Book Review: The Fall Affair by Vi Keeland

She’s counting down the days until she leaves Tuscany. He’s counting on making her stay.

Some people go to Tuscany to find themselves. Allegra Bianchi goes to escape—New York, her ex’s new relationship, and a career that derailed the moment she was passed over for partner.

Her plan is simple: settle her eccentric Italian grandmother’s estate, sell whatever isn’t nailed down, and return to the life she’s worked too hard to lose.

Instead, she walks into a mess—a crumbling antique shop, two hundred acres of leased vineyard land, and one infuriating clause in the will: live and work in the shop for three months, or inherit nothing.

Then there’s the neighbor she clashes with instantly. Matteo Lucchese is the infuriatingly handsome winemaker who leases her family’s land and refuses to be impressed by her credentials—or her attitude. He’s rugged and stubborn, stuck living in a time that feels long past, and the word rush isn’t part of his vocabulary. Basically, they’re exact opposites.

But as the days stretch into weeks, Tuscany chips away at the armor Allegra doesn’t realize she’s wearing, and Matteo shows her the appeal of slowing down, of staying rooted, of wanting something other than climbing the corporate ladder.

She goes to Tuscany to escape.

But now that the countdown to going home is on, Allegra isn’t sure she’s ready to leave.

And the life she’s falling for comes with a looming expiration date. (From: Goodreads)

Book Recommendation: The Exit Strategy by Avery Maxwell

I, Junie Mercer, have a plan.

Step One: Escape Boston.

Step Two: Survive the internet scandal that turned me into a viral meme.

Step Three: Spend two months hiding out in a tiny coastal town fixing spreadsheets.

Step Four: Avoid Cole Whittaker at all costs.

Oops.

Cole isn’t just my new boss. He’s my brother’s best friend. My first heartbreak. And the one man I’ve spent six years trying—and failing—to forget.

Now I’m living above his garage in a neighborhood full of nosy retirees whose golf cart parades don’t adhere to speed limits.

Worse? Cole keeps acting like he knows me better than anyone else. He’s almost got me fooled.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that putting your heart in someone else’s hands is a terrible idea.

So I’ll stick to my plan. Do the job. Collect the paycheck. Execute my exit strategy.

Simple.

At least it would be if Porchlight Cove didn’t feel so much like home…and if Cole wasn’t making me question my entire plan. (From: Goodreads)

Book Review: Trust (Sinners & Saints #5) by Kathy Lockheart

He’s a convicted killer.
I’m his nurse.
And he saw my bruises.

Now he keeps getting hurt on purpose,
just to see that I’m safe.

As a prison nurse, I keep my heart locked away tighter than the men I treat.
No gray areas.
No second chances.

Especially not after escaping my abusive ex.

Then Knox Blackwood, the most dangerous man in the prison, winds up in my infirmary.

Whatever he did to get locked up remains the prison’s darkest secret.

He should terrify me.

Instead, he sees what no one else does.
The scars.
The flinch when a door slams.
The fear I can’t bury.

“Who hurt you?” he growls.

Book Review: Love for Hire by Nikki Castle

She’s an escort.
He’s the professional athlete who hired her.
With every date, the lines are blurring.

Scarlett Adler was nineteen when she boarded a train for a better life. New York City was supposed to be the place where she’d finally become her own person. But three years later, she’s working as an escort, numb to the world and still struggling with the issues of her past. Until her newest client walks through the door.

Nico Price is feeling aimless. Even with a loving family and successful career as an MMA fighter, he’s desperate to find a purpose. No one is more surprised than him when the first spark of desire comes at the hands of an escort. One date turns into two, then three, and before long, he’s asking her out for real.

But after a lifetime of distrusting men, it’s not easy for Scarlett to accept Nico’s intentions. While she works to overcome her fears, Nico has to balance his feelings for Scarlett with finding new purpose in a world she’s shaken up.

Will Scarlett and Nico give themselves a chance to fall in love? Or will their initial arrangement sow the doubt that ends it all? (From: Goodreads)

Book Review: Doubt (Sinners and Saints #4) by Kathy Lockheart

I killed a man.

That’s what they charged me with after finding me in the woods with a bloody knife, a dead body, and no memory of how I got there.

The case was over before it began…
until Ryker Kincaid stepped in.

Chicago’s most ruthless defense attorney.
My brother’s best friend.
The only man I ever loved.

He shouldn’t touch me.
Shouldn’t move me into his penthouse.
Shouldn’t look at me like I’m something worth saving.

But he does.

Ryker believes I’m innocent, and he’s risking everything to prove it.
His career. His reputation. His heart.

The price he demands is the truth.
Every secret. Every dark corner of my past.

But I learned a long time ago that honesty makes people leave.

I survived them all walking away.
I won’t survive losing Ryker.

So when the truth finally surfaces, there’s only one question

Will Ryker choose to stay…

or will I lose the only man who ever made me believe I was worth loving? (From: Goodreads)

Book Review: Overtake (Vanstone Racing #1) by S.J. Sylvis

Rome Pierce is Formula One’s golden boy—reckless, ruthless, and wrapped in an ego as polished as his race suit. Arrogance isn’t just a trait; it’s his personal trademark.

As the daughter of Vanstone Racing’s chairman, I’ve spent my life loathing everything about him—and the family name he carries. The rivalry between our teams runs deeper than lap times and podiums. It’s personal.

So when my father steps back for health reasons and hands me a front-line role, I don’t hesitate to prove to the world that I’m more than just the pretty Halston daughter in the paddock.

I plan to beat Rome Pierce fair and square.

Except the promotion comes with a catch I never saw coming.

Rome Pierce isn’t driving for his father anymore.

He’s driving for mine.

Now I’m the crew chief for the one man I swore I’d never work with—the rival who knows exactly how to get under my skin. Every race is a power struggle. Every briefing feels like a war. And somewhere between late nights in the garage and two hundred mile an hour battles on the circuit, the thin line between hatred and heat starts to blur.

I think Rome Pierce came here to overtake my team.

I just never expected him to also alter the course of my heart. (From: Goodreads)

Book Recommendation: The Exception by Vi Keeland

He lives by a set of rules. She might be his one exception.

I just wanted a distraction, something to take the edge off before facing a wedding I was dreading. So on the flight back to New York, I signed up for a dating app. Harmless enough, right?

Wrong.

Turns out, it wasn’t just any app—it catered to people with very specific tastes. By the time I realized it, I was already on my date.

Tall, confident, and sinfully handsome, Jagger Langston seemed like the full package. The chemistry between us was instant—electric enough to burn the whole city down. Though things took a turn when we figured out I’d misunderstood who should join the app. We laughed it off, said goodbye, and went our separate ways.

Or so I thought.

Until I walked into my new internship Monday morning, ready to put the weekend behind me, and there he was—my boss.

Now I’m caught between the rules he lives by—and the temptation to make him break every single one of them. (From: Goodreads)

Book Review: Bound (Sinners and Saints #3) by Kathy Lockheart

“Marry me or watch your company burn.” That’s how Axel Pierce—my biggest rival and brother’s best friend—proposed our fake engagement.

Some call him a corporate shark.
I call him the devil in a three-piece suit.

Too bad he kisses like an angel and touches me like he means it.

Now every staged dinner feels like foreplay.
Every public appearance tests our control.
And every night I’m left

Is this elaborate charade really about saving our companies…
Or is there something else he’s trying to claim?

From International & Amazon Top 25 Bestselling Author Kathy Lockheart, BOUND is a fake engagement billionaire brother’s best friend romance with enemies-to-lovers banter, a prank war, and a dangerously possessive alpha hero.

✔️ Fake Engagement with Forbidden Chemistry
✔️ “Who Hurt You?” Vibes
✔️ “Touch Her and Die” Energy
✔️ Jealous, Obsessive, Protective Billionaire Hero
✔️ Forced Proximity Tension, Banter & Spice

(From: Goodreads)

Book Recommendation: Saving Soul (Love, Beauty, & Soul #3) by Ann Penny

Cassidy Ryan is a strong, devoted single mother determined to give her son the fresh start they need. When the job as an end-of-life doula for an elderly billionaire presents itself, she seizes it. This is her chance to get them back on their feet and everything seems to be going to plan until she comes face-to-face with his overprotective grandson.

Adam Harlow, is cold, ruthless, and has no patience for the woman hired to support his beloved grandfather. And when she turns out to be the gorgeous blonde he’d spent an incredible night with only weeks prior, it only fuels his fire.

Their connection is electric, but Cassidy isn’t prepared to risk her job for the notorious womanizer, even though he gave her a night of passion and freedom she’ll never forget. But, the closer they get, the deeper their souls entwine, until they’re forced to face their fears.

As grief, secrets, and undeniable passion pull them closer, Cassidy must protect her future or risk it all for the one man she was never meant to love. (From: Goodreads)

Book Recommendation: Finding Beauty (Love, Beauty, & Soul #2) by Ann Penny

Starting over in New York City is Melanie Warren’s chance to prove she doesn’t need her parents’ wealth, high-society status, or her ex-fiancé, Grayson. Determined to stand on her own, she refuses to look back, until her new job brings her face-to-face with the one man she swore never to forgive.

Scott Blackwood is no longer the reckless boy with a troubled past. Now, he’s wealthy, powerful, and everything he once dreamed of becoming. But to Melanie, he’s still the man who shattered her seventeen year old heart and never looked back.

Their chemistry is undeniable, their past impossible to forget. As old wounds resurface and the lines between them blur, Melanie is faced with a hold on to her heartbreak or risk everything for a second chance at love. Because the biggest secret of all? She never stopped loving him. (From: Goodreads)