Friday, March 21, 2025

Good Enough for a Princess by Carol Moncado

Series: The Monarchies of
Belles Montagnes # 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Publisher: CANDID Publications
Released: November 17, 2024
350 pages
About the Book:

Crown Princess Adeline of Montevaro has her life planned out for her: get her Master's in international relations, marry nobility, produce an heir, inherit the throne. There's no room for romance with the single father she meets when their cars collide on an icy winter night. Parliament - and her father - would never approve.

Charlie Brewer grew up without roots. The son of an archaeologist father and anthropologist mother, he either traveled along or lived with his aunt and uncle in the States. He's determined to give his daughter the stability he never had. He also wants to give her a mom, but the beautiful European he's falling for refuses to move to Serenity Landing, Missouri permanently.

He won't move. She can't stay. What will happen when they try to forget each other by dating someone "acceptable"? They find themselves drawn together by one of the girls in the after school program Addie supports - a girl who happens to be Charlie's daughter. How will Charlie, and his daughter, feel when they find out the woman they've both fallen for is a... princess?

A trip halfway around the world shows Charlie and Addie how much they long to be together - and how impossible it is. Is there any way he can prove he is Good Enough for a Princess?
 

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐


Think the movie The Prince and I but with a Princess and a single dad instead. I did like Addie and cared about her struggle between wanting to follow her heart or fulfilling her duty to her country. She was easy to like as she cared about the people around her. Charlie is doing his best to raise his daughter, and it was easy to root for him. I also liked Jonathan and how he tried to put Addie's need above his wants, I hope he gets his own story. Faith and the importance of that in a marriage between a husband and wife was discussed quite a bit between various characters. However, there were some timeline issues (events happening out of order) that threw me off at times. I found the whole conversation about titles hard to follow. Overall, it was cute, but you must suspend reality.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Wednesday, March 19, 2025

My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh

Series: Holidays with Hart #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: February 23, 2024
376 pages
About the Book:

A humiliating break-up leads to an impulsive New Year’s Kiss with a complete stranger.
What could possibly go wrong?
It’s no secret that I love life. And Dr Pepper. But also, I love a challenge. . .
So when the coach of the Chicago Comets gives me the opportunity to help their star player, newly traded to their team, acclimate to life in Chicago, I'm all in.
I have to be. After my last job went up in flames, I have something to prove.
It turns out that the player, Grayson Hawke, is the rudest, most off-putting, reclusive guy I’ve ever met.
It also turns out that he is the beautiful stranger I kissed on New Year’s Eve.
I can do this job. I can do this job. I can do this job.
And I can. Really well.
I can make Gray’s life easier, show him all the reasons to fall in love with this city, and in the process, hopefully completely forget that the amazing kiss ever happened.
How hard can it be? We’re total opposites anyway.
I love people . . . and all their stories. Gray loves hockey . . . and nothing else.
I love to talk. Gray only stares.
I’m happy-go-lucky. Gray’s all work and no play.
There’s just one problem. The more time I spend with Grayson Hawke, the more I start to see that underneath his bristly, standoffish exterior, he’s nothing like the man everyone thinks he is.
And suddenly, all the reasons for keeping my distance, staying professional, and not falling for someone again. . . are impossible to remember.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eloise wears her heart on her sleeve and gives her love freely, Grayson is a hockey player who comes across as grumpy/rude. Eloise is assigned as his personal assistant to help his transition to the new hockey team and get fans excited that he's on the team. Even though Grayson comes across as miserable I was drawn to him almost immediately. I enjoyed the banter between these two along with the 11 year old, Scarlett. Scarlett had some of the best lines in the story and there were quite a few parts that made me laugh, however this is a light and fluffy story and I would have preferred more depth. It didn't feel very realistic and I was able to predict certain things happening so that took some of the enjoyment away for me. This one won't stick with me, but it was a fun read.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Monday, March 17, 2025

Rocky Road by Becky Wade

Series: Sons of Scandal #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: February 14, 2024
394 pages

About the Book:

FBI Agent Jude Camden handles every aspect of his job with by-the-book professionalism. There's no reason why his latest assignment—which calls for him to pose as the boyfriend of perfumer Gemma Clare—should be any different.

Except Gemma is different. She's creative, bold, and feisty. And as soon as she meets Jude, she wants to loosen him up, wrinkle his perfect shirts, and test every ounce of his towering self-control.

The FBI has an iron-clad rule against romances between those working together on operations. Jude's never met a rule he didn't respect. But adhering to this one is going to be tough because, as time goes by, he finds Gemma more and more irresistible.

Buckle up! It's going to be a rocky road.


My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


The beginning was hilarious, I loved how Gemma and Jude first meet. I found myself very quickly caring about each of them and enjoying their interactions. I was intrigued in the mystery Gemma is trying to solve for her great-grandmother. Each time the perspective switched to Fiona I was annoyed, I did not care about her and just wanted more of Gemma and Jude. Despite not being captivated by the reason for Gemma and Jude's interaction, I kept reading because of the characters and their dynamic. Their contrasting qualities complemented each other well, and the discussions of faith between them felt natural. I really enjoyed spending time with these two characters and watching the relationship develop. Overall, I found this book more enjoyable than book one.

(I borrowed this book through Kindle Unlimited; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Friday, March 14, 2025

Against All Odds by Irene Hannon

Series: Heroes of Quantico #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Revell
Released: February 1, 2009 
332 pages

About the Book:

For FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Evan Cooper and his partner, dignitary protection duty should have been a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Monica Callahan isn't making it easy. Estranged from her diplomat father--who is involved in a sensitive hostage situation in the Middle East--she refuses to be intimidated by a related terrorist threat back in the States. That is, until a chilling warning convinces her that the danger is very real--and escalating. As Coop and his partner do their best to keep her safe, Monica's father triggers an abduction that puts his daughter's life at risk. And with every second that ticks by, Coop knows that the odds of saving the only woman who has ever breached the walls around his heart are dropping. After all, terrorists aren't known for their patience--or their mercy.







My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐


This was a reread for me, but this time I listened to it and would recommend the audiobook. My thoughts are pretty much the same as the first time around, I was invested in the protection side of the story and these characters, but I struggled keeping the different terrorists straight. The terrorists were supposedly working together, but were also going behind each other's backs to fulfil their own motives. I did not like that the romance began when the characters were so far apart in their faith journey, one is a strong Christian and one did not profess to have any faith. The one lacking a faith relationship is open to learning about God, but I would have preferred to have seen more faith development before they began dating and expressing such strong romantic feelings.

Original Review from January 2015: I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning. The story seemed like it was going to be just like a lot of others - one person is assigned to protect another person and in the process to two fall in love with each other. However in this one the protected gets kidnapped, which added a new twist adding a rescue rather than just a protection job. I really got into the story at this point, as I had to know how and if she would get rescued. My favourite parts to read where the portions from the dad's point of view, I felt a connection with him and cried at the end. I struggled with keeping the different terrorists straight, who in charge and who wasn't. Both main characters had insights into human behaviour from each other and were able to grow from this. I thought the message of using both words and actions to show you care was expressed well. I will read the next book in the series to see how it builds from this one.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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