Month: May 2019

Surprise Gift by: R. R. Banks

Surprise Gift by [Banks, R.R.]

As I said in my last book review of an R. R. Banks book, even though that book didn’t work for me, I would read more from Banks-and this one delivered.

I received this as an ARC and without seeing a blurb. So I had no idea of what I was getting myself into but I gotta say it took my breath away in the first chapter. Naomi is a current college student and is about to have her life changed forever in the time of a short conversation.

Fast forward 8 years and she is a struggling single mother/aunt waitress, barely making ends meet, with a car that breaks down way too many times. You also have a billionaire and partial owner of Clyburne Financial who is a take no shit, play no games, tell you like it is asshole who is now in need of yet another PA, Henry.

Edgar, Henry’s best friend and co-worker, decides that Henry needs to do his own interviewing for his new PA. After the fourth candidate, Henry is no closer to having a new PA. Edgar tells him there was still one more. Half way through the interview, Edgar receives a phone call and has to step out. They continue on with the interview until it changes from an interview to them chatting.

In time between her interview and her starting of her new job, Naomi is threatened and Henry is giving the third degree over his choice in new PA’s. When she starts her new job, she picks it up fast and even starts to take some of the stress off Henry’s shoulder as she finds new ways to declutter his schedule. As they get closer, both personal and business, things start to heat up-and not necessarily in a good way, with a stalker who has decided to stalk both Naomi and Henry.

Edgar has always had it out for Naomi. While Henry is on a business trip, he backs Naomi into a corner, resulting in him firing her for insurboration. After that he contacts Henry and puts words and negative thoughts about Naomi in his head. When Henry gets home from his business trip, he tells them that they better fix what is broken between them because he was not going to be forced to choose between them. He forces them to meet up before anyone else at the office to work out their difference, but they only manage to make things worse until he shows up and lays out the truth of the matter and why they to need get over it.

After things get fixed, everything starts to get better between everyone, but not without some bumps in the road. Another great read from Banks. Can’t wait for the next one.

Publication Date: May 20, 2019 Pages:    Adult 18+ Billionaire Romance Kindle Edition

Daily Quote

I had told my husband I needed a new bookshelf for my books I brought home from TLA, he told me to sell what I had then I would have the room. Excuse me but books don’t get sold in my house. There is no such thing as too many books or not enough room, when it comes to books, now his “junk” is another story.

1

Stealing Home by: Becky Wallace

40599855

ARC may contain spoilers

Ryan, the daughter of the Buckley Beavers divorced owners, has grown up with baseball in her life and has always dreamed of owning the team when she gets older. When Sawyer shows up, she feels like her plans have been thrown a curveball. She has always been good at “no the fraternizing” policy, but his cool swagger is throwing her off her game.

When Ryan learns that her mom is going to sell her half of the team due to both financial reasons and the fact the she doesn’t want to be stuck with them any longer, Ryan has an idea that might just help her save her beloved team. Sawyer, who has been injured and is sitting on the sidelines, offers to help her out. She is in need of sponsors that will help her remodel and upgrade the Buckley complex. Sawyer gives her the idea of using an events center to host summer camps and special days for handicap or underprivileged kids.

The doctors are wanting Sawyer to see a major league doctor, and since its Ryan’s duty to drive him where he needs to go, they take a three hour trip. While at Ranger Stadium, Ryan gets a look around with her tour guide, and she actually gets even more ideas of how to help save Buckley’s. After his visit with the doctor and her tour, they are about to head back home, but Sawyer ends up scoring tickets and they decide to stay and watch Ryan’s first major league game. While at the game, they get caught on the kiss cam. Because they’re fighting their attraction to one another, let’s face it that’s what two teenagers are gonna do, they try to stay away from each other after the kiss and hope no one sees the picture.

Once his injury heals and Sawyer is back to playing, he ends up in a rut. And when Ryan tries to talk with her mom about her plan to save Buckley’s, she finds out that it’s a done deal and her mom already sold the team. After a heated exchange, she leaves her mom at a food joint. Then things finally start to turn around.  

It’s actually baseball season as I read this so the time frame fits perfect in real life. It brings back memories of me out on the field when I was younger. I’m not really a sports fan but if I had to choose a favorite sport it would be baseball. I like the reference to the BBQ place and the fact that it serves your meat on brown butcher paper. Not too long ago I ate at a BBQ place that served their meat that way- to say the least, it was a first. All in all, this was a fairly quick read for me.

Publication Date: July 9, 2019 Pages: 320 Hardback YA Baseball