GRR Reviews A Mother For Christmas by Jackie Weger

Single dad Decker and his 8-year-old daughter need to renovate a Victorian in 30 days (by Christmas) or he'll lose the house, but his decorator just ran off on a honeymoon. That left Annalise, the decorator's assistant, shouldering the workload. Annalise is always sad but seems competent in her job, and bonded with his daughter quickly. There may be a spark between the couple... THEN he learned the cause of her sadness... and why they bonded so quickly... 

The twist was practically advertised, but the author did the best to distract us with red herrings. It's a Christmas story, so some incredulity is expected. Not bad, but not one of the author's best efforts. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews The Inn at Willa Bay by Nicole Ellis

Zoe thought as the assistant event planner for a wedding resort in Willa Bay, she would inherit the event planner position when the existing one retired. Instead, her boss handed the position to his son-in-law who had never worked in the industry. Then she learned that her landlord Celia not only needed a hospital stay, she's also in danger of losing the entire place, a former inn, and leaving Zoe with no home. // Her best friend Meg had left a prestigious sous chef job to come home to her mother being treated for cancer, and work in a kitchen with no chance of advancement. When a friend's old rival returned to town, threatening her routine for the kitchen, her timetable for departure may be moved up...  // Her other best friend Cassie did not expect to be a single mother after marrying the love of her life, only to divorce him 10 years later to raise an autistic child alone. She was barely getting by, until an old rival returned to town... and about to destroy her side gig as a cake baker/decorator. // Shawn had just restored a house and flipped it for profit when he got a phone call from across the country from a mystery woman. Who is Celia? Why did Celia have him as an emergency contact? And who is this Zoe that called her? His curiosity will lead him to Willa Bay... // These people are about to meet and change each other's lives... 

As a series starter, this is actually well plotted so everything ties together. It does sound a bit scattered at the beginning, as if all the separate threads don't quite fit together, but they do. My main problem is the final solution, which I will not spoil, is a bit deus ex machina. And also the solution doesn't mean everybody gets HEA. We do have a couple more books, after all. The characters all are reasonable. I feel the connection between Shawn and Zoe was a bit rushed. The rivalry and the unreasonableness of "bad boss" and how the various characters just kowtowed instead of engaging in some malicious compliance just feel... unsatisfying. Also, this being a series, there's no karma in this particular book, which may leave some readers miffed. 3.5/5

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 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 Trusting His Heart by Jen Peters

Cat, building contractor, is in Oregon doing a high-end restoration. She left her childhood behind and didn't want to talk about it again... ever. She didn't expect her client to saddle her with a co-contractor, Justin, who will be doing all the electrical work. // Justin did rescue Cat from a ditch earlier, but that didn't earn him any points when he started questioning her judgment. Justin is also under stress when he needs some money to help his mom keep the family home, but Cat refuses to compromise on any details. When thieves hit the construction site, and made off with lumber and wires, and more, the two will have to unite to thwart the trespassers, but when one of them is found, Cat wants to give him a second chance (because someone saved her that way), while Justin is all about harsh punishment... And Cat's leaving when the project's done... right?

Good twists and turns, and good wedge issue between the two characters adding to opposites attract / enemies to lovers trope. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Hope for Christmas by Rochelle J Christensen

Anika is a single-mother that barely gets by. She can't even afford a christmas tree, muchless gifts under it. Her daughter's medical bills had wiped out any savings she may have had, but her health is fine now. Working in Wentworth's department store and getting some overtime may help her catch up on her bills. That puts her next to handsome Carlos, the store handyman, on a project to restore the store's old soda fountain. Carlos wanted to help her, but she's not taking "charity".  When she was the recipient of many gifts (some she even wrapped herself) from the store giving tree, she immediately suspected Carlos...

Uh... this is supposed to be a Christian novel, yet it seems Anika has way too much pride... Which she managed to grow out of by the end. Of course, it's sweet, but it also felt a bit off. And the "heavy" was really shallow. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Sweet Tea & Second Chances by Dylann Crush

Cassie left town to chase her own dreams, leaving Robbie behind. A decade later, after her grandmother died, Cassie is back to prep the house for sale. And it just happens that Cassie needs the proceeds to fund her restaurant buy-in with her partner/boyfriend. But she needs a contractor fast, and the only contractor who has time in town happens to be Robbie, her old flame...  But Robbie has his own problems as his pa, the old sheriff, is dying fast, and Robbie was sorta seeing Caroline, except she's away in South America at the moment...  and his pa had been hiding secrets... It had been over for years between Cassie and Robbie,  and they are on separate paths... right?

On the one hand, I like how the characters are set up, but it also relied on cliche such as "sins of our fathers", basically older generation meddling in the younger generation's lives "it's for your own good, at least I thought so." And the darkest hour turns out to be not that dark after all. 4/5

GRR Reviews Baby Inheritance by Mckenna James

Valentina just found out that her father had been arrested for fraud, and all her accounts are frozen, leaving her with virtually nothing. For a trust fund daughter, used to mani/pedi/spa group meets, this is a total culture shock, esp. when her rent is due, and even pawning her jewelry didn't come close to resolving her debt. Her grandma offered her one hope: grandma will give her an allowance AND and let her inherit if she will get married and get pregnant. But with who? // Hudson has a construction business, but it's got a severe cash crunch. No bank would lend him money. When Valentina, his sister's best friend, asked him for this favor, his eyes just about bugged out. While Valentina is beautiful, he doesn't like her that way... right? But when both of them need money VERY soon, and Valentina also found her cousin is also in the hunt to be written into the grandma's will, it became a race... of who will get married and get pregnant first...

While this at least puts a spin on the "weird will" leading to "fake to real marriage", the plot itself doesn't really make sense, at least for Hudson. He must be REALLY lousy in business to hit a cash crunch so hard, and/or didn't have a credit line to tide things over. Also, he seems to be spending a lot of time with Valentina when he was probably working by himself, hoping to salvage the project. And somehow, the cash problem magically resolved itself after they got married, without a loan? Also, how Valentina just took ONE report without asking for a second opinion to give up... sounds really wrong to me. At least the epilogue resolved the issues and the bad guys got karma. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Catching Him by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Leah wants Mr. Right, not Mr. Right Now.  She just didn't expect to meet him as her new neighbor, when her cat decided to visit his house. His name is Tyler, and he's here as a new construction foreman. Leah dated one other guy, Chris, like back in high school, and there was zero spark then, and zero spark now. She gave him a pity date dinner, and all he could talk about was himself. She ghosted on him, as she wanted to explore her chemistry with Tyler, who's alpha, and wanted her, and was willing to let her figure it out at her own pace. But someone broke into her house (while they were away), destroyed her belongings, and wrote WHORE on her wall, clearly someone is disturbed... Tyler will protect Leah, but Leah has to decide whether Tyler is worth catching...

Not bad, though I guessed the culprit by mid-point. The ending was a bit low-key, though karma is sufficiently portrayed. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews On the Market by Rachael Herron

Liam and his brothers are contractors and house-flippers. Their life is perfect, at least, as perfect as having a foster son driving him nuts can be. Then a TV producer called. They want to do a reality show based on them... with an angle about romance. A woman will buy a house, the brothers will renovate it, and date her. And they'll earn a lot more than just flipping houses. Then the producer, Felicia, arrived. And she fell in love with one of the houses... It's as if it was her dream manifested in reality. Suddenly, she's the contestant, and Liam had to date her. Country boy meets city girl. The Bachelor meets Property Brothers. And their lives will never be the same.

Now that's an interesting setup. Lots of double entendre and hidden meanings. Is it real or is it for the cameras? While reality TV romance had been done many times before, mixing it up with handyman trope is pretty ingenious. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews The Fix by Sylvie Stewart

Laney is a single parent who's doing "okay". Scratch that. Her job is a snooze-fest. Her son's misbehaving. Her free-loading brother doesn't' seem to be moving out anytime soon. And the hottest guy she ever laid eyes on, Nate, is a total ***.  // Nate moved back home to help his mom take care of things at a single phone call, because that's what a responsible guy like him does. But it was a bit overwhelming. Seeing the sweetest woman watching him completely lose his **** was not his plan to making a great first impression. But he's definitely going to FIX the situation...

Part sit-com, part romance with some good setup situations, and once they finally got together, hot sex, you should like the setup that does NOT overtly rely on the typical male/female tropes. 4/5

GRR Reviews Marrying Mandy by Melanie D Snitker

Mandy was raised by her grandparents in their bed and breakfast inn after her parents abandoned her. She was shocked to find that in order to inherit the family inn, she had to marry someone. Soured by her own childhood, she had no plan to ever marry anyone...  She just has one platonic male friend, Preston... // Preston just lost his construction job. His side-gig, making wood artisan carvings, is starting to take off, but he needs access to the inn's workshop to continue. Preston has no problem coming to a mutually beneficial arrangement with Mandy... They'll "fake" marry. She'll inherit the inn, he'll pitch in by selling his stuff. It's a win-win. Mandy, desperate to hold on to her family legacy, reluctantly agrees. But a disaster will lead to an epiphany for them both...

There actually is a theme to this, which I will not spoil, and character arc, more for Mandy. In fact, Seth just comes across as a "big softie". It's Mandy's character arc that took it over the top. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Second Chance Grill by Christine Nolfi

Mary is an MD who had to take a sabbatical after a drunk driver killed her best friend. When she inherited a restaurant in Liberty Ohio, she thought it was the perfect out. But the restaurant was struggling, the cook had been fired, and the entrees without the cook are not edible. Elsewhere in town, Blossom, who has leukemia in remission, do NOT want Meade as her stepmom, which means she had to find his dad, Anthony (the town mechanic and handyman), a new girlfriend fast, and the new lady in town, Dr. Mary, will do very nicely. But Mary had promised to help run a clinic in Cincinnati as she had promised her dead best friend, and her stay in Liberty was only for a year. Mary does like Anthony, but does she like him enough to change her plans? When Blossom's leukemia came back, what will Mary and Anthony do?

It's a heart-warming tale, with some bits of romance. You read it for the relationships and the quirky small town, not necessarily for the romance.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews November Homecoming by Bokerah Brumley

Rebecca Martin has a good job in Fort Worth, TX, but she went home to Yearly, TX to help her mom and execute her plan... Open up a restaurant in her hometown, so her mom can stay in their family home. However, the only available contractor in town turns out to be her ex, Johnny Cash Williams, with a teenager son of his own. And Rebecca does NOT date married men ever... So why does she feel so... betrayed? And why does the new bearded Johnny look so handsome? When Rebecca is offered an even better position in Fort Worth, what will happen to her restaurant in Yearly?

For homecoming novels, this one is pretty good. The truth of Johnny's relationship status was revealed bit by bit.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Drawn Into Love by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Lucas is a single father architect with a bitter ex. Courtney is a divorcee whose ex got his secretary pregnant. She got a generous settlement, decided to refurb a house, and needed Lucas' help... Courtney did not plan to fall for the handsome dad who can cook. And the feeling is mutual. But Lucas' ex is not done with him, and Courtney is keeping a secret from Lucas...

Pretty sweet, no obvious plot holes, good push-pull.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Loving the Wrong Brother by D L Stewart

Miranda has always loved Chance Palmer but hates Sam Palmer, the younger brother. In a small town, Chance was always there to save her, and she worships the ground he walks on. While Sam... let's just say he's always there at the most embarrassing moments of her life, even at the graduation ceremony wardrobe malfunction. But Chance never gave her a second glance. Five years after graduation, Miranda is hoping to find some money to finish her design degree, while the Palmer brothers need a little help taking care of their construction business. And the help Chance hired is Miranda... Miranda slowly started to realize that perhaps, Sam was not as "evil" as she thought. When a wildfire threatens to destroy the town, Miranda has to decide that perhaps, she was loving the wrong brother all along.

Good amount of angst and realizations, proper escalation and application of external threats to push things along.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews WOMEN WHO DARE: Three Book Bundle by Bobby Hutchinson

NOTE: This is a 3-book bundle. The three titles included are reviewed separately.

A Legal Affair -- Jenny, from her experience with the court system, wants a law degree to help promote social justice. Zach, the senior lawyer advisor for the free legal clinic, is there to date beautiful law school students. After all, the big shot corporate lawyer doesn't need to be there. But Jenny's love for lost cause horrified his sensible side, and Zach's corporate law and lifestyle is everything Jenny would not want in a man... He's mercenary and rich, and would never imagine going on contingency only for a low-probability case. But for Jenny... can he change his mind?

Swoon-y and above average, as both end up bending for the other, but he bent a bit further. 4/5

Menu for a Wedding -- Francesca "Frankie" has a hat-making business, so shopping for a caterer with her mom for her sister's wedding was not exactly high on her to-do list. At 26, Frankie's the oldest and due to her single status, is considered spinster of the family. When the caterer Eric, who's an ex-footballer (NFL) turned restauranteur met with mother, the menu was NOT settled, nor was Frankie's heart. Eric knew this catering job would not be easy, but he did know he wanted to see Frankie again. When Frankie is determined to put her business first, Eric would have to find help from a different quarter...

Cute, good slow-burn large-family and messy gossip, with the guy being incredibly sweet and impossible to live with. Light mood. 4/5

Island Sunrise -- Charlie, a carpenter, with her two best GFFs just got their dream assignment: a special construction job out in Hawaii, of all places. The only problem is Ben Gilmore, the local liaison, and technically her boss. Their job is to bring an old resort back to life, and Ben's clumsy meetcute ended up with his ankle broken, and the two can't stand each other. But someone is sabotaging the construction project, with graffiti, vandalism, broken equipment, and worse. Ben couldn't possibly leave the "girls" out there... but it used to his aunt's resort, and he needs the job done... and nobody local would do it, believing the place is haunted. As the two get to know each other, their hostility lessened, but that saboteur is still out there...

The "hostile meeting" meetcute is good, the transition is good, and the mystery kept the momentum going. The ending was both a bit sad and happy. 4/5

Category: Contemporary / Collection

Overall Rating: 4/5

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GRR Reviews Worth the Trouble by Jamie Beck

Catherine "Cat" is a cover girl and her beauty is renowned. However, she's hiding a huge secret... even from her own family. Attending her brother's wedding just makes her sad, but she's perfected the art of smiling even when she's not feeling it. Until she ran into Hank... who's soft-spoken and gentle, a man she should want, but can't. // Hank understood sacrifice, having set aside his own ambitions to help out his family. Having once been rejected by Cat, he's not eager to repeat the experience, but when Cat's drunken behavior prompted him doing a white knight rescue, Cat's ephipany, about needing her own business and income after her beauty fades lead her to offer him a dream job: creating custom furniture, instead of just doing general carpentry work as a contractor. But he's reluctant to take up the offer because it can affect his family... and he is not sure how he and Cat can work together when there's that chemistry between them...

Good amount of angst, but not too overwhelming. She's his boss's sister, he's not quite ready to leave the job... etc etc.  The tropes and tags are minimal, yet there's a complete plot.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

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GRR Reviews Fix Her Up by Carey Heywood

Finley just had a bad divorce, and to get a fresh start, she bought a fixer-upper on the other side of the country. having never had any fixing experience before. Good thing she ran into Noah, her realtor's brother... who is a handy man and can do construction... and his family owns the town hardware store. Noah realized Finley may be the one he can settle down with, but is Finley ready to try love again?

Good rounded characters, Noah may be a shade too perfect though, but that's fine in a rom-com. Swoon-worthy, sure.

Category: Contemporary / Comedy

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.