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Review: If You Were Mine by Carrie Ann Ryan
If You Were Mine
Carrie Ann Ryan
The Cage Family Series, Book 3
376 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 2025
The last words I said to my best friend were “I trust you”. Then the world went dark, and I nearly lost everything.
While my best friend’s little sister lost even more.
I promised him that I’d take care of her—but if he knew my current thoughts when it came to Harper, he’d have never trusted me.
She’s too young for me. Too bright to my shadows. And too tempting.
Now I’m stuck in our small town, and I can’t escape her. I’d rather hide in my cabin, restoring what was one lost. Only Harper won’t let me.
I’ve already held onto more secrets than my family knows. I don’t know if I can keep what I feel about her secret too.
She sees beyond my scars and anger, and I know she hides her own just as tightly.
When one kiss changes everything, there’s no going back—even if it shatters everything in our wake.
**If You Were Mine is an age gap, best friend’s little sister, tortured hero, small town romance featuring Dorian and Harper. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!**
4 Stars
Carrie Ann Ryan draws you in with emotion, drama, and love in If You Were Mine.
Dorian‘s life changed in a blink of an eye. After a tragic accident took the life of his best friend and left him with life-changing wounds and scars both physically and emotionally. After a year he returns to. Cage Lake to heal in peace and quiet.
Harper has been going through the day-to-day motions since she lost her brother. With the last of her family gone Harper struggles. Just getting through the day is sometimes hard. A year later Dorian, her brother‘s best friend returns to town. Which brings up mixed emotions.
Harper has had a crush on Dorian for as long as she can remember. Dorian thoughts of Harper are not the purist. He promised her brother that he would take care of her, but would he want him to if he knew the thoughts that we’re going through his head.
They both struggle to get through the days, but what a single kiss brings things to light. It begins to change everything. It’s a test to themselves and what they feel as they both tried to navigate the emotions in chemistry that they are feeling. Carrie Ann Ryan hits another one out of the park with If You Were Mine. Be prepared to feel all the emotions.
Review: Endlessly Yours by Carrie Ann Ryan
Endlessly Yours
Carrie Ann Ryan
The Wilder Brothers Series, Book 10
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2025
Four years ago, I promised my dying wife that I’d do one thing: I’d move on.
And I knew as I took that oath, I would break it.
Then I saw Rory. The woman I’d met on one of my darkest nights, and the woman I can’t ignore. Our one night is a secret we swore we’d never tell.
When I see her, I see a glimpse of what could be in the fire in her eyes.
When she sees me, she sees the grumpy, annoying Wilder brother who could shatter her dreams and her heart.
With one stolen kiss, we both know we have a choice: to keep running or finally give in.
Only when she suddenly finds herself the guardian to her two nieces, the world crumbles around us once again. She needs to protect her family, and I know I can’t let her do it alone.
The pull between us refuses to go away, but now I’ll have to choose which promise to break. And if I’m strong enough to be the final Wilder to fall.
**Endlessly Yours is a single guardian, widow’s second chance, one night stand romance in the Wilder Brothers series featuring Brooks and Rory. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
4.5 Stars
You might wanna grab the tissues for this one. EndlesyYours is not only the last book of The Wilder Series, but Carrie Ann Ryan does what she does best and gives us a highly emotional read.
Brooks is a widower who lost his wife due to cancer. He made her promise that he would move on. When he made the promise, Brooks knew it was a lie because the love he had for her could never be replaced. Ever since his law, Brooks has been the quiet one of the brothers. That is until a particular woman walks into his life and then he has two things, haunting him instead of just one.
Rory is an illustrator for books. She self-employed and quite good at what she does. She is also a good friend of the wilder women. Roy’s life too, has taken a turn for the worse because of a tragedy. Losing her sister, and her brother-in-law in an accident leaves her becoming the guardian of two young girls. It’s very easy to say her life has had a dress change. Little did you know that Brooks and the entire Wilder family would step up and come to help her in the most amazing way as possible.
Anyone who’s picked up a Carrie Ann Ryan book Will know she likes to send us on an emotional ride. Endlessly Yours was truly just that. I also believe she saved the best for last. Remember those tissues I was talking about. Yeah you truly just might need them. Brooks and Rory are both suffering from hurt and loss in deep ways. Their lives are an emotional roller coaster. The way that Brook steps up is so swoony, my goodness it made my heart go pitter patter. This is not just a story of love, or a second chance at love. It’s the story of healing from loss discovering you have more than what you think and becoming a family. What a high note to end this series on.
Review: An Unexpected Everything by Carrie Ann Ryan
An Unexpected Everything
Carrie Ann Ryan
The Cage Family Series, Book 2
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 9, 2025
He left me with a note.
Weston Caldwell and I had two months together. Two months of intense heat and plans for our future. Then one day he left me sleeping with a note and never turned back. I closed off my heart and my dreams after he left and promised to take care of my family, never trusting love again.
So when I am forced to head to my family’s small town for protection, I never expect to turn around and see the man I loved.
I want to walk away and never look back, but when I find out he left for a heartbreaking reason, I’m not sure what to think. The chemistry between us hasn’t gone away—if anything it burns even brighter.
But my life is in the city and his is in this small town that draws me. Between his siblings, the town itself, and my new found family, walking away might break me.
Only Weston isn’t the only secret from my past. And it turns out, if Weston and I aren’t careful, we could lose everything before we find our second chance.
An Unexpected Everything is a second chance, right person, wrong time, single “dad”, contemporary romantic suspense in the Cage Family series featuring Weston and Isabella. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!**
4 Stars
Carrie Ann Ryan hits the heartstrings hard with this emotional and steamy second chance romance , An Unexpected Everything.
Isabella has had quite a bit of unexpected things going on in her life. An unexpected family of brothers and sisters that she never knew about. The unexpected way her father is still trying to control them all from the grave. Then the unexpected encounter with the man that she thought she was gonna build a life with. Isabella is an amazingly strong woman. She works too hard, but no one can deny her loyalty. She is an amazing big sister and will throw down for any member of her family. Her family protecting her may have just been the push she needed for other things to fall in place.
Weston maybe the textbook definition of a good man, even though he could communicate a little bit better. Just one life was starting to become promising, and he had begun planning. A future absolute tragedy struck his family. In an instant, changing Weston‘s life and priorities. He never thought he would ever see that woman who had never left his mind ever again, but when an unlikely yet dramatic encounter happens, it may have just reopened the book of something from the past, of something he still wanted.
An Unexpected Everything was a beautifully written story. Isabella and Weston get a second chance at something they both wanted so deeply. Seeing these two actually work through the issues of their past and allow their chemistry and passion to give them a second chance. It’s a story about love and healing. I love the family dynamic to these books. It allows the reader to connect on so many different levels. The cage family has crazy drama going on, but yet one of the strongest women we just discovered had an amazing soft side and a grumpy growly man who is willing to do anything to make her happy.
Audio Review: Accidentally Forever by Carrie Ann Ryan
Accidentally Forever
Carrie Ann Ryan
Montgomery Ink Legacy Series, Book 8
Narrators: Oscar Reyes and Lucy Rivers
406 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2025
In the world of romance, Aria Montgomery knows two things for sure:
She’s not in love with the man everyone thinks she is.
And she refuses to let herself love Crew McTavish.
Her former best friend is spiraling, and her photography career seems to be standing in her father’s shadow. Aria knows she needs to find her way out of the darkness. Yet she’s afraid if she allows Crew inside, he’ll not only take over—but he’ll get hurt in the process.
Crew McTavish enjoys being the mysterious friend of the Montgomerys. They may joke that he’s dating his way into their family one-by-one, but in the end, it’s only one Montgomery he wants: Aria.
Their pull to one another is inevitable and once a line is crossed, the heat between them ignites.
Only his family’s dark secrets threaten to pull him down and when Aria is threatened, Crew will stop at nothing to protect her.
Even if it means watching the world he’s built burn.
**Accidentally Forever is a next generation, protector, enemies to lovers, best friend’s ex romance in the Montgomery Ink Legacy series featuring Aria and Crew. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!**
Aria Montgomery is Alex and Tabby’s daughter from Ink Exposed.
4 Stars
Carrie Ann Ryan never fails to deliver an emotional story. Accidentally Forever was emotionally intense in all the ways I didn’t realize I needed. Crew and Aria overcome many challenges to get to their happily ever after.
Crew McTavish i’ve been a friend of Montgomery for years. One of his very dear friends is Montgomery and there’s a random joke among them he is trying to marry his way into the family. Crew personnel story is not an easy one, but the Montgomery’s accepted him when he needed a place and a family. Most of the Montgomery clan believe that Crew and Aira couldn’t stand one another, forever what he feels is very, very much the opposite of disliking someone.
Aria Montgomery is a brilliant photographer. She is so strong and has the biggest heart. She cares on a level that is soul deep. She has a best friend that is in a very rough spot in our lives yet she just won’t turn them away. She won’t help enable, but friendship means a lot to her. When that person hurt her physically, Crew was in the right place at the right time. It started a team reaction that maybe two finally can hunt their feelings and not just stolen nights of promises that it was never gonna happen again.
I have been reading Carrie Ann Ryan for well over a decade now. I can vividly remember when she announced the Montgomery Ink series. Ten years later the Montgomery family is still growing and I am falling in love with the next generation. Accidentally Forever gives us the emotional, enemies to lovers story of Crew and Aira. These two have been dancing around one another for far too long. A few stolen moments here and there left them running more even though they said they didn’t. Carrie Ann Ryan very eloquently talks about sensitive topics that need to be talked about. Aria and Crew will take you on an emotional journey, but a little bit of going down the path because you definitely worth it.
Review: His Second Chance by Carrie Ann Ryan
His Second Chance
Carrie Ann Ryan
Montgomery Ink Legacy Series, Book 6
316 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2024
The rules were simple. Protect the woman I love. And try to stop loving her along the way.
Kane Montgomery Carr and Phoebe Dixon’s romance went from a fiery temptation to a fizzled-out heartbreak.
Only Kane has no idea why.
All he knows is that he has to keep her safe when a stalker sets Phoebe in their sights.
Yet as the two of them are forced once again into each other’s lives, the truth behind their breakup surfaces and they are forced to face the facts: the feelings and heat they buried aren’t quite as gone as they’d like.
If they give in, they’ll have to face the demons that broke them up in the first place—including a startling secret that shocks them both.
Yet if they don’t, they might lose the chance of a life time.
That is, of course, if they can survive what lurks in the shadows for them both.
4 Stars
Kane fell head over heels for Phoebe. Their spark ignited, hard and fast and then almost as quickly as it again it ended. For reasons he didn’t understand, the woman he loved walked away.
Phoebe love Kane with everything she had I never expected for them to end as suddenly as they began. Leaving them both brokenhearted. Strange things are hitting too close to home, and the only person that she can trust to keep her safe and help is the person she broke it off with.
His Second Chance is the story of two people who are clearly made for one another, but yet it takes him a little bit to be able to get there. Phoebe and Kane are so passionate together in every way possible. Being away from one another did nothing to stop the fire that burns within. Now with danger on the page, Kim has decided he will be the one to protect her. Carrie Ann Ryan delivers a jaw dropping installment of the Montgomery Ink Legacy Series. This one really does it all the boxes for everything that you could possibly want in a romance story. A second chance at love, a good mystery, jaw-dropping moment, and of course it would not be a Montgomery story if it didn’t have cheese in it.
Review: Last Minute Fiancé by Carrie Ann Ryan
Last Minute Fiancé
Carrie Ann Ryan
First Time Series, Book 2
314 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 3, 2024
A single drunken night changed everything.
One positive test later, and I’m not only pregnant with my best friend’s baby, but I’m falling for him too.
Except when my ex finds out at work, I do the worst thing I could at that moment: I lie.
I make up a fake fiancé and my boss overhears.
Now I need my best friend to play the part. He’s good at it, too, since we can’t keep our hands off each other.
When we’re both forced to lean on each other, we’ll have to face facts.
There’s nothing fake about this relationship.
Even if I’ll break my heart in the process.
Addison Lily is a numbers lady. She’s always had a thing for numbers. She has worked very hard to gain her position at a prestigious, financial firm. Addison works at one of those companies where the men are at the top and just because she’s a woman she has to work doubly hard to prove her worth.
Luca is the youngest Cassidy brother and a veterinarian. How does your heart not go pitter patter over a man who loves animals. Luca has join the rest of his family in Denver to be closer there sister. Luca has had his share of heartache and a family past that causes him hurt. His vet practice is thriving in Denver. He has made a dear friend and that’s all he feels he has time for.
Friend to lovers is one of my top tropes and Carrie Ann Ryan does it so right. Addison and Luca have a beautiful friendship and a very deep bond. One night of overindulgence makes them cross the line. Both of them agree that it’s a mistake and not to happen again but yet their friendship continues. When the consequences of their actions become prominent, I love how they come together and continue as a team, and become more. Yes there’s a little bit of eggs, but we need that in a friends to lovers story. Last Minute Fiancé is sweet, heartwarming and super sexy all wrapped up in a beautiful story.
Review: Happily Ever Maybe by Carrie Ann Ryan
Happily Ever Maybe
Carrie Ann Ryan
Montgomery Ink Legacy #4.5
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 13, 2024 by 1001 Dark Nights Press
NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink Legacy continues with a workplace romance that started with a fling and ends with something more.
It was only supposed to be one job.
I know the rules.
Get in. Get out.
Protect the girl, then move on.
Only it never works out the way it should.
Now Jennifer and I work with each other and there’s no going back to normal.
Then it turned into something more.
Gus isn’t for me. I know that.
Only the chemistry that burns between us won’t fade away.
We promise it will only be one night.
Then another.
But when our actions have consequences that could mean the end of our future, we’ll have to figure out exactly what we want.
Even if it means walking away broken before it begins.
* *Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.* *
4 Stars
Hang on my reading friends, this one is fast and full throttle. Carrie Ann Ryan gives us a quick and hot read to warm us up on a winter day with Happily Ever Maybe.
Gus and Jennifer work for Montgomery security and have been partners for about a year. There’s no denying that they both are attracted to one another but with a job like theirs you have to put your feelings to the side. Or can they? Finally, they decide to put it all on the line for one night. But life steps in and handy them something else. We see a lot of things happen very quickly, but most of all we see two people stop, denying something that they will truly want and seeing how much their friends back them up in the process. This may be a quick read, but it packs the punch of a full novel and gives everything we love from a romance read.
Review: Good Time Boyfriend by Carrie Ann Ryan
Good Time Boyfriend
Carrie Ann Ryan
First Time Series, Book 1
Expected publication January 22, 2024
A new town. A new bar. A new life.
At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
I moved to Denver to try to piece my family back together, but I have no idea how to do that.
Then the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks into my bar, and I think things are looking up.
She needs a fake boyfriend for the night and I’m all too eager to play along.
But when the sun rises, reality settles in and I know I want more. Only I don’t think she’s ready for what I have to give.
I want to be more than a good time, but I know what I’m good for. I need control. And she’s far too innocent.
Only when something happens that changes the rules, we’ll have to make a choice quickly, or we could lose everything before it even starts.
3.5 Stars
Heath Cassity, along with his siblings, moved to Denver to try to put back his family after their not so great upbringing. He has begun to make routes in this new place. Hico owns a bar with a good friend and has wonderful support around him. One day a beautiful woman who takes his breath away, walks in and out of his life, as quick as it is to take a breath. Until another day she comes storming into his life while having us stare down with a table full of strangers.
Devney Womack is the absolute middle child of a large blended family. She has five older step siblings, and five younger, half siblings, but yet to her they are all equally her siblings. She knows they love and care for her; however their meddling has become a bit too much. With the older group of her siblings, finding happiness and a new chapter in their lives. They want nothing but the same for her. Tired of the constant nagging and meddling, she creates herself a fake boyfriend, but yet he’s based on a real person. It all becomes too much when her family conference, a man that she never even had a relationship with. But yet that man surprises her in ways she never imagined.
Heath and Devney start their relationship in a very unique way, and I love how it unfolds. For something that should have been fake, turned into something extremely real. It’s a sweet and endearing story of finding love in the most unexpected ways. Carrie Ann Ryan starts off this new series beautifully.
Review: Marked in Flames by Carrie Ann Ryan
Marked in Flames
Carrie Ann Ryan
Aspen Pack Series, Book 5
ebook
First published September 25, 2023
My mate rejected me, leaving me broken. I refuse to let that happen again—even if Steele is the one for me.
I hold the power of flame and future in my hands, but I know the world is watching. Waiting for us to fall.
The truth and lies that bind the Aspen Pack together are crumbling and I am to bear witness to its fate.
I know the Enforcer of the Aspens is my mate.
Yet neither of us want what fate decrees.
So, we’ll fight side by side and ignore the burning attraction between us.
Only when a traitor rocks the foundation of all we know, we might not have a choice to who we cling to in despair.
The vampires were only the pawns in this war.
The demons are on their way.
And if we’re not careful, the Aspen Pack could lose someone that breaks them.
And I could lose my mate.
Again.
4 Stars
The final battle is approaching. The enemy is always one step ahead and the pack has had enough. Everything is intense and emotions are running high as everything in the Pack world is about to come to a head.
Jade and Steel have been dancing around each other for sometime. They are both trying to each other, but yet both have things that keep them from truly discovering what they could be together. The Pack knows it’s time for all this fighting to come to an end. As they gear up for what they hope to be their final battle Jade and Steel take a few steps closer in the slow burn of a dance they have been doing with each other. They are an interesting match and complement each other completely. Each of them thinking that their secrets makes it impossible for them to be with another, but yet they realized they needed each other more than they could imagine.
It is always bittersweet when a series comes to an end, but yet all good things must come to an end.
The lines are forged and the battle has begun. Even in the worst of things, sometimes very good things can come from a mess. Carrie Ann Ryan ended the Aspen pack on a very thrilling note.
Review: Harbored in Silence by Carrie Ann Ryan
Harbored in Silence
Carrie Ann Ryan
Aspen Pack Series, Book 4
Dara is a harvester death witch. She holds the power of both life and death within her hands.She has taken on the task of keeping the ward strong for the pack. Cruz is the heir of the pack. Should something happen, Cruz will step in and become Alpha of the Aspen pack. Dara and Cruz have a complicated but yet an intertwined connection. Dara saved him in a way that is technically forbidden by the Moon Goddess. Yet the Goddess put them together as each other’s potential mate.
Harbored in Silence has the Aspen pact still fighting the vampires. Dara knows her time is Wendling. Along with the help of Wynter and Wren, Dara seeks out, elastic effort to go and talk with a Coven. Only to find the coven has been destroyed. Dara knows the only way to fight vampires is with the help of the coven. The shippers and the riches have to work together to put an end to the evil that they are facing. Dora embarks on a journey to form a new coven with those who were outcasted by the previous leaders. Cruz is tasked to keep Dara safe as she gathers her friends of witches in hopes of them joining her to help take down the evil they are facing. Through this journey, Dara and Cruz both learn many things that make a big impact on who they are. With all the danger and chaos going on around them, they found a way to break down their own barriers and find that they are each other’s mate.
Harbored in Silence I believe is the beginning of a pivotal point within the storyline. We are introduced to an array of new characters, we have discovered who the enemy is and more secrets are still to be revealed.
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