Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Sloan and her partner were returning from a case as natural resources police when they stopped at a convenience store right during a robbery. Sloan was shot by a nervous gunman and was so close to losing her life. She reluctantly moves back to her parents home in Heron's Rest to recover. Weak and bored, she hears news coverage about a missing woman and decides to investigate in her own. She finds several missing persons cases scattered about nearby but can't seem to find a link been them. When she's finally well enough to work, she takes a promotion to stay close to her family and buys a fixer-upper home and meets Nash, one of the Fix-It Brothers. As they spend more time together, Nash also becomes interested in the case. And the tie between victims means Sloan is in danger of becoming one of them. 

Nora Roberts proves yet again she's the queen of romantic suspense. I love her characters (even the villains have plausible motives), the beautiful setting, the pacing is great making it hard to put down, the family atmosphere, and a great balance between action and romance. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Katie takes an assignment as a videographer to interview and follow Coast Guard swimmer Tom "Hutch" Hutchinson in Key West. He requested his brother Cole, Katie's coworker, to do the interview and is less than happy with the switch. Dropped in the middle of the Hutchinson family drama Katie is determined to make the best of it and find herself falling for him. 

While this was a solid romance with great characters, it's not my favorite by this author. I like the self-love coaching but it was a bit overdone. The behind the scenes with the coast guard helicopters was fascinating and made Hutch a great hero to love. The final drama brought my rating up to 4.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Out of Air by Rachel Reiss

This is a truly unique debut horror novel centered around a group of young divers who call themselves the "salt squad". Right from the beginning there's tension in the group from an earlier incident that's only hinted at. The descriptions of the otherworldly setting and strange underwater creatures add a sense of doom as they discover the creepy yet beautiful cavern. Flashbacks to the past help you understand the rift in the group as things start to change and a new and terrifying danger emerges. 

I've drifted away from the YA genre the older I get, but I love horror novels and this one sounded interesting (plus the beautiful cover drew me in!). It was well written, the pacing was great, and I really enjoyed it. Great debut novel!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe

This story is told in dual timelines from the perspective of Eliza Rivers as a young girl in the 1900s and as an old woman trying to preserve her estate and pass it to someone deserving. The land is described beautifully showing Eliza's love for her home and her character really came alive for me... such a strong fmc! I read this a couple days ago and it's still on my mind! I can't wait for the sequel!

I Will Blossom Anyway by Disha Bose

This is a coming of age story about Durga, first in her controlling her loving Indian family to leave home and enjoy freedom for the first time. She finds love and friendship in Ireland but then everything falls apart. She must learn confidence and acceptance after the grief to live a life she never expected. 

Since the story begins with her breakup, much of the story is kind of sad and the pacing a bit slow, but the ending was wonderful and worth the read. This is my first book by this author and I thought it was pretty good. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Older by Jennifer Hartmann

Halley grew up in an abusive, loveless home and is just longng for a connection. Which is why when she meets a much older man at a party and they hit it off, she lies about her age. Then she finds out that man, Reed, is her best friend's dad. Tara and her mom Whitney took Halley in after a bad incident at home sent her to the hospital and have become her found family. Reed is determined she's too young but can't seem to stay away and Halley knows nothing can ever happen between them without destroying her friendship.

This is a slow burn, age gap, angsty romance. This author is great at portraying all the emotions of this taboo, seemingly hopeless relationship. I wish there'd been more of the story after they were together, but I really enjoyed the epilogue.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lilac Time by Fern Michaels

This anthology is truly a breath of springtime air. I was excited to read these novellas by one of my favorite authors, Fern Michaels, and Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown who I've read and enjoyed recently. All three stories are family oriented and full of emotions, romance, and HEAs (of course). I highly recommend this sweet book. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine

Margot is a romance writer disillusioned by love whose whole career is in jeopardy after a private file gets leaked to her fans. A file containing happily never after events like divorce, ED, etc for some of her most popular characters. She goes on a writing trip to Alaska to try and reinvent herself as a mystery writer, but the moment she arrives, she finds the embodiment of all of her favorite tropes in one man, Forrest, the resort owner's son. Is he too good to be true, or can Forrest make her hard heart believe in love again?

I loved this story from their moose scare meet cute to the grovel at the end. It was fun to pick out all the different tropes throughout the book. And the spice is enough to burn down the sauna on the coldest night 😆. Great debut novel.

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

Seven years ago, Brooke's future as an author fell apart when she was expelled from her university. She's been working as a ghostwriter ever since while longing to see her own name on the cover of a book. When her mentor asks her to cowrite her memoir, this is Brooke's big chance. She'll have to get out of her comfort zone and hike Scotland's most difficult trail with none other than the man who destroyed her career and broke her heart years ago, Jack Sutherland, the photographer for the project.

With alternating timelines, the story follows the pair on their adventure in the present and jumps back in the past to explain what went wrong between them. I enjoyed both timelines and hearing the perspective from both sides. I had an arc copy of this book, but also borrowed the audiobook and I loved listening to these narrators, especially the man with the wonderful Scottish accent!

Deeply Examined by Lexi Davis

Dr Adam West has a tortured past, growing up with nothing to become a successful doctor. The only way he can cope is by keeping everyone at a distance...until Jessica. He was obsessed with her in high school, drawn to her light and happiness, but she never noticed him. Then one day she comes into his practice for an exam and his whole world changes.

Wow the spice in this book from the beginning just about burns up the pages lol. Shocking, crazy, and a bit unhinged, Adam is the morally grey obsessive character Jessica should run from, but once he reveals everything from his past his behavior becomes more understandable. That scene when the power goes out just about broke my heart 😭. I'm looking forward to the next book with Jessica's crazy friend Monica!

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

Five teenage friends go on a camping trip when they discover a strange staircase. One of them goes up the staircase and never comes back. The impact of this changes their lives and they've never forgotten. In the years since they've drifted apart, but one friend makes a plan to get everyone back together. When the staircase reappears, they're determined to find the truth.
This book is so creepy and nostalgic. I liked how each character is fleshed out so you feel like you truly know them. When the staircase reappears strange things start to happen that had me confused for a bit, but couldn't wait to find out what was going on! I've become such a fan of this writer and can't wait to see what he writes next.