ARC Review: The Rocker's Muse by Penelope Ward

Penelope Ward is an auto-buy author for me and has been for years! I always look forward to her books and they never disappoint! The Rocker’s Muse was no exception! This one was such a great read, and once I started I didn’t want to put this one down.

Tristan and Emily’s story starts when Emily finds herself going on tour with Tristan’s famous rock band. Despite the age difference, Emily and Tristan find themselves drawn to each other from their very first meeting and their connection continues to grow as they spend time together on tour. What Tristan doesn’t know is that Emily has a secret that changes everything. 

These two had such a genuine and easy connection. I loved seeing them get to know one another and how natural it was, despite the fifteen years that separated them. They were supportive of one another and really helped the other in ways that no one else could. Penelope Ward made it so easy to feel connected to Tristan and Emily throughout the story, and it feels like the reader is right there with the characters experiencing everything that the characters were. 

The Rocker’s Muse had so many great moments that I honestly wanted to keep reading, while also wanting to slow down and savor each bit of the story for as long as I could. While there were some really emotional parts of the story, there were so many lighthearted and funny moments as well. I always enjoy Penelope’s books and this one was one of her best! Tristan and Emily will definitely be characters I think of in the future, and I have no doubt i’ll be reading this one again to revisit them at times! I am already anxious for her next book and I think readers are going to really enjoy this one like I did. You can’t go wrong with anything Penelope writes alone or with her co-author, Vi Keeland. If you haven’t read anything by Penelope, you are truly missing out and The Rocker’s Muse is a great place to start!

**ARC Provided by Give Me Books**

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ARC Review: Tempest by Alison Rhymes

Alison Rhymes was a new-to-me author at the beginning of this year and since starting with Rainfall, I have binged her entire backlist! She is definitely my favorite find of the year, and I cannot recommend her books enough! I was so excited to get the next installment of the Seattle Blades series, with each book being an interconnected standalone you can read each without starting at the beginning. I definitely recommend reading them all though as they are fantastic!

One of the reasons that I love Alison’s books is that each one has a bit of heartbreak and angst to them that the characters have to overcome to get to their HEA. Tempest was no exception and I absolutely could not put it down! I won’t spoil any of the story as I really love the experience of Alison’s books and believe they are best experienced blindly with the reader taking the journey without spoilers. 

What I will say though is that I absolutely loved Gavin and Odette. These two had a strong connection and life got in the way as it often does. They end up finding themselves back in the same city years later, with Odette becoming a mentor to his daughter. They quickly discover that time and distance don’t always dull feelings, regardless of the circumstances that kept them apart. 

Gavin and Odette had so much chemistry. You could really feel the connection and heat between them. I loved seeing them get to know one another after their years apart and I really felt like I could relate to both of them. Odette was so strong and inspiring and I loved her interactions with Gavin’s daughter. Gavin was a really great guy and it was easy to see why he made the choices he did. I really think readers will love this one as much as I did. The characters are impossible not to fall for and the story is captivating from start to finish. One of the best books I’ve read this year, I highly recommend Tempest and honestly any and all books from Alison Rhymes.

**ARC Provided by Wordsmith Publicity**

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ARC Review: Beating Heart by Laura Pavlov

 

I absolutely love the Magnolia Falls series by Laura Pavlov! Each book is an interconnected standalone story. While each can be read on its own, I highly recommend starting at the beginning if you haven’t already started this series. Not only are each of these books fantastic, but you really get to know the characters and their personalities throughout the series and see the growth and progression for each one. This has definitely been one of my all-time favorite romance series to read, and each book just keeps getting better!

I have to say that I had such high hopes for Beating Heart seeing as my favorite character from this entire series has been Cutler! I knew his dad Nash’s story would heavily feature him, and I couldn’t wait for it! It not only delivered all I had hoped for, but so much more! This one was just such a great story even beyond Cutler and Nash being front and center. I loved Emerson so much, she has definitely been my favorite heroine of the series! This book  just delivered the perfect amount of heat and steam, but also a genuine and undeniable connection between the characters. I really felt like I was invested from page one and right there with each of them through every triumph and struggle. 

I wish I could go back and read this one again for the first time as it is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year as well as my favorite of the Magnolia Falls series. I seriously cannot recommend this book or series enough. Nash and Emerson were everything  you could hope for, and Cutler is seriously my favorite fictional kid ever. Every scene he is in, he just steals the whole show! I hope we continue to get more of him, because I honestly can’t picture a world in which we aren’t getting little bits from him and seeing how he continues to grow up and tackle the world. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series, but while I wait, I know I'll be reading this one again! Beating Heart is a must read!!

**ARC Provided by Valentine PR**

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ARC Review: Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas

I have been hoping to get more of the Jaeger brothers since I first read Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas. This book definitely didn’t disappoint! Five Brothers can be read as a standalone story, but I highly recommend reading Tryst Six Venom as it is good and will give you a bit of backstory on these brothers and Liv and Clay that feature here. You don’t need to read it though to understand this book.

This story centers around all five of the Jaeger brothers and Krisjen. While the Jaegers come from the “Swamp” side of town, Krisjen is a “Saint”. Their sides aren’t supposed to mix, but Krisjen finds herself more comfortable on the other side of town in the Jaeger house. I won’t get into details of the story as I don’t want to give anything away, but I genuinely enjoyed getting to know each of these brothers better. I will say that while there is a lot that happens with the brothers here, this one is not an RH. It does end with Krisjen in a relationship with one brother.

I didn’t want to put this one down, interested to see what would happen and who she would end up with. I honestly felt like Krisjen belonged in the Jaeger family and I loved seeing how much she cared for all of them. She was such a likable character and was so genuinely nice and caring. While I loved this one and know readers will too, I can absolutely say that I hope we get more of this family! I’d love it if each of the brothers gets their own book. While I loved the relationship that developed here, my favorite parts were the family moments here. The Jaeger crew are truly one of a kind and I couldn’t get enough of their moments together. I highly recommend this one!

**ARC Provided by Publisher via Netgalley**

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ARC Review: Frisco by Tijan

I love Tijan’s books and its been a bit since I’ve read an MC book, so I was really excited for Frisco! This one definitely didn’t disappoint and once I started, I didn’t want to put it down for anything! MC books just hit different, and this one had everything you could hope for. It was gritty, suspenseful and full of possessive men that would do anything for their club and their women.

Shane  was great! I loved him from the start and the chemistry between him and Kali was so strong. I loved that there was a bit of a second chance here, and it was so interesting to see how their past and present came together. These two not only had a ton of heat between them, but you could see and feel the connection growing as well. It felt so real and like you were right there with them. 

One of the things I love most about Tijan’s books is that while this one can be read as a complete standalone, her worlds are linked. It is so much fun as a reader to be able to get glimpses of familiar faces and/or places and no one does that better than Tijan! Not only that, but her secondary characters are just as easy to become attached to as the main characters and that was definitely the case here. I felt so invested in how everything would turn out, and I think readers will love this one like I did!

**ARC Provided by Valentine PR**

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