Releasing September 4th!
Cover Designer: Brittany Franks with Chaotic Creatives
Blurb:
From USA Today Bestselling Author CoraLee June
Welcome to Pine Hollow: A Forbidden Romance Brimming with Scandal and Sarcasm
Just when I thought I’d escaped Pine Hollow’s gossip mill and its suffocating small-town charm, my best friend Bella called. Turns out, she needed help—serious help. As in, her husband Butch is now a permanent resident of Whispering Pines Cemetery, and let’s just say it wasn’t exactly natural causes.
Bella and I? We’ve always been partners in crime, but this was a new level of mischief. So, I packed up my Austin dreams and headed back to Pine Hollow, where every smile hides a secret, and every sweet tea is laced with irony.
I expected a tearful reunion, not a body and a hastily dug grave. And certainly not my stepbrother Calvin showing up, all infuriatingly handsome and ready to assist. Calvin, the original heartbreaker who had me fleeing town years ago because of feelings I couldn’t shake and the judgmental whispers that followed.
As Calvin and I navigate this fresh mess—both the literal dirt and the figurative skeletons in our closets—old sparks ignite. It’s hard to focus on staying out of jail when unresolved tension keeps pulling us together.
Every side-eye spells gossip and Butch’s father is out for blood. We’re balancing on the thinnest of ice. The town is watching, whispering, and waiting for the next scandal to unfold.
Dive into a steamy mix of forbidden romance, dark humor, and a mystery too tangled to ignore.
Because in Pine Hollow, secrets never stay buried. And as for Butch? Well, he had it coming.
About the Author:
CoraLee: Whipping up characters that go deep, bring the laughs, and stir the heart. Also known as the angsty author CoraLee June, "CoraLee" is the name stamping those rom-com pages. Ex-librarian and Texas State English grad (where daydreaming was practically a major), CoraLee is now writing books that make her giggle, while navigating Dallas life with three mini sidekicks and a hubby still figuring out the plot twist he’s in. CoraLee has a flair for turning every day into a comedy skit. Welcome to the chaos.
Author Link: https://linktr.ee/authorcoraleejune
THE BEST OF ALL
Karla Sorensen
Release Date: July 16
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Blurb
He’s commitment phobic. She believes in happy
endings. The twist of fate that binds them is a surprise they never saw coming
in a bittersweet romance about instant family—and not-so-instant love.
A decade-old animosity is the only thing Liam
Davies and Zoe Valentine have in common. Until their mutual best friends pass
away and they’re appointed co-guardians of the trusting couple’s precocious
toddler, Mira.
Liam is committed only to professional football.
Relationship-wise, he’s even better at defense. Still wrestling with a tough
childhood, he’s not cut out to be a father. Why his late best buddy believed in
him, Liam has no idea.
An optimistic romantic, Zoe has always dreamed of a
fairy-tale life. But even though Liam’s biceps make her dizzy and she can’t
stop thinking about his lips on hers, he’s not exactly Prince Charming. With or
without that brooding Brit, she is determined to make good on her friends’ last
wish.
Forced into a predicament they never expected, Zoe
and Liam are discovering things about each other that could scorch through
boundaries, warm hearts, and change minds. And best of all, with their shared
love for a pint-size surprise like Mira, they might just turn a house into a
home.
My Review
Buy Link
Available in KU
Meet Karla Sorensen
Karla Sorensen is an Amazon top 10 bestselling
author who refuses to read or write anything without a happily ever after. When
she's not devouring Dramione fan fiction or avoiding the laundry, you can find
her binding books, and watching football (British & American) or HGTV. With
a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State
University, she made her living in senior healthcare prior to writing
full-time. Karla lives in Michigan with her husband, two boys and a big, shaggy
rescue dog named Bear.
Connect with Karla Sorensen
https://www.instagram.com/karla_sorensen/
Ok so this book is just all the feels. I read the Best
Laid Plans right before it and then I couldn't wait to get more of Liam. Except
there's something to be said for going into a book knowing there's going to be
heartbreak and tears.
Because obviously this book is about Liam and Zoe’s
best friends passing away and them getting custody of their daughter. Now from
the last book my entire knowledge of Liam is that he's gruff and growly and
protective of Mira. And that's kind of my kryptonite.
Zoe on the other hand was a complete unknown and
starting the book with her in the past gave me a great feel for her. Following
that up with her with Mira made her a character I loved. Especially with her octogenarian
book club giving her all kinds of advice.
The story was so emotional but written so perfectly
that I could feel what they were feeling and understand why they each were
feeling that way. And I loved that they gave each other the grace to deal with
their own feelings on this massive life change they had suddenly had thrust
upon them. Liam was the absolute best book hero I've read in a while and the
most real.
I personally would have loved an epilogue of a little further into the future. But I always want more. I'm not sure if we are getting more of this series in the future but I certainly hope so.
After
a really terrible week in reality, all I wanted to do was escape into a good
book. But picking one was a challenge all of its own. I kept switching back and
forth between wanting something dark and angsty or something light and fluffy.
I even pulled up a heap of options and a random number generator before I
decided I needed something happy. And that always describes a Lauren Blakely
novel.
First
thing I want to say is I was expecting a laugh out loud room com with a heap of
steam. I wasn't expecting all the feels. From the start I really connected with
Trina and watching her figure herself out and overcome her own self-doubts was
great. I loved her quirky, book obsessed self and seeing her get there was
perfect.
Now
the whole two guy thing. I didn't expect them to have such complex and
understandable issues. They were so open and mature and communicated
beautifully even when they were communicating their mistakes. And yes, the
steam factor was through the roof.
I
really enjoyed this book, and it was the perfect escape from reality. I don't
know that I'm going to race out and read the next one but I'm definitely adding
it to my TBR for those days I need something steamy and all consuming.
I
always finish these books and feel like an idiot for putting off reading them
and wanting to jump into the next one immediately. And then I one click the
next one and get off tangent and take forever to pick it up and read it. Rinse
and repeat. But I came to the Devney Perry party late and I started them and
somehow ended up reading 3 different series and crossing over all the
characters in my head.
I
remember Sabrina showing up at the end of the last book. I know we got a fair
lot of Beau previously, but I don't really remember much about him due to my
terrible memory. But it honestly doesn't matter, these books are all beautiful
slices of their own that don't really need to be read in order. Except for the
timelines for the crossover characters.
Beau
and Sabrina were so different, I didn't know how they could work. But their
instant connection couldn't have been written any better. Sabrina was so strong,
and I seriously admired her and the way she dealt with everything. Even when I
wanted to scream at her for the way she acted, I couldn't.
The
story flowed so smoothly, and I enjoyed getting lost in it. And unsurprisingly
I'm wanting to jump right into the next one. Although I also got a little tiny
tease for a different series and there's a new one coming soon and some others,
I still have on my kindle so I'll probably get there later.
As
soon as I put down Offsides I went straight to KU to grab this and then I got
distracted by a teaser for a dark romance that for some reason I couldn’t
resist. So, after I fell down that little rabbit hole I was a little worried
that this would be hard to pick up. But from the first page I was hooked.
This
absolutely could be read as a standalone, but I would highly recommend
reading Offsides first just because it gives some good insight into the friend
group. Plus, it reads just as well as this one; great writing, awesome
characters, loads of all things college sports romance plus a little bit of
extra spice.
Tyler
was introduced in the previous book, but we didn’t get to know Sera until this
one. And I immediately loved her. She was far from perfect and despite the fact
I couldn’t personally relate to anything she was going through I loved her.
Sera was so incredibly real and everything she was going through ensured there
was never a moment I wasn’t wondering how it was going to play out and turning
pages.
Tyler
was book boyfriend goals and then some. Everything about him from their first
anonymous meeting that we only hear about in retrospect was hot. He absolutely
lived up to the Hades tag. And the drama that I was expecting from the Chase
reveal, played out to beyond what I was expecting. I couldn’t have asked for
more. And now I’m going to go spend hours on Goodreads trying to figure out
what to read next.
