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Yet another winner from Rosalind James

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-26-23

This is the story of Luke, pro rugby player, who is captain of England's national team and brother of Kane and stepbrother to Nyree, and Hayden, brother to Zora, who is married to Rhys, another famous player. While there are many players that we see from prior novels, it is a stand-alone.
The protagonists are a same-sex male couple, with Hayden being out, for the most part, and Luke just starting to come out, both personally and professionally. I found the discussion of this topic to be very emotional, making me think about how the young people in my life have felt when I was supportive or, by my silence, not supportive. There is an act of violence and talk of "gay bashing" that is very sad and disheartening to hear, but also very moving.
I love the way that Rosalind James writes about the crushes that teenage boys have, with such tenderness and sweetness. The way that she wrote about these two men falling in love was also so gentle and romantic, also. There were several sex scenes, so I would suggest this for grownups, as I have for most of her books.
I really enjoyed this audiobook and give it an enthusiastic five stars!!
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

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OMG, so good!!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-26-23

This is the story of Dr. Briana Ortiz. Her life is not going well -- her divorce is about to be finalized, her brother needs a kidney donor ASAP, and she just found out that she may not get the promotion that she was counting on because the jerky new doctor that started in HER ER today is best friends with her boss. Except, that "jerk," Dr. Jacob Maddox, isn't really such a jerk after all. He wrote her a letter. A really nice letter. Who does that? Just writes people letters?
Oh! This is a great listen!! You should spend a credit. You will not regret it. There are a few steamy parts, so adults only. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming and it is very fun.

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Really makes you think, but in a good way!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-26-23

This is the story of Jess Montgomery, a young woman who was raised by her grandmother after losing her parents at a young age. When she is laid off from her librarian job not long after her grandmother dies, she decides to sell her home in the city and move to the country, rather impulsively. Once there, she realizes how lonely and isolated she's become and starts making an effort to branch out. She makes friends with people in her community, starts a tiny library (see the title), and starts to heal from the trauma that she's experienced. However, she still needs to find a job, which is very difficult in her small community. Also, there is some unexpected opposition to her library! I won't spoil any more, but I highly recommend this delightful and touching story,
I especially like that it looked at issues like loneliness and isolation, which are far to common. It is really easy for people to become isolated from one another and it is so hard to break those patterns, one they are ingrained. There were so many sweet relationships referenced in this book -- parent/child, friendships, romances, grandparent/grandchild, siblings, pets, and even dear companions. It is well worth a credit.

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SUCH a great book!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-26-23

I bought this book and the accompanying audiobook right when they were released, last year, but for some reason, I let them both sit in my library for a whole year, until I finally got around to listening/reading (yes... when I get obsessed, I go back and forth between both versions of a book). Well, something finally got me to start this one and once I got going, I could barely take a break! The story begins with the death of famous chef Augustus Beauvais. He is a well-known chef, but also a philanderer, a terrible husband and father, and a poor businessman. His daughter, Maya is fresh out of rehab, trying to figure out her next move and to reconcile her anger with her larger-than-life father. His ex-wife, Meadow is also is close friend, but she seems to have secrets of her own, like who is the actual father of her adult daughter, Rory? And why is Norah, Augustus' last girl friend (who he was cheating on) still hanging around?
I loved this book and have thought about the story and the various characters a lot since I finished it. Absolutely recommend.

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Excellent Addition to the Series

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-07-22

Loved this book, the 5th in the New Zealand Ever After series. This is the story of Oriana (originally Obidience) who escaped from the Mt.Zion cult with her older sister Daisy’s help in the previous book and her step-cousin Gabriel. We see them learning to adjust to life on the “outside” - Oriana, at first is 16, is going to high school, with limited success. Gabriel, age 24, starts working as a laborer, but is trying to navigate cooking for himself, working a television, learning of the modern quirks of life. We follow the two of them over the next year as their relationship develops. Their families do not approve, but for very different reasons. So many questions come to mind — What does it mean to be worldly? What occupations are worthwhile? How old is “old enough”? The two narrators, Emma Wilder and Callum Gittins, are excellent.
Trigger warning: there are themes of misogyny, religious trauma, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child molestation in this story. However, I still absolutely recommend it! Five stars from me!
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

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1 person found this helpful

Romantic, quirky, touching… excellent!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-07-22

Have you read anything by Jill Shalvis, because she is great! “The Family You Make” is the story of Levi and Jane. They meet when they are stranded together in a broken ski gondola during a terrible snowstorm in Lake Tahoe. While calling his mother, Levi impulsively tells her that Jane’s his girlfriend, thinking that they may not survive. Of course, they do survive, but many other situations ensue… This is such a good story, with storylines about grief, family estrangement, chosen family, and how adult romantic love really happens. I love reading works by Jill Shalvis and listening to them on audio is even more fun. Five stars from me!

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2 people found this helpful

Heartfelt Kiwi Romance

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-14-22

At the start of Kiwi Gold, we meet Laila, widowed mom to twin six year old twin girls. She runs a photography studio out of her home and is barely making ends meet, even that is debatable, really. Her late husband was a famous climber who died in a very public way that brought shame to himself and their family. Laila is also starting to question the strict Muslim upbringing in which she was raised, pushing back against some of the constraints.
She meets Lachlan at a costume party and they share an interesting evening together, talking and getting to know one another, without her realizing that he is her next-door neighbor! Also, neither one realizes that they have many friends in common, or that that her father is his business rival. We soon see that their families are even more interconnected.
There are many twists and turns in this book, like all of Rosalind James' writings. It's never "just" a romance novel -- there are heavier topics like religion, sexual education, grief, addiction, perinatal/infant loss, and feminism openly discussed in this book in a respectful way and I really loved it. I enjoyed the both of the narrators and think that having a male and female narrator brought a lot to the enjoyment of the book.
Technically, this is part of a series, and if you have read the other books in the New Zealand Ever After series, you will recognize some characters, but I do think that this definitely can be read as a stand-alone. I am happy to recommend it and to give five stars, across the board.
I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review and was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

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2 people found this helpful

Psychic Dreams: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel Audiobook By Elizabeth Hunter cover art

Such a good, satisfying end to a great trilogy!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-14-22

Oh, Monica! I really enjoyed the finally installment of the Glimmer Lake trilogy series. Monica and her friends, Val and Robin, had a car accident where they all emerged with paranormal abilities. Monica's gift is that she began to see visions in her dreams, basically prophesies of the future. Her visions were always very dream-like, though, and she needed the help of her friends to interpret them and to work out what steps to take and how to best move forward. She is also still dealing with the sudden loss of her husband Gil, only 4 years earlier, to a heart attack, and the entry of a new man into her life, fire inspector Gabriel Peralta. There are so many heavy topics in this story -- teen pregnancy, grief, family alienation, adult child/parent relationships, small-town gossip, and the power of the chosen family. I truly cried during this book and was sorry to have it end, but in a good way. Well done, Elizabeth Hunter and Ava Lucas!

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1 person found this helpful

Such a good, satisfying end to a great trilogy!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-14-22

Oh, Monica! I really enjoyed the finally installment of the Glimmer Lake trilogy series. Monica and her friends, Val and Robin, had a car accident where they all emerged with paranormal abilities. Monica's gift is that she began to see visions in her dreams, basically prophesies of the future. Her visions were always very dream-like, though, and she needed the help of her friends to interpret them and to work out what steps to take and how to best move forward. She is also still dealing with the sudden loss of her husband Gil, only 4 years earlier, to a heart attack, and the entry of a new man into her life, fire inspector Gabriel Peralta. There are so many heavy topics in this story -- teen pregnancy, grief, family alienation, adult child/parent relationships, small-town gossip, and the power of the chosen family. I truly cried during this book and was sorry to have it end, but in a good way. Well done, Elizabeth Hunter and Ava Lucas!

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Semi-Psychic Life: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel Audiobook By Elizabeth Hunter cover art

Even the cool mom has problems, or so I hear!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-14-22

This is the second book in the Glimmer Lake trilogy and I would not recommend it as a stand-alone, but otherwise, I really would recommend it! It is the story of Valerie Costa, single mom to two teenagers, living her life in Glimmer Lake, getting by as best as she can, until she has a car accident with her two best friends and emerges with the psychic ability to "read" objects by touching them. Now, she suddenly is wearing gloves all the time, because, do you really want to know that the creepy guy from your coffee shop is cheating on his wife or exactly what your teenage sons have been doing in their rooms? Yikes! And, there's the slight problem of her deadbeat ex going missing... And her flirtation with the hunky sheriff. Yes, this is a great follow-up to the first book in the series with a combo of clean romance, paranormal, and mystery, with over-forty protagonists! Loved it and am excited for the third in the series.

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1 person found this helpful