#BookReview Return to You by Samantha Chase

This romance novel is a fun page turner that I couldn’t put down! Return to You follows James Mongomery and Selena Ainsley as they slowly reconnect with each other. The two have a dramatic past that is slowly revealed throughout the novel, instead of most novels where it is all delivered up front. This wonderful idea by Samantha Chase gives the novel a little extra boost in making the novel more interesting. As a reader, it made me want to continue reading and discovering what happened to James and Selena in their past as it is explained and revealed chapter by chapter.

The novel focuses on the present day and how James and Selena learn about how their view of events is very different from each other. Their relationship and circumstances seem very realistic, and well thought out. I didn’t see any of the characters being over exaggerated or boring. The characters are an amazing aspect of the novel!

The plot line is also intriguing, but could have used a bit more action or drama. I found the plot line to be very predictable and obvious as the novel went on, and even made some of the chapters slow and boring. Once I was past those chapters, I became instantly interested in it again.

Overall, I felt like a little more action and drama could have been added, but it was a good quality book. The novel moved smoothly and kept me interested!

Four out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

What is your favourite romance novel series? Comment below!
Did you enjoy this review? Why not check out another you might enjoy? #BookReview Alejandro’s Sexy Secret by Amy Ruttan

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#BookReview Something Like Love by Sara Richardson

It’s quick book review time again!!

Something Like Love was an excellent romance/drama novel!

I loved this book! Lately I have been craving a good romance novel, and this filled the void! Sara Richardson did an excellent job writing this book!

I very rarely found it boring. I can’t remember a time reading it where I felt the need to put it down. While it didn’t have me hooked at every single word, I craved to continue the story and know what was going to happen to Paige and Ben.

The novel moves smoothly and doesn’t have any chapters that seem out of place. All of the situations seem realistic and not like a cheesy soap opera. It was a good quality romance novel!

Overall, I loved it! I want to read the first novel in this series and continue on with the rest of the books.

Five out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

What is your favourite romance novel? Comment below!
Did you enjoy this book review? Read another one you might enjoy! #BookReview Seduction on the Slopes (SIG #2) by Tamsen Parker

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#BookReview The Longing by Wendy Lindstrom

The Longing was a beautiful historical romance novel that kept me wanting more!

The novel follows a marriage of convenience between Kyle Grayson and the beautiful Amelia. When they find themselves married and unsure of where they romance would go, drama ensues.

Not only does this book follow the romance, but it follows a bit of woodworking business as well! This novel is great for anyone who loves a good romance that is not just purely romance, but wants an emotional ride.

This book is part of a series, so I found some of the references confusing. But, you do not need to read the rest of the series to fully understand the book. Wendy Lindstrom does a good job feeding in the information you need to know as it comes. If you have read the series, some of the plot twists will probably be easier to predict, but it’s not a major problem in the book.

I found the book to be a little slow, but I am used to fast paced romance in fast paced genres. It’s a slow read, but it’s emotional and dramatic, which helps this slow plot develop.

I would definitely read the rest of the series after picking up this book! I saw no major plot errors and the character development is drawn out well over the novel. Fantastic novel!

I rate this four out of five stars because of the slow moving plot. It does not hinder the story, but it makes it harder to stick to the book. If anything, that would be the only potential problem I can knick-pick about!

This book would be great for anyone who loves: historical romance, romance in general, emotional and dramatic reads (such as The Fault in Our Stars – but in an adult genre instead of YA), and historical fiction in general.

Four out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

What is your favourite historical romance book? Comment below!
If you loved this book, then I highly suggest this book: #BookReview The Proper Proposal (A Regency Romance) by Sophy Hester

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#BookReview Love Revisited by Jannat Bhat

 

Love REVISITED is a beautifully written, new adult novel by Jannat Bhat.

This is Jannat’s FIRST book. That had me extremely excited, because that is such an accomplishment!

Now time for a brief summary:

Rose is a recent college graduate when suddenly her life gets uprooted with a move to Washington. She has to leave her life and friends behind and start a new journey! In this new city, there’s a bit of a thrill and mystery in the air. Rose begins having nightmares about Ruby, a name she used to demand she be called as a child. On top of that, Christopher and Alex seem so familiar… The thrills, chills, fantasy, mystery and romance in this novel will twirl you around and keep you hanging on the edge.

Some of the plot line was predictable, or just happens at the perfect timing. Like a psychiatrist, out of nowhere, asking if Rose loves a man in her dreams. There was no talk between them about this type of relationship between those characters, but it just pops up at the perfect time to keep the plot moving. I also found the story lacked some realism at times (I know it’s fictional, but it felt like it was supposed to be in a realistic universe) such as a psychiatrist looking with troubled eyes at a patient or believing in reincarnation (and suggesting it during an appointment). Additionally, a rushed romance where suddenly they are boyfriend and girlfriend, but it didn’t seem to be said to anyone until it randomly happens. As an adult reader, I notice that a lot more. I don’t think the Young Adult audience would have any issue believing those comments.

That being said, the drama was turned all the way up to high. For me, I don’t like too much drama (unless it’s a soap opera), so for me it felt cheesey. If you LOVE excessive drama – this book is perfect for you! The twists and turns felt like the soap operas I tend to watch (it’s a guilty pleasure of mine) and can easily be enjoyed! It felt so dramatic, like Romeo and Juliet in a present day scenario (with a few minor changes, of course). I really do praise Jannat for the constant drama that moves the plot at a nice pace. Some authors can’t find the balance, but Jannat had me hooked at every turn!

The book was labelled new adult, but I think young adult readers could easily pick it up as well. The age group of the characters are college graduates, but high school readers could also read this book and enjoy it. A lot of the quick romance and drama felt like the Young Adult novels I picked up back in high school. So, in my opinion, this book could work well for either Young Adult or New Adult audiences. I would even consider market it to a Young Adult audience, because it felt so right for both audiences!

Also, when considering a genre shelf to put this on – it could be in either a romance or thriller section. It had a nice mix of both to keep the story interesting, but was only labelled as New Adult when I read it. While it was a fictional novel, it had lots of romance scenes and thrilling twists inside it’s pages. There’s also a pinch of fantasy in this novel, but not enough to give it that label.

The writing style and my reading style did not match well, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great book though! I also found the grammatical style to be different than one I am used to, so it took me a while to let myself escape into the book and let myself enjoy it instead of trying to pick it to pieces (I’m a perfectionist, I really can’t help it).

There is switching point of views in this novel. It happens later on in the book, but it’s still there! We follow Rose and Alex throughout their journey, with Rose having more chapters than Alex.

Overall, this book was a fun, dramatic read that will definitely resonate with readers who love thrillers, a splash of fantasy, and Romeo and Juliet-esque romance.

Three out of five stars!

I received a free copy of this book from the author Jannat Bhat in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Love Revisited:

Rose Scarlet is your everyday girl just finishing college with her best friends Will & Aimee. But when she suddenly moves all the way across the country to a small town called Beacon Hill, normal was a thing of the past, for the city felt eerily familiar to her. How could she end up at the local park without directions when this was the first time she had step foot into town? How will she explain her irrational fears or feelings so strong for someone who is practically a stranger or is he?What was the story behind the burnt house? She felt like her heart wanted to cry every time she was near it.
And who was Alexander Sinclair? She could see that he was disturbingly beautiful, but how did she know things he had revealed to no one? Why had she seen his face in her dreams before ever laying eyes on him? A thousand more questions haunted her as she found the answers to none. Not until charming and handsome Nathan Sinclair walks into her life, whom she hated on sight.
Sometimes when something we love is so brutally taken away from us, our soul remembers what our mind is too afraid to.

Check out this book on:

Goodreads: Love Revisited – Goodreads

Amazon.com: Love Revisited – Amazon.com

Amazon.ca: Love Revisited – Amazon.ca

 

Find out more about Jannat Bhat on Goodreads: Jannat Bhat on Goodreads

Or her blog spot! Jannat Bhat on Blog Spot

 

Give us both a shout out on Twitter! @JannatBhat & @ReviewAlholic

#BookReview Second Guessing by Gail Ward Olmsted

 

Second Guessing by Gail Ward Olmsted is a lovely sequel to Guessing at Normal that shouldn’t be missed!

I thought this book was a fantastic addition to this series – this time with Jill falling for Ben (a much younger guy). It was a nice twist on the story of older woman, younger man with lots of sweet romance scenes in between the dramatic bits. Add in another boy band, Lynsey and teenage drama with Jill’s daughter Carly and you’ve got a soap opera-esque women’s fiction novel!

One thing that really hit me was that Carly accurately described how I feel about the loss of my own Father. Sometimes you forget they are gone, or you just forget – it’s tough! I totally bonded with Carly over feeling like everything is okay, and then one day you wake up and realize (again) that he’s gone. It was right on the nose!

I also really enjoyed the final newspaper/magazine articles that worked better than an epilogue (if I’m being honest). It was a nice change and was a fun glimpse into life right after the novel finishes.

One ‘con’ for this book was that having the names of actual recent bands and singers could potentially age the story. It wasn’t a bad thing to have, because right now it’s recent and makes sense. But for me, thinking about this book ending up in someone’s hand in the future… will they know Maroon 5 or Nick Jonas? Will they be just as big then as they were now? The rest of this story felt like it could have aged well (maybe not the texting, but who knows where that will go in the future), but the name dropping of recent bands worries me. Older bands I can understand (I mean, they have become legends) but will those recent singers and bands be legends? That’s more of a psychological question I had about this book that didn’t ruin it by any means.

This was by no means an R rated novel – it’s a fun, sweet yet sassy PG-13 novel. I could easily see teenagers going into this book even if it is intended to be read by adults.

Overall, this book was another fun women’s fiction novel packed with romance and drama. Gail Ward Olmsted has hit it out of the park with another sweet hit! I highly recommend this novel to those who want romance (but no erotica), women’s fiction or some soap opera-esque story lines.

Four out of five stars!

I received a free copy of this novel from the author Gail Ward Olmsted in exchange for an honest review.

 

Check out this novel, Second Guessing, on:

Goodreads: Goodreads – Second Guessing

Amazon.com: Amazon.com – Second Guessing

Amazon.ca: Amazon.ca – Second Guessing

 

Check out Guessing at Normal (the first book!) on Amazon:

Amazon.com: Amazon.com – Guessing at Normal

Amazon.ca : Amazon.ca – Guessing at Normal

 

Find out more about Gail Ward Olmsted on:

Her website: http://www.gailolmsted.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gwolmsted

 

Comment below – what is your favourite romance novel?

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#BookReviews Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi

Girls that Growl by Mari Mancusi is a great addition to the Blood Coven Vampires series.

This book continues this series in an excellent manner all the while expanding the universe even farther. Our lead, Rayne, grows as a character which is a nice change compared to many YA novels where our leads stay the same throughout the entire series.

Mari explores lycan within this book alongside Rayne’s character development. While this isn’t my favourite book out of the entire series (this is actually my least favourite, when I look back at all the books – including the new one), I feel like this book does it’s job – it moves the story forward so we can get to the next novels. Don’t be turned away by this book – yes, it’s not as great as the last two books but the following books get much, much better than this one. There always seems to be one book in a series that isn’t as great as the rest (there has to be, not all books can be perfect) and this book is it in this series. The previous and following books are definitely worth reading this book so you can get to all the adventure and romance we love.

There is more Sunny in this book, but the main focus is Rayne. It’s nice to see both girls have a bigger presence in this book!! There is also a bit more exploration of Jareth, for those who love him…

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Re-reading it was an excellent choice for me and I definitely suggest picking this book up!!

Five out of five stars.

 

Check out Mari on Goodreads! Mari Mancusi on Goodreads

Or visit her site: Mari Mancusi’s Website

Tell Mari you read her book on twitter:  @MariMancusi

Did you enjoy the Blood Coven series? Well, it has it’s own website!! Blood Covens Series by Mari Mancusi

Find me on Goodreads, where you can get up to date posts as soon as available: Briar’s Reviews on Goodreads

Or swing by Twitter and give me a shout out!! Briar’s Reviews on Twitter

#BookReview Jeep Tour by Gail Ward Olmsted

 

Jeep Tour is another stunning women’s fiction novel by Gail Ward Olmsted.

Seriously, this lady KNOWS what I’m feeling and thinking! Just the quote alone “A series of unrelated and seemingly random events that can singularly cause stress and anxiety” is my life right now – college, working, life, EVERYTHING! Within this sweet, women’s fiction are words of wisdom I never would have appreciated until I became an adult and finally understood what “adulting” meant! The metaphor comparing whack-a-mole made it even better, to be brutally honest. That’s is how life feels sometime!

This novel is the first in the “series”, but like the rebel I am – I read Jackie’s daughter’s story first! So, it was only necessary to read Jackie’s story as well! The two books can easily be read apart, but if you want a little more sanity and understanding, reading them in order would be helpful. I do have to say, you can tell that Gail has improved in her writing (not that she was bad to begin with, but you can see the growth and I LOVE when that happens! I’m a nerdy little birdie for seeing authors grow and change into sophisticated and more talented authors!).

Now, back to the story!

Middle-aged Jackie is divorced from her husband and decided to go on an adventure and hop on a Jeep Tour. She ended up meeting uber sexy tour guide Rick, and he gave her his number! Rick is young, hot, and flirty!

I related to Jackie in many ways – troubles with her job, a “Linda” in their life, troubles with relationship and wanting to just run away. But the one thing I really liked about Jackie was her ridiculous sense of humor! “Waa-mbulance” was one of the best comments I’ve ever seen, and I will definitely be entering that into my verbal thesaurus for the next time life gets tough. The accounting metaphors also had me chuckling, since I’ve taken some accounting classes (and the comments really fit how I see some of my accounting friends…).

Even the relationships in this novel felt real, which was shocking! I don’t know many people who got divorced and started sleeping with their ex when the papers were signed, but Gail made me feel like I did! I felt like Jackie and Robbie could have been my neighbors or friends of mine! It was weird, but incredible. But that’s raw talent for you! Although, sometimes I felt like this relationship was a little bit… tumultuous, or not healthy. Knowing the contents of the second book made me feel better about it, but there was still this ache in the back of my head going “NOOOO JACKIE NOOOO YOU DESERVE BETTER – NICE GUY AND GOOD SEX! YOU CAN HAVE BOTH! DON’T SETTLE FOR ONE!”

The journey Jackie embarks on is definitely a beautiful story. The ups, the downs and everything in between will make you feel! It was a beautiful story to sit down, admire the summer air and fall into. It was a relaxing read, something that women’s fiction definitely needs!

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a soft, simple read with a little splash of drama and romance. It’s a PG rated, flirty and fun book that will whisk you away into the life of a of truly incredible character. It’s a must read that will be added to my shelf!

Five out of five stars!

I received a free copy from the author Gail Ward Olmsted in exchange for an honest review.

 

Check out this book on:

Goodreads: Goodreads – Jeep Tour

Amazon.com – Amazon.com – Jeep Tour

Amazon.ca – Amazon.ca – Jeep Tour

 

 

Check out the sequel with Jackie, Robbie and their daughter in Driving on the Left!

Goodreads – Goodreads – Driving on the Left

Amazon.com – Amazon.com – Driving on the Left

Amazon.ca – Amazon.ca – Driving on the Left

 

Find out more about Gail Ward Olmsted on her website: http://www.gailolmsted.com/

Or give us both a shout out on Twitter! @GWOlmsted & @ReviewAlholic

 

Comment below – have you read any novels by Gail Ward Olmsted?