Books Added<\/strong><\/p>\n Books Read<\/strong><\/p>\n (NB This post features\u00a0Affiliate links<\/a>\u00a0from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well, considering I was missing in action for the greater part of the week (family issues) it didn\u2019t stop me adding to my reading mountain. A boxed set of 4 audio-books for a fantastic 99p courtesy of my recently re-joined Audible<\/a> sub started the ball rolling. I then had a fabulous week for freebies until I rounded the week off with another boxed set. A further bargain at 99p on pre-order for a set of 3 summer romances from Sue Moorcroft. So, 18 titles in total for \u00a31.98, that helps boost the book budget ahead of my forthcoming summer book events. I just need to make sure I don\u2019t splurge before then!<\/p>\n On the reading front, being away meant 3 days with no cycling which ate into my reading time. You could argue that I was sat on a train for longer than I\u2019d have been on my bike, but I can\u2019t seem to settle when I\u2019m on a train. As my journey involves 3 of them, I get very antsy and spend more of my time, using the dodgy train wi-fi to browse. This probably accounts for my acquisitions this week! I could have used the time to be productive on the blog expect for some reason the train wi-fi deems WordPress to be insecure and won\u2019t access it. Anyway, that said I still read four which wasn\u2019t too bad.<\/p>\n I started with a welcome return to Polkerran last weekend, ahead of my publication day review <\/a>during the week. I then made headway into my Kindle Unlimited<\/a> list. I add to this and wait until I get a subscription offer so I can then binge my way through it. So, as Amazon let me re-join again at 99p for 3 months, my reading going forward will largely be from that list. As a result expect to see a lot of ice-hockey gods and cowboys as I\u2019ve got several series to read my way through. The offer coincided with the publication of the latest of Britannee Nicole\u2019s Boston Bolts Hockey<\/em> series. Playboy<\/strong> did not disappoint, \u2018Baby Hall\u2019 is the sweetest, in this age gap romance \u2013 where he is the youngest. He is now competing with his teammate \u2018War\u2018<\/strong> for my Bolts Book Boyfriend of the Year award. After hockey, it was back to the ranch with the first in Jessica Peterson\u2019s Lucky River Ranch<\/em> series. Cash<\/strong> is one grumpy cowboy, (though with good reason) and the pain in his side is his new \u2018boss\u2019. He\u2019s the manager of Lucky Ranch, a ranch he\u2019d been led to believe would be his when his former boss died, unfortunately, his will dictated otherwise. What ensues is a battle of wills, that sees both sides re-evaluating their views as they get to know each other. I lapped it other and so I\u2019ll definitely be catching up with the rest of the Rivers brothers. My final read, was a return to Never Harbour to catch up with the Davies brothers. I\u2019d downloaded and read the first in the series but as I\u2019ve now got KU I can read the rest. So Out With the Tide<\/strong> features Cassidy and his blossoming relationship with Marina, his new found roommate. It was a lovely read, with no real 3rd act break up, just a bit of a bump in the road. <\/p>\n I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what this week brings. I know I\u2019ve got to leave my book boyfriends behind to read this month\u2019s book club choice, so you\u2019ll be hearing whether it was worth it next week!<\/p>\n Books Added<\/strong><\/p>\n Small Town Single Dads by Kristen Proby (a four book audio bundle 99p)<\/strong><\/p>\n Here are FOUR full length novels from New York Times Bestselling Author Kristen Proby, all featuring some of her swooniest single dads!<\/p>\n Summer with the Single Dad by Whitley Cox (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n What happens when the stubborn island prince falls for the mysterious stranger with a secret?<\/strong><\/p>\n Welcome to San Camanez, a humble, peaceful little island in the Puget Sound and home to the McEvoy brothers. Four sexy single fathers\u2014and one childless snack with a beard\u2014who run a brewpub on the beach, raise their kids together, and hope to find love and happiness in the chaos that is life. Single Dad and CFO, Bennett McEvoy, is determined to give his daughters a fun summer despite the money woes plaguing his family business. He\u00a0needs<\/em>\u00a0the brewpub and cabins he owns with his brothers to be more prosperous than ever. Because right now, things are tight. His focus is on profit and sustainability. He doesn\u2019t have time for the mysterious beauty in cabin five. But when her cabin floods, he insists she move into his house, because he absolutely does not want to see her go.<\/p>\n Dr. Justine Brazeau, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, made a mistake and killed a patient. Clearly, she\u2019s not cut out to practice medicine. But now, she has no direction or purpose. She\u2019s lost. She\u2019s sad. And she\u2019s lonely. Well, not anymore since she\u2019s living with Bennett, and he\u2019s making it very difficult for her to figure out her future\u2014that doesn\u2019t involve him without a shirt (or pants).<\/p>\n Can Bennett make the money his family business needs this summer, and heal Justine\u2019s guilty heart? Or is she too consumed with her own pain to see that together they are stronger, better, and a lot less broken?<\/p>\n Lost in You by Brenda Rothert (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve got one job: protect the younger sister of my best friend and team captain. Then\u00a0our private plane crashes in southern Alaska,\u00a0and we\u2019re the lone\u00a0survivors.<\/strong><\/p>\n The two of us are the unlikeliest of partners when we find ourselves stranded in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. My hockey playing skills are of no use here, where the bitter cold is my new opponent. And Trinity Lorenzo? She\u2019s about as warm as a block of ice. I get it, she\u2019s fleeing an abusive boyfriend and she and I are strangers. But I always keep my word, and I promised Dalton I\u2019d keep his prickly sister safe. If we want to live, the two of us will have to find a way to get along and work together. A Journey Spared by Alexandra Grace (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n Three reasons. Two years. One epic journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n All Jackson wanted after high school was to escape. The Marines were his ticket out\u2014a chance to chase adventure, purpose, and freedom on his own terms. For eight years, he had everything he dreamed of.<\/p>\n But war doesn\u2019t just shape men\u2014it breaks them.<\/p>\n With two shattered legs and a medal that feels more like a cruel joke, Jackson is sent home to a life he doesn\u2019t recognize and a past he tried to leave behind. Alone and trapped in an empty future, he\u2019s losing the battle to reclaim himself.<\/p>\n Then Avery walks back into his life.<\/p>\n No longer the girl from his childhood with an unshakable crush, she\u2019s now his physical therapist\u2014tough, relentless, and determined to push him beyond his limits. With every milestone reached, she challenges him to believe in more than just survival. Somewhere along the way, she starts to look like the answer to questions he hasn\u2019t dared to ask.<\/p>\n But love alone isn\u2019t always enough to mend what\u2019s broken. And if Jackson is ever going to stand on his own again, he may have to let go of more than he\u2019s willing to lose.<\/p>\n Heart of a Champion by Kris Montforte (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n He\u2019s the last person I expected support from, but he\u2019s my rider. I can\u2019t be with him. Sophia Everett is a Technical Coordinator for a motorcycle racing team. She is living her best life, getting promoted and doing what she loves. Until her boyfriend dumps her wildly inappropriately after 2 years and then her mum passes away unexpectedly. Will she always feel this broken?<\/p>\n Javi Cordova is Infraction32\u2019s rider and has the championship in his sights this season. Nothing is getting in his way of crossing the finish line as champion. Until he feels the pull of Sophia needing his support. Can he be there for her and keep his feelings to himself?<\/p>\n Do you love biker boys and track racing? This is\u00a0not<\/em><\/strong>a dark romance or motorcycle club romance.<\/p>\n This is very much a light and fluffy romantic comedy. Perhaps a palette cleanser for my dark romance besties.<\/p>\n Between Then and Now by Patricia Prior (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n It was supposed to be a fresh start. But the past doesn\u2019t like being left behind.<\/strong><\/p>\n I came to Hallow\u2019s End to escape. To breathe. To finally be free of the expectations that have been crushing me for years. No deadlines, no boardrooms, no pretending to be someone I\u2019m not. Just me, my paint-stained hands, and a quiet little cottage tucked away from the world.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s Ethan.<\/p>\n Steady, rugged, and good with his hands. The kind of man who doesn\u2019t just walk into your life\u2014he roots himself there, making it impossible to imagine a world without him in it. Watching him with his little sister, seeing the way he cares without hesitation, I start to wonder if maybe I was meant to find him.<\/p>\n But when the past comes knocking, I\u2019m left with a choice\u2014run again\u2026 or face it head on.<\/p>\n And if I do, I might lose the only man who\u2019s ever made me feel safe.<\/p>\n Playbook by Rebecca Jenshak (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n From USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Jenshak comes a standalone fake dating sports romance. This steamy, grumpy \/ sunshine football romance delivers a swoony and emotional happily ever after.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Brogan Six\u2019s fan mail has been filling my mailbox for weeks.<\/strong>\u00a0With every lipstick covered letter I receive, my irritation with him grows. And let\u2019s not talk about the time I accidentally opened one of the packages to find someone had sent him their panties.\u00a0Gross.<\/strong><\/p>\n When I come face-to-face with my new nemesis, I expect to give him a piece of my mind and we\u2019ll go our separate ways. Me to an empty mailbox and him to sift through his panty collection.<\/p>\n That is not what happens.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know if it was the booze, his clever wit, or if I was tricked (I\u2019m sure I was tricked), but now I\u2019m fake dating the Mavericks\u2019 hot new rookie.<\/p>\n And I might just be the next woman to lose her panties to Brogan Six.<\/p>\n Ice to Meet You by Vicki Hilton (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n Esm\u00e9 Laurent is about to trade control for chaos\u2014and maybe love.<\/p>\n Esm\u00e9 thrives on order. Her Paris art gallery is her world\u2014carefully curated, immaculately run, and entirely hers. But her structured life takes a sharp turn when Matteo Romano arrives. Her new assistant is everything she isn\u2019t\u2014playful, spontaneous, a little younger, and brimming with Italian charm.<\/p>\n Mentoring Matteo for six months is the price of securing a game-changing investment in her gallery. She expects a challenge. What she doesn\u2019t expect is Matteo himself\u2014a golden-retriever sweetheart who upends her perfectly organised life and makes her wonder if a little chaos might be exactly what she needs.<\/p>\n From snowy escapes in the Italian Alps to art-filled days in Paris, their unlikely partnership sparks more than just professional growth. Matteo is learning the ropes, but Esm\u00e9? She\u2019s discovering a whole new side of herself\u2014one willing to risk her heart for an adventure she never saw coming.<\/p>\n With her reputation on the line, will she fight to keep her world intact, or will Matteo unravel her in the most irresistible way?<\/p>\n Love Rekindled at the Bookstore by Skye Hudson (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n Grace Carter thought she\u2019d left Willowbrook\u2014and her past\u2014behind for good. But when heartbreak sends her back to her\u00a0childhood home<\/em>\u00a0by the lake, she comes face-to-face with the one person\u00a0she never truly let go of<\/em>: Ben Jacobs, her\u00a0childhood best friend turned first love<\/em>. As Grace finds herself drawn back into the comforting embrace of\u00a0small-town life<\/em>, old feelings resurface, forcing her to confront the biggest question of all: Is Willowbrook still just a stop on her journey, or\u00a0could it finally be home<\/em>?<\/p>\n Welcome to Willowbrook<\/strong>, where love lingers like a warm summer breeze and second chances are as sweet as the town\u2019s famous blueberry scones. If you love heartfelt reunions, small-town charm, and the kind of romance that feels like coming home, you\u2019ll adore this story of love, hope, and new beginnings.<\/p>\n Life Derailed by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi (free with Amazon First Reads)<\/strong><\/p>\n A visionary AI program upends a woman\u2019s love life and career in a moving, funny, and thought-provoking novel about connection, friendship and family, and the resilience of the human heart.<\/strong><\/p>\n Remi Russell knows this playbook all too well. She\u2019s seen it unfold five times over her six years at\u00a0The Sophisticate<\/em>, a once prominent but now struggling women\u2019s magazine. So when the publication needs rescuing yet again, an intriguing new chief digital officer, Jason Ashbloome, arrives with a revolutionary plan beyond the usual workforce cuts. He proposes integrating MAUDE, an innovative AI software, to make the magazine more efficient. Remi fears she could lose her job to a machine, and worse, the magazine she loves might lose its humanity altogether.<\/p>\n As a recent widow whose heart has been as empty as her dating-app inbox, Remi takes MAUDE for a test drive and asks it to revamp her profile in the hopes of healing from the loss of her college sweetheart, who died three years earlier. Fueled by wine and bittersweet memories, she makes a plea to MAUDE (and the universe!) to help her find someone just like him. The AI-assisted update pays off big-time when she receives a message from Noah the next day. He embodies everything she\u2019s been seeking\u2014intelligence, humor, adventure, and altruism\u2014and he\u2019s ruggedly handsome to boot.<\/p>\n While her connection with Noah deepens, tensions at work escalate to a boiling point. Jason is determined to prove that AI can be as genuine as real people, while Remi strives to protect the very soul of\u00a0The Sophisticate<\/em>. But when a discovery about Noah\u2019s true identity forces her to question everything she once believed, she must finally confront her own grief, embrace the unexpected bond she\u2019s forming with the last person she ever expected, and find the courage to set a life derailed back on course.<\/p>\n The One That Got Away by Mike Gayle (free with Amazon First Reads)<\/strong><\/p>\n From bestselling author Mike Gayle, a story about exes and how to get over them. Or not.<\/strong><\/p>\n Reuben thought he\u2019d spend the rest of his life with Beth, until she broke his heart six months ago. He\u2019s not even remotely over her, so he\u2019s devastated to hear she\u2019s getting married\u2014this weekend.<\/p>\n Now he\u2019s faced with the ultimate question: what should he do on the day of the wedding? Grieve? Disrupt the ceremony? Or do everything in his power to pretend it\u2019s not happening?<\/p>\n Enlisting the help of his friends, Reuben is all set to mark the occasion with distraction on a grand scale: Ferraris, champagne, and a VIP box at the races.<\/p>\n But on the morning of the Big Day, Reuben gets a phone call that not only derails his elaborate itinerary: it may well change his life completely\u2026<\/p>\n Off the Record by Chelle Sloan (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n When you\u2019re a female sports reporter, you have to work twice as hard. Prove your worth. Show people that you belong in the room.<\/strong> Summer Romances Books 1-3 by Sue Moorcroft (99p pre-order due 28th April)<\/strong><\/p>\n BOOK 1: THE WEDDING PROPOSAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Elle Jamieson\u2019s summer in Malta was meant to be carefree \u2014 until she finds she\u2019s sharing a boat with Lucas Rose, the man who broke her heart. Sparks fly and tempers flare in close quarters. But both Elle and Lucas are about to discover that falling\u00a0out<\/em>\u00a0of love is much harder than falling in love.<\/p>\n BOOK 2: NO STRINGS ATTACHED:\u00a0<\/strong>When Honor Sontag\u2019s life falls apart, she retreats to the English seaside \u2014 only to keep running into Martyn Mayfair at the worst possible moments. He\u2019s sworn off complicated women, but there\u2019s something about Honor he can\u2019t ignore. As secrets emerge, they\u2019ll both have to decide if love is worth the risk.<\/p>\n Book 3: WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?:\u00a0<\/strong>Diane\u2019s silver wedding anniversary doesn\u2019t quite go to plan \u2014 her husband is in a helicopter crash and she discovers he\u2019s been hiding a second family, and a secret fortune. Picking up the pieces, Diane finds an unexpected ally in her brother-in-law, James \u2014 funny, kind, and far more appealing than he should be. As the chaos settles and sparks start to fly, Diane realises this could be her chance to rewrite the love story she never saw coming.<\/p>\n Books Read<\/strong><\/p>\n A Fresh Start at Polkerran Point by Cass Grafton <\/strong><\/p>\n They\u2019ve both been burned by love before, but will they take a second chance?<\/p>\n A year on from the demise of an unhappy marriage,\u00a0Kate Stretton<\/strong>\u00a0grabs the opportunity to move to the other end of the country and start afresh in Cornwall with her teenage daughter,\u00a0Mollie<\/strong>. Unused to the slower pace of life, Kate leaps at the chance to take on Polkerran Point\u2019s ailing annual arts and music festival.<\/p>\n Soon, though, she locks horns with local\u00a0Rick Devonshire<\/strong>, the main sponsor for the festival. Rick\u2019s marriage has fallen apart in spectacular fashion, and the last thing he needs is Kate pushing to go against the festival\u2019s traditions.<\/p>\n Between unhelpful locals, taunting messages from her ex and trying to be present for her daughter, Kate\u2019s life is rapidly spiralling out of her control. It will take the whole village to make the festival a success, but with her determination and growing friendship with Rick, she might just do it\u2026<\/p>\n Playboy by Britannee Nicole<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn your dreams, Baby Hall.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Older. Hotter. And way out of my league, Hannah Prescott has been my obsession since the moment she uttered those five simple words.<\/p>\n She thinks she\u2019ll deter me by her dismissive attitude but her words only spur me on. I love a challenge and since Hannah is my literal dream girl, she\u2019s worth putting in a bit of work.<\/p>\n Up until now everything in my life has come easy: hockey, women, friendships. Then Noah Harrison is traded to our team and my spot on the first line with my best friends is at risk. Suddenly Hannah is wearing his jersey and I realize I\u2019ve got to act fast or risk losing my shot forever.<\/p>\n Fortunately for me, dreams do come true because though she only offers me one night, fate has other plans. She may have said she\u2019ll never call me Daddy Hall, but the positive pregnancy test in her hand makes that impossible.<\/p>\n With my every dream within reach, I need to find a way to prove to Hannah that she\u2019s the one for me and I\u2019m so much more than a playboy.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/c.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/91p53UOID2L._SX342_.jpg\")
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This is Bennett\u2019s story \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/c.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/91Dg95bllkL._SY466_.jpg\")
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Our ordeal draws Trinity and me closer, and fighting the pull between us becomes harder than anything we face while hoping for rescue. Whether we make it out or not, I need her. More than water or shelter\u2014more than anything. Dalton will never forgive me if I cross the line with her, but surviving means something different now. Surviving means making her mine.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/c.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/81WJVEdie6L._SY466_.jpg\")
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She needed my help when she was falling apart, when I was focused on only winning.
Can Sophia and Javi avoid the dynamic pull they have to each other?<\/p>\n
Into cute, cuddly and supportive characters who have great banter and red-hot chemistry?
Down for Aussie characters and settings for something a lil different?
Love a sports rom-com with a sprinkling of gut-wrenching tragedy?<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/c.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/71Dq0gwF0xL._SY522_.jpg\")
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The pressroom. Not the bedroom.
Oops. And there\u2019s my first mistake.<\/strong>
In my defense, resisting Hunter McAvoy is easier said than done.
Professional football insiders call him the hottest up-and-coming coach in the league. Gossip columns rate him as the sexiest coach in pro sports.
But only I know that when he kisses you, you feel it in every cell in your body.
At first, I was strong enough to not fall for his Southern drawl or piercing blue eyes. But when a man who\u2019s hot enough to be on the cover of fashion magazines praises your football knowledge while also telling you how beautiful you are?
Yeah\u2026I was a goner.<\/strong>
There\u2019s just one problem: Coaches dating reporters is forbidden.
It\u2019s a conflict of interest for both sides. If either of our employers found out what we\u2019re doing, we could both lose our jobs in an instant.
It\u2019s stupid. Reckless. We\u2019re putting everything we\u2019ve worked for on the line.
But when you fall in love, you risk it all.
Even if you have to love in secret.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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