​Tormented by the Warlord Ash Planet Warriors book 4 By V.K. Ludwig

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your average alien romance. The depth of emotion involved in this series is so far beyond the average sci fi romance and yet it is also heartwarming and humorous. There is simply fascinating world and culture building as well as rather intriguing alien anatomy. Very high steam/open door. 

Trigger warnings - family trauma, kidnapping, rape (not on the page but referenced in the past), being sold into prostitution (again in the past), death of parents and PTSD.

However the way two extremely traumatized individuals can be what the other needs is simply beautiful. 

V.K Ludwig does it again. Amazingly epic sci-fi/alien romance. 5/5

The Hunter An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance by L.J. Shen

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I have not read all of LJ Shens books but I have read 12 of them. She’s coined the phrase “hothole” to describe her hero’s (anti-hero’s?) in several books and the name could not be more apt. 

They’re generally bad boys (hot ones). In the young adult though sometimes slightly older range. To my mind Hunter the hero (anti-hero?) of this book is the most cinnamon roll of any I’ve read. Which is fine by me somehow I love them all. She writes these males who are perceived as arrogant, unfeeling and often cruel but it’s because they are emotionally scarred by their soul torturing tragic back stories. So if you hadn’t guessed these are high drama, high stakes contemporary romances. For me personally the elements are so far beyond anything in my reality that my character empathy is engaged but not stressed out because there’s an element of unreality (to me). Which is not to say that elements of these books could not be relatable to other readers therefore just assume - like a lot of triggers. 

And very open door high steam. Read other books if you don’t want steam. Like the most decadent dessert these are so so delicious. 

For this book we have Hunter a “playboy” from a rich business type Boston family who is in hot water for partying much too hard. It is determined he requires babysitting by Sailor the kind and straight laced no nonsense daughter of a mob boss and also Olympic level archer who needs a sponsor in exchange for her warden duties. 

Forced proximity adventures and chemistry ensue. If you’re intrigued at all just read it and then read the rest of the books. This is the first in the Boston Belles series which is my favorite so far. The ladies are all so feisty and self possessed. 

I have also listened to this audiobook and many of her other audiobooks and the narration is always top notch. 

5/5

His Lessons on Love A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women Novel by Cathy Maxwell

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by the author. If you are new to her as well my first impressions were to be reminded of Tessa Dares Spindle cove series. Our primary location is a smaller tight knit village community. Our primary women are intelligent, witty and relatable. Our hero is an adorable man child who comes into circumstances that require and inspire him to grow up and fulfill his potential. The transformative power of love with a makeover of his character and her wardrobe is always entertaining to me. 

This story hooked me from the first page and I finished in less than 24 hours losing some sleep and requiring the use of text to speech. I couldn’t put it down. Point of view alternates between hero and heroine which I always love getting the inner thoughts and turmoil and begrudging admiration and attraction that develops in enemies to lovers stories. They’re not really enemies; they just irritate one another in a way reminiscent of The Hating Game. 

However, their lives are each beset with major drama in the first two chapters that draws them together and they learn to trust and rely on one another and the stakes only ratchet up from there. There are so many sweet moments. There are laugh out loud moments. There is the mystery of who her parents are and the high drama of not one but two duels. 

Trigger warnings - parent death and disengaged/uncaring parent/abandonment. 

While this is steamy and open door it’s not overwhelmingly so. So if that’s not your cup of tea this is more of a plot heavy romance and I believe you could skim a few parts and still enjoy it. 

Now I’m off to go research Ms Maxwells backlist. 5/5 for me.

Highland Wolf Highland Brides by Lynsay Sands

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all this cover alone is almost enough for a one-click. In case you were wondering, yes the scene featured on the cover does happen in the book and it does not disappoint.

This book has everything anyone could ask for in a highlander romance and more. Arranged marriage, kidnap/rescue, a long journey, childhood trauma to form depth of character and my personal favorite - abandoned castle renovations. I love a renovation in a book. There are heart warming family moments, there’s gardening. There is a naive conundrum of whether or not god intended for marital relations to be enjoyed. Our heroine is a friend to animals and this plays a rather large and in my mind adorably hilarious pet of the story. Despite all this sunshine buttery goodness there is yet still intrigue and mystery and somehow an ending that took me by surprise. A rollicking highland romance romp and a thoroughly good time. Steam factor is high, open door, trigger warning parent death. 

A great read. 5/5

Love Grows Everywhere by Barry Timms and Tisha Lee

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very moving book. I read this picture book with my five year old. The intricate pictures drew us in to each page to notice every little detail. The rhyming and rhythm of the words both enthrall children and promote developmental early reading and language skills. The message that no matter how different we all are and how different our homes and experiences; we all need and thrive on love. There are many kinds of love and love can be shown in many ways. I very much appreciated that in a child appropriate way the book acknowledges that sometimes things are not always the way we would like but with love we can make it through. I plan to order this one to share with the children I volunteer with in foster care. This is the perfect message for them and for many. 5/5

Chickens Don't Ski! by Laura Willingham

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I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest.

The title and premise are amusing. The art and storytelling has a charming simplistic nature that would lend itself to a beginning reader book or a kindergarten class read aloud. I read this book to my 5 year old and it did make him laugh out loud.

4/5

Sharon, Lois and Bram's Skinnamarink by Sharon Hampson; Lois Lilienstein; Bram Morrison Illustrated by Qin Leng

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I received a copy of this e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a child of the 1980s and grew up watching The Elephant Show. An excellent time for this book to come out as many of us in my generation are parents now and as a group tend to be rather nostalgic for our own childhood and simpler times.

This book brings all the feels if it’s a familiar representation of your youth and still brings a lot of feels even if it’s not due to the nature of the song. The text is essentially the song in full and the illustrations are detailed, whimsical and inclusive. The board book will be a great edition to any home nursery or daycare library. This will make a wonderful baby gift.

5/5

The Family Tree Written by Sean Dixon Illustrated by Lily Snowden-Fine

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic book! I volunteer as a court appointed special advocate to speak for the needs and best interest of children in foster care. Sometimes the best thing is to go home with a parent or family member once they get the help they need to be the best parent they can be. Other times the best thing is to be adopted by a new family. The one thing that is always true is that they have a complex familial history whether we’re talking about blood family, foster, adoptive, etc. 

This will be an amazing and important resource to help kids understand that their situation while different from many of their classmates is not completely unheard of. Many children come from unique family situations and that is ok. Love and caring is what makes a family and that is the most important part of the story no matter how many people help you grow up.

This will be an excellent book to have in libraries, foster homes, foster support organizations, child welfare offices and any non nuclear family and even in nuclear families so those children can better understand their peers. 

5/5