Grumpy Jake/ Melissa Blue/ 104 pgs

To be honest, the titular Grumpy Jake is not all that grumpy. However this is still a cute story. Jake is a single dad to a kindergartner, Jayden. Bailey is Jayden's new teacher and she's more than a bit wary of Jake, who has a reputation of sleeping around with his son's preschool teachers. This is a bit icky, but it's not really a huge part of the book. Jake and Bailey end up trapped in an elevator for an afternoon, get to know each other, and end up casually dating. Which leads to much, much more. A short, fun read.

Ten Things My Cat Hates about You/ Lottie Lucas/ 400 pgs

Back in the day this would have been known as chick lit. Today it's probably labeled a romantic comedy. Clara can't seem to make a relationship work, although sometimes her cat Casper is to blame, especially when he attacks her dates. She lives in Cambridge, England and works in a museum. Her brother, for unknown reasons, has recently moved in with her. She ends up with two men in her life: Josh, the cat's vet, who seems to only want a good time with Clara; and Adam, a professor who isn't good about sharing his thoughts and feelings. There is definitely a bit of Pride and Prejudice to this. I found the plot very predictable. Clara can't seem to figure out anything that is going on around her and as with the best chick lit heroines, humiliation and embarrassment seem to find her. There are some funny moments and I loved the Cambridge setting (as opposed to London).

The One for You/ Roni Loren/ 442 pgs

This is the final book in a series that I have absolutely loved. This one centers around Kincaid, a feisty real estate agent who just rashly bought a farmhouse with the dream of turning it into a B&B. As with the other books in the series, Kincaid is a survivor of a school shooting. Her then boyfriend, Graham, died that night. She, however, does not have any memories of the evening, which is explained later in the book. Growing up, Kincaid's best friend was Ashton, a nerdy bookish boy who, unbeknownst to her, had a massive crush on her. To escape his parents and the aftermath of the shooting, Ashton left town right after graduation and is now a successful author. However, his leaving gutted Kincaid. For reasons, they are both back in town now and in charge of getting a bookstore ready for sale. This is another wonderfully romantic novel from this author.

The Bromance Book Club/ Lyssa Kay Adams/ 339 pgs

This book has been getting a lot of buzz and I have to say I agree that it's a winner. Gavin Scott, star player for the Nashville Legends baseball team, has been given the boot by his wife, Thea. Gavin wants to win her back and luckily for him, he's got the Bromance Book Club behind him. His friends and teammates read romance to help them understand their wives and girlfriends and relationships. This of course provides some great comedy but the guys are smart enough to know that fiction isn't exactly like reality. Gavin works hard to win back the trust and love of Thea and she comes to terms with how her parents' marriage has affected her life. There's humor here but also some really tender and sweet moments. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more stories set in this series.

Twice in a Blue Moon/ Christina Lauren/ 355 pgs

Normally, I love Christina Lauren's books but I struggled with this one. The writing is great but the pacing and focus are very much off. Tate is a sheltered young girl with a family secret. For her 18th birthday, her grandmother takes her on a trip to London. They become acquainted with Sam, another young American, and his grandfather and during the two week trip, Tate falls in love with Sam and shares her family secret with him. Then he betrays her and sells her story to a newspaper. He has his reasons but still, this is a huge betrayal of trust. We then skip ahead fourteen years. Tate is a well-known actress about to start filming a new movie. Guess who wrote that screenplay? Sam. The first third of the book, set in London, and showing Sam and Tate falling in love, is great. But the second third barely focuses on Sam and Tate's reunion and Sam is not remorseful at all about what he did and how it affected Tate. The last third is taken over by a secondary character who is not worth the pages. Overall, this is a very uneven read though I loved the peek into the film-making process.

A Match Made for Thanksgiving/ Jackie Lau/ 101 pgs

This is novella from an author I've never read before. Lily recently broke up with a boyfriend who called her boring so she's trying to step outside of her comfort zone. She decides a one-night stand will do the trick and meets a very willing Nick on her first try. A few days later Nick goes home for Thanksgiving and low and behold his family has comically found dates for him and his three siblings. This backfires, of course, as Lily is the date for Nick's brother Greg. There were cute and funny moments in this story and it was nice to see a Canadian Thanksgiving portrayed instead of an American one, but the plot was very predictable.

Meant to Be Yours / Susan Mallery / 464 pages (see note)

Renee is a wedding planner who has given up on a future with marriage and children. Jasper is a handsome, quirky, intelligent writer who thinks he is too damaged for a lasting relationship. But doesn’t love always find a way.   At one point, I thought the story jumped the shark with Renee’s mom’s story and I put it down but I’m glad I picked it back up.  It totally worked.  Susan Mallery’s books are so fun and heartwarming and this one is no different.
Note: This book is about 75% of the 464 pages.  The remaining pages are a bonus previously published novella, A Very Merry Princess.

The Bromance Book Club / Lyssa Kay Adams / 352 pages

I loved it, loved it, loved it! I literally laughed out loud!  Gavin's marriage is in trouble and here comes fellow professional baseball teammate, Del, to the rescue.   Del and a group of other professionals have found the key to winning back and keeping their women and historical romance novels serve as their manuals.  I was rooting for Gavin and Thea from the start. This had it all - a loving sweet couple, kids, a dog, a snarky sister, and hilarious friends who mean well. Honestly, what man wouldn’t benefit from reading at least one spicy romance novel!  I can’t wait for the sequel, Undercover Bromance coming March 2020,

Evvie Drake Starts Over/ Linda Holmes/ 293 pgs

Evvie Drake has packed her bags and is headed to her car to leave her emotionally (and occasionally physically) abusive husband when she gets a phone call. Her husband has been in a car accident. By the time she gets to the hospital, he's dead. Evvie hadn't told anyone she was leaving her husband, a well-respected and much -loved local doctor. Fast forward a year and Evvie is still trying to get her life together, but keeping secrets from her father, her best friend, and her in-laws. But life goes on and she takes in a boarder, her friend's friend, a former baseball player who had to quit when he suddenly couldn't pitch anymore. Evvie and Dean become friends at first and are each trying to find their way back to life. This deals with some serious issues but also has some humor. It was a fun read, but it took Evvie a frustratingly long time get her act together.

The One You Fight For/ Roni Loren/ 381 pgs

As I've previously mentioned, I love this series by Loren. This one has a great premise but the execution wasn't quite as good as the other two I have read. The series is built around 4 women who survived a high school shooting twelve years ago. Taryn's younger sister was killed that night and her family is still broken down. Taryn has become a forensic psychologist who studies the behavior of school shooters and has created a program to try to reach these kids sooner rather than too late. Shea happens to be the older brother of one of the shooters. Meaning his brother killed Taryn's sister. Yeah, awkward. In the beginning of the book he's back in town, but under an assumed name as his life as the brother of a killer has been less than ideal. Taryn and Shea are great characters whose relationship is majorly complicated by their shared past. I loved that they talked through things and were able to get past some difficult moments. Unfortunately, I felt there wasn't enough time devoted to dealing with the fallout of their public lives. Conflicts were introduced but then hand-waved away near the end of the story.

Along for the Ride/ Mimi Grace/ 241 pgs

Along for the Ride is just as adorable as the cover. Jolene and Jason are driving a moving truck halfway across the country as a favor for her sister and his best friend. The hitch is that they don't like each other because of a few past encounters. So they get to spend lots of time together and figure out that the other isn't nearly as despicable as they thought. Lots of cute dialogue and fun situations with great secondary characters. I loved that Jason was a dentist (!) and that even though Jolene got fired for all the wrong reasons, she was brave enough to start her own company. My only complaint is that I wish more of the book had been spent on the road. Otherwise, it was perfect.

Insert Groom Here/ K.M. Jackson/ 344 pgs

This was a really cute setup for a story. Eva and her fiance Kevin have won a chance to have their wedding paid for and aired on a local TV channel. Only, in one of the pre-wedding, on-air interviews, Kevin dumps Eva. Yeah, he's a jerk. Eva loses her temper (rightly so) on live TV and vows to find someone else to marry. When a cameraman follows her backstage, she ends up taking her anger out on him but instead of being turned off, Aidan is intrigued. He's also not a cameraman, but a global reporter back home after an assignment gone wrong. Before she knows it, Eva is recruited to find that new husband via her own personal reality dating show but of course, she and Aidan end up falling for each other instead. This is a fun story with two great characters who are made for each other.

The One You Can't Forget/ Roni Loren/ 409 pgs

It had been a while since I read the first book in this series so I decided to dive into the second one. Why did I wait so long? Roni Loren really knows how to write. Rebecca is a driven divorce lawyer who survived a school shooting 12 years ago, but was shot in the leg and has the scars to prove it. Walking home one night she is mugged by two young men, one of whom has a gun. She suffers a horrible flashback but is rescued by a stray dog she had just given some bread to. The dog is shot in the leg (don't worry, he survives!) and a man named Wes comes to the aid of both the dog and Rebecca. In the aftermath of this event, Rebecca realizes she is the attorney who represented Wes's wife in their divorce. Rebecca pretty much took everything he had and was happy to do so as the evidence suggested he cheated. This is awkward to say the least but it's handled really well by both characters. Wes is a bit of a reformed bad boy and I really liked his character. Great romance between people I wouldn't mind knowing.

The Right Swipe/ Alisha Rai/ 386 pgs

This is the start of a new series for Rai, though I discovered it's tangentially related to her first series. It can be read as a standalone. Rhiannon Hunter is the creator of a successful dating app who is looking to buy a more traditional online dating company. Rhi has trust issues because she used to work for a different dating app company and became involved with the CEO of that company. When things went sour in their relationship, the CEO spread nasty rumors about Rhi and she was forced to leave the company. Samson Lima is a former pro football player who left the game abruptly due to the NFL's injury and concussion policies (fiction predicting the future with Andrew Luck's retirement?). Samson is the new spokesman for the company Rhi wants to buy and just happens to be related to the owner. You can see where this is going and it's a great ride. Samson is one of those gentle giants, very sweet, very loyal, very patient. Rhi is tough on the outside (because she has to be) and super smart. A wonderful romance and a great start to a new series!

Tomboy/ Avery Flynn/ 282 pgs

This is book 3 in the Hartigan family series. I have not read the others but this one sounded fun so I decided to dive in. Fallon is the titular tomboy, part of the large Hartigan family, and a nurse who cares deeply about her work and the community. Oh, and the local professional hockey team. However, when her best friend asks her to take care of the team's sick defenseman, she nearly refuses because Zach is "the most hated man in Harbor City." Recently signed by the team, Zach has not played well at all and his personality is prickly, to say the least. Of course, he has his reasons. And of course, Fallon does tend to him out of the goodness of her heart and soon these two are more involved than they ever wanted to be. A fun and quick read!

Hate Notes/ Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward/ 290 pgs

This is a contemporary romance set in New York City that turned out to be more than I thought it was. Charlotte has recently broken her engagement after finding her fiance cheating on her. She also lost her job because she worked for his family business. While trying to sell her wedding dress, she ends up taking another dress in trade and discovers a love note sewn inside the dress. Then she stalks the man (Reed) who wrote the note. Sounds weird and it is, but she was drunk. In another weird twist she ends up working for the man's grandmother and in essence, him. Reed leaves Charlotte notes as well, but considers them hate notes because he pretty grumpy and surly, for reasons that will be divulged later. There are many layers and subplots to this story and it ended up being more emotional and deeper than I originally thought.

Fix Her Up/ Tessa Bailey/ 400 pages

           Georgette Castle went into the birthday party clown business instead of her family's home renovation business. Ever since this choice, and because she is the youngest of the siblings, she has been seen as the baby and not part of the adults. She craves respect from her family and creates a plan on how to do so.
           Travis Ford was a major league baseball player for a couple of years until an injury caused him to retire. Now he is back living in his home town trying to get a new job but he doesn't want his reputation standing in the way.
            In order for them both to get what they want they pretend to be in a relationship with each other. The goal to show Georgie's family that she deserves the respect of any other adult and for Travis's potential new bosses to see that he is not the player he use to be and is living a more serious life. However, they did not expect to actually start falling for each other...
             This was a cute fun rom-com that flies by and has you laughing throughout. If you are looking for a cutesy love story, pick this one up!

A Prince on Paper/ Alyssa Cole/ 377 pgs

This is, I think, the final book in Cole's Reluctant Royals series. This is a super sweet romance between an allegedly playboy "prince" and a sheltered young lady with an intense past. Johan is not exactly a prince. He is, however, the stepson of the king of a fictional European country and the stepbrother to the heir, Lukas. Johan has spent most of his life playing the outrageous playboy, in the hope of distracting the media from focusing on his brother, a nice gesture to say the least. Nya is related to the royal family of a fictional African country. Her mother died giving birth to her. Her father used her mother's death to emotionally abuse Nya and he even poisoned his daughter to keep her submissive. Johan and Nya are thrown together at a royal wedding and decide to forge a fake engagement afterwards, for a number of reasons. These characters are so lovely, as is their romance. There's a little palace intrigue going on here, as well as navigating familial relationships. My only disappointment was that several plot threads seem to lead nowhere, though I hope that one involving two secondary characters might mean this isn't the last book in the series:-)

The Flatshare/ Beth O'Leary/ 336 pgs

This was quite a lovely story with a unique premise. Tiffy, an editorial assistant at a small publishing house, needs to move out of her ex's flat and into something cheap. Leon, a hospice nurse, works nights and needs extra cash to help his falsely imprisoned brother. He posts an ad offering to share his flat--he'll only be there 9AM-6PM weekdays (weekends he's at his girlfriend's place, though she's not in the picture for long). Though they agree to share the flat, Tiffy and Leon don't meet for months. They do, however, communicate through post-it notes in a fun and quirky way. Tiffy is like a big ball of sunshine--with a shadowy side. As the book progresses, she comes to a serious realization about her previous relationship. Leon is more introverted, which shows in the way his chapters are written, but his humor and kindness still show through. I really enjoyed this one and hope O'Leary plans to write more of the same.

The Unhoneymooners/ Christina Lauren/ 400 pgs

This latest book from Lauren had me laughing out loud at times. Olive Torres' twin Ami is getting married to Dane. Olive and Ami are complete opposites. Ami is always positive and enters whatever contests necessary to get all the things free in life. Olive is more pessimistic and believes she's been very unlucky in life. Things seem to flip on Ami's wedding day, however. The entire wedding party gets food poisoning from a seafood buffet--except for Olive, who is allergic to seafood, and Ethan, the groom's brother who is too persnickety to eat from a buffet. A sickly Ami insists that Olive and Ethan go on the honeymoon to Hawaii since it's free. Olive could use a vacation. Only problem is, she thoroughly dislikes Ethan, almost entirely because she thinks he dislikes her. Watching their relationship change and grow as they get to know each other in paradise is a fun ride. Once they return home in the later half of the book, there's a serious twist involving Ami and her husband, plus Ami and Ethan treating Olive very, very poorly. My only wish is that Olive would have received better apologies from both.