Those of you who follow my blog know that I read a variety of genres. Romance being one that I enjoy in many forms. The following reviews are for a Christian romance, a contemporary romance and a romcom. All very different from one another, but all enjoyable. I recommend them all.

Harvest Moon (Riverbend, #3) by Denise Hunter

Published September 6th 2022 by Thomas Nelson

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Riverbend story shares the romances of the three Robinson siblings. We met Gavin in earlier books and knew that he has lost a child and was divorced, but in this book, we get to know him, what happened in his past and see if he gets his happily ever after. When a tragedy claims the lives of little Emma’s parents, Mike and Mallory, Gavin and his ex-wife Laurel drop everything to make sure she is cared for. They were named guardians if anything ever happened to their best friends, but that was several years earlier, when they were still married. Can they do what is needed to ensure Emma’s happiness?

I loved this story. I had been waiting for this story and it was all that I had hoped for. Denise Hunter has a wonderful way with words and gradually introduces us to Laurel’s and Gavin’s past. I enjoyed reading about their courtship and it broke my heart as we see their marriage disintegrate and the reasons behind it. Little Emma stole my heart. She was so sweet and to lose both her parents at such a young age is heartbreaking. She loved Gavin and Laurel and to think she would lose them as well was inconceivable. Harvest Moon had my emotions all over the place as I held my breath hoping that things would work out for all the involved parties. Will they have a second chance at loving one another again? Will Emma lose more people she has grown to love? If you have not read the previous books in the Riverbend series, I definitely recommend them. If you just want to jump into this one, you can do that without reading the others. I was sad to say goodbye to the Robinson siblings, but I am looking forward to Denise Hunter’s next book or series. I highly recommend this one.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes, Emma Sidi (Narrator)

Published August 18th 2022 by One More Chapter

4.5 Stars:

Ten Years is the first book I have read by Pernille Hughes, but I will definitely watch for more. In this book we meet Becca and Charlie. They have known each other since their days at university where they had a one night stand. They ended up disliking each other immensely with the hope they would never see each other again. Fate gets in the way, when Charlie and Becca’s best friend Ally become a couple eventually getting engaged. When Ally dies, they are both a mess and grieve her terrible. A year after her death, they are contacted by Ally’s mother with a task. Ally has left them a bucket list, tasks to complete each year on the anniversary of her death. Her ashes have been placed into several bottles and they are tasked to scatter them all over, in places that mean something to Ally, Becca or Charles. Over the next ten years, they run into each other off and on and begin to see different sides to each other. Even with these tasks they continue to bicker, argue, mock and generally rub each other the wrong way. They eventually become friends, but can anything else work between them?

This was a wonderful romance story, a true enemies to friends to lovers trope. I loved the various tasks that Ally left for them. It took both of them out of their comfort zones at various times and they had to support each other somewhat to complete the list. They still had friends in common, so ran into each other at other times besides just the anniversaries. Their love for Ally was very different, one loving unconditionally and seeing Ally as perfect, the other loving Ally in spite of her flaws. Although Ally is dead, she is very much an important character in this story. I loved the banter/fighting between Charlie and Becca. At times I felt like it was just to irritate one another, not because they meant the words. At times I thought they were moving forward to a developing friendship, then something happens and they are back where they started. This story is set over ten years, so it was definitely not insta-love, but I think they had feelings for each other from the start, but could not and would not act on them because of Ally. I liked how Pernille Hughes portrayed grief in this story from not only Charlie and Becca, but also Ally’s mother. I recommend this story to those who enjoy contemporary romance, stories where characters deal with grief and new beginnings. I listened to the audiobook of Ten Years, narrated by Emma Sidi. This is the first time I have listened to a book she has narrated and I enjoyed her lovely, mellow and warm voice. She does a great job with this story and it certainly added to my enjoyment.

Well Played (Well Met, #2) by Jen DeLuca, Brittany Pressley (Narrator)

Published September 22nd 2020 by Penguin Audio, Berkley

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

With the newest book in the Well Met series coming out, I wanted to catch up on the rest of it. Well Met is the second book in this series and it was just as enjoyable as the first. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but I am reading them all as they are very enjoyable. Stacey Lindolm has a rather boring life. She works at a dental clinic, lives beside her parents, and has no one else in her life. She absolutely loves working at the Renaissance Faire each summer and had a fling with the lead singer of The Dueling Kilts the previous year When her best friend, Emily tells her she is getting married, Stacey panics. While out celebrating, she sends a message to her summertime fling, Dex. She is embarrassed the next day, but surprisingly, he responds. They begin an email relationship and she is looking forward to seeing him again when the Faire returns. Can she leave Willow Creek to live life on the road with Dex? What will happen we they see each other in person once again?

Well Played is a story full of humour, friendship, romance and twists. Stacey finds out that her long distance romance is not what she thought and it throws her for a loop. The man she fell in love with over email, is not the man she thought she was conversing with. Can she get over the feeling of betrayal? This story has themes of self-doubt, body issues, being truthful, forgiveness, friendship and love. I enjoyed getting to know Stacey and watching her develop self-confidence and stand up for herself. Daniel has his own issues to deal with and I liked how Jen DeLuca showed us that many people deal with low self-esteem and incorrect perceptions of themselves. The banter they shared in their emails was a hoot and it was great getting to know them this way. Brittany Presley narrated this book and does an excellent job. I enjoyed her performance, voices, expression and emotion that she added to the story. This was an enjoyable story and I am looking forward to reading Well Matched.

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