Face the Wave by: Jordan Ford

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Book 3 of the Ryder Bay series that follows Skylar and Jed  May contain spoilers

Skylar, after being in a coma for four weeks, finally wakes up while Jed is in her room cleaning  and talking to her. When she wakes up she is groggy and does not remember what happened to her. Since she has been asleep for so long, she has to go through physical therapy to learn how to walk again. A few days after waking up and learning to walk again, Sklyar is released to go home. When she arrives home and goes to her room she gets a bad feeling and can’t stay in her room so her mom sets her up in the downstairs guest room, it also makes it easier, as she is still weak.

Her mom tries to do everything she can think of to get her back to the old Skylar, even throwing her a party with all her friends. It’s too much for her to take and she ends up slipping out, going to the roof where Savannah finds her thinking she is going to do something bad. Skylar has a darkness in her that she can’t escape from. She keeps having flashes of color in her mind but is not able to connect the dots. Savannah, not being able to help her, asks Jed for help, as she feels like it will benefit her to have new people around and not people from her past. She slowly gets to know Griffin, Savannah’s boyfriend; Harley, Adian’s girlfriend; and Jed, Harley’s BMF. When she is around Jed she feels a safe prescenes around her; when she is around her boyfriend, Craig she gets this off feeling.

After some time, Skylar remembers what happened to her on that fateful day. Luckily, she feels safe enough with Jed that she tells him everything and he promises to help her but that she needs to tell everyone else what happened. When everyone learns the secret, they come up with a way to help with the solution.

There is so much more I could write about but in order to leave you hanging and wanting to read the book yourself, I will leave off with this: once you find out what happened and what is going to happen you will need tissues but then you will be cheering for Skylar. This story focus is mainly on Skylar and Jed unlike the previous books where all the characters had semi-equal roles, but it’s what this one needed. Hope you enjoy this trilogy as much as I did. Now we wait for Little Lettie.

Publication Date: April 12, 2019   Pages: 275 YA Romance Kindle Edition

Always Been Mine by: Weston Parker

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David and Allison grew up together as neighbors and in high school became more than just friends. David is a year older, and after graduation, he decided to enlist in the Air Force. He returns home on leave and it happens to be Allison’s senior prom time. With no date, David takes her. After a wonderful night together, his time is up on leave so he has to head back to the Air Force and leaves her heartbroken and in the arms of another guy. Now years later he is back home to clear out the family estate after the loss of his father and discovers that Allison is a single mother to a mini-me named Sierra.

After finding out that Allison is looking for a job, he ends up making up a position in his company for her, as he is the CEO. They work close together daily, and it starts to bleed into their personal life. He begins to help Sierra out whatever she needs.

He has been wanting to settle down and start a family, so who better to do this with than his first true love. And the fact that he is already falling in love with her daughter only helps to sweeten the pot. As they get closer they have a few bumps in the road on their way to a happily ever after.

I loved the extended epilogue or novella whatever you want to call it; it was nice to see the after in a story and not just the up to. Not many authors add it in you have to email them and usually have to wait days or weeks for the bonus and sometimes after you have waited all that time it loses some of its bang.

Publication Date: March 15, 2019 Pages: 227    Kindle Edition Adult 18+ Romance

Anyone but Her by: Lisa Lace

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Megan, aka Tammy, is on the run from her ex-boyfriend, and gang lord, Calvin. While in WITSEC, she meets Jack, aka Mark, in her new little historical town she was sent to while she awaits trial to testify against Calvin. Jack has just been released from prison for manslaughter of his stepfather 15 years ago. Down on his luck and staying with Sparky, his cellmate who was released four years prior, can’t find a job due to being a convict. Sparky tells him about a one time job that would set him up for life with a payout of 150k and all he has to do is kill someone. Jack tells him no, he is not traveling down that path again. Several weeks later he goes to Sparky and gets him to tell him more about the job. He agrees to do the job after learning all he needed to know, taking off to go kill Megan.

When he runs into Megan, he introduces himself as Mark. After they get to talking he decides she is not what Sparky made her out to be and that he cannot go through with the kill. Now he has to figure out a way to turn down the most feared man around and keep her safe. He tells her he has to go back home and take care of things with his ex, then he will return. Only that is not quite his plan. Before he leaves the motel he is staying in, he writes her a threatening note to get her to contact her WITSEC handlers and relocate to somewhere safer because he knows someone else will be sent to kill her. His plan backfires and she decides not to leave so he has to rush back to help protect her.

They end up hanging out together everyday and get close to each other. When there is an attack,  they take off running, and when they end up in an alley he calls her Megan and not Tammy. After some convincing, they load up on the bus and head to Chicago. On the way, she contacts Khosa, her handler, and fills him in on what’s happened and where they are going so he can come to her. When he and his partner arrive they arrest Jack and take her into the police station for questioning before moving  her to yet another location under a different name and away from Jack.

After some time, they think they are safely off to their HEA but her ex and his cronies have different plans for them.

I wouldn’t say it’s insta-love but it is becoming love by the end of the first date. It’s a suspenseful read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Publication Date: March 15, 2019 Pages: 194 Kindle Edition Adult 18+ Romance, Murder, Suspense

Evermore by: Sara Holland

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It picks up where Everless leaves off. Jules is on the run for the murder of Roan and the Queen. With Liam’s unsolicited help, she learns that she is the Alchemist on her 12th life. Jules takes off running and ends up back in Crofton hiding out in Amma’s chicken shed. Amma finds her in there and at first is afraid of her, until Jules gets her to listen and explains everything. Amma tells her she should be safe there for the night since the soldiers have already came through looking for her.

Jules left behind some blood iron when she ran, and Caro has had someone mix it up in a way that will give her some of Jules’ power without killing her, along with sanctioning a tracking spell. When Caro finds Jules, she burns the village down, making everyone run for their lives, killing those who don’t escape in time. Jules runs to the butcher shop looking for Amma and finds her dead. The soldiers capture her and takes her to Shorehaven to see Caro. After a few days worth of travel they make it there, and Caro is there to meet her at the gate. They get into a fight and Jules ends up stabbing Caro and making a run for it to try to find her sister Ina so she can explain what happened. When she finally finds her, Ina doesn’t believe her and calls for help so Jules ends up getting recaptured and held in a cell until a commander and Liam free her.  Liam has a plan for them to escape but they have to fit in, which requires them to go to the coronation of the new queen, Ina Gold, and to mingle and dance like everyone else. The plan doesn’t go according to plan and they get found out before they make their escape. After a harrowing escape, they end up at their destination.

The Thief’s Fort is glamoured to look like a rotten place unless you have something of the Alchemist’s. They stay there for a little bit trying, to figure out where to go next on their hunt for the rubied dagger that will kill Caro. Jules tracks Steph, a hedge witch, down to have her do a blood regression spell to unlock more memories. When Jules spoke of what she saw, Steph thinks something is wrong because, “memory can take many forms-but it’s never blank, empty, and altered as you described.” Steph, while looking through Jules journal, wants to try on old trick of putting blood on a page. Blood forms the words, “Seek the river of red”. This just leads them to more clues, but no answers.

They start following clues that they find, growing closer together. It becomes time to force Liam to go back to Everless, so Caro won’t suspect him of helping Jules and kill him to break her heart. Jules, with Elias’ help, gets the next clue that will lead her to her way back to Everless.

I gotta say when you reach about 70% of the book you start turning pages and reading faster than you knew you could so you can see what happens and when Jules gets her memories back OMG.

Publication December 31, 2018 Pages: 346 YA Fantasy, Myths, Legends

Imagine Us by: Jaxson Kidman

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Where to begin. This story just tore at my heartstrings, one moment I’m mad at Elena for choosing Chad, then the next I’m crying when she leaves Adam to go back to Chad. Life changing story in some of the best and worst of ways. As in most if not all of Jaxson’s books it is told in both past and present times so you get to know them as teenagers hanging out at parties and as grown ups trying to survive. Some would say its a second chance at romance but I like to say its a chance at first love with the one you were meant to be with from the beginning even when only one of you knew you loved the other.

Back in high school, Elena and Adam are best friends, but with Adam secretly being in love with her and Elena being with Chad. Chad, who is a star baseball player on his way to the big leagues, and Elena, not really sure what she wants out of life, is kind of along for the ride. It’s just Adam and his mom at home, when he has a home. Adam will do anything for Elena. He is always there for her when Chad does something to upset her. After graduation, they both go their separate ways and don’t speak to one another for years until one day Elena show up on his door steps in tears, due to Chad cheating on her.

In their time apart, Elena works at a real estate office and wrote and published a book in her off time, hoping she would be able to write more and hit it big. Meanwhile, Chad gets injured in baseball and she ends up helping him recover. During a drunk evening, she writes ten pages and sends them to her agent who demands more. She stays in writer’s block territory for a long time. Adam never left their small town just went through a lot while battling some demons that still lurk under the surface.

When you start finding out what he went through in the years apart, that has lead to some of those demons, your heart just aches for him to find love with someone-even if it’s not with Elena. The little things he does for her shows how much he has always cared for and loved her. When she finally tells him she loves him, and realizes that she always had, she tells him that it should have been him from the beginning and he tells her no, it wasn’t time and they would not have worked.

Throughout their journey to HEA they have some demons to work through, both alone and together. The side characters you meet add extended family to the story. Charlie’s words of wisdom to Elena are golden.

Kindle Edition Publication Date: March 5, 2019 Pages: 354 Adult 18+ Romance, Addiction

Mountain Man Crush by: Chloe Morgan

Mountain Man Crush: A BBW Brother's BFF Romance by [Morgan, Chloe]

This is a short and sweet read that will leave you wanting your own mountain man.

Luke, who had spent family vacations at Winter Moon Lodge, returns years later to find it closed down, a Mason Graves Development sign hanging on fence. He goes on the hunt to find this Mason person and give him a piece of his mind, but ends up making a deal with him and becoming partial owner.

Sara, who spent a little time at Winter Moon Lodge when she was younger returns, along with her two best friends for a girls week. Her brother, Nathan, and Luke were best of friends back in the day. Nathan says he got he a deal on the trip because she deserves it, it’s actually Luke that upgrades them to a three bedroom cottage instead of a double room. On the first day, the girls decide to go tubing and it ends with Sara slipping and sliding all the way down the hill. Later that evening they order room service, while Luke is in the kitchen he hears that there is an order going to their cottage so he offer to take it to them. He delivers it all right, right along with a steamy kiss and leaving his room number with Sara.

Wanting to try skiing, they go to a big hill instead of smaller one and since Sara hasn’t been in so long she ends up tumbling again, but this time she injures herself. Luke has been watching from the window and seen her fall and took off after her. Luke takes her back to his room where Nathan shows up all mad because she is staying there instead of her cottage. Luke, trying to calm the situation, tells him to get a key for Jenny and Amber and that they can come whenever they want to check on her.

The next morning while they are in the tub together, a knock on the door causes Luke to get out and answer it only wearing a towel. When Sara hears raised voices, she gets out and puts on Luke’s robe to go see what is going on. After a major fight between all of them, Sara heads back with Nathan. Once Luke is left on his own, he comes up with a plan to win her back and shows his sweet side.

Publication Date: February 28, 2019   Pages: 87 Adult 18+ Romance

 

The Impact Zone by: Jordan Ford

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Where to start. This is book two in the Ryder Bay series and follows Savannah a.k.a. Savvy and Griffin. May contain spoilers.

Savannah has had a lot on her plate the last couple of days, starting with her breaking up with Aiden, to her best friend Sklyar falling into the water, ultimately ending with Sklyar suffering a head injury leading to her coma. Griffin is a nomad surfer running from his past. He starts to have feelings for Savannah but keeps telling himself he is not allowed to because by the end of the summer he will be gone again off to somewhere new.

Savannah’s dad, Dr. Kevin, tells her she needs a summer hobby that will get her out of the house and away from being “mom” to her two younger siblings and that she’s not allowed to sit at the hospital everyday waiting on Skylar to wake up. After debating about what she would enjoy, she lands on surfing. Harley is the only surfer she knows, Savannah finally get the courage and asks her to teach her.

Griffin spots Savannah about to go surfing by herself one evening and stops to explain why it’s not safe to go surfing alone-especially at night.  He offers to join her and they surf and hang out for a while, ending their night with a steamy kiss. Griffin follows this kiss by giving her the cold shoulder. He finally gets the nerve to call and apologize to her, only to find out something has happened to Harley and she had broken up with Aiden via text with no warning whatsoever. While  at the hospital, Savannah runs into Jed and fills him in on what’s going on. He tells her Harley’s mom’s boyfriend must be back in the picture and that he has tried to touch her inappropriately, that she probably took off. The last time it happened, she left and hitchhiked her way to San Diego. They all go in a different direction looking for her, Griffin finally finding her and convincing her to get in his truck and go to Savannah’s.

They finally get to go on that first date, and what better date than grabbing burgers and going to an overlook of the beach while sitting in the back of his truck watching the sun set.

The next day, while Savannah is out buying groceries, she runs into Craig, who is Skylar’s on-again off-again. He tells her that his dad thinks she was pushed and a witness even came by and told him it was a man with dreads. Thinking of Griffin, Savannah tries to find him and after driving around forever she gives up. When she gets home, she finds him sitting on the curb by her mailbox. Since her dad is gone for the evening, she invites him inside and they fall asleep on the couch. They’re woken by her dad coming in, slamming doors and yelling at them. After Griffin leaves, Savannah and her dad get into a fight. The next day, she stays in bed all day and when her dad gets home they go on a walk to talk and work through things. While walking along the beach, they spot a body they believe is dead, but upon further inspection they discover it’s Griffin and he’s been beaten badly. Once they get him back to their house and Kevin doctors him up, he confesses all his dark past. And after that, well let’s just say all kinds of shit hits the fan, and things come to light

The ending left me speechless. Oh how I can’t wait for April 12 to come and book 3 to come out so we get Skylar’s story. I love how they all get along. Normally ex’s and new girlfriends are enemies but in this story they are all friends.

Publication: March 1, 2019 Pages: 354  YA Romance

 

Under Your Influence by: Jaxson Kidman writing as J.L. Caid

In this quick and insta-love. What happens when you are dumped the day before Valentines? And a cop saves you from spending time in jail, you marry the cop.

When your friend spies your ex out to eat with someone else the same evening he dumps you. What else do you do but go with your best friends to the restaurant to confront him, only to find out that they had been with each other for a while and had just gotten engaged.

After confronting him, Harper, heads over to the Brownstone he lives in and while standing on the sidewalk staring at it, Tyler, a cop on patrol spots her. When he gets out of the car to talk with her he notices she has a rock in her hand and is looking at the windows like she wants to throw it through one. He stops her from making a huge mistake that will cause her to spend the evening in jail. After a little flirting he sends her on her way with a warning to not let him see her around while he was out on patrol. She gets cheeky with him and brings up the bar the he ”invited” her to.

Harper decides it’s time for a drink so she goes to McMilly’s, the bar that Tyler told her about. While Tyler is at the bar getting a drink she steals his table and he is about to say something when he notices it’s Harper who stole his spot. They end up talking and drinking together all night and come morning they wake up in bed together; married. Of course, Harper starts freaking out but Tyler is all calm and cool about it. Harper starts following Tyler around while he is on patrol and sees the good in him and starts to realize she is having real feelings for him.

As they get to know one another and meet each others friends they discover they have more than just a physical attraction to each other. They are the perfect mate for each other. The back and forth banter between them is hilarious. Definitely a must read.

Kindle Edition Pages:198  Publication Date: February 14, 2019  Romance 18+

My Kind of Forever by: Tracy Brogan

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In a small town called Trillium Bay, when the mayoral election takes place and the longtime Blackwell patriarch has been booted out by a female who is the youngest mayor ever and not a Blackwell at all. You would think times are a changin’ and guess what, things do change and long buried secrets are revealed.

Brooke, the new mayor, goes into the office to talk with Henry Blackwell, but he has other plans and hands the keys over to her. He tells her that Gertie, his longtime assistant, will tell her everything she needs to know about the who and what of the town. Gertie being worried about her job, becomes extremely relieved when Brooke tells her she’s not firing her, that she is the backbone of the office and was probably running things anyways, not to mention she could use the help.

Leo is a newcomer working as a bartender at the Palomino Pub until he can figure out what venture his life will take after the security company he worked at went under. We also learn that he wants to write a book and is liking the solitude and quietness of the island.

Where else would a small town hold city council meetings but at a Pub. Once all the members arrive, Brooke calls the meeting to order and tells everyone that she emailed them the agenda so it should be on their phones. One of the ladies says, “How on earth am I supposed to bring my phone? It’s attached to the wall of my kitchen, and the cord isn’t that long.” Brooke thought that her time as a teacher would prepare her for this but she soon discovers that there is a major difference, all the members of the council are old. Gertie comes to the rescue with printed copies of the agenda. Since the meeting are held at the pub afterwards Brooke and Leo get to talking and he asks her out to dinner and if she would show him around.

Let’s not forget the long hidden secrets that the PI, Bill Smith, is trying to uncover. After all, a jewel thief has been on the island! With everyone telling a different tale regarding the jewels and who it could be there seems to be no concrete evidence as to what or who it is.

How will the newfound mayor and townspeople react to the uncovering of secrets new and old?  

Publication: January 22, 2019 Pages: 261 clean Rom Com, Political aspects

 

Over the Falls by: Jordan Ford

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In this story you have the north vs the south; the rich vs the poor;  the elites vs the hippies, along with love and friendship from an unlikely person.

Aiden, being down and depressed after losing his last swim meet on top of being dumped by his girlfriend of over a year, takes a ride down to the southside bay.  While standing there watching the ocean and thinking, he spots a blonde beauty walking out of the water with a surfboard under her arm. They get to talking and she notices a sadness in his eyes and ask him “who dumped who.” At first he was just gonna walk off until he looked into her eyes and saw she was being sincere and that she knows what it feels like. She tells him he needs to change up things and needs to learn how to surf . A few days later they run into each other again and she offers to teach him how to surf. With his background already involving water, he catches on fast.

One evening after surfing they decide to go out to dinner. While they were there Skylar, his cousin, shows up and starts saying all kinds of mean thing to Harley and ends up causing Harley to throw money on the table and walk out. The next morning after ignoring Aiden’s texts she shows up at the beach and spots him talking to Griffin, who is offering him a summer job working at Ryder Rentals, which on top of what happened at dinner causes them to fight. He has never needed to work and she needs to, therefore it would be the perfect job for her.

After apologizing to each other the next morning, they meet up at their normal spot for surfing but the waves are too strong for him, so Harley decides to take him to a locals only spot since Axel and his crew are out tearing up the big waves she thinks they will be safe. They end up having too much fun at the cove and don’t leave in time before Axel and his crew show up. She tells Aiden to stay back and let her handle it, but as soon as Axel put his hands on her he goes to help, only making things worse and he ends up having his car keyed. With him trying to stick up for her and not listening to what she has to say it causes yet another fight between them.

After a long week, they make up and go back to Aiden’s place to research boards for him to buy his own. While they are laughing and having a good time his parents get home and Harley takes off. After a heart to heart with his parents he goes after Harley. When he finds her he invites her to watch the sunset or go out to eat. They decide to watch the sunset over the ocean. While they are walking and splashing along the beach they hear a scream and a splash. They both take off in the direction of the splash and discover a female body. They get her to the sand and discovers it is Skylar. He performs CPR until the paramedics arrive. On the way to the hospital they call his family to let them know what happened. Feeling like an outsider in the hospital Harley offers to go get everyone something to drink. When she returns, she sees Aiden kissing his ex girlfriend. After everything they have been through, she takes off and tries to retreat into herself and starts pushing everyone away, including her BMF.

After a few more twist and turns, Aiden finally discovers himself and what he wants, along with why Harley is acting the way she is.

Publication: January 14, 2019 Pages: 299   YA  Romance  

This is Book 1 of a series. Book 2 is scheduled to be released March 1, 2019