Sideliners by Dana Claire

 

I recently had the opportunity to read and review an ARC coy of Sideliners by Dana Claire. 

Official Blurb: 

Two types of folks live in Pottsville, Texas. Those who have two jobs and those who have two houses. But no matter their address, Friday night football brings every soul in town together under the same stadium lights. Problem is, the have-nots always watch from the sidelines. Until now …

Four years ago, Reed Maddox made a deathbed promise to his mother before the cancer claimed her life: Take care of their family. To make good on his vow, Reed has agreed to a pact forcing him to abandon his dream of playing football—his one guaranteed ticket out of the trailer park. But when he throws a reckless pass from the sidelines, everything he’s tried to protect is threatened including his guarded heart.

To regain her title as cheer captain and unofficial crown as princess of Pottsville, knock-out Savannah Kensington is about to brush elbows with Reed Maddox and his hooligan friends. But Little Miss Perfect’s world has been upside down longer than anyone who’s seen her winning smile would realize. Still scarred by the death of her baby sister, she hides her feelings under the pretense of popularity. When the opportunity to reclaim her senior year involves a secret deal to help Reed, Savannah accepts.

When their two pacts collide, revealing Reed’s football talent and upending everything Savannah knows about her personal kingdom, Pottsville High implodes. The have-nots are invading, the painted white lines are blurring, and Savannah and Reed are locked together in the middle of a battle between circumstance and privilege. Can their new alliance unite the stands or will the ingrained hatred of a town divided tear apart their chance at happily ever after?

Publication Date 3/27/2023  341 pages 

My Review 💗💗💗💗💗

I absolutely devoured Sideliners and can not wait to read more from Dana Claire!  

Reed Maddox may live on the Willie side of town, but he's got a heart of gold and when you are in his circle, you won't ever doubt it, because he will ALWAYS have your back! The most important person in his life is his litter sister, aka Squirt, and there is nothing that he won't do for her including making a deal that puts her needs above all else. And when there's a chance that something puts her needs at jeopardy, the deal changes and Reed puts his heart and soul into making the new deal work for her needs.

5 stars without a doubt! I can't even tell you all that I love about it, because I want you to read it for yourself and fall in love with Reed (and Squirt) for yourself.   Run, do not walk, to get yourself a copy of this book. 

The Choices I've Made by J.L. Berg

 I'm super pleased with the Choice I Made to read this book!  

The Choices I've Made by J.L. Berg  (#1 in the By The Bay series)

The official blurb:

Death has a way of changing you...

After my mom passed, I couldn't seem to stand still. I couldn't be me anymore. So, with nothing more than a few boxes and a beat up truck, I left behind my old life at the tender age of eighteen.

And I never looked back.

Twelve years later, I find myself traveling back to the sandy shores of that North Carolina town where my late father has left me his medical practice. Coming here means facing my past... My memories... And her--Molly McIntyre.

Growing up, Molly had been my entire world, first as a childhood friend and then so much more. We'd made promises to each other back then. Promises I broke when I walked away. And now that I'm back? Well, let's just say she's not exactly the head of my welcoming committee. But even she can't deny the undeniable spark that still burns so brightly between us and soon, we're tumbling fast and hard into the past.

But I need to keep my eyes set to the future, because mine isn't here in this dead end town. Not anymore.

All Molly has ever known is here, on this small island. Could I really ask her to give it all up? For me? If I walk away again, will she follow?

My Review: 

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Twelve years ago, Jake left the small town where he grew up, leaving Molly behind.   So much has changed in those twelve years and his father's funeral makes it a necessary trip back 'home'.     When he runs into his old friend Dean, he certainly doesn't imagine his coming back home is going to happen anything like it did.     But funny how even though so much has changed, the most important thing hasn't changed at all. 

I LOVED this book - I devoured it in one day.  It had a surprising twist right out of the gate which sent the story on a path that you wouldn't have imagined just from reading the blurb.    So much emotion as Jake realizes that his feelings for Molly never went away, despite of the path that her life has taken in those twelve years.   

The Choices I've Made is the first book in J.L. Berg's By the Bay series, but there's no cliffhanger, which is always my favorite way to end a book.  But I do plan on continuing on with the series!!!  

 I'm so excited that I'm just a week into 2021 and I found my first 5-Star book of the year!!!

Remembering Us by Stacey Lynn   (Published 1/12/2014)

The official blurb: 

My life was perfectly mapped out for me since before the day I was born. I followed it, begrudgingly, because it’s what was expected. And then one day, everything changed. I woke up. Different. Independent. Free from all the rules that had surrounded me. Only I have no idea how I got to where I am. I have no memory of graduating college. No memory of Adam, the boyfriend I live with. He loves me. And I love him. At least that’s what everyone says. Except when my memories return to me as dreams, I see a different man than the one everyone claims is perfect for me. He terrifies me. He makes my heart race and he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I have no idea if I want to welcome the emotional roller-coaster that his piercing brown eyes and messy black hair puts me on every time I get a glimpse of him, or if I want to run back to the safe shelter of the scripted life-plan that used to be mine.

My Review: 

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Amy has woken up for a coma with the last 2 years of her life gone from her memory.    She remembers her best friend Kelsey but she has no recollection of her relationship with her boyfriend Adam.  Not only is she trying to remember the past 2 years, but she's also struggling with her feelings towards Adam.  Can she trust that her dreams are what happened in real life?   Is she trying so hard to remember how she feels about Adam, that some of her flashbacks are manufactured and not what really happened? 

I loved this book!!!  Adam was trying so hard to be patient with Amy as she struggled with her memories but he loves her so much and was so afraid that she was never going to remember what they shared.  He had to walk a fine line in not pushing her to remember and letting her work it out for herself, while not knowing if they were going to get a second chance in their relationship. 

The emotions, the confusion, all of the secrets.. I loved watching this story play out even though I had no idea if Amy and Adam were going to get their happily ever after.  I don't want to give out any spoilers, but I will say that the author did an amazing job with their characters and their situation and that even knowing how the book ended, I would go back and read it all over again!!!  (Best part - it is a standalone book... no pesky sequels to wait for to see how their lives were going to change!) 

 

Sacked by Jen Frederick

Book #1 Gridiron series

What he wants he gets...

Knox Masters is a quarterback's worst nightmare. Warrior. Champion. And...virgin. Knox knows what he wants--and he gets it. All American Football player? Check. NFL pros scouting him? Check. Now, he's set his sight on two things. The national title. And Ellie Campbell. Sure, she's the sister of his fellow teammate, but that's not going to stop him. Especially not when he’s convinced Ellie is the one. 

...but he's never met her before.
But Ellie isn't as sure. She's trying to start a new life and she's not interested in a relationship...with anyone. Beside it's not just her cardinal rule of never dating her brother's teammates that keeps her away, but Ellie has a dark secret that would jeopardize everything Knox is pursuing. 

Knox has no intention of losing. Ellie has no intention of giving in.

       My Review - 

 

I LOVED this book!!   I will admit that the cover is what first caught my eye, but when I read the summary and it was a College Romance with a hot football player, I was all in!!!  It did not disappoint. 

 

Review: Just Parker by K.C. O'Neill

Just Parker 
(VA is for Lovers series)

K.C. O'Neill 

publication date: 1/15/2015

available on Amazon

They say hate is a strong word, but Eileen Parker is certainly no stranger to it. Parker hates her first name, hates her apartment, hates her life. Which, sure, sounds a bit cynical, but after the life that she’s led so far, you really can’t blame her. With her sophomore year of college overshadowed by circumstances that she never expected, Parker just wants to keep her head down, pass her classes, and take care of the responsibilities that are threatening to destroy her. And then she meets Ash. Ashton Carter is working to fix the messes that he’s made, but he’s still struggling with dark memories of a night that changed his life. He’s definitely not looking for someone to spend forever with, but when he meets Parker, his life changes once again. It doesn't bother him that Parker adamantly refuses to admit to the chemistry between them, or that she’s determined to keep him at arms length. Ash is convinced that Parker is everything he never knew he needed, and he’s not about to let her slip away. Fighting against overwhelming insecurities and secrets that feel too big to share, the two must make a choice. They can keep running from their pasts, or they can confront them and face their future together. ***This is the first book in a series of standalone novels. Due to adult language/situations and mild drug use, this book is recommended for readers 18+

My Rating and Review

✶✶✶✶✶

I received a complimentary e-copy of Just Parker in exchange for an honest review!

Just Parker is about Parker, a college student who is struggling to deal with everything on her plate. Besides her classes, she's dealing with the fact that her mom is dying of cancer and the knowledge that her father walked away from her without a second glance when she was 5. Even before cancer struck, Parker and her mom did not have a good relationship. Her mom has spewed hateful things to her for years, making it well known that she holds Parker responsible for all the bad things that she's done with her life. In fact, she had been so hateful to Parker, that prior to the cancer diagnosis, they hadn't spoken to each other in over a year. Once the diagnosis was made, mom went into guilt mode, playing the wounded mother a la 'Parker, you know I'm dying. you should do all you can to make my last days comfortable.' To say that Parker has mixed feelings about the inevitable demise of her mom would be putting it lightly.

Imagine her surprise when she meets Ashton. He's gorgeous and surprisingly kind to her and is instantly intrigued by her. He is guarding his own secrets and continually tries to get through Parker's walls only to feel like he's knocking his head against the wall. For every step they take forward toward a relationship, they go back 3 more steps. Can Ash prove to Parker that she can trust him, that what they could have together could be amazing, could be just what they each didn't know they were looking for and that it doesn't have to be Just Parker against the world anymore?

I seriously loved this book. Parker's circumstances are absolutely heartbreaking. For her to have to deal with her obnoxious mom would be bad enough, but due to her dad's unexpected departure so many years ago, she is not very trusting and not receptive to becoming close to anyone. Ash was just the kind of person that she needed in her life. Even though he was keeping his own secrets, he tried so hard to not waver and to not push her too hard in their relationship even though it was killing him that she wouldn't let him in and help her carry her burdens. My heart ached as their relationship grew and stalled and blossomed more. They certainly weren't having an easy go at it. But I had to keep onto the hope that love would prevail at the end.

Just Parker may be K.C. O'Neill's debut novel, but based on how well written, and how well the story flowed and how much she made you care about the characters, you'd never know she hasn't been published for years!! I absolutely recommend this book!!

SNEAKPEAK: Briana Gaitan's coming of age romance To The Steadfast (release date 8/31/15)

To The Steadfast

by Briana Gaitan

Genre: Coming of Age Romance

Cover Artist: Romantic Book Affairs

Release Date: August 31st 2015

ADD TO GOODREADS

Resolute. Firm. Unwavering

That was my love for him.
Steadfast for as long as I can remember.

As my best friend's brother, he ignored me before noticing me. He protected me, bought me my first beer, but eventually became my undoing. 

There was a time I would have died to get him to notice me, now I'd do anything to forget him. 
I'm not the one who can tame him, and he's not the guy who will change for me.
This isn't a story about falling in love, this is a story about falling out of love.
Unrequited love. 
And finding the strength to stand up for myself.
Here's to the steadfast.

*This is an standalone story that crosses years from YA into NA genre, due to heavy subject matter this book is for ages 16 and up. This is not your typical love story.*

Review:  Forever and A Day by Jill Shalvis

Forever and A Day by Jill Shalvis

Book #6 in the Lucky Harbor seriespublication date:  July 31, 2012

available on Amazon

LOVE CAN HAPPEN IN A HEARTBEAT.

Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh’s loveable mutt to caring for his rambunctious kids. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad…

With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family–until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “good bedside manner.” Josh and Grace don’t know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day…

My Rating and Review

✶✶✶✶

I loved this book, as I have all of the other Lucky Harbor books that I've read so far.  Jill Shalvis does an amazing job writing characters who are real and need a wake up call to see that love is right in front of them.   Grace is funny  - I laughed so hard at her first wet encounter with Tank and then Josh on the beach.   I love the friendship between her and Amy and Mallory and how they keep nudging her to find her own happiness in Lucky Harbor.  I love how Grace doesn't treat Anna with kid gloves - if Anna can dish it out, then she needs to be able to take it and with Grace she does!   Josh is a dream too - so hot and trying so hard to stay in control of his chaotic life with his practice, his sister, son, dog and his heart.  

Looking forward to book 7 in the Lucky Harbor series!