Balancing the Books to 28th February – Jill’s Book Cafe

I had another bookish week this week starting with a trip to Liverpool last Saturday for the Romance book event organised by the HEA Bookshop. At the minute the bookshop is only online but going forward Lana is hoping to open a bricks and mortar shop in Liverpool. The tickets sold out a while ago, and it was very busy and well attended. I managed to lose my phone so very nearly didn’t get in as it meant I had no ticket. After, a very panicky 10 minutes retracing my steps and emptying my bag for the 4th time, I decided I was there so I’d try and get in. I explained I’d lost my phone and lo and behold it had been handed in at the bar. It turns out it must have fallen out of my coat pocket in the ladies which had been my first stop before venturing in to the event. The welcoming mimosa on arrival was just the thing for calming me down!

I was quite restrained and only bought 2 books, but to be fair I already had a number of books on my Kindle from attending authors. I have added a fair few to my wanted list though. It was great to see such a variety of romance genres and all written by indie authors. I’m hoping some will be joining me for Five on Friday in the future. I’m blaming my subsequent spiral of book buying afterwards on having been surrounded by so much love and romance!

It was also my Book Club meeting this week, which forced me to put down my feel good fiction and read a psychological thriller, Andrea Mara’s No One Saw a Thing. It’s been a long time since I read one of those. It had a killer hook to get me reading, ‘Two children get on the train. Only one gets off…’ but it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I did find it engaging, in a, ‘I need to find out who did it’ kind of way, and it was definitely full of drama and red herrings. Perhaps a few too many for me, or maybe I’m just out of the thriller game and I’ve forgotten how dramatic they can be. I reverted back to my norm and ensconced myself back in the comfort of a sporting romance. I’d started reading a series by Sasha Lace, whose first and third book I’ve had on my Kindle for a while. I recently filled in the gaps and now have all four. These are UK based football romances, but with a twist, the footballers are all women! It’s great to see a ladies team featured. I lapped up the first one and binged the rest so I’m all caught up with the Calverdale Ladies now. Rumour has it that a book 5 will be coming down the line so I’ll definitely be snapping that one up. The series is spicy, so be warned if you prefer a more toned down romance. But, they all have feels, with great characters.

Having seen that other bloggers offer up some great graphics in their round ups I engaged with Storygraph to produce some of my own. So as we wave goodbye to February, I’ve included my graphic roundup for the month.

Books Purchased

Books Read

Books Purchased

Head Over Feels by Rebecca Chase (HEA event £10)

He’s a sports star with a bad reputation, and she’s an innocent charity worker who doesn’t date. Neither wants to trust another person, yet the heat rises, and so do the risks in this enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract sports romance set in a small English town.

Sophia is a good girl who’s never taken a risk, had a passionate relationship, or done anything to upset those around her, including her ineffective boss and perfect mother. Everything changes the night she trips and falls into Aidan’s arms.

Aidan is an Irish rugby star and painter with a reputation for trouble. He lives his life to the fullest and avoids commitment, knowing he might be carrying a hereditary disease that killed his dad. He’s cheeky, charming and used to getting what he wants. After one meeting, he’s sure he wants Sophia.

Sophia is torn between keeping Aidan at bay and fulfilling all the things a good girl shouldn’t want, while Aidan is faced with someone who challenges him, cares about him and sees beyond his bad-boy persona. But he must hold tight to his secrets or risk hurting the woman he’s falling for. As the passion grows, so do the risks; after all, Aidan isn’t the only one with a secret.

Those Two Words by Ronnie Mathews (HEA event £13)

Patrick Sadler spent most of his life quietly loving his childhood best friend, Johanna. Six years later, the one night they spent together before she walked away with his heart is a memory he revisits often. Or as often as he can between raising his daughter and running the family restaurant. That was until she moved back to their small town in coastal New England. Not only do they have to work together in the hopes of saving the restaurant, but he’s now left wondering why her once bright smile has been dimmed. And will he ever know the reason she left?

Johanna Thomas always knew she would return home when she was ready, because that’s where she left her heart. Walking away from Patrick wasn’t easy, but she knew it was for the best. Now back in town, she wants to prove to herself and Patrick that she deserves to be here. He isn’t the same man he was before, but it’s hard not to fall for this version when she sees the love he has for his little girl.

They try to put the past behind them and work together as friends. But how can they, when old feelings have never disappeared, and they still look at each other like that?

Is this their second chance, or has too much time and heartbreak happened for them to make it work?

First-Time Caller by BK Borison (The Works – exclusive sprayed edge edition £6)

A hopeless romantic meets a demoralized radio host in this cosy, Sleepless in Seattle inspired love story from fan-favourite author of the LOVELIGHT series, B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom Lucie, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending. . . even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

My Kind of Trouble by LA Schwartz (The Works £2)

Harmony Hale has been putting the art in con-artist for years. Now, she’s finally ready to take down the town mayor who ruined her father’s life. But Harmony’s tried-and-tested con – selling a non-existent music festival – requires her to win over the insufferably stubborn librarian who could lease her the land for the festival site.

Autistic librarian Preston Jones spends his days fighting conservative book challengers and looking after his younger sister Lacey. He has no time for a romance like the ones in his books – and certainly none for the brash festival promoter knocking down his door.

Preston sees things in black and white, and Harmony is nothing but trouble. But when Harmony promises to help save Preston’s library programs, he begins to wonder if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the one he’s been waiting for.

With Harmony’s con coming to a crescendo, she must choose between revenge and running again, or the happily ever after she never saw coming…

The Summer I First Saw You by Elizabeth O’Roark (The Works £2)

I wanted her out of my house.
Now I can’t imagine her leaving at all.

Once upon a time, my buddy’s younger niece was following me around the beach with stars in her eyes. Now Daisy’s twenty-one, the loveliest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on, and blackmailing me into letting her stay for the summer.

If she’s not bent over on my deck in yoga pants, she’s in a bikini that covers far less. She makes me laugh when I want to stay pissed off and forces me to remember all the things I used to love. If only she weren’t so damn young and so incredibly off-limits.

The sizzling tension between us is getting harder to resist, but giving in would destroy some of my oldest friendships. Worst of all, though?

It might destroy Daisy too.

Finding Love in Ivy Falls by Amy True (The Works £2)

What if choosing love means breaking a family?

Tessa is struggling to run her mother’s beloved book shop and the business is failing. At least she has her dear friend (and accidental heart throb) Manny, to support her. As single parents, they understand each other and their friendship is too important for Tessa to give in to the chemistry between them.

With the sudden success of his home renovation show, Manny is appalled to discover just how much the internet knows about him. While he navigates his new and strange life, his feelings only grow for Tessa as he helps her refurbish the bookshop.

But when Tessa’s ex-husband returns to Ivy Falls, she must make a decision: should she follow her heart, or does she owe it to her girls to fix their family?

At First Spite by Oliovia Dade (The Works £2)

There’s a fine line between love and hate . . .

When Athena’s fiancé ends their engagement, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she recklessly bought him as a wedding gift. Which is a real problem, for many reasons: the house is only ten feet wide. Her ex’s home is literally attached to hers. And Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third – the uptight, judgy jerk who convinced his younger brother to leave her – is living on her other side, only a four-foot alley away.

If she has to see Matthew every time she looks out her windows, she might as well have a little fun with the situation. By, say, playing erotic audiobooks at top volume with those windows open. Unfortunately, loathing Matthew proves more difficult than anticipated. He helps her move. He listens. And he’s kind of hot . . . ?

Matthew may not regret breaking up his brother’s engagement, but he does regret what it’s done to Athena. And now he’ll help her however he can. If that means enduring nightly steamy story hours, so be it. And if that means watching Athena through their windows a bit too often and caring about her a bit too much. . . . well, nothing can come of it. She’ll never forgive him. Even if she did, how could he ever tell his younger brother that he wants the very same woman he pushed him to leave?

The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick (99p)

Can the future be rewritten?

On the verge of her second marriage, Carla Carter knows she’s finally found the one. She and her fiancé, Tom, met through Logical Love, a dating agency she founded for the pragmatically minded, and she’s confident that, together, they will dispel an old family curse claiming Carter women are unlucky in love.

But Carla’s highly superstitious family insists she visit a fortune teller before her big day, and the tarot cards reveal that a different man holds the key to Carla’s happiness – someone she met while travelling during a gap year, twenty-one years ago. This startling information spurs Carla to trace and revisit the ex-boyfriends she met during that time before she walks down the aisle.

From Barcelona to Amsterdam, Turkey to Paris, will Carla find her perfect match? And can a face from her past help Carla rewrite her entire family history, forever?

Aged to Perfection by Niloufar Lamakan (99p)

Sophia is determined to grow old disgracefully and refuses to be invisible. She craves fiery passion and steamy romance, not targeted ads for funeral plans. After a heart-shattering breakup, she ditches love to date a new man each week for a year.

As she flirts, fumbles and sips fizz through an array of encounters, from an opera buff in a cape to an orgasm whisperer, she discovers it’s never too late to rewrite your own love story, even if it’s not the one you expected…

I Got You by Stacy Williams (99p)

Sacrifice…is there any too great? How far would you go to protect the innocent?

Maggie is living from one day to the next and making things up as she goes. Her life is four kids and a whole lot of chaos, but the best kind. Two years ago, she gave up her dreams, and after a devastating loss, she may have to give up one more. With four kids depending on her and not a chance she’ll let them down, she’s about to learn just exactly how far she’ll go to keep them safe.

Shane just lost the only thing he’s ever loved – the only thing he was good at – the only thing he’s ever wanted. After a career-ending injury upends his life, he’s forced into a coaching career he’s not even sure he wants. Just weeks into his new position, he finds himself tugged back to a time he’d prefer to never revisit. Now, Shane’s left with a decision that could change everything. It’s the one thing he told himself he would never do.

I Got You is a touching love story that reminds us that when everything else fades…love stays.

Vegas Aces : Complete Series box set by Lisa Suzanne (free)

My hot Vegas one-night stand who was supposed to disappear without a trace is apparently not just my brother’s best friend, but in some crazy twist of fate…he’s my new roommate.

Now his reputation is at stake thanks to defamatory headlines courtesy of his evil ex. To prove he’s the Prince Charming of pro football, I volunteer to marry him—purely as a business transaction, of course.

With sneaky siblings, a family vacation with a surprise wedding, dramatic exes, and real feelings starting to develop, what could possibly go wrong? It looks like all the Lucky Charms in the world won’t be enough to fix this mess.

Unlikely Story by Ali Rosen (Prime Amazon First Reads offer)

As a relationship therapist, Nora helps patients explore their feelings honestly. But she’s hiding an embarrassing relationship secret of her own: she’s in love with someone she’s never even met.

J edits the advice column Nora’s been writing anonymously for the last seven years. He’s in London, she’s in New York, and they communicate solely through shared files. When he confides that his girlfriend’s out of the picture, and her boss asks her to come to London, Nora takes both as a sign.

But that’s not the only thing on her mind. A client’s ex-boyfriend just moved into her co-op, directly beneath her. Eli blames Nora for his breakup and seems determined to make her life miserable, gleefully planning a noisy renovation.

Yet despite all his bluster, Nora eventually starts to see the softness behind Eli’s brusque, charming exterior…and after a slipup reveals a startling secret, Nora wonders whether someone can be two things at once.

Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher (Amazon First Reads offer via OH’s Prime)

A bookstore owner discovers that life as a recluse isn’t for everyone in this sharp yet sweet novel about how sometimes you need to abandon the quest for love to find your true passion.

Emma Rini is in a rut so deep she could shelve books there. While her sister awaits her first baby, and her parents kick off retirement with vow renewals and travel, Emma stays put among the stacks of the family bookshop.

In fact, she can’t remember the last time she took a vacation. Or had a romance that hovered above disappointing. When her parents assume she’ll take over the shop for them without a break, she realizes she needs to get away—back to the nineteenth century. Channeling her favorite poet recluse, Emily Dickinson, Emma rents a crumbling manor house outside Amherst where she can learn how to be quietly, blissfully alone.

But becoming a world-weary spinster isn’t easy. She can’t start a fire or reason with the bunnies that are destroying the garden. She finds herself sparring constantly with the grumpy-hot architect who is renovating the manor. And then there’s the secret admirer who keeps sending her complicated floral messages…

When Flirty Heroes Fall Collection by JH Croix

Do you love a flirty hero? Even better when he falls first?

A player, a firefighter, and a first responder fall to their knees for the heroines they never expected. Don’t miss this collection of flirty heroes who fall hard and fast from USA Today Bestselling Author J.H. Croix!

The Play
Olivia is the challenge I have to beat. With her lush curves and her by-the-book attitude, all I want to do is show her exactly what she’s missing.

Slow Burn
Maisie drives me crazy. She’s smart-mouthed and sarcastic. This town’s too small for both of us. But she works for me. Unfortunately.

Break My Fall
My rules: No players. No flirts. No cocky jerks.
My exception: Dawson Marsh.

Dawson might be every girl’s crush in this small town, but not mine.

These stories are perfect for readers who love small town romance, sports romance, friends to lovers, smart sassy heroines, workplace romance, opposites attract, slow burn, emotional romances with a dash of angst, plenty of swoon, and flirty heroes who never expected to fall.

Instructions for Heartbreak by Sarah Handyside (99p)

What if heartbreak came with a manual?

It starts with a late-night knock on the door. Dee, Liv and Rosa share a flat in south London, while Katie lives close by with her boyfriend. But, when Katie’s nine-year relationship ends – suddenly and brutally – she turns up on their doorstep with no idea what to do next, or how to do anything after spending so long with her life entwined with someone else’s.

Out comes the martini shaker (an old, well-washed gherkin jar) and, with an unused sketchbook, an idea. They’ll make Katie the handbook that she needs to process her heartbreak and start rebuilding her life. There are notes on tears, hangovers and roast chicken, scribblings about music, new bedding and pure, white-hot rage.

But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart. Rosa is a hopeless romantic, despite still reeling from her ex’s infidelity. Scarred by her ex’s parting words, Dee is committed to being commitment-free. And while Liv knows that breaking up with her girlfriend was what she wanted, she can’t help but wonder if she did the right thing.

Tested by big life changes, even the closest friendships can fray – could the heartbreak handbook they intended for Katie contain the words they all need to hear?

Books Read

Playing the Billionaire by Sasha Lace (now revised and published as Playing the Game)

She dominates on the pitch. But he’s the boss in the bedroom.

Miri

I’ve always dreamed of playing professional football, so when the new director of Calverdale Ladies wants to sign me, I should be ecstatic. But renowned billionaire playboy Gabe Rivers doesn’t just want me as his new striker…

I need to get to the top because of my talent on the pitch, not in the sack. So I can’t be another prize for Gabe. Even if he is infuriatingly gorgeous.

Gabe

Do I care that the press have decided I’m a heartless womanizer? Not one bit. I’ve never given up anything I want, and that includes Miri Forster.

She’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen, and sexy as hell. I know I can get her out of my system—I just need one night. And I don’t care what it costs me…

When it comes to playing the game, her billionaire boss might be out of Miri’s league, but it’s Gabe that’ll find himself out of his depth…

No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara

Two children get on the train. Only one gets off…

No one saw it happen.
Your two little girls jump on the train ahead of you. As you try to join them, the doors slide shut and the train moves away, leaving you behind.

Everyone is lying.
It’s only when you reach the next stop that you truly begin to panic. Because there aren’t two children waiting for you on the platform. There’s only one.

Someone is to blame.
Has your other daughter got lost? Been taken by a passing stranger?
Or perhaps the culprit is closer to home than you think…

Playing to Score by Sasha Lace

He’s wanted her for years…but they’re professionals now. Who will cross the line first?

Skylar

I’ve fought my way to the captaincy of Calderdale Ladies, and it means everything to me. So when my toxic boyfriend breaks my heart, I bottle it up. The team comes first.

Dr Reece Forster is supposed to be getting the team in the right head space for victory, not counselling me through heartache, but I can’t help opening up to him.

The hot doc is off limits, but the chemistry between us is off the charts…

Reece

I’ve longed for Skylar Marshall since we were in school, when she was prom queen and I was eating lunch with the librarian. She never even knew I existed.

And now? I’m good at my job because I’m in control. The professional boundaries are there for a reason.

But when Skylar confides in me, it’s all I can do not to abandon my principles completely. If I tell her how I feel, I could lose everything. But, how can something that feels this right be wrong…?

Previously published as Scoring the Doctor, this edition of Playing to Score includes editorial revisions.

Keeping the Single Dad by Sasha Lace (now revised and published as Playing for Keeps)

She’s breaking all his rules.

Lana

The press say I’m the wild child of women’s football, and now a tabloid journalist’s blackmailing me. No wonder I needed distraction in the shape of Alex, the men’s team’s new Scottish goalie.

It was a one-night stand: fun and done. I don’t do commitment – and he’s old enough to be my dad. But there’s something different about Alex…

Alex

Lana is like a tornado. Fierce. Devastating. Just passing through. My son, Brodie, is my world, and he needs someone who’s sticking around.

But Lana’s made me feel alive again for the first time in years, and I can’t get her out of my head. Is a future with this party girl too much to hope for…?

Playing to Win by Sasha Lace

She only wants a winter fling with no promises. But rules are there to be broken.

Madison

After being jilted in Kentucky, playing for Calverdale Ladies in England was a chance to escape and spend Christmas alone, avoiding my feelings.

Which is how I’ve ended up snowed in at a Welsh pub with a retired rugby player who’s hot enough to thaw me out.

But when the snow’s gone, so am I. I won’t let another man in, not even one as gorgeous as Geraint…

Geraint

Running the pub, I’ve had flings with guests, but never one as sexy as Madison.

Too bad she’s so closed off. For both our sakes, we’ve agreed to keep our relationship physical. No attachments. No regrets.

Which is good, because I promised my dad I’d hold on to the Dragon Inn, no matter what. So I’m fine with no commitments, because I can’t ask a woman with a brilliant career in London to give everything up to be with me, in the middle of nowhere. Can I?

The Verdict