Dear Enemy by Kristen Callihan

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan comes a smart, emotional contemporary romance about finding love with the most unlikely of people.

As kids, they hated each other. Macon Saint was beautiful, but despite his name, Delilah knew he was the devil. That he dated her slightly evil sister, Samantha, was no picnic either. When they broke up, it was a dream come true: Delilah never had to see him again.

Ten years later, her old enemy sends a text.

Delilah’s sister has stolen a valuable heirloom from Macon, now a rising Hollywood star, and he intends to collect his due. One problem: Sam has skipped town.

Sparks still sizzle between Macon and Delilah, only this heat feels alarmingly like unwanted attraction. But Delilah is desperate to keep her weak-hearted mother from learning of her sister’s theft. So she proposes a deal: she’ll pay off the debt by being Macon’s personal chef and assistant.

It’s a recipe for disaster, but Macon can’t stop himself from accepting. Even though Delilah clearly hates him, there’s something about her that feels like home. Besides, they’re no longer kids, and what once was a bitter rivalry has the potential to be something sweeter. Something like forever.

---

I am a big fan of Kristen Callihan’s books and some of them are favorites that I read over and over again. So when I saw this baby and read the blurb I knew I had to give it a go.

Now as much as I enjoyed reading it…I wasn’t blown away by it. For some reason, I just couldn’t fully connect with the story or the characters and I even found myself skimming every now and then. It was all just a bit too slow for my liking…

Now, this might also be because of the weird times we are currently living in. I find it harder and harder to escape into a story and connect. 

For those of you who love the “enemies to lovers” trope, you should definitely give this one a go. 

I myself like my stories a bit more angsty, especially now, which makes me a bit weird I know. A lot of people are looking for comfort stories right now, while for me it is pretty much the opposite. 

That is why I think I should give this one another go when things have calmed down a bit… Maybe I will feel completely different about it… It has been known to happen 😉 

For now, I would have to go with 3 stars… not bad…but not awesome either.

---

 

More Than Anything by Natasha Anders

Title: More than Anything
Author: Natasha Anders
Genre: Romance
Release date: June 11th, 2019
Rating: 3 stars

---

 

 BLURB

Two lovers strive to trade a grim past for a bright future in this story of bittersweet yearning.

Tina Jenson belongs to the same social stratum as Harris Chapman, but he’s out of her league—at least that’s what she thinks before they jump in bed together. It’s the perfect night, but when she overhears crude, hurtful comments the next morning, she can’t get away fast enough.

Ten years later, Tina’s life is a mess. That night with Harris didn’t just hurt her feelings; it started a cascade of disappointment and heartbreak. Every time she bumps into Harris, her heart twists inside out. She still wants him, but she’s harboring a painful secret from their night together that she’s not ready to reveal.

Crossed signals, high-society whispers, and shame have kept Tina and Harris apart for years, but deep down, they’re hungry for each other and eager to write their own rules. Can they let go of the past and find their way back to each other, or are the barriers between them too high and too strong?

---

I absolutely loved “The Unwanted Wife” by this author. I read it multiple times a year. So naturally, I had to give this one a go in the hope it turning out to be another favorite. 

Now even though I did enjoy reading this one…it didn’t top any of the other books I have read by this author. In all the former books I really felt bad for the heroine… I wanted her to get all the grovel she deserved !! (which they all did 😉 )

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how I felt about the heroine in this book. Sure, I understand that she got her feelings hurt, but I just think she took things a bit too far. I actually started to feel annoyed and that is never a good sign. 

I still enjoyed reading this story but in all the other books I was really rooting for the heroine and in this one… I felt the hero might be able to do better. 

I am however very excited to read the next book…Which will “hopefully” be about Libby and Greyson. 

---

 

* Blog Tour * The Color of Summer, by Anna Martin

Check out my review and enter the Giveaway !!!

Title: The Color of Summer
Author: Anna Martin
Genre: Gay Romance
Release date: May 28th, 2019
Page Count: 230 pages
Rating: 3 stars

BLURB

Tattoo artist Max Marshall rushes into his hometown of Sweetwater, West Virginia—and is promptly pulled over for speeding. Max’s luck isn’t all bad, though, because he recognizes the deputy, Tyler Reed, Max’s childhood best friend’s older brother.

Reconnecting with Tyler helps Max settle back in, and it also leads to attraction. But when he tries to explore that connection at the grand opening of his tattoo studio—by kissing Tyler—awkwardness ensues. Max wants more, but has he misread Tyler’s signals?

As a single father raising a six-year-old daughter, Tyler doesn’t have much time to date. He’s ignored his attraction to men for years, but he can’t stop thinking about the kiss he shared with Max. If he can handle the complications of dating in a small town and the possible consequences to his career, this romance could blossom with all the colors of summer.

 

Cover Design: Reese Dante

---

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner | Universal Link

---

I have been wracking my brain to figure out what to write in this review. 

This story started out kind of slow and, except for how fast Tyler’s sexual preference changed, it kind of stayed that way. I figured this was gonna be a “brother’s best friend” kind of story with some angst thrown in, but it really wasn’t. 

Max is moving back to his home town to be close to his mother, opening a tattoo shop in the process (I am a bit over the whole tattoo artist stories I think).

Tyler is the older brother of Max’s best friend when he was growing up. He is now a deputy and a single father of 6-year-old Juniper. They meet while Tyler is doing his deputy duties, and things progress from there…slowly… Not much happens…

I have to be honest here and say that I was a bit bored at times. I am actually a fan of a bit more angst. Now sometimes a “feel good” story is all that I need, but for some reason, I felt something was just missing. The flow was a bit off and It just didn’t pull me in.

♣ Release Blitz ♣ Knights Lady, by Bella Jewel (Rumblin’ Knights Book 3)

Title: Knights Lady
Series: Rumblin Knights
Author: Bella Jewel
Genre: Romance
Release date:  March 29th, 2019
Rating: 3 stars  

 

 Blurb

LUCY
I’ve always held my own. 
I’m determined.  I’m happy. I’m strong. 
Not right now, though. Right now I’m weak. 
Pathetic. Because I screwed up, I screwed up in a way I can’t fix. I destroyed someone. I stomped on a heart. I broke the one rule all women should live by. There is no coming back from it. Yet, I can’t seem to find the strength to stop. Nicolai. That name. It ruins me. I tried to stay away. I fought so hard. 
I knew what he was. Who he was. I knew what he had done. But I can’t seem to stop. 
I try and forget how his hands felt against my skin. How his lips felt on mine. How his body moved. God, his body. I’m a terrible person. A terrible sister. 
But take me to hell, if you must, so long as he comes with me. 

DAMON 
Get a girl, they say. Find a woman, Damon. Settle down. 
I have one thing to say to that. Women equal drama. You know it’s true. 
I don’t have time for drama. Why can’t I be different? Why do I have to follow the trend? 
My story doesn’t have to match theirs. Hell, when the time comes I’ll find the right one. 
Until then, I’ll stick to friends. Yep. I can do friends. Lucy. She’s my friend. My best friend, if I’m being honest. She’s strong. She’s determined. She kind of holds my pieces together. And I hers. In the most non-romantic way I can think of. She has plenty of her own drama, she keeps us both busy. She’s like a sister. No, scratch that. Lucy, she’s the kind of woman who could run a country. Hold a family together. That’s the kind of person she is. 
The lady of the house. Yep. That’s our Lucy. Knights Lady. 

---

---

I like this author, I really enjoyed the MC Sinners, The Jokers’ Wrath MC, and the The MC Sinners Next Generation series. So when I saw this new series come by…I had to give it a try….Especially after reading the blurb for this one. 

I have just finished and I can honestly say that I am utterly confused !!

This book definitely didn’t turn out the way I expected it would. Now I am all for books taking turns and screwing with my head a bit, but in this case… I was actually a bit upset. Reason being, that I was so distracted with how I thought things were gonna be…that I didn’t really get to enjoy the story. 

I figured this was gonna be a love story about Lucy and Damon… At least that is what I figured from reading the blurb… I was even expecting a bit of a love triangle. It is not though… Lucy and Damon are just friends. She keeps calling them “besties“, but to be honest…I don’t think they are even that. I guess being friends with one of the “Knights” men, has earned her the title “Knights Lady“…though I still don’t see why.

I think the blurb is a bit misleading and the same goes for the title if I am honest. I don’t think Lucy deserves the title of “Knights Lady“. Not really. 

This is the love story about Lucy and Nicolai and besides Lucy complaining about her life to Damon Knight…it has nothing to do with the “Knights Brothers“. 

Now all the above doesn’t mean that this wasn’t a good story…It just wasn’t what I was expecting and it took me reaching the 80% mark to finally realize that Damon and Lucy were not gonna happen….Very distracting …

I think Lucy and Nicolai would have been an awesome match if it wasn’t for the fact that he is her sister’s ex and her nephew’s father. It is actually one of my pet peeves… I am best friends with my sister, I would never ever want to be with one of her exes…it’s an unwritten rule, I am sure.

This is a personal preference though… Even I have to admit that Nicolai and Lucy were pretty HOT together and they did seem to really love one another, despite all the obstacles they had to face. 

I still think this blurb doesn’t fit the story and I would have given it more stars had I known the direction of the story before I started it. 

---

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Only available at the following retailers

for a VERY limited time

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

---

---

Author Bio

Bella Jewel is a self published, USA
Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release
was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon
release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a
bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is
currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella
has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013
she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling
modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her
writing career, planning many new releases for the future.

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK/ AMAZON/

GOODREADS / TWITTER

---

Also Available

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

---

Enter Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---

The Perfect Shine by J.K. Hogan

Title: The Perfect Shine
Author: J.K. Hogan
Genre: YA/NA Gay Romance
Release date: March 18th, 2019
Page Count:  279 pages
Rating: 3 stars

 

 Blurb

Jackson Meade was a shy, awkward kid just trying to survive a high school with too many bullies and too few friends. Now that he’s in college, his eyes have been opened to a whole world of possibilities, especially those regarding love and sexuality. However, he can’t enjoy any of it since he’s been separated from his best friend.

Blake Renault has been in love with his best friend almost since they first met. After escaping a bad family situation, he lived with Jackson and his mom for the last two years of high school, which made it much harder to keep his feelings a secret. Graduation brings lots of changes for the boys, including Blake moving to a different city to apprentice with a tattoo artist and Jackson going off to college.

Being forced apart after high school leads them to new revelations about themselves and their relationship. While Jackson questions whether his attachment to Blake is normal for best friends, Blake decides to risk everything and tell Jackson the truth. Jackson and Blake must figure out what they want from each other while the future of their deep friendship hangs in the balance. Will they find love, or lose everything?

---

  

---

When I read the blurb for this book, I figured it would be a perfect read for me. I love YA/coming of age books. Throw in some sexuality struggle and secret crushes and I am sold !! Not to mention that J.K. Hogan is the author of one of my “all-time favorite” books “Unbreak Broken“. 

I didn’t quite get what I expected though… These two don’t really get romantically involved until the very end. Now I can do “slow burn”… I am actually a big fan, but I didn’t really feel any burn here. 

In the blurb, it is said that Blake has always been in love with Jackson…but it didn’t really come up until I passed the halfway mark… For me, the first half of the book was more about “high school friendship” than anything else. Now there isn’t anything wrong with that…it just wasn’t what I expected.

When both of them are in college, things seem to change and it that’s when it’s mentioned that Blake has always had a thing for Jackson… It should have been mentioned sooner I think…it would have helped with the burn.

All in all, I didn’t really “feel” the attraction between the two of them. I was also a bit thrown off by the POV switches, it took me out of my zone a bit.. They were awesome characters though and I have to give extra credit here to Jackson’s mom !! 

That said, this isn’t my favorite by this author. That’s okay though, because we can’t love them all the same. And I will always have my Unbreak Broken re-read 😛 

---

 

One Tough Cowboy (Moving Violations #1) by Lora Leigh, Veronica Chadwick

Title: One Tough Cowboy
Author: Lora Leigh, Veronica Chadwick
Genre: Romance
Published: January 29nd, 2019
Page Count: 304 pages
Rating: 3 stars

 

I have read multiple books written by Lora Leigh and I especially enjoyed her Elite Ops series. It was pretty damn HOT.. if I do say so myself. Now as much as I love my military men…there is one thing that gets me even hotter that…Cowboys.  They are my Kryptonite !!! So I figured with this author and this title…I could not go wrong. 

Her Lifeline by L.A. Casey

Title: Her Lifeline
Author: L.A. Casey
Genre(s):Romance
Release Date: January 22nd, 2019 
Rating: 3 stars

---

 

I have read several books by this author and so far I have enjoyed them all…This one is no exception, though I have to say that there were some things that did bother me.

Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) by Avon Gale

Title: Breakaway
Author: Avon Gale
Series: Scoring Chances #1
Genre(s): Gay Sports Romance
Page Count:  240 pages
Published: November 27th, 2015
Rating: 3 stars

 

I love hockey-themed books, but for some reason, I had a hard time getting into this one. 

Lane is a 20-year-old hockey player who has just started playing on a new team. Jared is a 31-year-old hockey player, almost reaching the end of his career. They play for rival teams.

I actually liked Lane’s awkwardness, he was pretty funny…just saying what was in his head all the time. He isn’t good at the whole “feelings” thing and his social skills are quite lacking. Which has caused some problems with his team-mates.