Review: Crusin' With The Top Down (Shady Rivers Book 4) by Magnolia "Maggie" Rivers

 

 

After escaping an abusive marriage, Bailey Marie Summerlin wants to find the girl she used to be. With the encouragement of her deceased father, she sets out on the trip of a lifetime along Route 66 only to find more than she bargained for along the way.Returning from the war, Noah Lockwood has lost everything. Beginning with the letter he received from his now ex-wife, before he ever returned stateside, to the notice he received of his best friend’s death, Noah has had enough. Putting his photography career on hold, he sets out on a much-needed vacation of sorts and joins in on a car race across America called the Gumball Rally. But what he finds along Route 66 not only adds more turmoil to his soul but torments his heart as well.

 

My Review:

A fun journey of self discovery.

If you love small towns and the friendly characters that go with them, then you will love this book.   Recently divorced, Bailey Summerlin sets off on a drive along Route 66.  Along the way, she meets new people and sees new sights and discovers what she wants to do with her future.  Bailey meets Noah Lockwood when he stops to help her with a flat tire.  Noah is competing in a cross country race, but he can’t help stopping to help a lady in distress.  Little do Bailey or Noah know, fate brought them together when they each needed it.

Review: Torn (All Torn Up #1) by Carian Cole

 

When I was five years old I told Toren Grace I was going to marry him when I grew up.

When I turned eighteen I made it clear I still felt the same. The problem? He's fifteen years older than me and he's my father's best friend.

Toren Grace. My father's best friend. My pseudo-uncle.
He's always been my rock. The one I should never, ever want.
But I do want him, and I love him.
I always have.

He loves me too.

Tor's one of the good guys. Loving. Devoted. A strong moral compass. One kiss between us rocked him clear off his axis. Now we can't forget how that kiss felt, and what it changed. Nothing will ever be the same between us.

I know he's struggling with his feelings, but I'm determined. I'm not a little girl anymore, and we can't deny we were meant to be together. The heart wants what the heart wants, and it doesn't care about age or how we met. My father cares, though. And he's the one person neither one of us can stand to hurt.

We're all being torn apart, and I don't know how to make everyone see that the wrongs are actually right.

 

My Review:

A heartbreakingly beautiful love story.

Toren Grace helped raise Kenzi Valentine since she was a baby.  He was her father's best friend.  Kenzie and Tor became best friends as they got older.  But when Kenzie turned eighteen, that friendship took a different turn.  She started to fall in love with Tor and was willing to do anything to be with him even when he tried to push her away.  Tor knew a relationship with Kenzie was wrong and he fought with himself and his jumbled-up feelings until he no longer could.  Fate brought them together and nothing was going tear them apart. 

I cried and cheered and went through every emotion while reading this book.  It is a forbidden love story that I just couldn’t get enough of.  I like how the story would slip back in time to show how Toren and Kenzie's relationship grew over the years.  It really showcased the depth of emotion between them.  I highly recommend this age gap romance. 

 

Review: No Tomorrow by Carian Cole

The people we love are thieves.
They steal our hearts. They steal our breath.
They steal our sanity.
And we let them.
Over and over and over again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

They say you never forget your first love.
Mine was a homeless musician who wandered straight into my soul.

He was my first everything. And fourteen years later, I still can't get him out of my head.

He broke all my rules.
He also broke my heart.

I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar.
But I was never a fan; just a girl in love.

Like a tornado, he spiraled, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

But love conquers all, right? It has to. Because here I stand, ravaged and ruined, needing it to be true.

You can't go back, but I want to. Back to the park. Back to when he sang only for me. Before he was famous. Before he shattered my heart.

I thought I knew everything about him.
But I could not have been more wrong.

He promised me every tomorrow. And here I am, waiting.
And hoping.
Again.

 

My Review: 

A highly emotional love story.

When Piper fell in love with, Blue, a homeless street musician, she never expected to see him again after walked away without even saying goodbye.  Her heart was broken, but she never once stopped loving Him.  When Piper finds out Blue is now in a popular rock band, she sets out to see him again. So much has happened since he walked out of her apartment that day never to return.  But the reunion didn’t end as well as she had hoped and Piper walked out this time.  Years later, they try again, but will it be the same old thing again or will this time be forever?   

This book took me on the biggest emotional roller coaster ever.  It ripped my heart out, tore it into a million pieces, and then slowly mended it back together.  I have a hard time classifying this book as a romance; it's more of a love story that proves true love never dies, no matter what happens.