Always a Bridesmaid by Lizzie Shane

From Goodreads:
She's all heart. He's all business.

Parvati Jai knows better than to pin any romantic hopes on Max Dewitt. She may have had a crush on her best friend's older brother since she figured out what boys were good for, but she's looking for Mister Forever - not a workaholic entrepreneur with a romantic attention span that tops out at two weeks. Yet with her business failing, her newly-engaged best friend vanishing into a love bubble, and even her teenage niece announcing she's getting married, Max becomes the one person she can rely on - and the idea of a little fling with him becomes even more tempting.

Max knows his little sister's best friend is off-limits...until Parvati confesses she once had a crush on him and he can't help seeing her in a new - and very intriguing - light. He's never been good at letting people past his charming facade, but something about Parvati makes him want to let down his defenses.

But even if he lets himself fall for her, how can he convince a woman who knows all about his love-'em-and-leave-'em ways that he finally wants forever?

My Take:
This was a pleasant surprise. I found myself sick and spending a lot of time in bed, so I binge read my TBR kindle pile. I think I'd put this more in the love story category than romance, and I think I needed that. This simply means there were chapters that weren't just about the two people falling in love. We really get to know Parvati and Max as individuals without each other before, during, and after they get together. It makes their relationship mean even more.

Parv. *sigh* I felt for her. Her whole world was falling apart. It really was kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy that she talks about two-thirds into the book, but that doesn't make it any less painful. She's trying to be something and someone she isn't to impress her family, her friends, herself, and of course, that's going to implode. The fact she's never told Max she's been in love with him for over a decade is just icing on the cake. And, a note on her best friend Sydney, Parv is WAY to easy on her. Just saying!

Okay, Max is an awesome type A over-achiever alpha male personality. He didn't have a great role model growing up for a loving father figure but in his own way, Max isn't doing as bad as everyone tells him. I love that Parv finally goes for what she wants and is willing to give Max a chance. Unfortunately, before the end, she starts to doubt everything because she listens to Sydney. Why!!?? I love Max even more because he gives Parv exactly what she needs. He needed bonus points because he was going to do it before she runs. I'd like to point that out.

I give Always a Bridesmaid a 4.5 for everyday realism without being too stupid (thank you!). It's got real heartache, real problems, and real solutions. It gets a PG-13 rating for talk about sex and off-screen scenes.

NOTE: I'm not 100% sure on the swear words used so sorry if the F-bomb is in there without warning. I've kind of forgotten since reading.

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.
PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex
R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

The Touchstone Series by Andrea K Host

From Goodreads:

On her last day of high school, Cassandra Devlin walked out of exams and into a forest. Surrounded by the wrong sort of trees, and animals never featured in any nature documentary, Cass is only sure of one thing: alone, she will be lucky to survive. The sprawl of abandoned blockish buildings Cass discovers offers her only more puzzles. Where are the people? 

Cass is overjoyed at the arrival of the formidable Setari. Whisked to a world as technologically advanced as the first was primitive, Cass finds herself processed as a 'stray', a refugee displaced by the gates torn between worlds. Struggling with an unfamiliar language and culture, she must adapt to virtual classrooms, friends who can teleport, and the ingrained attitude that strays are backward and slow.

Lab Rat One:
Test subject was not the career path Cass had been planning.

With no privacy, too-frequent injuries, and the painful knowledge that she must always be an assignment to her Setari companions, Cass can only wish for some semblance of normality and control. And as her abilities become more and more dangerous, tests and training may be the only thing capable of protecting Cass from herself.

Caszandra:
Cassandra Devlin doesn’t know what she's for, but she knows she's running out of time. Space is tearing itself apart. Ionoth attack in ever-greater numbers. And "the useful stray" has been injured so many times that the Tarens hesitate to use her for fear of losing her.

With one particular Taren now her most important person, Cass is determined to contribute everything she can - and hopes to find some answers of her own.


My Take for the series as a whole:
I just finished rereading the series for the second time. The first time there were several typos and style choices that bugged me about the series, but not enough that I quit. In fact, after the first free book, I paid for the other two because I had to find out how it ended. I enjoyed the second read through even more because I could skip the annoying parts (which I didn't find as annoying this time and didn't even skip).

This series follows a girl straight out of high school, though a wormhole of sorts, and into a completely new world where she has to learn to survive. She goes from being a Stray (someone who wonders through the Ena, to a Lab Rat (her form of coping), to finally finding herself, a cause, and a new home and family.

My main complaint about the series is that Cassandra knew an awful lot about things that most 17-18-year-olds wouldn't (heck I don't know them and watching documentaries is a favorite pastime of mine). The character names also piled up to confuse me at times. Everyone has two like we do, but you rarely see them together to connect first names to last names, not even when new characters are introduced. And there are a lot of characters. However, the second read through was easier to put formal names together with the given names used when off-duty.

The world building is complex and imaginative if a bit disjointed at times. It is young adult, so there's plenty of angst, but I become giddy with Cassandra's need to find connections to her new world by relating them to several fandoms. They aren't more than a sentence and highly entertaining without trying to pull from those franchises. I just love her general geekiness. Here's one of my favorite quotes following the moment she decides to stop actively searching for a way home and help fix the tears in the universe.

"I blame Doctor Who. Mr. Spock. The Scooby Gang: both the ones in the Mystery Machine and the ones with the stakes. I've spent my life with stories of people who don't walk away, who go back for their friends, who make that last stand. I've been brainwashed by Samwise Gamgee."

And finally, in spite of some technical writing issues (which I think were intentional style choices because it's written as a journal), there are moments that I just connected with on a deep emotional level. There's a lot of telling, but then you'll get a scene that just grabs your heart. For instance, at the end of book two, Ruuel and Cassandra finally give in to the romance side of the book. You have to read the first two books to get all the ways this is such a big scene (all the complications and paranormal and political reasons they shouldn't, and so on), but it's one of those moments I just "get".

Ruuel tells her she needs to be certain she wants "this" meaning a relationship with him. Her answer is a beautiful example of love and trust, not just lust.

"What is certain? Haven't even ever really talked. Only know that every day, first I know on waking, is that you're not there. I hate it when you're not there."

*Le sigh* There is awesome sci-fi stuff, superpowers, scary creatures traveling through near space and tears in the walls to reach real space, secret agendas, and people doing the best they can to be "super space ninjas" as Cass calls them, and romance!

So, it's easy to say that this has gone into my multiple read piles. I know I'll visit Tare and Muina again many more times.

I give the series as a whole a 4.5 because it was good enough that I had to read it again, and I know I'll read it in the future as well. This is a world I can live in and enjoy the journey over and over.

I have to give it an R rating because it uses the F-bomb, but sex is mostly innuendo/PG 13.

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 (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

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

Aloha Baby! by Ann Omasta

From Goodreads:
Being pregnant and alone is not a situation Leilani Kehele thought she would ever be facing. Nevertheless, that is exactly how she finds herself in Aloha, Baby! Feeling like a disappointment to her family, Lani turns to her two handsome and loyal best friends, Kai and Honi, for advice. In an attempt to arrange the best possible outcome for this challenging scenario, the three hatch a plan to give Lani's baby a father. Will it work? Will Lani and her baby be able to find their happily ever after ending? Escape into the enchanting Hawaiian islands with Leilani, Kai, and Honi by reading this heartwarming tale of friendship, love, and triumph after heartbreak.

My Take:
I'm not going to rate this one because of certain things. One, I know how much time, effort, and self an author puts into a book (at least I hope everyone spends as much time as I do). Second, this is written in present tense which is one of my pet peeves. It just doesn't work for me.

Okay, the story itself has potential. However, I never felt connected to the characters and I felt like this was someone's outline draft for a book. It was all telling, no show (this could be a result of the point of view and tense). I wanted to like the characters and I wanted to feel something. Even though I finished it, I was left feeling disappointed.

There was a sex scene I skipped.

If I were to rate, I'd give a 3 on my scale with a PG-13 to R movie rating for the one scene. 

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

Adam by Chris Keniston

From Goodreads: 
Welcome to Farraday Country, set in cattle-ranching west Texas, with all the friends, family and fun that fans have come to expect from USA TODAY Bestselling author Chris Keniston.

On a barren road in the pre-dawn hours, Adam Farraday, the oldest of seven siblings, happens upon a disabled sports car and an angel in white searching for a disappearing dog. What is it about this secretive redheaded beauty that intrigues him as no woman has before?

After learning her fiancé's true nature minutes before her wedding, Meg O'Brien drives as fast and as far away from her world as she can. Stranded with no money, and nowhere to go, the city girl must learn to fit in to small town life and all its quirky trappings. Too bad falling in love with her handsome rescuer is not an option.

My Take:
First of all, I LOVE the idea of a modern cowboy take on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers! That movie has always been one of my favorites. I'm planning to read all of them, because I enjoyed this one so much. And just in case you're curious, child number seven is actually a sister--Grace.

Okay, Adam is everything a country veterinarian should be. Tall, broad-shouldered, compassionate, tough and gentle all at the same time. Meg is his ray of sunshine. Well, she's kind of everyone's bit of happiness. The whole town can tell she's in trouble and they instinctively want to protect her even though she's fully capable of dealing with her own troubles.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but seriously you have to read to the end to see her take care of her lying, thieving fiancee. Seriously, I was cheering "you go girl!"

The romance is sweet and steamy while staying mostly clean. There is quite a bit of innuendo and sexy thoughts floating around. The town and Farraday family are filled with great characters that you can't wait to learn more about. And that mystery dog from the beginning? Looks like he's going to make another appearance in the next book--Brooks.

All in all, I love Keniston's easy to read style. I give this one a 4.5 only because it did take a few days to read. *Christmas might have played a part in that*

Update with the rating scale: PG to PG-13 because of language and innuendo.

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.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

She Sins At Midnight by Whitney Dineen

From Goodreads:

Lila Montgomery, thirty-two-year-old Hollywood assistant extraordinaire, has a secret. On the outside, she’s a hard-working dedicated employee, a good friend, and a loving daughter. But above all else, she’s been raised to be a lady, which of course is why she’s determined to conceal her secret life. If her straight-laced friends and family back home ever discover that she is really the smashing new author of a steamy romance novel, their disapproval would shame her forever! That’s why Lila has chosen to publish her sexy narrative under the nom de plume, Jasmine Sheath.

With her fifteenth high school class reunion on the horizon, Lila finds herself at a crossroads. More than anything she wants to go home and see her childhood friends but is embarrassed that she hasn’t accomplished the things she feels she should have by this time in her life; mainly marriage and children.

After another brutal run-in with Melinda Forrester, Oscar nominated actress and client of her boss, Josh Furber, Lila decides that fleeing Hollywood for a month is the best thing for her. Lila packs her bags for her childhood home of Bentley Hills, sure that her friends and family will be the touchstone of normalcy that she so desperately needs. What she doesn't expect is that Melinda will follow her and a tabloid media circus will ensue!

Not only does Lila discover that her home is nothing like she remembers, but she meets and falls in love with the very man that inspired the hero in her novel.

She Sins at Midnight is full of laugh out loud hi-jinks that will make you never look at Hollywood the same way again!

Author, Whitney Dineen, swears that this novel is based purely on fiction and that any characters bearing any resemblance to any celebrities you know are completely and totally fictitious; even though she spent eighteen years in La La Land, with a celebrity client base for her real job…

My Take:

This was a really fun book! Lila gets herself into all kinds of predicaments that had me laughing out loud. It was also surprisingly clean. Okay, I'd give it a PG-13 rating because Melinda has no qualms about walking around naked. And, Lila writes erotica, but we never see that. There is a fade to black scene, but nothing that I'd be embarrassed for my teen daughters to see.

I kept laughing at how Lila was embarrassed for everyone to know she wrote a book, and yet everyone is reading it. It's also funny how even Melinda reads it and thinks the Countess is the heroine of the story.

Seriously, this was just a fun read. I give this 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