GRR Reviews Aloha Hideaway Inn by Elana Johnson

 Stacey runs Aloha Hideaway Inn, a charming B&B in Getaway Bay, Hawaii. She has an excellent garden and she's sure she's doing fine. But when a mega-resort Sweet Breeze opened not far away, she had to check out the competition... and that's how she met Fisher DuPont. // Fisher DuPont worked hard to build his resort, and he's perfectly willing to go undercover boss, to make sure every guest is getting the tip-top service. And that's how he met Stacey. // Fisher and Stacey should be competitors, but they remained friends. But when both were gun-shy about relationships due to prior betrayal, is there any hope of love between them, with a tropical storm bearing down on the island? 

Not bad as a build-up, but some personal issues for Stacey felt like it came out of nowhere. It also tried to setup the characters for book 2, and thus reads a bit... unsatisfying. 3/5

GRR Reviews The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson

 Phronsie, betrayed by love, is moving back to her hometown for a break. Meeting her best male friend Judd (since kindergarten!) again was great... Then he had a crazy idea... They are best friends, already knew everything about each other. Since passion inevitably fizzles, but friendship stays... Maybe they should get married. And she said yes... Because it made so much sense. But as the preparations get underway, and as the wedding date gets ever closer, Phronsie started having doubts... Just what does it mean to be in love?

An interesting flip of the trope... Usually, you have the reverse... The heart wants the other, but the head says "are you SURE!?"  This one has the head say "makes perfect sense" and the heart goes "but what are you missing?!?"  4/5

GRR Reviews Borrowing Kisses by Kat Bellemore

 Zoe, the special assistant to the mayor of the small town of Amor, knew her town will never be the same after the nearby space sport opened for space tourism. But when the real estate developer Stephen arrived, with the blessing of the mayor, to buy out a few businesses so the town can grow, she chose to sabotage Stephen to drive him out, to "save" her town...  // Stephen is a workaholic raised by a workaholic after the loss of his mother. He knew a promotion is promised if he can get the town to buy in, and he's NOT trying to mess up the town. But with "help" like Zoe thwarting his every move, his overall mission may be in jeopardy... // Stephen and Zoe are total opposites... He's a disciplined deal-maker. She's a free-spirit friend-maker. Yet there is an intense attraction there that neither can deny. But will they be fighting too much to give love a chance? 

Okay, the back and forth is actually pretty good, and the changing of mind makes sense. However, it's certain that the "spaceport" bit was written without a technical consultant. There is just NO WAY that even a civilian spaceport would let just random gawkers go up and TOUCH the ship... or let a pilot offer "inside tours" after a landing.  This is not a 747. Not that you can touch the skin of a 747 from the ground anyway. Maybe the engine cowling. But this is supposed to be a spaceship? Spaceplane? Whatever... 3/5

GRR Reviews Country Gold by Heatherly Bell

Luke and Lexi used to be inseparable... they were members of the Wilder Sisters country music act... Then one sister made a mistake, and the band fell from grace. Luke was offered his own chance of being a country superstar... and the sisters... semi-retired to run the Wilder B&B in Whistle Cove, near Monterey Bay, California, that was owned by their grandma. Lexi told herself that she is tired of being always on the road, and this is for the best, but does she miss Luke and the performing life? // Luke never wanted to trade fame and fortune for the woman he loved. Now that his national tour is done, he's heading back to Whistle Cove and... do what? Rekindle his love for Lexi? Convince her to come out of hiding and come back to Nashville with him? Or just to prove that he never wanted to leave her? 

Excellent push-pull, and setting up opposites. Lexi started as a performer and fell into an innkeeper. Luke started off as a nobody and rose to country stardom. But there had a history together, being totally in love, until circumstances forced them apart. Now he wants to make amends... and "reclaim" his woman... if she will have him. I am a little dismayed by climax, which was a cliche "misunderstanding and I am not going to let you explain" that felt out of place.  4/5

GRR Reviews What New Beginnings are Made of by Debra Clopton

What New Beginnings are Made Of by Debra Clopton is the beginning of a new series, that was meant to be a series that should be read in order, like a "serial", instead of stand-alone novels. I find the teasing aspect a bit off-putting, and some of the parts not really making sense. 

Alice lost her husband to an accident. At 55, and very rich, and all her kids off doing their own stuff, she decided to indulge herself for once: buy Star Gazer Inn at the beach of Corpus Christi, Texas, and bring it back to life. It is where she met the father of her children. But her children wonder if she may have bitten off more than she can chew... // Lisa, Alice's best friend, and a trained chef, was simply traveling the world, trying to fill her time after her bitter divorce. She agreed to join Alice to open up the inn, but she has her own secrets... // Nina lives next door to the inn and kept an ultra-low profile... But the new inn, and the new owners, are so nice. And esp. owner's oldest son, Jackson, so handsome and protective, and interested in knowing her... 

The book introduced Alice, Lisa, Nina, and Jackson, with a lot of plotlines left unresolved, as technically the inn is still yet to open at the end of book 1. Also, I find the reason for Nina hiding out to be quite... unreasonable. That villain of that type is usually not the type to risk exposure for some unknown vendetta. It just felt... wrong. Add that to the open-endedness, which makes me feel as if I am going to be teased over and over like watching a soap opera. 3/5

GRR Reviews The Lost Art of Reverie by Rae Walsh

Katie was betrayed twice by people she trusted, which gave her PTSD and nervous breakdown. When she got a notice that she has inherited grandma's Victorian in the town of Aveline, where she had great time as a kid, it seems to be the perfect escape. And her recovery lead her to dream about opening a new town cafe, putting her culinary dreams into reality... But she wasn't counting on meeting Sam again... // Sam was burned in a relationship twice by the same woman... and has vowed to stay out of entanglements. But meeting Katie again may change his mind, esp. when he's helping her build her new town cafe at the house... // As Sam and Katie fell for one another, a betrayal from an unexpected direction will put that relationship to the ultimate test... 

The book managed to not be preachy yet religious. There was basically ONE Bible quote, and it was used very smartly. However, the beginning was extremely slow, as we are treated to a series of flashbacks outlining how good Katie's life was when young, then the two betrayals (with very little detail, more of a teaser / aftermath)  They didn't catch my attention. I had to finish those, then I got to the chapter of her arriving in town and getting to know the town again. THEN things started to pick up. While those early chapters did manage to "show", not just tell her mental state after two betrayals, they are not exactly good starter hooks. 

3.5/5 rounded up to 4/5

GRR Reviews Change of Hart by ME Carter

Change of Hart, the debut novel by ME Carter, is the first book out of a series of 7. The sports references are right on, but the plot is predictable, and the woman seems to be (unintentionally) playing "hard to get". 

Jason Hart is the best pro defensive lineman in the NFL, and he's playing for the winning Dallas Cowboys. At a publicity event in a school, he met a little boy who lost his father, and he felt a connection, having lost his own father when young. So he invited the boy and his mother to an event... and met Addison, the recent widow. Now he's hopelessly smitten, even though he was an avowed bachelor just before this... 

Sports romance authors can choose to create fictional teams or use the names of real ones. and this one chose to use real team names with fictitious players. Both works and the references are quite accurate here. My main problem is I saw the plot twists coming from a while away, even though the author tried to present it onion-peel style. Such as why was Addison so resistant to any romantic attempt from Jason initially, then having a misunderstanding due to a nosy reporter (and I guessed at the truth long before it was revealed). No surprises there AT ALL. The push-pull is not bad but still not extraordinary. 4/5