ARC Review: Third Base by Stella

Third Base is the first book by Stella, the author duo of Leddy Harper and Stephie Walls. I haven't read anything by either of these authors before, so this was entirely new territory for me. I am a sucker for friends to lovers romance books though, so I had to give this one a shot. While I did finish this one and there were some things to like here, this one was a bit bizarre to me if I am honest. It was unlike any friends to lovers romance I have read before, but that wasn't really a good thing in my opinion. 

Coby and Ellie have been best friends since they were kids. They had their lives planned out together, and no matter what came up they vowed to never let it change their friendship. Even when Coby was drafted and Ellie went off to college they found a way to put each other first. But while both of them tried to move forward with their lives, things just never quite fit with anyone else. So when Coby's career comes to an end, he begins to wonder if it is finally time to see if there might be more between them than friendship. 

I honestly never doubted the friendship between these two. They were a pair and you could tell that they cared about each other like no one else in either of their lives. But as far as a romantic connection, at times I saw more and at times I didn't see it at all. My biggest issue with that was that Coby and Ellie didn't even see it. How could these two be so oblivious to their own feelings, yet the reader was expected to see it? Normally with a friends to lovers romance you see some angst and at least one of the characters pining for the other in a way beyond friends. But that wasn't the case here, hence why I said this one was a bit bizarre. It was just strange to me that both wouldn't have a clue how they really felt. I understand not knowing how the other felt, but if you wanted your best friend as more than just a friend, I would think you would have some inkling as to those feelings at some point. I also had a tough time feeling connected to these characters or invested in their relationship because of this. 

The other thing that I really struggled with here was how slow this book was. It starts in the present, but quickly goes to the past where we see how they got to the point that things were at for the beginning of the story. There was so much time spent on these two as friends with nothing between them and there were other people involved for each of them...it was just tough to get through and I thought about putting this book down multiple times. There wasn't any cheating, but I really didn't care about the years they weren't together and others were in the picture, especially when we really weren't seeing any progression of Coby and Ellie's relationship or feelings for one another. It just felt like it was dragging and I was ready for these two to finally start getting somewhere.

Between how slow this one was and the fact that they didn't even realize their feelings, I just felt like this wasn't at all what I had hoped for. I wanted to feel the connection and chemistry between Coby and Ellie but I just never really believed it. I had high hopes for Third Base because of the trope and my love of sports romance stories, but this one just fell flat for me. If you think that this one might be a book you'd like, you might give it a shot. For me though, this isn't one I would recommend, and I am not sure that I would read more from this duo or either of the authors individually. This one was just a bit weird for me and didn't really seem to have much direction.

**ARC Provided by Give Me Books**

Purchase: | Amazon | 

Feature and Giveaway: Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen

Ewan Mostyn thinks a job as a duke’s daughter’s bodyguard will be easy—but Lady Lorraine has a few tricks up her sleeve that spark an undeniable passion

Fiercely loyal to his friends and comrades, Ewan Mostyn is the toughest in a group of younger sons of nobility who met as soldiers and are now trying desperately to settle back into peaceful Society. Ewan trusts his brawn more than his brains, but when he’s offered a job watching the Duke of Ridlington’s stubbornly independent daughter, he finds both are challenged.

Lady Lorraine wants none of her father’s high-handed ways, and she’ll do everything in her power to avoid her distressingly attractive bodyguard—until she lands herself in real trouble. Lorraine begins to see Ewan’s protectiveness in a new light, and she can only hope that her stoic guardian will do for her what he’s always done—fight for what he loves.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |

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ARC Review: Ride Wild by Laura Kaye

I first heard of Laura Kaye when I read her historical fiction story “America’s First Daughter” whom she writes under the name Laura Kamoie. I personally love discovering when authors write different genres. Because I really enjoyed “America’s First Daughter” I was anxious to try her contemporary romance. A few things attracted me to the story. First, I love motorcycle club books, if anyone has not read Joanna Wylde, I definitely recommend her books! Second, I loved the idea of a lonely widower taking care of his sons and falling for the babysitter. And finally, I loved that the heroine, Cora Campbell was trying to find herself.

Cora was an interesting enough character except that really “everything” happened to her. She was kidnapped and raped, it all become a little too much. These events happened in the previous book, which I have not read, but her history helps us to understand that Cora is really just starting over and trying to figure out where she wants her life to go. I was expecting the house to fall on top of her head at one point. Slider is giving her a chance by offering her work as his babysitter. He is a widower and needs someone to watch the kids while he is at work. His kids absolutely love Cora because she always come to the rescue and knows just what to do with his sons. The obvious attraction takes place and they finally confess their real feelings for each other and give into their longing for each other. But they also promise that it will only be one time and that is it. Mind you, this is only half way through the book. 

I have to admit that I wanted to love this story more than I actually did. I was about 50% of the way through the book and I was ready for the story to be done. If this had been a novella I would have enjoyed it more but half way through the book the romance between Cora and Sam “Slider” Evans started to become flat. I felt like the author added secondary characters to help the story pick up momentum but it really just dragged the story down. It was hard for me to be interested in the secondary characters even when they became the focal point. 

The story felt forced and I struggled to keep interested. The dialogue also felt overly dramatic as did many of the scenes. Aside from my lackluster opinion about the story, I will pick up another book by the author and see if the next book in the series catches my interest better.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: The Hunt by Monica James

I am pretty new to Monica James, but I knew I wanted to read The Hunt after really enjoying the first book I read from her. While The Hunt is the third Hard Love Romance from her, this book is easily read as a standalone. The only book I have read from Monica James was from a different series, and I didn't have any problems understanding anything here. I do want to go back and read more from her though after finishing this story. I have enjoyed both books I have read from her now, and I can't wait for more. 

Hunter doesn't believe in love and as his friends start settling down, he takes it upon himself to become the player that they all once were. But when he meets Mary, everything changes. Hunter finds himself wanting no one else, the only problem is that Mary hates him and wants nothing to do with him. 

I really enjoyed these two. I thought that they were great and they had me laughing all the way through. Hunter was sexy and had me swooning. He was so smooth and I loved seeing him thrown for a loop with his feelings towards Mary. Mary was easy to like and I loved the interactions between these two. The banter and the way they went back and forth kept me from being able to put this one down. The tension and chemistry between them was so strong and I just loved everything about them for one another. I will admit that they were a bit frustrating at times, but I at the same time I couldn't stop reading and really believed that they were perfect for each other. 

Overall, this was a great story and I think readers are going to love it! Enemies to lovers stories are always a fine line between love and hate, and I felt like Monica James did a great job of giving these characters the perfect amount of tension and chemistry to keep the reader invested in them from start to finish. Not only could you feel the sparks between them, but she really showed that it was more than that and that what these two felt was real and believable. Monica James is an author that is becoming a favorite of mine, and I definitely recommend Hunter and Mary's story. This was a fun read and I'm already anxious for more from Monica James.

**ARC Provided by Sullivan and Partners**

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