Swoon Worthy Spotlights!

Welcome to Swoon Worthy Spotlights hosted by KJ's Book Nook! 

Once a month I'll feature 1-3 of my favorite books that I have read during the month. I'll share the cover(s) and my review(s).

For this month I'm going to choose... 

Silent Partner by Jennifer Peel

Stranded at the Sandbar by Jess Mastorakos

Breaking All the Rules by Cindy Roland Anderson

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What are some of your favorite reads from June? 

Breaking All the Rules by Cindy Roland Anderson

Synopsis:

She needs a romance coach. He needs a last-minute date for a wedding. They agree to help each other as long as they don’t break their number one rule. No falling in love. That’s not a problem…until their hearts decide that some rules are made to be broken.

My Review: 5 Stars!

Breaking All the Rules is just ONE of the TWENTY books in the Love, Laughter and Happily Ever After anthology. It releases on July 20th and is only 99 cents! Click here to snag your copy today! 

Now for my review... 😉

Dear Ms. Anderson,

We need to talk about a visit I received from Camdyn and Beckett. Apparently they were able to feel my sadness when I finished their story. Why was I feeling sad? Because everyone knows that when you absolutely adore a book and connect with the characters, you never want said book to end! But alas, it did. 😭 *le sigh* Anyway, back to their visit. They wanted me to let you know that it's totally fine if you continue on with their story... just for me. Can you believe that?! I was so shocked and excited that I just could not WAIT to tell you! You seriously have the BEST characters! I will be not so patiently waiting for more of their story. 😉

Anxiously waiting,
KJ

P.S. Don't worry... I wont tell a single soul that you're doing this for me. It will be our little secret... I promise! 😉

Y'all! If you couldn't tell by my letter to Ms. Anderson, I absolutely loved this book! But shhhh... don't tell her that I shared it with you. It was supposed to be a secret! 🤫

From the moment I started this book, I did not want to put it down! Camdyn and Beckett quickly became favorites of mine. I couldn't get enough of these two! Their chemistry was sizzling and jumping off the pages! YOWZERS! *fans herself*

I always love when Ms. Anderson releases a new book. I can always count on them to make me laugh out loud, swoon, let out little dreamy sighs and give me that much needed break from reality. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next! 

As for my casting... this one is kind of a funny story. I picked out my casting BEFORE I saw this gorgeous cover. Y'all. I had to do a double take. Haha. I absolutely adore these two! What do you think? 

Stranded at the Sandbar by Jess Mastorakos

 

Synopsis:

When they get stranded in paradise, can they put aside their differences until the cavalry arrives?

Kate Wilson jumps at the chance to live in Hawaii when her brother offers to let her rent his extra room. Unfortunately, the last time she was in town, she kissed his best friend... then ghosted him. And he does not seem pleased to see her.

US Marine Tyler Stone prides himself on being a nice guy. But when he gets stranded at the sandbar with the kind of girl who would rather date a long string of losers than find a life partner, he's done being nice. Her loss.

Kate and Tyler aren't on the same page about much when they first wind up alone in the clear-blue water. They'll need to find common ground--and fast--when Tyler gets injured. As the fellow castaways get closer to being rescued, they also find themselves falling in love. But what happens when they get back to civilization and old wounds re-open?

Stranded at the Sandbar is the third book in a new sweet military romance series. Follow along with six handsome heroes in these interconnected stories about the Marines stationed in Kailua, Hawaii.

My Review: 5 Stars

As a reader, there's no greater feeling than seeing a new book by a favorite author waiting for you to dive in and get lost among its pages. And there's nothing worse than real life pulling you away and stopping you from devouring said book. Y'all... I may or may not have gotten irrationally angry that this was happening to me while reading. Apparently it was too much to ask for uninterrupted reading time. Life can be so rude sometimes! 🤣

Because of all the interruptions, I treasured every single minute I spent in this book. I absolutely adored Tyler and Kate! They quickly became favorites of mine. Being stranded on an island can definitely bring two people closer together. I loved that, even though Kate was scared out of her ever loving mind, she trusted Tyler to protect her and keep her safe. His calm demeanor helped her to put all her faith in him and know that he could and would get them through anything. These two were absolutely perfect for each other. ❤️

Y'all know by now that one of my favorite things about series like this is getting to see and catch up with old friends and meeting new ones. I love how close knit this group is and how they're always there for each other. We all need friends like this in our lives. I cannot wait to get my hands on PJ's book. He has intrigued me from the very beginning and I'm dying to know what makes that man tick. And bonus for me... it's a single parent trope! Whoop! Whoop! Haha. 

Ms. Mastorakos has quickly climbed my list of favorite authors. I may or may not squeal and do a little happy dance whenever I see one of her books hit my kindle. I can always count on her to give me that much needed break from reality. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next! 

As for my casting... y'all! I'm in love! What do you think?!

Don't Marry the Ex by Emily C. Childs

 

My Review: 1 Star

I don't normally review anything less than 3 stars on my blog. But I'm making an exception for this one.

Everyone knows how much I love finding new authors. It's something that I'm constantly doing. I want to be the first of my friends to find a book and then scream about it from the rooftops. That is exactly what is happening with this book. But, sadly, it's not going to be a good scream from the rooftops.

As I'm reading this book, I'm getting a weird sense of deja vu. The more I read, the angrier I become. If you're a Jennifer Peel fan and you start reading this book, then you'll probably feel the same way. This book is pretty much a copy of My Not So Wicked Ex-Fiancé. There are just WAY too many things in this book for it to be a coincidence. 

The heroes in both books are heartbroken and jilted. Both heroes leave and come back after making it big by creating an app. Both heroes are set on getting even with the heroines to show them what they've lost. Both heroes have a special tattoo for the heroines. Both heroes have a brother that works with them. Said brothers both date a boutique owner named Marlow(e). Both heroines have the same saying... Oh Mylanta! Both couples were going to elope until they discovered "the big secret" and breakup. The reason behind the breakup is the exact same except flipped. There are more similarities but you guys get the picture. Again... WAY too many things to be considered a coincidence. 

I have to admit, I've looked at other books by this author and between the synopsis and titles, they sound an awful lot like other books I've read by other authors. What in the world is wrong with people? I get that you really can't do original stories because everything has been done over and over again. But to copy someone else's work, switch details around and claim it as your own? Did the author think that no one would notice that she copied Jennifer Peel's book? Did she not think that fans of Jennifer Peel's would be reading her books? Did she think that no one would call her out on it? Well guess what! Here I am... calling her out. Sorry, not sorry. I know these kinds of things happen more than I realize but I never thought I would see it in any of the books I read. This is disgusting and extremely unprofessional. How many other authors has she done this to? One thing is for sure... I will be telling EVERYONE I know NOT to read anything by this author. 

Silent Partner by Jennifer Peel

Synopsis:

He thinks his silence will protect her. She needs to hear what’s in his heart.

When it comes to love and life, Kinsley Kramer knows one thing—she’s always second best. Tired of feeling like she’s never enough, she decides to give up on men and adopt a cat. What Kinsley doesn’t know is that Brant Holland wants nothing more than to tell the world how much he loves her, but he has kept his distance to protect Kinsley from the secrets he keeps and from his ex-fiancée’s family.

But when Kinsley is about to lose her restaurant, Brant can’t help but act. He steps in and becomes her silent partner. Unable to deny the passion that sizzles between them, they must open painful doors to the past, and the secrets Brant has been keeping must be unleashed. Secrets that threaten to destroy everything and everyone he holds dear. Kinsley must now decide if she can bear the pain of Brant’s past choices and an uncertain future as everything in the Hollands’ world hangs in the balance.

See how it all unfolds in this heart-tugging final chapter of the Pine Falls series.

My Review: 5+ Stars!

Holy Hannah! Y'all! Brace yourselves! And while you're bracing, clear your schedules of any and all the thangs. Once you start this book, you will NOT want to put it down! Y'all are in for one heck of a ride!

From the moment I started this book, I was transported to Two Girls and a Guy in Carrington Cove, where I sat in a booth, eating yummy food and listening to Kinsley and Brant tell me a story. A story of heartache, of pain, of trials, of hope, of forgiveness, of family, but most of all of unconditional love. They told me their story. And oh what a heartachingly beautiful story it was! The feels are alive and well in this book... and I mean ALL the feels!

Kinsley has become one of my all time favorite heroines... HANDS DOWN! Wow! She went through A LOT but she remained super sweet and down to earth the entire time. Out of all three Kramer girls, she is definitely the strongest and most resilient. People seem to underestimate her and count her out. I loved watching her prove them all wrong.

And can I just tell you how freaking amazing Brant is?! Y'all. I have all the heart eyes in the world for this man! I absolutely adored him! He's not afraid to go out and get what he wants and refuses to take no for an answer. I loved how much he loved Kinsley and I loved how he fought for her. If ever there was a couple who deserved a HEA, it's these two. 🥰

Now, it would be remiss of me if I didn't mention all the swooniness that was going on in this book. Y'all. That first kiss? And that second kiss? And all the kisses after that? Explosive! The chemistry between these two was hot, hot, HOT! 😍

I loved seeing all our friends in Pine Falls and catching up with all the happenings of their lives. But I do have to say that I may or may not have been livid with a few of them for the way they treated Kinsley. I also may or may not have yelled at them to back off and leave her the heck alone. Y'all. If I could've, I would've jumped through my kindle and Gibbs slapped the lot of them with a cast iron skillet! I'm sure you'll feel the same way when you read this book. 😉 Haha.

I'm not going to lie. I did not want this book to end. And not just because I loved every single minute I spent in this book. It's also because I'm not ready to say goodbye to all my friends in Pine Falls. This series has quickly become one of my favorites and it's always a little bittersweet to see it come to an end. But I will say, if it does have to end, this was the perfect ending to a phenomenal series!

It's no secret that Ms. Peel is one of my all time favorite authors. I am in awe of the worlds she creates and the journeys she takes us on. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next! Knowing her it's going to be fantastic!

And of course no review of mine would be complete without my casting. I am seriously in love with these two! What do you think?