The Champion's Desire

A fantastic follow up. Book one was the slow burn as Lady Natalie got to know Brandon the Bear. Book Two is all about the sizzle and the struggle of trying to keep their relationship private so that Brandon won't get kicked out of the Champion's Guild. The novel opens with them trying to find Henry because they know that he is responsible for the attack on Blackmere and death of some of their friends. They discover that he has escaped to the Guild and he's already lied to the Guild Master, saying that it's all a terrible misunderstanding. Unable to make Henry pay for his crimes, Brandon decides that he will face Henry the Dragon in the Midsummer Melee and make him pay in the arena. They both spend six months training their asses off at the guild and sending each other penetrating glances. Not getting to touch each other or get any moments of privacy is hard on their relationship. Can they defeat Henry? Will their relationship survive? Fantastic. Great ending and I can't wait to read the third and final installment in this series!

The Four Winds

Wow - this book was compelling and impossible to put down. It was also VERY SAD. I was hoping there would be a few more uplifting moments in it (hence the four star rating), but it was still supremely well written and emotional. The Four Winds is a great depression novel that starts in the Dust Bowl of Texas. It's sad, emotional, and will only get worse as the story progresses. Imagine Grapes of Wrath but instead of focusing on a male you have female lead and it's twenty times more sad and depressing and that is the best review I can give it. You will cry your eyeballs out, but you will love the story and the characters in it. You've been warned. Now read and enjoy this book (if it can be called enjoyment). 

Dare to Lead

I've been hearing the Brene Brown hype for years and this is the first time I've dove into one of her leadership books. It was really eye opening - I rarely take notes or mark pages but there were multiple times when I had to stop to re-read something because it struck me, The concepts are great for organizational leadership and also personal growth. Strategies range from developing empathy to accepting feedback to passing over perfectionism can help improve anyone's lives. Extremely eye opening. Brown has lots of free printables (workbooks, motivational posters, etc) on her website and I look forward to digging into those as well. I definitely wouldn't mind reading her other work - she referenced them quite a lot in this one. 

A Dance in Donegal

Moira's mother's dying wish was that her daughter go to Ireland and teach in the town she grew up in. Moira doesn't want to leave Boston behind but she keeps having ominous dreams and she finally feels compelled to go abroad. Set in 1920 this historical romance features a lovely backdrop, the Irish town of Donegal. When she arrives in the Emerald Isle it's not all sunshine and roses however. Many are skeptical of the "yank" and one of her students has set out to make her miserable. Moira thanks God for the few friends she makes and is determined to make it work. But that resolution becomes harder and harder to achieve as rumors of her and her mother begin to surface. Just what kind of reputation did her mother leave behind when she sailed to America? One constant in her new life is Sean, a nice and gentlemanly thatcher. Is there something more than friendship there? There are definitely some dark and unexpected moments in this inspirational historical romance, but Moira always turns towards God and makes the most out of hard circumstances. 

The Hollow Inside

Absolutely stunning - I could not put this young adult debut down!! Phoenix and her mom live an unconventional life - living out of a van and stealing what they need to get by. That's all about to change however; Phoenix's mother, Nina, is taking them back to the place where it all started, Jasper Hollow. It was there that Nina's life was forever ruined so with the help of her seventeen year old daughter - they are going to right some wrongs and make sure everyone knows the truth. No more lies, no more secrets - she's waited long enough. Phoenix is tasked with befriending the man who ruined his mother's life as well as his family to gather intel for her mother - but what happens when she finds out that there is more to the story than her mother told her?! Is she into to deep with this fraudulent family? How much do they really know? She'll do anything for her mother - but is this going to far, even for her? Utterly compelling and unique - the characters were real, flawed, and kept me guessing to the very end. One I will definitely read again!

The Bartender's Secret

I will admit that it has been a long time since I've read a Harlequin - not that I've actively avoided reading them - the books haven't crossed my path in a long time. I was instantly intrigued by the title because my boyfriend is a bartender and I though this would be a fun read. I loved the opening because it featured a beautiful young professor reading in the bar who catches the eye of the the bartender and pub owner. He assumes she is a student because they are in a college town and she looks so young. When she finally notices him she is smitten because he is built like a Grecian warrior and all the romance novels she's been reading has her heart pulsing. They start talking and soon she's a regular patron at his establishment. Connor is smitten but she's far too good for him, a man with a criminal background (he was young and dumb). The closer they get - the more he pulls away. Lots of college and parental drama from the professor and Connor is so stuck in the past that he's scared to let anyone down. A good story but I was VERY shocked (scandalized even) when I realized - SPOILER ALERT - that there isn't even one sex scene in this book!! Not one! Just some making out! This is the first in a series so it is possible they consummate their love later on. I just assumed with Harlequin that everyone was bumping uglies. No sex isn't a put off by any means - I was just surprised. Talk about a definite slow burn!

The Lady's Champion

I LOVE a good slow burn - throw in some medieval romance and body positivity and I am even more invested. I flew through this book in less than one day and I can't wait to get my hands on the second installment. Lady Blackmere has wished for years that the Champions of Aldland would perform their yearly tournament at her castle - years of letter writing and praying have finally brought the renowned champions to her doorstep. She is determined to meet the men and women fighters not as a noble, but as a commoner. She wants to experience them being real and not sucking up to her as a noble because of propriety. She swaps places with her friend, a local barmaid, and goes out to meet them at the local tavern. When bandits swarm the town and the castle, Lady Blackmere barely escapes with her life and finds herself with three of the Champions, including Brandon the Bear, the most famous of them all. She must conceal her identity because she doesn't want to incur their wrath as the "idiot who had no guards defending the town or castle." She doesn't expect the hero of her dreams to bat an eyelash at the tagalong "barmaid" but soon they are depending on each other and confiding in each other as if they've known each other for years rather than days. A super satisfying slow burn.