The Pick Up is a sweet romance that will make you feel good after reading
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The Pick Up is a sweet romance that will make you feel good after reading. Who doesn't love single dads and sassy six-year-olds?

Kyle doesn't plan to be in his hometown forever, just long enough to get some help with his daughter and to get his life back on track. And then he meets Mr. Adam Hathaway. Who teaches not only Caroline about the food groups, but Kyle about love.

After a bad experience Adam doesn't want to take the chance again. But Super Dad Kyle with his nerdy T-shirts and his cheesy pickup lines makes it difficult.

The two of them have a rough start but a tentative friendship bands them together. When they give in and finally stop with the miscommunication and misunderstandings they find so much more than they were expecting.

Both Adam and Kyle grow in this book. Adam learns to open his heart and take a chance. Kyle learns to rely on family and that it's okay to have a whole community of people looking out for you.

Red Creek is a town full of friends and family who prove they will always be there for those they love. It's shown over and over again over the course of the book, neither Kyle nor Adam are so receptive to that, but I loved it. It shows character growth. Kyle never thought of settling down in his hometown, not after living the life of his dreams for years. But sometimes it takes one event, and one person to make you see things differently.

I love how Kyle had to relearn the importance of family in this book. He's so stubborn and so independent, his growth and ability to see that not only does his daughter need the love and support, but he does as well.

Adam, oh Adam. Such a conflicted man, wanting to do right, yet it only hurts him until he realizes that sometimes the "wrong" thing to do is the right thing. He didn't have as much growing as Kyle did, but there was enough there for him to evolve alongside Kyle.

All in all this romance was sweet, had some humor, and brought along some feels about life and family.
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This contemporary romance is a delicious quick read that combines a hot fireman, new to town and learning to be part of the team, and the cute nurse who captures his eye with her good looks and his heart with her sweet nature.  I love the way the goodwill of the season is conjured up even as we get a glimpse of the lifestyle and challenges faced by our brave firefighters and the reminder that even small acts can have a positive benefit on those around us.  A sweet story that hopefully will be an appetizer for an even longer tale involving these characters and a great way to get into the holiday spirit.

A copy of this fun story was provided to me in exchange for an honest review
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I'm not normally a reader of sweet romance, straight literary fiction or erotica are more my style, but this was a cute, quirky story that lightened the mood and made me smile. Normally books like this, where the narrator starts out having a horrible day, degenerate into wishy-washy minutiae, but this narrator is actually having a horrible, no-good, very bad day, and the voice is sustained throughout the entire narrative. It's a sweet, funny romance, and having a military man of my own, the love interest certainly acted according to character ;-) There were some instances in the book I actually laughed and read to my spouse, both of us going "yup, that sounds about right." So sweet romance reader or not, this is a great summer read, or just whenever you need a dose of sunshine, butterflies, and believable romance.
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I'll Stand by You by Sharon Sala
Contemporary Romance June 2nd, 2015
5 stars

This feel good romance will make you cry tears of sorrow and happiness as it shows that good things can happen to decent people.

Dori Grant is a young unmarried mother.  She lives in a small town where gossip and prejudice run rampant. Formerly a 'good girl' she has fallen from grace in the eyes of many condemning town folk when she became pregnant.  Thankfully she has the love and support of her dear grandfather.  But when tragedy strikes and her grandfather cannot help her many in the town shun her.  It is only the aid of a young man from the wrong side of town that offers her any aid.  But because of his family reputation rumors spread that he is the father.

Johnny Pine loves his brothers and nearly had them taken away.  He is determined to show the hypocritical town that he and his brother are much more than white trash.  But he is poor and his young siblings are a handful.  When one is beaten up by a gang of wealthy older boys, he has to take his brother to the ER.  Where many in the town are spreading vicious lies.  Although a police officer and a compassionate lawyer help him prove his brother's innocence, Johnny feels the weight of the town on his young shoulders.  And when he decides to aid a young mother when none of her neighbors will lift a finger to help more rumors spread.  But truth, justice and love will prevail.

This was a deeply emotional book that will suck the reader in.  Dori and Johnny are good, honest and decent people.  They are the underdogs you will root for.  Dori is a hardworking mother that holds a deep, painful secret.  You will want her to succeed and find happiness.  Johnny is very young to take on the responsibilities of two young boys with tons of energy.  What I liked most about him is that you know he has suffered due to his parents reputations.  That he has succeeded and found a good job and gained custody of his young brothers is a true feat of heroism.  But he doesn't see it that way.  He just wants to keep his family together and take care of those he loves.  What was heart warming about this story was just when you think Dori or Johnny are going to be railroaded by vicious lies, some of the town people aid Johnny and Dori despite the strong prejudices.  This book lifted my spirits and will make you smile long after it is done.

This gentle small town romance is heartwarming and sweet.  The courage and kindness of many of the characters will make you wish they were real.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
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RATING: 4 STARS

Happily Evan After is the story of Evan and Rebecca. Evan is serving an unknown sentence as life of a Cupid, assigned to bring couples their true love. Rebecca is his next assignment, who for some reason seems to pull on our dear Cupid's heart strings more than any other assignment has in the past, leaving him to travel a little down memory lane, as he watches Rebecca meet up with Drew, and toys with the idea of breaking all the rules to serve both himself and his new assignment.

This story is low on angst, and brings a fresh perspective of romance and paranormal blending together. The characters were beautifully written, allowing us to feel, cheer them on and want to guide them down the path we just know is right.

I highly recommend picking up this book if you're wanting an easy read to bring you out of a rut.

Keri

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)
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Reading Only You by Denise Grover Swank felt like meeting new friends. That feeling of comfort and acquaintance pulled me into this feel good read. The laughs are an added bonus. I received a copy of Only You in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley. Kevin is a cynic when it comes to love. Not willing to risk his heart may be the best or most stupid decision he's ever made. Holly is as creative as she is absent minded but such a sweetheart. Holly and Kevin are so mismatched that it's hard to believe they could work as a couple. That was my opinion until I realized that the one trait they share is the need for acceptance and that is what makes them a perfect match. I can't deny that I am a romantic at heart and maybe that's why in my eyes I see something special in this sweet story.
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What an amazingly sweet story. Last To Know is the first book in the Willow Creek Series but can be read as a stand alone. This book is more YA than NA but still very enjoyable for those of you looking for a sweet romance with some angst.

Emma has been drug to the fair with her best friend and complete opposite Saddie and is ditched when she decides she doesn't want to watch the band Willow Creek perform and decides to sit back and relax. When the concert is over Saddie is no where to be found but the charming Maddox is. Maddox and Emma start up a quick friendship and next thing she knows she's going on her first date with him.

Maddox and Emma are adorable together. He's funny, outgoing, and amazing, and she's quiet, quirky, and sweet. Together these two are hilarious and I loved watching Maddox teaching Emma to live. Emma and Maddox's first date is quite hilarious and I couldn't help but laugh at the things they got themselves into.

Throughout the summer these two build a relationship and you definitely see Emma coming out of her shell. Seeing her with Maddox is amazing, but you know things are going to go down hill. As the reader you are able to put things together that Emma hasn't, and it broke my heart when she finds out who Maddox really is

Not only is this book sweet and adorable, but it is quite funny as well. Maddox and his hedgehog Sonic are quite hilarious and watching Emma and Maddox interact with Sonic or with anyone brought a smile to my face. I loved all the wild and crazy things that Maddox got Emma to do, all while showing her how much he really cares about her. Both of these characters have a bad past and seeing them open up to one another was amazing to read. My heart broke for both of them, but they both have become stronger people because of what has happened to them in the past

Maddox's brother Mathias is a different story, and I'm definitely wanting to jump right into his book to see more of why he's so moody. He does come through though when it matters, but he can definitely be a jerk that I wanted to strangle most of the time. Ezra and Hayes are amazing as well and you can tell they truly have opened up their little family to include Emma as well.

One thing I wish was that Emma would have been more open with her best friend, it was like she was living two different lives and didn't want to share any information about Maddox to anyone. Her mom obviously knew since she had met him, but still... her best friend (even though she wasn't that great of a friend all the time) should have known.

This book takes place over summer between Emma's junior and senior year of high school, and man do I wish I would have had the experiences she did during that summer. Her and Maddox's relationship is beautiful and built on an amazing friendship. I love these two together and seeing Maddox with Emma.

I am definitely hooked on this series and will be diving right into Mathias's story ASAP. I need more of these guys and hopefully we'll see more of Maddox and Emma as well. The last "bonus scene" in this book was Laugh Out Loud hilarious and had me missing these characters before the book was finally over.

Micalea Smeltzer did an amazing job of writing this story and making you fall in love with the characters involved. The writing is beautiful and I was definitely hooked. I can't wait to read more books by her!
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This story is based on slightly older people who are not sure that they can have a second chance at love. The story is sweet, funny, there is sweetness from the female character, a grumpy teenager, steamy sex, hurt feelings, a runaway, a resuce, attitude, problems to deal with, second chances, feelings of failure/helplessness, worry, and finally love. This is a must read; I am not going to give away any spoilers about this story. You have to read it to find out what happens between the couple in this book. (I received this book for an honest review).
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This is such a feel good story. I really enjoyed the character descriptions and incredible scenery descriptions making it all so easy to visualise.
The romance is a is sweet and touching. It is a fast paced book that leaves you feeling terrific.
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Math teacher Lyndsay De Luca is taking charge of her life: first of all she achieved one of her goals with her published debut romance novel and she is dating Will Sweet, her long ago crush and the guy she based the hero in her novel on and she's secretly afraid that people will recognize the hero when they read the book.

Will Sweet is a notorious good-time guy, famous for showing the ladies a good time but never sticking around for long. Will always considered Lyndsay good friend and no one was more surprised than him when she asked him out on a date but he's willing to show her a good time. Will harbors a lot of guilt about the death of his high-school sweetheart and his inability to protect her and is not willing to open himself up to love again.

Lyndsay gradually realizes that the Will of her fantasies is very far from the closed off guy she knows and walks away when she sees that loving him is futile because he can't give her the future she wants until he rids himself of the guilt from his past.

I absolutely adored Lyndsay. She's sweet, smart, strong and bold about going for what she wants. I loved that she valued herself enough to not settle for less than she deserved. In a first for me, I went from liking Will at the beginning to intensely disliking him. His reason for giving up on love felt very week to me and I felt like yelling at him to get his head out of his ass before losing the best thing to ever happen to him.

Ever After at Sweetheart Ranch is a sweet and warm story, a great representation of life in a small town, with nosy old ladies and town gossips; old feuds and so much more. Ms. Cane  gives us a thorny friends-to-lovers-story, but also allows us to catch up with characters from previous books.

Source: I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Kudos to Lindzee Armstrong for once again giving the reader a sweet romance filled with believable characters, a few twist and a second (or was it third/fourth) chance at realizing when you meet the one everything just feels right.
Tamera has been wronged by her ex-boyfriend and sister. Wyatt has been wronged by his ex-girlfriend and former teammate. Can these two put those pains in the past and get a happy ending?
Sweet clean romance that will make you smile.
I was given this book for an honest voluntary review.
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This a very sweet, clean romance. It is a  short, quick read. I love the characters in this book and the close-knit town they all live in. The story unfolds at a good, steady pace, and keeps the reader's interest. I really like Jeffery and the fact that he likes Kristina Rose so much, just the way she is.

This author writes really good, clean romances. The only think I didn't particularly like was the fact that Kristina Rose focused so much on her weight. It's unfortunate that this is true for so many women. She is such a kind, loving, beautiful person, inside and out, that it is sad she feels she has to change her body so drastically. I know this story portrays a very real situation, and it does have a good outcome, but I just wish it didn't have to be such an issue.

Melissa is good at tackling the difficult issues that people (especially women) struggle with. She always brings a positive, hopeful message, though, along with the struggle.
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This book deserves a five-star rating for its cover alone but PS.. Youre Mine was also just insanely sweet and if you need a good dose of the feel-goods, you need to one-click the s*** out of this.
Theres just so much I loved about this book. I loved the way the process of writing letters to each other simultaneously built a bond between the two and created some delicious tension and anticipation. I loved how a modern (and sometimes painful) theme was laid out with the charm and sweetness of the values from earlier times and the grit of some very dirty words.
The characters were just both so adorable.  I really loved the idea of an ornery old army vet being filled with happiness by an innocent girl filled with goodness and in return a shy girl being broken out of her shell by the confidence given to her by a man totally entranced by her innocent charm.
From the first few tentative words shared between these two to a shy and unsure connection being built and the hot as hell fallout that came from it I was totally enamored with these two. Their story had my toes curling in enjoyment and I wish I could know these two as friends in real life just so I can squee my ass off in their presence.

 (ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review)
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A delightfully sweet romance novel set in Fort  Lauderdale, FL, between a pediatrician and male supermodel. Both are enormously successful in their careers, reasonably happy and hopeful to fall in love someday.

Rowan lives in New York but visits his sister, also a physician and her family in Florida. His most recent visit is for a physical and blood work done at the clinic his sister works at. He returns on a weekend for his blood work results, but his sister wasn't working. Vera was covering the shift and provided him with results.

Vera is recently divorced, mother of a feisty one-year old girl, pediatrician during the week and clinic volunteer M.D. on Sunday's at the clinic.

The clinic treats predominately low-income people and those that can't afford health insurance. A wide variety of people but many work the fields, labor jobs or are prostitutes. After a long day at the clinic filling in for her friend, she has one final patient. Before calling the patient from the waiting room, she reviews the file and sees the clinic code for blood work results for a prostitute or escort. She calls Rowan from the waiting room and is first astounded that Rowan is a male and secondly how gorgeous he is. She provides him his results and a reminder about safe sex. He doesn't correct her about his employment, instead going with her assumption that he sells his body & sex to women for money. He checks her out head-to-toe and is impressed with her boldness. He also notices that she appears lonely. He can relate and the need to help her somehow tugs at his mind. As Vera leaves the clinic for the night Rowan approaches her from his waiting car, then asks her out to dinner. It's impromptu, but she accepts. His plan is for one date and to see her smiling again. Over conversation & dinner, they both realize how wonderful the other is and he asks her on a date for the following weekend.

As Vera waits at home for her ex-husband to pick-up their daughter for his weekend (joint custody arrangement), he calls and says he has to cancel. Realizing that Rowan is on his way over to take her out, her daughter also needs dinner, bath, etc. Rowan, takes the change in plans in stride and they have a wonderful night in. It also gives Rowan a chance to bond with the child and get to know her mom better. His attentiveness to them both and his ease w/ the child ensnares Vera's heart. This is the beginning of their romance, but it's not easy street. Lots of ups & downs, regret for making poor choices, not communicating and a bitter ex don't exactly help.

Overall, this is a good & quick read. A HEA ending awaits the reader along with hints of mystery. Well written & easy to recommend.
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I absolutely adored this sweet read from Ashlee Mallory. Her Backup Boyfriend left a big fat happy smile on my face when I was done reading this book. If you are a big fan of a hero, who is family oriented, sweet, kind, generous, sexy and fun then this book is for you. It had all the elements that will keep readers happy and entertained. This heart-warming book was light, fast paced and full of sweetness. Ms. Mallory treated her readers to a lovable characters that you couldn't help but fall in love with. This book reminds us all that its okay to want big things in life but in the process don't lose sight of what's really important. At the end of the day, you should be happy and surrounded by the people who truly loves and accepts you. So if you are looking for a book, that encompasses family values, love, and being happy then Her Backup Boyfriend is a must read.
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I was so lucky to win a copy (total claim to fame, Sean is called Sean because of me LOL) of this super sweet christmas romance on Jay's facebook page. Would have bought it anyway though, as I really enjoy Jay's stories and I love me a good christmas romance.

This is the super sweet story of two childhood friends, who finally man up to admit what the rest of the world could have told them years ago - they are perfect for one another. Sean and Justin and super sweet and fun together. Its the kind of story that will leave you with a happy smile on your face.
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Billiard Buddies is a pleasant pastime read for a rainy afternoon, making you feel good. The author, Cassandra Ulrich, has a great handle on her characters' personalities and uses them to tell a lively and creative tale of love. A story that's heartwarming and keeps you wanting to know  what happens next.  Gina is not only a great kindergarten teacher but also a talented pool player. She finds no match in any of the boys at the bar. Not at all. Until she meets Sean.
I hear you play a mean pool game, Sean started. He couldn't help but agree that she was cute, her round 1920s features hugged by blond curls that bounced just above her jaw line when she turned to face him. Her smile accentuated her sparkling eyes.
The  pool game between Gina and Sean in Chapter Two is a masterful depiction of luring, foreplay and seduction. The detailed description of the billieard game is the proof that  the author, Cassandra Ulrich, knows extremely well this interesting game.
Cindy and Hank are obstacles in the path of a burgeoning feeling. Gene the gay cousin is a character that counter balances the turmoil of emotions Gina and Sean pass through.
It is a typical story, girl meets boy, but at the same time a very interesting one. The hero was so lovable and funny and he kept a high spirit throughout the story. The heroine was strong and with a big heart. The sexual chemistry and romance are good. The romantic tension between the hero and heroine is the best I have seen lately.  I liked heroine's grit combined with her innocence. I loved it all. Definitely going to look out for this author in the future. All said, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.