Make You Mine: a steamy forbidden, second chance romance

Make You Mine by Tia Louise is the first book in the Believe in Love series. Grayson “Gray” Cole and Andrea “Drew” Harris have been drawn together since he rescued her from a snake as a child and later comforted her when her mother passed away. Despite disapproval from her father and being her brother, Danny’s best friend, Gray was all of her firsts as they stole moments together. As he prepares to ship out with Danny to the Marines, he makes her a promise. When tragedy strikes, leaving Gray badly injured and her brother killed in action. Drew must find a way to pick up the pieces. Four years later, Gray returns to their small town and finds that Drew is no longer the teenage girl he left behind but a gorgeous woman. Filled with regret and guilt, he knows he needs to stay away from her but something draws him to her. 

Mine You Mine has everything: brother’s best friend, a forbidden love, military, small town, second chance romance with redemption, finding yourself and home. It is a sweet, spicy romance with a happily ever after that I could not put down. I loved Gray as he tried to rebuild his life and be worthy of Drew. I loved Drew who loved Gray before and loves him still. There was no one else for her. When they can no longer deny that their connection was still there, the sparks flew like the Fourth of July. I loved their supporting characters, especially Drew’s best friend, Ruby. I do hope she gets her own romance in this series. Even the characters who tried to throw monkey wrenches into their romance were great characters to hate. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to the other books. I highly recommend Make You Mine. 

Make You Mine is available in paperback and eBook

Promise of Tomorrow: forbidden love, family secrets and second chances

Promise of Tomorrow by Tess Thompson is the second book of the Castaway Christmas series. Millicent Cashmere appears to have a life of luxury as the only child of the wealthy family. However, she is a literal prisoner in her father’s mansion. She is forbidden to have friends or go to school. Her only company is books. Teddy Hill is the humble son of the Cashmere chauffeur. He admired Millicent from afar for years. When a series of tragic events brings them closer Teddy is determined to protect Millicent and rescue her from her prison. As family secrets reveal themselves, can she finally break free from the darkness that has filled her life? Can they find a way to forge a life together in the face of the worst circumstances? 

Promise of Tomorrow is a historical fiction about forbidden love, family secrets and second chances. It is a story of resilience and the power of love and community. I wanted to reach through the book and rescue Millicent myself. As the attitudes of the time, the book takes place in 1914, daughters were property of their father, with very little voice. I cheered as Teddy stepped up and helped Millicent out of a horrible situation. Seeing their slow growing love story was wonderful. I enjoyed visiting Castaway Cove and the characters from the first book, Come Tomorrow. Readers do not need to read the first book to enjoy Promise of Tomorrow, however, I highly recommend it as it is another wonderful story. I highly recommend Promise of Tomorrow. 

Promise of Tomorrow is available in paperback and eBook. 

The Singing Trees: lessons in forgiveness and second chances

The Singing Trees by Boo Walker is the story of one young artist who learns to forgive the past and embrace second chances. After losing her parents in a car accident, Annalisa Mancuso lives with her grandmother and their large Italian family in the small town of Payton Mills, Maine. Inspired by her mother, who left her artistic dreams behind for marriage, Annalisa focuses on painting. She is determined to never fall in love, to never marry and focus on her dreams. The first step is to leave her small town behind. She arrives in Portland, Maine and the thriving art scene where Annalisa hopes to discover her artistic voice. There she meets Thomas and ss their relationship deepens, Annalisa finds herself balancing her dreams with falling in love. Annalisa must decide if she is willing to take a risk, to truly open herself up to life and love. 

I heard an interview of Boo Walker on a podcast and found him to be interesting and immediately looked for his books. The Singing Trees was free with Amazon Prime Free, so I borrowed the book. It has a gorgeous cover and beautiful title that caught my eye and I looked forward to reading it. From the beginning, I found Annalisa to be harsh and unlikeable. I did not like her constant woe is me attitude. The story was drawn out and boring. Misunderstandings which would have been made clear by simply talking to each other! The dual timeline plot lines were confusing. There were revelations that didn’t make sense. Even the ending was a tangled mess. I closed the book confused. Overall, I did not like The Singing Trees which is disappointing as Mr Walker was likeable on the podcast and his books have been highly praised. 

The Singing Trees is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

West Side Love Story: an old family feud and a forbidden romance

West Side Love Story is the first book in the Queens of Mariachi series by Priscilla Oliveras. A feud has placed two families at odds for each other until two of their children meet and share an unbelievable kiss. Mariana grew up in the nurturing household of Casa Capuleta with her loving adoptive parents, Arturo and Berta, and her eight adoptive sisters. The sisters formed an all-girls mariachi band, Las Nubes. To help the family’s financial issues in the fast changing San Antonio, the sisters have entered the Battle of the Mariachi Bands with the prize money would more than help the family and their community center. It would also mean competing against Hugo Montero, their father’s archnemesis, and his band. Angelo Montero knows that Casa Capuleta is off-limits but he is drawn to the beautiful Mariana. Mariana is equally drawn to the gorgeous Angelo. As their secret affair intensifies and the competition heats up, a storm of betrayals and rivalries. Angelo and Mariana vow to bring peace to their families.  Can a forbidden love heal a decades-long rift?

Inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the West Side Story, West Side Love Story brings the story of star-crossed lovers into the world of mariachi and Latin culture. It is a lighthearted approach to the concept of the star-crossed lovers. There are no deaths and a happy ending. I enjoyed the author’s use of Spanish in the story as well as the translations in the surrounding context. The romance was sweet and I definitely rooted for them. The conflict between the families seemed to be a reach and like most feuds, the origins seem to get lost to time and anger. I loved the familial bonds between the Capuletas. I’m not a big fan of mariachi music but the author’s descriptions of the bands’ outfits, instruments and music were so beautifully done that I could instantly picture the band playing. And while I’m not a big fan of the Romeo and Juliet type stories, overall, I enjoyed West Side Love Story. If you enjoy insta-live, forbidden romance with a happy ending, you will enjoy West Side Love Story. 

West Side Love Story is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Love in Exile: family saga torn apart by war, politics and forbidden love

Love in Exile by Ayse Kulin, translated by Kenneth Dakan. It is a family saga told between 1903 and 1941 during turbulent times in Turkey. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan Wars and World War I, families were torn apart by politics and war. It is also a love story of two people who must find a way to be together despite their families’ differences and objections. Sabahat Yedic is a beautiful and intelligent woman who wants to peruse her education despite the cultural expectations that she finish. She has the drive and stubbornness to stand up against cultural expectations to follow her dreams. Raised in a Muslim family, she believes her life is meant to be more than just a good marriage and children. She convinces her family to let her continue her education. She meets the handsome Aram, a young Armenian Christian man who matches her desire for knowledge. They soon fall in love and despite their families’ objections, they defy traditions and risk everything to be together. Will Sabahat and Aram finally have the life they dream of? Or with culture, politics and war keep them apart?

Based on the author’s own family history, it is a beautiful of star-crossed lovers. The descriptions of the time and of the city of Istanbul helped bring the story alive and the story felt real. I felt as if I was there. However, there were many minor characters with no real sense of who was who and how they fit in the story. My advice is to read slowly, soak up the families, the cultures, the place and the upheaval of the time. I recommend Love in Exile for those who enjoy stories with twists and turns of historical times and a story of love conquering all.

Love in Exile

Is available at all major booksellers

About the Night: a love torn apart by political lines

About the Night by Anat Taslshir, translated by Evan Fallenberg, is a Romeo and Juliet type of love story where two lovers are torn apart by family, religion and war. The story opens in 2006 as Elias Riani is in the hospital. He is visited by a young woman, Nomi. The story flashbacks to 1947 where Elias meets the beautiful Lila. Despite the rising tensions in their country, the two fall in love and eventually secretly marry. Their life together is torn apart on November 29, 1947 when the General Assembly of the UN had divvied the country into two. One half becomes the country of Israel and the other the country of Palestine. Lila is now trapped in the country of Israel as she is Jewish and Elias is in Palestine as he is Arab. As tension continue to rise between the Jews and the Arabs, suspicions about Elias and Lila’s relationship begin to arise and soon the two are torn apart by politics and age-old prejudices. Will the Elias and Lila ever have a life together? Or will they forever be keep apart?

About the Night is a beautiful love story about two people torn about by politics and prejudices. The descriptions by Ms. Taslshir are beautifully written, almost like poetry, that you can feel yourself there with Lila as she hides during bombings or with Elias as he waits for death. My favorite quote is from a minor character but carries such power. Munir says “Nobody can bring peace here…It has to come from this place, from the people.” This is so true as peace in the Middle East must come from within the hearts and minds of the people, not from foreign dignitaries or war. I highly recommend About the Night!

About the Night

Is available on Amazon

In paperback $14.95

And with Kindle Unlimited