Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a super fun fast paced book staring Tenley and Teagan. With opposing perspectives on love, this week-long couple’s retreat in Hawaii was the perfect setting for theses two and their challenge. This is a well-written story about people with very different views, coming together through fate! I highly recommend for a good fun read!
Faultless Love by K.G. Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5/5 Stars
Faultless Love: A Small Town Second Chance Romance (The Bennetts of Langston Falls #1) by K.G. Fletcher
This isn’t the first book I’ve read by the author. Faultless Love is a great book and I can’t wait for the next one. This is the first book of The Bennetts of Langston Falls Series. Teddy is a man of my dreams without going to jail.
Teddy is home. After five long years in jail for something he didn’t do. He left behind the love of his life. His family. Now he’s only got his family minus his mom. Can he and Robyn make it work? The quote I chose for Ted is: “The worst is behind me, Hank. I’m sorry you felt helpless. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”
Robyn is still in Langston Falls. She hasn’t exactly forgotten Ted, but she doesn’t know how to react now that he’s home. Will she see him? The quote I chose for Robyn is: “It’s probably because I overindulged last night, and now I’m paying the price adding an overloaded coffee to the mix.”
Highly recommended for Contemporary Romance lovers.
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There’s nothing I like better at this time of year than reading a good, holiday romance, and Susan Renee hit this one out of the park!
Tenley and Teagan are not quite enemies, but they find themselves worlds apart on their ideas of finding lasting love. Tenley is a cynic when it comes to romance. She has her own podcast, Practical Adult Relationships, where she trashes the idea of love and has no intention of ever falling in love herself! On the other hand, Teagan has his own blog, and he is known as the Love Guru. He is a believer in finding and keeping love yet he hasn’t found that special someone yet. By chance, he invites her to Hawaii for an all-expense paid trip for a week at a couple’s retreat. It’s more of a challenge…if she doesn’t fall in love, he will donate a hefty sum to her podcast. And, Tenley, being Tenley, cannot resist this challenge, not only for the money but to prove to the Love Guru once and for all that love doesn’t exist. Let the games begin!!!!
The attraction between these two is electric despite their dislike of one another. Therefore, the banter between them is fantastic!!! I also liked the fact that Susan Renee kind of turned the story on its head for me. She made the female character the cynic, and the male character the one who believes in the magic of love. I was on his side from the beginning, and I kept hoping he would get her to fall for him!
She also did something different with her characters’ voices. Tenley and Teagan both have their own chapters. We are given their conversations, but we are also given their inner thoughts, so we know exactly how they feel about one another, even though they don’t! I loved that!!!!!
One of my favorite parts of the book was at the end when Renee went into detail about the other couples who are there. They have appeared in her other books, and she actually included the titles of those books so I can easily find them to read. I’m really glad I took a chance on Susan Renee. She has found a new fan in me!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love Tools by Isobel Reed us the first book of The Bluestone series. This book follows Lily as she moves from London, England to Bluestone, Montana to start a new chapter of her life. Taking over the apartment and store of her late father, Lily has come for answers but instead finds so much more. We are soon introduced to Jake and their instant antagonism becomes the basis of the books slow-burn romance. Journey with Lily and Jake as they discover the power of the past and learn to move on to an unexpected future.
Reviewed by @whisperhymer
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When the father that wasn’t around leaves you an inheritance after his death. This was pretty much how Love Tools started. Lily, the female lead, was left her father’s property in Montana. Which included a hardware store. So she uproots her life in London to start anew. Little did she know where this would lead her life.
Will she let the past get the best of her?
Jake didn’t know his friend Matthew had a daughter, and a feisty one at that. She comes blowing into his life and doesn’t know how to handle it. But he intends on proving to her she’s more than just a fling.
Can he not get redemption?
The story the author wrote was cute. Full of stubborn and feisty characters to keep one entertained. There were also some snickering laughs along the way. What the author put these two main characters through demonstrated so much growth on both parts it was refreshing.
I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely fell in love with this book on page one. It completely sucked me in, and the tenacity of the main character had me smiling throughout the whole book. It’s a quick read, pretty mild, but it’s still a gorgeous love story. Of course, there were moments when I wanted to smack both of them upside the head. It has such a wonderful ending, and I’m 100% looking forward to the next book!
View all my reviews
Love Tools (Bluestone Series Book 1) by Isobel Reed – Review by
I Love You Today by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the second book in the Trading Hearts Trilogy. Even though it’s the second book you don’t have to read the first to read the second. Austin, a main character in the first book, lost the love of his life to his twin so he’s naturally gun shy. When the wonderful Casey falls, quite literally in his lap, he is enamored but guarded. Casey has her own hesitations which makes this story cute and light hearted with a little bit of the drama and anxiety that comes from these kinds of situations. Great story with an hea.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love Tools is the first in the Bluestone Series. We have a woman trying to connect with a father she never knew, and never will now that he’s gone, by uprooting her life and moving to Bluestone to run his hardware store. We have a cowboy who is a known playboy who becomes fascinated by the new hardware store owner. And of course a town full of people who won’t let either of them forget his past! Great story can’t wait for more in this series!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love Tools: Bluestone Series: Book One
by Isobel Reed
4 Stars out of 5 Stars
Love Tools: Bluestone Series: Book One is the love story of Lily and Jake. With a feel good vibe and a clean romantic love this book is absolutely a perfect weekend read. The main characters are relatable and very interesting. The book is from the perspective of both Lily and Jake. Sam (Jake’s sister) and Alice (Lily’s sister) are also great characters and add a little sisterly fun to the book. If you are interested in romance and a feel good story you definitely need to give this book a chance. Can’t wait to read the next book. Highly recommend!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book of the series and I’m hooked! This is my first book I’ve read by Isabel and it most certainly won’t be the last! Lilly has inherited her fathers tool shop. She meets Jake (has his own ranch) who gets under her skin since their first interaction. She’s mouthy, he’s sarcastic. She infuriates him but he can’t get enough. Will they quit bumping heads and let love take over? Will she find that certain thing or spark she’s been looking for in her life? She moved because she felt like something was missing. Will she find that? Highly recommend this! I love the authors writing style and it had me completely hooked. Real page turner for me and I couldn’t put the book down. I love Lilly and her sassiness lol.
I Love You Today by Julie Navickas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Going into this book, I knew it could be read as a stand alone. Now that I have read it, I do need to go back to book 1 to see if things make better sense to me. This book is written in third person with some internal dialogue in between.
Austin has been in love with a girl that isn’t his. She is engaged to his BFF. He helps them pack her stuff up to move back to California from Chicago. His job provides him with the opportunity in Chicago that he can’t refuse. It comes at a great time to give him space away from her and him. In Chicago he meets back up with the girl he didn’t know he needed. Someone different to keep his mind occupied or maybe someone to change how he feels. His job throws him a curve ball and offers him a position of a lifetime back in California. Now he left to decide on his dream job or the girl that stole his heart.
I loved this heart warming story with baseball thrown in. If you are looking for a book that started out like what the heck and gets pieced back together then this book is for you.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lily, who lives in London where her crazy dramatic overbearing mother drives her crazy, a job that’s going nowhere and a string of loser boyfriends has made her miserable. Her father dies (a man she generally knows nothing about) and leaves her his store and small apartment above it. She she chooses to move from London to Montana and re open the store despite her mother’s grievances about it.
In walks Jake a sexy cowboy with a bad reputation as a hit it and quit it kinda guy. He hasn’t wanted a relationship before but one meeting with the sassy lily has him questioning everything.
Can these two find their way into happiness despite their differences and his reputation being held against him?
This book is funny at times had you in tears at times. I was engaged and rooting for the characters. Worth a read!!
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays: A Grinchy/Sunshine Holiday Romance by Susan Renee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tenley has a podcast giving advice to people on how to have “practical adult relationships”. She does not believe that love conquers all and has no interest in being swayed in her opinion. Teagan is a self-proclaimed “love guru” and believes that love truly is the most wonderful thing in the world. During an interview, Teagan, AKA TJ Mack, throws down a challenge for Tenley, AKA TJ on Par, to join him for a week-long vacation to Hawaii at the resort Kamana Wanalaya to see if he can change her mind. And if he cannot, he will donate 10K to her podcast. Thinking she’s in for a free tropical vacation and can skate through the week on her own, she accepts! Only once she is there does she find out that it is a couple’s retreat week, they are rooming together, assigned to a table with other couples, AND they are going to be pretending to be a couple! Can she make it through the week pretending to be in love without succumbing to love?
I literally laughed out loud at several points in this book! The situation and story line are very believable, as are all the characters. Throughout the book you get to read Tenley and Teagan’s perspectives but there is also a chapter for each of the other couples sprinkled in there. After the epilogue the author explains that they all have their own books, too! That was fun to find out and I will now be looking into those books. 🙂 I really liked how social media played a role in this plot and not always in a good way.
Also, this is my first time reading this author and I have to say that I genuinely appreciated the author’s note: “This book is a steam-filled romcom! Definitely not a family friendly holiday read for the kids! Please don’t do it lest they be scarred for life!” The humor is right up my alley and I feel like we’d be friends should we ever meet!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lily left her life in London to move to Bluestone County where her absent father lived and died. Lily plans to reopen his hardware store and she is hard at work when she ends up meeting Jake. Something about his comments gets her hackles up and every interaction after has a sizzling effect for both of them. It’s only a matter of time before they ignite and they could end up finding that missing piece for one another.
I really enjoyed this one. Lily is a hoot and the interactions with Jake bring a smile to your face while reading. Love Tools had a few surprises along the way. Definitely going to read the next book in this series.
I Love You Today by Julie Navickas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I Loved You Today is book 2 in the Trading Heartbeats Trilogy. You can see some of the characters from the first book mentioned, but this can still easily be read as a standalone book. It’s a fun contemporary romance with some baseball thrown in.
Austin Templeton was heartbroken because the girl he fell in love with was destined to be with his twin brother instead of him. So he decides he needs a fresh start, so to speak, and moves far away to Chicago. It’s there that Casey literally falls in his lap. This firecracker is the total opposite from him, and helps to pull him out of his comfort zone while also possibly mending his broken heart. Is he really ready to risk his heart again so soon? Just as he was trying to figure out the answer to that question, his career starts taking off and he gets a promotion offer, but it would take him across the country away from Casey. Will he let her in? Will he stay with her if he does let her in or should he move for his career? Is love really worth risking his heart again, especially after such a brutal heartbreak? All this and more can be answered in the pages of this fast-paced, fun read.
Julie Navickas has continued to write interesting, realistic characters that are believable as they face the possibilities of love and heartache. This second book of the trilogy is just as good if not better than the first, and I truthfully can’t wait for book three.
Snow in Love by Libby Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a lovely, romantic festive Novella that will really get you in for Christmas mood. The author has got the combinations just right email this book. It is the perfect length with the exact amount of Romance to make it work.
This is one of those books that you need to read curled up on the sofa, all in one sitting. It is the sort of book you can lose yourself in for a few hours and I loved every second that I did. This is a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If ever a book were all about the characters it is this one. Right from the start their connection, their chemistry, is evident on each page. The whole book is centred around it and for me it is what made me really engage with the story.
I thought the premise of the story was great as well. It was easy to get myself lost in as the writing was great and the book was fun. I think the author has done a brilliant job with this book.and I would highly recommend it.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
So while I enjoyed this story I also had a few issues with it. It is a fast paced read that easily held my interest. The storyline is a bit different and I liked that but also felt choppy at times. I felt like the author was throwing random problems in to make the story longer. I feel controversial writing that because I did like the story. The characters are older (low to mid thirties) and I like reading stories about mature people. These leading roles bothered me at times because the language and actions of them it made me feel like I was reading a early twenties story. I was concerned enough I read the authors bio to see if she is a younger writer.
The main characters and story are good other than the above mentioned. This is the first book in a series and I am curious about the next two characters and what will happen to them.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An entertaining and enjoyable contemporary romance which kept me happily turning the pages. Lily is running away from a difficult past when she decides to move halfway across the world to Bluestone County to reopen her estranged father’s hardware store. Lily enjoys the wide open space, and clean air along with the perks of small town living, and the sexy cowboys. One in particular, Jake is the bane of her existence, but very good to look at. Jake has a reputation and is known as the king of casual, his life has always been his ranch and so he never really saw the point in a long-term relationship. Then he meets Lily, and she’s all he can think about, and he’s determined to convince her that he is finally the right man for her. The author has a unique writing style which kept me hooked from start to finish. This is a heartwarming sweet romance, and the chemistry between Lily and Jake really came across in the narrative. The descriptive narrative brought the small town setting vividly to life, making me feel immersed in the story.
I Love You Today by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I Love You Today
By: Julie Navickas
This was such a sweet book. I read the first book in this trilogy and loved it. I definitely was expecting a lot out of this book because how can you follow up a woman torn between twins. However, I also expected a lot because I wanted a lot for Austin. It was clear that his heart was broken by Mavis and I definitely wanted to see him get his happily ever after. I love how he found someone who was everything he wasn’t. I also loved how fast paced this story was. I did not want to put it down or for it to end. I definitely recommend this book and can’t wait for the next installment in the trilogy.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love Tools is a contemporary romance and the first book in the Bluestone series. It is funny and had me laughing out loud and once again getting strange looks from those on the bus with me. Oh well it was worth it. At times I thought of it as a rom com but then the emotions would set in only to need tissues but finding the tissue box empty.
This small-town romance has something for everyone who loves a cowboy romance with sexy cowboys, strong and sassy leading ladies.
There is nothing he loves more than his ranch and he is quite content with his life. No need for a relationship they all know the score up front. When an unexpected, beautiful woman comes to town it’s her dirty and snarky mouth that sets him alight.
Men are not in her wheelhouse she is done, done with all the losers. Done with a job that is going nowhere and done with her crazy mother she decides it’s time to leave and find some place new. The beautiful setting of Bluestone County seems just the right spot, only to find a sexy cowboy who grates on her last nerve. If only he had a pause button.
You will fall in love with the characters as much as the setting.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love Tools (Bluestone Series Book 1) by Isobel Reed. This was such a fun short romance. I loved Lily who is fed up with the life she is living and moves from London to to Bluestone County to reopen her fathers Tool shop that has been closed. When she meets Jake in Bluestone County sparks fly between the two but he’s never met a woman as feisty as her. Jake is a rancher and is laid back about everything which drives Lily crazy so they butt heads at the beginning. He knows she drives him crazy but she’s all he can think about. Lily has sworn off guys because she constantly picks the wrong one. This is such a fun sweet contemporary romance. I think I fell in love with Jake and was sad when it was over. Do yourself a favor and read this fun romance!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lily has had enough! Packing and leaving London to find her fathers business in Bluestone County was in her sights. Finding her fathers tool shop, she is bound and determined to reopen and make a living for herself. Jake, sexy as all get out, owns his ranch and is the love of his life. Until he comes across a sassy mouthed blond who crosses his path. Can these two unlikely people come together in this romantic series? I give no spoilers, other than tell you to read this story. This series starter is well written and easy to follow. Lily is strong and independent and is determined to do it on her own. I fell in love with all of the characters in this romance. Yes I laughed, cried and even got mad, but it was all worth it in the end. This author’s story is well worth the read and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
Review@cinful
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I did enjoy the overall romance of the two main characters, Teagan and Tenley, I just felt completely underwhelmed by entire story. It was good, but I couldn’t engage in the story as I normally do. I read this because Hawaii during Christmas sounds amazing, but where was the Christmas at in this book? They may state it a few times but we don’t get a strong holiday feel if this is what you are looking for. Also the random chapters of the supporting characters threw me off and further lost my interest in the main romance blooming between Teagan and Tenley. I like the differing chapter perspectives normally, but we were given only a chapter per sub character and these chapters didn’t add much to the story. The best part of this book was the character of Teagan. He is simply a lovely person and I admire anyone who has that level of kindness.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Short, sweet and to the point.
Big city girl meets handsome and charming cowboy. The both have parent trauma to bond over and chemistry that is just flying off the pages. Lily comes to town to take over her estranged dead fathers hardware store and meets cowboy Jake. Jake is your typical hallmark cowboy.. darlin, sweetheart.. you know the drill. She had a horrible history with men and she thinks she is seeing some red flags that make her extremely cautious.
This is a cute, super quick romance!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
City girl, Lily, meets country boy, Jake. This was a fun romp through the relationship between them. Lily came back to take over her father’s hardware store. Jake is a macho stud with an attitude. The chemistry is there but Lily is from London so through in some culture shock and you have a bit of the funniest romance. Lily has some issues to take care of. She has some family that has guilting down to a T. Jake has his won issues. Watching them develop this relationship shows how love takes two and the right tools to make things work. Will it work? Can they move forward through their issues? Gotta read it to find out. I loved the storyline. All the characters in this story are fantastic. Definitely fit the small town personalities. The plot ran fairly smooth. It’s a terrific tale that is a quick read for the romance lover.
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 Stars
Love Tools (Bluestone Series Book 1) by Isobel Reed
Love Tools is the first book in Bluestone series and is a wonderfully written Contemporary Romance that I freaking loved reading. I was pulled in from the beginning and I pretty much devoured this book in one sitting. I’m fairly new to this author but I’m definitely interested in finding out what other books they have written. This is Lilly and Jake’s story, she has a habit of picking the wrong men to date and now finds herself in Bluestone running her estranged father’s hardware store. Jake has one love of his life and that’s his ranch he’s considered the king of casual until he meets her. Now he can’t stop thinking about the mouthy blonde and must convince her somehow that he’s not the other men she’s dated in the past. Can Jake show her what a real relationship should look like? Can Lilly open her heart and let Jake in? I highly recommend reading this fast paced story to find out what happens next. I look forward to reading many more books by this author.
❥ BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE ❥
Lily is running. From a dead-end job, a neurotic mother and all the losers she dared to date. Moving halfway across the world to Bluestone County seemed like a good idea at the time. So did reopening her estranged father’s hardware store. But now she isn’t so sure.
Small town living has its perks though. Wide-open space, clean air, and sexy cowboys. Well, one sexy cowboy. Jake. Who also just so happens to be the new bane of her existence. At least when he’s not talking, she can admire the view.
Jake is the king of casual. The love of his life has always been his ranch, and that was fine with him. He never really saw the point in long-term. But all that changes when a mouthy, blonde sasses him into oblivion. He should have known she’d be trouble as soon as he laid eyes on her. Now it’s too late. She’s all he can think about. All he has to do is convince her that he’s finally the right man.
Isobel Reed’s hilarious, emotionally charged romance will have you holding your side with laughter or reaching for a tissue. Reminiscent of small-town romance by Tessa Bailey or Kristen Ashley, you will fall in love with LOVE TOOLS and Isobel Reed’s unique writing style.
Click here to view the Book Trailer for Love Tools (Bluestone Series Book 1) by Isobel Reed
Isobel was born and raised in London. She still lives along the River Thames with her husband and her substantial book collection. Ever the hopeless romantic, she fell in love with the genre from a young age and was inspired to write her own stories. When she’s not feasting on romantic comedies or binge reading her hoard of contemporary romance novels, Isobel is writing.
I Love You Today by Julie Navickas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a really good read! I was glad to see characters back from the first book. O really enjoyed getting a perspective from Austin, he was a great character in the first book and this one didn’t disappoint. This can be read a standalone but there are a few recurring characters from the first book. I’m glad I decided to pick these books because are they great books that made me feel all the emotions. I’m excited to read the final book in this trilogy soon!
I Love You Today by Julie Navickas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a quick read and enjoyable – it was my airplane read this last weekend. I enjoyed the characters and thier connection with each other. Austin leaves his broken heart behind and moves to Chicago for a new job. While there, he finds new love in Casey – a friend from the past. They will have to learn to grow together… but they are really good for each other. This is a second book in a trilogy – I didn’t read book one, but wished I had. I think the story of Austin would have been more meaningful to me if I had.