets and detailed entries.

Skye and Silas shouldn't have worked as a couple. He was older, owned the company she worked for, and had way more life experience. There were parts of this book that were a little cheesy, but when it comes to romance sometimes we just need the cheese. It was a quick, steamy, romantic read to get ready for the Hallmark holiday. I liked the main characters and their forever after.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Sadie "Sassypants" Hatley is on a mission to uncover pieces of her family's ancestry. She enters and wins a dart competition before she meets with who could be a long lost relative. Rafe Marquess owns a big slice of Vegas and the hotel where the dart competition was held and where Sadie stayed. They almost had a one night stand, but Rafe's 14-year-old daughter Fallon makes a surprise visit. When Rafe sees Sadie meeting with his ex-boss turned enemy Lorenzo Puzo, he sees nothing but red. The last person he expected to see at Harrington Ranch is Sadie. What is her connection to the ranch? Why is she there? He ran from the ranch, demanded his share of the inheritance from his brother Spencer and didn't look back. Now Fallon has suspicions about her mother's brother Adam and his connection to Spencer's death. Then there's the fact that Puzo is ingrained in their town. While Sadie is trying to figure out who owns the jewels she found and giving the Harringtons ideas for getting their ranch in the black, she's helping out Fallon's mother Lauren and trying to help Rafe make sense of their accounts. How did Spence really die? Why is the ranch failing so fast? 

Oh, the suspense! Not only did the author keep me on pins and needles with who the perpetrator was, but also the slow burn between Rafe and Sadie. Sigh... Rafe went from hardened and closed off to gentle and open especially for Fallon. Both Rafe and Sadie experienced traumatic events in the past that made them a little prickly (okay, maybe a lot prickly) with people. They beat themselves up with guilt over things they couldn't control. As their story unfolded, the changes in the characters were heartwarming and emotional. 

"If you have a love that sticks, it'll get you through anything."

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Where do I begin? Emme Ahlborg and Ryan Ralston were best friends way back when. These days their friendship was relegated to birthday texts because life. When Emme finds out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, she is at a loss. But I say, good riddance. He did nothing but make her feel less than. UGH. But the kicker is that the cheater is best friends with her bestie's fiance and will be around all the wedding events. Ryan needs to clean up his image so he can buy some soccer teams. He's forward planning for when he's done with football. They concoct a fake fiance plan to help them both. 

Sigh... there were times when I had a hard time believing these two were faking anything! What helped make everything believable was the fact that they had a solid friendship and knew each other's quirks, likes and dislikes, body language... you name it. And Emme's friends! Reminded me of my teacher friends who turned family. Then there was Ryan's family chat. OMG...too hilarious for words! Plus, visiting Friendship, RI and the farm. Not mention Gennie and her potty mouth. I laughed and cried and felt every emotion in between. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Emma and Brooks met by chance at a wedding. She was escaping her cheating ex and he was just escaping. From her first howl, Brooks was intrigued. When Emma gets an email from Brooks about moving her grandfather's bookstore out of his building, she can't help but be filled with animosity. But then they embark on a fake relationship to stick it to her cheating ex. Can she be convincing enough even though she like nothing but to keep him in the enemy column? After all he's taking away a big chunk of her childhood. And then his father pulls a stunt that Brooks had no idea about. 

I couldn't help but fall in love with Emma and Brooks. I loved the way Emma cared for her grandfather, making sacrifices when needed. I liked how feisty and head strong she could be while being compassionate and kind. I even loved Brooks for her grumpy-ish demeanor, his aversion to marriage, and his tenuous relationship with his family. Emma and Brooks were so amazing together. They brought out the best in each other and gave one another the courage and the strength to mend fences and make changes. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Judd Sylver, CFO of Sylver Seed and Soil, and Genie Webster, owner of Quirky Girl Calendars, were always meant to be together except it was a right person, wrong time situation back when they were teens. They were supposed to go to prom together, but Judd never showed. They went their separate ways. When Genie shows up in Sterling Falls for a long awaited visit with her mother, the last person she wanted to see was Judd. She made an off-hand comment to him and was surprised when he showed up at her mother's house. The situation they were in was misconstrued and they end up fake fiance-ing it. 

Cringe? Absolutely not at all. But, engaging in  this fake fiance thing enables Judd and Genie to reconnect and finally spill all the hard truths... what life was really like in the respective families, why Judd never showed for prom, why Genie stayed away, why Judd hid his boxing. It explained why communication was difficult for them back then, having not had the experience or example of good relationships. This story was about finding love after all this time, but it was also about healing from childhood trauma and letting go of the anger and grief that took over. 

This story was all the more enjoyable to read because Erin Mallon and Ryan West brought their "A" games to the narration. They did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and their love story to life.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.