Visitor by Wayne Meyers

From Goodreads 

Professor Douglas Keller meets extraterrestrial Aldrea, a beautiful Quenterian scientist stranded on Earth, while hiking in the Adirondack Mountains. Hunted by the FBI and a warring faction of Aldrea’s people called the Radicals, she turns to Doug for help. Doug is no hero, but after Aldrea used her telepathic abilities to heal him from a lethal wound, a psychic bond formed between them that opened their minds to each other in ways Doug cannot understand and Aldrea cannot explain. 

In a nightmarish turn for the worst, Doug, Aldrea, and the FBI agents find themselves very far from Earth in the middle of a violent galactic coup engineered by the ruthless Radical leader, Veera, who aspires to dominate the galaxy. They must defeat Veera before Earth is enslaved—or destroyed. Out of their league and out of time, only the bond between Doug and Aldrea might prevent disaster, if they can figure out how to use it to defeat Veera before it’s too late.

My Take: 

I received a free copy from StoryOrigin in exchange for an honest review.

First, the concept and plot are good. Everything is there to make a great story. The characters have potential, but I wanted more depth from them. For instance, the CIA and FBI agents acted like a bunch of middle schoolers vying for importance. I never felt they were actually smart enough to pull off what they do in the book. 

The prologue was too long and made me think of the Incredibles movie where they talk about the bad guy monologuing. I believe the book would have had more mystery without the info dump at the start. Otherwise, this was an okay read. I did find myself skimming A LOT and I don't feel like I missed anything important. These were some super lucky characters in my opinion.

I give Visitor 3.5 stars and a Clean rating. There might have been language, but I don't remember it.

SEALed with a Kiss by Leeanna Morgan

From Goodreads:
Three billionaires, an emerald lake, and a lifetime's worth of happy endings.

John Fletcher is used to living his life on the edge. He’s an ex-Navy SEAL and the owner of one of the most successful security companies in the world. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. When his daughter asks for the one thing he can’t give her, it breaks his heart.

Rachel McReedy isn’t impressed with John Fletcher’s money, fast cars or jet-setting lifestyle. What she cares about is Bella, his eight-year-old daughter. She might not have had the type of life Bella has, but she knows what it’s like to be left on her own. Rachel is determined to show John the error of his ways, but she isn’t prepared for what she’s about to find.

The day John meets Rachel, life as he knew it comes to an abrupt end. She stirs something deep inside of him, creates havoc in his orderly world, and makes him question what’s really important. He knows Rachel holds the key to his daughter’s happiness, but will she willingly hold the key to his heart?

My Take:
This story starts off kind of similar to "Sleepless in Seattle" in that the daughter mails a letter to Rachel's Bride's Maids Club to ask that they help find a wife for her daddy. She doesn't leave a last name or any other way to get in touch with her, but Rachel figures it out when Bella comes into the classroom she's subbing for. After that, we depart from the light hearted RomCom.

We get glimpses that there is something much more serious going on in John's life. There is a reason he's so protective of his daughter, and even though it takes Rachel a while to catch on, she only wants Bella to be happy. I love that she doesn't just cave to everything that John tells her to do. She tries to be helpful, even if it's a little outside of his comfort zone.

These two fight the attraction for as long as they can in an effort to protect themselves, each other, and Bella. After a blow up, where John says lots of mean things and fires Rachel, we have a PG-13 make up closed door scene. And it's all downhill from there. Which is what usually happens in romance novels. However, I appreciate that the split up after sex isn't because of something stupid like they didn't talk. Rachel asks John straight up what it meant, how he feels, and he just can't man up to his own feelings. That feels like a natural situation to me.

Anyway, we eventually get our HEA, although it kind of felt rushed to me for some reason.

I give SEALed with a Kiss a 4, with a PG-13 rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

 R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

One To Keep by Ev Bishop

Ha! I love a romance that's filled with humor. We start off with Sophie and Jesse in the same bar sitting alone and toasting themselves for deciding to be single forever. They've both had too much too drink, and even though neither of them are casual one night stand kind of people they try. And they both chicken out. I really liked that.

They spend the next few days getting to know each other, riding quite the roller coaster of attraction and irritation with each other. There's a lot of baggage for them to work through, but I felt the story line flowed smoothly and believably.

You'll find Sophie refreshingly honest, even when she's confused about her own emotions. Jesse is alternately sweet and frustratingly "man" when he's trying to figure out his own deal.

The only character that confused me in this story was Stella. She started off nice and then had a night of total witchery if you know what I mean. It was the classic "I like him so I'm going to sabotage you" routine and it was so obvious I don't think Sophie should have fallen for it.

Anyway, I'd give this a movie rating between PG-13. They don't, but there's foreplay that's more than PG. The story itself gets a solid 4 from me.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
 R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

Batter Up by Roybn Neeley

I've downloaded a ton of new books for this year and have been hoping some would be review worthy. Since not all of them would technically fall into the Clean category, I've added a PG and up rating to some of these. Hopefully, that will help you gauge whether or not you want to give the book a chance.

From Goodreads:

She mixes more than flour and sugar into her cake batter, and he’s about to find out if a little bit of magic is to his taste...

Bakeshop owner Emma Stevens has a secret — a delicious, slightly unorthodox secret. Each Monday, she mixes up a premonition to share with the bachelors of Buttermilk Falls, and sets one lucky man on the path to true love.

When reporter Jason Levine finds himself mixed up in a Las Vegas bachelorette party, he hears the strangest rumour: the marriage is happening thanks to magic cake batter. Seriously sceptical, and sick of frauds, Jason journeys to the backwater town of Buttermilk Falls to expose the baker and release the townspeople from her evil clutches.

But when Jason meets Emma, tempers flare and sparks fly. Will Jason cling to his logic at the expense of a future, or will he let himself fall under Emma’s spell?

My Take: This was a fun read with a little magical baking thrown in. The fantasy element gave a nice little twist and made for some good laughs. Emma's been hosting Batter Up night for a couple years now, continuing her grandmother's tradition of nudging bachelors toward their true love with a little magic cake batter. Too bad the magic only gives the names of men's sweethearts and not women. Emma's cousin Abby keeps trying though, and she pulls a "J" out of the batter for Emma. 

Jason is a journalists who's spent too much time on the down and dirty crime beat of Miami. A detour to Buttermilk Falls to expose a con-artist in a bakeshop sounds like a great diversion. Little does he know how this trip will change his life and his heart.

I really enjoyed the chemistry and the snarkiness between these two as they fought it out and gave in to their attraction. Rating--PG-13. All sex is closed door, but there is quite a bit of talk about it. This is a mash-up of several other popular romance tropes--bakery, journalist out to uncover something just to be converted to the cause, intense rivalry between two girls, an auction for bachelors,

I give this one a 4.5 because it was so fun to read.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

The Billionaire's Heart by Kathleen O'Brien

From Goodreads:
High School art teacher Sophie Smith is usually the most honest of women. But when her dearest friend and mentor asks her to be her stand-in on a two-week vacation at an Amalfi Coast luxury resort, she won’t let her down… even if it means posing as a rich, pampered socialite.

As it turns out, Sophie could get used to this, especially handsome, enigmatic gardener Declan Muldoon who’s strangely more thrilling than any of the billionaires buzzing around. She ends up falling for him—hard.

Then Sophie discovers she’s not the only one pretending. Declan’s gardener gig is temporary. He’s actually the black sheep of a very wealthy, powerful family, a man who appears to be in need of an heiress.

An heiress exactly like Sophie is pretending to be…

*Previously titled The Billionaire's Secret

My Take:
The Amalfi Coast sounds like a dream! I can see how Sophie allows herself to get lost in the beauty of it all. I loved that she bumbles through playing the part of a rich socialite at times, while pulling it off at others. Her discomfort with that life shows though in the fact that she's drawn to the gardener. Oh, sure there's that lovely sexual tension too, but initially I think she finds him safer because he isn't filthy rich. Or so she thinks.

Declan never really chases Sophie for her money as is hinted at in the blurb. And for that fact, I'm grateful. He's really a good guy, and he wants to be with her simply because he enjoys her company. he tries so hard to keep it on a friend basis, but Sophie is a force to be reckoned with.

There is a closed door scene and a lovely ending to it all after a bit of moping heart break.

I give this one a solid 4.5 because I never felt frustrated by any of the plot devices. It was easy to get lost in the story.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Until Summer Ends by Elana Johnson

From Goodreads: 

Sophie Newton is determined to prove herself to her father, who insists she could never run a successful business. She opens a beachside taco stand called The Sandy Tortilla and plans to make her own way, one burrito at a time. When she loses her summer help, Sophie rushes to find somebody to help take orders. She finds that somebody in Montgomery Winters, a struggling actor from LA.

Mont takes the job; the money’s useful, though he finds that his curvy boss is what really keeps him around. As Sophie and Mont work, they discover an intense attraction between them. But when Mont’s agent calls him about a career-making audition, he decides he must pursue the opportunity, even though he can’t get Sophie out of his head.

Now, Sophie must choose between chasing after the man she’s falling in love with and the business she’s fought so hard to build.

My Take:
First off, I've always loved Johnson's easy to read writing style. She draws you in and lets your imagination create the pictures. There isn't any author intrusion to throw you out, and I appreciate that.

I could totally relate to Sophie and her little OCD neurosis. Seriously, there were so many things she did that I've done myself. Falling in love with someone you know won't be staying around is amazingly hard on someone who needs to feel like they are in control of their future. All those emotions and challenges are there, and Sophie works through them one by one. Working through the process with her was therapeutic.

Mont is also complex and fascinating. He's a giver. He's determined to make it big so he can help pay for his father's medical bills. Sure, he's doing what he loves, but when it comes down to the big chance or staying with Sophie, he has real reasons for the hard choice. I like that. It isn't some silly little thing that's pulling him away from what he wants.

In the end they both have to take chances and make a few changes.

I give Until Summer Ends a 4.5!

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure