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.