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Wicked Games (Hidden Valley Elite Book 7) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Wicked Games (Hidden Valley Elite #7)Wicked Games by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow!!!! This is my favorite in the series so far!!!!

When I finished reading the prior book in the series, I thought I knew what this book would involve, but boy did Isla Vaughn throw me for a loop. I had no way of knowing what she had in store for me!!! I LOVED IT!!!

Shane has been an enigma for me since the beginning of this series! He has been a bit secretive, so I never really thought I knew who he was. To say he is complicated would be a huge understatement. He has actually become my favorite character in the series, and I feel like there is so much more I will come to discover about him. In the previous books, he has come across as extremely confident, but Vaughn showed me that he had to work hard to overcome some serious insecurities that our other main character, Winter, helped instill in him.

Like Shane, Winter, is a very complex, complicated character as well. To see Winter through Shane’s eyes, would make a person pretty much hate her. Thankfully, Vaughn gives Winter her own voice that allows readers to see her in a completely different light. I didn’t excuse her treatment of Shane, but she was just a child from a very toxic family. I was happy to see that she now had a family who loved her and supported her.

While this is a revenge, bully romance, it is SO MUCH MORE!!!! It is also suspenseful and full of twists. And, as usual, Vaughn leaves us with a HUGE cliffhanger. She outdid herself again…I will anxiously be awaiting what happens next for Shane and Winter!!!

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Hot Flashes and Hockey Slashes (Hot Flash Hookups Book 1) by Marika Ray and Sylvie Stewart – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Hot Flashes and Hockey SlashesHot Flashes and Hockey Slashes by Marika Ray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely LOVED, LOVED this book! It was one of my favorite rom-com reads of 2023 if not one of my all-time favorites.

I loved that the characters in the book were older. Olivia is a successful engineer and is now the owner of a thriving business she built on her own. While her professional life is moving along successfully, her personal life not so much. She is a hot mess, going through that lovely time in life called perimenopause. Now, she has to go to her ex’s wedding to a younger woman in Belize. Roman is a hockey player who has had a successful career, but now he is contemplating retiring but not sure of the changes that will bring to his life. Olivia’s daughter and Roman’s daughter are college roommates, and they decide to be matchmakers, setting up Roman to be Olivia’s fake boyfriend for the week. What begins as a fake relationship might just be the HEA neither one of them was expecting!!!

How could I not love both Olivia and Roman!!! Olivia is intelligent, and her inner beauty radiates from within making her beautiful…even though she doesn’t see it. Roman is about as close to perfect as any man can get. He is so attentive to Ollie, and he knows what she needs even when she doesn’t realize it. He boosts her self-esteem and just goes along with the hot flashes and insomnia. Like Ollie, he is at a point in his life wondering what the future holds. He hasn’t always been the best father to his daughter, but he is trying to make up for the past and embark on an even better relationship with her now. The two are such an amazing support to one another.

The book was very well-written, even down to the dialogue. The authors gave me quite a few laughs. I can totally empathize with night sweats, emotional rollercoasters, and hot flashes. There wasn’t too much angst or drama, and they built a great cast of secondary characters. I’m so glad to see that this is the beginning of a series. Thank you, ladies, for showing us age is just a number, and that you can find love at any age!!!!

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Beyond Friendship (The Irresistible Series Book 3) by Marlyn Love – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Beyond Friendship (The Irresistible Series #3)Beyond Friendship by Marlyn Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beyond Friendship by Marlyn Love is an emotional, heartfelt romance!

Brian is the consummate bachelor, never being with a woman twice. He has hidden his heart behind some heavy-duty walls, not to ever be penetrated by love. He has his reasons, and they are far from typical. When he spots a woman across the room, she will tempt him in ways he never thought possible. Amanda has come back to Boston to fulfill her dreams, but she wasn’t expecting to meet a man who makes her feel the way that Brian does in their very first encounter. However, fate has other plans for them. Amanda is off-limits to Brian since she is his best friend’s sister. They decide to put that chemistry aside and settle for being friends, but what if they were truly meant to be more…..

I enjoy complex characters and uncovering their layers. Love definitely gave me that in Brian and Amanda, but especially Brian. Let’s start with Amanda…she was lovely. She was gorgeous, but it was her soul that resonated with me. She was determined and made her dreams a reality, but she was loyal and loving…and she stuck by Brian when any other woman would have left him in the rearview mirror! There wasn’t anything I disliked about Amanda at all!!!

On the other hand, Brian elicited a great deal of complicated feelings for me. I loved him, but oh my gosh, I wanted to kill him at times, especially when he was so cruel to Amanda. I was like her brother, I wanted to punch him in the face!!!!! Yet, I loved him because I knew he was just reacting because of grief and fear. Thankfully, he redeemed himself in the end.

Not only were the characters engaging but so was the storyline. I liked the fact that Love extended it over six years. It really gave Brian and Amanda a great foundation, rooted in friendship. She also knows how to really pull at readers’ emotions, and I can never resist a book that tugs at my heart.

This is the first book I have read by Marlyn Love, and I’m so ecstatic that I found her. If you are looking for a book that tugs at your heartstrings and breaks your heart somewhat but finally gives you an epic HEA, don’t miss out on this one! Download it or buy a copy TODAY!!!

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Cruel Truths (Tessa and Jordan Book 3) by T. Christensen – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Cruel Truths (Tessa and Jordan #3)Cruel Truths by T. Christensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cruel Truths was a quick and thoroughly enjoyable enemies-to-lovers office romance!

I was completely hooked from the opening pages of this book. Lindy has a dream to become a fashion designer, and she has worked hard to make that dream come true. Now, it seems she might actually have a chance to get her foot in the door of the fashion company she wants to be a part of. The only thing standing in her way is Cade Kingsley, her new boss. After their first meeting, it’s apparent their working relationship is full of fireworks and not in a good way! She refers to him as Mr. A (if you catch my drift). And, Cade really lives up to that name. Things become complicated when she gets another job duty, “fake girlfriend.” These two soon discover that sparks fly in another way outside of the office, and I loved watching every minute of them falling for one another.

Lindy captured my attention from the very beginning. Her personality jumps right off the pages of the book and brings her to life, and believe me, she has a bigger-than-life personality. She is one of the strongest female characters I have come across in a while. Her childhood was much different than Cade’s, and I loved the way that she reminded Cade that not everyone was as privileged as he was. She was loyal and loved her family, and Cade was able to use that to get Lindy to bend to his will. Lindy was also not afraid to be brutally honest with him. Beneath that strong exterior, she was also vulnerable and not really trusting of men. So, when she allowed the walls to fall from around her heart, it was a beautiful thing to see.

Cade captured my attention as well and not in a good way…at first. I, like Lindy, found him cold and an A. At the same time, I was also intrigued about the mystery of who he REALLY was. Sometimes, I felt like he took advantage of Lindy’s love of her family and used it to benefit him. But, he did say he always got what he wanted, and he wanted her. As time went on, his vulnerabilities also were exposed. Despite his controlling nature, I got to see the sweet side of him in the way he showed his affection and love for Lindy.

I am a huge fan of enemies-to-lovers romances, and the push and pull between Lindy and Cade is why I always keep coming back for more. In the beginning, it was hard to tell if these two even liked each other. I enjoyed the way they pushed each other’s buttons, and in the end, I loved the people they became. I have read some of T. Christensen’s other books but not in this series, and now, I can’t wait to go back and read the previous books in the series. Her sister, Tessa, and her complicated relationship with her husband really piqued my interest! If you love a complicated alpha male and a gutsy woman who pushes his buttons, then give Lindy and Cade a try. I think you will come to love them just as much as I did.

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Cruel Love (Hidden Valley Elite Book 6) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Cruel Love (Hidden Valley Elite #6)Cruel Love by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastic conclusion to Phoenix and Aspen’s Duet! This book is my favorite so far in the series!

The book picked up right where the previous one left me hanging, and what a cliffhanger that was!!!! Oh my gosh…talk about a nailbiter! Phoenix is in the hospital and his memories of the last few years are gone which include his memory of who Aspen is and all of the struggles they have had to endure. However, he knows she has played an important part in his life, and he feels the same pull towards her as he did before the accident. There was a lot going on in this book, and I loved every minute of it!

Cruel Love was such an appropriate title for this particular book as Cruel Hate was a perfect title for the previous one. In that one, despite the chemistry and pull of Aspen and Phoenix, a lot of their emotions for one another could be construed as hate. There was so much back and forth and push and pull between them. If I didn’t know how they truly felt about each other, I would have thought they had no promise of a future together. However, Vaughn turned all of that negativity and anger on its head in this book. The accident has made Phoenix kinder, more patient, and less self-centered. Those protective walls he has erected aren’t there which in turn causes Aspen to be more vulnerable and trusting with him. This was a much sweeter read, and I enjoyed watching the two of them get to know one another and really fall for each other.

As they discover their love for each other, several background stories develop and connect as well. The mystery of Phoenix’s grandfather’s actions which involve Shane, Phoenix’s twin, is coming to light and more about their mother and father’s pasts is being discovered as well. It’s the perfect combination of romance and mystery.

Isla Vaughn is an expert in taking her readers on a rollercoaster of emotions. My heart has been broken and put back together, and she has made me so angry that I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room and throttle some of the characters. Yet, that is what a great writer does, she or he tugs at your emotions, and Vaughn is incredibly talented at doing that. It is what keeps me coming back for more. She has really set us up for what promises to be a great set of books next. It’s finally Shane’s turn to tell us his story, and if the cliffhanger we are left with at the end of this book is any indication, it’s going to be one heck of a ride!!