Review: Overdrive (Calhoun Customs Garage Book 1) by Juanita Kees

Chase Calhoun has worked hard at making Calhoun Customs a world-wide sensation and keeping his father’s dream alive. He hasn’t had time to think about settling down, so he’s not expecting to find love or new life in their garage amongst the ghosts of his family’s past.

Charlotte Jackson is on the run from a rebellious past, determined to prove she can be a good mom to three-month-old baby, Zoe. Tired of being delegated to the back office of the racing team her famous NASCAR family owns, she sets out to establish herself as a custom design artist. But her past soon threatens her future and everything she’s worked hard to build is challenged.

While Chase slowly loses his heart, Charlotte learns that sometimes family is more than just blood and DNA.

My Review:

Single mom, Charlotte “Charlie” Jackson, is on the run from her father because he wants to put her baby up for adoption.  He doesn’t want any more scandal from his rebellious daughter, especially about being an unwed mother.  Charlie’s brother, Ronan, is a NASCAR driver and her father wants all of the attention on his son.  Charlie soon finds herself in Bigfork, Montana in hopes to land a job as a graphic design artist at Calhoun Customs. 

Chase Calhoun was instantly attracted to Charlie the first time he saw her but he had no idea she was living out of her car and sneaking into his shop at night to sleep in the attic.  When he found Charlie and baby Zoe asleep in the attic, he decided he had to do something.  Chase took them home and then gave Charlie a job.  The last thing he expected was to find out was who she really was, the daughter of one of his father’s racing rivals from back in his NASCAR days.  And he definitely didn’t except to find himself falling in love with Charlie. 

I really enjoyed this book with the background of racing and a custom car shop.  It was a little different than the books I have been reading lately.  Though it is romance, the story line was more unique and had a lot of excitement and family drama.  I couldn’t help getting attached to some of the secondary characters as well and can’t wait to find out more about them in the upcoming books in this series.    

Review: Belle's Secret (Outback Brides Book 2) by Victoria Purman

Isabella Martenson never expected to be a runaway bride. She never expected to be a bride, period. She simply has the wrong DNA to do the whole happily married thing. Until one night in Vegas with a handsome winemaker changes everything...

A year later, Harry Harrison’s bride is still a mystery. Who was she? Where was she? And why did she run? When Harry flies to a Australia for his best friend's wedding, he runs straight into the woman he’s never been able to forget.

All she asks is for their marriage to be kept a secret. All he asks is for a divorce. But after a week together, Harry and Isabella are forced to face what they really want.

My Review: 

Isabella Martenson had been keeping a secret for the last year.  Not even her best friend knew it.  Isabella married a man when she was in Las Vegas for a convention and then panicked and ran.  She went back to Australia and moved hoping Harry would never find her.  Things are going good for Isabella now.  She is running her own business, Wedding Belles, and officiating weddings at her best friend Maggie’s wedding venue.  But when one of her wedding guests turns out to be her husband, Isabella doesn’t know how to react.

Harry Harrison, a well-known wine maker from San Francisco, is a guest at his friend’s weddings when he spots Belle, the woman who disappeared after they were married.  Since then he has been searching for her.  He just wants a divorce so he can move on with his life.  But when circumstances put the two of them together, they both might decide they want a second chance.  

This was a sweet story.  The situation was a bit unbelievable, but it made for a fun read.  I cheered on Isabella and Harry the entire time.  I wanted them to stay together.  The author kept the story interesting and enjoyable. 

Review: Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson

What if the one thing that kept you together was breaking you apart?

All Linda wants to do is sleep. She won’t look at her husband. She can’t stand her daughter. And she doesn’t want to have this baby. Having this baby means moving on, and she just wants to go back to before. Before their family was torn apart, before the blame was placed.

Alienated by their own guilt and struggling to cope, the Sadler family unravels. They grow up, grow apart, never talking about their terrible secret.

That is until Linda’s daughter finds out she’s pregnant. Before she brings another Sadler into the world, Bea needs to know what happened twenty-five years ago. What did they keep from her? What happened that couldn’t be fixed?

A devastating mistake, a lifetime of consequences. How can you repair something broken if pieces are missing?

My Review:

An emotional tale about a family who loses their daughter and what they face afterwards. 

I am actually having a hard time writing a review for this book without giving away too much of the story.  But, I will say be sure you have some tissue ready when you read it.  It feels so real.  Just the thought of losing a child is hard enough, but what the family endures afterwards is heartbreaking. 

The book is told in two parts.  The first part of the book is about Linda and Tom Sadler and how losing their daughter, Phoebe, changes their relationship and other daughter’s life.  The second part is 25 years later and focuses on sisters, Esme and Bea.  We learn how the death of Phoebe has affected their lives.  When Esme reveals some secrets to Bea, she doesn’t know if it will help or harm the family even more, but she needs to open up about them.    

This is one of those books that once you read it, you can’t get it out of your mind.

*Thank you to Agora Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book for an honest review.

 

Review: Maggie's Run (Outback Brides Book 1) by Kelly Hunter

Maggie Walker has never called Wirra Station home. Orphaned as a child, she spent more time at boarding school, and then working in the city, than she ever spent on the edge of the outback. But when her great aunt dies, Maggie inherits everything and reluctantly returns to tidy the place up before selling.

Ambitious cowboy-next-door Max O’Connor has the means and the desire to buy Wirra Station outright and return it to its former glory. But first, he wants elusive Maggie Walker to know what she’s giving up. He challenges her to live at Wirra Station for three months—with him as farm manager. Just one season–and if she still doesn’t love the place, he’ll gladly pay up and she can be cashed-up and careless, with no ties to anything or anyone.

Three months. Two hearts. One Summer. Roll on.

My Review:

Maggie Walker returned to Wirra Station, after inheriting it from her aunt.  She has no idea what to do with the land or the house until she runs into her childhood friend Max O’Connor, who is her neighbor.  Max doesn’t want Maggie to sell the property, has another idea, he will stay on as farm manager while she sorts through the homestead.  If Maggie still wants to sell after three months, Max will buy it from her.  If Maggie decides to stay, Max suggests she sell her Melbourne house and pay him back what he has put into the land.  But then, Maggie comes up with the brilliant idea of turning it into an events and wedding venue.  It doesn’t take long for Maggie and Max to give in to the growing attraction they have for each other.  But will Maggie’s fears and secrets ruin their new relationship?

There was so much more to this book than just the romance.  I enjoyed the discoveries Maggie makes as she goes through the house, especially what was in the hidden room.  There were a lot of secrets that Maggie’s aunt kept from everyone and it was fun to see that part of the story unfold.  The fact that Maggie suffered PTSD and why she has it gave the story an emotional feel.  It was an interesting and entertaining book that I thoroughly enjoyed.