Friday, November 27, 2020

Book Review: Love is the Reason

By Sara Steven

To Katie With Love, by Erica Lucke Dean: Banker Katie James would almost rather settle for a fictional boyfriend than risk her heart on a flesh-and-blood man. Besides, the only real guy she’s remotely interested in is her rich, unattainable client, the mysterious Cooper Maxwell. When Cooper crashes Katie’s 29th birthday party, one too many drinks lands Katie in uncharted territory… Cooper’s bedroom! As if things couldn’t get worse, her meddling mother makes a surprise visit, digging up a whole new set of problems. Who would have guessed having an assassin for a boyfriend would be the least of her worries?

In a Jam, by Cindy Dorminy:
Andie Carson has to do three things to inherit her grandmother’s lottery winnings—sober up, spend a month running her grandmother’s Georgia coffee shop, and enter homemade jam in the county fair. Once she completes them, Andie plans to sell the shop, take the money, and run back to Boston. After a rough breakup from his crazy ex-fiancĂ©e, Officer Gunnar Wills decides to take a hiatus from women, but when wild and beautiful Andie shows up, Gunnar’s hesitant heart begins to flutter. Even though Gunnar makes small-town life seem a little sweeter, Andie has to decide if she’s ready to turn her world upside down and give up big-city life. One thing’s for sure—it’s a very sticky situation.

Better in the Morning, by Fern Ronay: Veronica Buccino has a plan: marry John Del Monico and quit her soul-sucking job as a lawyer. But instead of proposing, John informs her that he’s moving to London. Heartbroken, Veronica feels lost. Salvatore and Antoinette, her dead grandparents,begin to visit her dreams in an attempt to steer her in the right direction. At their suggestion, Veronica takes a news reporting class, which leads to a challenging freelance assignment covering a conspiracy trial. Just when her love life and career are looking up, Veronica is tossed back to square one by an event that makes her question all her new choices. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon)

I very much enjoyed reading this three-book bundle! While I’ve already read and reviewed In a Jam for Chick Lit Central, the other two novels were new reads for me. Love is the Reason proved to be a lot of fun and it couldn’t have been a more perfect love fest collection!

To Katie With Love: Talk about a plot twist! This was my first foray into novels written by Erica Lucke Dean, and it won’t be my last. The characters, particularly the ones who work with Katie at the bank, were such an abstract to Katie’s more meek and subdued personality. It felt like I had a front row seat when someone would try to get her to come out of her shell, to become more bold and brazen. It seemed the only person who could make that happen was Cooper, one of her clients. I loved how so much of his life and backstory was shrouded in mystery, providing many of the twists and turns that made this book so enjoyable. This was a love story shrouded in mystery.

In a Jam: Reviewed here (post link)

Better in the Morning: I’ve read Better Believe It, the follow up to Better in the Morning, and I can honestly say that it doesn’t matter which order you read them in. They are both great reads! I love the premise behind the storyline, that we have the ability to see our loved ones in our dreams, a fact Veronica believes in whole-heartedly, even when she doesn’t want the help. There seems to be a lot of that, that Veronica doesn’t want help and doesn’t think she can change the course of her life and the path she’s on. The want in switching from lawyer to news reporter only adds to that, and there are so many deeper layers weaved in. I loved how steadfast she is in her beliefs, in what she thinks she really wants to live a happy life, when it turns out what will really make her happy are the things she needs. She just hasn’t discovered what that is yet, and isn’t sure she has the strength to accept it. A powerful story about love, family, and personal growth.

Thanks to Red Adept Publishing for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by the authors featured in this collection:

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