review || CAN'T FORGET HER by Molly McLain

Kindle Worlds | January 26, 2016 | Contemporary Romance
River Bend, as part of the Hope Falls Kindle World
★★★★1/2

SOURCE: AUTHOR

Ryan Croft has three goals—enjoy his Tahoe vacation, figure out why the hell he’s so restless and, once and for all, forget about the woman who broke his heart nine years ago.

Rosemary Shaw has three goals, too—do the best job she can for her movie-star boss, settle into Hope Falls as quickly as possible and, at long last, come to terms with her past.

Running into each other after all this time? Not the plan. Feeling the same sizzle and spark after all this time? Not on the agenda, either, but since when does anything in life go as planned?

The chemistry between these former lovers is undeniable. Then again, so is the guilt and broken trust.

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{ arc } review || CAN'T RESIST HIM by Molly McLain

Molly McLain Books, LLC | September 15, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
River Bend, book 4
★★★★★

SOURCE: AUTHOR

Sometimes what you want and what you need are two very different things.

Always relegated to the “friends with benefits” corner of small town River Bend, Jenny Riley is done giving the milk for free. Falling hard for a bad boy? Not in the plan, either.

Sexy, emotionally-wounded Marine Reservist Brody Nelson just needs someone to lend an ear. A friend. Friends to lovers? That’s more than he bargained for.

Neither wants a relationship. A long distance friendship should be enough.

It’s not.

Warning: This books contains a tattooed, pierced hero with a few surprises up his sleeve...and a hella sexy one down his pants.

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{ arc } review || ALWAYS ENOUGH by Molly McLain

Loveswept | July 14, 2015 | Contemporary Romance

Always Enough, a river bend short story

part of the Red Hot Candy anthology

★★★★★

SOURCE: AUTHOR

See what Tony & Nicole are up to!

They went straight from falling in love to raising a kid and working opposite shifts. Time for a lovers' getaway!

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review || CAN'T WALK AWAY

Can't Walk Away by Molly McLain

Publisher:
Series: River Bend, book 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Purchase links || amazon | bn || add to goodreads

Rating: ★★★★★

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A convenient, casual, and completely orgasmic fling. What more could a girl want?For the past year, barista Ally Barrett has been content to spend her weekends distracting River Bend's hottest commodity--the sexy, too-serious sheriff. Their casual arrangement suits her independent nature just fine...until it doesn't.

Sheriff and Army Guardsman Mark Dunn lives to serve the people of his community and his country. Ally is the only woman who's never asked for more than his nights--and the only one he's ever considered giving his days, as well. Too bad duty says otherwise.

When an unexpected pregnancy flips their no-strings understanding on its head--and tarnishes both of their reputations--Mark has a tough time proving he wants a real relationship and not just reelection. But if this sheriff knows anything, it's how to fight for what he believes in--Ally's heart.

Warning: This book contains a hero who's all business and no play...unless there's a dress and a hot redhead involved.

review || CAN'T GET ENOUGH ( back-blogging )

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I thought that the author's name & series name/town name were familiar... however, I couldn't put my finger on it.

So when I "Goodreads'd" my review on 11/24 after I finished the book, I was surprised to see CAN'T HOLD BACK -- a novella I had read, but wasn't one hundred percent fond of.

...but that must have been the novela talking because this book? CAN'T GET ENOUGH? Well, it was phenomenal. And I've gotta say? Out of all three covers this one was by far my favorite.

Can't Get Enough by Molly McLain

Publisher: Molly McLain Books, LLC (11/24/2014)

Series: River Bend, book 2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: NetGalley

Buy It For Your Kindle | Nook || Goodreads

My Rating: ★★★★★

When life gives you lemons, find a former Marine with sexy abs to lick the lemonade from...Tony Dunn's panty-snatching bachelor life has been turned upside down--he now has custody of a daughter he didn't even know he fathered. With his focus solely on doing right by his little girl, the last thing he needs is a sexy, totally distracting blonde showing up on his doorstep.

Nicole Hodges is in River Bend temporarily, to handle her grandmother's estate and get the heck out of Dodge before her past catches up with her. Only problem is...she likes the quiet little town more than she expects, and she can't resist overextending herself to help her built-like-a-bad-boy neighbor get his life back on track.

Tony and Nicole have different goals in mind, none of which include a relationship. But what harm could come from a little fun--the naked kind--if they both know the rules up front?

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connect with Molly || website | amazon author page | facebook | twitter

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When I first started to read this book, I was a bit put off by the theme -- babysitter-turned-momma. It's been a bit overdone this year... at least, in the world that I've been reading in. I've read a number of this theme this year.

However, I have to say...

This one was done really well, and I really enjoyed it.

Tony... oh, Tony, where to begin. He's got this single-dad-gig down, but he beats himself up over it.

"So please... don't come knocking on my door telling me I could do better. I already fucking know that. I live with it every goddamn day."

 ...but really, he's doing the best he can. He took on fatherhood when people didn't expect him to. He's doing well and while he knows there can always be better... Most parents think that. Would he like someone to share the 'burden' with? Sure... but he knows that looking to his nanny (who yes, he admits, is gorgeous and great with his daughter) is wrong.

Eventually, of course, they both give in to the attraction and it's hot -- I mean, c'mon, single good looking dad? Gorgeous girl who is phenomenal with his kid? Of course the whole little-family-in-the-making was going to happen.

All in all, this was a super, super cute story. I liked it so much more than the novella that I read. If I knew that they were attached to one another, I likely would have passed up on this beauty, but oh, the power of ignorance.

This story will make you happy, this story will make you sad... Your heart will break for Tony a few times, and you may just cry... but then again, I'm a crier. 

"I know you're not her mother. I know it makes me an ass to even say those words out loud. But I'm tied to a woman I hate for the rest of my life. And the woman I love? She's not sticking around."

Oh, and Molly's little note in her "Note from the Author"? Oooh, Ally and Mark, I'm super excited, especially due to the starting point. 

CAN'T HOLD BACK -- a summary and opinion

Here I am, trying to catch up....

I pulled open my NetGalley account and organized allllll the books I'd been approved for via publication date. Some of them already had reviews on here and NetGalley, some simply had reviews on NetGalley for the simple fact I wanted to say that the book had been read. Some just had nothing by way of review. So those with nothing, or just NetGalley reviews, are finally being brought over to here.

...and let me tell you, this list is 30 books long. To be fair, of those 30, 7 are still on my 'To Be Read' list, and one is on my 'Currently Reading' list. I won't get to all 30 right now, but I hope to get a mini-dent into the list.

Oh, and I'm still working on my Post-Look for reviews, as well as my Blog-Look for this thing as a whole.... it will all look pretty in time. Anywho...

 

Publication Date: June 6, 2014

 

Back of the Book:

 

To have and to hold. To trust and to obey. To take and to pleasure… Some things just don’t come up in your wedding vows.

Off to their honeymoon in sexy, exotic Cabo, Dan and Maddie Hudson are finally free from the microscope of small town living. For Dan, a self-assured attorney, this means indulging in the all-consuming intimacy of marriage—especially the naked kind—wherever and whenever his new wife will have him.

But CPA Maddie doesn’t want to be in charge. In fact, there’s something she craves and there’s no one she trusts more than Dan to give it to her. But will pushing the envelope sexually be too much, too soon in their marriage? The last thing she wants is to make her husband regret his vows before the honeymoon is even over.

Can Dan be the man Maddie needs, now and forever? Or will her secret desires bring an early end to their happily ever after?

Warning: This book contains an über confident, dirty talking hero and a heroine who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of the bedroom—or the beach. For readers 18+.

 

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Mignon's Excerpt:

 

Dan clenched and unclenched his fists, and his ears rang so loud, he was getting a goddamn headache. He'd been so caught up in the moment that he hadn't noticed the circle that had formed around them. He half expected to see a bouncer ready to throw him out on his ass, but there wasn't a single person who looked shocked about the bloodshed.

 

No one but Maddie, anyway.

 

She stood off to the side, her eyes wide and her chest heaving. Emotion -- what kind he couldn't tell -- pooled in her eyes and she reached out for him, her fingers trembling.

 

But he stepped back and shook his head.

 

She'd let that prick touch her. Not just touch her, but touch her. That line he thought they were both so clear on? The one their wedding vows had solidified? She'd crossed it. And it felt like a friggin' dagger, twisting in his chest.

 

 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

Oh, Maddie...

 

I just want to say that while it's commendable that a woman knows what she wants out of her sex life.... she really needs to be vocal about it.

 

Choosing to make her new husband aware of it in the manner that Maddie does it is just wrong. I was completely Team Dan on this one.

 

I felt the synopsis was a bit vague, and the last line about Dan being the man for Maddie, now and forever, or her secret desires, etc etc... well, it's a bit generic. Granted, I've attempted to write synopsis' before, and it's not all that easy.

 

As a whole, the story was good... yet there was room for more to make it great. I did not agree with Maddie's methods. If I were judging the book on character, it is a solid 4. Judging the book on developement and writing, it could be a 5. But because I'm so anti-Maddie's-methods (really, give the dude a true clue)... it's getting a 4 from me.

 

Give it a shot, and buy it for your Kindle. It's a super quick, easy read. It's part of a series, but most definitely can be read as a stand-alone! Also, Molly McLain is from Wisconsin, so she gets major props from me on that. Go, Wisco!

...also, just because I'm not a huge Maddie fan (ok, so I like Maddie, just hun, you gotta say something....) doesn't mean I'm not a Molly McLain fan. Like I said, I liked the novella in general. When I have a moment, I would be interested in reading book one (Dan's brother and Maddie's BFF's book).