Review: Defenseless Hearts (reread)

 

Title: Defenseless Hearts

Series: Fumbled Futures 

Author: Meagan Brandy 

Release Date: May 2018

After months of silence, here she stands on my front porch, waiting to be let in again. But it's the same play every time, and I know how this ends - I give her all I have and she carries it with her on the way back to him. 

I should turn her away, but I won't. Couldn't do it if I tried. 

Because no matter how many times she pops back up, pulls me in and drags me under, it will never be enough. I'll always want more. 

More of her. 

More for us. 

And she'll always choose him.

Defenseless Hearts is book 2 in the Fumbled Futures series - about Nate & Lolli's friend Parker. 

Parker gives his all to her. Every time, she comes back taking a piece of him, but every time he leaves, choosing him. And every time, Parker breaks a little bit more. Would this be the time that Parker shatters completely for this girl, or will she choose him just once? 

Parker is Lolli & Nate's best friend. He has always been in love with one girl, someone he could never have. But she keeps coming back for a piece of him, before leaving again. 

Kenra is Nate's older sister. One who has a on-again-off-again relationship with someone else. Will she finally choose Parker or will she break him by leaving again. 

I love Parker's story. The angst & emotion that it pulls out. It is such a an amazing read & I definitely recommend it. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

2🌶️ out of 5🌶️. A couple scenes with some details. 

Tropes: 

→ emotional read

→ he falls first

→ best friend's sister / brother's best friend

→ slow burn 

Previous review | Trigger Warning 

Review Fumbled Hearts (reread)

 

Title: Fumbled Hearts

Series: Fumbled Futures

Author: Meagan Brandy 

Release Date: September 2017

He’s the persistent playboy who refuses to walk away. I'm the impassive new girl with nothing left to give.
Things are about to get complicated...

After months of refusing, I finally agreed to make the move to Alrick Falls. My family thought it was best - that a new scene would be good for me—and I was sick of having the same conversation.
So here I am, and the plan is simple. Smile through each day and avoid her at all costs.
It's perfect.

Until the cocksure quarterback comes into play.

The last thing I want is his crooked grin and dark brown eyes focused on me.
Yet here he is, constantly in my space, pushing me, daring me to care. Telling me what I think and feel, as if he knows.
He doesn't know anything. And  I plan to keep it that way.

Nate is a cocky quarterback playboy- who never hears the word no. Kalani is the new girl, who is different from everyone else. She's impassive, closed off, mysterious. But Nate pushes her to open up, to care. 

Can the persistent quarterback get Lolli to open up, or will she do what she always does, and run from her emotions? 

So, it's been years since I last read this book, but damn, I still absolutely love Nate & Lolli's story! 

I figured because of the release of Say You Swear being picked up by a publisher (bloom books) I would reread Fumbled Hearts, Defenseless Hearts & Say You Swear all over again, & I still absolutely love this book, and this world. 

Nate may be the bad boy playboy who gets around, and may be alpha and boosy but he still is sweet for his girl. Kalani has been through so much in such a short amount of time, but she doesn't let that make her jaded. Closed off sure, but she's still honest, and genuine. She doesn't play games & everything is met at face value. Until Nate. He opens up something inside her- making her feel again. 

Fumbled Hearts is a sports romance heavily focused on football, not just for the MMC quarterback, but for Kalani as well, but it's so much more than that. It still makes me feel. I feel giddy and swoon for Nate, and still feel and cry for Kalani even after all these years. This book still draws out the emotion. 

4 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐. 

2🌶️ out of 5🌶️. - a couple scenes with some details. 

Tropes: 

→ Sports Romance/Football Romance 

→ persistent Playboy x new girl 

→ emotional read 

→ he fell first 

Previous review | Trigger Warnings 

Review: The Hawthorne Legacy

 

Title: The Hawthorne Legacy

Series: The Inheritance Games series

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

Release Date: September 2021

Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

This is book 2 in the Inheritance Games series & picks up where book 1 left off. 

Avery now living in the Hawthorne House had come to be accepted in part by most of the Hawthorne family - but it still doesn't mean she is safe. Inheritanting billions of dollars - in a Cinderella type story, there are still threats. But also still riddles, games and secrets as well. Including one secret that could answer why she inherited the money in the first place, and could bring her closer to the family she is residing with, or tear them further apart. But maybe some secrets should stay dead...

So I loved this book just as much as the last. Loved the stand between Avery and the Hawthorne's, loved the lies and secrets, the riddles and games. It was fun and suspenseful and an overall great read. I will be diving into the Final Gambit, to see where the story evolves & what riddles, games & secrets are in store for our characters next. 

4⭐ out of 5 ⭐.

0🌶️ out of 5🌶️.  - very YA, no spice. 

Review: The Inheritance Games

 

Title: The Inheritance Games 

Series: The Inheritance Games series

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Release Date: September 2020

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

Avery Grambs was a girl who was invisible and had nothing, was thrown into an impossible situation. She was summoned to a will reading at the Hawthorne estate. - a will for a man she never met, a family whom she had no idea existed. A family who was extremely weathly- but didn't inherit much in the will- Avery did. 

A girl who came from nothing- now held control of the Hawthorne's riches, and estate. Which gave this family reason to hate her. Was it enough reason to want her dead? Forced to live with possible enemies, she got dragged into their drama and games, on a quest to find answers - but will she survive? 

So I have owned all the books for some time now and finally decided to dive in blindly, having no clue what the books were about. But I enjoyed every second of it. The riddles, and games. The drama and more. 

Avery was just a normal girl- trying to get by in school and at her job to make ends meet after her mother died. 

The Hawthorne's were bigger- more extraordinary. They were richer beyond anything. Their estate had everything anyone could possibly want, and a labyrinth of rooms and passageways. They had made everything into a game, and riddle - and Avery showing up was no exception. 

Before their grandfather passed away, he had set up one last game for them to play... But would that game cost Avery her life? 

I enjoyed this book. It was a whirlwind of riddles, and games, and clues, and drama all mixed into one- and then some. And I cannot wait to see what else is in store for these characters & this story - because even though one riddle was solved there is still some questions that need answers. Overall it was a great fun read. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

0🌶️ out of 5🌶️. - very YA no spice. 

Review: The DM Diaries

 

Title: The DM Diaries 

Author: Teagan Hunter 

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Falling in love with a guy like this is easy. Finally meeting him is a different story in a funny, flirty, and emotional romantic comedy about celebrity, secrets, and plus-sized dreams.

Olive O’Brien is a plus-size influencer with half a million followers and big dreams. And she’s feeling the pressure to stand out while staying true to herself. To cope, Olive finds solace in an unexpected place: the DMs of Jasper Rafferty, the world’s hottest movie star, where she feels safe to share her hopes, fears, and secrets because it’s not like he’ll read them. Until he does. Kind of.

Career-wise, Jasper’s younger brother, Jude, is in free fall. After an interview gone wrong, Jude now has the thankless job of managing his brother’s social media accounts to help reboot his own image. Olive’s messages are unexpected, and her wit and vulnerability catch his interest. How can “Jasper” not respond? And how long can Jude keep up the ruse?

As the DMs get flirtier and more personal, the bigger question is what’ll happen when Olive finds out she’s fallen for a fraud. It might not be what either of them expects.

Oh my goodness! 

So I have been in a huge reading slump for about a month now. No matter how many books I picked up I ended up putting them down after a few pages not able to get into or enjoy any of them. But this one finally broke through. 

The DM Diaries. 

Olive is a rising plus-size model who loves her job, but is trying to stand out in her world. So she finds peace in an unexpected place. The world's hottest movie stars DM's. She had been sharing her hopes, dreams & life with Jasper, because he doesn't read them, he doesn't even work his own social media pages - so what's the worst that could happen? 

Jude is trying to make a comeback in the world of acting. He never hit it as big as his brother Jasper and then took a break to go to college. But after an interview gone-wrong his publicist tells Jude to take over Jasper's social media in hopes to gain publicity of connecting to two together. But Jude stumbles upon DM's. He shouldn't read them. They aren't for him. But they are something real in the world of fake. And then he responds as Jasper.

As the DM's get flirty and more personal, will Jude be able to keep up the ruse? And what will happen when Olive finds out she is starting to fall for a fraud? 

So- I loved Olive. She was real. She followed her big dreams to the city. She was brave but also vulnerable. She was sassy and didn't take crap from anyone. She stood for what she believed in- even if misses out on high profile jobs because of it. 

Jude likes acting, but doesn't like all that comes with it. The interviews and being on the go go go. He wants something real in the world of fake. 

The DM diaries brings the humor & wit Teagan is known for - along with plenty of DM and texting banter. It's cute, and funny and has some steam. I loved every second of it, and couldn't put it down. So if you're looking for a celebrity romance that brings the charm and laughs, this is the book for you. 

4.5 ⭐ out of 5⭐. 

2🌶️ out of 5 🌶️. - a couple scenes with some details. 

Tropes: 

→ rom-com 

→ celebrity romance 

→ strangers to lovers 

→ Banter between characters 

→ contemporary romance