Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Complete Echo Series: A Heartfelt Romance Collection (The Echo Series) by C.R. Alam

 

The Complete Echo Series (Echo #1-4)The Complete Echo Series by C.R. Alam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Echoing Hearts 4 Stars
Rae Allen doesn't believe in love or happily ever after. She's seen enough in her family to jade her for life. Thankfully, she has some pretty awesome friends, especially her best friend Brandon, who are there for her when things get rough. Her friendship with Brandon is more of a kindred kind...they are thicker than thieves, almost as if they were brother and sister. Brandon would do anything for Rae, especially after she helped him and his band land an amazing producer!

Dean Rowland is living a life of luxury. He's surrounded by wealth, fame, and women. He's living the life as one might say, proud of all his accomplishments. Except for the one thing he couldn't conquer...getting married. After being jilted at the alter, Dean is happy to swear off women forever.

Rae gets a call for a favor. Her friend needs her to go and check out this house in Georgia for the next issue of the magazine that she publishes. This house is a bit mysterious and Rae doesn't get a lot of background on it. When she arrives at the house, she can't seem to get anyone to come to the door, even though they should be expecting her. The next scene will be on that will change her life forever and have her heart sending echoes out across Lake Lanier.

This was a very enjoyable read for a lazy Saturday afternoon! I read this book in one sitting. It's a typical romance read and one where both main characters should be hog tied for their antics towards each other. This does have a happy ending and I even found myself tearing up in the end!

His Forever Muse-4 stars
I've been anxiously waiting to get my hands on this book after reading the first book in this series! This book, while the second in a series, can be easily read as a stand alone.

Brandon Rossi is the front man for a rock band, Canis Major and his best friends are his band mates. He's restless as the band has just come off a huge international tour and his artwork is slowing down a bit. He's ready to get out and find what it is that he's missing. Rae, one of his dearest friends, encourages him to travel and continue doing some artwork while he's seeing sights. Brandon decides to go to Morocco to visit his friend Chris, and while there, he meets up with an art gallerist.

Calliope Chen-Bisset is that art gallerist and once she lays eyes on Brandon, a lot of great childhood memories come flooding back to both her and Brandon. Callie is the sister of one of Brandon's bandmates and while they never hooked up while growing up, there has always been some sort of attraction there. Brandon helped Callie get through some difficult points in her life but not the most difficult ones.

Sparks start to fly between Callie and Brandon as soon as they lay eyes on each other but it's been 15 years since they last saw each other. Callie's family hasn't mentioned her in years and, truth be told, there has been a bit of a rift between them too. Callie has experienced things that no woman...no person ever should experience but now that Philippe is a part of her life, she will always be looking over her shoulder. He's the crazy ex-lover who just won't let go.

Can Brandon keep his reputation in tact while learning to love Callie and her scars?

I loved this book and already can't wait for the next one! There are some difficult topics covered and the author does issue a warning at the beginning of this book. I was not personally triggered by any of the scenes as they were handled quite delicately with enough information to let the reader know what happened without being overly graphic. This is a second chance romance of sort, but more importantly, a phoenix rising from the ashes story.

Unexpected Entanglement- 4 stars
Rowan Kelly has inherited an inn and she's super excited to host her cousin's wedding there. Everything has to be perfect and beautiful for the big day. Rowan can handle just about anything that is put in her way but having an extra hand or two never hurts!

Insert Chris Sullens. Chris is a well-known hotelier who is more than happy to dig in and help Rowan make this wedding the best ever. What he didn't expect is the role that he'd be asked to play in order this wedding to go off WITH a hitch!

This is probably my favorite book of this series so far! There is an overlap of some characters from previous books (it was good to catch up on them!) but this book can be read as a standalone easily. I look forward to seeing where this series continues to go!

Dangerous Rhythm-4 stars
I am a total fan of this series!! I love the writing style, the humor (and this one...well, just read it!), the suspense, the drama....it's all in here! I think this is my favorite book of the series so far but they are all really good! The tension that Lina displays, although she's trying to be professional, just lets you know that she's a ticking time bomb of emotions. Curtis is a rockstar that just can't hide his vibe. The Stilletto's? They're as ruthless as they sound.

Another enjoyable book in this great series!

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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The Missing Red Envelopes by Yobe Qiu

 

The Missing Red EnvelopesThe Missing Red Envelopes by Yobe Qiu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lorie and Weina are sisters and they are looking for the red envelopes that were in a bag that they were carrying around. The envelopes are a custom during the Lunar New Year and they contain money and chocolate.

What I enjoyed most about this story is learning more about Asian culture. Young readers can have an appreciation of it as well and may want to experience a Lunar New Year celebration.

The illustrations were also very well done throughout this short chapter book.

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Sunday, March 10, 2024

Family Ties Family Lies by Jacqueline Boulden

 

Family Ties Family LiesFamily Ties Family Lies by Jacqueline Boulden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you just never know the depths of drama and lies that a family can hold. Even the families that look like they have it all together could be hiding the darkest of secrets. That's where Rose found herself. Her mother falls ill and she's called to come help care for her. While in her childhood home, Rose finds some items that bring about a lot of questions and suspicions in her mind about who her family really is.

There are parts of this story that were hard to read. This will challenge the reader emotionally, so be prepared. However, give this book a chance because it's well worth your investment!

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Thursday, March 7, 2024

Bailey and the CEO: A Corporate Love Story (A Better Man, Book 1) by Amy Q. Barker

 

Bailey and the CEO: A Corporate Love Story (A Better Man Book 1)Bailey and the CEO: A Corporate Love Story by Amy Q. Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She's a widow raising two teenage girls. He's a divorcee raising two teenage boys. She works in HR and he's the CEO. One day Fox walks by and calls Bailey by her name. She's in shock because they've had so few interactions together. Then they end up on an airplane together and things start to change for them both. However, they are having to keep a secret, but at what costs?

The characters are relatable and "real". They could be the people in any organization in today's world. The story is believable. This author has a great way of weaving together a story that keeps you turning the page.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book) by MJ Murray

 

Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series, #2)Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a very enjoyable book! Young readers who are learning to read in small chapters will love this story about Dylan and his little sister Emily. They are going to baseball practice and when they arrive, their coach explains that all the bases have been stolen. Dylan thought to grab his Youth Sleuth kit prior to leaving home so he and Emily are on the lookout for the stolen bases. They come across various groups of people in the park before finally locating the missing bases.

A super fun, adventurous book that features Theodore, who is Dylan and Emily's dog. He's also a part of their sleuthing team! It's short enough to keep the attention of an emerging reader and would also make a great bedtime story!

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Monday, March 4, 2024

A Girl, Stuck (Found Families Series) by Kelly Elizabeth Huston

 

A Girl, Stuck (Found Families #3)A Girl, Stuck by Kelly Elizabeth Huston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a new-to-me author but I really enjoyed her style of writing in this story. She has a way of making story well-balanced with adventure, mystery, and comic levity.

Characters in this story were of a huge interest to me. The ones I loved initially, I didn't think so much of by the end and vice-versa. There were several times I found myself falling out of love with someone that I thought was pretty cool at first.

An enjoyable read!

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Sunday, March 3, 2024

The Reluctant Spy by Lois Wickstrom

 

The Reluctant SpyThe Reluctant Spy by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun read about a boy named Timothy who finds a rat under his bed. He's afraid of his grandmother finding it and screaming so he's doing everything he can to get it out of the house. Grandma already knows about the rat though and she's telling Timothy how this is a special rat. Hildegard is going to take them on adventures and help solve a mystery plaguing the community.

This is a longer read by this author. An emerging chapter reader could easily follow along with this book. There are a few German words scattered throughout, which is a great way to garner interest in a new language. True to this author's style, there are also STEM components in this story.

Overall, a great read that I recommend!

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