The Harder We Fall, Rebecca Raine

Tristan caught my attention right from the start with his stubbornness, his damage, and his unnamed trauma. His personality was gruff, but you could immediately tell that he had a hugely valid underlying cause. As the story unfolded I was floored by just how deep his guilt went and just how far he was willing to go to keep it as he would a lover.

So when the real-life lover came along, I had to find out exactly how Sam would fit, would provide the path to healing and forgiveness. Sam had his own bag of problems and a past holding him prisoner, but unlike Tristan, Sam's problems were more mental than emotional. His tenderness, insight, and patience were a testament to the quality of human he was and how much he could come to care for Tristan.

Despite everything Sam was and provided for Tristan, true forgiveness and healing came only after he found it within and what gave him the key to that was a very surprising source. It was exactly right. The romance gave Tristan the foundation and support he needed to walk his path. I did have issues with Sam's reaction to a big disappointment though. It spoke to a selfishness that I hadn't seen before then. The disappointment was exactly what Sam needed to find his freedom too though, so laying it all on Tristan was unfair and I didn't like it at all.

But all's well that ends well, because they came together and forged something stronger in the end.

*$3.99 on Amazon

Insomnia. It's the penance I pay for my greatest mistake. But when an ill-timed doze behind the wheel almost introduces me to a pole, I know something has to change.

Sleep with Me, a locally-made meditation app, promises a cure. I don't expect it to work. Nor do I expect to be seduced by the voice of its creator, Sam.

Night after night, he gets inside my head. Coaxing me. Manipulating me. The situation becomes intolerable and I decide to meet the man I've been 'sleeping' with. I must own his secrets - before he ends up owning me.

In person, the quiet and reclusive Sam is his own kind of complicated. He needs my help as much as I need his and we form an unlikely partnership.

It's only business. It can't be more. Even if Sam refuses to deny the pull between us. Even if my need to get closer is more than my guilty conscience will allow.

I have no right to love, not after the damage I've done. How can I give Sam all he deserves, when our chance at a happy ending was ruined before we even met?

Sink or Swim: RELIC Book 2, Maz Maddox

At first I was bothered by all the intentional needling of Baha by Jackson; it took me quite a while to warm up to him. I already liked Baha and his eternal grumptasticness, though his grumpines sometimes seemed out of spite rather than his default. The moments of more, of the caring, softer side were especially sweet. The gifts, like Dalton's t-shirts, were completely endearing and very early on showed a side of him that was addictive.

Once I liked Jackson it was easy to feel as if I always liked them together, though that was definitely not the case. His interpretation of our prickly spinosaurus' offering tipped me over into love for him. Not only because he could work out Baha's intentions, but his utter gratitude and wonder and adoration of Baha's simple yet powerful actions. Hard not to love a guy who appreciates theropod-style courting.

"This giant, scaly, angry bastard had essentially just showed up with a box of chocolates on a date. But instead of manufactured sweets, he caught me a big, fat shark and put it at my feet. Cowboys didn’t swoon, and neither did pterosaurs. Well, they sure as hell did now." -Jackson

Speaking of the courting scene, it was likely the best scene of the whole dang book. I was the one who was sunk. Seeing Baha's walls come down, his heart opening, those were collectively my favorite moments. They were everything I hoped for when I knew he'd get his own story and HEA.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in sixty-five million years." -Baha

As for the drama, it was kept focused right where it should be.  The complications were few and slightly predictable, but well done so it didn't feel formulaic or rote either.  The bad guys were obvious and stereotypical and Baha and Jackson handled them all with humor, fierceness, sly maneuverings, and outright ferocity.  There was a balance to the story once it really got moving and as Jackson burrowed his way under Baha's skin and into his heart.

*$3.99 on Amazon

Trapped on a cruise ship with a man I absolutely hate is not how I wanted to spend this fake honeymoon. Especially when my “fiancé” has a deadly ex on the same boat.

Jackson is everything I’m not: brash, careless and a former fossil thief. But he’s my ticket to getting what I want -- the original Spinosaurus fossils that have been lost for decades. Now I have to play the part, win the fossils and try not to kill him in the process.

The danger of being caught, tortured or killed isn’t what scares me.

Navigating the waters of this fake relationship is threatening to pull me under.

And I’m terrified of sinking.

Adler's Hart: Briggs Ferry Bay Book 2.5, Misty Walker

Really short and a little too simplistic, but gruff older men who hide a soft, vulnerable, gooey middle seem to bypass any reservations I had regarding the story's basic plot.

Adler is gruff and surly and all the best kinds of hotness when we first meet him.  His fragile heart is there for us to see despite all the bearish behavior that's trying to hide it.  His reaction to Hart is just as described in the synopsis, but Hart sinks deeper than I expected and while the timeline is super short to seem to feel so much for the younger man, there's a long reflection that makes Adler's change of heart believable.  It's still tentative though, so what follows makes me feel better about how his offer is presented.

Hart is vivacious, caring, insightful, and just right for Adler.  His youth is quite apparent in some of his reactions and I'm mostly glad that we got to see him acting his age most times.  Having fantastic parents and a stellar friend helped him to see beyond what his unseasoned life experience didn't allow him to see about Adler and led him to reciprocating Adler's grand gesture with one of his own.

The confessions were sweet and straightforward as well as simple with very little to complicate an already complicated situation between them.  Their reactions to hurt were expected and their reunion was still simple but managed to pack some really good feels in there as well.  This story really covered a lot of ground despite being so short and I was happily surprised with how it played out.  Made me wish I discovered the series sooner, actually, so you can bet I'm adding the others to my TBR list.

*$2.00 on Amazon

I'm a loner.
Never getting too comfortable or allowing anyone to get too close.
So when I log onto the hook-up app on my last night in Ketchikan, Alaska,
I assume it'll be a quick lay before I go south for the winter.
Until I see the man who shows up at my door.
He's young, wide-eyed, and perfect.

All I want is a one-night stand with no attachment,
I should have known things would be different with a man named Hart.
After the best night of my life, I'm desperate to run.
Except we're snowed in.

I try to keep him at a distance.
But there's something about him that has me opening up,
letting him in against my better judgment.

Suddenly I don't want to be alone anymore.
I want to be with him.
My Hart.

Commitment Issues: Silver Foxes Book 1, Ali Ryecart

So many tropes to love, such a great author, and two well crafted MC's should have all worked together to make this book sing.  It carried a tune alright, but it wasn't what I hoped for though not a bad way to spend a couple/few hours.

Elliot and Freddie both needed one another platonically, but there was a whole lot of chemistry to work with as well.  What bothered me about that was not how long it took them to get on the same page and between the sheets, it was the constant denial and restrained honesty of feelings that took up more than half of the book.  Slow progress is still progress, but these men set up roadblock after roadblock.  Add in the conniving nastiness that was Gavin and you may as well be in quicksand with how the men were moving forward together.

They did finally work it all out, it just took a long time to get there.  I skimmed a lot of the inner monologuing that happened because it was differently worded reiterations of the same hesitations and denials again and again.  Internal angst can really work, but this edged too far into the self-pitying "woe is me" stuff that wasn't depth of feeling or motivational.

While it's clear I had issues with some things, there were insightful friends, wonderful confessions, and a really sweet epilogue to help things along.

*4.99 on Amazon

From fake date to friends with benefits, commitment's not an issue.

Elliot
Freddie's way too young.  I'm twice his age and old enough to be his father.  He's an adorable mix of sexy, smart, sassy, shy and sweet.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to be forced into taking him as my fake date to my oldest friend's wedding, just because my cheating ex will be there.

Freddie
Elliot's everything I want in a man, he's my ultimate silver fox fantasy.  But I've had my heart ripped out by an older guy before, and I've vowed it'll never happen again.  So why have I let myself be talked into posing as Elliot's arm candy at a posh wedding?

From fake date to friends with benefits, commitment's not part of the deal.  So where does falling in love fit in?

Queen's Ransom: Fog City Book 4, Layla Reyne

This is actually my first FF story and because it's an author I adore I had no second-guessing or hesitations when diving in.  I've already come to love these women throughout the previous stories in this series and I needed to know their story.

Something to keep in mind before reading...  This isn't exactly something you can read without having read the previous stories in the series because the interconnection, connected plots, danger, players, side characters...just everything, is just so much that if you started with Queen's Ransom it'd be very confusing trying to keep everyone straight (or not so straight as the personal preferences run the wonderful gamut of the Kinsey scale here in this family).

Helena and Cee could really have used a hundred more pages to delve deeper into the romantic part of this story since it wasn't a trilogy like Chris and Hawes got, but what we did get was both sweet and dramatic enough to fit well into the series and give us more angst that we'll need to really yearn for Brax and Holt's story.

Both women were passionate, caring, and while there was a considerable amount of hesitation and back and forth by Helena, it wasn't without merit and did get an adequate resolution at the end.  Cee also showed her mettle and she is every bit as wonderful as we've come to know before now.  I can't wait to rejoin their family and see their conclusion as every one of the Madigans get their HEA.

*4.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU

Add to your Goodreads TBR list!

Everyone leaves.
Love is risky business when you're an assassin.
Helena Madigan has lost loved ones to the family business before. Now that she's in charge, she's determined never to risk her heart again.
Except every time Celia enters the room, she takes Helena's breath away.

But the one time someone stays...

Celia Perri likes to be helpful.
She just wants to run the family auto shop, raise her kids, and help her brother plan his wedding.
But when a drive-by shooting targets the garage, Celia's simple life is upended.
Now ensconced within the Madigan family, there's no escaping Helena, the blonde bombshell she's been crushing on for months.

It could cost her everything.
As the Madigans investigate, Celia witnesses their love and loyalty up close.
And their business.
Instead of being afraid, she sees a place for herself among them. She could be a confidant and caregiver--if only Helena would stop pushing her away. If only she'd admit their mutual attraction might lead to more.
And if only someone would stop shooting at them long enough to find out.

*Queen's Ransom is the fourth book in the Fog City romantic suspense series. It can be read as a stand-alone but is best enjoyed after reading books one through three of the series, in fact, it's definitely my opinion that you're taking a bit of a risk starting here instead of with Prince of Killers.

About Layla

Layla Reyne is the author of the Fog City, Agents Irish and Whiskey, Trouble Brewing, and Changing Lanes series.  A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance.

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