vera_allbookedup's reviews
1883 reviews

Melody Woods is back in her hometown living with her brother after her big-city boyfriend dumps her. The last person she wants to see is Zac Porter, her brother's best friend, and she definitely does not want to share a tent with him during their annual camping trip. Why are they sharing a tent you ask? Her twin had something come up and begged Melody to go in his place. The weather is bad and somehow Melody and Zac get stranded at the campsite. The animosity rolls of Melody. Zac broke her heart. Zac sees this as an opportunity to get back in Melody's good graces and show her how much he loves her. It takes a lot of healing for Melody, not only to get over the breakup but also to build up her self-worth and find all the things that make her tick. Zac is patient and loving, compassionate and helpful along the way, proving to Melody that this second chance is what they need. 

This book was light-hearted for the most part with some heartbreaking realizations. I enjoyed the banter among the characters (primary and secondary) and the spice was just right. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Where do I begin? Emme Ahlborg and Ryan Ralston were best friends way back when. These days their friendship was relegated to birthday texts because life. When Emme finds out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, she is at a loss. But I say, good riddance. He did nothing but make her feel less than. UGH. But the kicker is that the cheater is best friends with her bestie's fiance and will be around all the wedding events. Ryan needs to clean up his image so he can buy some soccer teams. He's forward planning for when he's done with football. They concoct a fake fiance plan to help them both. 

Sigh... there were times when I had a hard time believing these two were faking anything! What helped make everything believable was the fact that they had a solid friendship and knew each other's quirks, likes and dislikes, body language... you name it. And Emme's friends! Reminded me of my teacher friends who turned family. Then there was Ryan's family chat. OMG...too hilarious for words! Plus, visiting Friendship, RI and the farm. Not mention Gennie and her potty mouth. I laughed and cried and felt every emotion in between. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Emma and Brooks met by chance at a wedding. She was escaping her cheating ex and he was just escaping. From her first howl, Brooks was intrigued. When Emma gets an email from Brooks about moving her grandfather's bookstore out of his building, she can't help but be filled with animosity. But then they embark on a fake relationship to stick it to her cheating ex. Can she be convincing enough even though she like nothing but to keep him in the enemy column? After all he's taking away a big chunk of her childhood. And then his father pulls a stunt that Brooks had no idea about. 

I couldn't help but fall in love with Emma and Brooks. I loved the way Emma cared for her grandfather, making sacrifices when needed. I liked how feisty and head strong she could be while being compassionate and kind. I even loved Brooks for her grumpy-ish demeanor, his aversion to marriage, and his tenuous relationship with his family. Emma and Brooks were so amazing together. They brought out the best in each other and gave one another the courage and the strength to mend fences and make changes. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Judd Sylver, CFO of Sylver Seed and Soil, and Genie Webster, owner of Quirky Girl Calendars, were always meant to be together except it was a right person, wrong time situation back when they were teens. They were supposed to go to prom together, but Judd never showed. They went their separate ways. When Genie shows up in Sterling Falls for a long awaited visit with her mother, the last person she wanted to see was Judd. She made an off-hand comment to him and was surprised when he showed up at her mother's house. The situation they were in was misconstrued and they end up fake fiance-ing it. 

Cringe? Absolutely not at all. But, engaging in  this fake fiance thing enables Judd and Genie to reconnect and finally spill all the hard truths... what life was really like in the respective families, why Judd never showed for prom, why Genie stayed away, why Judd hid his boxing. It explained why communication was difficult for them back then, having not had the experience or example of good relationships. This story was about finding love after all this time, but it was also about healing from childhood trauma and letting go of the anger and grief that took over. 

This story was all the more enjoyable to read because Erin Mallon and Ryan West brought their "A" games to the narration. They did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and their love story to life.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Rose Marie Jones and William Ashdern couldn't stand each other. Well, really their competitiveness kept them from being able to co-exist peacefully. Rose is in a dead end relationship. Their is no spark, they barely talk, and he's always working. He does nothing to encourage her. When Rose and William start spending more time together to plan wedding festivities for her best friend who is marrying his half-brother, their prickly outer armors begin to fall away. Now William is helping her get her board game ready for a contest and they're sneaking around behind everyone's back. 

Such a great romcom with a little bit of melancholy. I didn't like how Rose's boyfriend had NO CLUE how creative and intelligent she was. I was surprised at how, after so many years of be adversaries, Rose and William became partners and fed off each other's creativity and intelligence. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Sawyer and Mason have their very own meet-cute getting stuck in an elevator together. But it's more of a not meet-cute since Mason has sworn off relationships after his latest breakup, which has the tabloids working overtime dissecting all his past relationships, and Sawyer isn't in the market for one. She needs inspiration for her next novel more than she needs to fall in love. She does everything possible to get Mason to fall out of love with love. Neither one thought the opposite would happen. 

This was a great unromance romance story! It was humorous and light-hearted. The banter was good. The story was a general mood lifter.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Being alone and being lonely are two different things. Ivy has watched her brothers find everlasting love. To stave off the loneliness, Ivy tries out new things and when something happens to her one night, Marco is the one who helps her. Marco's her brother Cooper's best friend so he's always been off limits. But there's so much chemistry and attraction between them. Being around Marco keeps those feelings of loneliness away. They get along well, they share their deepest secrets, they keep it real while keeping their relationship a secret. When Cooper finds out, it becomes a true test of putting your money where your mouth is. This is when we find out if Marco was being true to Ivy or just finessing her with words. Kit Swann and CJ Mission did an amazing job narrating this story. Ivy and Marco came to life. I heard the emotions and the nuances in the narrators' voices that made the story that much more enjoyable.

I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this review.