GRR Reviews Change of Hart by ME Carter

Change of Hart, the debut novel by ME Carter, is the first book out of a series of 7. The sports references are right on, but the plot is predictable, and the woman seems to be (unintentionally) playing "hard to get". 

Jason Hart is the best pro defensive lineman in the NFL, and he's playing for the winning Dallas Cowboys. At a publicity event in a school, he met a little boy who lost his father, and he felt a connection, having lost his own father when young. So he invited the boy and his mother to an event... and met Addison, the recent widow. Now he's hopelessly smitten, even though he was an avowed bachelor just before this... 

Sports romance authors can choose to create fictional teams or use the names of real ones. and this one chose to use real team names with fictitious players. Both works and the references are quite accurate here. My main problem is I saw the plot twists coming from a while away, even though the author tried to present it onion-peel style. Such as why was Addison so resistant to any romantic attempt from Jason initially, then having a misunderstanding due to a nosy reporter (and I guessed at the truth long before it was revealed). No surprises there AT ALL. The push-pull is not bad but still not extraordinary. 4/5

GRR Reviews Cinderella Undone by Nicole Snow

Kendra always loved Knox from afar... Until Knox got his dad's business partner's daughter pregnant, got a daughter, then the other women simply disappeared. Not even lots of money and private investigators can find her. With death of Knox's father, Knox is supposed to become a full partner for Black Rhino, but Knox is instead sent to acquire diamonds, legal or illegal, in some of the douche-y-ist places on Earth with his team. Now the boardroom fight is getting ugly, when the other partner is threatening to take away Knox's kid to force him to accept a buyout. So Knox needs a plan... He'll engage and marry Kendra (a platonic best female friend), which should deflect any court attempts to re-evaluate custody. Kendra will help Knox even though he had not only broken but crushed her heart years ago, and Knox will make her a Cinderella, all her dreams come true, live with a prince, get her degree, whatever. But Kendra has her own enemies... and things took a seriously twisted turn when both enemies united to ruin both Knox and Kendra...

I'd say this may be one of Nicole Snow's worst novel to date. The plot is over-the-top and getting more impossible as the darkest hour approaches. The idea that the "bad guys" can suddenly get FULL custody of a child by (censored) and (censored) and two psychologists, neither have ever met the subject, is simply impossible. Not to mention the mother was (spoiler-censored). And who writes hand-written notes to lawyers nowadays? The end fight is a deus ex machina where the military and mercenary veteran failed to follow basic combat tenets: make *sure* the enemy is down and out. Sure it's emotional, but with all the holes in the plot it felt more like melodrama than drama. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Now and Forever by Mona Ingram

Jenna is homeless, through no fault of her own. Her "fiancee" stole everything from her, every penny from her accounts, all her photography equipment, and left her months behind on the rent and other bills. She had to sleep in her car. And with no job and no equipment, she had no way to make a living... Then she found a cute boy named Danny had stowed away in her car... // Brett is a surgeon that worked hard to create the perfect family, but things fell apart through no fault of his own. His wife died, taking a secret with her. His son Danny was supposed to be with a housekeeper, but when he found the house empty, and a message informing him that the replacement housekeeper fell through, he started to panic... Just then Jenna drove up to their house with Danny. // Jenna can see the concern in Brett's eyes, but he clearly doesn't know how to show it. When Brett, in desperation, and saw how well Jenna connected with Danny, offered her the housekeeper position... She can't turn it down...

Not the first novel with the plot "down and out woman rescues kid, ended up as nanny and won over single father" but this was very well polished with ZERO cursing and ZERO sex, just a lot of unsaid emotional angst. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews A Doctor's Promise by Laura Scott

Shelly is a flight nurse for Lifeline Air Rescue, and she's worried about her son, who may have kidney failure, and is awaiting tests. She is attracted to the new flight doc, Jared O'Connor, who may or may not be related to her late husband, but that can't go anywhere, as she's too busy...  // Jared promised his family to search for his dead brother's fiancee and child, who disappeared after the funeral. Jared found himself attracted to the strong yet vulnerable Shelley and her son. Then he realized Shelly is none other than Ly, the fiancee he had been searching for. But he also found out what really happened that day that caused her to run...

Slightly over-dramatic, but all the emotional beats are met and no obvious plot-holes. 4/5

GRR Reviews Summer of Change by Elena Aitken

Samantha aka "Sam" loves Cedar Springs, and she hates change... like the upscale resort that's opening nearby with the hot springs, owned by Trent. Trent just wanted to share the healing hot springs with everyone. Trent and Sam meet, and it's like fire and ice. Neither would back down. But as both came to see the other's viewpoint, and gain an understanding, grudging respect developed, then friendship... Then a kiss that changed everything...

Not bad, a bit on the low-key side, but I like slow-simmer romances. Trent apparently didn't quite pull the town together before building the resort (uh... did he import all the labor?) and that lead partly to Sam and other local's opposition. A bit egotistical of him. 3.5/5

GRR Review Her Forever Cowboy by Debra Salonen

Anne is about to get the promotion to executive level in her hotel management job, while being a single mom. But her stepfather's plea brought her and her daughter Zoey back to Silver Rose Guest Ranch for the summer. But it is also here that she will meet the man who broke her heart... the cowboy Will. She can never fall for a cowboy again. // Will had to take several months off recuperating when he was sidelined by a major injury. With nothing else to do, he should enjoy managing his grandpa's guest ranch... But Anne is also there. Will is determined to win the World Championship... and he will return to the circuit soon... even if he had to break her heart again.

Okay, good amount of angst, reunion, and all that.  But the plot doesn't offer that much new. 4/5