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A River Ranch Novel, Book 2

Tanner Ford is a hot cowboy with a penchant for a very dangerous sport; bull riding. He has been on top of the sport for years, and is thrilled when he draws the toughest bull for his ride. From reading several cowboy romances, I have learned that you get more points for the toughest bulls, you can’t win on an easy ride, and it’s a matter of luck and the draw.

Tanner is in his glory until he gets thrown, trampled and gored. He survives but has a lot of rehab ahead of him because he is determined to get back on the bull. Yes, he’s already one of the biggest money winners in the sport, not to mention he comes from a very wealthy ranching family, but it’s what he loves. So when his sister tells him she’s arranged for the best physical therapist for him, he’s really happy. And then she tells him that the woman was going on vacation to Fiji but she’s agreed to work with him as long as he goes there. Not only does he go there, he upgrades her hotel and they fly there on the family’s private jet.

There’s only one fly in the ointment and that is the physical therapist herself – it’s Lauren Lewis, Tanner’s high school girlfriend and love of his life. She unexpectedly broke up with him right before leaving for college and he’s never gotten over it. But he knows he needs the help so off they go.

The cowboy has to shed his jeans and boots and try to keep his hands off Lauren – their chemistry is as hot as it was in high school and he’s not the only one who thinks so. Finally, they decide to give in to it and have a Fiji fling, ending things when they return home. But what kind of romance would that be?

The descriptions of Fiji made me want to get on the next plane, until they had some Florida hurricane type weather. I’ll just stay here for that, thank you very much. I liked these characters and their past brought a lot of tension to the story in a very good way. This was a fun, sexy read and I really enjoyed it.

5/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY by Soraya Lane. St. Martin’s Paperbacks (May 29, 2018). ISBN: 978-1250131034. 304p.

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The Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 5

Another beautiful saga in what has become one of my favorite series. It is always remarkable to me that an author can create a series – and this one is 11 books long – and keep each story as fresh and fun and fantastic as the others. Sure, some may be better than others, but all are wonderful. I am a very happy reader.

This story is actually very timely, dealing with immigration issues that are in the news every day now but probably not as much when it was written. Prescience!

There are certain tropes in romance novels that appear again and again. The father with a child he never knew about is a fairly popular one because for the most part, we know it happens, and it works, as it does here.

Bo Crutcher is the star pitcher for the Avalon baseball team and he has a real shot at the majors, but he needs some help. Part of the process of going pro is learning how to deal with the media, so a media camp type thing is scheduled. But then AJ, the son he never knew he had, shows up and Bo has to take care of him. His mother was Mexican-American and got caught up in an ICE sting. She is detained and cannot get out. Bo tries to help but it is a long, expensive process and AJ needs a home.

Kimberly van Dorn was a big shot publicist in California who had a very public breakup and firing. She flees to the tiny town of Avalon, where Bo first spots her at the airport. He thinks she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and tries to talk to her, but she is way too gun shy to talk to any man. But they keep running into each other, after all Avalon is a very small town. And when he realizes he can’t go to the media school, Kimberly steps in to help.

Eventually they both realize their feelings for each other but Bo still has to deal with the immigration stuff, too. They reach their happily ever after but there are a lot of bumps along the way. Kimberly was not my favorite character but I still loved this book.

5/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

FIRESIDE by Susan Wiggs. MIRA; Reprint edition (June 26, 2012)). ISBN 978-0778314899.  416p.

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The Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 4

The fourth entry into this terrific series centers around two minor characters that appeared in previous books – Greg’s ex-wife Sophie Bellamy and veterinarian Noah Shepherd.

Greg has had custody of their kids since the divorce, but once teenage daughter Daisy had a baby, she moved out despite being such a young, single mother. But their younger son still lives with Greg, and Daisy lives nearby.

Meanwhile Sophie, an international attorney, has been working on a two year long intense case at The Hague. When the case finally is resolved, there is a party to celebrate but the party is cut short by terrorists and she is kidnapped. Surviving such a horrific incident really puts her life in perspective for her and she decides her life isn’t worthwhile without her kids. So she surprises everyone when she moves into the small town in the Catskills.

On moving day, it is snowing and once she gets to town it basically turns into a blizzard and her car gets stuck in a ditch. Veterinarian Noah Shepherd rescues her but she pretty much has to stay with him as there is no safe way for her to get to her new home. Luckily, he seems like the nice guy he really is and she’s not too uncomfortable staying with a stranger until the storm lets up. And that is the meet-cute.

There is definite chemistry going on with Noah and Sophie, but of course there are problems too. Noah’s last girlfriend broke up with him when he told her he wanted kids, and Sophie already has more or less grown children. And Sophie is ten years older than Noah, a fact that he finds out pretty early and doesn’t care about, but she does.

Have I mentioned before that some of the books contain recipes? This one does, too. just a nice added bonus as far as I’m concerned. I love this whole series and this book is no exception, it’s wonderful.

5/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SNOWFALL AT WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs. MIRA; Reprint edition (October 24, 2017)). ISBN 978-0778331322. 432p.

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Forbidden Hearts, Book 3

I didn’t read the first two books in this series, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out – until I finished this book, and liked it so much that now I know what I was missing. I will find the first two books in this series for sure.

This is a character driven story, and I really enjoyed watching Eve grow from a naive, shy, sheltered young woman into a strong woman who knows her mind and isn’t afraid to express herself. Eve has always had a crush on her older brother’s best friend, Gabe, and when her brother’s wedding approaches, Eve and Gabe are forced to spend time together.

Gabe is the housekeeper’s son so always felt like a bit of an outsider. He is a typical romance bad boy, tattooed etc., but he’s also a really nice guy. He feels like he is too old for Eve and that they have too much dividing them, like the fact that she is an heiress who is forbidden to date him. Despite his strong feelings of attraction for her, Gabe is keeping his distane for these reasons and more – he is also hiding something and it takes a while for it to come out, and until it does, he doesn’t want to get involved with Eve.

Eventually, they work out their problems and as always, true love finds its reward along with plenty of steamy sex. I really enjoyed this book and will look for others by this author.

5/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HURTS TO LOVE YOU by Alisha Rai. Avon (March 27, 2018). ISBN 978-0062566768. 384p. Kindle