JUST MY LUCK by Lena Hendrix
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Heat Level 4
second in series
4****

BLURB: You might think it’s reckless for a single mom to enter into a marriage of convenience with her boss… You would be correct. To make matters worse, Abel King is a grumpy local brewer with a criminal past. He also happens to be my boss and a total stick-in-the-mud. Every time I come to work with a smile and wave, I’m lucky if I can get a grunt in response. When I accidentally-on-purpose overhear that he’s having trouble securing a business loan due to his criminal record, I hatch a plan to help the both of us. The arrangement is perfect—a business transaction and nothing more. Like having a roommate without the hassle of other people bugging you for dates. I will definitely not be falling in love with him—no matter how many times he says “my wife” and tingles dance in all the right places. Trouble is, as time goes on, things stop feeling like business and start feeling a whole lot like pleasure… and really, that’s just my luck…

THOUGHTS: Combine a grumpy ex-con in need of money and a single mother looking for protection for her kids from her ex and you have the makings of a marriage of convenience. Which is exactly what Sloane proposes to Abel in order to solve both their problems. If she marries him, she gets access to her trust fund with enough money to help him out and a way to keep her and her 7-year-old twins safe from her violent ex.

But something happens after their wedding and they actually fall in love and become a family. The kids adore him and so does Sloane. And when her ex shows up and threatens her, Abel and his friends warn the man off. But the problems don’t stop there as Abel’s crooked father “takes care of things”. Abel and his siblings suspect that his father killed their mother, but have no proof. And now Sloane’s ex has also disappeared.

Like in the first book, the mystery is not solved and only deepens. One can only assume that the threads will continue in following books. The heat level is high, but not as high as the first book. This one has a lot more emotions going on and, even with the mystery, a satisfying ending.

Recommended with notes about the heat level and dangling threads.

LIFE AFTER by Victoria Smith
Fiction, Paranormal Romance

BLURB: When Mia realizes she’s the only person left in the world, her first thought is that she’s free. After years of abuse by her mother and an accident that makes her financially responsible for her comatose mother’s care, Mia embraces her new life. Though the solitude was intended to torture Mia, it’s the best thing that ever happened to her. She spends the time healing while trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Before long, she realizes she’s not truly alone in her paradise. John claims to be her guardian but insists she needs to go back to her old life. How could that possibly be good? Together they strive to figure out why Mia’s life was manipulated and who is responsible. Their journey uncovers deceit and evil—and their love for each other.

Amazon

About the Author: Victoria Smith lives in Central PA with her high school sweetheart and way too many animals. She writes paranormal, urban fantasy, and dystopian—all with romance, because who doesn’t love a happy ending? 
Visit her at http://vickismith.blogspot. com.

CHERRY CREEK by Linda Griffin
Fiction, Historical Romance (1850s), Colorado
Coming July 6, 2026 from The Wild Rose Press
4****

Blurb: When her fiancé died, Eileen said, “Then I’m free,” words that her younger sister Molly didn’t understand and never forgot. In 1850s Ohio, a girl doesn’t have that many options, and marrying Andrew MacLeith may be the best she can hope for. He promises to cherish her, but they have to live with his parents, and he can’t even protect her from his mother’s sharp tongue. After a quarrel, Molly impulsively joins his gambler brother Hugh on a journey to the Pike’s Peak gold region. Perhaps the romance and freedom she longs for lie elsewhere. Or were they right under her nose all along?

THOUGHTS: At less than 100 pages, this is a quick read. Molly is only sixteen years old when she marries her neighbor Andrew. She’s looking forward o having her own home but things didn’t work out that way. Instead, to save money, the young couple moves in with his parents. Unfortunately, Andrew’s mother definitely doesn’t like Molly and things go from bad to worse. Frustrated, Molly does something rash and leaves with Andrew’s brother who is heading for the gold rush in Pike’s Peak.

Months later, alone and broke, she joins prospectors in Cherry Creek as a cook for the camp. It’s hard work but she is independent. But that independence isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and two years later when Andrew finds her, she realizes that her best life might have been with him all along.

I would have loved for this story to be longer, but it has an ending that satisfies.

Recommended.

DERAILED HEARTS by Darlene Fredette
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Redford Falls Series #6

5*****

BLURB: Single father and ER doctor, Ethan Marley, is ready to put down roots. He and his daughter embark on a train adventure across Canada from west to east coast. Boarding the train, he meets a woman who steals his breath, and he learns that she too is headed to Redford Falls. He is intent on maintaining a friendship only, but Jenn makes his heart race faster than the train. Fashion designer, Jenn Martini, travels by train to Redford Falls to visit her father. Her plan for a solitude escape derails after meeting Ethan and his daughter. Sharing a confined-spaced cabin sparks an immediate attraction, and by the end of the trip, she longs to be a part of their family. Only as she opens her heart to love, do the scars from her past begin to heal. With more in common than relatives in Redford Falls, is their love strong enough to overcome the truth behind the accident…and save their future?

THOUGHTS: This is a quick, lovely read and part of the Redford Falls series, but it is a stand-alone. There are a few other characters who show up as a sideline, but the main connecting character was the rabbit. I’m so glad he showed up again. That made me smile.

In this story, a couple meet up on the train from Vancouver across the country to Redford Falls. Ethan is traveling with his 5-year-old daughter who was traumatized by the accident that killed her mother. She doesn’t talk except in rare instances. Jenn is heading to town to visit her father. She’s a designer who was in an accident that left her scarred. But she connects with the little girl…and then the father. Due to a problem on the train, she ends up sharing a train cabin with them. And the connection grows. When an interesting coincidence comes out, a lot of things fall into place.

A wonderful story with a HEA that satisfies.

Recommended.

JUST THIS ONCE by Lena Hendrix
Fiction, Romance, Steamy
3++***

Blurb: In a rugged small town on the coast of Michigan where heartbreak lingers but love always finds a way, sparks fly between a fireman and the daughter of the fire chief after an unforgettable one night stand.

THOUGHTS: Emily is a junior high school teacher who, after a nasty breakup, moves from Virginia to the small town in Michigan where her mother and stepfather live. She’s a substitute hoping for a permanent position. She lives in a tiny apartment and follows the rules–most of the time. But one night, she throws all to the wind. After a dance with a handsome stranger, she goes home with him for a very hot fling. But the next morning, when she sees his fireman’s uniform in the closet, she runs out without any explanation.

And thus begins the ups and downs of the affair between Emily and Whip King. Whip is a fireman/EMT who works for Emily’s father, the Chief of the Fire department. Even though they know they shouldn’t be together, they can’t help themselves. And the townspeople begin to notice.

While I liked aspects of Emily’s personality, there were times when I also disliked her. She goes against everything she believes in and has a one-night stand with someone she doesn’t know. Then does it again…and again…etc. And while I admire what she does for her student, she does go against the rules when she reports abuse. As a teacher, yes, she is required to report suspected abuse, but she doesn’t bother to find out all the facts. She is impulsive and, at times, reckless even though she tries to come off as a shy schoolteacher/librarian.

As for Whip, there are nasty things in his background, the mystery surrounding his mother doesn’t show up until late into the book and is not solved. I presume that will happen in later books. Plus he decides to confront his father but that doesn’t happen beyond him asking about his mother. Other than that, he never really faces his father.

There is a HEA for the story, but there are also threads left dangling leading us to believe those will be solved in future stories. I will note that this book was previously published. Also, that it is definitely hot with Emily and Whip falling into bed any time they could and descriptively.

If you like it hot, pick this one up.

SWORN TO COLLIDE by Maria Imbalzano
Fiction, Romance
5*****

BLURB: After devoting eleven years of marriage to Ben, her high school sweetheart, and stepping off the corporate ladder to raise their three children, Denise is ready to seize the reins of the career she always dreamed of. But as soon as she commits to step back into the professional world, Ben drops a bombshell that disrupts everything.
Suddenly, this once rock-solid couple finds themselves in a battle over ambition, identity, and whose turn it is to shine. As personal choices draw them further and further apart, they must confront their widening rift—a threat to the love they thought was unshakeable.
Can they rediscover the passion they once shared, or will their divergent paths pull them apart for good?

THOUGHTS: This was a very emotional story, which the author pulls off beautifully. The characters of Denise and Ben are very well done. They’ve been together since they were sixteen, but they’re no longer teenagers. With three kids and a standard modern life full of rushing around and trying to just keep things together. They definitely love each other, but life is getting in the way, especially when Ben takes a job in another state and expects the family to follow along without any discussion. Unfortunately, the family, and especially Denise, has other ideas. And those ideas cause a major riff in the family.

Denise has spent her entire married life doing what Ben wanted. Rather than make waves, she goes along with him even when she really doesn’t want to. It comes off as a type of emotional abuse since Ben argues that they should do what he wants and follow him. And so should the family even though they don’t want to. But Denise has dreams of joining her father’s firm, especially after he has a heart attack. Their problems expand and their issues lead to a break even though that wasn’t what either one wanted. They both moved on, but their love for each other still causes problems.

A good romance with lots of emotion, and a HEA that satisfies.

Recommended.

THE DAISY CHAIN FLOWER SHOP by Laurie Gilmore
Fiction, Romance
5*****

Blurb: Daisy is fed up with being unlucky in love, and after several weddings she has done the flowers for end in divorce, her beloved flower shop has gained a reputation of being cursed, thanks to Mayor Kelly and his infamous visions. Dream Harbor newcomer, Elliot, has been adjusting to town life following his own relationship turmoil. And until now he’s avoided the flower shop at all costs. If the mayor is correct, he doesn’t need any more bad luck in his life. But with his family coming to visit, Elliot finds himself reluctantly in front of Daisy’s store in need of some flowers. As the petals blossom in the sunlight, Daisy and Elliot might find that love comes when you’re least expecting it…

THOUGHTS: This was a cute romance with a touch of mystery to it. And a good bit of heat as well. After a bad breakup with her ex, Daisy moves back home and into a small apartment at the back of the flower shop her family has run for several generations. Her mom turns the reins over to her (sort of) and then things really go downhill, thanks to the town mayor and his vision of Daisy being cursed. When two of the weddings Daisy did the flowers for also tank, everyone in town agrees that she is cursed and nobody except the funeral home will buy flowers from her. When her ex and his new fiancé show up in her shop, Daisy does the only thing she can think of and grabs another man in the shop, introducing him as her boyfriend. Fortunately, Elliot goes along with the ruse, and disaster is averted. Except that now they have to go forward with their fake romance or her shop might really go down the tubes. Also fortunately, Elliot already has the hots for Daisy so agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is not a prolem.
Until it is.

As the two go through with their fakery, they discover they are really having feelings for each other. The heat gets turned up and frustration kicks in as they try to deny their feelings. Then Daisy sees a picture of her great aunt, Daisy, who looks exactly like her, and that Daisy’s boyfriend who looks exactly like Elliot. Determined to break the curse of unrequited love, Daisy and Elliot look into the past…and discover their future. Together.

I loved both Daisy and Elliot! They are perfectly flawed and fighting against their feelings for each other when everyone knows they belong together. I love how Daisy starts out the story in all black, but ends up in bright colors, showing her growth. And there is a loose thread that lets us know there are more stories coming in this series.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to Netgalley and Harper 360 for providing this ARC.

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM by Randee Dawn
Fiction, Fantasy
3***

BLURB: Welcome to Seaview Haven. A delightful village of charming humans, quaint homes – and cozy mysteries! Fortunately, there’s silver-haired author-turned-sleuth Winnie Arrowmaker on hand to solve them all.

But things aren’t exactly as they seem. Seaview Haven is one of the Seelie Court Network’s many invented TROPE towns, and the “mysteries” are scripted and streamed for the entertainment of enchanted creatures across the Veil. Or, rather, they were… Winnie has a wicked case of writer’s block, moviemaking across the Veil has ground to a halt, and the town is crumbling. Enter Finch, an SCN intern who might be the worst Unseelie ever. With aid from his reluctant brownie assistant, Finch is assigned to figure out what’s gone wrong in Seaview Haven… so he can dismantle it forever. But after landing in town, Finch soon learns that real lives – and real friends – aren’t so easily canceled. To keep “The End” from being stamped on Seaview Haven, Winnie and Finch are going to have to tell a Truly Great Tale. Because as they realize, real power lies not in the stories we watch, but in the stories we tell ourselves.

THOUGHTS: I hate to say this, but I didn’t love this story. It was just an “okay” read for me. But that is just my opinion. Remember that. It started off slow for me and was confusing. To be honest, if I hadn’t been asked to do a review, I probably wouldn’t have read it beyond the first fifty pages. It didn’t start to make sense to me until about page one-hundred. By then, I kind of got what was going on and kept reading… and I was glad I did as the ending was much more satisfying than the beginning. Have you ever heard of the movie “The Truman Story” with Jim Carey? This reminded me a little bit of that one only using fantasy creatures and gods and goddesses.

In this one, the Muses have created pocket towns called Trope Towns where humans live. They don’t know that they’re being watched for entertainment. The Muses script what happens there… but they’re experiencing burnout so they go on vacation. And things start to fall apart, especially in one town called Seaview Haven. It’s going to be cancelled if someone doesn’t do something quick. The Seelie/Unseelie Finch and his brownie assistant drop in (literally) to evaluate things and become friends with a young girl, Winnie. Together, with some of the other members of the town, they attempt to fix things before they disappear. Unfortunately, Finch’s fixes don’t always work out for the best.

This is an epic story with a touch of mystery, a lot of fantasy, and characters that will stretch your believability, but if you stick with the story, the ending is definitely worth it.

EVERYONE IN THIS BANK IS A THIEF by Benjamin Stevenson
Fiction, Mystery, Australia
4****

Blurb: Nothing is quite what it seems in this spin on the classic bank heist, with more suspects, more puzzles, and more danger than Ernest’s ever faced before. I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before. The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, everyone is a suspect.
The Bank Robber       The Manager
The Security Guard    The Kid
The Film Producer    The Priest
The Receptionist        The Patient
The Caregiver            Me
Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money. Who is stealing what? Are they willing to kill for it? And can I solve the crime before the police kick down the door and rescue us?

REVIEW: At first, I had trouble with the Australian terminology and grammar, but by the second chapter, that was over and I got into the story. Yeah, it was confusing at times, but it was also intriguing. We are in the mind of the “detective” both as the person investigating the case, but also as one of the hostages. There are multiple suspects and multiple reasons for what’s going on. Our detective employs some rather unorthodox methods to solve multiple problems. I love that he’s rather inept, but still gets the job done. Oh, and the fact that most of the story is told from him being trapped in a safe and running out of air!

The main character reminds us multiple times that he loves the old-fashioned noir mysteries, and this has the feel of one at times. Especially the “parlor recap” at the end that exposes the villain(s). An interesting read and I know I’ll go look for more books in this series.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to Mariner Publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC.

HOMICIDE ON THE RANGE by Rosalie Spielman
Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Wounded Veterans, Western
Coming in May
5*****

Blurb: US Army retiree Tessa Treslow is ready for a much-needed and romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Nick, to volunteer on a dude ranch for recovering combat veterans in Montana. What she gets instead is a whole crew from her little town of New Oslo, Idaho, tagging along. Her BFF Freddie, aka Deputy Frederickson, her aunt Edna, and the Prunn sisters are happy for a little vacation as well, but little do they realize, it’s not going to be the rustic, idyllic visit to the range that they think it will be. The other volunteers at the ranch are a variety of characters, from a jealous wife, to a multi-limb amputee, to a blast from Tessa’s past, and a combative and unpleasant ranch cook. When the cook ends up dead along with sides of beef in the walk-in freezer, Tessa realizes the one of them is also a murderer! With Freddie stranded in town, Tessa teams up with the New Osloans—the only ones she can be sure didn’t commit the crime—to take a closer look at the other volunteers. They soon learn that each and every cowboy wannabe knew the cook for more than just her buttery cooking, and each of them had a motive to want her dead. To make matters much worse, not one but two wildfires are closing in on the ranch and cutting them off from the outside. What results is a locked-room style mystery where the crew from New Oslo are unsure which will prove more dangerous—a murderer or the wildfires!

REVIEW: I love these “wounded veterans” stories by Rosalie Spielman. While the mysteries are really good, showing the issues veterans have and giving places for someone to call at the end show that she really knows what she’s talking about.
In this story, Tessa and her gang (Freddie, Aunt Edna, the Prunn sisters, and Nick) head to Montana and a “Dude” ranch built specially for wounded veterans and owned by a friend for a little working R&R. But they’re in for a lot more than they figured on. The cook at the ranch is nasty and does her best to irritate everyone she comes in contact with – so of course, she’s the body. But that’s the easy part. They need to figure out who the murderer is while trying not to get overrun with wildfires burning all around them. Tessa and her team are the designated sleuths since they have the experience. They decide to keep the death secret so they can judge who might have done the deed. In addition, wildfires are surrounding the ranch and they need to cut firebreaks, bring in the livestock, wet down the buildings and more.

There is a lot going on in this story. I knew who the body was going to be almost from the minute we meet her. As for the murderer – wow. That surprised me. With a cast of suspects, I did not figure it all out by the end. Well done. As for the wildfires, we get to feel the terror, the exhaustion, the hopelessness – and then the hope – that goes with this. The world building in this story is excellent. The emotions are realistic. And the conclusion… surprising. And satisfying. Though this is a stand alone story, I suggest you start at the beginning of this series so you understand who the people are better. And believe me, they (the stories) are worth the read.

Definitely recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to Gemma Halliday Publishing for providing this ARC.