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Review: Accidental Runaway Groom by Carrie Ann Ryan
Accidental Runaway Groom
Carrie Ann Ryan
Clover Lake Series, Book 2
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 9, 2026
I picked up a groom on the side of the road on the way to a wedding.
One problem: I wasn’t the bride.
And he didn’t mean to run away.
Sometimes things happen for a reason and six months later, I’m back in Clover Lake and Sharp McBride is single, not-so-heartbroken, and my new best friend.
Only neither one of us wants to be just friends.
I don’t know where his heart belongs, and I don’t want to be the person to break what’s left. Yet I’m only in town for a short time and I’m not sure I’m made for small time life.
And if we’re not careful, this time I might have to be the one who runs away.
**Accidental Runaway Groom is a next generation, grump rancher, friends to lovers, not-what-you-think romance set in the Montgomery World & Clover Lake series featuring Jamie Montgomery & Sharp McBride. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!**
4 Stars
Accidental Runaway Groom is a sweet and fun Novella in Varrie Ann Ryan’s Clover Lake Series.
Sharp is a man trying to do the right thing. But when he wakes up on the day of his wedding in an old truck in a field, and not his home, the math is not mathing. When a Kind stranger picks him up on the side of the road and drives him to the church where his wedding is taking place, little did Sharpe know the moment he walked into that church his life was truly changing.
Jamie is just driving along on her way to a wedding when a man is standing there on the side of the road. Being the kind person she is she stops to make sure he’s OK and ends up giving him a ride to his own wedding. She follows him into the church and let’s just say it was more of a spectacle than a wedding. From that day, Jamie and Sharp began texting and became friends. Six months later, Jamie’s back in Clover Lake for a little bit of time, but she does know the person she made friends with as a person she would like more with but will not be a part of breaking anymore of his heart that is left.
Carrie Ann Ryan does it once again with Accidental Runaway Groom. A novella that can deliver the same level of emotion that a full-fledged novel does. We get heat, heart and family. As a long time reader, it’s very much a treat to be getting the next generation of Montgomery’s. Sharp and Jamie complement one another beautifully. A story that shows sometimes blessings are hidden as something else to surprise you with at a later date.
Review: The Suite Secret by Tierney Page
The Suite Secret
Tierney Page
London Hearts Series, Book 2
432 pages, Paperback
Published January 13, 2026
With globe-trotting glamour, sizzling banter and a fast-paced forbidden-lovers story, this seductive second book in the London Hearts series is perfect for fans of Ana Huang and Lauren Asher.
What happens when temptation doesn’t check out?
Gemma’s got it all figured out: amazing best friends April and Anna, a high-flying job, and a dating life that’s strictly no-strings-attached. Men fall at her feet – and she walks away from them without a backwards glance.
Max is a jet-setter with zero interest in settling down. Between London and New York City, he’s in a position of power working at a luxury hotelier. But when he meets Gemma in a high-stakes hotel pitch, their chemistry is instant, electric…and completely off limits. Why? Because Max is her best-friend Anna’s brother. And Anna has just one rule: don’t even think about her brother.
But the danger zone is Gemma’s favorite place to be. And some temptations are worth checking in for…
4 Stars
If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh, but also has the pages heating up, look no further. Tierney Page delivers just that with the second book in her London Hearts Series The Suite Secret.
The Suite Secret follows Gemma and Max, two people who are very career oriented and very good at what they do, but neither one of them are looking for love. They both kind of have this philosophy of when at work they work and when it’s time to play, they play hard. Little did they know that their business relationship would soon get tangled with their playtime relationship. This is one of those relationships that has all of those forbidden checkmarks next to it. There’s an age gap, he’s her best friend’s brother and their coworkers. However, that funny and fickle thing that we know as fate tends to have her own way of doing things even if it’s the last thing someone is looking for.
I personally think that Miss Tierney Page wrote a banger of a book. Gemma is one of those characters that you may not like it the beginning but when all of a sudden done, she was actually pretty awesome. She was truthful to herself and had confidence for days. She even owned her insecurities.
She’s one of those girls that knows how to get the work done but also lives for the party. Max, in many ways, had a parallel story to Gemma but different. Somehow, they fit perfectly together. The scene with them in the rain, oh my God, that was probably one of my favorites as a book.
The Suite Secret is a workplace, age gap, best friend brother, laugh out loud with heat and heart type of read. I was barely through the first chapter when the laughter began. I discovered Tierney while scrolling one endless night. Her book recommendations and the way she passionately spoke about books. I knew this is someone I could be friends with. When I saw that she had written a romance, I knew I had to give it a try. I am so very glad I did. She delivered an entertaining romance that checked all the boxes. She may still be finding her reading voice, but I will be honest. I am expecting things from Tierney Page!
Review: Careless by Carrie Ann Ryan
Careless
Carrie Ann Ryan
Ashford Creek Series, Book 0.5
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2025
On my 21st birthday, I know there’s only one wish I’m making when I blow out my candles.
A chance with him.
Only I’m his best friend’s little sister, so that means I’m beyond off limits.
And did I mention he’s older?
I’m ready to be seen as my own person and to take the next step.
But I know it can’t be with him.
Yet when I’m backed in a corner, there’s only one person I can call for help.
Him.
Careless is the prequel to the Ashford Creek series. Learn how Callum Ashford and Felicity Carter fall into a careless mistake before their full story in Legacy.
4 Stars
Carrie Ann Ryan just delivered an amazing set up for her new Ashford Creek series with Careless.
Felicity is home from college celebrating her 21st birthday. Celebrating with her family and college friends and a bit too much. Alcohol makes for a fun evening but the next night turns very drastically. When what should’ve been a friendly date turns to something very different. The first person she calls is not her brother but his best friend.
Callum is totally the person that you want to have on your side. He’s an amazing big brother who stepped up and took care of his siblings, an extremely loyal friend and protector. When his best friend asked him to check on his little sister after a hard night of drinking, there was no way he could say no. Even though he may have had some alternative reasons for saying yes. When she calls him in a panic asking for help he couldn’t move fast enough to save her. Callum has had a hard life and even though his heart may want more he pushes her away.
Talk about a set up. Carrie Ann Ryan hits hard and fast with this prequel to what I’m sure will be an emotionally charged story. Careless is the perfect set up for what’s to come.
Review: We Are Yours by M. Robinson
We Are Yours
M. Robinson
We Are Yours Book 1
440 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2025
From Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author M. Robinson comes an angsty, forced proximity love triangle where secrets test brotherly bonds and music brings them together, only to have destiny threaten to tear them apart.
I’ve loved two men in all my life.
Two extremely different men.
Where Julius and I blossomed from a loving friendship, Kraven and I stemmed from nothing
but hatred. A very thin line exists between love and hate, and I crossed it with both.
I fell in love with each of them at different times, in different ways, and with different words
and actions. Cause and effect has always been our problem.
This isn’t just a love triangle between the two men I love.
It’s worse.
Because misery is the only certainty when you”re in love with two brothers.
And now I’m faced with the impossible choice. Though nothing could’ve prepared me for the devastation when they both declared, “We are yours.”
Then, all in one breath, they begged…
“Now… say you’re mine.”
4 Stars
Looking for an angsty, love triangle? Well, my reading friends look no further. Author M. Robinson delivers just that with the raw and emotional We Are Yours.
I’m gonna try to do this without giving away any of the story, considering this is the first book of a duet. I know that sometimes it is easier said than done, but I’m gonna try and focus on my feelings towards the book as opposed to what’s happening in the book.
First of all, we definitely get all the fields. If you do not like angst in your romances, this one might not be for you. However, if you do, grab your box of tissues, get a drink and settle in. This is a story of three people who have already been dealt a pretty bad hand. Each carrying emotional baggage that affects them. A story of when no one else was there for them. They had music. Music as an escape. There is a fine line between love and hate, and the Author very much puts us right in the center of it.
I felt, I cried. The betrayal and the passion bleed through the pages that you can’t help but feeling everything the story has to offer. I have to say this is a very intense story and we do have debt cliffhanger at the end, but it is well worth it. And I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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: Built to Last by Lexi Blake
Built to Last
Lexi Blake
Park Avenue Promise, Book 3
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 27, 2025
From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, discover The Park Avenue Promise Series…
Three young women make a pact in high school—
to always be friends and to one day make it big in Manhattan
Built to Last
Harper Ross has always dreamed of working on one of the magnificent brownstones of Park Avenue. Now one of her closest friends has bought the house of her dreams and hired Harper to do the construction work. She wants to showcase the renovation on a television show for her brand-new production company. It’s the same grand home she and her friends promised themselves they would be able to afford one day. Working on it isn’t the same as living in it, but it’s all a part of Harper’s grand plan to grow her father’s construction business into one of the biggest in the city. The only obstacle—the designer on the project.
Reid Dorsey believes in the balance between beauty and functionality. As one of Manhattan’s new voices in design, he’s excited to get to work on a true Gilded Age property. If only the owner had selected a contractor he enjoyed working with. Oh, Harper was brilliant and her work was excellent, but she has an opinion on everything—and it’s usually the opposite of his.
Over the course of the job, these enemies start to see different sides of each other, and suddenly their fights don’t seem so bad. But when the project is threatened, they might have to choose between their jobs and the beautifully designed future they could share.
4 Stars
Built to Last is the third book of Lexi Blakes Park Avenue promise series and follows Harper Ross and Reid Dorsey. An enemies to lovers romance that gives total romcom vibes. Lexi Blake is a master of mixing spice, banter, and characters that you can’t help but to fall in love with.
Harper is a CEO of her family’s construction company and has the weight of her entire family and their backwards way of thinking upon her shoulders. Read is an interior designer who used to have a design show with his brother. We have heard of grumpy crossed with sunshine or what about grumpy crossed with grumpy. That’s what Harper and Reid are to one another but yet there is an indescribable and unmistaken attraction that the two share. However, both of them are hardheaded and want to have their way. Harper feels that her dream of her storing this brownstone is falling through the cracka. Harper believes that reads designs take away from the historic value of the home while Reid is doing and continuing changing and adapting to what the owner of the home wants. They have two completely different styles and you could see how they would naturally butt heads.
.
Lexi Blake delivers a lighthearted and snarky banter, romance that we can all sync our teeth into.
Review: When We Break by Kristen Proby
When We Break
Kristen Proby
The Blackwells of Montana Series, Book 2
347 pages, Kindle Edition
May 8, 2025 by Ampersand Publishing, Inc
From New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby comes When We Break, a small-town, cowboy, heroine in danger romance, set in Bitterroot Valley!
Beckett
I’ve seen the gorgeous redhead with the big black dog that never leaves her side around town. She’s impossible to miss with that lush red hair and perfect green eyes. But it’s when she opens her plump lips and the sound of Ireland comes out of her kissable mouth that I know I’m a goner. I know she’s the one for me and I’ll do whatever it takes to make Skyla Gallagher mine. I can be a patient man and all I want in the world is to worship every bit of her, inside and out.
Skyla
I moved to the lovely town of Bitterroot Valley, Montana because I needed a safe place. I left my life in New York as a prima ballerina after an injury that I never fully healed from, and to escape the obsession of a madman. I adore this new community, but I must admit that Beckett Blackwell is the very best part. I love his kindness, his patience, and his thoughtfulness. But most of all, I can’t get enough of the way he worships my body, and then does everything he can to pamper me afterwards. Beckett is a drug that I’ve become addicted to. But will my stalker find me in Montana, ruining everything we’ve started together, before we have had our chance at forever?
4.5 Stars
Skyla has been living her dream as a ballerina in New York City. Who knew going on a date with what a nice guy ended up, turning her world upside down. Skyla moved from the big city to the small and cozy town of Bitterroot Valley to escaped an obsessed man, and to have a place where she felt safe. Skyla has fallen in love with her new community. She has even started to plant her roots within the community. With her trusty sidekick and therapy dog, Riley, the two have befriended everybody in the town. Skyla is an incredible woman. She is a survivor and warrior. Yet the last thing that she wants or needs is a man in her life. Yet Beckett Blackwell is someone she seems to not be able to stop thinking about.
Beckett Blackwell is the most unbelievable of men. And I say that in every good way possible. He’s an amazing brother. A fantastic and fun uncle and you could not ask for a better friend or brother. Beckett understands what hard work and dedication is and can do. I honestly think this was every book that Kristen Proby writes but Beckett may be the best male Aid character she has written today. He’s charming and funny. He’s caring and protective. From the people that he loved to the animals on his farm he will do what it takes to make sure they’re well and safe. He is a persistent man, but he also knows what boundaries are. There is a fiery, red haired woman with a big black dog that Beckett can’t seem to get out of his mind.
Beckett and Skyla are brilliant together. Their chemistry is amazing. They can talk to one another easily. You can tell that genuinely enjoy just being with one another. Not to mention the fiery passion that the two of them share. Kristin Proby gives us an amazing love story with When We Break. Beckett is one of those guys that understands that the little things matter. It took a bit for Skyla to let down her walls to be it, but when she did a whole New World opened for both of them. Get ready to feel a lot of emotions as Beckett and Skyla show us their way to their happily ever after.
Review: Jacob by V.H. Nicolson
Jacob
V.H. Nicolson
The Boys of Castleview Cove Series Book 2
April 23, 2025 by Boldwood Books
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2022
Once upon a time… You know the story… prince meets princess. Evil thwarts their love, and the prince must fight for her heart. Good always wins and there is a stunning wedding at the castle on the hill. I used to dream of having a fairy tale love story of my own, but I don’t think the author of mine got the memo because right now, I’m shackled to a bed, scared for my life.
My story started with an ambivalent prince whose parents reminded me constantly that I simply wasn’t good enough for him.
When I broke free, a new hero stepped forward.
My boss, and my ex’s best friend. Jacob.
Broad, toned, and dripping in ink that he tried to hide from me.
Turns out, I’ve been looking for my happy ever after in all the wrong places and he’s been here, waiting for me since I was sixteen.
Except, he made a teenage pact. An unbreakable bro-code with my ex. Never touch each other’s past girlfriends. Ever.
So we resist.
Although it’s amazing how much naughtiness you can get up to without touching.
But this is more than just lust, this is love and real love always gets a happy ending, right? If we explain, my ex has to understand… especially since he’s already engaged to someone else.
But, even I have to admit, this doesn’t look good. I can’t see how I will get out of this mess.
I wanted my fairy tale, but right now I’d settle for a chance to at least kiss my prince.
*****
Jacob, the second book in The Boys of Castleview Cove Series, is a steamy contemporary romance, dual point of view, best friend’s ex, friends to lovers, with a happy ever after. This book contains dark suspense content that some readers may be sensitive to or triggered by. 18+ only. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, check the Author’s website. All content warnings are also listed on the inside of the book.
4 Stars
Author VH Nicolson hooked me in from those very first pages. I was invested from the beginning, and let me tell you this story surprised me at how much I enjoyed it.
Jacob has been head over heal for Skye ever since he was a teenager. He had a missed opportunity when one of his best friends scooped in and asked her out first. He has stood beside and supported his friends and the girl he secretly loved for many many years. When Skye’s relationship ends, you would think he might consider acting on some of the feelings he’s been having but the pack of a bro code keeps him from trying to get the woman that he truly loves.
Skye has been in a relationship for many years. However, that relationship is not giving her what she needs and she finally breaks it off. Finally feeling like she’s breaking out of the shell and becoming the person who she was meant to be. She is a smart and successful woman yet she felt like she was not good enough for her boyfriend‘s family. She is almost like a new woman now. One late Saturday night while working on some code at the office, she witnesses something involving her boss who just happens to be her friend as well, that she should have walked away from. That single event opened a door to a world of feelings. Feelings that were extremely intense and just seem to intensify as time went on.
Jacob was my first read from Author VH Nicolson. It will surely not be my last. As I have said, the book hooked me from the beginning, and I was instantly invested in Jacob and Skye. Talk about chemistry. These two ignite the pages. There are some ants, some back-and-forth and a lot of sexual tension. From that first chapter, I thought the book was gonna go one way, but it ended up being something completely different, which was such a surprise. I truly enjoyed reading. Jacob and I look forward to going back to reading the first book in this series.
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.
Coffee Books Life 