Stealing Our Hearts

“Tonight has to end, darling. So tomorrow can come. We have to move forward.”

I feel a blend of emotions right now. Anger, because this ends in a cliffhanger, Anxiety, because our lovers finally reconciled only to be ripped apart again, Sadness, because self harm was such a huge theme in this novel, and Rage, because omg did I mention the CLIFFHANGER. Ughhhhh. I should have read the ending first, but according to my therapist, I have some major control issues and she tasked me with the challenge of not reading the endings of my books anymore…this is very very difficult for me. There’s no way to skip to the end of my life to see what happens to me, so I need to get used to the unexpected. I need to become more flexible. Thus my reaction to this novel. 

So anyway, from the moment we meet Wes, I knew he’d be perfect. He’s handsome, and smart, and protective. He and Aria grew up together but she moved away. They were childhood sweethearts and their love for each other never faded. Aria is strong and determined. She’s a firecracker and watching her defend herself is incredible. She lost her home to a fire and moved in with her aunt, back where she grew up. Everyone has secrets in this town and it’s all about what you know about others and who knows what about you. 

Aria’s big secret is that she cuts herself. This was really hard for me to read. There wasn’t much time spent on it. Wes finds out and tells her to call him whenever she feels the urge to cut and hopefully that’ll make her stop? The issue is…cutting can become an addiction. It’s not something to take lightly, and I felt this novel didn’t cover it to the extent it should have. There was also no trigger warning and that is not okay. Regardless, there was a lot in this novel that I didn’t talk about. Noelle for instance. Don’t get me started. I have nothing good to say about her or the fact that there was a love triangle in this novel. I hate love triangles and other women. It kills me. I feel nauseous just thinking about it. Okay, enough rambling. This was a solid 4 star novel for me. 

“The dream always ends.”

“You get used to getting bucked off on purpose.” He dimpled me when he grinned. “I did.” “Didn’t it hurt?” “Hell yes , it hurt. Those eight seconds will kill ups of ups can make it that long.” “so why…?” I let the words trail off, unsure if there was even an answer to that question. He didn’t respond immediately, and when I looked over again, I found him watching me. “Because that’s the risk you take when you love something,” he said quietly.

A good, old fashioned, cowboy romance. Big city girl moves to the country (more or less) and falls in love with a cowboy. This is such a great storyline, I don’t know why more people don’t use it. I love it every single time. And sweet, intelligent, beautiful Debra only made this novel that much better. She was a hotshot lawyer from Boston who took on a career changing case but her conscious got the best of her. Good for her, seriously. She was actually such a good person that she felt guilty for doing her job, what she was paid to do, and finally gave her client a piece of her mind. Publicly. Man I love this woman. 

So she ends up in Wyoming, at a ranch (she’s sent there by her company to “cool off”) and ends up falling in love. Luke is every woman’s wet dream. I mean COME ON! Could he be more perfect? Tall, handsome, and only has eyes for Deb. From the moment she shows up. It’s mentioned in the book at one point but can someone say SOULMATES. Gah, it’s so good. And can we please talk about that ending?? That HEA might have been the best I’ve read yet. I was sobbing in bed as I read, praying to God everything would work out. Such phenomenal writing. Truly great, well rounded and developed characters. The story flows beautifully and the chemistry between our two lovers is off the charts. 5 stars all around!! 

A beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness. 

Hmm how to start the review…this was a long one, that’s for sure. A lot longer than my usual reads so it took me a few days to get through. Jordan, our heroine, is the Headmistress of a school where Niall, our hero, is trying to send his daughter, Skyler. Jordan is compassionate and empathetic and an all-around perfect headmistress. She feels for Skyler, as she’s just lost her mother and has been kicked out of a few schools, so she allows her in on one condition: Niall coach the school rugby team for the tournament. (I’m actually not sure if it was rugby, I don’t know if I ever caught what sport Niall played). If they win, the school gets a cash prize that they really need. Niall was a professional sportsman for twenty years, so he has a lot to bring to the table. He was also a MAJOR playboy. After a night at the pub brings Niall and Jordan together for some awesome, earth shattering sex, things are never the same again. Niall can’t get her out of his mind and Jordan is desperately trying to forget about him. It’s a fun game of cat and mouse throughout the whole book. 

Of course, our lovers get their HEA at the end. Great story. I did skip around a bit because it was a little long for my taste. This would be a 4 star review for me. Awesome work! 

“All I want is you.”

“Sutt, you’re all I’ve never had but desperately wanted.”

This is the best book I’ve read by Harloe Rae, hands down. Wow, I’m still smiling from ear to ear after reading. I think I loved how quickly our lovers came together and stayed that way. Their love never faltered, it was only outside circumstances that caused issues. It made me believe in destiny, in fate. These two were meant for each other. What a beautiful story.

Sutton, our heroine, has been in love with her brother’s best friend, Grady, since she was seven years old. It takes a while, but we find out that he’s loved her just as long. They grow up together but then she leaves for college and doesn’t see him for four years. It’s like all the light is drained from his life. She is his “happy something”. She brings him joy, gives him courage and strength, and helps him grow. Even if it was in just a platonic way at first. When Sutton comes back from college, her adoration for Grady has only grown. She loves him with every fiber of her being and, even though he doesn’t want to because he thinks she deserves better, he loves her back just as fiercely. After an accident occurs and Grady admits his feelings to Sutton, they decide to officially be together and BAM it’s off to the races. Everything speeds up from there.

They say the big “I love you” and Sutton is practically living at Grady’s house with him before a month is up. I mean…Grady did build Sutton her dream home…even before they were officially together, even before he ever thought she would come back or be with him. She can’t resist him and he could never deny her. This is a great love story. It rivals The Notebook, in my opinion.  Rae did a beautiful job with the dialogue and romantic build up. There’s a perfect amount of suspense mixed with passion and a very home-y vibe. It left me feeling warm and fuzzy and perfectly content. This is definitely a 5 star read. Perfect for a night in with a glass of wine. Bravo, Rae! I loved this so much!! 

“Stay with me,” Grady croons. “For the night?” “For always.”

“If my life were a song, Rhenn would be the first verse. But I think…I think you’re meant to be the chorus. The part that goes on and on. I love you, Logan. And it’s so big…this feeling, I don’t know what to do with it.”

I finished. The series, as it is right now, is over. I know that each and every one of these extraordinary people got their happily ever after. Exactly what they deserved. It was beautiful and painful and exceptional, each of these stories. I can’t seem to let go though. I’ve fallen in love with these characters throughout these six books. I feel like I’m missing a part of me as I close their final chapters. I want more. I need more. This can’t be the end, I’m not ready yet. 

I needed to take some time to write my final review because I had so many feelings about this goodbye. I think Logan was my favorite of the Caged boys. I was really feeling Sean for a while (as I think most people do), but Logan really pulled ahead with his past trauma and his willingness to fight for himself in order to make things right with Tori. He also treated Tori like a normal human being, not like she was made of glass like everyone else treats her. We start seeing it happen in book four, during Chase and Taryn’s story. Tori and Taryn are best friends and can read each other perfectly, Taryn comments on Logan and Tori’s professional relationship a bit during her story, so we get a little inkling of foreshadowing, which is enthralling. 

The thing about Logan and Tori is that they just get each other. From the very beginning, they make great friends because they can read what the other person needs. Like when Logan offers to drive Tori in his car during the beginning of the tour because she’s afraid of being on a tour bus again after the accident. It’s things like that, that slowly add up and multiply until it’s…voila…love. I mean, heck, if I had a guy bringing me cookies all the time because he said I smelled like one, I think I’d fall in love too. I think what’s even more beautiful is how easily Logan allows himself to be taken with Tori. He was the biggest player in the band and then as soon as he and Tori become friends (kind of), it’s like he forgets about other women entirely. I loved watching Tori get jealous when women would throw themselves at Logan…I think he enjoyed it too. 

I also loved that there wasn’t some big moment at the end where suddenly all the wrongs were made right. All Logan did was tell Tori the truth about himself and she forgave him immediately. Though, in my opinion, there was nothing to forgive.  They both kept so many small secrets from one another during the novel, maybe to protect themselves from getting hurt? Seems like the most logical reason. But what was so incredible was just that: these were small things that weren’t life changing, relationship ending secrets. So once they both opened up and trusted the other, everything fell into place. They were “even” as Tori would say. Goodness gracious I loved this book. It was my favorite (aside from Another Sky) in this series. I’d love a book about Dylan finding his true love or even Beckett. Like I said before, I just don’t want it to end. I’m not ready to let go. I’ll be purchasing the entire series in print as soon as I can. These books needs to be read, need to be seen by people. These stories deserve to be heard. I love you and your stories, Jayne Frost. Thank you for changing my life with this series. I’m forever indebted to you. 

“This is where forever lives,” I whispered against her lips. And she nodded. And I nodded. And we fell. 

“I would give you up in a heartbeat to get them back.” Still, he remained silent. A beat. Then, “So would I.” Oh. Damn. Damn!

Okay so the last book I read by Tijan was Teardrop Shot and I was completely blown away. But that novel doesn’t hold a candle to this masterpiece. Oh my god, I can’t begin to explain to you all the feelings I felt while reading this beauty. You get a bit of everything: sports romance, enemies-to-lovers, childhood best friends, all mixed in with a little thrill that keeps you on edge the entire time. This was a ten star novel.

Our female lead, Dusty, gets kicked in the butt by life. Literally, her mother dies, her father loses their house, and I won’t tell you the rest but it gets MUCH worse. Things happen to her that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. When she transfers to Texas for college, she ends up in the same town as her childhood best friend, Stone. They aren’t friends anymore though…they hate each other. It’s a miscommunication (as it almost always is) on Stone’s part regarding the hatred. When he learns the truth about why Dusty hates him, he’s ridden with guilt and shame and he does everything in his power to make it up to her. Dusty, on the other hand, doesn’t want to forgive him because it’s easier to blame him for everything that has happened to her than face it all. But she is so so strong, witnessing her breakdowns was heartbreaking. I found myself sobbing along with her, feeling her pain bleed from the pages of this well-written novel. 

Dusty falls in love with Stone early on. Granted, I think she may have always loved him. Hating him was just easier for her. Stone took a little longer. I can’t say when I realized that he loved her but I know it was about halfway through the book. He is protective of her and possessive even when he doesn’t have the right to be. It’s beyond sexy. He is a pro-football player with the world at his fingertips, but he loves Dusty. A broken girl who needs him more than oxygen. This story was about watching Dusty go through a fate worse than death and then witness her rise up, like a phoenix from it’s ashes, and grow into a strong, beautiful, talent woman. Overcoming her past and building her future. This novel had me in tears multiple times. I was obsessed with finding out what happens next; I couldn’t set it down for even a moment. Tijan is brilliant at sucking you in and keeping you desperate for me. Tijan’s novels are like a drug, you just want more and more. I can’t wait for whatever brilliant work our author has in store for us next. I’m so ready to find my next addiction!

“I love you and I want you to let me love you and I want to make you mine. My woman. Just mine. All mine. I don’t care what you want. I can’t let you be someone else’s. Mine, babe. Mine.”

“It was never real, Lou.” “It sure looked real to me.” “Maybe things aren’t always how they look.” I grab my smock, pulling it over my head. “Then again, maybe they are.”

Another child that I fell head over heels in love with!! What has the world come to?! You guys are just writing these perfect children and I can’t stand it! Seriously though, Eli, our heroine’s son is the sweetest little boy with a horrible seizure condition. He really makes this story. 

Our book starts out in the past, with our heroine, Emmy fantasizing over her crush, Stephen. Stephen is a few years older than Emmy and is about to ship off in the Navy. They come together at a party where they end up having hot bathroom sex. Little does Stephen know, but it was Emmy’s first time. Fast forward to about ten years later, Emmy was married and divorced and has a son, Eli. Stephen runs into her where she works and immediately is smitten by how feisty she is. Little does he know, but she actually hates him because of the way he dismissed her after they slept together many years before. 

To make a long story short, Emmy and Eli move in with Stephen because they need to. And the steam factor gets higher and higher! They decide to get fake married, for Eli’s sake (of course), and things fall into place. This was a short, sweet, and well-written novel that I fell in love with. 4 stars ❤

“Just stay. Stay with me always. Say you’ll stay.”

“We all fall down,” I tell her, turning for the door but pausing before I leave. “It’s how we get back up that matters.”

This novel was unlike anything I’ve ever read. Absolutely exquisite. The book starts out one way and takes you a completely different direction. I was obsessed from the start and hooked all the way through until the ending. Not a second of this lacked sparkle. This story was magic.

Okay so let’s start from the top. We’ve got a girl who’s a total Peeping Tom, crushing on a guy who seems like a total Christian Grey type. I mean he’s openly having sex with random women every night against his floor to ceiling windows. So yeah, Harper, our leading lady, grabs some binoculars and watches. Kinda weird but also like I kinda get it? She even pairs her ice cream flavors with the women…which I thought was totally cool. I mean, Ben and Jerry’s has TONS of flavors and apparently Luke (our sexy hero) doesn’t really have a “type”, so she eats a lot of ice cream flavors. So anyway, that is Harper’s life. Working and watching Luke. Though she doesn’t know his name until…it turns out that he is her mother’s substance abuse therapist. Interesting twist! So basically Harper is a stalker until she gets a taste of her own medicine AND a rejection in the same night and realizes she needs to figure out her life.

Healing is a huge theme in this book. Not necessarily healing from grief or loss, although that is prevalent in this as well, but more of the idea of healing in general. Harper needs to heal from the wounds inflicted by her mother, she needs to learn to forgive herself for her past mistakes, and she needs to allow herself the time to get back on track with her life. Her character arc is beautiful. She changes so much in just 4 short months. Luke needs to heal from his past. This is a huge stepping stone for him. So much so, that he decides he needs a therapist of his own to work out all his issues. And he definitely has a lot of them. You learn more and more about him as the story progresses and it’s fascinating. And lastly, Harper and Luke both have to heal from the wounds they inflicted on each other. The process takes a while, but it’s worth it in the end. Our lovers get their HEA and they finally get to sleep together. Yes, that’s right, the entire novel happens with no sex until the very end. It was magnificent. It didn’t need it! The tension was epic and fantastical and maaaaan that sex scene was passionate, everything you could have wanted.

I absolutely adored this novel. 5 stars and a million rounds of applause.

“A broken heart is something that heals over time, but regret stays with you for the rest of your life.”

“When are you going to realize that I will always go out of my way for you?”

Okay, I want to start off by saying that I really adored this book as a whole. The ideas and plot and the way our author stitched everything together was awesome. That being said, it wasn’t my favorite subtrope-wise. I think it could have been better/more interesting had our author taken another route. I’ve read plenty of friends to lovers novels, and this just wasn’t a great example of that. This was a “sort of friends” to lovers novel. Our main characters were friends but only spoke every few months and hardly ever saw each other. Apparently they were close as teenagers, but we don’t really get any insight into their past. We know that Noah saved Meg when she was drowning when they were sixteen. After that they were inseparable, but never tried anything. They never pursued anything…even as horny teenagers. It’s very hard to believe. Then she comes home for her sister’s wedding many years later and they randomly decide to just be friends with benefits. It happens VERY fast. Like within a day. And then BOOM we’re off. They have crazy sex and click instantly. And fall in love. 

I loved the idea that Noah went off to the army and almost confessed his feelings for Meg before he went. I kinda wish he would have. It would have built some tension for us as an audience. Th dynamic between the two teetered between brother/sister and lovers…it was a little confusing at times. I just wanted a clearer line drawn. 

Overall, I loved Noah and Meg both a individuals and together as lovers. I thought they made a perfect pair and fit wonderfully into each other’s lives. The flow between the two is what kept the story alive and interesting. Both were very well thought out characters with human flaws and intricate personalities. That’s one thing that’s very important to me as a reader. I need the characters to be complex and authentic. It can make or break a story. Thankfully, we had strong character development in this one. Beautiful writing and a very interesting plot. 4 stars from me 🙂

“Sometimes we don’t see something right away.” Noah’s voice came from behind me. “Even if it’s been there all along.”

“…as if we’ve been looking for one another for years and we finally found the other half of our souls.”

Harlow for the WIN!!! Every time I read one of her books, I think that it can’t get any better, but then she surprises me all over again. Harlow James is an incredibly gifted storyteller, if that isn’t apparent by the novels she’s got under her belt now, then maybe you are reading the wrong genre. She is an up and coming, highly anticipated romance author. I’m dying for her next book, Enticed, I can only imagine how great it will be. 

Alright, down to business on Tangled. Geez, this book caught me off guard and gave me ALL THE FEELS. Our lovers start out as a one night stand, a killer introduction to both of their lives and the way the think. Both Kane and Olivia are running from pain and trying to learn to love again, to heal. They find that in each other’s arms, but not before everything blows in up in their faces. Kane is an ex-army vet, who, when he came back from his second tour, found his fiancé in the arms of his best friend T.J. The anger from that betrayal compounded with PTSD and anxiety has made Kane a difficult man to get to know. He closed himself off from the world, keeps everyone at arms length. After the incident, he moved away to the small town of Emerson Falls and took a teaching job as a high school history teacher. His life was simple and pretty boring, but at least he wasn’t at risk of having his heart broken again, right? Well, BAM. In walks Olivia. With her fiery red hair and her quick wit, she went tit for tat with Kane when they met at a bar in town. Olivia had just moved back after she found her boyfriend in the middle of doing the dirty with his secretary. Talk about 1950s move, bro. Yuck. Olivia moved back home to Emerson Falls to be close to her parents, brother, and her best friends. And thus our story begins!

Olivia and Kane are perfect for each other from the moment they meet. It’s only after their mind-blowing one night stand, that they figure out they work in the same school. Olivia came back and took a job as a high school math teacher. IT IS SO BRILLIANT. Man the story just keeps getting better and better from here on out. I won’t spoil anything for you but oh my god those love scenes are to die for. Harlow has been ramping up the heat on her love scenes with each novel that she writes, and man did she out-do herself this time. They are delicious and unique and so special between our two lovers. The chemistry between these two is off the charts. Kane absolute perfect, ladies. Like no joke, he is my favorite of all of Harlow’s men…sorry Mike ❤ you’ll always have a special place in my heart. He’s everything you’d imagine in a perfect soulmate, and he fits together with Olivia like she is his other half. Mind-blowing, guys. Truly.

You’ll be sucked into the book in no time, and you won’t come up for air until you’re finished. That’s how phenomenal this story is. Just wait and see. Everything from the beautiful prose and gorgeous imagery, to Harlow’s quick-witted banter and stunningly crafted connection between our two lovers, this book was made for your home bookshelf. It’s a new staple on mine, that’s for sure. Harlow has officially mastered the romance genre. She’s picked up more speed in the last few months than I’ve ever seen before in an indie author. She’s a self-made mastermind and it’s been such a joy and privilege to watch. 5 stars as always for the brilliant Harlow James!!

“She’s made life have meaning again.”