2020 ARC Reviews
In Too Deep, by Skye Jordan
Absolutely captivated by Skye Jordan’s quick and intriguing novel, In Too Deep. Consumed with memories from her past, tragedy forces Laiyla to return to Wildfire Lake, a place that holds heartache. However, when reunited with her past love, Levi, sparks fly and their passion reignites. Both realizing that emotions still run deep, Levi refuses to be hurt again and places an ultimatum: it's all or nothing. Will love prevail, or will the past repeat itself?
A well written read, In Too Deep has a great storyline and loveable characters. We adored Laiyla and Levi’s story!
Thank you to Cygnet Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MarvelUsReads
Posted: July 5, 2020
Rating: 4.3 Stars
Publisher's Description:
A fresh and sexy new series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Skye Jordan
I’ve got one hell of a life--the business of my dreams, a close-knit family, and the title of elusive but most-eligible bachelor in town.
The only thing I’m missing now is my heart. I gave it away as a teenager and never got it back.
I didn't think I’d see that girl again. She was my best friend, my first love, the person I couldn’t wait to see arrive in June and couldn’t stand to see leave in September. But the summer she turned eighteen, she flew off to Paris and never looked back.
When she resurfaces twelve years later, I don’t want to want her. I don’t even want to care. I really just want my fucking heart back so I can move on with a normal life--marriage, kids. Hell, I’d settle for a cease-fire in my romantic life.
It turns out we’ve got a shared interest in her grandfather’s land. This could be the perfect opportunity to settle the past. Or it could be the biggest mistake of my life, the one that destroys my heart for good.
Books in the Wildfire Lake series can be read as stand alone novels.
IN TOO DEEP
GOING UNDER
SWEPT AWAY
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What The Heart Wants, by Audrey Carlan
Spellbound and utterly dazzled by Audrey Carlan’s What The Heart Wants! After reading a letter left by her deceased mother, Suda Kaye abandons her former life to travel the world.Ten years later,she has returned home with the intention of starting over, but is it possible to reestablish the life she once knew? With her sister ecstatic and her former lover, Camden ravaged by resentment, neither are convinced she will stay. Will she be able to persuade her loved ones, and reignite the love she once knew with Camden?
A well written, enticing storyline, and enjoyable characters. What The Heart Wants is a great read!
Thank you to HQN Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MarvelUsReads
Posted: June 12, 2020
Rating: 4.3 Stars
Publisher's Description:
From the #1 bestselling author of the beloved Calendar Girl books comes the first in a witty, wise and emotionally compelling new series, where coming home is just the beginning…
“Fly free.”
For ten years those words, written on pink parchment paper in her mother’s beautiful handwriting, have been Suda Kaye Ross’s guiding star. Every year on her birthday, Suda Kaye opens another of the letters her mother penned before she passed, heeding the advice inside as she fills her life with experiences. From Italy to Australia, from Rio to Russia, she’s slaked her wanderlust. And then, on her twenty-eighth birthday, she opens the letter that sends her home.
Returning to Colorado means confronting everything—and everyone—she left behind, including her cherished sister, Evie, and her first love, Camden Bryant. Suda Kaye and Cam spent four years and one unforgettable night together. Given the way she ran out on him, it’s no surprise that he’s wary, resentful…and engaged to someone else. Evie, hardworking and überresponsible, just wants her sister to put down roots at last.
For Evie’s sake, and her own, Suda Kaye is trying to build a new life, all the while wondering whether it’s too late to come back home—or if the most important part of her never really left.
Live:July 28, 2020
Never Look Back, by Mary Burton
A string of missing persons, and an agent on the hunt for answers! Mary Burton’s Never Look Back ignites with the brutal attack of Agent Melina Shepard, wherein, she is left covered in evidence and in search of a dangerous perpetrator with a fatal attraction!
In her pursuit of this ruthless assailant, Agent Melina Shepard joins forces with fellow Agent Jerrod Ramsey. However, as the evidence begins to mount and unearth chilling discoveries, their cases unexpectedly begin to collide. The crime scenes continue to soar, as chaos ensues, a kidnapping transpires, and a gripping takedown is at hand, placing lives at stake!
Captured from the very beginning, Mary Burton meticulously unraveled a riveting story with a palpating beginning, intriguing twists and turns, and a jaw dropping explosive finale! A criminal suspense, with a slight touch of romance!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MarvelUsReads
Posted: April 20, 2020
Rating: 4.3 Stars
Publisher's Description:
After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute. While working the street, she narrowly avoids becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much as it pains her to admit, she needs backup.
Enter lone wolf FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a scene where a little girl has been found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They open the trunk to reveal a horror show and quickly realize they’re dealing with two serial killers with very different MOs. The whole situation brings back memories for Melina—why does this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?
Before time runs out, Melina must catch not one but two serial killers, both ready to claim another victim—and both with their sights set on her.
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'Til Death Do Us Part, by Samantha Baca
Debut novelist, Samantha Baca left us in absolute awe in ‘Til Death Do Us Part. This read held us on the edge of our seats with suspense, all the while capturing our hearts. We were engulfed by the terrifying journey Mia faces, as she races to escape an abusive relationship. Entranced by fear, her instincts bring her back to her hometown where she is reunited with her high school crush Chase. As the two begin to explore their renewed desire, danger comes knocking at their door! A definite page turner, and must read!
We look forward to further works!
Thank you to Samantha Baca for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MarvelUsReads
Posted: May 5, 2020
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publisher's Description:
Til death do us part wasn’t supposed to be a threat…
After surviving an abusive childhood, Mia Johnson escapes small-town Colorado and meets the man of her dreams. Damian promises her a fairytale life, but delivers a nightmare. Jealous rage turns violent, worsening with each bottle of whiskey. Hidden cameras and tracking spyware make escape seem impossible, but she manages to run.
Chase Walker has never left his tiny hometown, and he’s never forgotten the secret torch he carried for Mia. When she reappears, fearing for her life, he’s desperate to protect her.
Mia takes comfort in the safety of their friendship as lust simmers just beneath the surface. But ominous phone calls keep them both on edge and there’s never a good time for Chase to confess his feelings. With Damian closing in, hellbent on revenge, danger is a constant threat. Will Mia be able to escape Damian a second time or will she die trying?
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Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier
Gripping! Page-Turning! Jaw-Dropping! A spiralling web of secrets, lies, and betrayals, Jennifer Hillier’s Little Secrets is a compelling must read!
A seemingly perfect life, shatters in an instant, as Marin’s four year old son is kidnapped. Sixteen months later, reeling with guilt and a broken heart, Marin teeters on the edge of darkness. However, when her husband’s gut wrenching betrayal is unearthed, in an act of desperation she makes an alarming decision with rippling effects, which unleash shocking links to her son’s abduction! It’s all connected...their secrets...their lies...and most of all THEIR BETRAYALS!
Fixated from beginning to end, Little Secrets had us clutching our e-readers until the VERY LAST PAGE!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MarvelUsReads
Posted: March 11, 2020
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publisher's Description:
From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.
Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado's four-year-old son.
Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.
A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.
Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he's rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn't her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he'll be the last. She's falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.
Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek's lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.
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Before I Called You Mine, by Nicole Deese
A love so pure and selfless, Nicole Deese scripts a beautifully moving love story, in her latest novel, Before I Called You Mine. A heartening journey of adoption that both challenges faith and personal strength. During her journey, Lauren unexpectedly finds love with Joshua, a hero with the essence of patience, support, and sacrifice. However, when her relationship potentially jeopardizes finally becoming a mother, Lauren must face the difficult choice: motherhood or Joshua. Or, can she possibly have them both?
Because I Called You Mine is an earnest portrayal of a spiritual woman’s struggle with doubt, along an emotional journey of adoption. Through her challenges, being blessed with encouraging friends and a new love, who places her needs before that of his own. For fans of Christian romances, Before I Called You Mine is a refreshingly endearing slow burn read. Simply inspiring!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MarvelUsReads
Posted: February 24, 2020
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publisher's Description:
Lauren Bailey may be a romantic at heart, but after a decade of matchmaking schemes gone wrong, there's only one match she's committed to now--the one that will make her a mother. Lauren is a dedicated first grade teacher in Idaho, and her love for children has led her to the path of international adoption. To satisfy her adoption agency's requirements, she gladly agreed to remain single for the foreseeable future; however, just as her long wait comes to an end, Lauren is blindsided by a complication she never saw coming: Joshua Avery.
Joshua may be a substitute teacher by day, but Lauren finds his passion for creating educational technology as fascinating as his antics in the classroom. Though she does her best to downplay the undeniable connection between them, his relentless pursuit of her heart puts her commitment to stay unattached to the test and causes her once-firm conviction to waver.
With an impossible decision looming, Lauren might very well find herself choosing between the two deepest desires of her heart . . . even if saying yes to one means letting go of the other.
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