Come Away With Me (With Me in Seattle Series Book 1) - Kristen Proby

Being confronted on the beach by a sexy stranger wasn't part of Natalie Conner's plans for a peaceful morning taking photos. And why on earth would he think she's taking pictures of him, anyway? Who is he? One thing’s for sure, he’s hot, and incredibly romantic, feeding Natalie’s wounded soul.

Luke Williams just wants the world to give him a break, so seeing yet another camera aimed at his face has him ready to pounce on the beauty behind the lens. When he finds out she has no idea who he is, he's intrigued and more than a little tempted by her. Natalie has a body made for sex, a sassy mouth and Luke can’t get enough of her, but he’s not ready to tell her who he really his.

Natalie is a no nonsense girl who doesn’t do well with lies and secrets. What will happen to this new relationship when she discovers what Luke’s hiding?

I loved this story in the beginning.  It hooked me in the first chapter and I didn’t want to put it down.  I knew right away what Luke was “hiding” but I don’t think the author was trying to keep it a secret from us by the context clues.   

Luke Williams gets bonus points (and an extra half star) for the grand romantic gestures.  That boy is totally swoon-worthy! Do you know those scenes in Sweet Home Alabama where Reese Witherspoon walks into her roses filled apartment and then later gets proposed to in Tiffany’s and every girl you know fell a little more in love with Patrick Dempsey…Luke Williams blows him out of the water! On top of that he’s sweet, sensitive, he cooks and he’s hot behind closed doors (or wherever)…he’s like everyone woman’s perfect man!  

I liked Natalie too.  I like that the story was told from her first person point of view and that we got into her inner dialogue "I've fallen in love with a beautiful, sexy, sweet, jealous control freak. Shit."  Because we got into her head, we could understand her reservations at first for falling for Luke and a little about what made her tick. 

So if I loved Luke (and believe me, I did) and I liked Natalie, why only 3 stars? I wish I could explain it better than just saying I felt like there was something missing…but I’m not sure what.  Maybe a little more supporting story between the two of them.  More interactions? I don’t know.  I read the book in one sitting, anxiously anticipating something… but I just didn’t know what and I felt like I never got there.  However, I will say Luke Williams definitely made the story worth the read and I will probably read the next book in the series to see what happens with Natalie’s roommate Jules and to see if we get any sneak peeks into Luke and Natalie’s life in the future!

Leave Me Breathless - Cherrie Lynn

Leather and lace don’t strike sparks. Or do they?

It’s Valentine’s Day, but Macy Rodgers isn’t feeling the love. Aside from a torrid, one-night fling in a backseat a few months back, her love life has been sorely lacking, but fortunately she has devious friends who feel like playing Cupid. Wouldn’t they be shocked to learn that the match they’ve made for her is the same one that steamed up the back of that ’69 GTO…

Seth “Ghost” Warren has just returned to town after an extended absence. Between his grandmother’s failing health, his job as a tattoo artist, his band’s gigs, and a crazy ex who won’t leave him alone, he’s stretched thin. Cautious cowgirl Macy is the last thing he needs thrown into the mix.

She’s all country, he’s all heavy metal—and Macy knows that if anyone can propel her out of her rut, it’s Seth. But when their worlds collide, it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll survive with their hearts intact.

Warning: Contains explicit sex, graphic language, road trips, troublemaking exes, emotional baggage, and an unconventional but exceptionally hot hero tatted and pierced for your pleasure…

So, if you use Mollie's 'how many pairs of knickers will you go through reading a book' scale to determine whether or not it is good, I would say to you...don't even both putting any on...it's not worth that much laundry!!! This book is hot!!! As this third book in the Ross brothers series, I would definitely say Cherrie Lynn stepped up the sexy in this story. "Without wearing a stitch less clothing than she'd had on two minutes ago, she was about to have sex against a wall. In front of an open door. This was a first."


If you read Unleashed and Rock Me and loved them like I did, you will love this book. Ghost and Macy, who were supporting characters in Rock Me, take on a life of their own in this third book of the Ross brothers series. I loved them, for different reasons than I loved Candace and Brian...but still loved them!


Where Candace knew Brian and already had an attraction to him, Macy was turned off originally by Ghost and his lifestyle. Where Candace was really innocent, Macy wasn't a virgin when they met. In Rock Me, the tension between Ghost and Macy was already there as he was trying to get under her seemingly uptight skin.


What we didn't know was that there was attraction on both sides for Ghost and Macy at the end of Rock Me. In Leave Me Breathless, we get to learn more about what makes Seth "Ghost" Warren tick, and how Macy became the person she is today. While they appear to be polar opposites, Macy is a conservative, country loving girl who works on the ranch her parents have owned, comes from a good family and a good amount of money. While Seth is a tattooed, heavy metal playing guy who works at his best friend Brian's tattoo shop and his family life has been rough, they may not be as different as they'd think.


Things are not always as they seem, and both Seth and Macy find out there is more to the other than meets the eye. They both bring in some pretty impressive baggage to the "relationship" and some serious insecurities to go along with it. What they will both admit (at least to each other) is that there is a definite physical attraction between the two of them that keep them both going back for more. Seth pushes Macy's boundaries and tries to let out her inner bad girl.


I loved that Cherrie Lynn didn't just use the good girl/bad boy story line that she had already told with Candace & Brian (and disapproving family), she used their back stories to create the drama that unfolded around Seth and Macy. AND I loved that Brian and Candace were a part of this story. I loved that we got to see a little more about where they were in life and how they were moving forward (although I still don't feel like I've had enough and I want more, please!!) and where it all might lead for them.

In the end it I felt that this story was about being true to who you are, no matter what anyone thinks. It's also about following your own heart, wherever it may lead.

I would give this story 4.5 stars...I loved Seth but I still love Brian the most! I am REALLY hoping we get more from both couples in the future. Cherrie Lynn left the door open for more story to tell, hopefully she'll be inspired to do so!

That Wedding - Jillian Dodd

The gorgeous engagement ring on my finger mimics my happiness. I feel so sparkly, glittery, and full of promise, because I absolutely know he's that boy. The boy I want to marry. My prince. My happily ever after. But then our pastor starts asking lots of questions. His parents say I haven’t dealt with my past. I have horrible wedding disaster dreams. I can’t find the perfect dress. I have to manipulate him to get my way. An old boyfriend asks me to run away with him. My best friend says I'm going to ruin everything. And forever starts to sound like a really long time. Which totally freaks me out and makes me question everything I know. Should best friends get married? Will my past affect our relationship? Are my horrible dreams a warning? Will I ever find a dress? Could his sexiness be clouding my judgment? Am I going to ruin everything? Or is it just a case of cold feet? And then I have to decide. Am I willing to give up on true love forever, or am I going to listen to my heart and marry him?

I am happy to say there was much less crying and much more laughing when reading this sequel to That Boy.  There were so many funny parts.  I loved the STD jokes, the text messages back and forth that Jadyn had with different people, and ‘the spider’ had me rolling because I would have been exactly the same way.

Of course this is a definite must read for anyone who read That Boy, but more than that for me it was a want to read, and a glad I did.   

I’m not going to say there weren’t times I was frustrated with Jay, because there definitely were.  But there were times I also wanted to fight for her and tell everyone to mind their own business and leave her and Phillip alone.  I honestly felt like I could identify with her.   

Prince Phillip is still ah-mazing! Seriously, one of my new favorites! I love how they complete each other (I know, cheesy, but they do).  They can find balance in each other but still have passion.   

So happy she decided to continue this series with That Wedding, and even more excited to know That Baby will be coming sometime in the future! J

That Boy - Jillian Dodd

That Boy is a contemporary romance about falling in love with the boys next door.

You know, being friends with two cute boys does have its benefits. 

There's Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.

Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth.  Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He’s the boy I talk to every night before I go to sleep. The boy who rescues me, the boy who can read my mind, the boy who is always there for me, the boy who tries to keep me out of trouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me.  And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.

One boy will give me my very first kiss.
One boy will teach me to make out.
One boy will take me to prom.
And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him.
They will both be my best friends.
But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with.
Only one of them is That Boy

Jillian Dodd...I think it's possible you were trying to kill me with this book.  I've never had so many mood swings in that short a period of time before.  Yup! I read this book in one sitting.  It was cute and frustrating and fun and funny and sad and miserable and had me balling like a baby in sadness and then tearing up in happiness.  I was starting to feel a little crazy!

In the very beginning JJ gives us the important things she has learned in her life so far
1. Always be the Princess
2. Never be the Queen
3. Responsibility makes you crabby and no fun
4. When you have the choice, play with a boy.
5. Always trust your Daddy
6. Never kiss and tell
7. Never, ever, ever trust Mary Beth Parker.

and even though she was only in 4th grade at the time, I can still look at this list now and think...smart girl!!

We truly grew up with JJ in this book and Jillian did a great job of changing her writing to grow as JJ grew in the story.  She really wrote through a wide age range in one book and did it so well.

JJ wasn't a typical girly girl, yes she did love boys but she also loved sports and running around and hanging out with her guy best friends Phillip and Danny.  And oh did I love Phillip and Danny! Okay so I always loved Phillip a little bit more than Danny but I always love one more than the other, I make no apologies.

I won't say that something I didn't want to shake her around a little bit because I absolutely did, but I grew more patient with her about 40% into the book and I also grew to love Phillip and Danny a little bit more after then as well.

I know I'm hoping on the 'That Boy' train late, but I would have to say better late than never.  I laughed, I cried, I sat and read it in one sitting so I could find out what was going to happen.  And I am going to start 'That Wedding' right now because I can't wait for more of these characters.

When We Collide - A.L. Jackson

William has spent six years running from his past and the last eight months trying to rid his mind of the dreams that increasingly haunt his nights. Trapped in a world of false ambitions and feigned affections, William knows he’s reached a breaking point and something’s going to give.

Maggie had lived her entire life without hope until one man showed her what it meant to be loved. He’d been her light in a lifetime of darkness. Six years ago, that darkness stole him away. Without him, she’s surrendered herself to an existence she doesn’t know how to escape.

When the family William left behind is struck by tragedy, he is called back to the one place he’s sworn to never return to again. 

In a moment that will change his life forever, William comes face to face with the girl who, with one look, captured his heart. He is unable to ignore the buried desires and the hope for the future they’d once believed they’d have. 

Now William is ready to fight to take back what had been stolen from him six years before.
But he never imagined what that fight might cost him. 

A.L. Jackson gives you an intimate look into the lives of a family bound by an unseen connection in this contemporary romance with a supernatural twist.

Oh my WOW!

I loved that this book started from William's perspective and that it was mostly told from his POV. It's not often we get inside the head of the male main character but it definitely made this book. I loved William in all his closed off, heartbroken, tried to be tough on the outside, but really loving on this inside, self. I loved that even though he left his hometown, his heart never really left Maggie.

And OH MY GOD Maggie!!! My heart is broken. I can't believe the things she has had to go through in her life. She is so strong and beautiful, fragile but unbreakable, the things she's been through...I can't even imagine. 

And Jonathan...I don't even have words to tell you how much my heart breaks for that little boy. How strong he must have been without even knowing it, and how strong Maggie was for him. Tears were shed for this little boy. 

They all deserve so much to have a true love. True happiness...I needed for them to have it. 

A.L. Jackson wrote such an emotional, gripping, intensive book. Once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. This is definitely a must read, but be prepared with tissues!

Just For Now (Sea Breeze #4) - Abbi Glines

The day Preston Drake figured out that wealthy women paid well for a set of tight abs and a pretty face his life turned around.

The run down rat-infested trailer he had shared with his alcoholic mother and three younger siblings was now only a place he visited to pay the bills and stock the pantry with food. 

He no longer worried about his family starving or living without electricity. The money he made entertaining rich older women more than covered his family’s needs and his own. He had it all figured out. Except…

There was this girl.

She was as innocent as he was tainted.

Amanda Hardy wished her knees didn’t get weak when Preston walked into a room. She hated the fact her heart raced when he flashed his smile in her direction. He had a different girl in his bed every night. He was the kind of boy a smart girl ran from. So, why was she coming up with ways to get close to him? Even when it was obvious he wanted to keep her at a distance.

Maybe her heart knew something the world didn’t. Maybe Preston Drake was more than just a pretty face.

Preston Drake...you are so not the guy I thought you were in the first book you appeared in...in more ways than one.  If you were just entertaining women for your own fun, I don't know that I would have understood it, but since you were doing it to make money to take care of your two little brothers and your little sister because your mom was an alcoholic who didn't care about anything except her next drink or high...my heart has opened up and welcomed you in.  It doesn't hurt that I totally fell in love with your little brothers and your little sister Daisy.  She is just too cute for words.  I honestly think the kids might have sold me on this story.  

I loved the chemistry between Preston & Manda.  It definitely wasn't a stretch to see a little sister crush on her older brother's best friend, but to see the push and pull and the story line develop, I thought Abbi Glines did a great job writing it...from the fantasizing each of them did individually to the reality of their hook ups, it all worked so well.  I was torn between wanting Amanda to never find out what Preston had going on and wanting him to tell her so he wasn't lying and they could find away to get him out of it but still be able to take care of his family.  I was also terrified for them if Marcus were to find out anything/everything.  I think you can see they've grown up since the first book in this series, but I think that's appropriate since Amanda and Sadie were in high school when it started and they are starting college now.  

The other thing I loved about this story, it brought everyone back.  Even though for the most part it was small visits, I loved that we got a glimpse into what was going on with everyone Jax & Sadie and where they are and what they're doing, Marcus & Low (who have the biggest part of the three couples since Amanda is his sister, Preston is his best friend and he and Low are planning a wedding) and even Cage & Eva make a few brief appearances.  I can't believe we are only going to get one more book in this series to wrap everything up.  I don't know which couple she is going to choose to end it with...but my vote would be all of them!! I feel like we need more Jax & Sadie because they are together now in California and older and more grown up and they need more steaminess.  But I am also in need for more Cage & Eva, and now I really think I need more Preston & Amanda too...

So if I loved it so much and want more, what keeps it from getting that extra .5 star? I just  felt like it ended too abruptly.  After all the ups and downs and twists and turns, I think I needed it to see through a little bit  more before the Preston & Manda story ended.  Hopefully we'll get a little bit more from them in the final (sad) book when it comes out.  

I'm not sure I'll ever be truly ready to see this series end...