Tag: four-potatoes

The Sweet Talker (Boston Hawks Hockey #1) by Gina Azzi

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I’ve sworn off hockey players. Until the pregnancy test turns pink.

Noah Scotch is revered in Boston, a veritable god on the ice. I’m a nerdy, newly minted college professor who would rather color code my planner than hit the club scene. Noah shouldn’t look at me twice but when he does, I falter.

Who can blame me?

The sweet talker with the deliciously chiseled abs and sinful chocolate eyes is a force. On and off the ice. One hot and intense night with Noah has me second guessing my lack of a dating life.

Friends with benefits? He offers, I dive in headfirst. Growing up in a hockey family, I know better than to get serious with a player.

But the more time I spend getting to know Noah, the more my intention to keep things casual rings false.

Now, I’ve got a hopeful heart and a baby on the way.

I just need to tell Noah. But when I do, will I end up with everything I never knew I wanted? Or on my own?

Book: The Sweet Talker (Boston Hawks Hockey #1) by Gina Azzi
Published: January 21, 2021
Pages: 228
Genres: Romance, Athlete Hero, Famous Hero
Format: Kindle
Date Read: January 30-31st, 2023
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I truly enjoyed this book! I love the family dynamics and how close everyone was!

I absolutely loved Noah, our hockey player with a heart of gold. I loved how well him and Indy fit together. She is absolutely perfect for him – not enamored with the glitz and glamor of being famous and she had her own life completely outside of him. They complimented each other so well. I loved how strong of a character Indy was; she had her own goals and wasn’t going to let Noah get in the way of that.

My only wish is that this book was even longer, I would have loved to have seen more moments between Noah and Indy; maybe even an epilogue showing their life a year or two into the future.

Meant To Be (Sweetbriar Cove 1) by Melody Grace

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Poppy Somerville believes in happily-ever-after. It’s the reason her romance novels have won devoted readers all over the world—and why she’s broken off her engagement just weeks before the wedding instead of settling for less than true love. Escaping to her aunt’s beach cottage in Sweetbriar Cove, Poppy is looking for inspiration to end her writer’s block and finish her new book. She just wasn’t counting on the handsome, gruff contractor making such a racket next door…

Cooper Nicholson doesn’t believe in soul-mates. He thought he’d found his forever once, and the world proved him wrong, so when the cute brunette comes storming over and demands he keep the noise down, romance is the last thing on his mind. But his new neighbor is full of surprises, and soon, their chemistry is too hot to ignore.

As they grow closer, they discover fiction has nothing on the plot twists life has in store. But will Cooper find a way to let go of the past and risk his heart again? And can Poppy find her happy ending — on and off the page?

Book: Meant To Be (Sweetbriar Cove 1) by Melody Grace
Published: February 24, 2017
Pages: 292
Genres: Romance, Freebie On Amazon
Format: Kindle
Date Read: December 12-13, 2021
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

“Sharing something real, revealing your heart… that always matters, whether its for a week or a year.”

I absolutely love books set in small towns where everyone is considered family so I knew I would enjoy Sweetbriar Cove.

I loved how strong our heroine, Poppy, was from the first few pages. It could not have been easy to break up with her fiance, knowing they were settling for each other and both deserved more. It was very courageous of her.

Cooper…oh Cooper. I enjoyed his character from the first scene he was in! He had absolutely no self esteem when it came to love but was such a gentleman and truly tried to help Poppy with her writing struggles.

I didn’t care for the misunderstandings and childish decisions between the hero and heroine after getting together but I can understand why they would do the things they did, based on their pasts.

I read this book in the span of a few hours and truly enjoyed it. I would have liked a longer epilogue or more chapters of the hero and heroine after they got together. We didn’t get much and I would have liked to see more of the day to day and how things are working out for then.

If given the opportunity, I will definitely look into the rest of the books in the series.

Mystery Man (Dream Man 1) by Kristen Ashley

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Night time is the right time…

Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams. He’s hot, he’s sexy, and what started as a no-names-exchanged night of passion has blossomed into a year and a half-long pleasure fest. Sure, it’s a little strange that he only appears in her bed at night, but Gwen is so sure he’s the one, she just can’t turn him away…

Hawk Delgado knows more about Gwen than she could ever imagine. She’s gorgeous, headstrong, and skittish about relationships. But Hawk is facing his own demons, demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. Yet when Gwen is drawn into Denver’s lethal underground scene, Hawk’s protective nature comes out full force. The problem is, when Gwen gets a dose of Hawk’s Alpha attitude in the daylight, she’s not so sure he’s the one anymore…

Book: Mystery Man (Dream Man 1) by Kristen Ashley
Published: July 11, 2011
Pages: 494
Genres: Romance, Erotica, Sexy Alpha Male, Series
Format: Kindle
Date Read: January 31-February 4, 2021
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I have read at least a half a dozen of Kristen Ashley’s books and I always enjoy them. In fact, one of my favorite books to reread over and over is one of hers!

Mystery Man had me hooked from the get go and I truly enjoyed it. I thought the characters were very realistic and I loved each of their different personalities.

I find myself going back and forth with how I feel about the heroine, Gwen. She is a very wishy washy character. I completely understand why she is that way and the way she is portrayed is very realistic but it drove me nuts to read! I found myself yelling at her and rolling my eyes over and over.

Hawk. Cabe. Whatever you prefer to call his character, he was one I enjoyed a lot. For the most part, once he decided he wanted more with Gwen, he jumped right in and I loved that about him.

Bax, Meredith, Gwens friends, Mitch, Dog, Tack; I loved all of the other characters and would truly enjoy reading more about them.

I throughly enjoyed the ending of this book so much. I’m a sucker for a happy ending and I was so impressed with how well this author wrapped everything up! I feel like this book was closer to a 4.5 rating but Gwen drove me nuts so much that I’m keeping it at a 4.

Shatter Me (The Jaded 1) by Alex Grayson

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Pain.

That’s a word Bailey Winsor knows well, having endured it since she was a child from the people who were supposed to protect her. Just when her life appears normal, something Bailey has never experienced, she meets a man and falls in love.

Love can be deceiving.

Bailey jumps from the frying pan that was her childhood into the burning bowels of hell, which is her sick and twisted husband. It’s hopeless. Suffering more years of abuse, Bailey eventually realizes she has no choice but to run.

Forced to stop in a small town in Ohio, Bailey encounters a town full of people that welcome her with open arms, especially Jaxon Walker, the tattooed and pierced local bar owner. Bailey has secrets she’s unwilling to reveal. Jaxon senses her fear and refuses to give up trying to discover them.

Will Bailey be brave enough and learn to trust Jaxon with her deepest secrets? Will Jaxon be strong enough to protect Bailey when her past comes knocking at her door?

Book: Shatter Me (The Jaded 1) by Alex Grayson 
Published: January 12, 2015
Pages: 241
Genres: Romance, Abuse, Tattoos/Piercings, Freebie on Amazon
Format: Kindle
Date Read: January 20-21, 2021
Rating: 4 Potatoes! 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I’m still crying big, fat, ugly tears as I write this. This book had me feeling allllll the feels- anger, sympathy, laughter, joy, heartbreak, and the list goes on. This book pulled me in, chewed me up in every way and spit me back out again.

I love the characters in the small town of Jaded Hallow! I love how everyone just banded together and was there for one another.

One of my wishes for this book was that there was a little more time for Jaxon and Bailey to build up the trust between them before they got into a relationship. I know time passed and they grew closer but I would have liked to see more of those moments instead of them being glossed over.

Jaxon, Jaxon, Jaxon… he is definitely ranking up there on my book boyfriend list! I love how truly kind he was and how he thought nothing of helping a stranger in need. It made him all the more sexy.

Bailey was a strong heroine, even though she didn’t believe she was. It takes an enormous amount of strength to leave an abusive relationship. There are so many that never get enough courage to do so!

The ending of this book destroyed me in more ways than one. I don’t want to spoil anything but the death of a character I loved gutted me. And I really didn’t like the way the characters death was handled in the book by the other characters at all. It might just be my opinion but the aftermath of the characters death didn’t seem realistic.

The epilogue, Jax and Bailey’s happily ever after, had my tears turning to happy ones. Those two more than deserved it!

I would recommend reading this book but beware- the abuse scenes in this book are not for the faint of the heart and are pretty graphic.

Dirty Like Me (Dirty 1) by Jaine Diamond

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A gorgeous rock star.
An indecent proposal.
How can a girl resist?

Struggling barista Katie Bloom doesn’t even know who Jesse Mayes is until she inadvertently wins the coveted role of sex kitten in his hot new music video. But by the time she’s in bed with him, she knows his reputation.

Love maker. Heartbreaker.

Making out with a stranger in front of a camera crew isn’t how Katie imagined herself getting over a broken heart, but when Jesse touches her, sparks fly. The sex is fake but the chemistry is real, and soon the steamy video is blazing up the charts.

Then Jesse makes Katie an irresistible offer: act as his girlfriend for six weeks while he promotes his new album. The only catch? Their sizzling make-out sessions will be for the cameras only.

Which is fine with Katie, since she’s not about to trust her heart to rock’s most legendary lover. Her body? Maybe…

Book: Dirty Like Me (Dirty 1) by Jaine Diamond
Published: November 2, 2016
Pages: 404
Genres: Romance, Musician, Famous Hero, Tattoos/Piercings, Erotica
Format: Kindle
Date Read: January 17-19, 2021
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I really enjoyed this book and the characters in it. One thing I wished for, and its the main reason this is not rated 5 Potatoes, is because the characters weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked. We barely got to know Jesse and Katie and we know next to nothing about the secondary characters. I wanted to know more about everyone!

The character of Jesse was very hot. I love that, as famous as he was, he wasn’t a jerk about it and didn’t make Katie feel inferior for not being famous. He was strong when he had to be but also sensitive and kind too.

Katie’s characters was also fun for me to read. I like that she was always aware of how she really felt and what she was doing. She wasn’t in denial or pretending to be something she wasn’t. She was true to herself and I loved her for it. I also loved that, in the end, she fought for Jesse and I enjoyed reading the way she went about trying to prove her love.

I did not care for how the book ended. The epilogue did not wrap up the story, it was the beginning of the next book about Jessa to get you interested in it. While I did enjoy reading a bit about the her in the eplilogue since she wasn’t in the book much, I would have preferred the eplilogue to be about Jesse and Katie. I needed more, I wanted more and I felt like the ending wasn’t as wrapped up as I would have liked without it being about Jesse and Katie.

This book was still a great read! I might check out some of the other books in the series.

Lost and Found (Love in New York #1) by Elle Casey

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Sometimes engagement rings can get lost and then found. Sometimes people can too. All it takes is a heavy-duty dose of karma and the magic of Manhattan to make it all come together.

Leah is a financially destitute new age hippy. James is a wealthy surgeon with a trust fund. She’s awkward, he’s poised. She’s completely crazy, he’s way too sane. People might say they have nothing in common, but they’d be wrong. They both live in Manhattan, they both have no idea how to change a baby diaper, and they’re both lost … until they find one another.

Book: Lost and Found (Love in New York #1) by Elle Casey
Published: December 25th, 2014
Pages: 401
Genres: Romance, Freebie on Amazon
Format: Kindle
Date Read: November 12th-13th, 2018
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

First of all, I just want to say I love how some books just come together so perfectly that everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. This book was definitely one of those!

I loved both James and Leah – so different and imperfect but fate kept intervening and bringing them together. I loved reading every page of this book, truly.

I have nothing but good things to say about this book – the characters were perfectly flawed, I loved the secondary characters as well! I just loved everything about this book from cover to cover.

The Air He Breathes (Elements #1) by Brittainy Cherry

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I was warned about Tristan Cole. “Stay away from him,” people said. “He’s cruel.” “He’s cold.” “He’s damaged.”

It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster. But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him, because it also lived inside of me.

We were both empty. We were both looking for something else. Something more. We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays. Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.

Book: The Air He Breathes (Elements #1) by Brittainy Cherry
Published: September 25th, 2015
Pages: 308
Genres: Romance, New Adult
Format: Kindle
Date Read: September 29-October 2, 2017
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

He gestured toward the house. “Hold her tight each day and night, because nothing’s promised to us. I just wished I would’ve held on tighter.”

Okay, now that I’ve finished bawling my eyes out until there are no tears left to shed…

I don’t recall ever reading a book that has made me cry as often as this one did. And oh boy did it pull on my heart strings! Giving birth to my son 5 months could be helping to influence my emotions, but maybe not.

This book was such a great read from start to finish. I truly didn’t want to put it down! I loved Tristan and Elizabeth, they fit together so perfectly. Two characters who were completely broken and just needed someone to help pull them out of the fog they were living in – they just made sense together. And we can’t forget about Elizabeth’s best friend Faye! Oh how I loved reading about that quirkly, foul-mouthed woman!

You know that place in between nightmares and dreams? The place where tomorrows never come and yesterdays don’t hurt anymore? The place where your heart beats in sync with mine? The place where time doesn’t exist, and it’s easy to breathe? I want to live there with you. –TC

This book had so many powerful messages but I feel like the main one is – live life to the fullest because tomorrow is never promised. And it’s absolutely true. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice romance that will have you reaching for the tissues faster than you can say Tristan!

My Stepbrother, My Lover (My Stepbrother, My Lover #1) by Alice Ward

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I should have known better.

The moment Jackson Montgomery III showed up for his tutoring session, I knew he was trouble, but I ignored my intuition.

Soon, I couldn’t get my mind off him and he had no trouble letting me know that he wanted more than lessons from me.

The only problem was, he was the heir to a family fortune and I was the product of a single, feminist mother and working to supplement my financial aid at Harvard.

We shouldn’t have been together, but I’m proof that opposites attract and I was definitely attracted to him and wanted him in a bad way.

Temptation weakened my resolve and I ended up having the most erotic night of my life with Jackson, but by the next afternoon everything took a turn for the worst.

The sexy frat boy that just rocked my world was in his ex’s arms and I was devastated.

Then, a surprise engagement announcement from my mother revealed yet another unbelievable turn of events.

Book: My Stepbrother, My Lover (My Stepbrother, My Lover #1) by Alice Ward
Published: May 4th, 2015
Pages: 440
Genres: Romance, New Adult, Freebie On Amazon
Format: Kindle
Date Read: September 11th, 2017
Rating: 4.5 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I don’t usually read this type of books (step-siblings falling in love) since its tpyically taboo for me, for some reason. However, I thought this was very tastefully done. I loved the relationship between Kennedy and her mother and that they both only wanted the other to be happy. And I loved Kennedy and Jackson’s relationship once they actually got together. I understand Kennedy’s reasonings for fighting true love but when you know, you know. Like other reviewers, I really wanted to hit her over the head with this book to get her to wake up and see what was right in front of her!

I also loved a lot of the secondary characters as well. But, Lauren was definitely a favorite of mine – I love that our heroine had such a loyal best friend. I would love to read a book about Lauren in the future!

Check this book out, definitely worth the read!

Winning Streak (The Beasts of Baseball #4) by Alice Ward

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Fake Girlfriend… Fake Fiancée… Real Altar

I have two passions in life — baseball and women.

But in four years, I’ll be forced to take over my family’s billion-dollar company, and they expect me to start acting like it. That means I’ll have to bring home a woman. Any woman.

What I didn’t count on was being blindsided by freckles, sunshine, and an ass so fine it makes me harder than my baseball bat.

Before I know it, Eliana Anderson goes from fake girlfriend, to fake fiancée, to an altar that’s all too real… I don’t even know how it happened. And all just to make my family happy!

She came into my world like a wrecking ball, but now I want to make her my home run.

I just never expected the virtual bomb that was about to go off and shatter our entire world.

Book: Winning Streak (The Beasts of Baseball #4) by Alice Ward
Published: March 4th, 2017
Pages: 370
Genres: Romance, Athlete, Erotica
Format: Kindle
Date Read: August 15 – September 11, 2017
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I loved this book, truly, and I enjoyed the main characters – Eliana and Kane. I thought they were so well suited for each other. And once I was able to sit down and have time to read and enjoy this book I did not want to put it down!

I like what Eliana and Kane were about and its nice to to see two very flawed characters come together and naturally fall in love. I hope the author references this couple in other books, I’d like to see what happens to them in the future!

My only reason for giving it 4 stars is that the book just abruptly ends. Things are coming to a head and we know something big is going to happen and then all of a sudden everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow and the book is finished so quickly it almost gave me whiplash. Everything was so perfectly paced and done so well and then everything just stops. I wish the end would have been fleshed out a lot more.

Escorting the Billionaire (The Escort Collection 1) by Leigh James

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When billionaire mogul James Preston hires an escort as a date for his brother’s wedding, he knows he’s taking a risk. One thing he won’t be taking? The escort’s clothes off. He just wants a date–not a girlfriend. Not a relationship. No strings. No ties. No games. No sex. He has his reasons. He lost someone he loved, and isn’t interested in trying again. Too many opportunities for mistakes or worse, heartbreak.

Audrey Reynolds became a high-end escort to keep her brother in his expensive group home. James Preston is the client of her dreams–he’s offering to pay her more money for two weeks than she’s ever made before. But James is…difficult. He’s gorgeous, troubled and all too human for Audrey’s business-like tastes. Determined to complete her assignment and collect the money, Audrey tries to play by James’s rules. But before she knows what’s happening, he’s rewriting the contract.

When Audrey ends up in James’s bed, he realizes that she’s everything he’s wanted…and everything he’s been running from.

Book: Escorting the Billionaire (The Escort Collection 1) by Leigh James
Published: September 2015
Pages: 300
Genres: Romance, Freebie on Amazon
Format: Kindle
Date Read: January 28-February 3, 2017
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I don’t really have much to say about this book since it was a really enjoyable read but there was nothing about it that stood out to make it a 5 star book. I truly enjoyed the characters, the storyline, and everything about it. The story was fast paced but didn’t gloss over anything and it didn’t dawdle at any point.

My only reason for giving it 4 stars is because it definitely could have been longer and certain events and parts of the characters could be more fleshed out. Or at least that’s how I feel.

I loved the dynamic between James and Audrey and how they just meshed together so perfectly. They were definitely made for each other!

I’m sure I’ll be checking out the rest of the series!