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Mountains Climbed (Mountains Series #2) by Phoebe Alexander – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Mountains Climbed (Mountains, #2)Mountains Climbed by Phoebe Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

James and Sarah’s story continues in this second book in The Mountains series. This book picks up where the first book, Mountains Wanted ended. James has begun his tour in Afghanistan and Sarah is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart when James made his decision. The book alternates between their voices and follows them as they come to terms to with the decisions made while dealing with their feelings for each other.
While both James and Sarah have lingering feelings for each other, they are forced to move forward with the paths that they have chosen (or that were chosen for them). I found myself feeling the ups and downs with both characters as they continue through their lives. Sarah’s experiences made me laugh, swoon, cry, get angry, and feel betrayed…right alongside her. Same with James. He goes through some ups and downs in this book…and I felt every one of them.
The author has a way with words that pulls you into the story and makes you ride along with the characters as though you are in the same room with them. I think the real-life scenarios resonate with me and I find myself connecting with various aspects on a personal level. I devoured this book in one sitting…and you can bet I will be reading the next book to see what happens next with James and Sarah.

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Mountains Wanted (Mountains Series #1) by Phoebe Alexander – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Mountains Wanted (Mountains Series Book 1)Mountains Wanted by Phoebe Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sarah and James’ story is full of love, sex, and heartbreak. Sarah is a single mom and professor at the local university. She speaks her mind and loves freely. However, James comes into her life and she begins to wonder if the walls she has erected between her heart and sex is as impenetrable as she thought.
James is a soldier who currently works for the university where Sarah works. What begins as a friends with benefits arrangement with Sarah soon starts blurring the lines and confusing James as to what he really wants. He was raised to want the traditional marriage, but Sarah has him questioning what that looks like. A change in his current career brings everything to a head and he is forced to decide what he wants.
I found myself pulled into the story. As a mother of a teenagers myself, the situation Sarah finds herself in made me laugh and feel connected to her. Sarah and James’ story feels so real and I felt their emotions right along with them. I even cried toward the end of the book because I felt for everyone involved. The supporting characters in this story are awesome and I am hoping they will be making an appearance in the next book. There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end…and I will definitely be reading the next book to see what happens!

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THE RUNAROUND: A Single Dad Romantic Comedy (CAROLINA CONNECTIONS BOOK 6) By SYLVIE STEWART – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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The Runaround (Carolina Connections #6)The Runaround by Sylvie Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Runaround is the story of Ari and Jax. Ari has a dream of one day running her own website design business. While building up that business, she is also a receptionist and karaoke deejay. She designed the website for Jax’s company about a year ago. During the time she was working with him, they shared some flirty banter that she was hoping could lead to something…until he ghosted her. He shows up months later at the bar where she runs karaoke to ask her for help with singing lessons. However, the lessons are not for him…instead, they are for his teenage daughter that she knew nothing about.

Turns out, Jax just learned about a year ago that he has a teenage daughter. Their relationship is icy (at best). When his daughter’s mom brings up singing lessons, Jax knows just who to ask. Ari has an amazing voice and knows she will be the best person for the job. Quickly their flirtatious banter starts up again. However, Jax realizes that he must keep both his and his daughter’s feelings in mind when it comes to Ari. His daughter has been hurt by his mother’s past relationship and Jax does not want to bring someone else into his life that could lead to more hurt for his daughter.

This story is a back and forth between what the heart wants and what Ari and Jax think is best for protecting their hearts. I found myself wanting to slap the characters when they did something stupid…but wanting to hug them when they got it right. The supporting characters were interesting, and I want to go back and read their stories. It looks like some will be getting their own books in the future, so I will probably check those out as well. This is the first book I have read in the Carolina Connections series…but it will not be the last!

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Ink’s Devil (Satan’s Devils MC Colorado Chapter #5) by Manda Mellett – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Ink's Devil: Satan's Devils MC (Colorado Chapter) #5Ink’s Devil: Satan’s Devils MC (Colorado Chapter) #5 by Manda Mellett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beth sees Ink at her friend’s wedding and, with some liquid courage and help from her friend, musters up the courage to go after what she wants…a night with the biker. Ink is a member of the Satan’s Devils MC. He agrees to one night with Beth since he is not the type to go back for seconds when it comes to a civilian. They share a night of hot (and I mean super hot!) sex and both go their own ways before the sun comes up the next morning. A party back at the MC brings them face-to-face once again, and the sparks are still there…and they decide to see where things might go.

Before they get the chance to really get to know each other, Beth’s brother comes along and puts into motion a series of events that will change their lives forever. There are drugs, people going to jail, beatings and death, and a rollercoaster of emotions that is quite dizzying. At the end of it all, Ink and Beth must come to terms with what they each want for the future.

Their journey, as well as those of the supporting characters, made it impossible for me to put the book down. I needed to know where the story was going because I was constantly surprised at the twists and turns along the way. I found myself rooting for all the characters to get what they deserved (and sometimes it wasn’t always nice!). I will definitely be looking at previous stories in this series and reading them because I want to know the stories behind all the characters!

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Broken by Love (The Full Circle Series) by MJ Masucci – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Broken by LoveBroken by Love by M.J. Masucci
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alexa has just started a new job and is meeting with her new boss, Camden. These two not only know each other as Lexi and CJ, but they were once engaged. CJ is now married to someone else and Lexi is engaged to another man…so working together should be easy, right? However, when CJ realizes his mistake by getting married, and Lexi’s fiancé starts acting weird, things at the office (and away from the office) are not easy at all. Lexi is giving her fiancé the benefit of the doubt and working hard to work through their problems, but she refused to be anyone’s doormat again.

This story is filled with love and drama and felt like real-life. The situations the characters found themselves in felt so real that I was feeling their emotions right along with them. I laughed, cried, and found myself wanting Lexi to find happiness wherever that led her. I was immersed into the story from the first page and sat in the same spot until I got to the last page. The supporting characters in this story are amazing, and I am looking forward to the next book where one of them is featured. I will definitely be picking it up!

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Second Chance (The Flowers in December Trilogy, book 3) by Jane Suen – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Second Chance (Flowers in December #3)Second Chance by Jane Suen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Flowers in December Trilogy. However, having not read the first two, I found this book to be easy to pick up and read and get the idea of what happened in the past. That being said, I am going to pick up the first two books and read those because I want to know what exactly occurred that brought them to this book.

In this book, Connor has returned to live in the mountain community where he grew up. There, he encounters Mary Ann again. After meeting Mary Ann months prior when she arranged the flowers for his mother’s funeral, Connor thought he had lost his chance with Mary Ann when he returned to the city for work after burying his mother. Mary Ann still feels anger when she thinks about how the way things ended with Connor after he left. She tried to get over him by going out with someone else, but she soon realized that her new relationship was not what she wanted. Seeing Connor again has stirred up those feelings of hurt and anger, along with some feelings of wanting to know where they could go but being afraid to open herself up to hurt again. A storm on the mountain provides a couple of situations for Connor and Mary Ann to talk about what happened and figure out if they have a chance of moving forward.

This was a quick read for me. The chapters moved quickly, and I found myself at the conclusion of the story before I knew it. The story felt real because it was about two people conquering the problems that occur in real relationships. Like I mentioned before, I am going to go back and read the previous books in the series because I would like more of the backstory. However, this book can be read as a standalone and provides a good story to lose yourself in.

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Amy’s Santa (Satan’s Devils MC Second Generation #1) by Manda Mellett – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Amy's Santa (Satan's Devils MC Second Generation #1)Amy’s Santa by Manda Mellett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amy grew up on the Satan’s Devils Motorcycle club compound. Drew found himself part of the club when his sister married a member. Despite their ten-year age difference, Amy and Drew became good friends. When Amy was 7 and Drew was 17, Amy became accompanied him to museums and ice cream shops. When he was 19, Drew instilled a love of horses into a 9-year-old Amy. At 14, Amy found it hard to accept that a 24-year-old Drew was going out on dates. At 17, Amy wanted to be the one Drew wanted to date. Amy’s father was having no part of that and made sure Drew made it clear that he was not interested in Amy to halt her endless flirting. At 18, a heart-broken Amy left home to pursue college and career in another city.

When Amy comes home at the age of 27, so much has changed. Life has taught her many lessons and she is still recovering from having her trust shattered. Coming home from Christmas and having to face her family is hard. While she knows her father, or any club brother for that matter, would help her deal with her problem, she feels ashamed and doesn’t want to get them involved. What she doesn’t count on is the boy she loved growing up now being the man in charge the Satan’s Devils…or that this man would ask her for the one thing she is having a hard time finding again, trust. Can Amy trust Drew? Can she find herself again? Or is she broken beyond repair?

From what I can tell, this story is the furthering of stories previously written about this motorcycle club. I found myself falling in love with the characters and wanting to know more of their back story. I was rooting for Amy and Drew, while hoping that Amy would see herself as a survivor and allow herself to heal and find happiness again. This was a good read that made me crave more of this world. I will definitely be looking into the other books in this series!

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Hennessey on the Rocks by Monica DeSimone – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Hennessey on the RocksHennessey on the Rocks by Monica DeSimone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlie is a divorced mother of two that is returning to the town she grew up in to get her life back on track. Leaving Manhattan, and her ex-boyfriend, and moving back to Maine is about spending time with her kids and finding herself again. Remodeling her family home to include a skate park for the kids and a workspace for herself is just the fresh start they all need. However, it takes two months for her ex-husband, Johnnie, to show his face and let her know that their son, Jace, is unhappy with the move. Oh, and Johnnie wants to stick around to find himself and ensure his son finds happiness again.
Oh…Johnnie is also still in love with Charlie and knows she is the glue that keeps him together. But they have been down this path and have hurt each other along the way. There may be too many past demons and lies for them to have the future they both hint at wanting. Being a guest on Charlie’s property is a start, but an accident sets into motion a series of events that could help them find each other again. Can they both set their pride aside long enough to what’s best for both the children in their lives and find their way back to each other?
This story was full of ups and downs. The moment I thought they would finally get through their issues, something would happen that would set them back. I did find myself engaged with the story the whole time and wanting to read the next chapter to see where it would lead. Monica DeSimone is a new author to me, but I found her writing style to be enjoyable and I would not hesitate to read something by her in the future.

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Courage of Us (Code of Honor Book 1) by Brooke May – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Courage of UsCourage of Us by Brooke May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Patience and Duke have been best friends since forever. However, Patience knows that her feeling for Duke go beyond friendship. She is even dating Greg, a guy who barely makes time for her, so she won’t ruin her friendship with Duke by wanting more. On a drunken night after graduation she confesses those feelings and crosses that friendship line. When she wakes up the next morning, Duke is gone.
Seven years later, Duke returns to their hometown to a recently-divorced Patience. Those seven years have not been easy for Patience and she is angry and betrayed that her best friend up and left after the night they shared. Duke knows he needs to make it up to Patience. With the help of their still-present chemistry (and some sneaky family members), Duke is determined to prove to Patience that they are meant for each other. But there are secrets and events in the time they were apart that could put an end to the relationship before it gets started.
This story felt so real and I felt connected to it from the beginning. The characters were brought to life by the words of Brooke May and I found myself immersed in their world until the last page. The story was full of emotion and feelings that relationships go through, which lead to me laughing and tearing up at different parts of the story. Brooke May is a new author that I have now discovered, and I look forward to future books that she writes.

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Hula Girl by Lara Ward Cosio – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Hula GirlHula Girl by Lara Ward Cosio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ava is a hard-working lawyer forced to take a vacation when one of the partners in the law firm she works at determines that she needs a break away from the office to clear her head after a recent incident during a deposition. To most people, a week on the island of Maui would be exciting and relaxing. After 3 days of trying to relax, unplug, and enjoy the beautiful island, Ava finds herself ready to get back to work. What starts out as a trek to find a laptop so she can check her emails sets into motion a series of events that will change Ava’s world forever.

Ford enjoys his morning surfing, teaching music to children on the island, and sipping on some nice tequila in the evenings. Finding Ava on the side of the road as she searches for cell service so she can navigate herself to the nearest electronics store is not usually part of his day. After some harmless flirting, Ava and Ford embark on a vacation romance that is super hot. Agreeing not to talk about their real lives, Hula Girl and Surfer Boy enjoy each other’s company in the bedroom and on the town until Ava must return back to Los Angeles. However, what happens in Hawaii doesn’t necessarily stay in Hawaii.

What happens when they see each other again and their real lives are more intertwined than ever? Ford is required to return to Los Angeles to wrap up business with his father and crosses paths with Ava. This chance meeting leads to a story of lies, love, and heartbreak that I found myself fully immersed in. Now Ford is the one on the timeline as he tries to prove to Ava that what they had in Hawaii is real while Ava is set on believing she can’t have love and the career she has worked so hard for. I found myself rooting for them along the way, hoping they would find their happy ending. This story was a wonderful reminder that sometimes the biggest obstacles to happiness is our own mind. A great read by an author that is new-to-me but one I will definitely be checking out in the future.

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Risking Everything: A Steamy Anthology of First Responders by Kara Liane, K.L. Montgomery, Harlow Layne, Amanda Siegrist, A.K. MacBride, Jody Kaye, Syd Ryan, Alyne Hart, Kelsey Cheyenne, Larissa Gail – Review by Rosanna Ingram

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Risking Everything: A Steamy Anthology of First RespondersRisking Everything: A Steamy Anthology of First Responders by Kara Liane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This anthology features ten stories by ten authors who bring us stories revolving around the love lives of first responders. Each story features a couple that deals with the drama of everyday life on top of the requirements of their jobs. Each story was well written, and I found myself falling in love with the characters throughout the book. Two of my favorite stories were Reconstructed Heart by K.L. Montgomery and Romance on the Rig by Kaira Lane.

Reconstructed Heart tells the story of Trey Prince, a member of the Collision Reconstruction Unit, called to scene of an accident where he finds himself personally invested in figuring out what happens. Jenna Labato is an officer that responds to the initial scene and tries to help Trey heal as he deals with the aftermath of the accident. Jenna is a strong character that balances Trey as he is falling apart. This story shows the human side of officers that deal with horrific situations on a daily basis. I found myself fully invested in their story and rooting for them.

Romance on the Rig focuses on Lana Royce and Sean “Murf” Murphy. Lana lives with her sister and helps take care of her niece and nephew. Murf is an EMT that has been burned in the past when it comes to his love life. From the beginning, there are misconceived notions and misunderstandings between Lana and Murf that may derail this relationship before it ever starts. Lana is so giving to those around here and Murf wants to be the guy to give her everything she needs, if he could just get out of his own way.

I enjoyed reading each of the stories in this anthology and will be looking forward to reading future books from each of the authors.

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