How To Catch A Happily Ever After by Ana Ashley is the authorās Chester Falls series finale and ties up loose ends for all the series couples.
While thereās one overall story, it really feels more like a series of connected anecdotes or narratives about every couple in the series. It brings the reader up to date with their current situations as each small couple capsule weaves in and out of Tom and Wrenās wedding. Thereās also a homecoming and new yet returning relationship to pickup on.
This is a book for those fans of this series only. If you have no idea who these people are, their histories, connecting relationships, then youāre going to be absolutely lost. Ashley is making sure her couples get the send off she wants for each one and that leaves no room for anything but the wedding, filling in the reader on any new major happenings for each couple and the new HEA dynamic.
If you have been following Chester Falls and loving this series, then this is a grand way to say goodbye.
If youāre new to the series, skip this and head to the first story written. Take it from there.
I really enjoyed my time in Chester Falls. Lovely contemporary romances, ending here. Check them out. Recommended!
ā¦ļøHow To Catch A Happily Ever After #7. (Series finale)
Synopsis:
You are hereby invited to the wedding of the century. Yes, you got it, Tom and Wren are getting married this Christmas.
Drama. Sparkles. Well intentioned, but meddling friends. Surprise pregnancies. This wedding is set to have it all, including a brand new couple who is well overdue for their Happy Ever After.
How to Catch a Happy Ever After is the final book in the Chester Falls series. Told from multiple points of view, this book is not a standalone, but better enjoyed after previous books in the series.
The Fairy Dance by Tara Lain is a sweet Christmas romance. Running at the size of a novella, this is a very quick read which works as itās one of this authorās love at first sight stories.
She does a great job of making us believe in the instant connection between Henri the dancer and Jed, the head of his own building maintenance business .
Yes, that whole āmaintenance manā thing is a bit of a misdirection in a way as Jed is a very successful business man whoās company just happens to include maintenance as well as electrical work etc among its many services.
That aside, Jed is a wonderful character, with a found family of interesting employees to like and an adorable Lab to throw heart eyes at. Instantly relatable!
So too is Henri, especially the more we learn of his circumstances, his boss, and the pressures heās under.
Heās beautiful, both a man of personal grace and strength while demonstrating great emotional fragility. I love him.
This is an instant where I thought it worked so well. The characters, the plot, and the length of story. Itās a HFN, as it should be.
I thought the āI love youāsā came about a tad quick but thatās just me.
Otherwise The Fairy Dance by Tara Lain is a lovely Christmas story to add to your holiday reading list. Iām definitely recommending it!
What if the man of your dreams dances into your lifeāand heās a nutcracker?
Maintenance man, Jed, might yearn for an alpha-femme guy, but whereās he going to find him in his small Oregon town?
New York ballet rising star, Henri, just wants to dance, but his desire for top roles only leads him into the pervy artistic directorās bed.
The chances of these two meeting are less likely than a grand jete. But then they do, one pre-holiday evening in a less-than-one-night stand that leaves them both yearning. Still, one short hookup on a kitchen floor doesnāt turn Jed and Henri into a match made in heaven. Not when all the world sees is a janitor and the ballet bossās potential boy toy.
Sounds like a job for the Sugarplum Fairy.
The Fairy Dance is an opposites-attract, big city vs small town, holiday MM romanceāin tights.
Cowboys n Kids rides again in a new release from authors Jodi Payne and B.A.Tortuga. This time is a pair of divorced dads, oneās a rodeo cowboy, who get their second chance at HEA. With a very cute couple of kids very much a part of the mixture.
This works well primarily because of a sense of established relationship between Jeremy M. Dunn and his ex rodeo cowboy West Belen.
You do get the sense that, however much time has passed, feelings were never the issue. So as a death and injury drives one home and the other to reach out for help, it feels real instead of rushed.
Whatās nice is the slower pace here towards a permanent situation. It needs communication, something they werenāt very good at when younger.
The story has many sweet and delightful elements. The kids are great, each taking the reappearance and talks of permanence in their own ways. Thereās also a pair of younger adorable rodeo cowboys who end up at Jeremy and Westās home like a couple of lost Golden Retrievers.
I would love to see them again.
Overall, a terrific heartwarming romance of lovers reunited and happy second chances of HEA.
And holidays!
Itās a treat to read. And itās one Iām recommending.
Jeremy M. Dunn III has the single dad thing down, so the last thing he wants to do is call his ex-husband to ask for help with their two kids. They didnāt part on good terms, and theyāve barely spoken since the divorce. But with a cast on his arm that goes up past his elbow, Jeremy has no choice. He needs a few days to figure out how to bathe their daughter, make school lunches and parent their son one-armed, and there isnāt anyone else he can ask for help.
Former rodeo cowboy West Belen was already on his way back to his kids, and to Trey (āthe thirdā, his nickname for Jeremy). He made a promise to try again, and he means to keep it, so when he sees his chance to move back into his familyās life, he grabs it like the brass ring he knows it is. Heās determined to be more than an āevery other weekendā dad to his children, and he doesnāt want to keep on living with regret about how he and Trey ended.
Jeremy still desires West, but he isnāt sure he can trust West to be responsible and available. West still thinks Trey is the hottest thing heās ever seen, but he has no idea how to convince the man heās ready to settle down. The two of them have never had trouble butting heads, but now they need to learn to work together to make a home for themselves and their kids where they both belong
Cosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick really conveys so much of what I really think is authentic when it comes to the holidays. Itās never just that glitteringly happy, fun filled holiday. full of congenial family gatherings and mountains of gifts. No, thereās also the elements of melancholy, feelings of bitterness, loneliness, exclusion, family dysfunction, and outright pain and loss.
Yes, what the holidays can and does mean to people runs the emotional spectrum depending upon the person and their history. Judy Garlandās āHave Yourself A Merry Christmasā anyone?
Keswick brings us into Cosy & Chill as one being, a Fae, experiences the pain of betrayal, and extreme loss. Sheās now trapped in the human realm by a theft of her amulet, her key home. Her anguish, loss, her rage is bone deep and as her search becomes ever fruitlessā¦ we connect deeply with her grief and loss of hope.
Thatās just the beginning of this outstanding tale of renewed heart, new paths, personal growth, and learning how to reach for your dreams. While finding love and friends along the way.
Done through knitting and making ice cream! Oh, and a hunt for a silver amulet!
All the characters here are so remarkable. Whether itās the Fae Roisen determinedly searching for her amulet through a mysterious clue, drawn to a house by magic, Finn Wooten, with his Cosy Etsy knitting store or Leo Wetherall of Chill organic ice creams, these beings and people come alive through their struggles and all the obstacles, small to large, past and present, they must overcome.
Really Keswickās storytelling will captivate you!
Both Finn and Leo each had a wonderful supportive grandmother in their past as well as dysfunctional families. How badly dysfunctional varied. Each manās past is rolled out and dealt with slowly as their relationship progresses and it gets closer to many important dates for all involved.
I found myself forgetting my own lists, things I really need to get to, as I sank into this tale of discovery, self determination, courage, hope, love, and, of course, Holiday spiritā¦.in a Fae sort of way.
As the author put The End to this story I couldnāt help but hope that next Christmas Keswick sees us making a return to a certain shop on High Street, Number 13 to be exact. And all who live overtop and within.
Iād love to catch up with them. You will be enchanted and wish for that too!
Cosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick goes to my top five holiday reads this year. Iām highly recommending you out it in your own stocking and your TBR pile!
What a joy!
Synopsis:
Knitting. Ice Cream. And a Matchmaking Fae.
Quiet, industrious Finn dreams of his own knitting store. He needs Leoās enthusiasm to make him reach for what he wants.
Cheerful, adventurous Leo sells artisan ice cream but shies away from fulfilling his grandmotherās last wish. He needs Finnās love and support to put his past to rest for good.
Add a Saxon treasure, a fae stranded in the human world, and an empty store with very unusual rental terms – and falling in love is not the only challenge Finn and Leo have to face.
Making a dream come true takes work. But there’s magic in dreams if Finn and Leo can hold on tight.
***
Tags: I’m only here for socks and ice cream. Sometimes you just click with another guy even if you’re opposites. I look at you and know what I’ll be knitting. How to share a house with someone you’ve just met. Utensils don’t sparkle, right? Grandmas rock. Making a deal with a burglar. Roisin is a decorating wiz and Finn worries about antique furniture. If you don’t talk to me, I can’t help you. Finding treasure at inopportune moments. And yes, there’s a happy ending
With the holidays almost upon us for those that celebrate at this time of the year, thereās always a number of holiday books that arrive with it.
Merry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden is a wonderful and sweet addition to anyoneās holiday reading stack this year!
I was wracking my memories if I had read any similar plots because a Tir na Nog Fae being hauled off to the North Pole because of a prophecy was all sorts of imaginative. And in terms of character development, downright awesome.
If I was from Ireland and dragged away to the ice and freezing cold, away from the pubs and rainbows, would I be happy? Without any say in the matter? Uh, no. And neither is Aiden.
Bolden is able to get the reader a real connection with Aidenās emotional state over this huge permanent upheaval of his life. The loss of friends, home, a job he felt he was good at and is now looked down upon by certain North Pole elves as nothing important. As is Audenās favorite holiday, St. Patrickās Day. His entire old life is made to feel.. well less in the face of being a Christmas elf, which he doesnāt want to be.
While the North Pole May glitter , itās often cold, freezing, and unfriendly. Except for Sam aka Santa (a title) whoās assistant Aiden is supposed to be.
Bolden builds quite the pictures of a role foisted on Aiden by a prophecy he doesnāt understand in a place he doesnāt want to be. And itās a role that doesnāt seem to fit him. At all.
The reader, listening and watching through Aidenās pained eyes, will tend to agree.
Then on Christmas Eve, outside of Chicago, in a small convenience store, Aiden runs into college student/store clerk Dex and a friendship as well as instant attraction is struck up.
Dexter is another layered marvelous character. Dysfunctional childhood, poor family dynamics means heās not a fan of the holidays. Until an unhappy elf stumbles into the store looking for milk and cookies for Santa.
What follows is such a heartwarming, funny, sometimes poignant love storyā¦via a long series of texts, and then of course thereās that prophecy.
I may have actually sniffled once or twice here.
I really felt for that given no choice hereās your new future elf Aiden and his engineer graduate boyfriendā¦ to beā¦they fully grabbed at my heart .
I believe they will at yours too. Thatās why Iām highly recommending this.
Synopsis:
Aidan might be a bad elf, but heās never been naughty.
Aidan has always landed on Santaās nice list, thank you very much. But that doesnāt mean heās cut out to be a North Pole elf; instead of worrying about the dwindling magic of Christmas, heād much rather be back in Tir na Nog, calculating where the next end of the rainbow is going to land.
Instead heās freezing his butt off in Santaās sleigh.
His situation seems grim despite all the decking the halls, until on Christmas Eve, during a milk and cookies run, he meets Dexter, an engineering student.
They couldnāt be more different, and Dexter couldnāt be more forbidden, but Aidan is drawn to the handsome human anyway. Over the next year, their emails start out as a entertaining way to pass the time in all his interminable elf meetings, but soon, hearing from Dex becomes the very best part of his day.
And when they meet up on the next Christmas Eve? Aidan and Dex discover that their infatuation is so much more than just attraction. If they believe in each other and in the love they share, together their magic might be powerful enough to save Christmas.
Iāve been thinking about this book, itās elements, and my review.
Why? Because it contains that one element guaranteed to bring me back to a basic argument I have, as a reviewer and for myself as a reader. Simply put, it is how do I feel about the cliffhanger?
Yes, Tide of Tricks, book 2 of Shadows of London, a fantastic tale of magic and mystery, has the most outrageous of all cliffhangers and THE key series/story revelation all at the same moment. Right at the end of the story! DO NOT READ the ending first. You wonāt even understand it anyway.
This is a heartbreaking, mindblast of a problem for several reasons, at least for me. I trust it will be for you all as well.
And I can tell you , if we were talking over tea or coffee? The expletives would be flying!
So let me dive into the why this cliffhanger is going to be so mind boggling awful.
It starts with Ariana Nashās character of John āDomā Domenici. His character, his personality and background is so densely layered, like a ābloom inā onionā as it were. The author has crafted Domās past with bagged filled hidden years that get revealed only through times of immense stress or threatened violence, that the reader and his associates never know whatās coming. Dom is a man whoās means of escaping his crime-filled East End childhood was to join the Army. That also turned out to be something far more torturous and disturbing (Iāll leave that to the book). Tragically from his start in Pretty Twisted Things , we now watch a man weāve come to greatly care about, slowly destabilize. With devastating results. And someone has planned this.
Nash has written a terrifying authentic example of a man being driven almost to the brink by forces unknown. We will feel every bit as helpless as Dom is to stop the events around him.
The people who work with him who we āthinkā care for him realize the dangers but thereās multiple targets. No one knows whoās the mastermind. And those who are acting on the mastermindās orders?
A shock or two there.
This is a veritable Minotaurās labyrinth of a plot and series arc. Bodies are falling, shadows are everywhere, magical objects of destruction of appearing all over London to destabilize people like Dom, and revelations about the primary characters start to pop like narrative gun fire. Nothing can be counted on except that everyone is in danger. And we have no real idea who everyone truly is.
Cliffhanger. In a beautifully written, outstandingly executed and almost flawless book.
Second stories are almost always a bridge book. They carry the plot and characters safely over from the foundation novel to the third book, which might be the end or even penultimate story in the series. Here Nash not only shoots out the lanterns our characters are carrying to light the way across the bridge but Nash is stranding them there before they reach the end. The bridge is going to break and all is darkness.
The third book in the series? Trial by Fire? Doesnāt come out until next May 2022. Ffs. Yup. Next year.
So back to my ongoing dilemma. When it comes to series and cliffhangers, do you (if given advance notice, clearly not here) wait until you have the entire series and read right through?
Or do what Iāve done, repeatedly, give in and read the book 1 in series after series, hopefully not to see a cliffhanger, and just go with it.
Knowing full well that come next May Iāll have to reread books 1 & 2 before diving back into this series, because the author has made it just that involved and convoluted. My mind will just not be able to hold onto all the details of this arc and plot and multiple characters until May 2022.
Sigh. Itās a old argument. Iāll probably still plow onwards. This author has me so hooked itās unreal.
So yesā¦ absolutely read this book and series. You decide when. If you want to wait until the series is complete, then read all the stories go for it. Read them as they come, waiting along with me? Ok weāll suffer together.
Either way, put it on your TBR list. Iām highly recommending it.
Shadows of London series:
ā¦ Twisted Pretty Things #1
ā¦ Tide of Tricks #2
ā¦ Trial by Fire #3- coming May 31st, 2022 argh! The wait will kill me!
Reeling from recent revelations and forced to lie for Kempthorne, the unthinkable happens: Dom fails the latent competency test. One more strike and heāll be deemed unstable, have his registration stripped, and the life he’s come to love at Kempthorne & Co will be over.
If that weren’t bad enough, someone is stalking him, taunting him. Someone who knows what Dom did all those years ago.
While Dom juggles Kempthorne’s lies and his own shady past, latents are being murdered. The police won’t help, so it’s up to Dom, Kempthorne & new-recruit Kage (Hollywood) to find the killer, before they strike too close to home.
Dom soon finds himself at the heart of it all with his control slipping, his trick breaking free, and the shadows rising.
He’s coming undone. And for unstable latents, there’s only one way outā¦..
Please note, this is an adult urban fantasy, so there are multiple swears, some darker themes and scenes, and on-page sex.
Soft Place to Fall is a heartbreaker of a book. Full of a broken partnership , a past of broken dreams and broken promises, and a mother who is being shattered by that most Insidious of diseases, Alzheimerās, this story is one guaranteed to have you sobbing.
Often.
Itās so well written that the pain and sheer exhaustion pouring off Stetson Major as heās watching his mama rapidly decline tears at you. You feel every bit of his feelings and the fact that thereās very little left for Stetson to give, heās done in.
Thatās where the call goes out to his ex partner, the man his mama is calling for, to please come. And rodeo rider Curtis Traynor does.
What a story. One of reconciliations, of loss, grief, forgiveness, love, and the journey back to home and each other.
The men are strong characters and you absolutely feel the incredible loving pull they have for each other. Itās also easy to see how, in their youth, their stubbornness and goals drove them apart.
The woman dying of Alzheimerās is difficult element as sheās so realistically portrayed. Muddled one moment, clear headed another, and then wild, anger filled, and needing to be restrained the next. If you havenāt experienced this, count yourself lucky. Itās often a very hard read. As it should be.
Thatās balanced by the two men now , years later, still as deeply in love as they ever were, picking their way back to each other over obstacles still strewn across the path as it was years ago.
I was so emotionally connected to these men and their romance I didnāt even notice the pages flying by.
The only thing that kept this from an absolute 5 star rating was that I thought it wrapped up too quickly for everything that had gone on before.
I was still happy for them and us at the end.
If you love cowboys and want a heartwarming love story, look no further. Grab up Soft Place To Fall and a box or two of tissues and settle in for a marvelous read.
Itās one I highly recommend.
Synopsis:
Stetson Major and Curtis Traynor are about as opposite as two cowboys can get. Stetson is a rancher, tied to the land he loves in Taos, New Mexico, while Curtis is a rodeo cowboy whose wanderlust never could be tamed. But now Stetsonās momma is dying of Alzheimerās, and she can’t remember that Curtis hasn’t been Stetson’s boyfriend for a long time. Curtis’s absence makes her cry, so Stetson swallows his pride and calls his ex-lover. To Curtis, Stetson is the one who got away, the love of his life. And Momma is his friend, so heās happy to help out. Yet returning to the ranch stirs up all sorts of feelings that, while buried, never really went away. Still, the rodeo nationals are coming up, and Curtis canāt stayāeven if heās starting to want to, especially to support Stetson when he needs it most. Stetson and Curtis want to find a place where they both fit, to be there to catch each other when they fall. But family, money problems, and the call of the rodeo circuit might end their second-chance romance before it even gets started.
Itās Amy Aislinās m/m hockey romances that normally I gravitate towards but thatās primarily out of habit. This author writes a great catalog of contemporary romances that shouldnāt be missed.
That includes this sweet HFN love story As Big As The Sky.
Itās one of those that combines several tropes into a engaging, totally satisfying heartwarming romance. Itās got enemies to lovers, a bit of hurt/comfort. Even quirky animals courtesy of a animal rehab/rescue center. Plus characters we absolutely connect with and wish we could get more of.
The relationship between Sam and Bo is so interesting because the potential for not just a great romance but an amazing one runs through this tale. There is just so many neat elements here. It cries out for a more substantial telling, fleshing out the families relationships, as well as theirs.
Indeed, Aislin has built such a marvelous universe here that I feel so much of what the author incorporates isnāt given its due.
But what we do see as far as the dynamics between Sam and Bo? Incredible and heartwarming.
I love this couple and would love to see the author revisit them and this world again.
Iām definitely recommending this sweet romance and couple.
Sam McAuley isnāt having a great start to the summer. Served with papers? Great. Heās being sued. Perfect, pristine yard overrun with chickens? What theā? Clearly, the new guy running the animal rehabilitation centre next door has no idea what heās doing.
Itās one town to the next, one school to the next, one job to the next for Bo Novak. Everything is temporary. Even his current jobārunning his sisterās animal rehab centre while sheās away on a four-month leaveāis temporary. And he does know what heās doing, thank you very much. Sure, things donāt always run smoothly, but the stick-in-the-mud next door could be a little nicer about it.
One overheard conversation, an olive branch, and a baseball game might show these guys that being at odds isnāt really what they want, and that what they want might just be each other.
[As Big as the Sky was first published in August 2017. This new edition has a brand new cover but no content changes.
You know those books about the professional security agencies with highly trained agents with specialized skills ? Ones who are extremely cool under stress and focused on the job and clients? Even if a romance seems pending, they donāt loose their professional patina or come off as comical.The novels with plots dealing with drug cartels so criminally vile that the scenes and storylines come across as realistically gritty? Those books?
Yeah, this isnāt those.
Hijacked is more a āeye rollā emoji, suspend your belief sort of tale. The type where you canāt believe anyone actually does the jobs theyāre supposedly doing but , hey, the novel is fun so letās just roll with it shall we?
If you can do that, you enjoy this story, otherwise no.
If you canāt put aside your need for any sort of reality check, then this is just one big ā yeah, noā.
The characters, from dialogues that range from ālocal yokel ā cringe worthy (reallyā¦ they sound right out of the Beverly Hillbillies) to South Park cartel style criminals, nothing here says take me seriously.
Scene after scene of situations where nothing feels believable , written by the author, so purposely really bad judgment on everyoneās part, just keeps occurring.
Like , the drug cartels guards who most likely are crazy homophobic are coming down the hall so letās have sex now! SMH!
They, of course, just assume thereās no cameras or listening devices so it must be ok. Because, duhā¦ professional.
So yeahā¦ entertaining on a fun, cartoony way. Quick read . No depth of character and the plot is one that continues into book 2.
Yep, itās a series.
If this sounds like something youād be interested in, you have several books to look forward to.
Synopsis:
Renowned cardiologist Carter Rogers is used to having things under control. His life, his prestigious reputation, his career, his future.
Things he canāt control this time around:
ā¢ His meddling grandfather
ā¢ His annoying gamer cousin
ā¢ Buggy South American jungles
ā¢ Being the meat in a feuding cartel sandwich
ā¢ Getting kidnapped by a monologuing drug lord
ā¢Falling for the very hot, very mouthy ex-soldier from his past
In short, Carterās peaceful, well-planned life has beenā¦ hijacked
Hellhounds. If for no other reason to pick these amazing stories up, itās to meet hellhounds.
These are not the beings or species that are coming to mind when the name Hellhound pops up. Nopes.
The Hellhound species here? Welp,that wasnāt originally their name. But turns out itās a racial uh soecist slur that was flung at them sometime around the huge Species War. They thought it humorous so their Species Leader renamed their ENTIRE species! Yep Hellhounds.
Itās just the thing a Hellhound would doā¦ see? I treat them as if the exist!
They and Alistair deserve to be real!
Itās almost painful on a cellular level they donāt.
Alistair Smythe, covert op, top Investigator and part of the inner circle of the Lucifer is 6ā5ā of gorgeous muscular shifter energy!Sure most of the time heās so adorable, whether itās Karaoke nite or doing the Macarena, that we forget how incredibly utterly fantastic Alistair is at his job.
While still being absolutely Alistair, in all his magnificently quirky glory.
Hijinks With a Hellhound is Alistairās time to shine. It also brings him into close working conditions with Aiden Byrne, Felid shifter-Shifter Species Leader. At first what starts out as a clash of personalities turns, upon reflection and a little advice, into a journey of lust, espionage, and eventually love.
Itās a hellā¦hound of a ride!
Plus this incredible adventure introduces a new cast of important characters leading into the finale. Especially one species that will have you going oh no.. them and hellhounds? š±š¤£. The anticipation is off the charts!
Aiden and Alistair are so perfect together, and this story sets the foundation for the revelation and narrative explosions to come.
How could you not love this? And them? Hellhounds!
It goes without sayingā¦ absolutely recommended.
Along with the entire series!
If I only had a magic wandā¦..
Cover notes. Best cover of them all. That is Alistair! Absolute perfection!
š¶Hidden Species series:
Demons Do It Better #1
One Bite with A Vampire #2
Hijinks With A Hellhound #3
Sorcerers Always Satisfy #4
š¶Sequel Series:
Here Be Dragons (happens immediately after the events of Hidden Species)
Dragon Ever After#1
Synopsis: Iām a one-and-done kind of hellhoundā¦ I donāt catch feeeeeeeelingsā¦
Once upon a time, my first and last relationship taught me that romantic love isnāt enough to stop your boyfriend from trying to kill you. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. My awesomeness is now strictly reserved for one-nighters and casual hookups. Sure, my friends seem to be matching up in romantic bliss, but screw thatāIām not interested.
Besides, things are heating up at the Community of Species Government, and Iām right in the thick of it all. Those bad guys are going downāand not in the good way. They might seem to have the drop on us right now, but weāre going to turn the tables on them. Even if it means going on a mission with Aidan Byrne.
Iām still not happy about the way Aidan handled things with my bestest bestie a few months back, even if he did turn out to be right. Plus, thereās something about him that rubs my fur in the wrong direction. Heās the kind of guy who thinks karaoke is only for college kids and looks down on me for licking my own balls. He also thinks that just because heās the species leader, heās in charge.
Too bad for him, Iāve never backed away from a challengeā¦ even if it is unnervingly sexy and really bendy. A hookup wonāt lead to feelingsā¦ right?
