The Runaway: a grumpy-sunshine military romance

The Runaway is the fifth and final book of the Brides of Beaufort series by Jess Mastorakos. Nate Bristol is getting ready to travel cross-country to his new duty station in Beaufort, he has a tight schedule. He never expected to have travel companions. When Ms. Hattie asks Nate for a favor, no questions asked, he finds himself aiding in the escape of Nikki, a runaway bride, and her teenage daughter, Marigold. She is the ultimate sunshine and is determined to see the bright side of anything and make the most of the turn of events. Nate is the ultimate grump and as the miles tick by, Nikki and Marigold worm their way under his skin and he learns to roll with the punches. As they get closer to their destination, the slower he finds himself driving. Will they be able to say goodbye once they reach their destination? 

I have loved this series and it was sad to see it end. The Runaway is a grumpy-sunshine military romance. Nate and Nikki’s story was sweet with lots of laughs and drama. I loved how Nikki slowly chipped away at Nate’s gruff demeanor. There is a bit of suspense and a nail biting scene with Nate coming to the rescue. I even enjoyed Marigold’s character and as a mom of a teen myself, I appreciated that Ms. Mastorakos got the teenage slang accurate. I loved Nate’s reaction to the slang. It reminded me of my husband’s reaction to the slang when our teenager and her friends use it. When Nikki and Marigold are in danger, I loved how Nate and his fellow Marines jump into action. Overall, I enjoyed this story and the series. If you haven’t read the Brides of Beaufort, I highly recommend it. I highly recommend The Runaway. 

The Runaway is available in paperback and eBook

The Contract: two best friends and a marriage of convenience

The Contract is the fifth book in the Brides of Beaufort series by Jess Mastorakos. Zoe Katsaros and Chase Mitchell are fellow Marines and best friends especially after they were on deployment together. His family is about to lose everything and he can’t send extra money home. Her family is pushing for marriage to a Greek man she doesn’t like or love. Thanks to dual military benefits and his willingness to embrace her Greek family’s traditions, Zoe suggests a marriage of convenience as the answer to their problems. They discuss terms and set their plan into motion. However, married life isn’t all they thought it would be, even to a best friend. Their arrangement started out as a means to an end; however, Chase will do everything he can to make it much, much more. 

When I started Chase and Zoe’s story, I wasn’t sure I would like it as well as I did the previous books. It did have a different vibe than the others. However, there were a lot of deep issues present in the story and I cheered for them and ended up falling in love with their story. Parental expectations. Family traditions and culture. And responsibility of adult children to their parents. I loved how strong Zoe was as she loved her family, her culture and their traditions but deep in her heart, she wanted something more than an arranged marriage. I wanted to hug Chase as he struggled helping his parents and I was angry on his behalf when he learned the truth. What is the truth? You’ll have to read the story to find out. I highly, highly recommend The Contract. And if you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for? 

The Contract is available in paperback and eBook

The Fake Date: an arrangement to fulfill a promise and keep matchmakers at bay

The Fake Date is the fourth book in the Brides of Beaufort by Jess Mastorakos. Beau Devereux is a Marine with a side hustle. Mr Fake Date, a business in which women can hire him to be a date for weddings. He has strict rules. No feelings. Kissing is extra. Everything was going great until his father forced him to make a promise to find something real. Lyndi Robinson is the beautiful yet bookish woman who caught his eye a year ago. When she needs a fake date for an upcoming family wedding, he offers his services. They can pretend to be dating to satisfy his father’s promise and keep her family’s matchmakers away. As they begin their charade, Beau realizes she could be the one. But he is determined to be her fake date and walk away. He has to. He doesn’t want to fall in love and lose her like he lost everyone else. 

To say I am loving this series would be an understatement. And Jess Mastorakos is quickly becoming a must-read author for me. Great characters with flaws, of course, handsome military men are always a plus. The Fake Date dives deeper into the fear of loss, social anxiety and escaping reality. I loved that the mutual attraction between Beau and Lyndi was shown in the first book and carried on through the second and third book even though neither Beau and Lyndi were willing to act on their feelings. The growth of Beau and Lyndi in this story was great. I loved Beau who was closed off for a purpose, although he really didn’t want to be but felt he had to to protect his heart. I loved the bookish Lyndi, but there were times I wanted to shake some sense into her. Overall, I loved this story. I’m ready to jump right into book five. I highly, highly recommend The Fake Date. 

The Fake Date is available in paperback and eBook

The Bridesmaid: a second chance military romance

The Bridesmaid is the third book in the Brides of Beaufort series by Jess Mastorakos. Layla Robinson is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Not that she is really looking for a partner after her heart was shattered three years ago. Zac Miller left three years ago with no goodbye, no explanation. Now he arrives back in town with a young son in tow. He is determined to make things right with Layla, to explain what happened three years ago. That is if she’ll listen. Avoiding Zac is difficult in a small town. Layla is reluctant to hear him out. After the urging of her friends and sister, she decides to talk with him, if anything, to find closure so she can move forward. What she finds is the old feelings are them, for them both. Can they start over? Or can she finally get the goodbye she wanted? 

I have enjoyed this series so much. This story was a tad different as it is a second chance romance with a painful past. At times, I thought Layla was a tad unreasonable as she scoffed at Zac’s attempt to explain; despite her questions. However, since I have never been hurt in the way she was, I didn’t judge her too much. I continued reading, hoping that she would seek the answers she asked herself for three years. I cheered when she started to soften toward Zac and listened to his explanation. Zac was wrong to ghost her so many years ago and he knows it. His explanation made sense, even if it doesn’t elevate the hurt. I really enjoyed his plan to win Layla’s heart. I smiled quite a bit. Overall, I enjoyed this story so much. If you enjoy second chance military romance, I highly recommend The Bridesmaid. 

The Bridesmaid is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Planner: a friends to lovers military romance

The Planner is the second book in the Brides of Beaufort series by Jess Mastorakos. Will Paxton is Paul Bristol’s best friend and his family has been Will’s family since childhood. His sister, Aria, is off limits. Not just because she is Paul’s little sister; but because she deserves better than someone like him. However, that didn’t stop him from falling in love with her. Will pushed his feelings aside and had become a master at hiding them from everyone. She’s fierce, feisty and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. It is getting harder and harder to hide. Now that he is stationed back home and they are spending more and more time together, it is getting harder and harder to hide his feelings. One desperate kiss brings those buried feelings up and he doesn't even want to hide anymore.  What does Aria feel? If he pursues a relationship, will he lose their friendship and the only family he has? 

The Brides of Beaufort series is so good and The Planner is a story of found family, love and finding purpose and worthiness in love. I loved Will’s character. Will comes from a broken family and has found love and acceptance with the Bristols, his childhood neighbors. He and Paul joined the Marines together and he has become a worthy leader of those in lower rank. He looks out for those who need help. I understand his concerns about expressing his feelings and losing the only family he has. I also loved Aria’s character especially after Will expresses his feelings and she expresses hers. She is the voice of reason and encouragement for Will. They worked so well together that they were surprised that the people around them were thinking they belonged together. Overall, I enjoyed this story so much and I am looking forward to continuing the series. If you enjoy friends to lovers, military romance, I highly recommend The Planner. 

The Planner is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Proposal: a clean military friends to lovers romance

The Proposal is the first book in the Brides of Beaufort series by Jess Mastorakos. Paul Bristol has been friends with Shelby Thompson since grade school; however he fell in love with her in high school. However, she firmly placed him in the friend zone. He settled on being her best friend. Now as a Marine who jumps out of airplanes for fun, he is not afraid to take risks, except where Shelby is concerned. When his public proposal to his girlfriend ends with rejection, he learns that proposing to the wrong woman because you can’t have the right one is never a good idea. However, Shelby is hiding a secret. She loves Paul as well but living with a life threatening condition, she doesn’t want to be a burden. Shelby has always had Paul’s heart, can he convince her to trust him with hers? 

The Proposal is a clean romance with plenty of drama, banter and deep issues. From the very beginning, I enjoyed Shelby and Paul’s characters. Shelby is learning to deal with a life threatening condition. I had never heard of this condition and the author does a great job explaining the condition without being overly technical. I loved Paul as a man who knows what he wants. I love how he shows that he wants Shelby and that supporting her as she deals with her condition is not a burden. Together, they were sweet. I also enjoyed their supporting characters and hope they get their own stories in the future. The great gesture at the end is very sweet and romantic. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I look forward to the rest of the series. If you enjoy clean military romance, I highly recommend The Proposal. 

The Proposal is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook