The Has -Been(Delleth College,#1)

 

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

     Thank you to author,Wren Riley and Rattle The Stars PR for letting me be part of ARC Team! 

 

 

                               09.09.26  

 

 Same campus. Same memories. Same unfinished story.

The only thing Aubrey Vaughn ever wanted was Liam Anderson. At least, that’s what she used to believe.

Now, she’s back on campus for her final year at Delleth, determined to make the most of the time she has left—rooming with her cousins and focusing on the career she’s building in athletic training. But her plans to make this year different quickly crumble when she has to face the one athlete she knows best: her ex-boyfriend, Liam. 

Liam was the star center of Delleth’s hockey team until a shattered leg and one mistake took everything from him. After a year away, the only goals he’s intent on scoring are completing his degree and putting his past behind him. That is, until he finds himself in the same clinical rotation as Aubrey, the only girl he’s ever loved. 

Determined to protect her, Liam does his best to push her away, but they’ve never been good at staying apart. Their lingering attraction, that magnetic pull, drags them back together. Both are keeping dark secrets, trying to outrun the past, but when it finally catches up with them, Liam and Aubrey must decide if love is enough to survive the truth.

 🌷

 
I felt so much for Aubrey and Liam; my heart broke for them on occasion. I don't remember the last time I cried so much while reading a book. The Has-Been had me going through a range of emotions, from the beginning of the book until almost the end. When I started reading, I was unprepared for all the emotions I would feel. Despite that, I couldn't put the book down. I was so invested in Aubrey and Liam's story, and I wanted to see if they would find a way back to each other. I loved the way Wren developed Aubrey and Liam's relationship, and especially the way she portrayed their emotions. 

The Has-Been is big on mental health rep and past trauma, and Wren did an outstanding job with it. It was so real, and as I read, I could feel all the emotions Aubrey and Liam felt. One of my favorites is that each character, including the side characters, was an important part of the story. It made me curious about their stories. Reid is one I hope gets a book; there was something about him you couldn’t help but love. The nicknames he came up with had me shaking my head and laughing. I am eager to see what his story is. 

Chosen sisterhood made me smile and had a big effect on me. It reminded me of a few of my best friends, who are more like sisters. I adored her cousins and the way that they were always there for one another. In general, the way that everyone came together, including the guys. I finished this book in one day; I couldn’t put it down, I only did when I had to. I would highly recommend this book—one of my favorites for this year.

One Wild Chance(Chance Brothers Ranch,#1)

 

 

   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

 Thank you to author,Grace Worthington for letting me be part of  ARC Team!

 

She isn't supposed to care about the ranch.
She definitely isn't supposed to fall for the oldest Chance brother.
And she's absolutely not supposed to trust him with her heart a second time.

 
Summer Daniels built her life on land she doesn't own, for a family that could take it back the second Jaxon Chance decides he wants it. Even though she works for Lucky Chance Ranch, Wildflower Farms is hers—the one thing she's built entirely on her own. She's got no interest in reliving the past, and even less interest in the infuriating hockey player who broke her heart on his way out the door after high school. 

Jaxon Chance built his whole identity on hockey. A career-ending injury just took that away, and it's sent him back to the last place he ever wanted to be—his family's horse farm, now failing under a mountain of debt. The only way to save it is to run the place alongside his three brothers, under the terms of a will that gives them no choice. 

What he didn't plan on was Summer Daniels, running her business on his family's land, making him remember exactly what he walked away from. 

But somewhere between their first fight and long days working the horses side by side, something shifts. Summer stops bracing for the day he leaves again. And Jaxon stops pretending he wants to go.

 
The farm is what brought him home. But she might be the reason he finally stays.

 🌷

 
I finished this book a couple of days ago and have been trying to find the best way to describe my feelings. I had a feeling I would like this book based on the title and the blurb. One Wild Chance exceeded my expectations. I felt as if I was hanging out with friends while reading this book. I found myself connecting to almost every character, especially Jaxon and Summer. What a beautiful story! I loved the way Grace portrayed the emotions of every character; it felt so real, as if I was experiencing them myself. 

One of my favorite things about this book is the community of Golden Springs. I loved the way the Chance brothers supported one another and, no matter what, stood by each other. The way everyone in the town of Golden Springs supports each other had me wishing I could live there. I loved the way that they didn’t just stand by Chance brothers’ side, but Summer’s too. The community, like this one, is what I love about the found family trope. 

Summer and Jaxon. I liked the pacing and the way Grace portrayed their relationship. I adored the way that Jaxon was always there for Summer, supporting her, helping her, and letting her know that he was there. It had me smiling every time. I hoped that Summer would see how much he cares for her. I loved the fact that this was a closed-door romance. I enjoy reading open-door romance, but I also love reading romance that has emotional depth and focuses more on relationship development and storytelling. The emotions will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Deal Breaker(Deep Cove Millionaires Club,#1)

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I came back to Deep Cove with a 6-year-old secret and a million memories I’ve tried hard to forget. But I’ve never been able to forget him. 

Ford Winters is more than just my ex. He’s my first love. He’s the only man I’ve ever truly given my heart to. He’s also the father of a little girl he doesn’t even know exists.
I didn’t plan on coming back home, but when I found out my mom needed me, I didn’t hesitate. So here we are, my daughter Poppy and I, back in the place where I left my shattered heart all those years ago.
What I didn’t expect? Walking into the office of my new perfect-on-paper marketing job to discover Ford owns the multi-million dollar company. He won’t even look at me. He’s furious, and he has every right to be after I walked out of his life without even a goodbye. But I need this job, and the company needs me, so we’re going to have to make this work. 

Easier said than done. 

The pull between us is magnetic. The tension is impossible to ignore. Every second we spend together is fire, and when he finally kisses me, I’m reminded why my heart has always been his.
But when I see how kind and sweet Ford is with my daughter—our daughter—it makes the guilt inside me twist like a knife. If he knew the real reason I walked away from him, if he knew the secret I still can’t bring myself to reveal, he would never forgive me. 

I can’t keep the truth from him for much longer, but how do I tell him without losing everything?

 🌷

This story pulled me through so many emotions. I still not over the affect that this book had over me. 

Landyn and Ford are the couple that you find yourself rooting for from the beginning. You could see there was tension, but also attraction between the two of them, from the moment that they reunited. I could tell that Ford didn’t want to feel that attraction towards Landyn, and I can’t blame him; considering how she left. As the book progressed, I could tell that it got harder for him to fight that attraction. It was hard for both to fight their attraction to one another, and I knew that it was only a matter of time until they couldn’t fight it anymore. It was easy to see that they were still in love. 

I loved both Landyn and Ford, and Poppy. I adored the bond that Poppy formed with Ford; how she accepted him. I hoped that Poppy wouldn’t be too upset when she found out the truth. I understood why Landyn kept Poppy a secret from Ford, but I didn’t agree with it. I knew that he would find out eventually, and when he did, their relationship wouldn’t be the same. Deal Breaker is so much more than a love story, it’s a story about second chances, and family. The depth of emotions in this book; especially how she portrayed Ford’s pain when Landyn left; it was phenomenal. I felt at the emotions that Landyn and Ford felt. Deal Breaker was the first book I read by Lily Miller, and I’m excited to check out her others.

Falling For Mr. October(Apple Ridge,#1)

 

 

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

Thank you to author,Angela Casella for EARC. All opinions are my own. 

 

 

 09.02.26 

 

 

Everyone loves Mr. October...except for his fake girlfriend.

 
Bianca 

 
I thought I was having the worst day of my life, but the nightmare continues when I come home and find surprise houseguests. Without telling me, my grandmother invited her former best friend, Nonna Francesca, to stay with us for the entire month of October and help run our yearly pumpkin patch. 

Worse, she brought her grandson, Giovanni, a thirty-something Italian playboy who calls me Doctor Death because I'm a former hospice nurse. (At least he gave me a promotion?) We played together when we were kids, but that was years ago, before our grandmothers had a falling out. 

My brother is suspicious of Giovanni, my grandmother fawns over him as if she didn't already have four adoring grandchildren, and he charms every other person he meets, including our next-door neighbor, Vanessa.
She uses her sway to get Giovanni crowned as our town's "Mr. October." 

The prize? A series of fall-themed dates Vanessa expects to go on with Giovanni. 

He's not interested, but he's such a people pleaser he doesn't know how to say no. So he begs me to pretend we're dating...

 
Giovanni

 
I was happy for the excuse to escape Maine, but Apple Ridge isn't much of an escape anymore. Not like when I used to come here growing up. 

My grandmother's showing her age more every day, and Bianca and her brother are nothing like the fun-loving kids I remember. 

But Bianca surprises me by agreeing to pose as my fake girlfriend in exchange for some help with her seniors' group. 

Soon, we're experiencing the best Apple Ridge has to offer, and I'm stunned to realize that the life I've been looking for was waiting here all along.

 🌷

 
Such a heartwarming story! I couldn’t get enough of Bianca and Giovanni’s story; the connection between the two of them had me smiling. I liked the way that Bianca and Giovanni’s relationship developed, how their friendship grew into romance. I adored the fact that he cooked for her; who doesn’t want a guy who knows how to cook and wants to cook your favorites? As a reader, you can’t help but fall in love with Giovanni and Bianca. The two of them fit perfectly together. I adored the way they looked out and wanted to take care of each other. 

I loved how devoted they were and the bond that Bianca and Giovanni had with their families. It’s a lot like the bond that I have with my family. That’s one of my favorite things about Angela’s book: the bond between the characters, the way that everyone will come together to help. Even the minor characters stood out. I loved most of the characters at Apple Ridge. I was engaged from beginning to end, and it felt as if I were in Apple Ridge and part of its activities. While reading Falling For Mr. October, I wished that Apple Ridge was a real place so that I could go there. That’s another thing I love about Angela’s books: she makes the town feel so real- like home. 

I discovered Angela Casella last year. It didn't take me long to fall in love with her stories. Although I loved the books in Babes Of Brewing series, I loved this one even more; at least as of right now. The fall vibes in this book have me ready for the fall! I chose the sweet version instead of the spicy one, and I loved it as much as the spicy ones I read in previous series. I can't wait to read Emily and Miles' story next.

Barbie:Dreamscape.

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

4.5★   

Step out of the box and into the unexpected in this high-stakes, fantasy-infused Barbie young adult novel, from the premier voice in teen fiction.

 
Out of the box. Into the unexpected. 

Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in a pink-hued paradise called Heartland where everything is in order and everyone has a role to play, thanks to the mysterious and all-powerful beings who will soon assign her a Fate at graduation from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked hard to earn a good one. Her years of endless studying and acing every challenge are about to pay off. But when the unthinkable happens and Barbie is left Fateless—the first in Heartland’s history—her carefully ordered world shatters. 

Shaken and uncertain, Barbie must confront a future she never one with no clear path forward at all. Yet when a mysterious necklace begins to pulse with hidden power, she is drawn beyond Heartland’s protective mists into a daring journey across extraordinary lands. From sun-drenched shores to treacherous, ever-shifting landscapes, to shadowed forests steeped in secrets and magic, each realm will test Barbie’s courage, sharpen her wits, and awaken strengths she never knew she possessed—all while drawing her ever closer to a buried truth that could change her world forever.
A richly imagined coming-of-age tale from the premier voice in teen fiction, this is a story about defying expectations, rewriting the rules, and discovering that the greatest possibilities lie in stepping out of the box…and into the unexpected.

 🌷

 
This is the book that brought me back to my childhood. It brought me back when I first discovered Barbie and played with her. I remembered my own adventures with Barbie. As an adult I still own two unopened collector Barbies on my bookshelf. I started reading Barbie: Dreamscape while in line at a book festival for a book signing with Alex Aster and read half of the book by the time I was up front; I couldn’t put this book down. I’ve been excited since Alex announced it on her social media. Barbie: Dreamscape is so much more than I expected it to be; filled with so much magic, action. 

I loved reading from Barbie’s perspective and going on the journey along with her. This story was portrayed beautifully; especially the way Alex portrayed all of Barbie’s emotions and brought her to life. I felt all her emotions, all her fear, but also hope. I rooted for Barbie from the start.  Barbie: Dreamscape is YA and very easy to read, and I enjoyed reading something different. This was unlike any book that I have read before. 

Thank you, Alex; for writing this book. There is part of me that didn’t want to reach the end, because I didn’t want this story to end. If you played with Barbie as a kid, I would highly recommend checking this book out.