But the sibling rivalry really heats up when he finds unconventional love in his brother's ex-girl friend Ginnifer Goodwin
598730
Jonathan Tucker takes a job as star Executioner at a local prison, where his estranged brother Jeremy Renner is slated to die for murder.
But the sibling rivalry really heats up when he finds unconventional love in his brother's ex-girl friend  Ginnifer Goodwin.  Trouble is, she's also on
Death Row and slated for execution.  With the clock ticking, the sparks fly as this love triangle becomes the ultimate fatal attraction.
1081387
I absolutely love this series. This book had me laughing & crying. Trixie wanted nothing to do with Rush until her brother Knox told her to stay away from him. So she pulls him into the bathroom & kisses him.  Rush is a player, and is not looking for love. Each have emotional baggage, but they are just what they need for each other.
1763612
Ash Wells and Nat Braithwaite were lovers at high school, their intense friendship rounded out by a third, Livvy. The trio were known as the Untouchables, because nothing ever got in the way of their friendship.  In the last week of school however, Nat, pushed by her parents, ended her grand passion with Ash, determined to focus on her studies to become a surgeon.  Destroyed by the love of her life, Ash tanked her finals and bolted overseas.

Seventeen years later, and Ash and Nat meet at Livvys funeral. The heat is still there, but so is the pain and the anger. Both Ash and Nat appear to be successful in their own lives, but perhaps things are more complicated than that.

This was a much more clever book than I anticipated. The characters were gutsy and intelligent, and there was definite heat generated on the page between them.  The authors have created a much more sympathetic character in Ash, who is strong and bold. I had a bit of trouble with the speed at which she seemed to lose such intense anger, but perhaps shes a better person than me. And Nat did come across as fairly selfish at the start, but the authors were clever in how they opened up the possibilities between the characters.  The plotting was clear, I really liked Ash, and the story worked for the characters.

This was fun to read, and a clever, entertaining diversion.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.  4 stars
4437871
Lilliana writes beautiful tales of friendship and young love with all the pitfalls. David and Katrina are best friends and they are both in that awkward fear of pursuing something more and losing what they have now. I really enjoyed how this novella was written from Davids perspective. Its refreshing to read from the males perspective.
This story drew me in and I devoured this book in one sitting. Its a frustratingly beautiful read and it has a strange dynamic. David is very firm in his boundaries about how he wants his relationship with Katrina yet hes jealous when she does start to date other boys. His fear is what keeps him wanting their relationship to stay the same. Katrina obviously wants the same thing but again, held in her own fear but comfortable with the status quo.
Ive been drawn to YA a lot lately as it seems to hit all my reading desires  the angst, the tension and the character growth  Lilliana serves that up in spades. Cant wait to read the rest of the series.
I bought a copy of this book with my own money. This did not influence my review or comments.
4324763
3.5 Sizzling stars

A friends to lovers story

Bree had a teen crush, her brothers best friend and now Bree is a grown woman it seemed the flame of desire never died.

Bree sets out to see if she just needs to get Jake out of her system but instead of extinguishing the flame it well and truly rekindles.

A quick read Told in dual pov's, heartwarming and hot with great characters finishing with a well deserved hea.
1215084
With all the negativity going on in today's world with NFL football and illegal recruiting in college sports, I wasn't sure if I wanted to dive into this book. Played by Jen Frederick is the fourth book in the Grid Iron series. This series focuses on college football players finishing up their college football careers. For many of them the next step is the NFL, for others it's stepping into their perspective professional careers. Either way they are at crossroads in their lives and the pressure is high.

Ty Masters chose to play five years rather than four so he didn't have to compete with his twin brother Knox in the professional draft since they both played the same position. He also chose a different college across the country so they could both live out their individual glory rather than share a collective spotlight. They are extremely competitive with one another but also extremely close. When his brother went into the draft a year early it took some of the pressure off of Ty but also added a bit of pressure to live up to his brother's pristine image. Like most twins, Ty and Knox differ like night and day. The one thing they have in common is their focus on football, the difference is their approach with that focus. Unlike his brother, Ty has enjoyed the dating life in college. While his brother stayed away from women, Ty enjoyed them but never let them come before his game. He's gained the reputation of being a crappy, uncaring boyfriend. He could care less. The only woman that is important in his life is Ara Martin, his best friend. With the upcoming draft his agent is pressuring him about everything from his diet to dating. His agent is concerned about his reputation and how it will affect his draft round.

Ara Martin has been living within her parents shadows after their divorce. Her father is a renowned sculptor who tends to remarry with every masterpiece he creates. Her mother is a driven professional that thinks art is a frivolous and insecure career. She's also a bit cold hearted with her views on family and marriage. Ara is trying to carve out her own place in the art world without her father's influence or her mother's negativity. After being a product of numerous divorces in her childhood, she chose to put Ty Masters in the friend department because she valued their friendship too much.

So this book focuses on the final semester of their senior year in college. Ty and Ara are both struggling in very different ways. The one thing that is easy in their lives is each other. From the social media to Ty's twin brother, a nasty agent, and a rancid ex girlfriend, the pressure has become a hotbed in Ty's life. Ara's determination to prove herself in her own world is hard enough let alone the different types of pressure her parents are separately creating, Ty Masters is the only thing that isn't a boiling point in her life. The problem is deep down Ty is a boiling point, she is hopelessly in love with him but doesn't want to ruin their friendship. Little does she know Ty is realizing that he is in love with her. Ty's approach is like his approach to football, full focus and winning what he wants on his own terms.

Jen Frederick once again scored big with Played. She showed a very different side to the sport that most fans don't see and added a breathtaking romance to the mix. It is a great addition to the series and I think I might love Ty Masters a little more than I loved Knox Masters.

So if you are tired of all the crap going on in real life sports, take yourself to Jen Frederick's Grid Iron sports world, it will not disappoint.
1059500
This is a book about the insecurities of youth, falling in love, and family loyalty.

Ethan and Alex are twin boys, seniors in their small Wisconsin-town high school. Alex is bigger, more attractive and smarter than Ethan. By virtue of prenatal complications Ethan almost died at birth, he is developmentally delayed and has cerebral palsy. From his own hard work and constant attention, Ethan is a good student, but he can't walk without his leg braces and arm crutches, while Alex is a star football player, class president and love-em-and-leave-em hook-up artist. Ethan is jealous of his brother's "easy" life, and wishes desperately for a girlfriend. He knows that he'll probably never find a girl to love him, and that's frustrating. He finds one girl in school particularly interesting: Laura, and he spends a lot of time trying to get her attention.

Laura is a high school senior, a bit dumpier than her gorgeous college-aged sister, Nikki. Nikki has never let Laura forget this, either. Their relationship is very strained. One weekend, when Nikki is home visiting from college, she goes out on a date with a hometown boy. She's later found raped in a park, beaten into unconsciousness. Laura is as appalled as her family, and spends hours and days at the hospital, sitting with comatose Nikki.  The only distraction comes when Laura meets Ethan.

While Laura might be a bit skittish of Ethan, she's more trapped in a self-hate spiral. She considers herself fat, and isn't--and never will be--as gorgeous as Nikki, but the attention she receives from Ethan is heady. She wants to be seen as attractive, and finds Ethan to be really charming and cute, and soon forgets all about his leg braces. Ethan's so floored that Laura isn't running as fast as she can in the next direction that he's ecstatic. He and Laura begin to date, on the sly, because Laura doesn't want and scrutiny and Ethan doesn't want to be a spectacle. They are seriously mired (realistically) in their insecurities. I liked that they didn't hold back, and I liked how they worked through their body issues. They have a sweet romance that is fulfilling for both of them--expect sexytimes off the page--and it seems like everything is going great. Well, except that one secret that Ethan learns about a month after dating Laura. And it has everything to do with Nikki and Alex.

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, so I'm just going to say that this was a really unique story. I loved the honesty of the characters and I loved the inclusion of a CP character, and I really felt a kinship with Ethan, for all his travails. He's had it hard, and I could understand why he kept Alex's secret--because exposure would surely cost him his first love and his brother in one fell swoop.

The family dynamics were so realistically portrayed, with bitter antagonism and sibling rivalry, and overwrought parents and bad decisions. The ending was so good, even if it wasn't all hearts and flowers. Ethan and Laura come to honest terms with each other, and there is hope for each of them to have happiness. Alex and Nikki both have their situation fully resolved, in a way that's not storybook and not fairy tale. All bad situations leave a stain, and Alex and Nikki must bear those marks--some for longer than others. It was interesting how these two--who all would say had it made--really held their own problems so close to the vest, and how the whole scenario changed Alex--for the better it seemed.

I hadn't anticipated the many twists of this book, and that was so refreshing. One niggle for me was the author not knowing that football happens in the fall--only. There were so many references to Alex's football practice and the team competing, and the book was set January-May. So, that irked me, from a reader standpoint. Otherwise, I really enjoyed.
1555913
Carlie McDaniels and Tyler Ramsay have known each other for some time - after all, his brother is married to her best friend.  But it is not until Carlie reveals her hidden self at a Halloween party that she really engages Tyler's interest.  And now, although he doesn't know who the mystery woman who got him all hot and bothered really is, Tyler can't seem to get mousy Carlie McDaniels out of his mind.
He's hot, he's well off, he's charming.  Everything Carlie is trying to hide from following on from a divorce from a man she perceives is just like him.  But Tyler is nothing like her ex-husband, and soon he sets about proving it to her...
Lori Foster is a prolific and talented writer of romance, and I always enjoy reading her stories.  This is no exception.  The highlights are the relationships between the four central characters - the Ramsay brothers, Carlie and her friend Brenda.  And Foster paints the picture of Carlie - damaged and hiding behind awful clothes and unflattering hairstyles and glasses, becoming someone who fades into the background and prefers to be unnoticed.  These feature more strongly than the usual Foster sizzle - this is not the most electrifying book I've read of Fosters possibly as the story was first released a few years ago.  It is instead a sweet and warm story that gradually leads you to the clear romantic conclusion.  Not that the spice isn't there, given how Carlie draws Tyler's attention in the first place.
If you have a best friend you want to play matchmaker for, or if you hide your own light under a bushel, have a read.  You might recognise someone.
230053
Sibling rivalry, heartache and heartbreak, romance and passion, and a close family unit, and a lot of twists and turns make this a book hard to put down.  Follow as they learn about a passion so pure God's way.
1954499
This book was an interesting read.  I love Lizs Love Brothers series so I was excited to read this one.  While the book isn't directly related to the Love Brothers series it was still a great read.  Austin Fitzgerald owns his own brewery and is trying to get his product other there.  He meets Evelyn while going for a ride along with the company she works for.  Evelyn has an idea about who Austin is before she even meets him and it isn't a good one.  She fights her attraction to him tooth and nail.  However Austin doesnt give up easily.  He manages to win Evelyn over but things aren't easy in any way shape or form.  Austins parents don't like Evelyn and let her know it.  Then there is Austins friend Ross who he met while becoming a brew master.  They had some wild times together.  Austin tells Evelyn about some of the things they did and she finds herself wanting to recreate some of those times with the three of them.  Then she meets Ross and is overcome with how attracted to him she is.  Could the three of them be something or would it be just an occasional thing.  Evelyn loves Austin so much but she cant hide her attraction to Ross.  Will the three of them work out or will everything fall apart?  This book has lots of twists and turns for sure.  This book takes you on a wild ride. Ross and Evelyn are a lot alike and Austin is what balances them out.  Austin jokes that they are emotionally constipated, Ross more so than Evelyn.  While being in a three person relationship isn't mainstream that doesnt mean it isn't okay.  If it works for them that is all that matters.  Austin and Evelyn truly love each other but Ross isn't really a third wheel.  While Ross and Evelyn share an immense attraction I don't believe it could ever work with just the two of them.  They need that balance that Austin brings.  I highly recommend this book.
1003369
Loved this final story in the series!

Ryker is the broody, intense, wrestler Powers brother. He is completely focused on his sport, except for the revolving door of girls.

Frankie has been dreaming of him for two years  dreaming of true love and a future with him. She finally gets her chance to be with him but immediately regrets it, when she realises that shes just another hook-up.

The story follows Ryker and Frankies ups and downs, as they work their way backwards from hook-up to friends to a proper relationship, and we find out why Ryker has shied away from a committed relationship for so many years.

Ryker is a hugely sexual character and the chemistry between them is amazing.

Id love to read a follow up story featuring all the brothers and their partners, at some in the future.
1911745
Damon has now found a lady that he has deep feeling for .  his best friends sister.  Said best friend knows things about his past with women, and he ain't having Damon date his sister. Damon writes romance novels, which in a deeper sense express his true feelings about women. Kelsey has had feeling for Damon for years, but because he and her brother were friends she thought he saw her only as , his friends kid sister.  I like the way there chemistry came together, along with that twisted devil minded Paul. Liked the word plays between them.  I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.
3872061
Sharing their ups and downs, and triumphs and disappointments, the three Simon sisters have always been close, culminating in the ritual of hair dying parties. Eldest Leah tends to scare most guys off, but can't seem to stop hooking up with younger musician Chase; middle sis Claudia is looking for love after a painful divorce from an addict husband whose only commitment is his need for a fix; Emily was widowed at 30, and at 32, wants to appease her family by venturing out into the dating world, but after nursing her husband through cancer, she's finding that she's just not ready. When their dad suffers a mild heart attack and another family member has a cancer scare, Emily finds herself turning to her husband's best friend Jake, who has quickly become her best friend as well.

Don't be misled by the packaging. With a happy go lucky cover, this is really a deep and heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and sisterhood, covering every serious topic from marriage to death to drug abuse. Told in first person from Emily's viewpoint, Rendahl injects just the right amount of comedy to offset the inevitable tears, and her writing is so real - not the least bit contrived. Most chapters start with the recipe for each sister's hair color (though Emily still has virgin hair), with some interesting narrative tossed in. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
400200
So you've heard of books that revolve around a romance between step-siblings but what about a guy and his step-aunt? Yup, you read that right but it's not what you think. You see, Derek's father recently robbed the cradle when it came to choosing a his new wife. So when his father is deployed, his step-mom decides to give up their house and move back home during the deployment. However, when Derek gets kicked out of boarding school, he has to pack up and go with her to meet his step-family for the first time. That's when he meets his step-aunt, Ashtyn.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Ashtyn has been playing football since freshman year and she's really good at it. She's also the only chick on the football team. So of course, life isn't easy for her. She gets hazed a lot when it comes to other teams. After all, when it comes to football, a women's place is to be on the sidelines with pom-poms in her hands. So the fact that she earns the never ending respect of her teammates and coach says a lot. However, she still has to show the colleges and scouts that she is just as good as any of the guys out there.

Derek is you typical broken bad-boy. Since his mother's passing, he's been spiraling out of control. He gave up everything that he was working for and turned to causing trouble at his boarding school, which in turn ends up with expulsion. One thing that I would was interesting is that he was a very strange health nut. Spinach banana smoothies for breakfast, no prepackaged foods, no high fructose corn syrup, his body is his temple and he treats it as such. For some reason, the way he portrays himself is so against his eating habits. I don't know why I gravitated to that part of him so much but I did. He definitely had some quirks that counteracted his impulsiveness.

"My grandson is a wild card. I can't keep up with him. One day he's moving to Texas, the next he's going back to California. For all I know he'll end up here in Chicago."

The story is predictable but I definitely enjoyed it. It was fun to read through the drama and watch the two of them come out on top. Not to mention the story was pretty hilarious. The author definitely has a sense of humor and incorporates that beautifully in the story. I found myself chuckling at a lot of parts in the book. I will definitely be keeping up with this series.
1039254
Fin Bowie came from a family of champion athletes.
As the youngest of the troupe, he wanted to show his value. He was backcountry snowboarder. He was famous and had been away from home for six years.
Six years away from the girl he always loved.

But he had a chance to meet her again. And fix everything he did in the past.
His best friend, Ryder, was getting married and Fin was the Best Man. And Callie could not run away from Fin because she was Ryder's sister.

For Callie it would be almost impossible to face Fin.
The way they broke up 6 years ago still burned in her chest, even if she had a new boyfriend and swore to the family that her life was amazing.

But when Fin arrives in the city, he brings with him a new stigma.
Shortly before traveling to meet Callie, a person from his team, Traci, a maniac for social networks, in particular Instagram, had an accident.
Fin left Traci in the care of his friends and went to take his flight.
An IG post from Traci was enough for Fin to win the fame of "the world's worst boyfriend."

Now, Callie would not only have to meet her ex-boyfriend (and the great love of her life), but she would have to deal with a mess from media.
Even if Fin wanted to get Callie back, he would have to prove to his girl that she was more important than any competition, any ego, any dream of greatness.

Who will lose this game?
5 stars
4325090
When underground fighter Dean King sees the hot waitress at the diner back in his podunk hometown, he's attracted. When he realizes she's the little sister of his former best friend Forrest, it doesn't stop him from wanting her. It should, but Dean's not one for doing the right thing.

Emma Winchester (can I just say that I FLOVE the Supernatural theme the author has going on with all the characters' names!!) has been in love with her older brother's one time best friend since she was a little girl. Now that he's back in their hometown to see his beloved grandma, Mama Rose, the two of them just might have a chance to fulfill Emma's unrequited crush. That is if his shady fighting arrangement doesn't get in the way of the future Emma starting to see for them.

Brother's best friend (or in this case, former best friend) can be a tricky trope to navigate. Alyne Hart handles it like a champ, though. It never verges on the side of too angsty and forbidden because my brother will kill you simply because you're his friend (ex friend), rather it concentrates on Emma and Dean's individual personalities and how they mesh or don't as a couple, whether they're out in the open in front of the brother or not.

There's lots of steamy forbidden goodness, yes, but it's not the main thing here. The emotional level these two connect on is what makes this story so good. It's both emotionally layered and emotionally satisfying at the same time. I fell in love with Dean, (who doesn't love a tatted up fighter, especially one named Dean?!) but Emma is truly the star here in The Space Between Us. She's sweet, yet strong and tough, and she simply loves those most important to her - her brother Forrest, her best friend Von and of course, most importantly, Dean. I wish all romance authors would take heed of the author's choice of heroines, because there need to be more like her and fewer of the whiny, woe is me type that line the romance genre these days.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1086332
This was a 3.5 star read for me. I enjoyed it a little bit more than the first book probably because it's about a girl who falls for her best friends older brother. This follows Lauren, the best friend from the first book, as she quits college and moves back home to rethink the choices in her life. There she runs into Rob, her best friend Nadia's older brother, who Lauren has crushed on since she was a teen. I would have liked it a bit more if there wasn't the drama in the last sixty pages. It was fun reading about Rob and Lauren's flirtatious relationship leading up to them finally going out.