GRR Reviews Now and Then (The Now Series Book 1) by Brenda Rothert

Now and Then is about changing relationships, how accommodating unfairness only breeds more, and secrets hurts.

Emmaline Carson has settled into her career as a graphic designer. She was the quiet sister, compared to her sister Layla, the outgoing, confident one. Emmaline had a crush on the neighbor boy, Cole Marlowe, but Cole had dated Layla, not Emmaline. A decade later, Cole's now an attorney planning to work his way up the corporate ladder, until a chance encounter at a cafe brought Emmaline back into his life. Now Emmaline has matured into a woman, and Cole's comfortable in the friendship they developed, possibly into something more. But Emmaline and Cole are both keeping secrets... and these secrets can tear them apart... Esp. when Layla get back into the picture... When Emmaline was forced to choose between her relations with her sister and love with Cole...

Both Emma and Cole have secrets to keep and relationships they had to balance. The ebb and flow in the relationship are good, but the flashbacks are a bit too jarring, IMHO. And the interfering sister Layla... was too mentally unbalanced to have been a credible threat, after all the build-up before. How did someone this unbalanced and needy got to be an attorney?

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman had a crush on man long ago, but man dated her older sister. Ten years later, he's back, and wanted to date her, but her sister is in the way again...

Tropes: sibling problem, reunion, friends to lovers, unrequited love

Overall Rating:  4/5 (rounded up from 3.5/5)

GRR Review: Bound by Brenda Rothert

Bound by Brenda Rothert is a sweet variation on broken-hearted girl falls for rich alpha guy, with very high polish into an enjoyable tale.

Kate Camden got pregnant while in her final year of college, then her boyfriend dumped her breaking her heart. She had to move back home, flat broke. Even as she came to accept that she will be a mother, she miscarried. Pro hockey star Jason "Ryke" Ryker had it all, adoring fans, great career, and beautiful wife, but it was a facade. Love of his life has paranoia and was about to leave him when she was killed by a drunk driver. Kate and Jason met at a grief counseling meeting, and his protective instincts kicked in by offering her a job while she spent a long time debating whether she's worthy. But he's got a grueling away schedule, legions of groupies hoping for a one-night stand, and she's got to deal with her boyfriend reappeared on the scene... Can their love survive? 

The story was sweet without being too cloying. The emotions ring true, though Jason seems a bit too nice at times, and Kate... a bit passive, but they will relearn how to love through each other. I wish however, for something better than that generic name and cover, and even the revised B&W cover isn't that much better.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Broken-hearted woman meets a broken-hearted man at grief counseling, can they heal each other?

Overall Rating:  4/5