definitely, possibly, maybe

when you grow up following your baseball-obsessed parent around the globe, only to be abandoned by him for japan, you are probably going to be a bit bitter about it. in announcing trouble , meet josie walters, baseball orphan, stuck living in a small town in the middle of nowhere while she and her mom recover from her dad's emotional warfare. when her friends drag her to a baseball game, she is so not into it. but then listening to the announcers provide horrendous color commentary she cannot stay quiet for long. bursting into the booth, she takes the mike from the ill-informed nathan and finds herself conscripted into becoming garrett reeves' on-air partner. if only he weren't another baseball-obsessed person. a pitcher who might never play the game again due to injury, he's started sideline announcing the games to stay close to the sport he loves. and when he meets josie, all he knows is that this is a girl worth pursuing. there is fun and hilarity and heart i...

so i didn't realize this was book 2 of a fantasy series, but once i caught on to what was happening, it was all good. the marked prince finds the disgraced unseelie prince sláine at the mercy of half-blooded seelie sebastian. sebastian only knows him as duine, because sláine has been enchanted by sebastian's evil cousin aoife. there's so much royal court intrigue and drama, but the connection between sláine and sebastian is what makes this story shine. from the first time they interact it's clear that they are more to each other than servant/master. even when neither knows the other's true identity, the spark between them smolders and burns. they both come into their own throughout the story. they start out with so little power and what they achieve is beyond what either of them could have ever imagined. the story isn't over by the end, there is more to the war that is happening between the seelie and unseelie courts. and i'm definitely reading book...

the latest one night in south beach release, all hours , brings us felix and joaquin's story. the grouchy restauranteur meets his match with the charming and outgoing chef. when joaquin is injured on the job and needs some help from his friends, he begrudgingly asks felix. but when felix keeps joaquin's restaurant running smoothly, joaquin is surprised and a little bit put out. he's been overstretched but no one likes to feel easily replaced. as they work together the chemistry and sparks between them ignite to a full flame. this story is steamy and sweet and wrapped into this crazy big loving family in south beach. **all hours will publish on july 30, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical press) in exchange for my honest review. 

brand astarot is a rogue dragon who has survived under incredible odds. his one goal is to become part of the blue clan (the clan who allowed him to stay close and whose king he helped put in power) and take his revenge on the dragon who killed his family. when he's sent on an errand to find a mysterious woman by the blue king, he doesn't ask too many questions. but kasia amon isn't what she seems. she is a phoenix. one of four sisters, some of whom may also have the full power of a phoenix, they were forced to scatter when their mother was killed by the crazed red king. this story has some crossover into the fire's edge series, which i've read, so i had no trouble keeping up with the overarching mythology, but it's not necessary to read those books too. but like, why not read those books, because like the   rogue king  they are all hella good. **the rogue king will publish on july 30, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangl...

this book is my new favorite thing. spellbound  is a prohibition-era magical adventure that is fraught with mystery and suspense and so much goodness. rory and arthur are...just absolute perfection together. that there will be a sequel to this story is possibly the best thing ever. i don't want to give too much of the plot away, because really the best thing to do is immerse yourself in this world. it's new york, post-world war i, prohibition is in full swing, and so are the underground parties. rory is magically gifted, and when arthur seeks him out, everything changes for him. everything changes for arthur too. because by seeking rory out, he's put him in danger. but he's also enchanted. the enchantment is mutual. i can sit here and gush about this story for-pretty-much-ever, so i won't keep repeating myself. read this book. it's so freaking good. **spellbound will publish on july 29, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/cari...

with in it to win it  the wynn hockey series continues, and this hockey romance is full of family feuds and star-crossed lovers and it's entirely delicious. i devoured this book in one sitting and absolutely adored spending time with these characters, in this world. j.p. wynn and taylor hart are perfectly matched from the moment they meet, except they keep misunderstanding the situation and thinking the worst of each other romantically. but all these crossed wires lead them to work on their friendship, and that's what makes the relationship so special. i can't wait for the next book in this series. **in it to win it will publish on july 23, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/random house publishing group (loveswept) in exchange for my honest review. 

the tarnished heroes series continues with traitor games , and the crew of underground cia agents are working to figure out the mole within the government who is the root of the problem that drives the series arc. in this story our main leads are lillian and noah, she's an analyst with limited field experience and he's a contract hitman who prefers to live in the shadows. they shouldn't click the way they do. noah knows that his hands are probably too dirty to be good for someone like lillian, but she means something to him. and he comes to mean everything to her. the chemistry between the two leads and the suspense and danger of the plot all come together in this fast-paced thriller. this series has been so enjoyable to read. **traitor games will publish on july 22, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (amara) in exchange for my honest review. 

the fourth book in her majesty's most secret service series is essentially a second-chance romance wrapped into historical romantic suspense, so when a lady kisses a scot  runs into one of my least favorite tropes. but in this case, our lady heroine, rose fleming, had to go into hiding after her father was murdered and her family targeted. she escapes to america and for ten long years doesn't set foot on british soil. and never explains to the man she loved that she survived the terrible carriage accident. for his part macallister campbell doesn't begrudge the lack of trust or deception too badly. and while they don't forget their past, the story is more about the present they are living and the possibility of the future. he does understand that she made the choices she did because she was in danger. in fact, she is still in danger. and that's where his spy background comes in handy. but wait, can we talk about this dude's name? macallister campbell is q...

his rebellious lass  finds lord duncan campbell saddled with a beautiful, recalcitrant ward. one that intrigues him and who he is desperate to marry off. lest she tempt him to break his vow to never have children of his own. which like, dude, marriage doesn't actually mean pregnancy, but i get it, it's the regency era and that's where reproductive health is at. anyway, the reason he doesn't want to have kids is because his dad was a giant jerk and he doesn't want to turn into one. or something? like this kind of logic always boggles my mind because dude, there's a thing that's called free will and jerkiness isn't actually genetic. you could choose to be a jerk or not a jerk to your kids. he decides to be a jerk to his ward, but like i said she's sassy and holds her own even when he's being ridiculous and irrational. and she has plans and is supposed to be all independent, but then it turns out that she needs the love of a good man to help h...

so the previous book in this series teases at this story, and it was a delight to have all the blank spaces filled in how to forgive a highlander . this series is full of strong highland men and their fierce and fiery partners. it's good, frothy, historical romance fun. there are tropes here that would never work in a contemporary setting, so as long as you are seeing this as pure escapist fun, it's all good. the characters, both new and old are well-drawn and enjoyable to read about. and seeing how rose and william go from enemies to lovers is a journey worth taking. **how to forgive a highlander will publish on july 8, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (amara) in exchange for my honest review. 

meant to be different  is a second-chance romance, and the second book in a series of what has up to now been second chance romances. the covers are lovely and the stories are also really great. but both this book and the previous book in the series, meant to be kept , do my least favorite thing that a second chance romance can do. spend 1/2 of the time in the past. literally, i skimmed through the past parts, i'm not that interested in seeing a relationship that didn't work out for #reasons. and the other issue is that all to often the author correlates whatever happened in the past to whatever is happening in the present. and argh, it's just frustrating because i am only interested in moving forward. i don't hate second-chance romances, but too often there is so much dwelling on what went wrong before that you don't really have a chance to see what is so different about now. someone is suddenly more steadfast? has changed but also been the same person in lov...

another dance finds kaito watanabe meeting figure skating superstar cristian alvarez for an interview, and learning that the guy he's lusted after forever might actually be into him. and it's sweet and low angst, other than you know, characters feeling insecure about how the other person really feels and whether or not they deserve it. but there's nothing dark or dramatic here. they meet and connect and share this really intense moment and then struggle to figure out what it means. but it's not that complicated because it's really just that they're both super into each other and what's not to like about that? **another dance will publish on july 8, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/ninestar press in exchange for my honest review. 

if you start to describe a romance novel with "there's these identical twins..." you know that sentence ends with "...and they switch places." but even though that is a tried and true trope, betraying the billionaire  is still totally enjoyable. holly takes her sister lillian's place, and tumbles head over heels in love with the man lillian is trying to avoid marrying. julian is a billionaire who is interested in the abbott family connections and sees an opportunity to expand his business empire by aligning himself with the "right kind" of people. julian is a self-made man, a foster kid who has done well for himself. and when holly gets a glimpse of the man beyond the ruthless ceo she can't help but be charmed. julian knows there's something special about the woman in his arms. even as certain things don't add up, the depth of feelings he has for this woman are enough for him to throw all caution to the wind. but the lies cut deep...

officially out in audio today, black sheep  is meghan march's latest, and happens to be an audible original available in the audible escape package. narrated by perrenial faves sebastian york and andi arndt. it's queued up on my audio player for a listen, but i totally cheated because i got to read the ebook first. and you guys. black sheep is cannon freeman's story. the disgraced bastard son of mafia leader dominic casso, cannon has a lot to answer for. and drew carson is looking for answers, and she doesn't care how they implicate cannon. that is, she doesn't care until she meets him. there are so many lies and layers upon layers of intrigue. dominic is a master of playing games and cannon has been caught up in them for too long. but there is still hope for him. march is amazing at creating alpha heroes who would do anything for the women they love. cannon is another wonderful example of this. and drew stands on her own. she is no shrinking violet and has...

amy daws has the best audiobooks, especially the harris brothers series audiobooks. told in a multicast style, where the male narrators read the male voices and the female narrators read the female voices and it's just the best. and in payback the awesomeness is doubled. i previously reviewed the story. but hearing it brought to life by these talented narrators is the best. you connect with the characters in a different way, and it's so easy to fall in love with roan dewalt all over again. every time i have the opportunity to listen to an amy daws book, i take it. because it's just ear candy. i laugh out loud and get emotional, and the narrators just do a splendid job of harnessing the funny and leaning into the weighty moments in just the right way. even if you've already read payback  the audio is totally worth the listen. **payback released on audio on june 24, 2019. i received a digital listening copy courtesy of amy daws in exchange for my honest review.