GRR Reviews The Christmas Compromise by Susan Hatler

Morgan is back in her hometown in Montana, now armed with a cosmetology degree and ready to open her hair salon, and she already leased the place. Running into Dallas at the location is a surprise, which turned into total shock when he also produced a lease, for the SAME LOCATION signed on the same day, and he needs the place for his furniture store... and the landlord is out of the country! It doesn't help that Morgan had a crush on Dallas from way back when... because Dallas is her brother's best friend... and also the one her family blamed for its greatest tragedy. Now forced together, it's clear they have great chemistry together, but will the guilt and blame tear them apart?

Not the first book that featured "double-leased" trope, but well-executed, with a couple layers of mixed feelings on top of it. 4/5

GRR Reviews Pumpkin and Spice by Abby Knox

Talbot survived high school and is now a bar owner / bartender in his hometown. Once called Stoner back in high school, he has left that life behind, until Max aka Pumpkin, his high school crush, came back to town for Thanksgiving. // Max wants to avoid drama, esp. with the queen bees that ruined her high school life, though "Stoner" was nice, and now, very handsome. And this time, Stoner is going to make sure she knows what he thinks of her...

A bit short, at under 100 pages, but it has all the plot points, reunion, childhood crush, ugly duckling now a swan, etc. 4/5

GRR Reviews Comfort and Joy by Abby Knox

Joy can't believe she saw Brady, her high school crush, again... Or that he's the new health inspector shutting her cookie business down for missing some items not needed in a bakery (who needs a grease trap in a bakery?)  But she has other problems like a creepy neighbor (and alderman) who keeps hanging around her place and wanted to date her (and may be causing other troubles)... But don't worry, Brady may be by-the-book, but he's quite protective...

Under 100 pages, it's pretty fast moving. Though how Brady just bought her a whole new kitchen is a bit like... Wait, how did he afford all that?  And the evildoer is revealed a bit too early. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews The Road Home by Krista Sandor

Jenna left town to make their own way after one too many times her mother's boyfriend laid his hands on her for perceived wrongs... and her mother aided him rather than protect her. Fourteen years later, when she got a call from the hospital that her mother had been committed to the psych ward for talking about suicide, she immediately drove back to Langley Park. Did her mother finally got away from her no-good boyfriend? Can her mother love her? She ran into Ben, her classmate way back when, and teenage crush... It is clear that their current admiration is mutual. But there seems to be a stalker after Jenna, even as Ben still reels from his wife's suicide.  But for them to move forward, each must confront their past...

Good twist, even though it's somewhat expected after the eliminated the obvious suspect. But the overall reasoning and plotting is still good. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Crush on You by Amelia Wilde

Roman, now controlling the family Bliss Resorts, is a demanding boss. So who is this total babe claiming to be his new assistant? Turns out, she's Jenny, former high school schoolmate (and with a hidden crush on him). But he can't be distracted, even if Jenny's oh-so-tempting...

Tries to pivot onto a sort of disguise/mystery/undercover thing, but it's mostly "hot for boss/secretary" trope. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews The Billionaire's Alternate Marriage by Tami Dearen

Rylie had been crushing on Jarrett, even though Jarrett dated her twin sister Carlie. But Carlie dumped Jarrett for a singing career in Nashville. Years later, Carlie is hiding out from a scandal and living with Rylie... when Rylie found that Jarrett has moved in next door, and is now a billionaire. But Jarrett wants to adopt Gabe and despite his riches, he can't seem to get adoption approved... unless he got married. The logical choice would be Carlie, who can use a boost for her career, being associated with a billionaire. But when timing did not work out, Jarrett ended up marrying Rylie instead, as a marriage of convenience. It's just to adopt Gabe, they said to themselves... Each was convinced that the other wanted someone else... Can they ever admit their real feelings?

Good setup and no logic holes or plot holes I can see, just a lot of inconvenient timing (like Carlie fell sick just before the marriage timing) but if rom-coms can do it, so can regular romances. 4/5

GRR Reviews Not Before Game Night by Khardine Gray

Cole, pro football player, was dragged into a bet by another player to defy coach's orders to NOT have sex night before the game. It should be an easy bet, since Vanessa, the girl that used to follow him around in high school, is now a gorgeous babe, and very near. // Vanessa knew Cole's bad news for more than ten years. Yes, she still has her V-card at 26, but she's NOT giving it to Cole, the man-whore. He had his chance a decade ago. Except, he's not quitting. And it may just be he found his soulmate... if he can convince her of that...

Not really feeling much about this one. And there's a logic problem in the plot. Cole actually stated that he LOST the bet and couldn't get Vanessa into bed and paid the bet off (200K). So for the darkest hour, somehow the bet came up AGAIN as the wedge issue. WTF?! 3/5

GRR Reviews Lawfully Remembered by Ginny Sterling

Jesse Smithson, military police, is in the ER with head injury after an encounter with some robbers. When he woke up, he realized he lost his memories. Yet when he saw his nurse, Melissa, it seems to trigger something... that made him wanted to know her better... //  Melissa can't believe Jesse is in her ER, and he didn't recognize her. She had a crush on Jesse all through high school, but she was crushed when she asked him to take her to the prom, and he said he's not going. Yet almost two decades later, he's there, with a blank slate, wanted to know her and date her... Is this the chance she needed all along?

Nothing really major that threatens to tear them apart, but good revelations. 3/5

GRR Reviews Bootyogomy by Frankie Love and C M Seabrook

Max can't ever date his best friend's little sister, Kendall, even if she's all grown up now. Call it a buried crush... Until she propositioned him. // Kendall wanted Max for a long time. That tight ass in a police uniform... Yum. But she knew she can't date him... His brother will have a conniption. // Their solution... Bootyogomy... exclusive and monogamous booty call...

This 60-page short is basically sex and more sex and repressed desires... Not really much of a plot or character arc. But it is quite hot. 3/5

GRR Reviews Cowboys Never Marry Their Best Friend by Emmy Eugene

Jenna needed a do-over after her divorce, and she moved back home, and there she saw the Johnson brothers again, esp. Seth, whom she may have had a crush on, except Seth is best friend with her brother, so she was definitely off-limits for him... back then. // Seth runs the family ranch and his dog rescue program, which rehabilitate retired work dogs as well as take in strays and abandoned dogs, which kept him plenty busy. He wants resources to create "Edible neighborhood" program but never had the funding. Then one day his parents announced that every child is now a billionaire because his aunt just bought out his mother's portion of a business. Now he can fund ALL the projects he wanted... In his happy state... he kissed Jenna... Now their lives would never be the same...

I honestly didn't feel much love despite pairing them together. 3/5

GRR Reviews Don't Date Your Brother's Best Friend by Cami Checketts

Trey had explored the world as an adrenaline junkie adventurer, but coming home and meeting Ella left him stunned... How could he had NEVER noticed the sassy beauty, now all grown up?  It helps that Ella had a crushed on him since middle school. However, Trey's reputation as a love-em-and-leave-em guy, not to mention her brother (and his best friend) are both warning him to stay away and don't break her heart. Can he convince her (and her brother) to give him a chance?

Sweet, but the plot's been done bajillion times before. 4/5

GRR Reviews Chasing the Ball Girl by Trish Williford

Ryan Cruz is a man-whore, and being the star pitcher of the Blue Birds means he gets plenty of female attention anywhere he goes. Until he noticed their ball girl at the annual ball...  // Ball Girl Sammie just wanted to finish college (in pharmacology) and there are only a few months to go. She cannot afford any distractions, even though she has a crush on Ryan for years. When Ryan noticed her, she declined, knowing his playboy ways. So what does a player have to do, to prove he's no longer a player?

Kinda sweet, kinda stupid and lashing out at the wrong moment, with the right amount of groveling for the grand gesture. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Mommy Loves the Rockstar by Shanae Johnson and Janae Ronniesha

Kiara is a single mother and nurse, raising pre-teen Camille. She's usually too tired to care. And she was surprised to run into one of her teenage idol and celebrity crush, Jett Anderson, temping as a substitute music teacher at her daughter's school... But he's only there for two weeks... // Jett used to be a part of a hot boy band and still has fans, but he's ready to settle down and get away from the tour life. When a friend visiting his gig was injured by rabid fans, he decided to take a two week break to help the friend out... by taking his place as a Middle School music teacher. But a music teacher isn't supposed to have fangirls... I mean fanwomen. Right? // Camille wants two things for Christmas... a new cellphone... and happiness for mom. When she realized her new music teacher is her mom's crush, she's determined to bring them together... even if she had to lock them in a room for them to work it out...

Okay, cute. You ALMOST don't realize Kiara is supposed to be black. I can't figure what ethnicity was Jett supposed to be, not that it really matters. 4/5

GRR Reviews Falling for You by Julie Ortolon

Aurora aka "Rory" always wondered about the mansion on one of the islands around Galveston, TX, that belonged to one of her ancestors. When she found that the mansion will be sold in a foreclosure sale, she enlisted her siblings to turn the mansion into a B&B... But they need a business loan... which means she needs to talk to a banker like Chance. // Chance knew his family wanted him to take a position in the family bank... and marry a matching socialite. But he always had a crush on Rory... He helped her write a business plan for the B&B, but he can't get more involved than that. Or can he?

The guy's WAY too wishy-washy to be an alpha, or even a beta. He practically tried to play both ways until the end of the book. Meh. 3/5

GRR Reviews Healing Hearts by Samantha Thomas

Alex is going to the one place she'd rather avoid: the ski resort she inherited from her estranged father... and where she lost her brother and left behind her first crush. So it's inevitable that she must run into that same crush... Bhodi, former winter Olympian, and best friend of her brother. But Bhodi just wanted to run his pub quietly, still scarred from the death of his best friend. When Bhodi got the news that Alex may want to sell the resort to a ruthless developer, he had to stop her. But this Alex was very very different from the young teenager he knew, and she had never forgiven him for the death of her brother and his best friend. Now he must show her the truth that he and she have both avoided for so long...

Good mix of tropes. with a good variation of "best friend's little sister" and something that haunted them both. The "evil developer" was a bit too flat, IMHO, and should have done better research before trying to make a deal. The rest of reluctance romance was pretty good. 4/5

GRR Reviews Back for More by Kayley Loring

Lily ran away from her father to seek her fame as an actress when she's 18. Five years later, she's back in town, almost broke, without much to show, and her father offered her a job in the family company. NOT as an exec though... As exec's assistant... and the exec? Wes, her former secret crush... and the family landscaper's son. But if she can work for a year, his father promised to release her trust fund early... By 24. She had to stay to keep her dreams... // Wes knew he wasn't good enough... as son of a gardener. He was happy when Lily's father gave him a job and a chance to be more... so he can court Lily properly one day. Now 25, he's the youngest VP in the company... But he was hoping for a few more years to make him absolutely indispensable to the company, so when he asks for Lily's hand in marriage, there would be no way to refuse him. Lily's early return derailed his plans, and it's obvious she's not happy working for him either... For there's tension underneath the hostility...

Good setup, a semi-reversal of fortunes, but the rest of the book was basically secret liaisons while they hide their feelings from the entire company, each other, and themselves. And the cover's kinda lame. Generic hunk in blue jeans? Really? 4/5

GRR Reviews Too Distracting by Bethany Lopez

Dillon is the CEO of Lewis Sporting Goods, and he's so busy he can only do casual relationships. But he's starting to feel a bit lonely when his cousins Gabe and Reardon both found women to start families with. When Dillon's sister asked for a favor for her best friend Laurel, Dillon can't say no. But Dillon remembers Laurel as the girl who had pranked him incessantly decades ago, not the professional woman today, hoping to get a business plan together so she can expand her family flower shop into a party and wedding planning business. // Laurel had a crush on Dillon since she was nine, so much so she let her bestie (Dillon's sister) talk her into pranking Dillon all the time, until Dillon left. She trusted her parents to set her up with a guy, only to have him steal her startup capital to feed his gambling addiction. Then her parents tried to send her back to him. She ran the family flower shop, but her parents basically forbid her to change ANYTHING. When Dillon agreed to help her, and even took her to a convention, she finally knew how a woman SHOULD be treated. Dillon started to wonder what married life to Laurel would be like, but Laurel started having doubts when she learned that her bestie MAY have leaked her misfortune to Dillon. So was he really in love... or was it just a pity f***?

Somehow, I think the darkest hour was a bit TSTL, as it's basically extreme low-self-esteem lashing out, i.e. "he can't POSSIBLY want me for me". AND her parents are just "flat" evil, i.e. you don't follow our orders, so you're worthless. it doesn't even seem to be for financial gain, but just outright control. That's just STUPID evil. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Where Forever Ends by K Street

Saylor is stuck. It has been a while since she's a widow. She survived for her son Knox, but she's broken on the inside. She needed the support of her family so she moved back to Maplewood Falls. And finding Jase, her brother's best friend, and former crush, offering friendship, was... good. For Jase had been there before... // Jase knew that Saylor will be... skittish, as he'd been there before. He will help Saylor pick up the pieces. But what about his own heart?

Nice, very nice. The heartbreak came across perfectly. Breaking down at the sight of certain items, unable to let go of the memories. It takes a strong woman... and strong supportive man to work through the heartbreaks. And the kid's cute too. 5/5

GRR Reviews Dreams of Sweetwater River by Lisa M Prysock

Jill is a travel writer on the east coast, and a war widow, raising three kids. She lost her faith when a routine mission in Afghanistan claimed the life of her husband. When all three of her kids started having issues, she decided to move back home to Wyoming, which is when she ran into Logan, an old acquaintance of her family, and a childhood crush, until she found her man in uniform. // Logan was a pro bullrider until one too many injuries had him retire from that life. His faith was what allowed him to hang on through the downs. Now he's determined to turn his father's ranch into a dude ranch resort. Finding Jill again was a blessing... But Logan can't be with someone who had lost her faith...

Okay, inspirational, yes, Christian, sure. But starting EVERY chapter with a Bible quote or a hymn quote... well, feels slightly overdone, but that's just my personal feelings on this matter. Romance was low-key simmer, and kids were a bit underused. But overall, it's still a good story, just not great.

3.5/5

GRR Her Heart's Promise by Carolyne Aarsen

Nadine is one of the editors of the town newspaper, and she's clashing with the new owner Clint. Nadine's father died under mysterious circumstances at work and was blamed for the accident that took his life, something completely out of character. And Nadine held his employer accountable and suspected a cover-up, and used her position to investigate the company. But Clint, as the owner, knew that the paper is running on paper-thin margins and can't afford a lawsuit, something that big company CAN afford, and he needs her to kill the story. It doesn't help that Nadine had a secret crush on Clint back in high school, only to fall for her younger and prettier sister (like all other men do), then broker her sister's heart. On top of that, her mother's sick, her grandmother is matchmaking her to ANY bachelor in town, and her FAKE boyfriend (one made up to appease grandma) turned out to be a real guy and actually do wanted to date her...

Uh, there's a HUGE plot hole in the background that seems the author forgot. Clint supposedly broke Nadine's sister's heart. In reality, he agreed to keep a secret for her. This was revealed in one of Clint's own musings. Yet he couldn't understand Nadine's hostility toward her. WTF? Is this guy STUPID?! Or just absent-minded?  Clearly, author tried to stack on the complications and forgot to verify that they actually make sense while stacked together.  Some parts of it was quite good, esp. when we got to about the half way point when more secrets are revealed and there was a plot twist, but pace is slow, and add logical errors, the book was "okay". 3/5