GRR Reviews Driving Home for Christmas by Lexy Timms

Abigail is just trying to go home after losing EVERYTHING. When her plane landed in Kansas, well short of her destination of Minnesota, and there is no car to rent anywhere, her trip home is in the hands of Colin, a workaholic Grinch on his way to attend his company party and business meeting. // Colin hates being forced into anything, but leaving a sobbing female at the rental car counter while he's heading the same way is not really an option. So he reluctantly offered her a ride for the next ten hours... Then they got stranded by the snowstorm and had to spend a night in a cheap motel... They couldn't be more different, and she's trying to draw him out of his shell. Yet they say opposites attract...

The opposites attract theme was handled really well. Abby lost everything, but she's more of an optimist, while Colin has everything, but is a Grinch and a pessimist. They seem to be a perfect balance together, and being forced together made them see each other past the initial impressions. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Wrapped Up in Beau by Mia L Heintzelman

Aubrey needs to write her "audition" article for a potential new job, but she only has a couple hours between flights heading home. She never expected to see Beau, whom she left six months ago because he's always putting work first and her second.... // Beau is about to get the position he always wanted as a financial advisor, so why does his heart feel so empty? When he heard that his grandma is in the hospital, he booked a flight to Chicago ASAP. He didn't expect to find Aubrey sharing the trip... Or is that perhaps, a second chance toward what each of them really wanted just before Christmas...

Not bad, but didn't quite feel the chemistry. The lead-up to the end is good though. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Best Friends with an Alaskan Man by Evangeline kelly

Sabrina relegated Hunter into the friend zone after he wasn't sure what he wanted out of a relationship. Years later, Hunter is living in Alaska, and invited Sabrina and her bestie to visit when Sabrina's boyfriend issued an ultimatum: cut Hunter out of her life or he will leave. Sabrina had enough, and left for Alaska visit. But Sabrina is not ready to let Hunter out of the friend zone... even though she wanted to... and Hunter... always did want Sabrina, but never found the right words... Will this trip give them to chance to come clean?

A bit of a meh here... Didn't quite feel the reluctance about friends-to-lovers. Still, the polish is good. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews A Western Love for an Unexpected Bride by Etta Foster

Mary is a maid for the Penningtons's young daughter. But when the daughter actually answered a mail-order bride ad, and was accepted, Mary was sent in her place. On her way, the train was robbed, and she was saved by Emmanuel, wandering the West but on his way home to Arizona. Emmanuel had his own pains he ran from, but Mary called out his protective instincts like no other. He will escort her to her destination. But what happens next... will be up to them.

More of an adventure story, with a lot of side trips, as the "couple" wasn't together for, I'd say, half of the book, separated by choice and circumstances. Adventure and romance are okay, but pacing could use some help. And ignore the page count. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews The Sounds of Secrets by Whitney Barbetti

Lotte (nickname of Charlotte) had been in love with Sam (short for Samson), but he never noticed her, apparently. Lotte always wanted to travel, despite inheriting a space as a dance studio in London. She took the risk of selling the studio and do a bit of travel in the US, but Lotte also has a hair-pulling problem... She deals with stress with hair pulling, so much sow her brows and her hair are in patches and she had to disguise it with makeup. Before she left, and after a few too many drinks, she and Sam had one night, but he left, and she... left for the US. But this roadtrip only made her realize she's a stranger in a strange land. When she suffered an injury, Sam came to the US to spend some time with her... and shared his own problems and secrets. But is that enough for a relationship?

Oooh, seriously angst-y type romance, which is this author's specialty. Her main characters are all flawed, suffering from loss and grief, yet managed to nonetheless find love. If you like serious people finding love without billionaires and other fantasy elements, this is a must-read. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Her Country Star Billionaire Groom by Taylor Hart

JJ and his four brothers have just got their "weird will"... Their deceased father told them they have to get married by Christmas (about two months away) or they won't get their inheritance... AND their respective charities will be de-funded as well. // JJ just stopped for gas when he saw one woman he never expected to see again... Chantel, his first and only love, and he did leave for another military deployment, and she left him. Now he's back, minor one leg (but with a prosthetic), and took up a country singing career. But Chantel is leaving town, and on impulse, he followed her onto the bus, intending for a second chance...

A couple good twists and turns, but it's still not quite clear when the love was rekindled. In other words, the transition felt a bit too fast. 4/5

GRR Reviews A Lass for the Billionaire by Donna K Weaver

Eve, a traveling nurse, was glad to be on a wish-fulfillment trip to care for a girl suffering from lupus (and her mother, of course). But she didn't expect the leader of the trip, Darius, her high school best friend who kissed her, then never spoke to her again for 12 years. He broke her heart. Can she ever trust him again? Why did he never spoke to her again anyway? // Darius may be the business genius behind the billion-bucks REKT Gaming, but when he found that nurse they hired was his high school sweetheart Eve, he decided he'll go on the trip himself... but can he ever explain WHY he never spoke to her again... and about the past that he never told her before then?

Somehow, the threat just doesn't quite feel that urgent, but the Potterverse fan service was done quite nicely. 4/5

GRR Reviews Luck of the Billionaire by Donna K Weaver

Kayn loved his job, until his sister was endangered because her husband got involved with the wrong people. Now her husband's dead, and she's hiding out, with a decoy, Sona, taking her place. (See book 1). Kayn found himself falling for Sona, esp. when Sona revealed that her grandma is dying, and wanted to visit Ireland, her homeland, one last time, to look for her family. He'll help that and more, but can he ever fall in love?

Good use of tech jargon, nothing out of place, and good job mixing part of the plot from book 1 here. I just find it surprising that Kayn can afford to leave the US for the trip to Ireland for so long, when he couldn't even get away to get his sister in Book 1. :) 4/5

GRR Reviews Veterinarian's date with a Billionaire by Amelia Addler

Juliet needs to save her veterinarian clinic serving low-income neighborhoods, and she needed to make a feel-good video featuring her former patients and their pet parents. She wasn't sure what to think when she found her junker died, and her rich but douche ex James came to her rescue. // James knew he was a douche to Juliet back in college, and he's here to make amends. Having a chance to rescue her and chauffeur her around is perfect. It also gave him a chance to get away from his over-demanding father. So they go on this road trip, take plenty of footage, and living together. And they did rekindle their relationship. But this is just temporary, right? What happens after the contest is over, whether she wins or not?

Not feeling much about this one. It's pretty obvious, from the way plot goes, that Juliet will NOT win, and this will also serve as the darkest hour, and James will get the blame. And the grand gesture will be James somehow get Juliet to forgive him. The bonding and the cute animals are nice, but that doesn't change the fact that the plotting feels flat. 3/5

GRR Reviews Beautifully Undone by Susan Griscom

Melody and her brother Teddy have a best friend, Asher, a musician. Melody had a crush on Asher for the longest time, but he didn't reciprocate. Asher's parents are gone, and he's a bit despondent. When Melody announced she wants to give her V-card to a notorious womanizer (with a different girl on his arm every week) Asher made an (in)decent proposal... He'll show her a good first time. // Later, when Asher found a letter from his dead mother asking him to seek out his half brothers (turns out, Asher's mom was "the other woman") so he's not all alone in the world, Melody insisted that they'll go together. And then they discovered...

SPOILER

AHEAD

Okay, I'll just say it. She's pregnant. Yes, from that first time. Ever. *sigh*   Somehow, the two separate plots just don't mix together that well. And that TSTL moment about going off on a boat without checking the boat works? or even if it has oars? Meh. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Running with a Sweet Talker by Jami Albright

Luanne thought she grew up fine... Her father was absent most of the time, but he did pay for law school and gave her startup money to start her own lawfirm. And she even agreed to date his business associate, and even accepted an engagement. But on their wedding day, she overheard something that destroyed her world view. She had to get away, and that means accepting a ride from her arch-nemesis... Jack. // Jack had always enjoyed teasing Luanne and this has been going for... decades. He thought he'll just see her get married. So for her to do a run-away bride, then was nabbed by one of her father's goons was more than he can take. So he helped her escape... But he has his own problems to deal with... Turns out his father... wasn't his biological father. And he still wasn't sure he wanted to meet his other family. Add a set of elderly sisters who robbed them of their car and phone, a child in need, and a bunch of other coincidences, and this will be road trip of a lifetime... and start of something new for Luanne and Jack...

Nice and "zany", with a lot of heart. Jack's a bit too sweet, and often, a bit too sarcastic tease. Though some of the scenes are uproariously funny. let's just say that "Open Audition Night" revealed there's a side of Jack that no one had ever suspected. 4/5

GRR Reviews Cowboy's Secret Bride by Cora Seton

Carl is a millionaire living in Chance Creek renting a cottage from the Cooper clan, while searching for a ranch to buy to settle there permanently, because that's where Camila operates her Afghan-Mexican fusion restaurant with her Afghani partner, and she won't marry him if he won't settle in Chance Creek, and that means buy property here. Carl was drawn into the Cooper vs Turner feud when the Cooper matriarch, Virginia, promised Carl first dibs at the PERFECT ranch for him... If he will help Coopers clan do a major project to help them win the war between the clans... // Camila is renting a place from the Turner clan. And while she loves Carl, she can't love someone who's not living in Chance Creek permanently. And poor Carl has been searching for a ranch for THREE YEARS. Then Camila got a bit of shock from her mother... Camila needs to go back to Mexico to reclaim an ancestral mask, the symbol of her clan, for her papa from a side of family she only heard about, but never knew. And Carl just offered to go with her for the mission impossible... And on this trip. Camila will learn a lot more about herself, her family, her clan... and Carl than she ever expected to...

While I like this intro to the series, and the setup was quite good for subsequent shenanigans from other members of the Turners and Coopers, some of which are already in this novel, this novel also managed to go in too many different directions that got a bit... confusing. Carl ended up fighting multiple fires on multiple fronts (doing the project for the Coopers, going with Camila to Mexico, fixing the Mexican problem, solving his best friend Sven's problem, hiding his romance with Camila from the Coopers) that it was getting a bit messy. Similar thing with Camila: hiding her romance with Carl (who's an honorary Cooper) from the Turners, deal with her papa's misogyny (woman can't be head of his restaurant, even when his son doesn't really want to run one, and Camila does), with mama's demand to bring the mask back (which is mission impossible) and learn the REAL reason mask is where it is, and deal with her relatives in Mexico, some hostile, some enigmatic. While EVERYTHING was resolved at the end, it took a while for the various subplots to resolve itself. Even at only 260 pages, it just felt the book has "one subplot too many". On the other hand, the various little details about Mexican cooking, history of Chance Creek, and so on are good touches, and previous characters from her older Chance Creek series makes guest appearances. I like it well enough, I'll just call the extra sub-plot "minor" problem. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Walk With Me: One Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto H Lee

Mark is 42 and down and out. His health is failing fast. His fiancee had left him, and his career is all but gone. And he has to decide soon whether he wanted palliative care... Or surgery and radiation that *may* save him, or leave him even worse. Trying to put off his decision, he left the doctor's office, and wandered into an unfamiliar part of London, and encountered Karen, a doctor... and terminal cancer patient... With not much life left to lose, and similar circumstances, they decided to join forces... Do 100 days of crazy... A trip around the world, a bucket list to fulfill... Together.

NOTE: There is no happy ending in this novel. But there is a twist of sorts. I can't spoil it. Let's just say you'll be shedding tears by the end. it's a tearjerker. And yes, it is a romance, as it's all about love... not just life, but of each other, and self. 5/5

GRR Reviews Protecting Olivia by Riley Edwards

Olivia just needed some fun to escape her stifling life. Her mother, a White House aide, seems to be having unreasonable mood swings. She never had a father. Having been roofied and kidnapped, and spent days in a stinky room handcuffed to a bed made her contemplate death, and how much life she missed. Then she was rescued... by Leo, callsign Panther, and the rest of Red Team... // When the president calls, the Red Team responds. It seems a White House aide's daughter's missing, and the daughter is best friends with First Daughter and her mom is best friends with First Lady. And someone is sending a message... someone with deep connections and deeper pockets. // Leo "Panther" is an ex-SEAL. Conducting an off-the-books rescue was normal. Falling for the rescue victim, however, is not. Yet from the moment she uttered "don't leave me", Leo was captivated by Olivia. Leo has no choice but to take Olivia into hiding while the rest of the team unravel the conspiracy. Will they give in to their attraction for each other? Will Red Team find out about the grand conspiracy gripping the nation? Who is playing whom?

There are a couple more subplots, like why mom's having mood swings, how Olivia's father actually showed up (turns out it's a secret baby trope), and how the grand conspiracy is confusing as heck, as the "bread crumbs" seems just to be "too easy". But the rescuer falling for the rescued, it's basically insta-love. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews I'm With Cupid by Sarah Spade

Cole is a cupid (yes, no capital C). He was recruited by Eros to help mortals fall in love, yes, arrows and all that. And cupids are immune to the arrows (job security)  He was about to finish his quota for the year, just before the time window closes, when somehow, despite his invisibility shields, he was spotted peeping (just making sure the couple is together) by the female subject's feisty cousin Sheila. Which is then he found out he has ZERO powers. No wings, no arrow, no invisibility shield. Now a mere mortal, Cole's only hope was to convince Sheila that he needs help to go home to Philadelphia and report to his boss Eros... // Sheila has pepper spray in one hand and car keys in the other, and she's chasing down the peeping tom... When he stopped. His story is crazy... Cupid? Arrows? Magic powers lost? But somehow she believed him. Sheila is now on a quest from Salem to Philadelphia to get Cole back so he can get his cupid mojo back. Cole may not be able to fall in love... but Sheila found herself attracted to the wingless cupid...

Ahhhh...... cute! And you'll like the twist (i.e. the reason why Cole's magic vanished)  5/5

GRR Riviews Riptide of Romance by Jennifer Jones

Justice has finally returned after years of wandering the beaches, catching the best waves, and fixing motorcycles. But his uncle's death brought him back. However, his return also triggered a visit from a bill collector: his uncle's surf shop owes 50K to the bank, and he has 30 days to make up the amount... or the shop will be foreclosed on, and his old rival let him knew that it will be razed and condos be built in its place. The only chance for Justice to save the shop was to enlist the help of the woman he left behind: Lola Cortez, daughter of a surfing legend, and enter a wade pool tandem surfing contest with the grand prize of 100K. However, Lola was also the girl he left behind... and Lola's boss is the banker, and has an axe to grind against his entire family... And he's got the money and skills to back up his threats... Can Justice and Lola triumph after all? Will they rekindle their love?

Eh, the "evil" guy has ZERO good about him, which made him cartoonishly bad. The rest was actually quite good. 4/5

GRR Reviews Between Friends by Charlotte Blake

Sarah knew Ethan mainly as her roommate's boyfriend... Until her roommate dumped Ethan for someone else. But her roommate is fickle. When she "broke up" with her current BF, she wants to get back with Ethan, only to get back with her current BF again. Sarah didn't like that, but it's not her relationship. She maintained friendship with Ethan and the other guys, but she's wondering what's she doing with life, as she barely survived pre-med in UC Berkeley and didn't bother applying to medical school. Now stuck in dead-end waitressing job, she's pondering when she started to notice that Ethan seems to have feelings for her... more than just a friend. When the four friends scraped together funds for a quick trip to Paris, city of love, Sarah and Ethan's relationship went to a different level... but should what happened in Paris stay in Paris? Or should Sarah and Ethan go public... and risk Sarah's roommate finding out that her roomie is dating her ex? And does that even matter?

Hmmm... I honestly don't recall seeing anything in the girl code that says you can't date your roommate's ex. I guess the only thing Sarah can be blamed for is not come right out and say "I'm going to date your ex". There's some serious angst, but mostly self-inflicted. 4/5

GRR Reviews Borrowing a Billionaire by Kat Bellemore

Charles rose from rags to riches. He has a mansion, his parents' debts are paid off. With little left to do, he booked a seat on the inaugural flight of space tourism provider Galactic Enterprises, only to be told he's just a stand-by, even if he had to pay a quarter of a million dollars for that chance. But with nothing else to do, he headed to the launch town, and met Bev... // Bev was shocked that she had won two seats on the inaugural flight of space tourism from Galactic Enterprises... And she didn't even enter (it was her best friend Kat). Meeting Charles was fun, but she never expected to see him again. Surprise... when one from the initial team was forced to leave, Charles was the backup. // Both had expectations about the other... Bev was dumped by her rich boyfriend (who turned out to be MARRIED), and Charles didn't know that Bev won her seats, and was not rich like him and the reporter was at the behest of Galactic Enterprises, not to make her famous. Can they see through their own prejudices to see the real person, with only three days together before the flight?

The space flight thing was pretty good, and it at least made for a fresh setting. The extra characters are a bit... extra? Felt a bit superfluous, but that's why they're support characters. It's just that I didn't feel much of a darkest hour. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Her Fake Billionaire Boyfriend by Laura Ann

Hazel is a quiet romance author who just hit a writer's block. Looking for inspiration, she decided to book a camping trip at the new castle resort operated by the "Overnight Billionaire Bachelor Brothers". Turns out Nelson, the youngest of the three billionaire brothers, is handling the group personally. // Nelson knew "balls and chains" (aka wife) like his brothers already found are not for him. He enjoys adventure and did not want to settle down yet. He likes Hazel's calm demeanors, and when another camper refused to leave Hazel alone, Nelson stepped up to protect her, even went as far as proclaiming to be her boyfriend (fake, of course). It's what any guy would do... right?

Sweet, with the creepy suitor that was overly aggressive, but not in the physical sense, basically an over-the-top sorta-alpha manner that was definitely anti-trope. That can be thought of as throwing shade on the "alpha" types. The ending was one of those "I thought... wrong" tropes, but it was handled well. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Wife for Now by Penny Wylder

Celia is Luke's personal assistant, and she had a crush on Luke for the longest time, but both treat each other professionally, with some verbal flirting, but nothing else. Then one day he shocked her with a proposal... Pretend to be his wife, since he has a bit of a bet with his friend who's getting married. And it was the best days of her life, as Luke treats Celia just like a wife... Including a ring, honeymoon suite, and even his husband duties (yes, in bed too). But... it was just pretend... right?

Sweet, sexy, and the darkest hour works, even though it's also a bit... naughty. Not to spoil the story, but it's quite nice, even though the tension isn't quite there. 4/5