Review: Why Not Tonight by Susan Mallery

I really enjoyed this book! Natalie and Ronan are wonderful together. This a slight case of opposites attracting in that Natalie is an eternal optimist with a bright and sunny outlook about life while Ronan is not. He's quiet and enjoys a good brood. I think he's entitled to that brooding though considering he was dealt a major blow and something huge was changed within his family dynamic. He needs to learn to accept that he is still very much a part of his family and loving Natalie helps him do that. Natalie wants family and she gets frustrated with Ronan because she thinks he is ignoring the family he has right in front of him.

This is a wonderful book, full of heart, charm, humor and love. Natalie and Ronan are both artistic people (he's a world-renown glass artist and she's a mixed media artist still finding her way) and their artistic endeavors through the book were fun to read about.

If you like a love story with a bit of spice and a happy ending then I think you'll enjoy this book. Also, if you like quirky small towns, giraffes, characters with a lot of great imagination (dragons) and family dynamics you'll like this book. Did I mention that there are giraffes? 

Review: When We Found Home by Susan Mallery

I struggled with the rating I wanted to give this book. In the end I would say I give it 3.5 stars. I did like the book but had a few issues with it. Let me say that I love the premise - which is three people discovering that they are half siblings at different points in their lives. Keira, the 12 year old who was abandoned by her mother and left in foster care, Callie, who is 26 and struggling to find her way in a sometimes unforgiving world after making a mistake and being punished harshly and Malcolm who is 34 and part owner of Alberto's Alfresco. They share a father who is now dead and had lacked decency and responsibility while alive. The journey the three siblings took to become a family who trust and love one another was my favorite part of the book. They share a grandfather - Alberto - whom I wish had a larger role in the book. I really thought he might have more to do with bringing the three together as a family unit but other than finding the girls (Malcolm already lived with him) he didn't.

There were also two romances in the book and while good - they just weren't my favorite. Delaney and Malcolm started off so funny and charming and with a lot of potential. However, I never felt like I was actually experiencing them fall in love. I liked Delaney at first then she got really whiny and annoying. She definitely had some hardships in her life (like everyone else) but I never did understand why she clung to them for as long as she did. And the resolution of said hardship was rushed. I felt Malcolm had the most growth in the book - along with Keira who came a long way in feeling like she was accepted and finally had a family. In fact, I wish that some of the story had been told from her POV.

I did like Callie and Santiago's relationship minus the instant love part. That's my own personal thing, though, I believe someone can feel an instant attraction and perhaps a sense of possible connection but I think love takes time, knowledge of the person, shared experiences and trust.

Overall, I like the book and feel fortunate to have been able to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Susan Mallery writes with humor and emotion which I appreciate and those qualities saved this book for me. 

When We Found Home by Susan Mallery

I'm halfway through this wonderful book! When We Found Home by Susan Mallery comes out on Tuesday, July 10th. It's full of heart and humor and you should definitely get it! #whenwefoundhome #books #reading #readeveryday

Review: Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle

Clare Cosi is back in the seventeenth installment of the popular Coffehouse Mystery series. Shot in the Dark finds Clare and some of her baristas dealing with a full house of people who have met through a popular dating app called Cinder. However, things go very wrong when gun shots are fired and a young woman is found with a gun pointed at a rather vile guy she met through the app.

Soon, Clare, her ex-husband, the Village Blend baristas, Mike Quinn - Clare's fiance', her daughter Joy and even Madame and her new beau are lost in the world of tech, dating apps, possible tampering, a new drug on the streets and oh yeah, another dead body. With the usual wit, style and delicious recipes that make you crave coffee and pastries Cleo Coyle has yet another hit with Shot in the Dark.

I was provided an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in return for an honest review. The book will be released on April 17, 2018

Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

Thank you #stmartinspress for the ARC of Come Sundown by Nora Roberts. It's a really good Romantic Suspense story that comes out on May 30th. The romance between the main characters is leisurely but worth it. The suspense portion of the story is definitely dark and difficult in some places. However, the story is so well written by Nora Roberts that I kept anxiously flipping pages.

I will post a full review in a couple of days. 

Teaser Tuesday: Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from page 112 of Come Sundown by Nora Roberts:

Alone with the horses, Callen gave some thought to bitter young boys - he'd been one - and to a father who'd never been mean, but weak enough to lose everything. Including his son's respect.