Review: Sugar Pine Trail by RaeAnne Thayne

Sugar Pine Trail (Haven Point #7) by RaeAnne Thayne
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Publication date: September 26th 2017
My rating: 4 Stars
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

 

An unlikely attraction brings comfort, joy and unforgettable romance this holiday season!

Librarian Julia Winston is ready to ditch the quiet existence she's been living. She's made a list of new things to experience, but falling for Jamie Caine, her sexy military pilot neighbor, isn't one of them. Julia's looking to conquer life, not become the heartbreaker's latest conquest. But when two young brothers wind up in Julia's care for the holidays, she'll take any help she can get—even Jamie's.

Happy to step in, Jamie reveals a side of himself that's much harder to resist. Not only is he fantastic with kids, he provides the strength Julia needs to tackle her list. She knows their temporary family can't last beyond the holidays, but the closer she gets to Jamie, the more she wonders if things could be this merry and bright forever…

My Thoughts:

Julia Winston is the town librarian with a secret long-time crush on sexy pilot Jamie Caine.  She never imagines that he’d look at her twice, but when a friend suggests he rents the upstairs level in her large, historic home, and they can’t help but bump into each other.  When two kids, eight and six-year-old Clint and Davy, need her to take them in, Jaimie steps up to help wrangle the boys, melting Julia’s heart in the process.

Jamie is surprised by the attraction he feels for the demure, uptight librarian, but he can’t let his attraction go anywhere.  Julia’s a forever-type of girl, and he hardly ever goes on a second date.  This might make you think Jamie is the usual player-type jerk, but he’s a sweetheart, plagued by guilt over the past. Soon spending time with Julia and the boys feels vital and he can’t hardly stay away.

Both Julia and Jamie were lonely in their own way, but you know there’s an end in sight when they lay eyes on each other. Clint and Davy, the two boys who need a home when their mom disappears melds them together into a makeshift family, one that completely tugged at my heart strings!  Julia has such a big heart full of love, she helps both the kids and Jamie without an ounce of judgment or expectation. 

Jamie stumbles on a sort of bucket-list of Julia’s, who’s lived the last few years helping ailing parents, and he can’t help but make it his mission to secretly help her check everything off.

I previously read Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne and it wasn’t my cup of tea, but that was more because of the circumstances of the book than because of the writing, so I was determined to give her another shot, and I’m glad I did.  Sugar Pine Trail was a sweet, heartwarming story of love and finding the “one” when you least expect it. A perfect holiday kind of read!

  Connect with RaeAnne Thayne:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Weekly Wrap Up #13

Hi everyone, with Rachel and I's crazy work schedules, we miss sharing whats going on with us. We used to have a lot of fun with our Showcase Sunday posts, so thought we'd do something regular on the blog, where we share bookish news and life news in general as a weekly recap! We've decided to link our weekly wrap up's with The Sunday Post hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer.


Jasprit 

This week was just so tiring, I was planning on going to circuits class, but then I didn't, I was planning on going to the gym, but I didn't go there either. I've just been coming back from work completely exhausted. And then when I plan to go bed early, I end up staying up super late and only getting like 5 hours sleep and being all exhausted again. Me and my cousins a few Summer's ago did a mobile phone ban, some of us, mainly my sister were addicted to their phones, so we put all of ours away in a box and hid them away. We needed a break from them and just be social for once, I think I so need to do this again, as I plan to read or watch something, but then I find myself scrolling through Twitter and then my Instagram and before you know its like 1am? Does anyone else get like this? Well next week I'm definitely going to try and change this around and read instead of procrastinating and try and fit in more hours of sleep somehow! 


WHAT I READ/REVIEWED 
Jasprit 

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

This was my first book by Higgins and it was such a surprising read, I know a few of my blogging friends are fans of Higgins work and I can definitely why! I can't wait to pick up more of her books soon.

Rachel:

 (Click on title for Goodreads link)

I've had a great reading week.  Jasprit and I buddy-ready Now That You Mention It and I couldn't put it down!  My favorite Kristen Higgens so far.  I listened to Cold-Hearted Rake and Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas after noticing my library had the audios and I LOVED them sooo much! I'm doing a re-read *listen* of Devil in Spring now and swooning all over again! Lisa Kleypas writes so beautifully!  Unfortunately, I had a bad apple in the mix.  Second Chance Girl was a complete disappointment with one-dimensional, and frustrating characters. I should give the author another try, but I kind of doubt I will.

BOOKS RECEIVED 
Jasprit 

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

I first came across this book this week thanks to Leanna, I read the blurb and was like oh my god I need to read this book, I don't know why but it's giving me Gillian Flynn vibes, (I loved Gone Girl and nothing has been able to compete ever since), so I have my fingers crossed that this will be a great book! 

Rachel:

 (Click on title for Goodreads link)

The Lucky Ones sounds dark, and mysterious; supposed to be a Gothic mystery, perfect for this time of year! I accidentally clicked the widget for With This Christmas Ring, but it was the one book of the group that I wanted to read the most, so we'll see. I got a copy of The Girl in the Picture after reading Lily's intriguing review. Past and present mysteries collide.  I'm supper curious! Roomies sounds exactly like my kind of romance. Can't wait!

NEW TO MY TBR
Jasprit 
(Click on Book for Goodreads link)

The Woman in the Window was actually the only book I added to my tbr pile this week, Leanna like I mentioned did an excellent post of new reads on her radar, I may have to go back and check more of them out. You can see her post here.

Rachel:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)



A Goodreads friend started reading The Mountain Between Us which has been turned into a movie (I had no clue since I never watch TV). Anyhow, I read the blurb and it sounded like On the Island but set in the mountains. I'm buying an e-copy and audio copy.  The e-copy for my husband and the audio for me.  My husband and I both devoured On the Island several years ago and it continues to be one of our favorite books ever.  The narrator, George Newbern, is a narrator I really enjoy!


  WHAT I'M WATCHING:

Jasprit  

With so many shows returning this Autumn, its so hard to keep up! I've managed to keep up with Strictly Come Dancing, I swear last week's episode was like 2 and a half hours, but I just can't get enough! This week is Movie week and I can't wait! The Apprentice is also back and I absolutely love this show, I love Claude and Karen and how they just have the candidates up. The candidates appear really ridiculous already, it's early stages yet, but I'm hoping they'll get clued up and fast! 

Rachel:

I haven't watched a single thing this week (I seriously have had NO time) but upon closing the computer I'll be watching Gone, Girl. We'll see how it turns out. :)

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Jasprit 

So this week I did something to my back, I think with all the weight I have to carry to work, I'd overstuffed my bag, and honestly it was just killing me, by the end of week I was carrying two bags, which was so much easier, but I'm thinking I may need to invest in a wheely trolley! So I've been trying to do as much yoga as I can to help ease the pain, but also when I'm super stressed and anxious, it proper helps me to calm down. I normally follow Adrienne, as her yoga is superb! I noticed that she had a special calendar for the month, so I've been doing as much as I can this week! 

Rachel:

Got the stomach flu on Monday. Drove to work and then turned the car around and went home. It was that bad.  I couldn't run on Tuesday and then I still felt week for my runs on Thursday and Friday. It sucks getting sick, but I'm glad it was short-lived. I run 10 miles tomorrow.  My half-marathon is 3 weeks from tomorrow!!  I'm nervous and excited.

How was your week?

Review: Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery

Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Publication date: September 26th 2017
My rating: 2 Stars
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | TBD

 

touching modern fairy tale that won't let go of your heart, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool's Gold romances!

Mathias Mitchell's easy smile hides a world of hurt. After the worst kind of family betrayal, he moves to Happily Inc., California—the wedding destination town supplies a steady stream of bridesmaids, perfect for his "no promises, no pain" lifestyle. Yet he can't stop watching for his beautiful, elusive neighbor on the animal preserve behind their homes.

Gamekeeper Carol Lund knows she's not special enough to attract an alpha male like Mathias, so his offer to help her adopt a herd for her lonely giraffe is surprising—and his determined seduction, even more so. But just as she finally welcomes him into her bed, his careless actions crush her heart. Will she give him a second chance to prove she'll always come first in his heart? 

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to love Second Chance Girl.  It has so many features that should’ve made it a hit for me: cute animals, small town, quirky characters, yet this fell short for me.  The characters were very one-dimensional, making it hard for me to feel any connection to them or their stories.

Part of the story was Sophie, a cute and mischievous beagle, foisted on Mathias by his mother even though he strongly objected at first.  Mathias grew to like her, but the connection seemed tepid at best. I was hoping for emotional bonds that seeped into his human relationships.  Instead Mathias stays with his mantra of “people who were supposed to love you betrayed you”.

Mathias’ relationship with his brother Ronan is strained, and there was really no movement with that.  Hi relationship with his parents was bad from the beginning and no change through the story. His father was a narcissistic jackass, bullying his sons.  Trying to undermine their confidence for his own ego.  His mother wasn’t any better. Yeah, she was nice on the surface, but a classic enabler. I lost complete respect when she defended her husband’s obviously horrid behavior toward their boys.  So, Mathias’ relationship with them was a frustrating addition to the story.

The romance between Mathias and Carol was underwhelming.  I didn’t feel their connection, no sparks, no sexual tension or build-up, IMO.  I wasn’t sure what it was about Carol that was supposed to change Mathias from a bridesmaid-hopping-manwhore into a committed in-love guy.  She was nice and all that, but I wasn’t moved by their “passion”.  Also, I detest relationship drama late in the story, at 87% it doesn’t give you much time to enjoy the couple sorted and happy. It also doesn’t give much time to forgive the characters for their stupidity.  Mathias needed to grovel, and yet Carol was the one stepping up to mend their fracture.  That does not inspire swooning.

I was excited by Violet’s, Carol’s sister, romance with an English Duke. It started out promising, but fizzled out quickly.  Still, I liked their romance better than Carol and Mathias’. 

I see a lot of love for Susan Mallery’s stories, so I want to believe that Second Chance Girl wasn’t her best writing. I haven't given up on her writing yet, but, this was just okay to me. 

 

Review: Overruled (The legal Briefs #1) by Emma Chase

Overruled (The legal Briefs #1) by Emma Chase
Narrators: Jason Carpenter, Charlotte Penfield
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication date: 28th April 2015
My rating: 5 stars 

A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don't call him the Jury Charmer for nothing - with his Southern drawl, disarming smile, and captivating green eyes, he's a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross-examined by him. Stanton's a man with a plan. And for a while life is going according to that plan. Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved 10-year-old daughter. Jenny is getting married - to someone who isn't him. That's definitely not part of the plan. Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn't have time for relationships or distractions. But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits", begs her for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she's crazy... and her heart says something else entirely. What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana? The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

I’d listened to Chase’s Tangled series before and despite it being narrated by Sebastian York, I sadly wasn’t a fan, but then when going through Chase’s books and I came across her Legal Brief’s series and I knew I had to give it a go and I’m so glad that I did, as I ended up absolutely loving Overruled. I loved how Chase started the beginning of this book, as I had read the summary of the book so long ago, I was quite surprised with the turn of events, as I’d thought that Jenny and Stanton would have been together forever. But with the way the story developed, I was glad later on that this wasn’t the case at all.

I could understand Stanton’s reasoning for wanting to go back home and stop Jenny’s wedding to another guy, he had assumed that he and Jenny were meant to be, yes, they currently lived in different states, and had been with different people over the course of their “relationship”, but she was the mother of their child and when Stanton went back to Mississippi it was always Jenny. So, when Stanton got the news and decided to go back, I didn’t like the fact at first that he was taking Sofia with him, his reasoning behind it was that she was a woman, so would have a better understanding of Jenny’s character and could also calm him down and keep him in check if he got too angry and went overboard in trying to win Jenny back. But it wasn’t fair on Sofia at all, Stanton and Sofia had been sleeping together for a little while, but that’s all it was, they were work colleagues, so didn’t need any further blurring of their relationship. So, as you can imagine, Stanton’s behaviour did make me mad at times, he was hell bent on winning Jenny back that he couldn’t see that he had something amazing right in front of him in Sofia. This minor irritation aside though, I still ended up really enjoying Overruled, it was funny seeing the lengths to which Stanton would go to win Jenny back, and just generally Stanton was an overall funny guy. He had such a dry sense of humour that caused me to laugh out loud several times, and receive strange looks from people on my commute to work. But I couldn’t care less, as this was such a funny book and Chase mixed up aspects of the romance and humour really well. Also, we didn’t really know which way things would go romance-wise (well I knew which way I wanted them to) and then you had characters such as Jake and Brent (Stanton’s co-workers) and Stanton’s family bringing so much drama and fun to the story too.

I really liked the story that Chase gave us with Stanton, Sofia, Jenny and her fiancé JD, but the secondary characters bought so much to the mix, making Overruled such a delight to read. And let me just say the narration from Jason Carpenter and Charlotte Penfield just made this book for me, Carpenter’s Southern drawl and charm that he put into Stanton’s character was just on point, it definitely made his character more realistic and also bought a lot of swoon too!

Overruled was a brilliant start to a new series for me, it reminded me a lot of the TV show Suits; with clever lawyers running around all over the place, but it was also charming, funny and full with such weird and wonderful characters that I know I’ll have a hard time putting the rest of the series down.

Mini-reviews: Top Ten and Without Merit

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: October 3rd 2017
My rating: 2 stars 

Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of friends. Introverted, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ryan is a star hockey player who can get any girl he wants—and does, frequently. But against all odds, they became not only friends, but each other’s favorite person. Now, as they face high school graduation, they can’t help but take a moment to reminisce and, in their signature tradition, make a top ten list—counting down the top ten moments of their friendship: 10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met. 9. Then there was our awkward phase. 8. When you were in love with me but never told me… 7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life. 6. Through terrible fights… 5. And emotional makeups. 4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken. 3. …but at times, you were also the one breaking it. 2. Above all, you helped me make sense of the world. 1. Now, as we head off to college—how am I possibly going to live without you?

I had such high hopes for Top Ten, seeing as I’d enjoyed Cotugno’s previous books, but sadly Top Ten was such a disappointing read for me. The beginning of the book I actually enjoyed, best friends Ryan and Gabby find themselves over their heads one night, I don’t want to say too much and give it away, but the way things ended, I wanted to know what would happen next, as both Ryan and Gabby would be headed off to college, and with them being friends for so long, would their friendship be able to survive. But instead of continuing off from where things left off, Cotugno decided to give us alternate chapters over the course of the book, and I found this really confusing, the chapters were titled with which year they were focusing on, but the constant back and forth over the years of their friendship I didn’t like at all, I just wanted to find out what was going to happen after that one night. Unfortunately, Ryan and Gabby weren’t characters who kept me wanting to read this book either, I liked Gabby slightly more than Ryan, but I prefer characters which leave lasting impressions and this wasn’t the case with Ryan or Gabby.

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books 
Publication Date: October 3rd 2017
my rating: 2 stars

Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness. The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix. Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

Once again it seems like I’m the black sheep when it comes to Colleen Hoover’s books, ever since I loved November 9, I’ve been giving Hoover’s books a go, hoping there will be more of her books that I will end up loving, however once again this wasn’t the case for Without Merit. I know a lot of my friends liked this book, and I can understand their reasoning for it, Hoover does a good job of dealing and showing the many real life tough issues that people have to go through. Merit’s life wasn’t all fun and games and her family wasn’t your typical “everyone gets along” sort of family either. And of course, Merit’s family wasn’t the type to sit down and discuss their issues, Merit’s mother had secluded herself to their basement and never came out, Merit's dad's current wife and ex-wife were still living in the same house, there was the case of mistaken identity going on all the time with Merit and her twin Honor and on top of that there was all the stuff that some of the family members didn’t know about. So, you can say there was a lot of issues going on within this family and needed to be properly addressed, I guess you could say I found this a bit overwhelming at times. Like at the beginning, I enjoyed how the story kicked off, but as I got to know more of Merit’s family, the more I was put off from reading the story, which is a real shame, as this book in my eyes potentially could have been a brilliant read for me.