Nun Too Soon by Lissa Sharpe [Review]

Nun Too Soon (Bad Habit Book Club #1) by Lissa Sharpe
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 6, 2024

Bad Habit Book Club
1. Nun Too Soon - Paperback | Kindle

Lissa Sharpe
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Helen is just your normal, everyday librarian who writes romance novels on the side… except she also happens to be a former nun, new to life outside the order and to the dating scene. Helen isn’t just a virgin in her 30s– she’s never had a boyfriend, never kissed anyone, never even so much as held someone’s hand. Becoming a nun was always her path, until it wasn’t anymore, and trying to forge a new path in life has been…tricky.

What isn’t tricky? Her unrequited crush on the handsome library patron that Helen and her friends have affectionately nicknamed ‘The Red Unicorn’ -- a man who loves to read, looks great in glasses, and has red hair, aka Helen’s dream man. But the idea of dating is still intimidating, so Helen prefers to daydream about Thad from afar, turning him into her perfect romance novel hero.

Thad is far from perfect, not like the smart, sexy librarian he’s been surveilling. Thad is a bounty hunter who’s determined to find Helen’s brother, Dean, and he’s certain Helen is the key to tracking Dean down. Thad never plans to approach Helen or insert himself into her life–until it becomes clear he’s not the only one looking for Dean. The other people after him are bad news, and Helen’s going to get caught in the crossfire if Thad doesn’t intervene.

As Thad and Helen work together to find Dean, they actually get to know each other, soon realizing that the perfect, ideal versions they have of each other couldn’t be more wrong…but that who they are together might actually be just right.

Thoughts on Nun Too Soon: We're back in Chicago with a former nun and the bounty hunter on the trail of her brother. Which sounds complicated, but Helen's a forgiving sort, so the fact Thad is looking for her brother doesn't faze her nearly as much as how much she's attracted to Thad. Seeing how Thad really does want to do what he thinks is best for her brother, the fact he misled her with the books and the pretend reading (which is just a CRIME in my book, thankyouverymuch) is just a drop in the bucket to Helen.

That attraction, though. HOO-BOY.

Yeah, Helen likes a lot of things about Thad. Coming to terms with her wants and desires outside the church? That's kind of the thing that trips her up. When you've been told you're one thing your entire life, it's hard to change gears and realize you can be your version of you when you hardly know what your version is. That might sound complicated, but Helen has some figuring out to do and I am here for it. (Also, the mental picture of Dan and Quinn not knowing what to do with themselves when they see her thanks to the aforementioned previous sister-hood is one I'm going to hold close because HA.)

On Thad's end, he's a genuinely good guy, but he's wary. Given the family issues and general dynamic he has to deal with there, it's no surprise that he saw Helen in a very different light before he got to know her. His wariness made him suspicious of her actions when, in truth, Helen is pretty much an open book. Once he realized that, THINGS HAPPENED.

A little subterfuge, a road trip, a few dangerous moments, a party bus full of friendly co-eds, a man who doesn't know what to do with the open, honest Helen, and a former nun trying to find herself in a big way. *thumbs up*

Reserve your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4bF0MM6
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CVK269WV
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CVK269WV
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CVK269WV
AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3SV3rK7
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/nun-too-soon-5
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/ycyrk28k
Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/mrwwwhh5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208424713-nun-too-soon

Limelight by E. Davies [Review]

Limelight (Vino and Veritas) by E. Davies
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: May 3, 2023

Vino and Veritas
Roommate
Featherbed
Headstrong
Heartscape
Aftermath
Undercover
Booklover
Flipcup
Hideaway
Unguarded
Turnabout
Daybreak
Insatiable
Heartsong
Limelight - Paperback | Kindle
Undone
Showstopper
Unforgettable
Stronghold

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

Speakeasy
1. Touchstone

True North
1. Bittersweet

E. Davies
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Save the bees, ride a rock star.

Formerly famous . . . and planning to keep it that way.

After my band kicked me out, I ran away to Vermont, changed my name, and kept my head down. So far, it’s working and nobody knows who I am. Or who I was. Until I see geeky poet Caleb stumbling through his first open mic night and I can’t help rescuing him. He’s as sweet as the honey my bees make and sexy enough to make me rethink so many things. But I can’t tell him my secret, or I’ll lose the anonymous life I worked so hard to build.

Everyone warns me he’s too good to be true.

I can’t believe a gorgeous, successful winemaker like Tag is into shy, geeky little accountant me. But he helps me blossom and believe in my talent, and works his way into my heart and my bed… not necessarily in that order. I’m falling for a man for the first time, and now I know what the missing number in my equation has always been.

When lies are revealed, though, someone’s going to get stung . . .

Thoughts on Limelight: I feel like I need to preface this review by saying I didn't hate this book. BUT...there was one thing in it that is sort of a pet peeve of mine and once I see it, I can't unsee it. So, yeah. The book itself was okay. I just happen to not love one little thing that started giving me an eye twitch early on.

As an aside, I'm aware of how lame and petty this sounds. Completely. But again, once I see it, I can't unsee it and here we are.

I kind of loathe when characters giggle incessantly. Once or twice I can handle because it's a legitimate expression of mirth. But giggling on every page or every other page? It grates on me. Then I start waiting for that next giggling moment and kind of stop caring about what's actually going on with the plot.

Tag and Caleb were fine as a couple (excluding the incessant giggling). Their issues were understandable because who wants to spill all their darkest secrets on their first date (or during their first week of dating, even), amirite? I didn't hate the book, I just got caught up in that one little issue that derailed my pure enjoyment of their story.

Stage Smart by Aly Stiles [Review]

Stage Smart (Work For It #8) by Aly Stiles
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 4, 2024

Work For It
1. Street Smart
2. Heart Smart
3. Book Smart
4. Smart Mouth
5. Play Smart
6. Look Smart
7. Smart Move
8. Stage Smart - Paperback | Kindle

Aly Stiles
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

My record label had one rule… and I broke it.

In my defense, “don’t fall in love with your producer” isn’t exactly fair when your producer is Val Andrews, a sweet, talented, totally genuine prince in an industry of egotistical frogs. It’s especially not fair when your forbidden crush becomes a constant temptation while on tour with a vengeful ex and an enigma named Chad.

All I want to do is make incredible music and show the world I’m more than a vapid starlet. But when a cryptic memo reveals a sinister plot to destroy my career, it becomes clear there’s only one person I can trust—the one they said I can’t have.

Thoughts on Stage Smart: Okay. I'm going to say that I 100% know this is Val and Larinda's book, but Chad. Chad has grown on me. He's clueless and has the painful ability to make everything awkward within moments of starting a conversation, but he's not terrible. I mean, I kind of knew that from Nate and Nat's book, but this one really sealed the deal.

But enough about Chad and his Mer-Nuts and Mer-Kins and whatever other thing he comes up with that makes little to no sense. This is Val and Larinda's story. Val, who has been kicked around by his parents his entire life and doesn't see how wonderful and kind and TALENTED he is because of it. And Larinda, who doesn't know how to say no. Straight up, the lady is surrounded by people who do not have her best interests at heart and they put in her terrible situations and she just keeps going along with it because she's categorically unable to say NO.

Just about the only thing she's really fought for was having Val produce her album. And her record company is still trying to do everything possible to ruin that.

Now she and Val are on the road for her album tour and things are getting more and more complicated every time they turn around. Probably in part because of Chad, but that's another story for another day. Let's just say that Larinda is told to stay away from Val, the two of them can't stop chemistry-ing around one another, Larinda's sort-of ex is making everyone's life miserable, and Val and Larinda are forced to sneak around so nobody finds out about their relationship.

It's complicated and tangled and there's some double-agent spy stuff going on thanks to Chad. Because Chad.

Reserve your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/42Gnqzh
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CVJZ6QKN
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CVJZ6QKN
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CVJZ6QKN
AppleBooks: https://shorturl.at/fgiY8
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stage-smart
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/3nhk7zwb
Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/yhje53t4
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208419496-stage-smart

Heartsong by A.E. Wasp [Review]

Heartsong (Vino and Veritas) by A.E. Wasp
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: May 1, 2023

Vino and Veritas
Roommate
Featherbed
Headstrong
Heartscape
Aftermath
Undercover
Booklover
Flipcup
Hideaway
Unguarded
Turnabout
Daybreak
Insatiable
Heartsong - Paperback | Kindle
Limelight
Undone
Showstopper
Unforgettable
Stronghold

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

Speakeasy
1. Touchstone

True North
1. Bittersweet

A.E. Wasp
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

"It just figures that the first guy I’m bringing back to my place is cute, single, and totally off-limits..."

Sean Anderson has spent his life waiting to get the hell out of West Virginia. His plans got derailed when his dad shipped him off to “pray the gay away,” but he’s over it, ready to prove that he’s a grown-ass man who can take care of himself. Of course, he’d have a better chance convincing himself if he could stop lusting after his grumpy roommate.

Army veteran Cooper Hill returned to Vermont minus one leg and one career, but determined to build a new life. When an army buddy asks Cooper to keep an eye on his nephew, a junior at the local college, Cooper can’t say no. He’s expecting a sheltered kid. What he gets is a gorgeous young man whose brilliant poetry gives voice to everything Cooper’s been trying to express. He wants Sean more than he’s ever wanted anything. And somehow, miraculously, Sean wants him too.

But wanting each other isn’t the same as being good for each other . . . especially when past pain threatens to write its own verse in their song.

Thoughts on Heartsong: We're back in Burlington with a little age gap romance. You know what? It's not even that much of an age gap. Especially given that Sean is dealing with some deeply internalized baggage and was forced to grow up way too quickly. But we'll get to that in a bit.

First: Sean and Cooper. Sean needs a place to stay while he's in starting college away from his family, Cooper needs a little help around the house. The situation works for both of them, although they both have a little crisis of conscience (or something) as they imagine all the ways them starting a relationship could go wrong with them living together.

It turns out that's not really an issue. Neither is Cooper's age. Sean likes Cooper just the way he is and Cooper likes showing Sean the relationshippy ropes. So to speak. The bulk of their issues stem from Sean being told for a big portion of his life that loving another man is wrong. Plus, his dad did something utterly reprehensible and pretty much emotionally scarred Sean in ways Sean didn't realize.

A three-legged pup, quality time spent working on Cooper's house, some steamy evening encounters, and a whole lot of love and support when it's needed most. *thumbs up*

Insatiable by Rhys Everly [Review]

Insatiable (Vino and Veritas) by Rhys Everly
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 28, 2024

Vino and Veritas
Roommate
Featherbed
Headstrong
Heartscape
Aftermath
Undercover
Booklover
Flipcup
Hideaway
Unguarded
Turnabout
Daybreak
Insatiable - Paperback | Kindle
Heartsong
Limelight
Undone
Showstopper
Unforgettable
Stronghold

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

Speakeasy
1. Touchstone

True North
1. Bittersweet

Rhys Everly
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

It was just a bet . . . until feelings got involved.

This job sucks but someone’s got to do it. My readers expect me to chronicle my very real, very steamy encounters in my novels. I’d never want to disappoint my fans, but the creative well has run a bit dry. Burlington, Vermont, seems like a good place to fill it up. This town offers a tempting array of artists, craftsmen, farmers, lumbersexuals . . . and so many beards.

But no one prepared me for Brody. He’s young. He’s hot. He’s definitely a grump. And he's getting under my skin. Where I want him is under my bed sheets.

When my friend bets I’ll never be able to get Brody there, I make winning my mission. Turns out being with Brody is more than a plot device. He’s so very wrong for my life . . . but is he right for my heart?

Thoughts on Insatiable: We're back in Burlington and a (flirty) writer and a (grumpy) maple wine maker. Logan is...honestly, he's not terribly likeable in the beginning. Which I think might be a me-thing (but maybe not) because I am NOT a fan of bets that lead to people trying to get someone in bed. To be fair, Brody is also kind of unlikeable because the guy has a massive chip on his shoulder and is just kind of an a-hole when we first meet because of it.

Brody grew on me once he grudgingly accepted Logan's help with his maple wine marketing and started getting excited about life. (No joke, the guy was a walking thundercloud when we first get introduced to him, so getting excited about anything was a VERY good thing.) Logan took a little longer to warm up to. On the plus side, he didn't try to get in anyone's pants (except Brody's) once he met Brody.

A little drama, a jealous ex, a boyfriend of the ex who was actually a pretty decent dude, maple wine, pancakes, heartache, a romance book, a writer finding his inspiration, and a wine maker who needs to find his center. It is good to be back in Burlington again!

Daybreak by Kate Hawthorne [Review]

Daybreak (Vino and Veritas) by Kate Hawthorne
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: April 10, 2023

Vino and Veritas
Roommate
Featherbed
Headstrong
Heartscape
Aftermath
Undercover
Booklover
Flipcup
Hideaway
Unguarded
Turnabout
Daybreak - Paperback | Kindle
Insatiable
Heartsong
Limelight
Undone
Showstopper
Unforgettable
Stronghold

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

Speakeasy
1. Touchstone

True North
1. Bittersweet

Kate Hawthorne
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When a sunny young musician gets stranded with a grumpy mechanic during a snowstorm, a lack of heat is the least of their problems…

Liam Luckett is on an adventure. He's dropped out of his Master's program without telling his overbearing parents and set off on a road trip across the country. Armed with little more than his guitar, he’s looking for his best life. He never expected his car to break down in the middle of nowhere Vermont with a huge storm pending, leaving him stranded and at the mercy of a hunky local mechanic.

Jasper Cunningham is in a holding pattern. Three years after the death of his husband, he still hasn’t moved on. A hot, younger, stranded tourist is exactly the sort of complication this mechanic has been avoiding. But he can’t leave the guy in the snow. He brings Liam home to crash on the couch. The air is heavy with more than snow, and when the power goes out, the two men become closer than either of them expects.

Every silken note Liam sings on that guitar thaws Jasper’s heart a little. Suddenly, Liam’s itchy feet aren’t so eager to move on. When their feelings get too big to ignore, the bond they’ve formed is tested. Will daybreak leave them going their separate ways?

Thoughts on Daybreak: No lie, after meeting grumpy, heartsore Jasper in Emmett and Tai's book and seeing he had a chance at his own romance, I JUMPED on this. Because grumpy mechanics who are emotionally fragile are my thing, I guess.

Anywho. Jasper and Liam. Jasper's working his way through his grief and he's...well, he'd started to reach a turning point. Liam's presence sort of pushes him into taking a hard look at himself and his happiness a little faster than maybe he would have if left to his own devices. That said, Jasper really was trying to find the him that wasn't drowning even before Liam arrived in town. He was reaching the ready point, he just needed that little push.

As for Liam, he's trying to figure out things. Not his life, necessarily...no, wait. It's his life he's trying to figure out. He doesn't want to go the direction his family is pushing him and he's a little lost. He's also kind of into Jasper's grumpy silences and heated looks. Which works for both of them because HECK YEAH.

A snow storm, well-meaning friends, a song or two, a lot of simmering tension, and two people who need to figure out that they're what they've been looking for before it's too late. GOOD STUFF!

Turnabout by Laurel Greer [Review]

Turnabout (Vino and Veritas) by Laurel Greer
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: April 12, 2023

Vino and Veritas
Roommate
Featherbed
Headstrong
Heartscape
Aftermath
Undercover
Booklover
Flipcup
Hideaway
Unguarded
Turnabout - Paperback | Kindle
Daybreak
Insatiable
Heartsong
Limelight
Undone
Showstopper
Unforgettable
Stronghold

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

Speakeasy
1. Touchstone

True North
1. Bittersweet

Laurel Greer
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

I don’t have time for an unplanned visit home to help out in my father’s struggling letterpress shop. My stint in Vermont will have to be short, for a couple of reasons:

One, I’m a busy executive trying to climb the corporate ladder.

Two, my ex is still my dad’s right-hand man in the shop. And I am not over him.

Nothing has changed at the Burlington shop. Auden still has his infuriatingly sexy Scottish accent. He’s still hot, and still stubborn. Between operating the antique press with his shirtsleeves rolled up, and moonlighting at Burlington’s hottest inclusive wine bar, he pushes every one of my attraction buttons.

My falling-in-love-again buttons, too. Except I’m his polar opposite. I love change, and taking chances. Everything he avoids in life.

So why am I trying to convince him to reach for more than we’ve ever dreamed of—the possibility of forever?

Thoughts on Turnabout: A second chance romance. Even MORE: A second chance romance between the local who moved away and who's now a big shot VP and the steady, deeply competent man who enjoys his routines and security.

MAN, Carter and Auden had some road bumps to get over. Not insurmountable ones (obviously), but they did have to work around their issues from the past before they could do more than flirt with a potential future. Meaning, Auden has some deep-seated scars revolving around abandonment and losing his home. And Carter has big dreams (and plans for his father's business!) that his father can't work himself around to listen to. Carter's become relentless in his quest to show his ideas are good enough and it's kind of sucked the joy out of his life.

Good thing Auden's still holding down the fort when Carter steps in to help his father out. Auden still might be steady and cautious about a lot of things, but he's willing to listen (eventually) to Carter's ideas and he starts to see that maybe taking chances isn't the most horrible thing. Meanwhile, Carter gets to take a step back from corporate life and remember that it's not all numbers and profit margins.

A second chance, a little heart, a little marketing magic, a whole lot of reconnecting, and two people who find one another at just the right time. *thumbs up*