GRR Reviews Always Will by Claire Kingsley

Selene is doing great professionally, but not so well personally, as she keeps finding and dating losers... But she's kinda addicted to "bad boys" who leave her frustrated. When a man from her past is the new owner of the company, she's at a quandary what to do next... // Ronan plays to win, after a personal tragedy changed his view on life. He was shocked to find the woman who haunted his dreams is now one of his employees. He must have her... but can he keep her?

Eh... I'm not too sure about this one. Ronan just doesn't feel that sympathetic at the beginning. It wasn't until we learned about WHY he's that way that he became a bit more likable. I'm going to borrow a term from screenwriting... The main character seems to be lacking a "save the cat" moment, to prove he's not beyond redemption. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Faking Ms Right by Claire Kingsley

Shepherd is a tough CEO and hated golddiggers, having experienced many women who only wanted what he can provide for them financially. When his latest fling got cling-y, he sent her packing... For a 10 day vacation at a tropical resort... Surprisingly, she accepted without making a mess. What he didn't expect was she returned a few weeks later... On the arm of his father.  And no, his father didn't know she's an ex of his. Forced to find a date to fend off his ex, the only one Shepherd can think of is his VERY efficient personal assistant, Everly... // Everly is a dating disaster. Every date she had been on ended in disaster. Yet she's perfectly fine handling her gruff boss, Shepherd, that the entire company wonders in amazement and awe. But when her boss asked her to show up in 30 minutes for a black-tie event to pose as his girlfriend, she's flustered beyond measure. Fortunately, her friends came through. Then came the next shocker... Shepherd's father lost his house, and will undergo cancer treatment, and therefore, must move in with Shepherd temporarily, and that means his girlfriend (Shepherd's ex) will be along as well. So Everly needs to move in as well, and sleep in the same bed.... Then things got escalated to a fake engagement, even as Everly kept a secret from Shepherd...

Oh, nice. A lot of complications, mixed signals, rom-com worthy awkward moments. I feel the darkest hour is slightly forced (He found out her secret and decided that's a deal breaker, only to change his mind as the grand gesture). But it's reasonable. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Moonshine Kiss by Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley

Cassidy is a deputy in the small town of Bootleg Springs... with her father as the sheriff. She always had a thing for her neighbor, Bowie Bodine, except he's always brotherly to her. Except there are no other candidates to date in the small town... and near town. When the cold case of the disappearance of Callie Kendall heated up again, Cassidy welcomed the work, until the detective on the case seems to be looking for clues of a murder... committed by Bowie's father, who disappeared a few days after Callie's disappearance, and is refusing to accept any evidence pointing elsewhere, as well as alienating the entire sheriff's department. //  Bowie knows he can't have his little sister's best friend. He promised and he will keep that promise... But she lives right next door... and when Cassidy's investigation strikes a bit too close to home, he's stuck between telling Cassidy to back off (which affects her job), and his need to protect his family (his brothers and sister)... Until this situation changes one night, thanks to a stray bat...

I felt a bit... ambivalent about this book. The slow boil between Cassidy and Bowie is VERY good, but the Callie investigation, which was left as a cliffhanger, left me unsatisfied. It's clear the detective is looking to find a murder instead of evidence. Why was he assigned to the case, given his own backstory, is a question left unanswered. The book is also a bit too long at almost 400 pages.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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