When I received an review request of ‘The Italian Heartthrob’ I found myself really curious about this read. I hadn’t heard about this author before, and since I love romance novels I definitely wanted to give this one a shot. In ‘The Italian Heartthrob’ we read the story of Maggie and Mike. Maggie and Mike have ...KEEP READING »
A little while ago I read about ‘The Simple Wild’ on another book blog. They were so enthusiastic about this book, I couldn’t resist and got myself a copy from some GC money I had left. There was something about this book that really made me want to read it, and although I needed to read another ARC, I couldn’t wait any longer and started reading.
In ‘The Simple Wild’ we meet twenty six year old Calla Fletcher. Calla is living with her mom and her stepdad in Toronto. Her life is busy and filled with friends and family. But there is one thing she misses: her father. When Calla was two years, her mom left with Calla from Alaska to Toronto. Her mom simple couldn’t handle life in the Alaskan wild. She left Calla’s dad Wren behind and Calla has never seen him again. When she receives a phone call telling her, her dad is sick, she decides to go back to Alaska and the life she left more than two decades ago. Life is very different in Alaska. Calla has to get used to a lot of new things. And she doesn’t only have to get used to trying to get to know her own dad, but there is also another pilot called Jonah who seems to hate her from the start. But there is something about Jonah that makes Calla feels things, she really shouldn’t.
Wow. I just.. I mean wow! ‘The Simple Wild’ was such a great read! I loved it so much. From the moment I started reading, till the very moment I finished it at 1.00 a.m. in the morning. I simple couldn’t get enough of this read. ‘The Simple Wild’ was such an emotional read, that really made me feel all kinds of things. It was romantic, really funny, thrilling, touching and also sad. I definitely cried my eyes out in the end.
I haven’t talked or seen my own dad in more than fifteen years, so this story spoke to me in a lot of ways. And it made me sad, but it also really made me feel like I was a part of this story. And although my story is very different than Calla’s story, I felt like I could really connect with her, and I understood her pain for the most part. I could easily forget I was sitting in my own living room, and I was in Alaska with Calla.
Calla’s character was definitely fun. In the beginning she seemed a little shallow. Still living at home at twenty six, used to wearing a lot of make-up, got a boyfriend she isn’t really in love with and life just seems to go smoothly for her. But when Calla arrives in Alaska, where things as Starbucks and one day delivery services are unknown, she really has to take some time to get used to these new things.
Jonah’s character is just very mysterious and I totally loved him from the start. The interactions between him and Calla are really funny and I definitely liked these two. Reading about Calla and Jonah definitely gave me the butterflies, and even now.. 24 hours after finishing the book I still think about them a lot. I loved them so much.
‘The Simple Wild’ was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2020 so far. It was so good and touching and just perfect. I wouldn’t have changed one thing about it. And now I know there is a book two I can’t wait to dive into that one too.
I’ve been a huge Carrie Elks fan for a while now. I just love her books so much. So when I received an email about her new upcoming book, the first one in a brand new series, I got super excited and couldn’t wait to start reading.
‘Take Me Home’ is the story of Gray Hartson. Gray is a famous rock star who left his small home town of Hartson’s Creek a decade ago without looking back. Gray won Grammy’s, has been on many tours and has a beautiful home in L.A. But now it’s time to go back home and be with his family. But being a famous singer in a small town takes some getting used too. So when Gray meets this beautiful girl Maddie Clark in a diner, who treats him like he is just a normal guy, he is immediately attracted to her. But she also seems slightly familiar.
If you’ve been on Maureen’s Books before, you know that I really like romance novels and small towns. And this book simple was perfect in that aspect. From the moment I started reading ‘Take Me Home’, I was hooked. I started reading in the evening, and finished reading it the next morning before work (and my job start at 7.30 a.m., so I had to get up early). It was just that good.
The setting of Hartson’s Creek really was the way I like it. A small town, a lot of gossip, a little diner, a unique tradition, fun characters.. I loved it! I was picturing me walking through Hartson’s Creek right from the start. And before I knew it, I felt like I knew this town and its population for real.
The two main characters Gray and Maddie where really fun to read about. And their chemistry was flying of these pages from the start. Although Gray is a Rockstar, and definitely has lived as one, he is also just a normal guy who loves music. I loved how kind he was and how hard he seemed to work for his music. And his stubbornness also was very fun. I could easily picture him sitting with his father arguing because they were both so stubborn.
Maddie’s character has this ‘girl-next-door’ vibe, and she was very easy to like. She was funny, caring and definitely a girl I’d like to hang around with. Maddie really tries to take care of everyone, and sometimes even at her own cost. Match these two together, and let me tell you sparks are flying.
The romance between Gray and Maddie was really good. Right from the start it gave me all the butterflies. The way they meet, the way they get to know each other better.. It was really good and I couldn’t get enough of them.
‘Take Me Home’ is the first book in the Heartbreak brothers series and I can’t wait to read more. Especially after reading about the Hartson’s brothers in this book. Really, the anticipation is killing me! LOL!!
Nikki Sloane is one of those authors I’ve been willing to read a book from for a long time. It just didn’t happen! So this time, when I got approved to read an ARC of ‘The Redemption’, I got super excited and couldn’t wait to start reading.
In ‘The Redemption’ we meet Sophia. Sophia is twenty six years old and grew up desperate for attention of the people who should have given it to her unconditional. This made her learn how to observe and make people tell her stuff. Now, Sophia knows a lot of secrets. And this time she wants to use her knowledge to help Macalister Hale get back to the powerful man he was. Macalister is twice Sophia’s age, but there is a chemistry between the two of them, that is hard to deny. And even harder to resist.
For the most part I really enjoyed this read. I loved getting to know Sophia’s character. She was fun, tough, hardworking and I definitely liked the way she was able to stand up to people. Since I didn’t know Macalister from the previous books, I was totally neutral to his character in the beginning of this book. And I really liked him. Sure, he was rude at times and very arrogant. But he was also very charming.
The romance between Sophia and Macalister, was fun to read about. In spite of their age difference, which you didn’t really notice all that much while reading, they have this instant connection. I loved how Sophia made Macalister be a better person. And Sophia definitely found more strength through Macalister. I didn’t really like the piercing part though.. That was really just too much information.
Although this book can be read as a standalone, it is the fourth book in a series. Since this was my first Nikki Sloane read, I read it as a standalone and I didn’t really have any trouble reading this book. There were some moments between characters that I didn’t really get, because I didn’t know their history. But it didn’t bother me that much. I do think however that if you’d read this series in order, you would have enjoyed this one even more.
Overall, ‘The Redemption’ was a fun read.
A view weeks ago I read my first Erin McCarthy book ‘Weekend Wife’. I absolutely loved that book, so when I got the opportunity to read this book, I couldn’t resist. And the fun part, although this book isn’t part of a series, the main characters of both books are from the same circle of friends.. and I love that.
In ‘Five First Dates’ we meet Savannah, a single mom who is known for being one to easily get swept of her feet. Now she is a mom, and she tries to change her ways. The first thing she has to do is make life a little easier, and help a friend out. That’s why her brother best friend Maddox, is coming to stay for a little while. In exchange for no rent, he babysits her little boy whenever she needs it. But Savannah hasn’t seen Maddox in five years. What she didn’t expect is the sweet nerdy boy, being changed into the handsome sexy guy who stands before her now.
‘Five First Dates’ was definitely a book I enjoyed very much. The two main characters Savannah and Maddox, where easy to like. Savannah is this young mom, who easily falls in love and who is desperate to find a ‘real’ relationship now she is a mom. But she has very bad taste in man. Savannah is slightly naïve, but very hard working and she is not afraid to ask her friends for help. I found her character very fun to read about. Especially as a young mom myself, I could picture her being a mom easily.
Maddox, is handsome, hardworking and overall just a very sweet guy. He loves kids, and he always wanted the opportunity to show Savannah who he really is. Not only the shy young guy who used to hang around her childhood home. I loved how Maddox was around Savannah and her kid. And above all I loved how hard Maddox tried to so things to make Savannah see who he really was.
The chemistry between Savannah and Maddox was definitely flying of the pages. And I loved how they interacted with each other. This book was just really fun, and relaxing and I truly enjoyed myself! Sure, Maddox seemed a little to desperate at times.. but it didn’t bother me.
And I loved the fact we got to see little parts of the characters of ‘Weekend Wife’. And we definitely got to read more about other potential main characters, I think. I for sure can’t wait to read more by Erin McCarthy.
Hi there!
I'm Maureen
