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Liz’s Road Trip by Bernadette Marie – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Liz's Road TripLiz’s Road Trip by Bernadette Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liz’s Road Trip by Bernadette Marie is an emotional yet hopeful little gem of a book!!!

The book opens on a pretty sad note. Liz Evans has just lost her beloved grandmother. As she is going through her things, she finds a letter that will completely change her life. Her Gran wants her to take her back to her home, in Florida. When she gets there, a mystery man, Mark, will tell her all about the Gran that she didn’t know. So, she embarks on a trip with Gran and Gran’s cat, Cosmo, that will possibly end up being an adventure that could finally lead her to a forever romance and a life filled with joy beyond her imagination!

At times, Liz was extremely frustrating for me. Her moods could swing from hot to cold, especially in her burgeoning relationship with Mark. I wanted to shake some sense into her, but as I sat back and digested more of her story, I began to understand her more and have sympathy for her. She just lost the woman who sacrificed so much to raise her after Liz’s mother died. In addition, she discovers that her grandmother had many secrets and had a life she knew nothing about. I imagine that Mark knowing those secrets impacted her relationship with him as well. It was all those complicated and complex emotions that made the book so good.

There were so many reasons I loved this book. I liked that Marie pulled on my heartstrings and had me really invested in the characters, especially Liz. Gran was not physically present in the book, but she played such a pivotal role in the plot and pacing of the book. She was still teaching Liz lessons after she was gone. My favorite thing about the book was the growth that Liz went through. She began the book as pretty self-centered, but by the end of the book, a lot of that self-centeredness was gone. Most importantly, she went from just living a good life to a life well-lived, and that is exactly what Gran wanted for her all along.

I haven’t read a book by Bernadette Smalls, but this one won’t be my last one. She is a very talented writer who knows exactly how to pull her readers smack dab in the middle of her story. If you like a sweet romance full of emotions, you should definitely give this one a try!!!!

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Cruel King by K.M. Scott – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Cruel KingCruel King by K.M. Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not usually a huge fan of billionaire romances, but I really enjoyed reading this one by K.M. Scott. The story moved pretty quickly, and the characters were very well-developed.

Ava has grown up on the King estate, and she and the King brothers have been in each others’ lives as long as she can remember. She is closest with Theo, in fact, he is her best friend. The two have been there for each other as they have suffered unimaginable losses at such young ages. As close as she is to Theo, the opposite is true of Matthias, the oldest king boy. If he isn’t ignoring her, he treats her as if she is something disgusting stuck on the bottom of his shoe. She has grown accustomed to that and does what she can to just avoid him. All that changes one day during a blizzard that traps these two together for a couple of days. Ava realizes Matthias’s feelings for her weren’t at all what she expected them to be. It was pure bliss until it wasn’t.

Fast forward five years, and Ava and Matthias’s relationship is still complex, complicated, and full of animosity, and now factor in Theo’s feelings for Ava. What Scott has given her readers is a book full of angst and emotions which kept me flipping through the pages. I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended for these characters.

To say Matthias was a complicated and complex character would be the understatement of the year!!!! There were times that I wanted to throttle this man!!!! I could understand why he was the way that he was, but I wanted to tell him to go get some therapy or finally ask Ava the questions he wanted to ask her before he pushed the one person away who actually saw who he was deep down in his soul! Never fear, readers, he does finally get his act together and finds a path to happiness for him.

For the most part, I liked Ava. She was a strong individual and my goodness did she have patience. I was glad she finally confronted Matthias and demanded to know what she had done to him to be treated in the way that she was. She pushed his buttons, but yet, she saw a side to him that no one else did. However, she wasn’t perfect. Her feelings for Matthias and Theo were confusing for her. She seemed to be able to easily fall for Theo despite her time with Matthias. I did try to see it from her point of view. Matthias ran so hot and cold, and she really had loved Theo her entire life, but she had to determine whether that was the years of her friendship or romantic love. Like Matthias, she did finally discover her path to happiness.

This was a very heartfelt book that struck a good combination of spice and many emotional moments. There were also twists I didn’t see coming that really tugged at my heartstrings. Matthias has several other brothers, so I’m hoping this is the beginning of a series. I would definitely read more about the King Boys.

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Back to the 80s by S.E. Reichert and Kerrie Flanagan – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Back to the 80'sBack to the 80’s by S.E. Reichert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back to the 80s reminded me of why I am so thankful I was a teenager during that time. It was a wonderful time. I am a little biased, but I still think it was a great time!!!

Blaine is the owner of a novelty shop that specializes in all things the 80s that was left to her by her mother. She has worked tirelessly to keep her mother’s legacy alive. Eric Morales is a developer who has his sights on destroying the building that houses Blaine’s store to open a new brewery. When these two meet, the sparks fly, both in a good way and not so good way. In order to save her store, she makes a bet with him. She has 30 days to change his mind and show him what a great decade the 80s really was. As these two spend more time together, that tiny spark is now developing into so much more. Hopefully, they can find a way to not only find a business compromise but also find a way to their own HEA!

This was such a quirky read in every possibly good way! I was a teenager during the 80s, so I LOVED all the references to that decade! It encompassed all the things that made that time such a great one!!! The secondary characters just added to the story itself as well! Like all the great 80s romantic movies, this book also had an EPIC ending!!! If you are looking for a sweet, quirky romance, you can’t go wrong with this one!!!

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Guarding the Crease (The Playmakers Series Hockey Romances Book 9) by G.K. Brady – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Guarding the Crease (The Playmakers #9)Guarding the Crease by G.K. Brady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Guarding the Crease by G.K. Brady is one of my favorite opposites-attracts romances. It was full of all the things I love…sweetness, spiciness, the feels, and a fantastic, wonderful ending!!!

Wyatt and Serena are complete opposites. He is a playboy who seems intent on wrecking his career. She is extremely good at her job and takes it very seriously. He has a mother who seems intent on telling him he is worth NOTHING despite his success. She has a loving and supportive family. Plus, the two don’t really like each other very much either. Basically, they should never work, but somehow they do.

Serena is a victim of an attack when the last person she expects to be her savior is her biggest pain in the neck, Wyatt, the disgraced NHL goaltender. He not only doesn’t leave her side, but he makes sure she makes it home safely. But, Wyatt being Wyatt, thinks he can use this to his advantage and get Serena to help him out in two ways: as a wedding date and getting his spot back on the team. As these two spend more time together, a sweet friendship develops with a lot of underlying chemistry that sizzles. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed seeing a bad boy fall so hard!

Wyatt is like a puzzle piece she can’t quite figure out. He has a horrible partying playboy reputation, but he also has a sweet, caring side as well. Trying to figure out what makes this man tick now playing with her own feelings. There is something special that continues to draw her towards him.

Serena isn’t like any woman Wyatt has ever been with. She’s not only beautiful, but she is intelligent and works really hard at her job in the PR Department. Plus, she doesn’t fawn all over him because he is a professional athlete. She points out his selfishness but not in a way that demeans him, only in a way that allows him to see who he really is and become a better person. Although she does have one thing in common with him, her love of Legos. What could be sweeter than that!!!!

The romance isn’t the only plot happening in the book. There is still danger lurking around the corner for Serena, and she wants to handle it herself. Thank God Wyatt doesn’t agree. He literally is a knight in shining armor, even if that armor is a little bit dinged.

If you love flawed hockey heroes and strong, quirky, and smart heroines, along with an opposites-attract novel with all the feels, this book is definitely for you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

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