Jasmine Mas: Psycho Shifters

In the first Jasmine Mas shows how far one woman will go in order to survive:

Sadie grew up with nothing, she has had nothing, has been told that she is nothing and has the scars to prove that she has never felt a kind hadn't had a kind person in her life other than her sister who is away from school. When Sadie is suddenly shown to be an Alpha she is whisked away to an outpost to help protect the realm and learn how to fight. What she did not expect was three 6'5" roommates who are also Alphas and despise her from the very beginning. They think she does not belong, they think she is useless, weak and cannot fight, but she is here to prove them wrong.

This is this first book that I have read by Mas and I was sucked into the story right from the beginning and even by the end I have so many questions. Is this a literary masterpiece No, but did I have a great time reading it, Yes. If you are wanting a vibes read this is for you as this book is 100% bingeable read. You should know this going in and I think people will enjoy it more by knowing this. 

Sadie was a pretty awesome FMC, she has a pretty sharp tongue, I love her inner monologue and her shifter form is pretty amazing, plus her additional "numb" form is crazy (but in a god way). What Sadie has gone through for all her life is just a testament of her will to survive and endure and put up with what the MMC put her through in this book. What she hides from them is something so personal and heartbreaking that you can't help but root for her. 

The MMC in this book are basically assholes to Sadie from the first moment. Do they have some redeeming interactions with her in the book sure. But if you like Alphahole books you will enjoy this one and their interactions with each other and Sade. This very much has the concept of bully romance going in this book, so if that is a trope that you like you will enjoy this book.

There are quite a few things that are unanswered by the in this book in regards to world building and where the Alpha's really come from and really how Sadie is an Alpha at all. I hope that in the next book this is addressed more, but from the ending I am not sure.

Repetitive at times of small details from pages that are right next to each other, like the book needed one last edit. The repetitiveness so so noticeable that it is the same sentence from one page to the next.

I cant believe I am saying this but this book was not as spicy as i thought it would be. Like don't get me know the spice is there but just not in the way i thought it would be and i thought that it would be more throughout. The spice is for sure there but there is actually a plot in the books 

WTF, that’s how you’re ending the book, nope no, I don’t think so. Damnit now need to get the next book ASAP. 

I had a fun time reading this book, it is totally one that is bingeable and one you may want to read in one sitting if you are here for the vibes and a good time and not one that is going to change the framework of fantasy books.

Enjoy!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti: Zodiac Academy - The Reckoning

In the next installment of the Zodiac Academy Peckham and Valenti the Reckoning is bearing down on the girls but that is not all they have to worry about:

The Lunar Eclipse holds all the power, all the answers, and most of all The Reckoning will occur. The Vega twins have no idea what is coming for them, even leading up to the Reckoning. But a dark plot is unfolding around them and they have no idea what is coming for them and who they can trust.

As the third book in the series, I knew i would have to make the decision whether i would continue on with this series or not, and i will continue on, as this book was better than the second one. This book is completely a vibes or popcorn read for some. I found myself turning the pages as fast as i could, even though it felt like nothing really happened in this book but at the same time stuff happened.

I'm here for the relationship between Darcy and Orion. I like how their relationship has progressed in each book and some of the scenes of them together in this book were extremely well done. And their relationship will have you routing for the two of them even in hard times.

I'm interested to see how a side character plays out, the Vega twins really cannot rely or trust anyone around them and I hope this continues in the series. I want more suspense of them not know who is actually around them.

I still think that this book and series has too many POV, but some of the men in this book seem to have less than the previous 2 which i am fine with. I don't think that we need that many perspectives of the same things or same even that happen throughout but i feel like i will be criticizing this for each book.

Where was the suspense? I thought it would be more high stakes especially the Reckoning part of the book and with the lack of Nymphs this book was lacking in this avenue. And speaking of The Reckoning, what Reckoning, it was such a small part of the book that I thought I was missing part of the book. It was nothing really extreme or crazy, I cant say much or I'd give it away but i was totally underwhelmed by it. For a 600 page book and one where the Reckoning was supposed to be this crazy test, you'd think more than part of a chapter would be dedicated to it.

This was a good installment into the series and I have decided to continue on with it, but in the recommended way of now switching series to the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac. I would say read this series if you are here for the popcorn/vibes and nothing else.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out:

    

Nisha J. Tuli: Trial of the Sun King

In the start of a new series, Nisha J. Tuli shows what happens when you mix the Bachelor with Deadly Trials:

Lor was sent to prison when she was 12 and she has spent the last 12 years irking out a "life" in prison, content that this is what her life will be. When one more violation ends her up in the hole (again) Lor does not think that she will survive this time. When she is surprisingly rescued and entered into the Trial to compete to be the Sun Queen, Lor knows she does not belong there. But Lor knows that she needs to win not only to stay alive but to get revenge on Aurora King, the one responsible for putting her and her family in prison.

This is the first book that I have read by Tuli and i found i was hooked from the very first sentence. Trial of the Sun Queen is fast paced, it kept me entertained throughout and I would have read it in one sitting if i could have. With that said was this book predictable at time, 100%, was this book groundbreaking in content or story, nope, but that does not mean that I did not enjoy the ride of the book.

I liked Lor as a character for most of the book. She is all hard edges and has to guard everything around her from her body, mind and soul if she has wanted to survive in prison. I appreciate that she is different from the other girls in the Trials (aka Deadly Bachelor) but that is the point of her, she is different and she thrives on it. I like that Lor is willing to protect those who she sees a weaker and her friends.

There is a bit of mystery thrown into this book around Lor and who she really is and what is it capable of. Plus there are some shady things about the Sun King that kept me turning the pages.

I think one of the things that would have made this book better is having another POV. I mean we get the main POV from Lor, with some POV of Nadir throughout the book, but I personally wished that there was a POV from Gabriel. I want to know what he thinks not only of Lor but the whole situation and some of the things that he has been forced to do in the past. I feel like Gabriel is a wealth of knowledge and maybe a main character in his own right.

If you are looking for a book that is like the bachelor but magical and deadly (they are okay if contestants die), then you should pick up this book. I know I'll be continuing on with this series as I found this entertaining, I just hope that the next book in the series is not as predictable.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Katherine Faulker: The Break-In

Katherine Faulkner takes readers on a journey that is so much more than a Break-In:

Alice is enjoying a relaxing evening with at home with friends, when the unthinkable happens, someone breaks in to her house and threatens not only he child but a friends as well. In defense of them, Alice ends up killing him. What Alice did not expect was how she was going to feel after it was done, from the online trolls damning her action because of her status or not knowing who the intruder was, Alice cannot help but think that there is more to this. Alice find herself drawn into the mystery of who the intruder was and the deeper she digs, the closer she get, she realizes there is a trail of dark secrets that are closer to her than she expects.

This is the first book that I have read by Faulker but I was aware of her other books that she has published and had though of reading one of the. The premise of this book sounded promising and i was invested at the beginning of the book but then it just fell flat that I found forcing myself to pick up this book with how slow Faulkner progressed the plot through this book. I was also able to figure out the majority of the twists in this book, and while Faulker does a good job at hiding some of them, the other are pretty obvious and predictable.

I like multiple POV books, especially in a premise like this one and, I think Faulker did a good job of distinguishing between them and having each of them have something new to add to the over story. But when doing the multiple POV I don’t love when you are waiting for a character to figure something out as you as the reader know because of another POV. It’s annoying and it makes me want to strangle the character that doesn’t have that info yet, or see the signs that the other character was giving them. I also feel like.

I'm not sure if i was supposed to like any of the characters in the book, but i really didn't find a redeeming one in there. I don't mind if you're supposed to hate all the characters in a book it makes for an interesting read, but you have to have me more invested in the plot then. And while i felt for Alice, especially at the beginning of the book, I began to like her less and less throughout. I wanted to strangle her a few times for the choices that makes.

This book was not for me, I found that I was turning pages to just turn pages as I really didn’t care about what was happening and just wanted to get through this book as quick as possible. I don't know if this is Faulker's usual writing style or how she lays out her plot, but it just wasn't what I was looking for.

Cheers!!!!

Instead of This,

Check These Books Out:

       

Kristin Cashore: Graceling

In the first in the series, Kristin Cashore takes readers on a journey to save not only a child but a Kingdom:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with just her hand since she was a child. She is a Graceling, blessed with a a special ability, an extreme skill that cannot be matched. Once her Graceling status was known she was given to the King to be his personal hit squad. Katsa accepted her life a long time ago, but then another Graceling who challenges everything she knows and is good at, Po. Katsa begins to question things as Po makes her think more about her Graceling ability and When someone in Po's family needs help, she will do anything to actually do something good with her abilities. But the road ahead is a dangerous one, enemies are made and not all will be the same when this is done.

I have heard nothing about good things about this series and about Katsa as a character. I really enjoyed this story and I was able to read it almost in one sitting. Cashore was able to draw me into the story right away with the idea of Gracelings and Katsa as a character. 

I loved Katsa as a character she knows who she is and what she wants and what she wants to do with her Graceling powers, but that was not how she started in the world. When she first discovers that she has the ability to beat anyone in a fight at eight, there are those that take advantage of her ability for murder and torture. It is as Katsa grows up she become more and more uncomfortable doing what she is told and the acts she is being told to do. She finds her inner strength and a new purpose in life. 

I think one of my favourite things in the book was the relationship between her and Po, it is so sweet and honest and full of emotions especially the farther you read into the story. Po is also a Graceling, so he understands some of things that Katsa has gone through but he had a very different upbringing that her. 

My main critique about the book I wasn't a fan of how the book was written, very paragraph heavy to the point that it felt clunky in the executions. Each new paragraph was almost always a new point in time, a new scene. This also meant that the book had longer chapters due to this fact. I wish that she broke it up a bit more in terms of chapters instead of paragraphs.

Although I enjoyed this book in the sense of Characters and Story how it was written really made it hard to read at times, that I don't think I will continue on in the series, especially as Katsa's story is wrapped up in this book. But i did enjoy this book overall.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:    

    

Liann Zhang: Julie Chan is Dead

In her debut novel Liann Zhang asks the question would you take over your Twin's Life?

Julie Chan has nothing, is nothing, lives a mundane life that is really going no where. This is complete contrast to her twin Sister Chloe, who has become a social media influencer and seems to have everything going for her. Julie and Chloe have not been in contact since they were separated at a young age, other than one video Chloe made using Julie. When Julie receives a call from Chloe out of no where, Julie feels she should go to Chloe. What she finds is Chloe's dead body and everyone thinking that she is Chloe. Does Julie dare to become Chloe, go into the life that has coveted from afar. But once Julie becomes Chloe she realizes that being an influencer is harder than one thinks, and that Chloe's life is not all it seems.

I personally love reading debut novels, to hear the new voices that are coming out in the literary world. The premise of this book had me hitting read extremely fast and even questioning if i had a twin and had the opportunity to take over their life would i? This is a theme that Zhang explores in the first part of the book, can Julie truly becomes Chloe and make those around her believe that she is actually Chloe as they have grown up so differently. There is also the need for Julie to try to find out why Chloe died and what better way to do it than pretend to be her, you can find friends and enemies a lot easer that way. I was in I was invested and then, What the actual F*** happens halfway through this book? 

This book takes a huge left turn that I was not expecting, but was warned something was going to happen but not what it was and I don't think i ever would have predicted that the book would take this turn. This is to the point where the books feel like two different books, that Zhang had two ideas (and I think great ideas) that Zhang decided to meld them together, but didn't quite make it.

Am I upset about this strange turn of events, Yes and No. Yes, because this book became something I was not expecting it to be and seemed so different from the beginning of the book and what i thought I was going to get. But then No at the same time as Zhang took a risk with this and deciding to go this way.

I liked that this book highlights what it takes to be a social media influencer, and I don't think that Zhang is far off in the first half of the book. The amount of content they are making and expected to make, how they feel the need to share everything in their life and that those who portray "healthy lives" are nothing but unhealthy (both physically and mentally).

Julie felt like such a real character to me, her life and her jealousy over Chloe's life and missing the twin that she had before they were separated as children. I cant blame Julie for the choices she makes or what she feels, it felt raw and real.

I was not a fan of the ending of this book either. You can tell Zhang tried to do something a bit different and normally I'm all about that, but it just didn't work here.

I would try another book by Zhang as I think the book was well written and the ideas she presented, just not together in one book. I think once Zhang can focus on just one amazing idea she will have a killer book.

Cheers!!!

Instead of This,

Check Out These Books:

    

Alison Gaylin: The Collective

In the Collective, Alison Gaylin shows the lengths that grieving parents will go to, to make sure those who hurt their loved ones suffer:

Camille, is angry, grieving, mother, who for the past 5 years has had to watch the person who raped and murdered her daughter go free, have a clean record and have the world act like he was never involved in the crime, all because he had the money to get away with it. Camille has had enough, she is determined to show the world what type of "man" he truly is. Camille's actions bring her to the attention of a secret group on the dark web, one that makes sure those who got away from crimes are punished. Camille feels a sisterhood, a kinship to all those in the collective and if she can help even in small ways to bring justice to other mother's out there, she will do it. But the longer Camille is part of the Collective the more she learns not just about herself but the Collective as well and it will have her questioning everything.

This is the first book that I have read by Gaylin and it will not be the last. I do not know if I am the first one to say this but this book is what I wanted Kill for Me Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh to be (yes that very hyped book from last year), yep I said it. I found that this book had more depth, more emotion and even though it is more of a slow burn thriller at times i just felt connected to Camille that I was reading as fast as I could. Gaylin does such a great job in pulling the reader in. This made me invested in Camille right from the beginning, I wanted to know how far she would go, what limits the Collective would push her to and then thinking what would be my limit? Would I go this far? 

Personally, I cannot blame Camille for what she wants to happen to her daughter’s rapist and murderer. I think any parent would have many of the same feelings that she expresses throughout the book. Gaylin makes Camille feel like a real person and her honesty of what she wants is not sugar coated at all and it is dark at times. I like how Gaylin showed the decline in Camille's mental state throughout the beginning of the book and how helping the Collective seems to help her in some way. Although as you read further into the books there is a secondary plot that unfolds, this book is very much driven by Camille and her story.

That Ending.....now that is an ending. Way to go Gaylin. 

I really enjoyed this book, I like that Gaylin was able to make me feel so connected to Camille and at times takes the story in a way that I did not fully expect. I look forward to reading another book by Gaylin.

Enjoy!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Sabaa Tahir: A Torch Against the night

In the second book in her Ember in the Ashes Series, Sabaa Tahir, the Main Characters are running for their lives as Dark forces continue to stalk them:

Elias and Laia are running for their lives and they are running from someone who know Elias better than anyone, so they have to be more cunning, more secretive, more fierce in order to escape, in order to prevent the continued genocide of the Scholars. But unhuman dark forces chase after them, death stalks them and there are those who would do anything to break them apart.

I don't think it needs to be said but I will say it anyways, you will need to read the first book An Ember in the Ashes before reading this book as this book starts up right after the first book left off. The first book also sets up the characters, relationship and how we got to this place in the story.

I'm obsessed with this series so far. I love that this book picked up right where the first ended as it not only ended on a cliff hanger but so much chaos as well. I did not want to put this book down and would have read it in one day if I could have. The stakes were even higher in the book due to the event of the first books and you feel these stakes in all of the POV. This book will give you a spectrum of feelings from Triumph to heartbreak several times within the book, but it never slows down (Tahir knows what she is doing with pacing).

I loved that there are still three POV in this book and that Helene is now getting more chapters. Her POV is much different from the other two as she is not where she want to be and not whom she wants to be with but she does her duty any way. The obstacles that are placed in her way along her journey in this book are devastating and heartbreaking at times. Unlike the first book I feel like we really get to know Helene as a character. 

I don't think I can say enough how much I have enjoyed this book and this series so far. I am invested in all the characters and was to see where Tahir takes each other their stories as we well as the world they live in. Cannot wait to read the next book in this series and I cannot recommend enough starting this series. You will not be disappointed.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Hannah Kaner: Sunbringer

In the follow-up to the First Book God Killer, Hannah Kaner shows while one fight was won, the War is still to come:

Kissen had finally succeeded in killing the God that has haunted her since her childhood. Kissen is a GodKiller and her destiny had lead to that moment, when she dragged her to the sea. Inara, Skedi and Elogast all believe that Kissen has died and must return to Kissens home to tell her family. Along the way they soon realize that all is not what they seem, their Victory was not as complete as it should have been and a New God is rising, SunBringer and may they just set the world to War.

I love that Kaner started this book right after the first one left off. We don't have to wonder what has happened in a time gap. Our heroes are scattered in this book but you knew that Kaner was going to have to bring them back together eventually, you just don't know how and what shape they are going to be in. I think because that the hero's are scattered away that the book reads a bit slower than the first book. That Kaner now has to take time to explain each of their motivations than them being set on one central goal. 

I really enjoyed Kissan’s POV again even though if felt that she had the least amount of page time of our heroes. I love that Kissan tries to stay true to herself and her belief about Gods, but at the same time she understands that there are things bigger than her.

Inara has quite a bit of growth in this book and really comes into herself but in a child appropriate way. She does not fully understanding everything that is happening around her and the choices and actions one takes can have dire consequences no only for her but those around her as well.

I still love Skedi but i did feel like he took a backseat to Inara in this book.

I can’t wait to read the third book, to see where Kaner takes the story and the character, especially after the events in this book and how much many of the characters have changed and how much the world has changed around them as well.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Ilona Andrews: Clean Sweep

In the first of a new series, Ilona Andrews brings a who new meaning to Inn Keeper:

On the outside, Dina runs a quant Inn and bed in Breakfast in a Victorian Style House. The Inn has been struggling for a bit but all of Dina's neighbours know she is determine to make it work. But normal is far from what Dina's life is. Dine is an Inn Keeper. She is responsible for the safety of those who seek sanctuary in her Inn and taking care of those who cannot respect the rules of the Inn. Her Broom is a deadly weapon, her one permanent guest eats people, the Inn and grounds are magical and lets just say her dog has some extra abilities. Dina has been living a pretty quiet life, until something starts to hunt in the night. Fearing for her neighbours and keeping the truth about the Inn a secret Dina gets involved but it's not too long before what's happening in her small town has galaxy wide implications.

I have been a fan of Ilona Andrews for a long long time, and while I have no enjoyed all their series they are still an author that i go back to time and time again. I don't know why i put off this series for so long, but I've jumped in and wow, this was so much fun. This book is very much a sci-fi urban fantasy mix and it was one that I didn't know I needed. Does Andrews blend the two genres seamlessly, no, but there was just enough confusion in the world building to make me want to know more about the world that they have created.

Do i understand the world here, Not 100%, so I am hoping that Andrews will expand on the aspects of this world/worlds in future books. Even the idea of an Inn and Inn Keeper is not completely defined in the book. Though Dina does refer to rules that she needs to follow as an inn keeper and those that enter her grounds are required to follow them as well. Dina also makes reference to Inn all over the world/galaxy/other worlds? and has even explored some of them looking for her parents (great extra subplot in the story of her missing parents), so I'm not sure how BIG this world is or how much we as readers will get to visit it.

Dina is a fun character, I love her sass to everyone around her, and her fierce protectiveness not just over the Inn but of the people that live in her community. Even when her decisions go against the Inn Keeper code, Dina does the greater good to protect those around her whether she knows them or not. I loved that everyone continually kept underestimating her and her abilities and how she proves them wrong is amazing.

Dina's power and broom are just fantastic. I love that Andrews decided to have a magical Broom as a nod to all the witches out there, but I don't think any witches Broom can do what Dina's does. The magic that Dina herself has, the Broom and the Inn house/grounds was a highlight in this book for me.

Do I see a love triangle coming on? Maybe. This book was written at a time when love triangles were all the rage in books (now it seems to be why have a love triangle when you can have a Why Choose). Love Triangles have never been my favourite Trope, so we'll see if this one goes that way or not.

I really enjoyed this book, it was quirky in a way that I have not read in awhile and I think this is due to Andrews' writing style as well as the mixing of Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi genres. I look forward to continuing on in the series.

Enjoy!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out too:

    

Stephanie Archer: Gloves Off

Stephanie Archer is back with her Vancouver Storm series, and two people who can't stand each other each other, actually need each other:

Alexei is in trouble, he is having issue with his immigration paperwork which means there is trouble with his parents immigration and they cannot go back to Russia. Georgia needs access to a inheritance in order to help fund a sports medicine research program that she is passionate about, but one problem is that she cannot get access to the money until she marries. Two people with a problem that marriage could fix, the only problem is they cannot stand each other. But people are not always who they seem and maybe they can make something real of this fake marriage.

While it is not 100% needed to read the previous 3 books in this series before this one, there is some interactions in those books between Alexei and Georgia that help lead up to this book. Plus I did enjoy the previous 3 so I do recommend reading them. 

I really enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down, as I was interesting to see how their relationship develops along the way and how they will break through to each other. There are some great moments in the book between the two of them.

Okay, I have a few favourite aspects in this book, first was the banter between the two. The little fights they have, they way Alexi jumps to a conclusion with the bunnies and how even when they are starting to fall for each other the Banter stays. I also loved the secret messages that Alexei was sending to Georgia with the flowers. I appreciate the research that Archer put in to know the meaning of all the flowers that he sends and it was just a sweet and different way to show what Alexi was feeling.

I think there is this idea that this has an enemies to lovers trope in it but while they totally seem to not like each other, I would classify it more as them having a love hate relationship. You can really see this, with the dual POV and what they think of each other and how much the don't know about each other. I think books like this need a dual POV I am happy that Archer has kept to that format.

I wasn't a fan of all the time jumps in the book, it was always a few weeks later or next week at the start of each chapter. I think this hindered the flow of their relationship. I get that Alexie is away due to being a professional hockey player and she is super busy as a doctor but I doubt it would be weeks before they would see each other. 

I've really enjoyed this series, they are great hockey romance books that are a fun mixture of sweet and spicy. I cant wait to see which couple Archer decides to write about next.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Elise Kova: Arcana Academy

In the first book in a new series Elise Kova a convicted illegal magic user and a prince are going to try to do the impossible, remake the world that they know:

Clara has been part of the underworld ever since the death of her mother, until one day she is betrayed and sentenced to the worst prison imaginable. Clara doesn’t know how long her sanity will last and just when she thinks all is lost, a Prince comes to visit her and he needs her particular set of skills to steal Tarot cards from the King. To conceal her identity, Clara now becomes the betrothed to the Prince and a First year at the Arcana Academy, but she must survive the academy in order keep pretenses up. While Clara may be working with the Prince but Clara cannot forget where she comes from and the resistance that she was part of.

This had me hooked from the beginning and I did not want to put this book down. Anytime, I could pick this book up I could (Why does one have to work?). My favourite aspect of this book (by far) is the use of tarot card magic. Not only does each card have different element that can comes forth, what that element will do but the swords create swords and the face cards are master cards that have immense power. I also appreciate that one has to ink card in order for them to use them, this means that not only are there different levels of magic but also the abilities that one can possess.

This book is set in an Academy that is more deadly than some of the books that I have read and if one does not measure up, they are branded and sentenced to servitude till death. This adds even more competition between the first years, and you need to have allies in order to survive there. 

For lack of better words, this does follow a similar format to other fantasy books that there is something special about Clara, something that only she can do, with her inking powers. She also is a powerful wielder of the cards. I did enjoyed Clara as a character, but she seems to be typical for this genre.

I wish that Kova took the time to develop more of the side characters, not just the Prince but also the friends that Clara makes. I feel like all of the side characters lack any depth to them and there are some interesting ones in there that I want more from.

Not enemies to lovers, they come around pretty quickly, and really go from mistrust to lovers but they never really trust each other in the book. Overall, I did not mind the romance but the tension felt a little forced in the book.

I'm not 100% familiar with what each card in the tarot means so i would have appreciated a little more definition of each card, even just in general as i understand they can mean different things at different times. There are times we get a little information about what the card represents but not a lot.

The cliffhanger in this one is pretty awesome but at the same time I saw part of it coming and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series to see where Kova takes it. And I hope to learn more about Tarot Card Magic.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Oxana Lau: Chasing Chords

Oxana Lau takes readers on a sweet journey of following what you really want:

Dawn Taylor is struggling, she has inherited her parent's ranch after their sudden deaths, but with the ranch comes the responsibility, and debts associated with it. She is struggling to keep the ranch afloat with the only wat she knows how to make money and that is barrel racing. Nash Rhodes was on a downward spiral and one screw up too many has led him to no longer gracing stadiums but small bars around Canada. He needs to restore his image, and fast if he is to keep a promise to his bandmate Easton. Neither Dawn or Nash could have predicted that after their first meeting they had the means to help each other and maybe rediscover who they are.

This book was exactly what I needed at the time I read it. It is a super sweet small-town book with a side of spice. I loved that Dawn is a barrel racer who is just trying to raise as much money as she can for her ranch to stay afloat and that Nash is a famous but now cancelled Canadian country music star for some of his antic while drunk. Both are looking for something to help set their lives straight or on better paths and it was just a story I felt like I could get behind. This also has the tropes of small town and slow burn, plus some spicy time outside. The tension in this book is really well done and just when you think it is going to happen something seems to get in the way.

While I loved the concept of this book and both the characters I felt like their character development was lacking, as we knew very little of what occurred before. I just wanted more depth from each of their backstory, all they had given up to get to the point they are at now. I think for Nash maybe this could have been reflected in the song lyrics but we get very few of them in the book. I just wanted more the more i reflected on this book. This is probably because i enjoyed both characters and wanted to know them more, make them more real.

Dawn's character is all strength; all she is trying to do to keep the ranch and assisted living open against all odds in commendable. She puts others first all the time, even when all she wants to do is break down. I do question how she tries to raise money by continuing to barrel race as i cannot see that as profitable plus the cost from going to rodeo to rodeo but that is not my world. I also wish there was more shown of Ranch life and the assisted living life, I felt the side characters there were just glazed over at times and they would have been an asset to highlight for what Dawn is wanting to achieve.

I loved Nash the farther into the book that I got, especially when he gets to the ranch and starts interacting with the residents there. This is what I wanted more of in the book, more of him trying to find himself. 

On a completely different note, I hope that Lau has the next book feature Easton, as I feel like I want to know his story and more about him, and I hope he was not just a side character to be glazed over and left in this book.

This was a cute read, and I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I just wante4d more from that there was a  story and characters, as the ideas are there just not fully executed.

Enjoy!!

If  You Like This,

Check These Out Too: