THE ENGAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT by Jaci Burton

Publisher: Berkley
Date Published: June 29, 2021
ISBN#  978-0451491305
Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher

4 Hearts

After a disastrous marriage the now divorced Brenna Bellini is more than happy to be at home working at the family winery. Along with her sisters, Honor and Erin her life is pretty set and she couldn’t be more pleased. Sure, she dates, but none of the men she’s meeting are quite right.

Brenna’s mother, Maureen, brought Finn Nolan to Oklahoma after her longtime friend, his mother, died when he was eighteen. The Bellini family welcomed him with open arms and he quickly became one of the family. Honor and Erin looked on him as a brother. Brenna, not so much. Sure, she was kind to him but a brother? Nope. Not happening.  And why was that? Finn has a feeling it has a lot to do with why he has never thought of Brenna as a sister. Mostly he’s just been waiting for her to realize they are more than friends and adopted family. When Brenna finds out her ex-husband and high school nemesis will be at another friend’s wedding taking place at their winery the last thing she wants is to be a solo guest. Rather than have her ex- and his now wife, her nemesis, she asks Finn to be her finance…for the weekend of the wedding. Not one to turn down a request from a friend, and really, seeing this as an opportunity to show Brenna how good they can be together, Finn quickly agrees.

Can Finn finally convince Brenna he’s the man for her? Or is this really just a temporary arrangement.

I’ve been a Jaci Burton fan since I “discovered” her when she first started writing and was published with a small press. I loved her writing – her characters were, and still are, people you either feel like you know or would want to know. I was a little disappointed in the first book in this series, THE BEST MAN PLAN. It read like someone else wrote it and was just a flat read. I was a little wary starting book two, THE ENGAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT, but went ahead and boy oh boy, what a great read! It was exactly what I was looking for and needing to read right now. I fell in love with Finn. He’s a solid, steady, man who knows what he wants and is willing to work for an wait for it.  And the dynamics of the sisters, Honor, Brenna and Erin makes for great reading. Each is unique and adds to the fullness of the story. 

 I’m looking forward to the next entry to this series.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

                                                                           

SWEET LOVE by Lauren Accardo

 

Publisher:      ‎Berkley
Published:      January 25, 2022
ISBN:      ‎ ‎ 978-0593200339
Genre:     Contemporary Romance
Format:     Print from Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  myreviewbooks@aol.com

TWO-1/2 HEARTS

Bethany Jones, aka, Bee, is a rescuer. No, not your EMT type rescuer. More like she saves people from financial debt, broken relationships and losing their homes. She has a big heart but at the same time feels little. She can’t because if she does she’ll break. Her parents long ago gave up on her brother, Isaac and with his latest fiasco she’s spent the money she spent years saving to embark on the career of her dreams. Does he thank her? No he asks for more. When in a moment of giving into flight instead of fight, she heads to Pine Lake, New York and her friend Syd just to get away for awhile. There she meets Denny Torres.

Denny is your basic major hottie. But he doesn’t have the ego that you might expect. He’s made some decisions his family and some friends haven’t agreed with. He himself came to Pine Lake not long ago and fell in love with the town. He has a big house with basically nothing in it—a statement of how he feels about his life – empty. When he meets Bee though, something shifts inside of him and maybe, just maybe, he’s found a direction. At least he might have found a new friend and just in time because his parents are on their way to visit and he needs his house set up in style.

Bee considers the interior design job Denny needs done—she plans to earn her commission and then she’s off to that design school she’s spent a lifetime dreaming of. Or is she?

Can two people with different goals taking them to different places let their hearts lead?

I really enjoyed the first two books in Lauren Accardo’s Adirondacks series. WILD LOVE was a good read, SWEET LOVE, book 2 was even better. I couldn’t put either one down the stories were so good. The third book, BOLD LOVE, was a let down for me. I felt like she bit off more than she could chew and tried to hit too many bases at once. That’s sad because in reading her notes at the end, this one was the one that was the nearest and dearest to her own heart. Maybe that personal involvement in it was what got in the way of a good story.

I liked Denny and Bee in and of themselves. They were good characters, although the way Denny was portrayed in WILD LOVE was a lot savvier and emotionally stronger than the Denny I saw in BOLD LOVE. When Bee was seen as a strong character she was great. When she was her brother’s doormat it didn’t work for me. I did enjoy the updates as it were, of the characters from the earlier books.  I get it that Accardo married into an amazing family and wanted to show case some of the characteristics she loves best about them. I saw that in Denny. I couldn’t stand Isaac and his redemption seemed forced to me. It didn’t work.

What didn’t work for me was the go nowhere storylines about her gay roommates and the teen sexual identity issues. She touched on them, tried to do a good job presenting the conflicts those individuals go through, but it came across mainly like she was told she needed to write a GLBT or teen sexual crisis type book. It didn’t move the story along, I wasn’t interested in it and it fell flat.

In her closing notes Accardo says that this is the last book of the series. I hope not. Pine Ridge might be a small town, but even small towns have lots of good stories to tell.  What about Karen and Yuri? Why not write a story about an older couple who are finding love after their spouses are gone and children raised? With how Accardo dealt with alcoholism and other life issues in the first two books I think she’d do a fantastic job in a book about Karen and Yuri and the issues they face as seniors. Beyond them, again, even a small town has its share of stories. Pine Ridge is a great location to tell them.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

SWEET LOVE by Lauren Accardo

Publisher:      ‎Berkley
Published:      September 28, 2021
ISBN:      ‎ ‎ 978-0593200315
Genre:     Contemporary Romance
Format:     Print from Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  myreviewbooks@aol.com

FOUR HEARTS

Mila Bailey is the baking queen of Pine Ridge, New York. Everyone loves her pies. She’s not a professional baker, but conjures up the most amazing pie combinations in her home kitchen. She’s happy and content in her home town with no aspirations to leave. Oh sure, she’d like to go to culinary school and college, but it’s okay with her if it never happens. She’s got her family, friends and her life long best friend, Jared Kirkland.

Jared has had his sights on bigger and better things for himself. Oh he likes the people and atmosphere of Pine Ridge, but he wants more for himself. Even when not working as a realtor he dresses the part. His goals have never been a secret. But he does have one secret he keeps to himself. Some five years ago he saw, really saw, Mila for the first time. At least he saw her as a grown up and not his childhood friend. When she emerged from a swim in a hot pink bikini all his thoughts of a platonic relationship with Mila fade away. But more than friendship just can’t be. Jared is going to be going places and Mila is going to be staying in Pine Ridge. When Mila learned her deceased Aunt Georgie’s parting gift to her was entry into a baking contest, Mila and Jared soon find their all too comfortable world tilting. A new man on the scene is courting Mila and another visitor encourages Jared to get his girl.

Can two people with different goals taking them to different places let their hearts lead?

Sometimes you read a book and think it was just what you needed on that particular day. That was the case with Lauren Accardo’s WILD LOVE.  It totally hit the spot for me and I was looking forward to the second book in her Adirondacks series, SWEET LOVE. Well, she did herself one better. The writing was the same—heartfelt and made you feel like you knew these characters in real life. But the story was an even better one. I saw down with this one and, just like with WILD LOVE didn’t move until I finished it, but it held my attention even more. I just really liked the story of the small town girl making her own big time baking pies. Some of those pies sounded pretty mouth watering and as a fan of cozy mysteries where there are often recipes at the end of the book I was hoping some of Mila’s creations would be found there. Sadly, it didn’t, but that’s okay – it was about the story, not the pie recipes!

The town of Pine Ridge is described like most small towns in the small town romance genre—it’s a place you’d like to retreat to for rest, relaxation and recovery. I have the next book in the series, BOLD LOVE ready to read…with the new luxury hotel coming to down I’m curious to see if the town changes or if the folks coming to that hotel take a step back and relax into the town.  

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

WILD LOVE by Lauren Accardo

Publisher:      ‎Berkley
Published:      May 25, 2021
ISBN:      978-0593200292
Genre:     Contemporary Romance
Format:     Print from Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  myreviewbooks@aol.com

FOUR HEARTS

Sydney Walsh hasn’t had a very good year. After a life changing panic attack she left her job as a high powered attorney and then walked in on her boyfriend doing the horizontal mambo with an unknown blonde…in her bed. Angry and upset she headed to Pine Ridge in upstate New York and her mom to figure out her next moves. She’s full of New York City bluster and the local folks in Pine Ridge, particularly the men, notice she’s a city girl. For the most part they initially are not willing to give her a chance, but when she bests them at a pool game and they find out who her mother is, their tune changes. But she’s still hurting from the betrayal by the man she thought would be her happy ever after.

Sam Kirkland hasn’t had a good year either, but for very different reasons. His mother’s passing and commitment to an old girlfriend have him in knots. When he first lays eyes on Sydney he is completely smitten, but a promise made that involved and eight year old boy stands in the way of him even considering getting close to Sydney.

Two people, hurting for different reasons, both struggling to regain their footing do all they can to keep from falling for each other. Can the heart be denied?

Sometimes you just need a day by yourself snuggled under a warm blanket with a good book to get lost in. Lauren Accardo delivers that exact book with her debut WILD LOVE.  You can read it as just your basic small town romance with people you wish you knew and enjoy the romance or you can read it for the deeper issues.  Sam is dealing with the death of his mother and how as a single parent was a force in his life. He’s also dealing with an alcoholic ex-girlfriend with her own set of issues. The subject of how alcoholism can affect not just the alcoholic, but the people around him or her plays out in WILD LOVE. You feel for the alcoholic and how she can’t seem to help herself and at the same time as she manipulates the people around her to drag her into her personal drama and hold on to people who should have long ago been set free you feel anger at her. There is a fine line between helping an alcoholic go into and stay in recovery and enabling them to destroy other’s lives. 

The town of Pine Ridge is described like most small towns in the small town romance genre—it’s a place you’d like to retreat to for rest, relaxation and recovery. It’s also a place to have fun and enjoy the simpler things in life. In WILD LOVE Accardo features a bookstore that is on the verge of failing and how the townsfolk rally to save it.

I’m looking forward to the rest of this series and revisiting Pine Ridge.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.