Adored by You by Jess Mastorakos

 

Synopsis:

Can the sergeant and the celebrity get their second chance?

Sergeant Noah West was eighteen years old the last time he saw Paige Walker. He joined the Marines for a more stable life and she left to chase her movie star dreams. But no matter where the Marine Corps sends him, he can't help but hope that their paths might one day cross again.

Paige was catapulted into stardom when she landed the role of a lifetime on what would become one of prime time’s biggest medical dramas. After eight years on the show, she’s ready for a change. There’s just one problem—no one thinks she can play anything other than the role that made her famous.

In a happy twist of fate, Noah and Paige are reunited thanks to a film opportunity in San Diego. She'll need his help to secure the part, but Noah isn't willing to let their relationship be purely business. As old fires spark back to life, can they pick up where they left off despite the scars from their time apart?

My Review: 5 Stars

When it comes to reading, one of my favorite sayings is: You can't read all day... unless you start in the morning! Guess what I've been doing most of the day?! That's right! Reading! What else was I supposed to do when my body decided I had had enough sleep at 3:26am?! Haha. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that loves when a book can sweep you off your feet and give you that much needed break from reality. That's exactly what happened while reading this book. The second chance romance trope is one of my favorites. There's just something about seeing two people who are meant to be together, reunite and finally get their HEA. 

I thought I was going to have a hard time relating to Paige. But I really shouldn't have been worried. I absolutely adored her and Noah. Their reunion was 8 years in the making and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning. Their fun, easy going vibe made it easy to relate to them. They both were selfless and had the biggest hearts. Making others happy is what made them happy. They are truly perfect for each other. They are definitely one of my favorite couples in this series.

I loved seeing all our favorite Marines and their families in this book. Today, being Thanksgiving, was the perfect day to read it. It made the Thanksgiving weekend in the book extra special. It's a little bittersweet to see this series end, but this was the perfect ending to an amazing series. I'm so glad that Ms. Mastorakos isn't ready to say goodbye to our friends forever. I'm looking forward to their cameos in the next series. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us! 

And of course I can't forget my casting. Y'all! I am in love! What do you think?!

Marine's Mission by Rebecca Deel

 

Synopsis:

When Gigi Warren lands in the crosshairs of terrorists, she turns to a Marine with the lethal skills necessary to keep her alive. Owen Montgomery will do whatever it takes to bring down the terrorist organization threatening the woman he loves and protect national security, but he never expected to partner with Gigi on a mission so dangerous neither may survive. To defend the country he loves and the woman he adores, Owen may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review: 4 Stars

It always feels like Christmas when a favorite author releases a new book. I get excited, let out a little squeal and do a little happy dance. There's nothing better than diving into a new book! 

Owen's and Gigi's story did not disappoint. It was face-paced and action-packed from the very beginning. I have been intrigued by these two since they were introduced in Security Breach. The chemistry between them leaves no doubt to the reader that there's some kind of history between them. After loving each other from afar, they decided it was finally time to take that leap into the unknown. I really enjoyed watching these two figure out their relationship and where it would lead. The ending was super cute.  

And it's always fun to see old friends from previous books. They never disappoint when it comes to razzing the hero of the book. I was excited to see more of the Texas team in this one. I can't wait until we get their books. I'm mostly looking forward to Jesse's book... 😉

Sadly, there was something that kept me from really loving this book. This is the second book, that I can think of off the top of my head, where one of the characters turned out to be the complete opposite of who they usually are. Maddox, who is an over-the-top Alpha male, would never consider sending in a civilian with absolutely zero training or experience into this kind of situation where there's an extremely high possibility of her getting killed. There was no backup for Owen and Gigi to speak of. Everyone was on the outside with no way to get to them quickly. This is not the style of the Fortress teams that we all know and love. I love that the heroines are far from pushovers, but there are times that they are put in situations that they would never actually be in.

Now don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book. I had a hard time putting it down. Ms. Deel is a master a keeping me on the edge of my seat wondering what's going to happen with each turn of the page. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next! Jackson's book is another one that I've been dying to read! I. Can't. Wait! 

And of course I can't forget my casting. I'm not going to lie... this one was hard! I had to make sure I've never used these two in any of my other reviews! Haha. But I do love them! What do you think?!

2020 Swoony Awards - Let the Voting Begin Y'all!

 Welcome to the 2020 Swoony Awards! 

The Swoony Awards are a Reader’s Choice Award recognizing excellence in clean secular, wholesome romance. We wanted a way to show our appreciation to these awesome authors who write the kind of books that we love. It’s also a great way to find new books and a good go-to when looking for something fun to read.

As you may know, last year we switched up the voting process. Some loved it, while others did not. Now, don't hate us, but the voting is going to be different again this year. We've loved that it's been a surprise the last couple of years and we wanted to continue having it be a surprise. We think we've figured out a way to engage everyone from our Goodreads list as well as our Google list.

How are we going to do that? Well, we are going to be doing TWO voting rounds this year.

For the FIRST round, if you're on Goodreads you can vote for your favorite books on our 2020 Swoony Award list. Here's the link: tinyurl.com/2020SwoonyAwards. You can vote for up to 100 books. 

If you're not on Goodreads, you can vote through our Google Form. Here's the link: tinyurl.com/2020SwoonyAwardsGoogle. If you're using the Google Form, all you'll need to do is enter in the title and author. There's no limit to the amount of books you can vote for.

For the SECOND round, we will be taking the top FIVE books from each category and adding them to a NEW Google Form. You will be able to vote for up to THREE books in each category. We know some of you did not like voting via the Google Form last year, but we think it was because you had to physically type in your votes under specific categories, which was probably overwhelming. This year, we're trying to make it easier for everyone. All you'll need to do is choose from the books already listed.

Voting for ROUND 1 is OPEN and will END on December 5, 2020. Voting for ROUND 2 will START on December 12, 2020 and END on December 31, 2020. 

Winners will be announced the first part of January 2021.

The eligibility has not changed. But to refresh your memory...

Eligibility
-ONLY books PUBLISHED January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020 are eligible.
-Books must be published OR have arc reviews before nomination. Since the award is based on readers having actually read and enjoyed the book(s) they are voting for, the book has to have been published or arcs read in order to receive votes.
-Intimacy: No sex, no/low closed door/fade-to-black, no/low innuendo, nothing crude or crass. G-PG13.
-Language: None/mild (No F words or other explicit language) nothing overly crude.
-Violence: Mild/low.
-Page Count: 100 pages or higher, anthologies are okay. No short stories. No collections.
-Age: Only Young Adult, New Adult and Adult. NO children’s or middle grade.
-Religious: No Christian fiction, some *very mild* religious elements may be allowed.

We're all looking forward to the Swoony Awards this year and hope you are as well! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Happy voting Book Dragons!

Hidden Gems

Welcome to Hidden Gems hosted by KJ's Book Nook! Once a month I'll feature a new to me author that I've discovered and fell in love with their books. I'll share the author's bio, one of my favorite books of theirs and a review.

For this month's Hidden Gems I am going to choose...

Jess Mastorakos

Jess Mastorakos writes clean military romance books that feature heroes with heart and the strong women they love. She is a proud Marine wife and mama of four. The happy family is currently stationed in Hawaii. She loves her coffee in a glitter tumbler and planning with an erasable pen.

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Ever since I discovered Rebecca Deel, I've had my eyes open for more military and/or personal security books. *Newsflash* The majority of the ones out there are NOT clean. It was a VERY happy day when I discovered Jess Mastorakos through another author's newsletter. Please don't ask me who it was because I am racking my brain and cannot remember! Haha. But whoever it was, I will be forever grateful for them featuring her. She was quickly added to my favorites and auto-buy lists. 

I was going to feature the first book in the series in my post but then I read Believing in You. I hadn't even finished the book before I decided I was switching out the books. You will definitely thank me.. I promise! And if you don't? Well.. then I don't know if we can be friends. 😉

How do you make a long-distance relationship last? Don't fall for your brother's best friend.

While on deployment, Jake Murphy takes to online dating hoping to find someone to share forever with back home. His connection with a beautiful kindergarten teacher is everything he was looking for. That is, until he realizes she's his best friend's sister.

After being dumped by her high school sweetheart, Ivy Brooks gets pushed into online dating by her well-meaning friends. Despite her reluctance, she hits it off with a handsome Marine. Too bad her brother would never be cool with her dating one of his friends... especially after what happened last time.

Jake and Ivy know they shouldn't keep talking, but late-night flirting and inside jokes leave them both glued to their phones. Their secret is bound to come out sooner or later. Will their love survive the fallout?

You can check out my review here.

Happy reading my fellow Book Dragons!