Once Upon a Royal Christmas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Romance Format: Kindle eBook Date Published: 11/1/22 Author: Terri Wilson Publisher: Hallmark Publishing Pages: Once Upon a Royal Christmas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Romance Format: Kindle eBook Date Published: 11/1/22 Author: Terri Wilson Publisher: Hallmark Publishing Pages: 336 GR: 4.57
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: She pretends to be a princess at children’s parties. But can she melt a real prince’s frosty heart? The economy has been down in San Glacera for the winter tourism, so the Palace holds a contest and the winner gets to star in their annual Ice Village festivities and accompany the royal family to holiday events. Prince Nikolas does not think it should be Gracie Clark, who runs a children’s party business and spends her days dressing as a Princess Snowflake. Prince will not shirk his duties to his kingdom, he will go to every even with Gracie. At least, once Christmas is over, she’ll be gone…”
My Thoughts: I absolutely LOVE Hallmark Christmas movies, it runs on my TV from November through December. They just leave me with an overall feeling of goodness. So when I saw this book being put out by Hallmark, I jumped on the opportunity to get an early copy. This is a spin on the classic fairytale and warms you heart. The tone and setting is described so well that you felt a part of San Glacera. This forced proximity trope blooms into a beautiful romance. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively designed. The author’s writing style was complex, swoony, heartfelt, and intriguing. This is the perfect Christmas story leading up to the holiday and hopefully Hallmark will make it into a movie! I highly recommend if you like fairytale romances with a twist of Christmas infused.
Merged review:
Once Upon a Royal Christmas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Romance Format: Kindle eBook Date Published: 11/1/22 Author: Terri Wilson Publisher: Hallmark Publishing Pages: 336 GR: 4.57
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: She pretends to be a princess at children’s parties. But can she melt a real prince’s frosty heart? The economy has been down in San Glacera for the winter tourism, so the Palace holds a contest and the winner gets to star in their annual Ice Village festivities and accompany the royal family to holiday events. Prince Nikolas does not think it should be Gracie Clark, who runs a children’s party business and spends her days dressing as a Princess Snowflake. Prince will not shirk his duties to his kingdom, he will go to every even with Gracie. At least, once Christmas is over, she’ll be gone…”
My Thoughts: I absolutely LOVE Hallmark Christmas movies, it runs on my TV from November through December. They just leave me with an overall feeling of goodness. So when I saw this book being put out by Hallmark, I jumped on the opportunity to get an early copy. This is a spin on the classic fairytale and warms you heart. The tone and setting is described so well that you felt a part of San Glacera. This forced proximity trope blooms into a beautiful romance. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively designed. The author’s writing style was complex, swoony, heartfelt, and intriguing. This is the perfect Christmas story leading up to the holiday and hopefully Hallmark will make it into a movie! I highly recommend if you like fairytale romances with a twist of Christmas infused....more
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from Emily Riddle and providing my opinion voluntarily and uHere Comes Baby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Author: Emily Riddle
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from Emily Riddle and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Liz Ainsley has life down pat. With her divorce — and hopes of babies — in the rear view mirror, her beloved cafe is thriving while she’s busy “mothering” her young staff and funny, sarcastic little sister. And now that her handsome best friend Michael is her neighbor and shop manager, shouldn’t that be enough?
Then, on the night of their joint birthday party, Liz turning an uneasy 39, Michael an enthusiastic 30, an impromptu slow dance leads to a passionate night…that leads to a positive sign on a pregnancy test. As she hurtles towards childbirth, and meeting the baby she never thought possible, Liz is thrown into navigating life as a pregnant (and oh so tired) boss babe. With Michael embracing his role as a dad-to-be and co-parent, Liz starts to think this upheaval might offer something wonderful. But if even her ex-husband left, how could someone as special as Michael stay?
My Thoughts: This is the third book in The Kissing Series Books. I have not read the first two, however, I had no issues keeping up and understanding completely. Liz is career focused after a life of a few disappointments, including her failed marriage and hopes of having a baby slowly disappearing, the one constant she has is her business, her thriving business and her best friend, Michael, her now neighbor and shop manager. The night of their birthday party, Liz turning 39 and Michael turning 30, an impromptu kiss leads to much more and develops into a positive pregnancy test. Liz is now balancing boss girl with impeding motherhood, and there is Michael, the father of the baby, who is very special to her. However, if her ex husband just up and left her, how could she hold onto someone as dear as Michael? This follows the tropes of accidental pregnancy, friends to lovers, best friends, reverse age gap, closed door, and boss/employee.
The story is narrated in single person by Liz. Liz is fiercely independent, loyal to a fault, kind, and compassionate. Michael is swoony, caring, kind, and what all dads should be about. The supporting characters, especially Ashley, Liz’s sister, and Margot, Liz’s cranky aunt, were timeless and really elevated the story to another level. The characters were developed well with depth, had witty banter, chemistry, compassion, kindness, and inter-connectiveness. The author’s writing style was complex, swoon-perfection, closed door, and just beautifully done.
TW: Off-screen cheating and relationship toxicity. This was a slow burn, special sweet book that I enjoyed very much. There were a few cons for me, but they did not erode away at how special this book is. I would like to have seen a dual narration. The other con for me was the continual critical internal monologue. HOWEVER, the Happily Ever After really made up for this and I believe it was necessary to get to the HEA. This is the first time I have read Riddle but will not be the last time, definitely adding to my indie author list. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be on the ARC team. ...more
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from Kate O’Keeffe and providing my opinion voluntarily andThe Rebound Play ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Author: Kate O’Keeffe
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from Kate O’Keeffe and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Keira What do you do when your NHL superstar ex skates back into your small town? Drop to the ground and hide behind the bleachers, hoping he doesn’t see you. But Lady Luck must be in a bad mood today because Dan spots me, my hood over my eyes, pretending I’m not there. Mature? No. Necessary? Oh, yes.
Humiliation washes over me, and the wall around my heart stands firm. Dan might be back, but I can’t afford to let him in again. Not after the heartbreak of losing him once before. When he offers to coach my nephew, I reluctantly agree. Every smile he flashes at me, every kind word, threatens to crack my resolve. But I can’t go through that again. I have to protect my heart.
Dan I want Keira back. End of story.
My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Love on Thin Ice series. I love it when the indie authors write cross over books in a series. I have read a few of them and each one I have loved. These books can work as a standalone, or to enrich the readers experience, read them together. Keira and Dan were high school lovers but when Dan got an opportunity to go pro in the NHL, Keira did not want to stand in his way, they parted ways. Keira returned to her home town when her sister got ill and her sister’s husband left her. Keira helps with her kids while she is healing from her illness. When the icebreakers is formed to bring in money for the local children’s charity, they cross paths again, only Keira tries to hide from Dan when he arrives at the arena, which did not go over well, he totally caught her. Little does Keira know, Dan never stopped loving her, throughout his career, he thought of her often. When the two unite again, will it be fate intervening? Or will the past be better left in the past? This follows the tropes of high school lovers, friends to lovers, second chance love, small town, and hockey romance.
This was a dual narration told from Keira and Dan, in their respective perspectives. Dual perspective is one of my favorites, I feel like the characters are better understood. Keira is compassionate, kind, and loyal to a fault. Dan is from Maple Falls and never stopped loving Keira. Dan is an amazing hockey player, swoon-perfection, and kind. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, like oh my heart swoon chemistry, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, closed door, endearing, heartfelt and beautiful. Keira so loved Dan but was afraid of him leaving her again, then on the other hand, Dan was so in love with Keira, he would do anything to prove it to her. I just loved to see their love story come together and the HEA was just perfection.
This was a wonderfully sweet hockey romcom that I really enjoyed. This story was endearing, funny, sweet balanced with tender moments that just makes your heart swoon, and just beautifully crafted. O’Keeffe is a master storyteller in closed door romances and one of my favorites indie authors. I love that every year, a few indie authors get together and write these series that connect but at the same time are fabulous as a standalone. I highly recommend picking this up today. Available on KU. ...more
Summer Ever After ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Author: Kortney Keisel
I requested an audio advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opiniSummer Ever After ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Author: Kortney Keisel
I requested an audio advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Falling in love is easy. Finding the right guy to spend happily ever after with... that's the hard part.
But I have a foolproof plan. I'm taking the tropes that work in romance books and applying them to my love life. Only one bed? Never fails. Caring for someone when they're sick? A classic. "Who did this to you?" Seals the deal every single time. So long, loneliness. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
But the more I try to force romance, the more feelings naturally progress with the one man who's off limits: Walker Collins, the guy I've had a secret crush on since 7th grade, not to mention my best friend's older brother. Dating Walker crosses BFF lines I swore I'd never cross. Plus, he hates Sunset Harbor, and his pro golf career will take him off the island as fast as he came, sending me back to the land of singlehood, loneliness, and broken hearts.
At the end of the day, I don't want to be the fool in my foolproof plan.
My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Falling for Summer series. While part of a series, any of the series books can be read as a standalone. Each series book is written by a different author and all are closed door romcoms. I LOVED this series. Jane loves romance books, so much so that she plans to utilize the common tropes to her own dating life and announces to her reading group that she fall in love by the end of the summer using one or more of these tropes. Jane makes a list of the tropes she would like to use, such as only one bed, caring for someone with they are sick, and the classic “who did this to you.” While she is trying to force these tropes, the one man that is off limits, the one that she has pined after since the 7th grade, Walker, she has increased interactions, making the feelings stronger. She promised her best friend in the 7th grade that she would never ever date Walker. Walker is a pro golfer and does not care for Sunset Harbor, only visiting occasionally. Will the 7th grade promise fall to the waste side? Or will Jane continue to push down her real feelings to continue forcing tropes with other men? This follows the tropes of small town, best friend’s brother, forbidden love, and island life.
The story is narrated in a dual narration by Jane and Walker, in their respective perspectives. Jane is ready to fall in love but is does not want to move out of Sunset Harbor, she loves the town too much. Jane is eccentric, kind, loyal to a fault, and fierce. Walker is a pro athlete recovering from an injury, trying to get his golf game back on track and does not like Sunset Harbor but figured it was the perfect place to get back on track. The characters were developed well with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and kept me invested. The supporting characters elevated the story and set the stage for future series books. The author’s writing style was complex, closed door, swoony, heartfelt, and beautiful. The scenes were heartfelt at times, and at other times, had me laughing out loud. This was a great opening book and set the stage for a delightful series.
The story is narrated by Amanda Friday and Andy Harrington. The narrators do an amazing job with voice variation across character distinction. The flow and pacing was amazing and I was able to listen at 2x speed with no issues keeping up. This was a sweet closed door romcom. Even though we only have kissing scenes, they are done with such passion and steam, that the spice is not missed. I really loved this series, having read the entire series except the last book (it comes out next week). I would highly recommend this series to readers. The digital books are available on KU. ...more
I requested an audio advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluSummer Tease ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Author: Martha Keyes
I requested an audio advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Falling for a Palmer would be the ultimate crime. Wild horses couldn’t drag me back to the small island where I grew up, but you know what can? Making sure the Palmer family–aka the worst neighbors ever–show appropriate respect to the newest resident of their retirement center: my grandma. But as soon as Grams moves in, her shenanigans put her at risk of being kicked out. Since she’s set on staying in Sunset Harbor until her last breath and there’s no way I’m staying on this nightmare island to take care of her, that’s just not an option.
Enter Beau Palmer, the infuriatingly charming local cop who’s got the connections to keep Grams right where she needs to be and help me get out of Dodge sooner. His price? Use my PR savvy to convince the town council into making his position full-time. That way, he can help his beloved island put the Sawyer/Palmer drama in the past. But the drama isn’t behind us. In fact, it’s right in front of me, wearing a police badge and a smirk that’s really started disturbing my peace.
My Thoughts: This is the Fourth Book in the Falling for Summer series. I have read the entire series and it is fantastic! I was fortunate enough to get most of the audiobooks on ARC and the ones that I did not, I was able to find through Hoopla. Gemma is back in town to get her grandmother’s house ready to sell while she gets her settled into the retirement home. Gram starts to cause a ruckus at the retirement home and almost gets kicked out. Gemma has to turn to the family rivalry, the Palmers, to get a favor called in to save her Gram’s place in the retirement home. In a quid status quo, in order to save her Gram, she has to do a little PR for Beau to get his part time position expanded to full time (with the appropriate pay). While teaming up together short term, feelings start to flow and connections are made… will this put the rivalry into full gear? Or will they finally put the Palmer/Sawyer rivalry to bed once and for all (no pun intended). This follows the tropes of island life, small town, closed door, and enemies to lovers.
The story follows a single person narration by Gemma, in her POV. Gemma has a PR brilliant mind, loves her Gram, but does not want to be held down by island life. Beau is a sweet, kind, and sexy young cop who just wants to be full time to be able to have a comfortable living on the island. The chemistry between these is two is evident immediately from the first interaction. The characters were developed well, were witty, full of chemistry, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, closed door, clean, endearing, swoon-perfection, and just brilliant. Let’s not forget about Grams, she is very feisty, and we can all hope to be just like her when we grow up, to never lose your passion for life or your independence. The plot was well done and I enjoyed the character overlay between books. The best scene was the birdhouse war, very clever, all the way to the end.
The story is narrated by Ariel Royce, who does a fantastic job with the narration. Her voice carries well with voice variation through character distinction. The flow and pitch was even and easy to follow, even at 2x speed. Her voice is just easy to listen to, very smoothing, and really adds another element to the story. While these are series books and there is some character overlay, it is not necessary to read them all, or even in order, however, it will enrich the reader’s comprehension and experience by reading them all in order. I would highly recommend this book and the series to other readers. Fans of Savannah Scott or Julie Christianson, will really enjoy this story. ...more
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