Quick Reads and Quick Reviews 22

  

Work Rules: Breaking the Rules Book 2, Jacki James

Must Have Been Love: Camp Firefly Falls Book 20, Tragen Moss
Knocked Up: Crazy Love Book 2, Stacey Lynn

So.  Dang.  Good.  The characters were engaging, likable, a bit flawed, and incredibly sweet.  The relationship was full of tenderness, banked passion until they let it boil over, and freedom.  The drama was low and even the confrontations with the exes weren't overly dramatic and drawn out to create angst.  The reconciliation was almost unnecessary because they both acted quickly and thought through things with both logic and heart.  Honestly, this book was just so freaking sweet that I couldn't help but love it.  Yes, there was a lack of negativity in the book to create tension and something for the MC's to overcome, but I just don't care.

Ultimately what you get is two people finding the love of their lives.  You get to watch Alex seeing through Nathan's Trashy Club Kid facade enough to grant true freedom to Nathan's heart and soul as well as Nathan's whole person giving Alex the love he didn't expect to find in a man and making that okay.  They were a perfect match and the point was love and freedom for being accepted for all that you are and can be rather than a story about two men finding love amid coming-out drama and awful exes.  Those things are there, but they are muted in the face of love and acceptance.  4.5 stars.

*$2.99 or FREE on KU

Two men who don't seem to be a good match and yet are perfect for one another.  What they didn't realize when they agreed to a breakup was that they were in love.  Their time at camp for Brandon's brother's wedding is fraught with tension, regret, and a barely simmering passion that neither can deny.  The descriptions of feelings, experiences, the characters, the setting...all of it came together quickly and clearly so you could dive right in seeing as the story itself was so short.  There's very little angst except that which comes from the regret over the breakup and the subsequent tension it causes by keeping up appearances.  This story is filled with feels, reflecting on the relationship's ups and downs, and tons of chemistry.  I believed it.  4.5 stars.

*99¢!

No one expects to become pregnant from a one-night-stand, especially when protection is used.  But Cara finds herself in that exact situation.  What she knows of the guy she slept with is positive.  Whether that translates into an interested baby daddy?  She's afraid that her unexpected news will not be well-received.  After a rough beginning Cara and Braxton get reacquainted and grow something between them that meant they wouldn't just have a good co-parenting situation, but a relationship that was meant for deeper, more connected togetherness.  Their passion was not just intense, but there was tenderness and the shedding of emotional walls that really grabbed my attention.

This story had its emotional ups and downs.  I can't say I was charmed by Braxton's version of honesty, but it was definitely honest.  From the point that he committed himself to Cara, though, I could see just what kind of man he was and I loved him.  Like I said, his confessions about the time between the wedding and when she showed back up in his life didn't endear me to him but his earnestness and tenderness toward her from their second-meeting all the way to the end drew me in and kept me rooting for him.  I was predicting that the big dramatic moment between the couple would come from Cara and while she did have a small part in it, she was unaware of it at the time.  Instead, it was from Braxton.  The groveling gets huge, huge points from me here.  I love a good grovel.  I supported Cara and her decision to distance herself but I also felt that she was reacting on an emotional level instead of one that was clear-headed while hurt, if that makes sense.  Overall, the story was so great.  I enjoyed the characters, the steam, the tenderness, and the ending was absolutely perfect.  4.5 stars.

*$4.99