Book Review: Taco Bout Love by Lily Kate

Taco Bout Love by Lily Kate is a contemoprary romance. My name is Lucas Donovan, and I’m a sucker for a great taco. No, that’s not an innuendo, though I do like my women like I like my tacos: extra spicy. So when a brand new food truck rolls into our sleepy little town of Fantasie, Maine, I know I’m in trouble. I just don’t know how much trouble. Things go downhill fast when I meet Chloe Brown, the sizzling hot and super sassy owner of Taco Bout Love who is as extra as guac. Then out of the blue, Chloe plops her huge purple eyesore of a truck in my designated parking spot. I’m sorely tempted to have her truck towed, and her right along with it. Unfortunately, Chloe’s as fierce as a ghost pepper, and she’s not going down without a fight. Before I know it, the only thing I’m certain of is that this woman drives me crazy… in the best way possible. What’s more is that I’m beginning to think I just might miss her when she’s gone. Suddenly, I can’t seem to keep my hands off Chloe Brown, or her tacos.

Taco Bout Love is a solid romance with both the small town and grumpy/sunshine love vibes (both of which I love). I greatly enjoyed the introduction to the town of Fantasie and its cast of characters. I thought the secondary characters really added something to the story, more than just fodder for future books set in the town although that is certainly in play as well. I felt like Chloe was a well written character and is willing to work hard for what she needs, even if it is space. I have to admit that I wanted a little something more from Lucas. Yes, he has a couple issues that he needs to work on, but I was really expecting a little more back story or depth from him than what we got. He seemed almost too perfect, aside from his tendency to use 'baby' as a term of endearment and just take care of things without conversation or consent rubbing me the wrong way. However, overall I enjoyed the read and look forward to seeing more about the residents of Fantasie in the future. 

Taco Bout Love is a fun romance, and I think I will be reading more from the author.

Book Review: Faking It With the Grump (Second Chance Café) by Kate O’Keeffe

Faking It With the Grump is the first book in the Second Chance Café series by Kate O’Keeffe. He’s grumpy, boring, and thinks it’s okay to wear a suit and tie to a small town bar full of lumberjacks. But when I kiss him? Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting THAT. It's one thing to be dumped by the huge Hollywood star you thought you were going to marry. It’s quite another to move back to the small town you're both from. As a booby prize for being shown the door by Dex Ryder, everyone is trying to set me up with their son, their nephew, or their long-lost cousin’s gardener. I’m not going to put up with their patronizing sympathy anymore. So, when I spot new-guy-in-town Christopher Young, I set out to make him mine. Or you know, pretend to make him mine. I’m still in a horrible funk over Dex, and Christopher is an uptight grump. Not exactly my type. The fact that despite appearances, he’s gorgeous and doing weird things to my blood pressure doesn't mean a thing.

Faking It With the Grump is a fun ride. I enjoyed the characters and the set up of the small town that will be the setting for the series. I thought Harper was a likable and realistic character. She is smart and funny, but is generally too accommodating for her own good. Christopher has been operating under strict control for a long time, and while his seems very smart and observant, he occasionally seemed to be a little lost and clueless. It was sometimes an endearing dichotomy- but sometimes just had me shaking my head. I think I liked the secondary characters and town a bit more than I liked this particular romance. I saw the stumbling blocks a mile away, and while some worked out just fine and I enjoyed the ride- there was one that really frustrated me, and it seemed to me like Christopher never really understood the problem. I did like the final resolution and found the story as a whole to be entertaining and enjoyable, that one thread of the story bothered me enough that I did not love the book as completely as I expected to. 

Faking It With the Grump is a solid opposites attract romance with the promise of more stories to come. 

Book Review: City of Night (Secrets & Sin) by Linsey Hall

City of Night is the first book in the Secrets & Sin series by Linsey Hall. When I inherit a haunted bookstore in New Orleans, I go from demon hunter to my dream job. Unfortunately, there’s a dark side to my beautiful new life—the gorgeous demon who seems to think he owns the place. The attraction between us is insane, and we can’t keep our eyes off each other. But I don’t trust him one bit—especially not the way he uses his seductive charms to try to compel me to work for him. When a young girl is kidnapped from right outside my house, he’s the first person on my mind. I just can’t figure out if he’s the culprit or my fiercest protector. But I do know he has answers. And I have to resist his dangerous allure, because to give in is to risk losing everything—including my life.

City of Night is an urban fantasy that sets the stage nicely for a series. I felt like there were many teases about what happened in the past, and what might tie the many players together beyond attraction. I really liked the world building and the small town feel that the New Orleans neighborhood is given. I liked the secondary characters, and I thought the mystery and set up were all very well done. I did feel like certain aspects of the story were a little predictable, and since I have read other things from the author everything felt very familiar. I double checked a couple times that I hadn't already read this series, or a companion book to the series, which I could find no evidence of. The result was a bit like rereading a favorite but with the surprises of solving the mystery and meeting the characters for the first time.

City of Night is a solid urban fantasy that kept me engaged and reading. 

Book Review: Hexing the Ex (House of Magic) by Susanna Shore

Hexing the Ex is the first book in the House of Magic series by Susanna Shore. I didn’t expect to be evicted the first thing I returned from my holiday, but thanks to my roommate Nick, that’s what I was facing. It’s not exactly easy to find a new place to live in London, so when Phoebe Thorpe spots a room-to-let sign at the window of a magic shop, she doesn’t hesitate. The room is perfect, even if chores are part of the rent. There is only one thing odd about her new landladies. They seem to believe magic exists. Phoebe doesn’t believe in magic, but unfortunately magic believes in her. A mysterious statuette is sent to her boss, Archibald Kane, and she accidentally triggers a curse meant for him. Naturally, the first person she curses is her ex-boyfriend. But why would anyone want to curse her boss, a perfectly ordinary antiques dealer? Or is he? Phoebe sets out to break the curse with the help of her new housemates. But it isn’t easy trying to solve a mystery she doesn’t even believe is real. Then again, that hellhound chasing her seemed pretty solid.

Hexing the Ex is a good series starter that hits a good balance of world and character building with action and fun. I liked Phoebe and enjoyed getting to know her and the group of characters that are or become part of her life.Her self awareness and willingness to adapt to new revelations made everything interesting and fun.  I thought the reveal of the magical world was well done and the mystery storyline had some really good twists in it, finishing off with something very different than I expected. The amounts of humor and action were very well balanced, with the characters not taking themselves to seriously. I found the curse and other magic elements to be well handled, using both traditional and fresh interpretation to the story and world building. I really enjoyed the read and plan on reading more from this author- including future installments of this series and their back list. 

Hexing the Ex is a fun and enteraining read. I hope to continue with this series. 

Book Review: The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser is contemporary fiction. Thea Mottram is having a bad month. She’s been let go from her office job with no notice—and to make matters even worse, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her friends. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn’t know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs. Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and lovely but neglected garden. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can’t seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle’s book collection. His gruff attitude—fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord—tests Thea’s patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn’t experienced in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from.

The Bookshop of Second Chances is a story that I was not sure about in the beginning. I was not sure what category or sub category to label it is, and as I became invested in Thea's life it did really matter to me anymore. Thea had a rough month, getting fired for any reason is hard and then having a marriage split that includes friend and home division on top of it is horrific. I could understand the emotional and mental crisis Thea was going through- wondering what went wrong and what could possibly come next. I think that the fact that I am in the same age range as the main characters made it much easier to picture myself in their shoes, and empathize with the feelings that these kind of life changes bring on. I also liked that while there is romance there, and it certainly helped Thea move forward, it was not the key to what helped her see her worth and find her place. I liked reading alone as she made friends, and figured out how to move forward. I liked how she continued to try and make things better for those around her without compromising her own values or needs. When waves of trouble hit she dealt with it (got some good cries in because we all deserve that) and then pivoted and  adjusted. I am not sure that I could have been so calm and collected as Thea given the same circumstances, although her worries lined what perfectly with what I think I would have been thinking in her place. I will be thinking about these characters for a while now.

The Bookshop of Second Chances is a story that took a minute to grab me, but now after finishing it will not let go. 

Book Review: Sweet Loving Cowboy (Kinky Boots) by Stacey Kennedy

Sweet Loving Cowboy is the second book in the Kinky Boots series by Stacey Kennedy. While those that are reading the series in order will have prior knowledge of the characters, and secondary characters, newcomers can still fully enjoy the read as a stand alone.

Harper McKinney finished culinary school with big dreams. Right now, she’s a bartender at Kinky Spurs. While she’s content with her life, her brother is determined that she make a name for herself, because he wants her far away from what he deems a trashy bar. But Harper refuses to go anywhere. She’s in love with her brother’s best friend, Chase Blackshaw, and that love is keeping her in River Rock. After the death of Chase’s father, he’s the one responsible for running the construction of the Blackshaw Cattle Company’s guest ranch. Back in the day, he had dreams of opening a construction company, but lack of finances kept him working for the family’s cattle ranch. Now with the responsibility of his family’s guest ranch on his shoulders those dreams seem far away. Though he has bigger problems. His build is failing the inspections. Now Chase has more trouble on his hands. Harper, the woman he’s forbidden to ever touch has decided to move to Las Vegas. She isn’t so little anymore, and Chase is finding her all too tempting. She’s also not shy about what she wants. Him. Naked. And giving her some sweet lovin’ in all the kinky ways he craves. But neither Chase nor Harper can anticipate the fate that awaits them if they dare give in to their desires, as Chase soon learns there is something far worse than not being able to live out his dreams. It’s being given the chance to live out his dreams but having to watch Harper lose hers.

Sweet Loving Cowboy started off right in the midst of the action, which made me wonder if I missed something at first. However, everything quickly becomes clear and even new readers to the series will pick up the tension between Harper and Chase, and why things have never crossed that line. I really enjoyed getting to know both characters more, and seeing them find their way. The obstacles they face are not standard, but and believable ad fit the story completely. I really love Harper, she is trying to find her way, and I will admit that I thought several things were going to end up differently, but I do enjoy surprises and if they had gone the way I thought things would have been way too easy. Chase is a good guy, with the drive to fight for things to be perfect. I think he would drive me crazy in real life, but reading about him did work for me because it worked for Harper. The puppy and construction issue just added real emotion and complications that made the pair's growth and relationship that much more real for me. Now I just need Nash and Megan to find their was together and I will be happy. 

Sweet Loving Cowboy is exactly what I was hoping for, with a few surprises along the way. Kennedy fans will not be disappointed.