GRR Reviews With This Ring by Debra Clopton

 

Jessica moved to Windswept Bay with her son Kevin to take the job as a teacher to get away from her overbearing family after the death of her husband two years ago (who died in the line of duty saving another family). She is not ready for love, and she can't fall for another man with a dangerous job. But Kevin wants a daddy and was disappointed when there's no daddy under the Christmas tree. When Kevin managed to drag the police chief Levi to the class show and tell, and announced that Levi will be his new daddy, neither Levi nor Jessica were ready to deal with the fallout. Levi is definitely the town bachelor, having put career and town first, and definitely hunky. But now he can't even shop without being accosted by single moms desperate to make his acquaintance. Jessica knew she's getting the evil eye from other single moms in town, even as she tried to explain there is nothing between her and Levi. Yet they keep running into each other. But can Jessica let go of her grief long enough? Or will a bachelor auction including Levi be the final incentive for her to go all in? 

Good fun, with the bachelor auction being the final grand gesture, from woman to man, for once. It just felt a bit overdramatic. But it's a fun read nonetheless 4/5

GRR Reviews Melody's Christmas by ID Johnson

Melody lost her father two Christmas's ago, and had lost all interest in music and holiday spirit. She only came back to help her mother keep the family antique business afloat... and she needs to work fast, as the business may be foreclosed on if she dawdled. Meeting the new handyman in town, Reid, was a surprise, and so was meeting his adorable five-year-old. Did she put her life on hold for grief? // Reid had to leave town after his wife left, leaving him to raise his son alone. He moved to the small town for a fresh start, and it's clear that his son is smitten with Melody. But is his heart ready to try again? Can he get her back into the Christmas spirit? 

Clear but not too overly Christian themes, not too heavily handed, good use of kid's cuteness. But nothing truly extraordinary either. 

3/5

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 Hello Dr. Christmas by Olivia Noble

Clara, the ballerina, may have just suffered a career-ending injury, leaving her understudy to take over. Dr. Klause Anderson is a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon that is visiting his brothers in the US, and still running from the grief of losing his wife. The two met in a bar, recognized each other's sadness, and agreed to a no-name one-night encounter... that left both satisfied... Until they met the next day... as doctor/patient. It's clear that they share some tremendous chemistry, but is Klaus, aka Dr. Christmas, ready to move on from his tragedy? Or will Clara always be second place to a ghost?

Short, but quite emotional. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Back To You by Hunter J Keane

Noelle drove far with her nephew and niece to start over in Starlight Valley after a family tragedy. Her niece isn't happy that they're now in a strange town and living on a Christmas tree farm, but her nephew seems to be interested in this new world... Until Noelle realized this is also where Evan lived. // Evan had to abandon his dreams of pro hockey after an injury, and lost Noelle. Now he's back to help run his aunt's Christmas tree farm...  and so did Noelle. Is this the second chance that they needed? Or are they too hurt to see it?

Seen the setup before, decent polish. 4/5

GRR Reviews Love on the Boardwalk by Nikki Lynn Barrett and Shannyn Leah

Eva is back in Cinnamon Bay to run the boardwalk cafe she inherited... AND hide the fact that her ex-fiancee was a cheating bas****. She took "Cafe Amour" off the menu because it's just bunk. It's NOT a love potion even if two people share it... // Mack is in Cinnamon Bay to search for the family that gave him up for adoption way back when. But what he found instead was Eva, a delicious coffee drink, and a legend about love and a lighthouse. Sharing the coffee with Eva was nice, but what will he discover about his own past, and does that mean a chance with Eva... or not?

Series starter, good setup, if a bit quirky about love and lives lost, and unusual circumstances. 4/5

GRR Reviews Breakup Boot Camp by Beth Merlin

Joanna was about to get married, and she's busy getting herself into shape to fit into the wedding gown... Until a discovery led to her canceling the entire wedding... Because her fiancee is a cheater... for MONTHS. She needs help and an escape from her friends and family... so she signed up for Breakup Boot Camp... where she can learn about self-care, spa, yoga, surfing, and a lot of talking with a therapist to get over the only person she had loved... Could the cheating be partly her own fault? Why had she abandoned her career? Did she ever accept the loss in her life? What responsibility does she have in the demise of her own relationship? And does she like Chef Todd?

More chick-lit than romance, it's a bit deeper than you'd expect, and I like it. 4/5

GRR Reviews Dazed and Divorced by Carol Maloney Scott

Claire is (suddenly?) single, in her thirties, having married her high school sweetheart Ron, and never really dated ever. She's also mourning the loss of her fertility after one too many miscarriages. Except Ron won't sign the divorce papers. Almost twenty years after her last date, she's back out into the wild, finding frogs all over the place, and not a prince in sight. It seems her friends keep finding losers for her to blind date... So why is her ex Ron trying to get back into her good graces, after nearly destroying her during her time of grief? And is adopting a hyperactive wiener dog puppy, Dixie, a solution to her problems?

Definitely LOL at times, if also a bit teary-eyed, as this is more sitcom than romcom, with super uncomfortable situations. Like meeting Jed, Abel, and Cain at a church speed-dating event, each of whom wants to talk about the Bible or proper role of a wife. Then Christian came along and asked her to get the heck out of there... Only to try to seduce her into bed, with some VERY unholy words. Funny! 4.5/5 for the laughs, not too much romance here though.

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 Marry Me at Dawn by Lucinda Whitney

Gabriela came out of the emergency hospital feeling very down... She just found out that she can no longer bear children. Her cousin put her up in a resort in the Azores, so she can hide out and hopefully figure out what to do from there. // Damian vowed to be the opposite of his philandering father by never giving his heart to anyone. He revived the family business, and was doing great, until Social Services handed him baby Claire, legally his as his name is on the birth certificate. He hid out in the Azores... at the same resort... When Gabriella showed up by accident. // Damian found Gabriella beautiful and great with the baby. When his lawyer and best friend told him to marry her for a year, he barely hesitated, and Gabriella, perhaps overwhelmed by a chance to have a family, even if it's a fake one, said yes. But will this family last? And what happens when Damian found out who the father REALLY is?

Good twist at the end (on who's the father), how the fake relationship built up slowly. But I think Gabby was a bit too fast to give up on Damian. 4/5

GRR Reviews Love You, Truly by Susan L Tuttle

Blake has a Hollywood mother, but he is camera-shy and avoids the limelight... until his mother begged him to take on a reality dating show to boost her image. He never expected to fall in love... with someone who didn't even plan to be on the show... // Harlow is an aspiring photographer who's grieving after her BF dumped her for her best friend. She's trying to raise money for her disabled sister's nonprofit, and when her sister submitted her profile to be on the dating show, she can't say no. But she really didn't want to be there... So why does she feel a connection to Blake, who's determined to woo her, even though they are of different worlds?

Not the first book I've read on the same premise, it's also a bit wordy and the conflict not that well handled. Blake could have been less of a pushover. He's the star. Without him there is no show. Yet he lets the producer push him around. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews her Kind-hearted BIlionaire by Juliette Duncan

Phoebe still can't get over the death of her fiancee only weeks before their wedding, even a year later. When her best friend decided to drag her to Asia on a volunteering trip to Southeast Asia, she decided to go. // Nicholas is an Aussie billionaire with his two siblings... but lately it feels as if he's the only adult left. His little brother just spends and spends, and his sister just goes on these "meditation retreats", yet both are shallow as ****. Feeling a bit lost, he wandered into a local church, and heard about a volunteer opportunity in Bangkok. He decided to take a month off to volunteer... undercover. // Nick and Phoebe met in Bangkok at a rehabilitation shelter for trafficked children, and they connected. But he's hiding his identity and had not given himself to God,  She's feeling guilty of falling for someone less than a year after her fiancee's death... Can they find love?

A bit too overtly religious, and there was no resolution for Nick's two siblings, who are STILL shallow as ****. Pure dress pieces. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Her Loyal Protector by Cami Checketts

Kaytlyn left her home a decade ago, having had enough of her father's emotional abuse. She drifted and eventually met Jacob, who treated her like a second daughter next to his own daughter, Jennifer. And Jacob is worth billions. Kaytlyn is also fond of Cameron, Jacob's bodyguard. But when Jennifer got married, she slowly started to change. Not even Kaytlyn's being surrogate for Jennifer's baby can mitigate her simmering rage. And it turns out Kaytlyn wasn't just a surrogate... The baby is half hers (they used her egg without telling her) And Jacob is dying... Reluctantly, Jacob enacted his final plan... He will "marry" Kaytlyn, and claim the child as his heir, and NOT A SINGLE PENNY will go to Jennifer and her husband to fuel his narcissistic political ambitions. Jacob's confidant and bodyguard, Cameron (who already wanted to date Kaytlyn), will protect Kaytlyn. Kaytlyn must protect her child and her charitable foundation from Jennifer and her politician husband. and Jennifer, feeling deep rage for the "betrayal" by her father, vowed revenge...

The plot seems a bit too complicated, and half of the legal maneuvering, like forcing Cameron to stand aside, seems to be superfluous, esp. with Jennifer's public outburst during Jacob's funeral in front of hundreds. And the final fight seems to be way too convenient due to a TSTL moment. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Reluctantly Matched by Shanna Delaney

Samantha finally reached Florence, a trip she had to take alone because her grandma (who raised her) finally passed away after suffering Alzheimer's. She dropped out of art school to care for grandma, and she has a job in a nursing home she can go back to... But her adventure was derailed several times... And she met the irritatingly handsome and hot-and-cold guy Edo on the plane... Who'd knew he's the son of her host at the charming Italian B&B? // Edo was summoned home to take over the family B&B, something he dreaded for years, having his heart broken before. The B&B was operating at a loss that was compensated by his mother's cooking classes. Now that his parents wanted to travel, he can't balance the books. So why is his mother pushing him to play tour guide to the pretty American, who's only here for 10 days? Yet this American is NOT like any tourist he knew...

Good Italian details, but at times feels more like a travelogue than exploring the conflicting emotions of Sam and Edo. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews It's a Wonderful Date by Sophia Summers

David regrets giving up his own plans and became the GP doc of a small town, following in his father's footsteps. The town needs a doc, and without the help of a nurse or even an answering service, he's on call 24/7, leaving him no time for social life.  But even he noticed Sarah moving in across the street, doubly so when he found her at his favorite patient Miss Lily's place, ready to redesign the interior. But Miss Lilly is dying and all he can do is to make sure she goes as pain-free as possible. Depressed and wondering did he actually do any good in life, it's up to Sarah to help him see his own worth... and some Holiday magic...

Basically a retelling of "It's a Wonderful Life", it's not bad, but not that good either. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews A Blind Date with Her Cowboy Billionaire Boss by Hanna Hart

Shelby lost her infant son to SIDS. When she found her husband had been cheating, she left it all and went home to Carrin, TX, but without any workable skills, she felt lucky to find a job to be a nanny to a local single father, Colt and help raise his two kids. She then found Colt is a local billionaire and owner of a luxury ranch... and still grieving over the loss of his wife 8 months ago. Being set up by a friend to meet Colt for a blind date is even more awkward... but is falling for her handsome such a bad thing, when he feels the same way?

Good feels, and getting over past wounds. Shelby seems to be one of those people who feel responsible even though SIDS is unexplained and not her fault. 4/5

GRR Reviews Own It by M Piper

Lauren (goes by Lo) went into a deep depression after the loss of her son to cancer at the young age of 5. She lost everything else then (home, house...). Fortunately, her brother is rich and lets her stay to figure things out. Then she met Jett... // Jett prefers the open road but when the responsibility of running a company was forced upon him he can't run away. It was all for his dead baby brother (and the family his brother left behind). Having a one-night-stand with Lo was just that, but he felt he can fix her... but is he really staying?

The chemistry is not that strong, IMHO. 3/5

GRR Reviews Long Road Home by Kate Stacy

Hailee is a single mother who admires Grayson from afar. When Grayson announced his upcoming marriage, she was devastated. Then she met Drake, a long-haul trucker who happens to be just in town. He technically could live off his inheritance, but he chose to drive with no family to tie him down. Meeting Hailee is making him reconsider that decision. When an apartment fire destroyed Hailee's home, Drake told her to move to his place, but Drake's evil ex appeared, preying on Hailee's insecurities...

Nothing too special in the insta-love scenario, polish is decent, but tropes like evil ex and insecurities are a bit obvious. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews A Cowboy Billionaire Best Friend's Secret by Hanna Hart

Hunter has his ranch in Wyoming, and it's prospering. He didn't expect Rachel to arrive incognito. He knew Rachel, until she moved in with his country-singer brother and gotten engaged, and was happily pregnant... last he heard. Turns out she had miscarried, and she found her fiancee (Hunter's brother) cheating. She was an emotional wreck and the only friend she could run to was Hunter.  They are fond of each other, but taking that further is not possible until Rachel resolve her relationship status first. When the whole family started to show up and taking sides, is there any chance for this star-crossed couple?

Good conflict build-up, with tons of complications, first hiding secrets, then outright confrontation as the family started to take sides. Good family dynamics without being overly melodramatic, good but not overwhelming amount of angst. Could use a faster pace though, IMHO. 4/5

GRR Reviews Just Breathe Again by C A Harms

Faith had tried city life, but she's tired of the hustle and bustle. So she moved back home to help her dad run her cabinet making business. And that's where she met Aaron... // Aaron had it all, and lost it all. He can't move on... he just ran away. Meeting Faith did make him feel something... and feeling is to be avoided. But Faith, like her namesake, will persevere to help him move on... and perhaps, teach him to love again...

Seriously angst-y MMC, the chemistry between Aaron and Faith wasn't explained that well though. It's almost as if Faith enjoys having the metaphorical door slammed in her face again and again as she reached out for Aaron. While emotional, it also left it a little empty. 3.5/5